Good life april 2015 by The Good Life

METEOR SHOWER TO LIGHT SKY Y EVENTS CALENDAR

WENATCHEE VALLEY’S

NUMBER ONE MAGAZINE

April 2015

Open for fun and adventure

Price: $3

savor THE SAGE HILLS

ICONIC WENATCHEE TRAIL SYSTEM OPENS FOR EXPLORING Skydiving Open the door and fall — a very long way

Travel Planner Cary Ordway features great NCW getaways

The results are in! Chelan County PUD asked for your opinion and you gave it to us!

Now see what you and your neighbors told us. Go to ourpublicpower.org for the strategic plan to find out how Chelan PUD will provide the best for the most for the longest period of time. Thank you for your incredible response!

Contents

page 26

owner-crafted & comfortable home up nahahum canyon

Features

Sunrise on saddle rock

Starting a hike during the raven dark of morning

8 on a spring run in sage hills

The iconic Sage Hills Trail opens to hiking, biking, running and just plain savoring April 1... what a reason to get outside!

10 ice dancer

Ruth Delong has been a dancer all of her life... now she does it on ice at the Town Toyota Center

12 LETTING GO

Stepping out of a plane in mid-flight is heart-pounding, but man, what a view!

14 A WINTERTIME RETREAT IN MEXICO?

Veteran traveller Tom Warren says he wasn’t crazy to spend a season in this little-known Mexican mountain retreat

18 spring travel planner

Cary Ordway offers eight pages of NCW getaways

ART SKETCH

n Painter Lindsay Breidenthal, page 34 Columns & Departments 17 Pet Tales: What’s that on Chris’ shoulder? 30 Bonnie Orr: Stories of my mother 31 June Darling: Wait, wait, something better is coming 32 The traveling doctor: ED is about more than sex 34-39 Arts & Entertainment & a Dan McConnell cartoon 37 The night sky: Very short lunar eclipse this month 39 History: The settling of the Methow 42 Alex Saliby: Tasting wines in the Quincy area April 2015 | The Good Life

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OPENING SHOT

Year 9, Number 4 April 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, Steve Maher, Manuel Gutierrez, Molly Steere, Shelly Forster, Peter Bauer, Marlene and Kevin Farrell, Rachel DiLorenzo, Tom and Mary Ann Warren, 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, Rick Conant 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)

A quiet night on horse lake road By Manuel Gutierrez

All around Wenatchee is

beautiful — we have beautiful colors from sunsets and sunrises. Last year, I decided to go to Horse Lake Road to see the Wenatchee view from there and

capture the sunset. This photo is the result. Since I was a kid, I have been amazed seeing pictures in magazines and books of landscape, of the moon, of people, and the like, and that has made me think, “One of these days, I will capture that kind of picture.” I am an amateur photographer and I love photography — I’ve only started taking pictures with my DSLR five years ago. I fell in love with how one picture

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

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April 2015

could capture each moment. I self taught myself watching videos and reading books. Photography for me is passion, patience and time.

On the cover

Steve Maher took this photograph of an early spring day on the Sage Hills Trail. He features it on his local site, adventurewenatchee.com.

editor’s notes

MIKE CASSIDY

Ever find yourself saying, ‘Oh, that’s too hard’ ? Every now and then, some-

one will say to me, “How do you write a column each month? That seems hard.” Hard? Hummm… can be. That got me thinking about the nature of how we perceive “hard” when faced with a new task or adventure, and what later turns out to be surprisingly easy once we get started. I asked a couple of our contributors this month about “hard.” The first was Marlene Farrell, who along with being a writer is a long distance runner — long distance like in 10, 12, 15 and more miles at a time. I cannot imagine how hard that would be. (I do occasionally run, maybe like 20 feet at a time on the tennis court — if not exactly run, maybe glide, lope, shuffle or stumble. But 20 miles, no-o-o-o.) Here’s her answer: “I would guess that nonrunners have an impression that long distance running can be exhausting, boring, and/or lonely. All three of those aspects are actually not true. I build up to my long runs incrementally so once I do a 20-miler, my muscles are ready for it. And it’s neither boring nor lonely. Sometimes I go with friends, but long runs alone are fantastic because there is a lot of time to think and observe. It’s meditative. When I come back from a long run, I am bursting with ideas and plans.” OK, so if the running is not hard, then what is? Again, Marlene: “The difficulty in long distance running, for me, is two-fold. “First is heading out when conditions are tough. I’ve done some 5 a.m. runs in the rain or

cold winds, or some middle of the day runs in 90-plus degree weather. Not ideal. But once I’m out, it doesn’t matter — I’m tougher than I thought I was while I was lacing up my shoes. “The other aspect for me is post-long run, having the energy to be a good mom and wife. Sometimes I fail at that and I’m cranky and don’t feel like playing with my kids but would rather have my feet up.” In other words, what’s hard for Marlene is the same thing that is hard for many parents with young children — finding energy and time to do it all. Retired judge Tom Warren is back this month with a travel article. I’ve been in Tom’s court (no, it’s not what you may think… as a prospective juror, not a defendant). Tom was… let’s say, a bit of a control guy while on the bench. His court was not one to be flippant or careless in. So wouldn’t a guy like Tom have trouble traveling and adapting in foreign lands where — along with the language — so much else is out of his control? And sure, said Tom, “The hardest is the language issue. You miss out on a lot of things when you can’t speak the native tongue. You overcome this by finding English speakers (who are usually under age 30) as English is taught in most public schools around the world. “A second hard thing for me is the travel to the new location. I always second guess whether I have made the right decision.” But, adds Tom, “For me the most fun is the early planning of the adventure ... Once on the foreign site, the easiest thing is getting acclimated to the new culture. As soon as you develop April 2015 | The Good Life

a new routine all the discovery and fun follows right behind.” While many of us might imagine it’s too hard, too uncertain, too out of our comfort zone to be a foreigner in a foreign land, for Tom, that’s one of the fun parts. Hard vs. easy. Often we don’t know until we try. As for me and writing this column — coming up with the first sentence was hard. Now that I’m at the end, the rest wasn’t so hard at all. Hard can be easier than you fear. Lace up your shoes and run for the The Good Life. — Mike

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fun stuff a full LISTING of what to do begins ON PAGE 35

Have a beer, text & drive — how adventurous!

Gold, Treasure and more show — The

k, we are NOT recommending driving while drinking and texting, but if you’ve ever wondered just how dangerous such an activity can be (because, hey it can’t be as risky for you as, say, a driver with average skills), you can satisfy your curiosity this month with the Arrive Alive Tour at Pybus. Meanwhile, if your interests are a little more expansive than drinking and driving, you can learn to tie a fly, pan for gold and learn more about the earth on Earth Day. Or, you can drink ale in Leavenworth. Just have someone else drive. Check out these highlights from this month’s What to Do list: Trails in Motion film festival — RunWenatchee and Ad-

ventureWenatchee hosts these nine films of running scenes from around the globe including Before He Wakes, which was shot in the Wenatchee Foothills by Steven Gnam. Beer, wine and

Rest your feet while watching runners from around the world in a festival of short running films April 8.

other beverages and snacks. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: $8 advance or $10 at the door. Total film running time 2 hours and 10 minutes. 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 8. Introduction to Fly Tying — No prior experience necessary. Learn a little about flyfishing and walk away with a fly you’re proud of. Wenatchee River Institute at Barn Beach Reserve, Leavenworth. Cost: $5. Info: Wenatcheeriverinstitute.org. 6 – 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 8.

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latest in prospecting and rock hound supplies, dredge equipment, metal detectors, gold and silver jewelry, ceramics, gems and Hummm... you delicious bug! At least, fish think so. minerals, collectable coins, Scentsy, motor Arrive Alive Tour — Texting sports equipment and more. and drinking while driving is Learn how to pan for gold and highly dangerous and can kill see a real dredge in operation. people. This tour brings a car Chelan County Fairgrounds in that has a simulator in it that Cashmere. Cost: $5; children 12 replicates what it is like to drive and under free. Info: 860-1145. while intoxicated or while texting. Pybus Public Market. Cost: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, April 18/19. free. Info: pybuspublicmarket. org. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday, Earth Day Walk at Jacobson April 11. Preserve — Susan Ballinger and Julie Banken will lead sections Leavenworth Ale-Fest — of the walk in the Wenatchee It’s “An-Ale-Of-A-Party” with foothills. Susan will share her brews to taste from 20 brewerexpertise in wildflowers and ies, food and music from popuplant biology, while Julie Banlar NW bands. Leavenworth ken, an entomologist, will exNutcracker Museum. Cost: $20 plore the hidden lives of insects advance or $25 at the door. Info: at Jacobson. Cost: free. RSVP: leavenworthalefest.com. 6 – 10 hillary@cdlandtrust.org. 6 p.m., p.m. Friday, April 17; 2 – 10 p.m. Wednesday, April 22. Saturday, April 18.

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April 2015

A lone pine greets the early light of dawn. Photo by Erin Davidson

A dark hike to greet the sun on Saddle Rock By Molly Steere

hen my friend Erin suggested a sunrise hike up Saddle Rock, I immediately loved the idea. Getting up early for an adventure feels like a privilege and holds a giddy anticipation for me. I’m weird like that. And although I’ve hiked Saddle Rock untold times, often at night, I’ve never made the journey before dawn. The opportunity for a new perspective was enticing. Saddle Rock is a Wenatchee landmark revered for its stunning views and close proximity to town. It was the perfect choice for a sunrise hike for several reasons: we’d have minimal impact on the trail because the soft ground is frozen at that hour, we’d be done with our hike before the usual weekend traffic congested the trail, and we’d be home shortly after our families woke up, leaving the rest of the day open.

In the raven dark that is inherent to 5:30 a.m., I greeted Erin in the Wenatchee Racquet and Athletic Club’s (WRAC) parking lot and we quickly started up the Jacobson Preserve Trail. We switched on our headlamps and let the 34-degree air clear out our lungs. The quiet was disarming. At a later hour, the trail is usually accompanied by a steady hum of street noise and hikers taking advantage of the local beauty. Sections of the trail are quite steep. I peppered Erin with questions so that I wouldn’t have to talk while struggling for breath (hey, we all have our strategies). We made quick work of the trail while alternately chatting happily about our lives and exclaiming how thrilled we were to be out. After about a mile and a half, and 900 feet elevation gain, we came upon the meadowed saddle before the craggy towers that form Saddle Rock. April 2015 | The Good Life

By this time the sky was streaked with bluish purples and dusky orange, the rocks and mountains surrounding the lights of the city remained silhouetted in black, and the Columbia River was a ribbon of gunmetal grey. Stunning. A lone tree stands sentry at the intersection of the north and south trails, and is often the turnaround point when coming from either side, but we wanted to get up above the rock features. We continued westward and upward on the Ridgeline trail. In less than a quarter mile we arrived at our mutual favorite spot, a small outcropping of boulders and a bushy pine. From there we admired the intensifying colors on the horizon, as the fresh snow on the hills to the northwest slowly turned pink. “Here it comes,” I whispered as the sun slowly peaked out from behind the hills to the east. It cast a golden glow on the Columbia, surrounding hills www.ncwgoodlife.com

and trees. We stood in silence for a long while, savoring the panoramic view that includes the North Cascades, the city, the Wenatchee Foothills and the Columbia River. Once we had our fill, we started back down. In the early morning light we were able to enjoy the shrub-steppe flora and fauna. We listened to birds chirping, watched a busy chukar going about its business, saw several groups of deer foraging their breakfast, and delighted in the recently bloomed sage buttercups popping up from the frozen ground. Rejuvenated and thankful for the opportunity to enjoy our local treasure, we said our goodbyes in the parking lot and we made plans for the next hike. Having logged miles, fresh air and clarity of mind, we were ready for our busy day ahead. Molly Steere is a freelance writer who loves to get outside and enjoy our beautiful valley at every opportunity.

