2017-04 5enses by 5enses

Hit the streets with Prescottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premiere chalk art festival P.12

APRIL 2017 | VOLUME 5, ISSUE 4 | 5ENSESMAG.COM

5enses

In which: Peter Pierson

4 16 18 5 6 19 7 + 10 8/9 11 20 12 21 14 22 Robert Blood

takes to a new project like a duck to ... well, a nesting box, hopefully

David Moll

takes a road trip and studies stops on the Sedona Open Studios Tour

Paolo Chlebecek

takes the time to visit a particularly taxonomically taxing plant family

Kathleen Yetman

pins some new passwords to his digital sleeves and sieves wordage

Publisher & Editor: Nicholas DeMarino Copy Editor: Susan Smart Featured Columnist: Alan Dean Foster Staﬀ Writers & Columnists: Robert Blood, Paolo Chlebecek, James Dungeon, Ty Fitzmorris, Reva Sherrard, Mara Trushell, & Kathleen Yetman

COVER IMAGE: A youth and woman enjoy the 2016 Chalk It Up! festival. Photo by Chad Castigliano, Chronicker Photography. See page 12 for more.

Sean Gote´ Gallery 702 West Gurley Prescott, AZ 86305 928 445 2323

Markoﬀ Chaney

lets us know that a fool and her veggie table are soon parted

takes the 13th step and connects some rather disparate dots

Peregrine Book Co. staﬀ

thumbs indexed books above middling quality that ring true for little readers

Alan Dean Foster

Here & (T)here

opines that nature isn’t just for the birds and spies some hawkish aviators

Reva Sherrard

Discover events in and around Prescott and the surrounding area

Prescott Peeps

eggs on practitioners of ancient rites and tracks down other bunny business

James Dungeon

Celebrate someone who’s making our community an even greater place

Get Involved

takes to the streets to ﬁnd new, free art and visits Chalk It Up! Prescott

Ty Fitzmorris

Fresh art for creative minds

Discover ways to make a positive diﬀerence in our community

Oddly Enough

has sprung forward, daylight or not, and seized the bounty of spring

Smart, quirky comics about the strange-but-true by Russell Miller

Now with Garden Treasures!

Sean & Dolores have created a wonderful, whimsical outdoor garden boutique featuring waterfalls, windchimes, birdbaths, fountains, statues, a handblown collection of hummingbird feeders, & lots of other cool stuff!

OPEN 11 to 6 Or by appointment or coincedence

Adorn Your Lifestyle Buy | Sell | Trade •

UNIQUE APPAREL & EXOTIC GOODS

928-776-8695

133 N. Cortez, Historic Downtown Prescott

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OPEN DAILY 10AM-5PM •

brating Cele

@ Snap Snap

5ENSESMAG.COM • APRIL 2017 • CONTENTS • 3

Thinking inside the box

A special

Bird of the Month

collaboration

Wood duck

By Peter Pierson ake a walk through Watson Woods Riparian Preserve past a small pond just off the trail and watch and listen. You may hear the distinct song of a yellowthroat or a yellow warbler at home in the cover of willow and cottonwood along the wetlands of this restored riparian preserve. A pair of ducks emerge from the partially submerged trees and glide into the sunlight. The brilliant foliage along the head and back of one, the male, distinguishes it as a wood duck. Once threatened because of habitat loss and over-hunting, the wood duck has made a comeback, even in its marginal range in preserved and restored riparian wetlands here in the arid Southwest. With recovering beaver populations in the West, there are more quiet ponds from their dam construction activity offering habitat for wood ducks. In the Watson Woods Riparian Preserve, the wood duck, yellowthroat, yellow warbler, and other habitat-dependent species are establishing themselves in and along wetlands. Those wetlands were restored through the efforts of Prescott

Creeks and scores of volunteers who’ve helped reestablish functioning streambeds and ﬂoodplains and planted thousands of trees in the preserve.

rescott Creeks and Prescott Audubon Society have partnered to set up nest boxes in Watson Woods and suitable habitat along Willow Lake to aid in nesting success of wood ducks. Wood ducks are cavity nesters, preferring holes in mature trees close to wooded, still ponds and backwaters. From these protected nest sites, the young, at just a day old, will jump from the nest cavity and scramble to the nearby water. While many trees in these more recently restored riparian areas are not yet mature enough to support a nest cavity accommodating a wood duck, nest boxes oﬀer a critical step in establishing the wood duck as a more regular resident in central Arizona. Wood ducks are an uncommon resident in secluded wooded pools and backwaters in central Arizona. Their presence is often a measure of

4 • FEATURE • APRIL 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

FROM LEFT: A wood duck, photo by Tiffany Kersten, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain; This wood duck-aiding nesting box was installed via Prescott Creeks and Prescott Audubon Society, courtesy photos. riparian and wetland health, aﬃrming the success of ongoing restoration work in places like Watson Woods. Nest boxes placed along more permanent wooded creeks and ponds may attract a nesting pair, and contribute to the increasing number of wood duck sightings in the region. ***** Visit Prescott Audubon Society at PrescottAudubon.Org. Contact them at Contact@PrescottAudubon.Org. Visit Prescott Creeks at PrescottCreeks.Org or via Facebook. Peter Pierson is Prescott Creeks’ development and communications manager. His freelance writing has been produced for broadcast for Northern (MN) Community Radio and CBC Radio One in Canada and featured in 5enses, “Voices for the Land” (Minnesota Historical Society Press), Fourth River, NorthWoods Press, and others.

By David Moll owadays, classification of organisms is definitively established through genetic analysis. Before this technology, there were many morphological and biochemical traits used to sort organisms into related groups. Within the flowering plants, it was the flowers themselves that were used as a pivotal characteristic. The number and arrangement of floral parts were like a beacon leading botanists through an overwhelming forest of malleable growth forms and secondary attributes. The four o’clocks provide a brief but interesting floral stumbling block. That large, often colorful, structure that seems to be a corolla, is actually a calyx formed of united sepals. Commonly aiding in this illusion is a united group of bracts below the flowers that resembles a more typical calyx. Contrary to outer appearances, these attractive plants have no flower petals. Flower parts come and go throughout evolutionary time, but botanists can tell the difference between these various structures by examining vascular traces in the flower. Once this was sorted out, the four o’clock family (Nyctaginaceae, which includes Bougainvillea), unlike many others, has so far remained intact through all the technological scrutiny. We don’t need to be so technical. Once learned, mostly in the field, unifying characteristics of plant families can lead us to identifications,

Plant(s) of the Month

The four o’clocks Don’t be fooled. Even though it has no flower petals, the Colorado Four O’clock is a showy favorite in the Prescott area. Courtesy photo.

understandings, and greater appreciation. he four o’clock name may also be misleading. It comes from the habit of flowers opening in the late afternoon and closing the following day. The exact timing is greatly influenced by weather conditions, however. Colorful flowers indicate animal pollination as opposed to wind pollination; nighttime blooming suggests moth pollination, but all conditions can be pollinated by several vectors. The Sweet Four O’clock has a white flower (which stands out in the dark) with a magenta center. It also has a

four-inch, narrow tube that leads to nocturnal nectar, and is pollinated — though not exclusively — by hawkmoths with a long tongue to match that floral tube. So things are not always as they appear in the world of flowering plants. It’s a terrific time of year to get outside and examine plants for their sometimes obscure, sometimes beguiling flowers that provide an opening into the history and ecology of Earth. ***** Find out more about the Arizona Native Plant Society at AZNPS.Com. David Moll studies nature in Arizona.

5ENSESMAG.COM • APRIL 2017 • FEATURE • 5

Vegetable of the Month

Lettuce Row crops of romaine lettuce in Yuma. Photo by Jeff Vanuga, USDA natural Resources Conservation Service, public domain.

By Kathleen Yetman ettuce (Lactuca sativa) is a leafy green plant in the daisy family that was originally cultivated from a weed by the Ancient Egyptians. There are hundreds of lettuce cultivars varying in color, leaf shape, texture, and growth habit. Lettuces generally come in a spectrum of green or red, with several varieties having both green and red leaves. Lettuce leaves can be oblong, ﬂat, frilly, delicate, scalloped or ornate like oak leaves. Most Americans are familiar with iceberg lettuce and romaine lettuce but there are several common cultivar groups: Looseleaf lettuces are grown for their small, immature leaves

and are used in salad mixes. Butterhead, or Bibb, lettuces are grown to maturity with a loose round head of tender, easily bruised leaves. Summercrisp lettuces tend to bolt (go to seed) slower than other types, which makes them ideal for warmer climates. Farmers growing looseleaf lettuces for salad mixes choose varieties with diﬀerent textures in order to give the mix volume and colors to make them visually appealing. Lettuce grows best in cool temperatures. It can often overwinter, but doesn’t grow rapidly until temperatures warm and daylight increases. With the exception of some summercrisp varieties, most lettuces will

bolt when temperatures consistently reach 75 degrees. Once the plant begins the process of bolting, the leaves become filled with a milky substance, which makes them taste bitter. When bolting, the plant will shoot up a stem, which eventually results in dozens of dainty flowers. Once the flowers are pollinated they become feathery and, like dandelion seeds, the seeds can be spread easily by wind.

rizona grows nearly 30 percent of all lettuce for consumption in the United States. Most of this is grown near Yuma during the winter. Lettuce is an excellent source of vitamins K and A and good source of folate and iron. Darker lettuce greens contain more nutrients, while iceberg lettuce contains very few. ***** The Prescott Winter Market is 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays through April 29 at the Yavapai Regional Medical Center Pendleton Center parking lot, 930 Division St. The Prescott Valley Market is 3-6 p.m. Tuesdays through April 25 at the Harkins Theatres parking lot, at Glassford Hill Road and Park Avenue. Kathleen Yetman is the managing director of the Prescott Farmers Market and a native of Prescott.

4 Prescott’s 4th Friday

ART WALKS PRE S

COT T

’S

4FRIDAY EVERY

Prescott’s finest submarines since before downtown traffic 418 W. Goodwin St., 778-3743 M-F 10:30-2:30, Weekends closed

6 • FEATURE • APRIL 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

Beginning at 5 PM

See Special Events

www.ArtThe4th.com

Peregrine Book Co.

