MAKING SURE the gravel hits the spot in a barge docked on Oakland Bay is a worker with a bird's-eye view of things. The conveyor system was installed over State Route 3 by Manke Family Resources. State officials said the state, not the county, would benefit from tax revenue fromthe Johns Prairie gravel mine.

CONNER BEELER, cradled above in his mother Kari Beeler's arms while father Adam Beeler beams, is the first baby to be born in 2008 at Mason General Hospital. He was born on New Year's Day.

A good day for
gathering wool
Heavy snow in the Skokomish Valley last Thursday night did not spoil the appetite of the llamas last Friday afternoon. These creatures are native to the mountains of Peru and therefore quite suited to the snow and the cold.

...A GAME-WINNING SHOT to end a six-game losing streak. That's precisely what lit up the face of six-foot senior guard Derek Johnson (top right), at any rate, in the Minidome Thursday night as he and the rest of the Climber varsity hoop boys went to overtime to notch their first win of the season, nipping nonleague Centralia 51-50. Inset to the left of our just-showered hero, from the top:Junior forward Api Moliga floats in for a last-ditch lay-up with the hosts trailing by a point and the clock down to three seconds in overtime an instant before the #11 Johnson's rebound put-back for the game-winner; six-five senior post Aaron Johnson risks floor burn as classmate Brandon Inman-Cobos (32) takes the defensive high road; veteran head coach Mark Jensen looks on from the hosts' bench; senior guard Alex Potts breaks the Centralia press; Climber fans follow the action from just behind the Climber bench, and junior guard Levi Sutton elevates for two of his six points. Senior backcourt mate Alex Olson led the victors with 13 points and classmate Will Trondsen, a 6-5 post, added ten. Johnson? Already familiar to Climberville on account of his first-team all-league exploits as a wide receiver and defensive back in fooball, the amiable Arlington import reportedly boasts a near-80-mile-an-hour fastball and is a standout at shortstop as well but is leaning toward turning out for track instead in the sping so as not to displace any veterans among his would-be teammates in the Climber infield.

This tomorrow brought
to you by yesterday

This magic moment from the 1911 community picnic hosted by Agate Grange sets the tune for June in the 2008 calendar of the Mason County Historical Society. The spiral-bound calendar is ready to hang, with the $10 purchase price going to support programs of the organization. Copies are available at the Historical Society Museum, located at 427 West Railroad Avenue in downtown Shelton. For more information, call 426-1020.