Sammscene2015

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2015

SAMMAMISH

SCENE

Special section of Sammamish Review

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General manager

Advertising staff

Kathleen R. Merrill

Neil Buchsbaum Michelle Comeau Deanna Jess Sandy Tirado

Writers

Production

Christina Corrales-Toy Tom Corrigan Ranny Green Sherry Grindeland David Hayes Neil Pierson WSDA News

Jessy Smith Molly McWilliams

Printing

Photography

Ed Bullock

Joe Heslet

Managing editor

Greg Farrar Jerry & Lois Photography

Rotary Offset Press

Table of contents page photo Cover photo Luke Fu

Page/cover design David Hayes/Jessy Smith

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Table of Contents HORSE WHISPERER Instructor Randee Fox uses the power of Nia and horses to connect her students to the natural world.

FUZZY LOGIC Family software business aims to revolutionize your workout.

COMEBACK KID Sammamish dentist recovers from a stroke to climb to presidency of state dental association.

FRIENDLY FIRE Longtime friends build a football rivalry as opposing coaches.

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LIVIN’ THE RUFF LIFE A Plateau pup shares a peek into the busy daily schedule of a dog.

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SMELL OF SUCCESS Two friends prove everything tastes better with Bacon Salt.

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VOLUNTEERS OF NOTE Part-time musicians have kept the local symphony playing for 23 years.

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HEALTHY FRIENDSHIP Service dog enables Army veteran to enjoy triumph over tragedy.

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By Greg Farrar

Caanie and her owner, Randee Fox, bond in the corral after the quarter horse has spent about 10 minutes running on her own in the enclosure of Fox’s ranch in Sammamish.

Horse Whisperer

By David Hayes

Instructor Randee Fox uses the power of Nia to connect her students with the natural world

By Greg Farrar

Randee Fox patiently reaches her chi energy out to Caanie, who is unleashing her own pent-up energy by taking laps around the corral.

To the untrained eye, the scene unfolding in the pen looked simply like a horse cantering around the fence line, ignoring the woman in the middle trying vainly to corral the recalcitrant mare.

But then the amazing occurs — the horse stops, as if noticing the woman for the first time.

The woman turns her back to the mare and the mare walks up to the woman’s side, as if it were a remorseful puppy remembering that it indeed was taught to heel.

The onlookers are astonished as the duo are now moving as one — the woman leading the horse as if with an invisible rope, the mare keeping within half an arm’s length as they move about the pen.

The woman is Randee Fox. The mare is Caanie, a 15-year old quarter horse Fox trained using the principles of Nia. The onlookers are her students, fresh off their latest Nia cardio workout, witnessing the possibilities of the next level of attuning their bodies to the natural world.

Fox explained how it works to her students.

“Using chakras, I’ll stay inside myself, and the horse will see it come and go, just like a nor-

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[ ]

mal human would, she’ll see it,” Fox said.

But you never know how they’ll react, she added. They’re animals.

Caanie could totally ignore Fox and enjoy a canter in the afternoon sun, or connect its chi with Fox’s immediately.

“Once she’s connecting with my energy, you’ll know it,” Fox said.

Fox’s students have witnessed the only person in the world who trains both horses and humans using the principles of Nia.

It’s about movement Fox, 63, has a 22-year history in dance. But it wasn’t until 2000 she discovered Nia while living in Austin, Texas. Think of Nia as a newage aerobics class. Fox said Nia is “a sensory-based movement practice that leads to health, wellness and fitness. It empowers people of all shapes and sizes by connecting body, mind, emotion and spirit.”

“I feel better now than I did 10 to 15 years ago,” Fox said, a former

On the Web

Learn more about Nia and the courses Randee Fox teaches on her website,

http://randeefox.blogspot.com.

graphic journalist who did a lot of sitting in her profession.

By 2004, she was teaching her own Nia classes. She now teaches from her Blue Heron Ranch in Sammamish and from the YMCA in Bellevue.

Students move in classes barefoot to soul-stirring music. Experiences are adapted to individual needs and abilities. Fox said she has one student in a wheelchair.

“She can still move around. Move her feet, even sitting,” Fox said.

“I have another student who was like this,” she added, demonstrating slumped shoulders, “who couldn’t lift her arms above her head. Now

By Greg Farrar

Randee Fox leads her students during a Nia cardio workout at an exercise studio building on her Blue Heron Ranch in Sammamish. Above, Ken Kirkpatrick, of Sammamish, mirrors an art piece on the wall during a Nia cardio workout class, a sensory-based movement practice promoting physical and spiritual health and wellness.

Sammamish Scene

6 she feels great.”

If other aerobics classes have mottos of “no pain, no gain,” Fox’s motto is “no pleasure, no gain.”

A great feeling Sammamish resident Sue Campbell has been in Fox’s Nia classes for eight years after discovering it while looking for something different on Google.

“It sounded playful and fun, so I decided, ‘OK, I’m just going to show up.’ I didn’t know anything about it, but connected immediately. It gives you such a great feeling. You can walk in feeling kind of off. But once you start dancing, you forget everything that’s outside,” said Campbell, 68. “I feel playful again. My slogan for this year is, ‘68, don’t hesitate, celebrate.’”

Fox said her classes are for all ages, but many are discovering them later in their lives.

Sammamish resident Ken Kirkpatrick, 61, is in his second year of classes with her. He’d had brain cancer surgery and was unable to drive because of all the antiseizure medications he was prescribed.

“I couldn’t hardly get up off the sofa,” he said.

Kirkpatrick said his wife was taking Fox’s Nia class and said he should, too, thinking it would be good for him.

“I gave it a try and from the first time I loved it,” he said. “I could feel myself getting better and better. It’s all about energy, positive energy. The first year I couldn’t even get up off the floor on my own. Now look at me.”

Principles for horses Kirkpatrick said he hasn’t tried Fox’s course with horses yet, but was amazed by her demonstration and wonders what else she could do.

“We do have a llama. I’d love to see how she’d do (Nia) with llamas,” he said.

By Greg Farrar

Vicci Kane, of the Trossachs neighborhood, a Nia workout student for seven years, leans and stretches with a row of others in Randee Fox’s exercise and wellness class.

Fox doesn’t have experience with llamas, but she does with horses. She entered showing competitions as a youth, and really without realizing it, was using the principles of Nia. “Before Nia, I worked well when I danced before a show,” she said.

“The horse itself, if I got up and danced, felt more centered. The horse could sense it, and I came home with ribbons.”

By 2006, Fox had incorporated horses lessons with Nia principles with her riding students.

“I had great success. I’d tell them, ‘Just wiggle your toes in your boots, or listen to birds. Stay physically in your own sensations and horses will come to you.’”

When the horse connected with the student’s chi, then it was ready to be ridden.

“I believe in my heart that horses have been with us for tens of thousands years. We have only not needed them the last 80. So it’s in our cellular memory,” she said.

So, when a student expresses a modern fear of the four-legged friend, Fox believes there’s a centuryold bond trying to get out.

“If I was a horse, I wouldn’t want someone to get on my back. For a horse, that’s their fearful spot. All the lessons, even traditional, can go a whole month before a student can maneuver the horse, leading a horse’s energy,” she said. “But once there’s a connection, that’s when they’re ready to get on a horse’s back.”

A profound change Fox has trained three horses she uses on her ranch. The first classes last July were designed at first to help train other Nia instructors.

“It was too long. I was exhausted.

People were exhausted. It was too much energy. So I pulled it back,” she said.

Rather than for just prospective instructors, Fox opened the sessions up to regular students and shortened

Sammamish Scene them to three days. Each horse was assigned its own natural herd of three students. The change was profound.

