June 2021 The Good Life

DRIVING OUT OF THE OH-SO-DULL RUT

WENATCHEE VALLEY’S

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June 2021

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Moving here 3 stories on the personal reasons for choosing NCW

plus Beautiful new trail developed in cashmere hills RACING AGAIN ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PANDEMIC

YOU’RE INVITED

Rocky Reach

DISCOVERY CENTER Reopening Celebration

Save the date!

Aug. 28, 2021 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Rocky Reach Park

Hey, it’s your friend Rocky here, and I can’t wait to welcome you back to the completely remodeled Discovery Center at Rocky Reach Dam! It’s going to be an awesome day of Discovery Center tours, entertainment in the park and refreshments! Plus a poetry contest for 1st through 6th graders with prizes. Open to all and free – one of those great benefits of public power.

Listen for my radio updates and check facebook.com/VisitRockyReach for details on how to safely visit and celebrate.

It’s gonna be epic!

270 9th St. NE, Suite 100 East Wenatchee 509.886.0700 Contact us for free or low-cost services supporting seniors, family caregivers & adults with disabilities.

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14 letting go

Contents

Artist CarolAnn Seaman has reached an age where she better understands what to leave in, what to leave out

16 HAPPY TRAILS

New trail system up a Cashmere Canyon is developed through the generosity of landowners

19 racing again

As the pandemic fades, the joy returns for racing across lovely landscapes

20 LEAVING THE FRIENDLY HILLTOP page 9

A TOAST TO MOVING HERE

24 UPDATE: 2ND WINTER OF REMODELING

‘Miserable failures’ at relaxing, Lief and Mary Carlsen complete remodel of their Arizona get-away Art sketch n Stumpf Fiddle musician Tom Lenny, page 26

Features

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Wenatchee couple heading east for more of their western lifestyle

IT’S SPRING — LET THE COLORs REIGN

Diana Rigelman steps outside to an explosion of beauty

9 3 short stories on why people move here

From opening a business, creating a vineyard, to follow a life-long passion, newcomers are making NCW their home

12 EASY READER

For the past 26 years, Gloria Piper Robison has volunteered to read to school kids — and she has loved it

Columns & Departments 6 A bird in the lens: Anna’s Hummingbirds move north 18 The traveling doctor: Thoughts on universal healthcare 28 June Darling: Driving ourselves out of a rut 29-30 The calendar and a Dan McConnell cartoon 31 Pet Tales: In a field of grass 32 History: The children of Wagnersburg 34 That’s life: Much talk, less listening

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OPENING SHOT

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Year 15, Number 6 June 2021 The Good Life is published by NCW Good Life, LLC, dba The Good Life 1107 East Denny Way, Apt. B-7 Seattle, WA 98122 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, Shannon Keller, Diana Rigelman, Linda and Ken Reid, Susan Sampson, Mike Irwin, Andy Dappen, Marlene Farrell, Lief Carlsen, Sebastian Moraga, G. Wayne Hawks, Bruce McCammon, Donna Cassidy, Jim Brown, June Darling, Dan McConnell, Susan Lagsdin and Rod Molzahn Advertising: Lianne Taylor Bookkeeping and circulation, Donna Cassidy Proofing, Dianne Cornell Ad design, Linda Day TO SUBSCRIBE: For $30, ($35 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 subscription services 1107 East Denny Way, Apt. B-7 Seattle, WA 98122 For circulation questions, email: donna@ncwgoodlife.com EVENTS: donna@ncwgoodlife.com BUY A COPY of The Good Life at Safeway stores, Mike’s Meats at Pybus, Martin’s Market Place (Cashmere) and Dan’s Food Market (Leavenworth) ADVERTISING: For information about advertising in The Good Life, contact Lianne Taylor at (509) 6696556 or lianne@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

Stop. Look.

Listen.

I

By Shannon Keller

t’s a rare occasion when a view is so gorgeous that my husband and I pull over to the

side of the road, simply to take it all in.

This was the case the other evening as we rode our motorcycles on East Leavenworth Road.

Such vivid colors and it was so quiet — the only sounds were the birds in the trees and the gurgling Icicle River.

What a beautiful place this is, and we get to call it home.

The Good Life® is a registered trademark of NCW Good Life, LLC. Copyright 2021

by NCW Good Life, LLC.

June 2021 | The Good Life

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On the cover Ken Reid took this photo of Kim Bianchi looking proud of the newly planted Bianchi Vineyard.

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column a bird in the lens

Anna’s Hummingbird: Moving north, to our delight Hummingbirds are amaz-

ing.

Everyone I know seems happy when they see one of these tiny birds hovering next to a fresh flower blossom.

Their fast wing-beats and quick motions easily catch our eyes as we watch them move around and listen to the hum of their wings.

Globally, there are 361 hummingbird species.

Bruce McCammon Four speis retired, colorcies of humblind and enjoys mingbird photographing the visit central birds in north central Washington.

Washington: Anna’s, Calliope, Black-chinned and Rufous.

The Anna’s is the only one of the four that has established year-round residency in central Washington. The other three species migrate south for the winter and return in April or May. All four of the hummingbird species that visit eastern Washington weigh in at 0.1-0.2 ounces (2-5g) which is about the weight of a penny.

Bees and insects are not the only important pollinators.

As hummingbirds dive into a blossom to gather nectar for themselves, they pick up pollen on their beaks and heads, which gets transferred to the next blossom or plant.

The Anna’s Hummingbird range is gradually expanding to the north. In the 1930s, Anna’s were found only south of the San Francisco Bay area. They reached the Oregon border in

Hungry babies reach up for food from a momma Anna’s Hummingbird.

1944 and were documented in Seattle in 1964.

It is believed that an increase in yard plantings, especially of native species, and an increased use of hummingbird feeders has led to this northward expansion.

Today we frequently hear about wildlife and avian populations that are in trouble ecologically due to habitat loss and fragmentation. The little Anna’s Hummingbird gives us a reason to celebrate a small success.

While the expansion of the Anna’s range is not entirely the result of natural forces, they are here and considered year-round residents. Hooray!

The first documentation of Anna’s Hummingbird nesting in central Washington occurred in 2021. A nest was found on private property in Wenatchee and I was allowed to access the area to document the nest construction, incubation period, hatching and raising of the young, and, eventually, the fledging of the nestlings.

My first observation of the nest was on March 3, 2021 and the nest was empty on April 14 –

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43 days later.

During that time the nest and the birds experienced 30 mile per hour winds, temperatures as low as 27 degrees F, and three inches of snow.

The high winds and snow were particularly concerning but the birds proved to be able to withstand whatever got thrown at them.

Female hummingbirds do all the work to build the nest, incubate the eggs, and protect and feed the young.

As is usually the case, this mother Anna’s hatched two young about March 23. I was able to watch their growth as the mother made repeated trips to the nest to feed the babies a mixture of nectar and insects.

The feeding process is remarkably unnerving. The kids raise their heads up when the mother arrives. She sticks her long beak into an open mouth and pushes the food mixture into the kids with a sewing machine action. It looks like it has to be damaging to the babies as she thrusts her beak into each throat. Yikes!

But the process works and the

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June 2021

nestlings grow at a fast pace. Feathers appear and the mother quits occupying the nest, returning only to the edge of the nest to feed.

The nest, made of plant down and, in this case, cotton, is held together by careful application of spider webs. The design allows the nest to flex as the nestlings grow.

Soon, the babies are crowding the nest and begin to practice using their wings with stationary “flying.”

They become attentive to sounds and sights.

Their beaks have grown into an almost-full hummingbird length. The time between feedings lengthens as the mother subtly encourages the nestlings to prepare to be on their own.

And then they are gone.

I had become so accustomed to seeing the birds in the nest that my visit on April 14 was rather upsetting.

I knew, of course, that this was the way it would be, but I was left wanting more. I am disappointed I did not get to see the kids take flight for the first time.

As I review all the movies that I made between March 3 and April 14, I relive the process and know that I have learned a great deal about these amazing birds.

I understand how fortunate I am to have been given access to the nest.

My plan is to prepare a video showing the nest from start to finish. When complete, the video will be hosted on the North Central Washington Audubon Society website (www.ncwaudubon.org).

I hope that you are able to watch the video and come to appreciate these tiny birds as much as I do.

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editor’s notes

MIKE CASSIDY

You hikers, get off my lawn I’m a landowner — in truth,

a pretty small acreage landowner in the bigger scheme of things — but there are times when strangers appear to be veering towards my holdings, and a part of me wants to yell out a version of: “Hey, you kids, get off my lawn!”

I’m an American and property rights trumps all. Right?

So, I had to both laugh and feel a little chastened when I read Andy Dappen’s story this month about the generous land owners of Hay Canyon who have opened their land to create the Cashmere Canyons Preserve, some 8.5 miles of new trails for walkers, trail runners, birders and outdoor photographers. (See the story on page 16.)

In an extended piece Andy wrote for WenatcheeOutdoors, he quotes Jabe Blumenthal, one of the owners who made access to this property possible, explaining why the landowners are allowing public access: “Cashmere Canyons is an unusual combination of sweatinducing yet not-too-steep climbing, in nature but not quite in wilderness, on four-abreast dirt roads rather than narrow trails, in open meadows rather than dense forest, with sweeping views in all directions.

“We purchased these lands to protect them, not hoard them, and we think the best use of the land, after wildlife protection, is to permit as much public access as the habitat can sustain.

“We hope that in the future, when the population of the region has doubled or tripled, there will still be places where one can see deer and bear, cougars and coyotes, rattlesnakes and raptors, and on lucky days walk

in solitude surrounded by a sea of wildflowers; where people can be neither above nor separate from nature, but in its midst.

“If that’s still possible, it won’t be by accident or through ‘business as usual’ practices. It will happen (or not happen) through the choices and investments made by the people and institutions of the Wenatchee Valley today.”

Andy mentions some European countries have built into law the opportunity to roam undeveloped lands, whether on private or public property.

What is happening in Cashmere echoes that thinking.

“The ‘opportunity’ to roam is very different than the ‘right’ to roam,” writes Andy. “If this opportunity is appreciated rather than abused, the experience of these landowners may encourage other landowners to respond in kind.”

Susan Sampson reports a dozen people commented on her chicken coop article in the May issue when she posted it on her Facebook page.

“Most were from friends and were just attagirls, but my younger sister’s comment was chilling,” said Susan.

“She had tired of her chickens anyway, but found a rattlesnake coiling itself around her watering can and decided it was time to quit being a suburban farmer.

(She lives outside Tucson, AZ.)” The clucking of chickens: Cool. The rattle of a snake, not so much.

