Good Life December 2013

SCARY SHINGLES Y THE BEST EVENTS CALENDAR

WENATCHEE VALLEY’S

NUMBER ONE MAGAZINE

December 2013

Open for fun and adventure

Price: $3

Andy Dappen knows Central Washington winters are to be

relished plus > A stand-up guy paddles the Columbia > Colorful holiday meals

by Bonnie Orr

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Contents

page 12

good reasons to go walking in winter Features

8

triathlons for couch potatoes

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pop can air force

Running, a water event and biking — but not quite how the super serious athletes do them Chuck Willard has been around planes most of his life — and he’s building aircraft from scraps in his garage

10 nature shots

Photographers share their appreciation of the Wenatchee watershed with these winning photos

15 COUGAR IN THE TREE

Troy Keene was out snowshoeing with a couple of friends when their pup picked up a strange scent

17 paddle board down the columbia

Matt Honor was likely the first person ever to paddle a stand-up board down the full length of the Columbia River

20 finding mom

When Jac Tiechner began looking into his roots, he found a whole new family... and more

22 50,000 words

Writers write... and boy, some writers write furiously during the month of November

24 a house built for cars

Builders worked closely with owner to create a car-friendly home

ART SKETCHES

n Photographer Nancy Barnhart, page 34 n Wooden toy maker Warren Witte, page 38 Columns & Departments 28 Pet Pix: Pets in a wheelbarrow 29 Bonnie Orr: Colorful meals for the holidays 30 June Darling: It’s a party on happiness 32 The traveling doctor: The pain of shingles 36-39 Arts & Entertainment & a Dan McConnell cartoon 37 The night sky: Catch a fading comet 40 History: Trading post receipts offer insight to Indians 42 Alex Saliby: Local wines go well with holiday meals December 2013 | The Good Life

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OPENING SHOT

®

Year 7, Number 12 December 2013 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, Ken Longley, Andy Dappen, Jessica Creel, Yvette Davis, Troy Keene, Kay Fuson, Donna Cassidy, Bonnie Orr, Alex Saliby, Jim Brown, June Darling, Dan McConnell, Susan Lagsdin, Peter Lind and Rod Molzahn Advertising manager, Terry Smith Advertising sales, Lianne Taylor and Donna Cassidy Bookkeeping and circulation, Donna Cassidy Proofing, Dianne Cornell Ad design, Rick Conant TO SUBSCRIBE: For $25, ($30 out of state address) you can have 12 issues of The Good Life mailed to you or a friend. Send payment to: The Good Life 10 First Street, Suite 108 Wenatchee, WA 98801 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, Walgreens (Wenatchee and East Wenatchee), the Wenatchee Food Pavilion, Mike’s Meats, LA Market by Pybus, Martin’s Market Place (Cashmere) and A Book for All Seasons (Leavenworth)

bright beauty in the night sky 2013 has been the year of the

moon... at least as far as these opening shots are concerned.

This is at least our third photo of that bright night light this year, and it seems each gives a new take on the ancient satellite.

Ken Longley of Lake Wenatchee sent us this photo.

Here is his story: “Taking a shot of the moon is always an interesting experience.

“It took me a couple of months to figure out where on Lake Wenatchee I could set up to get

a good shot of a full moon with Entiat Ridge and the trees in the foreground.

“Then, it was hope and pray that it would be clear and cold, but the full moon, locations and weather seldom cooperate. The moon changes every night and rises and sets in different locations and at different times, so luck had to be with me.

“This image took me three nights to capture. I used a Nikon D600, ISO 200, shutter speed 1/1250 second; and an effective focal length of 420mm. It is somewhat counter-intuitive, but the moon is exceptionally bright so a very fast shutter speed and low ISO are needed.

“I love the outdoors and photography and always have a

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.

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| December 2013

camera with me whether skiing, biking, skating, paddling, hiking, backpacking or whatever.

“While you can sometimes plan for that great shot, more often than not it just presents itself.”

On the cover

This photo of Andy Dappen was taken on Twin Peaks’ East Ridge.

Accessing the East Ridge on public land is circuitous and entails traversing from Number Two Canyon Road over several sub-ridges.

“The area is ridiculously remote considering it’s only two miles from Wenatchee,” said Andy.

The East Ridge itself is beautiful with spectacular sun exposure and expansive views over the Columbia River Valley. This is a dry, hot outing in summer but a beautiful walk through the snow in winter.

Andy has done it twice in winter, once by moonlight, once by sunlight. Guess you know which outing produced this picture.

See the online hiking guidebook at www.WenatcheeOutdoors.org for the trip details and a map of Twin Peaks — East Ridge.

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editor’s notes

MIKE CASSIDY

Dealing with the darkness of winter This is my least favorite time

of year — not because I dislike the holidays, and not because I dislike a snow-blanketed landscape.

(Ok, maybe I’m not so happy to wake to a snow-blanketed driveway in need of plowing.)

No… it’s the dismal dark that discourages me. Too much night and not enough day.

Which means we have to make good use of the little daylight we get here in the valley.

That’s the reason I asked Andy Dappen, founder of WenatcheeOutdoors.org and guru of all opportunities to work your muscles outdoors, for some ideas for winter hikes.

And like hiking with Andy, he went several steps farther and tossed in ideas for gear along with his good ideas for winter walking.

Plus, he also offered this observation: “Almost on a yearly basis I come through Leavenworth on the way home from a December outing in the mountains and I’ll wrestle with a question. We’ll be returning from a day from spectacular scenery where we’ve had the mountains to ourselves and we’ll hit Leavenworth and the place is crawling with people who have congregated for the really big adventure of watching a switch thrown and having a bunch of lights come on.

“I’ll be massaging my hamstrings and thighs so they don’t cramp up after eight hours of steady walking and I’ll ask, ‘Are these people strange, or is it us?’

“I’m amazed that so few people get out and enjoy winter — it’s such a pretty time of year, the adventures and scenery

have a much different ambience to them. Winter is going to come whether you like it or not, so pick up something that will have you liking it.”

If you are now inspired, check out Andy’s ideas on page 12.

A break in our normal flow can push us in directions we might not have gone otherwise.

Take the case of Jessica Creel, who was driving through Index a couple of years ago when it became obvious her beautiful black dog, Shamu, needed to get out of the car for a bit.

Once stopped, Jessica saw a very happy, long pony-tailed man jumping off a ledge into a swimming hole.

As Jessica relates the story, “Later in Wenatchee hearing the community buzz of ‘this local man’ who was floating the entire Columbia River on a paddle board, I quickly learned it was Matt who I met in Index, and I concluded he must be at least some part fish.”

Talking with Matt led to Jessica’s story on page 15, but she also became intrigued by standup paddlers.

“I decided it was time to load a paddle board on my car and find out what all the hype was about.

Paddle boarding has now become a relaxing annual day trip to Omak Lake I hope to repeat every summer,” reports Jessica.

Which goes to show, sometimes those unintended stops in life can lead to a whole new adventure.

Don’t pass up a chance to enjoy The Good Life.

— Mike December 2013 | The Good Life

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fun stuff to do suggestions from the wenatchee valley chamber of commerce

Leavenworth

What would you pick to do this December?

The Confluence Film Series feature on Thursday, Dec. 5, will be Coal. 7 – 9 p.m. Coal is a new documentary exploring the question of whether Northwest coal ports should be built — digging into the potential environmental consequences and meeting people from all sides of the issue who have much at stake. Snowy Owl Theater. www.icicle.org

T

he season’s festivities are in full swing and there is snow in the mountains. There are churches, choirs, schools, theaters and businesses alive with the sights and sounds of winter.

There are many charities and non-profit organizations doing good work for people in need, pets without homes and projects that support the many needs our community has. We encourage you to participate where you can and give what you are comfortable giving but more importantly take the time to “take it to heart,” let it warm you from the inside out.

EHS vs. WHS — There is nothing quite like a little high school rivalry. Support your team by “Driving hunger out of the Valley.”

You can help by donating food at these dealerships: Town Toyota Nissan Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Wenatchee or Town Toyota Scion & Town Ford Lincoln in East Wenatchee.

Or Gold’s Gym, LocalTel, Rebecca’s on Orondo, Cycle Central, Carlos 1800, Mikes Meats, Wenatchee Wild or Mountain High Hunting Supply.

The goal is to raise 30,000 pounds of food for local food banks, including The lighthouse, Serve Wenatchee and the Salvation Army.

The dealerships are offering the winning school $6,400 for their after school program and the second place school will receive $3,600.

The Performing Arts Center of Wenatchee

Wenatchee Apollo Club Family Christmas Concert — 7 p.m., Dec. 8. $15.

The Quilt Makers Gift — a musical comedy about the joy of giving. Directed by John Ryan, produced by Cynthia Brown this is a production of the Music Theatre of Wenatchee. Evening performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Dec.12, 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21.

Afternoon performances are at 2 p.m. on Dec. 14, 15 and 21.

Tickets are $12 adults and $7 for children.

The Nutcracker — The Wenatchee Valley Symphony will present this classic, directed by Melissa Miller Port and choreographing along with Tracy Trotter. The Wenatchee Nutcracker features local talent.

Concert goers may join music director and conductor Nikolas Caoile in the theater an hour prior to the program for a concert prelude. Dec. 14 and 15 at 2 p.m. with evening performance on Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. Tickets $16$28 per person.

A Columbia Chorale Family Christmas returns to the PAC for an evening of holiday favorites for the whole family. $20 adults, $10 for students. Total performance time with intermission 2 hours, 30 minutes.

Dec. 19 at 7:30 p.m.

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Downtown Wenatchee

Wenatchee First Fridays Art Walk — Friday Dec. 6 offers up close and personal artist-to-consumer opportunities. Participants include the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center, MAC Gallery at Wenatchee Valley College, Caffe Mela, Lemolo Café and Deli and The Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center.

Winter hours 5 – 7 p.m. or later.

Cost: Free.

Tumbleweed will host From Scratch author Shaye Elliot who will talk about fresh and traditionally prepared whole food dishes. Friday, Dec. 6, 5-8 p.m.

Yeti Holiday Chocolate Party is at Tumbleweed on Thursday, Dec. 12 at 5 p.m. Join Willow Merritt, creator and owner of Yeti Chocolates and see great stocking idea, desserts and more from this passionate chocolatier.

Wenatchee Community Christmas Tree Lighting — 4:30 p.m. Dec. 7, complete with photo op with Santa. Brought to you by Parson Photography and the Wenatchee Downtown Association. Free.

Town Toyota Center

Redneck Nationals — the bad boys of arena cross bring it on Dec. 27 and 28. Doors open at 6 p.m. with racing at 7:30 p.m.

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These two bluegrass veterans Rob Ickes & Jim Hurst have visited Leavenworth before and you won’t want to miss these two master musicians, singers, songwriters. Catch them on Friday, Dec. 6 from 7 – 9 p.m. at the Snowy Owl Theater. www. icicle.org Django Bells on Friday, Dec. 13, perform gypsy jazz classics and original compositions featuring a special holiday Django Bells mix. 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. in the Snowy Owl Theater. www.icicle. org Family Holiday Movies, Sunday — Dec. 15, and Sunday, Dec. 22, from 2 – 4:30 p.m. Join Icicle Creek for classic holiday, family-friendly movies in Snowy Owl Theater with fun activities, warm cocoa and popcorn. www. icicle.org It’s a Wonderful Life — Leavenworth summer theater takes on a winter classic at the Leavenworth FestHalle. Evening performances start at 8 p.m. on Dec. 7, 13-14, 20-21, and afternoons at 1 p.m. on Dec. 8, 14-15, 21-22. $16-$20. www. leavenworthsummertheater.org or 548-2000.

— Compiled by Jerri Barkley, Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce

coming up We’ve brightened up Pybus! Come see our holiday lights!

Pybus Market is pleased to offer a series of unique and fun classes for the general public.

Many are free. The location of most classes will be in front of the Cashmere Valley Bank Community Kitchen. Each class will last 60 to 90 minutes and will be a onenight event. Classes are taught by local volunteers with an interest and aptitude in the subject.

Register online at: www.pybuspublicmarket.org/sign-up/pybusuniversity.

Once you receive the automated confirmation of enrollment, simply show up for the 7 p.m. class at the designated date at Pybus Market.

12/3 — Create a holiday wreath 12/10 — Extra virgin olive oil 101 The Farmers Market has been extended through December Come by with the family, and stock up on fresh fruits, veggies, salsas, honey, crafts and more.

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guest column // kay fuson

Triathlons for couch potatoes L

et me start by saying I am not a complete couch potato, but I am over 60 and have had a hip replacement.

So when my daughter Kerri, who lives in Seattle, told me that she was training for a triathlon (swimming, biking and running), I thought that was very cool, and I started wondering if I could do a modified version of such an event.

I decided that my triathlon would include a water event that didn’t require I wear a bathing suit in public, a wheels event with no hills, and a walking event, since I don’t run.

As I began thinking about taking a trip to Seattle to visit both of my daughters the triathlon idea began to take shape. Why not do a triathlon and see the city at the same time?

When I suggested this to my friend Patti Vice, she was in.

Our plan was to canoe in Lake Washington (water event), ride bikes at Alki Beach (very flat) and walk around Green Lake (also flat).

