January 2016 The Good Life

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WENATCHEE VALLEY’S

NUMBER ONE MAGAZINE

January 2016

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Contents page 9

Seeing patients in uganda

Features

6

UPDATES: A ROCKER AND A DOC

A wild wail of a guitar plus the good and bad of moving a family to Costa Rica

12 GROOMER’S GAL

Michelle Jerome was a winter widow when her beau left for the snowy hills, but once she went along with him, she became hooked

14 FRIENDS FOR LIFE

Kitchen & Bath Designs DESIGN, SALES & INSTALLATION

Girl friends are now women friends who have never let the fires of friendship go cold

16 starfish sisters

(509) 663-6266 Lic# CONCEKB970NL

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These women who remember “buzzing the barrel” as teenagers have remained dear friends for the decades after

18 a drive to visit parks of the southwest Awe-inspiring sites are just a road trip away

20 winter travel experience

Cary Ordway visits a couple of fun local places — one hot, one cold — to juice up your wintertime fun

22 it’s a ’50s thing

Couple is undoing “updates” to bring retro charm back to their mid-century home

34 Local potter helps fill empty bowls Potter Dawn Kranz feels the love when her community comes together in an artful fundraiser for Leavenworth food bank

ART SKETCHES

n Updates on Cynthia Brown, Dustin Spencer, Ruth Parsons, Fred Melton and Amanda and Rusty Gibbs, page 30 Columns & Departments 26 June Darling: When envy is good 28 The traveling doctor: Pickleball is easier on the body 33 Bonnie Orr: Winter walnuts 30-37 Arts & Entertainment & a Dan McConnell cartoon 37 The night sky: 5 planets out in the morning 38 Pet Tales: Guided by a dog 39 History: A great gathering of Indians 42 Alex Saliby: Favorite wines from NCW January 2016 | The Good Life

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OPENING SHOT

®

Year 10, Number 1 January 2016 The Good Life is published by NCW Good Life, LLC, dba The Good Life 10 First Street, Suite 108 Wenatchee, WA 98801 PHONE: (509) 888-6527 EMAIL: editor@ncwgoodlife.com

sales@ncwgoodlife.com ONLINE: www.ncwgoodlife.com FACEBOOK: https://www. facebook.com/NCWGoodLife Editor/Publisher, Mike Cassidy Contributors, Dale Blair, Geoff Barry, Maureen Stivers, Mary Schramm, Michelle Jerome, Beverly Jagla, Karen Keebler, Cary Ordway, Lisa Therrell, Ken Anderson, Donna Cassidy, Bonnie Orr, Alex Saliby, Jim Brown, June Darling, Dan McConnell, Susan Lagsdin, Peter Lind and Rod Molzahn Advertising manager, Terry Smith Advertising sales, Lianne Taylor and Donna Cassidy Bookkeeping and circulation, Donna Cassidy Proofing, Dianne Cornell Ad design, Clint Hollingsworth TO SUBSCRIBE: For $25, ($30 out of state address) you can have 12 issues of The Good Life mailed to you or a friend. Send payment to: The Good Life 10 First Street, Suite 108 Wenatchee, WA 98801 For circulation questions, email: donna@ncwgoodlife.com BUY A COPY of The Good Life at Hastings, Safeway stores, Walgreens, Mike’s Meats at Pybus, Rhubarb Market, Martin’s Market Place (Cashmere) and A Book for All Seasons (Leavenworth) ADVERTISING: For information about advertising in The Good Life, contact advertising at (509) 8886527, or sales@ncwgoodlife.com WRITE FOR THE GOOD LIFE: We welcome articles about people from Chelan and Douglas counties.

Send your idea to Mike Cassidy at editor@ncwgoodlife.com

The Good Life® is a registered trademark of NCW Good Life, LLC. Copyright 2015

by NCW Good Life, LLC.

Snowshoeing in the sunshine

and college.

But after I made the move to digital in 2003, I really love the immediate feedback that digital provides and the creative freedom working in the “digital darkroom.”

This photo was shot on a hike with my hiking buddy Stephen Hufman (who is also a shutterbug). We were snowshoeing on the Snow Lakes Trail in the Icicle Canyon. We were shooting photos going up and down the trail.

I had to stop and shoot this photo of Steve as the sun was

By Dale Blair

I

have loved photography since I picked up a Brownie box camera as a child.

Some of my photos were a bit crooked but I always loved shooting. I have shot film with everything from a 110, a manual Minolta SRT-101 SLR , Canon Elan and EOS 3. I also did darkroom work in both high school

Imagine the fun you could have!

Subscribe to The Good Life for yourself or a friend. ❑ 12 months for $25 in Washington $30 out of state ❑ 24 months for $50 in Washington $60 out of state 4

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ME

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of

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LOCAL EVENTS CALENDAR

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WENATCHEE VALLEY’S

NUMBER ONE

HEALING POWER OF STEM CELLS Y EVENTS CALENDAR

MAGAZINE

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shining down on his brightly colored winter wear. Nothing beats snowshoeing on a sunny winter day.

Dale Blair is a passionate photographer in his spare time. His “real job” is working as the director of the Wenatchee High School Sports Medicine Program.

On the cover

Snapshots from groups of friends who have never lost contact over the years.

See their stories, beginning on page 14.

WENATCHEE VALLEY’S

NUMBER ONE

CAVES & CASTLES OF FRANCE Y EVENTS CALENDAR

MAGAZINE

WENATCHEE VALLEY’S

NUMBER ONE MAGAZINE

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20

September 2015

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Open for fun and adventure

June 2015

Open for fun and adventure

Price: $3

May 2015 n Cover price: $3

LOVING THE LIFT

(tiny) TRAILER LIFE

Riding an invisible river of air exhilarates Cashmere flyer

Our

100th

RUNNiNg wiTh DOgS

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AGILITY COURSE PUTS OWNERS AND THEIR BEST FRIENDS TO THE TEST

Best Days

5 readers tell their favorite stories

Ed’s Boat

Tree wanted to be a beautiful dory

They Built This City

Who made Wenatchee the livable city it is

Name: __________________________________ Address: ________________________________ City/State/Zip ____________________________ ________________________________________

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January 2016

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editor’s notes

MIKE CASSIDY

THOUSANDS OF IDEAS UNDER ONE ROOF!! $1 off tickets available throughout NCW and online

It’s not the money, it’s the experience I loved to read comic books

when I was a kid.

I read Superman, and Batman, the Flash, Green Lantern, and yes, Supergirl and even Archie.

But perhaps my favorite character was Scrooge McDuck, the uncle of usually hapless Donald Duck. Scrooge, as the name implies, was one very rich duck, whose pastime was rolling around in his money. He had a building full of dollars and coins, and loved to spring off a diving board into the pool of cash, where he swam among his wealth.

(Sure, a practical person might say such an action would be more pain than pleasure — coins are hard and dollars are germy. But I was 10 years old, and my family lived paycheck to paycheck. We didn’t have a pool, a diving board or as much as a sponge damp with cash.)

I wistfully thought about Scrooge on a recent weekend when I was doing a year-end review of my own finances.

You know, life is life. Stuff happens, decisions are made, money is spent — and the pile at the end may be a few buckets short of a tub.

That’s where this issue of The Good Life can be so rewarding because it contains three valuable life lessons, in the guise of fun stories, pointing to the direction to happiness.

First of all, we have warm stories about two groups of friends — both graduates of Wenatchee High School, but in different decades.

Members of each group bonded while in school, and have kept up with each other over the years — through marriages, kids, now grandkids, and then of

course, some of the bad stuff, too.

Jennifer Carlson, of the ’70s Wenatchee High pals, said, “We all know that whenever somebody needs a friend, for anything, there is always someone who is free. These women have definitely been a huge part of my good life over the years.”

See the stories on friends, starting on page 14.

Next up, one of the secrets to life, I believe, is trying to say “yes” more often. Which is one way to sometimes change a negative into a positive.

Michelle Jerome writes about how morose she was during her first winter in Chelan when her sweetheart would leave her alone when he went on his part time early morning job as a trail groomer at Echo Ridge.

“Each time I awoke to snowflakes I would feel the gloomy pall of a snow widow come over me,” remembers Michelle.

Then, one day, she thought, maybe she should go with him.

And that changed her world.

See her story of a groomer’s gal on page 12.

And third, columnist June Darling has cautioned in the past about how envy can be the enemy of happiness. Comparing yourself to, say, a Hollywood star or Wall Street whiz will just make you feel sad.

Yet, says June this month, sometimes other people can be a role model to move you to a better life.

See June’s true-life example of positive envy on page 26.

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UPDATES

the good and bad of Moving family to Costa Rica

By Geoff Barry

T

he Barry family relocated to Nosara, Costa Rica one year ago (“Family moves to Costa Rica,” March 2015).

We are in the middle of a two-year adventure that we embarked on for cultural and linguistic reasons, as well as to have an experience that we can remember together for the rest of our lives.

Here is an update of the good and bad of our experience.

THE GOOD

n We have found our niche in the tiny little coastal town of Nosara. Dirt roads, jungle, intense humid heat, huge bugs, monkeys, tropical birds, snakes and other jungle animals have become familiar and a part of everyday life. Howler monkeys are very loud animals. It’s amazing how after time even their howls fade from consciousness much like chirping birds or crickets. n This September, we moved three miles from our first house into a neighborhood next to the

Celeste and children Graham and Amara, pose on a Costa Rican beach as turtles emerge from the breakers to lay their eggs.

kids’ school. This has as been an awesome experience for the kids. There are 14 children between the ages of 5 and 12 on the block. Every day after school is a massive kid block party. Relocating to this street has been a highlight for the kids. n Surfing. Both kids have recently taken to surfing and are starting to make progress.

Being back in the water again brings me tremendous joy. I met several of my friends while surfing, which I do religiously from 7 until 10 every morning. n One of the factors contrib-

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uting to our decision to come to Nosara was the promise we would be able to interact with local folks. We have been somewhat successful in this pursuit.

I have come to appreciate that friends are made by finding common ground. The more facets of one’s life that are different than mine, the harder it is to form friendships. Not surprisingly, the early friendships that have been more successful have been with people whom I have had something in common, such as education or surfing.

Costa Ricans are very warm

and friendly people. Still, I would say that local interaction has been challenging but marginally positive. Making friends with other foreign families from around the world has been easy and a high point of the adventure. There is an abundance of wonderful families with young children such as ours in Nosara. n We have used our time here effectively to explore our surroundings including Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama. n The fruit is something that is so good that Celeste felt it should be added to the list of positives. Passion fruit smoothies are something we enjoy at least once a day and will be terribly missed when we come back. n The kids have thrived here as we had hoped. Their days are full of fantastic activities including horseback riding, competitive soccer, rock climbing and paddle boarding. The kids’ success here has made settling in easier for Celeste.

THE BAD

n The relocation process was difficult for Celeste and the kids.

Being away from home was hard for everyone, less so for me in part because I have travelled back frequently to Wenatchee for work. Celeste had considerable anxiety with her new surroundings, as did Amara. n Even now missing home remains a factor at times for all of us (for example when we continue to hear about the mas-

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January 2016

sive snow dumping at Mission Ridge). Last month all of Celeste’s girlfriends went on a road trip to run a half marathon on the Oregon coast. It was painful for her that she couldn’t be there.

Amara really misses her close girlfriends from home, Graham his soccer team. n I had hoped that the kids would rapidly progress in Spanish once they arrived. In reality their progress has been no better than at home.

They attended Lewis and Clark Elementary in Wenatchee, a bilingual school that did a fantastic job advancing their Spanish.

In Nosara, most of the kids were English speaking natives or at least fluent in English. As a result, English is the primary language at school in Nosara.

Modest improvement in Spanish from the kids has been a major disappointment of the trip. Celeste, on the other hand, has been taking classes and has solidly improved her skills. n The safety of the area was in some ways less than we had hoped. While there is not much violent crime in our area, there is a tremendous problem with home robbery and local theft.

Car windows are frequently broken, particularly in the high tourist season, homes are robbed on a constant basis. The need to be vigilant is a constant concern and detracts from the overall experience. n Costa Rica is unjustifiably expensive. We did not embark on this journey to save money.

Nonetheless, compared with its neighbors Nicaragua and Panama, it is twice as expensive and no more stable.

If we had it all to do over again, we would have explored options in Nicaragua and Panama further. Costa Rica is very creative and relentless in its taxation of foreigners, making it a complicated and generally difficult place to spend time. Even for Costa Ricans, the taxes are very high.

A Howler monkey and her baby pass through the trees outside the balcony of the Barry home in Costa Rica.

n The infrastructure in Nosara and Costa Rica is generally very poor. Roads are usually in very poor condition, even in highly trafficked areas making travel within the country slow.

Our roads are dirt with a

travel speed of 15 mph on average. Utilities such as electricity, water and Internet are unreliable and frequently unavailable.

Lights, when working, brighten and dim continuously which rapidly burns out devices.

Part of the delayed gratification for us will be returning to the infrastructure that we took for granted before we left: beautiful roads, perfect and nearly free electricity, lightning fast Internet... n Two aspects related to work have been difficult for me: travel and inability to fully participate as a member of the hospitalist team at Confluence Health.

Travel each way takes at least 24 hours door-to-door. It makes for a long and exhausting day.

More significantly, I have not been able to be a part of numerous projects that I would have really enjoyed, such as the implementation of the new hospital electronic medical record. n Tropical illness is an everpresent hazard. Rashes are an everyday problem, especially for the kids. Other tropical illnesses remain a concern, in particular Dengue fever, which has plagued many of our friends.

In summary, thus far the trip

}}} Continued on next page

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UPDATES

“It was the best night of my life.”

}}} Continued from previous page has been largely what we had hoped.

There have been significant stresses and difficulties, particularly early on.

By taking the risk of leaving the familiar, we have gained the experience of learning what it means to make our home in a Third World tropical paradise.

Our family has been greatly enriched by taking on this challenge.

Time is passing very quickly now. We look forward to our remaining time and also very much to our eventual return to Wenatchee.

What follows an article? A rockin’ outcome

By Maureen Stivers

I

Rocker (and plumber) Ron Wood goes into his In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida pose.

n August 2015, The Good Life published my article “The world at the front door.”

