September 2018 The Good Life by The Good Life

LEARNING NOT TO BE A KLUTZ • EVENTS CALENDAR

WENATCHEE VALLEY’S

NUMBER ONE MAGAZINE

September 2018

OPEN FOR FUN AND ADVENTURE

Price: $3

HOME TOUR

BRAND NEW, OLD TIME FARMHOUSE

plus LIVING FULLER BY SLOWING DOWN TIME rallying to protect trees of nason ridge

Hydropower wants you!

WEALTH ADVISORS Objective, Transparent and Unbiased Financial Guidance Independent and locally ownedd | Fee-only, F 100% commission free |

Services Se er vices P Provided

Celebrate Public Power Week with your Chelan County PUD. Games, gyotaku and the scoop on why hydropower is, well, dam cool.

• Comprehensive Investment Management • Reti Retirement tirrement and Financial Planning • Tax and Est Estate Planning • Corporate Retirement R Plans

Call C alll today tod d to schedule a FREE portfolio p ortfffo olio review. 509.886.8866 Registered In Investment Advisor | Member NAPFA

Pybus Public Market | 10 a.M.- 1 P.M. | saturday, Oct. 6

, CFP® 135 S. Worthen St, Suite 300 Wenatchee, WA 98801 W We

www.cascade-wealth.com ww

Contents

page 10

Spider Meadows: A bucket list trip checked off Features

rallying ’round the trees

Lake Wenatchee residents love their corner of nature so much they are helping to preserve it

10 checking off spider meadows

A cool hike on a hot summer day brings cascading water, sweeping meadows and not so many other people

12 rocks of hope

These painted pebbles shine a little joy into the lives of people facing life’s difficulties

14 five reasons to sup

Buying a new SUP got Sarah Shaffer thinking about ways standing on water is fun

16 building in uNDISCOVERED MALAGA

On the other side of the tracks, just off the Malaga-Alcoa Highway, is a farm-fresh country home

In partnership with

22 There’s a home tour in chelan, too

We’re your local advantage.

24 no falling down for her

Call to learn more about our Medicare Advantage plans. 1-877-561-1463 (TTY 711). Daily 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. PT. Voicemail used on holidays and weekends, Feb. 15–Sept. 30. HealthAllianceMedicare.org

A chance to view four homes and check out the art of Pacific Northwest artists at a winery One woman’s journey from being a klutz to finding balance in her life

29 the house that hugs cancer patients

Our House Cancer Care of NCW Inc. is now celebrating its 25th year as a “home away from home” for cancer patients. Art sketches n Snatchee Records owners Andy Peart and Jasmine Hall , page 30 n Videographer Erin Nash, page 32 Columns & Departments 6 A bird in the lens: Eastern Kingbird — a fun bug catcher 9 Meet our native plants: Wispy fescue a hardy plant 26 June Darling: Teach your children well 27 Pet Tales: Roxie is a rock star 28 The traveling doctor: Slow down time to enjoy life more 30-35 Arts & Entertainment & a Dan McConnell cartoon 36 History: The hard and varied life of Ed Ferguson 38 That’s life: My Summer of ’42 moment September 2018 | The Good Life

Health Alliance Northwest is a Medicare Advantage Organization with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in Health Alliance Northwest depends on contract renewal. This information is not a complete description of benefits. Contact the plan for more information. Limitations, co-payments and restrictions may apply. Benefits, premiums and/or copayments/coinsurance may change on January 1 of each year. Other pharmacies and providers are available in our network. The pharmacy network and/or provider network may change at any time. You will receive notice when necessary. 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-WACgenad-1017 • H3471_18_61581 www.ncwgoodlife.com

OPENING SHOT

Year 12, Number 9 September 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, Erin Nash, Hillary Clark, Sarah Shaffer, Mandy McLaren, Susan Sampson, Cary Ordway, 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, 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

Looking at nature from a different angle By Erin J. Nash I took this photo during a backpacking trip to Spider Meadows with my friend Jonathan Williams (pictured). While exploring Phelps Basin we found that we could explore the creek by hiking up it through this glacier.

I love capturing images in nature from unusual vantage points, like basin views from underneath a glacier. I went back to this same location about a month after this photo was taken and the snow was completely melted. I feel lucky to have caught this image at the perfect time before the late summer sun melted this gorgeous scene. You can see more of my adventures at lensjoyphotography. com.

On the cover

Donna Cassidy took this photo of the Mills family along with builder Randy Wessman on the porch of their nearly completed Home Tour house in Malaga. Soon the landscaping will equal the indoor amenities of their brand-new home. Seated are Ryder and his mom Becky Mills, standing are builder Randy Wessman and Mike Mills. For a story on the house, see page 16.

For a story on Erin and her art, see page 32.

Keep Moving Physical Therapy for All Ages and Abilities

PHYSICAL THERAPY

(509) 665-3156

www.biosports.net

• Sports Biomechanics • Physical Therapy • Video Gait Analysis • Orthotics • Functional Testing • Pool Therapy • Massage Therapy • Work Related Injuries

| The Good Life

www.ncwgoodlife.com

September 2018

editor’s notes

MIKE CASSIDY

Moving to Mexico: Was that wise? A

fter our cover article about Bill and Cindy Rietveldt moving to Mexico came out in July (“One more adventure: ‘We felt like kids again’”), I’ve had readers ask questions. One emailer actually went beyond asking a question, and said not only were the Rietveldts making an error in moving to Mexico, but we should have warned readers about how dangerous the country is. He attached news articles about the violence there. Another reader thought the Rietveldts were awfully brave, perhaps foolishly so, in giving up — at their post-retirement age — the safety of U.S. health care, considering U.S. Medicare coverage doesn’t apply to people living outside the country. So, I asked Cindy now that she and Billy have been living in Mérida for a while what she thought about these opinions.

• Crainosacral Therapy • Myofascial Release • Orthopedic Conditions • Pregnancy & Postnatal Massage • Restorative Excercise • Sports & Relaxation Techniques • TMJ

Her reply: As to safety here — Billy and I had been visiting Mérida for seven years and knew it to be a very safe city to live in. And we are well aware that not all of Mexico is safe… I wrote about how we decided we were at a point in our lives when, if we were ever going to experience living outside of our comfort zone and in a different culture, it was now or never... I never worry about the other people out and about; I’m too busy watching that I don’t trip on the uneven and frequently broken sidewalks. This is an old city and, while there is a lot of work being done to renovate its historic center, there is nothing much that can be done about the narrow streets that cannot accommodate the growing amount of automobile traffic. I worry more about staying out of the way of speeding cars and

buses than I do about crime. As for health care — Even at our age, Mexico has affordable health insurance. As I wrote in that article, my husband had a heart attack and bypass surgery last year (while still in the U.S.). We are (now) living in a house just blocks from a major hospital with a staff of top notch cardiologists and we have found access to a specialist is fast and inexpensive. Billy likes his new, bilingual, doctor and has had an EKG and blood work that show him to be in very good health. But this is OUR situation. I’m not saying the same good level of care exists everywhere in this country. Should everyone retiring consider moving to Mexico? Of course not! Life is different here — not better or worse — different. And, one day, I will write about that. Cindy did add a crime statistic that like most statistics could probably be debated, but still is interesting: The murder rate per 100,000 people in the state of Yucatan (home to Mérida) is 2.12. The rate in Washington is 2.7. The rate in Oregon is 2.8. The rate in Idaho is 2.9. I should add that here at The Good Life, we don’t tell people

what to do, we show readers what others have done to find new experiences in their lives. Safety is dandy, but it takes new experiences to really enjoy The Good Life. — Mike

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

Advertise your healthy lifestyle business here for as low as $95.

Free snacks, beverages and prizes

New Retirement Strategies Seminar Call 888-6527 for more information!

Since 1982

Join us at the Wenatchee Library October 2nd at 6:30 pm!

Family Owned,

• Maximize your Social Security with basic planning tips Locally operated • Learn how to make your IRA/401K dollars work for you without Stockmarket risk Over 100 years of combined experience in GUARANTEED Safe Accounts • Learn the In’s and Out’s of WA State Death Tax and how to shrink it! • Protect your Estate from Long-Term Care Risk without Traditional Insurance!

RSVP 509-344-9796 • www.HippLegacyPlanning.com

AMTA Member • Lic# MA14691 Nationally Certified September 2018 | The Good Life

www.ncwgoodlife.com

column a bird in the lens

Eastern Kingbird: A fun-to-watch bug catcher I

By Bruce McCammon

enjoy traveling around our area, within Washington, the Pacific Northwest or to foreign countries. Travel means that there will be new birds to see and habitats to explore. The diversity one experiences with travel makes life more interesting. Sometimes, though, a Bruce McCammon familiar bird is retired, colorshows up blind and enjoys when you’re a photographing the long way from birds in north central Washington. home. I’m always pleased to see an old friend in places that are new to me. Among the birds we see each spring and early summer is the Eastern Kingbird. These birds are smaller than an American Robin and have distinctive field marks that make it easy to identify. The marks include the bright white breast and blue-black head, back

and tail. A white band at the end of the tail is another distinctive mark. They have a fairly high pitched, buzzy song. Eastern Kingbirds are flycatchers and will frequently perch on wires or branches to scan an area for flying insects. Like other flycatchers, the Eastern

| The Good Life

Kingbird will fly off a perch to snag an insect or two and return to the perch. It’s fun to sit quietly and watch the antics. This photo could have easily been taken in the Horan Natural Area in Wenatchee or any of the suburban foothills of north central Washington — it wasn’t. I took this photo in Ohio last

www.ncwgoodlife.com

September 2018

May on a trip to see a wide variety of warblers. Seeing the Eastern Kingbird sitting along the trail as we headed to our car at the end of the day made me smile. The bird let me approach to a respectful distance and posed in nice, uniform evening light. How could I resist?

Kim, Eric and daughters Anna and Claire and dog Bella stop for a moment at Big Red — a giant ponderosa pine on the Nason Ridge trail.

Rallying ’round the trees Lake Wenatchee cabin owners join effort to save a place for memories By Hillary Clark

Eric Prestbo remembers the

last day he saw his childhood cabin at Priest Lake. “I walked down to the lake to say goodbye to this place.” He had made so many memories here in his youth. He remembered their one-room rough timber cabin, and swimming with his family and their shaggy dog at their sandy beach with its iconic rock. “My grandparents’ ashes are scattered there,” he said. But time and distance meant the family couldn’t visit enough

to give the place the care and attention it deserved. They had made the difficult decision to let the cabin go. That day, as he turned to leave, a flash of movement caught the corner of his eye. He spun around just in time to see an osprey plummet out of the sky and splash into the water, talons first. It emerged right off the end of the dock with a fish — right where he and his grandfather used to frequently catch Kokanee. A few years later, Eric and his wife Kim realized they wanted their two daughters to have somewhere to fall in love with,

too. After searching for a place that felt right, they built their own cabin nestled below Nason Ridge, just a short walk from Lake Wenatchee. They used local contractors and plenty of Prestbo family elbow grease. They filled it with things from the old cabin, and recovered Eric’s grandfather’s old, hand-built, wooden fish smoke house. “One day, I’m going to catch a salmon in Lake Wenatchee and smoke it,” Eric said. Now, their kids are grown themselves. They too have a youth filled with memories

September 2018 | The Good Life

www.ncwgoodlife.com

that mirror their father’s. They remember spending time with family, swimming at Lake Wenatchee, and hiking on the Nason Ridge trail to visit Big Red, the giant ponderosa pine. Eric and his family have put a lot of work into their Lake Wenatchee cabin. He and his father Wally have spent hours hauling a chainsaw around, thinning the overgrown forest and restoring it to a more natural and fire-resistant state. Wally was one of the first two people at Lake Wenatchee to apply for and receive Firewise USA® status for their neighbor-

}}} Continued on next page

An aerial shot captures the beach at Lake Wenatchee State Park with Nason Ridge in the background. Photo by John Marshall Photography

Rallying ’round the trees }}} Continued from previous page hood 10 years ago. This means that the community is better prepared to withstand a wildfire without the intervention of the fire department. Eric is now a Firewise USA® captain himself, motivating his friends and neighbors to prepare their properties for wildfires as well. He’s driven by the idea of leaving the place better than he found it, and making sure his daughters never have to lose their connection here. Last summer Eric found out that Weyerhaeuser had plans to build roads and harvest almost

Weyerhaeuser listened, and agreed to pause the timber harvest and allow time to craft a permanent conservation outcome. all the trees on the steep slope above Lake Wenatchee. Eric said he knows that logging can often be used to improve the long-term health of a forest, and that it’s an important

DAVE WICKERHAM September 28, 2018 2 PM sponsored by Dave and Sandy Gellatly in memory of David N. Gellatly, Jr.