I realize that most triathlons take place in one day. My daughter did her swim, bike, run in 2 hours and 45 minutes. But we wanted to see the city and “taste” the city as well, so we decided to take three days to do our event.

We drove from East Wenatchee in Patti’s jeep because she has a bike rack. Now if you can’t take your own bikes you can certainly rent one in Seattle. Just go online and look up bike rental places.

We made arrangements with my brother-in-law and sister-inlaw who live in Seattle and who

Kay Fuson, left, and her friend, Patti Vice, prepare to get on a lunch cruise on the river, their water event during a triathlon in Portland.

are into canoeing, to take us out in their canoes. But, you can also rent canoes at the University of Washington. The walk around Green Lake required no special equipment. You just need good walking shoes.

We started our triathlon with the canoeing event on a cloudy Friday morning. We were the only paddlers out at 8 in the morning. The 520 bridge was busy with commuter traffic, but as we moved farther into the arboretum it was just us, the lily pads and a blue heron. It was peaceful and beautiful.

After about two hours we decided a coffee break was in order. Now you would think we would head to a Starbucks.

After all we were in Seattle. But brother-in-law Robert wanted to introduce us to Top Pot Doughnuts. We had great coffee and wonderful doughnuts at a great little place near their home in the Wedgewood district of Seattle.

The rest of our day was really an extension of our triathlon.

We walked to the Seattle Art Museum’s Sculpture Park, which is near my daughter’s condo in

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lower Queen Anne where we were staying.

If you can’t make arrangements to stay with Kristin, I would recommend staying at the MarQueen Hotel, very cool, or the Mediterranean. Great location, easy walk to Seattle Center, the Sculpture Garden and the waterfront. We loved the walk through the Sculpture Garden and then went down to the waterfront for a cup of chowder.

After our hearty lunch, we walked up the hill to Seattle Center to pick up our tickets for the “Duck” ride, a tour of Seattle on land and water. We considered this to be another water event. It was a great tour.

But I recommend reserving your tickets online. It is a very popular excursion.

Our bike riding event started on Saturday morning at Lincoln Park in West Seattle.

My friend, Patti, and my daughters Kristin and Kerri and I rode from the park to Salty’s Restaurant at the far end of Alki Beach. We made a short stop at Starbucks on Alki to refuel and then on the way back we stopped for lunch at Dukes,

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where we had the best Mojito I’ve ever had. Something about rum infused with cucumber. I highly recommend it.

Our ride was about 12 miles round trip so I’m sure we worked off those extra calories we were consuming. It was a great ride and a beautiful day. We watched canoe races and a volleyball tournament and loved all the sights and sounds of a busy summer day at the beach.

Sunday morning was our final event, the walk around Green Lake. It was another beautiful day in Seattle.

We really lucked out with the weather. It was cool enough to be comfortable for walking but with sun and no rain. Our 45-minute walk was close to three miles and we did it with ease.

Green Lake is a busy place where Seattleites come to run, walk, rollerblade, walk their dogs and push their babies in strollers. And of course there is a Starbucks nearby. Go figure. We made that our final stop.

(Well, if you don’t figure in the fact that we just happened to stop at the Fremont Sunday Market on the way back to Kristin’s condo.)

We had a fantastic trip to Seattle that ended with a pedicure at a great little place in lower Queen Anne. We exercised, ate and were pampered during our first city triathlon.

We enjoyed this triathlon for couch potatoes concept so much that we’ve taken it on the road to New York City, Los Angeles and Portland. Now, we are planning our next triathlon for Chicago.

Kay Fuson is a retired teacher and principal, having taught in Chelan and Eastmont and was the principal of Grant School in East Wenatchee for nine years. After retiring in 2005, she has kept busy enjoying her grandchildren, playing golf, traveling, working on projects with her Kiwanis group, and of course, doing triathlons.

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snapshots

The Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War.

Pop can air force Photos and story by Mike Cassidy

C

huck Willard has had a pretty much life-long love of flying and planes.

He assembled dime-store boxed airplane models when he was a kid, became a chief aviation mechanic for planes and helicopters a few years after joining the U.S. Coast Guard — where he also learned to fly helicopters, which he calls “an accident looking for a place to happen” — and obtained a private pilot licence. After retirement, he bought and flew an ultra-light.

These days he is building replica airplanes and helicopters from pop and beer cans in his East Wenatchee garage — a place he calls “Willard’s Hanger.”

Following instructions from the Internet site of B.C. Air Originals, plus throwing in his own innovations gained from experience, Chuck repurposes the sheet aluminum from cans into fuselages. He builds engines from plastic bottle caps and the little flip tops from cans.

On some models, he uses clear or colored plastic drink bottles for windshields.

“I’m always looking for little objects that I can use,” he said.

“People ask me if I get cut often on the cans,” he said, “but the metal is so thin like paper. So, no. But if you rub paper wrong,

Chuck Willard has loved flying for most of his life, including during a career in the U.S. Coast Guard when he worked aboard rescue helicopters. He expresses his joy of flying now by building models from pop and beer cans, including this P-38 twin engine fighter he is finishing for a friend.

This Piper Cub has a sprightly look.

Chuck painted his Bell 47 – MASH helicopter.

you can get a cut, so I have had a few cuts, but nothing serious.”

Chuck gives away most of his planes and

helicopters, saying he makes them for fun and therapy — plus a guy needs a project where his mind can soar.

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Nature shots these winning photos of the Wenatchee watershed are calendar worthy :

P

icture the beauty of the Wenatchee River Valley.

That’s exactly what 31 photographers did in entering 140 photos to this year’s Picture the Wenatchee Watershed photo contest.

Picture the Wenatchee, a watershed stewardship campaign focused on improving water quality in the Wenatchee Watershed, and Cascadia Conservation District, a local organization dedicated to wise stewardship of all natural resources, teamed up for a watershed photo contest that combines appreciation for the environment with the artistic talent of local photographers.

The photo contest ran from April 30 to Oct. 1 and was open to all residents and visitors who share an appreciation for the Wenatchee River watershed.

Photo entries were accepted in six categories including plants, wildlife, agriculture, recreation, landscapes, and water.

Entries were exhibited at participating local businesses in the watershed during October.

Second place, Tim Gallagher for Fish Lake Eagle.

Two winning photos from each category were chosen for inclusion in the 2014 Picture the Wenatchee Watershed stewardship calendar.

In addition, a panel of local judges — Amy Hendershot (Natural Resources Conservation Service), Jose Limon (Farm Service Agency), and Judy Neibauer (US Fish and Wildlife Service) — chose first, second and third place “Best in Show” photos.

These three photographers each received a prize for their Best in Show entry. First place went to Drew Gaylord for Enchantment Larch Lake. Drew was awarded a $25 gift certificate from Icicle Brewing Company.

Second place went to Tim Gallagher for Fish Lake Eagle. Tim received a $20 gift certificate donated by Leavenworth Mountain Sports.

Third place went to Judy West for New Life Along 8 Mile Trail.

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

The Picture the Wenatchee calendars are due to come out

by Thanksgiving. The cost per calendar is $7, which will go to cover the cost of printing the

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Third place, Judy West for New Life Along 8 Mile Trail.

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More lights, less energy

Let’s celebrate Switch to LED holiday lights.

First place, Drew Gaylord for Enchantment Larch Lake.

calendars.

Contact Cascadia Conservation District at 664-9370 or cascadiacd@yahoo.com to order a calendar.

Partial funding for the production of the calendar was provided by the Community Foundation of North Central Washington and the Mountain-

eers Foundation The 2014 Picture the Wenatchee Watershed Photo Contest will begin the end of April 2014.

Learn more about LED holiday lights at chelanpud.org or at Facebook.com/ LightlyNewsAndTips

Shop locally this holiday season

December 2013 | The Good Life

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Energy efficient Cool to the touch Long-lasting Cheaper in the long run

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Looking out at Burch Mountain: One beauty of winter walking — it often gets you above the low inversion clouds that settle over the Columbia and Wenatchee River valleys

Dreamy scenery and solitude answering the question: Why walk outdoors in the wintertime? story and photos

By Andy Dappen

G

allup polls are quite emphatic that winter is the least favorite season in this country — only 10 percent of Americans

rate it as their favorite season.

Recently, however, when WenatcheeOutdoors polled the outdoor people using its site, winter rated as the second favored season of the year, beating out spring and summer. Only autumn aced it.

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Think about the significance of that: With an attitude adjustment and by embracing a wintertime activity (whether that’s walking, snowshoeing, or skiing) you can turn a dreaded season into a favored one.

As a lover of winter myself,

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I don’t just enjoy the season, I look forward to it.

I like taking early morning or late afternoon walks and seeing the day blink on or off; I like having wildlife down low in the hills and seeing the tracks of so many animals that are

I like busting out of the clouds and walking above that gaseous ocean on climbs in our foothills. seemingly invisible; I like how much cleaner and quieter the world becomes with low snow; I like walking through the inversion clouds that blanket the Columbia Valley in winter and seeing the massive hoar frost crystals growing on vegetation as a result of those clouds; and I like busting out of the clouds and walking above that gaseous ocean on climbs in our foothills.

I also like how much bigger the landscape becomes in winter as trails are erased by snow and I can walk most anywhere without damaging the underlying vegetation.

Finally I like coming back indoors after a winter walk and wrapping chilled fingers around a cup of hot coffee — coffee tastes so much better when you’ve done something to deserve drinking it.

gear up

For those of you who already get out walking during the warmer months, the gear needs for winter walking aren’t dramatically different — there are simply a few adjustments and several additions to the kit.

Walking on the divide between Number One and Number Two canyons near Wenatchee — Winter walking often transitions from walking without snowshoes to walking with them. A compact pair of snowshoes that slide in and out of the pack has you ready for all eventualities.

Obviously, you need some clothing adjustments — you wear a little more while walking (an extra shirt, a wind shell, a hat, thicker socks, thin gloves and maybe long underwear bottoms) and you pack a few more things (a warm jacket, thick pair of gloves, and an extra hat) for rest stops.

The additional gear recommended for winter walking includes a pair of ski poles for added balance, gaiters to keep your feet and boots dry, a good headlight so there’s no concern about starting or ending a walk

December 2013 | The Good Life

in the dark, and tools for the feet.

For the feet there are two considerations.

First is traction on frozen ground and on snow-coated ground. MicroSpikes ($50 to $60) are the gold standard here.

Slip them over your boots (not much harder than pulling on slippers) and stainless steel chains and spikes give you the non-slip performance that tire chains give cars. With these guys underfoot, there will be no slips, no broken hips.

As snow piles higher than shin

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depth, flotation becomes the name of the game.

This is, of course, where snowshoes enter the picture to become part of your winter walking wardrobe. There are many good snowshoes to choose from that will get you around our local hills costing between $100 and $300.

If you’ve never used snowshoes and are worried about their elaborate learning curve, here’s what you need to know: Strap them on to a hiking shoe and walk… a little bowlegged. Com-

}}} Continued on next page

Winter walking }}} Continued from previous page plicated, eh?

Occasionally you will step on the deck of one shoe with the other or stub the nose of a shoe in the snow before you, causing you to pitch forward. Which is where the ski poles for balance come in — they’ll keep you from embarrassing yourself.

Slip on MicroSpikes over your boots and you get the non-slip performance that tire chains give you.

Where to go

Once you have committed to the notion of walking all winter long, gathered up the warm clothing, and invested in a few new pieces of equipment, the question becomes: “Where do I go?”

Answer: Most anywhere you walk in summer with the exception of the Sage Hills near Wenatchee. The trails here close from Dec. 1 to March 31.

Adjacent to Wenatchee, the Dry Gulch Preserve and Saddle Rock accessed from the end of Circle Street are excellent places to MicroSpikes most of the winter and to snowshoe for a few weeks each winter.

The same applies to the Jacobsen Preserve on Saddle Rock (accessed from the WRAC). At the north end of Wenatchee, the dirt portion of Horselake Road is closed to motorized vehicles throughout the winter and provides pleasant walking/snowshoeing all winter long.

The dirt portion of Burch Mountain Road isn’t quite as nice or secluded as Horselake

Road but the occasional visit will add variety to the mix.

If you’re willing to drive a few minutes from town, you’ll multiply your winter walking options.

About four miles up Number 2 Canyon Road, park at the end of pavement and use the network of snowed-over roads and trails to walk up Twin Peaks. Or drive to Squilchuck State Park and hike the flat trails around the park or follow a traversing road out of the park into the Stemilt Basin.

From the outer edge of the Mission Ridge parking lot, walk up to Clara Lake on what is usually a well-packed trail; then snowshoe over less traveled ground to Marion Lake or Mission Peak.

Near Rocky Reach Dam spur roads to the Swakane Canyon Road offer secluded trips to places like Rattlesnake Springs — which will be without snakes this time of year. A few miles north of Swakane Canyon you can walk cross-country on

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the ridges confining the Tenas George Creek.

Likewise a few miles past Entiat, a cross-country winter walk will get you up Ribbon Mesa, a steep sided hill where you’re unlikely to need snowshoes but will want the MicroSpikes.

Driving Highway 97 to Blewett Pass takes you past more than a dozen places with beautiful winter walks.

A few destinations of note: walk the King Creek Road to a 5,200-foot peak with a commanding view of the Enchantments, walk the Five Mile Road up to Tronsen Ridge with its long views, or use the roads around the Tronsen Meadows Non-Motorized Area for snowplay with kids or for a longer hike up Windy Knob.

