Good Life December 2012

FIRST TIME GRANDPA Y EVENTS CALENDAR

WENATCHEE VALLEY’S

NUMBER ONE MAGAZINE

December 2012

Open for fun and adventure

Price: $3

seeing stars on a cold dark night

plus Canoeing the frosty lakes of Canada

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Contents

page 14

Canoeing canada in chilly october

Features

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bringing up grandfather

Hey, a guy can care for his new grandchild. It’s easy, right?

10 the gift of paris

Grandparents were very generous, but who really got the present?

12 the big ride, part 2

Where our intrepid bicyclists from Chelan get hot and thirsty, flee packs of dogs and sometimes can’t understand the locals

18 space explorer

Peter Lind visits the outer reaches of the galaxy and beyond on a dark night from earth

20 taking another swing

Gary Looney and his teammates take the field in search of glory and a timely hit

23 calendar art

Prize-winning photos from the local watershed will soon grace walls around the Wenatchee Valley

24 tote that bale, build that house

Family discovers the joys — and the hard work — that comes from building a straw bale home

28 pet pix

A little cowgirl has her favorite things

ART SKETCHES

n Pillow designer Lisa Nelson, page 35 n Wood worker Ron Sollinger, page 39 Columns & Departments 29 Bonnie Orr: How about some healthy holiday treats?

30 June Darling: Why hospitality is great for you 32 The traveling doctor: Return to Chicago 37-39 Arts & Entertainment & a Dan McConnell cartoon 40 History: Local Indians meet the first white men 42 Alex Saliby: Tasting a couple of nice new red blends December 2012 | The Good Life

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OPENING SHOT

®

Year 6, Number 12 December 2012 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: facebook.com/pages/ The-Good-Life Editor/Publisher, Mike Cassidy Contributors, Marc Dilley, Jimmy McGregor, Jim Russell, John Marshall, Dave Graybill, Lief Carlsen, Gary Looney, Donna Cassidy, Bonnie Orr, Alex Saliby, Jim Brown, June Darling, Dan McConnell, Susan Lagsdin and Rod Molzahn Advertising sales, John Hunter, 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 Phone 888-6527 Online: www.ncwgoodlife.com To subscribe/renew by email, send credit card info to: donna@ncwgoodlife.com BUY A COPY of The Good Life at Hastings, Caffé Mela (Wenatchee and East Wenatchee), Walgreens (Wenatchee and East Wenatchee), the Wenatchee Food Pavilion, Mike’s Meats, Martin’s Market Place (Cashmere) and A Book for All Seasons (Leavenworth)

daylight breaks on the basin This image, In the Head-

lights, was shot one morning by local photographer Marc Dilley in Headlight Basin, a series of larch-filled alpine benches across Ingalls Creek from the south face of Mount Stuart.

Marc writes: “The evening before, I had a photo plan for the morning that included rising before dawn and scrambling up onto a rocky slope well above

our camp. Unfortunately, I slept through the feeble alarm on my wristwatch.

“When I finally awoke it was nearly dawn; I jumped into my shoes, threw on my puffy jacket, grabbed all the camera gear and ran to the nearest meadow, which thankfully was only a few hundred feet from camp. I shot a few test exposures, then finally I settled on two small, greenish larch, placing them off-center.

I set the tripod, stepped on its bungee cord tether to make it rock-steady, and shot exposures of the rising sun every second

for about 10 seconds, necessary to get the precise ‘look’ to the sun rays. More exposures for the two foreground trees and background areas, with closer focus respectively, were taken.”

Once home, Marc blended the best of these exposures in the computer to get this final photograph.

Marc’s work is on display through this month at Two Rivers Art Gallery, on the corner of Columbia and First streets in Wenatchee and online at www. marcdilley.com.

On the cover Peter Lind stands by one of his many telescopes — this one built by a local astronomer in the early 1960s. For years, it was housed in an observatory on Highway 28 just north of East Wenatchee. Now, it’s in Peter’s backyard observatory. He said it’s a great scope for binary star systems and bright objects like the planets and comets. Photo

by Mike Cassidy

ADVERTISING: For information about advertising in The Good Life, contact advertising at (509) 8886527, or sales@ncwgoodlife.com WRITE FOR THE GOOD LIFE: We welcome articles about people from Chelan and Douglas counties.

Send your idea to Mike Cassidy at editor@ncwgoodlife.com The Good Life® is a registered trademark of NCW Good Life, LLC. Copyright 2012

by NCW Good Life, LLC.

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editor’s notes

MIKE CASSIDY

Star gazing on a dark winter night One of the benefits of win-

ter is that it gets dark early and stays dark late.

This is a plus if you’re an astronomer, like our cover subject this month, Peter Lind of East Wenatchee.

In the course of taking his photo, Peter mentioned that December is a great month for observing the night sky. He then sent us this follow-up email: “The biggest thing is Jupiter, the brightest object next to the moon, comes up early in the evening, and is up all night long.

You can see it shine bright even with a full moon.

“If you look at it with a fairly good pair of binoculars you can see up to four moons. With a small telescope you can see cloud bands on the planet.

“As Jupiter sets in the west before dawn, Saturn, Venus and Mercury come up together in the east. If you are up before dawn, look to the east for three bright points of light above the horizon.

“In the middle of the month when the moon is new, the Geminid meteor shower peaks on the 13th and 14th. This year it’s possible to see up to 120 meteors an hour. The meteors don’t start in the Gemini constellation but they radiate away from the direction of Gemini.

“I like to dress in warm clothes and take a pillow and a blanket and lay in the back yard to see these. The trick is to wear warm clothes.”

Peter also offers this advice: “If you google ‘star maps’ or ‘the night sky this month’ there are plenty of star maps on the Internet to orient yourself to the night sky. Looking at the maps and comparing them to the stars

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will help you see the night sky better.”

No marathon, no problem — Jane Davis, the ultra-runner whose story of running in Kenya was in the November issue, was supposed to run with 40,000 other runners in the New York City marathon at the beginning of November.

Then Sandy made her own run through the East Coast, and the marathon was canceled.

According to the local running site, RunWenatchee, several hours before the marathon was canceled, Jane flew to New York City, unaware of the cancellation until she landed.

“Instead of flying home, we’ve decided to stick around and volunteer wherever needed. ... Always a silver lining!” Jane wrote on her Facebook wall.

The following day, she and other runners pitched in at Far Rockaway Beach, N.Y., an area hit hard by Sandy. She later posted a photo of the place with the caption, saying, “Families with nothing lost everything. It’s devastating.”

Jane — who the healing power of ultra-distance running overcame her own loss of a husband at a young age — added: “I believe events happen for a reason.

New York did not turn out as expected. However, it turned out as it was supposed to.

“The city was devastated by Hurricane Sandy and I was thankful (daughter) Jayna and I were able to do our part.”

When all seems dark — look up. Expand your horizons and enjoy The Good Life.

— Mike

WHAT TO DO see COMPLETE LISTINGs BEGINning ON PAGE 36

H

ere we are, sliding into the increasingly dreary days of the year, yet approaching perhaps the warmest holiday period when many of us gather to celebrate with our families and friends over a well-set table and gifts galore.

While much of the pleasure of the season happens at home, there is still much to enjoy by getting out for tasty and fun experiences.

Here are a few that standout from the monthly What To Do listings: Journey to Bethlehem — Ex-

perience the town of Bethlehem, as it was the night the Christ Child was born. The journey begins indoors with live Christmas music. A local Bethlehem resident will guide you to many shops, scribes, tax collectors and an innkeeper. Ponder with the Wise Men as they follow the Star and see the shepherds and the manger where the Christ Child was born. See the living nativity with sheep, goats, donkeys, chickens and a camel. (Dress appropriately for the weather.)

Wenatchee Valley Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Fifth and Western, Wenatchee. Info: www. j2bwenatchee.org. 5:30 p.m. to

8:30 p.m., Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 29-Dec. 2.

Photos with Santa — Welcome

Santa in downtown Wenatchee at the Stanley Civic Center fountain plaza. On the 15th will be pizza with Santa. Info: wenatchee.org. 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on first two Saturdays of December, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 15.

Christmas Lighting Festival — Hundreds

of thousands of twinkling lights, carolers, cocoa, kids A snowy morning in the snow globe town of Leavenworth. Photo by Brian Munoz sledding and horse drawn carriage.

Full Moon Ski — Join Cirque Du Noel on Ice — AcDowntown Leavenworth. Info: O’Grady’s Pantry and Mercanrobats, trapeze artists, contorleavenworthchamber.com. Starttile and Leavenworth Winter tionists, dancers, jugglers and ing 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1 Sports Club for a full moon ski more costumed as elves, clowns, and continuing every Friday and at Icicle River Trail. They’ll be carolers, reindeer, and of course, Saturday through Dec. 15. keeping the doors open and the jolly old Saint Nick perform skits fire burning until 8 p.m. Warm Christmas Tree Lighting — in this mixture of circus arts, up with a bowl of Ken’s seaChristmas carols, tree lighting, street entertainment and Christsonal soup or stew, dessert and refreshments and bring your mas enchantment. Town Toyota a non-alcoholic beverage. Cost: camera for free pictures with Center. Info: towntoyotacenter. $15 adults, $7.50 kids 5-12. Beer Santa. East Wenatchee City com. Cost: $25 to $45. 7:30 p.m. or wine extra.

Info: sleepinglady.

Hall. Info: 886-6108. 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 21. com. 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 18.

Thursday, Dec. 6.

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guest column // jimmy mcgregor

Bringing up grandfather

Over the last couple of

years, my wife and I were what I affectionately refer to as semiempty nesters.

Not full time, but with one child out of the house and the other daughters old enough to take care of themselves, we were able to enjoy the best of worlds, family and freedom.

All of that changed when at the age of 40 I became a grandfather.

Three weeks before Thanksgiving of 2011 a new life came into the world. Through Christmas, into the New Year and until the first day of spring this little bundle of joy brought life and happiness into our new home.

Then grandpa became Mr. Nanny.

Don’t get me wrong, I love being a grandfather. There are all of the fun things like playing games, sharing my favorite hobbies and movies, and the realization that my family line will continue.

However, there is the, “But.” With age, I believe I have forgotten what it was like to have a young child running around the house, pulling my books and DVDs from the shelves. In addition, the way we raise children today is different from even 10 years ago.

One weekend early into “grandpahood,” I realized that this experience was not exactly what I expected.

My wife and the kids were going to be out of town.

My daughter, who was not living with us, was going to be working all weekend — not just one but two jobs. I would get to sit with the baby.

All of this seemed like nothing. After all, I am a man. A man was the first to conquer the sea, land on the moon, captain the

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A TV remote in one hand, and the bottle and baby in the other — who says grandfather Jimmy McGregor can’t do it all?

Titanic — wait, that was not the best example. But you get the point. There is nothing that a man cannot do.

And if I could not figure it out, there was always Google. Right?

Back to the weekend. I woke up at 6 a.m. to a crying baby and my daughter dressed for work.

She was holding a wet baby with an empty bottle. “Dad, I am running late,” she said as she handed me the baby and exited the door.

Easy, right? The first thing I had to do was change his diaper.

To some this might seem like a simple task; however, there is one problem. I only changed a couple of my daughter’s diapers and that limited experience was

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20 years ago.

I am a man, so my first step was to get the clean diaper ready and lay out several — eight actually — baby wipes. Yes eight.

That is how many it takes for a guy to change a diaper.

In addition, because he is a boy, I needed a couple extra wipes to contain any additional spills. I always finish by taking out an additional wipe to clean his hands.

The next step was to get the poor lad something to eat.

Making a bottle was actually easier than I thought it would be. Today’s formula seems easier to mix, definitely easier than I remember.

Wait, he needed me to hold

My hands quickly went to my peacovered face, “What have I done?” I asked myself. him? I guess I forgot that a baby is not born knowing how to hold a bottle.

Still simple, I thought, I would hold him and watch some television. Okay. Baby in one hand, bottle in the other, and remotecontrol in the… wait, I guess I needed another hand.

Okay. After what seemed like an hour, the little guy was finally asleep. After another hour his nap was over. Back to the crying baby.

This cycle continued to 11 p.m. at which time I set up the portable crib and fell asleep in bed watching my awesome grandson.

An hour went by — now he was awake and crying. The first time this happened, I changed his diaper. The second time this happened, I realized the only reason he woke up was because the pacifier had fallen from his mouth.

Bill Cosby has a little skit about his arm falling asleep while it was around his date at a movie. If this has happened to you, you will know what happens next.

I had fallen asleep with my arm hanging over the side of the crib and now my arm was asleep and extremely sore.

The weekend was a little rough, I was extremely tired, but I made it.