Staff picks

“ Inspiration exists, but it has to find us working.” ~Pablo Picasso

“Objects “Ob b Found 2017” d and Re Purposed Materials mblage by Prescott Area Artists l 20 - May 16

Catered by Reva Sherrard “The Name of the Wind” By Patrick Rothfuss The best fantasy novel in decades, and the best introduction to the genre for any curious minds. The prose is nothing less than musical and the worldbuilding is seamless. This book stands up to dogged theorizing and dissection; there are stories under stories and secrets in the songs. Listen to Kvothe’s tale, but pay attention; things are not what they seem. ~Sean, Jon, & David “Here I Am” By Jonathan Safran Foer An astounding new novel from Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and Everything is Illuminated. Foer, again, is pushing the literary envelope in a stunning display of talent and heart. ~Jon “The Way Things Work Now” By David Macaulay No matter your age, interests, or feelings towards woolly mammoths, this book will entertain and teach. Just open it to any page and learn how stuﬀ works. ~Sean “Plainwater” By Anne Carson Both intimate and dazzling, my favorite essay from this collection is Part V: The Anthropology of Water when Carson takes the

ay Art Walk Reception April 28th 5:00—8:00

reader on a pilgrimage in pursuit of water. ~Lacey “Pond” By Claire-Louise Bennett Pond is sharp and compassionate, beautiful and strange – and everything felt turned upside down and inside out after I read it. Claire-Louise Bennett inspires observation and self-awareness. ~Lacey “Breakfast at Tiﬀany’s” By Truman Capote So you’ve probably seen the movie with Audrey Hepburn. You probably loved it. You know what else you’ll probably love? The inspiration behind the movie. This isn’t a I’veseen-the-movie-so-I-don’thave-to-read-the-book situation, because (spoiler) the ending is diﬀerent! Capote’s literary charm gives you so much more to adore about the iconic characters you already (probably) love. ~Hannah

In the ‘Tis Art Center Main Gallery 105 S. Cortez St. Prescott “Bull’s Head” Pablo Picasso~1942

www.TisArtGallery.com ww ww ww [xob eht edistuo kniht]

www.diningoutforlife.com

DINE OUT. FIGHT AIDS. Dine Out April 27th, 2017! When you dine at a participating restaurant on April 27th, a portion of the proceeds from your meal will be donated directly to Northland Cares HIV Clinic to help people living with HIV in northern Arizona. Give back deliciously this April with Dining Out for Life! Restaurants include: Deano’s Sweet Potato Café, El Charro Restaurant & Cantina, El Gato Azul, Iron Springs Café, Mogies Mongolian Grill, The Raven, Sally B’s Café, SueAnn’s Apple Pan, and The Peacock Dining Room at Hassayampa Inn! Proceeds Benefit: Proud Host Sponsor:

www.northlandcares.org

Sponsored by:

“Catching the Big Fish” By David Lynch Yes, it’s a book by the ﬁlm director David Lynch. Sparsely & minimally, Lynch explores the creative process by honing in on the idea of sparking the ﬁre from within. Surrealism & Transcendental Meditation collide! ~Joe

***** Visit Peregrine Book Company at PeregrineBookCompany.Com and 219A N. Cortez St., Prescott, 928-445-9000.

5ENSESMAG.COM • APRIL 2017 • FEATURE • 7

Here & (T)here

Find out what's happening in and around Prescott Talks & presentations

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“Cowboys & Cowgirls” • 1 p.m. Saturday, April 1: Betsy Fahlman discuses icons of the West. (Phippen Art Museum, 4701 AZ 89, 928-778-1385, PhippenArtMuseum.Org)

“The Mayan Portal for 2017” • 2 p.m. Sunday, April 2: Mayan historian Raymond Tarpey returns to translate the messages of the ancients. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000, PeregrineBookCompany.Com) Slow Food Expo • 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 4: Local presenters and the Peregrine Book Company oﬀer information about local, slow food and sustainability. Dinner with $10 donation. (Prescott College Crossroads Center, 220 Grove Ave.)

landsCenter.Org, PrescottAstronomyClub.Org)

Prescott Valley Farmers Market • 3-6 p.m. Tuesdays: Weekly farmers market featuring local food and much more. (Harkins Theatres parking lot, Glassford Hill Road and Park Avenue, PrescottFarmersMarket.Org)

“Immersion Grating Infrared Spectrometry” • 6-8 p.m. Thursday, April 20: Dr. Lisa Prato, researcher at Lowell Observatory, discusses a collaborative project between Lowell Observatory, University of Texas, and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute and how she uses information from this in her exoplanet survey. A Third Thursday Talk via Prescott Astronomy Club. (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Building 74 Lecture Hall 107, 3700 Willow Creek Road, PrescottAstronomyClub.Org)

“Harvey Girls of Northern Arizona” • 2-3 p.m. Saturday, April 22: A panel discussion about the iconic hostesses of the Harvey Hotels who provided hospitality and food along the Old West railway lines. (Sharlot Hall Museum, 415 W. Gurley St., 928-445-3122)

“Tom King: King of the Cowboys” • 1 p.m. Saturday, April 22: H. Christine Reid discuses cowboy movie star Tom Mix. (Phippen Art Museum, 4701 AZ 89, 928778-1385, PhippenArtMuseum.Org)

“Game Time” • 3-7 p.m. Thursday, April 6: Open game night for enthusiasts of all ages and origin stories, facilitating all tabletop, card, and board games. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000, PeregrineBookCompany.Com)

“The Talker” • 2 p.m. Saturday, April 29: Author, mentor, and facilitator Mary Sojourner discusses her new book. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000, PeregrineBookCompany.Com)

“Arizona's Unsolved Mysteries” • 5-6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 6: Jane Eppinga, author of “Unsolved Arizona: A Puzzling History or Murder, Mayhem, and Mystery,” discusses Arizona's most notorious unsolved mysteries. An Arizona Humanities Lecture. (Prescott Public Library, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-777-1500, PrescottLibrary.Info)

Nature, health, & outdoors

Jay's Bird Barn bird walks • 8 a.m. April 7, 13, & 20: Local, guided bird walks. Via Jay's Bird Barn. (Jay’s Bird Barn, No. 113, 1046 Willow Creek Road, 928-443-5900, JaysBirdBarn.Com, RSVP)

Prescott Audubon bird walk • 9 a.m. Saturday, April 8: Monthly bird walk. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-7769550, HighlandsCenter.Org, PrescottAudubon.Org)

“From Valley of the Sun to Sun Corridor” • 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, April 8: Dr. Daniel Higgins discusses broadening Arizona's water future. A monthly Citizens Water Advocacy Group meeting. (Granite Creek Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation building, 882 Sunset Ave., 928445-4218, CWAGAZ.Org)

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13 15 20 21 26 28

“Healing Oils of the Bible” • 2 p.m. Saturday, April 15: Sharon Edwards shares oils for healing, cleansing, and holy anointing from biblical times. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000, PeregrineBookCompany.Com)

“Living History Adventure” • Saturday, April 8: Take a peek back at territorial Prescott through activities like period gardening, cooking, handcrafts, blacksmithing, print shop work, and more. A monthly event. (Sharlot Hall Museum, 415 W. Gurley St., 928-445-3122)

“Birding in Australia” • 7 p.m. Thursday, April 20: Gary Emerson, Prescott Audubon Society member and adventurer, discusses his ﬁve visits to Australia. A monthly Prescott Audubon Society meeting. (Trinity Presbyterian Church, 630 Park Ave., PrescottAudubon.Org)

“Latest Findings & Controversies Regarding the Early Development of the Lower Colorado River Below the Grand Canyon” • 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 11: Phil Pearthree, of the Arizona Geologic Survey, discusses ﬁndings and controversies regarding the early development of the lower Colorado River below the Grand Canyon. A monthly Central Arizona Geology Club meeting. (Prescott Public Library, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-777-1500, Prescott Library.Info, CentralArizonaGeologyClub.BlogSpot.Com)

“Tracks & Shadows” • 9:30-11 a.m. Friday, April 21: Discuss Harry W. Greene's book, “Tracks & Shadows: Field Biology7 as Art.” A monthly Natural History Book Club meeting. (Prescott College Natural History Institute, 312 Grove Ave., 928-350-2280, Prescott.Edu)

Prescott Area Boardgamers • 4-8 p.m. ﬁrst and third Wednesdays: Play board games. (Prescott Public Library, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-777-1500, Prescott.Library.Info)

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LAN party • 10 a.m. -10 p.m. Saturday, April 1 : Play multiplayer computer games like “Killing Floor,” “Rocket League,” “Counterstrike,” and “Tribes.” A monthly Prescott PC Gamers Group Event. (Step One Coﬀee House, 6719 E. Second St., Ste. C, Prescott Valley, PPCGG.Com, $10)

“Librarypalooza” • 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Saturday, April 15: Enjoy fun and learning in honor of National Library Week. Includes walk-in résumé help, expert gardening tips, a national parks presentation by Bob Manning, live Celtic music, and special guests at family storytime. (Prescott Public Library, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928777-1500, PrescottLibrary.Info)

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GYCC LGBTQ Coalition • 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 18: Monthly general meeting open to all LGBTQ and allies in Yavapai County with guest speakers. (First Congregational Church, 216 E. Gurley St., Facebook)

Professional Writers of Prescott • 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 26: A monthly Professional Writers of Prescott meeting. (Prescott Valley Public Library, 7401 E. Civic Circle, 928-864-8642, Catalog.YLN.Info/Client/En_US/PVPL)

“Oak Root Borers & Other Soil Dwelling Pests” • 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 13: Steve Miller, owner of Native Garden, discusses pests that may be causing issues in your soils. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550, HighlandsCenter.Org)

Camille T. Dungy • 7 p.m. Friday, April 7: Camille T. Dungy, winner of the American Book Award, reads excerpts from her works. (Yavapai College Library, Susan N. Webb Community Room, Building 19, Room 147, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-445-7300, YC.Edu)

“Death Cafe” • 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 13: People gather to eat cake, drink tea, and discuss death with the objective “to increase awareness of death with a view to help people make the most of their (ﬁnite) lives.” (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000, PeregrineBookCompany.Com)

Prescott Winter Farmers Market • 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays: Weekly farmers market featuring local food and much more. (Yavapai Regional Medical Center Pendleton Center parking lot, 930 Division St., PrescottFarmersMarket.Org)

Groups & games

“Spring into Action” • 5-8 a.m. Friday, April 7: Family night featuring an exploration of plant and animal transitions from winter to spring. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550, HighlandsCenter.Org, $2-$5)

“What You Need to Know to Grow!” • 9 a.m. Saturday, April 29: Choose from a variety of workshops to prepare and inspire designs in preparation for the Highland Center's annual plant sale. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550, HighlandsCenter.Org)