$5 suggested donation Visit wenatcheevalleymuseum.org or call 888.6240

| The Good Life

To help Save Nason Ridge The Chelan-Douglas Land

Trust has committed to raising $1 million locally to help save Nason Ridge and protect 3,714 acres above Lake Wenatchee. part of our northwest culture. “It holds up the roof of my cabin.” But the plan for Nason Ridge would have drastically changed the character of Lake Wenatchee, impacting people, water and wildlife. The community rallied. They contacted Weyerhaeuser, started a petition to raise public awareness, and reached out to the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust for help. Weyerhaeuser listened, and agreed to pause the timber harvest and allow time to craft a permanent conservation outcome. Western Rivers Conservancy, a nonprofit that buys and conserves river lands across the West, was able to secure a deal with Weyerhaeuser to buy all 3,714 acres on Nason Ridge. After that, Eric and his family had reason to feel hopeful for the future of Nason Ridge. WRC is now purchasing the

www.ncwgoodlife.com

September 2018

This is a joint project of the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust and Western Rivers Conservancy For further information and learn how to make a donation, see www.savenasonridge.org. entire property, and the ChelanDouglas Land Trust has committed to raising $1 million from the local community to help pay for the purchase. Because this place means so much to him, Eric volunteered to join the fundraising team. “It’s for our kids,” he said. Now, he can look up at the deep green of Nason Ridge from the shore of Lake Wenatchee State Park and see a path to protection. And every once in a while, he’s lucky enough to see an osprey dive for a fish in Lake Wenatchee. When he does, he remembers his favorite fishing friend — his grandfather — and he’s thankful that he can pass on this place to future generations. Hillary Clark is the membership and education coordinator, ChelanDouglas Land Trust.

column meet our native plants

Idaho Fescue: Whimpy grass stronger than it looks I

By Jaana Hatton

daho fescue may not look like much: it’s wispy, almost frail looking in its grassy existence. But, it is one you want to take note of. It’s beneficial in many ways, both for food and landscaping. This native grass is an excellent forage plant, both for livestock and wildlife. It tolerates a good amount of hoof-traffic and nibbling before it’s a done deal. Idaho fescue Jaana Hatton is a is good eating freelance writer late into the and a Wenatchee season when area resident since 2013. She grew up all other free as a bird in grasses have the woodlands withered of Finland and in the most continues to be unappetizing enchanted by all things living and way. wild. Idaho fescue generates an expansive root system, thus making it perfect for soil erosion control. The grass thrives in silt loam soil, even in slightly saline or alkaline environments. You

Idaho Fescue’s extensive roots makes it drought tolerant.

can find it anywhere between 3,000-7,000 feet of elevation. It will endure cold and drought, north or south exposure. Goodness, what more can you ask of a slender stem? It grows in clumps of narrow leaves in bluish green or green. Idaho fescue can be anywhere from one foot to three feet tall.

It’s an early spring plant and seeds by midsummer. Idaho fescue makes a good landscaping feature. Once it’s established, it will more or less take care of itself, like any grown-up. It’s recommended for hardiness zones 3-6 (Chelan and Douglas counties are rated har-

diness zone 4-7 by the Master Gardeners). Because this grass is the bunching type, it’s easy to limit it to the intended spot. This is a grass that is fairly tolerant of fire. However, once it burns, it will need two to three years to recover. But, recover it will. Long live Idaho fescue!

Your Hometown Station + The Latest Local News • Music, News & You • Local News & Information • Wenatchee Panther Sports News you need, voices you trust, and music that keeps you moving September 2018 | The Good Life

www.ncwgoodlife.com

Checking out Spider Meadows Sarah Shaffer looks towards Spider Gap while sitting in Spider Meadows.

Story by Sarah Shaffer Photos by Mandy McLaren

pider Meadows had been on my bucket list for admittedly too many years now. Finally a date opened up that I was able to hit that specific trail. I texted my friend Mandy McLaren who said she could join me and I recommended she bring her big camera and I would take mine. We started off at a rather busy trailhead with lines of cars. About 10 creek crossings later and a lot of fun conversation we made it to the meadows. To greet us was the loud chirp of the marmot who had claimed the one rocky out cropping at the start of the meadows. I have always looked forward to the marmot chirps as you know you

are in the high mountains when marmots are around. We found a good lunch spot and Mandy and I pulled out our cameras to capture in time what we were seeing at the present moment. Mandy understands cameras way better than myself, but while we were up in the gorgeous meadows she was kind enough to give me some pointers Heading down the trail back to the car, still surrounded by verdant nature and fresh views. on how to use the The pictures here are from camera settings more approprifor over an hour taking in the ately for both mountains and for that day in the mountains. large craggy peaks along with We stayed in the meadows wildflowers. the wildflowers. Eventually it

| The Good Life

www.ncwgoodlife.com

September 2018

was time to hit the trail again, headed for home, and we said goodbye to this piece of paradise that is Spider Meadows.

The flowers were just appearing when this trip took place. “We could imagine how gorgeous the meadow would be in full bloom. Either way, the views did not disappoint,” according to Sarah.

Access. Follow Highway 2 to Coles Corner, then drive 4.4 miles on Highway 207 past Lake Wenatchee State Park to a bridge crossing the Wenatchee River. Shortly past the bridge, leave Highway 207 by staying right at a fork and then veering right again at the next fork onto the Chiwawa Loop Road. About 5.75 miles from Coles Corner, the Chiwawa Valley Road branches left. Turn left and follow the road 2.7 miles to a bridge across the

One of the many stream crossings on the trail to Spider Meadows. Water shoes were worn for the majority of the hike.

Fall...time to get to CLASS!

Chiwawa River. Cross the river and, about 0.3 miles later, curve left (remain on the paved road). The paved road becomes State Highway 3, which is also called the Chiwawa River Road. Follow this in a northwesterly direction. In eight miles the road turns to gravel, then in another 10.75 miles (at a prominent fork), veer right onto the Phelps Creek Road. Drive steeply uphill on rough road for 2.4 miles until the road ends at the trailhead (elevation 3,500 feet). Trip Instructions. From the trailhead follow the Phelps Creek Trail, which is an old mining road. In 0.25 miles pass the Carne Mountain Trail, branching off to the right. Enter the Glacier Peak Wilderness at 2.5 miles. At 3.4 miles, cross Leroy Creek, which is likely to get your feet wet if you’re hiking in early season. A climber’s trail heads up the north side of Leroy Creek and leads to a high camp for ascending Seven Finger Jack, but you’ll keep walking up the gentler Phelps Creek drainage. A mile beyond Leroy, the pitch of the trail steepens. After 5 miles, emerge from the trees and enter Spider Meadows (elev. 4,750 feet). If you want to explore farther into the meadows, hike up the trail in the middle of the meadows, cross a side stream at 5.5 miles, climb through a cluster of fir trees, and enter the upper meadow. This story also appears on Wenatcheeoutdoors.org — the site covers such topics as hiking, biking, climbing, paddling, trail running and skiing in the region.

TRY US NOW! 14 DAYS for $14 The

Unlimited Group Classes with Membership Call Today! (509) 662-3544 / www.wrac.org Silver & Fit / Health Alliance Facility

September 2018 | The Good Life

Wenatchee Racquet & Athletic Club

www.ncwgoodlife.com

ROCK solid HOPE bright painted pebbles for people facing troubled times By Jaana Hatton

When life brings along

troubles we need something firm to hold onto, something good to look forward to. Maybe a rock that says “Hope.” Anita Paquette of Malaga might have just the right one for you. Anita is like a teapot happily bubbling atop a stove, full of warmth and energy. She is also a cancer survivor, and had to find something positive in the past year to keep her going. She realized her happy thing is painting rocks. “I was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2017,” Anita said. “I went to tiring, painful treatments five days a week until October. Things are fine now.” Her oncologist praised Anita for her positive attitude and pointed out that it helped her to heal. That knowledge encouraged Anita to pass the good along, in the way of her “Hope” rocks. “I gave my oncologist, Maggie Ellis, one of my painted rocks. To my surprise, she asked for more — for the patients,” Anita said. “I had been placing the rocks on the graveled areas of the hospital parking lot,” Anita said. “Then, I started taking them to different departments and leav-

Anita Paquette paints happy images on the front of her rocks that match her bubbly personality.

ing them at the check-in counters — with the staff’s approval.” Maladies need remedies, even if they come in unexpected, pebbly shapes. Anita has many touching memories about the good the little painted stones have generated. “I remember sitting in the hospital waiting room eight days after my diagnosis. My attention was on two ladies also waiting their turn: they were tiredlooking, thin, with scarf-covered heads. We all know what cancer looks like,” Anita said. “Nobody would sit with them or talk to them. But I did.” Anita offered them each one of the “Hope” rocks and they just stared at her. What is this? To keep? Someone cares? The two ladies held the rocks and smiled. Chrissy Davis, who is a volunteer at the surgery department, has been a great supporter of Anita’s rocks. That’s because Chrissy has seen the magic they behold, on a daily basis. She has to keep asking Anita to bring more as the rocks are in great demand. We all need some hope and a rock-solid faith in better times ahead. “I remember this one so well,” Anita said, with tears of emotion in her eyes: “A lady was waiting for her husband who was having open-heart surgery — a

| The Good Life

Anita spends hours and hours in her bright basement, creating her rocks of hope.

scary operation. She sat there and I handed her a rock with a heart painted on it, with ‘Hope’ written on the other side, like I always paint them. She held on to that rock the rest of the waiting time.” There was an occasion when Chrissy called Anita, somewhat apologetically. “I wouldn’t normally do this, Anita,” Chrissy said, “but I have a lady here who wants to personally thank you.” It turned out that this lady’s husband was in surgery and the

www.ncwgoodlife.com

September 2018

wait was full of anxiety. Normally the wife’s sister, Anita – yes, the same name – would have been there, but could not that day. Instead, the wife was holding on to one of Anita Paquette’s “Hope” rocks and felt like the sister Anita was right there by her side. Anita’s happy rocks have been in such demand that she ran out of stones last winter. But, when you live in Wenatchee, you will find people who care. “I went to Home Depot, hoping to find more material. Jason, the assistant manager, came to my rescue. He gave me three bags of rocks and a case of spray that I use for the final touch — for free. He just wanted me to be able to carry on my mission.” A mission it is, nothing less. Anita’s heart and soul are in it. She spends hours and hours downstairs in her cheerful workshop decorated with lace curtains and outfitted with lights bright enough to compete with a runway. Her husband, Fred, is her biggest supporter and admirer and doesn’t mind her disappearing into the world of painted pebbles. Anita uses acrylic paints to decorate the stones. She coats the finished works with a spray that is UV protectant and also keeps the paint from coming loose. She also uses paint pens

Anita loves what she is doing. It has helped her through the illness and now she is helping many others overcome their troubled times.

find the team logo and colors. As she was painting the rock, the words “who dey” popped into her mind and she wrote them onto the stone. “Who Dey” is the team mascot, a Bengal tiger. Anita only learned that the next day. “I believe in destiny,” Anita said, in a rare moment of seriousness on her face. “It puts me in the right place at the right time.” Destiny and hope: they are like tossing skipping stones on the water, one ripple creating another. Rocks of Hope. Hope rocks. Thank you, Anita.

for the detailed touches on her rocks. “I have found a supplier for my rocks: Bob’s Apple Barrel quarry in town. They Anita paints happy images on the front of her rocks — and the word “Hope” on the reverse side. If you wish to sponsor let me pick as many Anita’s work, which is as I want — for free. picking up momentum and also cost doing better and has been transThey actually offered to deliver she is helping many others to in terms of materials, you can conferred to Seattle for more rehaa whole truckload to the house, overcome their troubled times. tact her at (509) 679-2636. but we have nowhere to put that “This incident really blows my bilitation. A relative, who had Jaana Hatton is a freelance writer, visited, contacted me to paint a much,” Anita said. mind,” Anita said. “There was a living in East Wenatchee. She takes rock with Eric’s favorite football Tears were in her eyes, again, I bad Jeep accident recently, ina special interest in people who emteam theme, The Cincinnati imagine tears of joy. Anita loves volving Eric Jensen. He suffered brace hardships and turn them into Bengals.” what she is doing. It has helped a spinal injury, and the doctors rays of sunshine. She also has an unexplainable affinity for river rocks. Anita did some research to her through the illness and now predicted paralysis. He is now

Food & Drink Guide St 1st

St se lou a P

(509) 66-SUSHI

St do on Or

(509) 667-8744

8 N Wenatchee Ave “Wenatchee, Thank You for supporting us over the last 8 great years! We look forward to the next 8 years!” M-Th: Friday: Saturday: September 2018 | The Good Life

11am-3pm, 4:30pm - 9:30pm 11am-10pm 12pm-10pm

www.ncwgoodlife.com

Delicious, healthy, and artistic in one! Please follow us on

for weekly specials

Sarah Shaffer SUPs the Columbia River.

5 Reasons to SUP

(Stand Up Paddleboard)

By Sarah Shaffer

e recently bought a SUP and have been enjoying it during these hot summer days. Here are five reasons I recommend owning one. 1. We bought a blow-up version that allows you to pump it up once you get to the location of your choosing. Because of this, you can carry it in a large backpack (weighing roughly 15 pounds) making it convenient, very easy to transport and making it possible for accessing high alpine lakes by carrying it on your back.

SUP’ers can pack in their light-weight boards to high Alpine lakes.

2. My favorite thing about SUPping is standing up on the SUP gives you more distance between the top of the water and your eyeballs, which means much less glare on the water so you can see more clearly at deeper depths. I have seen jellyfish, seals, fish, kelp, rocks etc. which I normally cannot see while using | The Good Life

www.ncwgoodlife.com

a kayak or canoe due to being too close to the top of the water and having too much glare to contend with. 3. You can bring along kids on the front while they sit and look in the water. Or kids can paddle and you can ride along with them.

September 2018

SPONSORED CONTENT

Country Club impacts many NCW charities Wanapum Dam has the newest visitor center

Northwest dams...

