Happy Trails, Nancy!

It is with great sadness that we have recently learned of the "retirement" of Nancy Graham, our beloved bike group leader. Nancy www.adventureswithnancyg.blogspot.com has faithfully led the Rainbow Riders, a rambunctious group of women, for the past 18 years. During that time period we've had many adventures--and a few misadventures, too: being stuck in a "snowstorm" at Camma Beach; rescuing abandoned kittens on the trail; multitudes of flats and minor mishaps; and many a comical weekend biking get together. Through it all--rain or shine, or sleet or snow--Nancy's been there to calmly lead us onward. Her sunny optimism and support, and strong belief in all of the positive aspects of cycling, has been an inspiration. This group of women have all levels of ability-from those who have crossed the country on their bikes, or ridden to Alaska, or traveled around Europe via cycle; to those like myself, who prefer the short, sun-filled 20 mile easier rides. The monthly rides have tended to be on the easier side, with numerous lunch stops, and visits to farmers to sample their chocolate milk and cheeses; or take pictures of the wildlife. Nancy frequently joked that the Rainbow Riders weren't "miles per hour," but "hours per mile," as we'd tend to get sidetracked by sight seeing. No matter-the gung ho riders could go on ahead, or ride another day with the less pokey riders! We will miss her humor especially (pictured with rabbit ears here), but she says she'll make a guest appearance now and then. Bon voyage, Nancy--and thanks for all of the wonderful years of riding together.

Jeanette Winterson Charms Seattle With Her Humor and Wit

Last night, I reluctantly braved the blustery, sleety winter evening in order to hear famed British author Jeanette Winterson read at Seattle Central Library. Due to the horrendous weather, I gave myself plenty of extra travel time, yet was surprised to find that when I arrived over an hour early, a long line of devoted fans—many with books in hand—had already formed outside the Microsoft Auditorium.

The excited, capacity crowd soon spilled into the room, giving the author a rousing welcome with enthusiastic clapping. Winterson (pictured above on the left, with me on the right) appeared at the front of the room, smiling congenially out at her audience—a slim, still-youthful-appearing figure—despite over 14 works of fiction, poetry, plays, and numerous children’s books.

That evening, she spoke passionately of many things: the craft of writing; the pursuit of love; the non-linear quality of memory, and of life; of fact, and fiction—and truth. “Part fact, and fiction,” she said, “is what life is all about.”

Despite many writers’ worries over the changes wrought by the digital age, Winterson said she embraced social media, because she liked to work across all medias—she said “we are in exciting times, where social media is exploring different ways for people to express themselves.”

She said that she read extensively, all of the time, and always liked to have fiction, poetry, and non-fiction going at the same time. But because she traveled so much, she was forced to use a Kindle—and despite her acceptance of modern media, she said the Kindle was “well, you know, I’m not in love with it, it’s good as far as it goes, but it’s kind of like phone sex—sometimes I just want to touch something real.” The audience laughed.

But for much of the evening, she read from her new book, “Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal?” In the book she re-visits some territory she’d explored previously in her earliest and most popular book, “Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit,” a semi-fictional novel based loosely upon her grim childhood as the adopted daughter of a fanatically religious, and at times brutal, mother.

Winterson said she had not thought she had wanted to ever re-visit the topic—yet the search for her “bio-mom”—included in the newest book—forced her to take another look (though she says there are 25 years of her life missing from the book). And despite the fact that the title—“Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal?” is a direct quote from her adopted mother shortly before she expelled Jeanette from the family home at 16, due to her not conforming to religious convention, Jeanette insists “it is not a memoir, not a misery memoir at all”—more a non-linear telling of life from her point of view, she said.

Yet memoir or not, there is some degree of misery there for all to see. “Mrs. Winterson,” Jeanette read “was not a welcoming woman.” As a child, Jeanette recounts how when anyone rang the bell, her mother would shove a fireplace poker through the mail slot to make the visitor go away. Jeanette said that her mother was an unhappy woman who “thought of life as a pre-death experience.” Her favorite song was “God is Blotting Them Out.” A woman of contradiction, she was a devout Pentecostal believer who forced Jeanette to go out in the streets and bang a drum for Jesus; yet she kept a loaded revolver in her dustbin at all times—ready for anything.

As Jeanette recounts it in her book, her mother also forbade any books in the house except the Bible (with the exception of “Jane Eyre”—which “Mrs. Winterson” read aloud with a fabricated, religious ending more to her liking). The banning of books in the household ultimately lead to Jeanette’s fascination with books, and the written word—soon she was smuggling books into the house and hiding them under her mattress and bed.

