Health & Home 03/01/2024

Room to Share

Time to Bloom!

BY ANNE McGREGOR

NEmail Health & Home Editor Anne McGregor at annem@inlander.com.

The conversation continues on the Inlander Facebook page, and stay in touch with us at Inlander.com/Health&Home.

DON HAMILTON PHOTO

ot long ago, the Surgeon General informed us that we are in the midst of another epidemic. This time, however, our health woes are not the result of a virus. Turns out an alarming number of us have the blues — sick with the condition of loneliness and isolation. It’s hard to believe, but Dr. Vivek Murthy writes, “The mortality impact of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day — as detrimental as smoking cigarettes, being overweight and not getting enough exercise.”

That’s stunning. But the great news is that this is one health struggle that’s fun to fix.

While I thoroughly enjoyed touring and writing about the family home on Five Mile that’s featured in our Home lead (page 10), I was struck most not so much by the beautiful interiors as I was by the family’s motivation. “We built this to share,” the homeowner told me. What a great thought!

I’d suggest it may just be the perfect time to shake off winter — cancel those streaming services and use the extra time and cash to invite a friend or two over for dinner. We have a recipe for a great salad that everyone can share — even those with dietary restrictions (page 54). Or look into joining with others to lend a helping hand — check out the Volunteer Fair on page 40. Revel in spring’s promise with the crafty types at Spark’s Bloom Together event (page 8). Whatever you do, finding a few others to share it with is a delightful cure to an all-too-common condition.

Cheers!

CONTRIBUTORS

MADISON PEARSON is the Listings

Editor at the Inlander and also regularly covers topics ranging from local art shows to midcentury home preservation. Her free time is either spent with her nose deep in a book or perusing local art, so she’s thrilled to be writing about Tara Karr Roberts’ stunning debut novel Wild and Distant Seas (page 9) and Wes Jessup, the fearless leader of Spokane’s Museum of Arts and Culture (page 46).

SETH SOMMERFELD is the Inlander’s Music and Screen editor as well as the staff experiential guinea pig, previously sweating it out in hot yoga, getting slammed around pro wrestling rings, and dressing up as mascots for stories. In this issue of Health & Home, he’s left the safety of the ground to share the unique local workout worlds of parkour, indoor rock climbing, and aerial acrobatics (page 26).

SPOKANE • EASTERN WASHINGTON • NORTH IDAHO also at inlander.com/health&home

1227 W. Summit Parkway, Spokane, Wash. 99201

PHONE: 509-325-0634

HEALTH & HOME EDITOR

Anne McGregor

annem@inlander.com

HEALTH & HOME ART DIRECTOR

Ali Blackwood

INLANDER EDITOR

Nick Deshais

INLANDER ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Chey Scott

CONTRIBUTORS

Eliza Billingham, Leslie Douglas, Erick Doxey, Nickol Finch, Don Hamilton, Young Kwak, Will Maupin, Hannah Mumm, Madison Pearson, Summer Sandstrom, Seth Sommerfeld, Samantha Wohlfeil

ADVERTISING & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Skip Mitchell

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Carolyn Padgham, Kristi Gotzian, Autumn Potts, Claire Price

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Tracy Menasco, Stephanie Grinols, Meghan Fitzgerald

ADVERTISING OPERATIONS MANAGER

Tamara McGregor

ADVERTISING ASSISTANTS

Raja Bejjani, Colleen Bell-Craig

PRINT PRODUCTION MANAGER

Tom Stover

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Derrick King

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Leslie Douglas

CIRCULATION

Frank DeCaro, Travis Beck

BUSINESS MANAGER

Dee Ann Cook

CREDIT MANAGER

Kristin Wagner

PUBLISHER

Ted S. McGregor Jr.

GENERAL MANAGER

Jeremy McGregor

owned and has been published since 2004.

Etc.

SPRINGTIME DELIGHTS PG. 8

PRO

KICKS OFF PG. 9

Health

DEFYING GRAVITY PG. 26

EXOTIC PET ISSUES PG. 36

Home

ROOM TO SHARE PG. 10

NURTURING BY DESIGN PG. 22

BECOME AN ART COLLECTOR PG. 42

CHIPMUNK STYLE PG. 48

FILLED WITH CARE PG. 54

NEW RESTAURANTS PG. 60

THE MAC’S WES JESSUP PG. 64

may 4 - july 4, 2024

don’t miss a thing

EXPO LEGACY

ARTS & CULTURE

EXPO LEGACY

Springtime Delights

BY MADISON PEARSON

Dancing With The Stars: Live!

The world of dance is full of magic, complexity, diversity and wonder. Add some of your favorite celebrities into the mix and that world becomes even more interesting. Dancing with the Stars has been captivating audiences since its national TV debut in 2005, and now Spokanites will be able to experience it all live. Join host Julianne Hough, Season 32 fan favorite Harry Jowsey and other world-renowned dancers as they perform glittering new numbers and some familiar dances from the most recent season. Wed, March 13 from 7-9 pm, $40-$90, First Interstate Center for the Arts, firstinterstatecenter.org

Bloom Together

Nestled between retail spaces in Kendall Yards sits Spark Central, a nonprofit focused on igniting creativity, innovation and imagination. Spark Central hosts an immense amount of weekly programming, but on occasion holds one-off events like this all-ages, community-building gathering. Join folks from Art Salvage, Snapdragon Flowers and Page 42 Bookstore in celebrating the arrival of spring with DIY florals, butterflies and other craft projects. You know what they say: March winds and April showers bring May flowers! Enjoy the rainy season and anticipate those beautiful flowers that are soon to bloom. Tue, March 19 from 4-7 pm, free, Spark Central, spark-central.org

Spokane Volunteer Fair

March 1 marks the beginning of Women’s History Month. An entire month dedicated to the impact and contributions that women have made to contemporary society. It began in 1987 in Santa Rosa, California, and continues on in the Inland Northwest in 2024 through the Woman’s Club of Spokane’s volunteer fair. At this event, the public is invited to meet with over 20 local nonprofits that are on the hunt for volunteers. Eat a delicious lunch, learn about what’s going on in your community, meet the people working to keep Spokane a great place to live, and sign up to volunteer your time to organizations that need your help. Sat, March 23 from 11 am-4 pm, free, Woman’s Club of Spokane, thewomansclubofspokane.org

A Night with Jess Walter

Spokane has birthed quite a few celebrities and well-known figures in entertainment, but they’ve all fled for bigger cities and bigger things. Local author Jess Walter, despite finding success in the literary world, has continued to call Spokane home — and for that, we are thankful! Whether you’re a fan of Walter’s work or you’re just hearing about the author for the first time, this event that mixes storytelling with music is sure to please any audience. Join Walter as he reads selections from his works while the Spokane Symphony sets the backdrop to his storytelling with lush soundscapes. Fri, April 26 at 7:30 pm, $33-$88, The Fox Theater, foxtheaterspokane.org

Expo ’74: 50th Anniversary Opening Celebration

We love to celebrate here in Spokane, so you better believe the city is pulling out all the stops to commemorate 50 years since the World’s Fair. Expo ’74 was a celebration of things to come and included informational exhibits about the environment, cultural performances and much more, so it’s only fitting that the 50th anniversary celebration is kicked off in the same fashion. Gather under Riverfront Park’s Pavilion (a structure gifted to Spokane by the federal government for the World’s Fair) and watch live performances from arts, cultural, tribal and community organizations. There will also be speakers, lots of international cuisine to try and plenty of activities for attendees of all ages. Sat, May 4 from 3-9 pm, free, Pavilion at Riverfront, visitspokane.org

Call Her Evangeline

Call me Ishmael. The first line in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick has become distinctly and instantly recognizable since its publication in 1851. It’s a line composed of only three words, yet those three words had an immense impact on the literary world and on what comes in the novel’s 700 remaining pages.

In Chapter 15 of Melville’s magnum opus, readers meet an innkeeper on Nantucket named Mrs. Hussey who makes delicious chowder. She sticks around for a few chapters, causing a bit of commotion and acts as comedic relief until Ishmael and his friend Queequeg depart to continue on their voyage.

But what happened to Mrs. Hussey? Was she left to live a life dedicated to making chowder on Nantucket? Or did something greater await her and the women who came after her?

Moscow-based writer Tara Karr Roberts’ debut novel, WILD AND DISTANT SEAS, seeks to give

Mrs. Hussey more than just a few chapters worth of character-building with a magical twist that spans generations and continents while also exploring the power of a name.

The idea for Wild and Distant Seas came to Roberts (who’s also a regular columnist for the Inlander) while taking a class on 19th-century novels at the University of Idaho for her master’s in English.

“We were assigned Moby Dick, and I had never read it before,” Roberts says. “I was so pleasantly surprised by it though. I got very attached to this innkeeper and convinced my professor to let me write a short story instead of an essay for this one particular assignment.”

Throughout the book, readers are taken on magical journeys through time with the female descendants of Evangeline, the name Roberts gives to Mrs. Hussey, who has been without a first name since the publication of Moby Dick Roberts says she couldn’t have written Wild and Distant Seas without her own life experience of raising two children.

“I started writing this when my kids were in

kindergarten and third grade,” she says. “Now they’re in sixth and ninth grade. For me, having that experience of raising children — in all of its complexity — was absolutely necessary to writing this novel. I don’t think it’s necessary for every writer, but for me it was really essential, and I’m really proud of having explored that complexity of being a parent because it’s wonderful and it’s awful and everything in between.”

— MADISON PEARSON

Tara Roberts will read from Wild and Distant Seas, with Spokane author Sharma Shields leading the audience in a Q&A session, at the Central Library on Thursday, March 21, at 6 pm.

GOOOAAALLL!!!

Kick Off

Spokane steps into the bright lights when the world’s game comes to town this spring

BY WILL MAUPIN

rofessional soccer is coming to Spokane this spring when the SPOKANE VELOCITY takes the pitch for the first time at One Spokane Stadium. The home opener on Saturday, March 16, against the Richmond Kickers — one of the more storied professional clubs in American soccer — will be the first of at least 15 home games this season.

Competing in USL League One, Spokane Velocity will play on the third-tier of the U.S. soccer pyramid, below both Major League Soccer and the USL Championship. While that

makes them a “minor league” team in some sense, the Velocity are a fully independent and wholly professional organization. That is in contrast to Minor League Baseball teams, which are affiliated with big league clubs and act as a farm system for prospects.

In fact, the Velocity will have the opportunity to compete against the big boys above them on the pyramid in the annual U.S. Open Cup competition. The way head coach Leigh Veidman has been filling out his inaugural roster should put the team in a good position to do so in year one.

“A lot of coaches would bite your hand off to get this opportunity,” the 35-year-old Veidman said of his ability to help build the club from the ground up.

The roster so far includes multiple MLS veterans including some big names in defender Romain Métanire and midfielder Luis Gil, the latter of whom is a former U.S. Men’s National Team player.

Regular season tickets start at $20. Find schedule and ticket information at spokanevelocityfc.com.

Tara Roberts

Room to Share

A family home on Five Mile Prairie is built to welcome plenty of family and friends

BY ANNE McGREGOR

When Angela Dietzen was ready to build a house, she had one overriding concern: It needed to be a space to share. Not just with her own family of five (plus Finn the dog), but also with their large extended family. From toddlers to teens and adults of all ages, the home and outdoor areas should accommodate big, and often spur-of-the-moment, gatherings with ease.

