Just Rum’s cocktail menu often includes some seasonal choices. We’ve all been there: dragged down the rabbit hole by curiosity over some random topic we find fascinating, whether it’s Wikipedia-ing your favorite artist’s life story or searching the depths of the internet for that discontinued product you have to have. For John Hasbrouck, his rabbit hole was the history of rum, and from that deep dive came the award-winning business: Just Rum. According to his master distiller

Basketball player Michael Jordan was cut from his school’s basketball team his sophomore year, the New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony was cut from his high school team, and Lena Smith was cut from her 4th grade basketball team. Smith, unlike Jordan and Anthony, did not go on to play basketball. Instead, as a freshman on Sandy High School’s Varsity Volleyball team, she placed second at nationals. After being cut in fourth grade, Smith’s PE teacher offered her a spot on the voll

A resident of The Mt. Hood Villages since the age of three, musician Lisa Page has been an instrumental part in the delightful sounds, education, and melodies of the community for the last 37 years. Inspired by her mother’s own piano skills, Page became a student of music at age six. “My mom always played and it just seemed like that is what you do when you grow up,” Page said. “There were artists that I loved and wanted to make music like. I like playing percussively while c

"A walk in nature walks the soul back home." – Henry David Thoreau In our digital world, it’s all too easy to spend hours scrolling social media, binge-watching shows, or getting lost in online distractions. While these activities can be entertaining, they often keep us sedentary — and our bodies (and minds) pay the price. Physical movement is not just about fitness; it’s about improving your overall quality of life. Research shows that regular activity can boost mood, incre

Mount Hood’s summit is a familiar sight for everyone who calls The Mountain their home. It’s the backdrop to our lives, a landmark that feels unchanging. Yet in geologic terms, Mount Hood is anything but quiet. Beneath the snow and glaciers lies the record of eruptions that reshaped the mountain and altered the valleys where we live. The story of Mount Hood stretches back roughly half a million years. Like the other great peaks of the Cascades, it rose where the Juan de Fuca

Behavior issues in cats and dogs can be stressful and confusing for owners. Whether it’s a cat urinating outside the litter box or a dog showing signs of fear or anxiety, these behaviors often signal an underlying need for support, structure, or medical attention. At Northwest Mobile Vet, we help pet owners manage these challenges with practical solutions that prioritize both safety and emotional well-being. Managing Anxiety in Specific Situations Pets can experience anxiety

Golf Tourney On Saturday, September 6th, the Mt. Hood Oregon Resort put on the 2nd Annual Welches Charity Open Golf Tournament with the proceeds split evenly between the Mt. Hood Lions community disaster relief fund and the Hoodland Senior Center. The weather was perfect. The event was extremely well attended with 20 foursomes participating and we raised $13,000. Our thanks to Porchlight Realty and Philip Carman for their major sponsorship, to Mt. Hood Meadows, The Door Works

Robin Fritsch, a massage therapist at Mountain Life Clinic, was awarded $1,500 to pursue training to help clients with pain management for conditions such as sciatica and whiplash. HWC awards scholarships for continuing education Two Hoodland area residents looking to build their skills were awarded continuing education scholarships totaling $2,400 last month from the HWC Community Fund. Robin Fritsch, a massage therapist at Mountain Life Clinic, was awarded $1,500 to pursue

Welcome back, dear reader, to another installment of the chronicles of the Mount Hood golf scene. There will be no stone unturned by your intrepid reporter and no cliffhangers, as this is my last column for this year. Please, please no teeth gnashing or hair pulling. I plan on returning next year, unless I win a Pulitzer, in which case I'm out of here like a Cal Raleigh home run. Watching baseball makes me realize that every sport has its own jargon that is constantly evolvin

Aidan DeOliveira always knew he wanted to have a career in public service. He says he wants to do something that helps people and now he’s getting his chance, through the Hoodland Fire District Student Program. A 2025 Sandy High School graduate, Aidan is on the right track to achieving his ultimate goal of becoming a firefighter-paramedic. He started the two-year program two months ago and has nothing but good things to say about his experience so far. “I love it,” Aidan sa

