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Contents page 16
Visiting A DIFFERENT WORLD DURING WINTER IN NEW MEXICO
Alan Moen walks the White Sands National Monument
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the rite of passage into retirement
Just like leaving home as a young person, leaving jobs/careers and old homes at retirement take adjustments and rethinking
9 sky king
In partnership with
Ron Medeiros shares his cool photos taken with altitude
12 finding happiness out there
Gloria Coburn is determined, joyful and inspiring... and 70 years old
14 national champs! Well...
Here’s the local spin on the tennis championship
16 new mexico in the winter Pueblos, petroglyphs and cave dwellings
18 local spring travel tips
Cary Ordway has been places, and is willing to share his favorites
22 BUILDER, REMODELER AND PROUD FLIPPER
Alek Rini believes any project worth starting is worth finishing well Art sketches n Weathervane artist Jessica da Costa, page 28 n Director of music ministries Jameson Varpness, page 30 Columns & Departments 6 A bird in the lens: Wigeons that flock together 26 The traveling doctor: If you knew when you were to die... 27 June Darling: You can change for the better 28-34 Arts & Entertainment & a Dan McConnell cartoon 35 Pet Tales: Family dog day in the park 36 History: Fire and ice 38 That’s life: When the mountains call April 2019 | The Good Life
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OPENING SHOT
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Year 13, Number 4 April 2019 The Good Life is published by NCW Good Life, LLC, dba The Good Life PO Box 2142 Wenatchee, WA 98807 PHONE: (509) 888-6527 EMAIL: editor@ncwgoodlife.com sales@ncwgoodlife.com ONLINE: www.ncwgoodlife.com FACEBOOK: https://www. facebook.com/NCWGoodLife Editor/Publisher, Mike Cassidy Contributors, Ron Medeiros, Linda Reid, Jaana Hatton, Susan Weber, Alan Moen, Cary Ordway, G. Wayne Hawks, Bruce McCammon, Donna Cassidy, Jim Brown, June Darling, Dan McConnell, Susan Lagsdin and Rod Molzahn Advertising: Lianne Taylor Bookkeeping and circulation, Donna Cassidy Proofing, Dianne Cornell Ad design, Clint Hollingsworth Video editor, Aaron Cassidy TO SUBSCRIBE: For $25, ($30 out of state address) you can have 12 issues of The Good Life mailed to you or a friend. Send payment to: The Good Life PO Box 2142 Wenatchee, WA 98807 For circulation questions, email: donna@ncwgoodlife.com BUY A COPY of The Good Life at Safeway stores, Mike’s Meats at Pybus, Rhubarb Market, Martin’s Market Place (Cashmere) and Dan’s Food Market (Leavenworth) ADVERTISING: For information about advertising in The Good Life, contact Lianne Taylor at (509) 6696556 or lianne@ncwgoodlife.com WRITE FOR THE GOOD LIFE: We welcome articles about people from Chelan and Douglas counties. Send your idea to Mike Cassidy at editor@ncwgoodlife.com
The Good Life® is a registered trademark of NCW Good Life, LLC. Copyright 2019 by NCW Good Life, LLC.
good day for a dam drone shot Drone photographer Ron
Medeiros made this photo of the dam on the Icicle River using his
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Autel Evo drone. “I used a 32ND filter and a 1 second exposure,” said Ron. “Every time I drive by this dam, my kids always want to stop and see it. It’s one of my kids’ favorite photos I’ve taken.” Ron said his first drone was
DRIVING HISTORIC ROUTE 66 Y EVENTS CALENDAR
WENATCHEE VALLEY’S
NUMBER ONE
the Phantom 4 Pro. Since then, he has added others. On the cover — Ron catches his Autel Evo drone in his hand during an outdoor photography session. See more of his drone photos beginning on page 9.
NCW fuN iN the WiNter suN Y eVeNts CALeNDAr
MAGAZINE
August 2018
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THERE’S GOOD NEWS TODAY Y EVENTS CALENDAR
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January 2019
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October 2018
READERS’ STORIES FROM 2018 of birth, rebirth, travel & joy
now a citizen of where her heart belongs
Second look
Some of our favorite photos from 2018
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PASSAGE TO JUNEAU They finally arrived! Brothers finish trek started 40 years ago
plus LLamas are an aging hiker’s best friend heart disease in women: more deadLy than breast cancer
Big birds hold special place in our hearts
Bold beauty
unlikely chelan home offers stunning lake views
Hillside home is grand with generous space
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Bald Eagles
monsterlove art: letting the freak flag fly
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NUMBER ONE MAGAZINE
MY BEST DAY
becoming an american
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April 2019
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editor’s notes
MIKE CASSIDY
Smiling all the way into The Good Life Jim Brown asks a question
this month worth pondering: If you knew for certain when you were to die, how might you change your life today? The good doctor then points out a website where you can get an estimate of when your expiration date might be. So, I just had to look at mine. Yikes! The problem is not that I’m going to die this year — well, at least according to the website (and really, doesn’t the internet know everything?) — but if I keep doing everything I’m doing now, I’ll live a few more decades. That’s a few more decades to pay for, most of which will be on
retirement income, and a few more decades to fill with meaningful daily activities. Filling both of these needs can be challenging. Thankfully, along comes Linda Reid, writing on the rite of retirement. She and her husband, Ken, moved here from Seattle a few years ago, and after an initial burst of settling in, found themselves a little at odds in their retirement lives. To see how these extroverts became more vested in our community, see her story on page 7. Jaana Hatton takes a dif-
ferent direction when writing about a retirement-age woman. “I have a story idea: a friend of mine, Gloria Coburn, who is in her early 70s, could just as easily be in her early 20s judging by her lifestyle,” wrote Jaana in an email pitch to us. “For her, every day is an adventure, a chance to enjoy life. She goes hiking — the bigger the hill, the better — snowshoeing, skiing, to the gym, to art events, brewery evenings, you name it, she’s there. “And smiling all the way,” concluded Jaana. This is The Good Life, so of course, I had to say yes to anyone who is smiling all the way. Read Jaana’s story on page 12. It’s not only about retirement age people... we are an all-age publication. Witness Ron Medeiros and his photo-taking drones. I first saw Ron’s aerial photos on Facebook, so contacted him for photos we could use in The
Good Life. He sent along several examples — see them on pages 9 through 11 — along with this note: “Hey there Mike, I would like to thank you again for this opportunity. I think it’s really cool that you’re showcasing my photos. “I am just a regular guy that works a regular job and just does (drone photography) for fun. My hopes are that people get a smile out of what I do...” Just a regular guy? That’s exactly what makes our magazine so fun. We feature regular, local, people every month who have stepped off the well-trodden path to find new fun and excitement in their lives. Yay to regular people — may you live long and prosper. Smile all of the way, and enjoy The Good Life. — Mike
GRATEFUL. For Our Patients. For The Communities We Serve. Grateful for the Opportunity to Serve. We are Grateful for the trust our community puts in us with the things that matter most in life—family and friends. We are Grateful each day for the opportunity to improve the health and quality of life of our friends and neighbors. It’s the daily encounters with members of our community that mean the most.
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column a bird in the lens
These 2 Wigeons sometimes flock together A
By Bruce McCammon
merican Wigeons start to show up in Wenatchee in August or September. By December they are one of the most common birds you can see if you visit Walla Walla Point Park or walk along the Loop trail toward Pybus Market. Canada Geese may be the only species that outnumber the Wigeons. Wigeons Bruce McCammon and Mallards is retired, colorboth take full blind and enjoys advantage photographing the birds in north cenof any small tral Washington. ponds in the grass area and can be seen grazing without too much concern about humans who are in the area. That is, until a child or dog runs toward the flock. Then all sorts of commotion ensues as the birds fly away. You’ll hear their distinctive call as they lift off. To me, it sounds like the classic “rubber ducky” bathtub toy. As a quasi-birder, I learned to
A pair of American Wigeons fly away.
A male Eurasian Wigeon — with a red head in the foreground — and a male American Wigeon eat together.
take my time scanning a large flock of American Wigeons. Every once in a while there will be a Eurasian Wigeon sprinkled in with the others. It is fairly uncommon to see Eurasian Wigeons, so ticking one or more off on a list of birds
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seen in any year is always a nice addition. It is fairly easy to find the Eurasian Wigeons in a large flock — if you know what to look for. Eurasian Wigeons seem to prefer to be on the edge of a large group.
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April 2019
Male American Wigeons have a green band that extends from the back of the eye to the neck and a gray head with a white central stripe. Eurasian Wigeons have a reddish head with a more buff-colored central stripe. The Wigeon flocks will usually be gone from our area by midMay. Now is a good time to easily see them in local parks adjacent to rivers or ponds. You’ll spot a large group of Wigeons and hear them squeaking as they forage on the grass. If you have binoculars, scan through the group to see if there are any birds with a distinctive red head. With luck, you’ll be able to point out a Eurasian Wigeon to someone. They’ll appreciate seeing it.
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MY WORLD // a personal essay
The rite of passage into retirement
2019 APPLE BLOSSOM MUSICAL
including where going back to work can offer dollars and community By Linda Reid
Retirement can be a dream
we anticipate much of our working lives but then, suddenly, it happens to you and there are challenges that you just didn’t expect. My husband, Ken, and I started that transition into retirement (after much thought and planning) in April of 2016 when we bought our retirement home in East Wenatchee. I retired from 37 years of teaching in Seattle that June, we listed our house (where we had lived for 46 years) in July, and by mid-August we closed the door to “our house,” which was no longer ours, and headed east. The only person we knew in Wenatchee was my gastroenterologist, who had been my doctor in Seattle 20 years ago. (I had also taught his kids.) All reference points had been knocked out from under us in that three-hour drive across the mountains. Friends who had retired ahead of us cautioned us about this transition and advised us that perhaps we were making too many changes too fast, but we pretty much ignored that advice with our “we can do this” attitude. What we didn’t understand then was we were entering a rite of passage that would transition us from our working lives to our retirement lives. Now we know this is an emotional transition from adulthood to elderhood and we discovered it can contain almost as much trauma and drama as the rite
Friends who had retired ahead of us cautioned us about this transition and advised us that perhaps we were making too many changes too fast... of passage we go through in adolescence as we move from being a child in our family home to becoming a grown-up in the outside world. I know we experienced isolation, emotional upheaval from our uprooting, loss of solid ground under our feet and certainly a search for the answers to our questions: “Who am I now?” and “What do I do now?” We have discovered it takes time and patience. It takes determination and simultaneously reaching deep inside and outside of yourself. It takes willingness to take on new responsibilities and to step into your new community, sometimes with baby steps and sometimes with boldness. At first there is much to be done with all the unpacking and getting situated. We were happy to be here and loved our new home and our neighborhood, but it was mostly just the two of us and we weren’t used to that. Ken had worked at several different careers from radio, to a family manufacturing business, to the Seattle recycling program, to the cell phone industry, to
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Jobs offer more than just money in retirement
As a good friend of ours says about his wife who has had several parttime jobs in her retirement years, “My wife loves her W-2s!”
(But the money is nice, too) }}} Continued from previous page video production, to real estate. All those occupations were dependent on relating to people, which, as a natural extrovert, he does very well. Working with people has always motivated him and infused him with positive energy. As a music teacher, I was used to interacting with hundreds of students every day, dozens of other faculty members and sometimes with parents. We soon realized we needed more interactions than only the two of us could provide for each other. We took some classes, participated in yoga at the senior center and found some volunteer opportunities with the local chapter of the Red Cross. I also got involved in facilitating a grief support group. I joined a writing group. We began to connect with more and more people. We already had friends in Leavenworth we had known from our former lives in Seattle
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Ken Reid is learning new skills and having fun at his part-time job in retirement at Sunny FM radio station.
and we met their friends, too. We have great neighbors and we found a new church where more relationships have been built. We once again had connections and a social life. Somehow, all of that still wasn’t quite enough for either of us. We had both intended to do some part-time work once we were settled here. I even applied to sub for the Eastmont School District in the fall of 2017, but never actually activated my application. I just plain wasn’t ready for that yet. Ken just didn’t know which direction to go since his work life had been so varied. We hit our two-year anniversary in our new home in August of 2018. Shortly after that, Ken took the plunge and decided he would look for part-time work in radio, which was his original passion. It didn’t take long until
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he found just the right fit at Sunny FM Radio. The schedule was flexible, his boss, Dave Herald, and all the other people at the station were friendly and welcoming. He is learning new skills, using and refining familiar ones and having the time of his life. Since he was taking the plunge into the world of part-time work, I decided it was time to set foot back in the classroom again. After two years of not being with kiddos, I realized I still had gas in my tank, so I activated my substitute status and found regular work immediately. It was good to be back doing what I have always been passionate about. (But I am glad I’m not doing it every day!) The reason I’m sharing this is to let other recent retirees know there is a good life during retirement years and one aspect of it might just be going back to work
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April 2019
part-time. We found a deep-seated need to continue to share our gifts with the community while keeping active and engaged with people in this life-giving place. Volunteering is great and we are still fully committed to it but there is also something, perhaps related to self-esteem or validation, which helps you feel valued when you produce even just a little extra income. Of course, having that “little extra” is something most retirees do appreciate and put to good use. As a good friend of ours says about his wife who has had several part-time jobs in her retirement years, “My wife loves her W-2s!” We do too, but it isn’t really about the money at all, any more than volunteering is about the lack of it. It’s about investing in community to give back, to pay it forward, to connect generations, to give and receive lifeenergy in order to experience solidarity. People in our community help us define who we are. The connections we make and the way we choose to share our time, skills, gifts and wisdom, in turn, helps to strengthen and expand what the community itself is. Our experiences tell us our relationship with Wenatchee is already becoming a mutually beneficial one as we embrace our passage into retirement. Linda and Ken Reid have lived in East Wenatchee for nearly three years now. They love running into people they know when they are out and about in the community. It’s a sure sign of belonging.
sky king drone photography opens up vistas not available to earthbound cameras Story and photos By Ron Medeiros
I have always been interested in
photography but had never taken the time to take pictures or even learn anything about it. Then, two years ago, I met up with a few friends who had drones and got a “crash� course in how to fly. They inspired me to purchase one. My first few flights were short and just a quick picture here and there. In the beginning, I was just learning to fly and practicing with the camera. One of the first things I noticed after I started taking pictures was how much more I could get into a photo and how I could capture angles and areas that were difficult to get from a traditional camera.
