November 2016 The Good Life

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Contents

page 34

metal art made from found pieces

Features

7 ‘my dad is not my father’

A DNA test uncovers a secret more than 70 years old

10 backyard homesteaders

Stuart and Shaye Elliott have created a farm, a lifestyle and an at-home business on just a few acres

13 piano playing mountain man

Steve Morton is a man of many talents, none of which he does in a half-hearted way

16 LITTLE TOWN ON THE PRAIRIE

Why a frontier village is setting up shop in the backyard of a suburban East Wenatchee home

Hat rack by Jim O’Dell

Art sketches n Metal artist Jim O’Dell, page 34 n Musician Lynn Love, page 36

19 SOLO CAMPING

Family life is just fine, but sometimes, Molly Steere just feels the need to get out on her own

22 where the wild wolves roam

Once he heard the howl of a wild wolf, Todd Daniels was bitten with researching more about the animals

24 Wide-open home

A wall of glass on the first floor and big windows in each upstairs room let in the sun and greenery

Columns & Departments 28 Pet Tales: A bird in the hand...

29 Bonnie Orr: Adding flavor with onions 30 June Darling: Saying ‘Thanks’ not always enough 32 The traveling doctor: The chicken and her eggs 34-39 Arts & Entertainment & a Dan McConnell cartoon 40 History: Families and dealings in the old West 42 Alex Saliby: What to drink with Thanksgiving

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OPENING SHOT

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Year 10, Number 11 November 2016 The Good Life is published by NCW Good Life, LLC, dba The Good Life 10 First Street, Suite 108 Wenatchee, WA 98801 PHONE: (509) 888-6527 EMAIL: editor@ncwgoodlife.com

sales@ncwgoodlife.com ONLINE: www.ncwgoodlife.com FACEBOOK: https://www. facebook.com/NCWGoodLife Editor/Publisher, Mike Cassidy Contributors, Brad Brisbine, Eron Drew, Marlene and Kevin Farrell, Sue Blanchard, Jaana Hutton, Molly Steere, Travis Knoop, Donna Cassidy, Bonnie Orr, Alex Saliby, Jim Brown, June Darling, Dan McConnell, Susan Lagsdin and Rod Molzahn Advertising manager, Terry Smith Advertising sales, Donna Cassidy Bookkeeping and circulation, Donna Cassidy Proofing, Dianne Cornell Ad design, Clint Hollingsworth TO SUBSCRIBE: For $25, ($30 out of state address) you can have 12 issues of The Good Life mailed to you or a friend. Send payment to: The Good Life 10 First Street, Suite 108 Wenatchee, WA 98801 For circulation questions, email: donna@ncwgoodlife.com BUY A COPY of The Good Life at Safeway stores, Walgreens, Mike’s Meats at Pybus, Rhubarb Market, Martin’s Market Place (Cashmere) and A Book for All Seasons and Dan’s Food Market (both Leavenworth)

Wet walk, nice photo B

rad Brisbine took this dripping leaf phot0 during a day hike up Icicle Creek on a recent weekend.

“You are probably getting a lot of fall photos, but if you were

looking for something different, I am attaching the maple leaves,” wrote Brad in an email.

Brad is a Wenatchee architect who enjoys photography, oil painting, skiing Mission Ridge and backpacking in the Cascades.

On the cover

A lot has changed since this

photo of the very busy Elliott family was taken in 2014 — Shaye and Stuart now have a fourth child, Stuart is growing a beard as he has become a full time farmer, and the milk cow, Sal, has been replaced by a heifer, Cece, who is expecting a calf in May. However, the Elliotts are just as committed to raising their family on their backyard homestead.

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

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editor’s notes

MIKE CASSIDY

The farm: Is that the life for me?

Reading Eron Drew’s fun

story — and seeing the pictures — about Shaye Elliott’s family’s backyard homestead got me daydreaming it would be fun for my wife and me to retire to a farm in our dotage years.

“We’ll have chickens. We’ll go out to the hen house every morning and have our own farm-fresh eggs for breakfast,” I explained to a friend over lunch.

He eyed me from the other side of his plate, and said simply, “farming is pretty hard work.”

Maybe he was making a comment on my city-fied body with its callus-free hands and paunchy middle, but his words sent my mind reeling back to my teenage years when I grew up on a small farm.

Yes, we had a chicken house, and yes, we had fresh, brightyellow yolk eggs. But the chickens also made other deposits that the grown-ups on the farm tasked me with cleaning up.

And no matter how carefully I worked the pitchfork, some of those deposits always attached themselves to my shoes, and then worked their way up my pant legs to my gloves.

And then the chickens themselves: When a hen got too old to lay eggs, she became a boiled chicken, which is about as appetizing as it sounds. There is a process from live hen to the dinner table that involved a hatchet and a wooden block, followed by a headless, blood-pumping chicken running amok, and then plucking the feathers from the lifeless fowl that has been soaked in hot water to loosen a maddening number of feathers, large and small.

Butchering cows and pigs were no better, only bigger. At least

there were no feathers.

Speaking of cows… one chore I did avoid (and no, it was not the pitchfork one, pitchfork duty was pretty much mine) was the milking of the cow. I watched my grandfather do it, and then got to pour a little warm milk from the bucket into a saucer for the barn cats. That was pretty nice.

I learned after I moved away that the first husband of my great-grandfather’s wife was killed when a cow kicked him in the head as he was milking. He left her a widow with two children. There were plenty of ways to die on the farm.

Cows occasionally broke out of their fence, which required a round up.

One Saturday night, when I was about 16, I was driving to pick up a girl for a movie date when I saw some cows in the middle of the road. I determined which farm they had strayed from, stopped at the house, told the old farmer, and then helped him and his wife get the animals back into fences.

Arriving 45 minutes late for my date, I told the girl and her mom what had happened. All was forgiven. They were farm people, too.

I noticed when growing up my folks seemed to have a lot of old farmers who were friends.

Maybe to a teenager, everyone over 40 seems ancient, but it could also be that farmers can’t die, there are too many chores to do.

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fun stuff a full LISTING of what to do begins ON PAGE 35 the lives of five young people who have decided to become small-scale farmers. This is an exceptionally hopeful film that gives viewers a close-range view of humanity, along with a detailed portrayal of the nuts and bolts of agriculture. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: $5 donation suggested. Tuesday, 11/15, 7 p.m.

November: learn, laugh and view festive trees I

f the cover story this month about a backyard homesteading family interested you, then perhaps you’ll want to dig into a film at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center called To Make A Farm, about five people who have decided to become small-scale farmers.

November is also the leadin month to Christmas, with several local activities to get the seasonal juices flowing.

And then there is a comedian, a very funny movie and an homage to a famous flyer this month.

Check out these items from this month’s calendar: A Scientist Speaker Series: Adapting to Climate Change

— Robin Muench will speak on why climate change is so difficult to predict and the importance of oceans and glaciers.

The next three Tuesdays in November will explore climate change with local experts and

Festival of Trees public viewing — Listen to local holi-

“I don’t want to talk to you no more, you empty headed animal food trough wiper. I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries,” so it is said in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

enjoy light fare. Topics include oceans, glaciers, agriculture, food, transportation and wildlife. Wenatchee River Institute at Barn Beach Reserve, Leavenworth. Cost: $100 for the series.

Info: wenatcheeriverinstitute. org. Tuesday, 11/1, 5:30 p.m.

Clyde Pangborn — Jake Lodato brings to life the aerial stunt pilot best known for achieving the first nonstop transPacific flight in living history.

Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: $5 donation. Info: wvmcc.org. Friday, 11/4, 7 p.m.

Monthly movie on the big screen: Monty Python and the

Holy Grail — Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $3.

Info: numericapac.org. Thursday, 11/10, 6:30 p.m.

Comedian Ron “Tater Salad” White — Ron has always been a

classic storyteller. His stories relay tales from his real life, ranging from growing up in a small town in Texas to sharing stores of his daily life becoming one of the most successful comedians in America. Town Toyota Center.

Cost: $51 and $65. Info: towntoyotacenter.org. Friday, 11/11, 8 p.m

Environmental Film and lecture series: To make a Farm —This beautifully photo-

graphed documentary explores

2016 N UMERICA

FESTIVAL TREES of

W E N AT C H E E

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November 2016

day music, view a variety of trees and wreaths, bid in the silent auction and enter to win raffle items. Sunday will be a day of storytelling with treats, special guests, a puppet show and free pictures with Santa. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: free. Info: numericapac.org.

Thursday through Sunday, 11/17, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., 11/18, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., 11/19, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. 11/20, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Holiday Spice — Celebrate the season through dance, music and comedy performances. Two community members will be honored as the 2016 Stanley Lifetime Achievement Award winners. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $25/$29. Info: numericapac.org. Friday, 11/18, 7 p.m. and Saturday, 11/19, 2 p.m.

‘My Dad is not my father’ The surprising and confounding results of a DNA test

By Alex Saliby My Dad was a quiet man when sober.

But, I watched him once punch a man so hard in the face the man rocketed backwards off his barstool through the window of Andy’s Bar and Grill on Clinton Street. Both men had been drinking. Dad was a mean drunk.

I also cowered one evening beneath the kitchen table of our third floor apartment on Clinton Street, having run under there after I saw my Dad slap my mother.

From experience, she ran and locked herself in the bathroom.

Dad pounded on the door cursing her. Frustrated, he turned and walked away. Just inside the living room, he tripped over my new puppy and fell flat on his face.

He was sufficiently drunk that he had difficulty getting himself up off the floor, but when he was once again standing, he stooped to pick up the puppy. With the dog firmly held in his left hand — he was a southpaw — he stumbled back into the kitchen, opened the hall door, took a step out on to the hall landing and

A family photo from 1987: Seated are Alexander Saliby, Jr. and Irene Saliby.

Standing are Alex, top right, and his son, Byron A. Saliby. This was the first time Alex’s dad and mom had been together since the separation in May of 1948, and well before Alex learned about DNA testing.

hurled the dog, overhand down the three flights of stairs.

I heard the dog’s howls as he

thumped and bumped down the stairs. Then there was silence, and I was without a puppy

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again. Dad was a quiet man, but a mean drunk. Problem was, he was drunk too often.

Those are the negative memories.

True, they are sharper, clearer in my mind’s eye than the softer moments with him. I don’t know why that is. Why do we in retrospect have such sharp, clear visions of those events that should clearly be forgotten, and such foggy recollections of the smiles and the baseball games and the holiday meals?

Dad was also the star pitcher on his local softball team. I don’t recall the name of the team except to say it was the name of a Clinton Street beer joint back in the ’40s after the war.

Mom and Dad divorced when I was nine; he moved out of our rented apartment and Mom moved us to Irvington, New Jersey at the end of the school year.

The divorce was final in 1951; New York law at the time required a three year time period to pass before issuing the final divorce papers.

I believe it was 1952 when Dad and Uncle Mike and another friend of theirs drove from Binghamton, N.Y., to Irvington, N.J.,

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to drop by for an unannounced, unplanned visit. It was a Saturday, and the guys were attending a Yankee game and hoping to see Whitey Ford pitch.

As best I can recall, Mom and Grandma were home, but my two brothers were off enjoying the Saturday in the park, and I was heading out to a stickball game at the Grove Street school’s playground.

We spent practically no time together, as the men had to drive to the Yankee game. The adults departed with polite words to Mom and Grandma; Dad and I hugged, and Uncle Mike shook my hand, slipping me a half-dollar in the hand-

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shake. It was a short but pleasant meeting for me.

I never saw my Dad after that until I graduated from high school in 1958, when a friend and I, in the friend’s car, drove to Binghamton to visit the family and say hello again to my Dad. Dad was a different man. He’d remarried and had quit drinking any alcohol shortly after having had his right kidney removed; I never did understand exactly why he had kidney surgery, but I thought of him when I was going in to have my cancerous right kidney removed.

This new man, with his new wife, was a different person. He was quiet, very soft-spoken and almost shy, but also, quick to laugh when the moment called for laughter and smiles.

His new wife seemed to be a better fit to my Dad than my mother had been. Of course, during all of his relationship with Mom and the family, alcohol ruled the day, and that dragon was now slain.

One other factor that might have contributed to the more successful marriage Dad seemed to be enjoying was the matter of economics. He was living in 1958 in a home he and his wife were purchasing through the EJ company home plan.

The company, Endicott-Johnson Shoe Company, purchased land, developed it, built homes on the property and sold the homes to qualified employees.

