We have a wealth of correspondents who write columns for The Bulletin, adding another layer of expertise to our regular, full-time staff. They really round out our digital content offerings and add to the picture of just how vibrant life is in Central Oregon.

For instance Jon Abernathy, our craft beer writer, is a pro at dissecting the various nuances of micro-brews that local brewmeisters are concocting on almost a weekly basis. Even if you are not a micro-brew drinker, his detail about the beers is, dare I say, intoxicating to read. That may be a bit much, but the articles are compelling.

Gary Lewis, our outdoors correspondent, has a gifted way of making one feel like they are standing right next to him as he casts his fly line for rainbow trout or steelhead. It’s not a forced folksy tone, but more plain spoken advice that one can learn as he leads along the path to fishing enlightenment.

Makenzie Whittle lets readers experience the outdoors with her when she writes about hikes and other experiences in Explore Central Oregon each week. Having a desk job, I live — or hike — vicariously through those columns.

This past week we lost one of our favorite writers, Master Gardener Liz Douville, who died last weekend. She has penned a twice-a-month gardening column for The Bulletin for more than 20 years. You can read the excellent obituary/news story about Liz that appeared in The Bulletin on Friday here, written by reporter Suzanne Roig.

When I started at The Bulletin I took up the task of editing Liz’s column to free up others’ workload. Believe me, it was no chore. Liz wrote cleanly, clearly and with a little bit of fun she poked at the more serious of gardeners. Her columns were instructional, with important insight for growing just about anything in the climes of the High Desert.

Liz was always punctual so that her articles were ready to run every other Sunday. I, however, once missed seeing her submission and the column did not appear on time. I heard from Liz Monday morning, and she was none too happy about it. I never missed getting her column in since then.

But I went to visit her at her home to apologize in person and we chatted for well over an hour. As she usually did for friends, she gave me one or two of her famous tomato plant varieties that grow best in the High Desert. I planted them and, true to Liz’s knowledge, they thrived.

The Bulletin is going to miss Liz. Change such as this is hard to move past, and her loss will reverberate in the newsroom and in Central Oregon for a long time.

If you would like to read up on any off her gardening advice, just search for her name on our website.

Thanks for reading, and please subscribe to help support our local journalism

Gerry O’Brien, Editor