Unfortunately, much to Jeanette’s horror, her mother soon located her books, and one day burned them all in a big pile in the front yard.

It is a wonder that Jeanette Winterson survived this bleak, Dickensian childhood at all—let alone go on to Oxford and become an award-winning author of countless novels.

But herein lies the most remarkable part of the story: due to keen intelligence, stubborn tenacity, pure wit—and no small amount of humor—survive she did.

She said that when her mother burned her books, she had an epiphany—yes, someone can take everything away from you on the outside—but they can never take away what’s on the inside. She watched her books burn, and remembers thinking to herself: “Fuck it! I’ll write my own books.”

And thankfully for us, indeed she did.

A Rabbi, a Sheikh, and a Pastor Walk into a Room...

"These two brothers are the best Muslims I know," Imam Jamal Rahman said, waving towards his speaking companions with him up on stage. Everyone in the audience laughed, because he was referring to Rabbi Ted Falcon, who is Jewish; and Pastor Don MacKenzie, who is Christian. Like good Muslims, the Sheikh continued, these men are both humble and compassionate.

This is just one of the many thought-provoking--and humorous--statements made in a presentation given by the "Three Interfaith Amigos" at Barnes and Noble Books in Seattle last Wednesday night. The Three Amigos--Rahmam, Falcon, and MacKenzie--were there to promote their latest book "Religion Gone Astray: What We Found at the Heart of Interfaith." Since 9-11, the Three Interfaith Amigos have been traveling around the world in attempts to create interfaith dialogue between those with differing religious beliefs.

Their first book explored those core beliefs Judaism, Christianity, and the Muslim faith share in common. Their follow-up book, "Where Religion Has Gone Astray," examines what similar barriers and mistakes these religions may have made, and how to overcome them in order to reach better understanding.

According to the "Three Amigos," the four major problems these religions have are:
1) exclusivity (my way is the only way)
2) inequality of the sexes
3) homophobia
4) violence

The three religious leaders elaborated on these ideas briefly, then took turns reading relevant passages from their respective religions. They said that these troublesome issues were "inconsistent with the core teachings," and "pointed to things in us that need healing." They closed their talk with chants and prayers for peace.

After the presentation, they opened the discussion up to the audience. One woman got up and said she admired their courage in bringing up difficult issues, especially the subject of homophobia. "Yeah, we got a little push back from that one in Walla Walla," Rabbi Ted said in a deadpan voice.

Another woman said that she thought that what they were doing was great, but that they were "preaching to the choir." Why not get the word out to the schools? Rabbi Ted said yes, but we still need to continue the dialogue--"if somebody is still in a body, they are still learning," and could thus learn more and help surmount the divides. He also said they'd been speaking at colleges and grade schools all over the country--and world--including in Israel--and that part of the proceeds of the book would go to support a two week camp of interfaith Palestinian, Israeli, and American children.

One man asked how the three dealt with major differences in the written teachings of each religion. Imam Jamal piped up with a twinkle in his eyes: "have you heard of White-Out?" he said, to much laughter.

Towards the end, someone else stood up and said that he thought all of the interfaith religions were like voices in a choir--"we sing a different part, yet we are all singing the same song together." The audience nodded and clapped in agreement.

And while we may not ever completely resolve the differences between the religions, these three wise men--or in some cases, "wise guys"--will do their best to bring us together.

Now if they could just throw in a Mormon and a Wiccan, things could get REAL interesting.

Fish On! Fantastic Salmon Fishing in Puget Sound

Everywhere you look, it seems the world is going to hell. The economy is in the tank, Republicans and Democrats bicker endlessly about who is to blame, and what to do about it, housing prices are in the toilet, and people are losing their jobs. And did I mention the endless wars and wild gyrations in the stock market? What is any sane person to do?

Why, go fishing, of course! Because out on the beautiful Puget Sound here in Washington, where the salmon are everywhere these days, when the bite is on—trust me, I do not think once about my steadily eroding retirement investments, or want to “re-live 9/11,” or worry about my dead-end job. Because THERE ARE FISH EVERYWHERE! And when you first feel that mighty tug of a great big king or coho or even pink salmon on your line, you’re thrilled to the core, and all of the world’s troubles just magically melt right off you.

This year I have been blessed with the generosity of friends Wendy and Mel, who have graciously invited me to go out on their “Wooly boat” to learn the ins and outs of salmon fishing on the Puget Sound. Wendy, Mel, and I, along with friend Lynny, have gone out numerous times, and we’ve all learned a lot together along the way. There is a definite learning curve with trolling with a downrigger for salmon—along with jigging and mooching—but we’ve finally got it down. And if we don’t always limit out, fish are at least being caught every day by someone on the boat (pictured above, me with coho and pinks, along with pal Wendy; and me “kissing” a pink, with co-captain Mel cheering me on).

