Betsy Millard, Director of the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum

Doncha hate it when your best intentions go awry?  Not once but twice so far for me when it comes to giving folks a heads up about Betsy Millard’s talk on Thursday, March 31^st at the Oysterville Schoolhouse.

I actually made an appointment with Betsy.  We met in her office at the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum in Ilwaco and I interviewed her for a little article that was to appear in the paper last week on the 23^rd – plenty of time to let people know the who, what, why, when, where of it.

But, the paper came out and… nothing.  It happens.  Things get mislaid in the last minute shuffle.  So, I resubmitted the story and picture (just in case it was a consequence of ‘lost’ rather than ‘mislaid’) and I even called to make sure they got it.  Tomorrow will tell the tale and I hope it isn’t too late.

I thought, for insurance purposes, that I would devote today’s blog to Betsy’s scheduled appearance – had the facts at the forefront of mind and fingertips – only to discover that we had no internet service this morning.  Wotthehell?  Apparently, the gods did not want me to spread the word!  Not just then anyway.

Lectures Start at 10:00 by the Schoolhouse Clock

What I was really sorry about was that readers might not learn about Betsy’s incredible professional background.  I touched on it a little in my Observer story – enough so that I hope people will ask her a few leading questions at the schoolhouse on Thursday.  Otherwise, I’m not at all sure that Betsy will share some of her interesting past.  She’s usually not one to look back; her focus is almost always on ‘the now’ and ‘the next.’

Those traits, of course, are what make her such a successful Director.  Not that she isn’t ever mindful of the past.  History, after all, is the name of the game.  But… getting to her personal history might take a little prodding.

At the time of this writing, though, my fondest desire was to prod the internet.  My server said that it wasn’t not just me – “a wide-reaching” problem they said,  and they were working on it.  However, I am an optimist by nature and I chose to think that whatever was the matter would soon be corrected.  If not, I could only hope that the usual Peninsula Telegraph Service, word-of-mouth, would prevail.   Even now, it’s a viable thought.