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Life

January 21, 2014
Claudia Round, volunteer coordinator at Bonneville Lock and Dam, is seeking volunteers to help out during the spring, fall and winter months. She is also encouraging students, who are interested in doing a senior project or who need work experience, to apply.

Volunteering opportunites abound at Bonneville Lock and Dam

When Jim Price arrives for his volunteer shift at Bonneville Lock and Dam, he has two main goals."I want to pass on information and inspire young people to consider careers in the engineering or technical careers." Price, 73, a retired electrical engineer, is in his 10th year volunteering at Bonneville. "If people ask me technical questions, I have the knowledge to answer them," he said. "It's my way of helping people."

January 14, 2014
Local artist Bobby Johnson works on a "piece" at Limitless Snow-Wake-Surf in Washougal. The owner, Eric Hargrave, his him change the design every six months or so. "I let him do what he does best on the building," Hargrave said.

Limitless potential

Having a business with graffiti on the outside gets you noticed.But not in a, "Oh, we'd better call the cops!" kind of way. Limitless Snow-Wake-Surf employs artist Bobby Johnson to create bold designs on the storefront. These change every six months or so. He uses Montana Gold paint, which is sold at the store. "What I enjoy about his work is that he has great unique designs and pushes himself to get better each time he paints," said Eric Hargrave, Limitless owner. "He loves painting and has a passion for making people smile and to give the local kids inspiration through his painting."

January 7, 2014
Photos courtesy of Joe Bishop/U.S. Navy Petty Officer Aaron Almond has been aboard the USS Boxer since May as a part of the Amphibious Squadron ONE, which can perform its mission on aircraft, surface ships, submarines, ashore and with special warfare combat crews.

A rewarding adventure

"It wasn't a matter of if I would serve, just when I would," he said. His older sister, Amy Schmid, who enlisted in the Air Force after graduating from Camas High School in 2000, also inspired him to join the military. "I saw how well she was doing and it made sense to me," he said. "But it was after Sept.11 that it really hit me."

December 31, 2013
Fellow artists and friends Katey Sandy (left) and Judith Howard reminisce about a children's art project they collaborated on prior to retirement. The two will host an art show, which opens Friday at the Second Story Gallery.

Eclectic friends

Katey Sandy and Judith Howard knew each other professionally for several years before either realized that they shared a love of painting.Both women worked in the field of early childhood education and met at an Association of Christian Schools International conference.

December 26, 2013
The Osprey Walking Group meets every weekday at 8 a.m. to traverse the trails at Lacamas Park. All abilities and ages are welcome to join.

Osprey Walkers are all-weather friends

Anyone who has ever ran or walked the Round Lake trails knows it is a challenge with its switchbacks and rolling hills. But there's a local walking club, with many of its members in their 70s, 80s and even 90s, who traverse the terrain five days a week, rain, shine, hot or cold.

December 19, 2013
Karen Hall, co-owner of the Camas Hotel, chats with intern Aleah Stewart as she waters plants in the hotel's atrium.

Managing life transitions

Students with special needs at Camas High School are developing academic, social and vocational skills for life after graduation.Additionally, young adults ages 18 to 21 can also participate in a program that helps them learn the basics of living independently: How to use public transit, obtain job skills, budget, do yard work and navigate a grocery store, to name a few. Program participants can often be seen around the downtown area, washing windows, interning at local businesses or researching at the library. At the high school level, students in Henry Midles and Cory Vom Baur's Life Skills classes focus on academics in the morning, then on social and vocational skills in the afternoon. With the support of the local community, the students receive work experience that can help prepare them for integration into the adult workforce.

December 17, 2013
Hannah Gutkind has been dancing since the age of three. "I love the way I can express myself through it and tell a story through my movement," the 15-year-old Washougal resident said.

For the love of dance

Hannah Gutkind loves ballet.Since she was 2, the Washougal resident has fostered a passion for dance. As the years have gone by, this has meant giving up soccer and other sports, missing out on youth group and a lot of the high school experience. But she wouldn't have it any other way. "It's hard to put into words how much I love dance," Gutkind said. "I love how I can express myself through it and tell a story through my movement. I never liked talking in front of people, so this is a way I can express myself without words."

December 10, 2013
Canyon Creek Middle School ASB representatives (clockwise, from left) Natalie Garner, Bridgette McCarthy, Danielle Smyth and Jeannine Jones decorate a tree in school colors of silver and red. It is the third year Canyon Creek ASB has participated.

Merry bright

Several local residents spent Thursday decorating Christmas trees, which this time of year is nothing unusual.However, their adorned evergreens were for the fourth annual Festival of Trees in Washougal. The event, held Friday and Saturday at Hathaway Elementary School and organized by the Washougal Lions Club, featured 19 decorated trees. These were auctioned off to raise money for local schools.

December 4, 2013
Edie Hagstrom, social worker at Helen Baller Elementary School, prepares bags of food for the school's weekend backpack program, which provides easy to prepare meals and snacks for children in need.

Bridging the gap

What do you do when you're hungry? For most of us, it's a simple matter of deciding what to make or buy.But imagine how it would feel to have your stomach growling, not enough to satisfy it and being unsure of when or what you would have for your next meal. Then, consider how it would feel to be expected to sit still and focus all day when you hadn't had a full meal for more than 48 hours? This "food insecurity" is a reality for many children in single-parent families, of the working poor or unemployed. However, there are programs in place at several local schools in Camas and Washougal, to help bridge the gap between Friday afternoon and Monday morning.

November 26, 2013
A church in the Palouse area of Eastern Washington sits among the endless wheat fields on a summer day.

‘Within a day’s drive’

What is there to see in the Northwest? Plenty, according to Washougal photographer Mark Forbes. His upcoming exhibit, "Within a Day's Drive," showcases the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest in a series of pictures. The show will begin Friday, Dec. 6, at the Second Story Gallery at the Camas Library. Forbes, who is also a travel enthusiast, considers a day's drive to be 12 hours or less, and includes places ranging from the Columbia River Gorge to northern California. "This exhibit focuses on what we often ignore, our own back yard," he said. "The variety of geology and scenery within that day's drive radius is stunning."