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George Sellar Bridge
One of my favorite places to photograph is the George Sellar Bridge. It is a unique design and the fact that it connects the cities of Wenatchee and East Wenatchee together.
April 2019 | The Good Life
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Carnival during Apple Blossom
What is more the epitome of spring than the Apple Blossom Festival? This photo shows the carnival in the arena parking lot at sunset with the mountains in the background. After living in the Valley for over 10 years, this has become a symbol of what the Valley is about.
}}} Continued from previous page As I have learned how to take photos with my drones, I have also learned a lot about how to edit them to bring out the best in the picture. It was my friend, Jason Wiegand of Moto JW Photography, who really helped develop my talent and love for taking landscape photos. He also taught me how to fly and work the camera. Drones get such negative press sometimes. But in truth there is so much more a drone can be used for. It can be used to take landscape photos, like I do. But drones are also often used now in search and rescue. Now I enjoy visiting locations all around Washington State and capturing the beauty of this wonderful state we live in. In the future I hope to be able to visit more locations and photograph the beauty there also. When not taking aerial photos, Ron Medeiros — a husband to a supportive wife Rachel and a father of three daughters (Maddie, Samantha and Josephine) — works at the Ford Dealership in East Wenatchee. More of his photos can be seen at rmphotoz.com.
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Lake Chelan in Chelan
Taken in April during spring break. I love how the lake is low enough that you can see the green of the water contrasted off the blue of the sky. | The Good Life
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Tops of tress
I have always wondered what trees would look like from up above, looking down. Drone photography makes that possible. This picture was taken in the fall when all the leaves were changing and falling to the forest floor below.Â
Cross overlooking the Valley
The cross is a symbol of hope; it can be seen across the Valley. My inspiration for this picture was to get the perspective of the cross — what does the cross see as it looks out over the Wenatchee Valley?
April 2019 | The Good Life
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For Gloria Coburn, the horizon is endless and rocks but a small inconvenience along the way as she hikes near Lake Lenore, just north of Soap Lake. Photos by Michael Gonzales
The lady who seizes the day G
By Jaana Hatton
loria Coburn came along for a snowshoe hike on Mission Ridge with Carolyn Dowell and me in late January. It was a cold day with a few cautionary snowflakes in the air, and the gray skies were promising to release more. Nevertheless, we were going to pursue our hike along the Pipeline trail. I had only met Gloria once before while digging up invasive plants at a Chelan-Douglas trail maintenance party, and knew her to be an enthusiastic outdoor person. Well, an enthusiastic person overall — Gloria is an apt name for her; she glows with
energy. As we scaled the hillside, climbing the initial torture to reach the level Pipeline stretch, Gloria struggled with her snowshoes. The bindings wouldn’t hold, the shoes kept slipping off. After a while she stopped and looked at her uncooperative gear, bent down to fully release the straps and tossed the snowshoes off to the side of the trail. “Okay, let’s go. I’ll hike with just the boots. I’ll get the snowshoes on the way back.” “The trail will be softer up there, it’s going to be harder for you,” I said. “Are you sure?” “That’s okay — let’s move on,” Gloria replied with determina-
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tion. And move on we did, up the slope and along the Pipeline trail. During the hike Gloria occasionally sank into the snow knee-deep, but never considered quitting. She was enjoying the fresh air, even with the cold snow beating against our faces. If I told you no more about Gloria, you might already know what kind of a person she is: determined, joyful and inspiring. She is one of those people who takes each moment as it comes and embraces it. Gloria has had her share of obstacles, starting at a young age. When she was six years old, her father sent her from Seattle
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to relatives in Mexico, to stay. Gloria’s mother, a Nooksak Native American, was an alcoholic and the father didn’t want Gloria to witness such a life. In her new home, the little girl had to learn Spanish and the customs of a new country. In school Gloria discovered her love of sports, but her aunt wouldn’t allow her to participate, considering it unfitting for a girl. Gloria had different ideas: she wore athletic clothing under her school outfit and joined in sports activities without telling her aunt. To cover up for her long days at school she said she had to clean the bathrooms as punishment for being naughty.
LEFT: “I go on hikes alone all the time,” said Gloria. “Just me, myself and I, because it’s hard to find people who will go with me.” RIGHT: A rare moment of stillness for Gloria as she takes in the view after a hike up the slope overlooking Wenatchee.
The naughty part was certainly true. When Gloria was 12, she returned to Seattle, grew up and got married. However, it was not a happy union and she began to look for an escape outdoors. Now, with the marriage long over, she still enjoys being in natural environments, just for the happiness she finds out there. “I go on hikes alone all the time. Just me, myself and I, because it’s hard to find people who will go with me.” I should mention that Gloria is 70 years old, and many of her peers use walkers instead of hiking poles. Therefore, she may have trouble finding a partner to climb Castlerock after a gym workout or to ride 30 miles on a bike. “I participated in a really fun bike event once, in South Dakota. It was in the Black Hills region; we covered 109 miles in two-and-a-half days,” Gloria said as casually as if it were something any one of us might do.
If I told you no more about Gloria, you might already know what kind of a person she is: determined, joyful and inspiring. Gloria has one fear, believe it or not: that of heights. Regardless, she visited Steven’s Pass for the mountain biking opportunity. To get to the starting point she had to ride the ski lift — not a good experience for someone who is uncomfortable looking at the world from high above the surface. But, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do, and Gloria enjoyed her wild bike excursion once off the highswinging lift. “I encourage myself,” she stated simply. That’s what it all comes down to, doesn’t it: believing in yourself, finding your way on your own. Now, Gloria has found her April 2019 | The Good Life
way into trouble, too, due to her curiosity. “I was hiking in the Dry Gulch area one time,” she said. “Suddenly I came to a gate blocking the way.” We all know what she did next: ignored the gate and the “No Trespassing” sign next to it. She just kept walking, visiting if you will. Not really trespassing in her opinion. As luck would have it, she stumbled upon the owner. “Did you see the sign?” the owner asked. “Well… I don’t read,” Gloria replied. She is very good at thinking of excuses. They chatted for a while and the owner must have been impressed by Gloria’s bravery — or cleverness — when he reached into his coat pocket and slowly pulled out something. It turned out to be tickets for the rodeo. That’s what you get for trespassing — I am not recommending anyone try their luck, though. Gloria is Gloria and that’s another matter. www.ncwgoodlife.com
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There is more to life than the hills, if you follow in Gloria’s footsteps for awhile. When she is done with hiking, biking and the gym, she can be found having dinner out with friends, catching as many music and theater productions as possible, and making sure First Friday Art Walks are done. What’s left for this tireless explorer to do, with all the Wenatchee surroundings and much beyond already done many times over? “Here are two of my bucket list things: Machu Picchu and Mount Kilimanjaro,” she said. Now those would be a challenge, for most of us. Maybe not for Gloria though, the lady who doesn’t read signs and just keeps on going. Her life is not so much about challenges as it is about opportunities. “I wake up every day feeling grateful,” she said. “And I don’t challenge anyone but myself.” So that’s what it means when they talk about “seizing the day”: they talk about Gloria Coburn.
National champs! Well, sort of. At least, that’s the spin for these local tennis players
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story and photos by Susan Weber
’m guessing here but I’d say if you are reading this it is because you like to hear about local life, and people you may know or want to know. You like to hear their stories and adventures and see their pictures. You like to celebrate their joys, their ups and downs, perhaps their moments in the limelight. This is a story that probably would go unpublished because it has a hitch in it. It is a story that ends in celebration and at the same time frustration. This is story of winning that has not been told and I think it needs to be told. After all, how often does Wenatchee produce a national sports team champion? “What?” You say… A national champion? After all a champion means the best of the best. And adding “national” to that means the best in the nation. There is a bit of a hitch in the bragging rights however. Their title is admittedly a little shaky and I’ll have to explain that, but… their accomplishment is not in doubt. Our champions — and they are champions — are a team of men who play tennis. They are a little late in life, perhaps, to find themselves national championship finalists. You can’t even make the team if you are younger than 65 so, some have called this the Jurassic League. This particular team has several players who are considerably older than the age cut off. Two of the men are 76 and many others are in their 70s. They play team doubles and they play at a skill level designated 3.5 within the United States Tennis Association rank-
Brian Gundersen dips to return a volley.
ing system (essentially a moderate club player). Each doubles team in their category cannot exceed a combined ranking of 7.0. This means two men with a 3.5 ranking, or, alternatively, one person ranked 4 and the other ranked 3 will make up the team. You can do the math. Most of the team have been enjoying tennis for years, are retired and play quite a lot. This speaks to tennis as being a great lifetime sport. Most play at the Wenatchee Racquet and Athletic Club but the team also has three players from the Yakima area, Don Judy, Bob Cox and Chris Clark. Those from the Wenatchee area are Rich Lynn, John Raymond, Keith Koch, Brian Wengreen, Brian Gundersen, Lance Lorraine and Dave Weber. The format, design and regulations are all coordinated by
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Most of the team have been enjoying tennis for years, are retired and play quite a lot. This speaks to tennis as being a great lifetime sport. the USTA. Wenatchee has many men’s and women’s teams every year for the past 30 or more years playing USTA Team Tennis. So how did this bunch of old guys actually get to the rarified national level? First, teams must win their local division. That means defeating teams from places like
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April 2019
Yakima, Spokane and the TriCities. The best team then goes to Sectionals, which covers the Pacific Northwest comprised of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska and is one of 17 National Sections. The team who survives that competition is then eligible for the USTA National Invitational Tournament to compete against the winners from all over the U.S. Because all the players are ranked by ability, they are all of approximately the same skill level so matches are tight. There are a lot of tie breakers, making for intense competition. To provide some perspective in what it takes to make it to the championship round understand that our team draws players from the relatively small population of north central Washington, while the Southern California team pool consists
of men from all the counties in Southern California. Consider, also, how many teams nationwide were eliminated on the way to Phoenix and how many good teams just missed out. Now what about that illustrious but uncertain title of National Co-Champion? If this sounds a bit like I’m hedging, I have to admit I am. After two days of competition in Phoenix during February where the weather is hot and dry and ideal for tennis, the Wenatchee team made it to the semifinals. Four teams from the entire U.S. were left to determine who among them would be THE champion. At this point in the tournament each team had the same chance to win. The final round was to be played on Sunday sending a single team home in first place with the others placing second, third and fourth. But dry, sunny Phoenix turned into wet, soggy Phoenix and tennis is a sport you cannot play in the rain unless you want to risk slipping and sudden death, and I don’t mean the kind that determines the winner… well it could I suppose.
After hours of waiting, hopefully for the rain to stop, it didn’t and the tournament was determined to be finished. But who is the winner? Since they didn’t get to play the other teams it seems all should be declared co-champions. Certainly, the team came home with a great finish, an even greater opportunity and defeated only by the weather. It is probably reasonable to ask if there is actually any precedent for calling them Co-Champions or Co-Finalists? Actually, yes there is. The other team category that played in the Great Phoenix Rainout, the 9.0 Men’s Doubles, had played off the semifinals when play was canceled due to rain and the final two teams were named CoChampions. The teams competing for the Men’s 7.0 Championship all felt a degree of frustration but on the other hand coming home as a National Co-Champion is pretty special. Congratulations guys!
John Raymond serves.
Susan Weber, a retired Wenatchee physician, is the naturally unbiased wife of Team Wenatchee’s David Weber.
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New Mexico in the winter
pueblos now value their privacy as well as their independence. They usually forbid photographs to be taken of them or their adobe-style homes, even on special days when they hold dances or other events open to the general public. Outside the town limits, a few casinos and visitor centers are more welcoming to strangers, but except for a few shops, pueblos are closed to visitors. In Isleta Pueblo, 25 miles south of Albuquerque, we saw the massive St. Augustine mission church, first built in 1613 in the adobe style and one of the oldest mission churches still standing in the U.S. It was destroyed during the Pueblo Revolt and rebuilt on its original foundation in 1716. We were unable to go inside, as we were able in most Catholic churches, however, another sign of the privacy the pueblo intends to protect. We also visited other pueblos as well, including Cochiti and Sandia.
