I am Gerald Mayfield, and I was born and raised here in Ashland, Oregon since 1935. I am now 71 and have seen Ashland grow to where it is today: a beautiful town.

My grandparents lived up in Greensprings back when I was in junior high. I would go up to visit and stay with them. We would come down off of the mountain on the Soda Springs Bus. They don’t call it that anymore. The junior high was located where Safeway is today.

I can make about $300 a month. It keeps me very busy and it’s like a job; you have to keep doing it. It’s like a paper route. You got to do it every day, because people depend on you to pick up what they put out. So, I would like to tell people to try to recycle their stuff… and that’s about it.

Johan Ziems

Age: 32
Ashland Resident Since: 1992
Occupation: Entrepreneur
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Introduction: Johan Ziems was born and raised for 16 years in Weimar, East Germany. When he was 14 years old
The Wall that surrounded and isolated East Germany was disassembled. It then took another two years before East Germans had the freedom to travel.
Shields: Tell us a litte bit about how you left East Germany and came to the West.

Johan: After the wall came down, I got to travel for the first time. I went to Paris and London and then, when I was 16, I got drafted into the
military. So when I finally had the freedom I always wanted, I was facing 2 years of military service.

At that point, I decided to leave and start a new life. I packed up and sold everything I owned and moved to New York City.

At this point, I was 16 years old and on my own without even speaking the language. The first couple years I put myself through high school, taking freshman and sophomore English everyday.

I then found a host family in Grants Pass through Calvary Chapel Church. I stayed with them for over two years, graduated from high school and put myself through college at RCC.

Shields: What is it about you that lives for creativity? Was it being confined, growing up knowing another experience was available?

Johan: It felt like when I was 16 and was released from communism. It was almost like I was conscience of being born a second time. Because I grew up so oppressed in communism without TV, magazines, toys. Without fancy cars or materialistic stuff. I grew up in a very gray, oppressed society that was full of love but lacked the excitement, which is especially here in America. So with the collapse of communism, it was interesting for me to be consciously 16 years old experiencing another birth into this world, and being in control of it. Making decisions on what I wanted and what I didn’t want. Who I wanted to surround myself with and who I didn’t.

Shields: The first time I talked to you, I got the impression that the creativity just flows out of you. Tell us a little bit about Nuwandart and how that came to be.

Johan: That was another interesting birth that occurred six years ago. When I moved to Ashland, I remember walking around with my portfolio from gallery to gallery and basically being denied by many because my work was too controversial or didn’t fit in with what they wanted. I wanted to create a gallery that would create art for art’s sake and not just as a selling factor. So I did.

Shields: You guys have done a lot of really creative stuff with the gallery and even have your own fire truck. (And, its bright blue I might add.)

Johan: The fire truck is another childhood dream I always had. I wanted to drive my own fire truck and not have to necessarily join a government service to do it. A friend of mine from the the UK was living in San Francisco doing a record label called The Blue Room. Everything he had was painted blue. When he was moving, he gave me a good deal on the truck.

Shields: I understand that you have done extensive world travel on your own, as well with your dome
company. Can you tell us about one your most
interesting trips?

Johan: One of the most interesting travels that I have done was driving from Ashland to Nicaragua and back a couple years ago. When hurricane Mitch hit, I took a lot of supplies from Ashland. Toys, seeds, domes, bedding, clothing, blankets and supplies. I just filled up a truck and drove all the way to Nicaragua, donated it and drove back.

That was a great trip. I gave it mostly to kids or needy families who needed it. Upon arrival, I decided who I could easily help without any of the political drama or relief-effort bureaucracy.

Shields: You demonstrate an amazing level of trust and confidence to just pack up and decide to do something like this. I think in this society everyone wants to work through some organization or have everything planned perfectly before they take any action.

Johan: I think action is always better than talk. You loose your energy just talking about it. If you just get started, things create and manifest in amazing ways.

Master Mingtong Gu

Many of you will remember hearing about or attending this summer’s Chi Healing Spiral. This was North America’s first ever spiral. This event was led by Master Mingtong Gu of Ashland’s Chi Healing Center.

I spent an evening with Master Gu in reflective discussion. Here is an account of some of our conversation. I think you’ll find this story interesting, and in the next issue, I promise to include more illustrations and notes of our discussion.

Mingtong Gu was born to a family of farmers in a small village in China, a village so small that its only significant reference point is a nearby historic landmark.

Mingtong Gu grew up in this rural location with a great exposure to the natural world and its beauty. As the cultural revolution occurred, educated teachers ventured into more rural areas of China, spreading education and ideas of a larger world. Mingtong was thus given the opportunity to attend high school and was eventually able to go to college. He was the first person in his family to do either. He entered college studying mathematics. While there, he was given another opportunity to travel with his professor to the United States to continue his studies.

When he arrived, Mingtong relates, despite the vast cultural differences he automatically felt at home. With an appetite to explore, Mingtong began his journey of healing and self-exploration that led him from UCSD to Harvard to Ohio State. His studies in mathematics eventually shifted into the fine arts. He was also introduced to the practice of Qigong, a practice which would complete the circle for Mingtong, taking him into a level of mastery and connection to his cultural past while rooted in the Western World.

Now located in Ashland, Master Gu has founded the Chi Healing Center. Why Ashland? Mingtong says Ashland has a good energy. That energy naturally pours out of the ground and is contained by the mountains. Ashland is a natural “Chi Pot.” We both laughed at that concept, so I thought I would create this illustration.

Terry Larson - Ashland Sanitary

Terry Larson has been working as a driver for Ashland Sanitary for the last 18 years and had the same route for the last 12 years. He drove by my house last week and I was able to catch a quick chat with him as well as stick a magnet on the back of his truck. He had a great quote which I will try to capture which was this:

“When I leave my house in the morning I realize the only way I am going to screw up my day is if I do it to myself so I make sure to leave with a good attitude.”

The job lets me work outside and gives me plenty of time to think. I’m not in a rush and i have a good time.

Terry also enjoys snow mobiling and he coaches a local womens softball team. DeCarlo Homes.

Terry:Bikes, Tv’s Radios, You name it. I’ve gotten bikes for my kids in all different sizes.

As a side note: I know many of you may know or recognize Terry because I have heard some really good stories about him. He sure made my A-list when we forgot to put out or trash cans the night before and he walked up to our house and took them out for us! .. No Joke.. That was really cool of him and probably something you can only get in a small town like Ashland.

Cyril Maitland

As a photojournalist for the Daily Mirror of London for 22 years, the Scottish-born Maitland captured the images of European history in the making. Some snapshots:

Maitland covered the Queen¹s cousin, Princess Alexandria, during her trip to the Far East in the early l960s. It was the first time a member of the Royal family had been there since the l890s.

In Belgium, he covered the trial of a distraught family accused of murdering their deformed child, a Thalidomide baby. Maitland snapped a photo of the accused covering their eyes in the courtroom, as a Swiss doctor showed pictures of young Thalidomide victims on a large screen. Maitland’s shot was picked up by the French newspapers.That was a very emotional trial, Maitland said, and created controversy world-wide. Many in the world said that the mother had had every right to kill her monster child.

Maitland was assigned to former Prime Minister Winston Chuchill’s funeral. Perched on a window ledge in the famous Lyons Coffee House overlooking the Strand, he waited for the procession to make its way from Trafalgar Square. Accross the street, a large photo of Chuchill’s head hung in a store window just above the packed curbside-crowd. He took his shot as the casket passed in front of Churchill¹s picture. You could just see his head peering over the crowd, said Maitland, and it was just as if he was watching his own funeral.

Maitland toured the set during the filming of the Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night. His relationship with Beatles publicist eventually turned into a friendship with fallen Beatle John Lennon. Maitland retained the rights to two of his pictures of Lennon. In one black and white photo from l974, a barefoot Lennon lounges yoga-like an his L.A. sofa. It was a month after Yoko Ono had thrown Lennon out, and a day after he made world headlines by being drunk and making a scene in a Hollywood club. He was ejected on to the sidewalk and the paparazzi sent his picture world – wide.
That next day, John was very humble and had given no access to any media except myself. This was his bottom – out and probably his spiritual awakening, relates Maitland. He got sober and not long after reunited with Yoko, back in New York. Yoko liked the picture herself and included it in her movie-bio of John entitled Imagine. Maitland received screen credit at the time. Maitland had an epiphany after a visit with his wife Lucie to his native Scotland. He returned with a desire to paint. He picked up a brush and started painting the highlands of Scotland on the closest thing he could find to a canvas – 3-by-5-foot chunk of plasterboard. I thought, well, this is insane, this is crazy, painting on drywall said Lucie. Lo and Behold, there was this beautiful painting. The only problem was, we could hardly lift it, let alone hang it!

The couple moved to Ashland, Oregon where every week-end Maitland’s art and photography can be seen at the Lithia Artisans Market.

B. Prepared

Irene at BiMart

When you think of going to the Ashland Bi-Mart you almost certainly will think of Irene McBride. She has been working there as a cashier for the past 14 years and has developed a reputation which far exceeds herself.

When we were doing our interview adoring customer fans kept jumping in to share their own remarks of praise and admiration. One of Irene’s customers even sings her a song every time he leaves “Good Night Irene”.

My own curley haired son tries to duck and run by as Irene reaches out to say hi. Irene reaches out all 200 – 250 customers who pass thru her line daily. Checking into to say hi and making sure they found what they needed.

Stories and lives are woven together piece by piece, each concluding or continuing from where the left off from before. Irene has watched children become parents who’s own children now come thru her register line.

Irene is not short for celebrity attention, she was joking that she might need dark sunglasses to go out now,and after our interview started I was actually thinking that I could have just interviewed the customers as they passed thru the line.

All 250 of them probably would have probably had something to say.
She has won multiple awards of recognition for here hard work. In 14 years she has never been late or missed a day of work.

So what’s the trick you might be wondering? Irene told it to me this way and it just seems to make sense, “I meet somebody like I’ve known them all my life”.
It works and the customers respond.

Irene even has her own daily special. “Irene’s Deal of the Day” even when she is out buying goceries people ask her what the special is.

One Ashland Restaurant owner has a special Drinking Cup which she purchased from Irene. Supposedly it’s not a favored item until it is disclosed that the cup had it’s origins from Irene’s Special.

This year Irene will turn 62 on Sept 11th. She will be in Reno with her husband so make sure to drop in early with your birthday wishes!

For those of you who haven’t met Irene it’s worth the trip. Ask her what she has been reading recently or any trips she she has gone on this year.

The Ice Cream Man Is Coming!

We wanted to be in LocalsGuide again. We asked our dad, roguewriter what we could do and he said that we could interview the Ice Cream Man. We came up with some questions and asked our friends for some too. He answered our questions really quick. Here is what we asked him and his answers were really funny. Thanks for letting us interview you Matt!

TSB: How do you make the ice cream?
ICM: I pick up ice cream from different companies and warehouses all over the country. I don’t work with one specific ice cream company right now and we don’t make our own ice cream…. yet. Eventually I’d like to make a bunch of different face pop items. Like the cartoon ones; Pink Pather, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Powerpuff girls.

TSB: Do you ever run out of ice cream?
ICM: We do occasionally run out of ice cream. It’s not the easiest thing to keep frozen, especially when on the road. Sometimes events are a lot larger than we expect, like Lollapalooza last year. We ran out every day. This year we’ll have close to twice as much on board so we hopefully won’t run out so easily

TSB: How do you keep the ice cream cold?
ICM: There are a few ways to keep ice cream cold. Probably the best is dry ice. It’s solid Carbon gas that’s 109 degrees below zero. That means the ice cream gets super frozen and you don’t have to worry about it melting, even if you’re opening the freezer all day long. We also use special ice packs that we freeze overnight sometimes. Those will usually last 4-5 hours. I have a generator on my truck that I can power up and plug the freezers into that. I’ve been using that a bit more now to cut down on the cost of dry ice, which can sometimes get a bit pricey (fifty cents to two dollars a pound)

TSB: Do the freezers ever break down? What do you do if they break?
ICM: Chest Freezers, where the lids are on the top, are very dependable. I’ve broken a hinge on one of mine but the compressors, cooling units, all seem to work very well. Ice Cream needs to be very cold, around 20 degrees below zero to freeze solid. A lot of normal freezers that are attached to refrigerators (the vertical versions) don’t usually get cold enough.

TSB: What’s your favorite kind of ice cream?
ICM: My favorite scooped ice cream is Rocky Road, which I don’t eat enough of. For stuff we carry on the truck, I like It’s Its (or UFO’s) and Fruit Bars the most. I could eat fruit bars all day long… yum. I like Cantaloupe, Watermelon, Pistachio (yes I know it’s not really a fruit), Strawberry, and lemony ones a lot.

TSB: What do you do in the winter?
ICM: I spend a lot of time in southern California so I can sling cream year round. I put up Christmas lights on homes and businesses around Christmas time to make a few bucks. I also want to start traveling internationally with Bessie, the ice cream truck, so we might be in Australia this winter, since it’s summer there.

TSB: Are you from Ashland?
ICM: I was born and raised in Long Beach, California but started Ice Cream Man in Ashland in 2004. I lived in Ashland on and off for two to three years. I love it there but it’s hard to make a living and I’m not ready to settle down yet. I do look forward to the day when I can return to Ashland for an extended period of time to relax, it’s my favorite place I’ve lived so far.

TSB: Where did you get your truck?
ICM: I got Bessie in Grants Pass. Dan, the local ice cream man that used to drive his truck around Ashland, saw it for sale on the side of highway 99 and told me about it. I went out and checked it out then bought it and fixed it up a bunch.

TSB: How do you pay for gas?
ICM: Levi’s is our main sponsor for Ice Cream Man’s 2007 Tour. They make it possible for us to travel the country and give away free ice cream. We go to a lot of music festivals and events and also stop by Levi’s stores and showrooms when possible to give everyone free treats. Technically speaking, I usually put gas on a credit/debit card. If I actually paid attention to all the money I spent on gas, it’d probably make me sad. Eventually I’d like to convert Bessie to run on alternative fuels. Hopefully we’ll be able to make some headway on that this winter if there’s enough down time. If you know of any companies that do conversions (Bessie is gas powered, not diesel) we’re looking for a sponsor to help.

TSB: What cartoon ice cream goes the quickest?
ICM: With the recent release of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, the TMNT pops have been very popular. My favorites that I try to carry on board most of the time are Pink Panthers. They remind me of when I was a kid and everyone loves Pink Panther. Spongebob pops look really cool and they move pretty quick but I don’t think they taste that great (fruit punch and cotton candy…eeewww)

TSB: What do people like better: ice cream or popsicles?
ICM: I’ve found that when it’s cooler out people usually like ice cream more. Once it’s gets really hot, like over 90 degress, then the popsicles are the way to go. Overall I’d say we give away more ice cream than popsicles though.

TSB: Do you ever make suicide ice creams, like with sodas?
ICM: Wow… these are some of the best interview questions I’ve ever got. I do occasionally make suicide soda’s but haven’t had too much luck with the ice creams. There are a few combo’s that are quite popular. They’re usually standard popsicle size, like one in my logo, so you can stack them on top of each other.
Two fruit bars, usually one cream based (coconut for example) and one water based (strawberry??)
Fudge Bar and Fruit Bar. This is a slam dunk good time. It’s like chocolate coating your favorite fruitbar. It’s really good with a pistachio bar too…. yum
We recently had Mayfield Dairy Pops on board and we ran out of creamsicles so people would order an orange bar and a snow cream bar and eat them at the same time ( see pic HERE)

TSB: Has anyone ever given you a million dollars for one ice cream?
ICM: Yes they have, while I was in Ashland. I’m not sure where the Million Dollar Bill went but there’s a part in my movie I made while driving around ice cream where I sell a popsicle for a million dollar bill. Hmm… maybe I should try to cash that, I could probably buy a lot of ice cream with all that money.

TSB: Do you ever give away free candy, too?
ICM: couple years ago I gave away free ice cream at the premier for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Movie in Hollywood. Once the party was over they had tons of free candy and I ended up with over a hundred pounds of Laffy Taffy’s, Nerds, and other Wonka treats. It took me probably half a year to give it all away. I used to like Nerds a lot but I think I overdosed on ‘em.

(Editors’ Note: Join LocalsGuide and Ice Cream Man August 18 at 3:00pm in Garfield Park, Ashland, for the 4th Annual Ice Cream Social for FREE Ice Cream! You can follow Matt’s cross-country adventures on icecreamman.com.)

Meet Dr. Laury

Here is a recent interview done by Lisa Ameijide of Dr. Daniel Laury, a gynecologist and primary care physician for women in Medford.

DL: I see patients in the office four days a week; taking care of annual exams, pelvic pain issues, female health concerns, etc. On Fridays, I generally spend the day in surgery treating various issues including bleeding problems and POP (pelvic organ prolapse).

DL: POP deals with damage to the female pelvic organs over time. Dropped bladder, urinary incontinence and uterine prolapse are good examples of this.

DL: It actually is very common. The problem is that some women feel that it is a normal part of aging or that it is something that they have to live with so they don’t talk about it. My job is to educate them and offer them appropriate treatments such as bladder slings, vaginal repairs, etc. For example, I may do three to four slings a week. These procedures take about 20 minutes and have successfully keeping women dry in virtually all of my patients.

DL: I do a lot of infertility. We see many ladies who are having trouble getting pregnant and it has been very rewarding to help them achieve motherhood. We offer ultrasounds, fertility drugs and artificial insemination regardless of marital situation or orientation.

DL: I do what I can to minimize our impact on the earth. We use high pressure fluorescent bulbs and low flow toilets, we are avid recyclers and we have solar panels on the roof to generate electricity. Our landscaping is managed organically.

DL: Lately, I have taken up running again. I weight train, rock climb and bicycle some. Writing for me is relaxing as well; I have recently finished a book which deals with sexuality for seniors. It is at the publishers right now and I hope to see “SeniorSex” in the book stores soon. Volunteering is a big part of who I am. I give public lectures a few times a month; on the radio, TV or at schools.

LA: Here’s a double question. One, I understand you have a local TV show that has won awards and two, what got you started with doing a program for women initially?

DL: About two or three years ago, we started a Rogue Valley Community Access TV program named “The Doctor is Listening”. It is an interactive show where I address women’s health care concerns. Ladies call in or email me questions and we talk about them on the air. It is a big honor to receive awards two years in a row from our audience and peers.

DL: I enjoy volunteering, it keeps me in touch with my community. I have volunteered for the Britt, the Harvest Festival, Jackson County Search and Rescue among others.

LA: Thanks for speaking with me Dr. Laury. It’s good to hear that businesses are taking an active role in the community.

DL: We are accepting new patients and offer early morning appointments for working ladies who don’t want to take time off. They can reach us at (541) 773-5500 Monday through Thursday. Thank you for allowing me to share some ideas with you.

Kevin Geyer

If you love a place and the people in it, you just can’t imagine living anywhere else. Kevin Geyer is just such that person. If you’ve ever been to the Ashland Dollar Tree, then you probably already know Kevin. A lifetime Rogue Valley resident, Kevin has a big family, most of who have lived in the Valley all their life. Kevin says, “My father-in-law was born and raised here, and my dad too. My mom’s lived here most of her life, too.” Kevin continues to run into many people he grew up with, from family to friends to former classmates. Having lived in Central Point most of his life, Kevin and his family moved to Ashland six years ago and have loved the location change ever since.

I know family is very important to you; it’s one of the reasons you’ve lived your whole life in the Rogue Valley. Will you tell me about your family and what it’s been like living and raising children here?

Well, my wife’s name’s Brenda. I don’t know whether to call her my wife or my best friend, because she’s both. Our oldest boy’s Ryan; he lives in Hawaii. Then there’s my daughter Lindsy; I got 3 beautiful grandbabies because of her. We have a son named Adam, then there’s Josh, and our youngest, Savannah. All of them live here, except for Ryan of course. I think Ashland is one of the most beautiful places there is, especially to raise families. We got an awesome community of people here. It’s a smaller town, less crime. It’s just a beautiful town, a beautiful town.

I like going up to the reservoir and going down to Lithia. I like walking downtown in the Plaza. I love going up in the woods. And, the best part is we have that all right here.

There are numerous rumors around about how you go out of your way for your customers and your community, especially young children and the elderly. You’ve even started local toy and food drives. Can you tell me a little about that?

I just like to treat people the way they like to be treated. I love this community. I like dealing with the people; everybody’s unique and everybody’s different. I think everybody needs to pull together and help each other. If there is somebody in need, help them out.

Here at the store we’ve done donations for ICCA, with the public’s help. One day, I was talking with a woman I knew who used to run ICCA. She said they were really low on food and toiletries. Back then I was an assistant, so I talked with management and we decided to do a fundraiser for ICCA. We also do Toys-For-Tots and AFS. Right now, .we are taking donations of school supplies for the local elementary schools to give out to those families who can’t afford their own.

He’s done a lot to improve the store, and we’ve been doing great ever since he took over.

I also got the chance to ask Paul, a regular Dollar Tree customer, what he thinks of Kevin.

He’s a great guy. He’s always here; he’s always cheerful. He knows his store; he knows where everything is, so I never have to look around. I just say, ‘Kevin, where’s the fly swatters,’ and he points me in the right direction.”

My dream is to semi-retire by the time I’m 55. Just my wife and I traveling around and camp hosting.

Staying in the Moment with Grief

It was a crisp Thursday morning like many we’ve had recently, when I headed out the door to meet with my friend Fayegail Mandell Bisaccia. We had been talking off and on for a few months about getting together to discuss her new book, dancing in My Mother’s Slippers: A Journey of Grief and Healing. Her book is an account of her grief and healing surrounding the death of her mother. It is a journey of sorrow, mindfulness and well-being.

Walking into Case Coffee Co. a few minutes early, I reviewed my short list of questions. My experience with grief is minimal. When it has come up in my life, I’ve usually packed it away as quickly as possible, rather than laying it out on the table for exploration. This day, however, would be different, because I was going to explore this vast frontier with Fayegail.

Naturally, I had an internal resistance to this kind of exploration. It’s similar to asking someone to write an article about happiness or sadness. How can anyone really capture and bring back the essence of these experiences? Fayegail would be my guide into the exploration of grief, healing and presence. If it weren’t for my complete confidence in Fayegail, I might never have taken advantage of the opportunity to glimpse the role grief plays in our day-to-day lives.
When Fayegail arrived, she greeted me with a warm hug, a bright glow and a beautiful smile (which you can see on this month’s cover). After she got settled, I asked her about the inspiration behind her new book, and what her goals were in creating it.

The book describes Fayegail’s journey from the time of her mother’s diagnosis, through the last year of her mother’s life and the five years until her father’s death. The book is about mindfulness, and about staying in the moment. It calls us to notice the familiar and unfamiliar experiences that come with grief, and to accept them without judgment. Fayegail wanted to share a model for a mindful grieving process. She would like for us, as a nation, to think and talk more about the grief we live with on a daily basis. For her, it’s the ‘little deaths,’ the small and not so small losses in life, which prepare us for the ‘big deaths,’ the deaths of people we love.

As I reached forward to check that my audio recorder was capturing our conversation, I pondered the idea that all these cumulative losses over a lifetime prepare us for the eventual big deaths. Fayegail was not talking about the distress associated with grief, as I had originally expected. Instead, she told the story of how grief had become a part of her life, and how she had been profoundly changed in the process.
Starting to glimpse what Fayegail was talking about, I asked her how she addresses death in her book. “I wanted to write a book about my day-to-day experiences, what it was like for me to go through the process of losing Mom, grieving and healing. I wanted people who are grieving to read the book and identify with what I’d written, and know they are not alone in their experience. I wanted them to know that grieving is a universal experience.

I thought about what Fayegail” had said earlier, about wanting us as a culture to think more about grief, and asked her what she feels is not happening in our culture with regard to grief. She said one of our culture’s biggest challenges is our denial of grief. Essentially, people can be walking around in a continuous state of grief and not realize it. Grief comes not only from losing someone to death. It can also come from all the losses we experience over time. Our pet dies, our library closes, our friend betrays us, we don’t get the job we want, our lover leaves us, our house burns down. All of these are occasions for grief. Our days are full of losses. Even when we do experience a death, the structure of our society doesn’t give us time to grieve. We take only a day or two off work. We’re afraid to make the people around us uncomfortable. Often we are told to get over it, or that time will heal.
My attention was drawn to the idea of a nation in grief. With all the war and atrocities occurring around the world, how could we miss it? Our denial discourages us from acknowledging our grief. I felt like I was missing something, so I asked her to describe the symptoms that point to a culture in grief. ‘Extreme fatigue, anxiety, anger, aggression, impatience, poor self-concept, self-pity, sadness, anxiety, self-doubt, inability to focus or to make decisions. Grief is not a negative thing; it’s part of the flow of life. But when grief tries to express itself and we shove it back inside, our resistance throws us off balance. Our resistance can make us suffer.’

Fayegail said that if we leave room for grief and allow ourselves to experience it without feeling embarrassed for doing so, it helps us live a more balanced life. If feelings of grief are not aired, we can be harsh, violent, lethargic, depressed, unmotivated, unsympathetic, unsupportive of others. Our health can be affected. Many people self-medicate with alcohol, drugs, overwork, busyness as way of escaping these powerful emotions.

When we pay attention to our grief, we live in the moment. ‘Life is a procession of emotional state’s laughter, tears, anger, passion. We need to remember that we do not stay stuck in one state of being. Once in a grief group, someone brought cookies and milk as a way of honoring her mom. We laughed and shared memories, and all the while, the grief was right there. At that moment we were laughing. Moments later, we were crying. If we watch closely, we notice that our sadness flickers in and out, and that other feelings are present in the spaces in between. Knowing this can be a tremendous relief. A lot depends on where we put our attention.’

I asked Faye ail what we can do in our daily life to deal with grief. She suggested taking a walk, talking things over with a sympathetic friend, working out, seeking professional help, meditating, practicing mindfulness. Sometimes traditional gender roles cause men and women to grieve differently. A man might dig a garden or fix something or solve a problem. A woman might talk with friends, share fears, focus on the emotional needs of people she loves. We must emphasize that these are stereotypic roles, and may be very different from what any particular man or woman experiences. Everyone grieves differently. There is no ‘right’ way to grieve, just as there is no magic length of time to grieve. It’s more critical that you do it than how you do it.

Bringing grief out into the open helps to prepare us to go on with our lives. We will never be the same person again, but grief can take us by the hand and slowly prepare us to re-enter the stream of life. Doing our grief work enables us to relate with our loved ones in a new way, even after death. It can help us discover a new richness in our time of transition.

It was at this point in our conversation that I realized that grieving is the process of living through these experiences and letting them go. If we don’t allow the natural process to occur, grief will shake us up until we have to pay attention. Our culture’s intolerance of grief sends us the ‘GET OVER IT’ message. But this isn’t about the culture’s acceptance of our grief; this is about our own opportunity for personal growth and transformation. We need to notice our own expectations’ of ourselves and others. When we begin to recognize how we grieve, we begin to experience a fluid state that is our natural response to living in the moment.

To learn more about Fayegail Mandell Bisaccia and her work, or to buy a copy of Dancing in My Mother’s Slippers: A Journey of Grief and Healing, visit her website at GriefandHealing.net. She also writes a blog at TheWeaverbird.blogspot.com. Visit with Fayegail at the Book & Author Fair, November 17, 10 am to 4 pm, at the Rogue River Room in the Stevenson Union on the SOU campus.

Teri DeSilva

A few months ago I had the opportunity to sit down with one of our local police officers, Teri DeSilva, and got to learn a little bit more about this community role model. Here’s what I discovered:

RS: How long have you lived in the Rogue Valley?
TD: I have lived in the Rogue Valley for many, many years. I came down here in ‘76 to go to college; it was SOSC at the time.

RS: How long have you been a police officer?
TD: I have worked for the Ashland Police Department for 23 years. 10 of those years were as a 911 dispatcher, and 13 as a police officer.

RS: Have you ever served as an officer in any other cities?
TD: Nope, I started my career in Ashland and will end my career in Ashland.

RS: What inspired you to become a police officer?
TD: Oh my gosh, many things. The common answer is to help people, but that means so many things. Somebody’s got to do this job and I feel like I can do it in a positive way, as positive as police work can be. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it’s very positive, but on the other hand, I’m protecting people. You really serve to protect everyone.

RS: Did you have any cops in your family?
TD: Not in my immediate family. I have two cousins in Washington. One is a lieutenant for the Everett Police Department, and the female cousin is a homicide detective for the Seattle PD.

RS: What are some of your favorite things and some of your least favorite things about being a cop?
TD: My favorite things are just being a presence and being accepted as a police officer. Whether I’m curing bad behavior by my uniform or my patrol vehicle, just being accepted for who we are and what we do. The least favorite thing, I don’t like dishonest people. I like people who will take responsibility for their actions. If you make a mistake, you tell me you made a mistake and we’ll work on it.

RS: What’s one of the stupidest questions you’ve ever been asked?
TD: What are you going to be for Halloween? (laughter) Let’s rephrase that: It’s Halloween and I’m working downtown in my uniform. Then people will ask what I’m going to dress up as and when I tell them I’m working they say, ‘Oh, nice costume.’

RS: What’s one of the funniest or most exciting things that’s happened to you as a police officer?
TD: One of the funniest things is that people ask me if it’s going to rain this weekend. I don’t know, you get these kinds of questions from people that think you pretty much know everything, and some of the questions are pretty funny. There’s exciting moments always, always. Finding lost children, which sounds like another clich? like ‘I like to help people.’ But, we have a huge playground, and we have a community with small children. So when a small child is lost, everyone comes out of the woodwork and we are just on it. Whether the child was found at a neighbor’s house or whatever, it’s just such an exciting, exhilarating experience that it’s incredible.

RS: How about scariest moments?
TD: Yeah, there’s lots of scary. That’s why I like the job.

RS: Even in our small community?
TD: Oh yeah! Every time we get a domestic call, and we get those often, we’ll get 911 hang-ups two or three times a day. Most officers get killed while responding to domestic calls. We live in a really safe community, we truly do, but to think that nothing happens here – we had three bank robberies in six months last year. They were true bank robberies, where a man held a gun in a woman’s face. That’s scary, so every day you go to work, you have to anticipate the calls. And to say that they’re not scary, wouldn’t be truthful.

RS: As a good-looking cop, do you get asked out all the time?
TD: Me? Usually only the intoxicated ones. (laughter) No, seriously, I don’t mix business with pleasure.

RS: The rumor is you have Segway as part of the Plaza patrol. Is that true?
TD: Yep, it was approved by the City Council to purchase one using drug forfeiture money. That’s money that was seized by the DEA from drug dealers. We had to put it in something that wasn’t in the original budget, but it was helpful to the city. So they decided to purchase one for the downtown area. When I work down there, you’ll see me on it most of the time.

RS: Did you look forward to using it?
TD: Definitely. During the four-day trial period, I had more public contact than I had in years combined. It’s very approachable. It’s officer friendly. It’s a conversation piece for people to come up and meet me as a police officer. Also, I had people just driving up in cars alongside me asking directions. The thing is that I’m on foot a lot, so they can do that if they catch me or find me. I’m also on my bike a lot, but it was amazing how much more approachable I was on the Segway than the bike. I think it has to do with the pedaling. On the Segway I just have to erk to a stop and turn around. And I’m taller than I’ve ever been!

KS: Have you tried any 360s on your Segway?
TD: Oh yeah! You can do full circles without even moving. The thing with the Segways is that once you learn how, you can turn on a dime, literally. After doing that and getting back on my bike, I felt like a needed a whole city block to turn around to go the other direction.

RS: You’re very friendly on a personal basis. Is it tough to be the bad-ass cop when needed?
TD: Nope. Word on the street, especially with the kids, is ‘Officer DeSilva is really cool, but don’t make her mad.’ And, I like that model. That’s the thing about being a cop; you got to be able to turn it on and off, and I can pretty easy.

RS: Okay, here’s where I hope you have a good sense of humor. Like in Reno 911 or Super Troopers, do you guys ever pull pranks on each other?
TD: (laughter) No, not often. There’s been times, and it’s been years, I’ve hopped in my patrol car and all the lights and radio went on, and it was loud. But nothing much more than that. Not to say that we donâ€™t have a sense of humor, but pulling pranks on each other – yeah, that pretty much doesn’t happen.

RS: So, do you like those kinds of shows?
TD: They’re hilarious! I do. Reno 911 is hilarious.

RS: Who’s your favorite character in Reno 911?
TD: They’re all so funny. It just depends on the episode.

RS: What’s your favorite cop movie or TV show?
TD: I like some of the old ones. I haven’t watched them in forever, but they’re pretty hilarious. CHIPS and Starsky and Hutch, as a kid growing up, I used to love those. I don’t have much time anymore to watch a lot of TV or go to a lot of movies. Most things you see on TV, as much as they try to predict the real life of it, is pretty much just entertaining. COPS is pretty close, though. Cagney and Lacey! I used to be called ‘Cagney’at the Academy. So, I have to like that.

RS: What’s your favorite genre of movies?
TD: I am really so diversified. I like romance movies; I like thrillers; I don’t like scary movies like I used to, but I still like thrillers and who-done-its. I definitely like romances, though. I’m sappy.

RS: I want to apologize for asking this question before I ask it, but I have to ask. Is it true that most cops like donuts? And what’s your favorite kind of donut?
TD: (laughter) I get asked that question probably more than once a day. I’m so used to it. It’s true; cops have a reputation, and every once in awhile I go in and there’s a big box of donuts in the kitchen that someone brought into work with them. I don’t eat donuts, though. I’m a bagel cop, okay. I live and work in Ashland. But I am known as ‘The Donut Cop,’ because I go to Puck’s and they give me donuts to take down to the skate park to give the kids who are wearing helmets. When I roll up in my patrol car, the kids come running yelling, ‘You got donuts today!’ And, they all know they’re getting them because they’re wearing their helmets. So, that’s why I have a reputation even though I don’t eat donuts. I’d wear them if I ate them. It’s really cool of Puck’s. They’ve been doing this for me for about four years now.

RS: What do you like to do in your off-time?
TD: I love to travel. I’m starting to do that more. This last year, my parents celebrated their 50th anniversary and we went on a Caribbean cruise. I’ve been to Hawaii several times. I just became a certified diver a couple years ago, so I love to travel but it has to be sandy beaches and warm water. Then of course, at home it’s gardening and being with friends.

RS: What are some of your favorite places to hang out locally?
TD: I like to eat at almost every restaurant in town, as long as they serve pretty fresh food. I’m not a vegetarian by any means, but I love healthy food. I especially love Pangaea wraps, and then, I like Teriyaki Bonsai’s Bento box. I really love most all the restaurants in town, but I can’t afford to eat out, so I eat at home most of the time.

RS: What’s your dream?
TD: To retire and travel, and be with wonderful people.

RS: Anything else you’d like people to know?
TD: On my off-time, at least two weekends a month, I teach survival skills at the Police Academy in Salem. I also teach a women’s self-defense class through the YMCA quite often, and I love doing that. I have such a passion for teaching women self-defense, and even though I said we live in a pretty safe area, the confidence that’s built around just knowing what to do when confronted, or learning ways to avoid that kind of confrontation, makes you less of a target.

Richard Jarel - Exporting Culture Globally

LocalsGuide gets you upclose and personal with the movers and shakers who make it all happen. This is my promise to you as a reader, because I believe that you, like me, want to know just a little bit more about the community and people that surround you.

This month â€˜s feature is on Richard Jarel. Richard (shown on this months cover) is the sculptor and artist behind Medfordâ€™s latest and greatest work of art, â€œSalmon Flightâ€. The new kinetic sculpture is now prominently displayed on the corner of 8th and Oakdale, right outside of City Hall. It is the result of over seven years of work and the support of the Medford Arts Commission. (Go Medford Arts Commission!!!)

On January 18th , Richard, Mayor Gary Wheeler and the Arts Commission unveiled the new sculpture. As to be expected, the mainstream media rushed in to capture their 30 second spots for the evening news… only you probably didnâ€™t hear about itâ€¦ because you were picking your kids up from the Y, or stepped into the kitchen for a quick snack.
Never fear though…because we got the story…both online and in video episodes. We thought you would like to learn just a little bit more about the story behind the story.
The story behind the story really is that you already know Richard Jarel, only you havenâ€™t met him in person. Odds are however, that not only have you seen one of his creations, but you have directly experienced the effect of his work. Richard has been a primary creative force for such global companies as Mattel, Universal Studios. Paramount Pictures and Disney, creating some of the most well known cultural and commercial iconography of our time.

From the Batmobile to the Power Rangers helmets; the flying police cars in Fifth Element to the bicycle sculptures out in front of Science Works, somewhere, sometime, you have seen his work.

Richard is probably one of the most creative people on the planet, and he lives right here in the Valley, exporting his creations around the world for children and adults alike to enjoy. What Richard brings to the equation however, is a unique knack for figuring difficult things out, and finding ways to make them work: Like when he built the worldâ€™s fastest hand powered bicycle. He never had a background in aerodynamics or engineering…he just figured it out. (Figure that out.)

The â€œSalmon Flightâ€ kinetic sculpture in downtown Medford is yet another example of ingenuity and genius all in one. Standing over 20 ft Tall, the sculpture depicts three large salmon swimming in a river. Because itâ€™s kinetic, it moves with the wind and is delicately balanced using over 100 bearing points to shift itâ€™s 13 separate components with the slightest breeze. A wonderful new fountain (also designed by Richard) surrounds the bright red sculpture, and is well worth a trip downtown to see the full effect.
Of course you always hear the stories of how the person behind the worlds greatest inventions had a difficult time in school, but it did surprise me to learn that Richard had failed at art. How could he have failed at art?

But it â€˜s true, Richard Jarel received an F in art on his high school senior report card. Instead of participating in class activities, he was attempting to build his own human powered flying machine–which was towed behind the school maintenance cart. Crashing in front of 600 classmates did not stop him. Laugh they did, but three attempts later he would soar into the air taking flight and a hold of many more dreams yet to come.

Richardâ€™s Rogue Valley studio is an archive of his creative journey. Hundreds of pencil sketches, molds and prototypes line the walls of his pond-side home…and â€œOh. you made that…too!?!â€ is a common phrase. Nothing is a surprise to discover. Why federal agents showed up at Richardâ€™s studio one day to question him about why his new model airplane looked just like one of the governments own top secret jets…nobody will ever know.

Richard Jarel can make literally anything you could think of. Given enough time, he can concept it, design it and build it. If he couldnâ€™t do it himself, he would get help. If he didnâ€™t understand the process, he would learn. If he needed tools, he would find them and if they didnâ€™t exist, he would make them. It might take him millions of dollars, time and materials, but in the end, if I was stuck on a island with the promise of an escape only by space ship, I would choose Richard to be able to build it…after all he did make Super Man fly. (Richard built the first ever remote control Flying Superman!)

The list goes on and on and on… but what I really want to know is…HOW? How does he do this, and how did he learn to do it?
And here is the secret: â€œI canâ€™tâ€ never enters his mind!
…and that my friends is the billion dollar answer to living a life which is not just ordinary, but one that is simply extraordinary.
So I asked him a few questions about this :

Is it scary? â€œHell yes …â€
is it stressful? â€œOften.â€
Is it painful? â€œIt can be.â€
Do you crash and burn? â€œMany times.â€

The reward for sticking it out? â€œThe confidence that comes from knowing that you stood up to the challenge. That you faced the fear and lived your life at its potential. â€œ
I didnâ€™t totally understand Richardâ€™s immense capacity of creative vision until I overheard him describing it to someone: â€œ When I see a block of clay I not only see the clay, but I see the completed shape within it and I focus on removing the unneeded parts around it. I used to spend hours and hours planning and making sketches on how to do the work. Then I realized that this was an exhaustion of my creativity and an expression of my fear to risk beginning the work. Now I jump in feet first. Sure itâ€™s scary but I let go and trust. The rest just happens.â€

WOW !
I get it, the potential is always there. We just have to be able to see it and then set it free.

This month we begin a unique series of LocalsGuide media coverage. We start with this feature article on Richard.Radio news updates will direct Southern Oregonianâ€™s to view the new sculpture while an online series of video casts will be launched.

created a documentary of Richardâ€™s interesting story, how he actually got his big break.

Then on February 21st, we will be launching our first LocalsGuide video cast up close and personal with Richard in his studio. This will lead to a series of ongoing monthly shows! (You can even create your own)!

Momentum Rafting - Interview

Name: Pete Wallstrom – Age: 35
Nickname: Project Pete
Special Talents: Very good at crab soccer
Place of Birth: Vermont
Company Name: Momentum River Expeditions
Website: www.MomentumRiverExpeditions.com

1. When did you take your first rafting trip and what got you hooked?
I was working for a restaurant in college and they took us on a trip. I was a horrible paddler, my guide was constantly telling me to listen and I was grinning the whole time. I was immediately hooked. I asked the guide how he got started as soon as the trip finished. I went through guide school; the guide became a very good friend of mine, and that was it. Guiding opened up a lot of doors for me, gave me a ton of opportunities to travel and allowed me to meet some amazing people… – but I had no idea I would still be doing it.

2. What’s the biggest difference of rafting in the country as opposed to abroad?
The biggest difference is definitely that you are in another culture. But a difference that many don’t think about, is the process of actually getting to the river! We have a very good transportation infrastructure here. Many of the countries I have traveled to don’t. I have used boats, buses, porters and oxen. Sometimes the highlight of an international river trip is the journey to the river.

3. What is your most favorite rafting trip to do?
Abroad, it is definitely the Rio Futaleufu in Chile. The combination of being in Patagonia, the beauty of the river and the HUGE whitewater is hard to beat.
Here in the U.S. it is the California Salmon right here in Northern California. It is kind of like a mini Futaleufu. It is an amazing river in a spectacular setting. It is a really special place to me and one of the reasons Momentum is here.

4. You travel in the winter, is that to escape the cold here in Southern Oregon? Where do you usually go and what do you do?
No, I actually like the cold. I grew up skiing. Also, the more snowy and cold the weather is now, the better the spring rafting is! I go to South America a lot… Patagonia and the Fu (Futaleufu). When you run rivers all over the place, you tend to chase the spring and summer because that is when rivers are usually at their best. This year I went to Panama to surf.

5. What is your favorite run in Southern Oregon? Why?
This place is a river runners paradise. So many rivers: It all depends on what you are looking for. The Rogue and a one-day summer trip on the Upper Klamath, is hard to beat for pure fun. But my favorite is probably the Illinois River. It is the classic wilderness journey. Remote, beautiful, amazing rapids – there are not many multi-day wilderness trips anywhere in the U.S. or abroad that can compare. We are lucky to have it so close.

6. What is your funniest moment while running a river?
Hmm…This one is more of an outdoor moment. I was backpacking in Glacier National Park and was sleeping outside of the tent. In the middle of the night I woke up because something was pulling my hair. I was still asleep and disoriented so I jumped up and forward. Unfortunately, I was still in my sleeping bag, so I just fell over again. As I was trying to get up I heard this crazy screaming. I stumbled up and turned around to see this little thing run at me and head-butt me. I fell down again, still tangled in my sleeping bag and wondering what the hell was going on. At this point the person I was backpacking with had woken up and was laughing hysterically. Then I finally realized what was going on. It was a female mountain goat and her baby. They must have been licking the salt out of my hair. When I woke up I freaked them out – baby goats sound crazy when they scream, and the mom was probably trying to protect her kid so she butted me.

Origami Catering Company - Interview

Origami Catering Company offers two services. We are a sushi wholesaler that provides grab-n-go sushi boxes to grocery stores, coffee shops and cafeterias; and secondly, we are a sushi catering company that provides sushi for catered events. In the mornings we produce fresh sushi on a daily basis. We package our products, and deliver them to retailers. In the afternoons and evenings we cater sushi parties–everything from potlucks to weddings. At catered events we set up a sushi buffet and can provide flower arrangements and dj services. This year we will be a food vendor at the Summer Solstice Reggae Festival in Selma. With the help of our main sushi chef, Markos Photinos, we are becoming more involved with festivals, concerts and outdoor markets. Keep an eye out for us next year at the farmers’ market in Ashland and Medford.

I started making sushi 15 years ago at Shoji’s, a sushi bar in Eugene. A Japanese woman, Yoshi Gillespi, introduced me to the trade. Five years later I developed a menu for a friend of mine who opened Oh’s Osaka in Medford. I worked at Oh’s and the Kat Wok for a number of years, but it wasn’t until I moved to Seattle that I really honed my skills. I was the only non-Japanese sushi chef working for Seattle’s sushi legend, Shiro Kashiba. Shiro was the first person to bring sushi to Seattle in the late 60’s and soon became an international restaurant consultant. My apprenticeship with Shiro put my skill level into perspective. Although I’d been making sushi for ten years prior to working at Shiro’s, I was an amateur. I had yet to comprehend the mastery of this trade.

My favorite roll is the Kimbab. It is a Korean sushi roll made with sesame oil. The oil mixed into the rice dramatically changes the flavor and the consistancy. The rice becomes less sticky so the roll must be rolled with the seaweed on the outside. Inside the roll are a number of vegetables with or without fish or meat. I like using shitakes, spinach, carrots, green onions and tamago (omlette). We’ll be adding the Kimbab to our selection this summer.

I decided on the name Origami because of the similarities between the art of paper folding and the art of rolling sushi. Both mediums involve bright colors, a delicate size, an intricate craftsmanship and an attention to detail. Both disciplines create something complex out of something quite simple: a square piece of paper; fish and rice. With origami, if the paper isn’t perfectly square, it creates problems. With sushi, if the rice isn’t perfect, the sushi fails. With only a few ingredients in sushi, flaws are more easily detected and demands a higher level of perfection.

The most interesting kinds of sushi are usually not the rolls. Some of the more interesting sushi dishes I’ve seen are ones served alive or ones that are dangerous to eat. Whenever the element of death is introduced at the dinner table, yours or the fish’s, people’s interest peaks. Lobster, spot shrimp, geoduck and abalone are often served alive. In Korea, the live baby octopus which is notorious for suffocating people while climbing out of their throats is an interesting dish. Shirako, the fish sperm sack is a sushi favorite in Japan, and so is Fugu, the poisonous blowfish. However, the most interesting dish I’ve seen is one Shiro discovered in Alaska. Each year Shiro harvested herring eggs with the Yup’ik Eskimos. When the herring came to spawn, pine branches would be placed in the surf to collect the eggs. Shiro would then marinated the branches covered with fish eggs in a brine. It was a dish that Shiro believed captured the flavors of region–a flavor of the ocean and the mountain and the season.

Our sushi is available at the Ashland Food Co-op, Shop’n Kart, and SOU. This summer our sushi will also be available at the Extreme Juice Bars in Medford and Food 4 Less. Locals can find out more about our business in the 2008 Rogue Flavor Guide and on our website at www.origamicatering.com.

Jeff Golden - What if JFK had Lived?

Many of us Know Jeff Golden as the previous host to the Jefferson Public Radio program the Jefferson Exchange. When he left the ‘Exchange’ to pursue new endeavors I wondered what Jeff was doing with himself. When I called him to inquire I learned that he had recently completed his 4th book ‘Unafraid’. This is an interview that I conducted with him about his latest work.

Locals Guide (LG): So..UNAFRAID: A Novel of the Possible; What made you take this project on?

Jeff Golden (JG): It continues an invitation I extended to people with my last book, as If We Were Grownups (www.asifweregrownups.org), to pull ourselves out of the pit of cynicism that most of us have slipped into over years of political involvement. I run into plenty of smart people who think the game is over and the bad guys won, and they have politics and the media wired their way so that we’ll never get our country back. If we believe that ‘and I think many of those currently in power desperately want us to believe that’ then of course, it will be true. I want us to try out another possibility: that if we’re alert, overcome the distracting issues waved in front of our face like red flags to keep us divided, and work tenaciously together, we can push this country much closer to the representative democracy it’s supposed to be.

