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s slate noon meeting
Club members will learn about the award-winning
program at Mary M. Knight High School from its
Anderson at their meeting set for noon on Tues-
20, at Xinh's Clam and Oyster House located at
Railroad in downtown Shelton.
auxiliary meet Friday
of Foreign Wars Post 1694 and its auxiliary will
final nominations and election of post officers at 7
April 16, at Memorial Hall, Second and Frank-
in Shelton. Commander Garth Marshall reminds
their dues must be paid by May 1 or they will be
from the roll and lose their accidental life insurance.
of new officers will be held May 1.
on April 16, the auxiliary will host a noon card party
Proceeds benefit cancer aid and research.
sets meeting at OCS
ntaff member from Washington State Commissioner of
Lands Jennifer Belcher's office will discuss land-use
management in Mason County at the next meeting
of Women Voters of Mason County set for 1:30
April 20, in Room 118 at Olympic College Shel-
Alpine Way. Those attending should bring
lunches and beverages.
LO women hear Eldridge
&i_ Le8 Eldridge, a member of the Western Washington Growth
nagement Hearings Board, will be the speaker at the Mason
""" -A; ty_ Democratic=Women's Club meeting on Wednesday,
l 21. The session begins at 11:30 a.m. with a no-host
it,on at El Tapatio in Gateway Center on Mountain View,
ldridge scheduled to speak at noon.
dowers to meet Monday
Mason County Widows and Widowers Support Group
at 10 a.m. Monday, April 19, at Shelton's
church, 1900 King Street on Mountain View.
at the nondenominational group should bring
lunches.
s of '43 slates potluck
Ic e Irene S. Reed Class of 1943 will gather for a potluck
I,.eae°n meeting at noon Monday, April 19, at Christmas Vil-
e_ Clubhouse, 2650 North 13th Street on Mountain View.
ends of the class are also welcome to attend.
women meet April 23
tired United States Air Force Colonel Bob Lawrence, who
ip'a- candidate for the Sixth Congressional District last year,
a Peak to the Mason County Republican Women at 11:30
0-" 'riday, April 23, at Alpine Way Retirement Apartments.
e attending can make lunch reservations by calling
Ya Laubach at 426-2359 or Gwen Runyan at 427-0373.
00Ioraemakers meet April 21
'.rest Homemakers will be working on individual proj-
their next gathering set for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday,
at Ruth Goodwin's home. Co-hostess for the meeting
ra Kaattari.
100 Years Ago
the April 11, 1899, Mason County Journal:
Larrow escapes for a life in a single week, is not often met
perhaps fighting in the Philippines) but it fell the
Sheane, son of Photographer Sheane, this week.
came near going under when Jesse Rodenberger was
Lake Isabella, and Wednesday afternoon he was caught
moving shaft in the Shelton Sawmill, and whirled
shaft several times, stripping all his clothing off, except
when he dropped to the floor.
Call For Info and Reserve Your S
,eites will read
next Thursday
)ve of Life poetry
Daniel Pearl
writer Marilyn
featured in the
and Writers Work-
series next Thurs-
Hall.
is free and open to
a regular
that features Seat-
shington and out-
In readings on the
ay of each month at
and Noble bookstore
llage. His poetry
in Bellowing
Review, Ma-
and he is at
pt called
Us.
g in Shelton, Pearl
some of the best
on. Outside of the
has written soft-
applications for
al agencies.
is a teacher in
the Lake Washington School Dis-
trict and a writer for KUOW Ra-
dio in Seattle.
Her poetry has appeared in a
number of venues, most recently
in Sheila Bender's latest book on
writing.
The reading will begin at 7
p.m. April 22 in the fireplace
room of the hall at 218 North
Third Street in downtown Shelton
across from the Simpson Timber
Company offices. The host
writers' circle will serve coffee
and cookies.
'ACHES?
1,', Call
0000-777-3239
(24 hr.)
Your free video
on
nd Headaches
What's Cookin'?
