Foothills January 2012

Wenatchee u LeavenwortH u ChelaN u and all of North Central Washington

oothills The Health & Fitness Issue January-February 2012

Stretch

yourself

10 Tips for Tip-Top Year Stick-Wielding Women Dance Your Way to Fitness More

South-ern Soup Flavor

All Rise!

Judge Bridges is Texting $3.99

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Editor’s Letter

Welcome to 2012 L

ike many, I enjoy a new year. It’s a chance to acknowledge the high points of the past year and wash my hands of the things I didn’t do very well over the past 12 months, with the hope that change is possible with a fresh calendar.

I know, change is possible any time of year, but the new year represents a natural alarm to contemplate change.

This issue’s main theme, Health & Fitness, offers some practical suggestions for making improvements in your life. Be sure to check out M.K. Resk’s story on Top 10 Tips for a Tip Top 2012, as well as her piece on different types of dance that are good exercise.

Gary Jasinek’s piece on snowshoeing is a reminder that we don’t need to hibernate once the snow flies.

Steve Maher chips in a story on the unique Wenatchee home owned by Ryan and Alexandra Shorter. It’s a marriage of old and new — a very modern addition to a 90-year-old farmhouse. There’s been some debate in our office whether it’s an attractive union or a poor match of styles. Check out the story and photos before deciding for yourself.

Another entertaining read is Cal FitzSimmons text interview with Chelan County Superior Court Judge John Bridges. The judge who will preside over the Mackenzie Cowell murder case this spring is a Warren Zevon fan who happens to be counting down the days to his retirement from the bench.

For those keeping track, this marks the sixth issue of Foothills, meaning we’ve now completed a full year of publication. It’s been a year of learning and experimentation, trying to find the right mix of pieces that provides readers an entertaining read and gives businesses a good bang for their advertising buck.

One new feature you’ll see this issue is a society page. We’ll endeavor to be at some of the highlights on the social calendar and bring back photos to share. This issue’s event is the 2011 Festival of Trees Gala Dinner and Live Auction.

Thanks for reading Foothills. I hope 2012 provides you much hope and positive change.

Marco Martinez, editor

2

Foothills

January / February 2012

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oothills A bi-monthly lifestyle magazine about North Central Washington

22 New Year, Contents New You 10 Tips for a healthy 2012

Publisher Rufus Woods rwoods@wenatcheeworld.com Managing editor Cal FitzSimmons (509) 665-1176 fitzsimmons@wenatcheeworld.com Editor Marco Martinez (509) 664-7149 martinez@wenatcheeworld.com Advertising sales manager Wendy DalPez (509) 661-5221 dalpez@wenatcheeworld.com

28 Making tracks

Snowshoes can get you there this winter

6 Fast 5

Mike Irwin’s winter message: Take a chill pill

8 Red Rambler

Terry and Gwen Evans’ car has a story to tell

Women’s hockey plays to win

Special publications manager Michelle Jeffers (509) 661-5226 jeffers@wenatcheeworld.com

36 Dancercise

Design Jared Johnson Staff writers Mike Irwin Dee Riggs Rick Steigmeyer Staff photographers Mike Bonnicksen Don Seabrook Contributing editor Russ Hemphill

Options to dance your way to fitness

10 Horsepower

Take a ride to Plain to find your outer peace

Subscriptions: $21 annually Send check or money order to: Foothills, Subscriptions 14 N. Mission St., Wenatchee, WA, 98801 or email foothills@wenatcheeworld.com Copyright 2011 with all rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without written permission.

On the cover: Rae Helsel practices yoga at the 9th Street Yoga studio at Gold’s Gym in East Wenatchee.

Photo by Kathryn Stevens 4

Foothills

January / February 2012

40

Wine Culture Vin du Lac mixes wine and fun

14 Frozen in Time 46 Wine Talk 16 Soup’s On! 48 Social Scene Lake Clara trip is a winter wonderland

Foothills Magazine is published bi-monthly

by World Publishing, 14 N. Mission St., Wenatchee, WA, 98801.

32 Stick and Puck

SOUTH restaurant shares its Tortilla Soup recipe

18 Still a Legend 20 Beyond the earring The art of William F. Reese lives on

Judge Bridges chats about life on, off the bench

Barb Robertson reviews three local wines

Photos from 2011 Festival of Trees gala

50 Young and Old Shorter home melds classic with modern

Contributors

Sharon Altaras is an amateur sociologist, wannabe motorhead and fashionista. She enjoys walking the neighborhoods of Wenatchee, and recently traveled the country in an RV with her dog.

As a journalist, she’s covered North Central Washington’s courts, Washington state’s businesses, and has helped launch an eco-conscious fashion magazine.

Give Mike Irwin a reason to go and he’s gone.

The Wenatchee World reporter and blogger loves to wander the area’s towns and back roads in search of the odd and interesting.

Everyday objects intrigue him, too, so don’t worry if you find him transfixed by cloud reflections in a mud puddle. It’s normal behavior.

Somewhat normal.

Gary Jasinek, who neurotically keeps track of such things, has hiked 52 miles on snowshoes in the past two winters.

He likes it, but has to admit he prefers dry-land hiking and biking.

Steve Maher studied landscape architecture at the University of Oregon before turning to journalism.

He is an avid recreationist who enjoys long-distance running, hiking, bushwhacking, skiing and biking.

He was the recipient of the Pacific Northwest Ski Association’s annual Press Award in 2011.

M.K. Resk cannot sit idle for long.

Consequently, she is a Wenatcheebased writer, teacher, performer, volunteer, athlete and traveler. For more on her current projects and escapades, visit her at freespirited freelancer. wordpress.com.

Rick Steigmeyer is an amateur vintner who enjoys writing about wine, food and local entertainment on his Winemaker’s Journal blog at wenatcheeworld. com. He’s been a World reporter since 1989.

Kathryn Stevens, owner of Atlas & Elia Photography, merges her years of professional experience in photojournalism with her love for natural-light portraiture to specialize in fine-art wedding and family photography.

Using surrounding environment and emotion of her clients, she creates images that tell a personal story. See her latest thoughts and shots at blog. atlasandelia.com.

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Foothills

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1

Twizzle turns

We slide to a sloppy snowplow stop, right here at mid-rink, to offer a moment of thanks for the Finnish invention of 1) the art of ice skating, and 2) the Finnish moonshine called pontikka.

For sidewinders like us, it’s hard to do one without the other. Here at Fish Lake, near Lake Wenatchee, the glories of outdoor skating (minus the moonshine) are maintained each winter by the Fish Lake Skating Association, whose members tend, clear, staff and equip the Wenatchee Valley’s best outdoor skating space. This is real work, since it’s been known to snow here 100 inches — no, make that 200 inches or more — in a single winter. Sure you don’t want a nip of pontikka?

2

Get stoned

You sensualists will want to peel off those puffy winter parkas and — a little lower, please — get down to your birthday suits for — oh yeah, that’s the spot — one of the best massages available in North Central Washington. The hot stone massage at Wenatchee’s Therapeutic Touch Massage and Wellness (667-2720) uses long Swedish strokes with basalt lava stones heated in a bath of 150-degree water to ease arthritis, fibromyalgia, depression, insomnia and coldweather crankiness. In expert hands, the stones soothe muscle pain, increase blood circulation, reduce mental stress and relax … sore … tense … muscles … zzzz.

Compiled by Mike Irwin

Fast

5 The

Chillin’ Out Edition

5

3

Frosty fling

Sun drops early below the horizon.

Temperature drops below 20 degrees. Crust forms on 2 feet of new snow. This can only mean one thing — time to play some disc golf. Members of the Apple Valley Disc Golf Club snort in derision at halting their sport because of a little ol’ blizzard. Just about every chilly Tuesday, they gather at 5:30 p.m. or so at Tedford Park in East Wenatchee or Rotary Park in Wenatchee to frostily frolic and fling Frisbees — LEDlighted to spot ’em after dark. President Kevin Prosser says they also heave harder to sail them through colder, denser air. Wanna hurl? Call 741-7609.

4

Do your warm ups

Sporting a whippedcream mustache won’t warm you up — unless you receive steamy stares from a frothy-lip lover — but the hot chocolate or Spanish coffee you slurped it from should definitely chase away the chills.

