December 2015 The Good Life

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Contents collinsfashions.com 2 South Wenatchee Ave. Monday ~ Saturday 10-6

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golden time at Scottish Lakes high camp Features

5

christmas season delights

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preserving a waterfront

Karen Hamilton recalls when she first conceived of a Living Nativity for the community, plus other seasonal activities Rollie Schmitten is enjoying retirement, but he still feels the call to work for fisheries and the public benefit

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12 the mommy stimulus

Gail Gilbert was down and just about out when the sound of her daughter’s voice called her back

14 calendar contest winners

The challenge was to present the natural side of Chelan County in a beautiful light... and these three came through with great clicks

16 running in hawaii

Running a half marathon in Kauai has its charms

18 they built this city

Cary Ordway interviews Earl Tilly, Howard Syria and others in this special advertorial section about the builders of the Valley

24 pushing the walls out

When designer wife and builder husband collaborated on a new home, the project just grew and grew

ART SKETCHES

n Multi media artist Susan Steinhaus Kimmel, page 32 n Author Matthew Sullivan, page 35 Columns & Departments 28 June Darling: Work, work, work, vs. fun, fun, fun 29 Pet Tales: Walking Wilbur in the rain 30 The traveling doctor: Having eye cataract surgery 31 Bonnie Orr: Ahhhh... the aromas of tradition 32-38 Arts & Entertainment & a Dan McConnell cartoon 37 The night sky: Get ready for a shower of meteors 39 History: Finding passes through Cascades 42 Alex Saliby: The wine hits keep on coming December 2015 | The Good Life

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OPENING SHOT

®

Year 9, Number 12 December 2015 The Good Life is published by NCW Good Life, LLC, dba The Good Life 10 First Street, Suite 108 Wenatchee, WA 98801 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, Tanner Blake, Rollie Schmitten, Molly Steere, Gail Gilbert, Brendan Morrison, Robert DeTorres, Dale Blair, Steve Tidd, Cary Ordway, Donna Cassidy, Bonnie Orr, Alex Saliby, Jim Brown, June Darling, Dan McConnell, Susan Lagsdin, Peter Lind and Rod Molzahn Advertising manager, Terry Smith Advertising sales, Lianne Taylor and Donna Cassidy Bookkeeping and circulation, Donna Cassidy Proofing, Dianne Cornell Ad design, Clint Hollingsworth 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 10 First Street, Suite 108 Wenatchee, WA 98801 For circulation questions, email: donna@ncwgoodlife.com BUY A COPY of The Good Life at Hastings, Safeway stores, Walgreens, Mike’s Meats at Pybus, Rhubarb Market, Martin’s Market Place (Cashmere) and A Book for All Seasons (Leavenworth) ADVERTISING: For information about advertising in The Good Life, contact advertising at (509) 8886527, or sales@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 2015

by NCW Good Life, LLC.

different view

By Tanner Blake

I

got into photography fresh out of fifth grade when I began to skateboard.

I remember reading the skateboarding articles in magazines (which no one did at my age) and studying the pictures. I slowly became more interested in the photo rather than the trick that was being captured.

I remember begging my mom for a camera for Christmas. I became more eager when instead, she bought herself a camera.

I was obsessed with it. When she would leave the house, I would sneak up to her room and take photos around the house.

And then quickly delete them.

I became addicted to the art. I thank my mother for my addiction.

I got my first “real camera” when I was 15. It was a Canon t3i, the nicest camera I thought I would ever own (shows how new to this I was).

My main focus was filming my friends skate, making small edits, and putting them on You-

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Tube.

I started taking photography very seriously when I moved up from California and began working for a marketing company, Field and Compass. I realized that with every picture I take, I am telling a story. From contrast, to lenses flare, I try to make every photo tell a story.

So when people see them, they can see themselves standing in the exact spot that the photo was taken. Experiencing what I experienced. Photography isn’t a hobby. It’s an expression of who I am, and what I love.

This photo of Saddle Rock is special to me.

I have seen hundreds of pictures of that mountain and I wanted to do something that I’ve never seen before.

I climbed to the highest peak possible (without putting my life at risk) and started snapping away. When I approached this angle, my thoughts were, “isn’t it neat that the edge of the mountain drops off, and then all you see are the city lights?”

I was thrilled to capture two completely different landscapes, in one image.

My favorite question I am often asked about this photo is,

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December 2015

“Where was this taken?”

I feel that Wenatchee lacks diversity in a way that people don’t realize there is a different way in doing things. When I first came up here, I was stared at walking down the street, simply because I dressed different than everyone else. My goal is to make people realize that there are so many different walks in life.

So when people have seen Saddle Rock a thousand times, but don’t recognize where the photo was taken, it is reassuring to me that I am doing something right.

You can find my photos featured on Instagram (website in the works) @fieldandcompass and @tannerblake42.

I am excited for what the future holds as I continue to display my life, through my lens.

On the cover This is a portion of a photo Brendan Morrison took of his friend Blake Hoffman jumping boulders in The Enchantments.

The photo won Brendan best of show in a natural resources photo contest. See details and the full version of Brendan’s photo on pages 14 and 15.

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editor’s notes

MIKE CASSIDY

The stories just keep on coming This month, we have an

interesting selection of stories, including one that I first didn’t want to publish.

Former Sunnyslope teacher Gail Gilbert sent in her story along with an introductory email, where she said of her story: “…That night in the hospital, I had a massive pulmonary embolism and nearly died. The medical staff did chest compressions for nearly 90 minutes…”

I steer away from medical stories. I’m a bit of a hypochondriac, so when people start describing their medical traumas, I begin to fret about the state of my own body.

Medical stories cause me

to fret the complex machinery of my body will break down in bizarre, and as of here unforeseen ways at any moment.

Plus, The Good Life is an upper magazine, not a magazine of sadness and woe.

Then I read Gail’s next paragraph of her email: “It is a bit of a miracle story and the outcome is giving me a good life, for sure.”

So then I did read Gail’s attached story (traipsing lightly over the medical procedures) and when I reached the end, I realized that yes, this is a story for The Good Life.

In fact, I have never read a

story quite like it. See for yourself, beginning on page 12.

Susan Lagsdin interviews two artists this month who in conversation each expressed a similar sentiment: Keep pushing forward, keep experimenting, keep stretching boundaries.

One might say that multi-media artist Susan Kimmel’s art life is that in a nutshell.

She said her father would have loved to be an artist, but in the 1920s his family didn’t think it was “a career fit for a man,” so he gave up the dream. So when Susan’s mom (a bookkeeper by vocation) worried about the economic wisdom of an art education for her daughter, Susan’s dad said, “Let her do what she wants to do.”

And what she has done is transitioned from medium to medium to create striking and thoughtful works of art.

Matthew Sullivan knows what it’s like to write a novel or two that only see the inside of a desk

drawer. But the lack of immediate success didn’t faze him, and now he is on the cusp of being that wonderful thing — a published author.

He did it partially through persistent hard work — spending eight months rewriting, reworking his novel — and the willingness to try a new approach, a new idea, a new style.

Look for Susan’s story and artwork on page 32 and Matt’s story on page 35. Both are fun reads.

Cary Ordway returns this month with another installment of his “They Built This City” series, which includes an interview with former local legislator and Wenatchee mayor Earl Tilly.

Earl’s a great guy — even if he does spin a tennis ball past me now and then — and at 81, an inspiration to living the good life.

As Earl Tilly often says, “It’s all good.” Enjoy The Good Life.

— Mike

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Wenatchee Valley Hospital & Clinics 820 N. Chelan Ave. Wenatchee, WA

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christmas delights a full LISTING of what to do begins ON PAGE 33

Old barn sparked idea for Living Nativity

By Donna Cassidy

K

aren Hamilton, Wenatchee, remembers exactly where she was when she “saw” the idea for a living nativity in Wenatchee.

“I was driving to see my mother daily in a private care family home in East Wenatchee.

There was a small lot that had an old barn in the corner. And

I thought this was the place we needed to provide a Living Nativity program for this community,” said Karen.

Many excuses — like the lot was owned privately, it was too small and there was no parking close by — all came to mind as Karen tried to visualize the event.

Then Karen says, “God reminded me our church (then known as the First Presbyterian

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Church of Wenatchee) had the place, the space, the parking and a group of talented members who would make this happen for community outreach.”

The plan was sketched out, taken to the Worship Ministry Team at Karen’s church and the first Living Nativity program came about Dec. 22, 2002.

The event is a simple presentation outside on the lawn with a simple stage and several bleachers for the attendees to sit on.

More than 100 adults and children help in some way to make this event happen. The story of Jesus Christ’s birth is told in scripture and song.

There has always been a live baby, with the appropriate players present including Mary and Joseph (parents of the child, usually), lots of angels and shepherds, three wise men, three “cut out, real size” camels, live animals, including sheep, goats and a miniature donkey.

Each presentation takes about 20-25 minutes and the attendees are invited inside to have hot cider and cookies after the program.

At one event Karen remembers the mother of one of the participants brought a neighbor family to see the program.

The children had never been in a church before. “They sat, watched and listened. They were so excited that they asked to come back to church and attend Sunday school,” said Karen.

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December 2015

On another night Karen remembers seeing a large sheep being tended by a smaller shepherd. “The sheep was running toward the open doors with the child pulling as hard as he could to try to hold the sheep back, almost flying behind the sheep.

I was able to catch the sheep and stop him and the shepherd, and then the boy helped himself to the cookies. It was a precious moment to see those big eyes of that little shepherd,” said Karen.

This year the Living Nativity will be held at the Evangelical Presbyterian Church at 1400 S Miller on Dec. 23 at 5 and 6 p.m. and Dec. 24 at 5 p.m.

A few other local Christmas related events: Journey to Bethlehem — Experience the town of Bethlehem, as it was the night the Christ child was born. Includes over 150 actors and supporting cast in full costume and a living nativity with sheep, goats, donkeys, chickens and a camel. Arrive early and enjoy a musical Christmas program while you wait for the tour. Fifth and Western, Wenatchee. Cost: free. Info: j2bwenatchee.org. 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., Friday through Sunday, Dec. 3-6.

Wings and Wishes — Christ-

mas tree lighting, Eastmont High School Choraliers will sing, Santa will arrive on a fire truck, cookies and cocoa, make s’mores and bring your camera.

East Wenatchee City Hall. 6 – 8 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 3.

Community Tree Lighting — Tree lighting and photos with Santa. Stanley Civic Center Plaza, Wenatchee. 4:30 – 6 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 5.

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My STORY

Out to save a waterfront For Rollie Schmitten, retirement was great, but he still felt the need to be doing some public good

By Rollie Schmitten

One of the great things

about retirement, perhaps the greatest thing, is the ability to choose where you want to live and what you want to do with the rest of your life, with the hope that your economic and physical constraints line up in your favor.

For Barbara and me — a couple of “Cashmere Kids” — it was to return after 25 years of chasing our dreams, to the Wenatchee Valley.

At first, wanting to maintain some degree of economic stability and needing some intellectual challenge, I chose to do contract work for both the federal and state governments, plus some private sector work.

For the Feds, the Department of Commerce/NOAA, it was

to continue my work with the great whales. Closer to home, I worked for the Washington Dungeness Crab Association.

The really good thing is that none of this work required the 50-plus hours that I was used to in the other “Washington,” and we could live at our retirement place at Lake Wenatchee.

This practice retirement worked well for the first five years, but in the back of my mind, I had this little voice continue to say, “You need to be doing something for your community.”

I had followed this voice down the path seven other times, leading to elections in city, county and state governments. All of this reminds me of the time my parents were at a public gathering, and I was being introduced with a litany of elective posi-

Rollie Schmitten kayaks at the old Peshastin Mill waterfront.

tions I had held. My father who was more than a bit “sawmill deaf,” said in a loud voice, “I told you that kid could never hold a job.”

Now, after reaching three score and 11 years of life, plus just achieving another major milestone of being married for

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Rollie Schmitten }}} Continued from previous page

50 years, “we” thought I should spend more time enjoying life at home. It was a good time to start cutting back, as my six-year term on the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission had ended. It was an optimal time to become a free spirit again.

I am sure that my life of leisure lasted for a good two weeks before a fateful call from Bob Parlette with another opportunity to serve the community.

I had casually known Bob through his work in his law firm, being a cherry grower, pilot, and through his wife Linda.

Many people identify Bob through his visionary work with the Complete the Loop Coalition, the group primarily responsible for bring happiness to tens of thousands of citizens, me included, who enjoy the trail system linking the two Wenatchee’s as it meanders

along both sides of the Columbia River.

Bob and the Complete the Loop Coalition (CTLC) had just signed an earnest money agreement with the Port of Chelan County to acquire the 14 waterfront acres of the old Peshastin Mill site.

He specifically asked if I would join him, as a The yellow line shows the land Rollie and others are working to keep open to the public. person from the Upper Wenatchee beloved 38-year retired teacher, bike, picnic, swim, fish, cross Valley, to help raise funds to great fisherman, and my friend. country ski, bird watch, etc. purchase this property.

Bob agreed and the leadership Just recently Leavenworth Disregarding my new retireteam became Bob, Bob and Rolresident Bill Goebel and his wife ment status, I said yes, with one lie. purchased the adjoining upland condition. The condition was Part of my reason for saying 50 acres. Bill is a Trout Unlimthat he include Bob Stroup, a yes was because I had a personal ited member and his announced lifelong Leavenworth resident, history with this property. plans for the land are very comIn the middle 1970s, when patible with our goals.