The theme of the piece was how our lives can be enriched by getting to know the people who come to work at our homes.

I featured three interesting characters, among them our plumber and rocker-guitarist Ron Wood. He had not performed for quite some time,

which he missed greatly, but assured me for eight years that he was working on getting a band together.

The article and photo of Ron came to the attention of the organizer of a musical event in Chelan. He invited Ron, a seasoned guitarist and performer, to join several other rockers who were forming a band to entertain what Ron understood to be

a private gathering: in his words, “a barbecue.”

He agreed, and was then asked if he knew any songs by the band Guns and Roses. He said he could learn some and was on board.

In the days leading up to the concert, Ron began to wonder what it was really all about.

He was told he did not need to bring an amplifier since the

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Winter Wine Gala! presented by Forte Architects

Saturday, January 23, 6 to 9 p.m.

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Tickets $50; museum members $40 Purchase online at www.wenatcheevalleymuseum.org or by calling (509) 888-6240 or in person at the museum, 127 S. Mission Street, Wenatchee

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January 2016

sound system was taken care of, and that there would be a designated parking space for him.

Perhaps this was bigger than he had originally thought. Performance anxiety set in.

On the day of the event, Ron packed his guitar and his nervousness and headed to Chelan.

When he arrived at the “barbecue,” he found a large, full parking lot, an immense stage, and a whopping sound system. He was introduced to a former member of Guns and Roses and told that he would be playing six songs on his guitar.

After the first blasting chord during the sound check, Ron found himself in rock and roll paradise. He estimated the enthusiastic audience conservatively at 5,000, likely more. He played. He sang. He rocked out with the other band members as they expressed their pleasure with his playing.

“It was the best night of my life,” he told me. “I’d been waiting 26 years to get back into performing and to start off with this was unbelievable.”

He was out of his mind the whole drive home and is still euphoric. Thankfully, we found him wildly interesting and featured him in this magazine.

Ron has his groove back. He’s made contacts. And best of all, he is READY TO ROCK-ANDROLL!

MEDICAL PRACTICE, UGANDA STYLE no examining table, no running water, no electricity as leavenworth doctor volunteers at refugee camp

By Mary Schramm

“M

sungu, Mzungu” — literally meaning in Swahili “someone who wanders without purpose” — is what the children yelled in the refugee settlement when they meant, “The white guy is here.”

These words greeted Dr. Geoff Richardson often as he arrived at the clinic each morning in southwest Uganda.

He was one of a small staff of medical personnel who worked with Medical Teams International (MTI). This non-profit has an office in Portland but the headquarters are in Uganda, a country of 30 million people who are overwhelmed by refugees from the Congo, Sudan, Burundi and Rwanda.

The United Nations Human Rights Council chose MTI to take the lead in health and nutrition in this southwest section of Uganda called the Nakivale.

Geoff left his practice this fall at the Cascade Medical Clinic in Leavenworth to volunteer with the refugees there for one month.

The area to which he was assigned was the Nakivale Valley settlement, an hour’s drive east of Mbarara. About 90,000 refugees made their homes in this settlement — huts of red clay bricks and plastic sheets held down by branches and garbage or trash.

Geoff was surprised to learn that a great majority of the Congolese refugees who came into the clinic were professional people who fled their own countries because of the violence.

Disease and malnutrition are prevalent in the Congo and it is estimated that 45,000 people — mostly women and children — die monthly. The drought, as in other parts of the world, made agricultural practices difficult. “The rains will come,” the people said, “but this year they are late.”

Geoff said, “It is hard to imagine the scene outside of the medical clinic. Hundreds of people standing in lines, their hands clinging to their medical history recorded on ripped sheets of paper after triage had taken place.”

Triage meant getting the name, age and sex of each patient who was then given a color-card — red for most serious, yellow for serious but not lifethreatening, and green, meaning urgent care not needed.

Paramedics did the triage and often they diagnosed the patient before being seen by the doctor.

“You have malaria, they might tell a patient,” when the diagnosis was Undulant fever.

The symptoms were similar — fever, sweating, joint pain — but the treatment is different. The patients waved their sheets of paper at the attendants, shoving, yelling and hoping to be next to visit the doctor. Chaos reigned.

Geoff describes his “office” as a closet with a small, barred window. He said he frequently wondered what would happen in case of a fire. There was no examining table, no running water and no electricity.

This clinic was one of several in the Nakivale Valley refugee settlement. They were ranked January 2016 | The Good Life

Dr. Geoff Richardson with Irene and Jasper — two Ugandan children at his host home.

from one to four — four being the surgical units and number one being a clinic in a remote area where no medicines available and staffed only by a nurse.

His information handbook asked Geoff to bring with him six to eight bottles of hand sanitizer and several rolls of toilet paper.

Uganda is a very formal country the handbook says. Dress accordingly, keep a low profile and don’t try to be a hero.

“Punctuality is not highly valued and being late is not considered rude.

}}} Continued on next page

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A Congolese child who fell into a cooking fire with burns to the hands resulting in contractures.

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DOCTOR IN UGANDA }}} Continued from previous page It is accepted that someone will arrive within one to two hours of the appointed time.”

“I saw 60 – 70 people from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Compared to the 20 or so folks I see at the Cascade Medical Clinic during the day, this was an astounding challenge. A physician from the Congo and one from Uganda shared the clinic work, as did a nurse from Portland who worked with us. A mid level medical staff person would see perhaps 150 patients in a day.

Two interpreters did their best to handle the Swahili, French, English and the 56 tribal languages.

“At times I needed an interpreter for the interpretation,” Geoff said with a smile.

Some of the diseases he saw he had only read about in medical

tough, real life situations in a uganda refugee camp The photo of the man

wearing a straw hat (on previous page) holding the little boy was a common unfortunate situation.

This family is Congolese and came to the clinic because the boy had sustained severe burns to his hands after falling into a fire used for cooking.

As the burns healed, the scar tissue caused contractures of his hand so that he could no longer open it properly.

It was difficult to tell the father that the procedure and school such as schistosomiasis, typhoid, brucellosis and malaria.

But many of the people Geoff saw had also chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, which were much more challenging to manage with limited resources such as medications

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therapy needed for this child was not available.

A 17-year-old girl came to me because she could not sleep and felt anxious.

After a few moments of discussion through an interpreter she shared with me the horrendous things she witnessed and personally endured and it was heartbreaking to hear her story.

There is very little in the way of mental health/support for the refugees who have sustained both physical and emotional trauma and abuse. and available lab tests.

Many of the patients who were children had respiratory conditions and could have been greatly helped by inhalation therapy but no inhalers were available.

“There were many interesting skin conditions, and a frequent test for me was diagnosing

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January 2016

Her goal was to go back to school and become a nurse, but she was alone as she no longer had any family so her daily existence was focused on meeting basic needs.

She felt like she was in a hopeless situation and I felt like I could offer little more than my empathy and encouragement to remain hopeful in a way that felt genuine in a very brief encounter. I wanted to give hours and all I could offer was literally a few minutes.

— Dr. Geoff Richardson patients with exceptionally dark skin. We don’t see people from the Congo at the clinic in Leavenworth and diagnosing some diseases by looking at their skin was challenging.”

Antibiotics and a few other commonly used medications were available from the MTI organization as were drugs from the United Nations, but there was no way to treat many of the conditions.

Fortunately, there are special AIDS clinics set up by the UN, MTI and the Ugandan Ministry of Health so the anti-retroviral drugs for HIV were available.

Geoff said he was encouraged by the number of posters he saw reminding people of safe sex and the use of condoms.

Seeing 70 patients a day gave little time for inquiring about the person’s life. When you have one or two minutes with a patient, there’s no time to ask “How’s it going with you?”

The stories he did hear confirmed the fact that regardless of the living conditions of the 90,000 people in the refugee settlement, they chose to remain in Uganda rather than return to their native country.

Some had been there for 10 years and others had just arrived.

The violence continues, and of 1,200 people who went back to

“I saw 60 – 70 people from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Compared to the 20 or so folks I see at the Cascade Medical Clinic during the day, this was an astounding challenge.”

Moms bring their babies in for an immunization clinic.

consisted of potatoes, cabbage and beans.

Geoff had a hardboiled egg, chapati, and a bottle of water for his 15 minute lunch, so it is no wonder he lost weight during his month of service.

He could buy snacks at the larger grocery store in the city with U.S. dollars that would be accepted only if it was newer than 2006 and had no rips, markTypical home in the settlement. Parents were likely in the field planting crops as the rainy ings or folds. season had just begun several months late.

Why did Geoff choose this way to the Congo last year, 90 percent driven 60 miles back to the city spend his sabbatical? returned to Uganda. of Mbarara, which is about the He answered, “I thought about The country has an open door size of Wenatchee. Because of doing work like this even before policy for refugees and each the danger, there were strict I went to med school. I thought family is given 25 meters of land rules about being out after dark. I would be working in Southeast to farm in addition to a small They stayed in a guesthouse Asia but Medical Teams Interfood ration. Safe water treatand were provided with a cook national said they had an urgent ment from the nearby lake is who would ask, “Do you want need in Uganda so I flew from provided by Australia. some Irish?” It was his way of SeaTac, to Dubai, and then into In the evenings, Geoff and the asking about potatoes.

Entebbe.” volunteer medical staff were Frequently, the evening meal He traveled by car to the January 2016 | The Good Life

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southwest part of Uganda and was quickly introduced to the practice of medicine in a refugee camp. The Richardson family spent some of Geoff’s sabbatical in Singapore and Malaysia where he had grown up. His father had worked with the U.S. embassy there as an attaché in the Drug Enforcement Agency.

Geoff’s wife, Tina, and children Lauren and Derek were very supportive of his passion to work in the refugee camp. “I would like to go back when the kids are out of school,” he said.

“The experience was not only educational but gave me an opportunity to give back, using my set of skills. I feel overall I made a small difference in an overwhelming problem.

“The people I met and worked with are resilient and have so many challenges, which make mine feel petty at times. Whatever challenges I faced for a short month were insignificant in the grand scheme of this tragedy that is unfolding in so many parts of the world.

“Reentry into my comfortable world has been a bit challenging at times and this experience has certainly given me a perspective that I hope will provide a lasting appreciation for what I have here.

“As I never had to walk in the shoes of the refugee, I feel a new sense of empathy having shared a brief moment in their struggle for survival.”

Widowed by winter no longer, now she’s a

GROOMER’S GAL

By Michelle Jerome

One, two or three groomers hit the trails hen I transplanted depending on conditions. to this enchanted Lake Equipment consists of Chelan valley a year and a two snowmobiles of varyhalf ago, there were a few ing size and a large LMC details I had not consid(a snow cat resembling ered. large farm equipment One of these details was complete with heated that my sweetheart has cab). a winter gig as groomer A “Tidd” (named for of the cross-country the inventor) is drug ski trails at Echo Ridge, behind a snowmobile which overlooks Lake (“bile”) and creates both Chelan Valley. I suddenly the corduroy and grooved had a new identity as a tracks for the trails. groomer’s gal.

At Echo there are I do love snow. In my 25 miles of trails that previous life I had crossrange in width from foot country skied on both trail to road, and which groomed and un-groomed equipment is used where trails. depends on the need, Yet, never once had I meaning: the ambient considered the implicatemperature, the amount Michelle Jerome and Mark Tesch: Ready for another day of grooming nature’s wonderland. tions of the number of of old snow or new snow attitude of gloom and dismay hours (and odd ones) that a and accepted the offer to tag and the anticipated use. eventually began to wear on me, along on one of the grooming groomer spends in trail upkeep.

Cinder blocks are placed on Last winter I soon grew weary as that is not my usual M.O. sessions. the Tidds for weight and the Besides, it was embarrassing, of the hours alone whilst the Typically groomers hit the depth can be adjusted at the especially when my sweetheart groomers groomed. Each time I trails in the evening if it is not harness. As conditions change awoke to snowflakes I would feel would say with such glee, “I get snowing, or before dawn if it has frequently, it is not uncommon the gloomy pall of a snow widow paid to drive around in the snow been snowing over night. to make multiple stops to rein some of the most beautiful come over me.

At Echo Ridge, a typical groom adjust the load. scenery in this country. Where The weeks snailed along as session seems to take about five Armed with my new attitude is there a better job?”

I became a morose weather hours, either after a full day’s and vocabulary, I set out with I took a deep breath, shifted report junkie. Never had winter work or before the day begins on the gang before the crack of my attitude to one of curiosity held my attention so raptly. The other jobs. dawn. We arrived at the “shed”

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at about 4:30 a.m. It was cold.

The kind of cold that when you breathe in through your nose, the nares stick together.

I was beginning to get that, “Oh what have I done now?” feeling, particularly in overhearing the groomers conferring with ominous phrases like “nowhere to hide,” “big critter” and “outback” (I later learned these are trail names).

The trails hence divided, I climbed on the back of a snowmobile (also a first) and we set off. I was soon very thankful for my I-have-no-idea-how-many layers, as I sat for hours.

The groomers, while riding the “biles,” are on and off constantly, checking the drag, checking where they have gone, pulling the “bile” out of a tricky turn, taking the cinder block off and putting the cinder block back on. You get the picture.

We each sported a headlamp, and the snowmobile had the headlight on as we rode through a snowstorm.

There is magic to the swirling flakes flying at you and darting away in a world of round light surrounded by black, black night.

Imagine this while on top of a ridge flying down unknown “nowhere to hide” and “outbacks.”

The thrill is intoxicating. The cold was forgotten.

And then came the dawn.

groomers reviewed their work by filling out a whiteboard with reports of the conditions on each of the trails. We then went home to our day jobs.

My world had changed.

OK, I was sold. No longer a snow widow, I accompanied the groomers whenever I could for the rest of the season. I came to prefer the dawn grooms to nighttime as I am a morning person anyway and the dawn view rewards are breathtaking.

I even skied up there a few times and felt a comforting, almost smug, sense of familiarity with each bend of the trails, as if I had been let in on their secret lives.

There is magic to the enchanted fairy snow land up on Echo Ridge, and who am I to turn down enchanted fairy magic? I am grateful and proud to be a

The snow was tapering at this point and the gray baby pink and blue sky crept in and began to illuminate the scenery. It was completely and immeasurably breathtaking.

I had stuffed my camera deeply within my clothing to keep the battery warm as we set out.

