Things I've come to love about the Columbia Basin

I've accepted a new position that takes me home to Spokane. It offers new opportunity and the chance to be closer to my family. At this point in my life, it feels like the right move to make.

But as I go, there will be many things I fondly look back upon from my four and a half years living in the Columbia Basin, and a long list of things I'm going to miss.

These are just a few, but by no means all:

- The whistling sound the sliding doors make at Grant County International Airport as I head in for a Port of Moses Lake meeting

- Watching the Georgettes make the giant cherry pie at George's annual town anniversary and Independence Day celebration early in the morning July 4

- Goading my friends into trying to take the pancake challenge at the Mad Hatter Cafe and them usually chickening out, except for Candice Boutilier, who ate me under the table (and she doesn't even like pancakes!)

- The opportunity to meet dear pioneers who are no longer with us, such as Monte Holm and Larry Peterson, and dear pioneers who still are, such as Bonnie Guitar and Kathy Bohnet

- Trumpeting the area's ever-growing artistic enthusiasm

- Trumpeting the area's deep affection for history

- Waking up in the middle of the night convinced I had a typographical error in a story, only to get in the next morning and find my worries were unfounded

- Acing miniature golf

- Bird watching (except I never saw my snowy owls, darn it)

- Greeting Center for Business and Industry Services Director Allan Peterson as though we are physicians: "Dr. Peterson!" "Dr. Weaver!"

- Sticking my feet in the mud of Soap Lake

- Not-so-subtle hints from my parents that they'd like to eat at Griffin's Bakery

- Getting my daily dose of the Columbia Basin Herald's composing/production workers, Kelsi Weber, Tecala McGraw and Sarah Elms

- Parking in the middle of downtown Wilson Creek before port meetings

- Popping into the various branches of the North Central Regional Library around the area, and usually finding at least one thing I've had on my reading list

- Ordering "the hard stuff," also known as pop on the rocks, sometimes diet, at Business After Hours

- Finding something new and different to show my visiting best friend each time he pops into town

- Showing visitors around downtown Moses Lake as we look at Sculpture Without Walls

- Watching Independence Day fireworks and the Memorial Day parade in front of my apartment

- Thursday evenings at Michael's on the Lake with Jaye, Frank, Jamie and Meg and whoever else drops by

- Trying out for "The Amazing Race" with my colleague, Brad Gary (although this later led to perpetually being asked by Brad Gary, "Has 'Amazing Race' called yet?" and having to break his little heart over and over again)

- Coming up with a new masterpiece for Chalk on the Block

- Laughing too loudly in the audience at local theater productions

- Attending banquets galore as part of my business and agriculture beat

- Calling Moses Lake Business Association Executive Director Sally Goodwin by her full name, always and forever

- Greeting visiting authors

- Having constant sources recognize me when I call them on the phone before I can identify myself

- My dad and Moses Lake City Councilmember Dick Deane waxing rhapsodic about cold coffee together

- My biggest fan and cheerleader, Eileen Reese, and her family

- Seeing the Quincy community dressed up in ingenious costumes (bacon and eggs!) for the Quincy Valley Chamber of Commerce and Quincy Rotary Club annual auction

- Picking up pizza from Chico's

- Grant County Economic Development Council Communications and Outreach Manager Jon Smith flashing me a goofy grin and a big thumbs up when I'm taking pictures at council events and trying to be serious

- Getting to watch projects build from the ground up

- Chowing down on spaghetti on Moses Lake High School productions of "Clue" with friends

- The communion wine at church

- Greeting the Lava Lite as it arrives in downtown Soap Lake

- Visiting librarian Phyllis Dean at the Warden Library

- Visiting the librarians at the Moses Lake Library

- The joy of wandering around the Columbia Basin on a day off, when everyone else is supposed to be working

- Standing on the street asking residents to participate in the newspaper's Basin Banter

- Having dinner on Sunday afternoons at Don's Restaurant in Soap Lake

- Getting six to eight people to actually participate in Basin Banter

- Watching people participate in the Polar Bear Plunge

- Enjoying casual Fridays with "Uncle" Curt Weaver

- Asking Moses Lake attorney Brian Dano if it's possible to do a story on him with brother Garth and having Bob Trask Jr. egg him on "Do it! Please do it!"

- Being the only boy in a room full of brides for the annual Bridal Show

- Live nativities

- Seeing blue herons on the way to Royal City

- Ordering Kiyoji's Bento Box at Tsunami Sushi

- Seeing red-winged blackbirds on the way to Othello

- Coaxing people into trying the deep-fried Twinkies at the Grant County Fair

- Ordering pizza 24 hours in advance from Big Bend Community College's Sodexho

- The people who have offered to help me move

- The people who have yelled at the people who have offered to help me move, saying, "Don't make it any easier for him!"

- Finding rare action figures for my brother around the Basin

- Writing My Turns and columns

- The opportunity to share the stories of Columbia Basin residents

- and so much more

Matthew Weaver is the senior staff writer for the Columbia Basin Herald. Until Wednesday … If people are interested in keeping in touch, his e-mail is WeaverRMatthew@gmail.com.