Wednesday, August 19, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
C
O
M
Sisters author tells tale
of ‘No Ordinary Cat’
<Your destiny is part
of you... your spirit, your
dreams, your very breath and
blood. But destiny is shaped
by the roads you choose to
follow. In life, choices are
everything.=
With these words, Rufus9s
mother unknowingly entices
her young red-haired kitten
to set out on an adventure
for which he is totally unpre-
pared. Luckily, Rufus is <No
Ordinary Cat= 4 and this is
no ordinary book.
Writing in the refreshing
style of Farley Mowat9s clas-
sic dog story, <The Dog Who
Wouldn9t Be,= local author
Vicki Spandel has created
an engaging tale for any one
of the 95 million Americans
who live with and love cats,
effectively capturing their
loving, intelligent and adven-
turist nature. <No Ordinary
Cat= is an unforgettable story
for animal enthusiasts of all
ages.
Spandel has published
over 40 books on writing
and the teaching of writing,
including <The 9 Rights of
Every Writer.= No Ordinary
Cat is her first work of fiction
and beautifully reflects her
wealth of writing knowledge.
This extraordinary hardcover
edition is visually compel-
ling, with full color illustra-
tions by artist Jeni Kelleher.
Spandel became inspired
to write her book about three
years ago, when a feral cat
showed up in her yard, which
borders national forest land.
<He was curious, though
wary,= Spandel said. <With
intelligent eyes and a raw
fear of humans. I couldn9t
See SPANDEL on page 22
Creekside Park to
see improvements
and the addition of viewing
bump-outs along each side of
the bridge.
Following a design review
by the Parks Advisory Board,
the board recommended to
Council that the Option B
design be approved, allowing
the City to save some funds
that would have been used
on the higher-priced Option
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
Accessibility improve-
ments to the Creekside Park
Bridge will be completed by
the end of 2020.
The bridge improvements
include ADA-accessible
ramps (Americans with
Disabilities Act) on either
side leading up to the bridge,
with decorative railings
See BRIDGE on page 16
M
U
N I
T
3
Y
Black Butte Ranch
holds thousands
of years of history
PHOTO PROVIDED
John Zancanella, archaeologist with the Prineville District of the Bureau of Land Management cataloged the
site of a cache of obsidian tools at Paulina Springs on Black Butte Ranch.
By Katy Yoder
Correspondent
The Black Butte Ranch
land is rich with human
history. Writing the 50th
anniversary book, <There
is a Place,= was a lesson in
pursuing a more complete
understanding of the people
who called the region home.
While researching the
book, I found human history
for the Black Butte Ranch
(BBR) area usually focused
on stories about the Santiam
Wagon road that passed over
BBR land, the <discovery=
of the area by the first white
explorers and the many
attempts by land speculators
and investors to use the area
at the base of Black Butte
known as <Black Swamp,=
to raise livestock.
At the tail end of the
removal of indigenous
people from their lands,
Camp Polk was estab-
lished to protect settlers
from Native people who
were fighting for their free-
dom and birthright. By the
time soldiers arrived they
were no longer needed.
Warm Springs Reservation
had been established and
Northern Paiute people who
hunted, gathered, and lived
in the area had been forced
to live with many of their
long-time enemies on the
reservation. Hearing stories
passed down over many
generations from Northern
Paiute Elder Wilson Wewa
helped me understand a
more complete history
including that of his ances-
tor, Chief Paulina.
Researching for the his-
tory portion of the book,
it became clear, especially
in older reference books,
that the Native American
presence was underplayed.
Wewa, a Warm Springs
elder, generously recounted
some of the history lessons
he acquired throughout his
life from elders who knew
the stories of his people9s
love and innovative stew-
ardship of their homelands.
Part of my interest and
perseverance to hear sto-
ries of the Indigenous peo-
ple who lived in the area
before they were forced to
live on reservations was
inspired by the discovery,
twenty years earlier, of a
cache of bi-faced tools near
Paulina Springs pool. The
general manager back then,
Loy Helmly remembered
getting word from a con-
struction crew working on
a renovation project who
See HISTORY on page 20
As the COVID-19 crisis continues to affect gatherings, please contact individual organizations for current meeting status
SISTERS AREA MEETING CALENDAR
BOARDS, GROUPS, CLUBS
Al-Anon Mon., noon, Shepherd of the
Hills Lutheran Church. / Thurs., 10 a.m.,
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church.
541-610-7383.
Alcoholics Anonymous Thurs. &
Sun., 7 p.m., Episcopal Church of the
Transfi guration / Sat., 8 a.m., Episcopal
Church of the Transfi guration / Mon.,
5 p.m., Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran
Church / Big Book study, Tues., noon,
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church /
Gentlemen’s meeting, Wed., 7 a.m.,
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church /
Sober Sisters Women’s meeting, Thurs.,
noon, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran
Church / Step & Tradition meeting, Fri.,
noon, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran
Church. 541-548-0440.
Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiver
Support Group 1st Tuesday, noon,
SPRD bldg. 800-272-3900.
Black Butte Ranch Bridge Club
Tuesdays, 12:30 p.m., BBR community
room. Partner required. 541-595-6236.
Central Oregon Fly Tyers Guild
For Saturday meeting dates and
location, email: steelefl y@msn.com.
Central OR Spinners and Weavers
Guild One Saturday per month, Jan.
thru Oct. For schedule: 541-639-3217.