“We oftentimes have family dinners and it’s 20 to 25 people easily. And so we wanted to have a house that was welcoming for that amount of people and it wasn’t going to feel cramped,” Angela says.

...continued on next page

In the Dietzen home, Angela was comfortable combining higher end items with more economical choices. The dining table is from Restoration Hardware, while the chairs are from Pottery Barn. The counter seating is from Target. “You know, if somebody writes with a Sharpie on it, I’m OK! I want people to feel comfortable and be able to live in this space,” says Angela. INSIDE SPOKANE PHOTO

Room to Share...

She and her husband, J.D., found a lot on the Five Mile Prairie not far from her husband’s parents’ home and set out designing a new house to meet the needs of the busy, large family. The thought of building a house while their three kids were young was a little daunting. “It was like, should we try to build this now?” Angela says. “But we really wanted to get it going before

“We really wanted to get it going before the kids are out of the house so that we can make memories”

the kids are out of the house so that we can make memories and instill a place where they can have friends and family.”

So the process got underway with Bridgit Wilson of Nook Interiors working on design and Rippy Homes in charge of construction.

J.D. and Angela Dietzen, along with their kids Mason, Addison, Paxton and the family dog, Finn LESLIE DOUGLAS PHOTO

LESLIE DOUGLAS PHOTO

Room to Share...

“Angela had a really clear idea of what she wanted, which was good because we had so many other things we had to design from scratch,” says Wilson, principal designer at Nook Interiors. “We went through

“We went through a lot of different iterations”

a lot of different iterations.” For example, designing the stairwell to the second story was a challenge in part due to the musthave vaulted ceiling in the living area and Angela’s request that the stairs not open out into the entryway.

INSIDE SPOKANE PHOTO

“There’s a lot of structural things that translate into, well, now what do we do aesthetically?” Wilson says. “There was a lot of that because this house is pretty structurally complex.”

Because Angela had a lot of design ideas to work from, Wilson says she was able to just give her parameters on some decisions –such as the basic specs for light fixtures – and let her run with it. “Normally clients don’t pick out lights. But with her it’s different. I gave her a punch list for every room with a guideline, like range of size, how many bulbs, what finishes are acceptable… She loves that, because then she’s like, ‘I’ll stand by these parameters, and I’m going to deep dive for a bazillion hours.’”

...continued on next page

The Dietzen home’s custom layout — in particular the stairs that open into the vaulted living room instead of the main entry — required ingenuity by designer Bridgit Wilson. INSIDE SPOKANE PHOTO

INSIDE SPOKANE PHOTO

Angela Dietzen, left, and designer Bridgit Wilson of Nook Interiors worked closely together on the home. Angela chose the light fixtures (above) based on specific parameters established by Wilson.

LESLIE DOUGLAS PHOTO

Room to Share...

The big open living space was a necessity to accommodate loads of family and friends. (New Year’s Eve featured a bunco party for 48.) But because family gatherings almost always involve sharing a meal, the kitchen and dining areas received perhaps the most attention during the design phase. Angela needed seating to accommodate about 20, which was accomplished with a large dining area and an expandable table.

The kitchen also needed to have room for lots of folks – whether they’re pitching in on set-up, going through the buffet line or taking part in postmeal KP duty. So Wilson designed the kitchen to include multiple workstations.

“It’s not just a pretty thing, it’s functional”

On one wall a stand-alone refrigerator and separate freezer flank a small counter with storage shelves above. The work triangle based here extends to a prep sink adjacent to a large butcher block, with a surface that’s already starting to develop a pleasant patina. “As you can tell, I use it every day,” Angela says. “I cut on it, I prepare food on it. It’s not just a pretty thing, it’s functional.”

...continued on page 18

The kitchen is ample in size, providing two work zones, complete with sinks and dishwashers, to facilitate feeding lots of people and easing cleanup afterward. Anglea likes to set up a buffet on the butcher block at the end of the island.

INSIDE SPOKANE PHOTOS

Helping home dreamers become homeowners.

BECU is made by (and for) members from right here in the PNW. So we understand the area like only a neighbor can. From flexible financing on the loan option that’s right for you to down payment assistance up to $8,000 for first-time homebuyers* — wherever your homeownership dreams take you, you’ll always have a helping hand.

becu.org/mortgage

Sources

BUILDER: Rippy Homes

DESIGNER: Nook Interiors

CABINETRY: PacNor West

LIGHTING: Revival Lighting

APPLIANCES: Fred’s Appliance

WINDOWS & DOORS: Pella

LANDSCAPE:

Northpointe Land Construction

SMART HOME AUTOMATION: Aspen Sound

INTERIOR FINISH WORK: Interior Wood Transformations

FURNITURE: Pottery Barn, Target, Ennis Furniture, McGee and Co, Restoration Hardware, Tin Roof

Big drawers keep baking dishes, kids snacks and water bottles organized and easy to access.

The water bottle filler is “the most used feature in the house,” says Angela. Meanwhile, Finn enjoys his own feeding station in the laundry room.

Room to Share...

The island too offers plenty of function – it conceals a dishwasher next to the prep sink, as well as a large warming drawer and loads of storage for oversized things like cookie sheets and baking pans.

For the back wall, Angela was inspired early on in the design process by a Studio McGee kitchen that featured a range centered in a wall with doors on either side. She and Wilson were able to customize the elements of that design, which ended up being an important factor in the floorplan. In the Dietzen version, the doors on either side of the range lead to a workout room on one side and to a bathroom – perfect for a post-workout shower – on the other.

Though Angela says the family’s everyday action mostly happens around the butcher block zone, the kitchen also has another work zone located on the far wall with a farm sink and dishwasher, key elements for the homeowners.

“When we have large gatherings, there’s two spots for cleaning,” Angela says. “So I can have eight people in the kitchen… it’s like, you rinse the dishes, or this (sink) is for pots and pans.” Not having to face stacks of dirty dishes alone after a big get-together is a real plus.

Tucked behind the kitchen is the butler’s pantry, which offers additional refrigerator and freezer storage, plus a countertop zone for small appliances. Big drawers store kids’ snacks, and there’s even a custom drawer for the ubiquitous water bottles that come with a houseful of young athletes. Angela is particularly fond of the built-in water bottle filler, perfect for kids and cousins who are thirsty from playing on the sport court out back.

“We’re just happy that somebody else can use it. We built this to share”

But it’s not just family coming over these days. “I just picked up pickleball last summer, and I have groups of people that I’ve just met playing,” Angela says. “So now I host multiple groups a week throughout the summer… We’re just happy that somebody else can use it. We built this to share.”

You know his art. Do you know his name? Thirty works you’ve never seen from Harold Balazs. Only at the MAC.

7.5” wide by 2.37” high

An Artist Blooms

Nicole Nutt paints — and sews — cheerful flowers to brighten your space

STORY AND PHOTOS BY ANNE McGREGOR

Flowers in all their ephemeral beauty are symbols of celebration and consolation. For Nicole Nutt, whose work consists of glorious blossoms that seem ready to break free from two dimensions, flowers represent healing.

Nutt first learned landscape painting in oils from her grandfather in a small fishing town in Alaska and then went on to get an art degree at BYU Idaho. About three years ago, she and her young family moved to Spokane, choosing a house near a wooded area.

“I had just left kind of a high-demand religion, and so it was just kind of a dark time,” she says. “I found that going through the woods, I would always look at the wildflowers, and it was just something that started bringing me joy, and I started to feel like myself again. So I thought, I’m just going to paint things that make me happy.”

She began creating detailed flowers and then had an inspiration: adding thread. “The embroidery was just kind of an experiment I did one day, and then I didn’t look back. I love the texture and the dimension it adds,” she says in her cozy studio in the basement of the family home.

Nutt first sketches and then paints blossoms using watercolor; like many frugal artists, she started out using leftover paper scraps

Nicole Nutt works in a small studio, surrounded by some of her finished pieces, as well as a large work-in-progress featuring giant roses.

for her portraits of the small blooms.

She now works in a variety of sizes, from small, lifelike and delicate single blooms to exuberant oversized roses.

Once the flowers are painted, she cuts them out and hand stitches them either onto watercolor paper or onto stretched and toned canvases.

Early on, she focused on small sweetly framed pieces composed of a single bloom. “I really like to have smaller pieces that make it more accessible,” she says, noting she’s conscious of price-points as a regular exhibitor at many local art shows. Recently she’s begun combining lots of blossoms into bigger collages, including a large work-in-progress featuring those bountiful roses.

Nicole Nutt will be at the 33 Artists Market Sat., April 20, from 11 am - 5 pm at the Wonder Building, 835 N. Post. The market runs monthly on the third Saturday of the month.

Nurturing by Design

Creating spaces that are good for their people and better for the earth

STORY BY ANNE McGREGOR • PHOTOS BY KAYLEEN MICHELLE

In a time when cost-pressures on home design are immense, Spokane designer Sarah McGovern of Milieu is working to help clients consider not just sustainable, but also restorative design ideas.

“Sustainable is the point where we cross the ‘do no evil sort of thing,’” she says. With restorative design, “Now we’re doing good. And it isn’t just good for people. It’s good for the environment.”

While sustainable design is considered better for the environment, restorative design is broader. It takes into consideration three pillars: the human element, in which design should be nurturing and supportive; the built environment, in which design should be enduring, pleasing and functional;

Natural light is supplemented by carefully chosen artificial lighting in the spa bath designed by Sarah McGovern of Spokane’s Milieu.

and the outer environment, in which design should produce a positive impact.

Clearly, those are lofty goals. And, when it comes time to evaluate the budget, sustainable design is expensive; restorative design is often even more expensive. So McGovern tries to keep those values in mind while living and working in a practical world.

For a recent spa bathroom, the clients requested a space that was multiuse, flexible for a family to enjoy over many years, and one that honored as many sustainable, restorative practices as the budget would permit.

The finished design incorporates several zones: a step-down jetted tub, a steam shower, a sink area, a toilet and a make-up vanity. As a restorative addition to the home, it offers space to relax and recharge as well as to get ready to go out into the world.

“The goal was to (for the family to) be able to use the spa bath at the same time,” McGovern says. “So each space in the area is designed to offer privacy. For the tub, there’s a sliding door, and the shower and the toilet room is each closed off. So you can technically have four people in ...continued on next page

Window Treatment

Windows are one place McGovern recommends doing the very best your budget permits. A high-quality window offers not only healthy and eco-friendly natural light but also is key to limiting heat loss and heat gain. She recommends choosing fiberglass windows over wood-clad or vinyl.

When the glass is next to a material with different expansion and contraction properties, the seal between the glass and the framing can fail, which generally requires replacing the whole window.

But “fiberglass is glass, so the frame and the glazing are the same material. The coefficient of expansion and contraction is the same,” says McGovern. That’s why fiberglass windows often outlast vinyl and even wood-clad options.

And if it’s time for a new look, McGovern says fiberglass can be painted.

— ANNE McGREGOR

The spa bath’s functional design features a soothing neutral palette that encourages relaxation and rejuvenation.

The step-down spa tub incorporates plumbing that’s designed to prevent problems with black sediment that plagued older versions of jetted tubs.

Nurturing by Design...

the bathroom at the same time.” But the doors to the toilet area and shower are also easily removable to allow future use of a wheelchair or walker, and to offer space for a caregiver to assist if needed.