There was that, and the fact that in the years since the divorce and departure of his sons, my Dad had a fixed, monthly child support payment that never increased during the years.

Dad’s salary, though, did increase, and he had a wife with a full-time job at EJ’s also. So the household had dual income with minimal child support expenses.

I have the hand written note Dad wrote Mom and mailed to her after my 18th birthday; it’s a short note written by hand on a spiral note sheet, two inches by four inches and ripped off

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November 2016

That sounds negative toward my dad, and I honestly don’t mean it that way; these were two young, uneducated people from different heritages and different backgrounds... the metal spiral. Simply stated, the note says: “The lawyer says, Dickie’s now 18 so I’ll pay you $50.00 a month until Bobbie turns 18, if you agree.”

The award in 1949 was for $75 per month for child support, $25 per child. Without seeking legal advice, mom simply accepted the reduced income, despite the increasing expenses in her own life because she was raising three children on her own.

That sounds negative toward my Dad, and I honestly don’t mean it that way; these were two young, uneducated people from different heritages and different backgrounds, who met and dated, probably starting from their hormonal attraction to each other’s good looks. Dad was handsome, Mom was cute, but she was also a sweet, delightful charmer who lived her life without any real enemies.

The three of us lived out our lives apart from each other.

My life took me to Missouri, Michigan, California, Georgia, then Connecticut. Mom moved to California in 1969 and was there until 1988. Dad never left the Tri-Cities. He died in 1987, but before he did, they had one final Christmas meal together at our home in Connecticut. Mom died in 2011.

I was never close to my Dad, and I always blamed circumstance for that lack of connection, and perhaps that was the

case.

However, in 2014 I sent off to Ancestry.com and had my DNA analyzed.

Results from the analysis came back and I remember being a bit unhappy, thinking the results inaccurate, as it stated names and places and cousins I knew were not mine. I read the details, printed a copy of the online details Ancestry provided, and closed the book on the matter, or at least I thought I did.

Fast forward to late February of 2016 and Ancestry informed me they’d found two first cousins of mine.

One of the first cousins and I communicated via Ancestry and email and I became convinced: my Dad was not my father.

Seeking further corroboration, I also had a DNA check through National Geographic and received the same information.

Then two cousins and a halfsister visited, bringing dozens of old photos. Some of the resemblances to me are remarkable.

Dad’s family was Ukrainian; my DNA says that on my father’s side I’m 44 percent Italian/ Greek. I’ve spent months examining details, and as of this writing, I’m 99 percent convinced that Dad was not my biological father.

I know now that Mom was three months pregnant on her wedding day. They were married May 6, 1939. I was born Nov. 8, 1939.

Talk about system shock! This is a prime example.

Half of my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents are, in truth, not related to me biologically. When I sorted through the facts, I was crushed.

My favorite uncle, Dad’s youngest brother, was my mentor both directly and indirectly — we even worked for the same company, IBM. Dad’s other brothers and his sister were important in my life.

They were my family. I hope I can still consider them that way.

So, if Dad was not my father, who was? Enter DNA. Right

Two dads, one father: Alexander Saliby, Jr., top left, and Luigi Resciniti, pictured both in their early 40s. At bottom is son Alex, on a trip to France, also pictured in his early 40s. “This is the one I think I look most like my biological father,” said Alex. “It’s an eyebrow/nose thing in my opinion. I guess I keep looking for data beyond the DNA — is that normal after 76 years of ignorance?”

now, I am trying to fill in the details, although all the principal parties are now resting in a far more permanent place.

There are no facts linking my mother with a different man. All that exists is circumstance.

My mother, living at #2 Florence Ave, Binghamton, N.Y., worked at a laundry near a dry cleaners. The son of the owners of the cleaners worked at their business. What we have is the proximity of a 20-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man who had the opportunity to create me.

As far as I know, I never met or knew my biological father, although my family lived not far from his for several years after

my birth.

So many questions will forever go unanswered.

Did my mother have any idea that my Dad wasn’t my father?

In her final journal, my mother continued to speak of her three sons as the children of the man I knew as my Dad. But I did learn from my newlydiscovered cousin and half-sister that after I moved to New Jersey, the man I now call my father — Luigi Resciniti — told other family members that he had a son.

Did he communicate with my mother? He knew my age, where I was in New Jersey, who my mother was and our address in Binghamton. However, he never

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made himself known to me.

Everyone of that generation is gone. Only DNA, plus pictures and stories from my father’s family, remain to answer my questions.

All those in both families who might have first-hand information of the relationship my mother had with my biological father are long gone, so there is no way to get at the real truth.

But there was one more effort I could undertake. I could send off for my DNA analysis to the National Geographic’s haplogroup study. My first cousin’s brother had his DNA analyzed there. This analysis differs slightly from the Ancestry.com data in that it isolates the “X” chromosome and the “Y” chromosome into their haplogroup origins.

I took the advice of that first cousin, and when the analysis was returned, I shared the news with her because, as it turned out, my male chromosome haplogroup ancestry is identical to her brothers’.

She and her brothers are children of the brother of the man who, as it turns out, is my biological father — the same young man who worked at that dry cleaners when Mom worked at the laundry next door.

It’s been an interesting year, and I’ve only begun to dig in and learn about my new relations. It turns out that I have a half-sister and two half- brothers, and perhaps scads of cousins. Ancestry. com says they’ve already identified 42.

Yes, it’s true I wish I’d met and known my biological father, for he seems to have been a delightful man of many talents.

At the same time, however, Dad will always be my Dad. In my adult years, he was there for me as I matured and had my own family, and we all had many good times together.

RIP Dad, I love you.

Alex Saliby is also the wine columnist for The Good Life and has been married to his wife Joanne for 55 years.

They live in Leavenworth.

Backyard

Homesteader Story and Photos

By Eron Drew

Shaye Elliott loves food.

Upon entering her kitchen, one is immediately swallowed up by the intimacy of the relationship she and her family share with each other and with the land around them.

A bowl of newly harvested ripe tomatoes adorns the countertop adjacent to the stove. On a sideboard sits a curing slab of pork alongside a basket filled to the brim with a colorful medley of fresh eggs.

Sunlight streams through the recently remodeled kitchen window and bounces off the whitewashed antique floorboards. A small vegetable garden stands visible just beyond the panes of glass. In the distance stands the barn filled with sheep, cows, ducks and pigs.

This is the life that Shaye has built for herself, alongside her husband Stuart.

Their old farmhouse sits in the middle of their two-and-one-quarter acre parcel, nestled between rows of orchard on the

Shaye Elliott’s kitchen is often a hive of activity culminating in some amazing home-cooked meals for her family or friends.

Malaga plateau. It is comfortable, warm and inviting… and swarming with activity.

On this particular day Shaye is in the

process of preparing a meal for a friend who recently gave birth to a new baby. While she chops, her husband Stuart cares for their

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“Once you get a taste of fresh, you can’t go back!” youngest daughter as the three older children wind themselves between their parents’ legs and race out of the room. Welcome to the world of homesteading.

For Shaye and Stuart, their love of farm life has morphed into both a lifestyle and a full-time career. In October, Shaye published her second major cookbook and she and Stuart are currently in the process of writing a third book on the art of backyard homesteading. Neither hold an off-farm career but instead devote themselves fully to their children, their animals, their writing and their blog.

Life for the Elliott Homestead was not always this way.

“I was a poor cook and used poor ingredients,” Shaye said about herself.

Then about five or six years ago, she checked out a vegan cookbook from the library. Although not a vegan herself, it opened her eyes to the link between good health and good ingredients. That is when she began to experiment with locally sourced food.

“Once you get a taste of fresh, you can’t go back!” she said emphatically, her eyes shining.

For Shaye and Stuart, their first real experiment with raising protein came in the form of several meat rabbits. At the time, the couple was living in a small town in Alabama where Stuart was employed as a teacher for a private Christian school. Without the space for larger animals, they were able to practice their homesteading skills by gardening, canning and learning to butcher.

When asked what references were useful when learning the proper way of dressing a rabbit, Stuart smiled and laughed. His answer; “YouTube videos.”

The couple now raise beef, lamb and pork in addition to the rabbits, some ducks and chickens for eggs and bees for honey.

When discussing the butchering process, the conversation turns serious. Even their children participate on butchering days.

“You become aware of the veil between life and death. Butchering your own animals helps you to appreciate the life cycle,” said Shaye. For the Elliotts, it is important that their children understand this as well.

The couple also produces all their own

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The Elliott boys spend hours hard at play in the family’s garden, under the close supervision of their father Stuart and their baby sister.

Backyard, yes; but backward, no B

ackyard homesteading is the art of turning a very small plot of land (usually under three acres in size) into a functional traditional “homestead,” complete with vegetable crops, permanent fruit plantings, beekeeping and/or animal husbandry.

As real estate prices continue to climb, building a traditional farm from scratch is nearly unachievable for a young person (think Gen X and younger) who is not poised to inherit an already established farm or a larger chunk of property.

Those who are not in the position to inherit land have turned to their (often) urban yards to fulfill their dreams of once again returning to the country and feeling the reward of reaping what they have sown.

More often than not, there still exists the underlying assumption that a “homesteader” is also a “luddite,” often defined as a person opposed to new technology.

It feels counterintuitive to assume that a person who has a talent for traditional home-making skills would also be savvy and educated when it comes to online marketing and sales.

However, for Shaye Elliott, this diversified skill set is exactly what has allowed her to make a career out of backyard homesteading. In a sense, the Elliott Homestead is the

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quintessential model of a modern 21st Century farm, complete with an integrated webbased platform (www.theelliotthomestead. com) of available goods and services.

Shaye began her online presence in 2010 with the inception of her small personal blog. Since that time, she has gone from a virtually unknown persona to receiving over 100,000 individual hits a month on her current website.

Shaye has also sold more than 8,000 copies of her first cookbook, which can be found on Amazon.

Her online skills have allowed her to work from home as a representative for doTerra essential oils. She now has over 3,500 people associated with this part of her business life and the additional income has helped to finance all the improvements the family has made to their farm.

Knowing this, it is not hard to see that the future skill set for any small-scale entrepreneur will require a comfortable knowledge of their chosen craft with the confidence of a social media guru.

For the Elliot Homestead they seem to have found the right balance between both, which has allowed their business and home life to thrive.

— Eron Drew |

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Backyard Homesteaders }}} Continued from previous page dairy products including milk and butter. They purchased their first dairy cow off of Craigslist only days before arriving back in Malaga from Alabama after Stuart accepted a teaching position at The River Academy in Wenatchee. Already in milk, the cow arrived 48 hours after they had moved into their new home.

“We had no experience with milking a cow. It was trial by fire,” said Shaye. Now, several years later, Shaye loves hand milking twice a day. “I joke that I know my cow’s teats better than the back of my hand,” which, she insists, is a good thing.

There is no shortage of hard work that goes along with farm life.

A backyard homestead lifestyle is not always easy, but it has its backroad rewards.

Although it is incredibly satisfying and offers up a bounty of rewards in the form of delicious wholesome food, this is not a lifestyle choice that works for everyone.

For instance, the Elliott family does not often travel far from home. With the myriad of livestock that require constant daily attention, it is not easy to find someone to farm-sit for long periods of time.

This is also not a lifestyle choice that should be made as a way of saving money. “Don’t do this out of frugality,” said Shaye, “it’s expensive to set up a farm.” Stuart piped in, ”From a cost-benefit stand point, it is not apples to apples with the grocery store. It is hard work and emotionally challenging. The loss of an animal is like the loss of a family member.”

And occasionally, an animal dies and often, things break.

“Some days are easy and the animals simply need food and water. Other days a fence breaks and you are chasing a cow through the orchard. And cows can run fast!”

Stuart does maintain that when a routine is set up, the day-to-day care is not a big deal “But in the morning, you don’t know what you’ll find.”

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In the end, what keeps the Elliotts motivated to continue to homestead in our world of unlimited conveniences?

For this family, a major motivator is their four young children. “We want our children to value what sustains life. We want to avoid the disconnect that comes from our modern society. Our kids have no idea how good they have it,” said Shaye.

And they want a lifestyle that allows them to be cohesive as a family. By homeschooling their children, they are able to pass along these simple values through everyday life lessons that happen right at home. They also hope to pass along their knowledge to others through their books and their blog.

“Our hope is to open up the idea of different food; to feeding your soul,” said Shaye. “This is how people existed for thousands of years, when people had to think about food. Now, we don’t. We’re missing out on being connected to the part of who we are that is real. This is a community lifestyle.”

