Having the time of your life in the Inland Northwest
August/september 2015 #55
Family Fun: Dragons & Treasure Hunts
primeSPOKANE.com
Foodies:
Fast & Fresh Jar Salads
Retirement: Planning for Adventure
contents
features #55
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Editor’s Letter Masthead
August - September 2015
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The Front Porch
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Your Third Life: Life as a Garden
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Wanderlust: Carhenge
Chinese Lantern Festival | Spokane Geo Tour | Not Dead Yet
Most of us work at marriages, and at parenting and careers without the space and leisure to step back and take measure of what we’re doing. But a garden guides you as you go. Too little water, too much sun, not enough fertilizer and you know. All you have to do is take the time to really look And then you can make it right.
Sitting on a rise at the edge of the Nebraska Sandhills, just north of the city of Alliance, Carhenge is an All-American interpretation of the ancient monoliths of Stonehenge, complete with 30 classic American automobiles from the 1950s and 60s, roughly the same size as the stones of Stonehenge.
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Life After Work: Retirement Planning with a Twist Most people have some kind of lifestyle vision for retirement. Pre-retirees and retirees are rightly concerned about whether they can afford retirement. But not having enough to do is another kind of deficit that is frequently overlooked until it’s too late.
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Foodies: Summertime Bounty Deliciousness
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Inspiration: Sunflower Sunset in Deer Park
There’s no better time than the close of summertime for fresh garden bounties and the delicious, fresh recipes you can incorporate them into for fun on the run.
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August - September 2015
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editor’s letter
Life’s Crescendos & Diminuendos
T
he text message popped in as I walked into my office in the middle of a hectic workday. I stopped in my high-heeled tracks when I saw the sender’s name pop up: it was my ex-step dad, now my mom’s good friend and roommate. I was aware hospice had scheduled a visit with my mother, with potential plans to set up shop in her home, possibly take her on as a client, but we were confused as to the why or when or how of it all. “Hospice visited today and they are saying Mom has colon cancer and six months to live. Docs put her on morphine. They delivered an oxygen machine and secret med box in my fridge for end of life care. I’m thinking this is very serious. So sorry,” read the message. My toes lifted off the ground and I spun on my heels toward the door as I coached myself through the small act of pulling air into my lungs and pushing it out again. A band around my chest
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complicated my efforts as I scrambled outside. Picking up velocity, I burst through the doors, breaking the chest band with a gasp of warm summer air. I looked straight into the sunshine as tears began to pour out of the corners of my eyes, pooling in my ears when I refused to look anywhere but up. I focused on the glaring sound of the crescendo: cars crashing and music blaring and records screeching. And then I turned from the sound of bustling traffic to the harmony of the birds, and the breeze through the sun-dappled trees, and then to my breathing. In. And out. A calming diminuendo. “There you go, just breathe,” I reminded myself as I searched for what on earth to do with myself next. “Just keep breathing.” I had been walking to my computer to return an email, to get to work on a deadline, in the middle of an ordinary kind of day. I was in the middle of life when the crescendo rose and the diminuendo fell, as it often does so unexpectedly. Mom and I had experienced our share of ups and downs—in our lives and with one another. I had only known life with her in it. Failures. Successes. Heartbreaks. She was often the first call. And she returned the favor. I couldn’t even imagine life without her. I still have so much to share with her, some of which hasn’t even occurred and is years down my life road. She provides a special type of fuel to my fury; no one has ever been more proud or rooted more fiercely for me than she, embarrassingly so, but charmingly, lovingly so as well. She’s one of the only people I can call when my children have emptied me out, when life has been syphoned from my soul, and she loves us all enough to say so no matter how unsavory the scenario may be. Occasionally, she lets her temper