Respect the earth and its caretakers, and enjoy The Good Life.

— Mike June 2021 | The Good Life

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New maple leaves on fire for spring.

Dogwood days are here.

It’s spring! it’s spring! it’s spring!

By Diana Rigelman Bees are buzzing while dogwoods seem to bark, “Look at me! I’m all dressed up in my hot color best.”

Mother Nature has brought her splendor to the Valley once again. Perhaps the winter wasn’t really as long nor harsh as it seemed, when Isolation took its toll on routine and my frame of mind. But here we are.

What seemed like it might be dead is very much alive this May, and it’s a banquet for the eyes.

Balsamroot and lupin bloom on the hills while rhododendron spreading under the pines radiate color.

Even new maple leaves seem on fire with color.

There were a few plants that didn’t make it in my yard, as my empty planters now attest. But soon enough I’ll find something to transplant.

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Diana Rigelman: Slow down, Mother Nature.

During these few special weeks of color, I wish Mother Nature wasn’t in a hurry.

Couldn’t she linger, slow down just a few more days?

Already the cherry blossoms rain down on the grass like colorful snow. Purple fragrant lilac is turning pink, before their precious petals will be loose on the wind.

Birds are greedy visitors at the bird feeder outside my kitchen window.

I’m trying to take a mental picture of it all, to remember how blessed it is to be alive and share this feast Momma Nature prepared.

Diana loves taking pictures and has 4 million views of her pictures on Google Guides. | The Good Life

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Rhodies spread their color.

June 2021

3 short stories about why people move to NCW

Doug and Kim Bianchi: Finding a magic place to build their own vineyard

D

Stories by Linda Reid Photos by Ken Reid

oug and Kim Bianchi’s journey to East Wenatchee had its roots in places they had loved or lived in on this side of the Cascades: Yakima, Cheney, Quincy, Mission Ridge, and the Wenatchee Valley.

They dreamed of someday buying a small piece of land for a little get-away over here, to spend time with friends and family.

From the time they met they shared a common interest in wine (from the grapes to the glass), which led them to take a class at Everett’s Port Gardiner Bay Winery from the winemaker and owner, Chris Covington.

This class along with serious investigation and self-study convinced Doug he could do this too, so they started a small winery in Doug’s construction shop located in Whatcom County.

Then magic happened and they found this intriguing piece of property (formerly an orchard) overlooking the Columbia, with a house and outbuildings, and a sunny slope, perfect for growing wine grapes.

Doug could see the potential for more than a “get-away.” Although Kim was a little tentative at first, more sun, less traffic, living close to her best friend from middle school, and Doug’s enthusiasm and vision won her over.

Doug likens their move to swinging on a trapeze… letting go of one bar to swing forward

and grab the bar that was now in front of them.

That meant selling their Arlington home, Kim quitting her job, packing up their wine-making supplies, and redesigning their wine label (which featured Mount Baker). They moved to their new home in July of 2017.

A collage of photos in their tasting room tells the story of their ambitious undertaking, accomplished while they continued to work part-time, Kim as a dental hygienist and Doug as an industrial consultant. Their work ethic and determination began to transform the land.

Budgeting for this new venture was the biggest challenge, especially after COVID came along.

Fortunately, Doug had grown up in a family that fostered an entrepreneurial spirit, discipline and self-motivation. His 20 years of business administration also helped prepare him for their many hurdles.

Every year they have planted half an acre of vines, each a different variety. Their plans include planting Italian varietals, especially those grown in the Piedmont area of Italy where Doug still has family.

Patience and vision have been prerequisites for this ongoing project. Doug says it takes at least three years to grow grapes that have the potential to produce good wine, so for now they source their grapes from various Washington growing regions.

Mentoring and encouragement offered by other local winemakers, such as Mike Scott of nearJune 2021 | The Good Life

Doug and Kim Bianchi: Swinging on a trapeze... letting go of one bar to grab the next.

by Martin Scott Winery, have been among the best rewards of “moving here.”

Mike’s wife Judy even convinced them to open sooner than planned. She knew that wine enthusiasts enjoy visiting a creative work in progress while

they sip wine, enjoy lovely landscaping with a beautiful view, and perhaps even listen to some live music.

Best of all, the visitors can be a part of Doug and Kim’s vision of Bianchi Vineyards becoming a reality.

Preston, Saundra and Zane Mericle: Transplanting Texas BBQ to Manson

Authentic Texas BBQ is

something many of us would travel a fair number of miles out of our way to find.

My husband Ken and I were in Manson at lunchtime recently and discovered Smoke on the Water BBQ. As we were waiting for our food, we struck up a conversawww.ncwgoodlife.com

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tion with Saundra Mericle, one of the owners, and her son Zane, who takes care of the drive-up and walk-up customers. Saundra’s husband Preston is the “meat-man” and prepares and smokes all their meats.

It turns out Saundra and her family traveled a fair number of

}}} Continued on next page

Why people move to NCW }}} Continued from previous page miles themselves to start Smoke on the Water BBQ. Saundra is the chef who creates their menu and all the sides. Having spent a little time in Texas, we noticed a particular “Texas-sound” in her voice and her “Yes, ma’am. Yes, sir” expressions, so I asked where they were from.

She told me just enough to interest me in the story behind this family’s journey from “deep in the heart of Texas” to the small NCW town of Manson. I needed to hear more.

Preston, Saundra and their school-age son Zane Mericle exude the spirit of Southern hospitality and openness, which has been an asset in starting a new business in a small town.

I began my conversation with them by asking the same question everyone is asked when they move here from any place else: “What brought you to NCW?” It becomes a more striking question when it is: “What brought you from Texas to Manson?”

Preston was the first to reply.

He had been working in the oil fields outside of Houston for years, in what became unbearable heat and humidity. He desperately wanted a change.

Saundra had been in the restaurant business since she was 15, and it was in her blood. The

Texans Zane, Saundra and Preston Mericle in Manson: “What are ya’ll cookin’?”

family talked it over and decided to make a dramatic change.

They embarked on the somewhat daunting adventure of moving to the small town of Ilwaco, on the Washington coast, bringing their two youngest teens with them.

Saundra and Preston went to work in Ilwaco running the kitchen in a local bar. It didn’t work out as they had hoped.

They ended up needing to take temporary jobs until they found direction for their next step.

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Saundra ran the kitchen in a retirement home while Preston worked as a park ranger at Thousand Trails campground.

That summer, their oldest daughter came to visit from Texas, and they took a family vacation to Leavenworth. That involved a day trip to Slide Waters in Chelan.

Since the family dog was along (and not welcome on the water slides), Preston and Saundra dropped the kids off and then spent the day driving around

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June 2021

the ChelanManson area. It was love at first sight for them.

The beauty of the lake, the small-town resorts of Chelan and Manson, and the “Texas” sunshine without the Texas humidity, captivated them.

One thing they packed when they came north to Washington State was a dream of opening their own BBQ restaurant. They realized they could envision it in the Lake Chelan Valley.

Saundra and Preston were both able to secure jobs in the area before they relocated to Manson. As they worked, they simultaneously laid the groundwork for their dream. After locating local food sources and finding a kitchen to lease in Manson, they opened their own take-out restaurant, Smoke on the Water BBQ in June of 2020.

Of course, I was curious how they had acquired their cooking skills, so I asked them about that part of their story. Saundra learned everything about cooking from her grandmother, and Preston learned his culinary skills from his mom, from “trial and error,” and from entering Texas cook-offs. They both cook without written recipes.

As Saundra puts it, “We don’t measure, we pour and sprinkle ‘til our ancestors say, ‘Whoa!

That’s enough!’ ” Zane, who will graduate from high school in June, is heading for the Northwest Culinary Institute in Vancouver in October with the plans to return to Smoke on the Water after his nine-month program.

When asked what they miss the most about Texas they all say together, “FAMILY.” Preston added, “When we talk to our daughter in Texas, she starts by asking, ‘What are ya’ll doin’?

But it soon comes around to, ‘What are ya’ll cookin’? She doesn’t want to be in the family business, but she loves the eatin’ part.” So does their younger daughter, who is living in Idaho.

When asked to name the top three things they most appreciate about NCW they all agreed that it is the scenic beauty, the diversity of culture, and the people they have met: neighbors, customers and owners of other local restaurants and wineries.

I asked about their plans and they shared that they will soon be moving into the old Manson Wells Fargo bank space where they will be able to have patio seating.

While serving only take-out orders, the family agrees, “Not being able to see the expressions on peoples’ faces when they are eating our food has been hard.”

The Mericle family also believes that food and conversation naturally go together. In their own words, “We believe we should take the time to talk to people. Everybody just moves too fast.”

After all, their cooking is slow (the brisket takes 16-18 hours), so slow cookin’ along with slowing down a little and taking time to get to know other people’s stories, sounds like a recipe for living the good life.

Michael Cross: Hearing the siren call of radio in hard to pronounce Wenatchee

How does someone who

grew up, lived, and worked in Iowa end up in his late 50s living and working in Wenatchee?

Michael Cross’ hometown in Iowa is a place that will always be close to his heart, but in his thoughts, there was something that whispered, “I kinda wanta leave here.”

Opportunity knocked when he lost his job and could see the end of unemployment compensation heading his way.

Michael has spent his entire working life in radio, and when that is the case, it becomes part of your DNA and you need to

spend the rest of your working life in radio.

He had always wanted to come West, at least for a visit to see a daughter in Missoula and his sister in Spokane. He decided to apply for radio jobs posted in Seattle, Portland and Spokane, as well as a place he had never heard of called Wenatchee (which he couldn’t even pronounce).

He doesn’t fly but loves a good road trip, so when he was asked to come to Wenatchee for an interview, he hit the road. After visiting family along the way, he was very surprised at what the east side of the “Evergreen State” June 2021 | The Good Life

Michael Cross has spent his working life in radio.

looked like.

Where were the mountains and trees? But as he approached the Wenatchee Valley, he was thrilled to see the change of scenery.

He was also thrilled to be hired, so his wife joined him on this “moving here” adventure and found a job that she also enjoyed. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out as planned and he was out of work again nine months later. By January of 2020 he had not found another job in radio yet.

Then bad went to worse for Michael.

Out of nowhere he lost vision in his right eye from a ministroke.

While diagnosing this problem, doctors discovered that Michael had lung cancer. Surgery removed the cancer and it appeared he was going to fully recover. Missing family and friends, he decided to drive to www.ncwgoodlife.com

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Iowa for a visit before looking for another job out West.

While he was in Iowa, he was involved in a lifethreatening car accident, which put him in the hospital with several broken vertebrae. During his treatment it was determined that his lung cancer had returned and attacked the suture line of his previous surgery.