“What if the class was for anyone in position of power? I asked, because we are naturally the CEOs of our life. I found we can use horses to mirror where you are energetically,” Fox said.

The therapeutic properties of Nia in the classroom also works in the corral. Fox recalled the time one of her students was failing to connect with a horse. It would not follow her, wouldn’t move, when her husband had already bonded quickly with the mare he was paired with.

Sensing there was something blocking the bond between her student and horse, Fox led them aside and asked what was wrong.

“Are you OK? Is there something emotional you’re withholding?” I asked her. “With that she broke down in tears, just wept, wrapping her arms around horse’s neck as she revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer and was torn between chemotherapy or a mastectomy.”

Fox said the horse took all the anxiety and the block in the bond was suddenly gone.

“Holding onto an emotion can’t work. So it was so profound to me that the horse mirrored that emotion,” she said.

You got me Nia’s creator, Debbie Rosas, recently invited Fox along with 50 of the world’s pool of 3,000 instructors to an event to teach other teachers. Fox said no thanks.

“I said, ‘I love my life. I’m painting. I’m teaching Nia, Nia and horses.’ So she said, ‘What if you were the only one teaching Nia and horses in the world?’ I said, ‘Now, you got me.’”

In addition to the course Fox teaches from her Sammamish ranch, she’ll travel to Tuscany, Italy, in September to pass on her personal experience

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with horses to other Nia instructors.

She invites everyone to get in touch with the Nia phenomenon.

“Some people say Nia is soft. It’s not — it’s kicking and punching.

The more I do it, the more aware I become in the moment,” Fox said. “I call it the sweet spot. Whatever it is, I invite you to find yours.”

By Greg Farrar

Sue Campbell (left), of Sammamish, and Issaquah native Stephanie Rostad, join other students working out in pairs as their Nia aerobic exercise takes them across the studio floor together.

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By Greg Farrar

Shalini Koduri (left) and husband Sunil, of Sammamish, and Shalini’s father, Dr. Suray Bhatia (from left), comprise the Zsolutionz software company, and stand with a working treadmill prototype that uses their ZOFIE personalized workout programming.

Fuzzy Logic Family software business aims to revolutionize your workout

By Neil Pierson Imagine going to the gym, walking up to a treadmill and having it recognize exactly who you are and what you’re trying to accomplish without inputting any information.

That’s the vision co-founders Sunil Koduri, Shalini Koduri and Dr. Suray Bhatia have for their software company, Zsolutionz, which is in the process of finalizing a program known as ZOFIE — short for Zso-

lutionz Optimal Fitness Interactive Experience.

The Koduris, who are married and have lived in Sammamish for 18 years, began working on ZOFIE three years ago with Bhatia, Shalini’s father, who is a retired Boeing engineer.

Sunil worked in software development with Microsoft for 17 years, and Shalini is versed in international studies and marketing, having worked for clothing manufacturer Eddie Bauer, trade logistics corpo-

Paid Advisement Sammamish Scene New Snoqualmie Valley Hospital opening to patients May 6 On Sunday, April 19 from noon to 4 p.m., the newly constructed Snoqualmie Valley Hospital will open the doors to the community for an Open House with tours of the facility, fun activities for the whole family, giveaways and prizes.

The nearly 70,000 square foot structure was motivated by the needs of our growing community, providing more space and efficiencies for an improved patient experience.

“We have provided exceptional care to Valley residents for years in a space that is outdated and that we have outgrown due to growing demand for our services,” said Rodger McCollum, CEO for Snoqualmie Valley Hospital District. “The new facility was designed with our patients’ needs and comfort in mind to enhance the level of care we already provide.”

The main reception and waiting area features a grand entryway with towering windows, an elegant staircase and grand piano from the old hospital lobby. A 12 foot wide, dual-sided fireplace adds warmth and beauty to the décor while the large windows provide a stunning view of the surrounding foothills. The café and dining area just off the main lobby will be open to the public. Just down the hall is a conference room, complete with projector and screens, also available for use by community members.

The chapel, just off of the main entrance, boasts the historic stainedglass window originally designed and created for the hospital in 1985

by Robert and Jill Hill. The chapel had been re-purposed to make room for an operating room. The community-donated stained glass has been in storage ever since and now adds beauty and serenity for patients and their families.

The first level houses outpatient services, including a 24-hour emergency

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department with five spacious rooms patients and the general public. Other Rounding out the patient-centered and a decontamination/isolation expanded outpatient services include focus are the single-occupancy room, twice as many rooms as the endoscopy and colonoscopy, infusion, patient rooms. There are twice as current hospital. Two of the rooms are lab and wound care services. many rooms as the old hospital, all larger and can accommodate multiple staff members and equipment in order to effectively treat patients who have suffered a heart attack, stroke, skiing accident or car accident.

“The new emergency department is brilliantly designed for efficiency, privacy, patient comfort and teamwork, all allowing for coordination of prompt care to our patients,” Rachel Weber, Director of Nursing and Emergency Department Manager, said. “All the immediate resources of care that an ER patient requires from lab to imaging are adjacent to the department. The new Snoqualmie Valley Hospital will open to patients on Wednesday, May 6.

We have new state-of-the-art cardiac The public is invited to an Open House from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 19. monitoring equipment to assist with The Snoqualmie Valley Hospital Clinic designed for patient privacy, comis also located on the first floor and infort and healing. Each room has a cludes primary care, cardiology, menprivate bathroom, TV, cabinet and tal health and sports medicine. safe for personal belongings as well On the second floor, inpatient rehabilias a large window with a view. tation and skilled nursing care, patient The soothing colors, local artwork rooms and a pharmacy surround two and high-quality furnishings of nurse stations. The rehab area has two large gyms, private treatment rooms and a Day Room with a sundeck for patient interaction, dining and activities.

Lauran Sheehan, Director of Rehabilitation says, “Our extensive, regionallyrecognized rehabilitation services any critical needs. Our highly-trained provide a full-range of rehabilitation the modern new facility combine staff and board certified physicians therapies under one roof with physito provide an environment that will provide the same amazing care cal, occupational, recreational and promotes comfort, aesthetics and in a well-organized, large space to speech therapies, modified barium healing. The new Snoqualmie Valley help everyone feel safe and cared for swallow studies, home-safety evaluaHospital opens to patients and famiin times of greatest discomfort and tions, animal assisted therapy, hortilies at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, May 6, concern.” culture therapy and community rein2015. We look forward to inviting There are two entrances to the Emeryou in! gency Department, tegration.”

The hospital pharmacy boasts highlyone for patients with trained medication experts availThe new Snoqualmie Valley Hospital convenient parkable 24 hours per day to review drug is located at 9801 Frontier Ave. SE, off ing right outside the therapy with physicians and nurses. I-90 and Highway 18, west of Snodoor, and another for Affiliated with 5 Colleges of Pharmacy, qualmie Parkway off SE 99 Street in ambulance drop-off. our pharmacists were honored by the Snoqualmie.

Medical Imaging services include MRI, University of Washington for outstanding clinical teaching in 2014. The For more information, visit CT Scans, Bone Denstate-of-the-art Clean Room ensures www.snoqualmiehospital.org sity Scans, EKG, Xsafe sterile compounding of all intraRay and Ultrasound venous (IV) products. and serve both ER

Sammamish Scene

10 ration Norvanco International, and math learning center Abacus West.

Bhatia has expertise in fuzzy logic, a language designed to make computers more like humans. Instead of the traditional binary code that relies on ones and zeroes for instructions, fuzzy logic uses values between 0 and 1 to create countless shades of gray in decision-making.

“Why don’t we kind of take all of our strengths and have them come together?” Shalini said of forming Zsolutionz.