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get the best of her and she shares how she would like to remove the eyeballs of certain people . . . entirely uncouth, but refreshing to hear her open the cage and let her angry birds fly free for a spell. I don’t often open the doors to my birdcage until my birds are preened and sparkly. I called her a short time later, after my body remembered how to breathe again without instruction. She explained that she didn’t care for “the things” the nurse, social worker, and chaplain had told her, and said she had lost her temper “and stormed off ” to her bedroom, where she had remained for hours in a puddle of her own tears. “It has been an emotional day,” she said. “But I know my body, so I don’t care what anyone says, I know I have a good three to four years left. And I want to take up skydiving again. And I’m definitely sticking around for a fourgeneration photo—I can’t wait to hold my first great grandbaby.” We laughed and cried together, felt scared and peaceful, too. “I’m so glad to have you in my life,” she said. “I am too, Mama. I love you,” I replied. I attended a conference in June where the facilitator used the expression: “When life ‘lifes’ you.” I snickered at the notion at first, but now I appreciate the term. The highs and lows, mountains and valleys, and crescendos and diminuendos are all a part of this extraordinary opportunity called life. And we can love our way through it all. Here’s to my mama, and all those facing less than favorable news. Wishing love, peace and diminuendos to you all. My Best,
Stephanie stephanie@spokanecda.com
Having the time of your life in the Inland Northwest
Vol. 9 Issue 4 August/September 2015
Editor
STEPHANIE REGALADO stephanie@spokanecda.com
Creative Director/Lead Graphics
Where wellness is a way of life
Kristi Somday kristi@spokanecda.com
Graphic Designer/Traffic Manager camille martin camille@spokanecda.com
Contributors
Dennis Held Michele Martin Cheryl-Anne Millsap
• Independent & Assisted Living • Cottage Homes • Respite Care FREE • Activities 1201 N. Evergreen Rd ve-In Mo • Special Events Spokane Valley, WA 99216 ! ice • Gourmet Chef & Bistro Serv • Health N' Motion Certified www.evergreenfountains.com Wellness Programs Locally Owned & Operated by the Arger Family • Warm Water Pool & Spa
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Spokane's oldest family owned and operated full-service moving company
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509-747-1111
www.americanvanservice.com Prime magazine is published by Bozzi Media Tapio Yellow Flg Bldg, Suite 209 • 104 S. Freya, Spokane, WA 99202-4866 • Phone: 509.533.5350 Prime magazine (ISSN 1938-5714) is distributed freely in the Inland Northwest. For distribution locations, subscription rates, or to read this month’s or previous months’ issues, visit us at www.primespokane.com.
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All contents © 2015. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Neither Bozzi Media nor Prime™ magazine assume responsibility for errors in content, photos or advertisements.
Lighting up Spokane
F
or the first time ever, Riverfront Park will be home to a spectacular show direct from China—the Washington State Chinese Lantern Festival Spokane. The more than month-long event kicks off Sept. 26. >>
frontPorch August - September 2015
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front porch
“We believe this is the next big event— like Hoopfest or Bloomsday—to come to our area,” says Sam Song, acting director of Riverfront Park and chair of the committee overseeing the Lantern Festival in Spokane. “Once people experience the huge displays, the cultural performances and the delicious food, we think this will become a can’t-miss annual event.” The Festival includes more than 30 fully lit, dazzlingly colorful displays, each one comprised of hundreds of parts. Highlights include a 196-foot dragon and a 3-story pagoda. Additionally, there will be multiple, daily performances by Chinese artisans from Tianyu Culture, the Sichuan, China-based company presenting the Festival. In addition to display viewing and live cultural performances, Festival attendees will also be able to choose from several dining options at the event. Tickets can be purchased now through TicketsWest and the Lantern Festival website. Starting September 26, tickets can also be purchased at the INB Performing Arts Center or the Riverfront Park ticket booth. Evening sessions (seven days a week): Adults, $17. Children, $12. Day sessions (Sat/Sun): Adults, $9. Children, $7. Senior night (Mon/Tue): $12. spokanelanternfestival.com
on ts, sal t ticke ore ! n e v e , m ing el and on din s, trav service
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thedealplanet.com
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Spokane Geo Tour
Outdoor treasure hunt through the best of Spokane County
S
pokane Geo Tour, a brand new attraction for visitors and locals, has kicked off in Spokane. Geocaches are not a new concept to the Spokane region, but this organized route system is. The idea is that people of all skill levels can bike, hike or walk to find these “hidden spots”—or caches—which are scattered throughout different organized routes. The trails run through historic sites, parks and urban areas in and around Spokane. The idea is to tie the Geo Tour thematically with Visit Spokane’s, “Near Nature. Near Perfect.” motto. “We are thrilled to have the Geo Tour take visitors through the most sought after places in the Spokane region,” says Cheryl Kilday, Visit Spokane president and CEO. «This is a great activity for locals, while still encouraging geocachers to come to our region and discover everything we have to offer. It’s a terrific attraction.” Spokane Geo Tour is a self-guided tour with an incentive. Similar to the Inland Northwest Ale Trail idea, geocachers use a passport to collect stamps at various locations. Upon completing the passport, users receive a Geocoin, specifically designed for the Spokane Geo Tour.
More information can be found at www.visitspokane.com.