I grabbed it and began taking shot after shot, often while in motion, as we continued up and down and back and forth across the trails.

Snow-laden evergreens and million-dollar views of Lake Chelan and the valley with surrounding mountains came into sight around each bend. It is entirely possible to get 360-degree views up there with little effort.

We finished the run, had coffee from dented Aladdin thermoses and sandwiches refrigerated by our vehicles. The

Snow-laden evergreens and million-dollar views of Lake Chelan and the valley with surrounding mountains came into sight around each bend. groomer’s gal.

I especially have deep gratitude to my groomer guy, Mark Tesch, who stuck with me through the snow widow attitude.

For more info about the Echo Ridge ski area, see: http://lakechelannordic.org/echo-ridge-info_212.html.

Keep Moving Physical Therapy for All Ages and Abilities PHYSICAL THERAPY

(509) 665-3156

www.biosports.net

• Sports Biomechanics • Physical Therapy • Video Gait Analysis • Orthotics • Functional Testing • Pool Therapy • Massage Therapy • Work Related Injuries January 2016 | The Good Life

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FRIENDS FOR LIFE

By Susan Lagsdin

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his is a kind of love story. Not the boy-meets girl-happily-ever-afterkind, but a love story nonetheless.

It’s about the love of nine women in a unique and long lasting friendship, 50-plus years’ worth and going strong, even into the era where social networking may have devalued the word “friend” into a lightweight verb.

Nine homegrown girlfriends — buddies, compatriots and allies, most since elementary school and all 1974 Wenatchee High School graduates — have stayed close through the distance-making decisions of growing up and moving on. They gather together intentionally at least once a year, and some meet more often, but whether near or distant geographically, they stay in contact.

Three of the women: Jennifer (Carlson) McMahon, Sandy (Jennings) Briggs and Lucy (Cheney) Larkin, were eager to meet in Jennifer’s Sunnyslope living room to talk

“They are the only people in the world who really knew me then.”

Friends then and now — from gathering for a 10th grade Christmas supper at Edelweiss in Leavenworth to a week in Hawaii.

The 10th grade girls at right, sitting are: Connie, Marile and Susan. Standing Sandy, Nancy, Jennifer, Lucy and Colleen.

In Hawaii were, front row: Nancy (Kraft) Sellars, Susan (May) McCulloch, Jennifer (Carlson) McMahon, Janice Ibarra and Lucy (Cheney) Larkin.

Back row: Colleen Garrecht, Sandy (Jennings) Briggs, Marile (Sexson) Kunkel and Connie (Corrick) Hastings.

about their band of sisters, and in a way, they weren’t alone.

During that conversation “When I’ve had times the room felt infused with of rejoicing in my life, the good will of the six they have rejoiced; when others: Marile (Sexson) Kunkel, Nancy (Kraft) SellI wept, they wept...” ars, Connie (Corrick) Hastings, Susan (May) McCulloch, Janice Ibarra and Colleen Gar-

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recht.

Jennifer will tell you right off that she comes from friendkeeping stock. Her grandmother, Stella Welch, also kept in close touch with her local circle of friends, “Las Amigas,” all her

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life, so it seemed pretty natural when these girls cemented their friendship early on.

Early coincidences still delight them. Jennifer, Marile and Lucy

January 2016

were in Presbyterian preschool together and didn’t know it; they only heard the stories later.

And when Sandy’s father was transferred from back East to Wenatchee when she was in sixth grade, she discovered the neighbor girl she first met and walked to school with (Susan) had been her preschool friend in Massena, New York.

The pack of girls was an accustomed sight on the sidewalk as they walked to Orchard Middle School. At about that age, they started the tradition of Christmas holiday dinners together — first with their parents driving them, later self-propelled — to favorite dress-up places like The Chieftain, David Brown’s, The Windmill and Rivers Haven.

Gift-giving, after one melee with 81 wrapped presents, quickly reverted to “draw a name.”

At Wenatchee High School, though their extracurricular energies went in different directions, they were all good students and yes — they stayed friends. All nine, all the time.

Sandy speculated, “I don’t think we were perceived as a clique because we had really different interests — marching band, theater, drill team. And Janice actually joined the group in high school.”

College years saw them around the state and at Stevens College in Missouri. Two were at WSU, but in different sororities. Perhaps they could split up comfortably because their families were so securely settled in Wenatchee; every holiday and vacation the nine girls knew they were coming straight back to home and to each other.

Some women’s friendships waver when boyfriends and then babies intrude on their idyllic relationship. These girls didn’t get that news. A ring on the finger meant a flurry of eight phone calls. Weddings meant a ceremonial packet of eight letters.

Sandy said, “When Ernie and I got married, he knew it was a given that I’d keep these friend-

“When Ernie and I got married, he knew it was a given that I’d keep these friendships — it was a package deal.” ships — it was a package deal.”

After the half-decade of marriages, children arrived, as children do. Still the group kept together. One square of a baby quilt for each new mom’s first baby came from each of the other women.

Jennifer said, “We shared mothering advice, even though we all had good mothers to turn to.” No how-to books needed.

“We brought the babies with us to gatherings for a few years, but when they got older, our husbands took over caring for them,” Lucy recalled.

It wasn’t all wine and roses.

“A friend loveth at all times; a brother is born for adversity.”

Jennifer amended Proverbs 17:17 to include “sister” as she talked about some of the troubles the nine women endured — always in some way together — as they matured.

There were a few divorces, some financial reversals and career upsets. One friend moved to Australia. There were inevitable difficulties with growing children, including a bitter blow to one mother that lead them each, they later learned, to seek

“You must invest in your relationships.”

January 2016 | The Good Life

guidance from their several different pastors even as they offered solace to her.

Sandy said, “When I’ve had times of rejoicing in my life, they have rejoiced; when I wept, they wept … and we always knew instinctively what was private and what was OK to share with the world.”

Each woman brings life experience to an accustomed role within the group. There’s the cautious banker, the travel planner, the entertainer(s), the nutrition guru, the spiritual advisor, the historian, the orienteer, the speech pathologist. “Our children speak very well,” quipped Jennifer.

Their kids know each other, their husbands are friendly (“Oh yes, they’d all recognize each other on a street corner,” Sandy agreed when queried) and offer the group advice on matters automotive, financial and electrical. But “the clan,” the term they use, really has a full life of its own, sans family.

For 20 years these nine childhood friends contrived sleepovers, kidnap birthday dinners, day trips and weekend getaways to Chelan or Leavenworth, always working around family busy-ness and vacations.

Now they have the leisure to enjoy the “decade” birthdays together in high style — for their 50th they went to Disneyland (and wore princess tiaras) for five days, at 55 they spent some time in Vancouver, B.C. (Note: www.ncwgoodlife.com

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when fortunes shift, to share the wealth when it’s needed they’ve instituted a “companion fares,” a kind of scholarship).

Their suntans extant in late October when they met for this story, Jennifer, Sandy, and Lucy grinned remembering the group’s 60th birthday trip for themselves this last summer — a 10-day excursion to Maui. “It wasn’t all that hard to plan,” Jennifer insisted. “We all decided a year ahead of time on the dates; then it just took six months to work out the details.”

For the Hawaii trip every one of them offered up a dream escapade, and each heartily participated when they wanted to: parasailing, hiking the volcano, swimming under a waterfall, shopping, a luau, a submarine tour. “It was a beautiful place to be,” Lucy said. “But just cooking meals and eating together every day — and being free to do whatever we wanted to do — that made it really special. “ On this trip, too, their group dynamic was tested.

Janice broke her shoulder body-surfing, and the whole clan pitched in immediately.

From x-ray to airport to subsequent doctor appointments in Seattle, they took care of their own and made her birthday one to remember for bittersweet reasons.

Lucy summed up the value of the group to her. “It’s been such a stable presence in my life. The person I was as a teenager I’ve had to put away for the most part… but they all know that person I was — they are the only people in the world who really knew me then.”

Her advice to readers was echoed by the other two: “You must invest in your relationships. Cherish and nourish them.

It’s important to keep close with people you trust and care for, people with whom you can raise a glass, on a significant birthday perhaps, and say ”I am so glad to be here with my friends.”

STARFISH SISTERS

By Beverly Jagla

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e call ourselves “Starfish Sisters.” The idea came from the writing of Anne Morrow Lindbergh in her book, Gift from the Sea. She writes: “Parting is inevitably painful, even for a short time. It is as if in parting one actually loses an arm and then, like the starfish, one grows it anew; one is whole again, complete and round — more whole, even than before.”

Our most recent gathering in Leavenworth was a time of laughter, remembrances, eating, sharing, listening and reveling in the joy of many years of friendship, some since kindergarten.

Travel from Texas, Bellingham, Seattle, Olympia, Spokane and Wenatchee was needed to be together. Others of us have lived in Wenatchee all our lives.

The common bond is that we graduated from Wenatchee High School in 1959 and have kept in touch over the years.

Conversations that used to center around raising children and recipes have given way to

We have learned that, like the starfish, we can be damaged but then mend and become stronger.

The Starfish Sisters: front row: Sharon (Makovicka) Miller and Sarah (Seyster) Sessions. Middle row: Nina (Hardin) Byrne, Judy (Jones) Nechanicky, Beth (Hardin) Widby and Georgia Button. Back row: Beverly (English) Jagla, Mary Lou (Miller) Johnson, Mona (Nye) DeCoy, Beverly (McKoin) Martin, Louise (Kuntz) Mertes, Darla (Erskine) Arnsberg and Gloria (Bannister) Waddell. Photo by Swoboda Photography

family activities, travel and health issues but mostly what joy we find in life today. (Politics is avoided as we want to remain friends.)

Life was very different back in the 1950s.

We graduated from high school thinking mostly of getting married and having a family. Career pathways were mostly limited to becoming a teacher, nurse or secretary.

Our group totals about 20 and of those nine became teachers, two became nurses and several started as secretaries. As time passed, several of us went back to school to broaden our horizons.

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A mental health counselor, a real estate broker, a real estate manager, a school administrator, a speech therapist, an adjudicator, a professional model and author, two antique dealers, two financial advisors and a physical therapist assistant are some of the choices we made.

Most of our careers starting after children were older and more independent. Some of us are still working and most are involved in community volunteer efforts.

Now back to the starfish connection. Our lives have been full but not without adversity.

We all married early but only eight of those early 20 marriages

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survived for the long haul. Six have been widowed and some have lost children and siblings.

All of us have lost both parents and many friends as the years have rolled by.

We have learned that, like the starfish, we can be damaged but then mend and become stronger.

Some are dealing with very serious health challenges but face them with courage and optimism. Katharine Hepburn is famously quoted as having replied to the standard question, “How are you?” with “Fine, if you don’t ask for details!”

The same can generally be said for the Starfish Sisters.

We have had broken hearts, broken bones, broken dreams and broken spirits but only temporarily. One constant in our lives has been the knowledge of friendships that are never lost.

After our 30-year reunion, we started having slumber parties again and having other gatherings on an annual basis. We have all mastered (well, almost) the technology of emails and texting so keeping in contact is relatively easy now.

Grandchildren find it hard to believe that Grandma can remember a world without television, iPhones, computers, fast food restaurants, credit cards, garage door openers and so on.

“What did you DO?” we have been asked. “Well, would you believe that we actually talked to each other, rode bikes, listened to the radio and read comic books?”

We all remember 45 rpm records, sock hops and “buzzing the Barrel,” a quaint Wenatchee activity back in the day.

We all remember 45 rpm records, sock hops and “buzzing the Barrel,” a quaint Wenatchee activity back in the day.

Starfish Sisters Gloria, Georgia, Beth, Judy and Beverly laugh with and nurture Apple Annie Dahl, with tiara.

We have been blessed with a total of 53 children and an abundance of grandchildren (even a few great-grandchildren) so we had sufficient time at our latest gathering for picture sharing and bragging.

Some of our friends weren’t able to make it to this gathering

January 2016 | The Good Life

because of distance or health issues but sent messages. Several have been lost over the years to illnesses and accidents and we cherish their memories.

One example of our support was when “Apple Annie” Anne Dahl, was diagnosed with ALS in 2008. Her home was filled

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with laughter, hugs and nurturing in the weeks before her passing.

What is the lesson here?

We would encourage others to not lose track of dear friendships which become more and more precious as time goes by. We know that if and when one of us has an “arm ripped off,” others will quickly appear with bandaids, chocolate and support.

That’s what it’s all about.

Beverly Jagla is the former Eastmont School District Assistant Superintendent. She currently travels nationwide as an educational consultant for a private company.

A winter drive to visit the Southwest parks

With bags packed, a stocked cooler and maps, couple sets off for a driving adventure

By Karen Keebler

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or years my husband Andrew and I talked about how wonderful it would be to get into our car and head to the Southwest to explore the national parks and do some hiking.

Well, last winter, we decided to stop talking about it and made our plans to go.

We planned to take 13 days for our trip, so with our cooler full, our bags packed and our itinerary in hand we set out for our

big adventure.

Our first stop was at the Arches National Park, in eastern Utah near Moab.

A series of switchbacks led us to the top of the hill. Once on top, the park opened up to a vast landscape of bright rusty colored rock formations, columns and arches. The contrast of the bright orange rock against the clear blue sky was brilliantly beautiful.

After checking out some of the popular rock formations like the Courthouse, Sheep Rock and the Three Gossips, we drove nine miles to check out Balanced Rock where we found a great picnic area to have lunch. This park does not offer food, water or lodging facilities, so we were happy to have our cooler with

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food and water with us here.

We found that most of the trails in the park were an easy to moderate hike and after exploring the park for six hours, we were ready to call it a day and head to our hotel in Moab.

The next day, we drove north of Moab to visit Canyonlands National Park.

After making our way through the beautiful open fields of sage brush, we stopped at the Islands in the Sky visitor center.

As we drove along, we checked out seven viewpoints that had about five to six miles distance between them. Each overlook provided an awe-inspiring view of the vast canyons that stretched out as far as you could see. The sheer cliffs dropped at least 1,000 feet before dropping

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Andrew Keebler waves to his wife, Karen, who was too nervous to traverse the ledge at Canyonlands National Park.

another 1,000 feet. We felt like a tiny speck in the grand comparison of it all.

