Madison Park Times 1-4-2023

Taking over the reins

New exec director has big shoes to fill

Gabriel-Bello Lawrence-Diaz is the new executive director of Coyote Central, a non-profit art program for youth in Seattle. He was hired this summer after Co-founder and former Program Director Marybeth Satterlee and Executive Director Claudia Stelle retired. Coyote Central has two locations, 2300 E. Cherry St. and 12325 Lake City Way N.E. Answers have been edited for grammar and clarity.

Q: Who is Gabriel-Bello LawrenceDiaz?

A: I am a Puerto Rican (Boriken) education activist, community organizer and artist.

Q: Where did you grow up and go to school? And what brought you to Seattle?

A: Born in Hendon, London, England, moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, then to Camden, New Jersey, and finally to Pennsauken New Jersey where I graduated high school. Completed my undergraduate degree in Boston, Massachusetts, at Wentworth Institute of Technology for a Bachelor of Science with a minor in Art and Architecture and History. After moving to Europe, I went to the University of East London for a Masters in Architecture and Urbanism. Then (I) moved to Barcelona, Spain to go to the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) for a second Masters in Advanced Architecture focused on robotic engineering.

What brought me to Seattle was to move back to America and be closer to my father who has lived in Washington

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Madison Park Times staff

Photo by Laura Marie Rivera

Gabriel-Bello Lawrence-Diaz, new executive director of Coyote Central, laughs with former Program Director and Co-Founder Marybeth Satterlee outside Coyote Central, 2300 E. Cherry St., Seattle.

Coyote Central has worked to inspire youth artists for almost 40 years

By Laura Marie Rivera Madison Park Times

Coyote is an inclusive arts education organization geared toward 10- to 15-year-olds. According to the non-profit organization’s mission statement, “Coyote sparks creativity in young people, putting tools in their hands to build skills and forge their futures.”

It offers traditional art classes with paper and paintbrushes and some classes with tools that are considered more extreme, such as cooking, glasswork and welding. At Coyote, the students are celebrated for who they are. It doesn’t matter if they are not

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typical learners or are having a bad day, the staff at Coyote will meet them where they are and help them achieve the skills they need to create. Since it began in 1986, Coyote has grown from a small group of teachers engaging students in academics to a large twocampus organization dedicated to the arts and serving more than 1,000 students each year. Many people are familiar with the Coyote Central location at 2300 E. Cherry Street, across from Garfield High School. And just weeks before the pandemic shutdown, the organization opened the doors of Coyote North, at 12325 Lake City

since ’92. He sold me on the narrative of Seattle being a place I could flourish as an artist and entrepreneur within the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) world I was working in.

Q: Tell us about your favorite experience as an artist?

A: My current work in augmented reality is my favorite. Recently, I created a mural in South Lake Union in collaboration with Future Arts. More info on this project here: https:// www.smashthebox.org/news/augmentreality-public-art-mural-in-seattle. This is my favorite because I was able to create a 3D model in virtual reality with (Tilt Brush) and export to edit for augmented reality. This was activated by a 30’ x 10’ mural I designed in Photoshop. This was very new but familiar as I have spent my career creating in the virtual 3D world but never this interactive.

After IAAC, where I learned coding for microelectronics, designing for laser cutting and modeling for 3D printing, I began infusing those techniques with traditional forms of art including sewing, painting and sculpting. I have explored many mediums of art in my lifetime and still have more I want to experiment with. Next is ceramics (2024). I have treated art as a meditative process and a way for me to get my thoughts out. A form

Way N.E.

During the pandemic, Coyote experienced a few bumps in the road as it transitioned to online learning but kept their staff and teaching artists employed and made sure that the students had access to classes and opportunities. Classes during the pandemic were limited to the tools and equipment students had or could have delivered to their houses; staff and volunteers made and delivered supply kits for the students. Some included regular art supplies, but the cooking classes required someone to shop for weekly grocery deliveries. Having in-person classes

return means that Coyote is once again offering welding, sewing and fiber arts, wood sculpture and furniture, screen printing and theater.

All classes are paywhat-you-can, and registration for the winter courses opened Jan. 2 at coyotecentral.org.

Coyote is committed to social justice, accessibility and inclusion. As stated on its website, they “start with a racial equity lens but also address inequity with income, gender identity, culture, language, ability, and any other oppression that our community might experience.” This commitment extends to staff, where they are working to build a

teaching artist roster, staff and board that reflect the diversity and intersectionality of the students they serve.

Earlier in December, Coyote announced new leadership for the first time in 20 years. Co-founder and program director Marybeth Satterlee stepped down, and long-time executive director Claudia Stelle also retired. After an extensive search, Coyote identified Gabriel-Bello LaurenceDiaz to take the lead.

Editor’s note: Laura Marie Rivera is the treasurer for the Coyote Central Board of Directors, as well as a contributing writer for the Madison Park Times.

of journaling.

Q: What attracted you to Coyote?

A: Being a multi-disciplinary artist and my experience teaching 6th grade through 12th grade STEAM classes, where my classroom was an exploration of tools and skills, Coyote spoke to my heart. Coyote embodies all I believe in when it comes to empowering youth through art education. I have such a vision on how Coyote can really grow over the next decade, and the foundation for this work is already there. Coyote has a beautiful history of supporting youth in Seattle, and I want to continue that legacy while expanding our support for youth and collaborating with other orgs to enhance our classroom experiences.

Q: What have you discovered since taking the lead?

A: Take it slow. As someone with a lot of ideas and motivation, I see so much that’s possible, but there is a need to absorb for a bit longer as a new executive director. There’s a lot to learn with any new leader in the nonprofit world whose organization is emerging out of COVID. This includes the need for outreach to communities we serve and see how they’ve survived and what they need.

Q: How does Coyote’s pay-whatyou-can pricing work?

A: Pay-what-works-for-you is one

Editor: Jessica Keller, 206-461-1300 or MPTimes@pacificpublishingcompany.com

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of the aspects I love about Coyote and really shows our commitment to underserved communities. Families are able to pay what works for them, and every student receives the same quality classroom experience. It’s that simple. That’s why we work hard to get community support to make sure this model can continue.

Q: Do you have a favorite class or work of Coyote art so far?

