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Living on the Peninsula, Winter 2014 - Sequim Gazette
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Keeping Quileute traditions alive
Making music, making connections
On with the show: An acting life
Coppersmith delights in passing along craft
People sharing their passions
Supplement to the Sequim Gazette and Port Townsend and Jefferson County Leader
WINTER 2014
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Contents Departments
In Focus
Outdoor Recreation5 | Explore these winter hikes on the North Olympic Peninsula
Food & Spirits7 | Pork cutlets recipe from Sequim’s 7th Avenue Steakhouse
Arts & Entertainment9 | Dance the night away with the Black Diamond Contra dancers
Now & Then37 | A look back at Aldrich’s Market in Port Townsend and Bekkevar Farm in Blyn
The Living End38 | Passionate living
People sharingtheir passions
20
32
26
12 | Just add Ruby The Forks Athletic and Aquatic center is a place to exercise, volunteer and hold a party
14 | Transformative clay Clay reflects Megan Smith’s passion for creativity
20 | A beautiful metalCoppersmith guides students inrealizing their own art
22 | Is there an actress in the house?Sharon DelaBarre is at the ready to lend a hand when it comes to theater or artistic productions
24 | A passion for marine lifeFeiro Marine Life Center docents are ready to share their knowledge and enthusiasm for sea critters
26 | Making music and connections Aaron Vallat devotes his evenings and weekends to teaching music
28 | You put your right foot in . . . Long time tree farmer finds relaxation — and love — in dancing
32 | A tradition of teaching culture Quileute teacher continues family tradition of cultural education
Vol. 10, Number 4 • Living on the Peninsulais a quarterly publication.
147 W. Washington St., Sequim WA 98382© 2014 Sequim Gazette
John Brewer, Publisher
Steve Perry, Advertising Director
Editorial:Patricia Morrison Coate, Editor
Production:Mary Field, Graphic DesignerTrish Tisdale, Page Designer
Advertising: (360) 683-3311 • (360) 452-2345
226 Adams St.Port Townsend, WA
360-385-2900Fred Obee: [email protected]
© 2014 Port Townsend LeaderOn our cover:Megan Smith hands glide at her potter’s wheel. Photo by Viviann Kuehl
Feel like you’re atop the world at Hurricane Ridge.
4 LOP Winter 2014
Vol. 10, Number 4 • Living on the Peninsulais a quarterly publication.
147 W. Washington St., Sequim WA 98382© 2014 Sequim Gazette
John Brewer, Publisher
Steve Perry, Advertising Director
Editorial:Patricia Morrison Coate, Editor
Production:Mary Field, Graphic DesignerTrish Tisdale, Page Designer
Advertising: (360) 683-3311 • (360) 452-2345
226 Adams St.Port Townsend, WA
360-385-2900Fred Obee: [email protected]
© 2014 Port Townsend Leader
OUTDOOROUTDOOROUTDOOROUTDOOROUTDOOROUTDOOROUTDOOROUTDOOROUTDOOROUTDOOROUTDOORRECREATION
So you love hiking on the Olympic Peninsula, but weeks of winter are looming and reasons to not break out those hiking boots — fewer hours of
sunlight, the chill in the air, snow and rain and everything in between — are mounting? Yeah, I’ve been there. I got over it.
Living in Washington means you’re going to get wet — yes, even living here in the Blue Hole. And it’ll be cold … not that, “Wow, it’s brisk!” kind of cold you get in the Midwest, or the “Gee, it’s chilly” kind you get on the East Coast, but the damp, depleting, “My soul longs for any place other than this” kind of Pacific Northwest cold.
But living in the PCNW also means you’re adept at layering and putting on a happy face as you hit the trails. Plus, our area is still a hiker’s paradise, regardless of the temperature.
Here are a few of my favorite winter hikes. Don’t forget the Ten Essentials of hiking: map, compass, sunglasses and sunscreen (even in the winter!), extra clothing, headlamp/flashlight, first-aid supplies, firestarter, matches, knife and extra food/water.
SPRUCE RAILROAD TRAILWith many of the area’s hiking trails
unreachable, the Spruce Railroad Trail is simply a gem. The trail starts on Lake Crescent’s north
shore, shortly after the road crosses the Lyre River. Take a short jaunt downhill from the trailhead through a fern-littered forest flanked by deciduous trees and pines to an abandoned rail bed that comprises much of the trail. The trail features a pleasant lagoon spanned by a wood and steel bridge, beneath black basalt cliffs on the right. To the south are snow-dusted peaks and ridges along the south shore, including the imposing Mount Storm King.
>> How long: 4.0 miles each way; plus 3-mile roundtrip trek to North Shore Recreation Area.
>> How hard: Easy.
>> How to get there: Take U.S. Highway 101 to East Beach Road, west of Port Angeles at Lake Crescent. Turn right onto the road. Follow it several miles. Turn left just past the Log Cabin Resort on a road marked by a sign for the Spruce Railroad Trail. The trail starts on the right at the parking area.
ROBIN HILL FARM COUNTY PARKThe best of these for those who prefer a short
day hike. With ample tree coverage among its 195 acres of forest, meadow and wetland, the park is usable in any weather. There are about 3.4 miles of developed foot trails and 2.5 miles of equestrian trails. The park also features 20 that
are maintained by WSU Cooperative Extension programs for pasture management, agricultural research plots/gardens and special water conservation and composting programs.
>> How hard: Easy.
>> How to get there: Take U.S. Highway 101 to Dryke Road west of Sequim. Turn north on Dryke, the parking area is on the right, before the road’s first curve. Or, take Old Olympic Highway to Vautier Road, turn left then drive to Pinnell Road, turn right. Parking area is on the left.
HURRICANE RIDGE/HURRICANE HILLGetting up to the ridge is sometimes a chore —
recent efforts have Hurricane Ridge Road open four days per week during the winter instead of three — but once you’re there, it is a hiker’s playground. I suggest a snowshoe hike up Hurricane Hill if you can manage it. Breathtaking views abound.
>> How long: 2.9 miles from the Visitor Center to Hurricane Hill; 2.6 miles from the Visitor Center to Switchback Trail via Sunrise Ridge
>> How hard: Varies depending on the snow, wind conditions. On average, moderate to difficult. Snow covers many of the standard trail markings. Trails near the center are easy to moderate.
>> How to get there: From downtown Sequim,
Winter hiking on theNorth Olympic Peninsula
Story and photos by Michael Dashiell
Feel like you’re atop the world at Hurricane Ridge.
The view from the Spruce Railroad Trail reveals snow-dusted peaks of the Olympic Mountains.
Winter 2014 LOP 5
take U.S. Highway 101 west to Port Angeles. Turn left on Race Street and follow that as it changes to Mount Angeles Road and then Hurricane Ridge Road. From downtown Port Angeles to the ridge is about 17 miles. Entrance fee or pass required. Visit www.nps.gov/olym/ for daily fees, passes and special discounts.
>> Other information: Call 452-4501.
SALT CREEK RECREATION AREAThe list of things you can’t do at Salt Creek
seems shorter than what you can do — tent and RV camping; picnic spots; playground equipment for the youngsters and young-at-heart-sters; hooping it up at the basketball court; batting and fielding at the baseball/softball field; a full volleyball court with dirt surface; Army gun emplacement to pose for cheesy family photos; tide pool gawking; top-notch scuba-diving; horseshoes; swimming in the creek (weather permitting); whale watching; and probably a hundred other things — but there hiking also is awesome at the 196-acre piece of property. This was home to Fort Hayden during World War II until the federal government declared the site surplus and Clallam County took it over. Now it’s home to some great day-use activities and trekkers who enjoy a bit of surf and turf can hit the beach or some low-lying hills to pique their hiking interests.
>> How long: Varies
>> How hard: Easy to modestly difficult (various trails/hiking spots)
>> How to get there: U.S. Highway 101 west to state
Highway 112, about 13 miles west of Port Angeles. After three miles on Highway 112, turn right on Camp Hayden Road and follow it directly to the recreation area.
THE BEACH HIKES: DUNGENESS SPIT RECREATION AREA & PORT WILLIAMS BEACH
Two more easier day hikes that work fine even under the wettest of winter conditions.
>> How long: Varies.
>> How hard: Ridiculously easy.
>> How to get there: From downtown Sequim, hop on U.S. Highway 101 eastbound to Kitchen-Dick Road. Take a right and follow three miles to the Dungeness Recreation Area entrance. Take a left on Voice of America Boulevard and follow to the Dungeness Spit trailhead. To Port Williams from downtown Sequim, take Sequim-Dungeness Way north, then a right on Port Williams Road. Follow that until you hit water.
>> Other information: Make sure to chip in a $3 day-use fee at the spit and don’t forget your special “doggie bags” if you choose to take a barker to Port Williams.
DEER RIDGE TRAILThe Olympic Peninsula is replete with places to
take one’s canine companions for walks, but hikes take a little research. Fortunately, pets are allowed on trails in Olympic National Forest and most state-managed Department of Resources land, so dog hikers and their owners are in luck. Deer Ridge Trail offers astounding views of Mount Baldy and farther back toward Buckhorn Mountain, Mount Deception, across the Graywolf River and into the Buckhorn Wilderness. Completing the trail means trekking into Olympic National Park, where pets are not allowed, so those with dogs should only expect to finish two-thirds of the hike up to the park boundary. (Minus a pet, hikers can finish the 5.2-mile hike at Deer Park.)
>> How hard: Moderate
>> How long: 3.6 miles to ONP boundary; 5.2 miles to Deer Park Campground
>> How to get there: Drive 2.5 miles west of Sequim on U.S. Highway 101 to Taylor Cutoff Road. Follow sweeping right turn onto Lost Mountain Road. Turn left on Forest Service Road No. 2780, then right on Forest Service Road No. 2875. Look for trailhead and parking area at Slab Camp on right. No pass is required.
>> On the web: www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/deer-ridge-trail.htm. n
A trek on Deer Ridge.
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6 LOP Winter 2014
The 7th Avenue Steakhouse, 271 S. Seventh Ave. in Sequim, is not only noted for its tender beef, but its pork dishes, too. Chef/kitchen manager Richard Williams said he chose to feature Pork Cutlets with Honey/Mayo Sauce because, "It's a good quality dish and tasty with the sauce."
A sampling of this simple but satisfying dish found the pork cutlets to be juicy and tender inside, with a light crispiness and no hint of oil, and the sauce a tangy sweet accent. At the restaurant, Williams serves the cutlets with skin-on mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables, both seasoned with garlic.
With an extensive menu, 7th Avenue Steakhouse is open from 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday. Call 360-683-4825 or find the restaurant on Facebook at www.facebook.com/7thavenuesteakhouse.
7th Avenue SteakhouseEnjoy recipe for pork cutlets with
honey/mayo sauce
FOOD&SPIRITS
Pork Cutlets with Honey/Mayo SaucePORK CHOPS• 4 pork chops, butterflied and thinly sliced• 1 Tablespoon garlic salt or garlic powder• 1 teaspoon salt and pepper• Marinate overnight.• 1 box panko breadcrumbs
Dredge cutlets in panko; deep fry or pan fry in oil until the panko is golden brown; serve honey/mayo sauce on the side. Makes two large servings.
HONEY/MAYO SAUCE• 1 cup mayonnaise• 1/4 cup Sweet Cow Condensed Milk (13-ounce can); not
evaporated milk• 1/4 cup honey
Mix well, serve at room temperature.
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Winter 2014 LOP 7
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8 LOP Winter 2014
What is contra dance? Renowned contra caller/musician George Marshall recently performed as the caller at a special Black Diamond Contra event this
past November, and during a brief intermission, he shared some thoughts on the definition of this unique and ever-evolving dance form. The Massachusetts native discovered contra dancing in his teens during a summer job of trail building in the mountains of New Hampshire. Marshall tagged along with some older friends who piled 20 people into a 15-seat passenger van that had the seats removed.
“Once a week,” he recalls, “we drove about an hour over hill and dale. We got to this field and there was a barn — and music and dance and laughter came spilling out of it. I went into
the hall, and there was the dancing, and I was immediately struck — it was like, ‘These are my people — where have they been?!’” Marshall’s decades of involvement in contra dancing have made him well suited to define the term “contra dance” for those of us who only recently have discovered it.
“It’s a community dance,” he offers. “It’s unlike swing dancing, or Cajun, or salsa or whatever.” Marshall describes how, during the dance, you keep changing partners: “You’re dancing with a different person. This way you’re dancing with a whole group and that’s very nice.” He observes that that the community feeling of this tradition-inspired dance was “one of the reasons that in the 1950s and 1960s there was a revival because people were looking for a community thing. It’s a way for people to come together. A lot of people
have met their partner at dances. Contra is a nice way to meet people and they really latched onto it. The music was whatever people had on hand in New England. There was a lot of French Canadian music coming down from Canada. There was southern music coming up from the Southeast. Whatever people had, they used, and there was also continuous dancing for 250 years.”
