Wow! What a summer!

I hope your summer has been every bit as fun as mine has. This past Saturday I attended the annual Timber Tiger Lodge party, which takes place on the side of the Elkhorn Mountains, overlooking the entire Baker Valley. The food was fabulous, the band was amazing, the dancing, of course, was a blast, and the time spent with friends was invaluable.

This summer has definitely been action-packed for me and I feel extremely blessed to be living a life that involves so much joy. A life that would not be possible if it weren’t for the advertisers that support this paper and the readers that continue to pick it up off of the newspaper stands and read it, some offering suggestions for improvement and others just sending along a message, or two of encouragement. Thanks to everyone involved in The Gorge Business News, including Marc Robins who continues to put out quality articles that not only inform, but also entertain.

There were a couple of events I covered over the last couple months that were just amazing. One was Kiteboarding4Cancer, an event that raised more than $194,000 in a single weekend. I was lucky enough to be one of the volunteers, which gave me the opportunity to meet many of the people involved. Look for my article on this event as well as an article on Rob Chimelak and also Andrew Muse, two people I met while attending the event.

Pendleton Bike Week was my other favorite event of the summer. The creation of Erik Folkstad, Pendleton Bike Week was one of the most enjoyable events I have ever gone to. The people were all very friendly, the bikes were beautiful and some were so unique it was a wonder people could create such machines. Three Dog Night entertained the crowd in the Happy Canyon Arena and the Seattle Cosacks stunt team performed each day. If you haven’t seen the Seattle Cosacks you are missing out; they were amazing.

Of course I can’t leave out the time I spent with family this summer. To kick off the summer one branch of our family met at Barton Park, then later in the summer another branch of the family met at Lake Sutherland, Washington. My dad and I drove to Lake Sutherland together, stopping along the way at Egg & I Road, where he grew up. Some of you may remember the books Egg & I about Ma and Pa Kettle. My dad lived across the street from the family the book was written about and he used to be babysat by Pa Kettle, who would show up in a suit and tie. It was very special to hear so many of my dad’s childhood memories as we drove down Egg & I Road together. I trip I will cherish forever. Of course waiting at the reunion were many wonderful people that I have so many childhood memories of. My cousins and I were able to sit around the campfire for three nights reliving old memories and making new ones in the process.

Closer to home more family memories were being made on camping trips, meteor shower watching, wildflower gathering, fireweed jelly making, and hiking with my husband, my daughter, her husband and their children. They were even lucky enough to see a moose in the northeast Oregon mountains.

Yes, this has been a summer to remember in so many more ways than one. Once again, I thank you for picking up this paper and spending time within its pages. Feel free to email me article suggestions, comments or complaints. I read them all and appreciate every one.

Until next time Carpe Diem! (Seize the Day)