AGING GRACEFULLY WITH DOGS Y EVENTS CALENDAR
WENATCHEE VALLEY’S
NUMBER ONE MAGAZINE
March 2020
Coloring the art scene
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Contents
Art sketches n Actor Gary Hesse page 26 n Artist Kasey Koski, page 30
page 34
Jim takes his babies to the beach
Columns & Departments 6 A bird in the lens: Inspiring Sandhill Cranes 21 Pet Tales: Mocha worth a drive through a snow storm 22 June Darling: Use your suffering to grow 24 The traveling doctor: Why a good night’s sleep is vital 26-33 Arts & Entertainment & a Dan McConnell cartoon 32 History: Early NCW towns played the name game 34 That’s life: Aging gracefully with dogs
Moving?
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Features
7 chasing the northern lights on a train
This story not only explains there are trains in Alaska, but reveals the whispered reason so many young Asian couples come seeking to spend a night under the Aurora Borealis
DANGEROU
S WOMEN
10 painting with bentley
Y EVENTS CA
LENDAR
WENA TCHE
NUMBEE VALLEY’S R ONE MAGA ZIN E
March
Grandfather James McGregor wanted to get beyond watching screens with his grandson, so he signed up to paint a posh pig
2016
THE M OF A AKING
Price: $3
COWB OY From to yee-quiet scient
12 tom potter — live it!
ist horse- hawing riding man
Life has given Tom Potter three significant medical challenges — and he has responded by certainly not playing it safe
16 Teaching kids snowshoeing
It’s not just about the great outdoors — it’s about how the outdoors is great for us
18 A twist on a b&b’s succession
Younger couple sell to older couple — and now both are looking forward to an adventure
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Cary
ordw
they built this city
ay’s
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OPENING SHOT
A calm day along the river
Jean O’Keeffe is a local
Wenatchee artist-photographer who was raised in East Wenatchee. She and her husband, Lonnie, also a Wenatchee native, moved back to Wenatchee two years
®
Year 14, Number 3 March 2020 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
ago for retirement. Jean’s artwork begins by enhancing her photographs with various “darkroom” software programs to develop images into her creative expressions. She loves to experiment with the ever-changing software using layers, textures or filters. Jean enjoys creating composite images, and digitally painting with her Wacom tablet. Her favorite compositions include florals and landscapes.
River Trees was taken last spring with her go-to camera, a Canon 5DSR. The photo was taken on US Route 97A, just south of the Knapp Hill tunnel. That day the Columbia River was calm and blue, setting off a beautiful reflection of trees, vineyards and rolling hills. More of Jean’s work can be seen at Two Rivers Art Gallery in Wenatchee, or on her website www.macroabundanceart.com.
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Editor/Publisher, Mike Cassidy Contributors, Jean O’Keeffe, Lisa Therrell, James McGregor, Joe Anderson, Sarah Shaffer, James Brigleb, Bruce McCammon, Donna Cassidy, Jim Brown, June Darling, Dan McConnell, Susan Lagsdin, Mike Irwin and Rod Molzahn Advertising: Lianne Taylor Bookkeeping and circulation, Donna Cassidy Proofing, Dianne Cornell Ad design, Clint Hollingsworth
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On the cover
As part of her drive to share art of other people, in February Kasey Koski showcased American family quilts, as well as their counterparts made by a local artist, as Curator of Exhibits for the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Photo by Mike Irwin. See her story on page 30.
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March 2020
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editor’s notes
MIKE CASSIDY
Adversity requires rethinking about The Good Life Columnist June Darling
writes this month that adversity in life — while never popular with most of us — is key to growth. “...the highest levels of growth and development are ONLY open to those who have faced and overcome great adversity,” June suggests. Whoa boy, anyone paying attention to the struggles of print newspapers and magazines knows this industry is feeling great adversity. I read recently that 70 percent of the advertising revenue that used to go to newspapers and magazines is now flowing to the online giants like Google, Facebook, Amazon and others. A quarter of the newspapers in the U.S. (weeklies and dailies) have ceased publishing since the recession. We at The Good Life have fought hard against the trend,
and while magazines in general have done better than newspapers, and local magazines have done better than the nationals, we have not been immune to the changes in our print industry. But with adversity comes opportunity for invention. When we started The Good Life in 2007, the roadmap to success was clear: First, send out as many magazines as we could afford to print, then sell ads to businesses who wanted to be in front of those eyeballs. We purchased a mail list of local homes we thought would be interested in a magazine like ours, and away we went. Within months, we were more successful than we could have hoped... and then along came the Great Recession. Since then, general advertising has been trending downward. It has come to a point where this magazine is not sustainable on its current path.
One bright light during all of these years has been the increasing number of local people — those not on the original mail list — who became paid subscribers. “I love your magazine!” is a comment we hear over and over again — or is handwritten on the circulation cards mailed to us along with checks. Finally — ding, ding, ding — it occurred to us that our future is with boosting paid circulation, supplemented by local advertising from businesses that want to talk to our committed readers. In effect, we are turning our business model up-side-down. We have a pretty simple plan. During the next few months, we will be encouraging people on the free introductory mail list to become paid subscribers. The cost is $25 for 12 months of magazines — the same as it has been since 2007. How do you know you are getting the magazine as an introductory offer, you ask. Check out the address box on the cover. If the line below the name reads OR CURRENT RESIDENT, then you have been one of the fortunate ones. There could be some folks receiving this magazine and not reading it. In those cases, not only are we wasting trees,
but we are spending money on printing and postage without providing any value to those readers or our advertisers. Eliminating the non-readers will help us by reducing printing and mailing costs. We are optimistic the result of this plan will be the survival of a fun magazine about local people, produced by a financialsound local business, delivered to committed readers. Since publishing our first issue in June of 2007, we have created more than 150 months of magazines. Pretty cool, if I do say so myself. Yet, any hope of another 150 issues in the years to come depends on re-inventing our business. If you enjoy our magazine, but have not been paying for it, I love the idea you are reading us. But now, the introduction is over. Change is coming. I ask you to please consider becoming a paid subscriber and keep The Good Life arriving in your mailbox. See the information box at the bottom of this page on how to subscribe. Thank you. The Good Life — growing through adversity. — Mike
Good + Local The introductory offer is coming to an end. If you’ve been receiving The Good Life at no charge, it’s time to become a paid subscriber. At only $25 a year, you can keep The Good Life coming to your home every month. To stay on our mailing list, subscribe at www.ncwgoodlife.com OR, mail a $25 check (for 12 issues, in-state addresses) to: The Good Life 1107 East Denny Way Apt. B-7 • Seattle, WA 98122 March 2020 | The Good Life
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column a bird in the lens
Sandhill Cranes: A life-changing experience I
By Bruce McCammon
f there is one bird that is responsible for my interest in birds and bird photography, it is the Sandhill Crane. My interest in photography goes back to my youth. I scanned photo magazines for dramatic landscapes and adventures. I remember seeing a very dramatic photo of a large group of big birds Bruce McCammon flying over a is retired, colormarsh against blind and enjoys a blazing photographing the birds in north censunrise in tral Washington. New Mexico. Years later that photo still resided in my memory. I learned that the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is famous for seasonally large numbers of Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese. I found more photos of thousands of birds erupting from ponds at sunrise and decided that I wanted to see that event. Doing so changed my life. My friend, Steve, went with me to the Bosque del Apache NWR one cold January morning. We knew where we wanted to be at sunrise thanks to available information provided by the refuge. We were standing on a frosty deck at the edge of a pond well before sunrise. A few other Know of someone stepping off the beaten path in the search for fun and excitement? E-mail us at editor@ncwgoodlife.com
Everyone on the deck was gathering up gear to leave. Steve and I looked at each other and knew that we had seen something that moved us.
Sandhill Cranes: The awesome birds inspire festivals around the country.
people were there as we got set up. We could hear a lot of birds in front of us. The stage was set. As the sun came up, the sky grew brighter. Something triggers Snow Geese to start their day foraging in nearby grain fields and they come off the water as a mass. Thousands of big, white birds flew toward us. The noise and motion of the group as they flew just feet above our heads was unforgettable. We were stunned. After the geese were gone, we
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found about a thousand Sandhill Cranes still standing in the pond. Their voices increased and groups of two to five would strain their necks forward and then run as they took off. It takes a bit to get a bird this size off the ground. This scene repeated itself for about 30 minutes until the pond was empty. Everyone on the deck was gathering up gear to leave. Steve and I looked at each other and knew that we had
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March 2020
seen something that moved us. I have repeated that experience several times since. I have been back to the Bosque a few times and it never disappoints. I have not visited the great concentration of Sandhill Cranes that Nebraska’s Platte River enjoys each year but the site is on my bucket list. Seasonal concentrations of Sandhill Cranes are responsible for several festivals around the United States. There is an annual crane festival at the Bosque del Apache NWR and another in Nebraska. The festivals draw hundreds of people to the area to witness and learn about these great birds and the on-going efforts to preserve habitat and bird numbers. Here in Washington, the Othello Sandhill Crane Festival is scheduled March 20-22. It’s a chance to see up to 25,000 cranes. The festival has tours and lectures and is highly recommended if you have the time. This is the time of year that the cranes visit north central Washington. You may see groups flying overhead and hear their loud, trumpeting sound. You may see them dancing in agricultural fields or wading in shallow marsh areas. I hope you get the chance. Don’t forget your binoculars and camera. Good luck.
The Aurora Borealis is green shimmers of overhead light, like a shape-shifting green Milky Way. Photo by Carol Kleckner, Gondwana EcoTours. Taken March 15, 2018 near Fairbanks. F Stop 2.8, ISO 1250, exposure 4.0 seconds
Riding rails in search of the Aurora She was there for the view; did the young Asian couples had something else in mind? By Lisa Therrell
I must admit I had been feel-
ing a bit sorry for myself. I flew in to slushy Anchorage, Alaska the same week many friends were posting glorious accounts of visiting Hawaii during winter break. Granted, I travelled to Alaska to be with cousins, one of whom was ailing, but I could have spent the same amount for a ticket to the Big Island. Sigh… Upon arrival, my cousin was discharged from an Anchorage hospital back to Fairbanks via a medical flight. I needed to find
my way to Fairbanks. I had heard that the train ride from Anchorage to Fairbanks is fabulous, and I love riding trains. Normally the train only departs Anchorage on Saturdays in winter, but by stopping by the railroad depot, I managed to finagle a ticket to board a special Aurora Winter Train on a Tuesday. Imagine my surprise to arrive at a packed railroad depot, with many excited tourists waiting to board the gleaming blue and yellow train. I found myself chatting with a woman from China, now living in L.A. “Most March 2020 | The Good Life
of these tourists are Japanese,” she whispered in my ear. “In Japan it is very auspicious to conceive a child under the Northern Lights.” The demographic was mostly young couples. Could this be true? Our 12-hour journey travelled through the Alaskan outback from the warmth and comfort of the train. Two passenger cars were full of Asian travelers, and my car was full of North American tourists that had also travelled long distances just to see the Aurora Borealis. This was to be a good week www.ncwgoodlife.com
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to see the Northern Lights, I learned. Passengers were giddy with excitement. I laid my Hawaii-envy to rest, and got in the spirit for an Alaskan adventure. The train glided up snowy valleys, sometimes passing through spruce or aspen forest, following partially frozen rivers. Sometimes we viewed expansive peaks and valleys across snowy plains. The conductor would announce moose to our right or left, mostly running through deep snow to get away from the
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Riding the rails, chasing the Aurora Borealis }}} Continued from previous page train. Bald eagles and ravens feasted on occasional kill. North of Wasilla, we were prompted to look for our first glimpse of Denali, North America’s highest peak. We only had a 30 percent chance of seeing Denali; the 30,320-foot elevation peak is most often veiled in clouds. Luck was with us. We had sun breaks three times affording views of Denali along our 356 mile journey. At some point I realized the shiny train mirrored the passing scenery. We could open the windows in the space between cars, and hang out to take mirror image photos. Despite the cold blast of inland Alaska air, this was a popular activity with fellow travelers. “This has to be one of the most beautiful rail trips on the planet,” I thought. As we glided into Fairbanks at 8 p.m., I wished my fellow travelers good luck in seeing the purpose of their trip, the Aurora Borealis. I knew that seeing the Aurora Borealis might be illusive. I had visited one other time in February, with hopes of seeing the Northern Lights, only to be disappointed. But Fairbanks offers other winter delights, like the Fairbanks Ice Park, which hosts an International Ice Art Competition, attracting the finest ice carvers from around the world. Or a trip out to Chena Hot Springs for a soak and a meal. Or even a hike in a bear-free forest —the bruins remain asleep when the temperatures hover near zero. Or visiting the Museum of the North on the University of
Lisa’s cousin, Nancy, peers from an ice cabin at the International Ice Art Competition in Fairbanks.