And, y’know, it’s even better if you’re nestled near a roaring fire while winter rages on. Our favorite fireside sipping sites include the outdoor fire pit at The Grotto, the cozy bar at Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort in Leavenworth; the stone hearth at the foot of Hampton Lodge’s fireplace at Mission Ridge Ski & Board Resort; and the Coast Wenatchee Center Hotel’s snuggly lobby fireplace or the top-floor, tableside fire in the hotel’s new Rivertop Bistro & Bar.

Trout-cicles

Seems like fishing’s hard enough — doesn’t it? — without hacking or drilling through a foot of ice. But there are the fisherfolk, out on Cortez Lake (in Malaga) or Fish Lake (near Lake Wenatchee), hovering over a hole, hoping to hook a trout, perch or bluegill. One advantage: you can cook your catch immediately if you’ve already fired-up a warming stove, which, around here, most people haven’t. Instead, they dress like Eskimos and bring a hook or dip net to snatch out fish and ice chunks and, wisely, keep their hands dry. See more at wdfw.wa.gov/ fishing/ice_fishing/

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Foothills

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Street Cred & Lu

Terry Evans with his 1965 AMC Marlin.

Restoring Rambler Marlin is a trip back through time

F

our decades of personal memories are alive and well in Terry and Gwen Evans’ 1965 Rambler Marlin. The car also is a time capsule of its era, when a shift from bulkier hot rods to lean and mean Detroit muscle helped define America.

Terry bought the car in 1969 from S&M Service in Wenatchee, where Les Schwab now sits.

“My brother had purchased a 1967 and we liked the looks of it, so we looked around until this one came up for sale, and we grabbed it,” Terry says.

“Both our kids were brought home from the hospital in it, and we’ve shared many outdoor movies with them in it.”

wheels of wonder

The vehicle has an interesting story all its own. It was introduced by American Motors Corp. in February 1965 as the firm’s attempt to compete with General Motors, Chrysler and Ford.

An interesting blend of street credibility and luxury, the Marlin was considered a sales tool — the candy that drew people into the dealership, though they often left with more affordable or practical vehicles.

In keeping with this concept, early advertising campaigns used an eclectic mix of imagery.

Young women in sailor outfits toured auto shows with a black Marlin in 1965, while a version dubbed the “Tahiti,”

The car’s dash is a classic. At lower right, admiring the trim. featuring floral upholstery and a brilliant fire-flake blue paint job, circuited the following year.

An ad for the 1967 Marlin, boasts: “swinging sports-fastback! / here’s performance! / here’s luxury! / here’s the roomiest!”

Whether the Marlin’s creators knew their audience, the car did feature

Story By sharon Altaras photos By mike Bonnicksen

xury

innovations not commonly found in its class — disc brakes, tinted glass, reclining bucket seats, rear speakers for the radio and factory-installed air conditioning.

An eight-cylinder 327 engine gave the car testosterone to compete with the “big boys” during its 15 minutes.

Snippets of memorable events flash back to the Evanses, today, when they ride in their cherry-red and black coupe.

“We drove it for many years, until probably 1985 or so, and then we needed a newer car, as our kids were getting to be old enough to get drivers’ licenses,” Terry says.

The car was olive green with gold flecks and a white roof when the Wenatchee couple bought it.

“At some point, our son wanted a project and we noticed the body was starting to rust, so we let him and his friend tear it down. Then both guys got involved in other projects, so our car sat in the garage in a dilapidated condition until I retired from Alcoa” as a rod repairman in 1996, Terry says. “I finally decided it was time to get it restored.”

The Marlin went on its own tour of North Central Washington at that time. The engine was rebuilt by a mechanic in Oroville. A Grand Coulee resident put the engine back in and got the car running. An Okanogan man painstakingly restored the body, using lead instead of Bondo, and painted it factory stock colors — red and black.

The tour continues today. A new head liner is needed and the seats will be redone to match the Marlin’s original rolled-and-pleated style, Terry says. The Evanses are members of Wenatchee Valley Antique Auto Club and participate in the group’s regional events.

American Motors Corp., one of the last truly independent American automakers, lasted from 1954 until 1987, when it was acquired by Chrysler. During that time, the firm, based near Detroit, put out the Rambler, AMX, Javelin, Hornet, Pacer, Concord, Rebel and Matador, among other vehicles.

In production for just three years, AMC’s Marlin tells the story of a broader shift in car manufacturing culture and consumer tastes. The Evanses are proud of their quirky piece of American history. F

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Take a Plain By snowmobile or sleigh, it’s a I

Mountain Springs Lodge near Plain, where tourists can take in a snowmobile ride, above. At right, Ken Solem drives a two-horse sleigh ride at the lodge.

On the Web

mtsprings.com

GetAways

f busy Leavenworth is the party animal of North Central Washington, then Plain is its quieter sibling.

This rustic community 20-minutes north of the Bavarian-themed tourist town knows how to make everyone feel at home — and let them relax a little while playing in the great outdoors.

Mountain Springs Lodge is a popular Plain destination with a combination of cabins, lodges and suites. The complex offers a variety of accommodations, ranging from suites for romantic couple getaways to cabins for families and massive lodges that draw weddings and family reunions. There are also horse stables and wide open spaces to enjoy the scenic surroundings.

Owner Bill Newell comes from a family that has logged in the Plain area for four generations. Newell said

he started the business in 1990 out of “necessity.” The spotted owl issue was looming large in the late 1980s, he said, essentially leaving the Newell family with a lot of logging equipment that had little or no value.

“We wanted to keep the land and had to do something with it,” Newell said.

“We didn’t want to sell it.”

He said his original plan for the lodging facility was to go beyond offering beds and pillows by creating experiences that would draw guests back to the lodge.

Outdoor activities like horseback rides play an important role in Newell’s plan. When the snow flies — as it tends to do early and often each winter in Plain — those horseback rides turn into sleigh rides and snowmobile tours.

The snow season at Mountain Springs Lodge begins in early

Story By Marco Martinez photos By Don Seabrook

Ride journey you’ll never forget Fish Lake

Lake Wenatchee 207

Plain

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Hwy

draft horses rotate sleigh-pulling duties.

Rides typically last about 45 minutes.

The horses have their own lodge on the 100-acre property — a large pasture and barn facility that looks straight out of an old Western movie.

“We wanted to have horses for riding and sleigh rides during the winter,” Newell said. “It’s been a very successful part of our operation. We get a lot of people from the west side of the mountains.”

Beyond natural-horsepowered activities, the winter season also includes mechanical-horsepowered fun. There are also guided snowmobile tours for snow lovers looking for a little more zing than a sleigh ride can offer.

Tours vary in length from one to five hours, with the five-hour trip taking riders to Ardenvoir for lunch.

The lodge maintains a fleet of 60

Chumstick

December and continues through February. The lodge offers five different sleigh runs daily, beginning at 10 a.m., with the last run at 4 p.m. The 4 p.m. ride is followed by an optional steak or salmon dinner in the Beaver Creek Lodge building.

The lodge operates four different sleighs — three hold between 15 and 20 people and the fourth holds up to six. Three or four different teams of

Leavenworth

2 N 2 miles

January / February 2012

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A sleigh ride passes by a man-made pond on a tour of the Mountain Springs Lodge property. snowmobiles and enough gear to outfit riders with full suits, gloves and helmets.

Tours breeze along on trails groomed by contractors paid by the U.S. Forest Service. Mountain Springs Lodge operates the tours under a special-use permit from the Forest Service. F

Win a sleigh ride dinner for 2 To enter, send an email to foothills@ wenatcheeworld.com before Jan. 12.

Write “Sleigh Ride” in the email subject line and include a contact name and phone number in the email body.

A winner will be picked at random on Jan. 13. Only one entry per email address allowed. Total package value is $138. World Publishing employees and their family are not eligible. Sleigh ride package is courtesy of Mountain Springs Lodge in Plain.

12

Foothills

January / February 2012

Mountain Springs Lodge at a glance Lodging

Suites: The lodge’s three suites are located in the Beaver Creek Lodge building, which is also home to the main office and dining room.

