The Good Life October 2018 by The Good Life

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October 2018

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PASSAGE TO JUNEAU

They finally arrived! Brothers finish trek started 40 years ago

plus Llamas are an aging hiker’s best friend heart disease in women: more deadly than breast cancer

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Contents

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page 16

bringing light to a remote african hospital

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Features

i’m in charge now

Widow Constance Bean writes what it means when a spouse dies

8 passage to juneau

Andy Dappen and his brother, Alan, along with a couple members of the new generation finish — finally — a trip began in the ’70s

11 the ugly truth about mushrooms

No matter what others might say about mushroom gathering, Susan Sampson takes a hard look at the edible (or maybe not edible)

Health Alliance Northwest is a Medicare Advantage Organization with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in Health Alliance Northwest depends on contract renewal. Other providers are available in our network. For accommodations of persons with special needs at meetings call 1-877-5611463 (TTY: 711). Health Alliance Northwest complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex. Spanish: ATENCIÓN: Si habla español, servicios de asistencia lingüística, de forma gratuita, están disponibles para usted. Llame 1-877-750-3350 (TTY: 711). Chinese:注意：如果你講中文，語言協助服務，免費的，都可以給你。呼叫 1-877-750-3350 (TTY: 711) med-aepsemad19WAC-0618_TGL (4.5 x 5.4) H3471_19_67002_M

12 mommas night out in the mountains Leaving jobs and kiddos behind, these moms head for the restorative power of nature and its lakes

14 llamas are an aching hiker’s best friend Brad Brisbine thought he had to give up the beauty of the high country, and then he discovered the packing power of llamas

16 seeing in the light

Wenatchee volunteers help bring solar power to remote African hospital

18 back to the future at the lookout

Chelan hilltop housing development aimed at the modern buyer who wants the community of old

22 cary ordway’s central wa. experience

Check out Pateros — Waterfront plus music, at non-resort prices Art sketch n Painter Niki Stewart, page 30 Columns & Departments 6 A bird in the lens: Downy Woodpecker 25 Meet our native plants: Nootka rose 26 June Darling: There’s good news today — be positive 28 The traveling doctor: Deadly heart disease in women 30-34 Arts & Entertainment & a Dan McConnell cartoon 35 Pet Tales: Love in the eyes of Jackson 36 History: W.T. Clark — Rags to riches to rags 38 That’s life: The All-America Bavarian city? October 2018 | The Good Life

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OPENING SHOT

Year 12, Number 10 October 2018 The Good Life is published by NCW Good Life, LLC, dba The Good Life PO Box 2142 Wenatchee, WA 98807 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, Constance B. Bean, Andy Dappen, Sarah Shaffer, Yvette Davis, Susan Sampson, Cary Ordway, Lee Martin, Bruce McCammon, Jaana Hatton, Donna Cassidy, Jim Brown, June Darling, Dan McConnell, Susan Lagsdin and Rod Molzahn Advertising: Lianne Taylor Bookkeeping and circulation, Donna Cassidy Proofing, Dianne Cornell Ad design, Clint Hollingsworth Video editor, Aaron Cassidy 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 PO Box 2142 Wenatchee, WA 98807 For circulation questions, email: donna@ncwgoodlife.com BUY A COPY of The Good Life at Safeway stores, Wenatchee Walgreens, Mike’s Meats at Pybus, Rhubarb Market, Martin’s Market Place (Cashmere) and Dan’s Food Market (Leavenworth) ADVERTISING: For information about advertising in The Good Life, contact Lianne Taylor at (509) 6696556 or lianne@ncwgoodlife.com WRITE FOR THE GOOD LIFE: We welcome articles about people from Chelan and Douglas counties. Send your idea to Mike Cassidy at editor@ncwgoodlife.com

experience the healing power of the back country By Brad Brisbine

ovely Meander Meadow sits at the top of the Little Wenatchee River Watershed. This meadow is of a more intimate scale than Spider Meadow, three valleys east, surrounded by a towering fortress with eight waterfalls. Two years ago I camped at Sauk pass, yards above this scene, and stalked-out this composition. I was thrilled at the transition of mood from that day, with sun penetrating marine-air fog. An impression of

a place has a lot to do with the lighting. The importance of immersing oneself in nature for a while to balance city life cannot be overstated. When I look at this photo, I see more than a picture; I remember the healing power that the sublime sub-alpine zone gives us. Having experienced this meadow from low and high — in morning, midday and evening lighting — leaves me with a permanent treasured memory of her wonder. What does it take to get you out, to experience The Good Life? Make it happen. Local architect and consummate high country hiker discovers the benefits of packing in with llamas. See his story on pages 14 and 15.

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October 2018

On the cover

Andy Dappen is garbed for a typical day of drippy weather along the inland passage to Alaska on waterways known to be some of the continent’s wettest country. On the original trip 40 years ago, “We ‘canoed’ all the way,” wrote Andy. “After many years of canoe tripping, we’ve discovered oars and kayak paddles are often more efficient and vary the muscle groups used. This allowed our older selves to cover the same daily mileage we covered on the original trip without overly taxing ourselves and without repetitive motion injuries.” See Passage to Juneau, beginning on page 8.

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editor’s notes

MIKE CASSIDY

Loving nature, but danger under foot Boy, are we loaded with

outdoor and hiking stories this month. You might say we could use a pack animal to carry this load of outdoor adventure to our fine readers. Speaking of beasts of burden, one of our stories features the cantankerous but strong South American llama. Here’s how outdoor lover Brad Brisbine framed the llama story in an email to us: “Here is the story of a Wenatcheeite’s 43-year love affair with backpacking Cascade high lakes, until years of heavy packs spells the end because of back nerve impingement.” Now, continued Brad, “I’m relegated to only day hikes.” Then, before the Labor Day weekend, when Brad called his long-term hiking partner to suggest a day hike, the partner replied: “Get packed, we’re leaving the next day on a three-day llama trip to Blue Lake.” Wow, realized Brad, “My typical 50-pound burden would be cut in half. I’m back baby!” Brad went on to say, “I could even insert a paragraph about how my sadness of no longer seeing the alpenglow in the mornings and evenings” caused him to buy a vintage Honda Trail 110 bike. But it didn’t meet expectations as not many scenic lakes are available to cycles. “And our summer destination into the Chelan Sawtooths was disappointing. We turned back after five miles up the Foggy Dew Trail. That steep, rocky trail chewed me up and spit me out.” Check out Brad’s photos and story on pages 14 and 15.

Andy Dappen’s story about rowing and paddling the inside passage to Juneau wasn’t so spontaneous. In fact, it was more than 40 years in the making. Andy, his brother, Alan, and a motley crew of youths with ’70’s era haircuts set off from just north of Vancouver for Juneau in 1974 (three years before Saturday Night Fever discoed into theaters). They came up short, but the Dappen brothers are nothing if not persistent, and went back to finish their paddle trip last summer. Andy is writing the story now because he will show a film of the trip during a presentation at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center on Oct. 16. That’s Oct. 16 of this year, not of, say, 2058... We love to glory in the beauty and psychic healing power of nature, but let’s be honest, there is also danger in the outdoors. And while most of us might think that danger can be averted by keeping our eyes up, looking around for bears, cougars and wolves — or just staying on the marked path because doesn’t every “hiker lost in the woods” story begin when said hiker leaves the trail? — trouble might be right under our feet. That’s right, mushroom hunters, we’re talking about you. Susan Sampson shares her story (exposé?) with the headline: “The ugly truth about mushrooms.” See page 11, and be warned. Pack on the adventure, and enjoy The Good Life. — Mike October 2018 | The Good Life

A Journey of Compassion October 8, 15, 22 ~ 3 t o 5 : 3 0 p m Join others on a Compassion Journey Hosted by Drs. John & June Darling, Cashmere United Methodist Church. No cost. Compassion can be viewed as a spiritual practice or simply a good emotional and relationship skill which promotes inner peace and leads to increased physical, psychological, and social well-being. Questions can be sent to drjunedarling1@gmail.com

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column a bird in the lens

Tap, tap, tap, the Downy Woodpecker is at work By Bruce McCammon

alk along the Apple Capital Loop Trail in Wenatchee and listen carefully as you pass the tall cottonwoods near the Wenatchee Row and Paddle Club boathouse. You may hear the short, whinnying song or the tapping sound of a Downy Woodpecker. With luck, you’ll see the bird as it pecks away Bruce McCammon at the tree to is retired, colorloosen inblind and enjoys sects. Don’t photographing the birds in north cenyou wonder tral Washington. how a bird can withstand such fast and strong blows to its skull? The Downy Woodpecker is one of two small woodpeckers we see in the trees and shrubs of north central Washington. The other is the Hairy Woodpecker. These two woodpeckers look remarkably similar. Males have

a red patch on the back of the head. Both birds are black and white. But a trained eye will see differences. Downy Woodpeckers are about three inches shorter than a Hairy Woodpecker. That may not seem like much but if you ever get to see them side-byside you’ll appreciate how much

larger the Hairy is. The Downy Woodpecker tail feathers are white with a few black spots. But the easiest way to tell the two birds apart is to study the beak. If you imagine that you pivot the beak toward the back of the head, the Downy’s beak will reach the bird’s eye; the

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Hairy’s beak will extend well beyond the eye and may look to touch the back of the head. Don’t give up trying to identify either bird. They are pretty common, announcing themselves with the tapping and hammering noises. They are pretty small though, so watch carefully. Good luck.

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October 2018

my life // A personal story

NOW I AM IN CHARGE   What do I do now that I’m all grown up without the love and support of Jay?

By Constance B. Bean

ome years ago, at the age of 70, I wrote an article for The Good Life about finding love and romance a second time. A dear man, a widower named Jay Bean, stepped into my life. We had a wonderful ride of 12 1/2 years together before I lost him to cancer. Jay used to tell me that he wished to be married to me for 25 years. I would laugh and say that he would have to live to 100! He would simply say: “So?” Well, with 12 1/2 years between us we achieved those 25 years and we did a lifetime of living. What a gift for us both at this late stage to have found one another. The frosting on our cake was always the love and support of our children and grandchildren. Jay was a man who adored his family and with his love I was the beneficiary. My family grew because of the love Jay and his late wife Sue nurtured all their years together. We both came to our union with a history of other spouses and children. Merging these lives launched us on a new adventure.   So now, what does one do when one’s spouse is gone? Also, the knowledge dawns that you are running out of decades to enjoy a full and productive life. What do I do now that I’m all grown up without the love and support of Jay?   Losing a spouse is difficult. I also lost my first husband, Earl, after a 48-year marriage. Each loss is different. With Earl, I lost a lifetime of marriage and the father of our

three children we both adored.  With Jay, I lost my best friend, partner and companion. We were adults who embarked on a new adventure by choice. Earl and I were two youngsters madly in love, as only the young can be. We grew up with our children and never gave much thought that we would one day be old.  Jay and I brought to our marriage a lifetime of memories, children, habits and expectations. Oh my, what a leap of faith that was for us both. But it worked well. When Jay died, three pastor friends celebrated his memorial service. It reminded me that we are never alone. The first thing I realized is that now I am fully in charge.  Though I was surrounded by a loving family and excellent advice, I was the one upon whom final decisions rested. My goal was to pull myself together to take care of the business at hand in order to not be a burden to my family.  Those first days were a blur. I know of no easy way to keep moving into the real world except placing one foot in front of the other.  People do different things to get through these early days, and I was no exception. I relied on my faith as my comfort. There are excellent books and articles to read to help with your thinking.  There is family there to love me, but they, too, were grieving the loss of their father. There are wonderful friends who have rallied around and kept me busy with things they know I enjoy. Delicious food arrives at my doorstep because cooking for one can be a chalOctober 2018 | The Good Life

Connie and Jay Bean: A lifetime of living in 12 1/2 years.

Though I was surrounded by a loving family and excellent advice, I was the one upon whom final decisions rested. lenge. There are times when the grief will overcome me and I dissolve into tears. I found crying in the shower to be therapeutic. Some of the pain washes away. Sometimes the loss hurts so much I have an actual pain and wonder if it could be something else. Other times I am at such peace and so grateful that the one I love is no long in pain and suffering. I also found that I sought the company of friends who were happy in their own lives and kept a positive outlook. I sometimes felt so empty that I had nothing to give to anyone who was unhappy or negative about their own situation. What I am saying is that there is no correct way to grieve. It is www.ncwgoodlife.com

truly an individual process. With this new journey of being in charge as I begin my life alone, I remember I was blessed with two husbands with whom I could share love. With time, my life is beginning to take a new route, one that has adventure ahead. With good health and the ability to enjoy family and friends, I can experience all that lies ahead. Making decisions is becoming easier. I am functioning at a level I find acceptable. I have even found a handy man who helps with household things that require attention. I have learned it is okay to attend events on my own or with friends. I can laugh again and be thankful for all the blessings I have. I look forward to continuing in this decade of my life and, with a bit of luck, entering the next one. It is important for me and the ones who love me to be capable of moving forward with the talents I have. All of this experience is what makes The Good Life. Constance B. Bean is a retired educator living in the Wenatchee Valley.