JG: Yes. The subtitle of Grownups is: A Collection of ‘Suicidal Political Speeches that Aren’t’. It lays out a series of speeches on hot-button issues to suggest that Americans are ready to hear much more about real solutions to real problems than political consultants think we are. It undermines the view that we’ll only vote for candidates who treat us like children who demand instant gratification. It puts forward a kind of confidence that we’re capable of thinking of our self-interest in much more mature and sustainable ways.

LG: And how did Grownups lead to UNAFRAID?
JG: Grownups is non-fiction, kind of an alternative political handbook. UNAFRAID aims to stimulate a broader audience than the small slice that looks at a bookstore’s Political Science shelves. I wanted to tell a story that would make general readers turn pages. And, it came to me that one good vehicle to do that would be the answer to a question that has teased me for forty years. Given the radical change in America’s attitude and identity that took place on the afternoon of November 22, 1963, how would the world have turned out if JFK had lived through Dallas and served two terms as President?

LG: So UNAFRAID is an alternative history where everything turns out perfectly?

JG: It’s an alternative history, but you don’t have the ending quite right. JFK is transformed by the shooting, and his perspective shifts to see the futility of the kind of power he’s sought his whole life. He decides to see what he can do in his remaining five years in office to nudge America’s walk much closer to its talk. But he has to do all that in the world that exists, with a Cold War going on and people like Richard Nixon fanning the flames of fear with some success. So there’s a real-world tension surrounding all the issues he tackles. The core of his job is to appeal to the part of us that has breadth and generosity, that’s determined to leave a decent and safe world to our kids and their kids, rather than appealing to us to, say, ‘go shopping so that the terrorists don’t win.’ Leadership is very much about what part of human nature leaders call out to, and their decision about that shapes the history that follows. We can see that clearly in our current mess. But that doesn’t mean that the Kennedy in UNAFRAID wins every struggle and everybody lives happily ever after. That would be a fairy tale instead of a ‘Novel of the Possible.’

LG: In calling it ‘A Novel of the Possible,’ are you trying to draw clear boundaries for what is and isn’t possible in politics?

JG: I can’t do that, and I don’t think anyone else can, either. There aren’t clear boundaries. They shift with the historical moment, the kind of leaders who are calling to us, how courageous and determined we are to give what we can. My worry, though, is that we’ve been shooting far too low.
This uncertainty is at the crux of the tension between JFK and his pragmatic brother Bobby in UNAFRAID. In one passage, Bobby is reminding Jack of Bismarck’s definition of politics as the Art of the Possible. Jack hears that and says ‘But what is possible? Where is that line? Because every line gets drawn by men, limited, small-brained, spectacularly fallible men. Everything we claim to know about what’s possible is guesswork. What the experts give us is expert guesswork, rooted mostly in a past that doesn’t exist anymore.’

LG: The what-if question most often asked about JFK is whether he would have gotten us out of Vietnam much earlier. What do you think?

JG: What I think is in UNAFRAID, and if I told you now I’d undercut the raging curiosity that I’m sure is rising at this very minute in every single person reading this interview. And, I sure don’t want to do that. I will say, though, that anybody who’s getting curious can get a little satisfaction by going to www.unafraidthebook.com and clicking on the link that says EXCERPTS: Come sample the world of Unafraid.

LG: You say ‘the historical course the country could have taken.’ But it didn’t take that course, and what’s done is done. So will UNAFRAID hold much interest for those who may not be all that interested in the history of the Kennedy years?
JG: What I can tell you is that I’m getting a really wonderful reaction from readers from about 20-80 who have all kinds of things to say about their reading interests. There are, first of all, close similarities between then and now on some issues, particularly Vietnam/Iraq, the debate over how America should use its power in the world, and the connections between big government and big business. They also tell me that by reading about the back-and-forth political forces back then, they get the sense not only that past history could have turned out differently, but that we have some real choices about the course America will take from this point forward. One reader said it this way on amazon.com: ‘He has changed one fact of November 22nd and created the story that could have happened. This gives us a vehicle for our imagination and our emotions to take the rebuilding of our country into our own hands.’ I really appreciate that.

LG: There was a feature in the Medford newspaper a month or so ago with the headline ‘Jeff Golden: Is he Actually a Cock-eyed Optimist?’ Are you?

JG: I’m not completely sure about the ‘cock-eyed’ part. It depends which day you catch me. I can sink into discouragement and cynicism like anybody else. But what fueled both Grownups and UNAFRAID is the feeling that we’ve been sleep-walking, and absorbing the attitude of the bitterest and most disillusioned among us, whether it’s Rush Limbaugh or Ralph Nader. Yes, our national politics have been purchased wholesale by the wealthiest narrow interests in the country. But what enables them to hang onto that power election after election is the widespread belief that we can’t do anything about it. I remember some of the desperately discouraged people who called me when I hosted the Jefferson Exchange, who explained to me in great detail how corporations have taken over the system, and because of their comprehensive networks and their control of the media that’s supposed to be telling us what’s happening, we’ll never get our country back. And sometimes after hanging up I’d have a vision of Dick Cheney at his Undisclosed Location, feet up on the desk, listening to the show on computer (I’m sure he listened in every day). And after hearing this long passionate explanation of how it’s all over and there’s no point to standing up and getting politically active, I could see Dick high-fiving an aide and saying ‘Yes! Another one down!’
That’s part of what fuels me through all this. And the truth is, none of us know on the front end what we can and can’t accomplishment. And I find that the folks who are optimistic and active seem to be having a whole lot more fun than the pessimists who sit back with their arms folded, explaining so intelligently how we’ve already lost and there’s no real hope. I’d rather hang around the folks who are having fun.

LG: Anything else?

JG: I really hope that folks who are intrigued with the notion of what politics and public life could be will take a look at UNAFRAID. The samples at www.unafraidthebook.com are quick and easy to read. See what you think.

Jeff Golden lives in Ashland, Oregon. Please visit his website to learn more about his work. www.UnafraidTheBook.com

Interview with Mystery Writer Morgan Hunt

If Morgan Hunt has not made it onto your mystery reader’s radar, you owe it to yourself to find out about her San Diego –based series and the true life events that spawned it. No, she didn’t hit the lottery and decide to fulfill a writer’s dream. Quite the contrary. At 50-something, the comfortably employed training writer was struck by breast cancer. The experience reshaped her life in more ways than one. With an acute sense of her own mortality, Hunt was determined to become the creative writer she’d always wanted to be.

LG: How did your mystery series emerge from your experience as a breast cancer survivor, as opposed to, say, a memoir?

MH: While recuperating from a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery I read many mysteries. I had always loved the puzzles presented by skillful mystery writers and the idea for my own series with a breast cancer survivor in the starring role came to me as part of my recovery. Although I’m interested in spiritual issues and intend to one day put my contemplative thoughts on paper, I gravitated to fiction first because I needed to get out of myself by creating a protagonist with off-beat humor and plenty of puzzles to keep her busy.

MH: Absolutely. I’ve always admired Kinky Friedman, Kurt Vonnegut and Anne LaMotte. Readers who want to get a feel for my writing style can check out my web site, www.morganhuntbooks.com. The site offers excerpts from all three of my mysteries.

MH: Oh, I’d say 67.3%, give or take an iota. I certainly draw from my life for the character of Tess, yet she’s quite different in some ways. She speeds like crazy; I’m actually a gas-conserving slow and careful driver. She has never wanted children; I have a son I’m very proud of. She cans bed-hop with relative ease and I, well… What’s the next question?

LG: The first book in your series is called Sticky Fingers. How did you come up with that title?

MH: The title refers to the famous album by the Rolling Stones. The album cover with its famous picture of a man in tight jeans is irrevocably linked in my mind to the phrase ‘trouser snake’, which in turn relates to the debut novel’s murder scenario in which the victim was done in by a poisonous snake.

MH: While I was investigating breast cancer treatments, I found out that snake venom is used in breast cancer research. I worked that angle into a true account of a crime I’d read about several years before in which a woman was found dead on the floor of a Volkswagen. The body was strewn with strange articles such that it looked like a ritualistic murder and there was a psychic involved who knew a great deal about details of the case known only to police. Unfortunately, in the true crime police never found sufficient evidence to bring a case against any suspect–but of course they didn’t have Tess Camilla on the job.

MH: I guess it’s because there’s always a song playing somewhere in the back 40 of my brain. Even though I’m a writer who loves using words, sometimes music communicates emotion better. My second mystery, Fool on the Hill, is named after a Beatles song. The story concerns a rock star who is crucified on the Torrey Pines cliffs. You might recognize my third book’s title, Blinded by the Light, as a Bruce Springsteen song. That story is about a murder at a New Mexican earthworks art site — a field of metal rods engineered to attract lightning, a real if little known tourist attraction.

MH: I think Tess would love Ashland, as I do. Ashland is a place that’s accepting of the full spectrum of humanity. People from every walk of life, every age group, sexual persuasion and spiritual bent seem to thrive on each other’s energy and, well, otherness. I think the arrival of OSF’s new artistic director has injected this already eclectic atmosphere with even more vitality. So what’s not to like?

LG: What’s the biggest surprise about the reality of being published when compared to the preconceived notions of an aspiring author?

That a new ambition replaces your original one faster than you can blink. At first, you think, ‘If I can just get my book published…’ But when you do, it’s ‘If I can just get people to buy and read the book.’ True communication involves sending and receiving a message. Getting published successfully ‘sends’ the message “the story or book” but the message isn’t ‘received’ until someone reads it. So an author’s focus goes from getting published to getting readers pretty quickly.

Yes. Usually Bloomsbury’s and Book wagon in Ashland carry copies, as well as Barnes & Noble in Medford.

Write what touches your heart; what you have a true passion for. You’re going to spend a lot of time at the keyboard; you might as well enjoy the process.

I’m working on a collection of spiritually oriented essays, a political satire TV movie, and a fourth Tess Camillo mystery, set locally. I haven’t figured out which one I’ll finish first; they’re just arising simultaneously at the moment.

Alchemy Botanicals Interview

What was the inspiration behind Alchemy Botanicals. How did you come up with the name and where did the idea all start?
Prior to moving to Ashland in 2001, I held a private practice as a clinical herbalist/nutritionist in Encinitas, California. While analyzing the possibility of setting up my clinical practice here in Ashland, it was clear that there were already a number of active alternative practitioners. I also observed that the community here is one that tends to self-educate and self-treat and I felt that an herb store would better serve the community. Over the last seven years that we have been open, that vision has manifested many times as I witness how every day, many people are helped with whatever is ailing them. The name “Alchemy” came from combining the spiritual discipline of healing with the scientific investigation of nature.

Would you tell us a little bit about how you go about choosing the products that you have in your store.
Having been an herbal practitioner, it was simple to know where to find the best quality, organic medicinal herbal products in the U.S. I have always tried to buy from small companies, as local as possible, where all ingredients are organic or ethically wildcrafted, pure and 100% natural. As the store expanded into aromatherapy, skincare, and gifts, my priority continued to be that we offer the finest organic products that are available the world.

What makes Alchemy Botanicals unique in both the herbal industry and the skincare industry.
In the herbal world, we are very unique in our offering of bulk tinctures. In fact, I believe we are the only store in the US that offers customers and practitioners the ability to make their own individualized extract formulas. This is very important because each person presents with his or her own set of symptoms and health concerns. For example, one menopausal woman may also experience migraines and anxiety where another may have joint pain and insomnia. One menopausal formula may not serve both of their needs. At Alchemy, we can make the formula match each of these women’s needs.

In the spa and skincare industry, we are also very unique in that we offer several different lines of skin and hair care products that are totally organic and free of toxic ingredients, such as synthetic fragrances, paraben preservatives and sulfates. There still aren’t a lot of options available in our country for high-quality and completely pure skincare products.

Here at Alchemy, we are equipped to help a client be radiantly healthy from the inside out. We offer a staff of trained herbalists; a spa that performs organic facials; a nurse practitioner and herbalist on staff for consultations; the finest quality medicinal herb and skincare products available on the market.

Do you see a trend of people taking their health care into their own hands, could you discuss this a bit.
Taking responsibility for one’s own health is the essential first step to healing. According to a survey by the Consumer Healthcare Products Associations, Americans say they are increasingly comfortable managing their own health care needs.While there is no substitute for a physician, Americans are taking control of minor medical problems with safe, reliable over-the-counter medications, including herbal preparations. This is crucial as the baby boomer generation ages. Also, surveys have shown that the majority of Americans take dietary supplements. My father was a doctor and the patients he treated in the 60’s and 70’s were not nearly as educated as the public is now. Information is right at our fingertips now!

What is your favorite product that you sell?
By far, my most favorite line that we carry at Alchemy is Eminence Organic Skincare of Hungary. This is an organic skincare line which contains the highest possible levels of all-natural organically grown herbs, fruits and vegetables, hand-selected to guarantee their highest quality. Using Eminence products is like using a raw-food diet for your skin and most everyone sees a difference in the radiance of their skin’s health within weeks. It is incredible! This is the line that we use for facials in our spa.

Share a little bit about the Alchemy Dispensary?
The dispensary is our bulk service of creating individualized tea, tincture, essential oil and flower essence formulas for both individuals and practitioners, based on the needs of the individual.

Tricia, can tell us a little bit about your own background how you blend modalities of healing and wellness. You have experience in several areas from esthetician, clinical herbalist, clinical nutritionist to shamanic practitioner.
As a clinical practitioner, I do combine all of these healing modalities. I am a Certified Clinical Nutritionist through the International and American Associations of Clinical Nutritionists, a Professional Herbalist through the American Herbalist Guild, a licensed Esthetician as well as a reiki and shamanic practitioner. I guess you could say it is my medicine bag of offerings, gleaned from almost 20 years in the field of alternative health. My devotions now are to providing high quality service and products at Alchemy and to my family.

How do you get young people involved in taking more responsibility for their heath and consumer choices. If they do not have direct exposure from either their family or friends.
Education – one of our primary functions is to provide education to our clients. In addition to educating our customers in the store through classes and lectures, we also write articles for several publications and speak on radio programs. Offering community classes has always been a passion of mine.

Rogue Rock Gym

Rogue Rock Gym was founded in 2005 by Matt and Chrysten Lambert who recognized the need for a high quality indoor rock climbing facility in Southern Oregon. Matt the owner and operator of the gym has over 20 years of climbing experience, from scaling big walls in Yosemite National Park, to high alpine mountains in the Himalayas. Matt grew up climbing in high quality indoor gyms in metropolitan areas around the country and modeled his facility after the best of those successful climbing gyms. RRG was Southern Oregon’s first full service indoor climbing gym with 30ft tall walls, over 6,000sq ft of climbing terrain, 33 rope stations, qualified instruction, youth programs, and fitness equipment. Rogue Rock Gym is the largest indoor climbing facility between Sacramento and Portland.

Rogue Rock Gym focuses on providing quality customer service in order to help people of all ages get introduced to rock climbing, and learn the ropes with the highest standard in safety. With over thirty years of combined rockclimbing experience our staff can provide all levels of instruction from the basic ropes to the most advanced rockcraft skills. Indoor climbing gyms are a great place to become introduced to the sport and learn the skills to be a safe climber in a controlled environment. For some climbers indoor climbing is a sport in itself, while for other experienced outdoor climbers the gym is a place to train when the weather doesn’t cooperate. Indoor climbing is a great full body workout that tones your muscles and improves flexibility. The best part is that you don’t even realize you are working out because it’s so much fun, you only realize it the next day when your muscles are too sore to move!

The gym is a great place to get connected with other climbers in the community, make new friends and long lasting climbing partnerships. Rogue RockGym maintains a group of two to three hundred regular members by providing an excellent product, our climbing routes! At any given time there are hundreds of climbing routes, or paths of all difficulty levels up our walls. Two-year-old children have scaled our easiest walls, yet we have climbing routes which are nearly impossible for even the best climbers. We take pride in creating excellent climbing routes that challenge climbing technique and build strength. These routes are changed frequently to always keep things fresh and unique for our regular members, and it is the quality of these routes that keeps our regulars coming back for more!

The first indoor rockclimbing gym (Vertical Club now Vertical World) was opened in Seattle in 1987 by avid climbers as a place to stay in shape for climbing during the rainy Seattle winters. The concept took off as an alternative to the conventional fitness gyms and rockwalls began to open around the country. The first indoor climbing walls were rudimentary plywood structures with home-made hand holds. Today’s modern climbing structures use advanced engineering and materials to create realistic rock walls that feel like actual stone.

How has the interest in this type of climbing increased over the past few years?

Indoor climbing facilities have brought rock climbing as a sport into the mainstream and made the joy of rock climbing accessible for the general public regardless of skill or experience level. The indoor climbing gym is a prefect place to learn safe climbing skills in a controlled environment with professional instruction. This gives newcomers to rock climbing the tools to climb on their own on real rocks. Many rockclimbing gym members use gym climbing as their primary exercise routine because it is great for general strength and fitness, and it’s an alternative to running treadmills and lifting weights in a standard health club.

How long did it take you guys to build this space? This place is huge… can you tell us a little bit about how you did the research to pull this all together?

From the concept to opening day took about 6 months. Finding a suitable building with tall ceiliengs was the most chalanging aspect.

Our climbing wall was built by Eldorado Wall Company of Boulder Colorado. They are a very proffesional contractor who builds high end rockwalls across the country. Their crew had our wall fully assembled and ready for climbing within 6 weeks. The walls were built with solid welded steel framework covered in plywood and a proprietary rock-like concrete mix.

I’ve been rockclimbing for over twenty years now, and was self taught as a young teenager. Living in Chicago during high school my only option was to go indoor climbing and I would drive about an hour to the closest rockgym a few days a week. In 1999 I started working for Vertical World in Seattle where I was trained in climbing instruction and gym operation. The Vertical World organization was instrumental in developing the current standards in the indoor rockclimbing industry and the owner is currently one of the key leaders of the Climbing Wall Association which sets the indusrty standards of procedure which Rogue Rock Gym follows.

Kids love to climb and this seems like an excellent way for them to enjoy them selves. Will tell me a little bit more about the services you offer the community specifically around kids?

We work with kids all the time, they get the most out of climbing in terms of enjoyment and self confidence. It is a healthy and safe activity that gets them away from video games and bad influences. Our youth programs include birthday parties, an after school climbing club, and a rockclimbing team which travels to competitions around the Pacific Northwest. Several of our top competitors have been invited to climb at the National competitive level.

People who are afraid of heights get the most out of rock climbing, hands down. They face the biggest challange while scaling the wall, and if they can push through the fear, trust the ropes and their partners, and reach the top of the wall they get the biggest reward and satisfaction. The fear ussualy goes away once you learn to trust the equipment and your partner. Succeeding at a hard rockclimb gives you a natural high and feeling accomplishment that sticks with you….then it’s on to the next difficult challange…it’s addictive!

I get the most out of climbing when I am challanged to the point of nearly giving up and facing the possibility of failure. At that breaking point you really have to summon determination that comes from deep inside. If you believe in yourself enough to break through that wall and realize that you can do what it takes to reach the summit, there is no greater reward.

The most important way to stay safe in climbing is to prepare yourself by learning all of the safest methods. Climbing isn’t something that you can just “wing it” and hope to stay safe, climbing is inheriently dangerous. It’s like the sport of diving, you wouldn’t just throw on a tank and dive to the bottom of the ocean without proper traning and building experience, climbing should be approached in the same way. You can manage the risk by educating yourself and being vigilant about safety. There is no substitute for professional training in rock climbing, and Rogue Rock Gym has the most experienced instructors in Southern Oregon.

How can parents get involoved with and support their kids in learning how to climb?

Climbing is an excellent activity to do with your kids! We strongly encourage parents to take our ‘Basic Ropes” class which teaches the skill of belaying. Once they’ve learned this skill, which only takes about 1hr, they can hold the ropes for their own kids and coach them up the wall. It is a great bonding experience between parents and children.

Do you have any special events or classes you would like to share with our readers?

There is always lots going on at our gym, we host competitions that are free for spectators, we can teach any skill for any aspect of climbing, and we can take people outdoors to climb on the beautiful cliffs in Southern Oregon. Please visit our website for more details on all of our programs or feel free to call and speak with one of our friendly staff. Stop by the gym, you have to see the wall in person to appreciate what it has to offer!

Ashlands #1 problem is the disconnect between mayor/council/city government and the majority will

1. What type of management style would you bring as the new Mayor of Ashland and how would you specifically work with City Council?

Ashland’s #1 problem is the disconnect between mayor/council/city government and the majority will.

It’s a key issue how mayor works with council, and by extension, the people. In the last 4 years, I’ve spent more hours with council in council chambers than the other 6 mayor candidates combined. Council meetings are torturous for Citizens. They’re doubly painful for me because as an empowerment specialist, I’ve trained hundreds of executives, managers, and professionals to do the job that’s not being done.

Example 1. Poor meeting management. After sitting for 3 hours, Citizens are told they’ll have to come back. That’s poor planning. Mayor is accountable for managing council meetings. As mayor, I’d apply 100 tricks-of-the-trade to improve council meetings and respect for Citizens.

Example 2. Fire Station #2. Council directed staff to design a replacement for Fire Station #2. At ballot, Ashland voted NO. Staff time and tax money were wasted because council wasn’t grounded in what taxpayers wanted.

Example 3. Glenn St. Two business days before council hearing, Public Works, without any neighborhood meetings, flip-flopped its multiyear opposition to ODOT’s demand to close Glenn St railroad crossing. The next day, my newspaper, …Of The People, was on the street, delivered door-to-door. Dozens from a united Quiet Village spoke and emailed council opposing closure as hurting safety.

As mayor, I’d work with staff and neighborhood to resolve issues locally, and bring to council consensus solutions, not contentious solutions. Staff would be more effective, council meetings shorter, Citizen support higher.

Example 4. City charter. After council, charter committee, and staff spent hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars, Ashland voted 77% NO on council’s charter that (1) shifted power from taxpayers to the government, (2) removed property rights, (3) removed voter rights, (4) weakened protection against water privatization, (5) gave council the power to sell Lithia Park to developers, and (6) gave council the power to set its own salary.

When our city’s constitution was on the line, only one mayor candidate led the way. As mayor, I’d implement the success scenario I presented to city 2 years before the ballot debacle:

I’d replace current city politics that concentrate power in the hands of a few with grassroots democracy that empowers the people of Ashland.

I’ve worked with dozens of large corporations to transform stumbling bureaucracy into responsive systems. As mayor, I’d use these professional empowerment tools to help Ashland achieve its potential as one of America’s great cities.

What issues confronting Ashland right now are of most concern to you and why?

Affordable Housing – The issue of affordable housing was the major focus of my two terms as a City Council member and as current member of the Housing Commission; that experience has taught me that implementing a successful affordable housing strategy requires more than words on a page. It must be proactive, bringing the entire community together to work towards a common goal; it must be fully funded, with a permanent and sustainable funding source; and it must have specific targets. We need to focus our efforts where the greatest need is and insure that prices are truly affordable to all of Ashland.

Neighborhood oriented government – From involvement in community organizations and holding public office, I have learned that the first responsibility of elected officials is to invite, encourage, support, and extend opportunities for citizen participation. It is time to engage the public in a true governance partnership with Ashland’s neighborhoods to create, develop, implement, and evaluate city policy decisions and management actions by supporting the development of true neighborhood associations. I envision these associations promoting improved communications between citizens, fostering cooperation and consensus among diverse interests in the neighborhoods and generally improving the experience of community connection experienced by residents of Ashland.

Old World Sauerkraut in a New School Way

So What exactly is sauerkraut anyway and how long have you been involved in making it?!

Sauerkraut is pickled cabbage. To make it, cabbage is shredded, salted and left to ferment in a de-oxygenated environment for 4-6 weeks. It can ferment for much longer and sometimes does. The salt, via osmosis, pulls water out of the cabbage to form brine that helps protect the kraut while it is fermenting. Some modern recipes use vinegar, but the traditional method just uses salt and occasionally filtered water to add brine volume. Three phases of microbial activity produce lactic acid and improve vitamin content while converting sugars in the cabbage. We age it till the PH is anywhere from 3.4- 3.1 and the texture is close to previous batches. It’s tough though, inconsistencies are always present in artisanal food and while these texture and taste differences can be explored and enjoyed they are a surprise to some. Different varieties of cabbage, different fields, harvest and ripening temperatures, spices vary greatly as well. There are many factors affecting consistency in any products and so it is if you want real food.

We started making it…when a kind soul offered me an affordable kitchen after tasting some pickles and kraut I made. That kind soul was Jon Warren and his kitchen at the Bard’s Inn, once a great restaraunt, now an incubator. I started selling at the farmers market, met some helpful helpful people that showed me some ropes in the food industry and launched the product line into stores by 2003. It has always been well received and I consider myself lucky to have such supportive and interesting customers, and suppliers for that matter. Thanks for the kudos over the years.

We have continued to grow and now have many customers all over Oregon and Northern Cal. The location is no longer the Bard’s Inn and what started as a simple desire to do something I believed in has graduated into being a business that has changed me in ways I never saw coming. I hope to one day have a few partners, and pay with profit sharing incentives, perhaps make it a coop of sorts, utilize local currencies as possible in operations. Pickled Planet is part of the change in business ethics and I started it knowing that one business at a time can change how business is done, especially w/ regards to profit sharing. Please don’t get me started…mypickledplanet.blogspot.com if you want the rants.

Earliest recordings of fermented vegetables come from NE China (Manchuria) It is said that Genghis Khan brought the art of lacto-fermenting (using lactic acid producing bacteria) vegetables from central Asia to W. Russia when the Mongols were conquering. This would be in 1237. It most likely trickled from there westward into Poland, Germany, and the Netherlands, France and beyond. At some point in that time line it was developed into what is now sauerkraut. There are lacto-fermenting and yeast fermenting traditions for both food and beverage, all over the world.

Modern food manufacturers can or jar their kraut using heat in order to extend shelf life. Pickled Planet sauerkraut is packaged into jars at room temperature, with it’s own brine solution, then refrigerated to preserve the vitamins and beneficial bacteria. Live or raw sauerkraut also has a distinctive flavor very different from the canned version.

Why is Sauerkraut good to eat and how much should one eat?
Our sauerkraut is good for you because it is a potent source of vitamins, lactic acid (which is good for intestinal flora) and beneficial micro-organisms, such as lacto-bacillus plantera.

How much to eat..You can eat as much as you like really, though if you’ve never eaten raw sauerkraut I suggest prudence in your initial contact. The slaw is full of living beneficial micro-organisms that will go to work clearing out undesiralbles in your stomach and intestines right away. If you have some battles going on, don’t be surprised. The battles will be more intense if you eat a lot the first few times, but you can ease into by eating only one or two fork fulls each day the first week. After that you’re sporting humanities best defense force ever found, healthy intestinal flora! You are free to eat it anyway you like, feel free to share your ideas w/ me via our web site. I pair it with most of my meals and it is a great hangover cure!

The words live and raw pertaining to food are both used frequently by many people to describe what ever their perception of them is. Here’s our take. Both theoretically contain enzymes because raw refers to un-cooked and most enzymes cannot tolerate high heat. Some raw foods are heated at low temperatures to enhance flavor or texture. Temperatures below 108-114 degrees F. are used to make raw crackers, pies and fruit leather. The sun is also available for this sort of thing. Live refers to food that is some how woken up as in seeds soaked or then into sprouts or vegetables colonized with lacto bacteria like sauerkraut or kim chee.

In a cold environment (your fridge) the lactic bacteria are dormant but still preserving the cabbage, which is their host. The bacteria actually preserve the cabbage for this purpose. We’ve left experimental jars at room temperature for months with no ill effects. We don’t suggest this but we can assure you if handled well (in your fridge) it will last for about a year. Once you have a taste for it, good luck keeping it around that long (in your fridge).

I heard a rumor about not double dipping the sauerkraut?
That’s right, our mouths are the dirtiest places around and if the mix of germs and bacteria present in our mouth get into a jar of kraut they can cause mold, rot and loss of texture. This double dipping is true with any food in your fridge, but the kraut will loose all that great shelf life, so please don’t double dip.

What is real salt compared to sea salt? This is listed as an ingredient you use.

Real salt comes from the ancient sea that covered most of Utah. It is harvested by Redmond Real Salt and is full of trace minerals. It is less polluted than sea salt and that’s why we use it.

Where are your products sold? They sell where ever the post office goes, they sell in stores from Chico to Portland, and around the valley at the Food 4 Less, Ashalnd coop, shop n kart, market of choice, Tark’s market in Talent, and a few resturants around town, Grilla Bites, Larks, Pangea, coop lunch line.

I also see you have an online website and at $6 / jar you are offering people an amazing deal. How can we help support your business?

Tell people to tell their friends online also where to buy it. www.Pickled Planet.com More web sales would be really helpful. Family members of friends that live elsewhere are key to my business, they turn others on and I get exponential attention. Take an interest in your own health, these foods we make will round out a healthy diet in amazing ways. Tell the growers market you want to see me back at the market, serving products made with local ingredients.

Last but far from least, Enjoy your life, it’s too short to be caught in the ideas that pass like clouds through our heads. Write a poem, take a hike, make love, watch a cloud pass or a bug dance, stay inspired and hopeful, dream the big dreams and do the little things that make life rich and interesting. Thanks again, it’s an honor to do business in Ashland! Everyone should thank Shields too!

NicaNelly: A True Taste of Nicaragua

This month I was fortunate enough to be able to sit down with Jennifer Hanson, owner of NicaNelly in Talent for an interview. I learned loads about coffee, what it means to be a direct trade business and that I can’t wait to visit Nicaragua for myself.

About six years ago my father had passed on and about five years ago my mom said “let’s go to Nicaragua and find a little place where I can go and be warm.” So I said “Mom, if you’re going to buy a place, why don’t we get something together and get a little business.” I have always been fascinated by the coffee in Nicaragua. As a teenager I tried Nicaraguan coffee and I thought it was the best tasting coffee I’d ever had, and so I’ve always been kind of hooked on it. We have family down there because my mom was born there. We had family looking for us and they found a little coffee farm that was in distress. Of course they didn’t consider it distressed. I do because there was trash everywhere, and they hadn’t been maintaining it. So what we did was we bought that, went through and cleaned it up and started maintaining it.

How often do you visit the farm?
I went down in November (2008) and then I just went down in February. So, I think a lot of it depends on what is happening with the harvest: November is the beginning of the Harvest season. When we were down in November my husband and I made more drying beds because drying beds are the best way to dry your coffee. So we made more drying beds and got the farm ready for the harvest. We went down in February to get ready for the container. The coffee takes months to process. In February, when I went down, I made sure the final steps of the coffee processing were completed. I also made a pallet for the coffee to sit on so it wouldn’t sit on the floor on the farm. I instructed my farm administrator, Sandra, on how I wanted the coffee packed for the container. While I was there, I also purchased odd items such as concrete planters and little palm trees. These are items that my exporter would not typically assist us in purchasing. So I will collect items that I think will be of interest for NicaNelly and I bring then to my farm for storage while we wait for the other items to be ready. My shipper then comes and packs them.

We go through an intense amount of sorting. What we do is we put all the coffee cherries in a barrel and fill it with water. All of the floaters are bad. So all of the floaters are immediately discarded. Then, they are put into the pulper which separates the cherry from the beans. The pulp is made into fertilizer and the beans are put back into the water barrel: Anything that floats is discarded.

Yes. Then it sits over night as it ferments ‘coffee has a natural fermentation process’ and then the worker come back the next morning and the beans are taken over to the drying beds and are turned over every couple of hours as they are drying. It is a very organic process because you sit there with your hands and move the coffee around. I love the feeling of moving the coffee around.

Yes, I have cousins who run my farm. I have so much family down there I can hardly keep track of them. Actually I put a gal in charge (Sandra) which is hard because they are such a male dominated society and look at women as lower class people, and I love that she is in charge. It is perfect for her because she can have her children with her as she is working on the farm and doesn’t have to pay for daycare.

A couple of years ago, my husband and I were saying “you know what would be really good, we want to bring our coffee up here to the States because it’s so good and we want to do something with it.” There happened to be an import/export conference in Nicaragua. So we went to that and we learned all these different connections on getting stuff up here and we thought Oh this is cool. Now we know how to get the coffee up here and all this other stuff, but we don’t have any place to put it. My mom had a tenant in this ( NicaNelly) building, and shortly after we came back the tenant gave notice. So everything just fell into place and we figured Hey, let’s go for it and decided to import more.

Nica is slang for Nicaraguan so if I were to say I’m a Nicaraguan; I would say “Soy un Nica.” My mom’s name is Nelly and that is where we get the name.

Marian _ who is not only the former mayor of Talent, but a lifelong potter had this to say about the pottery at NicaNelly: “I have bought things here whenever I can, because it’s so beautiful and you have some of the best pots in the Valley. I would love for people to come and look at these pots.”

The interesting thing about Nicaragua is that towns specialize in certain things. San Juan de Oriente you do pottery. Pottery is all over town because that is what they do there. Now the Jicaritas, they come from San Jorge and that is because that is where the trees are. So they (jicaritas) are like little gourds, and if you look at them they are so finely detailed in the way they are carved.

They give jicaritas to each other (similar to how we give greeting cards here in the States). My uncle had a party and he gave jicaritas to all of his guests as a thank you for coming.

In Nicaragua, all of the embroidery etc. is put on the front of a garment only. I have a gal that makes all our clothing for the store. The stuff she makes for me goes all the way around the back because that is what I want. It is interesting, the women and the men, as well as the older children (high school age) they all sit around and sew. It’s kind of interesting to see the men sewing; it is odd because it is a male dominated society, but it is a family business. She also makes our shopping bags. What’s cool about that is she really gets to do her art stuff. No two are alike.

The great thing about these hammocks is the amount of material they put into them. There are three different sizes. I get a lot of firefighters that buy them (the mountaineering hammock) because they are out fighting fires for weeks but have no comfort. We also sell single seat hammocks and baby hammocks.

In terms of imports, there has been a lot of importance place on Fair trade. Your coffee is Direct Trade. What is direct trade and why should people choose something like it or fair trade coffee/items over things that aren’t?

That’s a good question. Our coffee [as well as the other items in our store (over 95% total)] is direct trade, which means the coffee comes directly from the farm to the store. I think we are the only direct trade roasters in Southern Oregon. Direct and fair trade items guarantees a more sustainable life for the people who are growing/making the items. For example, my workers are better taken care of then other people in the area. They all have houses on my farm not shanties or shacks, which is what you see down there. My workers have cinder block buildings with tile floors, bathrooms, running water and electricity, which is what rich people have down there. Over 80% of the population in Nicaragua still cooks off of wood; they don’t have propane and all this other stuff, like refrigeration. My workers also have health insurance, they’re well taken care of, they have a home, a salary and they can eat off of the farm.

So you are helping to improve people’s lives when you buy direct or fair trade?

Yes. One family at a time. In order to be classified as direct trade, you have to be able to go visit the place of origin once a year. Fair trade doesn’t compensate the artisans as much as direct trade, but they are still given a better wage than people who sell directly to the market. I do buy some other coffee here in the states to sell along with my own Catalina. My dark roast consists of Columbian and Peruvian coffee that is organic and fair trade, because it is about sustainability.

You are invited to stop by and sample coffee from Jennifer’s farm and take home some custom roasted beans for yourself: It only takes about 30 minutes to get your custom roast or call ahead and pick it up later!

ZenWest Floation Center

I floated for the first time in 1982 and was astounded by the rapid journey to the land of theta waves. When I moved to Ashland 3 years ago, this seemed like the right place and the right time for me to introduce more people to this relaxing adventure. Zenwest opened its doors in March 2008.

Floating is a method of attaining the deepest relaxation that humankind has ever experienced. Essentially, it’s spending an hour lying in the dark, suspended in a warm solution (93.5 degrees, skin temperature) of water and Epsom salt, about 10 inches deep, and so dense that you float effortlessly. In short, floating is complete mental and physical relaxation. During a float, you produce slower brain-wave patterns, known as theta waves. Normally these are experienced only during deep meditation or in those moments just before you fall asleep. This is usually accompanied by vivid imagery, very clear creative thoughts, sudden insights and inspirations or feelings of profound peace and joy, induced by the release of endorphins, the body’s natural opiates.

Regular session is an hour, with music playing for ten minutes at the start and then silence for 50 minutes and then music fades in to let client know the float is over.

What are the benefits to Floating? Are they physical, mental, emotional, or all?

The Floatroom has been designed to minimize the effects of light, sound, gravity and touch. The reduced sensory input allows the mind to naturally take an inward journey towards its own peaceful and undisturbed state. This journey creates new levels of relaxation and awareness. Studies have shown that one hour of floatation produces enhanced “theta” activity of the brain, which correlates with deep states of relaxation. It has also been suggested that one hour of floatation rejuvenates the body as effectively as many hours of sleep or meditation.

Floatroom water is 99% sterile due to the extremely high concentration of Epsom salts. Sterile conditions of 100% are achieved with a tiny amount of pool bromine (just 2 parts per million). This sterile condition is maintained automatically and solution is completely filtered 2 to 3 times between each session.

Yes, you float within your own individual Float Suite, which has its own shower and is for your exclusive use for the duration of your session.

No, like any service business it takes time to build up a regular clientele. I have fairly low overhead so fluctuations in the economy, good or bad, do not affect me too much. If I start to get stressed out about business I just float and remember that it is the journey that is important not the destination.

Ashland is amazing. It is a community with open hearts and open minds who are seeking to glimpse deeper into themselves.

Annie Hoy – Ashland Food Co-op

First off I would like to thank you and all the veterans of the Ashland Food Coop.The coop stands as a strong model for how a Community Food Cooperative can function and as I understand it, you have played a role in this for a long time.

Can you give us a little history of the Ashland Food Co-op. When and how it was started?

How did you become involved in the Ashland Food Coop? I understand at one time you were the News Directory for JPR?

Annie, you rock! I see you making all sorts of efforts to stay up to date with the latest online web technology and media aspects which are shaping our lives. How do you do it?

I also understand you are a new grandmother. How has this changed your point of view on the world or not?

What type of legacy do you want to see the coop leave for the generations to come?

What role do you see women playing today that is different than when you began your career?

Annie, what would you do if you had a ten million dollars to spend in Ashland. How would you invest it in the local economy.

You go to great lengths to involve the coop in the community. Tell us about this.

When it’s eventually time for you to step down from your position.. what type of person do you want to pass it on to? What would your ideal be?

Talk a little bit about the family of people who have been involved in creating the coop. Working together for so many years, what has it been like?

Honoring the Mother

Sheryl Grunde is the owner of Honoring the Mother. She is a doula, massage therapist, and yoga teacher with two children of her own, and she is passionate about guiding women into deep connection with their bodies. We asked Sheryl to tell us a little bit more about herself and her work in this issue of LocalsGuide.

My business has evolved in Ashland over the last eight years, since I began teaching “Mama Yoga” classes here. I was pregnant at the time, and had just moved here. Soon after my son was born, I began a new class, postpartum “Baby Yoga.” My classes grew and women began asking me to come to their births. They felt relaxed and at ease in the prenatal yoga classes, and thought it would be helpful to have me present during labor as well. I pursued more training as a doula and became certified through DONA (Doulas of North America). I had also been trained as a massage therapist in San Diego, before moving up here, so my next step was to get licensed in Oregon and begin to offer massage therapy to my clients as well.

The latest addition to my business has been my webshop at www.honoringthemother.com where I sell ERGObaby carriers. I don’t have the intention to expand into a full retail shop, but was so impressed by the way these baby carriers support the mom(or dad!) and the baby in healthy posture that I bought a whole bunch of them and have been distributing them locally and online.

I am now looking forward to networking with other birth professionals and creating the Southern Oregon Birth Network. We will be offering monthly educational offerings about pregnancy, birth options, and care of babies at the Bellview Grange on the Second Sundays of each month this year.

I hear from my students that they feel better on many levels once they start coming to class. Breathing gets deeper, more relaxed. Back pain is eased or goes away. Sleep is easier too. The stress of the day is nonexistant by the end of class. Yoga can help with fetal positioning as well, which makes for a smoother labor experience. I often hear, especially from second and third (and fourth!) time moms that this is the special time during their busy lives that they really get to slow down and focus on the miracle of their pregnancy and the presence of their child.

Physically, the stretching, moving, and deep breathing keep the body fit and comfortable to help prepare for the marathon of labor, but more importantly women learn to relax their bodies and focus their minds. If she can focus on her breath and release her fear, her body can relax and open naturally.

I began taking yoga classes when I was studying Human Development at UCSD in 1996. Its been an integral part of my life since then.

I have designed this class to get the mamas moving and feeling good in their bodies, but throughout the class, we are using colorful scarves, making silly noises, singing songs, and playing with the babies. Moms come away with new ideas of ways to interact with their babies. Some of the movements we do with the babies have been researched to help with babies’ development. We use movements that cross the midline of the body, stimulating baby’s brain synapse connections. We also use rhythms to stimulate the musical, mathematical part of the brain. I am always amazed when at the moment we change our snapping rhythm, they all stop and pay attention! You can almost see the gears in those little brains figuring it out!

Babies don’t “do” yoga. They are absolutely in a state of presence, not distracted by busy minds, but in awe of each moment and embracing each emotion as it arises, but releasing it just as easily, with no attachment or resentment.

Yoga is practice for our minds. We are so easily distracted and disconnected from our bodies, that it is important to set aside time to practice focusing our attention on what it is to be in a living, breathing body. Any activity that can captivate your complete attention can be a meditation. Hatha yoga brings that focused awareness into the body and the mind, and through this practice we gain self awareness.

I practice massage, not just for pregnancy, but for everybody, although I do love to work with pregnant women. Thai massage has been the modality that inspires me most. From my years of teaching movement and observing how people hold tension and release it, the movement and stretching along with deep, nurturing touch makes sense to me. This is how we let go. I share an office on Siskiyou Blvd, called Harmony Healing Arts, and have been involved in creating the Community Thai Massage Clinic at People’s Choice Acupuncture.

My doula practice is deeply satisfying work in my life. I know that having a calm, nurturing woman present at birth can have the incredible effects of shortening labor, having less need for medical interventions, relieving emotional and physical stress, and simply helping a woman to feel safe and confident throughout her experience. I am an employee of Ashland Community Hospital, where they have an amazing doula program. There is always a doula on call, and any woman in labor can request her presence, at no charge. I am also hired privately to assist at births. In this situation, we have a chance to get to know each other ahead of time. I will be on call to come to the woman’s house during early labor, and can assist her there, so that she doesn’t need to rush off to the hospital right away. Labor support can involve massage, suggestion for various comfort measures, position changes, hand holding, encouragement, support for the father to be….. This assistance can be invaluable in creating a birth experience that a woman can cherish.

Yoga is a daily practice of being aware of my body and breath. It is a reminder to calm my overactive imagination and be present with what is real in the here and now. I enjoy waking up before the sun and stretching, breathing, sitting in stillness; it keeps me feeling young and light. When I think back to my own birth experiences, I know that my yoga practice of carried me through, and it continues to keep me grounded and positive throughout the challenges in my life. I teach at the YMCA, The Studio, and the Ashland Yoga Center, and I am deeply grateful to have so many opportunities to pass on what I have learned. It brings me peace of mind.

Sheryl can be contacted at 541-951-7474 for more information, and you can visit her website atwww.honoringthemother.com to find out more about her services and purchase ERGO Baby Carriers, classes and gift certificates.

Yale Creek Organic Meat CSA

Yale Creek Ranch is an 83.5 acre farm located in Jacksonville, OR. The farm produces certified organic meats and heirloom vegetable seeds and has been in production since 1999. As of last year, the ranch had 35 black angus cattle, 40 goats, 12 sheep, 100 broiler chickens, 4 sows, 1 boar, 6 young pigs and 29 piglets.

The ranch has been Tilth and SalmonSafe certified organic, both rigorous organizations with expectations that far exceed current federal standards since 1999.
LocalsGuide conducted an interview with Richard Schaeff owner of the Yale Creek Ranch to learn more about what the ranch does and how it serves our community.

Richard, can you tell us what a Meat CSA is and how it works?

CSAs provide a way for people to directly connect with the local farms and farmers, support ecologically sound farming practices, and put nourishing food on the table. Similar to the more common vegetable CSA, members will receive a box (or cooler) containing a selection of meats, including premium and more common cuts, and recipe suggestions. Our members will receive a box of meat once a month, for a six month period, and then have the opportunity to renew their subscription. This enables customers who enjoy our products but prefer not to purchase as much as a half pig or steer to receive a steady supply of sustainably raised meat. It also provides you with a variety of meats for the family table rather than large quantities of one type or another.

What is the difference between the meat you are offering and what you can buy in grocery store?

Grass-fed or pastured meat is leaner than conventionally produced meat, and is charged with heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Recent research has also shown it to be higher in vitamins A and E, and cancer fighting CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). We manage our animals using low-stress methods, and use a local butcher who comes to the ranch and dispatches our animals quickly and painlessly. In this way, our animals have a great life on lush pastures in a humane environment.

Our new Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program will feature grass-fed and grass finished beef and lamb, and pastured pork, chicken, and goat. A full share in the Yale Creek Ranch CSA is a 10# box monthly for six months; half shares (a 5# box monthly for six months) are also available. A full share will contain about 1/3 beef, 1/3 pork, 1/6 chicken, and 1/6 lamb/chevon (young roasting goat). All meat is delivered frozen, packaged and labeled. Chickens, pastured and processed on-farm, are sold whole. Members convinced they would not like goat or lamb, or those preferring no chicken, can replace those portions of the share with our premium quality, grass-fed beef. A beef only option is also available. Our beef wieners and salami are also available, and may be added for $7.50 per month.

Who are the farmers and where is it raised?
Tim Franklin manages the operations of the ranch, which was purchased in 1988 by Linda and Richard Schaeff.

Our initial focus was simply to be good land stewards, and to work on reversing the damage produced from an era of ranching that put the needs of the environment last. After years of riparian zone restoration (Little Applegate River and Yale Creek converge on our ranch) and invasive species control, Tim brought a larger, more integrated approach to the ranch, which included the restorative benefits of managed grazing to pastureland. With his guidance and passion, we started with cattle and slowly added different kinds of grazers to support the restoration of the land, while minimizing negative impacts.

How often is the food delivered?

We will have delivery sites in the Applegate, Ashland, Medford, and Grants Pass where our meat will be available for pick up once a month.

What suggestions do you have for people wanting to learn more about their food and where it comes from?

Whereas it is a wonderful step forward to have a federal standard for organic foods, large producers will continue to seek ways to meet only minimum standards in order to maximize their profits. If you are so inclined, spend some time on line to see what “free range”, “cage free” and “organic” can actually mean (not what you’d expect). Thus, locally produced is an equally, if not more important, criteria for healthy food. Look at labels to see where and how your food is produced.

The Salmon-Safe Applegate logo represents local farmers’ dedication to restoring the Applegate watershed and safekeeping its fish and wildlife populations. The program promotes ecologically sound farming practices, family farms and the connection between local farmers and communities.

Know where your meat is coming from and how it was raised. Grass finished is the key ingredient to healthy meat and a healthy environment. Frequently, meat animals are finished (this refers to feed used in the last weeks/months of life) with feed designed to quickly increase weight and tenderness (marbling). There are significant costs to the animals and environment in this approach of which conscious consumers should be aware.

To Learn More About The Yale Creek Ranch Meat CSA Please Call Richard Schaeff 482- 8240

Southern Oregon Birth Connections

Are you thinking of starting a family? Or have you just learned that you are pregnant, and you are wondering what your birthing choices are?

Are you breastfeeding and having problems, does your baby have colic, or are you looking for help coping with your two year old?

In the Rogue Valley, we have a wealth of practitioners, resources and products that promote the health and well being of families. Southern Oregon Birth Connections is a new organization created to empower women and families during the childbearing years. By serving as a contact point between services and your family, our role is to help you discover the range of options available.

How we birth our babies matters. Health prior to pregnancy matters, as it sets the stage for the baby’s growth. Pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, nutrition, health and harmony all matter. In Southern Oregon, we have professionals, practitioners and peer support groups that can help us achieve our goals.
How can we learn about these resources, and decide which ones are the best fit for our family’s unique needs?