Lodges: The Mountain Springs property includes three other lodge buildings of various sizes that accommodate 12 to 28 people, two cabins that sleep up to six, and an intimate log cabin that sleeps up to four and is only open May through October.

Cost: Suites vary in price from $175 to $325 per night, depending on season.

Cabin rentals range from $199 to $320 per night, depending on season. The lodge buildings rent from $695 to $1,650 per night, depending on season.

Sleigh rides Cost: $20 for adults, $13 for children age 3 to 12, free for children 2 and under; 4 p.m. departure costs $24 for adults, $16 for children Departures: Every 90 minutes beginning at 10 a.m., with last departure at 4 p.m.

Reservations are required.

Other: A dinner ride is offered as an option for the 4 p.m. departure, with the cost $69 for adults, $37 for children 3 to 12 and free for 2 and under. The post-ride dinner includes steak, smoked fresh salmon, vegetables, potatoes, salad, fresh bread, dessert and drink. There is also a “Feed the Horses” breakfast ride that begins with a 9 a.m. buffet. Cost is $36 for adults, $21 for children.

Snowmobile tours Cost: From $65 to $249, depending on length of tour.

Length: Guided tours range from one hour to five hours.

Departures: Tours begin daily at 8 a.m. and depart each hour after that.

Note: Snowmobile, guide, cold-weather clothing, helmet and insulated boots are included in the cost.

Other: A moonlight dinner ride is offered for $169 per person. It begins with a 1.5to 2-hour tour, followed by dinner that includes sizzling New York strip steak, smoked fresh salmon, vegetables, potatoes, salad, fresh bread, dessert and drink.

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Frozen vegetation on the edge of a creek along the trail to Lake Clara, near Mission Ridge.

Freeze Frames from Lake Clara

I

’ve always been fascinated with the intricate details of snow and frost crystals and a cool-morning hike around Lake Clara in November gave me the opportunity to see some nice examples.

I’d been struggling with photos for my On the Trail this month because the editor wanted something that looked “winterish,” and I had been doing hikes in search of the colorful fall shades of western larch. These icy photos seemed to be a nice compromise.

The next few months for me will consist mostly of trips into the foothills around Wenatchee and the Columbia Basin. I spend a lot of time wandering the labyrinth of trails in the Dry Gulch area. I occasionally get out and do some back-county snowshoeing, but I have very little avalanche awareness training, so I try to keep it to a minimum. F

On The trail

Morning sunlight warms basalt and melts the frost.

Ice crystals on brush stalks.

Frost forms on a piece of basalt.

Story and photos By Mike Bonnicksen

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Kitchen creations

Southern

SOUTH’s tortilla soup.

compiled By Marco Martinez photos By Kathryn Stevens

Style Tortilla Soup

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Sunday though Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to at least 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday Phone: (509) 888-4328 Website: southleavenworth.com

Recipe courtesy of SOUTH restaurant in Leavenworth

Restaurant description: Latin American/Nuevo Latino

Ingredients

1 1/2 onions chopped into 1/4-inch pieces 2 cloves garlic 1/4 cup olive oil 1 quart peeled canned tomatoes 1 gallon water 2 bay leaves 1 tablespoon salt, more or less to taste Garnish Tortilla chips

Restaurant: SOUTH

Place half of the onion and garlic in blender and liquefy. Put oil in 2-gallon soup kettle and add blended onion and garlic and bring to a boil. Blend tomatoes

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Foothills

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artful life

Story By Jefferson Robbins

Lasting Impressions

William Reese’s wisdom outlasts the artist

A

year beyond his death, William F. Reese’s work went on.

Reese, the East Wenatchee painter and sculptor, spent his last few years with a handful of projects in mind — one of them an instructional DVD on depicting horses, one of his favorite subjects, in drawing.

Teaching himself the use of a Macintosh and a Wacom tablet, Reese, afflicted with a hereditary disorder that caused progressive emphysema, created a

William F. Reese’s sketch of a horse head. Before his death in 2010, Reese was working on a tutorial on drawing a horse’s head in profile. Above, Reese in his downtown Wenatchee studio in 2000.

Reese was comfortable working in a variety of mediums. This sculpture is titled “Far From His Emerald Isle.”

15-minute tutorial on drawing a horse’s head in profile.

There were plans for fuller instructions, but Reese died in June 2010 at age 71 with the project unfinished. His wife Fran took up the baton, and “William F. Reese: A Tribute To His Love Of Horses” was completed and released on DVD last December 2010.

“He had quite a bit of information that he had started,” said Fran, now living in Auburn, “but he only had the voiceover on the part of him drawing the horse’s head.”

Reese drew, painted and sculpted professionally for nearly 40 years, 18 of them in the Wenatchee Valley. He’d been raised for much of his youth in Cashmere, and returned to Wenatchee in 1992 after working first as a sign painter and then as a full-time artist in Oregon, California and Bellevue. His artwork gained him national acclaim and sales in notable galleries, and his paintings were featured in the first contemporary American art exhibition ever held in China, in 1981.

Reese lived in East Wenatchee but operated out of his own downtown Wenatchee gallery, with Fran as administrator, until 2006. In addition to oils, pastels, watercolors and etchings, Reese was a sculptor of fine bronzes.

Locally, two important public bronzes are “Mountain Spirit” (1998), part of the city of Wenatchee’s permanent public art collection; and the “River Dance” sculpture fountain at the Cashmere Museum and Pioneer Village.

“It’s so unusual that an artist does both painting and sculpture extremely

well, as he did,” said Jana Koroczynsky, director of the Desert Art Collection gallery in Palm Desert, Calif., which handles some of Reese’s work. “There’s a lot of artists that have passions for those things out there, but he does both excellently.”

Reese was diagnosed in 1985 with Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a protein imbalance that can affect the lungs and liver. In Reese’s case, it manifested as emphysema, forcing him to use bottled oxygen for the last 10 years of his life.

It wasn’t his first health threat: a nearfatal appendix rupture in 1971 motivated him in part to give up his sign-painting career and begin creating his own art full time.

Although he spent a great part of his career as an art instructor, explaining his creative process as he went along proved challenging for Reese: He couldn’t draw or paint while talking.

“I just go totally right-brained,” he once said. For the DVD project, Reese recorded his Wacom tablet sketching first, then filled in much of the verbal instruction afterward.

Horses were among Reese’s favorite art subjects. The works he derived from observing horses, as well as his Western landscapes and depictions of nature, earned him a place in the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Before his death, he gave the museum eight archive boxes of notes, sketches, photos, letters and book drafts, along with an easel that once belonged to James Abbott McNeill Whistler. They’re now housed in its permanent collection.

Fran Reese still handles her late husband’s art and merchandise sales.

She took the remainder of Bill’s collection with her when she moved to Auburn last summer. The process of cataloging and curating it all has only just begun, she said.

“My goal is to build a space for his things here, whether it be an extra garage or a little barn or maybe even an addition onto this house, so I can display his studio effects, and possibly carry on his idea of painting for yourself and not painting for the market,” she said. “That’s pretty hard to do. People need to make a living, and they say, ‘I can’t paint for myself.’

Well, you can and you can’t. You can paint for yourself and still make a living, but people don’t feel secure enough to do that. But Bill always did.

He painted what he wanted to paint and when he wanted to paint it.” F

Cashmere natives Dick Blue, left, and Reese on horseback. Reese frequently painted and drew outdoors while his health allowed, and horses were among his favorite subjects. (Photo provided)

On the Web

William Reese’s book and DVD material can be ordered through his website, williamfreese.com.

“My goal is to build a space for his things here.”

Fran Reese Curating Bill’s legacy

January / February 2012

Foothills

19

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Judge John Bridges C

helan Superior Court Judge John Bridges has sat on the bench for 23 years, handling many high-profile cases, including the failed lawsuit in 2004 seeking to overturn the results of Washington’s governor race, won by Democrat Chris Gregoire over Republican Dino Rossi. He also voided the election of a Wenatchee mayor in 1999 and currently is the presiding judge in the Mackenzie Cowell murder case. A Wenatchee native, he is retiring at the end of 2012.

This interview was done entirely by text message. Words in parentheses were not part of the original texts.