A: The music production class by Robb Clemente, hands down! It was an unforgettable experience in summer when I first began to witness these young artists creating industry professional work. I heard their final music piece at the Coyote showcase and couldn’t stop thinking that they could be creating music for a whole film, theater production, music video, beat maker for other musicians or any other path in this field, if they wanted. Just impressed.

Q: Coyote’s co-founder Marybeth Satterlee and longtime executive director Claudia Stelle recently retired. What has it meant to step into their shoes?

A: Marybeth Satterlee, our cofounder and program director, is absolutely inspiring. The history of how Coyote became what it is today shows consistent dedication to youth exploring art in all its forms. Initiatives like Hit the Street, where students are able to showcase their work and

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talent in public, is something I’ve wanted to see for years and look forward to continuing to support these legacy projects. I really resonate with Marybeth’s path from educator to education leader and she has paved a beautiful path for me to continue this work. Former Executive Director Claudia Stelle is another powerhouse I really look up to. After 20 years she has steered Coyote into the success and expansion you see today. Her vision for Lake City is spot on, and I will be continuing that work to keep Coyote supporting our diverse communities.

Q: How do you see Coyote growing in the future?

A: Our first goal is to grow back to full capacity for both our Central and Lake City locations. North is still fairly new, which means a lot of more outreach to Lake City communities and building strong relationships with families in that area. Coyote was gifted with 3D printers and a laser cutter that we look forward to building out to offer more classes in STEAM and digital designing. We are looking at including new emerging artistic mediums like virtual reality, augmented reality and other cool mediums for our young artists to explore. I would love to get to a point where we have increased our presence in public schools and collaborate with other organizations to expand our offerings and the experience for our students.

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Editor: Jessica Keller, 206-461-1300 ext. 3 or MPTimes@pacificpublishingcompany.com

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McGilvra Elementary PTA hosting annual school fundraiser

e McGilvra Elementary Parent Teacher Association is hosting the McGilvra Annual Fund Drive through February. e annual fund drive is the major fundraising e ort that the PTA undertakes each year. Since tax dollars do not provide enough funds to fully cover the cost of educating the students, the money raised through the annual fundraiser provides critical dollars that supplement the educational experience for McGilvra students. McGilvra’s specialists, academic tutors

and art program are available because of the additional support provided by the PTA and through donations by parents and members of the community.

is year, the PTA is setting out to raise $200,000, which is the amount of the PTA’s current budget plus an additional 5 percent for in ation.

Residents who would like to lend their support should consider making a gi to the McGilvra Annual Fund Drive at www.tinyurl.com/ McGilvra2022-23.

Trailblazing condos prepare

e December 2022 news announcement: Some freeways may be useable following ‘the Big One’ per new modeling by University of Washington - OPB sounded reassuring.

But it’s not that simple.

e report addressed only one of the two major faults poised to cause major damage from a signi cant earthquake in our region.

e Cascadia

Subduction

communications; and organizing neighbors block by block so they will develop relationships and inspire each other to prepare for the earthquake disaster in our future.

By Margie Carter

Fault o the Paci c coast may not cause our Puget Sound bridges and roads to fully collapse as previously predicted, but the Seattle Fault that crosses just south of downtown is still expected to be very violent even though it will not last as many minutes. And so, the Seattle Fault’s abrupt upheaval will cause major damage to our urban infrastructure, economic and social fabric — including severe dam-age to major bridges and roads.

us, the work of the city and neighborhood emergency management teams continues full steam ahead, trying to get us all educated and prepared. Madison Park volunteer e orts in-clude improving an emergency communications hub in the park to exchange critical infor-mation and mutual aid, with periodic drills to practice; building up a radio team for emergency

Does your block or collection of 20-40 adjacent households have this work underway? You can start with existing relationships and draw on the city’s tools to develop your neighborhood “SNAP.”

Visit the extensive resource at: Seattle Neighborhoods Actively Prepare - Emergency Management | seattle.gov, or email us at MadParkHub@ gmail.com. We can share what we know and tell you about the other “non-emergency” bene ts that come from knowing your neighbors.

Condos, too, have been organizing their residents in emergency preparation.

Extensive work on this was initiated over a decade ago by Steve Chentow and members of Lakeside West Condos, resulting in an extensive manual for their building inspired by the Bay Vista Condo community in downtown Seattle.

Over the years Lakeside West has purchased an impressive list of emergency supplies, includ-ing medical and building supplies, to serve their community, as a whole.

Individual condo resi-dents can use the manual to educate themselves on securing the safety of their own unit, procuring needed emergency supplies for survival, and learning how to stay safe during an earth-quake. e manual assigns di erent roles to be assumed following a signi cantly damaging quake and outlines how injuries, re and utility management will be handled. e building holds periodic drills to practice and keep everyone current on how to respond with the protocols developed.

Inspired by this extensive work, residents of another Madison Park condo building, Lakeshore West, led by Ginny Miller and her building manager, began to develop their own plans begin-ning with the formation of an Emergency Preparedness and Response Committee with assigned roles of oor captains, an operations coordinator and committee chair. ey prepared a simple manual and distributed it to everyone in the building with a packet of curated infor-mation and checklists; included was a “Be Prepared” document from the city’s O ce of Emergency Management with a form to complete listing the most signi cant people they want con-tacted in case of emergency. A cover letter reassures residents: “Once the shaking stops or the lights go out, we’ll check in with all of our neighbors. We’ll make every e ort to assure you are OK, help as we can, take note of what you need, and help contact your family.” Within

their budget limitations

Lakeshore West purchased a small collection of supplies and storage cabi-nets for each oor captain to access.

ese two condo buildings report that one of their biggest challenges is getting individual resi-dents to do their own advance preparation and gathering of supplies. Toward that end, Lakeshore West held “show and tell” open-house socials hosted by each oor captain. Resi-dents could not only meet and greet each other with refreshments and conversations but ex-plore a collection of supplies residents had purchased for their emergency kits. is combination of getting to know each other and seeing rsthand di erent ways to assemble supplies and store them in

their condos was a terri c way to engage in emergency preparedness.

Our Madison Park volunteers have teamed up with the newly revitalized Madison Valley Emer-gency Preparation volunteers to support each other’s work. We are gathering a growing collection of useful documents and photos to support our individual and collective e orts.