With the coming of summer, I learned taking care of a sevenmonth old is quite different from a newborn and I had more trial by fire than training.

My first misstep sounds to any man to be a minor — if not actually cute — thing to teach

your grandson.

When the little guy would crawl over to me, he would give these juicy saliva-filled kisses and as a grandparent I just smiled and said thanks; however, one day I came up with a brilliant idea.

What if when he kissed me I pretended like his kiss was icky?

Sounds harmless? He gave one of those famous kisses and I said, “Icky!” and started to pretend like I was spitting. Funny, right? He laughed when I did it.

It was when he was eating the baby food peas I decided this was a bad idea. He would take a bite, spit, and then laugh.

My hands quickly went to my pea-covered face, “What have I done?” I asked myself.

As time passed he forgot about spitting. And since I have been very careful what I teach him.

Now, as a grandfather, my life at home has really changed, especially when it comes to the television. Gone are those days of watching Clint Eastwood act and Morgan Freeman narrate.

Now it is Elmo singing ABC’s over and over and over again and again. R rated movies have been replaced with G and PG. The days of freedom are slowly disappearing. First, it was remove what he can crawl to.

Then, what he can reach. Let’s not forget the tiptoe factor. The higher he reaches the less we have in our living room.

Then one day I looked him in the eyes. I could tell there was a little personality inside that crying and needy baby.

He is a child who is looking for trust, intelligence, skill and safety. He is a young man who over the years is going to need more heroes to look up to than any other generation.

In the end, everything I give up will be worth it. All I have to do is look at him and the smile on his face melts my heart.

When Jimmy McGregor is not babysitting, working or hunting for rocks, fossils, or treasures, he writes fiction and nonfiction from his East Wenatchee home.

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The gift of Paris These grandparents were trés generous — but who ended up with the best present?

By Jim Russell

K

aren and I offered our granddaughter, Alena, the present of a trip anywhere in the world.

She accepted; her parents resisted; Karen persisted, and we received the greatest gift of all.

Karen mailed Alena and her parents catalogues of intergenerational trip itineraries for 10to-13 year olds organized and led by professionals, meaning we’d be on vacation also. They chose the most highly rated program

by Road Scholar — seven days in Paris.

This group trip especially appealed to grandparents and their granddaughters.

Alena’s preparation excited her parents. She studied French for a year, mounted posters in her bedroom and saved money to shop. She was excited by free time to shop Parisian stores where she’d enliven her middleclass wardrobe and to visit the

Alena gets her portrait done by a street artist in Paris.

Paris Opera House where she dreams of dancing ballet.

On the plane ride over Alena told Karen, “Mom said Grampa will get lost.”

Karen said, “Of course he’ll get lost, but he has the skills to find his way back.”

We stayed in a boutique hotel near open markets and the Paris Metro. Our room had a king bed, single bed, and space to slide past each other to reach the bathroom and armoire. The room’s redeeming feature was a full-length mirror at the end of Alena’s bed.

While we dressed, she’d study her look in the mirror, including wearing my Italian driver cap sideways, backwards and with/

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without a scarf. We never heard, “Can we go yet?”

Our first tour was in historic Montmartre, near Basilique du Sacré-Coeur, where artists paint in the market called Place du Tertre. Guides gave the girls in the tour money to choose an artist to paint their portrait.

Alena posed while the artist schmoozed with Karen and I scouted for a restaurant. Alena was pleased with her portrait and I didn’t get lost.

The next day we toured Notre Dame and Ste. Michelle’s cathedrals. I photographed three chics ahead of me because one of them was my granddaughter. We had had a long flight to France, but I didn’t expect

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a 12-year-old to grow up that much.

After lunch, Alena and a friend tirelessly shopped Parisian stores until Alena decided on an emerald green scarf.

That night we attended a string ensemble’s performance surrounded by Ste. Michelle’s stained glass windows in a setting renowned for its acoustics. I enjoyed the acoustics during the musician’s warm-up and Karen enjoyed them during the performance. I snoozed through it in a metal folding chair.

Our guides mastered the Louvre for us. They gave us four pages of questions to answer, led us through shortcuts to stand in awe alongside statues of Venus, Hermaphrodites and Winged Victory, pointed out Mona Lisa’s two smiles and taught Karen and Alena a gliding walk if they appear before royalty.

That evening we were dinner guests under lawn tents in a Paris suburb where a handsome magician entertained the youngsters. Adults relaxed with French wine and hors d’oeuvres.

A lovely Alena arrived in a flowered Hollister sundress from home wrapped in a belt made by her new scarf. She made it

match an outfit every day.

We drove through the French countryside to Giverny, the gardens and pond Claude Monet purchased in poverty and transformed with artistry, drawing Impressionists from around the world to study how he captured light on water lilies.

After lunch we broke into groups to rove through the Musée de l’Orangerie, the massive Tuileries Garden and meet at the Musée d’Orsay. Karen volunteered me to lead our group after guides gave vague directions to some bridge over the River Seine near the Orsay.

Leading unsteady grandmothers made me nervous. One had fallen the first day and was in the hospital throughout the trip with a broken hip.

We viewed Monet’s water lily murals and other famous works in the l’Orangerie. In the Tuileries I spotted a guide leading a bicycle tour, so I calmly fastwalked up to her, but she rode off.

Stranded, I looked to my right and there was the bridge. One grandmother thanked me for doing a good job. I wished Alena had heard her.

The Orsay is a magnificently restored half-dome train station loaded with paintings and statues of famed French artists. We ate in the Orsay’s elegant dining room where our granddaughters played games with their table knives. Young cultural scholars need diversions.

At the Eiffel Tower we saw an unauthorized demonstration supporting Syrian rebels. Two men climbed ladders on opposite sides of the tower with their construction belts hitched to steel cables, raising a giant Syrian flag above shouting demonstrators and their banners.

I snapped photographs as guards marched toward me with forbidding, foreboding outstretched arms. I’d been posting photographs on Facebook for Alena’s parents, but decided to share these photos once home.

Security closed down the

The pond at Giverny, where the light and water lilies impressed artist Claude Monet.

tower. Our guides said it had happened before and would last only 15 minutes. After it reopened, we enjoyed small crowds and great views.

During our free time we visited the Paris Opera House. Alena and Karen seemed to be in reverence of the winding staircase to private boxes, a grand reception hall with marble floors and chandeliers, portraits of distinguished performers, a library with models of stage sets and display cases of costumes and ballet shoes.

We dreamed of experiencing a live performance. I’d stay awake in the Paris Opera house.

On the ride to our hotel in a half-empty bus, Alena grabbed a bar to practice ballet. I gripped the bar in the rollicking bus and she taught me such exercises as the tondue, arabesque and relevé. She said later, “You were a bit out of sync and you forgot to point you toe, but you followed nicely for your first time.”

An elegant woman my age approached us. She grabbed a pole, quickly performed a ballet position, smiled at me and stepped off the bus. A magical moment.

Our last morning Karen and Alena shopped in a street market where Alena bought a blue sundress with her money. She

modeled it for me, but said, “You can’t put that picture on Facebook, Grampa. I want to show mom and dad.”

The last night we strolled along the Champs-Élysées to view the Eiffel Tower in lights from the Arc de Triomphe. I photographed a young lady in a new dress and scarf.

I never got lost, but I did lose the image of my adolescent granddaughter, replacing it with precious memories of an effervescent, personable, responsible young woman.

Those types of memories are the greatest gifts we cherish in our good life.

Anticipate...

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Mary Carlsen pauses in Kent, Texas. Many of the “towns” across the Southern tier were deserted or nearly deserted, making finding water and services difficult.

The big ride (part 2) Fighting dogs, heat and regional accents across the bottom of the U.S.

Editor’s note: Lief Carlsen wrote about his and his wife Mary’s tandem bike trip down the coast in the last issue of The Good Life. Here is his installment 2 — the ride to Florida.

By Lief Carlsen

W

e thought we were pretty clever leaving Chelan on Aug. 11, riding down the Pacific Coast and arriving in San Diego on Sept. 8.

Our plan was to spend the last hot weeks of summer bathed in the cool breezes that blow off the Pacific and not arrive in the southwest desert until after the worst of summer had passed.

In fact, our plan had worked well on the coastal section because the weather had been perfect — sunny and cool from Anacortes to San Diego. But we had grossly underestimated the duration of summer’s heat in the southern states.

In our home state of Washington, summer is over by early September and the weather cools rapidly as September progresses. Not so, we were to learn in Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and so on all the way to Florida.

After leaving San Diego on Sept. 10 we approached the agricultural town of Brawley on Sept. 11 where we stopped to fill our water bottles and enjoy

the air conditioning of a convenience store.

The afternoon temperature was over 100 degrees and the humidity was near 100 percent.

Sweat was streaming down our faces, arms, and chests.

We had been stopping to drink, or rather gulp, water

every 15 minutes. Our thirst was literally unquenchable. I asked the store clerk, an outgoing middle-aged woman, “When does it start cooling off around here?”

My hunch was that the weather was bound to change any day.

“Oh, the heat usually breaks around Halloween” she an-

The tandem bike unpacked, the tent set up for the night, Lief types a daily entry to his blog in a Carmen, Texas campground that had wi-fi.

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swered.

“Halloween?!” I nearly screamed. By Halloween we would be in Florida. If she were right we would have to ride for the next month and a half in sweat soaked shirts.

She was right, all right.

We had camped almost exclusively in state parks coming down the coast. This was not to be on the Southern Tier.

When we could find campgrounds on this route they were RV parks. Often we had to pony up big bucks for motel rooms — a “sacrifice” much harder for my penny-pinching self than for Mary.

One thing Mary and I could agree on was the need for a daily shower on this ride because of the excessive sweating we did.

Many were the days when a white crust of salt residue was visible on our clothes and skin at day’s end. Nevertheless, on at least two occasions we had to “dry camp” because there was no other option.

Part of the problem was that many of the so-called towns where we expected to find services were in fact deserted or

nearly deserted and few services were available.

The “town” of Kent, Texas for example was nothing more than a boarded-up gas station.

We arrived late in the day expecting to resupply and camp in a campground with water. Our supply of water was down to about two liters. The next town was 30 miles ahead.

We had no choice but to dry camp. We dared not use any of our precious water to prepare supper or bathe. Out of desperation I flagged down an AT&T truck that was servicing a nearby cellular tower and asked for water.

The driver didn’t have any but he took pity on us and drove to the next town, bought us some water, and returned with it.

Fortunately, we found ourselves acclimating to the heat by the time we got into Arizona and were able to enjoy the desert’s considerable charms. The rural highways we spent most of our time on took us through cactus-studded hills that had recently received heavy rain and were alive with blossoms.

Our strategy to cope with water lost through sweat was to strap plastic bottles galore to every spare inch of our bicycle. By the time we got to Arizona we had nine water bottles that held some seven or eight liters. That’s over 16 pounds of water (and didn’t we know it on the hills.)

The day after the near disaster at Kent we climbed a winding, scenic mountain road past the University of Texas’ McDonald Observatory where we took a break to see what was once the world’s second largest telescope — a tour that thrilled the former science teacher in me.

For some reason flat tires plagued us in Texas.

Actually, I know the reason: goat head thorns. Despite buying heavy-duty tires, inner tubes, and thorn guards in El Paso, I spent many a frustrating hour along Texas highways fixing flats.

And it’s true what they say

Desperate minds on the run come up with desperate solutions, such as Lief’s fantasy on how to handle packs of determined dogs.

about Texas being big. More than a thousand miles of our route was in the Lone Star State.

By the time we crossed into Louisiana I literally had trouble remembering what we had seen in California and Arizona!

Louisiana I will always remember as a state full of dogs and unintelligible accents.

We were constantly on guard against dogs in Louisiana — and not single dogs. Many of the rural homes we passed had packs of dogs in residence.

At first we tried to outrun them but unless we had a gravity-assisted downhill run that

didn’t work. Next we tried an air horn. That scared off some but not all. Pepper spray was next.

Brain storming what we could do if the spray didn’t work, I sketched Option D on a piece of paper and showed it to Mary.

(See the sketch for Option D.) Regarding the accents, I made the following entry in my journal one day: I’m having a little trouble with the language down here. Today I bought a bottle of Mountain Dew. I took it to the counter and the cashier said something unintelligible.

I paused, gave her a “Come again?” look. The same sound

Mary and Lief celebrate their 31st wedding anniversary on the road near Simmesport, LA. December 2012 | The Good Life

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came from her mouth. I uttered a long “uhhhhhhh,” not knowing what to say and trying to think of some polite way to say “What the heck did you just say?”

She made the sound again, only this time there was obvious impatience in her tone. I repeated to her what I had heard. It was something like “whatuhfah.”