Nell and Mary content on canal
By MARY DUNCAN
Nell and Mary Simmons have
shared over 60 years of married
life. And the tie that binds just
may have to do with water - Hood
Canal water, that is.
Although he was born in
Olympia, a descendant of
pioneer Michael T. Simmons,
Nell has lived his entire 84 years
in Potlatch.
"I spent 50 percent of my life
on that water out there," Nell
says pointing from his living
room overlooking the canal just
north of the Tacoma power plant.
"I KNOW OUR kids spent 50
percent of the summer in that
water," Mary notes. The couple
has two children who also live
here with their families. Their
daughter Patricia is married to
Haldane Johnson and lives in
the Skokomish Valley and son
Michael lives in Hoodsport with
his wife Donna.
One of the family's favorite
activities was fishing and Nell
is still at it. "The fishing has
changed. Used to be lots of fish in
the canal. It was nothing to catch
fish in those days. I always
brought home fish. Now I can't
even get a bite on a line," he la-
ments.
"I feel sorry for everybody
nowadays," Mary adds. "My
kids and their kids can't do
that."
There were clams here, Nell
says of his boyhood beaches in
Potlatch when his dad worked for
Phoenix Logging. But there were
no oysters; they were planted, he
reminds.
WITH THAT HE launches
into a story. "My dad had a
brother in Olympia who raised
oysters. We would go and get a
couple of gunnysacks full. What
we didn't eat we'd throw on the
beach. Maybe they got away."
His suggestions is accompanied
by a sly grin. The Simmonses
still cultivate oysters on their
beach.
Shrimping is another fishery
which has been dramatically al-
tered. Mary describes the eaHy:
days catch as huge, big shrimp,
commenting, "You don't see any
like that now."
Nell calls them "dandy
shrimp."
"When I was a kid, there were
two or three active shrimp boats
on the canal," Nell says. Shrimp
sold for 5 cents a pound in Seat-
tle.
Nell worked on one as a boy,
pulling the net and sorting out
the culls, he explains. Then the
crew would cook up a batch. "The
guys on the boat would tell me,
'Take them to your dad. We don't
want you to eat them. They're
smart pills and we don't want
you to get smart.' " He laughs at
the recollection.
NEIL EVEN HAS a geoduck
story. Seems as a young man he
wandered out on the mudflats in
Union. A guy up to his waist in
muck had a jug of whiskey on a
big mound of sand nearby and he
asked Nell to bring over the
whiskey. "I thought he was going
to drown," Nell recalls, adding it
was good whiskey but he doesn't
remember if the fellow got his
geoduck.
Reminiscing about the sealife,
Mary remembers six or seven
orcas putting on quite a show.
"Oh, that was pretty. We've seen
big gray whales too, but it's not
very often that they come in here.
"The first one I ever saw, I was
sitting on Neirs mother's porch
and one came right out of the wa-
ter off Bald Point.
LARGE SELECTION
OF GERANIUMS
FIRST CROP
VEGETABLE
STARTS
FUCHSIA
STARTS
We still have lots of
Perennials
Pansies
Herbs
Open daily 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
M.K.A.
27 Calder Road
Elma 482-3572
POTLATCH RESIDENTS Nell and Mary Simmons have
achieved two admirable milestones: This August they
will mark 62 years of marriage and both have been
voters in Mason County for over 50 years.
"Then we had one surface
right in front of our place, close to
the old pilings of the Phoenix
Company," she adds. When they
were first married the couple
lived about half mile from their
current home in a house built of
sturdy, old-growth timber.
"IT'S A terrible-looking
house," Mary observes of its
present condition, "but they ought
to save all that wood." The siding
is all 1-by-12-foot planks which
Nell says the wind blew right
through.
The couple met in August 1936
and were married the following
June. Mary, who was born in
North Dakota and moved to
Puyallup with her family when
she was 6, explains how she and
Nell were introduced.
"His aunt and uncle lived in
Auburn and his brother met a
girl who lived there. That girl
moved to Puyallup next to me
and his brother was still going
with the girl," Mary explains so
it was those two who decided the
two should meet.