If you would like to join our volunteer e orts or receive a one page “how to prep your home” with accompanying shopping list, please contact madparkhub@gmail.com. When you become an active volunteer, you have access to our Google Drive with extensive resources you can download.

Courtesy

Belonging

By Richard Carl Lehman Revisiting the Park

There was little chance of joining any social groups in the early ’40s since we traveled from one military base to another. Dad’s assignments were in Southern California, and often my classmates spoke only Spanish. According to Encyclopedia of the Great Plains, many were Okies escaping from the hard-hit “drought-ravaged corners of Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico but especially the impoverished parts of Oklahoma (the origin of one fifth of Okies), Texas, Arkansas, and Missouri.”

All that changed when I became a student at J. J. McGilvra’s Elementary School. Marbles were the thing then, and I played with the other boys around the big tree behind the original school. Marbles captivated both boys and girls who cheered for their favorite players. The girls had Storybook dolls, which were popular then. “Storybook dolls are tiny, from only 3 ½” to 7” in height. They were created by Nancy Ann Abbott and were first produced in painted bisque from 1936 to 1947, and from 1948 to the early 1960s in plastic. They were lavishly costumed in the best fabrics and trims.” — (Dec 2022, tribstar.com)

Our homeroom was where teachers checked our attendance and presented general information. We students had several of the same classes and became good friends, even doing homework together after school. That was my first real social experience exchanging thoughts and ideas. Once it was suggested we all drop our pencils at 2 p.m. sharp. Everyone laughed, including the teacher. Another time someone suggested a prank seen in an “Our Gang” cartoon.

It was really funny just hearing about it: Place a thumb tack on the teacher’s chair. The class was math located on the third floor, and the teacher was Miss Mehan, an elderly sort (of course, they all were

then). The stage was set, the tack was upright, and we awaited, stifling any giggles. Teacher enters the room, sits, becomes upright and stage right leaves the room. What? Quick! Someone cue the laughter! No more than a minute later, Miss Mehan reenters the room with Mr. Chichester grasping (gasp) Mr. Paddle! First, we were given a seminar on personal safety. Enough?

No. Girls were to clean the black board and erasers. Boys? Take the long walk from the third floor to the boiler room in the basement for an unforgettable swat. Afterwards, our group managed to maintain team spirit as we shared green rivers with six straws at Ken Lindley’s drug store (Medley).

There had been many changes to Madison Park during the war and the depression. In the early ’50s some cheap rentals were becoming available and were quickly filled by mostly young singles. Favorite hangouts were the Attic and the Red Onion (both making the top 10 in beer sales in the state).

Many social functions began to emerge like the Broadmoor golf events and

the tennis club tournaments, which had limited accessmembers only. Skiing clubs planned trips allowing for a large gang of us in a Volkswagen van and always leaving room for the keg. Sometimes a bus was chartered to accommodate.

The jet set club offered ski trips to remote areas via limousine and a private jet out of Boeing field. On the bar scene, even though we were all acquaintances if not friends, there was a bit of competition over the women. It was not good form to horn in on one who had already made a move on a person. Of course, if she had that flirtatious nature, then you could say it was her fault, but on other occasions, it was even time to take it outside. Then one ran the danger of others attempting a linking. Ahh, neighborhood etiquette. Seemed that rules were not set in stone.

The single scene was thriving in the ’60s and ’70s, not only in Madison Park but downtown at the 410, the 610, El Gaucho and Henry’s Off Broadway to name a few. The guys who frequented these places knew each other from

various scenarios and were a light-hearted group.

A friend introduced himself to a striking blonde in evening attire who was sitting at the bar at Henry’s. He bought her a drink and they toasted to a great chance meeting. She lit a cigarette and while staring into her eyes, he removed the cigarette and without breaking eye contact, smashed it out. She looked startled but there was little break in their conversation. Not exactly a smooth move, but it was his style. He made it known — he didn’t tolerate smoking.

Another night at Henry’s Mr. Charmer was totally engulfed with a very tall, attractive lady at the bar who seemed to be creating a distance from him. She proceeded to retrieve a jeweled cigarette case from her stylish handbag. In a flash, he took a lighter from her hand and lit the cigarette. I noticed he looked my way realizing all the group was watching this turn of events. We could not hold the laughter. Amazingly, he got her phone number and laughed letting us know we were rude, to which we toasted him.

We continually refined our group and would often

reserve the private room at Sundays restaurant on Queen Anne (now Metropolitan Market) for epicurean delights. In the summertime we would go berry picking at another friend’s strawberry farm and proceed to “over-fun” with barbequing and imbibing. Of course, all of these groups metamorphosed into the Gus Arno era.

Decades later, new groups met at Peters in the Park (now Starbucks) and Bings Bodacious Burgers, where there were very active bar crowds. In both places we met those of like minds for happy hours and good eats.

Tully’s Coffee (Home Street Bank) was number one for different political groups to gather and debate in a quiet ambience of carpeted floors and soft music. Starbucks has tried to take on that vibe albeit is much louder.

Madison Park Bakery has new owners, but Karen and Terry, who owned and managed it for 29 years, will surely be missed. We wish them good luck.

Madison Park as a neighborhood is unique in its ability to create a sense of belonging. We are thrilled to be a part of it. Happy New Year to all!

From tiny acorns grow …

“Ah, the mighty oak!”

I literally uttered these words aloud, strolling alone, on the north end of McGilvra Boulevard East. There it stood, nearing 100 feet in height, a perfect specimen of the pin oak (Quercus palustris). I have passed this tree hundreds of times. The difference was that it was leafless on that recent day. The structure, the stature, the power of the tree stood out in naked splendor. It was not unlike rounding the corner of the Accademia in Florence and looking down the hall to see Michelangelo’s David for the first time (a memorable moment that made my wife burst into tears). No hyperbole here, that oak on that day was equally moving to me.

Pin oak is, according to the American Nursery Association, the most widely planted shade and street tree in the United States. The genus it comes from is vast — over 500 species. The variations are many, from towering hardwood timber trees, picturesque broadleafed evergreens (often dripping with Spanish moss), to decorative shrubs. All are native to the Northern hemisphere; all produce acorns.