Visitor centers are fun travel stops (from page 16)

the world’s biggest dam and

Sarah’s husband, Mark, takes their daughter and a nephew SUPing just north remains among the few dams of Deceptionfacilities. Pass StateThere Park off generation areof Whidbey Island in the Puget Sound.

in the world that can produce enough electricity to power is so clear. am looking forward toas the 11Iwestern states. It’s not many SUPbut will friends who have had theirs for high asplaces Hooverthe Dam, it’sgo, and the will confour years (the Dam blow up ver- wider, andmemories the visitorthat staffers Grandnow Coulee tinue to be made with it. sion of SUP) and they have yet at both dams enjoy a running Gear to bring: Next I need to to have a hole in it. Surprisingly A tour of Grand Coulee Dam competition to make their outfit the SUP appropriately they are not too hard to balance is an amazing experience and respective dam sound more with the approved gear. on either. With that being said well worth the two-hour side impressive than the other. Did you know that SUP’s are you should be prepared for the trip northeast from Wenatchee now you being a vesoccasional splash of falling in Once getconsidered to Grand Coulee, whenever you get over to the sel by the U.S. Coast Guard? though. there’s no mistaking just east side of the mountains. Whoa, this means we need to how important this piece of start wearing the appropriate 5. It surprisingly does offer When you take the 45-minute concrete is. It’s the world’s gear (U.S. Coast Guard approved a workout. Depending on how tour of Grand Coulee Dam largest concrete structure andand life vest, sounding whistle) much effort you put into it, I you’ll be escorted by armed it holds back an incredible outfitting ourselves for other have felt my quads, core and guard to the top of the amount of the water thatThis is sucked traffic on water. inback getting a workout while spillway where you can look down through turbines that cludes making ourselves more paddling. down at aI have wall of water are constantly spinning andneon visible by wearing bright Places taken themuch SUP higher much widerthe than colors, using reflective tape on humming. are theand ocean within Puget our paddles, and by carrying a Niagara Falls. look down Sound — the The coves offer veryis If you stop at the vantage point light. little waves and not watch too strong breathtaking as you the coming Coulee, If youinto areGrand paddling a SUP at of currents there water make so itspaddling long journey night you must have a “white you can look down at the has been rewarding. Plus, to the river below -- if you’re light” or headlamp. Other Rainyof Lake in theyou North Casdam alongside an information afraid heights, might recommendations arehow paddling cades, the Columbia River near board that shows you just want to stay in the tour with a buddy, giving detailed Turtle Rock, the Wenatchee the dam dwarfs Niagara Falls bus. information to someonefrom before River, the Columbia River to the and famous skyscrapers hand as to where you are going, Wenatchee Grand CouleeRiver DamHoran is not Natuaround the world. Tours of the carrying a locator beacon, or ral Area estuary. Lake is just any dam -- it Banks once was dam run hourly. also geographic and historical exhibits focusing on this part 4. They are sturdy, we have of Washington.

another good spot and the water

phone in a waterproof case.

Along with a significant makeover of its facilities and more attractive pricing to members under the age of 43, the Wenatchee Golf and Country Club also has upped its game in recent years when it comes to charitable giving. The club has long donated free rounds of golf and other prizes to local charities, but in the last couple of years those prizes have become quite substantial. Instead of a round of golf, the club has been giving away annual memberships and, as you might expect, those bring in a lot of revenue for local charities. Club General Manager Rob Clark estimates that those memberships have contributed $20,000 to local charities over the past two years. An annual membership can fetch as much as $4,000 from bidders at charity auctions. It’s all in keeping with the club’s stated intention of giving back to the local community. The involvement in local charities -which goes far beyond the free memberships with the hosting of frequent charity golf tournaments and other activities -- helps foster that sense of camaraderie among club members. Clark says the membership

donations are also a great way for the club to introduce new people to the Country Club experience and give them an up-close look at what it’s like to be a member. In recent years organizations like the Humane Society, the Mission Ridge Ski Team, and Alatheia Riding Center have benefitted from the club’s donations. The PAC Festival of Trees also was one of the recipients. Anyone buying a membership will find that the club has been modernized with recent renovations designed to make the club an entertainment center for members of all ages -- a place they go not only to play golf, but to have dinner out, and enjoy family activities. The restaurant and lounge, opening in September, now offer everything from casual to gourmet. The revamped pool and patio area also will be ready in September. “It’s just going to be a whole new culture and experience,” Clark said. For more information on the Wenatchee Golf and Country Club, please visit www. wenatcheegolfclub.org or phone 509-884-7105.

★★

ah ★ o to me see

Building North Central Washington Home Tour & Remodeling Expo Sept. 14 - 16

Already maximizing river views with its long lateral shape, the house got a boost from an unexpected need for elevation. The roof line, dormers, porch and mixed siding lend a distinct farmhouse feel.

In the hidden gem of Malaga Family finds all the comforts between the river and the railroad M

Story by Susan Lagsdin Photos by Donna Cassidy

ike Mills was beaming, standing there in the light-filled living area. “Hey — just like we said. The 10:03 Amtrak just went by, and nobody heard it!” He’s not a train spotter by nature, but he and wife Becky built their home on six acres graced with twin views of Malaga’s Cathedral Rock and the Columbia River — and abutting a single line railroad track on the far side — so sound matters to them. (Traffic, they said, is innocuous; their son Ryder

said once he heard “Jingle Bells” played on a train’s horn when it clattered past.) Light, air, views, water, space, privacy — there is a lot to love in this just-built home in a very familiar location. Becky was raised way up the hill to the west on her family’s orchard property. She and Mike, who graduated from Wenatchee High School as acquaintances in 1987 and married each other just seven years ago, rented her aunt’s home on the same land before making this big but not too distant move to the river’s edge. “Malaga has always been a kind of hidden gem,” Becky said, commenting on the joys

At any time of day, the family gets the best of water and foothills views with a living space designed with view windows on both long walls. Repurposed beams and ceiling boards were chosen by the builder.

of mountain and river access as well as a history of ho-hum interest in development. “But it’s picked up over the years,” she added, gesturing up to the suburban style streets

Looking to down size? I can help! “DON’T MAKE A MOVE WITHOUT ME!”

Cell: 509-679-4625

Pam@Windermere.com www.WenatcheeValleyProperty.com

Windermere Real Estate/NCW

| The Good Life

www.ncwgoodlife.com

September 2018

The fireplace went originally straight to the floor; now the welcoming slate-covered hearth offers sitting space in the winter. Some homes give their TV prime space above the mantle, but the Mills banished it to the family room.

his is one of the homes on the Building North Central Washington’s 2018 Home Tour and Remodeling Expo. For other select homes on the tour, see page 20. Tour dates are Sept. 14 - 16, with eight homes. Visit: www.buildingncw.org/events for more information and to buy tickets.

The kitchen’s big center island is a slab of hard-to-find granite and makes a perfect prep/serving/eating area — with appliances strategically placed on walls the space is available for multiple uses. September 2018 | The Good Life

near the golf course and houses high up on the hills. The Mills, discouraged by their valley-wide home search, finally looked for raw land with an easy commute to their teaching jobs in Wenatchee and Quincy and with enough room for “the critters”: Ryder’s 4H sheep, goats and dogs and Becky’s horse. That serendipitously led them right back to Malaga to purchase this hospitable riverfront property. A friend recommended designer Abe Lopez; Abe recommended builder Randy Wessman, and the rest of that year, May 2017 to May 2018, was all about home building.

www.ncwgoodlife.com

}}} Continued on next page |

farmhouse in Malaga WESTERB984CF

Sold and erected by an independent locally owned builder.

Your building can be customized just the way you want! (509) 884-0555

www.westernbuildings.com

4968 Contractors Drive East Wenatchee, WA 98802 RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL • AGRICULTURAL

}}} Continued from previous page Because of the lot’s slight slope, the house envisioned as one-level early on became a twolevel with a walk-out basement, plus it gained a little foundation height, a reaction to Volkswagen-sized river rocks unearthed in excavation. Hardscaping with those rocks and others will create a pond-less, recycling waterfall and stream alongside the deck. Mike is especially grateful that the increased elevation gave them a few feet more of river view, as well as a garage with 10-foot doors that’s tall enough to store his boat. He appreciates luxury digs for those vehicles that had lived outdoors in the weather for years. Becky wanted the place to look like a family farmhouse. The white siding and porch details contribute to the exterior’s traditional look, as do the textureadding dormers, which function inside not as second-story windows but as dramatic clerestory light wells. More of the home’s light, contemporary ambience comes untypically from two parallel walls of windows in the open living area — one on the east, one on the west. Becky and Mike kept the materials simple and clean. Engineered wood floors, with slate in the bathrooms, concrete

The luxury of a tub and the convenience of a roomy walk-in shower may not be in the farmhouse tradition but are standard in contemporary homes. Granite countertops here echo those in the kitchen.

downstairs, carpet where it counts; solid white walls, white cabinetry, simple black fixtures, gray-toned granite and tilework. “I really like nice things,” said Becky, which shows in the overall look of the home. It also meant driving to Seattle twice last winter in snowstorms to find just the right granite countertop. But she also learned

Way Up Here

We’re experts at finding dirt’s

Right Here Way Back Here Under Here

Serving Chelan & Douglas Counties since 1998

509-663-1710 owner4165@merrymaids.net

Under Here

Call now for a FREE ESTIMATE

MERRYMAIDSOFWENATCHEE.COM

When was the last time you looked under here?

| The Good Life

www.ncwgoodlife.com

September 2018

a lot about economical choices. She and Randy quibbled a while about $10 a foot shower tile vs. $4 a foot tile (his choice). The good math won out — and it looks great, she admitted. She wanted to completely unwire the over-the-fireplace TV receptor (an expensive change) but instead masked it with a dried flower wreath. She envisioned three-fold glass French doors, but Randy suggested elegant telescoping sliders that expand the living area seamlessly. “Building your own place is difficult, with all the decisions,” said Becky. “It really helped that Randy does not beat around the bush — he comes right straight out with his opinion, and it’s usually right.” Despite their busy work schedules that year, the couple was always in touch with the

In the Mills house, he used re-formed telephone poles for beams, and beetle-killed pine for the ceilings, to which he applied a Japanese burnt wood treatment and his “special-recipe” stain (steel wool dissolved in apple-cider vinegar). As the home reached completion, Randy also initiated the hearthside seating, hand-crafted barn doors, metal stair railings and a future loft getaway spot. The Mills family settled into their house this spring and have

only two major home projects left to do: livestock fencing and cosmetic landscaping (to softscape the hardscape). School starts soon for all three, and there is company coming, a few family weddings, a vacation trip, the county fair — and of course the Wenatchee Home Tour. But when life gets really busy, it’s nice to come home to peace and quiet, back to where home has always been.

Moving to Idaho?

I can help you f ind a home

Kari Hammon Realtor®, Educator

208.850.8255

KARIHAMMON@GMAIL.COM KARIHAMMON.KWREALTY.COM

Come see our custom work at the Tour of Homes Barn doors are stylish, space-saving and a whole lot simpler to buy readymade (or built from scratch as these here) than traditional pocket doors. These are used effectively in a relatively narrow hallway space.

process. “We could use binoculars and see right down the hill every day,” Becky said. “It was great; ‘Randy — what are you doing now?’” Randy frankly said, ‘I take liberties with any architectural drawings — with the owners’ permission of course — and Becky didn’t let me stray too far.” The original room size, traffic flow, the 2,800 square-foot shape (1,800 up, 1,000 down) was virtually unchanged, but Randy showed where he brought disparate window and door heights (now all eight feet) into harmony and lowered and raised ceilings proportionate to the rooms. Randy has a good eye for design. “I studied architecture for a while, but I realized I didn’t want to just sit at a computer,”

he said. Decades of a good homebuilding reputation here give him leeway with decor choices, which often means recycling and re-purposing materials. Proud to have provided financing for this Wessman home!

• • • •

Find where you belong. Cori Bautista NMLS# 500340

Residential Loan Officer 509-886-8285 cbautista@bannerbank.com bannerbank.com

Countertops Shower Walls Fireplaces Outdoor Kitchens

Crafting your next stone project with robotic precision

Phone: (509) 888-7954

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

Member FDIC

September 2018 | The Good Life

PrecisionWaterJetInc.com • Email: info@precisionwaterjetinc.com www.ncwgoodlife.com

BNCW Home Tour & Remodeling Expo Sept. 14 - 16

The 8 homes in this year’s BNCW Tour

Eight homes, created by six different local builders, are included in the Building North Central Washington’s 2018 Home Tour and Remodeling Expo. The homes are:

One-Way Construction – 115 Bradshaw Lane, Leavenworth. Created from nine shipping containers, this custom home is unlike anything you have ever seen before. It has metal privacy/ security barn doors, custom cabinetry, floorto- ceiling windows, custom tile showers and polished concrete flooring. Custom metal railing surrounds the upper floor where the master suite is located and with its own deck. Wessman Construction – 3746 School Street, Wenatchee. New England cottage style exterior home features an extra large dual-level front porch and gorgeous views of the valley and cascade mountain range. Inside boasts hand scraped oak hardwood flooring, quartz countertops and craftsman style finish work.

Village Life – 259 Burch Hollow Lane, Wenatchee. Everything about this home says welcome — from the professionally designed and landscaped yard and exposed aggregate walkways to the oversized windows throughout and five-piece master bathroom with exceptional tile detail. You will also find sophisticated chic lighting, stylish Delta oil-rubbed bronze faucets and high-quality hardwood flooring.

ware, butler pantry with a wine fridge and black stainless appliances in kitchen. Large master suite has access to a covered porch. Wessman Construction – 182 Grey Goose Lane, Malaga. The antique blue pine ceiling and two faux trusses made from old telephone poles are just two of the unique features of this home. You will also find a custom hood over the stove, a large free standing soaking tub, two large custom barn doors and amazing views all around.

One-Way Construction – 275 42nd Court, East Wenatchee. Lange Construction: 1702 Brambling Brae, Single level living with an open floor plan. Wenatchee. Boasts a large kitchen with island, butler’s pantry, under cabinet/toe-kick lighting and quartz countertops. Dual master suites, barSage Homes – 223 Pershing Circle, rier free showers, electric fireplace, radiant Wenatchee. floor heat, audio system and surround sound Located in a quiet 55 and older community, and a game room. this completely landscaped and fully fenced home offers a huge center quartz island, Lexar Homes – 3234 NW Evergreen Court, an abundance of cabinetry, stainless steel East Wenatchee. appliances and a patio off of the kitchen. It Fully landscape rambler with vaulted nine- also has vaulted ceilings, an electric fireplace foot ceilings and an open floor plan concept. with custom mantel, tile master shower, Shaker style cabinets with soft close hardwalk-in closets and quartz countertops.