Finally Leavenworth is an obvious destination for walking with MicroSpikes and/or snowshoes.

Near town, follow the river along Waterfront Park and Blackbird Island or climb the

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Icicle Ridge Trail for two miles to the viewpoint over Tumwater Canyon.

In early season before the Icicle River Road is snowed over, you can hike the frozen trails of the Icicle Gorge Loop, a twothumbs-up circuit when the walls of the gorge are layered with ice and icicles. Once the Icicle Road is snowed over it gets plowed to Bridge Creek Campground and snowshoeing the road beyond the campground is an easy walk.

Snowshoeing the Eightmile Road from the same parking area is harder physically but gets you up to more interesting views of the craggy surroundings.

About now maybe you’re experiencing a phase shift and seeing things as they really are: Central Washington winters are to be relished.

Furthermore our winter landscape is bounteous and you’re unlikely to deplete it of adventure potential.

The flip side of all this? We don’t have much tolerance around here for First-World whiners who complain about winter.

Andy Dappen is the content editor of www.WenatcheeOutdoors.org, a website covering the region’s outdoor adventure sports. The site has more in-depth information about winter walking and recommended equipment. Use the website’s search box for “MicroSpikes,” “best snowshoes” and “snowshoeing getting started.”

The online hiking and snowshoeing guidebooks at the website also have trip details and maps for all the destinations mentioned in this story.

Hey, up in the tree, isn’t that a...?

By Troy Keene

I was first introduced to the wonderful

world of snowshoeing by Nicole Ballard, and her mother Mary in the year 2010.

In the past three winters we have snow shoed religiously in the Mission Ridge area together. It has become sort of a tradition. At the same time I was itching to share another beautiful area, the Methow Valley.

In February of 2013, I decided I would introduce Nicole and Mary to my old stomping grounds. I have explored this area all during my adolescence through hiking and dirt biking.

But, when a fresh blanket of snow covers an area, it is transformed into a new world.

There is something to being out on the snow, Jack Frost nipping at your nose, brisk fresh air in your lungs and the warm sun on your face. These are things I have come to love about snowshoeing.

It was a beautiful, sunny morning in the Methow Valley last February when the three of us, and Zion our black lab pup, decided to go snowshoeing. Our destination was not that of a typical trail. We were looking to forge one of our own.

I suggested we use my parents’ farm as a starting point and work our way to the top of Hunter Mountain. I knew the views from the top were spectacular on a good clear day like this one.

It was about noon when we reached the farm. Now when I say farm, I mean goat farm. They have quite a few of these lawn

Still pretty much in the pounce zone, Troy Keene snapped this photo of a treed cougar.

We had been steadily making our way for about an hour, when I noticed Zion, our lab pup, acting strange. mowers with legs running around. My folks also have a couple horses, dogs and cats.

Oh, and chickens! Not really a farm without chickens in my book.

We started out on the forest service road nearby until we reached a side access road I knew would take us up the ridgeline to the top of the mountain. As Nicole, Mary, Zion and I started off the beaten path Mary asked what kind of wildlife we might see, if any. I responded with: “We might see some deer, perhaps a coyote and if we’re real lucky a wolf.”

I had informed them that we do have cougars in the area, but seeing one is rare. They are very stealthy. As cool as it would be to

Relish your days

see one, we probably wouldn’t.

With that said we proceeded to break trail.

We had been steadily making our way for about an hour, when I noticed Zion our lab pup — all of a year and a half old — acting strange. His jet black hair was standing on end like I have never seen before. He also started moving slower and his nose was to the ground and locked on something. We were all alerted to his behavior.

All of us had the simultaneous thought of: “Wonder what it is?”

I hadn’t noticed any tracks that were identifiable enough to give clue to what Zion was locked on. The four of us moved about another 15 feet from first being alerted. At this time we were standing at the base of a couple of young pines.

Zion was now back and forth around the base of the trees. We all looked for something. A few thoughts raced through my mind: Had deer bedded down here earlier?

Maybe wild turkeys or a coyote was around.

Mary and Nicole moved around the base of

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Cougar }}} Continued from previous page the trees looking for any signs of what was freaking out the dog.

At this time I had a feeling in my gut that said to look up in the tree. Quit focusing on the ground.

So I looked up.

To my astonishment and disbelief, I saw a tail! This tail was thick, golden brown, and moved back and forth with a mesmerizing fluid-like motion.

You know that motion your house cat does with its tail

before pouncing on a toy? A lot like that.

At that point my brain made the quick realization that this was real and I was seeing a large cat 10 to 12 feet above my head.

Now, I have never seen one alive this close up before.

I said what most people might say, “(Expletive) COUGAR!” Simultaneously I cocked the hammer on my side arm. Nicole and her Mother said, “What?”

I just pointed above my head and said, “Right there.”

I will honestly say there was a second of awe from all of us. At this point I had locked eyes on

this cat and it was watching all of us. It didn’t seem to be surprised we were there.

Nicole and Mary moved back from the tree a little. But we were certainly in what I might consider its pounce zone. As we moved slowly around the tree it was then I felt comfortable enough to take my hand off the pistol and snap a few pictures with my new Canon T3i.

At the same time, as beautiful as this cat was, if it moved any more than just its head and tail, I needed to be prepared to protect us.

None of us were able to move

fast due to wearing snowshoes.

We kept our eyes on the cat and the cat kept its eyes on us.

After about 10 minutes, it was time to retreat the way we came in. It was a little nerve racking on the way back with the thought of it stalking us.

We made it home and now have a great story. This was a humbling experience, a good reminder that we are guests in the outdoors, their home.

Troy Keene lives in the Lake Chelan area and when not working for Chelan Fire and Rescue, is enjoying the outdoors most days.

holiday seasonings…

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A stand-up guy Floating 1,200 miles down the Columbia on a paddle board

Matt Honor takes a self-portrait as he floats a quiet stretch of the Columbia River, resting the paddle of the paddle board on his left arm

By Jessica Creel

T

his past June, Wenatchee resident Matt Honor traveled against the wind from Canal Flats British Columbia to the Pacific Ocean at Astoria, not in a canoe or a kayak but on a standup paddle board.

For 60 days, 1,200 miles, and 460 hours on the water, Matt managed his way around 14 dams, exploring the salmon highway once visited by David Thompson and Lewis and Clark.

The idea came to Matt nine months prior after stumbling

onto an article about a man who had paddled a kayak 30 miles from Rock Island to Vantage as a day excursion.

Matt thought, “That would be fun to do, but why stop at just one day? Why not just do the whole river?” Telling the story now, he breaks out with contagious laughter, somehow indicating he bit off a hardy fill of adventure.

With nine months to prepare, he spent his time learning as much as he could about the river. He knew food would be essential and cooking minimal.

Dried food was the answer; he December 2013 | The Good Life

kept his dehydrator running non-stop from October to January.

The drying created a lingering cocktail of smells under the hum of the dehydrator fan: pasta dishes, soups, low-fat meats, fruits and vegetables. Aside from all his efforts, SPAM Singles were Matt’s favorite river treat — mass of fats and salts would hit the spot after a long day of paddling.

Before embarking on his trip he mapped out the whole river with Google Earth, estimating days and pinning possible campsites. www.ncwgoodlife.com

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He also used the ruler feature to measure roughly 30-mile increments per day. From his research he determined 20 to 30 miles per day would be doable.

The pins gave him an idea of how far he would get each day and how long it would take to get to each dam and how long the whole trip would take total.

“It ended up being pretty accurate as far as the numbers were concerned, and helped to give me a rough idea of how my trip was progressing,” he said.

On June 11, 2013, Matt shoved off carrying 100 pounds of sup-

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A stand-up guy }}} Continued from previous page plies into the Columbia Lake of Canal Flats, 800 miles upriver from Wenatchee, 80 miles north of the Canadian border.

The view of Columbia Lake was impressive with clear skies, calm waters and still air. He felt the mountains were staring at him, seeing the nervousness of his eyes, as he was unsure if the gear would properly hold to the board.

“The first 15 days were the hardest. Crossing over the mental hurdle of, ‘Yes, I can do this.’

It was these first days where I could agree with my peers that I was indeed crazy for taking on this endeavor.”

Knowing he was in bear country, he had anticipated seeing some grizzly bear and black bear. “Part of my food resided in a bear-resistant canister, while part was reserved for hanging.

However, having not been in some of Canada’s wetlands and having never hung a bear bag, I lacked the trees and the experience to properly suspend my extra food,” Matt said.

Matt resorted to leaving his food on the ground away from his campsite, often fortunate to make his campsite on an island.

The mosquitoes in Canada were “gnarly” and Matt often chose to eat in his tent, understanding the risks of a resulting animal encounter later. “I’d rather risk a bear attack in my tent,

Matt paddles past a fisherman, each intent on his own interaction with the river.

over the mosquito onslaught outside,” Matt said, noting he forgot to pack insect repellent.

In Canada, there were few people to run into on the river.

Of the people he did have the opportunity to interact with, none had ever seen a stand-up paddle board this far north.

Matt stood for the majority of the time, sitting only to take a break or ingest some calories.

“I would go until I had roughly an hour before sunset, 30 miles of progress, or 10 hours on the water, often whichever came later.” The spanking he would put himself through took a toll on his psyche.

The first time he believed he might not finish the trip came towards the end of Matt’s second week on the water. It was above Revelstoke Dam, as heavy winds

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from a storm delayed his progress. Up until this point he was ahead of schedule. The aggressive headwinds set him back, making few miles in a day’s paddle. Arriving at Revelstoke, B.C., Matt enjoyed a couple well-earned nights of rest before paddling once more.

After the storm, he ran into a fellow on the side of the river who seemed to know a lot about weather who told Matt he should never wish for the wind to help him because it will surely shoot him down the river too fast.

Matt, exhausted from battling the storm, doubted this very much. The irony was the next day he had a very surreal moment, encountering his first back-wind pushing him at great speed, moving him too fast for

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comfort — pushing him straight into some rapids.

He had heard from a few locals the rapids there were class III to class IV. He took safe channels through the churning waters — knowing civilization through those parts was slim and he wouldn’t have anyone to help him out if he was injured — and made it okay.

It looks like the fellow was right, maybe paddling against the wind was key — “when you’re going against the wind it is almost easier than traveling with the wind,” said Matt.

Day after day, he didn’t see many people. When he reached the dams Matt would often find himself in conversation with someone caught in wanderlust.

Other times, people were fascinated to see the paddle

boarder going down the river.

There was one incident when he was floating down river, a family saw him and yelled an invitation to dinner. He had just paddled by them and said, “Sorry, I don’t paddle up river.”

A few hours later the family showed up next to him with their fishing boat and brought him lunch. “So I hooked on and told them what I was doing, it was a good time for all,” said Matt.

Crossing the border, Matt had initially looked into giving his information to the border patrol ahead of time so he could just paddle through. Of course, the border patrol wanted to check him out.

The Keenleyside Dam was letting out a lot of water because the northern part of Canada had summer storms further north after he had paddled through.

The extra water helped float him over a bunch of the rapids.

Matt said, after the border he finished 30 miles in four hours, which helped get him back on schedule.

Matt mostly carried five to 10 days of food with him at a time, having food packages sent to him along the way to pick up as he made portages over the dams. Once, he stayed a night with some people near the McNary Dam in Umatilla who had heard about his trip and provided an address to send food to.

Before leaving on this adventure Matt found very little information on multi-day standup paddle board trips, and there was no indication that anyone had ever attempted to run the length of the Columbia River.

Knowing he could be the first to paddle the whole river made him more excited about trying.

There was such an unmistakable, yet unquantifiable, value to wilderness adventure. Spending time in nature, pushing himself physically and mentally, taking risks and venturing into the unknown was something to be longed for.

“The anticipation of not hav-

“At the final portage around Bonneville Dam, all I could say was, ‘Dam, dam, dam, dam, dam, dam, dam, dam, dam, dam, dam, dam, dam, dam.’” announced Matt, with a gentle smirk on his face.

After his final dam portage, in a matter of days he paddled to the Hammond Marina, the last boat launch on the Columbia and just nine miles away from the imaginary line into the Pacific Ocean.

The finish line was quiet, and seemingly uneventful. No great feeling overwhelmed Matt as he unloaded his gear from his board and into a friend’s car.

Matt described the feeling as simple, a sort of nonchalant, “Oh, that was it.”

However, readjusting to daily life took some time. “Convincing myself to drive the speed limit of 30 mph was the weirdest thing. All I could think about was how fast I was going driving 25 mph back to Portland.”

At journey’s end: a stand-up board for a stand-up guy.

ing seen what was before me on this trip was exciting. For everything I went through, nothing was as bad as I had imagined, (although) there was one natural rapid section near the end where I flipped,” said Matt.

