Category: Life Stories

Gary began working as an apprentice carpenter after passing the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America test in April , 1977 in Corvallis , OR. He worked for many companies in Oregon building offices, a fire station substation, a heavy timber framed warehouse, schools, private homes, and more. I recall that on the warehouse project for Westwood Structures he was highly valued for his ability to nimbly carry heavy sheets of plywood up a bow truss system 65 feet in the air. Thank goodness he didn’t take them up on the offer to continue with them permanently! In the early 80’s he worked for his brother-in-law building houseboats on Lake Union in Seattle, WA. In 1983 we moved to Entiat, WA . Gary continued his career in construction working for various firms in the North Central Washington area and sometimes traveling out of town for jobs. In 1984 he was a field superintendent for Gencon Construction and remodeled and built an addition to a Prosser, WA school. In following years he worked for Impero, Moen, Shea, Imco, Redding, Levernier, Hale and Long , Lydig and Cree Construction companies building so many buildings in North Central Washington. ( I will need to research more to add all of the various structures ) In 1994 He was hired by Aldrich and Associates as a Foreman Carpenter on the addition of the ambulatory surgery center for the Wenatchee Valley Clinic . In July 1996, he was appointed the Field Superintendent for the new medical facililty for Wenatchee Valley Clinic in Omak, WA. The remainder of his career has continued with Aldrich and Associates making this year his 26th with Aldrich and his 43rd in the construction field. Aldrich has been a steady, progressive, and honorable company for him to work for. He and our family have greatly benefitted from the opportunities he has earned and been offered, and from his very dedicated work ethic. These excerpt from a few letters of recommendation I found describe him well, “ Gary’s greatest strength lies in his willingness to accept responsibility, his willingness to work hard…, his honest, sincere, yet firm manner. He is a creative, yet practical problem solver. “ and from another letter , “Gary’s integrity and honesty are flawless. He is timely in his work; never late, and puts in a generously full day.”

Gary often says how good he feels about the recent years working to improve the Columbia Valley Community Health facilities in Wenatchee, Ephrata, Chelan, and Moses Lake. We were early patrons of Community Health in Wenatchee when it was just a small office building on Wenatchee Avenue, and were parents of very young children. He feels that his work has helped to provide support for families who need good medical care regardless of their ability to pay. He also feels good having been able to be a leader to the many workers he has supervised.

We are so looking forward to the freedom to make unhurried visits to see our large extended family and dear friends to do the things we love to do together. Our first trip will be to Oregon to see Gary’s mom and sister and 2 of our kids’ families. Up at The Pines, I will be his regular working buddy from now on. And we have an apprentice – Beau James the dog. Gary is learning to be my assistant chef and dishwasher. Our wish is to be thankful for each day, make good choices and see what happens! Cheers!

As I write today, the growing sense that a huge downpouring of every kind of calamity, disaster, depression, revolution, etc. , is but a couple of weeks away. I won’t review what we all have been experiencing… but will offer a very few thoughts on what I find interesting about it.

How is it changing our paradigm? For my part, a reflection on the power of a real and present danger to impose change on human behavior is remarkable. It truly would be amazing if we had leaders who suddenly realized the true importance of life on earth and our role in affecting and saving it. Mother Earth seems to be taking matters into her own hands. She is resilient and has a lot more eons to go. We are begging her to give us another chance. What can we give up and still live good lives?

Another thought I just had was what if we were to purposely avoid the name of the perpetrator ( even if the perp is a virus ) to lessen its greed for fame and notoriety. The strange think is that there really is a different kind of virus pushing humans to act ridiculously… 911 calls for folks who are out of TP?! Yikes.

No matter simple my playing is, I bask in the harmonic sounds and interesting rhythms of the songs in my Easy Piano Charlie Brown Collection. Vince Guaraldi’s compositions are balm to my mornings. If you choose to listen, and the first notes are jarring, be patient, it gets a bit better. For parents, of children who play music, I also encourage you to be patient. Music is the best , and we need it to grow exponentially.

One of the most challenging things to teach Beau James is impulse control. I have seen such improvement with consistent training. He is much more patient, and last night stayed totally cool and calm while I worked for a good long while in the garden. Might have just been the time of day, but I gave him lots of “good dog” encouragement because he was using self control.