Pueblos, petroglyphs and cave dwellings
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By Alan Moen
ew Mexico is hardly new, nor is it Mexico. Instead, this fifth-largest state of the Union in physical size has a remote and timeless beauty, a character all its own. When my wife, Susan, and I decided to escape snowy north central Washington and take a trip to the Southwest this February, we weren’t looking for sunshine, warmth or desert resorts, but for a different kind of adventure. We wanted to tour the “Land of Enchantment” off-season, with fewer tourists about and more uncrowded opportunities to visit a region that has been occupied by humans for millennia, in which native peoples had established their cultures long before Europeans came to North America. Flying into to Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city, we found its airport much easier to navigate than crowded, confusing SeaTac. After staying in town a few days to orient ourselves, visiting its excellent zoo and several museums, we headed north via the Rail Runner Express, a commuter train that runs 60 miles between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Santa Fe and the Pueblos It’s easy to see why Santa Fe is such a tourist Mecca. The city is
A curious tourist climbs a ladder to investigate a cliff dwelling at Bandelier National Monument.
chock full of great museums, art galleries, shops and restaurants, all easily accessible downtown by a free public transit system called the Santa Fe Pickup. At the central Santa Fe Plaza, originally created by the Spanish King Felipe II in 1660, dozens of Native American artisans spread out their wares for sale in front of the Palace of Governors — jewelry, pottery, and other crafts. While some of these items are just tourist kitsch, most are of exceptional quality (and exceptional prices) — silver bracelets, inlaid stone ornaments, pottery with intricate designs, and of course, a lot of turquoise jewelry.
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Artisan craftspeople there are mostly residents of the 19 surrounding pueblos in the area. And while many of these pueblos are easily accessible by car, they are definitely not tourist traps. These are selfgoverning, independent towns which have been part of the New Mexican landscape for hundreds of years. After they were subjugated by the Spanish in the 17th Century, the pueblo people staged a successful revolt in 1680 to regain independence. After Spain finally defeated them in 1696, they eventually allowed them the right of self-government. The people who live in the
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April 2019
Cliff Dwellings at Bandelier Just 46 miles west of Santa Fe, the Bandelier National Monument in Frijoles Canyon contains the most accessible cliff dwellings in the state — accessible, that is, if you are willing to climb steep stone steps and wooden ladders to reach them. One large cave called the Alcove requires climbing 140 feet up a cliff in order to get there on four very tall wooden ladders bolted to the rock. On top, a kiva, or sacred stone structure, is entered by a hole on its roof (as were most of the cliff dwellings,) Unfortunately; it was closed when we were there. Many other shallow caves pockmark the cliffs. They were actually not lived in, but used instead for storage and making crafts with stone dwellings built against them that are now long gone. It’s not known when or why the native peoples abandoned these cliffside homes in about 1550 BCE. Drought, warfare, or even disease any have been fac-
tors. But some low stone walls that once encircled gardens below the cliffs, where corn and other crops were once grown, still remain. There’s an eerie atmosphere about the place, as if the ghosts of ancient people still inhabit it. Petroglyphs near Albuquerque I’ve always been fascinated by petroglyphs — images made by native peoples on rocks for art, religious purposes, or some other unknown reason. The St. Augustine mission church in the Isleta Pueblo was first built in 1613. West of Albuquerque, we visited Petroglyph restaurants and shopping malls National Monument, where over that seemed completely out of 20,000 petroglyphs have been place on the barren landscape. found on basalt clumps scatJust 18 miles farther down tered over 7,000 acres. the road is White’s City, not a Pictures of sheep, goats and bastion of Caucasian supremacy other animals, people and tribal as its title might suggest, but symbols are everywhere, most named instead for Jim White, a of them between 400 and 700 cowboy and rancher who discovyears old. The site is currently ered the nearby Carlsbad CavI had envisioned a giant, under threat of development by erns as a teenager in 1898. Its cathedral-like chamber with a the city of Albuquerque, which entrance lies just outside town. soaring high ceiling. owns some of the surrounding I’ve been in many impressive While the visible roof of the land. caves in North America, Spain cave is high enough, the space of and France, but nothing as huge this room is more like the long, Carlsbad Caverns and White and magical as Carlsbad. segmented nave of a Gothic Sands: world class sites Once inside Carlsbad Caverns church, with huge crystalline Driving south on highway 285 National Park, a world UNESCO limestone stalactites hanging through many miles of uninhab- site, visitors must descend 750 down like chandeliers above a ited high desert (Albuquerque feet on a steep, 1.2-mile paved floor packed with a congregation itself is over 5,200 feet in elevatrail with innumerable switchof silent worshipper stalagmites, tion, Santa Fe over 6,600 feet) backs to reach the bottom of the some quite small, others as the vast scale of New Mexico is cave. much as 60 feet tall. immediately apparent. This experience felt like walkThe fantastic shapes of these A few cattle and some oil rigs ing down into the very bowels limestone forms bear more were all to be seen. With snowof the earth through multiple resemblance to the flamboyant capped mountains far in the layers of time. work of the Spanish architect distance, after some 220 miles, Once at the bottom, a 1.7-mile Gaudí than the classical Renaispassing Roswell (with no UFOs trail loops around the Big Room, sance creations of Michelangelo. in sight) we eventually reached the size of 14 football fields — Park officials have taken great the town of Carlsbad, a long the largest cave chamber yet care to light them in such a way strip of motels, gas stations, discovered in North America. as not to change their natural
This experience felt like walking down into the very bowels of the earth...
April 2019 | The Good Life
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color, which was far more monochromatic than we expected. After hiking through a generous sampling of these natural wonders, we were relieved to find elevators to take us back to the surface. Hiking back up would not have been a pleasant experience. Not far from the caverns is White Sands National Monument. There, many miles of sparkling white dunes composed of tiny gypsum crystals (not actually sand) stretch to the horizon — a moonscape that exists nowhere else on the planet. We drove a loop road plowed through part of the dunes, then climbed up on them in bright sunshine and a fierce cold wind. We watched children and adults slide down the dunes on plastic sleds like kids enjoying a snow day from school. Unique and beautiful as the White Sands are, the grim reality of the area lies close by — a government missile testing range and the infamous Trinity Site, where the first atomic bomb, the most dangerous weapon ever created — and used— by mankind, was set off in 1945. And so New Mexico’s historic past, still visible, still accessible, remains for me a monument to the light and dark of human achievement — and a reminder that our future depends on how we must continue to respect and preserve the Earth and the people who live on it. Alan Moen is a freelance writer and co-owner of Snowgrass Winery in the Entiat Valley.
s ’ y a w d r O y r a C CENTRAL
WASHINGTON
Experience
Spring sun:
And goodbye to winter blues ties are the big draw.
by Cary Ordway
A
Canyon River guides will take you fly fishing on a leisurely float down the picturesque Yakima River, highly rated for its trout. Or, just minutes from the lodge you can take shooting classes and practice shooting clays. There is upland bird hunting nearby. Horseback riding is offered and, in season, you can raft the Yakima River. Top it off with gourmet dining at the Canyon River Grill.
fter an epic snowfall this winter, residents of North Central Washington are finally climbing out from their winter hibernation and reveling at the fact that yes, there will be a spring and summer after all, and no, Climate Change has not brought about a return to the Ice Age in one crazy year. Yes, that beautiful yellow ball in the sky is finally thawing things out and that means it is time to get out and make the most of it. First step is to check the record books and see where that spring sunshine is most likely to occur first.
Since we’re focusing on Central Washington, a quick look online will tell you that, in this part of the state, we can be assured of around 200 days of sunshine each year -- although apparently it can vary. One internet source claimed that Lake Chelan gets 300 days of sunshine while Wenatchee only gets 199 days. Go figure. Yakima Valley, too, clocks in at 199 days and is actually called “the Palm Springs of Washington,” which we think qualifies this city as a potential spring getaway for fun and sun. It also happens to have lots of wineries -- about 100 altogether if you count the wineries from Yakima on down to the Tri-Cities. The drive south of Yakima is dotted with several different types of wineries, from
Deck at the North Cascades Lodge at Stehekin offers front-row view of the splendor
mom-and-pop to larger corporate entities. Several of them boast excellent restaurants. But a big surprise about Yakima is that the city has an amazing number of museums. From the military crispness of Fort Simcoe to the legacy of the Yakima Valley hops at the American Hop Museum, the Yakima Valley brims with historic significance.
O
ne example is the Yakima Valley Museum where you’ll find two full floors of exhibits, including the largest collection of wooden wagons west of the Mississippi. There is the Yakima Electric Railway Museum, a former Yakima Valley Transportation Co. shop facility that offers vintage electric trolley rides between Selah and Yakima. After
May 1, check out the Yakima Valley Rail and Steam Museum, a historic Northern Pacific depot that includes a museum, gift shop, and restored telegraph office. For more information, please visit www.visityakima.com or phone 800-221-0751. Another big attraction in the general area is Canyon River Ranch between Yakima and Ellensburg. It’s been called a Disneyland for outdoor enthusiasts. This destination is a relatively new addition to a sparsely populated stretch of the Yakima River -- a luxury resort plopped in the rugged outdoors but full of amenities you come to expect from high-quality lodgings. But no matter how nice the facilities, the outdoor activi-
Cary Ordway is publisher of NorthwestTravelAdvisor.com and host of Exploring the Northwest, heard at 6:27 a.m. and 1:25 p.m. weekdays on KPQ 560 AM, Wenatchee. Central Washington Experience is made possible by the sponsors appearing in these articles. Email: getawaymediacorp@gmail.com SPRING 2019 | THE GOOD LIFE | Central Washington Experience |
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For more information, please visit www.canyonriverranch. net or phone 509-933-2100. Lake Chelan has big news this year with an ownership change at the Lake Chelan Boat Company, which has operated the boat service between Chelan and Stehekin since 1915. The Raines family has sold the operation to Reed Courtney, whose family has resort services in Stehekin, and Brun Garfoot. The boats now will be operated by Discover Lake Chelan. A cruise to Stehekin has always been one of the mustsee adventures in North Central Washington -- a chance to have a great boat ride up the scenic 55-mile-long lake, and then to enjoy some splendid isolation as you explore the tiny hamlet of Stehekin and nearby natural attractions. Stehekin is only accessible
Bye, Bye snow and cold... From page 18 by boat -- or a long hike -- and the boat ride up is an adventure unto itself. The Lady of the Lake II takes four hours to cruise from Chelan to Stehekin while the Lady Express is a smaller, faster vessel that shortens the journey to 2.5 hours. Passengers can cut about a third off the trip by boarding at Fields Point instead of Chelan. When you arrive, it’s all about the outdoor recreation in Stehekin, which is the gateway to the North Cascades National Park. Hikers find ample trails to explore and there is even a shuttle service to take them to the trails. Anglers find that fish practically jump into their baskets. The boat schedules are convenient both for daytrips and overnight stays. There are a half-dozen or so lodgings in the area including the North Cascades Lodge at Stehekin. This 27-room rustic lodge on the shore of the lake offers quiet, comfy accommodations with rooms varying in size and layouts. Rooms with kitchens are also available, and the lodge has lakefront cabins also for rent. Once open only seasonally, the lodge now is open year-round. Our first experience at the lodge
was in the 70’s when we chose to spend our wedding night and secluded honeymoon at the lodge. With its constant upgrades the lodge still stands out as one of Washington’s most unique getaways, a wilderness retreat that is quiet and focused on the area’s incredible outdoor beauty. For more information on the Lake Chelan Boat Company schedule, please visit www.ladyofthelake. com or call 888-682-4584. For more information on North Cascades Lodge at Stehekin, please phone 855-685-4167 or visit www.lodgeatstehekin.com.
S
till another gorgeous lake that’s a reasonable drive and likely to have lots of sunshine is Lake Roosevelt in Northeast Washington. It’s the only fresh water lake in Washington with houseboat rentals and so it’s no surprise that visitors flock to the lake during prime weather months to take entire vacations on board these elaborate boats. Fortunately, you don’t need experience to handle a houseboat and renters get all the instruction they need after they arrive for their stay. It’s always good, though, to book your boat early as the summer weeks fill up fast.
Canyon River Ranch has been called a Disneyland for outdoor enthusiasts
hour’s drive from the popular tourist town of Leavenworth.
ing the new world in primitive one-bedroom frontier cabins.
For more information on houseboating Lake Roosevelt, phone 1-800-816-2431 or visit www. lakerooseveltadventures.com.
It’s a cabin-in-the-woods experience, far enough from civilization to bring you some quiet and solitude, yet close enough that it’s easy to drive into town and enjoy the restaurants, shops and attractions of the Bavarian Village.
f you prefer your getaway on terra firma, an excellent choice would be to hole up in a spectacular vacation home like the Big Jim Mountain Lodge. It’s located in the Plain Valley, a picturesque mountain landscape just a half-
A big part of why people love the cabin-in-the-woods experience is that feeling of remoteness. Maybe it’s something primal that conjures that feeling of Man vs. Nature, or maybe it’s all those stories of our ancestors brav-
Except in this case, there’s nothing primitive about the experience. It’s closer to Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous than Grizzly Adams. The Big Jim Mountain Lodge is a big, fancy log home, just like those places you see in magazines and on TV encouraging you to build a log home and adopt a different lifestyle.
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For more information, please phone 866-904-7368 or visit www.destinationleavenworth. com.
