Good life october 2013 by The Good Life

SELLING SUNSHINE TO THE PUD Y EVENTS CALENDAR

WENATCHEE VALLEY’S

NUMBER ONE MAGAZINE

October 2013

Open for fun and adventure

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Contents page 16

the joys of Backpacking with children

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MANY CHANCES TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Wenatchee Valley’s award-winning day of help is back, with plenty of opportunities to work or donate to help others

9 Chartering a boat in the san juans

Sure, you can rent a vacation house on the water and watch boats go by — or, you can charter a boat and watch the scenery go by

12 calling conconully home

Former Wenatchee couple is restoring a three-generation ranch on the shores of Lake Conconully while preserving a way of life

14 a bench with a view

A simple project to create a memorial for a hiking buddy turns into an all-morning diversion — just the way it should have been

20 call it bohemian rhapsody chic

Owner and designer Gretchen Bevis knew what she wanted in her uncommon home in Cashmere

ART SKETCHES

n Poet Cynthia Neely, page 30 n Actor and PAC executive director Matt Cadman, page 35 Columns & Departments 27 Pet Pix: Found in the orchard now an office dog 28 June Darling: Try walking on the wild side 24 The traveling doctor: Going solar 26 Bonnie Orr: OMG! Anchovies! 30-35 Arts & Entertainment & a Dan McConnell cartoon 33 The night sky: Mars & Jupiter 36 History: Forgotten settlers 38 Alex Saliby: Nice Cab Sauvignon in Plain October 2013 | The Good Life

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Year 7, Number 10 October 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, Laurel Helton, Jan Petrie, Jessica Creel, Jim Russell, Marlene and Kevin Farrell, 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, Martin’s Market Place (Cashmere) and A Book for All Seasons (Leavenworth)

OPENING SHOT

Man in the moon Michael Bendtsen, a

Wenatchee business owner and prolific photographer, created this month’s Opening Shot during the full moon of Aug. 20, but the photo seems just right for Halloween October. Here’s Mike’s story: “I hiked up Jacobson Trail with hopes of getting some silhouettes of people on Saddlerock from the back side standing in the moon. “On the way up I met Juan, who is called ‘Deer’ by all his family and friends because he said he spends much of his free time running the trails and they all say he runs like a deer. I would have to agree after watching him scurry across the trails that night. “I told him what I was doing and asked him if he wanted to be in the pictures. “He was thrilled and gave me some great shots with his jumping skills. “For this particular shot he climbed… or ran… to the highest peak of Saddlerock. I had asked him to jump off the ground so I could try to catch him inside the moon but didn’t expect it to be from the tallest peak of Saddlerock. “He not only runs like a deer he proved he jumps like one, too.” Mike frequently updates his

photos at his McGlinn’s Public House Facebook site.

On the cover

Gene Sackman gives his palo-

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

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| October 2013

mino colt, Joker, a little sugar while granddaughter Ellye Bartel of Wenatchee looks a little anxious about the whole thing. Photo by Jessica Creel. See Jessica’s story on page 12.

editor’s notes

MIKE CASSIDY

Pass me a cold one, I have a sore story to tell Woody Allen steps out of

a time machine in a scene from one of his earlier movies and someone hands him a chocolate ice cream sundae. (Ummm… wouldn’t a chocolate ice cream sundae taste good right now? Made with hard vanilla ice cream that has a melted sheen on the top? Where the generous sundae maker has left a dollop of rich chocolate at the bottom of the tulip glass as a reward for finishing your dessert?) Woody is shocked by this, saying he came from a time when people thought such things as ice cream and chocolate were bad for your health. “Nonsense,” scoffs the future

person, “we have learned you had it all wrong. Would you care for some pizza?” I may have the exact food from the scene wrong, but perhaps you will excuse me, as I’m writing this in great physical discomfort. This past weekend, my wife decided it would be a grand idea to take out a long-standing 50-foot hedge and replace it with… well, something to be decided later. So down I went with shovels, clippers, chainsaw, gloves and determination. The hedge of thorny bushes fought back, scratching my arms until they bled and stabbing my face with brittle limbs until I thought I had lost an eye. (Who plants a hedge of spiked bushes? Can

Terry Smith named magazine ad manager

Terry Smith has joined The

Good Life magazine as advertising manager. Terry grew up in the Wenatchee Valley and after graduating from Washington State University, began his advertising career at the Seattle Times/P-I. Returning to the Valley, he went to work for The Wenatchee World, then became advertising manager and later publisher at The Wenatchee Business Journal. Most recently, he was account executive for Express Employment Professionals of Wenatchee. Terry and his wife, Michelle, have two children, Maddie and Mckenna. “We’re delighted to have Ter-

ry’s 26 years of advertising experience and knowledge in helping businesses at The Good Life,” said Mike Cassidy, publisher of the local magazine. Terry joins Terry Smith Lianne Taylor in handling outside sales for the magazine. “As the local economy starts showing signs of improvement, we think Terry and Lianne will strengthen our monthly magazine… to make it an even better Good Life for our readers,” said Mike. October 2013 | The Good Life

you imagine a gardener saying to a spouse, “Oh look dear, here’s a sticker bush that doesn’t produce pretty flowers or sweet smells. Let’s plant a row of them for some poor sucker in the future to dig up.”) Once the hedge was cut down, I turned around to see… yes, that’s right, a head-and-shoulders high pile of branches that needed chopping up so I could stuff the bits into plastic bags for disposal. More chopping, followed by carrying the bags from our lower lawn to the driveway, followed by the realization that I still had 30 or so root balls to dig up. So I’m hurtin’ today. “Consider it exercise,” my sprightly wife suggested. As a tunnel of black closed in around my vision, I thought about all of the exercise I have done over the years (I’ve owned and actually used some of those machines you see advertised on late night TV, have spent years on a treadmill, played tennis for decades) and I began seeing the error of my ways. A few years ago, I seriously injured my back while playing tennis. The doctor, after he finished on me with the knife, said not to exercise for several months. So I spent my free time sitting on the sofa, flip-flip-flipping through the channels with a remote control. And you know what? NOTHING HURT! That’s right — my ankles, knees, back, shoulders and arms were apparently happy to be so under-used. As I look around at people

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in their 50s, 60s and beyond, I don’t see the huge benefit all that exercise was to bring. When I hear people talking about knee braces, hip replacements and shoulder surgeries, you know who is doing the talking? Yes, weekend athletes — the exercise hounds. Meanwhile, the non-exercisers are busy attending wine tastings, creating rich dinners and making foodie runs. Maybe those future people in the Woody Allen movie had it right: We have it all wrong. That’s why I’m falling in love with a new sport — the sport of boating. Boating is where you sit still, watching scenery go by. Boating is where the work is done by a motor or the breeze ruffling the sails. Boating is where there is a kitchen (or galley in boating lingo) a few steps away with a fully-stocked fridge. Check out our story this month from Jan Petrie about chartering a boat in the San Juans. Beautiful sights, delightful wildlife that swim to you, and nary a thorn bush. I bet Jan’s muscles were purring when she came back from her boating charter, not screaming like mine are. Say, wouldn’t something cold from the fridge taste good right now? I wonder what’s on TV? Hand me that remote control. Some say go hard, others say take it easy. Whichever, as long as you enjoy The Good Life. — Mike

fun stuff a full LISTING of what to do begins ON PAGE 32

Wheel in the fun and let’s do October T

his month starts with festivals and ends with sugarhyped goblins running loose in the streets. In between there are a scary story of people going missing on a mysterious island and a pre-holiEast Wenatchee’s Wings and Wheels is the first weekend of October. day event that might be your pie and win prizes. Live on an island. One just right for stocking music. Lake Chelan Riverwalk by one they start to up on gifts. Park. Cost: free. Info: chelandie. Mystery comeWings & Wheels — Craft and farmersmarket.org. 4 to 7 p.m., dy by Music Thefood fair, car show, swap meet, Thursday, Oct. 3, atre of Wenatchee. carnival, free kids activities, Riverside Playhouse. entertainment, airplane rides, Oktoberfest — Live music, Info: mtow.org. airplane and aviation displays, German food, arts and crafts, 7:30 p.m. Thursday and remote controlled airplane activities for the whole family through Saturday demonstrations. Free shuttle and oh yeah beer! Downtown the second, third and to all venues. Eastmont ComLeavenworth. Info: leavenfourth weekends of October, munity Park, Red Apple Flyworthoktoberfest.com. 1 p.m. to with a 2 p.m. matinee Saturday, ers Field and the airport. East 11 p.m., the first three Friday and Oct. 19. Wenatchee. Cost: free. Thursday Saturdays of October. Custer’s First annual arts through Sunday, Oct. 3-6. And then there were none — and crafts show — Town Ten guilty strangers are trapped Toyota Center. Info: towntoyApple Pie Festival — Enter

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Oktoberfest in Leavenworth runs for three weekends. Ghosts, goblins and witches prowl downtown Wenatchee Oct. 31.

otacenter.com. Friday through Sunday, Oct. 18-20. Trick or Treat on the avenue — Downtown Wenatchee. Cost:

free. Info: wendown.org. 3-5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31.

coming up The Farmers Market has been extended through December at Pybus Public Market. Come by with the family, and stock up on fresh fruits, veggies, salsas, honey, crafts and more. Saturday, Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. Join Pybus Market as they host what is to be expected the longest bra chain in the Pacific Northwest. The public will tie all of their bras together and walk around Pybus. Once finished all of the bras will be placed on a chandelier and hung from the ceiling until the end of October. Friday Oct. 25, at 7 p.m. Pybus Market will conclude Breast Cancer Awareness month with a ceremony honoring friends and loved ones touched by cancer. Survivors are invited to wear Pink and supporters are invited to wear White. Luminaries may be purchased for $5 each and all proceeds benefit Wellness Place. Plus: Every Thursday is â&#x20AC;&#x153;Locals Nightâ&#x20AC;? at Pybus

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Many chances to Make a Difference By Laurel Helton

etting involved in the Wenatchee Valley’s 23rd annual Make A Difference Day on Saturday, Oct. 26, is simple whether you’re a first timer or seasoned volunteer. Organizers of the largest day of service in the world have awarded the Wenatchee area seven national awards for its variety and scope of work. This year is no different with projects to plug into from East Wenatchee and Wenatchee to Cashmere, Leavenworth and Chelan. Getting together to make a difference with family, a church group, neighbors, friends or coworkers couldn’t be easier. Meet at the Pybus Market at 8 a.m. when a short kick-off ceremony will be held. You can park your car in the Pybus lot, find your friends, grab a goodie bag, cheer each other on, and organize a carpool to one of scores of projects. The Market will host several projects such as the swimming suit-clad YMCA Water Lilies who will hand out invitations to their calendar autograph and release party in November. (This fundraiser for YMCA programs is waiting until United Way fundraising is done before actually selling the calendar.) Collection bins for many of the donation projects will also be at

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Last year’s drive raised 650 toys for the Seattle Children’s Hospital.

the Market, as well as at other collection points around the valley. It is easy to donate money or items to one or more good causes. Collections include: food, warm clothing, bikes, diapers, baby formula, cleaning supplies, quilting materials, yarn, blankets, paper products, animal food and necessities, and more. The WRAC has a 60-Day Make A Difference Challenge to get fit and fundraise for local charities. The Buddy Walk for Down Syndrome Awareness at Walla Walla Park will feature the artists of a new mural created by the Special Needs Social Program. Volunteers are needed for clean-ups including Habitat for Humanity, Disciple House, Salvation Army, Ohme Gardens, Mustard Seed, Ferry Street, Art

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on the Avenues, homes around the valley and the Camp Fire camp at Lake Wenatchee. You can make Christmas stockings for foster children or make quilts for both veterans and children. And at the end of the day, if you don’t feel like cooking, you can pick up a pre-ordered chicken fettuccine dinner to benefit New Life Adoptions. For the latest information about Make A Difference Day, go to the ever-changing website at www.wenatcheemkdd.com. Projects can be entered there and viewed to see if volunteers are needed. Contact information is listed for each project. Follow Wenatchee Valley Make A Difference Day on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Laurel Helton is the coordinator for Wenatchee Valley’s Make a Difference Day.