“The Art of Brewing Your Own Kombucha” • 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 26: Explore the whys, how-tos, and beneﬁts of this DIY ancient elixir. Registration fee includes taste-testing, starter kit, and step-by-step instructions and recipes. (Nectar Apothecary, 219 W. Gurley St., 928-445-4565, $30) “Star Party” • 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 28: Enjoy and explore the night sky. Via the Prescott Astronomy Club. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550, High-

8 • EVENTS • APRIL 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

“Dine Out For Life” • Thursday, April 27: A portion of proceeds from your meal at participating restaurants directly beneﬁts Northland Cares HIV Clinic to help people living with HIV in northern Arizona. Restaurants include: Deano's Sweet Potato Café, El Charro Restaurant & Cantina, El Gato Azul, Iron Springs Café, Mogie's Mongolian Grill, The Raven Café, Sally B's Café, SueAnn's Apple Pan, and The Peacock Dining Room at The Hassayampa Inn. (DiningOutForLife.Com, NorthlandCares.Org)

NAZGEM Support 7 p.m Friday, April 28: Monthly support group meeting for members of the transgender and beyond gender binaries community as well as family, friends, and youth. (Granite Peak Unitarian Congregation Education Center, 882 Sunset Ave., Facebook.Com/LGBTQYavapai)

Performing arts

Visual arts

“How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” • 7:30 p.m. April 1 & 6-8; 2 p.m. April 2, & 9: A clever lampoon of life on the corporate ladder with music by Frank Loesser. Directed by Bruce Lanning. (Prescott Center for the Arts, 208 N. Marina St., 928-445-3286, PCA-AZ.Net, $16-$25)

Arts Prescott Cooperative Gallery • March 24- April 26: “O Tucker Photography,” featuring ﬁne art photography that is both inspiring and technically excellent, including landscape and nature shots printed on metal by Archie Tucker, AOTucker.Com. • April 28-May 24: “Sacred Heritage,” featuring intimate portraits of life and land by oil painter R.A. Beeler, opening reception is April 28, 4th Friday Art Walk. (Arts Prescott Cooperative Gallery, 134 S. Montezuma St., 928-776-7717, ArtsPescott.Com)

“Amadeus” • 6 p.m. Thursday, April 6: Via satellite, The National Theatre Live production of “Amadeus,” the iconic play from Peter Shaﬀer about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a rowdy young prodigy, who arrives in Vienna, the music capital of the world. (Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2000, YCPAC.Com, $10-$15)

“The Naked Truth” • 7:30 p.m. April 6-8, 13-15, & 20-23; 2 p.m. April 9, 15, & 23: Rich Orloﬀ ’s comedy about an Ohio couple who inherits a clothing-optional resort in Key West. Directed by Rich Orloﬀ. Arizona premiere. (Prescott Center for the Arts Stage Too, alley between Cortez and Marina streets behind Peregrine Book Co., 928-445-3286, PCA-AZ.Net, $17)

The Beastro • New art. 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (The Beastro, 117 N. McCormick St., 928-778-0284, TheBeastro.Org)

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Contra Dance • 7-7:30 p.m. lesson; 7:30-10 p.m. dance Saturday, April 22: Contra dancing, via Folk Happens. Calls by Michaela White, music by Clusterfolk. (First Congregation Church, 216 E. Gurley St., 928-925-5210, FolkHappens.Org, $4-$8)

“Writers Resist” • 2 p.m. Sunday, April 23: Michaela Carter and Laraine Herring share poetry, prose, and stories of resistance. Please bring your own favorite short piece of activist literature to read. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000, PeregrineBookCompany.Com)

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Open mic poetry • 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 26: Poet Dan Seaman emcees monthly open mic poetry. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000, PeregrineBookCompany.Com)

Ballet West II • 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 28: An elite touring ensemble performs a broad spectrum of dance including classical and modern ballet. (Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2000, YCPAC.Com, $20-$35)

Mountain Artists Guild • Feb. 27-April 28: “Cultures & Customs” gallery show. • April 8 & 9: Annual “Spring Bazaar.” (Mountain Artists Guild, 228 N. Alarcon St., 928-445-2510, MountainArtistsGuild.Org)

Peregrine Book Co. • 5-7 p.m. Friday, April 28: New art from Josephine GibbsArcher, opening reception is April 28, 4th Friday Art Walk. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000, PeregrineBookCompany.Com)

“A Hero of Our Time” • 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 19: Via satellite, The Bolshoi Ballet’s production of “A Hero of Our Time,” adapted from Mikhail Lermontov’s literary masterpiece, in which Pechorin, a young oﬃcer, embarks on a journey across the majestic mountains of the Caucasus, on a path set by his passionate encounters. (Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2000, YCPAC.Com, $10-$15)

The Local • March 1-April 15: “Our Connection to Nature,” featuring ﬁne art by Donna Carver, DonnaCarver.Com. (The Local, 520 W. Sheldon St., 928-237-4724)

Mountain Spirit Co-op • New art. 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Mountain Spirit Co-op, 107 N. Cortez St., 928-445-8545, MountainSpiritCoOp.Com)

Open mic poetry • 7-9:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 12: Monthly poetry jam presented by Decipherers Synonymous. (The Beastro, 117 N. McCormick St., 971-340-6970, TheBeastro.Com)

“Eugene Onegin” • 9:55 a.m. Saturday, April 22: Via satellite, The Metropolitan Opera’s production of “Eugene Onegine,” an encore performance of Tchaikovsky’s adaptation of Pushkin’s classic novel. (Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2000, YCPAC.Com, $12-$24)

• April 15-May 14: “Universal Threads,” featuring ﬁne art and photography from the travel experience of Carla Woody and Michael McDermott, opening reception is April 28, 4th Friday Art Walk. (IMAGE: “Gazing at the Moon” by Carla Woody.) • April 27-May 16: “Objects Found 2017,” featuring up-cycled and repurposed creations by Prescott Area artists, opening reception is April 28, 4th Friday Art Walk. (‘Tis Art Center & Gallery, 105 S. Cortez St., 928-775-0223, TisArtGallery.Com)

Prescott Center for the Arts Gallery • March 31-April 23: “Youth Scholarship Exhibit,” featuring art from area youth. (Prescott Center for the Arts, 208 N. Marina St., 928-445-3286, PCA-AZ.Net)

“Chalk It Up!” • 10 a.m.-4 p.m. April 22 & 23: Annual chalk art festival including free chalk, guest and featured artists, prizes, performing arts, and much more. Donations beneﬁt the Yavapai West Guidance Clinic Foundation. (National Bank of Arizona Parking Lot, 201 N. Montezuma St., 928-445-5211, PrescottChalkArt.Com, photo by Chad Castigliano, Chronicker Photography)

Prescott Winery • New art. 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Prescott Winery, 216 N. Alarcon St., 928-350-8467, PrescottWinery.Com) Random Art • New art. 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Random Art, 214 N. McCormick St., 928-308-7355, RandomArt.Biz) The Raven Café • New Art. 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (The Raven Café, 142 N. Cortez St., 928-717-0009)

4th Friday Art Walk • 5-7 p.m. Friday, April 28: Monthly art walk including artist receptions, openings, and demonstrations at more than 18 galleries. (ArtThe4th.Com)

Sam Hill Warehouse • TBA: Student, faculty, and alumni exhibitions. (Sam Hill Warehouse, 232 N. Granite St., 928-350-2341, PrescottCollegeArtGallery.Org)

Hassayampa Inn • New art. 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Hassayampa Inn, 122 E. Gurley St., 928-778-9434, HassayampaInn.Com)

Sean Goté Gallery • New art and décor, plus guest art in the parking lot on weekends. 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Sean Goté Gallery, 702 W. Gurley St., 928-445-2323)

Huckeba Art Gallery • New art. 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Huckeba Art Gallery, 227 W. Gurley St., 928-445-3848, Huckeba-Art-Quest. Com) Ian Russell Gallery • New art. 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Ian Russell Gallery, 130 S. Montezuma St., 928-445-7009, IanRussellArt.Com)

Thumb Butte Distillery • New art. 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Thumb Butte Distillery, 400 N. Washington Ave., 928-443-8498, ThumbButteDistillery.Com)

“Alice in Wonderland” • 7 p.m. April 27-29 & May 4-6; 2 p.m. April 30 & May 6 & 7: PCA Family Theatre presents a much-loved story down the rabbit hole with Alice, featuring songs from Disney’s animated adaptation. (Prescott Center for the Arts Stage Too, alley between Cortez and Marina streets behind Peregrine Book Co., 928-445-3286, PCA-AZ.Net, $10) Social dance classes • Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, & Sundays: Learn the Argentine tango, West Coast swing, tribal belly dance, Lindy hop swing, ﬂamenco, and Latin dance. (Flying Nest Movement Arts, 322 W. Gurley St., 928-432-3068, FlyingNestStudio.Com, prices vary) Performance dance/movement arts classes • Wednesdays & Thursdays: Learn contemporary dance, movement for life, and normative movement. (Flying Nest Movement Arts, 322 W. Gurley St., 928-432-3068, FlyingNestStudio.Com, prices vary)

Van Gogh’s Ear Birthday Party • 5-8 p.m. Friday, April 28: Celebrate 14 years of ﬁne art and craft at Van Gogh’s Ear during this special 4th Friday Art Walk birthday party for the gallery. (Van Gogh’s Ear, 156 S. Montezuma St., 928-776-1080, VGEGallery.Com) ‘Tis Art Center & Gallery • March 16-April 14: “Joy in Brushes & Beads,” featuring watercolors and acrylic paintings by Anita Nugent and beaded jewelry by Pam Conner, in the Mezzanine Gallery. • March 23-April 25: “The Eyes Have It,” annual spring photography exhibit, featuring contemporary works by Prescott Area photographers.

