Letters, letters, letters

The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer's name, address and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday.

To the Editor:

Last week the previous owners of Lake Creek Lodge stated that the Camp Sherman Local Advisory Committee approved the project that the new owners plan to build on that property.

This is NOT true. The Committee, in a unanimous vote of its members, advised Jefferson County NOT to approve the project.

Tom Landis

Chairman, Camp Sherman Local Advisory Committee

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To The Editor:

I would like to express what many others in the Sisters community certainly also feel. It has been almost one month since the fires started and Suttle Lake Resort along with many other businesses and communities were evacuated.

While the Resort employees and I have been allowed to return to the lake to facilitate the clean-up process, my business has not yet reopened to the public. Like other area merchants, my business has suffered as a result of the fire. However, I still feel so blessed.

The support that this community has received has been phenomenal. I want to thank everyone who came to our area to help, as well as those in our community who banded together in challenging times.

I have never seen a finer example of teamwork. At more than one of the daily briefings, the Incident Commander Bob Anderson as well as Bill Anthony and Jack Jones complimented our community for their support and cooperation.

I would like everyone who was involved with the B&B Complex Fire to know that our community was able to pull together and do what was needed because of your example. We just followed your lead.

Because of everyone's effort Suttle Lake will reopen on September 19. Business will be back to normal for most of us. Let's not lament the losses we have suffered but rather let's celebrate our community, ourselves and our ability to move on. After witnessing the efforts and achievements of the last month, I know we can do this.

To the Sisters community and everyone who has helped us, thank you!

Sincerely,

Ronda Sneva

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To the Editor:

An early Thanksgiving:

I am so glad to be home again. It seemed like so long, but was only two weeks away.

Here again where my things are in order. And I can leave it a mess whenever I want. I look out these huge windows to a beautiful world. Oh, it's charred a little now and some of the vibrant green is burned brown instead.

But it's still beautiful.

And the houses were saved. The people are safe. I'm thankful for answered prayers, firefighters and other workers who do their best and lots of rain. And thanks to the people who opened their homes to me while I was homeless. I am so glad to be home again.

Judith A. Vallembois

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To the Editor:

Sometime in the 1940s....

It was a bright sunny day on the pass as the pickup made its laborious way up Highway 20 to Suttle Lake. The farmer, Adolph Hildebrand, pulled off the side of the road where he had a good view of the beautiful lake to rest himself and his vehicle.

He had just come from Bend that day where he had been peddling the apples from the trees on his farm in Dallas. Unfortunately, he had not been able to sell them all in Bend. Discouraged, he decided that maybe he had just better get rid of their extra weight and dumped them over the side of the road.

Since the 1960s...

Many years later after sharing this story with many friends and relatives, it was noticed that there was an apple tree growing alongside the highway at this place where he had dumped the apples.

It was always an encouragement to our family to see it, the sight of which would evoke a retelling of the story to whoever happened to be our traveling companions.

Today...

The Sunday that Highway 20 was reopened after the fire, my husband and I made our way over the pass. There, standing green and proud was the apple tree; the fire had gone around it! And so the story lives on.

Note: Adolph Hildebrand was my great-aunt's second husband.

Adele McCready (for the Homer Welty family)

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To the Editor:

Sisters Family Access Network (FAN) would like to thank Wayne and Luann Danforth and all their Crossroads neighbors who sorted, washed, mended and repaired over 500 Columbia Sportswear products to be distributed to Sisters families at the FAN Columbia Sportswear distribution on September 6.

With the help of volunteers from Sisters Kiwanis members, student Kayla Bafford, the Danforths and Crossroads neighbors, FAN served 230 adults and children with coats, boots, snow pants, hats, gloves, and clothing items.

All those who received the sportswear were very appreciative for such fine quality coats, boots, and other items.

Sisters FAN would also like to thank all those in the community who donated to the Tools for Schools school supplies drive that was held at Ray's Food Place and the Les Schwab/Taylor Tire Center.

Through the generosity of the Sisters Community, Sisters FAN was able to provide many students with the necessary tools to start their school year off right.

Sincerely,

Theresa Slavkovsky, Margaret Zimet

Sisters FAN