HISTORY IN THE MAKING: Spc Christopher McKaig, a soldier from La Grande, fought in the Battle of Wanat in Afghanistan July 13. Above, he displays a news account and photos of the fight that attracted world-wide media attention. - The Observer/TED KRAMER

He remembers fire, smoke, noise and the adrenaline rush that helped him stay alive and go on fighting. He remembers fear, too, a fear like nothing he’d experienced before, a feeling he describes as “fear to the core.”

More than that, he remembers the bravery and valor of men who were battered, bloodied but never beaten in a desperate fight that made the world look anew at the conflict in Afghanistan.

collector and decorator: Stanna Rysdam, pictured here in one of the rooms of her bunkhouse, has been collecting second-hand and antique items for 28 years, and using them to decorate her home. - Photos/Bill Rautenstrauch

It’s a little guessing game Stanna Rysdam likes to play with people who visit her one-of-a-kind home just outside town. It’s a fun game at that. Though the refrigerator stands against the wall in plain sight, it is indeed hard to find.

Here to Help: The core members of the Underground Oasis addiction support group include Bertie Harris, Jim Harris, Steve Fund, Kirk Shea and Dale Johnston (standing); and John Shepherd (with daughter Malia), Ricia Kallunki and Jerra Woods (kneeling). Not pictured is Oasis co-founder Leo Bristol. - Bill Rautenstrauch, The Observer

People with addictions, people at the end of their ropes, people feeling lost, alone and friendless, walk one flight down with hopes of recovering their sense of direction and reason for living.

Smoke billows from the fire at Hot Lake Sanatorium on May 7, 1934. - Photo from “The Hot Lake Story”

He was Dr. William T. Phy, a physician who died in 1931 yet remains, in the eyes of many, the face of Hot Lake. A man whose tale is among those featured in a new book by Richard R. Roth — “The Hot Lake Story: An Illustrated History from Pre-discovery to 1974.”

One of many performances Tom and Barb Dimond attended in China. - Photos/TOM DIMOND

Still, Tom and Barb Dimond of Cove had no trouble finding clarity and wonderment during a recent tour of China.

The Dimonds received a clear look at the manic intensity of China’s government as it prepares to host the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

Before his fantasy fiction series, George Mead published his first book, “Ethnobotany of California Indians.’’ - Observer photos/PHIL BULLOCK

Not La Grande fantasy fiction author George Mead.

The versatile and prolific writer lets his characters do the heavy lifting. When Mead sits down with pen and paper it is like he is switching on a cerebral television screen. His cast needs little prompting before its audience of one.

Hank Albrecht will serve gas from old-style pumps. - Observer photos/CHRIS BAXTER

Father Hank Albrecht of La Grande longs for the days of the traditional full-service station — so much so that he is bringing one back.

Anyone can make noodles like the ones above that were hand-kneaded, rolled through a hand-cranked machine and cut with a sharp knife by hand. - The Observer/BRYAN PEARSON

Since then, I’ve revised my pre-travel routine to ensure more comfortable trips. Hand-cranking strangely stiff dough through the tiny gap between the metal rollers of a pasta machine was a recipe for sore shoulders.

been there, done that: BFC members Reg Madsen, left, and Patrick Healy have deep empathy for kids with cancer. Madsen suffers from multiple myeloma, Healy with Non-Hodgkins lymphoma. - The Observer/PHIL BULLOCK

Healy, of Bellingham, Wash., and Madsen, of  La Grande, know better than most people that tomorrow can’t be taken for granted. Both have cancer, and neither can say with any certainty how long they will survive.

But living in cancer’s shadow isn’t enough to make them park their Harleys.