OffBeat

By Cal Fitzsimmons

cally Hypotheti eone if som speaking, m with le b had a pro ets what k c ti g parkin do? u o y ld cou r is I can do the answe , is it s a g As borin th o n ing.

OK then, in 2005 the Seattle media seemed infatuated with your diamond ear stud. Any additional piercings, or maybe tattoos, since then?

Tat-A-Rama has had a good year.

Visual evidence pending? What kind of music do you like? Favorite musician?

I listen to everything. Right now, Emmylou Harris is in the CD player.

Favorite musician is Warren Zevon.

When your kids were young did they show you the same respect you receive in the courtroom as a judge? Or did you need a gavel at the dinner table?

They showed me the same respect then as they do now — none.

Ha! You’ve seen a lot of the worst of Wenatchee in your courtroom.

Has it changed how you look at the community where you grew up?

Yes, but it’s also part of the aging process as we come to realize all of the unfortunate things that can happen to individuals and families.

Ever run into people you’ve sentenced, like in the supermarket.

Awkward maybe?

Yes. At the supermarket, at hockey games, at the race track, at the dump. It’s not awkward. It’s still a small community.

Do you have a favorite courtroom movie or TV show?

I do — Paul Newman in The Verdict and the original version of Miracle on 34th Street.

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favor You would have ruled in says ne eo som If e. of Santa, I’m sur r it a de nsi co I uld sho tal en I’m judgm compliment?

The answer is not if you are a judge and sometimes the father of a teenage daughter. your Sustained on that one, ng about thi st be honor. What’s the ? ge being a jud ly 397 The fact that there are on two d an tes nu days, 11 hours, 16 mi . me for seconds left Almost sounds like a release. sentence, with no early nt? me ire ret for ns pla Any big

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2 Betty and Bob Jenkins of East Wenatchee walk their dog, Tattoo, on the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail.

Maintaining an open line of communication helps relationships and friendships flourish.

2012 Health & Fitness

Story By MK Resk photos By Kathryn Stevens

10 Tips for a Tip-Top Year

T

he new year often involves new goals, new promises. Fast forward a few months and too often these new possibilities become disappointments.

When your mind, body and spirit are balanced on the inside, it radiates and affects your whole being. Share that good energy and feed your soul. Develop an attitude of gratitude and pay it forward. You can only take care of others when you first take care of yourself.

Consider these quick self-improvement solutions from local experts that will keep you from reliving past failed resolutions.

Mind

1 Learn Something New Stay mentally active by trying a new hobby or picking up an old one. Arts and crafts projects like painting, woodworking and knitting can be low-cost, at-home activities. Or join a community group or class that focuses on your interest.

For lifelong skills, try music. JoAnn Cunningham, administrative director of Columbia River Music Conservatory, notes that music helps develop many things, like logical reasoning, coordination, problem solving and discipline.

“Music is for everyone,” Cunningham says. “Our oldest student is 86.”

2 Connect With Others Everyone has expertise they can share. Volunteering even a small amount of time can help someone else significantly.

Choose a passion and research ways to help out.

“Tutoring is very rewarding,” says Louise Verellen, director of Literacy Council of Chelan and Douglas Counties. “Tutors

January / February 2012

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give the gift of literacy, meet new people, make good use of their skills and strengthen the community,” she says. “You don’t need teaching experience or to know another language other than English. You can get to know another culture without leaving town.”

Since retiring several years ago, Wenatchee resident Donna Scheumann has volunteered with several local organizations, from Mission Ridge Ski and Board Resort to local middle schools. She has also taken part in the Wenatchee High School Mentorship Program since its inception in 2004. The award-winning program helps first-generation, college-bound students navigate the college application and scholarship process.

Scheumann’s reasons for mentoring were personal, as she was the first in her family to go to college.

“I just see the need. These kids don’t even know where to begin,” she says.

Scheumann meets with her students weekly, gives them ideas and helps “put them in the best light and show why their application should get picked from the 50 in the stack,” she says.

2012

3 Simplify Your Life

Whether you need to organize your files, declutter your house or quiet your thoughts, paring down and starting fresh can be invigorating.

According to Leavenworth-based professional organizer April Welch, organizing “starts in the mind before it starts in 24

the space. Ask yourself what you can do to improve and what’s already working, then take a look at what’s not working.”

Instead of making a New Year’s resolution list, Welch suggests finding specific tasks to accomplish.

“Everyone’s capable of being organized,” she says. “We all have strengths and challenges. Don’t put expectations on yourself that are bigger than life!”

Foothills

January / February 2012

Body 4 Eat Well

Simplify your eating by relying on consuming real foods.

“One of the nicest things about fruits and vegetables is that they are not processed. You aren’t getting all the additives that are in commercially prepared food,” notes Kim Lohse, Farmhouse Table program coordinator.

“Eat seasonally,” advises Farmhouse Table program director, Ally Neher. “Whether it’s squash in fall or salads in summer, the food is supposed to be there at the time of year that your body needs it.”

Neher likes to have rainbow-colored meals. “Try to get the most colors on the plate. Or have fun and choose a theme like one color, like purple, for a whole meal,” she suggests. She especially likes to give this idea to parents packing school lunches for their kids. “Generally speaking, the color represents nutrients,” Lohse adds.

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Both women advocate this easy new year challenge. Try something you think you don’t like prepared a different way.

If you’ve only ever had it boiled, bake it. If you usually sauté it, broil it. You may be surprised at what you find.

5 Get Moving

Exercise is important for everyone, but not every program works for everyone. Trainer Cathy Covey of Inner Circle Gym knows that exercise looks differently to different people based on lifestyle factors. “But the reality of it,” Covey says, “is all a person needs is a four-by-four foot square of space and desire and they can perform any number of weight-bearing exercises that can, at the same time, increase their heart rate and build muscle, therefore achieving a full-body workout.”

Follow the lead of your fitness personality and abilities. If you like walking by yourself, choose that. If you love to dance and be in a group, find a class. Whatever you do, Covey urges you to “get your shoes on and get out the door. If you fail to plan your exercise, food or whatever, you plan to fail.”

6 De-stress

“What if we choose not to rush? What if we choose to slow things down so that we can be fully present? Let us ‘schedule’ time to be still, to sit in silence, turn off the endless chatter in our mind and just be,” suggests Randy Mitchell, a Wenatchee Valley College career counselor, former high school guidance counselor and yoga instructor.

“Stillness allows us time to recharge, reconnect and refocus.

Let’s make room for it in the new year!” she proposes.

The rush that Mitchell observes may be harmful to our

health, according to Covey, who is also a yoga instructor.

“Living under many stressors every day, many people live in a constant state of fight or flight where we release large amounts of cortisol into our system,” says Covey. This release has been associated with the onset of many adverse health conditions.

Practicing relaxation techniques can offset cortisol production, improving well-being, she says.

Spirit

7 Cultivate A Positive Attitude

Mitchell weighs in again from her quiet yoga perspective.

“What if we take time to take in the beautiful apple blossoms and the majestic hills that surround this lovely valley? What would happen then? Might we be more patient, more creative, more energized?”

Maybe. There’s science behind appreciating things. Covey points to studies that show that when people are engaged in “positive talk” meditation, the parts of the brain responsible for happy thoughts light up when photographed, “leading experts to believe that people actually have the ability to change the wiring of their brain.”

8 Express Yourself

Wenatchee life coach Laura Herrera recommends doing something thoughtful for your loved one every day and reminiscing about happy times together. She also suggests that partners pay attention to how they handle themselves when problems emerge. “When you’re working together, you’re staying together,” she advises.

Bob and Betty Jenkins have been married for 45 years, “longer than we were single,” according to Betty. “It becomes a comfortable give and take. We’re not always happy and don’t always agree on everything, but we do always love each other no matter what,” she says.

Bob counters with humor. “Ladies, remember, husbands are always a work in progress,” he says. “A marriage isn’t a static thing. We’ve changed, hopefully for the better. Relationship passion is up front, the real commitment comes after that,” he says.

Adopt an open line of communication and commitment in friendships and relationships. Show your family, friends, pets and world your appreciation and see how deep your love can go.