Anchored at Sucia Island: No roads, no office deadlines, no conference calls — just time to appreciate the awesome beauty of nature.

Chartering in the San Juans Why buy when you can rent? Why sit when you can cruise? By Jan Petrie

Over the years, many of us

reading The Good Life magazine have enjoyed adventures vicariously in foreign lands. I’m of the mind, however, that the Northwest provides unique experiences as well. Think sailing the San Juan and Gulf Islands. Just walking down the dock to our chartered sailboat, climbing the boarding ladder and anticipating the adventure ahead is exhilarating. Smelling the fresh sea air. Hearing the gulls cry overhead. Feeling cool in the middle of summer. Some say the two happiest days of their lives were when they bought their boat and when they sold it. That’s us. Now older and wiser, we’ve sold our boats and let a charter company handle the maintenance, moorage fees, insurance, fueling and

even pump out. Our favorite craft is a 50-foot Beneteau. Comparable in cost to any island vacation condo, the vessel comes fully equipped — from bedding and bath towels to binoculars, PFDs (personal flotation devices), a microwave, CD player, TV (DVD friendly), refrigerator, freezer, well-equipped galley, fresh water and flushing heads (toilets). The bonus? Boats move. Our basic crew consists of three: my son Jeff, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, who serves as navigator and radiooperator; my husband Greg who trims the sails and checks the engines while I transition from the prestigious post of skipper to galley slave within an hour or two from dock. We all take turns at the helm. Any guests are assigned tasks. And we’re serious. Once my brother, who was in charge of October 2013 | The Good Life

Jan Petrie takes her turn at the helm — later she was the galley slave.

handling the dinghy, insisted on meditating when we were about to dock in brisk winds. No. No. No. Sailing is such a great diverwww.ncwgoodlife.com

sion to mainland concerns and pressures. There’s no room for office deadlines, conference calls or correspondence because our minds are occupied with other details, such as navigation, tides and currents, the wind direction and the simple, awesome beauty of the area. Sea life continually delights us. We’ve been caught in a jellyfish “bloom” in mid-September in Tod Inlet on the backside of Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island. Jellyfish the size of half dollars to hubcaps seemingly paved the water just under the surface. After consulting our iPhones we learned this annual natural phenomenon is worldfamous among oceanographers. Who knew? Along the south side of San Juan Island we regularly see pods of Orcas undulating through the waters being chased

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Instead of sitting in your island cottage watching the boats go by, you could be on a boat watching the houses go by.

Chartering in the San Juans }}} Continued from previous page by whale-watching craft out of Friday Harbor. Once we circled an enormous sea lion feasting on a huge salmon while a cloud of seagulls fought for scraps. It was very Marlin Perkins-like. Eagles, herons, dolphins, seals, Dall’s porpoises and other wildlife sightings keep us on our toes. Among our favorite San Juan destinations is Roche Harbor on San Juan Island, our Beverly Hills of the islands. It’s fun to walk the docks and ogle the huge yachts tied or anchored there. Originally established as a lime kiln operation in the 1800s, Roche Harbor is a great place to stretch our legs and see the sights. Courteous dock jockeys assist with anything needed and it’s easy to make an appointment with the Fecal Freak, a floating pump-out service. Famous for its daily colors ceremony (flag lowering), Roche Harbor attracts Canadian as well as U.S. visitors. A cannon blast and a cacophony of large and small horn blasts make us laugh at the close but our voices quiet while an amazing sunset paints the sky. Our version of roughing it is anchoring at Sucia Island, the furthest north of the San Juans and accessible only by boat. A state park, Sucia has no power, a web of hiking trails, amazing vistas and self-composting toilets. Water carvings along the clay banks leave weird formations for an imagination soiree. Except for neighboring craft who also

The basics of chartering a boat

Sea lions bark at a passing boat.

It’s easy to charter a boat in the San Juans from any of several companies. You will need to have some basic boat experience if you bareboat charter (i.e., crewing the boat yourself), or you can opt for on-board lessons or even a captain to operate the craft as you just enjoy. The cost of chartering is about the same as renting an island house for the week, and boats come with fully equipped gallery, safety gear and some toys. Best thing is boats move. So instead of sitting in your island cottage watching the boats go by, you could be on a boat watching the houses go by. You will pay overnight dock and/or mooring buoys fees ($12 for a state buoy, lots more at the plush Roche resort), fuel and insurance. You will need to buy your food ashore, or perhaps you can catch your own, depending on the season. And, if you breakdown, help is just a phone call away. enjoy Sucia, we seem alone and it feels like Peter Pan should come flying out of the trees at dusk. Just past the lighthouse on the southeast tip of Vancouver

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Fossil Bay, where the formations practically speak to you.

Island, it’s a bit unnerving to enter the harbor at Victoria B.C., as float planes take off and land right next to us, ferry boats maneuver in, fishing boats maneuver out and pleasure craft come and go. This congested entry is well-marked, however, with harbor police watching and guiding. After clearing customs (by phone), we have been lucky enough to always dock in front of the Empress Hotel. You need loonies for showers here and high tea at the Empress is memorable but expensive. Little water taxis like overgrown floating golf carts will take us anywhere for cash. A lesson learned at customs: bags of fresh Wenatchee peaches will be confiscated.

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Farther north in the Canadian Gulf Islands, another favorite stop is the artsy community of Ganges on Salt Spring Island. With the proper attitude, we can often sail right in. Cozy indoor/ outdoor restaurants overlook the harbor where we can scope out the action over an afternoon beer in this small but busy marina. Out on the streets, boutiques and shops plus a myriad of art galleries attract tourists like us. They all take plastic. The farther north we sail, the more remote the moorages. In lagoon-like Montague Harbour on Galiano Island, various types of boats moor on buoys or at anchor. During daylight, the buzz of dinghies sounds like overgrown dragonflies circling

Landing at Roche Harbor: Famous for its evening flag ceremony.

Firing up the engine, I quickly discovered that we couldn’t move forward and we couldn’t reverse...

A ferry passes in front of a distant Mount Baker.

around, but at night it’s very, very quiet and very, very dark except for dots of bright mooring lights twinkling throughout the harbor. Early, early one morning at Montague Harbor, we pulled anchor and moved outside the harbor into a sunny, shallow cove to enjoy a quiet breakfast. Soon, however, we noticed the tide was going out quite rapidly.

Time to move. Firing up the engine, I quickly discovered that we couldn’t move forward and we couldn’t reverse. The throttle cable had broken on our sailboat. As the early morning tide pulled us into open waters and with the bottom rising quickly, it was quite possible we could either drift out of control or run aground. October 2013 | The Good Life

Either scenario was not good. A quick call to our charter company gave us two options. Wait until a repairman could come from Ganges about 3 that afternoon, or manually work the throttle. We chose the latter. I took the helm, shouted “FORWARD” to Jeff at the bottom of the gangway, who shouted same to Greg, who, over the engine roar, adjusted the www.ncwgoodlife.com

mechanism so we could move forward. “FORWARD IN” came the cry back to me and I put the engine in gear. Docking at Ganges was tricky the delay of relayed calls of “forward” and “reverse,” but we moored there a day and a half for repairs. The charter company paid all expenses and comped the time lost for our next trip. It’s always a bit of a letdown to roll up the charts, put away the tide tables and return our chartered boat to its home port in Anacortes. At home in Wenatchee, we’ll continue to read about others’ adventures elsewhere. But whether it’s to U.S. or Canadian islands, sailing is our good life right here in the Northwest. Jan Petrie, retired Executive Director of Wenatchee Valley College Foundation, and a sailor for 40 years, has kept sailboats in Eugene, Olympia and Seattle before chartering.

BACK to the RANCH Former Wenatchee couple is Carving Character at the family Ranch in Conconully Story and photos by Jessica Creel

revious Wenatchee locals Gene and Annie Sackman now live smack dab at the base of grassland that leads up to an evergreen forest in Conconully, 90 miles from the Canada-U.S. border. Together they work to help bring back the sustainable way of life and restore and preserve a three-generation ranch. Gene spent some time working in the Seattle area at Boeing, traveling and going to college, he then landed at Sears Roebuck Company here in the Wenatchee Valley as a large appliance salesman until his retirement. Eventually the drive to ranch lead him back to Okanogan County. Annie grew up working on the Volkmann family ranch/orchard on Wenatchee Heights. She then worked for and retired from Alcoa and eventually joined Gene up north on the ranch. “It was time to get back to our roots,” said Annie, “and make a go of the family ranch just a rock skip away from the beautiful little town of Conconully,” population 211, once a

A mare and her colt play in the pastured front yard at Gene and Annie Sackman’s three-story log home overlooking Conconully Lake.

booming mining town. “We spent many years in Wenatchee working, but we knew we were two country kids and would someday return back to ranch life,” said Annie. “Moving farther away from the metropolis created some new challenges we have remedied in all sorts of ways,” she added. Gardening, for example, reduces the need to travel for food, and making errand lists increases efficiency and saves resources. “It is interesting to see the shift of ‘what matters’ when you move away to the mountains,” she added. If you should drive up the long driveway to the Sackman ranch through a massive arched gate, you could encounter a welcoming committee of three sagacious working border collies and a real McCoy cowboy — a skilled horseman, seldom seen without his hat, boots and Wranglers.

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Gene’s tall, slim frame has been bit, kicked, bucked off and run over. He has a spark of green in his mischievous eyes with an honest smile. “It’s not the clothes that make a cowboy, it’s the attitude and heart…” he said. Today the Sackman ranch no longer runs cattle what used to be mainly Black Angus, but oh boy, do they have horses. They breed, raise and sell mainly quarter horses, thoroughbreds and Appaloosas. Like a flowing tapestry of multiple colors the sizable heard freely roams the rolling green hills. Shiny muscular bodies, happy ears and tails run down the mountainside when they hear Gene bang a rock against the oat bucket. I watched as Gene hollered “Jackie,” calling the one and only jackass in the herd. Gene explained, “Those big ears and her stubborn

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looking through some of the clippings I had saved over the years and realized some of the horse or bear or mountain goat drawings I had saved, didn’t really look right at all… some of these drawings of a bear looked kind of like a pig and a mountain goat kind of looked like a sheep.” Inspired with the thought he could do better, he picked up his tools and began to carve animals on wood doors. Gene’s carvings take shape from years of observing animals he’s seen in nature. He is able to capture proportion, dimension and spirit in the wood doors and details he has carved at the Sackman Ranch. “Moving to the country could be a great decision for some and something to really think about for others,” said Gene. “Restoring and managing a homestead and land is a rewarding and sometimes a tough commitment, but we love it and wouldn’t trade it.”