Next stop was Cortez, CO, where we spent the next three days exploring our third national park, Mesa Verde.

From the research we did, we knew that we wanted to take a guided tour of the Balcony House since the other tours were going to be closed when we arrived.

We went straight to the visitor center and paid four dollars each for the tour that we arranged to do the next day. The road into the park is steep, narrow and

the crater-like area via windy. Trailers and towed the Wall Street trail that vehicles are not allowed, made us look like a speck however I did notice an of dust moving our way area near the park enthrough huge slabs of trance where you could rock. leave them.

The last national park It takes about 45 minwe visited was Zion. utes to drive to the top We were glad to have of the hill to access the been at the entrance by ruins.

8 a.m., because it took Our first stop in the us half an hour to go park was the Chapin through the long tunnel Mesa Archeological and switch backs that Museum. We were just in led to the bottom of the time to catch the 25-mincanyon where the park ute orientation film about entrance is located. the ancestral Pueblo We parked at the visitor people. The museum had center and were amazed exceptional displays of it was already almost full. artifacts and dioramas.

Using the map we Just outside the mureceived at the entrance, seum we took the halfwe picked out the trails mile trail (round trip) we wanted to do first. that descended 100 feet The sandy swirls and grooves artistically carved out by mother nature herself at Lower AnteThere were shuttles that in elevation down to view lope Canyon are stunning. go throughout the park the Spruce Tree House. to the canyon wall where you’ll constantly, and using This house is the best them was very easy. preserved cliff dwelling and was see a large panel of petroglyphs.

It was time for us to head west The park is surrounded by built around the 13th Century. to visit our fourth national park, sheer cliffs with the Virgin River We were able to walk through Bryce Canyon. running through the valley of parts of the dwelling and talk Just outside of Page, AZ, we the park. We planned ahead and to the very knowledgeable park were able to take the Lower brought along our own water ranger.

Antelope tour. The tour guide shoes and sticks because we The Balcony House tour we led us out to a big crevice that wanted to hike the “Narrows,” took the next day was exciting had several steep steel stairs which is where you hike up the and not meant for those afraid going down into it. Once at narrow corridor while in the of heights like myself, however the bottom, it was an easy flat Virgin River. not wanting to be the only perwalk along the bottom where As we made our way up the son in our group of 40 to chickin every direction you could see river, the water was never location. It was just a few miles en out, I did it anyway. the sandy swirls and grooves deeper than our knees and there to scenic Hwy. 12 that leads into We made our way down a were plenty of sandbars where pathway where we climbed a 35- artistically carved out by mother Bryce Canyon. I have to say, out nature herself… it was absolutely of all the parks we visited on our we were able to cross back and foot wooden pole ladder that led stunning. forth. This was a good hike to do trip, this park was the only one into the Balcony House. It was Once back on the road, we in the heat of the day. that took our breath away upon amazingly well preserved and decided we had a little time to Later on, Andrew hiked 1,400first glimpse. makes one ponder at how hard stop and check out Glen Canfeet in elevation up to Angles As we stood looking at the these people worked to create yon and Lake Powell. We had a Queens Garden, one of the view- landing. It was too steep and their little villages with tools lovely lunch at the Glen Canyon high for me. He said the view up points in the park, the morning made of rock and sticks.

Marina where we had an excelthere was fabulous. sun made the orange and white Upon exiting the Balcony lent view of the lake.

It actually Chatting about all the parks hoodoos glow. There are 14 House we had to crawl through reminded us a little bit of our on our two-day drive home, we viewpoints in the park and they a two-by-two-foot hole in the are all breathtaking and unique. could really not pick a favorite rock and ascend up a steep trail, own Lake Roosevelt, without and thought that each park was Our favorite hike in this park so the key for me was to just not the huge monument-like rocks along its banks, and thought really unique and special in its started in the Queens Garden. look down. this would be a fun place to own way.

The 2.5-mile trail descended Another fun trail to take in down into the pine trees where this park is the petroglyph trail. come back to and rent a houseKaren Keebler loves to hike and boat. we were able to get fantastic The trail is 2.4 miles long and explore new trails. She has been guiding clients on their driving trips Driving on to Panguitch, Utah, views of the bright hoodoos gives great views of the canyons, for 10 years at the AAA office in mixed among the pine trees has fun rock steps and rock cre- where we spent our last four Wenatchee. and blue skies. We came out of vasses to skirt through that lead days, turned out to be a good

... of all the parks we visited on our trip, this park was the only one that took our breath away upon first glimpse.

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But alas, Mike’s career did not take him to the stage of the Fillmore or Woodstock, or even the local Junior High School. It took him to the ownership of a large food brokerage company that he and partners eventually sold. By 2005, Mike and his wife Janice had opened the Vogue.

The concept was to do something that combined three things Mike and Janice had always loved: music, coffee and wine. The result is an eclectic mix of the threet. Just as Mike had envisioned when he drew his plans up on the proverbial napkin back in 2004, the Vogue has become the “gathering place” for local residents and visitors alike, doing a brisk business serving coffee and fresh homemade quiche in the morning, panini sandwiches for lunch and, later in the day, quenching the local thirst for Washington wines and Northwest microbrews.

Mike and Janice Cooney

M

The Touch

usicians who take their show on the road to Lake Chelan all pretty much agree that Mike Cooney has the touch. Mike’s the owner of the Vogue Liquid Lounge, a live music venue now regionally famous for offering a variety of excellent musical entertainment.

While other places will often limit their music schedule because they can’t afford the bands, Mike has taken a different approach: He simply asks the audience to chip in and pay for the band. He’s done that for something like 1200 shows, missing only one weekend of musical entertainment in the last 10 years – and that only happened because of the big wildfire last summer that cut off power to every part of downtown Chelan.

Mike Cooney keeps live music in “vogue”

by Cary Ordway Mike Cooney is a gifted communicator, the type who can get up in front of a room full of people who might normally squeeze their wallet like they’re saving it for retirement and convince these same people that the music they are listening to is worth reaching into their pocket IRA and flipping the band twenties like they were handing out penny candy. Not surprisingly, the bands like Mike a lot. They even spend their free time teaching Mike how to play his guitar and regale him with their stories from “the road.”

“I’m the biggest wannabe musician you’ll ever meet,” says the 61-yearold Cooney. He remembers that he was about 12 when he got hooked on groups like the Beatles and Rolling Stones.

Mike is quick to credit Janice for playing a vital role in the business, working long hours during the day while Mike will come in later and work into the evening. “She’s the steak,” he says, “and I’m the sizzle.”

Mike and Janice knew Chelan was a good choice for their venture. Along with their two kids – now in their early thirties and living in Seattle – they had been visiting the lake for many years from their home in the Woodinville-Redmond area, eventually buying a second home in Chelan. Today they live within walking distance of the

Vogue – no commutes, easy strolls to the post office and bank, friendly people who know Mike and Janice will remember not only their names, but also the drinks they prefer.

And every Friday and Saturday night, Mike turns into Dick Clark, welcoming to Chelan a wide range of musical groups that come from as far away as Seattle to play for tips. Part of it has to do with the enthusiastic patrons who welcome the musical acts with open arms.

A couple times during the evening, the audience is treated to what really is a stand-up comedy act as Mike gently cajoles the audience into tipping the band. The audience laughs, the tip jar gets passed and, voila, the band gets paid. Mike has proved once again he has the touch.

And now it will be interesting to see how Cooney’s talent translates to city government. Recently elected mayor of Chelan, Mike may have to sharpen his game just a little bit if he expects to convince City Council to reach into city coffers to throw a few twenties around to fund his favorite projects.

Visit www.chelanvogue.com or phone 509-888-5282.

(When he’s not working his day job, Cary Ordway is keyboardist for the classic rock group Waterdog, scheduled to play the Vogue on Saturday, January 9.)

Another weekend of rock and roll at the Vogue Louunge

WINTER 2016 | THE GOOD LIFE | Central Washington Experience |

21

IT’S THE ’50s

The Eversons hope to improve this current (left) open plan 1990’s kitchen but probably won’t go back to the closed-off half wall look (right) that the previous owner took a photo of before he remodeled.

ALL OVER AGAIN Story by Susan Lagsdin New photos by Donna Cassidy

W

hen Michael and Amy Everson went shopping for a house three years ago, they could easily have found a new-construction spec home in a development, with a tidy yard and brand new appliances.

But as they cruised the streets of Wenatchee, wishing and hoping for something special to call out to them, they saw this unassuming rambler on the corner of Fuller and Stevens.

In 2012 this was not a house that would immediately grab attention, unless you yearn for a home that’s a few generations old, one that would shine with some responsible restoration, one that carries if not architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s imprimatur, then his design sensibility.

Big full length windows add space and light to the relatively small upper floor, and the slate-surrounded The neighborhood seemed quiet and fireplace, though not a ‘50s look, was intact when the couple purchased the home and serves them well. convenient to town and school, and the

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January 2016

This old photo of the original living room fireplace shows limestone and built-in bookshelves. The fun challenge of a back-to-period re-model is searching for the right “back” to go back to.

With a past look the Eversons appreciate and might try to replicate, this main bathroom was photographed in its original state before the latest modernization (at right).

The remodeled bathroom with its abundance of slate, while functional and nice looking, will probably go back someday to the large-windowed open look and feel of its predecessor (at left).

same builder or architect. It’s a look that’s kept a kind of retro-charm and has new appeal, possibly for people who venerate the Greatest Generation and the relative calm and surety of the 1950s (that’s minus rampant inequality and Cold War dread).

The Eversons looked beyond peeling trim, an odd paint color over original white limestone bricks, and a vulnerable flat roof Carrying its 65-plus years with characteristic cool, this mid century-modern rambler proudly retains char- — a ’50s characteristic but worn by weather.

They saw possibilities for building periodacteristics of the era such as strong lateral geometrics and lots of windows. appropriate paneled fencing and removing first impression of the house was of sturdy yard, 2,600 square feet on two stories, a sen- hulking overgrown plantings that blocked simplicity. But it was not for most people the sible traffic flow and a really good price. view and sunlight. stuff that dreams are made of — it definitely And they saw history — the boxy simplicIt’s not exactly a mystery house, but if it needed correction for some deferred mainte- ity of mid-20th Century architecture that were a person, you’d need to sort through nance. was meant to meld outdoors with indoors conflicting gossip about its past. Michael’s In any fixer-upper venture like this, a buy- and present an unassuming façade to the done some homework here; neighborhood er needs to be aware of the basics. What did world. old-timers offered theories and a few facts. the Eversons see? Big-beamed and relatively There are a few more houses of its ilk scat- The house used to be at Russell and Fuller in }}} Continued on next page low ceilings, walls of windows, a private tered around Wenatchee, possibly by the

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The Eversons like their recent (2013) treatment of the second bathroom — it has some midcentury detailing in the washstand and armoire that they would like to see in the main bath.

Distinctive kitchen-width windows look out onto Stevens Street. Amy is still trying to decide how to add space and stay ‘50s within the original footprint of the house.

cure bedroom (one of two upstairs) for their daughter Carley. That removal uncovered a field of pears but was trucked whole up the the foundation for what is now a big patio driveway to its current spot as a home for space, made private with paneled fencing the orchardist’s mother. and shaded from hot western sun.

Somehow, a basement with a huge ’50s “We hauled between eight and 10 tons of limestone fireplace was waiting for it. And garbage off the property that first spring,” for some reason a larger, decidedly more years. Michael said, “Even the seller asked us Michael said. Those loads included outdated Frank Lloyd Wright-looking house appeared at one point ‘why in the hell would you want interior finishes (including some padded on its former site. Tax records show it at the to buy this place?’” white vinyl), the tear-down’s scrap material current address in 1950, but at a smaller size.

Michael and Amy had a vision. “The house and lots of yard and garden detritus.

There’s agreement that the first owner’s son had so much potential,” Michael said. “We Amy remembers that period well, comlost it in a tax sale to a speculator who did a just wanted to bring it back to what it had menting, “We put in a lot of sweat. Michael massive update, tearing out the “modern” in been and what it could be.” loves houses that are fixer uppers… while “mid-century modern” and replacing interior So buy it they did, in April 2013. With two they aren’t my favorite, I tolerate it — for with equally distinctive 1990’s upgrades. weeks between closings of their old house him.”

The house served as a lease/rental for per- and the new house, they scrambled. The first The fixing up kept right on going. The haps a decade and was remodeled with vary- major project was demolishing an awkward basement was unfinished but with its rooms ing degrees of taste and investment over the and non-conforming add-on to create a sedelineated. It had surprisingly thick 14-inch

“Even the seller asked us at one point ‘why in the hell would you want to buy this place?’

}}} Continued from previous page

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walls and a big period fireplace, so the Eversons completed a family room, a bath and two more bedrooms.

The upstairs bathroom got a closer-to-period revival. Still to come is a re-structuring of the kitchen, a little too small and choppy these days for entertaining or family dining but graced with a wall of counter-height windows.

A not-to-code electrical system got a complete re-do, and the roof was renewed with a new waterproof membrane. One usable bonus space on the small lot is what appears to be an orchard shed, probably not a garage by intention, seriously sturdy and with even older origins. Possibilities abound for its eventual re-purposing.

Anderson Landscaping swapped out lawn for a contoured front yard with rock outcroppings and pathways interspersed with tall native grasses and aspens.

“It is so beautiful in the spring — and there’s one original flowering plant here in the back that has massive cartoonish blooms.” Amy said.

The careful placement of the original main room windows offers an idyllic tree and sky view, privacy, plenty of sunlight and even a glimpse of the Columbia River straight north.

Amy, Carley (holding Tyke) and Michael enjoy every part of their house, and over the next few years they’ll try to save or bring back the best and most usable of its original features.

Michael, Amy and Carley and their little dog Tyke are happy in their new/old house.

There are more intriguing design decisions to be puzzled over and budgeted for, but each change they’ve made so far has been a

good one.

Michael is pleased with their progress and said they only had one wish at the start of the project. “We just wanted to bring it back to its bones.’”

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>>

column moving up to the good life

june darling

Put envy to work for you Y

ep, it’s here. January 2016.

Your chance to start over.

Most people around the world are going to be setting goals to lose weight, exercise more and save more money. Same as always.

The advice is going to be pretty much the same as always too. Set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound) goals. Get an accountability partner.