Open season in the Sage Hills Editor’s note: With the April 1 opening of the Sage Hills trail just days away, we thought we’d run this story from a couple of years ago from the WenatcheeOutdoors website about how much fun a spring day run in the nearby hills can be.

by Shelly Forster

My boss was going to be out of town for

a week, which meant I was holding down the fort alone at WenatcheeOutdoors HQ. After some parting instructions about posting articles, recording the Outdoor Report, and refraining from embezzling company assets, I was told, “April 1 is opening day for the Sage Hills — get out on the trail, check the conditions, see who’s out there and, you know, ‘make up’ some quotes from trail users.” “Hang on,” I clarified. “You need me to skip work and go hiking on what’s forecasted to be a beautiful day? There’s a catch, right?” There wasn’t ... which made this a weighty job. I needed to be professional and thorough, so I decided to run the whole length of the Sage Hills Trail just to be sure I could give a detailed condition report and to make sure I spent enough time outside to tell if it was really a beautiful day or not. My plan was to run from the Lester Trailhead to the Horse Lake Trailhead and back, a round-trip distance of about 10 miles. On April 1 near the end of my lunch break, I pulled into the Day Drive parking area maintained by the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust and got ready. I was pleased to see two other cars in the lot — at least a few other ambitious slackers were keeping their life balanced by mixing some pleasure into the workday. From Day Drive, my run went well for the

A group of friends celebrate a birthday with a hike in the Sage Hills. Photo from the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust

DETAILS, DETAILS...

first few miles. The Sage Hills were turning beautifully green. They were also seeing the first dots of wildflowers. I found delicate blooms of sage buttercup, yellow bell, locoweed, yellow daisies, desert parsley, balsamroot, bluebells, and my first lupine blossom of the season. I saw a few hikers, bikers and canines but, compared to my loop of the Loop a few days earlier, the Foothills felt deserted. Conditions were excellent along the trail, which speaks well to the decision to keep the Sage Hills closed for the winter. The trail had none of the ruts and deep footprints sometimes found on the Saddle Rock trails after a winter of hard use. Instead it was smooth, sandy and intact. A fair number of tire prints and footprints revealed that the trail had received plenty of homage earlier in the morning. About three miles into my run I discovered a well-used spur trail on my left that I had

f you haven’t hiked the Sage Hills Trail, you should — it’s a classic Wenatchee outing like biking The Loop, hiking Saddle Rock or strolling Pybus. The main access points to the trail are from Sage Hills Drive and Day Drive to the south, the end of Maiden Lane in the middle, or from the Horse Lake Trailhead to the north. Despite Shelly’s experience in this story, if you stick to the main trails in the lower hills you can always see where you’re going and where you’ve come from, making it very easy to stay oriented. The Land Trust has an excellent schematic brochure of the trails that you can pick up at their downtown office or from the Wenatchee Chamber of Commerce. For more detailed topographic maps showing the trails and for written details of how to access and use the trails, see the different “Sage Hills” entries in the online “Hiking” guidebook at www.WenatcheeOutdoors.org

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April 2015

OH, THOSE TRAIL COMMENTS... F

In late spring, the flowering heads of the balsamroot plant explode along the trails. Photo by Peter Bauer

never noticed before — Yahtzee! I had unlocked a new level. The trail wasn’t gated and had fresh bike treads, so on a new detour I went. Based on my map study at the trailhead, I thought this might be the Homestead Trail, near the north end of my run. I expected it to loop up and over a chunk of hill toward Horse Lake to add a few easy miles to my run. Half an hour later I realized the trail wasn’t going to quickly loop over to Horse Lake, but was going to climb. And climb. And climb. I could have given up and retraced my route at any time, but I wanted to know where this new level of trail blazing would lead. Two shredded thighs and an exploded lung later, I hit a clearing atop a saddle. The dry, dusty Sage Hills trail was far below, and I had climbed high enough to hit a sparse ponderosa forest. Here and there the charred leftovers from the Wenatchee Complex fires poked up through the soil. I was surrounded by deer and dainty wildflowers. Hmmm. Had I hit a vortex in the time-space continuum and been sucked into a parallel universe? The sandy trail that had seduced me into this painful climb soon disappeared in a

You could be a trail builder

Do you want to help make the Foothills Trails even better? The Chelan-Douglas Land Trust is building a new trail in the northern part of the Foothills, and also has several work parties to help with ongoing trail maintenance and restoration. Visit cdlandtrust.org/getinvolved/volunteer to learn more.

clearing under a flurry of pine needles and soil. I zigzagged across the meadow like a drunken bumblebee, searching for a trail that would bring me down into the lower hills. Navigation over the next hour was confusing, but the condensed version is that I climbed a north-south ridge and trotted in a direction that I hoped would lead to Horse Lake. I think the ridge carried me just beyond the Horse Lake Reserve to an overlook, affording the most beautiful views of the Wenatchee Valley and the snowy Cascades that I had yet to witness. From here I eventually found a dirt road with some boot tracks and a few mucky patches of snow. I followed the dirt road April 2015 | The Good Life

northward, looping around the barbed wire fence of the Reserve. Another two hours and three hopped fences later, I hit the Horse Lake Trailhead. By this time, the after-work crowd was just beginning to emerge from their indoor burrows. By now, my moderate one-totwo hour trail run had taken four hours and had carried me at least five miles farther than intended. Our foothills are open enough and the views long enough that I could gradually find myself after losing the path. However, had I been exploring other places where the trees were thick, I might have found myself very, very lost. I realized that there’s good reason why map and compass are listed as part of the “Ten Essentials,” especially in areas that are loaded with game trails, spur trails and heavy vegetation.. Looking at the map later I’m quite certain that the spur I used to climb above the Sage Hills was the Lightning Trail, but I can’t be sure which dirt roads I followed after losing the trail. I do know that I missed the Homestead Trail and that I definitely broke recreational protocol by wandering around www.ncwgoodlife.com

inally, to fulfill the reporting obligations I committed to, here are some comments from trail users I stopped to chat with as our paths intersected on Opening Day: n “I saw 227 people in a couple hours on Saddle Rock this weekend. It’s nice to be out on a quieter trail.” n “After a winter of running on pavement, it’s great to be running on dirt. I’m optimistic that my knees and I will soon be on speaking terms again.” n “If my spouse were this beautiful, I’d spend less time out here!” (Ouch!) n “I was hoping there would be a cooler of beer along the trail.” — Shelly Forster off-trail on the Land Trust’s property. Granted, I was traveling crosscountry to relocate myself, not because I had a vendetta against trail rules. Still, as a wannabe-responsible trail user, I owe it to the Land Trust to study the maps and be familiar with the trail layout before I bolt. Better yet, I should carry a map with me so that if I do lose the trail again I can reconnect as quickly as possible. In spite of (or maybe because of) getting lost, opening day in the Sage Hills proved to be a memorable one. It left me excited to spend more days this spring exploring the trails, learning the wildflowers and enjoying the views. Shelly Forster was an AmeriCorps volunteer who worked with WenatcheeOutdoors.org, editing and writing content and refining the website’s features. A native of New York state she is now applying to graduate schools to carry on with her biology/ environmental sciences studies.

Dancing across a frozen floor Ruth Delong ice skates the way she danced — with grace, flexibility and precision By Marlene Farrell Photos by Kevin Farrell

t the beginning of a midweek public skate at the Town Toyota Center, Ruth Delong starts skating large figures in the middle of the ice. The only others out there are a woman pushing a girl in a wheelchair around the perimeter. Ruth is dressed for warmth, but also exercise, in her thin gloves, fleece top and stretchy pants. For a couple laps she holds her arms out while her legs, together, weave back and forth. Then she moves her legs opposite each other, drawing a string of pearls on the ice. She flexes and skates low. She skates over to a half wall and props her leg up high for a hamstring stretch. She could be a young woman in a ballet class for her grace, flexibility and precision. Not many 75-year-olds can do what Ruth does. Now a couple of families and a few individuals share the ice, skating in circles. Ruth continues her drills as she stretches one leg out while carving on only one skate. After some faster skating, she is ready for her favorite part, jumping. The set up of every jump, except the axel, is with backward skating. Ruth is used to watching for others, and calculating the space she needs to jump given the projected paths of the other skaters. The smoothness of her jump belies the difficulty of launching herself airborne, spinning in the air,

Ruth Delong stretches by putting her foot on the railing before she skates. “Dancers are big on warm-ups so I always warm up before doing anything,” she said.

and landing without a wobble. Ruth has always expressed herself through movement. She danced as soon as she could walk. As a girl, she kept busy with acrobatics in a small town on a small island at the tip of the Everglades. “I spent probably half of my childhood upside down,” she said. She taught ballet, jazz, folk, and modern dance at the Miami Community College for years, saying her favorite is modern. When she moved across the country to Leavenworth, she opened a studio called Dance Works, in Wenatchee, which she owned and operated for three years. She decided to close shop during a lull in enrollment. She explains, “It’s not like now when it seems like there’s a studio on every block.”

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No longer teaching, Ruth decided she was ready for a role reversal by becoming a student again. At the age of 55 she laced up her ice skates for the first time. Her husband, Frank remembers it. “The day she first put on a pair of figure skates, she looked like she had been born on them. Now 20-plus years later, she still does. The joy Ruth gets from ice skating brings me joy in equal measure, just watching her.” Skating demands some of the same abilities as dance, like core strength, flexibility and balance. Gliding and jumping off a small platform — the blade of the skate — are new skills Ruth has learned. “I love everything about skating. It’s artistic and athletic, and it’s to music,” she said. Ruth

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April 2015

works on her routines alone, but her fellow figure skaters are an extended family that she sees almost every day. They share tips and encourage one another. They’ve learned the sport from coaches Louise and Paul Kapeikis. The Kapeikises taught skating at the former Riverfront Ice Arena, and Louise is now the Town Toyota Center’s Skating Director. Although fewer than 10 percent of her students are adults, Louise enjoys working with individuals like Ruth. “Adults are detailed-oriented; they ask more questions than kids do. And Ruth is upbeat all the time. When I’m in my 70s, I want to be like her.” Some of the other adult skaters wear bike helmets and knee pads while practicing their spins

and jumps. Ruth relies, instead, on her time-tested strength and confidence. Over 20 years Ruth’s passion hasn’t diminished; she still skates four days a week. First she does her warm-up. “Dancers are big on warm-ups so I always warm up before doing anything. The older I get, the longer it takes.” Then it’s time to practice the jumps. “I love jumping,” she says with a smile. There are six kinds of jumps: the salchow, the toe loop, the loop jump, the flip jump, the lutz jump and the axel jump. They differ in difficulty and whether the take off starts on the edge or the toe pick of the skate. Ruth has learned them all, though she doesn’t do the axel anymore. It is hard to land, and she doesn’t want to take that level of risk. Falls are inevitable. Ruth has had her share, but she gets right back up. One recent fall was a bit worse. “I went into a spin, and as I was turning, I fell. My hand slipped out, and I landed on my face. I broke a few small bones.” Undeterred, she was back at the rink the very next day. There are moments of doubt, she admits. Her short lessons with Coach Louise remind her of the fundamentals. If nerves cause Ruth to miss a take off, she recalls Louise saying, “Just do it!” Ruth competed for six years, participating in local and sectional competitions that had adult divisions. Once she went to Nationals in Michigan. In preparation, she practiced for over a year on her two-minute program. She won silver in her age division. Her first competition, however, was the hardest and most unforgettable. “It was frightening. I was too nervous to bend my knees and glide. Who said this was going to be fun? Thankfully my coach, Dr. Paul Kapeikis, gave me the last minute encouragement I

Ruth makes backward skating look easy.

needed and, oh, what exhilaration when I finished.” Ruth is now retired from competition because some of the skills required, like skating on one leg with the other held high in the air, called a spiral,

are hard on her hip. “Each skate weighs two and a half pounds. That’s a lot different than a ballet slipper,” she said. She still works with her coach to devise new programs; her current one will never be per-

formed before an audience. “I started working on it for my 75th birthday,” she said. Coach Louise added, “Working on a program gives Ruth purpose on the ice. And she enjoys skating to music.” Ruth admires international skating champions, such as Patrick Chan from Canada and Mao Asada from Japan, who master the athleticism of many triple jumps without sacrificing artistry. Artistry is the ability to link the elements seamlessly, and expand the emotion conveyed in the music. Ruth understands that, since her roots are in dance. Her skating, like those of the professionals, is a floating dance. What will the next decade bring for Ruth? There is no doubt in her mind. “I can’t imagine not skating. The rink is the place I meet my friends, challenge myself, scare myself, occasionally please myself, get great exercise, and banish all my worries for awhile.”

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The Women’s Health Department features a collaborative team approach, with primary care providers in the same location as OB/GYN and Behavioral Medicine, to meet you healthcare needs in one place.

Services:* Central Washington Hospital & Clinics 1201 South Miller St. Wenatchee, WA 98801 509.662.1511

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• Health maintenance and screenings

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Well women exams Weight management Mental health Family planning

Call 665.5871 to schedule an appointment today. April 2015 | The Good Life

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Letting go One second after Dave Yancey stepped off the jump platform on a static-line over Chelan: “Falling from a mile high rocks,” he said, “and you can’t beat the view!”

The fun begins when the static line comes to an end By Rachel DiLorenzo

“Middle-aged man falls

from plane.” For “Brave Dave” Yancey, that’s an ideal headline for his newfound passion, skydiving. The fun began with daughters Jacqueline and Heather. Jacqueline gave her sister a Groupon for a first jump course for Skydive Toledo — in Lewis County in western Washington — for her 21st birthday. Devoted parents Dave and Joan went to watch Heather’s first jump. As it turned out, Heather’s jump was postponed due to windy weather. But the experience provided enough inspiration for Dave. He recalls thinking, “Hmmm... I can do that.” Soon after, he returned to Chehalis, to complete the ground training course with Skydive Toledo.