"He came driving up in a
brand-new '36 Ford coupe," she
continues. "So he took me for a
ride in that new car."
"I SHOULD have never done
that," he teases.
He was working for Phoenix
Logging Company, and he
bought the coupe for $736. "The
payments were 25 bucks a month
and that was hard to do," Nell
says, referring to the uncertain-
ties of logging.
Nell worked in the woods his
entire life, retiring in 1979. "I
done everything in the woods ex-
cept highclimb and be the boss,"
he declares.
He was even a siderod at
Simpson Timber for a time.
Over the years he worked at
Camps 3 and 5 and at Grisdale
and Govey. When working at
Camp 5 he stayed in camp during
the week and came home on the
weekends. "I went $10 in the hole
every month," Nell says since he
paid for room and board there
while taking care of his family
in Potlatch, plus gas and clothes.
"We lived off the company
store."
THEY ALSO lived off the
land. Nell says he has been a
hunter since age 16 or 17. "I
killed my share of deer. I didn't
get one every year. I went out to
have fun, and if I got a deer it
was a bonus," he declares.
Mary adds, "We've seen lots
of elk, love to see them, but he
only got one elk."
The family used to stay in the
mountains for several weeks
during the summer. "We lived
mostly on fish and canned
beans. I think I still got creaks
in my shoulder from hauling
sacks of those cans," he says, re-
calling that cans were made of
tin then.
Mary glances at Nell and
comments, "We lived through it
anyway."
During his working days,
Nell logged some giant trees.
"The biggest were from the
Wynoochee," he notes. He de-
scribes how one log filled a train
car bed with two little ones on
each side.
Mary remembers the beauty of
the old-growth forests. "Brown's
Creek, it was so pretty, just beau-
tiful," she says.
Logging today? "It's gone to
pot," Nell observes. "There's
nothing left of it, compared to
what it used to be."
ANOTHER CHANGE the cou-
ple marvels about is all the
building along Hood Canal. Both
say most places were small ca-
bins since there were few who
stayed over the winter. The Os-
car Ahl Inn was located on
Highway 101 and it included a
string of cabins.
The Ahl name reminds Nell
of another story. "I was with
Denny when he died." They were
part of a crew fighting a fire
above Lake Cushman and Den-
ny came down to get supplies. He
had to go by boat, Nell reminds.
Ahl got about 100 feet from
shore and keeled over, dead.
Nell says they swam out and
brought him ashore. "We
couldn't get a pulse. We even
tried smelling salts. Nobody did
CPR (cardiopulmonary resusci-
tation) then."
Mary says Nell took CPR
lessons and knows the life-sav-
ing technique. Mary also notes
he did much of the work around
Lake Cushman, including roads
and the golf course. "He worked
on all of it," she adds.
ASK THIS amiable couple the
secret to a long marriage and
both attest to simply getting along
well. Then Nell quips, "We don't
communicate."
Talking about their own mar-
riage summons a Simmons
family story, which Mary re-
lates. Michael T. Simmons was
Nell's great-granddad and his
granddad was named Christo-
pher Columbus Simmons since
he was the first white male born
in Washington territory, down
near Washougal.
Christopher Columbus Sim-
mons married a 14- or 15-year-
old girl. A suspicious judge
asked if she was over 18 and she
said, "Yes." However, this was
no fraud.
Before the ceremony, a family
member wrote the number 18 on a
piece of paper and placed it in her
shoe so she would not have to lie
to the judge about being "over 18."
"That's the story in the fami-
ly," Mary concludes.
MARY AND NElL have
Don't fiddle
around.
For the best
homeowners'
insurance,
come see us.
Mutual o00numclaw
You need more than just fire insurance. You also need protection for
theft, storm damage, liability coverage and much more. So don't fiddle
around when it comes to homeowners' insurance. Let us help you find
the best coverage for your needs.
Arnold & Smith
Insurance Agency, Inc.
426-3317 1535 Olympic Highway North, Shelton
shared so many memories over
their lifetime together, it is not
surprising to discover that they
also share another bond. Both
have been voting for over 50
years.