December 2013 | The Good Life

Fourteen dams harness the river’s power: Mica, Revelstoke, Keenleyside, Grand Coulee, Chief Joseph, Wells, Rocky Reach, Rock Island, Wanapum, Priest Rapids, McNary, John Day, The Dalles, Bonneville. www.ncwgoodlife.com

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Finding his place AT the urging of his adopted mother, Jac Tiechner searched for answers to his past, and discovered a whole new family

By Susan Lagsdin Dearest Mrs. and Mr. Tiechner, I received your dear letter and wanted to thank you with all my heart. That you are caring for little Josef and showing him your heart as a mother makes me happy… Murderer’s hands took my husband away from me during the war in Russia… then [they] came and took away everything from the rich and the poor people…

Because I think little Josef is much better with you, I let him go. He is a very brave and healthy boy…

To the little one my best wishes. Mrs. Reuter

J

ac Tiechner’s hands trembled as he unfolded this translation of his birth mother’s letter to his adoptive parents in America, dated Sept. 23,1951.

It is just one of many answers to the big questions Jac had never seriously asked until eight years ago, at age 56.

Who am I? Who are my people? Where am I from? Was I loved?

Filled with layers of irony and coincidence, Jac’s recent reconnection to his birth family has blessed him, he said, with “a totally unexpected new chapter in my life.”

First, he feels he is the dearlybeloved son of not one but three mothers: Maria, who gave birth to him; Ruth, who raised him well; and a lifelong friend who provided an inestimable link between them.

Just after World War II, Chicago dentist Sam Tiechner asked one of his patients, a young immigrant named Martha, if she knew any needy German children whose health had been affected by wartime privations. He and his wife Ruth, after a miscarriage, were hoping to adopt, and although Dr. Tiechner was part Jewish, he felt deep sympathy for the plight of German citizens.

“Yes!” Martha replied. She and her Aunt Grace personally knew of a war widow from home (Hohenwarth, in Bavaria near Munich) who was having trouble raising a fourth and outof-wedlock baby.

Could she help the couple

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Jac Tiechner with a photo of his birth mother and pictures of his German family: “My story worked out well.”

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“Go — see if you can make some other old lady happy!” facilitate an adoption? Indeed she could.

In the low-tech, snail communication world of 1950, bureaucracies moved relatively smoothly.

The Tiechners, aided by a letter of support from Sen. Everett Dirksen (which Jac has in his files) were able to expedite within a year the adoption of a healthy German boy baby from a country that had lost millions of males in years of fighting.

Martha and Grace flew to Germany to bring the two-yearold home, but it was Martha’s brother Clement who, posing as Josef/Jac’s “uncle” helped to forge papers and expedite his emigration.

Jac said, “For years I had a memory of Clement from that time — I thought maybe he was my father.” Jac has always known about Martha, though not the full extent of her help.

He does know that Martha has loved him like a son, and he still treats her like another mother.

His own adoptive mother Ruth, beautiful, gregarious and playful, gave him, he said, “a life that has been as full and blessed as anyone could wish.” She was very open with him about his past.

But he was totally an American kid, absorbed in growing up and then forging his future career. The details of old family stories didn’t grip his imagination, and probing the past was never a compulsion.

It wasn’t until 2005, when Jac and his wife Kathy were in Wenatchee planning the itinerary for a podiatry conference in Europe, that his adoptive mother, Ruth Tiechner, finally made her move. She insisted that he go to Germany and try to find Maria.

Her reasoning finally made the decision for him: “Go — see if you can make some other old lady happy!” Jac says it was this demand that moved him to travel to his birthplace and start looking for answers.

Through a local innkeeper, he found a second cousin Albert, then a first cousin Rosa, the extended family’s historian, and met them both. The cousins had heard stories about the American child, and showed him the first portrait he’d ever seen of Maria. Jac learned on that visit that his birth mother had died.

Jac said Albert, after delivering the sad news, thought to ask, “So, didn’t you know you have three half brothers and a half sister?”

That impelled Jac to find his older half-siblings Rolf, Gerda and Heinz, and Hans, who was born after Jac left the home.

They had been reunited only recently themselves when German authorities dispersed Ma-

ria’s (scant) estate. In 2007, Jac returned to Germany, this time into the warm and welcoming arms of dozens of relatives.

Maria’s four children, now aging men and women, exclaimed over Jac’s resemblance to every one of them and especially to their shared mother.

Four years after that in 2011, in Jac’s birthplace of Hohenwarth, the family shared at a reunion what Jac calls “a deeper visit” with tours and photos, longer talks about childhoods and the paths their lives had taken.

That was followed by visits to America by a few relatives and plans for even more connections in the coming years.

One sidelight that still makes Jac smile with its irony is the geography of his two homes.

A photo book he obtained when he started exploring his roots, Bayrischer Walt (Bavarian Woods) shows an idyllic scene of the Regan River near his birth town.

He delights in holding up an eerily similar photograph: same bend in the river, same forested hills in the background, same marshy meadow and rock outcropping.

But this photo is a view of his own family’s favorite place — a photo taken near Jac’s cabin at Fish Lake, near Lake Wenatchee.

Jac wonders what force of nature lead him from that precise Bavarian landscape 62 years ago, from his Chicago childhood and then from college in California in search of the perfect home.

What lead him ultimately to Wenatchee, and a replica of the landscape of his birth?

“I am a believer of the word Schicksal. Essentially it is similar to fate — following life’s plan, good or bad, and accepting and embracing it. Which is how I feel about anyone who is pursuing their family history. Everyone’s situation is so different that they just must follow their heart. My story worked out well for me.”

The Tiechners have two grown sons, both adopted.

Jac is aware of the full circle his life seems to have taken, and the pleasure it has brought him.

In fact, only slightly jesting, he ended his story on this note: “Snuff me out tomorrow. It’s been a good life.”

Know of someone stepping off the beaten path in the search for fun and excitement? E-mail us at editor@ncwgoodlife.com December 2013 | The Good Life

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50,000 words if you sat local writers at keyboards, and told them to write, write, write during an entire month, would a novel appear? many of them sure hope so

By Yvette Davis

If you listened carefully

during November amidst the sounds of leaves falling and gravy stirring you might have heard the tappity-tap-tap of keyboards as writers and would-be authors all over town participated in National Novel Writing Month, aka: NaNoWriMo. Though there’s no “prize” for NaNoWriMo, to “win” bragging rights and an “I did it” blog badge participants must write a staggering 50,000 words between Nov. 1 to Nov. 30.

That’s 1,667 words a day, or approximately 11,669 a week to stay on track. For those of you keeping track 50,000 is approximately half a 90,000-100,000 word full-length novel, which means most writers get to the halfway point and then must

finish on their own.

Last month at least 16 authors joined the Wenatchee area NaNoWriMo group headed by Dan Gemeinhart, and set out on the grand experiment. It’s possible there were many more hidden away throughout town.

Who were these intrepid authors? They could be anybody around you. Your boss. Your neighbor. Your friends. Maybe even your kids.

To help demystify the event a few authors have come out of their caves long enough to tell you about the experience, including myself. Shhh. No loud noises, please. We aren’t used to all this light.

I’ve done NaNoWriMo in 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012 and I’ve won all but one of those years, though any of my 200,000 words have yet to see the publi-

Local author Haley Whitehall and four of her books.

NaNoWriMo “pushes me to write even when I’m feeling blocked,” she said.

cation.

I think I have a partially finished historical romance sitting on my hard drive from 2008 as well as a vampire story and a half-hearted attempt at a Harlequin Presents.

One year I completely abandoned my story and started writing fanfic — fanfic is a story

Shop locally this holiday season

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written by a fan of a particular movie, book, TV show and video games about the characters and world in that series, sometimes published in blogs or online fan publications.

Other writers find their NaNo stories suffer the same fate. It’s sadly not unusual. Writers are dedicated, determined, and jus-

Keep typing even if you have no idea where the story is going and the story is terrible. tifiably picky.

If by chance we do pick up those works again — and my historical romance will get a dusting off in December or January — hopefully enough time has passed for us to look at the works with a keen editorial eye so we can fix the errors and move it toward publication.

Because after all, publication is the goal of every writer.

But if it never sees a publisher’s desk, sometimes that’s okay, too. It’s the process than matters and NaNoWriMo is all about the process.

The rules basically are: Keep your hands on the keyboard.

Turn off your internal editor.

Keep typing even if you have no idea where the story is going and the story is terrible.

Reach 50,000 words and congratulate yourself!

When asked “why” they do NaNoWriMo, people give all sorts of answers.

Writer Don Larson — who in non-author mode is an R&D technician, geospatial analyst and project manager — said he needs the discipline of a set word count and deadlines to get

the writing done. “It pushes me to do something and focus my efforts.” This year he was working on several projects including a horror novel.

Local author Haley Whitehall said she did NaNoWriMo to challenge herself to write more each day. “It pushes me to write even when I’m feeling blocked or not really creative. I usually take a few days off to recharge, but in order to meet my NaNoWriMo goal I have to make myself write daily. I don’t normally write 50,000 words a month, although I’d like to get into that regular routine.”

Haley said she has tried NaNo twice but never finished. Historical research took precedence over word count.

This year, she focused her efforts on not one but two stories at 25,000 words each, which already have a home with a publisher. Her plan is to polish them in December and submit by the end of the year.

Haley has self-published two of her own Civil War era novels — Living Half Free and Grits and Glory — as well as short stories and a children’s picture book.

She also has a historical romance novel published through Liquid Silver Books. None of these works were written during NaNoWriMo. But that’s no reason not to try it.

Jane Nagler, whose 2013 NaNoWriMo attempt was her second, said she mastered the 50,000 words two years ago but got so

sick of her novel she gladly put it down and went on vacation.

She later resuscitated the work and it is in revisions. Her plan this year was to complete material for the third of her mininovel series. She also said she was doing NaNoWriMo to give herself a push.

My advice to those who would take the challenge in 2014 is to expect you’ll fall behind — and then force yourself to catch up.

This year, I had only 6,000 words down by Nov. 7. I started to wonder if I would ever finish. But I made a brave comeback and by the 13th I had over 21,000. I knew I would finish NaNoWriMo, but I also saw a long editing road ahead of me.

Ah, the writing work never ends!

Why do I do it? Because it’s like a mountain. You see it, you want to get to the top. In writing as in hiking, the only person pushing you to finish is yourself (unless you’re being chased by a bear!). You set your own goals and can only answer to yourself if you don’t achieve them.

And for those curious, yes, many NaNoWriMo stories do go on to publication. It’s just a matter of dedication and hard work, as any writer will tell you.

For more information on NaNoWriMo and their ongoing writing challenges throughout the year, see http://nanowrimo. org.

Yvette Davis is a former reporter for the Wenatchee Business Journal and currently writes fiction in her spare time.

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HOBBY HOUSE LOTS OF PEOPLE BUILD A HOBBY ROOM INTO THEIR HOMES, BUT LARRY HUTCHINSON BUILD A HOME AROUND HIS PASSION FOR OWNING RESTORED CARS Story by Susan Lagsdin Photos by Donna Cassidy

F

rom the vantage point of the just-graded and graveled lower driveway, whether looking west to the mountains or straight up at the two-story structure, it’s easy to see why Larry Hutchinson loves his brand new Sunnyslope house.

It’s the first one he’s ever had built to his own specifications, and the quick designs he sketched on a napkin last April 13 must have been pretty evolved, because with a little custom tooling and some creative problem solving, his builders Matt Brownlee and Flint Hartwig got it just right.

And, with the big jobs out of the way and the final touches

coming together, it should be ready for move in by the holidays. That might not be a simple move; it involves relocating five vintage automobiles and their related gear.

Now, most folks passionately involved with their hobbies will accommodate them when they design their dream home: an art studio in the loft, Dutch doors for a cattery, a cigar sanctuary, a jumbo-screen media room, a spa house, an insulated recording studio, a wine cellar…

But Larry just wanted plenty of open space for his cars.

And he got it.

The entire 2,000 square foot lower level of his home has been uniquely engineered to store his collection of restored cars, and the truck and trailer they came in on.

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His collection right now consists of two 1935 Chevies, two Studebakers (one a 1941 and

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the other a 1963 Daytona) and a 1932 fenderless Ford roadster. Though pampered and

ABOVE: Just about enough garage doors — Larry Hutchinson’s garage has five: four including the double door in the middle in this view, and one more around the left side that creates a drive-through passage.

LEFT: Larry, on the right, describes how he plans to use his spacious classic car garage with builders Flint Hartwig, right, and Matt Brownlee. Bailey, the black lab, seems interested, too.

prized, they have most recently languished in various normal garages and sheds, probably

never expecting such posh living quarters.

Their new lower level “apart-

December 2013 | The Good Life

ment” has shiny cement floors and bright white 14-foot tall paneled walls, and it contains tool and equipment storage, year-round HVAC, a hoist, and a north-south oriented set of tall doors that allows easy drive through of the toy-hauler.

A startling feature of the space, taken for granted in commercial and industrial buildings, is the clear span. No visible supports. That means absolutely no pillars, posts or columns to contend with, whether positioning the vehicles or tinkering with them (which Larry, a car

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aficionado since his teens, plans to do often).

Even though that downstairs space is large — for some future owner perhaps a sports court or indoor pool area — the living area above it on the first floor, entered at street level, is just the right size for this single but social man.

Counting only the living area’s dimensions (also 2,000 square feet), Larry figures that he’s actually downsized from his previous home just few streets over.

This one level living area is

}}} Continued on next page

Hobby house }}} Continued from previous page just what he wanted. For privacy, the master bedroom suite with its walk-in closet and luxury bathroom forms the south end of the home. Two guest rooms and their bathroom form the north end.