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August - September 2015
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Not Dead Yet:
Life After 55
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Aging Artfully:
Staying Open to New Experiences By Dennis Held
I recently had a chance to travel to New Mexico with Luis Montaño, an artist who just published his first book, a collection of poems called The Long Place. (See accompanying article, page 25.) Luis is a well-respected ceramic artist and jewelry designer, who has taught at Washington State University and Eastern Washington University. He’s been a fixture in the Spokane art scene for years, and has helped many people develop their skills in potterymaking and glazing through the Spokane Potters Guild. A couple of years ago, a friend, Ken Yuhasz, told me that his friend, Luis, had been writing poetry for years, and had begun to show his work to others after keeping it private for most of that time. I said, send them on. The poems I got in an email from Luis were clear and direct, yet wildly imaginative and playful, most of them centered on his experiences growing up in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, and detailing a world I knew almost nothing about, a world of Spanishlanguage culture and customs that stretches back hundreds of years. I immediately wrote back to Luis, telling him what I thought of his poems, and asking to see more. We met, hit it off, and began a deep and meaningful friendship that continues to enrich my life in all kinds of unexpected ways. Luis is a singular person, an artist through and through. His ceramic work and jewelry have been featured in public and private collections across the country, especially in the Southwest. But it was his poetry that drew us together. I offered to help Luis put together a book of his poems. Throughout the process, Luis kept saying, “All I really want is to read these poems in Santa Rosa.” It wasn’t vanity that drove this desire, but a wish to honor the people and places that had formed him. As time went on, it became clear that Sandy, his “wife and patient editor,” would
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not be able to make the trip for professional reasons. (She owns Greencastle Soap, and had a full schedule during the week Luis was to read in New Mexico.) I signed on for the trip and in mid-July we headed out on the road for Santa Rosa, 1,500 miles and a world away from Spokane. I was a little nervous about the trip. Luis has some health issues that make long drives difficult—a bad back, among them. And I speak almost no Spanish. I knew that English was the second language for most of Luis’s friends and family, and I didn’t know how well I’d do with the language barrier. I didn’t need to worry. Everyone I met was incredibly gracious, and their warmth and compassion showed through in every act. We were hosted at multiple houses, feted with some of the finest food I’ve ever eaten, and I was welcomed as a native son. And yet . . . there were times when I still felt like an outsider. For one thing, I’m not just a white guy, I’m a pastyfaced, blond-haired white guy. I stood out like a snowball in the desert. And as I said, I don’t speak Spanish, the language of choice for many if not most of the people I met on the trip. Luis tells me that the Santa Rosa schools are about 80 percent Hispanic, and I’d guess that the town itself is, too. (Luis adds: “Included in the 20 percent are the Dodges, Conways, Gerhardts, and Nelsons. The Moise brothers are French. Dan Flores has red hair and so does 80 percent of the family. All speak perfect Spanish. Most of the people who settled out there were farmers. If you needed help, you called on your neighbor, whether that was a Sanchez or a Smith. The beauty of Santa Rosa lies in that gelatinous border that let us all squish against the other and adapt.”) Everyone went out of their way to make me feel at home, including me in the conversations and catching me up, in English, on the missing pieces that everyone else already knew. But I couldn’t help noticing a simple fact: I was the minority in this singularly Southwestern town. There was nothing I
could say or do to change that fact, and it felt odd, as an Anglo from Spokane, to be on the outside looking in. I remembered something a young black poet had said on a recent visit to Gonzaga: “Most of you folks are privileged,” he reminded us, an almost allwhite audience, “and you don’t even know it.” He went on. “White privilege doesn’t mean that you get to do something I can’t do. It means you don’t have to put up with things that I have to put up with—being followed by store detectives because of the color of my skin, or getting pulled over for DWB, Driving While Black.” There was a smattering of nervous laughter. He made his point. In Santa Rosa, I got a taste of what it means to be an outsider, to be recognized as such by the color of my skin. I’m not saying that I know what it’s like to be a member of a minority: I don’t. But I did get an inkling of what it feels like to be in the minority, and I’d like to think that I will be a little more sensitive to the feelings of others who are in that position, every day. And I can only hope to be as gracious and caring as those friends of Luis who treated me so well during my visit. A week or so before the trip was scheduled to begin, I considered backing out. I gave myself a lot of reasons that I couldn’t go: I had too much work to catch up on, my beloved garden would suffer, etc etc. At some point, I recognized the truth: I was afraid. Afraid of being the outsider, afraid of not knowing how to respond to the new people and places I would encounter. But Luis was depending on me. And so I went. And I have never been so grateful for a trip in my life, one I almost missed because of a self-limiting fear of the unknown. So I’d like to suggest to the readers of Prime that you take a risk, get out of your comfort zone, and travel to a place where you’re not in the majority. You’ll stretch your sense of self, and you’ll probably make some new friends along the way. I sure did. And I’ll be forever grateful to the people of Santa Rosa.