The Pack River Company had But it does not eliminate the LIGHT WEIGHT bought the three major sawmills need to acquire the waterfront WARMTH IN ALL in Chelan County (Harris’ in Ar- in perpetuity for the public. denvoir, Sawyer’s in Peshastin, We need to raise $475,000 in CONDITIONS and Schmitten’s in Cashmere), I the next 12 months to purchase went to work for Pack River. My the land. job as a “land manager” (think The good news is that at our logging boss), was to deliver logs organization meeting we reto the three mills. I worked out ceived $50,000 from an anonyof the Peshastin Mill and on a mous donor and a $100,000 regular basis visited this same match grant from Dr. Eliot Scull. property where we stored our So we have a good start. logs. I know this land.

If you agree that we need to Throughout time, going preserve this waterfront land as Downtown Wenatchee back to a tribal presence in the it is today, for current and future 663-7401 Wenatchee Valley, waterfront generations and multiple recreOpen 7 days a week portions of the mill site have, ation uses, you can help through for all intent and purposes, reyour tax deductible contribumained in a primitive state. tion.

Today, from Wenatchee to Or you can volunteer to help Leavenworth, this is the largest with this effort. Checks can (approximately three-quarters be made out payable to Trout of a mile in length) remaining Unlimited, Peshastin Mill, 103 undeveloped, low bank stretch Palouse St. No. 14, Wenatchee, of waterfront.

WA 98801 or you can give online Its best use is for low impact at SavePeshastinMillWaterfront. multiple recreational uses by the org. public. It should remain for all For volunteers, contact Trout time the people’s land to hike, Unlimited at 888-0970.

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December 2015

What fall hikers came to see, the golden-yellow larch. Photo by Erin Davidson

3 friends, 3 days: A nature fix hiking themselves silly amid alpine beauty at scottish lakes high camp Photos and story

by Molly Steere

O

n a mid-October morning I found myself waiting in a dirt parking lot directly across from the Nason Creek rest stop on Highway Two. A fellow camper wandered over to introduce herself and, discovering my friends and I were new to Scottish Lakes High Camp, conspiratorially said, “When you get up there, be sure

to go on an outhouse tour. Check them all out. I won’t tell you why because I want it to be a surprise.” Intriguing.

Honestly, I was relieved to hear there were outhouses.

As usual, I hadn’t done much research, but for years I had heard rave reviews about the hikes accessed from High Camp. When an email from my friend Erin Davidson came across my screen asking if I’d like to spend a three-day weekend up there to celebrate

Huckleberry cabin, home for three-day stay.

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her 40th birthday I responded with an enthusiastic yes (and my year’s quota of exclamation points), as did our good friend Keri Davis.

The Scottish Lakes are known for their alpine beauty in all seasons, but fall promised larchringed alpine lakes, stunning ridge views and color-swept hillsides: a hiker’s paradise.

As we jostled around in the back of the Suburban shuttle, Chris — High Camp’s friendly, down-to-earth owner — gave us the rundown on the place.

High Camp, located about 17 miles west of Leavenworth, has nine cabins. We stayed in

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Hiking through alpine beauty at Scottish Lakes High Camp }}} Continued from previous page Huckleberry, a tiny A-frame with a small kitchen, propane lamp, sleeping loft, and a wood stove that, once raging, gave off the heat of a thousand suns. The cozy rustic cabins are equipped with propane stove burners, basic kitchen amenities, mattresses and pillows, and jugs

of fresh spring water.

Once we settled into our cabin and unfurled our sleeping bags we were ready to hit the trails. From the camp, there are dozens of trails throughout the surrounding wilderness, and for three days we hiked ourselves silly.

On Friday we headed up to Chiwaukum Lake, the largest in the area. It was raining on and off and a fog bank clung to the water, teasing us with glimpses of the rugged Chiwaukum Mountains and the south slopes of McCue Ridge. Unfortunately, I wasn’t feeling well and decided to turn back while Erin and Keri continued on to Larch Lake.

With well-established trails, marked and mapped, I had no worries venturing out on my own and thoroughly enjoyed the time alone on the trail.

When I got back to camp, I built a blazing fire in the stove and curled up with a book. As far as infirmaries go, the cabin was top-notch.

Later, as they hung their clothes to dry by the stove, Erin and Keri raved about Larch Lake and how it exceeded their expectations. Their eyes lit up as they described the lake ringed with orange-yellow larches and a beautiful high meadow awash in gold and crimson, surrounded by rugged and rocky terrain.

On Saturday, still feeling out

Erin and Keri head down the trail to Chiwaukum Lake.

of sorts, I hiked Wild Bill Hill to Sunset Meadows (a short jaunt, long on views) while Erin and Keri tackled Lock Eileen. It was

another wet day, punctuated by clear periods displaying the fall foliage and sweeping alpine views. Despite rain and illness,

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December 2015

we were invigorated by our time in the wilderness.

The wood-fired hot tub and sauna was a magnificent way to cap off the day. We did some world-class stargazing while we soaked and chatted with a few teachers who are regulars at High Camp. The hot tub overflowed with stories, laughter and camaraderie.

The main lodge is the heart of High Camp.

Hikers gather here before and after their adventures, and that’s Erin and Molly work their way across McCue Ridge. Photo by Keri Davis where we headed for sage advice from the hosts The air was about routes for our next day’s filled with our endeavor. During our stay, Gus exclamations as and Zeke were the hosts and we took in the the face of High Camp: ever expansive views of courteous, knowledgeable and the Chiwaukum helpful. range, Loch Eileen, As we packed up for an early Lake Donald, and start to Hanging Gardens we the bright orange of could hear the heavy rain on the the larch contrasting roof. It continued through the with the snow and night and I expected another blue sky. day of soggy boots and pruned The steep slope fingers. I was ecstatic to wake up was treacherous to a gorgeous blue bird day and with snow cover, freshly fallen snow. and we were anxious Aside from a few coyotes and about making it back rabbits, we were the first to to camp in time for tromp through the snow along the last shuttle out.

McCue Ridge. Because of the We made the painful snow cover, there was no clear decision to turn back trail and it took some route shortly before we got finding skills and extra time to to Hanging Gardens. make our way across the narrow Although it was This guy greets hikers as they enter the trail system. difficult, it was rocky ridge.

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the smart decision, and it left us something to look forward to the next time we go back. Despite turning around, our scenic adventure was a stunning way to end the weekend.

The camp was closing for a month the day we left, to prepare for their busiest season. In the winter, there are routes to challenge the most adventurous backcountry skiers and gentle trails that are perfect for beginners. Only a limited number of people are up at High Camp at any given time, so guests have these twenty-seven marked trails mostly to themselves.

Scottish Lakes High Camp turned out to be the perfect getaway and venue for a milestone celebration; a place where three very different women with a singular passion – the outdoors – could get our fix. Although we weren’t quite ready to rejoin the real world, we missed our families, so we reluctantly hopped into the Suburban for the drive back into reality.

Spoiler alert: the outhouses were all decorated with different themes ranging from the “Tielight Zone” to “Postcards from the Edge.” It was well worth the tour.

Molly Steere is a local freelance writer who loves to get outside and enjoy our beautiful valley at every opportunity.

The Mommy Stimulus

By Gail Gilbert

in this mom’s darkest moment, the voice of her daughter brought her back

promising to be back in the morning was looking forward Patients are asked to the end of the school to sign a consent form year for two reasons. indicating that we underThe first was that my stand there are risks asknee was giving out and sociated with surgery for it hurt like crazy just to a reason, although we like walk down the halls of to think that nothing will my elementary school ever happen to us. Most even with a cane. Knee of the time it doesn’t. replacement surgery This was not one of was scheduled for June those times. At about 2 24, two weeks after the a.m. I rang the call button school year ended. for help to the bathroom.

The other reason I was At first things were fine excited for the year to end but as I started back I was because — after more told the aide, “I think I’m than 20 years of teachcollapsing.” ing — I was retiring. As “Let’s get you back to much as I would miss the the bed,” she replied. kids and my colleagues, I remember making it I was ready to cut the nearly all the way back tie to public education. and then crumpling right The meetings and trainbeside the bed. As I was ing teachers endure were going down I said, “I can’t starting to bother me breathe, I can’t breathe, I almost as much as the can’t breathe.” It’s strange bum knee so I knew I had that I remember saying it made the right decision. three times but that’s the I never felt any fear last thing I remembered about the knee surgery. I for a very long time. knew I couldn’t live with Chest compressions the pain any longer and were started right away. it was past time to get it Kevin was called in and fixed. I was looking forby the time he arrived, ward to being able to ride a team had been doing Gail Gilbert and her daughter, Dana, picnic at a winery this past Labor Day, after the near a bike and go on walks aggressive CPR on me for death experience. again and to really start over 40 minutes. enjoying my retirement.

There was a nurse on Finally the morning arrived. every area of my body where a Kevin stayed with me until and I was ready.

My husband, Kevin, drove me to pulse could possibly be found, nighttime. I had been up to the The surgery went very well the hospital. It was comforting bathroom once or twice and was just trying to find some activity. and I was up in a hospital room that he knew everyone on the Nothing was happening. managing with help from the by mid-morning. People came surgical team. Kevin had been Every two minutes one of the medical assistant. I was even to see me and already I could the administrator in charge of folks doing chest compressions tell that the killer knee pain was told by the nurse that I was all surgical services for years would be tapped on the shouldoing so well that maybe they gone. I was groggy but felt like and is a registered nurse. I knew the surgery had been a complete would send me home the next der and they would step out so I would have outstanding care a fresh person could come in. day. Kevin went home to sleep, success.

I

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Nobody knew exactly what had happened to me. Had I had a stroke? All signs were pointing to a massive pulmonary embolism.

Kevin put his head right next to mine, talking to me.

He shared stories of our early years together and told me we still had things to do and that I couldn’t leave him. He begged me not to go.

He watched as the medical staff tried to start my heart with adrenaline. No go. Twice I was given the drug, TPA, which is known to eat through blood clots. It’s a risky drug because it can cause continued internal bleeding but there were no other options.

The chaplain came in to pray with Kevin and suggested he call our daughter. Someone else had to dial the phone because Kevin couldn’t see the numbers.

Our daughter, Dana, lives in Los Angeles and unbeknownst to me, had planned to fly up to Washington state the next day to see me following my surgery.

It was going to be a surprise.

When Kevin reached her he told her the situation. “Can you get here sooner?” he asked. She tearfully agreed to try.

Finally after more than an hour of CPR, someone shouted, “I have a pulse on her foot!”

As they started to unhook me to race me to the ICU I coded again. Medical personnel call a code when the heart stops and a patient goes into cardiac arrest.

This happened to me because

“Someone’s going to have to call you back,” and the phone went dead. the blood clot went to my lungs and stopped my breathing, which in turn, shut down my heart.

This time the code only went on 10 more minutes before another faint pulse was found.

They got me to ICU where I coded one more time.

By the time they got a sign of life, I had been coding for 90 minutes. At least five ribs were broken from the chest compressions, my kidneys were shut down and I was unconscious. I was not even close to being out of the woods. But I was alive.

Kevin was still by my side.

I couldn’t open my eyes but I could squeeze his hand when he asked me to. He had no idea if I would live and if so would I just be a shell of my former self? He kept talking to me, though, as if I could hear him, telling me I would be okay.

Kevin’s cell phone suddenly rang. It was Dana. Her husband was driving her to LAX to catch an earlier flight. She would land in Wenatchee at 10 in the morning. Kevin didn’t tell her she might not arrive in time. Instead he said, “Dana, why don’t you try talking to your Mom?” He put his cell phone up to my ear and

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she started to speak.

“Mom?” Kevin later told me that both of my eyes shot open and I began to flail my arms and legs at the sound of Dana’s voice. I knocked the phone right out of Kevin’s hand and it went skittering across the floor. A nurse picked it up and said to Dana, “Someone’s going to have to call you back,” and the phone went dead. Dana began to sob, sure I was gone.

In reality, it was her voice that brought me back. That was the moment when I regained consciousness and realized I had all these people around me, holding my arms and trying to calm me down saying, “Gail, Gail, you’re ok, you’re all right.”

As the medical staff got me to settle down, a couple of nurses looked at each other and said, “That’s the Mommy stimulus.

There’s nothing like hearing your child’s voice to bring you back around. Gail knew she was still on Mom duty.”

Kevin called Dana back and told her what happened. All of a sudden bad news was turning into good news. Her flight home would be much easier now.

Dana and I have always had a close bond. She is my heart and I can immediately sense if something is wrong when she calls. I love that she has grown up and become independent, living in Southern California and working in television. I am so proud.

But even though she is grown and gone, she is still here with

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13

me every day, in a part of my soul that is always “Mom.” I don’t think I am the only mother who knows this to be true either. I’m sure that’s why I responded to her voice when I was still struggling to come back from the embolism. My connection to her brought me home.

Many miracles happened for me that night and in the nights to come. I had the miracle of an attentive medical group who gave their all and didn’t give up. I had the miracle of a loving husband who stayed with me and held on even when it was getting almost impossible to do so.

In the days and weeks that followed, I had the miracle of prayer and love from family, friends and people I didn’t even know. I could literally feel myself being held aloft by prayer and positive, loving thoughts.

Kevin felt it too. Although I didn’t see a white light, I came back from my experience telling everybody, “The Beatles got it right; all you need is love.”

And, finally, I experienced the miracle of the “Mommy stimulus.”

The bond between mother and child is powerful and I got to experience that first hand. I’m so lucky to have Dana in my world.

Twenty-eight years ago I gave my daughter life and in my darkest moment, she gave it back to me.

Gail Gilbert retired from a teaching career this past spring, having taught at Sunnyslope Elementary for 20 years.

I was driving over from East Wenatchee on my way to work, two days after the lunar eclipse on Sept 27, when I noticed how large the moon still looked. I thought it would be a spectacular photo if I could get Saddle Rock lined up with the setting moon.