Although he jokes that, “Joan upped my life insurance that morning,” Dave made a successful first jump. Three weeks later, Heather joined her dad at Skydive Toledo for her first jump. “It was so cool to do it together,” he said, “and a memory I will hold forever.” The pride is obvious in his description of Heather’s graceful first jump: “She landed beautifully, on her feet.” Dave considers himself a novice skydiver. He has completed nine jumps, in three different drop zones; Skydive Toledo, Skydive Chelan and Skydive Snohomish. In a few months, he will complete the ground course at West Plains Skydive in Ritzville. At that point, he will decide in which zone to continue. “I realized after three ground courses that ‘you don’t know what you

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don’t know,’” he said. Each drop zone has its own teaching style and personality. “If you are going to spend the time and money, being in a place you feel you fit in is important to overall attitude and safety,” said Dave. Once you are licensed, you can jump from anywhere you like as long as you are current — that is, jump once every 60 days. Prior to the first jump, the novice skydiving student receives extensive training. As Dave explained, “You’re constantly thinking, ‘How am I going to remember all this?’ Then, once the container is strapped to your back, and you go through your cut-away drill for the 50th time, you realize, ‘I really am going to do this.’” He offers this vivid account of a jump: “About the fifth time you go

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April 2015

off a static line (a controlled fall, involving automatically deployed canopy/parachute), jumping from a plane begins to feel almost normal. That is, until that door opens, and you crawl out to hang off the strut, before letting go. Just before the door opens, the jumpmaster does one final equipment check. You then step out on to a little platform at 75-plus miles an hour and grab the strut. That is where the nerves end, and the excitement begins. I think riding motorcycles at highway speeds has trained me for the winds up there. It’s not much different, except you are at 3,500 feet. OK... it’s a little different.” He continues, “Crawling out is easier than it looks. Then you make that last reach past the marker on the wing strut. You lightly step off, to the true ‘point of no return.’ You are hanging

like a streamer in the wind. You look to your jumpmaster for the ‘thumbs-up’ signal, and trust your training. “Then you take a breath and let go. Immediately, you begin your count as the static line pulls your pin. Your canopy begins its opening sequence. The count is important, as you only have a few seconds to determine if the canopy is flyable. “If there is one thing you walk away knowing at the end of ground training, it’s how to effectively and safely deploy your reserve.” There are two golden rules of skydiving: 1) Get timely chute deployment during free fall, and 2) Land safely. When Dave has experienced unexpected cross-winds during his fall, he has remained undaunted. He always falls back upon his training: For a beginning skydiver, the last 100 feet in altitude determine where he lands. (Any corrections done beyond that point are dangerous.) Skydiving draws different thrills for different people. Some like the feeling of free falling, but for Dave, it is the time under the parachute canopy. For those three-to-five minutes, “I am my own pilot and navigator, sailing through the air and enjoying the freedom of controlled flight.” Once the skydiver reaches 1,000 feet, he begins the approach to his drop zone. It is his responsibility to align himself correctly. At 600 feet, he makes

Dave and his daughter, Heather, just before going up together for a jump. “It was so cool to do it together,” he said, “and a memory I will hold forever.” his base turn. Finally, at 400 feet, he executes the final landing glide. This Washington native is well traveled, accomplished and clearly grateful for his fulfilling life. After graduating from Moses Lake High School, Dave

joined the Army. His military career presented him with “the incredible opportunity to see many areas,” including Germany and Luxembourg (where he met Joan); to Korea and Georgia, Colorado and California. In addition to receiving a promotion to

Staff Sergeant during this time, he also earned an AA degree and an electronics certification. The active dad retired from the Army in 1992. “I came back to Wenatchee because I truly believed it was a great place to raise a family.” He added, “We have one of the most wonderful areas a family could want to live in. The centrality of recreation and diversity from all points of the compass make this valley the best.” Dave happily added that he and Joan celebrated their 25th anniversary last year. Besides daughters Jacqueline (a UW grad) and Heather (a UW student), the Yancey clan includes Andrew, an Alcoa crane operator. When not jumping out of airplanes, Dave enjoys cross-country motorcycle trips with Joan. “Taking a motorcycle off the beaten path and searching out ghost towns and mines can be pretty exciting,” he said, adding, “You go back into places few travel to. Getting into places that you wind up having to push, pull, or drag yourself out of... or running out of daylight, and having to spend the night in a remote cemetery, that can sure make things interesting. “Adventure riding was something I always got a kick out of, since my teens. But it’s hard on the body as you get older.” He pauses, smiling, “Like skydiving isn’t?” Rachel DiLorenzo loves to meet new people, and enjoys a good chocolate chip cookie.

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Division of Cashmere Valley Bank

This city view of Guanajuato from the panoramic hillside shows a city that is a cluster of color.

A wintertime retreat in the mountains of Mexico?

Are you crazy?

By Judge Thomas C. Warren (Ret.) Photos by Mary Ann Warren

ell, maybe not crazy but pretty adventuresome. We have had the propensity of taking off and driving though parts of Mexico. In the 1970s

we decided to show our then small children that the beauty of Mexico is not just beaches and margaritas. We drove from Guadalajara into what is known as the colonial district in the center of Mexico. We visited the towns of San Miguel de Allende and

| The Good Life

Guanajuato, which had mostly not been discovered by visitors yet. After retirement in 2007, we decided our winter plan would be to visit a different place in the world each year. The first year was a drive to San Miguel de Allende for a 12-week stay,

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April 2015

learning and enjoying the life of an expat. We set a pattern of arranging for the rental of vacation homes through Vacation Rentals By Owner (www.vrbo.com). To share our fun and adventure we always try to rent a three or four bedroom home so

we can have visits by our travel friends and family. In subsequent years we have gone to New Zealand, Panama City, Panama, Oaxaca, Mexico, Africa, and this year to Guanajuato. So what is the deal with Guanajuato? It is not at the top of most people’s travel list and many folks have never ever heard of it. The State of Guanajuato, and the city which is the state capital, is right in the center of Mexico in the Sierra Mountains, about 240 miles north of Mexico City. It was an important mining area for the Spanish and the Valenciana mine had the largest vein of silver in the world. The city became famous for being at the heart of the Mexican independence revolution against the Spanish and rich Mexicans in 1810. It now has revered historic buildings and attractions dating from the revolution. The famous war heroes Hidalgo, Allende, Aldama and Jiminez eventually were all caught, decapitated, and their heads hung from the Alhondiga granary in Guanajuato. The city is also home to the University of Guanajuato established in the early 1800s, and now has over 30,000 students, which make the city a real livewire place. Much of the charm of visiting or living in Guanajuato has to do with its topography. The city of roughly 154,000 inhabitants sits in a canyon surrounded by steep hills. Most

The Guanajuato Coffee Scene It is always a pleasant late morning stop to have coffee, just like going to the Vogue in Chelan. Besides you always need to stop and rest after the brisk walk to the historic centro. You can always get the predictable at Starbucks, in the Jardin de Union, or at the Italian Coffee Company just around the corner by the church. However, it is a lot of fun to find the hole in the wall spots and get that mocha, latte or cappuccino and experience the variation. The top rated coffee stop on Tripadvisor is Café Tal. It is along the way to the centro and is split between two buildings. The coffee is good, but the atmosphere leaves a lot to be desired, so we have explored afar. By far, the most artistic coffee was at La Victoriana, in an arts building up by the park below the lake. The barista there creates masterpiece pictures in the foam of the coffee. Another real find was Cafe7Sette, which is located in the Don Quixote museum. The atmosphere of this beautiful room is fantastic. In addition they serve illy Italian coffee and it was a great stop after touring the museum. of the homes are all built on the side hills without access to streets. The residents get to the canyon floor by alleys (really steep steps) called Callejons or up to the top of the hill to the Panoramic roadway. All the casas are flat roofed and painted in bright colors, making for a delightful viewing as they dot the hills and the side canyons. There is no grid system and the alleys wind their way about,

April 2015 | The Good Life

One of the coffees at La Victoriana — all the foam designs were different.

We also enjoyed coffee at Café Conquistador, which is a hole in the wall near the street that runs by the front of the University of Guanajuato. There is no place to sit after buying coffee from the store front (three tiny tables and a coffee grinding machine), but there is a lovely little square with four benches across the street where you can watch the world going by while you enjoy excellent coffee. We also checked out Cowfee, which was a bit too milky. Go figure. — Tom Warren

making for interesting discoveries. What is really unique is that long ago the river in the canyon was covered over, and tunnels were created for all the vehicular traffic. On the south toward Mexico City and the highways to Leon, Guadalajara and San Miguel de Allende, there is no road over the hills. All traffic exits the city by the tunnels, which snake in and out of locations throughout the canyon floor. At

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most two or three streets run on the canyon floor none in the central historic district. The unique design of the city makes it a great walking place, and you surely don’t want or need a car here. If you don’t want to walk there are cabs all over the place, which will zip you in and out of the tunnels to get you near your destination. The downtown area is beautiful with its historic 18th century

}}} Continued on next page

Winter retreat in Guanajuato }}} Continued from previous page baroque architecture, churches, parks, civic buildings, schools, businesses and vibrant life. The central district was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988. True of most Mexican cities, and particularly here in Guanajuato, the citizens live outdoors, day and night. When we make our 20-minute walk to the central downtown,

we weave past seemingly thousands of people walking about. This image is enhanced because in one area leading to our neighborhood there is only one street on the canyon, with narrow sidewalks, and shared with a one-way street. A trip to the central area of the Jardin (Garden) de Union is a must at night, as the area is packed with people eating, talking, partying and enjoying life

Colorful vendors are a part of a busy street culture.

to all hours of the night. Having thousands of students and visitors in the area (this is quite a Mexican citizen visitor spot) makes the evenings like New Year’s Eve every night, particularly on the weekends. Saturday and Saturday night are big wedding times at the many churches, and you see a good percentage of people formally dressed, making it very festive. There are street vendors, mariachi bands, sidewalk entertainers, university musical groups, and the fun seemingly never ends. These winter trips are also a

wonderful time to create friends and lasting relationships. We have come to cherish our casa owner, Kim who has opened her own home to us in the nearby village of Santa Rosa, on the road north to Dolores Hidalgo. She has a five-year-old son who was a grand match for our five-year-old granddaughter who visited for two weeks. Her husband is the media and communications director for the Mayor of Guanajuato and Kim is a children’s book editor for an international publishing company. We have invited their family to join us for a visit in Chelan next summer. I hope that this snapshot of a Mexican city will peak your desire to step out and enjoy the wonderful world of travel — maybe even to somewhere you have never heard of before. Judge Warren and his wife Mary Ann are retired and very active in Chelan. Mary Ann is involved in Arts Council projects and Tom is the chair of the Lake Chelan Community Hospital Commission. They try to travel about the world at least three times a year.

| The Good Life

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April 2015

PET tales

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

ove at first sight — our mini horse “Duke” and my wonderful friend Lisa Carpenter’s daughter Sophia Carpenter. These two bonded so quickly, we call him her horse! — Patty Billings

While soaking up the sun at the beach in Yelapa, Mexico,

Chris Rader of Wenatchee was approached by a man with a strange pet. He placed the iguana, named Pedro, around her neck and offered to take her photo with it for 50 pesos. “I’ll do it for 10 pesos,” Chris replied. It being early in the day with no other tourists yet in sight, said Chris, he took the deal and this picture.

April 2015 | The Good Life

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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Recreation Central

NCW offers amazing choice of getaways

o many places to go, so little time – a dilemma shared by residents of North Central Washington, an area rich in opportunity for travelers and outdoor enthusiasts, and arguably one of the premiere recreational destinations in the entire Pacific Northwest. Ask most people who move here. Sure, there may be a job transfer involved, but one of the prime factors for relocating to North Central Washington is the abundance of recreational opportunities. Over here is a 55-mile-long lake, over there is a system of trails to backcountry that looks like the European Alps. Love the Wild West? It still exists to some extent in Winthrop. Can’t afford a trip to Austria? There’s plenty of German beer, brats and lederhosen just up the road in Leavenworth. Maybe Stehekin is one of the best examples. No need to fly hours and hours to some remote village in Alaska to see what life off the grid is really like. Just hop on board the Lady of the Lake II and take a four-hour cruise to the northwestern tip of Lake Chelan. There at Stehekin Landing you step off the boat into another world where the cars are from the

middle of the last century and just a few dozen local year-round residents are completely dependent on the boat and local float plane service to keep them supplied with life’s essentials. Hop on the shuttle at Stehekin and you travel even farther away from civilization. This is the gateway to North Cascades National Park and backpackers find trails here that take them far into untouched wilderness that rivals anyplace on earth for natural beauty. Or, day hikers and families can find another little piece of paradise at Domke Lake, a pristine body of water that’s just a 2.5mile hike over the mountain from Lucerne, another stop on Lake Chelan just a few miles southeast of Stehekin. The water in Domke could not be more pure and the fish could not be more plentiful – if you go at the right time. Small row boats, some with motors, are available for rent and there is a basic park for overnight camping.

Stehekin Landing

Of course, you don’t have to travel the length of Lake Chelan to find spectacular scenery and fun things to do. Just hang out in Chelan and you’ll be amazed at what this small town has grown into over the years. Together with Manson, Chelan now boasts numerous wineries, excellent accommodations, some of the best restaurants in the region and, as everyone knows, a recreational lake second to none.

tain ridges with National Geographic quality vistas. Just a half hour out of Leavenworth is Lake Wenatchee, yet another picture-postcard lake that offers a full menu of recreational opportunities.

Over near Leavenworth, the locals know there is much more waiting for visitors than Bavarian shops and music. Just outside of town there are amazing trails taking you to places like the aptly-named Enchantments, a series of moun-

In between these better-known destinations are some places you might not have even thought about. Places like Waterville, with its historic buildings – including the picturesque Waterville Hotel – and an uncanny resemblance to Mayberry USA. Or the numerous and elaborate waterfront parks along the Columbia River. Or places like Banks Lake and Lake Roosevelt, a little bit farther away but also great for boating, waterskiing, fishing and camping.

Cary Ordway is publisher of NorthwestTravelAdvisor.com and host of Exploring the Northwest, heard at 8:45 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. weekdays on KPQ 560 AM, Wenatchee. Central Washington EXPERIENCE is made possible by the sponsors appearing in these articles. Email: getawaymediacorp@gmail.com; Twitter: @getawayguy

So what are you waiting for? With so many recreational choices here in North Central Washington, you need to get up and get going. There is little time to waste. ✦

Spring 2015 | THE GOOD LIFE | Central Washington Experience |

Off the Grid

Travel to Stehekin – and back in time

finding ample trails – and even a shuttle service to take them to the trails. Anglers find that fish practically jump into their boats.

hile adventure-seekers sometimes fly all over the globe to completely get away from civilization, the isolated village of Stehekin is just a short boat ride from Chelan – a trip that will take you decades into the past as you discover what life would be like without many modern conveniences.