Eron Drew lives on 10 acres in Leavenworth where she dabbles in the art of backyard homesteading alongside her talented husband and two precocious children.

Steve made these moccasins when he was 15 years old.

Piano playing mountain man Steve Morton is a man of many talents, none of which he does in a half-hearted way

S

Story by Marlene Farrell Photos by Kevin Farrell

teve Morton doesn’t do anything halfway.

Whether he’s playing piano before large crowds or going on a solo horse packing trip, he is driven by thoughtful intention, discipline, attention to detail and a sense of gratitude.

Steve has strong musical roots. His grandmother was a concert pianist in Duluth, MN. She played for all the major civic gatherings and even accompanied famous travelling singers, like the opera singer Enrico Caruso.

His father was a percussionist, who was accomplished enough to be the lead drummer in city parades at the age of 12.

With this heritage, Steve had access and the expectation of playing music. He started banging on drums when he was three.

“At age seven I started piano, learning from a stack of self-teaching books,” he said. “My mother was strict; I wasn’t allowed to play outside until I had spent my allotted time at the piano.”

He played drums in high school and college, and has always made time for piano, no matter where he lives. “There’s never been a time I didn’t play piano. It relaxes me at the end of the day. I can just play away my cares.”

He has played piano for family gatherings and church functions. Then, in 1984, for fun, he began playing during the weekend brunch at the newly opened hotel, the Enzian. When he returned to Leavenworth for retirement, he took two evening shifts of piano playing in the Enzian’s lobby. He also loves to play for a packed crowd at Christmas time. “There are sing-alongs every night of December, and I usually play about 50 songs.”

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Steve is ready for winter weather in his thick and long buffalo coat.

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Steve Morton }}} Continued from previous page Whenever he plays, he brings songbooks so he can take requests, though he can also play dozens of songs from memory, often from his own arrangement.

It was about more than entertainment, it was about excellence, that drove him to make a CD in 2014, titled, Songs I Like to Play at the Enzian. Steve said, “I made the CD for my children.

It was so popular that the first 300 sold out, and I had to order more.”

He’s busy now, practicing hours a day to prepare for recording a Christmas CD. “Making a CD is mentally taxing. To not make a single mistake in a piece with a thousand notes is almost impossible.”

As he did with the piano, Steve taught himself tanning and leatherwork. He learned to make knife and axe sheaths when he was a teenager. He then moved on to moccasins. He learned beadwork for his moccasins, and has also made vests, fringed coats and a buffalo coat.

The tanning is strenuous, smelly work that he does in his garage. After the skin, be it elk, deer, or cow, is pickled in a sulfuric acid brew, it must be manually rubbed against a hard surface, day after day, to break

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Playing piano for an evening gathering at the Enzian.

down the fibers and make the skin supple.

“Each item is a whole winter’s project. Each stitch has to be punched with an awl. All the fringing is done by hand,” he said.

The buffalo coat is his 40-pound masterpiece. The coat’s long brown fur extends down to his ankles, is lined with flannel, and is trimmed with a black rabbit fur collar and grizzly bear claws on the shoulders.

He designed it based upon what a stagecoach driver would wear for hours in below freezing

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Hannah, Ginger and Frances eagerly greet Steve each morning.

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temperatures.

The coat got its most use when Steve led sleigh rides for Red Tail Canyon Farm.

Not everyone could wear such a coat, but Steve is a seasoned outdoorsman, both from his upbringing and his distinguished Forest Service career. He was the District Ranger in Leavenworth from 1981-1990 before moving up to the regional office in Missoula.

Once he was there, he had his dream job, managing wilderness and the outfitters for 25 million acres in Region 1.

It was not a desk job. “I spent days and days in the saddle in the backcountry,” he said.

He retired to Leavenworth in 2002, and the backcountry will always feel like a second home.

At 73, he has fewer friends who want to go overnight, but he still gets in several trips a year, plus lots of day trips. Some of his favorite local destinations include Meander Meadow and the Ladies Lakes area above Chatter Creek.

He takes his beloved horse Frances and mules Ginger and Hannah, who each have over 18,000 trail miles under their hooves. The mules come along to carry supplies and for hauling out a carcass during elk hunting season.

Hunting, like leatherwork, is more than a pleasurable hobby.

“Having primitive skills is important,” Steve said, though he doesn’t consider himself a prepper.

“What if we were thrust back into the colonial days due to a natural disaster? The pioneers had no electricity, and they survived.” Steve certainly has pioneer skills; he knows how to hunt, cure meat, preserve food, make clothes, and knows the edible plants of the forest.

And yet, Steve’s piano playing is a testament to his optimism.

Steve holds his elk hide mukluks while wearing his fringed jacket.

And his optimism is born in his faith. “I owe God for all my happiness. I give him credit for any good I have done.”

Whether he’s playing piano for folks at the Enzian, riding into the woods with his team or spending long winter nights

perfecting a new leather coat, Steve’s pursuit of beauty, excellence and necessity prove to be one and the same.

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A restored buckboard (below) is the centerpiece of a pioneer town created by Sue Blanchard in her backyard.

LITTLE TOWN ON THE PRAIRIE (but settled in the backyard of suburban East Wenatchee)

discover artifacts from the lives of more than six generations: cast iron stoves, copper kettles hanging from beams, trivets, butter churns, spinning wheels, coffee grinders and Amazing Grace played on an antique pump organ.

Yep, I’m hooked (and thankfully, so is the husband I also collected more than 40-plus years ago) on living with and learning about past generations — ours, yours, anybody’s.

They say that my father, a WWII veteran, was from the Greatest Generation. But in many ways so were my 1904

By Sue Blanchard As a child from a large family with Depression-era parents and turn-of-the-century grandparents, I was schooled early-on to not be wasteful, to appreciate what you are given, to say thank you and to take good care of everything so it lasts and can be passed down.

As an adult, these time-tested responsibilities translated into a passion for collecting antiques and preserving the past, no matter whose past. Come into our home and yard and you will

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pioneer life essentials The General Store served far more than restocking of supplies. In its earliest days, it was the center of trade and barter, community gatherings and news, post office, bank, courthouse and, later, catalog orders. Sears and Montgomery Ward were on the frontier, too.

The Boarding House was essential to newly-arriving stage coach and train travelers, salesmen, businessmen and even the settlers themselves, since their “stakes and holdings” and homesteads were often many miles and more than a day’s ride from any town.

The buckboard came as a group of weathered parts. Sue learned to operate belt, rotary and finish sanders, made her own “custom” parts, scraped all the paint from the rounded surfaces of the wheels and axles, and learned to use a come-along, ropes and levers to “pull it all together.” She laid each and every one of the 207 granite stones in the pathway, each weighing 60-75 pounds, using “true grit” and a crowbar. “All in keeping with the spirit of the pioneer woman,” she explained.

Up until the mid-1800s, no transportation moved faster than the horse. The Livery Stable not only stabled, fed and re-stocked horses, but also the oxen and mules that pulled the wagon trains. Early blacksmiths also could be found at the livery, forging shoes for livestock and repairing wagons, wheels, plows and tools.

The Covered Wagon was only four feet wide and 10 to 12 feet long and had to haul an entire family plus more than an additional ton of required food, water, kitchenware, stove, clothes, bedding, tools, plows, seed, ammunition and heavy spare wagon parts. Canvas covers, made from hemp, were stretched and tied over hickory bows and liberally waterproofed with linseed oil or paint. Wagon beds were chinked and greased to better float during river crossings.

Teams of 10-12 mules or horses, or six yoked oxen were needed to pull the fully stocked wagons, weighing more than 1.5 tons. Mules and oxen were generally preferred. Mules were sure footed, had more endurance than a horse, and were faster than oxen.

Oxen were slower, but had more strength, and their dentition allowed them to chew the already grazed stubble of the prairie grass.

— Sue Blanchard grandparents, who raised six daughters during the Great Depression and that same war.

And so was my 1885 great-grandmother, who raised her only son by herself, running a boarding house. And so were her grandparents who emigrated with entire families westward by covered wagon in the 1840s.

That is why we were inspired to create an authentic 1800’s pioneer town in our East Wenatchee backyard. This project was never originally imagined or intended — it actually began with an unexpected

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Pioneer town

a hand-laid granite trail wandering (where else) westward through our backyard, all framed by the beautiful backdrop of Stemilt Hill and its distant orchards.

Just as the original wagon trains circled at day’s end, our own wagon project came full circle also, sharing interactive presentations and lectures with heritage groups, antique dealers, clubs and museum personnel throughout the summer.

Neighbors, friends, relatives and passersby stop for photo ops and potlucks and ask in wonderment, “Why?” And we simply answer, “It was a gift...” n A gift from the past n A gift of adventure and discovery n A gift of hope and heartache n A gift embodying the spirit of our foremothers and forefathers n A gift for future generations Now, our simple duty is to preserve, appreciate and take good care of these timeless gifts, passing their stories down as a way of saying thank you to the many generations who found the vision and strength of spirit and faith to pioneer our personal histories and our Wenatchee Valley.

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discovery.

On an early summer day in 2015, I went to the wrong yard sale, discovered the remnants of an old, dilapidated buckboard lying in the yard’s tall grass, and knew I was meant to bring its history back to life.

So, just as the pioneers did, I bartered for the various wagon parts and hauled them home. There were no instructions on Pinterest on how this DIY project should turn out, or how many original pieces were missing, but I was inspired and determined.

Three hot summer months later and 275 hours of scraping, sanding, drilling, oiling and assembling, my Laura Ingalls’ moment was completed — an antique buckboard wagon filled with the cargo, tools and utensils that our pioneer ancestors needed and used to span the prairies and, come to think of it, to discover and settle our own Wenatchee Valley.

This was our very own Diddlin Dora’s rooming house and the Settlers General Store, along with historic tools and a history coming to life. campfire, are part of Sue Blanchard’s historical village.

But wait — an 1800’s wagon is more than rejournals to gain understandusing pioneer recipes helped me stored wooden wheels, leather ing and empathy for the cirexperience firsthand the imSue provides two free summer group lectures and garden tours on The reins, canvas and axles; it is cumstances and necessities for portance of make-do creativity Spirit of the Pioneer Woman and the iconic symbol of a pioneer leaving all behind and trekking and the trials of early domestic The History and Mystery of Herbs. If life that relied and survived on westward. skills. your group would like to participate, courage, grit and faith, on unOregon Trail wagon train Just like boom towns during email her at Blanchard601sk@gmailtested talents and skills. records itemized the actual the Gold Rush and westward com or call 884-6993.

The history of this wagon supplies required for both travel movement, bam wood buildings, Sue Blanchard is a 69-year-old retired and its story needed something and survival. barrels, plows and boardwalks nurse, past Eastmont School Board more — a trail, a destination, a Hand-stitched quilting of sprang up amid our gardens the member and an avid gardener, public purpose — to complete its nara pioneer apron, bonnet and spring and summer of 2016. speaker and writer who believes life rative. cloth doll, learning about herbal A well-stocked general store, in retirement should be generative, Over the winter months, we medicines and remedies, churn- boarding house and livery stable fun and always have a “project” waiting in the wings. absorbed pioneer diaries and ing butter, and cast iron cooking now settle with the wagon on

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Icicle Creek tumbles and swirls through the Rock Island Campground.

solo camping

When life gets harried, and people start closing in, there’s nothing like the peace of camping by myself Story and Photos

By Molly Steere I tore up the gravel road leaving a trail of dust behind me, positively vibrating with a sense of adventure and escape.

Yet I already had that familiar cold weight in my stomach that shows up when I leave my husband and son.

This juxtaposition of competing emotions is something I’ve had to become comfortable with. I love my little family more than anything, but if I don’t step away once in awhile I get restless and agitated, like a caged animal.

As an extreme introvert, I need to recharge. Solo camping is my preferred method.

When I head out on these

Seating for one — solo camping offers plenty of quiet time for the rush of the everyday world to drop away.

trips, the first question people ask is, “aren’t you scared?” and then, “are you bringing a gun?”

Nope, not any more scared than I would be at home. Actually, my anxiety is probably November 2016 | The Good Life

worse at home because I’m driven to make everything right in the world.

As for the second question, I do not have safe gun handling skills. I would more likely acwww.ncwgoodlife.com

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cidentally shoot myself than a threatening person or animal if I was packing. But I do pack a stuffed animal. I’m tough like that.