Alaska campus. Or taking in arts and cultural events, such as the gospel choir concert we enjoyed. I was rewarded on two nights of my trip with green shimmers of overhead light, like a shapeshifting green Milky Way. I was staying about five miles out of town, not far enough to escape the light pollution of metropolitan Fairbanks. I was still thrilled to enjoy the silence of the night under dancing green light. I arrived home to learn that a local friend journeyed to Fairbanks to see the Aurora Borealis the same week I did. They did it up right, staying in a lodge away from the lights of Fairbanks. They were treated to the intense veils of dancing green and red light. I came to realize that perhaps
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a little RESEARCH, instead of just winging it and hoping for the best, could ensure a more successful Northern Lights experience.
What you should know about the Aurora Borealis What: The name, Aurora Borealis, was coined by Galileo, inspired by the goddess of dawn “Aurora” and “borealis” pertaining to the north. The Aurora can also be seen in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is called the Aurora Australis. The Aurora Borealis occurs when electrical energy from the sun (born
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March 2020
on solar winds) enter the Earth’s atmosphere and energize oxygen molecules (releasing green and red light,) or nitrogen molecules (creating purple light.) When: The Aurora viewing season is Aug. 21 – April 21 when the night sky is dark enough. In general, skies are cloudier in the summer and fall, and less cloudy in winter and spring. Timing a trip during a new moon results in a darker sky and better viewing, and March is likely time for success. Aurora viewing is also better during periods of increased sun activity such as sunspots, coronal mass ejection, filaments, or a prominence. These phenomena can repeat on 27-day cycles due to the Carrington Rotation of the sun. To see how forecasting works, the Geo-
The Alaskan scenery is reflected in rail cars as the train rounds a bend.
physical Institute at the University of Alaska explains the details at https://www.gi.alaska.edu/monitors/aurora-forecast Where: The Fairbanks area is considered to be the best place for Aurora viewing in the United States because skies are clear most nights and Fairbanks is under the Auroral Oval. The Northern Lights aren’t necessarily seen to the north, but might be in any direction. You don’t want to be in a closed valley like I was. How: Either stay at a lodge at least 15 miles out of town, sign up for a tour, or plan a DYI stake-out from a rental car. When shopping for reservations, ask if the lodge wakes up visitors when the Northern Lights are visible. Take lots of warm layers, and
plan for emergencies. Temperatures can be well below zero. Lodges that specialize as Aurora viewing locations will provide an optimal experience for their guests. Allow at least three nights for your stay in case it is cloudy. Local Aurora Viewing: Occasionally the Northern Lights can be seen here in north central Washington. For a daily model showing the probability of seeing the Aurora Borealis globally go to https:// www.swpc.noaa.gov/ Myths: And what about the whispered words of my fellow traveler, attributing good looks and good luck with being conceived under the Northern Lights? This appears to be an urban legend based on my internet research, which accelerated like wildfire following a Northern Exposure TV episode. The general agreement is that Aurora Borealis viewing is difficult in Japan, that Japanese appreciate the natural world, and that flights to Fairbanks are relatively affordable from Japan (as they also are from Seattle.)
By riding a train, Lisa had unobstructed views of the Alaskan wilds. March 2020 | The Good Life
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Painting with Bentley Having fun with our grandson — better than watching pancake art on YouTube By James McGregor
Our grandson Bentley is
great. With that said, like most children these days, he spends too much of his life staring at a computer screen. He will come into our house and pick up the remote control, the computer, or phone and enter the world of electronics. Some times this is a great learning activity. Other times, we are watching people on YouTube making pancake art or just flipping bottles — trying to get them to land standing up. Then one day, Bentley saw a painting that my wife, Julene, had created at a social painting class. Social painting classes and other such social hobby classes are very popular today. They involve a teacher teaching an activity to a group of people. The individuals who join these classes are doing so as an activity to escape from the daily life and socialize with others while doing an activity. Back to Bentley… Bentley saw this painting that his grandma had created and was very interested. Bentley asked, “Can I have it?” While Julene had given him paintings in the past, she was attached to this one. This created an opportunity. Our thought was that a certificate for Bentley to experience a kid’s painting class would be a great break from the daily electronic overload. What a great gift idea, the three of us going to a painting class. My thought was, “I get a break
I looked down and saw how enthralled Bentley was with this whole experience. He was into it and because he was into it... I was also going to be into it. from watching pancake art!” The three of us arrived on a Saturday afternoon. All of the students were already sitting. I looked around the room and there were many parents getting ready to paint. This child’s and parent’s class was full. We quickly sat and listened to the instructor. Once we were given the basic instruction on what we would be painting, “A Posh Pig” — what every guy in his late 40s would want to paint. As I thought about the Posh Pig, I looked down and saw how enthralled Bentley was with this whole experience. He was into it and because he was into it and because I was not having to watch YouTube today, I was also going to be into it. The painting instruction was given in a way to provide information and to support novice painters like ourselves. We started with the background, long diagonal strokes with the large square-bristle brush. And the color was great, lavender. I love mixing the paint. A little blue, a little red, and a
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Bentley with grandmother Julene: Ready to make his own art.
little white. As I mixed, I needed more red, then more white, then more blue. This continues until I have to make a conscious choice to stop mixing and start creating my background. I dipped the brush tip into the paint like it was a shovel, scooping it up. I took the loaded brush and started at one end of the canvas, and pulled it across and off the other side. After a few more strokes, I started to get into a natural rhythm, back and forth, back and forth. As my brush drew across the canvas and fell off the other side, I felt it hit something. I looked up.
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March 2020
Yup, it was Bentley’s hand. He was holding his brush a little too close. His face lit up as he notices his hand was covered in paint and after a few giggles and some hand wipes, we were back on our “Posh Pig.” After the background was complete — mine was awesome — we started on the pig’s face. This was my favorite part. Not because we got to mix paint again but I love making the large fluffy pink circle. There is just something so satisfying with painting. It was pure pleasure. Around the halfway mark of our painting, we took a planned
shapes in the empty space of the canvas. I was able to spend some of that time watching my grandson paint. It was an amazing experience. The last detail was that our “Posh Pig” was going to be wearing glasses. My glasses took a turn from a nice pair of black frames to something similar to a Zorro Mask or even some WW1 plane goggles. I am very pleased with the entire experience and would love to take another class.
I noticed that they have a Paint Your Pet class coming up and if I attend, I will be painting a Baby Yoda from Star Wars but that is another story. To learn more about attending an adult or children’s painting class, contact Nancy at Class With A Glass on their website, www.classwithaglass.com, email, info@classwithaglass.com, or by phone, (509) 393-4236. You can also get current information on their Facebook site, Class with a Glass. There is a variety of classes and options for refreshments during social painting events.
>> RANDOM QUOTE
The posh pig painting by James McGregor — how about those glasses?
break. Nancy, the owner of Class With a Glass, did a great job creating the perfect child orientated class. We have sandwiches, popcorn, juice, cookies, apples, string cheese and popcorn… oops, I listed popcorn twice. It was perfect. As the kids and
adults sat and ate, the owner read a story. It was a great experience. The second half of the class flew by. In no time we were starting to detail the pig. It got some eyes and eyelashes. We were also able to use our imagination and make little
When I was 5 years old my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down “Happy.” They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life. John Lennon
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PASSAGE
LIVING LARGE
TO JUNEAU They finally arrived! Brothers finish trek started 40 years ago
IN A SMALL SPACE DOWNTOWN
LLamas are an aging hiker’s best friend heart disease in women: more deadLy than breast cancer
REVISITING THE CONTAINER HOUSE NOW THAT IT’S FINISHED
Some of our favorite photos from 2018
Bald Eagles
Big birds hold special place in our hearts
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They Built This City: NEW DOWNTOWN IS FlOOR kING’S lASTING lEGACy
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Life needs a little adventure. Whether you are finding yours around the corner or at the ends of the earth, The Good Life readers want to share in your passion. Tell us what you are doing and we’ll help you tell a good story.
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READERS’ STORIES FROM 2018 of birth, rebirth, travel & joy
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The Athletic Life
Tom Potter’s motto for life: LIVE IT! ‘Find things that test you, scare you, force you to commit fully, and do them. The results will be astounding.’
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By Sarah Shaffer
om Potter is someone we have heard a lot about from local athletes as a charismatic, inspiring outdoor adventurer, plus being a Hot Yoga doer, winter kayaker (along with other seasons), air seeking mountain biker. With the amount of stoke Tom oozes, he has also had way more than his fair share of health conditions, which he has come back from in full force. We felt it was time to interview Tom so that we and our reader’s could glean some insight from this inspiring athlete. Question: Tom, please tell us a bit about yourself. Answer: My name is Tom Potter, but most people know me as T-Pot. I live in Leavenworth. I enjoy river sports, mountain biking, snowboarding, Bay Area rap music, planning logistically intensive activities, and showing my friends, family, and community a good time. Question: We heard you like to kayak, specifically in winter. Can you tell us more about places you have kayaked along with your favorite locations to kayak? Answer: I definitely like to kayak. I wouldn’t say that I specifically like to kayak in the winter. However, when the rivers are always flowing, the water is usually cold, so kayaking in the winter isn’t really that different from most of the year. I do enjoy some warm water paddling though. In fact, I was in Zambia in November of 2019 on a trip to
How much does Tom Potter love kayaking? “I spent the whole summer (of 2009) living out of my ’85 BMW and was on the river in a raft or a kayak almost every day.