Visitors arrive mostly by boat, some by float plane, and the first sign that they’re not in Kansas anymore is the vintage cars used to get around town. Just like Cuba, Stehekin doesn’t have a lot of new car deliveries and local residents have learned to make do with what they have -- for 50 or 60 years, in some cases.

Located at the northwest end of 55-mile-long Lake Chelan, Stehekin is a tiny hamlet of 95 souls, give or take, that goes to sleep every winter only to awaken to a steady influx of summer visitors. It’s all about the outdoor recreation up here at the gateway to the North Cascades National Park, with hikers

The convenient schedule offered by Lake Chelan Boat Company makes it possible to get a taste of Stehekin without even spending the night. A lot of day visitors will take a quick trip up to Stehekin on the Lady Express, spend a few hours and then take the more leisurely Lady of the Lake II back to Chelan. Others

will come up and spend the night at one of a half-dozen or so lodgings in or near the village. Whether it’s a day trip or overnight, visitors are likely to take the shuttle up to the 312-foot Rainbow Falls for some spectacular photos, or to visit other sites such as the Harlequin Bridge and Stehekin’s one-room schoolhouse. Those with a sweet tooth cannot resist a stop at the Stehekin Pastry Company. The trip up to Stehekin is an adventure unto itself and the Lake Chelan Boat Company has been plying these waters since 1915. Over the years, the company has launched new boats and,

Spring 2015 | THE GOOD LIFE | Central Washington Experience |

Lady of the Lake II

today, you can choose between the Lady of the Lake II, which takes four hours to cruise from Chelan to Stehekin, and the Lady Express, a smaller, faster vessel that shortens the journey to 2.5 hours. Passengers can cut about a third off the trip by boarding at Field’s Point instead of Chelan. For more information on the Lake Chelan Boat Company schedule, please visit www.ladyofthelake. com, or call 888/682-4584. ✦

Family Tradition No mega-resort here, just lakeside bliss

t a time when Lake Chelan waterfront costs approximately a gazillion dollars for a decent-sized lot, Robert “Bub” Watson, Jr. is content to hold onto his family’s little piece of the South Shore – 130 acres, give or take – and run a resort built on, you might say, Family Tradition. It’s all about family for the Watsons, who take that one step further and invite YOUR family to be part of the tradition. For many decades, people from all over Washington state – especially the westside – have been vacationing at Watson’s Harverene Resort with its prime location right next door to the Lake Chelan State Park. No mega-resort here, just cottages down by the water where the resort also features beach and lawn areas for family recreation, a swimming pool and boat docks and moorage for 45 boats. The resort has just seven units available for nightly rental and those can get scarce during the peak of the sunny Chelan summer. Another 12 cottages are leased by the year and, back from the water a ways, are 53 mobile home sites. It all adds up to a lakefront community all its own and, from what we could tell, guests were

getting plenty of use out of the lake and recreational facilities on the bright July day we visited. The summer scene at Watson’s is one of laughing children, the tantalizing scent of barbecue in the air, dads playing catch with their kids and, off in the distance, the sounds of boat engines idling as ski boats wait two or three in line to get gas pumped at Watson’s dock. It could be any family lakeside retreat in the country, except that in this case the backdrop is the pristine, clear water of 55-mile-long Lake Chelan, which stretches far to the northwest, snaking into the heart of the majestic Cascade Mountains. Nowadays it’s pretty hard to find 130 acres of property on such a popular lake, even if you could afford to pay for it. You have to start working on it well in advance – so far in advance you won’t be born for another 70 years or so. It was Bub Watson’s great grandfather who had the foresight to post a claim on this lakefront property. It was back in the 1890’s and J. Howard Watson was not just a good real estate investor – he also knew a thing or two about newspapers. He founded the Spokane Spokesman (which

Watson’s Harverene Resort

later became today’s SpokesmanReview) and he worked for the Seattle Times and Walla Walla Union-Bulletin. He was even secretary to Washington’s governor for two years. It was J. Howard Watson’s son – Bub’s grandfather – that, in the 1920’s, led the transformation of the property to a resort. “A lot of people were coming and using the beach,” says Bub, “and my grandfather figured maybe he ought to start charging them. That’s how it all started.” Bub’s grandfather passed the resort onto Bub’s parents, Robert

Spring 2015 | THE GOOD LIFE | Central Washington Experience |

Sr. and Barbara, who ran the resort for many years, and as Bub went to Chelan area schools through the 70’s. They started Bub out running the orchards on their property and eventually, after the orchards were removed, Bub learned how to manage the resort. The senior Watsons are still alive and well, Bub points out: “They’re still the bosses – they’re just never around,” he says jokingly.

For more information on the Watson’s Harverene Resort, please visit www.watsonsresort.com, or call 800/697-3720. ✦

Mountain Springs Lodge

Hiking trails, zip lines, and music lure Spring visitors

of river rock accents, large beams and high ceilings.

n early Spring means Mountain Springs Lodge will be busier than ever this year as snowmobile trails have quickly turned into hiking and horseback trails, and the resort’s new zipline gets back up and running following a brief winter hiatus. Mountain Springs has 122 mostly wooded acres near Plain, just a 20-minute drive from the Bavarian Village of Leavenworth. Owner Bill Newell and his family have built a mountain getaway that combines some of the region’s best scenery with firstrate accommodations – and a whole lot of ways to enjoy the Great Outdoors. Just last fall the resort opened Leavenworth Ziplines, eight lines that take visitors on thrilling rides above the forest canopy for distances of up to 650 feet. The lines are among the highest in the state, at some points flying guests along at 200 feet above the ground. In its first few months of operation, it became readily apparent that the ziplines were not just for kids or thrill-seekers – 70-yearold grandmas were zipping along the new system enjoying the heck out of it. It proved to be such an

There is a variety of accommodations including three larger lodges that are ideal for families. There are also two cabins -- each sleeping eight guests -- that include a main bedroom, loft, full kitchen and a hot tub out on the deck with scenic views of the mountains.

Mountain Springs Lodge

all-ages attraction that many days were even busier than the resort anticipated.

weekdays, top it off with a dinner in the resort’s lodge. (Riders need to be at least 8 years old).

The ziplines will open again formally in May, although there will be a “soft” opening in April this year.

As if that wasn’t enough, the resort this year is opening a new heated swimming pool.

The snowmobile trails are already open for hiking and provide an elaborate trail system that takes you over mostly easy terrain and gives you a choice of distances. “If you knew how to get there,” says Newell, “you could hike all the way from here to Chelan.”

Mountain Springs Lodge also schedules live musical entertainment every fourth Tuesday. Called Music at the Mountain, it’s a great time for locals to come up and enjoy a fun time with a featured musical guest, micro-brews and gourmet pizza.

In the first part of May, the resort starts to offer horseback riding. Groups of four to six people can take a guided ride along the resort trail system and, during

The resort does a brisk lodging business and the rooms and lodges truly convey a mountain spirit. The lodge-style architecture is all warm wood with lots

Spring 2015 | THE GOOD LIFE | Central Washington Experience |

There are three suites in Beaver Creek Lodge that are popular for couples getaways. They are large and spacious and have rock fireplaces and river rock-encased jetted tubs. One of the suites has a hot tub on the deck. Most people who stay at Mountain Springs book packages that include a dinner. The resort serves a variety of fare including Alaska king crab legs, salmon, filet mignon, shrimp scampi, quail, smoked breast of duck, New York steak and Vegetable Wellingham. Guests can have dinner in the dining room or have it delivered to their room. The resort also offers an elaborate Sunday brunch. For more information on Mountain Springs Lodge and lodge activities, please visit www.mtsprings.com, or call 800/858-2276. ✦

Second Act

Silvara Vineyard is dream of former tech guru

n the beginning, Silvara Vineyard was basically a car. That’s all winemaker Gary Seidler had in mind when he visited the Leavenworth area for the very first time – not to vacation or buy property or build a winery but to simply buy a vintage car. But something happened on the way to buying that car – he fell in love with a gorgeous piece of view property on a hillside of flowers overlooking some of the most beautiful scenery in all of North Central Washington. His short trip to the area from Phoenix, Arizona, was turning into a lifetime dream of owning his own winery.

“I had no idea that Washington was just brimming with different tasting rooms and wineries,” he said, and the beauty of the area was the clincher. “I had always loved the Alps and the alpine lifestyle – so that was that.” The timing was right, too. He had just completed wine-making school at California’s UC-Davis and was embarking on a new career, having already proven himself an able entrepreneur in the information technology business. Seidler’s company would move and install data and technology systems for some of the country’s leading companies and, after 14 years, he got an offer to sell the company that he could not refuse. He was set for life. As often happens with “early”

retirements, Seidler soon started thinking about what else he could do now that he had more time on his hands. He knew whatever it was going to be, it had to be something he loved and felt passionate about. Seidler’s grandparents were bakers and he says he’s always had a fascination with yeast. He laughed as he recalled he probably did his first fermentation with Welches grape juice when he was just a teenager. He thought about it, and it wasn’t long before it became obvious: his next vocation would be wine-making. Seidler’s life and business partner, Cindy Rarick, shares Seidler’s enthusiasm for wine-making and brings to Silvara a complementary background in professional golf. A longtime PGA golfer – on the Legends Tour for the last eight years – Rarick has been able to introduce Silvara wine to customers all over the country. Many of the Silvara Wine Club members are in fact golfers, professional musicians and other people she has met in the golf world. “The wine and the golf thing go together like a long drive and a birdie putt,” Seidler says. Opened in 2008, Silvara Vineyard has settled into something of a specialty – dry oak aged Bordeaux wines, making just 3,000 cases a year but consistently selling out. The winery buys fruit

Cindy Rarick & Gary Seidler at Silvara Vineyard

only from recognized fruit regions and Seidler says he intends to keep his output relatively small because of the highly specialized production required to maintain quality. He also wants to keep his prices reasonable. “I think a good wine should be under $50 a bottle,” he says. “Most of our wines are between $28 and $42.” Another big goal of Silvara is to create a pleasant environment for visitors to stop and sample the wines. With rolling hills, pear orchards, vineyards and the nearby mountains, the views from the winery are reminiscent of the European Alps, and the winery’s lodge-style architecture adds to that feeling. Broad windows, stone fireplaces and an outdoor stone patio fit perfectly with the winery’s hilltop location. Silvara also serves food including brochette, flat breads and charcuterie. Additionally, a Wine Dinner Series is planned for 2015. Silvara also plans this year to

Spring 2015 | THE GOOD LIFE | Central Washington Experience |

expand upon previous musical offerings that have been primarily small combos or single artists. This year, larger musical groups and bands will play while guests enjoy wine on the winery’s extensive lawn area. The music is in keeping with Seidler’s other past vocation – that of a touring sound engineer who spent much of the 70’s and 80’s handling concert sound for national recording acts such as Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Asleep at the Wheel and many others. All of which keeps Seidler quite busy these days – not a lot of time to look for vintage cars but plenty of time for his dream of a lifetime — vinting those award-winning Silvara wines. For more information on Silvara Vineyard, please visit www.silvarawine.com, or call 509/548-1000. ✦

All Seasons RV

With 40 years on Chelan Highway, Gene Halverson’s seen a lot of changes

ack in 1975 when All Seasons RV opened for business in its new Chelan Highway location, the big concern was: “Will people drive five miles out of town to shop for an RV? For crying out loud, gas prices are already up to 52.9 cents per gallon!” But the owners – Gene Halverson and his parents, Gene Sr. and Pauline – realized that you really need a little space when you’re selling motorhomes and travel trailers. You need space for inventory and space to give service customers easy access to the facilities. A vacant lot in a downtown location would cost an arm and a leg. And so it was that All Seasons RV began a 40-year tenure on the Chelan Highway -- now called State Highway 97A -- that is still going strong today. The business has changed and morphed and grown along the way and, at every step, Halverson has found ways to adapt and prosper. The thriving business he has today did not just happen overnight. “The first years were tough,” Halverson remembers, “but being a family-owned business we tightened our belts and were very careful not to over-spend.” The product lines have changed over the years. Halverson started

Gene Halverson at All Seasons RV

1975 out selling snowmobiles, motorcycles, three-wheelers and six-wheel all-terrain vehicles – along with a few trailers and campers. Then in 1977, All Seasons started selling Red Devil race cars built by Robert Knievel Sr., Evil Knievel’s dad. “That’s where the name All Seasons came from,” Halverson says. “We sold toys for all seasons.” The RV industry started to change in 1977 when buyers weren’t satisfied with the old basics anymore. In the early years, RV buyers were just happy to have a place to protect them from the elements and all they required were ice boxes, port-a-potti’s and gouchos that made down into beds. “But all of a sudden campers decided that they wanted to take all the goodies that they have at home with them camping,” Halverson remembers. They wanted microwave ovens, color TVs, hot showers and queen-size beds that you can walk around, and All Seasons began

carrying product lines that offered those amenities. As the years progressed, RV buyers demanded more and more luxuries to the point that it’s now common for RV’s to include such extras as self-leveling jack systems, slideout systems to increase square footage, satellite TV with surround sound, Blu-ray players, dish and clothes washers and much more. Despite increasing gas prices over the years, RV travel has remained popular and Halverson believes that’s because the cost of every other kind of travel has gone up as well. People are drawn to the independence that allows you to take your RV to just about any part of the country you desire. That’s especially true in North Central Washington where, Halverson says, there are 80 different campgrounds within a 75-mile radius. In this part of the country, the average overnight stay costs the RV owner $25 to $35. All Seasons now concentrates on towable RVs. The trend nowa-

Spring 2015 | THE GOOD LIFE | Central Washington Experience |

days is toward a moderate-size RV, down from the 46-footers to something more in the 24-foot range. A popular item right now is the small folding trailer – the modern equivalent of a tent trailer – that has hard side walls and lots of amenities for about $15,000. Larger towable RV’s are priced from $20,000 on up to $60,000, depending on size and amenities. The popularity of RV’s also has brought increased competition for Halverson, and other RV dealers have even moved out to State Highway 97A. Looking for a way to separate his business from the competition, Halverson decided about five years ago to take a Winnebago and turn it completely upside down, positioning it right at the highway entrance to All Seasons. Most local residents now know All Seasons RV as the “Home of the Upside Down Winnebago.” All Seasons RV is located at 4182 State Highway 97A. For more information, visit www. allseasonsrvsales.com, or call 509/663-6551. ✦

Motor toys

Ohme Gardens

An enchanting Wenatchee escape since 1939

hether it’s a passion for gardens or natural beauty or just an escape from everyday life, visitors find Wenatchee’s Ohme Gardens to be a fascinating experience -- and one they may well repeat many times.