To build a bridge between families, local support networks, traditional and alternative medical options, Southern Oregon Birth Connections will be hosting Family Resource Fairs. These monthly meetings will be held every second Sunday at the Bellview Grange in Ashland. Families will meet local resources, so they can tailor their support system to their individual pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Whether you birth at a hospital or at home, learn what options are out there for you.

Meet doulas, midwives, doctors, nurses, therapists, practitioners, and instructors. Learn about groups in our community that you can join. In addition, each Family Resource Fair will feature an educational presentation on one aspect of the childbearing and parenting experience.

Our opening event is on Sunday, February 14th from 1 – 3 p.m. at the Ashland Bellview Grange -1050 Tolman Creek Road, near Siskiyou Blvd. You will be introduced to a range of practitioners and offered the opportunity to experience many of the services provided. Receive hands-on bodywork, watch a video, play with natural cloth diapers, have your belly henna-ed and more!

Include us in your Valentine’s Day Celebration. In just 2 hours, you will have the opportunity to participate in an event that will enhance your sense of choice, and increase your awareness of your local community resources.

If you are a practitioner and want to become involved, please call 482-6067.
If you are pregnant, or a family member, please call 482-6067 and PLEASE come by!!!

In The Bedroom Project

With Valentines Day right around the corner we find it timely to share a special interview we conducted with Susan Kay Preslar MS FNP-C and her In
THE BEDROOM PROJECT.

Susan is a Family Nurse Practitioner with a specialty in Female Sexual Health. She has a Masters Degree from New York Medical College/Pace University, and her…

Preceptorship as a FNP was done at Harvard Community Health Plan in Cambridge, MA. She was an Associate Professor at SOU, and worked at the Health Center for 15 yrs as Assistant Director, and then Director. She left to start this specialty in Female Sexual Health. Susan has her clinical practice, in Medford at Ventana Wellness and a small home practice. She also has a coaching practice at the Sente Center in Ashland.

In the Bedroom… what a great title. How did you come up with this name for your work and what does it mean to you?

Susan, what typically inspires women to step forward and contact you? Are they needing to have a problem solved or can they just be looking to discover what the potential of their relationship is?

You had mentioned that not knowing what one might like can also have an effect on ones interest in sex. Can you speak more to this?

You had shared with me on the phone about women splitting her attention in the bedroom and how this might not necessarily serve the couple. Can you discuss this a little from a historical point and then take us in the bedroom with this?

Tell us a little bit about why you work in groups of women to discuss sexual issues. What type of effect and benefit does this approach have?

Many women will be reading this article. What is the one message you would want to share with them in understanding / utilizing your work?

Many men will also be reading this article. What is the one message you would want to share with them in understanding / utilizing your work?

How can improved sexual relationships create change and or effect ones place in society?

Eco Tea Evolution

EcoTeas is an organic tea company that started out in a small house on Fifth Street in Ashland’s Railroad District back in March of 2000. Childhood friends Stefan Schachter and Brendan Girard began blending loose yerba mate flavors in their kitchen and serving them at farmers’ markets and festivals. Then one day, they managed to get their products onto the shelves at ShopNKart. From those humble beginnings, the company has blossomed into a national presence in the natural foods industry. Year after year, their 1 pound bag of loose yerba mate is among the top-selling organic tea products in the country. These days, the company is still small, consisting of three owners, two amazing employees, and an Argentina partner who handles exportation of their main product, organic yerba mate.

What is Yerba Mate?
Yerba mate is an herbal tea derived from the leaves of a South American holly tree, Ilex paraguariensis. It is pleasantly stimulating, highly nutritious, and packed with antioxidants. Traditionally yerba mate is enjoyed through a special filter-tipped tea straw called a bombilla. Many North Americans prepare our loose yerba mate in a French press or coffee maker, and drink it just like coffee.

When did the company first get established and what was the inspiration?
Founder Stefan Schachter first learned about yerba mate during his travels as a teenager in Latin America. Starting a yerba mate company seemed like a great idea to him, since it combined many of his life passions: organic agriculture, travel, healthy living, and fair trade.

How has Ashland helped to be a home base as your company has grown?
Ashland has been a great place to start a business. The local support has been amazing. Even though we’ve achieved national distribution, we still sell more tea in ‘97520’ than any other zip code in the country. The local cafes and grocery stores have all been super supportive. Sanya, (the tea buyer at the Co-op) is always willing to let us test-market our new product ideas on her shelves. Also, Ashland is only a half-day’s drive away from two major markets, Portland and the Bay Area, so in the early years we were able to maintain a high quality of life and still have access to all those customers. From our initial success in Oregon and Northern California, we were able to springboard into national distribution.

What are the stimulants in Yerba mate and how does it help energize the body?
Many people find the stimulation in yerba mate less jittery than coffee. Yerba mate contains a balanced array of stimulants: caffeine, theophyllene (also found in green tea), and theobromine (also found in chocolate). The stimulants work together with abundant B vitamins, minerals, and amino acids to give a balanced, whole-body lift. Also, a tea bag of EcoTeas yerba mate provides 60% more antioxidant power than green tea. Our loose yerba mate provides up to five times the antioxidant power of green tea.

Weight loss?
Yerba mate raises metabolism. It is a thermogenic herb, which means it actually induces the body to burn calories. People who wish to safely manage their weight or enhance their athletic performance choose yerba mate for its nutritious natural energy.

Can you talk about the difference between selling organic and being organic, some of the values that have gone into the company you have created?
A lot of companies have started selling organic products because they’ve noticed it’s a growing trend.

What’s more, a lot of really big corporations have begun buying up all the organic food companies out there so they can preserve their market share. These are the companies that are “selling organic.” When we say we “are organic,” we mean that we, as the owners and employees of this company, grow organic vegetables in our backyards, buy organic clothing, and truly believe in the organic movement. We didn’t get into organic products to promote our business. We got into business to promote organics products.

How is Yerba Mate grown? What has typically been the condition of the farmers and how does this tie into Fair Trade?
Yerba mate is grown in a wide variety of ways. There are huge mechanized plantations that control weeds using chemical herbicides. There are also tiny subsistence growers who set aside a few acres to grow enough yerba mate to make a small amount of cash. Our farm partners are somewhere between these two extremes. They still use machetes to harvest the yerba and control weeds. They are entirely organic. But they are big enough to produce a large volume of consistently high-quality yerba mate, which is vital for our business. The fair trade certification has formalized a lot of the relationships and dynamics that were already in place: consistent pricing, good working conditions, etc. Finally, the process led to the development of a special fund that the workers get to use to improve their community in any way they see fit.

Can you talk a little bit about your new organic and fair trade certification?
We’ve been certified organic since our inception. Our recent Fair Trade certification is a nice addition to that. For a long time, there were no certification agencies willing to certify yerba mate as fair trade. Recently, a Swiss group called IMO (Institute for Marketecology) inspected our farm partners in Argentina and our North American operations and granted us the “Fair for Life” status. This means that they’ve verified a lengthy set of criteria from working conditions to fair pricing to environmental stewardship. We are happy to finally have a third-party certification to back up our message to consumers.

You guys are now becoming a top seller all around the country for this eco tea? What’s it feel like and what are you excited about?
We are excited about spearheading a trend toward drinking more loose tea. All of our new product ideas for 2010 and beyond involve loose tea. It may seem like a small detail, but buying loose tea is a wonderful step toward running a more sustainable household. Along with the huge reduction in packaging material and freight costs, the consumer gets a better deal and higher quality, and the farmers get paid more (instead of that money going to factories). Last but not least, brewing loose tea encourages experimentation through the opportunities for gardening and wild-crafting herbs to add to your tea!

Where can someone buy or try a Yerba Mate drink locally?
You can try a hot cup of EcoTeas yerba mate at the Co-op’s deli bar. It’s always on tap there in one of the press-pots. You can also get a bottle of iced yerba mate from Honest Tea. Their Sublime Mate is particularly tasty. We brainstormed that flavor with Honest Tea’s western sales manager during a winter ascent of Mount Mclaughlin. They use our yerba mate as the main ingredient in it.

What the heck is a bombilla?
A bombilla is a straw with a filter on the bottom end. You add it to a cup filled with hot water and loose tea, and sip through the straw. The filter keeps the tea leaves out of your mouth.

Any last thoughts or messages to the community?
Thanks for all the support over the years!

Lois & Roy Jorgensen

Over the past 12 years Lois and Roy Jorgensen have opened their home to take in foster children. There are currently more than 269 kids now in care with over 100 families in Jackson County. Here is a little bit of their story.

Lois, can you tell me a little bit about how you guys became involved in taking in foster teenagers?
When I was in high school my mom remarried and moved out of the Medford area. I then moved in to live with my older brothers for awhile, before friends began offering me places to stay.

How are you notified and how many people actually offer their homes up for taking in kids?

What has been the most challenging aspect for you and Roy opening up your home to help out foster youth?

Having foster children is a window of time to give these kids a new outlook at family life and you hope that when they leave they will take something good away from the experience. It’s not always easy but to Roy and I it has been more of a calling. Its not for everyone, but everyone deserves a family to love them, and a safe place to live.

What has been the most rewarding aspects for the two of you in being involved in this type of work? Roy and I both love seeing change and have watched these teens graduate from highschool, do missionary work in foreign countries, and go to college. Not all have a success story, but the lives you see change make up for the ones that didn’t. Some of our previous foster children are now in their 20’s and still visit us on occasion.

At one time you had your own teenagers at home and foster teenagers coming into your home? How did this work?
Yes, when we were raising our kids and offering foster care it was harder than it is now. Having foster children coming and going for different amounts of time was difficult but we just took them wherver we had to go and they participated or they watched. Our friends and church community accepted them. Of course some children had visits with their biological families and sometimes that went well and sometimes it didn’t. We always have tried to provide a place where the kids were loved and safe. Sometimes it was easy, sometimes it wasn’t.

How do you and Roy work together as a team in offering this type of service?

Team work has always been vital. Everyone has a job and each member of the family has to help. Some helped in the kitchen some did outside jobs. Each monday night the family gets together and they talk about the upcoming week and concerns. We also share ideas and feelings and then finish with a game and treats. No family is perfect but we always try to show the best way to resolve differences and keep each other heading in the right direction in life school and community.

Your biggest lesson?
I would have to say that the biggest lesson we have learned is that the kids might never say be able to say thank you for all that we have done. Often times they want to return to biological parents and this can be hard. Some have gone back and things didn’t work out so they came back to us. It takes time to see any gratitude but every child deserves a chance to be loved and be nurtured in a safe environment and that is why we do this.

What message do you try to give to kids who come into your house?
Our main goal is to encourage our foster kids to finish high school. To see all the choices and opportunities out there, and to make sure that their decisions each day don’t take away their chances for future success. The home has to be one trust and loyalty to each other. They need to feel that they are important and that they have a chance for happiness. To help do that for others and to give back.

Foster care is not for everyone but those who are interested can make a big difference in a childs life.

To learn more you can call: 1- 776-6120DHS
Roy and Lois Jorgensen own LooseEnds Hair Salon and Bearcreek Electric in Ashland, Oregon

Anette & John

John and Anette Heaslet own and run Lithia Springs Veterinary Care. Together they have been involved with and caring for animals for over nine years. We decided to catch up with them to learn a little bit more about the care and attention that goes into their work.

John, Anette, Thanks for doing this interview with us… you guys must really love animals… tell us more!

Can you share with me a little bit about how you first were introduced to caring for animals and how this eventually led to Lithia Springs Veterinary Care?

John:
I worked as a field engineer in Santa Barbara before Anette and I pooled our talents and resources to open Lithia Springs Veterinary Care. I love the fact that people and animals lives are intertwined, and being a part relieving suffering and helping enhance these bonds is wonderfully fulfilling. I didn’t get that feeling with my old career. I’ve never regretted this decision. I suppose I was also influenced when Anette looked at me one morning as said she wanted her own clinic. I could never say no to those beautiful eyes.

What were some of your inspirations and hopes for becoming a veterinarian.
Anette:
At age ten I was living on a huge old farm in Denmark where we cared for hundreds of animals. I remember one night, a veterinarian came to see a sick horse. He recommended euthanasia. My mother refused. My mother and I worked all night and the horse made a full recovery. This is the type of thing that inspires me.

When you both first started practicing, what was a real life surprise of running a clinic?
John:
The most important and harsh thing I learned was to be sure to hire people who share our passion and welfare for animals, share what we stand for and respect the work we do.
We have a most incredible, talented, passionate and caring team with us today.

How has working in a small community helped you get to know and build relationships with your customers?
John: Many of our customers have become our friends. It keeps us on our toes. This is such a wonderful, tight knit community, we see our customers as our neighbors – which they are. We love it.

What’s the most common issue that people bring there pets in to see you with:

Cats:
In cats we see a lot of fighting wounds that often become infected. Urinary problems are also common.
Dogs:
We see many patients for arthritis and other mobility problems. I find treating these especially rewarding because the results are so noticeable.

Most interesting situation you have ever cared for?
Anette:
It’s the things that I remove from these patients that I find interesting. The growing list includes cell phones, television cables, a door stop and diamond earrings. The only thing I haven’t found is homework!

Best pet to have and age to get a pet for your child?
John:
I think the responsibility of caring for a pet falls on the whole family. A pet will suffer in just one day without water, or left out in the cold. A child is never to young to be exposed to pets, and a child will often need to be taught to respect their pet. A consideration would be to get them an easier pet to care for in the beginning, such as a rat or guinea pig. Keep in mind that dogs and cats often live for over 15 years, so when your baby leaves for college, the parents are left to assume full care of Fido.

Thoughts on Cesar Millan “The Dog Whisperer” ?
John:
We don’t often get to watch animal shows, but I’ve heard good things about Cesar, so if he drops his Resume off at the office, it will be considered.

5 best pet names you have ever heard?
Dug, Hairy, MegaBite, Purr-minator, Your Royal Highness
I also like the two whippets named Frank and Beans!

Share a recent success story with us?
Anette:
I love helping older pets be comfortable. Recently I treated a new patient who came limping painfully into our office. When he returned last week he bounded into the room, comfortable once again. That made my day.

What’s the most important issue for us as a community to be aware of in having and taking care of pets and animals?
John:
Wow. That is a big question. The biggest issue for any community is to simply know that there is a sad equation that takes place every day. Each week, people breed animals for profit while Jackson County Animal Control kills animals because of over-population. This heartbreaking cycle can be broken as more people choose to get their new pet from a rescue group such as FOTAS, C.A.T.S., Southern Oregon Humane Society, Dogs for the Deaf, or Petfinder, which is on the internet. There are also “Breed Specific” rescue groups if you have your heart set on a certain type of animal.
Sometimes choosing the right pet can make the care much easier.
There is a huge difference in the personality and needs of different breeds. Getting a pet that is a personality and lifestyle match is most important.
Also it’s good to be prepared for a few challenges. A new puppy may feel like your carpet is a splendid place to pee, and your new cat may decide your slippers need to be attacked… while you’re still wearing them.

Lithia Springs Veterinary Care
1756 Ashland Street
Ashland, OR 97520
(541) 482-6636

Bringing Farm Fresh Goodness to You:

With spring blooming, one can almost taste tomatoes, corn and other treats from local farms. Luckily, a new crop of farmers is growing to fill our plates with goodness. The Ashland-Talent Grower’s Collaborative unites three farms, with other producers, to provide fresh, sustainable foods. The farms, Village Farm, HappyDirt Veggie Patch and Meadowlark Family Farm, grow more than 50 varieties of produce They’re offering a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program, and ‘Farm Bucks’ to purchase individual items. I interviewed the farmers to dig up the details.
What brought your group of farmers together?
Chris Hardy (CH): We wanted to see if we could make small-scale agriculture more viable and resource-efficient through collaboration—sharing marketing, equipment, planning, labor and purchasing. The current economic reality is inequitable for farmers. Together, we can achieve more with less, and serve customers better by providing more diverse items.

What are your farming methods and philosophy? How does this benefit us?
Matt Suhr (MS): Our methods start and end with the soil. Maintaining its integrity is key to a healthy bioregion and soil food web. Though none of us own the land we farm on, we steward it as if it were going to be growing food for future generations. We use organic and permaculture techniques, are adapting plant varieties to our bioregion and are saving seeds, ensuring long-term food security and a healthier planet. Our goal is to sell what we grow locally, keeping dollars in our economy and providing local fresh food that’s more healthful and alive, and tastes incredible.

What’s the scoop on your CSA program?
Quinn Barker (QB): The CSA lasts 20 weeks, with boxes available every Friday from June 4th to October 15th. We offer two CSA box sizes: Family share for $560 (3-4 people) and Single share at $360 (1-2 people). There are two pickup points in Ashland, with more to be added. We also offer delivery for an additional $5 per week.

What can a CSA subscriber expect to savor? What if I’ve never heard of the veggies I get?
Michael DiGiorgio (MD): CSA members will receive a delicious bounty, changing as the seasons evolve. This includes many varieties of beets, carrots, lettuce, eggplant, spinach, tomatoes, onions, beans, peas, squash, garlic, peppers and herbs. We’ll also offer farm updates and recipes on our website to help members enjoy their produce fully.

How do ‘Farm bucks’ work?
Matt Suhr (MS): Farm Bucks are pre-paid vouchers that can be spent with our Collaborative’s farmers, at our farms or our stands at the Ashland Growers Markets. They’re available in increments of $50, with a discount of 10% through April, and 5% thereafter.

How will partnerships with other farms and producers expand your offerings?
Chris Hardy (CH): We’re working with additional farms and value-added producers to offer fruit, eggs, mushrooms, bread, dairy, sauces, pickled foods and more great local products.

Why is it important to support local farms?
Chris Hardy (CH): Our community’s health depends upon this. With less than 3% of our food supply grown in the Rogue Valley, unprecedented global political and economic challenges facing us, and food safety issues increasing through consolidated, industrial agriculture, it’s time we bring it back HOME, to the farm.

Quinn Barker (QB): We also need land stewardship that considers the development and conservation of soil fertility to be of the highest good, recognizing this priceless resource.

What are the challenges you face as young farmers in the Rogue Valley?
Matt Suhr (MS): Our biggest need is affordable farmland, especially land that will be maintained for agricultural use. As long as land is seen as a commodity it’s never safe from development for short-term gain. We may get offers from land owners to farm on their properties, but who don’t share our vision. Ideally, a land owner would make a long-term commitment to keep land in sustainable agriculture use for 100 years or more. Ron Roth at Eagle Mill Farm did this by putting his farm into a Conservation Easement, a great example.

Michael DiGiorgio (MD): Working capital is also a challenge and that’s why we do CSA’s. When people buy CSA shares, they reserve a share of the harvest and provide working capital to buy compost, seeds and equipment. So, please support your farmers and buy into CSAs!

Can people volunteer? Are you planning events?
Liz Blanco: Our farms have diverse volunteer needs. Interested folks can contact our farms. Throughout the season we’ll host family friendly work parties, potlucks and celebrations so our community can get to know their farms, farmers and soil

Sascha Meier: We’ve also teamed up with Farm to Fork Events, which seeks to provide unique culinary experiences and reconnect people to the source of their food. We’ll be hosting benefit dinners on local farms, featuring freshly harvested foods prepared by local chefs, with proceeds supporting our collective and other area food organizations.

MD:
Visit our websites: www.happydirtveggiepatch.wordpress.com, http://meadowlarkfamilyfarm.blogspot.com; email us at farmerscircle@gmail.com or call 541-531-7467. See you at the farm!

Infant Massage with JoAnn Lewis LMT, CEIM Trainer

JoAnn Lewis, LMT, CEIM Trainer is a massage therapist and infant massage educator and trainer who teaches parent/baby massage classes privately and at Ashland Community Hospital. As one of 12 USA certified trainers, she gives educator trainings in the Pacific NW states and other areas of the country.

JoAnn is currently a therapist at the Phoenix Day Spa in Ashland and is teaching private and small group classes for couples, pregnant couples, parent/baby and family massage.

With a strong committment to bring simple massage learning into the daily life of families, JoAnn traces learning this from her mother who gave her back and leg rubs especially after long summers of farmwork. “Even a short massage made such a difference each day in my strength to do the hard work of detassling corn, row after row on the farm and later in life, I realized the deeper bond of love and appreciation it gave me for my mother.” she remembers, “and now in her 80’s, she likes me to give her massages, too!”

Where can people learn more about infant massage and how have you personally been involved in helping infant massage get more established around the world?

Our Southern Oregon Certified Educators of Infant Massage are listed under the connections box on www.southernoregonbirthconnections.com for parents to find an infant massage class in their area. Contact them to register for classes and in Ashland there are classes each month at Ashland Community Hospital Birth Center, call 541-201-4210 to register there.

The USA chapter website at www.infantmassagusa.org is a great resource for national information on health benefits, and for finding parent/baby class instructors by state, trainings for instructors and links to medical updates and with the International Association of Infant Massage, hq Sweden at www.iaim.net for worldwide learning. Infant Massage USA is the official chapter of the International Assoc. now teaching in over 40 countries worldwide.

When I became an International Trainer with this unique organization, I was living in Belgium for 14 months and had the opportunity to mentor under trainers from Sweden, UK, Canada and the USA. It was an extraordinary experience which I feel very fortunate to be able to bring to our communities in the Pacific NW and other states after coming home in 2006.

What has inspired you to become involved with teaching infant massage around the world?

For me, it began with my son who had colic and a lovely midwife showed me how to relieve that condition with a few simple strokes. With both my children, I learned from them how this simple, nurturing touch of massage improved their health and sense of well-being in the world. In my own little world, I realized like many mothers, that this meant the same thing for all the world, a place of peace and caring well for one another with more sleep and less crying. So it made sense to me that this was a necessary part of life to create peaceful societies, too.

After doing more research about massage, I finished massage school, became a licensed massage therapist for 13 years now, and learned as much as I could for all ages and conditions. In 1997, when I found there were others, like Vimala McClure, the founder who wrote the first textbook called, Infant Massage, a handbook for Loving Parents, I was amazed and inspired to find an entire international organization growing rapidly in so many other countries! So, I leaped at the chance to become involved in what I realized was the first and most fundamental family tradition of strong communication through nurturing touch and I have seen the incredible changes for peace it has created firsthand!

For centuries and today, people live in tribes and groups where women hold babies next to them in slings and packs and touch is constant. Every member of the village has a role in the survival of the people and helps to care for the babies. Infant massage is thought to have been handed down from mothers to daughters before recorded history as it has been recorded history in medical journals and books since ancient Greece. Infant massage exists as a common practice among the oldest cultures in the world today from Australia to India to Sweden. Hippocrates, the father of medicine wrote: “The physician must be experienced in many things but assuredly in rubbing…For rubbing can bind a joint that is too loose and loosen a joint that is too rigid.” Doctors and nurses in Europe and Asia are still largely trained in massage and teaching infant massage more with our International Association.

As the parent massages their baby, oxytocin, relaxin and other hormones are released in both their bodies which relieves depression naturally. With colic, the tummy strokes relieve the congestion and gas commonly associated with colic and again the hormonal and muscle tension releases can aid other discomforts.

What are some of the benefits to babies and mothers who give and receive infant massage?

In addition to the physical benefits, massage can help babies sleep longer and deeper and so, parents sleep better, too. Massage promotes 2-way communication skills, bonding and secure attachment, respect and love. Trust is the main psychological foundation of the first year of life that infant massage builds between the members of a family. It builds confidence and self-esteem for parents and babies and healthy bodies to improve nerve, respiratory, digestive, muscular functions and all physical systems.

Massage can start in the first moments of life, gentle little rubs just as the fluids and movements massaged the baby constantly in the mother’s womb. It can build communication skill and understanding from the very beginning. Most parents are ready to take a class after the first few weeks or maybe months depending on the baby. Traditionally, it is good to learn as soon as possible to become part of daily routine, easy and responsive to baby. Massage can be learned at any time though classes for infants are usually from birth to one year before babies become mobile and want to move around to visit with everyone during class!

Can you describe some simple techniques that a reader could practice at home with their baby?

We teach about simple still touch which means placing your relaxed, warm hands on the baby and remaining calm and relaxed; helping everyone to relax. Also, we watch baby’s cues for permission and their body language that tells us if they are ready for a massage. Touch relaxation is a common kind of technique that follows still touch with a positive response of soft words, sounds, smiles, and looks that

Can you share a little bit about how massage allows parents to work with a baby so that it’s not a struggle?

In following the body language, massage becomes an elegant dance of life, of caring and love with respect to the entire person. Babies tell us in one way or another exactly what they want, by a certain movement, cry or sound for each thing until they learn whatever language we speak. When we learn their first language of touch and they learn ours in the exchange of massage, it creates a lasting bond and connection for life. I have watched families who are then able to understand each other on a deeper, easier level for all behaviors, emotions and needs even through the terrible twos or threes or teens!

Can you share a little bit more about parents becoming aware of a babies q’s ?
Many times after learning massage, a parent has turned to me with a look of amazement or even stunned and proudly said, “I knew what he/she (baby) was trying to tell me!” That makes my day!
After even a few weeks of practice, they come back each week of class and tell me what they noticed, when baby’s behavior state tells them they are ready for the massage or something else, when baby was done with just one part of the massage or wanted the whole routine and how they knew it. It’s so great to watch their learning about each other so well.

When a baby is in their quiet, alert state which, depending on their age in weeks can be short and/or many times a day, they can relax easier than when they are actively exploring things. This state shows us that they are ready to learn massage and when they are engaged they show us by eye contact, open body language and cooing sounds often, too.

Share a little bit about babies crying and massage?

It is well researched in medical institutions that when babies under six months of age are picked up within 90 seconds of beginning to cry, they cry less in intensity and for less time which actually protects their heart health from too much stress. Crying is often the only way they have to tell us something is wrong when their basic need of relieving some discomfort is not being met. This discomfort may be more than physical needs but emotional stress and tension after too many physical discomforts throughout the day have overwhelmed them. Not so different from adults, massage can relieve both physical and emotional stresses at the same time for us and for them.

You also established an Infant Massage chapter in Belgium, can you share a little bit about this?
While I was living there in 2004, and with the visiting Canadian trainer’s list of certified instructors, I organized the initial meetings to bring them together. We put our heads and hearts together and after two meetings, eleven lovely Belgian infant massage instructors filed for a non-profit association status with their government and began the Association Belge de Massage pour Bebe, french speaking chapter now 100 plus members strong of the International Association. Our USA chapter of this Int’l Assoc. follows the same purpose: “to promote nurturing touch and communication through training, education and research so that parents, caregivers and children are loved, valued and respected throughout the world community.”

Please share a little bit about your involvement with the North Medford High School teen parent program?
One of the students contacted me last fall about doing her senior project on infant massage. She and another student parent organized classes that I have been teaching at their CDC, child development center with teen parents and their babies which is the most progressive program supporting students parenting education that I have ever seen. Her hope is to continue the infant massage program as part of their training to improve parenting skills for their future. I have offered her a scholarship to become a certified infant massage educator at the next training in Ashland in March.

Any last thoughts you would like to share with our readers?
Many great people in our world have spoken of knowledge as power, of the importance of applied education. I can’t think of anything more important than learning how our human body works and communicating health by touch with nurturing massage. We are so much more than any of the machines we can make or use and I appreciate this everyday that I am learning about staying in touch with our amazing humanity. I am especially grateful to all the teachers I have learned from, especially the babies!

Conclusion: Please list any credits, or closing statements, websites, phone numbers or emails.
The next Infant Massage USA Educator certification training in Ashland is March 25, 26, 27 & 28 and is open to anyone over 18 yrs of age who wants to teach parent/baby massage classes. Infant Massage USA trains most of our country’s staff persons at Early Head Start, Healthy Start, Parents as Teachers, and other social/educational programs, public and private school teachers, LMTS, Nurses in OB, NICU, Doctors, OTs, PTs, grandparents and foster parents to name a few. This program qualifies many medical professions with continuing education credit hours for their licensing requirements.
Contact JoAnn Lewis at 541-227-8181 or by email: joann.lewis@infantmassageusa.org for any questions about trainings and other massage classes for families.

Anthony Lewis . .. computer whiz, artist extraordinaire

Last week I experienced that dreaded event, the crash of my computer right in the middle of a writing project. I frantically scrambled to find the number a friend had given me for Anthony, the ‘computer guy who can fix anything’, she said. Within a very short time he was at my door. The first thing I saw was a huge smile that brightened up the room. I relaxed immediately.

The computer crisis got resolved, and in the process Anthony and I became friends, and he also helped me out with my writing format. I became curious about this compelling young man from Grenada, especially when I saw pictures of his fantastic art work. We sat down for a chat over a cup of tea.

Tell me about what inspired you to do what you do; what do you do that is different and great?

Anthony: That’s a good question. I’d say my inspiration for my artwork comes from different sources at different times, depending on what’s going on in my personal life. I’m not brazen enough to say my artwork is unique or great but it’s all of me, it’s what I have to offer. As for my livelihood which is my computer work, that started about five years ago in Ashland. I knew a lot about computers because I use to work for a computer game company in Eugene for 7 years, I also was in the military (Air Force) doing lots of computer work. So, when I arrived in Ashland and couldn’t find decent work for decent pay I decided to start my own computer business. I now get most of my business through word of mouth. Friends telling friends, etc…

Anthony: My service to others, I enjoy helping people. I would say that my relationship with my customers is the key difference and the reason for why I enjoy what I do. I actually have become friends with lots of my customers, which can be a problem over time when it comes time for them to pay.

Anthony: I suppose, if people need something and I can help, I want to help. I’ve had lots of customers who I don’t charge or I charge very little because I can see that they can’t afford it, but they need their computer fixed. Sometimes they refer me to a friend and it all works out in the end. Ashland is a small town, so I’m OK with that.

Anthony: Stability. I’m a horrible business person. It would be great to have some income stability. I haven’t figured out how to do that yet. But I am hoping to acquire more business clients.

Is the computer business your passion… it sounds like you’d prefer to do art?

Anthony: Yeah, I’ve done a lot of paintings. I’ve always loved art since I was a kid. From the time I was young I believed someday I would make my living from my art. However, over the years I’ve learned that not a reality for me. It’s hard to have steady sales as an artist. And it’s hard for me to figure out how to promote my art.

Anthony: In Eugene I worked for a Computer Game company as an Art Director making computer games. I made lots of 3D family games.

Anthony: Yes, it was like playing all day in my computer sand box, and getting paid to do it. It didn’t feel like work.

Anthony: I’ve had some really good friends, there was a woman I knew in New York, her name was Thelma Brown, and she was huge in my life. Thelma died a few years ago from old age, but she left her mark on me. She truly cared about me as a person. All young people need that from someone. Also my grandmother who raised me in Grenada had a big influence on me. She lived close to the natural rhythms of life.

I go through different phases with my art. As I said earlier, it truly depends on what’s going on in my life. As for my style – I started painting realistic figurative works. It took me years to learn that I wasn’t very good at it. Now my work is semi-abstract. That’s what I call it. Other artist friends tell me it’s actually figurative. You be the judge. I have several pieces of my art on display at Allison’s in the Wine and Deli section down stairs in Ashland.

Anthony: Yeah, I often do a whole series of paintings around a theme, like music. I like to show the essence of a thing, not just its objective form. It often takes me years to get an idea for a series, but once it forms in my mind; I’m compelled to get it out of my head and onto canvas. That part actually goes pretty fast.

Has there been a moment in your life where something has happened that has defined who you are or changed you?

Anthony: Coming to America changed me in a big way. I was in my last year in high school. America is so different. This country is full of wealth. In Grenada we lived in poverty, my family is not

educated, I’m the first to go to a university in my family of 7. My father was a plumber, did plumbing in high-rise developments, skyscrapers. He is smart, but not educated in books. He’s calm and kind, not a big talker.

Anthony: It was a carefree time growing up there. I suppose it’s carefree for kids know matter where they grow up. Yet I think growing up there was very special. I go back to visit when I can. What I miss is how in a small place, a little island, it feels more like I’m in touch with the earth. Here in Ashland and America, even with all this nature around me, it feels so kept. It feels like Man is totally in charge of everything. In that little tiny island of Grenada, there is not that kind of intervention in nature and so it feels like you are in the flow of nature.

When I was growing up you went to sleep with the sun and woke up with the sun, because you couldn’t afford electricity, and here you can do anything you want, anytime. Now, you might say it’s better to have electricity. Sure – I can see the positive in that, but somehow with every new thing that makes our lives easier; we lose a bit of our connectedness to the earth, to nature. I don’t know how to have all the stuff and still keep my connectedness to the earth.

In Grenada, because of poverty, you have very few choices and because of this fact people live their lives close to the earth. In the U.S people have tons of choices, yet, people here in general don’t seem to be any happier, why – I think for the most part people in wealthy countries don’t seem to realize how much their life is being altered by all the stuff that surrounds them. I think the benefit of all that stuff may need to be weighed against people losing a valuable piece of our humanity.

Anthony: Oh yes, all around me is a different message of what is important. In the U.S the message from almost everyone around me is “stuff is important”. When I go to Grenada people see my clothes and they think, wow – stuff is important. When I tell my aunt that what she has is really, really valuable, she doesn’t see it. She is distracted by my stuff. The more stuff we get the more we are losing something of value; I don’t know the answer.

Anthony: Always try to do your best. I know that may sound like a poor response but I think it’s true. Life is so short; we usually don’t know when the end is near, or how the twist and turns will go, so always try to do your best. That way you can rest easy when the end comes.

Anthony’s art can be viewed at Allison’s of Ashland in downtown Ashland If you need help with your computer reach Anthony

Yellow Cupboard - At Home in Ashland

The Yellow Cupboard is a new art supply store located at 629 “A” street, between 5th and 6th street in Ashland’s historic railroad district. The store was founded by brothers Aaron and Isaac Park, with the help of their mother, Annette, in March of 2010. The Yellow Cupboard specializes in art supplies geared towards the Waldorf arts curriculum, and also carries
professional art supplies for painting, drawing, and printmaking, as well as a wide variety of crafting materials and tools.

Please Tell us about the Yellow Cupboard? You are a store but also a craft center?

Isaac: The Yellow Cupboard is more than just a store, we like to call it an interactive store. We believe that people should be able to test the products we sell before they buy them, and we offer that service. We always have materials out on our work table that people can come in and play with. Many parents like to set their kids up with a little project while they shop.

Aaron: We also offer a variety of workshops from kite making and candle decorating to watercolor painting and needle felting.

How did you choose Ashland as the location to open the Yellow Cupboard?{{{0}}}

Aaron: I had been living in Ashland for three years and Isaac joined me in the spring of 2009. After struggling to find work and to support ourselves for months, we went back to Wisconsin to visit our parents over the holidays. While we were cooped up in the old Wisconsin farm house we began to hatch the plan for The Yellow Cupboard. Our mother, Anette Park, started Paper Scissors Stone, a mail-order Waldorf supply business in Wisconsin 15 ears ago. She had often talked about the possibility of opening a retail store that specialized in the same materials, and we saw Ashland as a good place to give it a shot.

Isaac: Ashland is at the center of a thriving Waldorf and Waldorf-inspired community, as well as the home to many artists from all walks of life, so it seemed like the perfect place.

Can you share a little bit about your childhoods and how it is tied into what you are doing now?

Aaron: We went to Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School in Viroqua, Wisconsin from kindergarten through 8th grade, then we went to Youth Initiative High School in Viroqua which is a Waldorf initiative high school. Between growing up Waldorf and having a mother who was always testing new art supplies and trying out new craft projects, we grew up to love that stuff and we got to know the different materials pretty well.

Isaac: Every summer we would go on a family vacation to the North Woods or Lake Superior and crafting and art were always a part of our daily activities. What we are doing now definitely reflects where we come from, and our hope is that we can offer the same opportunities for fun and expression that we had while growing up to our community here in Ashland.

Talk a little bit about the waldorf education/philosophy? How you work to implement some of philosophy within your day to day?

Isaac: The waldorf philosophy, as we see it, has a lot to do with balance. Balance between work and play is important and running this store really gives us the opportunity to play while we are at work. The Waldorf curriculum values artistic expression, incorporating art into all subjects, and we think that anyone’s life, not just that of a student, can be improved by tipping the scales just a bit towards art.

Aaron: In our society today, art seems to be a low priority and we want to do our part to turn that around in our own community. We want to encourage people of all ages to try a new craft project, or a new medium, play, experiment, and just have fun being creative.

Aaron: All of our workshops are for adults and children. We like to say that the workshops are for “kids of all ages”, which is to say that they are open to anyone who wants
to learn something new and fun.

Isaac: Some of them have age limits on the lower end, 10 and up for example, but all are open to adults as well as children. In March we had classes on watercolor painting, needle felting, wet felting, and Ukrainian egg dying, among others. In April we will be offering workshops in tie dye, silk painting, knitting for beginners, wet felting, needle felting, kite making, crochet for beginners, veil painting, candle dipping, and more. The full workshop schedule is available on our website, yellowcupboard.com, and in the future we hope to offer an ever-expanding variety of workshops and we are open to suggestions for classes that people would like to take or teach.

Aaron: One of my favorite crafting books right now is called ‘Crafting through the Year’. I like it because it has a variety of craft projects that incorporate the changing seasons and materials that can be found in nature.

Aaron: We really think that art is one of the best ways to share nature with children. Whether learning about the structure of plants by drawing them, or using natural materials to create art, the natural world provides both inspiration and materials.

Isaac: Taking your children out into nature, whether to the park or on a camping trip is of course the best place to start, but it doesn’t have to end there. Creative activities that both relate to and involve nature, like flower pressing, wreath making, nature drawing – the possibilities are endless, help both children and adults to internalize, process, and truly appreciate the bounty, beauty, and constant change found in nature.

Isaac: My latest obsession is crocheting hats. Its fun, challenging, the materials are cheap, and I get to make beautiful, functional, unique pieces of art. I’ve also been experimenting with new candle dipping techniques in my free time. Next up: copper foil embossing!

Aaron: I’ve been working on needle felting a hat from scrap wool roving we had around the shop. It is taking forever but it’s going to be a pretty sweet hat.

The Yellow Cupboard is located at 629 A street, on the east end of Ashland’s Arts District.
Hours are 10am to 6pm, Wednesday thru Sunday.

What Is The Ashland Food Project?

About a year ago, a group of Ashlanders began working on a project designed to provide a regular supply of food to the Ashland Emergency Food Bank (AEFB). “We knew that a lot of our neighbors wanted to donate food, but for one reason or another, never got around to it,” explains the group’s co-founder, Paul Giancarlo. “So we decided to put together a door-to-door food collection system to make it easy for them.” They called it the Ashland Food Project. (AFP).

The system is very simple: Volunteers (called Neighborhood Coordinators) go door-to-door in their neighborhoods, asking neighbors if they’re interested in donating food. “When a neighbor says yes, our volunteer gives them a green AFP bag and asks them to buy one extra nonperishable food item each week.” says Mark Jaynes, who trains AFP volunteers. “Then every two months, our volunteer picks up the bag of food and takes it to the Ashland Emergency Food Bank. That’s all there is to it.” People at the food bank are amazed at how well it works, and have called it “the most efficient food collection system Ashland has ever had.”

The Ashland Food Project has a second goal in mind, too: They want to give people a reason to talk to, and get to know, their neighbors — to help build a stronger sense of community in Ashland. “That’s something we just don’t have enough of in modern society,” says Steve Isser, who has worked on the Project since last May. “The feeling of belonging to something, the affirmation from people around us that we make a difference, is like food for the soul. We all need it, just like we all need food for our bodies. That’s why the AFP considers community-building such an important part of our work.”

There was no model for the group to copy — they just made up the program as they went along. “We created a brochure and hit the streets, knocking on doors to see if the idea was viable,” recalls Pam Vavra. “And it was! Our first official food pickup was June 20, 2009. We collected 3,800 lbs of food from around 300 Ashland families. We were astounded. Then two months later, we picked up more than twice as much food — over 8,000 lbs. from 500 families. And it just kept growing! “ By last Feb. Neighborhood Coordinators were regularly picking up over 15,000 lbs. of food from about 1,500 donors.

AFP donors are primarily individuals and families. But they also include community groups, ranging from Rotary Clubs to churches to retail businesses. Other groups have found creative ways to participate, too: The AFP’s “neighborhoods” include a dentist’s office, a book group, and a Quaker meeting. “So far,” says AFP organizer Bob Baumann, “the AFP has collected about 50,000 lbs, of food from our donors. But the way things are going, by the end of the year we hope that number will be closer to 120,000 lbs.!”

It’s an amazing collaboration, and everyone in the group is very impressed with Ashland’s generosity in making the program such a success. But there’s still plenty to do. “In this down economy, “ says food bank president Susan Harris, “more people are using the Ashland Emergency Food Bank than ever before. In February, for example, we provided emergency food supplies to 1,220 residents of Ashland and Talent. That’s 25% more people than last year — and it’s about 5% of the towns’ total population!”

That’s why the Ashland Food Project is announcing a new campaign, with a new goal: It’s called “2,010 in 2010.” Their goal is to have 2,010 donors by the end of 2010, so that the AFP will be able to supply 50% of the Ashland Emergency Food Bank’s needs each month, and the AEFB will be able to provide food to every person in Ashland and Talent who needs it.

Right now the AFP supplies about 1/3 of the food the AEFB needs, and saves them about $4,000 a month. Their donors make up 17% of Ashland households . “This is impressive, but there are plenty of people we haven’t reached yet —people who’d love to be part of the AFP if they knew how to get started,” suggests Steve Armitage. The group wants to recruit another 500 or so households as regular food donors, so that over 2,000 will be donating food on a regular basis. Will you join them? Be a part of the solution! The effort is minimal…but the impact is huge. For more info check the AFP’s web site at AshlandFoodProject.com. or call 541-488-6976 and leave a message. Help them reach 2,010 in 2010!

Ashland Wax Queen

Jessica Dunn Schubert’s our very own well sought-after aesthetician, and owner of abasha skin care is celebrating fourteen years in the skin care business. Seven years in her home state of Colorado and seven years in Ashland. Owning and operating a skin care therapy shop seems like first nature to Jessica with her 50’s waitress uniform and welcoming smile. She is ready to beautify Ashlands people starting at 9:00am, 5 days a week. We spoke with Jessica about the art of waxing and more.

Jessica, can you share a little bit about how you became the Ashland Wax Queen?

Jessica: Because I am SAFE * GOOD * FAST! he he he! Seriously! I have done sooo muchhh waxing the last 14 years! And I can speed wax like the wind! I was so fortunate to have been mentored by the best of the best of the aesthetics industry. I continue to grow in my work through ongoing education, learning about the latest skin research, product knowledge, new eyebrow waxing trends, and the latest styles of wearing our body hair.The “ Brazilian wax” craze has hit the Rouge Valley, people can add personal variations. This summer abasha will carry sassy “down there dye!” in differant colors for those who want a fun change with a new shape. Waxing styles change like fashion, it’s fun to keep fresh and progressive. The traditional Full leg, Half leg, Underarm, and bikini waxing is still, and will be forever popular. Men also enjoy a chest hair shaping or back wax. Men also enjoy getting rid of that uni-brow, and having a little masculine shaping with their eyebrows. I feel so comfortable with my work and have fun with everyone I have the priviledge to work with. My client’s keep me on my toes! so I can keep my crown of Wax!

Jessica: Waxing entails: “Consult-Prep-Wax-Confirm-Sooth” that’s my formula. New Aestheticians out there, don’t ever forget this! Waxing removes the unwanted hair from the root source, unlike shaving where the hair follicle is cut off leaving the hair to grow stronger. I apply the various wax with a sterile applicator, then remove with a strip of non woven paper. For sensitive areas I use a chamomile infused hard wax that adheres to the hair not the skin. This French wax is self removing and is low temperature, I love this wax for all sensitive skin. This is very important with facial waxing. Safety, and cleanliness is as important as the technique. At abasha we have many types of waxes at different temperatures, and consistency. These waxes are formulated and regulated for the many types of skin and hair growth of the body. My handmade botanical soothing oils calm the skin afterward and their essential properties relax the mind. My clients leave sticky free and smiling.

Jessica: Benefits from waxing include smooth hairless skin with out razor burn, or itchy grow back for weeks!Waxing weakens the hair growth and some people find their hair growing back thinner and softer with ongoing wax appointments every 2-5 weeks. This is true for some people with all parts of their body. Many people say that there is less hassle, and more freedom with waxing than with shaving or cream depilitories. Many people say that waxing makes them even feel better after a break up with a partner, or more attractive before a special date. Even Tori Amos sings about hair removal and heart break, I might have to think about creating a ”Break Up Wax Special of the Month” around that! There is nothing like clean shaped eyebrows to make your eyes sparkle and give confidence! whether you choose a natural clean- up shape, or a trendy stylish shape, the result is the same. Happy.

How do you work with your clients to help them relax and feel comfortable with the experience?

Jessica: I think just being myself makes my clients feel comfortable. I genuinely care about the people I work on and who come to my shop, I just don’t take my work to a personal level. I stand behind my work completely and rely on education and spirit to guide me and the service to perfection. Good music, tea, a yummy sweet or two in a comfy atmosphere helps! Plus I have two kids to support I better make you feel like re booking!

What would you say to someone who was wanting to come in for the first time?

Jessica: I feel protective of the first time waxer. I hear awful stories of wax experiences gone wrong. I want to raise the standard right off the bat! And raise up a secure waxing client. I want them!

For a very first time waxer let us always know, we have some questions for you. If you want an eyebrow, lip or chin wax, no need for an appt, just come on in we have a walk in WAX BAR! Call for an appt. or come in and see if there is an opening for body waxing. Exfoliate the area that you would like to wax with a exfoliating scrub or dry brush, depending on the part of the body. The face does not need home preparation for me to wax. I would say to come in a little early to give a little extra time for our intake form and first time consultaion. My super wonderful caring staff will be happy to talk to you and answer any questions you might have, or book a little extra time if you need with your appt. Just remember that FAST is FABULOUS! Save the long services for the relaxing FACIALS.

Is it a bit odd to know really personal details about people and then seem them around town?

Jessica: It is not uncomfortable at all, I leave work at the shop. Again, I stand behind the service. I am proud to be good at what I do, and thrilled to live in such a wonderful town to raise my boys! I am grateful when I see my clients around town.

Jessica: I would like to say to everyone who keeps coming to me THANK YOU! You made this possible! And to all those future clients I have yet to give a facial or waxing to I look forward to meeting you! Here’s to a wonderful new smooth future!

Jessica is moving her successful business in May to the Ashland Shopping center where our loved Deja Vu was for so many years. She will be taking walk-in business with her innovative Waxing Bar, an idea that is sweeping the skin care industry. She has built and remodeled two lovely treatment rooms for body waxing, and skincare therapy. She features essensa Provence organics, and Mdcc skin care from Paris. Come by and see her or call for an appt. Jessica would also like to welcome Ashlee, Pilar and Kerry to the team at abasha.

Troy Hemmerling’s Ultimate Journey

Like most of us, Troy Hemmerling wears many hats—the headpiece of artist and set designer who has created works for a number of regional theaters (including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival); the crown of dad to Tess; the chapeau of partner to Ginny; and the many lids of friend/brother/cousin/son to hundreds of us within the diverse cross-sections of communities that create Ashland and the world beyond.

As a long-time Ultimate (Frisbee) player, Troy, now 47, has captained many regional teams—for each team, he literally custom-designed the caps we all wore. For the last 3 years, he has donned the pirate captain’s tricorne and led the defending Cramp Up champions, Piratas de Amor (Love Pirates). For years, he has sported the ten-gallon of Tournament Director for Ashland’s annual Cramp Up Ultimate Tournament, which draws about 300 athletes and their families to Ashland the weekend of May 1^st and 2^nd. Last weekend, in Cramp Up’s 17^th year, we all tipped our tam o’ shanters in honor of Troy and his family, as all proceeds from our tournament went to help defray his medical expenses.