Practical applications The concept of fuzzy logic was dreamed up in the 1960s, and it’s since been used for a variety of practical applications, such as improving passenger comfort on a Japanese bullet train, maximizing fuel consumption in cars and predicting earthquakes.

For example, Sunil said, ask different people about the temperature of the room they’re in, and many answers emerge. Fuzzy logic factors in every variable.

“For some people it might be cold, it might be warm, it might be just right,” he said. “It takes into account all of those ranges.”

In ZOFIE’s case, the language is being used to create a more efficient workout for people of all demographics.

“It’s computing with words, actually,” Shalini said. “That’s what our special sauce is, using that to make something more intelligent, customized and personal for the end user.”

Zsolutionz has partnered with some expert consultants in the fields of sports medicine and physical therapy, including Bob Adams, a team physician for USA Track and Field at the 2012 Olympics; and Jack Ransone, a former team doctor for the San Antonio Spurs basketball team.

Personalized fitness ZOFIE personalizes workouts for four general goals: losing weight, stay-

By Greg Farrar

The ZOFIE software on the treadmill monitor recognizes Suray Bhatia, updates his up-to-the-minute physiological profile and prepares a personalized workout routine. ing fit, preparing for a competition and recovering from an injury.

It compiles an individual body profile — including height, weight and body mass index — and combines it with a person’s diet and sleep, which can be measured through wearable devices like Fitbit, Jawbone UP or Nike FuelBand.

ZOFIE is compatible with multiple software platforms such as Android, Microsoft Windows and Apple OS X. The user then gets a personalized fitness plan, and their workout summaries are more easily coalesced into meaningful results.

“If I have a Fitbit and I walked 10,000 steps, what does that mean?”

Shalini asked. “It’s exciting when it buzzes on my wrist and I’m dancing around, and that’s great. But if I want to lose 10 pounds, what does it mean toward that goal?”

“We think it’s a better, smarter way for people to be able to achieve their goal,” Sunil added, “and also without hurting themselves, to minimize injuries and things of

that nature.”

A smart watch user, for example, might have their sleep patterns translated to ZOFIE, which could modify that day’s exercise routine. Too little rest? ZOFIE will recommend the user do less.

“It’ll actually put you on a different regimen for that day to make sure that your body is recovering well, which a lot of different equipment can’t do these days,” Sunil said.

Automatic correction Last August, Zsolutionz began working with Nytec, a Seattle-based design and engineering firm, to pair the software with a physical object.

Nytec fashioned a sleek treadmill that pairs with a Kinect-style camera to capture body movements. The software program saves user information and recognizes a person before he or she steps on the treadmill, speeding up the pre-workout process.

It automatically increases speed toward a target heart rate, and if the user exceeds it, automatically slows down. Visual indicators report poor

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running form — leaning too far forward or to the side — and the amount of pressure being put on feet.

In January, the treadmill went to the mammoth International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which had more than 3,600 exhibitors and 170,000 industry members in attendance.

Zsolutionz is looking for an angel investor to help pay for software advancements, Sunil said. The company is looking to maximize the amount of information ZOFIE can glean from a wide variety of wearables.

“Once we have the funding in place, we think we can bring this out within six months to a year,” he said.

Other companies will be able to purchase software licenses and integrate ZOFIE into their own products.

Other industry uses While the short-term focus for ZOFIE is on health and fitness products, the long-term vision is to generate interest from other industries.

The Koduris think it could be useful for medical devices, transportation and manufacturing, for example.

As part of their big picture, they’re trying to change the way people view artificial intelligence. AI uses binary language to build instructions, such as “on or off” or “true or false.” But fuzzy logic is able to interpret the subtleties of human speech to create more flexible instructions.

Eventually, the founders said, products will become cheaper, faster and more reliable through the use of fuzzy logic.

“I guess with that whole artificial intelligence label, we don’t like to get into that messy debate,” Shalini said. “However, my dad likes to say, ‘This is not artificial intelligence. This is real intelligence.’”

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“I felt like I was trapped in someone else’s body — I was sending the same signals to my body, but nothing was happening.”

COMEBACK KID

Sammamish resident Greg Ogata worked his way back from a 2012 stroke to become president of the state dental association Reprinted with permission from the WSDA News/Photos contributed or by Anita Nowacka

Sammamish Scene If you’ve ever met Washington State Dental Association President Dr. Greg Ogata you won’t likely forget him.

Ogata’s booming timbre often precedes him, reverberating well beyond the space he occupies. The former college lacrosse player seems to always be on the move, with boyish enthusiasm and a quick smile for all he encounters.

All of that makes it hard to believe that two years ago he suffered a stroke.

It’s been a formidable journey, though some would argue that the cost was high — the Sammamish resident sold his Issaquah practice last year and is now on disability.

In truth, any stroke you survive while retaining most of your mobility can be considered a triumph. For Ogata, it wasn’t immediately apparent that would happen.

13 “I was drawn to her because she always seemed like she was having fun, and was always smiling.”

Starting out

Ogata found his way to dentistry at home — his father Yoshitaka was one of the state’s first Asian-American dentists, and was also an orthodontist.

When he was growing up, Ogata would help out in his father’s office. Greg and his brother Randy became orthodontists like their dad; sister Julie is an Emmywinning television reporter and anchor; and brother Brett is a successful high school football coach.

“Dad didn’t pressure me to become a dentist, but all of my dad’s friends were super nice, and it seemed like they were really happy,” Ogata said. “It didn’t look like a bad life.”

Ogata went to orthodontic school in St. Louis. While there, he made a lifelong friend in Dr. Kevin Walde, associate professor in the orthodontic program.

“He’s a gregarious, happy person, which is important in our work,” Walde said. “He is incredibly outgoing, skilled and talented, and he’s easy to get along with.”

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Starting a family

St. Louis is where Ogata met his wife Siamphone, or Pon, who had just emigrated to the U.S. from Laos. Pon was working at McDonald’s and trying to learn English when she met Ogata.

“She was a patient of a classmate of mine, and he thought we would get along well,” Ogata said.

He was in a relationship when they

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Sammamish Scene

14 met but after meeting Pon, he realized he might be with the wrong person.

“I was drawn to her because she always seemed like she was having fun, and was always smiling,” he said.

The couple has three children: Austin, 15, an athlete studying for his black belt in karate; Carson, 13, the family mathematician who hopes to work in the computer games industry; and Kiana, 10, a precocious, engaging girl who says that among her favorite activities is “stealing the spotlight from my father.”

They’re a close family, participating in all manner of activities together — sports, video games, even acting.

Ogata and Austin have worked in two musicals together — “Oklahoma!” and “Cinderella” — at community theaters.

“He’s a pretty good singer and dancer with a lot of energy. As you can imagine, he’s always willing to give it all he’s got, just as he did with his recovery from the stroke,” director and friend Paul Linnes said. “As he started doing better in therapy, I think he felt better about the prospect of how his life was going to change — both he and Pon have gotten used to this ‘new normal.’”

Something is wrong At the 2012 WSDA House of Delegates in Walla Walla, Ogata was running for vice president, and he arrived for a debate pumped for action.

Midway through the spirited engagement, he sensed something was amiss.

“My hand started to shake, and I tried to write a note and all I could do was scribble gibberish,” he said. “Then, my legs started to shake — so badly that I had to hold onto the podium to finish the speech.”

Pleased with his debate performance, he attributed everything to nerves, figuring that some water and a little downtime would bring him back to normal.

When after 30 minutes he still didn’t feel well, he started to wonder if something more serious was happening.

He asked his friend Dr. Doug Coe if anything looked wrong. Coe confirmed his fears: His face was indeed drooping.

