Here we go again. It’s a thought that pops into my mind every year about this time, as special projects get kicked off, seasonal groups begin to start up again and conversations have already turned to proms, graduations and other start-of-summer events.
It’s like we’re at the tippy-top of the roller coaster track, about to take the big plunge. There’s a pause, a thrill of horror, and then a downward rush, a lot of noise, and, a very short time later, the end of the ride.
After the gravity-free drops, that moment at the top is my favorite part of any roller coaster ride. Ahead, there’s nothing but sky, and behind is how high I’ve climbed, or in the case of looking over the past year’s rush to summer, how far we’ve come.
A year ago, Snoqualmie’s Police Department was preparing to add North Bend to its coverage area. Back then, the Snoqualmie Valley School District was at about the halfway point of a facilities debate, and very nearly a capacity crisis, that led to the recent $244 million bond. Over the past year, the Snoqualmie Valley Hospital District began the public process of negotiating a potential sale to Overlake Hospital. And a year ago, North Bend was still a month away from being blasted awake by an accidental gas explosion.
Today, Snoqualmie’s police report overwhelming citizen satisfaction with their service in both cities, and the school district is spray-painting shovels gold for the March 16 ceremony to break ground on a sixth elementary school on Snoqualmie Ridge. The hospital board ended negotiations with Overlake, and is about to cut the ribbon on its brand new hospital. Most visible evidence of the North Bend blast is already gone, and I hear that a tree on the site of the explosion is blooming again.
On roller coasters, the more lifts and drops in the ride, and the faster it goes, the more I like it, and if I actually get scared, even better. But I’m slowly realizing that it’s all a wild ride, if you take the time to look back.
Calling all shutterbugs
Now it’s time to look ahead, to our eighth annual Amateur Photo Contest. The contest, for Valley photographers, is open to anyone who can work a camera and e-mail account. Submit your entries to editor@valleyrecord.com — 72 dpi, and at least 14 inches wide by 11 inches tall, please — by end of day Wednesday, March 25, in one of three categories, Scenic, People and Animals. Prizes include a gift certificate to John Howie Steak, hands-on photo mentoring sessions with local photographer Mary Miller and essential camera gear. Winners will be announced April 8.