9 Have Faith Carmen McDowell is Cascade Unitarian Universalist Fellowship’s new transitional minister. She recognizes that people need to follow their own path toward faith and truth seeking. But she wants to remind people that they don’t have to do it alone.

While many people are comfortable in a traditional church community, the Unitarian Universalist community can be a home for people from many traditions. “We welcome atheists,

Real food is a healthy alternative to meals consisting of processed ingredients. One healthy suggestion is this side dish/salad made from red quinoa, butternut squash, fresh cranberries and pecans.

12

agnostics, Christians, Buddhists,” she says. “The world’s wisdom traditions, as well as science, and experiences of nature, are some of the sources we turn to for inspiration,” according to McDowell.

“What unifies Unitarian Universalists is our commitment to walk together with compassion. We believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every person,” McDowell says.

Whether you find comfort with friends, in nature, at church, out in the community or meditating alone, honor your beliefs to cultivate peace and happiness inside and out.

whole being 10 Generosity

There are endless ways to give, from performing random acts of kindness to sharing time, service, or money. Local groups like Chelan’s Give Naked and Serve Wenatchee Valley offer opportunities to support the community. Some local businesses are finding creative ways to help, too.

Memory and Bryan Visscher have owned Java Station on Miller Street for the past year. From the beginning, they decided it was important to give back to the community in some way, so they give 10 percent of Wednesday profits to local nonprofit groups.

“We were so excited to get involved in the business and felt like it was a blessing. When you’re blessed, we feel it’s important to give to others,” Memory says. “It’s been really fun meeting people, getting the organizations’ names out there. It’s what we feel we need,” she explains. F

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Health & Fitness

Story By Gary Jasinek photos By Mike Bonnicksen

A snowshoer heads toward Mission Peak near Mission Ridge.

Snow Going Ready to make tracks? Here’s what you need to know 28

Foothills

January / February 2012

S

nowshoeing is the 1983 Jeep of winter sports.

It’s slow, inexpensive and really, not that sexy. But like that homely utility vehicle, snowshoeing will take you places you couldn’t get to otherwise.

Plus, anybody who’s proficient in walking can figure out how to work snowshoes the very first time they try them on. No expensive lessons required.

It’s so untechnical, in fact, that to

get started you might not even need some magazine primer like this one.

But if you’ve never tried snowshoeing and want some helpful tips about how and where to extend your hiking season deep into the NCW winter, read on. This is for you, newbs.

As always, safety comes first.

General cautions for snowshoers are pretty much the same as for hikers, but amplified because of the complications that cold can cause.

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Entry-level shoes cost about $70, but you can spend upwards of $300 on expert mountaineering shoes. modest amount of personal on-snow experience, is Joe Anderson, a retired Eastmont High School teacher.

If anyone knows how to introduce the inexperienced to snowshoeing, it’s Anderson. For the past six years, the EMT, mountain guide and longtime ski patrol member at Mission Ridge Ski & Board Resort has led weekly twilight snowshoe hikes, mostly for beginners, at the ski hill.

Safety tips n First, Anderson says, make sure you’re equipped with the 10 Essentials with emphasis on extra clothing, and a GPS, which is becoming the 11th Essential. n Always tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll be back. n Use the buddy system. During twilight tours, Anderson insists that people who need to take even a small detour for a potty break drag along a partner. n An article like this can’t prepare you to deal with the intricacies of avalanche dangers in the Northwest.

But at least it can alert you to be aware of them and know that even experts in assessing that hazard can be caught by one. A fundamental: avoid going below steep and open slopes covered with deep snow.

Anderson says 38 degrees is the angle of slope most common for destructive slides. For perspective, the double-black-diamond Johnson’s run at Mission Ridge is about 35 degrees, Anderson said. A lot of good information and local hazard assessments are available at the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center website, nwac.us/. Avalanche

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classes are offered through Mission Ridge, beginning in January, and wenatcheeoutdoors.org. Check their respective websites for details. n Don’t sweat. A pace that minimizes getting wet from the inside out keeps you warmer when you stop. Hypothermia lurks. Which leads us to …

What to wear n Dress in layers of synthetics and wool. Not for nothing do outdoors people call cotton the “death fabric,” for its ability to retain moisture and provide little insulation. Leave your jeans at home. n Tight clothing crimps circulation and makes you cold. n For footwear, regular hiking boots are fine for most excursions, and even low-top hikers are OK for short jaunts, Anderson said. Gaiters can be handy in deep snow. n Extra hat and gloves are a godsend when the ones you’re wearing get wet.

Hardware n The size of snowshoes you’ll need depends on your weight plus whatever weight you’ll be carrying.

The heavier you are, the bigger shoe you’ll need. Most manufacturers have size keys that will guide you to the correct model. n Entry-level snowshoes cost $70 or so at some big-box stores, and you can spend up to $300 for expert

Poles can make a big difference whether snowshoeing uphill or downhill.

mountaineering ’shoes. Beginners can be fine with the cheaper models, Anderson said — his wife uses Yukon Charlie’s snowshoes from Costco. The longer your expedition, the better your snowshoes should be, he said. You wouldn’t want cheaper hinges, bindings or frames to break and leave you stranded in deep snow six miles from your car. n Poles help with balance and locomotion. Regular downhill ski poles can work just fine, and adjustable-length hiking poles with baskets are even better. Make them shorter going uphill, longer going down. Poles you use for cross country skiing are too long for snowshoeing.

Technique It’s mostly simple learn-by-doing, but a couple of tips: n Going downhill steeply, try to get your weight out over your toes. Leaning back can make you slide. n Take baby steps at first, then keep taking baby steps. Slow and steady wins.

When to go The first three inches of new fluff on a dirt trail are better negotiated in boots than snowshoes. Somewhere above a half-foot of new snow, the hiking gets easier in snowshoes. But don’t expect your snowshoes to float on the very top of that smooth, white surface. In deep, light powder, you’ll still sink in — just not as much as you would without them.

Snowshoes provide not only flotation in deep snow, but traction in icy conditions. Most have hinged cleats beneath the ball of your foot and shorter fixed cleats beneath your heel to bite into hard and slick snow, which you’ll often find on welltracked trails. Sometimes your best bet on such terrain is to swap your snowshoes for traction devices like Kahtoola Microspikes.

Where to go You can snowshoe anywhere you can hike, and beyond. A good snowstorm in the valley can transform Wenatchee foothills trails — Sage Hills, Saddlerock, the Dry Gulch Preserve — into dandy places for moderate snowshoeing. Even Walla Walla Point Park is gentle terrain for beginners to get the feel of it.

The views are definitely worth the effort.

Higher up, you can challenge yourself further on the route from the top of No. 2 Canyon to Twin Peaks, or wander the extensive trails that emanate from Squilchuck State Park.

Toward Mission Ridge, the Devil’s Spur trail a mile from the ski hill is a popular route. The Clara Lake Trail, which begins at the ski hill parking lot, also sees a lot of winter traffic, some of which heads up and beyond the lake toward Mission Peak, over scree slopes that are impossibly impassable when not coated with snow. Wenatcheeoutdoors.org offers a list of more than 60 snowshoe hikes, rated by difficulty and skill level.

Then there’s the ski hill itself, where Anderson leads his weekly tours on loops that use service roads, the Pipeline Trail that intersects the Clara Lake Trail and the beginner’s ski slope called Mimi. There are time and place restrictions on uphill traffic at the ski

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When: 5 p.m. Saturday nights from New Year’s Eve to Feb. 18 Duration: 1.5 hours Cost: $10; snowshoe rentals available for $15.

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Reservations: Contact Sarah Fitzgerald, (509) 888-3283, sfitzgerald@wenatcheewa.gov.

hill, so check Mission Ridge’s website before going there unguided.

Or go on that twilight tour at the Ridge yourself. You could also join one co-sponsored by the City of Wenatchee and the state at Squilchuck State Park (see box). You’ll learn a lot, and they’re as much a social outing as an outdoors adventure. Anderson

says, “We always go only as fast as the slowest person,” which is a good idea in any group. The bottom line, Anderson says, is to get folks to enjoy the experience. “Smiling and laughing are the key.”

