Editor:

As an ex-pat from Humboldt County who is hooked on Humboldt (graduated from Eureka H.S. and HSU, left for graduate school and then sent two children through HSU, one of whom still lives in McKinleyville), I read the North Coast Journal online pretty much every week. I always enjoy it, but Barry Evans' column is the first one I turn to and the one I enjoy most.

I was an English/History major at Humboldt and only took the few required science courses, so Evans' down-to-earth, easy to understand explanations mean a lot to me. I seldom write "blind" letters, but this week's column on Personal Floatation Devices moved me to send you this ("Cold Water by the Numbers," June 2). I deeply appreciate Evans' columns, and particularly this one, which may well save a lot of lives. Additionally, Evans' columns are always informative and educational - and interesting. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And please keep it up. The NCJ and Barry Evans' columns are a weekly bright spot for me. I also read the Times-Standard and the Arcata Eye online but generally prefer the NCJ. I've noticed since the demise of Robin Arkley's paper that the Times-Standard online has lost much of its quality and seems more or less perfunctory reporting.

C. Michael Finen, Cameron Park, Calif.