Encore 10.12

A supplement of the Lynden Tribune and Ferndale Record

A GUIDE TO A FULFILLING SENIOR LIFE IN WHATCOM COUNTY

ncoreEFerndale RecordWednesday, October 24, 2012

Paying homage to Lynden Motor Company........ C2

Living with an LVAD........................................... C6

ENCOREC2 Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 24, 2012 | Ferndale Record

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Jim Elenbaas displays his restored Model T delivery truck that he painted in honor of the former Lynden Motor Company. (Jim Elenbaas/Courtesy photo)

Elenbaas descendant’s Model T restoration pays homage to former Lynden car shopBy Tim [email protected]

GRANGER — The Lynden Motor Company has a presence east of the mountains. The early Lynden busi-ness had a strong showing on Front Street downtown about a century ago, but hasn’t been heard of much since the 1930s. Now a relative of the found-ing Elenbaas brothers has revived the company for a Model T Ford restoration project. Jim Elenbaas, of Granger, a great-nephew of Lynden Motor Company founding brothers Herm, Ike and Pete Elenbaas, has restored a Model T Ford and painted it to mimic a delivery truck for the former company. And he hopes to bring the vehicle to Lynden next sum-mer. Elenbaas, 61, has lived his entire life

C3ENCORE Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 24, 2012 | Ferndale Record

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east of the mountains, but has made fre-quent visits to Lynden over the years. A retired state patrolman, he has been tin-kering with Model Ts for over 25 years. His latest brass-era car came about when he restored a Model T frame and engine and then constructed a wooden body from scratch to match the frame. “I had all these extra parts and de-cided I could build something up and make it look like a vintage vehicle,” he said. “It is not all restored, but like it is in its work clothes.” Except for the body, everything on the rig is Model T. When it came time to dress up the vehicle with paint, Elenbaas remem-bered being in Lynden and seeing pa-perwork that reminded him of the com-pany stuck in a roll-top desk related to the Lynden Motor Company. After a bit of research, he found out that his great-uncle Herm was involved in the enter-prise and then uncovered information about the three brothers who started a shop at the corner of Sixth and Front streets, where the Lynden Dutch Clean-ers now stands. After an aunt sent him a newspa-per clipping from the Lynden Tribune showing photographs of the inside of the shop, paying homage to the Lynden Motor Company was a “no-brainer” for Jim’s finished project. Using colorings popular for the era

— some of which Jim saw on a trip to the Lynden Pioneer Museum — he painted his Model T in bright red, with green trims. “The paint schemes on (the mu-seum buggies) were in a similar motif,” he said. The original Lynden Motor Compa-

ny started sometime in the early 1910s, somewhere between 1911 and 1915, Jim has deduced from historical accounts. It ran until about 1933 when Herm started the Elenbaas creamery store in the same location. Jim believes Ike — a mechanic by trade who finished an upscale ap-prenticeship on the East Coast — stayed in the car business. Pete became in-volved with the Elenbaas Grain Com-pany in Sumas. With a little piece of Lynden history revived, Jim hopes to share it with Lyn-denites as soon as his schedule allows, quite possibly in the Farmers Day Pa-rade on June 1, 2013.

“It is not all restored, but like it is in its work clothes.”

—Jim Elenbaas

Ferndale Senior Activity Center sets schedule FERNDALE — Ferndale seniors can look forward to a variety of events coming up to celebrate the holiday season.

Tole Painting, $5 Each Monday at 9 a.m. Learn how to tole paint using oils. Maxine Reynolds has been teaching tole painting for over 30 years, and the Ferndale Senior Activity Center is lucky to have her bring her teaching here. For members 55 years and older. $5 per class.

Spin’s Funtastic Variety Show and Get Happy Hour, $10 Friday, Nov. 2. The Jet Oldsters are hosting an evening of musical variety fun and laughter. Local professional entertainers including saxophonist Larry Johnson, singer Al Ulrich, pianist Jon Mutchler, singer Matt Audette, and more will entertain and delight us through the evening. Intermission happy hour sponsored by Louisa House. Seating is limited. Purchase your tickets now at the Ferndale Senior Activity Center, 1999

Cherry St.

