Sharing the Road

Spring is coming! Last week I wasn't too sure because the weather seemed a little confused, but the truth was confirmed upon my first encounter of the year with two Pine Canyon bicyclists.

I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of bicyclists on the highway, (please, forgive me if you're one of them) especially a 60mph highway with twisting, blind corners. It's rather startling to round a corner and suddenly find that you're sharing a lane with a group of slow-moving pedalers.

I can't help but think that anyone choosing to ride that stretch of roadway must be a little crazy. Most Pine Canyon commuters are pretty sensible drivers, but I've witnessed a few corner cutters that would scare their reflectors off. Furthermore, I'm amazed that anyone would want to ride UP that hill! I appreciate the determination and perseverance that is required to accomplish such a feat. I, being a proud, over the shoulder, mountain, hike-a-biker, absolutely loathe the burn that accompanies the climb.

I want to wish all of you crazy bicyclists a happy spring. Here's to the beginning of the road-sharing season. May the motorists you encounter, including myself, be patient and polite and may the shoulders you ride upon be smooth.

College Memory

Yesterday I was digging around in my memory banks to recall the first time I heard about the little town of Waterville. I finally remembered that it was in 2001 or 2002, my final year at Central Washington University. I was browsing the internet, searching for music teaching jobs, and at that time the only opening listed in the state of Washington was a K-12 position in Waterville, WA.

Of course, I had never heard of the place so I asked around and managed to find three or four people who were "familiar" with Waterville. They informed me that it was a tiny town in the middle of nowhere and all of them said, in a nutshell, "Trust me, you do NOT want to live there." I took their advice and continued my job search elsewhere.

It wasn't very long before my dream job found me! I was hired by the Wenatchee School District in 2002 and I made my home in Wenatchee.

Four years later, Adam and I moved out to that "town in the middle of nowhere" which turned out to be closer to "somewhere" than we thought!

Business Pondering

Adam and I talk a lot about the possibility of opening a business in Waterville. What kind of business might attract people to our town? What could the town could really use? What kind of business could benefit the outer-lying communities too? We don't take our discussions very seriously, though, because neither of us really feels like an entrepreneur and we have no idea where we'd find the time or the money to embark on such an endeavor.

Yesterday, we were excited to discover that someone else has jumped at the opportunity. According to the sign, Paradise Pizza is coming soon! I wonder if they'll be in direct competition with Knemeyers' pizza or if it will be something completely different?

I guess Adam and I can cross "u-bake pizza joint" off of our "business ponderings" list.