“Self-sufficiency is a worthy goal, but in truth the most useful survival skill is contributing to community.” personality make her the pack alarm system. You watch, she’ll lead the convoy off the mountain for hugs and belly rubs.” And I watched as Jackie proved Gene right. The horses snuggled up right next to Gene, with Annie soaking up all the attention. Gene and Annie are my grandparents and I spent many summers on the ranch lounging around their log-cabin style home, which sits right on the lake. My siblings and cousins and I learned a little sun and sweat on our backs mixed with good community was a recipe for happiness. Only a stone’s throw away from the lake their home is situated in an ideal location. An evening on the deck watching the sun go down over the water after enjoying Annie’s cuisine would give me a serene waterfront view coupled with the feeling of being hugged close by the surrounding mountains. Every year Annie grows a large garden fertilized with horse manure from the barn and compost from the kitchen where plump beets, carrots, potatoes, blueberries, kale and more are plucked and fixed up for dinners. Annie makes sure you take some harvest home in a sack. Annie also raises cage-free chickens producing fresh eggs daily. Annie’s kitchen is seemingly waste-free — food scraps are fed to the chickens or the compost pile, plastic bags and glass containers saved for reuse, paper packaging burnt in the wood stove that heats the home, anything left over can be recycled. “It just takes a moment

“I saw the ram in the door and I carved ‘til I met him,” explained Gene about his artwork.

of thought to figure out another way to dispose of most waste,” said Annie. “Self-sufficiency is a worthy goal, but in truth the most useful survival skill is contributing to community,” said Gene. “Developing relationships with family, friends and neighbors brings together collections of trades and skills just as useful as buying beans, bullets and BandAids.” Aside from the obvious natural draw of the rolling green hills there is another reason this place is special — an artist lives in the home. Growing up, Gene always whittled on pieces of wood. “Back in those days all kids carried around jack knives. On long walks to school you’d find a piece of wood and whittle away. No one ever seemed to cut fingers off,” said Gene. His passion for art took shape October 2013 | The Good Life

a bit more when Gene’s dad hired a drifter looking for ranch work. When the job was done at the end of the day, the drifter would sit on the porch whittling while little Eugene just observed. One day, he asked his mother for scrap paper so he could draw with the drifter. She gathered scrap papers from the house for them to draw on and gradually his artistic ability took shape. Sometimes the shape was a bear or a horse, or maybe someone’s hand, a pair of boots, bull horns and the like. Gene said, “I guess I always had an eye for shapes and figures. I would clip out drawings I’d seen in magazines and keep them around for inspiration.” Through the years he started venturing into other mediums: various metals, wood and leather. Gene said, “One day I was www.ncwgoodlife.com

A bench with a view for Dennis This 2-hour project turned into all morning with lots of diversions — Dennis would have been proud By Jim Russell

Invitations to work on hiking

trails sound like slipping in mud and working too hard and too long without a bathroom break, so I avoid them. Then Neal Hedges, the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust stewardship director, invited me to install a memorial bench in the Horse Lake Reserve. I immediately agreed, prepared to endure whatever it took. The 1,500-acre reserve in the Wenatchee Foothills was formed from two homesteads minutes from downtown. It has outstanding habitat for mule deer, elk, upland game birds and reptiles. People can hike miles of trails with vistas of the Northwest Cascades Mountains and Wenatchee Valley. The bench honors Dennis Garrity, a close friend and hiking companion who lured me into originally volunteering for the Land Trust. He was a longtime vice president of the organization who wrote in his last bio, “Knowing that we are leaving a lasting legacy in the form of properties and easements that will enhance our community in perpetuity has been very satisfying.” Neal said the work would take two hours, so to avoid time pressure, I blocked out the entire morning. Dennis would have been proud of me. I usually schedule appointments too tightly. Seven of us drove to pick up the bench stored in the Burts

Dennis Garrity and his hiking companion Ponze: He did retirement right.

Jim Russell poses at the finally installed bench. Bench photos by Neal Hedges

Barn, named after one of the homestead families. I ignored a nearby, insignificant dilapidated shed leaning through its last years solely for historical preservation as nearly as I could tell. Neal immediately stuck his head inside to see if a rattlesnake was still there. I wondered if the Land Trust was protecting reptiles by housing them. That led me to wonder where the missing rattlesnake was and whether it preferred the sturdier barn. We didn’t see it. We loaded a pickup with the bench, bags of concrete mix, jugs of water, work tools and a two-wheeled cart. Having already worked steadi-

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ly for five minutes, Neal offered us a tour of the barn where a Great Horned Owl usually hid during daylight. Who could pass up such a tour? Neal said structural engineers tightened up nuts and bolts on the Burts Barn to safely store equipment and materials for land stewardship. The resident owl was gone, but an aged road grader stored there was for sale if someone was interested. So far I’d worked five minutes, seen no rattlesnake or owl and been offered a road grader. We were a leisurely, distractible group. Neal said It was time to install the bench so we’d take the

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| October 2013

shortcut through the former farmlands. First he explained the fields were being plowed to replant native species on the Wallace Homestead. The Wallace family wanted their land preserved and restored. John Wallace said, “I did not want to see this area covered with homes and I wanted the public to be able to enjoy the property.” Two Burts brothers, Lee and Everett, had already successfully replanted with native species. Replacing farmland with native species is usually not profitable so they sold the land to the Land Trust on condition it preserved the land and paid the taxes. We were learning about stewardship but running behind on the installation. We unloaded the materials 50 yards below the overlook. The wood in the bench was cut from Douglas Fir and attached to steel legs welded together by Don Poirier of Olalla Canyon north of Cashmere. While one worker pushed the bench up the trail on the twowheel cart, the rest of us lugged

At some point Neal was on his hands and knees near the bench studying a plant I’d call a weed with insects on it. materials and tools in 10 minutes of steady work. My strength was holding up. We oriented the bench by taking turns sitting on it to evaluate the best panorama of the Wenatchee River flowing from the North Cascades into the Columbia River flowing south from the Canadian Rockies. That included identifying mountains such as Glacier Peak and Mount Stuart. Neal had earlier taken Dennis’ wife, Jeanie Garrity, to this site as the first of several options for the bench. “This is it,” she said. “Don’t you want to see the others?” asked Neal. “No, this is the one. I can feel it.” By then I’d recovered from carrying a bag of concrete mix and was ready to dig until someone said we had to align the bench with the ridge line. To my view the ridge line wobbled so I stayed silent until we had a consensus on alignment. At some point Neal was on his hands and knees near the bench studying a plant I’d call a weed

It took a lot of sitting by work party members to get Dennis’ bench aligned for the best panoramic view of the hills around the Wenatchee Valley.

with insects on it. That discovery brought Phil Archibald to his knees. Phil is a retired biologist from the U.S. Forest Service who is a voluntary Site Steward for Land Trust riparian properties on the Entiat River. The two concluded the bench wouldn’t disturb their habitat, so it was time to work. Luckily, we hadn’t squashed the insects. We shifted the bench until we could dig four holes in the rocky soil deep enough to hold half-afoot of concrete. We took turns pounding with a spike to chip rocks out of the hole, followed by pouring in concrete mix,

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adding water and stirring it with trowels. With two people per bench leg, four of us took turns working on legs and three of us observed and chatted. We spent the whole morning installing Dennis’ memorial that we might have finished in two hours. Dennis would have been ecstatic with that pace because he loved to talk, learn and serve. My favorite memory of him is an August night camping with two friends atop Mission Ridge to see the Perseid meteor showers above us and the Sunnyslope wildfires north of us.

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Into that spectacular, congenial evening Dennis stimulated another discussion. “You know, I think I’m doing retirement better than all you guys,” he said. He counseled us against our too tightly scheduled retirements. I’d followed his lead on this project. Neal had more in mind than installing a memorial bench. He fulfilled the Land Trust’s commitment to land protection, education, stewardship, trails and landowner services. Dennis would have been pleased.

BACKPACKING with children

It’s sweet, but requires extra effort, planning and a change in mindset for folks used to long distance trips without kids By Marlene Farrell Photos by Kevin Farrell

Mr. Bubbles awaits!

It is day five of our eight-day backpack trip in Yellowstone National Park. Our children, Quentin, age 8, and Alice, age 6, know the routine of breakfast and packing up, but they have never been speedy. They burrow in their sleeping bags like wary marmots, or they steamroll each other and wreak havoc in the tent. Once they finally emerge, they are too busy playing to eat breakfast, and they will set their Tupperware bowls on the ground, unconcerned of the dirt that will likely be kicked in their oatmeal. But today their granola disappears in big gulps, and teeth are brushed and hair is even

Alice Farrell takes her turn leading the family into the wilderness.

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| October 2013

combed before the second reminder. And now I’m chasing after Alice who is running up the trail. We’ve left our backpacks at camp this morning, so running is possible. We all share the excitement; Kevin and I are as giddy as the kids. We are returning to Mr. Bubbles, one of the most extraordinary hot springs imaginable. We spent over three hours in Mr. Bubbles the day before and now we are back. Mr. Bubbles could squeeze 50 eager tourists in its spacious pool where a boiling hot spring meets the chilly Ferris Fork of the Bechler River, churning around a central column of steaming bubbles. But we have it to ourselves! We can bask in the spots of perfect temperature and sandy bottom. Quentin and Alice invent a game, in which we throw their flip-flops into the spouting bubbles and they swim after them before they get too close to the hot creek or rushing river. Mr. Bubbles is about 15 trail miles from Old Faithful, in Yellowstone National Park. Only one in 100 visitors to the park ventures into the backcountry.

Time to rest, read a book and soak in nature along Shoshone Creek.

Alice, our younger child, has been backpacking since she was two. That statistic ensures that 15 miles, or even just a few miles, is enough to give us our fantastic

solitude. So need you ask, is it worth the trouble to backpack with kids? The answer is a “Yes” that is full of memories that cannot be replicated anywhere else but on a trail, together, with just the stuff we can carry on our backs. Backpacking, once you have the gear to be comfortable and safe, is pretty simple. Backpacking with kids, however, requires

extra effort, planning and a change in mindset for folks used to long distance trips without kids. These are the lessons I have learned from our recent trips. First, a rough limit to your mileage should be your child’s age. Alice, our younger child, has been backpacking since she was two. That year we did two nights

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and averaged three miles a day. Now she’s 6 and can hike up to eight miles, but we want to keep the average at 6 miles or less per day. Five or six miles, day after day, might still seem like a lot for kids, but it is achievable if your route is flat and you take lots of breaks. When our children were small

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BACKPACKING with children }}} Continued from previous page we backpacked along the beaches in the Olympic National Park. A kid can hike (or more often than not, run) on a flat or downhill trail for long periods of time, while ascending requires many breaks and sweet incentives. Even this trip, which has inevitable elevation change, has more down than up because it follows the Bechler River as it flows from the Continental Divide to the edge of the park. The hiking isn’t arduous while we are having fun conversations or playing guessing games. Our trail talks are windows into how Quentin and Alice think. There are no phones, computers, homework, or jobs to do while we walk, so paying attention to each other is a part of paying attention to the beauty around us. We do round-robin stories to pass the time. Alice’s stories involve charismatic animals like Buffy the buffalo, and Quentin spends long minutes describing the intricate workings of machines. We hike near water almost continuously. Our breaks are true highlights because we shed our shoes, play in creeks, fish for little trout, find frogs or snakes, and rest in the long soft grass reading a book aloud.

The family had to prepare for possible run-ins with bear, but luckily, the big animals stayed in the distance.