If you live on the Olympic Peninsula and you believe that experience is an ideal way to learn, opportunity is just up the road. Except for a summer break, the Black Diamond Contra Dancers gather every first Saturday of the month at the Black Diamond Community Hall just outside of Port Angeles’ city limits. In addition to these monthly dances, a few times a year, the group hosts touring musicians like the Great Bear Trio and callers like Marshall. In addition
Black Diamond Contra DanceJOY FOR ALL SEASONS
It’s dark and near freezing outside on this November night, but the atmosphere inside is joyous and celebratory. The music is lively, the room is lovely, so why not grab a partner (or many) and dance the night away?
ARTS &ENTERTAINMENT
Story and photos by Christina Williams
Winter 2014 LOP 9
to calling, Marshall also has two bands in which he plays. For the recent November contra event, however, he worked as the caller.
“I’ve been coming out to the Northwest since 1978, doing music and dance stuff,” says the versatile Marshall, “so every November, for the last 15-18 years, I’ve done a little tour with different bands and I organized the trips. Last year and this year it’s part of a 19-dance/19-day tour, so I work with a local band and my band, Wild Asparagus, and now I’m working with Great Bear Trio. I’ve worked with Great Bear a couple of times before, so I knew what their music was like and I really like what they do.”
The Great Bear Trio is comprised of a keyboardist/piano teacher mother and her two adult sons in their mid-20s. Don’t let the brothers’ tender ages fool you. They’ve had years of serious practice under their collective belts and are making quite a name for themselves on the contra dance circuit. Says Marshall of the brothers: “They were 7 and 8 when they first heard my band Wild Asparagus, so they credit Wild Asparagus with turning them on to contra dance music. They were really into bluegrass music at the time. They heard this contra dance music and decided “Oh — we want to do that!’”
Unfortunately, Great Bear’s touring schedule couldn’t accommodate an interview, but before we move along in this discussion of contra, I must mention the “footboard” that one of the brothers — Noah — was maneuvering with his feet as he played fiddle. Talk about multi-tasking — it was fascinating to watch!
Black Diamond Contra coordinator Elizabeth Athair explains that Noah’s fiddle and footboard combo is loosely based on some Quebecois (French Canadian) music styles but that he has taken it in a dynamic direction that more closely resembles a kick drum. Athair’s contra musician guests had just left hours before she graciously invited me to interview her about the dance form that has long been her passion. She took up the task of planning dance events after local contra enthusiast/musician Bob Boardman died a few years ago. In the 2000s, Boardman planned the dances and Athair was among those who helped decide the way forward in his absence.
“When all of us were trying to do it,” she says, “sometimes double bookings happened and it was just in the very first months afterwards when we were trying to figure it out. We concluded that just one of us should do it
The members of this popular contra touring group, The Great Bear Trio, have more in common than good musicianship — the mother keyboardist, Kim Yerton, and her two fiddler sons, Andrew, left, and Noah VanNorstrand, have a high energy style that surely will keep contra dancers on their toes for a long time to come!
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10 LOP Winter 2014
and I was excited about it … There are people that will travel this country just to do contra dances,” she observes.
Athair discovered her own affinity for the dance many years ago when she was living in an area that had a train connecting to Chicago.
“There was a dance happening at a place called Dunes State Park,” she recalls. “It was just outside and someone was calling it. They welcomed anyone to come along and try it. I fell in love with the whole thing and I discovered that there was a lot of dancing in Chicago and so I would catch a train to Chicago to dance there. I started networking with people there and learning about other dances in other places.”
Athair and her husband moved to Port Angeles around 2008, after leaving Chelan, where they’d lived since about 1989. “We moved here because we were ready for some changes,” she explains. One thing that has remained constant in her life is her passion for contra.
When asked about the variations in contra music from region to region, Athair comments on the style of The Great Bear Trio whom she invited to play at the previous night’s event: “You know what? These kids — I keep calling them ‘kids’ because they’re only in their 20s — they’ve taken old styles and put contemporary songs into it. It seems like each age group takes the old ways and maybe creates something new or a variation of it.”
Athair speaks thoughtfully as she considers the contemporary development of this music/dance
tradition with very old roots: “There’s one friend who calls — I think she’s from Tacoma. She’s been calling for 20 years. She’s taken all the old songs. Some of the old songs — I mean some of the calls have old songs with them, and so there’s been a drift away from doing these traditional ones. She wants to take them all out and then practice them
on people and to see ‘Why did they throw this out? Why aren’t the song and the call still together?’ Sometimes with that other group (of musicians) that came out with George (Marshall) there’s a certain combination of the music and the movement that creates this energy that is just like a trance, and so … kind of euphoric and amazing. It’s delightfully wholesome and fun!”
As we wind up the interview, Athair speaks of her wish for the future of contra dancing here on the peninsula.
“I’d love to see it in the schools — I routinely invite grade school, middle school, high school and college students. My husband Scot and I usually go around and pick them up. We take two cars so we can collect as many people as possible. Several of them have said — even for the prom or something — that they wanted to have contra dance especially for such events. She smiles as she repeats a question that she’s heard from these younger dancers: “Wouldn’t that be much more fun? “
So — if you’re looking to add some joy to your life in the new year, and you’ve wondered about contra dance, remember that the experience is available here most of
the year (except for a hiatus in July and August). Can’t wait until the first Saturday of the month to learn more? See Black Diamond’s website: www.blackdiamonddance.org. It offers a wealth of local information as well as links to people and events outside the area. n
Set just off Black Diamond Road, the Black Diamond Community Hall is reminiscent of old country-style barns and halls where people have been gathering for community dances for generations. The date 1940 is stamped into the front of the concrete steps, but many modern upgrades have enhanced the usability of this local landmark.
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Winter 2014 LOP 11
Take one empty Aquatic Center building, fold in some residents with an idea, sprinkle in a little donated exercise equipment, add some water and mix it up and top it off with an energetic woman driven to teach anyone that gets in her way how to eat better, exercise and feel better, and you may just have a recipe for a successful community venture.
To make a long story short: the citizens of Forks voted to have a pool, the pool was built, the pool was open, people came and used the pool, then the pool was closed and it stayed closed.
Along came a group of people who still wanted Forks to have a pool — Quillayute Valley Park and Recreation District Board members Nedra Reed, Don Grafstrom, Gordon Gibbs, Ron Anderson and the late Jim Smith formulated a new plan that would include a fitness center and a pool.
The board decided the leisure pool would be filled in; the final choice for this procedure was that Styrofoam was placed in the pool and a layer of concrete was pored over to seal it. This area then become the fitness area and the lap pool remained is it was. Initially Ruby Swagerty was contracted to run the fitness and aquatic end of the business and the QVPRD managed the Forks Community Center portion of the building, which includes a dining room and a kitchen area.
With Swagerty at the helm, the Forks Athletic and Aquatic center has become not only a place to exercise, it is a place for many to volunteer and a place to hold a party!
Many local people are not only using the facility but are volunteering as well, like retired City of Forks Deputy Clerk Vivian Morris. The reopening of the pool also has brought about some much needed swimming lessons for non-swimmers of all ages, with options of group lessons or private ones.
The fitness and aquatic center is not only for getting in shape. One of the first children’s birthday celebrations held in the pool was when Zoie Davis turned 7 and her mother Nerrisa reserved the pool for her birthday party. When asked how many youngsters attended, Zoie replied that there were so many she did not know a number. Her mother said about 25 friends and
Just addStory and photos by Christi Baron
The Forks Athletic and Aquatic center has become a great place to exercise and even hold a fun-filled pool party!
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12 LOP Winter 2014
some of their siblings had a great time in the pool. Zoie also said the most fun part was going under water with goggles on and doing twister cannon balls into the water. She also added that her party at the pool had a duck theme because according to Zoie, “ducks like water.”
After an hour in the pool the party finished up in the kitchen/dining room area for pizza and cupcakes. To add to the whole water/duck theme Zoie’s grandmother Carin Hirsch created a beach ball piñata. Nerrisa said, “The best part is there was no planning games, the kids stayed busy in the pool and no mess at my house.”
But the driving force that has made the Forks Athletic and Aquatic Center a real success is the woman that has been operating it as her own business and that person is Swaggerty. She is driven to teach the community of Forks how to get moving and eat healthy.
Beside the exercise aspect of Swaggerty’s approach, she has added a juice bar and over 50 different classes that include cooking classes to teach people how to eat in a healthy way. She also has added outside group activities with hikes to the beach and other areas.
You never know when Swaggerty will show up with her display of “unhealthy foods.” This past summer at the hospital health fair she brought
her “bad food kit” that includes among other things a several-year-old fast food hamburger that has so many preservatives in it that it never spoiled. It still looks like the day it was purchased, only it is hard as a rock but otherwise unchanged.
The message of the never spoiled hamburger is that preservatives are bad for our body. “If your grandmother wouldn’t recognize it, then you shouldn’t eat it,” Swaggerty said.
Swagerty’s biggest reward in her teaching of a healthier lifestyle is the change it can make in a person’s life, and
with the cooking classes, the change can better the life of an entire family by teaching better eating habits.
Swagerty has offered an experience for those that want to lose weight called “The Challenge.” Participants could win cash prizes and free memberships in the weight-loss competition. Several male participants in the challenge lost over 100 pounds each.
About Swaggerty’s transformation of the once shuttered and vacant pool facility former Forks mayor and current Quillayute Valley Park and Recreation board member Nedra Reed says, “This partnership with Ruby is going very well. It proves that public and private partnerships can work.”
“Ruby has been wonderful to work with. She has done all we expected of her and more.”
Reed added, “Over 200 children have learned to swim since the facility re-opened
in 2012; we have had so many tragedies in our community due to accident in the water.”
“It is so great to see this facility, something that the community is paying for until 2023, being used so again. I get so many positive words from the community,” Reed said. “The QVPRD board is looking forward to many more years of working with Ruby.”
Reed also said the QVPRD board also is passionate about keeping the facility operating.
Since taking over in 2012 Swaggerty has made a few changes along the way and is open to members’ suggestions of new types of healthy activities, too.
Swagerty is driven to make people healthier. With her energy and drive to teach West End residents a better way to eat and live, she has taken an empty facility costing area taxpayers money and has turned it into a hub of healthiness. Swagerty also operates the adjoining Forks Community Center portion of the building for the QVPRD. For more information on scheduling events in the Community Center, call 360-374-2558.
The Forks Athletic and Aquatic Club and Forks Community Center are at 91 Maple Ave. in Forks. For more information and complete schedule of activities, go to www.forksfitness.com or call 360-374-6100. n
Brandon Winters suffered a logging accident and uses the equipment at the facility to get strong again.
Ruby Swagerty, in front on the left, poses on one of the hikes that the Athletic and Aquatic center sponsors.
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Winter 2014 LOP 13
The gleaming array of shapes and colors filling a large shelf in her studio is a testament to Megan Smith’s creativity — and to her commitment to others.
These particular vessels are designed to hold the ashes of loved ones, both human and animal.
Elsewhere in Smith’s neat and tidy studio, set up in the garage of a house she helped to construct, is abundant evidence of her passion for both clay and the therapeutic effect it can have on people.
The light colors of bisque-fired vessels are awaiting transformation through colorful glazes, which emerge in another firing.
Clay trays are drying and await Smith’s special imprints from stamps she carved out of clay.
A mass of handles filling a board wait to be attached in pairs to large cups.
In a covered space outside, shelves hold the spacers and the work waiting to fill the two kilns.
Clay is transformative, says Smith.“It’s a magical process. You start with a wet
lump, make something, then it dries, it gets a bisque firing, is transformed again by glazing and you wind up with a useful, tangible object.”
The clay is an expression not only of Smith’s individual creativity but the connection made between people who create in a shared space.
She shares her passion with others through small classes, limited to three participants by her three pottery wheels. Over eight weeks, students get an introductory session of instruction and then the freedom to indulge their own creativity in two and a half hours weekly.
“Creativity is so empowering,” said Smith. “It’s such a satisfying experience, I want to foster that in other people.
“And it’s therapeutic for me,” she adds. “The studio can be isolating. Having other people around in my studio, with their excitement and enthusiasm, recharges me. I find that I do different things with other people around. It inspires me.”
Smith’s first exposure to a potter’s wheel was as a child during a family vacation to Orcas. “We saw a sign that said ‘try a potters wheel,’” recalled Smith, and she got the opportunity to do just that.
“I didn’t know anything about it but I knew I wanted more,” she said of the experience.
Growing up in Boise, Idaho, Smith took a clay class offered by Boise Art Museum as a preteen.
Then at Colorado College, she majored in studio art, making prints, drawings and etchings.
She figured that college would be her only chance in life to devote her time fully to creativity, and she took it, thinking she’d figure out how to make a living later.
“I told myself I didn’t want to make a living as an artist,” she recalled, “I thought it would be too much of a struggle, but then here I am.”