Holiday Auction and Raffle Pancake Breakfast Saturday, Nov. 17. The Ferndale Senior Activity Center is hosting a silent auction of holiday gift baskets as well as holding a raffle on over a dozen gifts from local businesses. Come in for a delicious breakfast and stay for the 11 a.m. raffle. Breakfast begins at 8 a.m.

Christmas Café and Craft Fair Saturday, Dec. 1. The Ferndale Senior Activity Center is hosting a craft fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Vendors interested in selling handmade crafts should call Barbara Fischer at 384-6244 for an application. Tables are $10 for members and $15 for non-members. Santa Claus will be giving out candy canes from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The café will sell coffee, hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls.

For more information, call Barbara Fischer at (360) 384-6244 or email [email protected]. The Ferndale Senior Activity Center is located at 1999 Cherry St.

Holiday events coming up in Ferndale


Lynden museum to celebrate 1942 construction of Al-Can HighwayNov. 10 events: Flag-raising, presentations, dance, sign forestBy Calvin [email protected]

LYNDEN — The Lynden Pioneer Mu-seum will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the completion of one of North Ameri-ca’s most notable man-made landmarks, the Alaska-Canadian Highway. The big date for the museum is Sat-urday, Nov. 10, with two different times of activity planned. A flag dedication ceremony is set for 12 noon, with an American Legion honor guard raising the U.S., Canadian, Wash-ington and Alaskan flags outside the mu-seum at 217 Front St. Presenters will talk about the importance of the highway to Whatcom County as well. Then, from 6 to 9 p.m., the museum will host the AlCan Boogey, an opportu-

nity to dance to the swing music of the war era, with food and décor to match. Tickets are $7 single, $10 per couple. And there’s another aspect of cel-ebration. The Lynden Pioneer Museum is erecting a sign forest similar to the famous ones set up at various locations along the Alaska-Canadian construction route (and also at many U.S. Army camps throughout the world) to remind the sol-diers of which direction home lay. For $5, cities can get their name on the sign forest. Contact the Lynden mu-seum at 354-3675 with a city’s name and its distance from Lynden. The sign forest will become a permanent part of the mu-seum’s interior displays. Curator Troy Luginbill says this milestone is worth a little celebrating, as the Al-Can was one of the longest and fastest-built highways in history. “The Al-Can is an important part of U.S. history, as it marks a joint multina-tional effort during World War II to create a highway that would provide a means for goods and vehicles to be transported

to Alaska for the purposes of defense and for the lend-lease program to Russia,” Luginbill wrote in an email. The rough original route of about 1,700 miles was built in 1942 after the United States had entered the war. Con-

struction started on March 8 and was considered completed by Oct. 28, al-though a dedication ceremony covered by radio and broadcast to the nation waited until Nov. 20. Moreover, for Whatcom County, lo-

The U.S. Army carved out a 1,700-mile road in less than eight months in 1942.


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cated right on the U.S.-Canada border, the construction of the highway was to have an even greater significance. Fol-lowing the war, the Al-Can opened up a new and unique market for local busi-nesses to exploit. Hank Jansen's Lynden Transport Inc. did just this. Starting with a truck load of food that could be sold at a profit, Drivers Glen Kok and Oscar Roos-ma of Lynden headed north to Alaska in December 1953. This was the beginning of what would become Lynden Inc., one of the largest shipping companies on the Pacific Rim.

“Trade and shipping would flow through Whatcom County to and from Alaska, and we would become the exit and entry point for Alaska travel, tying Whatcom County uniquely to our sepa-rated state,” Luginbill said. As part of the celebration, LTI will have that first tractor and trailer rig, now

made into a museum on wheels, parked in front of the museum, Luginbill said. In the 1942 construction, crews with heavy equipment worked from both northern and southern starting points.

WHAT: Celebration of the 1942 construction of the Alaska-Canadian HighwayWHEN: Saturday, Nov. 10Noon: Flag ceremony, program6 p.m.: Al-Can Boogie danceWHERE: Lynden Pioneer Museum, 217 Front St.