paddle the Zambezi River. It was huge water and 75 degrees. That was definitely in my top three favorite places to paddle, along with Leavenworth and Whistler. Question: Is there a big difference between winter kayaking compared to other times of the year? Answer: It tends to be much colder. Question: How did you get into kayaking? Answer: I took an introduction to whitewater kayaking class in the spring of 2009 through Central Washington University. That same year, I also became a river guide for
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I was in Zambia in November of 2019 on a trip to paddle the Zambezi River. It was huge water and 75 degrees. That was definitely in my top three favorite places to paddle, along with Leavenworth and Whistler. Osprey Rafting in Leavenworth. I spent the whole summer living out of my ’85 BMW and was on the river in a raft or a kayak
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almost every day. That summer, it locked into my psyche that being on the river was something I loved. As I progressed at whitewater kayaking, it became apparent that the kayak is the ultimate river vessel for difficult whitewater. Now the kayak and paddle just feel like extremities. I literally feel more comfortable floating down a frothy river than I do walking across an icy parking lot. Question: What’s your favorite piece of kayak gear? Answer: A Kokatat Dry Suit. Living in the Northwest, we experience the whole gamut of weather conditions, especially in the mountains, and all that
My favorite place to ride is wherever I am. Riding bikes is about creativity. I can easily kill a couple hours in a parking lot. water flowing down our rivers is really effing cold. Kokatat is a paddler-operated company out of Arcata, CA that makes awesome Gore-Tex dry suits. These suits are the tool that allows us to immerse ourselves into the situations that whitewater kayaking places you in. Dry suits made for paddling have built in feet and latex gaskets at the wrists and neck. That way, when you’re paddling, the only parts of your body that get wet are your hands and head. Inside the dry suit, I wear relatively normal athletic wear. Softshell pants, a microgrid synthetic shirt, and some comfy Smartwool socks. Staying dry is crucial to staying warm, so dry suit for the win. Question: What is the hardest thing you have had to face in your life thus far? Answer: I have had three very significant medical challenges in my life that I am extremely fortunate to have walked away from in healthy condition. They are all their own stories, but for the purpose of this interview, I will just nonchalantly list them. When I was 10, a large tree fell on me, and I woke up three days later in Haborview Medical Center with a skull fracture and a broken collarbone and wrist, in addition to three broken ribs, four broken vertebrae, a broken right femur and a collapsed lung. When I was 16, I was diagnosed with severe scoliosis that required corrective surgery and the permanent placement of two
Tom has had three significant medical challenges in his life. Now, he says, he is just trying to enjoy the ride.
titanium rods and 26 screws in my spine. Lastly, when I was 27, I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma and was treated with six months of chemotherapy and a month of radiation. At this point in my life, it takes a lot for me to get worried about a situation. I just try and exercise my best judgment and enjoy the ride. Question: We also have seen pictures of you mountain biking. When did you get into mountain biking, and what is your favorite spot to ride? Answer: I’ve been aggressively riding bikes since I was 12. In elementary and middle school, my BMX bike was how I got everywhere. In high school, it pretty much just got me to the skatepark and back home again. March 2020 | The Good Life
When I started hanging out in Leavenworth, I quickly realized the BMX bike wasn’t going to cut it anymore. I’ve been mountain biking ever since. My favorite place to ride is wherever I am. Riding bikes is about creativity. I can easily kill a couple hours in a parking lot. Question: What is your favorite piece of mountain bike gear and why? Answer: Neff Brodie sunglasses. They’re like a windshield for your face and come in 20 different colors. I was a big collector of these shades for a while. Then I gave most of them away on the recent paddling trip in Zambia. The locals of Livingstone are looking extra stylish these days. Question: What sport are you www.ncwgoodlife.com
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most excited to challenge yourself more on? Or a new sport you would like to try out? Answer: I have goals and projects within all of my sports or hobbies, whether that be a new river or a new trail or an international adventure. The list is pretty endless. I usually travel with a kayak and a mountain bike so I find myself in situations to try new things all the time. I have always had my eye on the paragliding scene. I’m not ready to commit to indulging in that world yet. Question: Before mountain bike season, or kayak season, is there anything you do to prepare? Answer: Not really. I try and stay relatively fit all year long.
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“I literally feel more comfortable floating down a frothy river than I do walking across an icy parking lot,” said Tom.
TOM POTTER: LIVE IT! }}} Continued from previous page I just keep moving and try and take every opportunity to get some exercise. I also really enjoy going to Hot Yoga. I’ve noticed massive improvements in my balance, reaction time, recovery time, and overall fluidity of movement after several years of consistent yoga. I highly recommend it. Question: How often do you work out, and what types of activities do you do other than mountain biking and kayaking? Answer: I try and engage in some sort of activity everyday. I run, swim, skate ski, do timed body weight exercises, etc. I just feel better if I have been moving.
However, I also get a similar amount of gratification from organizing the garage or washing my truck. It’s all about balance. Question: What do you do for work? Answer: My primary occupation is building vacations and experiences for people who are visiting the Leavenworth area. My company, The T-Pot Experience, specializes in creating custom trips for people who are looking to have a very unique and action packed time in Leavenworth. Each experience brings together what I believe to be the best of what the valley has to offer. I also work as an ambassa-
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dor for several outdoor brands where I produce media and review gear. I fill the rest of my time doing property management and working part time at Sulla Vita, the best wood-fired oven restaurant in Leavenworth. Question: Favorite life quote? Answer: “Life is short. LIVE IT!” I don’t know if any specific person ever said this, but it is how I justify my time expenditure. There is so much to experience in this world and so much to learn about yourself. Find things that test you, scare you, force you to commit fully, and do them. The results will be astounding.
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Question: Anything else you would like to tell our readers? Answer: Enjoy the Wenatchee Valley! This place is seriously badass. There is nothing that you cannot do here, outdoor athletics wise. If you ever need an adventure buddy, feel free to reach out — my email is tom.k.potter@gmail. com.
The full version of this story appears on Wenatcheeoutdoors.org — the site covers such topics as hiking, biking, climbing, paddling, trail running and skiing in the region. Sarah Shaffer is the Executive Director of WenatcheeOutdoors. 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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Volunteers
Kids in the snow Learning goes both ways when school kids get fitted with snowshoes By Joe Anderson In the fall of 2018 I was asked by Sara Rolfs to get involved in taking elementary students snowshoeing. Since I was a retired schoolteacher, EMT, retired ski patrolman and the present snowshoe guide for Mission Ridge, she thought it would be a perfect fit. It was. On my first assignment in December of 2018, I was asked to teach 25 first graders how to snowshoe. Oh my goodness! They were so cute. They got off the bus all smiles and eagerness in the Squilchuck State Park. I placed them in a circle and with the help of volunteer parents and their teacher, we finally got all their snowshoes halfway on. I played a few games and took them on a little hike. After all, they needed to learn how to walk on their new feet. One part I was not ready to see was when I stopped, they would immediately sit down and rest. I liked this idea and will incorporate that into my retirement lifestyle. Who says old dogs can’t learn new tricks? It was during the rests that I taught them about snow.
Fifth-graders from Clovis Point Intermediate School take a break from snowshoeing while teacher Joe Anderson shares information on the snow they are sitting in.
Well, I discovered I did not know enough about snow, the snow pack and its importance. I asked them what they
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thought about snow and one little red cherubic face said, “It was cool and good to eat.” Another little one said, “It is white and I
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need to go to the bathroom!” I looked at their teacher and she said, “Welcome to my world.” I had to laugh.
That was my introducour students.” tion to the National Snow Sara Rolfs said, “It is excitScience program. I had ing to see how the program has two more trips in January grown in the last four years. The of 2019. One of the groups first year there were about 75 had 125 fifth graders from students involved and this year Clovis Point Intermediate there will be over 600 students School. along with the chaperones and Fortunately, in the fall teachers.” of 2019, I learned more of It is fantastic to see the rising the National Snow Scipopularity of snowshoeing and ence curriculum and have how it’s getting people experibeen tutored by Heather encing the winter wonderland. Inczauskis from the There are now a number of North Central Regional snowshoe excursions put on by Library where she is outother organizations in the comreach coordinator for the munity. The local libraries have STEM (science, technolsnowshoes available that can ogy, engineering, math) be checked out by the general program. I also attended public. Snowshoeing provides a a National Snow Science great low-cost way for people to educational training embrace the winter and snow this past winter learning along with burning lots of calomore of the curriculum. ries. Marjie Lodwick, from the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, explains the imporThe last two outings Come out and join me in the tance of snowpack in our watershed. Students make observations of the different laywere spearheaded by good life of snowshoeing and ers in the snowpack and what the layers indicate. teachers Angie Alto and when you get tired, you can Heather Striver at Clovis learn something from first gradPoint Intermediate School. They stewardship of lands. This is the ers too by just sitting down and arranged for 145 fifth graders highlight of the year for many of resting. on one morning and 110 fifth graders on the next. Once each teacher had their classes separated, a Snow Science teacher was assigned to each. We then taught them how to put on their snowshoes and did a few fun activities for learning about their new feet. In my group of 27, we headed off on a one-mile hike. When we stopped to rest at different times, we discussed the importance of the snowpack to our rivers, streams and agricultracks. I let her share with the ture. We discussed droughts in others about the different anidifferent parts of the country mal tracks and how to see them and how our snowpack protects in the snow. It was so cool. us. One of the program foundWe also visited on how the ers, Angie Alto, said, “The Snow snowpack protects us from the Science/Snowshoeing program Trophy Award Ceremony possibility of wildland forest is so important to our students. (Furnished by Haglunds Trophies) fires. The Leavenworth Fish HatchI was impressed with the ery, North Central Regional at Pybus Market: 8:00-ish. questions coming from the fifth Library STEM program, Wildfire graders. One boy asked about Project, and Kids in the Forest the migration of the deer and make this incredible opportuelk. Another said, “My Dad told nity happen for our students. me that the snow was important Students learn the importance to fill the lakes so we can fish.” of the snowpack, our watershed, One girl pointed out the rabbit local forests, ecosystems, and
One girl pointed out the rabbit tracks. I let her share with the others about the different animal tracks and how to see them in the snow. It was so cool.
It’s Back,
St. Patrick’s Day Parade!
Tuesday, March 17
The “Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade Route” in the World!
Corner of Orondo and Mission Street, Parade Staging 6:15-ish. Parade starts at 7:00-ish p.m.
March 2020 | The Good Life
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A twist on a B&B succession story Older buyers get a new adventure with nicest guests, and younger sellers now free to roam Story by Susan Lagsdin Photos by Mike Irwin Grandma and grandpa, you guys are on a new adventure and I am very proud of you. Hope you are always happy. — Rowyn and Shayl
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his entry in the Granite Hills Inn guestbook comes from two little girls who visited for the first time last month. Granite Hills Inn, tucked under Icicle Ridge outside Leavenworth, continues an old tradition and offers a delicious new twist. Nothing has changed and everything has changed. Those contradictions are possible because former owners Bill and Paula Saunders have graciously shared their years of expertise and care with current owners and close friends Sandy and Don Stanley, grandparents of the above guests. Long-time visitors should enjoy the same comforts as always after being greeted at the door by their new hosts. They’ll feel at home again in the big living room, at the lodge-style single dining table, and with a choice of three rooms, two up and one down. And first-time visitors will have no inkling of the serendipitous situation that made the recent (January 2020) transition
TOP: Backed up to Icicle Ridge with gentle views to the east, the 2008 farmhouse-style B&B offers access to Leavenworth and Icicle Creek valley recreation and arts events. ABOVE: New owners Don and Sandy Stanley, left, and long time builder/owners Paula and Bill Saunders pose in front of the big rock fireplace. The Leavenworth couples’ long friendship made the transition season of the B&B a smooth one.
so smooth. When the potential story first cropped up, the assumption was
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that older jaded hosts would be selling the inn to young eager newbies. Not true. Nobody’s
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jaded or particularly old, but it’s a twist on a typical succession story.
