Meet your neighbors

A lot of leaves have fallen on our property, and I have put them in the garden. Fall is definitely in the air, with some sunny days and some rainy days. As I am writing this column, it is one of those rainy days. I am thankful for sunny people like Lynne Wenick, who make the rainy days brighter. I had a very pleasant visit and interview with Lynne as she told me her story.

She was born and raised in Twisp, Wash. to parents Lela and Garl Price. Her mother grew up in Methow and her father grew up in the Addy area. She has six children, Laura, Diane and Joey of Odessa. Joey lives at home with Lynne, and the other three children, Tony, Michael and Miriam, live in California. With 12 grandchildren and nine great grandchildren, that makes up a pretty good-sized family. Some members of the extended family also live here in Odessa.

Lynne tells me she spent most of her time raising a family living on a farm and helping her husband Ralph with logging. She says she loved having a garden and still does a little here in town. Sewing, knitting, crocheting and cooking are some of her talents and loves, and she is also an artist and musician. Working at many different things throughout her life, cooking, she says, has been her favorite.

Later on in life she went to school to study hotel and restaurant management, then for 19 years worked for the Holiday Lodge in Wenatchee and three years at Deer Meadows outside of Davenport. She did everything – cooking, cleaning and maintenance, eventually owning and operating two hotels at different times, each one having about 12 employees.

While working at the Holiday Lodge, she painted 70 pictures for the rooms. Some of the people who stayed there were railroad men and they would bring her pictures of trains for her to paint. Lynne also did illustrations for her sister's book series, The Sanctuary Trees.

The piano, keyboard, guitar and violin are a few of the instruments she has played and enjoyed in her life. Sometimes you can find Lynne at the Old Town Hall on a Monday, Wednesday or Thursday enjoying a good meal and the company of others that have come in for the senior meal or she can be found helping in the kitchen. If you haven't met Lynne, stop by the Old Town Hall on one of those days and say hello.

Until next time.

Enjoy life!