The jetted tub can function as an indoor tub, or by sliding open a series of sliding doors to the Juliet balcony, offer the soothing outdoor ambiance of an outdoor hot tub. Hidden in the tub’s plumbing are key elements: self-drying, smooth-surface hoses. The hoses are designed to prevent a common complaint about older jetted tubs – the appearance of slimy black stuff in the water if the tub’s not used regularly, an issue that’s led many homeowners to rip out jetted tubs, a sad waste of resources. The step-down styling of the tub makes it easier to enter, while solar panels offer a sustainable heat source for the water.

Cork wallpaper uses a renewable resource, provides sound insulation, and adds an element of soft texture to the spa bath.

The shower includes two shower heads, four body sprays, a handheld shower and a steam emitter, all designed to promote relaxation and rejuvenation. “There’s a reclaimed teak bench that’s both a sustainable natural renewable material, but also universal design,” says McGovern, noting it also offers comfort. “When you’re in the steam you don’t want to just stand there, right? You want to relax.”

McGovern also notes the “quiet and natural color palette” with the reflective white walls contrasting with natural wood tones. The cedar on the walls and ceiling adds warmth to the space. It’s an engineered product, created by slicing very thin layers of the expensive clear cedar and applying it on less expensive, durable substrates. The white cork wallcovering adds texture and also offers sound absorption, and it’s created from a readily renewable resource.

Suffusing the space with natural light is important for mental well-being, but there’s also plenty of additional lighting. “We have multiple layers of artificial lighting that puts light where you need it in order to feel good about yourself,” McGovern says.

The Light Fantastic

Late afternoon sunlight is filtering into McGovern’s downtown Spokane studio as she explains one of the key human elements of restorative design: being in tune with the natural world. “We are designed to respond to nature. And nature has some pretty specific ways that it influences us,” she says.

One of the most important influences is natural light. “In the morning, it’s a certain color and angle. At noon, it’s much higher, direct and white light. And then in the evening, it’s a warmer light. Right? So natural light is the best for us – for our circadian rhythms, our sleep cycles, blood pressure, hormones, all of these things.”

Even if natural light isn’t available, McGovern says lighting that mimics natural light – adjusting throughout the day – is readily available. There are actually light bulbs that can “dim to warm,” recreating the golden glow of early morning and late afternoon sunshine. Why is that important? Simply using a dimmer to reduce power to a light may lower the light output, but not in an agreeable way. “All you’re getting is this dismal, depressing low light,” McGovern says. “Dim to warm” bulbs produce that soft warm glow that we intuitively associate with the beginning and end of the day.

Another element of artificial light is its color rendering index, or CRI.

“We want to mimic the full spectrum of light from the sun,” McGovern says. But often although the total output of a bulb may combine to create what’s termed “white light” or “warm light,” chunks of the spectrum may actually be missing. It may sound complex, but you instinctively respond to lighting with what McGovern terms “low color acuity” when you see it. “That’s when you go into the bathroom, and you’re like, ‘Oh my God why do I look so horrible or exhausted?’”

The CRI runs from 1 to 100, with 100 being optimal. Check the bulb’s box for info; McGovern says anything above 90 is considered good. And she says shopping for bulbs specifically labeled “flicker free” is well worth the effort.

— ANNE McGREGOR

A sliding wood slat screen creates privacy in the shower area when closed. When open, the shower is suffused with natural light and views of nature.

Defying gravity

From rock climbing to aerials to parkour, the Inland Northwest has plenty of alternative exercise options to get you airborne

BY SETH SOMMERFELD

HOT TAKE: I’m generally very pro-gravity. I like not having to constantly hold onto bolted down things for fear of drifting away like a party balloon. I enjoy setting my keys down on a table and not having to retrieve them from the ceiling with a butterfly net. I enjoy most all of those aspects of gravity that make life liveable.

That said, gravity certainly has its downsides. Falling down stairs? Not a fan! Fumbling your phone so that its crack-friendly screen hits the pavement? No thanks! And then there’s the fact that gravity makes me aware of my own often-increasing mass (Christmas candies aren’t kind to any of us).

But if you’re in the same boat as me on that last one, the Inland Northwest actually offers a bevy of atypical exercise gym options that will not only decrease your personal molecular density upon which gravity can exert its force, but also get you ascending through the air in defiance of the fundamental interaction of physics.

...continued on page 28

Heather Schmidt sustains an aerial pose at Coil Studio in Spokane. ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

INDOOR ROCK CLIMBING

While once a bastion of extreme outdoor adventurers, rock climbing has certainly become a much more mainstream athletic activity over the past few decades. It’s not uncommon now for kids to take a gym class field trip to an indoor climbing facility or for climbing walls to pop up at fairs and other community gatherings.

Since opening in 1995, Wild Walls in downtown Spokane has become a go-to spot for the Inland Northwest climbing community. It’s a one stop-shop for anyone interested in indoor climbing, offering top rope climbing (traditional climbing where one end of a rope is attached to a climber’s harness and the other end is managed — belayed — by a second person who’s there for safety and quick descent), auto belays (top rope climbing, but with an automatic rope system so climbers can go up solo), bouldering (shorter solo walls with no ropes but cushy mats to fall on) and lead climbing (where climbers attach their ropes to clips as they ascend). The top rope walls scrape the sky at around 40 feet, while the bouldering walls top out around 15 feet.

While I did some climbing in gym classes as a kid, it felt safest to take Wild Walls’ top rope-focused Vertical Introduction Class to get back into the swing of things. Much of the class’ focus is understandably on the safety basics: looping ropes the correct ways, belay technique, the verbal commands each person in a top rope duo calls out to ensure they’re on the same page. When the climbing finally began during the tail end of class, I could see how people get addicted to the feeling. Perhaps I’m too trusting, but — apparently unlike many newbies — I fully trusted my belayer buddy would catch me, allowing for fairly stress free ascents up the easier routes. Sure, more Wild Walls visits would build up my forearm, wrist and finger strength, but the thrill of the ascent was a blast. The more stressful times were actually those spent off the wall as the belayer, because it’s hard to keep up the pace of the rope-tightening process when your partner is speeding up an easy wall.

Our 21-year-old instructor, Kristyn Simpson, stressed that climbing builds not only one’s physical strength, but one’s community — as a lot of her closest friends have been made through Wild Walls. There are also psychological benefits that come with scaling heights.

“I think you start to build a little bit more confidence with yourself, and how far you’re willing to push yourself. If you reach a plateau, if you continue to go past that, you can grow a lot as a person — not just for the sport, but just for your own sake,” Simpson says. “I would say nobody is judging you as hard as you’re judging yourself on the walls. Everybody here wants you to succeed. Everybody started exactly where you have.”

Those seeking climbing action across the state line are in luck too, as Coeur Climbing Company opened its doors in July 2023. While Wild Walls focuses a bit more on ropes than bouldering, Coeur Climbing Co. is mostly bouldering-centric. The majority of the gym is devoted to 15-foot-high bouldering routes, with a few 23-foot rope routes sprinkled in. There’s also a QR

controlled advanced training wall — scan the code to light up one of 20,000 different paths — as well as an upstairs space with short walls for kids, a workout area, and a small yoga studio. Coeur CC also features a retail space that’s a much nicer dedicated spot than what most climbing gyms offer.

Owner Daniel Shaw has been climbing since he was a kid growing up in Arizona. He started working toward opening a climbing gym six years ago. He had a full plan and land purchased to build a multipurpose facility and was ready to break ground on it… in March 2020. After financial backers changed their minds due to COVID, Shaw pivoted and found the warehouse space that now houses Coeur CC in 2022. The Post Falls location is actually ideal for Shaw because it serves CDA climbers while also being closer for Spokane climbers.

While one might think that climbing shorter walls would be easier, bouldering was actually more of a physical challenge when I started ascending at Coeur CC. The lack of a rope to ease any fall really adds a mental burden that made me cling tighter to the holds in the walls. Sure, the ultra cushy pads below me offered a safe landing spot should I need to bail (Shaw says in the old days

CHRIS CELENTANO PHOTO

the bouldering gyms used pebbles as their falling surfaces, which… yikes), your body’s instinct is very much still don’t you dare fall. Routes are set up on a color-coded scale from easy v0 to hard v10, with Coeur CC being unique in rating in ranges rather than a single absolute number. While I was able to manage some of the lower level v0-v2 paths, my shoulders were getting pretty gassed after just over 30 minutes of climbing.

Shaw takes pride in the routes his staff sets up, with routes being taken down, cleaned and changed every week, so climbing at Coeur CC rarely gets stale.

“Our route-setters do a really good job making creative routes that entice people to sit under the same route for hours to try to figure it out. And so that’s kind of one of the things that people spend money on to come to climbing gyms,” Shaw says. “It’s a major part of the business. People can try, say, the purple route once, and they won’t get it. They won’t get it the second or third time, but then they’ll figure something out.”

There’s also a family focus at Coeur CC. The gym frequently hosts kids camps, youth teams, schools and homeschoolers, and birthday parties. And while memberships (weekly or monthly) and drop-ins constitute most of the business, Shaw prides his gym on having a daily family rate that can’t be beat, maxing out at around $50.

“A regular gym that has weights as cardio as that kind of stuff — for most people that go to those, it kinda feels like drudgery. You don’t see that in climbers,” Shaw says. “Climbers are excited to come every single time. And the workout is the benefit. They’re coming because it’s fun. They’re coming because it’s a challenge. They’re coming because it’s social. They’re coming because it makes them a stronger person. But the benefit is they’re getting a workout — a full body workout: your core muscles, arms, legs.”

Climbing boosts both physical strength and endurance and offers puzzling mental challenges at Coeur Climbing Company (above and left).

ANGUS MEREDITH PHOTO

Defying Gravity...

AeriAls

Whereas rock climbing is almost a brute force defiance of gravity, the aerial arts take a more aesthetically artistic approach to getting off the ground. An offshoot of circus acrobatics that would be familiar to anyone who’s seen a Cirque du Soleil show, aerials come in a variety of formats that all see their practitioners soaring through the air with grace and strength. Needless to say, it can be an intimidating mental barrier for newcomers.

But attending one aerial class at Coil Studio (inside the old Washington Cracker Co. building), will make that barrier to entry simply melt away, no matter what your body type.

“When you go to a professional show, like a Cirque du Soleil or any of those, you see the best of the best. And they tend to sort of self-select. And so you typically only see really thin, bendy female, young people doing aerial,” says Coil instructor Tracey Schoenrock. “And I really was intrigued and wanted to try it. And so I started looking at different Instagram accounts and whatnot and found that there are men who do it, there are larger-bodied people who do it, there are amputees who do it, there are blind people who do it — it’s across the spectrum. It’s much more approachable than what you typically see in media and general coverage. And so that was why I created the Aerial for Every Body class, as somebody who is living in a larger body and is perfectly OK with who I am. I wanted other people to know that they’re perfectly OK as they are as well, and that they can also come in try hard things and probably succeed more than they thought they could.”

When I saunter into Schoenrock’s Aerial for Every Body class, there are already silks dangling from the ceiling. For this practice there is a strong silk ribbon with each of its ends descending to the mat on the floor. Coil’s aerial rigs are set into the foundation of the building, so there’s no threat of jarring them loose regardless of your weight — an essential element since you need full trust that they’ll keep you aloft as you’re working the practice.

