About 12 years later, as I was teaching school in Longview, some very good news came out of Libya. Some young army officer named Moammar Gadhafi had overthrown that vile jerk, King Idris. I had a new hero. No doubt, he wore a little thin sometimes. There was that little matter of blasting more than 250 people out of the sky over Scotland. Americans were supposed to cheer when the Navy shot down two of Gadhafi’s jets, but I really didn’t. Libya just reminded me of Idris.

Creating a habit, like learning to ride a bike, is more of a skill than anything. It probably took practice and some instruction before the training wheels came off your bike, so be easy on yourself if you’ve struggled to make behavioral changes. With some knowledge and practice, your hair will be once again flapping in the wind like a flag and you’ll be sailing down the road with a smile of confidence.

When planning and planting flower beds in the spring most gardeners choose flowers for visual joy. Color, texture and performance are key considerations. However, an emerging activity for home gardeners is to include a flavorful selection of flowers for daily dining. It is no surprise that many of the colorful flowers we are now growing are edible. It is just a matter of learning which ones will be delicious additions to summer recipes or to nibble as you water and weed.

My favorite . . . and one I’ve traveled many times is the 171-mile Oregon Outback National Scenic Byway which follows Hwy 31 and Hwy 395 southeasterly from LaPine to the California border south of Lakeview. The byway traverses isolated south-central Oregon and offers spectacular forest and high desert views in the northern Great Basin where streams never reach the sea. Compared by some to Australia’s Outback, most (but not all) of the area is publicly-owned and “dispersed camping” is allowed on nearly all federal land in the region. Check the map, pick a spot; no permits or fees are required.

As summer comes to an end and we head into fall, we thought we should take a moment to reminisce about the highlights of the summer and look forward to upcoming sporting events.

Q: I have an acquaintance who is a vegetarian. When I made a favorite dish recently for a potluck we both attended, I used chicken stock instead of vegetable. I doubt she could tell the difference, but should I have informed her?

Have you heard people say Longview is no fun? They say they want to go to Portland, otherwise they will just lie in bed all day. I was out on the town the other night and thought about all the fun things we have in the area.

On August 21, some of Oregon’s best wineries were pouring their all Italian varieties for a yearly event in Carlton, called “Italy in the Valley.” Participating wineries included: Angel Vine, Apolloni Vineyards, Barking Frog Winery, Cana’s Feast, Duck Pond Cellars, Marchesi Vineyards, Natalie’s Estate Winery, Ponzi Wines, Stage Hollow, Remy Wines, and Taran. All vineyards sourced their grapes from Southeastern Washington, Southern Oregon and the Willamette Valley.

Every Friday at 5 pm we’ll post a new question based on something in the August 15 print edition of Columbia River Reader. Add your comment . . . Weekly prizes will be awarded for our favorite response; winners may choose a $15 Gift Certificate from Payton's Produce, 4 tickets to a performance in Clatskanie Arts Commission's 2011-2012 season, or a 1-pound box of delicious See's chocolates. At the end of the month, we'll have a drawing for the lucky winner of dinner for 2 at The Bistro in Longview.