If you’re not smiling when you’re on snowshoes, well, you just might want to go skiing. F

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Health & Fitness

Story By MK Resk photos By Mike Bonnicksen

Wenatchee Banshees coach Teka Parks talks with her team between periods as they compete in The Hot Autumn Ice Women’s Tournament at Town Toyota Center on Nov. 12.

Gear Up, Game Women hockey players made of sugar, spice and everything ice

W

Carol Kavanaugh sits on the bench watching her team as she waits for her time to hit the ice.

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January / February 2012

hen the original Wenatchee Ladyhawks hockey team disbanded a few years ago after coach April Taylor retired, the area’s women’s hockey fire could have flickered out. Instead, out of the ashes of the Ladyhawks, the Banshees were born. Then the Wild Fire ignited.

Now these two teams are exploding with energy. The regional women’s hockey scene sizzles with a combined

roster of roughly 80 exuberant, stickwielding ladies. Both groups offer opportunities for players of all abilities and are always looking for new recruits.

One excited Banshee has even been known to recruit athletic-looking women while grocery shopping.

The players’ marshmallow-like protective gear conceals teachers, real estate agents, doctors, engineers, reporters, moms and more. What draws

such a diverse group of active women to the ice? The reasons are as divergent as the group itself, ranging from a good workout and desire to compete, to laughter and fun.

Surprisingly, women’s hockey is not just for the young. You’ll find teens to seniors on the rink. Local 50-something Realtor Carol Kavanaugh was drawn to it when her son started playing in 1995. Her kids are away at college now, but she still enjoys “the exercise, the camaraderie, the challenge of the skills required to play the game.” Her jersey number is the same as the age she always wants to remain in spirit, 29.

Teka Parks has played hockey since she was 12 but was a competitive figure skater first. She swapped her double lutzes for the stick and puck when some female hockey players challenged her to keep up with them. She hasn’t looked back since.

“Hockey is who I am. It’s in my blood,” says Parks. “The sport is my biggest passion in life.”

Parks loves to teach the game to adults and children. She directs the Youth Learn to Play Hockey program, coaches the Banshees and co-captains a Wenatchee Men’s Hockey League team.

Soon, Parks will also coach an under-14 girls’ team anchored by the daughters of many Banshees. Being a woman in a traditionally male-dominated sport hasn’t stopped her.

On! Melissa Wisen grew up in the TriCities watching her brothers’ hockey games. Since it was a “boys’ sport,” she never got the opportunity to join.

In Wenatchee as an adult, she finally saw her chance. When she called her parents to share the good news, her dad laughed. “The challenge was on,” she says. Seven years later, Wisen loves “the ability to hit something (a puck) really hard after a long day at the office and not get in trouble. It’s a great stress reliever!”

A bonus, she says, was making good friends. “I have met people I might not have met in my day-to-day life. There is such a mix of women from all kinds of backgrounds … we all come together to

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laugh, encourage and play this great game of hockey,” says the entrepreneur.

She is passing her love of the game to her sons. At first, it was a hard sell. Since their mom was the only one they knew who played, the boys thought it was a girls’ sport. “It’s been a great way to educate them that girls can do anything boys can do,” Wisen says.

Sometimes family members even play on the same team.

“My daughter Carly and I play together, and it’s really fun. Lots of mothers and daughters play. There’s a lot of crossover with husbands, spouses, mothers and daughters, women on men’s teams … ” says Wild Fire player and Foothills Middle School math teacher, Kristi Wilson.

Though an aggressive attitude helps, Wilson assures that women of any ability can play hockey. “It’s a wonderful sport for women of any age. I have two prosthetic hips, and I’m able to play. It doesn’t have to be really aggressive, but it can be. Mostly, it’s a lot of fun,” she says.

Lisa Petersen, a family practice physician, took up hockey six years ago at age 42. The game, she says, allows her a chance to release her aggressive and competitive streaks.

She said she also loves “the fast pace of the game and the great cardio workout.” While her work sometimes gets in the way of hockey time — she brings her pager Nikole Wyles, right, tries to get to to practice when she’s on-call and has the puck. been known to be taken out of a game because someone is in labor — it sometimes comes in handy, such as when she saved a heart attack victim during a tournament.

Hockey can be intimidating, but newbies should know that this is a nonchecking league, meaning that intentional hitting is not allowed. Wisen advises, “Don’t be afraid to fall, you have a ton of gear on. It’s actually kind of fun!”

Coach Parks suggests that newcomers “learn the basics of skating before trying to pick up the rest of the game.”

She also notes that many teams offer gear for new players to use until they buy their own.

“Come with an open mind that you won’t be a superstar the first time, but each time you skate, you get better and better. Everyone has to start somewhere, and there is a place for every skill level with the Banshees. We all work together, never criticize each other’s abilities and always leave smiling,” says Wisen.

Wild Fire player Wilson adds, “It’s a really great way for a bunch of intelligent, professional women to have a great workout and visit in a collegial way. We are really small and really fun.” F On the Web wenatcheebansheeshockey.com wenatcheewomenshockey.com 34

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January / February 2012

Michelle Hastings completes her uniform with pink gloves.

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Health & Fitness

Move It &

Oscar Lopez teaches Zumba at OcXtacy in Wenatchee. “It’s a hobby where you don’t know that you’re exercising,” he says.

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Foothills

January / February 2012

Story By MK Resk photos By Kathryn Stevens

Lose It

Mix in some dance with your diet W

hether jitterbug or jig, hitting the dance floor can burn many calories. Even when disguised as exercise, dance classes have been popular for decades. First there was Richard Simmons. But in the current reality-TV era, everyone from Jerry Rice to Phyllis Diller seems to think they can dance. Here are some styles offered currently in North Central Washington:

Zumba

is a Latin-inspired “dancefitness party” created by a Colombian fitness instructor who forgot his usual aerobics class music one day and improvised using the salsa and merengue music of his upbringing.

Many local gyms offer Zumba. If you aren’t a gym member, you can drop into class at Oc.Xtacy Performing Arts in Wenatchee.

Oc.Xtacy instructor Oscar Lopez explains, “Zumba is dance put into a fitness routine using music and rhythms from around the world. It’s a lot different than a normal aerobic class.

There’s flavor in it.”

Lopez has taught Zumba for two years. He has challenged a few of his male friends to take Zumba, which tends to be more popular with women.

He wants men to know, “You don’t have to be a dancer, you don’t have to show that you’re all tough. It’s hard to do for an hour. You’ll feel it!”

“It’s a live class,” Lopez says, meaning he changes it often to keep students

challenged. “I want people to have fun and forget about everything else,” he says.

Lopez’s students take Zumba for many reasons, like stress reduction, losing weight and just plain enjoyment. “It’s a hobby where you don’t know that you’re exercising!” says Lopez.

More info: Join Oscar Lopez’s Zumba class Monday and Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m. and Friday evenings at 7 p.m. at Oc.Xtacy, 202 S. Wenatchee Avenue.

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Jazzercise has come a long way since

an Illinois dance instructor created it in 1969. “The biggest challenge is to get people out of that cheesy ’80s Jazzercise idea with the unitard and leg warmers,” says Wenatchee instructor Amy Garrison. “There’s no way that it would stick around for 42 years if it hasn’t changed,” she says. “It incorporates current fitness trends. As science progresses, we learn so much more,” she says.

The style combines cardio, strength and stretch moves for a total body workout. Jazzercise draws from hip-hop, yoga, Pilates, jazz dance, kickboxing and resistance training. Classes, held at Wenatchee’s I.O.O.F. Hall on Chelan Avenue, are appropriate for all ages, levels and sizes.

February will mark the five-year anniversary that Jazzercise has been offered locally. Garrison, who moved

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January / February 2012

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Anna James Miller, above, teaches ballet at the Academy of Dance and Performing Arts in Wenatchee. At right, Ashley Leneway of Wenatchee practices during class.

to the area a few years ago, has taught it for 10 years. Garrison calls Jazzercise the most well-rounded dance-based program around and says the No. 1 comment her clients give her is that it’s fun.

More info: Find the complete lineup of local Jazzercise classes and instructors at: jcls.jazzercise.com/ facility/jazzercise-wenatchee-ioof-hall

Belly Dancing is another fun way

to mix dance and exercise, according to local instructor and performer Wendy

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Edwards. “And where else can you go to dress up?” she asks.