She nodded, as if to say “Yeah, moron, whatuhfuh!” That was when I noticed out of the corner of my eye the cash register display — “$1.04″ Suddenly it was all clear to me: “One o four!” She was telling me the cost of the soda pop! $1.04!

Somewhere in west Texas I decided to start a blog about our journey (chelantraveler.wordpress.com) to keep friends and family informed.

McDonald’s restaurants picked up a lot of business from us because of their $1 large fountain drinks and the free wi-fi access they provide. That wi-fi access enabled me to update my blog on a regular basis.

From east Texas to Florida the scenery was pretty much identical: flat with forest on either side of the road. Compared to the fall colors of New England where we bicycled in 2006 it was rather bland.

We did appreciate the level ground, however, having recently emerged from the Texas Hill Country.

We had originally planned to reach the Atlantic Ocean at St. Augustine then turn north and ride to Alexandria, Virginia to visit our son and his family.

But as we neared St. Augustine, reports of Hurricane Sandy’s approach promised days of rain. On top of that, after two and one half months on the road and 5,000 miles under our sore butts, we had more than satisfied our travel lust so we shipped the big tandem home and rented a car to drive to Alexandria.

It should be at least six months before we start thinking about our next Big Ride.

The Cariboo Mountains at 7,500 feet elevation have taken on the look of winter as Nina Crampton and Tom Cushing enter Lanezi Lake, elevation 3,100 feet.

Canoeing

chilly

Canada

rather than fight mosquitoes & crowds in the summer, these hardy paddlers do the Bowron Lakes in crispy october Story and photos

by John Marshall

T

he shelf of ice along the shore made a resounding crack as the wake from our canoe first lifted it, then dropped it.

This would probably be the last time anyone would pass through the Bowron Lakes chain until next May. Had we started our trip one day later it would have been far more difficult.

With heavy clouds laying over gray mountains, and wild swans gathered in large flocks winter was settling in to central British Columbia on this 25th day of October. It was a good time for

The Bowron Lakes is a geological wonder, forming a chain of water links that make up an almost continuous rectangle.

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| December 2012

the eight of us to get out of the Canadian wilderness.

I was invited to join Ed Baugh and Tom Feil of East Wenatchee in what has become a tradition — an October canoe trip through the Bowron Lakes near Quesnel B.C. It was the sixth October in a row for this circuitous trip — the 17th time over all for Ed Baugh.

To paddle the Bowron Lakes is a must for anyone serious about canoeing and wilderness camping. Nine lakes form a chain around a central mountain range, navigated with 67 miles of paddling and five miles of portaging. No roads penetrate

A large bull moose gets up from feeding along the marshy edge of Indianpoint Lake.

this wilderness.

The exquisite beauty of stunning mountains, and unique circuit route brings some 4,500 paddlers each summer, prompting the provincial government to require permits and reservations complete with fees during the period of mid-May through September.

Ed and Tom find October more to their liking. Asked about how it is to travel through the Bowrons in summer, Tom replied “When the mosquitoes aren’t after you, and it’s not raining and the other people aren’t bothering you it is pretty nice.”

I must say I had my doubts about late October, a feeling heightened the evening before departure with the announcement that the predicted low temperature was 8 degrees F. I went out and bought a couple extra layers of fleece, and some heavy rubberized mitts. I ended up packing way more clothes than I needed. With the energy it takes to paddle, keeping one’s body temperature up was not a problem.

Hands and feet are another thing. One morning we paddled

One morning we paddled with waves slapping the sides of the boat, creating icicles hanging from the gunwales.

Ed Baugh, left, and Tom Feil, veterans of many long canoeing adventures in British Columbia and Yukon Territory, stand at the take-out for the portage around “The Chute” at the outlet to Isaac Lake.

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with waves slapping the sides of the boat, creating icicles hanging from the gunwales. Good thing I brought those rubberized mitts!

As it turned out 19 degrees F. was the coldest it got, which really wasn’t bad. Overall, the weather was pretty pleasant, with a combination of sun and clouds. It briefly snowed hard, which enhanced the mountain views.

Portaging between lakes is as much a part of a trip to the Bowrons as paddling.

We had handcrafted carts made by Jim McDonnell of Wenatchee, using wheels from yard sale bicycles. The carts

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ABOVE: Tom Feil (stern) and George Gilhuly (bow) paddle on to Kibbee Lake at the out-set of the trip.

LEFT: Fjord-like Isaac Lake has several nameless waterfalls plunging into it.

Canoeing

chilly

}}} Continued from previous page rode on top of the gear in each canoe. When we came to a portage we would unload some of the gear, lift the canoes on to the carts, and strap them down.

Some of the trails are flat and smooth. Others are steep, rutted and studded with boulders.

A loaded canoe falling on someone could break a leg, so on the worst pitches we had six people to a boat. As the physician for our group Frank Collins said, “Prevention is the best part of medicine.”

Our first night was in a small, rustic log cabin on Indianpoint Lake. A large bull moose foraged on the marshy margin of the lake opposite us. We cut wood with a bow saw, and built a fire in the stove. Two Coleman lanterns made a cheery glow.

The cabin was decorated with hand-carved replicas of canoe paddles left by previous travelers and, of course, the usual names and dates written on cabin walls. One entry declared the signatory was on his 23rd time

Canada around.

Dinner came with a nice surprise. Tom Cushing and Nina Crampton handed us each a martini in a plastic martini glass!

The food was equally good.

Cooking was done on an oldstyle double burner Coleman stove that uses liquid gas. Tom Feil has a tradition of getting up early and cooking everyone breakfast, which consists of pancakes, scrambled eggs, hash browns and sausage.

Nobody needed to worry about taking in too many calories. Canoe camping is like backpacking in that a person is out in nature and travelling with one’s own efforts, but more like car camping in terms of the food and gear that can be brought.

Having done the trip so many times Ed and Tom have equipment tuned to a fine art. Who would think to bring a bicycle pump on a canoe trip? Scented candles lit the outhouse at each camp!

Fjord-like Isaac Lake at 23

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miles long is the longest of the Bowron Lakes. We took two days to paddle it. Stunning mountain peaks cap off the skyline, looming above a dense forest of spruce, fir, and cedar trees. A few ducks, grebes and loons inhabited the cold crystal clear waters.

At the outlet end of Isaac Lake there is a beautiful newly constructed timber frame shelter, with open sides, and a large wood stove in the center. There is also a radiophone in case someone needs to call for help.

The most likely reason would be a canoeing accident. The outlet to the lake makes a nice plunge into a big pool with strong eddy currents on each side.

Normally, my partner Larry Tobiska and I would be tempted by the chute, but with the temperature right at freezing we opted to portage. Several wrecked canoes further downstream were evidence of bad decision making on the part of earlier travelers.

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We cut wood with a bow saw, and built a fire in the stove. Two Coleman lanterns made a cheery glow.

A week to 10 days is the recommended length of a Bowron Lakes trip according to websites and guide books. To do it in six days in October when days are short means moving right along.

That was not a problem to this group.

The Tom Feil and Ed Baugh October trips to the Bowron Lakes over the years have often collected some very competitive, albeit aging, athletes. Many of these people were the top competitors in Ridge to River in its hay day.

Naturally some informal, unspoken competition often ensues.

My partner Larry Tobiska is a

A brief blizzard of wet snow the night before made for a magical portage the next day between Indianpoint Lake and Isaac Lake. The two portaging in the snow are Tom Cushing in front and Nina Crampton.

very strong rower, and I think of myself as a pretty good canoe paddler. Larry and I were often the first down a lake, but only when Tom Feil and partner George Gilhuly were taking it easy.

Tom — who now considers himself retired from serious competition — is a past winner of the prestigious 444-mile-long Yukon River Quest. He is known to paddle 20 hours without resting.

It is hard to keep up with a guy like that even if he is retired from racing.

The possibility of serious ice had been on everyone’s mind from the beginning. We came upon it at Swan Lake at the same time we saw a large bull moose on the marshy shore.

Three boats took off on different paths with the paddlers in

Woodland caribou lick salt from a back road near Bowron Lakes, oblivious to an approaching log truck.

each sure they had the best way through. This competitive spirit lasted for a while until everyone decided there was plenty of ice breaking to go around and it would be better to take turns.

The bow paddler in the lead canoe would chop with an December 2012 | The Good Life

axe. The boat would then be backed up, and then paddled rapidly forward to gain a few yards by ramming. By the time we reached open water everyone had their fill of ice breaking.

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thick to break. With the waterway blocked, we would find ourselves ashore slogging through tall marsh grass dragging the boats instead of paddling.

By the time the trip ended I had gotten used to the cold temperatures.

On the last morning I boiled water for coffee with a skiff of snow on the ground. I felt no less comfortable than I would be at home with the thermostat at 72 degrees F. Tom and Ed are right, October is a great time to be in the Canadian wilderness.

I have to admit though that the first night in a motel on the way home felt mighty good, and oh that first shower!

John Marshall is an outdoorsman and professional photographer of many years experience living in Wenatchee. To see more of his images, visit: johnmarshallphoto.com.

During a rare annular eclipse — like this one — the moon is a little farther away from the earth so it doesn’t totally block the sun. The first picture is the moon about three-quarters of the way across the sun. The second picture is the moon centered in front of the sun. There will not be another annular

eclipse in North America in Peter’s lifetime. “I set my telescopes up at a community college in Susanville, CA with about 200 other people from all over the world who had come to see it,” he said.

Space explorer

Peter Lind visits the outer reaches of the galaxy and beyond on a dark night from earth

By Dave Graybill

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hen I look at the night sky I see stars.

When my friend Peter Lind of East Wenatchee looks to the heavens, he sees the rings of Saturn, star clusters and even distant galaxies.

He is an explorer of space, and he does it from an observatory that he constructed in his own backyard or travels to sites that offer ideal viewing of special events in the night sky.

Peter’s fascination with space began early. He remembers listening to the John Glenn orbit of the earth, and trying to imagine what it would be like to be up there looking down.

His mother gave him a book titled You Will Go to the Moon, about a young boy traveling there. Peter was eight years old at the time and the book made a huge impact on him. He still has it, and tells me these two events got him hooked on space exploration.

I remember being at a party at a friend’s house years ago, and Peter setting up a telescope. I laughed as he struggled to locate Saturn through a crude spotting scope, but when he got everything lined up, we all took turns to see this planet and its rings.

“Telescopes have come a long way since then,” says Peter, remembering that evening. “They

Peter Lind with his Starmaster dobsoinian telescope. It has an 18-inch mirror that was ground by a man in Washington state who grinds mirrors for several telescope manufacturers. “It is good for dim objects and objects that are very distant,” said Peter. “When I say distant I mean millions or hundreds of millions of light years away. One light year equals about 5.87 trillion miles.”

are so much easier to use now.”

He tells me that the telescope he set up that night he had pur-

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chased in 1982, and was living in North Bend at the time. It wasn’t until he moved over here, where

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| December 2012

we have so many clear nights that he was able to really use it enough to expand his explorations.

Peter learned more about telescopes and how to explore space by joining the Apple Valley Astronomers in 2000. This club of 5 to 10 active “star gazers” not only shares their interests in space with each other, but invites the public to participate.

They have organized “star parties” for people to view the night sky through a variety of telescopes.

I attended one in the parking lot at the Port of Douglas County. There was a good turnout and long lines of families waiting to look through the scopes.

Some of them so large you had to climb a ladder to get to the viewfinder.

“We get together three or more times a summer, and even have access to a great site on Badger Mountain,” said Peter.

“The site is so far from the interference of lights of the city to give us excellent viewing.”

Peter’s search for “dark” sites has taken him far afield. He now owns a campsite in Arizona on a property that is populated with astronomy buffs. There are a few permanent structures here, but many of the owners only come to the site in the winter months, when the viewing is at its best.

One of Peter’s favorite ac-

“Every city and town has a group of people that are like me, and it is really fun to meet them.”

tivities is a program that he and another club member take to schools. It’s called “Astronomy Through the Ages,” and is structured for third graders.

Peter appears as Galileo, in full costume, and tells the kids how astronomy got its start; what it was like in Galileo’s day up to the present.

Whenever we get together Peter is telling me about an upcoming celestial event. There may be a particular alignment of planets, a “transit” of the moon or sun, or a special opportunity to view a distant galaxy or nebula. There is always something happening that gets him excited.

Peter has come a long way from the awkward telescope he set up in my friend’s backyard.

He built his own observatory now, right next to his house. It’s a 14-foot by 16-foot structure that holds two large telescopes.

It has a sliding roof that he can push forward to expose the two scopes when conditions are right to look into space.

Peter and other astronomers live with a “have telescope will travel” attitude.