Passage to Juneau reviewing life and landscapes as Brothers complete last leg of paddle journey — 40 years later by Andy Dappen

For weeks on end we paddled canoes slowly northward. n June of 1974, my When it rained, which it mother drove my older did frequently along Britbrother, several friends and ish Columbia’s misnamed me to the banks of Horse“Sunshine Coast” we padshoe Bay just north of Vandled. When high weather couver, British Columbia. systems from the north She smiled for us as we brought days of breezy loaded our homemade casunshine, we paddled. noes and launched into the When the tide ran with saltwater. us, we paddled. When the After we had paddled current flowed against us, from sight, however, she we paddled. sat down on the beach and And when we were huncried. She was quite sure Paddling across a wide channel of water. Most miles were made staying close to the shoregry, which was a constant in the 1,100 miles and the line but most days also involved crossing channels or inlets that were between one and state of being for 20-yearweeks of paddling separat- five miles wide. On this trip, a spray deck (yellow cover) was used to minimize the likeliolds, we paddled. ing us from our destination hood of getting swamped should the wind kick up whitecapped waves. This was a safety measure not used on the original trip. Oh the folly of youth. Of course there were peof Juneau, Alaska our tiny riods of gale-force winds, crafts would be swamped torrential rains, or tidal rips by waves, wind, or tides and two the Pacific. and who were, therefore, allwhen we hunkered down along of her three sons would forfeit We who were just knocking knowing, had no intention of the shoreline and waited for their lives to the frigid waters of against the gates of adulthood succumbing to the Pacific.

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FAR LEFT: Fire and food — a big part of the apres-paddle lifestyle. Alan on left, Andy right. Photo by Nathan Dappen. CENTER: Arrival in Spurt Cove in Thomas Bay about 15 miles north of Petersburg came after a dry day of paddling. But the rain returned soon after camp was established and it rained all night. LEFT: Enjoying a rare day of clear weather with a small fire on the beach. All our fires were small and made in the inter-tidal zone so tidal action would quickly eliminate evidence of passing. BELOW: Sea lions and their rookeries were common sights along the route. Photo by Nathan Dappen

more favorable conditions. At a pace of 18 to 20 miles per day, the timbered green landscape and the fertile green water scrolled by. Amidst all that green were wonders that amazed us: Peaks that jutted from the water’s edge into the clouds, waterfalls that cascaded down those same snowcapped peaks, whales whose dorsal fins rose six feet above our canoes when they approached us, bald eagles that plunged into the dark water to haul out 10-pounds of silver salmon. Six weeks after leaving Vancouver, our band of seven pulled into the docks of Ketchikan, Alaska. My brother and I, organizers of the trip and makers of the three canoes transporting us, advocated we push on several more weeks to Juneau, the place we had always identified as trip’s end. But the summer had grown long in the tooth and half of our crew, weary of the endless

paddling, decided 800 miles was plenty — we had reached Alaska without busting. The trip disbanded and despite our mother’s fear, we returned from our epic journey stronger, tanner, more confident and better prepared for the adult world of careers we would soon be joining. Many decades later as both my brother and I neared the end of our working careers, we discussed doing a 40-year anniversary canoe trip of our 1974 Inland Passage Trip. We hadn’t realized it then, but that trip had defined us in many ways. It was a trip many had hoped to torpedo. This was before the sea kayaking boom and many told us this trek was a fool’s errand, a suicidal venture. Actually surviving and thriving during the journey gave us confidence in our abilities and confidence to later walk paths that were at odds with conventional wisdom. On this anniversary trip we October 2018 | The Good Life

discussed revisiting old haunts and using our new journey as a bookend to the original trip. How had the area changed and how had we changed after so many years? What had we believed then that had proven true versus what had proven ridiculous? How had careers, wives, and children altered our worldviews? As brothers we had been close, sometimes inseparable, but now with lives and families of our own could we get along on an extended trip? There was so much to explore in this place and in ourselves. The sequel trip didn’t come together immediately. It took several years to fully commit, secure family buy-in, and make it happen. And the place we ultimately chose was different than what we had initially discussed. We remembered our goal had always been to paddle to Juneau — why not use the sequel to complete the final 300 miles of www.ncwgoodlife.com

Passage to Juneau – the Presentation On Oct. 16 at 7 p.m., Andy

Dappen will give a presentation about this trip complete with photos, cowboy poetry and his nephew’s film at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. The presentation is part of the museum’s Environmental Film and Lecture Series. For more details see the museum’s October calendar of events www.wenatcheevalleymuseum.org/events/2018-10. To see Nathan Dappen’s film, The Passage, prior to the event visit https://vimeo.com/272632802. our journey? Our parents had always preached that we needed to finish what we started. Why not prove to ourselves and to the world that although the Dappen

}}} Continued on next page

Passage to Juneau }}} Continued from previous page brothers might be extraordinarily slow, they did finish what they committed to? In June of 2017, the next leg of our Inland Passage journey continued. We brought our gear and our canoes north on the Alaskan ferry from Bellingham. In a rainstorm, Alan and I launched at Ketchikan and started paddling north at a pace of 18 to 20 miles a day. Along with us this time were Alan’s two adult boys, the next generation of brothers to explore this coastline. Ben, the oldest boy, owns and operates a medical record software company in Portland. The other son, Nathan, is a filmmaker who made a thoughtful film that explored how the 1974 trip not only shaped those of us who participated but actually impacted the person Nate became. We spent 25 days polishing off the chore that had eluded us for four decades. Days occasionally dragged on monotonously as we stroked the paddles some 15,000 times to make our distance through an atmosphere that was often more liquid than gaseous. Although June is considered a dry month in southeast Alaska, over five inches of rain spilled over us during our weeks of paddling. Most days, however, were miraculous. Below the flat pane of the green water over which we floated lay a three-dimensional world teeming with life. Alan’s fishing pole pulled out a very small representation of this life — salmon, rock cod, flounders, sculpins. Our eyes witnessed a slightly larger sliver of the total: humpbacked whales, killer whales, harbor seals, sea lions, otters, diving birds, crabs, star fish, anemones,

The 2017 cast: the Next Generation to the left (Ben Dappen far left, Nathan next), and the Original Series to the right (Andy left, Alan far right). Ben and Nathan left at Wrangell Alaska, catching the ferry south. Alan and Andy spent the final two weeks traveling on to Juneau alone. Photo by Nathan Dappen

The 1974 crew before launching at Horseshoe Bay, BC. Alan is second from left, Andy kneeling on right.

barnacles, limpids, mussels, clams, shrimp… Most of the life submerged below our boat, however, slipped invisibly past as we paddled overhead. All of this seemed an apt analogy for the broader picture. As we paddled, our fraternal conversations often flowed on for hours as we philosophized about kids, work, wives, recreation, growing up, health, parents, get-rich schemes, growing old, travel, siblings, life’s joys and regrets, opportunities seized and lost, death and dy-

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ing, spiritualism, environmental issues, humanity’s bleak future, literature, books we should write, music, must-see films... Looking at life with someone whose nature and nurture were so intertwined with my own was like viewing this ocean so teeming with life — there were few topics that couldn’t occupy our minds and imaginations for hours. And yet the views of two people in a world habituated by billions are so small and so limited that we were, in deed, a canoe following one insignificant line

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October 2018

As we paddled, our fraternal conversations often flowed on for hours as we philosophized about kids, work, wives, recreation, growing up, health, parents, get-rich schemes... atop an ocean of experiences that is unfathomably deep and impossibly large. We reached Juneau in late June. Of course, closing the book on this trip of a lifetime meant opening the door to future possibilities to be pursued with our future lives. We discussed returning to Juneau and cruising by canoe and paddle northwest into Glacier Bay or southwest to Sitka. Now that the speedy Dappen brothers were on a roll, we saw no limit to what we could accomplish in the 40 years ahead.

Left to right, the delectable Chanterelle, a green conch-type fungus and a White Oyster mushroom — maybe.

The (ugly) truth about mushrooms E

By Susan Sampson

very September and October I hear somebody rhapsodizing about the joys of foraging for wild mushrooms. The damp coast range hills of Washington state and Oregon and the Cascade foothills of the Pacific Northwest offer some of the world’s best foraging, they say. It’s being at one with nature. It’s a gourmet meal on the cheap, they contend — just heat up some butter in the sauté pan, toss in your bounty, give it a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and you’ll feast like royalty. Well, before you rush out to buy new hiking boots, rain slicker, gathering basket and a few mushroom books, let me give you some warnings. Be aware that mushrooms are neither plants nor animals; they belong to the fungi, a kingdom of their own. They are noted for feeding on their hosts, living or dead, by inserting thread-sized hyphae into the cells of their prey and eating from the inside out. Their kingdom includes mold, smut, rust, and rot. Does that sound like something you’d like to gather and eat? Many mushrooms are poisonous. My ex-hippie sister claims that mushrooms have a false reputation, that they’re merely hallucinogenic, and that offends the Man. However, our brother the ER doctor wrote his medical

school thesis on the treatment of mushroom poisoning, and he disagrees. He warns that some mushrooms upset the gastric system, some emit the chemical equivalent of rocket fuel (Monomethylhydrazine found in false morels) and some are so toxic that they can be treated only with a liver transplant. Ironically, children’s books about Little Red Riding Hood show her traipsing through the forest with her basket of goodies for grandmother, walking among red Amanitas, which are deadly. I’ve seen a recipe box decorated with painted red mushrooms. Not one mushroom is universally safe. An author of Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest, Steve Trudell, won’t eat mushrooms; he says he just dislikes the texture. My college biology teacher fried up a batch of Puffballs that everybody knows are safe, ate them, and tossed a few to his dog. Both he and the dog got sick. Nor is it easy to distinguish safe from unsafe mushrooms. Kids who go prowling in the neighbors’ horse pasture with flashlights at night are looking for little psychoactive Psilocybins, but they risk picking dangerous Galerinas. There are species called “false Chanterelle” and “False Morel,” a true-or-false game with consequences. I used to pick white angel wing oyster mushrooms until October 2018 | The Good Life

I attended the annual October show of the Puget Sound Mycological Society. Looking at the display, I couldn’t tell Angel Wings from an inedible species, so I quit picking them. Nor can you rely on your experienced friends to pick out safe mushrooms for you. An older couple I knew ate “Chicken of the Woods” from a friend who swore she knew the species and said they were delectable. Both got sudden and severe diarrhea, and he, being older and slow moving, did not make it to the bathroom before he shat his pants. You could identify the species of your mushrooms if you took a spore print, measured the size of the spores in microns and checked a reference book. In the meantime, your Shaggy Mains and Inky Caps would deliquesce into blobs of black ink before your eyes. But suppose you persist. You buy some Chanterelles at the supermarket so you know what to look for. You walk into a forest so dark that nothing but fungi grow on the forest floor. Don’t step off a well-marked trail! Your cell phone and GPS won’t get reception here. Your compass works, but you need to know where you are supposed to go. Every year, search and rescue teams are deployed to find lost mushroomers. Unfortunately, some return to nature, literally, before they are found. www.ncwgoodlife.com

Watch your step. Yellow-jackets live in the deep forest duff, and in the autumn, they seem especially angry and hostile to any intrusion into their territory. Wasps sting hard, then fly away, their nipped waists and dangling legs illuminated by the low yellow rays of the afternoon sun. Still you persist. You find sizeable Russulas with their coarse gills, and discover that they stink, especially the ones called “Stinking Russians.” You discover that Lobster mushrooms are nothing more than Russulas covered with orange fungus cannibalizing them. Maybe you find a Boletus type that has a sponge instead of gills under the cap. You’d be lucky to find one that didn’t have worms in it already. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend eating those. So, why would you look for mushrooms? Well, in all honesty, it is a pleasant walk in the woods. Sometimes you score a batch of Chanterelles, or see a pretty lavender Blewit, or a Red Scarlet Cup, or a shelf fungus bracketed to a tree trunk and sporting rainbow arcs like a turkey’s tail. Some say that mushrooms grow so fast that you can almost see them growing, but they’ll hold still long enough for you to make good photographs of their colors and curves. If you persist, don’t say I didn’t warn you, but please, stay away from my secret foraging places.

Crawling along: “I almost peed right on this banana slug while taking a bathroom break. He was plugging along going under and over obstacles along the fern laden path.”