Ogata convinced his friend to spirit him away to the hospital without alerting his parents — he didn’t want to worry them. And, while it was a Level 1 stroke initially, Ogata became agitated and his symptoms started to worsen and affect his ability to walk later in the evening.

“Dad didn’t pressure me to become a dentist, but all of my dad’s friends were super nice, and it seemed like they were really happy. It didn’t look like a bad life.”

Three generations of Ogatas gather on a sunny day in July, including (from left) Austin, Siamphone (Pon), Greg Ogata, Kiana, Yoshitaka Ogata, Carson Ogata and Mabel Ogata.

Airlifted to Portland

The hospital in Walla Walla was affiliated with a much larger ER center — in Portland, Oregon. The decision was made to airlift him there, where his condition began to worsen.

“They tried to raise my blood pressure using medications, but that made my arm stop working entirely,” Ogata said. “It was a scary time.”

In a few days, they took him by ambulance to Swedish Hospital’s Cherry Hill campus in Seattle so Ogata could be closer to home and family.

“When I got to Cherry Hill the first day, I panicked a little. I couldn’t move, couldn’t get up and I think I was beginning to realize the severity of what had happened,” he said. “I had the nicest occupational therapist who recognized this, and asked if I’d had a shower. I hadn’t — in five days! She was amazingly positive.

“I couldn’t do anything by myself.

I had to either have my mother or Pon

help me. I felt like I was trapped in someone else’s body — I was sending the same signals to my body, but nothing was happening.”

Commitment and courage

Ogata did not have the use of his right arm, had slurred speech and had difficulty walking then. Today, he walks and drives with ease, and there is no perceptible lag in his speech.

“I’m sure if you polled his PT people, you would find that his recovery has been remarkable,” said Dr. Doug Walsh, former president of WSDA. “He has been relentlessly committed to rehab, and was an absolute model for any of us to follow, should we have a similar incident. He has shown remarkable commitment and courage.”

Ogata credits his family and most importantly Pon for his recovery to date.

“I could not have done it without her,” he said. “She took care of all the details — took me to everything,

Sammamish Scene

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Sammamish Scene

16 scheduled all of my appointments and dealt with the insurance — all of which allowed me to focus on my recovery.”

The boys assisted Greg with his exercises, and Kiana helped relieve painful muscle tension with massage.

“The thing they don’t tell you is that you’re in pain all the time because your muscles fire continuously,” Ogata said.

Friends and colleagues chipped in — his study club came in after the first week and covered all of Ogata’s appointments.

“We have a mutual aid agreement that stipulates if one member is unable to practice, the other members of the study club will take over the practice for up to six months,” he said. “They filled up my workdays except for the first few days after my stroke — pretty much every day was covered.

“It made me feel really good about my friends. And the thing I wanted most was to ensure that my patients were cared for.”

Reality checks in

Ogata assumed he’d be back to work within six months, but it became

I EXIST

“I’m sure if you polled his PT people, you would find that his recovery has been remarkable.” increasingly clear that wasn’t going to happen. His focus shifted and he placed a call to friend and mentor Gary Inman.

“I was a sounding board and helped him talk through it. He needed some-

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one he could trust to provide fatherly advice,” Inman said. “I knew Greg, and that he had a young family. I could tell that he was anxious to get back to work, but I could also tell that the stroke had affected him, and that the likelihood that he would ever return to work as an orthodontist was greatly diminished.

“We looked at the math, and it didn’t behoove him to go back and reinvent his practice,” he added. “He obviously faced a major adversity with his health, and it’s unfortunate that he had to retire, but his mind is still in top shape. He has a lot to offer still, if not in the practice of dentistry, then as a consultant to the industry.”

Ogata wasn’t going to sell to just anybody, though — it had to be a good fit. Dana Bailey, principal of Pacific Cascade Middle School, where Ogata’s children were students, knows this firsthand — her children are patients in Ogata’s practice, and they stayed on after the sale.

“He waited until he found just the right person and as a family still in braces, we appreciated it and have had a seamless transition,” Bailey said.

“Something about him inspires others to be their best — because when he was in need, there wasn’t a break in the practice.

“He looked really carefully for someone to sell his practice to — Dr. Robert Trujillo is young and vivacious and

Sammamish Scene

17

such a good fit for our family — and it says something that all of Dr. Ogata’s staff has stayed on as well.”

Ogata admits he was forced to do a reality check. For the time being, the practice of dentistry is not part of his reality, though he doesn’t rule it out in the future.

He doesn’t have to get too worked up about what the future holds for at least another year. For now, the business of being president is filling up his schedule nicely.

Between meetings for the WSDA, the American Association of Orthodontists, the American Dental Association, his study club, various visits with physical therapists and occupational therapists, and shepherding his children from games to school to…you get the picture.

“As you can imagine, he’s always willing to give it all he’s got, just as he did with his recovery from the stroke.”

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18

By garpigs4/Youtube

Eastlake High School football coach Don Bartel applauds on the sideline after a play by his team during a 2013 postseason victory over Union, of Camas.

FRIENDLY FIRE Football coaches build a chummy rivalry in the heart of Sammamish

By Neil Pierson

Don Bartel and Mat Taylor coach rival football teams located only a mile apart, so that might give them reasons to not like each other.

The truth is, Bartel and Taylor are close friends who live near each other in North Bend, talk on the phone nearly every day, and spend time together when they’re not busy with the year-round task of managing a high-school football program.

Taylor, who has won four state titles in his first seven seasons at

Skyline High School, and Bartel, who’s entering his third season at Eastlake High School, have known each other for more than a decade, dating back to their time as assistants at Skyline under former coach Steve Gervais.

In 2012, they were reunited when Taylor hired Bartel to be Skyline’s defensive coordinator, and the two led the Spartans to a convincing state-championship win over Bellarmine Prep.

It was only a few months later that Bartel decided to accept the head-coaching position at Eastlake,

Sammamish Scene

19

By Greg Farrar

Skyline High School football coach Mat Taylor prepares to don headphones for the first game of the 2014 football season, when the Spartans played as visitors against Issaquah at Gary Moore Stadium. a decision that came with bittersweet emotions for him and Taylor.

Taylor said he had fought for years to get more of his assistants full-time jobs at Skyline, fostering a closer relationship with players and a more efficient way of running the football program’s day-to-day tasks. Bartel and Kyle Snell were hired in that manner.

When Bartel accepted the Eastlake job, he also took Snell to be his offensive coordinator, causing Taylor to jokingly yell at him, “Now I’m back to square one.”

“I was happy for him, but at the same time, I had this perfect situation where you’re just working with your friend,” Taylor said.

Bartel had developed a soft

spot for Eastlake: He was the offensive coordinator there from 2005-08, and he had previously developed good relationships with former Wolves coach Jeff Chandler and former principal Rondel Hardie.

Bartel’s first stint at Eastlake was memorable because of the relationships he built and the connection with the Eastlake Youth Football Association.

“I walk into this situation and we have guys that have been coaching youth league forever,” Bartel recalled. “… The numbers were sky-high, the kids were super competitive and they were having fun.

“And the rate of continuance with those kids was off the charts. We had tons of kids coming in. We were just a three-year high school back

then, and we had 100 kids in the program.”

An influential figure Taylor and Bartel credit Gervais, now running his own training academy, for being the glue that now holds together much of the Sammamish football community.

“He sort of taught me more than I thought I could ever learn from one single person,” Bartel said.

Taylor came on board at Skyline in 1999, the school’s third year of existence, and Gervais immediately impressed him in several ways.

Most notably, he dispelled the notion that coaches have to be intimidators who get results through fear, pain and suffering.

Sammamish Scene

20

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Sammamish Scene

22 “He told me very early on, ‘You have to make sure the 65th kid feels as important as the first kid, because the 65th kid on the roster, his best friend may be the starting quarterback,’” Taylor said.