It is not unusual for him to pack up a telescope and travel to a site that is best for viewing a certain event, and when he arrives there will be other astronomers there.

Earlier this year there was an eclipse of the sun. This doesn’t happen often; in fact Peter said it won’t happen again in his lifetime.

He packed his large telescope and drove to Susanville,

California, which was just six miles from the center line of the eclipse. He stopped at a small community college and found about 200 people there to view the event.

“There were people from Germany, South America and all over the U.S.,” said Peter.

“The couple from Germany had planned their vacation around the eclipse and where best to view it.

“No matter where you go, you will find other astronomers.

Every city and town has a group of people that are like me, and it is really fun to meet them.”

One of the biggest gatherings of astronomers occurs in Washington every year, at Table Mountain, which will take place from Aug. 8 to 10 next year. As many as 1,000 people attend the Table Mountain Star Party.

There are educational programs for kids, adults and vendors of all kinds also come to the site.

RVs and tents are set up and there are showers and even food booths. It’s quite a show. You can learn more about this event by logging onto www.tmspa. com.

There are folks that look forward to winter here in the Wenatchee area; skiers, snowmobilers — and astronomers.

Peter says the viewing is much better in the winter than the summer. The skies are much clearer, and some objects — such at the Orion Constellation — can only be seen in winter.

While others are staying inside, Peter will be bundled up and exploring space at his own home, or joining others where the viewing is at its best.

Peter Lind builds and repairs computers as the owner of Orion Computers. To contact him to learn more about the Apple Valley Astronomers Club, send him an email at plind@ orioncomputer.net.

Dave Graybill, aka the FishingMagician, is a writer, broadcaster and videographer and reports on fishing in Central Washington. You can view his fishing and cooking shows and read his reports via his website at FishingMagician.com.

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Up

to take another swing

back in the batter’s box chasing a moment of softball glory

By Gary Looney

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he anticipation is overwhelming. The enthusiasm is infectious. The competition is fierce — even if most of the hair is gray or non-existent under the ball caps.

These are the Huntsman World Senior Games, and for me, just the fact that I made it back this year was a personal victory in overcoming adversity.

Held each October in the sun drenched canyons of St. George, Utah, this international senior sports competition provide men and women, who in many cases have left the best parts of their athletic careers on the courts and fields of yesteryear, the opportunity to stage one last comeback, spike, or sprint that will catapult them to the winners bracket and into the medal rounds.

This year the games consisted of 27 events, involving more than 60 nations and upwards of 9,000 athletes competing in sports ranging from archery, badminton, basketball and bowling to cycling, golf, mountain biking, pickelball, racquetball, soccer, tennis, volleyball and a triathlon, among others.

In addition to athletic events, the Games promote health by providing life saving health screenings for cancer-breast and prostate. Screenings also detect other serious health threats — glaucoma, diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and decreased bone density.

Band concerts, dances and awards socials for each sport are also part of the package, bringing athletes and guests together in a social atmosphere where they share in, and congratulate each other for, their achievements.

Gary Looney bats during the 2010 Huntsman World Senior Games.

I was there on a team of fellow softball players from the Wenatchee area competing against 40 other teams in our age group (55+).

Wenatchee also had competitive teams in the 60+ and 70+ age groups.

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For me, this year’s event marked a personal comeback.

In 2010, our softball team (55+) had made it through the qualifying rounds and was in decent shape to earn a medal — bronze, silver or gold.

Unfortunately, due to an

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untimely lack of hitting, our Wenatchee Merchants team was relegated to a fourth-place finish, disappointingly heading home empty handed. I wanted to get back there and make up for the loss.

The 2010 trip wasn’t all sorrow — I had taken my wife and kids with me, making it a family vacation. When not playing we enjoyed the beautiful sights of southern Utah, especially the area of Cedar Breaks National Monument, and the breathtaking views of Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks.

One of the more intriguing moments was getting caught up in a cattle drive at 9,000 feet coming off the mountain at Cedar Breaks. Ours and every other vehicle traveling down Highway 143 past Brian Head had to yield to the herd of about 200 and the cowboys on horseback leading the drive.

With much anticipation I was anxious for the 2011 games to start. However, all my excitement soon came crashing down.

At the 2010 event I had taken advantage of the health screenings and was advised my cholesterol level was abnormally high.

Then on Aug. 19, 2011, just six weeks before I was to set out for St. George, I suffered a heart attack, which resulted in quadruple-bypass surgery. I was devastated.

Granted, I was lucky to be alive, but disappointed in knowing that all my preparation, anticipation and enthusiasm for playing at the World Games had just been ripped away from me.

Now, in 2012, my wife couldn’t get time away from work and I didn’t feel compelled to pull the kids out of school with her staying home. So instead, I traveled to St. George by myself.

While I was extremely excited

to once again be playing, I found it very different not having my family there. Unlike a typical weekend softball tournament, the Huntsman Games can conceivably commit an individual to two full weeks of play. Having the family there makes the numerous functions and watching the other sporting events so much more fun.

Due to the large number of teams within a specific age group — in our case age 55 and up — each team plays a series of three games against different opponents.

Based on performance and a few other factors, including past results, teams are then bracketed into different divisions.

My senior league team, the Wenatchee Merchants, has a great mix of slap hitters, power and speed. Add in good defense and you have the makings of a run scoring, consistent winner.

Yet, many from our team couldn’t make the trip to St. George. The team we did assemble consisted of several capable players from other teams in the Wenatchee Valley, most above the 55-age minimum, some eligible for the 65+ team.

Our first game was against a team from Fresno, CA. “Party Time Rentals” was a seemingly rag-tag looking group eerily similar to ours.

Both teams started off fast, each scoring handily in the first inning. However, we seemed to take a break for the next few innings while our opponent continued to pound the ball. We ended up losing the first game, although we made a valiant effort in the last inning to make the score respectable.

The second game was a laugher!

The team “Christensen Arms” of Gunnison, Utah was more than a fitting name. These guys looked like they were in the wrong sport. Even the guys who weren’t good enough to play in the field — everybody bats whether they take the field on defense or not — looked like

Arms like telephone poles, legs as big as tree trunks, the balls sailed and sailed. I felt sorry for our outfielders... middle linebackers.

Arms like telephone poles, legs as big as tree trunks, the balls sailed and sailed. I felt sorry for our outfielders for all the running they did as the ball continuously soared to and over the fence. (“Christensen Arms” eventually wound up in the top bracket only to lose out to the eventual champion in the Majors, the top division.)

Even though we ended the day 0-2, we had one more qualifying game the next day. This would determine our bracket. Hopefully, we’d be able to turn things around.

The next day we won — yeah!

— against a team from Phoenix by putting it together winning a close battle in our final at bat.

Redemption! However, that win also gave the organizing committee a reason to move us up to a more competitive level of play in the finals bracket, AA. The next day came early — 8:30 a.m. in Utah, is 7:30 a.m. at home in Wenatchee and according to my body’s clock. Yet that was the start time of our first game in bracket play. That

December 2012 | The Good Life

means a 6:30 a.m. wake up call in order to get dressed, have a hotel breakfast, and get to the park for a 7:30 a.m. stretch and batting practice.

When you’re in your 20s, 30s and early 40s that’s not a big deal.

However, that’s a huge sacrifice to make when one is supposedly enjoying the middle and latter parts of one’s life. Plus, we are scheduled for three back-toback games.

First up was “Shawn Enterprises” of Salt Lake City, another group of “young” 55ers. Several of us wondered whether anyone has actually checked these guy’s birth certificates. They look young enough to be our kids!

“Shawn” takes an early lead scoring the maximum five runs in the first inning. Teams are limited to five runs per inning, except for the last, in which a team can score at will. This is to keep the games competitive and on time.

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Up for another swing }}} Continued from previous page We come back with two of our own in the bottom of the first.

After a seesaw battle in which the lead goes back and forth, the Wenatchee Merchants pull out an unexpected win, 20-19, scoring the winning run in the bottom of the last inning. We’re on our way.

Or, so we thought.

We lose the next game to

the “Paso Robles (California) Legends” who hit the ball with authority and run like gazelles.

The game is called after the fifth inning using the not-so-pleasant Mercy Rule. We lose 17-5.

Relegated to the loser bracket, we now must win every remaining game in order to stay in the tournament.

But, with one more win we qualify for the medal round.

We soon find out our next

opponent is the same team we beat in our first game of the day, “Shawn Enterprises.”

“Shawn Enterprises” had advanced through the loser’s bracket by beating (and eliminating) another team. This was a must-win situation for both of us, as the loser of this game would be eliminated, demoted to that of a spectator for the final medal day.

Similar to our first game we went back and forth, each team seeming to score at will.

Down by two runs going to the top of the last inning, “Shawn” took the lead scoring four runs.

The defense that had held up so well for us seemed to vanish in the wind. Missed ground balls, bad throws, dropped fly balls all seemed to happen within that one moment.

In the bottom of the last inning, our leadoff hitter hits a solid single to center. It’s exactly what we needed! Get runners on base, keep the momentum up, and run home with a victory.

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When not playing third base for a local softball team or watching other sports, Gary Looney does outside sales at Ridgeline Graphics, following a 30-year career in the airline industry in customer services. He is also president of Wenatchee Sunrise Rotary, and has been involved in numerous organizations including Wenatchee Youth Baseball, NCW Fall Ball, Wenatchee Valley Sports Council, Wenatchee Irish Dance and Apple Valley Gymnastics.

Sore throat and fever Ear ache Stings or bites Work-related injuries

Visit us online at wvmedical.com

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| AT HOME WITH The Good Life

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Our next batter, normally a patient and solid hitter, swings at the first pitch. A meager little popup to the second baseman.

No problem. We have the heart of our batting order coming up, a runner on base and only one out.

All we need is one more runner on base and the winning run would be at the plate with one of our power hitters only a couple batters away.

With the anxiety of both teams plainly evident, the cheers from fans getting louder, our next batter gets and swings at his pitch. Hoping for that illustrious line drive through the infield or crushing blast that bisects the outfielders, instead our dreams are dashed as his one-hop grounder results in an inning-ending pitcher, to shortstop, to first base double play.

Game over.

Elation turns to horrified silence in a matter of moments.

Hopes evaporated, expectations squandered. There is no joy in Mudville.

We ended up in fourth place in our bracket. The Paso Robles team took the gold medal, the silver by another Salt Lake City team we didn’t have the opportunity to play due to our elimination. “Shawn Enterprises” received the bronze.

It’s a long way to travel, with nothing to show for it but memories and sore muscles.

However, I will be back again next year, hoping we play well enough to finally get one of those elusive pieces of bronze, silver or gold.

Regardless of the agony, it’s one of the joys of life.

| December 2012

First place went to Anam Paiseanta for Saddle Rock Stars.

Scenes to post on your wall “We are blessed to have access to so much hotographer Anam Paiseanta of natural beauty everywhere around us here in Wenatchee shot for the stars in winning the Wenatchee River watershed,” said Anam. first place with his entry in the Picture the A dozen photos were chosen for the calenWenatchee Watershed Photo Contest. dar from 170 entries from 32 photographers.

For his effort, his photo will adorn the The photo contest and calendar was month of July in the Picture the Wenatchee originated to show off the beauty of the Watershed calendar coming out in early Wenatchee River Valley through the artistic December, along with a $25 gift certificate to skills of local photographers.

Icicle Brewing Company.

The contest was sponsored by the Picture the Wenatchee Watershed Stewardship Campaign, a collaborative effort between local businesses, organizations and citizens to improve water quality in the Wenatchee Watershed, and Cascadia Conservation District, an organization dedicated to wise stewardship of all natural resources.

Best in Show judges were Nancy Warner (Initiative for Rural Innovation and Stewardship), Lisa Pelly (Trout Third place, Minotaur Lake, by Airan Mendoza.

Unlimited Washington Water

P

December 2012 | AT HOME WITH The Good Life

Second place, Fawn, by Pete Freund.

Project), and Doug Pendleton (Ponderosa Community Watershed Committee Chair).

Second place went to Pete Freund, of Wenatchee, for Fawn. Pete received a $20 gift certificate donated by Leavenworth Mountain Sports. Third place went to Airan Mendoza, of East Wenatchee, for Minotaur Lake.

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

“Whether you are looking for a beautiful hike, a day in the water, a walk on the loop, or a ride in the snow, the Wenatchee watershed is the place to be,” wrote Airan.

Calendars cost $7 each and can be ordered through Cascadia Conservation District by calling 664-9370.

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Just before the foundation was poured, Steve Weiser and Melody Kreimes discovered the site for their new straw bale home needed to move 25 feet to the south — but the family picked up an unexpectedly good view for their trouble.