HELLO, OLD FRIEND Momma hikers rejoice in the beauty and peace of sub-alpine Necklace Valley story and photos by Sarah Shaffer

There is something to be

said about trekking high into the mountains to take in the sub-alpine country. It may be the heather flowers, the huckleberries, or the pine and dry dirt smell. It may be the brilliance of the Autumn colors illuminating in red, yellow and orange when the sun hits the leaves just right. For me, there is a stillness, a calm that occurs when I make it into the sub-alpine. It is like meeting an old friend again and the joy it brings to spend some quality time catching up. Labor Day weekend this year was filled with anticipation to get into the mountains with some lovely ladies. These aren’t just any ladies, these are mommas. Mommas who work hard at jobs that are beyond 40 hours per week. Mommas who are stay at home parents who have more than one kiddo, and who work hard at

Jade Lake: “The first lake reached after climbing 3,300 feet to get there. We were hooting and hollering when we saw the beautiful water! A much needed lunch break was taken here.” From left are Mandy McLaren, Liz Dunham and Bridget Kamen.

teaching their kids to be good people and to ignite their passion for learning about the world. Once a year we try and make it a tradition to get into the high country with other moms we hold dear. To fill our cups with nature and to rejuvenate our minds and bodies so that we can continue being the givers that we are to our kids and to society. This year our goal was the Necklace Valley located in the mountains above Skykomish about an hour and 20 minutes from Wenatchee in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Friday evening we all piled into the car and headed for the trailhead after saying our goodbyes to work and to our families. We found a camp spot in the dark about a tenth of a mile from the trail head and laid ourselves down to rest, anxiously awaiting a strenuous and fun day in the mountains for the following morning. After what seemed like too long, the day came and we broke

| The Good Life

down camp and headed for the starting location. Once on the trail we were greeted by large Aspen trees, many creek crossings, the East Fork of the Foss River, ferns and banana slugs. The air was saturated with humidity and the temperature was a cool 60 degrees. After five miles we reached a log crossing and started the uphill climb into the high country. Boulder hopping ensued along with a stair master slog up a drainage. A couple of hours later with 3,400 feet gained we hit our first lake, Jade Lake. This was a spot of celebration as we knew that the climb was very much over once we hit the lakes. Hoots of joy took place, followed by snacks next to the lake and being greeted by a butterfly. We then consulted the map and started to plan for how much farther we wanted to go for the day and where we should

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October 2018

camp. We started to follow the trail around the lake and took an offshoot to find Al Lake a quick 20 minute hike from Jade Lake. Should this be camp or should we go farther? We kept following the various trails around Al Lake, which was a light green beautiful color, with tiny plants growing in the water that helped to give it that green tint. On the map we saw that Locket Lake was much larger and not far from Al Lake so we continued on. Locket Lake was a quick 10 minute trek from Al Lake and was gorgeous, but had very limited camp spots available and the shores around the lake were either scree or rock cliffs. We consulted and decided to retreat back to Al Lake as there was more available camp spot wise and the sun was shining there, as it was a bit chilly mid afternoon already. We made the jaunt back to Al

A morning hike to Locket Lake before hiking out. “It was a quick five minute hike from our camp at Al Lake. We were hoping the sun was shining at Locket Lake as we were cold, but alas it was not quite yet.”

The camp spot next to Al Lake: “Huckleberries were all around camp, we had a flat spot with little debris next to the beautiful Al Lake and got to see a bear across from our camp on the other side of the lake within 30 minutes after arriving.”

Lake and found a fantastic camp spot, flat, next to the gorgeous lake, in the sun, surrounded by delicious huckleberries. Camp was claimed! Within 30 minutes after setting up camp a black bear was noticed scampering across

View from the Al Lake camping spot: “I am so glad I stayed up to see these pink clouds and the light on the peak behind the lake. Half our ladies group was already in their tents getting warm in their sleeping bags. But I held out to watch the light and eventually the stars.” October 2018 | The Good Life

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the scree directly across the lake from our camp. The bear seemed disinterested in us and continued on, likely in search of more huckleberries or snacks. It did give us pause when considering our food for the night and we decided we would hang our food in a tree to avoid any temptations by the bear. That night went off without a hitch, other than a chilly night’s sleep. We woke early the next morning and meandered around the various lakes so close together, noticing some bear scat full of berries, admiring frogs, and picking huckleberries to take back to our children while we each taste tested the berries. We dried out our tents and sleeping bags, as we all made the mistake of not staking out our tents the evening before. The tents overnight accumulated quite the dew on the moist side of the mountains, which then dripped dew onto our sleeping bags through the night. A leisurely breakfast with coffee and oatmeal was enjoyed and once the tents and sleeping bags were somewhat dry we hit the trail. Headed back to the trailhead and then for home. We made it back to the trailhead by mid afternoon and stopped in Leavenworth for a late afternoon coffee before parting ways at the park and ride in Wenatchee. I can’t say what the other mommas experienced, but for me the conversations that ensued on our trip, the quality time spent together, the star gazing that took place, the animals that were spotted, the laughs, the sweat and stink from the miles that were hiked, all made the trip a very memorable one to be talked about for years to come. Sarah Shaffer works as the Executive Director for WenatcheeOutdoors.org. You can find this story, along with over 600 guidebook posts on trail outings for human-powered outdoor sports at their website along with a slew of other articles about conservation, gear, and much more.

Josh leads the team through the headwaters of the Skykomish.

Llamas are an aging hiker’s best friend Extending a decades long love affair with Cascade High Lakes — thanks to a little llama help story and photos BY BRAD BRISBINE

Three years ago, sunning at

spectacular Spade Lake peninsula camp, I announced to my hiking partners Len Lamb (since 1976), and Justin Weedman (since 2004), that this may be my last backpacking trip. Len immediately said: “We’ll tell you when you’re done, bud!” With that encouragement, I eked out two more years, revisiting meaningful lakes and experiencing new ones. But, 50-pound packs were progressively causing back issues, so with great sadness, 2017 was to be my final year to carry heavy weight, for accessing the

Brad shares his load with pack team within sight of Glacier Peak on the PCT. Photo by Josh Osburn

| The Good Life

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October 2018

most exotic lakes. I was now relegated to day hikes, not offering the alpenglow and immense pleasure of waking up in the high country. Just before Labor Day, I phoned Len to propose a day hike to Lake Minotaur for the umpteenth time. He said: “Get packed, we’re going to Blue Lake!” Len’s carpentry companion Josh Osburn and his wife, Lisa, had llamas. Len, Justin and I had been to Blue Lake in the rain, so this would be an opportunity to see it under clear skies. I jumped at the chance to go again with a llama taking half my burden. A 25-pound pack would put spring in my step and make me

Upper Blue Lake.

Justin fishes at Lower Blue Lake.

feel like an Indian Scout. valley. Shortly, we passed I’m back baby! the hiker-only high-route We met at the Little that we had taken three Wenatchee trailhead years earlier. It climbs over Saturday morning, arthe ridge and drops 800 ranged gear, and started feet to 5,500-foot high Upup the trail toward our per Blue Lake. That route first night’s camp, Mewould be too rigorous for ander Meadow, just bethe llamas, so we took the low the top of the Little long way around the ridge, Wenatchee watershed. adding three miles. As Lisa set up camp, I We had the lower lake could see this was going to to ourselves; not so at the be a different kind of trip. upper lake. The three-day Table and chairs, hot dogs, weekend gave ample time cheeseburgers and bacon. for hikers doing the popuI was used to dehydrated lar Meander Meadow/Cady Mountain House strogaRidge loop, to include the noff. We ate like kings. high-route to Upper Blue Climbing out of the Lake. meadow the next morning, I had heard stories of we quickly intersected the llamas having sour dispoPacific Crest Trail, or PCT. sitions, but other than an We turned left (south). instance in the parking lot Bob and Ira Springs’ book where one kicked Leroy 100 HIKES, describes the dog with lightning Stately Waylan in Meander Meadow. “We bonded, developing a subtle understanding and this segment of the PCT speed, these sure-footed silent respect,” said Brad. as “Offering one of the pack animals were very longest meadow walks in We appreciate ridge trails, and turned right onto the Bald Eagle well-behaved and mild the range. Where else can hikers this sky-route undulates from Trail. mannered. In my estimation, wander at and above tree-line, the Little Wenatchee to the Sauk Skirting the top of the more agile and better suited to seldom dropping or climbing drainage, alternating distant Skykomish watershed, we exposed, rocky sections of trail more than a few hundred feet, views. enjoyed ripe huckleberries and than horses. never with any difficulties, and After a pleasant 1 1/4 miles, heather parkland roaming, I’m a believer. Llamas are a always with views?” we arrived at Dishpan Gap, and rounding to the far side of the man’s best friend. October 2018 | The Good Life

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Volunteers

Rays of sunshine Wenatchee volunteers help install solar power pack for remote african hospital

By Yvette Davis

magine you’re an eye surgeon taking out a cataract. Your fingers are holding a sharp scalpel that’s about to slice through the patient’s cornea. Then without warning all the lights above you flicker and go out. What do you do? Do you dare move or do you try your best to freeze until someone hits the switch to turn on the backup power generator? That scenario might sound unimaginable to us but it’s an everyday possibility in Kibuye, Africa. At least it was, until Dale Hill and the organization Friends of Hope Africa University got involved. Friends of Hope Africa University is a North Americanbased Christian organization that assisted the nationals in founding a university 15 years ago in Burundi during a time of great civil unrest. The university is three hours away from the Kibuye Hospital. To this day, travel to the region isn’t recommended by the U.S. State Department. “It’s startling to be in a place that has trucks with soldiers and AK47’s and the mounted grenade launchers. It gets your attention when you walk out of the airport and see that,” he said. He likened travel to Burundi, Africa as a step of faith. Luckily, he has some. Dale got involved with Friends of Hope Africa University about five years ago after his formal

The Kibuye Hope Hospital’s five new solar arrays in the foreground feed into the inverters, batteries and switches that control the off-the-grid power. The Power-Pac system is housed just behind them under the blue roof. In the background is the hospital.

“It’s startling to be in a place that has trucks with soldiers and AK47’s and the mounted grenade launchers. It gets your attention... retirement as a partner from the Homchick Smith and Associates accounting firm. He and his wife Donna went to Africa for the first time in 2014 so he could help the university’s finance department with their accounting. They now have their finances on QuickBooks and are producing timely and accurate reports. Born and raised in Sunnyside, Dale joined the board of Friends of Hope Africa University with no idea he’d be travelling 35 hours one way between layovers and 23 hours on a plane to do good deeds, but that’s exactly where the path of service has led him. And he’s very excited about what he’s helped to accomplish for a rural hospital almost 9,000 miles from home. This summer Dale and a team

| The Good Life

Dale Hill: “When we in America go into surgery, we just assume we are going to have electricity.”

of 28 other volunteers helped install a 125-kilowatt Solar PowerPak system for the Kibuye Hope Hospital. The trip was two years in the making, its goal to bring reliable power to the McCropder missionary surgeons there who perform over 300 surgeries a month. The final cost on the power pack unit was $600,000, with

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October 2018

about half of those funds supplied via a grant from Africa Missions Healthcare Foundation and the rest raised from donors, some from here in Wenatchee. Locals making the trip with Dale were Mike Babst, who retired from the Chelan County PUD and is now a board member for I-TEC (International Technical Electric & Construction) the organization that built the system, Jim Fife, former Ag Supply general manager, Ed Therriault, Ernie Briggs, Andy Parks and Dale’s daughter and son-in-law, Brian and Christina Voth. The group bonded and worked well together in the foreign atmosphere. “It’s a very different culture,” Dale explained. “In a sense you go way back in time.” For example, it wasn’t unusual for Dale and Donna to see four or five bicyclists hanging onto the back of semi-trucks going up the three-hour long hill from Bujumbura to Kibuye. “It’s dangerous how they travel, but it’s a helpful way to get up the hill.” Many of these travelers suffer broken bones due to accidents, which lands them in the hospital. If they are lucky, they are operated on but with only local

Dale said he’s not crazy about the nine-hour jet lag, the lack of air conditioning, nor the travel delays he’s experienced during each trip, but he largely takes these things in stride. For him, it’s a small price to pay for the satisfaction of doing even one small thing that makes a difference for others. Besides, “Africa is Africa,” he says. “Some of the places I’ve been are definitely out of my comfort zone but I am just learning to go with the flow.” Depending on circumstances and if the organization reaches their funding goals, Dale and the I-TEC volunteers will go back to Africa in July of 2019 to help install the same Power-Pak at the university in Burundi. “The need for reliable power is rampant in Africa,” he said. And he feels called to help. “As a Christian taking care of the poor and disenfranchised is to me what you are called to do.” For one place in Africa, help and hope is coming.

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A baby being treated at the Kibuye Hope Hospital pediatrics ward is carried by his brother.

anesthesia, and are given no pain medication afterwards because none is available. Another thing we in the U.S. take for granted, just like electricity. “When we in America go into surgery, we just assume we are going to have electricity,” Dale said. “But in Kibuye they had power from the grid for maybe two to four hours a day, and there would be surges so the frequency and voltage was a problem. Plus the price of diesel went up, making it cost prohibitive to run the generators, and tough to run a hospital.” Now, the impact of having 24/7 power is being felt in positive ways beyond Kibuye. During Dale’s last visit, he and others helped put together 19 wooden incubators for babies designed by one of the surgeons.

The hospital is now selling them to other African hospitals that have heard about their success rate. Most importantly, the power unit saves lives. “Even something as simple as a cataract shortens peoples’ lifespans in Africa,” he explained.