Taylor tries to share that message during his annual meeting with team parents.

“I want them to know that everybody is not going to be a starter, everybody is not going to be in the paper, but they’re going to have a significant role in this program,” he said, noting that Skyline has a commitment award that often goes to players who don’t see much varsity game time.

Winning doesn’t tell whole story Above his desk at Eastlake, where he also teaches humanities and leadership classes, Bartel has a framed photograph that was taken after Skyline’s 2012 title-game win. It shows Bartel and linebackers Peyton Pelluer and Peter Stromgren gathered around the championship trophy.

By Greg Farrar

Steve Gervais, former Skyline High School football coach, watches the action in 2007 at the Tacoma Dome as the Spartans led O’Dea on the way to winning the 3A state football championship.

When Bartel speaks of that experience to his Eastlake players, he tries to make them understand it wasn’t just

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the end result that provides positive memories.

“Take that trophy out and I remember Peter, I remember Peyton, I remember the defensive guys that we got to rally with, the kids that (forced) 32 turnovers in a season because they dedicated themselves to the process,” Bartel said.

“Yeah, we won a state title, but guess what? There were tears at the end of that season, too, because we were never going to be together again.”

Beyond just winning games at Eastlake — which Bartel has done to the tune of a 16-7 record and two state-playoff berths in two seasons — he’s trying to “build a program that really enhances the lives of the young men who play for us.”

That includes developing life skills, grit and character, which he believes will impact them long after they’ve left the Wolves.

“When your playoff run is over or your state-championship game is over … you still have another six to seven months of the school year left, and a whole lifetime where you have to look those kids in the eyeballs and say, ‘What did I do for you?’”

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Sammamish Scene

24 Gervais in 2008 was a tough task. The players were in tears when Gervais resigned to take an assistant-coaching role at the University of Washington.

“You know the old saying, ‘You never want to be the guy that follows the guy.’ And it actually weighed pretty heavily as I applied for the job.

I’m like, ‘Do I want to do this?’”

Taylor had been an integral part of the staff for nearly a decade, but he dedicated himself to doing things differently.

That started to happen in practices, where the goal was to play faster. The Spartans tried to run 90 situational plays per hour. It also happened in team-building activities, where Taylor recalled a fond incident from 2011.

The Spartans got off to a slow start, losing two of their first three games, and were 5-3 after an October loss to Eastlake. So, Taylor took some T-shirts and pens to his captains and had them pass them along to the rest of the team. The caveat was, nobody but the captains knew the idea came

from Taylor.

The players wrote “1-0” on the shirts, and got to cross it out and write a new number after every playoff win.

The Spartans went on to win all five postseason games and the program’s sixth state crown.

“You have to have enough pride to say, ‘Hey, it’s OK if the kids don’t know I came up with this.’ I’ll just have them do it on their own,” Taylor said.

While Bartel was at Skyline, he and Taylor came up with the idea of changing the team identity each year.

The 2015 squad will be the 19th in school history, and the goal is to make them look forward, not backward.

“Team 18 was 6-4, and Team 17 won a KingCo (Conference) championship, but we’re our own unique team,” Taylor said.

‘An army of volunteers’ Eastlake now has about 120 players in its program, and Bartel’s conversations with his staff have changed a bit.

He’s looking to open the door to more people — parents, community members and outsiders — who want to feel part of a shared experience.

Bartel remembers his first year as head coach at Enumclaw High School in 2008, where one of his first tasks was organizing a team banquet.

He began approaching parents, who responded with quizzical expressions.

“Nobody had ever asked them to be a part of it,” Bartel said. “And so if you bring people in and tell them right away, ‘This is where we have room for you, this is what you can do,’ now they’ve invested in it.

“That’s one of the things that Skyline has done really well. They have an army of volunteers and people feel invested in the program.”

Taylor said his program’s boosters, the Skyline Gridiron Club, does a variety of activities, from serving meals to coaches on Sundays during their game-preparation sessions, operating the chain gang at freshmen and junior-varsity games, and organizing a mammoth seven-on-seven summer tournament with other teams.

Eventually, the coach said, he’d like to see the club evolve into more of an alumni support system, where every graduate makes an annual donation and the club becomes less reliant on fundraising activities.

If more people are involved in the program, they might appreciate the hard work and sacrifice the players go through. That, in turn, could lessen the negativity about failure and increase the rewards for success, he said.

Specifically, Taylor cited the feeling he had after the Spartans beat Bothell to win the 2013 KingCo title.

As he walked off the field, he didn’t see anyone celebrating. In the offseason, he began addressing the issue to parents.

“I said, ‘It’s not fair to our kids that expectations have turned into expected,’” Taylor said. “… If it becomes expected when you achieve good things, then it just doesn’t feel as good.”

Sammamish Scene

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Sammamish Scene

26

Guero and Xochitl enjoy a walk with their master through the forest trails at Beaver Lake Park in Sammamish.

By Greg Farrar

LIVIN’ THE RUFF LIFE As

I

By Christina Corrales-Toy

Xochitl plays with a Skyline High School football sock previously worn by her human brother.

told to

Christina Corrales-Toy

live a very charmed life.

I know it, my human caretakers know it and anyone who sees me cruising through Beaver Lake Park in my cute little sweater knows it.

I’m Xochitl and I’m a Sammamish Plateau pup. My name is pronounced Sochi, just like the Russian city that hosted the 2014 winter Olympics.

Confusing? Well, thank my mom, who lovingly pulled the name from the Aztec language Nahuatl. I’m told it means flower, and I think it suits me, no matter what others say about my demeanor.

I joined my Sammamish family in

2013 as a tiny, energetic puppy, and as soon as I entered the house, I stole the hearts of every person living there, including my older puppy brother, Guero.

Guero is covered with white hair, hence his name, the Spanish word for light-skinned. I am the opposite, black all over with bits of white on my toes and chin. Together, we’re the cutest pair of teddy bears, or bichon frise/shih tzu mixes, you’ll ever meet.

The life of a Sammamish pup is pretty cushy — a loving house of human caretakers, nearby trails and parks, and plenty of puppy neighbors on which to unleash my mighty bark.

Here’s a typical day:

Sammamish Scene

27

By Christina Corrales-Toy

Places for pooches

A tennis ball in the backyard is perfect for Xochitl’s afternoon playtime romp.

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Pet Pros • Independent pet supply retailer • 4574 Klahanie Drive S.E., Issaquah • www.petpros.net Mud Bay — coming soon • Healthy foods, supplements and supplies for dogs and cats • 22830 N.E. Eighth St. • www.mudbay.com 9 a.m. — Greet the day It’s time to greet the day as my human caretakers begin to wake from their slumber.

You’ll find me still in bed stretched out on my back sound asleep on my parents’ bed. Sure, I have my own doggy bed, and it’s a cute one, but why sleep in that micro one when I can make myself at home squarely in between my human mom and dad?

Guero is the shmuck in this situation, sleeping on his dog bed, when he could be sleeping on the comfy California king. Oh well, his loss.

I groggily emerge from my sleep, taking the time to stretch from my tippy toes to my tail, drawing comparisons to a cat — but I don’t see it.

it’s almost as if we’d been locked in a prison, about to be released after years of solitude. The feeling of freedom that comes with stepping foot on the park’s green grass is heavenly.

The wooded trails are the perfect paradise to explore. Beaver Lake Park is certainly my favorite perk of Sammamish life.

On pleasant weekends, we’re usually not the only ones there. We meet golden retrievers, Labs and even poodles. I like to think of the park as mine, though, so I usually stand my ground and bark at the others. It doesn’t matter if the dog is twice my size — I’m small but mighty.