Visit our newly remodeled store in Leavenworth

Building Relationships. Building Projects. Building Materials.

CLE ELUM REMODEL COMPLETE FALL 2018 Window specialists - vinyl, wood and clad options • Full drywall supplier - including stocking services Sales consultants on your jobsite • We deliver all your construction supply needs • Four full-service lumberyards In-house estimating services • Door and millwork shop • Supply and delivery of roof trusses Leavenworth 509.548.5829

Chelan 509.682.1617

Wenatchee 509.663.5154

Cle Elum 509.674.0777

| The Good Life

Design Center 509.548.0101

www.marsona nd mar s on.c om

www.ncwgoodlife.com

September 2018

Sage Homes Award Winning Builder 2016 & 2017 Winner NCW Tour CWHBA

Photo For Illustration Purpose Only.

Visit our tour home 223 Pershing Circle Wenatchee September 14-16, 2018 Friday: 12- 7 | Saturday 10 - 7 Sunday 11 - 4

The Most Important Meeting of the Day...

The Strength of Advice D.A. Davidson & Co. is a resource for investment and wealth planning in North Central Washington, offering straightforward advice and personalized solutions. Over the years, our team of professionals has built a reputation based on trust, honesty and experience. We’d like to earn your trust, too. Contact one of our Financial Advisors today to learn more about customized investment and wealth planning services for families, businesses and charitable organizations. BACK ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT:

Curtis Harvey Vice President, Financial Advisor John Peterson, CWS® Senior Vice President, Financial Advisor, Branch Manager Robert Johnson Senior Vice President, Financial Advisor Kyle Peterson Financial Advisor

The World’s #1 Selling Spa Brand Come See Why.

SEATED, LEFT TO RIGHT:

Russ Fode, CWS®

Vice President, Financial Advisor

514 S. Wenatchee Ave.

Wade Gebers

663-1177

Senior Vice President, Financial Advisor

Darren Goehner, CWS® Vice President, Financial Advisor

(509) 664-9063

Reg. #CENTRWW265DF

151 S. Worthen St., Suite 201 | Wenatchee, WA dadavidson.com | D.A. Davidson & Co. member SIPC September 2018 | The Good Life

hotspring.com www.ncwgoodlife.com

June Stanaway It’s a small word, yet it makes all the difference during the sale of your precious possession- your home. During my 30 years of real estate service, hundreds of families have trusted me to help 925 5th Street their home sales go smoothly. Wenatchee, WA 98801

(509) 699-1321• junestanaway@aol.com www.MovingWenatcheeRealEstate.com

A home at Hawks Meadow has a grand Lake Chelan view.

Chelan home tour Sept. 15

in 1958 and renovated by Bainbridge architect Hobbles LAK E C H E L Bob AN C OMMUNITY HO an in September, too, with Guild and the current owner. p r e s e n t B — the fundraising friends of Hawk’s Eye View, 305 Chukar the Chelan Hospital Road — Dave LAK— E CshowcasH E L A N C ORun MMU NITY H O S P IHarkey T A L , Gbuilt UILD ‘B’ ing four distinctive sites for the p this levels r ein s2010 e with n t terraced s annual Chelan Home Tour plus featuring a lanai for pool pleasponsoring a related art show. sure and a separate guest casita. The 2018 tour is Saturday, French Farmhouse, 148 Sept. 15, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mirabella Drive September — Built by Greg Saturday, 15, 201 and the related art show is at Cowell in 2007, in the manner Tickets $20 Tsillan Cellars the same day and of an old worldAvailable farm house, this at Allisons of Manson, C Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce, and at www time. has lake-long views and EuroSaturday, September 15, 2018 10am to 4pm All proceeds are used to purchase needed medical equipment for Some 20-plus Pacific Northpean charm. Tickets $20 west artists will show theirAvailable at Allisons Mid-century Modern, of Manson, Culinary Apple,140 Lakeand Chelan Chamber of Commerce, www.LakeChelanHomeTour.com work, including oil water— Builtand in at2017 by Kollmeyer All proceeds are used to purchase needed medical equipment for Lake Chelan Community Hospital. color paintings, various types of Construction, this home is handcrafted jewelry, stained and designed to optimize the use of fused glass, and other items. an unusual lot and to provide Twenty-five percent of the art- comfortable space for entertainClos Chevalle ist’s proceeds are donated to the ing, with expansive views of the Lake Chelan Community Hospi- lake and mountains. tal. This year and next the guild Tickets for the Home TourHawks canMeadow Clos Chevalle will be donating all proceeds for be purchased for $20 from any a Post-Partum Family Room for Guild B member, at Allisons of the new hospital. Manson, The Culinary Apple, Homes in the tour are: the Chelan Chamber of ComCity Cottage City Cottage, 418 North Lake merce, or at https://lakechelanStreet — This eclectic and communityhospital.com/aboutat Tsillan artistic in-town house was built us/home-tour/. Art Show Featuring Northwest Art

There is a home tour in Chel-

D ‘B’

City Cottage

Saturday, September 15, 2018 • 10am to 4pm

Supporters:

Art Show at Tsillan Cellars

Tickets $20

Available at: Allisons of Manson, the Culinary Apple or Featuring Northwest Artists 10am to 4pm • No ticket required to enjoy the Art Show. the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce and at www.LakeChelanHomeTour.com

Supporters:

509-682-3300 • 509-682-2511 • www.LakeChelanHospital.com

ur.com

Art Show at Tsillan Cellars Featuring Northwest Artists

tal.

Featured Homes

Supporters:

10am to 4pm • No ticket required to enjoy the Art Show - Supported by Tsillan Cellars All proceeds are used to purchase needed medical equipment for Lake Chelan Community Hospital

Clos Chevalle

Hawks Meadow

509-682-3300 • 509-682-2511 • www.LakeChelanHospital.com

City Cottage

Meadow

gey Blvd.

Bogey Blvd.

10am to 4pm • No ticket required to en

| The Good Life

www.ncwgoodlife.com

September 2018

Bogey Blvd.

509-682-WINE • 509-682-9463 • www.tsillancellars.com

509-682-WINE

September 2018 | The Good Life

www.ncwgoodlife.com

One woman’s journey from being a klutz to finding balance in her life By Susan Sampson Visualize a 71-year-old sturdy woman dressed in a baggy Tshirt and yoga pants, sprawled face down over a fat purple exercise ball. Her arms are extended sideways like Peter Pan’s when he’s flying, or forward like Superman’s when he’s soaring faster than a speeding bullet. That would be me. I’m working to gain some literal balance in my life, like the ability to stand on one foot at a time or to walk through the kitchen without lurching into the corner of the dining table and bruising my thighs. Some people are born that graceful, but not I. I can’t slow dance because I feel like my partner is pushing me over backwards. When step aerobic classes were all the rage, I had to work out in the back row because I was always out of sync, confusing the other steppers. Now that I am legally old, my clumsiness is serious business. Old ladies fall down and break their hips. That happened to my mother and to my grandmother before her, although each was too demented to remember how she’d done it. I’d still be relying on nice walks around my neighborhood to keep fit if I hadn’t started hurting. That led me to a vast array of data of how muscles can go wrong and leave old ladies sus-

I’m not going to fall down and not be able to get up

Susan Sampson is determined that by working out, such as on her exercise ball, she can avoid the falling fate. Photo by Jerry Horn

ceptible to falling. (More susceptible, I should say. All of our reflexes slow down with age so we can’t catch ourselves in time when we start to fall over. We need to be sure our bifocals have a new prescription. We need to retire our high-heeled shoes in favor of sneakers. I have at least one pair that sparkles, for dressy occasions. ) I hurt around my left shoulder blade. The pain wasn’t acute, but was relentless. My excellent medical team first made sure

| The Good Life

I wasn’t having a heart attack. The symptoms of myocardial infarction in women can be weird like that. An MRI ruled out any pinched nerves coming from my spine. The pain abated when I did physical labor, so that ruled out any “rocks in there,” the doctors explained. Growths don’t relax with exercise; this was all about muscles. My physical therapist discovered my muscle tone was poor. I hadn’t noticed being weak. He

www.ncwgoodlife.com

September 2018

put me to work pulling on resistance bands, lifting my head with my neck, flying on that exercise ball for strength, and stretching to cool down. As I looked around the physical therapy gym, I could see a good percentage of old ladies there. When the pain didn’t abate, my physiatrist (expert in function) sent me to a chiropractor who didn’t manipulate my spine; it wasn’t crooked. Instead, he provided trigger point muscle therapy. I was leery about believing in “trigger points.” I didn’t want “woo-woo” treatment of my auras or my bad karma or treatment based on anything other than science. A friend who is an athlete insisted that I read The Trigger Point Workbook. Athletes like him always know the latest and best in sports medicine. (The notable researcher in trigger point therapy was Janet Travell, M.D. who was the White House physician in the 1960s.) A trigger point is a band of microscopic muscle tissue that contracts but does not relax again, changing the mineral supply, oxygen supply and electrical conductivity of nearby nerves, sending a message of pain. Therapy consists of pushing down hard on the trigger point to compel it to relax. The therapist found trigger points from the base of my skull all the way down my back. When he pressed the trigger points, my muscles leapt, and sometimes I yelped. I felt like a frog connected to electricity in a

... he told me to balance on one foot. I couldn’t stay upright for even a few seconds without tipping. No, I hadn’t been aware of that before... high-school science experiment. He was also the therapist who asked me if I felt off-balance. I denied it, so he told me to balance on one foot. I couldn’t stay upright for even a few seconds without tipping. No, I hadn’t been aware of that before, either. And he’s the one who detected the reason for my increasing imbalance and pain. In one of my clumsy moves 16 years ago, while I was hiking, I stepped on a slick wooden step and fell over backwards. The fall drove the head of my camera tripod into my ribs on the lower right rib cage. Typically of the time, I was treated only with pain pills. There was more I didn’t realize. I didn’t know that the soft tissue in my rib cage had healed “as hard as old leather,” to quote my therapist. The muscles in my right side quit doing their work, resulting in an overwork injury on my left side. He added aerobics, balancing exercises, and more stretching to my daily

home PT regimen. He warned me when the trigger points were released, I was likely to discover I hurt in other muscles as my back recovered its bilateral symmetry. That’s where I am now. I’ve been referred to a medical massage therapist who works out the hardness in my muscles, particularly on the levator scapulae that helps move the shoulder blade. “No offense, but I feel decades of tension in there,” she says.

My son asks, “How did you get so tense?” I figured it was related to the whole career I worked as a trial lawyer, physically tense in the courtroom, ready to rise to state my next objection. “No,” he says, “It was probably your trying to bring up my brother.” “Relax!” my therapist commands. I’m not good at “Relax!” She adds more stretches and moist heat to my daily home treatment. So far, we are making prog-

ress. I love my new strength and flexibility. I’m working for biceps like Rosie the Riveter’s and legs as powerful as Tina Turner’s. However, my six-pack abs still look enhanced by a bag of Cheetos. Nobody said this would be easy. My rowing machine monitors calories burned, and my quarter hour on the machine burns 45 calories — worth about one half of a cookie. But I keep at it. This old lady is not going to fall down.

SEP 28 at 7:30PM

OCT 21 at 7:30PM

NOV 16 at 7PM • NOV 17 at 1PM

DEC 21 at 7:30PM

JAN 17 at 7:30PM

MAR 14 at 7:30PM

APR 19 at 7:30PM

MAY 17 at 7:30PM

Old Time

Radio Show APR 04 at 7:30PM

>> RANDOM QUOTE

In times of great stress or adversity, it’s always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive.