Yavapai College Art Gallery • March 10-April 6: “Under the Surface,” featuring work by Sara Kriehn and Denise Yaghmourian. • April 11-May 6: “Emerging Artist Exhibition,” featuring student artwork in every discipline, opening reception is April 28, 4th Friday Art Walk. (Yavapai College Art Gallery, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-4457300, YC.Edu)

‘Everything’s Hometown’

On seeing & hearing the nature of the nature scene here

By Alan Dean Foster e’ve lived in Prescott for 36 years and I still take the local nature for granted. It’s amazing how downright blasé you can become over time about such things. It’s usually when we have visitors from out of town, often from metropolitan areas where the only real wildlife tends to hang around liquor stores, that I realize how fortunate we are, and how each of us really needs to take time from work and commuting and the damn TV and the addictive internet to get out and have a look around town for something besides the weekly arts and crafts festival. We’re doubly fortunate because our house backs onto one of the several major creeks that run through town. That gives us access not only to more wildlife but to a greater variety of visitors, as critters that tend to hang out elsewhere come down for the occasional drink. There’s the rare bobcat, and deer, and skunks. We had a bear once, a long time ago, and of course coyotes and javelinas are a steady presence. But to get a real feel for Prescott city wildlife you have to pay attention to the birds. I’m not going to turn this into a birdwatcher column. For one thing, there are better local resources available and for another, I’d probably get every subspecies wrong. But as someone who originally moved here from Los Angeles, I can’t help being endlessly fascinated by the diversity of our avian regulars.

here’s a telephone pole on the property where red-tailed hawks nest every year. We can virtually predict the onset of spring when they start showing up to circle over the creek and start hunting. The ravens annoy the heck out of them but they persist. Then there’s the young bald eagle that seems to have made a dead tree out at Willow Lake its principle hunting spot. I know they nest out at Lynx Lake and elsewhere, but there’s something about seeing a bald eagle in what is essentially an urban environment that gives one hope for the future of the planet.

Alan Dean Foster’s

Perceivings

present coots, geese, swans, and much more. If you block out the nearby traﬃc you can imagine yourself in the wilderness, yet this profusion of winged life lies only a short drive from the city center. Brewer’s blackbirds haunt our grocery store parking lots, looking for leftovers, and there are enough sarcastic ravens on patrol to please the most devoted Poe fan (no, not the Star Wars variety).

I Traffic whizzes past on Willow Lake road and this huge raptor just sits there, ignoring the steady flow of cars while keeping a patient lookout for shallow-swimming fish. Compared to seeing the same bird in, say, coastal Alaska, the experience is almost surreal. In the shallows dwell the herons. Tall, elegant birds, the Fred Astaire of the local bird world, they pick their way with stately, measured grace through the still waters, ever on the lookout for anything moving and edible. Because they’re full, Willow and Watson lakes are swarming with birds right now. More ducks than Disney, harriers sweeping low over the marshlands patrolling for rodents, our ever-

n the summer, we trade wintering birds for hummingbirds. What other city’s avian population switches on such a regular, predictable basis from winter to tropical? Right now at the house we have whitecrowned sparrows and juncos and the ever-resident blue jays, canyon and spotted-towhees, and of course quail. Flickers make a home in the roof of the garage. Great Horned Owls entertain us at night. Black-headed and Blue Grosbeaks will be showing up soon, and robins and woodpeckers and a resident small cloud of goldfinches. The first doves just arrived. The wrens and nuthatches will be checking out the smaller rentals. Saw a greenheaded grosbeak last year; first one ever on the property. Then there’s the Crissal Thrasher. Except for its coloring, it looks like an exotic that would be more at home in Central or South America. It has a hard time with the seed feeders, but it manages well enough. I love the names given to unusual birds, even if the best aren’t bestowed on our common Prescott residents. There’s no Shining Sunbeam (an Ecuadorian hummingbird) here, or Spangled Cotinga (Ecuador again), but I’ll settle for a daily visit from a Crissal Thrasher in between searching the internet and picking up the groceries. Sometimes, we here in Prescott don’t realize how lucky we are. Remember that the next time you have to clean off the car.

Image components public domain except Peregrine Falcon, photo by Juan Lacruz, Creative Commons 3.0. Illustration by 5enses.

10 • COLUMN • APRIL 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

***** Alan Dean Foster is author of more than 120 books, visitor to more than 100 countries, and still frustrated by the human species. Follow him at AlanDeanFoster.Com.

Myth & Mind:

The Yolk & the Sun

By Reva Sherrard n the beginning, before the worlds had form, the sun thrust her right hand over the sky’s edge. She did not know what her place was to be, nor did the moon and stars know where to shine. Now that the stuff of time and place is differentiated and the wheels of the sun’s chariot turn the day and year on a set path, a monstrous wolf pursues her through the sky. All that is begun must also end, and one day this clockwork will run down. When the serpent round the earth’s middle sets the oceans loose and the dead rise to battle, the wolf will devour the sun and stop the turning of time. Or we could say that one day our star’s fiery heart will run out of fuel; one day its expansion and contraction towards death will disrupt the complex balance that keeps its satellite the Earth in a settled orbit, and the cycles of movement that make time will gradually or violently come unpinned.

hether our life can exist independently of our sun is an academic question. What is beyond questioning is that our life — human life, life on Earth

Vesna, Slavic goddess of spring, ad depicted in “Allegorie des Frühlings.” By Bernhard Rode, 1785, public domain.

Traditional and modern Ukrainian pysanky. Photo by Carl Fleischhauer, 1981, Library of Congress, public domain. — was and is given and ruled by the Sun. So of all her movements, her return from darkness at dawn has the greatest mythic significance as a cornerstone of human life and consciousness. The word for “east” in the Germanic languages means “towards the sunrise,” from a Proto-Indo-European root (*aus) signifying shining light. From that root come the respective Greek, Latin and Sanskrit words for and personified goddesses of dawn Eos, Aurora and Ushas. It also gave us the name — still meaning “dawn” — of the native Germanic celebration of Spring Equinox: Easter. By the 8th century, at which point the Christianization of Britain was at least officially complete, Easter had acquired a Christian veneer without change to its name or apparently its customs. The English monk Bede recorded in 725 C.E. that April feasts intended in his time to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection were still being called after the native goddess Eostre, as was the month itself: Eostur-monath. By a familiar conversion tactic, observation of the year’s dawn at the vernal equinox was given a new ostensible purpose, but the tradition of joyful feasting survived. What of Easter eggs and bunnies? Widespread prehistoric association of rabbits with spring’s renewal is very likely, in spite of concrete evidence. The rabbit was sacred to Greek love gods Aphrodite and Eros for its quick and lusty reproduction, and James George Frazer notes a common European folk belief linking the animal to witchcraft in his classic anthropological tome “The Golden Bough.” Attestations of the sacred springtime egg are more telling. In the United States, egg decorating for Easter seems to have been introduced by the sizable German immigrant communities, and if you have no other reference point for the practice you may be forgiven for dismissing this most iconic Easter tradition as having no substantive link to preChristian religions. But one must only widen one’s gaze to understand just how ancient is the egg’s connection to spring and concepts of fertility. The food-dyed American Easter egg pales in comparison to carefully etched multichrome Slavic pysanky of Eastern and Central Europe, which

in their designs employ a symbol language firmly rooted in the pagan past. Traditionally prepared by the women of the house for the Easter/Spring Equinox celebration, pysanky are decorated in combinations of solar, vegetal, and natural symbols chosen for talismanic effect, many directly traceable to the Bronze and Neolithic Ages. Into modern times, the finished eggs would be placed under beehives, in mangers, and in hen’s nests to increase their occupants’ fertility; kept in the home for good fortune, wealth, and protection; given as gifts for the same results; and placed in coffins with the dead. Only fertilized eggs could be used, or the pysanky would bring no blessings of new life. Archeologists have found ritual objects in the form of decorated ceramic eggs at a site in Ukraine dating to between the 3rd and 5th centuries B.C.E., and numerous more recent carved and ceramic eggs in graves throughout the country. The Slavs are not alone. Persians, too, have a long history of decorating eggs for their New Year, Nowruz — literally, “new day” — which corresponds to the Spring Equinox, and for the spring holiday Sham-el-Nesim, dating back to Ancient Egypt, modern Egyptians still color boiled eggs. An ostrich egg painted in complex red designs was among the finds in an Iron Age necropolis in Andalusia. And in a South African site associated with the earliest origins of the human species, numerous ostrich eggshell fragments etched in geometric patterns reminiscent of Slavic triangle and “ladder” motifs have been discovered and dated to a staggering 60,000 years old.

o, regardless of your feelings about Easter, those tawdry plastic eggs in the grocery store are the latest iteration of a practice long predating monotheism and most human ethnic divisions; an echo of a sacredness too fundamental to the species to entirely forget. ***** Reva Sherrard works at Peregrine Book Company, studies Old Norse religion, and is writing a novel.

5ENSESMAG.COM • APRIL 2017 • FEATURE • 11

Hit the streets with Prescott’s premiere chalk art festival

By James Dungeon [Editor’s note: The following interview was culled from conversations between the reporter and Meredith Brown, development assistant at West Yavapai Guidance Clinic and AmeriCorps Vista member. Chalk It Up! is 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday & Saturday, April 22 & 23, in the parking lot of National Bank of Arizona, 201 N. Montezuma St., Prescott. Find out more at PrescottChalkArt.Com.]

Why have this event in the ﬁrst place? It’s important to showcase Prescott and its cultural image and resources. Prescott is, rightfully, seen as a retirement town. And we do have a lot of retired people here who attend the event. But it’s meant to highlight the artists who’re here in the Quad Cities and the families who are thriving here. It’s a cultural event that caters to the diﬀerent communities here as well as people of all ages from the rest of the state and even outside of Arizona.

What’s new and different about this year’s How does that fit the West Yavapai Guidance Chalk It Up! event? Clinic Foundation? Well it’s the ninth year, overall, and this is the third This year, more so than maybe the past two years, year that it’s benefiting the West Yavapai Guidance we’re trying to enhance community awareness of Clinic Foundation. It’s a free, family-friendly, and mental wellbeing. There are informational tables community-centered outdoor chalk art event. This with resources for people who’re interested in year we have 12 guest artists and two featured artmental health that can direct them to community ists. Something that’s new and different this year is avenues for getting treatment and support, from Chalk the World. They’re a group that’s taken this short-term to long-term care, for people of all ages, truck, sanded off the sides, and basically turned it as well as resources for people who don’t have insurinto a chalk board. They’re ance. It’s also a way to raise coming out the event to help money and awareness of the promote it on Friday and will real mental health challenges actually be at the event on in the community. Saturday. Chalking the car What: Annual chalk street art festival should be a little easier for But how does art fit When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday & Satur people who don’t have the with mental health? day, April 22 & 23 ability to get down on the Well, art’s been shown to be Who: All ages & skill levels ground or on their knees. very therapeutic for people Where: Parking lot of National Bank They’ll be able to chalk right struggling with mental of Arizona, 201 N. Montezuma on it. More accessibility is illness. There are multiple St., Prescott always a good thing. They studies about different Why: Art, culture, music, & more, have a video on YouTube and aspects of this. And, in benefits the West Yavapai a story of their own that’s general, art is a meaningGuidance Clinic Foundation worth checking out. ful expression of emotion Web: PrescottChalkArt.Com for everyone, including Worth: Free, plus premiums Tell us a little bit about those struggling to express with donations the guest artists. themselves, and can be Many are returning, but a preventative measure. there are also some new There’ve been studies about guest artists from out of state who’ve never been the arts, themselves, but there seems to be somehere before. Tim Ritter, who’s from Orlando, Fla., thing special about drawing or painting, about that heard about it from Cass Womack, who’s also from kind of creative expression, that’s vital for all of Florida. He applied and his art is really incredible. us. … Without going into stats, we know that art is Cass is also coming back, and we have two more out- highly therapeutic and is something we use in treatof-state artists from California who’re coming back. ment all of the time with clients. We even have trips The event is getting a good reputation in the chalk to pottery studios and art galleries for some of our art community across the country, which is great. children clients. Art therapy is also used in recovery, One of the things they mention is that it’s great to especially for people who’ve attempted suicide. Art be on the ground with the kids right there creating is a healing thing, in general, really. right next to them. You don’t always get that interaction at events like this. It’s really important for us to make sure the kids are excited and inspired by this.