Pin oak is native to North America, covering a wide range from central North Carolina up to southern Ontario, out to western Kansas and northwestern Oklahoma. It is considered a valuable lumber tree, its strong wood famous for flooring and furniture. It’s perfectly suited for our climate and prefers acidic soil. With a mature spread of up to 40 feet, the tree needs space, but planted on the south or west side of a house it provides privacy, summer shade, and then defoliates to let in warming winter sunlight.

Around the world and throughout history, oaks have often been great supporting characters in the drama of life. A symbol of strength and stability, they are mentioned in Exodus, Ezekiel, Isaiah and in Genesis, where Abraham,

sitting under an oak, was greeted by God and two angels disguised as travelers, to whom he gave hospitality. Aristotle is translated as saying, “Each human being is bred with a unique set of potentials that yearn to be fulfilled as surely as the acorn yearns to become the oak.” Point being, here, that oaks have stood as symbols for the best in human nature. Who did not hear an elementary school teacher admonish, “You must be strong as an oak!”

In England, Druids believed that the oak tree is host to the strength and energy of their gods. To catch a falling oak leaf brought prosperity and good fortune. The Celtic for oak is “Duir,” from which came the world Druid. If myth is to be believed, Robin Hood’s merry band climbed oaks to wait in ambush for the Sheriff of Nottingham and his men. Sherwood Forest boasts English oaks that predate William the Conqueror (1066 AD). It was under an oak at Hatfield Palace in 1558 that Elizabeth I was told that she was queen upon the death of her half sister Mary. Shakespeare references oaks 36 times in plays.

In Irish mythology, the

consistently been used to articulate the strength and stability and the best virtues within each of us. Their nuts feed over 100 species of vertebrate wildlife. The limbs and cavities house birds and a host of other animals and insects. The leaves, bark and roots are home to innumerable organisms. Their roots stabilize soil, the foliage produces oxygen … the list, not uncommon to many natural things, goes on and on.

oak symbolizes truth, courage and wisdom. The oak is the national tree of Germany. Ancient Germanic tribes held their tribal councils under oak trees. Germania wears a crown of oak leaves, symbolizing heroism.

In America, St. Martinville, Louisiana’s Evangeline Oak is a tourist attraction. It was here that Evangeline and Gabriel reunited in Longfellow’s epic poem about the Arcadian Exile of 1755. The poem represented a momentous historic incident, and the pair of lovers are believed to be based on actual people who found each other under that oak. Near Bloomington, Illinois, Lincoln delivered several speeches between 1855 and 1860 standing under an oak. In 1976, that tree died but was replaced in 1980. The American philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson used the oak in metaphor, promoting the belief of mid-19th century Transcendentalism that there is inherent goodness in humankind and nature: “The creating of a thousand forests is in one acorn.”

To reiterate: Oaks figure into our culture and have

Raw acorns contain tannins, making them bitter tasting, if not dangerous to eat, but by leaching these nuts, the tannin can be extracted. The Miwok people, native to Northern California, foraged acorns as a substantial part of their diet. They were stored and eaten year around, most often ground up into flour with a stone mortar and pestle, then baked into bread in earthen ovens. A Miwok family consumed between 1,500 to 2,000 pounds of acorns each year.

Apropos of Emerson’s quote, oaks are extremely easy to propagate. Ask any squirrel. These critters collect the acorns, often burying them to eat later in winter. Often, the stored acorns go unearthed and sprout. If you want to start an oak from seed, put five or six acorns (seed caps removed) in a large pot of sterile soil, where foraging animals can’t get them. You may want to cover the top of the pot with chicken wire. Squirrels and birds are resourceful and, if they think food is there, they’ll dig into a garden container. By the spring following the autumn in which you gathered the acorns, you’ll be surprised by the number that sprout. Let them go for a year or two, then, in late February, when the seedlings are still dormant, transplant them into much larger pots or directly into the ground. Water the plants liberally for the first two or three summers, then turn the job over to nature.

Thirty years ago, my son and I planted an oak seedling at our house in the upper Skagit Valley. It was grown from an acorn picked up in Koblenz, Germany, under a

tree at the point of land where the Moselle River empties into the Rhine. That tree is now well over 20 feet tall and a living reminder of family adventures, steadfast values and love of nature.

Well, there I stood, on a cold winter day, looking up at the magnificent, leafless oak you see pictured. Enamored of that plant as a horticultural specimen, the sight also stirred my intellect. Why had the genus oak figured so prominently into so many cultures? Such moments always take me into the past and then, unexpectedly, propel me into thoughts of the future. So, here we are, the new year is upon us. ’Tis time to make a wish, methinks … something universal, something with the best of us in it, something oak-like.

OK, I wish that each of our readers would find an acorn to plant with a child. Tell the stories, the history, the myths, explain the gardening process. Watch, over the next couple of years, as the seedling gets up and going. Then go, together, and plant it in the ground. There’s much more to it than just another tree in a world in need of reforestation. You’ll be teaching gardening skills, cementing the notion that trees can be cultivated relatively easily, all in the process of sustaining nature. You’ll be instilling the message of strength, stability, farsightedness, all of which will root and flourish in the child’s mind as the years march on. There will be a living reminder of all that, scattering other acorns to collect, other trees to propagate. The benefits are innumerable. So it

goes: Great oaks from tiny acorns grow. Happy New Year!

Steve Lorton Tree Talk

Photo by Mary Henry

According to the American Nursery Association, pin oak is the most widely planted shade and street tree in the United States. It’s perfectly suited for our climate and prefers acidic soil. With a mature spread of up to 40 feet, the tree needs space, but planted on the south or west side of a house it provides privacy, summer shade, and then defoliates to let in warming winter sunlight.

A very good boy Local search dog receives national award

By Jessica Keller Madison Park

editor

When Lincoln, a 5-year-old flat-coated retriever, hears the bells on his orange King County Search Dogs vest jingle, he knows it is time to go to work.

Lincoln and owner/handler Jon Izant volunteer for the King County Search Dogs, a unit of King County Search & Rescue that supports the King County Sheriff’s Office in finding missing people.

Lincoln is certified in air-scent search and rescue, where he works off-lead to try and find a person by their scent. He is also cross-certified in human remains detection.