August - September 2015
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LifeGarden as a
I can feel the moisture from the damp grass seeping into the
fabric of my jeans as I kneel, pulling up the sunflower seedlings that have sprouted beneath the bird feeder. I push my hair back and accidentally smear a bit of mud across my cheek. A row of house finches sits on the telephone line above my head, calling to one another as they watch me work, waiting for a chance to swoop in and scatter more seeds as they feast. Sure enough, the moment I stand up and move away they fly in. It is so early that most of the neighbors are still asleep and as I work it feels as though I have the street to myself. Deadheading the roses, snipping lavender buds to dry, staking up a drooping delphinium, I am alone with my thoughts and I relish the quiet.
thirdlife
By Cheryl-Anne Millsap
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If you were to ask me if I am a gardener, I would say no. I never quite feel as though I am entitled to own the title. I don’t know enough. The evidence of my mistakes surrounds me each time I step out my back door. That phlox was planted too close to the front of the border. This rose is too shaded. That hosta is wilting in a spot with too much sun. I am constantly planting and transplanting, adjusting to the demands of my tiny space. I do and then undo and do again. And that, I have decided, is precisely the appeal. The harshest lesson life teaches us is that there are few do-overs. We get one chance and then have to live with our mistakes. We make our beds and learn to lie in them. But a flower bed is another story. We make it, unmake it and then make it again. As often as we please. This, I think as I stand and survey what I have done, I can control. There is not much else in my life that I can. Another appeal of a garden is that it gives back. It returns the love we plant into the soil. A garden allows us to chart our progress. This is a rare thing in an ordinary life. Most of us work at marriages, at parenting and careers without the space and leisure to step back and take measure of what we’re doing. It’s only later, sometimes too much later, that we can see our mistakes, but by then it’s too late. But my garden guides me as I go. Too little water, too much sun, not enough fertilizer and I know. All I have to do is take the time to really look. And then I can make it right. There is a spot on the patio where I can stand and trace the growth of a young lilac tree, measuring its height against the back of the garage on the lot behind mine. Each day its uppermost branches stretch a bit more and soon it will be as tall as the structure behind the fence. I can’t wish away the physical effects of the years behind me. I cannot undo the mistakes I have made in my life. But what I can do is step out the back door each morning, coffee in hand, and take a good long look at what’s in front of me. And if something isn’t right I can dig right in and start all over again.
Cheryl-Anne Millsap’s audio essays can be heard on Spokane Public Radio and on public radio stations across the country. She is the author of Home Planet: A Life in Four Seasons and can be reached at catmillsap@gmail.com.
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August - September 2015
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Roadside Attraction:
Carhenge
It is the kitschy American roadside attraction at its best and definitely
worth a stop. Sitting on a rise at the edge of the Nebraska Sandhills, just north of the city of Alliance, Carhenge is an All-American interpretation of the ancient monoliths of Stonehenge. The 30 classic American automobiles that make up the ring, most from the 1950s and 60s and roughly the same size as the stones of Stonehenge, are painted primer gray and are planted five feet into the sandy soil. Just beyond there is a series of oneof-a-kind sculptures created from car bodies and parts. The monument was designed and built by Jim Reinders as a memorial to his father. Reinders had lived in England and studied Stonehenge closely while he was there. When he returned to the United States he built his own version and dedicated it at the summer solstice in 1987. Carhenge is listed in “1,000 Places to See in the USA and Canada Before You Die” and was named one of the top three “Quirky Landmarks” by USA Today. Last year more than 80,000 people from all over the world made their way to the replica.
Admission is free and there is a gift shop on the premises. For more information go to carhenge.com.
WandeRlust By Cheryl-Anne Millsap
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OCT 16th
y t i C e
h t of
1 1 00
license to thrill
UR O Y R O F
Y NL O EYES Tickets go on sale August 15th at www.ticketswest.com.
General Admission is $25 in advance. VIP Admission is limited. $50 includes two complimentary drinks, a complimentary wine glass, and an exclusive VIP Lounge. Questions? Please call 509-533-5350
C
alling all secret agents, mysterious women, international spies and the 2015 winners of our Best of the City Awards. This year’s winners are still Top Secret, but the gala celebration plans are well underway. Join us for a James Bond themed, red carpet event including food sampling from the best of the best in local food, a Casino Royale, an appropriately themed martini bar, a dance floor where you can break out your For Your Eyes Only moves and more.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it is to
Save the Date - October 16th, 2015 at The Lincoln Center. 1316 N Lincoln St, Spokane, WA 99201
Restore it! Enjoy it! Love it!