After returning to Wenatchee, without seeing a very hopeful future for himself, he did find a radio job at Sunny FM, which he is still enjoying. He had previously met the owner of the station, Dave Herald, who recognized the “radio DNA” and skill set in Michael and offered him parttime work.

Michael and his medical team are still making decisions for “What’s next?”

Michael wants to stay right here in Wenatchee where he loves the easy winters (compared with Iowa’s), the dry heat of the summers (compared with Iowa), and the majestic beauty of this part of the country (compared with Iowa).

His life expectancy may yet be undetermined, but his enthusiasm for life, relationships, music, radio, and a cold, dark beer are full of hope and positivity.

Linda Reid is a regular contributor to The Good Life and loves to share her own adventures and interesting stories of others who have found good living in NCW. Her Husband Ken contributes his photography skills.

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Volunteers

EASY READER For the past 26 years, she has been reading to schoolkids — and loving it

By Susan Sampson

Did you go to grade school

in Wenatchee? Or did your kids? Or if you are old, did your grandkids or your great-grandchildren?

At Washington Elementary, Newbery, Columbia, Lewis and Clark, St. Joseph’s Catholic School, Mission View, or for a while at Sunnyslope?

If so, how many of you recognize the name “Mamo”? Her real name is Gloria Piper Robison and she was born on July 20, 1932. She will be 89 years old on July 20, 2021, and for the past 26 years, she has been reading to schoolkids.

“Mamo” is not a foreign language. That’s the name her first granddaughter, Piper, gave Gloria, and it’s the name that school children know for the lady who has read books to them in their classrooms, following them from kindergarten through the fifth grade.

It started in 1995, when Gloria felt the need to have a better bond with her standoffish 6-year-old grandson Micah.

Teacher Ms. Larson at Washington Elementary allowed Gloria to read books to the children in her class. Gloria sat on the floor with the kids around her feet and read.

Micah remained at the back of the room. He stood back when the other children surrounded her to say goodbye at the end of the session, until the end of the school year. Then he asked, “Will you come back next year?”

“If you want me to,” she answered, and he did, and hugged

Maybe Gloria wasn’t born to entertain, but her mother forced her into vaudeville, performing in Los Angeles between movies, doing tapdancing, ballet and acrobatics, starting at about age three. her, and the bond she longed for was made.

Then her other grandchildren asked her to read in their classrooms too, and how could she not?

She read in higher and higher grades to follow her “grands,” and their teachers asked her to come back to their next year’s new classes as well, so her agenda grew, until it included her “greats” — her great-grandchildren.

Waiting outside for her time to enter Mission View school, she once saw children playing outdoors in the winter without mittens, so she knitted three mittens per classroom for kids to use who had none, or who forgot theirs, or who missed only one. Then she went inside to read. She figures she knitted 500 mittens.

When Gloria reads, she wants to be at the level of the children.

That’s not difficult for her — she is a petite 5 foot, 1 inch.

She leaves her shoes outdoors

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Gloria Piper Robison thumbs through Goodnight Moon, a book she has long read to elementary school kids.

and shows off her colorful mismatched socks. She sits on the floor and the children sit around her.

She opens her tote bag that the children have come to recognize. Out comes the day’s books, plus her chocolate milk bottle now washed out and filled with water, and her notes for the day’s proceedings. She notes the books read, the time ’til the next class, the place for her next audience. She keeps the daily log, and by now, it’s a stack of pages 8 inches high.

Maybe Gloria wasn’t born to entertain, but her mother forced her into vaudeville, performing in Los Angeles between movies, doing tap-dancing, ballet and acrobatics, starting at about age three.

That ended at age 18, when

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she tap-danced in her ballet toe shoes and injured her toe.

Her vaudeville career ended, but she didn’t care: Show business was onerous. She finished high school and met Don Robison in 1950. They were married from 1951 until he died in 2013, for 62 years.

To choose a book to read to schoolchildren, Gloria visits the public library, scans books and checks out up to 30 books at a time. At home, she reads them carefully and chooses what she likes. First, she loves good illustration. Second, she loves a story.

Gloria reads the books she has skimmed, then reads closely to prepare for reading them aloud in class. Once, she stumbled over a word and forgot to Google it ahead of time. When she got

to class, she stumbled over the word “vociferously” again. While the teacher tapped it into her computer, Gloria told the students, “I’ll have to look it up in my dictionary.”

“You have a dictionary?” an incredulous fifth-grader exclaimed. Gloria realized she’d have to show her computer-age students what an old-fashioned dictionary looked like.

Another time, she read a story to fifth graders about snakes shedding their skins. It was called Changes, and its theme was about changes to come in life.

Gloria challenged the group — “What do you think are the changes you are facing, starting with the letter M?” she asked. She was thinking “Middle school.”

“Menstruation!” a girl shouted.

A student at a school with a high Hispanic enrollment asked her to read a book in Spanish.

Gloria didn’t feel that her studies in Spanish had equipped her well enough to read. “We’ll help you,” her student offered.

Gloria realized a dream when she read for her grands, the twins for whom she had read from kindergarten, until they entered middle school. Recently, she read for another grand, in kindergarten, and another, younger grand, is in the waiting line.

For one group she read to from kindergarten to the 5th grade, Gloria started with Goodnight Moon. When they hit the 5th grade, she read it to them again.

She says that they loved it.

For people who want to follow her example, Gloria says to expect children to want to hug, and who want to have attention.

Expect them to be perceptive and surprising.

And expect them to be an absolute joy.

Susan Sampson met Gloria Piper Robison one summer when they both enrolled in Derek Sheffield’s poetrywriting class. A retired Seattle lawyer, Susan writes from Malaga.

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Letting

go

Paring down, clearing out, heading in a new direction: Local designer and crafter takes on a new art

T

By Susan Lagsdin

his is a coming-of-age tale.

But it’s not about a pre-teen who sees the world newly after conquering a crisis.

It’s richer and rarer than that: a fully formed and informed woman of the world, an artist, who as daughter, sister, business owner, outdoorswoman, volunteer, wife and mother, finally after six decades on earth declares, “I don’t have to be anything for anyone else.”

It’s time to be who she really wants to be, for herself. And for CarolAnn Seaman, part of that declaration of independence involves letting go of stuff.

Not just the art supplies that fill and spill from the crannies in her family’s Leavenworth home, but the imaginative swirl of unbirthed designs in her mind.

Both are notable for the space they take up and the stress they cause: they are laden with potential, but CarolAnn is growing tired of messing around with starts and stops and unfinished projects.

She was first motivated to manage decades of accumulated artifacts, tools, fabric, art supplies and found materials because of COVID. Last year, when daughter Claire stayed home to complete a studio art major online from Smith College and husband Shaun needed additional office space, the sheer bulk of her projects came into sharp focus.

“We were all at home at the same time,” she said, “and I had no idea how much of our house I had gradually infiltrated with my own projects. We call them ‘resource piles.’”

The family is unfailingly supportive of her creativity, but she

CarolAnn Seaman intends to do her research and writing close to home in this tiny log cabin, one that lived many lives before being reconstructed on her family’s hilltop property in Leavenworth. Photo by Mike Irwin

“I’m finally realizing that something might be a good idea — but I don’t have to do it.” joked that, “I’m a hoarder, but probably just a Level 6 – because I can tuck stuff away.”

Her resolve to clear out art materials also comes at the foreseeable retirement of her husband and the inevitable home-leaving of her daughter.

She mused about a small turn-

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key condominium for two, with outdoor adventure travel taking the place of art.

And the imagination? The ideas that fill her head, urge her to create, push her to invent and build? Controlling those could be very freeing. CarolAnn said, “I’m finally realizing that something might be a good idea — but I don’t have to do it.” She recognizes that with the physical purge she can cull and toss ideas, too.

CarolAnn’s friends and acquaintances understand how tough this will be.

She’s been defined by her artistic energy since she moved to Leavenworth to open the Gin-

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gerbread Factory 33 years ago.

She’d actually sold gingerbread houses on the street as a college student; they became so popular that the Seattle Frederick and Nelson’s carried them in their gift catalogue.

Personally designed and handcrafted, the bakery she’d dreamed of owning for years grew to include a café and gift shop and turned into a Leavenworth landmark. The centuryold structure decorated to look like a gingerbread house gained fans worldwide. “I was exhausted,” she said simply about selling it 15 years ago.

Post Gingerbread, her daughter was young, so CarolAnn vol-

A Hobbit House.

unteered at school and started plying her creative talents around town. With a graphic arts degree (“cut ’n paste, precomputer,” she says), she’s a multi-genre artist and designer.

She volunteers her painting talents to the Empty Bowls Project, the Upper Valley’s super-fundraiser to end hunger; she started a short-lived but very fun Doll Camp with recycled materials, sewing machines, and little girls making doll clothes and doll furniture; she corralled 27 different artists to create bird art on tiles to adorn the patio walls of Mountain Meadows senior living community.

All the while CarolAnn was creating personalized gift items, some for sale, most giveaways. (“A lot of these ideas don’t go anywhere — I’m never going to make a million dollars…”)

She built placemat-sized, cozy, moss-covered and round-doored Hobbit Houses. She upcycled feed bags, transforming them to wry and whimsical Chicken Bag totes with fabric, jewels and a lot of etcetera. (Her real cluckcluck chickens reside in a pale blue, playhouse-sized, coyoteproof Victorian mansion.) She’s redecorated the family’s vintage camping trailer to ultimate cuteness.

CarolAnn’s home, of course, showcases her playful art. The same tiny turquoise EasyBake oven that inspired her child-

hood love of baking has been wired to light up from its kitchen perch. Found feathers — turkey, hawk, bluebird and more collected on site for 30 years — make a dramatic wreath in the living room.

On the couch is a five-foot long, stuffed fabric root vegetable. Not a couch potato (too easy) but a bright orange couch carrot. And upcycled denim jeans, with their pockets, zips and seams spliced and tucked, made perfect statement seat covers for the vintage Willys Jeep in the garage.

So, what’s a creative woman to do when she’s resolved to pare down, for space and peacefulness, her lovable jumble of art projects?

CarolAnn knows what new path she wants to take, and she’s already in full stride upon it. It’s not gear intensive, and she’s got the time and space for it and plenty of ideas.

Writing. That’s what she wants to focus on.

Her first The Good Life article (May 2021) about biking across Iowa gave her confidence to research and interview strangers, a facet of nonfiction journalism that’s fascinating to her.

But she’s also plotting out — it’s partially outlined on butcher paper already — a historical fiction novel based on the epic travels of a family heirloom.

June 2021 | The Good Life

CarolAnn’s chicken bag made from a recycled feed bag.