Gurus might mention a few other things like making sure you break those BHAGs (big hairy audacious goals) into quick wins to stay motivated.

Ho hum.

We are not doing that same old stuff at The Good Life. No, we are jumping off the high dive into a much deeper pond. In essence this article is about why and how to pretty much totally make over your life.

Let’s start with why you would want to totally make over your life. Two possibilities come to

We are not doing that same old stuff at The Good Life. No, we are jumping off the high dive into a much deeper pond. mind.

First. It could be that your life is so unbelievably bad that anything, absolutely anything would be better. No thinking really necessary. You are ready to jump.

Or it could be that you are there standing on the high dive, peering around, noticing, considering… when you get a kick in the pants. That’s what happened to the Chaneys.

A little over six years ago Ray Chaney’s father died. It seemed so sudden. It gave pause.

Life needed to be spent dif-

ferently than “working for the all mighty dollar,” sitting in Atlanta traffic for hours, and living in a place where nobody knew your name. The Chaneys decided to jump. They landed in Wenatchee.

Okay, let’s drop the metaphors — those high dives and pools and such, for a moment.

The unembellished background of the story is that while Lisa was teaching in Atlanta, she became friends with Marie, who had previously lived in Wenatchee.

Within a couple of years, the two ladies got married: Lisa to Ray Chaney and Marie to George Buckner.

Soon Marie and George left Atlanta and moved to Wenatchee. Ray and Lisa visited occasionally. They liked the Wenatchee Valley. No, actually, they loved it. They were stunned by the beauty — the “shocking wows everywhere,” as they said.

The real attraction was not just the scenery. Mostly they

envied the vital life they saw George and Marie living.

Marie is in Junior Service League and active in Washington State School Retirees Association. She volunteers at Rock Island Elementary School.

George is active in Rotary and involved in East Wenatchee City Council.

The Buckners were dancing, having fun at the country club, in Follies, having dinners with their friends, shopping at Pybus Market. They were always “going and doing.”

Ray knew a good thing when he saw it.

He had been active in martial arts for 32 years and was constantly engaged with techniques and tools for living a better life.

He boiled down the Wenatchee Valley assets into: Spectacular environment, good people, healthy living – outdoor activities, gardens, and fresh fruit.

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January 2016

Lisa could find no mosquitoes or palmetto bugs.

Both Lisa and Ray knew about the fire and ice of Wenatchee’s weather, but that didn’t deter them, particularly when they imagined how much simpler life was going to be when it came to going somewhere. Most of their life in Atlanta seemed to revolve around traffic. Much of their time seemed wasted.

When Ray’s Lisa and Ray Chaney, front, moved to Wenatchee, inspired by their friends Marie and George father died, they Buckner. Here, the Chaneys liked the lack of traffic and the “shocking wows everywhere.” made the move; they “have never nation and excitedly explaining looked back.” back.” how their service was unique.

But how did they actually do Lisa and Ray feel they are now The Chaneys say their secret it? That’s a long, rich story that on the path to living the life into quickly getting into the you must ask them sometime they once envied. swing of Wenatchee social life when you meet them, but here’s Maybe you are contemplating was to allow the Buckners to a short version. a real change this year. Look be their “ambassadors.” The Lisa and Ray decided to retire around. Whose life do you envy?

Chaneys especially ask Marie’s after 30 years of working. As I Who could be your ambassador? advice on where to shop, who listened to their story it seems If not now, when? to connect with, and how to get that they may have had a little How might you move up to involved in the community. dough stashed away. Still they The Good Life by living the life The Chaneys do wish their wanted to do something in the you envy? family was close by. But they way of work.

June Darling, Ph.D. can be conhave had some nice visits with They have settled on starting tacted at drjunedarling1@gmail. a pet-sitting service (Just a “Pet” their children who have joined com; website: www.summitgrouprethem in touring wineries and Away). It isn’t totally a new vensources.com. Her books, including 7 exploring the area. ture. When I visited with them, Giant Steps To The Good Life, can be And now they live where “an bought or read for free at Amazon. they were bringing a website com. from previous years out of hiber- entire community has your

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column THE TRAVELing DOCTOR

jim brown, m.d.

Pickleball great fun and easier on body 2 Eastmont Park tennis courts are to be converted to 6 pickleball courts by the spring

I have always enjoyed sports

where I had to hit a ball with a racquet or a paddle.

I played some tennis in my high school years at a city park, in college I played some intramural squash, and in medical school at about 10 p.m. many of us gathered for impromptu ping pong tournaments in our dormitory.

After moving to Wenatchee I took up racquetball at the YMCA and got hooked on it. For the next 20 or so years, I was obsessed with racquetball, playing five times a week and entering tournaments locally and around the state.

After about 15 years I started having right shoulder issues. I played in a city tournament and then in the next two weeks, a state tournament, playing with the help of naprosyn (Aleve). An orthopedist told me that I might need surgery, but after these tournaments, I quit playing for a

adults and some older seniors.

The nice thing I like about it is that it can be played with all ages and both sexes.

Unlike tennis, where you generally play with players of similar ability usually of the same gender, Pickleball is played on a smaller court than a tennis, with players using paddles and a wiffle ball. pickleball mixes it all up, and one gender couple of weeks, and my shouloption, but I wasn’t enthused or age doesn’t dominate. der felt fine. about that either.

Unlike tennis there are very I tried to play one more time, So I quit tennis for a while, few times when an overhead but the pain returned so I deand my shoulder improved conshot is used. The serve is more cided to quit racquetball rather siderably. under hand or side arm. The than have surgery.

A friend of mine invited me racquet has to be lower than the About 10 years later I started to try pickleball that was being wrist on the serve. There aren’t playing tennis again and really played in the Eastmont Commany lobs. enjoyed it. I played for many munity Park five days a week Much of the action is at the years. About nine months ago on tennis courts re-striped for net. Players have to stand beI started having right arm and pickleball rules. I started playshoulder pains day and night, ing, and it wasn’t long until I got hind lines that are three feet behind the net on either side. and after seeing a neurologist the pickleball bug, too. and an orthopedist, it seemed It is fun and appeals to all ages This requires quick reflexes and like surgery might become an from high school players, young accuracy. It is a fast moving game.

Although my right arm, biceps and shoulder still bother me, pickleball doesn’t seem to aggravate the pain much in part because pickleball relies more on one’s wrist.

In Wenatchee, Russell Bryan is really the pickleball “Godfather,” as its organizer, pickleball mover and shaker. He keeps everyone up to date on happenings. Just recently, through his efforts, the NCW Community Foundation gave a grant to permanently convert two tennis courts at

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Eastmont Park into six pickleball courts that will be ready by spring.

The Wenatchee pickleball group is now playing indoors at night at Sterling Middle School gymnasium.

So what is pickleball anyway and what makes it unique?

It is a fun sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis. It is played with a paddle and a plastic wiffle ball (a ball with holes in it).

The history of this sport and its connection to Washington State is interesting. It was actually created by then Washington State congressman, Joel Pritchard, on Bainbridge Island. He came home from Washington D.C. in 1965. He and his friend Richard Bell found their families sitting around with little to do.

The Pritchards had an old badminton court on their property but no racquets so they took some ping pong paddles and found a plastic perforated ball and started batting it around over the net. They soon lowered the net to 34 inches, and pickleball was born.

Reportedly, it got its name from their dog Pickles who frequently grabbed the ball and ran off with it. In 1967 they built the first pickleball court in the country on their property.

In 1976 the first pickleball tournament in the world took place in Tukwila, south of Seattle. In 1984 the first composite paddle was invented by Arlen Paranto, a Boeing industrial engineer.

A pickleball court is smaller, 20 by 44 feet compared to 36 by 78 feet for a tennis court.

By 1990 pickleball was being played in all 50 states. In 1997 Joel Pritchard, who had also served as the Washington lieutenant governor, died at 72. He is better known worldwide for the sport he created in his back yard on Bainbridge Island.

Currently this sport is exploding in popularity in part because it appeals to all ages and genders and is a lot of fun.

In my opinion it is an excellent exercise as well. According to the USA Pickleball Association, there are 9,863 pickleball courts in North America with an average of 62 new places to play pickleball debuting across the U.S. and Canada each month.

I have been vacationing in Palm Desert recently and have been playing pickleball several mornings a week at Freedom Park, a large popular municipal facility with two dog parks, basketball and volleyball courts, softball fields and children’s playgrounds.

Every morning by 8:30, the eight pickleball courts are filled by not only local players but players from around the U.S. and Canada — snowbirds down here.

When I first went there to play, the first person I met was Buzz Summers. When he found out I was from Wenatchee, he asked me if I knew Ron Zelinski.

I told him yes I’ve know him a long time.

Buzz said he was Ron’s tennis coach at the University of Oregon.

Buzz is kind of a pickleball legend down here and he has given me a number of pointers.

Great serendipity.

In 2014 the Palm Desert city council decided to permanently convert Freedom Parks’s two tennis courts into eight pickleball courts at a cost of under $20,000. If they had kept the tennis courts and added pickleball courts the cost would have been around $250,000.

It was a wise move as it is a very popular game here. I think we will see the popularity of pickleball increase in our valley once the six new courts are operational in the Eastmont Community Park in the spring.

It is a good sport for keeping fit and enjoying the good life.

Jim Brown, M.D., is a retired gastroenterologist who has practiced for 38 years in the Wenatchee area. He is a former CEO of the Wenatchee Valley Medical Center.

January 2016 | The Good Life

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artist updates

New ventures, new venues as artists explore their talents

By Susan Lagsdin

A

n artist’s life, as anyone’s, can be swayed by the vicissitudes of fortune, and sometimes it’s hard to stay the course whether the art is pastime, passion or profession.

We find it fun to look back at the end of each year to a few past artist profiles and see how some of our local creatives have fared. The five folks we chose this year continue to be committed to excellence; they are loving their art and staying with it.

Cynthia Brown Five years ago her directing work with Music Theater of Wenatchee complemented her day job and put her in the epicenter of theatrical action in the area.

Cynthia played a variety of essential backstage and beyond stage roles and was content to be, as she said, “Someone you probably wouldn’t recognize on the street.” Here’s what her profile said: Cynthia has moved through several tiers of dramatic endeavor from doing costuming and make-

up design for her first few shows in the early ’90s to directing and producing. She’s proudly nonacademic, drawing on the theatrical equivalent of street smarts. “I got nothing… I’ve never taken one real drama class. I even dropped out of my AA (associate of arts) program.” And yet she’s never been intimidated by high-caliber actors — “All I ask of you is that you take direction from me.”

She loves theater, and “I really care about my shows,” she said.

Her casts know this: “So many people I meet have unexplored talent and ambitions. I find joy helping them find and feed that creative seed…”

These days Cynthia is the Drama Advisor at Eastmont High School, an after-school position which has meant semiretirement from her real estate appraisal job.

She’s most proud of two main accomplishments in her five years at Eastmont: the program is known as a supportive place

“As students find success after high school, they often credit their Drama Club experiences as a big positive influence, and this makes everything worthwhile for me.”

— Cynthia Brown 30

| The Good Life

Ruth Parsons, 2012: Singing in her garden.

for students to explore their talents and leadership skills, and all of the shows, correspondingly, are crewed entirely by students, not adults. Those include improv comedy, student directed showcases, dramas, one small musical, Murder at the Cafe Noir, and three large-scale ones: Grease, Urinetown, and Legally Blonde.

What’s satisfying about the school drama job is that Cynthia knows she’s making an impact.

She said, “As students graduate and find success after high school, they often credit their Drama Club experiences as a big positive influence, and this makes everything worthwhile for me.”

As for a claim to fame on local sidewalks — she’s pleased to report that after she played the role of Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret at the Numerica PAC last summer, “Two people actually recognized me.”

www.ncwgoodlife.com

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January 2016

Dustin Spencer Working with leather and sturdy, top quality fabrics, Dustin made a name for himself in corners of the country that sell designer goods — from online vendors and specialty shops to high end haberdasheries. In December 2014, when his story appeared in The Good Life, he was working mostly solo at his Malaga workshop.

“Actually, I don’t draw anything — whenever I get a new idea I just make it up right away to see if it will work.” And when it works, it’s solid gold. Toiletry kits, briefcases, duffels of all sizes, portfolios, wallets (“…and maybe 3,000 belts a year,” he figures) — each one is a visual and tactile pleasure, made to last and stay beautiful… In 2008 he started Vermilyea Pelle (vurMIL-yuh PAY-lay), designing and hand-manufacturing his own line

Cynthia Brown 2010: Relaxed around the bright lights.

of quality bags and leather accessories, which sell for prices from $70 to hundreds of dollars…

He operates his business out of an elderly double-wide trailer on his father’s orchard property in Malaga, which became his fulltime shop two years ago.

Today, he’s happily relocated to a high traffic venue, a one-man work space inside the American Shoe Shop right in downtown Wenatchee. “I

have always tried to close up the space between people and product as much as possible,” he said. “And now, with this ‘pony wall’ right inside the store, I can talk to people about what they’re looking at, and they can actually see me making things. It’s perfect.”

Another benefit that surprised him when he moved the whole operation from the orchard: “There seems to be so much more space — even though it’s much smaller square footage.

All 19 machines are here, but they’re in a really sensible configuration.”

Dustin continues to experiment with new twists on classic designs (like a fully leatherlined luxe version of a day bag) and he keeps supplying goods out of town, with retail connections pending in Houston and Portland. But this is where he wants to live his life, so he’s especially pleased that local buyers have found and appreciated his products.

Ruth Parsons Ruth has sung with a notable variety of groups and in many locales over the years and brings not just excellent (relatively recent) training but a love of the art form to every performance.

This was part of her 2011 The Good Life profile: Local audiences have enjoyed hearing her sing classical, cabaret and jazz tunes with the Confluence Vocal Octet, and at Chelan’s Bach Fest, Columbia Chorale, Music Theater of Wenatchee, Leavenworth Summer Theater, and The One Act Wonder Opera Company.

Other venues include The Upper Eastside Coffee House and Grace Lutheran Church, the sites of some late summer performances…

For Ruth, singing is a whole body, whole mind phenomenon.

She explained, “It’s a very physical experience — all vibrations and energy.” And music can

Dustin Spencer, 2014: Making beautiful bags.