Edwards started belly dancing in 1977.

She dances with The Sabah Ensemble, which has danced together under the direction of Debra Johanson for 20 years. Edwards also teaches beginning belly dancing at Wenatchee Valley College.

Belly dancing is originally a “women’s dance derived from Middle Eastern folk dance, with Gypsy and African influence,” Edwards says. It provides a great aerobic and anaerobic workout

and works on core muscle isolations, balance and posture, Edwards points out. “It’s about the joy of moving,” she says.

And it can be started at any age.

“When I was younger, I took ballet and jazz and always loved to dance. It doesn’t matter how old you are. I’ve seen women in their 70s dancing,” says Edwards.

More info: Look for Wendy Edwards’ beginning belly dancing classes offered at Wenatchee Valley College in the spring.

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Leneway displays some footwork at the Academy of Dance and Performing Arts.

Ballet is a centuries-old classic form

of dance. For local instructor and former professional dancer Anna James Miller, it has become a way of life. “It’s my greatest joy to be able to share this unique art form with others, in the format of a fun, supportive and caring classroom environment,” says Miller.

According to Miller, ballet has many health benefits, including improved balance, core strength, agility, flexibility and toning. Plus, it can be enjoyed at any age or skill level. “We have great diversity in ages, backgrounds and experience levels in our class, and we even have two men!” she says.

More info: Anna James Miller teaches a drop-in, open-level adult ballet class at the Academy of Dance and Performing Arts in Wenatchee, 2619 Euclid Ave., at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Hip Hop dance has been evolving

since the 1990s. Lindsey Martin offers

an adult class called Adrenaline Hip Hop at Wenatchee’s Dance Creations Studio. Her version is based on the fundamentals and combinations of hip hop but the moves are simple enough for beginners to follow.

The popular class focuses on “fun and getting a great aerobic workout,” she says. Routines and music stay current, with Martin creating new dances often.

“Everyone is here for the same reason and same passion. You can have little to no experience and still have as much fun as an advanced dancer,” says Martin. She also notes that hip hop dancing is a great way to connect with others and offers a great escape from any daily trials and tribulations a person may have.

More info: Lindsey Martin teaches Adrenaline Hip Hop at Dance Creations, 701 Poplar Ave. Suite A, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings at 6 p.m. F

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Sensational Taste

Vin du Lac impresses by joining quality with festivity

L

ake Chelan is known far and wide for its pristine waters, surrounded at this time of year by snowcapped foothills of the north Cascades. Larry Lehmbecker wants to make Lake Chelan famous for its wine, as well.

Lehmbecker, owner and head winemaker for Vin du Lac Winery, is definitely doing his share to put

The Vine

Lake Chelan on the nation’s wine map. The winery’s lake-view tasting room and bistro is a hot spot even in the winter months for tourists who have yet another reason to visit the popular resort town. Located about a mile west of Chelan on the Manson Highway, Vin du Lac is close to the Echo Ridge Ski Area and Echo Ridge Nordic Ski and Hiking Trails, Lake

Story By Rick Steigmeyer photos By kathryn Stevens

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Vin du Lac Winery has won its fair share of competition awards. At left, Cathy Tracey of Kirkland savors a glass. “This is a place where you can enjoy food and wine and friends, where you can have a relaxing time in a family setting,” says Larry Lehmbecker (opposite), owner and vintner of Vin du Lac Winery.

Visit our unique strip of shops, wineries, restaurant, coffee shop and distillery. Shop for a one-of-a-kind item, grab a bite to eat, have a cup of coffee, taste local wines or spirits... all down by the railroad tracks in beautiful Cashmere.

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Chelan Golf Course and, of course, Lake Chelan itself.

The bistro offers live jazz every Saturday night and an international nouveaux-style lunch and dinner menu that pairs wonderfully with Vin du Lac wines.

The emphasis is all on fun. And great wine.

“A big part of wine culture is the lifestyle,” said Lehmbecker, 53. “As a winemaker, you want it to be about the quality of the wine, but you can’t shy away from the festive aspects.

We’re not into stodgy presentations and stodgy wines. This is a place where you can enjoy food and wine and friends, where you can have a relaxing time in a family setting.”

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MISSION DISTRICT January / February 2012

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Vin du Lac Winery’s Ice Wine, a mix of Riesling and Gewßrztraminer, sports a seasonal icon. The winery is the largest of the dozen or so that have sprouted up in the Lake Chelan Valley in the past decade.

Lehmbecker grew up in Renton with a bit of wine culture. His parents had traveled to Europe and had adopted the custom of enjoying wine with family meals. His mother began making her own wines. Lehmbecker assisted and started making his own before he was old enough to legally drink.

His wine education continued while earning his law degree at the University of California’s Hastings College in San Francisco. The Napa wine scene was beginning to explode in the 1980s and Lehmbecker, an avid amateur wine maker and beer brewer at that point, was eager to taste the many new wines coming out of California vineyards. His favorite haunts were wineries that also served food and provided a comfortable atmosphere where you wanted to linger and return another time. It was a romantic and magnetic time and place. Lehmbecker filed the information in his mind for the future.

But first, he had to find the right place and make the right wine. After establishing a successful law firm in 42

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January / February 2012

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A bin filled with Riesling grapes waits to be crushed at Vin du Lac Winery.

Bellevue, Lehmbecker went in search for the place. He found it 10 years ago, buying seven acres of orchard land from Al Marcear that overlooks the lake from Spader Bay Road. He bought another 14 acres in 2008. The orchard was previously owned by Ray “Toad” O’Neal, a pioneer grower — father of Sen. Linda Evans Parlette — who helped develop Echo Ridge Ski Area. That suited Lehmbecker, who had been coming to Lake Chelan to hunt, fish, boat and ski since he was a teenager.

The lake itself is a magnet for thousands of people attracted by the region’s beauty and many recreational activities. An avid Nordic skier and skater, Lehmbecker hopes to expand the lake’s tourist season to 12 months a year by offering wine events tied to winter recreation and winter holidays. Lehmbecker’s entire family — including his parents, his brother and sister and their families — is all part of a team working to make the winery and bistro a success. The close 44

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January / February 2012

family ties have made the work very satisfying, he said.

“We want to capitalize on the people who already come here and add to that. We want to give them another reason to come throughout the year,” he said.

Lehmbecker and assistants Todd Bunker and David Traynor have won wide accolade and dozens of awards for their wines, including six medals in last summer’s North Central Wine Awards hosted by Foothills magazine. Their 2003 Cabernet Franc was picked as Best Wine of the Year in 2005 by Wine Press Northwest.

The same magazine named Vin du Lac its Best Winery of the Year in 2010. Lehmbecker said his goal as a winemaker is to produce the best possible wine that truly represents the Lake Chelan Valley.

With 13,000 cases bottled in 2011, Vin du Lac is the largest of the dozen or so wineries that have sprouted along Lake Chelan’s shores in recent years. The winery grows some of its

own grapes on 21 acres and also buys grapes from seven different Lake Chelan area vineyards. About half of its wine is made from grapes grown in the Lake Chelan AVA. Big reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Malbec are made from grapes grown in the Yakima Valley and the Wahluke Slope. The winery built a new wine processing plant near Chelan Falls in 2009.

“It’s a definite goal of mine to help establish a national reputation for the Lake Chelan AVA,” said Lehmbecker.

“I want to go out to the world and say these are special wines.”

Lake Chelan is the newest of the state’s 11 American Viticultural Areas.

Grapes grown in the valley are quite different from those grown elsewhere because of the valley’s unique glacierground soils and lake-influenced climate, he said. Local vineyards are particularly well-suited for producing crisp, white wines and balanced Pinot Noir, a wine that has a great future in the valley, he said.

The winery’s “Lehm” line of wines are made with minimalist techniques that reveal the local “terroir,” the unique taste of the earth.

Appropriately, the word Lehm — the

The bistro at Vin du Lac Winery serves lunch and dinner. root of the family name and Larry’s father’s nickname — means earth or soil in German, Lehmbecker said.