Learning to control my own impulses is another story. Yesterday, I decided I needed to a haircut and because I am somewhat reluctant to sit down for a hairdresser, I figured I could just cut it myself. Or at least get a start on it. So , I watched a YouTube about how to put your hair up in a ponytail and snip off the ends. The girl had perfect hair, I sort of followed her directions – snip, snip – and hey not too bad, but maybe a little uneven. I regretted my impatience, and decided I better go to town and have a real hairdresser fix me up. The first place I called was full for the day. But once I was in Chelan, I looked up a few more places I could go. I didn’t have much time, as Beau was in the back of the car, and I don’t like to leave him for long. There was one place I found that was a combination Barber and Hairdresser Shop. The owner only accepted walk-ins, which was perfect for me… but when she opened up after lunch, I was fourth in line behind two older men and one younger. I found out she only accepted cash after the young man had to leave to get cash from Walmart. I realized I only had about 7 dollars and the cut cost $17. I thought about going for cash, but by that time I had lost my patience and just drove home. What the heck, I can just do this myself , I thought. This time I didn’t’ even consider watching an instructional video, just ponied up, and chopped off a little more. It actually turned out pretty good , which does not bode well as I will likely suffer the consequences of impulsivity in the future and not fare so well.

Our house in K.C., Mo. was so overflowing with stuff that when visitors arrived the protocal was to ‘Quick, turn the lights off! Throw a sheet over the table!”, so that they couldn’t see the mess. We had trouble entering  our bedrooms because the doorways were blocked by clothes hanging on pull-up bars between jambs. Our home was a classic two story colonial in the school district of Southwest High School, which had the reputation of being one of the best public schools in the nation. Nanny had instilled the reasoning that housekeeping was a waste of talent in comparison to the more lofty pursuits of  education, music, drama and sports. When it fell upon us as children to dispense of all that accumulation it was a Sisyphean tempered with Bacchnalian escapes to Loose Park’s fountains after swigs of Boones Farm Apple Wine.  Jimmy’s request was to someday have only the barest essentials necessary to life – a clean bed and a checkbook.  And one day, near the end of the summer of 1971,  we made it happen. I remember his laughter when he discovered his wish granted.

In September, Ruth Louise left for college with the departing salute, “Goodbye Kansas City, Hello World!” .  Dolly and I packed our trunks, suitcases  and duffles and boarded the train for Madison , Wisconsin.  Train travel ran in our blood. Harley , our grandfather had been an inspector for the Santa Fe line.  Nanny  had a lifelong pass and all three of her children including Mama had extensively traveled the country by train when they were young. As kids , we made regular trips between Kansas City and Chanute, Kansas on the train and by car. Travel by train fills a sentimental yearning, comforting and exciting.  

What I had heard about Madison from Dolly was true.  It would be my first exposure to the exciting vibrancy of a college town in the lovely lake country of Wisconsin. In 1971 Madison was riding the youthful wave of dissension and experimentation. Over 40,000 students came to seek their future at the UW.  Everyone rode bikes and hitchhiked to their destinations. Riots protesting Vietnam on the UW campus were continuing  after the Dow Chemical riot and the Sterling Hall bombing of 1968. We were  bound  to join this explosive scene. It was a dramatic contrast to the more conservative midwestern lifestyle in which cheerleading, football, dances and high school plays were my passions. In our suitcases were all the things we imagined we’d  need for  beginning the rest of our lives. I don’t recall going to a store to shop for our wardrobes, because from under the piles of clothes that had mostly been rummage sale finds, there were dresses, fur coats, shoes and treasures from Mama’s more glamorous past.  We had tried on and divided the random and beautiful relics to outfit our new personas. Amongst our choices were  a black velveteen halter style one piece bathing suit,  several sheer embroidered peasant style blouses,  dresses from the 1930’s , a full length skunk fur coat, and some really lovely impractical satin night gowns.  We had impractically everything to  start our new lives and hopefully new romances.  Our cooking experience was really minimal , as Mama had skipped learning or educating us in that field. We filled our duffel bags with pots and pans we saved from the kitchen and as we dragged them through the Chicago train station we fell down with the strain and hilarity we felt as we drew attention to ourselves the clattering noise.