Doghouse keeps them in top shape

Ohme Gardens has been attracting both tourists and locals since 1939, back when it was just a couple of massive rock outcroppings and Herman Ohme would scavenge one load of rocks at a time to build what turned out to be a legacy for his family. The Ohme Gardens property was just perfect for a natural attraction such as a garden – it stands 600 feet above the Valley floor at its highest point and offers a commanding view of the Columbia River. The garden complex has lots of secret hideaways and meandering native stone trails through lush vegetation and trees. People will come up from Wenatchee just to spend an hour or so in such a natural setting that seems so far from civilization. Throughout the gardens there are a total of 52 stone benches – ideal for contemplating those big life decisions, or just letting your mind wander. There are seven pools that have stone benches around them. The attraction is for all ages, but Ohme Gardens is especially popular with kids. “They just go nuts,” Mike Short of Wenatchee’s Ohme Gardens says. “And that turns the adults into big kids — the excitement kind of rubs off on them.” Altogether there are more than 14 acres, with about nine garden acres. The outside loop trail is a little less than a mile long and is a great way to see a variety of views. The views also change by the season – you can visit Ohme Gardens early in the spring, then come back and see different vegetation later in the year. It changes from year to year, and even month to month. In summer, it can be one of the coolest places – as in coolest temperatures – to be in the Wenatchee Valley. The shady pools and towering trees provide a cooler climate than the Valley floor. A trip to Ohme Gardens is all about rejuvenation and relaxation, Short says. “It’s an escape that is moments from downtown.” Tickets to Ohme Gardens are $7 for adults; $3.50 for ages 6-17; 5 and under, free. Phone 509/662-5785 or visit www.ohmegardens.com. ✦

ike most of the employees at Wenatchee’s Doghouse Motorsports, Service Manager Todd Douglas takes full advantage of his proximity to one of the biggest collections of motor toys in Central Washington. “Yeah, when we take in trade units I’ll take them and try them out a bit,” he says. He’s got to know what he’s servicing, right? We all can imagine how much fun it would be to work at a place that sells bikes, boats, side-by-sides, snowmobiles and just about every other motorized thing we ever dreamed of riding or driving. If you’re one of those people who love motor toys, Todd and his co-workers really seem to be living the dream. But Todd’s experience is also making him a better service manager because when customers come in with vehicles to be fixed, chances are Todd has encountered the problem before, either on his own, or during his 23 years working for Wenatchee Honda and Doghouse Motorsports. Todd was a trail rider for years, and still marvels at the incredible number of trails to ride in North Central Washington. Then he got married and his family spent a lot of time at local lakes on his Sea-Doo boat – water skiing, wakeboarding and enjoying the gorgeous lakes of NCW. Now, with the kids moving on, Todd and his wife are into street riding, taking a motorcycle on day trips to the many interesting places to visit in this part of the state. All along the way, Todd’s been working on equipment – his own, and then at the shop where he was one of the regular mechanics. He’s

Spring 2015 | THE GOOD LIFE | Central Washington Experience |

Todd Douglas at Doghouse Motorsports

now graduated to Service Manager where he can often diagnose a mechanical issue before it goes back to the mechanics, simply because he is a certified mechanic and can see issues that other “hands-off” service managers might miss. “When I’m talking to the customer I can get a better idea of the problem before we even take it back to the mechanics,” Todd says. “We also can avoid certain problems, like having to re-order parts.” Interestingly, a lot of the equipment that Doghouse sells and works on is non-recreational power equipment – things residents and business owners need like generators, power pumps and lawn mowers, an especially busy item this time of year. For example, mechanics are busy this spring with ATV fleets used by local orchardists. But funny thing, Todd didn’t mention anything about absolutely needing to try out the lawn mowers. We’re sure he must have just forgotten.

Doghouse Motorsports, your local Wenatchee Honda, BRP dealer, offers a variety of motorsports vehicles including ATVs, side-by-sides, street bikes, dirt bikes, snowmobiles, watercraft, lawn mowers and snowremoval equipment. For more info, call 509/663-0075 or visit www. doghouse-motorsports.com. ✦

Poised on the edge of a bench up Nahahum Canyon, the Hartwig house glows a welcome at twilight. To the right, an angled breezeway connects the house to the guest apartment.

Part Spanish, part Mediterranean, part hippie,

And all hand crafted Story by Susan Lagsdin Photos by Donna Cassidy

late-winter sound of spring came in birdsong to Nahahum Canyon, where Chris Hartwig’s home place nestles

into a south-facing slope about four miles up the winding road. He said, after commenting on a huge burst of starlings spiraling into the sky, “There must have been 75 robins on those trees out in front yesterday — and there are hundreds of quail

| The Good Life

down in the pasture.” Doves and blackbirds also appear in abundance. Chris created a haven for his

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April 2015

family and himself, and the birds freely join him there. They may be lured by the big fenced garden or by the rich variety of

ABOVE: The proposed entertainment center has become storage and bookshelves (there is no TV in the house) and the sauna is tucked away into the corner of this central parlor. AT LEFT: This fireplace room is one of three small, comfortable gathering places. The use of tiles, rounded plaster edges and decorative beam work adds a Southwest/Spanish touch to the whole house.

trees, each hand-placed over the years on this site blessed with plentiful water: birch, maple, willow, fir, pine (with 150 seed-

lings in a new grove) and Russian olive (the robins’ favorite). Even without their spring foliage, there’s a stark beauty in the

myriad limbs and branches. The bare hillside that the Hartwigs purchased in 2000 has also been transformed by a series of structures reflecting years of very intentional labor, modern homesteading that follows a time-honed tradition. Chris declared, “I never wanted to take out a loan and have a mortgage. We used cash and built as we could.”

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Their living space evolved from a travel trailer (“It was 14 degrees the day we moved in to that,” Chris remembered) to a two-room cabin, to the back rooms of the present house, to the whole house, to the whole house plus amenities. Plus a well-equipped, livable shop. No loans, just a lot of building

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Hand-crafted home }}} Continued from previous page permits. The trailer’s since gone, but the self-contained cabin has served nicely as a mother-in-law apartment, then as a loaner for family and guests. Currently it’s for the grandchildren’s video games and storage. The first original rooms of the house morphed into the final addition and kitchen became laundry, bedroom became master bathroom. “It wasn’t random. All of the plans were drawn out at the start — we always knew just where we were going with the main house,” Chris said. He and his wife Gail built it themselves, with help from nephews and their son, Flint, a local contractor. The two bedroom, two-bath structure is 2,200 square feet, and much of that is comfortable, subtly delineated living spaces: a couch near the kitchen island, low chairs grouped around a fireplace, a slightly formal front hall/parlor. The first feelings on stepping onto the house are comfort and serenity. The ceilings and spaces are human-scaled, not grand.

Completed only recently, the big master bathroom is sunny, with big windows for breezes. Chris chose one type of large dark tile for the entire house, which has radiant heated floors.

Chairs are soft and plentiful; memorabilia and artwork are minimal. The earth-toned plaster walls and radiant-heated tile floors are simple; there’s nothing fussy, nothing overdone. (Well, an im-

mense telescope rests in a corner, as unobtrusively as it can, as does a closet-sized sauna.) The house was officially complete in 2006, but these days Chris can’t keep his hands off it. He just likes building things.

NCW Home Professionals

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April 2015

He’s recently added patios with knee-high walls and curving rows of old brick for walkways, designed decorative gates, strengthened and beautified beam joints with decorative iron trim, tiled the walk-in shower, built cabinetry and installed glass-paned doors. And he keeps on plotting — with its artesian spring, open view and 20 acres to spare, the land lends itself to speculation. A new shop? Windows in the walkway? An extension here? A vineyard there? Searching for the highest and best use of the property, and of himself, keeps Chris fully occupied. One feature is immutable. There’s a distinctive “hacienda” feel to all the buildings with their Spanish roof tiles, dark beams and adobe-tinted stucco walls. Corners and edges are curved; the beams look handhewn. An L-shaped courtyard on the north, sided by an open breeze-

When the trees are in full bloom, even this south-facing sitting spot on the brick patio will be cool and shady. Acres of horse pasture separate Chris from his good neighbors to the east.

Chris prepares coffee for his visitors in the compact kitchen, designed for easy flow of traffic and lots of conversation. To the left is a comfy space with a bay window and couch.

way and overhanging shade trees, leads to a brick patio and a big double front door — a gracious entrance that offers deep green shade in the baking heat of summer. “This whole place was meant to be low maintenance, and it pretty much is,” Chris explained. “The main thing is the leaves… seems I’m always raking. And on a hot day I just leave both doors open for a breeze and they come right in.” An urban apartment dweller might wish for such a problem. “I guess I’d call the design part Spanish, part Mediterranean... and part hippie,” Chris smiled. And it’s not unreasonable that a south-of-the-border house would suit him, even in the wilds of north Cashmere. Chris, his wife and their six (eventual) children spent years — first in Peru, then Honduras, then Nicaragua — working with

her share of labor to the earlier building and planting, and he’s sure Gail would have been pleased with all the quality embellishments he’s still working on. The glass door to the newlycompleted master suite was

Mercy Corps and Habitat for Humanity developing community facilities in rural areas. He mainly improved water systems and built houses; Gail was a midwife and continued to work in medicine. Chris is proud that at some point all the children were exposed to the work and all of them are bi-lingual and bi-cultural. They returned to Cashmere for family and for some necessary USA enculturation. Then, with most kids grown and away, the couple, with one daughter, acquired their 21 acres up the narrow Nahahum Canyon road that winds back to Swakane Canyon and Lake Chelan. Widowed five years ago, Chris considered downsizing, but instead keeps perfecting the house, creating projects that bring him pleasure and make the place more livable each year. His late wife contributed April 2015 | The Good Life

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open, and early spring sounds of nature — birdsong — drifted into the room on a slight breeze. “She never got a chance to see this finished,” Chris gestured at the spacious tiled shower and sunny, half-walled pocket patio. “But I know she’d like it.”

column GARDEN OF DELIGHTS

bonnie orr

Remembering Mom and her cooking and aromatic foods laid out on the serving tables. I had no idea that food could look and smell so good. When I went away to college, I could not believe how tasty the dorm food was. I gained 10 pounds the first semester.

an amazing woman, but as a cook... not so much

My wonderful mother, Re

Fairburn, was beautiful and talented, but she never mastered cooking. During World War II, my mother moved from Chicago to Hollywood and landed a job at Universal Movie Studios. She met all the stars; she also met my father at church. Because her roommate, Eleanor, was the home economist for the natural gas company in Los Angles, Mama asked her to cook a meal, and, in exchange, gave Eleanor money to go to the movies. Eleanor had cooked and already left for the theater when Mama’s future husband arrived at the apartment for dinner (and perhaps my mother passed it off as her meal?) They were married a year later, and my father found out that, actually, Mama could not boil an egg — but she was lovely. While he fought in the South Pacific, my mother moved to Washington State where Rex, my daddy, was from and took a job in Seattle at Boeing as a “Rosie the Riveter.” (For the rest of her life, she wore her hair tied up in the iconic head scarf when she was working in the house or garden.) After the war, they moved to rural Montana. Re learned to make speedy meals with the pressure cooker. She cooked everything in it from split pea soup, which caused the pressure cooker to explode, to whole turkeys that dissolved off the bone to make a gray slurry we girls referred to as Turkey Swill. We girls were the reason to

Tomato Soup Cake

Bonnie’s mother, Re Fairburn, at right, made this canned, tomato soup-based cake for her family.

cook meals in a hurry and without much fuss. For Re had twin girls, and 16 months later had another set of twin girls: four babies under a year and a half old. My father worked rotating shifts that required entire sets of different meals. There were no relatives to provide helping hands, no Pampers, no electric dryer and merely a wringer washing machine. She found time to take care of four babies, raised four daughters in rural Montana and taught us to laugh and sing and dance; no wonder she had no time to learn to cook. What an amazing woman she was. She died at age 86, satisfied that her four professional daughters were approaching retirement age. We were never hungry, and we always ate at the table together even though the food was bland

| The Good Life

and tasteless. My mother never cooked with onions and was indignant when the cow provided onion-flavored milk in the spring. My mother’s oatmeal was either watery or lumpy. Re had beautiful hands. Not wanting to get them messy when she cracked eggs, she always cracked eggs with a knife edge. Invariably, this resulted in eggshell shards secreted in everything from scrambled eggs to deviled eggs to cakes. I still approach eggs cautiously waiting for that sickening crunch of shell. When I was six, my family went to a monthly community club potluck gathering. I was stunned by the array of colorful