As I step onto the mat, I begin to learn ways to get myself off the ground with the two ends of the silk. I’m taught ways to wrap the fabric around my arms and legs to create bindings which keep me aloft. Before the class is even half over

Aerial workouts can employ silks suspended from the ceiling, like Erin Ribic and another student are using, or other equipment such as suspended steel hoops or a trapeze. ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

ERICK DOXEY

I’m finding myself back flipping and dangling upside down like a pretty-out-of-shape Spider-Man. (Coil is aware that its classes are Instagram-friendly, and have instructors and selfie stands so you can get that perfect pic.) Does my brain-to-limbs coordination max out a bit on some of the more advanced maneuvers? Sure. But one can hardly expect to have the full grace after a single class. I’m alright looking more like beached flailing fish than a noble majestic mermaid on Night 1.

While Coil first opened in July 2015, it’s only been under the ownership of Melissa Ardales since November 2018. A self-described “try-anything-once kind of person,” she first encountered aerials while living in Washington, D.C., back in 2012 and found it “super fun and really empowering.” She joined the Coil community after moving to Spokane in 2016, and while she had no intention of owning an aerial gym, she sort of got strongarmed into the role when the previous owner was looking to sell.

“ And that is the sAddest thing to me — just spending a life thinking, ‘oh, i cAn’t do things or i wish i could try this.’

“I kinda got voted in,” Ardales jokes. “[The Coil community] believed that I would be a good person to succeed [running things], and I really had to honor that vote of confidence. And so I talked with the owner, and, ultimately, here we are.”

While the class I am taking is focused on silks, Coil also offers classes based around lyra (a suspended steel hoop), sling (silks but attached in a way where it’s more of a hammock than two individual strands), trapeze (for advanced practitioners), aerial yoga (a great entry point for beginners), other yoga and belly dancing classes, and even child/parent and couples classes.

“If you ever want to see couples and how they communicate best, don’t go to a therapist — go to an aerial class,” Ardales says with a laugh.

Aerial definitely works different parts of both the body and mind. For newbies like myself, one must understand that some discomfort is part of the process — leaning your body weight into the silk binds isn’t always pleasant, but like any exercise it’s about how much you can push through minor discomfort while still stopping if you hit a pain threshold. For example, my weak feet arches weren’t a fan of foot binds, but flipping upside down was relatively easy (though my ribs were slightly bruised at the silk contact points for a few days following the class).

“Some of those benefits are the strength and cardio. Similar to yoga, it can be very good for the body because you’re just using your own bodyweight,” Ardales says. “It allows you to explore different parts of your body. It feels almost like childhood again — like playing on the monkey bars or playing in this fabric that’s very enveloping. And it’s really just empowering.”

“Everybody says, ‘Oh, I don’t have the upper-body strength to do aerial yet,’” Shoenrock adds. “And I’m like, ‘No, that’s how you build the upper-body strength. You come to aerial.’ So [it helps with] strength and stamina, a little bit of interval type cardio.”

Perhaps even above the physical, I found the mental aspects of aerial silks to be freeing. Even a yoga class can be trying on my mental health sometimes because there’s too much time for the mind to wander. But when on the silks, my focus had to be absolute as to not tumble awkwardly to the ground, which was actually a mental relief. Shoenrock feels the same way.

“I come in and for an hour that is the only thing I can think

Aerial workouts offer strength and cardio training, but also require complete mental focus.

Defying Gravity...

about,” she says. “Because if I get distracted and start thinking about something else, there’s a risk of me falling and hurting myself. So it’s a really good way for me to sort of shut off my brain and just focus on one thing and find that flow state.

“I don’t even actually think of it anymore as a workout because it’s a puzzle for my brain and my body at the same time to create and exert and make shapes,” Ardales says.

Community also plays a huge role at Coil.

“This is where I met people. This is where I found my friends,” says Shoenrock, who lacked a social group after moving to Spokane from Portland. “This is my social life. This is my second home. And I don’t think that that is emphasized enough in a lot of other workout locations or programs.

“Aerial arts is not a sport/fitness/art form or whatever that is competitive whatsoever. It is community-driven, we all cheer one another on. Everybody has different strengths. Some people are really flexible. Some people are really strong. Some people are really

creative. Some people are really technical. Some people flow. And every bit of that can be honored in that room. And so there’s no there’s no air of competition,” Ardales says. “I like to say that the biggest muscle group that we utilize here often is actually our abs... but not because we’re working them out so much. It’s because we’re laughing so hard and giggling and having a great time and really checking our emotional baggage at the door.”

With practitioners ranging from kids to aerialists in their 60s, Coil has become a safe space for many of its members and drop-in participants. The folks at Coil do all they can to welcome everyone.

“I really just want people to know that they can try it. Maybe you don’t love it, but you can still try it and find out,” Schoenrock says. “So many people think, ‘Oh, I can’t do that.’ And that is the saddest thing to me — just spending a life thinking, ‘Oh, I can’t do things or I wish I could try this.’ We will be supportive, and we will cheer for you.”

Coil instructor Willow O’Hara guides Shelly Tadlock through a series of moves in an aerial silk class.

ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

Your premier Yamaha Golf Car Dealer servicing the Pacific Northwest.

There’s more than one way to get over an obstacle at Fluent Motions parkour gym, where Dante Densmore leaps over headfirst, while Vlad Shnaider tries a flip (right). ERICK DOXEY PHOTOS

Defying Gravity...

Parkour

One of the downsides of most sports or exercise routines is that they require very specific venues in order to properly partake in the activity.

But for the street-savvy folks who do parkour, pretty much anywhere can be their playfield.

Parkour essentially is an athletic discipline where one tries to navigate between two points of urban architecture as quickly and creatively as possible by jumping, vaulting, flipping, climbing and swinging their way through their environs. The acrobatic practice grew in popularity starting in the mid-’90s and has permeated pop culture through movies like Casino Royale, the Mirror’s Edge video game series, and one of The Office’s most memorable cold open scenes (“PARKOUR!!!”).

In order to not look as buffoonish as Dwight Schrute when trying out the discipline, I headed to Spokane parkour gym Fluent Motions to learn the basics of the craft from owner/coach Taylor McIntosh.

While a lot of the parkour classes offered are for children (an ideal way for little ones to get the zoomies out), Fluent Motions adult classes (offered as a monthly package of four classes) stand out for allowing people to take things at their own pace. Parkour requires a combination of coordination, strength, confidence and creativity, but if that’s not inherent in your DNA, McIntosh is able to coach you through the basics and build up strength while allowing more advanced participants to flip around to their heart’s content.

As a vertically challenged individual, my evening at Fluent Motions focused on said basics. Over the course of the class I learned how to spring myself up onto a high box, jump from obstacle to obstacle with proper balance and weight distri-

bution, figured out the form for vaulting smoothly over low structures, and tried momentum swinging from bars and landing on boxes. I was certainly in motion, but fluent I was not. But the extremely casual and positive vibes fostered by McIntosh’s coaching meant the whole process was enjoyable despite my inconsistent balance and burning shoulder muscles.

For McIntosh, parkour has been a vital part of his life since discovering the sport as a teen in Missoula. He eventually ended up at Missoula parkour gym Unparalleled Movement, where the activity and community proved to be vital for his physical and mental health as he was going through personal struggles.

“When I was 16, and I was homeless, the owner at Unparalleled Movement helped me out — he let me take classes for free, and he let me clean the gym and stuff like that so I could still continue to be there, because it really helped me have a good mental health state,” McIntosh says. “That was about the point that I decided that I wanted to be a part of the community at a bigger level. I didn’t necessarily know about owning a gym being a possibility at that time, but being a coach was a huge concern of mine.”

While Fluent Motions currently resides as a sublease of SCE Fitness, McIntosh hopes to have his own dedicated space in the future and to further create a supportive community like the one that helped him as a youth.

“Parkour is not like every other sport,” says McIntosh. “I’ve played most every generalized sport there is. But no other sport has made me feel important or included or like I am a part of something like parkour has.”

Are you likely to see me vaulting through the streets of Spokane, soaring through the air on silks, or free soloing a massive rock face anytime soon? Probably not.

But delving into these workout worlds, it’s clear that while the physical exertion is fundamental, the true core of these spaces is the communities they foster — an antidote to our ongoing loneliness epidemic. It’s heartening to know that anytime I feel gravity oppression bearing down on me, there are plenty of Inland Northwest escapes — filled with supportive folks — where I can break a sweat while refusing to stay tethered to the ground.

Wild Walls • 202 W. 2nd Ave. wildwalls.com

Coeur Climbing Company • 764 S. Clearwater Loop, Suite 101, Post Falls coeurclimbing.com

Coil Studio • 304 W. Pacific Ave., Suite 280 • coilspokane.com

Fluent Motions • 104 W. 3rd Ave. fluentmotions.com

Are you living with Parkinson’s disease?

Are you living with Parkinson’s disease?

Learn more about the ATLANTIS Study today

Learn more about the ATLANTIS Study today

Learn more about the ATLANTIS Study today

If you’ve been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at least 5 years ago and have daily motor symptom fluctuations, you may be able to join a research study of an investigational medication called UCB0022 given orally (by mouth) alongside your regular Parkinson’s disease treatment.

You cannot participate in the study if you:

If you’ve been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at least 5 years ago and have daily motor symptom fluctuations, you may be able to join a research study of an investigational medication called UCB0022 given orally (by mouth) alongside your regular Parkinson’s disease treatment.

If you’ve been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at least 5 years ago and have daily motor symptom fluctuations, you may be able to join a research study of an investigational medication called UCB0022 given orally (by mouth) alongside your regular Parkinson’s disease treatment.

The aim of this 18-weeks-long study is to find out more about an investigational drug called UCB0022 and assess its effectiveness, safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics (how the medication is processed in the body).

The aim of this 18-weeks-long study is to find out more about an investigational drug called UCB0022 and assess its effectiveness, safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics (how the medication is processed in the body).

The aim of this 18-weeks-long study is to find out more about an investigational drug called UCB0022 and assess its effectiveness, safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics (how the medication is processed in the body).

You may be able to join the ATLANTIS Study if you:

You may be able to join the ATLANTIS Study if you:

You may be able to join the ATLANTIS Study if you:

• Are between 35 and 80 years of age

• Are between 35 and 80 years of age

• Are between 35 and 80 years of age

• Have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 5 or more years ago

• Have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 5 or more years ago

• Have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 5 or more years ago

• Are experiencing daily motor fluctuations (at least 2 cumulative hours of “OFF” time every day when Parkinson’s disease symptoms return after the medication has worn off)

• Are experiencing daily motor fluctuations (at least 2 cumulative hours of “OFF” time every day when Parkinson’s disease symptoms return after the medication has worn off)

• Are experiencing daily motor fluctuations (at least 2 cumulative hours of “OFF” time every day when Parkinson’s disease symptoms return after the medication has worn off)

• Are currently receiving treatment with levodopa (with or without additional therapies for Parkinson’s disease)

• Are currently receiving treatment with levodopa (with or without additional therapies for Parkinson’s disease)

• Are currently receiving treatment with levodopa (with or without additional therapies for Parkinson’s disease)

• Are willing to complete a 3-day symptom diary at four time points during the study

• Are willing to complete a 3-day symptom diary at four time points during the study

• Are willing to complete a 3-day symptom diary at four time points during the study

You cannot participate in the study if you:

You cannot participate in the study if you:

• Have had brain surgery for PD (including deep brain stimulation, thalamus surgery, and experimental cell therapy or gene therapy)

• Have had brain surgery for PD (including deep brain stimulation, thalamus surgery, and experimental cell therapy or gene therapy)

• Have had brain surgery for PD (including deep brain stimulation, thalamus surgery, and experimental cell therapy or gene therapy)

• Have a diagnosis of dementia, other forms of important cognitive dysfunction, epilepsy, Type 1 diabetes, uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes, or current untreated hypertension (high blood pressure)

• Have a diagnosis of dementia, other forms of important cognitive dysfunction, epilepsy, Type 1 diabetes, uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes, or current untreated hypertension (high blood pressure) There are additional criteria that need to be met to participate in the ATLANTIS Study, which the study team will discuss with you. Travel reimbursement and travel support for participants and care partners is offered throughout the study and a stipend may also be paid.