After I crossed the bridge I kept my eye on how they were lining up as I drove around Wenatchee so I am not really sure where I took it from. I just pulled over when I had it lined up the way I envisioned it and waited until the moon started to touch the edge of Saddle Rock.

This is the photo that matched what I had visualized.

— Robert DeTorres

Calendar art winners photo contest Captures the Beauty of Chelan County’s outdoors

T

he Chelan County Clean Water Campaign, a collaborative effort between local businesses, organizations and citizens interested in improving water quality in Chelan County, and Cascadia Conservation District, a non-regulatory grant-funded organization dedicated to wise stewardship of all natural resources, teamed up for a natural resources photo contest and

calendar that combines appreciation for the environment with the artistic talent of local photographers.

The photo contest ran from April 30 to Oct. 1 and was open to residents and visitors who share an appreciation for the natural beauty of Chelan County.

Photo entries were accepted in six categories: plants, wildlife, agriculture, recreation, landscapes and water. All entries were exhibited at participating local businesses from Oct. 19-30.

Nineteen photographers submitted 75 photos.

Two photos in each category were chosen for inclusion in the

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2016 stewardship calendar.

In addition, judges Phaedra Booth, manager for Trout Unlimited’s Washington Water Project, and Hillary Schwirtlich, membership and education coordinator for the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, chose first, second and third place “Best in Show” photos.

First place went to Brendan Morrison for Hop, Skip, and a Jump. Brendan was awarded a

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December 2015

$25 gift certificate from Icicle Brewing Company.

Second place went to Robert DeTorres for Moonset at Saddle Rock. Robert received a stand up paddleboard rental donated by

I don’t usually hike with my underwater camera housing but I did this day on the Icicle Gorge trail. I wanted to capture the world above and below the surface of Icicle Creek.

There is a lot of trial and error shooting an “over and under” photo and occasionally you get lucky.

This shot was taken at Rock Island Campground leaning into the cold waters of the Icicle hoping to catch a good shot without too many water spots on the housing lens.

— Dale Blair

Leavenworth Mountain Sports.

Third place went to Dale Blair for Over and Under Icicle Creek.

Dale received a $15 gift certificate from Der Man Shoppe.

Cost of the stewardship calendars are $10 each, which will go to cover the cost of printing the calendars.

Contact Cascadia Conservation District at (509) 436-1601 or cascadiacd@yahoo.com for additional information and to order calendars.

The 2016 photo contest will begin the end of April 2016.

This is a photo of my good friend Blake Hoffman taken in The Enchantments near Aasgard Pass.

While exploring the area near our campsite, I had Blake jump between these two rocks and snapped this photo. I wanted this photo to express how I feel in The Enchantments.

The 360 degree breathtaking views make me want to jump for joy.

— Brendan Morrison

December 2015 | The Good Life

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RUNNING IN HAWAII Grass skirts, pre-sunrise start, dripping humidity and beating drums in the distance — what a race!

By Steve Tidd

I am a “numbers guy” and

this is how they added up. Two classmates from Waterville, 44 years as friends, 55 years of age, 13.1 miles of running, and 2,700 miles from the U.S. mainland on the island of Kauai.

My classmate, Dr. Brent Biggar, had done the Kauai Half Marathon all six years of its existence, and after every race he would come back to Wenatchee and bring me logo memorabilia from the race: a hat, socks, and a carry bag to entice me to join him on the next one.

Our youngest daughter Tawnee had just gotten married and our youngest son Logan had gone off to college, so the time seemed right to take Brent up on his offer.

After a five and a half hour flight, my wife Tina and I, with Brent and his wife Trina, landed in Lihue. We were immediately impacted by the temperature in the 80s, and the humidity around 70 percent. The air literally felt “thick” and hard to

breathe. But since it was 51 degrees when we left Wenatchee, the balmy conditions were much more comfortable.

Kauai is three hours behind us, in the Hawaii-Aleutian time zone, so if you have changed your watch, you end up looking at the time and wanting to go to bed about 7:30.

The upside to that is that you are also up three hours early. So the next day we were up early for an informal prerace 3-mile run, with dignitaries Bart Yasso, the Chief Running Officer of Runner’s World, J.T. Service, the winner of the inaugural 2009 Kauai Marathon, Tyler McCandless, the 2014 winner of the Kauai Half Marathon, and Julie Weiss, the “Marathon Goddess” who has run 52 marathons in 52 weeks to raise money to fight prostate cancer.

Also accompanying us on our backroads run through the lush foliage of Kauai, but dressed in grass skirts, leis and coconut tops, were inspirational spirits Stephanie Freeman of Share Your Strong, a nonprofit

At a fun run the day prior to the marathon, Steve Tidd, second from left, poses with Runner’s World’s Bart Yasso, middle, and Brent Bigger, far right, and a couple of dedicated runners who thought it would be fun to dress in grass skirts and running shoes for the pre-event.

organization designed to bring awareness to brain trauma, and a woman from the Bahamas named Natalie D. who was celebrating her 20-something birthday. The unusual nature of the event, with personalities I had only read about, made the beginning of this whole adventure very intriguing.

From there we went to the “Keiki Run,” a run for kids that has the best swag ever. Winners of each age group get a year’s supply of milk from Wilcox Farms. Racers run distances of 100 yards to a half-mile, led

by Tyler McCandless in a yellow chicken suit. The Mayor of Kauai, Bernard P. Carvalho, Jr. was also in attendance, formally marking the significance of the event.

Our race day began at 5:30 the next morning, when I met Brent in the lobby of our hotel to jog 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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December 2015

to the starting line.

He was wearing a race singlet from our days on the Wenatchee Valley Pacers, an AAU program that we both belonged to in high school. It was still dark, but it was 78 degrees and there was a stillness to the air, like the breath you take in when you don’t know what is going to happen next.

We jogged through the darkness toward the light in the distance, which turned out to be the spotlights and tiki torches at the start.

We found 1,650 racers toeing the line, all pensively stretching and anxiously waiting for the starting gun. After an emotional national anthem sung by a Hawaiian woman, we took off into the darkness, filmed by a drone in the air.

As we made our way out of the town of Poipu, I could feel the current of runners all around me, and I felt a camaraderie with them as we took on this challenge together.

About half an hour into our

run, the sun came up and we could see the mountains and lush tropical countryside rise up out of the darkness around us. Hula dancers in red sarongs danced to the music as we ran by at mile 4, and we made our way through a tunnel of eucalyptus trees at mile 6.

At mile 10 we started down into a valley with the ominous sound of beating drums somewhere on the other side. We started seeing more and more people lining the course, cheering us on as they drank their morning coffee from the Kauai Coffee Company.

Finally we could see the ocean as we made our way back down towards Poipu, just past mile 11.

The finish line would be rewarding enough, but it was right along the water where we could see the splash of the waves, and feel the aloha of the Hawaiians encouraging us to finish.

As I fist-bumped Hawaiians in traditional garb who handed me my finisher’s medal, I had to

acknowledge that this was one of the most unique races I had ever done.

Final numbers rolled out this way: Brent finishing first in Masters (racers over 40), first in the 55-59 age group, and eighth

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overall in a time of 1:34:30.

I was second in our age group and 22nd overall in a time of 1:39:10.

We didn’t win a year’s supply of milk, but the experience and ceramic tiles we got as awards

were reward enough. For a couple of lifetime friends, the whole event was once-in-a-lifetime.

Steve Tidd is a local CPA who owns and operates Tidd Tax & Accounting, LLC with his wife Tina. He is a former Ridge to River Relay ironman.

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17

Earl Tilly

Hardest working man in Wenatchee

by CARY ORDWAY

I

n our last edition of They Built This City we selected four Wenatchee city fathers to have their likenesses carved into Saddle Rock – a local Mt. Rushmore dedicated to those who have made Wenatchee what it is today.

We may need a bigger mountain.

We keep uncovering other key personalities who have put their own positive stamp on the Valley – people like former mayor and state legislator Earl Tilly, who may well have been the Hardest Working Man In Wenatchee for roughly the last half of the 20th Century.

Today, the 81-year-old Tilly and his equally energetic wife, Barbara, have downsized their home in the Valley and are living part-time in Palm Desert, California. But Energizer Bunnies don’t really retire – they just shift their focus from one important cause to another.

More about that later, but let’s first look at Tilly’s amazing journey from local businessman to state legislator to Wenatchee mayor. It was in 1953 that Tilly first started working with his parents at Tilly Farm Equipment, a key component in the local ag industry that brought Earl face

to face with the farmers and growers who were contributing so much to the local economy.

In 1972, while still managing the family business, Tilly was elected to the State Legislature, a position he would hold for 14 years.

About midway through his legislative years, he was at a crossroads: “It was like a skier going downhill with one ski headed one way, the other headed the other way and the skis were just getting further apart,” he remembered. He decided that if he could sell the business quickly, he would stick with the Legislature; otherwise, he would go back fulltime to the business. The business sold on November 1, 1979.

Throughout his years in the Legislature, Tilly says he enjoyed being a kind of ombudsman for the local district – he was the go-to guy when Wenatchee-area residents needed help dealing with state issues. When state funding was available, Tilly was in Olympia to help make sure his district got its share.

Former Wenatchee mayor and state legislator Earl Tilly is recreation enthusiast

At the end of his time as a state legislator, Tilly was appointed by the Reagan Administration to head up the Farmers Home Administration, an agency that assists farmers by financing and insuring loans for housing and other farming-related needs. He was in charge of a $100 million budget and served a total of seven years before, he jokes, he was “Clintonized” shortly after the 1992 election.

Then it was back to Wenatchee and his election as Wenatchee mayor in 1993. The mayor at the time had equal authority with two commissioners and Tilly credits commissioners Pat Notter and Chuck Johnson for helping him reach consensus on the vast majority of issues. “I think we only had five 2-1 votes over seven years,” Tillly said, noting all the

Cary Ordway is president of GMC, which produces They Built This City for Good Life Magazine.

This quarterly section tells the untold story of how Wenatchee-area businesses and agencies were created and have improved our quality of life. It is made possible by sponsors appearing in the articles in this section. Email Cary at getawaymediacorp@gmail.com.

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rest were unanimous.

It was during Tilly’s time as mayor that he made his imprint on city services – mundane, but important things like street maintenance which the Tilly administration began funding annually. The Convention Center was upgraded, and federal money was found for Wenatchee’s pedestrian bridge. LINK Transit was born during Tilly’s tenure, and Earl served on its board and was deeply involved in its rollout.

A fulltime city administrator was hired and a strategic plan was developed for the city. Eventually, the budget completely matched the plan, something the federal government only dreams about.

Regrets? He’s had a few. It was under Tilly’s watch that the Wenatchee Police Department arrested 43 adults for child molestation, only to have most cases eventually overturned. In a case far too complex to detail here, Tilly feels his hands were tied by

Barbara and Earl Tilly

Civil Service laws but he thinks “it could have been handled better.”

Looking back, Tilly thinks his administration should have gone farther with pedestrian bike lanes now that Wenatchee has become such an outdoors mecca for young and old alike.

“We also should have started earlier on transportation in and out of Wenatchee,” Tilly says, noting the congestion at rush hour along North Wenatchee Avenue can be pretty severe. He notes that public transportation hasn’t caught on as quickly as he thought it would, although he says it’s a significant benefit for low-income families and he thinks public use, in general, will keep increasing.

Tilly looks around at how the Valley has developed over the years and he sees many things that were done right. He lauds the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust for having the vision to preserve the hillsides and trails around Wenatchee for public use. The Loop Trail was also a milestone for the city. Families move to the Wenatchee Valley and are amazed at the recreational opportunities.

Tilly loves the giving spirit that he sees in the valley, and he especially remembers the first Make A Difference Day 25 years ago when he had his Farmers Home Administration employees clearing the overgrown trees and plants from an East Wenatchee home. He’s been involved ever since, most recently chipping in to help 34 baseball players replace a fire-ravaged fence near Antoine Creek. The year before, Earl worked in the Pateros area to help residents with their fire recovery efforts.

The proud parents of three grown kids and five grandchildren, Earl and Barbara devote considerable time these days to Grace Lutheran Church where they currently are involved in building a new columbarium. Earl is an active Rotarian, while Barbara works in a program called Packing Friendship that provides needy children with a bag full of food to take home every weekend. There are now 21 churches participating in the program, giving out hundreds of bags each week.

That’s the Good Life as far as Earl and Barbara are concerned – helping other people.

We’re not entirely convinced the Tillys would ever stop moving long enough to review their very busy past 60 years or so. But if they did, we’re fairly confident they would realize – along with the rest of us – that “they built this city” and helped create an amazing place to live for generations to come. ✦

Confluence Technology Center The Confluence Technology Center

T

he huge dishes on the roof are the first clue – the Confluence Technology Center is not your garden-variety office building and is just the kind of Big City amenity that makes Big Business consider setting up shop in Wenatchee.

The Port of Chelan and the Chelan County PUD own the CTC, located at the north end of Wenatchee, and it grew out of efforts by the Educational Service District and the Port to provide a resource center with access to tech-related businesses with space for several more.

The centerpiece of the CTC is a large video conferencing center that has more than $1 million of audio-video technology built right into the rooms, offering businesses the chance to stage conferences, webinars, video presentations and just about anything you can imagine that a company would want to broadcast to groups of people anywhere in the world.

The WSU Women in Agriculture recently used the facility to connect entrepreneurs around the state.

Central Court Reporting conducts videoconference depositions with clients in remote locations. Facility users span many industries integral to the economic basis of our region.