Getting to it, which means sitting down to write and ugh ouch rewrite, may be a problem, but it’s universal; self-imposed distractions like chores and errands that forestall actual writing are sometimes disguised as the more romantic writers’ block. “I’ve learned to ‘clear the runway’ before I can start writing,” CarolAnn said.

Luckily, she’s not flying solo.

She belongs to a local writers’ group that’s not only structured (I’m reading this week) and encouraging (I can do this) but that helps her with editing and proofreading.

CarolAnn said her school generation was taught to “write your heart out… get it, then edit” with few formal rules.

Her companion writers have taught her how to juxtapose ideas more skillfully, she said, “... and not to write around something to get to the point.”

So, what’s this risky-revised version of CarolAnn going to look like? Will her household be streamlined and simplified? Can she just say no when a cool art www.ncwgoodlife.com

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idea springs fully formed into her head? Will recycled fabric and trinkets still dazzle her?

Will her literary aspirations do battle with her hands-on visual art?

They may not have to.

With help from her daughter, who’s adept at most things cyber, CarolAnn wants to start a website to sell existing art items she’s created and will include a written blog as a sideline.

Gradually, she’d like to flip that model and include more of her own writing as the primary content. Her Crayolaberry domain (a childhood nickname) is chosen and fiber optics are piped into the old writers cabin she’s outfitting as an at-home writer’s retreat.

What’s left but to get on with it?

She contemplates her transition with a question. “Do I have to finish everything I’ve started?

No. I won’t live that long. So I have to consider what is important and let the rest go. That is a struggle for me, but I’m determined to be brave.”

Happy trails Cashmere Canyons — New front-country trail system developed through the generosity of landowners

Spring Canyon Loop with a view toward the Wenatchee Mountains (Mission Ridge is slightly hidden on left skyline.)

STORY AND PHOTOS

By Andy Dappen

Twenty-some years ago when

my wife and I moved to Central Washington, the central question for us was: Wenatchee or Cashmere?

A big reason we chose Wenatchee was its front-country access to trails at Saddle Rock, Castle Rock, the Sage Hills, and along the Columbia River.

With such trails, we could get a daily fix of the outdoors with little or no driving. Cashmere was not quite so blessed in 1999.

If we were relocating to Central Washington today, our decision would be harder because

Cashmere has made significant strides in its immediate access to outdoor recreation.

The most recent case in point: The Cashmere Canyons Preserve with 8.5 miles of new trails for walkers, trail runners, birders, and outdoor photographers.

The story behind this new offering is an unusual one involving the generous spirit of the Hay Canyon Ranch landowners and managers — Jabe Blumenthal, Julie Edsforth and Don Poirier — who as early as 2007 began exploring the possibility of opening some of the trails on the Hay Canyon Ranch to the public.

Also critical to the story is the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust

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(CDLT), which was contacted to explore the establishment of a conservation easement on the ranch and the creation of a trailhead (with parking and a toilet) so the public could hike here.

A decade later the stars began to align when the Land Trust approached the owner of a property a few miles up Nahahum Canyon Road that would make a sensible trailhead and that would provide a connection to trails on the Hay Canyon Ranch.

The owner was open to selling this parcel and the project finally grew legs.

Conservation easements were drafted between the Hay Canyon landowners and the Land Trust, the Land Trust applied

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and received state funding to build a trailhead, old overgrown roads on the Hay Canyon Ranch were converted into trails, some segments of new trails were built, and signage for the trails was developed.

Presto — over a four-year period Cashmere’s newest trail system, officially named the Cashmere Canyons Preserve, “suddenly” blinked into existence.

In April of 2021, this new trail system opened — and what a time it was for this debutante to have her debut!

With an unusually intense bloom of balsamroots, lupines and desert parsleys, and with a thick cloak of snow coating

No dogs — including dogs on leash or service dogs. No bikes. No motorized anything (including drones). No horses.

those closures, remembering that the ability to enjoy any of these lands is a gift, not a right.

Balsamroot and bare-stem desert parsley bloom aplenty in early Spring.

the many high-mountain views, this was a flowerfully powerful coming-out party.

By early June the flowers on the preserve’s lower trails will have baked and wilted. On the high loops of the system, however, colorful stands of wildflowers will still persist.

So before the heat and brown landscape of summer hit, get out and sample these new trails.

But be forewarned of this sinister danger: Hiking here may have you pondering whether you should move to Cashmere.

Details: Hiking Cashmere Canyons

Stumps atop Little Bear to enjoy the view and take a load off.

June 2021 | The Good Life

RULES. No dogs — including dogs on leash or service dogs. No bikes. No motorized anything (including drones). No horses. No evening or nighttime use of the trails. No hunting. No off-trail travel (at any time of the year). Several spur roads are closed and so marked — respect www.ncwgoodlife.com

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WELCOMED USERS: Walkers (without dogs), birders (with binoculars), rubber neckers (with cameras), trail runners (with tongues hanging out), and snowshoers (but not skiers).

ACCESS. The only legal public access to the trails is from the new trailhead built up Nahahum Canyon. From the intersection of East Nahahum Road and Nahahum Canyon Road at the bottom of the canyon, drive 2.4 miles (uphill) to the trailhead.

At the trailhead there is parking for about 20 vehicles and a vault toilet.

If the parking lot is full (possible on nice weekends) do not park on the shoulder of the main road. This is not legal and you can be ticketed.

Illegal parking also clogs the main road and angers the residents living along the Nahahum Canyon Road, jeopardizing the on-going use of the trails. If the trailhead is full, be prepared to drive and hike elsewhere.

>>

column THE TRAVELing DOCTOR

jim brown, m.d.

Thoughts on universal healthcare S

ince I retired many years ago, I have been very grateful I have Medicare.

In addition, I have a USAA medical supplement that costs my wife and me $227.63 monthly and is taken out of our Social Security. I can’t imagine not having these two health plans that essentially cover almost all our healthcare costs.

There are some small co-pays for our prescription refills, but in general my wife and I are recipients of excellent healthcare for very little out of pocket expense. We are among the fortunate ones.

After we see a physician or need medical services, our USAA supplement sends us a report summary of the physicians’ charges as well as what Medicare and our USAA supplement actually paid for the charges. When I see what the charges were, even as a retired elderly physician, I am somewhat shocked.

I always wonder how do people without the excellent coverage I have pay these bills out of pocket?

A recent bill shows you what I am referring to.

This winter while we were in Arizona, I went to a dermatolo-

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Limit yourself to 500 to 1,000 words and send to: editor@ncwgoodlife.com

When I see what the charges were, even as a retired elderly physician, I am somewhat shocked. gist because of a lesion smaller than a dime in the hairline in front of my right ear.

He removed it as well as freezing three small rough spots on my scalp. This took all of 20 minutes. When I got the summary of charges of the dermatologist’s bill, it was $1,778!

Medicare approved $542.96 of that charge and paid $274.27 of it. The pathologist that examined the tissue specimen charged $628 of which Medicare approved $277 and paid $221.60.

I found these charges shocking.

My main question I asked myself was: “How does a person with no healthcare coverage deal with charges this steep?”

I’m not talking about neurosurgery or hip replacement either.

Actually a lot of people without healthcare insurance cannot deal with the cost. They likely forego seeing a physician and hope for the best.

Many Americans who undergo essential or emergency medical care don’t have many or any options. An estimated 530,000 families turn to bankruptcy each year in this country because of medical issues and bills. In fact, 66 percent of all bankruptcies for families are tied to medical issues whether Know of someone stepping off the beaten path in the search for fun and excitement? E-mail us at editor@ncwgoodlife.com

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| The Good Life

because of the high costs of care or because of being out of work for medical reasons.

Most families do not or cannot save for simple emergencies, let alone thousands of dollars for unexpected medical costs.

A recent Pew Research Center poll found healthcare ranks as a top search reviewed followed by the economy and terrorism.

About 70 percent of Americans feel that healthcare costs should be a top priority of the President and Congress.

I googled a list of the counties in the world with universal healthcare. Practically every country in the world has some sort of universal healthcare with one exception, the United States of America.

This list includes most every European country, most African countries, all north and Central American countries and most South American countries. The list includes most Asian countries plus New Zealand and Australia.

I know this is a very complex issue but I don’t think it should be a “political” issue as it seems to be in this country.

Years ago when I visited Australia I interviewed several people about their healthcare.

Everyone I talked with was happy with his or her heathcare.

They all had a basic healthcare for all paid for by the government. If anyone wanted a more complete coverage they were able to purchase a supplemental policy that gave them more ready access to specialists and access to certain specialty hospitals with less waiting for care.

A good friend of mine from British Columbia told me that he and his wife pay $167 per month for extended health benefits which include most medica-

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tions and other benefits including therapeutic massage (wouldn’t that be nice).

As far as medications are concerned, the only fee for them is a $10 charge as a dispensing fee by the pharmacist.

He said not long ago he underwent 20 external beam radiation treatments for cancer and all he paid was $7 per hour for parking when he was getting treated.

Another friend of mine told me that recently on a trip to England he was running low on a heart medicine. He went to a pharmacist to see if he could get it refilled and he was told only with a prescription.

The pharmacist gave him the name of a nearby physician who gladly filled the prescription.

When he went back to the pharmacy to get it refilled he asked what the bill would be to which the reply was nothing, “we can’t charge for medications.”

Obviously I don’t have a solution or recommendation for this extremely important problem.

In the last presidential election there was talk about “Medicare for all,” allowing people to buy into our current Medicare program.

Since private heathcare insurers made $35 billion of profit last year, I don’t think this is something that private insurers would be willing to accept.

Hopefully for the sake of Americans healthcare consumers, this will change for the better in the future.

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.

to run my own race anyway.

The best part was a true falling away of worry, of heavy things. Every day my mind circles around these collective and cumulative tragedies. I find joy in our human striving to repair and make amends.

Sometimes though I need space and time to breathe. In this case, to absorb the unique place of rock, sand and sage that I’m traversby Marlene Farrell ing. A race does that beautifully.

Dan Bucci, assistant race director, aco many things were taken away this knowledged how race organizing, finally past year. Luxuries like sports were a lesser allowed again, has changed due to the panpriority, but it was still tough for endurance demic. athletes like myself.

“It’s a moderate amount of extra work,” Thus, when a race in April was actually said Dan. “On the front end, organizing bib happening, the concept felt dreamlike, allists and assigning wave starts takes a lot most too good to be true. more up-front time. There is the stress of Were we ready for the risk of congregating regulations that seem to change monthly, for fun? Were race organizers ready for the and having to keep up with those. The wave work and strict structure of health safety starts are a little harder to time.” measures? And just as important — was I Some changes due to COVID-19 will ready to race after a year of running nonchalikely stick, including wave start format. lance?