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“I have always tried to close up the space between people and product as much as possible.”

— Dustin Spencer induce trance-like states.

“People are sometimes moved to tears, or just emotionally charged by the passion of the music.” Especially with the older pieces, she says, “I feel like I’m channeling someone else’s message from a long time ago — sometimes I really feel the soul of the composer.”

Since you last read about her, Ruth has retired from private practice as a counselor/hypnotherapist (where she said she was able to use her singing voice occasionally) but is starting work in January as a child therapist with Confluence Health.

She’s also continued performing, most recently with three other area women, Briar Hoper, Amy Edwards and Connie Celustka (AKA “The Eclectiks”) who choose from songbooks with everything from classical to jazz, with a little bluegrass mixed in.

At Christmas, they sang acapella throughout Leavenworth, and they also bring light and joy throughout the year to assisted living residences in the area. You’re likely to hear them in sunnier weather at the Leavenworth Farmers Market and Pybus Public Market.

Her specialty venue is a family collaboration — at her husband Scott’s Artisan Bread Company on North Wenatchee Avenue, they host private customer appreciation events complete with food, wine and song at various times throughout the year.

There, Ruth’s voice and the voices of her friends ring out loud and clear.

}}} Continued on next page

artist updates

“... this spring I’ll be working on a huge trompe l’oeil mural in town that will put me really high in the air again.”

— Amanda Gibbs

}}} Continued from previous page

Fred Melton Dedicated to his parallel profession of fiction writing (he’s also a dentist), Fred hasn’t wavered from his original intention to publish well and often. He’s just taking a little longer than he’d planned when he spoke to The Good Life in 2013: He’s learned the lessons of a few decades of writing workshops, conferences, prizes and nominations. And he’s also been buoyed by the critical support of his mentors… This new venture — the Master of Fine Arts program and all it entails — may be ennobling or humbling, or both, but Fred knows what this decision offers him is rare high-risk freedom to work at his craft, the one he loves the most… Fred’s targets are in a clear line of sight.

He’d like to publish a collection of his short stories on completion of the Pacific program. And, he’s been nominated nine times for the Pushcart Prize, awarded by the nation’s small presses. (That’s like an Oscar for short story writers.)

He needed to take a break from enrollment in the intensive MFA program at Pacific Grove College in Oregon, but while continuing to live in Wenatchee, Fred has maintained superstudent self-discipline, keeping himself on a continuous schedule of reading, writing and receiving critiques.

He said, “I promised myself when I entered the program that I’d not give it 110 percent —it’d get 1,000 percent. I’ve kept and am keeping that promise to myself.”

He reads an average of 20 books a semester (about 4,000 pages), creating a bibliography of mostly short story collections by authors he respects. The fic-

Fred Melton, 2013: Taking the steps to be a better writer.

tion writing is also continuous, with lots of journal submissions and some acceptances.

He’s aware that online publications garner more readers, but he maintains a love of print on paper. “It’s an old man thing,” Fred admitted. “I just like to hold, in my hand, an actual item versus having it floating in space.”

And he’s found generous mentors, writing comrades and critics both in and out of the MFA program.

When he’s ready to go “back to school” he’ll be more than ready for all the learning they can throw at him.

Amanda and Rusty Gibbs About 18 months ago, Gibbs Graphics in Leavenworth was going strong.

The couple collaborated with concepts and skills, legwork

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Rusty and Amanda Gibbs, 2014: Creating outside art in public places.

and marketing. They filled their work space, and parts of town, with their handmade signs.

Here’s what they said then: One challenge is the sheer scale of some jobs. “Height and public art go hand in hand,” Rusty said, describing a series of harrowing scaffolded motel walls. “It took us five minutes to lower ourselves down and then five back up on the ‘manlift.’ You learn not to drop your rag or your brush…”

Signs, murals, posters, web pages — they do it all, but not always in tandem. If they had to choose a favorite aspect of their enterprise, she’s probably the muralist, fine line artist and colorist, he tends toward the web work and constructed multi-material projects.

Today, commissions keep coming in, and Amanda’s still jazzed about what they do. “I am so lucky,” she said, “to be able to do art all day and make a living from it.”

The newest addition to the Gibbs’s repertoire of tools is an investment piece, a computer-

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January 2016

ized router that enables them to program shapes from their own drawings and achieve carved structural products. They then add dimension with foam, clay or metal and finally paint the surface.

The device has taken the labor out of the more complex structures and left the fun jobs, applying their unique hand art, for her and Rusty.

She said, “We’re about to start work on a six-foot tall replica of a 16th Century nutcracker for the Nutcracker Museum, and this spring I’ll be working on a huge trompe l’oeil mural in town that will put me really high in the air again.”

Amanda also volunteers as a visiting artist once a month in her child’s kindergarten room, bringing hands-on art experiences that are hard to squeeze into public school curriculum these years.

Though she admitted “most of my energy goes into the business,” she said that these days with the kids are really fun.

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column GARDEN OF DELIGHTS

bonnie orr

Walnuts add crunch & flavor to any meal E

nglish walnut trees are planted all over NCW for shade and nuts.

The nuts fall free from the husks they grow in, and because of our low humidity, the nuts do not have to be specially dried before they are cracked.

Don’t writeoff cooking with English walnuts because they irritate your mouth tissues. My friend, Anne McClenndon, taught me that walnuts can be conditioned to be mild and sweet for most people.

The irritant is juglans acid.

To remove most of this acid, bring three gallons of water to a boil. Drop in a gallon or so of nut meats, let them sit in the hot water for five minutes. Then pour the nuts into a strainer, and throw out the dark brown water.

To dry the nuts, spread them on cookie sheets at 150 degrees for 25 minutes. The nuts will roast. Watch them to be sure they do not burn. You can also condition a cup of nuts meats and dry/roast them in a frying pan. Conditioned walnuts can be stored for about a year in the refrigerator.

Walnuts add nutrition, flavor and crunch to any dish, breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Have you added a handful to scrambled eggs? The cooked eggs turn a pale brown and absorb the nutty flavor. Mix in spinach and a little goat cheese

Walnuts add a rich flavor and brown color to any recipe they are added to.

—this makes a special breakfast.

I sprinkle the ground nuts on turkey or tuna sandwiches to dispel the blah of “Oh not another sandwich.”

I especially like the flavor of walnuts and winter squash. Mix together cubes of winter squash, add chopped kale, a little bacon or ham, a handful of walnuts.

Heat in the oven or the stove top with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese added at the end.

For a quick dessert, I make nut brittle — it takes about as long as it does to make a cake frosting, and this brittle is great on ice cream or sprinkled on bare slices of cake.

surface. Cover with parchment paper and roll the brittle flat and thin with a rolling pin — or a wine bottle. Break into pieces.

I am always looking for tasty recipes to use up the holiday turkey meat — especially the dark meat that needs to have lively flavors added to it.

On dark January nights, colorful meals warm up the evening. You can make this curry as mild or as hot as you wish. Curry is a blend of up to 20 spices and herbs. Many dishes are labeled “curry” if they call for the basics: coriander, ginger, mustard, cumin and a hot pepper.

I do not even own a can of curry powder because it is just as easy to create the aromas and tastes that I want to make a “curry.”

Nut Brittle

Curried Turkey and Walnuts

Melt slowly one cup of sugar in a frying pan. When it turns liquid and light brown, stir in one cup of crushed walnuts. Take off the heat, stir completely to coat the nuts.

Pour the mixture on a buttered January 2016 | The Good Life

If the walnuts are not conditioned, this dish will become a dark brown by the time it is cooked.

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2 cups cooked rice: white, brown, black, red or a mixture 2 teaspoons oil — walnut if possible 1 tablespoon turmeric 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger 1 teaspoon finely ground coriander seeds 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds 1/2 teaspoon or more hot pepper flakes 2 teaspoons cumin

1 large onion finely chopped 1 clove garlic pressed 1 cup chopped walnuts 3 cups chopped cooked turkey dark meat 1 cup chopped kale or spinach 1 cup yogurt Salt/pepper Heat the oil in a large flat saucepan.

Add the spices and cook carefully until they are fragrant.

Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft.

Add the walnuts, cook until slightly toasted.

Stir in the turkey meat and coat it with the spices and onion mix.

Cook until heated through.

Stir in the greens. Cover pan and cook until the greens are wilted.

Stir in the yogurt.

Heat the rice in the microwave.

Place the rice on a warm platter and scoop the turkey curry on top.

Enjoy a warm, fragrant dinner.

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

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Volunteers

Potter helps fill empty bowls ‘When I unload the finished bowls from my kiln I get to feel this community’s love and energy once again’

By Lisa Therrell

If you pop into the Communi-

ty Cupboard in Leavenworth on a Thursday, you will find Dawn Kranz faithfully volunteering to help organize and run the thrift store that also serves as a food bank for the upper Wenatchee Valley.

“I love to organize and do quality control,” Dawn said, as she sifted through a rack of sweaters, culling out the ones that appear substandard. “Those will go to the Northwest Center, which employs disabled adults, and finds alternative uses for donations.”

Helping others is also part of Dawn’s fiber. “If I am fortunate to have enough in a world where so many suffer scarcity, it naturally follows that I want to share.”

Dawn gives back in more ways than one. She also volunteers as a Spanish language translator for the Upper Valley Free Clinic, a partnership of Upper Valley M.E.N.D. and Cascade Medical Center.

And she is the lead potter for Leavenworth’s Empty Bowls Festival, a fundraiser for the Community Cupboard food bank.

Since the year 1998, Dawn has thrown an average of 150 bowls per year in support of Empty Bowls. And since 2000 she took on the lead potter role, organizing the small army of local potters needed to throw what

was then a total of 450 bowls. Due to the popularity of the event, this number has now risen to 750 bowls per year.

The satisfaction for Dawn comes in January, when the community is invited to come decorate their purchased bowl at the Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort.

“You walk into a big room and hear the happy hum of friends old and new practicing their artistry together, growing closer as a community, and knowing that their participation produces very significant funds for the food bank,” said Dawn.

Then there is more satisfaction in February when Dawn pulls “warm still pinging bowls from the kiln” and witnesses the artistic accomplishment of so many hands.

Dawn said, “When I unload the finished bowls from my kiln I get to feel this community’s love and energy once again. It is indeed an honor to hold these bowls all shiny and warm with tender sentiments, made to be

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Pleased with her results, Dawn lifts a freshly thrown bowl from her wheel. Photo by Lisa Therrell Dawn contributed this decorated bowl to the Empty Bowls Artist Bowl Auction in 2011.

Photo by Dawn Kranz

gifts, encouragements, or commemorations. The bowls are depictions of what we hold dear, and preserve the stories of our common life.

“Now and then a bowl will emerge from the kilns in need of blooper correction, such as when an area of thickly applied underglaze decides to pop off in the heat of firing and adhere to the wrong place in the design,” she said.

Dawn and professional potter Terry Porlier gently grind off the

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faulty glaze, reapply colors the artists intended, and fire the bowl again.

“Fellow potter Terry has been a huge help to Empty Bowls for the last several years, with his ability to plumb the mysteries of glazing and firing, and his willingness to produce as many bowls as needed every year,” said Dawn.

Most artists will never know the difference when they claim their bowl at a Community Soup Supper in March. Local restaurants and bakeries donate the food for this community meal held at Cascade High School in Leavenworth.

Now in its 20th year, the Leavenworth Empty Bowls Festival is going strong in both motiva-

tion and celebration. Many of north central Washington’s food banks have found themselves with bare shelves at times. Not so at the Community Cupboard, thanks to a caring and creative community.

Dawn’s business is Cabin Home Pottery. “Time in my pot shop comes first,” Dawn said when questioned about how she balances her busy volunteer life with vocation and home life. You can find her colorful functional pottery for sale at the Leavenworth Farmer’s Market and O’Grady’s Mercantile at Sleeping Lady. She also takes special orders.

Learning her potting profession at Waldorf College in Iowa, she then went on for a winter at the Instituto Allende in beautiful San Miguel, Mexico. “They taught us how to make our own clay in a series of pits,” Dawn said.

Next she attended the South Bear Pottery School in Iowa for two intensive summers. The school was patterned after the Bauhaus Artisans in Germany.

“In this tradition, both strong, clean form and flawless function are required to work together in each piece.”

Beginning students would start with a simple form, such as a straight-sided cylinder, and would throw enough of these to fill a four-foot long shelf board.

These fresh wet pots would >> RANDOM QUOTE

I want something new. I want something I’ve never seen or heard or imagined. I want a spark. I want to be ignited. I want my flesh scorched and imagination set ablaze.

Michael Soll

“You walk into a big room and hear the happy hum of friends old and new... knowing that their participation produces very significant funds for the food bank.” then be evaluated by student and master, selecting the best piece to further replicate. The remaining pieces were smashed down into reusable clay. When the student was ready, they progressed to the next most difficult form.

Dawn is also a painter and is drawn to landscapes and ethereal lighting. “I love the magical luminescence before a storm, or at twilight, or when the sun shines through the forest just right.” Her work has been displayed in local restaurants.

She has allowed skilled potters to use her studio space to throw bowls for Empty Bowls. “Having a cadre of skilled potters willing to help out is critical to sustaining this project. We are always looking for new potters, whether they have their own shop or not.”

Eighteen years of throwing pots for Empty Bowls means that Dawn has volunteered to throw about 2,700 bowls.

You can paint one of her bowls or that of another potter from Jan. 22-26 at the Sleeping Lady Mountain Retreat.

Lisa Therrell lives, writes and volunteers from Leavenworth. She is chairperson for Leavenworth Empty Bowls and would gladly help other communities start a similar event. She can be contacted at merrymulesears@ msn.com. For more information about the Leavenworth Empty Bowls Festival go to uvmend.org.

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WHAT TO DO

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

Writing competition by Write On The River, through 2/12. Categories are nonfiction (essay, article, or memoir, on any theme or subject) and fiction (short story on any theme or subject), each with a 1,000-word limit. All submissions must be postmarked by Feb. 12. First place in each category is $300, second place is $200, and third place is $100. For complete guidelines, plus an entry form, visit www.writeontheriver.org.