When we ask our kids to cover so much ground in a day, in return, we need to let them linger over the huckleberries and thimbleberries on the sides of the trail, and tell us when we need a break to do a Mad Lib word game together and munch some candy. When we start our backpack trip, Kevin and I are saddled with half our weight in gear and mostly food. Quentin and Alice carry closer to one-sixth of their weight. While our packs slim

A campfire at Firehole Springs — s’mores anyone?

down over the days, theirs stay about the same. We know what could make or break a trip, and it depends on location and time of year. At the coast we worry about rain and the headlands, going around them through tides or over them

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up muddy ropes. In Yellowstone we are anxious about bears, bugs, cold weather and water crossings. All of our worries come to naught, thankfully, but we are prepared, nonetheless, with bear spray, head nets, down layers and explicit

Marlene crosses a bridge — when the adults start out, they are carrying about half of their weight in food and gear.

family plans for bear encounters and water crossings. The first aid kit comes out frequently, and we’re glad we stuffed it with Band-Aids of all sizes, antibiotic ointment and cortisone. The cuts and scrapes happen most frequently in the afternoon, in that last mile, or in camp itself while the kids are exploring and we’re setting up our tent and camp kitchen. The resilience of children is clear as a wounded toe is quickly forgotten in the joy over getting to be the leader or with the welltimed surprise of a lollipop. It is the little things that make

a backpack trip with kids special. We spend two nights at a wooded campsite with a path leading down to a beach on wide, calm Shoshone Lake. Quentin and Alice, with Kevin’s help, construct a rudimentary sailboat out of sticks, a rock, a feather and some dental floss. This funny contraption, christened Sandy, gives us hours of entertainment as Quentin splashes out to set sail and it makes its way back, inevitably, to shore. Alice cheers as Sandy approaches and quickly retrieves it, holding this treasure care-

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fully. These moments become part of our family legacy, and it is a colorful one already. The waterfalls, sunsets, s’mores, skinnydipping and snuggling in a tent together are worth the stubbed toes, aching backs and unwashed stink that are also part of the equation. And I know that our kids agree. When not engaged as mom, Marlene Farrell writes and shares her love of running through coaching kids. She also loves to hike, bike and ski with her husband and kids and keeps up with them for now.

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The dominant green color and the deep rust were chosen to match the colors of springtime in the surrounding hills.

Bohemian Rhapsody Chic

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By Susan Lagsdin Photos by Donna Cassidy

It’s likely, if you’ve sunk your

savings into a lot and anticipate building your home there, that you’d take at least a stroll around the perimeter — maybe

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| October 2013

find out how the wine and sunset meet, look for the flat spot. Gretchen Bevis and Bud Fritz didn’t need a walkabout. They had already lived in the small house on their 2.4 acre lot for 20 years when they confidently handed over her dream home sketches to architect Ryan Kelso

The front door is centered with a security window. Gretchen said, ”These light fixtures were supposed to hang down, but I like ‘em this way, don’t you?”

and then hired builder Randy Gold. “You know why this new place is shaped the way it is? We’d been living on the property for so long I knew the weather, and I knew every way the sun comes in. I also knew the views would be a lot better from upstairs!” Gretchen, owner and designer, proudly lead her visitors around one of the more distinctive homes in the neighborhood. Their original house was set back nearer to Brender Creek, but zoning changes meant a 50 foot move forward. The new

One of the pleasures of the rooftop terrace is wide-open views of surrounding orchards and foothills that had been blocked by trees in their older home.

house with 3,747 square feet of living space is vastly different in shape and style but it did carry on the couple’s favorite colors of green, red and gold. There was talk of corrugated metal around the base and tower, but the industrial look was jarring, so they went with high-quality faux river rock instead. Stamped terra cotta driveway concrete contrasts with workaday asphalt, there’s a perfect snow-deflecting curve of entryway roof and the doorbell and door knocker are both eye-

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catching and loud. And, yes, the two-story tower, reached by interior and exterior spiral iron stairs, was featured in Gretchen’s first sketches. A wraparound walkway offers views of Cashmere’s foothills. The first story “round room” is a welcoming living area just off the kitchen; the upstairs “round room” is guest quarters. “I guess I’d call this style ‘Bohemian Rhapsody Chic,’” said Gretchen. Peshastin born and bred, she’s the daughter and sister of architect/builders, so she had

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basic knowledge as well as encouragement. Her husband Bud acknowledges that he stayed in the background all during the construction, letting her deal with details. And, as an artist comfortable in many media, from acting and dance to quilting and painting, she brought design flair to the project. The couple’s twin downstairs offices flank a roofed patio that’s sheltered from sun and wind. Upstairs on the 1,400 square foot New York-style terrace (“I

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Bohemian Rhapsody Chic }}} Continued from previous page loved those rooftops when I lived there!” Gretchen said), the guest bedroom wall deflects harsh elements. Big rock planters and iron rail were placed to protect the ground floor patio’s skylight. Eclectic furnishing and muchloved memorabilia warm the interior. “I’m into clutter,” Gretchen stated unapologetically. But some of that is her own or collected art work, some are family heirlooms: a framed print from her mother’s childhood bedroom, the glass front bookcase and cat shaped door knocker from great grandfather. Gretchen was responsible for the form and function of every nook, like the high built-in bed cupboard in her office, and every Floor slate surrounds the circular woodstove, a source of visual pleasure and alternate heat. Radiant flooring provides most winter warmth.

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cranny, like the just-right corner cook pot shelves. A distinctive choice throughout the house was earthtone rock, including pebbled and grouted bathroom flooring, tiled showers (one a steam shower, kind of a glass sauna) and quartz countertops. Huge irregular slabs of slate, with hydronic radiant heating underneath, were jigsawed into place on most floors. In the oblique-angled kitchen,

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

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Bud and Gretchen, longtime locals, married in middle age, and have comfortably customized their new living space to accommodate acquired interests.

“I really wanted to build an underground house, but we knew we wanted to stay on this property a long time. I figured foot-thick concrete was the next best thing!” hickory cabinets and a room-dividing island were custom fit by Milo from Ovenell Custom Cabinets and complement good steel appliances. Deep wood trim on doors, dark pecan wood Venetian blinds, golds and greens on the walls create a look that’s substantial and comfortable. Gretchen admits some of the rooms are a bit too small, but that’s offset by well-conceived bonuses: the master bedroom’s

on the sunset side (no blinding morning sun), with a full size laundry nearby. A “Murphy table” in her office wall gives Gretchen sewing space when she needs it. Glass doors in each room open to the outside. A wall mount vacuum system saves time and labor. The upstairs guest suite is available anytime for family or caregiver, but is easily left unused. Also on the rooftop, a storage room replaces the typical attic and contains a nifty indulgence — an actual four-foot by eight-foot freight elevator to and from the spacious garage below it. The most important structural feature is unseen until you notice the 12-inch deep window sills. Insulated concrete form (or “ICF”) construction challenged the builders for a year. Custom cutting and gluing the radius pieces, angling walls and supporting the top floor meant a steep learning curve, but builder Gold said, “it was a fun job, one October 2013 | The Good Life

This spiral staircase to the guest suite has a twin outside that leads up to the rooftop, but full time living is easy enough on the ground floor.

of the first big ones I’ve tried — kind of like working with Legos. It took extra time — but now we really know how to do ICF!” Made of concrete, rebar and foam, that increasingly-popular building material accepts the smooth matte stucco coating, moderates high-low temperatures and effectively soundproofs the house from outside noise. Gretchen said, “I really wanted to build an underground house, but we knew we wanted to stay on this property a long time. I figured foot-thick concrete was the next best thing!” Sometimes the next best thing is followed by the next worse thing. It has been an emotional www.ncwgoodlife.com

few years of highs and lows for this house and this couple. Gretchen’s mother’s death from breast cancer in the spring of 2010 suddenly meant a spendable inheritance for three siblings, and Gretchen had wanted for years to design and build a house. So she did. But this year, Gretchen’s own similar cancer diagnosis and treatment has meant cutting back on activity. There’s a sad reason they had the wherewithal to build, but it’s resulted in a very good house for Gretchen to recuperate in. The whimsy of the first-glance design still delights her, and she and Bud are happily settled in with all the comforts of home surrounding them.

column THE TRAVELing DOCTOR

jim brown, m.d.

Selling sunshine Going Solar at our home turned out to be a SNAP

t might seem a bit crazy for someone our age to start a new business, but we have. We are now SNAP energy producers, and our business is converting the sun’s energy into electricity. SNAP stands for “sustainable natural alternative power.” For some time we had thought about harnessing solar energy. Nearly every day we look up at the marvelous energy source in the sky above us and wonder why we weren’t tapping into this free resource. We have long been concerned about our reliance on fossil fuel and its affect on the environment. The 96 percent of scientists who say our earth is warming have convinced us, and we believe that we humans have something to do with that warming. Over 12 years ago my wife bought the second Prius sold in our valley. In 2006 she traded for a newer Prius, so for 12 years she has been averaging 46 miles a gallon of gasoline. I wanted that same savings, so now I drive a hybrid and wouldn’t consider not having one. A big part of our motivation was trying to do our part in reducing carbon emissions. For my whole life our country has been relying on carbonbased fuels. When I was younger, gasoline was very cheap, and no one thought about the cost or the possible environmental effects resulting from burning fossil fuel. We didn’t need to

Jim and Lynn Brown have installed a solar panel array covering a portion of their deck. The array provides shade on hot days, while the panels quietly generate electricity that is sold back to the Chelan County PUD.

import fuel from Middle East countries because we seemed to have plenty of it. There were even gas wars to see which stations could sell gas the cheapest at a time when gasoline was selling for only 21 cents a gallon. Yes, I am pretty ancient to remember those days. Today we are becoming more energy independent again due to the discovery of new oil and gas reserves and with the fracking method that has released more of this fuel for our use and

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export. I am not opposed to this, but as our use of fossil-based fuel continues to grow with the expanding world’s population, I wonder at what the environmental cost will be to future generations. The world’s population is on track to reach 9.6 billion by 2050 and 11 billion by 2100 — 700 million more than was projected only two years ago. There is no question that new energy sources will be needed in the future.

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Hello sunshine! We have been puzzled that solar hasn’t taken off like it should in our country. National Geographic magazine said that every hour the sun beams onto the earth enough energy to satisfy our global energy needs for the entire year. That figure is almost impossible to imagine or even believe. Solar energy is an inexhaustible fuel source that is environmentally safe and is sent to us free of charge. All we need to do is harness it. That’s where solar panels come in. Solar panels use lenses and mirrors to concentrate sunlight into small beams. Solar cells produce a direct current (DC), which fluctuates with the sun’s intensity. This DC is then converted into alternating current (AC) by a solar inverter and sent back to the power grid rather than consumed at our home. Currently solar technology produces less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the global energy demand. Slowly that is changing. As solar technology becomes less expense, its use is growing. In fact there has been a 20 percent increase annually for the last 15 years, but still, as I said, the overall total energy by solar production is minuscule compared to that from fossil fuels. Currently large megawatt solar plants are being built all over the world in the U.S., Spain, Canada, Italy, France and even in grey-sky Germany. The world’s largest solar plant, producing over 700 megawatts, is being completed this year in the Mojave Desert in California. (Electricity is measured in watts and a kilowatt is 1,000 watts and a megawatt is 1,000

... once this is built and operational no further work is required. kilowatts. A 60-watt light bulb will use 0.06-kilowatt hours of energy per hour. A typical coal power station produces around 600–700 megawatts. A typical unit in a nuclear power plant has an electrical power output of 900–1,300 megawatts.) Lynn and I had been thinking about putting in solar power at our south facing home in Sunnyslope for some time. Several years ago we had Rich Brooks, solar consultant in Chelan, evaluate our location and give us an estimate for what going solar would cost. At that time there didn’t seem to be any local company that was set up to provide and build the entire package, and it was uncertain if the panels would be manufactured in Washington state, which is a requirement for a state subsidy. In addition, since our electrical rates in Chelan country are so low at 2.7 cents per kilowatthour, it did not seem to make financial sense to move ahead with our dream. We already were benefiting locally by our abundant renewable hydropower, so we shelved the project. There are now several incentives in place to encourage investment in solar and wind energy production. The state of Washington waived sales tax for installing solar projects if the panels were purchased from a Washington state manufacturer and if the project was completed by June 30, 2013. It looked too good to pass up. Our 24 panels are four-feet by four-feet and each weigh 50 pounds and were manufactured by Silicon Energy in Marysville. In recent tests by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