He registered to vote in 1936;
she in 1940. Then they voted at
the school perched high on the
hill in Hoodsport.
Mary served on the elections
board, counting paper votes by
hand and sending the totals on to
state or county. She also moni-
tored people as they voted, she
adds.
Ask Nell about 20-something
people who don't register to vote,
and he responds firmly, "That's
what gets me. They should be
voting and they're not."
NElL CONTINUES, "I'm in-
terested in what's going on - all
the ideas they got going. I tried to
vote for the fellow I thought was
the best person." Mary agrees
that she too voted for the person,
not the political party.
Both proclaim there is not
enough money anywhere in the
world to get them to budge from
their idyllic spot on the canal.
Yet the pair muse about property
values, then and now.
"Dad told me he could have
bought any property from Union
to Belfair for $85," Nell says.
"Instead he bought a boat for $85
and when he brought it back it
sank about 30 feet from shore."
This recipe is pure and sim-
ple, much like the man who has
been using the riches of the canal
all his life. Of course, he shucks
his oyster right on his own beach.
Nell eats his with "a lot of
crackers." And Mary notes she
does not eat it because she doesn't
care for oysters, never has.
Nell's oyster stew
Steam oyster until just firm.
Cut into little pieces and cook
in butter for a few minutes.
Add salt, pepper and whole
milk. Heat through.
Jazz Tap Swing
Tumbling Hip Hop
426-7681
FRIDAY NIGHT SWING
Four-Week Session Begins April 30
6:30 p.m. Swing I Beginners
8:00 p.m. Swing II Lindy Hop
The ial
Inn
at Colonial Estates
Annual Thurston County
WOMEN'S SHOW
Aprn
10 a.m.-4 p.m.
J :o Special Guest Appearances
Craft and Gardening
Demonstrations
Variety of Unique Booths
Tours, Door Prizes
Dessert Buffet
:* Free Admission
Active Living for Independent Seniors
/ Take exit 107 (Pacific Ave) off ]
3730 Elizabeth Ave. SE I I-S. oo east to Fones ad., turn /
Olympia I right and go to end. Turn left on I
| Elizabeth and follow to our en- /
(360) 459-9110
April 15, 1999 Journal
Page 9
m
@
s slate noon meeting
Club members will learn about the award-winning
program at Mary M. Knight High School from its
Anderson at their meeting set for noon on Tues-
20, at Xinh's Clam and Oyster House located at
Railroad in downtown Shelton.
auxiliary meet Friday
of Foreign Wars Post 1694 and its auxiliary will
final nominations and election of post officers at 7
April 16, at Memorial Hall, Second and Frank-
in Shelton. Commander Garth Marshall reminds
their dues must be paid by May 1 or they will be
from the roll and lose their accidental life insurance.
of new officers will be held May 1.
on April 16, the auxiliary will host a noon card party
Proceeds benefit cancer aid and research.
sets meeting at OCS
ntaff member from Washington State Commissioner of
Lands Jennifer Belcher's office will discuss land-use
management in Mason County at the next meeting
of Women Voters of Mason County set for 1:30
April 20, in Room 118 at Olympic College Shel-
Alpine Way. Those attending should bring
lunches and beverages.
LO women hear Eldridge
&i_ Le8 Eldridge, a member of the Western Washington Growth
nagement Hearings Board, will be the speaker at the Mason
""" -A; ty_ Democratic=Women's Club meeting on Wednesday,
l 21. The session begins at 11:30 a.m. with a no-host
it,on at El Tapatio in Gateway Center on Mountain View,
ldridge scheduled to speak at noon.
dowers to meet Monday
Mason County Widows and Widowers Support Group
at 10 a.m. Monday, April 19, at Shelton's
church, 1900 King Street on Mountain View.
at the nondenominational group should bring
lunches.
s of '43 slates potluck
Ic e Irene S. Reed Class of 1943 will gather for a potluck
I,.eae°n meeting at noon Monday, April 19, at Christmas Vil-
e_ Clubhouse, 2650 North 13th Street on Mountain View.
ends of the class are also welcome to attend.
women meet April 23
tired United States Air Force Colonel Bob Lawrence, who
ip'a- candidate for the Sixth Congressional District last year,
a Peak to the Mason County Republican Women at 11:30
0-" 'riday, April 23, at Alpine Way Retirement Apartments.
e attending can make lunch reservations by calling
Ya Laubach at 426-2359 or Gwen Runyan at 427-0373.