In the summer, I do a lot of midweek camping with my seven-year-old son while my husband slaves away at work. I treasure these outings, but they can be exhausting. The endless bike laps, lack of sleep, tossing the baseball (ugh) and prepping seven meals and 13 snacks per day for one half-sized human is hectic.

It can feel like I’m taking an entire baseball (ugh) team to a water slide park when none of them can swim. And they’ve been eating sugar all day. It’s fun and all, but not exactly restful.

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Ripened Cascade Mountain Ash berries add color to a fall hike.

Molly Steere waits out the rain in her tent.

Solo camping }}} Continued from previous page Growing up, the majority of our vacations were backpacking trips. I did the Chilkoot trail (the original Klondike gold rush trail between Canada and Alaska), when I was four, and continued backpacking and climbing for the next several decades.

I can set up camp and boil gallons of water like nobody’s business on a glacier in a snowstorm.

But if my husband is around, I sort of expect him to take over the hard labor of camp set up.

Icicle Creek from the Icicle Gorge Loop trail.

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I loathe that. It makes me feel like I’ve fallen prey to the belief that women are weak, need protected and can’t follow the basics steps to keep themselves alive and comfortable. I don’t want to feed that stigma by shying away from camping by myself.

Although comfortable with solo camping, I do consider safety while I’m out on my own.

I try to find an area or campground that I’m familiar with and have a good feel for. Small, far from any town and lacking in cell-coverage so I can’t attempt to micromanage my household while getting away (my husband and son need the freedom to eat ice cream for dinner, stay up late and watch TV in their underwear). Preferably somewhere down a long gravel road that gives me a lot of space and little hassle.

I definitely don’t post where I’m going on social media, but I do tell family where I’ll be and when I expect to be back. While camping, I make eye contact with anyone I come across and stroll the area noting people, cars, or camps. I keep my car keys on me at all times in case I need to make a quick escape

Just the opportunity to go to the bathroom without a crowd of humans and pets waiting for me on the other side of the door is worth the price of admission. (in case I get spooked, but more likely in case I need to make an emergency snack run).

If you’re not as adverse to people as I am, you can camp near a campground host (if there is one) or near a family.

Instead, I occasionally bring my dog, but she would sooner point a thief to my wallet than bark out a warning.

Bring whatever it takes to make you feel more comfortable: a whistle, bright lights, bear spray or any number of safety items.

I’m often asked, “don’t you get bored?” Nope. Never. Not in the least.

Again, I’m a full-fledged introvert so not speaking to a soul for the entire duration of my trip is my idea of bliss. I yearn for that kind of solitude. Just the opportunity to go to the bathroom without a crowd of humans and pets waiting for me on the other side of the door is worth the price of admission.

A recent outing found me up Icicle Creek at the Rock Island campground (about 18 miles out of Leavenworth). This area offered me an entire section of campground to myself, separated from other campers by water and road. Perfect. I had a trail that led to my very own beach, and immediate access to hiking trails awash with fall colors.

I brought my giant, comfy “zero gravity” chair (a necessity for those of us who have had too

many neck surgeries), a good book, a little booze, junk food, a phone for taking pictures, a journal, and my walking shoes.

My schedule was simple: hike, read, eat. Lather, rinse, repeat.

The knots in my brain finally had a chance to unwind. I was able to assess my progress and goals, and process the past week, month and season.

These days, busyness is glorified, but it doesn’t give us a chance to truly live. We all need space and time to help ease us out of survival mode.

Personally, I need to connect with nature and myself. I need to breathe, wander, watch the stars, witness the bats feeding at dusk and listen to the sounds of the natural world.

On this particular trip, I woke up on my departure day and it was pouring. At first I was disappointed, but this forced me to become even more still.

I chose to stay in my tent for a few hours before packing up in the downpour. I read, and then just laid back and watched the raindrops hitting my tent, enjoying the sound and the coziness of my sleeping bag. It was glorious.

I headed back home with a nourished soul, able to return to my family at peace and fully present.

That lasted about seven minutes once confronted by the straight-up crazy that is my household. I remind myself that sometimes, it’s the anticipation and act that matter more than the aftereffects.

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Molly Steere is a local freelance writer who loves to get outside and enjoy our beautiful valley at every opportunity.

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Where the wild wolves roam

The Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Project captured this photo of a wild wolf in the Teanaway area. Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Project / Conservation Northwest

Howl in the night was call to become avid wolf researcher

W

By Jaana Hatton

e are still not so far removed from the wild, not so technology-dulled that natural phenomena cannot touch us.

There are DNA-deep instincts, which, on occasion, nudge the primal person in us to the front.

For Link Transit Maintenance and Technology Manager, Todd Daniels, such a moment took place on December 15, 2009.

“It was a cold, still night — the kind that carries sound a long distance,“ Todd recalled. “I had been snow-shoeing on Yellow Hill on the north fork of the Teanaway River. It was getting dark on my return trek.”

As he was making his way back to his car, an unexpected sound stopped him at a standstill. A howl echoed on the hillsides, and Todd knew what it was.

“Hearing the wolf howl was amazing and unmistakable. It felt truly wild. I was immediately transported to the days of the Wild West, as the wolf call is

so often used in the old Western movies as a background sound,” Todd said.

He heard a few responding calls and then, nothing. All was quiet again. They were done with their evening conversation.

But for Todd, it was the beginning moment of a passionate pursuit to protect the wolves.

During the week Todd focuses on keeping Wenatchee’s public transportation running, and on the weekends he heads for the wilderness. Without fail.

“After that first time I heard the call, I returned the next weekend to see what I could find. And sure enough, there were two tracks alongside a road. Most likely the wolves were rabbit hunting,” Todd explained.

Wolves like following old logging roads for the ease of movement. You may find paw prints also slightly off the main track, and kill sites even farther away from traveled areas.

If they come to a fork in the road, they will make an investigative circle around it before deciding on the path they want to follow. Wolves are cautious, but also curious.

“I started doing research at home and went out to look for signs of wolves as much as time

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“Hearing the wolf howl was amazing and unmistakable. It felt truly wild. I was immediately transported to the days of the Wild West...” allowed,” Todd said. “My excursions have taken me all over the Teanaway valley. I searched around Red Top Mountain, Stafford Creek and the Story Creek basin.”

He found an elk-kill site in the Story Creek basin, with the skull and antlers of the carcass intact.

Todd hauled the 30-pound mass of bone home and it now crowns his garden shed in the yard.

“You can tell when an animal has been eaten by wolves: the predator’s powerful jaws can easily break the strongest bone so they can get to the nutritious bone marrow. Other hunting animals don’t have that strength in their teeth,” Todd explained.

There is usually plenty of carcass left over for other animals to eat, and in that way the wolves also feed other animals.

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November 2016

Wolves are an important component in maintaining the wildlife population at a sustainable level.

“There is a balance in nature, and people disrupt it,” Todd lamented.

Ranchers in Washington state do not celebrate the increasing number of wolves in our area; they lose cattle to the hunting animals.

When the ranchers allow their herds to graze on the open range allotments, they also place their animals in danger of being attacked by wildlife.

Should any cattle be killed by a predator, the state offers the ranchers reimbursement, so not all is lost with encounters with domestic and wild animals.

Rather than killing wolves, many ranchers use the aide of range riders or guard dogs to keep an eye on their livestock.

“The wolves have slowly migrated from British Columbia, Idaho, Montana and Oregon, most likely due to the healthy beaver, elk and deer populations in our state,” Todd estimated. “I understand the concern over the increasing numbers of the predators, but it should be controlled with science, not emotions.”

After four years of solitary research and tracking, Todd began to volunteer with Con-

gearing up to track wolves When Todd goes on a day of tracking animals, this is what he takes along: • A 20x60 spotting scope • A 35mm camera • Binoculars • A GPS device • Tracking guide with rulers • Plaster of Paris for making molds of tracks • A small camp stove • A survival kit • A survival knife • Food and water for a day • Layered clothing and rain gear

Todd Daniels ready for a day out in the wild. The elk antlers next to him are a souvenir he collected at a kill-site he discovered.

servation Northwest, which is a Bellingham-based organization helping in wilderness preservation. Their Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Project ranks among the largest in such endeavors in the United States.

With Conservation Northwest’s guidance, Todd has set up game cameras, which the organization prefers not to reveal to the public in order to protect the animals. The track wolves, wolverines, grizzly bears and other species that may wander by.

“We are the eyes for the scientists,” Todd explains about his work with Conservation Northwest. “We supply monthly photos to the organization and the biologists follow up.”

Todd goes out to check the cameras with another conservationist once a month. They write down the GPS location, time, observations, who visited and when they departed. Over time the records accumulate a significant amount of scientific data.

On the other three weekends of

the month Todd goes into the wild on his private surveys.

“Since I started following the wolves I have developed a greater appreciation for this area. I’m still finding new places, after 25 years of living here,” Todd said.

A year ago he was named team leader for the Manastash Ridge wildlife monitoring project.

“When I retire from Link Transit I want to get even more involved in wolf and wildlife conservation. I would like to educate politicians and the public about preserving our wilderness areas,” Todd stated.

“Wildlife is our heritage. Let’s protect what we have now, and leave it even better.”

Chase Gunnell, Deputy Communications Director at Conservation Northwest contributed to the article.

Jaana Hatton is a Wenatchee freelance writer with a special interest in inspiring people. She grew up in the woods, more or less, and continues to enjoy the outdoors. She is looking forward to hearing her first wild wolf call.

November 2016 | The Good Life

Clyde Pangborn enthusiast Jake Lodato brings to life the aerial stunt pilot best-known for achieving the first nonstop trans-Pacific flight in a living history program offered at 7 p.m.

Nov. 4 at the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center. A $5 donation is requested.

Nicknamed “Upside Down Pang,” the World War I veteran performed for the Gates Flying Circus for nine years before undertaking to break several world flight records including the first trans-Pacific flight from Misawa, Japan to the United States. After a series of misadventures that threatened to doom the attempt, Pangborn, flying with copilot Hugh Herndon, belly landed on a strip cut out of sagebrush on Fancher Field near what is now East Wenatchee. The flight took 41 hours and 13 minutes.

The exhibit is slated for the main gallery For more information about the program, Oct. 7 through Feb. 11. contact the museum at (509) 888-6240.

Lodato is a charter member and chief pilot of the Spirit of Wenatchee Project, a group of builders and flyers of the 127 S. Mission St, Wenatchee Miss Veedol, a replica Bellanca aircraft the group flies to air shows and fly-ins in 888-6240 an effort to raise the profile of Pangborn wenatcheevalleymuseum.org and Herndon’s remarkable achievement. www.ncwgoodlife.com

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‘Big

picture’ vision for a wide-open Leavenworth house Story by Susan Lagsdin

n

Photos by Travis Knoop

Super-sized eaves provide respite from summer heat and a snow-free deck for wintertime sunning. Exterior cedar siding is all reclaimed, an ecologically satisfying choice.

The back yard of Matt and

Lindsey Melton’s new house in Leavenworth is a thick tangled forest of ponderosa pine and aspen that’s dense with shrubs, wildflowers and grasses.

No lawn, no patio — it’s nomaintenance landscaping at its finest. “I love being outdoors, and I don’t like mowing lawns,” said Matt. “This view puts me outside all the time — it’s one of the reasons we bought the lot.”

A wall of glass on the first floor and big windows in each upstairs room showcase not only that greenery but daily patterns of sun and shadow.

Lindsey loves the light. She said, “I can’t believe we lived for years in Seattle with so much darkness all around. Here, even if it rains, I finally have light.”

That was one of the few elements she insisted on when her husband began creating their first family home.

AT e HSPoONm SOR

With 17-foot ceilings and essentially a wall of glass, this concentrated three-part central living area is relatively small in square footage but feels wide open in terms of volume.

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November 2016

They’ve been a couple since Wenatchee High School days and 15 years later, after college, jobs and travel they decided to come back to the region again.

A bit jaded with city life and its crowds and cubicles, they yearned for natural beauty and quieter roads.

Matt has a degree from the UW in construction management and was ready to tackle homebuilding. This house has been a long time growing. It was in process for over two years, with Matt taking breaks to work at other projects and also slowing down when their son Torin was born to be an at-home-more dad.

Matt was the general contractor on his own house but readily acknowledges much valuable help from friends, both of the couple’s families and strategic choices of professional labor (for sheetrock, plumbing, and electrical installation, for instance.)