Restore your classic, Call us today! Brad Enders (208) 755-3334 Jason Mortenson “Cartist” (509) 220-3830
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1710 N. 4th St #110, Cd’A ID 83814 | www.classicgaragellc.com
Are We Forgetting Something Essential When Planning Retirement?
M
ost people have some kind of lifestyle vision for retirement. Unfortunately, without proper planning their dreams won’t always become a reality as they enter the encore time of their lives, says Michael Bivona, a certified public accountant who retired almost 20 years ago. “I had a simple plan: When I stopped working I planned on living on my 42-foot Chris Craft
cruiser with my wife, Barbara, which was a very pleasant pastime during my busy working years,” he says. “But, after a few weeks, as we tried to make our dream a reality we found that we were bored out of our minds. “Pre-retirees and retirees are rightly concerned about whether they can afford retirement. But not having enough to do is another kind of deficit that is frequently overlooked until it’s too late,” says Michael, author of the book Retiring? Beware!! Don’t Run Out of Money and Don’t Become Bored (www.michaelbivonabooks.com). >>
Retirement
August - September 2015
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Life is like a Summer Vacation at Orchard Crest
We have the best move-in special for summer!
Senior Living at its Best!
retirement Possible avenues to explore for a fulfilling retirement lifestyle:
• Develop a social network with senior civic centers. Civic centers, which usually have a department dedicated to the betterment of the senior citizens who live in their areas, can be found in almost every municipality in the United States. These centers offer a wide range of activities. Additionally, the following online search, Fun Activities for Senior Citizens, offers a nice list of activities and associated details that can be explored prior to retiring.
Your monthly rent includes: Utilities | Housekeeping | Indoor Pool & Spa | Yoga | Fitness Center | Scheduled Transportation | Theater | Library | Craft Room | Community Garden | Game Room and so much more!
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Orchard Crest Retirement Community & Assisted Living 222 S. Evergreen Road, Spokane Valley
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add a little rustic to your r e t i r e m e n t pa r t y.
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• Try on a pair of dancing shoes. For some, the thought of dancing may elicit a strong sense of aversion, but you may want to try it anyway. The benefits include exercise, coordination and possibly enjoying a romantic hobby with your spouse or others. Dancing is a beautiful art form that gives participants something with which to challenge themselves, Michael says. A goal-oriented mindset is a healthy one especially when approaching the encore years.
• Make the most of your travels. Traveling is a common bucket list item for most retirees. Of course, it’s going to cost you. That’s why this is a subject that perfectly combines the two great concerns for retirement: money and purpose, both of which can be maximized with “research, research, research,” Michael says. You might even parlay traveling with another interest, such as your family history. You may learn about your roots at www.Ancestory. com, and then visit areas based on your research. Or, you may be more interested in stretching your dollar. There are many cost-effective deals to be had by researching your heart’s desire on the internet.
What's on our menu? • Stay sharp and keep learning. The mind is much like the body: If you don’t use it you will accelerate the process of losing it. Building bridges to new adventures is the key to maintaining your mental acuity and increasing your vitality. There are an abundance of educational courses developed for seniors to keep them exercising their mental prowess. Remember, if you started working in your twenties and retire in your sixties, there’s a good chance you’ll spend as many years in retirement as you did working. So building bridges to what you want to do in a rational manner for your encore years is imperative if the last phase of your life is to be enjoyable for you and your loved ones.
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August - September 2015
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Make Summer Memories
delicious
Warmer weather, longer days and smells of sizzling meat on the grill can only mean one thing—summer has officially arrived. As you gear up for the season of backyard barbeques and spontaneous weekend getaways, don’t let the cost of summer entertaining take a toll on your wallet. Be a wise shopper so you can spend less on your grocery bill and more on making summer memories last all year long.
Sizzle into summer with these tasty tips and techniques that will make cookouts, road trips and impromptu pool parties mouthwatering for less: 1. Less Flipping, More Grilling: When grilling for that backyard barbeque, don’t make the mistake of constantly lifting the lid on your grill. Every time you lift the lid, you lose smoke, which will make your meat less flavorful. 2. Make More Time for Fun: Keep recipes simple so you can join the party and avoid getting stuck in the kitchen. Sometimes all you need for big flavor is to infuse simple spices into your meals. Whip up a quick dry rub with common spices like cumin, chili powder, oregano and peppercorns, and use when grilling meat, fish and even veggies. 3. Put a Fresh Twist on Comfort Foods: Add a twist to your barbeque staple foods to make your dish stand out. Stuff your burgers with jalapeño slices and cheddar cheese or top them off with unique flavors like pineapple, avocado or kiwi. It’s fun to mix and match different flavor combinations. 4. Keep It Cool in the Sun: Have homemade freezer pops in your freezer for impromptu pool parties and neighborhood slip and slides. Mix up this traditional summer treat by combining a classic fruit flavor with an exotic one. Coconut flakes, cilantro or honey will add a unique spin on a classic snack. 5. Bring Adventure Home: Travel to a new city without going further than your local grocery store. Just switch up your go-to recipes with some regional flavors like Texas BBQ ribs or Chicago deep-dish pizza. Looking for more inspiration? These easy-to-make recipes will help you get ready for summer. Visit www.aldi.us for more seasonal ideas.