Long ago, growing up in Kansas City, we adopted a little black dog with wavy fur,  a little white badge on his chest.  As we sat and played with this little puppy at the breakfast room table, thinking up names,  it was Dolly who came up with Boo Boo.  Fitting,  because it was certainly a mistake for our family to have a dog. If you lived on our block, you would have seen early morning dashes as one or two of us ran through your yard racing to catch Boo Boo, who had gotten loose from his chain.   Finally cornering, luring or improbably wearing him out we would fling our bodies on his and finally be able to head to school.  Coincidentally, my husband Gary had the same kind of experience, his dog was a sleek Afghan capable of leaping tall fences, and attaining speeds of 30 mph or more.  Upon Sparrow’s capture, school was probably out of Gary’s plan for the day.  What a strange rite of passage we shared. Surely there must have been some  gain from these early morning runs, if only to burn some teenage angst from our spirits.  Later in Boo Boo’s life , when tragedy struck our family, his life became the pattern our own lives seemed to be following. Mama had died, and we were set free upon the world. Jimmy, our older brother who had interviewed Jean Paul Sartre shared the basics of existentialism with us.  I thought I totally got it – the pointlessness of Life.    We made up the philosophy of the Boo Boo cycle as we sorted through the mountains of clothes, belongings, and the  accumulation  from years of Mama’s aching  need to find comfort in things and  thrill  in  rummage sale treasure hunting. As we packed bag after large garbage bag to be given away, totalling by the end of the summer to over a thousand, we considered the highs and lows of life, the mundane and the profound. That summer we were challenged to find meaning,  when life seemed to offer both nothing and everything.  For soon we would all at once scatter in 4 directions from the home we had grown up in.  Ruth Louise to college at Northwestern, Jimmy to law school at Yale, Johnny to Oklahoma with Daddy, and Dolly back to school at the UW Madison. I went with Dolly to live in a small apartment and attend West High School. Only  Nanny, our  maternal elderly grandmother who lived 2 blocks away would be left behind.   – to be continued.

  I remember well when our family first arrived at this very park in the summer of 1981. Gary, my husband and I with our 2 children Geoffrey and Ruthie were traveling with a group of young likeminded friends seeking adventure, camaraderie and work in the orchards.  As our caravan of 4 or 5 vehicles including trailers , a converted bus , and vans pulled into the north end of the park and came upon the view we see here now, my heart felt a connection and sense of wonder at arriving at this most beautiful place.. It was likely the magic of my heart finding home. I am originally a Midwesterner but had met the love of my life , Gary Dalgas in Corvallis Oregon. We had traveled with our friends from Corvallis, using CB radios to communicate along the way. Once past the magnificent giant bluffs of the Columbia River Gorge, we continued north on I90. We stopped in Yakima finding ash still remaining from the explosion of Mt. St. Helens from the previous late spring. At the juncture of Hwy 97 and 97A we took 97 on the east side of the Columbia intending on finding orchard work in Brewster where our friends John and Lynn Bain had worked the previous summer.  Somehow, we surmised , in error, that we were on the wrong side of the river, and we needed to turn around and take 97A. I have always been thankful for our fortuitous but confused sense of direction then, as it led us to fair Entiat , where the fates had meant for us to be all along.

I believe I share the curiosity many of you have about how of all places, people land here in Entiat. The question we often ask each other is “Where are you from?. There is always a story, each unique.  Once here, the elements of this small community’s life and the attraction of a river valley in the eastern foothills of the Cascades are revealed and if opportunity and desire converge, home is found.

Several books, most available at the Entiat Public Library, one of thirty branches of the North Central Regional Library system, extoll the virtues of life here. First among the collection that every interested Entiatite should have  access to is Under the Guard of Ol Tyee – a reflection of the early days in the Entiat Valley, by Shorty Long.