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April 2015

This odd-sounding cake probably originated from The Joy of Cooking, 1942 edition, where it was called Mystery Cake. I asked my sisters about what they remembered of my mother’s cooking, and my twin mentioned this cake. I had not eaten this cake for 50 years, but when my sister mentioned it, I could smell and taste it. It must have been memorable. I made it, and it is good — there are no eggs in it. 2 cups flour 1 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves 1 cup sugar 1 can condensed tomato soup (101/2 ounce can) 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 cup raisins 1 cup walnuts, or other nut Mix all the dry ingredients. Mix all the wet ingredients. Blend them together and stir in the nuts and raisins. Put in a greased 8x8 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Glaze with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice mixed with 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Enjoy. Bonnie Orr — the dirt diva — cooks and gardens in East Wenatchee.

column moving up to the good life

june darling

Wait, wait, something better is in store Last year I was out eating

lunch with two of my young granddaughters. They were unexpectedly offered a treat (a piece of gum) by the waitress. They accepted it, examined it, and then asked me to put it in my purse so that they wouldn’t be tempted to chew it right away and lose their appetite for a healthy lunch. I was pretty amazed at their ability to delay self-gratification. The strategy they used is what the pre-eminent self-control researcher, Walter Mischel, calls cooling the hot system. Eighty-five-year-old Walter Mischel is in the news recently because he has finally written a book, called The Marshmallow Test, about his research which began in the ’60s on delaying gratification. The test went like this. Four and five-year olds developed a trusting relationship with a researcher. The researcher asked them to choose which treat they liked best — a marshmallow, pretzel, or cookie. Then the experiment began. Researchers showed the desired treat to the youngsters. The children were told that they could eat the treat right away OR they could wait until the researcher returned and not only get the one treat, but also an additional one. The researchers were particularly interested in watching what the children did. Would they eat the treat right away or wait? If they tried to wait, what techniques would they use to resist the treat? Researchers later found a strong correlation between the length of time those four and five year olds could wait for their treat (up to 15 or 20 minutes) and the scores they attained on

their college entrance exams as teenagers. In general the ability to resist temptation now in order to get a desirable goal later seemed to be quite a good predictor of success. According to Mischel, delaying gratification is about being able to self regulate. In order to self regulate, the primary skills one must learn are how to cool the hot system and heat up the cool system. The “hot system” as Mischel calls it, is a function of an older, more primitive part of our brain. It is set to react to what is happening right now. If it sees a delicious cookie, it wants to grab it. If it gets mad, it wants to hit. The hot system is impulsive. The “cool system,” by contrast, is a function of a newer part of our brain. It considers the consequences of poor choices. It looks out into the future and examines significant goals and dreams. It thinks about various ways of getting what we want that are acceptable to others and more likely to work out the best for us in the end. The cool system is reflective. Mischel describes how the children cooled their hot systems and heated their cool systems. The children who were able to

April 2015 | The Good Life

resist the treats, who didn’t eat the marshmallows, did things like looked away from the treat, used their toes as piano keyboards and picked their noses. They distanced and distracted themselves as best they could to keep their hot, want-it-now, system in check. The children also seemed to be using their imaginations and voices to keep their goal alive and vivid. They sang songs reminding themselves that if they waited, they could have two treats. They were heating up the cool, future-focused system. In a telephone interview with Mischel, he was asked what parents could do to help their children develop better self regulation since it seems so important to success. You probably know exactly what he said. “Be good role models.” One of the practices Mischel recommends modeling is the “if, then” technique. Practicing “if, then” means that we think ahead about what sort of things are likely to activate our hot system and make a very specific plan for cooling it down (as well as for heating up our cool system). For example, let’s suppose that I want to build my self regula-

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tion. I want to better resist eating sweets. I’m fine at home. But the place I am most likely to get my hot button for sweets activated is in all-day meetings. I am usually tired and stuff a bunch of junk in my mouth before I even think about it. Later I’m mad at myself. I want to be better at self regulating. Here’s my all-day-meeting-if-then-plan. “If treats come out during the meeting, then I will move them away so that I cannot see them; I will look at someone who has a nice body so that I can remember what I want to look like.” Over time, if I keep practicing, Mischel promises that my brain will change. My neurons will begin to re-wire themselves. I will begin to better master myself. It doesn’t mean that I will never eat a treat (what fun would that be?), but I will be more in control about when I want to do that. How might you move up to The Good Life by practicing more self regulation? June Darling, Ph.D. can be contacted at drjunedarling1@gmail.com; website: www.summitgroupresources. com.

column THE TRAVELing DOCTOR

jim brown, m.d.

Ads aside, ED is about more than sex Erectile dysfunction is a

multi-billion-dollar business in this country. It is impossible to watch television on any night without seeing one or two Cialis ads. If you watch any sporting event, particularly football, on TV you will undoubtedly see three or four ED ads. They are all basically the same. They show a virile 50ish man with a touch of grey in his hair with an attractive female, presumably his wife, who appears to be about 10 years younger. She has a dreamy look in her eye and no grey in her hair. The message to males is that with Cialis this, too, might be you.

Unfortunately, the men in these ads, all professional actors, do not look like the ones likely to have ED. You, like me, might be thinking whom are they kidding? There is no question that men would like to be “the man they once were” or the man they once thought they were. Ads like this have made ED drugs some of the best selling pharmaceuticals in the world. When you think about it, the advertising industry’s genius has taken a negative word, “impotency” rarely ever discussed publicly, and made erectile dysfunction not only something acceptable but also something with a sexy connotation. These ads are so ubiquitous that I heard one anecdote where

| The Good Life

Another fouryear-old once asked his dad, “What is erector dysfunction?” a minister talking to a children’s Sunday school class, asks if they knew what resurrection meant. One six-year-old raised his hand and said, “I know that if it lasts more than four hours you need to see your doctor.” Another four-year-old once asked his dad, “What is erector dysfunction?” I remember several years ago an article in Sports Illustrated describing the new titanium golf clubs and how they added 20 yards to one’s drive. The article

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April 2015

concluded saying that with a new titanium driver, Rogaine and Viagra, “you da man.” So what is erectile dysfunction and is it as significant or common a problem as the media would suggest? Is it a condition or is it a symptom or sign of more serious underlying medical issues? ED is defined as the failure to sustain an erection adequate enough for sexual activity. The Massachusetts Male Aging Study of men aged 4069 years, has documented the extraordinarily high prevalence of erectile dysfunction among aging men. This study over an eight-year period suggested that

There is a close relationship between heart disease and ED since both involve atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries ... there are 620,000 new cases annually in the United States in men between ages 40-69. Another study suggests that ED affects 10 percent of males of all ages and over 50 percent of men over age 65 for a total of 30 million men. ED affects quality of life and can lead to stress, anxiety, and self-confidence issues. There are many medical, physical and mental causes for this condition. ED can result from processes that involve the brain, hor-

mones, emotions, nerves and blood vessels. There is a close relationship between heart disease and ED since both involve atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries that restrict blood flow. The risk factors for heart disease, including increased cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure, are also risk factors for erectile dysfunction. An Italian study of men with severe heart disease reported that an astounding 93 percent had erectile dysfunction 24 months before their heart attack or onset of heart disease symptoms. If a man under the age of 50 develops ED, the risk of underlying heart disease is significant enough that it should be an indication for further heart evaluation. This is not true for ED occurring in the 70 plus age group. ED can be a warning sign that a heart attack or a stroke may follow, often in the next three to

five years. This warning sign can be a good thing if it alerts you and your doctor that you might have atherosclerosis, because steps can then be taken to treat the atherosclerosis hopefully preventing a future heart attack or stroke. Other conditions that can cause ED include diabetes mellitus that affects not only blood vessels but also can cause nerve damage. Smoking reduces blood flow and can be a factor. Hypertension (high blood pressure) can be a factor as well as certain medications used to treat that condition. In fact there are over 200 medications that can cause or contribute to ED. Obesity, sleep disorders, heavy alcohol usage and drug usage can be factors as well. Prolonged bicycle riding can cause temporary ED or can lead to more permanent ED. Treatments for prostate cancers,

including surgery or radiation, are common causes of ED. Pelvic or spine injury or surgery can play a role in ED due to potential blood vessel and nerve damage. Surprisingly in a 2014 article, military service has been shown to be a factor in ED. A study of enlisted military men under age 40 showed they were three times as likely as civilians of the same age to have ED. It was thought that this was a result of their deployment’s traumatic events, PTSD, physical and health issues as well as spousal issues on retuning from deployment. ED is a real condition that has come out of the closet. Since most men rarely discuss these issues among themselves, it is important that they discuss them with their physician who needs to rule out and appropriately treat any underlying physical and mental issues. 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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Artist as medium ‘I don’t think of strong emotional themes as coming from me, as much as through me’ By Susan lagsdin

You’d never ask a writer her

favorite word, or a violinist his favorite note, but here goes a question to Wenatchee painter Lindsay Breidenthal: “What’s your favorite color?” She was actually looking forward to the question. “Today at 11 on a Wednesday it’s green,” she said, “but ask me later and it will be different.” Sometimes Lindsay finds that her clothes’ colors on a given day match what she’s working on, no telling which came first. Or that she can fall in love with a bargain can of house paint (a rejected tint) and use it ’til it’s gone. The first strong impression of her artwork is color, whether massed on a website gallery or in-progress on her studio wall. Glorious, rich, saturated layers of color with sundown gold behind them, feathered grays at the edges, maybe the startling clarity of hot pink or emerald. To achieve that characteristic glow and depth, she starts her paintings with acrylics because they’re inexpensive and fast drying, and she can compose with a free hand. Then on top she uses oil paint — rich, buttery and

Lindsay Breidenthal, on a “green” day in her co-op studio, with two in-progress paintings: assassinated Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto and an impending storm.

Wes Anderson Clouds, above, is 10 by 10-inch acrylic on canvas, 2008 (inspired by filmmaker Wes Anderson’s color palette). Hare and Flame, left, is 24 by 28-inch oil on canvas, 2014.

slower to dry — for special tones and glazes. Overlays and stencils figure into the mix as she teases images out of the abstract. “I try not to over-think my art — I never sketch first, I just move

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paint around and start adding imagery and overlapping patterns,” she said. Lindsay’s paintings are directly informed by her love of the outdoors and natural cycles. But she doesn’t do just landscapes.

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April 2015

She translates with paint her attitudes about nature’s power and human instinct, whether observed or gathered from the news. Lindsay believes that artists are in a way responsible to

“The biggest influence ... was time spent in the forests and the hills.” society for expressing what we feel collectively. “I don’t think of strong emotional themes as coming from me,” she said, “as much as through me.” She creates beauty and honesty on the canvas, un-politicized, without preaching. Her double degrees from Central Washington University in painting and botany, plus seasonal work as a field tech with the Forest Service, gave her skills and perspectives she continues to draw upon. “I miss being out of doors,” she said. “The biggest influence on my painting was time spent in the forests and the hills.” Her indoor studio is named orangutan, a 1,000-plus-squarefoot artistic “incubator” space on Mission Street, where Lindsay paints about 15 hours a week, equally sharing rent (and on occasion advice and a critical eye) with four other artists. They work independently, each dedicated to the proposition that this may in the future evolve into a larger communal enterprise, with expanded functions. At this point in her art life, however, Lindsay knows she needs to paint. Just paint. She knows that organizing, grants,

sponsors and friend-raising all have to come together for a dynamic arts collective to take shape. She also assumes she’ll be “more vigorous and aggressive” and seek major gallery exposure one day (“I’m not quite there yet,” she said). But for now she paints what she must, when she can. Lindsay is protective of her time spent making art. “Sometimes I have to muscle my own schedule so I can get in here,” she said. “If I’m in the middle of a project and I go too long between sessions, I turn into a little bit of a monster. (Yes, you can write that. It’s true.)” On the other hand, she said she also values her two days working in a retail store and her sign-making and lettering commissions, and not only for the added income. Full-on creativity can be exhausting, she realized. “I think it’s important to interact with people in different ways, to practice new skills and to use your brain at other kinds of problem-solving.” The other balancing point in her full life is her three-yearold son Fin, whose own creative energy she’s enjoying more and more every day. Motherhood draws from the mother lode, though. She said candidly, “Fin is… dissolving something in me.” Lindsay is determined to nurture him and also be true to her art. “I want him to see his mother doing what she is good at, what she loves.”

Spring Cleaning

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Spring Sensations, 4/1-30. Leavenworth celebrates the pear. Follow the pear-map that highlights all things pear. Info: Leavenworth.org.

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Writers Conference L

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WRITE ON THE RIVER

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Saturday & Sunday, May 16 & 17, 2015 ON THE WENATCHEE VALLEY COLLEGE CAMPUS

14 Fiction & Nonfiction Workshops

10th Anniversary Party & Attendee Book Signing - Saturday!

Sunday Morning Intensive Fiction Workshop with William Kenower

Offer expires May 31, 2015

April 2015 | The Good Life

Mother Nature’s Child explores nature’s powerful role in children’s health and development through the experience of toddlers, children in middle childhood and adolescents. The film marks a moment in time when a living generation can still recall childhoods of free play outdoors; this will not be true for most children growing up today. The effects of “nature deficit disorder” are now being noted across the country in epidemics of child obesity, attention disorders, and depression. Movie sponsored by

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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.