While there, she took a non-credit, extracurricular pottery class, her only formal training, as it turned out.
After graduating with a degree in studio
Story and photos by Viviann Kuehl
Potter Megan Smith shows a flat tray being made in her
studio.
Clay refl ects Megan Smith’s passion forcreativity and connects her to others
14 LOP Winter 2014
art, in 1991, she got a job in early childhood in Portland, Ore., and found a community pottery center.
“I just loved going there, being with people making things, people engaged in their own projects,” said Smith. “I got more and more into pottery. Partly why I started loving it so much was because I was able to do my own thing and not try to imitate a professor.
“Professors tend to present themselves as objective, and they can tell a certain level of craft, but are totally subjective in their tastes,” explained Smith.
“I firmly believe that everyone is creative. Just follow your intuition. If you feel you shouldn’t do something, it’s probably an internal critic that judges, but you can stop that and just do it.”
Smith carved designs in clay stamps she made for making impressions on the edge of plates. The texture of the glazes in the stampings reminded her of printmaking.
During this time, she first heard about art therapy.
“It was the first time I heard of the concept that creativity and healing are connected. Creativity and healing must be related; it made sense to me,” she said. “I think that I realized that there is something therapeutic in any kind of creative endeavor.”
Intrigued by the idea, she began taking the prerequisite psychology courses at a local community college, working toward a master’s degree in art therapy.
“It was something I wanted to do someday, but it took 8 to 10 years before I actually got into a program,” she noted.
In 1998, Smith moved to Port Townsend.“It was a time of great upheaval,” she recalled.
“The only thing that was clear was I loved pottery.”She found a mentor in Lorna Smith (no
relation), a Port Townsend resident and experienced potter.
Lorna Smith gave Smith space in her studio and introduced her to craft markets.
Smith began selling her wares and enjoyed it.“It was wonderful,” said Smith. “She gave me
a little instruction, and at a certain level, a little instruction goes a long way. Then it’s practice, practice, practice.”
Smith set up her first pottery studio in a rickety garden shed, covering the dirt floor with wood pallets to make a floor surface. The space was unheated, but it was hers.
Later, she moved up to a converted garage studio, with heat and skylights.
Then she got the chance to build her own house through a USDA housing program and put in another garage studio, her current space.
In 2003, she went to Antioch University in Seattle for a master’s degree in counseling and art therapy. After graduating in 2005, she worked at Jefferson Mental Health and did family therapy for the county Juvenile Department.
Working with the chronically mentally ill and staff at Harbor House, Smith helped individuals make tiles of any shape or design and then put them together in a large mural.
“It’s a bright, permanent piece,” commented Smith. “It’s good for people to find their individual piece in the mural and to recognize that you’re part of a community.”
Mostly, however, she practiced traditional therapy.
By 2010, she began to feel burned out and started thinking about funerary urns.
When a couple asked her to make an urn to hold both their ashes, she took it as a sign and left her counseling job.
As it turned out, their urn had their handprints in glaze entwined around its cylinder shape.
“It was very sweet,” said Smith, who enjoys the challenge of making beautiful things memorializing lives.
She made an urn for a lively 7-year-old boy, copying his writing to carve his name on it. She made one for a 7-month-old baby and several for pets and their owners. A large one for a horse was particularly challenging.
Learning from her own experience, she advises, “Just trust yourself when you are making art.”
Starting in January, Smith will be teaching a beginning hand-building class at Peninsula College, which will be listed in its winter catalogue.
“It’s very exciting,” she said. “It’s a great space.”You can check out Smith’s work in shops and
online. “I have special pieces in the Lively Olive store
and mugs in the Mad Hatter, both in downtown Port Townsend on Water Street,” said Smith. “I also sell at Nash’s Farm Store in Sequim. I participate in holiday sales in downtown Port Townsend and I am happy to do special orders.”
Smith has an urn website, www.ArtOfUrns.com, and an Etsy site, Megan Smith Pottery.
She may be contacted at [email protected]. n
Left: Potter Megan Smith’s hands shape the clay into a thin-walled vessel, destined to become a cup with handles.
Above: Crowding the shelves in Megan Smith’s pottery studio are these vessels, made to hold human and/or pet cremains.
Right: Megan Smith is fascinated with the tactile nature of clay. Here, she starts to form a lump of clay into a pot.
Winter 2014 LOP 15
Winter 2014 LOP 16
I have driven out to Marrowstone Island, pulled into a driveway hidden by brush, found my way through the first floor of a musty boatshed and clumped up the stairs to Carol Stabile’s art studio.
“Would you like to make a box?” she asks, as I sit down and take out my notebook.
Carol has just been gifted a huge collection of Japanese papers from an estate. A pile of small gift boxes she has made sits on her table.
Last time I saw her, Carol drew me into squirting shaving cream on paper. We dropped liquid acryl-ic paint onto it, mixed it with a fork, and then scraped it off with a straight edge. The marbleized results were surprising and smelled like a high school date in the 1960s.
I’ve witnessed Carol Stabile’s magic for over a decade as she’s freed children and adults from fear about making art. Adults come to her frozen at the age of eight when they last attempted to make art and couldn’t.
In one memorable lesson, with eight-year-old children, she fills a tray with small objects and asks them to look at it.
Carol is silent as they strug-gle to memorize all the objects on the tray. She knows that by third
grade they are conditioned to guess what an adult wants and perform rote memorization to please the teacher.
She takes the tray away the tray. “Which objects were blue?” she asks.
Each time she brings the tray back, the ques-tions are harder: “Which
objects were touching each other? What touched the edge of the tray? What are the shapes of the shadows of the objects you observed? What shapes were in be-tween the objects? What happened to the shapes of shadows when I moved the tray?
Only the most rarely observant and fearless child will say that a shadow touched the edge. In the English language, shadows are called shadows. There’s no word for how they change shape when the light source is moved. Rarely, if ever, is the color of a shadow dis-cussed among non-artists, import-ant considerations for both drawing and painting.
As long as a student “sees” by naming objects, they will never be able to draw well. What Carol knows is that once a student is taught to see without naming, even a small child can easily be taught perspective and line drawing.
She began teaching prima-
Teacher draws kids/adults to Art
See STABILE, Page 19▼
By Jan Halliday
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360-437-2278
Serving You from Two Locations
Open 7 Days A Week!BEST HOMESC
arol
Sta
bile
in h
er s
tudi
o.
Phot
o by
Jan
Hal
liday
We are proud to have certi� ed technicians on sta� :
We service all years of Japanese, British, BMW, Harley and Ducati motorcycles.
P O R T TO W N S E N D
Sims Way & Mill Road, Port Townsend • (360) 385-4559
Jeff JohnsonPower Equipment & Marine Technician
Jeremy ScottBMW/Ducati Certi� ed Technician
We now carry
Art Supplies!
“From the Essentialsto the Extraordinary.”
The tagline — “Community Owned” — must appear above the Quimper Mercantile Co. logo.The tagline can also be displayed separately from the logo and when using the logo and Port Townsend, WA.
PRIMARY VERSION
The logo and tagline lock-up should not be altered in any way and should always be reproduced from an approved electronic file. The tagline typeface is Oldstlye.
ALTERNATE VERSIONS
The versions shown below should only be used when appropriate.
TAGLINE
3
LOGOTYPE
Port Townsend, WAPort Townsend, WA
Hurry in forbest selection!
www.QuimperMerc.com
OPEN EVERY DAY9am-7pm Mon-Sat & 10am-6pm Sun
1121 Water Street360-385-9595
Consider I.V. Vitamin C ...Can Vitamin C be vital in recovering from infection? A New Zealand dairy farmer dying from pneumonia did not make any recovery until his doctors began injecting him with Vitamin C.
Watch the video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrhkoFcOMII
Jonathan Collin, MDPORT TOWNSEND & KIRKLAND OFFICES
360-385-4555www.drjonathancollin.com • www.townsendletter.com
Jonathan Collin, md
Integrative & Conventional MedicineI.V Vitamin C Support for Inflammation / Infection
Chelation/ Toxic ElementsI.V. Nutrients/ Amino Acids
Nutritional Support
Port Townsend & Kirkland Offices(360) 385-4555
www.drjonathancollin.com • www.townsendletter.com
A hidden paradise, right here on the peninsula!
Creative Union Fabrics112 Kala Square Place, Port Townsend
(360) 379-0655Happy creating!
Mon, 12-4 • Tue-Sat, 10-5
fabrics | notions | thread | � ne scissors | patterns | so much more!
16 LOP Winter 2014
Winter 2014 LOP 16
I have driven out to Marrowstone Island, pulled into a driveway hidden by brush, found my way through the first floor of a musty boatshed and clumped up the stairs to Carol Stabile’s art studio.
“Would you like to make a box?” she asks, as I sit down and take out my notebook.
Carol has just been gifted a huge collection of Japanese papers from an estate. A pile of small gift boxes she has made sits on her table.
Last time I saw her, Carol drew me into squirting shaving cream on paper. We dropped liquid acryl-ic paint onto it, mixed it with a fork, and then scraped it off with a straight edge. The marbleized results were surprising and smelled like a high school date in the 1960s.
I’ve witnessed Carol Stabile’s magic for over a decade as she’s freed children and adults from fear about making art. Adults come to her frozen at the age of eight when they last attempted to make art and couldn’t.
In one memorable lesson, with eight-year-old children, she fills a tray with small objects and asks them to look at it.
Carol is silent as they strug-gle to memorize all the objects on the tray. She knows that by third
grade they are conditioned to guess what an adult wants and perform rote memorization to please the teacher.
She takes the tray away the tray. “Which objects were blue?” she asks.
Each time she brings the tray back, the ques-tions are harder: “Which
objects were touching each other? What touched the edge of the tray? What are the shapes of the shadows of the objects you observed? What shapes were in be-tween the objects? What happened to the shapes of shadows when I moved the tray?
Only the most rarely observant and fearless child will say that a shadow touched the edge. In the English language, shadows are called shadows. There’s no word for how they change shape when the light source is moved. Rarely, if ever, is the color of a shadow dis-cussed among non-artists, import-ant considerations for both drawing and painting.
As long as a student “sees” by naming objects, they will never be able to draw well. What Carol knows is that once a student is taught to see without naming, even a small child can easily be taught perspective and line drawing.
She began teaching prima-
Teacher draws kids/adults to Art
See STABILE, Page 19▼
By Jan Halliday
There’s a story behind every smile . . .We’d like to be a part of yours!
Admiralty Dental CenterDr. Edward Savidge, D.D.S.
www.admiraltydental.com 360-385-7003 600 Cli� St., Port, PT
Admiralty Dental CenterAdmiralty Dental Center
• Comprehensive & Cosmetic• Emergencies• Oral Sedation• Dentures & Partials
• Implants• Endodontics (Root Canals)• Velscope Cancer Detection• Wisdom Teeth Extractions
Call us for your referral needs!
Photo by Morning Star Photography
234 Taylor StreetPort Townsend360-385-0836
9522 Oak Bay RoadPort Ludlow
360-437-2278
Serving You from Two Locations
Open 7 Days A Week!BEST HOMESC
arol
Sta
bile
in h
er s
tudi
o.
Phot
o by
Jan
Hal
liday
We are proud to have certi� ed technicians on sta� :
We service all years of Japanese, British, BMW, Harley and Ducati motorcycles.
P O R T TO W N S E N D
Sims Way & Mill Road, Port Townsend • (360) 385-4559
Jeff JohnsonPower Equipment & Marine Technician
Jeremy ScottBMW/Ducati Certi� ed Technician
We now carry
Art Supplies!
“From the Essentialsto the Extraordinary.”
The tagline — “Community Owned” — must appear above the Quimper Mercantile Co. logo.The tagline can also be displayed separately from the logo and when using the logo and Port Townsend, WA.
PRIMARY VERSION
The logo and tagline lock-up should not be altered in any way and should always be reproduced from an approved electronic file. The tagline typeface is Oldstlye.
ALTERNATE VERSIONS
The versions shown below should only be used when appropriate.
TAGLINE
3
LOGOTYPE
Port Townsend, WAPort Townsend, WA
Hurry in forbest selection!
www.QuimperMerc.com
OPEN EVERY DAY9am-7pm Mon-Sat & 10am-6pm Sun
1121 Water Street360-385-9595
Consider I.V. Vitamin C ...Can Vitamin C be vital in recovering from infection? A New Zealand dairy farmer dying from pneumonia did not make any recovery until his doctors began injecting him with Vitamin C.
Watch the video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrhkoFcOMII
Jonathan Collin, MDPORT TOWNSEND & KIRKLAND OFFICES
360-385-4555www.drjonathancollin.com • www.townsendletter.com
Jonathan Collin, md
Integrative & Conventional MedicineI.V Vitamin C Support for Inflammation / Infection
Chelation/ Toxic ElementsI.V. Nutrients/ Amino Acids
Nutritional Support
Port Townsend & Kirkland Offices(360) 385-4555
www.drjonathancollin.com • www.townsendletter.com
A hidden paradise, right here on the peninsula!