A few things we’ve learned along the way: 1) you have to work well with your boat-mates on a small boat, especially with the downriggers, to avoid tangle ups, fish loss, and temper flare- ups. We’ve finally got it down so two people can troll with the downriggers on either side, a third person can troll in the center with a diver, and the fourth can mind the boat. 2) Don’t go zooming off with your downriggers down at 100’ to check your crab pots at 50’ without pulling up your downriggers (results: lost downrigger ball and tackle). 3) Don’t throw your crab pot and buoy overboard until you’re sure the line is untangled (results: one lost crab pot). 4) No matter how much you know, there’s always more you can learn—go to fishing seminars, read up on it, and try new techniques and areas.

We’ve been very successful lately catching cohos, pinks, and kings, though unfortunately my one “big” 8-10 pound king was caught after the king closure. We started out mooching and jigging with herring, but the sharks were a problem. Once we went to flashers and spoons and hoochies, we had no trouble catching salmon, and even the herring worked, if we trolled fast enough. We launch early at Shilshoe in Seattle, and have found fish off Richmond Beach, Jefferson Head, and numerous locations between Edmonds and Mukilteo. So far, we haven’t hooked any of the lunker wild cohos which are just coming in from the ocean, but stay tuned…because THERE ARE FISH EVERYWHERE!

Portland Blues Festival: Good Music for a Great Cause

More than 120 musicians performed at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland this past 4th of July weekend. There were big-name acts such as Maceo Parker, Lucinda Williams, Buddy Guy, and Robert Cray, and the sun-soaked setting along the Willamette River made for a scenic and more than satisfying music-filled experience.

But it wasn’t just the celebrity musicians pleasing the crowds. Talented local musicians also played to much appreciative applause. Even the quirky people mingling in the crowds provided some additional entertainment. Festival-goer Pat desChene, pictured above with “Jimi Hendrix” (Ritchie Rogers), said “Jimi” was one her favorite things about the blues weekend.

The festival grounds were jam-packed by Sunday afternoon, with hardly a bare patch of grass in sight as everyone spread out on the lawn early to await the headlining evening act, Buddy Guy. Fortunately we were able to snag a few seats in the First Tech Federal Credit Union tent. And while we were a ways back, a stage was visible on either side of us, plus a live screen was directly in front, which provided footage of the current acts, up-close-and-personal.

We were first treated to a little bit of Linda Hornbuckle and Janice Scroggins Old Time Gospel Show, which elicited some enthusiastic clapping and shouts from the crowd. Next were Karen Lovely and her band. Karen had some powerful vocals reminiscent of Janis Joplin. Then there was the excellent Curtis Salgado, followed by Patrick Lamb. And finally the great Buddy Guy, recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and winner of six Grammys, bounded onstage.

Guy seemed to revel in all of the attention, grinning and joking with the audience in between his soulful singing and scorching blues guitar playing. He stopped and started songs frequently, saying to the audience with a smile, “aw man, now you’re messin’ me up!” Just when we thought he was forgetting his chops, though, he’d flash a sly grin and launch into a scorching solo. He played “74 Years Young,” from a newer album, and “When You Were Stepping Out, Someone Else Was Stepping In,” from some older material. He finished the night out with blistering samples from “Miss You,” “Boom, Boom,” “Voodoo Child,” and “Strange Brew,” and left the stage with the audience shouting out for more.

The fantastic music festival weekend ended with a spectacular fireworks display on the 4th of July. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday—and hear some great blues.

But the very best thing about it was that 100% of the proceeds will go to the Oregon Food Bank’s mission to stamp out hunger.

Thanks, blues fans!

Dina Martina: The Real Divine Miss M

Dina Martina's "semi-awaited" show performed Sunday at the Rebar in Seattle. Even on a sunny Sunday afternoon, the place was packed, and the bar had to re-arrange the seating configuration to fit in a few more enthusiastic fans.

Shouting "Stop the world, I want to get on!" Dina burst onto the stage in a cringe-worthy, ill-fitting lime green dress--complete with the hairy back, some stray bra straps, and the in-your-face camel toes (don't ask). Dina informed the audience that she had just returned from performing in Las Vegas--where she said she was not born but "breaded"--and was delighted to come back to the "moist regions" of Seattle. She encouraged her fans to "leave their expectations at the door," and to join her in a rare treat of "17 hours of sensory deprivation and world class filler."