• Have a diagnosis of dementia, other forms of important cognitive dysfunction, epilepsy, Type 1 diabetes, uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes, or current untreated hypertension (high blood pressure)

There are additional criteria that need to be met to participate in the ATLANTIS Study, which the study team will discuss with you. Travel reimbursement and travel support for participants and care partners is offered throughout the study and a stipend may also be paid.

There are additional criteria that need to be met to participate in the ATLANTIS Study, which the study team will discuss with you. Travel reimbursement and travel support for participants and care partners is offered throughout the study and a stipend may also be paid.

Please contact us or visit atlantis-study.com to find out more:

Please contact us or visit atlantis-study.com to find out more:

Please contact us or visit atlantis-study.com to find out more:

To learn more about clinical trials at Inland NW Research Call 509-960-2818 or visit our website: inwresearch.com

Exotic Cautions

Think carefully when adding an unconventional pet to the family

BY NICKOL FINCH

The reasons people decide to rehome exotic pets are endless: solitary animals that may fight aggressively, sometimes to the death, when housed together; tortoises that will grow to be more than 250 pounds over the course of 30 years; loud birds that will outlive their owners.

In cases like these, rehomed animals may be the lucky ones. They may go to a new owner who provides the right diet and habitat for them to thrive. But others can live a life of improper care and could die early from it.

Whether animals are rehomed or not, most of them come from well-intentioned owners who are uninformed or misinformed. That’s why it is crucial to do your research before adding an exotic pet to the family. Size, sociability, housing, appropriate

food and cost of care should all be considered before the animal is brought home.

Of all the exotic pets to choose from, reptiles are the most misunderstood. People always seem to think that they are easy to care for, but appropriate husbandry for reptiles is very difficult to master. Nine times out of 10, issues with reptiles brought to the Washington State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital can be directly linked back to the husbandry of an animal.

Depending on the reptile, it’s going to need a maintained temperature of anywhere between 75 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit; some may need a very arid environment while others need a humidity level of 70 percent. The food requirements could

be different as well as the vitamin and mineral supplements needed.

Bearded dragons and some other lizards like iguanas require UV-B lighting to be able to activate vitamin D in the skin. Without active vitamin D, the animal will not be able to absorb calcium and will end up with metabolic bone disease, where they become weak, unable to walk, may be physically deformed, and may have seizures or even die. Many that don’t die require humane euthanasia because there is simply no avenue that will result in a pain-free life.

Just like reptiles, the lifespan of certain birds should also be considered. People tend not to think about what is going to happen when they are 30 and get a macaw that will live to be 50 or 60 years

Blue and gold macaw

old, or even a parrot that will live to be 20 or 25. As an exotic vet, I get multiple calls annually asking if I can take on birds, snakes and anything in between.

Children in the home should always be considered when getting any exotic pet, especially birds and small mammals that are easier to inadvertently injure. Is the child responsible enough to have a pet? Depending on the pet, its size and its nurture, you may find that the children are the ones needing medical attention.

These are a few examples of common issues we see with unthought ownership of exotic pets, but every species from sugar gliders to rabbits has its very own health requirements that owners must consider beforehand. That’s one reason you should never buy an animal as a gift for someone who doesn’t know it is coming.

Exotic pets are cute and it’s easy to buy one and bring it home. What’s tougher, and forgotten in the moment, is providing that animal with a lifetime of love and care. Think critically and make all the appropriate considerations before contemplating a new exotic addition to the family.

Dr. Nickol Finch earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1997 from the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She’s been training aspiring veterinarians and caring for exotic animals at WSU’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital for 22 years.

Washington State University exotics veterinarian Dr. Nickol Finch examines Whiskers, a 7-year-old ball python, inside the WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital exotics ward. WSU PHOTO

Bearded dragon

NONPROFIT

One Baby at a Time

One of four such facilities in the country, Maddie’s Place seeks to help babies exposed to drugs

BY SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL

With the lights dimmed in a living-room style nursery space, two infant care specialists sit in cushy chairs holding three tiny sleeping babies against their bodies. The infants here, at Maddie’s Place in Spokane, were exposed to drugs in utero and suffer from what’s known as neonatal abstinence syndrome, or NAS.

Babies with NAS may cry for hours, thrashing as they struggle with withdrawal and recovery. Some sleep nearly constantly. They may refuse to eat or struggle to make eye contact, missing early milestones essential to development.

Maddie’s Place offers a new model of care for these babies, uniquely allowing a parent (the mother or father, but not both) to live at the facility with free room and board while their infant is taken care of and assessed by medical staff.

While the baby is helped 24/7, their parent can get help with recovery, appointments and more. Virtually all of the parents who’ve had a child receive care at the nonprofit were homeless when

their child was born, so the staff also helps them secure housing before discharge.

“The birth of a child is such an inflection point,” says Shaun Cross, Maddie’s Place president and CEO. “These women are really in a horrific predicament with very little support. There’s a lot of well-intentioned stuff going on in the medical community, and a lot of great nonprofits and people are trying to do stuff. But it’s siloed. It’s not coordinated.”

Maddie’s Place was founded by Tricia Hughes, a local nurse who first began caring for an infant — Maddie — born addicted to opioids in 2008. Hughes and her husband adopted Maddie and four other infants born with NAS, but eventually, her husband told her they couldn’t possibly save every child. Instead, Hughes could teach others to provide that care, which includes many hours of holding the infants.

She and Cross partnered in 2017 and set to work fundraising, then buying and renovating a fa-

cility to meet strict state standards, and in fall 2022 they opened the doors. Hughes now serves as the clinical director, while Dr. Randi Edwards is the medical director. They help oversee a team of 79 paid staff and 40 volunteers, including 27 nurses, a nurse manager, 40 trained infant care specialists, a full-time social worker, and two peer support staff with lived experience who can help moms get into and stay in recovery.

Cross says a study is underway to prove the approach is both efficient — costing about a fourth as much as other options — and offers better outcomes for the infants, with very little need for medication during treatment.

“The mom, if she’s in recovery, is the best medicine for the baby, and the baby is the best medicine for the mom,” says Cross. “All of the women who have gone through this program are in custody today of their babies.”

Learn more at maddiesplace.org.

Sarah McMillan, an infant care specialist, holds a baby at Maddie’s Place. ERICK DOXEY

PHOTO

“OUR TEAM OF BEREAVEMENT COUNSELORS are here for patients’ families to instill hope, reassurance and validation throughout the grief process.

– Patricia Valdés, MsW, PHd BereaVeMent suPerVisor

DIGNITY. RESPECT. COMPASSION.

509.456.0438

hospiceofspokane.org

CAMP FIRE USA

STORIES BY SUMMER SANDSTROM

The dreamy lull of school-free summers creates the perfect opportunity for kids to explore the great outdoors with organizations like Camp Fire.

The nonprofit, whose Inland Northwest chapter was established in 1914, runs two summer camps: Camp Dart-Lo in North Spokane and Camp Sweyolakan on Lake Coeur d’Alene. Both camps are day camps, but Camp Sweyolakan has overnight camp and family camp options as well.

Both programs are open to kids ages three to 18, and marketing coordinator Kasey Cloaninger says they try to make the camps as inclusive as possible by offering financial assistance options for families.

At Camp Sweyolakan, they offer a dishwashing program for campers to waive camp fees if the camper washes dishes before and after each camp meal.

“I think there are just so many benefits from being able to go out to camp,” Cloaninger says. “Kids learn a really good appreciation for nature, they become more independent with decision making, they obviously learn new outdoor skills and activities that could turn out to be passions later down the road.”

Camp Fire offers teen leadership programs, such as its Program Aides in Learning (PAL) program at Camp Dart-Lo that teaches campers various communication and problem-solving skills that allow them to lead activities with camper groups at the end of the program.

“We also try to incorporate youth voices into all we do,” Cloaninger says. “We ask the campers what their interests are, what they want to learn a little bit more about, so we really take that into consideration too when doing all of our programming out there.”

Cloaninger says that Camp Fire is revamping many of its af-

At Camp Fire camps, kids can try canoeing, archery and ropes courses.

CAMP FIRE PHOTOS

ter-school programs and clubs and will be posting updates on its website and social media.

Camp Fire has multiple volunteer opportunities, and Cloaninger says if a parent volunteers at one of the camps for a week, one of their kids can attend camp for free that week as well.

All donations to Camp Fire go directly to things like its summer camps programs, camp upgrades and its financial assistance program. Donations can be made on its website.

“One of the things that really makes us different from other camps is that we are very inclusive,” she says. “We just want everyone to have the opportunity to come out and enjoy just all the wonders and magic of camp.”

MORE TO CHECK OUT

AKIN

akinfamily.org

Children’s Home Society of Washington and Childhaven merged this year to create Akin, furthering both previous organizations’ work. Akin offers social services for kids and families, focusing on crisis prevention and working to help families remain together. The two organizations formed Akin as a way to offer a wider range of services to families in need, including behavioral health, counseling services, early learning and developmental support services for infants and toddlers, workforce development initiatives, and more. “Akin serves as a first line of support to families, offering a wider range of resources in more locations across Washington state,” Akin says in an email. “The new organization seeks to disrupt systemic and multigenerational cycles of inequity and bolster everyone’s health and well-being.” More information can be found at akinfamily.org.

SPOKANE PASS

spokanepass.org

Spokane PASS offers soccer and art programs to children and adults with physical or cognitive disabilities. Kids partaking in the programs must be at least 4 years old, but none of Spokane PASS’s programs have an age cutoff. The organization is completely run by volunteers and uses soccer as a way to bring players together and build community. Spokane Pass pairs each player with a volunteer, reducing the stress that may come with group activities. It offers spring and fall sessions, each of which runs seven weeks, plus a six-week-long winter art program. For more information, visit spokanepass.org.

FREE REIN

6919 N. Walnut Rd.

Since 2008, Free Rein has offered equine-assisted services to kids and adults with disabilities. Currently, it offers an Adaptive Riding program, which teaches riding skills and improves things like muscle tone, balance, mobility and coordination. Free Rein’s Military Horsemanship program allows veterans, active duty military and their immediate family to interact and build trust with the horses. Currently, Free Rein has five horses and is looking for more, as well as for a new location with over 20 acres of land that can become its forever home. Free Rein accepts a multitude of donations, and more information can be found at freereinspokane.com.