Through his work with KCSD, Lincoln successfully located two at-risk missing people with dementia in the last 18 months. Because of his success, the American Kennel Club Humane Fund awarded Lincoln with the 2022 Search & Rescue Award for Canine Excellence.

Each year, the AKC Humane Fund awards deserving dogs in five categories: deserving

dogs each year in five categories: uniformed service K-9; exemplary companion; therapy; service; and search and rescue.

“The stories of some of these other dogs and trainers are pretty amazing,” Izant said. “It’s humbling to be among such company.”

Izant said the award was an “absolute surprise” and is a tremendous honor. A Queen Anne woman who loves flat-coated retrievers heard about Lincoln and his work through KCSD and nominated him for the AKC award, Izant said.

Izant said it takes two to four years of training before a dog is ready to be certified in air scent search and rescue work. To be certified in Washington, Lincoln had to find two people in 40 acres of dense woods in two hours, Izant said. To receive federal certification, a dog has to find two people in 80 acres in two hours.

“I’ll say that, when you’re first starting, it’s impossible,” Izant said.

And despite Lincoln’s

success, most searches don’t result in a live find, Izant said.

“A search mission is not like everybody rushing out and looking for Easter eggs,” Izant said.

HOW A SEARCH WORKS

When Izant and Lincoln are called to help find a missing person, the searches are well coordinated and plotted out, with each search and rescue team assigned to a specific zone to look. Not finding someone is actually quite important, Izant said, because if a target area comes up empty, search coordinators can cross off that section and know to direct their attention to other areas.

On a search mission, Izant, Lincoln and a spotter head out into their zone, and Izant directs Lincoln to search. Lincoln will then run ahead 200 to 300 yards sniffing the area, trying to hit upon a scent. When Lincoln finds a person’s scent, he returns to Izant, hits a target hanging from Izant’s pocket and then shows Izant and the spotter where the subject is.

“We’ve had days where he has covered over 26 miles,” Izant said.

Following each training session or successful mission, regardless of whether Lincoln finds a missing person, Izant rewards Lincoln with a rousing game of fetch.

“He lives for the ball,” he said.

Izant and Lincoln have participated in 26 searches this year and 90 overall. When needed, KCSD will assist in searches outside King County through mutual aid, and Izant said he and Lincoln have gone everywhere from Pierce, Snohomish and Whatcom counties in western Washington, to Yakima on the eastern side of the state.

Each search is a little different, Izant said. A search that results in a live find is “amazing,” he said, and the feeling hard to describe.

“It’s when you’re in the car driving home when you realize ‘Oh my God, my little puppy just saved someone,’” Izant said.

PERFECT FOR SEARCHING

Izant said flat-coated retrievers make wonderful search and rescue dogs because they were originally bred to retrieve upland game, and their long coats are suitable for searching in brush. As well, they are friendly, intelligent and energetic, Izant said, and most have perfect temperaments for search and rescue work. They can be

stubborn and will get into trouble if they are not given regular mental and physical stimulation, he said.

“If they don’t get some sort of directed exercise regularly, they’ll make up their own, and you won’t like it,” Izant said.

To keep Lincoln in top form, Izant takes him for frequent hikes and regular training exercises with other KCSD members. Although Lincoln has two live-finds to his name, he is no more or less skilled than other dogs in the KCSD team, Izant said, adding many of Lincoln’s canine colleagues are equally deserving of being recognized.

“KCSD has a number of wonderful dogs and skilled handlers, so this award is really a tribute to the KCSD training program and the many regional colleagues who regularly share their expertise,” he said in an email.

With the Award for Canine Excellence, Lincoln will receive a medal and a year’s worth of free dog food. Izant and Lincoln will also be awarded $1,000, which Izant will donate to King County Search Dogs because it is an all-volunteer non-profit that depends on community support and donations.

“So, this donation is going to go help train new search dogs, so I’m very happy about that,” Izant said.

To learn more about King County Search Dogs, visit kcsearchdogs.org.

Times

Photo by Jessica Keller

Queen Anne resident Jon Izant secures a King County Search Dogs vest on his 5-year-old flat-coated retriever, Lincoln, for a quick training exercise last week. When Lincoln hears the bells on his harness jingle, he knows it is time to go to work doing air scent search and rescue work.

Photo by Jessica Keller

Lincoln, an energetic flat-coated retriever, runs back to owner/handler Jon Izant after completing a training exercise recently in Queen Anne. Lincoln was awarded the American Kennel Club Humane Fund 2022 Search & Rescue Award for Canine Excellence after he successfully found two people on searches in the last 18 months.

Local advocates launch Summit community Center in Capitol Hill

By Jessica Keller Madison Park Times editor

When Morgan Brewer and Luke Sarantinos saw each other at the Magnolia Starbucks recently, it was like no time had passed at all since they were last together.

e pair became friends when they participated on the same Special Olympics Washington track team years ago, Erin Brewer, Morgan’s mom, said. When recreational opportunities for the two ended, they lost contact, even though they live in the same Seattle community. While unfortunate, Erin Brewer said this isn’t unusual for young adults in the intellectual or developmentally disabled community.

at is something, however, that Brewer, other parents like her and advocates are changing with the creation of Summit Community Center.

Brewer is the co-founder and co-board president of the SCC, an educational and recreational center and resource for members of the intellectually or developmentally disabled community or people considered neurodivergent and their families.

While some programs have already begun, the center will open Jan. 30.

It will initially serve young adults ages 18 to 29, in their transitional years, but Brewer said the age range will likely expand as membership numbers grow and members age out.

“It’s meant to be a lifelong center,” Brewer added.

FILLING IN THE GAPS

Brewer said one of the reasons behind creating the center is to ll a critical need, stating that

young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are “a chronically marginalized population.”

She said existing programs mostly serve children in kindergarten through 12th grade, but a er that, services drop o and all but disappear when they turn 21 and must leave the K-12 educational system.

“ ere’s no one to help you navigate the system,” she said.

For Morgan and Luke, Summit Community Center will provide a place to renew old friendships and make new ones while taking classes and participating in recreational activities.

“ e community feels like it’s coming back together,” Brewer said.

Sarantinos said having a place such as Summit Community Center to visit is important for her son because he no longer has siblings in the house to interact with on a daily basis or anyone his age whom he sees regularly.