He essentially chose and fitted all the interior finishes and is as

These long kitchen countertops are similar to ones Matt built for his parents several years ago, positioned with enough lateral space for two cooks to work together.

proud of some budget items as he is with some of the top-tier materials he selected.

The conceptual design and the blueprints themselves came from a serendipitous re-connec-

tion with his old school friend Todd Smith.

}}} Continued on next page

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8 Benton Street, Wenatchee, 509-888-0526

Wide-open house }}} Continued from previous page Todd, now a local architect, had lived in Seattle for eight years six blocks away from Matt, but neither of them knew it.

When the Meltons decided to build back in this area, they remembered Todd and called him — coincidentally, he moved back to Leavenworth himself about the same time they came back home.

“Working together with Todd was great — extra fun because we were friends. We spent hours in the basement designing, working on the computer. But,” Matt insists, “Todd is truly the designer. The volume, space and flow are all his ideas.”

Matt’s own area of building expertise is interior concrete work, and so he took special care with counters, benches, the fireplace surround, tub and showers and unique, handcrafted zero-edge sinks.

The soft gray solidity of that material is a counterpoint to pale birch cabinetry and even softer, paler wall paint.

He also learned to weld.

“Those stairs were my first welding job ever. I guess I may have overbuilt them,” he said, recognizing how tangibly secure every footstep feels, even with a floating design. The long wooden farm table in the dining area was his second project.

The master bathroom has the same light openness and clean lines as the rest of the house, and Matt’s concrete counters feature unique handmade sinks — notice the perfectly calibrated, concave wash area.

The couple’s sensibilities tend toward the economical, the natural and the simple, so the lines of the house are almost as important to them as honest materials and energy efficiency.

“I was all set to study architecture in 2007… who knows? I still might,” Matt said. He’d love to put philosophy into practice and tap into his creative vision again.

In this home, he was able to make deliberate choices that make them both proud. A first look proves the point: the long cedar planks that distinguish

the exterior of the house are reclaimed from a dismantled house on Mercer Island.

The extra-deep eaves keep direct sun away, so even with no window blinds and no AC, the upstairs stays cool. The roof has SIP (structural insulated panels) construction for efficiency, and it was framed, insulated and sheathed in only 14 hours.

Matt laid the floors throughout most of the house: simple 5 foot by 10 foot Baltic birch plywood panels, halved, anchored with countersunk black screws and topped with a special water-

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based finish.

The closets’ cool semitranslucent glass panels are a happy contrast with wood. Matt said, “These are all just IKEA, but I penciled it out and I just couldn’t make the sliding birch doors as economically.” The look is sleek and chic.

Lindsey said throughout the project she had complete faith in Matt’s vision. “Well, sometimes I thought he was overextending himself, but he’d slow down for a while and then get back to it… he’s definitely a Big Picture guy — he knew everything he

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November 2016

Matt and Lindsey cuddle with son Torin and their dog, Elsie. They’re returning to their roots, with high school friends and extended family all within easy reach. Photo by Donna Cassidy

What you see is what you get: this slim balcony is the only real “backyard” on the quarter-acre lot – a deliberate choice to minimize yardwork and preserve a forestry feel.

wanted right from the start.”

Matt and Lindsey love their house, but they also feel they can live comfortably in less space. “This house is 2,150 square feet — right now we use about half of that. I think for us the sweet spot is around 1,800 square feet, maybe even smaller….” Matt said.

The south side of the house is unfenced, unadorned and open to the contained little neighborhood that the Meltons have grown to treasure. It’s a frontyard kind of street, a loop where neighbors know each car and bicycle and take time to stop and chat with dog walkers.

Letting go is bittersweet, but

He’ll venture into home building again. “I learned a lot… I could see doing this again a few times.”

The super-private wall of green in the back, deliberately untouched, puts the whole family into enchanted forest mode, but the front opens on to another world.

design center

they’ll stay in familiar, familyfilled territory. They’re prepared to sell, prepared to move, and prepared to do it all over again.

Travis Knoop is a local real estate photographer working in Central Washington. More of his work can be found at www.TravisKnoopPhotography.com.

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PET tales

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

W

e taught our blind Golden Retriever to ring a bell at the patio door to go in and out; our cat copied the dog, and our stray, adopted chicken copied the cat.

Chickeepooh rings the bell and loudly clucks to be let in the back door, fly up onto the mud room table and lay her daily egg in a straw-lined wine basket.

Yes, she also tried to hatch the antique doorknob that is next to the basket.

— Sue and Paul (who is holding Chickeepooh) Blanchard

J

acob Sherman, Moses Lake, rests while walking along the riverfront with his dog, Chief.

Jacob said that Chief was the runt of the litter when he got him 11 years ago out of the Nickel ads.

Chief is a pit bull and what Jacob likes most about Chief is his personality.

“He is that thing in your life the keeps you positive,” said Jacob.

Dr. Ty Johnson, DVM Cascade Veterinary Clinic 509-663-0793.

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| The Good Life

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November 2016

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column GARDEN OF DELIGHTS

bonnie orr

Onions add to a savory Thanksgiving Onions complement

perched on top of the onion halves.

If you hollow out the onion to place the stuffing inside, there is hardly any onion left to bake — and you would miss the entire point of cooking this recipe.

One of the Swiss-type cheese, Comte, Emmental or Gruyere, is my favorite finish for this onion dish. The onions will be sweet and remain firm and crunchy and will need to be eaten with a knife and fork.

A fresh crispy onion

nearly all savory foods — dish beats heavy, and baked turkey with creamy vegetables sage dressing is definitely any day of the week... savory. but especially on The traditional onion dish served at ThanksgivThanksgiving. ing for the last 80 years or so has been pearl onions and green peas enveloped in a cream sauce. I once saw a recipe for these ingredients incorporating evaporated milk for the sauce. It was a promotion to promote the use of canned milk.

The classic dish, pearl onions and green peas, is served hot. Yummy — but the cream sauce could edge out tummy room for the pecan pie.

I started thinking about Often, there is not enough creating a recipe that has a time to cook the onions with familiarity, yet can be served very slow heat to create the at room temperature (saving creamy, golden texture. So do oven or stovetop room for other it days ahead of time, then use delights) and would allow the the onions combined with other veggies to speak for themselves ingredients. Don’t store them in without being muffled in a rich the freezer. sauce.

Onions can become sweet or 1/4 cup butter tangy depending on how you 4 large onions — about two pounds prepare them. Fast cooking caramelizes the sugar and creSlice the onions into rings or small ates a tangy taste. Slow cooking chunks. stabilizes the sweet flavor. You Melt the butter in a large sauce pan. do not need to use super sweet Cook on low heat for about 30 minonions. Common yellow onions utes. The onions should not take on can be more successful because color for the first 15 minutes. they have less water than a Stir every once in a while. sweet onion such as a Walla Cook until the onions are golden color but not dark brown nor burned.

Walla Sweet.

Burned onions are bitter.

Don’t cook these recipes merely for Thanksgiving, but use them for your fall dinners because they are homey, satisfying and delicious. These are all make-ahead recipes. The dishes can be reheated or served at This is a colorful side dish. room temperature The carrots and onions are both

Pre-fab onions

Tangy onions and carrots

November 2016 | The Good Life

Serves 8 45 minutes cook; 15 minutes prep

sweet and combine beautifully with savory or spicy dishes.

Serves 8; 20 minutes 3 cups sliced carrots 2 teaspoons sesame oil 1 clove garlic chopped finely 2 tablespoons sesame seeds 3 cups chopped onion 1 tablespoon sugar 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar Salt/white pepper 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley Cook the sliced carrots in the microwave for 2 minutes.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the garlic and sesame seeds. Cook 1 minute.

Add the onions, sugar, vinegar and carrots.

Cook over low heat until the vegetables are soft.

Stir in the parsley.

Stuffed baked onions The “stuffing” is actually www.ncwgoodlife.com

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2 Tablespoon olive oil 4 very large red or yellow onions cut in half 2 cups cooked wild rice ½ cup toasted bread crumbs 2 tablespoon chopped fresh dill 1 grated tangy apple ½ cup grated Swiss cheese 16 teaspoons balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill leaves Salt/pepper In an oven proof-dish, spread the oil.

Remove the dry leaves from the onions. Cut the onions crosswise.

Place the onion halves, cut side up, cheek to jowl.

Drizzle 2 teaspoons of vinegar on each half.

Mix the rice, apple and salt and pepper.

Press this mixture into 8 patties.

Place a patty on each onion half.

Top with bread crumbs and grated cheese.

Cover with foil.

Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.

Happy autumn cooking!

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

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| The Good Life

june darling

Saying ‘thanks’ is good, but not always enough During this period of

E

601 Okanogan Avenue • Wenatchee 509.663.3337

column moving up to the good life

Thanksgiving, pundits will remind us about the importance of gratitude for our wellbeing.

But they may miss something important.

In the last 25 years, researchers have offered more and more empirical evidence to support what has been said for hundreds of years in various religions and by many great thinkers, “Give thanks.”

Researchers are associating gratitude with physical wellbeing — less chronic pain, lower blood pressure, reduction in stress hormones, improved sleep, increased longevity, improved immune response.

Other research links gratitude with better mental health and psychological wellbeing — reduced bouts with depression, less envy, improved self-esteem, increased mental resilience, fewer episodes of regret and resentment.

What gets mentioned far less than it should is how being thankful is connected to our social wellbeing.

That bit of neglect definitely needs to be rectified. The quality of our relationships largely gives our lives meaning, is connected to both our physical and mental wellness, and is even linked to economic prosperity.

One of the main capabilities people must have for successful relationships is to be able to notice what kindnesses others have done for them. They must be able to express their gratitude

www.ncwgoodlife.com

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November 2016

in a meaningful way.

Think about it. If we do not feel appreciated, we check out.

Most of us can easily come up with a story about when we pulled back our resources — our investments of time, energy, money, attention because of not being suitably thanked by someone.

Studies show that when people are not thanked for their help, they are 50 percent less likely to help again.

Not only are we less likely to help ingrates, we dislike them. “I hate ingratitude more in a man than lying, vainness, babbling, drunkenness, or any taint of vice…” wrote Shakespeare.

As I think about all the benefits of gratitude and the downsides to being an ingrate, I’m eager to make a change in my ways. There are a couple of wellresearched ideas for building gratitude.

Being grateful requires being mindful, paying attention. Often our minds and senses become numb to all the good in our lives. We get used to it. That’s called adaptation or habituation.

Here’s an example.

For the last 10 years or so, every morning, no matter what else is going on in his life, my husband brings me coffee in bed. Not only does he bring me coffee, he’s spent time and money thinking of ways to improve the cup of coffee. He orders up special brands of coffee, finds different coffee makers, and experiments with cups.

The other type of gratitude focused more on the other, the giver — on valuing the person.

Let me repeat. My husband has brought me coffee in bed pretty much every day for 10 years. He doesn’t even drink coffee himself.

That’s very cool, but this coffee thing has been going on for 10 years. I could start taking him and my cup of coffee for granted if I didn’t make a conscious effort to be thankful. What would happen then? I’m guessing the coffee would gradually disappear, so would his good morning smile. Our relationship would suffer. Not good.

Gratitude mental note number one — be aware. Make a conscious effort to notice the kindness of others and not take kind acts for granted in order to build gratitude as well as stronger relationships.

Some people set aside a specific time for writing about or privately reflecting on their “blessings.” Some write or reflect daily, others weekly. That’s where it usually stops. But here’s a powerful finding not only about reflecting on gratitude, but expressing it.

Researchers recently studied two different types of gratitude.

One type of gratitude focused on self, on what the person did for you, how it helped you. The other type of gratitude focused more on the other, the giver — on valuing the person.

Let me explain with examples.

This dialogue may sound stilted, but it can help you understand what I mean.

Gratitude that’s focused on self, on what another is doing for me, sounds like this: “Thank you, John, for that cup of coffee.

I hate getting up in the morning without that cup of coffee.

My feet get cold, my eyes aren’t open.”

Pretty good. I noticed the act of kindness. But it could be more powerful. Here’s how and why.

When expressions of gratitude are switched around to be more focused on the other, on who the giver is, it sounds more like this: “John, here you are again, bringing a great cup of coffee.

Over these many years, you continue to think of me first before you do anything for yourself.”

You may wonder, if it isn’t important to mention that the coffee was good. Researchers say that others do like to know that their kind act hit the mark — John enjoys knowing that I think he’s made a good cup of coffee, that I do like what he’s done.

