E'Louise Ondash

2 weeks ago | thecoastnews.com | E'Louise Ondash

Traveling solo. Not something many of us will do — especially women. Who wants a table for one? What if you get lost? How do you stay safe? All these are challenges when you hit the road alone, but Paula Silverfarb is here to say that women can go where they want and do it by themselves.

Jan 13, 2025 | thecoastnews.com | E'Louise Ondash

Retire. Rocking chair. Rest in peace. That was the old order of things for those we call seniors. Today? It’s a whole new world. Seniors aren’t just spectators; they are part of the action. The definition of a senior? AARP, an organization that advocates for more than 100 million seniors, opens membership to those 50 years and older. The federal government uses 65 as a marker, while others insist that it is 60 (which they say is the new 40).

Dec 2, 2024 | thecoastnews.com | E'Louise Ondash

In a world of uncertainty, I thought that one thing I could count on was that apples grow on trees. Not so in this southeast corner of Washington State. As we head toward Walla Walla on this warm, late-September day, we see thousands of rows of trellises supporting millions of ready-for-picking apples. We learn that this growing method directs energy into the fruit rather than a trunk, and it also makes for easier harvesting. No tall ladders and no fighting thick branches.

Nov 19, 2024 | thecoastnews.com | E'Louise Ondash

Gondolier Luke “Luciano” Andreen surprises us with a question: “Would you like me to sing a song?”Absolutely. “In English or Italian?”Since we are sitting in a Venetian gondola slipping effortlessly through the canals of Coronado Cays, Italian seems the appropriate choice. And a beautiful performance it is. “The song is from the opera ‘I Puritani’ by Vincenzo Bellini,” says Andreen, who has traded the traditional gondolier’s sunhat and striped shirt for a Santa hat and green, tinsel-laden jacket.

Nov 4, 2024 | thecoastnews.com | E'Louise Ondash

Hartmut Stecher is a marathon runner, so when he takes off down the trail, we have to hustle. We are hiking in Jasper Mountain Reserve, a 330-acre gem of a wildlife sanctuary at 3,400 feet in southeast Washington, 12 miles north of the Oregon border. Lucky for us, Stecher stops every few hundred yards to explain what we are seeing. It all looks perfectly copacetic to us: a serene, expansive, alpine landscape nestled in the Blue Mountains — a haven for humans and animals alike.