“ is is a social outlet,” Brewer agreed. “ ey need peer-to-peer interaction.”

As well, Sarantinos points out that some parents don’t have the resources and the connections to provide that interaction or stimulation for their children when they reach a certain age, which is disappointing.

“When Erin told me about Summit, I was just so grateful to have found out about this because it can be an isolative life,” Sarantinos said.

Brewer said she is excited for construction to conclude at the center (at 1830 Broadway), which is in the Capitol Hill neighborhood next to Cal Anderson Park. Not only does the building provide ample space for center activities, it is in a centralized location and close to

light rail and bus services, Brewer said.

e building is 6,800 square feet, with a 2,400-square-foot outdoor area. Once complete, it will include a recreation area, an art/creative room, community/ lounge area, gaming room, professional kitchen, technology room, study/sensory room, lockers and administrative o ces. Programming will be built around four areas: education, recreation, community and growth.

“We want to create a place where [members] create community and they are wellintegrated into the broader community, that they’re seen in the community,” Brewer said, adding the center will serve people with all abilities and focuses on strength and growth.

Initially, organizers envision the community center o ering di erent educational and recreational classes and clubs geared toward skills and interests such as music, art and technology, but they would like for it to eventually include revenue- and job-generating opportunities, such as businesses.

“What’s beautiful is from growing it from the ground up, we’re going to evolve and grow,” Brewer said.

NATHAN NAMED DIRECTOR

To ensure the center’s success in its launch, the SCC board hired Alisha Nathan, formerly the head of the high school and transition services at the Academy for Precision Learning in Seattle, to serve as the SCC’s executive director. Brewer said Nathan is a licensed social worker and “a passionate advocate for the IDD community.”

Advocacy is central to the center’s purpose because many families with members who are neurodivergent are not able to advocate for themselves, especially when their children transition out of high school.

“ e information isn’t out there for people to capture,” Brewer said. “ ere’s a large part of the community who don’t have anyone to advocate for them.”

Along with Nathan, the center will have a social worker/ case manager, a program and volunteer coordinator fundraiser, a director of philanthropy and billing administrator. e sta to member ratio will be approximately four to one, with many of the sta members working part time and in the same age range as the members.

A lot of work has gone into opening SCC, Brewer said, and it would not have been possible without help and funding

through partners such as the Special Olympics Washington, the University of Washington, Seattle eatre Group, Outdoors for All and private donors. e SCC was recently awarded a $151,500 grant from Pitch Your Peers Seattle, an organization founded to engage women in local philanthropy and to collectively fund grants to nonpro t initiatives that serve King County, according to a news release.

Partnerships and fundraising will continue to be a critical component to SCC’s success and sustainability, along with membership fees and private donations. Currently, SCC has 55 members, and Brewer expects that to grow to 100 by the end of 2023.

“To me, this is all about home and growth and success,” Brewer said. “It’s all strength-based.”

To learn more about Summit Community Center or to donate, visit summitcommunitycenter.org.

Photo by Jessica Keller

Friends Morgan Brewer and Luke Sarantinos hug after seeing each other for the rst time in a while at Starbucks in Magnolia. When it opens Jan. 30, Summit Community Center in Capitol Hill will give neurodivergent young adults like Morgan and Luke a place to hang out, take classes, join clubs and renew old friendships and make new ones.

A Strong Foundation

In 2022, Windermere agents and offices in Seattle raised a record amount for a record number of local nonprofits. Distributed through the Windermere Foundation, these donations were focused on supporting low-income and homeless families throughout the city.

During our 50th anniversary year, Windermere’s entire network achieved our “50 in 50” goal of reaching $50 million in total donations. According to Christine Wood, executive director of the Windermere Foundation, this level of giving back “is more than a number; it’s a landmark achievement that represents our coming together to make a difference for our neighbors.”

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We thank our Madison Park and Seattle neighbors for supporting the Windermere Foundation through the years. We wish you a New Year brimming with opportunity, community and collective generosity.

All in, for our community.

Looking back at the Italian festival

My good acquaintance

Dennis invited me to sign copies of my books at our Italian Festal, and I was thrilled. The invitation gets better: “I can’t find another Italian author this year. People are still hesitant about crowds. You can have the table yourself.”

Well, an invitation like that doesn’t come along all that often. Not because I don’t want to sign copies at festivals, it’s that booth fees are generally too high.

Now, at a festival celebrating all things Italian — and by “all things” I mean what 99 percent of the people come for: the food (oh, the food!) — if I were selling gelato or cannoli, well then, yes, I could afford the booth fee. I could afford the moon.

Here in the Northwest, a lateSeptember open-air festival is so needed because everyone knows the warm weather will go by fast, faster when you haven’t even been to a festival in two years. So, what I did is accept the invitation, of course, and proceed to ask (hope, long) for a fee I could afford. I figured the best thing for me to do would be to show up and be willing to navigate how to interact in the current state of COVID-fear. And since people’s fear-levels are poles apart, I mean that in about a hundred different ways.

My first no-sale of the day was a man

who picked up my latest book and read the cover. I tried to summarize what the book is about, which is always hard to do, for others, for myself. He nodded but I could tell from his eyes that I’d lost him. You usually do, going on about your book. The key is finding balance between explanation and too much. You want to say enough to make the book appealing but leave room for imagination. He turned my book over to read the back. He read the cover again. He read the spine. Then he lowered his mask and took about 20 minutes telling me about his own writing. He told me about his grown children. He was talking only to talk. But this is normal. Loneliness does that. The world is full of lonely people. If I even begin to imagine how many, I could cry. Finally, I say, “Is it possible that you really want to buy yourself a new book you seem interested in?”

It was not.

He walked away shaking his head. But not in a simple “I can’t buy your book,” way. It felt more like the sort of headshake that might be given to the rest of the population by, say, a ruling colonizer temporarily residing among the natives of a small Pacific island. I thought the whole encounter was funny, but not funny laugh-out-loud, ha-haha-ha-ha. I had hours and hours to go.

And a wish that I could wave a wand and make the whole weekend pass quickly.

And then.