By William Shakespeare

Lee Iacocca September 2018 | The Good Life

www.ncwgoodlife.com

column moving up to the good life

june darling

Passing down stories — and life’s lessons Recently our entire family —

my husband and I, our sons and their wives, and their children — took 11 days to experience Tennessee together. I was raised in Tennessee and my mother still lives there. It was billed as a generations and roots trip. Four generations of us, from all over the country, all together. The teacher in me cares a lot about what everyone, especially kids know. I wanted to make sure the grandkids knew how to line dance and how to sing the Tennessee Waltz, On Top of Ole Smokey, and Rocky Top. We visited the Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage, ate at Cracker Barrel, saw Rock City, hiked the Smokies, and brought in fresh eggs from the chicken coop. After the trip, as I looked through a few of the pictures, I began thinking more earnestly about what I wanted my kids and grandkids to know so they can live the good life and contribute to making the world a better place. There’s so much stuff out there calling for their attention — know this, be this, do this. Philosophers, psychologists, theologians, economists and basically every Tom, Dick and Harry has an opinion on what kids should be learning. Here’s how I would strip it down. My good life curriculum, for the generations who come after me, would not be all about visiting Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage, although that might be a part. It would be fuller… the stuff not only of “head,” but also of “heart” and “guts.” I’m not the first one to think of it that way. Dorothy’s pals, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and Cowardly Lion

who traveled with her along the Yellow Brick Road on their way to meet the Wizard of Oz had the idea first. Researchers, like Robert McGrath and Ryan Niemiec at the VIA Institute on Character, have also used that analogy while promoting the broad importance of caring, of inquisitiveness (curiosity), and of selfcontrol for a flourishing life. Caring about others is about the heart the Tin Man wanted so badly. It consists of all those things that have been valued for hundreds of years in every society. Kindness, love, compassion, gratitude, fairness and forgiveness are all about caring for others. Inquisitiveness and curiosity are about developing the head, the brain that the Scarecrow valued so highly. It’s about engaging with life, turning rocks over, looking at life from different angles, traveling to new places, listening, observing and being eager for new learning. Self-control is about the guts it takes to challenge yourself to do scary, or boring, or difficult things. It’s about the courage the lion wanted, it’s about internal fortitude — managing impulses, it’s about perseverance, grit, hope, determination and resilience. Caring, curiosity, self-control, that would be a big part of the curriculum for a successful, happy life I’d want to pass on, but how would I teach it? I can’t see myself standing around on street corners preaching. I doubt that would be effective anyway. Modeling is a much more effective method of teaching than preaching. There’s that Ralph Waldo Emerson quote: “Your actions speak so loudly, I cannot hear what you’re saying.”

| The Good Life

If I want my children, my grandchildren and all the children of the world to learn the head, heart and guts curriculum; I need to be able to model curiosity, caring and courage. Scary thought. I’m fairly inquisitive, but not a paragon of caring and selfcontrol. I could sometimes use a heart and guts myself. For a moment, I was in a funk about not having a heart and guts until I thought back to the story of The Wizard of Oz. The Scarecrow realized that he did have a brain, the Tin Man found he had a heart and the Lion recognized his valor. The idea I got from that story — and it’s backed by researchers like David Cooperrider — is when we shift our attention to what we are doing well, somehow it seems to grow – almost like magic. When we notice our small and large instances of caring, curiosity and self-control, we increasingly become those things we long to be. First goal, then, is to remind myself to notice and acknowledge my own and others’ head, heart and guts behaviors when I see them. Another way we learn easily and powerfully is through sharing stories. I am on the lookout for head, heart and guts stories. I’ve always liked the story of The Blind Men and the Elephant that has been around for hundreds of years. It’s a great head story. Then there’s the Christian story of The Good Samaritan for great heart story and the Cherokee tale of Two Wolves for guts, as well as the Christian story of David and Goliath. These stories are easy to find. Sharing our own personal head, heart and guts stories are

www.ncwgoodlife.com

September 2018

also powerful ways to teach and learn. During our Tennessee trip, as you might imagine, we had a conflict or two. Kindness and caring were needed. I remembered a personal heart story of kindness that led to a life-long friendship. I remembered when I was 10 years old. I was the new girl at Manley Elementary School in Morristown, Tennessee. I was scared as I walked into the cafeteria. My hair seemed too curly. I felt I was too thin. My teeth were too crooked. Everyone sat by their friends. Where would I sit? As I looked around, trying at the same time to keep my shaking hands from dropping my tray of food, I spotted the star of the girls’ basketball team. She smiled broadly and waved. “Come sit here with us,” she said. That little story of kindness opened the door for a long, valuable conversation among all the grandchildren. They talked about times people had been kind to them, when they had been kind to others, and how friendships work. September is a great month to metaphorically travel the yellow brick road to The Good Life together. Along the way, we can do a little line dancing and sing The Tennessee Waltz. More importantly, we can make sure to notice instances of caring, curiosity and selfcontrol. We can share stories of kindness, wisdom and courage. That’s how we leave a legacy of brain, heart and guts. How might you move future generations up to The Good Life by teaching caring, curiosity, and self-control?

PET tales

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

Odin, an 11-month-old Pit Bull, is Betuel Gonzalez’s first dog.

oxie, a 5-year-old Airedale, “just had a bath,” said owner Mary Syre of East Wenatchee. Mary said Roxie is a rock star and loves her walks. “She is a very friendly, happy dog with a sense of humor. She understands and responds — much to our surprise.” Roxie’s favorite things are cookies and drinking water from the fountain at Riverfront Park. “She gathers a crowd when she drinks,” said Mary. Roxie is the fifth Airedale Mary has had and she said she loves the breed.

“I have to work with him for two hours a day or more,” said Betuel. “He is still a pup and I work commands and obedience and it gives him the exercise he needs. He loves kids, swimming, is very protective and loves a ball.” Betuel said that Odin has a short attention span and mostly listens. And has a lot of energy. “He will play until he dies.”

September 2018 | The Good Life

www.ncwgoodlife.com

column THE TRAVELing DOCTOR

jim brown, m.d.

Live a fuller life by slowing down time Does time speed up as we

age? This might seem like a strange question to many of you. We generally are pretty certain that time does not change. After all we measure time with our clocks and calendars. It just is. Right? According to Einstein, however, time is relative and not absolute and that the dividing line between past, present and future is an illusion. According to him, reality is ultimately timeless. Our perception of time, however, does change as we age. How often have you heard someone say, “Where did the time go?” It only seemed like it was just yesterday that something happened rather than months or years ago. The terrible events of 9/11 are so burned into our memories it is hard to believe it happened 17 years ago. I can’t believe it was 60 years go when I first saw Lynn at the University of Nebraska and felt somehow I had to find a way to get a date with her. Our 56 years of marriage and three kids have been filled with lasting memories. When we were children, say at age 5, it seemed like an eternity for Christmas to arrive after Thanksgiving. For a 5-year-old one year is 20 percent of his or her life, but for a 50-year-oldone year is only 2 percent of his or her life. That makes it seem to go pretty fast doesn’t it? British writer Claudia Ham-

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

Engaging in a fun or exciting activity makes time appear to pass more quickly in the moment. If we remember it later, it seems to have lasted longer than other more mundane or ordinary experiences. mond said, “The sensation that time speeds by as we get older is one of the biggest mysteries of the experience of time.” A psychological survey of people ages 14-94 years of age in Munich, Germany asked about the pace of time moving from very slowly to very fast. For shorter periods, say a week, a month or even a year, time did not seem to go faster with age, but for longer durations such as a decade, older people perceived time as moving faster. Humans tend to estimate time from two perspectives, as an event is occurring and retrospectively after it has ended. Our experience of time varies with whatever we are doing and how we feel about it. Time does seem to fly by when we are having fun. Engaging in a fun or exciting activity makes time appear to pass more quickly in the moment. If we remember it later, it seems to have lasted longer than other more mundane or ordinary experiences. It seems the more our brain remembers or encodes new experiences we build on a weekend

| The Good Life

getaway, the longer the trip will seem in hindsight. Hammond calls this the “holiday paradox.” It presents clues as we look back as to why time seems to pass more quickly the older we get. Twelve years ago I was recovering from cancer surgery, but now it seems like it was only a few years ago. The first few weeks of recovery seemed like the longest days of my life. I like being active, on the go, playing sports. Being confined in my home for even a few weeks seemed like an eternity. This is not the way that I want to slow down time. There are some things we can do as we get older or later in life to slow time down. We can alter our perception of time by keeping our brains active, continually learning new skills, new ideas and exploring new places and activities. A few years ago Lynn and I decided to try being snow birds for the winter, and so far have loved it. It has been an exciting change in our lives. We were seeking much more than just a change in the weather. Making new friends, visiting new unfamiliar places, trying new activities including taking classes on a variety of subjects at a learning center has been fun. In the morning we have to check our calendars to see what each other is doing that day. Lynn, an avid reader and lifelong learner, said, “I feel like I am back in college again.” Our recent Rhine river cruise in Europe was much more that a sightseeing venture. We met and enjoyed several new friends, and we learned about the history and culture of several cities and countries that we traversed by boat and by walking. Even though each room on

www.ncwgoodlife.com

September 2018

the riverboat had a television, we never turned ours on. We avoided the news, which lately has been more discouraging and upsetting than uplifting. Avoiding it was truly refreshing. To slow time down as we age, we need to do as much as possible to take advantage of new and unique experiences. When we go to the same places and do the same things, we don’t really make any unique memories, and then time seems to fly by. We can focus on positive memories and try our best to live in the present moment. In addition, though it may be a challenge these days, we need to try to hold a positive perception of the future and have hope and optimism. Lynn had a favorite English teacher who told her to be sure to stop and pick the daisies. She advised her that on her travels she should slow down and veer off her planned route and stop to explore new byways and sights she might have missed otherwise. Pick the daisies. Her advice reminds me of one of my favorite poems by Robert Frost. In The Road Not Taken he wrote: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. My mother always told us to “live one day at a time.” The older I get, the more I see she was a very wise woman. 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.

Volunteers

Our House: The house that gives a hug to cancer patients By Donna Cassidy

What do you do when you

have been diagnosed with cancer and have six to eight weeks of treatments but you live out of Wenatchee? Or you need someone to talk to and don’t want to be alone? Betsy Tontini saw this need repeatedly as an oncology nurse at Wenatchee Valley Clinic and was instrumental in the planning of Our House. Our House Cancer Care of NCW Inc.— some 22 years after Betsy’s death from kidney cancer — is now celebrating its 25th year as a “home away from home” for cancer patients. “Our house promotes healing and we’re here if our guests want to talk,” said Becky Elwell, Our House coordinator. Our House has seen perhaps 1,000 guests and has 50-plus volunteers. The house has eight bedrooms with four bathrooms, nicely stocked kitchen, dining room, two TV rooms and a lovely patio for their guests. “Our House is a private, nonprofit organization and is supported by local donations and fundraising,” said Norma Scovill who is the Cancer Care board president. “We live in an amazing community that not only gives money but volunteers their time to Our House.” Judy Milner, a retired school nurse, has been volunteering at Our House for 25 years. She said each volunteer has a special way of giving. “We are hostesses of the house. We have daily chores, answer phones and interact with the guests. It’s fun to see

Our House offering tours and talk at 25th anniversary open house Cancer Care of NCW, Inc./

Our House will be celebrating its 25th year with an open house Sunday, Sept. 9, from 1 - 3 p.m. Nicolas Kummer, MD, Radiation Oncology, will share his experience with referring patients to Our House and what the patients shared with him about their stay at 2 p.m. Tours of the house will be at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. Our House is located at 1708 Castlerock, Wenatchee. To learn more about Our House see cancercarencw.com.

“This feels like our home. Everyone is friendly, they are beautiful people with beautiful hearts...” the support, the bonding and sharing here. It’s a cool place to be while going through treatments.” And Judy’s specialty… she does some of the yard work. Night manager Vicky Chandler said, “Just last night we had a guest play a Spanish guitar and it was awesome. And another guest made a fabulous meal for the whole house.” One guest from Oroville said,

“It’s fun to see the support, the bonding and sharing here,” said Our House volunteer Judy Milner, top left. She stands with Norma Scovill, board president. Seated are Becky Elwell, house coordinator, left, and Nancy Focht, volunteer.

“This feels like our home. Everyone is friendly, they are beautiful people with beautiful hearts. We are very comfortable here. It is a blessing to have this.” Our house is located at 1708 Castlerock in Wenatchee. Guests are adult cancer patients who may be accompanied and share a room with a supportive family member or friend. Cost is $20 a night. The house does not provide medical services. Guests can stay Monday

September 2018 | The Good Life

www.ncwgoodlife.com

through Thursday nights. For more information call 663-6964. Not only does Our House help house cancer patients they have two fundraisers and give out scholarships. And what would Our House say to its guests if it could talk? Maybe something like this, suggested Becky and Norma: “Here’s a warm place of refuge and a nice place to come in and breathe. Welcome, and here’s a hug.”

Snatchee Records

MUSIC NEW TO THE EARS

...underground music — it’s a relative term. (Andy’s definition? “You’re never gonna hear these songs on the radio.”)

By Susan Lagsdin

Maybe it’s been a while

since you’ve shouted your throat raw rocking out in a cacophonous press of Saturday night beer drinkers, and maybe your favorite groups weren’t necessarily “Acid Teeth,” “Potbelly,” “Phasers on Kill,” or “The Rich and Rare Rebels.” Maybe the symphony, cool jazz or blues strike more comfortable chords with you. And that’s OK. But Andy Peart and Jasmine Hall, 39 and 41 respectively, long-time Wenatchee residents and co-owners of Snatchee Records, would like to introduce you to another aspect of their

Andy Peart and Jasmine Hall (and event posters above): “We’ve booked country western, indy, metal, hip-hop, acoustic — we support all kinds of bands.”

home town’s very alive music scene. You can access albums of some of their favorite bands on the Snatchee website, even buy the tee shirts, crafted right here in Wenatchee at the Warehouse 3 arts co-op. And some weekend,

| The Good Life

for full effect, you might want to drop into Wally’s House of Booze, aka Wally’s Tavern, formerly known for years as — let’s face it — “that dive bar” on the Ave south of Kittitas. Over the last decade it’s mostly dropped the rep and become a

www.ncwgoodlife.com

September 2018

well-known underground music venue that’s created not only a following but layers of loyalty. When the bar’s ownership changed to the enterprising Rains family — also owners of the two Joe’s establishments — Jasmine and Andy (Ando to his own fans) became overnight entrepreneurs, revving up the Friday and Saturday night offerings from one decidedly punk concert to as many as 80 multigenre concerts annually. Andy said, “We’ve booked country western, indy, metal, hip-hop, acoustic — we support all kinds of bands; most of them just haven’t been heard much yet.” Their online record company soon formed, and they worked in tandem with the tavern. The better to manage the mix,

Andy started tending bar on weekdays and setting up shows on the weekends, and Jasmine kept her day job at Catholic Child Services but learned the board and became the sound engineer. Snatchee, and Wally’s, specialize in underground music. It’s a relative term. (Andy’s definition? “You’re never gonna hear these songs on the radio.”) Some of the bands are new and regional; they may be on their way out, or up. But a few have thousands of international fans, a 20-year touring history and a rock-solid reputation. No matter how unknown the band, they all get paid fairly, they all get respect, and, as Andy said, “Everybody who plays here feels like they’re in a safe, familiar venue — for a lot of the bigger groups, it’s like coming home to the days when they just started out.” Even with a capacity of under 100, Wally’s picks up bands coming through on national tours. “Whether they’re on their way to Seattle from Boise, or from Spokane to Portland, we make an easy stop,” said Snatchee business partner Matt Smith. Jasmine has another take on the Wenatchee Avenue concert venue. “Once I took a break outside on the sidewalk and a girlfriend asked, ‘Are you really going to stand out there? Aren’t you scared?’ Ha! This is like home. It’s our own local version of Cheers. And I know if anyone looked sideways at me I’d have three guys there to help.” Andy, whose role as bouncer is pretty dull, agreed. “Our regulars tend to take care of problems before they start,“ he said. “Once in a while, rarely, I’ll call a cop, and they’re like ‘No — at Wally’s?’ It’s easy: If someone gets a little hyper or drunk I just say ‘would you rather leave now and come back tomorrow night? Or I can call the cops and you’ll never get back in.’ I like to maintain a respectful attitude.”

fun stuff what to do around here for the next month 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.

