Chinook Observer

Nothing is more precious than time spent with the ones you love, and after 13 years, sweet senior Charlie wants to spend every moment he has with someone who understands that.

This Scottish terrier/basset hound mix is the sort of endearingly scraggly fella that just wants to spend evenings listening to some Sinatra in quiet company. That’s not to say he’s standoffish,...

I’m sitting in front of my porch slider in the glorious morning sun with a cuppa decaf-Joe and Jackson sleeping at my feet. We just finished our morning walk along the bay: Killdeer, American robins, white-crowned sparrow, savannah sparrow, crow, house sparrow, northern flicker, Eurasian collared-dove, house finch, Brewer’s blackbird, European starling — that’s just a samplin...

I want to address a June 11, 2026, letter to the editor in the Chinook Observer, and respond to misinformation in the letter for the benefit of the community.

The Surfside Homeowners Association member who wrote the Opinion Piece last week:

• Does not represent the Surfside HOA.

• Does not speak for the Surfside Elected Board of Trustees, who ar...

For anyone who has ever shared their couch with a pibble, you know the reality of this breed is a far cry from the stereotype. Often known as velvet hippos, pit bulls are affectionate, goofy, and intensely loyal pups. Yet walk into almost any animal shelter and you will see a disproportionate number of block heads with soulful eyes peering through the kennel gates.

Pit...

Last year, I wrote about multiple issues where the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission failed to live up to its mandate. While some might argue that dissolving the commission in favor of a single cabinet position would create better accountability, that isn’t accurate (“WA Fish and Wildlife Commission has its problems, but we should keep it,” Jan. 21, 2025, https://tinyur...