This comprehensive collection of stories, photos, and nuggets of history is where I turn when my curiosity about the history of  our river valley is piqued. It is a reliable reference about some of the early individuals and settler families who arrived here in the late 1800s and early 1900s, many of whose descendants  are here today and may have roads, streets and places named after them. These families are the ones who can claim to be authentically local. There is a sense that unless you were born here, regardless of how many years lived here, you are from somewhere else. As written by Beverly Woods Sage in a recently discovered text titled Roots in the Soil, “An undying affinity grows and binds together the hearts of those people who have pioneered a land. An outsider, coming at a later period, cannot comprehend this affinity. …It is at once a beautiful and terrible thing”

That Summer, when Gary and our fellow travelers were hired by Naumes Orchards to pick fruit  we undoubtedly were considered questionable outsiders, living in our gypsy fashion. But I recall many very welcoming and friendly encounters. I recall visiting the small Entiat Library, then housed in the City Hall building and run by Ruth Honey as a welcoming and friendly experience. She surely took to heart the mission of all librarians to be a link to  library resources for patrons of all walks of life. Amongst other books I read during that time was They Came to a River, by Allis McKay. This historical novel, rich in plot and character,  was instrumental in deepening the ties I felt with life here. The main character, Chris Hallowell is the daughter of the missionary pastor and builder and captain of the ferry boat transiting the Columbia between Orondo and Entiat. She embodies  the traits of one who is born here – deep internalized connection what was and still is a rough country, the sounds of the river and the rhythm of it’s seasons. From page 5, “ The sound of the river was not quite the same as at flood time; the gurgle and hiss, the eternal muffled talk of the whirlpools was in a slightly different key. Chris did not know that she heard it; it had been in her ears summer and winter since she could remember. Blindfolded, within hearing of it, she would have said instantly, “It’s July or August now,” and not have known how she knew”.

According to Wendell George,  in his book , Raven Speaks,  , the early Entiat people probably came from the aboriginal Ka-wa-chin who lived near the Rock Island rapids up to the early 1700’s. Wendell George is the great grandson of the last Chief of the Entiat Tribe, Chilcosahaskt, the meaning of whose name is “Standing Cloud” or more poetically “grabbing the sky” . The story is that the cloud led the original people to the Entiat Valley.. George speaks of the role stories played in Indian life. From his book, Coyote Finishes the People , he writes “ In the wintertime, they would gather around the fire after dinner for the story. They told many kinds, but Coyote stories were the highlight of entertainment during those cold winter nights. The children saw themselves in Coyote who was always in trouble but somehow got out of it.  The stories not only preserved the history of the tribe but also included a moral. “. Wendell George goes on to say, “Today our science enables us to see deeper meaning in old stories. Science is coming to agree with the American Indian that we are one with nature.” The passing down of stories throughout history is vital to our understanding of our role and the meaning of life here on earth.   

And this being true, perhaps the most important need for any community is a public library. According to this quote from Albert Einstein, “The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.”  There is a rambling history of all the various places the Entiat Public Library inhabited, and the people who helped it to grow. The importance of having a community public library was evident to the Entiat Women’s Club. The formation and maintenance of a community library began very humbly. In 1935, the library shelf was in the reception area of the Ranck Beauty Shop in the 2nd town of Entiat. A diverse collection of books including personal books from everyone’s homes, were gathered.  Now there’s a fun job, beautician/librarian! Actually, the first librarian was a high school girl who served from 12:30 – 3:30 in the afternoon. In 1941, new shelves were bought and put into the I.O.O.F. Hall . In 1946, the Entiat Library became a branch of the Columbia River Regional Library. Notes from a Women’s Club historical account tell that the library made several more moves in the old town, including to the City Hall building, and then to the basement of the Friends Church. Eventually, through the efforts of Mayor Will Risk and J.P. McDonald, local volunteers, and the Women’s Club, a building was dedicated to the library.  It is this building that is recalled by Marilyn McCord, “It was very well used. I got introduced to Grace Livingstone Hills books. I think I read them all.” Ronda Wood replied, “ I remember that Miss Jo Pardee would come in the summer and read books to whoever wanted to go down there. Great times in that old town!” Somewhere around this time, there was also a branch of the library upriver at the old Ardenvoir school. Peggy Long Whitmore recalls, “I remember the library at the old Ardenvoir school. Mrs. Edes and Berniece Schwinkendorf were 2 librarians I remember. “ While reminiscing, Peggy was reminded that Dorothy Thompson’s mom, Dean Van De Mark, was the librarian upriver during the 50’s and into the 60’s.  Dorothy also recalls Jo Pardee, who was the director of NCRL at that time. Ms Pardee would drive the bookmobile with a delivery of fresh stock of books to the branch. Going to the library was and is, a social activity as well as a place to find books. There was an active Summer Reading Program for kids. As the child of the librarian, Dorothy spent many hours at the branch, and her mom paid her for helping out. Conveniently located near to the Steliko Ranger Station, out of town Forest Service seasonal workers used the library then, just as they do now. . Phyllis Griffith mentioned that the librarian at one time would work morning hours at the library in town, and then travel upriver to the Ardenvoir school for afternoon hours. The Ardenvoir school building was used for many activities. Shelly Small, NCRL’s MOL librarian and my predecessor remembers the gleaming hardwood floors, and a beautifully decorated tree at Christmastime.  What I love about libraries and what they represent is that all are welcome, and accommodated – age, status, race, creed – all are irrelevant. If that building could be entered, and if walls could talk – we would surely hear some entertaining stories, and not just from the books! Many people think of the library as a quiet, relaxing, calm haven in which to spend time pleasantly browsing and reading. But those of us who work in libraries know differently!