Producing records and booking shows wasn’t an early life goal for either of them, but it suits the couple just fine. She’d anticipated a career in business; he’s been an intense musicscene guy since junior high. Andy and Jasmine partnered 10 years ago to raise her two young children, and presently focus their concerns on Wally’s and Snatchee records, where they’re busy bringing in the best up-and-coming music they can find to this funky little storefront bar. It isn’t too hard to fill the house. On Friday and Saturday nights, with most seating stacked elsewhere, Wally’s long narrow space becomes, literally, standing-room only. Andy shoves the pool table to the back wall, re-hangs and directs some lights, hauls speakers, monitors, the sound board and other paraphernalia downstairs from storage. Jasmine readies the sound board. The Snatchee banner goes on display. The band members haul in their own gear from the front sidewalk. At the door, it’s I.D. check, $5 please, handstamp. By 9:45 some good little band from somewhere (maybe “Truck Bed Boys,” “Riffbrokers,” or “Rebellion”), amped up, on full throttle and glad to be seen and heard in Wenatchee, has just exploded the decibel level on the block and the crowd is pouring in.

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. Upper Valley Running Club Run, every Tuesday, 4:30 – 6 p.m. check in time. Maps available for a marked 3 mile trail route. Run or walk. Participate 10 or more times and earn a run club tech t-shirt. Check-in at the gravel lot across from O’Grady’s Pantry. Info: sleepinglady.com. 1 million cups, every first Wednesday of the month. 8 a.m. sharp. Entrepreneurs discover solutions and thrive when they collaborate over a million cups of coffee. Come join this supportive, dynamic community and hear from two businesses that are between 1 – 5 years old. Discover how we can help move them forward in a positive environment, fueled by caffeine. Coffee provided by Mela Coffee Roasting. Wenatchee Valley Chamber office, 137 N. Wenatchee Ave. Wenatchee Farmers Market, every Wednesday, 3 – 7 p.m. every Saturday, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. and, Pybus Public Market. 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, 15 S. Wenatchee Ave. Info: sfblair61@gamil.com. 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

September 2018 | The Good Life

www.ncwgoodlife.com

by carefree social dancing. No partner necessary to join in the fun. Dance style will be 1940s swing with a bit of salsa, blues, waltz or tango thrown in. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Leavenworth Community Farmers market, Thursdays 4 – 8 p.m. Offers everything from local eggs, meats, cheeses and breads to local produce, fruits, prepared foods, local crafts and more. Lions Club Park, Leavenworth. Info: leavenworthfarmersmarket.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 support 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. 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. Lake Wenatchee Fire and Rescue Auxiliary’s Yard and bake sale, 9/1, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., 9/2 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Sales by donation except for silent auction items. Fire Station 93, 19015 Beaver Valley Rd (next to Beaver Valley School in Plain). Sleeping Lady Bird Walk, 9/1, 15, 8 a.m. Join retired wildlife biologist, nature journalist and artist, Heather Murphy for an informative walk. Over the past 31 years Heather has recorded 109 species of birds in the

}}} Continued on next page

The Art Life

WHAT TO DO

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

}}} Continued from previous page Sleeping Lady area, which is documented in the Citizen Science eBird program at Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Meet at the gazebo in the organic garden at Sleeping Lady. Cost: free. Bring your binoculars. Twilight Alphorn Serenades, 9/1, 8 p.m. and every Saturday through September. End your day with the soothing tones of the Leavenworth Alphorns. The evening serenade is followed by a brief demonstration with information and fun facts about this alpine folk instrument. Downtown Leavenworth. Cost: free. Wenatchee Riverfront Railway train, 9/1, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Ride the mini train. The Nile Saunders Memorial Run. 155 N Worthen, east end of the railroad pedestrian bridge. Cost: $2. Sound of Music, 9/1, 2, 8 p.m. Live performance at the Ski Hill Amphitheater. Cost: $14, $25, $35. Info: leavenworthsummertheater.org.

Lions Club Community Breakfast, 10/6, 13, 22, 29, 8 – 11 a.m. All you can eat pancakes, eggs, sausage, coffee and milk. Proceeds goes to projects: sight, hearing and diabetes health education and services, local food banks, college scholarships, scouts, youth sports, Special Olympics and other community projects. Cost: $7, $3.50 kids 4-10, under 4 free, active military with ID free. Info: leavenworthlions.com. Chelan County Fair, 9/6 – 9. Live music, entertainment, food booths, rodeo, exhibits, carnival rides and lots of animals. Chelan County Fairgrounds, Cashmere. Info: chelancountyfair.com. First Friday Events Include: *Two Rivers Art Gallery, 9/7, 5 – 8 p.m. Featuring Sense and Flora by Martha Flores. Beer by Iron Horse Brewery. Music by Patric Thompson and Glenn Isaacson, piano and bass. Complimentary refreshments. 102 N Columbia, Wenatchee. Cost: free. Info: 2riversgallery.com. *Tumbleweed Bead Co., 9/7, 5-7 p.m. Refreshments served. 105

| The Good Life

// SKETCHES OF LOCAL ARTISTS

Focusing on a life artfully lived E

By Susan Lagsdin

rin Nash was last seen by our readers last year on a cover of The Good Life in a super-selfie, leaping into the air with her friend Miranda, with Wyoming’s Grand Tetons as a backdrop. Her story and photos centered on mountains and why she’s drawn back to them after some years in the city. No gap decade, boomeranging or failure to launch for this woman. Last year, Erin (Cascade High School ’07) returned, but not to the family table. This year she’s turning 30, renting her own home in Leavenworth and aiming double-barreled in a firm professional direction, with years more vagabonding still ahead of her. She’s back in the Cascades that inspired her and is turning her artistic skill set — photography — into a viable career. At the same time, she’s creating an enviably balanced creative life. She’d been raised to love the arts. Erin recalled, “We’d always put something in the Fair every year — whether it was a picture or a sewing project. My mom is a photographer and gave me disposable cameras when I was really little — I think that may have started it.” When Erin enrolled at Western Washington University, a new photo-journalism program had just opened, and it suited her perfectly. “I did everything — writing, design, photography, video, photo editing for the campus paper. It was a great experience,” she said. Inevitably — read the statistics — after graduation a series of useful but unrelated jobs

www.ncwgoodlife.com

September 2018

“I was looking for a place to land — so much of our life is work, and I realized it’s important to make the right choices.” followed, some involving serving coffee, and Erin earned enough to travel the world once a year, always taking photos but rarely freeing them from her computer files. Closer to home, she was Director of Development for Leavenworth’s Project HOPE, then event planner at Icicle Creek Center for the Arts. Erin brought her good talents to the tasks but knew there was more out there for her. “I was looking for a place to land — so much of our life is work, and I realized it’s important to make the right choices.” (She likes this four-point query: What do you love? What are you good at? What will help the world? What can make you money?) She’d been doing commercial photography: portraits, engagements and weddings, but, “Last summer I realized I can actually create a space for myself in the film world,” she said. A fortunate connection with Cashmerebased video makers Voortex Productions lead to part-time work; now she’s soundly on staff and loving it. Of her fellow artists, who both inspire and teach her, she said, “Every member of the team is so skilled and creative in their own way — it is wonderful working

WHAT TO DO

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

Palouse St. Cost: free. Info: tumbleweedbeadco.com. *Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center, 9/7, 5. – 8 p.m. Light refreshments. Info: Wenatchee.org. *Mela, 9/7, 5 – 8 p.m. 17 N. Wenatchee Ave. Cost: free. Gavin McLaughlin, 9/7, 7 - 9 p.m. Live performance on the railcar. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

Erin and her friend, Miranda, leap for joy — and a fun selfie — during a hike in the Grand Tetons.

Erin Nash treated herself to high adventure on the Tour de Mont Blanc trail in the French Alps this July.

with them.” Currently, they’re making a promotional video for a coffee company in Burundi, Africa. Erin, who’s been used well in the small company, has found a niche creating scripts. “I realize that my art is storytelling, and that I’m a very visual person. This is a great way to use both my writing and my photography — I am forced to be artful, clear and concise.” Maybe it was the solid career footing in cinematography, maybe it was the kind of epiphany that comes with decade-birthdays, but Erin made a confident pact with herself

last winter: “This is the year I’m going to share my own photographs with the world. It’s really scary putting yourself out there, but it is time.” Independently, but grateful for the advice and support of other artists, Erin created a business website (Lens Joy Photography) for future clients, and she is preparing choice shots from her international travels for a local exhibit this winter. The theme is connections, appreciating the essential humanity that is the same all over the world, whether in the Philippines, Italy, Liberia or Brazil. Early in her life, Erin dreamed

of living here on a ranch and riding horses in the mountains, but she realized for now she’s perfectly content to roam the peaks on foot, her all-purpose Canon 5D Mark iii at the ready, with her two adventuresome dogs, Waldo and Carmen San Diego (as in “Where is…?”). Erin holds the real and the ideal, the commercial and the personal, independence and teamwork in a delicate balance that works perfectly for her life right now, remembering a time of disconnection when her “intentional creativity,” which goes beyond her good eye and problem-solving skills, was secondary in her life. “I like my life as it is even better than the picture I had in my head,” she said. “I didn’t really think of myself as an artist until now — but I’m bolder about letting my art be seen and letting myself be seen through my art.” Young artist and businesswoman about to turn 30? Bring it on!

September 2018 | The Good Life

To view photos by Erin, see www. lensjoyphotography.com.

www.ncwgoodlife.com

Outdoor movie: distance between dreams, 9/7, 8 p.m. Big wave surfing comes to life through the eyes of iconic surfer Ian Walsh, as he sets mind and body in motion to redefine the upper limits of what’s considered rideable. Bring a picnic. Loge Leavenworth. Cost: free. Info: logecamps.com/leavenworth-wa. Walk to end Alzheimer’s, 9/8, 8 a.m. 2-mile walk. Starts at Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: 8860700 or alz.org. Cascade Couples Championship, 9/8, 9, 8:30 a.m. Shotgun both days. Sponsored by Cindy Rarick LPGA, on the Legends Tour. Leavenworth Golf Course. Info: leavenworthgolf.com. Railroad History Tour, 9/8, 9 a.m. The Wenatchee Valley Museum is offering a guided tour of the Wellington site and will visit several other sites between Leavenworth and Stevens Pass that played important roles in the history of the Great Northern Railway Company. Meet at the museum. Cost: $45. Info: wvmcc.org. Walking Tour of Historic Railroads and mill, 9/8, 10 a.m. This walk will take you along the Wenatchee River to see where the mill and logging took place during the 1890s-1927. See how the railroad helped the logging and the Leavenworth community. Upper Valley Museum. Cost: $5. Info: uppervalleymuseum.org. NW Ranchero Enthusiasts Show, 9/8, 10 a.m. The event is open to all Rancheros including Canadian Meteors, Australian Utilities, Falcon and Courier Sedan Deliveries. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: 630-6959.