It’s the space in between the bedroom wings, one big wide open space (with sensible human-scale nine-foot ceilings) that he knows will become the soul of the home. With a compact kitchen tucked in the northwest corner, the great room will accommodate conversations, TV watching and dining at the long bar.

On the east, the street side holds the everyday car’s double garage, a utility area, a spacious pantry and entryway. By careful design, those accessible working areas don’t impinge on Larry’s second favorite feature, after the shop: the view to the west.

Whether inside or on the adjoining glass-fenced deck, Larry will always have maximum lateral views of spectacular sunsets and cloud play on the Cascades.

Because Larry’s desires for the exceptionally large garage/shop were an imperative, it’s especially good that he found two highly collaborative builders who were good listeners and advisors. The three have an untypical arrangement that they agree was perfect for this situation.

Matt, owner of KM Builders, and Flint, of Hartwig Construction, each with building specialties, teamed up as general contractors for a flat fee.

“In a way, this takes the rigidity out of the deal,” said Flint.

“With a firm bid, if an owner wants upgrades or changes, the contractor orders them and often pockets a percentage of cost over-runs.” That can get expensive for the owner, and often those in-progress decisions involve the lender. This team of two prefers the affordable flexibility of their arrangement.

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The view from Larry’s master bedroom, great room and kitchen looks west toward pastures, rolling hills, and plenty of sky.

As the project progressed, if Larry wanted a change-out or an upgrade, he paid for it out of pocket. The fee for the general contractors was already arranged -- and they continued from start to finish to look out for his interests and deal with details like tile, sheetrock, flooring, plumbing, HVAC, and electricity.

They pointed out some of the adjustments to the original plan, drawn up by Matt after a group brainstorming session. A concrete retaining wall, originally cement, changed to terraced blocks; synthetic laminate floors turned to real 3.25 inchwide oak. The shop floors got a special coating. “Because of the arrangement we had, we three could make that kind of decision on the fly,” said Flint.

Flint added admiringly, “Larry was really good with the subs; they didn’t have to wait for a quarterly payday from the bank — he was right there with his wallet when the job was done.”

It’s evident Larry was really good with his contractors, too.

Their continued camaraderie and humor as a threesome as they walked around the almostcompleted project indicate a smooth operation since last spring.

And several factors in this building project were complex enough to test that relationship.

They still wonder if they could have made the transition easier from the home’s living level down to the oversized shop, avoiding the long staircase (maybe spiral steps? Trilevel? Elevator? Fire pole?).

But Larry’s desire to have the two spaces contiguous makes the resultant verticality OK with him.

They’re in awe of the materials expended in the 14-foot retaining wall, replete with re-bar that holds the house to the hill.

And they’re justifiably proud of the design and engineering prowess that resulted in 30-inch tall, 38-foot long floor trusses that kept the shop free of supports.

Matt declared, “The very best thing about this house is that

Larry is happy with it!” And Larry said (though he hopes never to move again) “If I ever had to build another house, I’d definitely go to these guys again.”

NCW Home Professionals

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PET PIX

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

H

ere I am with my kids — Lilly and Coalie — playing around in the new wheelbarrow.

My yard is a bit... shall we say kindly “uneven”... so if I load up my old traditional wheelbarrow I have a habit of tipping it over and well, I get to load it up again... LOL. I saw one of these dual-wheeled wheelbarrows and thought WOW, this is Esther perfect!

So, my Gram (who is 98) gave it to me for my birthday.

— Esther Zimmerman

O

liver and NaDean Dickmann and their two daughters, Ella and Alexa, adopted sweet little puppy Maggie at the Wenatchee Valley Humane Society. They say she is the BEST little puppy in the world and they love her so much! (Left to right are Ella, NaDean, Maggie and Alexa.)

This photo originally appeared on the Facebook page, Wenatchee Adoptable Tails. The page was created by Donna Hunt and volunteers to share the stories of animals, primarily in the greater Wenatchee area, needing forever homes. They especially love to share pictures of the “Happy Tails” when the animals are adopted.

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column GARDEN OF DELIGHTS

bonnie orr

Red and green food for the holidays H

oliday cooking often features a family’s traditional food — it evokes the good times with an earlier generation of aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents.

Just the anticipation of making the memory-laden dishes is as pleasant an experience as actually eating the meal. Sometimes no one in the current family cluster even likes some of the dishes, yet, the evening meal would not be complete without a memorable vegetable dish or casserole.

Every once in awhile, it is interesting to create a new dish to build your own tradition.

I particularly like to feature color in my holiday meals. After all, the evenings come early, and the days can be dark and overcast. I think a bright spot on the table is welcome.

Ramona’s Red Yams

If you are committed to canned sweet potatoes with marshmallow, this dish may not appeal to you. Sweet potatoes are yellow. Yams are Red. Buy Beauregard yams.

I love the colors and zingy taste of this dish that Ramona Houser brought to a potluck dinner at Flo B. Free’s house. By adjusting the chilies, you can make this dish as spicy as you desire. I personally do not appreciate the spicy hot that anesthetizes my mouth to such an extent that I cannot appreciate the accompanying flavors.

Cooking the yams ahead of time will save you assembly time.

Serves 4 1 hour, oven 400 degrees

4 large Beauregard yams 3 large red peppers seeded and roasted Or (one 12-ounce bottle of roasted red peppers) 3 garlic cloves minced

ple with its peel attached or dried cranberries make a nice contrast. If you are brave, use raw ground cranberries mixed in sour cream as a finish for the Brussels sprouts.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Colorful meals brighten any day.

1/4 cup lime juice 3 Tablespoons melted butter 3 Tablespoons finely chopped mild chili such as pasillo or ancho 1 teaspoon cumin Salt/ black pepper

1. Bake the yams for 40 minutes or until tender. Roast the peppers at the same time.

2. Cool and peel the peppers.

3. Chop the roasted peppers into one-half inch pieces.

4. Mix all the sauce ingredients together with the peppers.

5. Peel the cooked yams and mash them.

6. Stir the sauce thoroughly through the yams.

7. Serve hot. This dish can be reheated in the microwave.

I love Brussels sprouts.

Some people feel they are too strong or are too “cabbagy.”

The way to eliminate the sulfur smell is to drop the sprouts into a very hot frying pan containing a few tablespoons of oil.

Stir them for a minute or two, and the sulfur compounds are volatized — that is they evaporate. This leaves the sprouts

December 2013 | The Good Life

tender and sweet.

I harvested my Brussels sprouts after Thanksgiving this year because a frost also sweetens the vegetable.

Generally, people who love broccoli also love Brussels Sprouts.

Soggy, gray sprouts defeat the purpose of designing meals with color in mind. Never boil these little gems — even if your mother always did.

Chopped nuts go well with Brussels Sprouts. Nuts add a sweet crunch, so choose your favorites. I use almonds, hazelnuts or pecans. My favorite at this time of year is roasted chestnuts.

Often smoked, salted meat such as bacon or pancetta or prosciutto is called for in recipes. I think that the addition of meat is perfect for a luncheon dish, but over-the-top when the sprouts are a vegetable dish served with a large meal.

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Buy the smallest Brussels sprouts you can find. Fresh is preferable to frozen.

Serves 4 25 minutes, oven 400 degrees

3 cups small whole Brussels sprouts Olive oil

1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon horseradish 2 Tablespoons olive oil or butter

1. Prepare the cooking tray with a bit of olive oil.

2. Place the sprouts on the tray and salt lightly.

3. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes depending on the vegetable’s size. They should be barely tender.

4. Mix the vinaigrette ingredients.

5. Put the baked sprouts in a large bowl. Stir in the sauce.

6. Add any fruit or nuts you desire.

Have a pleasant holiday with abundant, delicious, colorful food and good friends.

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

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column moving up to the good life

june darling

Milepost thoughts on the road to happiness What is the right path?

How great thinkers have looked at a good life

F

or the holidays, I am throwing an imaginary philosophical party of great thinkers in your honor.

Why? So that you can get your head straight in preparation for a new year of living the good life.

The guest speakers include oldies, but goodies from past times and places who have given serious contemplation to how one should live, to what constitutes the good life.

John Stuart Mill (Utilitarianism, author of Utilitarianism):

“Merry Christmas, friends. If you want to be happy and live a good life in the coming years, it is very simple. Have more pleasure than pain.”

Epicurus (Epicureanism, founder): “I don’t disagree with you, Mr. Mill, pleasure is what makes us happy. Unfortunately, your advice will lead many people astray. Most people often choose wrongly when they decide what will give them pleasure. Acting moderately, temperately, responsibly and virtuously leads to real pleasure.

I suggest that people take serious steps to become more virtuous people if they want to live a good life.”

Zeno of Citium (Stoicism, founder): “The first step people should take, in order to be hap-

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py and live the good life, is to learn to control their thoughts.

Pleasure and pain do not exist in things at all. Reality is largely a product of our own perceptions. If you want to be happy, you must first understand that happiness is not a product of your circumstances. Happiness is always within your control.”

Sri Aurobindo (Hinduism, considered authentic representative of Hindu spiritual tradition, author of The Life Divine): “I have some similar thoughts about reality, Zeno. Our quest as human beings is to let go of ignorant illusions. If we want to live a good life we must have a breakthrough in our awareness, which allows us to reunite with our true nature. This is why yoga and meditation are useful.

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They help us break through our false beliefs.”

Gautama Buddha (Buddhism, founder): “Yes, it is true we are trapped by false beliefs about the world and ourselves, but it is a mistake to deny suffering. We all suffer. If we are to be happy and live the good life, we must realize our attachment to ideas and outcomes. Our desire to have things, and have things be a certain way, causes much of our unhappiness.”

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (Judaism, leading Jewish theologian and philosopher): “The Jews also understand a great deal about suffering. Suffering is primary to our salva-

“Forgive me for interrupting you, but I need to get on with my fasting and praying.” tion, living the good life, and ultimate happiness. In order to be happy and live the good life we must all diligently search for and find meaning in our lives amid all this suffering.”

Muhammad (Islam, founder): “The only requirement for people to live the good life is that they have faith in God. All things lose meaning, Rabbi Heschel, if one is unconnected to God. The person desiring to live more happily should seek to build a loving relationship with God. People can do great things, help humanity, and achieve great rewards, which are all useful, but these will still not lead to eternal happiness.”

Saint Augustine (Christianity, influential early Christian theologian and philosopher, author of On Christian Doctrine): “We, Christians, also believe in a personal God and that our happiness is the search for union with God (although we do not expect ultimate happiness in this life). We believe that living a good life involves participating with God in the unfolding of the divine uncreated Good. Doing good things does lead to some amount of happiness.”

Me: Well, thank you all. Some interesting thoughts to ponder.

But before we wrap this up and have some figgy pudding, please meet Bayazid. He is your basic, fun, unfathomable mystic. Is there an unhappy person in the crowd who would like to speak to him personally?

Unhappy man: “I have fasted and prayed for 30 years and I am no closer to finding spiritual joy.”

Bayazid (Sufi mystic): “Three hundred years would not be enough for you. Your selfishness stands in the way between you and God.” Me: Wow, that is pretty harsh, B. How can he overcome his selfishness, then?

Bayazid: “He can shave his head, wear only a loincloth, put on a feeding bag of walnuts, and stand in the marketplace shouting, ‘A walnut for everyone who slaps me.’ Only then might he find some happiness.”

Unhappy man: “Forgive me for interrupting you, but I need to get on with my fasting and praying.”

Me: Actually, folks, we do have another speaker. I said this party was for you. You are invited to be the next speaker. You don’t have to speak right this minute. Remember this is so that you can start 2014 headed in the right direction.

Schedule out at least a few minutes away from your shopping, skiing and bustling about.

Study, reflect, write, or discuss with someone else your own

December 2013 | The Good Life

thoughts about happiness and the good life. (And by all means, don’t take my word for what these thinkers would say — get on the Internet, go to the library, ask your philosophical friends what they think.)

December in American culture is one of the most sacred times of the year. You can use it to get yourself ready for a new beginning in 2014.

What beliefs will be your foundation?

(Or, if this all seems too heady, grab your loincloth, and go to Pybus Market; remember your sign and bag of walnuts.)

How might getting clearer on your beliefs help you move up to The Good Life?

June Darling, Ph.D. can be contacted at drjunedarling1@gmail.com; website: www.summitgroupresources. com. Her book - 7 Giant Steps To The Good Life can be bought or read for free at: http://www.bookemon.com/ book-profile/giant-steps-to-the-goodlife/285095

Imagine the fun you could have Subscribe to The Good Life for yourself or a friend.

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>>

column THE TRAVELing DOCTOR

jim brown, m.d.

Shingles: Painful and too-common

When I first joined what

was then the Wenatchee Valley Clinic I was seeing some internal medicine patients as well as practicing gastroenterology.

I would see an occasional patient with what is commonly known as “shingles” or Herpes Zoster.

You might wonder where these terms came from. The term herpes appears in Hippocratic writings as a term for a spreading cutaneous eruption. The Greek word zoster denotes a girdle, hence Herpes Zoster is an eruption that tends to creep around the torso.

The term “shingles” comes from the Latin word “cingulum” meaning “a girdle.”

We knew shingles was a painful rash with small blisters that followed a spinal nerve route for which we had no specific treatment. We generally treated this with corticosteroids to decrease the inflammation and pain medication, often containing codeine.