Wenatchee Valley Shuttle
Your local, safe, dependable and friendly transportation specialists
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transportation needs are and for however many….they can help by giving you a free quote! Their fleet consists of 11 vehicles, with sizes ranging from 14, 24, 36, and 55 passenger Shuttles. No transportation need is too small or too large for them to service your group well!
enatchee Valley Shuttle opened in April of 2012, and just hit their sevenyear Anniversary! At first only two trips were offered daily from Wenatchee/Peshastin to North Bend, Bellevue and SeaTac Airport. They now operate three to five trips daily! During the winter holidays, to better accommodate passenger’s needs and schedules, extra shuttles are operated for winter demand, as well as extra buses for cancelled flights at Pangborn airport. Wenatchee Valley Shuttle is well known for being Central Washington’s airporter shuttle; however, they also transport for hundreds
Wenatchee Valley Shuttle is your local, safe, dependable and friendly transportation specialists! Wenatchee Valley Shuttle has just purchased new buses
of Charters a year. Charters are private groups who rent the vehicle and driver for an event,
such as: weddings, work conferences, large group trips, mission trips and more! Whatever your
E X P E R I E N C E T H E E V E R Y D AY A D V E N T U R E W I N T H R O P WA S H I N G TO N . CO M
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Please visit their website at WenatcheeValleyShuttle.com for more information, or call (509) 293-5773 for assistance.
Taste Treats
NCW Wine Trails sip, the unique story of its land and its people unfold. 509-888-WINE (9463) www.fieldinghills.com.
Icicle Ridge Winery
Must-visit tasting rooms around NCW WineGirl Wines
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ur winemaker Angela Jacobs is a chemist who played a little roller derby in her spare time. She produces wines with little manipulation to bring you intense flavors worth contemplating. There’s something for everyone from crisp Sauvignon Blanc to full-bodied Syrah Rosé to award-winning Malbec to a luscious Port-style wine. Stop in for a tasting, a trivia game, a rockin’ blues concert, or a barrel burning. Angela, Todd, Brooklyn, Kenai, Quincy and the rest of the crew cannot wait to meet you at our winery in Lake Chelan or our tasting room in Leavenworth. WineGirl Wines, where we strive not only to create story-worthy wines, but to know you by name. 222 E. Wapato Way, Manson. (509) 2939679. www.winegirlwines.com.
Chateau Faire Le Pont Winery
C
hateau Faire Le Pont Winery is a boutique winery located in the beautiful Wenatchee Valley in Central WA. Our Winemaker, Doug Brazil, is known for his innovative award winning blends inspired by old world traditions. The wines have exceptional structure and
complexity. Our renovated 1920’s Fruit Staging Warehouse is also a perfect place for weddings and events. We have a full tasting room, elegant restaurant and spacious events center. Hours: Sun.-Monday 11-6, Tuesday-Sat: 11-9 Contact: 509-667-9463, www.fairelepont. com.
Fielding Hills Winery
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e invite you to Fielding Hills Winery to taste premium Estate red wines and explore the exciting new white wine releases. Owner/Winemaker Mike Wade was named “Rising Star Wine Maker of Washington State” by Wine Spectator Magazine with his first commercial vintage in 2000. Since that time Fielding Hills Winery has become known as a top tier red wine producer. In 2014 Fielding Hills built a stunning tasting room and production facility over looking Lake Chelan and shortly thereafter began production of their first white wines. Combining a long rich history in agriculture with an equally enduring passion for the wine-making process the team at Fielding Hills produces limited quantities of hand-crafted, premium red, white and rosé wines. At Fielding Hills Winery we believe a glass of wine takes you on a journey. With one
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e invite you to join us for a true wine country experience. Just minutes from Leavenworth enjoy amazing wine, share in the beauty of our spectacular log home tasting room and family-owned vineyards at 8977 North Road, Peshastin, WA. Icicle Ridge is a destination winery featuring an incredible calendar of events created to enhance your Leavenworth experience. From summer dinners on the lawn and wine hikes, to jazz concerts and vineyard snowshoe, there is a memory waiting for you. Enjoy our two Leavenworth tasting rooms at 821 Suite-B, Front Street, and 920 Suite B-2, Front Street. www.icicleridgewinery.com. (509) 548-7019.
Rocky Pond Winery
B
orn of owners Michelle and David Dufenhorst’s love of the vineyard tradition, Rocky Pond Winery takes its character and flavor from our estate vineyards, Clos CheValle and Double D, creating award-winning wines that go with every mood and occasion. Our tasting rooms echo that commitment, with cozy, welcoming locations in downtown Lake Chelan and Woodinville, perfect for an afternoon of tasting or gathering of friends. 425-949-9044. www. rockypondwinery.com. Chelan tasting room: 212 E. Woodin Ave.
SPRING 2019 | THE GOOD LIFE | Central Washington Experience |
Malaga Springs Winery
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hen Kathy and Al Mathews started looking around the Wenatchee area in 2000, they had no idea they would end up at 1700’ at the base of towering columnar basalt cliffs. After measuring the sun exposure and heat indices, they purchased the land and planted the first 1,000 grapes. They planted their nine favorite varieties and, as luck would have it, they all thrived. Because of that, the Malaga Springs wine list features a wide variety of choices. Come visit the gorgeous grounds of Malaga Springs and enjoy our wine and spectacular views. 3450 Cathedral Rock Road, Malaga WA. www.malagaspringswinery. com. 509-679-0152.
Succession Winery
B
rock Lindsay, Winemaker. “Where your stories blend with ours.” Passion and love are the guiding principles for the way we approach life. The same is true of our wine. We invite you to join us on our journey as you sip, smile, and share your stories at our award-winning boutique winery in Manson. We look forward to seeing you soon! Cheers to living the life you love! 2018 Washington Winery to Watch by Wine Press NW! 78 Swartout Rd., Manson, 509.888.7611, successionwines.com. Event Space | Rehearsal Dinners | Reservations Recommended for Best Service | Family Owned and Operated | Uncorked@SuccessionWines.com.
Two separate buildings on the Orondo waterfront — a garage and a simple rectangular house — became one L-shaped contemporary home (top photo), with updated faux stone siding, a welcoming entryway and a raised roofline.
ALEK RINI: Builder,
The walled-off kitchen and dining room once peeked out onto the Columbia River (small picture); Alek Rini’s remodel brought guests and chef alike a full-on view that was lacking in the 1981 original.
remodeler and a proud flipper Create YourParadise at Home with a Bullfrog Spa
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Windermere Real Estate/NCW
With no added square footage but with a good deal of collaborative creativity, the former kitchen space (upper right), was transformed by the sleek quartz cooking counter with its downdraft fan (lower left).
cess as any reputable architect, realtor or landscaper. And, of course any individual with time and skill can buy a fixer-upper and labor, maybe on a steep learning curve, to make it more livable. However, professional builders and contractors would be voted most likely to succeed.
Story by Susan Lagsdin Photos by Donna Cassidy “When you’re building new houses in a development, there’s a pretty similar process. But on a remodel, every single house I work on is different — there’s always a creative challenge in there somewhere, no matter what condition it’s in to start.” Alek Rini of Element Homes stays deeply involved in his
simultaneous ongoing projects. Though he builds high-end houses (150 new homes in the region over the last few decades) some that he works on are custom remodels for owners, and some are off-and-then-on the real estate market, meant to be flipped. Don’t cringe at the verb “to flip.” It’s just expeditiously buying, renovating and re-selling a house, and a house flipper can enjoy the same status and suc-
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Alek is a professional, and he doesn’t mind the designation “house flipper” at all. While continuing to build new homes, with his building crew — often 23 strong, many of them longterm employees — he not only does traditional remodeling but consistently buys-fixes-sells
}}} Continued on next page
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Changing the focus of the main rooms toward the river gave light and height to this formerly closed-in area, and the pale paint and burnished maple floors make the most of its relatively cozy eight-foot ceilings and small dimensions.
ALEK RINI }}} Continued from previous page (“flips”) about eight homes per year, depending on the heft of the project. Alek was thoughtful in re-
counting the lessons he’s learned, and most of them apply to any remodeling situation, no matter who the owner is. In the flipping business, howAlek Rini, builder, house flipper and remodeler, stands proudly in front of the Orondo fireplace. He kept it woodburning at the owner’s request, and repeated the decorative stonework from the home’s exterior.
ever, “You have to buy right.” He continued, “Even with a thorough inspection, you need to cover extra costs ahead of time — assume that any big remodeling project is going to yield at least one disaster.” As HGTV fans know, there are dark structural mysteries in many old homes. Alek works compatibly with local Realtor Nick McLean on buying and selling houses. “We have a good relationship; he’s done this kind of rebuilding, so he knows what kinds of homes I’m looking to buy. It really helps to have one broker you can depend on.” He’s fortunate to be able to invest his own money and avoid the steep fees and interest that banks need to charge, and he’s careful; when he looks at houses to buy, about one in five make the cut. In the course of his own work,
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he looks at a lot of other builders’ products. He appreciates learning from their solved problems and good design choices, but he’s also critical of sloppiness. “Pay attention to finishing the job,” he said. “It may look good, but it’s the tiny details that really show. Don’t skimp; choose good materials, and then polish and clean it up.” He added a pet peeve. “I hate to see a house with a totally redone $50,000 kitchen that has a shabby front door. An interesting new door is a great addition to a house.” Its curb appeal signals better things within. The two homes featured here are good indicators of the range of Alek’s remodeling work. The one on the Orondo waterfront was completely renovated for a Lake Stevens couple who had loved the location for years but wanted more space, a
Alek said the small downtown Wenatchee house, bound for resale, was not a wreck (left), but sadly in need of refreshing. Woodlook vinyl floors, cool gray paint and white trim were an instant refresher in the main room (right).
typical request in today’s housing market, with building lots near $100,000 and median home prices near $340,000. The former vacation house will soon be, with its make-over complete, a permanent home for the actively-retired owners. Alek said, “My first big idea was to attach the garage to the main house, which was a simple rectangle, and make a big L. That added 700 square feet. Then we totally gutted the house and repositioned some of the rooms.” In doing that, he added banks of view windows and created a tall ceiling and a varied roofline. “That added some engineering problems,” he said. “Nothing we couldn’t solve.” The owners were in on every step and have become his friends. “They came over every week,” Alek said, “and I texted pictures whenever they needed to make a decision.” The result is a personalized and updated home, just the right size for entertaining family, that capitalizes on its riverfront location. The second home, a small craftsman on a quiet, tree-
shaded sidewalk street close to downtown Wenatchee, was “flipped.” A victim of deferred maintenance, it had degraded considerably over 100 years, but keeping the Craftsman look outside and doing good-quality stylish restoration (in this case new windows, floors, walls, ceilings, cabinetry and appliances) helped Alek sell it after five months of work, for three times its purchase price. “This one actually sold before we were even finished; it was listed for a day.” Alek said. “The buyer wants me to do a few extra things… a stove fan, a patio pad, paint the garage, and sure, I’ll throw those in, no problem.” Last-century charmers like this have cachet in Wenatchee’s real estate market, and keeping interior floorplans and the basic footprint, with no structural revisions, obviates paying for and waiting for extensive permits. Flipping houses is less personal than custom remodeling, and his connection to this buyer came only after the fact. All the design choices were his alone, so what he needed to do was supervise his crew and watch the April 2019 | The Good Life
bottom line. Timing is crucial, of course; it’s best when the sale of an improved home closes before the cash offer on the next project. Alek attributes his ability to build, remodel and flip houses all year long to his experienced crew, and he takes good care of them. As soon as it turns cold, he puts propane heaters inside, in the heat of mid- summer he keeps big iced watercoolers on site, brings burgers or pizza
occasionally. He likes to keep them, and himself, busy. He has unpretentious goals. “I’ll probably never quit working — I just want to keep doing a good job. I want to support my family and leave a little something for them when I’m gone.” Looking at the numbers, it’s likely in the future that hundreds of north central Washington homeowners will also have a little something of Alek’s craftsmanship and work ethic.
l a n o s Per
I know that real estate is a very personal business.
June Stanaway
It’s the personal touch that makes me one of the leading Real Estate Professionals in the community.
925 5th Street If you’re thinking of buying or selling Wenatchee, WA 98801 a home, give me a call today.
(509) 699-1321• junestanaway@aol.com www.MovingWenatcheeRealEstate.com
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column THE TRAVELing DOCTOR
jim brown, m.d.