Akin

Free Rein

BecomeCollector a

How to start, where to buy, and why it’s more accessible to collect art than you think

BY HANNAH MUMM

By all accounts, Spokane is a perfect place to access the arts — both as a creator and as a consumer or buyer. Whether you’re an art lover and you’ve already been looking for opportunities to bring beautiful, singular pieces of art into your space, or are wanting to fulfill a home decor need — or even if you’re just curious and don’t know how to start, where to start, or what to buy — Spokane’s got you. Our local art sector is all about working to remove the barriers that stand in the way of your ability to enjoy art. And the first of these barriers may very well be you.

According to Spokane Arts Program Director Shantell Jackson, you’ve got to throw aside the idea that you’re just not an “art person,” and that only experts can tell you what “good” art is. “Everyone has a unique perspective,” she says. “As you’re looking to purchase art, ask yourself how it makes you feel. What does it make you think? How does it align to your values?”

Adds member artist T Kurtz of Spokane’s Avenue West Gallery, “A lot of people worry they’re going to look stupid with their taste. But they’re going to come up with a cohesive collection… it all works, in the end. If you buy what you like, everything will come together in the end and be perfect.”

Above all, your art is meant to be for you and you alone. So let’s break down those barriers.

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Terrain Art Gallery ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

Terrain Art Gallery

ERICK DOXEY

PHOTO

From Here ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

Brrrzaar ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

First Friday at Marmot Art Space MARSHALL PETERSON PHOTO

Become a collector...

TAbove all, your art is meant to be for you and you alone.

here’s a misconception that original art is invariably expensive, with each piece costing thousands of dollars, and that acquiring it at all is simply hopeless if you’re on a budget. But that’s not strictly true, according to Ginger Ewing, executive director of the local arts nonprofit Terrain.

“We want artists to build relationships with art buyers, and we don’t want cost to get in the way of that,” she says. And Spokane provides plenty of cost-effective ways to do just that.

For instance, Terrain hosts large-scale events, like its one-night-only namesake event, which boasted 374 artists last year. Attracting thousands of attendees, Terrain

the event celebrates “the full artistic spectrum,” featuring not only visual art but also music, literature, film and dance.

Terrain also hosts two art bazaars: Bazaar, which takes place in the summer, and BrrrZAAR, which occurs in the winter. Whimsical florals, local scenes, natural settings, playful ink sketches and countless other prints as well as a variety of crafts, plants, pottery, organic body products and more adorn booths at both markets. What’s more, Ewing explains that both markets require vendors to have at least 50 percent of their objects priced at $100 or less; the events are “explicitly intended to serve as many economic statuses as possible.”

Become a collector...

Then there’s Terrain’s retail program, From Here, a brick-and-mortar shop at River Park Square with wall art offerings that are as varied as you could imagine: find a colorful rendering of Manito Park by Megan Perkins, choose among Karli Fairbanks’ depictions of pleased-looking sunshines, or get the latest edition in Carl Richardson’s rather delightful acrylic painting series

titled “love above all.”

Spokane Arts offers events of its own such as Queer Art Walk, in which queer artists’ work is displayed in many of downtown locations. Spokane Arts also sponsors Chase Gallery, a space located inside City Hall that celebrates local artists.

For connoisseurs and for those open to a bit of a splurge, try checking out

Spokane’s commercial gallery, Marmot Art Space. All of the art sold at Marmot is created by well-regarded professionals and curated by gallery owner Marshall Peterson. Often artists pay a visit to the gallery, and Peterson is ready to guide visitors.

Artists whose work is represented at Marmot include Alfredo Arreguin, an acclaimed Mexican-American painter who

Artist Toby Keough at the Terrain Gallery in January 2023 YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

Original works by local artists Carl Richardson (left) Karli Fairbanks (center) and Megan Perkins (right) are available at From Here in River Park Square. COURTESY PHOTOS

recently passed away after 60 prolific years producing lush, colorful pattern works. There’s also Japanese-American painter, Keiko Hara, whose renowned modern and contemporary paintings are all about “facing and examining life through her own personal language,” according to ArtsWA. The Smithsonian Institution has collected the works of two more Marmot artists, Patti Warashina and Rubén Trejo. Generally, the gallery holds both figurative and representational art, including multiple media (such as acrylic and oil), and even some collage. “It’s a smorgasbord,” says Peterson.

So you’ve made the jump. You’ve found the art you love most, and you’ve bought it. Now it’s time to display your treasure. But where to start?

Peterson recommends William Grant Gallery and Framing, a local frame shop. But wherever you go, consider opting for conservation-grade framing, which uses acid-free materials in order to ensure the art is preserved. Keep framed pieces away from direct sunlight, maintain a consistent humidity level, and dust the frame with a soft cloth as needed.

Et voila! You’re a collector.

Marshall Peterson stands in front of Alfredo Arreguin’s “La Alameda.” COURTESY PHOTOS

“Nimblesticks” by Patti Warashina

Artist Keiko Hara (right) talks with WSU Schnitzer Museum Director Ryan Hardesty at Marmot Art Space. Artist Patti Warashina’s bronze piece titled “Woman With Pear” is in the foreground.

Small Style

Chipmunks are the stars in a business that started out as just a hobby for a Spokane couple

BY SUMMER SANDSTROM

When Christie Pierce took a photo of a chipmunk named Mr. Stubbs, making it appear as if he was playing cards with drink tickets she received at a casino night, she didn’t expect it to ignite the creation of a niche wildlife photography business.

HOBBY

ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

“I had no master plan other than one foot in front of the other, and here I am 10 years later, still with my little business and people still clamoring to buy my stuff,” Pierce says of her business, FriendChips. “It’s pretty remarkable.”

After seeing her photo of Mr. Stubbs, friends encouraged her to sell it and take more of chipmunks performing various human tasks.

So Pierce kept taking photos, even though she was at first hesitant about the success of such an endeavor. She and her husband, Paul — who has built miniature sets and replicas since he was a child — took it upon themselves to start making sets for the chipmunks using items they find at stores or that are given to them, as well as Paul’s own creations.

The Pierces now sell their chipmunk still lifes on cards, in FriendChips calendars and in a book, FriendChips: Around the Mountain.

“It’s hard to describe because it all kind of evolves in my head,” she says. “A lot of times exactly what I’m picturing is exactly what I get, almost creepily.”

As she built her portfolio and became more experienced at making sets, Pierce started adding fun hidden details to her sets.

In the photo, Poker Face, a chipmunk is captured “playing” poker with a toy bear. But closer inspection of the image reveals numerous details — poker cards crafted from hole punch remnants and mini-bottles of “Nutz Lite.” Hanging in the photo’s background is a replica of Cassius Marcellus Coolidge’s Dogs Playing Poker that Pierce shot using toy dogs.

Another FriendChips photo, The Office, shows a chipmunk working on the computer, with a mini graph on the screen and note cards stuck up around the perimeter. Pierce even found a tiny printer, which she set up with a mini version of another of her photos, which appears to be printed out of the machine.

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Chipmunks explore the miniature sets created for them by Christie and Paul Pierce. CHRISTIE PIERCE PHOTOS

Small Style...

Capturing all of these photos relies on one crucial element: the cooperation of the chipmunks. Accomplishing such a task had a bit of a learning curve.

illusion that [the chipmunk is] holding [something],” she says, “And honestly, people’s brains fill it in and they think they’re holding it.”

It’s very unique, it’s real, and nothing’s Photoshopped

“I used to try too hard to make them do something,” Pierce says. “They kind of taught me that this is how we behave, you figure it out.”

She lays trails of buckwheat or sunflower seeds on the ledge of her patio’s retaining wall, where she also places her set. And then she waits.

Pierce hides seeds in specific areas of a set — say, inside of a miniature mailbox, atop a flagpole or adjacent to a handcrafted mini saw. Once the chipmunk arrives and begins interacting with the desired props, she’ll start snapping photos, adjusting the framing as she goes.

“I can move a little bit to get the

It’s like Old Hollywood special effects, she says. “Godzilla is not really doing that, it’s just your perspective.”

In her photo, Volleyball, husband Paul made both the volleyball net — using the netting that holds avocados in the grocery store — and the ball itself.

The pair suspended the ball — which they stuffed with seeds — into the air with a welding wire, hidden in the background foliage of the shot, and Pierce was able to capture the chipmunk reaching up for the ball searching for seeds, or alternatively hitting it in the air.

“It’s very unique, it’s real, and nothing’s Photoshopped,” she says of all of her photos. “It kind of gives me goosebumps, honestly. It’s remarkable.”

Paul and Christie Pierce create the sets for FriendChips together. Christie lures chipmunks to the vignettes with a trail of buckwheat or sunflower seeds and snaps photos that appear on FriendChips products (opposite page).

ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

CHRISTY PIERCE PHOTO

CHRISTY PIERCE PHOTO

Pierce says that she never dreamed of FriendChips being as popular as it’s become. But since day one, she says people believed in its potential and helped her get started.

Her husband helped navigate the financial and licensing side of starting a business. And her neighbor created the font that she uses as the FriendChips logo. Her nephew runs her website and helps her process orders, and her brother is a buckwheat exporter and provides her with giant, 50-pound bags of the grain for her business.

She says that even the companies she prints with helped her get started and have worked with her on the cost of printing items so that she’s able to sell them for a low price.

“I don’t want people to go in the store and buy an $8.50 card that goes in the garbage,” she says. “I want them to be able to buy a $3 card that is collectible and frameable and you can talk to your friend about it.”

Pierce often prints large batches of her calendars and cards, selling them at numerous retailers in the region — Auntie’s Bookstore, Simply Northwest, Wild Birds Unlimited, Prairie Dog Pet Mercantile, Miller’s Hardware, Ace Hardware on Monroe, Two Women Vintage Goods, the Looff Carrousel Gift Shop, and at Artisans at the Dahmen Barn in Uniontown.

“As cheesy as it sounds, [FriendChips] really is about spreading goodwill and joy and not letting the handwritten note die,” Pierce says. “It’s just the coolest thing to think that somebody’s getting that much fun out of one little click of the shutter.”

CHRISTY PIERCE PHOTO

7 WONDERS

STORIES BY SUMMER SANDSTROM PHOTOS BY YOUNG KWAK

Offering numerous services, 7 Wonders serves as a one-stop shop for many beauty needs.

7 Wonders has two locations, one in Spokane Valley that opened in 2017 and a newer one in North Spokane that opened in Feb. 2023.

Between both locations, 7 Wonders offers hair and nail services, massages, skin care, waxing, lashes, as well as options for spa packages and options for group parties.

Founder Ann Cao says 7 Wonders also sells drinks like wine and champagne, and they’re currently in the process of adding food options to the salons as well.

7 WONDERS

9940 N. Newport Hwy.; 10 N. Evergreen Rd., Spokane Valley 7wondersbeauty.com

“I think we’re pretty unique, not just as a nail salon but for all other services too,” she says, adding that guests can get multiple services during one visit — for example, while waiting for their hair to process, they could get their nails done or get facial wax without adding time to their appointment.

Additionally, Cao says the number of staff allows for many walk-in services.

“We can just pretty much take them right in, and the quality of the service is still great,” says Cao. “It’s just more convenient

because we realize that time is very valuable to the client, and we’re just trying to be available for them as much as we can.”