Get out!

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What tips do you have for people attending the event? You should bring water. And sun screen. And hats. There’s a lot of sun in that parking lot, so all three of those are important. If you’d like, you can come with an idea of what you’d like to chalk. You don’t need to bring art supplies; we have those here and everyone who registers gets a 12-pack of chalk. If you want more colors, there are more available for a donation. We’ve also got t-shirts and stickers for donations. Oh, and you should expect to be wowed by live entertainment. We’re got some really cool things lined up from local dance groups, musicians, jugglers, singers, performers, and face painters. … That pretty much covers the main things, but I’d like to put a little plug out there for AmeriCorps. The Arizona Serve program has AmeriCorps state and Vista volunteers all throughout Prescott and Prescott Valley, and it’s kind of cool to see this event planned by West Yavapai Guidance Clinic Foundation with the help of AmeriCorps members. Oh, and have a good time, of course. ***** Chalk It Up! is 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday & Saturday, April 22 & 23, in the parking lot of National Bank of Arizona, 201 N. Montezuma St., Prescott. Find out more at PrescottChalkArt.Com. James Dungeon is a ﬁgment of his own imagination. And he likes cats. Contact him at JamesDungeonCats@Gmail.Com.

By the numbers Last year’s Chalk It Up! Event included: • 4,632 attendees (approx.) • 1,544 registered chalkers, namely ... • 696 children • 233 youth • 615 adults • 1,250-plus boxes of chalk handed out • 1,457-plus squares colored • 11 guest and featured artists • 14 entertainers • 99 oﬃcial sponsors • $12,000-plus raised for community mental health programs Source: Wes Yavapai Guidance Clinic Foundation.

IMAGES: Scenes from Chalk It Up! 2016. Photos by Chad Castigliano, Chronicker Photography.

News From the Wilds Skyward • April 1: Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation. This is the best time to see the planet closest to the Sun since it’s nearly 20 degrees above the horizon when the Sun sets, directly below the Pleiades and Mars. • April 7: Jupiter at Opposition. The largest planet in our solar system is at its closest to Earth now, as the Earth moves directly between it and the Sun, causing Jupiter to appear “full.” This is the best time to observe both the red and white banding of clouds and storms on the planet’s surface and the four brightest of its 63 moons — Europa, Ganymede, Io, and Callisto. Ganymede, which is larger than Mercury, is the largest moon in our solar system, and both Europa and Io are thought to have liquid water. • April 10: Full Moon at 11:08 p.m. • April 22: Lyrid Meteor Shower Peak. This meteor shower runs April 16-25 but peaks tonight after midnight, producing up to 20 meteors per hour, some of which leave luminous trails. The dark skies left by the nearly new Moon will make for ideal viewing conditions. • April 26: New Moon at 5:17 a.m.

By Ty Fitzmorris pril arrives in a thunderous proliferation of life — a raucous, enlivening yawp in the Wilds after the long quiet of winter. Snowstorms are an increasingly remote possibility, and the majority of the month is sunny and warm, with butterflies, returning migratory birds, native bees, growing and flowering plants, and mammals in the thrall of mating and bearing young. There is more activity in the natural world than can be easily followed, and the flowering of plants, emergence of insects, return of migrant birds and bats, and the appearance of mammalian young all begin now. The verdant wave of spring swells up from the deserts along south and western facing slopes and riparian corridors, as the new leaves of riverside trees unfurl and the earliest flowers unclasp. These first flowers provide nectar and pollen for butterflies, solitary bees, flies and damselflies that are looking to find mates and lay eggs. Many species of mammals are giving birth, as are the

Beavers and Porcupines, while the young of other species, such as the Black Bears, are emerging from their dens and beginning the long process of learning to forage and navigate their landscapes, preying on these early insects and plants.

he wave of spring migration gains in volume through April, as the murmurs of the ﬁrst swallows and bats trickling quietly northward along the creeks grows into a roar of neotropical warblers and broad-winged hawks. Warblers follow riparian corridors northward, wearing a bewildering array of breeding plumages as they glean insects from the broad leaves of cottonwoods, alders, willows, and sycamores, ultimately headed as far north as the arctic circle. Broad-winged hawks, including Swainson’s, Rough-legged, and Ferruginous, follow the rise of thermals, large rotating columns of heated air that rise oﬀ of broad plains, such as those in Chino Valley. Swainson’s Hawks can be seen in groups up to 10,000 strong as they migrate between the Argentinian pampas

14 • FEATURE • APRIL 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

LEFT: A Siva Hairstreak (Callophrys gryneus siva) feeds on Rosemary nectar before laying her eggs on nearby junipers. Photo by Ty Fitzmorris. and the Canadian tundra, a flight only rivaled in scope by the Peregrine Falcon. Butterflies, the real vanguard of spring, fly in amazing diversity beginning this month, as they mate and lay eggs. Look especially for orange and black checkerspots, commas, question-marks, yellow and sometimes blue swallowtails, dark, lowflying iridescent skippers, and soaring, gold-tinged Mourning Cloaks. In some areas without flowers many of these species can be seen drinking the sap of tree wounds, and damp patches of mud along riversides can provide amazing observation spots. ***** Ty Fitzmorris is an itinerant and often distractible naturalist who lives in Prescott and is proprietor of the Peregrine Book Company, Raven Café, and Gray Dog Guitars, all as a sideline to his natural history pursuits. He can be reached at Ty@PeregrineBookCompany.Com.

News From the Wilds, too A very brief survey of what’s happening in the wilds ... By Ty Fitzmorris High mountains • Black Bear cubs cautiously emerge from dens with their mothers and begin learning to forage. • Leaf-buds of Gambel Oak and Aspen swell nearly to opening. • Porcupines give birth late in the month, usually to one baby, and will spend more time than usual on the ground. • Long-tailed Weasels give birth to four to five young. Visit: Maverick Mountain Trail, No. 65. Ponderosa Pine forests • Cherry trees (Prunus virginiana) flower, along with wax-currants (Ribes spp.), paintbrushes (Castilleja spp.), and locoweeds (Astragalus spp.). • Ponderosas “weep” sap from their branch-tips, creating a slight daytime rain of small, watery sap drops. Pines release sap for several reasons, including the movement of water and sap into their growing branch-tips, defense against insect pests, and most unusually, to communicate with other trees. • Bark beetles, including the infamous Ips beetles, emerge from soil and begin excavating nuptial chambers in Ponderosas. Interestingly, though, it’s not the beetles themselves that kill the trees, but rather fungi that the beetles carry that infects living wood, making it digestible for the beetles. Visit: Miller Creek Trail, No. 367. Pine-Oak woodlands • Acorn Woodpeckers continue breeding and tending young. These woodpeckers are unusual in that they nest in colonies and tend the young of other, often related, nestmates. • Coyote pups emerge from their dens, though the group of siblings will remain together for up to a year before establishing their own packs. • Valerian begins flowering. This plant is extensively used as a muscle relaxant, sedative, and soporific.* • Black, Gray, and Arizona Oaks change color and drop last year’s leaves, as they grow soft, lightercolored ones. This “spring fall” is an unusual adaptation among the trees. Visit: Little Granite Mountain Trail, No. 37. Pinyon-Juniper woodlands • Lemonadeberry (Rhus trilobata) flowers. This species gets its name from its tasty, though sour, berries, which can be used to make a lemonade-like drink.* • Cliff-rose (Purshia stansburiana) begins flowering, drawing flies and small halictid bees to its blooms. • Airborne juniper pollen noticeably decline. • White-tailed and Mule Deer shed their antlers. • Ringtails, cat-like relatives of Raccoons, begin mating. Visit: Tin Trough Trail, No. 308.

Beaver feeds on the inner bark of an Alder tree along Oak Creek. Beavers are active mostly during dusk and dawn, and are among the most important keystone species in southwestern riparian ecosystems. Photo by Ty Fitzmorris. Grasslands • Spring butterflies fly in dazzling diversity. • Many flowers blooming, especially in low and mid elevations. Look for the small yellow flowers of Barberry (Berberis haematocarpa), visited by native bees, and the fragile white flowers of Evening Primrose (Camissonia brevipes), visited by evening moths. • Parry’s Agave begins growing its long, asparagus-like flowering stalk. Though these agaves flower only once, the plant itself doesn’t die, but resprouts a new rosette of leaves from its base. Visit: Mint Wash Trail, No. 345. Riparian areas • Creeks run feebly, full of spring algal growth, while water-striders reach full size and hunt for other insects on the surface of the remaining water. • Black Hawks, who arrived last month from wintering in Central America and Southern Mexico, rebuild their streamside nests and court mates. • Beavers give birth to their kits in their streamside dens, who will remain with their parents for up to two-and-a-half years. Beavers are keystone species in our riparian ecosystems. • Damselflies, including indigo bluets and iridescent rubyspots, emerge from their aquatic pupae in the lower riparian areas. Dragonflies also appear. • The leaves of riparian trees are completely unfurled, including Velvet Ash, Arizona Sycamore, Fremont Cottonwood, and Boxelder. Cottonwoods release their cottony seeds now, while the helicopter-shaped seeds of Boxelder ripen. • River Otter young open their eyes for the first time. Visit: Willow Lake Loop Trail, off of Willow Creek Road. Deserts/Chaparral • Sugar Sumac (Rhus glabra) flowers. It is named for its sugary sap, which has been used as a sweetener. The berries, though edible, are sour.* • Iridescent tiger beetles (subfamily Cicindelinae)

emerge from their pupae and begin hunting for flies and other insects. These beetles are among our most spectacular insects, iridescent green and purple with cream-colored spots, though they’re difficult to see. • Eastern Collared Lizards (Crotophytus collaris) can be seen sunning on rocks in riparian uplands. These brightly colored lizards are predators of small insects, mammals, and reptiles. • False Mock-orange (Fendlera rupicola) begins flowering and is visited by bumble and carpenter bees. • Ocotillos, paloverdes, Creosotebush, Mammilaria and Echinocereus cacti and Velvet Mesquite flower, drawing a diversity of native bees. Visit: Aqua Fria National Monument. *Always consult with a trained professional before ingesting any part of a wild plant. This information is not intended to encourage the attempted use of any part of a plant, either for nutritive or medicinal purposes.