00Ioraemakers meet April 21
'.rest Homemakers will be working on individual proj-
their next gathering set for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday,
at Ruth Goodwin's home. Co-hostess for the meeting
ra Kaattari.
100 Years Ago
the April 11, 1899, Mason County Journal:
Larrow escapes for a life in a single week, is not often met
perhaps fighting in the Philippines) but it fell the
Sheane, son of Photographer Sheane, this week.
came near going under when Jesse Rodenberger was
Lake Isabella, and Wednesday afternoon he was caught
moving shaft in the Shelton Sawmill, and whirled
shaft several times, stripping all his clothing off, except
when he dropped to the floor.
Call For Info and Reserve Your S
,eites will read
next Thursday
)ve of Life poetry
Daniel Pearl
writer Marilyn
featured in the
and Writers Work-
series next Thurs-
Hall.
is free and open to
a regular
that features Seat-
shington and out-
In readings on the
ay of each month at
and Noble bookstore
llage. His poetry
in Bellowing
Review, Ma-
and he is at
pt called
Us.
g in Shelton, Pearl
some of the best
on. Outside of the
has written soft-
applications for
al agencies.
is a teacher in
the Lake Washington School Dis-
trict and a writer for KUOW Ra-
dio in Seattle.
Her poetry has appeared in a
number of venues, most recently
in Sheila Bender's latest book on
writing.
The reading will begin at 7
p.m. April 22 in the fireplace
room of the hall at 218 North
Third Street in downtown Shelton
across from the Simpson Timber
Company offices. The host
writers' circle will serve coffee
and cookies.
'ACHES?
1,', Call
0000-777-3239
(24 hr.)
Your free video
on
nd Headaches
What's Cookin'?
Nell and Mary content on canal
By MARY DUNCAN
Nell and Mary Simmons have
shared over 60 years of married
life. And the tie that binds just
may have to do with water - Hood
Canal water, that is.
Although he was born in
Olympia, a descendant of
pioneer Michael T. Simmons,
Nell has lived his entire 84 years
in Potlatch.
"I spent 50 percent of my life
on that water out there," Nell
says pointing from his living
room overlooking the canal just
north of the Tacoma power plant.
"I KNOW OUR kids spent 50
percent of the summer in that
water," Mary notes. The couple
has two children who also live
here with their families. Their
daughter Patricia is married to
Haldane Johnson and lives in
the Skokomish Valley and son
Michael lives in Hoodsport with
his wife Donna.
One of the family's favorite
activities was fishing and Nell
is still at it. "The fishing has
changed. Used to be lots of fish in
the canal. It was nothing to catch
fish in those days. I always
brought home fish. Now I can't
even get a bite on a line," he la-
ments.
"I feel sorry for everybody
nowadays," Mary adds. "My
kids and their kids can't do
that."
There were clams here, Nell
says of his boyhood beaches in
Potlatch when his dad worked for
Phoenix Logging. But there were
no oysters; they were planted, he
reminds.
WITH THAT HE launches
into a story. "My dad had a
brother in Olympia who raised
oysters. We would go and get a
couple of gunnysacks full. What
we didn't eat we'd throw on the
beach. Maybe they got away."
His suggestions is accompanied
by a sly grin. The Simmonses
still cultivate oysters on their
beach.
Shrimping is another fishery
which has been dramatically al-
tered. Mary describes the eaHy:
days catch as huge, big shrimp,
commenting, "You don't see any
like that now."
Nell calls them "dandy
shrimp."
"When I was a kid, there were
two or three active shrimp boats
on the canal," Nell says. Shrimp
sold for 5 cents a pound in Seat-
tle.