What if you knew when you were to die? What would you do if you
knew the exact date that you would die? Would you live your life differently? Take more risks? Spend more time with your family and friends? Try new experiences that you always wanted to try someday? Travel more or less? Would you spend more time in meditation, contemplation or prayer? This is the theme of a New York Times best selling novel, The Immortalists, by author Chloe Benjamin that I read recently. I found it captivating, and it really got me thinking. It starts out in 1969 in New York City’s East side. The four adolescent Gold children hear there was a mystical woman who had moved into their block. She was a traveling psychic who reportedly could tell the exact date of your death. These curious adolescents search her out. She meets with each one individually and tells them the date and to tell no one what she had said. Her prophecy affected the rest of their lives in various ways. This book was a story of family bonds. It explores the link between destiny and choice, and I found it to be fascinating and
well written. I now have ordered the author’s other award winning novel, The Anatomy of Dreams. As a result of reading The Immortalists, I have thought a lot about what I might have done differently if I knew the answer to the question of when I might die. Nearly everyone at some point in their life wonders or asks the question, “How long will I live?” The average life expectancy in the U.S. is 78.8 for males and 81.2 for females. There are only six countries where the life expectancy is over 80 for both females and males. These countries are Australia, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland. Since I already have passed my “pull date,” I think I may know the answer for me give or take a few years. We all know that every living thing will die at some point. The oldest recorded age for any human is 122 years. In our country we celebrate and marvel whenever someone reaches the century mark. Various factors contribute to an individual’s longevity. These factors include poverty, gender, access to health care, hygiene, diet and nutrition, exercise, life
style, crime rates and genetics. Surprisingly, studies show only 20 to 30 percent of an individual’s life span is related to genetics. The rest of the factors are related to our individual behaviors and environmental factors we can modify to some degree. We humans have two different ages. One is our chronologic age, which is how old you are or how many years you have lived since you were born. The other is our biologic age or health age which is the difference between one’s average life expectancy at their particular age and their likely predicted life expectancy. This is based on several biologic factors, physiologic factors, and healthy or not so healthy behaviors. The key to longevity is your life style habits. Aristotle once said, “We are what we repeatedly do.” This certainly is true for our health and longevity. Now days we can actually calculate our biologic or health age. How accurate this is I cannot say, but it might give you pause to find out. A calculator to determine biologic age is available at the following website: www.disabledworld.com/calculators-charts/
health-age.php. There is a lot of information on this site, so if you go to it, scroll down to the biologic age calculator. Our biologic age or true health age can be calculated and predicted to some degree. This calculator comes up with what might be considered your true “health age.” Obviously it is subject to many factors, but it is interesting to consider. You are asked to enter in things like your current age, some of your medical history about cardio issues, weight, cholesterol range, eating, drinking and smoking habits, safety issues like do you use your seat belts. The end calculation gives you your likely life expectancy and your health or biologic age. The information is anonymous and there is no private information needed. Once you hit “Calculate” you get your results. If you don’t like the results, it might not be too late to make some changes in your lifestyle. Jim Brown, M.D., is a retired gastroenterologist who has practiced for 38 years in the Wenatchee area. He is a former CEO of the Wenatchee Valley Medical Center.
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column moving up to the good life
june darling
You can change for the better... mostly A
pril is a great time for a fresh start. In fact, there’s a science of fresh starts that suggests we are more able to motivate ourselves to change when there are certain external changes, like it’s a new year, or we’ve moved to a new place. Around the world, Spring has long been thought of as a time of re-birth and new beginnings. Many people feel their blood stirring to make a change. Let’s lay some groundwork for change before you jump in on a fresh start. First, is change possible? This question has been long debated by psychologists. Americans, in general, have a long history of believing that change IS possible. Overall, that positive attitude turns out to be a good thing. Researchers have found those who believe they can change, do change much more than those who don’t. Duh. The idea, though, is our beliefs about the possibility of change will influence our ability to change. Research, as of late, is supporting the idea we can change in many ways. Most behavioral scientists previously believed our personalities, beliefs and behaviors were set in plaster by three. Later the age was moved to 30. Now, that thinking has been firmly challenged as well. Currently, the change research solidly tilts more toward plasticity than plaster. New research on thousands of people shows people not only can change, but that they do change over time. We don’t know exactly why. It could be something naturally built into the aging process or perhaps it
However, some researchers urge not to waste any time trying to change those things about ourselves that are super hard to change unless we are highly motivated. has to do with taking on social roles that require us to change. For example, as we age, we generally become more emotionally stable. My father was a basket case emotionally in his 20s, 30s and 40s. He had, what was then called, a “nervous breakdown” during those early years. At 50, a clear change became apparent. When he died, at 80, he was a model of calm repose. My dad’s change was probably not solely a function of aging. He worked on himself — not getting upset over little things; counting to 10 or taking a walk when angry; reading and watching things that uplifted or inspired him and kept him grounded. But perhaps something about aging made it easier. Some think the positive changes that occur with aging may have to do with social role expectations that require us to be more conscientious and emotionally stable. We take on positions like teachers, ministers, parents in which we are expected to be wise, conscientious and emotionally together. Change, in many ways, IS possible. However, some researchers April 2019 | The Good Life
urge not to waste any time trying to change those things about ourselves that are super hard to change unless we are highly motivated. Instead we should work on things easier to change. Believe it or not, some of the things researchers tell us are not so hard to change are things like mood and sexual dysfunctions. Things researchers say are much harder to change are sexual identity (perhaps impossible to change) and sexual orientation. What makes sense for most of us to change are things like being more emotionally stable, more conscientious, more grateful, more compassionate, more resilient, more curious, more optimistic. Many people, particularly in the U.S. where extraversion (commonly spelled extroversion) is highly valued, however, want to be more extraverted. Different than in the past, researchers are now saying it is possible to become more extraverted, but it’s super hard. It might be easier, and ultimately more rewarding, to find a place to work and live where introversion is more respected. Once you’ve realistically separated out what will be easier and harder to change, check your core beliefs about change. Do you strongly believe you can re-wire your brain to be more intelligent? More optimistic? More conscientious? More agreeable? More loving? If not, you may need to pump yourself with a shot of plasticitythinking by reading articles by people such as Dr. Carol Dweck who pioneered the idea of growth mindset before you start trying to change yourself. Let’s assume you’ve figured out the thing you want to change is www.ncwgoodlife.com
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not super hard. Additionally, you do believe, in your gut, the change you want to make is possible. You will still need to keep the faith. What I mean is you must figure out a way to keep your hope alive. People like Dr. Angela Duckworth, winner of the MacArthur genius award and author of the bestseller Grit, suggests you don’t set goals that are unreasonably high. Set bite-sized goals. For example, don’t go for changing yourself from an introvert to an extravert. Instead set a bite-sized goal of smiling, making eye-contact, or saying hello to one stranger a day. (It will make you happier, even if you don’t become a big extravert.) This April, you may feel the invigorating spring air and be moved to consider the possibilities of new life. Use the science of fresh starts, the research on aging, an understanding of what you can easily and not so easily change, growth mindset, and bite-sized goals for a successful fresh start. How might you understand the nuances of change to make a fresh start this April and move up to The Good Life? June Darling, Ph.D. can be contacted at drjunedarling1@gmail.com; website: www.summitgroupresources. com. Her bio and many of her books can be found at amazon.com/author/ junedarling.
Know of someone stepping off the beaten path in the search for fun and excitement? E-mail us at editor@ncwgoodlife.com
Here are two examples of Jessica da Costa’s art: top, Artemis— Goddess of the Wild copper weathervane, approximately 22 inches tall and copper Strutting Rooster weathervane with hand applied Verdi Gris color on a 24-inch arrow.
Copper maiden works her magic By Susan Lagsdin “You don’t need a weatherman To know which way the wind blows...” — Bob Dylan, Subterranean Homesick Blues
With tools and materials lined up and ready to go in her close-to-home studio, Jessica da Costa hopes to grace the region’s rooftops and yards with handcrafted copper weathervanes, including this Copper Fairy Garden weathervane, approximately 15 inches tall.
Nor, frankly, do most of us
really need a weathervane on the rooftop. Step outside, watch the trees, check your app. But Jessica da Costa, who’s based a 20-year career on mak-
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ing the ancient and perennially popular instruments, might disagree. She moved from the Methow Valley to Wenatchee last June and set up a small sculpting studio where she creates, as she
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has for years, a myriad of shapes and sizes of decorative copper weathervanes. Jessica’s fascination with both copper and with weathervanes stems from an early paid apprenticeship in The New Eng-
Luna Sea copper mermaid weathervane with metal paint details, approximately 22 inches long.
land Weathervane Gallery (she thought she was interviewing for the receptionist’s position; luckily, they placed her instead in the busy production shop.) That experience pushed her to experiment with the medium and to delve into the vanes’ long history, on which she bases many of her own designs. No longer primarily a tool for farmers and sailors, weathervanes (or “kinetic rooftop art”) have become objets d’art and collector’s items, accruing value as they age. Rooftops still proudly display them, but they’re also incorporated into landscaping. Jessica described her tall blue heron that graces the corner post of a Puget Sound view deck, a realistic beaver smack dab on a front lawn, a series of the sculptures strategically positioned throughout a designer garden. A distinct point of pride for this media-savvy, linked-up artist (connected by Instagram, Facebook, her Copper Maiden website, Patreon, etc…) is the totally low-tech process she wholeheartedly embraces. “I love copper... it actually warms to the human touch, and it takes on such beautiful colors as it ages,” said Jessica. The vanes themselves she loves for the superstition and symbolism of their figures. “I’m working on my newest myth-inspired weathervane, The Bennu; that’s the Egyptian sun God that inspired the Greek phoenix,” she said. “They didn’t ever have to be elaborate to show wind direc-
tion,” she notes. “It’s amazing that a basic function took on such rich designs.” Jessica, first and still a painter, said, “Researching a subject or drawing it from real life study and creating the design is my favorite part.” Her completed sketch is eventually transferred to the sheet of pure copper using carbon copy paper, and then Jessica goes to work creating a three-dimensional piece with snippers, narrow chasing tools and an array of hammers. Her weathervanes are all “cold-worked,” the shapes hand-forged with no heating or welding involved, a machinefree process except for cleaning soldered joints with an air-compressed polisher. And, whether delicate or massive, each copper piece reflects her exacting eye for detail. Jessica’s own artistic direction may have been blessed with good coincidence, but it was not at the whim of the winds. Her grandmother imbued in her a love of art and taught her to draw well as a child, and her Liberty Bell High School art teacher further motivated her creativity. After graduation in 1992, intending to study hair and makeup design, she moved to live with her father in Rhode Island and took that pivotal job at the weathervane gallery. Her eventual return to her Methow roots meant exposure for her copper work in an artsrich community with coastal connections. April 2019 | The Good Life
Even while raising two children, she kept at it. Interest in her pieces at farmers’ markets, museums and galleries gave her confidence to aim for westside arts fairs, juried exhibits and home shows like the upcoming Arts in Bloom in Seattle. Jessica’s consistent success — and the encouragement of friends — spurred her to at last drop the security of occasional unrelated jobs and declare as a professional artist. She’s created two commissioned public art pieces: the Methow Valley Firefighters Memorial and Wenatchee’s Art on the Avenue. Online or in exhibition, her vanes catch attention, and she was awarded Emerging Artist award at Best of the Northwest Seattle Fine Art and Craft show in 2017. In Wenatchee, her mate’s home city, she and her family are settling in. She’s gladly connecting with other area artists, and with the tools of her trade at hand and a well-equipped work space, Jessica is living up to her own artistic promises. About her professional art life, she said, “I realized I didn’t have to prove anything to anyone else… I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do this.” The popularity of her weathervanes has allowed Jessica to point herself again in a new personal direction — designing flat wall art, copper relief overlaid with metal paint, gold leaf and antiquing compounds that add rich texture and the variety of patinas that only copper can create. She envisions creating whole landscapes of cosmology: starbursts, swirls of suns and nebulae. Jessica, now 45, says she’s happy with the direction(s) she’s chosen. “When I went for full time art, everything started falling in place — it was scary to take the leap, and honestly it still is — but when I finally did, I did the work, and the work came to me.” www.ncwgoodlife.com
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fun stuff what to do around here for the next month We want to know of fun and interesting local events. Send info to: donna@ncwgoodlife.com
Rocky Reach Hydro Project, 4/1 through 11/1, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Re-opening in April: Museum, café, balconies that offer panoramic views to the dam and grounds, juvenile fish bypass system. A 90-seat theater shows movies and there is ample parking for recreational vehicles and buses. Guided tours by appointment. Info: facebookcom/visitrockyreach. NCW BLUES JAM, every second and fourth Monday. 7 – 10 p.m. Riverside Pub. Homegrown Country Jam, every first and third Monday night, 7 to 10 p.m. Riverside Pub. Upper Valley Running Club, every Tuesday, 4:30 – 6 p.m. Check-in at the gravel lot across from O’Grady’s Pantry. Maps will be available for a marked 3-mile trail route, partly along Icicle Creek. Run or walk, by yourself, with a friend or with your family. Participate 10 or more times and earn an Upper Valley Running Club tech tee. Info: sleepinglady.com. Wenatchee Paddle Club, every Tuesday, 9:30 a.m. open paddle, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6 p.m. novice kayak paddle group, Saturdays, 7 a.m. masters crew rowing. Info: wenatcheepaddle.org. 1 million cups, every first Wednesday of the month. 7:45 a.m. sharp. Entrepreneurs discover solutions and thrive when they collaborate over a million cups of coffee. Come join this supportive, dynamic community and hear from two businesses that are between 1 – 5 years old. Discover how we can help move them forward in a positive environment, fueled by caffeine. Coffee provided by Mela Coffee Roasting. Wenatchee Valley Chamber office, 137 N. Wenatchee Ave.