The patients who developed chronic post shingles nerve pain ended up with neurologists. There were no antiviral drugs then. The first antiviral medication, Acyclovir, was developed in 1988. The FDA first approved Zostavax, the shingles vaccine, in May 2006.

For years I knew that shingles was quite common, particularly in patients over the age of 70 and patients who had a compromised immune system due to aging and other diseases that suppressed the immune system.

I hadn’t really thought much about shingles until my wife, Lynn, recently developed a rash on her forehead.

She had put on a new sun visor that had a logo right where

Shingles show up as a rash (above) that includes small blisters (below) and is accompanied by pain and itching.

this rash developed. My first impression was that this was likely contact dermatitis or possible a herpes simplex virus infection since there were tiny visible blisters in the rash.

Since we had had our Zoster vaccinations for shingles I assumed, wrongly, that she and I were protected against Zoster.

Not so, I was to find out later.

We were visiting our son for two days that weekend in the Columbia River Gorge area. The rash was getting worse and more painful.

On the morning we left I sent an email to our dermatologist, Dr. Sharon Seguin, and explained Lynn’s symptoms and asked if Lynn could get in to see

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her when we got home that day.

I also took a picture of the rash with my phone and emailed that to Sharon as well.

About 8:30 a.m. while driving home, I called Dr. Seguin’s office, and she came to the phone to tell me that Lynn has shingles. I asked how could that be, since she had the shingles vaccination.

According to Dr. Seguin that is only 50 percent effective in preventing shingles although she said it might lessen the severity and duration of pain by 60 percent.

As soon as we got to Wenatchee, we picked up the prescription of Valcyclovir, which Lynn took for 10 days.

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The day after starting the medication, she was much worse with the redness and swelling extending down to her left eyebrow.

From what I read, shingles involving the eye can be a very serious problem. If it affects the eye, it can lead to associated visual loss, an increase in eye pressure as well as an increased incidence of stroke.

Dr. Michelle Birmingham, ophthalmologist, was on call for ophthalmology and saw Lynn that morning and assured her that at that moment her eye looked free of involvement by this virus and her intraocular pressure was fine.

Lynn also saw her primary care internist, Dr. Gail Feinman, that afternoon. These three physicians reassured us then, and on the following day, the redness, swelling and rash were all retreating. The nerve pain continued, but it too was improving.

(As a side note, I realized that every physician Lynn dealt with was a female. I recalled that in my medical school class of 128 at Northwestern University in Chicago in the ’60s we had seven females, one African American and one Asian student. The rest were all Caucasian males.

The current class of 2013 at my medical school now has 164 medical students selected from 6,750 applicants. Of those medical students 46 percent are female. Only 45 percent of the class is Caucasian, the rest being 35 percent of Asian descent, 15 percent African American and Hispanic and the rest various other minorities.

I have a grandson who desires to go to medical school. As a

The lifetime risk of getting this is one in four of all people, but for those over 85, it affects one in every two persons.

Caucasian male his odds of acceptance are much lower than the odds I faced in 1964.)

Herpes Zoster is a worldwide infection infecting over 1 million people annually in the United States and the same number in Europe. This disease is caused by the Varicella-zoster virus.

The primacy infection usually occurs in childhood as “chicken pox.”

Shingles results from a reactivation of this virus that had remained dormant in a sensory nerve ganglion near the spinal cord or a cranial nerve ganglion.

The reactivation of this virus occurs when specific cellular immunity decreases, which happens over age 60, or if a person has a disease affecting the immune system.

For example, the risk is greater in patients with cancer, especially leukemia and lymphoma or people taking steroids, chemotherapy and transplant related medications. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis are at increased risk.

Zoster is characterized by small blisters localized in the sensory region of the affected ganglion and is often preceded by or accompanied by acute pain and itching. The lifetime risk of getting this is one in four of all people, but for those over 85, it affects one in every two persons.

The pain may persist for months and even years in some patients, long after the rash has gone away. After one year about 10 percent of shingles patients still complain of the pain.

Now days if anyone has these symptoms and diagnosis, it

is highly recommended they start on an antiviral medication preferably within 72 hours of the onset of the rash. The medication treats the virus and also decreases the incidence of post herpetic nerve pain in a majority of patients.

What about the Zoster vaccine?

It had been recommended for all adults over the age of 60.

The FDA has now expanded the guidelines to include adults age 50-59.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has declined to recommend this for adults in the 50-59 age group but recommends it for all adults ages 60 and over.

Despite these recommendations, a large Medicare population study found that less than 4 percent of those over age 65 have been vaccinated against Zoster.

That number needs to be changed.

While Lynn has improved

every day, I have a new appreciation for this dreadful painful condition.

If you are faced with a sudden painful rash with itching and tiny blisters, you should head for the nearest urgent care clinic or your own physician to get treated as soon as possible, preferably within three days of its onset.

It may appear in various places but it will only be on one side of the body.

If you have not been vaccinated against Zoster and are over the age of 60, you need to discuss this with your physician.

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.

Know of someone stepping off the beaten path in the search for fun and excitement? E-mail us at editor@ncwgoodlife.com

Do you suffer from neck or back pain?

The spine specialists provide expert care to individuals with both operative and non-operative neck and back conditions such as:* • • • • • • • • •

An affiliation between Central Washington Hospital & Wenatchee Valley Medical Center

Spi n eCl iniC

Acute and subacute pain Degenerative disc disease Disc herniations Myofascial pain Low-back pain Compression fractures Radiculopathy Lumbar spine stenosis Work-related injuries

*This list is not exclusive.

At Wenatchee Valley Hospital & Clinics

The sooner you have access to treatment for your back pain, the better the outcome.

For an appointment call 509.667.7507 December 2013 | The Good Life

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EMERALD CHARCOAL - I took this photo along the Lakeshore Trail on upper Lake Chelan in August 2013.

I was first drawn to the contrast of the water color and the charcoal. The grey in the trees add interest, as do the branches. I believe these trees were burned in the Rex Creek Fire, 2001.

Many people photograph the prolific growth of fireweed the first year after a fire but this site, with the water behind the trees, gives one another perspective. Fire X water = opposites. Fire X water = forces of nature.

Both fire and water continue to change landscapes in our world. Not many elements in the natural world stay the same. That is my intrigue.

— Nancy Barnhard

Stehekin photographer likes a touch of whimsy with her nature photos S

ometimes photography is just too flat for Nancy Barnhart.

Not the subjects, predominately natural landscapes around her beloved Stehekin, interpreted through the lens of her Nikon D800 or her hiking favorite, a small Canon.

Those scenes invariably come alive with her spot-on composition and eye for color, and they take on fresh meaning when she uses either camera’s digital toolbox.

It’s conventional photo paper, simply matted and glassed, that she’s sometimes tempted to move away from, literally and figuratively adding a new perspective on her subject.

Nancy wants her work to intrigue and stimulate people.

“I love coming up with unusual ways to present a photo,” she said, “adding whimsy and interest that make a lasting impression on the viewer.”

TALE OF KALE - This kale is in my garden. Since my garden is a work of art, I photograph it often.

Each year I redesign the space, with sculpted, raised beds, squiggly rows of vegetables, mixed with flowers. By the end of the year, when most everything has stopped producing, I still find beauty, art through my lens.

I am quite partial to fall colors, so while doing fall clean-up in the garden, I find more than enough to photograph: leaves caught on other leaves, textures that mesh, or, contrast each other, colors that combine in a natural sequence, thanks to the wind, and/or frost. You can find me flat on the ground, just to get a new angle or approach that others may not think of. You’d be amazed by what you can find by laying on your belly and looking up at plants.

— Nancy Barnhard

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Nancy Barnhart: “I love coming up with unusual ways to present a photo.”

She creates thought-provoking environments for the photos that then become installations, not just wall art.

Picture this: An antique head-

That touch of serendipity led her to an exhibition of black and white photographs of Stehekin kids and their many varied “forts” — hillside bunkers, tree roosts, burrows in brambles. board of whitewashed brass.

Suspended and held with cloth tabs along its length are six abstract leaf portraits, transferred to fabric, then sewn into tall rectangular pockets stuffed with batting.

Or this: a three-foot by fourfoot section of rusted wire sheep fencing, interwoven by long twisted strands of cloth with garden photos printed on them, combined with images of scanned and transferred seed packets.

One early work featured a whole heavy car wheel (not a tire, not a hubcap) with pieshaped photos inserted into the deep wells and glassed over, creating spokes of almost hidden images.

Nancy’s knack for innovation comes perhaps from childhood, with the always-accessible kitchen art drawer, grandfathers who were artists and a tradition of handcrafted gifts, but her observation skills and appreciation of nature come from being out of doors most of her life.

After growing up sailing, skiing and hiking in New England, Nancy explored the West from the San Juans and Mount Rainier to Outward Bound in Oregon, and eventually to a job with Ray Courtney’s Stehekin Mountaineering.

Since 1973 she has visited, yearned for, or lived in Stehekin — that hard to get to, harder to

Nancy transferred six of her photos to cloth, then attached them between the rails to an old bed headboard in a three-dimensional art piece she calls Sweet Dreams. Photo by Steve Kaminoff

leave enclave of individuals living at the head of Lake Chelan.

Some nature photographers thrill us with knockout views of distant peaks, some with morning dew on a stone. Nancy does both, all scenes in between, as she chronicles the power and beauty of the place she loves best. Not just the landscapes, but the people who live and work in her remote home town have become subjects, gently introduced to visitors by her photos.

One favorite project evolved when a friend commented on the tattered but snug stick and blanket tent Nancy’s son had erected near the driveway. That touch of serendipity led her to an exhibition of black and white photographs of Stehekin kids and their many varied “forts” — hillside bunkers, tree roosts, burrows in brambles.

“That has to be one of my favorite projects ever,” she said, glowing again with the memory of those proud and playful children.

Her career in professional photography started 30 years ago working alongside her husband December 2013 | The Good Life

Mike, who’s recently stepped back a bit from camera work.

Nancy exhibits frequently at Stehekin’s Golden Arts Gallery; she’s also shown her work at Pak It Rite and the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center and is pleased to be a contributor to the Confluence Gallery in Twisp.

Even though her home place is distant from urban art communities (seven miles from home to the dock and down Lake Chelan) she soaks up photo classes and seminars when she can, honing her craft, trying new techniques.

She’s uneasy occasionally with

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the marketing aspect. “Sometimes I wish I’d gone on for that business degree… But,” she says, “I’m getting better — I actually like to talk to people about my work these days!”

Nancy’s committed to sharing her photographic vision in more places, for more peoples’ pleasure.

Logistics on the lake are tricky, but courtesy of Mike’s craftsmanship, when a gallery opportunity arises she safely transports her finished pieces from her home studio and out into the world in their own exquisite wooden carrying cases.

— 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

Thank Goodness It’s Thursday, 5 - 8 p.m. every Thursday live music, cooking demonstrations and family fun. Pybus Public Market.

Wenatchee Valley Farmers Market, every Saturday, 10 a.m.

– 2 p.m. Locally grown and raised fresh fruit, vegetables, baked goods, preserves, produce, flowers, crafts and jewelry, home and garden items. Fresh and wholesome right from the farmer. Pybus Market. Cost: free.

Bubbles & Heels, every first Friday of the month. What could be better than sipping bubbly, chatting with new and old friends and wearing your favorite shoes? One Wines, Inc. 526 E Woodin Ave, Chelan.

Cost: $10 per glass. Info: onewinesinc.com.

Cashmere Art and Activity Center, needle art every second Tuesday, 1 p.m. Pinochle every fourth Tuesday, 1 p.m. Hat Group every Thursday, 1:30 – 3 p.m., knitters, crocheters and loom artists welcome. Info: 782-2415.

NCW Blues Jam, every second and fourth Monday, 7:30 – 11 p.m. Clearwater Steakhouse, East Wenatchee.

Info: facebook.com/NCWBluesJam. Improv/Acting Workshop, 7 p.m.

Every Tuesday night with theater games for novice and experienced players. Fun, casual and free. Riverside Playhouse. Cost: free. Info: mtow.org.

Book signing, 12/1, 1 p.m. John Keeble will be on hand with his new book The Shadows of Owls. A thriller about science, power and the lives of ordinary people. A Book For All Seasons. Cost: free.

Book signing, 12/1, 4:30 p.m. Kate Lebo will be on hand with her new book A Commonplace Book of Pie. A poetry book that fits in the cookbook section. d’Vinery, downtown Leavenworth. Cost: free.

Christmas Party and multi author book buzz, 12/2, 5 p.m.

Join Kate Lebo, John Keeble, Dan McConnell, Kay Kenyon and Jane Kirkpatrick at A Book For All Seasons. Cost: free.

Create a holiday wreath with Cindy Sangster. 12/3, 7 p.m. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Pybus Market,

Santa is appearing all around the Valley in December, including at the Christmas Family Fun Day at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center on Saturday, Dec. 7.

Create fun craft projects like snow globes and see the museum decorated for the holidays.

Confluence Film Series, 12/5, all day. Snowy Owl Theater. Info: icicle. org.

Washington State Apple Blossom Festival 2014 art print unveiling, 12/5, 5 p.m. Pybus Market. Info: pybuspublicmarket. org.