it and started a 10-year career hosting weddings. The Wedding Haus and her related catering and floral businesses were successful. But, Sandy said, “One day, my son said, ‘Mom, we never see you anymore,’ and I realized I needed to make a big change.” So, at 48 Sandy sold the allconsuming businesses, went to college and earned her nursing degree. With regular work hours at a Wenatchee doctor’s office, she raised her happier kids. Meanwhile… Life may not have become simpler for the Bill Saunders grew up in Saunders at their new Granite an innkeeping family. Haus Hills Inn, but it was certainly Lorelei, now Barn Beach Recontained in a smaller packserve, was his family home, age. The Inn is 4,000 square and the pleasures of caring feet. A side room became for company led him elsePaula’s hair salon, and a 16 by where and back again for a 30 foot bonus room upstairs career in hospitality. became a studio apartment Paula, from a pioneer Upfor the owners. per Valley family and his They proceeded to engrade school chum, also tertain a houseful of comreturned to their hometown pany most weeks for about 12 after working away. years, working, they realized, Shortly after they re-met in a little too hard for their Leavenworth, they married. health. She cut hair in her own saThey were in their mid-40s. lon, he managed a hotel, they Hoping to retire from the owned spa companies and in B&B business by age 50, they 2008 they decided to simplify Guests eat communally at this breakfast table but sometimes take their coffee early invested in 10 acres on Fox life by designing and buildRoad, built a big new house at the adjoining island bar, just like home, to chat with the chef. ing their own bed and breakand salon and put the Granfast on a 1.20-acre parcel on good job, but when her parents In 1994, she followed a chance ite Hills Inn on the market. Icicle Creek Road. retired to Leavenworth, she lead on a yellow 90-year-old That was 2017. The Inn didn’t Meanwhile… Sandy had spent yearned to join them, by then Victorian house on a corner near sell quickly, so the new place 24 years in Alaska. Her children more than ready for a change of the Wenatchee River, just up (AKA Alpine Lodge) became a }}} Continued on next page were born there, and she had a place and pace. from House Lorelei. She bought
(The Saunders) proceeded to entertain a houseful of company most weeks for about 12 years, working, they realized, a little too hard for their health
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Twist on a B&B succession story
cookies are set out for snacking. The three en suite bathrooms have jetted tubs and double-headed showers. Beds have down comforters and stacks of pillows, and each room offers a gas fireplace for country ambiance but also a flat screen TV, }}} Continued from internet, WIFI, and audio previous page system for tech-ier pleanightly rental guesthouse sures. while Bill and Paula Housekeeping three waited for a buyer. guestrooms is doable but Meanwhile… Sandy had takes time. Squeaky clean met and married Don bathrooms are a priorStanley, a retired law ity (for owners, they’re enforcement officer from the first “B” in B&B). Idaho, and they made And Sandy remembers, their home in Leaven“Bill had to show me, a worth. few times, exactly how Last October, intrigued to store and hang guest at the idea of owning a towels.” The two big master suites upstairs and this one on the main floor offer choice without too B&B, she made an apSandy and Don, at age much traffic. A full weekend might involve three couples staying at the B&B. pointment with her 60 and 71 respectively, are friend and haircutter thrilled to be full-time Paula Saunders to discuss Granproprietors and hosts. They’re ite Hills Inn — the one in which swiftly learning how to manage the salon was located. (“No hairreservations, and they’ve been cut today; let’s just talk about gratified with the pure niceness the B&B,” recalls Paula of the of their guests. fateful phone call.) From that They have big plans for their first conversation, both women new place: a gazebo on the big agree, it was a done deal. back lawn, an outside owner’s Don at first said, “No way!” stairway, a bakery replacing the but Bill said, “There’s a way,” salon area, and more events like and over several Sunday talks weddings. a friendly sale commenced. By “Sandy’s already softened the Dec. 13 the salon was gone, and look of the place,” said Paula by Jan. 2 Sandy was learning to a bit wistfully, “with artwork cook bountiful breakfasts. and personal touches. And she That menu is one of the Inn’s bakes — I never had time to do strong draws, according to that.” Bill said the Stanleys have reviews. Sandy said she spent exactly the right attitude for hours in the kitchen just learninnkeepers and he’s sure they’ll ing the special recipes. “I even do well. learned to make aebleskiver in And for Bill and Paula Saunthe same pan Bill used as an ders? 11-year-old.” Those are light and Confident in the future of puffy Danish pancakes, and Granite Hills Inn, and also Sandy’s been since gifted with heartened by the success of the legendary iron pan. Alpine Lodge as guesthouse She’s kept Bill’s favorites and (meant to be temporary), they added her own (like a mushhave indeed retired. Under 50. room and caramelized onion They’ve divested themselves omelet with blueberry crisp of their businesses and are now, cakes). Breakfast dining conas Paula said, “Free to roam the tinues to be family-style, and country… Untethered by responNicely folded, fat fluffy towels and good quality personal products for their in late afternoon fresh baked guests’ comfort are as important to the new owners as conscientious cleaning. sibility.”
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PET tales
Tells us a story about your pet. Submit pet & owner pictures to: editor@ncwgoodlife.com
My phone went off in the middle of the night and I was alerted
by Petfinder that a dog met my match. I got up and saw her intake photo and profile. Mocha looked like a hot mess; and knew she was perfect! I called in the middle of the night and left a voicemail that I wanted to adopt her. The Wenatchee Shelter was amazing. They called me early that morning to confirm. I drove over the pass from my home in Lake Stevens and through a snow storm to pick her up. She had just been released after being fixed. She is lovely and a very special little lady. Lucky me! — Kathryn James
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his is Morgan with her new family, the Solanos, along with Wenatchee Valley Humane Society Medical Director Dr. Krissek, at right. Morgan is a special girl who had her kidney removed while in the care of the humane society. We want to know of fun and interesting local events. Send info to: donna@ncwgoodlife.com
THE
2020 PAWSCARS
AWARDS GALA
What Are You Laughing At?
Thank you to all who nominated, voted, donated, sponsored, and attended!
We’re looking for fresh, true stories from local people that’ll bring a chuckle to our readers.
Cheers to this year's winners! Best Hair: Frazier Most Dramatic: Skeeter Best Costume: Daxton Best Costume: Jake and Willow Most Promising Newcomer: Maui Most Comedic Performance: Ullr Best Action Sequence: Uncle Gus People's Choice: Mister Carmen
Limit yourself to 500 to 1,000 words and send to: editor@ncwgoodlife.com March 2020 | The Good Life
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column moving up to the good life
june darling
Don’t waste your suffering What knocks us down can also lead us back stronger than ever “When heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on any man, it will exercise his mind with suffering…” — Meng Tzu, The Book of Mencius, China, 3rd century BCE One of my favorite “Good Life” contemporary philosophers, Jonathan Haidt, got me thinking some years ago about the value of adversity and the problem of overvaluing what I will call “haha happiness.” Haha happiness seeking is about wanting to be intensely and continuously on an emotional high. Happiness is a great resource, but overvaluing this haha sort of happiness can cause us to flee from tough stuff, which lessens our chance of becoming resilient and resourceful. Resilience — the ways that people cope with bad things that happen to them and bounce back — has been a hot topic for many years. But only lately have researchers begun to focus on the benefits of stress. These benefits are often called post traumatic growth (in contrast to post traumatic stress disorder). One benefit is that we can find or develop new skills and abilities. Haidt says that one of the most common lessons people draw from trauma is that they are much stronger than they realized which gives them confidence to face future stress. Another benefit has to do with relationships. Trouble can cause some friends to melt away, but those that stay often develop into stronger, more authentic friendships. A third benefit is that big
Ed Farrar has learned to deal with adversity — and his inspiration can get us off the floor from our own misfortunes and mishaps.
trouble often re-arranges priorities and carries a useful lesson. Often the lesson goes something like this… caring about people matters more than caring about money and achievement. I had a personal stop-in-mytracks opportunity to reflect on the value of adversity recently. I hurt my back while exercising and then fainted, which injured my head and neck. I was flat on the floor, afraid to do much moving. I just stayed
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I was flat on the floor, afraid to do much moving. I just stayed there for a while to rest and consider my options. there for a while to rest and consider my options.
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I looked at my phone, which was beside me. There was a message from Dr. Edward Farrar. Most long time Wenatchee Valley residents know some of Dr. Farrar’s story. He’s a sports enthusiast and orthopedic spinal surgeon who has completed incredible adventures around the world. In October of 2008 Ed was hit head on by a car which “ripped his body in half,” according to an article in the Wenatchee World. The accident left him physically paralyzed from the chest down. In Dr Farrar’s email he shares a copy of what he calls “his little prayer to help him through.” May I accept the suffering that comes with the gift of life, And may I know that samsara brings meaning to living. May I find the wisdom to ask the right questions, and to live them fully. May I find the energy to search wholeheartedly for the right answers, and the strength to accept them no matter how hard. May I weave those questions and answers into a life of compassion that keeps meaning alive in my life and in the lives of others. Dr. Farrar is clearly not paralyzed in spirit nor psychological vigor. I have seen him riding a recumbent bike around the Wenatchee River Loop Trail with a bunch of friends. I know he is heavily involved with helping others who have suffered spinal injuries. He’s exactly who I want to hear from especially on this day when I’m lying on the floor afraid to move. I do have a little prayer of my
... people MUST endure adversity to grow — the highest levels of growth and development are ONLY open to those who have faced and overcome great adversity. own that I use to remind myself that adversity can help me be a better person. It goes: May I be happy and healthy. May I also use pain, suffering, setbacks, and failures to make me more compassionate, wiser, stronger, and more resilient. I had been saying that prayer to myself earlier as I was resting and it was creating some amount of ease in my emotions and in my body, but that email of Ed’s got me right up off the floor! It might have been the words of his “little prayer” that elevated me, more likely it was because I was inspired by Dr. Farrar, by his story, by his compassionate reaching out to comfort others. We can learn to positively deal with adversity — AND adversity MAY lead to beneficial outcomes. That’s clear from Dr. Farrar’s story and it’s well supported in the resilience literature. Furthermore, there is an even stronger take on the value of adversity. In this version, people MUST endure adversity to grow — the highest levels of growth and development are ONLY open to those who have faced and overcome great adversity. We don’t yet have all the data to support the value of strong adversity, but the ancients like Meng Tzu and St Paul certainly believed it. “Suffering produces endurance, and endurance pro-
duces character, and character produces hope.” (Paul’s Letter to the Romans). Haidt points out the implications. We may be seeking haha happy, safe lives and avoiding challenging situations that could help us grow resilient, strong, and happy in a deeply satisfying way. Most of the time in March, I’m thinking about good luck, shamrocks, and leprechauns with pots of gold, but this March, I am going to continue reflecting on the value of bad luck, of adversity. If you are like me, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to experience things not going your way. Hold on to role models and compassionate friends to help you through. Perhaps you will even consider writing your own little prayer. And especially, notice the benefits. How might you stop overvaluing intense, continual happiness and consider the benefits of adversity? 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.
>> RANDOM QUOTE
We can bring positive energy into our daily lives by smiling more, talking to strangers in line, replacing handshakes with hugs, and calling our friends just to tell them we love them. Brandon Jenner March 2020 | The Good Life
Food & Drink Guide March In For Your Favorite Treats!
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After 15 years of oohs and ahhs from family and friends I realized the best way to share my recipes was to create a YouTube Channel! Check out my videos for finger-licking, mouth-watering recipes and techniques.
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column THE TRAVELing DOCTOR
jim brown, m.d.