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WHAT TO DO
We want to know of fun and interesting local events. Send info to: donna@ncwgoodlife.com
}}} Continued from previous page Shrub-steppe poetry podium, every last Wednesday, 4 – 5 p.m. A free, poetry-only public reading. Read your own poems or the work of a favorite poet. The Radar Station, 115 S. Wenatchee Ave. Info: sfblair61@gmail.com. Weekly Club Runs, every Thursday check in between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. at Pybus Public Market south entrance. Either a 5k or 10k walk or run on the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail. Complete 10 weekly runs and receive a free shirt. Cost: free (other than a smile). 2 Left Feet, every Thursday, 7 – 9 p.m. 2 Left Feet is a loose organization of local dance enthusiasts who would like to see more dancing in the Wenatchee Valley. Beginner lesson at the top of the hour followed by carefree social dancing. No partner necessary to join in the fun. Dance style will be 1940s swing with a bit of salsa, blues, waltz or tango thrown in. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspub-
licmarket.org. Game Night, every 4th Friday. Board games, card games or any games you bring. Open to families and all ages. Hosted by Pacific Crest Church. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket. org. Jam at the Crow, 7 – 10 p.m. Every first Sunday. The Club Crow in Cashmere, 108 1/2 Cottage Ave. Cost: free. Book-it theatre presents: new shoes, 4/1, 11 a.m. A live theatrical performance based on a picture book by Susan Lynn Meyer. Leavenworth Library. Cost: free. Info: ncrl. org/locations/Leavenworth-publiclibrary. Rockets to robots: spring break camp, 4/2, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Discover the beauty behind how robots move. Build your own robot and explore the mechanics of all their moving parts. Discover the science behind rocket ships, build your own designs and launch them into the sky. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: $100. Info: wenatcheevalleymuseum.org.
Keep Up to Date on all the Apple Blossom Festival Activities and Events
Tune Into: The SUNNY FM “APPLE BLOSSOM ACTIVITY REPORT” Recorded by our 2019 Apple Blossom Festival Royal Court
Reports Air: 4/24 to 5/4: 7:40am, 11:40am, 3:40pm, 5:40pm & 8:40pm 93.9 FM Wenatchee Valley 101.3 FM Brewster/Pateros 101.9 FM Okanogan Valley 95.3 FM Lake Chelan Valley ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ 106.3 FM Methow Valley
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// SKETCHES OF LOCAL ARTISTS
Jameson Varpness: The choir is better when all voices have a place By Susan Lagsdin
When Jameson Varpness
first saw Wenatchee almost four years ago, just 26, just out of grad school in Nebraska and grateful for a first job in his area of expertise, he was stunned. “Nobody had told me it was like this! All the recreation... I’d never been hiking, never been skiing. Now I go all the time.” Newly hired as the director of music ministries at Grace Lutheran Church, he not only became an outdoorsman, he also immersed himself in Wenatchee’s lively music scene. He sees it as a kind of niche environment. “This is a perfect sized city — it’s big enough to have all these opportunities, and it’s small enough that you can actually get involved,” though he admits for some there’s a laughably tight overlap of schedules. He’s a trombonist in the Wenatchee Valley Symphony, directs the Appleaires women’s chorus, and plays piano in the pit at Hot August Night PAC productions. That’s all in his free time, of course. During the day and many evenings, Jameson does his job planning and conducting music for the Grace congregation. From the start, his autonomy let him gradually grow his own programs. “I came into the perfect situation here,” he said. “All the structures for music ministry were intact, and there were certain expectations, but there was no one individual I had to be compared to.” The job also held little of the “we’ve always done it this way”
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syndrome he’d anticipated. His light-filled church office is lined with (by count) 200 linear feet of shelving holding black boxes labeled #1 to #1491, full of choral scores. Three file cabinets hold music for handbells, brass instruments, organ and piano. But the star of the room is the shiny black Pramberger piano shipped intact, collapsed and bubblewrapped, from his Midwest college. (“I don’t even like to think about how they got it in here,” he said, eyeing the narrow doorway.) A typical busy work week for Jameson involves researching and transcribing scores, planning curricula and holding rehearsals for up to six performing groups, three with Latin names: Catecheo (resounding in the ear) is for 3rd to 5th graders, Chancel Schola (paraphrased they learn to sing in the altar end of the church) is for 6th through 12th graders; mostly adults are in the Compline Choir (the last of the evening prayers) and the Voices of Grace main choir. Multi-age instrumental groups are The Bells of Grace handbell group and the Grace Brass. He also selects the Sunday morning congregational hymns. “A lot of what I do is communicating with everyone involved and figuring out who needs what when, from worship services to community events,” Jameson said. “There’s a saying: ‘the primary job of a musician is to make music, the second is to haul stuff.’” He’s familiar with both. Born in Minnesota to music teacher parents and trained as a pianist, Jameson’s career path seemed straightforward.
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Jameson Varpness: director of music ministries at Grace Lutheran Church has a piano in his office and bookcases lining his walls full of music.
However, he balked in college at the continual pressure of piano performance (note: tender encouragement brought him back). In that period, he found his métier in collaborative ensemble settings, which combined with a music ministry internship to set him in a rewarding new direction. He figures he’s hard to pin down as a musician; singing, keyboarding, teaching, conducting, and arranging all draw his
interest, but, Jameson explained, “My particular form of creativity lives in synthesis. Communicating through art — setting things next to each other and allowing those pieces to interact and create meaning — comes much more naturally to me than starting with a blank canvas.” That meshes with his other passion: the power of people knowing and understanding each other, whether within a group of singers, among reliApril 2019 | The Good Life
gions or in the region, and he’s eager to use his position to collaborate and reach into the larger world. That’s a big job, but he optimistically quotes Leonard Bernstein: “To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time.” Jameson admits, “Our church (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America or ELCA) is statistically one of the least diverse religious bodies in America. We’re not great at this, yet. But I think it’s changing — the tectonic plates are shifting, there are deep rumblings and my job is to keep my ear to the ground.” These last two years have been hopeful ones. Performing Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concert with Wenatchee’s Big Band for Black History Month, creating a Spanish language service with dual programs and liturgy, and celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Protestant reformation with other non-Lutheran churches were all big steps beyond the home altar. Jameson believes that race and ethnicity, poverty and class are all viable concerns of the church community. And, as an openly gay man, he is equally sensitive to LGBTQ issues, citing trans women of color as, ironically, America’s newest and most vocal civil rights advocates. How do you encourage a church to value inclusion and diversity? Jameson intends to do it with music, one note at a time. And he’s going to do it with others, just as he conducts his singing groups, because, as he described, “The individual voices within a choir are so much less expressive than the whole ensemble working cooperatively… creating something that none of us could do alone is both immensely rewarding and a constant reminder that we need each other.” www.ncwgoodlife.com
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WHAT TO DO
We want to know of fun and interesting local events. Send info to: donna@ncwgoodlife.com
Fly Tying Class, 4/2, 6 – 8 p.m. Learn about fly fishing equipment, philosophy and the basic entomological connections between aquatic food sources and local fish. All materials and tools provided. Students receive 6 - 8 flies to get started on their own fishing adventures. Wenatchee River Institute. Cost: $60. Info: wenatcheeriverinstitute.org. Horan Natural Area, 4/2, 7 p.m. The NCW Audubon Society will present an overview of the history and current conditions in the Horan Natural Area and discuss feature opportunities to create a world-class urban, wild land park for the future. Light refreshments with no-host wine bar. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: $5 suggested donation. Info: wenatcheevalleymuseum.org. The Illusionists – Live from Broadway, 4/4, 7 p.m. This mind blowing spectacular showcases the jaw dropping talents of five of the most incredible Illusionists on earth. Town Toyota Center. Cost: $35-$75. Info: towntoyotacenter. com. Piano Battle, 4/4, 7:30 p.m. Whether or not they are friends in real life, mercy is the last thing on their mind when fighting on stage. Winning the audience’s heart is the only thing that counts. Pianists Andreas Kern and Paul Cibis battle in competition and you are the judge. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $25-$35. Info: numericapac. org. Chelan Winery Tandem Skydives, 4/5, noon – 5 p.m. Skydive and land at one of Chelan’s top wineries. There will be a glass of wine waiting for you upon landing. Info: skydivechelan.com/winery-tandem or call 881-0687. First Friday Events Include: *Guided Art Tours, 4/5, 5:30 p.m. First Fridays with professional artist talks, mini lessons, and collector prints. All tours begin and end at Columbia Station. Tours help familiarize you with local art venues and artists. Popular art instructor Chester Ferrell leads a short handson mini lesson and talk at the Wenatchee Valley Museum. This will be a chance to take a closer
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WHAT TO DO
We want to know of fun and interesting local events. Send info to: donna@ncwgoodlife.com
}}} Continued from previous page look at a few hand-picked pieces from the regional high school show in a fun, relaxing environment. Cost: free. Info: 664-7624. *Class with a Glass, 4/5, 5 – 8 p.m. 10 S Columbia St. *Collapse, 4/5, 4 – 9 p.m. 115 S Wenatchee Ave. (in front of RadarStation). *Gypsy Lotus, 4/5, 5 – 8 p.m. 1 S Wenatchee Ave. Cost: free. *Lemolo Café and Deli, 4/5, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. 114 N Wenatchee Ave. *MAC Gallery, 4/5, 5 – 7 p.m. Wenatchee Valley College Music and Art Center, 1300 Fifth St. *Mela, 4/5, 5 – 8 p.m. Nosh provided. Cost: free. 17 N. Wenatchee Ave. Cost: free. *Mission Street Commons, 4/5, 5 – 8 p.m. 218 S Mission St. *Pans Grotto, 4/5, 4 – 9 p.m. 3 N Wenatchee Ave. Ste 2. *RadarStation, 4/5, 4 – 9 p.m. 115 S Wenatchee Ave. *Robert Graves Gallery, 4/5, 5 – 7 p.m. Ceramic vessels and masks by Gary Dismukes on display. Sexton Hall at Wenatchee Valley College, Ninth St entrance. *Tumbleweed Bead Co., 4/5, 5-7 p.m. Refreshments served. 105 Palouse St. Cost: free. Info: tumbleweedbeadco.com. *Two Rivers Art Gallery, 4/5, 5 – 8 p.m. Featuring 20 artists of the Wenatchee Watercolor Society. Music by Jac Tiechner. Complimentary refreshments. 102 N Columbia, Wenatchee. Cost: free. Info: 2riversgallery.com. *Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce, 4/5, 5 – 8 p.m. 137 N Wenatchee Ave. *Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center, 4/5, 5. – 8 p.m. Light refreshments. Cost: free. Info: Wenatchee.org. *Ye Olde Bookshoppe, 4/5, 5 – 8 p.m. 11 Palouse St. Leavenworth Film Festival, 4/5, 6, 6 p.m. Showcasing the best recent short films with a focus on outdoor pursuits and natural world. Leavenworth Festhalle. Info: leaven-
worth.com. Slim Chance, 4/5, 7 – 9 p.m. Live performance on the rail car. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Icicle Creek Spring Chamber Festival, 4/5, 7 p.m. Canyon Wren Hall. Cost: $22 advance or $24 at the door. Info: icicle.org. Writing Workshops: Focus on fiction, 4/6, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Focus on honing your fiction writing craft. Paula Coomer, author and writing coach, will discuss short story writing and introduce the art of assemblage: using found images, themes and details from life to create stories that bring the reader fully wake in, “Short Stories 101.” Matthew Sullivan, author and teacher, will discuss ways to use suspense to create more compelling work by exploring how pacing, plot escalation and character development work together to ratchet up reader expectations in, “Keep Em Hanging.” Wenatchee Valley College. Cost: $85. Info and register: writeontheriver.org. SageFest: Foothills Trail maintenance, 4/6, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Meet at Horse Lake trailhead, break into groups, work on the trails, then meet at the trailhead for a 1 p.m. BBQ. Info: Olivia@cdlandtrust.org or 667-9708. Taste Leavenworth, 4/6, 7, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Leavenworth is the largest producer of organic pears. Each April Leavenworth’s finest shops, lodging and restaurants feature culinary specials with a ‘pear’ticular focus. Art events, music, pear cocktails, pear chocolates, pear salads, pear sausage and more! Downtown Leavenworth. Info: leavenworth.org. Spring Fling, 4/6, 6 p.m. Celebrating the upcoming new season at the PAC. Get dressed-up for cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and check out the new season. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: free. RSVP: rsvp@numericapac.org. Fly Tying Class, 4/9, 6 – 8:30 p.m. Learn about fly fishing equipment, philosophy and the basic entomological connections between aquatic food sources and local fish. All materials and tools provided. Students receive 6 - 8 flies to get started on their own fishing adventures. Wenatchee River Institute. Cost: $60. Info: wenatcheeriverinstitute.org. Monthly movie on the big screen: The Breakfast Club,
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4/10, 6:30 p.m. Five high school students from different walks of life endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $3. Info: numericapac.org. Soil, turf and trees, 4/11, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Best management practices for both turf and trees include good soil health, proper moisture and aeration, along with pest and disease monitoring and treatment as needed. Presented by Paula Dinius, WSU Chelan Co. Extension and Ben Thompson, WA DNR Urban and Community Forestry. Rocky Reach Dam Visitor Center. Cost: $10. Register: 667-6540 or pdinius@ wsu.edu. Spring Fashion Show and Tea, 4/11, 1 p.m. A fundraising event featuring styles from upper valley shops. Sponsored by PEO (Philanthropic Education Organization for women) raising funds for educating women. Icicle Village Resort. Cost: $30. Info: vschasse@gmail.com or 888-5309. Upper Valley Nature Walk, 4/11, 2 – 5 p.m. Join Connie McCauley to explore the Ski Hill area, looking at wildflowers, birds and wildlife. Meet at the Ski Hill parking lot, 10701 Ski Hill Dr. Leavenworth. Info: hillary@cdlandtrust.org or 6679708. Community Science: eBird
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April 2019
monitoring, 4/11, 6 – 11:30 a.m. Would you like to spend a weekday morning hiking, viewing wildlife, wildflowers and snow-capped mountains, while being part of a small team collecting bird species data? Learn more about becoming a CDLT citizen scientist volunteer by contacting Susan Ballinger at susan@cdlantrust.org or 667-9708. Meet on the pavement on Horse Lake Rd to carpool then walk a 5 mile route. Chelan Winery Tandem Skydives, 4/12, noon – 5 p.m. Skydive and land at one of Chelan’s top wineries. There will be a glass of wine waiting for you upon landing. Info: skydivechelan.com/winery-tandem or call 881-0687. Spelling Bee Fundraiser, 4/12, 5:30 -8:30 p.m. Participate in a dinner, auction and team spelling competition to support free English as a second language classes for adults through the Literacy Council of Chelan and Douglas Counties. Each “hive” (table) of 8 adult teams will be in a spelling competition against other hives. Pybus Public Market. Cost: $60. Info: literacycouncilcd.org. Nic Allen, 4/12, 7 – 9 p.m. Live performance on the rail car. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Educated, 4/12, 7 p.m. Author
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WHAT TO DO
We want to know of fun and interesting local events. Send info to: donna@ncwgoodlife.com
Tara Westover will be speaking at Wenatchee High School about her memoir of transformation from unschooled, rural Idaho fundamentalist to a Cambridge University PHD. Trail maintenance in the foothills, 4/13, 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Light to moderate work involving a 2-5 mile hike using hand tools. RSVP Olivia@cdlandtrust.org or 667-9708. Gold treasure and more show, 4/13, 14, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Over 40 venders selling prospecting and rockhound supplies, metal detectors, jewelry, art, gems and minerals, rocks, gold pay dirt bags, fudge, ATVs and more. Truck and cars on display. Learn how to pan for gold. Coin and toy hunt for kid’s ages 2-10. Free metal detecting hunt with paid admission. Coins and metal tags for prizes will be buried on the fairgrounds. Door and raffle prizes. Food available. Chelan County Fairgrounds in Cashmere. Cost: $5, children 12 and under free. Info: 860-1145. Historical Walking tours of Leavenworth, 4/13, 10 a.m. One to 2 hours town walk. Start at Lions Club Park. Cost: $5 donation. Info: 548-0728. Wen-Con, 4/13, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. A pop-culture convention with guest stars, vendors, artists, games, panel discussion, prizes, cosplay and many other activities. Town Toyota Center. Cost: $18. Info: towntoyotacenter.com. Coyote’s Corner free art class, 4/13, 11 a.m. – noon. Ages 4 – 11 and their guardians. Artist of the month is Roy Lichtenstein using comic strip images to make art. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: free. Info: wenatcheevalleymuseum.org. K9s and wines, 4/13, 2 – 5 p.m. This family event features K9 demonstrations, raffle, silent auction, prizes for the kids. Meet Chelan County Sheriffs K9 handlers and their furry partners. Proceeds raised help purchase new equipment and training for the dogs. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: k9sandwines.com. Leavenworth Ale Fest, 4/13, 6:30 p.m. Over 40 breweries and cideries with live music and fun. Benefits local non-profit Icicle Creek Center for the Arts. Festhalle.