Journey to Bethlehem, 12/5-8, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Experience the town of Bethlehem as it was the night the Christ Child was born.

Dress appropriately for the weather. Seventh-day Adventist Church, 5th and Western. Cost: free. Info: j2bwenatchee.org.

Christmas lighting, 12/5, 6 p.m.

Santa arrives on a fire engine and lighting follows at the City Hall in East Wenatchee.

Backcountry Film Festival, 12/5. 10 films highlighting the beauty, diversity and fun of the winter backcountry experience.

Submissions come from worldrenowned filmmakers and from grassroots filmmakers who take a video camera out on their weekend excursions and submit their best film short. The Film Festival benefits El Sendero’s efforts to protect and conserve winter recreation areas for non-motorized users.

Cashmere Riverside Center in Cashmere. Doors open at 6 p.m. and films start at 7 p.m. Cost: $10.

Coal, 12/5 and 1/9, 7 p.m. A monthly documentary film series promoting

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critical thinking and moral deliberation on the issues of the day.

Snowy Owl Theater. Info: icicle.org.

Christmas Lighting Festival, 12/6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 15, 20, 21, 22.

Hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights, carolers, cocoa, kids sledding, horse-drawn carriage, roasting chestnuts, and music.

Live entertainment all day. Lighting ceremony begins at 4:30 p.m. and music starts around 11 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Cost: free.

Info: leavenworthchamber.com.

Wenatchee First Fridays ArtsWalk, 12/6, 5 - 8 p.m. Check out Wenatchee’s arts scene. Venues and exhibits change monthly.

Self-guided. WVC Campus and Historic District. Cost: art-walk free, after-events may have admission fees. Monthly info: wenatcheefirstfridaysartswalk.tumblr.com.

Two Rivers Art Gallery, 12/6, 5 – 8 p.m. Jen Evenhus will be the featured artist plus over 40 local and regional artists show their work here. Wines by Stemilt Creek Winery and complimentary refreshments. Music by Mary Mendenhall on oboe and English horn. 102 N Columbia, Wenatchee. Cost: free.

Info: 2riversgallery.com.

Tumbleweed Bead Co., 12/6, 5-8 p.m. Shaye Elliot, local Wenatchee author has written From Scratch, a cookbook with low fat, no fat process foods, just fresh, real whole food dishes. Refreshments served.

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| December 2013

105 Palouse St. Cost: free. Info: tumbleweedbeadco.com.

Rob Ickes and Jim Hurst, 12/6, 7 p.m. Two master musicians, singers, songwriters will perform.

Snowy Owl Theater. Info: icicle.org.

Holiday luncheon, 12/7, 1 p.m., A fundraiser for the Wenatchee Valley Humane Society that includes lunch, holiday craft project and wreath raffle. Wenatchee Golf and Country Club. Cost: $25 prior to 12/1, $30 after. Info and tickets: 662-9577.

Christmas Family Fun Day, 12/7, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Get a picture with Santa, create fun craft projects like snow globes and see the museum decorated for the holidays.

Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: $10 per family donation suggested. Info: info@ wvmcc.org.

Standing Balance and Inversion Workshop, 12/7, 2 p.m.

Yoga workshop with Beth Sigafus. iLa Yoga Studio, 13 Orondo Ave. Cost: $32. Info: ilayoga.com.

Community Tree Lighting, 12/7, 4:30 p.m. Free photo with Santa.

Wenatchee Convention Center.

It’s A Wonderful Life, 12/7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 8 p.m. 12/8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 1 p.m. Live performance. Festhalle Theater, Leavenworth. Info: leavenworthsummertheater.org.

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WHAT TO DO

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

Book Signing, 12/8, 1 p.m. Matthew Gonder will be on hand with his new book Music on the Move Out West. A true, crazy family adventure that begins in 1969 and follows a widower and his five teenagers throughout multiple trials to find their home in the Pacific Northwest. A Book For All Seasons.

Cost: free.

Marlin Handbell Ringers, 12/8, 2 p.m. The group consists of 11 dedicated and enthusiastic bell ringers, ringing in the holidays since 1978.

Cashmere Riverside Center. Cost: $3 plus pass the hat. Info: Marie Vecchio 548-1230.

Wenatchee Apollo Club, 12/8, 7 p.m. A family Christmas concert.

Performing Arts Center. Cost: $15.

Info: pacwen.org.

Book signing, 12/10, 1 p.m. Sandra Walker author of Little Merchants: The Golden Era of Youth Delivering Newspapers will be at A Book For All Seasons. And at 7 p.m.

Sandra will host a presentation at Wenatchee Public Library. Cost: free.

Alzheimer’s Café, 12/10, 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.

Yeti Holiday Chocolate Party, 12/12, 5 -8 p.m. Willow Merritt, creator, owner of Yeti Chocolate will be at Tumbleweed Bead Co. with her chocolates. Great for stockings and dessert.

The Quiltmaker’s Gift, 12/12,13, 14, 19, 20 & 21, 7:30 p.m. and 12/14, 15 & 21, 2 p.m. A musical comedy about the joy of giving. Riverside Playhouse. Cost: $12, adults, $7 children. Info: mtow.org.

The Nutcracker, 12/12, 7 p.m.

Edelweiss Dance Academy presents their rendition of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. Snowy owl Theater, Leavenworth. Info: icicle. org.

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column the night sky this month

Peter Lind

Catch a fading comet There is a lot to look at in

the night sky this month for those who are curious enough to take the time.

Comet ISON, could be magnificent both after dusk and before dawn.

Many bright planets are visible over the long nights of December. Venus outshines every object except the sun and moon, making it impossible to miss in the evenings. Jupiter gleams almost all night as it approaches its peak early in January. And mornings put on a show of Mercury, Mars, and Saturn.

Venus is begging for our attention as darkness falls. It shines at magnitude –4.9 — the brightest it ever gets — through the first half of the month, and hardly fades at all through the last half. It will be a beautiful sight on clear nights from the east side of the river, especially up higher towards Badger Mountain where it should be visible for at least two hours after the sun sets.

King of the Solar system, Jupiter rises shortly after 7 p.m. on the first where it remains visible all night. With opposition and peak visibility arriving during January’s first week, the gas giant appears spectacular all month. It shines at a bright, magnitude –2.7 on New Year’s Eve, as it dominates the sky after Venus sets.

On the first of December, the morning promises a nice sight. A slender crescent moon rises around the beginning of ­t wilight and climbs nearly 10° (the width of a large fist) high in the southeast by 45 minutes before sunrise. Mercury, which shines bright, lies 5 degrees (three finger widths) east of the moon while Saturn appears 2 degrees (a large finger width) December 2013 | The Good Life

above our satellite.

But Comet ISON likely will get the lion’s share of attention this month.

Assuming that the long-awaited comet survived its brush with the sun in late November, it’s view will quickly improve before dawn.

Although the comet’s nucleus lies on the horizon 45 minutes before sunup on the first, the tail angles above and ought to be easy to see. If predictions hold, ISON should shine very bright that morning.

The comet tracks northward rapidly and climbs higher into a darker morning sky. Astronomers expect it to dim by five magnitudes this month, so the best views should come during December’s first two weeks.

Dobson telescope design

Christmas is just around the corner now and every year I see a slew of telescopes for sale at all the big retailers.

I think back to when I was just getting interested in astronomy and how I thought any telescope would do as long as I could see what’s out in the night sky.

The first telescope I owned was a six-inch reflector that was on an Equatorial Mount. If you have ever seen a telescope on a tripod that has two gears and two knobs to adjust the telescope, that is an equatorial.

This design was an early way www.ncwgoodlife.com

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to track the night sky and is still used sometimes for photography.

Unfortunately, these are one of the hardest mounts to use, and still quite common with refractors, the long skinny tube telescopes.

I never did get the hang of that mount and eventually built a Dobsonian mount for it.

A Dobsonian mount is a relatively new design but it has revolutionized telescopes. If you have seen a telescope that looks like one end of the tube is sitting on the ground then you have seen a Dobsonian.

Dobsonian telescopes are reflectors and use a concave mirror to reflect an image.

Most of the objects we are looking at are millions or millions of millions of miles away and are very dim. The larger the mirror the more surface area to reflect that light.

When telescopes were built on equatorial mounts the weight was the limiting factor. When the telescope moved down to a ground base the diameter of mirrors grew fast. A 24-inch mirror is not considered especially large these days.

My point here is that most people buy a telescope that looks really cool but in the end never learn how to use it and then decide that astronomy is just too difficult, as I almost did.

With the proper telescope you can get started easily and enjoy the night sky for years to come, just as I have been able to do.

Happy viewing!

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

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WHAT TO DO

The Art Life

// SKETCHES OF LOCAL ARTISTS

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

}}} Continued from previous page Django Bells, 12/13, 7:30 p.m.

Gypsy jazz classics and original compositions featuring a special Holiday Django Bells mix. Snowy Owl Theater. Info: icicle.org.

The Nutcracker, 12/14, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. 12/15, 2 p.m. Live performance with the Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra and local dancers, choreographed by Fabulous Feet director Melissa Miller Port and instructor Tracy Trotter.

Performing Arts Center. Info: pacwen.org.

Falstaff (The Met: Live in HD), 12/14, 9 a.m. The story of an aging knight and his fathomless appetites. Special guest appearance by Speight Jenkins of Seattle Opera.

Snowy Owl Theater. Info: icicle.org.

Free pizza with Santa, 12/14, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Crafts, free pizza and photo with Santa. Wenatchee Convention Center. Info: wendown.org.

Free photos with Santa, 12/15, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Wenatchee Convention Center. Info: wendowntown. org.

Family Holiday Movies, 12/15, 12/22, 2 p.m. Classic holiday, family –friendly movies with fun activities, warm cocoa and popcorn. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $5-$10. Info: icicle.org.

Book signing, 12/15, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Erik Hanberg will be on hand with his new book The Lead Cloak. A science fiction book in the year 2081 where privacy no longer exists. A Book For All Seasons. Cost: free.

Info: abookforallseasons.com.

Compassionate Friends, 12/16, 7 - 8:30 p.m. A grief support group that assists families toward the positive resolution of grief following the death of a child of any age and provides information to help others be supportive. Focus of this meeting is getting through the holidays. Grace Lutheran Church, 1408 Washington St. Info: 665-9987.

A Columbia Chorale Family Christmas, 12/19, 7:30 p.m.

Performing Arts Center. Cost: $20, students $10. Info: pacwen.org.

Celtic Yuletide, 12/21, 7 p.m.

Special concert by talented multiinstrumentalist, vocalists and Irish dancers showcasing lively and sea-

Pull-toys with off-centered wheels create a realistic sense of up-anddown motion of walking.

WARREN WITTE ‘Working with wood has been the delight of my life’

W

arren Witte designs and crafts small wooden toys, partly because he loves the medium but mostly because, he said, “They bring back tender memories and make people happy.”

They please not only children, but adults. He said that people strolling past his woodenshelved booth will often say, “Oh, my grandpa used to make these.”

Or “This is just like a truck I played with!”

Warren grows sentimental — you can see it in his eyes and smile — when he describes his own idyllic early childhood. On his family’s North Dakota farm he was surrounded by 11 siblings, a sample of every pet and farm animal you could name, a treasure trove of farm implements and vast acres of gently rolling hills enveloped in absolute silence.

His parents were pragmatic people to whom repurposing

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“What started as a hobby turned into a fascination,” said Warren Witte.

was a totally natural necessity, before the term became urbanchic. Grateful for an early exposure to their creative resourcefulness, he’s sure those seven years, 1948 to 1955, before the family moved to farm in Washington’s Basin country, invariably shaped the way he sees and the way he thinks.

Toys for a large family were generally made out of scraps from around the farm, and he learned to visualize possibilities to keep himself fully occupied and entertained. (“You know,” he said, “like when you use old lawn mower wheels to push your brother down the hill …”)

Work experience as an adult built on the foundation of Warren’s early skills. Now retired

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| December 2013

from his full time careers (first at Boeing, then in the Vietnamera Navy, later in maintenance) he most recently is a substitute custodian in Wenatchee schools.

Of all the crafts he initially learned at home, at Ephrata High School, and later from classes in California, woodworking most captivated him.

“Working with wood has been the delight of my life,” he said. “I wanted to spend my later years designing and making wooden things, and I am glad to have found the niche of toys.”

Hundreds of children are glad he found that niche, too: babies wrestle with push-pull animal figures and simple blocks, toddlers stack and pack fist-sized apple bins onto a flatbed truck.

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WHAT TO DO

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

sonal music from the Celtic lands.

Snowy Owl Theater. Info: icicle.org.

Story Hour, 12/22, 1 p.m. Matthew Porter, author and illustrator will be on hand with his newest book Monkey World: Thunderbolt Express at A Book For All Seasons. Cost: free.

Redneck Nationals, 12/27 & 28.

Mud slinging 4x4 trucks, drag racing in a 4-foot deep mud pit, Bad Boys of Arena cross racing includes ATV quads. Town Toyota Center.

Info: towntoyotacenter.com.

Double Mat Vinyasa, 12/28, 2 4 p.m. Yoga workout with Danny Smith. iLa Yoga Studio, 13 Orondo Ave. Cost: $28. Info: ilayoga.com.

A fruit truck has a pop-up piston in the engine.