}}} Continued on the 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 Leavenworth Fall Wine Walk, 9/8, noon – 5:30 p.m. Stroll, sip and savor through downtown Leavenworth and taste at 20 tasting rooms and special tasting sites. Enjoy a complimentary wine glass, bottle tote, prizes, specialty cheeses from the Cheesemonger, live music and all the charms of Washington’s Bavarian Getaway when vibrant leaves glow in the beautiful Cascades. Downtown Leavenworth. Cost: $45 pp or $80 per couple. Info: cascadefarmlands. com. Sip and paint, 9/8, 3 – 5 p.m. A relaxing and fun afternoon to learn to paint step by step alongside your friends. All supplies provided for you to complete your own dragonfly cigar box masterpiece. Acrylic painting on wooden cigar boxes. No experience necessary. Aprons provided. Yodelin Broth Company, Leavenworth. Cost: $35. Info: sipandpaint.org. Cancer Care Open House, 9/9, 1 3 p.m. Cancer Care of NCW, Inc/Our House is celebrating its 25 anniversary. Guest speaker, Nicolas Kummer, MD, Radiation Oncology. Tours and light refreshments served. 1708 Castlerock Ave. Wenatchee. Info: 663-6964. Elder Speak, 9/9, 2 – 4 p.m. Elders share their wisdom and this event acts as a fundraiser for Mountain Meadows Senior Living and The Ripple Foundation. All ages welcome. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: by donation. Info: theripplefoundation. org. 9/11 Spirit of America Memorial Dedication Ceremony, 9/11, 11 a.m. What began as a very modest proposal has blossomed into an extraordinary memorial serving to honor and pay tribute to those who lost their lives on 9/11 and to help educate our children on the events that reshaped our country in so many ways. 201 Riverside Dr, Cashmere. Cost: free. Info: 911spiritofamericamemorial.com. Square Dance lessons, 9/11, 18, 25, 7 p.m. Free lessons by the Appleland Promenaders. Couples singles and youth 10 and older. East Wenatchee Grange, 3400 Sunset Highway. Info: Connie Mulholland 425-299-7051. Sip and paint, 9/12, 6:30 – 8:30

p.m. All supplies provided for you to complete Just Plain Barn masterpiece. Acrylic painting on 11x14 canvas. No experience necessary. Light fare, beer and wine available for purchase. Aprons provided. Mountain Springs Lodge. Cost: $35. Info: sipandpaint.org. Wenatchee Community Concert presents: Ilya Yakushev, 9/13, 7 p.m. Ilya is an wardwinning Russian pianist whose program will feature compositions by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Gershwin as well as Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Featuring a multi-media presentation, Ilya’s performance is a visual and technical spectacular. Wenatchee High School. Cost: $70. Info: wenatcheeconcerts.org. NCW Home Tour and Remodeling Expo, 9/14-16. See tour homes on pages 20. Info: buildingncw.org/ events. Outdoor movie: Airborne, 9/14, 8:30 p.m. A 16-year-old kid from California moves to Cincinnati and gets on the bad side of high school hockey players. He has to learn how to get along to beat rivals in a competition down Devil’s Backbone. Loge Leavenworth. Cost: free. Info: logecamps/leavenworth-wa. The Roberts, 9/14, 7 - 9 p.m. Live performance on the railcar. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Sleeping Lady Bird Walk, 9/15, 8 a.m. Join retired wildlife biologist, nature journalist and artist, Heather Murphy for an informative walk. Over the past 31 years Heather has recorded 109 species of birds in the Sleeping Lady area, which is documented in the Citizen Science eBird program at Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Meet at the gazebo in the organic garden at Sleeping Lady. Cost: free. Bring your binoculars

and female golfer with the lowest total score. Raffle with great prizes. Proceeds are primarily used to provide vision and hearing services to low-income individuals in our community. Desert Canyon Golf Course. Cost: $20. Raffle tickets 7 for $5. Hiking Challenge, 9/15, 11 a.m. Improve your health, be part of a team, take home prizes. Homestead Trail (Horse Lake Parking area). Cost: free. Info: cdlandtrust.org. Old Fashioned Cider Squeeze, 9/15, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Barn Beach Reserve in Leavenworth. Info: wenatcheeriverinstitute.org.

Hawk Fest, 9/15, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Join the Chelan/Entiat Ranger Districts, North Central Washington Audubon Society and Hawkwatch International for this family-friendly event that combines free activities with trips to Chelan Ridge to learn about and celebrate raptors as they journey to winter territories. Pateros City Park. Info: ncwaudubon.org.

Lake Chelan Home Tour, 9/15, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Four homes to tour. Art show at Tsillan Cellars with 20 plus Pacific Northwest artists showing their work of oil and watercolor paintings, various types of handcrafted jewelry, stained and fused glass and other items. Proceeds benefit Lake Chelan Community Hospital. Cost: $20. Info any Guild B member, Allisons, of Manson, The Culinary Apple, Chelan Chamber of Commerce or lakechelancommunityhospitalcom/ about-us/home-tour.

Lions Club Putting for sight and hearing tournament, 9/15, 8:30 a.m. with gunshot play immediately after registration. Putters and balls provided. A quality putter is awarded to the male

Cascade Medical Foundation Home and Garden Tour, 9/15. Glassybaby votives will be sold at one of the home sites. Proceeds go toward purchasing new lab equipment for Cascade Hospital. Present

| The Good Life

www.ncwgoodlife.com

September 2018

your ticket to The Wine Cellar (217 9th St. Leavenworth) and receive 2-for-1 tastings and hors d’oeuvres. Cost: $20. Info: cascademedicalfoundation.org. Fungi and other decomposition wizards, 9/16, 10 a.m. – noon. Fungi are incredibly important to our soil and forest ecology. Learn what fungi are and do, see how to maintain a high quality, productive compost and imagine other wizards in a fantasy terrarium garden. Presented by the Chelan-Douglas Master Gardeners. Community Education Garden, 1100 N Western Ave. Cost: free. Summer Ride, 9/16, 4 – 7 p.m. Two groups, a faster pace group and a casual group. Both are no drop and meant to be fun. A great way to explore the trail and meet new like-minded people. BBQ after the ride. Meet at the Ski Hill parking lot. Cost: free. Info: cwevergreenmtb. org. Square Dance lessons, 9/18, 25, 7 p.m. Free lessons by the Appleland Promenaders. Couples singles and youth 10 and older. East Wenatchee Grange, 3400 Sunset Highway. Info: Connie Mulholland 425-299-7051. Mission Creek Players presents Dancing at Lughnasa, 9/20, 21, 22, 7 p.m. Drama for the stage that includes music, song

WHAT TO DO

and dancing. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $22. Info: numericapac.org. Horse Lake Reserve eBird Monitoring Project, 9/21, 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 2015 wildfire. Info: susan@cdlandtrust.org or 669-7820. Jurassic Quest, 7/21, 3 – 8 p.m. 9/22, 9 a.m. – 8 p.m., 9/23, 24, 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. Includes dinosaur exhibit, dino tour, dino theater, science stations, dino crafts and dino coloring station. Additional attractions like dinosaur rides, fossil digs, scooters, inflatables and bungee pull are an extra $5 each. Town Toyota Center. Cost: $35.50 includes all attractions, $22 includes exhibits, tour, theater crafts. Info: towntoyotacenter.com. Ecstatic Ekphrastic: The Poetry of Art, 9/21, 6 p.m. Public reading of ekphrastic poems written exclusively for the work of artist Martha Flores. Two Rivers Art Gallery. Cost: free. Info: Susan Blair, sfblair61@gmail.com. The Student Prince, 9/21, 22, 28, 29, 7 p.m. and 9/23, 30, 2 p.m. (9/27, 7 p.m. Is the understudy performance. Cost: $12). Live performance tells the bittersweet tale of Karl Franz, Prince of Karlsburg, who finds love and friendship among his fellow students during his year at the University of Heidelberg. Laughter and great music sung by the gallant student corps and their “Queen,” the charming Kathie. Includes Munchen Haus sausage on a roll, sauerkraut, red cabbage, and Icicle Brewing Company beer or lemonade one hour before the show. Snowy Owl BierGarten. Advance sales only. Cost: $22. Info: icicle.org. Outdoor movie: Reach for the sky, 9/21, 8 p.m. This film takes a dramatic behind-the-scenes look into Ca Zink’s life with the storybook ended by 2013 and 2014 Red Bull rampages. Plus, features his world-record 100-foot back flip at Mammoth Mountain, 100% neverbefore-seen footage. Loge Leavenworth. Cost: free. Info: logecamps. com/leavenworth-wa. Wenatchee River Salmon Festival, 9/22, all day. Family friendly event offering environmental edu-

on hand to talk about low-water landscaping, xeriscape designs and arborists will be on hand to talk about pruning and plan before you plant. Wenatchee Convention Center. Register: sharingourroots.org.

cation, outdoor recreation, hands on activities, entertainment and much more. Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery. Cost: free. Info: salmonfest.org. Sidewalk art sale, 9/22, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Annual fundraiser for Two Rivers Gallery. The sale consists of donated art supplies, books, frames and art. 102 N Columbia, Wenatchee. Historic Downtown Chelan Sip and Stroll, 9/22, 1 – 5 p.m. Spend a relaxing fall afternoon with friends, stroll through downtown Chelan and sip some of the valley’s finest wines, beer and ciders. Cost: $35. Info: lakechelan.com Wenatchee Brewers Row Oktoberfest, 9/22, 4 – 8 p.m. Handcraft beers, food and music. All breweries (3) are within walking distance of each other, via the Apple Capital Loop Trail. Cost: $40 includes tasting glass and 10 tasting tokens. Wenatchee Riverfront Railway, 9/23, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Ride the mini train. Home of the Nile Saunders orchard train. 155 N Worthen, east end of the railroad pedestrian bridge. Cost: $2. White River Salmon Tour, 9/23, 1 – 4 p.m. Experience and learn about sockeye salmon’s return to the White River with local fish biologist Chuck Peven. Cost: free. RSVP required. Info: 667-9708. Info: cdlandtrust.org. Square Dance lessons, 9/25, 7 p.m. Free lessons by the Appleland Promenaders. Couples singles and youth 10 and older. East Wenatchee Grange, 3400 Sunset Highway. Info: Connie Mulholland 425-2997051. Leavenworth Friends of the Library book sale, 9/26 – 10/7. Leavenworth Library, corner of 8th and Commercial St, downtown Leavenworth. NCW Audubon Social, 9/26. Young birders, new birders, advanced birders, families of birders – all are invited to a friendly time of celebrating birds and meeting likeminded folks. Wenatchee Valley Museum. Info: ncwaudubon.org. WSU Master Gardener Conference, 9/26-29. Open to all garden enthusiasts. Over 25 top-notch speakers. Keynote speaker Adam Schwerner, director of horticulture and Resort Enhancement for Disneyland Resort. Photo contest, tours. Chelan County PUD will be

GWATA Innovator Awards Luncheon, 9/26, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Award categories: entrepreneur of the year, innovative tech business of the year, STEM educator of the year, problem solving innovator of the year (college student) and future tech leader of the year (k-12 student). Wenatchee Convention Center. Info: gwata.org/innovators. Become a Wenatchee Naturalist, 9/26 – 12/19. Susan Ballinger teaches this 12-week Wednesday evenings course and four Saturday field trips. The field trips explore habitats along the White, Entiat, Columbia and Wenatchee River corridors. The interdisciplinary course includes readings, lectures, handouts, guest scientists, labs and nature journaling. Cost: $365 includes supplies, a field journal and loaned mini-library and hand lens. Wenatchee Valley College Continuing Education. Info: skylinebal@ gmail.com, wenatcheenaturalist. com or register: augusoft.net/index.cmf?fuseaction. Wenatchee River Institute Fall Banquet and Fundraiser, 9/26, 5:30 p.m. Delicious food, wonderful socializing, amazing auction items and marvelous ways to show your support for the Wenatchee River Institute. Leavenworth Festhalle. Cost: $50. Info: wenatcheeriverinstitute.org. Movie on the big screen: Sandlot, 9/26, 6:30 p.m.. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $3. Info: numericapac.org. Mountain Home Preserve eBird Monitoring Project, 9/27, 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. Senior Tri-Dam Tour, 9/27, 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. This shuttle bus tour will visit Rocky Reach, Rock Island and Lake Chelan dams. Cost: free. Info: 663-7522. Leavenworth Friends of the library used book sale, 9/28 - 10/7, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. - 6 Friday and Saturday.

September 2018 | The Good Life

www.ncwgoodlife.com

Thousands of books at just $1 - $3. All proceeds benefit the many library children’s programs. New this year the library will be selling a cloth, reusable book bag for just $1 donation. Downtown Leavenworth at the corner of 8th and Commercial St. Pipe Organ Concert, 9/28, 2 p.m. Dave Wickerham performs. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Cost: $5 suggested donation. Info: wenatcheevalleymuseum.org. Zeppelin USA, 9/28, 7:30 p.m. An American tribute to Led Zeppelin. Live performance. Numerica Performing Arts Center. Cost: $21-$35. Info: numericapac.org. Outdoor movie: Eddie the Eagle, 9/28, 8 p.m. This film is the story of Eddie Edwards, the notoriously tenacious British underdog ski jumper who charmed the world at the 1988 Winter Olympics. Loge Leavenworth. Cost: free. Info: logecamps/leavenworth-wa. Autumn Leaf Festival and Parade, 9/29, 30, all day. Downtown Leavenworth. Parade starts at noon on Saturday. Cost: free. Info: autumnleaffestival.com. Sage 5k fun run and walk, 9/29, 10 a.m. Sage (safety, advocacy, growth, empowerment) provides resources to individuals in need. Proceeds benefit child and advocate center. Pybus Public Market. Info: 663-7446. Dahlia Show, 9/29, noon – 5 p.m., 9/30, 10 a.m. – noon. Come see the State’s best collection of dahlias in what many flower growers consider to be the best venue in Washington. Pybus Public Market. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Just Plain Fun Run, 9/30, 1 p.m. 5k trail run and family walk. Race starts at Plain Hardware. All proceeds benefit Beaver Valley School. Info: Christie Saugen @ skiplain. com. Sip and paint, 9/30, 5 p.m. Paint Dot Mandala plaques. All supplies provided. Acrylic mandala painting on 6x6 inch black wooden hanging plaque. Light fare and tea provided. Aprons provided. Beyoutiful Hot Yoga. Cost: $40. Info: sipandpaint. org. Wings and Wheels, 10/4-7. Friday afternoon cruise and Saturday car show. East Wenatchee.

column those were the days

rod molzahn

A life lived hard and varied in Wenatchee Ed Ferguson rode into

Wenatchee in the spring of 1894. The greatest Columbia River flood in memory was still receding and the road from Colockum Creek to Wenatchee was mostly impassable. Ferguson left the wagon he was traveling in and rode horseback the last few miles. When he reached the center of town, the corner of Wenatchee Avenue and Orondo Street, Jack Lillis stepped out of his saloon, took one look at the 15-year-old Ed and shouted, “Hi, fellows! Here’s Jim Ferguson’s kid.” Jim Ferguson settled in Wenatchee three years earlier and opened a tin shop in “Old Town.” He was known and respected for his patriotism, community spirit and his public speaking prowess. During his first years in Wenatchee he served, “at extremely small pay,” as town marshal. Ed had come from Tacoma to join his father. Jim Ferguson insisted that his son attend school. Ed had quit school in Tacoma early in his fourth grade year claiming that he was unfairly treated by his teacher. So at age 15 Ed was placed in the third grade at the Wenatchee school. He advanced quickly and within a year graduated from seventh grade and got his first job in Wenatchee — pounding down nails on the town’s wooden sidewalks. But Ed Ferguson had bigger goals. He declared in an interview later in life that his long held ambitions had always been, “to be a policeman, fireman or actor.” He accomplished all those and much more. But first, at age 17, Ed went to work for Captain Alexander Griggs as a night watchman,