Weather Average high temperature: 67 F (+/-3.9 ) Average low temperature: 34.3 F (+/-3) Record high temperature: 88 F (2012) Record low temperature: 11 F (1899 & 1924) Average precipitation: 0.9” (+/-1.12”) Record high precipitation: 6.9” (1926) Record low precipitation: 0” (7.8 percent of years on record) Max daily precipitation: 9.8” (1965) Source: Western Regional Climate Center

Choose your own adventure

Sedona Open Studios Tour offers myriad paths By Robert Blood [Editor’s note: The following interview was culled from conversations between the reporter and artists on the Sedona Open Studios Tour as noted. Find out more about the tour, April 28-30 at studios in Sedona, Cornville, Cottonwood, Clarkdale, and Camp Verde, at SedonaArtistsCoalition.Org and via Facebook.]

have the areas that participate in it. Now we have ﬁve artists in Cornville, seven in Cottonwood, three in Clarkdale, and two in Camp Verde.

Do you do any demos during the tour? One of the things I try to do during the demo process is put a handle on a pitcher or a mug. I think most people have seen someone throwing a pot, but most people haven’t seen what goes into putting a mug No. 44: Mike Upp, potter & together — all that extra work of Sedona Open Studios Tour turning the pot over and putting the organizer handle on it. So I try to expose Earth & Fire Ceramic Design, people to that and hopefully they Mike Upp discusses his art with a visitor during the Sedona Open get an understanding of why 1525 S. Aspaas Road, Cornville, EarthAndFireCeramicDesign. Studios Tour. Below, platters by Mike Upp. Courtesy photos. mugs cost so much. The other Com, MJUpp10@Gmail.Com, thing people tend to be into is 503-789-4437 the glazes. I happen to be a glaze The tour opens up the artists’ spaces, but fanatic. I do a lot of testing and combining of How about an overview of the Sedona it’s also a sales event, correct? different glazes to try and get new glazes. People Open Studios Tour? It’s definitely a sales event, for sure. I would say who visit the studio often ask questions about it. I Basically the studio tour is an event that gives that’s the number one reason artists participate, have some examples out and show the progression people the opportunity to go inside the private more so now than a few years ago. Artists who of testing from a small textile to a small bowl to a workspaces of artists who are just want to show their work for large platter, which show the steps I went through on the tour. It’s very different themselves, who aren’t selling to get the glaze to that level. than an arts festival or gallery it — Open Studios isn’t really for show where you’re looking at art them. This is an economic way Any tips for people planning on attending? but typically not meeting the for them to show and sell their Typically, you should plan to visit studios artist or seeing their workspace. work. It’s how people see your geographically. Maybe one day visit studios in It gives you a chance to talk to art and make a connection. A lot Sedona, maybe another day do the five studios in the artist about their process, of people buy art on the tour or Cornville or the seven in Cottonwood. Take a look about how they do their work. come back later. We encourage at the brochure because it’s definitely organized You also get to see demos at people to make an appointment geographically. You can use Google Maps or the some of the studios. It’s much to come back. A lot of people brochure to get from one place to another. Typimore in depth than what you see at an arts festiwho find out about us through Open Studios end cally people stay 20 minutes to half an hour at val or at a gallery show. You talk to the artist, you up bringing people from out of town at a later each studio unless there’s a deeper connection. If talk to people, you drive around. It’s not all in the date. It’s, “Hey, we know these potters in Cornyou’re an artist in the same medium you may end same place, which is worth noting. ville. ...” We tell people to come down to the winup staying at a given studio an hour and a half, eries or come here first and go to depending. It’s literally a self-driven tour, then? the wineries on return trips. And, Well, yes. Typically people look online at the believe it or not, Cornville has a ***** stops on the tour, look at the photographs of the couple of really great restaurants, The Sedona Open Studios work of artists who are participating, dig into too. We encourage people to build Tour is 1o a.m.-5 p.m. Friday their website a little bit deeper, and decide what an experience out of a visit. through Sunday, April 28-30 in studios they want to visit. Sedona, Cornville, Cottonwood, A quick glance at the list of Clarkdale, and Camp Verde. What’s the makeup of mediums? the studios on the Sedona Find out more at SedonaArtistThere are probably more painters in our group Open Studios Tour shows sCoalition.Org or via Facebook. than anything else. Ceramics would probably your studio isn’t in Sedona. come in at number two, then jewelry, and then We were the first studio to do Robert Blood is a Mayer-ishmaybe glass. Each category keeps growing. We’ve the tour outside of Sedona. That was one out of 36 based freelance writer and ne’er-do-well who’s also got people working with metal. Some of the studios in 2013. We were the only studio on the working on his last book, which, incidentally, newer participants do metal sculpture and bronze. tour in Cornville. We had 75 people show up that will be his first. Contact him at BloodyBobby5@ The foundry in Sedona is on the tour for the first year, which was way beyond our expectations. Gmail.Com. time this year, too. It’s a pretty broad cross section. Last year we had 175. As the tour’s grown, so

16 • FEATURE • APRIL 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

A few words with artists from the Sedona Open Studios Tour thing for me, making it, but I’ve loved jewelry my whole life. The jewelry I make is inspired by the Native American traditions of making jewelry in this area.

No. 27: Ellen Perantoni, oil painting & jewelry 141 Back O Beyond Circle, Sedona ArtWanted.Com/EllenPerantoni, EPerantoni@ Yahoo.Com, 928-554-4778 How long have you participated in the Sedona Open Studios Tour? Three years now, which is as long as I’ve been in the area. I joined the Sedona Visual Artists Coalition, and they were who told me about it.It’s always fun. I get to meet a lot of people and sell my work, and unexpected things always happen. When I did it the ﬁrst year, I’d only been living here a couple of months, so it helped me get to know the community. I met an awful lot of other people who were new to the area, too. It was nice to deal directly with people who were interested in seeing and buying art. You always learn a lot. Tell us a bit about your art. My paintings are pretty traditional. I learned traditional art and landscape painting in the Hudson Valley, New York State. It’s the classic style you see in museums, almost a bygone art in the depth of detail. I like that realistic approach to landscape painting. I love painting rocks and the sky. Living here is a real treat for that, especially with the weather. It’s been a real treat here so far. I got into creating jewelry this past year. It’s a new

What are some memorable interactions you’ve had about your art during the tour? I always get a chuckle when people ask me how long it takes me to do a painting. I get that constantly, and I just don’t know because I’ve never kept track. I start out and generally work in short sessions. I don’t try to do it all at once. My technique works best when I do some work, let it dry, and do some work over it. I just keep painting until the painting works out the way I want it to work. Sometimes I’m lucky and a small one only takes a few hours. Others have literally taken years. I’ll work and work on something and it doesn’t go right, then, eventually, anew idea pops into my head and I work on it again.

CLOCKWISE: Ellen Perantoni, Lon Walters, sculpture by Lon Walters, painting by Ellen Perantoni. Courtesy photos. Visit 5ensesMag.Com for an additional interview with Evelyn Albu, Sedona Visual Artists Coalition membership chair and event patron. No. 5: Lon Walters, metal sculpture Rong Wranch Arts, 735 Dry Creek Road, Sedona RongWranch.Com, Lon@Sedona.Net, 928-2824223 What’s it like to sell your own art at the Sedona Open Studios Tour? I’m a talker, and I really enjoy engaging with people. Sedona itself and the Verde Valley are extremely eclectic communities. I came out of San Diego and, quite frankly, that’s a much narrower mindset. I really enjoy talking to the range of residents and tourists who visit during the open studios tour. … I had attended an open studios tour about a year ago, too, and thought it was really cool. After participating in a different tour last fall, I met Mike (Upp) and we hit it off. This one is really a no-brainer for me. It’s fun. What kind of questions do you field? “How did you get started?” is pretty common. I took a welding course a number years ago and found out I enjoyed brazing. I use a lot of wire and end up brazing it instead of mig or tig. I wanted to do something different and started making art that was more whimsical. In general, my art is a cleaner-looking steam punk aesthetic. I was really into balloons for a while. I started going to

garage sales and incorporating items from that, as well. ... It’s $200-$400 for those larger pieces, so I figured I needed to do something smaller, so I started making bubble wands for kids, which are $25-$30 out of copper, brass, and bronze. It’s a great thing to pick up for the grandkids. What kind of preparation do you have to make for the tour? My space isn’t organized at all. When I hit a garage sale, if I can find something I can use, holy mackerel, I get it. So, now, I have to put the mess in the corners. I have some collector cars in the garage, so I’ll move those out to make space for people. I’ll put out a couple of disassembled pieces — insects, ants, and dragonflies — so people can see how much goes into each piece. When you see them complete, you can appreciate all the work that went into them. Some things look really simple but still took two or three days of an hour a day just waiting for something to dry in place or waiting for a piece to come. It can be a real test of patience, which is something I don’t always have. It can be a lot of small tasks. Just before this interview, I was doing some bubble wands, I painted one of my ants, put eyes on one of my dragonflies, and was working on another piece. *****

Diagnosis: Technology

By Paolo Chlebecek appy Password Day! Well it’s that time of year again for all of us to celebrate our collective need to try to protect our digital lives with yet another holiday. What?! You mean you haven’t heard of password day? Well I must admit I just made it up, but maybe there’s something to this idea. Anyone who knows me knows I don’t celebrate holidays, but this is one I’ll take the time for. Why? Well, you don’t have to buy anyone anything, you set any date, and all you have to do is stay home for a little while and change ALL of your online passwords. Doesn’t sound fun? Anything can be as fun as you make it, but this “holiday” may be mandatory as we keep hearing of all of these massive password and hacking breaches.

he frequency of this so called holiday should probably be more than just once a year. In fact, most large corporations have an obligatory policy to change your passwords every 60-90 days. Sound extreme? Perhaps, only as long as you change your passwords to a completely new and complex one. A report from a study published in 2010 by researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill showed that frequent mandatory password changes caused users to use a pattern called “transformation” meaning; using their old password, then change it in some minor way, and then develop a new password. They were then able to use an algorithm to predict with a high degree of accuracy what the user will change the password to. Math is amazing, isn’t it?