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the Lookout looks back to the future

Peaceful streetscapes evoke an earlier, simpler time but also feature firewise, energy-efficient materials and new standards for scale and density.

hilltop homesites part of Chelan’s changing landscape By Susan Lagsdin

Sometimes a house is more

than just a home. Chelan’s north shore development, The Lookout, also reminds us that a house can represent a philosophical construct, a sociological trend or an economic reality. Guy Evans is extremely familiar with all of the above. As a realtor with Coldwell Banker, fifth generation local, former small-scale farmer and The Lookout homeowner, he

thinks deeply about his work. He knows that the highend housing project, one that wraps itself around and down a promontory between the Manson highway and the lake just northwest of downtown Chelan, is large and distinctive enough to raise tempers or at least create constant comment. And he’s very pleased to walk about it, and to talk about it. The Lookout features tall, closely-spaced cottage-style homes with traditional dormers and gables, shingles or board

| The Good Life

and batten and shady front porches. It’s within the City of Chelan, and It’s not a gated community; a trail goes from Don Morris park all the way up the hill. Guy (granted, a marathon runner) calculates it’s a 20-minute walk into town, a 3-minute downhill bike. Broad sidewalks and curvy streets slow the pace, garages are discreetly tucked away, tiny landscaped front yards are easy-care (the HOA does it all). Street-side shade trees are growing apace.

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October 2018

Guy Evans, a homeowner and lead sales rep for The Lookout, is proud that his own great-grandfather started growing fruit on this nowdeveloped lakefront knoll in 1899.

Wide-open views of Lake Chelan and all-over sun on the deck are what attract buyers to houses like this one at the very top of Lookout.

A park, playground, sports court, pool and pavilion are just a stroll away at the top of the knoll, and a private beach and 70-slip marina anchors the base. Guy, and The Lookout developer and builder (Casey Roloff and Dave Harkey respectively), are proponents of New Urbanism, a reaction to the postWWII car-centric housing boom that drew people to featureless tract homes and away from the core of many American cities.

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back to the future

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}}} Continued from previous page

The Lookout started literally from the ground up in 2013 and is based on a different sense of scale than sprawling suburban developments, with a calculated range of private, semi-public and public experiences, and every home is part of the amalgam. A walkabout yielded some revelations. “Look at that porch,” Guy indicated the home next to his. “First, the stairs leading to it raise it up and ‘honor the home.’ And yet there’s a perfect opportunity for interaction.” Two layers establish privacy, he noted — a short hedge and an open railing — but the front porch itself was set back only about 10 feet, the length of an SUV. He went on with an example, “That means if you’re sitting outside you can easily make eye contact and say ‘Hey, good morning.’ But it’s also far enough that you can keep your head in your book and sip your coffee.” The sidewalk circuit is extensive, with intriguing shortcuts.

Next to one home’s porch, a steep graveled trail doglegged off the sidewalk. Terraced and stepped in parts, it meandered down past a few houses skirting private spaces, leaving just enough room for the chat or not-chat decision. The trail arrived on another street, with, as Guy pointed out, classic “terminal views” (like European spires and belfries). He pointed out a flagpole, a deliberately tall home centered at the base of the street, even Chelan Butte visible at the top of the rise. He said, “We seem to crave directional signs, landmarks. While you’re walking here, you’ll always know where you are, but ideally at least every five minutes you’ll come across a completely new scene.” It’s been over five years since

He also posited that Chelan’s first inhabitants must have disliked seeing Guy’s own great-grandfather jerking up sagebrush with his team of horses on that same hillside. excavators rumbled onto the former vineyard and early apple orchard to break ground for the first homes at the top — five years since the homeowners on the north shore realized their view of the tall hillside would now include streetscapes and

rooftops. Sound planning and architecture created an appealing neighborhood, but as with any development not tucked away in obscurity, the long-distance visuals were disconcerting at first. Guy acknowledged that altering a familiar view is disruptive but cited last century’s changing vistas on both long sides of the lake as homes crept farther up both hillsides. (He also posited that Chelan’s first inhabitants must have disliked seeing Guy’s own great-grandfather jerking up sagebrush with his team of horses on that same hillside.) The 2004 documentary Broken Limbs: Apples, Agriculture and the New American Farmer, which he made with local filmmaker Jamie Howell, was an early exploration of sustainability.

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A few homebuyers have chosen fulltime living close to the downtown community; most value this style of cozy home as a holiday or weekend retreat.

Guy observes today that in our region small-scale farming has become increasingly unable to support families, and recreation and tourism often take its place. The chance to responsibly handle that reality is what first drove Guy to partner with Lookout developers and designers. The Lookout is still expanding to its fullest with a highway, Vin du Lac vineyard and a marina on its margins. In the future, the plan is to include a range of more affordable homes, much needed in the region. Of the 90 higher-end cottages that have been completed, one third are now owned by fulltime Chelan residents or people who use their second homes exclusively for their own family and friends. That leaves 60 available for nightly rentals, a burgeoning market in touristfriendly Chelan. As a lead sales person for The Lookout, Guy had a surprising but sensible response to the contentious vacation housing issue. “Yes, I think nightly rentals are like a cancer — in established residential neighborhoods they keep growing, and pretty soon there’s no part of town that isn’t infected. So… why not put them together in one place? The housing needs of vacation-

ers and people going to work every morning are different; the neighborhoods’ biorhythms are different.” A drive up the winding road to the center of the residential area, and maybe a stroll on the sidewalks and a rest on a shady

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207 S. Columbia St, 98801-3028 | Wenatchee, WA

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WASHINGTON

Experience

Two-fer: Waterfront plus music, for cheap buck twenty-nine, give or take. Maybe as much as $139. Just $25 per stay extra for your pet.

by Cary Ordway

ith Lake Chelan and Leavenworth the obvious go-to weekend destinations for “coast” people who come over in droves to get away from Puget Sound off-season gloom, what’s a North Central Washington resident to do? Join the hordes from Seattle and compete for dinner reservations and parking spaces in our own backyard? I don’t think so. We’ll visit Chelan and Leavenworth all right, but we’ll do it on our own terms. We’ll go midweek or wait until the passes winter up enough to keep those pesky coasters home. Meanwhile there are weekend alternatives in the off-season that will be quiet, but still fun and, at least in October, will experience decent daytime temperatures and a fair likelihood of sunshine. One such “secret” getaway that puts you right on the water with great food, a huge waterfront park and fun, live music just across the street is a visit to the town of Pateros. Wait, we’re serious. Yes, we know that Pateros usually doesn’t get much press except when it makes it to the state B basketball tournament, and also during its own version of the Washington State Fair, the Apple Pie Jamboree each July. Oh, and then there are the hydro races in August. But aside from that, Pateros is not what you would consider a traveler’s

With its waterfront location in Pateros , Howard’s on the River offers relaxing getaway

mecca. But consider for a moment driving less than an hour from Wenatchee -- no passes and really no traffic to speak of -- and

then checking into your own waterfront view room that’s just as modern and well-appointed as those $300 resorts in high-traffic tourist locations. This fall, you can spend the weekend for a

SweetRiver Bakery serves up sweet music that is making it a live music mecca Cary Ordway is publisher of NorthwestTravelAdvisor.com and host of Exploring the Northwest, heard at 6:27 a.m. and 1:25 p.m. weekdays on KPQ 560 AM, Wenatchee. Central Washington Experience is made possible by the sponsors appearing in these articles. Email: getawaymediacorp@gmail.com FALL 2018 | THE GOOD LIFE | Central Washington Experience |

The place we discovered is called Howard’s on the River, well-positioned right along the banks of the Columbia River. Outside your window you immediately see a wide jogging path stretching along the shoreline as it takes you through the adjacent city park. The hotel property has its own docks with expensive ski boats tied up when we were there. The water views stretch forever and you have your own lanai where you can sit back, pour yourself a Corona and forget about your troubles for at least a weekend. Stroll along the waterfront pathway and you come to a beautiful park that would be the perfect setting for a lawn chair and an even more intimate connection with the river. Everything’s quiet. There are no bustling crowds to interfere with meditating to the sights and sounds of this very scenic waterway. After a few hours of reading or maybe just enjoying your own play list on your I-phone, the spirit may finally move you to get up and seek out something special for dinner. Fortunately, the hotel comes through in this area as well, offering a resort-style restaurant with some interesting yet comfort-

Wenatchee Valley Shuttle

Your local, safe, dependable and friendly transportation specialists

from 14, 24, 36, and 55 passenger Charters/Shuttles. This has given us more opportunities to service any and all events and groups’ needs. Whether you need transportation for a wedding, work conference, Gorge concert, wine tour, school group, dance team, Seahawks game, or anything else you can imagine, we are your local, safe, dependable and friendly transportation specialists.

enatchee Valley Shuttle opened in April of 2012. We offered only two trips daily from Wenatchee or Peshastin to North Bend, Bellevue and SeaTac Airport. We now operate four trips daily all year long, and five trips during the winter holidays to better accommodate our passenger’s needs and schedules. Even in winter months we do NOT cancel shuttles. Some shuttles will take longer of course, but we believe our dependability and safety is crucial for our customers to have confidence in us. Even though we are known for operating so many daily shuttles

Two-fer

in nearby Pateros... From page 22 able choices on a rather extensive menu. The specials throughout one recent week ranged from steak chili with jalapeno corn muffin to a Cuban sandwich to smoked prime rib dinner to chicken parmesan. Throw in some baby back ribs, pork chop and eggs and oriental beef salad, and there seems to be

Wenatchee Valley Shuttle has just purchased new buses

over the mountains, we also have grown our Charter side of the company, by purchasing some

something for everyone. Remember, this is Pateros we’re talking about. How many small towns offer those kinds of choices? But even better, Pateros is home to the SweetRiver Bakery, just across the street from the hotel. They, of course, serve up scrumptious sweets but owner Alex Hymer adds that the bakery’s mission is to “bake true rustic breads, pastries and food entirely by hand.”

immaculate new buses. We have six buses, with our fleet consisting of 11 vehicles, with sizes ranging

Please visit our website at WenatcheeValleyShuttle.com for more information, or call (509) 293-5773 for assistance.

will drive the short distance to SweetRiver to take in the outdoor live music events each weekend, weather permitting.

like we’ve described. Great food, live music and a reasonably priced waterfront lodging -- what’s not to like?

But there’s no need to drive up for the entertainment if you’re already there taking advantage of a cheap waterfront getaway

For more information on Howard’s on the River, please visit www.howardsontheriver.com or phone 877-923-9555.

Open since 2002, the bakery has become not only a great choice for hearty sandwiches, homemade soups and hand-tossed pizza, but it now is considered a gathering place for music-lovers from Chelan to the Methow Valley who FALL 2018 | THE GOOD LIFE | Central Washington Experience |

Taste Treats

NCW Wine Trails sip, the unique story of its land and its people unfold. 509-888-WINE (9463) www.fieldinghills.com.

Icicle Ridge Winery

Must-visit tasting rooms around NCW WineGirl Wines

ur winemaker Angela Jacobs is a chemist who played a little roller derby in her spare time. She produces wines with little manipulation to bring you intense flavors worth contemplating. There’s something for everyone from crisp Sauvignon Blanc to full-bodied Syrah Rosé to award-winning Malbec to a luscious Port-style wine. Stop in for a tasting, a trivia game, a rockin’ blues concert, or a barrel burning. Angela, Todd, Brooklyn, Kenai, Quincy and the rest of the crew cannot wait to meet you at our winery in Lake Chelan or our tasting room in Leavenworth. WineGirl Wines, where we strive not only to create story-worthy wines, but to know you by name. 222 E. Wapato Way, Manson. (509) 2939679. www.winegirlwines.com.

Chateau Faire Le Pont Winery

hateau Faire Le Pont Winery is a boutique winery located in the beautiful Wenatchee Valley in Central WA. Our Winemaker, Doug Brazil, is known for his innovative award winning blends inspired by old world traditions. The wines have exceptional structure and

complexity. Our renovated 1920’s Fruit Staging Warehouse is also a perfect place for weddings and events. We have a full tasting room, elegant restaurant and spacious events center. Hours: Sun.-Monday 11-6, Tuesday-Sat: 11-9 Contact: 509-667-9463, www.fairelepont. com.

Fielding Hills Winery

e invite you to Fielding Hills Winery to taste premium Estate red wines and explore the exciting new white wine releases. Owner/Winemaker Mike Wade was named “Rising Star Wine Maker of Washington State” by Wine Spectator Magazine with his first commercial vintage in 2000. Since that time Fielding Hills Winery has become known as a top tier red wine producer. In 2014 Fielding Hills built a stunning tasting room and production facility over looking Lake Chelan and shortly thereafter began production of their first white wines. Combining a long rich history in agriculture with an equally enduring passion for the wine-making process the team at Fielding Hills produces limited quantities of hand-crafted, premium red, white and rosé wines. At Fielding Hills Winery we believe a glass of wine takes you on a journey. With one

e invite you to join us for a true wine country experience. Just minutes from Leavenworth enjoy amazing wine, share in the beauty of our spectacular log home tasting room and family-owned vineyards at 8977 North Road, Peshastin, WA. Icicle Ridge is a destination winery featuring an incredible calendar of events created to enhance your Leavenworth experience. From summer dinners on the lawn and wine hikes, to jazz concerts and vineyard snowshoe, there is a memory waiting for you. Enjoy our two Leavenworth tasting rooms at 821 Suite-B, Front Street, and 920 Suite B-2, Front Street. www.icicleridgewinery.com. (509) 548-7019.