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April 21, 2015 7:00 pm Wenatchee Valley Museum

NCW Blues Jam, every second and fourth Monday, 7:30 – 11 p.m. Columbia Valley Brewery, 538 Riverside Dr, Wenatchee. Info: facebook. com/NCWBluesJam.

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}}} Continued from previous page 4/2, 7 p.m. The film is about Mark Landis who has been called one of the most prolific art forgers in US history. But Mark isn’t in it for the money. What starts out as a cat-and mouse art caper, rooted in questions of authorship and authenticity – but what emerges is an intimate story of obsession and the universal need for community, appreciation and purpose. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $10 advance or $13 at the door. Info: icicle.org. Live music, 4/3, 7 p.m. Forest Beutel, American blues and country will perform. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Two Rivers Art Gallery, 4/3, 5 – 8 p.m. Featuring the paintings of Wenatchee Watercolor Society. Music by Well Strung, Jac Tiechner on guitar and Steve Sanders on bass. Local wines and complimentary refreshments. 102 N Columbia, Wenatchee. Cost: free. Info: 2riversgallery.com. Merriment Party Goods, 4/3, 5 – 8 p.m. Hosting Sarah Mac Creations, unique handcrafted jewelry. Snacks and beverages. 23, S Wenatchee Ave. Cost: free. Info: facebook.com/merrimentpartygoods. Tumbleweed Bead Co., 4/3, 5-7 p.m. Refreshments served. 105 Palouse St. Cost: free. Info: tumbleweedbeadco.com. Small Artworks Gallery, 4/3, 5 p.m. Local artists’ works will be on display at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Info: wvmcc.org. Classic Music Series: From Youth to Maturity, 4/4, 7 p.m. The Volta Piano Trio (Jennifer Caine, violin; Sally Sing Tuttle, cello; Oksana Ezhokina, piano. Canyon Wren Recital Hall. Cost: $20 advance or $24 at the door. Info: icicle.org. Horse Lake Trail Ride, 4/7, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Join Adam Vognild on a mountain bike ride at the Horse Lake property. Explore the area, learn some tips and meet fellow riders. For beginner to intermediate bikers. RSVP required: hillary@ cdlandtrust.org. Jordan World Circus, 4/7, 7 p.m. Three rings with death-defying aerial acts, animal attractions

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April 2015

including tigers and elephants. Kids have an opportunity to ride and pet different animals. Town Toyota Center. Info: towntoyotacenter.com. SweetHearts for kids benefit luncheon, 4/8, noon. Children’s Home Society benefit luncheon helps support children and families in Wenatchee and surrounding communities. Keynote speaker will be Wenatchee Police Chief Tom Robbins. Wenatchee Convention Center. Cost: $30. Info: childrenshomesociety.org. Trails in Motion film festival, 4/8, 5:30 p.m. RunWenatchee and AdventureWenatchee hosts these nine films of running scenes from around the globe including Before He Wakes, which was shot in the Wenatchee Foothills by Steven Gnam. Beer, wine and other beverages and snacks. Numerous prizes throughout the evening. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: $8 advance or $10 at the door. Total film running time 2 hours and 10 minutes. Introduction to Fly Tying, 4/8, 6 – 8:30 p.m. No prior experience necessary. Learn a little about flyfishing and walk away with a fly you’re proud of. Wenatchee River Institute at Barn Beach Reserve, Leavenworth. Cost: $5. Info: Wenatcheeriverinstitute.org. The Boys in the Boat, 4/9, 7 p.m. Author Daniel James Brown will be at Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: free. Spring Social, 4/10, 7 p.m. Hear an update on current Chelan-Douglas Land Trust projects and recent successes. Desserts, savories, coffee and lively conversation. Cashmere Riverside Center. Cost: free. RSVP: hillary@cdlandtrust.org. Live music, 4/10, 7 p.m. Eden Moody, sweet’n spicy country pop with a South American twist will perform. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Arrive Alive Tour, 4/11, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Texting and drinking while driving is highly dangerous and can kill people. This tour brings a car that has a simulator in it that replicates what it is like to drive while intoxicated or while texting. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Sheryl Crow, 4/12, 7 p.m. Live performance. Town Toyota Center. Info: towntoyota.com. Masters of Soul, 4/14, 7:30 p.m.

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Take the ultimate stroll down memory lane and re-live (or for the first time) the incredible harmonies and smooth moves made famous by many of the greatest recording acts of all time, including the Temptations, Gladys Knight, The Four Tops, The Jackson Five, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross and The Supremes and many more. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $29-$19. Info: numericapac.org. Film Series: The 78 Project, 4/16, 7 p.m. This film is a documentary and recording journey inspired by Alan Lomax and his quest to capture music where it lived throughout the early 20th century. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $10 advance or $13 at the door. Info: icicle.org. Girls Night Out, 4/16, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Purchase your Swag Bag for $20 that includes goodies from participating stores, map of businesses and coupon book. Party at Inna’s Cuisine with raffle prizes, live handyman auction, food and drinks. Info: wendowntown.org. Travis Tritt, 4/16, 7:30 p.m. Live performance. Town Toyota Center. Info: towntoyotacenter.com. Monthly movies on the big screen: The Wizard of Oz, 4/16, 6:30 p.m. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $5. Info: numericapac.org. UrineTown the musical, 4/1625, 7 p.m. 4/18, 2 p.m. Eastmont High School drama club performs. A side-splitting send-up of greed, love, revolution and musicals. Eastmont High School auditorium. Cost: $12 adults, $8 students. Tickets: 663-ARTS or numerica.org. Rural Pathways to Prosperity Conference, 4/17, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. Learn and network with Erik Pages on a webinar with the opportunity to ask questions. How to create jobs, improve your economy, add value to your rural businesses, encourage new entrepreneurs and engage with an expert... without leaving your community. Confluence Technology Center. Cost: $30. Info: admin@ncwedd.com. Geology Hike at Saddle Rock, 4/17, 11:30 am. – 2:30 p.m. Join geologist Kelsay Stanton for a hike to the top. Cost: free. RSVP: hillary@ cldandtrust.org.

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column the night sky this month

Peter Lind

A brief glimpse of lunar totality April showers bring May

flowers, but hopefully this month they will bring clear skies for the Lyrid meteor shower the night of April 22/23. This will be the first moon-free meteor shower of 2015. The moon however will be in plain sight when it passes through the earth’s shadow for a beautiful total eclipse in the early hours of April 4. This total lunar eclipse will be a record-setting event, passing through the earth’s shadow in a little over four-and-a-half minutes, which makes it the briefest lunar total eclipse of the 21st Century. In fact to find a shorter lunar eclipse we need to go back to Oct. 17, 1529 (1 minute and 41 seconds long). From Wenatchee, the eclipse starts at 3:16 a.m. PDT. Let’s begin our tour of the April planets looking west in the evening sky. Mars is about a fist’s width above the horizon an hour after sunset on the first. It is dim to the naked eye, but binoculars will help the view. The planet becomes harder and harder to see as the month progresses and it dips lower on the horizon. Morning Star Mercury passes behind the sun on the ninth but reappears 10 days later in the evening sky. Although it reaches maximum separation from the sun in early May, it appears brightest in late April. As Mercury slides towards earth throughout April, a small telescope will show its increasing size just as its phase dwindles, which means it will become more of a crescent looking planet. Venus will be the brightest object in the evening sky through most of April, hanging in the western sky for three hours April 2015 | The Good Life

after sunset. It will pass about a finger’s width away from the Pleiades star cluster the night of April 10. On the 20th, look for Venus right above Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation Taurus. You won’t want to miss the view on the evening of the 20th. Not only is Venus next to Aldebaran but the crescent moon sits close by, and with the Pleiades just above and to the right, it should be a beautiful scene as the sky darkens. Like Mercury, Venus will change during April, its disk grows larger and its phase shrinks during the month. A telescope view throughout the month will show the visible changes as Venus orbits the sun. Jupiter is again high in the southern sky as twilight comes over the earth. The planet king sits just below M44, the beehive star cluster, in the background stars of Cancer. A good pair of binoculars will show both in the same field of view. The last planet of note, Saturn, rises around 11:30 p.m. on April 1 and two hours sooner by month’s end. Saturn will become more visible as we head towards summer. Finally, we get to see the year’s best meteor shower so far. The Lyrid shower reaches its peak the night of April 22/23. The prime viewing hours are after midnight and the Lyrids typically deliver between 15 and 20 meteors per hour, but this year scientists predict a higher rate, for some reason. You may have noticed over the last couple of years, I’ve talked about the Dobsonian telescope and how it has revolutionized observational astronomy. I thought I’d tell a little about www.ncwgoodlife.com

the man behind the design. John Dobson was born September 1915 in Beijing, China. His parents were teachers at Peking University, which was founded by his grandfather. His family moved to San Francisco when he was 12. While attending the University of California, Berkeley he attended a lecture by a Vedantan swami, part of the Hindu religion. He became a monk and spent 23 years in a monastery in San Francisco. John Dobson One of John’s responsibilities was to reconcile astronomy with Hindu teachings. This led to an interest in telescopes and ultimately the development of the Dobsonian design. He became such an avid astronomer he spent all his time building telescopes and literally pulling people off the sidewalks of the city to look through them. This led to his dismissal from the monastery and his founding The San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers, a club committed to introducing astronomy to as many people as possible. John passed away last year at the age of 98, but he will always be remembered as the man who invented the large aperture telescope and for his dedication to opening people’s eyes to the wonders of the cosmos. Peter Lind is a local amateur astronomer. He can be reached at ppjl@ juno.com.

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}}} Continued from previous page Wenatchee Marathon Health and Fitness Expo, 4/17, noon – 8 p.m. Wenatchee Convention Center. Marathon, half-marathon and 10k race, 4/18. Information and packet pickup at the expo. Leavenworth Ale-Fest, 4/17, 6 – 10 p.m. 4/18, 2 – 10 p.m. It’s “AnAle-Of-A-Party” with brews to taste from 20 breweries, food and music from popular NW bands. Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum. Cost: $20 advance or $25 at the door.

Info: leavenworthalefest.com. Live music, 4/17, 7 p.m. Just Us Band, blues, classic, rock and pop tunes will perform. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Theater Series: Death of a Salesman, 4/17, 18, 24, 25, 7 p.m. Arthur Miller’s classic tale of the American dream gone awry with stellar performances by an amazing ensemble cast. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $20 advance or $24 at the door. Info: icicle.org. 26th Annual Chelan Earth Day Fair, 4/18, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. An opportunity to get in tune with living more gracefully on this earth while perusing a colorful variety of

Spring Wine Pairing Dinners Join us in Kingfisher Restaurant for an evening that will delight the senses. Savor a four course dinner prepared by Executive Chef Joshua Holmes complemented by four great wines.

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eco-friendly goods and wares, plus a line up of music that includes: Mike Bills, Peggy Ann Courtney & Friends, Jones, Wood, & Nichols and Mugsy’s Groove. Riverwalk Park, Chelan. Info: chelanearthdayfair. org. Gold, Treasure and more show, 4/18-19, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. This year’s show is bigger than ever with 56 vendors. See the latest in prospecting and rock hound supplies, dredge equipment, metal detectors, gold and silver jewelry, ceramics, gems and minerals, collectable coins, Scentsy, motor sports equipment and more. Learn how to pan for gold and see a real dredge in operation. Free metal detecting hunt with paid admission on Saturday, 10 a.m. Coins, metal tags for prizes and gold vials will be buried on the fairgrounds for this event. Chelan County Fairgrounds in Cashmere. Cost: $5; children 12 and under free. Info: 860-1145. Royalty Ice Cream Social, 4/18, noon – 2 p.m. Free ice cream social and meet the Apple Blossom Royalty. Beacon Hill Grange. Info: 679-1391 Wenatchee Valley Symphony, 4/18, 7 p.m. Clarinet Monsters will be playing the music of Goodman, Shaw and Brooks. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Info: wenatcheesymphony.org. Cashmere Community Concerts: Old Growth, 4/18, 7:30

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April 2015

p.m. Dale Adkins, Don Share and Joe Wilmhoff perform an eclectic repertoire of traditional and original music with deep roots in bluegrass, country and folk. Cashmere Riverside Center. Cost: $3 plus pass the hat. Info: cashmerecoffeehouse. com. Kids Fishing Day, 4/19, 8 a.m. – noon. Learn to fish or get tips on how to get better. Rock Island Ponds. Cost: free. Info: Wenatchee. org. Earth Day Community Fair, 4/19, noon - 4 p.m. Educational booths, activities, food booths, music and silent auction. Lions Club Park, Leavenworth. Cost: free. Info: leavenworthearthday.org. Castle Rock Trail Run, 4/21, 6:30 p.m. Join Adam Vognild on a trail run to explore the area and learn some tips, and meet some fellow runners. Cost: free. RSVP: hillary@cdlandtrust.org. Environmental film series: Mother Nature’s Child, 4/21, 7 p.m. The film explores nature’s powerful role in children’s health and development through the experience of toddlers, children in middle childhood and adolescents. The film marks a moment in time when a living generation can still recall childhoods of free play outdoors; this will not be true for most children growing up today. The effects of nature deficit disorder are now being noted across the country in

