Hand Crafted in Dutch Town
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MARCH 2014
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design • remodel • renew Joanne Fluke, New York Times bestselling author will be here on Friday, March 21 at 4:30. Join us for a book discussion and signing of her new release, Blackberry Pie Murder! A slice of pie, a side of murder in this new Hannah Swensen mystery. We will have treats and a drawing for a fabulous gift basket!
217 North Main Street • Stillwater 651-430-3385 www.valleybookseller.com
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contents Features
18 22
March 2014
PRIDE OF CRAFTSMANSHIP BY ANN M. PONATH
THE VALUES AND VIRTUES OF CAMP ST. CROIX BY MICHEL CLAUSEN TIGAN
Departments
4 6 8 16
EDITOR’S NOTE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR MAINSTREET News and Views from the Valley STUDIO TIME Valley Art Guide to Launch in 2014 By Terry Hutchins
Cover photo by Aimee Christenson
WWW.STILLWATERLIVING.NET 3
editor’s note
Happiness is not something readymade. It comes from your own actions.
–Dalai Lama
VOLUME 10, NUMBER 3 MARCH 2014
We’ve made it to the home stretch of winter’s icy control over our commute, safe to traverse sidewalks and just about everything else outside. This one has been a doozie, one positive of that sub-zero wind chill was that the kids were given a few “polar vortex” days-off from school this winter. I sure hope that those of you with school-aged children were able to take a little time off when the kids stayed home. Snow days can be so much fun.
Peter McNiff
Hand Crafted in Dutch Town
It shouldn’t be much longer now and we’ll be focused on gardening and landscape projects in the backyard. I am ready to develop blisters on my hands and sore back muscles in fifty plus degree weather. It’s hard to imagine that a sane person would project such an activity as a positive change… I make no claims on sanity. New this issue is a section that we have long talked about developing. “Ask the Experts” is an offering of free advice given by local experts in their field. Andrew Braden and Ron Brenner are scheduled for a half dozen insertions this year, so feel free to throw them a tough question. Our cover story is a rare submission by a local writer of a very personal tale. Ann Ponath shares her story of the creation of her family’s home. Her husband’s grandparents, with the help of family and friends, built their family home in Dutch Town. While much has changed in the neighborhood surrounding the home, daily life continues within their walls much as it did sixty-seven years ago.
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Julie Bourman
TERRY HUTCHINS ANN M. PONATH MICHEL CLAUSEN TIGAN
Curtis Dale
Our second feature this issue takes a look at Camp St. Croix. This four hundred acre YMCA gem has been offering a great summer camp getaway for area youth for over a century. It’s never too early to make plans for the summer – not to mention that we really wanted to show you some visuals that include sunny summer days, given the season we have endured. On the lighter side of life, we offer your local options to take advantage of playing Irish for a day. We are fortunate to have a first-rate venue for all things St. Patrick’s Day in the shadow of the lift bridge at the Water Street Inn and Charlie’s Irish Pub. JEFF BAGGOT
The Dalai Lama quote is a reminder that we remain in control of our own happiness, regardless of what Mother Nature throws our way. Soon this trying winter will be just another statistic in the record book, I am ready to bid it farewell.
Peter McNiff Publisher and Editor peter@stillwaterliving.net
4 STILLWATER LIVING
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STEVE (SHOWCASE) SKALMAN HAWK Copyright 2014 Watershed Publishing, Inc. all rights reserved. Stillwater Living is published by Watershed Publishing, Inc. P.O. Box 2302 Stillwater, MN 55082 651-430-3143 inquiry@stillwaterliving.net
Security Solutions for your Home & Business shmark Judy Ka ent Chuck & ealth Managem W e ig st Pre nd ~ Lakela
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Our popular dark beer breaded or new this year - lemon pepper baked cod! Lunch and dinner.
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letters to the editor
Long Overdue I read your February cover story with great enthusiasm. I think a story about kids playing outdoors in the winter months is long overdue. Not that I’m complaining about your editorial choices, but I do think that you could have run that story years ago. This community does not go the way of new suburban communities when it comes to the way our families interact with one another. You probably could have found 100’s of examples where multiple generations live in the same family home – where the kids get out and play in all seasons. March Campaign
James K. Stillwater
Guide to Prof ession al Serv ices • Living Well
With D iabete s • Li terary Arts
FEBRUA
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Donate to Valley Outreach at River Market, support our community.
It did my heart good to read the tale of the Tuccitto family and their closely held friends. The story reminded me why I remain here in Stillwater – well done.