Silicon Energy came out on Occasionally the PUD top nationally for the duwould have articles about rability of their panels. As people in the Leavenworth of March 2013, their panels area who had put in solar have been installed on systems. Our interest was 1,500 projects nationwide. sparked again, because it Our federal government seemed a more realistic has incentives for solar and possibility to do this now. wind producers as well, Mark told us he was so 30 percent of the inihaving a solar display on tial costs can be deducted Earth Day, May 5, in Leavfrom one’s income tax as enworth so we decided to a federal tax credit for go and see what he was up projects completed by Dec. to. I talked with some of 31, 2016. his happy customers, and Additionally, the state we decided then to move of Washington Renewahead. He was certain they able Energy Cost Recovery could finish the project incentive payment reimbefore the state’s sales tax burses the producers 56 deadline of June 30, 2013. cents a kilowatt-hour of (Since we installed our soelectricity generated, up to lar project the Washington a maximum of $5,000 anState legislature has exnually if the solar panels tended the sales tax credit Blocks of solar cells are arrayed on panels laid on were manufactured in the beams over the deck. While some solar systems for five years, through June state of Washington. This store electricity in batteries for household use, this 30, 2018.) incentive runs through The next day he and system immediately returns the generated electricJune 30, 2020. Mark Pulse of Pulse ity to the grid. In addition, the Chelan Construction in LeavenCounty PUD’s SNAP prowork is required. worth came to our home gram reimburses SNAP producIn April, I was talking with in Wenatchee, and the plans ers 14 cents a KWH for energy Mark Karnofsky, an electrician were drawn up to put the panels generated. These incentives with Leavenworth Electric. He along our roof covering most of allow the investors to recoup told me they had been busy put- our deck. their investment in about six to ting in residential solar systems They finished their job in 10 seven years. in the Leavenworth and Plain days, and we were delighted How many businesses can pay areas. with their work. After the off their investment that quickLynn and I have been contrib- electrical inspector approved ly? Another plus is once this is utors to the Chelan County PUD the project, the Chelan PUD built and operational no further SNAP program for many years. installed the solar meter and inverter as well as a new bidirectional electric meter. On July 1, 2013, we started generating electricity. Consumption varies greatly So how are we doing? Lynn’s solar generation would between homes and seasonally, After the first 60 days in opever exceed their consumption. eration, we have generated 1,644 but an average home in Chelan But they can hope to recoup kilowatt-hours of electricity, an County uses approximately their investment in the solar average of 27.4 kilowatts-hours 22,000 kilowatt hours of electric- equipment, reduce their condaily. It is exciting to us to see ity per year, according to Susan sumption of utility-delivered that we are harnessing the abunGillin, the SNAP program coordi- power and take advantage of an dant sunlight as well as doing nator for Chelan County PUD. abundant, non-polluting resomething to help our environ“Last year (before Jim and source — all while shading their ment. Lynn joined up) our SNAP new extended deck,” said Gillin. We only wish we had done it producers generated a total of By the way, she added: “I’ve earlier. 175,142 kilowatt hours of energy, seen the installation; it’s lovely.” a record. That amount of energy Jim Brown, M.D., is a retired gastroTo learn more about SNAP, visit: is enough to power about eight enterologist who has practiced for 38 chelanpud.org/snap.html. Chelan County homes,” she said. years in the Wenatchee area. He is a former CEO of the Wenatchee Valley “It’s unlikely that Jim and

earning money sitting in the shade

Medical Center.

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column GARDEN OF DELIGHTS

bonnie orr

Oh my god, it is anchovies

ndrea Camilleri’s Inspector Montalbano Mystery stories are set in Sicily; the Inspector is an enthusiastic eater. He describes the food Use a curly pasta he savors each evening such as rigatoni, or after a hard day’s detecgemelli so the chunky tive work. sauce stays on the In The Smell of the noodles. Finely Night, I was intrigued chopped ingredients by the food descripwill stick more easily tions. One that totally as well. I experimentcaught my interest was ed with the author’s the meal that included descriptions to create this recipe. anchovies. Anchovies are em Serves 4 bedded in Spanish, 1 hour preparation Portuguese and Mediand cooking terranean cuisine, and often left out when the 1 pound curly pasta dishes are translated for 3 tablespoons olive the American palate. It oil is unfortunate because You can make a dinner and table setting to match the colors of 1 large onion finely the Italian flag (red, green and white) with Inspector Montalanchovies provide a chopped bano Pasta. subtle richness to a 2 cloves garlic finely sauce that cannot be chopped as a paste in a tube. 2 mashed anchovies substituted for anything else. If you want to experiment, buy 2 tablespoons capers My first anchovy experience the paste because you can use 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives was my early 20s and was not a just as much as you think you 1 small jalapeno finely chopped happy one — it was an anchovy can stand; the paste lasts forever (optional) and cashew nut pizza ordered in the refrigerator. 1 large, sweet bell pepper finely by a fascinating, attractive man, Most recipes call for only a few chopped who gobbled the pizza with canned fillets, and the remain8 fresh tomatoes — preferable relish, while I nibbled. It had to der can be frozen. Anchovies are Roma or San Marzano have been a sign that we were mashed into a paste and dis1/4 cup chopped parsley not going to be compatible in solved into other ingredients in 1 1/2 cups grated Pecorino cheese many ways. Black pepper many recipes. Since then, I have indulged in If you not want to reveal the 1. Boil 4 quarts of salted water. the rather trite Caesar’s Salad, anchovies to your queasy dining 2. Fry the onions in the oil until they which has gone out of style unfriends, they will never suspect are wilted. less you have your own chickens the little bit of fish because an3. Add the garlic; cook for another providing fresh, safe eggs. chovies taste savory rather than two minutes. Spaghetti alla Puttanesca, the fishy. 4. Stir in the anchovies, capers, Naplenese dish, includes anchoParsley is almost always a olives and peppers. Cover. Simmer for vies whose taste is lost because compliment to anchovies. three minutes. Turn off the heat. of American cooks’ penchant for Leftovers with anchovies tend 5. Chop the tomatoes and add to over-cooking spaghetti sauce. to get stronger in the same way sauce. The drier, meatier ones make Anchovies, a type of herring, that Asian meals that include a denser sauce. If you use other are filleted and packed in either fish sauce are not appetizing the fresh tomatoes, seed, chop and drain salt or oil. They can be purbefore adding the tomatoes to the next day. (Asian fish sauce essauce. chased in a flat can, a bottle or sentially is liquid anchovies.)

Inspector Montalbano Pasta

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6. Drain the pasta when it is cooked al dente — still a bit firm with no hard centers and put into a large bowl. 7. Pour the sauce on the pasta and stir well. Add pepper to taste. 8. Add the cheese and stir again. Sprinkle with parsley 9. Serve with fabulous bread and red wine. Feeling adventuresome yet?

Moroccan Orange Salad

(From the Mediterranean Herb Cookbook by Georgeanne Brennan) Serves 4 15 minutes prep; 2 hours chilling 2 tablespoons orange juice 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 4 salt-packed anchovy fillets, rinsed 1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil 3 oranges peeled and segmented 4 tablespoons chopped chives 1. Cut each orange segment in half crosswise. 2. Mix the vinaigrette ingredients thoroughly until they are smooth and thick. 3. Pour the vinaigrette over the oranges. Mix in 2 tablespoons of the chives. 4. Chill then garnish with remaining chives.

Anchovy pizza made with thick, fresh tomato paste IS actually delicious. Anchovies are the magic ingredient in minestrone soup. They are wonderful in the sauce for a potato salad. Enjoy all the new tastes. Bonnie Orr — the dirt diva

— cooks and gardens in East Wenatchee.

PET PIX

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

his picture with my dog, Rogue, and Anastasia Berezhnaya was taken this spring at Ancient Lakes, which is one of the first hiking areas open after winter. Anastasia and her sister Nella Berezhnaya, friends of mine, had asked if I would take them there to show them since they had never been before. Rogue was just about four months old at the time and still developing some hiking skills and coordination. On this shot Ana was sitting on a ledge overlooking Dusty Lake and using a hand signal to keep Rogue back from the edge. This was the first day she met Rogue and since then Anastasia has become a favorite of Rogue, taking care of him whenever I leave town. They are best buds and have walked, hiked and ran many miles together. — Michael Bendtsen

inger came to us via our daughter and sonin-law, Tiffany and Aaron Mathison, who own orchards. Ginger was dropped off in one of their orchards when she was just a few pounds of fluff, and a few weeks old. She was huddled up next to the burning slash pile trying to keep warm. The field hand found her and brought her up to the house. That was seven Februarys ago. Tiffany wasn’t able to keep Ginger because of all the predatory animals in and around orchards, so “Grandma” was called. Because Ginger was so small, and totally dependent on us, we started bringing her to the office. Since then she has become the mascot of Ness and Ivanick Insurance Agency, and our clients look forward to being greeted by Ginger. — Aylette Ness

October 2013 | The Good Life

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column moving up to the good life

june darling

Try walking on the wild side step out of your rut — You Might Get Lucky

ven in October, husband, John and I can be found boating in Puget Sound. “Fun,” you may think. Fun is not what I was thinking when John first proposed buying a trawler several years ago. As I have advanced in years, I find that on an adventure scale of 1-10 high, I am about a 1. My mind was on how I get seasick, how I like to paint on gigantic canvasses, how I love my friends and family on land, how I have important work to do, and how pirates roam the high seas. Fast forward to today.

I wear wrist bands for sea sickness (I hardly need them anymore). I write instead of paint. I make a point of seeing my friends and family when we are not boating. And I can do much of my work before, after, or during boating. I congratulate myself for getting a bit out of my rut. As it turns out, getting out of our ruts may be one thing which can help us live a more “charmed life” according to the UK researcher and psychologist, Richard Wiseman. You may recall that I wrote of his research in an earlier article. Wiseman searched for people who considered themselves either lucky or unlucky. He found over 400 willing subjects to investigate. What Wiseman found

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is that people largely make their own luck or misfortune in several ways. No surprise, as I wrote earlier, lucky people are very skilled in making lemonade out of lemons. One man broke his leg during the research. Wiseman asked, “Do you still consider yourself lucky?” The guy looked at him incredulously, “Of course, I could have broken my neck!” Lucky folks are experts at reframing unlucky things into lucky ones. I revisit that idea because we need to remember the lucky silver linings approach to life as we are putting the next lucky idea into practice. Luckies get out of their rut. They change things up a bit. For example, one man said that to

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| October 2013

make parties more interesting and lucky he talked to every person who was wearing a red shirt or blouse. As it turns out, according to Wiseman, this bit of openness to new experience pays off. Luckies have a number of “lucky” encounters which result in new friends, new loves, new customers, new learning, new businesses, new business contacts — in general, new opportunities. I was thinking about this when John and I docked our power boat (we own it along with several partners) recently in Kingston Harbor. We disembarked and took a very ordinary

...on another recent boat trip. Several of us jumped on a Ferris wheel. I think I was eight years old when I last did that. walk around town. I was wondering how we might spice it up and get lucky. Not too far away I noticed a huge skate park. It was “tagged” with a lot of graffiti and “illegal” art as we later found out. Five tattooed skateboarders were talking and occasionally riding their skateboards around. I said to my husband, “Let’s infiltrate.” He was game. The skateboarders noticed that we were coming their way. They turned their backs. We walked up to them and started asking them questions about the skate park. We veered into other subjects and spent about 15 minutes or so chatting. We learned their views on several interesting topics and left. We walked on. When we got to the bottom of the street, my husband and I looked at each other. We both had big smiles on our faces. “That was fun,” he said. I agreed. Lucky people do that sort of thing a lot. I have decided to do more, small out-of-your-rut things to see what happens. For example,

I am really in a rut about what I read. Normally my books are nonfiction tombs, I mean tomes: philosophy, psychology, religion, communication, business and education. But, with my new get-out-of-your-rut-and-seewhat-happens approach, I am mixing it up a little. For our last boat trip, I picked up a magazine that I would normally never ever read, Rolling Stone. Believe it or not, Mick Jagger is still alive (although he looks dead). I am enjoying several other books that I would usually not consider reading for a millisecond. For example, Loud as Hell, a book about heavy metal music, borders on fascinating. I’ve become totally smitten by the mostly deplorable antics of the characters in a huge, old, masterpiece written by Thackeray in 1848, Vanity Fair. Another example of a little rut hopping was on another recent boat trip. Several of us jumped

on a Ferris wheel. I think I was eight years old when I last did that. Okay, I realize reading different magazines and books and riding a Ferris wheel are babyget-out-of-your-rut-steps, but did you notice the part about ME being on the boat? I’ve even taken the helm. Now come on, that’s pretty big for a girl born in the hills of Tennessee. I expect I may become lucky very soon.