Cost: $45 includes tasting glass and 8 taster tokens. Info: icicle.org. Shakespeare in love, 4/13, 7 p.m. Live performance by Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $21-$40. Info: numericapac. org. Early wildflower walk at Sam Hill, 4/14, 1 – 4 p.m. Join Jack Mynatt and Washington Native Plant Society members Don and Ann Schaechtel for a wildflower walk. Info: hillary@cdlandtrust.org. Fred Meyer Easter Egg Hunt, 4/14, 2 – 4 p.m. Prizes, fun and a candy in every egg. Three age groups. Eastmont Community Park by the Aquatic Center. Cost: $1. Info: east-wenatchee.com. A plastic ocean, 4/16, 7 – 9 p.m. Journalist Craig Leeson, searching for the elusive blue whale, discovers plastic waste in the ocean. In this documentary Craig travels to 20 locations around the world over four years and uncovers alarming truths about plastic pollution. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: free, popcorn and no-host bar. Info: wenatcheevalleymuseum.org.
landtrust.org. Guided Art Tours for kids, 4/19, 9:30 – a.m. These tours are designed for children and their caregivers seeking ways to explore interesting and fun destinations, which are easily accessed with Link Transit’s fixed-route system. All tours begin and end at Columbia Station. Visit the Winnie the Pig sculpture garden, play a plant sensory and seed identification game. Finish the day with some play time at Rotary Park. Pack a picnic lunch and make a day of it or catch the next bus. Cost: free. Info: 664-7624 or sdanko@linktransit.com.
Seattle Shakespeare Co: Macbeth, 4/19, 6:30 p.m. This taut, pared-down, bilingual adaptation (English/Spanish) tells a tale of murder and dark ambition. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $17-$25. Info: numericapac.org.
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Chelan Winery Tandem Skydives, 4/19, noon – 5 p.m. Skydive and land at one of Chelan’s top wineries. There will be a glass of wine waiting for you upon landing. Info: skydivechelan.com/winery-tandem or call 881-0687. Cashmere Chamber auction and recognition dinner, 4/19, 5:30 p.m. Business and citizen of the year to be announced. Dinner with silent and live auctions support Chamber programs and events. Chelan County Expo Center. Info: cashmerechamber.org.
Community Science: ebird monitoring at Mountain home preserve, 4/18, 6 – 10 a.m. Would you like to spend a weekday morning hiking, viewing wildlife, wildflowers and snow-capped mountains, while being part of a small team collecting bird species data? Learn more about becoming a CDLT citizen scientist volunteer by contacting Susan Ballinger at susan@cdlantrust.org or 667-9708. Flywheel Investment Conference, 4/18, 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. Entrepreneurs, investors, and community members come together to cultivate momentum for growing companies. The conference is a full-day event, and includes educational seminars, speaker panels, an investment competition, and resources from professional service providers. Stanley Civic Center. Cost: $60 includes lunch and networking. Info: gwata.org. Girls Night Out, 4/18, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Purchase a swag bag that includes itinerary map and coupon book. Chamber of Commerce will offer a four 2 ounce tasting of rose for $10. Info: wendowntown.org. Trail maintenance in the foothills, 4/18, 3 – 6 p.m. Light to moderate involving hiking 1 – 3 miles using hand tools. Info: cdApril 2019 | The Good Life
Parade May 3 6 p.m.
Contact The East Wenatchee Events Department for more info: www.east-wenatchee.com
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Car Show May 4 12 - 5 p.m.
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WHAT TO DO
We want to know of fun and interesting local events. Send info to: donna@ncwgoodlife.com
}}} Continued from page 32 Lance Tigner, 4/19, 7 – 9 p.m. Live performance on the rail car. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Hike for health series, 4/20, 9 – 11 a.m. Improve your health, be part of a team, take home prizes and be entered to win one of many grand prizes at the end of the hiking season. See: cdlandtrust.org for rules and hike schedule. Easter Egg Hunt, 4/20, 1 – 4 p.m. Over 20,000 Easter eggs hidden. Three different age groups. Cow train rides, ball pit bounce house, prop maze, hay wagon rides and petting zoo. Smallwood’s Harvest. Cost: free. Info: Leavenworth.org. Lake Chelan Spring Release, 4/20, 21, 27, 28. The vine wake up in April and the brilliant whites and delightful pinks have been bottled and are ready to taste. Apple Blossom Festival 100 year documentary premier, 4/20, 7 p.m. The documentary follows the 2018 Apple Blossom royalty selection process as well as the events of 2018 Festival. North 40 Productions produced this film and tracts the evolution of the Apple Blossom Festival from 1920 to present day. The film pays tribute to the people who started the festival and all those who have been involved in the last hundred years. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $15. Info: numericapac.org. Leavenworth Lions Club Easter Egg Hunt, 4/21, 1 p.m. Enchantment Park. Cost: free. Info: leavenworthlions.com. Earth Day scavenger hunt for families, 4/22, 4 – 6 p.m. Usually takes 30 minutes to an hour to complete the hunt. See: cdlandtrust.org for rules and location. Flutist Paul Taub, 4/23. 3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m., a Flute Choir Master Class. 7 p.m. Evening recital. For 39 years, Paul was on the facility of the Cornish College of Arts in Seattle and was a founding performer with the Seattle Chamber Players. Flutists are welcome to participate in the afternoon master class. Info: Suzanne Carr at suzanne. flute1@gmail.com. 11011 S. Miller, Wenatchee, at the Wenatchee Church of the Nazarene.
Wildflower walk – Jacobson Preserve, 4/23, 5:30 – 7 p.m. Join Susan Ballinger on a stroll looking at the native plants in our foothills. RSVP required: hillary@cdlandtrust. org or 667-9708. Get Lit: greenhouses, 4/24, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Learn the science behind greenhouses and how to make one for your home or backyard. Adults only. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: $20 includes one small mobile greenhouse and a glass of wine. Info: wenatcheevalleymuseum.org. Comedy for a cause, 4/24, 7 p.m. A night of justice, impact and comedic relief featuring celebrity immigration panel and comedy show, benefiting YWCA NCW’s Social Justice programs. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Info: ywcancw.org. Full wildflower walk – balsamroot trail, 4/25, 5:30 – 7 p.m. Join Susan Ballinger on a stroll amid blooming wildflowers. RSVP required: hillary@cdlandtrust.org or 667-9708. Memorial Park entertainment stage, 4/25 through 5/5, noon. Live entertainment and food fair starts off Apple Blossom Festival. Blossoms and brews, 4/25 through 5/5, 4 p.m. Beverages from Icicle Brewing Co., Badger Mountain Brewing, Deschutes, Iron Horse, Columbia Distributing, Jones Winery and more. Memorial Park. Trail maintenance at horse lake reserve, 4/25, 3 – 6 p.m. Small groups to do brushing and hazard reduction along the 2 – 5 mile route. RSVP required: 6679708. Hello Beautiful woman’s conference, 4/26-28. This dynamic 2-day conference is designed to equip, encourage and challenge you to thrive in all aspects of life. Experience life-changing speakers, inspiring worship, practical workshop and so much more. Northshore Bible Church, 123 Wapato Point Pkwy, Manson. Info: 699-9362 or sowerscc.com. Spring Saunters, 4/26, 10 a.m. – noon. Join area naturalists from the Wenatchee River Institute for a guided spring tour along the Waterfront Park Trail in Leavenworth. Learn about local and migratory birds, flowers, cultural history and more. Meet at 347 Division St. Cost: free. Info: wenatcheeriverinstitute.org.
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Chelan Winery Tandem Skydives, 4/26, noon – 5 p.m. Skydive and land at one of Chelan’s top wineries. There will be a glass of wine waiting for you upon landing. Info: skydivechelan.com/winery-tandem or call 881-0687. Upper Valley Nature Walk, 4/26, 2 – 5 p.m. Join Connie McCauley to explore the Ski Hill area, looking at wildflowers, birds and wildlife. Meet at the Ski Hill parking lot, 10701 Ski Hill Dr. Leavenworth. Info: hillary@cdlandtrust.org or 667-9708. PBJ&M Band, 4/26, 7 – 9 p.m. Live performance on the rail car. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Film: Reel Rock 13, 4/26, 7 p.m. A collection of the year’s best climbing films, delivering jaw-dropping action, soulful journeys and rollicking humor. Cost: $15 advance or $17 at the door. Snowy Owl Theater. Info: icicle.org. Columbia Chorale presents songs from the British isles, 4/26, 7:30 p.m. Featuring folk tunes, madrigals, stage pieces and classical works by well-known composers from England, Ireland and Scotland. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $20. Info: numericapac.org. Horse Lake 25k, 7-mile and 5 mile trail runs, 4/27, 7 a.m. Info: runwenatchee.com. Dahlia Tuber Sale, 4/27, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. NCW Dahlia Society will be offering tips and answer questions about growing and caring for dahlias along with selling tubers from some of the top dahlias in the country. Pybus Public Market. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Wenatchee Valley Pickleball Tournament, 4/27, 28, 8 a.m. Prizes, SWAG and champion awards. Eastmont Pickleball complex, 255 N Georgia Ave. Free for spectators. Rustique Divas Vintage Market, 4/27, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Regional artisans and vendors selling antiques and collectibles, hand-crafted jewelry, home décor, furniture and everything in between. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Plant Sale, 4/27, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Master Gardener plant sale. Pybus Public Market. Info: extension.wsu. edu/chelan-douglas/gardening/ mg/. Two Rivers Medieval Faire, 4/27,
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28, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Watch knights jousting, meet lords and ladies and talk to Ogres and fairies. Shop for unique wares but watch out for pirates. Enjoy minstrels, storytellers, relax at the Green Dragon Tavern and feast at the food court. Chelan County Expo Center, 5700 Westcott Dr. Cashmere. Cost: $10. Info: 2riversmedievalfaire.org. Keyes Fibre Youth Parade, 4/27, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Parade starts at Triangle Park goes down Orondo Ave turns west on Wenatchee Avenue, ends at 7th and Wenatchee Ave.. Cost: free. Leavenworth Firefighter Challenge, 4/27, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Climbing 1,665 vertical feet over 6.2 miles of rugged National Forest terrain will test the physical and mental endurance of the toughest competitors. Games and activities for kids including a chance to touch and explore a District #3 fire engine. Awards and raffle prizes. Leavenworth Ski Hill. Info: lwffc. org. North Country, 4/27, 7 p.m. Based out of Seattle, North Country is one of the premier traditional bluegrass bands. Cashmere Community Concerts at Cashmere Riverside Center. Cost: $3 at the door and pass the hat $8-11. Info: cashmereconcerts.com. The Malpass Brothers, 4/28, 2 p.m. Retro traditional country artists with magnetic personalities, Christopher and Taylor give new life to classic country music. A Wenatchee Community Concert event. Wenatchee High School. Info: wenatcheeconcerts.org. Rotaryfest presents “Hot Havana Nights,” 4/28, 4 p.m. The evening includes dinner, silent auction, one-bid board, live auctions and “Dessert Dash.” Raffles and a chance to win a Caribbean Cruise for two. Leavenworth Feshalle. Info: leavenworthrotaryfest.com. Funtastic Shows Carnival, 4/29 through 5/5. One price wrist- bands available daily for $40 includes rides, three game tickets and a food item. Town Toyota Center. Disney’s Newsies, 5/1, 2, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 7:30 p.m. 4/5, 4 p.m., 5/11, 2 p.m. Newsies is the rousing tale of Jack Kelly, a charismatic newsboy and leader of a band of teenaged “newsies.” A Music Theatre of Wenatchee production. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $27$31. Info: numericapac.org.