With the relocation of the town of Entiat , the library building in town  along with most of the other buildings was demolished. In the new town, a building was constructed to house both the Chamber of Commerce and the Library. This is the building the library occupies now.. However, at some point , that building must have been sold to the North Central Credit Union , later to become Numerica Credit Union. When that happened , the library moved to the City Hall Building. That room is now the Mayor’s office. At one time, that room used to house our local jail. Entiat is nothing if not resourceful!  When I first visited the Entiat Public Library, it was in this very small space with Ruth Honey at the helm. Ruth Honey was a stalwart supporter of the library in many ways. She went on to work at the Wenatchee Branch, and following retirement to become a member of the NCRL Board of Directors. Her successor at the Entiat Branch was my good friend and traveling companion Lynn Bain. While Lynn worked , I was a stay at home mom with my own 4 children, and lynn paid me half her wage to be her kids after-school babysitter . She had 5 .  Following Lynn, Paula Lyons was hired as the next Entiat Librarian. I also babysat for Paula’s youngest boy Chris while she worked at the branch. Eventually, Paula also moved on to a position with the Wenatchee Public Library. Her successor in Entiat was Shelly Small. Again, I babysat Shelly’s son Mat, and eventually Shelly hired me as a Substitute Librarian. I yearned to work outside of the home, although I still believe childcare is one of the most important and challenging of occupations! I did work as a packer for about a month during harvest season at the Dovex Fruit Shed. But when Shelly told me about an opening at the Wenatchee Public Library, I applied with my fingers crossed.  And when I was subsequently hired, I knew I had found my life’s work. I cannot imagine anything more rewarding to me than being a link between books and people and helping people to access all that the library offers. After 5 years in Wenatchee, and Shelly’s move up the library ladder to become a Branch Supervisor, I leaped at the chance to work for NCRL as the Entiat Librarian. For the next 23 years, I had the best job in the /world. In the year 2000, with the generous support of the Women’s Club, the Entiat Chamber of Commerce, the City of Entiat, and the Community – we were able to move the library back, and fund an addition to the building the Credit Union moved out of when they built a new building.   

If there is one thing I believe, it is that all things change, and change can bring goodness to our lives. I am so thankful for the years my home away from home was the Entiat Public Library. And I am so happy to see our library  continue to thrive under the care of Suzy Nieto. She is starting programs with great success that I could never have accomplished. In addition to continuing the Wednesday morning Storytime for Toddlers and Preschoolers, she has added an afternoon Bilingual Storytime for school age kids. She collaborates with the Entiat Valley Community Service Organization to provide after school snacks. This summer along with a very successful Summer Reading Program, she hosted a Library Kids Talent Show, and an Adult Cookbook Potluck event. Coming soon, in October, Suzy will be hosting movie nights for families!  If you haven’t already, please stop by the library and welcome her as our most recent community librarian.

As this was written in the spring of 2018, much has happened, including the beginning of the tenure of our newest librarian Magi Clark! There is no one better to see carry the community through the doubtless growth and evolution our our town. She and her darling girls have been coming to the library and falling in love with books as long as I think she has been a part of our community. I am so thankful for the the brightness and warmth she brings to all who enter the Entiat Library. Best Wishes to you, Magi!!