Don’t become a statistic.

In the meantime, it’s refreshing and different and fun to veer just a little off the beaten track. Perhaps you would like to join me. How might you get out of your rut and 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

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Shepherds What’s happened to the herring gulls, that ubiquitous bicker? Where are the many who’d scream and wheel above our island picnics, faces tilted, cocked-eye to the blueberry pie on the smooth rock below? Now in their place, double-crested cormorants,

Poet turned from the tactile to the telling

and their attendant gathering of terns that twist and twitter in a hunger flash, cacophonous confetti-cloud, fork-tailed and meanmouthed,

Cynthia Neely noted

the slightly roughened graygreen surface of the midSeptember lake, glassy only shortly before. “Oh, just wait a bit,” she said, “that’s going to change in a few minutes; there’ll be whitecaps within an hour.” A good reminder that one of the singular pleasures of place is being still and quiet in it, feeling intimately how the weather works. Honing her awareness of nature and feeding her imagination are three home places she loves, shared with her husband, musician/writer Tom Davies. She moves easily between her family’s third generation island getaway near Ontario, Canada, a log cabin high up Mountain Home Road in Leavenworth, and her glass-fronted house on Lake Wenatchee. The lake house is filled with her paintings, and its environs fill her poems. A life-long visual artist, Cynthia started her career working with textiles and tapestries, and then went on to pastels and paint. Visual art was an adequate voice for years, but in 2005 she desperately needed words and so turned to writing. It was 16 years after her

snatching minnows scared up by the surging tide of cormorants, this flock they shepherd. Seven big boats in the bay today - still the loons protect their nest, hoot and flap: over here! over here! I can’t help them.

Poet and artist Cynthia Neely sometimes finds creativity in nature.

Visual art was an adequate voice for years, but in 2005 she desperately needed words... cancer had caused the death of her unborn child. She said, “I knew that year my son would be learning to drive, teaching a younger brother about girls, looking at colleges… I needed to express myself with language and eventually pushed past all the other forms of self-expression.” She discovered it was the nuance and spare power of poetry, more than fiction or es-

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say, that enabled her to share her thoughts most clearly. At Wenatchee Valley College, she participated in Derek Sheffield’s creative writing classes, receiving encouragement from her mentors and peers. Kudos, publication and recognition from Iowa State University, the Bellevue Library and The Writers Chronicle also buoyed her resolve to seriously write poetry. That led her to a rigorous two-year writing program at Pacific College in Forest Grove, Ore. “I needed the discipline, the motivation to work toward something and to complete a project,” said Cynthia. She said she wrote constantly, critiquing in the company of fine fellow students, and read 80 books of and about

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| October 2013

Or the gulls. Or my son who is fledged and flexing his own hollow-shafted wings, trying to divide and divine the answer from its promise. I no longer take the first burning bite from the silver-handled spoon. No need, too-late, to stroke his back, clear a path through the detritus of his room, books and ancient underwear, damp towels on the floor, Lego long forgotten in a drawer. I cradle a baby swallow flung from his neat nest, spindle-necked and patch of downy crown, sallow fat along his twig-fine breastbone. Shad-flies I stuff down that absurdly open throat hold him here for only a moment. — by Cynthia Neely

“Yes — I want people to understand me. I hate reading a poem I just can’t get.” poetry. At age 60, this past June she received her M.F.A. in Creative Writing. She works at her craft, but not as a daily regimen — sometimes ideas and words come in frenetic

bursts, sometimes in slow drafts after a long dry period. Despite her love of geographic beauty, she’s learned to write when the emotion calls: in the hospital waiting room, in line at the airport. And she’s been pushed by her editors to revise for pitch-perfect sound and sense. Revision, most writers’ most onerous task — is a necessity. A poem rarely arrives full-blown and polished on the page. The initial thought that impels it may stay, but revision culls verbiage and rearranges the parts. Cynthia explained, “You may

find the first part of the poem you wrote was just a catalyst, and then comes that elusive ending you didn’t expect — and the reader shares a sense of discovery that comes with no agenda.” She said her work has been called accessible, a sometimes tricky compliment for artwork, but one she treasures. “Yes — I want people to understand me. I hate reading a poem I just can’t get.” Her poetry is rich with tactile imagery, perhaps reflecting her years of responding to color, textures and patterns as a visual

artist. “Sometimes I just can’t help but write — just one little feeling can get me going.” She’s equally moved by scenes in nature and continues to paint expressionistic landscapes. Small moments of beauty and sudden reflections on life may inspire her, but big projects suit her working style. Right now Cynthia is doing long range planning for a local gallery exhibit that will weave together her twin talents: a roomful of poems inspired by her paintings and paintings inspired by her poems. — by Susan Lagsdin

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October 2013 | The Good Life

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WHAT TO DO

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

Wenatchee Valley Farmers Market, every Saturday & Wednesday 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. plus the first and third Fridays of every month is an artisan event, 5-8 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. 10/12 will be a baking contest and family pumpkin day. Pybus Market parking lot. Cost: free. U-Press cider, every Saturday and Sunday until 11/3. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Press apples into fresh cider using hand cranked presses. Apples provided, you provide the elbow grease. Sunshine Farm Market, Chelan. Info: sunshinefarmmarket. com. Chelan evening farmers market, every Thursday, 4 – 7 p.m. Over 20 vendors selling produce, hummus, goat cheese, flowers and wool. Emerson Street between Riverwalk Park and Riverwalk Inn. Info: lakechelan.com. Village Art in the Park, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through 10/20, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Outdoor art in Park downtown Leavenworth. Cost: free. Info: villageartinthepark.org. 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 artist welcome. In October through November featured artist will be Vic Detering. Spotlighted artist is Ben Ellis. On 10/12 & 11/9, 5-8 p.m. a reception will be held. Refreshments and music by Kirk Lewellen provided. 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. Family Film series, 10/1, 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. The adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer is a one-man puppet show with a unique blend of mime, puppetry and recorded music and animation in a touching story. Performing Arts Center. Info: pacwen.org. Documentary film Series, 10/3 and every first Thursday. See films on nature and environment, outdoor adventure, arts and culture, food and farming, social and economic justice, health and personal journeys. Confluence at Icicle Creek kicks off the first film. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $10. Info: icicle.org. Wings & Wheels, 10/3-6. Craft and food fair, car show, swap meet, carnival, free kids activities, entertainment, airplane rides, airplane and aviation displays, and remote controlled airplane demonstrations. Free shuttle to all venues. Eastmont Community Park, Red Apple Flyers Field and the airport. East Wenatchee. Cost: free.

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Apple Pie Festival, 10/3, 4 -7 p.m. Enter your pie and win prizes. Live music. Lake Chelan Riverwalk Park. Cost: free. Info: chelanfarmersmarket.org. Australia’s Thunder From Down Under, 10/3, 7:30 p.m. Town Toyota Center. Info: towntoyotacenter.com. Heal Wellness Studio grand opening, 10/4, 4 - 8 p.m. Hors d’oeuvres, beverages will be served. 206 E Woodin Ave. Chelan. Oktoberfest, 10/4-5, 10/11-12, 10/18-19, 1 p.m.- 11 p.m. Live music, German food, arts and crafts, activities for the whole family and oh yeah beer! Downtown Leavenworth. Info: leavenworthoktoberfest.com. Chelan Cruiser’s bicycle night, 10/4 and every first Friday. Bicyclists meet in front of Riverwalk Inn. Enjoy ice cream and then bike off to destinations unknown around Lake Chelan. Cost: free. Info: lakechelan.com. Wenatchee First Fridays, 10/4, 5 – 8 p.m. Walk downtown for art, music, dining and entertainment. Downtown Wenatchee. Two Rivers Art Gallery, 10/4, 5 – 8 p.m. Over 40 local and regional artists show their work here. Local wines and complimentary refreshments. 102 N Columbia, Wenatchee. Cost: free. Info: 2riversgallery.com. Tumbleweed Bead Co., 10/4, 5 8 p.m. Artist Mikael Heins draws maps from memory and occasional photo references and uses an assortment of pastels, colored pencils and fine tip pens. Refreshments served. Cost: free. Info: tumbleweedbeadco.com. Capitol Steps, 10/4, 7:30 – 10:30 p.m. Unique blend of music and po-

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| October 2013

litical comedy. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $27 and $30. Info: icicle.org. All You Can Eat Breakfast, 10/5, 12, 8 – 11 a.m. Pancakes, eggs, sausages, coffee and milk. Leavenworth Lions Club Park. Cost: $6, $3 for ages 3-10, free for military personnel with I.D. Info: leavenworthlions.com. Inward Board I and II, 10/5, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. The Ripple Foundation presents Inward Bound courses this coming Fall and Winter. In its 10th year, Inward Bound is open to all who seek a greater sense of self empowerment and creativity in their life and relationships. The Inward Bound course is a series of indoor classes in which the participants experience a combination of lectures, demonstrations, media presentations, and activities. This course work supports a greater awareness of the correlation between the physical body, habitual thought patterns, systems of beliefs, the mind- body connection, and the energy dynamics within us and around us. Inward Bound Level I — all Saturdays, Oct. 5, 26, Nov. 9, 23 Inward Bound Level II — all Saturdays Jan. 11, 25; Feb. 8, 22. Unitarian Church, East Wenatchee. Info: theripplefoundation.com. Buckner Orchard Harvest Fest, 10/5, 10 a.m. Pick apples and make cider. Community potluck and music. Provided: chili, coffee, juice, plates, utensils and cups. Bring potluck dish, lawn chairs and cider containers. Buckner Orchard and Homestead, Stehekin. Info: bucknerhomestead.org. Fall Harvest Festival, 10/5, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Cider pressing, pumpkin painting, face painting, apple tasting, live music and more. All proceeds go to Bruce Spencer, an organic farmer from Malaga who was hospitalized for over a month