She then proceeded to barrel on through some show tunes in her usual tone-deaf fashion. One crowd-pleasing number was "That's Why the Lady is a Tramp," which contained Dina's own version of the lyrics--pertaining to "maple bars" and "stealing cars."

In between her stupefyingly jaw-dropping songs, her scary best friend Dorene put in an appearance. There was also film footage of Dina starring in Bryman College spoofs; and of course free gifts for her fans, including a chocolate nose and strawberry gummy penises.

Throughout the show, Dina was accompanied by the talented Chris Jeffries on piano, who played a great "straight man" to Martina's excruciating zigs and zags.

Dina Martina is the brain child of Seattle performance artist Grady West, who first created her in 1989, when he performed to great applause at the Seattle Center. Since then he's taken his act across the country, to much acclaim.

While this material wasn't West's best, his performance was "high octane," as usual, and his constant presentation of new material always makes the show seem fresh. In fact, West's creation Dina Martina is unique, first-rate entertainment and pure comic genius--surely a Divine Miss M in her own right (though with a bit of a twist).

7 Steps to Growing Healthy Fruit Trees

Are you dreaming of those lazy summer days, lounging in your favorite lawn chair in the sun enjoying your fresh home-grown apples, peaches, and pears? If you live here in the Pacific Northwest, unfortunately you’re most likely to be looking at more rainy days until at least June. But don’t despair, for all of those mild, wet days are just perfect for one thing—planting fruit trees.

If you haven’t grown fruit trees before, there’s a lot to know, and it may be intimidating at first. Fruit trees do have very specific requirements, including proper pollination, insect and disease control, and some regular attention to pruning very specific to each type of tree. But if you follow these 7 simple basic steps, you’ll be well on your way to many fruit-filled days.

1) Select the Correct Variety for Your Geographic Area—Fruit trees have very specific heat and chilling requirements, and something that will do well in California might not do well here in western Washington. For example, Prunus persica ‘Frost’ (Frost peach) is one of the most reliable peaches for the wet Seattle area—peaches generally prefer hotter, dryer climates. This is where your local nurserymen (and women) can help you select the best varieties. Specialty nursery staff are much more knowledgeable than the big box stores.

2) Plant in the Dormant Season—In general, always try to plant when trees are not actively growing—preferably during mild, rainy seasons when the temperature is above freezing (winter and early spring in most places). This is the least stressful time for planting trees and shrubs, and it will give your plant adequate time to settle in and develop a healthy root system.

3) Choose the Right Location for Your Tree—Fruit trees require a lot of sun for good fruit production; six hours of sunlight a day is ideal. Make sure you have enough space for the size tree you have chosen. Trees can be small columnar varieties which will fit in a large pot, all the way up to trees 20 feet or more; make sure you have adequate space for the mature tree.

4) Select Insect and Disease-Resistant Varieties—Unfortunately, you may have to provide some insect and disease control for good fruit production, but you will be way ahead of the game if you select varieties that are most resistant to the insects and diseases in your area. Ask your nursery folk which plants require the least spraying, and which are resistant to the problems in your area. But also learn about preventing insect and disease problems, if necessary.

5) Make Sure You Have Good Pollination—While some fruit trees are self-fertile, most will require a second tree of another variety to pollinate your fruit tree to get good fruit production (unless you luck out and a neighbor has one nearby that is compatible). If you’re short on space, one nifty way to get around this is to purchase an all-in-one plant that has several fruit varieties grafted onto one rootstock; you’ll get your plant pollinated—plus the added bonus of several varieties of fruit in one tree. I recently planted an all-in-one cherry (pictured) with Van, Rainier, Stella, and Bing on one tree. Skye Nursery in Shoreline even has a “Fruit Cocktail” tree which has apricots, peaches, and plums all on one tree! (I’m intrigued, but haven’t tried it yet).

6) Properly Care for Your Fruit Trees From Planting to Harvest—At planting, dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball; water the container—or soak the roots, if bare root; plant it, and water it in again; then water weekly during the drier months. Fertilize the tree a couple of times a year. Learn about pruning, and insect and disease control. Many nurseries have great free classes.

7) Learn How to Prune Your Tree—Every fruit tree is pruned a little differently, so take time to learn how to prune your specific type of tree. Then get on a regular pruning schedule. I took an excellent class for free at Skye Nursery which included a 1 ½ hour lecture; slides; hands-on pruning demonstrations; and hand-outs on pollination and insect and disease control. It was great, but I’m sure Molbak’s, Swanson’s, and other nurseries in the Seattle area also provide education for free. Check out their websites.

This may all seem like a lot to learn at first. But if you follow these simple steps, you’ll be well on your way to growing healthy, productive fruit trees.