Tote that bale, build that house Story by Susan Lagsdin Photos by Donna Cassidy

W

A modern heirloom painting brightens the busy corner of the wood stove and hallway, and the distinctive staircase features natural bamboo balusters and dark stained oak steps.

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| December 2012

hat’s distinctive about this home on Titus Road in Leavenworth isn’t just that it’s a post and beam straw bale house and that its two story height is atypical in the industry.

Or that it glows coral-ochre in the sunlight, or that it has extradeep roof eaves all around.

It is not a Mediterranean wannabe.

It’s built on a full acre, but it’s neither a palatial showplace nor a future-flip investment.

Rather, what’s notable about this tall boxy house built by Steve Weiser and Melody Kreimes is that it’s all family, all the time.

Even their most prominent art piece is “all in the family.”

Melody indicated an abstract oil painting. “Steve grew up with this his whole life — it was his dad’s first important art purchase.” Steve’s father presented it to him as a housewarming gift

Steve Weiser and Melody Kreimes have plenty to be happy about after settling in to their spacious straw bale family home, a labor of love for them both.

last winter.

The couple spent design time considering their whole household. Each decision about material, décor, room size and access — some of them highly individualized — was made primarily to accommodate and ease the active and sometimes hectic life of themselves, their two young children, and her independent mother.

They’ve been a family of five long enough to know what they need.

The 1,600-square-foot downstairs living area includes a foyer, open plan kitchen/great room, laundry and guestroom

with bath. That’s standard.

But upstairs, rimmed by the continuous deck on the west and south sides (five feet deep under five foot eaves) the rooms and halls have been configured just for them. Oregon architect Todd Miller drew everyone’s needs into his plans.

Steve has a two-unit studio where he crafts recycled gold and silver into new jewelry.

Melody’s mother Lori Brown, a psychiatric nurse and one-third owner of the property, lives in a compact suite with an interior window opening on the stairwell for extra light, and an extra stair and deck entrance from the

This artful niche, one of several carved out of solid wall with a chainsaw, is discreetly decorated with moonstone and jade from Melody’s favorite beach.

garage.

Partly for plumbing practicality, and partly for function, the parents’ bedroom and children’s two rooms (brightly painted to their specifications) access a small “everyday” bathroom, with a much more luxurious “master bath” down a hallway, worth the walk to a spacious shower and an ofuro, or Japanese soaking tub.

Both parents work at home (Melody manages a non-profit and is an environmental mediator), the children are involved in school, soccer, violin and other activities and the grandmother works full time away. By design,

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both communication and privacy are provided by the communal nature of the upstairs space.

Downstairs, comfort is king.

Passive solar is the design imperative: south facing glass, roof shade for summer, cement floors. Low, deep window seats — just person-length — are smooth nap spots.

Sun pours in through hardto-find solar gain windows (“We had no idea they were specialized. You don’t really get the heat of the sun without them — I don’t think most people know that,” Melody said.)

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Straw bale home }}} Continued from previous page A soapstone stove, with a back warming bench built in, is tucked under the staircase and gently doles out heat all day, or all night, from one quick burn of firewood.

Radiant floor heat kicks in when needed, allowing barefoot walking on the warm etched cement flooring. Their heating costs are minimal, Steve said, “and in this past summer’s heat wave, the walls kept it 73 degrees in here when it was 103 outside.”

The inside surfaces of the house (except interior sheetrock) consist of two inches of lime-based stucco — with a kidfriendly additive — painted over the top of straw bale walls. “We

were looking for a wall surface that’s a little smoother and silkier than the usual,” said Melody.

“With children in the house, we didn’t want any scraped elbows.”

Ah, the walls — the 21-inch thick walls. That’s the feature that straw bale advocates rave about, and that’s what most distinguishes this home from its conventional wood-framed neighbors.

Two semi trucks delivered all the bales in August 2010 (freshly harvested Othello straw, 600 bales at 90 pounds each) and a third of them were hoisted over the next week by 20 members of an on-site straw bale building workshop led by Terry Phelan of Issaquah, which the couple was glad to sponsor.

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Comfort was always in the plan. Here, deep, low slung window seats are just right for sunny catnaps, and rounded walls soften the window surround.

Melody remembered, “We were grateful to have so many people working — but whenever there was a demonstration all the stacking stopped; then there’d be a break. We were thinking ‘Keep going! Keep going!’”

The walls are surprisingly adaptable. True, they can’t get

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| December 2012

rained on — straw bale homes need their roofs on early. Plumbing pipes are external — no drips allowed. And fresh material, with no mildew and no rodents, is imperative.

But walls can be gently contoured and custom carved, as in this house. To make a round corner, it takes what the couple nicknamed “Robert pins” (like huge bobby pins) to anchor fabric stretched around a straw bale’s vertical edge like a metal mesh girdle.

Melody also marveled at how easy it was to carve decorative storage niches anywhere she wanted them. “It’s hard now to imagine lugging that chainsaw around, just starting it up, and there it was — a perfect hole in the wall!”

Steve says he’s most impressed by the material’s fire resistance, a result of extremely tight compression of the straw. “These bales are really dense,” he said, “It’s kind of like holding a match up to the New York phone book.”

So, if straw bale homes are

... the actual stacking and finishing of most of the bales, followed by the messy job of stucco-painting them all, took considerable hand labor. warm in the winter, cool in the summer, use sustainable materials and allow flexible forms, why are there so few in view?

Steve thinks their popularity will grow, but slowly. It takes new thinking. Bankers initially shied away from this innovation, but not their “supportive and cooperative” People’s Bank.

Straw bale can cost more in labor, Steve explained. “If you do it yourself, it’s backbreaking work, so some of it has to be contracted out. A lot of contractors still only know two-by-four framing, so a straw bale house is much slower for them.”

As novice homebuilders, Steve and Melody were grateful to have Robert Ward at Sirius Builders do the framing (sixby-10 post and beam) and the finish work, including bamboo cabinetry.

Professional subcontracting got some tough jobs done.

And after that first workshop crew, other friends pitched in during the 18 months the house was in process. But the actual stacking and finishing of most of the bales, followed by the messy job of stucco-painting them all, took considerable hand labor.

The family willingly bore the brunt of their unconventional choice.

“We couldn’t believe we built this house with our own hands,” Melody said. “But then we’d stand up and our backs would hurt, and our shoulders would ache and we’d remember: oh yeah! We built this from the ground up!”

The bright kitchen cabinetry is made of sustainable, cost effective bamboo. Acid-etched concrete flooring, turned turquoise, inspired the dining area chandeliers.

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PET PIX

Submit pet & owner pictures to: editor@ncwgoodlife.com

W

e were headed up the icicle for a quick overnight camping trip and brought the dog, Maverick, along. Half way up he was feeling left out and tried to join us by squeezing his 100-pound body into the truck by way of the rear sliding window. This is as far as he got. The view from behind must have been a sight. In the picture are my three daughters Brittany, Talia and Marissa.

— Chad Hurst

THE GOOD LIFE PET DIRECTORY

T

his picture is of my little niece, Kendal, and her three favorite things: Dunn the horse, Sophie the dog and uncle Adam.

Kendal loves all things horse related and has been a cowgirl her whole life (all 7 years of it). She is almost always in her pink cowgirl hat and boots, toting her pink lasso rope everywhere.

Kendal makes sure we all know that Sophie is her dog and we just take care of her when Kendal is at home on the westside. She loves to lead Sophie around with her pink lasso rope and draw pictures for her.

And then there is Uncle Adam, or as she calls him “Addy Shack.”

When Addy is around no one else matters to Kendal, or KendieKendington as she is known to him. Truly a 7-year old-at heart himself, they are perfect playmates. Should I mention Adam is a cowboy?

The first time she met him she was so shy she wouldn’t even look at him, but when he started playing horses she figured he was all right. Then the first time he let her ride one of his horses at Mountain Springs Lodge in Plain she was truly in love.

That’s a bit about Kendal and her three favorite things.

— Amanda Levesque

Target pet-friendly readers Call today for ad rates and availability!

John Hunter • 699-0123 • johnhunter@ncwgoodlife.com Lianne Taylor • 669-6556 • lianne@ncwgoodlife.com

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column GARDEN OF DELIGHTS

bonnie orr

Finger foods that are truly appetizing Much of December’s enter-

tainment centers around food.

Hors d’oeuvres and drinks is a popular format for an informal, early-evening gathering.

It is nice to see friends, but my palate is jaded when I see the appetizers made from fried food, salted meat or cheeses served on bread or crackers.

Salt stimulates the appetite, but too many picklie things and too much fat send my appetite into a tailspin.

Often served are the trays from the grocery store with “crudities,” the little raw vegetables surrounding a gluey, fatty dip that erases all the healthy pretense. As well, these are served cold and are not very “appetizing” on cold, damp evenings.

To a recent social event, Heather Seman brought fabulous appetizers she made from her garden vegetables. So she and her husband, Mark, came to my house to create some garden-inspired appetizers that were perfect for winter nights.

Heather and I created, and Mark taste-tested with his discriminating palate.

We decided to eliminate salty ingredients, heavy fats and breads.

Besides salt, sour also stimulates appetite. Some easily available sour tastes are low-fat yogurt, vinegar, ginger, lemon juice and zest and sauerkraut.

However, remember a dash of salt does make food taste sweeter without adding sugar. As always, fresh veggie flavors are so intense that you don’t need Know of someone stepping off the beaten path in the search for fun and excitement? E-mail us at editor@ncwgoodlife.com

A platter of goodies made with garden-fresh and healthy ingredients can taste better — and be better for your guests — than salty, gluey and fatty hors d’oeuvres.

multiple ingredients for these tasty snacks.

Because most appetizers are finger food, we needed selfcontained plates or bowls and settled on hollowed-out peppers and mushrooms with the stems removed.

You can have as much fun as we had designing fillings. Once the bowls are filled, the appetizers can be heated either in the microwave or in a very hot oven (425-450 degrees).

Here are some combinations to try: Bell pepper boats filled with: 1. Finely minced cauliflower with cilantro cumin and a dash of dried mustard — the mustard proves a kick of heat.

2. Cooked brown rice, green onions, wine vinegar and minced garlic.

Mushroom caps filled with finely chopped or pureed: 1. Lemon zest, spinach, parsley December 2012 | The Good Life

and dried tomato.

2. Pine nuts, rosemary and horseradish 3. Pre-cooked, chopped chicken breast and herbs d’ Provance.

For the little plates, we used slices of winter squash, sweet potato, Yukon-gold potatoes, beets and carrots. We sliced the vegetables into one-quarter inch rounds.

A difficulty we faced with the little plates was adhering a topping to them. In many traditional appetizers, sour cream and melted, fatty cheese such as cheddar or Swiss become the binders.

We found that egg white mixed with a little water or 1 teaspoon of cornstarch in 3 tablespoons of water or fat-free yogurt or honey did the sticking job.

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Test the veggie slices with a knife so that they are “al dente” before you add the topping and heat them again. They have to be firm enough to not bend when they are lifted from the plate, but they have to be cooked enough to be palatable.

Here are some combinations.

They are all very colorful. The first two were Mark’s favorites.

1. Carrots with a bare sprinkling of fennel pollen.

2. Beet with honey binder and raspberries with a barest hint of vanilla powder.

3. Beet with chili pepper, parsley, lime juice and sesame seeds.

4. Winter squash with honey and finely copped walnuts and thin slices of candied ginger.

5. Finely chopped kale, redwine vinegar, honey and cilantro on winter squash.

6. Winter squash topped with finely chopped red bell pepper and green onions.

7. Carrots with pureed parsley, green onions, dried tomatoes and lots of black pepper.

8. Pureed arugula, grapes and shallots on carrots.

9. Potato with horseradish, yogurt and chives.

10. Potatoes with leeks and nutmeg.

11. Potatoes with sauerkraut and apples and yogurt.

Although not as pretty the next day, these appetizers are even more tasty because the flavors have melded, and are perfect for the next day’s lunch served with homemade tomato soup.

Happy holiday eating!

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

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column moving up to the good life

june darling

It’s fun — and healthy — to be nice The concept of hospitality

intrigues and confounds me.

First of all, what’s the point of it?

An acquaintance shared this story with me: “I visited the country of Moldova in 2000 on a volunteer trip.

The main thing I remember is the local people’s hospitality — they would spend a month’s salary to put on a huge feast for my husband and me, and would invite everyone to come to the meal.”

Why do many find this expression of hospitality by the Moldovans inspiring? Why do all the major religions — Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism — urge their followers to show hospitality?

Perhaps one answer could be

that hospitality is good for us as a society and as individuals because it promotes social connections and more rewarding relationships (not to mention full bellies).