CTC and Port Capital Projects Manager Laura Jaecks is only too happy to show off the center’s capabilities – elaborate systems that involve multiple cameras, automated podiums,

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attracts innovators and lights and cameras that follow and focus on speakers as they move about the room to give their lectures.

Even more impressive is the nerve center of the CTC, where there are stacks of computers and numerous wall-mounted video screens that monitor the many rooms of the CTC. A 25-seat computer lab has been the site of many software and computer training courses. North Meridian Title & Escrow, Northwest Multiple Listing, PearsonVue, Magnus Pacific and Columbia Valley Community Health are a few who utilized the lab in 2015.

The CTC building is 91,000 square feet of Class A space. The address on Technology Center Way is especially appealing to businesses who want to be considered visionary.

In other words CTC is an idea place.

Businesses like Centricity, Fluke Networks, Cytherian and several others have already set up shop, all of them innovators. J. Rivera Associates, for example, is a new tenant from California that uses technology to do advocacy and translation services for Latinos needing help with health care, aimed at achieving better medical outcomes and lowering the cost of healthcare services. Connect MD connects medical centers along the Columbia River.

The Confluence Technology Center is located at 285 Technology Center Way in Wenatchee. Phone 509-661-3118 or visit www.ncwctc.com. ✦

Howard Syria Thirty years and counting in Wenatchee real estate

L

ongtime Wenatchee realtor Howard Syria uses one word to summarize why he enjoys the real estate profession so much: family.

Realtors and agents do often work on weekends and long hours, but they also have the flexibility to be with their family and kids for school and other events during the week. For Syria (pronounced SI-REE), nothing is more precious than the time he spends with his kids and, as of late, his grandkids. Four recent trips to Montana to watch his granddaughter play volleyball are a great example of Syria’s devotion.

“You work more hours,” Syria says, “but you do have the freedom to be with your family.”

A Spokane Valley native, Syria first worked for Standard Oil, a company that had a regular promotion system that pretty much required that you take the next promotion offered – even if it meant moving to a new city – or you would fall behind. A promotion landed him in Wenatchee in 1958. Eventually Howard decided to stay in Wenatchee rather than accept another promotion, and that led him to go into business on his own.

Syria has owned several businesses, both in Wenatchee and in the Seattle area. At one time in the mid-70’s he and his wife operated a group of seven health food stores.

Wenatchee Realtor Howard Syria has found perfect balance between work and family

Howard opened his Century 21 franchise in Wenatchee on October 15, 1985 and, today, Century 21 Exclusively is one of the longest running real estate businesses in the Valley. He’s been in real estate long enough to remember when he could write a purchase and sale agreement on one side of a piece of paper. Now, because of government regulations, the typical real estate contract is at least 22 pages long.

He also remembers the great support he received from the Century 21 ownership when he started. Back then, the owners operated out of the 13 Coins restaurant building in Seattle and were big proponents of frequent sales rallies and worked closely with their franchisees. It was almost like a scene out of Mad Men when, as Syria recalls, the ownership would conduct the business meeting first and then it was time for refreshments to make sure the meeting finished on a positive note.

Today, Century 21 Real Estate Corporation has grown tremendously and the company has ownership connections with many other brands.

Syria says the company is bigger and stronger because of it, and his own company also is considerably bigger and stronger with a total of 26 agents operating out of his Mission Street office.

The real estate industry is more specialized nowadays and, while all of those agents are qualified to handle many types of real estate transactions, most of them have a specialty.

Some work residential sales, some multi-family, some bank-owned properties, while others may concentrate on business and commercial real estate.

Howard falls into that latter category and has had the opportunity over the years to learn from some of the best. He remembers several decades ago when the K-Mart complex was

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built in North Wenatchee (now home to Gateway Cinemas), and spending two years working with a man who specialized in acquiring real estate for K-Mart. He remembers how good this man was at working with local officials and concisely presenting the company’s vision for the property. He also recalls how devoted he was to family, putting up $50,000 one time to ensure that he didn’t have to miss his child’s graduation ceremonies.

Syria says his exposure to people like that, along with his experience operating his own businesses, has helped him gain the knowledge to be especially effective when dealing with commercial real estate.

“I can read the financial reports,” he says, “and I can kind of read between the lines, too.”

Century 21 Exclusively is located at 135 N. Mission St., Wenatchee. For more information, call 509-662-2100. ✦

New partnership will take Patriot Plumbing to a whole new level T

he way that future business partners Matt LaVergne and Sherry Erickson met up seemed like more than just chance.

He was doing plumbing work on one of her Wenatchee rental houses, knowing in the back of his mind he needed help with his growing business, Patriot Plumbing, Heating & Cooling. She just happened to be working as Operations Manager for a similar business in the Tri-Cities, with an eye toward eventually moving to Wenatchee.

“From that point on, she was in the back of my mind -- but she didn’t live here,” said Matt, wondering whether anything would ever come of their meeting. Meanwhile, Sherry was coming to the realization she loved Wenatchee so much she didn’t want to wait until retirement to move to the Valley – she wanted to do it now.

One thing led to another and Sherry became Operations Manager for Patriot this fall, moving lock, stock and barrel to the area she loved. She and her husband, Paul, who were married at Mission Ridge Ski Resort, loved the area’s recreation and they decided the time was right for the move. It really helped that Matt had the perfect partnership for her to move right into.

Matt also is very happy. “This is more than I had hoped for,” he said, noting Sherry’s experience in the business is helping him to move Patriot Plumbing to a whole new level.

They’ve already increased their team by 25 percent and are looking

for more good plumbers and HVAC service techs. Matt’s reputation for fielding uniformed, licensed technicians has helped him build the business substantially over the nine years since he started, and those standards also are attracting quality workers.

Service Technician Chris Chapman found Marysville to be dark and gloomy with too much rain and relocated his family to Cashmere three years ago. Drawn to the area by the rivers and his love of fishing, Chris has found Patriot to be an excellent place to work. The considerable sunshine and four seasons have also enhanced Chris’ quality of life and allowed him to spend more time enjoying his passion of riding his Harley, since leaving the rainy side of Washington.

Same with HVAC service tech Scott Kieft, who came to work for Patriot Plumbing 18 months ago from his previous hometown near Curlew Lake. He says he’s lived in many places, but that the people in Wenatchee are “spectacularly nice – I don’t know if it’s our good weather, but overall people here are nicer.” Scott’s decision to relocate his family was mainly for the benefit of his two kids, but what really sealed the deal was that it was “closer to a herd of elk.” In addition to the hunting, Scott has found the fishing, mountain biking and hiking are incredible. And Scott agrees with Chris that working with Matt and the team at Patriot has turned out to be an excellent decision That’s music to the ears of Matt and

From top: Matt LaVergne; Sherry Erickson; Chris Chapman. At right: Scott Keift

Sherry, who are focused on building the company out to meet the area’s growing demand.

Patriot, over the years, has gone well beyond just plumbing services. They added heating and air conditioning installation and service and also do electrical work. The team has recently added Lennox to their lineup of products to enhance the innovation and quality products available to their customers.

Behind it all is a philosophy that Matt and Sherry believe sets Patriot Plumbing apart from competitors.

“Our job is to educate the customer,” Matt explained, noting that Patriot’s service techs don’t just come in like a handyman, do the job and leave.

They are consultants and take the time to explain exactly what work

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may be required and what options the customer may have.

Patriot is also different in that they bid every job rather than charge by the hour. They call it “upfront pricing” and it means there are no surprises. Often an hourly price can end up costing the customer more than expected because of unforeseen delays like driving to buy parts or unexpected problems. With Patriot, the customer is king. As Matt explained, “We really want to make a connection with the customer during that short amount of time we are on the service call.”

Patriot Plumbing, Heating & Cooling is at 536 South Chelan Street, Wenatchee and can be reached at 509-662-6262. ✦

T

ree Top is a grower-owned

involvement is the response

cooperative founded in Wash-

to the Carlton Complex Fires

ington’s apple country by a group

and the prior year’s Okanagan

of growers to create an outlet

wildfires: Wenatchee Plant em-

for their excess apples and pears

ployees took it upon themselves

and for those apples not attrac-

to organize a drop point at the

tive enough for the fresh market.

facility and secure items for fire

Today, the company remains a pri-

victims and fire crews and vol-

vately-owned cooperative owned

unteers. The company provided

by nearly 1,000 apple and pear

truckloads of product as well as

growers in the Northwest and is

significant financial support for

ranked one of the top 100 U.S.

fire relief and rebuilding.

agricultural cooperatives.

Perhaps best known for its premium apple juice and apple sauce sold in stores throughout the western United States, Tree

Tree Top

Those types of efforts over the past 55 years are what led to

One of the top ag co-ops in USA

Top has grown substantially

Tree Top receiving the highest honor a for-profit corporation can receive for corporate citizenship.

In 2012, Tree Top received the

offering more fruits in more

ton, Oregon and California close

solid pack and sugar-capped

forms to the world. The company

to the fruit sources. Although

apples, which are mainly used by

offers the widest array of

headquartered in Selah, Wash-

the baking industry. In addition,

fruit products and ingredients

ington, a significant portion of

the Wenatchee Plant produces

available, supplying ingredients

the Co-op’s fruit is supplied by its

low moisture apples in numer-

doing good deeds have always

such as berry fruit preps, mango

grower-owners in Chelan County.

ous fruit flavors for use in cereal

been a part of Tree Top’s culture.

puree, apple flakes and natural

In the 1960s, Tree Top opened its

and snack bar products. It is also

In 2012 the company received

flavorings to 22 of the world’s

Wenatchee Plant to handle the

home to our fruit “puffing” oper-

a Silver Award as one of Wash-

top 25 food and beverage

region’s abundant fruit source.

ation, which alters the texture of

ington’s Green Companies and in

an apple piece by forcing air into

2015 was recognized as Wash-

the cellular structure, giving it the

ington State’s Food/Beverage

texture of a potato chip.

Processor of the Year.

River. Approximately 120 people

Beyond producing quality fruit

We are proud to be a part of the

are employed at the Plant which

products, Tree Top and its em-

Wenatchee and Chelan County

manufactures more than 30 mil-

ployees are active contributors

communities and thank our

Eight fruit processing facilities are

lion pounds of “Individually Quick

and leaders in our rural commu-

growers, employees, and fans in

strategically located in Washing-

Frozen” (IQF) apples annually,

nities. An example of community

the region for helping us grow. ✦

manufacturers. In addition, the Co-op’s products are sold throughout the food service industry and can be found on the menu of several national restaurant chains.

The Wenatchee Plant is an 80,000 sq. ft. production facility situated along the Columbia

WINTER 2015 | THE GOOD LIFE | They Built This City |

22

National Association of Secretaries of States’ Medallion Award.

Producing good products and

Help build Wenatchee with the gift of education

to 2008. Thanks, in large part, to her leadership and organizational skills—and aided by a supportive, talented and dedicated board during a major capital improvement campaign—the college raised $6 million to finance construction of its Music and Art Center.

A 48-year Wenatchee resident, Connie retired 22 years ago after working more than 30 years in public education. She taught elementary students and served as an elementary principal and educational consultant.

Top: Wenatchee Valley College Foundation Board of Directors; Left: Connie Bean

D

onors to the Wenatchee Valley College Foundation – they

Connie’s first husband, Earl H. Nelson, died in 2005 after a

certainly “built this city” and they

long history of heart disease.

have contributed greatly to the

Jay Bean’s first wife, Sue, died in

quality of life we all experience

2002 of cancer. The gift ex-

here in the Wenatchee Valley.

pressed their appreciation for the

“Supporting the Wenatchee Valley College Foundation is the natural place for my husband Jay and me to focus,” explains Connie Nelson Bean. “We see this as helping to open doors of opportunity for

excellent medical care both spouses received during their illnesses.

A gift from the Beans and their children funded a performance practice room in the college’s Music and Art Center to honor Sue, a

young people in our community

talented percussionist.

so they can follow their educa-

An endowment in Connie Bean’s

tional and career dreams the way our educations allowed us to do.”

The Beans have made donations to areas that, Connie says, “fit cherished places in our lives,”

estate plan will establish a scholarship for a WVC agriculture student and is intended as a memoriam to Earl, a fruit broker for Oneonta Corporation for 30 years.

such as the WVC Nurses for

Connie served as WVC Founda-

Tomorrow Campaign.

tion Board President from 2006

So why do others give to the WVC Foundation?

“I give because as the first in my family to go to college, I want to help others who are the first in their family to go to college as well.

I can think of no better use of my resources than this.”

--Jim Brown, MD

“We give because we want to help at least one student have an opportunity to attend WVC and the nursing program.”

--Bob and Barbie Alexander

“I give because I’m gratefully paying back by paying forward. If others before me had not given generously to Wenatchee Valley College, I would not have benefited from such a great start to my formal education.”

--Larry Stephenson, Ph.D (WVC Class of ‘63)

“We give because we know every dollar will be spent wisely in helping students. This is good investment in all of our futures!”

--Earl (WVC class of ’54), and Barbara Tilly

WINTER 2015 | THE GOOD LIFE | They Built This City |

✦

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What is the Wenatchee Valley College Foundation?

The Wenatchee Valley College Foundation, Inc. was incorporated in 1973 exclusively for the purpose of supporting students and college programs on both Wenatchee and Omak campuses.

The Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation organized under Washington law and is fiscally and organizationally separate from the college district.

Each year, the WVC Foundation provides more than $200,000 in scholarship support, and nearly $500,000 in program support including equipment, classroom furniture, childcare for students, veteran work-study jobs, staff development opportunities and more.

This is only possible because of the generous support from WVC Alumni and Friends, Community Partners as well as Private and Corporate Foundations and Local Businesses.