Rocky Pond Winery

orn of owners Michelle and David Dufenhorst’s love of the vineyard tradition, Rocky Pond Winery takes its character and flavor from our estate vineyards, Clos CheValle and Double D, creating award-winning wines that go with every mood and occasion. Our tasting rooms echo that commitment, with cozy, welcoming locations in downtown Lake Chelan and Woodinville, perfect for an afternoon of tasting or gathering of friends. 425-949-9044. www. rockypondwinery.com. Chelan tasting room: 212 E. Woodin Ave.

FALL 2018 | THE GOOD LIFE | Central Washington Experience |

Malaga Springs Winery

hen Kathy and Al Mathews started looking around the Wenatchee area in 2000, they had no idea they would end up at 1700’ at the base of towering columnar basalt cliffs. After measuring the sun exposure and heat indices, they purchased the land and planted the first 1,000 grapes. They planted their nine favorite varieties and, as luck would have it, they all thrived. Because of that, the Malaga Springs wine list features a wide variety of choices. Come visit the gorgeous grounds of Malaga Springs and enjoy our wine and spectacular views. 3450 Cathedral Rock Road, Malaga WA. www.malagaspringswinery. com. 509-679-0152.

Stemilt Creek Winery

temilt Creek Winery is truly a local tradition worth remembering. 100% of our red wines are barrel aged, estate wines. We routinely garner many awards with consistent high praise. Our vineyards are situated at 1,600 feet elevation within the Wenatchee foothills, ensuring the intensity of developing flavors–focused fruit underlying a predominantly earthy complexity. The best part is the rewarding experience you’ll encounter once you taste our wines. Then you’ll know why we say – Legacy Tradition Heritage. Our tasting rooms are located in downtown Wenatchee at 110 N Wenatchee Ave. and downtown Leavenworth at 617 Front St. Suite 4A. www.stemiltcreek.com.

column meet our native plants

Nootka Rose keeps on working after bloom fades By Jaana Hatton

“A rose is a rose is a rose

is a rose” states a line in the 1913 poem Sacred Emily by Gertrude Stein. What she means is that things are what they are – period. How befitting it is to the Nootka rose (Rosa Nutkana). The plant gets its name from the Latin for rose: rosa and the Vancouver Island waterway Nootka Sound. Nootka rose is nothing Jaana Hatton is a amazing freelance writer to look at and a Wenatchee but rather a area resident since 2013. She grew up thicket when free as a bird in it has grown a the woodlands few years, and of Finland and the blooms continues to be come and enchanted by all things living and go within a wild. month or so. It is what it is, but this shrub persists. Nootka rose is also known as Common, Wild or Bristly Rose. First, the appearances. This shrub grows both in shade and

open areas, by rivers on arid terrain and can be anywhere from one to five feet tall. It is thorny, mind you. It likes soil that is well-drained and fine. Nootka rose blooms in MayJune, producing pink flowers that fill the surrounding air with their sweet scent. The bloom has five petals. Second, the purpose. Once the bloom season is over, the plant has a lot more to offer: from the flowers come the fruit, the rose hips, in early fall. The purplish-

October 2018 | The Good Life

red fruit is nutritious and high in vitamin C. Most animals, from squirrels to deer, happily eat it. It has medicinal and nutritional value to people, as well, as the native tribes realized ages ago. The rose hip can be brewed into a tea or even made into a jam. Besides being a medicinal and nutritional champion, the Nootka rose can also help in landscape restoration. The shrub spreads by extensive rhizomes, thus helping to contain the soil.

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A word of caution: this harmless looking shrub will keep growing and spreading with the intensity of a bulldozer, poking up new shoots all over the landscape. Think twice where you plant your little Nootka starts. They look so cute at first. But remember: a rose is a rose is a rose: it is untamable, it is. I would like to point out that while exploring in nature, we should not gather but observe and preserve, first and foremost.

column moving up to the good life

june darling

There’s good news today! Believe it... because it’s true. don’t let the negative nellies make you sick with worry

Today, 137,000 fewer people

are in extreme poverty than yesterday! This number, according to Oxford economist Max Roser, is true (on average) not only for today, but for every single day since 1990. Why am I telling you this? Because you probably haven’t heard it. Not only that, but if you are like 9 out of 10 people, you probably think that, not only is extreme poverty getting worse; but that the world, in general, is going to hell in a handbasket. It doesn’t bother me so much that you are wrong according to the research shared on websites like “Our World In Data,” but rather what concerns me is that your misinformation is making you overly pessimistic. That lack of optimism is not only detrimental to your own

...the world is an extraordinarily better place than it was just a couple of centuries ago. We are richer, healthier, less violent, more democratic (to name just a few areas of progress). health and well-being, but also to our collective well-being. This direness of this situation came to a head for me a few days ago when I was with several highly educated, intelligent family members who were discussing the state of the world. “How long do you think humanity will

last?” they asked each other. The common response surprised and alarmed me. These were smart folks who held what I considered to be an overly bleak, fatalistic and pessimistic view of our future. I started to examine the problem. We know too much bad news and not enough good news (yes, we can blame the media to some extent) which gives most of us an inaccurate view of the world and of humanity. Also, most of us have lived no more than six to nine decades. We have a skewed view of humanity’s progress because we’re not looking back over the course of even a couple of hundred years. In short if we looked at the global data Max Roser and his team of researchers have compiled, we would see that the world is an extraordinarily better place than it was just a

couple of centuries ago. We are richer, healthier, less violent, more democratic (to name just a few areas of progress). Let me give you a quick sense of what I mean. I was born in 1950. In that year 75 percent of the world was living in extreme poverty. In 1981 when we were raising our children, 44 percent of the world was in extreme poverty. In 2015 when our first grandchild was seven, less than 10 percent of the world was in extreme poverty. That is amazing progress. Don’t misunderstand me, there is still work to do; but that’s big, relatively fast progress. We CAN tackle global problems and make a difference. We are already doing it. Two hundred years ago my ancestors could not read — only a tiny elite could. Now 8 out of

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October 2018

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10 people can read and write. That’s important because a huge number of better educated people have an increased chance of successfully tackling big problems. Not only that, but more educated people tend to make more money and have fewer children. Population growth is quickly coming to an end, according to Roser. And let’s not forget that the hole in the ozone layer is recovering surprisingly quickly due to a ban on harmful chemicals. That’s just a little bit of the good news we could find if we looked at the long-term data. Why does it matter that we are more optimistic? Optimism is linked to a tremendous number of desirable outcomes. I recently read a blog that listed 45 benefits including better health, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, increased productivity, perseverance, less stress, lower anxiety, less depression and increased happiness. At the top of the optimism benefits list, for me, is resilience. To bounce back from failure and be hardy folks who can take on the world, we need a healthy dose of optimism. Don’t misunderstand optimism. It’s not about ignoring reality, nor being optimistic in the extreme. People with a healthy dose of optimism, do see what’s wrong, but they don’t get stuck there. They keep looking around. They see what’s possible. If you want more optimism in your life, here are a few ideas. First hang out with more optimistic people. Hanging out with people you want to be like is a good strategy across the board and it’s useful also for optimism. Look for silver linings and opportunity in every difficult situation. This is not about suppressing your negative feelings when life doesn’t give you what you want. It is about, however, getting creative, taking a different perspective, and, yes —

making lemonade out of lemons. Don’t take things personally — don’t see problems as permanent, nor pervasive if they are not. Most of the time, a bad situation is not all about us being an idiot. Yes, we may have had a role, but other factors were also involved. Maybe we didn’t get the job we wanted, but we can try again. Yes, we have arthritis in one foot, but the other one is fine and so are our hands, knees and arms. Catch your negative thoughts, emotions, worst scenarios and catastrophizing. Write them down. Then dispute them. Look for different news, different ways of thinking about the news, and consider what the best scenarios might be. Consider what is most likely after you have more information and evidence. This October give up getting spooked by news of terrorism, nuclear weapons, social unrest, the opioid epidemic, xenophobia, recessions and all that you will see headlined in the usual news. Devote the ghoulish month to what it was actually first meant to be — a celebration of light overcoming the darkness. Make October the month to develop a healthy amount of optimism. Hang out with those who see possibilities, see silver linings, realize that we can make progress on our problems because most of them are not permanent and pervasive and we are not hopeless. Especially make it a point to find the good news. Take the long view. You can start by examining the website ourworldindata.org. How might you build your healthy optimism and move up to the Good Life? June Darling, Ph.D. can be contacted at drjunedarling1@gmail.com; website: www.summitgroupresources. com. Her bio and many of her books can be found at amazon.com/author/ junedarling.

October 2018 | The Good Life

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column THE TRAVELing DOCTOR

jim brown, m.d.

Heart disease in women: Unheralded killer S

urprise! Women are different than men. I am not referring to the obvious but it might surprise you to know that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. It causes one out of every four female deaths annually or about 290,000 per year, about the same number as males. That may come as a surprise as most people, including myself, have thought of heart disease more as a “man’s disease.” About half of all women surveyed did not recognize that heart disease is their number one killer. Women worry more about getting breast cancer even though heart disease kills six times as many women every

Women worry more about getting breast cancer even though heart disease kills six times as many women every year. year. Some of the reasons that have been suggested are breast cancer affects the body image, sexuality and self esteem in ways heart disease does not. Another reason is the average age of the first heart attack in women is 70. Most 50-year-old

women rarely know females their age with heart disease but know many who have had breast cancer. I remember years ago when I was a member of a North Pacific Internal Medicine society, one of the guest speakers was a female cardiologist from the University of Washington. She was talking to our nearly all-male physician audience. I think at that time most of the physicians in the audience didn’t realize how common coronary disease was in women. She pointed out that women’s symptoms of heart disease and of heart attack are not the same on women as what men experience. Many women say their physicians rarely talk to them

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October 2018

about coronary risk and sometimes don’t recognize the heart symptoms females might have. I remember one of the speaker’s examples of women’s coronary symptoms was a complaint they felt their brassiere was feeling too tight and uncomfortable at times of exertion. Some of the most common heart attack symptoms in women one month before their heart attack are unusual fatigue (70 percent), sleep disturbance (72 percent), shortness of breath (42 percent), as well as frequent nausea, anxiety, heart racing, and arms feeling heavy or weak. I suspect some male physicians would not put heart disease at the top of their list in a female patient with these symptoms. During a heart attack, the symptoms are frequently different for females than the crushing chest pain often radiating down their left arm that males experience. About half of females having a heart attack complain of shortness of breath, and roughly 40 percent complain of weakness or unusual fatigue as well as about 36 percent of the time feeling a cold sweat, dizziness, nausea and their arms feeling heavy. A woman’s symptoms are not only different than a man’s, but she is more likely than a man to die within a year of having a heart attack. Current research is trying to uncover new advances in tailoring prevention and treatment to women. In the past, most of our ideas about heart disease in women came from studies of heart disease in males.

I think, in general, people living in the Northwest are more physically active, generally smoke less and overall lead healthy lifestyles. Fortunately, that is changing, not only with new and better knowledge but also because now about one half of all medical students and recent graduates are female. When I graduated from medical school, the percentage of females was around 7 percent whereas now it exceeds 50 percent. I think a majority of women now prefer to go to female physicians whom they think are more understanding of their gender-related illnesses and issues. (That is just an educated guess on my part). A recent study indicated female physicians did spend more time listening to their female patients than male physicians did to their female patients. I recently saw a map of the United States showing the incidence of female heart disease in each state. Fortunately, the Northwest including Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana have the lowest incidence of female coronary heart disease in the nation. By far the highest incidence is in the Southeastern states. From my perspective the highest incident states are also the leading states for morbid obesity and diabetes that goes along with elevated lipids and blood pressure related to coronary heart disease. I think, in general, people living in the Northwest are more physically active, generally smoke less and overall lead healthy lifestyles. Most people know or have

heard of things they might do to lower their risk of heart attack. Knowing is one thing, but the motivation to do something about it is another. There are several things everyone can do to reduce their risk of coronary heart disease. Don’t smoke. Smoking from one to four cigarettes a day doubles the risk of heart attack. Even breathing passive smoke increases the risk. Be more active. Get at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise daily. Take the stairs rather than an elevator; park your car farther from your destination and walk to it. Eat healthfully. The Harvard Medical School recommends a healthy diet including whole grain, fruits, vegetables and nuts. Use unsaturated oils. I prefer olive oil for everything. Eat more fish and avoid trans fats. Read labels. My daughter got me to get a free app for my phone called “Fooducate.” With it, I can scan any bar code on food or snacks and see if it is rated from a D (bad) to A (excellent and healthy). I try to eat primarily the B and A rated foods or snacks. Reduce stress and treat depression. You should discuss helpful measures with your healthcare provider. Keep your waist under 35 inches and your blood pressure 120/80 or better. Reducing your risk of heart attack is not only possible, but should be imperative. 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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Helen Keller October 2018 | The Good Life

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IN THE FLOW ARTIST HAS DRIFTED AROUND THE WORLD, FINDS HER INSPIRATION IN INDIA AND PAINTS IN WENATCHEE By Susan Lagsdin

Being in the flow is an essen-

tial state of being for Wenatchee oil painter Niki Stewart. “When I have a preconceived concept in my mind, my ego gets in the way. It breaks the flow and makes me doubt my art piece. But when I’m totally focused ….” Niki smiled and indicated on a big canvas the rough circular shapes, or “chakras,” she’d made — in the flow — with the tip of a broom brought back from India. “When I’m totally absorbed I feel closest to God.” Niki has melded years of guided meditation at an ashram in India with her need to create. Even when she bases her work on the crags and valleys of the Cascades, the teachings pervade the art: her oil paints come from art supplier Daniel Smith, but she also applies imported coconut husk ash (“vibhuti”) and turmeric powder (used for the “bindi” forehead marks seen on the Hindu faithful). Her recent paintings recall the “rangoli,” sacred designs reverently chalked on the sidewalks and doorsteps of shops in India each morning. Traditional visual

Niki’s light-filled upstairs studio suits her perfectly — she generally stands to paint on big four-foot square canvases but keeps her myriad tools, colors and several completed artworks close by.