Word play

Change your passwords ... again1234!@#$ What about a password manager you say? I’ve mentioned those before, but as with all password mangers there is one critical ﬂaw by necessity. If someone or something were able to ascertain the master password, then they have all of your passwords to everything. Or worse yet, a vulnerability is found and exploited when you don’t even know it.

his doesn’t sound encouraging does it? Frankly, no, it’s not. So let’s do away with all passwords! How? Introducing Pico from MyPico.Org. It’s a university of Cambridge project that plans on replacing all passwords very soon. The informative video on the site explains that a small physical device or pico in Italian, will be able to rescue all of us from the dreaded password abyss. In brief, it used a combination of safe zones and other smaller devices that can detect your presence and then allow the encrypted key to unlock your bank account, for example. It’s still under development and we hope by then end of the year to see it widely implemented. There are others that are available now like EveryKey. Com that does something similar. What about biometrics? Fingerprints are not as secure as we’d like to think, and one fingerprint isn’t enough. Google, for one, is seriously looking into this option as well. Biometrics could include the shape of your face and voice pattern, as well as some less obvious ones like how you move, how you type and how you swipe the screen. With the service continually running in the background, it can keep track of whether those indicators match. Even facial recognition, now built in to many Smart phones, is significantly less secure than a fingerprint scanner, according to Google’s own metrics. But combining them could result in something more than 10 times as secure as a fingerprint.

$5 off any service ≥$30!

515 E. Sheldon St., Prescott, www.erasalonandspa.com

18 • COLUMN • APRIL 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

ut is a solution to our technological problems more technology? Not necessarily. How about GRC.Com/OﬀTheGrid.Htm or PasswordCard.Org/ En. They have a simple way of adding a random password to all the important sites you visit. It’s a simple but ingenious way to have and use complex and random passwords by printing a card or sheet to keep with you. Then using that same sheet to type those passwords into your various accounts. PasswordCard.Org can regenerate the info even if you lose it. Since you pick the line and pattern it’s virtually un-hackable since it is not stored anywhere. Extensive research continues on this issue and it’s a major source of concern for many companies small and great. And, there’s no prefect solution. So what now? Well changing and managing passwords need not be a full time job. But, until then, we may need to be evermore vigilant to keep our new Password Day holiday, at least a few times a year, for just a little while longer. ***** Paolo Chlebecek is founder and owner of PaoloTek, which he started in 2003. He loves to be helpful to people and our animal friends. Feel free to contact him at Paolo@PaoloTek.Com.

Editor’s note Sadly, this is Paolo Chlebecek’s last column for 5enses. We wish him and his the best of luck. The ﬁrst time I met Paolo, he was wearing a Star Trek uniform. I don’t remember if his regalia indicated he was the science oﬃcer or the captain, but I took an instant liking to him. (Even if his uniform was from the original series, not TNG.) Technology is ubiquitous and yet, for many of us, the closest thing to magic in this world. Paolo was able to unpack that, explain it in terms that neophytes and even luddites could appreciate, and share practical tips and advice. Thank you, Paolo, for your patience and helpfulness. You’ll be sorely missed. ~ Nicholas DeMarino

12 steps from Prescott

Prescott is your portal to ... well, anything By Markoff Chaney It’s 2 a.m. and you’re reading a Wikipedia entry entitled “List of people who have declined a British honour.” Wait — how’d you get here? Weren’t you looking for info about how telescopes work? And what’s Sir Alfred Hitchcock doing on a list of people who’ve rejected the title?! As someone or other once said, “everything’s connected … especially on Wikipedia.” There’s a (practically) endless source of (partially vetted, mostly true) information just a few swipes and/or clicks away. But where to begin? How about at home, right here in Prescott. Using the Wikipedia article on “Prescott, Arizona” as your starting point, you can take a tour of tangentially related art, science, history, philosophy, economics, and even the film career of Christopher Lee. Tribes, plants, & seaman 1. Yavapai-Prescott Tribe 2. Indian Reorganization Act 3. John Collier 4. John Collier Jr. 5. San Francisco Art Institute 6. Dogpatch, San Francisco 7. Dogfennel (links to Anthemis) 8. Cultivar 9. Plant Breeders 10. Genetically Modified Food Controversies 11. Greenpeace 12. Sailormongering History, slurs, & fast food economics 1. Arizona Territory 2. Gadsden Purchase 3. Franklin Pierce 4. Historical rankings of presidents of the United States 5. James Buchanan 6. Doughface 7. Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. 8. Imperial presidency 9. Economic globalization 10. Cultural globalization 11. Big Mac Index 12. KFC Index Science fiction, science nonfiction, & horror 1. List of people from Prescott Arizona 2. Alan Dean Foster 3. Thranx (links to List of Humanx Commonwealth races) 4. Chitin

5. Defense mechanisms (links to Plant defense of against herbivory) 6. Secondary metabolite 7. Volatiles 8. Moon 9. Diana 10. Georges Dumézil 11. Mythography (links to Mythology) 12. H.P. Lovecraft Foods, trips, & conversations with god 1. Gingerbread 2. Nutmeg 3. Deliriant 4. Henbane 5. Oracle 6. Snake goddess (links to Minoan snake goddess ﬁgurines) 7. Mistress of animals (links to Potnia Theron) 8. Çatalhöyük 9. Skulls were plastered (links to Plastered human skulls) 10. Ancestor worship (links to Veneration of the dead) 11. Intercessors with God (links to Intercession) 12. Shafa’ah Conservatism, thermal radiation, & climate change 1. Barry Goldwater 2. Goldwater-Nichols Act 3. Interservice rivalry 4. AH-64D Apache Longbow (links to Boeing AH64 Apache) 5. Night vision systems (links to Night vision device) 6. Near infrared (links to Infrared) 7. Wien’s displacement law 8. Constant of proportionality (links to Proportionality (mathematics)) 9. Gravitational acceleration 10. GRACE (links to Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) 11. Sea level rise 12. The view that the global climate has recently warmed (links to Scientiﬁc opinion on climate change) Libations, oxygenation, & alternative fuels 1. Bar 2. Alcoholic beverages (links to Alcoholic drink) 3. Stupor 4. Ascending reticular activation system (links to Reticular activating system)

H.P. Lovecraft, 1915. Public domain. 5. Sleep-wake transitions (links to Circadian rhythm) 6. Cyanobacteria 7. Great Oxygenation Event 8. Extinction event 9. Background extinction rate 10. Non-anthropogenically (links to Human impact on the environment) 11. Peak oil 12. Algae fuel Courthouses, Star Wars, & a downtown metonym 1. Courthouse plaza (links to Courthouse) 2. Back to the Future 3. Highest-grossing film of 1985 (links to 1985 in film) 4. Ewoks: The Battle for Endor 5. Marauders (links to List of Star Wars species (P-T)) 6. King Terak (links to List of Star Wars characters) 7. Peter Cushing 8. Christopher Lee 9. Hammer Horror (links to Hammer Film Productions) 10. William Hinds 11. F. Hinds 12. High Streets (links to High Street) ***** Visit 5ensesMag.Com for a few more link lists. Markoff Chaney is an Earth-based whodunit pundit and (Fnord) Discordian Pope. He has lotsa bills and no sense. Contact him at NoisyNoiseIsNoisome@Gmail.Com.

5ENSESMAG.COM • APRIL 2017 • FEATURE • 19

Prescott Peeps: Ida Kendall How long have you been in Prescott and how did you get involved with The Frame & I and The Art Store? We moved to Prescott in 1980 when I was a kid. I grew up here and went to school here. We spent a few years in Tempe, but almost died because of the heat. The Frame & I was originally owned by Joe and Joanna Hensley. ... I hired on about eight years into their ownership. I was a college student at the time. ... I’d always been an artist and creative person, so I decided to look around at picture framing shops and I had a certain amount of woodworking skills from classes in high school and college. Looking back, I was lucky they were looking for someone at the time; people tend to come here and stay for a long time. I wasn’t really thinking about staying long term until about two years into it when I realized how much I enjoyed it. It’s constantly changing, not the same thing every day. You see so many things, from historical artifacts to original ﬁne art to family collections and photos. When you’re a picture framer, you really get to be involved with everything the customers bring in, and you get to help tell their stories. In 1998, my coworker Kathleen Roeth and I bought the store from Joe and Joanna, along with The Art Store, which was physically attached at the time. How does service and charity enter the picture? Was The Frame & I always involved in that? How about your family? The family part of it goes back further for me. My mother, in particular, was always involved with Sacred Heart Catholic charities. It was never a question of “you should do this thing”; it was just what we did as a family, as part of our family culture. My sister, my mom, and I worked on fundraising for the school, so it was something I was used to doing. Coming on here, Joe and Joanna were involved with a couple of charities, especially Sharlot Hall Museum, Yavapai Big Brothers and Big Sisters and the Cowboy Poets Gathering. Those are high-energy, auction-type art fundraisers, and they needed a lot of framing. I got my feet wet with that, and it introduced me to some other charities that needed help. … What we have here is tangible. We have objects and it’s easy to lend a hand. We can build frames, make signs, or print, and that’s easy for us to do. Today The Frame & I and The Art Store are ubiquitous sponsors of community events. How did it grow to that level? It just ballooned. Prescott is a really giving community, and a lot of businesses in town sup-