Sleep? Who needs it? You do If a researcher or drug com-
pany came out with a new drug that would boost your immune system, decrease your risk of getting cancer by half, lower your risk of getting Alzheimer’s, diabetes, obesity, coronary heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure as well as reducing your risk of having a highway fatality, it would be a best seller. If it were free of charge, everyone would be clamoring to get this miracle drug. This miracle drug is currently readily available and is free to everyone. It is called adequate sleep — if done for seven to eight hours every night. Unfortunately, two thirds of the world’s adults in all developed nations fail to obtain this recommended goal of sleep. More than 20 large-scale epidemiological studies show the shorter your sleep the shorter will be your life span. The World Health Organization has now declared a sleep-loss epidemic throughout industrialized nations. The leading causes of disease and death in developed countries include heart disease, obesity, dementia, diabetes and cancer — all have a causal relationship to lack of sleep.
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Research shows sleep is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brains and improve our health each day. Unhealthy sleep equals an unhealthy heart. Adults 45 and over who sleep less than six hours at night have a 200 percent more likelihood of heart attack or stroke in their lifetime than those sleeping seven to eight hours nightly. As for obesity, the less one sleeps the more they eat, especially sugary foods. This increases the probability of being overweight or obese, leading to acquiring chronic disease. Chronic sleep deprivation is now recognized as a major contributor to type 2 diabetes worldwide. When your sleep is short you gain weight. Many people take an alcoholic “nightcap” thinking it will help them sleep. This is far from the truth. Alcohol is in the class of sedatives and does not induce natural sleep. Alcohol fragments sleep with brief awakenings and
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also is a powerful suppressor of our important REM sleep. Sleep improves multiple functions of the brain including learning, memorization and logical decision-making. Research shows sleep is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brains and improve our health each day. We all have a circadian rhythm that helps us sleep by activating many of our brain’s mechanisms at night including lowering our body core temperature aiding our sleep. In addition, the tiny lineal gland deep in our brain releases melatonin to alert our brain it is dark and time to sleep. Melatonin itself does not put us to sleep. Melatonin pills are not a powerful sleeping aid, as often advertised and used by many. Studies of many melatonin pills showed they actually contained little melatonin, suggesting they may have more of a placebo effect. At dawn, as sunlight enters our brain through our eyes even when they are closed, shutting off the production of our melatonin tells our brain the end of sleep has been reached. Most of us use coffee containing caffeine, which helps us feel more alert. Caffeine is the most
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used psychoactive stimulant in the world and the most traded commodity on the planet after oil. The down side of coffee is if you have a cup or two with or after your evening meal around 6 p.m., 50 percent is still active and circulating through your brain at midnight. The older we are the longer it takes our brain and body to remove caffeine, further disrupting our sleep. How do we know if we are getting enough sleep? When you awake in the morning could you fall back for to sleep for two to four more hours? If you can, you are not getting adequate sleep. Can you function optimally without caffeine before noon? If you cannot, you probably have chronic sleep deprivation. If you didn’t set an alarm clock, would you sleep past that time? If you are sleep deprived, you should not use sleeping pills as your first option. No sleeping pills currently on the market induce natural sleep. Some sedate you rather than assisting sleep. Natural deep sleep helps us
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In the two-and-ahalf years of the study, sleeping pill users were four times more likely to die than those not taking sleeping pills. make new memories. Many sleeping pills actually erase recent memories. In the early 2000s, sleeping pill usage was on the increase. A large epidemiological study showed individuals using sleeping pills were more likely to die across the study period of several years compared to those not taking sleeping pills. The study matched two groups of individuals of similar age, race, gender, body mass index, exercise history, smoking and drinking history. In the twoand-a-half years of the study, sleeping pill users were four times more likely to die than those not taking sleeping pills. Even occasional sleeping pill users had a higher death rate in 15 other sleeping pill studies. Sleeping pill use has also been associated with an increase in fatal car accidents as well as a higher risk of falls, especially in the elderly. As we age, sleep is more problematic and disordered in adults. Some have suggested older adults don’t need as much sleep as when we were young. That is a myth. We older adults have a more difficult time of generating our necessary sleep. In our 40s, we get fewer hours of deep sleep than in our youth, and by age 70 we have lost 80 percent of our
youthful deep sleep. Most seniors are not aware of their loss of deep sleep. The older we get the more frequently we are awake during the night, reducing our sleep efficiency, which is the percent of the time we are sleeping compared to the time spent in bed yet not sleeping. The lower our sleep efficiency the higher our mortality rate, the worse is our health, the greater is our likelihood of depression, the lower our energy and the increase in forgetfulness. For families observing their
elder family members, they frequently assume their forgetfulness is due to the onset of dementia whereas it is very possible it is due to sleep deprivation. These sleep issues in older adults increases the risk of falls and breaking bones, especially at night. To make matters worse, older adults have an earlier release of their brains melatonin, pushing them to fall asleep in the evening while watching television or reading in a reclining chair. This early snooze is often followed by a hard time sleeping
Jim Brown, M.D., is a retired gastroenterologist who has practiced for 38 years in the Wenatchee area. He is a former CEO of the Wenatchee Valley Medical Center.
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once they do go to bed. Older adults also tend to awaken early in the morning when falling back to sleep is difficult or even impossible. I am convinced from everything I have ever studied about health and maintaining our health, adequate sleep — seven to eight hours a night — is vital and pays big dividends in our health and longevity. Sleep well, you won’t regret it.
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Gary Hesse LST stage veteran treasures the teamwork and relishes the rich variety of roles
“J
By Susan Lagsdin
ust say the lines and don’t trip over the furniture.” That’s good advice from playwright Noel Coward for an actor agonizing a little too much about motivation. But successful actors rarely stop there. Leavenworth Summer Theater actor Gary Hesse has played significant supporting roles 605 times in 49 different shows. And even after playing The Sound of Music’s charming villain Max Detweiler in 228 performances, he still looks for nuance in this character part. In fact, he might take issue (politely) with the broad-stroke descriptors “charming” and “villain.” “Max has learned to use that charm to his advantage; every relationship he has serves him in some way, he ‘goes along to get along’,” posited Gary in an interview about his acting life. And villainy? [SPOILER ALERT] “Some directors place Max off stage at the end when the Von Trapps exit to their escape; others want the audience to think that he’s risked all and orchestrated it himself. He’s probably the most complex character in the play.” He‘s awed by the power of theater to “turn pieces of paper into an experience that causes audiences to laugh or cry or think… without a net, stitching it all together in a month with people who are just getting to know each other.” And it’s this last factor that keeps him auditioning and acting every year: working many shows with new cast members and possibly new directors and, he describes,
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Gary Hesse’s signature smile may look familiar to many Leavenworth residents, especially those who’ve seen him on stage for the last 23 years in Leavenworth Summer Theater productions. Photo by Mike Irwin
Gary plays Lord Evelyn Oakleigh in Anything Goes (2015). Savannah Brady is his fiancee Hope Harcourt. The two are embarking on a madcap cruise that eventually results in each marrying someone else. Photo by Margy Hesse
“creating the palpable sense of community created by each show’s cast.” Gary considers bringing people together (“Especially when we are so divided as a nation,” he adds) to be the central organizing principle of his life. At 66 and recently retired, he sees the fulfillment of an inspiration he had as a child. After reading Kennedy’s Profiles in Courage, he said, he first considered politics as “a way | The Good Life
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to invest in people and organizations where I can make a difference.” That impetus lead him instead to a divinity degree (paralleling a math B.A.) and a career of pastorship, first in British Columbia and then for 12 years at a non-denominational church in Plain. 1997-98 was a time of transition for Gary and his wife Margy, a teacher (now retired) at Cascade High School. A year after he
March 2020
and his two young sons ily on Gary’s hand. all won roles in LST’s Seated in the café set production of Joseph immediately after, he and the Amazing Technilooked down and saw color Dream Coat and he his blood oozing on to became hooked for life the table. But, a true on musical theater, Gary professional, he simply stepped aside from his gestured to the actorpastoral vocation. waiter for a towel, He parlayed his alwayswrapped the hand, and honed math/computer continued the scene. skills into tech work in He admitted, “One Tacoma, building his night I was on stage, own software developprobably at a final ment company here and dress rehearsal, and then doing web design at I had absolutely no the Wenatchee World. idea what my next line Forging community was.” in its many forms still That’s a rare occurmotivates Gary. He’s rence for him, and involved in the Miss Gary explained that America pageant as every actor he’s worked director of the Miss with has invented their East Cascades Scholarown way to manage ship Organization and memorization. has played Scrooge at His own process, Leavenworth’s Christafter thoroughly remas lightings. But the reading the play, inintense relationships volves carrying a slim between diverse theater 3-ring binder containcast members has really ing copies of only his captivated him. scenes, with lines His approach to arts yellow-highlighted. is two-fold, and he sees Early on he reads it as an extension of his lines moving around. entire life: “Do the work. Then, with maybe Love the people.” an appropriate prop He commits to his or costume piece, he actor friends in both finds time alone on the short and the long the stage to walk and term, and he’s always talk through his role. slightly saddened by the “All of that helps ephemeral nature of live me,” he said, “to countheater and the ineviteract possible distractable leave-taking after tions I might find in the last performance. performance.” Gary says he was Gary anticipates “thrown into the deep more satisfying end” as a song and dance seasons with LeavenThree characters: clockwise from upper left, Gary is the Mysterious Man from Into The Woods man at first, but he’s worth Summer The(2015); Buffalo Bill Cody from Annie Get Your Gun (2012); and Jacob, the Biblical patriarch, father of ater, while modestly glad he stayed with it. 12 sons from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (2013). Photos by Margy Hesse He’s been with LST reminding himself of long enough to have another old thespian worked with local legends like adage, “You’re only as good as Oklahoma was a notable chalCenter’s Miracle on 34th Street, Keith Sexton, Arlene Wagner your last audition.” lenge, the distinctly pink headnoting that with his frame, he and Sue Lawson, and he’s seen After nailing almost 50 audito-toe outfit for Hello Dolly his probably wouldn’t have been many young people grow into tions so far, it’s probable local most fun stage costume and cast if it hadn’t been radio. professional theater careers after Max his favorite character. audiences will see him under He’s also suffered a few close their Sound of Music summers. the lights for quite a while, fully He enjoyed playing a chubby, calls. Once, as he helped wheel With too many highlights to hearty Kris Kringle last Dea piano offstage between scenes, engaged in playing the part and list, he did say tap dancing in loving the company. cember in the Performing Art it tipped over and landed heavMarch 2020 | The Good Life
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fun stuff what to do around here for the next month Homegrown Oldies Jam, every first and third Monday, 7 to 10 p.m. Riverside Pub. Cost: free. NCW BLUES JAM, every second and fourth Monday. 7 – 10 p.m. Riverside Pub. Cost: free. Wenatchee Paddle Club, every Tuesday, 9:30 a.m. open paddle, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6 p.m. novice kayak paddle group, Saturdays, 7 a.m. masters crew rowing. Info: wenatcheepaddle.org. Upper Valley Running Club, every Tuesday, 4:30 – 6 p.m. Check-in at the gravel lot across from O’Grady’s Pantry. Maps will be available for a marked 3-mile trail route, partly along Icicle Creek. Run or walk, by yourself, with a friend or with your family. Participate 10 or more times and earn an Upper Valley Running Club tech tee. Info: sleepinglady.com. 1 million cups, every first Wednesday of the month. 7:45 a.m. sharp. 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, fueled by caffeine. Coffee provided by Mela Coffee Roasting. Wenatchee Valley Chamber office, 137 N. Wenatchee Ave. Conversations around death/ death conversations group, meets every third Wednesday, 9 – 10:30 p.m. Does your family really know what you want? Do you have a current will? Who gets what? This is an information group that is looking at what we or our family should expect upon our passing. Chelan Senior Center. Cost: free. Info: Concie Luna 630-2972. Shrub-steppe poetry podium, every last Wednesday, 5 – 6:30 p.m. A free, poetry-only public reading. Read your own poems or the work of a favorite poet. Riverside Pub, 538 Riverside Dr, Wenatchee. Info: sfblair61@gmail. com. Seeking poems — Call for submissions. The Shrub-Steppe Poetry Journal is now accepting submissions through March 15 for its 2020 edition. Poets living in Central Washington (Okanogan, Chelan,
Douglas, Grant, Kittitas, Yakima, Benton or Klickitat County) are eligible. Visit www.shrubsteppepoetry.org and click on “Journal.” Weekly Club Runs, every Thursday check in between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. at Pybus Public Market south entrance. Either a 5k or 10k walk or run on the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail. Complete 10 weekly runs and receive a free shirt. Cost: free (other than a smile). Chelan Lanes Throwback Thursday Bowl, every Thursday, 1 – 10 p.m. Bowl for $3, food and beverage specials. Chelan Lanes. Info: chelanlanes.com. Game Night, every 4th Friday. Board games, card games or any games you bring. Open to families and all ages. Hosted by Pacific Crest Church. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket. org. Jam at the Crow, 7 – 10 p.m. Every first Sunday. The Club Crow in Cashmere, 108 1/2 Cottage Ave. Cost: free. Fly Tying with Bruce Merighi, every Tuesday until 3/10, 6 – 8 p.m. Learn about fly-fishing equipment, philosophy and the basic entomological connections between aquatic food sources and local fish – with minimal Latin. Learn and understand the beginning fly tying techniques, including the use of tools and various fly tying materials enabling the independent tying of diverse patterns. Wenatchee River Institute Red Barn, 347 Division St, Leavenworth. Cost: $70, includes five evenings with materials and tools provided. Info: Rachel Bishop 548-0181 ext 5 or rbishop@ wenatcheeriverinstitute.org. Winter Art Exhibit, now through 3/27. The Lake Chelan Arts council presents a special art exhibit with the theme “Lake Chelan in Winter.” Eighteen artists submitted 35 works of art showcasing their unique talents depicting winter in and around the Lake Chelan area. Most of the artwork is for sale. Lake Chelan Public Library, 216 N Emerson. Cost: free. Info: artinchelan.com. Special Olympics: Cross Country Skiing Competition, 3/1, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery.