FOOD 22
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Campfire Quesadilla Recipe Courtesy of Chef Stacey, ALDI Test Kitchen Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 16 minutes Total Time: 26 minutes Servings: 6 • 1 tablespoon Carlini Pure Olive Oil • 1 zucchini, halved and sliced into 1/4-inch slices • 7 mushrooms, sliced • 1 onion, thinly sliced • Carlini Canola Cooking Spray • 6 Pueblo Lindo Flour Tortillas • 3 cups Happy Farms Shredded Cheddar Cheese In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Add zucchini, mushrooms and onion. Cook until soft, stirring often. Drain any liquid. Coat six squares of foil with cooking spray, lay one tortilla on each. Place 1/2 cup cheese and 1/4 vegetable mixture on one half of the tortilla; fold in half. Seal the foil around the quesadilla. Keep chilled for any camping trip! To cook each quesadilla, place foil packet on the outside of the campfire or on grill grates. Cook for 3 minutes per side. Allow to cool slightly before opening and eating.
Lemon Pesto Mason Jar Pasta Salad Recipe Courtesy of Chef Scott, ALDI Test Kitchen Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 10 minutes Servings: Two 16-ounce Mason jars Pesto: • 1/2 cup fresh parsley • 1/2 cup Little Salad Bar Flat Leaf Spinach • 1/4 cup grated Priano Asiago Cheese Wedge • 1/4 cup Carlini Pure Olive Oil • 6 tbs Southern Grove Cashew Halves, chopped • 1 1/2 tbs Stonemill Essentials Minced Garlic in Olive Oil • 1/2 lemon, zested and juiced • Stonemill Essentials Iodized Salt, to taste • Stonemill Essentials Ground Black Pepper, to taste Salad: • 1/4 cup Simply Nature Organic Diced Tomatoes • 1/4 cup Tuscan Garden Large Pitted Ripe Olives, chopped • 4 ounces Happy Harvest Mushroom Stems & Pieces, drained and rinsed • 1/2 cup Kirkwood Grilled Chicken Strips, diced • 2 cups cooked Reggano Tri-Color Pasta • 1/4 cup grated Priano Asiago Cheese Wedge For the Pesto: In a food possessor, combine parsley, spinach, 1/4 cup Asiago cheese, olive oil, cashews and garlic. Pulse until fully incorporated. Add lemon juice and zest, season with salt and pepper to taste. To assemble: Pour pesto into the bottom of a 1-quart Mason jar, add tomatoes, olives, mushrooms and chicken. Top with pasta, and remaining cheese.
Watermelon Lime Freezer Pops Recipe Courtesy of Chef Kevin, ALDI Test Kitchen Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 15 minutes (plus 6 hours to freeze) Servings: 8 freezer pops • 3 cups watermelon, cubed and seeded • 3/4 cup Baker’s Corner Granulated Sugar, divided • 3/4 cup blueberries • 1/2 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed • Zest of 1 lime • 1 cucumber, peeled and seeded • 1/4 cup water • 3 drops green food coloring In a blender, puree watermelon and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Pour into freezer pop molds leaving a 1 1/2-inch space at the top. Drop 3–4 blueberries and freezer pop stick into each mold; freeze for at least 3 hours. Wash blender, and then puree remaining sugar, lime juice, lime zest, cucumber, water and food coloring until smooth. Reserve in refrigerator. When watermelon pops are thoroughly frozen, add lime mixture to the top of the mold. Return to freezer, freeze for at least 3 hours or until frozen.