Wenatchee’s police in 1908: From left, Nate Inscho, Chief J. Ed Ferguson and Bob Nelson. Photo from the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center #90-56-56

deckhand and fireman on Griggs’ fleet of riverboats. He “followed the river” for two years. On one trip, bringing a full load of wheat down river from Bray’s Landing, Captain Griggs found that the sacks of wheat had been loaded too heavily in the stern and the Thomas L. Nixon could not be steered. Drifting through a narrow, boulder-filled channel between Entiat and Orondo the boat struck a large rock where it stuck, taking in water through a stove pipe sized hole in the bow. “Git into the hold and plug that leak,” shouted Captain Griggs. Ed and Cliff Griggs, the captain’s son, climbed inside to stop the gushing water. Cliff stuffed blankets in the hole and Ed rammed a piece of cordwood in behind the blankets. The leak mostly stopped but the water filled the boat to within a foot of the deck. Finally the boat floated free and headed down river. Somehow Captain Griggs negotiated the rapids at Rocky Reach, grazed a sandbar near the mouth of the Wenatchee River and drifted to the Wenatchee dock.

| The Good Life

In the midst of his steam boating career, Ed, showing his community spirit and interest in entertainment, was a founding member of the Wenatchee Cornet Band. He played the bass drum and eventually the tuba. The band played for the town’s Fourth of July celebration that year and Ed gave a rousing speech. A “dead ringer for his dad,” it was said. That same year Ed took a leading role in a community theater production of Turn of the Tide complete with heroes, villains and a beautiful heroine played by Maude McNeil. The town blacksmith, postmaster, Great Northern express agent and Billy Parr, later Chelan County’s first superior court judge, all had big roles. Jim Ferguson provided thunder and lightning from off stage. During 1898 and ’99 Ed worked two seasons on a government survey team mapping north central Washington. The first season they started in Chelan then down to Entiat, across the river and up to Waterville. The second season the team worked north from Chelan to

www.ncwgoodlife.com

September 2018

the Methow Valley and mapped the rugged canyons that drop from the mountains down to the valley floor. When the surveying finished Ed took a job clerking at Taz Rarey’s General Merchandise store at $35 a month. John Gellatly remembered that Ed got him his first job in Wenatchee; a week of work shoveling out the trash from the basement under Rarey’s store. Ed was soon offered $50 a month to clerk at the Wenatchee Hardware Company next door to Rarey’s. He took the job staying until he joined his father in the tin shop and hardware store. The business expanded as “Ferguson and Son.” The basement under the store was rented to Leonard Fowler, publisher of the Wenatchee Advance newspaper. Fowler was an eccentric figure on the town streets in his green pants, spats and red necktie. He sported a cane and derby hat. Ed was impressed and worked for more than a year at the paper in ad sales and, occasionally, as editor when Fowler was out of town and the regular editor was “dead drunk.” Sometime during the years of clerking and newspaper work Ed Ferguson married Alice Blair the youngest of the four Blair sisters. She and Ed were the same age and had likely met when they both attended Stevens School. The marriage, short lived, was over by 1905. That year Ed’s interest in entertainment came to the fore again. He was convinced that the town needed a theater. He persuaded developer O.B. Fuller to build one at the corner of Columbia and Palouse streets.

Ed leased the theater with an option to buy and went into show business. He offered the people of Wenatchee dances, band concerts, nationally known speakers, community theater productions and traveling stock companies bringing plays by train from across the country. Louise Hollenbeck played piano for the plays and for the first silent movies shown at the theater. She was a professional musician from New York. She came to Wenatchee to visit her brother and stayed to fill the Wenatchee Theater with music

and to become Mrs. Ed Ferguson. Ed added law enforcement to his resume on a night in 1907 when drunk construction workers building the Columbia River bridge started a fight downtown. The town marshal was gone so Mayor Scheble called on Ed to deal with the situation. Ed rounded them up and marched them off to court. The mayor was impressed and appointed Ed the new town marshal and first city police chief with two uniformed officers. By the end of the year Ed was also the town’s first fire chief.

In 1908 he was elected Chelan County Sheriff and, for a time, held all four offices. Through all this Ed continued to manage the theater. In 1914 Ed’s dad — his best friend — died. In 1916 Ed’s mother died. She was followed the same year by Louise, Ed’s wife and partner in their love of theater, music and entertaining. Ed was devastated. He sold the theater and fell into depression. His friends convinced him he needed a new career. Ed, known to everyone, a consummate hand shaker, backslapper and champion booster for his com-

munity belonged in the insurance business. Along with his new wife, Anne Price, Ed spent the next 18 years selling insurance. In 1935 he and Anne started their own successful agency as part of the Mutual Life Insurance Company. Ed Ferguson died in 1959 at the age of 80. 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.

Marketplace General Hauling

Insurance

Habitat for Humanity

Home

Spruce and Willow Home

615. S. Wenatchee Ave. Th-Sat 9:00-5:00 509-667-1638

•

You Call, We Haul!

• Remodeling Supplies • Gently used Furniture • Hardware/ Appliances • Doors and Windows • Paint and Paint Supplies

Serving North Central Washington junkhaulers@hotmail.com

Donate • Shop • Volunteer

New & Used

The Marketplace

Real Estate

Simply Unique

Advertise in the Goodlife Marketplace

509 888-9515

201 S Wenatchee Ave, Wenatchee, WA 98801 heidi.simplyunique@yahoo.com

Rusty

Closed - Monday • Tue-Thur 10am to 6pm Fri & Sat 10am to 5pm • Sunday - NOON to 5pm

Unique Antique Mall with 38 dealers bringing treasures for your home and garden

Insurance Planning

Reach adventurous readers who are willing to try something new!

Please Contact

Lianne Taylor • (509) 669-6556 lianne@ncwgoodlife.com September 2018 | The Good Life

133 N. Wenatchee Ave. 888-5286 spruceandwillowhome.com

Kathy Z. Smithson

Debbie Senseney LICENSED BROKER | REALTOR

509-255-8516

debbie@agent509.com 509-315-3630 | agent509.com

www.ncwgoodlife.com

• Life • Long Term Care • Medicare • Medicare Part D Rx • Disability • Health Insurance for individuals and employer groups

509-884-5195 ksmithson@frontier.com 720 Valley Mall Pkway E. Wenatchee www.smithsoninsuranceservices.com

the back page: that’s life

My Summer of ’42 moment By Cary Ordway

I happened by my old home-

town the other day — just a drop-in visit, mind you — and now I’m awash in those childhood memories that we all carry around but leave neatly filed away in the backs of our brains like some sort of instinctual Dewey Decimal System. For example, right there under “S” I found “Summer of ’42” or at least my own version of that popular movie played out sometime when I was about nine or ten years old with a whole cast of neighborhood characters who helped me graduate from a know-nothing kid to a kid who knew only slightly more than nothing. But more about that transformative experience later. My trip down memory lane was triggered by my band’s appearance at the Waterville Days celebration. Waterdog played Waterville, my first appearance as a musician in my hometown since my teenage rock band played the NCW Fair back in 1967. Conquering hero returns — oh wait, I never did have that hit record, never toured, and almost never played music again until I was in my late 30s and some buddies talked me into it. But I managed to play rock music in Waterville again — after a 51year hiatus. There in Pioneer Park, the memories started calling out to me. About 50 feet from the stage was the back door and loading dock for my dad’s newspaper office, a place I would sometimes go for a respite from my afterschool job at the newspaper. I didn’t smoke, so they weren’t exactly smoke breaks. More like time-outs to help me cope with the pressure of working from 3

... Waterville kids found the wilderness on Standpipe Hill, just a 10-minute bike ride but light years away from what we perceived as Waterville’s bustling downtown. to 5 p.m. On the other side of Pioneer Park was the home I lived in from about age 5 to 13, and this immediately called to mind the vivid memories of my wellintentioned mother’s horrifying calls for me to come in from playing in the park. She was an accomplished musician and singer and, instead of just yelling for me to get home, she kind of sang me home. She would use her operatic voice with all of the requisite vibrato to summon me in such a way that crowds would gather. It worked, though — I would run home like a track star before any more kids would hear this and realize I was the textbook definition of a mama’s boy. Just a block over from the Waterville Days stage was Main Street, releasing an entirely different set of memories such as the pickles and hot dogs we used to buy from the Waterville meat market, on a stick, for five cents. I know that sounds like something out of the 1940s, but even in the early 1960s we had good deals. Like the five-cent maple bars that Nils, the local baker, always had fresh in the morning. Or the Perkins hamburgers that were cheap and tasty and right next door to the newspaper office. I was flooded with thoughts of boyhood friends and our various activities. I remembered one particular backyard game we played when we were in grade school where a bunch of us would excavate

| The Good Life

enough dirt to create little homes and subdivisions where we could drive our toy cars on the roads. Funny thing is, all the kids who created the fanciest yards and buildings grew up to live in the fanciest houses. While Andy and Opie would find a little bit of the Great Outdoors by fishing in the local streams, Waterville kids found the wilderness on Standpipe Hill, just a 10-minute bike ride but light years away from what we perceived as Waterville’s bustling downtown. It was fun to hike or bike on the road to the top of the hill where we could sit and view the vast wheatlands of the Columbia Plateau and munch on a knapsack full of peanut butter sandwiches. Venturing a little farther, we sometimes would go down over the hill to a forbidden zone just on the other side of the hill that we considered Waterville’s prime waterfront property. Some called it a lake, some called it a pond, but city fathers called it a sewage lagoon. Not content to simply enjoy the waterfront view, we found spare wood lying around that was wide enough and buoyant enough to support us on a scenic cruise around the lake — er lagoon — where we were only mildly concerned about the water quality and the assortment of objects contained therein. This was a few years before they created the Environmental Protection Agency but I’m con-

www.ncwgoodlife.com

September 2018

fident, had they been around, EPA would have designated Waterville as Super Fund Clean-up Site No. 1 Cary Ordway has and sent my written a lightfriends and hearted book about me into the the culture change he experienced same kind when moving from of extended San Diego to the quarantine countryside near required of Chelan. Countrydogs moving fied Chickens, written under his to Hawaii. It was after pen-name of Chas Elliott, is available a long afteron Amazon. noon on the lake one day that I had my Summer of ’42 moment. No older women or even females involved. It was just an animated conversation as my friends and I sat atop Standpipe Hill and I learned in some fair amount of detail just how babies are made. I recall my surprise and shock, and I should also note this was a good three years ahead of when my parents finally got around to broaching the subject. “Great, thanks for the info,” I remember telling my parents. “I think I’ve got it.”

What are you laughing at?

We’re looking for fresh, true stories from local people that’ll bring a chuckle to our readers. Limit yourself to 500 to 1,000 words and send to: editor@ncwgoodlife.com Stories published will win a $100 gift certificate to any one of our advertisers.

THEATER

SEP 21-30

THE STUDENT PRINCE

Great singing, food, and theater in a German beer garden setting Sponsored by: München Haus, Harriet Bullitt, Dr. William Weis

DAR WILLIAMS

Called one of America’s great songwriters’ by the New Yorker and author of “What I found in a Thousand Towns; a traveling musician’s guide to rebuilding America’s Communities VISITING ARTIST

OCT 5

FORUM ON COMMUNITY RESILIENCE CONCERT

OCT 6

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 4-20: Learn To Skate Classes 18: Wenatchee Wild Kids Day 21-23: Jurassic Quest Sept. 25 - Nov. 1: Learn To Skate Classes

CONCERT Sponsored by: Together for Youth, Our Valley Our Future, Sleeping Lady Foundation, Woods Family Foundation, Historic Downtown Chelan Association, North Central Regional Library, WESTAF

C E N TE R FOR THE A RTS

ICICLE.ORG (509) 548-6347

You’re invited to the

18th Annual Innovator Awards Luncheon Celebrating the drive, passion, and spirit of innovators in North Central Washington while inspiring those who are just starting their journey

OCTOBER

6: Public Open House, 1-4 PM, FREE Admission 9: Taste of Town Toyota Center 12: Wild Opening Night vs. Nanaimo 17: The United States Army Field Band & Soldiers’ Chorus presented by North Cascades Bank 19-20: Wild vs. Merritt 24: Wild vs. Trail 26: Wild vs. Cowichan Valley Capitals 27: Wild vs. Prince George

NOVEMBER

2: Wild vs. West Kelowna 3: Wild vs. Powell Nov. 6 - Dec. 13: Learn To Skate Classes 9: Wild vs. Surrey 10: Wild vs. Coquitlam 16-18: Hot Autumn Ice 23-24: Wild vs. West Kelowna 28: Wild vs. Penticton 30: LeAnn Rimes with Special Guest, Barry Zito

DECEMBER

3: Pink At The Rink Ice Painting 7: Pink At The Rink 7: Wild vs. Penticton 14: Wild vs. Slamon Arm 21-22: Wild vs. Vernon

SAVE THE DATE!

Gesa Credit Union Basketball Showcase Jan. 4, 2019

Wednesday, September 26 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM Wenatchee Convention Center Tickets on sale now at www.gwata.org

DESTINATION: ENTERTAINMENT

For more information and tickets: www.TownToyotaCenter.com 509.667.7847 | 1300 Walla Walla Ave, Wenatchee

#towntoyotacenter

Join the joyful Membership makes everything better.

That warm-all-over feeling you get when you step inside Numerica? That’s member well-being at work. Numerica membership gives you access to the great rates, convenient account features and stellar service you need to live well. Because in our book, that’s the only way to live.

Keep smilin’ at numericacu.com

Federally insured by NCUA.