The soft pastels of this painting, entitled Nepal and part of her ongoing Countries series, evokes not only familiar colors but the love and generosity she’s always experienced among the people there.

prayers, they’re intended to be admired and then naturally scuffed and even obliterated. “Some are spontaneous, some are centuries old family icons, but walking on them is OK — it releases the power,” said Niki. Besides Indian religion, Niki

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This recent work, with its high-contrast superimposed circles, was inspired by Indian sacred art. Niki pointed out upper-right spiral, indicting a flow of energy breaking out into the universe.

is strongly influenced by painters from the past, like Masaccio (The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden), and the more recent Willem de Kooning and Francis Bacon. Samples, snippets and prints by favorite artists fill one wall of her tiny studio.

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October 2018

In Wenatchee, Niki was initially inspired by painter Larry Schmidt, at the time one of few abstractionists in the area, and eagerly started art classes at Wenatchee Valley College. Now, an admired mentor here is painter Robert Wilson, and she’s

She slept on benches and beaches, hitchhiked and sometimes went hungry, bartering portrait and sketches to stay solvent... “I picked grapes in the south of France, taught in Japan, worked the fields in Israel.” in the cadre of artists calling themselves 220, after Scott Bailey’s advanced art class at WVC. Her college degrees are a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Education, which enabled her early on to work in Japan and in her current English teaching position at WVC. But in heart and practice Niki is a lifelong visual artist. Her British grandfather painted prolifically and even documented, because cameras were prohibited, the excavation of King Tutankhamun’s tomb. Her relatives also painted and were serious observers of art, and Niki found their candid criticism of her earliest work more helpful than flattery. While her father discouraged a college major in art, when she was 16 she won a prestigious prize and a place in the National Gallery in London with her conte drawing, and her high school teacher in Scotland guided her into advanced classes. Confidently packing up her charcoals and watercolor supplies, at 20 Niki embarked, solo, on what would become a decade-long odyssey reaching several countries around the world. She slept on benches and beaches, hitchhiked and sometimes went hungry, bartering portrait and sketches to stay solvent. She discovered her Indian ashram and spent time in Nepal.

“I picked grapes in the south of France, taught in Japan, worked the fields in Israel.” Niki said. She often depended on the kindness of strangers, “and invariably I found that the poorest people were the most generous.” In Alaska she met her husband to be (now former) whose family ties lead them both to Wenatchee. There, running an organic juice bar and teaching yoga, her creativity went almost dormant for a few years. Niki also capitalized on her athleticism and trained continuously for triathlon events. “I was stuck in a state of contraction and selfabsorption,” she said. But in her college classes, she regained and retained her love of painting. She moved from realism and watercolor to oil painting in large, gestural abstraction, a style she’s been honing continuously. Niki’s become part of Wenatchee’s arts community, serving on the Robert Graves Gallery board, with several pieces acclaimed locally at Mela, the MAC Gallery and the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center Regional Art Show (People’s Choice Award 2014) the Robert Graves Gallery (Best of Show 2016). A few years ago, during a difficult personal crisis, Niki returned to her ashram and rediscovered its strength and peace. That moved her to organize her teaching and art-making around long, twice-yearly pilgrimages to India, where she meditates regularly and also does “seva” (volunteer service). Those sojourns help her see good, and God, all around her, and she strives to imbue her paintings with that clarity. Niki will continue chanting the “vedas” (sacred songs) when she works in her home studio, using her colorful powders, surrounding herself with Indian artifacts, prayer flags and photos of her guru. Then, If she lets the art lead the way and lets go, she will stay in the flow. October 2018 | The Good Life

fun stuff what to do around here for the next month Leavenworth Community Farmers market, every second Monday, 5 – 9 p.m. Local bounty, delicious food, wines and drinks. Watershed Cafe. Info: leavenworthfarmersmarket.org. NCW BLUES JAM, every second and fourth Monday. 7 – 10 p.m. Riverside Pub. Homegrown Country Jam, every first and third Monday night, 7 to 10 p.m. Riverside Pub. Upper Valley Running Club, every Tuesday, 4:30 – 6 p.m. Check-in at the gravel lot across from O’Grady’s Pantry. Maps will be available for a marked 3 mile trail route, partly along Icicle Creek. Run or walk, by yourself, with a friend or with your family. Participate 10 or more times and earn an Upper Valley Running Club tech tee. Info: sleepinglady.com. Wenatchee Paddle Club, every Tuesday, 9 a.m. open paddle, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:30 a.m. masters crew rowing, Wednesdays, 6 p.m. novice kayak paddle group, Saturdays, 7 a.m. masters crew rowing. Info: wenatcheepaddle.org. Shrub-steppe poetry podium, every last Wednesday, 4 – 5 p.m. A free, poetry-only public reading. Read your own poems or the work of a favorite poet. The Radar Station, 115 S. Wenatchee Ave. Info: sfblair61@gmail.com. Leavenworth Community Farmers market, every Thursday, 4 – 8 p.m. Offers everything from local eggs, meats, cheeses and breads to local produce, fruits, prepared foods, local crafts and more. Watershed Cafe. Info: leavenworthfarmersmarket.org. Weekly Club Runs, every Thursday check in between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. at Pybus Public Market south entrance. Either a 5k or 10k walk or run on the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail. Complete 10 weekly runs and receive a free shirt. Cost: free (other than a smile). 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

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with a bit of salsa, blues, waltz or tango thrown in. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Village Art in the Park, Thursdays through Sundays, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Outdoor village art show sponsored by local non-profit organization dedicated to providing scholarships for art education using a venue that supports amateur and professional artists. Downtown Leavenworth. Info: villageinthepark. org. Game Night, every 4th Friday. Board games, card games or any games you bring. Open to families and all ages. Hosted by Pacific Crest Church. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket. org. Wenatchee Farmers Market, every Saturday, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Pybus Public Market. Quincy Farmers Market, every first and third Saturday, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Lauzier Park. Info: social media. Plain Valley Farmers Market, Saturdays through October, 10 a.m. – noon. Local farmers sell fresh produce, fruit, flowers and more. Plain Hardware Patio. Info: plainhardware.com. Jam at the Crow, 7 – 10 p.m. Every first Sunday. The Club Crow in Cashmere, 108 1/2 Cottage Ave. Cost: free. Leavenworth Friends of the Library book sale, now through 10/7. Thousands of books $1 - $3. Cloth reusable book bags $1. All proceeds benefit library children’s programs. Corner of 8th and Commercial St, downtown Leavenworth. Scare-Crazy In Cashmere, 10/131. Scarecrows will be waiting for you during daylight hours throughout the town of Cashmere, silly ones, spooky ones and everything in between. Free scarecrow maps available at the Chamber office and participating businesses. Annual Harvest Tea, 10/4, 1 – 3:30 p.m. Upper Valley Museum. Info: uppervalleymuseum.org. Ladies Night Out, 10/1, 4 – 8 p.m. October is Think Pink month and

}}} Continued on next page

WHAT TO DO

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

}}} Continued from previous page the focus is Women’s Healthcare specifically mammograms for women who are under insured or uninsured. Cost: $20 gets you shopping specials, store raffles and a coupon book that can be used all month long at participating stores. For an additional $10 you can purchase a Drink Pink bracelet that will get you pink drink specials at participating shops. Leavenworth. Info: casdcademedicalfoundation.org. Pybus University: The Joy of Bird Feeding, 10/2, 7 – 8:15 p.m. Five steps to bird feeding mastery with Patrick Bodell. Find out how to attract 100 or more species of birds without attracting pesky critters. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Wings and Wheels, 10/4-7. Friday afternoon cruise and Saturday car show. Swap meet, helicopter rides, Red Apple Flyers booth, free kids activities, live music, drawing contest and public viewing of Miss Veedol at Pangborn Memorial Airport. East Wenatchee. Oktoberfest, 10/5, 6 p.m. – 2 a.m. 10/6, noon – 2 a.m. Live music, German food, arts and crafts, activities for the whole family and beer! Keg Tapping ceremony 1 p.m., Saturday. Downtown Leavenworth. Cost: free. Info: leavenworthoktoberfest.com. Mahogany and Merlot Festival, 10/5 – 7. Vintage Hydroplane Exhibitions all day both days. Classic Car Show and street dance with live music on Friday night. Antique and Classic Boat Show Saturday. Waterfront Beer and Wine Garden, winery shuttle buses, Hydroplane Pit Tours and more. Lake Chelan. Cost: free. Info: lakechelan.com. First Friday Events Include: *Two Rivers Art Gallery, 10/5, 5 – 8 p.m. Presents Rabbit Trails by artist Pacia Dixon with her watercolors and ceramic artistry. Wines by Ryan Patrick. Music by Well Strung (Jac Tiechner and Steve Sanders). Complimentary refreshments. 102 N Columbia, Wenatchee. Cost: free. Info: 2riversgallery.com. *Tumbleweed Bead Co., 10/5, 5-7 p.m. Refreshments served. 105 Palouse St. Cost: free. Info: tumbleweedbeadco.com.

*Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center, 10/5, 5. – 8 p.m. Exhibit of Edward S Curtis. Light refreshments. Info: Wenatchee.org. *Mela, 10/5, 5 – 8 p.m. 17 N. Wenatchee Ave. Cost: free. Outdoor Movie: Into the Mind, 10/5, 8 p.m. A story of rising to the ultimate challenge. Bring a picnic on the lawn at The Loge, Leavenworth. Cost: free. Info: logecamps. com/Leavenworth-wa.

at Pybus Public Market. Activities for the kids, face painting and a bouncy house. Live music, Pybus merchandise giveaways and cupcakes for all and tours. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Public Power Celebration, 10/6, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Celebrate Public Power Week with Chelan County PUD. Games, gyotaku and scoop on why hydropower is, well, dam cool. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free.

Bra Chandelier Unveiled, 10/6, all day. To commemorate breast cancer awareness. The chandelier will remain in place for the month of October. Pybus Public Market.

The Met live in HD: Aida, 10/6, 9:55 a.m. Soprano Anna Netrebko sings her first Met Aida, going toeto-toe with mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $22 advance or $24 at the door. Info: icicle.org.

Apple Days, 10/6, 7. A family friendly weekend filled with apple pies, games, live music and more. Cashmere Museum and Pioneer Village. Info: cashmeremuseum.org.

Town Toyota Center Open House, 10/6, 1 – 4 p.m. Building tours, cake and free ice-skating. Town Toyota Center. Cost: free. Info: towntoyotacenter.com.

Leavenworth Oktoberfest Marathon and half marathon, 10/6, 7 a.m. Marathoners will start near the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area. Runners will run a loop through the Icicle Canyon the Bavarian Village of Leavenworth through wooded riverfront trails. Walkers are welcome in the half marathon category. The half marathon course is open for four hours. Cost: $120 full, $100 half. Info: teddriven.com/Leavenworthmarathon/

Wenatchee Community Concert presents: Vocal Trash, 10/6, 7 p.m. Live performance. An urbanthemed Broadway style production that performs on custom instruments made from recycled materials. Singing, break dancing and comedy and be inspired to spread peace, love and recycling. Wenatchee High School. Cost: $25. Info: wenatcheeconcerts.org.