Council on Aging of Central Oregon
Senior Lunch Tuesdays, noon, Sisters
Community Church. 541-480-1843.
East of the Cascades Quilt Guild 4th
Wednesday (September-June), Stitchin’
Post. All are welcome. 541-549-6061.
Sisters Area Woodworkers
1st Tuesday, 7 to 9 p.m. 541-639-6216.
Sisters Astronomy Club 3rd
Friends of the Sisters Library Board
Tuesday, 7 p.m., SPRD. 541-549-8846.
of Directors 2nd Tuesday, 9 to 11 a.m.,
Sisters Bridge Club Thursdays,
Sisters Library.www.sistersfol.com.
12:30 p.m., The Pines Clubhouse.
Go Fish Fishing Group 3rd Monday,
Novices welcomed. 541-549-9419.
7 p.m. Sisters Community Church. All
Sisters Caregiver Support Group
ages welcome. 541-771-2211.
3rd Tues., 10:30 a.m., The Lodge in
Heartwarmers (fl eece blanketmakers)
Sisters. 541-771-3258.
2nd & 4th Tuesdays, 1 p.m., Sisters City
Hall. Materials provided. 541-408-8505. Sisters Cribbage Club Wednesdays,
11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Ray’s Food Place
Hero Quilters of Sisters Thursday, 1 to community room. 541-923-1632.
4 p.m. 541-549-1028 or 541-719-1230.
Sisters Habitat for Humanity Board
Citizens4Community, Let’s Talk
of Directors 4th Tuesday, 6 p.m.
3rd Monday, 5:30 to 8 p.m. RSVP at
Location information: 541-549-1193.
citizens4community.com
Sisters Kiwanis Thursdays, 7 to
Military Parents of Sisters Meetings
8:30 a.m., Brand 33 Restaurant at
are held quarterly; please call for details. Aspen Lakes. 541-410-2870.
541-388-9013.
Sisters Parent Teacher Community
Oregon Band of Brothers – Sisters
2nd Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. at Sisters
Chapter Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m.,
Saloon. 541-480-5994.
Takoda’s Restaurant. 541-549-6469.
Sisters Parkinson’s Support Group
SAGE (Senior Activities, Gatherings 2nd Tuesday, 2 p.m., The Lodge.
& Enrichment) Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. 541-668-6599.
to 4 p.m. at Sisters Park & Recreation
Sisters Red Hats 1st Friday.
District. 541-549-2091.
Location information: 541-279-1977.
Sisters Aglow Lighthouse
4th Saturday, 10 a.m., Ponderosa Lodge Sisters Rotary 1st and 3rd Thursdays,
Noon, Aspen Lakes. 541-760-5645.
Meeting Room. 503-930-6158.
Sisters Area Photography Club
2nd Wednesday, 4 p.m., Sisters Library
community room. 541-549-6157.
Sisters Speak Life Cancer Support
Group 2nd & 4th Wednesday, 1 p.m.
Suttle Tea. 503-819-1723.
Sisters Trails Alliance Board 1st
Monday, 5 p.m. Sisters Library.
Public welcome. 808-281-2681.
Sisters Veterans Thursdays, noon,
Takoda’s Restaurant. 541-903-1123.
Three Sisters Irrigation District
Board of Directors 1st Tuesday,
4 p.m., TSID Offi ce. 541-549-8815.
Three Sisters Lions Club 2nd
Tuesday, noon, Ray’s Food Place
community room. 541-419-1279.
VFW Post 8138 and American Legion
Post 86 1st Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.,
Sisters City Hall. 541-903-1123.
Weight Watchers
Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. weigh-in, Sisters
Community Church. 541-602-2654.
SCHOOLS
Black Butte School Board of
Directors 2nd Tuesday, 3:30 p.m.,
Black Butte School. 541-595-6203.
Sisters Christian Academy Board
of Directors Monthly on a Friday. Call
541-549-4133 for date & time.
Sisters School District Board of
Directors One Wed. monthly, SSD
Admin Bldg. See schedule online at
www.ssd6.org. 541-549-8521 x5002.
Sisters Middle School Parent
Collaboration Team 1st Tuesday,
2 p.m., SMS. 541-610-9513.
CITY & PARKS
Sisters City Council 2nd & 4th
Wednesday, 6:30 p.m., Sisters City Hall.
541-549-6022.
Sisters Park & Recreation District
Board of Directors 2nd & 4th Tuesdays,
4:30 p.m., SPRD bldg. 541-549-2091.
Sisters Planning Commission
3rd Thursday, 5:30 p.m., Sisters
City Hall. 541-549-6022.
FIRE & POLICE
Black Butte Ranch Police Dept.
Board of Directors Meets monthly.
541-595-2191 for time & date.
Black Butte Ranch RFPD Board of
Directors 4th Thursday, 9 a.m., Black
Butte Ranch Fire Station. 541-595-2288.
Cloverdale RFPD Board of Directors
3rd Wed., 7 p.m., 67433 Cloverdale Rd.
541-548-4815. cloverdalefi re.com.
Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD
Board of Directors 3rd Tuesday,
5 p.m., Sisters Fire Hall, 541-549-0771.
Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD Drills
Tuesdays, 7 p.m., Sisters Fire Hall,
301 S. Elm St. 541-549-0771.
This listing is for regular
Sisters Country meetings;
email information to
lisa@nuggetnews.com