“Wave starts make for a lower stress mornI’d still been running, and skiing, for ing as packet pick-up is spread out, and you solace from the storm of bad news, and for don’t end up with the ‘trail conga line’ that limited camaraderie in the great outdoors, frustrates runners early in races.” This also where droplets evaporate and diffuse and avoids racers congesting aid stations or all UV light kills the virus. finishing at once.

But I hadn’t trained. Not for this, Ancient “The vibe of most people was excited, and Lakes 25k trail race, anyway. Registration pretty relaxed and not concerned about had been a last-minute decision.

Marlene runs through a stark, but lovely landCOVID because this is a pretty spread-out scape.

In my interconnected world of running outdoor event,” shared Dan. friends, I knew five people who were also Leavenworth friends, recognized by their “With our policy of offering future race going to participate. It was beginning to feel eyes, hair with COVID shagginess, and their credits, most people who weren’t comfortlike a party. Could this be a celebration of stance. able participating in a race were given an survival? Can we celebrate and still be diliSame as at every race start I’ve awaited, I option so they didn’t feel like they had to gent about health safety? did my unnecessary adjustments to shoelacshow up.

Two weeks prior to the race, Run Super Sees, pony tail and watch.

We shivered in the “We received a lot of good feedback from ries organizers Dan Bucci and Sabrina Seher began sending everyone messages about the shade of the basalt cliffs. The sunny fields lay runners who felt our COVID controls were a tantalizing half mile ahead. appropriate, and they felt safe at the event. course, aid stations and weather, but also As the race began, everything fell away, Most were thankful to be returning to someprotocols for health safety that would affect yielding to the moment and my movement thing that feels like normalcy, and to be able the race start, aid stations and passing on through this stark landscape of coulees cre- to share the trails with like-minded people the trail. ated by ancient floods. This was lovely in its at a beautiful venue!”

The race was far enough away to warrant familiarity.

Throughout the race, geology I did not carpooling. Wait, really? For Lucca and me, Once we emerged into the sunshine, there understand still inspired me. it made sense; we were both fully vaccinated. we stayed for the next hours, the bluish We ran to areas of Ancient Lakes I hadn’t That was almost the strangest part. Just grays warming to brown and pale green ventured in before, along desert trails and prior, I had visited my parents, still maskup and down rocky stretches below cliffs ing and sticking to my invisible bubble. Now lined with silver.

My mask migrated from my face to below that stood like fortress walls. The route even Lucca and I, friends but not close friends, my chin to stuffed in my sports bra. Maybe snaked above the cool and calm Columbia were shoulder to shoulder in her Subaru. not the most sanitary, but it would do. before climbing back uphill to the finish.

The race parking and start/finish area, a I ran close to a few others, our strides fairly Afterward, I felt that fuzzy combination quarter mile north of the trailhead, was a matched. of bodily contentment and mental drive for vast mowed swath in a field of brittle grassHowever, when we rounded a bend, the more. es. We could relax in our abundant personal wind struck us full in the face. It had been Which is why I signed up for another trail space until it was time to draw together for there all along giving me a gentle push.

The race soon thereafter! Trail racing is a gift the start. head-on blast made me try to tuck into their of beauty, challenge, fun and friendship for We, the first wave of racers, stood by the slipstream, but it felt like too much work, so participants, and I’m grateful for this gift start line, buffs and masks in position. It anew. took a moment but yes, there were my other I let them go. It has always made me happy

Racing again on the other side of the pandemic S

June 2021 | The Good Life

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Movin’ on out Wenatchee couple heads east for more of their western lifestyle

D

By Susan Lagsdin

awn Davies and Phil Heideman are ready to make a big move. The sale of their home is complete — signed, sealed, and almost delivered.

Fourteen strong offers in only three days, according to their real estate agent Steve Bishop, indicated not only a lively market but the rarity of their four acres perched high above Sleepy Hollow Road.

When asked what she’ll miss most when she leaves in early June, you’d think Dawn would have said, “the view.” The view from the big, lightly gentrified water trough that serves as a hot tub. Or maybe the view from the couches grouped around the lava rock fireplace on the covered patio.

But she quickly replied, “The neighbors.

This is an amazing community up here — I didn’t have anything like it where we lived before, and I hope to have it again.”

Distinctive courtesies from the very day they moved into their new home 17 years ago loom large in her memory. First, the heartfelt welcoming letter left for the couple by the departing owner included a hope that they’d enjoy and protect the new bird nest hidden in the house’s eaves.

Their homecoming was twice blessed.

“I woke up that first morning, and when I heard a lawnmower outside, I assumed the sellers forgot to discontinue their yard service. But no,” Dawn said, “it was Harold Land, the man from next door. He said, ‘You folks are busy moving in — I thought I’d make this one less job for you.’ ” “There’s always someone who’ll feed the horses if you need it or watch out for your dogs. We’ve always helped each other out,” she said. And when the 2015 wildfire came licking close to the homes

on Sleepy Hollow Road, a quickly-formed horse trailer brigade shipped all the resident equines to safety.

However, the view is spectacular.

With Horse Lake Reserve just a few minute’s steep climb from their corrals, Phil and Dawn, both lifelong horsemen, have seen from a hawk’s perspective the confluence of the Wenatchee and Columbia rivers, and their property’s altitude gave them mountains, city, wheatfields and river, constant and everchanging.

This era of their married life — packing up and starting fresh in Spokane, where they have family ties but no history — is a high energy endeavor, but their life and work has been anything but a straight line, so adjusting goals comes easily.

Dawn was from the west side, Phil’s an East Wenatchee guy. In 1989, they met at a calf roping at the Mazama rodeo arena.

She’d walked over from a wedding party; he was on horseback. Yup. Love at first sight, although, “We spent about 10 years taking turns breaking up with each other, leaving and getting back together,” Dawn said.

A value-clarifying cancer diagnosis urged Phil to look for her one last time, he said. “She was in my head, and I realized I needed to do something about it.”

He searched and found her.

“I’d been thinking of him. All the time,” Dawn said. They re-upped the relationship, moved to the valley he’d grown up

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Dawn and Phil’s hilltop home is circled by horse pastures and corrals and filled with lovingly chosen cowboy art and artifacts like these. (On their realtor’s suggestion, they pared the boot display down from 70.) The couple’s mutual enthusiasm for all things old west comes from authentic ranch country roots. Photos by Mike Irwin

in and hunted for a home for themselves.

When they first saw the 4.4acre property in 2004, they’d already discovered that in Wenatchee, and now similarly in Spokane, affordable horse property plus a perfect house is a rare combination. They decided sweat equity could make the standard four-bedroom, three-bath home everything they wanted it to be.

Phil’s a fixer and a builder, with an inventive bent and lots of tool skills; they both agree that Dawn is the visionary. With that teamwork they created a functional and comfortable home for themselves and a good number of guests, horses and dogs over the years.

Their new house, built in 1997, was big enough at 1,800plus square feet, but Dawn said, “when we bought it, everything was builder grade and there was mostly just dirt outside.”

Custom-made kitchen cabinets from Mexico, new tile flooring, rock and wood features, soothing cream and earth tone tint on the walls made the interior soft and sophisticated. Their old west art and artifacts, many pieces locally sourced, melded easily with the updates.

Other significant changes were outdoors. Corral and pasture fencing and irrigation were ongoing projects, with many revisions. “Phil has his PhD,” Dawn quipped. “Post-hole-digging.

Those perfected facilities served an unexpected function in later years: Dawn’s job as

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When the chilly winds blow or The Heights is blanketed in snow, this sunny corner is a perfect place for Phil and Dawn to start the morning or toast the end of a busy day. Photo by Travis Knoop

MOVIN’ ON OUT }}} Continued from previous page

executive director of the Wenatchee Valley Humane Society meant she was often a first responder and caregiver for abused horses.

One lonely red shed anchored the property when they arrived. They built a sturdy barn with hay storage and stalls, and a tack room that’s evolved into cozy bunkhouse guest quarters.

A back courtyard-style patio with pergola is protected by a steeply terraced hillside, and the front of the house — the view spot — has been extended to allow a satisfying spot to relax in all weather.

Their high-up home, a product of love and labor, has given them years of pleasure, and leaving it and their supportive neighborhood is bittersweet. But now in their mid60s, they’re eager for a change.

Phil tapered off shoeing horses all over eastern Washington a few years ago and retired from his position with Marson and Marson Lumber last spring. Dawn’s 10 years with WVHS (as a force behind its expanded facilities and national reputation) officially

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Phil Heideman and Dawn Davies, in front of their barn atop Sleepy Hollow Heights, are excited about making the big move to the Spokane area after 17 good years together in the Wenatchee Valley. Fond memories, a lifetime collection of western artifacts and their two horses will travel with them. Photo by Mike Irwin | The Good Life

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ends in June, right before her birthday, just at moving-out time.

“Two years ago, I had a cancer scare too, and we planned on me retiring in WESTERB984CF June 2020,” Dawn said. “But Sold and erected by an I knew I couldn’t leave in independent locally owned builder. the midst of COVID. This last February, when we finally opened the new clinic, I realized ‘Hey, my work here is done!’”

They’re actively househunting, in mid-May at this writing, and with good horse boarding facilities available in the Spokane area, they’re seriously considering a variety of options Your building can be customized — a comfortable home just the way may take precedence over you want! fenced acreage this time WESTERN RANCH BUILDINGS around.

Opening to the back patio and the pastures and close-by the kitchen, the living IS MOVING!!!

Big house or little house, PLEASE NOTE THE NEW ADDRESS BELOW!! near or far, moving day has area is perfect for entertaining; 60 well-wishers easily gathered here for a signifi(509) 884-0555 cant birthday. Photo by Travis Knoop some universal elements. www.westernbuildings.com For this spring’s real estate 1107 Walla Walla Avenue Maybe she’ll leave that in a the community — behind them Wenatchee, WA 98801 photos, Dawn and Phil already note to the new owners, just a packed personal belongings into when they leave. And of course RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL • AGRICULTURAL little welcome home. there’s the view: the distant a roomful of boxes. (Dawn said, river, city lights, orchards, shrub “I kind of like the spare and Come see our custom work spacious look — I might just try steppe, wheatfields and snowy peaks. Which one will stand that again...”) out?

Soon they’ll mobilize the big Dawn paused a moment, eyes stuff, pass vital instructions closed.