A teacher looked through my new children’s book and said, “I’ll take five of these.” Oh, those words. Those generous words. My confidence soared. I can’t help it, I thought, I love this. I love selling my books. You’d think I’d love the whole new world of internet connection, but for me, the best experience is all about meeting my readers.

Things were starting to look up.

I’ve been selling my creativity my entire life. I know you must be thinking, really, your entire life? But I have. Since year four. You can’t be a live salesperson in this digital age without a lot of experience. Painted rocks. Popsicles with pansies frozen within, edible art long before its time. Handmade puppets, clutches, notecards. Drumming up business. Scared to death, but excited. Alive.

A well-dressed man (shirt, tie, leather shoes, dress pants made of whatever it is that fabric with a sheen is made of these days, and a fit physique that made me think, perfetto, even though I think part of his black, black hair was possibly not his own), chided me a little when I couldn’t answer his question in Italian. In this city, I often feel like I am too Italian compared to the general population. But today, he is not the first person who has made me feel like I am not Italian enough. I thought, what he thinks, he will think, whether I worry about it or not. Which is exactly how I feel about a few of my own Italian

relatives back east.

Readers, this is why I now live on this coast.

Still gliding on the confidence that makes for easier everything — the feeling that I can do whatever I’m doing right — I was reminded that festivals are about getting out of the pitiful, small world of our phone, our laptop, our head. They are about meeting people under a remarkably clear, smoke-free, deep blue sky.

Hard to think it was the same sky that pours down so much rain today, but this is good. I spend more hours writing about moments where my routine collides with the unexpected — in a good way.

On Sunday, I was out of books (out of books!), so I packed up a little early, and on my way out the door, I turned back to see Dennis watching the band. He’d just pulled off Seattle’s 30th festival with knack and finesse. And a smile. I wished I could’ve stayed and danced some more, but I had to go, and I didn’t want to bother Dennis, not even with a personal “ciao e grazie di tutto,” which can take a lot of oomph, good oomph, but still oomph, so I’m saying it here.

Mary Lou Sanelli’s latest collection of essays, “Every Little Thing,” was nominated for a 2022 Washington State Book Award. Her children’s book, “Bella Likes To Try,” was recently released. She also works as a master dance teacher and choreographer, (marylousanelli.com)

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WISHING YOU AND YOURS GOOD HEALTH AND MUCH HAPPINESS IN 2023! Happy New Year! $1,150,000 BETH TOOMEY Broker, Global Luxury Director C. 206.949.6325 | O. 206.283.5200 beth.toomey@cbrealty.com bethtoomeyhomes.com 1200 Westlake Avenue N, Suite 406 Seattle, WA 98109

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Member | Managing Broker Senior Global Real Estate Advisor 206.399.5842 | Laura.Halliday@rsir.com Photoshoot for Upcoming James Bond Movie at Nine Palms!

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1625 Federal Avenue East The lore of an Edwin Ivy legacy home majestically sited on five city lots. Lovely formals and detailing and most importantly, this home lives for today with a fantastic floor plan, incredible amenities, and a killer indoor-outdoor flow. PROVEN RESULTS A CONTINUED LEGACY Realogics Sotheby's International Realty ranks amongst the largest, most productive, and fastest-growing real estate companies in Washington with access to 25,000 brokers in 79 countries and territories generating global sales of $204 billion annually. MY JANUARY PICK Had to share this photo of myself and my darling grandson Mason (Pippa to him). Look for a future photo of my granddaughter, Eva, who is equally adorable! LauraHalliday.com

Mansfield

Ode to the moon — healing in darkness

“You do not have to sit outside in the dark. If, however, you want to look at the stars, you will nd that darkness is necessary. But the stars neither require nor demand it.” — Annie Dillard)

Seattle’s winter bathes us in nearly 16 hours of darkness and eight hours of light daily. During this time, the moon and stars reign. From a Chinese medicine perspective, winter is the season of yin energy, embodied in all things uid, feminine, cooling, heavy, moist, dark, deep and still. It is a time for introspection with a focus on self-care, healing and wellness.

By Annie Lindberg e Point

socks, pull on cozy boots and slippers and consider warm foot baths. Not only are foot baths delectable, but they preferentially direct heat to and improve circulation of the lower extremities, also. e practice calms the mind, preparing you to relax into a deep, nourishing slumber. Furthermore, Chinese medical theory links chronically cold feet with poor digestion as well as deeply rooted fears and anxieties. Regularly nourishing your cold feet with warm baths often yields positive shifts in digestive health. e practice can also play a role in easing fears, fostering the courage needed to deal with them.

body, top to toes, allowing the oil to fully absorb. Massage your arms, legs, ngers and toes with long strokes, and your joints (shoulders, elbows, wrists, knuckles, hips, knees, ankles) with circles. en wrap up in a robe and allow the herbal oils to soak in for 20 minutes before showering o .

As creatures of the earth, darkness nourishes us as much as does light. We need both. It is impossible for one to exist without the other, as how would we recognize the light of the stars without the night sky for sweet contrast?

ere are myriad ways to embrace introspection and wellness during the cold, dark winter, so as to warm and nourish the body and the spirit.  Warm foot baths, selfabhyanga, moon-gazing and warm yoga, when practiced with presence, are forms of healing meditation all on their own.

Warm foot baths. Chinese medicine advocates that maintaining warm feet in the winter greatly supports health, particularly if your feet are chronically colder than the rest of you. Don wool

Self-Abhyanga. Abhyanga refers to an oil massage infused with healing herbs. It is a modality rooted in Ayurveda (the traditional healing system of India). In Northwest winters I prefer to use Vata oil from Banyan Botanicals as it is gently warming, deeply moisturizing and grounding to the nervous system. If you’re interested in an herbal oil to balance your speci c mind and body constitution, consult a quali ed herbalist near you! Or you could indulge in a self-massage with a neutral (non-herbal-infused) oil such as jojoba oil. I recommend gently warming the oil. Begin the self-massage at your scalp. Massage all parts of your crown with your ngertips. en massage your entire

Moon gazing. In the winter, the moon shines in clear skies by late afternoon or early evening, sharing her light and enabling us to connect with her daily. Moon gazing reminds us of our connection with the universe and with nature, helping us bring our concerns into perspective. As you gaze, your breath tends to slow and your parasympathetic nervous system engages, prompting a sense of calm, facilitating digestion, healing and intuitive knowing. On my walks home from work, and on my evening walks with my pup, I make a practice of stopping to connect with the moon, observing her and her re ection on the lake. Crescent, to quarter, to full, we can both appreciate her subtle shifts and feel held in her nightly presence; even when obscured by clouds, some of her light often shines through. Explore nightly moon gazing before returning home to darkness, allowing the moon, and perhaps some candlelight to be the last luminescence you see before bed. Observe how you sleep and how you feel when you wake.

