Amazing hotel

I remember taking field trips from Westside School and singing Christmas carols (they’re songs about the birth of baby Jesus, my Savior, but that’s for my next letter) in the halls of the retirement home when it was filled with the “Neighbors of Woodcraft.” Industrial lime green paint coated the walls and an antiseptic stench filled the air that made it hard to sing until you saw the face of a resident holding out a candy cane with a smile that would melt your heart.

Several years later I returned and worked there for more than 12 summers after the Graveses, Boyd and Halla, had painted over the green paint and stench and transformed it into the crown jewel of Hood River. What a labor of love for them, my goodness. Well-done, you two. Please, be proud.

Boyd always said to me, “If there wasn’t a waterfall out back the hotel would still be empty.” He only came down from Seattle to look at it after hearing about the 200-foot waterfall tumbling to the Columbia. He bought it and of course got caught up in the Gorge and all its trappings. Lucky for them, there was always Paris.

The fancy boutiques and stores around town owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Graveses. As do I, and all the other restaurateurs who enjoy a customer from out of town that’s staying at the Columbia Gorge Hotel who’s curious about a local wine in the “$50 to $60 range, you know, something not too expensive.” God love ‘em.

Over the years they had a local payroll of over $40 million and brought a lot (A LOT) more than that to town and paid a whole lotta county taxes. A whole lotta taxes. Did I mention a whole lotta taxes?

Anyway, well done, Boyd and Halla. Please make the rounds and collect your free dinners and parting gifts that you so richly deserve. If there were a Union for Labor of Love, you’d be the presidents and there wouldn’t be any stinkin’ monthly dues. Can I get an AMEN! A former employee,

Mike Caldwell
Hood River

Ride the bus

CAT’s new and invaluable public bus service to Portland may soon be lost (as noted in your excellent interview with CAT director Dan Schwanz last week), the tourist-bringing Columbia Gorge Hotel has closed, the beloved Cascade Locks High School is about to be closed, every building contractor I know is involuntarily unemployed — and our business leaders such as Mr. Mansfield and our Rep. Walden oppose the Economic Stimulus plan?

We should instead keep bailing out (paying off) big banks and let big business lead us further into this abyss, while blaming “big government” for social-services spending that saves lives? Way to go.

Meanwhile, consider riding the CAT bus into Portland this Thursday, Feb. 5 — the weather’s great for a day in Portland.

Paula Friedman
Parkdale

Join Relay For Life

Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature activity. It offers everyone in a community an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer.

One in three people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime and odds are that we are all connected to someone who has or has had cancer.

Relay For Life in Hood River will be July 18-19 at the Hood River Valley High School track.

The kick-off for this event will be Tuesday, Feb. 10, from 7-8 p.m. at Hood River Valley Christian Church, 975 Indian Creek Road, Hood River.

We are inviting community members from all areas of the Columbia Gorge to come to this event. It is an informative and fun way to learn about Relay For Life.

No matter who you are, there is always a place for you at Relay. To participate, form a team or dedicate a luminaria. So, please, come to the kick-off, Feb. 10, to find out more. Contact Terry Joyer at 386-5467 for forming a team.

Kathie Alley
Lorrie Wingerd
Hood River

Rejoice in Democracy!

After decades of reckless growth, resulting in a shrinking middle class, it is becoming obvious to the majority that changes are needed.

Our new president is beginning to initiate new directions for our nation. He is asking us all to work together, see our common goals and put our shoulders to the task.

This is the United States of America we can be proud of, again.

Rejoice in Democracy!

Rich McBride
Hood River

A fine pilot

I am writing in response to your (Jan. 25) article entitled “Port grounds glider pilot.”

You are reporting that the Port of Hood River has withdrawn Gary Boggs’ permit to run a commercial gliding operation from the Ken Jernstedt Airfield. I have known Gary Boggs for many years. I met him when he volunteered repeatedly to act as my crew chief when I had the privilege to perform with my sailplane (glider) at the air shows in Hillsboro and Madras. He also supplied his tow plane and pilot to tow my glider to altitude for my performances at the air show in Baker City last year.

Gary Boggs is a highly skilled and experienced glider pilot; in fact he is one of Oregon’s most skilled glider pilots. He holds 18 Oregon state records in the sport of soaring, and he competed many times in the regional competitions, and in 2002 in the Nationals.

Gary is the governor of the Soaring Society of America for the state of Oregon. His very high level of skill needs to be taken into consideration when evaluating his flying practices. He can do safely what a lesser-skilled pilot could not.

To observers who are not glider pilots themselves, certain situations may look dangerous when in fact they are not. It is often a matter of perception. Gary has never given me the impression that he is anything but a professional and safe pilot. As to the individual alleged occurrences, I wasn’t there and can’t comment on them. But I have the impression that some alleged occurrences have been misinterpreted and were judged too harshly. A skilled glider pilot of Boggs’ caliber can bring a glider safely to a stop 10 feet in front of a tent without endangering anyone. Of course public safety is the most important consideration at any airport.

I am sure Gary Boggs would agree. As a matter of due process and in the interest of fairness, Boggs needs to be given the opportunity to present his case to commissioners or a mediator. It is very possible that most if not all allegations will be found to be groundless. It would be wrong to convict someone without having given him the opportunity to defend himself.

Gary Boggs’ commercial gliding operation has been an asset to the Ken Jernstedt Airfield and the Hood River area. It was one of the attractions of this beautiful part of the world. I hope the perceived problems can be resolved soon so that the airport and the area can continue to benefit from Gary’s commercial gliding operation.