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C h at e a u R i v e
co n ce rt s e ri e s
LUIS MONTAñO: Making Poetic Gems By Dennis Held
S
pokane artist Luis Montaño recently discovered that it’s never too late to switch gears in life—and it’s never too late to solve a mystery 50 years in the making. Luis is a Spokane ceramic artist and jewelry designer who has always appreciated the power of words to move people. “When I was in high school, I had a teacher, Mrs. Greve, who held up poetry as the highest art form,” Luis says. “Every Friday, we had to recite a verse for her. It made quite an impression.” Nearly 50 years after leaving that high school class, Luis has published his first book, a poetry collection titled The Long Place. “I never thought I’d have a book of my own,” he says. “It’s kind of a miracle, really.” Luis was born and raised in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, the Guadalupe county seat and a once-thriving community on historic Route 66. His father, Joe, was a World War ll veteran who served in North Africa, and for 32 years worked the night shift at a local gas station. He fueled Luis’s love of history by taking his kids out on excursions into the New Mexico desert. “We’d go out early in the morning to some location and he’d say, there are pieces of pottery out
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here that are hundreds of years old,” says Luis. “One time, we went out on the Fort Sumner road, and he started looking around, and just from memory, he walked up to this flat stone in the middle of the prairie and pointed out where he and my uncles had scratched their names and dates in the rock, 30 years before.” The memories forged during those walks were turned into poetry, many years later. “I was always interested in reading and writing,” he says, “but I never thought I’d have a book. It’s amazing, how things turned out.” The long road to The Long Place started in high school, and formed the seed of the mystery that took 50 years to unravel. “After my senior year, I went to California to work in the fields and save up some money. My plan was to enlist in the service with my buddy, Richard.” But when he returned to Santa Rosa in August, his mother told him that there was a letter for him on the refrigerator. “It was from Highlands College (now Highlands University of New Mexico) saying that I was provisionally admitted to the school. But I had never applied!” Who had filled out the paperwork? Luis suspected that it had been a high-school counselor who had sent in the application, but he was never sure. “It came at a critical time,” says Luis. “I had just gotten my draft notice and I was 1-A. After I went to the draft board and showed them that I was enrolled at Highlands, they changed it to 2-S, a student deferment.” A high-school wrestler and football player, Luis enrolled in classes that would prepare him to become a coach. “I took kinesiology, theory of coaching, nutrition, that sort of thing, but my
fellow students were a bunch of unruly, loudmouth jocks who were only interested in playing football and partying.” A shortcut through the halls of the art department changed his life forever. “I saw a lecture being taught with slides of the old masters. I looked in on the sculpture studio. I realized that was for me.” He changed his major, and his life changed. “In high school, Mr. Lopez, the art teacher, handed me a pen and some ink. I was looking at some illustrations for David Copperfield, and the artist had drawn these ornate wall sconces and decorated them with a floral motif. It was just a quick scribble, but it looked right, and I thought, that’s a cool trick.” Luis found he “had a knack for rendering tiny details, and that came in handy when I went to college.” He also experimented with watercolors. “I didn’t know what I was doing. It’s kind of embarrassing now, but I was trying use them like oil paints, building them up in layers, which of course didn’t work.” But Mr. Lopez saw his talent. “He told me that I had the touch, and I should keep going.” Mr. Lopez also spent “his whole budget” on a casting machine, Luis says, and by the time he went to Highlands, “we had learned a lot about the casting process.” At the college, Luis studied under Harry Leippe, a World War ll veteran who had studied foundry work at Berkeley and in Italy. “He really knew his stuff, and he was so generous,” says Luis. “He put me in a pre-professional program that was meant to immerse you in the business of metal smithing—I was his test mouse.” Luis become adept at jewelry making and ceramics, and was accepted into the graduate program at Washington State University. He was awarded a
“I was always intimidated by poetry—I thought that it was written by almost mythical people. Mrs. Greve was in awe of the major poets, and I was too.”
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teaching fellowship, and graduated with an MFA in ceramics and jewelry design. “I always went back to Santa Rosa at least a couple of times a year,” he says. “I missed the red earth.” And he never let go of his love of language. “I was reading Loren Eiseley, and I loved his work. He had two books of poems, and he wrote a lot about anthropology and archeology. And he just had a beautiful way of expressing himself.” Luis had begun keeping a diary, and he started to put snatches of poetry down as a way of recapturing his childhood memories. In 1979, he applied for a job with the Washington State Employment Securities Department, and his writing ability paid off. “On the application, they asked us to write a narrative telling what we knew about farming. I had hoed beets in California, helped my uncles working on a ranch in Milagro, so that’s what I wrote about. “The next day, they said, we like the way you write— can you start on Monday? There are no sweeter sounds than that. And that was the first glimmer I saw into my ability to express myself with words.” Luis worked with the department until he retired in 2010, writing poetry all the while. “I entered a
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“From the beginning,” Luis says, “what I really wanted was to read these poems in Santa Rosa, to the people who helped shape me, to the people I tried to honor in the poems.”