Toxic exposures in animals happen more often than you’d think, and many come from everyday items around your home, pasture, or barn. Understanding what’s dangerous for dogs, cats, and livestock can help prevent emergencies, costly treatments, and even fatal outcomes. Here’s a breakdown of some of the most common toxins we see in our mobile veterinary practice. Toxins in Dogs and Cats Many foods, plants, and household products that are harmless to people can be dangerous, even

Less than five miles north of Brightwood - deep in the protected Bull Run watershed - lies the place where a young World War II pilot lost his life. For nearly two decades, the forest kept the secret of what happened to 2nd Lt. Alan Clay Strader, whose aircraft vanished on a rainy morning in 1943. On March 26, 1943, 2nd Lt. Alan Clay Strader took off from Portland Army Air Base in a Lockheed P-38 Lightning, a sleek single seat, twin-engine, twin-tailed fighter. Just 20 years

Welcome back, dear reader, to another installment of Fore, future winner of the Pulitzer Prize for investigative journalism. No? How about for dramatic rhetoric? No? I’ll take it for shameless self- aggrandizement if I have to. I mean let’s be real, pride don’t take home the prize. Oooh did I just make up a proverb? Now my place in history is guaranteed. And speaking of proverbs. It occurs to me that so many can apply to golf. Here are a few examples: A stroke saved is a stro

Here in our mountain villages, we’re surrounded by rivers, forests, and trails that seem to invite us outside. It’s one of the most beautiful places to live, yet it can still be surprisingly easy to stay indoors and inactive. The good news is that you don’t need a strict schedule or expensive equipment to enjoy the benefits of movement. What matters most is finding ways to move daily — and making it part of your lifestyle. Go for a Walk or Hike: Step outside your door and wal

One of the trickiest things about being a dentist is that so many dental problems are not symptomatic. What that means is that most people can have a small, medium, and even sometimes large cavity and not know it, because it doesn’t hurt and the cavity is under a shell of hard enamel in the tooth. Periodontal disease, which is a chronic disease that affects the foundation around the teeth, is notorious for not hurting until the really later stages when it is sometimes diffi

With all the crazy (and worse) news these days, you may not know that there’s actually been some good news. On June 24, the Washington State Department of Agriculture banned the sale and distribution of English ivy and its cousin Atlantic (or Boston) ivy. Oregon prohibited the sale of English ivy in 2010. Why? Forests choked with ivy is why — along Highway 26 and Barlow Trail Road between Tim Rim and Brightwood, for example, where tree trunks are covered with ivy. Not only ca

While many people throughout the country view summer as the season of vacations, rest, and relaxation, many Mt. Hood Villages residents are feeling the exact opposite. Tourism is a prevalent and important part of the economy from Sandy to Government Camp, with most residents in the corridor having careers in the service industry. Pile on the added traffic and extreme number of visitors in such small areas, and the overwhelming feelings of financial success and mental and phys

If you were to ask any staff member or contributor of The Mountain Times if he or she felt much like an artist with their work on the paper, I’m sure the grit and grind of the industry would encourage a resounding “no.” And while the act of journalism, investigative reporting, and ad development take their creative mindset to an artistic level with the maneuvering of words, shapes, and colors, one of our team members goes above and beyond the call of artist, not just with his

Pat and Griffin McAbery. In the McAbery family, firefighting runs in the bloodlines. It’s part of the family DNA. Griffin McAbery, 22, became Hoodland Fire District’s first third-generation firefighter, carrying on the legacy started by his grandfather. Griffin was hired part-time as a seasonal firefighter with the district, founded in 1966. Decades ago, Griffin’s grandfather, Dick, served on the fire district’s board of directors, setting the stage as the first generation M

Place of Birth? Portland, OR. How long on the Mountain? 79 years. If you were not brought here as a child, what brought you to the Mountain? Grandfather built a cabin on the Salmon River in 1927. We visited every year. Profession? Happily retired . Other Professions? Manager of a Garden Center. Owner of Hoodland Fuel (Oil Distributor) and Merit Properties (Real Estate Brokerage). Worked several positions at Bowman’s Resort 1961-67. Favorite movie and/or musical? Shawshank