News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 135 - 159 of 179
The anticipation of a new school year colored my August for years. First, as an eager student, the beginning of school meant a few new clothes and a new pair of shoes, after my shorts, T-shirts, and bare feet of summer. In high school, it meant the return to seeing friends every day and the excitement of new experiences and more freedom. As a mother of two boys (and four stepchildren for a decade), August meant shopping the back-to-school sales for clothes, shoes, and school... Full story
This is a new, regular feature The Nugget will run periodically. If you have a favorite hike or trail, send it along in about 500 words to editor@nuggetnews.com using the following format, including a photo. Hawk's Flight-Eagle Rock Loop is a fun and easy loop trail within five miles of town that offers superb views with diverse scenery. It's part of the wondrous Peterson Ridge section of the impressive Sisters Trails Alliance system. Why go? For one thing it's only a... Full story
The Red Crossbill [Loxia curvirosta] is an erratic and nomadic bird that will flock to the tops of either deciduous or coniferous trees for a wealth of seeds. A highly variably colored species, the female is a yellowish golden, with the male exhibiting various shades of red. Crossbills have a unique bill where the tips of the bill overlap to enable them to open conifer cones and seeds. With this skill, in seasons of plentiful cone production they may breed year round. Red... Full story
A few months ago the Sisters Library had a book signing with William "Bill" Sullivan. Since the library is undergoing a massive remodel, the signing was held at the Sisters Firehouse Community Hall on Elm Street. When I saw a few of the books that Bill has published, I decided I would get out of my comfy chair and go. I'm glad I did go. Bill was very down to earth, knew his subjects and made the entire event interesting. One of the books I saw in his list was "100 Hikes /... Full story
In your lifetime there are two odds of seeing a wolf in the wild: slim and none. Just ask Emily Weidner of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), a biologist based in Bend. She's made a career of tracking and monitoring wolf activity, and just saw her first live wolf three weeks ago. I had the pleasure of meeting Weidner and her Oregon state counterpart, Aaron Bott, last week. We sat down at Angeline's before Bott and I struck out to check trail cameras near Sisters (see... Full story
This is a new feature The Nugget will run periodically. If you have a favorite hike or trail, send it along in about 500 words to editor@nuggetnews.com using the following format, including a photo. The Matthieu Lakes Trail combines nicely with the PCT up to Scott Pass, providing a lovely gateway into Three Sisters Wilderness. The trail is (almost) always a great bet in the summer, with multiple highlights, including: spectacular views, fascinating geology, flowers,... Full story
During our four decades of marriage, my husband and I have loved and entertained nine Scotties and other pets. I look forward to seeing all of the Scotties and the many other horses and pets I have loved and enjoyed throughout my entire life. I am confident that we will meet again. Why do I have such confidence? There are a number of reasons, but I’ll only explore two of them in this column. The first reason is a huge one. Do you remember your eighth-grade general science c... Full story
Over time, a river flows into your mind. What you see, hear, feel, smell, and touch swirl into memories. Sometimes what you see, such as swarms of mating mayflies rising, falling, and rising again 20 feet over the river's surface, becomes knowledge that helps you lure trout to your fly. Other times, you discover simple beauty that will vanish in a matter of minutes, hours, or days. I always want to catch trout, but sometimes I catch other things as well. I fish the Metolius... Full story
I have been interested in the White House cocaine imbroglio, mostly because it marks the closing of an interesting historical loop. To be sure, this probably isn’t the first time a bag of yayo has ended up in the West Wing, and it’s doubtful it will be the last, but in the age of suspicious white powders it is certainly the most public. In 1971 Richard Nixon declared a War on Drugs. As a veteran of that war, with the scars to prove it, I can say with utter certainty that we... Full story
This is a new, regular feature The Nugget will run periodically. If you have a favorite hike or trail, send it along in about 500 words to editor@nuggetnews.com using the following format, including a photo. Trail Oregon's beautiful outdoors awaits, and one gem among the state's natural wonders is the trail from Scott Lake to Tenas Lake via the Benson Lake Trail. Here's everything you need to know to enjoy this marvelous hike. Why go? With a perfect balance of challenge and... Full story
It’s getting weird out there. The Vice President of the United States was in California recently claiming that the average American is only $400 dollars from declaring bankruptcy, while on the other end of the continent a delusional, dizzy, and clearly scrambled President was claiming that “Bidenomics” has created the greatest economy since—well, ever. They can’t both be true, can they? Mixed messaging from the great Head Shed in Washington seems to be the order of the day,... Full story
The Barn Swallow's [Hirundo rustica] distinctive long-forked tail makes it one of the easier North American swallows to identify. It has the most widespread natural distribution among birds in the world. When flying, the feathers are swept back and form a single long point behind the bird. A friend to farmers, these swallows are on an endless search for insects throughout the season. Barn Swallows build nests under eaves, bridges, cliffs, and maybe your patio. Nests are constr... Full story