Currently, the Spokane Valley location mainly offers hair and spa services, while nails are a specialty of the North Spokane location, but Cao says the Spokane Valley location is set to expand sometime this spring, moving to a different location where more services can be offered.

Around the same time that 7 Wonders’ Spokane Valley location moves, Cao says that the entire company is going to change its name to New World Nails.

“The staff are really friendly, and our support staff are really knowledgeable and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to make the client happy,” Cao says. “It’s a nice place for people to relax and to treat themselves.”

A non-alcohol Berry Spritz, left, and 7 Wonders Spritz cocktail

7Wonders owner Ann Cao Melissa Erickson gets an acrylic fill by nail tech Wendy Nguyen at 7 Wonders.

GLOSS NAIL LOUNGE

1314 S. Grand Blvd., Ste #4

Gloss Nail Lounge provides a wide range of nail services, but they’re a natural nail salon, meaning there’s one thing they don’t offer — acrylic nails. Even then, their list of services is extensive. For pedicures, guests can choose from a basic or express option, or hot stone pedicures, jelly pedicures for extra exfoliation, a CBD pedicure and more. They also do hot oil manicures and have multiple add-on services like hand or foot massages. Plus, they serve a variety of drinks and snacks, including alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, and they offer a complimentary first beverage for longer services.

CARNEGIE NAIL DESIGN

1317 W. First Ave.

For over 30 years, Carnegie Nail Design has been offering an array of nail services in downtown Spokane. Guests can come in for pedicures or manicures from one of their four nail techs, with services including getting a set of acrylic or gel nails. They have dip powders as well, which are similar to gel but don’t require a UV light to cure. Carnegie Nail Design has one esthetician on staff as well, providing guests with a variety of facial treatments like dermaplaning or microdermabrasion facials, as well as chemical peels, waxes, lash fills and lifts, and eyebrow or eyelash tints.

URBANNA NATURAL SPA, SALON & WINE

104 S. Division St.

When the worlds of spas and wine collide, you end up with Urbanna Natural Spa, Salon & Wine. This 21+ spa offers hair, nail, skin and massage services alongside a carefully curated selection of fine wines. Urbanna’s team is committed to using natural and organic products, providing guests with environmentally friendly approaches to self-care and beauty. For nails, Urbanna offers manicures, pedicures and gel polish options. Plus, they offer spa parties for two to four services for groups of two or more, and you can get a cheese and salami platter added to the party as well.

Filled with Care

Compassion Catering's Vegan Tangy Beet Salad

Compassion Catering wants to feed you what you need, in

both body and soul

Story By Eliza Billingham

Photos by Young Kwak

In some ways, it was just a chicken.

Nick Ivers was cooking at Le Pichet, a little French bistro in Seattle’s Pike Place, when someone ordered the poulet. Each chicken was roasted to order, which took at least an hour. Ivers settled into the long process, filling the extra time by prepping turnips and poached grapes on the side.

After service ended, he cleaned up his station and headed out for a break. He noticed the woman who had ordered the chicken. It’s rare that cooks get to interact with guests, so Ivers took the opportunity to ask her how she liked her meal. He wondered why she’d wait so long when there were plenty of faster options.

“She confided in me that she was from Poland, and that this was the first dinner she’d had with her estranged father in over 10 years,” Ivers says. “For me, that was just such a neat moment — I was somehow connected in this event. It illustrated the sanctity of food to me, the unifying power of food.”

Fast forward a few years later, Ivers is back in his hometown Spokane starting Compassion Catering with his life partner and business partner Nazeerah “Nazzy” Pearson-Muhammad. The two self-taught chefs had plenty of other career options — Ivers has a political science degree, and Pearson-Muhammad is trained in world religion and theology — but they’ve dedicated themselves to food for its unique ability to make the people around them feel loved.

When they started in May 2023, Compassion Catering decided to offer a variety of services — wedding and event catering, private dinners, and personalized meal planning services. They fully embrace dietary considerations, especially vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free. Everyone deserves a

beautiful, intentional meal, the partners say, regardless of what guests are or aren’t eating. Compassion Catering creates countless personalized menus, from brunch catering and boxed office lunches to private dinners featuring Thai and Filipino flavors.

To Ivers and Pearson-Muhammad, cooking is a creative, ambitious, rewarding career that they choose every day. That intention spills into everything from ingredient lists and plating to deep relationships with the people they serve.

“There’s a perspective on food and the food industry as a whole that’s shifting,” Ivers says. “In some older generations, you didn’t cook professionally if you had other options. There have always been really incredible passionate chefs, but now there’s even a broader community of young people that are passionate food creators really trying to give some legitimacy to this career. Simultaneously, I think the discussion of health has become a national topic. In that way, we consider ourselves artisans.”

Pearson-Muhammad grew up in Redondo Beach, California, sometimes helping her single mother by cooking vegetarian food for herself and her little siblings. She eventually started working in restaurants, both back and front of house. Long hours and late nights started eating away at her mental health. She moved to Browne’s Addition and befriended her neighbor, Ivers. Through

the turmoil of good and not so good food jobs, sales jobs and insurance jobs, they were drawn to each other’s unwavering commitment to people. They opened their home for appetizers or dinners. Their happiest moments were cooking yummy food for people they loved, especially gluten-free and vegan snacks for friends usually excluded from eating at these kinds of casual gatherings.

Pearson-Muhammad and Ivers scrimped, saved and started planning for a life together. With the little extra money they had, they wondered if they should fly to Italy to stage in a few high-end restaurants, with the hopes that it would qualify them for new opportunities. (A stage, pronounced “stahj,” is a common industry practice especially in Europe, where chefs work in a new restaurant a few nights for free in order to network and get experience.)

But instead of waiting for opportunities to be in a happier work environment, they decided to create their own. After helping a local promoter fill some performers’ rider requests for vegan food, they realized that catering might be exactly what they were looking for — more flexible daytime hours, one-on-one client interaction and endless opportunities to be creative. They took the money saved for a trip to Europe and put it into building a business in Spokane instead.

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Nick Ivers and Nazeerah "Nazzy" Pearson-Muhammad

TRY IT YOURSELF

Vegan Tangy Beet Salad

Here’s a refreshing dish that is appropriate for people avoiding many common allergens. It combines the earthy goodness of beets with sweet carrots, crunchy pumpkin seeds and a tangy citrus dressing to create a nutritious and substantial salad. Serves 4

Beet Salad

INGREDIENTS

• 3-4 large Chioggia beets or regular red beets

• Salt

• Pepper

• 3-4 carrots, chopped

• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

• 2 blood oranges, sliced

• 1 red onion, sliced

• Microgreens, for garnish

• Parsley, for garnish

• Tangy Citrus Dressing (see recipe)

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare the beets

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Wash and rinse the beets, ensuring they are free from any dirt or impurities.

3. Place the beets in a deep pan and season with salt and pepper.

4. Add water to the pan, covering the beets completely.

5. Cover the pan with a lid (or aluminum foil) and bake for about an hour, or until the beets are fork-tender.

6. Set aside to cool.

Assemble the salads

1. When the beets have cooled, peel off the skin. (Using a paper towel can keep your hands from getting stained!) Slice the beets into cubes.

2. In a bowl, add the cubed beets, chopped carrots, red onion slices, pumpkin seeds and blood orange slices. Gently toss the ingredients together.

3. Drizzle the Tangy Citrus Dressing over the salad and lightly toss again to ensure everything is coated.

4. Chill. Just before serving, garnish with microgreens and parsley for an added touch of freshness.

Tangy Citrus Dressing

INGREDIENTS

Note: This recipe does make a large amount of dressing, but it’s the easiest way to keep the flavor and balance consistent. You can quarter the recipe if you like, but the chefs recommend making a big batch and keeping the extra in your fridge — it goes so well on everything, you’ll be glad you have it on hand!

• 1 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice

• 1 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice

• 1 medium shallot, rough chopped

• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard

• 2 cups avocado oil

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a blender, combine the orange juice, lime juice, Dijon mustard, granulated sugar, salt, black pepper, rice wine vinegar and chopped shallots.

2. With the blender still running on high, slowly pour in the avocado oil in a steady stream. This will help emulsify the dressing and create a smooth, creamy texture. —

Filled with Care…

By learning about and filling different needs, Ivers can experiment with everything from pan-seared duck and peppercorn steak salad to a Mediterranean frittata and spaghetti squash Pad Thai. While Pearson-Muhammad also cooks, her eye for detail and design helps her set beautiful tables, plus capture photos and video for marketing.

The couple is running Compassion without any loans. Both partners worked other full-time jobs as they started Compassion just to keep a roof over their heads. While Pearson-Muhammad just moved to working full-time at Compassion in February, Ivers still cooks for the bistro at Huckleberry’s, teaches classes at The Kitchen Engine and donates his extra time to Compassion.

“Our mental health will get better once we can fully be in our business full time,” Pearson-Muhammad says.

She and Ivers are confident that Compassion will eventually be a fulfilling role for them and a life-giving service to their clients, too. They’ve already seen how thoughtful meal planning can help families dealing with medical challenges or new dietary restrictions. Plus, as they grow, they also want to offer a healthy, happy workplace for new employees.

Pearson-Muhammad loves restaurants, but says substance abuse can be an issue. “You are who you hang out with. [For me,] it brought a lot of depression.”

“Our industry really suffers from some mental health issues,” Ivers adds. “[We want to be] able to create relationships with people that are going through a hard time.”

Compassion Catering is all about walking the walk. Even though they don’t have allergies themselves, Ivers and Pearson-Muhammad decided to go vegan for a month just to experience what a guest might typically experience in day-to-day life. Ivers and Pearson-Muhammad want to make food that makes someone feel understood and cared for, and they will make personal sacrifices to feel your experience.

“Being intentional is scary,” Pearson-Muhammad says. But that’s what makes a good meal, and good art. That’s compassion.

Finding Your Roots

Vanetta Winery at the Loft is a tribute to the owner’s past even as he looks to the future

STORY BY WILL MAUPIN PHOTOS BY LESLIE DOUGLAS

Located in a building dating back to 1892, not long after the Great Spokane Fire ravaged the city, Vanetta Winery at the Loft is a relative newcomer

— pouring glasses and selling bottles from Inland Northwest vineyards in an elevated space above the Tamarack Event House on Sprague Avenue for a little more than a year.

For founder Dave Balsz, Vanetta’s wines and its space in the Loft are the current culmination of a long journey not only into wine, but into his own past as well.

A graduate of Mead High School, Balsz has roots in Spokane, but having been adopted as a young child, he wasn’t sure where his biological roots lie.

“In 2018, after doing one of those DNA tests, I found my aunt,” Balsz says. “I have two aunts and a half-sister, and I found all

three of them through my one aunt. I learned about my mom and the rest of my family.”

His mother died in 2000, but while the two never met, her legacy lives on through his winery.

“Ifound out her first name was Vanetta. My mom’s father was in World War II. He was in the Army Air Corps and his two best friends were Van and Eddie. So he combined that to create her name, Vanetta.”

Vanetta also happens to be a Greek word for “butterfly,” the imagery of which appears prominently on Balsz’ wines.

“I stole that and used the butterfly for my label. It’s a tree finding its roots and a butterfly,” Balsz says.

Like his grandfather who first thought up the name Vanetta, Balsz also served in the Army. While he was stationed in Frankfurt, Germany, as a young 20-something, a seed was planted that would later grow into his post-service passion.