department-wide poetry contest in 1980,” he says, “with a poem called ‘A DNA Christmas Cocktail.’ It was pretty grim—the rest of these poems were kind of Hallmark rhyming things. Needless to say, I didn’t win first prize. Or any prize.” But he continued writing, and began sending his poems to friends back in Santa Rosa. “I’d write them with a calligraphy pen, do them up in sepia ink and burn the edges to make it look like an old treasure map.” Always, the poems returned to his childhood in Santa Rosa. “All of those poems reflect an adoration for my old home state. They express a longing. There’s a poem in the book that says, I carried your memory like John the Baptist carried Jesus.” But there almost wasn’t a book. “I was always intimidated by poetry—I thought that it was written by almost mythical people. Mrs. Greve was in awe of the major poets, and I was too.” But a small article in the Spokesman-Review caught his eye. “There was a contest sponsored by the Spokane Poetry Scribes, and I decided to enter it. I thought about my grandfather Salinas, and wrote one about him listening to the radio in the dark and puffing on his cigar while listening to broadcasts of Castro’s speeches from Cuba in 1956. I wrote another one about my dad, called ‘Things I Found in the Garage,’ about his military keepsakes.” He sent the poems off and “didn’t expect too much,” he says, “but lo and behold, three weeks later I got this notice that I had won first and second prize in non-rhyming poetry, and I couldn’t believe it.” After hearing that the judge was Spokesman-Review writer Dan Webster, Luis says, “I figured that if he thought they were good, well, maybe they were good.” Luis continued writing poems, and taught art and art history for Eastern Washington University for four years as an assistant professor in Chicano studies and art history. He still teaches ceramics for the Spokane Potters Guild. Meanwhile, he began sharing his poetry with friends here in Spokane. The neon artist, Ken Yuhasz, encouraged him to get the poems out where people could read them. (In the interest of full disclosure, I should add that that’s when I saw
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the poems, and I later helped Luis gather them into a book.) “From the beginning,” Luis says, “what I really wanted was to read these poems in Santa Rosa, to the people who helped shape me, to the people I tried to honor in the poems.” That opportunity came in July, when Luis returned to Santa Rosa with a published book in hand. He worked with local printer Gray Dog Press to produce The Long Place, which also includes a series of photographs his father took with a Brownie camera back in the 1940s and 1950s. “I look at those photographs, and the best ones are as good as those taken by Dorothea Lange during the Depression,” he says. It was at the reading in Santa Rosa that the mystery of how he was admitted to Highlands College was solved. About 80 people attended, including his old high-school guidance counselor, who approached Luis afterwards with tears in his eyes. “He admitted that he was the one who sent in the application. He went up to the gas station and had my dad sign the papers—he told me that he and Mrs. Greve had plotted to get me into college.” And the rest is literary history. The book has been well received, by the town he loves and by others in the writing world. The great New Mexico writer Rudolfo Anaya said, “Luis is no sit-down poet, but one who has experienced the world. There is passion in his love of place that we don’t often see in contemporary poetry. He truly is in touch with the spirit of the place.” Luis is at work on new poems, which he hopes will continue to celebrate “the men and women who stood up for something,” and honor the people and the places that made him an artist. As for the first book, “It’s done. The little pieces, the by-products of that reading in Santa Rosa, are the tearful embraces I got after that reading.”
October 2nd & 3rd, 2015
Annual Boomers & Beyond Aging Successfully Conference As part of this year’s Boomer & Beyond Conference, world renowned actress Linda Evans will present the Key Note Address, Aging Gracefully- Living Your Best Life and Life Lessons as a special SAFE fundraising luncheon on Saturday, October 3. << Linda Evans Award Winning TV, Film & Stage Actress Star of Dynasty and Big Valley
f the Age screening o • A special funny uching and of Love “a to iors who n se e lives of th to in k o lo find love” just want to gton Post - The Huffin
or • Exhibit flo es • Door Priz
d Beyond r Boomers an fo es nior rc u o es •R ng, local se tirement livi the g n yi jo en including re ning, and o ti si ne area. an tr ka , o services greater Sp e th in g in ag benefits of
Tickets on sale at www.TicketsWest.com
$15 FRI or SAT | $20 BOTH DAYS | $50 Linda Evans Luncheon (Includes Admission)
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Sunflower Sunset
In a happy place near Deer Park,Washington
Photographer Michele Martin finds something innately cheerful about sunflowers, particularly an entire field of them. She heard about this amazing sunflower field and decided to take a trek out there on a breezy Saturday afternoon. She took a wrong turn and started down a very long, dusty gravel road just beyond Deer Park. “A few miles in, I saw in the distance what looked like a yellow beacon,” she says. “It was absolutely lovely. I stayed to myself, off the beaten path, to capture this photo. I stayed for quite some time as my eyes simply could not get enough. Thank you to the farmer who planted this field of joy. Its beauty is inspiring.” Photo by Michele D. Martin
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