WHAT TO DO

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

in Seattle. Sunshine Farm Market, Chelan. Info: lakechelan.com. Lake Chelan Wedding Show, 10/5, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Wedding vendors, demonstrations, tasty morsels and lots of wine. Campbell’s Resort, River Room and Park Room. Cost: $5. Info: yourlakechelanwedding.com. Mahogany and Merlot vintage boat event, 10/5-6, 10 a.m. On the water boat show with vintage unlimited and limited hydroplanes, antique and classic mahogany runabouts and new woodies. Beer and wine garden food booth and vendors. Don Morse City Park, Chelan. Info: mahoganyandmerlot.com. Crush in the Lake Chelan Wine Valley 10/5 – 10/13, every Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Take part in the crush by grape stomping. Info: lakechelanwinevalley.com. Bra chain, 10/5, 1 p.m. Join Pybus Market as they host what is to be expected the longest bra chain in the Pacific Northwest. The public will tie all of their bras together and walk around Pybus. Once finished all of the bras will be placed on a chandelier and hung from the ceiling until the end of October. Tierra Barn Party 10/5, 3:30 – 8 p.m. Fun, games and activities. Hay rides, face painting, music, catapult contest, and dancing. Potluck at 5:30 p.m. Tierra Learning Center, Leavenworth. Info: tierralearningcenter.org. Icicle Creek Presents The Met: Live in HD opera series, 10/5, 9:55 a.m. and 7 p.m. Eugene Onegin opens. Snowy Owl Theater. Info: icicle.org. Life Choices of Wenatchee Valley’s 30th anniversary event, 10/7, 7 p.m. Eric Metaxas, New York Times #1 best selling author to speak. Performing Arts Center. Cost: $5. Info: pacwen.org. Weeds and Herbicide Use, 10/10, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Presented by WSU Chelan County Extension, Urban Horticulturist and sponsored by Chelan County PUD Parks. North Central Regional Library. Cost: $10. And then there were none, 10/10-12, 17-19, 24-26, 7:30 p.m. and 10/19, 2 p.m. Ten guilty strangers are trapped on an island. One by one they start to die. Mystery

column the night sky this month

Peter Lind

Up for viewing: Mars & Jupiter This month most stargazers

will spend time focusing their attentions on the early evening sky, where bright Venus dominates. It stands guard over two fainter planets, Mercury and Saturn that barely shine through the bright evening sun. Once darkness settles in, the subtler charms of Uranus come to the forefront. This distant icegiant planet reaches opposition and peak visibility early in the month, when it remains visible all night. More experienced observers likely will turn their eyes to the morning sky. There, brightening Comet ISON (C/2012 S1) could become naked-eye visible. If it does, this visitor from the solar system’s depths will put on a spectacular show in November and December. However, it’s Mars and Jupiter that take center stage in the morning this month. Oct. 6 provides the best opportunity to view Mercury and Saturn. From North America that evening, a two-day-old moon lies in the same vicinity. Mercury will sit two degrees south (lower left) of the very small crescent while Saturn perches three degrees northeast (almost directly above) of the moon. Both planets disappear in the sun’s glare during the third week of the month. Saturn will return late next spring and Mercury will be visible off and on comedy by Music Theatre of Wenatchee. Riverside Playhouse. Info: mtow.org. TOWN TOYOTA CENTER Fall Open House, 10/11, 1-4 p.m. Free public skating, complementary learn to skate session, building tours and Wenatchee Wild giveaways. Town October 2013 | The Good Life

throughout the year. Venus shines brilliant low in the southwestern sky just after sunset all through October. It starts out the month in front of Libra the Balance, and moves into Scorpius the Scorpion on the seventh. That same evening, the crescent moon lies about a fists width to Venus’ right. The two appear with the moon to the upper left, the following night. Pisces the Fish is the 2013 home of Uranus. This world lies opposite the sun in our sky Oct. 3, when it shines brightest. It remains visible throughout the night hanging low in the eastern sky as darkness falls and climbing highest in the south shortly after midnight local daylight time. Although Uranus appears bright enough to see with naked eyes from a dark site, binoculars make the job of finding it easier. You’ll need to target a sparse region near the border between Pisces and Cetus. Jupiter rises shortly after midnight local daylight time Oct. 1 and late evening by midmonth. The planet appears against the backdrop of Gemini the Twins, a bit less than two fist widths south of that constellation’s brightest star, Pollux. At magnitude minus two point three, however, Jupiter outshines the star by 25 times. Several hours after Jupiter makes its grand appearance, Mars pokes above the eastern horizon. The Red Planet rises Oct. 12, at A Book For All Seasons in Leavenworth, book signing 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19 at Hastings in Wenatchee. Salmon and Naturalist Walk, 10/12, 9 a.m. – noon. Join biologist Phil Archibald for a hike along the Entiat River during salmon spawn-

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around 3 a.m. local daylight time Oct. 1 and a halfhour earlier by month’s end. Most astronomers would agree, Mars is mostly very boring to look at through a telescope. Traditionally, the Orionid meteor shower is the top display for October. But this year, the shower peaks Oct. 21, when an almost full moon shares the predawn sky. Its presence washes out fainter meteors and lessens the impact of brighter ones. But October has another less know shower, called the Southern Taurids, which peaks before dawn on the 10th. The crescent moon will be long set. The radiant — the point from where the meteors appear to emanate — climbs high due south around 2 a.m., when observers can expect to see up to five meteors per hour. The comet we’ve been waiting a year for is finally getting near. Although our best views of ISON (C/2012 S1) will come in November and December, October should see it brighten to within the range of small telescopes and binoculars under a dark sky by month’s end. ISON lies towards the east before dawn, where its approach is parallel to Mars’ orbit. Peter Lind is a local amateur astronomer. He can be reached at ppjl@ juno.com.

ing and learn about their journey from the Pacific to the Entiat. Will also cover the plants, birds and wildlife that live in and use the area for shelter and forage. Info: cdlandtrust.org.

}}} Continued on next page

WHAT TO DO

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

}}} Continued from previous page Bomber Wing Benefit Dinner Auction, 5:30 p.m. The Mission Ridge Ski Team will host a social hour, live music, hors d’oeuvres, silent auction, dinner and dessert auction. Proceeds going directly to support the athletes. Wenatchee Convention Center. Cost: $35. Info: mrst.us. Cider Fest, 10/12-13, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Music, apple pressing, hay pyramid, pumpkin patch, bounce house, food, bin train tours and more. Orondo Cider Works. Info: orondociderworks.com. Wenatchee Symphony/Film Music, 10/12, 7 p.m. Performing Arts Center. Info: pacwen.org. Heart, 10/12, 7:30 p.m. Live concert. Town Toyota Center. Info: towntoyotacenter.com. YWCA SoupPorters, 10/13, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Live entertainment, raffle tickets, craft booth. You be the judge of over 10 homemade soups prepared by local groups. Cost: $5 includes event spoon, samples of each soup, bottle water or cup of coffee and a bowl of your favorite soup. YWCA parking lot. All proceeds support YWCA critical needs programs. Info: ywcawen.com. Joan Sebastian, 10/13, 6:30 p.m. Live music. Town Toyota Center. Info: towntoyotacenter.com. Alzheimer’s Café, 10/15, 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. Environmental film series, 10/15 and every third Tuesday in October, November and January through May. 7 p.m. The first film will be Unbreakable: The Western States 100, a documentary about

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the oldest and most prestigious 100-mile footrace in the world, presented in partnership with Run Wenatchee. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: $5 suggested donation. Info: wvmcc. org. Woman of the Year, 10/16, noon – 1:30 p.m. Business & Professional Women of Wenatchee present a special recognition honoring women who have distinguished themselves in their careers and community service. An awards banquet will honor nominees and winner will be announced along with: exciting stories of triumph and more surprises. Confluence Technology Center. Cost: $25. Proceeds go toward scholarships for local area women. Info: Lily Nichols 885-8501 or 2013WOY@gmail.com. Ring of Fire, 10/16, 7:30 p.m. Jukebox musical, live performance. Performing Arts Center. Cost: $19$35. Info: pacwen.org. Americana Roots Music series, 10/17, 7 p.m. Folk music’s renaissance man, John McCutcheon – singer, songwriter, storyteller, master guitarist, activist and all around entertaining man kicks off this series. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $22. Info: icicle.org. Custer’s First annual arts and crafts show, 10/18-20. Town Toyota Center. Info: towntoyotacenter.com. Book Signing, 10/18, 7 p.m. Cashmere author Bud Fritz will be on hand with this new book, Ghosts of Blewett. This comprehensive book brings to life 100 or more years of people, mining and “how life was done in the town and mines.” Leavenworth Library. Info: abookforallseasons.com. Classical Series, 10/18, 7:30 p.m. Led by artistic director and pianist Oksana Ezhokina, the Icicle Creek Chamber Players present big works/big ideas. Info: icicle.org. Book Buzz, 10/19, 1 p.m. Authors Bud Fritz, Ghosts of Blewett, Bill Tudor, Theo’s Tricks, Terri Woods and Tracy Valentine, It’s a Day for Ski and Play will be on hand at A Book For All Seasons. Info: abookforallseason.com. Chelan Chase, 10/19. 5K race/run/ walk for breast cancer. Start at Riverwalk Park in downtown Chelan. Info: chelanchase.com. Downtown Mountain Boys, 10/19, 7:30 p.m. Live bluegrass music. Cashmere Riverside Center.

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Cost: $3 at the door plus pass the hat. Info: cashmerecoffeehouse. com. Party in Pink Zumbathon, 10/20, 10 a.m. - noon. Fundraiser for Breast Cancer Prevention. 115 S Emerson, Chelan. Info: chelandancefitness.com. Free Garden Talks by WSU Master Gardeners, 10/20. 3 p.m.: Dahlia Digging; 3:45 p.m.: Putting Your Garden to Bed; 4:30 p.m.: Get the Dirt on Composting. Garden tours and a diagnosis plant clinic will also be offered at the Community Education Garden on the grounds of the Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center at 1100 N. Western Avenue. Free. Info: 667-6540. Compassionate Friends, 10/21, 7 p.m. This is a grief support group to assist families toward the positive resolution of grief following the death of a child of any age, and to provide information to help others be supportive. Focus of this meeting is “getting through the holidays.” Grace Lutheran Church, 1408 Washington St. Info: Carol 665-9987. Fall Barrel Tasting and open house, 10/25-27, 5 p.m. Various wineries. Food and music. Info: 669-5808. Cancer Awareness, 10/25, 7 p.m. Pybus Market will conclude Breast Cancer Awareness month with

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| October 2013

a ceremony honoring friends and loved ones touched by cancer. Survivors are invited to wear Pink and supporters are invited to wear White. Luminaries may be purchased for $5 each and all proceeds benefit Wellness Place. land trust Annual Dinner, 10/26, 6 – 9 p.m. Chelan-Douglas Land Trust will hold its annual dinner at Leavenworth Festhalle. Info: cdlandtrust.org. The Nose, 10/26, 9:55 a.m. Opera. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $20. Info: icicle.org. Diaper Drive, 10/26, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. The Junior Service League of Wenatchee will be collecting diapers, wipes and formula and coupons for those families in need at Albertsons, Wal-Mart and both Food Pavilions. Info: 630-0650. Leavenworth Winter Sports Club, 10/31. Pass tickets go on sale for alpine and tubing. Info: skileavenworth.com. Trick or Treat on the avenue, 10/31, 3-5 p.m. Downtown Wenatchee. Cost: free. Info: wendown.org. Downtown Wenatchee Holiday Wine Walk, 11/9, 1 – 6 p.m. Taste wine and get ideas for the holidays. Starts at Davis Furniture. Get a souvenir glass and 8 tastes of wine for $15 or 15 tastes of wine for $25 and 2 glasses. Info: wndowntown.org.

The Art Life

// SKETCHES OF LOCAL ARTISTS

matt cadman: another stage, same strong character W

hy is this man smiling, twice? It could be that Matt Cadman’s always been just plain happy standing in the backstage dressing room of the Performing Arts Center. Maybe he’s reflecting on the pitch-perfect harmony of his new work and his extracurricular life; maybe he knows every performance has just a little bit to do with smoke and mirrors. Matt, who says his numbers on the Meyers-Briggs test make him an “introverted nurturer,” is also one of the gladdest hands around these days. A big man with a big voice, he’s given himself a mammoth task: as the Wenatchee PAC’s fourth executive director, he’s vowed to make it the hottest show in town, the vibrant and profitable presence its creators aimed for. “I don’t have an MBA; I don’t have non-profit experience,” he demurred, though fully confident in his skills and the PAC staff and Board of Director’s optimism. “I spent a lot of time at the start asking questions and trying to figure out how to make this work. I think I got it.” He’s fully engaged in his executive director job, but he’s also mourning a bit last spring’s giant step — retiring as an English and social studies teacher. For the first September since he was five — with grade school and high school here in town, then college and teaching away, then returning with his family to teach at Eastmont High

The two sides of Matt Cadman: Performer and PAC executive director.