But researchers say that when I focus on noticing not just the coffee, but also John, our relationship will be more strengthened. The “other focused thanks” builds the giver’s sense of being understood and cared for. It’s validating.

Gratitude mental note two — don’t make acknowledgments all about me. To increase gratitude and strengthen relationships, broaden my focus. Acknowledge what it took for others to do a kind act for me — the time, the focus, the commitment, the energy, the money, the selflessness.

I noticed something else exciting. When I shifted the focus from me to my husband, I realized that my feelings of appreciation increased. When I’m not so focused on what John’s doing for me, but on who John is, I realize that I’m pretty danged fortunate to have this guy.

How might you move up to The Good Life by consciously focusing on others’ acts of kindness?

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June Darling, Ph.D. can be contacted at drjunedarling1@gmail. com; website: www.summitgroupresources.com. Her books, including 7 Giant Steps To The Good Life, can be bought or read for free at Amazon.com.

November 2016 | The Good Life

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31

>>

column THE TRAVELing DOCTOR

jim brown, m.d.

The chicken and her eggs It is pretty obvious we Ameri-

cans love our eggs, and we eat a lot of chicken, too.

Over 80 billion eggs and over 8 billion chickens are consumed annually.

As of August, there are 89 million egg layers in this country. I am not sure who took that census.

Around 52 percent of our eggs come from five states led by Iowa followed by Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Texas. Today there are 188 egg producers with flocks of more than 75,000 hens.

Many of the larger egg producers or “egg factories” confine the egg laying chickens in so-called battery cages, which are outlawed in Europe but not here.

On average each battery-

caged hen lives her whole life in 67 square inches of cage space where she is unable to spread her wings or walk around.

Fortunately, because of public opposition to battery cage confinement, many egg producers are switching to cage-free systems.

While not ideal, cage-free chickens are at least able to walk and spread their wings.

What about “free range” chickens and eggs? These birds are allowed to “range freely” inside barns. The living area might be crowded, but their quality of life is better as they might get some sunshine, but not necessarily grass.

Pastured chickens and eggs labeled “pastured” are the best

for chickens and hopefully for consumers. These chickens live outside with sun and shade, eating bugs and getting to rummage about in real grass.

The best way to get eggs from these producers is to find local smaller producers. As of March, organic and cage free egg production accounted for 10 percent of current egg layers with about half of these cage-free and half organic.

My son, living in an urban area in California, built a large hen house for five laying chickens. They feed these chickens organic food, much of which is from vegetable material left over from their juicing.

The chickens can roam in the grass in the caged area, are well cared for and produce eggs with

very yellow yolks. The downside is when they are traveling someone has to care for the flock, as chickens need their daily food and water.

Production hens are generally kept in a controlled environment and fed a diet of corn, soybean meal, vitamins and nutrients. They are not fed hormones, which are banned in the U.S. Eggs are graded AA, A and B, based on the yolk and albumin (egg white). Few grade B eggs ever get to the retail market.

Eggs are shipped in refrigerated trucks, and most eggs in the U.S. reach the grocery store one day after being laid and nearly

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November 2016

what do you know about chickens?

Chickens are the closest living relative of Tyrannosaurus Rex. There are 25 billion chickens in the world, more than any other bird species. I wondered who counted them?

Chickens have social systems called “pecking orders.” They know who is the boss.

Hard-shelled eggs first ap-

all by three days.

An egg can age faster at room temperature in one day than seven days if refrigerated. When you put your eggs in your refrigerator, keep them in the carton and put them in the coldest part of your refrigerator.

I was amazed that in Mexico the eggs I saw were rarely refrigerated. I do eat eggs there and haven’t gotten sick despite many trips to Mexico.

Eggs are often called one of nature’s most perfect foods.

When you buy eggs, you basically know what you are getting.

Eggs are a healthy food with no additives, are low in calories and some of the highest quality of protein of any food.

Eggs are not only good to eat but improve other foods when used in cooking. They supply protein and 13 essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals and are the only food source naturally containing vitamin D. The yolk of the egg is high in cholesterol, but there is little evidence that eating eggs increases one’s plasma cholesterol level.

A study in 2103 compared health effects of real eggs vs. an egg-yolk-free substitute. The results showed that a diet with moderately restricted carbohydrates and three whole eggs a day actually improved lipid (fat) metabolism and insulin resistance compared to a diet using egg substitutes.

I remember a patient of mine, a male age 72 with a very low cholesterol level. He said he had

peared among reptiles not birds.

Chickens have their own language with over 30 distinct vocalizations.

If hens have white ear lobes they lay white eggs. If their ear lobes are red, they lay brown eggs. All chicken eggs, regardless of color, have the same nutritional value.

eaten two or three eggs daily his entire life.

What about eggs and food allergies?

An average of 2 percent of the population under age 5 are allergic to eggs, but studies also suggest that most children outgrow this allergy by late childhood.

Many of us are concerned about food-borne illnesses caused by a variety of pathogens (bacteria) that we read about periodically. In recent years there was a large recall of eggs produced by two farms in Iowa that were associated with an outbreak of salmonella.

No food is 100 percent riskfree including processed foods.

Salmonella infection from eggs is quite rare. It is estimated that no more than 1 in 20,000 eggs is infected with salmonella. Pretty good odds in my book.

Salmonella can live in chicken intestines and in their ovaries.

There are many so-called tests to see if an egg is still OK to eat.

Most all of them have been discredited except one. Crack the egg. If it smells, throw it out.

We obviously love our eggs.

They are very healthy, good for us in many ways and taste great, although I would like to get my eggs from pasture-raised chickens when possible.

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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Surrounded by gleaming steel that’s been blued and bronzed with a special technique, Jim O’Dell proudly holds one of his newest pieces of landscape art. Stylized flowers and animals of all kinds are prominent themes. He used a piece of scrap chain and large marbles to make the butterfly at lower right.

art from scrap Jim O’Dell scrounges discarded chains, steel barrels, ball bearings, old propane tanks and other metal odds and ends to invent his own kind of art 34

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F

By Susan Lagsdin

or a kid who dropped out of Eastmont High School for a year to live and work on his own and then scrambled together enough credits to graduate just in time for his wedding, Jim O’Dell has made a good life.

His junior high girlfriend Gina has been his wife for 43 years,

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November 2016

and he has sons and grandchildren he’s close to. He used his creativity and skills to carve a 38-year career at Alcoa, and after retirement he’s capitalized on those same attributes and become an artist, showing and selling commissioned work.

“I really don’t have a very high opinion of what I do,” said Jim, honestly modest. “But when

“I wanted to go on to some kind of art school, but I couldn’t afford to. I guess I’m taking this time to do what I always wanted to.” people say ‘Gee whiz, I wish I could make something like that,’ it makes me think I’m doin’ OK.” He is doin’ OK. Two Rivers Gallery exhibits and sells a range of O’Dell’s sculpted pieces — like small etched framed mirrors with their subtly scribed animal motifs (apes, whales and elephants, for instance) as well as life-size metal cat tails or mega-sized daisies to enhance a yard and table-top dragonflies and scorpions.

He’s no clay and kiln sculptor — Jim’s studio is a neatly classified array of used or refused metal pieces that he’s scrounged from various local sources. He visits a few regular donors glad to be rid of heavy metal waste, but he also keeps his eye open for any unintended roadside treasure and occasionally makes bargain basement acquisitions.

Though he admits he can tire of replicating the same piece (what artist wouldn’t?), Jim will go through stages of creating and re-tooling popular items made with a few key pieces — bicycle chain, old propane tanks, anything copper, steel or aluminum. Ball bearings are used for a sheet metal crusted blueberry pie spilling almostyummy looking metal spheres, and he repurposes old table utensils for smaller sculptures like a praying mantis with dinner knife wings and fork antennae.

Jim has an eye (and an ear) for invention.

He set in motion a long array of tubular steel wind chimes, some light and airy, some deep

One of Jim O’Dell’s mirrors.

toned like gongs. Golf club handles secure the sturdiest marshmallow roasting sticks you can imagine, and cats eye marbles form flower centers even a bee might fancy. Stacks of discarded retail display racks give him plenty of steel pipe to work with when the spirit moves him.

He works out of a big barn on his Rock Island Road property in East Wenatchee, but his home’s basement is also filled with plenty of collected works.

Maybe they’ve been collecting there for too long, he admits.

“I get an idea and then work it until it’s really good. My wife complains that she always gets the first ones.”

Many of his metal sculptures decorate their home and yard, with plenty in the basement to swap out at will.

Jim didn’t always work with metal. Alcoa trained him to be a welder, but before that he’d painted and always had a sketchbook going, or he’d take on a woodworking project for the house. He’s tried his hand at stained glass, too, perfecting a technique that allows him to incorporate it into his metalwork. “I wanted to go on to some kind of art school, but I couldn’t afford to. I guess I’m taking this time to do what I always wanted to.”

November 2016 | The Good Life

Though he’s free of punching a timeclock, Jim is hampered somewhat by a few recurring health issues.

But he’s adjusted.

Carpel tunnel syndrome makes holding a delicate ink pen or paintbrush difficult now, but he’s completely adept with his high powered metal cutting machinery, a plasma cutter and a chop saw. He works at his own pace, on his own hours, and makes exactly what he wants to make.

Jim always had woodworking tools at home and experimented in his shop with stone and glass, but he didn’t buy his first welder until 2001 and then gradually upgraded.

Now he’s gone beyond basic metal joining and invents his own finishes and burnishing techniques, custom-designing templates and stencils for each new brainstorm.

When he started selling lawn art with sharp vertical perches, “I realized I needed display stands if I was going to show them,” so he crafted tank tops — real acetylene ones — to hold the sculptures. The smaller indoor pieces have carved and colored soapstone bases coordinated with the sculpture, so a desert cactus seems to grow out of desert sand.

He’s always been a hands-on, problem-solving guy and says his kids and grandkids (who receive handmade gifts regularly) have also learned, “Papa can fix anything.”

His friends and neighbors know that too, and he’s glad to repair a tool, get a mower going, refinish a table, restore a woodstove. That’s meant a lot of practice in a lot of different media — and every once in a while, a great idea makes its way into his shop and comes out as art. www.ncwgoodlife.com

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>>

WHAT TO DO

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

NCW Blues Jam, every second and fourth Tuesday, 7 p.m. Riverside Pub at Columbia Valley Brewing, 538 Riverside Dr. Info: facebook. com/NCWBluesJam. Upper Valley Running Club Runs, every Tuesday night. Check in between 4:30 – 6 p.m. for a marked 3 mile trail route. Run or walk. Complete 10 or more and earn an incentive. Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort. Info: sleepinglady. com.

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

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

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

Game Night, every fourth Friday, 7 – 9 p.m. Board games, card games or any games you would like to bring.

Open to all and all ages. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

Wenatchee Farmers Market, every Saturday, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. until Christmas. Pybus Public Market.

A Scientist Speaker Series: Adapting to Climate Change, 11/1, 5:30 p.m. Robin Muench will speak on why climate change is so difficult to predict and the importance of oceans and glaciers. The next three Tuesdays in November will explore climate change with local experts and enjoy light fare.

Topics include oceans, glaciers, agriculture, food, transportation and wildlife. Wenatchee River Institute at Barn Beach Reserve, Leavenworth. Cost: $100 for the series.

Info: wenatcheeriverinstitute.org.

Pybus University: Meditation 101, 11/1, 7 p.m. Meditation is to the

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The Art Life

// SKETCHES OF LOCAL ARTISTS

LYNN LOVE “I didn’t just like Carole King. I wanted so much to be Carole King”

W

By Susan Lagsdin

hen Lynn Love sat down to her white baby grand piano to play and sing Carole King’s heart-tugging ballad Way Over Yonder, it was totally effortless — the most natural thing in the world.

That’s probably because when she was in her young teens in Omak she and her friends idolized the charismatic performer, playing her music and singing her songs over and over for a few years. The long time Wenatchee musician said, “I didn’t just like Carole King. I wanted so much to be Carole King.”

No reason to keep laboring at that old dream. Lynn Love, recently-retired music teacher extraordinaire, singer, pianist and Appleaire choir director makes an excellent Lynn Love.

And that’s an enviable enough goal.

“I was so excited to start piano when I was little,” she said. “My parents gave all six of us music lessons. The boys were more musical, but we girls studied harder. So we’re actually the musicians,” she said with a laugh.