Lion’s Club Community Breakfast, 10/6, 8 – 11 a.m. All you can eat pancakes, eggs, sausage, coffee and milk. Proceeds benefit: sight, hearing and diabetes health education and services; local food banks, college scholarships, scouts, youth sports, Special Olympics and other community projects. Lions Club Park, Leavenworth. Cost: $7. Info: leavenworthlions.com. Ice Age Flood and Glaciations in the Columbia River Valley Geology Tour, 10/6, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Jim O’Connor and Brent Cunderla will be your guides on a tour focused on the ice age floods and glaciations in the Columbia River Valley from Moses Coulee to Pateros. Tour starts and ends at Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: $40. Info: wvmcc.org. Fall Family Day Hike – scavenger hunt, 10/6, 9 – 11 a.m. Saddle Rock Trailhead. Info: cdlandtrust.org. Community Open House, 10/6, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Celebrating the newly remodeled LocalTel Event Room

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Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra: Songs of Innocence and Experience, 10/6, 7 p.m. The orchestra will perform the overture to Verdi’s opera la Forza del Destino (the Force of Destiny), Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 (the “Haffner”), and Strauss’ tone poem Death and Transfiguration. WVSO will feature 2018 Young Musician Competition winner, violinist Keeley Brooks, in the first movement of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, Op. 64. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $21 - $40. Info: numericapac. org. Dar Williams, 10/6, 7 p.m. Singer, songwriter and author live performance. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $25 advance or $27 at the door. Info: icicle.org. The Epic Journey of Miss Veedol, 10/7, 2 – 4 p.m. This film documents the 1931 record-breaking Transpacific flight of Miss Veedol using modern footage combined with historic clips. Voortex productions have updated the story of an amazing aeronautical feat that has become part of Wenatchee Valley legend. Piloted by Clyde Pangborn and co-piloted by Hugh Herndon,

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October 2018

Jr, the Bellanca aircraft become the first airplane to fly non-stop across the northern Pacific Ocean. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Info: wvmcc.org. Taste of the Town Toyota Center, 10/9, 5:30 – 8 p.m. Dinner and dignitary program. Mingle and enjoy tastings in the concourse. Program and video at 7. Town Toyota Center. Cost: $45. Info: towntoyotacenter.com. Pybus University: Women’s self-defense: are you prepared, 10/9, 7 – 8:15 p.m. Hone your skills and learn to stand up for yourself. The class includes lecture, discussion and instruction in easyto-use techniques taught by Kari Erickson. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket. org. Red Barn speaker event – Dr. David James, 10/10, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Everybody loves butterflies. In this presentation we will explore what makes butterflies so appealing and learn about a number of our endemic Pacific Northwest species including the Monarch. Barn Beach Reserve, Leavenworth. Cost: free. Info: wenatcheeriverinstitute.org. Rock Island Rapids of the Columbia, 10/10, 7 – 9 p.m. Join William Layman and Randy Lewis to watch Rock Island re-emerge before your eyes, through Layman’s use of photographs, maps and narratives that allow viewers to walk the island’s contours and see its many petroglyphs and other interesting island features. Lewis’ commentary will shed light on how Native Americans knew the island and how they regard it presently. The rewards are great; offering new ground that gives regional residents, Indian and non-Indian alike, the ability too more deeply appreciates and inhabits this extraordinary river we call home. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Info: wvmcc.org. Horse Lake Reserve eBird Monitoring Project, 10/11, 11/8. Meet at 6 a.m. at the end of the pavement on Horse Lake Road to carpool up the gravel road. Walk a 5-mile route, stopping at 7 points to conduct 10-minute counts. All data is entered into eBird. Learn about bird use within the variety of habitats that include areas burned in the 2015 wildfire. Info: susan@ cdlandtrust.org or 669-7820. Oktoberfest, 10/12, 6 p.m. – 2 a.m. 10/13, noon – 2 a.m. Live music, German food, arts and crafts,

WHAT TO DO

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

activities for the whole family and beer! Keg Tapping ceremony 1 p.m., Saturday. Downtown Leavenworth. Cost: free. Info: leavenworthoktoberfest.com Icicle Creek Family Film Festival, 10/12, 13. A Weekend of workshops, films and fun for the whole family. Snowy Owl Theater. Info: icicle.org. Jay Larson, 10/12, 7 and 9 p.m. Live performance. Jay has a weird, unique and inquisitive sense of humor. All that coupled with his quick wit and imagination lend to an amazing comedy experience that literally unfolds right in front of the audience. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $22. Info: numericapac.org. Ponderosa Pine Basket Weaving, 10/13, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Christi Lewis is a retired teacher living in the Lake Wenatchee area. Using home glycerin baked ponderosa pine needles you will learn to coil and weave a basket with a wood cookie base, taking home a finished product. Beads and materials from the forest will be included to embellish your craft. A sandwich lunch will be provided from the local Dan’s Market. The Barn at Barn Beach Reserve. Cost: $60. Info: wenatcheeriverinstitute.org. Fall Family Day Hikes – Wildlife Tracking, 10/13, 9 – 11 a.m. Saddle Rock Trailhead. Info: cdlandtrust. org. Tule Mat Workshop, 10/13, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. The museum will host an all-day weaving workshop led by Wanapum elder and master weaver Angela Buck. The workshop with feature the versatile tule, or bulrush, as raw material, to create a sitting mat that can be used for yoga, picnics or even as an insulating layer on the dining room table. Wanapum tribal elders skilled in the art of tule weaving lead the class. All materials provided all skill levels welcome. Lunch included. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: $100. Info: wvmcc.org. Yakima River Canyon Geology, 10/13, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. The Umptanum Ridge Water Gap, also known as the Yakima River Canyon is the main feature of this geology tour. Guests will explore spectacularly and rugged terrain while learning the unique and powerful natural

forces at work in the landscape. Learn how the rule of geologic precedence sets the stage for a flatland meandering river to become a frozen-in-place meander at the bottom of a deep canyon surrounded by the Manastash, Umtanum, Yakima and Ahtanum ridge tops. Besides visiting locations in the canyon, the tour will stop at the Ginkgo Petrified Forest Interpretive Center at Vantage. Talking points include glacial moraines, ancient volcanoes, Yakima fold belt, anticlines, synclines, Columbia River and Ellensburg formation basalt flows. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: $40. Info: wvmcc.org. Walking Tour of Historical Downtown, 10/13, 10 a.m. – noon. The railroad tracks, city hall, movie theater are a few of the places located in the early days of Leavenworth on this guided walking tour. Upper Valley Museum. Cost: $5. Info: uppervalleymuseum. org. Wenatchee Right to Life presents Abby Johnson, 10/13, 5 p.m. Abby will give her story on her involvement with Planned Parenthood as a former leader and her eye opening journey across the Life Line. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $10. Info: numericapac.org. Lion’s Club Community Breakfast, 10/13, 8 – 11 a.m. All you can eat pancakes, eggs, sausage, coffee and milk. Proceeds benefit: sight, hearing and diabetes health education and services; local food banks, college scholarships, scouts, youth sports, Special Olympics and other community projects. Lions Club Park, Leavenworth. Cost: $7. Info: leavenworthlions.com. Fall Harvest Roundup, 10/14, 1 – 4 p.m. Hay rides, games, trick or treating, fun activities and food to purchase from Mama D’s. Live performers. Rocky Reach Park at Rocky Reach Dam. Cost: free. Geology Hike, 10/14, 1 – 4 p.m. Get a great view of the local geology from the top of Saddle Rock. Join Ralph Dawes for a hike to the top with lots of stops to discuss what we see along the way. Sign up on line. Info: cdlandtrust.org. Sip and Paint, 10/14, 3 p.m. Create your own Prusik Peak masterpiece. Wine, beer, cocktails and food can be purchased. All supplies provided for acrylic painting on 11x14 canvas. Kingfisher Restaurant. Cost: $35. Info: sipandpaint.org. October 2018 | The Good Life

The prince and the bar maid

The Student Prince winds up its run at the Snowy Owl Theater the end of September. The Student Prince is the story of Karl Franz, crown Prince of Karlsberg, who, as he nears manhood, is sent to complete his education at the University in Heidelberg, where he finds his first real friendships, and falls in love with Kathie, a popular waitress at the local tavern and the darling of the “student corps.” This production will be presented in a German Beer Garden setting, with the audience close to and surrounding the performers. The seats at the Snowy Owl Theater will be retracted to create the beer garden, with sausage and beer provided to patrons from the popular local Munchen Haus restaurant and Icicle Brewery. Anna Galavis The cast features Anna Galavis, a young Seattle soprano fresh off her performance in the title role of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Patience for the Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan society. The Prince will be played by young Bellingham tenor, Kyle Sholinder. The production concludes with three final performances on Sept. 28 and 29 at 7 p.m., and a matinee on Sunday the 30th at 2 p.m. Tickets are available through Icicle Creek Center for the Arts at 5486347 or online.

Passage to Juneau, 10/16, 7 p.m. Andy Dappen will give a presentation about his canoe trip complete with photos, cowboy poetry and his nephew’s film. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Info: wenatcheevalleymuseum.org Pybus University: Chocolate Truffle Making 101, 10/16, 7 8:15 p.m. Learn to make a basic dark chocolate ganache recipe and roll chocolates into truffle balls that can be dipped in chocolate and rolled into a variety of yummy toppings. Instructor Willow Merritt. Pybus Public Market. Cost: $5 donation. Info: pybuspublicmarket. org. Intrinsic Hope: Living courageously in troubles times, 10/17, 6:30 p.m. Climate disruption. Growing social inequality. Pollution. We are living in an era of unprecedented crises, resulting in widespread feelings of fear, despair, and grief. As an alternative, it offers “intrinsic hope,” a powerful, liberating, and positive approach to life based

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on having a deep trust in whatever happens. Kate Davies, talks about these issues. Barn Beach Reserve, Leavenworth. Cost: free. Info: wenatcheeriverinstitute.org. US Army Field Band and Soldiers’ Chorus, 10/17, 7 – 8:30 p.m. This elite 65-member instrumental ensemble, founded in 1946, has performed in all 50 states and 25 foreign countries for audiences totaling more than 100 million. Town Toyota Center. Cost: free. Info: towntoyotacenter.com. Mountain Home Preserve eBird Monitoring Project, 10/18, 11/15. Meet 6 a.m. at the Safeway store in Leavenworth. Susan Ballinger will pick up carpoolers in Wenatchee at 5:30 a.m. at the Penny Road Park and Ride. Walk 2.2-mile route stopping at 5 points to conduct 10-minute counts. Info: susan@cdlandtrust.org or 6677820.

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WHAT TO DO

}}} Continued from previous page Little Shop of Horrors, 10/1820, 25-27, 11/1-3, 7:30 p.m. 10/20 and 27, 2 p.m. Music Theatre of Wenatchee’s live performance. Riverside Playhouse. Info: mtow.org. Tickets: numericapac.org. Oktoberfest, 10/19, 6 p.m. – 2 a.m. 10/20, noon – 2 a.m. Live music, German food, arts and crafts, activities for the whole family and beer! Keg Tapping ceremony 1 p.m., Saturday. Downtown Leavenworth. Cost: free. Info: leavenworthoktoberfest.com. Jayme Stone, 10/19, 7 p.m. Juno Award winning musician and composer performs live. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $22 advance or $24 at the door. Info: icicle.org. Oktoberfest Trail Runs, 10k, 5k, and kids race, 10/20, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Start and finish at Leavenworth Ski Hill facility. Info: runwenatchee.com. Autumn Writing Workshop, 10/20, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Write On The River will host “Reaching Readers, a full day intensive instruction by acclaimed writing professionals, plus a chance to discuss your partial manuscript with them. Wenatchee Valley College. Cost: $85. Info: writeontheriver.org. CDLT/CVCH hiking challenge, 10/20, 9 – 11 a.m. Improve your health, be part of a team, take home prizes and be entered to win one of many grand prizes at the end of the hiking season. Saddle Rock. Info: cdlandtrust.org. Chelan Chase 5k, 10/20, 10 a.m. – noon. Lake Chelan Rotary and Chelan Soroptimists present the Chelan Chase to promote breast cancer awareness. Proceeds go to Lake Chelan Community Hospital to provide mammograms at no cost to individuals who are uninsured. Riverwalk Park. Info: lakechelanrotary.org. The Kathy Kallick Band, 10/20, 7 p.m. Cashmere Community Concerts. Kathy Kallick, Grammy and IMBA award winning singer/ songwriter, and one of the founding members of the acclaimed group the Good Ol’ Persons, is truly one of the west coast’s bluegrass treasures. CCC at Cashmere Riverside Center. Cost: $3 at the door and pass the hat $8-$11. Info: cashmereconcerts.com Volta Piano Trio, 10/20, 7 p.m. One of the Pacific Northwest’s premier chamber ensembles, Jen-

nifer Caine, Salley Singer-Tuttle and Oksana Ezhokina in concert. Canyon Wren Recital Hall. Cost: $22 advance or $24 at the door. Info: icicle.org. Soweto Gospel Choir, 10/21, 7:30 p.m. Songs of the Free in honor of Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday. A mix of African gospel with traditional hymns, Jamaican reggae, America pop and spiritually themed secular songs. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $21-$31. Info: numericapac.org. Pybus University: The Fountain of Youth, is Wenatchee the fountainhead? 10/23, 7 – 8:15 p.m. Discover the key to longevity with instructor Dr. Malcolm Butler. The class will discuss the body’s natural regenerative powers and how Wenatchee is a perfect place to activate them. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket. org. Healthy Trees, Healthy Communities, 10/24, 8:30 a.m. – noon. This seminar will focus on how to identify and manage threats to forest health for the sake of people living in urban, suburban and wild land-urban interface communities. Sponsored by WA DRZR Urban and Community Forestry and will be presented by Ben Thompson, WA Dept. of Natural Resources, Urban and Communities Forestry Specialist. Confluence Technology Center. Cost: free. Reserve: urban_forestry@dnr.wa.gov. Monthly movie on the big screen: E.T. the Extra – Terrestrial, 10/25, 6:30 p.m. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $3. Info: numericapac.org. Lake Chelan Girlies Getaway Weekend, 10/26, 27, 28. A threeday women’s retreat featuring some great venues in the Chelan valley. Campbell’s Resort. Cost: $55-$77. Info: lakechelangirliesgetaway.org. Alchemy Tap Project, 10/26, 7 p.m. Featuring some of Seattle’s best tap dancers and cutting edge choreography, this is an evening of entertainment that will change the way you see the art of tap dancing. Live performance. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $22 advance or $24 at the door. Info: icicle.org. Make a Difference Day, 10/27, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Pybus Public Market. To participate: wenatcheemkdd. com or other info: Laurel Helton 663-6662 or Margie Kerr 6705684.

