Clearwater, December 31; As the last leaves drop from the beech and alder trees and the over-wintering birds scratch about for their meager suppers, it's hard to remember just how warm and dry it was this past summer and early fall. Those of you who made it to the guest house this year know what I'm talking about. We had had a dry 2014, too, but this past year was probably a once in a lifetime stretch. We even had a forest fire in the Queets Valley. Our Clearwater Pioneers were forced to forgo their nightly bonfires on Cooper's Bar (The DNR Bar just upstream from the bridge) and the Donkey Field finally got to serve the purpose the state of Washington had for it when it allocated its grassy acres to fire fighters who might be needed in the years ahead. This was that year. Up at the guesthouse we were pretty careful with our irrigation, fearing the well might give out but it never did. The water flowed and the veggies grew, grew so well there were plenty for everyone who wanted a fresh carrot, head of lettuce, green bean, broccoli, or zucchini. We weren't allowed to build a fire in the backyard but there were always weeds to pull and roses to prune.

Once in a while we broke away and headed for the beach where the summer heat was moderated by the usual fog. The smelt came onshore with the afternoon tides and it was just a question of how many we wanted to clean and fry up once back at the guesthouse. By the way, if you want to try smelting yourself I'll make sure you have access to a smelt net and you can give it a try. Everyone has fun smelting, especially the kids. And these are not the soft-fleshed smelt (really euchalons) that you've seen or hear about in the Cowlitz and Columbia rivers. Rather, they're firm and stay that way when fried or smoked.

Speaking of fish, the late spring was good for steelhead but the ongoing drought brought closures to the very early part of the coho and chinook run. Once the closures were lifted fishing was great but due to what the DFW saw as a weaker than normal wild coho run only hatchery coho, along with chinook were allowed to be kept. Fishing remained good but they had to be returned to the rivers. Let's hope things return to normal next fall. As of today the Queets River has not been fishable for the entire month of December. Flows have been prodigious. Late last month I stood on the Queets/Clearwater bridge and was marveled as 81 thousand cubic feet of water per second flowed beneath me. Believe me, it makes an impression when 200 foot long spruce trees are floating downriver. Anyway, we've since had two or three similar freshets and only this week has the river dropped to what could be called "high". The rest of the time it's been at or near flood stage. Of course, the rivers will eventually drop and it might be a good move to be there when they do…

As of today razor clamming remains closed at Kalaloch due to the domoic acid problem that has bedeviled the Washington Coast for the past year but Copalis Beach opened this past week and saw a great dig. It's about 50 miles from the guesthouse to those beaches and well worth the drive as the clams are large and very plentiful.

Mushrooming was about as good as it gets this past year and most visitors had a very productive walk in the woods in between fishing trips or trips to the beach. Just find a knife and bag, some second growth timber along a logging road and get after them; so much fun, so tasty!

This was an especially good year for wildlife watching as the herd of elk that come and go across the road from the guesthouse see to mostly come. They came out of the forest and into the pasture nearly every morning and evening and with the right lens made for some great shots, especially when there was a low lying fog that made it seem they were flying through the clouds.

I kept busy all summer and with the help of neighbor Bob and his friend Les spent lots of time working on the shed located to the northwest of the guesthouse. It's humbling to watch people who know what they're doing when you don't. After noting that my work was a little "out of plumb" Bob quipped, "You ain't much of a carpenter are you?", to which I had to confess that I wasn't. Once that project is finished this spring I'll move on to the next and final rehab job: the chicken house. Now, those of you who've stayed know that this will be one of the great reconstruction projects in the history of Western Civilization but as a local told me, "A man can dream, can't he?" This will be my 31st year in Clearwater and my 8th building rehab job. It might have been easier to bulldoze all the derelict buildings spread across the 5 acres but I guess the historian in me urges me to bring them back for future generations to marvel about, kind of like the Parthenon and the Roman Coliseum. I can hear them now, 'Why would anyone have spent so much time and money on these relics when he could have been fishing or down at the beach?'

By the way, if you or a friend of yours would like to rent the 48' mobile to the NW of the property let me know as it will be available from June through August this summer. It's semi furnished and otherwise a turnkey deal. This rental would be for a month or more and the price would depend upon the length of rental. The adjoining shed has dry storage for boats, bikes, etc. This would be great place for anyone seeking a private and quiet place near Kalaloch, LaPush and all the rivers located on the North Coast. Send me an email for details.

Finally, I want to thank all those of you who visited the guesthouse this past year and wish you a great New Year. Remember: if you want to assure yourself of particular dates at the guesthouse, it's important to get your reservation in soon. It doesn't take long for those better dates to fill up. Rates will remain the same this year (See the rates page at clearwaterguesthouse.com) as will other rental particulars.