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Empty Bowls Festival – Artist Auction Bowls Gala, 3/1, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Icicle Ridge Winery. Info: uvmend.org.
First Friday Events Include:
Netting Application for insect management in apple orchards, 3/4, 4 – 5 p.m. Washington orchardists have begun employing shade-netting structures to protect their fruit from sunburn. Certain shade netting structures can create a barrier to insect pests, such as codling moth and stink bugs in apple orchards. We conducted field trials to test the ability of commercial shade netting to prevent codling moth and stink bug damage at the WSU research orchard and commercial apple blocks in Manson, WA. These trials indicated that direct pest densities and damage were lower in netted plots than in the conventional plots and the untreated plots. However, non-target effects were apparent and need to be carefully considered in future management programs. WSU Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center, 1100 N Western Ave. Cost: free. Info: applestemnetwork. org/science-in-our-valley.
*Collapse, 3/6, 4 – 9 p.m. 115 S Wenatchee Ave. .
Get Lit! Pet collar series, 3/4, 6:30 – 9 p.m. This is the first of three series. Learn how to use conductive thread to make a light-up pet collar and make a tag with our 3D printer. The collar will be constructed with nylon webbing, plastic release buckles and conductive thread. Bring pet’s neck measurement to class with you. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: $45 includes all supplies for one project and a glass of wine. Info: wenatcheevalleymuseum.org. Wenatchee High School presents: The Diary of Anne Frank, 3/4, 5, 6, 7, 7:30 and 3/7, 2 p.m. Directed by Paul Atwood. Live performance. Wenatchee High School. Cost: $15. Tickets: numericapac.org. Wenatchee Valley Chamber Banquet, 3/5, 5:30 p.m. Come celebrate with the Chamber and presenting sponsor, Mission Ridge, to recognize the business and nonprofit of the year. Highlights of the evening are the decorated tables by the many businesses in our community. Silent auction, no-host bar and entertainment. Wenatchee Convention Center. Cost: $65. Info: wenatchee.org.
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March 2020
*Class with a Glass, 3/6, 5 – 8 p.m. 10 S Columbia St.
*Gypsy Lotus, 3/6, 5 – 8 p.m. 1 S Wenatchee Ave. Cost: free. *Lemolo Café and Deli, 3/6, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. 114 N Wenatchee Ave. *MAC Gallery, 3/6, 5 – 7 p.m. Wenatchee Valley College Music and Art Center, 1300 Fifth St. *Mela, 3/6, 5 – 8 p.m. Nosh provided. Cost: free. 17 N. Wenatchee Ave. Cost: free. *Mission Street Commons, 3/6, 5 – 8 p.m. 218 S Mission St. *Pans Grotto, 3/6, 4 – 9 p.m. 3 N Wenatchee Ave. Ste 2. * Robert Graves Gallery, 3/6, 5 – 7 p.m. The immensity of our essence new paintings by Martha Flores. Martha uses color and form to express how we fail to see our similarities and see our differences instead. Gallery hours MondayThursday 9 a.m. 1 p.m. Sexton Hall at Wenatchee Valley College, Ninth St entrance. *Tumbleweed Bead Co., 3/6, 5-7 p.m. Refreshments served. 1 N. Wenatchee Ave. Cost: free. Info: tumbleweedbeadco.com. *Two Rivers Art Gallery, 3/6, 5 – 8 p.m. 11th anniversary show. Celebrating over 50 local and regional artist. Music by soft jazz duo Patric Thompson and Glenn Isaacson. Complimentary refreshments. 102 N Columbia, Wenatchee. Cost: free. Info: 2riversgallery.com. *Wells House, 3/6, 5 – 7 p.m. Tours will be given on the first and second floors with insider information including the history about the house and the original owners, fun facts about its college days and interesting details uncovered in the renovation. Light refreshments. Off 9th St at the end of Nelson on the Wenatchee Valley college campus. *Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce, 3/6, 5 – 8 p.m. 137 N Wenatchee Ave. *Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center, 3/6, 5. – 8 p.m. Come and see the artwork from students in Chelan, Douglas,
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WHAT TO DO
We want to know of fun and interesting local events. Send info to: donna@ncwgoodlife.com
Grant and Okanogan counties. Light refreshments. Cost: free. Info: Wenatchee.org. *Ye Olde Bookshoppe, 3/6, 5 – 8 p.m. 11 Palouse St. Team trivia and auction fundraiser, 3/6, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. The Literacy Council of Chelan and Douglas Counties will host a dinner, team trivia, raffle, plus silent, live and dessert auctions. Dinner catered by Ravenous Catering wine by Horan Estates or beer by Icicle Brewing Co. Pybus Public Market. Cost: $50. Info: literacycouncildc. org or 682-6966. Vox Docs Film Festival, 3/6, 7. A weekend festival showcasing the best documentaries of the year and titles that have been winning awards around the globe. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $10-$15. Info: icicle.org. 509’s, 3/6, 6 – 8 p.m. Live performance on the railcar. Mike Bills (guitar, vocals) and Joe Guimond (bass, vocals) with Aaron Parrott on drums. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Mobile Meals Variety Show, 3/6, 7 p.m. A variety of music, song and dance for all ages. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $20. Ticket: numericapac.org. Nick’s Bricks – a day of Lego play, 3/7, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. In memory of Nicholas H. Vitulli. The goal of this event is to create an opportunity for kids of all skill levels to feel welcomed and experience the thrill of creating something new with lasting memories for a lifetime. Registration a must. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Enchanted Evening roaring ’20s, 3/7, 5 – 11 p.m. Roaring ’20s theme and speakeasy vibe. Evening includes dinner, drinks, dessert dash, community awards, live and silent auction and dancing. All proceeds go to aid victims of crime healing journey and keeping SAGE’s (Safety, Advocacy, Growth and Empowerment) services free and confidential for all. Wenatchee Convention Center. Cost: $70. Info: 663-7448. Deep Sea Diver: Black Box Concert, 3/7, 7:30 p.m. Jessica Dobson is the fearless multi-instrumentalist, singer and bandleader for Deep
Sea Diver. Deep Sea Diver, urgently and deliberately move you from rock experimentation to dreamy soundscapes, Kraut-esque drum and bass grooves to angular danciness, and full-fledged orchestration to bare bones simplicity. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $22. Ticket: numericapac.org. Pybus University: Keeping your kids busy and happy all summer, 3/10, 7 – 8:15 p.m. This class will explore all the various benefits the Y’s summer youth and teen programs offer to help keep kids engaged, continue in their learning and the benefits of making the best summer ever. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket. org. Environmental film and speaker series: albatross, 3/10, 7 – 9 p.m. A documentary that reveals the extent to which plastics are damaging our environment reaching even the most remote places on Earth. This event features a no-host bar, free popcorn and treats. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Info: wenatcheevalleymuseum.org. Technology for trade: new tools and new rules for water use efficiency in agriculture and beyond, 3/11, 4 – 5 p.m. Dr. Claudio Stöckle’s research is in the Land, Air, Water Resources and Environmental Engineering (LAWREE) research emphasis area. His focus is on the development and application of analytical tools to study, understand and manage the interaction between soil, weather, and crops. He is particularly interested in modeling the environmental impact of agricultural production at the field and water shed levels and in further enhancement and support of the Agricultural Crop Systems Modeling Software (CROPSYST) he developed. WSU Tree Fruit Research Extension Center, 1100 N Western Ave. Cost: free. Info: applestemnetwork.org/ science-in-our-valley. Get Lit! Pet collar series, 3/11, 6:30 – 9 p.m. This is the second of three series. Finish the collar and designing the tag. Bring a laptop to class. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: $45 includes all supplies for one project and a glass of wine. Info: wenatcheevalleymuseum.org. Red Barn Event: Forest Health – What’s eating the trees, 3/12, 7 – 8:30 p.m. Forest health specialist Connie Mehmel will talk March 2020 | The Good Life
abut the amazing ways that insects and fungi interact with their host trees and forest tree responses and adaptations. Beer and wine available for purchase. Red Barn, 347 Division St. Leavenworth. Info: wenatcheeriverinstitute.org. Disenchanted!, 3/12, 7:30 p.m. Live performance. Poisoned apples, glass slippers, who needs ‘em? Not Snow White and her posse of disenchanted princesses in the hilarious hit musical that’s anything but Grimm. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $27-$44. Tickets: numericapac.org. Winter Shrub and Twig identification class, 3/13, 9 – 11 a.m. Learn to tell plant species apart from one another without the presence of leaves. Discover species distribution, which tells a big part of the landscape’s story. Taught by Jennifer Hadersberger. Wenatchee River Institute. Cost: $35. Bring notepad and pencil. Dress warm. Tea and coffee provided. Must register. Info: wenatcheeriverinstitute. org. My girlfriend’s closet, 3/13, 14, 15, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Women’s gently used clothing and accessories for sale. Proceeds go to non-profit organizations. Former Hastings building. 315 9th St, Wenatchee. KPQ Home Expo, 3/13 – 15. Town Toyota Center. Info: towntoyotacen-
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ter.com. Just Us Band, 3/13, 7 – 9 p.m. Live performance on the railcar. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. The Gothard Sisters, 3/13, 7 p.m. Live performance. Blending Celtic, folk, classical world and northwest musical influences, the Gothard Sisters bring songs to life. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $22 advance or $24 at the door. Info: icicle.org. The Met: live in HD: Der Fliegende Hollander, 3/14, 9:55 a.m. Sir Bryn Terfel returns to the Met for the first time since 2012, as the mysterious seafarer searching for salvation. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $22 advance or $24 at the door. Info: icicle.org. Hike for Health Series, 3/14, 9 – 11 a.m. Improve your health, explore new places, be part of a team, take home prizes and be entered to win one of the many grand prizes at the end of hiking season. Horan Natural Area via Walla Walla Point Park. Meet at Walla Walla Point Park at the parking area closest to the playground. Dogs allowed on leash. Sponsored by Chelan-Douglas Land Trust and Columbia Valley Community Health. Cost: free. Info: cdlandtrust.org.