If you would like to explore how you can include the WVC Foundation in your estate plans (bequest through your will), establish a scholarship endowment or help with current needs, contact Stacey Lockhart, executive director at 509-6826415 or slockhart@wvc.edu. For examples of “Ways of Giving”, visit www.wvc.edu/foundation.

This neighborhood-friendly contemporary craftsman exterior fronts a 5,300-square-foot family home with plenty of room to relax and roam. The owner/builder says it just kept growing…

Pushing out the walls couple combines their skills: She provided the look of this easy-feeling large home he built Story by Susan Lagsdin Photos by Mike Cassidy

They really didn’t mean for their house

to be so very… big.

But when local builder Alek Rini started building an East Wenatchee home for himself and his wife Lindsay, the unassuming rambler on the half-acre view lot just kept

AT e HSPoONm SOR

expanding.

Lindsay saw it this way: “Alek just kept moving walls out — 4 or 5 feet here and there.” And he remembers, “Whenever Lindsay came up with a new idea, I needed to

move the walls out a little.”

We’ll let them sort it out. The end result is what matters. And the end result is the couple absolutely loves their 5,300-squarefoot house.

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ABOVE: Halls are decked for the holidays, flames are crackling in the fireplace, and tucked around the corner to the left is a big L-shaped sectional sofa for casual evenings at home.

AT LEFT: A close-up of the fireplace shows that its rich texture comes from old reclaimed and painted wood pieces, stacked and squared.

Wanting a rustic look, Lindsay chose it over typical rock facing.

Lindsay and Alek sit at their 6 foot by 10 foot single slab granite counter. All the action is in the kitchen, a straight shot from the foyer and the hub of most gatherings, where eight can dine comfortably.

Started in October of 2014, this was the Rinis second house venture together. “But it’s our ‘forever’ house” Lindsay said. “Not for sale.” It was finally completed, well — quite recently. (Alek admitted to this interviewer, “I put the last tiles in just this morning.”)

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It’s not only a home that they and their two daughters can enjoy for many years, but one that smoothly incorporates all the best of Alek’s and Lindsay’s combined professional skills.

}}} Continued on next page

I’m so grateful for my family, friends and clients.

May you all have a happy, healthy and memorable holiday season.

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Pam@Windermere.com www.WenatcheeValleyProperty.com

pushing out the walls

... there’s not a sense of “big” but rather “ease” when you walk into the foyer.

}}} Continued from previous page Alek has a real estate background, but more recently with his company, Elements, he has built 90 homes between Wenatchee, Chelan and Moses Lake. He employs crews but also knows the trade inside and out, and he worked almost solo on this personal project.

“I did my own foundation work,” he said. “I even did the mudding and taping.” (Of sheetrock — and that’s generally a task to give away). “The only thing I needed to contract out was the electrical and plumbing.”

Lindsay’s background is in interior design. In Seattle, she started her career with development giant Quadrant Homes and designed and staged all their model homes and sales offices. On the couple’s return to her hometown of Wenatchee, she joined Designer Floors as a consultant, alongside her own interior design business.

Every bit of the look of the new house — colors, textures,

Serenity now… deep taupe walls, soft carpet and excellent linens create a master bedroom that’s tough to leave. It’s double length, with plenty of room for a sitting area.

style, furniture placement and embellishment — is hers. “I like a look that’s a little bit antique and rustic, and a little bit contemporary and sleek… it was really fun looking for individual accessories to make that statement.”

The Rinis found the original plan in a home design magazine; they liked the general layout, but by the time their architect Abe Lopez was finalizing the plans, they’d already made a few changes. The kitchen needed to be a straight shot from the front

NCW Home Professionals

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December 2015

door. Window heights needed to accommodate couch backs, ceilings were to be 11 feet throughout, with eight-foot doors.

The garage, three doors wide but much deeper than normal, potentially holds eight full-size vehicles. (The family’s accessory vehicles, toys, take up some of the space.) That garage, which gives Alek great pleasure, is 2,340 square feet. ”We didn’t really want a big yard anyway,” he offered in explanation.

And, the biggest adjustment of all (in square footage, cost and movement of land) was the basement “man cave” that evolved from the one-story blueprint. “We were excavating for the foundation, and I realized I could go deeper and build out for a partial basement…” And so he created a kind of bunker with TV and wraparound couches.

That’s the kind of move you can make when you’re both the owner and the builder and have a flair for on-the-spot decisions that tend to turn out perfectly.

Because the floor plan is sensible and the spaces kept open and free of unnecessary furnishings, there’s not a sense of “big” but rather “ease” when you walk into the foyer. Wider halls, larger rooms, higher ceilings, more floor between rooms — there’s plenty of walk-around space, plenty of room for adapting furniture to the occasion.

The craft room (Lindsay’s at-home studio) centered with a work table and lined with waisthigh cupboards and countertop, can convert easily into a fourth bedroom. Daughter Berkley, 8, enjoys a large play space in her “west wing” bedroom, which could comfortably change to fit more beds (or a pool table, or…)

A 30-foot by 14-foot covered living/dining patio with rock siding and cooking area is big enough for family gatherings — or small enough for a sunset sip of wine for the two owners.

And throughout the whole house is evidence of Lindsay’s practiced eye and good choices.

Kitchen light fixtures fit the expanse without distracting.

Few window coverings mar the view to southwest hills, and soft carpeting is reserved for the bedrooms. Tiles in the bathroom and butler’s pantry poise a rustic-chic motif juxtaposed with glossy counters.

The house is a blank canvas of sorts: calm gray-scale walls and pale porcelain earth-flecked floor tiles allow antique store accessories (like a supersized distressed tin “R” for Rini) and Lindsay’s hand painted wooden signs to make their own statements.

The Rinis moved into their house just last June, happily adjusting to the final throes of

construction, and there’s more work to be done: Barn board rolling doors on the craft room, right off the foyer. Maybe an extension of the patio, both stamped concrete floor and roof, to allow more outdoor gathering space. Alek fancies an even bigger garage. Lindsay’s not quite done with artwork and accessories, biding her time for the perfect pieces to catch her eye.

In the meantime, Alek is back to his work building other people’s houses, and Lindsay continues to enhance other people’s homes. She’s also starting work on a new venture.

She said, “After thinking about it 15 years ago, I finally decided to get my real estate license.”

Both of them say they love living and working in Wenatchee, and with their own place nearly finished, the Rinis expect to collaborate soon on some upcoming projects, merging their talents to construct, decorate and soon market quality homes in the area.

Lindsay’s eye for the traditionally chic was caught by this dining room light fixture — it’s draped with wooden beads emulating the cut crystal chandeliers of another era.

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14 Kittitas Street, Wenatchee www.Concepts-Kitchen.com

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column moving up to the good life

june darling

Do good? Or feel groovy? Which is best? “…I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.”

— E.B. White

Maybe you too have felt like

E.B. White, who is best known for his children’s books.

What’s the best thing to do with your life? Should you relax, savor and enjoy the world? Or should you challenge yourself, get out there and do some good?

We could boil the dilemma down to this. Pleasure or purpose. Which is the path to the good life? The short answer is… both. The longer answer is… below.

The “Which-Path-Question” has been long debated — at least since the time of the Greeks.

Epicurus, though he probably had a more sophisticated philosophy, became known for the idea that happiness is simply maximizing one’s pleasurable moments and decreasing one’s painful experiences.

The pleasurable path to the good life became known as “hedonic.”

But comfort wasn’t the goal for folks like Aristotle and Plato.

They emphasized living a life of

virtue and growth. One should behave in ways that were noble and worthwhile for their own sake.

Excellence, challenge, meaning, purpose, courage, justice and kindness, these were recommended pursuits. This path to the good life became known as “eudaimonic.”

Over time the hedonic path to happiness got a bad name in a few circles. A life oriented toward more pleasure and less suffering was seen as vulgar and even unethical by some.

A few psychiatrists warned that a life primarily aimed toward pleasure and positive emotions led to the empty life rather than the good life. They felt that a good life requires purpose.

The hedonic path to happiness has made a comeback in recent years. Heavy-weights like Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman view enjoyment and pleasure as extremely important to the good life. In fact Kahneman calls himself a “hedonic psychologist.”

This psychological and philosophical jousting has led to an increase in research. Here are the preliminary findings.

First, and probably the most important for us to know, is this.

If you want to live the “full life”

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| The Good Life

— that is, the really good life; you’d probably better be doing at least some of both of these things — enjoying the world and improving it. Too much of either seems to leave people feeling less satisfied and less able to successfully function.

People who mainly have a pleasure orientation — who primarily seek a life of lovely sunsets and sticking their feet in the warm sand — seem to achieve less, be less productive, and may not be so happy over time.

But then, people who have mostly an eudaimonic approach — who spend all their time running marathons and saving the world — seem to have more stress and irritation.

Here’s the bottom line. Hedonia and eudaimonia, pleasure and purpose, are complementary.

Positive mood and meaning go together into a state called flourishing, or the full life, or the really good life.

The studies indicate that those people who are flourishing, who are both getting their feet rubbed and serving at the soup kitchen for example, have less cardiovascular disease and less physical illness in general.

Flourishers also have greater ability to manage their emotions and are more able to connect with others. They are less of a burden to society, they have less impairment and contribute more.

But suppose, just for the sake of argument, you can only choose one path. Well then the researchers surmise, you’d better go for eudaimonic.

Eudaimonia seems to lead to more long term pleasure and building more long-term resources. You may be happy

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December 2015

while you devour dark chocolate, but that’s over pretty quickly.

But stop. You do need, and you can have, a little chocolate in your life.

The researchers saw a definite decline in well-being for those who never had much enjoyment or relaxation. You need to take those moments on sandy beaches, to soak in the sunshine, to let your worries go.

And you also need to set aside some time to serve others, improve yourself, and make the world a better place. A random mixture of some pleasure and some purpose — that’s the general scheme of how to plan your day, your holidays, and your life.

Not a step-by-step-guide I know.

What I can offer is several examples of local people who have made strategic changes to their lives in order to bring in both more pleasure and more purpose. You will see those stories coming up in The Good Life in 2016.

In the meantime, start experimenting. Make some plans for how you can BOTH enjoy the holidays AND make them meaningful.

For inspiration, set aside time to read (or re-read) some or all of E.B. White’s children’s books — Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, and The Trumpet of The Swan.

How might more pleasure and more purpose help you move up to The Good Life?

June Darling, Ph.D. can be contacted at drjunedarling1@gmail. com; website: www.summitgroupresources.com. Her books, including 7 Giant Steps To The Good Life, can be bought or read for free at Amazon. com.

PET tales

Tells us a story about your pet. Submit pet & owner pictures to: editor@ncwgoodlife.com

R

C

ome rain or shine a dog needs his walk.

Shawna Gebers, Wenatchee, walks her dog, Wilbur.

Wilbur is around 4 years old and Shawna got him from the pound.

“He is the best dog. He is friendly, doesn’t bark and is very calm.”

Shawna says she feels lucky to have him.

December 2015 | The Good Life

aymond Bush, 86, Wenatchee, talks to his two parakeets.

Ray puts wild seeds out in the front of his house to feed the birds. One day he saw a parakeet eating the seeds. A greatgrandson was sitting under the tree where the birds were eating and the parakeet landed on his shoulder. The boy then walked into the house with the bird.

So Ray bought another parakeet and son, Steve, brought an old bird cage home and now the two birds help keep Ray company since his wife Buz of 64 years recently passed.

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>>

column THE TRAVELing DOCTOR

jim brown, m.d.

Cataracts, surgery and me: Wow According to the World

Health Organization, cataracts are the leading cause of blindness in the world today.

In the United States, 3,000,000 cataract surgeries are done annually. An estimated 20,000,000 Americans are currently affected by cataracts.

Around half of all Americans over age 80 have cataracts.

Medicare spends $3.4 billion annually on cataract surgeries.

Cataracts can occur at any age. Some are related to trauma and other causes, but generally they are considered a part of the aging process since they are so common later in life.

A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye that affects one’s vision. The lens is a clear part of the eye that helps focus light or an image onto the retina at the back of the eye. Once it reaches the retina, that light is changed into nerve signals that are sent to our brain.

(As long as I have studied medicine, I have marveled at what a wondrous, complex miracle our bodies are.)

The lens is made up of protein and water. As we age, the protein may start to clump up and eventually make the lens opaque. In our eyes the lens must be clear for the retina to

receive a sharp image. If the lens has become cloudy, the image we see will be blurred.

Other than aging itself, researchers have suggested that smoking, diabetes and ultraviolet light can play a role in that process as well.

Modern cataract surgery involves the removal of the lens, leaving the lens capsule in place.

A new plastic lens is then placed into the capsule. The new lens will not develop a cataract and is considered to be good for life.

The outer capsule itself can become cloudy with time, and that can be readily treated with laser in the office as an outpatient.

Cataract surgery has proven to not only be very successful but very safe as well in 99 percent of the cases. Rare possible complications are best discussed with your eye surgeon.

My doctor told me nearly a year ago that my cataracts were getting pretty bad, but I was reluctant then to take the step.

We drove to California for Thanksgiving in 2014, and I noticed that it was becoming more difficult to see the road signs, especially if I were looking toward the light of the sun.

We also went on a trip with friends another time, and the only one who could clearly read

Diagram of the eyeball: Complex.

street signs when we were looking for a certain restaurant in the dim evening light was the one who recently had had cataract surgery.

I am a real duffer at golf, and I was having trouble seeing the golf ball. I had to ask my friends to watch where it went. About that time I decided I was ready for this surgery.

The doctor will usually operate on just one eye and several weeks later does the second eye.