“These are the wines that truly show what the Lake Chelan AVA is all about, he said. F On the Web vindulac.com

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Upon Further Review ...

A taste of NCW wines with Barb Robertson

Fielding Hills 2008 Syrah Vin du Lac Winery 2007 Barrel Select Cab Franc Cabernet Franc is the fourth-most planted grape in Washington state.

It is also considered the “feminine” counterpart of Cabernet Sauvignon — its love child with Sauvignon Blanc. Having said that, I consider this Cab Franc to be a bit of a tomboy.

Although it has a certain floral quality, those notes are very subtle. I pick up big plum and cherry fruit, as well as cedar, on the nose. The palate echoes those notes, but salami, fennel and pepper come into play, creating a complex full-bodied wine. The finish is smooth with milk chocolate and some mint coming through … similar to an Andes mint you might find with your restaurant bill at the end of a satisfying meal. $38, vindulac.com

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January / February 2012

I love Syrah because it intrigues me. It has so many different personalities — from the terroir to the winemaking style. It can range from elegantly floral and peppery to a huge, fruity tannic beast. To my mind, Syrah is the sex symbol of the wine world. It can be everything to everybody. Having said that, this wine makes me want to sit on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace.

The aroma’s are of fresh-picked blackberries baking in a pie. There is also wood smoke, pipe tobacco, vanilla latte, licorice and pepper for a kick in the background. The acidity allows it to be food friendly — so I can bring a snack with me in front of the fire. The mouth feel is extremely silky with a long finish. Need I say more? $38, fieldinghills.com

RockWall Cellars 2009 Pink Gewürztraminer The first thing you will notice about this Gewürztraminer is that it’s pink. Yes, that is unusual for the wine, but not for the grapes themselves.

Gewürztraminer grapes are rose to red in color, but you typically don’t see this because the juice has very little contact with the skins. RockWall has let the juice and skins meet, and the result is unique and lovely. The aromas lifted out of the glass easily — passion fruit, peach and orange blossom. As I sniffed and sipped, I was transported to a Spice Bazaar in Istanbul … you know, Turkish rugs, rich smells and beautiful colors. The flavors matched the aromas while candied sour apple, cinnamon, clove and crushed flowers melded into the mix. I just needed a saxophone playing in the background to make my exotic experience complete. This is a medium-bodied wine that is offdry but with a nice acidity that cleans up the lingering finish. As with most Gewürztraminers, you can pair it with just about anything spicy. $22, rockwallcellars.com

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City: Wenatchee

Credentials: Earned advanced certification through Londonbased Wine and Spirit Education Trust; working toward higherlevel diploma through WSET. Earned degree in marketing (public relations and business administration) from Central Washington University. Owned The Wine Bin retail shop in Wenatchee for five years. Has worked in the Northwest wine industry more than 10 years, including distribution, sales, production and marketing. One of the judges for the 2011 North Central Washington Wine Awards sponsored by Foothills magazine in collaboration with Wine Press Northwest.

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January / February 2012

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the scene

T

he 2011 Festival of Trees Gala Dinner and Live Auction on Nov. 19 drew a happy crowd to the Performing Arts Center of Wenatchee. The evening included a catered meal

by Ivy Wild, The Cellar Cafe, Visconti’s and Famé. The auction of more than 30 tree and prize packages raised money for the PAC. Here are some photos from the event.

Cathy Peppler and Ken Martin

Rita and John Brown

Sharron Johnson, Mary Ann McNair, Mary Lou Johnson and Anne White 48

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photos By steve kaminoff

Cassidy and Joey Aguilar and Nate and Jenni Bishop

Jennifer Stendera, Audrey Bessonette and Stephanie Musser Jim and Pat McDonald January / February 2012

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The back of the Shorter’s home shows off the addition.

Inside home

Story By steve Maher photos By kathryn Stevens

The den in Ryan and Alex Shorter’s home. Much of the furniture purchased for the house is from Blue Dot.

New Addition A fresh look for an old farm house

M

ost people buy homes with the future in mind.

Seldom does that future include housing members of a ski team.

But that’s what Ryan and Alexandra Shorter embarked on when they bought an old farm house below Wenatchee’s Skyline Drive in 2006 and decided to modernize it.

First, they updated a few rooms, while putting out the welcome mat to out-of-town members of the Mission Ridge Ski Team, where Ryan is program director and Alexandra is a coach. Then last year, they expanded the upstairs, adding a new master bedroom, sitting area and bathroom for themselves as well as creating a mini-dormitory for ski team members. They also redid part of the downstairs into a large dining room that, like, the master bedroom, has generous views looking north.

The result is a home that is both young and old — and with a shape and style unique for the valley floor — and

Ryan and Alex Shorter with son Carl and the family dog, Luna, in the master bedroom.

inviting to all.

“I love the history of the house,” says Alexandra, noting a postcard postmarked in the 1910s was found in the ceiling when the house was gutted for last year’s major remodel. “We both liked the fact it was an old farm house and that we could then put the modern on top of it.”

A big assist came from Seattle architect Chris Pardo, known for his chic and functional home designs, and his firm, Pb elemental architecture.

Pardo drove to Wenatchee twice, listened to the couple’s vision and expanded upon that, adding about 600 square feet to the 1,700-square-foot structure and creating significantly more usable space.

Pardo says the Shorters wanted to extend the minimalist feel and, at the same time, retain as much of the structure’s historical character as possible. They also wanted private space set aside for themselves — and January / February 2012

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The nursery, above. The living room, at left, include’s original artwork.

off limits to their ski team boarders.

“It was the marrying of these two things that they love,” Pardo says of mixing the contemporary with the traditional.

It’s an environment the Shorters had been coveting for awhile, as far back as 2006 when Ryan was chosen program director of the Mission Ridge Ski Team and the two began looking for housing in Wenatchee. They sought a place that would accommodate a few teenage skiers who hailed from elsewhere but 52

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January / February 2012

wanted to ski for the Ridge team. Other ski academies in the United States typically provide dorms for members during the winter months.

“Having run camps, I was used to having kids around,” says Ryan, a Petoskey, Mich., native. “So it wasn’t a stretch.”

The housing market was peaking in Wenatchee then and homes didn’t stay available for long. The Shorters initially considered a house off Cherry Street but were never entirely comfortable

with it. They were at the bank looking into financing when their realtor, Laura Mounter, tracked them down and informed them a farm house, built in 1922, had come on the market that very morning. They went and looked — the structure was the original orchard house in that part of town — and were immediately sold.

“This one needed work. But we could get in and do what we wanted,” Ryan says. “Structurally, it was better and simpler.”

The big renovation didn’t come right away, however. Ryan spent the first few autumns designing and updating the kitchen, bathroom and patio. All were done in a modern look, with furniture picked up from Seattle shops. It wasn’t until August 2010 that work began to transform the home into its current shape and style.

In terms of the latter, there was little question where the Shorters would end up.

“We always bought modern furniture, and we were always moving in that direction,” Alexandra says.

They searched online for architects who could add modern touches to an older home. They had run across Pardo’s work while driving around Seattle — where Alexandra grew up — and asked him to submit a bid, along with another architect. In the end, the Shorters selected Pardo.

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With ski team members around a lot during the late fall and winter months — since 2006, the Shorters have housed 23 different skiers — the couple wanted an area in the house that would serve as a refuge for themselves and their baby son, who was born earlier this year.

They also wanted a design that would take advantage of the property’s expansive views of the city, Burch Mountain and the basalt cliffs on Badger Mountain.

Pardo, who says he was struck by the changing colors of the landscape when he visited, accomplished that by designing a roomy, master bedroom and sitting area with wide windows that frame those views to the north and northeast. An outdoor deck was built by the main contractor, Ridgeline Construction of Wenatchee, to further take advantage of the sights.

The minimalist feel found inside is matched on the outside by the jutting nature of the master bedroom and the materials used, which include cedar rain screen siding, cement fiber panels, corten standing seam and polycarbonate.

The end result? “A home that is comfortable, quintessentially Washington, practical and extremely cozy, no matter the season,” says the design website Modern Octopus. F

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parting shot

Western larch trees color the view looking west from Carne Mountain near Trinity in late October.

oothills

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January / February 2012

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