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epidemics of child obesity, attention disorders and depression. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: free (with a $5 suggested donation). Info: wvmcc.org. Earth Day Walk at Jacobson Preserve, 4/22, 6 p.m. Susan Ballinger and Julie Banken will lead sections of the walk. Susan will share her expertise in wildflowers and plant biology, while Julie Banken, an entomologist, will explore the hidden lives of insects at Jacobson. Cost: free. RSVP: hillary@cdlandtrust.org. Entertainment in the Park, 4/23 – 5/3, noon. All day on the weekends. Food, music, crafts and entertainment. Memorial Park Wenatchee. Film Series: The Great Invisible, 4/23, 7 p.m. This film is about the fallout of the environmental disaster of the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon, a state-of-theart offshore oil rig that happened in the Gulf of Mexico April 20, 2010. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $10 advance or $13 at the door. Info: icicle.org. Wenatchee Valley Super Oval, 4/24-26, 5 p.m. Opens for the season. Live music, 4/24, 6:30 p.m. Chance Brothers, cowboy country, jazz will perform. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Columbia Chorale: Riversong, 4/24, 7:30 p.m. Live performance at Grace Lutheran Church. And 4/27, 7:30 p.m. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $15, $10 student. Tickets: numericapac.org. Rustique Divas Vintage Market, 4/25, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Regional vendors selling antiques and collectibles, refurbished and rusty, purses, jewelry and more. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

sale. A good selection of perennials, vegetable and herbs grown by Master Gardeners will be available as well as the ever-popular Walla Walla perennials. There will be between 3,000 and 4,000 plants for sale. Pybus Public Market. Opera Series: Masagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana/Leoncavalo’s Pagliacci, 4/25, 9:30 a.m. and 4/26, 2 p.m.: encore. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $20 advance or $24 at the door. Info: icicle.org. General Fishing Opener, 4/25, noon. Multiple locations. Info: wdfw.wa.gov. Sam Hill Wildflower Walk, 4/25, 1 p.m. Join Ann Schaechtel and her husband Don for a wildflower walk. Cost: free. RSVP: hillary@cdlandtrust.org. Tastes and turns dinner show, 4/25, 7 p.m. This exclusive dinner show will showcase an assortment of talented dancers from ballet and lyrical to modern and tap, together with featured singers to highlight the evening. Dine right on the stage. Numerica Performing Arts Center fundraiser. Cost: $75. Info: numericapac.org. Pack Walks, 4/26, 3 p.m. Bring your friends and dogs on leashes and walk the riverfront trail. Meet on the loop behind Pybus Market at the boat launch. Info: wenatcheefido.org. Bonga Marimba, 4/28, 12:30 p.m. Eastmont School District will perform its version of bonga marimba. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Film Series: Fed Up, 4/30, 7 p.m. Everything we’ve been told about food and exercise for the past 30 years is dead wrong. This film is what the food industry doesn’t want you to see. From Katie Couric, Laurie David and director Stephanie Soechitig. This film will change the way you eat forever. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $10 advance or $13 at the door. Info: icicle.org.

NCW Dahlia Society Tuber Sale, 4/25, 5/9 & 5/16, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

Monty Python’s Spamalot, 4/30, 5/1 ,2,7, 8, 9, 14,16, 7:30 p.m. 5/9, 16 2 p.m. An Apple Blossom musical by Music Theatre of Wenatchee. Riverside Playhouse. Tickets: numericapacwen.org.

Master Gardener Plant Sale, 4/25, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. The sale will feature more than 20 varieties of tomatoes including both heirloom and favorite hybrids. Plenty of the winning tomatoes from the Tomato Gala held last August will be for

The Four Freshmen, 5/4, 7:30 p.m. This group is four parts harmony, a twist of elegance with a splash of swing and a whole lot of fun. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $29-19. Info: numericapac.org. April 2015 | The Good Life

column

those were the days rod molzahn

Settling the Methow Valley The first non-Indian to see

the Methow River and contact the people living there was David Thompson, the Canadian explorer and fur trader. In July of 1811, on a canoe journey down the Columbia from Kettle Falls, Thompson stopped at the mouth of the Methow and met people whose name he heard as “Smeeth-howe.” A month later Alexander Ross, an American fur trader from Astoria, traveled up the Columbia and established a fur trading post at the mouth of the Okanogan River. He spent several years doing business with Indians from all the area tribes including the Methows. In 1814, Ross, with three Indian guides, explored the Twisp River drainage then followed old trails over the north Cascades to the headwaters of the Skagit River. In 1853, an exploration party of U.S. army soldiers led by Captain George McClellan, searching for a viable pass over the north Cascades, traveled about half way up the Methow Valley before turning back. Sometime in 1875 trapper and prospector A.M. McGee found his way into the valley. In January of 1877 McGee made his way nearly to the summit of Harts Pass. He described it as “The best pass in the Cascade range for a wagon or railroad.” In 1882 Lt. Henry Pierce’s expedition entered the Methow Valley hoping to find a suitable pass for the movement of troops from the west side to eastern Washington in case of Indian hostilities. They followed much www.ncwgoodlife.com

of Alexander Ross’s 1814 route up the Twisp drainage. They did cross the Cascades to the Skagit River then on to Mount Vernon but Pierce reported that it was not a viable route for military use. The next year the army was back. A party of men led by Lt. George Benjamin Backus with Lt. George Washington Goethals, second in command, was sent to the Methow from Lake Osoyoos by General William Tecumseh Sherman with a familiar mission; to find a pass across the north Cascades. After exploring the “Twotsp” River, the party headed up the right bank of the Methow in search of the pass described by A.M. McGee in 1877. They made

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History: Settling the Methow Valley }}} Continued from previous page it to Early Winters Creek but failed to locate either Harts Pass or Washington Pass. Prospectors, however, did find the passes and before the Indians used the passes for travel and trade with the coastal tribes. The earliest discovery of gold in the upper Methow was made by C.P. Rowley. In the late 1870s he came from British Columbia across the Cascade crest to the Slate Creek area in the northwest corner of the Methow Valley near Harts Pass. Word of his discovery reached Spokane and in 1880 Dick Miller set out for the Methow Valley. He later claimed that he located a rich vein of gold near Slate Creek but left it when he ran out of food. When he returned he couldn’t find the vein again. Others followed and within 10 years the Slate Creek district was one of the most active producers of gold and silver in the valley. In 1887 John “Chickamun” Stone struck gold in Findley Canyon, southeast of the Twisp River. That began a rush to the area resulting in new claims there and up the Twisp River.

He later claimed that he located a rich vein of gold near Slate Creek but left it when he ran out of food. When he returned he couldn’t find the vein again. The town of Twisp began as a trading post to supply area miners. Other stores and small settlements sprang up to fill the same needs in the upper Methow Valley beyond Mazama. In 1886 the Moses/Columbia reservation, encompassing land from the Canadian border south to Lake Chelan was opened to white homesteading. Not much happened until April of 1887. Four men from Wise County, Texas, Mason Thurlow, Harvey Nickell, Napoleon Stone and Robert Prewitt left their farms in the Kittitas Valley and traveled across the Big Bend country to the Okanogan River. From

there they climbed the Chillowist Trail up the Three Devils (grades of 30 to 50 degrees) to Loup Loup Pass then down Benson Creek to the Methow River south of Twisp where they all claimed homesteads. They returned the next year with their families, the first to bring wagons, a hay-mowing machine and hay rake over the Chillowist Trail. Homesteading in the Methow had begun. The year 1888 was busy for settlement in the valley. Sam Patterson and his wife, Elsie, took land near the lake that bears their name. George Thompson settled along a creek near Moccasin Lake. The creek, first called Thompson Creek, became known as Liars Creek from George’s reputation as a teller of tall tales. Walter Frisbee, a bachelor, homesteaded near the current fish hatchery. He was the first to claim water rights from the Methow River to irrigate his land. In 1889 Ben Pearrygin put down roots along the lake now named for him. Ben had a reputation as a real “character.” Asked once about his method for cooking beans he replied,

“You can’t git ’em too did. The fact is, the doner you git ’em, the better they be.” In the spring of 1891 Harvard graduate, Guy Waring, generally considered the founder of Winthrop, brought his family to the valley and squatted on land at the confluence of the Chewuch and Methow rivers. In January of 1892 he formed the Methow Valley Trading Company and opened his first store near his home. He soon expanded with stores at Barron (across Harts Pass) Twisp and Pateros. His Winthrop store became the post office with Waring as post master. On March 1, 1893 fire destroyed Waring’s home, store and post office wiping out most of his assets. In May, Waring took his family back east to raise money for rebuilding in the Methow. They returned in 1897. By then Winthrop had a blacksmith shop, drug store, hotel and a one-room school house. Waring traded a minority interest in his stores for land surrounding his rebuilt home and store. In 1901, 69 town lots were offered for sale and quickly bought up. Winthrop was of-

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... the postal service had another idea. They named the town Winthrop for a man who had never been near the Methow Valley. ficially a town. Guy Waring had wanted the town to bear his name but the postal service had another idea. They named the town Winthrop

for a man who had never been near the Methow Valley. Theodore Winthrop, a Yale graduate, was 25 in 1853 when he traveled with Indian guides from Port Townsend through the Nisqually Valley, over Naches Pass and on to The Dalles. His popular book, Canoe and Saddle, recounts the trip. Winthrop was clearly racist in his portrayal of the Indians he met. Unseemly comments and descriptions fill the book. He especially disliked the Indian, Loolowkin, who guided him over Naches Pass. In a chapter titled Treachery, Winthrop writes of Reaching

Loolowkin’s village, which he called “stenchville,” in the Yakima Valley. Loolowkin had had enough of Winthrop’s racism and refused to continue to The Dalles. Winthrop refused to pay him if he didn’t continue on. Loolowkin answered, “I no die for the lack of it.” He stood his ground in the face of Winthrop’s threats and ultimatums. Finally, with rifle in one hand and pistol in the other, Winthrop mounted his horse and rode out of the camp. Years later, Loolowkin related his version of the story to A.J. Splawn. He told Splawn that on

the trip across Naches Pass Winthrop, “began to get cross and the farther we went the worse he got… In camp he kicked me with his boot as if I was a dog. When I refused to go farther he drew his revolver and told me I had to go to The Dalles… I have often regretted I did not kill him. He was ‘me-satch-ee’ (mean).” 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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ALEX SALIBY

Road trip: A taste for Quincy-area wineries S

everal months ago I ended a column with a not too subtle suggestion that you get out of the grocery store’s wine aisle and visit our local wineries. According to a few emails I’ve received, some of you intend to do just that, but one writer asked for some helpful hints about making such a trip. This column is for that person and for any others who might care to venture out into the countryside and sample some local wines at their source. April, despite the poet’s claim, is not the cruelest month. On the contrary, in Washington, April is a lovely time of year. In April the area’s fruit trees are in blossom, and the hills have begun to turn a soft spring green, making April a delightful month for visiting wineries in north central Washington. “But which wineries?” you may ask, slightly perplexed because there are now so many choices. I recommend a trip to the Ancient Lakes American Viticulture Area, or AVA. There are five wineries in that area, and all of them offer outstanding wines and unique visiting experiences. I like to begin at Cameron Fries’ White Heron Cellars near Trinidad, about eight miles west of Quincy. Cameron Fries is, in fact, the maestro of NCW wineries. He was here first; he aided and abetted the creation and organization of wineries in the area and in Leavenworth. His wines are best described as unique and uniquely personal, and he has a large and loyal following. He makes the only Roussanne in NCW, and offers a unique location for tasting at the tasting room located in the

A scenic stop for tasting local wines in the countryside is White Heron Cellars, near Trinidad.

Mariposa vineyards. Numerous interesting and very enjoyable events take place there during the warmer months. On toward Quincy, you’ll see White Trail Road on the right. Turn there, and in a short distance on the right is the driveway to Beaumont Cellars, where Pete Beaumont has been creating award-winning wines from day one at the winery. There’s that, but then there’s the winery, you’ll be in the field in an honest, in-the-country setting. You’ll love the place, the wines and the people. Coming into Quincy, on the left you’ll see Jones’ winery tasting room. Jones of Washington. I know all of you East Wenatchee and Wenatchee folks are famil-

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iar with the Jones of Washington tasting room at Pybus Market, but the tasting room offers a bit more than quality Jones of Washington wines. The Quincy tasting room facility is rich with the history of the quality of Jones fruit. Jones of Washington grapes have been crushed into some of the state’s finest wines. Next comes Errant Cellars. One of the newest wineries in the area has opened a tasting room in Quincy at 215 “B” St., across the street from Idle Hour restaurant. Owner Megan Couture, if you’re lucky, will be there to greet you. Tasting is on Saturday only, noon ’til 5 p.m. Truly a boutique operation, Errant has some wonderful wines here; see

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April 2015

if they still have any of the Gold Medal award winning 2012 Cabernet Franc left. Cave B Winery: Although not in Quincy, it is not far away, and is much more than a place to taste excellent wines: it is a resort. This place has a history because of its proximity to the Gorge outdoor theater. In addition to tasting its marvelous, award-winning wines, you’ve the added pleasures of staying at the Cave B resort facilities, should you choose. This is not just a place to taste wines, but a place you may want to spend your anniversary weekend or hold a birthday celebration. Visiting these wineries should give you a full day of pleasure — maybe more. The Quincy area has some good restaurants, also. It’s important to have food when you have wine, especially when you’re driving. An important point to remember about venturing out to taste wine: most of the 65 wine tasting facilities in our area, and indeed nearly all of the tasting rooms of Washington’s 800-plus wineries, charge a tasting fee. The goal of the wineries is to sell you some wine, and in order to help them achieve that goal, and attempt to recover some of their costs for operating the tasting rooms, they charge a modest fee. However, many wineries offer a refund of the tasting fee when you make a purchase. So go... enjoy. You’ll have a wonderful time. 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.

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