STANDING BY A PATROL CAR are Undersheriff Gary Crane, left, and Sheriff Steve Whybark. They are stepping down. One of their fondest memories is of the time they stopped a speeder while riding bicycles.

Hanging onto life

The top of a tree broken by the wind is suspended over Shelton Valley Road after the December 14-15 windstorm. A series of photographs submitted by our readers and the storm stories they told to go along with the photographs can be found in this week's edition.

JEANETTE VANDERWAL took this photograph of her husband Kenneth standing by the root wad of a Douglas fir fallen on their property after the recent windstorm.

TOM ROOF TOOK this photograph of a 2006 Chevy Impala impacted by the recent windstorm.

DON CRAIG TOOK this photograph of this tree that fell in the recent windstorm. Linda Craig said it knocked down a fence as it fell onto their house from their neighbor's property.

Praying for guidance

Mason County officials elected in November bow their heads in prayer before being sworn into office on Friday morning. Pictured from left to right are Prosecutor Gary Burleson, Assessor Dixie Smith, Sheriff Casey Salisbury, Auditor Karen Herr, District Court Judge Victoria Meadows, Commissioner Ross Gallagher, Clerk Pat Swartos, Treasurer Lisa Frazier and Coronor Wes Stockwell. Salisbury, Herr, Gallagher and Stockwell are newly elected to their offices. The others have been in office for a while.

The art of fund-raising in Union

This serigraph poster by Union artist Howard Leggett is being used to raise funds for the proposed McReavy House Museum of Hood Canal. Leggett, vice president of the foundation trying to restore John McReavy's 1890 house above Hood Canal and turn it into a museum and arts center, hand-made 58 prints that are on sale for $85 each. They are available at The Office Supply Store at 409 West Railroad Avenue in Shelton and the Alderbrook Country Store at Dalby and McReavy roads in Union. Descendants of McReavy will give the house to the foundation if it can prove it has the financial backing to restore the dilapidated 2,500-square-foot mansion and maintain the structure as a community asset. Exhibits would include McReavy artifacts and artwork from Orre Nobles and Waldo Chase, among others. Anyone interested in becoming a member of the organization or donating to the preservation effort can call Leggett at 898-1717. More information is available at leggettartstudios.com on the Web.

CELL-PHONE MOMENTS aside, action on the court proves largely rivetting Thursday as Climber hoopdom's suddenly streaking boys make visiting River Ridge their fifth victim in six outings. In the action insets are the hosts' Curtis Trondsen (top) and Trevor Peterson. And inset near left is fellow Climber Rodney Gouley.

FORMER SHELTON TRAPPER John Dahman poses with his recordbook beast in Alaska last month. The moose's rack was 60 inches wide.

Belfair has third fire of the month

Fire District 2 has had a busy December. Crews responded to their third structure fire of the month last week. Crews arrived just after 1 p.m. on Wednesday, December 20, to 22633 State Route 3 in Belfair and found a 600-foot storage shed completely engulfed in flames. The fire resulted after a space heater was left unattended. Altogether, 12 firefighters worked to extinguish the flames, but the shed was a complete loss. Also destroyed by flames were two carports housing a mid-size passenger vehicle and an RV as well as a second, smaller storage shed.