In November of 2009, Troy was diagnosed with a rare form of appendix cancer called mucinous

adenocarcinoma. Only 300-1,000 cases of this disease are seen in the US each year, thus regular travel to specialists who deal with this type of cancer is required. I asked Troy to share a glimpse into his life as he moves forward on his journey through cancer, and he courageously obliged.

In 1993 I applied for and got a job at OSF, as a design assistant in the scenic design studio. Years earlier, though, while attending college in Montana (where I grew up) and at various other times along the way I had people who’d been here tell me that if I ever made it to Ashland I’d never leave. I guess they saw something in me and in Ashland that suited us both. I left the Festival to design full-time in 2000 and Ginny and I decided we really liked living here, we’d made good friends and put down some roots so we’d try and make a go of it. It ain’t been easy, I couldn’t be more off the beaten path to try and build and sustain a scenic design career, but we really can’t imagine ourselves elsewhere. Especially with the birth of our daughter, Tess, in 2004. There’s so much to love about this place when it comes to raising a child.

I blame a couple co-workers at OSF who played, Peter McBennett and Jim Clark. All their fault. In the spring of 1994 they encouraged me to come out and try it, so I did. I could barely walk for three days afterward, I was that sore, but the hook had been set. After meeting more of the cool folks who made up the local disc scene and being a part of our very first Cramp Up tournament a couple months later, and seeing really good athletes play in a competitive setting, I was on the line for good. I wanted nothing more than to master the sport and play at the highest level. If only I’d discovered the sport before I’d hit 30….

There’s much to love about Ultimate. It lends itself well to coed play, which I like a lot. Ultimate’s a great physical workout. The people who play it are in general a very cool, caring and fun bunch no matter where you go. I got to play with Team Brazil at Worlds in ’98, talk about a fun bunch! The people in the disc community here number among many of my closest friends. What I love most about ultimate, though, is that playing it “at the highest level” is so much more than being an athletic stud. The players themselves are responsible for maintaining the fairness and integrity of the game. There are no refs so fouls, penalties and rules disputes are settled on the field by the players involved. It’s a real test of one’s character, particularly in tournaments where the competitive blood is running hot, to play all out while at the same time treating your opponents and the game with the honor and respect they deserve. It’s the only sport I’ve been involved in where opponents compliment one another on good plays often made at the expense of the one doing the complimenting. And after the game that pair of players may well be sharing laughs over a cold beverage. I feel like that’s all much more than good sportsmanship. Now, don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t always go smoothly, but that’s the ideal. And those principles have informed my life outside the sport and influence how I interact with the world on a daily basis.

What was your initial reaction upon receiving your diagnosis, and how have your perspectives changed over time?

Well, this is a family paper so I best not share my initial reaction. Actually one of the first thoughts I had was that I wanted to see my daughter grow up. I immediately started trying to learn all I could about my cancer and what the treatment options might be. Shout out to a patient advocacy organization called PMP Pals that has a wealth of information about docs, treatments, dealing with your insurance company, and other info about these rare appendiceal and pseudomyxoma peritonei cancers. They also hooked me up with a couple of mentors, people who had had my cancer and got through it. I knew more than anything that I wanted a shot, an opportunity, to get well. I wasn’t going to settle for just putting my house in order and seeing what I could check off the bucket list before I checked out. That’s the ornery in me, I guess.

The surgery that I hope to one day have is very extensive, often 12+ hours long, with a long recovery period. I saw it referred to somewhere as “the mother of all surgeries”. For that reason surgeons are hesitant to take it on, to tax the resources of the patient and the hospital, if it’s likely the cancer will just reoccur six months or so down the road. The surgery is not generally viewed as a palliative option. They want to feel that, if they decide to go in, they have an excellent chance of getting it all. Currently, in the opinion of the surgeon we’re consulting, who is very experienced in dealing with the rare form of cancer I have, the tumors are of a size and have spread in such a way that he does not have that confidence. It’s our hope and the hope of our oncologists that I will continue to improve physically, the chemotherapy will continue to have an effect, and that the cancer will remain stable or reduce so that I’ll be reconsidered for surgery at some point down the road.

I loved it when you told me several months ago that you were looking forward to seeing who you would be on the other end of this cancer thing. Could you elaborate?

Well, often I see this whole experience as a real crucible for me, a real daily test of my physical, mental and emotional strength. But on other days I see it as a sort of chrysalis. I’m in this interesting process of incubation and evolution where, when I emerge, I will be…something…more evolved, stronger, positive (I’m a hardcore pragmatist, some say pessimist), more attuned to people, the environment. Or maybe not. I certainly feel like I’m experiencing some changes but I’m still in the thick of it, not a butterfly just yet.

Like you would not believe! We have been completely awestruck, emotionally overwhelmed (in a good way), grateful and humbled by the outpouring of love and support that has been extended to us by family and friends. Our families have been there for us, of course, but they don’t live in the area and must do what they can from afar. Some of my family live in the Houston area, a big reason we chose MD Anderson Cancer Center there (it’s one of the handful of hospitals in the country with extensive experience in appendiceal cancers). As I said earlier, one of the reasons we chose to stay here was that we felt we’d made good friends and had established ourselves in the community. I’ve learned the real truth of that in such a huge way. Those circles of friends — the disc community, fellow parents, current and former coworkers — all reached out to us in huge ways immediately upon hearing about our situation and have continued to stand by us. They have helped us beyond all measure with our being able to sustain some sense of daily life and regular routine as we all keep adjusting to the ever-shifting new normal.

How has your experience with cancer changed the way you approach work, friendships, family, marriage, and parenting?

I like to think I’m developing a better sense of priorities in those departments and what is truly important at any given time. That I’m developing a more balanced approach to life where each of those areas gets to thrive. Ultimately they’re interconnected, each affects the other, and the challenge of striking that balance is ongoing.

For us as a family to get out and experience the world more, travel. Personally, to get involved in something bigger than myself, probably in the cancer realm. And I think Ginny’s given me an open ticket to just about any Ultimate tournament I want to attend. I definitely have the goal of playing again, even if it’s just our friendly pickup game, but my secret desire is to make it to both Masters (33+) and Grandmasters (40+) Nationals. And to throw a big whopping party for everybody who has helped us get through.

Well, I’m still a traveler but I’m learning that, in the big picture, it’s your connections to other people — to friends and family — that will sustain you.

To donate to Troy’s family, please make checks payable to the Troy Hemmerling Fund and mail to US Bank, Attn: Craig Pisors, 30 N. 2nd Street, Ashland, OR 97520.

Stephen Victor - A PRACTICAL MYSTIC

Stephen Victor is widely known in this community as a facilitator of family and business constellations both here and abroad. However I find his work to be much more than that of setting constellations. My curiosity about him and his work led me to his door. As I entered the charming home he shares with his partner Valerie Niestrath, the first thing I noticed was the abundance of interesting indigenous artifacts and large stones, artistically arranged.

These stones in your home have such presence. Can you tell me something about them?

Stephen: Yes, I can. I suppose the stones are a tangible form of my relationship to the earth. The stones are called ‘khuyas,’ a Quecha word from the Andes literally translating as ‘pieces of my heart.’ They are carriers of refined energy and power. They are devices of connection. I think most of us in modern times have forgotten our connection to the earth and that in a mythological sense, we are the earth herself; we only feel separate. The stones are carriers of language and in a very true sense they are my friends. They evince my perceptions and experience of nature as supportive of us and awaiting our collaboration.

Stephen: Of course. The essence of my calling is a re-remembering of who we are. I assist in fostering movements beyond the currents of acculturation, upbringing, education, training and experience that determine most lives: a looking beyond all of that and instead prompting the seeing and taking guidance from the tangible energetic life-affirming realities all around us – those fields which are rarely seen and much less acknowledged as extant.

How we humans live and behave has nothing to do with our actual character and true nature. I guess the rocks, the trees and all of nature serve as a reminder of that for me. Human absences of civility, of kindness and decency, our bent on the mundane day to day ‘live in your brain’ struggle has no real relationship to who we are. Humanity, all of life and the mystery, are simply love; our true nature and character is one of wholly unprecedented creativity awaiting its unique expression. All of life, and each life, is profoundly and staggering beautiful. My work assists one to see this again.

My work also involves removing impediments to love. Impediments issuing from institutionalized ideologies round which we wittingly and unwitting conform at the expense of living our own lives poetically, creatively, compassionately, lovingly.

methods are more than a brilliant, dignified and honorable approach for reconciling difficulties, healing a self, and removing impediments in a life (which they do beautifully); they are chiefly processes of divination (a means of accessing information from a non-human source on how best to proceed in a given circumstance). In this way, as a divination tool, they, for me, are a teaching instrument which I use with others for opening to, perceiving and working with the fields of universal intelligence and wisdom in which we exist.

Stephen: Someone has a problem they want resolved. The person speaks to the issue briefly; in doing so, the energy field of this life circumstances becomes more readily visible. I ask others in the room to stand in “the field” representing the people or circumstances revealed by the field; the field informs the representatives and me directly of the “unseen” dynamics to be righted – through specific movements – which arise from opening to love. (Love is the source of all reconciliation and healing.)

This sounds like a complex skill. How would you describe your particular gifts in working with these energetic fields?

Stephen: I am able to perceive the fields of a family, person or business, and sense intent; see the root cause of a problem. I can see pathways out of a morass and into creative places. These abilities are no longer for a gifted few, we all are ‘wired’ to perceive the nonphysical. We begin by growing and mending wounds and opening mind and heart. This is about opening to the language of the non-imaginary imagination, which for me is the instrument and faculty of perception used to perceive nonphysical reality. There will be a time in human development when everyone will be consciously seeing and working with energy fields.

Have you always had this gift, this sense of energy? What has influenced you?

Stephen: Not at all. I was clueless, but loved being out-of-doors. As a young man I joined the Navy to get away from my small Midwestern roots. The beauty and magnificence of the ocean, whales breaching, porpoises stretching from horizon to horizon with the morning sun reflecting off their backs, playing with the ship; this was staggeringly beautiful. Later, becoming aware of Vietnam and while working as a cop, I had difficulty reconciling the violence and craziness that is our way of life.

Stephen: In my late 20’s , 30’s and early 40’s I did a great deal of work using NLP (neurolinguistic programming) based skills and models. I found I could develop a field of rapport with a person or group, and extend myself to include them; in doing so I would know their thinking and how they processed information. I mediated conflict in and provided consultancy to organizations. It worked beautifully, people got desired results, but I was still thinking in neurolinguistic terms, not of energy fields. Then I heard of the Hellinger constellation work. I soon realized that I knew much about this process and in fact it was what I had, in part, been doing.

Why would someone seek you out rather than a therapist or business consultant?

Stephen: To put it simply, field or constellation methods access information that conventional approaches cannot reach. Working with field energies requires personal and perceptual development and language not found in graduate and professional schools.

Stephen: At the same time I started working with constellation methods I also started training with Andean Mystic Juan Nunez del Prado, a keeper of the ancient Andean traditions. I found many correlations in these distinct ways of working with nonphysical aspects of our lives. For the last six years, Juan and I have convened workshops together here and in Europe. We have a one coming up here at the end of May, “The practical Mystic.” My partner Valerie is the real expert when it comes to Andean Mysticism. She is easily one of the most knowledgeable and skilled paqos in North America of this body of wisdom. She leads groups to Peru, workshops, and leads energetic nature walks here in Ashland.

At the same time, I began reading poetry and more recently began writing mystical poetry. Poetry is another form of field work – if it remains unanalyzed – but instead perceived. This too is representative of the shift humanity is in, from the prosaic to the poetic.

Perii Owen - Ashland Children's Library

If you have childern in Ashland and visit the childrens’ wing of the Ashland Public Libary then you have more than likely met Perii Owen. Perri is one of Ashland’s Childrens’ Librians. She has worked in the library for more than 8 years and can help you find “Where’s Waldo” faster than anyone else I know.

I decided to do an interview with Perii to learn more about her passion of working at the Ashland Public Library.

Perii, Thanks for speaking with me today. First I would like to say that I truly appreciate the role you have played in our community. Each time my family has come to visit you at the library you have always greeted us with kindness and a smile. My son is thrilled to search for new and exciting books and you always remember our children’s names. I can only imagine how many people in our community you must know and have helped over the years.

Thanks Shields, it’s a little bit funny because I do know a lot of people – but most of them are under the age of 12! I love that because these relationships with young kids are so genuine; plus, if I’m lucky, they become long lasting. Shy 3 year olds become bold pre-teens, wild 5 year olds become 12 year old book worms, scribblers become artists, criers become courageous, you see what I mean…. And I get to watch it all happen in our children’s department, the place I often say is really “the happiest place on earth.”

Perii, to begin with can you share with us what led you to your current position of working in the Ashland Children’s Library? Can you tell us a little bit about your journey to this position?

You know, this children’s library position is the job I was always moving toward – without knowing it. I’ve been lucky and have had a wonderful and diverse working history. During the 32 years of my always interesting and lively marriage to John Owen, I never had to be the “bread winner” and I could take-on jobs that were enriching and meaningful without having to worry about my income.

So, if you looked at my resume you’d see that I’ve been an au pair in Paris, an international flight attendant, an art dealer, a museum staffer, a county arts consultant, and a high school librarian before I came here. Fill in the gaps with some waitressing and volunteering and you’ve a pretty good look at the picture.

I graduated from Cal Berkeley with a degree in English/Art History. That took me into the art arena where I managed the old Vorpal Gallery in San Francisco. (Do you know it? It was the gallery that put M.C. Escher on the U.S. map.) Then I went from San Francisco to opening and running the Vorpal Gallery East in New York City when SOHO was just beginning to blossom. But the truth is, that wasn’t quite right for me (there was way too much wining and dining of clients) and I wanted to get to a different side of the art world. So, I left New York and started graduate school with an emphasis on Museum Studies.

My Masters degree led to several different positions within the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco group. (That’s the De Young, California Palace of the Legion of Honor, and the Asian Art Museum.) There were lots of opportunities for me there and I found out, as I tried-on different hats within the organization, that I really liked arts education and working with teenagers and children. So, unbeknownst to me, I was getting ever closer to where I am now…

John’s business transfer and our move to Siskiyou County took me away from professional museum work. But still in the arts, I was hired to be Siskiyou County’s first Arts Planning Consultant and create an artists’ directory and a long-range plan for what turned out to be a huge number of extraneous artists working all over that huge county. By that time, John and I had our two boys, Tucker and Reilly, and I was hunkering down into motherhood and day-to-day work supporting many wonderful artists with grant writing and networking; but John’s work took us away to Ogden, Utah. And that’s when my library work began in earnest.

I began substituting in elementary school classes, which lead to substituting in school libraries, and ten or so years later that lead to my first full-out library job when I was hired to be the librarian at a large high school.

Finally, John was transferred for the last time and so, in 2000, we moved to Ashland, the town we’d always wanted to live in! The stars had to be aligned because of such perfectly wonderful serendipity. And then, the total astral explosion came when another wonderfully serendipitous thing happened: I was in the right place at the right time when my job opened at the Library. And I thank my lucky stars, that’s for sure!

I’m not lying when I say everything. The children, their parents, the books, our programs, my boss, my co-workers, the volunteers, the environment, the views from our windows, my hours, my responsibilities, my freedom to be me and, as I talked about earlier, the happiness I find in developing such wonderful relationships with so many wonderful families.

It is such an honor to work in this library. When I came in, I recognized it had a reputation for intelligence, service, and a belief in the preservation of intellectual freedom. And I knew this library was NOT a warehouse for books. Oh no! This library was and will always be committed to the Ashland community in a wide array of meaningful ways including providing computer classes; arranging for the delivery of books to people unable to come to the Library; developing a solid base of Spanish language materials; working with school teachers to provide materials for their classrooms; offering our facilities for public meetings, classes and lectures; showing films; providing bulletin boards for community announcements; coordinating children’s activities with Ashland’s two Head Start programs, the YMCA and Science Works; presenting new parents with Ready to Read bags of books and early literacy materials at Ashland Hospital’s birth center; producing active summer reading programs for children and teenagers; inviting the public to hear authors speak; and presenting 5 different programs each week for babies, wobblers, toddlers, and preschoolers. Yep, that’s 5 weekly kids’ programs!

When you reflect back on your time of working in the library do you have any special memories which come to mind?

Once, about nine years ago, I met a wonderful couple who gave me an unexpected donation for the first event I was planning for our branch — a Harry Potter party to coincide with the publishing of one of the books – and just like the magic I wanted to create with the event, the donation was magical too because it was all in $2 bills!

Also, I’ve loved walking with the Library staff and patrons in Ashland’s 4th of July parades – and I think we’ll do it this year too, but we haven’t come up with a theme yet

Partnering with local businesses — as I’ve been planning events like our recent and hugely successful Irish Shenanigans St. Patrick’s Day party — has been really awesome. Ashland has an abundance of ready-to-support-a-good-cause people and I love working with them. (And since we’re on the subject, please let me give a shout out to Market of Choice for donating so many freshly-baked and sparkly four-leafed clover cookies and to Safeway for providing so many green and white balloons for that party last month.)

Let’s see what else… For four years, before we had our closure, I had the exciting responsibility of planning storytelling events for all the branches of our Library system. Through that I met an array of uniquely creative people from all over the country – some with whom I’m still friends. I’d never known much about, or appreciated, the real art of storytelling-as-performance and my eyes were really opened. So, I’d call that a memorable opportunity.

And, strangely enough, I’ll say that many sweet memories came out of our Library closure. Some are the result of the emotional and active responses from so many people – especially children who had bake sales and teachers and parents who were protesting. Then, I remember so well the last day when the children had a peaceful sit-in and Malcus Williams, our local cop-on-the-beat came in to usher them out, but read them a picture book first. And during that same time, the families of my regular story times asked me to continue story times while we were closed if they found a place to hold them. Ashland City donated the use of the log cabin by the park and our room was filled to overflowing with happy families for the six months the Library was closed.

Oh yes, Shields, I have many wonderful memories that I will always have close to my heart.

Haven’t we all said it before? Ashland is a unique place. I think I am a better person for being a part of this community and I feel quite certain that Ashland has had the same influence on most of us here. This is the place I’m finishing “growing up,” extending my understanding and sensitivity, and reaffirming my commitments. Much of this, I really do believe, has come because of the people I rub shoulders with every day, conversations I’ve had, and events that have occurred here.

What are some of your favorite books which you recommend on a regular basis?

Ooooooh. Wow. Now you’ve put me on the spot! Let’s see… Well, for starters, my favorites are not always the award winners. And new books come every day but I’ll give it a try. Some regular requests and frequent go-to books would be…

What has been some of the most interesting niche interests young readers have come in with. We all know that fire trucks and horses are hot topics, but what else?

How about super heroes!! Then there are fairies, princesses, trains, rocks, crafts, magic tricks, mysteries, jokes and riddles! And all of a sudden, there’s lots of demand for books on how to care for your chickens. Neat, huh?!

Have you ever written any books or have stories of your own which you like to share?

To answer you honestly, I’ll have to say yes, I do lots of writing and have written lots of picture-book-style stories. Friends who’ve seen my work have had me on the defensive for the last few years about moving to find a publisher. But as much as I’d like to see one or another published, it’s the writing I love and I don’t have the time to do more.

Do you have any special hobbies or interests you like to incorporate into your job?

Oh, sure. Because of my art background, I have tons of fun creating book displays, posters advertising our events and story times, and I always encourage kids to talk about the art in the books I present during Library story times. This job is a great marriage between the arts and literature.

On average how many children do you think visit the library on a weekly basis?

Oooof… I don’t know the answer to that; but we just did our statistical report for the month of April so I can tell you that during our Wobblers and Babies programs we had about 120 babies and wobblers and the same number of parents; and we had over 225 children and about 200 parents participate in our April story times. Then, add to that several class visits and a special children’s author visit during which we had over 100 children so, you can see we’re a pretty busy place!

What’s the best excuse you have ever heard for not returning a library book?

Once a mother told me her son had flushed his library book down the toilet. It was a book on toilet training. (Seriously!) Another time, a dad told me a monkey at the Portland zoo grabbed the book right out of his hands. (Go figure!)

Well… three times a week – Monday evenings at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday mornings at 11:30 a.m., and Wednesday mornings at 10:30 a.m. – winter, spring, summer and fall, kids of all ages come to the Library with their adults to participate (and I mean participate) in story times. Babies often accompany their older siblings, and toddlers and pre-schoolers come with their school age sisters or brothers (especially during vacations). It’s always a full and diverse group which gives way, between the books, to lots of fun patter.

I plan the story times around a theme. (This week it was called Up, Up, and Away and I read books about balloons whisked away by the wind, kids flying kites, and a book in which a boy dreamed his bicycle had wings to fly.) In the 30 minutes we have together in our circle by the fireplace we also sing songs, play games with felt board characters, do activities with finger puppets and full-sized puppets, and just have a good time. My goal has always been to focus on the latter because I want children to really love their library experiences so they will grow up to be life-long library users.

Lots! Recently John and I were having dinner at Dragonfly and out of the blue, one of my regular story time kids just appeared beside our table and asked me, “Are you going to read some stories?” I would have, had I only had one with me. But, I sang him a song instead!

The Summer Reading Program starts the day following the last day of school on Saturday, June 12. And I’d like to invite the families who have yet to visit a Babies program, Wobblers program, or one of our toddler-preschool story times to come and see if it’s right for their kids.

Christopher Briscoe… capturing the human face

There was a little drizzling rain as I got out of the car at Christopher Briscoe’s studio, pausing to admire the large photographs in the window. I had looked in these windows admiringly many times, and was excited to talk with Christopher about his work.

I walked through the outer studio filled with beautiful portraits of interesting faces, families, babies, children, brides, pregnant mothers.

Christopher greeted me from his little corner office behind the studio. He was enthusiastic as he talked about his work which is obviously his love and his passion.

“I was raised by an amazing black woman, Benny. Her grandmother had been a slave. She had a huge influence on me. She taught me character and value.” He learned to see the beauty and character in the human face.

Even at 16, he knew that he would love to be a photographer, but didn’t think it possible at that time. But he loved adventure, loved the story behind things. He and some friends traveled extensively in an old hippie van, and he bicycled across the US at one time, always meeting people, finding out about their lives. He got out of his comfort zone, moved around.

There are three things required to ‘make it’, according to Chris. The first is vision, you have to have a vision of what could be. Second is passion, the love of the thing, the fire to engage. And the third, which might be the most difficult, is courage. You have to do the hard thing, get on the plane, get out of the familiar, move.

He was a third grade teacher when Peter Haley from the Daily Tidings asked him if he wanted to be an assistant photographer for the paper. This really was a turning point. Peter believed in his ability. He had the opportunity to photograph many interesting stories.

Christopher knows that everything is constantly changing, and he loves knowing that he is preserving a precious moment in time, one that will never come again. He loves the landscape of the human face, every line telling a story. He loves the stories on the faces.

He recently was in Cambodia, and photographing refugees from Burma in the city dump. He was thrilled to have a little photo printer with him, that he could print out a photo on the spot and hand it to these humble people, who likely had never had a photo of themselves.

From there he will be traveling to Santa Barbara to photograph Catherine Zeta Jones, and Kirk Douglas. He sees a common thread from Catherine tickling and loving her little child, to the woman in the dump tickling and nuzzling her child.

“We all want the same thing”, he says, “to love and see our children happy.” He recently photographed a very exclusive, expensive wedding in Mississippi, then went out and found the oldest musician that he could find, playing at “The Shed,” and photographed him. He sees beauty in faces from all walks of life, all ages.

He knows that people are paying a lot of money to preserve a once in a lifetime event, and he can’t screw it up. In spite of their chaos and exhaustion, he has to create the perfect image, the dream that they are looking to materialize. He finds the essence of the beauty in each subject, and the story on their faces.

Sometimes people call him to say that their loved one has died, and that he took the last picture of them. He feels the privilege and poignancy of this role.

“Was there a particular moment you can recall when something changed you, an experience that left you different” ? I asked.

“Shooting those faces in the dump, yes, and shooting the baby who would soon die, those were moments like that,” he mused.

We walked into the outer studio, and I sat down with Chris to browse through his latest photobook of the faces of Cambodia. He lovingly spoke of the people whose faces appeared on the pages.

I left his studio feeling deeply changed by his vision of beauty, his devotion to revealing the story in the human face. I’m inspired to want a photo shoot with him! I feel a lot of resonance to how I do my own work, fascinated by the stories that people have to tell and the beauty of their lives.

Anne Stine, MA, MFT – Wilderness Rites, LLC

Anne Stine, MA, MFT, is the founder of Wilderness Rites, LLC www.wildernessrites.com, licensed marriage and family counselor in Ca. an ecopsychologist and rites of passage guide. Anne’s programs and services over the past 30 years include an ecotherapy and depth counseling practice; wilderness rites of passage and earth-based healing practices; seminars and trainings in wilderness guiding; mentoring, teaching, and guiding in earth rites and counseling that includes our relationship with the natural environment. She has lived in the Rogue Valley for 8 years. We decided to ask her to share more about the work with which she is involved.

Anne, Thanks for taking the time to do this interview with me today. As a mental health professional you have taken a different approach to helping people. An approach which involves creating a direct and intimate connection with the natural world. Can you share a little bit about why you choose to work with mental health in nature rather than indoors and give us a little background on the state of mental health work?

In the late 1980s I took part in my first vision fast/quest in a remote part of Death Valley. I had been a practicing psychotherapist for some years at that point, and was feeling that something was missing in my work. The impact in my life of that ancient earth-based practice was life changing for me on all levels. When I returned to my familiar life, I could no longer live and work as I had before. What was clear to me was that human health and wholeness was absolutely interconnected with the larger earth community. That our sense of wholeness, purpose, and fulfillment was interdependent with our relationship with other life forms, not just human. My life and work turned in that direction from then on. I began to incorporate earth-based practices and rites of passage into my work as a therapist. Ecopsychology, the field of psychology that recognizes the importance of the human-earth relationship was just beginning back then, and I found myself involved in the excitement of exploring this field in new, old and innovative ways, in groups, with individuals, in town and out on the land and in wilderness settings. The context of healing and wholeness within the larger earth community was born. My clients were very inspired by this new dimension to our work, and my trips, seminars, teachings and mentoring programs were well received. I even had the opportunity to teach courses in applied wilderness ecopsychology in several graduate programs in psychology.

What are rites of passage and what role have they played in traditional society and culture?

Earth-based rites of passage are traditional ceremonies of passage from one life station or situation to another, i.e. enactments of signficant life changes. They have been recorded as far back as 50,000 yrs. ago in aboriginal cultures which hold the deepest collective memory of our race. Our earth-based ancestors in all cultures knew that to clearly define life transitions in meaningful ways was essential to the health and balance of individual and cultural/tribal life with the natural world. Without acknowledging growth and change, life would literally not continue. It was also during these rites that individuals were celebrated and empowered with their deep life purpose, their particular gifts and skills, and returned to embody and live out their place with their people. Today we have lost contact with these rites and many people are suffering from incomplete transitions, losing their ways of moving through life changes, as well as their interconnectedness with the natural world.

Although these rites are often referred these days as ‘vision quests’ I prefer to use the cross-cultural term ‘rite of passage’, as the term places this ancient rite in its proper context, which is something that belongs to all cultures throughout time. Earth-based life was lived in interdependence with the land upon which the people lived, and this does not belong to any one tradition in particular. The ceremonies and rites that I offer are pan-cultural in this sense, and anyone from any tradition, belief, culture, background, etc . can participate and find a meaningful place for him/herself within that. It belongs to all of us and comes from our ancestors.

What changes does one often experience after passing through a rite of passage?

People are ‘called’ to participate in a wilderness rite of passage. This ‘call’ takes an individual out of her/his ordinary life into the sacred. There is always some kind of change or transition occurring, such as a relationship, illness, work, stage of life (ie young adulthood, eldering, retirement, etc.), or perhaps the leaving behind of a certain way of life or belief system. In the past 22 years I have seen many many individuals go through this passage, which involves the shedding of something that is over in their life, a facing of the change or transition, and reemerging into the new life, literally a kind of renewal or rebirth. Specific practices such as solitude, exposure to the natural world and fasting (which is optional) help to enact an intentional transformational experience, where in one leaves behind the old life and reassembles the elements of that life into something new and meaningful. The changes are profound, celebratory, empowering and lasting. The individual has lived them in their body, on the land, it becomes part of who they are.

The final stage of this rite is to bring it home to one’s life, family, community and work. Black Elk said ‘a man or women who has a vision is not able to use the power of it until after s/he has performed the vision on earth for the people to see. (Black Elk Speaks) ‘Vision’ in this context refers to one’s true experience, not bright lights and images. What has the individual truly lived, what is the gift that s/he brings home, how will they live it so it is of benefit to all parts of their life. Without this enactment in a meaningful way back in their lives and communities, it has no lasting value. We go out on the earth to perform these ancient rites in order to return to our people and give our gifts, so that the human-nature relationship can be constantly restored to balance and that the communities can be nurtured and guided by the deep life purpose and gifts of each individual. This is without a doubt the most challenging part of the whole experience. Everything that has gone before is mere preparation for incorporating the experience into daily life. I often offer ongoing support and guidance for those that would like it.

When I created LocalsGuide I did so with the intent of wanting to give individuals an opportunity of sharing their voice and story with the community. I would love for you to talk about the importance of Story… what it is and the role it plays.

Approximately 97% of all human knowledge and wisdom has been transmitted through oral tradition of some kind, ie verbal, musical, movement, etc. Books and other modern technology as a means of communicating is relatively very new in our history. The sharing of one’s genuine story is essential to the fulfillment of traditional rites of passage. Storytelling is a communal action. We don’t know our story until we tell it and are able to draw our own understanding of what has happened. It’s a reflective process and it needs to be received without judgement and within an environment of deep compassionate listening. Individuals returning from their passage out on the earth tell their story to the ‘council of elders’, that is the ones who have also been through the experience. The ‘telling’ of the story and witnessed open-heartedly by others is considered essential for it to be lived out in one’s life.
Indigeneous wisdom teaches that we are each born with a true or ‘deep’ story ‘written’ within us, Our purpose here is the embodiment of that true story. I have so often seen in my work that people have lost their story, that they have obeyed and been the recipients of stories that don’t belong to them (ie through media, home and school life, and other contexts that insist that we be or are this or that, oftentimes under the threat of serious harm to our life). If we don’t know our own story, it will be written for us in acts of betrayal. The healing journey and rites of passage are dedicated to retrieval of that authentic story of ‘who am I’, ‘what is my purpose’, ‘who are my people’ and ‘what is my place’? Our failure to submit to our true life story is a kind of annihilation and people everywhere are suffering from this and longing to find their way home. To go out on to the earth, with deep intention, skillful preparation (on the part of the guides and the individuals), to engage in the ancient ceremony to mark change, to enter into deep communion with the earth life and return home to embody this experience, is a very powerful and reliable way of retrieving the true self story. Our relationship with the earth ourself provides the wisdom and guidance. If conditions are right for us, just like with plants and other life forms, we will flourish. Experiencing our relationship with a larger life force is vital for us. From a mental (emotional and spiritual) health point of view this relationship is essential.

You are also planning an event this coming summer for members of this community. Can you share a little bit more about this?

I am offering two wilderness rites of passage journeys this summer. One in July (July 15-25)is for women who are called to empower themselves at some stage of our eldering years. http://www.wildernessrites.com/elderpassage.html This ‘elder passage wilderness quest’ will be the 8th year that this is offered and women come from all over the world to participate in this experience which takes place in the high mountains of California.

In addition I am offering a wilderness quest from August 28-Sept. 5 for women and men from southern Oregon only http://www.wildernessrites.com/monobasin.html. When I lived in the Bay Area we created a tremendous community that supported this ancient rite, as our ancestors used to. I would like to do that here as well. We will gather both before and after the wilderness phase of this trip and inspire and support the departure as well as receive people back when they return to the Rogue Valley. Community events and ceremonies will be available in ways that are meaningful to each participant. I also have a counseling and mentoring practice which I have had now for over 30 years. My interest in the human-nature relationship is part of this practice when it seems appropriate. I offer a broad scale of fees to make it available to anyone who is interested in either counseling/mentoring or the rites of passage programs.

Can you discuss a central thread to your life,something which has continually played a role in your life and how it connects to the work you do today?
A central thread in my life is relationship, within and between all beings and life forms. The ancient practice of council or circle is tremendously empowering in this, as it leaves nothing out and embraces all life to take a place on the ‘rim of the wheel’. I also feel strongly about deep listening. The Quakers have a saying that ‘to listen another person into self disclosure is the greatest gift one can give another’. We listen each other into who we are. In the presence of genuine listening and acceptance, we are often startled into what we discover about who we are and why we are here. It also connects us deeply with each other as humans and with the larger earth community. When we see a beautiful forest, we are also being seen by that forest. The unity within the diversity of life is really one ongoing relationship, one complete and reciprocal act.

Monique Manning: Celebrated Bellydancer, Yoga Instructor, and Mother

Monique Manning is a woman who embodies Beauty and has transformed her body and spirit through yoga, dance, and most recently, birth. Unlocking ancient wisdom and flow of the feminine, Monique is overjoyed by the possibility of empowering women at all stages of life with her uniquely created Ashland class, Yoga & Bellydance Fusion. I sat down with her recently to talk about her process and why she can help other women feel amazing in their body, mind and spirit.

Ella: Monique, you are one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen and I was shocked to see you weeks after birthing your daughter and finding you to be just as sculpted and toned as ever! I have trouble enough keeping a tight tummy, how did you manage to sustain one right after having a baby?

Monique: Thank you for your sweet words! It’s funny you ask that because I think I get that question more than anything else. I was just as surprised by how my body responded to pregnancy. I was bellydancing all throughout the 9 1/2 months which enabled me to maintain muscle tone and strength while my belly grew. As a result of my practice, after I had my daughter my belly went back to normal almost instantly. And as I continue to dance and practice yoga, I feel a profound deepening of my connection to my body and my role as Mother. It makes me realize how crucial it is to really harness the power that lies in the innate wisdom of the body, during the years of Motherhood and beyond.

Monique Well, I think we are all dancing from the time we are in the womb, but as far as technical instruction goes, I began in a Duncan-esque ballet class when I was 3. Dance in its various forms has pretty much always been a huge part of my life, it’s such a part of my path and my being I sometimes have a hard time defining it. I started out intensively studying and performing mostly ballet, jazz, lyrical, and tap in my childhood, and then branched out into modern and world dances in college. I have a degree in Theatre and Dance from LMU in Los Angeles, and I’m also a certified hatha yoga instructor via Yoga Works in Santa Monica, CA. As of the past 5 or so years I have been focusing on honing my own style of dance, which is always changing and expanding, but would fall into the general category of Tribal Fusion Bellydance.

Ella: So, Los Angeles to Ashland, that’s quite a change. What brought you to Ashland?

Monique It seems many Ashlandians have an interesting story as to how and why they were drawn here. For us, a somewhat spontaneous and convoluted turn of events brought my husband and I here about a year and a half ago. The first year we were living in the mountains outside of town where we were homesteading and birthing our daughter. I had a natural homebirth with a few of our amazing local midwives, and was so grateful to have had that time to bring our daughter into the world in such a quiet and peaceful setting. I was also simultaneously confronted with a significant health scare, so needless to say it was a very powerful, challenging, and transformational time. We are now living in town and are enjoying getting to know the wonderful community here.

Monique Being a mother has changed me on every possible level, and so of course my dance- which is a direct reflection of my self- has evolved. I had some difficult moments after childbirth (as many women do) coming to terms with my own process of rebirth- the death of the Maiden that I was, and the birth of the Mother. I actually went through a pretty dark time of questioning and doubt, trying to find myself again… getting to know this new person, and the new body in my skin. Bellydance was the one thing I had through that time that was wholly mine. It was what kept me grounded and feeling powerful and capable. I used it, and still am for that matter, as a tool to discover myself, both physically and spiritually. I think mothers can sometimes have a hard time connecting with the other parts of themselves outside of their role as mother. It’s an amazing, beautiful role, but it’s just one part of us and without working to integrate it with the rest of ourselves, aspects of our spirit can be forgotten. All it takes sometimes is having a couple hours a week to be fully present and attentive to yourself, to explore your sensual side, your playfulness, your warrior goddess, your sisterhood. And on top of all of that, bellydance is what got my body into better shape than it was before my pregnancy!

Ella: How are you able to balance time for yourself and being a mother to your little one?

Monique: It can definitely feel hard sometimes to balance it all. Dance has always been what I live for and who I am. But now, I live for my family as well. When I first had my daughter, it was really challenging to honor that I needed time for me and to express myself as a dancer. I’d say that most of the professional dancers in the arena of Tribal Fusion Bellydance do not have children and have dedicated themselves entirely to their career. Seeing that, I can sometimes feel at a disadvantage for having other parts of my life that require my time and energy. But what I’m realizing is that what I saw as a disadvantage is actually a strength and a blessing. I am a mother AND an artist. It’s an amazing aspect of myself not to be ignored but to be utilized and integrated into my dance. Authenticity and integration, those seem to be my words as of late. And hey, of all the things to integrate Motherhood with, I think bellydance is almost laughably applicable… It does in fact have its origins in birthing ritual and the celebration of the sacred feminine…

Monique I am currently teaching one class a week, and through the summer am offering the first class free for new students as a chance to try something new. It’s a Yoga and Bellydance fusion class at the Dancing People Company’s 310 Studio, located at 310 Oak Street right next to the new café, CultureWorks. Mondays from 6:00-7:30 pm- open to all levels including pregnant women, new moms, and even men. I am also available as a solo performer for various types of community events and shows.

Ella: If you could tell me three benefits of coming to your class, what would they be?

Monique: One, you’ll experience a release of stress, tension and anxiety and you’ll get shimmy it all out. Two, you’ll connect with other mothers and amazing women (and men) in the community. Three, you’ll love your body and how it feels. And actually, there’s one more thing I’d like to share, by creating time for just for yourself you’re able to show up more powerfully for your loved ones and in the rest of your life. I think this class can be a really special experience to give yourself, it’s my time for me and your time for you away from the hustle and bustle of our busy lives.

Ella: Can’t wait to take your class, thank you for creating the space for women to deeply connect to themselves in what sounds like a really fun time.

Monique: Can’t wait to have you! More information is on my website, www.gaiamanning.com

Isabelle Alzado Interview

When I first met Isabelle through her work at The Language Spot, I had no idea she was one of those rare multi-talented individuals, a modern day rendition of the “Renaissance man”. I soon learned that in addition to being a French teacher she is also an accomplished artist and actress. I last saw her work at the Ashland Art Center and was struck by the wonderful colors and whimsical nature of her paintings.

Isabelle: After visiting Montreal, Canada, I went to New York City where I met my husband to-be Peter Alzado. We lived for five years in the Big Apple and decided, after some detours, to come to Ashland to raise our children in a safe, beautiful environment. Ashland was also a town to explore the theater and artistic possibilities. We built a house in the mountains and it was perfect for the family – We stayed because Ashland offered good schools, theater opportunities and was beginning to develop into this rich Mecca that it is now.

Isabelle: I was born in Paris and lived near Montmartre, the charming district of the painters – Maybe this rich, fun exposure to these painters tickled my already born interest in art. During that time, I got involved in many groups – (Martial Arts/ humanitarian projects/ Red Cross etc) And after receiving my baccalaureat, I studied and performed at the Theater de Paris under the direction of Bob Piatte – who had been a student of René Simon au Conservatoire de Paris – At times, I combined theater and drawing, becoming responsible for costume design. Later, we formed a company ( CREERA“ Centre de Recherche et de Realisation Artistiques) taking residence at Le Chateau de La Forêt à Chaon, in the Loire region where all the beautiful castles transpire French beauty and history. There I lived and completed my training as an actress and artist working with this company of 15 actors dedicated to bringing the French Classical theater and Science to the rural areas of France by touring, performing and displaying graphic exhibits of science related subjects-

So I was involved in both projects: was on a stage under the stars at night and exhibited during the day the panels that I had made with the help of scientists. During the winter months, I usually stayed at the castle, busy learning “l’Art Culinaire”, continuing my training as an artist in the company of the old masters, reading the required 2000 French theater books in the castle library and spending hours in the attic restoring old French frames and lithographs with self taught medicine…You know, those potions that explode when no one is looking!… I would also take long walks in the forest by the lake.
These nearly ten years at the castle were enveloped with a sense of magic between nature, visual arts, music and the theater. It was a harmonious, rich experience forever imprinted in my spirit.

Isabelle: I miss the city’s gifts, beautiful Paris, the late night cafés, people, the architecture, the streets, the roofs, the walks at random, the rendez-vous with friends filled with the ever flowing of the language out of my lips! My daughter, Jazmine, went to Paris this early summer and asked with her lovely humor : ” Mam, tell me again why did you leave..?
I miss my Frenchness – my French identity – my French reactions – the other “me” mon autre moi.” Not the same Isabelle here and there. I miss being there!!

I also miss the South of France and the countryside so much too – As a child, I used to spend the summer in the country side, becoming a farmer helping with the hay stacks or the milk cows! With my favorite stick and two dogs, I was asked to walk the cows to the field, hours away, following dried, dirt roads, and watching all afternoon frogs by the creek’s destination, or lifting some lost moss on rocks or greeting flies and bees buzzing around. I would count how many times the cow’stail swiped at that fly and I would learn repetitive patience. But my real job was to make sure that I would count the same number of cows before my return to the farm … Left alone for hours, childhood took care of me and invited me to discover from the first minutes, mysterious bugs to the huge under belly of a milk cow! I miss the scents, the little paths, the field – these paths, this grass, this musky smell – and the back against a tree- not my back now but my back then, bent with curiosity, or straight up with delight at the sun’s orders. It could have been anywhere, yes, but it was in France…

Isabelle: I was, at the time, teaching a French improvisation class at Oregon Stage Works for Inter/Advanced students in French – and I often had a big box of hats! .. Each student would pick up a hat and would become a new French character – They would group by 2 or 3 and make up a story. It is extraordinary to witness the range of imaginative dialogues that emerge from a new shape on someone’s head! How a hat invites for a new persona with a new speech and a new story to tell – At once, the French actor took on an entire new identity – It was wonderful, creative and funny! So I brought “my box of identities” to The Spot Language knowing that the students would have fun – And I think they did…! :)

You often bring theater into your TLS French classes in the form of role-playing. But you also teach another class that goes even more in-depth into acting. I think it’s called French Improvisation. Can you talk about that class?

Isabelle: Yes – For this class, I basically combine my theater training with the French language. Through theater games and improvisations, the students warm up to confidence and are able to imagine, create some dialogues based on given guidelines. It was very successful and it increases levels of fluency – I will teach this class again through RCC Higher Education program this coming fall.

With all the things you do, how do you find time to make art? Do you have a schedule that you abide by, or do you just decide on a day-to-day basis?

Isabelle: I work as time and inspiration allow. My art is entirely imagined, centered on emotional themes- to say it better; even my imaginary landscapes come from an emotional state of Being. I usually work fast – It is as though an emotional impulse drives me to my colors – my eyes and spirit in some intuitive experience. My silences begin to move and want to be born in lines, colors – chaos or order – all is invited – A certainty, a sureness lead me. It is the dance, the ambiguity between what I do not know and what I know. A quiet tickle with a gigantic creative hand. Except it is my hand – my fingers – I often leave the brushes in their ceramic vase my son gave me as a gift. They watch – alert – ready to pounce at my first signal.

Isabelle: After returning to the stage performing the role of an Israeli woman at Oregon Stage Works, under the extraordinary direction of Peter Alzado, the desire to act more on stage excited me again- Like an old friend, that desire revisited me – and so, I would like to perform more and I hope to have the time to work on audition pieces – And I also continue to paint and I am currently exhibiting in a new space in Ashland (258 A street suite 11 above the Metaphysical library.) Come and visit on first Friday! My other work is in Medford at Yesterday Blossoms- I am usually there on 3rd Friday.
Regarding some projects, I have some lingering ideas: Some artwork about my African background, or my emotional memories of Paris, or some watercolors about tango dancers ( I just did one )… I also would like to create a compilation of my poetry with artwork – A project that has been haunting me for years… And I am also listening to those paintings and projects that are still hidden in me.. :)

I also would like to develop a new collage class dealing with themes of transition – Let me know if you are interested ? I also enjoy translating and there may some opportunities in the near future.

Voilà ; my little crumbs spread out in the streets of Ashland and the mountain where Peter and I are presently moving back. Ciel, our wonderful son is joining us for the summer, resourcing his spirit, studying and working. We are so happy to have him with us and we delight in his brilliant mind and sense of humor. :)

Isabelle Alzado is a certified Waldorf educator, studied Art Therapy in New York City and Eugene Oregon and graduated Phi Kappa Phi with a B.A. in Art from SOU. She is member of the Art Center in Ashland and is currently showing her work in Medford at “Yesterday Blossoms”- and in Ashland, 258 A street suite 11 upstairs. On stage, her most credited show in the USA has been Shakespeare Henry’s the V opposite Christopher Plummer at the Shakespeare Festival -Stratford Connecticut. She has been teaching art for many years in the Rogue Valley, and enjoys very much working for The Language Spot, an emerging language school – much needed and welcomed in Ashland – She also has her faithful, fun, wonderful group of dedicated French students with whom she meets privately –

Implant Dentistry with Dr. Ed Warr

Dr. Ed Warr just completed his advanced certification in dental implant procedures, becoming Ashland’s very own dental implantologist. Dr. Warr moved to the Rogue Valley (2 years) ago, bringing his experience in dentistry to local residents. We caught up with Dr. Warr to ask him about dental implants and learn more about his work in dentistry.

Dr. Warr, thanks for being available to do an interview with us today. To begin with can simply share with our readers what an implant actually is?
An implant is a man-made tooth root. Implants are made of titanium and have a specialized coating that enables bone to grow on and attach to the implant. Dental implants can be used to replace single and multiple missing teeth or hold dentures firmly in place for better function.

Does an implant require the use of other teeth for fitting?
When replacing a single tooth, an implant is the method of choice. Traditionally, bridges have been used. However, a bridge requires the crowning of additional teeth that often times do not need crowns, resulting, for example, in a three tooth solution to a one tooth problem. An implant does not require the involvement of other teeth and is therefore a one tooth solution to a one tooth problem. If there are multiple teeth missing, implants are still the best method of tooth replacement. They help maintain bone health in the jaws, they do not get cavities and the have superior function in comparison with other tooth replacement options.

What about just going toothless after the the loss of a tooth? Pros and Cons?
Many people feel like they should just go without teeth. There are many issues with this. One is that if you are missing one tooth, the remaining teeth are forced to do a greater share of the work. This results in other teeth breaking apart more quickly (because they are being forced to do more) and starts a domino effect toward losing multiple teeth. Another issue is that when teeth are missing, the surrounding teeth shift around resulting in a change in bite dynamics which has a negative effect on the jaw joint and is also associated with increased wear and tear on teeth. A third issue is that when a tooth is lost, the bone that supported it atrophies and disappears, just like a muscle will atrophy from lack of exercise. Bone loss will result in many problems, including but not limited to a change in facial appearance, increased tooth sensitivity (due to recession of surrounding gum tissue) and loss of additional teeth because of compromised supporting bone. So going without teeth will save money in the short term, but in the long term there are a host of problems that arise out of missing teeth.

Is it affordable?
Absolutely! Implant dentistry has long been thought of as very expensive and this is true, it has been. And while we are not giving it away, we believe that the best treatment option should be affordable. To that end, we have worked hard to make our implant dentistry as inexpensive as it can possibly be while still allowing us to provide a high quality, long-lasting solution to those who miss their teeth. We have a variety of payment options and offer significant discounts for those who qualify. Please call our office to find out more!

What is involved in getting an implant?
For a simple dental implant, we schedule a placement appointment (60-90 min), a couple of follow up healing check appointments (10 min) and a stability test appointment 3 months after the placement. I am surprised at how comfortable the surgery has been for patients. Many say that it was easier on them than having a filling. Recently, while doing an evening care call to a patient who had had a tooth pulled and two implants placed, the patient reported he was feeling just fine, “a little soreness, but otherwise great.”