Reports of Japanese invasion of Alaska’s remote Aleutian Islands spurred on the work. The crews met on Sept. 24 at what was named Contact Creek, near the Yu-kon-British Columbia border.

Over the succeeding years of im-provement, the route from Dawson Creek, B.C., to Delta Junction, Alaska, was also shortened to 1,387 miles today.

The LTI truck on the right traveled the Al-Can Highway in the 1950s, compared to a larger truck of today. (LTI/Courtesy photo)


The beginning of my grandfather’s journey with an LVADBy Brent Lindquist [email protected]

LYNDEN — I visited my grandfather on Sunday, both to catch up with him and to learn about his new LVAD device. “LVAD” is an acronym for “Left Ven-tricular Assist Device,” a pump that takes over for the heart when it is weakened by disease. The device is not a replacement for the heart; rather, it gives the heart a break and pumps blood for it. My grandpa, Kurt Mauer of Lynden, handed me a stethoscope as I sat down. I took the earpieces and he put the chest-piece to his heart. As I listened, all I heard was the faint hum of a machine rather than a heartbeat. “So, you’re basically Iron Man,” I said. He chuckled, and while comic books and movies do often exaggerate the truth, the LVAD is proof that certain science fic-tion tropes are quickly becoming a reality. Grandpa Kurt has no measurable heartbeat or blood pressure. During the day, he wears a vest that houses a control system above his waist and batteries to run the device. A tube runs from the con-trol system directly into his chest and into

Givingthe heart a

rest

Kurt Mauer shows off his LVAD device's battery pack, which takes over the heart's job of circulating blood. (Brent Lindquist/Lynden Tribune)

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a prosthetic left ventricle, which pumps blood from the lungs into the body. The other end of the pump is connected to the aorta, the body’s main artery. “This is actually a drive line that drives a pump that I have inside at about 9,000 RPMs,” Grandpa Kurt said. “That keeps the blood flowing with constant pressure instead of pumping pressure so

I don’t have a heartbeat and I don’t have a pulse. It’s weird.” The LVAD is designed to help patients whose hearts need a break following se-rious open-heart surgery, those waiting for a heart transplant or patients whose hearts are simply too weak to pump blood unassisted. Grandpa Kurt charges the batteries every night, plugging the machine into an external wall outlet as he sleeps. If the power goes out and batteries are unavail-able for any reason, he has an adapter used to power the LVAD from a car. When-

ever the power is disconnected or a bat-tery is removed, the LVAD’s control box lets the user know with a high-pitched tone. The LVAD is not without risks, as grandpa experienced just a few weeks back. While working in the shop, he nicked the cord that protrudes from his chest with a tool in the shop. He carries a bag full of spares everywhere he goes, but the incident was a reminder of the care that must be taken when utilizing an LVAD. Spokane’s Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center is one of only two hospi-tals in the state that specializes in LVAD technology. Grandpa Kurt spent about six weeks at Sacred Heart altogether, count-ing prep time, surgery and recovery, when he had the system originally installed ear-lier this year. The doctors periodically check in on him to take notes on his re-covery and on the LVAD’s success as well. His wife, Dana, assists with many es-sential tasks involving the LVAD, includ-ing changing the dressing every two days. The LVAD is a testament to the power of modern medicine. It has gotten my grandpa back on his feet and back to work at Northwest Podiatric Laboratory in Blaine. “I feel better,” he said, “and my spirits are up.”

“I don’t have a heartbeat and I don’t have a pulse. It’s weird.”