Manfred Radius
Toronto, Canada

Stimulus’ other side

I was just wondering if there will be a follow-up article about the current stimulus package going through Congress at this time. I only ask because the article on the front page of the Jan. 31 newspaper seemed a little biased to U.S. Rep. Walden and the Republican’s side of the arguments.

Now I understand all newspapers will have a bias to one side or the other that is unavoidable. The issue is that usually you will at least have a quote or statement from someone of the opposition.

The article on the stimulus plan was entirely one-sided and contained only quotes from Congressman Walden. Why wasn’t Sen. Jeff Merkley or any democratic representative talked to? The newspaper has a responsibility to report to its constituents the facts; not put editorials and opinions on the front page.

Joe Sheahan
Hood River

Work for solutions

As avid hikers, mountain bikers, wildflower enthusiasts and trail stewards, we were greatly upset by Eric Sanford’s letter regarding the Forest Service’s Burdoin/Syncline/Catherine Environmental Analysis.

Personal attacks, gross generalizations, and inflammatory statements will only serve to polarize recreationists. Those of us who love this area and recreate there have been working hard to find common ground. The Forest Service is undertaking the challenging tasks of both convening an inclusive process and trying to protect this very special and sensitive area.

The Syncline is not just “a tiny bit of dirt and rock” to the large group of stakeholders who have been working with the Forest Service to help develop a management plan. It may seem like an area that can be just left alone, but those of us who work on these trails several times a year know how much work it is just to deal with effects of erosion and heavy use.

Within the 189-page document are many of the ideas we have suggested to create a sustainable trail network: improving trail design, routing trail users away from some sensitive resources and addressing interactions between hikers, bikers, equestrians and hunters.

This may be a ponderous process, but this is a difficult problem with many passionate advocates on all sides. Let’s work to find solutions acceptable by all, but not shoot the moderator.

Jill Van Winkle,
IMBA trail specialist

Darryl Lloyd,
hiking representative

Jurgen Hess,
conservationist

Hood River

Negative profits

I feel I owe an apology to anyone who reads the Hood River News and is also doing well financially in these troubled times. I have erroneously assumed they were doing something wrong to enjoy the comfort of financial security so many now see as a fleeting hope. It has been hard for me to understand the entitlement bestowed upon anyone blessed with God-given intelligence and/or good fortune.

As the saying goes “To the victor goes the spoils.” This must apply to any business or landowner who can be fortunate enough to make a good living from their hard work and (let’s not forget) the work of others. ExxonMobil recently announced yearly profits of $45 billion.

I imagine the largest salaries were not those who drove the trucks, got burned to death in oil derrick accidents or poisoned themselves and the local communities during crude refining. You get the point?

Somehow we have come to believe that once we make it financially, we can be excluded not just from paying taxes, but from any social responsibility as well. Taxes pay for police protection, the mayor, public parks and subsidize many programs which better the lives of our children and elderly.

People complain about having a successful business these days (because of their dismay they are required to pay taxes on PROFITS) the way some claim they would never want to win the lottery because of all the taxes they would pay on the millions they earned from their $1 ticket. What silliness! I guess it should be every person for themselves.

Those who don’t think taxes are fair or too high should just stop paying them. Just stop driving on the roads my taxes pay to maintain; don’t call 9-1-1 in an emergency; don’t use the library or access any public records online; and find a way to manage all your own public utilities.

Maybe this way you can become more optimistic about your lives and see that earning good profits from your business is actually a blessing and a rarity in these challenging times.

Steve Kaplan
Hood River

Population options

February 2009 is Global Population Speak Out month, with scientists and writers from many countries talking about under-population — but this rhyme is compelling:

“There was an old lady who lived in a shoe. She had so many children she didn’t know what to do.” We don’t live in a shoe, and we know what to do.

Vasectomies set men free. A patch or pill, woman’s free will. IUDs save trees. Adopt a child, two — go wild.

Bruce Howard
Hood River

Offensive diatribe

I grow weary of Cliff Mansfield’s us-versus-them, politics-as-a-battlefield rhetoric.

His diatribe in (the Jan. 31) paper is long on blame and short on usefulness. His letter to “you liberals” is offensive, childish and unconstructively angry. This is no way to win friends and influence people.

In the future, as Mr. Mansfield exercises his right to free speech, I resolve to exercise my right to ignore anything with his byline.

Jennifer Ouzounian
Hood River

An Oregon inquiry

I am in the fifth grade at Ripon Christian Elementary School in Ripon, Calif. I have adopted your state as a class project. I will be doing a report and making a display about Oregon. Toward the end of April or the beginning May my class will be having a “State Fair.” I will display and show everything that I have gotten and learned about your great state to my whole school.

It would be helpful to me if you could ask your readers to send me postcards of your state, maps, brochures, information about wildlife, industry, neat places to visit, statistics, sports teams and any other information and items your readers feel would be helpful.

Send items to Mrs. Terpstra’s class, Ripon Christian School, 217 N. Maple Ave., Ripon, CA 95366.

I’m looking forward to hearing from them and promise to send a thank you to them for helping me. I am excited to learn bout your state.

Thank you from California.

Dakota Roos
Ripon, Calif.

Out of touch

Mike Murray is right in his letter of Jan. 31. Hood River has a mayor and city council and city manager that is out of touch with the people living in rural Hood River County. Instead of trying to get new businesses to come to Hood River they hire someone to apply for grant monies.

I hope the county commissioners are listening; we need someone to represent us in the City of Hood River!

Jerry Petricko
Odell