List your top 3 dental tips for trying to save your own natural teeth?
Prevention, Prevention and Prevention. Great dental health begins with regular dental checkups, great homecare and proper management of factors that influence the dental climate (i.e., diet, dry mouth, gastric reflux, medications, etc.). Regular checkups will help identify small problems before they become big ones. We all know we should brush at least twice daily and floss at least once daily. If you are and it seems ineffective, visit your dental office and get coaching in how to do it more effectively. And if you have factors that negatively affect your mouth, employ strategies to balance those factors. For example, if you like chocolate chip cookies, enjoy them and promptly clean your teeth afterwards by swishing with some water, chewing some xylitol containing gum or brushing your teeth. If you take medication that drys out your mouth, use strategies/products designed to keep your mouth wet. The list goes on, but you get the idea.

How old were you when you first became interested in becoming a dentist?
While I was in college I knew I wanted to work in the healthcare field. Two of my uncles were dentists and, after spending time with them, I decided that dentistry would be a great fit. I enjoy the technical, hands on aspect as well as the fact that I am able to make a significant impact on the health and lives of my patients.

What message would you send to young people out in the community who might be interested in becoming a dentist?
If you are truly interested, give me a call and come spend an afternoon at the office. Getting involved is the best way to find out if you like something. And, if you enjoy it, start planning on how you will will achieve that goal. Those who write their goals down are much more likely to achieve them.

Two years ago you became partners with Dr. Marut at Today’s Dentistry. How do you see your two strengths coming together to offer great service to the local community?
Dr. Dan Marut has been the best business partner I could hope for. Our combined clinical skills offer a comprehensive resource for patients. An example is of a recent patient who suffers from extensive periodontal disease (bone loss resulting in loose teeth) and is missing multiple teeth. We were able to offer this patient options ranging from implant supported dentures replacing his natural teeth to saving his natural teeth by using Periolase therapy to heal the gums and bone around the remaining teeth. Periolase is the best therapy available for treating periodontal disease. And if the teeth are hopeless or already missing, we can use implant dentistry to replace them and restore beauty and function to our patient’s mouths.

Every year Today’s Dentistry teams up with LocalsGuide and Ice Cream Man to put on Ashland’s Free Ice Cream Social. Can we expect to see you there this year?
Absolutely! Ice Cream on a hot summer day is unbeatable.
Any last comments for our readers?

If you are missing teeth or have wondered about how implant dentistry will improve your quality of life, please contact your dentist and find out how dental implants can help you.

Life at Bookwagon

Kirsten Bakke and Carl Hilton opened Bookwagon New and Used Books in the Ashland Shopping Center in August 2000. They specialize in used books of all categories, and have a large selection of childrens and young adult titles. They also sell the latest new bestsellers for 20% off retail, and they special order new books at a discount. In addition to ordering out of print books, they also give trade credit for used books in excellent condition.

Kirsten: I started reading Little LuLu Comics at age 8, and then graduated to The Nancy Drew mystery series.

Carl: I got interested in Spiderman Comics in Middle School and then read The Complete Sherlock Holmes from cover to cover, and after that I was hooked on reading.

Kirsten: Top 5 – Emptiness Dancing by Adyashanti, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Hitchhiker Trilogy by Douglas Adams,. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Carl: Top 5 – Lonesome Dove by Larry Mcmurtry, The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, The World According to Garp by John Irving

Tell us a little bit about the inspiration behind Bookwagon?

Kristen: Carl owned a bookstore in Lansing, Michigan in the late 80’s. We decided to get back into the book business in the late 90’s when the Internet was becoming a strong platform for book sales. Bookwagon was conceived as a store that offered the prices and selection that would compete with Internet sellers and offer the community a local bookstore experience.

Describe a few of the different types of customers you have coming into the store? (ex mystery readers, romance etc.)

Carl: We serve a wide variety of customers from all over the valley. Some people read only one or two categories or genres; mystery, romance, horror, sci-fi, literary fiction, history, spiritual, etc. Other people come in looking for one specific title, recommended by a friend or book club, and then there is the classic browser, who comes in with nothing particular in mind and wanders the store from section to section picking whatever strikes their fancy.

Do you see that reading trends are being driven by reviews and media or is it something else?

Kristen: The biggest trend for driving book sales is when a book is made into a movie. Of course it never hurts to be on Oprah ,but the next biggest factor is word of mouth. We know a really good book that will become a bestseller, when someone buys a copy, reads it, and then comes back for 2 or 3 more to give away. There is no marketing campaign that can compete with good word of mouth and buzz.

You obviously get asked alot of questions in your line of work. Do you try to help customers by offering your opinion or by trying to figure out what they are really looking for?

Carl: Most people will tell us what type of books they like to read, and then ask for a recommendation along the lines that will fit their taste. I will recommend books outside of their comfort zone if it is of excellent quality. Great writing trumps genre when it comes to recommendations.

Books, like people, can travel. Share a little bit about any obscure or interesting books which have traveled into your hands.

Carl: Kirsten recently received a book which had originated in Pennsylvania, then traveled to Australia, before ending up in Ashland. There is actually a website where you can register a book and then track it around the country called bookcrossing.com

Do you have your own collection of books outside of Bookwagon, if so can you tell us a little bit about it?

Kristen: We have an extensive collection of nonfiction and classics. We bring home approximately 100 books per month to read or browse and return to the store. It is one of the perks of owning a bookstore.

Customer loyalty and Amazon.com – Share a little bit about the experience of buying a book in person vs on line?

Carl: Many of our customers go out of their way to shop with us and other local merchants. Ashlanders are very cognizant of the fact that there is a need to support the community by shopping locally. Also, they can get their books faster without paying any additional shipping and handling fees. A small percentage of our customers want the best price, and if we can’t compete with an on-line price, we send them to the Amazon search box through our web site at www.bookwagon.com. Any purchases they make, including e-reader books, that go through the Bookwagon/Amazon portal, support the local economy. We also have customers who read a book on their e-readers, and then come in and order a hard copy, because they want it on the shelf.

Are there any events or book signings coming up at your store?

Kristen: We host The Ashland Mystery Readers Group book signings and events between March and September every year. Friday, September 10th at 6PM, Adam Woog, Crime Fiction Reviewer and Columnist of the Seattle Times will be at Bookwagon. Join us for an interesting and informative evening.

Zorba's Chocolates - Raw - Dark - Divine

Zorba’s Chocolates are Raw, Dark and Divine(ly) created in Ashland, Oregon. Zorba’s makes hand-crafted Raw Dark Chocolate Superfood Truffles, Bars, and medjool date/ sea salt “Karamels”. Zorba’s has a commitment to living consciously while supporting the local community with the most nutritious and delicious chocolate that they can make! We caught up Todd Bjornson and his wife Rebecca to learn more about their life as chocolatiers and as the founders of Zorba’s

Todd, thanks for doing this interview with us. To begin with can you tell us who Zorba is and how did you come to get on the path of creating a chocolate company?

Todd: Well to start… Zorba is a name that has great meaning to us…”Zorba the Buddha” is a Dionysian character that both fully embodies the wisdom of the sage, and is fully present in the dance of life. Which is in perfect alignment with our commitment to Injoy life to the fullest while living simply and consciously. The making of raw chocolate arose naturally as my passion for healthy nutritious foods, and the desire to simplify took a greater hold in my life. Being first introduced to Raw Chocolate while living in Sedona, Arizona I quickly started to make raw chocolate at home for our own personal consumption. As the experimenting and passion grew for this new found love of chocolate I found myself giving it as gifts to friends, family and clients. Rebecca and I moved back to Ashland in spring of 2008. The chocolatier was born with the introduction to Enchanted Florist and their move to Main street…this was in 2009. Awaiting me in their new location were empty bell jars that were calling for Zorba’s Chocolates, an empty canvass that I would experiment with for most of the year. I am Very Grateful to Brandon and Leslie (owners of Enchanted Florist) for all their support and patience as this chocolatier experimented with many different shapes sizes and flavors. Today I am grateful to have Zorba’s Chocolates locally stocked in a handful of local stores, shops and restaurants.

Can you share with us a little about the primary difference between raw chocolate and grocery store chocolate?
Todd: Raw Chocolate is made from raw – unroasted cacao beans. With all preparations from fermentation to finished chocolate kept under 118 degrees. Cooking and Roasting of the cacao/chocolate at temperatures over 118 degrees breaks down the natural structure of the cacao bean, destroying vital enzymes, antioxidants and nutrients. Most of the chocolate we are exposed to has been roasted at temperatures up to 300 degrees, and then conched for up to 3 days at 140-165 degrees (conching is mostly used to break down sugar molecules) this is what you call “grocery store” chocolate.

Can raw chocolate be healthy?
Todd: OHH-YES!!! Naturaly this is one of the best part! An FDA test (the test included over 250,00 foods) concluded that Raw Chocolate contains more antioxidants/gram (955/ gram) than any other fruit or vegetable on earth! This is 367% (to 1000%+) more antioxidants than even the very best cooked dark chocolate. Antioxidants decrease free radicals in our systems that can damage cells and cause dis-ease. Also Raw Chocolate contains high quantities of the amino acid Tryptophan which is proven to promote restful sleep and relaxation. Phenylethylamine (PEA) which is said to promote the “Love” feeling, Anandamide (a neurotransmitter) which stimulates the centers in the brain relateing to mood ~ therefore promoting the feeling of “BLISS” and has natural pain relieving properties too! Raw Chocolate therefore, truly is “Medicine for the Body and Soul”. Our Raw Chocolate is made with the finest local and organic ingredients, therapeutic herbs and essential oils. They are dairy-free and *Beegan friendly too! *(using local raw honey as a main sweetener)

Can you give us a brief history of chocolate?
Todd: Chocolates roots run deep into the ground of the rainforest, and with the ancient civilizations that have and still do inhabit these areas. The Mayan’s and many other native cultures have a long history with chocolate. Enjoying its medicinal qualities, using it in a variety of ceremonies and even using it as currency. Thus the term Mayan Gold.

Talk a little bit about your creative process in creating treats?
Todd: I would love to say that the chocolate talks to me…however I believe it to be more my taste buds that are doing the talking. I have a passion for all types of cooking and “un”cooking and the flavors have always (almost always) just come together for me. I receive inspiration from my wife and others for the flavors then I just going into the kitchen and let the creations come through.

What is your favorite concoction to date?
Todd: I love the “karamels”, these “karamels” of course are raw and made with whole ground organic medjool dates to get a creamy sweet filling instead of the traditional butter, sugar and cornsyrup. Then they are dipped into raw dark chocolate and topped with sea salt…mmm!

Any best sellers or local favorites?
Todd: The Cayenne/ Coconut truffle was one of the firsts, and has a great local following, with the Rose “karamel” being very popular too! There is however one that I make during the summer months that beats them all…and that is the “Lime in the Coconut” a Raw White Chocolate that I create with fresh lime, ground coconut and raw blue agave. It is quite delicious I must say and very refreshing on a hot day!

Where can people find Zorba’s?
Todd: At Enchanted Florists of course. Also… Ashland Food Co-Op, Culture-works raw/ vegetarian restaurant and night club, Market of Choice and Chozu’ Bath and Tea Gardens. Thank You Ashand for supporting Zorba’s at these local stores!!! We also have our website www.zorbasrawchocolates.com up and running for internet orders, and information on weddings and special events available here too.

Will you be at the chocolate festival this year?
Todd: Ah-Huh! The chocolate festival was soooo much fun last year that I am looking forward to Injoying the festivities this year for sure!

Any last words of wisdom or comments to share with our readers?
Todd: Chocolate is a wonderfully tasting superfood full of nutrients and health benefits. I would just love to share that chocolate is not just for breakfast any more! So Injoy these Raw Dark Chocolate Superfood Truffles, Medjool Date /Sea salt “Karamels” and Raw Dark Chocolate Bars anytime as a Snack or a Meal.

A Good Day For Bowling At Roxy Ann Lanes

Google Review:
Cannot find anything bad to say about these bowling lanes. Family owned. Staff is the best. Friendly, Reasonable, clean and a good place to take the family. No room for trouble here. Just wholesome fun. Good food and excellent prices. … by Paula

Thanks for doing this interview with us. My kids love bowling at Roxy Ann Lanes and when my son, Eliah, suggested that we do an interview with you guys I knew he was on to something great. Can you begin by telling us a little bit about the history of Roxy Ann Lanes and how you and your family became involved with owning and running a bowling center?

Roxy Ann Lanes opened in August of 1959 and has been at the same location for the last 51 years. We bought the Lanes in 2004 and are only the second owners. Lela had been employed in the bowling industry so we knew something about the business. We always believe that if we get very involved in the communities that we serve, that everything else will take care of itself.

Are most people who come bowling at Roxy Ann Lanes local or are some people traveling great distances?
Most of our bowlers come from Jackson County although we do have several who drive up to see us from Yreka, Mt. Shasta and the coast.

Are most of your bowlers individuals who have been bowling on a regular basis or newbies?
It is quite the cross section. However, we have probably seen more new bowlers in the last couple of years, which is a good thing.

Who is your oldest regular bowler and how long have they been bowling?
We have one lady in her nineties who has been bowling since the Lanes opened.

I’ve seen some interesting characters at the lanes. Can you describe a few interesting characteristics or habits that you guys a have run across?
No one comes to mind. Perhaps we are just used to them by now.

Most interesting bowling ritual you have either witnessed heard about?
Nothing in particular. We view bowling much the same as golf. Most people have a pre-shot routine. They rub down the ball, take deep breaths, rub a lucky rabbit’s foot, they might spin three times clockwise, anything to visualize the next shot. It is all about concentration.

How about any interesting bowling folklore?
Dutch Colonists brought bowling to America in the 17th century. The game consisted of nine pins set in a triangle. It was regularly played in an area of New York City still known as “Bowling Green”.

Who invented the ramps for the two-year-old bowler?
As the story goes, a gentleman by the name of Harold J. Steel invented the bowling ramp in 1963. He originally invented it to help people with disabilities enjoy the sport of bowling. Now, the ramps are used for people of all ages.

What if someone gets his or her finger or thumb stuck in a bowling ball… can this really happen?
Yes, occasionally. The remedy is to relax the hand and slowly extricate your thumb or finger.

Top three tips for scoring a strike?
Give yourself a chance by throwing the ball right down the middle of the lane. Don’t overthrow the ball. Let it roll right off your fingers.

How do you get in your Hall of Fame?
By accomplishing a perfect 300 game or attaining an aggregate score of 800 in three consecutive games.

What makes a good bowling team?
People who are supportive of their teammates and enjoy each other’s company. The idea is to have a good time.

Best tips for un-nerving your competitor?
We have bowlers who comment on what they are doing to adjust to lane conditions. That could disrupt your focus.

Hours of operation and location?
We are open Mondays 11AM-11PM,
Tuesday-Thursday 9AM-11PM, Friday 9AM-1AM, Saturdays 9AM-Midnight
and Sundays, 9AM-11PM. We are located just south of I-5’s Exit 27 at 2375 S. Pacific Hwy. 99, in Medford. Come see us.

Any last comments for our readers?
Yes, Thanks for the opportunity to share our thoughts. We strive to offer good food and affordable entertainment in a clean, comfortable family atmosphere. “You are always a Guest in our House”.

Roxy Ann Lanes
2375 South Pacific Highway
Medford, OR 97501-8757
(541) 772-7171

Ice Cream Social Photos & Videos

Big thanks to everyone who came out to participate in the 7th annual free ice cream social. In total we had about 300 people attend the event. All together I think about 1000 ice creams were consumed. I would like to add a special thanks to our photographers. Mark Arinsberg, Jay & Susie Newman. Also to Wayne who filmed the video below, Matt Allen (Ice Cream Man) Greg Wilcox with Eddy’s Almost Famous Ice Cream Wagon and to Dr. Dan Marut and his wife Samantha with Today’s Dentistry. Here is the video from the Ice Cream Social and a few photos for you to enjoy. See you next year!
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ROOTS2READING: Helping Young Readers Succeed

Roots 2 Reading is a new early literacy instructional service offered by Alison Date, a former elementary teacher and reading specialist. She provides instruction and support for young children, grades K-2, who are struggling readers or need reinforcement of strategies to become confident readers and writers.

AD: I am a certified literacy instructor with more than 20 years of Kindergarten and 1^st grade classroom experience. I specialize in literacy instruction for young learners (K-2^nd grade) who are having difficulty learning to read. I provide early literacy intervention so that children can experience success in reading.

AD: The first year that I taught 1st grade, fresh out of college, I had NO idea how children learned to read and yet for some children that did not seem to matter. Most of my students learned to read despite my less than perfect efforts. Each school year, I had 3-4 students in a class of 20, who struggled to learn to read and were often unsuccessful at taking on the behaviors that good readers use. It was these struggling readers that motivated me to look deeper into what I could do to help them become successful readers and writers. Today, I know a lot about teaching reading and supporting early learners in taking on those strategies that all readers need to use. My goal is to help children overcome reading difficulties, so that they can experience the joy of reading.

AD: Reading is important for knowledge: Well developed literacy skills are crucial to success in today’s society. Many children today are failing to achieve basic levels of reading. Early literacy skills are closely linked with later school achievement. Failure to read at grade level by 3^rd grade can lead to continued difficulty in school and learning is no longer enjoyable.

Reading is important for enjoyment: A familiar book is like a good friend. One of my favorite summer past-times was walking to the library and coming home with books to read that week. I still love reading all kinds of books. Ashland has lots of literary events happening but this is not a mainstream phenomenon in our society. High interest reading is being replaced by test prep and standards acquisition in our public schools. I recently read that only 16% o adults are avid readers and 54% are non-literate. Reading, even in high socio-economic families is becoming a thing of the past. Reading for knowledge is important but reading for enjoyment helps individuals develop awareness, understanding and empathy. It can make you more human and a better citizen. Reading allows you to enrich your life and those around you without going anywhere.

AD: Most reading problems are preventable if children receive additional support in the form of effective literacy instruction. Unlocking the world of print is an individual experience and effort. All readers need to do the same thing but some don’t and that is what needs to be sorted out. Struggling readers have a difficulty rather than a deficit, which implies that it can be altered with good teaching.

AD: The process of reading and writing are the same for all learners. It is more complex than just learning set of skills or memorizing a list of words, although that is part of it. A literary processing system is an integrated set of strategic actions by which readers extract and construct meaning from written language. Good readers construct their own system of strategies. A reader needs to put the system to work using strategies to make meaning of print and to solve difficulties. They must actively work to comprehend the message in a text. They need to develop a foundation of item knowledge to support them in the decoding process. This literacy processing system becomes stronger the more it is used. It is a self extending system that improves with use. The more experience you have reading successfully the better you become at reading.

AD: It is important to have a safe, encouraging learning environment. I begin by finding out what a child knows, what they like and what they are good at. I want a student to feel successful and valued for who they are. Through observation and conversation during a lesson, I discover what is challenging or interfering with a student’s learning. I teach for independence, using specific, helpful support and providing authentic practice in reading and writing to strengthen a student’s processing ability. A 45 minute lesson consists of a routine that includes: reading familiar books, doing letter or word work, writing a story and reading a new book.

AD: I believe that every child is capable of learning given the right opportunities, context and assistance. All children can learn but not at the same pace. Some children need a little more time and support to figure out how print works and that is what I seek to provide. When children finally get it figured out and start to take on the process of reading it is an exciting and empowering experience and I love helping to make that happen. The desire to provide this experience to ALL children is why I teach. I like working with young children because if they can have success in reading early on they will have the foundation for success in school and hopefully in life as well.

LG: What is one thing all parents can do to help their young children learn to read?

AD: Take time to read to and with your child every day. We need habits and routines in our lives and this is one that all parents should establish as soon as their child is born. It should be a fun and enjoyable time that you share together. If you were not read to or do not enjoy reading, you can break that cycle by learning the joy of reading with your child as they grow. The public library will guide you with reading events, advice and book selections that will allow that a positive reading experience to evolve.

Tom Ward, Permaculture Teacher and Counselor

Tom Ward has been practicing and teaching permaculture in southern Oregon for almost 30 years. He is a well known character in permaculture circles throughout the northwest. Tom holds a vast reservoir of scientific and historical knowledge, practical experience, colorful stories and thoughtful philosophy which he shares with students, audiences and friends. He advises many local organic farms and manages a social forestry experimental station where he is demonstrating natural building, fuel hazard materials utilization, multiple products woods-crafting, wildlife enhancement and desert forest water management.

Tom teaches the Permaculture Design Course, as well as advanced courses attended by students from throughout the west coast. He is the author of Greenward Ho! Herbal Home Remedies: An Ecological Approach to Sustainable Health.

One of reasons I like going to your talks is because you’re a storyteller. Why do you use storytelling in your teaching?

What is your career or your job description? Why do you call yourself a counselor not a consultant?

You offer a service called a “permaculture walk-through”. What do you do on the walk-through?

Shannon Christopher Renú: A Hair Salon

Shannon Christopher is the owner of Renú: A Hair Salon in downtown Ashland. I decided to catch up with her to learn a little bit more about her salon and the role she plays in our community.

Shannon, thanks for doing this interview with us today can you start by telling a little bit about what your sparked your interest in creating Renú and also some of the ideals and values you bring to life through your creation or Renú: A Hair Salon?

My first experience with ownership was with Salon Anubis in the Underground Marketplace. I had that shop for about 3 years, and we existed in a windowless, concrete floored basement. It was pretty ugly at times: flooding, eau de sewage, other basement-like issues, but overall it was a really great experience, and it certainly guided me to know exactly what I do and do not want in a salon environment!

So, that said, I had this itch to do something different as a salon. Mind you the economy had just tanked when I decided to make my move, but I pulled myself together and with the help of Ed and Tanya Bemis (owners of both the Anubis location and the Renú space), I was able to open a beautiful, bright, airy, very organic and natural feeling salon.

My desire was and still is to maintain a space where many of the furniture and décor items are recycled, found, or handcrafted locally; where I carry all-organic hair care lines because I believe that caring for our hair in the same way we care for our bodies is crucial to our overall health; where I can create a salon-gallery feel and be open for occasional First Fridays to display works of local artists, (who have all been clients of the salon, so far). I continually want to bring in some kind of feeling of community. We don’t “just do hair.” We are part of Ashland, individually and as a collective.

When you first got the idea to create Renú, how did you go about designing and pulling it all together? Did you already see yourself as an artist / designer or is this something you discovered along way?

Well, honestly my very basic inspiration was the bottle color of one of my hair products. Orange. Delicious orange. I feel that it is such a clean color, and I have accents of orange throughout the shop. I also wanted Renú to feel soft, positive, and a little urban, (being in the alley evokes that city feeling). I did not over decorate, I very thoughtfully considered skin tone and lighting when choosing my paint colors-actually the most common question I am asked is about my paint palette! The colors are also a lovely backdrop to the variety of artwork that has been on my walls. (That’s my plug for Miller Paint…)

I have art studies in my background-that’s is why I have such a creative job-but I had never really designed anything before, and this job included deciding where to put walls, a window, doors, picking out lighting, custom cabinets, sinks, etc. I guess I didn’t realize my inner designer until I had the opportunity to just do the whole thing! It was hard, but fun. And now I have a really beautiful and unique space. Our customers love it!

Renú is surrounded by several other hair salons, talk a little bit about how you work together with the other salons to have a unique symbiotic experience?

Ashland has quite a few salons; five of which are within a shampoo bottle’s throw of my own. There has never been animosity or the feeling of competition with my neighbors. The owners of the other shops are professional and friendly. My experience is that we send clients to each other and we call if we need a tube of color or help with something. I love that there are so many shops close by. Each salon has its own flair and ambiance, and I think that within my block, there is something for just about everyone!

Ok, now for the readers who have not been into Renú one of the unique aspects everyone will immediately notice is a very bright orange park bench which sits inside the salon. I’m sure that you get this question a lot but tell us the story about how you ended up getting this bench and any tales that come along with it.

I had seen it at the Grange, and immediately fell in love. It was that perfect, delicious orange that I mentioned before. I did not get it right away, though. It was a little more than I wanted to spend, I was at Salon Anubis at the time and wasn’t even sure where it would go. I just knew I loved it. So I stewed and swooned over it for 2 weeks. An afternoon arrived where my daughter was tired of me wishing for the bench. She grabbed my keys, smacked them in my hand, and told me to go get the stinking bench! So she and I went and got it-thankfully it was still there-and we took it down to the salon, and found a perfect spot for it. Funny, though most people didn’t really notice it until it got moved to Renú. Now it gets multiple compliments weekly!

Shannon, how are you working with your clients to build long term relationships, develop friendships all the while having fun and reaching out to support our community?

I think client retention is not only about skills and technique, but also about personal chemistry. If you and/or your customer don’t feel quite right about the relationship, it will be short lived. When you can find that sweet spot, a deeper, more trusting stylist/client relationship will grow.

I have many close friends in Ashland. I will have lived here for 18 years next April, so I have had plenty of time to establish a strong group of supportive friends. My best amiga from college even moved here from Colorado via Seattle to hang with me in Ashland! (My plug for my BFF Erin O’Kelley Muck, owner of Ruby Slipper Designs).

As far as our community involvement goes, we did a hair drive early last summer to send hair to the gulf and help create boom to absorb oil. Hair is amazingly absorbent, and literally tons of hair was donated from all over the nation. It felt great to be a part of something bigger, and customers loved that their locks were going to help clean up the BP disaster.

We also do an annual food drive to support the Ashland Food Bank. It is happening right now, actually. We are a donation drop off site until Dec. 23, and if you bring in 4 or more items for donation, you get 20% off all hair care products as a little thank you.

I am also interested in joining Rotary. I just have not carved out the time, but it is certainly an intention for my future.

Best advice you were ever given and or best story every told while dressing hair?

I don’t really have one answer for this one. In my 10 years behind the chair, I have experienced births and deaths with my clients. Graduations and weddings. Cancer and recovery. Outrageous laughter and sorrowful tears. I have had hellos and goodbyes and hello-agains. Being a hair stylist is a very intimate profession. The stories and advisories are the details of our lives. I feel grateful for the opportunity to be an insider into so many people’s biographies.

Shannon, you had mentioned that you and your husband have three teenage girls and that you get to do their hair from time to time.

It gives me individual time with the girls. I see my two stepdaughters three days a week and we rarely if ever get an hour alone, so it is a nice way to connect with them. I think at least one of them is due for a visit to my chair now!

My daughter and I have great talks and plenty of laughter while she’s getting her hair done. In the past, several of her friends have come to have their hair done too, and we all spend the afternoon at the salon. Kind of a hair party. It feels special to me, and I hope my girl has fond memories of those times later in her life.

I love being able to walk and ride my bike everywhere. I love the high school. I love the hills and the access to the coast. I love the local wine. I love our community!!

One thing you would like to see citizens of Ashland working together to change or accomplish?

I would like to see Ashland become more dog-friendly. This means dog owners would actually have to be responsible for their pets-read: keep your dog on lead and clean up the poop. Bend, OR is a fantastic model of a city that has come to terms with the fact that 90% of its citizens have a canine! Seriously my Dobie Lucy and I would really appreciate it!

Rod and Brooks Newton

Whoever said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure (it was Ben Franklin) would be proud of what the folks at the Hidden Springs Wellness Center accomplished over the past few months. If you read the local paper or watched local television you know that they were appealing a cell tower installation proposed for the top of the nearby Ashland Cinemas. On October 14 they won the appeal, when the Ashland City Council denied AT&T’s application.

I spoke with Rod and Brooks Newton, owners of Hidden Springs, about what this decision means for them and the community.

Rod: The city council decision sets an important precedent for Ashland. Basically, the Council held AT&T accountable to a high standard that will now have to be met by future applicants. Of course it’s a relief for us because we stopped this tower from being built next to Hidden Springs, but the whole of Ashland will benefit for years to come with the requirement for legitimate processing of future applications.

Brooks: It also brought the community together in ways that will be helpful in the future when we may face even more urgent issues. The community support was incredible. I was moved and overwhelmed! Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone. It was very inspiring to see that we can come together to speak up and make a positive difference in our community.

Brooks: The hardest part was reading the critical letters to the editor and editorials. We are fine with people holding different opinions, but when they missed the point or presented misinformation, it was really hard. I wished I could have sat down and talked with them.

Rod: One sad example was the Oct. 27^th Medford Mail Tribune editorial. The author criticized the appeal and the council for hiding the concerns about health, even though he knew that we were prohibited by federal law from using health concerns as a reason to appeal. And he printed two blatantly false statements: “The science is clear.” And, “Researchers have found no evidence that emissions from cell towers or antennas are harmful to human health.” in fact, the science is anything but clear, and numerous researchers have found and printed evidence that microwave emissions are harmful. Some studies show DNA damage, a break down of the brain’s defenses, reduced sperm count, memory loss, the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer. Other studies have found no evidence of harmful effects. But the majority of these studies were funded by the telecom industry.

Even an Ashland Daily Tidings quote from the American Cancer Society that, “there is ‘very little evidence’ that radiation from cell phone antennas can cause cancer and other health problems” is an opinion that it is not held by a growing number of scientists and physicians. Ironically, compare that statement with this one by the tobacco industry as recently as 1996: “Researchers are still unable to provide undisputed scientific proof that smoking causes lung cancer, lung disease and heart disease.”

What can be truthfully said is that there is not yet any scientific or medical consensus on whether and what health problems may be caused by microwave radiation. It is very telling, however, that the majority of insurance companies now won’t insure cell phone companies for product liability related to health claims. They are afraid that wireless radiation will turn out to be like asbestos. Remember, many insurance companies went bankrupt because of all the asbestos health claims. If the insurance companies won’t bet their money that microwave radiation is safe, why should we bet our health that it is? Wouldn’t a little caution be more prudent?

Brooks: Yes, and many positives have come from that. We’ve always been careful about potential health risks. You know, better safe than sorry. For instance, we’ve never had a microwave oven and I’ve never had a cell phone.

Rod: When I first got a cell phone, I was concerned about the risks so I used it rarely, like when we traveled. But, in the past couple of years I went down that slippery slope – checking e-mails on my iphone and sitting right next to a wireless router when I was working on my computer. When the cell tower issue came up I spent many, many hours researching various studies and was amazed to see how many of them reported health risks. I learned about the extent of industry cover up and their counter information campaign. Before I looked into it, I thought the risk was just related to cancer – someday, maybe. But studies provide substantial evidence that microwave radiation also affects our brain function on a daily basis, possibly by increasing permeability of the blood brain barrier. Some of the studies demonstrate that rats don’t perform as well in mazes, and that people’s concentration and memory are adversely affected. Other studies show sleep disturbances, fatigue, headaches, etc.

I had been having a lot of those symptoms myself the past couple of years: memory loss, fatigue, and decreased concentration. I was even feeling dizzy when I woke up, which was very disturbing. But I just chalked it all up to aging. Then, amazingly, when I turned off my wireless router at home and work, and cut way down on my cell phone use, all the symptoms began to vanish.

Brooks: We also researched and bought instruments to measure microwave radiation. First, we took measurements on the top floor of the Ashland Springs Hotel where there are seven cell towers installed on the roof. We then measured our home and were horrified to discover readings just as high right next to our wireless router. We realized that this was like having our own personal cell tower, right in our house! Next, we began checking out other people’s homes and discovered that cordless phones emit even more radiation! More than being right next to a cell tower! And the base stations of the new ones emit this radiation 24 hours a day! We learned that Germany has banned this type of cordless phone, but most of the new ones being sold in our country are like this. They emit constant radiation.

So, if you are having difficulty sleeping, can’t seem to concentrate as well, are feeling fatigue or waking up tired, or having more headaches than before, it may be more than just aging. It just might be exposure to radiation from your cell phone, cordless phone or wireless router, wireless printer or wireless mouse.

Rod: That’s right, even your wireless mouse and Bluetooth devices put out significant radiation, according to our instruments.

Brooks: We show the documentary film, Full Signal, at Hidden Springs periodically. It just came out and it’s full of eye-opening information.

Rod: Afterwards, we always have a lively discussion, sharing empowering steps people can take to protect themselves. The next showing is Monday, November 15^th, 6:30 at Hidden Springs.

Brooks: Absolutely! And if you are sensitive like many of us are, you might start feeling better right away. Years from now, if the “proof” comes in, just like it eventually did about tobacco, we’ll be grateful we didn’t wait to act. In fact, maybe we should acknowledge this wake up call by saying, “Thank you AT&T!”

Ask Wendy*

I recently connected with Wendy Eppinger, founder and owner of “Ask Wendy,” a free local professional referral service. What does this mean exactly? It means that if you are in the middle of remodeling your home, doing x y or z, you call Wendy and get help. Wendy helps you by getting you connected with her “A” list of tried and true service providers. She’s done the hard work of going out and finding the best people to get your job done and now she is available to help you!

That’s right, no more wasting your time, searching and hoping that the job gets done right. This is about the power of local networking. Sound interesting? I thought so!

Wendy, thanks for doing this interview with us today. First of all I would like to congratulate you on your idea and creation for your business Ask Wendy*. This is simply a great idea and it seems like you have found a way to create real value for both your clients and their customers.

Can you start by sharing a little about how you were inspired to create this business and how it actually works?

I have high design and craftsmanship standards. I have had my house renovated three times using three different contractors, and as a result I know their work and all the sub- contractors, as well. Visitors seem to enjoy the design work of my home and one of my largest referrals was from a visitor to my house. If I don’t know the providers personally, they have been recommended by someone in the trades whom I trust. Everyone in the building trades has the appropriate licenses and insurance.

I also look for good value and excellent budget considerations in the services I recommend.

Will you share a little bit about your own learning experiences involved in remodeling your home and how you went about getting referrals and finding relevant and valuable information for getting your jobs done?

Obviously the type of service you provide saves time, saves money, probably even saves a lot of headaches or heart aches. Can you talk a little bit about this?

You currently represent something like 58 different referral categories. Can you give us a quick run down on that?

So, people can actually call you for free and you are happy to talk with them?

What if a referral doesn’t turn out well for someone? Can they provide this feedback to you?

Talk a little bit about your own experience and views of community networking and building sustainable economies.

What might be a project someone is working on at this very moment that you could help them quickly navigate through?

Do you only talk on the phone, or do you come over to people’s houses to consult with them?

Practicing the Gift at Ashland’s Gifting Tree Wellness Center

Q. What is the Gifting Tree Wellness Center?
JL: We are a group of health and wellness practitioners who offer our services to the community on a “gift” basis, with an intention of creating community, abundance and
trust by initiating increased sharing, gifting and mutual generosity in our lives.

Q: How does The Gifting Tree work?
JL: We have chosen to have our clients contact us through our website http://www.giftingtree.net, where they get to choose which modality they want to experience. When they first meet with their practitioner we share what the gift means to each of us. The practitioner offers his or her service as a gift, unconditionally, and the client is encouraged to step into this same gifting space, and is given the opportunity to gift back to the practitioner, the clinic or out into the community in a way that feels right.

Q: What services are currently offered through The Gifting Tree Wellness Center?
JL: We currently offer Cranial Sacral Therapy, Flower Essence Therapy, Collaborative Communication Coaching, NUCCA Chiropractic, Nutritional Therapy, Quantum Touch, Reiki, Restorative Circle, Sufi Healing, Voice Dialogue Emotional Counseling and Zero Balancing. More information about each modality can be found at our website at www.giftingtree.net. We are always looking for more practitioners who want to explore sharing what they do in the form of “the gift” and who might want to join us at The Gifting Tree.

Q. Where is your office located?
JL: We are located in the heart of downtown Ashland, in a beautiful space that was,
itself, gifted to us for a defined period of time. We cannot take walk-in clients,
because we have no one on staff full-time and no receptionist person at this time;
therefore all of our clients come to us through the website sign-up.

Q: What can clients offer in return?
JL: We really want to empower our clients to share what is most meaningful for them as
they consider their own gifts. In addition to monetary contributions, they can share their skills, their talents, or their resources. For example, we have received beautiful artwork, tickets to events, a computer and printer, in addition to other gifts. We’ve also had clients offer to help others in the community by reading to elders in a senior center or stepping up their volunteer work in their church. We also have a wish-list of things we need in the center, which clients can give in gratitude for what they have received, such as a printer, printer paper and a business card and/or brochure rack.

Q: How is this different from a free clinic?
JL: Free clinics, which were much more popular in the 60s and 70s, are not really free.
Usually non-profit organizations or government agencies fund health services for people
who can’t afford them otherwise. This means that the recipients often don’t have any
obligation to be truly connected to what they’re really receiving. Gifting is about a
continual, reciprocal ongoing flow of sharing. By their very nature free clinics are limited
and restricted as to what the client can receive by Board’s of Directors and policy
decisions. And The Gifting Tree is not a “clinic,” per se, because those who offer
services are trained in modalities other than traditional western medicine.

Q: How is this different from trade, barter or sliding scale?
JL: Trade, barter and sliding scale all include an exchange of goods and services with
an understanding that they have a certain value, and the goods or services are
exchanged, traded or bartered for something of equal value. This value can vary
depending on the people involved and where they decide to set the limits, but there’s
still a specific expectation set. With gifting, the gift is given with no strings attached and
the recipient is the one who gets to choose how they want to gift back and there is no
specific expectation on the part of the practitioner (although the practitioner holds an
intention that the client will gift out of gratitude back into the community).

Q: Are there any other gift clinics or centers anywhere else?
JL: Yes, The Gifting Tree Wellness Center was modeled after and inspired by the Karma Clinic in Oakland, CA, which was started a couple of years ago by Dr. Aumatma Shah, one of the participants at the Seeding the Gift Culture retreat. There are many individual practitioners throughout the country who have chosen to gift their services in all or in part and, of course, many people gift of themselves in many, many ways. Our gifting center is but one example where we put a clear intention and focus on gifting as part of a growing gift economy and an even larger gift culture movement.

Q: How do practitioners make a living, or pay their bills, if they rely on being gifted?
JL: I see the inception of gifting as a bridge or transition between the existing money economy and a world where we all share much more easily and fully the gifts that we truly have and the gifts that we truly are. So, at this time, most of our practitioners also have their regular practices or jobs and choose to gift a certain part of their time in this way. I’ve chosen to gift my entire nutritional practice but have a couple of other sources of income to help pay the bills. Just imagine if everybody in Ashland received everything we needed through the gift and everything that everyone else needed was shared as a gift. Some people might consider this “pie-in-the-sky”, but I know it’s truly possible. Our ancestors did it for hundreds-of-thousands of years, some cultures still do it today, and more and more people, even in modern societies, are starting to practice and participate in a gift economy.

Q: Are there any other “gift” programs in our area?
JL: Currently there is a newly formed time bank in Ashland, which is part of a national movement where people share their skills, passions and interests based on the amount of time that they contribute. A babysitter’s time would be equal to a surgeon’s time if they both chose to be part of the time bank. Another example is the gift circles that community members have created (here in Ashland and elsewhere) where each member might voice a need (such as help pet-sitting, or editing a book, or whatever) and someone else in the circle chooses to meet the need.

Q: What was your inspiration for starting The Gifting Tree?
JL: I participated in a retreat in September of 2009 called Seeding the Gift Culture organized by several local folks who are involved in community building and led by Charles Eisenstein. The impetus for the retreat came about from our reading Charles’ book The Ascent of Humanity. Charles looks deeply at all the things that separate us, including those things that separate us from ourselves, from nature, from our families, from our spiritual source; he then asks the question “How do we really begin to reconnect with each other and the rest of the world in ways that we know we hold deep in our hearts and in our bones?” One chapter in his book he calls The Gift where he describes our ancestors, whose entire lives were spent sharing and gifting with each other, and describes how much more connected we could be if we share our gifts with each other. Many of us chose to take the idea of seeding the gift culture literally and figure out how we could take the gift out into the world. I went from experimenting with gifting my own clients (it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be), as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, to realizing I could actually create a gift clinic or center in the Rogue Valley. Then I invited other alternative practitioners who were also passionate about the gift to join me, we formed a council of advisors, and started sharing our gifts with the community.

Q. What is your Vision of The Gifting Tree Wellness Center in the future?
JL: My vision of all this includes gift circles and centers growing in many different arenas, not just the field of health. Many different artists and professionals could create gift circles that could grow and join together in a web of gift sharing where our reliance on each other grows while, simultaneously, our reliance on the “consumption” market diminishes. This creates connection and resilience in the community. I actually have a vision of Ashland being the first of many, many gift cities in the world and US. Why not?

JL: Now it’s my turn to ask a question: How do you see yourself stepping into this
amazing gifting space?

To learn more about The Gifting Tree Wellness Center, or to request an appointment, visit their website at www.giftingtree.net.

Hidden Springs Celebrates Ten Years of Wellness

WILL WILKINSON, Fitness Center Director: With a party, of course! Saturday, April 2, from 2 – 5 pm. We’ll have music, food and prizes. It’s a great chance for our practitioners and community members to enjoy social time together.
LG: Is it just a party or will there be presentations?

KIMBERLY HALL, Massage Therapist: It’s a party. We’re not working. It’s time to play together, and to thank our community. I have been so touched by the love and receptivity of our wonderful Hidden Springs community of friends and clientele. I’m really looking forward to sharing my appreciation through this fun celebration. The open house starts at 2, we’ll have a crazy skit at 3:30 and start dancing at 4.

I think there are about 12 of you working together at Hidden Springs. What’s the secret to good teamwork?

REGINA LINSDAY, Adminstrative Executive:Clear communication. It’s about coming from your heart and being honest with how you feel. We have staff meetings twice a month and that’s really important – a time and place for us to bare our souls if we need to, plus zero in on the day to day business needs that we have to look at together.

MARY LONDOS, Yoga Instructor: I just joined the team recently and I love the staff meetings. It’s our one time all together where we can really get to know each other.

What’s different about working together under one roof, as opposed to all having your own offices?

BONNIE NEDROW, Naturopath: Well, I’ve done both. Honestly, there are pros and cons both ways. But I love the community of healers we have become. Definitely, there’s more here for all our patients, simply because there are ten of us practicing, not just one. People feel that the minute they walk through the door.

ELISSA WALSH, Administrative Executive: I agree. In fact, I think the appointment begins in the reception area. Regina and I feel like we are allies with the doctors and practitioners here, kind of like the warm up act! It’s more than greeting people with a smile; we want them to feel welcomed and relaxed right away, so they can make the most of their appointment.

Recently you rallied the community to appeal a proposed cell tower development. Did that affect your work?

HELEN MAHONEY, Colon Hydrotherapist: Of course, it had to. We were worried about what might happen if it was built, because so many of our patients believe it is unhealthy. Would they still come? Fortunately, the proposal was defeated. But, I have to say, we stayed upbeat about it. We have an understanding and belief about these things. What is meant to be is what is meant to be. So, I guess we were philosophical. At the same time, we’re all pretty happy with the outcome, thanks to all the community support!

Health care is a hot topic these days. What do you tell your patients about taking care of themselves?

BROOKS NEWTON, Yoga Instructor and Yoga Therapist: I encourage people to connect with their physical, mental and emotional states and discover ways to nourish their whole being through yoga classes and private yoga therapy sessions. As a result, people often experience a deeply enhanced quality of life. Also, private yoga therapy sessions have proven to be very helpful for many specific health conditions.
TASHINA WILKINSON, C.H.I. Trainer: I teach The C.H.I. Practice with my husband Will, and Rod and Brooks. We teach how to focus your life energy into what matters most to you and what to do when you hit blocks. It is powerful stuff that has really changed my life and the lives of many others.

ROD NEWTON, Relationship Coach, Chiropractor:The first ten years were about offering integrative heath care from a number of practitioners. I think that the next ten years will be more about community outreach, connection, and support. In these chaotic, uncertain times, it’s important that we band together to face the challenges ahead as a community.
LG: Say more about your party.

BRIGID CROWE, Naturopath:It’s going to be a lot of fun. We’ll have food and great music, some prizes to give away, and hopefully the weather will cooperate so we can go out onto the grass and enjoy being together around the pond. I love my patient visits but we work within a set time frame. So I’m really looking forward to just relaxing with people and enjoying getting to know each other. That’s healthy!

WENDY FULLERTON, Accounts Manager: I’m looking forward to thanking some of the people who helped us with the cell tower challenge. And, to not having to crunch any numbers for a whole afternoon while I’m at Hidden Springs.

Hidden Springs 10th Anniversary Celebration is Saturday, April 2 from 2 – 5. For information call 541-488-8858.

The Pin-up Portrait Queen

”I want to be the pin-up portrait queen,” says photographer Debra Thornton enthusiastically. Thornton’s pin-up images feature everyday women clad in sexy vintage attire complete with props such as hatboxes, bicycles and apple pies. The photographs are a modern take on the World War II bomber art of the 1940s and the glamour-girl calendar shots of the 1950s. ”The thing I like about that era,” says Thornton, ”is that the women seemed real. It think there is a certain body type that women settle into—one that isn’t modified—and that was what was celebrated.” ”As a photographer, when I capture that,” she says,”it’s like a really good hair day.”

Thornton has been a professional photographer for several years, running her eponymously-named business from her Ashland home. Although she still does traditional photography like weddings and senior portraits, she is making more space in her portfolio for pin-ups, which evolved from a chance photo-shoot in 2007. ”When my friend Amanda moved back to the Rogue Valley from Southern California to live on her parent’s farm, we thought it would be fun to dress her up in ‘Daisy Dukes’ and photograph her for a flyer to advertise her birthday party,” says Thornton. ”I realized then that this was one of those things that’s time has come,” she says. ”And people are loving it.”

Thornton’s interest in photography dates back to childhood. ”My dad had some great portraits of my mom he had taken with one of the old Kodak Viewfinder cameras,” she says, but she didn’t begin to take photography seriously herself until high school. She admits choosing a basic photography class as an elective because she thought it would be easy. It wasn’t, she says, but she immediately fell in love with it. “I especially loved the darkroom,” she says. ”It was like being in a womb.”

Pin-up photography is a natural fit for Thornton, a self-described tomboy, who grew up with four brothers. ”I’d always be out riding dirt bikes or roughhousing and whenever my mother would put me in a dress I would feel like a spectator, but I also like to be sexy and feminine, something I never really felt like I could be without playing a role,” she says. ”The most feminine type of woman don’t seem to have any problem acting sweet or seductive or whatever. If you put a wig on me, I can be anybody I want to be.”

When digital replaced film, Thornton missed the darkroom at first, but soon realized that the instant gratification and limitless possibilities of digital fit perfectly with her playful style. Thornton credits her oldest daughter Sarah Petty as the Photoshop genius responsible for the retro backgrounds. “Without her wizardry the photos would be mere snapshots,” she says. “We are a great team and have fun creating these unique portraits.” Thornton notes that for many women, being the subject of a photograph can be stressful. She uses the immediate feedback that digital provides to help her models relax and take themselves less seriously. ”I try to show her the pictures during the shoot and she will usually say something like, ‘Wow, I don’t suck at all,”’ she says, laughing.

”She has all of these props you can choose from, which gives you a chance to express yourself,” says Ashland resident Clarissa Showers, one of Thornton’s pin-up clients. ”You go in [to a shoot] as this average woman who is not a supermodel and you think ‘I’m not rail-thin, I am this shape—whatever you see in the mirror every day,’ and you walk away feeling great and special. You leave saying, ‘I AM that beautiful.”’

Thornton says that her pin-up photographs can be used to celebrate an upcoming marriage, the birth of a child or even a divorce. ”So often we’re dealing with the nine to five stuff that there’s really no time or permission to slip back into who we really are,” says Thornton. The whole idea behind pin-ups is that sexy can be classy, sexy can be approachable, sexy can be playful—it doesn’t have to be sleazy.”

You can purchase a pin-up photo shoot for yourself or a loved one starting at around $250 and each session comes complete with professional hair and makeup. There are also fun group sessions, where ladies can save money, while sharing in the fun! For the person who is self-conscious about having a photograph of herself hanging on the wall, Thornton plans on making coasters or playing cards emblazoned with the images available in the near future.