—Kurt Mauer


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Getting to know the Voice of the LionsFor Lynden sports public address announcer Lawrence Honcoop, the passion runs deepBy Braulio Perez [email protected]

LYNDEN — “Touchdown Lions!” With the success of Lynden’s football team, it’s a phrase fans have heard count-less times over the last decade. Perhaps even more impressive, it's the same voice that has been delivering that passionate call for over 30 years. Lynden High School sports public ad-dress announcer Lawrence Honcoop is no stranger to the community. He graduated from LHS in 1948 and was a four-sport ath-lete for the Lions 64 years ago. As a senior quarterback then, he was making the same plays he currently calls out on Friday night at Rollie DeKoster Field. He was also a shortstop on the baseball team, a guard on the basketball team and ran the mile in track. He now announces all these sports. “You could say I have a passion for Lyn-den sports,” Honcoop said with a smile. “Over my years I’ve watched college and pro ball and I’ve got to say, there is nothing more pure than high school athletics.” His appreciation for prep sports led to his current hobby and passion that he’s car-ried since the late 1970s. Honcoop remembers the spring day in 1977 when he was approached by former Lynden Athletic Director Terry DeValois. The two had become friends through the Lynden fastpitch softball league, which Honcoop said was extremely popular in town back in the ‘60s and ‘70s. “Terry came up to me and said he need-ed a PA announcer for the football team,” Honcoop said. “It kind of took me by sur-

prise, but I thought I’d give it a try. Here we are over 30 years later and I still love doing it.” In addition to his work with the football team, Honcoop also has 30 years experience with the Lions’ basketball and track teams and will enter his third year with the baseball team in the spring. His focus this fall, of course, is on the football squad, which is 7-1 on the sea-son and has locked up the top seed among Northwest Conference 2A teams following a 49-14 destruction of 3A powerhouse Fern-dale on Friday night. The 82-year-old, who is very humble when it comes to his involvement with LHS, is quick to downplay his efforts in the press box. What fans might not know about Hon-coop is that he picks up the newspaper every day to study up on Lynden’s next oppenent and makes sure he’s up to date on who the top offensive and defensive players are in the Northwest Conference. “I just tell people where the ball goes, who made the tackle and who the ball car-rier was,” Honcoop joked. “I’ve listened to a lot of games in my time on the radio and that certainly helps me while I’m making my calls for the team out there.” Once football comes to a close, Hon-coop quickly shifts his focus to the winter sports season, where he announces the boys basketball team fulltime and fills in as a sub for girls' PA announcer Arnie Hilt. It’s another passion of Honcoop’s be-cause of the memories he has of the hard-wood games he played in the late ‘40s. Honcoop was on the 1948 Lynden state basketball team that included these players: Jake Maberry, Seymour “Stu” Stuurmans, Pete Van Dyk, Chuck Bailey, Gerbert “Gup” Jansen, Tom Springer, Jim Wortley, Glenn Huleatt, Jim Notehoom and himself. “It’s ironic because that class of ‘48 is very similar to the class they’ve got at Lyn-den right now,” Honcoop said. “We were just loaded with talent and similar to Lynden’s seniors this year — we played really well to-

gether.” Once basketball season ends, it’s straight to the baseball diamond and track field for Honcoop. That’s four sports a year, with the same voice belting out touchdown calls and lineups for the Lynden faithful to enjoy. But how long does Honcoop intend to keep that passion going? He said he’s not sure and joked he’s not getting any younger,

but the challenge is well worth it in order to see the excitement on Lynden fans’ faces. “I take it year by year right now,” Hon-coop said. “I’m really not sure when I’ll have to call it a career. Football is getting a little bit tougher for me at my age, but basketball is still pretty simple for me. I have no timeta-ble. I’m going to keep doing it until the pas-sion ends, but I don’t see that happening.”

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Boomers and travelPlan ahead of traveling and protect your health Getting older means being a little more susceptible to a variety of health problems while traveling. However, with a little planning and some caution, baby boomers and seniors can have a safe, healthy and enjoyable trip. Here are some pre-planning tips to help get you started: • Mention your planned travels with your physician. Discuss any medications you’re currently taking, and if you’ll need refills prior to departure. • Carry a copy of all your prescrip-tions with you when you travel. When go-ing abroad, you may also want to know the generic name of your drug in case your prescribed version isn’t available locally. Losing a pill bottle or accidentally break-ing a vial of insulin, for example, can very easily happen on a vacation, and if you are touring around a foreign country, you may have difficulty obtaining a refill if you don’t have this information handy or if your drug is unavailable or sold under a differ-ent name.