My surgery itself was amazing. My pupil was dilated, the eye numbed with eye drops and I was then sedated with the same medicines I had used for colonoscopies when I was in practice.

I felt, heard and remembered nothing. The surgery took less than 15 minutes. After surgery I felt no pain in my eye at all.

After my dilated pupil returned to its normal size, I could

see perfectly.

It was miraculous.

Colors were spectacular, and when I looked at the mountains, it was like looking with binoculars — or so it seemed.

When I went in for my first post-op check by my surgeon, Dr Michelle Bermingham, I told her how great I was seeing and that I was not even aware of my yet-to-be-operatedon right eye.

I also noted that when I read, my left eye with its new 20-20 distance vision didn’t seem to participate and I could still read up close without glasses with my near-sighted right eye.

She said I have monocular vision, and if I wanted, she could put a reading lens in my right eye for close up reading, and I would likely not need any glasses.

Monocular vision is vision in which both eyes are used separately compared to the most common binocular vision where they are used together. I read that birds and lizards all have monocular vision since their eyes are on the sides of their heads.

I liked that idea as Dr. Bermingham suggested, so she put the reading lens in my right eye three weeks later.

I am enjoying the miracle of 20-20 vision now and after 50 years of wearing glasses I am no longer searching for my glasses every morning when I get up.

Confucius once said, “Everything is beauty, but not everyone sees it.”

I am seeing it now and love it.

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 GARDEN OF DELIGHTS

bonnie orr

Relishing the aromas of tradition The first time I realized that

holidays are connected to food is when my mother decided that we were going to eat Thanksgiving dinner on a Southern California beach.

The overcast, gray day in the low 60s produced just enough breeze to launch sand into every morsel of our picnic. A Norman Rockwell setting it was not.

Worse, where were the redolent aromas of baking turkey, buttery potatoes and mincemeat pie? The build up to a great meal is smelling it being cooked.

Later as an only slightly scarred adult, I was spending a year in Australia. I had met some other Americans, and they wanted to plan a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. We were to bring our favorite family dish.

We were about the same age, so our best memories of traditional food revolved around the food fads of the 1950 and ’60s.

Well, let’s see. The featured favorites were canned yams pillowed with melted marshmallows, canned green beans sprinkled with almonds and a can of those little, dry Chinese noodles, canned green peas and baby onions treading in a buttery sauce. The pumpkin pie made from canned pumpkin and a store-bought crust included in this feast was served in a blazing hot house on a steaming hot day in a town near an Aussie beach.

I like my Thanksgiving meals a little more traditional.

I love warm, cozy inside holiday meals, preferably with the fire flickering in the fireplace and guests wandering about hungrier and hungrier as the crescendoing cooking smells promise great tastes.

Doesn’t the mention of a favorite food make your mouth water? This recipe for Susan

juice, paprika and water.

Pour the olive oil over the carrots and squash and mix these two veggies together.

In a covered baking dish, lay the shredded cabbage on the bottom.

Place on top the carrots and squash.

Pour the spice mixture over the top.

Bake until the vegetables are tender and slightly browned.

Crusty baked veggies: Holiday vegetables plus biscuits all in one dish.

Crusty Baked Veggies This recipe incorporates traditional holiday vegetables and the biscuits in one dish.

Samberg’s cranberry relish makes my mouth water. This is the recipe aired annually on NPR for the last 30 years.

Susan’s unusual recipe includes cranberries, onion and sour cream. And horseradish.

It needs to be made a day or so before you plan to serve it.

Susan Samberg’s Cranberry Relish Makes 1 1/2 pints; 10 minutes prep 2 bags raw whole cranberries 1 small onion 3/4 cup sour cream 1/2 cup sugar 2 tablespoons horseradish Pulse the berries in the food processor until chunky.

Combine all the ingredients.

Put them in a container and freeze overnight.

Take out of the freezer and put in the refrigerator.

Serve this relish slightly frosty.

Nothing is more satisfying to a gardener than serving fresh produce for December 2015 | The Good Life

Christmas dinner. It is the season to feature the hardy garden vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, kale, parsnips, carrots and winter squash. All these veggies become sweeter with baking.

Roasted Winter Vegetables This healthy, colorful dish is easy to assemble and can be baked ahead of time and then reheated. You can substitute parsnips for the carrots or Brussels sprouts for the cabbage.

Serves 4; 20 minutes prep 1 hour cooking 400 degrees 2 cups raw, peeled winter squash cut into cubes 1 cup carrots cut into rounds 1 small red cabbage shredded 2 cloves garlic minced 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons cumin 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 2 teaspoons sweet or hot paprika 1/4 cup water Salt/pepper Cut up all the vegetables.

Mix together the cumin, lemon www.ncwgoodlife.com

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1/2 hour prep; 1 -1/2 hours baking 375 oven/ 400 for biscuits 2 cups raw, peeled, winter squash cubes 2 cups potatoes cubed 2 onions chopped coarsely 1 red bell pepper chopped coarsely 1 clove garlic minced 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons thyme 1/4 teaspoon allspice 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon black pepper 2/3 cup Monterey Jack cheese grated 1/2 cup milk Salt 1/2 of your favorite biscuit recipe Mix all the vegetables with the oil.

Place in an 8 cup baking pan and bake for one hour.

Remove from oven and put into an 8x8 baking pan.

Stir in the milk, cheese and herbs/ spices.

Drop the biscuit dough in large spoonfuls on top of the cooked veggies.

Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees until the biscuits are fluffy and lightly browned.

Bonnie Orr — the dirt diva — cooks and gardens in East Wenatchee.

Susan Kimmel shows a recently completed work at the much-used wooden easel that was an early and encouraging gift from proud parents. The sumi ink brush is one of many in her large collection.

Swoop, tear, color, build, polish: Art is an active verb

By Susan Lagsdin

T

ucked away, stored with other memorabilia at her household high up on Sunnyslope is a 60-year-old note on a kindergarten report card: “Susan’s favorite thing is drawing.”

Indeed it was. Susan Steinhaus Kimmel’s family encouraged her talent, and she remembers them saying about her passion, “We just need to let her do what she wants to do.” By the time she started college at Washington State University, an art career was clearly in her sights.

Recently retired from teaching art and directing the gallery at Columbia Basin College, she moved with her husband Larry

Kimmel to Wenatchee, where their son and family live, and was delighted with the rich trove of arts opportunities. Soon she was a member of Two Rivers Gallery and on the board of the Graves Gallery.

With those new responsibilities ahead of her, and with plentiful awards, 75 regional and national exhibits in her resume and years of lucrative gallery representation behind her, she said she still dreams and thinks about her own art all of the time, in her studio or out.

“Art is not what I do, but rather who I am,” she said. Attending as an adult with an art degree, she recalled the crucible of graduate school at Vermont

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Abstract and yet accessible, this two-panel work shows the ink “gestures” and the use of bright pastel chalk that Susan has developed over the years and that find their way into many of her works.

College of Fine Arts, with its excruciating criticism but then the discovery of her own artistic self — and great freedom. The following years (1994 to 2004) were “intense, exciting and full of creative energy,” she said. “It was a decade of enormous strides in the development of my art.”

Walking through her home and then down into her meticulously appointed studio is to experience an autobiography, a visual chronology. Every artwork — displayed, stored, or close at hand in a working state — demonstrates a time of growth in her art life.

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December 2015

The first most pervasive impressions on the walls are motifs from her repertoire of hundreds of brushed “gestures” in sumi, a pure black, thick Japanese ink. She has drawn hundreds of these forms, creating a visual alphabet, faintly like Japanese letters but defying translation.

Hanging in her dining room is a vibrant wall-sized work in the torrid red-oranges of pastel chalk. She said, “Pastels are messy, but there’s nothing between you and the paper. Your whole arm, your whole body can get involved pushing the color around.”

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WHAT TO DO

We want to know of fun and interesting local events. Send info to: donna@ncwgoodlife.com

NCW Blues Jam, every second and fourth Tuesday, 7:30 – 11 p.m. Columbia Valley Brewery, 538 Riverside Dr, Wenatchee. Info: facebook. com/NCWBluesJam. Wenatchee Farmers Market, every Saturday, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Pybus Public Market.

Weekly Club Runs, every Thursday check in between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. at Saddle Rock Pub and Brewery. 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). Info: Joel Rhyner 387-0051.

This artful book is an Underground Railroad house. A basement door unlocks to reveal a wooden box, which empties out an accordioned array of prints, quotes, posters and letters of slaves and abolitionists.

Some pieces, glassed and framed, are primarily black and white and earth-toned collages — intricate layers and myriad textures of precisely-torn paper bought one sheet at a time from custom paper makers, filed and kept for the perfect application.

Susan doesn’t just try new modes, she incorporates what she loves best about each into the next venture. Most of her works for the last 20 years are multi-media and abstract — an amalgam of sumi ink gesture, pastel, and torn paper, some with those elements indiscernibly integrated.

Her subject is nature, or rather, her reaction to it.

She said, “This landscape is so incredibly varied — and the shapes and colors are so beautiful…” Having moved to Wenatchee from the level desert of Sunnyside, Susan’s enjoying her new terrain, especially the distant foothills above the Columbia River that she sees from her studio windows as they change with sun and season.

With all those luscious ingredients to work with — ink, pastel and paper — plus a backlog of symbolic shapes and nature imagery all around, some artists might be tempted to produce and re-produce a recognizable (and marketable) signature look.

But 10 years ago, Susan also became intrigued with making books, not conventional bound, turn-the-pages ones — she creates one-of-a-kind themed sculptures enriched by calligraphy, images and flawless, mathematical craftsmanship.

She theorized, “I think people are drawn to these books because they can take part, not just observe them.”

And just five years ago, she added another chapter in her long arts story.

Small discs of a special amalgam allow her to craft silver jewelry, using a portable kiln and honing and polishing each piece.

Not surprisingly, both of those latest forays into new arts territory show glimpses of the sumi ink gestures, the soft pastels,

December 2015 | The Good Life

Susan’s silver jewelry is a relatively new medium she enjoys perfecting.

A favorite ink design is replicated in part on this piece, and natural elements enhance its shining simplicity.

the torn paper shapes.

Susan said she believes her art is a gift that’s meant to be shared, and she is excited about every next art piece. “I want to live to be 105. As an artist I’m intent on moving forward… I am always looking to the future, and I want to keep doing that as long as possible.”

See Susan’s artwork and learn more about her at wwwkimmelfinearts. com.

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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: pybuspublicmarket.org.

Christmas Lighting Festival, Fridays 4-9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., through the middle of February. Downtown Leavenworth. Cost: free.

Pack Walks, every 4th Sunday at 3 p.m. Bring your friends and dogs on leashes and walk the riverfront trail. Meet on the loop behind Pybus Public Market at the boat launch. Info: wenatcheefido.org.

Journey to Bethlehem, 12/3-6, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Walk in tours or

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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 online reservations. Experience the town of Bethlehem, as it was the night the Christ child was born.

Includes over 150 actors and supporting cast in full costume and a

living nativity with sheep, goats, donkeys, chickens and a camel.

Arrive early and enjoy a musical Christmas program while you wait for the tour. 5th and Western. Cost: free. Info: j2bwenatchee.org.

Wings and Wishes, 12/3, 6 – 8 p.m. Christmas tree lighting, Eastmont High School Choraliers will sing, Santa will arrive on a fire truck, cookies and cocoa, make s’mores and bring your camera.

East Wenatchee City Hall.

The Little Mermaid Jr. 12/3, 7 p.m. Live performance by StageKids Washington. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $12 and $15. Info: numericapac.org.

Thursday December 3rd, 6pm East Wenatchee City Hall Cookies & Cocoa, Make S'mores, Bring your camera for FREE pictures with Santa!

Jingle Bell Rocks, 12/3, 7 p.m. A film where Mitchell Kezin delves into the minds of some of the world’s most legendary Christmas music fanatics in a search for the 12 best, under appreciated Christmas songs ever recorded. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $12 or $14 at the door. Info: icicle.org.

Tingstad and Rumbel, 12/4, 7 p.m. Live performance. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $22 advance or $24 at the door. Info: icicle.org.

Dedric Clark and the Social Animals, 12/4, 7 – 9 p.m. Live music on the railcar. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

Village Voices Echoes of the Season, 12/4, 13, 7:30 p.m. Leavenworth Church of the Nazarene, 111 Ski Hill Drive. Info: 548-5807.

First Friday: n Two Rivers Art Gallery, 12/4, 5 – 8 p.m. A western experience featuring the art of Dean Rainey. with Marlena LaPazz on guitar.

Wines by Stemilt Creek Winery and complimentary refreshments. 102 N Columbia, Wenatchee. Cost: free.

Info: 2riversgallery.com. n Merriment Party Goods, 12/4, 5 – 8 p.m. Featuring Payton’s Inspirations, who specializes in children’s headbands, tutus, personalized clothing/items and vinyl decals. Come in and meet Angela. Snacks and beverages. 23, S Wenatchee Ave. Cost: free. Info: facebook.com/merrimentpartygoods. n Tumbleweed Bead Co., 12/4, 5-7 p.m. Showcasing classic items from our own line with new addi-

n Small Artworks Gallery, 12/4, 5 p.m. Local artists’ works will be on display at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center.

Opening of Juried Art Show: Beauty of Bronze. Cost: free. Info: wvmcc. org.

Holiday Bazaar, 12/5, 8 a.m. – noon. The Lake Wenatchee Fire and Rescue Auxiliary will hold a pancake breakfast, holiday bazaar, bake sale, raffle and a visit from Santa at the Lake Wenatchee Recreation Club, 14400 Chiwawa Loop Rd. Cost: $5 adults, $3 kids 12 and under.