For more information call 541-621-9463 or email dtphotography@gmail.com. For more examples of Thornton’s pin-ups visit her website at www.debrathornton.com.

Funagain Games

Every once and a while you run across one of those local businesses and say to your self, “I wonder what they do?”. Well, we had been saying this for years about Funagain Games located in the Ashland Shopping center across from Bookwagon. We decided to catch up with them to learn more about their business, services, and fun they are bringing into our community. Our interview is with Nick Medinger manager of the store.

Nick, thanks for doing this interview with us. Can you start by telling us a little bit about Funagain Games? When did you open shop and what is the inspiration behind what you do?

Funagain opened up in 1996 to provide recycled games to folks. Originally the crew would re-collate games that they collected to make complete games then sell those sets. About the same time Funagain opened they got word of this really fun game out of Germany called Die Siedler von Catan. Boardgamers LOVED this game but unless you had some way to mail it back from Germany it was basically impossible to get in the US. So Funagain decided to directly import the game and use this fancy new technology called the World Wide Web to sell the game across the US. Since they were doing all the hard importing work already they picked up other German only titles as well, and over time the business shifted to only selling new games. All these years later Funagain is still going strong and so is Siedler, which has since been traslated into English and is called Settlers of Catan.

The idea behind the business has always been to sell fun in a box. We pride ourselves on having a game for everybody. If you want something for 20 people that takes 15 minutes to play, we’ve got it. If you want something that will take 6 days and will re-create the 30 Years War, we’ve got that too. If all you want is a chess set we can also do that.

Are people playing more games than they did 50 years ago?
Hard to say but probably. I think gaming as a hobby is much more socially accepted than it was generations ago. We’re currently seeing a Golden Age of games in the US with many more people being interested in games and gaming of all forms.

What’s the number one selling game of all time?
Probably Monopoly in terms of a “published” game. As for public domain games probably chess, or maybe checkers.

Why did you get in the game business?
I got into the game business because I needed a job and have always loved games. Funagain got into the game business to make games more accessible to people and to promote board gaming as a fun social activity.

How are board games superior to video games?
Board games are very good at social interaction. Some video games are good at that, but not on the same level that board games are.

What happens to kids when the eat to many potato chips and play endless video games?
They end up full of potatoes and squint too much.

Top five games made in the last couple years?
In the hobby game world the ones that have caught everybody’s attention are, Settlers of Catan, Pandemic, Dominion, Ticket to Ride and Carcassonne.

Worst behavior ever witnessed by a poor sport?
On the whole board gamers are pretty good sports. Most of them just sort of sulk if something really bothers them.

Favorite scrabble word?
My spelling is atrocious and I don’t really like word games so I suppose I have to go with “DONE.”

This summer a lot of people will be traveling with their kids what’s the best game for a long car ride?
Any card game is good, because it’s portable and can be played anywhere. Those little 8 in 1, or 12 in 1, travel sets are also good simply because you can get so many games into such a little space.

Someone’s looking for a gift can they stop by and visit your shop?
Games are great gifts. It’s re-usable fun that can keep for years and year. We have just over 5000 different things in stock and we carry games for all ages. Besides games we also have LEGO and science kits.

When is it legal to change a rule in a game?
Hardcore gamers do this all the time. As long as everybody agrees it’s no trouble.

What were the first role playing games and why do you think they have become so popular?
The first published RPG was Dungeon & Dragons back in the 70s. RPGs are a totally different subset of games that really allow players a lot of creativity. RPG rules are really just a frame work to explore a world that the players create. I think that’s really the reason that RPG players love RPGs. They enjoy the ability to shape and be immersed in a setting where they can have an almost unlimited amount of freedom.

3 worst games of all time and why?
Ask 10 people this question and you’ll get 12 different answers. My least favorite games are: Monopoly, Scrabble, and the game they’d use to get me to talk if I was ever in Guantanamo… Bunco.

Funagain Games is located at:
1660 Ashland Street
Ashland, OR 97520-2327
(541) 482-1939

Put Beauty Into Everything You Do - The Gods See Everywhere

Steve, thanks for doing this interview with us today and taking time to share some of your story with the LocalsGuide. Can you begin with telling us a little bit about your past. Where you grew up and some of the fundamentals that have shapedyour life and who you are today?

I was born in Los Angeles in the “Summer of Love” 1968 at St. Joseph’s hospital in Burbank. We lived in the valley in Encino until the age of 6. My dad got fed up with the drive into downtown Los Angeles and so we moved to Hancock Park in the city of Los Angeles.

The house my parents bought was a 1928 Mediterranean style home that had to be gutted because the plaster was coming off the walls on the inside. You literally could see the first floor from the second through gaping holes in the floor boards.
It was fun for me as a kid to witness the level of restoration that took place at the Hudson house. My parents were fortunate to hire Gerry Washington and his crew of fine craftsman who did everything from installing the hand hewn oak paneling to building hutches and other furniture in the house. I loved hanging out with the carpenters and watching them work. I think the smell of the wood after it was cut and observing the process of the raw wood being turned into a home was a powerful childhood memory that guided me into becoming a craftsman and home builder myself.
After all the carpentry was finished my parents commissioned my Uncle Hugh to paint the domes and the arcade around the entry hall with a scene of the Italian countryside. Every day after school and sometimes at lunch I would run home from 3rd Street School and enter the house to an aroma of oil paints with my uncle lying on his back on the scaffolding. It appeared as though he was swimming through a sea of color as he stroked the ceiling with hues of yellow ochre, splashes of blue azure and, array of magenta. I discovered that creating a scene through the medium of color was a process of layers.
I was always so happy when Uncle Hugh gave me a brush and let me lay down color. It is a powerful thing when a Master encourages young ones to create.
I had no idea as a kid how lucky I was to travel the Italian countryside to say goodnight to my parents down the hall. In as many years as we lived there I was constantly finding new creatures, trees, people and perspectives I had no idea were there before.
Detail, depth perception, and the discovery of beauty and art are the rewards for those who take the time to look.

After leaving home you began traveling and perfecting your craft on some interesting projects in Colorado. Can you share some of these adventures with us?

I went to Breckenridge Colorado to live in the Rockies, which was one of my life goals. There is a spirit and an energy in those mountains which is very life giving. I met my wife Lynda there and had our daughter Pyper.

The building that was going on was incredible. So many high end homes that were bigger than life. I got to work with some amazing builders that had the process down. Most of the roofs we built were cut in, which means each rafter is cut to fit as opposed to using trusses. Learning to cut in a roof is probably the funnest project to do on a home as a carpenter. When the foundation is laid out, the roof is considered. When the walls are framed, the roof is considered. Homes are built from the top down.

I have an image in my head of one roof we built that is still clear as day in my mind and gives me fortitude when I imagine it. I was looking out past the rafters on a home we were building at 11,000 feet. In the background was the range of 14,000 foot peaks. From my perspective the rafters looked like the Rockies began where the roof ended. It was a typical bluebird day with snow blanketing the world. Our buildings are structures built to last.

When did it first occur to you that what you might build could easily out live our own life and what did you decide to do about it?

That’s an interesting question and I think the easy answer would be that is has been a process. There are many examples of buildings built generations ago that are still here. I think a deeper question is what works about those older buildings and how can I improve upon the style or technique. Of course, each builder has had to deal with the economics and social environment of the day. I am in the same boat, and I have the added benefit of a society that has developed itself to provide its’ people with the freedom of choice, in regards to the products available to use.

If I am going to stay in this business I have to become a better builder every day. I have to constantly ask the question of whether what I am doing is the best way and the most efficient. What kind of an impact am I having on the environment. How will my grand children’s grandchildren feel about my structure and the imprint I have left. The latest wisdom I have found that I has really helped me a great deal is collaboration. Talk to my brothers and sisters out there that are also building and ask their advice, visit their projects, and invite them to mine. We are stronger together.

Ahhh Italia…For someone who is as visual and kinesthetic as I am Italy is a drug. There exists no strada, piazza, or grotto that is not full of experience. Real life energy built right into the ancient roads and walls that are still standing today providing structure as they did centuries ago.

The churches of Italy and the scale with which they were built is quite surreal. The only way to explain the level of detail and artisanry is that “the gods see everywhere”.

Every cut we make and every rock we turn makes a difference. Without the Pope’s budget we have to be uber efficient in our planning to achieve a high level of detail. The legacy from the past era that we can live in today is in the inspiration. We can create living walls that speak to people by imbuing them with our intention and have as our inspiration the love of what we do.

How do you take these qualities and add them to your own building and craftsmanship?

Focus. As my dad would always tell me, “the times may change, but the principles remain the same”. When I create structures I collaborate with the people commissioning the work, try to consider every detail about the function of the piece or place, and then imbue it with the form that will breathe balance, beauty, and structure.

Tell us a little bit about your own company and process behind building homes?

I started Walls of Time Builders, LLC in 1996 while living in Breckenridge, Colorado. I have since worked in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and in Ashland for the past 12 years. I started as a carpenter and worked my way through and have learned to become a builder and general contractor.

Staying a viable company in the building industry requires one to be flexible. The current economic situation, has shown that there are less new homes being built and the emphasis has been more on remodels. Whether it is a small or large remodel or a fence to enclose the yard, the process of building is the same. The form and function have to be addressed and the scale has to match those who commission the work.

A business axiom that my wise friend Steve explained to me recently was “to always leave something on the table at the end of the deal” and you will always create new business. When I build I try and do more than what is expected. My goal at the completion of a job is that the owner have equity from what we have created.

When I do my best I add value to the dollar. When I do my best and work with inspiration I leave something for future generations to enjoy. It will be interesting 500 years from now what people will say about our architecture and our society. I hope that if what I have built has meaning and value it will still be here.

Where can people learn more about your service and see some pictures of your beautiful home?

Just a blessing… May we all be blessed with an abundance of love, health and friendship. Thank you, Steve Sirianni

Thou Art Beauty

Heart and Hands, a clothing and jewelry boutique that is a shrine to beauty, has just celebrated its 20^th anniversary. It is known and loved for its high level of service and unique offerings from local, northwest and regional designers and artists, as well as limited edition lines of clothing and jewelry designed by store owner Elise Peters. I recently had an opportunity to do an interview with Elise which I hope you will enjoy.

Starting your own business is no small feat in any industry and that is especially true for custom fashion. What led you to take the plunge and open Heart and Hands 20 years ago?

At the time I was doing art and trade shows and working closely with designer Isobel Hochberg of the Lightheart clothing line. I found that I enjoyed representing other artists’ work as well supporting women in their personal self-expression through how they dress and adorn themselves.

Creativity seems to be the central theme running through your life at both a personal and professional level. Who and what inspires you?

The love of my family and friends, singing with the Rogue World Ensemble, my garden, the river, and being a part of the universe that is naturally filled with beauty and creativity everywhere. It’s this inspiration that allows me to expand my creativity in all forms.

There’s a quote I love by a Buddhist lama, “Beauty is the revelation of harmony through forms.” I would add that beauty is essential nourishment for the soul.

Heart and Hands has remained a popular downtown Ashland fixture for 20 years, despite the challenges of today’s economy. To what do you attribute your success?

That success is a result of people’s real love, connection and appreciation for the beauty, creativity, and quality found at Heart and Hands.

All f our designs are incredibly comfortable, classic, and timeless, and celebrate the feminine form. We create designs in washable silks, silk velvet, and soy cotton that make women feel good and show off their natural beauty. We offer sizing from XXS to XXL, and can customize almost any design to suit our clients’ needs.

Heart and Hands features favorite local designers including Tina Marguiles of Mamatoto Loves You, Joy Light hand-painted silks and Bogusia Klinefelter of Bogusia Naturals.

Additionally, I can assure my customers that every jewelry creation is “one of a kind, just like you”, because each piece is created for that one person who resonates with it.

The choices women make in the way they dress and accessorize can be an opportunity for self-expression that is deeply personal and creative, as well as an expression of self-confidence, playfulness, beauty, and even love. What do you see as your contribution to this process?

Encouraging women to trust their own innate sensibility. I believe that feeling beautiful and comfortable with yourself connects to wearing something that expresses the best in you. I want to assist women in dressing in a way that gives them the confidence to feel beautiful and true to who they are. The essence of Heart and Hands is saying, “Yes!” to women, and empowering and supporting them to make the right choices for themselves.

When you think about the bigger picture, your long term goals as a designer, and the future of Heart and Hands, what do you envision?

I would love to continue creating in response to clients’ desire to express themselves in comfort, beauty, and fun. It has always been my goal for Heart and Hands to be an umbrella for philanthropy – supporting education, the arts, and creativity in all forms. My philosophy is based in generosity. I believe that the nature of life is abundance, and that through Heart and Hand’s success we will be able to do greater work in the world.

Heart and Hands has a diverse and dedicated clientele, from the stylish and talented Alison Krauss to Ashland locals looking for wardrobe staples or something fabulous for special occasions.

Any last words to share with our readers?
Discover the magic of Heart and Hands for yourself or for the women you love!

Heart and Hands is located at 255 East Main in the heart of downtown Ashland and is open Monday through Thursday and Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm and on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 am to 7 pm. 541-488-3576

Mary Brooks, Hairstylist, Sunshine Salon

Mary Brooks, Hairstylist, is an Ashland locals’ favorite. She and our family (I’m her brother) have lived in Ashland since the mid-1970’s. Enjoying the cool shade of Guanajuato Way on a hot August day, we sat next to Lithia Creek, and chatted about her profession.

Mary: When I was a little kid, I wanted to be a clothing designer. I had a sewing machine, and I loved designing and making clothes. As a teen and into my twenties, I remained interested in fashion even though my sewing machine had long broken down. I felt a bit aimless in college, trying out this major and that major. I wasn’t very academic-minded back then, I was always drawn to the arts, but having some practicality in me, I knew I needed to make a living. So, it felt like a natural choice when a hairstylist friend of mine suggested I try beauty school.

Tom: I know you’ve always been creative and had a talent for design. That’s why I’ve asked for your opinion on many of my building projects…you have a good eye for color…

Tom: So, I can see why hairstyling Would be a natural fit for you…but, it’s different than, say, designing clothes or decorating a room, you are working with people, or maybe I should say, ON people…

Mary: True. Hairstyling is different because you aren’t working with inanimate objects; it’s much more personal. A successful hairstylist is one part artisan, one part therapist/close friend and one part salesperson. It’s challenging because each client is unique. Some clients are simply looking for a great hair service but many are looking for that PLUS a close friendship. My job is to be in tune with each client, understand his or her needs, and deliver the best I can based on my abilities.

Tom: And, from what I’ve seen, that’s what you’ve done. You’ve been in the beauty business for over 25 years and never advertised…you owned a salon too…

Mary: Yeah, that was back in the early 90s, Arabella Salon. I’ve been very fortunate because I’ve trained under some of the best in the business. I worked with Antonio Benevutto in Marin County, Alexander Pope Salon in Berkelely, and Toni&Guy from London. I’ve worked in high-end salons, low-end salons, in-between-salons, and owned a salon. But, my location now, Sunshine Salon is the best of all, it has a comfortable, friendly-not-snooty atmosphere, perfect for my local clientele.

Mary: On the corner of Oak St. and Lithia Way, directly across the street from the liquor store and Puck’s donuts.

Mary: My Lavender Organic Scalp Massage is a wonderful conditioning treatment and is very relaxing. I massage lavender oil onto your hair and scalp, then rinse with lavender mint shampoo. I specialize in affordable haircare for the entire family, but especially Moms and professional women. If you want to look and feel ten years younger, I’ll color your drab gray hair (or, encourage you to keep your hair silver, if it looks good on you). I’m an expert haircolorist and haircutter. I keep up with all of the trends but I also love doing perms and shampoo sets.

Mary: There are so many great products available now, many of them made without harsh chemicals. I use a European haircolor line because it gives coverage without frying the hair. And, since I have naturally frizzy hair, and so many of my clients do too, my favorite new products are for frizzy hair. So, you can wear your hair curly without the frizz or straight and sleek without the frizz.

Mary: OK, come in and see me, but you have to bring me some of your famous popcorn!

Mary Brooks works at Sunshine Salon, 135 Oak St, Ashland,OR. She can be reached at 541-482-3839

Sequoia Pettengell

Sequoia Pettengell, owner of Sequoia Photography, specializes in weddings and surrealistic portraits. She focuses on subjects in a setting that illuminates their character and helps portray the essence of their personality. The effect is an image that creates a certain altered reality, like a whimsical scene from a fairy tale. Sequoia thanks for taking the time to speak with us today.

Sure, while in high school, I took a photography class and learned how to develop black and white prints, mostly of my friends. Then I found my mom’s color negatives from her Indonesian travels in the ‘70’s and printed them in black and white. Later I shot color slide film focusing on travel, nature, landscape and re-creation with aspirations of being a National Geographic photographer.

What have been some of your favorite photographic adventures you have gone on?

After my boyfriend-now-husband Ray and I graduated with photojournalism degrees in 2000 we gave ourselves the assignment of travel photography. For 5 months we traveled to Nepal and India, reveling in the openness of the people and extremes of the landscape. Both Nepal and India are so different than our country, I felt like everywhere I turned there was this intense beauty that I wanted to capture, even in the dirtiest cities with beggars swarming us I felt like the people were so real and raw. It’s hard to explain, but even in the remote mountain villages of Nepal the people seemed happy and at peace with their simple life styles. Although we did not travel to Tibet, I really connected with the Tibetan refugees living in Nepal and India. One day I visited The Buddhists temple where the Buddha attained enlightenment. I was sitting beneath a Bohdi tree (an offspring of the original tree planted there 2000 years ago) and a Tibetan monk was meditating beneath the tree. He offered me an orange slice and we began a friendship that has lasted to this day, we write letters to each other still.

You are also a Mother. Tell us about how this has shaped your photographic work.

It is a natural transition to slow down when you are a mother of a baby and I can’t think of a more sweet and innocent subject than a new-born.

When my daughter was born in 2004, I began to focus on babies and children which is a part of my work today. It’s a delightful challenge to capture an image of a child when he or she is not posing.

Do you have some favorite things you like photograph?
My photos have been of people outdoors in nature or in an urban setting. In either case the setting and the subject are equally important in creating the mood of the photo. Unlike a traditional environmental portrait of a person in their home or work place, I look for an outdoor setting that is inspiring. I’ve combined my love of nature or human made environments with portraits of people. I like the look of the subject who’s unaware of the camera, as well as a whimsical/fantasy look and feel that is especially fun to capture with kids because they live in their imaginations.

Over the years how has your style evolved?
Transitioning from the film to digital photography has made it possible to shoot unlimited numbers of photos. I have shifted from photographing exclusively nature, wild life and outdoor recreation to combining portraits with the environment. I use a studio, but if the weather allows I prefer to shoot outdoors using natural light.

What were your first impressions when you started your photography business?
My first wedding I was paid to photograph was in 2002. I remember working hard and thinking, “wow, I can get paid for my photography! Now I’m in business!” It was a gorgeous wedding of friends and so much fun. I loved that experience so much I committed myself to shooting weddings. I am a romantic and never get tired of capturing those magical moments.

As a professional, what’s your advice for young people just starting out in photography?
There’s nothing better than spending as much time as possible behind the camera photographing what you are most passionate about. Skills come with experience and that shines through the images.

What’s the cost of a portrait session?
I charge $150 for an hour shoot of one to four people. Included in the price are five 4X6 prints of your choice. With online viewing you have the option to order more at reprint costs or purchase digital copies.

You have lived in Ashland before. Why did you move back here?
That’s easy. I have always loved Ashland. I lived here for a year with my dad when I was 5, then again for three years with Ray while we attended Southern Oregon University. I moved back to Ashland last summer from Mt. Shasta where I’ve lived on and off since age 11 so our daughter could start Kindergarten. Mt. Shasta is a beautiful place, but the town is very small. There are more business and cultural opportunities in Ashland. Although I love to ski, I was eager to move away from the annual 5 feet of snow that accumulated outside our house because I also love gardening. I haven’t had to give up skiing and I’m already pleased with the longer gardening season in Ashland this summer.

I have two. “Do all I can with what I have, in the time I have from where I am.” And “ f-8 and be there.” Which refers to your depth of field on your camera. To capture any great sunset you have to already be set up while it is happening, not driving down the road.

Children are so expressive once you get past the pasted on “cheese” smile. It is challenging for sure, but so rewarding to capture that expressive moment especially since children rarely sit still for any length of time.

I used to work at Lela’s Café on A Street. I loved eating there even after I stopped working there which is a good sign of a good restaurant. It has been sold and is now called Playwrite, I look forward to eating there, hopefully soon.

What projects are you currently working on?
I ‘m creating photographic art work for a show next spring, a collection of scenes that will enhance your home or office printed on canvas and then wrapped over a wooden frame like an oil painting. My goal is to have the viewer ask, “Is that a painting or a photo?” That is where photography as the art form comes in. If the images move you in some way, then I have expressed my artistic self and that’s where the magic is shared. The show is planned for Pangea next May 2012.

To receive a 20% discount on a portrait session, mention this article and book by November 15, 2011.

For more information, to book a photo session or for a wedding consultation call Sequoia at (530) 261-1755 or email s@sequoiaphotography.com. To see more work visit www.sequoiaphotography.com

In Memory of Ralph Temple

Ashland has a reputation for attracting fascinating and accomplished people whose stories would span the globe and project listeners into some of the most fascinating places and situations of our time. Giants in many fields literally walk among us in this community.

One such was retired attorney Ralph Temple, a much-admired activist in the Rogue Valley whose name and likeness appeared many times in the Ashland Daily Tidings and Mail Tribune, relating to a host of important community issues over the last fifteen years. His face and voice were frequently heard on local television news broadcasts. Ralph passed away last Saturday evening, leaving a massive legacy of legislation passed, regulations drafted, and enumerable fascinating papers and articles. Even his closest friends in Ashland could not have grasped the scope of his involvement in key national affairs during his long career in Washington D.C. It would only scratch the surface of his story to say that he worked directly with Dr. Martin Luther King, Bela Abzug, and a who’s who roster of Supreme Court Justices and other luminaries.

The following article, printed in memory of Ralph, captures amazing period in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s. Ralph offers insight into issues of peaceful demonstration and free speech that have only grown more important today. Of equal interest, the story provides a glimpse into a mind that will be tremendously missed by those who love him.

In April of 1969, during the Vietnam War, I received a telephone call from Larry Scott, the leader of A Quaker Action Group, a segment of The American Society of Friends in Philadelphia. The police had told Scott that protest gatherings were not allowed at the Capitol, but the Quakers were prepared to engage in civil disobedience as part of their witnessing against the war. Scott asked me whether the Washington, D.C. chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, of which I was legal director, would represent any who might be arrested.

The ACLU’s commitment to freedoms of speech and assembly had inspired it, sometimes at great cost in popularity and financial support, to assert those rights even on behalf of groups as loathsome as American Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan. Larry Scott’s request presented a core ACLU case, citizens assembling at the seat of government to petition for a redress of grievances, an exercise of First Amendment rights, as the Supreme Court once put it, “in their most pristine and classic form.”

The ACLU maintained a list of about two hundred attorneys in Washington, D.C., who stood ready to volunteer for ACLU cases without charge — lawyers in large law firms representing corporate and other business interests, sole or small firm practitioners, academics, and law students. My job, as legal director, was to find a match for each case the ACLU undertook, a lawyer whose schedule, abilities, and preferences in civil liberties issues aligned with the case. I recruited a team of ten volunteer lawyers to deal with the Quaker cases.

The United States Capitol consists of a spacious center, 180 feet high, capped by a stately dome, and two wings, one extending north and housing the Senate, and the other extending south, for the House of Representatives. The main entrance way to the building is up the long steps, at the center of the east side of the building, sixty-five feet wide at their base. Security has turned the building into a virtual fortress today, but, back then, crowds of legislators, lobbyists, and tourists flowed over those steps every day. It was at the middle of those steps, for one afternoon a week, from late May through the summer of l969, that the Philadelphia Friends clustered in groups of ten or fifteen, and, in loud, clear voices, read from the Congressional Record the list of Americans killed in Vietnam. They were hard to miss.

The government was always on the alert in those years to stop anti-war demonstrations when it could, and promptly came up with an antiquated statute that prohibited “assemblages” on the Capitol grounds. This law had for generations been disregarded for most “assemblages” visiting the Capitol — students, boy scouts, Kiwanis clubs, religious and civic groups, and the like. However, when it came to protests against government policy, the United States Capitol Police were ready to enforce it.

Each afternoon weekly, that spring and summer, as the Quakers stood calmly reading aloud on the steps, James Powell, the Chief of the Capitol Police, recited a prepared statement over a megaphone. Powell, a West Virginian who looked like a small town sheriff, announced that, as custodian of the Capitol grounds, he was declaring the assemblage a violation of the statute, and ordering those gathered to disperse. The Chief warned that if they failed to do so they would be arrested. Each week, the Quakers quietly disregarded the Chief’s order, submitted cooperatively to arrest and booking, and were transported to the cellblock of the District of Columbia Court of General Sessions, the local court, where they would wait their turn to be arraigned.

The courthouse at 5th and E Streets, Northwest, was a three-story, rundown building in a rundown neighborhood. The lawyers who defended against the minor criminal charges over which the court had jurisdiction were the “Fifth Streeters,” sole practitioners with humble offices in the 5th street area who were appointed by the court to represent indigents and who were dependent on the meager fees paid by the court for such services. Although some were good, the Fifth Streeters usually provided scant representation in a court dispensing assembly line justice.

Courtroom 17 was where the usually sorry-looking lot arrested that day or the night before were paraded through arraignment — charged, appointed a lawyer, and fined, jailed or released on bail pending trial. The Quakers were different from most who came through Courtroom l7, different from most anti-war protesters, for that matter. They were older people, nicely dressed and dignified. Larry Scott himself was in his seventies, a tall, big-boned, big chested man, with a thick mane of white hair, a sort of beardless, gentile Moses.

Most of the Quakers arrested in the ensuing weeks were represented by our team of ACLU volunteer lawyers, but I handled the first three groups myself, to size matters up for a test case to challenge the constitutionality of the anti-assembly statute.

The first group came down from Philadelphia on a Friday afternoon, May 23, 1969. Following the arrests, Larry Scott and I met outside Courtroom l7. We were admitted to the cellblock behind the courtroom where the ten Quakers who had been arrested were being held, a barred area large enough to hold thirty or forty people. With their middle class, clean-cut appearance and meditative demeanor, they lit up the usually dingy cell. Scott introduced me, and I proceeded to advise them of the charges and the likely penalty if they pleaded guilty, probably one to five days in jail or a $25 to $50 fine. I advised them that the ACLU would file a motion to dismiss the charges on constitutional grounds, and that, in the meantime, they should plead “not guilty,” and we would ask the judge to release them on their “personal recognizance,” that is, without having to post bail.

Scott then said that the group had decided in their meeting house in Philadelphia that they would bear witness by engaging in civil disobedience, and, according to the principles of that practice, accept the punishment meted out by the court. Therefore, he said, everyone in the group was planning to plead guilty.

“Oh, no,” I said to the group. “Please don’t do that. You’re not guilty. The law they arrested you under violates the First Amendment. That’s not a legal technicality. Freedom of speech goes to the heart of what human beings are about — our need and right to express ourselves.”

“The First Amendment is an embodiment of the basic spiritual values of our society,” I continued. “That’s why the Declaration of Independence states, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.'” I paused.

“That’s what the Bill of Rights is all about — rights that come with being human — with which we are endowed, not by a benign sovereign and not by social compact — but by our Creator. Freedom of speech is G-d given,” I concluded. “We must bear witness to it, and not allow it to be desecrated.”

The judge we came before, Tim Murphy, was a conservative and hard-nosed former prosecutor, but he saw that the anti-assembly statute under which they were charged was questionable. Murphy promptly released them on their own recognizance pending trial.

Afterwards, outside the courtroom, Larry Scott took me to one side. “Ralph, we are grateful to you and the ACLU for helping us. But with all due respect, you’re a lawyer and you’re talking to our people behind prison bars. In that setting you are throwing a lot of weight.”

Of course I am, isn’t that my job, to steer my clients in the right direction, I thought.

Scott continued, “We admire your commitment to your beliefs. But we have a right, as Quakers, to meet in Philadelphia, and to reach our own decisions, based on our values, without getting down here only to have you turn everybody around. So when our people come here ready to commit civil disobedience and to plead guilty, while I respect the values you represent, please let us do our thing. Don’t take unfair advantage of us. No more cellblock speeches, please.”

Fortunately, the people who that day pleaded not guilty gave us the test cases we needed to challenge the anti-assembly law. More to the point, I thought Larry Scott was right. I apologized and promised to sin no more.

It would be weeks before the ACLU’s papers challenging the anti-assembly law would be filed, heard and decided. In the meantime, each Wednesday afternoon, the Philadelphia Quakers faithfully kept their date with Chief Powell on the Capitol steps.

The second group was arrested on Wednesday, May 28, l969, and I represented them before Judge Alfred Burka. Burka was not a bad judge. He was not dim-witted like some of the judges, and not mean like others. But he was a lightweight who had gotten his appointment to the bench through his father’s political connections — the old man owned a chain of liquor stores in D.C.

To appreciate Judge Burka’s reactions when I appeared before him for the Quakers, we must go back to an encounter I’d had with him thirteen months earlier, in April 1968, a week after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On the Thursday of the assassination, April 4, 1968, riots broke out in several major areas in Washington, D.C. By 5 p.m. billows of smoke could be seen rising for miles along the corridors of 7th and l4th Streets, Northwest, and H Street, Northeast. Angry black crowds streamed through the streets, like a river overflowing its banks, looting and setting fire to shops, destroying everything in their paths. The Mayor declared a curfew, and the police began making sweep arrests throughout these ghetto areas, gathering up everyone in sight, regardless of what they were doing, and charging them with disorderly conduct or curfew violation. In an effort to bring things under control, the government asked, and the local judges imposed, a bail of $1,000.00, unusually high for such minor charges, and applied it across the board, without regard to individual circumstances. Naturally, no one could come up with that kind of money, and the thousands swept up in the next few days stayed in jail.

By late Friday afternoon, over 2,000 African-Americans were being held, and the ACLU realized that the judges were complicit in an informal, unannounced, and unlawful suspension of the Constitution, a kind of make-shift martial law. The national ACLU’s Washington lobbyist, Larry Speiser, with whom I shared offices, helped me recruit several volunteers that weekend, and we hastily put together a federal lawsuit. By Tuesday morning, April 9th, the number unlawfully held in jail had grown to over 4,000, and we filed the suit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. We sought a temporary restraining order to stop the sweep arrests and unlawful bail-setting, and to compel the release of those being held. The suit named as defendants Harold Greene, the Chief Judge of the D.C. Court of General Sessions, another dozen judges who had imposed the $l,000 bail, the Chief of Police, the U.S. Attorney, the U. S. Marshall, the city’s Corporation Counsel, and the director of the city’s Department of Corrections.

This challenge was received by the establishment with about as much good humor as one might imagine. The reaction began with Margaret Hummer, the U.S. District Court’s motions clerk who arranged hearings before judges. This gatekeeper to the gods was a cold and haughty troll, and all lawyers with emergency motions in federal court had learned to kiss Ms. Hummer’s ring if they needed to get before a judge quickly. Checking the papers I was filing to ensure they were in correct form, Ms. Hummer snorted her indignation and said, “This is the most outrageous suit I’ve ever seen.”

It might be said in Ms. Hummer’s defense that, for those few days, many people in Washington were frightened by the riots. But I was not in the mood for the customary bowing and scraping, and was apprehensive about being subverted by administrative shenanigans. “If there is any delay in our getting before a judge, we will file a formal complaint about it,” I snapped.

We quickly got before Edward Curran, the Chief Judge, who just as quickly threw us out of court. A conservative and crusty old Irishman, Judge Curran listened calmly to the arguments presented by Larry Speiser and me. On the other side was Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Hannon, a bald and bullish man of about fifty, who bellowed in red-faced anger that he had not given up a leg in air combat over Germany in World War II to defend a country where a lawsuit like ours would be tolerated. Hannon sputtered that he was shocked that the “heretofore respected names of Larry Speiser and the ACLU would lend themselves to such a legal disgrace.” I mentally noted with some satisfaction that he did not express shock that my name was associated with the suit. The facts, when they finally emerged a year later, in the form of a gently worded report of a judicial conference committee, supported the charges set forth in the ACLU suit. But Judge Curran felt no need to schedule a trial to determine the facts, or even to pause or reflect; he simply denied our motion and dismissed the suit.

By that evening, the riots had petered out, the fires were under control, and the authorities let everyone out of jail. We decided not to appeal. Maybe those jailed would have been freed just as fast without the ACLU lawsuit. It was just as well that we filed the suit without waiting to find out.

The Washington Post, which, like Judge Curran, had no need of facts to help it render a decision, editorially lambasted the ACLU for filing so “irresponsible” a suit, and Harold Greene, the local court’s chief judge and the lead defendant in the case, denounced us in the press.

It was during the public furor over the ACLU’s suit that I received a call from Judge Alfred Burka, later to be the judge for the second group of Quakers arrested on the Capitol steps. In April 1968, when he telephoned me, I had never appeared before Burka, but we knew each other from the courthouse corridors and an occasional cocktail party.

“Was I named as a defendant in that lawsuit I’ve been reading about in the newspapers?” he heatedly demanded.

“You were, but you were in no way singled out,” I said, trying to appease him. “We named as defendants all the General Sessions judges who for those few days sat on the riot cases. Our information was that all sitting judges participated in the setting of $l,000 bonds, which is what our suit is challenging.”

“If that suit accuses me of violating anyone’s rights, it’s a damn lie, and I won’t stand for it,” he shouted.

“Judge Burka, please don’t be angry,” I implored. “We’re pretty sure that all the judges set $l,000 bonds in all these cases, but if we’re wrong, that will be cleared up.”

“You listen to me,” he said, still not denying that he had engaged in the plainly pre-planned and unlawful conspiracy to set uniform $l,000 bonds, “if you don’t immediately dismiss me from that suit, I’ll take you to the grievance committee.”

“I wish you would not take this personally,” I said, still trying to mollify him. “We named as defendants all the judges sitting on these cases. Our suit is a test case, that’s all. It’s not meant to cast personal aspersions on anyone. It’s a legal challenge to what was done. You know, that’s what the ACLU exists for, to bring such legal challenges so the courts can decide what’s legal and what’s not.”

“Don’t give me that bull,” he continued to fume. “You’re just a bunch of publicity-seeking hounds.”

A few weeks earlier, Judge Burka had been quoted in the Washington Post, criticizing the ACLU’s test lawsuits challenging laws treating alcoholism as a crime. He had questioned whether the ACLU really cared about the alcoholics it was representing in those suits, and contrasted our supposedly cold-hearted exploitation of them with the genuine human interest he showed by occasionally taking to lunch some of the chronic alcoholics who repeatedly were charged in his court.

“I’m talking about your posturing in the press,” I said, “and your hair-brained ‘take-an-alcoholic-to-lunch’ idea as a substitute for reforms in a legal system that abuses them.”

“I don’t see what’s wrong in suggesting a little human interest,” he said.

“Talk about publicity seeking,” I retorted. “But that’s beside the point. You’ve shown bad judgment in making this phone call. Now, in any case in which I appear that comes before you, I’ll have to move to disqualify you.”

“You won’t have a choice,” I parried. “This call has disqualified you. You are represented in this suit by the United States Attorney. If you have anything further to say to me about it, say it through your attorney.”

About six months later, in the fall of l968, I had an opportunity to make peace with Judge Burka. Following the arrests of several hundred anti-war demonstrators, they were brought for arraignment before several different judges. During a recess in my cases before Judge Harold Greene, I strolled across the corridor to watch a colleague, Phil Hirschkopf, representing his allotment of demonstrators before Judge Burka. There was a pause in the proceedings, and, as Hirschkopf conferred with the prosecutor, I gestured a request to approach the bench, and the Judge beckoned me forward with a smile. I leaned up to him across the bench, shook his hand, and whispered, “As far as I’m concerned, the past is water under the bridge; I’d be glad to appear before you if the occasion arises.” He returned my warmth with his handshake, and said, “I’d be glad to have you appear.”

Having thus reconciled with Judge Burka, I had no reservations on that summer Wednesday in l969 about appearing before him to represent the gentle Quakers. The marshals brought the Quakers into the courtroom from the cellblock and seated them in the jury box so that they would be at hand in a group as their cases were called, one at a time. The courtroom was crowded with spectators, including journalists covering the Quaker arrests. The first name was called, and a man from the Quaker group rose from the jury box, and, escorted by a marshal, walked forward to stand before the Judge. As he did so, I rose from my seat in the front of the courtroom and began to come forward through the short swinging doors into the well, the area in front of the judge’s bench.

Judge Burka stopped me. “Just a moment, Mr. Temple,” he said. “The court will determine who represents this gentleman.”

“The court will determine who represents him,” repeated the Judge. “Just have a seat.”

Uh-oh, I thought. What’s this? Has the damned fool forgotten that we made up?

“You are charged with unlawful entry upon the Capitol grounds, a misdemeanor,” intoned the Judge to the man standing before him. “You may plead guilty or not guilty, and you may be represented by an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, the court will appoint one to represent you.”

“Mr. Temple represents me,” responded the good Philadelphia Friend, whom I had never met.

“If you are going to have Mr. Temple represent you,” said Judge Burka, “the court will have to appoint co-counsel, because it is the experience of the court that Mr. Temple and the local ACLU are unprofessional and unethical and file false and irresponsible pleadings in court.”

A trial judge has great power over the lawyers who appear before him or her. There are literally dozens of discretionary rulings on procedure, evidence, and numerous other aspects of a case that are virtually non-appealable, not to mention those cases, both civil and criminal, in which the ultimate decision will be made, not by a jury, but by the judge. Even if a ruling can be appealed, most clients do not want or cannot afford an appeal. Lawyers, as a rule, will bend over backwards to avoid antagonizing a judge, for it can damage the interests of the lawyer’s present and future clients any time the lawyer appears before that judge. My friend, John Karr, had to start transferring to other lawyers cases that got assigned to Judge Joseph M. F. Ryan, a malevolent alcoholic who did not hesitate to vent his prejudices in his rulings. In addition, judges have the power to hold a lawyer in contempt, indeed, to have the lawyer immediately locked up. As a result, judges are subjected for years to an unhealthy daily diet of lawyer kowtowing, with the toxic effect on some of evoking the arbitrary and peevish bully within.

As an ACLU staff lawyer, I was not dependent on my practice for my livelihood, and most of my appearances were in test cases in which we and the clients were ready to appeal. This provided more room to maneuver.

“Your Honor,” I said, “I move that those remarks be stricken from the record.”

“Motion denied,” said Judge Burka. “You know very well what I’m referring to.”

“Your Honor, may I approach the bench?” I asked. If he’d give me the chance, I wanted to remind him of our courtroom reconciliation six months earlier. In any event, it was unseemly to wash laundry in open court.

“There’s no need for you to come to the bench,” he said. “You had no business naming me in that reckless lawsuit you filed during last year’s riots. Those were lies and I told you those were lies!”

“Your Honor,” I said, “the ACLU filed a test suit that was well-founded. You took personal offense, and telephoned to threaten me. Under the circumstances, I move that you recuse yourself in this case.”

“Denied,” replied the Judge. “There’s no basis for recusal; this isn’t a trial, it’s only an arraignment.”

“You’re disqualified even for arraignment,” I said. “I move that you be recused.”

“Denied,” he said. “Let’s stop wasting time and get on with these arraignments.”

“Your Honor, I renew my motion that you strike from the record your unwarranted statements.”

“Then I ask the Court to order that the court reporter provide an immediate transcript of this exchange.”

“You don’t need a court order to get a transcript, Mr. Temple,” Judge Burka said. “You can order a transcript yourself.”

“That will take two weeks,” I responded. “I move that the Court order an immediate transcript so that I can be in the Court of Appeals this afternoon.”

“All right, all right,” said the Judge. “Stop wasting time. The remarks are stricken. Now let’s get on with these arraignments.”

Judge Burka, a good man at heart, proceeded to release all the Quakers on their personal recognizance.

Having escaped a problem before the conservative Judge Murphy and the emotive Judge Burka, I was relieved the third week, as the marshals ushered the new group of thirteen Philadelphia Friends to the jury box, to see that we were before the wise, gentle, and moderately liberal chief judge, Harold Greene.

The first case was called, and Judge Greene and I ran through the litany of the arraignment process.

Harold Greene was an exceptionally good judge, but, like all of us, he bore particular imprints. As a young Jew, he and his family were forced to flee Germany in the l930s, after watching the Nazis undermine the democratic Weimar Republic with brutish rabble-rousing and violence in the streets. Judge Greene had a deep repugnance to disorder and lawbreaking, even in the form of non-violent civil disobedience.

The Judge asked the plainly unthreatening Quaker standing before him, “If the court releases you on your own recognizance pending trial, do you promise that you will not return to the Capitol grounds and engage in the same violation of the law?”

I said, “Your Honor, we do not believe there has been a violation of the law. The anti-assembly statute is unconstitutional, and we will be filing a motion to dismiss the charges.”

“Until your motion is filed, and until the court has ruled that the statute is unconstitutional,” said Judge Greene, “the law is on the books and must be obeyed.”

“I see no need for that, Mr. Temple,” responded the Judge. “It is perfectly reasonable to ask for a promise not to violate the law.”

With the Assistant United States Attorney, the court reporter, and me huddled at the bench, Judge Greene repeated in a whisper, “I don’t understand what possible objection you could have to my asking them not to break the law as a condition of release.”

“Your Honor,” I whispered back, “these people are not likely to come back here. The Philadelphia Quaker group sponsoring these demonstrations is sending different people each week. But you are not going to get a factual answer from a Quaker to a question like that; you’ll get a theological answer.”

“I’m sorry,” replied the Judge, “I think it is reasonable to ask them to obey the law.”

We returned to our places, and the Judge once more asked whether the man standing before him would commit to not repeating the acts for which he had been arrested.

The Quaker responded, “If I am moved to bear witness against the war, I will do so wherever I am called upon to do it.”

The Judge said, “In that case, you will have to post bail, which is hereby set at $300.00.” The man indicated he would not be making bail, and the marshal escorted him back to the cellblock, from which he would be transported at the end of the day to the D.C. Jail and held until trial, which would be weeks later.

The next name was called, and a woman stepped before the Judge. With me standing beside her, the customary arraignment ritual was repeated, until we reached the bail question, at which point Judge Greene asked whether the woman would promise, if released, not to commit the same acts at the Capitol. I began again to ask the Judge not to put the question, but was abruptly waved to silence. The woman replied that she could not make a commitment that might conflict with the call of Spirit. The Judge again set bail at $300.00, and this woman, too, was locked up. Judge Greene was visibly annoyed, annoyed at the Quakers, and, I was sure, annoyed at me.

“There is nothing wrong with asking the simple concession of obedience to law,” he said, shaking his head at the unreasonableness of what he clearly felt was being imposed upon him.

The third Quaker was summoned and stepped forward. When the Judge reached the problematic question, the woman replied, “I will hold the government in the light any place and any time that the Spirit moves me.”

“I am sorry,” he said, “but we are a nation of laws. We all live under the same laws, and it is the rule of law that makes our freedoms possible. If everyone chooses to do whatever he believes regardless of the law, we have chaos, destruction, tyranny. We live in a democracy. If we believe that the government’s laws or policies are wrong, we can vote the government out. It must be done in an election at the polls, not by disobedience of the law in the streets. We have an election, and then we must all abide by the results of the election. The majority decides. That’s democracy.”

The Quaker was a gray-haired woman of maybe sixty-five, tall, matronly, handsome — pure-bred Yankee. She returned Judge Greene’s steady gaze, and, in a calm but passionate voice, said, “I have traveled in the South and seen the bellies of babies swollen with hunger. And I have seen newspaper photographs of Vietnamese babies burned by napalm dropped by American planes. Napalm paid for with money that could be feeding all these babies.”

“If this is what the majority wants,” she concluded, “the majority is wrong. And I will bear witness against it.” She took a deep breath. “With my body.” Another breath. “And with my soul.”

Judge Greene sat, still shaking his head, which now hung limply as he stared down at his bench-top. Finally he said, almost muttering, “Will you promise that if you are released without bail you will not engage in disruptive or violent behavior?”

“All right,” said the Judge, “you are released on your own recognizance pending trial.”

The rest of the cases went smoothly. The only promise Judge Greene asked of the remaining Quakers was to refrain from disruption and violence, and they all promised and were all released, and the Judge called back the first two and released them as well. Before the year was over, Judge Greene conducted a hearing on the ACLU’s motion, after which he concluded that the anti-assembly statute was unconstitutional as applied to orderly protest gatherings. That ruling opened up the Capitol steps to the tens of thousands of demonstrators that followed in the bright light cast by the Quakers that summer.

BUMP - Fashion Forward Maternity and Infant clothing

Looking for fashion forward maternity and infant clothing in the Rogue Valley? Look no farther than B U M P, Southern Oregon’s premier maternity and infant boutique, located in Ashland, Oregon.

Owned and operated by Sarah and Jason Esquerra, BUMP offers expectant mothers as well as their friends and family a haven to find stylish maternity, nursing, and infant clothing, as well as accessories. We were able to catch up with Sarah and Jason and get the inside story.

Sarah and Jason, thanks for taking the time to talk with us today and tell us about your new store B U M P! Can you start by sharing a little bit behind the inspiration in bringing “B U M P” to Ashland?

We were looking to open a business in Ashland, exploring many ideas from restaurants to juice bars. Sarah had recently sold her partnership of 15 years from the Breadboard, a local restaurant, and Jason was looking to transition out of his private personal training business, My Shadow Fitness.

During this period, our plan to have a baby opened our eyes to the lack of maternity fashion offered in a boutique style atmosphere in Southern Oregon.

There also was a lack of a place that combined stylish maternity/nursing and infant clothing, provided a comfortable relaxing shopping experience, or that was dedicated to offering the personal service provided by a traditional boutique.

When Sarah became pregnant, we decided that this was the niche we wanted to fill.

What are some of the benefits your customers experience when shopping locally at your store versus shopping online our out of a catalog?

First off, we offer what no one in our area does; a place to find stylish and amazingly comfortable clothes for a woman who is expecting a child. One of our main focuses is an inviting and relaxing atmosphere, matched with personal service. We also focus on meeting special requests, and being a touch-point for the community with regards to other local businesses that serve our clientele. We want to know our customers on a more personal level, which is not the focus of a larger department store or website. Ordering maternity clothing on-line is a guessing game. We wanted to offer a comfortable space for expectant mothers to try on clothing. Especially important for the ever changing physiques of pregnancy are clothing lines that fit each stage. In the these first two months, we have already been able to adapt to customer needs, such as ordering organic baby lines and providing larger sizes for infant clothing- both in response to customer requests.

You took quite a bit of time to design the ideal maternity store, taking many needs into consideration. From mothers and babies, children, fathers, friends to grandparents, please tell us a little bit about this process and decisions behind creating your store?

Jason and I went on research trips to the San Francisco/Bay Area, Portland and Southern California, and took notes on what we felt worked best for our customers

We researched everything from the music down to the seating arrangements. We also looked at both baby and maternity stores and meshed the two of those together to create what we felt would suit the needs of our customers best.

One of the most important decisions that we had to make involved picking the right colors to serve as a backdrop to our many styles of maternity and infant clothing. We wanted to create an atmosphere that was both relaxing and inviting.

One of the aspects of design that we found lacking in most of the city boutiques was a comfortable place to sit. You will find many cozy places to rest while shopping at BUMP.

We took this into consideration when creating the dressing room spaces as well. They are roomy, with plenty of space for a stroller, diaper bag or friend to sit with you.

BUMP not only specializes in maternity clothing but is also available with great choices of gifts for baby showers and more. Can you give us some ideas of what we might expect to find?