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I’m wide-awake as soon as I hear my dad shout those magic words.

Beaver Lake Park is a majestic, dream world of a place. The smells, the sights, the sounds — I get excited just thinking about it. Guero and I hop in the car and Mom and Dad drive us to the park.

As we arrive at the parking lot, we slowly roll down the windows and the excitement becomes too much to ignore. We whimper and cry until we’re officially outside.

The moment that car door opens,

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Sammamish Scene

28

By Greg Farrar

Guero and Xochitl appreciate standing on a picnic table to enjoy the view of a higher vantage point at Beaver Lake Park.

Guero, on the other hand, wants to be friends with everyone he meets. He politely sniffs his fellow dogs, extending the equivalent of a canine handshake. I tire of his cordial attitude and quickly squash it with a firm, yappy bark.

There are large open areas and wooded areas, all fenced so we dogs can’t get out, but with such a large space, it doesn’t matter.

After Guero has his fun running around, it’s time to head home.

and supplements for dogs and cats, is opening a store in Sammamish soon.

I make a mental note of it and decide to check it out when it opens. As far as I’m concerned, the more pet stores in this city, the better.

Noon — Beaver Lake Dog Park

1:30 p.m. — A trip to Petco

2:30 p.m. — Back at home

After thoroughly traversing the park trails, always on a leash, mind you, it’s time for the real prize — a trip to the Beaver Lake Off-Leash Dog Park.

I can’t lie, I may be cute and cuddly looking, but I tend to lash out when I see other dogs, so my trips to the dog park are relatively tame. I get to view the action from the comfort of my mom’s lap, not allowed to mingle with the “well-behaved” pups, whatever that means.

I can definitely see the appeal of the place. It sits on more than an acre, tucked behind the Beaver Lake ball fields. The popular park is divided into two spaces — an area for small dogs (weighing less than 30 pounds) and another one for everyone else.

But wait, we’re not going home!

We’re going to another version of “puppy paradise,” the dog store, or Petco, as I’m told its called.

I look right, I see treats; I look left, I see toys; I look up and there is a whole rack of clothes. I must have it all, I think.

On this trip, the parents buy us a few new toys. I’m excited that there are more stuffed animals to add to the collection at home.

As we drive home, windows down, heads out and wind flowing through our ears like proper pups, we pass by something beautiful — another dog store is coming to town.

Mud Bay, a store that focuses solely on healthy and natural foods, supplies

After what’s been a fun, eventful day, I’m tired.

So after a minor burst of energy, in which I run around frantically in the backyard for no apparent reason, I settle in to the nearest couch and take a nap with my puppy brother.

If you listen closely, you can hear us snore, a sign that we’re really, really comfortable. Better not wake us up!

6 p.m. — Dinner I wake up just in time for dinner.

Dinner is my favorite meal of the day, it pales in comparison to the others. I’m small, light and thin looking, but I can eat with the best of them. I even eat more, and faster, than Guero

Sammamish Scene sometimes.

So, we have to be served in separate rooms come mealtime. I’m in the large pantry, while Guero finishes his dinner in the kitchen. Once he’s done, I burst out of the pantry and make a beeline for — you guessed it — his food bowl.

There’s no food in it, but I lick it clean, just in case he missed anything.

After dinner I have more energy, so I’ll play catch in the backyard with my human sister, or go on a quest for my current fave — socks.

The best place to mine for socks is my human brother’s room, unoccupied while he’s at college. Just the other day, I hit the jackpot when I found an old green, silver and white Skyline football sock from his high-school days. Don’t worry, it was clean — and tasty.

8 p.m. — Goodnight Just after 7:30 p.m., I begin to get droopy eyes.

It’s early still, I know, but I appreciate my sleep, and as my family’s “Plateau Princess” I get what I want.

And what I want is some shuteye.

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By Greg Farrar

Xochitl and Guero peek out of the car to enjoy the breeze in their faces on a ride home from a visit to Beaver Lake Park.

So, inevitably, my day ends where it began, tucked between my human parents who put up with my shenanigans and faithfully clean up my doggy waste, but love me just as much as their children, maybe even more.

And hopefully they know both Guero and I love them just as much.

With a face like mine, though, who can blame them? I’m adorbs.

Sammamish Scene

[ Success tastes a lot like bacon [

30

A national cra ze to make ev erything bette with bacon ori r ginates in a K lahanie kitche n

Contributed

Friends Justin Esch (left) and Dave Lefkow combined their business acumen and their love of bacon to develop the first run of Bacon Salt — peppered, hickory and original.

Sammamish Scene

By David Hayes A long time ago (actually 2007) in a galaxy far, far away, (well, a kitchen in Klahanie), two rebels, Dave Lefkow and Justin Esch, struck a victorious blow for pork against the evil empire of beef — they invented J&D’s Bacon Salt.

Riding a wave of a 40 percent increase in bacon consumption between 2002 and 2007, the two friends wanted to translate their love of the pork product into something that would make everything taste better.

31

said they finally arrived at the right combination of spices that became Bacon Salt. Their product could attract any taste bud, as it had zero calories, zero fat, was low sodium, all natural and fit for both vegetarians and the gentile.

“We did kosher just to see if we could,” Lefkow said. “First, I called a rabbi and said, ‘Hey, I’ve got this

“Bacon Salt — I put that sh*t on everything!

Even Marshmallow Peeps. Don’t knock it ’til you try it.”

“Our goal was making something that tasted like bacon frying on a Sunday morning,” Lefkow said.

With little experience in product research and development (Lefkow was a former member of a professional services team for a software company and Esch had experience in sales), the pair’s initial efforts were far from successful.

“We first tried mixing bacon grease with sea salt together,” Lefkow said.

“It just tasted like fat and salt. It wasn’t very good at all.”

He admits, through trial and error, they made some pretty terrible things in that Klahanie kitchen, where his family lived at the time.

But with the help of some chefs and some food industry guys, Lefkow

from their previous jobs, the duo was never short of funds to produce their new product. However, further divine intervention may have helped indicate they were heading in the right direction.

Lefkow had recently filmed his son in the backyard swinging a bat at a Whiffle ball, when one of the swings successfully sent the ball’s projection straight into his Lefkow’s face. Sensing an opportunity, he sent the footage to “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” The clip never aired on the show, but Lefkow was surprised to receive a $5,000 reward for the funny video, which went to fund his new, burgeoning company.

“It was like money from heaven,” Lefkow said. “I guess some divine, driving force wanted us to make this product.”

“When the Baconnaise hit my taste buds, I’m pretty sure the Earth moved and angels sang.”

product we’d like certified kosher.

It’s called Bacon Salt.’ The phone line went really silent. You could just hear his mouth go really wide.

Then, the rabbi finally said, ‘Bacon could never be kosher.’ We had a good laugh about it when I explained it was vegetarian.”

Combining resources saved

They produced an initial run of 6,000 jars, to be shipped from his garage. But they miscalculated — by a lot.

“In five days, we sold it all, in 12 countries and 25 states,” Lefkow said. “We were hiring high school kids to pack boxes, 200 orders a day.

It was sort of a frenzy right away. We grossly underestimated America’s love of bacon.”

The first three flavors of Bacon Salt — original, hickory and peppered — soon expanded to include cheddar, applewood and jalapeño.

Sammamish Scene

32 Then came other products infused with bacon flavor, starting with Baconnaise, a bacon-flavored mayonnaise. (They’ve since added Cajunnaise). The two just kept asking themselves, what next?

“We love food, we’ve now made products with a number of tastes, just things we love,” Lefkow said. “Our goal is to make things people love so much that they’d drive for miles to get it.”

That included Black Truffle Crisps, bacon croutons (including blue cheese and tomato basil flavors) and popcorn.