PET tales
Tells us a story about your pet. Submit pet & owner pictures to: editor@ncwgoodlife.com
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arolyn Grant, Cashmere was walking her dog, Pandi, left, at the dog park in Wenatchee. Pandi is a six-and-half-year-old Cocker Spaniel that Carolyn got from a friend. “Pandi is a great family dog. I bring her to work everyday. Pandi is the shop greeter in my hair salon. She loves everyone,” said Carolyn. Carolyn said she loves the black coat of Pandi because she never looks dirty. She was also walking her son’s dog, Cloe, an eight-month old Cocker Spaniel mix. “Cloe needs to be taught obedience and needs to get used to other dogs. She did quite well today,” said Carolyn.
April 2019 | The Good Life
iolet is a long hair German Shepherd and is eight months old. Jennifer Greaves, Wenatchee, got Violet from the Humane Society when Violet was three months old. Jennifer said Violet is a wonderful dog and extremely smart. Violet is about to be tested for her AKC certificate. “She is a great family dog. She is a perfect playmate to my fiveyear-old daughter,” said Jennifer.
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column those were the days
rod molzahn
Fire & Ice (With apologies to Robert Frost) Massive forest fires and
severe winters have been regular events throughout the history of north central Washington. With the arrival of white people came a written record of the fires and freezes of the past. In 1853 Isaac Stevens, first governor of Washington Territory, charged Lt. George McClellan with the job of exploring the Cascades in search of a passage over the mountains suitable for wagons and a railroad. In September McClellan and his men were following Indian trails between the Kittitas Valley and the Cascade crest. Surprisingly, he did not find Snoqualmie Pass but did write on the 10th from a camp near Lake Kle-allum, “The air is so smoky that we can see nothing of the lake.” The next day he added, “The air is perfectly thick with smoke like a north barrack room in old times. I fear that we will have but little clear air until the rains set in.” In 1859 Henry Custer and a company of surveyors and assistants were working for the U.S. Boundary Commission on their first trip to locate and establish the U.S./Canadian border along the 49th parallel. They were looking over the land from the top of Middle Peak just inside the northwest corner of, what is now, the North Cascades National Park. He noted in his journal that to the east there was a huge forest fire, “sending up vast columns of smoke several hundred feet high.” On his second trip that summer, this time to the Skagit River north of the border, Custer wrote, “On this (east) side of the stream we found the whole forest burned by late forest fires ignited by persons lately camped here. Smoke was still arising in
... to the east there was a huge forest fire, “sending up vast columns of smoke several hundred feet high.” all directions.” For his final trip that year he planned to climb Hozomeen Mountain in the north east corner of North Cascades National Park. He was disappointed to find he could not make the climb because, “The whole country is covered with clouds and smoke.” Jack Splawn was a Central Washington cattleman. In 1868 he rode on a drive of 200 cattle across Naches Pass. He recalled, “When the cattle started on that drive it was so smoky from forest fires that it was impossible to see the lead cattle more than 200 yards away.” In September of 1883 Lt. George Washington Goethals and his men were in the Methow Valley looking for routes over the north Cascades. The Lieutenant noted that they were in heavy forest fire smoke from early in the trip and could barely make out the land around them. On Sept. 10, a hard rain cleared the air and Goethals wrote that he was, “thankful as we had been passing through smoke ever since we left the head of the north fork of the Twotsp. (Twisp)” Most of the old fires, as is the case today, were lightning caused. Others were human caused and may have been products of “controlled burns” set by native people to keep huckleberry meadows clear. Whatever the
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cause, fires devastated forests. The hard winters, however, killed stock. A truly “Hard Winter” was one where severe weather continued for three months or more with temperatures down to 30 below zero, constant harsh blizzards, deep snow, and brief warming followed by deep freeze again to form a hard crust over the surface of the earth. The winter of 1861/62 was like that. When early April broke the winter’s grip, “Dead cattle by the thousands were piled up all over the hills.” Some 80 percent of the stock on the eastern range of Oregon and Washington perished. The winter of 1880/81 was at least as bad. Jack Splawn recalled that in the fall of 1880 the Yakima Valley was home to 150,000 cattle. Only 50,000 survived the winter. In the Okanogan 10,000 head were wintering. The winter killed 8,500 and bankrupted even the largest cattle companies. The story of the “Heart Breaking Winter” of 1889/90 has been recalled by many settlers. Benedict Gubser spent the winter at his homestead ranch in Spring Coulee near Conconully. He followed the winter in his diary. December 31 – More than a foot of snow fell in December. January 1 – Cold and windy all day. Storming and snowing tonight. 2 – Temperature away below zero. High wind blowing from the north. Heaven and earth filled with sifting snow as fine as dust makes it the most disagreeable weather I have yet seen in the country. 7 – No mail has come in for days on account of a severe snow
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storm having blocked the roads. 11- Rumor has it that (Northern Pacific) trains have been snowbound for 10 days. 12 – Came on home. Everything that could freeze in the room was frozen. 25 below zero in Ruby. 13 – One man near the Okanogan has already lost a hundred cattle. 15 – Has been snowing without intermission for the last twenty eight hours. Makes the snow, at present, about 30 inches deep. 17 – Quite a brisk wind blew last night and today. Has turned cold again. 21 – The day was raw and cold, the sun not shining. Snowed a trifle. 22 – Snowed 2 or 3 inches last night 23 – Snowed about all day so I could not do anything. 25 – Was terrible laborious wading through the snow, which in places, is 2 1/2 feet deep and packed. February 1 – Snowing all forenoon. The snow is 3 feet deep at Funks. He has lost one of his best brood mares. 3 – Rained, snowed, snowed and rained most of the day. Many snow slides occurred today. The snow at the head of Homestake Basin is 3 1/2 feet deep. 7 – Helped one of the Provos boys make him a pair of snowshoes so he could go home. 12 – A mare died of starvation last night at the lower end of Fish Lake. 13 – Last night was the coldest for a couple weeks past. 14 – Tended the horses and shoveled snow for them. (To get to grass.)
15 – The day has been one of the worst of the winter. A strong wind has been blowing from the north ever since last night. Driving snow. 16 – Blew and snowed from the north nearly all day. Cold as a blizzard. 17 – Last night was among the coldest and windiest of the winter. Snowed for 30 hours. 20 – Windy and cold. I suffered more today from cold than any other day this winter. 24 – Day was clear and wind roaring from the north. 25 – Heard George Smith was losing about 25 head of cattle daily. A couple weeks ago he had lost 400. 27 – A man living in the Lime Belt has lost over 100 horses, has only about 50 left. March 2 – Shoveled snow a while for my colt. It looks bad. 5 – Took a feed of oats up to the colt. It looked to be in a precarious condition. 6 – Went to take care of my colt, but my fears were realized. Forced off the trail, it had slid down the steep hillside stopping with its head bent around under it so it had died in that position without struggle. Froze considerable last night. 8 – Rained most of the night. Snow is melting down unusually fast. 20 – Still six inches to a foot of snow over the bottomland. 22 – Funk says he has lost half his horses. He said Chapel has 13 horses left out of over a hundred. Snowed a little last night. 24 – Heard the first Meadowlark whistle today. 25 – Saw a chipmunk and a young grasshopper today. Historian, actor and teacher Rod Molzahn can be reached at shake. speak@nwi.net. His third history CD, Legends & Legacies Vol. III - Stories of Wenatchee and North Central Washington, is now available at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center and at other locations throughout the area.
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Beware the code of the mountains! By G. Wayne Hawks
I’m
sorry it’s been so long since we last talked. I’ve been in the hospital, and not just because I work there. I had to recuperate from… well, let’s start at the beginning… A couple years ago, a very good friend of mine, Dan Gaab, and I had been talking about going backpacking together. Dan is a very experienced backpacker and I had gone, well, once before. So, one day I got a text from Dan that said, “The Mountains are Calling.” And, that’s all it said. So, I texted back with “Umm, what?” He called me and explained that was part of the code — the backpacker’s code — and when he texted that to me, it was the signal it was time to plan our backpacking trip but that I should first respond with, “We must go.” Over the next couple of years, I got that text six times and for five times we had wonderful trips, he and I, backpacking to Ingalls Creek, Lake Janus, Chatter Creek, Lake Valhalla, French Creek, and then… Myrtle Lake…. By this time, the experienced backpacker, Dan, had been able to teach me the backpacker’s code, at least his definition of
it. It is fairly simple, just five things: n Those going up-hill have the right of way. n Leave nothing behind, aka, pack it in, pack it out. If you can’t pack it out, or you really REALLY don’t want to, bury it. n If you’re in the lead, as I always was, it’s your responsibility to look for where you left your camp, so you don’t overshoot. I learned that one by about a fivemile retracing of steps… n Always, ALWAYS stay together a.k.a. the buddy-system. n Help everyone who needs it. That last one is the one that allowed me to experience the hospital as a patient. It was the day we went to Myrtle Lake. To get to Myrtle Lake, you go left at Entiat, to the very end of the road, where I was surprised to find a parking lot. I was also surprised to see several horse trailers with horses, and horse riders who had large rifles, etc… when it wasn’t hunting season. Per my blood-oath with them, I’m not naming names. Anyway, after they all left and Dan had told me I could come out from under his pickup, we were getting ready to go when this other guy, let’s call him “Fred,” asked us for help. The good news was he was also a backpacker going to Myrtle Lake. But, it seemed he had
over-packed and needed a little help carrying his stuff. So had I, so I looked at Dan and he quietly said, “Remember number 5.” So, we agreed to help Fred. Dan carried Fred’s boat. It’s a good thing it was an inflatable. I wish Fred had brought oars though. After about four miles of carrying that outboard motor strapped to the back of my pack, the propeller had worked its way all the way through the soft tissue and part way through the bones in my ankles. I thought it a little odd Fred would bring a 150 horsepower outboard for a two-man inflatable boat. That night I used all of the bandages Dan and I had both brought trying to stop the bleeding from my ankles and knees. We actually bring them to prevent our sharp-edged hiking boot soles from scratching our ankles. Hence, we didn’t bring antibiotics. But then, I didn’t need any since some of the gasoline ran out of the outboard’s tank and into my wounds when I dropped to my knees. I only had to crawl the last couple of miles. It was the first time Dan and I had gone backpacking that I wasn’t in the lead, since Dan and Fred had gone past me and made camp quite a while before I got there. I do wish I had stayed a little farther from the camp stove that night, but hey there’s nothing more refreshing than a quick dip in the lake, and I did get to keep 55 percent or so of my skin after all. Anyway, all through that night after everyone had quieted down, I know that I either heard Know of someone stepping off the beaten path in the search for fun and excitement? E-mail us at editor@ncwgoodlife.com
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April 2019
some sasquatch doing that “woodknocking” I’ve seen on that show Almost Finding Bigfoot or else I heard bigfoot hunters trying to Wayne and Linda get Bigfoot have lived in to answer and around the their woodWenatchee area for the last two knocking. decades. He works Maybe it for Confluence was those Health as a guys on financial analyst. horses? Although there is a chance my loss of blood and extreme agony might have been causing hallucinations. In the morning, I got to take my first helicopter ride. Good thing Fred had brought his cell phone and that Dan could get a signal after he climbed high enough up that nearby mountain… Fred thoughtfully said Dan could carry the boat back out for me. And, he even tied the outboard to the helicopter for me, perhaps too close to the exhaust of the helicopter’s engine? There was enough gasoline left in the outboard that caused the helicopter to explode, but fortunately, near the end of the trip and we only had to drop about 100 feet to the roof of CWH. It probably would have been better if we were over the helipad though. Just the other day I got a text from Dan that said, “The Mountains are Calling.” I almost answered back, “Wrong Number,” but then I remember the first five trips we went on and changed it to “We must go… but number 5 is history!”
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