Then, “One of my favorfrom old owner to new owner, ite images at night,” she said, figure out how to ferry the pointing to the narrow band of vehicles and the RV, hug the track at the base of Sleepy Holneighbors. Then they’ll pack up low’s long escarpment, “is seeing horses Starbuck and Raven and dogs Josie and Skeeter and be on the headlights of the westbound train way down there just comtheir way. ing around the bend of the They’ll leave years of rewardridge.” ing work — on their hill and in

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UPDATES // CATCHING UP WITH PREVIOUS STORIES

The stuccoed house and new wall compare nicely to the original house, pictured in last year’s story.

Therapy for a restless nature ‘Miserable failures at relaxing,’ couple completes remodel of Arizona house

By Lief Carlsen

In the May 2020 issue of The

Good Life, I wrote about how my wife and I had refurbished a modest house in Ajo, Arizona (Vanquishing the restlessness).

We worked on the house’s inside that year and left the exterior work for the next (this) year.

Good as our word, we returned to Ajo in January and spent the winter sprucing up the yard and the house’s exterior.

Last year I wrote that we considered our project to be therapy for our restless natures. Each little improvement to the house

An electric fireplace and hearth cover the hole where a former gas heater had been in the living room.

brought us one step closer to our goal and we savored the sense of accomplishment. By January of 2021 we were eager to return to Ajo and get back to work.

The first order of business

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was doing something about the siding.

The house still had its original siding — board and batten cedar, painted white. The cedar had held up remarkably well

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June 2021

over the 70 years since the house was built but its several coats of paint had not. The Arizona sun is not kind to painted wood.

Stucco is the preferred exterior for houses in Arizona. It weath-

Lief replaced a chain link fence with his own design for a stucco wall.

ers the extreme heat well.

Trouble was, I had no experience working with stucco. But I was determined to have a go at it anyway because I can’t stand to pay what pros usually demand for their expertise.

Then a neighbor recommended a man named Juan who was willing to do the job for a very reasonable price. We hired Juan. In addition to getting a professional job from Juan, I got to observe his technique, which gave me the confidence to take on a stucco job of my own.

All houses in Ajo have their yards enclosed by chain link fences. That’s because packs of coyotes and herds(?) of pig-like animals called javelinas roam the streets at night rummaging through trash and vegetation that isn’t protected by a barrier.

The chain link fences do a fine job of keeping out the coyotes and javelinas but esthetically they leave something to be desired.

Why not, I thought, replace the chain link with traditional Spanish/Mexican enclosure of adobe or stucco wall?

Without access to machinery to tear out the fence and no way to haul in a large quantity of

block to build the wall, I decided to encapsulate the existing fence in my wall.

After pouring a concrete footing, I screwed together frames of two-inch by two-inch lumber and faced them with cement board. These panels were connected on either side of the fence and then the stucco was applied to them.

I can’t say that I saved myself time or money by doing it that way but the result could easily pass for a traditional stucco wall. To complete the traditional Spanish look, I built a brick arch over the gate and embedded colorful tiles in the stucco.

Another unique feature of Ajo homes is the absence of lawns.

No house in Ajo has a lawn.

Whether it’s the extreme heat or the cost of water that is the problem I never learned.

Most houses either have just bare dirt around them or an assortment of cacti. I don’t care for cacti or bare dirt and because we don’t live there year around, a lawn is out of the question.

Citrus trees seem to like the climate and their bright green foliage is a nice contrast to the barren desert so I planted six of them and put them on a timed June 2021 | The Good Life

Mary enjoys the backyard, reshaped in the first year of the remodel.

drip system. We’ll have to wait until next year to find out how that works.

Mary kept busy painting everything in sight. I thought she had painted everything last year but she proved me wrong. She painted the closets, the window frames, the house trim, the underside of the eaves, the pantry, the front porch and more. She is incredibly patient and thorough — unlike me.

I installed a mini-split heating/air conditioning unit to replace the old, rusted evaporative cooler and covered the hole in the wall where the cooler had been with a stained glass window.

We also covered another gap in the wall where the former gas heater had been with a hearth and electric fireplace. The www.ncwgoodlife.com

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kitchen got a new countertop and backsplash; the garage got a new coat of paint.

With that, we stood back and admired our work and said to each other “What’s next?”

One option was to sit back and relax in our “winter residence,” like normal retired people. We tried that for a week but were miserable failures at relaxing.

We needed another project.

Another fixer-upper? Perhaps build an adobe style house from scratch? We will have to sell our current Ajo house to pay for that.

We’re still trying to decide.

Tune in next year to find out what we decide!

Lief Carlsen contributes a few articles each year to The Good Life. His passions are bicycles, small houses and Mary, his wife.

The Art Life

// SKETCHES OF LOCAL ARTISTS

The beat, clang and twang goes on for Tom Lenny G

By Sebastian Moraga

ive Tom Lenny a bell, a pie pan, a snowboard, a few springs and ask him to build something, and chances are he’ll be stumped. Or rather Stumpf-ed.

Tom, a retired chief operator at Rocky Reach Dam, is a talented luthier, whose specialties include the Stumpf Fiddle — an eclectic, slightly scary-looking instrument that uses all the things we just mentioned — the congas, bongos, and the cajon (Kah-HON), a box-shaped percussion instrument with roots in the South American nation of Peru.

Tom’s talent has taken him to a myriad of pretty unique places, such as on stage with country music legend Willie Nelson (who signed one of his instruments) and to the Discovery Channel’s series Auction Kings, where he performed Turkey in The Straw with one of his unique instruments.

“I didn’t know the show was worldwide until I started getting comments from Norway, Holland, and Russia,” he said of his adventures on TV, about 10 years ago.

Tom, 65, began dabbling in music as a younger man, in the 1980s, traveling to Seattle and Alaska with bands. Over the next three decades, he made it to the Last Frontier State more than 10 times to play, as one of the few bands in America that was a professional Stumpf Fiddle band.

It wasn’t just the traveling that did it for Tom. Just being on stage, playing off other musi-

cians was plenty exciting.

The luthier side of his skillset started developing even earlier than that.

Tom said his dad got him started doing woodwork when he wasn’t even a teenager yet, so by the time he was in middle school, “I had some pretty good skills.” By the time he was in high school, he could not wait for wood shop class to start every day.

Indeed, he has built all his home’s bedroom furniture, he has built hockey sticks, chess

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Tom Lenny can play a rambunctious tune on his Stumpf Fiddle.

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June 2021

The guitar is not the only thing beaten up about Willie Nelson, Tom says. boards, ping-pong paddles, and of course a broad array of drums.

His talents are on display at Chinook Music in East Wenatchee, where a few of his cajon drums are on sale.

The apple of his eye, though is not for sale. It’s a slap-top cajon — a t-shaped box, rich in angles and sounds, both strong and nuanced, with a snare drum snare inside. It’s by far the most complex drum he has built, he said.

When making an instrument, it’s part art, part science — although not a 50-50 split.

“It’s mostly my ear as a musician and then some experimentation with where to put different parts to change the tones,” he said.

There is a slight edge, albeit a psychological one, to playing an instrument you know from the blueprints on up.

“There is a satisfaction,” Tom said. “Especially when we are playing and someone sees me playing and asks me where I got it, and I say, ‘Well, I made these.’”

People’s jaws go slack when they see the elaborate drums and oddball-looking-yet-euphonic Stumpf Fiddles. If you add to that the fact that Tom’s bands never want to be introduced, they just like to start playing, the surprise factor increases.

“We just like to do one or two songs and leave, and make people go, ‘Whoa, what was that?’”

Doing something that nobody else around is doing, just adds to the satisfaction, Tom said.

After decades of building instruments, it’s still an exciting challenge, particularly building

the Stumpf Fiddles. One such fiddle, he calls his “Cadillac” model, because it comes with all the bells and whistles. Only, of course, in this case, they are literally actual bells and actual whistles.

Oddly enough, one area of music Tom has not dabbled into is writing music. Instead, he plays with bands backing him and his friends up. Not a lot of people can say, even jokingly as Tom does, that the great outlaw country star with the beaten-up guitar is among his erstwhile backup musicians.

The guitar is not the only thing beaten up about Willie Nelson, Tom says.

“You would think that a guitar player would have pretty soft hands,” he said. “Oh my gosh, the roughest, grizzliest hands I think I have ever shook.”

After decades of woodwork, it’s no surprise that Courtney and Braden Lenny, his children, have followed in his footsteps.

They are both adults now, and Braden is a pretty talented musician in his own right, although he leans toward string instruments, and Courtney is pretty talented with the power tools Dad uses.

“My daughter kind of surprised me several times,” Tom said.

“I worked with my son quite a bit on the power-tool stuff, and I don’t remember doing that with my daughter so much, and she learned how to do it somehow, and a couple of times she’s told me, ‘Yeah, I’ll use this saw or that saw or that other thing,’ and if she needed to do something, she knew I had all the tools, and she knew how to find the right one and knew how to use it.”

Chips off the old wood block, indeed.

Sebastian Moraga is a freelance writer based out of Cashmere. He says he has made great contributions to the world of music, mostly by not attempting to play any.

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column moving up to the good life

june darling

Driving ourselves out of a languishing rut If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine, it’s lethal.

— Paulo Coelho, Brazilian writer

In the driveway sits a 2016

Dynamax Isata 24-foot Diesel class C motorhome.

We did not know we were looking for it exactly, but something similar, someday. Then, suddenly, there it was, right down the street, offering itself for sale.

This RV would allow us to drive out of our rut. In our dream we would add a couple of Rad power electric bikes and escape our languishing state.

Languishing is the emotional place organizational psychologist like Dr. Adam Grant says most of us are in 2021 after collectively mostly moving on from grieving, despair, depression and hopelessness.

Many have been vaccinated and feel safer, but flourishing seems out of sight.

Flourishing, according to one of the world’s experts on the subject, Dr. Tyler VanderWeele, is when we feel that we are doing well in the five broad areas of life: happiness and life satisfaction; health, both physical and mental; meaning and purpose; character and virtue; and close social relationships (in the past much emphasis has been put on money and material stability, but currently these are considered means to rather than indicators of flourishing).

Even mentioning thriving seemed ridiculously audacious last year, but now we can at least imagine it — see it off in the horizon. But right now… as a group, we are pretty much stuck in this blah, languishing place.

At first, I thought June could be the month we escape.

living.

Maybe we have some time. Someone recently told us that their 92-yearold grandfather drives his motorhome each year to Yuma. As I previously, mentioned, a vision is good, but for now we will stay focused on little wins.

We are still looking online at the pictures and information about Rad power bikes.

Something about them scares me.

My daughter-in-law sent us pictures of our 11-year-old granddaughter riding to school on her new Rad bike. I am Imagine the life: On the road to new places, stargazing and striking up deep conversations, using it to help me enjoying good cheer over glasses of wine around the fire with fellow adventurers. screw up my courage.