Word of mouth of their products grew and soon the duo was making appearances on national television, from “Good Morning America” to “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” to international magazines (German Financial Times) and newspapers, one a two-page spread in Ireland.

Who needs commercials when your company has had 3 billion media impressions?

Sometimes, word of mouth wasn’t enough. That’s when they came up with a mascot.

“We have a man, Codie, who dresses up in a giant strip of bacon, who hands out samples of bacon salt,” Lefkow said. “He’s gone to tailgaters, big events. Trying to be nice to people.”

One of the funniest incidents with the mascot bacon suit came when Lefkow himself donned it, while attending a football tailgater at Penn State University, outside the 100,00plus capacity stadium.

“People see you dressed as giant strip of bacon, they want to get you drunk. They’re drunk themselves and think you’re the second coming,” Lefkow said.

The kids coaxed him atop the roof of an RV to do a keg stand. After successfully drinking from the keg while upside down, Lefkow looked to climb back down off the RV when disaster struck.

“In the bacon suit, you can’t see your ankles while walking,” he recalled. “I tripped and literally fell through the roof of the RV, through one of those little windows, landed

By J&D Foods

Dave Lefkow (left) and Jason Esch get dressed up to make a video promoting their company’s bacon-themed casket.

on a couch, dressed as a giant strip of bacon, right next to this kid’s dad watching TV. He looked at me and said, ‘You’re paying for that.’ And I said, ‘Yes I am.’ The most memorable entrance and appearance for the company, ever.”

On the web J&D Foods lists the following products, among many, at their website: www.jdfoods.net • Bacon salt — Original, hickory, peppered, jalapeno, cheddar, applewood • Other salts — Bacon Rub, Malt Salt, Ketchup Salt • Spreads — Baconnaise and Cajunnaise • Popcorn — Bacon Pop, Sriracha Popcorn and Cajun Pop • Croutons — Bacon, blue cheese and tomato basil • Black truffle crisps • Bacon Ranch dip • Sriracha Candy Canes

In addition to their food-centric product, J&D’s also has what Lefkow calls their “weird products.” One of the first that took off in popularity was their bacon-flavored lip balm.

They’ve since sold hundreds of thou-

sands of tubes of it. He and Esch realized there appeared to be no ceiling to what bacon-related product people would be willing to purchase.

“It’s almost like bacon is a meat with a sense of humor,” Lefkow said. “People embrace the quirkiness of it. It’s like a nuclear arms race, to see who can make the silliest product.”

Just when they thought they’d topped it last year with a bacon-scented pillowcase, J&D’s then released Naked Bacon Cooking Armor this year.

“We learned people like to cook naked. So, we wanted them to be safe while frying up bacon,” he said.

“It’s all just part of a joke. Bacon is fun. We’re embracing that, and making products that make people laugh.”

Lefkow said one of the campaigns he’s most proud about is Operation Bacon Salt, where the company ships free samples to the troops stationed overseas in “porkless” countries.

“It feels good to do it. We get a lot of thanks,” he said. “Bacon has been good to us this year. The customers have really supported us for a long time. So, we give back some of that love.”

Limited only by their imaginations, the two rebels have seen their little idea grow into its own empire. But there’s definitely nothing evil about something that tastes so good.

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34

Volunteers of note

Part-time musicians have kept the Sammamish Symphony playing for 23 years

By Greg Farrar

Adam Stern, lower left, interim Sammamish Symphony Orchestra conductor, leads the musicians in a rehearsal March 26 for their upcoming performance of ‘Carmina Burana’ and other pieces April 19 at Seattle’s Benaroya Hall.

“Very few people make music because they are forced to.

People make music because they are called to it.”

Adam Stern — Sammamish Symphony Orchestra interim conductor

By Tom Corrigan “Very few people make music because they are forced to,” said Adam Stern, interim conductor of the Sammamish Symphony Orchestra. “People make music because they are called to it.”

The only exceptions are probably younger children forced into music lessons by well-meaning if misguided parents, Stern adds.

His initial statements certainly apply to the roughly 100 members of the allvolunteer Sammamish Symphony.

Now in its 23rd year, the Sammamish group does not seem to be your typical community orchestra.

For example, Stern also conducts the

By Greg Farrar

Eric Daane, of Bothell, makes the sound of his timpani roll like thunder with a series of rapid mallet strikes.

Sammamish Scene

35

Upcoming events ‘Carmina Burana’ •2 p.m. April 19 • Benaroya Hall • 200 University St., Seattle Sammamish Symphony annual dinner and auction • 5:30-8:30 p.m. May 16 • Plateau Club • 25625 E. Plateau Drive, Sammamish Tchaikovsky’s ‘Symphony No. 4’ • 7:30 p.m. June 4 • Meydenbauer Theatre • 11100 N.E. Sixth St., Bellevue Photos by Greg Farrar

Mark Wiseman (left), of Sammamish, gives voice to his contrabass tuba. Violinist Miranda Thorpe (right) has served on the symphony board for 10 years.

Seattle Philharmonic.

“He’s very active within the Northwest orchestra scene,” said Daphne Robinson, marketing director for the Sammamish Symphony.

“For us to have someone of his caliber, that’s very extraordinary,” said violist Armand Binkhuysen, who’s been with the orchestra for about five years.

He argues it’s not just Stern that makes the Sammamish group something different.

“We’re very, very lucky to have good, quality players,” Binkhuysen said.

He said he has played in a number of community orchestras. The Sammamish group is by far the best, he added.

Binkhuysen is not alone in his opinions.

“We’ve got excellent quality players,” violinist Miranda Thorpe said.

As did seemingly many of the orchestra’s musicians, Thorpe began playing as a youngster but then walked away from her instrument. But she said she’s awfully glad she came back to it, even serving on the symphony board for 10 years.

“It gives me a sense of accomplishment,” Thorpe said. “It gives something back to the community in a beautiful way.”

Violinist Cathy Grindle has the

longest tenure with the orchestra; she joined in 1993.

“I hadn’t played my violin for 25 years,” Grindle said, adding she was going through a tough time back then and returning to music helped her through it.

Would-be members of the Sammamish orchestra must audition in front of the conductor and the orchestra board. The orchestra also puts on a popular annual youth competition, with winners gaining a spot in the symphony and a solo at a public performance.

The symphony puts on 11 performances every year, Robinson said. On this particular night, it is practicing Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana,” a piece it will perform accompanied by three choral groups at Seattle’s Benaroya Hall on April 19. It also will play several pieces without the choral groups.

“The sound at Benaroya is tremendous,” said Thorpe, a sentiment shared by each musician spoken with.

“It’s exciting to play for a big crowd,” she added.

The symphony first played at Benaroya in 2012, Robinson said. A bit of trivia Stern laughingly offers is that he was the second conductor to ever lead an orchestra at Benaroya. But he’s nevertheless excited about going back.

Tchaikovsky’s ‘Symphony No. 4’ • 2 p.m. June 7 • Eastlake High School Performing Arts Center • 400 228th Ave. N.E., Sammamish Get tickets and learn more at www.sammamishsymphony.org

“It’s still a thrill,” Stern said.

Both Robinson and Stern say the symphony tries to sometimes choose lesser-known pieces for their performances.

“I don’t like concerts that are the equivalent to a feel-good movie where you know exactly what’s to come,” Stern said.

In addition to a yearly performance at Benaroya, the symphony plays, among other more local spots, at the Meydenbauer Theatre in Bellevue and puts on two shows in Issaquah, including a free show at the Village Theatre.

R. Joseph Scott is the Sammamish Symphony’s normal conductor, but he is on an extended leave for health reasons.

Robinson and others credit him with making the Sammamish Symphony a praiseworthy enterprise.

