Letters to the Editor 11/23/2016

To the Editor:

I want to express my thanks to Daniel Stroemple, who rang my doorbell on Veterans Day, with the offer of a pie that he had purchased expressly to give to veterans. As I understand it, Daniel ordered several desserts when the Sisters High School baseball team was selling them as a fundraiser and paid for them himself so that he could honor his grandfather and father by donating these desserts to Sisters-area veterans.

In talking with him, I learned that his grandfather was a World War II and Korea War veteran (whom he did not know because his grandfather died before Daniel was born), and I learned that Daniel's father is a Vietnam veteran.

Daniel is a SHS freshman and plays on the baseball team, and I can testify that he is a credit to his team. His grandfather would be honored by his sacrifice and extremely proud of him. I told him to tell his father and mother that he has brought great honor on them as parents who have raised such a fine young man.

Thank you, Daniel.

John Miller, Col, USAF (Ret)

••••

To the Editor:

I was a little nervous to open our newspaper and read the "Letters to the Editor" due to what's happening across the nation. However, I was pleasantly surprised to read Mr. Valoppi's letter sharing his son's Facebook post ... that "now is a time for love" and that we should "love our neighbor." Excellent words! Kudos!

Next I read an article of a young man who bought and delivered pies to our Sisters veterans, thanking them for their service. And several weeks ago, two entire football teams did something really special for a young man who is graduating this year. And on that same Homecoming Friday, several of those football players came with their coach to unload a truck for our food distribution.

My daughter teaches many of these young people, and she often tells me how great her students are. In light of all of this, I find that I must agree with her. If this is the character of young people here in Sisters, I say: parents, nice job. I am proud of you and your kids. It is good to know that so many good people live in our community.

Thank you to all of you for reminding me of the more important things ... to help out, to care for others, and to love our neighbor. Many blessings and Happy Thanksgiving.

Paula Lovegren

•••

To the Editor:

For many years when I opened the curtains of my bedroom window in Camp Sherman I could look out on a water meadow, empty except for an occasional deer or coyote. Now I find the view includes a backhoe, ready mix and other large trucks. By next summer the view will be augmented by a youth fishing pond, picnic tables, a parking lot, a toilet and probably other amenities.

It seems that the Department of Fish and Wildlife found a way to secure funds from a grant rather than tap their own budget and off they went. It did hold several meetings with the public, which I was unable to attend. I am sure its representatives listened attentively to anyone with a commercial interest in anything that would bring more visitors to Camp Sherman, but paid little attention to any mere resident who objected to the whole idea of the project.

I have nothing against our youths learning to fish; I caught my first fish in the mid-1920s and became an ardent fisherman thereafter. I have a flock of children and grandchildren and some of them learned to fish. None of us learned the joy and frustrations of the sport by catching tame fish in a bathtub.

When I retired some 35 years ago and subsequently moved to Camp Sherman it was largely because of the trout in the Metolius. When the infirmities of age forced me to give up fishing, my late wife and I continued to enjoy the peace and quiet of forest, river and their inhabitants. I doubt if this new development will improve this ambience.

As I said in a letter to Fish & Wildlife in Salem, this is probably a more desirable boondoggle than putting up a Ferris Wheel. I will probably adjust to this development and I hope the deer and the coyotes do the same. I am sure the rattlesnakes will have no problem now that I have systematically stopped killing them on sight.

Bob Sweet