School — Matt isn’t going off to school. “For 34 years I was Pavlovian; I lived by the bell, with 150 teenagers a day running around.” He’d been conditioned for chaos. “My first week at work here, way back up in that office, with a staff of three, it was really, really quiet,” Matt said. He’s adjusted by keeping frequently on his feet, greeting patrons and problem-solving around the building. Just as true in school and on stage, “We are all about relationship here,” he said. Innovation and collaborative team building are finely-honed skills he’s brought to the PAC job from his education career, but it’s his love of theater that really moves him to action. “I make it a point to get on stage every day. I mean that literally — I go in there, stand on the stage, and look out at all those rows of seats and think ‘this is why I love my job!’” He said, “In a way, as a producer and presenter more than a performer, my job now ends when the curtain rises — I still get chills at every performance, October 2013 | The Good Life

though.” After his first musical as a youngster (The King and I, directed by Keith Sexton at the Liberty Theater) and acting in experimental theater at Wenatchee High School in the ’70s, he continued on stage with plum roles with Seattle’s Musicomedy Northwest. On returning to his hometown of Wenatchee, where his family roots run deep, he’d planned on a less active performing life. However, after they first met in a Follies production, Paul Atwood cast Matt in 2001’s Apple Blossom show, Annie, premiering the brand new PAC stage. The next 12 years are a kaleidoscope of directors and venues, titles and roles, of artistic highs and few lows. Matt became adept at creating depth with his characters, always creating an authentic back-story, giving himself over to the role, mirroring his own life in theirs — bad guys, lovable guys, character roles; strong men and weak. Musical characters were less intense, but straight drama honed his method acting skills. Quietly moved by recalling his www.ncwgoodlife.com

lead role in Mice and Men, Matt said, “That was probably the most perfect coming together of all the factors — me, a character, direction and performance — that I could ever imagine.” Years later, he can re-create a few seconds of Lenny’s stammer, the fidget, the hopeful glance upward. He’s got heroes: anything John Goodman does is gold. He could see himself playing The Big Lebowski, Willy Loman, Falstaff, even Tony Soprano. For now, he’ll take the role of Shrek (“Just for the joy of it!” he said) for the biennial All District Musical, eager to play the lovable ogre and also be an on-stage mentor to the dozens of children in the show. After a recent PAC presentation at Rotary, he realized that as he worked the whole room he’d naturally shifted into his classroom-grabbing theatrical skills. Teaching, performing, now bringing new vigor to Wenatchee’s main stage — Matt’s talents and passions are reflected in all of these roles. No wonder he’s smiling twice. — by Susan Lagsdin

column those were the days

rod molzahn

Forgotten settlers came and then left Mamie Blair was nine in

October of 1883 when her family settled on 160 acres bordered by Fifth Street, Orchard Avenue, Western Avenue and Elliott Street. In a 1959 interview she recalled the valley when her family arrived. Tolman and Arzilla Tripp with their daughter, Eva, were the only other family in the valley. They had arrived just before the Blairs. Mamie recalled only eight other white residents. Sam Miller and David Freer ran the trading post at the confluence and looked after David’s brother Franklin’s three children. Frank Freer had died in 1877 and his Indian wife before him. “At the other end of Miller Street, the south end, were Philip and John Miller, (no relation to Sam,) bachelor brothers who raised apples, grapes and cattle.” (Many of Philip’s brothers and nephews made their way to the valley in the early ’80s. It

may have been Philip’s nephew George who had arrived in 1880 that was living with Philip when the Blairs arrived.) “One other bachelor named Doak lived at the end of Fifth Street near the river.” Tom Doak first appears in Sam Miller’s trading post ledger in August of 1879. He settled at the foot of Fifth Street where Mamie Blair recalls him still living four years later. During the next eight and a half years Doak bought the necessary things for the frontier life of a settler. He also bought quick-silver, used in placer mining. He accumulated a large bill at the trading post, not uncommon for settlers. His final entry in the ledger came in March of 1887 when he paid off his $1,097.86 bill with credit for 34 months and 20 days of work for Sam Miller. It’s not clear how long Tom Doak stayed in the valley after that. Miller was about to close down the trading post and a new store was about to open north of the confluence and closer to most of

the settler’s homes and land. Doak likely had a garden for himself with some left for trading. There is some evidence that he operated a cable ferry across the Columbia near the present site of Wenatchee. Philip Miller’s farm below Saddlerock became the showcase of the valley on the strength of its irrigation ditch from Squilchuck Creek. Philip bought the land and unfinished ditch from Mr. and Mrs. S.W. Perkins in the spring of 1872. The Perkins tenure as settlers had been short. They had bought the land from John McBride only a year previously. McBride and Jack Ingram owned the trading post before selling it to Sam Miller and the Freer brothers in August of 1872. Like Mr. and Mrs. Perkins, there were others who settled early in the valley but were gone by the time Mamie Blair arrived in 1883. Five names stand out in Sam Miller’s store ledger. The length of time they stayed, what they bought and how they paid their bills all point to farming,

not mining. Pete Butler made his first appearance in Miller’s ledger on Sept. 6, 1872, only a month after Miller and the Freer brothers had taken over the store. It’s quite possible that Butler was already settled in the valley when Miller and the Freers arrived. On Sept.6 he bought shoes, a pipe stem, calico cloth, thread and soap. He also borrowed two dollars to pay an Indian for labor. During the next year he bought socks, a regular supply of whiskey in gallon bottles, flour, tobacco, lard, 10 pounds of bacon, a file, tea and a bearskin. In September and October of 1873 Pete Butler paid part of his bill with 310 pounds of potatoes, 37 pounds of onions, squash, turnips and beets. The pattern continued for nearly five years. Along with basic staples and goods bought monthly, Butler bought a tin cup, more shoes, more bacon and fishing line. He bought

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| October 2013

more axe handles and borrowed to pay for more Indian labor. The mystery of all the broken axe handles was solved in early 1874 when Butler paid his sizeable bill with $462 worth of lumber and logs along with $46.50 credit for 25-and-one-half days of work at the trading post. Pete Butler’s final entry in Miller’s ledger is in February of 1877 when he paid his last bill with 600 feet of lumber. Butler was not the only settler to stay a while then move on. Richard Thompson was one of the earliest names in Miller’s ledger beginning in August of 1872 just as the trading post was changing hands. It’s likely that he also was already settled here. He left in April of 1881, a nine-year stay. A Mr. Axiom was in the valley for 12 years from May of 1873 to June of 1885, a year and a half after the Blairs arrived. Doc Battoe came in June of 1873 and left in August of 1882, nine years later. Peter Manoyatt held out for sevenand-one-half years from February of 1875 to November of 1882. They all cleared land, built cabins and planted crops – mostly vegetables. They endured the numbing cold and stifling heat of a pre-electric Wenatchee Valley. They worked hard, drank whiskey, smoked tobacco and hauled countless barrels of water from the Columbia and Wenatchee Rivers to keep their crops alive and thriving. Most of the early settlers moving west with the frontier homesteaded more than once before finally settling down for good. They would claim land, make improvements then sometimes, after no more than a year, move on again. May be this area was just getting too crowded.

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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. October 2013 | The Good Life

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column ALEX ON WINE

ALEX SALIBY

Tasting a very nice Cab Sauvignon in Plain We considered moving

to Plain when we were in the process of looking for a place to move to in Washington. That was 25 years ago, long before downtown Plain blossomed. To be safe, and closer to the grocery stores and the highway out of town, we settled on Leavenworth instead. Today though, we were not looking for a home; we were in search of the new winery, Plain Cellars. Unlike some other roads to local wineries, the road to Plain and the short trip from Plain center to the winery is both level and easy to traverse, better still, the owners have strategically placed unmistakable pointers to help lead one to the wines. Bob and Roxanne Sage are the keepers of the keys to the facilities. Bob is the winemaker and Roxanne the “do everything else” person. Roxanne was keeper of the tasting room when we arrived to sample the wines. Unfortunately for us, and perhaps fortunately for him, Bob was off fishing in Alaska so we missed being able to shake his hand and congratulate him on a job well done. The tasting room for Plain Cellars wines is open only Saturdays now, 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Current plans are to remain open Saturdays throughout the year, but the Sages are keeping options open. For certain, the facility has the potential for a great deal more than a Saturday wine tasting venue. But that brings us to the critical topic, the wines. We didn’t go to the tasting room to examine woodwork or the building (but before I forget to come back to that point, both are remark-

I’ve sampled a lot of Washington’s Red Mountain wines over the past 25 years; I’m comfortable telling you this wine is as good as most...

The “do everything else” Roxanne Sage prepares to pour a couple of glasses of Plain Cellars wine.

ably well done.) Currently, for a $5 refundable with a bottle purchase tasting fee there are eight wines on the roster, two whites, a Riesling and a Chardonnay, and six reds including the Summer Solstice Red, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Syrah, which may very well be the reason there is a Plain Cellars Winery. As Roxanne tells the story, a daughter opted to be wed on the day of Summer Solstice back in 2005; Bob, an amateur winemaker at the time made the wedding wine, the Summer Solstice Red. The wedding was a success, but so too was Bob’s wine and

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friends and family urged the creation of a winery. Plain Cellars was born a few years later. But I’m getting ahead of myself here, back to the whites. Both white wines are bright, clean and crisp showing fruits and acids and I’m confident they’re crowd pleasers. It certainly appeared that way on this visit. The well-appointed tasting room was filled with young women all of whom seemed thoroughly content with the wines and the attention they were receiving from the staff. I’ve not room in this short article to list and comment on all the reds, so I’ll leap to the end of the list first and tell you there’s a Petite Sirah made from fruits from the Lonesome Springs Ranch in the Yakima Valley area. Alas, however, so little of the wine exists, only 25 cases made in total, that it is not available for tasting. You may purchase a bottle if you choose. We did taste during our brief visit all the other reds on the tasting sheet, which begins with a the Just Plain Red, a Southern Rhone styled blend of Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah, and moves to a well made Tempranillo created from Wahluke Slope fruit. There’s a Malbec, a Cabernet

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| October 2013

Sauvignon, the Summer Solstice Red, and the Eclipse, a Bordeaux styled blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. All are well made and free of flaws and faults, but my favorite was the Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a 2011 Red Mountain cab beautifully made from Dick Shaw’s Vineyard fruit. (Red Mountain is one of Washington’s 13 wine growing areas. Red Mountain, a hill near Benton City, is home to the finest Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in the entire U.S.A.) The wine, in my estimation is award winning and makes the drive from where ever you are worth your while. I’ve sampled a lot of Washington’s Red Mountain wines over the past 25 years; I’m comfortable telling you this wine is as good as most of the others I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying. One closing note of interest is that when you’re finished sampling Bob Sage’s wines at the Plain Cellars, you can hop around the corner and say hello to David Morris and the staff at Napeequa Vintners, Plain’s first winery. If you hurry, you’ll be treated to the two new releases, this year’s SLR (Sexy Lady Red) and the newest Malbec. But the Napeequa story will have to wait till next time, or perhaps after I enjoy more of David’s well-made French onion soup later this 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.

The Wenatchee Foothills — the anchor to our distinctly livable community “Today we have the opportunity to enhance the quality of life that we all enjoy in this valley—now and for generations to come.” Todd Kiesz, Eliot Scull, Rufus Woods, Campaign co-chairs.

You can help. Donate to help protect and care for key properties and trails throughout the Wenatchee Foothills.

To donate or learn more: cdlandtrust.org/foothills-campaign (509) 667-9708