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The Art Life
// SKETCHES OF LOCAL ARTISTS
One of her more literal renditions, this Frenchman’s Coulee scene was sketched in Kasey’s artist journal.
Kasey Koski’s real art? Art for everybody! By Susan Lagsdin
Kasey Koski’s creativity
colors just about every domestic and professional move she makes, and over the years it’s moved her art from personal to studio-scale to public. “I call it CCD — my ‘creative compulsive disorder,’” She said. “My friend calls it my ‘superpower.’” Here’s what her personal art looks like. Stored in an apple crate in Kasey Koski’s home studio are 20 years’ worth of spiral bound journals, a rich multimedia assemblage. Each one is chock-full to bursting with sketches and swatches, inklings and epigrams, poems, plans, clippings, watercolor studies, doodles and diagrams. In total, they are an almost complete portrait of the artist. Kasey told her husband Zeb if the house is on fire, the journals go out the window before she does. “It’s almost frightening to me to see a blank page,” said the Wenatchee artist. “I started tracking ideas in my college art
Kasey learned to weld for the construction of the Yeti Project, recently installed atop Mission Ridge.
Kasey Koski: “It’s almost frightening to me to see a blank page.”
classes, and now the journals become more of a personal record. I circle back to them sometimes for ideas, or to support new projects.” That’s the private life of her artist brain. What she does in her public life as an artist almost always symbolizes or enhances the coming together of people. Serv-
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ing the larger good with volunteerism was a family imperative in her strongly Finnish Michigan hometown, and she said, “It’s even more necessary today… there’s such a decline in neighborliness in today’s technologyoriented world.” Her choice of graphic design as her college art focus, she thinks, stemmed from not wanting to promote herself as an individual. She said, “I’m not one to ‘toot my own horn.’” Designing advertising for a decade was artful but anonymous. Freed from her computer
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graphics job, she fell in love with many media, making 2-D and 3-D art involving watercolor and acrylic paint, a variety of fabric arts, metalwork and printing. “I’ve never had a solo show,” Kasey said frankly. And she’s never sought one. She has joined group exhibits here with the 220 Women group, Orangutan, the Scintilla Project and at Two Rivers Art Gallery, Twisp’s Confluence Gallery, The Mighty Tieton Warehouse and an alumni exhibit at Finlandia University. But her true talent, she maintains, is envisioning multimedia
>> Kasey jokes, “I do my own stunts,” ranging from painting concrete mandalas on her hands and knees to climbing a skyhigh ladder to hang Japanese lanterns... and multi-artist projects. Kasey’s work in Wenatchee since she moved here in 2008 demonstrates her collaborative instinct. “I joined every group, I went to every exhibit,” she recalls. On the founding Board of Two Rivers Art Gallery, she also became a member of the city’s Arts Commission and a co-creator of First Friday Art walk. She teams comfortably with other people in committees, companies and councils to organize public works, but she’s also a hands-on, down ’n’ dirty art maker, not just a planner. Kasey jokes, “I do my own stunts,” ranging from painting concrete mandalas on her hands and knees to climbing a skyhigh ladder to hang Japanese lanterns in the museum’s light well or welding chains to the massive leg of her latest sculpture. Kasey’s first big public project was In Wenatchee’s Pennsylvania, Methow and Washington parks, where she painted designs in the wading pools. They are lovely in summer spray and entice children to play games and do chalk art in the off seasons. She also created Imagine South Wenatchee street banners, she built a VW-sized bird nest for a Public Land event at Methow Park, and she recently completed her 2019 masterwork
— fraught with a steep learning curve and a few setbacks: the 11foot tall steel Yeti atop Mission Ridge. “Completing this made me so proud; we definitely fulfilled the vision for it,” she said. It was an imperfect storm of circumstance that led to Kasey’s hiring in 2015 as Curator of Exhibits for the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. About six years ago, saddened after her beloved younger brother Andy died, she was inexplicably moved to reinvigorate her art life and change her focus. That’s when she proposed and created those first big, community-centric public art installations. Soon, curator Bill Reitveldt brought her on as his assistant at the museum. On her mentor’s retirement in 2015, she said, “I dusted off my resume and applied for the job.” It’s a left-brain intensive (with planning, projecting, paperwork) but arts-rich job that she knows is a good fit for her. “I do believe my brother was pulling some strings for me and helped me find my place,” she said. At the museum, she enthusiastically showcases the art and stories of other people and places. This winter she brought in NASA’s traveling astronomy exhibit, My Sky, and the historic Hartsfield Quilt Collection, family quilts from slave times to mid 20th century. In March, she and ESD volunteers will hang the 41st Annual Regional High School Art Show. But Kasey’s already focused on her next after-hours project. Remodeling is a favorite avocation, and she’s ready to add a bathroom to her and her husband’s lovely 114-year old house just uphill from Wenatchee Avenue. It may not be gallery-wall art, but the creative choices of color, texture and décor on this labor of love will probably spring from the pages of her latest journal. March 2020 | The Good Life
WHAT TO DO
We want to know of fun and interesting local events. Send info to: donna@ncwgoodlife.com
}}} Continued from page 29 White River Snowshoe Tour, 3/14, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Join Team Naturaleza’s Elisa Lopez and CDLT’s Susan Ballinger for a naturalist’s snowshoe tour of the White River. This trip will explore this special area’s importance to forests, birds, mammals and salmon. Stops on the tour will also highlight the American Indian and historical use of the land and current conservation projects. We’ll have a chance to warm up at Tall Timber Ranch Lodge halfway through the day. Must reserve: 667-9708 or hillary@cdlandtrust. org. Info: cdlandtrust.org. Spring Brewfest, 3/14, noon – 4 p.m. Live music, raffle, frosty cold beer, Irish whiskey and Irish fare. Fire pits and live dart competition with prizes. Pacific Northwest breweries will be showing off new spring releases and Irish whiskey experts will be on hand to showcase a variety of Irish whiskies. Breweries include: Rogue, Guinness, Smithwick, and Independent Pear Cider. Spirits include: Redbreast, Jameson and Rogue Whiskies. Campbell’s Resort, Chelan. Cost: $35. Info: campbellsresort. com. Regional High School art awards ceremony, 3/14, 1 – 3 p.m. Recognizes winners in 7 categories as well as Best of Show. Refreshments available. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Info: wenatcheevalleymuseum.org. Empty Bowls, 3/14, 5 – 8 p.m. Soup and bread meal at Wenatchee High School. Cold Winter Nights comedy series: Todd Barry, 3/14, 9 p.m. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $22. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Info: numericapac.org. Pybus University: Don’t be spooked by your mammogram, 3/17, 7 – 8:15 p.m. Join two new Breast Imagers from Confluence Health as they walk you through this process and answer questions. Must register. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Movie on the big screen: Field of Dreams, 3/18, 6:30 p.m. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $3. Info: numericapac.org. Get Lit! Pet collar series, 3/18,
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6:30 – 9 p.m. This is the third of three series. Wrapping up the tags or picking them up. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: $45 includes all supplies for one project and a glass of wine. Info: wenatcheevalleymuseum.org. Red Barn event: Up close and personal with bears and cougars, 3/18, 7 – 8:30 p.m. This presentation with Rich Beausoleil is designed to share research and inform participants of how bears and cougars live, interact with each other and orient themselves on the landscape. Will also discuss carnivore-human interactions and bring some perspective to what at times seems to be a sea of conflicting interpretations. No host bar. Red Barn, 347 Division St. Leavenworth. Info: wenatcheeriverinstitute.org. Job and resource fair, 3/19, 3 – 6 p.m. Dress professionally, be prepared to be interviewed and bring your resume. Businesses and resources will be on hand. Sponsored by the American Legion Post 10 and Pybus Market Charitable Foundation. Priority of service for Veterans. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: eboylston@esd. wa.gov. Empty Bowls festival – Community Soup supper, 3/19, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Upper Valley Mend, 1001 Front St., Leavenworth. Info: uvmend.org. Jordan World Circus, 3/19, 6:30 p.m., 3/20, 10:30 a.m. Come see death defying aerial acts, animal attractions including tigers and elephants. Ride and pet different types of animals. Town Toyota Center. Cost: $18 adults, $14 kids 3 to 12, free under 3. Tickets an hour before the show at the door. Info: towntoyotacenter.com. Winter Twig Identification, 3/20, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Jennifer Hadersberger will be offering a Winter Twig identification professional development class for those in the field of wetland delineation. Wenatchee River Institute. Info: wenatcheeriverinstitute.org. Caveman Roar and Pour 5k trail run, 3/21. Cave B Estate Winery, Quincy. Info: caveb. com/cave-b-estate-wineryevents##events. Non-profit day, 3/21, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. This event is to provide a platform for nonprofit organizations to promote themselves, spread awareness about the great work
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>>
column those were the days
rod molzahn
The changing names of local towns The 1880s and 1890s were a
time of town building in north central Washington. Settlements became villages, then towns, and during that process town names often changed. A small gathering of prospectors’ and trappers’ tents and shacks formed in the late 1880s near the confluence of the Wenatchee and N’asikelt rivers. By the 1890s, it had grown to settlement size and residents named it and the smaller river Icicle, a more familiar sound to them then the Indian word N’asikelt. In 1892, anticipation of the Great Northern Railroad’s arrival spurred the Okanogan Investment Company to acquire land and plat a new town on the site. They named it Leavenworth after Charles Leavenworth, the town’s largest investor, who personally platted the town and laid out its streets. Down the Wenatchee in 1873, Father Urban Grassi, a Jesuit priest, along with his Wenatchee/P’squose followers built a log mission near the confluence of a small stream and the Wenatchee River. Fifteen years later a new priest, Father de Rouge, built a
larger mission for his growing congregation. By this time white settlers were trickling into the area. They eventually named their growing village Mission in honor of the Indian church. The next year the Mission post office was established. In 1906, an over abundance of towns named Mission in the Northwest caused confusion for mail and train services. The Postal Service and the residents of Mission determined that the town deserved a better name. Judge James Chase suggested the town be renamed after a line from a Thomas Moore poem; “And who has not heard of the vale of Kashmir, With its roses, the brightest that ever gave.” His neighbors agreed and, after a spelling adjustment, Mission became Cashmere. Down the road a bit, in 1902, the community of Brown’s Flat, named for its first settlers, Deak and Lucy Brown, also decided a new town name was in order. A town meeting was called and George Richardson’s suggestion was adopted. The town would be called Monitor, honoring the Union ironclad ship that sunk the Confederate Merrimac in the civil war. At the Wenatchee River’s
A team of 32 horses pulled the hotel with guests and Mrs. Gamble, cooking on the wood stove, the half mile to Bruster. In 1898, when the town got a post office, the Postal Service changed the town name to Brewster. confluence with the Columbia, storekeeper Sam Miller had second thoughts about what to call the settlement taking shape around him. In his store ledger, began in April of 1872, each page was headed with the name, Wenatchee. In March of 1875 the store became an unofficial post office handling mail from and to Ellensburg. Sam changed the heading on his ledger pages to Millersburg and that’s what the name stayed until September of 1883 when Sam was made postmaster of the town’s first official
post office. Sam changed his ledger page heading back to Wenatchee, perhaps at the request of the U.S. Postal Service. Up at Lake Chelan in April of 1888, Tunis Hardenburgh and Captain Charles Johnson, from Nebraska, claimed adjoining homesteads on the lake south of the Chelan River. Tunis built a log store on part of his land. A year later, he and Captain Johnson combined 40 acres from each homestead and platted a town they called Lake Park. When the town got its own post office the Postal Service noted that there already was a Lake Park in the state. The town name was changed to Lakeside where it stayed until the 1950s when the town was gobbled up by the larger and faster growing city of Chelan, In 1886, Lee Ives and his wife, Rena, drove a herd of horses up from the Kittitas Valley to the mouth of the Methow River. On the north side of the Methow, they claimed a homestead bordering the confluence of the Methow and Columbia rivers. About 1893, they built a showplace hotel that was a landmark for years along the Columbia.