What I am learning so far is For sure we can be out walkand striking up deep conversathat languishing can be harder ing — improving our physical tions, enjoying good cheer over to get out of than I initially conand mental health, building our glasses of wine around the fire sidered. social relationships as we chat with fellow adventurers.

It can take courage. It can with others in their gardens. We A vision is a good thing to also take focus, which is hard to can pick up litter, check in on have. And it could happen. We come by when you are languishfolks, which adds to our sense of have finally learned how to ing. meaning and purpose, character make the hot water work. We So back to the idea of little and virtue. It is a good, perfectly have stayed overnight at Lincoln goals, little wins, little celebrasolid start for digging our way Rock. We were able to hook up tions to build what psychologists out. sewer and water with a little For some reason, which now help from a young couple camp- call agency. We often use the word confidence in somewhat occasionally mystifies me, an ing near us. the same way — it is believRV and Rad bikes seemed like We somewhat enjoyed a day ing that we can achieve desired more attractive strategies to my trip to Confluence with the outcomes. Confidence is built in husband John and me. grandkids, figured out how to those little wins.

Maybe we were imagining our- fire up the propane stove.

Psychologists, like Dr. Martin selves in places like Zion NationI would just like to say for the Seligman, have, after 50 years al Park, biking to archaeological record that there appears to be of research on agency, conclude sites, canyoneering, stargazing a steep learning curve to RV

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fun stuff what to do around here for the next month We want to know of fun and interesting local events. Send info to: donna@ncwgoodlife.com

Please check all events to make sure none has canceled.

NCW Blues Jam, Mondays, 7 – 10 p.m. Riverside Pub. 1 million cups, every first Wednesday of the month. 8 a.m. Entrepreneurs discover solutions and thrive when they collaborate over a million cups of coffee. Come join this supportive, dynamic community and hear from two businesses that are between 1 – 5 years old. Discover how we can help move them forward in a positive environment.

Zoom link: 1mcwenatcheevalley. eventsbrite.com.

Of course, a new reality has its own learning curve.

What I am learning so far is that languishing can be harder to get out of than I initially considered. that hopelessness is a human default way of feeling and thinking.

We must prod ourselves to try things, master new things, to become more hopeful.

It may be unrealistic to expect ourselves to wake up feeling full of optimism and confidence when we are attempting something totally new and operating far outside of our comfort zone.

If we know that those scared feelings, even those hopeless feelings are normal, it may help us keep going as we pull ourselves out of our ruts.

A certain amount of routine can be helpful, stabilizing and effective in keeping us on

track especially during chaotic times. But too much routine can develop into a rut. We can feel stuck, like nothing much we do will matter.

The good weather and good news around vaccines and vaccinations can give us a bit of uplift, but it may take more than that to head toward flourishing.

Maybe you do not need a new motorhome or electric bike, but we all may need ADVENTURES — new learning, unfamiliar people, different conversations, growth and challenging activities… AND a bit of courage, focus, realism, small goals and little wins to successfully move away from languishing toward flourishing.

How might you take the month of June to try new adventures and move toward The Good Life?

Chelan Thursday Evening Farmers Market, 2 – 6 p.m. through October. Fresh locally grown produce and local artisans.

Fun for the whole family. Riverwalk Park, Chelan. Cost: free. Info: lakechelan.com.

Wenatchee Valley Farmers market, 8 – 1 p.m. Every Saturday May through October. West parking lot at Pybus Public Market.

Evening Alphorn Serenade, every Saturday, 7 – 7:30 p.m. Front Street Park Gazebo.

Greater Leavenworth Museum Historic Walking tours every second and fourth Saturdays through October. Walk begins at the Lion’s Club Park at 10 a.m.

Tours last 1-2 hours and cover roughly 2 miles on city sidewalks

June Darling, Ph.D. can be contacted at drjunedarling1@gmail.com; website: www.summitgroupresources. com. Her bio and many of her books can be found at amazon.com/author/ junedarling.

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and trails. Masks required. Tours on the second Saturdays will be the railroad/mil walk. The tours on the fourth Saturdays will be the town walk. Cost: $5. Info: 548-0728 or leavenworthmsuem.org.

Chelan summer concert series, May 30 through Sept 5, featuring live music every first and third Sunday from 6-8 p.m. in the Riverwalk Pavilion along the shores of Lake Chelan. Free. Music includes: May 30: The Spinoffs June 6: Older & Wiser June 20: Boyana July 4: Dimestore Prophets July 18: Fort Vine August 1: Deseo Carmin Aug. 15: The Kevin Jones Band Sept. 5: TBA. Watercolor: The Medium I Enjoy, 6/2 through 25, Wed-Sat, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Sunday 1 - 4 p.m. Featuring Watercolorist Carol Brewer.

The main themes of her paintings center around the play of light and shadow, designs found in nature and preservations of memories.

Two Rivers Gallery. Info: 2riversgallery.org.

Apple Blossom Festival, 6/3-13.

Food fair at Memorial Park, live entertainment on stage at Memorial Park, beer garden, carnival, art and crafts fair. Info: appleblossom.org.

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WHAT TO DO Village Art in the park, 6/5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. A vibrant outdoor art market in downtown Leavenworth.

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

}}} Continued from page 29 Plein Air Paint Out. Paint anything that depicts an Apple Blossom Event. Enter your papers (2) or canvas (2) 10 - 11 a.m. to be stamped at the gallery before painting. You have one week to finish painting. Turn in 6/12 by 3 p.m. First place $200, 2nd place $100 and 3rd place $50. Two Rivers Gallery. Cost: $20. Info: 2riversgallery.org.

Apple Blossom Run, 6/3-13. Runners can participate in the kids 2k (grades 1-8), the 5k, or the 10k. Run is free to all and includes a virtual run experience, a commemorative 5-shirt and a participation medal.

Race packets will be distributed at a socially distanced packet pickup.

Register: runsignup.com/race/wawenatchee/appleblossomrun.

Wenatchee Riverfront Railway, 6/4, 5, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Home of the Nile Saunders Orchard mini train. All train runs are weather permitting. Wenatchee Riverfront Park. Cost: $2. Info: facebook.com/ thewenatcheeriverfrontrailway.

Cruizin Chelan Car show, 6/4, 2 – 6 p.m. 6/5, 8 – 11 a.m. Coupes, sedans, trucks, street rods, motorcycles, vintage tractors and boats for the big “Show –n-Shine.” Food, beverages and music while you view the 80+ cars. Millers Auto Museum at 20 Blue Water Lane.

Info: millersautomuseum.com.

Red Devil Trail Runs, 6/5. 50k, 25, and 10k. Wenatchee National Forest, Sandcreek Trailhead. Info: runwenatchee.com/event/reddevil-challenge-50k-25-and-10ktrail-runs.

Alpenfolk Bavarian Music, 6/5, 6, 12, 13, 26, 27, 5 – 9 p.m. on Saturdays and 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Sundays. Live authentic music, singing, and yodeling. Front Street Gazebo, Leavenworth. Cost: free.

Tomfoolery Family Fun Day, 6/6, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center.

Info: wenatcheevalleymuseum.org.

Icicle Creek: Festival Preview, 6/6, 1 p.m. Virtual event livestreamed. Meta Weiss, cello and Oksana Ejokin, piano performing works by Brahms, Prokofiev and William Grant Still from Canyon Wren Recital Hall. Cost: free. Info: icicle.org.

Birding at Mountain Home Preserve, 6/7, 7 – 11 a.m. Spend a weekday morning hiking, viewing wildlife, wildflowers, and snow capped mountains, while being part of a small team collecting bird species data. Contact Susan Ballinger 667-9708 or susan@cdlandtrust. org.

Classy Chassis Parade and car show, 6/11, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Car show at Eastmont Community Park.

Apple Blossom Community Parade, 6/12, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Info: appleblossom.org.

Cascades Wildlife Tracking Certification Class, 6/12, 13, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. With David Moskowitz. Cost: $330. Info: wenatcheeriverinstititute.org.

Wenatchee Riverfront Railway, 6/12, 13, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Home of the Nile Saunders Orchard mini train. All train runs are weather permitting. Wenatchee

Riverfront Park. Cost: $2. Info: facebook.com/thewenatcheeriverfrontrailway.

Composting 101, 6/15, 5:30 – 7 p.m. In this workshop, Betsy Dudash will share step-by-step methods for successful composting with a traditional compost bin, a barrel composter, and a worm bin. Learn the pros and cons of each method.

Wenatchee River Institute. Cost: what you can. Must register. Info: wenatcheeriverinstitute.org.

Leavenworth International accordion celebration, 6/17, 18, 19, 20, all day. Front Street Park Gazebo. Info: accordioncelebration. org.

Guided Nature Walks, 6/17, 19, 24, 26, 4 – 6 p.m. Join the

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Guided Nature Walks, 6/18, 20, 25, 27, 9 a.m. Join the Wenatchee River Institute for a two-hour, guided nature walk through Waterfront Park. Learn about the natural and cultural history of Leavenworth with scenic views of the river and mountains along the way. Must register. Cost: $18, free for kids 5 and under. Info: wenatcheeriverinstitute.org.

Marson and Marson Cascade Golf Classic, 6/21, 11 a.m. shotgun start with several pre-tournament contests. Also on-course contests, mystery wine, wine tasting and a raffle. Cost: $100 per player, plus $20 activity packages. Raising funds for ambulance safety equipment. Kahler Glen Golf Course. Register: cascademedicalfoundation.org.

Corvette Club Show, 7/17, 9 a.m.

– 3 p.m. Wenatchee Convention Center.

Send payment to:

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Wenatchee River Institute for a two-hour, guided nature walk through Waterfront Park. Learn about the natural and cultural history of Leavenworth with scenic views of the river and mountains along the way. Must register. Cost: $18, free for kids 5 and under. Info: wenatcheeriverinstitute.org.

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June 2021

PET tales

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

Sara Higgins

of Wenatchee holds her rescue dog, Bjorn, who just turned one.

“He’s part chihuahua and part mutt. And very playful and energetic.

Teaching him commands and to obey has been a challenge,” said Sara.

Long walks are a favorite for Bjorn.

“Hopefully he will morph into an obedient, good doggie.

But we love him anyway.”

Jax, 5, and Hazel, 3, Reyner-

son, of Chelan were visiting grandparents Yvette and Dick Matson in Cashmere.

Here they are sitting in the field with Otter and Luna. Luna

What Are You Laughing At?

is a 4-year-old Labradoodle and Otter is an 8-year-old Chi, Beagle, Terrier and more mix.