“Somebody came into the barracks and said, ‘Hey, get on the bus. It’s going to free alcohol.’ Turned out to be wine,” says Balsz. “It was right along the Rhine

River. The cobblestone streets, the old buildings, the castle just outside the town, the terrace vineyards. It was just all aesthetically pleasing. So that really interested me, but I still wasn’t thinking I was going to make wine.”

Decades later, after leaving the Army, Balsz enrolled at WSU intending to study animal science. Waiting in line, he flipped through the course catalog, came across WSU’s viticulture and enology programs, and realized that was the path he needed to follow.

After graduation in 2016, Balsz began

his professional career in the wine industry. His first job was under winemaker Caleb Foster at J. Bookwalter Winery.

As a relative newcomer to the industry, and in part due to space constraints in the loft, Vanetta isn’t actually a winery at this point as it does not have its own production facility or vineyard. Instead, under the Vanetta label, Balsz employs his training to curate and bottle wines produced by Columbia Valley wineries.

“I’m already thinking about where and what I’m going to do. I’d like to purchase land to put a tasting room and production

facility on, and I would probably have a token vineyard,” says Balsz.

For now, Vanetta wines are available in the loft space above Tamarack Event House (formerly known as Tamarack Public House).

Recent Vanetta offerings included bottles of semillon, syrah, pinot noir, malbec, tempranillo and cabernet sauvignon. Other options for enjoying the ambiance include two No-Li two beers as well as one of their seltzers and a handful of bottles from other wineries in varieties from prosecco to port.

The space itself is comfortable and warm thanks to arched, south-facing windows, and quite modern despite its location in a 132-year-old building. The owners of Tamarack Event House renovated the building before opening in 2014. While it is located above Tamarack, the two businesses operate separately, with Balsz running Vanetta even when Tamarack is closed.

Local art lines the old brick walls and during busier months Balsz often brings in local musicians to perform. With a piano in the corner, live music is always a possibility for customers who feel inclined to play.

Through Vanetta Winery at the Loft, Balsz has worked to cultivate a passion that took decades of service abroad and a lifetime of finding his roots to discover.

“No matter where I was at, I would always think of Washington state,” Balsz recalls. “In Iraq, Bosnia, Germany, Korea, all those different countries and even the other states, I always thought about Washington.”

Vanetta Winery owner Dave Balsz

The Vanette Winery at the Loft tasting room

WHERE TO DINE

EMRAN

STORY BY ELIZA BILLINGHAM • PHOTOS BY YOUNG KWAK

Nasrollah Mohammadi was a young child when he left Afghanistan to flee the Soviet-Afghan War in the 1980s. At the end of last year, Mohammadi and his wife, Samira, opened Emran Restaurant & Market on Division Street, just south of Indiana Avenue. The unassuming spot is now the first Afghan restaurant in Spokane.

Just as food helped Mohammadi learn about the people he encountered growing up, he and his family are offering their favor ite dishes to Spokane and invit ing the city into a deeper understanding and appreciation of Afghan and broader Persian culture.

EMRAN RESTAURANT & MARKET

1817 N. Division St.

Open daily 10 am-10 pm

RESTAURANT & MARKET

“When people want to understand the culture of some people, I think that starts with food,” Mohammadi says.

Every day, Samira hand folds countless manto, Afghan dumplings stuffed with beef and spices, garnished with green herbs and bright orange lentils, and drenched in a garlicky yogurt sauce. She rolls bolani, a flakey flatbread filled with savory potatoes and leeks. And she prepares platters of pulau, a rice pilaf dish with a tender shank of lamb

buried under piles of basmati rice, golden with curry and turmeric and sweetened with carrots and raisins.

Emran also offers chicken, lamb and beef kebabs, plus sweets like jalebi, spiraled dough fried in sweet saffron syrup, and coconut cookies sprinkled with pistachios. Mohammadi hopes to add Turkish and Iranian dishes to the menu as he figures out what Spokanites like to eat.

…more new restaurants on page 62

Samira and Nasrollah Mohammadi

MORE TO CHECK OUT



HAT TRICK BREWING

1913 W. Maxwell Ave.

Open Mon 12 pm-close, Wed-Fri 12 pm-close, Sat 7 am-close, Sun 10 am-close

Three friends turned an old cafe on Maxwell Avenue into a comfy new taproom in Spokane’s West Central neighborhood, complete with an ever-changing selection of small-batch brews, fresh bites, and early morning Premier League “football” games.

Nick Coons, Christopher Anderson, and Remington Oatman, all previously of River City

Brewing, offer plenty of lower ABV options as well as traditional craft beers, plus foods that show off their love of fermentation. Snag a plate of spicy house-pickled veggies or eat ’em on top of a pork banh mi sandwich. The tomatoes and burrata small plate features a house-fermented tomato sauce. Or, get a grilled cheese for your kid and another for yourself. (EB)

LOLA WINE BAR

722 E. Lakeside Ave., Coeur d’Alene

Open Wed-Sat at 3-10 pm

Businesswoman Anna Lombard and sommelier Sam Lange have joined forces to create Lola Wine Lounge, a swanky new spot on Lakeside Avenue in Coeur d’Alene for novice drinkers and experienced palates alike. It’s not a wholesaler. There’s no wine club. It’s simply one of the coolest new places for a glass of wine and small plate.

Bottles from Napa, France, Spain and Italy line sleek black backlit walls. High tops, sofas and a bar offer plenty of comfortable seating. Pair a Miquel Pons with grapes, a baguette and berries. Bring a friend or take some alone time, and ask Lange any question — his range of expertise is only matched by his approachability and patience. (EB)

HOT POT & PHO

11110 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley Open Wed-Sun at 11 am-8 pm (until 9 pm Fri-Sat)

A new type of dining experience is heating up in Spokane Valley. Hot pot is a traditional meal across Asia, with good reason. A pot of boiling broth sits in the middle of the table, and it’s up to you to cook whatever noodles, veggies, meat or tofu you like. It’s a delicious, memorable dinner that gets the whole table involved and lets everyone eat exactly what they want. Or, if you’re looking for something quicker, grab a quick bowl of pho or bun bo Hue, a spicy beef soup named for Vietnam’s ancient capital. (EB)

A bahn mi and a beer from Hat Trick YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

Fearless Leader

As the executive director of the MAC, Wes Jessup is dedicated to Spokane’s gem of a museum and the city’s creative community

BY MADISON PEARSON

Tucked back in the winding streets and hills of Spokane’s Browne’s Addition neighborhood sits a building that sticks out from the English Tudor-style homes that surround it.

It’s strikingly modern and serves as a gathering space for children, adults, creatives, and anyone with a curious mind or a desire to learn.

The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture is a cornerstone of — well — arts

and culture in the Inland Northwest.

Over the years, the museum has hosted regional art shows, huge exhibitions that have traveled the world, benefit galas, school field trips and programming designed to educate the public about art, history and culture. Sometimes, music echoes from the museum’s many corridors. On occasion, theatrical performances take place in the outdoor amphitheater. Most every visitor who walks through the front

door will leave knowing more about the world than they did before.

And at the helm of the museum’s many complex moving parts is Executive Director Wesley Jessup. (But you can call him Wes.)

As an Alaska native, Jessup is hardly displeased with the snow collecting on the windows of the building this early January afternoon.

His office is light and airy, with windows on all sides. Various art books

are organized into piles on the ground, and a handmade Mexican dance mask from Michoacán, Mexico, sits proudly on his desk — a memento from a past exhibition.

From his desk chair, he can see the streets of Browne’s Addition, the museum’s Campbell House, the bright white Finch Mansion and nearly the entire museum campus. An apt location for the captain of the metaphorical ship that is the MAC.

Jessup’s love and dedication for his job are certainly fostered by his environment. It’s hard not to be inspired while surrounded by natural beauty and the rich past of the historic neighborhood. Jessup’s story, however, begins in Florence, Italy.

“I did a junior year abroad when I was studying art history in college,” Jessup says. “I spent hours and hours and days in the museums of Florence. And I thought, ‘this is how I want to end up,’ in a museum somehow.”

After graduating from California State University Fullerton with his B.A. in art history, Jessup ventured to the Big Apple for a graduate program in art history and museum studies at the City University of New York.

His first job out of college? A position in museum management at the Guggenheim It wasn’t a high-ranking position, but being able to work at a coveted modern art museum straight out of college wasn’t an opportunity Jessup was going to pass up.

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DON HAMILTON PHOTO

Wes Jessup walks with his dog Bert near his house YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

“Imagine going to work at a building like that,” he says. “It’s phenomenal. It’s more of a sculpture than a building.”

For five years, Jessup worked inside the imposing building designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright and was constantly inspired by the architecture and the people on the museum’s team.

“I started low,” Jessup says. “Then, I started moving up and got into a bit of an exhibition management position. I had great mentors, and I was working with some very high-profile exhibitions like Robert Rauschenberg.”

After his time at the Guggenheim, Jessup jumped around the country working at various museums in Los Angeles, New York and Denver.

This year marks Jessup’s 30 years working in museums and seven years as the MAC’s executive director.

“I’ve worked in big museums, small museums and some more medium-sized museums that are comparable to the MAC,” he says. “But my favorite cities are the middle-sized cities like Spokane.”

I did a year abroad [and] spent days in the museums of Florence. I thought, ‘this is how I want to end up…’

In a perfect world, Jessup would be able to be in five places at once.

On a typical day, he’s got places to be and people to see from the moment he sits down at his desk until the second he gets in his car to leave for the day.

Just a few days into the new year, we found Jessup in the middle of organizing the fast-approaching Harold Balazs exhibit opening by

meeting with Balazs’ family. He was preparing for another show by local artist Reinaldo Gil Zambrano opening just one week after the Balazs show and was also getting ready for the exhibition that opens after the others close.

After his morning meetings, he arrived back at the museum to shoot a video with Don Hamilton.

“Don says I’m getting better at being on camera,” he laughs.

Later in the day, he was testifying for the legislative session that had just begun and putting forward a few critical requests to the state for the museum. And, of course, throughout the week he’d been checking in with his dedicated staff, ensuring they’re being sufficiently supported and everything is running smoothly.

Phew.

But it’s all in a day’s work for Jessup.

After a busy day at the museum, Jessup resumes his life as a father of four and husband to his wife, Cynthia.

With only one child left living at home, the family added a puppy into the mix. Jessup takes the dog for long walks at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge every Sunday, one of his favorite places in the area.

“We love to be outdoors,” Jessup says. “And I’m also a big reader. I just read the Patrick Stewart autobiography, and I really want to read the Bono autobiography.”

As for the future of the museum, Jessup is always aiming to bring unique exhibitions to the museum as well as put a spotlight on Indigenous art.

In the coming year, the MAC is set to showcase Expo ’74 memorabilia in honor of the 50th anniversary of the World’s Fair, put on a retrospective of Native artist Joe Feddersen’s work that will travel to other museums in the country and host its plethora of annual events.

“The MAC has been around for 118 years,” he says. “We’re trying to keep the community involved and engaged in what we’re doing. When I came here seven years ago, the museum was coming out of a period where there had been a lot of different leaders, a tough period. And one of the reasons I think the MAC has succeeded is because of the community. They wanted to see it thrive.”

Wes Jessup walks with his dog Bert near his house. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

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