Nell worked on one as a boy,
pulling the net and sorting out
the culls, he explains. Then the
crew would cook up a batch. "The
guys on the boat would tell me,
'Take them to your dad. We don't
want you to eat them. They're
smart pills and we don't want
you to get smart.' " He laughs at
the recollection.
NEIL EVEN HAS a geoduck
story. Seems as a young man he
wandered out on the mudflats in
Union. A guy up to his waist in
muck had a jug of whiskey on a
big mound of sand nearby and he
asked Nell to bring over the
whiskey. "I thought he was going
to drown," Nell recalls, adding it
was good whiskey but he doesn't
remember if the fellow got his
geoduck.
Reminiscing about the sealife,
Mary remembers six or seven
orcas putting on quite a show.
"Oh, that was pretty. We've seen
big gray whales too, but it's not
very often that they come in here.
"The first one I ever saw, I was
sitting on Neirs mother's porch
and one came right out of the wa-
ter off Bald Point.
LARGE SELECTION
OF GERANIUMS
FIRST CROP
VEGETABLE
STARTS
FUCHSIA
STARTS
We still have lots of
Perennials
Pansies
Herbs
Open daily 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
M.K.A.
27 Calder Road
Elma 482-3572
POTLATCH RESIDENTS Nell and Mary Simmons have
achieved two admirable milestones: This August they
will mark 62 years of marriage and both have been
voters in Mason County for over 50 years.
"Then we had one surface
right in front of our place, close to
the old pilings of the Phoenix
Company," she adds. When they
were first married the couple
lived about half mile from their
current home in a house built of
sturdy, old-growth timber.
"IT'S A terrible-looking
house," Mary observes of its
present condition, "but they ought
to save all that wood." The siding
is all 1-by-12-foot planks which
Nell says the wind blew right
through.
The couple met in August 1936
and were married the following
June. Mary, who was born in
North Dakota and moved to
Puyallup with her family when
she was 6, explains how she and
Nell were introduced.
"His aunt and uncle lived in
Auburn and his brother met a
girl who lived there. That girl
moved to Puyallup next to me
and his brother was still going
with the girl," Mary explains so
it was those two who decided the
two should meet.
"He came driving up in a
brand-new '36 Ford coupe," she
continues. "So he took me for a
ride in that new car."
"I SHOULD have never done
that," he teases.
He was working for Phoenix
Logging Company, and he
bought the coupe for $736. "The
payments were 25 bucks a month
and that was hard to do," Nell
says, referring to the uncertain-
ties of logging.
Nell worked in the woods his
entire life, retiring in 1979. "I
done everything in the woods ex-
cept highclimb and be the boss,"
he declares.
He was even a siderod at
Simpson Timber for a time.
Over the years he worked at
Camps 3 and 5 and at Grisdale
and Govey. When working at
Camp 5 he stayed in camp during
the week and came home on the
weekends. "I went $10 in the hole
every month," Nell says since he
paid for room and board there
while taking care of his family
in Potlatch, plus gas and clothes.
"We lived off the company
store."
THEY ALSO lived off the
land. Nell says he has been a
hunter since age 16 or 17. "I
killed my share of deer. I didn't
get one every year. I went out to
have fun, and if I got a deer it
was a bonus," he declares.
Mary adds, "We've seen lots
of elk, love to see them, but he
only got one elk."
The family used to stay in the
mountains for several weeks
during the summer. "We lived
mostly on fish and canned
beans. I think I still got creaks
in my shoulder from hauling
sacks of those cans," he says, re-
calling that cans were made of
tin then.
Mary glances at Nell and
comments, "We lived through it
anyway."
During his working days,
Nell logged some giant trees.
"The biggest were from the
Wynoochee," he notes. He de-
scribes how one log filled a train
car bed with two little ones on
each side.
Mary remembers the beauty of
the old-growth forests. "Brown's
Creek, it was so pretty, just beau-
tiful," she says.
Logging today? "It's gone to
pot," Nell observes. "There's
nothing left of it, compared to
what it used to be."