June is Adopt-A-Cat Month

We’re looking for fresh, true stories from local people that’ll bring a chuckle to our readers.

Limit yourself to 500 to 1,000 words and send to: editor@ncwgoodlife.com

Moving?

DANGERO

The post office will not automatically forward The Good Life magazine.

US WOME

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NUMBEE VALLEY’S R MAGAZ ONE INE March

2016

THE M OF A AKING

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31

Emma

>>

Julia

Katy

Molly driving tractor

column those were the days

rod molzahn

The children of Wagnersburg In 1895, Ernst and Mary Wag-

ner with all their belongings paddled a large raft from Orondo across the Columbia River and claimed a 320-acre homestead six miles below Entiat.

They called it Wagnersburg.

Three children came with them: eight-year old Emma Louise, five-year old Julia Rose and three-year old Otto Henry.

A year later Molly Theresa was born and in 1898 Katherine Marie joined the family.

Once a house was built the work of developing an orchard began. It started with 900 apple trees brought over on the raft.

As soon as they were able, the children began working on the growing orchard.

Eight- year old Emma was first. She worked with her mother building wooden irrigation flume sections on top of a cliff.

They lowered then by rope down to Ernst, roped up along the cliff face. He attached the flume sections to metal pins pounded into the rock cliff.

Since Otto was the only son, the girls became the primary labor force on the ranch. There wasn’t a job they couldn’t do from engine repair to construction. Photos show them under cars and driving tractors.

“Your screen-door squeaks. Bring me a hammer and a glass of whiskey, no ice, and I’ll fix it for you.”

Otto

Emma, it was said, could fix anything. A family story tells of an adult Emma opening the door of a sister’s house and shouting out, “Your screen-door squeaks. Bring me a hammer and a glass of whiskey, no ice, and I’ll fix it for you.”

Emma loved the outdoors, especially fishing. She had a cabin on Lake Chelan above Twenty Five Mile Creek.

In 1905, at age 18, Emma married Roy Martin. He was involved in real estate. In time Ernst Wagner came to dislike Roy. According to family lore, Ernst paid him off to “Get lost.”

A divorce quickly followed.

In 1917 Emma married Thomas Atkinson, the ranch manager at Wagnersburg. Ernst must have

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approved.

In 1910, Julia, 20-years old, married Charles Dunning. Their daughter, Vivian, was born in 1911. Sometime in the next several years Julia and Charles divorced.

In 1920, Julia and Vivian were living with Mary Wagner and younger sisters, Molly and Katy, in the family home on north Wenatchee Avenue. Ernst and Mary had divorced in 1911 or 1912. In 1925 Julia married Homer Earl Jessup. They moved to a house at Wagnersburg to do their part running the orchards.

Otto Wagner had a much different experience growing up on the ranch than his sisters had.

About 1908 when Otto was 16, Ernst made him a full partner in the family businesses. Otto was closely involved in managing the orchards and the family real estate investments. None of the sisters were given that opportu-

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June 2021

nity.

By 1920, the apple production from Wagnersburg had outgrown the local supply of apple boxes. Ernst and Otto decided to expand into the lumber business and make their own box shook.

Otto was out in charge of developing the new endeavor. The first step was the purchase of a small lumber mill on Loup Loup Pass between the Okanogan Valley and Twisp in the Methow Valley.

In 1922 and ’23, the mill was enlarged and modernized. In 1931 it was destroyed by fire. Mill fires were common in that era.

Otto abandoned the Loup Loup site and built a new stateof-the-art mill in the town of Okanogan. It was a major employer in the area until it also was destroyed by fire.

In 1938 Otto bought the iconic Fender Mill at Mazama in the upper Methow Valley. The purchase included a box factory in Twisp. The next year the mill was moved to Twisp near the box factory. The complex became the biggest employer and economic driver in the Methow Valley.

Otto married Kay Hayden in

1926. They soon became leading citizens of the Methow Valley and especially the town of Twisp. In 1967 they donated a municipal swimming pool to the town and named it the Ernst Wagner Memorial Pool in honor of Otto’s late father.

Otto shared sister Emma’s love of the outdoors and hunting.

He and Kay had a ranch up the Chewuch River north of Winthrop.

There was an abundance of rattlesnakes on the ranch. A man from Pateros had a reputation for catching rattlers alive and milking them for their venom. Otto hired him to rid the ranch of snakes. The man was paid by the number of snakes he caught.

At the end of the day he came to Otto with two wriggling gunnysacks and told Otto how many snakes he had. Otto expressed doubt about the number. The man said, “Do you want to count them?” Otto wrote him a check.

Molly Theresa Wagner was 25 when she married Arthur Pohlman on July 4, 1921 in Penticton, British Columbia. The couple joined Emma and Julia in the work of operating the successful orchards at Wagnersburg.

Molly and Arthur’s first daughter, Gloria, was born a

The Ox Team logo was put on boxes of apples grown by the Wagner children and their spouses.

year after their marriage. A second daughter, Molly Ann, was born in 1929.

The youngest of the Wagner children, Katy, at age 27, married Elbert “Harp” Harper in March of 1925. They joined the brigade of sisters and husbands at Wagnersburg.

Together they managed the 320-acres of orchard and expanded their orchard holdings

when they purchased land in the Orondo area and developed the “Ox Team” orchard.

In the late 1940s, likely after Ernst Wagner’s death in March of 1948, Katy and Harp moved to Los Angeles.

Katy worked for NBC in the public relations department for 14 years before retiring. Family history claims Katy could “smoke like a chimney, drink

wine like a fish and lout-talk any truck driver.”

In 1961, Rocky Reach Dam began operation. The reservoir behind the dam inundated almost all the orchards of Wagnersburg.

The children of Wagnersburg received a substantial settlement from the PUD for their lost land.

Julia died of cancer in 1933 at Wagnersburg. She was 43.

Emma died of cancer in 1959 during the construction of Rocky Reach Dam. She was 62.

Otto Wagner was murdered in his Twisp home in November of 1967, six months after the dedication of the municipal pool. He was 75.

Katy died in February of 1990 in Wenatchee at age 92. A month later, Molly, the last of the Wagner children, died in Wenatchee. She was 94.

Historian, actor and teacher Rod Molzahn can be reached at shake. speak@nwi.net. 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.

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

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the back page: that’s life

I’m talking, are you listening?

H

By G. Wayne Hawks

ello! Long time no talk.

How have you been? We’re pretty good this end. Like you, we’ve about had our fill of COVID! So, I wanted to chat a little with you about communication.

As you know, I worked for a telephone company for about 15 years and back then, did a lot of thinking about communication.

About 600 years ago when I was knee-high to a grasshopper, my siblings and I were very interested in learning a second language. And, we picked one up quite easily at that age. “Pig Latin” it was called.

The way you speak Pig Latin, in case you don’t know, is if a word starts with a consonant, you drop the first consonant and then add that consonant and ay after that word. If the word doesn’t start with a consonant, you just add Ay at the end of the word.

For example, Pig Latin would be pronounced Ig Pay Atin Lay. One Pig Latin would be One Ay Ig Pay Atin Lay. Of course, if you’re Canadian, you’d say One Ay Ig Pay Atin Lay Eh? I spent five years in Canada and noticed nobody up there speaking Ig Pay Atin Lay Eh? I guess they realize they’d sound

like they’re stuttering if they do.

No offense to those who do stutter or my Canadian friends or relatives, eh?

Another part of my education when I was younger is I learned how to send S.O.S. (Save Our Ship = HELP) in morse code just in case I found myself in trouble with a telegraph or had a hammer and bulkhead handy.

It’s three dots, three dashes, and three dots. Years later it dawned on me if I did send an S.O.S. someone might respond with something like, “Where are you”, “What’s the problem”, etc... All I would hear would be meaningless to me since all I ever learned were the letters S and O. Something else we had when I was shorter was a telephone that was attached to something called a “party line.” It had very little to do with a party.

In case you don’t remember or know, the way a party line worked was, for us, if the phone rang twice quickly we’d pick it up, hold it to our ear and mouth, and say “Hello.”

But, if the phone rang just once at a time, we would pick it up, put our hand over the microphone, and listen to what the neighbors were saying. Just to make sure they were okay, of course….

Traditionally, men talk to each

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Umm, I’m sorry, what was I saying?

Of yes, anyway, the thing is that traditionally women... other in strings of one to at most five words.

Which means these men usually only listen to at most the first five words and then our minds wander back to more important things like the firing order of a 1965 Chevrolet 283 V-8 2BBL, which is 1-8-4-3-6-57-2.

Umm, I’m sorry, what was I saying? Of yes, anyway, the thing is traditionally women, as we know, speak way more words to each other and to men.

I know the traditional men can’t begin to believe this, but most women really don’t care about the firing order of a 1965 Chevrolet 283 V-8 2BBL. The most common mistake I see women make in communicating with men is they say something like, “Something uplifting, something complimentary, something cheerful, something important, followed by something else positive. The men, of course, stopped listening after the second something…

Which leads to these women later saying something like, “I told you five times last week…”

Truth be told though, that’s exactly why cell phones were invented.

Go down to the grocery store any day and look around. You’ll see one or more people (probably men) with cell phones pressed to their ears saying something like, “Okay, I’ve got the T-bones for the barbecue.

What else did you want? Well, where do they keep the little

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June 2021

trees (broccoli), in relation to the meat or beer departments?”

Texting, on the other hand, was invented so non-mechanically inclined G. Wayne Hawks people could and his wife, Linda, have lived make a parts in and around run and their Wenatchee for the mechanilast 19 years. They cally inclined are both retired friend/partand loving it! ner can text to their phone, for example, that they need a set of points, condenser and rotor for a 1965 Chevelle 283 2BBL so the parts person can be shown the text and they don’t have to try to figure out what a “doohickey for the project car” might be.

Either gender, of course, can be in either position. She might be a great mechanic and he might not be or vice versa. In the dim past, I have worked with all types.

Of course, much of the above was stereotypical clap-trap.

Truth be told, sometimes men do talk way more.

For example, when my friend Dan Gaab and I go backpacking, we talk all the way both out and back. At the end of those two days, we still have topics we haven’t gotten to. And, that, my friends, is about the best type of friendship there is.

Well, I hope you enjoyed our conversation. Stay safe my friends. I have to run to see if I can buy a set of points, condenser and rotor for a 1965 Chevelle 283 2BBL. Linda also wants me to run to Fred Meyer to get some more of those little trees or something.

I’ll probably need to call her when I get there.

You check the weather before going camping.

Shouldn’t you check river and lake conditions before heading out on the water?

Know before you go. Get our Current app at chelanpud.org/app

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