Renewed Hope I really get down this time of year if we don’t blast away to a beach for a short time. As is the case this year, we don’t have plans to get away and the cover story of the February issue was just the medicine I needed. Why not “Love Winter” - even this winter. We have a neighbor with a backyard ice rink, complete with kids playing at all hours of the day and night, reading the story reminded me to just take it all in. Rather than long to get away I really should remember to enjoy it. Thanks. Sally J Lake Elmo
HAF
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G R O U P A R C H I T E C T U R E D E V E L O P M E N T C O N S T R U C T I O N
1 0 6 . E A S T. C H E S T N U T. S T R E E T S T I L L W A T E R , M N . 5 5 0 8 2 P H : 6 5 1 . 3 5 1 . 1 7 6 0
HAF Architects Interior Design Master Planning
The firm that has become HAF Group was originally established by Michael Hoefler, NCARB in 1992 and based in Stillwater Minnesota. The company has gone through many different economic climates and has still thrived throughout the years. Today we are a company that works on a variety of different projects in both the architectural design field as well as the construction field. We have always put service ahead of everything and that is the reason we have so many repeat clients that always come back to us.
HAF Development Space Leasing Construction
HAF Construction Management Design/Build
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STILLWATER MN
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NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE VALLEY
MORE THAN HONEY A
n award winning global film about humanity and the secret wonders of our hidden natural world. The relationship between mankind and honeybees, about nature and our future. There is so much in this film, it’s not about one thing rather it brings together unbelievable stories from far away places like the Swiss Alps across the globe to California. We get to know small family beekeepers and hear their sentimental stories. I can’t describe it purely as a documentary because there is so much emotive energy to the stories we follow. I saw More Than Honey a few months ago. I have never witnessed an entire audience respond to a film like I did this one. The whole audience in the theatre together could not believe what they were seeing? amazed and overwhelmed, not just at the slow motion macro photography but also the lives of the people we followed in the plight of the honeybee. The cinematography is spectacularly beautiful in both big views of China or Germany and the super macro views of the inside workings of the hive. The filmmakers use techniques and equipment not before applied to motion pictures, you?ll see inside the actual workings of the hive and so close up that one can experience bees as never before. 8 STILLWATER LIVING MARCH 2014
I’m frequently asked to explain what is happening to the bees... and when I try to explain, it seems some people accept the answer and others are resistant. But this film actually shows around the world what happens first hand. You will leave this film in awe and armed with first hand knowledge. Every age and every background of person will love this film. Perhaps for different reasons, but there is no question that it will have a forever affect.
Everything
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A Truly Unique Valley Experience
Carol Carver – Artistic Director Bring your little one(s) to the Stillwater Public Library for some fun with LEGOs and DUPLOs. If your lil rugger is anything like Finn, a character from the LEGO movie, then he/she will know what to do with a pile of LEGOs. Heck, maybe your little one is “the special” or even a “master builder” and he/she can create an action figure just like Emmet Brickowski. The kids will have a chance to develop a set of structures that will make “Evil Lord Business” take notice – who knows, maybe one of the kids will develop an alternative story line to the LEGO movie. After all, the “Special” could be anyone and the “Piece of Resistance” capable of stopping the “Kragle” may have other meanings. We’re going to need a healthy dose of imagination and tons of creativity packed into 90 minutes of play at the library – because the LEGOs and DUPLOs stay at the library. Registration is encouraged, bring your camera to capture the kid’s creations.. It’ll be a blast!
WORDS TO LIVE BY
Saturday, April, 12 at 7:30 PM Trinity Lutheran Church, Stillwater, MN Guest Artist - Roosevelt Andre Credit, Bass/Baritone
Moving and comforting words shape this concert featuring "The Cry of Jeremiah" by Rosephanye Powell as well as African American Spirituals and Gospel music. This is a return (not to be missed) engagement for Mr. Credit with the VCC. For tickets or information please visit us at valleychamberchorale.org, or e-mail us at info@valleychamberchorale.org, or call (651) 430-0124. SEASON SPONSORS This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
WWW.STILLWATERLIVING.NET 9
Tom O’Brien Realtor
Licensed in MN and WI
651 343 4440 cell 651 430 7747 office tjobrien@cbburnet.com tomobrienrealtor.com 10 STILLWATER LIVING
MARCH 2014
Learn About The New Bridge Process Area residents and business owners are invited to attend one of two public meetings about 2014 St. Croix Crossing Highway 36 and Highway 95 construction. The meetings will occur Wednesday, March 12, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 4:30-7 p.m., at the Oak Park Heights City Hall.
Project staff will be on hand to discuss the St. Croix Crossing Minnesota approach 2014 construction schedule, which includes Highway 36/95 and frontage road reconstruction, utility installation and trail construction. Information about Wisconsin approach and St. Croix Crossing bridge work also will be available. Representatives from the city of Oak Park Heights and Washington County will be present to share information about additional local road construction projects occurring in the area in 2014.
More detailed information and maps showing the 2014 construction schedule will be provided at the public meeting. All Minnesota approach work is anticipated to be complete by the end of 2014 and the new St. Croix Crossing bridge will be complete in late summer 2016. When all work is finished, motorists will have smoother highway pavement surfaces, improved flow at intersections, an improved frontage road system—including safer access—and a new river crossing between Minnesota and Wisconsin. All of this will occur while maintaining or restoring the area’s cultural, historic and environmental resources.