Ida Kendall. Courtesy photo. port events and causes and fundraisers. When you do that, you start to get known for it. For An Evening at Sharlot’s Place, a Sharlot Hall Museum fundraiser, for instance, we used to have thirty or forty pieces framed with our name on every single one. People see that and think, “Maybe I’ll ask these people when I do my event.” And, typically we say yes and not no. Word gets around. Water flows downstream, right? What are some of your high-priority causes? Well, first, I’m a member of Sunup Rotary Club. We grant scholarships to local students from the quad city area who have great success in school or outside of school but who don’t have the financial means to go to college. That financial need is a big part of that. That’s our primary focus as a club, but we’re also involved with maintaining the area around the Vietnam veterans sculpture on the Courthouse Square and keeping other areas in town cleaned up. At Lincoln Elementary, we put gravel around the playground. We support all kinds of causes for the betterment of the community. Any pet projects or causes in the works? The Anne Roberts Memorial Library in Cottonwood. She was my sister. She passed away in November. She’d done a lot of grant writing and work for the public library in Cottonwood. She’d been working on a library for the Immaculate Conception Catholic School, which doesn’t have its own space. It’s sharing space with the multimedia room right now. Anne was an avid reader and

20 • FEATURE • APRIL 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

always wanted to work at a library. She got her dream job in the library system in Cottonwood about seven or eight years ago and had recently been promoted to full time. We just want to carry on the work she was doing. … I’d like for us to have something accomplished within a year — at least secure the space for a potential building. … When it comes to books and history, if you don’t have hard copies of things, where do they go? We’re very trusting in the digital age that the resources are always going to be there, but Google is not a certainty. Printed material gives you the ability to read and improve yourself without having to pay for internet access or technology. A library has resources for everyone and it doesn’t discriminate. Why is service and giving important? For me, it’s inspiring. You can see when you touch people and help them with the resources you have. The thankfulness and the friendships you develop are important. Thankfulness and friendships are underrated in our culture, but they help in a time when there’s so much divisiveness. It helps to know that even if someone doesn’t agree with you that they’re still your friend, and that you’re there to help, not harm. Being active in charity helps. It doesn’t matter whether you’re right or left wing if you’re there to help. If more people helped, we might not be so quick to doubt someone’s motives. We stop short when we judge others because their opinions are different. That’s one thing that’s inspiring about helping others. You realize you’re closer to other people than you might think, regardless of your differences of opinion. Anything else you want to mention? Just a plug for the Coalition for Compassion and Justice. They’re another group that’s really active in the community and just wonderful. They touch on so many different areas of aid, including helping people repair houses if they can’t afford them — helping people from becoming homeless and impoverished. It helps elevate the quality of life for people and raise their standard of living in a very humanitarian way. They don’t make people beg; they just treat them like they’re worthy of respect and help, which they are. ***** Ida Kendall owns The Frame & I, 229 W. Gurley St., 928-445-5073, FrameAndI.Com and The Art Store, 537 Sixth St., 928-443-0749, PrescottArtStore.Com. She’s also a member of the Sunup Rotary Club, which meets 7 a.m. every Wednesday Hotel St. Michael, 928-445-9313, PrescottSunUpRotary.Org.

Get Involved Greater Yavapai LGBTQ Community Coalition Who are you and what do you do? I’m Chris Duarte, chair of GYCC, which stands for Greater Yavapai LGBTQ Community Coalition. The GYCC provides an umbrella of support for the LGBT community of Yavapai County and, in some cases, Northern Arizona. We point anybody who wants to be involved to services, activities, events, and education around any topic that involves the LGBT community. We have monthly general meetings, a board of 11 that meets monthly in public, as well as five subcommittees. The general meetings, which are every third Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, have guest speakers from the community. We just had someone from the VA come and talk about LGBT clients and health, we’ve had Competitive Arizona, ONE Community, and intend to invite the Suicide Coalition. The five subcommittees are NAZGEM — the Northern Arizona Gender Mentors Network — which works with the transgender community, Faith Bridges, which works with faithbased groups inclusive of the LGBT community and is one of the first of its kind in the country, Youth and Family, Resources and Fundraising, and Events. ... The idea of the coalition is to bring everyone together. We’re a non-partisan group. Nothing about us is political or advocacybased. We exist to share resources. We’re community driven. How can we get involved? We’re always looking for people who want to be involved. The easiest thing to do is to send us questions via email. Basically, we want

Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters

to be the one-stop-shopping in the county. Are you in Cottonwood and don’t know what LGBT resources are around you? Ask us. If we don’t know, we’ll ﬁnd someone who does. We often recommend people looking for support to PFLAG (formerly Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). There are tons of volunteer opportunities via GYCC. If you’re looking to get involved, email a general request, and we’ll add you to the volunteer email list. Every time we do something that needs a few volunteers — like taking tickets at the door, setting up, or taking down — we send that out. And we can always use monetary donations, too. [Editor’s Note: At the time of this interview, GYCC’s 501(C)(3) paperwork had been approved, Duarte said, and the group was waiting on ﬁnal paperwork.] … In terms of the name, people do ask why it’s just GYCC for short, without the LGBT. We started going by GYCC because it’s easier to remember and we wanted to be inclusive of everyone, including people who don’t identify with any of the other letters, including alleys of people in those communities. At the end of the day, we support activities and collect resources and work with others all the way from the Goodwill Career Center to the West Yavapai Guidance Clinic, to counselors, doctors, lawyers, and anything you can think of, all to support the LGBT community.

Who are you and what do you do? I’m Robin Layton, the community relations and marketing director of Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters. We provide the area’s vulnerable children with one-on-one relationships with “Bigs,” or mentors, and we’re hoping to partner with parents, guardians, volunteers, schools, and anyone else in the community to help children achieve educational success and develop better relationships. Sometimes a Big goes oﬀsite with a Little and they plan things on a weekend like going to movies, hiking, or other activities. Our “Littles” say it helps improve their relationships and education. We know it helps them avoid risky behavior, too. From Yavapai County court records, we know that for ages 14 through 17, people with a Big Brother are 30 percent less likely to be arrested. We provide services to children that include mentoring at school, and it’s also just a way to have a one-on-one relationship with an adult who provides a role model the child might not otherwise have. Our littles tell us they like to have someone to talk to and do things with them they wouldn’t normally get to do. It also improves their education. Ninety percent of our Littles have seen a scholastic competency increase. ... We also have some Bigs who were Littles through our program. I don’t have the numbers, but it’s a very cool story. They were mentored here locally, and then come back to the community.

***** Find out more about GYCC via Facebook or contact them at GYCCInfo@Gmail.Com.

How can we get involved? There are many opportunities to become a Big, and that’s on diﬀerent levels. We have a School Match

program where you have lunch with a child once a week. We also have family matches, where an entire family takes a child under their wing and includes them in all of their activities. We also have people volunteer at the oﬃce. So many people help us with Bowl for Kids’ Sake and our annual gala, but it can be anything from stuﬀing envelopes to answering phones. There are also many ways to donate. You can donate through the tax credit program. The deadline for that was extended to April 15, and it’s $400 for individuals and $800 for couples. We also have programs for planned giving and a matchmakers program. There’s also a “Child of the Week” article in the Daily Courier, which features a child who’s awaiting a Big. … About 70 percent of our Littles come from single-parent homes, and 16 percent have no parent in the household. About 86 percent of our Littles are low income. Then again, we have some Littles who come from nuclear families who just want a mentor for their child. … At the lower end of time commitment is the School Match program, which is about one hour once a week. The high end is spending a weekend day with a child and incorporating them into your family lifestyle. That may mean picking them up in the morning, going to breakfast, going grocery shopping, seeing a movie, going on a hike, and taking them to dinner. ***** Find out more about Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters at AZBigs.Org, via Facebook and at 3208 Lakeside Village, 928-778-5135.

***** In these features, 5enses highlights individuals and organizations in the community that are making a diﬀerence. They were inspired by Alert Reader Aarti Pani and community leaders Sadira DeMarino and John Duncan. Thank you, Aarti, Sadira, and John. Want to nominate a do-gooder or a doing-gooder group? Email tips to 5ensesMag@Gmail.Com with “Get Involved” in the subject line. Don’t like who we feature? Do some good deeds or start your own group and tell us about it. Remember, our community is whatever we make it.

5ENSESMAG.COM • APRIL 2017 • FEATURE • 21

Not-asholy days

here are plenty of holy and hippie days this month. But there’s more to life, right? Consider celebrating ...

April 2: International Children’s Book Day. (Would you read one with a fox?) April 2, too: Tweed Day. (A twee thought.) April 7: No Housework Day. (Blame it on 5enses.)

April 10: National Siblings Day. (Oh, brother.)

ell Rock Lighthouse was built oﬀ the Scotland coast, near Dundee, in 1811 by Robert Stevenson. It’s 11 miles from land and was built cement-free out of one-ton interlocking blocks of granite. In almost 200 years, this 100-foot tower has never needed repairs to its stone surface. Built on a submerged reef, workers had to use hand tools while standing in freezing water, taking advantage of the two hours a day the low tide provided. They worked only in the summer since the weather of the North Sea was too violent. It took over four years to build and is still working today. It was the ﬁrst lighthouse built by Stevenson who went on to build 23 more. ODDLY ENOUGH … Robert Stevenson died in 1850, the very same year his sickly grandson was born – writer Robert Louis Stevenson who gave the world such books as “Treasure Island,” “Kidnapped,” and “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”

April 11: Barbershop Quartet Day. (Our pick: The Be Sharps.) April 14: International Moment of Laughter Day. (Be a laughing stock.) April 17: Blah Blah Blah Day. (Blah. Blah. Blah.) April 22: National Jelly Bean Day. (Guess who invented this one.) April 23: Talk Like Shakespeare Day. (Out, damned spot! Out, I say!) April 30: National Honesty Day. (All other days are fair game.)

22 • FEATURE • APRIL 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

*****

unset Crater is a 900-year-old cinder cone volcano, rising 1,000 feet from its 7,000 foot elevation base. Located in Northern Arizona, this volcano produced an ash ﬁeld of over 800 square miles, killing many indigenous people who lived in the area. Though inactive now, it remained active from 1065 to 1250 A.D. Sunset Crater is now a state park and considered a sacred place by many Native Americans.

ODDLY ENOUGH … In 1928, a Hollywood movie company producing a ﬁlm called “Avalanche” wanted to dynamite Sunset Crater to simulate an eruption. Concerned citizens blew up and put an end to that incendiary idea. ***** Russell Miller is an illustrator, cartoonist, writer, bagpiper, motorcycle enthusiast, and reference librarian. Currently, he illustrates books for Cody Lundin and Bart King.

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Featured Musical events

SAT APR 29th • 2 pm • Mary Sojourner: The Talker • Prescott Launch Party • Reading, Q&A, Booksigning • Author, mentor and facilitator Mary Sojourner returns to the Peregrine to launch her new book, The Talker: Stories. You may recall Sojourner’s previous Peregrine appearance in 2014 when she discussed her highlypraised ecological novel, 29.