“He really took it to the next level,” Robinson said.

And, she adds, the symphony players and board are constantly looking to improve.

“They continue to grow a shared vision,” Robinson said.

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36

Healthy FRIENDSHIP

By Jerry and Lois Photography

By Ranny Green

Service dog enables Army veteran to enjoy triumph over tragedy

“There is no better feeling than knowing someone’s got your back regardless of the situation or the circumstances,” said Shanda TaylorBoyd, a 23-year military veteran whose biggest life challenges have come since leaving the Army.

A single mother of three grown daughters, her back — and front, for that matter — is always covered by her ebullient 10-year-old

golden retriever service dog Ranger.

And likewise, she and her circle of friends had his when he was about 1½ years old and began suffering from masseter muscle myositis, an auto-immune inflammation of the muscles that work the jaw, causing swelling and making it hard for him to chew or even open his mouth.

Taylor-Boyd’s life was in major turmoil at the time and a friend, Joan Myers, volunteered to care for Ranger for what was initially sup-

Sammamish Scene posed to be a week. It grew to about a year and a half.

“I was going through the darkest and deepest valley,” Taylor-Boyd, of Sammamish, recalled, “and was completely unaware of what was happening around me. The traumatic brain injury (then undiagnosed) had me in a vacuum.”

Ranger returned to Taylor-Boyd’s side in 2006 and has been her Velcro partner since.

“He has saved my psyche and enables me to get up each morning with a mission in life,” she said, after a “dream marriage and a beautiful family life” were suddenly shattered by an auto accident in May 2004.

After a full day’s work as a nurse at Madigan Army Medical Center near Tacoma, she was driving home on state Route 520 near Bellevue when another vehicle hydroplaned at a high rate of speed and smashed into her Volvo station wagon, totaling it.

She awoke later in the hospital, totally confused, but she was released to her husband’s care.

“It’s really a miracle I survived,” she said, beaming. “I was unconscious for a while and when I woke up I was unaware of a traumatic brain injury. The only thing I wanted to do was to get back to work. I was bent on going to the dry cleaner, picking up my uniform and reporting for duty to a medical meeting in the morning.”

Post-accident complications manifested themselves immediately, and after 72 hours of suffering from a relentless migraine headache and working during that span, she found herself at her doctor’s office. Several days later, she was rushed back to the Overlake Hospital Emergency Room in Bellevue for treatment of chest and back pain along with a “terrible headache.”

The following day she fell “deathly ill” at home and was unable to feed herself. A 911 call resulted in another trip to the emergency room, hospitalization and three weeks of a home health visiting nurse.

37

By Jerry and Lois Photography

Shanda Taylor-Boyd plays with her dog Ranger in her Sammamish yard on a spring day.

Her physical and psychological downward spiral accelerated thereafter under the guise of the unknown injury.

She developed fibromyalgia and was experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder from the accident and was placed on the Army temporary disability retirement list in 2005.

She was then medically retired in December 2006 because of “a poor prognosis for recovery.” It wasn’t until 2008 that Taylor-Boyd was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury.

“For four years, no one knew what was going on, not even me,

and I was a nurse,” she said. “But after Ranger returned to me, he sensed something was wrong. Once at a bookstore he refused to sit down, and kept nudging me.

“I was having a mild seizure and didn’t know it. I had headaches, neck aches, couldn’t sleep and was disoriented. It was scary.”

She required speech pathology, attended a TBI group for three years and became easily distracted.

“I couldn’t do a lot of the things that came naturally for me,” she explained, “and had to ask people to repeat questions or remarks so I could grasp what they were saying. It

Sammamish Scene

38 was frustrating and Ranger knew it.

He would come over and sit alongside me, allow me to pet him and calm down.”

Her life continued to unravel even more after leaving the Army.

A divorce following 17 years of marriage and daily bouts of depression tested her resolve, but Ranger, who she purchased in June 2004 as a puppy, became her physical and psychological crutch as a self-taught service dog.

Ranger began alerting TaylorBoyd prior to seizures (sensing her blood sugar was low), cuing her to eat and assisting her with mobility issues stemming from knee injuries sustained in the accident, which eventually resulted in a need to wear knee braces.

“When my knees didn’t want to work in the middle of a walk and going up a hill, he had no problem pulling and supporting my weight,” she said.

“He worked miracles calming my daughters through the stress surrounding the divorce, loss of friends moving and the death of several family members, along with fraud ID and credit-card theft,” she added.

For Taylor-Boyd, now 52, life became an oh, wow, what now roller coaster of emotions.

“I woke up each morning wondering how I would get through the day,” she recalled, “but when I looked into Rangy’s eyes and saw that pleading look signaling let’s get with it, I was inspired to get moving.”

With a boost from Ranger and plenty of help from the Disabled American Veterans and the Seattle Veterans Hospital Women’s Trauma and Recovery Center, Taylor-Boyd said, “It took years to understand that TBI (traumatic brain injury) does not define me.

That PTSD does not define me.

And thanks to Ranger and these two incredible organizations, I have a new and stronger life.”

While Ranger has provided an inspirational pathway for Taylor-

Contributed

Shanda Taylor-Boyd was invited to participate in the “Dogs of War” 5K run/walk.

Boyd to navigate a field of psychological land mines since 2004, he has also served as an ambassador for the incredible versatility of service dogs.

Contributed

Shanda Taylor-Boyd was featured in this ad for Disabled American Veterans.

“It turns out that every single event in which Ranger has accompanied me has become a Service Dog Saves Lives platform,” she said.

That includes a wide mix of national meetings and conventions, fundraisers, 2014 Seafair Ball and

the World Team Sports 2014 Face of America Pentagon to Gettysburg 110-mile Bike Ride.

“Everywhere we go, people are drawn to him,” she said. “And when he’s not with me, friends ask immediately, ‘Where is Ranger?’”

Ranger gets daily neighborhood walks, monthly trips to the Marymoor Park off-leash dog exercise park and plenty of interaction with others.

“I try to always keep him stimulated, yet I need to recognize that he needs breaks, too,” she said.

Taylor-Boyd sees Ranger as the key player in her tragedy-to-triumph adventure that essentially has been a fight for survival akin to what soldiers are trained to do.

“It’s all about how a dog became my springboard to a second chance at life and enabled me to soldier on,” she said.

Back to Ranger’s serious lockjaw ailment in 2005, which his veterinarian, Dr. Michael Salewski, of Snohomish, and now Carlton, Oregon, treated with acupuncture.

“It had all the hallmarks of severe blood stagnation,” he recalled. “This can be approached

Sammamish Scene by just treating the obstructions for pain relief, but in this case I thought we could also clear up the root cause.

“Ranger’s history showed a great deal — in my opinion, excess — of immunizations. Looked at through Chinese medicine, these vaccines are considered heat toxin,” he said. “In small, proper amounts they are extremely beneficial but in excess, that heat toxin can lodge in the meridians, damage the blood and cause the disease he had.

“For treatment, we used two herbal formulas: one that is specifically designed to clear blood stagnation in the head, the other to remove heat toxins from the body.

Fortunately, Ranger responded quickly and we were able to avoid a lifetime of steroid administration.”

Today, Taylor-Boyd and Ranger’s high visibility at national events is designed, she said, “to serve as an

39 Contributed

Seven service dogs from Washington state were flown to Washington, D.C., to promote the benefits of such dogs for veterans with traumatic brain injuries.

inspiration to others to never give up and recognize that a service dog can be a lifesaver.”

The 67-pound bundle of empowerment loved Taylor-Boyd when she was incapable of loving herself and provided her hope

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“He saved my life and has had my back more times than I can count,” she said with a smile.

“Isn’t that the definition of a best friend?”

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