My fave picks from Strength 2006

This was the second time I contributed stories for the Herald's annual Strength publication and while it was a time intensive process, the interviews themselves were quite fascinating.

Those of you who had the opportunity to be interviewed know what the experience is like.

You are putting yourself out in the open where both acquaintance and stranger get a glimpse of your life; who you and your family are and what makes you "tick" so to speak.

This time around I was reminded by one of my interviewees, Harriet Weber, about a characteristic I think holds true for many of us: "It marvels me that anybody would be interested in my life," she said.

Right then I knew she would be a very interesting interview.

Often I find those who do not crave the spotlight are.

In the hour and a half I spent with her, that one comment, which I did not use in the story, was my favorite because in retrospect it summed up the rest of that interview and the others I did.

That is, Strength stories are supposed to be about the experiences of every day people whom we do not always get a chance to hear about, let alone on a personal level.

I thoroughly enjoyed how Harriet shared with me some of the history of the Weber family to the Quincy Valley.

She left me with questions in my own mind to ponder about what life must have been like 100 years ago in this desert land, and how pioneer women coped without basic amenities like we have today.

I mean I could envision myself getting emotional if I did not have access to a flushable toilet and working blow dryer.

How many women can relate?

When compared to those first pioneers my inconveniences are nothing.

Then there is the interview with Nadine and Del Driggs.

How I could have made a whole separate story of her journey to Vietnam in the late 60s to see husband Del and the book "Letters Home" she wrote upon her return.

"In the middle of the night we heard bombs and rockets and helicopters close to us," Nadine said.

And who knew Habitat for Humanity of Greater Moses Lake's president Curtis Robillard ran with the Olympic torch in the 2002 Winter Olympics; that he enjoys growing hops to make beer and rides his bike four miles a day to work?

"It wakes me up in the morning and then calms me coming home," Curtis said of riding his bike.

Then there is Nita Deis, who worked as a flight attendant for more than 30 years, meeting up with many dignitaries, heads of state and famous music groups.

One particularly funny incident happened while meeting a former Seattle mayor.

So as not to spoil the fun of reading through the stories in their entirety I will stop there.

To get a complete glimpse into the lives of these and other fascinating stories of people in the Columbia Basin look inside the Aug. 7 issue of the Herald for the Strength publication.

Happy reading!

Aimee Seim is the health and education reporter. Strength will be found in the Monday, Aug. 7 edition of the newspaper.