New Year’s Eve night skiing, 12/31, 6 p.m. Torchlight parade at 9:30 p.m. Echo Valley Ski Area, Chelan. Cost: $15 includes tubing hill. Info: lakechelan.com.

A flexible train loaded with fruit attracts the attention of kids and adults.

The toys are always and only wood, with distinctive grain showing through jewel-tone natural dyes or a clear finish and chunky curves perfect for tiny hands, One parent, Warren recalled, was concerned that a wheeled truck with piston action on the front would be too advanced for her 15-month-old son. Not, so, he learned; the child was transfixed by the simple mechanics of it. “My toys are good for children’s brains,” he maintains.

When Warren and his wife Aracelis moved to Wenatchee in 1994, he was astounded at the varieties of tree fruit growing all around, so the first children’s item out of his at-home workshop was a small rocking bench,

with sides shaped like a huge red delicious apple — with a bite taken out.

It wasn’t until 2008 that he started designing with motion, using an out of print illustrated primer of machine principles as his constant guide. “What started as a hobby turned into a fascination with the elementary mechanics of piston toys,” he said. So, most of his pieces now involve handcrafted engineering like a winch and pulley, pistons, train couplings, levers, wheels.

The creative wheels are always turning in Warren’s mind, too.

With no sketch or prototype yet, he ably explained with gestures an upcoming challenge.

“I want to make a Ferris wheel — or maybe it’s going to be a December 2013 | The Good Life

merry-go-round,” he explained with precise hand movements, “all wooden parts, with multiple movements… somehow with a sunflower as the base…” He’ll sketch and study, build a few and work out the kinks. Expect to see it in pine or cedar some day.

The most basic toys still dominate his display shelves, which he meticulously fills every Saturday (doubling up days during the holidays) at the south end of Pybus.

Fruit-shapes, endearing animals and vintage vehicles with rounded curves and luscious colors — just what a child wants to play with, just what some adults secretly covet.

— by Susan Lagsdin www.ncwgoodlife.com

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Dancing with the Wenatchee Stars, 1/10, 7 p.m. Six prominent community members are paired up with one of Utah Ballroom Dance Company’s professional dancers to learn ballroom dance routine over one week. Performing Arts Center.

Cost: $19-29. Info: pacwen.org.

BELLA SERA’S 2014 PLATINUM BRIDAL SHOW, 1/11, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.Vendors, prizes, local caterers, cake artists, plus a fashion show at 3 p.m. on the PAC stage.

Wenatchee Center. Cost: Free.

Mickey’s Music Festival, 1/11, 1 p.m. & 4 p.m. Live Disney music festival. Town Toyota Center. Cost: $22-47. Info: towntoyotacenter. com.

Environmental Film Series – Chasing Ice, 1/21, 7 p.m. The story of one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of climate change. Using time-lapse cameras, these videos compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center.

Winter Wine Gala, 1/25, 6 – 9 p.m. Award winning wines, food, live music, fine art and raffle.

Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: $40. Info: wvmcc.org.

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column those were the days

rod molzahn

Trade post receipts tell of Indian habits The Wenatchee, Entiat and

Chelan native people refused to relocate to the Yakima reservation after the end of the Indian wars in 1858.

They disagreed with the government’s assertion that they all belonged to the Yakima nation.

The Wenatchees insisted on remaining in their valley and on the fishery reservation at the Icicle/Wenatchee confluence that they were promised at the 1855 Walla Walla Treaty Council.

The Entiats and Chelans were not represented at the 1855 council and believed they were not bound by treaties they had not signed.

In 1872, when Sam Miller took over the trading post at the Wenatchee/Columbia confluence, the Wenatchees, Entiats and Chelans were still living on their traditional homelands and still following their traditional lifeway, though the trading post in their midst made it easier to begin embracing a few white foods, tools and clothes.

Of the 192 names in Sam

Entiat Chief Chil-co-sa-haskt. Photo from Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center #83-84-76

Chief Chil-co-sa-haskt’s youngest wife, Spo-ko-ka-lx. Photo from Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center #78-214-67

Miller’s store ledger, only six are Indians and five of them are local chiefs or headmen; Entiat chief Chil-co-sa-haskt and his wife Spo-ko-ka-lx, How-milt, a Wenatchee chief, Wapato John, a Chelan chief and Peter Wapato.

The only exception is “Indian George” who appears regularly in the ledger for 10 years from

February of 1873 through February of 1883.

Sam often advanced money to early settlers to pay unnamed Indians for their labor but none of those Indians showed up as customers in the ledger. As with the chiefs and headmen, Indian George paid for most of his purchases with cash. The Chinese and white miners also paid with

cash.

Government issued currency was difficult to come by in North Central Washington during those years. It’s likely that, for Sam Miller, cash included gold dust and Indian George likely had some of that.

It’s accepted that Indians were aware of gold, both dust and nuggets, in the Peshastin Creek drainage as well as other area streams and rivers before any discoveries by white miners.

Only after the influx of miners did the Indians learn the value of gold.

Indian George bought quicksilver (mercury) from the store and it was used in placer mining to separate fine particles of gold from sand and gravel.

Indian George fished and hunted as well. He bought hooks and line as well as caps and shot.

He did not buy any farm implements and only a few food items; sugar, flour, crackers, tea and, in early 1883, salt, candy, bacon and lard. He liked tobacco and

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| December 2013

Hearing Devices

bought several bottles of “medicine” and pain killer.

Over the 10 years he shopped at the store he took home blankets, shirts and a scarf, also a comb, one bar of soap, matches, a spoon and, interestingly, a book and pencil. Most of his purchases were paid for with cash but his final bill was settled with $7.50 credit for five days of work and $60 credit for two horses.

The white men who worked for Sam were almost always paid $2 a day for their labor.

The aging Entiat chief, Chilco-sa-haskt and his wife, Spoko-ka-lx were regular shoppers but, like Indian George, bought almost none of the foodstuffs the store carried.

The store inventory included fresh peaches and apples in season, beans, rice, sugar, bacon, flour, fresh crawdads, cabbage, canned lobster and oysters, prunes and fresh fish.

The chief had a sweet tooth.

Between February of 1873 and July of 1884 he bought more than 75 pounds of sugar, one keg of syrup, lots of crackers and tea, salt, multiple pounds of bacon, small amounts of beef and a regular supply of tobacco.

Spo-ko-ka-lx bought many of the same items along with apples and candy. They bought a variety of household tools including a shovel and bucket, tin pans, knives, needles and nails. Shirts, pants, overalls, shoes, blankets, scarves, hats and shawls were also on their shopping list.

How-milt, a Wenatchee and father of John Harmelt, the last chief of the Wenatchees, was, according to Wenatchee oral history, the boy tending horses who witnessed the massacre of his people by soldiers on the White River in 1858.

He would have been about 30 years old in June of 1873 when he first appeared in the store ledger. He was an infrequent shopper for the next 10 years but in addition to the basic food items of sugar, flour and salt he

bought a few more interesting things. There was a scythe and a whet stone.

It’s likely How-milt was harvesting bunch grass for winter forage. In addition to horses he must have raised cattle since he paid part of his bill with a steer worth $15. He also purchased needles and thread, a pound of coffee, several pairs of pants and coveralls, nails and a tablecloth.

Wapato John was an Entiat who took advantage of the Indian Homestead Act and claimed land near Manson on Lake Chelan. He traded at Miller’s store from September of 1873 to May of 1880.

He bought mining supplies; a pick, quicksilver, acid and 30 pounds of nails. The nails might have been used to construct sluice boxes.

Wapato John’s food purchases were a bit broader than the other Indians in the ledger.

Along with sugar, flour and salt he bought rice and beans by the sack, at least 25 pounds of tea and a tin of pepper for 25 cents.

Clothing purchases included shirts, a hat and long coat, scarves, pants, a pair of gloves and many blankets.

In August of 1878 he took a seven dollar bolt of “frilly” fabric home to his wife.

On the 29th of December he made a most unusual purchase.

Sam Miller sold him two bottles of whiskey for $3. Miller regularly sold whiskey in bottles and kegs to his white and Chinese customers. This is the only instance in the ledger of a liquor sale to an Indian, a violation of federal law in 1878.

Historian, actor and teacher Rod Molzahn can be reached at shake.speak@frontier.com. His third history CD, Legends & Legacies Vol. III - Stories of Wenatchee and North Central Washington, is now available at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center and at other locations throughout the area.

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>>

column ALEX ON WINE

ALEX SALIBY

Local wines pair nicely with holiday foods It’s December, time for fun.

I enjoy the friends, family and food during the holidays. Of course, holiday foods mean holiday wines, but before I begin on the wines, let me be emphatic on one small holiday dessert: pumpkin pie. The correct beverage to accompany pumpkin pie is hot, freshly brewed black tea, not wine. Enough said.

So, what’s for dinner, and what wine should we drink with it?

Beef roasts and steaks and some stews pair well with a cellared Bordeaux blend with a little age on it. There are many in the area worth your time and money.

Four of the oldest that remain available are the 2007 Boudreaux Cellars Cabernet, the

2007 CRSandidge Tri*Umph, the 2007 Eagle Creek Winery’s Reserve Cabernet and the 2006 Charlie’s Stash at Wedge Mountain Winery.

All the wines are showing the depth and character of a balanced and aged Cabernet Sauvignon. I know: Charlie’s Stash isn’t a blend, but it has been cellared and has aged beautifully.

If you prefer your Bordeaux style wines a little younger, there are plenty of those around as well. Highest rated among the local red Bordeaux blends is the 2010 Ryan Patrick Vineyards Reserve Cabernet, with a 93 point Wine Spectator rating to its credit. This one is a blend of 78 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 22 percent Malbec.

Other Cab favorites at our house are the 2009 ’37 Cellars Cabernet and the 2009 Wedge Mountain Cabernet, made from Red Mountain fruit. Last, but far from least is that 2009 Fielding Hills Cabernet; I seem to recall it ended up on the Seattle Magazine’s list of top 100 wines in the state, and it is a delicious wine.

Roast goose or duck is also a red wine meal: even duck with an orange glaze works well with many reds. I prefer Southern Rhone blends with goose or duck, and locally a great many wineries offer such a wine.

Crayelle Cellars of Cashmere has the Bishop’s Block Vineyard 2010 blend of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, and Karma has its South, a blend of Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah, to name just two.

A host of other pleasing blends adorning our local shelves will pair well with goose and duck.

Martin-Scott’s Due Fratelli, a Syrah and Petite Sirah blend, is one such, as well as Malaga Springs’ AlyKat blend of Zinfan-

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Many diners prefer a white wine with a touch of sweetness to complement the many side dishes which are sweet enough to make your reds taste harsh and often bitter. del and Syrah. Silvara’s Quartette or 2009 Red Blend would work well here.

Roast turkey poses some interesting challenges for wine pairing because of the decided differences in the light and dark meats and the fat within them.

Turkey breast under the standard turkey gravy at my son’s table calls for a rich white, something with some viscosity and mouth-feel such as a Chelan Estates 2011 Chardonnay Roussanne blend, or the Nefarious 2012 Viognier. The 2012 Barrel Select Chardonnay from Vin du Lac winery, could also cope with the gravy’s richness.

On the other side of the plate with simple slices of turkey breast and the cranberry sauce, I would recommend Pasek Cellars Cranberry wine, light and fruity with enough of the cranberry aromas and flavors to meld nicely with the cranberry sauce on that bite of turkey. That one is only available at the tasting room in Leavenworth.

Many diners prefer a white wine with a touch of sweetness to complement the many side dishes which are sweet enough to make your reds taste harsh and often bitter. Riesling and

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| December 2013

Chenin Blanc come to mind, but you may have another favorite.

For me, dark meat turkey demands red wines; any of those aforementioned are up to the task here, but there are perhaps dozens of other wines around the valley that would be a satisfying pairing.

There is Pinot Noir in the Lake Chelan area and right here at Chateau Faire le Pont, and in Cashmere’s Mission District.

Cashmere Cellars has a very nice one. So does Voilå, on Kimber Road.

Cabernet Francs and Merlots, Malbecs and Sangiovese wines are found in places such as Tildeo, 37 Cellars, Tsillan Cellars, Wedge Mountain, Boudreaux Cellars and more — even a Tempranillo to tease your palate when you’re enjoying that turkey thigh.

No need to go far to find a great wine for your holiday feasts, for at every turn and in every winery you will discover wonderful well-made wines here in north central Washington for every occasion.

I leave the subject of holiday foods and wines with one friendly reminder: set the table allowing for choices for your family and friends by offering a red, a white and a Rosé, as many prefer Rosé to accompany their turkey and duck.

In keeping with the spirit of the holiday season, I wish you and yours a very merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

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

He can be contacted at alex39@msn. com.

Join us at Mill Bay Casino for

“Pirates of the Salty Dog” Live Dinner Theater! $40 per person

December 6, 7, 27, 28.

Doors open at 6pm Audience participation in a fun Pirate Murder Mystery.

Dinner comes with Salad, Entree and Dessert.

Coming from Wenatchee? Don’t want to drive? Call Wenatchee Valley Shuttle 509-293-5773

For the latest information friend us on Facebook.

CROSSWINDS RESTAURANT · 455 Wapato Lake Road, Manson, WA · 800-648-2946 GoodLifeDinnerTheaterDec.indd 1

11/13/2013 10:07:25 AM