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

Weekly Club Runs, every Thursday check in between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. at Saddle Rock Pub and Brewery. Either a 5k or 10k walk or run on the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail. Complete 10 weekly runs and receive a free shirt. Cost: free (other than a smile). Info: Joel Rhyner 387-0051.

2 Left Feet, every Thursday, 7 – 9 p.m. 2 Left Feet is a loose organization of local dance enthusiasts who would like to see more dancing in the Wenatchee Valley. Beginner lesson at the top of the hour followed by carefree social dancing. No partner necessary to join in the fun.

Dance style will be 1940s swing with a bit of salsa, blues, waltz or tango thrown in. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

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

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

Iceberg Paddle and Hot Beverage Potluck, 1/1, 9 a.m. The Wenatchee Row and Paddle Club will be having a potluck at Linden Tree Park after their paddle. picture of health Photo contest, deadline 1/8. NCW photographers are invited to submit entries

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by Jan. 8 for potential use in a new exhibit series set to launch this spring, “A Picture of Health in North Central Washington.” Info and submission details at irisncw@ gmail.com.

First Fridays: nTwo Rivers Art Gallery, 1/1, 5 – 8 p.m. Cheikh Diouf will be the featured artist. Music by pianist Jeannie McPherson. Introducing the wines of Errant Cellars of Quincy and complimentary refreshments.

102 N Columbia, Wenatchee. Cost: free. Info: 2riversgallery.com. nMerriment Party Goods, 1/1, 5 – 8 p.m. Snacks and beverages.

23, S Wenatchee Ave. Cost: free.

Info: facebook.com/merrimentpartygoods. nTumbleweed Bead Co., 1/1, 5-7 p.m. Refreshments served. 105 Palouse St. Cost: free. Info: tumbleweedbeadco.com. nSmall Artworks Gallery, 1/1, 5 p.m. Local artists works will be on display at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Opening of Juried Art Show, Beauty of Bronze. Cost: free. Info: wvmcc.org.

Follies Kick-Off Party, 1/2, 7 p.m. Numerica Performing Arts Center.

Film series: Fade to Winter, 1/7, 7 p.m. Featuring jaw-dropping action from Alaska, Iceland, British Columbia, Japan, Colorado, Italy, and New England, this film captures the spirit of 10 skiers who go to great lengths for the sport that they love. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $12 advance or $14 at the door.

Info: icicle.org.

Revolution Required — Climate, Energy and The Road Through Paris, 1/8, 7 - 8:30 p.m.

Climate solution’s Ross McFarlane illustrates the climate’s effect east of the Cascades and outlines the need for energy system transformation and how local and state leadership play a critical role. Barn Beach Reserve, Leavenworth.

Wenatchee Mariachi Taco sale, 1/9, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. $5 taco plate includes 4 tacos and a drink plus live music. Pybus Public Market.

Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

Echo-Loppet, 1/9, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Novice 4k, best Echo skate 13k, best Echo Classic 10k, complete all with connector trails for the 30k Echo-athon. Echo Ridge Nordic Ski Area, Lake Chelan. Cost: kids ski

}}} Continued on next page

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WHAT TO DO

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

}}} Continued from previous page free, adults $20 plus $10 ski pass for non-season pass holders, fees include swag, post ski, soups and refreshments. Info: lakechelannordic.org.

Skirennen Nordic Citizens Race, 1/9, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Fun 1k kids 9 and under, 2k kids 13 and under, 5k and 10k open to all ages.

Leavenworth Golf Course. Info: skileavenowrth.com.

Bella Sera Event, 1/9, 10 a.m.

– 4 p.m. A bridal wonderland full of vendors and ideas for brides.

Wenatchee Convention Center.

Seattle Mariners, 1/12, 4 – 5:15 p.m. Ask questions to Seattle Mariners players and team officials.

Prizes. Mariner Moose and a Mariner broadcast team will be on hand for picture taking. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

Apple Blossom Royal Reception, 1/13, 6 p.m. The top 10 candi-

dates will be announced. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: free.

Info: numericapac.org.

Film series: For Grace, 1/14, 7 p.m. A film about food, family, balance and sacrifice of Curtis Duffy, chef in Chicago. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $12 advance or $14 at the door. Info: icicle.org.

Boeing Boeing, 1/14,15, 21, 22, 23, 7:30 p.m. and 1/23, 2 p.m. Music Theatre of Wenatchee presents a hilarious and fast-paced comedy play set in the 1960s. Riverside Playhouse. Info: mtow.org.

Lake Chelan Winterfest Festival, 1/15 – 24. Ice sculptures, live music, wine tasting, ale tasting, activities for kids of all ages, a polar bear splash, massive beach bonfire, fireworks and more. All over Chelan. Info: lakechelan.com.

Diane Schuur, 1/15, p.m. Awardwinning vocalist and pianist Diane Schuur inspires rave reviews as the new first lady of jazz. Live performance. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Info: numericapac.org.

Multicultural and MLK Festival, 1/16, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Local multicultural groups from the

The Wenatchee Follies Guild in conjunction with our premier partner

Jeffers, Danielson, Sonn & Aylward Law Firm Presents

community will be on hand with displays of art, crafts, clothes and pictures. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Info: wenatcheevalleymuseum.org.

and shows how convention should never stop you from pursuing the path you believe in. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $12 advance or $14 at the door. Info: icicle.org.

Bavarian IceFest, 1/16, 17, all day. Downtown Leavenworth will be dressed in over half a million twinkling lights and a whole weekend of flurry frosty frivolity. Snow sculptures, ice carvings, chili map, fireworks, games and activities.

Info: Leavenworth.org.

Numerica’s Winter Ice Gala, 1/22, 6 – 10:30 p.m. A magical evening of skating, a formal dinner and professional ice show. Star skaters from Ice Theatre of New York, celebrating the joy of dancing on ice along with Wenatchee figure skating club. Town Toyota Center.

Cost: $125 Info: towntoyotacenter. com.

Opera Series: Les Pecheurs de Perles, 1/16, 9:55 a.m. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $22 advance or $24 at the door. Info: icicle.org.

Film: Treaty Talks, 1/19, 7 – 3:30 p.m. Treaty Talks: A Journey Up the Columbia River for People and Salmon is a short film chronicling a three-month expedition up the 1,243 miles of the Columbia River from the sea to its source. Five canoes, carved and paddled by native and non-native youth, symbolically represented Columbia River salmon – and the journey honored those salmon that can no longer reach their ancestral spawning grounds above the Grand Coulee Dam. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: $5 donation suggested.

Film series: The Sammy C Project, 1/21, 7 p.m. This film is about five times games medalist, Sammy Carlson, and documents his mastery of a new direction for skiing

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Bundle Up Fest, 1/23, 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. S’mores, crafts, L Bow the Clown, hay rides and more. Downtown Wenatchee. Info: wendowntown.org.

Bundle Up 5k run and 1k kids race, 1/23, 5k: noon, 1k: 11:30 a.m.

Costume contest and prizes. Stanley Civic Center Plaza. Cost: 1k kids race free. Info: runwenatchee.com.

Winter Wine Gala, 1/23, 6 – 9 p.m.

Experience tastes of the region by sampling a variety of wines by award-winning vintners along with tasty morsels by the best chefs in the area. Live music. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center.

Cost: $50. Tickets: wenatcheevalleymuseum.org.

Jazz Series: Jovino Santos Neto, 1/23, 7 p.m. Three-time Latin Grammy nominee Jovino Santos Neto, a master pianist, composer

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WHAT TO DO

and arranger, is among the top Brazilian musicians working today.

Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $22 advance or $24 at the door. Info: icicle.org.

Follies A La Mode, 1/28, 29, 7 p.m. 1/30, 1 p.m. Music, singing and dancing by Wenatchee Valley Follies Guild. Proceeds go to Mobile Meals. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Info: wenatcheefolliesguild. org.

Film Series: This Changes Everything, 1/28, p.m. Filmed over 211 shoot days in nine countries and five continents over four years, This Changes Everything is an epic attempt to re-imagine the vast challenge of climate change.

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

BNCW Home Show, 1-29, 30, 31.

Planning on building a home? See many vendors at this home show.

Town Toyota Center.

Workshop: The Writing life and developing characters, 1/30, 9 a.m. - noon. Presented by Claire Rudolph Murphy. Wenatchee Valley College. Cost: $15 for Write on the River members, $50 for non.

Info: writeontheriver.org.

Opera Series: Turandot, 1/30, 9:55 a.m. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $22 advance or $24 at the door.

Info: icicle.org.

Wenatchee Rotary Club dinner and auction, 1/30, 5:30 p.m. Dinner at 6:45 p.m. Bid on Viking River Cruise on the Danube or Rhine River, Mexican Fiesta Party for 50, poolside luau party, artwork, lunch with your Legislator, car trailer, car or truck detailing, professional house cleaning, season tickets to PAC and much more. All proceeds go to numerous local charitable projects. Cost: $50. Info: 669-6965.

Stomp, 2/1, p.m. An international percussion sensation. Performers make a unique combination of percussion, movement and visual comedy out of household and industrial objects. Town Toyota Center. Info: towntoyotacenter.com.

Living with autoimmunity, 2/13, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Seminar open to anyone wanting to learn more about autoimmune diseases and the services available. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: free.

Info: Judi Rising 630-5344.

>>

column the night sky this month

Peter Lind

Get up early to see 5 planets Several planets show them-

selves again in January’s morning sky, as does the very impressive Quadrantid meteor shower on the fourth.

Five planets are now visible in the morning sky — from Mercury out to Saturn — and a highlight of the month comes on the ninth when Venus passes closer to Saturn than it has in over 10 years.

The only planets visible in the evening sky are Neptune and Uranus, which are too faint to see with the naked eye.

Mercury does a neat trick in January. It begins the month showing up nicely just after sunset. You can see the planet low in the southwest in the first week of January, easily seen from the east side of the river.

Over the next few days the tiny planet fades from view as it passes between the earth and the sun on the 14th. It returns to view as a dawn planet late in the month as it begins its early morning climb above the eastern horizon.

While Mercury is sinking below the hills to the West on the first, Neptune is 30 degrees above the southwest horizon, against the stars of Aquarius, the water bearer. With a star chart printed off the Internet and a pair of 7 x 50 binoculars, you should be able to easily find Neptune from a dark place.

Uranus also is high in the south as darkness falls in January. It lies one constellation east of Neptune in Pisces the Fish, and is visible for three hours longer than its neighbor. Uranus is also a good binocular target. It lies in a part of Pisces that is devoid of bright stars, so it would be a fun challenge to find.

As I mentioned earlier, five of our solar system planets are visJanuary 2016 | The Good Life

ible in the morning.

If you get up early and for the past few months have been looking to the east before dawn, you couldn’t help but notice the three prominent planets visible in the early morning sky.

During January, Jupiter comes up late night in the east but is well visible until daylight.

Watch its four Galilean moons dance around the planet all month long through a good pair of binoculars.

The next to appear is Mars, which will pop above the eastern horizon early in the morning. On Jan. 1 it rises around 1:30 a.m., and by the end of the month it rises only one half hour earlier. Mars is in the constellation Virgo the Maiden, and sits close to the bright star, Spica.

Just before morning twilight, both Venus and Saturn will appear on the southeast horizon.

Venus will be the brilliant “star” — the brightest point of light in the sky — but Saturn will also be a bright point of light.

Throughout the month Saturn and Venus will close in on each other, on the ninth they come closest, looking like they almost touch.

During the last week of January, Mercury will start to climb above the eastern horizon just to Venus’ lower left. To me, seeing five planets at one time just sounds like a cool challenge.

The New Year starts off with a great meteor shower.

The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks before dawn Jan. 4, and the waning crescent moon’s light won’t have much effect.

Dark sky observers can expect up to 120 meteors per hour.

Quadrantid meteor shower radiates from a point in the constellation Boötes, but this shower takes its name from the www.ncwgoodlife.com

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now-defunct constellation Quadrans Muralis, the constellation where it was originally located.

This constellation was formed in 1795, but in the early 20th Century the International Astronomic Society assigned the stars in that constellation to Boötes and Ursa Major.

Over time I have talked about binoculars and astronomy and the fun of using them.

I rarely go out to observe without a pair. My favorites are 7X50s made by Orion Telescopes.

The numbers have a big bearing on what you might see at night.

The first number is the power or magnification. In my case a 7x binocular makes an object appear seven times closer than when viewed by the naked eye, which is a good magnification for the night sky. If your power is over 10, you will need something like a tripod to steady the instrument.

The next number is the diameter in millimeters of the objective lens, in the front. 50 mm is a good size, and if you choose a smaller objective such as 35 mm, the light gathering ability gets too limited.

My final point is that you don’t have to spend several hundred dollars to get a good pair for night viewing.

You should find a very good pair for under a couple hundred dollars.

Grab a pair of binoculars, a good friend, and go out and see what you can find in the night sky.

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

PET tales

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

The dog that took a man for a walk

By Ken Anderson

T

he long walkway stretched out before us on this hot July day in Michigan. The dog stood, gently wagging his long tail, just waiting to go.

A leather harness was around his chest with an attached long handle lying on his back. This beautiful yellow lab was waiting for me to grab the handle, raise it, and give him the command:

“Forward, Wrigley,” followed by a heartfelt, “Good boy.”

I had recently become his master and he was looking forward to guiding me.

I had come to Rochester, Michigan from Wenatchee to work with Wrigley and a guide dog instructor at Leader Dogs for the Blind for a couple of weeks, and now we were outside at a large park with a long paved walkway. Wrigley seems to be

Ken Anderson and Wrigley: “Wrigley was presented to me on July 4, 2007.

He did bring a lot of freedom into my life,” said Ken.

becoming more and more attached to me.

This was my first experience at having a guide dog, and I was thrilled.

I had started losing my sight in the early 1980s, and by 2003, I was totally blind. I had learned to use the white mobility cane, but I had a tendency to drift if I had no guiding edge or wall.

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So, for my safety sake, I decided to try to qualify for the help of a dog guide. Fortunately, I was accepted to receive a dog.

The long walk down the walkway was an absolute thrill.

Wrigley, like myself, liked to go fast.

This was the first time since I had started losing my sight, that I had walked that fast with the

I had to apologize to him when he was correct and I was wrong — believe me, that happened many times. assurance that I was safe.