Studies support the idea that social connections and rewarding relationships are powerfully connected to thriving. We do better physically, psychologically, and even cognitively when among others who accept us.

We fall apart when feeling rejected, devalued, and excluded.

Researchers like Dr. Todd Kashdan report that very little rejection is required for us to experience pain and to doubt life’s meaning.

He mentions several experiments in which pedestrians don’t get a smile by passersby.

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This seemingly small slight led to increases in sadness, despair, and hostility.

Bringing others into our circle allows them to feel a whole lot better. But what about the people who are hosting; can hosting be good for THEM too?

Hospitality is, at its core, about giving up self-preoccupation. When we are hospitable, we are thinking of others.

Researchers have found that the incidence of heart attacks and other stress-related illnesses is closely correlated with self-preoccupation. Giving to others helps to relieve harmful levels of stress (which can harm the heart’s arteries, gut function, insulin regulation, and the immune system, according to Harvard Health.)

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Perhaps hospitality, then, is good for us because it can be an avenue for making friends, increasing their mental well-being as well as our own, and even boosting our physical health by increasing social connections and relieving self-centeredness.

Sandy Liddell, a former Cashmere minister, believes hospitality is good for us because it brings us all together. She claims that poet, Robert Frost, said that “inclusive” is the most beautiful word in the English language.

Sandy said she remembers being physically sick when excluded. She makes a point of frequently inviting others to

Hospitality can be easy and fun her home even if it’s only for a peanut butter sandwich, boiled eggs, chili, or soup and coffee.

(Feeding others is a classically human way of bonding according to experts.)

My friends Barbara deRubertis and Suzanne MacPherson strongly value hospitality and connecting with others. They, like Sandy, have a multitude of friends and do a lot of hosting. For them, hospitality is all about enjoying and deepening friendships. They believe it can be good for everyone including themselves.

These women all agree that hospitality needs to be frequent to have a relationship impact.

Continuity means making it fun for the hosts.

Sandy’s advice is always, “Keep it simple.” The main objective is not to impress people, but to make them feel comfortable and included.

Clean-up is limited to pick up for the main spaces. She lights several candles to add some warmth and serves a big pot of soup. Guests sit around a rustic table made by her father from a door.

Barbara and Suzanne also know how to keep it simple, but sometimes they like to make it more interesting by doing special dinners together. They make it fun for themselves by having coffee (or a glass of wine) and planning what they might do. They enjoy stimulating their creativity.

They also savor the anticipation of the event as well as the actual get-together.

Expressing hospitality, then, can be done in a simple way like Sandy does. Or hospitality can be done in a special way like Barbara and Suzanne often do (and the Moldovans).

Hospitality can also be expressed in very subtle ways (like nodding to passersby).

I recently noticed how much

More lights, less energy

Let’s celebrate Suzanne MacPherson, left, and Barbara deRubertis: A toast to friends.

Learn tips on hospitality Come enjoy a happy hour of fun, growth and inspiration at the Town Toyota VIP Lounge for the next installment of The Good Life U at 4 p.m. on Dec. 6.

The topic will be hospitality and other related issues like the value of social support and the need for belonging and inclusion.

Barbara deRubertis and Suzanne MacPherson will discuss tools and tips for being hospitable, making friends and how to get around obstacles to developmore welcome and happy I felt when someone merely pointed out a place for me to sit in a crowded room. Others smiled when I joined them.

Vanna Bonta, the author of Flight: A Quantum Fiction Novel, writes that there is no greater hospitality than understanding.

Similarly Catholic priest and writer, Henri Nouwen, wrote that listening is a form of spiritual hospitality.

Perhaps you, like me, would benefit from considering the concept of hospitality during the holidays.

What is hospitality for you?

What’s the point? How do you express it? How might we, as well as others, be different if we December 2012 | The Good Life

ing connections.

Cost is $7. A light appetizer will be served and a no-host bar is available. Space is limited.

Email drjunedarling@aol.com with questions and to sign up.

ALSO: Join The Good Life U online by contacting June Darling at drjunedarling@aol.com.

Good Life travel, Good Life books, Good Life movies and other interesting, provocative, inspiring discussions that help you move closer to The Good Life. Free and open to all. focused on hospitality?

How might we all move up to The Good Life during the holidays by exploring hospitality?

June Darling, Ph.D., is an executive coach who consults with businesses and individuals to achieve goals and increase happiness. She can be reached at drjunedarling@aol.com, or drjunedarling.blogspot.com or at her twitter address: twitter.com/ drjunedarling. Her website is www. summitgroupresources.com.

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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Switch to LED holiday lights.

Energy efficient Cool to the touch Long-lasting Cheaper in the long run Learn more about LED holiday lights at chelanpud.org or at Facebook.com/ LightlyNewsAndTips

>>

column THE TRAVELing DOCTOR

jim brown, m.d.

Chicago, Chicago, oh what a town Have you ever gone

back to a place where you lived years ago to see how it has changed since you once were there?

Recently Lynn and I did just that, returning to Chicago where we lived 50 years ago for the first two years of our marriage while I was finishing medical school.

I had already lived in Chicago for two years while I attended the Northwestern University Medical School in down- The Mirror Ball in Millennium Park is a huge tourist draw for Chicago. town Chicago near the identification symbol was the “loop” area. Since Lynn since the $119 a month rent was one chosen and trademarked by was finishing college at the Uni- about half what it would be in the AMA in 1967. This symbol versity of Nebraska, we continthe more scenic North Chicago. was later adapted to identify all ued our “romance” by mail.

Lynn was fortunate to land ambulances in our country as As soon as she graduated, a job as a graphic artist at the emergency medical vehicles as we married and pulled a small American Medical Association well as used on medical emerU-Haul trailer loaded with (AMA) in the downtown area. gency ID bracelets. wedding gifts and donated Somehow we scraped by with The rod was that of Asclepius, furniture, ready to start our new her salary of $90 a week. the Greek god of healing and home together.

A typical big night out for us We moved into a high rise would be going out for Chicago’s medicine and the snake represented the bronze snake on the apartment in South Chicago legendary deep pizza at Pizza staff of Moses in the Old Testacalled Prairie Shores. These Uno, still going strong on Ohio ment. apartments had been built reStreet, or else going to the UpWhenever I see it, I am proud cently by an insurance company town Theatre in north Chicago of Lynn and am reminded of with the proviso that they were on Saturday night for double those early years in Chicago. to be integrated with no more feature movies for $1 a person.

Recently, when our alma matthan 50 percent Caucasians.

Life was good. er Nebraska was scheduled to Many married medical stuWhile at the AMA, her deplay the Northwestern Univerdents that we knew lived there sign for the AMA’s new medical

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sity “Wildcat” football team in Evanston, the site of the undergraduate school, we agreed it would be fun to go to the game and to revisit Chicago.

I figured no matter who won, it would be one of my schools.

We met good friends from Omaha in Chicago for a fiveday adventure. We stayed in a hotel in downtown Chicago located about four blocks from my medical school. When we checked out of our hotel in the Chicago “loop” after a four-night stay, I realized that our hotel bill would have covered 10 months rent in our first apartment in Chicago.

When Lynn and I walked around that campus, I tried to identify the buildings and hospitals, but the campus has really changed. The only two buildings remaining that were familiar were Abbott Hall, the dorm I lived in for my first two years and the Ward building that housed administration, classrooms and labs back then.

The two main hospitals had been replaced, and many new buildings have been added including research buildings, a new women’s hospital and a new

Chicago Rehabilitation Hospital.

I remembered the old rehab hospital where I moonlighted every fourth night during my junior year. The Chicago Children’s hospital had been moved from North Chicago to this campus. This had been a hospital where I saw my first endoscopy, a new technology at that time. I thought, someday I want to do that and eventually that is what I did as a gastroenterologist.

As I walked about I felt a sense of pride and awe that I had been privileged to attend this wonderful medical school.

Chicago is a most impressive city. It is our nation’s third most populous city with a population of 2.7 million. However the metropolitan area referred to as “Chicagoland” has 9.8 million residents, and it is the most densely populated city in the US with 12,750 people per square mile.

As a magnet for immigrants ever since the late 1800s, Chicago is a very ethnically diverse city. It’s population includes 32 percent African Americans, 31 percent Caucasians and 28 percent Latinos. Of the current Hispanic population, 53 percent were born in Latin America reflecting their more recent immigration to this country.

There are over 500,000 people of Irish descent, and the Polish population is the largest collection of Poles outside Poland itself. This all makes for an exciting and vibrant city.

On Sunday we went to church at the Chicago Temple, a downtown United Methodist church.

We had attended this church during the first two years of our marriage. The church is housed in the world’s tallest church building, a 568-foot tall skyscraper.

The church was established in 1831, six years before Chicago was incorporated. It was first located in a log cabin that, in 1834, was floated over the Chicago River and put in its present location at Washington and Clarke streets. A four-story church

Chicago ... is clean, seemingly safe, and the people are friendly. was built in 1858 that was later destroyed in the great Chicago fire of 1871. The present building was completed in 1924.

The first four floors comprise the sanctuary, chapel, administrative offices and classrooms.

Floors 5-17 are rented out as office space, and the Sky Chapel on the 18th floor was donated by the Walgreen family.

When we are visiting a city, we love to take long “urban hikes” to get a better feel of the area.

Chicago lends itself well to that.

It is clean, seemingly safe, and the people are friendly.

Chicago’s downtown Millennium Park is a huge tourist draw.

December 2012 | The Good Life

The park was started in 1998 to commemorate the Millennium and completed in 2004 at a cost of $500 million.

Built over what previously were railroad yards and parking lots, with its 24 acres it is now the world’s largest “roof top” garden. There are not only numerous gardens but also a huge outdoor amphitheater for concerts.

The park is connected to the famous Chicago Art Institute by a pedestrian bridge over a highway. The biggest tourist draw is the Cloud Gate, which has been referred to as the “Bean” due to its shape or the mirror ball.

This huge mirror-like structure reflects and distorts the city’s skyline. It is fun to see people laying on their backs with their feet on the mirrored surface to take photos of themselves “walking” upside down. Thousands of pictures are taken of it weekly because of its unique reflective properties.

On the day of the game we

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rode the “L,” so-called since most of it is an elevated train with parts going underground.

The “L” carries 750,000 passengers daily over it’s 222 miles of track. It has changed little since we lived there. The cars are still old and fairly slow.

On game day our train was filled with a crush of festive Cornhusker fans all dressed in red. When we walked into the stadium, we noted that over half was filled with a sea of red clothed Nebraska fans. I asked a policeman directing traffic before the game if it is always like this for Northwestern games.

“We have never seen anything like this,” he replied.

He obviously didn’t know Nebraska fans and how they travel far and wide in support of their beloved “Huskers.”

Oh yeah, my team won.

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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Pillow art When the economy got hard for interior designer, she took the soft way out

What usable art is a sure-

fire product to make and market during tough times?

Lisa Nelson, Wenatchee interior designer, bet on the ultimate comfort food of home décor: pillows.

Lisa has done a total makeover on her own career and she’s enjoying every minute of it.

In the spring of 2011, as many Wenatchee homeowners eased up on investment in luxuries, she faced the economy’s reality with creativity. After years of experience in the field, she temporarily adjusted her professional aim from whole-house interiors into a distinctive line of pillows, a more viable, buyable form of décor.

Lisa’s particular brand — simple, symmetrical, and infinitely interchangeable — is now marketed to high-end interior designers and homeowners.

She makes about 80 pillows a month, priced from $55 to $175.

They’re also fluffed up on couches in the Ann Taylor corporate headquarters, and were featured on a HDTV’s The Nate Show.

Eighteen months after cutting and stitching her first samples, Lisa holds on to her first artistic vision.

“I still use the highest quality

Lisa Nelson and a few of her creations: Bringing artful design to everyday living.

materials I can find — silk or linen backing, 100 percent down fill, invisible zippers.... and yes, I thought about adding ‘stuff’ on these,” she gestured at the chunky, clean edged squares.

“Welting, fringe, trim, colored backs…” But simplicity won out: easier coordination, more affordable pillows.

Lisa, 43, delights in using her innate creative energy.

Her BS degree from Cal State Northridge has meant a satisfying calendar of interior design commissions, but she’s also been artful every day in her own home with landscaping, setting a dinner table, choosing seasonal décor, and making the kids’ costumes.

In fact, her husband David had to ask, “Are you sure you want to do this?” of the busy mother of four a few years ago. The answer was yes. Now he manages the books and shares home chores, and Lisa devotes days to pillow designing (plus cutting, stitching and stuffing) in her spacious studio.

Though she’s currently working on a few commissions in town, the pillow enterprise dominates her days. Lisa said, “My ‘job’ is here, right down the hall, so I never really get away — but yes, I love doing this!”