Exploring the ice age floods, 12/5, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Author Bruce Bjornstad will be on hand to show his new aerial videos of the ice age floods and the landforms they shaped in eastern Washington.

He will be available to chat, sell and sign his books. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

Christmas Family Fun Day, 12/5,

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Ready, set, Winter!

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Now’s the time to get ready for storms and possible power outages

Confluence Health • 1000 N Miller St • Wenatchee Tuesday, December 1 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Wednesday, December 2 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

tions and one-of-a-kind pieces designed by our own artists. Refreshments served. 105 Palouse St. Cost: free. Info: tumbleweedbeadco.com.

Thursday, December 3 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Talk with your family, make a plan and remember, if the lights go out:

Pybus Market • 3 N. Worthen • Wenatchee Wednesday, December 2 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

O

Learn about our Medicare Advantage plans at a free seminar this Annual Enrollment Period, which ends December 7. HealthAllianceMedicare.org 1-877-561-1463 (TTY 711) 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays.

O O O O

Health Alliance Medicare is an HMO plan with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in Health Alliance Medicare depends on contract renewal. A sales person will be present with information and applications. For accommodation of persons with special needs at sales meetings, call 1-888-382-9771. med-AEPsemad-0915 | Y0034_16_36073 | Accepted 34

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Call Chelan PUD 24/7 at 877-783-8123 Stay away from damaged or downed power lines Treat all downed lines as “live” Turn off or unplug appliances and electronics Leave on one light crews can see from the road If using a portable generator, make sure the devices being powered are plugged directly into the generator

December 2015

The Art Life

// SKETCHES OF LOCAL ARTISTS

The romance of writing meets the work of rewriting

By Susan Lagsdin

Ah… the life of a writer.

Picture the quintessential garret room above a busy cobbled street, spare but comfy, with the muse hovering nearby. Or dream of the quarters some fortunate artists enjoy at extended retreats like Yaddo in upstate New York, housed in a colonial mansion; or Centrum in Port Townsend, in a solitary and well-equipped cabin.

Whether the tool is an Olivetti portable, a yellow legal tablet or an iMac tablet, finding some kind of private creative space has always mattered to literary artists.

Novelist Matthew Sullivan experienced variations on the garret when “shoe-stringing it” in his 20s, he said, taking short self-sabbaticals from work to travel overseas on $8 a day. Later he was selected for artist residencies at the other prestigious locales, as well as at the Vermont Studio Center.

But now, with a busy teaching schedule at Big Bend Community College and a rambling home in Ephrata happily filled with his wife Libby, two young children and a scruffy dog, he’s learned to create his own solitary writer’s retreat on tiny getaways.

He said, “I have a crappy old ’60s trailer, and a few times I’ve headed alone into area campgrounds away from other people, hooked up my laptop, and written for three days straight.”

(Minus bike breaks.)

Matthew Sullivan set his mystery novel in a bookstore. He is pictured here at the Wenatchee Book Company, at the foot of Palouse Street.

That’s just about long enough, he figures, before he “heads home to help with cooking and dishes and join the human family again.”

Years of travelling and teaching abroad, writing magazine articles, and taking a variety of odd and unrelated jobs (his favorite in his hometown of Denver was at the Tattered Cover Bookstore) have all shaped Matthew’s 25-year career.

His talents have been augmented by college degrees: a B. A. in English and Writing and an M.F.A. in Fiction Writing.

The companionship of his fellow writers has inspired him. Praise and publication have buoyed him — he won or was a finalist in short fiction competitions around the country, and several literary journals published his stories.

Through those years Matthew wrote two full-length books, one a novel set in Vietnam and the second a mystery. They are both December 2015 | The Good Life

still in manuscript form. He says of those first works, “They ‘almost’ got picked up by publishers, but didn’t, so now they sit in a very crowded drawer. There goes a decade, literally.”

The continuing urge to write and a deepening appreciation of literary mystery (generally character and theme driven rather than plot-driven) led him to a third try in 2006.

That book, entitled Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore, had been sent around, set aside, rewritten, re-rewritten and finally picked up by Scribner eight years later. It is aimed at publication in 2016.

The big prize, the gold ring, his first published full-length novel to hit the shelves, is just within reach.

Now starts the hard work — revision. It’s a months-long process for Matthew, who responds with more labor at the computer whenever his editor sends notes and suggestions. He rewrites, rewww.ncwgoodlife.com

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envisions, reconfigures. He said, “I’m whittling it, streamlining it; it’s more compact and fast-paced now. Sometimes my agent has to remind me ‘Matthew, it’s still your book.’”

The end result — the title on the shelf, possible film options, professional promotion and tours — he figures will take a full year from the date the manuscript is totally finished. Not discouraged, he’s in for the long haul. Matthew’s a disciplined writer, he knows the marketplace, and at 45 he may just be hitting his stride.

This business of writing novels is definitely not for the impatient or the easily distracted.

Matthew said that rejection can be hard, and when writing is not going well, it’s pretty grueling, but, “When it’s going well, it’s almost like being in a trance.”

Even on weeks when he’s been able to write 40-50 hours, it always feels like there’s more writing to do, and he’s never out of projects. “I feel fortunate that I always have something to work on.”

He also feels fortunate to have his family, his college English classes, his local bowling team, his mountain biking and hiking and the occasional presentation at a conference or writers group meeting. Matthew admits that focusing on writing 24/7 (which he’s done for a spell or two) creates an unhealthy imbalance in his life.

Garret, garage or spiffy new study — if there’s relative serenity, it seems it doesn’t really matter where you write.

And though the distance between blank screen and published book may seem vast, Matthew reminds new writers that, “It’s rewarding to take creative risks even when they fail,” and he advises them to “get out of your comfort zone and explore — you’ll find plenty to write about. Being open to new ideas encourages creativity.”

>>

WHAT TO DO

We want to know of fun and interesting local events. Send info to: donna@ncwgoodlife.com

}}} Continued from page 34 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Holiday arts and crafts for all ages. Create your own beaded snowflakes, wreaths and swags, make a cranberry-popcorn garland and other Christmas tree ornaments, have your photo taken with Santa and make your own picture frame. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: $10 per family. Info: wenatcheevalleymuseum.org.

Wells House Christmas Open House, 12/5, 1 – 4 p.m. Enjoy this historic mansion dressed in holiday décor. Refreshments. Cost: free.

Bolshoi Ballet’s The Nutcracker, 12/5, 7 p.m. Snowy Owl Theater.

Cost: $12 advance or $14 at the door. Info: icicle.org.

The Mousetrap, 12/5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 8 p.m. 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 1 p.m.

Live performance by Leavenworth Summer Theater. Festhalle Theater.

Cost: $15, $20, $25. Info: leavenworthsummertheater.org.

One and a half hours of enriching explorations into the essence and substance of moving to music.

Elevate is a community based contemporary dance company from ages 10 and up. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $10. Info: numericapac.org.

Community Tree Lighting, 12/5, 4:30 – 6 p.m. Tree lighting and photos with Santa. Stanley Civic Center Plaza.

Mingle and Jingle, 12/6, noon – 4 p.m. Shop downtown Wenatchee.

Collectable ornament courtesy of The Gilded Lily and the Wenatchee Downtown Association for the first costumers in each participating stores.

Free photos with Santa, 12/6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 1 - 3 p.m. Santa arrives in a red helicopter at Pybus Public Market. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

The MARLIN HANDBELL RINGERS, 12/6, 2 p.m. Cashmere Community Concerts; a great way to ring in the holidays at Cashmere Riverside Center. Cost $3 at the door and pass the hat. Info: www.cashmereconcerts.com.

Elevate Petri Dish, 12/6, 1:30 p.m.

Bronn Journey Christmas Concert, 12/7, 8, 7:30 p.m. Harp and voice. Community United Methodist Church, Leavenworth. Cost: $16.

Info: 548-5807.

Marlin Handbell Ringers, 12/7, 7:30 p.m. Icicle Inn, Leavenworth. Cost: $10.

El Sendero Backcountry Film Festival, 12/9, 7 p.m. An evening of auctions, socializing and a screening of the season’s hottest backcountry ski films. Rub shoulders with the finest gathering of winter backcountry enthusiasts and puffy jackets in central Washington. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $12. Info: backcountryfilmfestival.org or wenatcheeoutdoors.org.

Wenatchee Nutcracker, 12/11, 12, 7 p.m. 12/13, 2 p.m. Live performance with the Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra and Director/ Choreographer Melissa Miller Port.

Numerica Performing Arts Center.

Info: numericapac.org.

Snowy Owl Family Christmas Radio Show, 12/11, 12, 7 p.m. An old-time live radio show with a tender Christmas story, stunning singers and musicians with all your

Send You or Your Loved One

Home for the Holidays

Sign up to win at these locations Brewster Market Place, Pybus Public Market, Martin’s Market Place.

Drawing on December 5, 2015 36

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December 2015

Christmas favorites, spiced wine and hot chocolate. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $22 advance or $24 at the door. Info: icicle.org.

Jay Ownenhouse, 12/11, 6:30 p.m. An authentic illusionist.

Town Toyota Center. Info: towntoyotacenter.com.

Mike Bills, 12/11, 7 - 9 p.m. Live performance on the railcar. Pybus Public Market. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

Snowmobile and ATV Swap Meet, 12/12, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Buy, sell or trade your sled, skis, ATVs, winter equipment, parts and gear.

Local dealers will be showing off their new sleds. Admission free.

Swap meet spaces $15. Northwest parking lot next to the airstream at Pybus Public Market. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

Opera Series: The Magic Flute (The Met Live in HD), 12/12, 9:55 a.m. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $22 advance or $24 at the door. Info: icicle.org.

Free pizza and Santa, 12/12, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Free pizza, photos with Santa and crafts. Wenatchee Convention Center.

>>

WHAT TO DO

We want to know of fun and interesting local events. Send info to: donna@ncwgoodlife.com

Santa’s Sleigh Ride – A Holiday Ice Show and silent auction, 12/12, 4:30 p.m. and 12/13, 2 – 4:30 p.m. The Wenatchee Figure Skating Club will perform live. Auction baskets, baked goods and warm beverages available. Town Toyota Center. Cost: suggested $10 adults, kids 4-12, $5 and 3 and under free.

Free photos with Santa, 12/13, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Wenatchee Convention Center.

Build a gingerbread house, 12/13, 1 - 3 p.m. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free but donations accepted. Info: pybuspublicmarket. org.

Seahawk Rally, 12/13, 27, 3 p.m. at Pybus Public Market. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

Worldwide candle lighting ceremony, 12/13, 7 p.m. The Compassionate Friends will light a candle for all children who have died… that their light may always shine. Church of Nazarene, 1011 S Miller.

A jazzy classy Christmas, 12/16, 6 - 8 p.m. The Cashmere High School Jazz Band and the Apollo Club will perform. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

Holiday Movies on the Big Screen: A Christmas Story, 12/16, 6:30 p.m. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $3.

Info: numericapac.org.

Film Series: The Polar Express, 12/17, 7 p.m. Film revolves around a young boy and how he longs to believe in Santa. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $5. Info: icicle.org.

Magic Strings Celtic Yuletide, 12/18, 7 p.m. Three generations of the Boulding family will set the stage with the Tara Academy Irish Dancers, lively fiddling of Jocelyn Pettit, soulful songs of Colleen Raney with brilliant Dublin guitarist Colm MacCarthaigh and dynamic percussionist Matt Jerrell. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $22 advance or $24 at the door. Info: icicle.org.

The Just Us Band, 12/18, 7 - 9 p.m.

Live music on the railcar at Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

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column the night sky this month

Peter Lind

Meteors shower: 120 per hour The parade of morning

planets — Venus, Mars and Jupiter — continues all through December, but this month’s best show lands on the 14th when the Geminid meteor shower reaches its peak.

We begin the night sky tour this month shortly after the sun goes down, during the last half of December.

Mercury first appears above the southwest horizon about 30 minutes after sunset, barely over the hill tops, and would best be seen from the east side of the river. As the month progresses the small world climbs higher above the horizon, and by the 30th it won’t set for an hour and a half after the sun.

The next two planets, Neptune and Uranus are easily chased down with a good pair of binoculars. Neptune lies the furthest west and sets by 10:30 at mid month. It lies in central Aquarius, the water bearer, a large and inconspicuous constellation that appears approximately 45 degrees above the southern horizon.

Forty degrees east of Neptune along the ecliptic — the path of the sun across the sky that the planets closely follow — you’ll find Uranus. This giant ice world, which resembles Neptune, sits among the stars of Pisces the fish.

Uranus appears a little more than halfway to the zenith in the southeast as darkness falls and is in view all evening, setting around 1 a.m. local time at the end of the month.

Just as Uranus is setting in the west, Jupiter will jump above the eastern horizon. The gas giant rises around 12:30 a.m. in early December, and by the end of the month comes up an hour earlier.

It also is getting brighter as December 2015 | The Good Life

... plan your observing around the 14th of the month when the Geminid meteor shower peaks... earth moves closer to the planet and grows by nearly 10 percent in size during the month, as we get closer to the king of the planets.

On Dec. 8, Callisto, one of Jupiter’s Galilean moons, lies well east of the planet yet still manages to cast a shadow on the cloud tops of the gas giant.

This shadow event can easily be seen with a 6-inch reflecting telescope.

The two planets that stood with Jupiter in Eastern Leo last month start to string out across neighboring Virgo throughout December.

Mars shows itself first, rising about two hours after Jupiter.

On the first, it is a nice contrast with blue-white Spica, the first magnitude star in Virgo. As the month progresses Mars tracks eastward and passes within a hand’s width north of Spica on the 21st.