Creative Union Fabrics112 Kala Square Place, Port Townsend
(360) 379-0655Happy creating!
Mon, 12-4 • Tue-Sat, 10-5
fabrics | notions | thread | � ne scissors | patterns | so much more!
Winter 2014 LOP 17
Winter 2014 LOP 18
MEAT • SEAFOOD • POULTRY In the Boat Yard • 307 10th St. • 379-5516 • www.keycityfish.com
Key City Fish MarketOffering the best in Fresh
Local Seafood, Natural Meats, and Free Range Poultry.Also serving top quality Tacos from our Taco to Go Window.
Open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm.
Building Dream Homes on the Olympic Peninsula Since 1985!
❚ FREE Lot Analysis& Construction Estimates
❚ Kitchen & Bath Remodels❚ Building Design Services❚ Turn-Key Construction
260 Kala Point Drive, Port Townsend360-385-7156 • www.kelleyshields.com
We can helpInsurance Accepted
Visit our website for details: nourishinglifeacupuncture.com
www.panedamore.com
Award-winning Bread
617 Tyler St. Port Townsend 360.385.1199
104 E Washington Sequim
360.681.3280
4569 Lynwood Center Rd. Bainbridge Isl. 206.780.1902
What is the mystery at the core of a town?
A building, a monument, a product?
No, it is the heart of its people.
Was born out of a caring for PT’s people
Call for an appointment: 360 385-1035 www.uptownhherapy.com
LOCALLY ROASTED ORGANIC FAIR-TRADE
LOCAL ... ORGANIC NUTRIENT-DENSE FOOD
7am-6pm
100
Tyle
r St.
360-385-3388
on the beachArtisan Ice CreamWe Also Make Our Own:
Chocolates, Truffles, Italian Nougat, Glaceed Citrus
and Other Confectionaries
Open at 10 am elevatedicecream.com
627 & 631 Water Street, Port Townsend 360-385-1156 929 Water St., Ste D • 360-385-2037
On the Water Dawn to Dusk
Best Sandwich 14 Years Running! Great Soups, too!
SOAK ❘ SAUNA ❘ MASSAGE
Port Townsend’sSalt-Water Bathhouse
360.385.4100soakonthesound.com
ROASTED FRESH IN PORT TOWNSEND
SINCE 1985360-385-4117
Fresh - Local - Organic www.sunrisecoffee.net
Celtic Clothing
Connect to your Celtic roots on the Olympic Peninsula
Wandering Angus914 Water Street
360-301-0913 wanderingangus.com
Jewelry Gifts & Decor
J GBroker/Owner
Helping Buyers & SellersSince 1998
1220 Water St., Port TownsendOffi ce 360 385-9344 x24
Cell [email protected]@windermere.com
PORT TOWNSEND
Winter 2014 LOP 19
ry-grade kids in her parent’s ga-rage, in Berkeley, California when she was fifteen. “I’d hold up a card-board box so that they could see just the end, a simple rectangle,” she says. “Look what happens when I turn it? What shapes do you see now?” By the second lesson her students were using color, then drawing their favorite animals, and four lessons later portraits of each other.
Like all good teachers, she had a mentor. Her junior high school art teacher gave her an after-school job of helping prepare lesson plans; she was named art editor of her junior high school yearbook, draw-ing the cover and illustrating the interior. But Berkeley merchants were also supportive. At Hallow-een Solano Avenue merchants allowed students to use their store windows as canvases with “a real silver dollar” as a prize. The local newspaper, the Oakland Tribune, also gave art prizes to students.
From a very young age, Carol says, she was a non-conformist. “When I was five, I picked out a flat but telescoping plastic drink-ing cup as a present for myself, because it was different from most glasses.
She might have come to this by genetic predisposition. Carol is the great-granddaughter of Charles Heberer, a St. Louis impressionist painter who studied in Paris in the late 1800s. She doesn’t recall meet-
ing him when she was two years old, but one of Heberer’s paint-ings hung on the wall in Carol’s childhood home, making it clear that “an artist” was an acceptable career.
The artist career issue, for Carol, was confused by cultural restrictions. Before Carol was born, her mother worked as a fashion illustrator and was offered a job by Disney Studios, but gave it up when she became a mother in the late 1940s. When Carol was two her father left the family; her mother went to work in an unre-lated field and never picked up a paintbrush again.
Carol lived with her grandpar-ents nearby, and spent most of her childhood in the company of her grandfather. He had just retired at 57 and hung out with me,” she said. Co-owner of a fishing boat, her grandfather took her to the local hardware store where he sat around with his buddies in front of a potbellied stove. “I was free to wander, and look at hardware,” she said. “There were all these curious objects I couldn’t name. I was hyper-observant, I just wanted to look at everything.”
In high school she planned for a career as a commercial artist, but was discouraged by her high school counselor as too difficult for a wom-an (how many of these cautionary people have destroyed dreams?).
Carol met her husband Bill her sophomore year of college. She quit
school and moved with him to Or-egon’s Eaglecap Wilderness Area when, after he answered a casting call to San Francisco’s “bearded hippies,” he got a part as an extra in “Paint Your Wagon.”
Life took a brief downward turn when, to make money, she took a job back in California working in an accounting department. It was in a large room “filled with adding machines,” she said, and short lived.
The following summer she took off with Bill again, this time to a commune in Sonoma County’s Russian River, where they slept on a tree house platform 30 feet above a canyon (which she also rolled off of one night, landing feet first and unharmed in the creek below). San Francisco artist, R. Crumb, stayed a few nights there and recognizing a kindred spirit, drew a sketch for Carol on the inside of a shoebox. “He was very shy,” she said. “And he didn’t sign it.”
During the 18 years Carol and Bill lived in Northern California, she worked for a local school free of charge. There was no budget for art materials. “I used newspa-per, or whatever I could find,” she said. “Anything can be altered and changed.” (She and her son Brian, now at the Seattle Film Institute, once used dry erase markers to outline the shapes and figures they saw in the fake marble of the shower-surround in the family bathroom).
Without this kind of permissive freedom, demonstrated creativity and encouragement, many budding artists go nowhere.
“A little girl draws a perfect daisy and is praised for it. At the age of eight she wants more praise and draws more daisies just like the one that earned praise when she was five,” said Carol. “But it doesn’t cut it with adults and she doesn’t know what she’s doing “wrong” so she gives up.”
Carol, who has decades of lesson plans tucked away in boxes in her studio, says that most adults who come to her have been blocked most of their lives. “I design my curriculums around that stuck-ness,” she says.
***You can see a sample of Carol’s
work and her contact information at carolheathstabile.blogspot.com
▼Continued from page 16
Stabile: students drawn in
Apparel, Accessories
& DecorVictorian
Pirate . Steampunk
1020 Water Street360.379.6906
www.worldsendporttownsend.com
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Every Day360-385-1236
Large Inventory of Modern & Estate Jewelry
360-302-0427 1017-A Water Street, Port Townsend
Buyer of Gold & Silver
Ring Sizing Custom Orders Jewelry Repair
232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181
Wat
erlil
ies
by C
arol
Sta
bile
Ph
oto
by J
an H
allid
ay
In DepthIn Touch
IndependentCelebrating 125 years
in the Community
360 385-2900 to subscribe
18 LOP Winter 2014
Winter 2014 LOP 18
MEAT • SEAFOOD • POULTRY In the Boat Yard • 307 10th St. • 379-5516 • www.keycityfish.com
Key City Fish MarketOffering the best in Fresh
Local Seafood, Natural Meats, and Free Range Poultry.Also serving top quality Tacos from our Taco to Go Window.
Open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm.
Building Dream Homes on the Olympic Peninsula Since 1985!
❚ FREE Lot Analysis& Construction Estimates
❚ Kitchen & Bath Remodels❚ Building Design Services❚ Turn-Key Construction
260 Kala Point Drive, Port Townsend360-385-7156 • www.kelleyshields.com
We can helpInsurance Accepted
Visit our website for details: nourishinglifeacupuncture.com
www.panedamore.com
Award-winning Bread
617 Tyler St. Port Townsend 360.385.1199
104 E Washington Sequim
360.681.3280
4569 Lynwood Center Rd. Bainbridge Isl. 206.780.1902
What is the mystery at the core of a town?
A building, a monument, a product?
No, it is the heart of its people.
Was born out of a caring for PT’s people
Call for an appointment: 360 385-1035 www.uptownhherapy.com
LOCALLY ROASTED ORGANIC FAIR-TRADE
LOCAL ... ORGANIC NUTRIENT-DENSE FOOD
7am-6pm
100
Tyle
r St.
360-385-3388
on the beach
Artisan Ice CreamWe Also Make Our Own:
Chocolates, Truffles, Italian Nougat, Glaceed Citrus
and Other Confectionaries
Open at 10 am elevatedicecream.com
627 & 631 Water Street, Port Townsend 360-385-1156 929 Water St., Ste D • 360-385-2037
On the Water Dawn to Dusk
Best Sandwich 14 Years Running! Great Soups, too!
SOAK ❘ SAUNA ❘ MASSAGE
Port Townsend’sSalt-Water Bathhouse
360.385.4100soakonthesound.com
ROASTED FRESH IN PORT TOWNSEND
SINCE 1985360-385-4117
Fresh - Local - Organic www.sunrisecoffee.net
Celtic Clothing
Connect to your Celtic roots on the Olympic Peninsula
Wandering Angus914 Water Street
360-301-0913 wanderingangus.com
Jewelry Gifts & Decor
J GBroker/Owner
Helping Buyers & SellersSince 1998
1220 Water St., Port TownsendOffi ce 360 385-9344 x24
Cell [email protected]@windermere.com
PORT TOWNSEND
Winter 2014 LOP 19
ry-grade kids in her parent’s ga-rage, in Berkeley, California when she was fifteen. “I’d hold up a card-board box so that they could see just the end, a simple rectangle,” she says. “Look what happens when I turn it? What shapes do you see now?” By the second lesson her students were using color, then drawing their favorite animals, and four lessons later portraits of each other.
Like all good teachers, she had a mentor. Her junior high school art teacher gave her an after-school job of helping prepare lesson plans; she was named art editor of her junior high school yearbook, draw-ing the cover and illustrating the interior. But Berkeley merchants were also supportive. At Hallow-een Solano Avenue merchants allowed students to use their store windows as canvases with “a real silver dollar” as a prize. The local newspaper, the Oakland Tribune, also gave art prizes to students.
From a very young age, Carol says, she was a non-conformist. “When I was five, I picked out a flat but telescoping plastic drink-ing cup as a present for myself, because it was different from most glasses.
She might have come to this by genetic predisposition. Carol is the great-granddaughter of Charles Heberer, a St. Louis impressionist painter who studied in Paris in the late 1800s. She doesn’t recall meet-
ing him when she was two years old, but one of Heberer’s paint-ings hung on the wall in Carol’s childhood home, making it clear that “an artist” was an acceptable career.
The artist career issue, for Carol, was confused by cultural restrictions. Before Carol was born, her mother worked as a fashion illustrator and was offered a job by Disney Studios, but gave it up when she became a mother in the late 1940s. When Carol was two her father left the family; her mother went to work in an unre-lated field and never picked up a paintbrush again.
Carol lived with her grandpar-ents nearby, and spent most of her childhood in the company of her grandfather. He had just retired at 57 and hung out with me,” she said. Co-owner of a fishing boat, her grandfather took her to the local hardware store where he sat around with his buddies in front of a potbellied stove. “I was free to wander, and look at hardware,” she said. “There were all these curious objects I couldn’t name. I was hyper-observant, I just wanted to look at everything.”
In high school she planned for a career as a commercial artist, but was discouraged by her high school counselor as too difficult for a wom-an (how many of these cautionary people have destroyed dreams?).
Carol met her husband Bill her sophomore year of college. She quit
school and moved with him to Or-egon’s Eaglecap Wilderness Area when, after he answered a casting call to San Francisco’s “bearded hippies,” he got a part as an extra in “Paint Your Wagon.”
Life took a brief downward turn when, to make money, she took a job back in California working in an accounting department. It was in a large room “filled with adding machines,” she said, and short lived.
The following summer she took off with Bill again, this time to a commune in Sonoma County’s Russian River, where they slept on a tree house platform 30 feet above a canyon (which she also rolled off of one night, landing feet first and unharmed in the creek below). San Francisco artist, R. Crumb, stayed a few nights there and recognizing a kindred spirit, drew a sketch for Carol on the inside of a shoebox. “He was very shy,” she said. “And he didn’t sign it.”
During the 18 years Carol and Bill lived in Northern California, she worked for a local school free of charge. There was no budget for art materials. “I used newspa-per, or whatever I could find,” she said. “Anything can be altered and changed.” (She and her son Brian, now at the Seattle Film Institute, once used dry erase markers to outline the shapes and figures they saw in the fake marble of the shower-surround in the family bathroom).