We offer gift certificates, are open to reserving the space for a personalized shower or private fitting. We can create custom gift baskets, have a wide variety of shower gifts, from plush animal rattles, whimsical accessories, swaddles, coordinating outfits, diaper bags, as well as pamper gifts for mom, such as the luxurious Mama Mio skincare line, and lingerie.

Tell us about your mascot Zilla, how has she played a role in the creation of the store?

Zilla is our 8 year old pocket pom who likes to pretty much go wherever we go, which included the remodel of the store. Before the store was even open, people walking by would come in to see her, so we decided to include her on our website. Now, some people come in just to see her, so we update her webpage at www. BumpAshland.com on a regular basis.

In maternity wear, we offer amazing lines such as Michael Stars, Olian, Japanese Weekend, Ingrid and Isabel, Maternal America, Nuka and Lilac. We loved the style, quality and versatility of these lines. These lines are designed to be worn not only during pregnancy, but can be worn before and after as well. Also, we are carrying a great yoga line, Zohba, and many nursing friendly clothes as well.

For our infant clothing, we offer a range of newborn lines, such as Kissy Kissy, Baby Mio, and Beba Bean knit wear. These are soft, beautiful pieces. Infant up to two year lines include Wry baby, Lollybean (fun two piece outfits and hoodies) and Sckoon organics.

I also understand that Sarah is also a customer of the store. CONGRATULATIONS! When is your baby due, and what has been Sarah’s favorite fashion to wear this season?

Baby Nate is due October 27! Sarah has worn lots of Isabel and Ingrid leggings and tank tops, Michael Stars tunics, Olian dresses and leggings, and the asymetrical Nuka dress currently hanging in the front window!

You are asking for feedback from your customers; tell us a little bit about this?

When you are starting with only two peoples’ opinions, the variety can be somewhat limited. Taking input from customers is a vital part of the process, especially during this all important first year of business. We feel that being open and flexible to adapting to our customers needs will help us build a strong base and give us an idea of what best serves the community.

Tree House Books

Jane, thanks so much for doing this interview with us. So, tell us how it happened that you came to be the owner of the new store?
My mother Ruth Ann was in buying books for her grandchildren, when her friend Muriel Johnson told her the bookstore was for sale and that she was retiring after being there for 24 years. We knew instantly that this was the business for our family.

Tree House Books has an interesting history, as the store itself is located in the old Ashland Bank- with the bank vault now called The Secret World. Give us a little rundown on some of the history behind the Tree House.
Well, as well as housing Ashland Bank in the early 1900’s, it was also a mortgage company, a men’s clothing store called “Adam’s Leaf” and Rare Earth had a short stint here.

What was your first goal in taking over the book store?
We want to honor the longstanding tradition of providing the Rogue Valley and its visitors with an outstanding selection of children’s literature, and to add a touch of pixiedust. We have added more bookshelves for our growing collections and many sparkly treasures to make shopping at Treehouse an adventure for the imagination.

Please share some memories with us around your own childhood and the reading of children’s books?
Both Dirk and I have always been enthusiastic readers since early childhood. He read every kid’s book in his entire childhood library and then went on to read the grown-up books. My uncle Roger Murray always gave books as gifts to me and all of his nieces and nephews. (His son Ian worked at the Tree House for the past year through the end of summer.) For me, the favorites were the Hobbit & the Lord of the Rings trilogy, A Wrinkle in Time series, the Narnia series and Watership Down. On family camping trips my parents indulged our desire for comic books – Wendy and Caspar the Ghost, Archie, & Richie Rich. Heh heh.

How about raising your own kids?
Our kids are Alena -22, Brenna-20, and Talen-19, all of whom help out in the store when they are living in Ashland. Our favorite read-aloud series when they were young was Harry Potter, and it was hard to wait for each new book to come out. All of our children’s grandparents are avid readers, and they always gave us books for gifts, so we had a great selection at home. We also have fond memories of going to the Ashland Public Library and leaving with heaps of great books to borrow.

You created a new space opening up the windows more, letting in more light, painting, rearranging books shelves and creating a new kids space in the back room. Tell us about the inspiration behind your work?
We inherited a tremendous amount of goodwill when we bought the store. So many people express how much they have always loved the store, and how grateful they are that it is still thriving. We feel so lucky to be there, and I love the work that I get to do. New community events will continue to grow at Tree House. We strive to make the Tree House an even more magical place than ever by planning fun events for kids. Along with our monthly First Friday Artwalk Imagination Celebrations, we hosted the First Annual Talk Like a Pirate Treasure Hunt with 9 other children-friendly shops downtown.
We want to make Tree House the fun store that uplifts the spirit and brings joy to our customers. We want to inspire curiosity and the love of reading.

What would be your top holiday gifts you might recommend this season?
1) Storyworld – Create-a-story kit for storytellers of all ages
2) Silk and Bamboo Kites from Weifang, China, the kite capital of the world
3) The Legos Book of Ideas – Ideas to use the legos that you already own.
4) Fandex Family Fieldguide of Knowledge – beautifully illustrated decks of cards on various topics
5) Folkmanis Puppets
6) Children’s Spirit Animal Cards with guidebook
7) Star War’s Wookie’s Cookie Cookbook
8) Little Box of Mermaid and Fairy Treasures – include both books, crafts & a mini doll
9) Wonderlust – by Brian Selznick, author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret (also a great book!)

How about top travel entertainment books?
1) Orgami on the Go
2) Travel Bingo game
3) Olivia (traveling case)
4) Papertoy Monsters
5) The Creativity Books (Dragon, Pirate, Princess, etc)

Your favorite kids story of all time?
Dirk’s is Ferdinand the Bull, and mine is The Hobbit, although that doesn’t feel right to only get to pick one!

Who is the most mysterious character you have read of recently?
That is definitely Mr. Papers, a monkey who communicates through origami, in local author Christy Raedeke’s Prophecy of Days series, which was the book for last month’s secret book club.

Have you done “The Wild Rumpus”?
We actually did our version of this at our store’s blessing party with our friends last year inside Tree House. If anyone was looking in the windows at that time, now you know what “That” was about! It also involved a Scottish ditty that my grandpa James taught me…Eerie Orey Ickery Umm!

Any suggestions to parents looking for a good book series for 12 – 14 year old girls?
We like the Prophecy of Days books, the Kiki Strike series, Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, and also a new book by Catherynne M. Valente called The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her own Making (first in a series).

Have you found Waldo?
We Always L ove Dreaming Outloud. Seriously though, the new Waldo Postcard book is awesome!

Last but not least, I know you have a long list of exciting things to share with the community, Can you share a couple with us?
Currently we are hosting The Secret Book Club for kids ages 7 to 14.
This season we are planning a lantern-making workshop and inviting families to join us in the Festival of Lights procession.
Our annual Grandparent’s Sale is the 4th week in November-exact dates tba.
Details of all of our events are posted on our website ashlandchildrensbooks.com and our Tree House facebook page.

Any last words or advice for our readers?
Thank you for your gracious support and encouragement. We love our town, our customers and our little store. We have something for everyone, as there is no age limit to fun and an appreciation for learning and whimsy!

Your Contact Information:
Phone 541.482.9616
Hours 10-5pm Mon, 10am to 6pm Tue – Sat, 11am to 5pm Sun.
Web ashlandchildrensbooks.com
Address 15 North Main Street, across from the Lithia Water Fountain

Dan's Shoe Repair - Shoes that Last A Lifetime

Less than fifty years ago having a good quality pair of shoes was the norm in America. Most shoes owners went to great lengths to keep shoes cleaned and maintained. Very rarely was a shoe ever thrown away.

That all began to change around 1957 with the explosive growth of the tennis shoe. This year alone saw more than six hundred million pairs of shoes sold. By the 1980’s tennis shoes where EVERYWHERE including the landfill. Millions of sneakers now rotting.

So.. why when we talk about sustainablity are we not talking about shoes that actually last a life time.
I decide to speak with Dan Shulters to learn more.

Dan, thanks for doing this interview with us today. Can you start by telling me a little bit
about your business. I understand that shoes have been a way of life for you and your family for a very long time?

My Father was a farmer, in the late 30’s he moved his family to Southern California, Just before wwII he worked for Food Machinery corporation as a welder, the company switched to making tanks during WW II, and he welded tanks. After the war he went to shoe repair school and the rest is history. We moved to Oregon in 1971 and my family bought a shoe repair shop in forest Grove Or, just west of Portland. My dad’s name was Hal, and there was already a Hal’s shoe repair in Oregon, and the other shop in town was named Dave’s, so he bought my name for a hot fudge sundae and Dan’s shoe repair was born. In 1975 they added to the shoe repair shop a licensed vocational school which taught shoe repair, the student had become the teacher. I worked in the shop during high school and helped teach during the summers while I was in college. I became a Police Officer and ended up in Corvallis, Or. In 1986 they sold the Forest Grove shop and moved to Corvallis and opened up business, both the shop and the school. I helped out when I wasn’t writing tickets. In 1997 just in time for the Ashland flood my family moved to Ashland. I spent a few years deciding what to do, and it wasn’t starting over working graveyard as a cop. I decided to start a pick up location, shoe repair model, and one day decided to stop by the cobblers bench in Ashland. I introduced myself to the owner, Joe Nab, told him what I was going to do, to which he replied “you should just buy my shop”. I did and Dan’s shoe repair came to Ashland. We have been here now 8 ½ years
You have raised your family in Ashland and actively volunteer with the Mt. Ashland Youth Ski Program. Will you tell us a bit about this?

When we arrived in Ashland, my oldest son Cory was in 3^rd grade, my second boy, Mike was in second, Christina was a kinder and Nicole wasn’t in school yet. All the children attended Helman, AMS, and Nicole is currently co-student body president and a senior at AHS.

All the children have helped at the shop at one time or another. Nicole currently works here when she has time.

When the children were at Helman they participated in the after school ski program. We stayed involved and eventually become leaders in the program. Along with Donna Jones I coordinate what is now called Ashlandski.org. This program works with Mnt. Ashland and provides a five week educational skiing and snowboarding experiences for children from the4^th to there 8^thgrade.

Quality. Unless you plan to destroy your boots or shoes for a project, buying quality may be more money up front, but will show savings down the road. Quality shoes fit better thus they are more comfortable and support and protect your feet better. They last longer, they can be repaired, and keep more shoes out of the landfill.

We see a fair amount of customers buying boots and shoes, then coming to us to modify them so they will work for them, sometimes spending as much on the custom modification as they did the footwear. In most cases they could have purchased footwear from us that would have work upon arrival.

Dan’s Shoe Repair provides a few lines of shoes and boots available only available in your store., and what about shoes for women? Will you tell us more?

Lucchese hand made cowboy boots for men and women, have been artfully creating boots in El Paso TX by hand since 1883. They are made from premium leathers and exotics. Lucchese offers stock models in the 1883 line, or more options through the cowboy/cowgirl line, or complete customization available in the Classic line. Lucchese also offers a western themed fashion line called Charlie 1 horse. This line is designed and owned by Lucchese but made by Cole Haan.

Viberg Boots is a line of work, logging and safety boots made by hand in Victoria Canada. It is a third generation family business which has be making quality boots since 1935. They select their leather carefully from all over the globe only accepting the very best. Viberg boots can be customized or ordered as stock selections, they are tools befit for the most demanding of users.

Tauer & Johnson offer made to order / custom fine men’s and women’s footwear. Offering a wide variety of styles and leathers to choose from. The customer selects a style, type of leather, color or combination, makes a sole preference, and is then sized in the shop for a perfect fit. Fit is always guaranteed. There are casual, dress, dress boot and golf options. For women there is a selection of four different styles with different leather and color option. These shoe are rebuildable and can last a lifetime. They are made by hand for that customer in León, Mexico. The L. A. Times says, “Shoes are to this industrial city, what cars are to Detroit.”

All American boot company offers hand made fire, police, motor boots and equestrian boots. Created in Southern California all boots and available as stock options or as custom creations. Equestrian boots offer custom leg sections or foot and leg assuring the finest fit, quite often pricing very close to a off the shelf Chinese brand name boot.

I also work with Gene Nawrocki, and offer custom made leather belts, wrist bands and barrettes for sale. You may have seen Gene in the Artisan’s market this summer and we share a booth at the 4^th of July. Gene or I can make almost anything you might desire. We cut these belts from the hide ourselves and they could last a lifetime.
You guys have a t-shirt which says “Dan’s Shoe Repair – The Original Recyclers”. Will you share a little bit about this and the mentality behind a disposable shoe culture?

People are concerned about what is going into the landfills, but I don’t think they stop to consider how many running type shoes, made of mainly made materials, are ending up in the landfills.

We can repair almost anything. We prefer and believe it is wiser to buy quality and repair quality. We often have customers come in and when quoted the price for repair, they respond, “a new pair is only a little more” and leave to buy a new pair. What they don’t realize is the repaired shoe would most likely be better because of the replacement material used, but it would also keep those shoes out of the landfill. And wouldn’t support another being made on the back of a underpaid worker.

Will you tell me about the sole to soul program you are a part of and how people in the community can participate?

Soles4Souls is a Nashville-based charity that collects shoes from the warehouses of footwear companies and the closets of people like you. The charity distributes these shoes to people in need, regardless of race, religion, class, or any other criteria. Since 2005, Soles4Souls has delivered over 16 million pairs of new and gently worn shoes. The shoes have been distributed to people in over 127 countries, including Kenya, Thailand, Nepal and the United States. Soles4Souls has been featured in Runner’s World, Ladies’ Home Journal, National Geographic’s Green Guide, and The New York Times. It has appeared on CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, BBC, CNN and thousands of regional news outlets across North America. Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS and donating parties are eligible for tax advantages. Anyone can join our cause, and we need your help. Dan’s is a drop off point for gently used shoes of any type. Don’t worry about the style there is need for everything. You can drop off you shoes, or if you want to sponsor the shipment of a box, you may, and would receive recognition from Soles for Souls for the value of the shoes and shipping.

A few years ago a young man in his late 20’s happened to park in front of the shop. He came in and told me the he worked in the tree trimming arena and had a pair of $300.00 boots which were worn out and was happy he had to buy a new pair. He inquired can something like this be repaired. After I told him what we could do and the price, he literally jumped for joy around the shop. No one had ever told him boots could be repaired.

So, why are people throwing their shoes up onto telephone wire lines?
You can see this all around the world.

I don’t know. It is called Shoe flinging or “shoefiti” There are a lot of reasons why people think it is done, but I think every flinger has their own reason.

You mentioned on the phone that your shop is repairing shoes from all round the country?

Because of the internet we receive repair work from all over the country. Through our website www.repairmyfootwear.com we receive inquiries from people who don’t have a shoe repair shop in their area, or don’t care for their local service. While I haven’t recorded all of the states we have received repair work from Maryland, New York state, Arizona, California, Virginia and Florida to name a few.

What would be a great holiday gift someone could pick up this season from you?

Quality boots and shoes always make a great gift. Check us out at www.ashlandboots.com for a direct look at boots, you can also visit out manufacturers through their links for a look through their collections. Anything you see online is available through Dan’s.

We also have shine kits, shoe horns, shine boxes and other quality items which make great gifts.

We welcome you to stop it and say hi. You will most likely be greeted by David, who will make your visit most enjoyable. We offer quality shoe and boot care items, leather, insoles, foot care needs, and the world’s best shoe wax and polishes. Thank you for supporting us now and in the future, we hope Ashland always has a fine shoe/boot shop to provide service to the community.

Cindy Bettencourt - Preserving Your Beauty As You Age

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Cindy Bettencourt. A cosmetologist for over thirty years who is now working at the Waterstone Salon. Cindy shared her story with me of how she works to touch and inspire the lives of her clients by helping them feel more youthful. I thought this was an interesting topic and asked her to share more about her work and experience.

Cindy, Thanks for speaking with us today. Can you begin by sharing a little behind how you first got started as a cosmetologist and what inspired you to help people in this way?

I have always been attracted to fashion and all of the components that create a “great look”. I recognized this at an early age and attended Beauty College in California, graduating in 1978. After graduation I opened my own salon in Modesto, California. I enjoyed running my own shop for the next ten years. My philosophy was that getting your hair done should be fun.

As you began to go through school and have experience working with clients what did you start to hear and notice many of your older clients were requesting?

Quite often, my mature clients wanted subtle highlights and consultations about makeup. As I settled into being a salon owner I developed a good ear for listening to what my clients wanted. I attended multiple seminars for color and style and always kept up with the latest trends and variations of true classic cuts. I also subscribed to many magazines to keep pace with the changing look of fashion. This additional education started to have results. When I tried something new at the shop I would attract an audience. I also received feedback that my clientele were telling others about how happy they were. I felt like I was pushing the fashion envelope for the positive.

You had mentioned that the average age client you are working with might be in their 50’s. Can you talk about how you are helping them to achieve more youthful and uplifting appearances?

I have a variety of clients at the Waterstone Salon in Ashland. I use my 30 years of experience to advise everyone what would best compliment their natural beauty. Many of my clients are mature. I find there are challenges as we age. I advise my clients about the pros and cons of color. There is always the re-growth and upkeep factor to consider. The style and length for a more mature client is important. I also talk with them about makeup and accessories. It is very rewarding to me when I suggest a look for someone and then see their eyes light up when they see the transformation. I feel I specialize in bringing out the best in everyone that I work with.

Can you talk about having gray hair and in particular to women who might be thinking of growing their hair out?

Consulting with clients about the condition, style, look, and the color of their hair is one of the most important elements of my job. The issue of going gray or coloring is a big topic. Being a mature woman myself I am sensitive to how this can be a difficult decision. What many people don’t realize is that the right style can make gray hair look great. I think that your hair should reflect and enhance your confidence in yourself. This is what I try to achieve with each client. When I consult with someone we take it step by step. It is exciting to watch the transformation.

How did you decide this was your specialty to help people feel more youthful? Working with older clients has been an evolution. Being 56 myself, I have considered it a priority to continue my education with the latest styles and techniques, so I can look my best. I love watching TV shows that deal with salons and fashion. I spend time on the web, and read magazines related to fashion. I also attend seminars to keep up on new products that are available. It is a labor of love for me because keeping up on the latest trends helps me to give my clients knowledgeable options. This is especially appreciated by my more mature clients.

Coloring someone’s hair is an art that I have perfected over the last 30 years. I have been told my entire career that I have a good eye for color. I like to create color schemes that subtly change in different light. A person’s hair is usually not one simple color. It is a blend of various colors. I love to blend subtle shades of the same color that create a more realistic look. I encourage people that have questions about what color would look best on them to come and get a free consultation. I enjoy discussing the best way to achieve a look with using color, or perhaps just working with a person’s natural color as is.

Give us an overview of what different clients of different ages might be asking for when coming to you to do their hair as they age? My clientele at the Waterstone Salon range from 25 to 65 years old. My younger clients mostly want color and length. The slightly older client wants a style that is easy to maintain color-wise and still keep a reasonable length. This is usually the busy mom set. The 50 and above clients are looking for advise about the style and the use or not of color. I try to teach this group how to maintain a more youthful look combining hairstyle, makeup, and accessories such as earring and other jewelry. I have had great success showing clients style options that they didn’t know were available.

The majority of my clientele are women though I do quite a few men’s haircuts. The right cut on a man can be just as important as a woman. I love to create styles that bring out people’s personal power.

For the woman that has questions about the use of color or going natural, I encourage them to come see me. I love to share my knowledge of fashion and styles that change not only the way they look but how they feel.

What other suggestions do you have for women who might want to feel more youthful in their appearance?

Age has a lot to do with attitude. The right style, with tasteful makeup and accessories can help you to feel younger. I love to create “a look” that gets someone excited about their appearance.

If someone has not been to the Waterstone Salon I invite them to come and enjoy the atmosphere that has been created here. I want people to have fun when they come in. I enjoy going the extra mile with my clients so they get a lot of attention and really know what they are getting.

The Waterstone Salon is located at 14 First Street in Ashland. The phone number is (541) 488-3700. Waterstonesalon.com

HOSPICE UNIQUE BOUTIQUE

A nonprofit, upscale resale boutique that offers donated and high-quality, well-priced furniture, art, clothing, jewelry, household and vintage items. Customers receive good value and a great shopping experience, and new selections arrive daily. Proceeds support Southern Oregon Friends of Hospice.

1618 Ashland Street, located between Wiley’s World and Wendy’s in the Ashland Shopping Center.

Tuesday – Saturday, 10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. in the Fall & Winter and open till 6 p.m. in the Spring & Summer.

Yes, all donated items, clothing, furniture, etc. are tax deductible. We depend on the generosity of our community members for donations. Gently used family treasures are accepted at the shop on Tuesday – Saturday, 11a.m. – 4 p.m.. Please call if you have furniture to donate. Arrangements can be made for furniture pick up. Talk with Rhea: 541-488-7805.

Rhea Harlow, our energetic store manager, is a paid employee. Everyone else is a volunteer.

Volunteers are needed and no experience is necessary! Young or old, male or female, if you enjoy meeting people, having fun and helping a worthy organization, contact the shop at 541-488-7805.

The boutique was started in 2009 by Southern Oregon Friends of Hospice, a non- profit organization committed to providing financial support for end-of-life care programs in Jackson and Josephine counties.

Southern Oregon Friends of Hospice, a non-profit organization, was started in 2008 out of a dream to open a hospice house in the Rogue Valley. We support the belief that hospice is an essential component of end- of-life care and encourage all individuals who have received a terminal diagnosis to enroll in hospice. The goal of hospice is to improve quality of life in the patient’s last months focusing on comfort care, control of pain, and symptom management.

Our first project was to create a funding source for the organization by opening the Hospice Unique Boutique resale shop in Ashland in 2009.

In 2010 the organization celebrated the one-year anniversary of Hospice Unique Boutique by granting $5000.00. This was shared among four hospices in the Rogue Valley, the Threshold Choir (women singing at the bedside of hospice patients) and WinterSpring Center for Bereavement and Loss.

In 2011, the organization celebrated the second anniversary of Hospice Unique Boutique by awarding grants of $10,000 to organizations working to support end- of-life issues: COHO (Considering Options, Honoring Options), Asante Hospice, Providence Hospice, Ashland Hospice, Lovejoy Hospice and Winterspring Center for Grief and Bereavement.

Be Cherished

Susan Zastoupil is the owner and founder of Be Cherished in Ashland, OR, a full service salon and retail store. Be Cherished opened its doors September 2010 and hosts a variety of different services.

We decided to catch up with Susan to find out more about her business as well as to get the inside scoop for this local holiday season.

Susan, thanks so much for taking time to speak with us. Can you begin with giving us a little bit of a story behind how you created Be Cherished?

I understand you work with a great staff, will you take a moment to introduce us?

This Holiday season what would be the ultimate gift pack we could put together for mom? And Dad?

Time to Be In The Forest - Diarmuid McGuire & The Green Springs Inn

Whenever the time comes that I’ve had enough of town life, I automatically start thinking about heading one direction, up into the mountains and towards the Green Springs. Within fifteen minutes of departing Ashland you begin the ascent up the Green Springs Highway. It’s a road to take your time on, to slow down and reflect.

You wind higher and higher with each curve. On any freezing fog day in the Rogue Valley “bowl,” you can almost be guaranteed that you will encounter glorious sunlight as you climb. Then into the silent and green forest you head. It might be raining, snowing, or simply calm. The weather changes constantly. One thing for sure is that the air is fresh and silence will surround you.

As you cross the summit you can either go for a hike on the Pacific Crest Trail or head on towards the Green Springs Inn.

The Inn is like a little oasis in the forest——a meeting place for the community of the Green Springs and visitors to gather, share a drink or enjoy a bite of breakfast. It’s the “go to” place you stop in at when passing though the neighborhood.

Now, I won’t say more and risk giving away the secret of how lovely this place really is. I want to take another angle with this article, to acknowledge Diarmuid McGuire Pam Marsh and their entire family for all the hard work, effort and vision that has gone into creating such a lovely forested retreat.

I tend to notice this stuff. If you’re self employed, you look at things a bit differently. You do the math, count the hours and ponder the behind the scenes mechanics of how it all works. You realize that, to pull something like this off, these folks must be doing something right

I wanted to take you behind the scenes with me so that you could learn a little more about the vision behind this thriving micro economy in the forest. From the running and managing of a restaurant, the hosting of marriages and all types of special event, to the Inn and five vacation cabins.

Diarmuid, thank you for talking with us today. We would love to hear more about your story and how your Green Springs Inn project came to be. Will you start by sharing a little of the vision behind the Green Springs Inn, it’s cabins, restaurant and stewardship of the forest?

Diarmuid: Thanks for asking, Shields. To summarize, we’re aiming to do two things. First, we’re trying to protect and restore a small piece of a great forest. We own a 150-acre parcel that was previously Boise Cascade property. By creating an economy on that property, we hope to save it from being logged again. A few human lifetimes down the road, we hope it will be what it was 100 years ago——a magnificent forest of eight-foot-diameter sugar pines and Douglas firs and cedars.

Our other goal is to give people an opportunity to experience this forest and, in fact, to help us save it. By being our guests and eating in our restaurant and sleeping in our cabins, people can in effect adopt trees that would otherwise become forest products.

Shields: I just saw Sunset Magazine recognized the work that you and your family are doing up there.

Diarmuid: We’re really excited about what we’re doing. Actually the most powerful incentive that we have is the response that we get from people who come visit us and look around. They are often very enthusiastic and that re-energizes us every time.

Shields: The guest log-books in the cabin are really amazing. People write about how blown away they are and how they are coming back and telling their friends. By the way, I understand that you built all the cabins yourselves.

Diarmuid: Well, we started off thinking about how we could build something here with the smallest possible carbon footprint. We thought about various construction technologies, like straw bale, but we ended up deciding to use dead and dying timber off the property. This may seem contradictory because one of our objectives is to save trees. But all lumber is not created equal. The two by four that you buy in Oregon these days come from a tree that was cut down in British Columbia. That wood travels thousand of miles to a sawmill and a finishing mill and a distribution center and a lumberyard before it reaches your construction site. We figured that we could save all that travel, all that fuel, by milling material on site and building cabins out of it.

We are going on from there to solar panels and wind power and various other energy efficient technologies. But using resources right here in front of us is the foundation of our approach.

Then Paddy and I sat down to figure out what a really efficient cabin would like. A big part of the solution is staying small. Our property is zoned FR or Forest Resource. We are permitted to build seasonal hunting and fishing cabins, which are limited to 600 square feet of interior floor space. We didn’t want more than that. So our typical cabin has a living area, a small kitchen, a bathroom, private bedroom and a loft for the kids. We added decks and put the Jacuzzi tubs outside. Of course, we insulated the heck out of the whole structure.

Shields: I read that on your website of that you and your wife raised your kids up there with everyone participating in one fashion or another from washing dishes to building.

Diarmuid: It’s a family business in every sense of the word. Pam’s parents, Walt and Barb Marsh, have been a big part of the adventure from the day we bought the business in 1994. All four of our kids lived with us in our apartment above the restaurant and worked downstairs for at least part of their teenage years. It wasn’t always easy, but I think we agree that it has been a heck of an education.

Shields: What was it like in the Green Springs when you guys first moved there? You now have created a micro economy with the restaurant and the cabins.

Diarmuid: The Green Springs has evolved over the years. It used to be essentially a series of little logging communities along highway 66. In those days, it was a place where people worked close to home. But the time we arrived, it was a place where people retired or commuted to jobs in the valley.

One part of the past that has survived is our country school. Pinehurst is the last independent rural school district in Western Oregon with about 25 to 35 kids enrolled every year in grades kindergarten through eight.

Pinehurst is a big reason why this community continues to exist. People can live here and send their kids to school right in the neighborhood. We have been able to create jobs nearby, but if families were not living here we would have a hard time staying open in the first place..

Shields: People should understand where the Green Springs is located. It’s very rural. If you are not working in the community you are commuting the 25 or 35 minutes or 45 minutes into the town.

Diarmuid: Right now we have about 20 people on our payroll. We have people cleaning cabins, helping mill the lumber, waiting tables, cooking. Of course we’re seasonal, so we have more people in the summer. The Inn actually supports a significant part of the community. We have maybe a hundred families up here total.

Shields: I think that’s really neat how everyone working together creates a micro-economy. And the Inn is also a center for the Green Springs community.

Diarmuid: Community depends on people being in communication. That happens naturally in our place. Of course the school also brings people together because so many people work or volunteer there. We also have a fire department that we started up a few years ago.

Shields: Where did the community building spirit come from come from in your life Diarmuid?

Diarmuid: Somebody else would have to help me with that question. But my first experience out of college was in the Peace Corps in East Africa. I was a teacher in rural Uganda down toward Congo. Then I had a career in the Bay Area doing marketing. But various things came along my life including four kids. I think I missed the relationships you have in a smaller community.

Diarmuid: We were here for 10 years before we were able to buy the 150-acre Boise property next to the Inn. People had been asking us about cabins but we had no place to build them. That opportunity came along in 2003 when were able to buy the land. Meanwhile our son Padraic had graduated from Ashland High School and earned a degree in construction engineering from Montana State University. He jumped in, started building a road into the property and quickly became the leader of the construction process.

Diarmuid: Yes, and we are in the process of building five more. We put in the septic and the waterlines this past summer. We’ll start building them in the spring.

Shields: We loved the cabin we stayed in. I was really impressed with just the craftsmanship.

Diarmuid: I think that people like the simplicity. Paddy did a great job of designing the interiors and detailing sort of the living spaces. The ceilings are high and we use a lot of wood for wainscoting and paneling and so forth. In the kitchen, we designed cabinets are open and they have glass shelves. You can keep them clean easily and they don’t take space away from the interior.

Diarmuid: When people are in the cabins we heat primarily with wood from the property. We use a lot of wood that is left over from sawmill operation. You don’t want to see the whole world heat with wood but on the other hand it’s a resource that is right in front of us. It’s plentiful and it renews itself. One of the great things about a forest is that it is growing all the time. So, we can harvest a certain amount of carbon and use it but at end of the year there is actually more carbon locked up in the trees than there was at the beginning. Our carbon account is in the black, so to speak.

Diarmuid: We are inside the boundary of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. It was created by presidential decree at the end of the Clinton Administration in the year 2000. This is first monument that was established specifically for the purpose of preserving a piece of the environment. The Siskiyous are a high elevation land bridge that connects the Cascades with the coastal ranges. Several biological communities converge here and create a lot of genetic diversity. The wilderness around here been treated pretty harshly for the past five or six generations but there is a lot of environment left to save.

You know one of the markers of environmental health is the behavior of the wildlife. For example, we have lots of bears in our community. Unlike Yellowstone or parts of Alaska, our bears are good neighbors. They live like bears. They have an abundant supply of berries and insects and things they eat in a natural state. Generally they don’t get into our garbage or interact with people. When we had a problem a couple of years ago, we solved it by changing our own behavior. Mainly we learned to take better care of our trash containers.

Shields: What sort of of opportunities can you offer people who come up here?

Diarmuid: Actually many times people tell us about the opportunities. For example couples come by on bicycle expeditions. They might stay with us for a night and head up to Crater Lake. You ride hundreds of miles on paved and unpaved logging roads and never see a car. Then the butterfly people come and tell us about some of the things that they have observed in our mountains. Incidentally, Vladimir Nabokov, the author, was a lepidopterist. He stayed a year or so in Ashland back in the day and collected rare butterfly species in the Siskiyous. This is also a great area for birds. The Lower Klamath Lake Wildlife refuge is hour’s drive to the east. During the winter, when migratory birds converge there, you can see, 500 or a thousand bald eagles at a time. Did I mention fly fishing? A guy came in the other day and told me he has seen 15 or 18-inch redband trout in Jenny Creek which, incidentally, has been restored in the Box O Ranch area as a result of a lot of hard work on the part of the Bureau of Land Management.

Diarmuid: You probably know that the Pacific Crest Trail crosses Highway 66 right at Green Springs Summit. You can actually see the trail on the ridge opposite our cabins. We get to meet incredible people every summer who are trekking from the Mexican border up to the Canada.

Shields: How are you getting the word out about what you’re doing and attracting people?

Diarmuid: The first 10 years or so we had to depend primarily on word of mouth. There was no way that a business like this could afford to buy much print or electronic advertising. But the Internet has completely transformed our business. The first summer that we opened the cabins a few people by in and discovered us. At the end of that season I started to hear about something called Trip Advisor. Some of the people who had stayed here put reviews on this website. When I first looked at it, we were ranked the number three hotel in Ashland. A couple of weeks later we were up to number one. It turned out that Trip Advisor is a huge thing. It has millions of visitors and deals with travel worldwide. Suddenly this one site gave us visibility. By the third summer we were booked solid from June until September. Previously we depended mostly on people from the Rogue Valley and Klamath Basin. Now we get guests from Japan and Europe and so forth. The majority of our visitors are from the I-5 corridor: Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Southern California.

Diarmuid: Well come on by, or look at our website, which is greenspringsinn.com. We have an availability and reservation page on there. But I hope people just come up and help us figure out how to make this thing work better. We are trying to do something that will be part of a future when most people are probably living in urban places. But all of us still need to understand the natural world, be part of it, feel connected to it. We are trying to build a getaway wilderness community. We hope people will come back, bring their children back, learn about the place and help sustain it over the years.

Shields: Great. That’s awesome. Well, Diarmuid, thanks for talking with me today.

Left Coast Barber

Left Coast Barber is not your grandpa’s barbershop. With an eye for detail and attention to stylish hair cuts for men at a reasonable price, Matt Case has opened his doors to Ashland.

Matt, thanks for doing this interview with us today. So tell us how this all started. When you first got started in doing hair and when you decided that you wanted to do your own barber shop?

Tell us a little bit about your barber shop. What have you done to create it into a unique space?

Tell us a little bit about your training?
I studied barbering at the Oregon Institute of Cosmetology in Medford and completed my studies in 2004, being the very first GUY to graduate from the school.

At one point you were done with working in Salons and simply wanted to do things your way. Any comment?
I really wanted to focus on men’s hair so its only natural that I would look to open a barber shop. Having my own shop gives me the freedom to create a unique atmosphere. Almost every person that walks through my door comments on how “cool” the place looks.

Best compliment you ever received after you gave someone a hair cut?
I have a few clients who live out of state and they wait till their travels bring them to Ashland to get their hair cut at my shop. That to me is a huge compliment.

Your brother and his wife own Case Coffee Roasters and you guys are a stones throw away from them. How’s this going for you?
Tim and Kati do such a great job and they have been so helpful in sending some of their customers my way. Plus, I can’t complain about being a few steps away from the best coffee in Ashland.

The space you are in actually was already a barber shop owned by Floyd Grimes for nearly 30 years. When he decided to retire you came in and took over the spot. Can you share a little about this story?
For years whenever I would pass by Floyds shop with friends I would always joke that I was going to open my own barber shop if that space became available. One day there was actually a for rent sign in the window and I knew I couldn’t let the opportunity pass me by. After the keys were in my hand I recruited my dad and we set out to renovate Left Coast Barber Shop into what it is today and I’ve been having a great time ever since.

What’s your favorite thing about your job?
I love cutting hair but meeting cool new people everyday is definitely my favorite part of my job. My clients bring in such great energy and they make Left Coast Barber Shop a fun and enjoyable place to work.

Any interesting history or facts about being a barber that we might have never heard of before?
Most people don’t know that barbers in addition to cutting hair used to be surgeons and dentists. They also used to perform blood letting. Fortunately that is no longer the case.

You also love music and often can be seen sitting in the barber shop working on a song or two in between clients. Tell us about your love for music?
When I was in high school I discovered punk rock. I loved the energy and simplicity and wanted to create it myself. Writing songs is like an obsession. I always have scraps of paper with lyrics and song ideas in my pockets, in drawers, and in endless amounts of notebooks. I have released three full-length albums and several E.P.s

You also have two young childeren. Will you share a little bit about your family with us?
My wife and I have a three year old daughter and a four month old son. One of our favorite things to do is grab a couple coffees, a hot chocolate, and a vegan donut from Case Coffee Roasters, bundle our kids up, and head down to the Nature Center for an adventure.

Your favorite restaurant in town?
We have a busy schedule but when my wife and I have a chance to slip away you will most likely find us at Caldera or Paddy Brennan;s Irish Pub. They both have great food and amazing beer. You cant go wrong.

Any last thoughts or comments for our readers?
These past few months its been awesome to see my dreams for the shop become a reality. I hope you will come in and be a part of Left Coast Barber Shops future

Dr. Peter Nelson - Finding Your Blind Spot

Take a moment. Look around the environment you are in. Turn all the way around. Now look at your life, your money, your relationships, and how you interact with the world around you.

There are things in your life that you are not seeing, very apparent and big things! They are hiding in your blind spot.

Yes, just as if driving in your car. Your life contains it’s own blind spots. A place from which your vision, clarity or understanding is obscured.

Do you think your life could be more interesting? Do you think you might make decisions from more informed vantage point…?

Meet Dr. Peter Nelson, trained first as a neuroscientist and then as a social scientist he has spent the last 35 years coaching individuals and businesses around the world how to deploy attention in ways that help to reveal and overcome blind spots.

From providing corporate counsel on the hiring and firing of key individuals—to optimization and streamlining company dynamics—to helping design and implement research on what they do, he has provided unique insights and helped develop creative solutions to obstacles for individuals and organizations. In addition to facilitating higher level performance he also provides one-on-one coaching for individuals who simply wish to gain more insight into their own lives in order to function at a higher level.

All those who work with him agree that Dr. Nelson demonstrates an uncanny capacity to place his finger on a blind spot, thus making the invisible, VISIBLE.

Dr. Nelson, thanks for taking the time to do this interview with us today. In a nutshell can you describe what you do?

I think of myself as an attention coach who facilitates the discovery of what has been hidden—yet in one sense is in plain view—but somehow has remained obscured from our knowing. Remember when you were growing up parents and teachers would say, “Pay attention!” Our attention was directed and shaped so that we learned to fix it on a narrow band of possibility and eventually we forgot that there was ever any other way of knowing the world possible. Over time a kind of rigid-attention-amnesia left us in ignorance about ourselves as perceivers and knowers, leaving whole parts of the life-panorama obscured.

As a consultant and change-agent coach, I have the capacity to quickly and accurately drill down and ascertain the very center-most issue being obscured through old habits of attention in order to surface critical roadblocks, which then allows one to open awareness to new possibilities and move forward to create practical solutions—whether for increasing performance, the bottom line, or personal development.

What does the role of denial play in creating a blind spots both in our work and personal lives?

It is common now to talk about denial, in a psychological sense. There’s the old joke when we see someone making the same mistake yet again and refusing to acknowledge what appears to be an obvious problem to an onlooker—we say he’s just floating down that same old river—da’ nile. Of course there is the denial of refusing to look at the issue, but the far more pervasive form of denial is caused by a fixed attention that does not have the fluidity to see things from a new and different points-of-view. It is the denial of perceptual habit—a habit pattern that seems so natural to us that it gives us the sense that there is no other possible way of perceiving and knowing a situation.

When we first see what was ‘hidden’, it is often a shock. However, shock is not always negative, especially if there is a sense that a door is opening to new possibilities. When a situation is viewed through ‘new’ eyes, solutions appear where before there seemed nowhere to go. In this sense the ‘unnamed’ is a territory open to discovery, like a new continent was for the explorers of the past.

One of the most common problems that arises occurs in the hiring of employees. We often make lists of the qualifications and experience we want new employees to bring to the workplace, as well as characteristics or background issues we want them not to have. When we find someone who appears to meet the requirements in most regards, we think we’ve found the person for the job. I call this type of selection process ‘driving blind’. We have a sense that we are at the controls—the steering wheel is in our hands, we apparently control the accelerator and the brakes—but we don’t notice that what we see through the windshield is not the road that we’re on, but a picture of the road we imagine we’re on. The person we hired had the right characteristics, but later we find that he’s not a good fit or she behaved in ways totally unexpected. We were too busy looking at our map and missed the territory—the person. Businesses are about people and we need to learn to see the person we are putting into our workplace.

How are you working with businesses to make more money in difficult times?

The huge amount of money businesses lose by making bad ‘people choices’, whether as partners, as hires or as customers, is well documented. In fact there is no business, much less a bottom line, without well-functioning and appropriate human beings behind it. It is the people and culture of any organization that are ultimately what success is built on.

When I work with individuals or organizations, it’s all about increasing awareness of the dynamics of process. Whether the process is the way in which something is manufactured or the human dynamics that underlie the functioning of the organization, it is seeing and understanding the process that counts.

You have lived and worked all around the world and outside the country for the past 35 years. What are advantages do you bring to the table when working with local clients?

Because of my broad experience, in terms of types of individuals and organizations as well as cultural settings, I have a great range of experience to draw from. I am always able to confront both the new and the old, so I’m very much at ease with whatever situation I find myself. Being deeply relaxed in my work means that I am open to seeing the roadblocks as well as discovering solutions with out the need to feel driven toward a particular solution.

In your years of helping people see what otherwise might remain unseen, what have some of your biggest success stories been?

Success stories for me are about my clients developing new awarenesses that lead to creative and successful action. On the one hand it can be helping an executive from a television network find the vision and inner resources to make the move into the CEO’s chair or helping choose a PA who has the combination of skill and interpersonal know-how to meet the needs of the particular person hiring her. The instance that comes to mind was a hire that was being made for an organization’s research group. On paper she was no more remarkable than the other applicants chosen for interview and they wanted to drop her from the list of possibles, but to my eye she had the X-factor. Against the usual instinct of the person doing the hiring, I suggested they choose her because they would be surprised by a particular quality that I could see she had. She turned out to be a female ‘Radar’ (the character from the TV series MASH). Not only did she do her job exceedingly well, he was pro-actively predictive of her employer’s work direction and needs.

Most research demonstrates that the bottom line for businesses trying to succeed and individuals trying to live creative and productive lives is largely determined by our skills in understanding and relating to people. One can have great intelligence and drive, but without interpersonal awareness at an equal or higher level, one’s capacity to succeed will always be diminished—unless, of course, you’re a hermit living in a cave.

Bobbie Saria - Real Estate Staging

How long have you lived in Ashland and how and why did you get into staging?

I’ve lived in Ashland for the past 15 years and have bought and sold over a dozen properties on both coasts. Early on, through selling my own homes, I discovered I had a talent for staging that created quick sales in a difficult market, at close to the asking price. I absolutely love home staging. When viewing a property, thoughts come to me —inspirations. The architecture of the home plays a role, but so does the light, playfulness of the space….the feeling of the house. I imagine who might choose this home and neighborhood, and appeal to what I imagine would appeal to them Selling and buying can be emotionally difficult. I make that process easier for the seller and possibly the realtor, by helping them with decisions about where to spend their money for the biggest bang.

Some think staging a property for sale is about spatial, i. e., “Can my furniture fit in this room?”. Yes, that is important information, but for me it’s much more. It’s about exploring the potential of a property. Showing folks a house that is as fabulous as a house in a magazine and it’s house the buyer can presumably afford. They imagine they could live like this too. Some get staging confused with interior design. In staging, I create an ambience that draws the buyer in, intrigues, and allows the buyer to imagine themselves in the setting. Interior design is creating an exciting, practical and comfortable place in which to live.

I walk though the house and the house speaks to me – I’m a house whisperer. Obviously major things to consider are asking price, neighborhood, architecture of the home, prospective buyer, and of course, the seller’s budget.

There are many approaches to staging a house. One is what I care the “Fire Sale”… perfectly legitimate. You as the seller are giving the buyer an opportunity to buy a house at a discounted price. The buyer can then benefit by the improvements they are willing to do. So, that strategy is sell for less and do nothing.

Another approach is to capture more profit by optimizing the potential of the property yourself. Often a house on the market is occupied. In that case, I work with the seller in decluttering and removal of extraneous furniture, and perhaps some personal items. I make suggestions on what one might do to make their home more appealing to a buyer. What improvements will make a noticeable difference — perhaps paint, a lighting fixture, or faucets. And I guide the seller away wasting time and money on improvements that won’t be noticed. I have lists of costs for minor improvements and a wonderful crew

to help with that. To use us most efficiently, we’re called in to evaluate the property before the seller does any improvements at all.

Vacant houses are a lot of fun. The items I use in staging are unique pieces of furniture and accessories from many different countries and periods of history. I tend to mix antiques and contemporary items because they often work so well together. I love working in yummy, muted colors as well as bright patterns, whimsical colors. I guess you could call my style eclectic as well as versatile.

Houses should be appealing on the outside or buyers will be reluctant to take the time to come in. Sometimes that can merely be painting the front door and maybe an accent color on the shutters. We want the entry to be irresistible. Buyers are looking at dozens of properties and all those homes can often become a blur. A beautifully staged home is memorable and can become the standard by which other properties are compared.

I’m a New Yorker who has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for many years. I actually commute and work there still. I moved to Ashland 15 years ago and fell in love. Since arriving here I’ve bought and sold homes on both coasts, as well as in Ashland. I love to cook and recently got into to canning exotic chutneys. I paint furniture and upholster furniture in unusual fabrics. I love to toiles! I’ll be holding a workshop later this year in the art of painting furniture in the method of European Chalk Paint.

I love listening to mysteries while on my commute, walks through the park, watching classic mysteries of the 40s and 50s on TV, and love Masterpiece Mysteries on PBS.

Staging a home runs between $500 and $1000 – it’s an investment that returns it’s cost many times over. Statistically, staged homes sell 2-3 times faster and for 7% more than unstaged homes.

My consulting fee is $25 per hour and I will also shop for or with people for an hourly rate. Reaching me by phone is best , 541-944-4497. I also have a website www.bobbiesariastaging.com. But the best way to reach me is to just call – I’m happy to give people who are selling a home a short, free consultation.

Rogue Valley Working Together

Sarah Red-Lairde of Bee Girl and Gregg Marchese, Permaculturist with Wild Things from the Ford Foundation Institute Leadership Program’s Ashland Cohort 2 Bee Tree Project- A collaboration of two proposed class project ideas, a Food Forest and Bee Pollinating Garden.
Molly Kreuzman of Coyote Trails’ Jefferson Nature Center.

How did you get involved with the Ford Institute?
S- I was teaching a bee class at the Nature Shop in Ashland when Treasa Cordero Runzi, a facilitator/ coordinator/ advocate for The Ford Foundation Institute Leadership Program told me about the program. It is so exciting that the group has chosen the Bee Tree Project. So many great ideas were brought to the table. I am elated that our group is as excited as I am about local food and honey bees. Bees are dying at alarming rates and they need all the help they can get.
G- I heard about the program through a friend. It was also announced on the permaculture list.

What has been your most intimate or unusual experience you’ve had with bees?
S- While I worked for the University of Montana I taught bees to sniff out landmines and bombs.

S- We taught the honey bees to associate food with the scent of explosives. We would then send the bees out into the field to detect where landmines were located. A LiDAR (an optical remote sensor) sweeps the field and sends a signal to us as to where the bees are and hence the location of the explosive.

How do we break the mythical fears people have towards Bees?
S- The bottom line is education. The fears that people have about bees are primarily misconceptions. Honey bees do not swarm people, swarming is their way of traveling. While foraging away from the nest, no bee is looking for conflict and will only sting as a last resort-perhaps as a result of being swatted or squashed, or accidentally being caught in someone’s clothing. 90% of bee stings are from the wasp family. As far as bee allergies go, only 1- 2% of our population are deathly allergic.

I understand that the Jefferson Nature Center was chosen for the project site, how do you feel about that choice?
S- The JNC has enormous potential, being a diamond in the rough for the entire Rogue Valley. I feel it is a great opportunity to give of our talents from Ashland to the Rogue Valley community instead of keeping them in our city limits.
M- The Coyote Trails’ Jefferson Nature Center specializes in teaching primitive living skills, not just Native Americans, but all indigenous people from all of our common ancestries. Everyone built fires, shelters, collected food, the fact of the matter is the people of Medford and the surrounding areas can share their knowledge. There is lots of sinergy happening around this project, meaning connections and reconnections on the human level.