Mars is on the far side of the solar system from earth and so looks tiny. It will grow much bigger and brighter next spring as it approaches opposition in late May. Venus rises about an hour after Mars on Dec. 1 and appears very bright in the eastern sky by 4 a.m. It stands just beside Spica, and is a factor of 100 times brighter than the star.

Venus moves quickly in December, see how fast the gap widens between it and Spica. www.ncwgoodlife.com

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If you’re up early the morning of Dec. 7, you’ll notice a waning crescent moon closing in on Venus. After sunrise, the moon passes directly in front of (occults) the planet, unfortunately it will happen after daylight in our area.

Make sure you plan your observing around the 14th of the month when the Geminid meteor shower peaks, just three days past a new moon.

The “showers” seem to streak away from Castor, the bright star in the constellation Gemini.

Castor passes nearly overhead around 2 a.m., but don’t look overhead for the streaks, you’ll see them about half way to the horizon, in all directions.

For the best views, find a site with clear and dark skies, away from the city. You can expect to see up to 120 meteors per hour.

All the planets mentioned and their position in the night sky can easily be found on star charts on the Internet. Do a search on Google or Bing such as “where is Neptune tonight” and you will find plenty of sites with pages you can print and take outside with you.

If you take a book or printed page outside after dark, you’ll want to take a red flashlight with you, as a red light doesn’t inhibit your sight like white light does. I use a small Maglite, painting the lens red with borrowed fingernail polish from my wife.

There’s plenty to see throughout the month, so dress warm on these cold crisp nights and enjoy the shining stars.

Peter Lind is a local amateur astronomer. He can be reached at ppjl@ juno.com.

>>

WHAT TO DO

We want to know of fun and interesting local events. Send info to: donna@ncwgoodlife.com

}}} Continued from previous page Columbia Chorale, 12/18, 7:30 p.m. Live Christmas performance.

Numerica Performing Arts Center.

Info: numericapac.org.

Wenatchee Apollo Club, 12/19, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Live performance of A Christmas Classic. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Info:

The bucket list Have you recently crossed out an item on your bucket list — that list of goals you want to reach before you kick the bucket?

Send us an e-mail — with pictures if possible — to: editor@ncwgoodlife.

numericapac.org.

Illumini Men’s Chorale, 12/19, 7 p.m. Live concert. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $22 advance or $24 at the door. Info: icicle.org.

Holiday Movies on the Big Screen: Home Alone, 12/20, 6:30 p.m. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $3. Info: numericapac.org.

Holiday Movies on the Big Screen: Miracle on 34th Street, 12/21, 6:30 p.m. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $3.

Info: numericapac.org.

Living Nativity, 12/23 5 and 6 p.m. and 12/24, 5 p.m. Evangelical Presbyterian Church, 1400 S Miller.

Cost: free.

A Christmas Carol, 12/23, 7:30 p.m. A 1940s-style live radio show of the Dickens classic. Attendees can experience how the sound effects are made. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Info: numericapac.org.

Red Cross Blood Drive, 12/29, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. at Pybus Public Market. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

Rockin New Years Eve Concert,

12/31, 7 p.m. - 1 a.m. Live music by Junkbelly and Junkyard Jane. Cost: $25, $75 VIP. VIP includes, dinner

by Visconti’s, special acoustic show

by Billy Stoops and Leanne Trevelyan, VIP seating and more. Pybus Public Market. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

We want to thank all of our clients for another year of your valued business and wish you and your families a

Very Happy Holiday Season

Roxanne Bryant

Branch Manager Senior Vice President/Investments

Charlie Naismith

Associate Vice President/Investments

Kristen Taylor, MBA

Senior Vice President/Investments

Michael Fahsholtz

First Vice President/Investments

Karen Madison, CFP® Vice President/Investments

Rick Viall

Associate Vice President/Investments

Zach Davies, CFP® Financial Advisor

(509) 663-8604 | (800) 933-5521 One 5th Street, Suite 300 Wenatchee, Washington 98801

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December 2015

column those were the days

rod molzahn

Finding a pass over impervious Cascades I

n the 1920s, Hal Sylvester, the first director of the Wenatchee National Forest, wrote of finding old blaze marks on trees in the Little Wenatchee drainage.

He estimated them to be about 80 years old and likely the work of European Columbia River fur traders. The traders were looking for a route and pass to transfer furs to the west side of the Cascades that would be shorter than the Columbia River route to Astoria.

On July 25, 1814, Alexander Ross, a trader who oversaw Fort Okanogan, a small fur trading post at the mouth of the Oka-

nogan River, set out on foot to cross the Cascade Range in search of a viable route.

“It was,” as Ross wrote, “ the first time the thing had been attempted by any white man.”

Along with three Okanogan Indians, one guide and two hunters, Ross headed up the Methow Valley on what he thought would be a two month round trip to the salt water and

}}} Continued on next page

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Railroads push efforts to find a pass

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back.

For six days they climbed through “gloomy forest almost impervious with fallen as well as standing timber. A more difficult route to travel never fell to man’s lot.”

At the end of the sixth day they reached a “height of land” where they found the water running in the opposite direction from the streams they had followed on their climb up.

They were at the Cascade crest, possibly at what is now called Cascade Pass, the headwaters of the Stehekin River, a trade route that Indians had used for 10,000 years.

The guide became ill at the pass but continued for two days traveling down the west side.

Then he refused to go further.

Ross left one of the other men with the guide and continued on with the remaining man.

On Aug. 6 they encountered a storm so fierce that trees were falling “like grass before a scythe.” The Indian was terrified and disappeared that night leaving Ross alone.

He was forced to turn back after 151 miles of travel, only 50 miles from his destination at Skagit Bay. They reached Fort Okanogan an Aug. 22 after “a perilous and disagreeable journey of 30 days.”

In the summer of 1853 U.S. Army Captain George Brinton McClellan and his company of soldiers were ordered to eastern Washington Territory to locate a pass across the north Cascades suitable for a railroad.

McClellan and his men headed north along the eastern slopes of the Cascades. Though he got close, McClellan failed to find Snoqualmie Pass. He also failed

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to find Stevens Pass or any other pass.

He reported to Governor Stevens that no railroad pass existed in the north Cascades.

Stevens didn’t believe him and asked his friend, Abiel Tinkham, to look. A few months later, with the help of Indians, Tinkham became the first white man to cross Snoqualmie Pass.

Seven years after McClellan’s exploration of the east slopes another effort was made to locate a pass.

This time the goal was a wagon road for freighting supplies from west to east.

If you follow the Little Wenatchee River to its headwaters (which can be done on established trails) the upper section of the trail follows Cady Ridge with views of Cady Creek to the north.

At the top of the ridge trail is Cady Pass at 5,955 feet elevation.

The pass, as with most Cascade passes, had long been used by native people.

In 1860, E.F. Cady and E.C. Ferguson crossed Cady Pass in search of a wagon route. They came from the west side up the Snohomish and Skykomish river valleys following stories of a pass well known to native people.

After crossing the pass they followed the Little Wenatchee down to the Lake Wenatchee area. They turned back there, convinced the route was not feasible for their imagined wagon road.

Ten years later the Northern Pacific Railroad was anxious to act on its 1864 federal charter to build a transcontinental railroad from the Midwest to the far west. They sent Daniel Linsley, an explorer, surveyor and engineer, west to locate a rail

Native people told him Indian Pass was easier going. He hoped they were right. route that would cross the north Cascades.

In late May of 1870 Linsley, along with interpreter John Tennant and six Skagit Indians, left Bellingham and began canoeing up the Skagit River. Linsley had two destinations in mind — two passes Indians had told him were old routes used to bring furs from the west side to Fort Okanogan in Alexander Ross’ time.

The first was Kaiwhat Pass, the headwaters of the Suiattle River and Sulphur Creek to the west and Agnes Creek to the east. Agnes Creek feeds into the Stehekin River.

The second goal was Indian Pass south of Kaiwhat Pass with Glacier Peak rising between them. On reaching Kaiwhat Pass, Linsley had reservations about its feasibility for rail travel. He believed a tunnel up to 1 1/2 miles long through granite would be necessary. Native people told him Indian Pass was easier going. He hoped they were right.

They backtracked down the Suiattle Valley to its confluence with the Sauk River then up the Sauk towards Indian Pass, elevation 5,042 feet.

They reached the pass on June 30. From there they descended the White River Valley to Lake Wenatchee, which Linsley described as “a beautiful sheet of water.”

They followed the Wenatchee River through Tumwater Canyon to its confluence with the Columbia where Linsley borrowed a canoe from Jack Ingram at the trading post.

They paddled up the Columbia to the Chelan River then portaged up to the lake and paddled to Stehekin. From there they

climbed to the summit of Kaiwhat Pass where they had stood six weeks earlier. They returned back down the Columbia.

After leaving the canoe at the trading post, Linsley, with an Indian guide, went back to Puget Sound over Snoqualmie Pass.

The trip was a remarkable accomplishment even though neither Kaiwhat nor Indian Pass was suitable for railroad use.

Twenty years later the much sought after north Cascades railroad pass was finally located.

The Northern Pacific had given up on a northern route and built their line over Stampede Pass.

By the late 1880s, however, J.J. Hill was pushing his Great Northern line from Minneapolis across the northern tier of states.

In December of 1889 Hill sent his chief engineer, John F. Stevens, west to find a pass over the north Cascades. After exploring all possible routes north of Kaiwhat Pass Stevens was “convinced that the Wenatchee River offered the correct solution of the knotty problem.”

Stevens traveled up the Wenatchee River to Lake Wenatchee then up to the divide where he “followed the crest of the Cascades from Linsley’s Indian Pass clear through to Snoqualmie Pass.”

He had noted Nason Creek on his way to Lake Wenatchee and when he found the pass that bears his name during his journey along the crest he knew it was the head of the Nason Creek drainage.

On his return he sent his assistant, Mr. Haskell, up Nason Creek to confirm the drainage.

Haskell returned soon with the news that the north Cascades railroad pass was found.

Historian, actor and teacher Rod Molzahn can be reached at shake.speak@frontier.com. 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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column ALEX ON WINE

ALEX SALIBY

Baseball’s over, but wine hits keep coming L

ife sometimes throws you a curve ball.

My high school coach Posnanski used to instruct the baseball team to avoid the temptation to swing at them. “Wait for the hard and straight fastballs,” the coach advised. “They’ll travel farther when hit, and give you more extra base hits.”

He was probably right, but I had great difficulty avoiding swatting at those curve balls.

Maybe that’s why I was never a long-ball hitter.

I would have been much happier if the Chicago Cubs had hit a few more long balls and won the World Series, but maybe next year.

However, there have been many home runs hit by our local area wineries.

For one, Wedge Mountain has a new and very enjoyable 2013 Barrel Select Syrah, and soon Eagle Creek Winery will offer a Super-Tuscan blend — a lovely marriage of Sangiovese, Cabernet and Merlot in the style of the famous Sassicaia blend in Tuscany.

And, aging in the cellar at 37

Cellars is a barrel of Malbec.

Another thing that’s happening has been going on since 2010, when Horan Estates Winery opened a tasting room in Cashmere’s Mission District.

This winery has been a favorite of ours since day one of its origin in 2001.

We loved barrel tasting in the garage at Kelly and Ross Reidinger’s home, and chatting with Doug and Diana McDougall while Doug used the wine thief to pull wine from the barrel for us to taste. Those were fun events, wonderful people and terrific wines from day one.

Change came along with that new Cashmere tasting room.

First, the winery changed owners, but kept the heritage of the Horan family, and then moved its production facilities to the Mission district.

I admit to having some early concerns with the shift in owners, but those qualms were quickly dismissed because the wine quality never faltered and year-to-year quality remained uninterrupted by the changes.

It’s the wine quality that prompts this latest message.

This Syrah is a winner on all levels. Its color shows beautiful deep extraction of the fruit and the aromas hold steady throughout...

A few weeks ago, prior to the Thanksgiving weekend, Horan Estates owners Beth and Dennis Dobbs released their latest red — their first Reserve wine, the 2012 Horan Estates Reserve Syrah.

I’ve had the pleasure of a prerelease taste of the wine, and I’m pleased to say that I found it memorable.

Forget about ribbons, awards and score sheets from the wine writers, which I’m confident will come to this wine; just get yourself to the tasting room (or to Tastebuds, where the wine is also available for sale) and try this wine for yourselves.

This Syrah is a winner on all levels. Its color shows beautiful deep extraction of the fruit and the aromas hold steady throughout and well into the empty

glass, long after you’ve finished.

This wine demonstrates classic text-book flavors of a Northern Rhone Syrah, complete with typical blackberry fruits and a hint of pepper. Best of all, the finish is both luscious and long.

When you’re at the tasting room, be sure to try Duet, their Semillon- Sauvignon Blanc blend, as well as the fruity and delicious Viognier. They also have four other red wines, including a long time favorite of mine, the HVH Blend.

And while you’re there at the Cashmere Mission District facility, don’t miss the two other winery tasting rooms in the facility: Cashmere Cellars and Crayelle Cellars. Both offer excellent wines to sample.

If distilled spirits appeal to you, stop in at the popular It’s 5 o’clock Somewhere. The pourers are welcoming and friendly, ensuring a delightful time.

Enjoy yourselves. We did.

Alex Saliby is a wine lover who spends far too much time reading about the grapes, the process of making wine and the wines themselves.

He can be contacted at alex39@msn. com.

Great holiday gift idea:

Tickets to the Winter Wine Gala! presented by Forte Architects

Saturday evening, January 23 at the Wenatchee Valley Museum Purchase online at www.wenatcheevalleymuseum.org or by calling (509) 888-6240 or in person at the museum, 127 S. Mission Street, Wenatchee

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