She met her husband Kevin while they were in high school band together, and (maybe a secret divulged too soon) she thinks when they’re both retired that a family combo would be a

good idea — with at least her husband and her sister. She’s already planning to move his drum set into the living area where her piano holds court.

Most of her long career, for which she has received two awards, has been in music classrooms throughout the region: Cashmere, Entiat and Omak and most recently Wenatchee, at Orchard Middle School.

A particular invigorating assignment there was Mariachi, which she dove into enthusiastically, practicing the violin, studying Spanish and creating a crew of fine young musicians.

Lynn exudes vitality, but she also admits that teaching classroom music Lynn Love: No time in her life when she was not being creative. was physically and mentally exhaustThey travel annually to the easily replied, “They both have a ing.

International Music Festival, desire to be recognized for good “When I came into the house, work — they really respond well often to Canada, but this next I just wanted to sit down and April the event will be hosted to praise.” be surrounded by quiet. I didn’t in Wenatchee. (She’s hoping for She went on to describe one play music, I didn’t listen to mulots of local listeners. “It will be of the glorious effects of making sic. But,” she said, “I also loved wonderful – 1,000 voices all at music together. “My ladies (Apto see the joy on my students’ once!”) pleaires) sometimes come edgfaces when they were happy Lynn’s not a one-note artist by ing into rehearsals with canes with their work. Just hitch your any means. and walkers.

But after a long wagon to their energy!”

Arts of all kinds have filled her practice, they’ll walk out pretty She tapered off to teaching life — she crochets, sews, and fast, straight for the door, and half days and found time to she’s taking both painting and forget they brought them.” direct the Appleaires women’s dance classes this fall.

She hopes some younger choir, of which she became full She said, “I was even in Mary time director for five years. Cur- voices join the mix eventually, Poppins last April — I actually but she’s impressed with the rently she is on stage singing quality of music the women cre- got to sing and dance on stage.” and occasionally pinch hitting Occasionally as a favor she’ll be ate.

From Patsy Cline’s Crazy to for director Don Fox. a guest musician in her former Someone to Watch Over Me, the When asked the similarities classroom. recognizable repertoire is often between her typically elder Lynn said there was no time in choir (a 90-year-old is a regular) surprisingly moving when perher life when she was not being formed by this particular group. and a kindergarten chorus, she

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>> “My ladies (Appleaires) sometimes come edging into rehearsals with canes and walkers. But after a long practice, they’ll walk out pretty fast, straight for the door, and forget they brought them.” creative, and she usually has a few crafty projects going on at the same time. She said, “As your life changes, your need for expression changes; it’s a natural progression.”

She’s blessed her daughters with that attitude. She always had art materials readily available at home, and they both performed music at church and school.

Now adults, they’re benefitting from her encouragement.

Lynn once envisioned for herself a career in fashion design (with counseling as a close second).

Andrea is Dean of Students at Highline High School. And Emily? She’s a fashion merchandizer in New York City.

Good teaching, Mom.

WHAT TO DO

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

}}} Continued from page 35 mind what exercise is to the body.

This is a beginning level to get you started and on your way to finding your personal practice. Discussion will be on the benefits, the basic methods and for those who do not think they can. Instructor: Cherise Hassett. Pre-registration required.

Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

Film Series: Ruin and Rose, 11/3, 7 p.m. In partnership with Mission Ridge and benefiting the Young Filmmakers Program. Raffle to win a season ski pass and more. Ruin and Rose is an epic creative vision brought to life by the talents of the world’s top skiers. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $10 advance or $12 at the door. Info: icicle.org.

Clyde Pangborn, 11/4, 7 p.m. Jake Lodato brings to life the aerial stunt pilot best known for achieving the first nonstop trans-Pacific flight in living history. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: $5 donation. Info: wvmcc.org.

The Myth of Bull Trout, 11/4, 7 p.m. Judy Neibauer and Mary Ringell sort out facts from fiction surrounding this recovering species. Wenatchee River Institute at Barn Beach Reserve, Leavenworth. Cost: by donation. Info: wenatcheeriverinstitute.org.

exhibit opens with over 50 local artists works. Music by Connie Celustka on the hammered dulcimer.

Wines by Bergevin Lane Winery.

Complimentary refreshments. 102 N Columbia, Wenatchee. Cost: free.

Info: 2riversgallery.com. * Merriment Party Goods, 11/4, 5 – 8 p.m. Artist for November will be Stella Designs that specializes in custom items for weddings, events and home décor. Sips and snacks available. 23, S Wenatchee Ave. Cost: free. Info: facebook.com/merrimentpartygoods.

The Dumb Waiter by Harold Pinter, 11/4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 18, 19, 8 p.m. Full Circle Theatre Company will perform. This play is about two hit men whiling away the time waiting for their next assignment.

With a growing mixture of dread and hilarity, their world comes to a reckoning neither was expecting.

Riverside Playhouse. Cost: $15. Info: fullcircletheatrecompany.org.

*Tumbleweed Bead Co., 11/4, 5-7 p.m. Scandinavian Dinner Party Photography is a one woman camera team consisting of Siri Rose.

Siri has lead a life of mountains.

Hailing from the frozen winters of Alaska, into the evergreen forests of Washington, to the dry terrain of Colorado and back again. Refreshments served. 105 Palouse St. Cost: free. Info: tumbleweedbeadco.com.

Ski, Snowboard, and Sports Gear Swap, 11/5, 9 a.m. to noon, Arlberg’s parking lot in Wenatchee.

Cost for booth: $50; cost of admission $5 or $10 per family. Variety of sports equipment — skis, snowboards, nordic gear, clothing, bikes, skateboards, wakeboards, kayaks, etc. No commissions on sales; booth fees and admissions go to support Mission Ridge Ski Team.

* Small Artworks Gallery, 11/4, 5 p.m. Regional High School Art Show artists works will be on display at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: free. Info: wvmcc.org.

A different kind of story time, 11/5, 11 a.m. Matt Cadman will read I Need My Monster. Wenatchee Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: free.

First Friday events include: *Cafe Mela, 11/4, 5 p.m. Cynthia Neely will be reading from two of her books. Tom Davies will play guitar. Wine, beer and art for purchase. * Two Rivers Art Gallery, 11/4, 5 – 8 p.m. Featuring collage and fabric artist Margaret Wheeler. The

November 2016 | The Good Life

Eden Moody, 11/4, 7 – 9 p.m. Live performance on the Rail Car at Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

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Journey to Bethlehem Dec. 1 - 4

5th & Western, Wenatchee

Online Reserved Tours 5:30 to 9:30 Walk-in Tours 5:30 to 8:30 Anyone arriving by 8:30 can attend.

Please dress appropriately for the weather.

This event is FREE!

A gift from your valley Seventh-day Adventist Churches

Reserve your tour time online - J2BWENATCHEE.ORG

Experience the town of Bethlehem as it was the night the Christ Child was born.

The Journey includes over 150 Actors and Supporting Cast in Full Costume and a Living Nativity with Sheep, Goats, Donkeys, Chickens and... a Camel!

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Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra: Song and Dance, 11/5, 7 p.m. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $18-$37. Info: numerciapac.org.

Jam at the Crow: Jesse James, 11/6, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. RedHouse will be the host band and Jesse James the special guest will perform.

Jesse is the 2014 Washington Blues Society Best of the Blues winner in the Best New Blues Band category.

The Club Crow in Cashmere, 108 1/2 Cottage Ave. Cost: free.

Bird ID Skills Building, 11/9, 23, 12/7, 21, 7:30 -9:45 a.m. Come along with naturalist and Land Trust conservation fellow Susan Ballinger for an outing for birders of all levels, from beginner to expert.

Hone your field ID skills and learn to contribute to the online birding tool eBird. Walla Walla Point Park.

Info: cdlandtrust.org. or Susan at susan@cdlandtrust.org.

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Rotaryfest, 11/5, 4:30 p.m.

Leavenworth Rotary Club’s annual fundraiser. Gourmet buffet, silent auction and live auction. Theme: An Evening in Paris. Leavenworth Festhalle. Cost: $50. Info: leavenworthrotaryfest.com.

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Film series: Weiner, 11/10, 7 p.m.

The juicy and revelatory new documentary about Anthony Weiner’s 2013 campaign for mayor of New York City in the wake of the scandal that torpedoed his political career.

Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $10

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November 2016

advance or $12 at the door. Info: icicle.org.

Monthly movie on the big screen: Monty Python and the Holy Grail, 11/10, 6:30 p.m.

Numerica Performing Arts Center.

Cost: $3. Info: numericapac.org.

Veteran’s Day Parade, 11/11, 11 a.m. The Chelan VFW 6853 is sponsoring the parade. It runs two blocks down Woodin Ave at Sanders.

Gavin McLaughlin, 11/11, 6 p.m.

Live performance on the Rail Car at Pybus Public Market. Cost: free.

Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

In Concert: Krista Detor, 11/11, 7 p.m. Singer-songwriter and pianist from Indiana whose music has been featured on NPR and with Mike Harding of BBC. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $22 advance or $24 at the door. Info: icicle.org.

Comedian Ron “Tater Salad” White, 11/11, 8 – 10 p.m. Ron has always been a classic storyteller.

His stories relay tales from his real life, ranging from growing up in a small town in Texas to sharing stories of his daily life becoming one of the most successful comedians in America. Town Toyota Center.

Cost: $51 and $65. Info: towntoyotacenter.org.

27th Annual Entiat Holiday Bazaar, 11/12, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. at the Entiat School Gym. Over 50 booths with holiday gift ideas, arts and

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WHAT TO DO

crafts, food, and two magic shows at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Santa himself will be on hand with toys for kids, too. Sponsored by the Entiat Valley Chamber of Commerce. Info: 7842104.

Holiday Open House and Wine Walk, 11/12, noon – 5 p.m. Tickets include 12 tasting tokens and a signature wine glass. Downtown Wenatchee. Cost: $25 presale or $30 day of. Tickets: evenbrite.com or at Wenatchee Valley Chamber office.

Ride Wenatchee Riverfront Railway, 11/12, 1 – 5 p.m. Home of the Nile Saunders Orchard Train, Wenatchee Riverfront Park, 155 N Worthen Street. Cost: $1.

Chamber music: Barston String Quartet, 11/13, 7 p.m.

Live performance. Cost: $22 advance, $24 at the door. Canyon Wren Recital Hall. Info: icicle.org.

AAA PackSmart with Kathleen Collum, 11/15, 5:30 p.m. Learn how to make the most of your packing space and the latest accessories, including gear to help you comply with new flying regulations.

AAA Washington, 221 N Mission.

Cost: free. Reserve: 665-6290.

Environmental Film and lecture series: To make a Farm, 11/15, 7 p.m. This beautifully photographed documentary explores the lives of five young people who have decided to become smallscale farmers. This is an exceptionally hopeful film that gives viewers a close-range view of humanity, along with a detailed portrayal of the nuts and bolts of agriculture.

Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: $5 donation suggested.

Pybus University: Carmenere a Mistaken Identity, 11/15, 7 p.m. Learn and taste this mysterious red grape and what makes it special with its growing popularity with growers and producers here in Washington state. Instructor: Rhett Humphreys, Jones of Washington.

Pre-registration required. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

Festival of Trees public viewing, 11/17, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., 11/18, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., 11/19, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. 11/20, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Listen to local holiday music, view a variety of trees and wreaths, bid in the silent auction and enter to win raffle items. Sunday will be a day of storytelling with treats, special guests, a puppet show and free pictures with Santa. Numerica

Brittany Jean performs for wildfire recovery Performing Arts Center. Cost: free.

Info: numericapac.org.

Heritage Program: Lake Wenatchee, 11/17, 7 p.m. Find out where the first settlers came from and their first industries of logging and saw mills. Upper Valley Museum Sunroom, Leavenworth.

Cost: by donation. Info: uppervalleymuseum.org.

Moonlight Gypsies, 11/18, 6 p.m.

Live performance at the Railcar. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

War horse, 11/18, 7 p.m. Based on Michael Morpurgo’s novel and adapted for the stage by Nick Stafford, War Horse takes you on a journey from the fields of rural Devon to the trenches of First World War France. Snowy Owl Theater.

Info: icicle.org.

Holiday Spice, 11/18, 7 p.m., 11/19, 2 p.m. Celebrate the season through dance, music and comedy performances. Two community members will be honored as the 2016 Stanley Lifetime Achievement Award winners. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $25/$29.

Info: numericapac.org.