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The budding town took Ives Landing as its name. In 1900, the Ives sold the townsite to Charles Nosler, who promptly changed the name to a town he admired in the Philippines — Pateros, a village built on sticks. A few miles up the road, in 1893, with the nation mired in a financial panic, “Virginia Bill” Covington built a trading post on the shore of the Columbia. The store was soon joined by a handful of other businesses including a steamship landing, a saloon and hotel built by Dan Gamble from Nova Scotia. The town was called Virginia City. Soon, a half-mile to the north, John Bruster built an excellent steamship landing and wharf on his homestead, platted a new town and called it Bruster. Most of the buildings in Virginia City were moved north to the new town including the Gamble Hotel. Bruce Wilson, in Late Frontier, tells the story. A team of 32 horses pulled the hotel with guests and Mrs. Gamble, cooking on the wood stove, the half mile to Bruster. In 1898, when the town got a post office, the Postal Service changed the town name to Brewster. In 1897, Henry Glover found his way into the Methow Valley. He located a homestead and platted a town at the confluence of the Methow River and a smaller stream Indians called the T-wapsp River. Henry called his new town Gloversville. Two years later, Amanda Burger platted a town site adjoining Gloversville and called it Twisp. That became the name of choice for the combined towns. Twisp grew to become the leading business and trading center in the Methow Valley with Glover Street its main drag. The road from Twisp up Benson Creek and down the Chiliwhist Trail took travelers to the Okanogan Valley’s first town, Alma. The town was named for Alma Kahlow-Hansen, wife of
early steamboat captain, Charles Hansen. In 1905, determined to honor Dr. J.I. Pogue, the valley’s first physician and early orchardist, a group of community members met and changed the town name to Pogue. The change was unacceptable to other residents and after two years of debate a vote was held. Both Alma and Pogue were rejected in favor of the town’s final name, Okanogan. Fifty miles north, in 1891, Robert Allison opened a store and restaurant at the confluence of the Similkameen and Okanogan rivers. Inspired by all the gold mining in the area, Allison named his town Oro, Spanish for gold. Two years later the town got its post office and discovered that the Postal Service had added “ville” to the town name to avoid confusion with the west side town named Oso. Up the Similkameen River in gold country, the settlement first called “Ragtown” became Loomis. At the head of the Sinlahekan Valley, in March of 1888, the mining center of Salmon Creek became Conconully and was voted the county seat, an honor previously held by Ruby, the wildest mining town in the West from 1887 to 1893. According to Oz Woody, editor of the Okanogan Independent, Ruby was cursed into extinction by a miner who claimed he had been “rolled” and robbed of $300. He climbed a ways up Ruby Hill and roared down at the town, “May you be burned, drowned and burned again.” His words proved true. The town suffered, in succession, “a disastrous fire, a big flood and a second fire.” 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. March 2020 | The Good Life
>>
WHAT TO DO
We want to know of fun and interesting local events. Send info to: donna@ncwgoodlife.com
}}} Continued from page 31 they do and recruit new volunteers. Pybus Public Market. Cost: $20. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. A night at the museum, 3/21, 6 p.m. A night of food, fun and entertainment and thanking our sponsors. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: $60. Info: wenatcheevalleymuseum.org. Festival of Choirs, 3/21, 6:30 p.m. Six choirs will perform, two from Yakima, one from Leavenworth and two from Wenatchee. The concert will finish with three mass choir numbers. Wenatchee High School. Cost: $15 at the door. Info: 884-9342. Miss East Cascades Scholarship pageant, 3/21, 7 p.m. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $18. Info: numericapac.org. DownTown mountain boys – Cashmere Community Concerts, 3/21, 7 – 9:30 p.m. Pacific Northwest’s most exciting and accomplished bluegrass band. Cashmere Riverside Center, 20-1 Riverside Dr. Cost: $3 at the door, $8-11 hat pass. Info: cashmerecoffeehouse.com. Environmental film and speaker series: Canoeing the vanishing arctic, 3/24, 7 – 9 p.m. This presentation by Andy Dappen will cover a canoe trip that local Wenatchee residents embarked on in order to explore the rapidly changing Arctic. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Info: wenatcheevalleymuseum.org. Pybus University: watercolor place cards for your spring table scape, 3/24, 7 – 8:15 p.m. Hands on workshop make Springtheme hand lettered place cards. Participants will create their own watercolor designs, learn the basics of faux calligraphy and modern script through step-by-step instruction by Chalk Chic Mama. Pybus Public Market. Cost: $10. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Twisp documentary, 3/25, 5:30 p.m. Beer, wine and hors d‘ oeuvres. At 6 p.m. Our Valley Our Future will hold its award ceremony recognizing major contributors to the collaborative nonprofit and community in 2019. A 40-minute film: Twisp: The Power of Community centers on the qualities that enable
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the community to thrive, when so many other towns around the state are dying, or being swallowed up by development. The film also reveals how a community can work together to address big challenges, despite possessing a diversity of opinions. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Community Science: ebird monitoring at Mountain Home Preserve, 3/26, 7:30 – 11 a.m. Would you like to spend a weekday morning hiking, viewing wildlife, wildflowers and snowcapped mountains, while being part of a small team collecting bird species data? Learn more about becoming a CDLT citizen scientist volunteer by contacting Susan Ballinger at susan@cdlantrust.org or 667-9708. Science on tap! Cosmic Crisp, 3/26, 6 – 7 p.m. Kate Evans will discuss the process of the Cosmic Crisp apple and explain the background to the project that took 20 years to develop and release. Badger Mountain Brewery. Cost: $1 for a raffle ticket. Info: wenatcheeriverinstitute.org. Trails in Motion Film Festival, 3/26, 5 p.m. This event features several short films. Overall running time is about two hours. There will also be tons of swag given away. Pybus Public Market. Info: runwenatchee.com. One-Man Star Wars Trilogy, 3/26, 7 p.m. Charles Ross will stun and amaze you with his fun, energetic and extremely entertaining performance. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Info: numericapac.org. Slim Chance, 3/27, 7 – 9 p.m. Live performance on the rail car. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Mariachi Northwest Festival, 3/27, 7 p.m. Featuring Shaila Durcal, Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, Bailadores de Bronce and Mariachi Huenachi. Town Toyota Center. Info: towntoyotacenter.com. Pybus University: real selfcare, 3/31, 7 – 8:15 p.m. In this program you will learn what SelfCompassion is, you will hear a little about the research around it, and mostly, you will learn some simple and effective tools you can take home and begin using right away to help you care for yourself and others more effectively. Must register. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.
the back page: that’s life
Aging (gracefully) with dogs M
By James Brigleb
y parents had some friends who were a bit older than they, with no children at home. We visited their home when I was perhaps 12. The couple had a Pomeranian named Teddy. The wife, Gerry, spoke to the dog, “Where is your daddy, Teddy?” Teddy ran obediently to find the man of the house, Howard. I was horrified. “Daddy?” This couple referred to themselves as mommy and daddy to a purse dog. Now, my wife and I are empty nesters. After a lifetime of having a series of Labrador Retrievers, my wife Linda came up with the brilliant idea of having a miniature Australian Shepherd because her uncle had one, and it had the most amazing personality. After scouring the marketplace, I found a breeder in Eastern Oregon and secured our next dog. Welcome, Tillie, who also has an amazing personality, but not at all like the one modeled by the uncle’s dog. Tillie would probably excel at rounding up sheep. But she’s a suburban dog who likes to round up the neighbors, the mailman, and the UPS driver. Basically, she sees every living thing outside of our “pack” as a possible predator. Tillie wears a leash. Having grown up with one of our Labs who was on the downhill side of life, Tillie needed an emergency backup dog to settle her nerves. After losing the Lab, we scoured the rescue dog ads and found a suitable match — a mixed mini-Aussie and Border Collie named Mick. This dog was SO loving, but obviously the
victim of some trauma. What I’m getting at here is this: We had become a retired couple with two dogs that had some deepseated emotional needs. And so, we became mom and dad to our dogs. When I was young and virile, I really held the line with disciplining my dogs. Now that I’m not young and virile, I let a lot of things slide. For instance, the basic dog Jim Brigleb, his wife Linda and their two babies — unconditional love in furry bodies. commands first the premium spots on the bed, It’s just that the dogs love us so taught are “Sit,” “Stay,” and and we adjust our sleeping posi- unconditionally — the kids and “Come.” tion to accommodate them. grandkids, not so much. Our dogs will sit if offered a Rather than physically move After say, a long trip to the treat. Stay has never really been the dog, or insist on them sleepmarket, like an hour or more, covered. And they will come ing on a readily available, yet the reunion is magical. When after they have satisfied the we pull up, the dogs are at the urge to smell something, relieve unused dog bed, we will spend window — squirming with anthemselves, and decide that they a good deal of the night going without sleep, or wake up with ticipation. are good and ready — hopefully, kinks due to awkward posture, Entering the house, mayhem a treat might be offered. so as to not disturb the dogs. and frolic breaks forth as the It’s pathetic, and sometimes Vacations are often deterdogs run around in circles, bark, embarrassing. mined by how this might affect chortle, whine and let us know Tillie will charge after a predathe dogs. that our return is the greatest tor, such as a neighbor… “Tillie! Does the Airbnb location alevent of their lives. Come! Tillie! Tillie! Come!” low dogs? No? Okay, we won’t go In response, we say all kinds As an elderly citizen, you try there. If separated, do we have of embarrassing things that are to hurry to the location of your someone who will truly underusually reserved for parents saydog, apologize, and then praise stand the needs of our dogs? ing to their firstborn infant. the dog. Why praise it? Because Maybe we should just stay home Are you familiar with the the dog let you get to it, pick it and save money. Mark Twain quote, “The more I up, and nobody is bleeding. This Separation anxiety. It’s a toss learn about people, the more I is called dog whispering. up between who suffers this like my dog?” What else? most — the dogs or us. I know I’ll admit, Mommy and Daddy Our dogs sleep on the bed this sounds pathetic, but I’m just love their two little babies. And with us. Any good dog trainer being honest here. my 12-year old grandson is horwill tell you this is a huge misAnd lest you think we suffer rified by my behavior. take. As old people we ignore from not having kids and grandOh well. He never wags his tail that advice. kids nearby, that is not the case. anyway. Consequently, the dogs find
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