It will come as great news to all of you who know him that Fred Emmett is now recovering from a serious, autumn-long illness. Betty and Fred  have always been a huge help to me at Clearwater and we can't wait to get him  back to Clearwater where he belongs. The fishermen among you who have used Fred's services to spot your downriver vehicle may want to contact me to see what we can work out in that department. For the time being Fred probably won't be able to help you out...

 

Elk have been a huge problem at the house in recent months as the herd seems to have settled in across the road owing to the lack of cattle present since the former owner recently sold the farm and moved on.  If you visit this winter you'll see all kinds of evidence of their presence. Parts of my lawn look like a stockyard. I did have pretty good luck keeping them out of my roses by stringing tin foil "butterflies" along fishing line around the plants but it's been a struggle and the last herd-about 40 or so-seem to have had little respect for my little barricade. They're impressive from 20 feet away in the living room, believe me; oppressive, too, when it comes to the yard and plants.  Why, they act like they belong here...

 

Razor clamming was great in November and December and we're about to have another three day session in a week or so. They're big and juicy. So, watch the sports section of your newspaper for further openings coming up later this winter and spring.

 

We had dozens of hummingbirds again this summer. Arriving in mid-March-I have no idea how they can fuel their tiny bodies so early in the season-they buzzed us until late August when they headed south without even a muted goodbye. How they love the hardy fuschia off the deck and the honeysuckle along the fence!

 

Tiny Shroate Creek which flows under the road via a two foot diameter culvert about 400 yards toward highway 101 from the house had a spectacular run of late coho thanks largely to the fine efforts of some local folks who helped to clear the yard-wide stream of mill waste which had been choking it for years.  I cannot tell you how delightful it was to see the thousands of tiny coho smolts being marked at the little trap just down from the culvert. Hopefully, good numbers of the little guys will return as adults in two years to start the cycle all over again in the wetlands at the head of the creek.

 

Fishing for coho and chinook was excellent again this fall but early steelhead fishing was made difficult by the flooding that inundated western Washington in late fall and early winter. Even Clearwater natives were a bit "shocked and awed" by the 100,000 cubic feet of flow that filled the Queets after the worst of the storms.  But, during my recent visit things had settled down and the fishing was quite good for those willing to go for it in 20 degree weather...

 

Cell phone users may have hope after all as a new tower has been erected near the village of Queets...There still seems to be some problem getting a signal in the house but those who walk out toward the road seem to be able to score most of the time. The public phone at the sheriff's office has been removed so the nearest public phone is now located at the Queets Trading Post about 8 miles way toward Kalaloch. But, watch those long distance charges...This is one of those "special" deals where the phone company has given control of the public phones to a secondary company which feels free to charge very large sums for a simple long distance call.

 

If you enjoy fresh honey as I do, I recommend that you pay a visit to my neighbor, Ruel Tiemeyer, (first driveway past the sheriff's office as you head back toward highway 101, a sign says " K Street North ") who keeps bees throughout the valley and sells their unpasteurized, pure honey for very modest prices.  Wonderful quality from apparently very happy bees who feast on blackberry, fireweed and other kinds of nectar!

 

The garden and flowers had a vintage year due to our long, hot summer. I hope those of you who visited had a few veggies and cut yourself some flowers for your table while there...

 

Improvements this year included new screens for all the windows(now, if you'll just keep the screen door closed, too, so as not to defeat the purpose of the screens...), a new cooktop-cooking space and some fresh mattresses. By summer I'll have the horseshoe pits ready to go along with the croquet set and volleyball net, etc.

 

By the way, some guests have asked me about their chances of buying a fresh salmon or steelhead during the fall-winter seasons...If you are there during a period when the tribe is netting you may be able to do exactly that by simply approaching one of the fishermen as he pulls his nets in the morning and late afternoon. There's no sign saying "fish for sale" as these fish are bound for the tribe's commercial sales, but quite often an individual will sell you a newly caught fish for a reasonable price.

 

Spring special: Again this year my spring rate special will begin April 16 and continue until June 10(not including Memorial Day weekend). This is a chance to buy three nights for the price of two. You pay the regular two night rate and get that third one free. And, it's a great time in Clearwater since the flowers are blooming, the birds arriving and the air the freshest it will be all year. Plan ahead and take advantage of this little bargain.

 

Well, folks, that's about it for now. I hope to see many of you during 2004.  Establishing new relationships and making new friends has always been the best part of the Clearwater experience for me.

                                        Best Regards,

                                            Joe Novak