| The Good Life

The Met Live in HD: La Fanciulla del West, 10/27, 9:55 a.m. Soprano Eva-Maria Westbrook sings Puccini’s gun-slinging heroine in this romantic epic of the Wild West, alongside star tenor Jonas Kaufmann in the role of the outlaw Dick Johnson. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $22 advance or $24 at the door. Info: icicle.org. Apple Blossom Festival Auction, 10/27, 6 – 10 p.m. Let’s have a “Wicked Good Time” if you dare. This event kicks off the 100th WA State Apple Blossom Festival. Win prizes for best costumes, best couple costume. Full buffet dinner, no host bar, hosted beer. Wenatchee Convention Center. Cost: $50. Info: 662-3616. Far Out, 10/27, 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. This film follows the perspective of an athlete as he embarks on a journey to one of the most remote and unexplored mountain ranges on the planet, the Albanian Alps. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $15 advance or $17 at the door. Info: icicle.org. Hallow-Queens Drag Show, 10/27, 7 p.m. YWCA benefit fundraiser for housing and economic empowerment programs for homeless women and children. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Info: numericapac.org. Leavenworth Winter Sports Club’s Ski and Gear Swap,

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October 2018

10/28, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Sell your unused equipment and find new equipment you can use. You can swap or purchase ski and human powered gear, watch ski flicks, enjoy music and socialize. Leavenworth Festhalle. Info: skileavenworth.com. Pybus University: Putting your Dahlias to Bed: how to dig divide and store your dahlia tubers, 10/30, 7 – 8:15 p.m. Members of the North Central Washington Dahlia Society teach this class. Learn how to identify the eyes that hold the promise of new growth. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Wenatchee Riverfront Railway train, 10/31, 5 -7 p.m. Ride the mini train. 155 N Worthen, east end of the railroad pedestrian bridge. Cost: $2. Trick or Treat Downtown, 10/31, 3 – 5 p.m. Wenatchee Ave. Spirit of A.Z. Wells Gala, 11/9. Spend an evening at the Wenatchee Convention Center honoring Wenatchee Valley Street Rods at the 27th annual Spirit of A.Z. Wells gala. Presented by Confluence Health Foundation along with Armada. Info: 665-6030 or register online at conuencehealthfoundation.org.

PET tales

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

Jackson is a four-year-old

mini Goldendoodle that we got as a puppy. We’ve had several dogs in the distant past but not for about 20 years. We have never had one like Jackson. He was the best decision we’ve made in ages. It is impossible to feel down or sad very long when we look at each other eye to eye. Wherever we go he wants to be close to us. He is a great example of unconditional love. — Jim Brown

osie is a 1 1/2 year old part Setter, part Lab, part Border Collie and was a rescue dog from the Wenatchee Human Society adopted by Joycelyn Volc of Wenatchee. “Rosie was from Okanogan where she was not adopted and brought down to Wenatchee. A woman adopted her but brought her back saying the dog had special needs and being a single working woman didn’t have the time the dog needed,” said Joycelyn. It took Rosie one month to begin socializing. “Rosie stayed in the corner

December 1st, 2018 10:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Pybus Event Center Brunch Wreath Raffles Entertainment $35 per person

Get your tickets now www.wenatcheehumane.org 509-662-9577 October 2018 | The Good Life

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in our dining room for 25 days straight 24/7. I had to pick her up to take her outside. She wouldn’t eat or go out. You could tell she was abused and she didn’t trust anyone. But now she has found her voice and is playful but timid around others. “Rosie loves the dog park. Here she can be off leash and socialize with other dogs. We are getting use to bicycles and people. She has come a long ways,” said Joycelyn. “The very best thing is I found out Rosie was born on the same day as me, Feb. 16. But not the same year,” she said with a laugh.

column those were the days

rod molzahn

W. T. Clark – Rags to riches to rags W

illiam Timothy Clark’s story is filled with contrasts; success and failure, wealth and poverty or, as Clark would say, “Boom or Bust.” He was called “The Father of Wenatchee” though he didn’t arrive in the valley until 1902, 10 years after the town was incorporated. Clark was born in 1860 at Delphos, Ohio. In 1882 he married Adelaide Wear. They settled first in Logan County Kansas where Clark was named manager of the Union Pacific Townsite Company and charged with attracting settlers and building towns along the Union Pacific rail lines. Things went well until 1887 brought drought and non– stop hot winds to dry up western Kansas. That, as Clark said later, “Busted me wide open.” Clark and his growing family headed west to Seattle the next year where the city was in the midst of a red–hot development boom. Once again Bill Clark was doing well until the national financial panic of 1893 took it all away, “and down I went ‘kabang’ again.” During the good times of the Seattle boom Clark invested in real estate. When the panic was over all Clark had left were two sections of land in the Moxee district east of Yakima. With his family and belongings loaded in a wagon (he couldn’t afford train fare) William Clark headed for the Yakima Valley to become a farmer. He drilled an artesian well to irrigate part of his land. That served his needs until a farmer on the bench below him drilled his own well and drained Clark’s well dry. He was broke again and, according to his daughter-in-law, Helen Van Tassell, “He was hard

A heavy loser in the Highling Canal. Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center 75-49-158

pressed to feed and clothe his family of five children.” On one occasion Clark went to buy supplies but had no money. The grocer pointed to a sack of potatoes and said, “Bill, if you can carry that sack home on your back I’ll give it to you.” Bill Clark hefted the sack onto his shoulder and made the long walk home. Maybe it was on that walk that William T. Clark’s vision came clear to him. Build an irrigation canal to consolidate the water from many wells. He raised $100,000 and, over the objections of many in the valley, built the Selah/Moxee canal, completed in 1898, that turned 8,000 dry, brown acres into green, productive fields. Clark didn’t make much personal profit from the project but he gained experience and a wide

| The Good Life

reputation as a builder of canals and a bringer of water. In 1901 that reputation reached the newly formed Commercial Club of Wenatchee. They were involved in an effort to increase the productivity of the town and valley. They needed a “Big Ditch” to bring water to all of the lower valley and Wenatchee Flat. The Commercial Club sent a committee of three men to Yakima in an effort to convince W. T. Clark to bring his ditch building expertise to Wenatchee. Clark agreed to visit the valley with his engineers, Marvin Chase and C.C. Ward. After looking over the valley the three men gave a positive report to the Commercial Club and headed back to Yakima. Clark recalled that, “We, ourselves, didn’t have more than enough money to get back home.” The following year, 1902, construction began on the Highline Canal. Clark, though personally broke, did know men on the coast who had money and convinced an Oregon Bank to make a $225,000 construction loan to build the canal. That amount, it turned out, was not even half the total cost of the canal. The need to raise additional dollars was a constant drain on Clark. He said later in an interview, “Many times I walked down the streets of Wenatchee not being able to recognize anybody for the reason that I was worrying over the problem of raising the thousands needed for expenses and payroll, and all this without a cent in the bank.” The canal was completed in 1903 but the cost of buying the rights of way of earlier small canals was expensive driving the final construction costs above half a million dollars which,

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October 2018

according to historian L. M. Hull, “made Clark a heavy loser.” Once the canal was designed and under construction Clark moved his family, again by wagon, from Yakima to a rented house in Wenatchee. He also sent his engineers, Chase and Ward, off to Montana to oversee the construction of a long ditch that reclaimed 50,000 acres of arid land. Clark and his engineers realized a substantial profit from the Montana project and Clark returned to Wenatchee with money in his pocket. Over the next six years Clark made numerous investments in the Wenatchee Valley. In 1903 he bought the Wenatchee Republican newspaper but sold it within months to Leonard Fowler. Clark founded the First National Bank of Wenatchee and served as the bank’s first president. He was also president of the Monitor Orchard Company that put 1,000 acres into fruit production. Anxious to finally make some money from the Highline project, Clark created the East Wenatchee Land Company to acquire about 5,000 acres of undeveloped land east of the Columbia River. At the same time he began promoting the construction of a wagon bridge to cross the Columbia. He raised $100,000 to build the bridge. Completed in 1908 the bridge also carried two large pipes to bring the Highline Canal across the Columbia to irrigate all of the East Wenatchee Land Company’s recently purchased acreage. That resulted in a windfall of profits for Clark and his partners.

Poor business decisions and bad investments began to chip away at Clark’s financial security. The next year Clark began construction of a home for his family. “Clarks Cobblestone Castle,” designed by Adelaide Clark featuring 17 rooms with a ballroom large enough for 40 couples to dance while the band played.

The stone castle, with a turret, on 10 acres along Fifth Street cost an eyebrow raising $50,000. The family moved in during 1910. That same year Clark was elected president of the Washington State Horticultural Society. It was a boom time for William Clark. It didn’t last. Poor business decisions and bad investments began to chip away at Clark’s financial security. He couldn’t weather the economic collapse that followed World War I and by the early 1920s he was half a million dol-

lars in debt. He was forced to sell all his land holdings then, finally, his castle in 1919 to Alfred Zachariah and Emogene Wells. Clark paid all his debts but he was left with nothing. He left his family in Wenatchee and moved to Los Angeles where he lived alone in an attic. In 1925 the Wenatchee Chamber of Commerce made him its first honorary life member. He was notified by telegram. A year later another telegram brought the news that Adelaide had died. In 1935 an old friend gave Clark a job researching farming in Nebraska. In January of 1937 William Clark suffered a

heart attack that put him in an Omaha charity hospital. He recovered enough to return to California. “The Father of Wenatchee” went bust for the final time in May of 1937 at the age of 77. His ashes rest next to Adelaide in the family mausoleum at the Wenatchee Cemetery. Historian, actor and teacher Rod Molzahn can be reached at shake. speak@nwi.net. His third history CD, Legends & Legacies Vol. III - Stories of Wenatchee and North Central Washington, is now available at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center and at other locations throughout the area.

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the back page: that’s life

The All-America Bavarian city? I

By Lee Martin

’ve been a reader of The Good Life since the beginning and I find the articles to be entertaining as to what the Good Life means. I am not sure this qualifies in your magazine but I thought I should attempt to convey what it’s like to be in the Upper Valley Good Life. I am writing this because I recently saw a sign (actually a small sign I had never noticed during my time living here) that said Leavenworth was named the All-America City in 1967. Now, I have lived here since 1995 but this was a revelation and got me to thinking: Wasn’t that about the time the town fathers decided to be a Bavarian town? In Leavenworth there are a lot of things that are quite unique and eccentric and, to me, are quite funny. In Leavenworth being unique is good. For this article I have tried to do as little research as possible because in my mind research detracts from the good life we have in Leavenworth. Why research when you can ski, hike, and ride bikes. However, I did look at Wikipedia for about five minutes. I found that the year 1965 seems to be the year they decided to go

Bavarian. In other words, they were named an All-America City two years after they decided to be German town? Now let me put this in perspective for a moment. Twenty years before we had concluded World War II with the defeat of the Germans. I don’t know about you, but I think there were a lot of people still alive then that had a huge problem with the Germans, you know Hitler and the war crimes. And they decided that this was a

good idea for tourism? This is the same idea, as say in three years in 2021, Cashmere decided to have a theme town centered around Bagdad, Iraq. Come to think of it, that might not be a bad idea. Cashmere can’t really believe that people will continue to love Aplets and Cotlets. But I digress. Who were the people who decided going from All-America to All-German was a good idea? There was a committee called LIFE standing for, and I kid you not, “Leavenworth Improvement for Everyone,” that decided it. I suppose when they said “everyone” they meant the committee members and their families. But those of us who now live in the valley can be thankful that we can boast about living the good life. Apparently, they had done some research too, and liked the town of Solvang, California, which is a Danish- themed town just north of Santa Barbara. Now here’s where it gets unique. Solvang was settled as a real Danish colony! Danes, I mean real Danes, had decided to live there! Did real Germans want to settle in Leavenworth?

No, only if they were loggers. In other words, Leavenworth then decided that if they faked it, they could make it! And they Lee Martin has did, and they lived in Leavenworth since 1995 have. where he and his Now this wife raised their is indeed kids. He just unique. I returned from a believe there hike for a week in the Cotswolds in is truly no England with said town like three kids and a it in the son-in-law. He has country and, a financial plandare I say, ning practice for his day job. the world. Even Disney admitted he was building a world that was make believe. As it turns out, the LIFE committee was right. More than 50 years later, “everyone” from all over the country and world come to see what the good life is about. But probably few remember how it all started, if they’re like me. So, come on down to visit our All-American-Bavarian village. And don’t forget to look for that little sign.

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October 2018

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