• Sign up for travel assistance. Nobody plans to get sick or injured while traveling, but it can happen. And sometimes an in-jury or illness is severe enough to force the traveler to cut the trip short and seek medical attention. Baby boomers and se-niors have trusted doctors at home, and often want to return home immediately for medical care. This is where On Call International’s medical evacuation and travel assistance memberships come in handy. The annual membership and mature membership of-fer medical evacuations to the hospital of the member’s choice, regardless of wheth-er they can receive appropriate care lo-cally. Visit www.oncallinternational.com/travel-assistance/individuals to learn more about travel assistance. • Visit a travel medicine specialist. You may be required to get new vaccina-tions when traveling to specific foreign countries. Ask your doctor to recommend a travel medicine specialist who can edu-cate you about the immunizations that are required or recommended for your des-tination, as well as any other health con-cerns specific to your destination. • Pack over-the-counter supplies. A vacation means getting out and doing

new or different activities. This change of pace may result in sore and achy muscles. A vacation also means you might be ex-posed to new and different germs, which could develop into a traveler’s cold or the flu. Pack some over-the-counter medica-tions to help treat potential symptoms, so you don’t have to take time out of your vacation to search for a pharmacy or drug

store. Hopefully you won’t need any of the supplies, but it’s always a good idea to have them handy. With a little pre-planning, you’ll be able to have the relaxing vacation you de-serve, while also reducing your chances of encountering common health pitfalls that could put a damper on your trip.


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How diabetes affects vision and dental healthDiabetes patients should be extra diligent in good health practices It’s no secret that diabetes often goes hand-in-hand with other chronic condi-tions, like heart disease, and it can cause a range of serious complications includ-ing nerve damage and limb amputation. When it comes to understanding how di-abetes can affect oral and visual health, however, many people may feel they are in the dark. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently found that one out of every two Americans 30 years or older has periodontal (gum) disease. Gum dis-eases are infections of the mouth that af-fect the tissue and bone that hold a per-son’s teeth in place and can lead to bad breath, abscesses and tooth loss. The risk for gum disease is even higher for the 26 million Americans living with diabetes. Gum disease can make it hard to control blood sugar levels, and high or uncontrolled levels of glucose in the body can worsen mouth infections. This

cycle can cause painful gums and tissue that can eventually result in tooth loss. In fact, gum disease may be a first indicator that a person may not have control of his or her blood sugar level. Primary care physicians, dental and eye care specialists are teaming up to urge those living with the disease to schedule regular checkups. These visits can help regulate the disease’s impact on oral, vision and overall health. For people who are not aware that they might have diabetes, certain signs and symptoms can actually help diagnose the disease. “Good dental and vision health — and well-controlled blood sugar — are critical to managing diabetes and pre-venting serious complications that could affect the mouth and eyes,” said Dr. Mi-chael D. Weitzner, vice president of Na-tional Clinical Operations for United-Healthcare’s dental business. “Diabetes has the potential to weak-en one’s ability to fight bacteria in the mouth and throughout the body. Un-managed blood sugar can lead to diffi-culty fighting infection effectively, pav-ing the way for serious gum disease,” said Dr. John Luther, chief dental officer at UnitedHealthcare. “Because periodontal

disease often is painless, people might not know they have it until the damage has already been done.” In addition to affecting oral health, diabetes also can have a negative impact

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See DIABETES on C12


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Boomers should design for future needs of the householdKeep spaces in house open and adaptable Boomers expect to stay in their homes and live independently into their later years. But in the midst of change that is occurring in their households, it’s easy for them to lose focus on planning for their own future housing needs. New research by The Hartford shows that 40 percent of boomers have experi-enced or anticipate experiencing family member changes in and out of the home, mostly related to their children. However, 70 percent of boomers have not made design changes to their living space, perhaps due to the fact that they don’t know if their children will move back home, notes Jodi Olshevski, gerontologist at The Hartford. Changes that increase your home’s livability allow you to stay in your home longer and make living easy for peo-ple of all ages, sizes and abilities. “Most of us want to stay in our homes as we age, which often requires making the design choices to help us do that,” said Olshevski. Moving, remodeling or simply redecorating all present opportunities to incorporate design factors that make your