Without this kind of permissive freedom, demonstrated creativity and encouragement, many budding artists go nowhere.
“A little girl draws a perfect daisy and is praised for it. At the age of eight she wants more praise and draws more daisies just like the one that earned praise when she was five,” said Carol. “But it doesn’t cut it with adults and she doesn’t know what she’s doing “wrong” so she gives up.”
Carol, who has decades of lesson plans tucked away in boxes in her studio, says that most adults who come to her have been blocked most of their lives. “I design my curriculums around that stuck-ness,” she says.
***You can see a sample of Carol’s
work and her contact information at carolheathstabile.blogspot.com
▼Continued from page 16
Stabile: students drawn in
Apparel, Accessories
& DecorVictorian
Pirate . Steampunk
1020 Water Street360.379.6906
www.worldsendporttownsend.com
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Every Day360-385-1236
Large Inventory of Modern & Estate Jewelry
360-302-0427 1017-A Water Street, Port Townsend
Buyer of Gold & Silver
Ring Sizing Custom Orders Jewelry Repair
232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181232 Taylor St. • (360) 379-4181W
ater
lilie
s by
Car
ol S
tabi
le
Phot
o by
Jan
Hal
liday
In DepthIn Touch
IndependentCelebrating 125 years
in the Community
360 385-2900 to subscribe
Winter 2014 LOP 19
After 15 years as a master coppersmith, Walter Massey still has the wonderment of a child about crafting and creating with what he calls “an agreeable metal.” A successful artist, the 67-year-old has fabricated works of copper sculpture at Massey Copper in Port Townsend since 2000 that are in private and public collections in more than two dozen states and several foreign countries.
Copper is Massey’s favorite metal because it’s easy to work with and readily allows for spontaneous design changes.
“You can’t do anything wrong with it — it’s just a beautiful metal,” Massey said. “It yields to the artist’s hand, while still retaining its own character and delivering delightful and unexpected additions to each piece. It was the perfect material for me as a sculptor.”
The South Carolina native made his first connection with the Northwest in 1976 when he attended Seattle Pacific University for two years, studying art history and metal casting. For the next two decades, he and his wife and business partner, Norma, raised their five children while producing figurative sculptures, historical arts and crafts reproductions and ironwork in the Carolinas. For five years, Massey worked as one of several copper specialists at the Biltmore House, a 250-room French Renaissance manor built in 1895 near Ashville, N.C. The mansion alone covers four acres and its copper-clad roof and other ornamentation kept Massey busy with maintenance and repairs.
The couple moved to Norma’s home state of Washington in 1997. From his workshop at 120 Fredericks St. a couple of miles from Port Townsend, Massey continues crafting salmon and other wildlife themes in various styles and other copper art as enhancements for gardens, homes and offices such as gates, wall pieces, fountains and 3-D sculptures.
Working on his own projects kept him busy enough but something was missing — sharing his love for the medium and his talent with others.
“I’m self-taught and if I had a gift, it would be that I’m a teacher. What I do best is what I teach because I have a passion for creating beautiful things,” Massey said in his soft drawl. “I don’t like being by myself — I like to share my passion — it makes me come alive.”
From 2005-2009, Massey offered one-, two- and three-day “purchasing experiences” to copper novices from diverse backgrounds. He pre-made
Coppersmith guides studentsCoppersmith guides studentsCoppersmith guides studentsCoppersmith guides studentsCoppersmith guides studentsCoppersmith guides studentsin realizing their own artin realizing their own artin realizing their own art
Story by Patricia Morrison Coate
Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Becker, Seaport Photography
Walter Massey and Caroline Littlefield work on preparing a new base for the copper bowl she made.
Nancy Rhody hand hammers a bowl under the watchful eye of master coppersmith Walter Massey.
20 LOP Winter 2014
the foundation of the projects and students crafted smaller parts, assembling and welding them together. In 2014, he began one-day workshops teaching basic coppersmithing skills because “people find it hard to put two days together so now I offer one-day classes six or eight times a month. Copper is not expensive — what’s expensive is time so I ask how I can teach so my students can walk out with something good in five hours and really great in eight hours.”
Dell Jacoby has been Massey’s apprentice for the past 18 months and is lavish in her praise for Massey’s teaching style. The teacher and student share an easy repartee.
“He’s very open and it’s hard to rein him in because he’s always saying, ‘Let’s do that!’ Students get the opportunity to work with direction but also the opportunity to go with their art and create where it takes them,” Jacoby said. “It’s that open creativity that just blows people away. They have the opportunity to go anywhere with that object and within the parameters of that project.”
“My teaching methods are due to having gone to college for too damn long,” Massey said drolly. “I knew what kind of teacher I wanted to be. Let me see what you can put on the table right now. I’ll take my experience and put you in the driver’s seat. We take what you do know and work with that. I don’t have to put you down.”
With a roguish smile, Massey explained, “The first couple of hours are organized chaos but I tell my students, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll get it together.’ I make sure everybody learns how to weld and braze copper in the first few hours so we do have some structure.”
In his small workshop, hand tools, copper pipes, sheets and wire plus projects in process cover several workbenches. Projects for sale, such as pot/utensil holders and light fixtures, hang from the ceiling and Massey’s signature sterling silver wash or colorized salmon sculptures are mounted on pegboard. With the tools of his trade strewn over every surface, it resembles controlled chaos, too. But his organized clutter doesn’t detract from his ability to teach.
“He’s a great teacher because he will throw himself down and take the time to help me,” Jacoby said. “He’s very much on doing. He’s hands-on or he lets me get into trouble. Walter’s style is very generous, very quiet, very patient.
In a group he’s fun to watch because he will pop into someone’s project and pop out. There’s no hovering, which makes it possible that it’s our project, not his project.”
The Masseys’ youngest daughter, Meredith, grew up with her father’s coppersmithing,
working side by side as he passed along his talents and passion; the father-daughter duo continue that relationship today.
“The ability to teach a skill or a trade to another human being after years of careful attention to one’s craft takes a certain kind of gift. My father, as with all things he does, applied himself with mastery, grace and kindness,” she said. “What story must the art speak here is an anthem I’ve grown fond of. That being said, it is the most gratifying exchange of energy and learning experience I’ve ever had … What a legacy!”
Massey said he wants his students to teach themselves rather than look to him for a well of inspiration. When he said several times that he’s trying to work himself out of a job, whether he was jesting or not wasn’t clear, but this much is true.
“I try to get people on autopilot and I can keep them out of trouble so their art will look good. I want them to tap into their own creativity and push up against the wall and away from it. That’s what I like to do,” Massey said. “What I like about the process is my students allow me to explore things that I’d never do if I were here by myself. I learn a lot more from my students than they learn from me, heading off in directions I’d not thought about, so it’s really cool.”
Massey said he promises his students they’ll walk out of his workshops with their own creations that will appraise for a value equal to what they paid for the class plus have the experience of learning something new in a unique atmosphere.
“I think making it themselves and putting themselves in the arena of actually being willing to enter the unknown creates an experience that has a value all of itself and that’s what I like about teaching,” Massey explained.
“I’ve had a love/hate relationship with this job and I’m completely unemployable,” Massey deadpanned, “so I’m here to stay and get serious about this and keep coming back home to this stuff. What I’m doing now was a dream at one time. I’m living the dream but the viewpoint inside the dream is totally different than outside the dream. It’s a lot of work but a lot of fun. My emotions (about being an artist) are like a roller coaster but I’m standing on my feet. It’s got to be some kind of magic.” n
Massey Copper120 Fredericks St., Port Townsend
360-344-3611E-mail: [email protected]
“I’m self-taught and if I had a gift, it would be that I’m a teacher. What I do best is what I teach because I have a passion for
creating beautiful things.” — Walter Massey
Walter Massey teaches Taylor Clark about vine making.
Winter 2014 LOP 21
It’s five minutes to curtain and the stage manager at Sequim’s Olympic Theatre Arts venue calls for places. All those involved with the production are a bit jittery, but after months of rehearsal of Neil Simon’s last written play, “Rose’s Dilemma,” they are ready to go. Theater-goers who have enjoyed a glass of wine and conversation in the lobby make their way to their seats. The audience quiets, the lights dim, the music cues and it’s on with the show.
Sequim’s own Sharon DelaBarre plays Rose Steiner in “Rose’s Dilemma” and plays it to the hilt, as one might expect.
“She did a beautiful job in ‘Rose’s,’” says Connie Jenkins, production manager for the play. “She is a consummate performer.”
But then, theater has been part of her life since she was a high school student. Indeed, if all the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players, as William Shakespeare tells us in his famous monologue from “As You Like It,” then DelaBarre has landed on the right planet and that’s good news for the rest of us.
DelaBarre, who admits to being passionate about all art, has shared her gift of acting as well as enhancing the artistic side of life on the North Olympic Peninsula since she and her husband, Del, moved to Sequim 25 years ago.
Most recently, she was named chairman of the newly established Sequim Arts Commission, whose primary focus is to obtain a piece of art for the city hall building, now under construction.
When DelaBarre says she is passionate about all art, she means much more than theater or painting or sculpting.
“Art and creativity are such a major part of our everyday lives and most don’t even realize it,” she says, with a bit of that passion. For instance, she continues, “If you look at theater, it encompasses math, engineering, literature, electronics, you name it. You can connect the dots and see how art is part of all of us.”
In DelaBarre’s world, dogs even play a part in the artistic arena, quite literally. About 12 years ago, she and Del began what they call a retirement business, that being organizing dog shows and
serving as kennel club superintendents. They have put together dozens of dog shows throughout the country, including Seattle, Alaska and Hawaii, and of course, the annual show in Sequim. And yes, the couple has their own “babies,” two golden retriever dogs.
BEGINNINGSDelaBarre was born in Independence, Mo., in
1946 (yes, she does share her age), but was raised in Fresno, Calif. Although it seems impossible when watching her on the stage, DelaBarre says she was extremely shy as a child and had difficulty speaking in front of a group, which is why she decided to become involved in the high school drama class.
“There was a competition, which involved giving a reading,” she recalls about her start in theater. “I remember my father telling me I wasn’t being judged on appearance, but on how I spoke and presented myself.”
It was good advice, because the shy high schooler took second place in the competition.
“That gave me some confidence and then I started getting into plays and that started the creation of the monster,” she laughs, meaning herself.
Today, her confidence, intelligence and calm
Is there anactressin the house?
Described as a consummate professional, Sharon DelaBarre is
at the ready to lend a hand when it comes to theater or artistic
productions.
Story by Mary Powell
Photos courtesy of Olympic Theatre Arts
Sharon DelaBarre, playing Rose Steiner, and Tom Darter, playing Walsh McLaren, in Olympic Theatre Arts production of “Rose’s Dilemma.” DelaBarre said it was one of the most challenging roles she has performed.
“Maybe in my next life I’ll be Meryl Streep.”
– Sharon DelaBarre, chairman, Sequim Arts Commission and theater aficionado
The cast of “Rose’s Dilemma,” a September 2014 OTA production. From left, Dalton Williamson, who plays Daren Clancy, Tom Darter, plays Walsh McLaren, Sharon DelaBarre as Rose Steiner, and Jennifer Sies, playing Arlene.
22 LOP Winter 2014
demeanor belies the shy child of yesterday. According to those who work with her at Olympic Theatre Arts, DelaBarre is the first to step up when something needs to be done, whether it be designing sets, building sets, serving on the board or acting.
OTA board member Alice McCracken talks about DelaBarre’s good sense of humor and how she is “usually unflappable. If something needs to be done, and you can’t find someone to do it, Sharon can and will get it done.”
DelaBarre earned a bachelor’s degree in theater arts from California State University-Fresno and completed some graduate work in San Jose. While in college, she participated in a three-month USO tour with a production of “Stop the World, I Want to Get Off.” She looks back on the tour as one of the best experiences of her life.
“It was an experience I wish a lot of young people could have,” she remembers. “When the show was over, the troops gave us Christmas stockings; I still have mine.”
Was Hollywood a dream? Yes, she admits. She was in one movie, “Conversations with God,” from a screenplay her son Erik wrote. But, she says, she didn’t continue the dream.
“Life happens. We’re always being given choices and the choice you make is the choice you live with.”
THE OTA CONNECTIONDelaBarre’s life happened to lead her to
an administrative position with the federal government, one that lasted for 35 years. Half-jokingly she says she can’t think of anything better than a theater background, especially in improvisation, as a training ground for government work. “You have to learn to think fast on your feet and take action in both arenas.”
She and Del spent their first years together in Los Gatos, Calif., but in 1989 decided it was time to shuck the crowds and costs of California living,
and so began the search for a new home. At first, Seattle appealed to them, but then the thought occurred, why go from one metropolitan area to another? The two settled on Sequim and haven’t looked back.
