Popular author to visit North Bend Library

Published 2:11 am Friday, October 3, 2008

It has finally happened. We are a two-house family. You see, they

raised the price at the campground to $20 a night, so we decided to buy a

house instead. We purchased what the Mountain Man calls a “fishing lodge”

this month. What we actually bought was a small 2-bedroom house in

Chinook. Yes, it is in Washington. It is a small town about eight miles upstream

from the Ilwaco/Longbeach area. The marina is about a two-minute walk, if

you walk slowly. And the Columbia River is right across the street. You can

see it if you look around the cannery. Yes, we are behind the crab cannery.

The house used to be the cannery office, before a merger made it

superfluous. But there is not much smell, and as I told my father, the Mountain

Man smells a little fishy sometimes too!

We have discovered that it is actually a Lindal Cedar home, built

about 1970-something as a government house. It was barged down river

in 1975 and placed in its present location. It has a deck, and some nice

trees and shrubbery. Also a lot of blackberries and a healthy crop of bamboo.

So I think we will have our yard work planned out for the next 20 years

or so.

The interior was dirty, but in pretty good shape. Lots of cobwebs

and more creepy-crawly things than I have ever seen

inside a house. It was tastefully decorated in 1970s chic. And

if one more person tells me that those colors are coming back, I will

drown myself in my avocado green bathtub! And they are all in good shape,

too. Isn’t that lucky! Well, isn’t it?

We spent two days washing windows, vacuuming cobwebs,

annoying bugs, and chopping unwanted yard things. We didn’t think we had

made much progress, but you could see a difference. I also spent a happy

hour ripping the vinyl imitation grass cloth out of the bathroom. Avocado I

can deal with, but not contact paper walls. Even I have my limits!

All kidding aside, the bad stuff is mostly cosmetic. A little paint and

elbow grease, and we could probably resell for a profit right away. But

we both love the water, we spend a lot of time down there fishing, and it

really seemed like the deal was too good to pass up. The area is growing, and so

it is also a good investment. At least that’s what we told our parents.

It seemed more practical than buying a house because the campground

rates went up!

PPP

The VFW Auxiliary is holding a blood drive on Friday, Oct. 15, at

the Mount Si Senior Center. This is an excellent opportunity to share your

good health with someone not so fortunate. Besides, the cookies are good.

Hope to see you there.

PPP

The County-Wide King County Book Sale will be held at

Kamiakin Junior High on Saturday, Oct. 16, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. You can get

directions at any King County Library or by calling (206) 684-6605.

If you don’t feel like driving to Kirkland, the North Bend

Friends Used Book Sale is Oct. 23 and 24. You can join the Friends and attend

the Members Pre-sale on Friday night, the 22, at 7 p.m. Volunteers are needed

for the sale, so if you would like to help, call the library at (425) 888-0554

and sign up. You can get some very good buys at both of these sales. All of

the proceeds go to Friends’ groups, who sponsor library programs and

services with the funds.

PPP

Young Adult author Chris Crutcher will be at the North

Bend Library on Oct. 22, as part of Teen Read Week. This popular author

has written some terrific books for teens, including my personal favorites

“Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes” and

“Iron man.”

Most of Mr. Crutcher’s books are about teens dealing with problems

in their lives ranging from parents, to peer pressure, to school and the

world in general. He does not offer pat answers, but realistically portrays

the fact that sometimes there is nothing we can do but accept and move

on. Mr. Crutcher works as a child and family therapist in the Spokane area,

so he writes from real life. I encourage the kids out there to come and

hear this author. He will also be giving tips on how to get your feelings on

paper, whether in a class paper or a personal journal. I know from experience

that a journal can be a lifesaver.

PPP

Thought for the Week: The morning sun banishes the shadows back

to their dark corners. See how it stalks them across the meadow and

kindles every leaf to light my day.

— Paul Gallico

or drop them by the library.