Warm yoga. In the depths of winter, it is particularly important to balance the cold environment with movement that warms and invigorates the body. Many movement practices accomplish this, and warm yoga is one of my favorites. e yang of vinyasa practice (a dynamic ow linking yoga

asanas and breath) enables us to better savor the yin of shavasana (rest pose) at the end of practice. It also enables us to delight in and be at peace with the yin (dark, cold, still) of the season. Lately I’ve been appreciating Sol Yoga in Leschi for its gentle warmth and candle-lit ambiance — a cocoon of a space in the winter darkness that invokes a meditative presence. e warm environment enhances circulation to the muscles and extremities, preparing them for safer mobility. e key is balance and gentle warmth. If the space is too hot, or your practice too exertional, excessive sweating may leave you feeling depleted. It’s helpful to begin with a gentler class, and it’s important to listen to your body.

Essayist and poet Annie Dillard, reminds us of the necessity and allure of winter, re ecting: “ e dark night into which the year was plunging was not a sleep but an awakening, a new and necessary austerity, the sparer climate for which I longed. e shed trees were brittle and still, the creek light and cold, and my spirit holding its breath.” Our souls yearn for darkness as much as light, and it is from this darkness and cold that we can shed what is no longer needed, easing ourselves into the promise and newness of spring.

Annie Lindberg is a licensed practitioner and the owner of e Point Acupuncture and Ayurveda in Madison Park.

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A winter holiday refresh for the garden, the easy way

I’m all about e ciency, which is a kinder way of saying I like to avoid extra work, from my hairstyle and clothes to the garden. I adore coming home to a colorful entryway lled with seasonal color but am less excited about overhauling thickly planted containers every four months. Here are some of my favorite workarounds for sprucing up containers and the landscape this time of year. at’s a funny word, “workarounds”; shouldn’t it be “work-skips”? Either way, it’s about editing away unnecessary e ort, which, as the winter holidays approach, is something many can appreciate.

In the garden, if you have already incorporated plants with winter interest liberally in your plantings, you are 90 percent there.

Conifers, plants with lovely bark or winter owers or berries, or perennials like heuchera that retain their color and leaves, all contribute to the winter landscape. If you have not, you can still create a lush look without digging into frosty ground. A previous column (“Early bloomers and evergreens hasten spring” at queenannenews.com) suggests plants to add excitement in winter and early spring.

Probably the easiest one is to nd colorful twigs such as yellowand red-twig dogwood (shrubby cornus species C. alba and C. sericea), often sold at nurseries and orists this time of year. ese are the easiest hack of all — without any care they will look as great in February as they do right now.

It might feel a little silly, but stick them into the ground as they would grow, in a vase shape, wherever you need color or height. In the yard it may take a couple of armfuls to make a real impact. In a container, a handful of three to ve should do. Remember to clean these up next spring because in the right conditions they just might root if

An easy way to spruce up a garden for the winter is to nd colorful twigs such as yellow- and red-twig dogwood, often sold at nurseries and orists this time of year. Stick them into the ground as they would grow, in a vase shape, wherever you need color or height.

they were freshly cut.

Another cheat is to lay conifer branches as a blanket or skirt underneath if your garden is lacking evergreen presence. As a bonus, these will act as an insulating mulch if we get an extra dose of frosts. ese can also be bought, or you may nd fallen branches along wooded trails in places like Discovery, Woodland or Golden Gardens parks. Birch logs and twigs are another popular décor accessory in winter for containers, the landscape or indoors in the replace or a vase. Please do not trim trees in the park or your neighbors’ yard (as a certain uncle of mine used to do).

ere is still time to plant spring- owering bulbs through December; if you can nd them at nurseries or online, they may be on sale. For optimum sloth, buy potted bulbs in spring — at a higher price.

For container plantings, the same rules apply. I have two main kinds of containers. In the longstanding — read “heavy” — ones, I’ll plant a majority of plants with fun, evergreen foliage and tough constitutions, with one or two seasonal accents. Heucheras, hellebores, sedges and lavender are some favorite permanent elements. is time of year, the accents are small, inexpensive annuals like pansies, violas, ornamental kale.

Let’s take a moment to appreciate violas. ey may be tiny, with blooms about the size of your thumbnail, but they are strong! A snow can atten them, and they’ll burst right back with new owers when the sun comes out. Many have a delightful, soft, sweet fragrance, and the cornuta types are edible to adorn salads, cakes or ice cubes. (You might

want to ask the nursery if those have been grown organically). ey are easy to pop out with a ick of the wrist in four months or so when they are past their prime, when I’ll switch to primroses, fresh pansies or violas, or potted spring bulbs. is happens anywhere from two to three times a year depending on my bandwidth and tolerance for the way the containers look.

e second type of container is an outgrowth of my strong plant collector tendencies. As I fall in love over and over with plants at their seasonal gorgeousness, the number of pots of chrysanthemums, dahlias, ranunculus and more expands. ese plants take up space while looking awful or disappearing in the o -season.

e way I’m handling this is to pop them stage left out of sight (literally around a corner or in the side yard between our house and the neighbors’). ere will come a time of maximum density when this strategy needs to be, uh, reconsidered, but we’re not quite there yet.

Another way I abet my inner plant collector is by having themed seasonal pots. Not usually a pink person, I fell for a pink ranunculus last year, and then was gifted some potted pink tulips, and voila — the pink pot was born. In summer, I added a pink perennial geum, “Tempo Rose,” which bloomed from June through October in a partially shaded corner of my patio. us, I have repositories waiting when impulsive acquisitions occur.

tips should buy you a little more ease in your winter season and more time to enjoy your friends, family or just putting your feet up under a cozy blanket.

Browne Grivas Get Growing

Photo by Erica Browne Grivas