DelaBarre & Associates was founded in 1974, which specialized in providing management consulting and support service with conferences and exhibition programs. They sold the business last March and say they are now “actually retired.”
It didn’t take long for DelaBarre to seek out community theater. And it didn’t long for her to find Olympic Theatre Arts.
OTA was founded in 1980 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization consisting of community volunteers. The first play was performed at the Old Dungeness Schoolhouse. Three years later the Howard Wood Memorial Theater was created on Washington Street in Sequim. Eventually, the theater was deemed unsafe and in 2001, OTA purchased its present building, an old church in downtown Sequim. One problem: the old church meant much renovation which in turn, costs plenty of money. Thanks to dozens of volunteers — including DelaBarre, who was OTA board chairman at the time — and local businesses which lobbied for a community theater building and realized the importance of community theater, renovation began in 2003. Today, the theater itself is first-class, with a superb sound system, comfy seats, a large lobby for preproduction socializing and of course, an array of contemporary and well-known productions that rival those presented in metropolitan areas.
One of DelaBarre’s first plays with OTA was “Lettice and Luvage,” another which she describes as being difficult, and “Little Foxes.” She directed “The Housekeeper” in 2011.
DelaBarre would like to see OTA work closely with the school district, perhaps developing an internship program whereby students could work with OTA staff to gain experience not
in just acting, but lighting, stage sets, sound production and administrative procedures to illustrate what it takes to bring theater to the community. But that’s a future dream, one she hopes will come true.
WHAT’S NEXT
Since the DelaBarres landed in Sequim, times have changed. “When we moved here in 1989, the biggest complaint was there was nothing to do. Now, people say there is too much to do,” she chuckles.
She notices a demographic change in the city: retirees are younger, Sequim itself is getting a little younger, she says, and, she adds, “If you want to stay young, get involved.”
Hopefully, DelaBarre will continue her acting gigs, but she would like to get back to what she calls her hands-on artistic endeavors, such working with clay and acrylics, “resurrect some of the things I used to do.” She will go beyond her responsibility as Sequim Arts Commission chairman to determine what can be done to enhance the artistic side of life in Sequim.
“Life has been good to me,” DelaBarre affirms. “My training in theater and artistic endeavors has served me well, it really rounds out your personality. I have no regrets.”
Well, she grins, maybe in her next life she’ll be Meryl Streep. n
Author’s note: Focusing on Sharon DelaBarre’s role in the Olympic Theatre Arts organization in no way diminishes the hours and hours of work the dozens and dozens of volunteers have donated, and who, throughout the years, have been integral in bringing and keeping community theater in Sequim. Community theater has the special power to bring us together, to help our towns become communities and is quite often the first exposure people have to a live theater experience. — MP
The cast of “Rose’s Dilemma,” a September 2014 OTA production. From left, Dalton Williamson, who plays Daren Clancy, Tom Darter, plays Walsh McLaren, Sharon DelaBarre as Rose Steiner, and Jennifer Sies, playing Arlene.
Sharon DelaBarre is well-known among North Olympic Peninsula theater enthusiasts, having performed in several Olympic Theatre Arts productions. She and her husband Del owned DelaBarre & Associates for many years and are well-respected in the business arena. Photo by Mary Powell
Winter 2014 LOP 23
ON ANY GIVEN SUNDAY, you’ll find Shirley Anderson and Jim Fedderly, decked out in their blue fleece with the Feiro Marine Life Center logo, ready to share their knowledge of and enthusiasm for sea critters native to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Both, not surprisingly, spent their careers as teachers — Anderson as a high school biology/chemistry instructor and Fedderly in the elementary grades.
Anderson has a long history with the center — her parents knew Port Angeles High School science teacher Arthur D. Feiro who envisioned the center as “a multi-faceted, dynamic, living, breathing facility … providing a public display of marine organisms and ecosystems, a teaching laboratory, a public center for marine studies and a point of interest for tourists.”
Feiro built the facility on the Port Angeles waterfront in 1981 but died in 1982. Anderson’s mother, a biologist, was among the first volunteer docents and often took her daughter along during her shifts. When Anderson moved to Sequim in 1991, she, too, volunteered and has become more and more educated about marine life ever since. She taught at Sequim High School from 1991-2002.
Fedderly, a California transplant, segued
into becoming a Feiro volunteer through the Olympic Coast Discovery Center nearby. He’s been a volunteer for five years after spending the previous 15 years teaching in a two-room schoolhouse. In addition to Sundays, Fedderly is one of the docents who lead fourth- and fifth-graders from across the county through the center’s North Olympic Watershed Science programs.
“We greet visitors,” Anderson began. “Sometimes they’re from some place like Kansas, sometimes they’re professional marine biologists and we have the whole range in between. Sometimes they’re in wheelchairs and sometimes they’re blind. We show visitors our 18 exhibits and find out what they’re interested in. The beauty of this place is we give personal kinds of tours. Our role is to be really personal about the tours.”
“My background was not with marine life but I learned from Deb Moriarty at the Discovery Center,” Fedderly said. “For me, I’ve been very fortunate to work with Shirley because I’ve learned a lot. Eventually, I started working with the school groups — the programs are really neat.”
In partnership with the NOAA Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, Olympic
National Park and Nature Bridge, Feiro staff host several hundred children throughout the school year. The fourth-graders learn all about plankton, some of which can only be seen microscopically, and the layers of organisms that rely on them for food and oxygen.
“Their enthusiasm when they’re looking at the plankton under the microscope is unbridled,” Fedderly said.
Fifth-graders troop to Peabody Creek near the Olympic National Park Visitor Center southeast of downtown Port Angeles, taking water samples along the creek in multiple locations until they’ve followed it back to the strait. They check for pH and pollution.
“A fun thing at the end of the day is seining at Hollywood Beach with a 15-foot net,” Fedderly said. “We haul it across the bottom and the kids squeal with excitement. That’s the most important part of it for me — their enthusiasm.”
Anderson and Fedderly seem to feed off each other in their fervor for learning about and sharing their passion for the local marine environment.
“Jim and I enjoy looking up and investigating things we have seen — new saltwater always is coming into the tanks
Story and photos by Patricia Morrison Coate
DOCENTS SHARE PASSION FOR MARINE LIFE
A 5-month-old sea star, right center, is dwarfed by a sea urchin.
24 LOP Winter 2014
(from the strait) so with all the inflow and outflow, almost every time something new comes up in the water,” Anderson said. “It’s fun working with Jim because he likes to find out what things are, too. We’re like being a couple of kids again.”
Fedderly also is an avid kayaker and last year captured a juvenile Pacific Giant octopus for the center at Freshwater Bay. Area fishermen also bring in interesting marine life from deep water.
Anderson has had an upclose and personal experience with an octopus, too, but it wasn’t a pleasant one. She’s one of the volunteer weekly tank cleaners and nearly got tanked herself.
“All of a sudden it had four legs and suction cups attached on my arm. Either the octopus was coming out of the tank or it was me going in,” Anderson said. “A man who was a biologist, thankfully, had to help me get it back in. I ended up with bruises on my arm and could have been bitten.”
Anderson said the adult’s beak is hooked and hard like a parrot’s. An adult Pacific Giant octopus can weigh about 30 pounds and have arms 14 feet long with scores of suction cups.
The take-away for visitors to realize as special, Anderson said, “is that three-fourths of the earth is covered with seawater. Even divers have such a tiny view of the millions of things in it. One of our goals is that visitors see and appreciate the unique life that is just beyond us — and to step lightly.” n
“This is the best part of being a teacher because if you get to do what you love for the rest of your life,
how lucky is that?” – Shirley Anderson
Shirley Anderson and Jim Fedderly point out local marine life in one of the center’s touch tanks.
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Winter 2014 LOP 25
MAKING MUSIC,MAKING CONNECTIONS
Aaron Vallat lives for music.A resident of Marrowstone Island for the past 20
years, he works as the construction project coordinator for Jefferson Healthcare during the day, but he devotes evenings and weekends to his first love, music. Vallat teaches music three nights a week, two for teens and one for adults, and plays in a funk/rock/soul band called The Better Half.
He manages to make time for his family and construction projects, but he has so little down time, it’s hard to find a half hour free.
“To be honest, there are often times when I feel like I don’t have the energy to teach either of my classes, or to volunteer with the Chimacum High School Band drum line, which I have been doing on Wednesday evenings this year. But I always come away from the classes energized and feeling positive,” said Vallat.
Vallat, 46, has been in love with music since his earliest days.
“Music has been a part of my life since I can remember. There are pictures of me with headphones on when I was 2 years old listening to the Beatles and the Bonzo Dog Band. When I was in grade school my father lived in an attic apartment over a family of folk musicians, so we would hear them play every day. A close friend of my parents, John Oliver, was a guitar player and always played at gatherings, which there were a lot of, and music was always a part of them,” recalled Vallat.
A drummer, Vallat plays drum set; congas in the Cuban, Haitian, Dominican and Puerto Rican styles; timbales, bongos, claves and a myriad of percussion instruments used in the Caribbean; as well as some Brazilian instruments, mainly surdos, hapenique and double bell. He has dabbled in African-style djembe and djun djun playing, and currently works with Eastern Indian tablas.
“My influences have been many and varied in my life. I listened to a lot of the Beatles and Bonzos as a kid, as well as The Band, Traffic, The Grateful Dead, all my dad’s collection of records,” said Vallat.
“I don’t tend to have favorite musical pieces, but more favorite musical styles. I love it when people take different genres and mix them together, like the gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello, or the Klazz Brothers, who play classical music with Cuban percussionists.”
Vallat was greatly influenced by the Canadian band Rush (“Neil Pert is the best drum set player ever!” he enthused), and Van Halen as a young teen, but began listening to more punk and alternative music in high school. His favorite bands were Dead Kennedys, DOA, Suicidal Tendencies, GBH, Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Butthole Surfers.
He started his drumming early.
Story and photos by Viviann Kuehl
“When I was 6, I was introduced to Phil Nakano, a Japanese-American who was trained in African drumming. I studied conga drumming and drum set on and off with Phil until I left home for college,” he recalled.
“In sixth grade I joined the public school band program, which I stayed in until I graduated high school, so I guess my band teachers were influential.
“I played trombone in middle and high school band, but have lost the skill as an adult, much to my annoyance, and I played snare drum and quads in the University of Washington Husky Marching Band.
“I will always remember playing with the Husky marching band. There is something special about playing for a live audience of 75,000 people, but I have to say that seeing the joy in my students’ faces after a successful performance brings me a pleasure that I never anticipated. I know at that moment they are experiencing a form of the same joy I had with the marching band, knowing you connected with a group of strangers and gave them something, and they, in return, gave you something back. It’s a little hard to explain, but when it’s all working right and it happens, it is an exchange between people that I have never experienced in any other medium.
“I think what I get out of sharing music is that unexplainable connection, that thing that brings the musicians and the listeners together in a special way. Even when it is just musicians playing together without an audience, you can still get that connection. It doesn’t happen every time, but when it does, you know it and there is nothing like it.”
Vallat strives for that connection in his teaching as well. Currently, he is the director of the Rhythm Planet Teen Ensemble, a teen class with performance opportunities.
Drummer Aaron Vallat uses his collection of drums to teach music to teens in his popular Rhythm Planet Teen Ensemble class.
26 LOP Winter 2014
In 1996, Kip Hubbard asked Vallat if he would help with a hand-drumming class.“He was a teacher but not a drummer and he was having trouble staying a
lesson ahead of the kids,” explained Vallat. “I was a drummer but not a teacher. We combined our efforts and it worked. It didn’t take us long to start our own nonprofit organization and start teaching not only music classes, but outdoor education, art and adventure classes also. The Rhythm Planet Teen Ensemble became our flagship program. When the nonprofit was dissolved, I retained the teen program and have run it ever since. It’s been 17 years and it’s still going strong!”
Vallat’s motivations for teaching are varied. “I have had a desire to work with teens since I was in college and I thought
I would wind up being with some sort of outdoor education program. Having a music class for teens was unexpected, but allows me to not only focus on the music, but is my chance to spend time with a segment of our population that I am drawn to be with.
“I love the place that teens occupy: not kids anymore, thinking that they understand everything, but not yet adults. It is a creative, funny, loud, energetic, frustrating, volatile, confusing, joyous, crazy, fun time that can be very hard to navigate and is incredibly important to have adults tuned in to.
“Music is what I am best at, so combining what I am drawn to do and what I do well just makes sense,” said Vallat.
Vallat believes the value of music is unique to the individuals it touches. “It helps build community, it strengthens and preserves culture, it is a
form of expression and communication that transcends spoken language, it is proven to reduce stress when played an hour a week, it is incredibly good for your brain. It is a way for people to come together from different cultures, classes, ages,” said Vallat.
Francois Ballou, a five-year ensemble member, said, “He’s like a slave driver. I really like the fact that there are so many people passionate about music and we learn to play so many instruments.”
