A weekday hike

from The Comet - May 2021

by The Comet

sex toy patents

by nick carlo

It is a beautiful summer’s day in the lovely foothills of the Cascade Mountains. I step onto the trail, like so many times before. The clay dust, mixed with the pollen of the season, wafts up to greet my nose with a sneeze pushed on by the sudden warmth of the Sun. The sky is clear but for a few streamers of cirrus clouds that streak across the stratos. I start the climb.

Near my ankles, tufts of yarrow line my path. I ask if I may take a nibble: a bitter astringency. A dynamic herb, with variable actions, yarrow has long been a staple of the indigenous medicine cabinet. The energy of yarrow is generally considered to be one of boundary protection. As such one of the herb’s primary uses is a topical application to external wounds. However, if ingested it also helps to stem cases of internal bleeding. Additionally, it is frequently taken in cases of fever as it is a natural antiseptic and analgesic.

As I move along, with the feeling of protection from my furry friend, I notice a strange variety of ball head water-leaf, a tasty green, akin to spinach if boiled down well enough. Am I welcome to harvest? I listen for a response. It’s hard to tell. Perhaps another day. Vetches seem to slither across the sloped earth, tasting the air with a fl ick of their petaled tongue.

I make my way up the hillside, the ponderosa and lodgepole pines become ever more sparse, making way for the gnarled twists of juniper and sagebrush. Great spurts of spurge show off the full potential of water effi cient succulents in this fairly arid terrain.

Even at this height, the Arrowleaf Balsamroot fl ourishes its bright sunfl owers across the hillside. Between the bunches of spear-like leaves, varieties of Biscuitroot intersperse themselves across the ecosystem. The Balsam and Biscuitroots too have a rich history of indigious usage. The roots can be dried, cooked and ground down into a type of fl our that would last through the winter when other botanical foodstuff s can become scarce. Additionally these roots have strong antiviral properties, making them a survivalist staple in this near desert landscape.

As I near the end of my hike, my eyes turn to the airy expanse rising around me. Pairs of crows catch updraughts along the hillside in a way that makes me think that even crows, as urban as they are, still enjoy playing in the freedom of the open sky. Higher up however, adolescent bald eagles, still donning their speckled brown plumage, proudly glide, keeping watch over the valley.

At this point the full experience of this valley hillside is open to me. The wind is strong up at this height. A lone ponderosa stands tall. The running slopes are watercolored with lupines each a diff erent color than the last. The hill sways in an ethereal mist of fl oral blues and violets, punctuated by the bright starry yellows of the Arrowleaf resonating, storing, and refl ecting the fl ood of Solar energy, raining down upon the valley. A small town sits, down and embanked on the snowmelt-swollen river, like the rocky center of an ancient lake bed. All around it, as if marking out the formerly submerged nutrient rich soil, acres and acres of fruit trees now fl ood the valley.

To the north, mysterious rock formations jut ominously out of the hillside and beyond them the high peaks of the cascades look down on my perch, their icy caps shimmering as they slowly melt into the waters sparkling just a short hike down the hill. C

8 questions: katlyn hubner & Rich Stevens

by ron evans

“Served Hot” is coming to Wenatchee for a First Friday opening at Collapse Contemporary Art Gallery. Born from a mutual fascination with the sensuality so often attached to gleaming plastic facades, “Served Hot” is the premier collaborative exhibition of Seattle based artists Katlyn Hubner and Rich Stevens. Employing Barbie dolls as surrogates for humans, Hubner’s work explores archetypal relationships and the ties that bind with vibrant pop colors that demand their audience’s attention. Harnessing and innovating processes and mediums; Stevens creates a vast range of sparkling consumer-ready art products that defy their handmade origins. Hot colors, hot eats, and hot situations await all visitors. We asked both of the artists 8 Questions.

Katlyn Hubner

Favorite Artist: Jenny Saville Favorite Band: St. Vincent Favorite Movie: Mandy Favorite Book: a man’s search for meaning by viktor frankl Favorite Quote: “buy the ticket, take the ride.” hunter s. Thompson Your Dream Collaborator: can’t really say I have one since I seem to not paint well with others but there are many people I’d like to hang in their studio with and see their ways One Item You Can’t Live Without: ranch dressing. Hidden valley to be exact. there is no other ranch Favorite Destination: being under water PHOTO BY by PJ Reptilehouse

Rich stevens

favorite artist: Caravaggio favorite band: Van halen favorite movie: Brain Candy favorite book: the Doors of Perception by Aldous huxley favorite quote: “An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way.” Charles Bukowski dream collaborator: Michael Reeder (reederone) item you can’t live without: glasses favorite destination: Aberdeen, Scotland