home comfortable and safe for everyone you care about, from small children to older individuals. While a life transition might cause you to halt your plans for improvements, Ol-shevski recommends taking the opposite approach and using it as an opportunity to incorporate more accessible design into the home. By following the principles of universal design — what’s good for people of all ages, sizes and abilities — you can make sure your home is more livable across your life-time and can stand up to any life changes that come your way. Olshevski recommends concentrating on three design elements in order to ac-commodate changing needs over a lifetime: • Adaptability Is your home flexible and functional for family and friends now and in the fu-ture? For example, if you’re installing a new bathroom sink, you might consider storage space in the cabinet underneath. You may also want to make sure the cabinet open-ing is at least 36 inches wide, which allows a wheelchair to slide in between the doors when open and makes the sink accessible to all. Or, if you’re installing new kitchen coun-

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Diabetes: Eye examinations key to diabetes managementContinued from C10

Design: Ease of use is keyContinued from C11

vessels that nourish the retina, is the leading cause of blindness in the United States among people between 20 and 74 years of age. People with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes are at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy; the National Eye Institute estimates that between 40 and 45 percent of Americans diagnosed with diabetes have some form of retinopathy. Vision complications related to diabetes extend beyond retinopathy to include increased risk of developing glaucoma and cataracts. “Eye examinations play a significant role in diagnosing, monitoring and man-aging diabetes,” said Dr. Linda Chous, chief eye care officer at UnitedHealth-care. “According to the CDC, recent studies show that keeping one’s blood glucose levels close to normal can help prevent or delay the onset of diabetes-related eye disease. All patients with dia-betes should receive a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year.” Changes in vision such as blurri-ness, seeing spots or persistent redness

can be symptomatic of the disease. Oth-er vision-related complications of diabe-tes that can serve as early indicators of the disease include double vision, dry eyes and lid infection. Dr. Luther recommends that pa-tients with diabetes take the following four precautions to stay healthy: 1. Check your blood sugar often to ensure you are managing your levels ef-fectively. 2. Schedule regular dental and vi-sion checkups and alert your dentist and eye care professional if you have diabe-tes. 3. Maintain an oral health care regi-men of regular flossing and brushing using toothpaste with an anti-plaque or anti-bacterial ingredient and preferably with an electric toothbrush. 4. Make sure to take normal medi-cations prior to dental and vision visits unless your dentist or doctor instructs otherwise. For diabetes management-related tips, programs and more, visit www.unit-edhealthgroup.com/diabetes.

tertops, think about choosing a design with multiple heights to increase flexibility and comfort for things such as standing for food preparation or sitting to check for recipes on the computer. • Ease Any components you add to your home should be easy to use. For example, im-provements like pull-out drawers for easy access in kitchens and bathrooms can help make reaching for items easier. If you’re replacing door handles or faucets, opt for lever-style handles that are easier to turn. • Openness Open floor plans are becoming more the trend, but it’s not just for style reasons.

More open space means additional room to maneuver, eliminating obstacles for those who have mobility challenges. Improve-ments like rounding edges on countertops can also help eliminate sharp objects that could cause injury. Recognizing both that people are living longer and wish to remain in their homes, and seeing the types of transitions that families have gone through over the past few years, The Hartford has dedicated a sec-tion of its website to helping people make their homes more livable across a lifetime, meeting the needs of everyone at all ages. More resources for getting your home ready for the rest of your life can be found at www.thehartford.com/lifetime.

Johannes Lisiecki postpones Strait of Gibraltar swimBy Tim [email protected]

LYNDEN — Due to a “very serious family situation,” Johannes Lisiecki has postponed his swim of the Strait of Gibral-

tar, an attempt to raise awareness of con-genital heart disease. Lisiecki, 72, was planning on swim-ming the strait the week of Oct. 22, but cancelled the effort last week. After four years of swim training and 700 miles in the water, he now plans to swim in September 2013. This is the sec-ond time Lisiecki has postponed his swim. The Strait of Gibraltar is the nine-mile-wide entrance to the Mediterranean Sea.

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