I praised the marvellous dog all of the way. I was so excited that I asked my instructors if I could have a second run. The way that Wrigley was acting, it was obvious that he also wanted to go again. So, off we went a second time.

Wrigley had had his training, and now I was getting mine, learning how to properly use all of the verbal commands, accompanied by correct hand motions.

I also had some wariness about trusting a dog totally, a fear Wrigley undoubtedly sensed.

Before coming to me, Wrigley had spent a year with his puppy raisers. From there, he went to the Leader Dog campus to receive his obedience and guiding training. This training was arduous — only five percent of his class succeeded in being chosen to become a dog guide.

The next four months were spent learning: “Forward Wrigley,” “Sit,” “Left, Wrigley, (or right),” “Hop up,” “Good boy.” He loved being praised for his good behavior and guide work.

Wrigley was an extremely sensitive dog, and he knew if I

was displeased, and it troubled him. He also sensed when I was pleased with him. I endeavoured to praise him with his every service.

I had to apologize to him when he was correct and I was wrong — believe me, that happened many times.

He thrived on the praise and treats — especially the treats.

After a year and a half, Wrigley and I were a fluid team. Wrigley knew the way to Wenatchee Valley College, where I was teaching at the time. He led me up Fifth Street, onto the campus walks, to the correct building, and to the correct rooms. He knew the route so well, that I actually did not have to give him commands.

Wrigley was a lab and loved people, especially children. He was gentle and gracious. People told me that he always made eye contact with them and wagged his tail. People were not supposed to pet him, but how could they help it?

I did not marry until I was 65 years old, and by that time I had had Wrigley for three years.

He carried the wedding rings around his neck when we got married.

Wrigley actually became my wife Shirley’s dog. He was always faithful to me and guided me beautifully in almost seven years that I had him, but he loved her and she loved him; I was happy with that.

I hope people can understand what amazing dogs these guide dogs are.

January 2016 | The Good Life

>>

column those were the days

rod molzahn

Grand Council was an astounding sight “Hour after hour the

Indians arrived, singly, by families, bands, and almost by tribes, trooping in with herds and loaded pack animals, men, women and children — for they brought their homes with them.

The tepees of buffalo-skin were put up, the smoke of many camp-fires arose and the hillsides became dotted with grazing ponies…

The shy women in buckskin shirts and leggins, their saddles hung with bags, strange utensils, and sometimes the papoose swinging in his swaddling cradle at the pommel; wild eyed, elfinhaired, little bronze children, perched naked on top of some bales of household goods; the untamed, half-naked boys on their bare-backed horses, galloping along in premature dignity; the motley horde of patient packhorses loaded out of sight under mats, robes, tepees, poles, pots, bows, spears, guns, and a thousand barbaric things of shape and color defying description.

Last in the train came the grave, anxious-looking men in fur mantles or loose buckskin shirts… their hair loose or braided, and their faces painted black, red, yellow white or whatever

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color pleased best…”

It was May 28, 1879. The Indians were the northern tribes; Kawachin/Sinkius, Wenatchees, Entiats, Chelans, Methows and Okanogans arriving at the Wenatchee Flat for a great council at the confluence called by Moses, chief of the Kawachins.

None of these tribes had signed the Walla Walla treaties in 1855. The Wenatchees were the only exception, signing when they were promised a sixmile by six-mile fishing reservation near the forks of the Icicle and Wenatchee rivers. Most of the other tribes had not even attended the treaty council and felt no obligation to move from ancestral lands to reservations.

The Kawachins had been represented at the treaty council by their chief, Quiltenenock and his younger brother Quatalican. They observed the treaty discussions but didn’t sign.

Quiltenenock was killed in an

}}} Continued on next page

THOSE WERE THE DAYS

Thrilling horse race ended the failed Grand Council }}} Continued from previous page

1858 attack on white miners at the confluence and was succeeded by his brother who took the name Moses.

By the late 1870s the government had grown determined to put an end, at last, to the Indian troubles in central Washington and move the last of the free Indians onto reservations.

As always, the government wanted to recognize one overall chief to speak for all the northern tribes. Moses was the most visible and well known of the chiefs.

With his encouragement the government, in the person of General Oliver Otis Howard, sat down with Moses in late 1878 to resolve the problem of the last non-reservation Indians.

They met on the steamship Spokane docked at the foot of Priest Rapids on the middle Columbia.

It was a cordial meeting, the men had been friends for some time and trusted one another.

Howard provided a map of eastern Washington and Moses drew the boundaries of his desired reservation. It included all of the Kawachin ancestral lands: the Columbia Plateau from Badger Mountain to the Wenatchee confluence, Rock Island, Moses Lake and south towards TriCities.

Howard promised to present the proposal to the president.

He was good to his word but the Interior Department and the Bureau of Indian Affairs objected to giving good land, desirable to white settlers, to Indians.

The president agreed and insisted that Moses and his people go to either the Yakima or Colville reservation. Moses had always refused to live with the Yakimas and wanted no part of the Colville either.

General Howard arranged for Moses to travel to Washington

D.C. to talk directly to the president and the bureaucrats.

Moses was persuasive. The government agreed to give him his own reservation… not what he had asked for but other land that the government deemed unwanted by white settlers.

In exchange Moses agreed to do his best to persuade all the northern tribes to move to the new “Moses Reservation.”

The new reservation of unwanted land was bounded on the south by Lake Chelan and on the north by the Canadian border, on the west by the crest of the Cascades and on the east by the Columbia and Okanogan Rivers where it would abut the Colville Reservation.

Moses traveled back home where, with General Howard, he called for a council to speak with all the tribes about the new reservation. Messengers were sent out to the tribes announcing the great gathering.

General Howard, his troops and Washington Territorial Governor, Elisha Ferry, arrived first at the council grounds. That gave Howard’s aide, Lt. Charles Erskine Scott Wood, to write his description of the Indian’s arrival the next day.

Governor Ferry and General Howard spoke to the assembled Indians as did Moses. He gave a short speech recounting his trip to Washington and the large numbers of white people he had seen.

He went on to make the case that as individual homesteaders the Indians would have to provide for themselves and pay taxes but as reservation Indians they would receive much help promised by the government.

The council ended with the most exciting horse race anyone there, either Indian or white had ever witnessed.

Lt. Wood has left us a stirring account of the race.

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| The Good Life

Side by side, the naked riders plying the lash with every terrific bound.

Here they come!

Heads out, eyes strained, nostrils stretched, fore hoofs seemingly always in the air...

“The course was a straight stretch of about a mile along the half grass-grown plain between the camps and the foot of the mountain. The starting point was marked on the ground; the finishing point was determined by a horse-hair lariat stretched along the ground and held by two Indians, one from each of the competing tribes.

The finishing-point was nearest the camps and here the horses took their stand… They were little beauties, clean-cut as barbs, one a white and the other a gray; the skin fine, the sinews clean and silky, nostrils immense, heads small, bony, necks graceful, slim… by each stood its rider, a young Indian boy, slim and sinewy as his horse.

Presently, the owner of the white horse stepped out and threw to the ground a new saddle and a bundle of beaver and other pelts. Someone from the opposing side threw, in a separate place, a bundle of blankets. It did not take long for the excitement to grow, and soon the bets were showering down and the piles swelling visibly… Blankets, furs, saddles, knives, traps, tobacco, beads, whips and a hundred other things were staked.

The racers now walked with long, supple strides down the

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January 2016

course to the starting point accompanied by the starters, friends, admirers… some on foot and some on horseback. The whole mile of track soon became a lane hedged by groups and lines of Indians.

A faint cry at the other end of the line, a whirl of the horses, a tumult down there, a waving of whips, a wild yelling growing nearer, louder, and here they come — flying. Side by side, the naked riders plying the lash with every terrific bound. Here they come! Heads out, eyes strained, nostrils stretched, fore hoofs seemingly always in the air, the whip-throngs falling with a quickening vigor. A horse, wild shouting, a deafening burst of yells, a swish in the air, an apparition before the eyes, a bound over the finish line, and the race is over, the white just half a length ahead, and there they go down toward the river, the boys pulling them in for dear life.”

Moses’ influence was less than the government had hoped.

In fact, no Indians ever went to live on the “Moses Reservation.” Not even Moses himself.

The Wenatchees refused to move, still believing in the 1855 treaty. The rest preferred instead to stay where their people had always lived.

In 1886, bowing to pressure from mining and settlement, the reservation was returned to the government. All the northern tribes including Moses and his people ended up on the Colville except for a few who took homesteads in the Wenatchee Valley and Manson.

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.

Alex’s list: Favorite NCW wines

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}}} Continued from page 42 Martin-Scott 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon. I had a difficult time here deciding on whether to select this Red Mountain Cabernet or the 2013 Montepulciano, and to confess the truth, even at this writing, I’m unable to single out one over the other.

Just go try some of each and decide for yourselves, please.

Plain Cellars 2012 ECLIPSE. Another Meritage-style Bordeaux blend here, and drinking beautifully right now. Try it in Plain, or in their new tasting room in Leavenworth.

Silvara Vineyards 2013 Meritage (rhymes with heritage).

This one came into the winery’s tasting room late in the year; it is young but showing promise that it will be a star of tomorrow.

Tunnel Hill 2013 Pinot Noir.

I remember saying to myself some years back that Pinot Noir would never ripen in Washington; man, was I ever wrong. And here’s living proof the grape does fare well even in our difficult winters.

Wedge Mountain Winery 2010 Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Yikes, but this list is full of Cabernet Sauvignon wines. This one is a bit different from most in that this is 100 percent Red Mountain AVA Cabernet Sauvignon. It is an enormous wine that has developed beautifully over the months since release. Had I been numbering for preference, this one would have been # 1.

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>>

column ALEX ON WINE

ALEX SALIBY

Alex’s list: Favorite wines of NCW I

tasted a lot of wine in the past 12 months. Reading recently about the annual list of the best wines of the year from a popular wine magazine got me thinking that I need to create my own such list.

Thus was born the list of My Favorite Wines from the past year. There was no committee or small panel of experts involved here making these selections; this is simply my opinion.

Also, unlike those other publications addressing the subject matter, I’m going to be far more narrowly focused and talk exclusively about NCW wines.

Whites

Chelan Ridge 2013 Chardonnay. I’ve written about this one before. I’m a huge fan of the wines coming from this growing area, the Chelan AVA. This wine is Chelan AVA fruit at its best.

Crayelle Cellars 2014 Albarino. Bottom line: Washington needs more wines from this grape. It’s food friendly and drinker friendly. Does it get any better?

Crayelle Cellars 2014 Neve’s

Blanc. This is a Sauv Blanc that doesn’t push the sweet-tooth button; it’s more a Sancerre than many other Washington Sauv Blancs.

CRSandidge 2013 Sabrina.

Ray Sandidge is a master of what to do with the Gewurztraminer grape; he’s clobbered the competition with this one.

Eagle Creek Winery’s 2014 Chenin Blanc. As a general rule, I dislike most Washington Chenin Blanc wines. They’re too sweet. This one is beautifully balanced with acids, fruits and sugar singing harmoniously.

Karma Vineyards 2013 Griesling. I loved this wine when I had it with a dish of spicy hot, steamed clams served at the winery. Sorry, the winery is sold out of it.

Plain Cellars 2014 Dry Riesling. Quality in aromas and flavors on this wine shocked me back to my ’78 trip to Germany.

Two words: Dry, brilliant.

Rio Vista 2013 Viognier.

Ok, I confess; I’m a fan of the Northern Rhone style Viognier’s mouth-feel and texture. This wine convinced me there’s room for a different style of brilliant, crisp and flavorful Viognier.

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| The Good Life

But… sold out, too.

Tsillan Cellars 2014 Estate Nudo Chardonnay. Again, another example of the Chelan AVA’s quality fruit expressing itself delightfully in a beautiful bottle of wine.

Wedge Mountain 2014 Viognier. Yes, I know — two Viognier wines… why not? This Viognier comes closest to any I’ve had from the northern Rhone. This wine’s richness and textured mouth-feel are perfect examples of what to do with this grape.

Rosés

Leony’s Cellars, (aka Voila Vineyards) 2015 Rosé of Pinot Noir. You can’t buy or drink this one yet, but you’ll be able to at the winery on Valentine’s Day. It’s a remarkably crisp, brilliant Rosé I think you’ll all appreciate. Welcome to the new owners of Voila Vineyards, Sandi and Salvador Moreno. I’m looking forward to more great things from these two.

Reds

’37 Cellars 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon. I hate doing this to you, but the fact is you can’t purchase this wine just yet, either. But when that day comes, I recommend you buy it. This one will, at release, over-shadow their famous 2009 Cab Sauv.

Baroness Cellars. Grenache, or Garnacha, has become popular here, and we are very fond of Danielle’s 2012 vintage. Very food friendly, complementing a variety of dishes, it is also often found blended with Syrah and Mourvedre.

Benson Estate Vineyards 2012 Cabriovese. The 2011 was a favorite of mine, but the 2012 has so much more to offer in all

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January 2016

aspects of aromas, flavors and finish. Yumm.

Cairdeas 2012 Counoise. This Rhone inspired red wine blend is an award-winning masterpiece which pleased us in flavor and aroma.

Cave B Estate Winery 2012 Barbera. Rich and opulent in texture, with intense aromatics, it was thoroughly enjoyable with or without food.

Eagle Creek Winery 2013 Cabernet Franc. Some of the fruit for this wine was grown right there at the winery on Eagle Creek Road. The wine shows all the quality characteristics of a good bottle of Chinon from the Loire Valley of France.

Lovely.

Esther Bricques Winery 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon. I was expecting to write about my favorite white from this winery, because I’m fond of their Pinot Blanc, but then I tasted this Cab and, well, the rest is history.

Here it is.

Fielding Hills 2011 Riverbend Vineyards Tribute. I’ve been a fan of this blend since the very first bottling, which I believe was in 2001. What’s best of all in this one for me is that 2011 wasn’t a terrific harvest in Washington. Yet, this wine shines.

Ginkgo Forest 2010 Reserve Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.

Here is everything one should expect from a Cabernet Sauvignon: body, aromatics, deep and lasting flavors.

Horan Estates 2013 Reserve Syrah. I just finished writing about this wine last month.

Beautifully made wine in this bottle.

}}} Continued on page 41

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