ANOTHER CHANGE the cou-
ple marvels about is all the
building along Hood Canal. Both
say most places were small ca-
bins since there were few who
stayed over the winter. The Os-
car Ahl Inn was located on
Highway 101 and it included a
string of cabins.
The Ahl name reminds Nell
of another story. "I was with
Denny when he died." They were
part of a crew fighting a fire
above Lake Cushman and Den-
ny came down to get supplies. He
had to go by boat, Nell reminds.
Ahl got about 100 feet from
shore and keeled over, dead.
Nell says they swam out and
brought him ashore. "We
couldn't get a pulse. We even
tried smelling salts. Nobody did
CPR (cardiopulmonary resusci-
tation) then."
Mary says Nell took CPR
lessons and knows the life-sav-
ing technique. Mary also notes
he did much of the work around
Lake Cushman, including roads
and the golf course. "He worked
on all of it," she adds.
ASK THIS amiable couple the
secret to a long marriage and
both attest to simply getting along
well. Then Nell quips, "We don't
communicate."
Talking about their own mar-
riage summons a Simmons
family story, which Mary re-
lates. Michael T. Simmons was
Nell's great-granddad and his
granddad was named Christo-
pher Columbus Simmons since
he was the first white male born
in Washington territory, down
near Washougal.
Christopher Columbus Sim-
mons married a 14- or 15-year-
old girl. A suspicious judge
asked if she was over 18 and she
said, "Yes." However, this was
no fraud.
Before the ceremony, a family
member wrote the number 18 on a
piece of paper and placed it in her
shoe so she would not have to lie
to the judge about being "over 18."
"That's the story in the fami-
ly," Mary concludes.
MARY AND NElL have
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shared so many memories over
their lifetime together, it is not
surprising to discover that they
also share another bond. Both
have been voting for over 50
years.
He registered to vote in 1936;
she in 1940. Then they voted at
the school perched high on the
hill in Hoodsport.
Mary served on the elections
board, counting paper votes by
hand and sending the totals on to
state or county. She also moni-
tored people as they voted, she
adds.
Ask Nell about 20-something
people who don't register to vote,
and he responds firmly, "That's
what gets me. They should be
voting and they're not."
NElL CONTINUES, "I'm in-
terested in what's going on - all
the ideas they got going. I tried to
vote for the fellow I thought was
the best person." Mary agrees
that she too voted for the person,
not the political party.
Both proclaim there is not
enough money anywhere in the
world to get them to budge from
their idyllic spot on the canal.
Yet the pair muse about property
values, then and now.
"Dad told me he could have
bought any property from Union
to Belfair for $85," Nell says.
"Instead he bought a boat for $85
and when he brought it back it
sank about 30 feet from shore."
This recipe is pure and sim-
ple, much like the man who has
been using the riches of the canal
all his life. Of course, he shucks
his oyster right on his own beach.
Nell eats his with "a lot of
crackers." And Mary notes she
does not eat it because she doesn't
care for oysters, never has.
Nell's oyster stew
Steam oyster until just firm.
Cut into little pieces and cook
in butter for a few minutes.
Add salt, pepper and whole
milk. Heat through.
Jazz Tap Swing
Tumbling Hip Hop
426-7681
FRIDAY NIGHT SWING
Four-Week Session Begins April 30
6:30 p.m. Swing I Beginners
8:00 p.m. Swing II Lindy Hop
The ial
Inn
at Colonial Estates
Annual Thurston County
WOMEN'S SHOW
Aprn
10 a.m.-4 p.m.
J :o Special Guest Appearances
Craft and Gardening
Demonstrations
Variety of Unique Booths
Tours, Door Prizes
Dessert Buffet
:* Free Admission
Active Living for Independent Seniors
/ Take exit 107 (Pacific Ave) off ]
3730 Elizabeth Ave. SE I I-S. oo east to Fones ad., turn /
Olympia I right and go to end. Turn left on I
| Elizabeth and follow to our en- /
(360) 459-9110
April 15, 1999 Journal
Page 9
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