This is a new, regular feature The Nugget will run periodically. If you have a favorite hike or trail, send it along in about 500 words to editor@nuggetnews.com using the following format, including a photo. Patjens Lake Loop Trail is in all its floral splendor, at least for the next week or two. The bear grass (Indian basket grass) is especially abundant standing as high as six feet. Likewise lupine, scarlet gilia, and Washington lily is in full glory. Why go? It's an easy,... Full story
Moviegoers in Sisters got a delectable treat Friday when two of the most anticipated films of 2023 opened opposite each other at Sisters Movie House in what Hollywood insiders are dubbing the theatrical showdown of the year: Barbenheimer — “Barbie” — and “Oppenheimer,” which overlap in time slots. “Barbie” gets one more daily showing, so it’s possible for movie fanatics to see both anticipated blockbusters on the same day in a five-hour window. “Oppenheimer” is... Full story
Our little Scottie girl, Piper, is sweetness on four feet. Not all Scotties are anywhere near as sweet as her. She loves all people and kids and lets them know that she loves them. She lovingly greets everyone. The people she loves the most hear a little squeaky extra greeting and sometimes she’ll run around expressing her joy. Where does all that bubbling love come from? The first part of the answer really is that she was born with love in her heart like all living things. Th... Full story
The best - and the worst - part of fly-fishing is that there is always more to learn. Two fish showed me this during this past week. A lot of people don't like fishing in hot weather, but I love it. The warm air sparks a lot of aquatic insect hatches, and this gets the trout going. Most of the time, our Central Oregon trout, especially on the Metolius and the Deschutes, don't like to rise to hatching bugs in bright sunshine. That's why you see many anglers - including me - arr... Full story
A seemingly benign recommendation on the social media platform Next Door for the movie Sound of Freedom has ignited a storm of debate. The nationwide app is divided into neighborhoods, with Sisters being one. It is an innocuous site usually filled with notices of lost cats, recipe exchanges and recommendation requests for local services. But when a user posted: “I saw an extremely powerful movie last night in Sisters at the Movie House” the community conversation changed dra... Full story
• I found the absolute perfect place to board Bingo, when needed. Not only is she safe, she has a pen and access to the “bitch barn.” She has a view of all that goes on on a farm with a big family with lots and lots of critters, way cool old machinery, and any number of outbuildings. Just like it used to be. • It feels like a lot of things that used to be shiny are turning into yard art right before my eyes. Vernon’s old 1968 shoein’ truck has even begun to sink into the ground, and when I pulled my 36 year old stock trail... Full story
Notwithstanding that some 1,000 quilters were in town on Independence Day, downtown was eerily quiet. The quilters were mostly ensconced in classrooms at Sisters High School for Quilter's Affair. Most everybody else in Sisters - at least those who stayed in town for the holiday - made way to Sisters Eagle Airport for the 10th Rumble on the Runway and fly-in event. Cars were parked three quarters of a mile in every direction. About half came on foot or bike, many pushing stroll... Full story
When people find out that, after seven years, I am no longer going to be writing about what’s going on at City Hall, they ask what I’m going to do with my time. Retire? Find other work? Although my assigned beat has been City-related, I do write articles having to do with other topics. And now I will have time to do more of what I love: interviewing people for feature stories, and researching topics to learn more in order to write an in-depth article. I should also be abl... Full story
As I write this, I am sitting solo at my camp deep in the heart of the Steens Wilderness. One eye on my journal, and the other on my campfire grappling to sustain itself after a day of unexpected pre-solstice snow and wrathful rounds of high winds and hail. Generally clear this time of year, this time the skies are angry. The sun is finally making its debut out from the west, lighting up the sharp cliffsides of the Little Blitzen River. I can hear the booms of the nighthawks... Full story
Are you looking for a fun getaway not too far from Sisters? I recently had the opportunity for a quick visit to Hood River that was relaxing, entertaining, and educational. My cousin was visiting from Southern California, and I planned a getaway we would both enjoy. She and I grew up together and spent hours riding horses and spending the night together. We left Sisters at noon on a Wednesday to drive up Highway 26 to Highway 35, which circles the south and east side of Mount... Full story
It seems fitting that I would learn about the death of novelist Cormac McCarthy dozens of miles up the Chewaucan River, in an old cow camp, if only because the location was an antipode of the Susquehanna, where I first encountered his work some 30 years ago. I think now, and the evidence is strong, I was there because of him. Back then I was in Pennsylvania on a fellowship at Bucknell, and found “All the Pretty Horses” by pure accident, in a tiny bookshop next to the Ami... Full story
Public land management benefits from a diverse suite of opinions. Opinions are derived from values and working with those who have different value sets while trying to find common ground is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. Sometimes it’s difficult to separate fact from opinion, as public land management and the science behind it is complex. And sometimes, science is normative; that is, produced or construed by those to further a specific value-based agenda. All t... Full story
Cormac McCarthy died last week. At 89. Peacefully, in his home in Santa Fe. He has been flogged and revered by critics over his long career. Many find his works to be disturbing, brutal. Indeed they are often blood-soaked and violent tellings of hard lives lived by hard men. “No Country for Old Men” is of prime example. That novel, one of 12 he authored, was somewhat poorly received, although the film version was wildly successful earning four Academy Awards including Bes... Full story
