For half a century Earl and Floyd Willits built some of the world's finest canoes, first near Artondale, Washington, then on Day Island, right off of Puget Sound in Tacoma. Turning out approximately twenty canoes a year, carefully logging and numbering each one, the brothers emphasized quality and design rather than volume. Willits Brothers Canoe Company earned a reputation that enabled the tiny company to compete successfully with businesses much larger, leaving a name and legacy which is still admired by canoe aficionados today. Carefully researched and documented, this combination biography and company history tells the story of Earl and Floyd Willits and their unique canoe company. Beginning with their family's westward migration from Illinois, it follows the brothers as they set about starting the business that would become their lifelong work. Close attention is given to the Willitses' business management and construction techniques as well as their personal lives. Interviews with surviving contemporaries and family members add a personal dimension to the Willitses' story. Appendices include a detailed company logbook, instructions from the Willits brothers on various areas of canoe use and maintenance, a price list of canoes from 1928 to 1964 and a list of serial numbers and dates of manufacture. In addition, a price comparison with the Old Town Canoe Company, a listing of museums exhibiting a Willits Brothers canoe, two Willits Brothers Canoe company catalogs and various plans of Willits canoes are provided. Contemporary photographs from the Willits family collection are also included.

In the summer of 2006, four old men began an adventure that took them from the suburbs of Washington State through British Columbia and Alberta to Great Slave Lake in Canada’s Northwest Territories. In two canoes, they began a 900-mile (1,500 km) journey down the Mackenzie River. One month later, they reached the town of Inuvik near the Arctic Ocean. Perseverance: One Month Canoeing on the Mackenzie River is a memoir of that journey told by one of the four paddlers, John Richardson. In this book, he captures the excitement and challenges of this exhausting voyage: battling the elements, missing and worrying about family, and navigating the second-largest river in North America. He tells stories of the First Nations and Inuit people who live in the wilderness and in villages along the river while also providing anecdotes of history, geography, topography, wildlife, natural resources, and much more. This book provides readers with an opportunity to explore a wild and remote river vicariously. For those interested in actually paddling the Mackenzie, the book also includes a mile guide with extensive information about the river, including the locations of various hazards as well as communities, memorable sights, and prime camping spots.

A community located just south and east of Tacoma, University Place has always been noted for its excellent school system--but where is the "university". From the days of sheep herding, logging, gravel and sand mining, tomato farming, apple and peach orchard planting, and rhododendron farming, University Place has become a proud city with a population exceeding 31,000 residents.

Joe Seliga is a craftsman, noted for his handcrafted canvas-covered cedar canoes, who lives in Ely, Minnesota.