“It’s social, and fun and it’s interesting to do music in a huge setting that I haven’t seen in any other program. We play Caribbean and Mediterranean, which is really cool,” said member Emma Lewis.
“I like it a lot,” said member Aidan Falge, who kept playing in spite of a broken arm. “I would like people to know that there is a group of teens working hard to
learn and perform music that means something to them, music that they would like to share with the public. And I would like it to be music that resonates with the people that hear it, for whatever reason,” said Vallat. “And if that ain’t enough, come out and dance to The Better Half because, by God, we’re a hell of a dance band!” n
Left: Current members of the Rhythm Planet Teen Ensemble, a musical community that is now a 17-year-old itself, took time out from a recent weekly session to pose for a group photo.
Front row, from left are Atlas Kulish, Sierra Ellis, Clover Coup-Carlin and Callay Boire-Shedd.
Back row: Vanessa McKinney, Daniel Elsberry, Cole Miller, Noah Falge, Forrest Brennan, Aiden Falge, Juliet Alban Vallat, Francois Ballou, Aaron Vallat (director), Zara Kulish, Mitch Brennan (volunteer), Emmett Erickson, Jill Alban (volunteer), Caleb Johnson, Emma Lewis and Franco Bertucci (assistant director). Not pictured is Daniel Neville (volunteer).
Students in the Rhythm Planet Teen Ensemble listen intently as teacher Aaron Vallat gives instructions.
Winter 2014 LOP 27
L et’s see, trees, specifically Christmas trees, and dancing — is there any possible connection between the two? Trees do sway in the wind and there
was a weird movie made in 2009 called “Dancing Trees,” but most people probably would say there is really nothing that ties the two together.
Most people, however, aren’t Steve Johnson, a tree-farm owner by day and debonair dancer by night. For him, being a steward of the land and of the dance floor simply go hand in hand.
A stretch? Maybe. But for Johnson, overseeing the family tree farm and growing organic fruits and vegetables has been a part of his life and indeed, his soul, since he was 16 years old. Cutting a rug on the lustrous dance floor kicked in about 20 years ago and like his trees, has been a part of life since.
Not only does Johnson like to take a spin on the dance floor as much as he can fit in, he teaches others to twirl, spin, waltz and swing.
“Twenty some years ago I was divorced and didn’t want to mope around, so I decided to take some dance lessons,” the good-natured Johnson
recounted. “I found I had some rhythm and I was having fun.”
And that brings us to present time — or almost. About two years ago, Johnson was teaching
a beginning swing dance class in Port Angeles. Among all the students was a woman named Ann who caught his attention.
“He shook my hand and said, ‘Hi, I’m Steve,’” a soft-spoken, almost shy Ann remembered. When dance class was over, the two went their separate ways, and although Ann couldn’t at first remember his name, the two eventually began to date. Long story short, a year later he proposed to her at the Port Angeles Senior Center on the same dance floor where they met.
“He lassoed my heart from across the room, there was no choice but to marry him,” Ann smiled. The two married Dec. 28, 2013.
The couple dances three or four nights a week. When asked what they like to do in their spare time, you guessed it — dance.
“Camping and dancing,” said Steve. “It’s a great way to recreate and get off the farm.”
“But we always try to find a dance floor,” Ann added.
Back to the day job, the farm. It all began in 1955 when George and Eloise
Johnson bought 20 acres of land and started a berry farm on Gehrke Road in the Agnew area near Sequim. As more acreage was added, the family changed the focus of the farm from berries to Christmas trees and as Steve puts it, Lazy J Tree Farm was born. When he was 16, Steve’s father died and Steve took over the management of the farm. Gradually organic apple and pear orchards were planted, as well as organic potatoes and garlic.
In 2007, Steve added a composting operation to the farm whereby people can drop off yard waste and other organic materials, which is composted and turned into topsoil.
“The compost is a good business, it saved the farm during lean times,” Steve said.
The farm takes up 85 acres, most of that in Christmas trees. A couple of acres is in potatoes, with seven in fruit. A good portion of the fruit and potatoes head to the farm store, which sits across from Steve and Ann’s lovely home. Speaking of
You put your right foot in …Longtime tree farmer finds relaxation — and love — in dancing
Story and photos by Mary Powell
Steve and Ann Johnson in their home at the Lazy J Tree Farm on Gehrke Road in the Agnew area. The two were married a year ago and enjoy both the farm by day and dancing the night away.
see page 31 >>
28 LOP Winter 2014
Longtime tree farmer finds relaxation — and love — in dancing
Starting from back and left to right: Stephanie, Heidi, Dr.Brian Juel, Paige, JES, Krystal, Dr. Gelder, Nichole, Pam
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the home, when Ann began dating Steve, friends called the farmhouse the bachelor pad. In other words, nothing had been updated since time immemorial — Steve has lived in the family home since he was a 4-year-old, when the house was built. He gave Ann carte blanche to remodel and to her credit, it is now is a cozy, yet spacious place to live, manage the farm and entertain.
The farm is peaceful and at the same time bustling. Pickup trucks are continuously coming and going to either drop off yard waste or carry off compost, while cars with tourists or customers peruse the farm store stuffed with fresh cider, honey, syrups, jams and jellies and plenty of organic fruits and vegetables, and at Christmastime, freshly made wreaths. The four full-time staff and high-schoolers hired during the summer season are in and out of the machine shop, the store and even the house, as is Steve’s son Graeme, who manages the farm alongside his father.
Out in the fields stand rows of fruit trees and more rows of Christmas trees, all sizes and shapes, waiting for the season when families will mosey through the rows of trees, looking for just the right one on which to hang lights and beloved ornaments. The fragrance of Christmas among the trees is mesmerizing, conjuring up memories of old.
Steve is the first to admit that farming is not stress-free. He is a good steward of the land, concerned about the environment and the future of farming, in particular, small farms such as his own.
“Do we want to be simple or a conglomerate?” he wonders aloud.
When Steve talks about his farm and the land within, he does so with a sense of affection and pride in his voice. He works with the North Olympic Land Trust, preserving a portion of
Siebert Creek on his farmland for salmon habitat and another section of the farm for “agriculture in perpetuity.” It’s also important to him for his fruits and vegetables to be certified organic and to build chemical-free soils.
A favorite event for both Ann and Steve is the annual Clallam County Farm Tour that takes place in October. In 2014, eight farms participated, including the Lazy J. Typically about 2,000 visitors tour the farm and enjoy hayrides, the farm store, local musicians and a giant sand pile for the kids.
Day is done, and guess what? It’s time to go dancing.
“After a long day of work, he is still ready to go out dancing,” Ann said of her husband. And, she admits, so is she.
Surprisingly, there are quite a few venues in the area for kicking up your heels. A favorite is the Oasis Bar and Grill in downtown Sequim or the 7 Cedars Casino east of Sequim. Both Sequim and Port Angeles senior centers offer periodic dance sessions, as well as Sequim Prairie Grange. In fact, Steve taught a swing class last summer at the Sequim Grange.
Steve has enjoyed dancing for a long while, but about three years ago he was asked to teach others how to dance. At first he was a bit hesitant. “I found dancing fun, but didn’t want to turn dance into a job.” It didn’t turn out that way.
In addition to teaching, Steve likes to organize
dances, particularly after he has finished a series of lessons. He has come up with a clever plan to put on these dances inexpensively. He charges $5 a head (his dance students get in free), so that he can hire a band for the evening. It’s a win-win for everyone.
Dancing, Steve maintains, is not only fun, but is a great way to exercise and “get experience of learning relationships with a lot of people.” It’s a good social activity and, he said, learning new steps and patterns fights against diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.
He would like to see a younger crowd at the dances he organizes and — just as it was in junior high — get more men to sway and dip. A dream is to have a community center not simply for seniors, but for all ages where dance could be taught and evenings would be a mix of young and old swinging and swaying to the music.
For now, however, it’s time for the swaying trees to sleep and for Ann and Steve to head to the nearest dance floor where Steve will take Ann into his arms, twirl her ‘round and’ round and most likely whisper a little sweet nothing in her ear. n
“Dancing is something you can do for your entire life.”
— Steve Johnson,owner, Lazy J Tree Farm, dance enthusiast
Above: Steve and Ann Johnson enjoy a trip around the floor at a local outdoor venue. Photo courtesy of Ann Johnson
Right: Lazy J Tree Farm is a certified organic farm and sells a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables at the farm’s gift shop.
Christmas trees are the mainstay at Lazy J. There are a variety of trees from extra large to tiny.
<< continued from page 28
Winter 2014 LOP 31
A FAMILY TRADITION OF TEACHING CULTURE
Story by Christina Williams
Quileute culture teacher and advisor Chris Morganroth III takes a pen in hand and writes out his Quileute name on a napkin. “DU-WA’-SOOB” he says, emphasizing the middle syllable. “It has no meaning that I know of. My grandmother gave it to me when I was 6 years old.” At 75, Morganroth is now an elder himself. He looks back to his childhood, as he traces the path that led him from working as an Air Force mechanic on B-52 jets to teaching Quileute language and carving skills to students at the Tribal School in La Push.
While he no longer teaches there on a regular basis, Morganroth continues his pursuit of cultural education, through his ongoing work with the Olympic Peninsula Intertribal Cultural Committee and other activities. His early years were steeped in the traditional ways of his Quileute-speaking grandmother whose married name was Suzie Morganroth. His father, Chris Morganroth II, was skilled in both traditional native and modern Western technologies. Both people strongly influenced Morganroth’s early years and the choices he would make throughout his life.
Morganroth explains the importance of “naming” in his tribal tradition: “It was a custom that when you were 6 years old, you got a new name. You were no longer called ‘baby.’ My grandmother
Chris Morganroth III displays his collection of baskets. On the right end of top row of baskets by various weavers, you will see a small tightly woven basket with a faint wolf head design. This basket is the work of Morganroth’s grandmother Suzie. This photo, taken by Jacilee Wray, appears in the book “From the Hands of a Weaver” published in 2012 by University of Oklahoma Press. Photo courtesy of Olympic National Park
32 LOP Winter 2014
named me and my sisters at a name-giving ceremony. There was drumming, singing and a medicine man or two and some very well-known tribal members from other tribes who sang their songs. It was an honor for me to get my name DU-WA’-SOOB when I was 6. It’s a customary to get a new name. My grandmother passed away when I was 12, before I could get my adult name at 16, so I’m hanging on to this name.” Chris explains that his father (Chris Morganroth II) had two Quileute names.
There’s a warmth and respect in Morganroth’s voice as he shares his memories and it’s clear that his grandmother was a remarkable woman her own right. Although she died over half a century ago, she was a capable by any standards. This beloved matriarch helped ensure the survival of her family and their heritage through applying her intelligence and spiritual faith to every facet of her existence.
“She wasn’t a very big lady,” recalls Morganroth. “She was probably 5’ 2” — maybe close to a hundred pounds, I don’t know, but she could lift over a hundred pounds and it was just a way of life. She was so strong and she never wore shoes. Wherever she went, she went barefoot, and of course she was up in her years when she passed. She married a man from Germany in the late 1800s. His name was ‘Chris Morgenroth’ and I’m the third generation of that line. That’s where I get my name ‘Chris Morganroth III.’ ”
Note: Suzie Morganroth’s family spells the surname with an “a” rather than and “e.”
Morganroth’s German Jewish grandfather emigrated from Europe because at the time he
Chris Morganroth III speculates that his grandmother Suzie was about 18 years old when local amateur photographer Fannie Taylor took this photo of her on James Island. This may have been before Suzie Morganroth divorced her husband, Chris Morgenroth I. After the divorce, the young mother relocated with their children and built a house near the island. According to Morganroth III, his grandmother enjoyed spending time the top of the island while she was living in the area. Photo courtesy of Olympic National Park, Fannie Taylor Photograph Collection
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came to the United States, he “didn’t like what was happening with the Jews” in Europe, so he made enough money to pay for passage to America. He made his way west to the Olympic Peninsula where he met Morganroth’s grandmother, a beautiful young Quileute woman who understood English, but spoke her own language except on rare occasions.
Morganroth describes his grandparents’ life together: “They had a place there on the Bogachiel River — that means ‘muddy water’ — and it’s a tributary of the Quillayute River, where our people are from. Their ranch was six miles from Highway 101 — up the river. My father was born there — on the Morgenroth Ranch — on Christmas Day, 1904.”
Morganroth talks about the trajectory of his immigrant grandfather’s career and its effect on his grandparents’ marriage: “My grandfather went to college to study forestry and he became the first U.S. District forest ranger on the Olympic Peninsula. He loved his job so much that he was seldom home. My grandmother couldn’t stand that … and so she divorced him.”
Morganroth’s grandfather was man of exceptional talent, and with respect to the career that he loved, it seems that he was at the right place at the right time. Fate presented him with an opportunity of historic proportion, but that may have contributed to the dissolution of his marriage. Morganroth explains that his grandfather helped draft some of the early documents that pertained to the creation of Olympic National Park, and that through his work, he became acquainted with President Theodore Roosevelt.
