Recent stories by Sandra

• Dealing with hiking bug’s bite

  May 25, 2013 in Washington Voices on Page V1 We caught a nasty bug in Yellowstone National Park last August that hounded us through winter. I’m not talking about illness or disease. This bug penetrates the soul, making one …

• Front Porch: My complex, fascinating neighbors

  April 27, 2013 in Washington Voices on Page V1 They exist among us. Live and breed, squawk and scavenge. Jet black and cocky, they don’t care what we humans think, nor do they have to. Throughout the year they …

• Vandalism sheds light on crime rate

  March 23, 2013 in Washington Voices on Page V1 Someone likes the light in our driveway. “Like” probably isn’t the right word. Someone has an insatiable desire to smack the bulb and lamp right off the metal post. 1

• Planning ahead for final exit

  February 23, 2013 in Washington Voices on Page V1 It’s not easy facing mortality. In fact, there’s nothing easy about confronting that final goodbye and for years, I’ve put it off with inventive excuses. In my 20s I was …

• Taking aim at becoming a real character

  January 26, 2013 in Washington Voices on Page V1 Winter’s frigid tundra has arrived. If I were a ski enthusiast or had a snowmobile, there would be something to do during these whiteout months. I got nothin’. Snow’s not …

• Sisters’ advice plays key role in trying year

  December 29, 2012 in Washington Voices on Page V1 A difficult year puts a hard spin on the holidays. It’s not easy finding tidings of comfort and joy when difficulties come knockin’. Death, divorce, disease, disaster, darn the luck …

• America will endure tide of disasters

  November 17, 2012 in Washington Voices on Page V1 Phew. Seems the whole country has been rocked by storms – both of the natural and political persuasion – wreaking havoc and destroying dreams with an angry mix of blustery …

• Childhood’s new threat: tot couture

  October 13, 2012 in Washington Voices on Page V1 My fashion itch is scratching. Perhaps this itch is from bygone years when the annual shopping for school clothes kicked in, or perhaps my wardrobe’s in need of a boost. …

• Yellowstone visit was an eye-opener

  September 15, 2012 in Washington Voices on Page V1 It was an amazing vacation even though this was our fifth visit to Yellowstone National Park. As we approached Roosevelt Arch and read the inscription “For the benefit and enjoyment … 1

• Park full of absorbing moments

  August 11, 2012 in Washington Voices on Page V1 Working in downtown Spokane has its perks and Riverfront Park is one of them. Every spring I resume my lunch hour walks through the park relishing the exercise while experiencing …

• Not easy to take summer colds well

  July 14, 2012 in Washington Voices on Page V1 The dog days of summer have arrived … finally. After a particularly cool, wet and windy June, summer has blasted in like a blow dryer on high. Right along with … 1

• Valley club studies Old World martial arts

  July 14, 2012 in Washington Voices on Page V1 It was a warm afternoon in a defunct church. A young woman readied for battle. She adjusted black plastic motocross shield across her chest and back, strapped a silver metal …

• Encounter with an owl a special gift

  June 2, 2012 in Washington Voices on Page V1 It was a Mother’s Day gift of the most unusual kind. Our jaunt to Northern California over Mother’s Day weekend included a drive through lush farmland and spacious ranches to …

• Connection, duty come with stardom

  April 7, 2012 in Washington Voices on Page V1 Stars mystify me. Oh, not the wondrous bright bling twinkling in the night sky but the ones of entertainment variety. The stars that cause us to laugh at their comedy …

• Spokane ripe for Eastern BYOB craze

  March 3, 2012 in Washington Voices on Page V1 BYOB. In this neck of the woods, “Bring Your Own Bottle” is synonymous with backyard barbecues and parties where family and friends gather at private homes. In the East, BYOB …

• Front Porch: Dressing in style for the holidays

  December 10, 2011 in Washington Voices on Page V1 The words, “It doesn’t take much,” slip through my mind as a glimpse of style passes by reminiscent of a time when a sense of fashion and pride in how …

• Dogs know the language of friendship

  October 8, 2011 in Washington Voices on Page V1 Three words can pull screen doors off hinges, scratch leather furniture and cause unimaginable mayhem. Three words. Where’s. The. Squirrel.

• Front Porch: Chores that set women, men apart

  July 9, 2011 in Washington Voices on Page V1 Am I right? My husband thinks I’m kind of a pain. I’m not sure why, but he mumbles these exacting words, and a few expletives, under his breath when things …

• Encounter with a Pearl beyond price

  May 14, 2011 in Washington Voices on Page V1 ‘Blimey! Thar she be!” I shouted after spotting an exact replica of ye old pirate ship, complete with skulls and lanterns and masts and sails, off Oahu’s North Shore last …

• Earth needs protective stewards

  April 23, 2011 in Washington Voices on Page V1 Will summer ever make its way to the Inland Northwest? There are days I wonder if we’ve made such a mess of things that Mother Nature is through with being … 1

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