Who do you think will be the main visitors to the Bee Tree Project?
S- I think the JNC will be a great destination for school field trips and for the entire community.
M- We are right off the green way, centrally located, and easily accessible to public transportation. We offer something to the valley that has not been there before, we are a bridge and so is the location.

How did the food forest/permaculture component come into the concept?
S- Gregg Marchese, an expert permaculturist in our class suggested that a permaculture food forest would be easily integrated into a pollinator project. One of the most important aspects of permaculture is planting for pollinators.

What is so import about Permaculture?
G- It is a system for food sustainability for our future. It provides a way for people to reverse patterns of history, to come back to local foods, community, sustainability, and self reliance. It is an opportunity for renewal from the creation of earth’s fertility.

Why is JNC the best fit?
S- There is a lot of resistance with beekeeping in the Ashland City limits. We hope this changes in the future. The canvas that JNC provides is an opportune place for a pollinator/food forest garden.
M- Part of what we love about Bee Tree Project is that it also stems on education and outreach. When you have volunteers on a project it denotes a level of passion for the project. We already had a pollinator garden in the master plan so it was such a seamless fit to the JNC. JNC runs with big dreams and a small budget. The cohort is making part of our dreams come true.

What is the main objective to carrying out a project such as this?
S- The objective to our project is to provide a demonstration site to show local gardeners, school groups, farmers, orchard growers, and others how to plant for food/pollinators in the Rouge Valley and to incorporate them into their land management plans. Also, to show how easily our project can be replicated at other sites and to provide information on how to feed our community and recognize the plight of our native and managed honey bees.

What’s it like to be a specialist?
G- Understanding and working with nature is a humbling experience as is aspiring to an expert status. It is very exciting and fulfilling to see and experience the results over time.
S- First I would say that I am one of many bee experts in the valley. It is flattering to be able to advocate for something that I am so passionate about. There are a lot of beekeepers in the Rogue Valley that continue to need help with their bees. Bee Girl’s mission is to preserve honey bees, beekeepers, and food resources by providing outreach, education, support, and mentorship for beekeepers and communities.

What would you say to people that are working on creating expert status for themselves in the field of their choice?
G- Be careful of identifying people in a given field. Keep a broad mind. Expertise is empowering and a confidence thing. Continue to be ever improving in any area of expertise.
M- We had a 15 year old girl from New Jersey show up in our class wearing short shorts, a cut off shirt, full make up, lots of jewelry because her father sent her. Within a week of learning primitive living and self sufficiency, she asked if she could stay. It was a moment i will never forget. To see a young woman find her self worth, is life changing.
S- You have to follow your bliss and do what feels right, dive into it wholeheartedly and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. Have compassion for the “nay say-ers” and keep moving forward with your dream. Bee determined and keep the buzz in it!

Bee Tree Project: Tax-deductible donations:
CTSN as the payee on your check with BTP in the memo line.
Send to:
Katharine Danner
575 Nyla Lane
Ashland, OR 97520
Beetree@coyotetrails.

Harriett’s Universe and What She Makes of It

Recently we headed up Highway 66 to the Green Springs for a meeting with artist Harriett Rex Smith. Harriett’s studio is hidden in the forest, down a long, winding driveway. She has lived and worked here since 1979, the year she moved to Southern Oregon from Valparaiso, Indiana.

The studio is a large room flooded with light from a wall of north-facing windows. A second floor balcony hangs over two sides of the room. Paintings are everywhere. Monumental canvases cover one unbroken wall. More watercolors and acrylics line the upstairs walkway. A work in progress occupies an easel in the middle of the room. Large flat drawers hold prints in various sizes. A door in one corner leads to a cozy living space.

How did an artist of Harriett Rex Smith’s energy and stature come to a forest clearing in the Southern Cascades? What does she have to say about art? What does her art say about her?

In the 1970s, Harriett was a big success in the Midwest. Her paintings won major competitions and commanded handsome prices. Her academic credentials, including a fine arts degree from the Herron School at Indiana University and master’s from Notre Dame, qualified her for teaching positions at Purdue and Valparaiso University. Churches and patrons commissioned major works.

Then fate popped Harriett’s bubble. A botched medical procedure left her unable to stand before a classroom and sapped her confidence in social situations. She fled. To Oregon.

No critics to review her work. (Harriett calls them “trumpets.”) No competitions to win. Not even galleries with walls big enough for her monumental architectural paintings. (Go to her studio if you want to see them.)

These words come from an artist whose paintings won titles like “Best In Show” and “People’s Choice Award.”

But life in rural Oregon eventually taught Harriett that she was missing the point of art, which is, for her, about communicating spiritual insights, not winning prizes.

“I am moved by ideas that lift you, that make you feel life is worth living,” Harriett says.

Not that her competitive nature has disappeared entirely. “I play Scrabble™ and I play to win,” Harriett admits.

“This painting was Best of Show and won the People’s Award in an Indianapolis Museum of Art competition, says Harriett, pointing to Blue Brick Wall, a ten-foot wide canvas. “In fact all the architectural Yin-Yangs won major prizes.

“I went to Notre Dame for a MFA and was thrown into competition big-time. This was before women were admitted to the undergraduate school and maybe the all-male art faculty didn’t know what to do with them in the graduate school. So I began to work very large, huge, which I really love doing. I only stopped because there were no venues to show such big works.

As years passed, Harriett found that her work was evolving in new directions. She was pleased. But, if a painting appears in a forest, will anyone know?

“There’s no art critic here,” Harriett repeats. “If you make an exceptional painting, who notices?”

But gradually Harriett discovered that a critic-free artistic landscape created new possibilities. For one thing, she now had a direct relationship with people who understood and appreciated her work.

People found Harriett and spent time with her in her studio. They purchased her paintings without guidance from an expert. They told others.

Meanwhile, Harriett found herself free of another artistic trap: categorization.

“Critics prefer to put you in a slot,” Harriett explains. “It’s a left-brain sort of thing. But you see, by definition creativity is non-repetitive. So as soon as they hang you on one hook you’re off in another direction.”

Abstract expressionism, neoclassicism, minimalism, late modernism, conceptual art, figurative art: “Every five years there is a new school in art,” Harriett says.

“I have totally discarded that. If I am to be free, I must be free of art history. It is confining.”

“Every artist has the same dilemma. We need to eat. But if selling your work becomes more important than doing it, you are lost,” Harriett says.

“If you let patrons dictate to you, where does that lead?” she asks. It may lead to the wealth-producing art factories of artists who paint with one eye on the market.

“They made a commodity of art, which should be a spiritual thing,” says Harriett. “It’s like being a preacher for the money.”

So how has Harriett survived as an artist for 70-some years, ever since she walked away from a brief career in advertising?

It may have something to do with community. Harriett sees herself as part of a network that extends to the far reaches of the universe. Somehow everything is connected, from subatomic particles to supernovae, from paupers and painters to presidents, and those connections support Harriett, just as they support an unseen figure sleeping on a park bench, covered with newspapers, oblivious to the galaxy overhead, in her painting Homeless in the Universe.

EcoNest® Living Sanctuaries of Clay, Straw & Timber

Paula and Robert Laporte design and build beautiful homes and readers of the LocalsGuide now have a special invitation to see for themselves what an EcoNest® home feels like in person. Whether you’re thinking of building a new home, wanting to learn more about natural building, or just hoping to find ways to add beauty into your own space, you are invited to attend the EcoNest® open house on May 19th.

The Open house will be May 19th between 1 and 4pm at their new home located at 1131 Paradise Lane in Ashland, Oregon.

(Please park below or drive very slowly up the street in deference to their neighbors).

This is a brief interview we did with Paula and Robert around the workshops, books, and services they provide to our community. After you read this interview mark the date on your calendar and then go talk with Paula and Robert to hear the rest of the story.

Paula & Robert, thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. You have over twenty years of experience in natural building. Can you tell us how you came to your work and where you trained?

We came to Natural building as a way of life through separate paths. Robert began handcrafting log homes in 1978,the year that Paula Graduated from Architecture school. He then moved on to timber-framing and then went to Germany in search of a more ecological and crafted way to build the enclosure around the timber-frame. It was in Germany that he learned the light clay straw technique that he has continued to evolve and teach over the past 20 years. Paula is an architect whose first-hand experience of Environmental Illness lead her to research healthier ways to build. She studied the German philosophy and science of healthy building known as Bau-biologie, which considers nature to be the gold standard for a healthy environment. She then sought out ways to build healthy homes using the principles of Bau-Biologie and discovered Robert’s work. His system of natural building quickly became the central focus of her architectural work too.

Over the years of doing the work that you have done, how has the climate changed to embrace the type of building that you are doing?

In general, with ever-increasing public awareness about the urgency to build more ecologically, natural building is making great headway in main stream construction.

We have now done building projects in 17 States and 4 Canadian Provinces. Our building track record, work on various building codes, and conscious ambassadorship has helped to win a wider acceptance of this technique amongst building officials. We were thrilled when the Oregon Reach Code created a section for Light Clay Straw and this has paved the way for standard permitting throughout the entire State.

To-date four light clay straw buildings have been permitted in Jackson County and the city of Ashland.

Tell us about the name EcoNest® and how birds play a large role for the inspiration behind your work?

Humans are the only creatures who build homes that are far bigger than they need, that consume the earth’s resources at an unsustainable rate and that are making themselves sick as a result of the toxins that they embed in their homes.

There’s a lot we could learn from birds and the way they build their nests. They build durable structures of local natural materials. These structures last for several generations and when their useful life is over the nests decompose to become the fertile soil for the next generation of nest building materials. No mold, no waste, no toxins, no homelessness, all are skilled builders, they sing while they work.

Robert, will you discuss some of your philosophy behind building a healthy building culture. Anyone can strap on a nail gun and head for the home depot. What are your thoughts around creating what you have called a “Building Culture”?

Our opportunity today in North America is to revive the forgotten craft of building enduring shelter. A building culture begins with building a builder who aspires to a lifelong path of learning and refinement. The role of a craftsman is to be of service to their community. What could be more noble work than creating the physical fabric of that community? True craftsmanship cultivates body, mind and soul.

Education has played a large role in popularizing the EcoNest concept. Can you share a little bit about this process?

Education is at the heart of everything we do. Our ultimate goal is to change the way that people think about their home, their health, natural building and to bring dignity and honor to the role of the craftsman. We envision a housing paradigm that is very different than the status quo and so we have our work cut out for us. It is really important that these don’t remain ideas in the abstract and that is why we invite people into our home and we invite people into the building process. It is so that people can have that visceral experience that is unique to a well-designed natural building that is created consciously by the hands of craftsmen and women who take pride in their work. Although this was once the norm it is not the new status quo yet.

Paula you have also written a book called the Econest Cookbook. How do food and natural building go together?

Attending a workshop is not just about building. It’s about building the builder. While Robert does the lion’s share of the hands on training I get to play with my favorite hobby which is making nourishing foods. The cookbook came about because students asked me for recipes. It is designed to help future nest builders in planning meals for their own workshop events. At a workshop there are always food restrictions to contend with so most of the recipes are vegan and many are gluten-free.

If one values locally grown organic foods, lovingly prepared, then the health and ecological value of a natural, locally sourced home, that is lovingly crafted, should be a familiar concept.

What might you say to someone whose bottom line is how big a house can I get for how little cost per square foot?

The first thing that we have to tell many folks is that hand crafting a home out of natural materials is not the cheapest way to go…conventional construction is. Next comes the discussion about what you get for what you pay. What is the cost to your health? What is the cost to the environment? Finally there is a win/win discussion about painless trade-offs. Do you really need 2,500 sq. ft. or 5,000 sq. ft. to fulfill your housing needs? Let us show you how you can build a well-designed home that is much smaller and cozier that will fit your budget, be good for the environment, nurture your health, be extremely comfortable, fill your life with beauty and serenity and leave a legacy for your grandchildren.

What types of careers exist in natural building and how might someone work their way through your training process into creating their own beautiful EcoNest® for either themselves or their own clientele?

We get calls from all over from people asking us to come and build their homes. Given the time it takes this is not practical. So instead of turning people down we developed a training program and we invite future owner/builders, professional builders aspiring builders and the curious for training. Our 16 day Intensive is designed to give a professional builder the experience he/she needs to build using these techniques. Our longer programs like the new boot camp is designed to help aspiring builders advance their skills. Our one day seminars and four-day clay straw workshops are for folks who want to learn the basics and interview the materials. We are also slowly growing an affiliate program where qualified builders, who have trained with us and proven skill and knowledge, are identified on our website. We imagine a day to come where, any EcoNest owner-to-be would have several qualified builders in their area to choose from.

Besides offering training and custom design we have developed a series of stock plans that owner/builders or affiliate builders who have trained with us, can purchase .

People travel from all around the world to attend your workshops. What opportunities exist locally for our community to take advantage of?

We are thrilled to make Ashland Oregon our new home. We have been embraced by this community and feel very blessed. As you may have gathered by now we are enthusiastic about the work we do and want to share it with this community. Whether that means hosting you at an open house, teaching a session at your kid’s school, embracing you as one of our students or having the privilege of helping you to create your own nest…we look forward to the opportunity.

How has the creation of beautiful spaces changed how you both see and interact in the world?
Our home should embrace us, nurture us. It should be a sanctuary of peace and tranquility that charges our batteries every day for the challenges we all face. Our enthusiasm comes from experiencing life in a meaningful home and it is this experience that is the wellspring for our life’s work.

What do you hope to see twenty years from now?
We hope to see natural building be an accessible, and understood mainstream offering and enough respected and dedicated crafts people to fill the demand.

When I first saw the photographs of an EcoNest space I must admit I felt an immediate connection to the space and it went something like this.

If you were drawn to a photograph then we urge you to come and experience the real deal. We will look forward to seeing you at the open house on May 19! The beauty of a natural home is not just visual. It is sensual and involves touch, smell and sound as well. Creating a home from scratch is a huge undertaking, a privilege that is, for most, a once-in-a lifetime adventure. If we can inspire you to move forward on your dream that would really make us happy.

How can our readers see and learn more about what you are doing?
We have a great website designed by Chee Studio here in Ashland. It is chalk full of information about our technique, photos of finished homes, videos of the process and descriptions and calendar of our upcoming workshops and seminars. Feel free to call us at 541.488.9508

Any last notes to our community and the LocalsGuide readers?
You don’t need to leave nature behind as you walk through your front door. If you are interested in what we are doing please don’t be shy. Call us up and let’s talk.

Healthy Home Consultations & Natural Building Workshops

James Haim, known for his work teaching natural building with Cob Together, as well as for the founding and directing of the sadly now defunct Wilderness Charter School, is now offering Healthy Living Diagnostics consulting and summer workshops.

Healthy Living Diagnostics does consultations for new construction and remodels, as well as conducting home inspections on indoor air pollution. I’ve been trained by the Institute of Bau Biology, an organization that started in Germany after WWII when people in new homes where facing health problems and they found that the newer materials and the tighter homes were making people sick.

The health consequences are numerous, varied and still not completely known. Many of the effects of the chemical, electrical and biological toxic soups we are exposed to each day are cumulative over decades of exposure. When it comes to Electromagnetic Radiation, many scientists are saying that our species is currently in the biggest health experiment ever known to man. The World Health Organization recently declared wireless radiation, like the type emitting from cell phones and towers, as a type 2B carcinogen. Studies done in the 70’s showed a correlation between childhood leukemia and transformers on power poles. Many doctors and scientists are pointing to EMFs for diseases such as autism, alzheimers, heart conditions, diabetes and many other conditions. The health consequences from molds or offgassing from new materials are also many and varied, but include headaches, nausea, skin rashes, sleeplessness, lung problems, fatigue and even death.
So if someone thinks their house is making them ill, what kind of recommendations would you make?
Usually my house survey includes a list of around twenty recommendations. With someone who is already ill, I recommend they visit Dr Brigid Crowe, a naturopath at the Hidden Springs Wellness Center. Dr Brigid is very familiar with the symptoms of environmental toxins and has a depth of knowledge on how to test for and how to cleanse the body of pollutants. My recommendations may range from not sleeping with your cell phone next to your head to calling in a mold remediator to remove mold from under a home or even replacing your mattress with one that is not off-gassing or magnetized.
When toxins in the home are allergenics, not everyone will react to them, right?

Different people will react differently. With a whole family in a home, maybe only one or two of them are experiencing difficulties. With allergens, we’re looking at particulate count. Someone might have a wool carpet in their home to which they’re allergic or a heating system that could be upgraded to reduce particulates. If you have a forced air system, just the ionization of the air can cause dust to build up in the house.

What about new construction? How does your service help someone who’s going to build a new house?

Before site selection, I test for electromagnetic fields. Somebody might see a new beautiful lot and think it’s a great deal, but if they have transmission lines, especially if they’re major distribution lines, over the property, they’re going to have some really high electromagnetic fields. If they have a radio or cell phone tower right near them pumping out EMFs, then I would recommend not to purchase the property.

Then I look at the healthiest material choices and make recommendations on the heating and cooling system, water systems, furnishings, health care products and all the finishes from paint to tile sealants. I also look at the electrical plans in the home. For example, removing the electrical fields from one’s sleeping area during new construction or wiring the home with Ethernet cable are two inexpensive things folks can do to improve the health of their home.
If you change from standard materials to the ones with lower toxicity, will your house be a lot more expensive?
No and yes, there might even be reductions in cost. If you want a naturally built home, then you’re looking at straw bale, light-straw-clay or cob. Some of those building methods can have a higher price tag, but some can cost less, depending on how it’s done.

For the past 7 summers, I have taught natural building workshops. At the workshops, we do foundation to roof; and we look at cob, straw bale, light-straw-clay and cord wood, alternative foundation materials and living roofs. We consider materials that are in the local environment. Here in Southern Oregon, small diameter wood is really prevalent, so we integrate that into our design.

Why would someone want to use natural building techniques rather than standard building methods, is it healthier?

Yes it is healthier, but it’s also good for the environment, more comfortable to live in, more beautiful and more fun to build. Sourcing chemical free biodegradable materials from close to your home is much better than trucking in chemically laden plywood from a thousand miles away. Applying a clay finish on your walls, helps to control humidity and offers a diversity of texture and hues, bringing beauty as well as health. Working with friends or workshop participants while you help sculpt a home is very rewarding and a lot of fun

It’s easy to integrate natural building into the current building systems. Straw bale is already recognized in the State. Light-straw-clay has also been code approved here. There hasn’t been a full code approved cob home in Oregon, but there’s been cob integrated into many homes.
Plus, depending on where you live you may also be able to build a structure under 200 square feet with out any permit at all.

Some people think, “this could be a really fun vacation”, others are looking at building their home or small cottage. We’ve had people as old as 70 and as young as 2, and we pride ourselves on having a good balance of hands-on with sit-down presentations and discussions

My workshops are offered by Cob Together which stands for Creating Organic Buildings Together. There’s a 4 day Introduction to Natural Building from July 5-8th, which I’m giving with Taylor Starr, where participants will experience mixing and building with cob, using light-straw-clay and making earthen plasters. I’m also offering a 3 week Apprenticeship Program where we will construct a hybrid sauna and cob oven from start to finish.
To contact James Haim for a Healthy Living Diagnostic assessment of your house or office, call 541-488-0916. (You can read more about this program on the web at Hiddenspringswellness.com – services – healthy living diagnostics.) The 4-day Natural Building Workshop with Cob Together is July 5-8th on the banks of the Little Applegate River. The 2012 Apprenticeship Program is August 5-25th in Ashland, Oregon. You can read all the information about these courses and register online at cobtogether.com, or call James at 541-488-0916.

Inner Beauty Outer Glow

This month I had the opportunity to speak with Tasa and Dana owners of Glow, a Natural Organic Skincare Boutique located in Ashland, Oregon. Originally when I spoke with them on the phone we had decided to just speak for a few minutes but ended up in a 40 minute long conversation about the vast array skin and health care. Not only was our conversation interesting, but Tasa and Dana Really love what they are doing and they went out of their way to help me to understand more. Now it’s your turn to learn more about the expertise and passions of Glow.

Dana & Tasa, thanks for being here with us today to do this interview. So, tell us all about Glow?

Glow is a by appointment only business. How does this allow for you to provide a higher level of services for your customers?

Talk to us about Sodium lauryl Sulfate (SLS) which can even be found in supposed “natural” toothpaste such as Tom’s of Maine and other big brands?

On the phone you had mentioned that often times people might go for years with some sort of physical discomfort, skin irritation or rash. Is this normal… how are you helping people to live better lives?

Talk to us about the aging process, wrinkles and what we can do to look our best as we age?

At Glow you are working with men and women of all ages. Can you share with us a few reasons why people come into work with you?

You mention that the experience for many is healing can you please talk about this?

I know you both have a lot of fans out there in the community and have both been long-term residents of Ashland. Is there anything you would like to share with your adoring fans?

Northwest Nature Shop - 1001 Ways to Enjoy Southern Oregon

For over twenty seven years the Northwest Nature Shop has focused on providing Ashlanders with thousands of ways to commune with, explore and enjoy nature. From local guide books, trail maps, toys, gifts, bird feeders and an ongoing forum of outdoor hikes, and guided nature excursions the list is endless. In fact if you just thought of them as your local “Chamber of Commerce” for what to do to experience nature in Southern Oregon, you would not be disappointed. We stopped in to speak with owners Marie, Chris and their mom, Kathy about the Northwest Nature Shop and all they have to offer.

Marie, Chris, Kathy, Thanks for speaking with us today and sharing a little bit more about your story. Was I exaggerating when I said you guys are like the Chamber of Commerce for outdoor activities in Southern Oregon?

Marie: Thank you, it’s a pleasure. I am honored that people look to us as nature experts and we take that job seriously. We certainly do get lots of questions …let’s see yesterday for example I was asked: what should I do with the robin that just flew into our window (put it in a dark protected box) to how do I get rid of the woodpeckers from pecking at our house at 6 am (hang up old CDs or reflective tape in the location where they like to peck) to what is this mushroom I just found in my backyard (bring it to our mushroom experts at our Spring or Fall Wild Mushroom Fair) or how can I attract more birds to my backyard (put up a variety of feeders suet feeder, nyger thistle feeder, sunflower feeder and provide a bird bath with a water mister.)

If you catch us on a chatty day we will talk your ear off about where to go and what to do to experience nature in Southern Oregon. Chris can give details about his latest adventures far and wide. Just last Saturday he took the dogs on a 22 mile hike along the Illinois River. Our dogs still aren’t moving. I am more subdued in my adventures because I have 3 kids in tow but ask me where to take those little ones for a quick jaunt and I can fill you in. I can usually get the kids to hike a few miles if I have enough gummy bears in the backpack.

Can you share a little bit more about the mission and driving force of The Northwest Nature Shop?

Marie: We are a family-run business that provides a resource for locals and visitors to obtain materials and information to further their enjoyment and understanding of the natural world. My Mom and Dad started the Northwest Nature Shop 27 years ago. People thought they were crazy to open a store specializing in bird feeders and butterfly nets and maps and binoculars and telescopes in a small town in Southern Oregon but we are now one of the longest running stores in downtown Ashland with incredibly devoted, loyal customers from not only the Rogue Valley but up and down the west coast. My parents had incredible foresight in the value of knowing and appreciating the natural world. When we were growing up we would spend our weekends bird watching and lizard catching and rock hounding and I would keep our adventures on the down low from my friends who were going to Disneyland and the mall but look, now it is cool to be outside – thank goodness! When Portlandia came out with their “put a bird on it” episode I was positive they were talking about our store!

Having been raised by independent business owners Chris and I have that same streak and honestly we couldn’t work for someone else and have a real boss (our Mom is very forgiving!) so we are all working as hard as we can to keep our business thriving and successful. We have incredibly loyal customers that we are so grateful for and now with the popularity of buy local and fair trade and the focus on beautifying our backyards our shop is right there with the movement.

Chris you have become an expert on the many local guide books and maps and as I understand many of these are exclusive to you guys, meaning that locals are going to be hard pressed to find them some where else… tell us about this?

Chris: Southern Oregon has a relatively small population base so books about our area specifically don’t get published by major book publishers so local authors have to self publish titles such as Wildflowers of Table Rocks and Hiking Southern Oregon. We provide an outlet for those books you can not find elsewhere.

Kathy, can you give us your top ten ways to get your kids out side and playing in nature this summer?

Kathy: Give them a butterfly net, a magnifying glass and a bug box. Endure the whines of ‘I’m bored…I want someone to play with me…I want something to do…can I have an ice cream…and just let them spend some time outside. They’ll be digging in the dirt, finding bugs and slugs in no time.

Chris, talk to us about your guided walks. I understand you just had an edible mushroom walk?

Chris: We have monthly birds walks, seasonal mushroom walks, wildflower hikes, astronomy viewings and events for kids like a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) birdhouse class, and fairy house workshops. We have an online calendar and our facebook page with updated event postings. (www.NorthwestNatureshop.com)

Marie, In our conversation you mentioned that you have the unique opportunity to really shop locally for the specific desires and request of Ashlanders. Please share with us a little bit about the qualities you are looking for when bringing in product for the store?

Marie: We go to trade shows and we see so much cheap, plastic @#* made overseas that lasts a very short time and then goes to the landfill and it is easy to get discouraged but then we see a guy with a beard sitting at his booth filled with handmade river stone picture frames and we think..now we are talking… this is something for our shop, or a mom and her daughter with a table of birdfeeders they designed and make and we are thankful we have a shop with customers who appreciate the same things we do and where we can provide a venue for quality, useful beautiful products.

Kathy:Watch the birds flock to your backyard bird feeder, look for morels popping up, stop by the Nature Shop to see what new finds we have in, go to Ashland Ponds to look for river otters, hike up in the Ashland Watershed where the dense forest provides a protective canopy, read Hiking Southern Oregon, lay out maps on the kitchen table and plan your next adventure.

Chris, what are your top 10 hiking trails starting from easiest to most advanced?

Chris: Right here in town, we have some excellent hiking trails accessed from Lithia Park. As you go further out of town I really like the Illinois River, the Russian, Trinity Alps and Marble Mountain Wilderness, the Redwoods, the Lost Coast, Crater Lake, Mt. Shasta, Rogue River. Obviously, we live in a spectacular region that provides incredible hiking opportunities. 10 local hiking trails I recommend:

Marie the Northwest Natures Shop places a huge emphasis upon having a hands on experience in nature, tell us a little bit about the philosophy behind this?

Marie: Before founding the Northwest Nature Shop my Dad was the director of the Portland Audubon Society and my Mom started the gift shop there. They were and are lifelong educators and conservationists, and believed strongly that when people are encouraged to be in nature and have the opportunity to learn about the natural world they will be inspired and determined to protect natural areas. They created the Northwest Nature Shop to be a source for products that help adults and children learn about nature and science. The store is designed to be a fun place to visit and play with science toys and gifts, see the latest technology in squirrel-proof feeders and be inspired by the beauty of nature and marvels of science.

Your store also hosts a huge variety of gifts what are some of the local favorites?

We strive to carry locally made products and a few of our favorites are functional and inexpensive bird feeders from Grants Pass, beautiful ceramics made here in Ashland, nature photography from Dan Elster in Ashland, fun and educational wooden catapults and marble games, and many of our self published local field and hiking guides and maps.

Birds and Bird Feeders – You guys must love birds because you probably have some of the most beautiful bird feeders and largest variety, I have ever seen. In fact we bought a beautiful brass bird bath from you guys for mother’s day.

When you have your bird feeder filled with gorgeous goldfinches or your suet feeder packed with cute little bushtits, or robins taking a playful bath in your birdbath, or a bluebird feeding it’s young in the bird house you put up for it, what is not to love?

Marie, you are specializing in the toy section. What are you looking for when choosing toys to bring into the store? What’s on your top list of cool toys that will get outside and having fun this summer?

Marie: We are looking for toys that last, toys that encourage creative, free play, toys that spark a child’s imagination and toys that are made sustainably. Some of our favorites are boats made from recycled milk jugs that are perfect for taking to Lithia Park and floating in the stream, kites to fly on a windy day, portable water balloon pump with biodegradable water balloons to take your water fights to new heights, awesome flying discs that go unbelievably far and are surprisingly easy to catch, cool yo yos that will inspire you to practice and practice until you nail that looping tidal wave trick – (you’ll get addicted!), juggling sticks, great magic tricks to inspire home-grown magic shows, and fairy house books to inspire your next fairy creation.

Chris, I’m wondering about some of the vast array of questions that you are assisting customers with when they come into the store.What have been some of your favorite questions?

I love when customers come in and they are genuinely curious about something they saw in their backyard or on a hike. Customers bring in photos of paw prints or scat to id what animal is possibly lurking in their backyard at night. Customers bring in a mangled birdfeeder wondering what could have possible happened to it and we have to tell them it was the work of a hungry bear. We’ve had people accusing their neighbors of stealing their bird feeder only to discover a raccoon dragged it over in the middle of the night. We get calls asking can I eat the mushroom that just popped up in my garden? Our answer is always no with that one until you positively identify what mushroom it is and if it is edible.

What would you consider to be one of the best kept secrets about the Nature Shop that you are now going to share with everyone?

Marie: We are a family business, we have three generations here in the shop just about every day. Operating a shop with a 1, 4 and 6 year old running about provides for some good stories – how about when Lena pulled down an entire bin of rocks that spilled onto and covered the entire front room or when Michael got into a box of licorice and took a bite out of every single one (we had to finish a lot of licorice after that) or when I was holding Luis and helping a customer and he grabbed onto a handblown glass hummingbird and the entire display came crashing down (that was a spendy one), we have LOTS of those kind of stories but it keeps the shop interesting, fun and well…like family….

The Venus transit on Tuesday, June 6^th from 5-7 pm. We’ll have a telescope set up and Jessica Vineyard from Southern Oregon Skywatchers will discuss the significance of this solar event.

Any last words or comments for our readers? Come by the shop, say hello, mention you read this article and we’ll give you a special gift – thank you for the interview LocalsGuide and thank you for reading.

We Take Fun Seriously - Kokopelli River Guides

Call up your friends, get out your sun screen, it’s time to head down to Kokopelli for summer rafting, fun, and adventures! Whether you are escaping with your family for a nice day trip, taking your inlaws down the Upper Klamath,or just spending time with old friends. You can’t beat fun in the sun, while rafting down a cool river.

This month I spoke with Leslie and Matt Dopp of Kokopelli River Guides and was immediately reminded of how great summer time memories are created!!

This is now your 11th season of running Kokopelli in Southern Oregon, but before this you guys have each logged more than 17 years professionally running rivers! What’s it like to have spent much of your lives getting to work and play as much as you have?

We feel like floating down a river is part of who we are. We couldn’t see our lives without rafting and kayaking.
Leslie when we talked on the phone you shared an experience with me that you had as a river guide, which was that you have actually had return families with their kids coming year after year specifically to go rafting with you!
We have return groups coming back year after year. I’ve really noticed that this year a large percentage of our bookings are returns. One of our guides Levi, has a family from Portland that books a 3 day Lower Klamath trip every year specifically to raft with him. Every year they bring more and more people to share the experience with them. This is their 4th year rafting with us!

I know rafting can be a tricky business as you have alot of variables to work with. The river could be perfect, but the chemistry of the group could be off.
For the most part people come on a rafting trip and they are happy. Very rarely do you get people who are grumpy and don’t want to have fun. You do get the people who complain that their life jacket is too tight but once we remedy that situation they are all smiles on the river after that
So, when your talking with people on the phone your mind is already building their trip?
Sometimes I speak with people on the phone about a trip and I can already formulate in my mind who their guide should be just by their personality. I try to make a good match with the guides and the customers so they can both have an enjoyable experience.
Talk to us about your 2012 Crew. Where did they come from…? How did you pick them…? and any interesting details you think we should all know.
Our guides this year are awesome! They are all new to us. They have guiding experience on the Kern River and American River in California, the Payette River in Idaho, the Rogue and Klamath, and in Alaska. I love that our guides LOVE guiding! They go rafting, inflatable kayaking, and even Stand Up Paddling on their days off. They are enthusiastic and are great with the customers!

Nick is the comedian. He will keep you in stitches on your trip. Jill is going to school to be a teacher, super sweet, and loves just being out on the water. Carol just got her massage therapist degree in Ashland. Belle is going to get her Phd starting in the fall. Ben is Mr. Helpful. He is happy go lucky and spends as much time as he can on the river. Sean is the expert river guide. He is so completely comfortable guiding big water and he is definitely someone you want to have in the back of your raft.

I know you guys told me that you wouldn’t hire anyone that didn’t know how to have fun on the water?
We made it our intention this year that we would ONLY hire guides that were Class 4 guides, that loved talking to people, and entertaining them on the river. They also had to love guiding!

One of Kokopelli’s specialties is working with large groups. You even mentioned having a bachelorette party going down the Rogue who recently requested all MALE guides?
We love to take groups out who are celebrating a special occasion. Every summer we take out family reunions, wedding parties, and birthday parties. This year we are taking out a group on a “work” trip from Nike.

Tell us about the local guy who received a surprise trip for his birthday when all his buddies showed up to pick him up in the Kokopelli River van last week?
The guy’s wife reserved a birthday Upper Klamath trip. It had to be very secretive because it was a surprise. Our van drove up to Tubb Springs where they would be meeting the group but the birthday boy wasn’t there. So we had to drive up to his house in the Green Springs. He was just getting out of the shower! He said he was getting all “gussied” up to go into town for his special day. Surprise! You’re going rafting! He and his friends had a blast!

Did they bring a birthday cake and candles?
I don’t know if they brought birthday cake but they sure did bring beer for after the trip was over!

So, this summer as we are all making plans how should we go about getting our rafting trips scheduled:
Day trips… Call Us
Drop Ins — Call
Full Day — Reserve
Extended Trips – Reserve

Matt, talk to us about your extended trips you will be offering this summer, what are these typically like?
We take our guests down to the Lower Klamath River for 2 days to 5 days. The time we spend on the river is rafting, kayaking, and relaxing. We even get to do an amazing hike up to Ukonom Falls that is just off the river. At camp we set up chairs, play games, eat scrumptious meals and dutch oven desserts cooked by our expert chefs, our guides. We star gaze at night and tuck ourselves in for an incredibly restful night of sleep.

Leslie, what’s your favorite day trip to take locally?
I absolutely love the Tree of Heaven section of river on the Klamath to take my inflatable kayak on with my dogs. I also love rafting the Upper Klamath. It is adrenaline to the max!

Matt, best ride and guide for six teenage boys who just drank red bull?
The Upper Klamath for sure! I feel sorry for the guide who is guiding them though!

Not all rides need to be wild. I know that I will be taking my son (9) and daughter (4) on a relaxing cruise down the kalamath. Will you tell us more about what we can expect?
On the Tree of Heaven section of the Klamath River you will spot turtles basking in the sun. You will see bald eagles, osprey, and blue herons. You may also be lucky enough to spot a river otter swimming and a deer swimming across the river. This section of river is mild, the water is warm, and offers some fun splashy rapids to raft through. It is the perfect family rafting trip!

You guys both have a passion for rafting, but you also run a full service shop?
Yes, we offer Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) rentals, kayak, and gear rentals, kayak lessons, and rafting trips in the summer months. In the winter we tune skis and snowboards and rent cross country skis and snowshoes.

Any advice for summer river rafters this season?
Just relax! Let us take care of you! Leave your worries behind! Don’t forget the sunscreen, sunglasses, and water bottle. You might want to bring a dry change of clothes and a towel too!

Finally, any last comments to our fabulous readers?
Thank you for all of your support over the past eleven seasons. This is a highly competitive business and we thank you for choosing Kokopelli!

Ashland's Premier Body Shop - Anderson Auto Body & Paint

Dave Anderson has an interesting past. In 1979, when he was 22 years old, he escaped from the bitter life of communist controlled Romania. Leaving his four brothers, sister and parents behind, he sought political asylum in Austria. After extensive paper work he made his way to Portland, Oregon. His first job was nothing glamorous (janitorial), but Dave didn’t let that stop him. He very quickly set out to create his new life. As a youngster in Romania, Dave had assisted his two older brothers, John and Dumitru, in repairing old cars. So on that fateful day in Portland when he ran across a banged up Porsche 914 that needed a little work, Dave made the investment and recouped the reward. He then ran across another car and repeated the process and before he knew it he was in the auto body repair business.

By 1984 Dave was doing well, his business had grown significantly. It was around this time that he received a phone call. His older brother Mihai, younger brother George, and his brother in law had been captured while trying to escape Romania through Yugoslavia. They needed help and where facing the prospect of being sent back to Romania which would mean serious punishment and certain imprisonment.

Dave quickly set to work, writing letters to government officials and working around the clock to pull together the necessary documentation. Shortly there after he was on the plane. Having rented a car, he drove to Yugoslavia (now an American citizen) where he presented the United Nations office with papers… papers that would secure the release of his brothers and brother in-law, and bring them safely to Portland.

By 1995, Dave moved to the Rogue Valley, building his auto body repair facility “Anderson Auto Body & Paint” in Ashland (next to Butler Ford). Today the shop is Ashland’s largest full service auto body repair shop. Dave has stayed current with all of his auto body and paint certifications and training throughout the years. He knows how the job should be done, and what to expect from his crew. His staff is all ICAR certified, and highly experienced. Dave is now joined by his son Aurel and daughter Galina in running their local business.

The best part, there is no reason to go to Medford to get your vehicle repaired. Dave and his crew take the stress out of the process by dealing directly with your insurance company, finding the necessary parts, making the phone calls, and getting the job done in a timely manner, at a competitive price.

We stopped in to talk with Dave about his business, his family and his future. You’ll be happy to know that eventually all five of Dave’s siblings secured passage to the United States. They all work in the car repair business up and down the west coast.

Dave, thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. Please tell us a little bit about your family, your business, and the driving force behind your success.

From the earliest age I remember I had to carry my own weight. Growing up in a poor country, with no running water in our home, I had to carry water to the house every day. I had to tend the garden…I always had chores to do. I can still hear my dad explaining “it doesn’t matter where you live, where you are going to go…if you are a hard working man and are honest you will make it where you need to be.” I also learned early in life that I needed to have a plan, that in order to achieve my goals I had to be aware of the steps that needed to be taken to get there. Whenever tough times came up, which believe me they did, I knew that I needed to stay focused on my plan. I’d say that the driving force behind my success was because of those things, and also because of the connections I have made along the way. I have learned that it is all about who you know. I am learning to network, to get myself out there and create connections with members of our community. It’s not easy, and I do get nervous, but I am getting better at being able to relax and just be me. I have found that the relationships I am creating are helping me to further the success of our growing business.

I would have to agree relationships are truly key! What are some of the ways that Anderson Auto Body goes above and beyond in exceeding customer expectations?

I think one thing to remember as a customer is that we at Anderson’s have been in your shoes…we have all been in an accident and know that it is stressful. We know it can be confusing getting estimates, not understanding the details of the repair, and being unsure if you are getting a good deal. I guess I would just say, “Trust us”, take a look at our reviews, and ask around. You will undoubtedly hear about our great reputation. What sets us apart from our competitors is our staff and our product. Every person I have working here is upbeat, and knows what they are doing. We also walk each of our customers through the repair process, and keep them informed along the way. We perform quality services, and we have free loaner vehicles. We also offer shuttle services, and provide complimentary car wash and minor details to every repair that comes into our shop!

We have worked on everything here…from Subaru’s and hybrids to Porsche’s and even an Austin Martin. We repair all vehicles, all makes and models, foreign and domestic.

You also have the opportunity to work with your son Aurel and daughter Galina.

I feel blessed that I have the opportunity to work with my daughter and my son…though at times they are a hand full.

Yes, the feeling is mutual…but really, all jokes aside, it is great to be together.

Dave, you have assembled quite a team of highly trained individuals, who work closely together in restoring cars to their pre-accident condition. Can you introduce us to your team and what they do?

Of course. In the office we have Kirkland, Aurel, and Galina. Kirkland is our Office Manager, and has been with us for just about two years. I am thinking of adopting him, but the only thing he doesn’t know is that family works for free, something my kids are still adjusting to. I’m only kidding! Aurel (nicknamed Princess by the guys in the shop) started working here 12 years ago. I trained him as a painter initially, but he is really a jack of all trades. In the last couple of months he has moved from his tool box to a desk in office, and is currently a service writer. Galina started in April, and is in charge of all marketing materials, promotional ideas, the website, and basically does all the things I am too busy to do. Our painter Bryan has been in the industry for over 20 years, and has been at Anderson’s for over seven years. Blake is one of our three technicians. He was trained by his father (one of our past employees), at a very young age. We all call him Peanut. I am not sure why, but it has stuck! Moises has been with me the longest of my employees. He is a great technician, and has been in the industry for over 20 years. His son Moisises, who we all call Junior, is our other technician. He has been training under his father from a young age, and has been working at Anderson’s for over three years. Marcelo is our go-to guy. He is our detailer, paint assistant, and technician assistant. He has been with us for two years, always smiles, and always has his hair looking nice. I think he has a mirror in his tool box! Only kidding! I am lucky, rather blessed, to have such an amazing group of people working with me. Our entire crew is well trained and highly certified. These guys have got in their blood!!

I was very touched by your story of how you went to save your two brothers and brother in-law, and eventually helped your entire family move to the United States. The sheer amount of paper work and bureaucracy that you had to work through must have been overwhelming. Can you give us an update on how everyone is doing today?

Good…I should say Great. A few years back at my nephews wedding, it all hit me. We were all there, the entire family, three generations taking group photos. I was standing there looking at everyone, and thinking of how my decision at age 22 to live out my dream and come to America, had brought this entire family of over 100 people to be here, living the dream, as well. All of my family, my brothers, my sisters, and all of their kids, are all doing well. I see Aurel and Galina almost every day which I am thankful for. My son Mario, graduated from Harvard Law, and just recently passed the bar to practice patent law in Texas. I couldn’t be more proud of him, his determination, and work ethic. I am sure he got some of that from me…it’s got to be in his blood!

What are some your most important goals in working with the local customers of Ashland?

Well, the main goal is to have everyone in Ashland know we are here, and to choose us if they need any work on their car. That’s the main goal. We want to provide the highest quality repair possible, and bring each vehicle to pre-accident condition, which we do! I want to be an active member in this community, to be a part of the community events, and to recognize even more people when walking through town. I have created some great relationships, and met some pretty amazing people so far.

Galina, walk us through the process of someone who has just had an accident and then needs to get their car repaired at Anderson Auto Body.

Give us a call or come on down. If you need a ride, we’ll pick you up. If your car is not drivable, we can tow it to our shop. We will walk you through the repair process, from crash to completion. You’ll need to call your insurance, get a claim number, and let them know that you want Anderson’s to fix your car…and we’ve got it from there. We will keep you informed every step of the way, complete the repair quickly, and at a competitive rate. Plus, we back all of our paint and body work for life.

Dave, being located right outside of Ashland, what is the main benefit of working with you guys as opposed to driving up to Medford?

Local business = Local money. We are a local, independent, family owned and operated business. We are an established auto body shop, serving the Rogue Valley proudly since ’95. Most of our business comes from repeat customers and from referrals from our customers. Our quality cannot be beat, it is second to none. We are rated #1 with major insurance companies, and have been given 100% customer satisfaction ratings by them. There is no reason to go to Medford when the best choice for any of your automotive needs is right here in Ashland.

Aurel, when someone is getting their car repaired or considering having it repaired what are the three most important questions they need to ask?

…and how about when you are looking at getting your car painted. How do you ensure that the new color will match the rest of the car?

We use the latest color matching calibration technology. Your cars vin # is entered into our system, which tells us the exact paint code for your specific vehicle. It’s not a guessing game. We guarantee that our paint will match, and that it will look like the accident never happened.

Dave, you’ve seen alot and had to work very hard in your life to build the success you have today. What are three of your best tips for staying on track and not getting discouraged when the odds are against you?

Know where you want to go and what you want from life. Know why you want it, and how you are going to get it.

I know I am missing something here in our interview, so can you tell me something that Anderson Auto Body is doing that I would have never known to ask?

Towing, detailing, air conditioning services, alignment…anything your car needs, we can do it.

In conclusion are there any last words you would like to share with our readers?

I am thankful to be where I am today. Every morning when I wake up I feel blessed to be here in this beautiful country—that I was able to come to this free country and become what I planned to be—that I was able to work hard and succeed, just as my father told me I could.

Thank you to everyone that has brought their car to my shop. It is because of your business that I am in business.

First Public Mural in Ashland Since Reins Loosened on Public Art

When Nicole Shulters was a young girl tracing the cereal boxes from her family’s kitchen, no one expected that a decade later she’d be painting a mural in Uptown Ashland. But, as her pastime turned to passion under the influence of teacher Mark Schoenleber at Ashland High School, it seemed fitting.

When her dad, owner of Dan’s Shoe Repair on 2^nd St. in Ashland, suggested a mural on the side wall of his building as Nicole’s senior project, she decided to embark upon a journey that has not been accomplished successfully since restrictions on public art were lifted in 2009. At 17, she was unintentionally pioneering.

And so in September 2011 the process began. Shulters brought a sample painting of the mural-to-be to the Ashland Public Arts Commission with the request to paint it on the wall facing Ender’s Alley on the Dan’s Shoe Repair building. As these things go, each potential impact of the mural must be considered and the proper steps must be followed. After Shulters’ second meeting, with written proposal in hand, hesitation was expressed on the part of the Public Arts Commission due to the urban feel of the painting. They were concerned that it may not fit well with Ashland’s small-town feel.

After leaving the meeting Shulters added some hills to the background, modeling them after the very hills nestling Ashland in their valley. Grizzly peak is depicted, with the hills companionably surrounding it. She also added new details to the buildings in the skyline to mimic local businesses.

This time the Public Arts Commission tentatively accepted the proposal. Not surprisingly, there was an array of opinions from the locals in response to a letter sent out by the Arts Commission requesting their feedback regarding the mural. Some thought the colors too bold, others thought it would be a breath of fresh air after walking past the wall that Shulters referred to as “UGLY!” Upon final approval Nicole was sent to City Council.

Ender’s Alley is up the hill from Main St., off South 2^nd St in Uptown Ashland with Dan’s Shoe Repair situated snugly on the corner selling men’s and women’s boots and shoes, as well as repairing the footwear of Ashlanders. Many of the employees from other businesses in the area routinely make their way around that corner to take out their trash, walk to and from work, or to get a cup of joe from the Bloomsbury Coffee House, not to mention tourists going to and from Shakespeare.

With support from her mother, Shulters overcame the challenges. In an interview with Nicole she replied that one of the biggest lessons she’s learned from this process is “no matter how good you think something is, you can always make it better.”

Success was nearly hers as the City Council approved the mural. The Ashland Historic Commission was last to accept the change to the building, but technically should have been contacted first. After meeting with Bill Molnar, the city’s public works director, and being directed to the Historic Commission, in May 2012 the mural was graciously approved. The final hurtle had been leaped.

So now what? What kind of paint to use, where to get it, how to apply it: a brush, roller, sprayer, pressure sprayer? Once again, Dad helped out. He suggested his daughter give another local business the chance to get in on this community achievement. Phil Emard, owner of Ashland General (Ace) Hardware, gladly donated the exterior paint being used for the mural. Shulters presented a pallet of the colors she would be using for the mural, and when the time to paint arrived, her custom paint was ready and waiting…until she told them some colors had changed. But the replacements were pleasantly and quickly mixed up to match the new design.

Before painting, Shulters had to prep the wall. Using a square of sandpaper, she hand sanded all the rough spots on the old, ugly wall. Luckily it was only a couple of hours of work, and then priming was the next step. The mural was finally going up. Shulters initially used a can of black spray paint and drew the design on the freshly primed, white wall. After that it was a giant coloring page! Using brushes, Nicole colored her picture, utilizing some rags to add texture. However the project could not have been completed without some help from her brother, Mike, who welded a new covering on an air conditioning unit in the center of the mural.

So what’s next for the little girl who drew cereal boxes and ended up painting murals? Music will take center stage, with painting in private. When asked if she would return after finishing school in California, Shulters replied, “I love Ashland…I don’t feel like I need to get out; I feel like I need a new perspective on things.”