After his grandparents’ divorce, Morganroth’s grandmother “put her children in a canoe and paddled all the way down to La Push — probably 30 to 40 miles by river.” There the newly single mother had a home built next to James Island, where she made a new life for herself and her children. Morganroth says that she liked to visit the top of the island when she lived near it. The family had to move after their house was inundated by a flood caused by a shipwreck at the mouth of the river.
Suzie Morganroth raised her children after she divorced their father, and when her own daughter-in-law left her son (Morganroth’s father) she helped to raise her grandchildren. Chris Morganroth III was only 8 months old when his mother left the family. His father was extremely distraught. “My grandmother cried and cried and cried,” says Morganroth III, “and from then on she prayed for him every single day.” Her son managed to get through this difficult period and he eventually remarried.
“My father was a strong man,” Morganroth observes, “and I would say intelligent. He went to work for Boeing for a while and taught riveting. He went to work for Todd Shipyards and helped to build the Lexington during World War II. While he was there, he taught welding — he was that good.” His father also was skilled at bow-making and carving model canoes, and this inspired young Morganroth. He recalls, “When I was 9, he took me to visit different people who were building canoes.”
As a child, Morganroth took a liking to carving after watching his father, a bow-maker, carve model canoes. His father took him to various canoe makers, even though he couldn’t touch Indian tools until he was 13. He recalls that there were some really great carvers in the Quileute Tribe and some of them were his relatives. Photo by Christina Williams
“My grandmother spoke the Quileute language all the time and that’s why I
learned the Quileute language. All of her ways were cultural … traditional. She
taught me a lot about her Quileute ways of living: the foods, the medicines, the various
things she made for her livelihood.”— Chris Morganroth III
After high school, Morganroth did some welding and worked at Boeing before his career as an Air Force mechanic. He was thrilled to work on B-52s and have some of the experiences that the Air Force offered, but after his service was completed, he wanted a change.
“It took a while for me to decide,” he says, “and I was still doing carving on the side when the Quileute Tribal School first opened.” Soon after he started teaching there, the school expanded to K-12. Morganroth was hired to teach carving and the Quileute language. When the school grew, he was glad to reach more students. He observes
Winter 2014 LOP 35
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that, “The young students really took to the language and the high school students really took to the carving.”
Traditional canoe carving requires traditional material. “The most difficult thing to get right now is a cedar log,” explains Morganroth. He describes a recent innovation that makes the most of less wood: “We make cedar strips and glue those strips around a form. We’ll put a traditional bow and stern on the canoe. Out of one cedar log, we may able to get as many as five canoes.”
Morganroth’s father first introduced him to various traditional canoe carvers, some of whom were his relatives. It was his grandmother who showed him the Quileute way of obtaining the necessities for their daily life. He shares his memories of accompanying his grandmother and her friends on their gathering trips:
“She would go off in her canoe and gather the resources for medicines and her basket weaving and whatever other crafts she did. She was an outstanding basket weaver and had a lot of really nice basket designs that a lot of people wanted, and many people got them. She had a couple other friends that used to go up with her in her canoe, so my younger sister and I used to go up the river with them. My grandmother spoke the Quileute language all the time and that’s why I learned the Quileute language. All of her ways were cultural … traditional. She taught me a lot about her Quileute ways of living: the foods, the medicines, the various things she made for her livelihood.”
Morganroth remembers his grandmother’s participation in traditional gatherings of a group called the Wolf Society: “The membership was not limited just to the Quileute Tribe, but it is said that it most likely began with the Quileute Tribe, because they are the ‘People of the Wolf.’ My grandmother also belonged to the Bear Society. She had to get initiated into that and they put these marks on her arms and her legs.” He draws a line of small dashes on his napkin to illustrate the marks, as he explains that she also was the very last person alive to belong to the Bear Society. Suzie Morganroth taught her grandson the Quileute language and shared with him many traditional Quileute life ways: “She would teach me the foods — some of them we didn’t have to prepare, like the sea urchins. We’d just sit there, crack ‘em open and eat the insides. The flavor of them just grew on me. I still eat them today!”
For years in his role as a cultural educator, Morganroth has been involved with OPICAC — the Olympic Peninsula Intertribal Cultural Advisory Committee. Membership is comprised of cultural experts from the area’s various tribes who meet regularly with each other and work with Olympic National Park’s anthropologist Jacilee Wray on projects of mutual interest. As part of his work with the group, Morganroth was one of the co-authors of “Native Peoples of the Olympic Peninsula,” an OPICAC book project that offers an overview of the peninsula’s many indigenous communities. The 2002 publication was edited by Wray and published by the University of Oklahoma Press. Wray edited the most recent OPICAC-inspired book, “From the Hands of a Weaver,” to which Morganroth also contributed. Published in 2012 (also by the University of Oklahoma Press), this book is a fascinating exploration of the region’s weaving traditions and weavers whose works are represented in ONP’s historical collection of tribal basketry. The publication contains a thoughtfully compiled selection of essays, photographs and illustrations. It offers readers an opportunity to view basketry in a context rich with history and culture.
The Quileute elder ponders the mixed blessings that the popular “Twilight” series has brought to the Olympic Peninsula. While it has sparked some genuine interest in this part of the Northwest, and undeniably created much-needed economic benefit, the fictional stories also have created confusion about the real Quileute Tribe and its authentic beliefs. Morganroth explains, “It was my job to inform people that we weren’t werewolves — they don’t even exist! I would say that 99 percent of the tribal people were spiritual people and really believed that we originated from the Wolf, and that likewise there were beings that were here on the face of the earth, and at the beginning of time, people could change from animal to human at will, and from human to animal. These were very important things to know. It further acquainted them with what was out there, that this was a part of this world, that it was a part of them, and that everything was connected in one way or another. They wanted to preserve it and make sure that spirituality was incorporated into everything they did ….” n
Suzie Morganroth lived in this house in the Quileute village of La Push in her later years. The house no longer exists. Her grandson Chris Morganroth III explains that the place was built low to the ground and the heavy moisture in this coastal area caused the wooden structure to decay. Photo courtesy of Chris Morganroth III
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Port TownsendAldrich’s Market is a community focal point in Uptown Port Townsend,
serving up groceries, sushi, deli items, wine and beer along with healthy servings of community interaction.
The first store opened in 1895 when Clark Aldrich purchased a variety store from Robert Gray. In those days, school books and stationary were the staples on its shelves, but the store also stocked candy, fruits, vegetables and tobacco. The store was housed in several locations around the turn of the century and was handed from father to son. It opened in its current location in 1927. At its grand opening it was called: “The most modern, up to date
store on the Olympic Peninsula.” As the years passed, Aldrich’s became an important
landmark and a defacto community center. It went through several iterations and two owners until, on Aug. 4, 2003, Aldrich’s caught fire and the oldest grocery store in Washington still operating under its original name was totally destroyed. To make rebuilding the store possible economically, condominiums were added on the top floors.
Aldrich’s reopened in July 2005 and once again became the hub of the Uptown neighborhood.
Today, Aldrich’s Market is prospering once again, traveling a well-worn path more than 100 years in the making.
Historical photo from the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader collection. Today’s photo by Fred Obee.
store on the Olympic Peninsula.”
SequimAnna Campbell Bekkevar takes a
ride in her birthday present, on what is now U.S. Highway 101. The buggy and a horse named “Maggie” were given to her by her husband, Olaf, in 1919. The house in the background is the beginning of the original Bekkevar home. The second picture shows that home currently, with the addition in place. Olaf purchased the property east of Blyn in 1911 when it was known as “The Little Michigan Settlement.” After his marriage to Anna in 1917, the family grew and prospered on what is now known as the 100-acre Bekkevar Farm. Many generations of the family continue to thrive and keep alive the dream of the run-away sailor from Norway, who was one of the first Masons on the Sequim Prairie. Son Richard and wife Winona (Lotzgesell), and their sons Dave and Jim with wives Trish and Andrea still live on the busy farm. The annual “Bekke Fest” celebration brings together the grandchildren, other family, friends and neighbors to enjoy all the history this family property offers.
Photos courtesy of the Museum & Arts Center in theSequim-Dungeness Valley.
Winter 2014 LOP 37
When you hear the word “passion,” what images come to mind? Romantic passion between two lovers? The passion of sacrifice in religious traditions? The spark of passion that stirs individuals from mundane existence into new adventures and creative possibilities? The primal energy of the universe that calls us all out to play in this amazing world as we share our gifts of presence? Perhaps a blend of all. Love, commitment, risk and joy.
One of our great cultural heroes recently departed the planet leaving behind a rich array of creative expressions. Maya Angelou spoke of living with energy and consciousness amid all of life’s challenges and blessings. She embodied what she described as her mission in life … “not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” What a great example for us to follow as we encounter what crosses our paths.
If you want to reconnect with your own inner passion, simply return to your childhood and notice what you truly loved to do. Perhaps the action of physical sports or the journeys found in reading books or the joy of gazing at the night sky on a starry night or the exhilaration of singing and dancing to the tunes you loved or taking crayons and paints to color outside the box. Each of us was gifted with special talents and interests and those are the source of our true love of life … of our passion.
To re-inspire the flame of your inner passion in the here and now, review how these childhood loves are playing out in your life right now. Notice it’s not about “working out” but rather “playing out.” What are you doing in this moment that makes your heart sing? How are you filling the gift of time and life that is uniquely yours? Are you filling your own inner well? Are you sharing it with others around you?
Perhaps you are blessed to have blended your work with your passion. Perhaps your work supports your deepest passion. Perhaps that true passion has been buried under too many “shoulds, musts, oughts and can’ts.” It’s time to free that passion into further expression. Where can you reclaim what you love with passion, compassion, humor and style?
Embodying and allowing expression are essential. Too often we align our souls,
heads and hearts but forget to include our bodies. They are the vessels of our soul and the chalices of the outpouring of our gifts. The Olympic Peninsula is the perfect place to attune to nature and restore an honoring of your physical self. Walking on beaches, climbing mountain trails and ferrying from place to place are ideal. This embodied reconnection with nature allows our souls to open wide, our minds to welcome new perceptions and our hearts to receive rich remembrances of life’s beauty.
Creating our lives is an organic and dedicated process that begins with setting an intention. The more passionate you are about any intention, the more energy will be present to manifest your vision. An alchemy of blending head, heart and body with soul calling. An enchanting of what you already have to allow that which you desire to emerge.
There is a wonderful transformative question that can invite you to explore and rediscover your passion. Instead of making the usual “things to do” list or taking life so seriously that the fun all but disappears, consider this question around how to live your passion. Instead of “I must” or “I will,” why not shift into something more inviting? Imagine your passion in its next expression with “Wouldn’t it be nice if …?” No more musts, guilt or rigidity … instead the open-eyed wonder that we all had as children. Life as invitation rather than duty.
Mary Mannin Morrissey in “Living Your Field of Dreams” offers five essential questions to consider when setting a passion-centered intention called a dream.
1. Does this dream, this possibility enliven you? So much of our lives demand our energy without the much needed replenishment. Be sure this intention makes you look forward to life, engages you energetically and feeds your soul.
2. Does it align with your core values? When we are in integrity with our essential ethics, then an inner wellspring will arise to nourish us. Also, support from kindred souls will manifest in a unity of purpose and we don’t walk alone.
3. Do you need a Higher Source of
Inspiration to make it happen? If what you are visioning is something you can do easily alone, then it isn’t big enough. To really embrace passion, one also embraces the risk of great possibilities.
4. Will it require me to be more my True Self? This is the welcoming of your truest expression of the gifts with which you were born. To truly be who you’ve been sent to be is the most essential purpose for your presence on earth.
5. Will it ultimately bless others as well? When we seek Highest and Best for All, the energies of life uplift us. When we remember that our contributions affect the entire world, this unselfishness unleashes hope, grace and soul energy par excellence.
In answering these questions, our passion quest begins. Where it leads will be a wondrous and magical encounter as well as a practical expression of who we are. When we follow our deepest passions, we create not only a more interesting world for ourselves but also a far richer world for others. In exploring our creative possibilities, in finding new ways to express them and in sharing what we discover — the world is made more enchanting. Our passions ignite us … our passions invite us forward … our passions nourish us along the way … our passions engage us with the world in an alchemical way that transforms all.
“By pursuing your allurements, you help bind the universe together. The unity of the world rests on the pursuit of passion.” (Brian Swimme, “The Universe Is a Green Dragon”)
Rev. Pam Douglas-Smith is minister to the Unity Spiritual Enrichment Center in Port Townsend, a presenter at conferences in the U.S., Italy, France and Great Britain, and spiritual tour guide for international pilgrimages. She can be contacted at [email protected].
LIVINGEND
By Rev. Pam Douglas-SmithBy Rev. Pam Douglas-Smith
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