December 2012 | The Good Life

“My ‘job’ is here, right down the hall, so I never really get away...

That upstairs space — aka pillow production headquarters — has soothing green walls, bamboo shades, soft carpet and a sprawl of couches (Lisa’s interior design influence), but it’s also a functioning workroom.

The walls are punctuated by racks of luscious fabric, rolled and folded. “There’s probably a couple of hundred yards in here,” Lisa quickly calculated.

Centered by a huge flat table covered with templates and samples, stacks of pillows are

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everywhere: pillows to lean on, pillows to be shipped, pillow inserts to be covered.

From carefully selected bolts of fabric, she precisely plots where each color and graphic element will bring the best effect.

Print artists and fabric makers provide the raw materials she purchases, “but I control the pattern,” Lisa declared.

Much of her yardage originates in Belgium, the UK and Italy, but working at the cutting table in her Sunnyslope home, her artful eye is intent on everexpanding, imaginative pillow possibilities: sensuous textures, new shapes and luscious colors that zing.

To see more of Lisa’s pillows go to www.ljnelsondesign.

— by Susan Lagsdin

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WHAT TO DO

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

Wenatchee Naturalist – The Wenatchee River Institute invites you to embark on a wonderfilled adventure by becoming a Wenatchee Naturalist. Registration has begun for the third offering of the Wenatchee-based program that begins in late January. The class meets on Wednesday evenings and includes three Saturday field trips to explore habitats along the White, Entiat and Wenatchee River corridors, guided by expert field biologists. Registration closes on Jan. 9, with the first Wednesday evening class on Jan. 30. Limited to 24 adults and is designed for non-scientists. Tuition: $335. Info: barnbeachreserve.org/programs/ or email course instructor Susan Ballinger at skylinebal@gmail.com.

Journey to Bethlehem, 11/29 – 12/2, 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. This Christmas season, experience the town of Bethlehem, as it was the night the Christ Child was born. The journey begins indoors with live Christmas music. A local Bethlehem resident will guide you to many shops, scribes, tax collectors and an innkeeper. Ponder with the Wise Men as they follow the Star and see the shepherds and the manger where the Christ Child was born. See the living nativity with sheep, goats, donkeys, chickens and a camel. (Dress appropriately for the weather.) Wenatchee Valley Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Fifth and Western, Wenatchee. Info: www.j2bwenatchee.org.

Opera on Tap, 12/1, 6 p.m. Local singers bring you into what feels like an after hours back stage party, singing some of opera’s best known and little known pieces in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere, including tapas and dessert. Canyon Wren Recital Hall, Leavenworth. Cost: $45. Info: icicle.org.

Holiday Craft Bazaar, 12/1, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Over 50 vendors. A fundraiser for the WHS Golden Apple Marching Band. Wenatchee High School Commons.

Book Signing, 12/1, 1 p.m. Author Jess Thomson will be on hand with his new book Dishing Up Washington. Full color photography highlighting savory dishes of the Evergreen State. A Book For All Seasons, Leavenworth. Cost: free. Info: abookforallseasons.com.

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Photos with Santa, 12/1 and 8, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. 12/15, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Welcome Santa in downtown Wenatchee at the Stanley Civic Center fountain plaza. On the 15th will be pizza with Santa. Info: wenatchee.org.

Christmas Lighting Festival, 12/1 and every Friday and Saturday through 12/15, 4:30 p.m. Hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights, carolers, cocoa, kids sledding and horse drawn carriage. Downtown Leavenworth. Info: leavenworthchamber.com.

A Christmas Carol, 12/1,7,8,14,15, 8 p.m. 12/2,8,9,15,15, 1 p.m. Live performance. Fest Halle Theater, Leavenworth. Info: leavenworthsummertheater.org.

Common Bond 5 Concert, 12/1, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Christmas in the country is the theme for this Southern gospel quintet. Performing Arts Center. Info: pacwen.org.

Eagles Holiday Bazaar and Bake Sale, 12/1, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Crafts, goodies and fun. 209 E Woodin Ave. Chelan. Info: lakechelan.com.

Marlin Handbell Ringers, 12/2, 3 p.m. This group consists of 10 dedicated ringers. Cashmere Coffeehouse, 201 Riverside Dr, Cashmere. Info: Marie Vecchio 5481230.

Underground Blues Jam, 12/3, 7:30 p.m. Every first Monday of the month. 10 Below, 29 N Columbia St. side B. Info: Joe Guimond 6644077.

Improv/Acting Workshop, 12/4, 7 p.m. Every Tuesday night with theater games for novice and experienced players. Fun, causal and free. Riverside Playhouse. Cost: free. Info: mtow.org.

Christmas Party and Book Buzz, 12/5, 6 p.m. Zany and fun Kaya McLaren joins us with her new book set knee deep in powder snow; as well as award winning historical fiction writer Jim Lynch to dazzle us with political intrigue of the 1962 worlds fair. T’is the season to fall in love, and Laurie Frankel is an authority on it in this world and the next. Her latest book takes computer dating to a whole new level. A Book For All Seasons. Cost: free. Info: abookforallseasons.com. the Good Life U, 12/6, 4-5 p.m.

Enjoy a happy hour of fun, growth and inspiration at the Town Toyota VIP Lounge for the next installment of The Good Life U at 4 p.m. on Dec.

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WHAT TO DO

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

6. The topic will be hospitality and other related issues like the value of social support and the need for belonging and inclusion, with guest speakers Barbara deRubertis and Suzanne MacPherson. Cost: $7.

Space is limited. Email drjunedarling@aol.com with questions and to sign up.

Christmas Tree Lighting, 12/6, 6:30 p.m. Christmas carols, tree lighting, refreshments and bring your camera for free pictures with Santa. East Wenatchee City Hall.

Info: 886-6108.

Jingle Bell Pub Run, 12/6, 5:30 p.m. Bring some bells or wear a Santa hat or just be jolly. Saddle Rock Pub and Brewery.

Wenatchee First Fridays, 12/7, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. Walk downtown for art, music, dining and entertainment. Downtown Wenatchee.

TWO Rivers Art Gallery, 12/7, 5 – 8 p.m. Featured artist Marc Dilley plus over 40 local and regional artists continues with its holiday gift sale. Wines by Horan Estate Winery, refreshments and live music by All Strings Considered. 102 N Columbia, Wenatchee. Cost: free.

Tumbleweed Bead Co., 12/7, 5 p.m. Michael McClun will showcase his ceramic pieces. 105 Palouse, Wenatchee. Cost: free. Info: tumbleweedbeadco.com.

Bubbles and Heels, 12/7, 5 p.m.

Sip bubbly, chat with new and old friends wearing your favorite shoes. One Wines, Inc. 526 E Woodin Ave, Chelan. Cost: $10. Info: lakechelan.com.

Perfect Pairing Wine and Cheese, 12/7 & every Friday. Are you daring enough to try a goat’s milk cheese with your Kamari Black Label Reserve Cabernet Franc or will the aged cheddar and Firá Chardonnay be your new best friend? Wine Girl Wines, 222 E Wapato Way, Manson. Cost: $10. Info: lakechelan.com.

Murder Mystery Dinner Theater, 12/7, 7 p.m. Interactive murder mystery where you solve the crime. Five courses served in between acts. Performed by Mission:Improv. Clearwater Steakhouse, East Wenatchee, Cost: $30.

Info: mtow.org.

Miniature Train Christmas Run, 12/8, noon – 4 p.m. The

Wenatchee Riverfront Railway offers a special free Christmas run with refreshments, hot drinks and a chance to warm up in the caboose.

Info: wvmcc.org.

Wenatchee Empty Bowls Festival, 12/8, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., 12/20, 1:30 – 6:30 p.m. Fight against hunger. Come paint your own ceramic bowl. Bring the family. Bowls will be fired and a soup and bread dinner will be held on Jan. 18. Proceeds benefit 13 local area food banks.

Wenatchee Public Library. Cost: $15 includes bowl and dinner. Info: cdcac.org/empty-bowls.html.

Cashmere Art and Activity Center, 12/8, Second Saturday celebrations, 5 - 8 p.m. Meet the artists, and enjoy food and drink, musical entertainment by Sharon Browder of Music Theater and the Wenatchee Senior Singers.

Door prizes, Yury’s art plus Ann Bixby Smith a glass artist, Sharon Watson’s gourd art, Harold Smith stained glass and Jerry Kinney oil painter. 120 Cottage Ave., Cashmere.

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, 12/8, 7:30 p.m. & 12/9, 2 p.m.

Chelan Valley Players will perform.

Tsillan Cellars. Cost: $40. Info: lakechelan.com.

Icicle Creek Chamber Players, 12/8, 7:30 p.m. Newest classical ensemble. Canyon Wren Recital Hall, Leavenworth. Info: icicle.org.

Christmas Fun Day, 12/8, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Make snow globes snowflakes, garlands and more. Get your photo taken with Santa and snack on refreshments. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center.

Cost: suggested donation $10. Info: info@wvmcc.org.

All I want for Christmas, 12/9, 1 p.m. 7 p.m. A heart warming family movie about two boys who change places to experience the holidays in a new and hilarious way.

Filmed in Leavenworth. Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort’s Chapel Theater. Brunch available. Proceeds support youth symphony. Cost: $10 adults, $5 children, 4 and under free. Brunch: $19.50 adults, $9 kids.

Info: icicle.org.

Wenatchee Apollo Club, 12/9, 7 p.m. Live performance at Performing Arts Center. Info: pacwen.org.

Candle Lighting Ceremony, 12/9, 6:30 p.m. Church of the Nazarene. To honor the memories of all children who have died. Hosted by

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WHAT TO DO

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

}}} Continued from previous page Compassionate Friends. Info: Carol 665-9987.

Alzheimer’s Café, 12/11, 2:30 p.m.

– 4 p.m. Mountain Meadows Senior Living Campus hosts a cafe the second Tuesday of every month.

This is a casual setting for folks with Alzheimer’s, Dementia, their loved ones and caregivers. Desserts and beverages will be served free of charge. Entertainment and activities for those wishing to participate. Join us to meet new friends and share experiences. Located at 320 Park Avenue, Leavenworth. Info: 548-4076.

GWATA Holiday Social, 12/12, 5:30 p.m. Network with other entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts, door prizes, wine or beer included, silent auction items and live music.

Caffé Mela. Cost: $10 members, $15 non-members. RSVP 661-9000.

CRMC Christmas Concert,12/13, 7 p.m. A night of Christmas music with students and instructors from Columbia River Music Conservatory, 1011 S Miller, Wenatchee. Cost: free. Info: columbiarivermc.com.

Friday Funnies, 12/14, 8 p.m. Mission: Improv’s comedy show. Clearwater Steakhouse and Saloon, East Wenatchee. Cost: $5. Info: Cynthia Brown 670-8233.

Christmas on the Columbia, 12/15. All day shopping experience.

Live performance by The Wick’s at noon. Free wine and hard cider tasting, gourmet food sampling and sweets galore. Bring camera for photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Drawings. Prizes and giveaways.

Lone Pine Fruit & Espresso, Orondo.

Cost: free. Info: lonepine fruit.com.

Book Signing, 12/15, 1 p.m. Author Kaya McLaren and her book How I Came to Sparkle Again will be on hand at A Book For All Seasons.

Info: abookforallseasons.com.

A European Christmas, 12/15, 7 p.m. & 12/16, 4 p.m. Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra and the Columbia Chorale will perform. Performing Arts Center. Cost: $16-$35.

Info: wenatcheesymphony.org.

Noel Christmas, 12/15, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Noel is a Celtic classical ensemble featuring medieval dress, harps, strings, flute, percussion and poetry with performers

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| December 2012

from around the world. Cost: $25 general, $16 senior, $8 student.

Info: icicle.org.

Junk Belly, 12/15, 8 p.m. Junk Belly is a blues-rock band and will perform with Gideon’s Daughter opening at Caffé Mela. Cost: $5.

Info: events.caffemela.com.

Compassionate Friends, 12/17, 7 p.m. Meeting for anyone who has lost a child. Grace Lutheran Church.

Info: Carol 665-9987.

Full Moon Ski, 12/18, 5 p.m. Join O’Grady’s Pantry and Mercantile and Leavenworth Winter Sports Club for a full moon ski at Icicle River Trail. They’ll be keeping the doors open and the fire burning until 8 p.m. Warm up with a bowl of Ken’s seasonal soup or stew, dessert and a non-alcoholic beverage.

Cost: $15 adults, $7.50 kids 5-12.

Beer or wine extra. Info: sleepinglady.com.