The Roots of Music: Exploring Earth’s Soundscapes, 11/18, 7 p.m. Biologist George Halekas surveys the beauty of nature’s soundscape and explores why Earth is considered a sonic jewel and singing planet. Wenatchee River Institute at Barn Beach Reserve, Leavenworth. Cost: by donation.

Info: wenatcheeriverinstitute.org.

Little Black Dress Party, 11/18, 7 p.m. Grab your girlfriends for the ultimate ladies night out. Don your favorite party dress, indulge with a cocktail, purchase jewelry, win prizes, get a picture on the red carpet and dance the night away.

Wenatchee Convention Center.

Cost: $25. Info: numericapac.org.

Holiday Artisan Fair, 11/19, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. 11/20, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Over 40 juried local and regional vendors including crafts, holiday gifts, décor, jewelry, art and more.

Pybus Public Market. Cost: free.

Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

Snow Fest, 11/19, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Winter powersports and recreation event. Leavenworth Festhalle. Cost: $1.

A different kind of story time, 11/19, 11 a.m. TJ Farrell will read Skippyjon Jones. Wenatchee Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: free.

November 2016 | The Good Life

B

rittany Jean, the Brewster-based singer/ songwriter whose hit single Wildfire became the soundtrack to Okanogan County Long Term Recovery efforts, is presenting a fourconcert tour to raise funds to rebuild the iconic Pateros sign that was lost in the fires.

The tour begins on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 5 p.m. at the Snowy Owl Theater in Leavenworth. It continues a week later at The Merc Playhouse in Twisp, on Brittany Jean from the Leaving Home album Saturday, Nov. 12, at 5 cover. p.m. The third concert will be at the Ruby Theatre in She wrote Wildfire about Chelan on Wednesday, Nov. the night her hometown was 23 at 7 p.m. The final concert evacuated in advance of the is Saturday, Dec. 17, at the Nulargest wildfire in Washington merica Performing Arts Center history. She donated use of the in Wenatchee, at 7 p.m. song to the video the Carlton The 24-year-old Brittany Jean, Complex Long Term Recovery who has recorded two albums Group used to spread the word in Nashville and is working on about the area’s need for asher third, has been writing sistance. songs since she was 16 — inInfo: www.bjeanmusic.com. spired by stories she experiTickets are $20/adults; $10/chilences or hears. dren under 18.

Festival of Trees Dinner and Auction, 11/19, 5 p.m. Dinner, live auction, live entertainment and a special nightcap to end the festivities. Wenatchee Convention Center.

Cost: $50. Info: numericapac.org.

North Country Bluegrass Band, 11/19, 7:30 p.m. Based out of Seattle, this band is one of the premier traditional bluegrass bands from the Northwest. Cashmere Riverside Center. Info: cashmerecoffeehouse.com.

Turkey Run, 11/24, 5k and 12k, plus free kids race. Open to runners and walkers. Wenatchee Rotary Park.

Info: runwenatchee.com.

Christkindlmarkt, 11/25, 26, 27, 10 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. A Bavarian style Christmas Market. Includes entertainment, crafts, a lantern parade and Santa Claus as well as the Christkind and St. Nicholas.

Downtown Leavenworth. Info:

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christkindlmarktleavenworth.com.

A Small Town Christmas, 11/25 – 12/25. Stroll through Historic downtown Chelan enjoying the holiday lights and the merchant windows decked out for the Holiday Window Display Contest.

Earn Jingle Bucks. Santa’s Big Red Mailbox accepts letters in front of the Lake Chelan Historic Museum.

Info: lakechelan.com.

Rylei Franks, 11/18, 6 p.m. Live performance at the Railcar. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

Bronn Journey Christmas Concert, 11/29, 30, 7 p.m. A Christmas tradition: Bronn, Katherine and the harp bring music that is nothing short of glorious. Community United Methodist Church, Leavenworth. Cost: $17. Info: leavenworthumc.org.

>>

column those were the days

rod molzahn

Families and dealings in the old West Author’s note: This story is drawn from history written by white people in the Wenatchee Valley and the oral history tradition of local Native people.

S

am Miller, one of the partners in the trading post at the Wenatchee/Columbia Confluence, quite likely met Alfred Zacharia Wells between 1902 when Wells, his wife, Emogene, and nephew A. L. Morris arrived in Wenatchee and 1906 when Sam Miller died at age 78.

There is, however, another connection between the two men involving three generations of Sam Miller’s family and descendants.

Sometime about 1873, the year after Miller and his partners, Franklin and David Freer, took

over the trading post from Jack Ingram and John McBride, Sam married Nancy Paul, a young Methow tribe member in an Indian ceremony. She was a widow with three young children.

The marriage didn’t last long.

Within a year or so Nancy grew homesick for her people in the Methow Valley. She was pregnant when she and her children left the trading post and returned to the Methow.

Soon she gave birth to a son she named Samuel C. Miller, Jr. It’s not clear if the father and son ever met. Sam Jr’s son, Jerome, later insisted that Sam Sr. “took good care of Nancy and Sam Jr. He always saw to it that they never lacked for anything.”

Sam Jr. eventually married Lucy Iswell, a daughter of Na-

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quoit, a Methow called Captain Joe, and Tayetq, known as Lucy Mary. Their son, Jerome Miller, born at Azwell in 1905 in the families traditional “birthing house,” was the grandson of Sam Sr. and Nancy Paul as well as the grandson of a woman from Crab Creek called Rose Marie.

In 1878 when the U.S. government took back the Moses/ Columbia Reservation, they instituted the Indian Allotment Act that gave homesteads to Indians that had land rights on the Moses Reservation.

Many of those extended families claimed adjacent 80-acre parcels creating large tracts of land.

Wapato John and his family did that along lake Chelan in the Manson area. Rose Marie’s hus-

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November 2016

band, as head of the family, claimed 640 acres along the right bank of the Columbia River surrounding the present site of Wells Dam. About 1904, two years after coming to the Wenatchee Valley, A.Z. Wells and his nephew, A.L. Morris, began buying large tracts of land for orchard development. They already owned the largest hardware and implement business in Wenatchee that supplied local orchards that were being planted in the rush following the completion of the Highline Canal in 1903.

A.Z. and Emogene Wells are the namesake for the Wells House on the Wenatchee Valley College campus and lived in the house for 30 years. (The house, however, was designed and built

by William and Adelaide Clark who lived in it 10 ten years. In 1950 Mr. and Mrs. Wells gave the house and adjoining acreage to the Wenatchee School District to be used as the first building on the new Wenatchee Valley College campus.)

By 1902 A.Z. Wells had recognized that all the plantable land in the Wenatchee Valley had been taken. He and nephew, A.L. Morris, began looking outside the valley for acreage.

They found an ideal stretch of land along the Columbia about 50 miles north of Wenatchee.

It belonged to Jerome Miller’s grandmother, Rose Marie — part of her 640-acre allotment.

There was no irrigation water flowing to the land. People said they were crazy but Wells and Morris had an idea. They planned to install the first gasoline-powered pumps along the Columbia to lift water up to their trees.

Randy Lewis, Jerome’s grand-

son and Rose Marie’s greatgreat- grandson described what happened next.

A.Z. Wells approached Rose Marie with an offer to buy 10 acres of her land. Rose Marie, unable to read English, trusted Wells. She agreed to his offer and put her mark on the written bill of sale provided by Wells.

Soon after that workers employed by Wells and Morris showed up and began clearing land and digging out sagebrush.

They cleared 150 acres, not the 10 acres Rose Marie thought she had sold. They went on to plant the acreage in apples and build the company town of Azwell on what Rose Marie thought was still her land.

When Rose Marie died, her grandsons, Jerome and Hank Miller inherited the remaining acres. This land lay immediately up stream from the town of Azwell.

In the 1960s, more than 10 years after A.Z. Wells’ death, the Douglas County PUD began construction on Wells Dam. According to Randy Lewis the PUD did not contact Jerome Miller or offer him any compensation for his land — land that soon disappeared under the Wells Dam reservoir.

Rose Marie’s family lands were inundated and gone. The Wells’ orchards and the town of Azwell were unharmed.

Eventually Jerome and Hank Miller were paid $200,000 for the land they knew as traditional family ground — ground that Rose Marie’s people had lived on for generations, land that no one in the family wanted to part with at any price.

According to Randy Lewis that payment amount represented “pennies on the dollar” given the true value of the land.

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

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column ALEX ON WINE

ALEX SALIBY

What to drink with Thanksgiving dinner November, it’s one of my

favorite times of year.

First, it’s my birthday month, and that’s a good thing that makes me happy. Then, there’s Thanksgiving Dinner and the special time we have at the meal with friends and family, and of course, there’s always the food itself.

Thanksgiving dinners always bring out the questions about wine pairing. Those are simple questions complicated by the variety of items on the menus, and the variety of ways the main item, turkey, is prepared and served.

I may have complained in an earlier column about the point when meal preparation in our lives was a simpler time before wine entered the picture. It was; it no longer is, but I’ll attempt to uncomplicate the matter for you here through this brief recommendation set.

Red wine choices: I know several folks who only drink red wine, no matter what foods are being prepared and served.

Yet, I’ve mentioned several times in this column the sage advice of that bon vivant Hugh Johnson who advises us all to overlook our own preferences and prepare the table to honor all choices about which wine,

red, rosé or white.

Yes, have all three ready for your guests to select from as they so desire, but for the red wine this time, let me suggest a lighter styled beauty that I know will please many of the whitewine-only crowd also. n 2014 Wedge Mountain Estate Lemberger, Stony Hill vineyard fruit. This one is delicate, light, lively with a crisp acidity beautifully balanced with the fruity flavors. I’m confident the wine will not lose its charm even against your cranberry sauces, and it will complement those sausage stuffed birds nicely. n 2011 Vin du Lac Red Café Pinot Noir. This is delicate, Lake Chelan Pinot Noir that dances lightly on your palate and offers hints of cherry on both the aromas and the palate.

This wine, too, should not overpower and embarrass the chef ’s efforts to please the crowd with the roasted turkey.

Sorry red wine drinkers, I really can’t recommend another red to enjoy with turkey, stuffing, yams, etc. etc. etc. My advice, just do as you normally would.

Rosé wine choices: Remember, dear readers, that Rosé wines are really wines made from red wine grapes where the wine is taken off the skins to ferment and settle be-

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... bon vivant Hugh Johnson ... advises us all to overlook our own preferences and prepare the table to honor all choices about which wine, red, rosé or white. fore bottling.

These, too, tend to be softer wines with delicate characteristics that can complement several different kinds of foods and will pair nicely with several different recipes for preparing your turkey and gravy.

Most rosé wines will work for your meal, I have three I’m very fond of from local wineries, but for this meal, I’d narrow my selection to one beverage because of the residual sugars (all that means is how sweet or dry the wine is going to be in the glass). n 2015 Ryan-Patrick Rosé.

This is a complex wine structured with a strong base of Syrah fruit, but complicated with the addition of Cinsault, Counoise and Grenache wines in the blend.

I’m fond of the superb dryness and the brilliant acids on the palate. We’ve enjoyed this wine with chicken, pork tenderloin and turkey.

Even with complicated menus, the wine holds its own. I’m convinced, you can toss some Cajun stuffing or some marshmallow topping at this wine, and it will answer back with delight.

There’s that, and the low alcohol of only 12 percent so it is not going to come across sweet under almost any circumstances.

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November 2016

White wine choices: Oh, dear me. The reds and the rosé wine options were easy choices for me. Whites are another matter. Yikes, as the expression goes. There are zillions of whites that will work with turkey. I want to recommend two though that you may not know. n 2015 Tsillan Cellars Dry Riesling. This local Riesling is both light in alcohol and light in residual sugars (sweetness in the glass); I’d call this a pure, Germanic Kabinet styled Riesling in which the alcohol, sugars, and the acids are in balance.

Shane Collins, the head winemaker at Tsillan Cellars, has delivered a beautiful beverage here that will complement your Thanksgiving turkey, and please those white wine drinkers at the table. n 2013 CR Sandidge Sabrina.

Yes, I agree, this is an almost bizarre choice, a Gewurztraminer wine for Thanksgiving? Who back then ever had even a sip or a smell of such a wine? Well, in all probability, not a soul, none of those pilgrims. But that has little or nothing to do with wine paring your American Thanksgiving meal with a beverage that is bound to please your diners.

This wine will make all those at the table, except the folks who must have the Cabernet Sauvignon, happy they are visiting you and enjoying your turkey meal.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

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

He can be contacted at alex39@msn. com.

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