Cirque Du Noel on Ice, 12/21, 7:30 p.m. Acrobats, trapeze artists, contortionists, dancers, jugglers and more costumed as elves, clowns, carolers, reindeer, and of course, jolly old Saint Nick perform skits in this mixture of circus arts, street entertainment and Christmas enchantment. Cost: $25 to $45. Town Toyota Center. Info: towntoyotacenter.com.

Illumni Men’s Chorale, 12/22, 7:30 p.m. All your favorites. Canyon Wren Recital Hall, Leavenworth.

Info: icicle.org.

Awaken to Christmas, 12/23, 6 p.m. Show with live music and ice-skating. Meet Lilly the live camel and hear the true meaning of Christmas. Town Toyota Center.

Cost: free + bring can foods for local shelters. Info: 669-7778.

New Year’s Eve Bash, 12/31, 7 p.m. Motopony and Hot Bodies in Motion will perform at Caffé Mela.

Cost: $35-$50. Info: events.caffemela.com.

The Platinum Bridal Show, 1/12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Presented by Bella Sera, with booths, giveaways, wedding pros, a fashion show at 1 p.m., dancers from Rebecca Allen’s Next Step Dance Studio, wine from Martin Scott Winery and a contest for local wedding vendors to show how clever they can be on a tiny budget.

Info: www.facebook.com/#!/eve nts/393672254038413/?fref=ts.

Performing Arts Center.

The Art Life

// SKETCHES OF LOCAL ARTISTS

Gifts made in the wood shop by a master W

enatchee woodworker Ron Sollinger’s wife Jerry was his fondest fan for over 60 years, but it wasn’t always so.

“I remember right after we were married, that time I drove home a table saw and unloaded it — she about blew her stack.”

With more savvy and skill than most young newlyweds possess, he remedied the situation. “I got right to work and made a dining set, chairs and all, and I gave it to her mother.”

Ron grew into his craft from an early age. (“The only reason I went to high school is for woodshop,” he maintained) and he’s been working with wood professionally for most of his life, notably in his Friday Harbor floor finishing business.

Now, in the 20 years since his retirement and a return to the town of his youth, he’s created in his home woodshop hundreds of items just for sheer pleasure.

Works of art and often praised, they go not to galleries, gift stores or eBay, but to his family, as their eagerly awaited Christmas and birthday gifts.

Ron’s home and his children’s homes are graced by rooms full of handmade furniture, builtin desks and cabinetry, and his living room display shelves are a toy store worth of goodies — every one lovingly crafted of fine hardwood.

When asked if he’d ever thought of… well, selling them, he seemed truly puzzled. “Well, I wouldn’t know. I’ve never sold one.”

He gives his life work away to his three children. And their eight children. And after a time the hundreds of trains, trucks, jigsaw puzzles, jewelry boxes,

Ron Sollinger makes models, such as the fire truck above, and segmented bowls, top right, that he gives as presents.

Ron made this smooth cup from several individual pieces of wood.

doll chairs, vases and segmented bowls will go to their 12 children. That’s the plan, and he’s sticking with it.

Hosting a tour around his 24by-24 foot shop, a few steps from the house, Ron points out its big windows and banks of industrial lights, ducted air filters on every saw, a filtering mask, and two massive air scrubbers.

Safety comes first for aging lungs, and — he splayed his strong hands to prove it — “I still have all 10 fingers.”

Ron has built every table in the shop (a height-adjustable one is built on a hospital bed frame with a brake) every shelf, cupboard, rack and toolbox.

Many multiples of tools — 145 clamps, for instance, and five shelves of routers — are ready at hand, grouped by functions in graduated sizes.

December 2012 | The Good Life

Ron knows his tools, and how many he has, such as 145 wood clamps.

Even the tools to use the tools, like miter boxes, a specialized press for the segmented bowls, a rotating paint stand — are original wood creations.

“This is more than a hobby shop — I’m proud to say I use every tool in here,” he said. At 84, Ron is still known for his ability to fix things, and he’s got small commissioned projects ready in the queue. He’s adamant about sticking close to the shop now.

He said, “I don’t do work anymore that involves lugging tools up and down stairs,” but a Leavenworth friend has an informal contract: whenever Ron runs out www.ncwgoodlife.com

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of projects, there’s furniture to build.

“Right after Jerry died (in March 2012), I didn’t even want to go in the shop. I couldn’t focus — and I didn’t have anyone to show my work to.”

Gradually he got back into the groove, and now he happily indicates stacks of cut pieces that will turn into this holiday’s round of family gifts.

“Don’t tell anybody what they are,” he cautioned. “Every year I like to keep them a secret.” And every year they grow in value, inestimably.

— by Susan Lagsdin

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column those were the days

rod molzahn

Peaceful P’Squosa tribe greets the whites On the morning of Aug. 24,

1811 a party of nine men from the Pacific Fur Company post at Astoria, on the lower Columbia River, paddled two canoes to shore along the upper Columbia at its confluence with the P’Squosa River.

They were met and greeted warmly, according to Alexander Ross, a member of the party,

by Indians “in great numbers” led by a chief named Sopa. The Indians called themselves the P’Squosa and gave the same name to their river.

The Yakimas, to the south, called them the Wa-na-a-cha.

This was their first meeting with white men.

There were five bands of P’Squosa people, totaling less than a thousand, living in villages along the river between the Tumwater Canyon and the Columbia confluence. There had been twice as many people 60 years earlier when the epidemics of smallpox and measles first swept down the Columbia.

People had lived in the P’Squosa Valley for more than 8,000 years. They had followed the same traditional lifeway for 150 generations — beyond their collective memory and oral history.

This is a typical tule mat house of Wenatchee area Indians in early days.

Photo from Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center

They lived and moved with the seasons, hunting, fishing and gathering as food was available, then drying and preserving enough to survive the lean and

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cold winter.

The cycle began in the spring.

As the snow melted from the hills wild carrots sprouted in its wake. Along with the carrots,

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| December 2012

wild onions and tiger lily bulbs were dug with fire hardened serviceberry sticks and eaten fresh, a celebration of spring and the earth’s bounty.

The most important of spring’s gifts were camas bulbs and bitterroot. Camas bulbs, topped with brilliant blue or white flowers, are white and about the size of a, somewhat, flattened egg.

Bitterroots are white and tendril like and must be dug before their bright, pink flowers open.

At Camas Meadows near Blewett Pass and on Badger Mountain the roots were dug in great numbers then baked and dried for winter use.

By May the first spring Chinook salmon began turning up the P’Squosa River and the people gathered up the root digging camps and moved to the fishing camps for the summer.

There were several productive fisheries along the P’Squosa River but none could match the area around its confluence with the Nascicle River, called “the forks” where immense numbers of salmon gathered before turning up the Nascicle or going on to the Tumwater Canyon.

There were far more salmon

At the cusp of initial white contact the P’Squosa enjoyed a traditional social structure that centered on the family... than the P’Squosa could use so Indians from tribes north to the Methow and south to the Yakima were welcome to share in the bounty.

A huge fish weir of pine poles and lattice work was built from bank to bank each year where confused salmon were taken in large cedar baskets as well as with spears. Communal drying racks stood along the shores where thousands of split salmon hung in the sun.

In September the huckleberries began to ripen in the high mountain meadows above Lake Wenatchee. The fishing camps were struck, horses loaded and everything moved up to the berry and hunting camps.

P’Squosa families and bands returned to the same berry patches each year. Women and children picked daily, filling cedar root baskets, until it was decided that there were berries enough for the year. The huckleberries were slowly dried in the sun alongside a smoldering log fire.

While the women picked berries the men hunted deer, elk, bear and small game in the mountains. Some meat was eaten fresh, most was dried for later use. Hides and furs became clothing, blankets and containers.

By November, snow was falling on the berry meadows.

Winter meant the move to larger villages along the lower river that were more protected and temperatures were more mild. Large winter houses,

built over two to four foot deep excavated pits, accommodated extended family groups and multiple fires, making for more warmth.

Much of the dark winter was spent inside with the women making and repairing clothing and household items while men fashioned tools and weapons.

The food, so carefully harvested and preserved through the other seasons was shared equally through the winter.

At the cusp of initial white contact the P’Squosa enjoyed a traditional social structure that centered on the family then ex-

panded to include an extended family, small bands of several families, the tribe, the language group and beyond to more distant neighbors from other language groups.

They shared a religion that intertwined belief in a Great Spirit that had created them with the earth given to them by the Great Spirit and the bounty of food from the earth and its rivers that sustained them.

They were people of peace given to friendship and trade, not to war. They lived in a valley of plenty.

The Bronze Age had come and

gone in other lands and the Iron Age hadn’t yet found its way to the P’Squosa Valley. The people made their tools from stone and wood and bone.

All that began to change when the two Pacific Fur Company canoes touched shore bringing white men and even more wonders.

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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WENATCHEE VALLEY’S #1 MAGAZINE

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Hastings, Caffe Mela, Wenatchee Food Pavilion, Martin’s Market Place, A Book for All Seasons, Walgreens & Mike’s Meats December 2012 | The Good Life

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column ALEX ON WINE

ALEX SALIBY

New red blends would go fine with steak I

’ve been on the road, having some fun while struggling to cope with the traffic and hectic pace of life on the East Coast.

Fortunately, our travels ended before the assault of Sandy. I’m happy to report that all our friends and relatives from Georgia to Maine escaped Sandy’s rage. Unlike the tens of thousands of others, our loved ones suffered no property damage or personal injury or loss. I’m grateful for that.

I’m grateful, too, to be home, not just among friends and family here in the Wenatchee Valley, but back on the west side of the country. I’m an East Coast lad by birth — born in Binghamton, N.Y. — but I’ve been a West Coast addict ever since I moved to San Jose, CA in 1965.

While we were on the road we missed out on two important wine releases. For starters, Charlie McKee at Wedge Mountain released his latest red blend, “les Trois Etoiles” (The Three Stars).

In addition to being newly released (at least newly so during my absence) the wine is new at Wedge Mountain in two other ways. This is Wedge Mountain’s first ever NV wine. NV, for those of you pondering the meaning, stands for non-vintage, and refers to the fact that the wine is a

blend of grapes from more than one harvest year.

This blend consists of 2009 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010 Wahluke Slope AVA Malbec and Cabernet Franc.

Secondly, the wine is new because it’s the first time Charlie has blended a Bordeaux-styled red wine using Malbec grapes in the blend.

The wine is available for tasting at the winery, Friday through Monday. I suggest you drive out to the winery to sample it for yourselves.

I’m fond of it on several levels: I like the richness of the aromatics, as this wine has a great nose, And I like the depth of flavors the Malbec adds to the taste profile. It was, of course, oak barrel aged, but delicately so.

The wine does not leave wood splinters on your tongue at the finish.

I also missed the release of the Ryan-Patrick Vineyards 2008 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. This one also has a hint of Malbec in the blend: 90 percent Cab Sauv and 10 percent Malbec.

But there’s more to these bottles than a complex red wine.

The bottling represents the last of the red wines under this label that were orchestrated under the direction of RPV’s former

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winemaker, Craig Mitrakul.

The RPV Columbia Valley 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon slept for three years in a combination of French and American oak barrels, some new at the time, some used one prior vintage.

The wine shows both balance and strength with good acidity.

Yes, it is a 2008 being released in 2012, and therefore it is a four-year-old wine already.

However, when you open the bottle and decant the wine, I think you’ll agree with me that the wine hasn’t yet reached its peak. It’s still on the up-side of developing.

The nose as it develops offers an intense array of characteristics of plum and cherry fruits, with chocolate and hints of leather. The fruits are repeated on the palate.

This is a medium-bodied wine that will please you on several levels. I urge you to sample the wine for yourselves to see what you can find in it; it’s available at the Leavenworth tasting room.

Both of these new wines, the NV les Trois Etoiles from Wedge Mountain and the 2008 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from Ryan Patrick Vineyards, are hearty red blends deserving of being served alongside some good red meat. Grilled steak or lamb, hearty stews, or consid-

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| December 2012

ering the season, deer and elk will also complement these.

Those two wines exist and are available for tasting and purchase, but, here’s news about two wines that aren’t due to be released till mid December 2012.

Crayelle Cellars, Craig and Danielle Mitrakul’s winery, is preparing to release Gabriel’s Horn, a Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon blend, and Bishop’s Blend, a single vineyard creation I refer to as a Southern Rhone mixture of Mourvedre, Grenache and Syrah… yumm. I can hardly wait to sample both of these this month.

Now that I think about it, it’s December, Christmas time in the valley, and the perfect time for buying Christmas presents for friends and family… (Note to family and friends: any of these wines will suffice, thank you.)

It’s great to be back home in my own chair in my own living room, but in truth, I did enjoy being gone… though perhaps not so long at one 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.

Contact him at alex39@msn.com.