During 2014 construction, Highway 36 and Highway 95 will remain open and access to businesses and residences will be available at all times. Highway 36 will be single lane in each direction between Washington/Norell Avenue and Highway 95 for the entirety of the 2014 construction season.
A perfect blend of personal service and expertise.
Hill-Murray School The Catholic Benedictine Prep School, Grades 6-12
Certified Public Accountants & Consultants Specializing in a broad range of services for business owners, executives & independent professionals. Affordable rates, experienced and friendly. www.foleykalseim.com Stillwater • 651-430-3635
Open House April 14 8:30 a.m. Now accepting applications
hill-murray.org WWW.STILLWATERLIVING.NET 11
Beer, Wine, Soda & Cheese Making Supplies Full Grain Room Hydroponic & Organic Gardening Supplies Locally Owned & Operated
12 STILLWATER LIVING
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Great Idea
Competition
Do you or your organization have a Great Idea that would better the quality of life in the Stillwater area? If so, the Stillwater Area Foundation wants to hear about it. The Stillwater Area Foundation is pleased to announce their 2nd Annual Great Idea Competition. Stillwater is going through transition: a new bridge, a new community festival‌now is the time to envision what we can be. The community can benefit from your idea. The Great Idea Competition seeks to identify, support and proudly promote the Stillwater Area’s newest and most innovative philanthropic idea which will benefit our community for the long term. The Great Idea Competition encourages and hopes to receive a wide range of ideas through this contest. The winning idea will receive a $5,000 grant.
Classes
Still-H20.com
2014
New Location! 1266 W. Frontage Rd
Valley Ridge Mall
651-351-2822
The Great Idea Competition is a fun and engaging way for the Stillwater Area to learn about critical issues affecting our community, develop creative new solutions for addressing those issues and be inspired to act. All those interested are encouraged to submit their idea no later than April 15, 2014.
At the Phipps A tribute from Ken Ludwig (Moon Over Buffalo, Leading Ladies) to the great English farces of the 1930s and 1940s, The Fox on the Fairway takes audiences on a hilarious romp which pulls the rug out from underneath the stuffy denizens of a private country club. Filled with mistaken identities, slamming doors, and over-the-top romantic shenanigans, it’s a furiously paced comedy that recalls the Marx Brothers’ classics. A charmingly madcap adventure about love, life, and man’s eternal love affair with ... golf. Henry Bingham, president of the Quail Valley Country Club (Andrew Robertson, Woodbury), is in a difficult position. He has just found out that his newly hired hand, Justin (Rusty Lavelle, Lino Lakes), is in love with Louise, the waitress at the club house (BethAnne Nelson, St. Louis Park). Worse, he has discovered that the golfer he thought would play for his club has switched sides, recruited by his counterpart and opponent, the cocky and arrogant Dickie Bell (Troy Stlop, St. Louis Park), and the huge bet he had foolishly wagered is now likely to be lost. Fortunately, he discovers that Justin is actually quite a good golfer and finagles his nomination. Justin does not disappoint and has a huge lead, when close to its end, the
tournament is interrupted by bad weather. When Justin learns that Louise has lost the engagement ring he gave her - she accidentally flushed it down the toilet - he becomes unglued. The game resumes the next day, but Justin loses the lead, and, upset, takes an unfortunate swing breaking his arm. Bingham is desperate, and the appearance of his wife (Anne Spradley, St. Paul) complicates the matter, as she catches him much too close to Pamela, his sexstarved vice-president (Tricia Cook, Woodbury). Can Bingham find a replacement for Justin to win the game, win the wager, and get his life in order?
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Valley Outreach’s Foodshare Campaign
Valley Outreach has announced that Minnesota FoodShare’s March Campaign on. They are motivated and prepared to participate, along with food shelves across the state. This month-long event will help Valley Outreach raise critical financial support for vital services they provide to those who are food-insecure, as well as assisting in stocking their food supplies in order to meet the unprecedented need for a robust food shelf.
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Support their efforts by creating a Fund & Food Drive at your place of business. There are many ways you can participate, making you a part of the huge community-wide effort to raise the awareness of hunger and poverty right here at home. Your business will be part of the solution to help those who are food-insecure here in the St. Croix Valley. Each March, Minnesota FoodShare directs the March Campaign, the largest food drive in the state which restocks over 300 food shelves across Minnesota. It encourages thousands of faith communities, companies, schools, and community groups to run local fund and food drives to aid in the effort. The success of Valley Outreach’s March Campaign has significant impact on what they can provide their clients over the summer months. These months mark a critical time, when students no longer benefit from free and reduced-cost meals at their school, and families struggle to provide the cost difference.
ask
the
experts
Why Hire An Architect?
Good question and here is my answer... You may not. If you have the ability to put pen to paper and develop an architecturally pleasing design that will add value and flow to your home, then you may not need the services of an architect.
Please join us in this new section.
If you have a question that you’d like to pose to an architect or contractor, please drop us an email ask@stillwaterliving.net
Additional service providors will be joining the conversation in the comming months.
Most of us don’t fit that category and the good news is that an architect’s value is easily measured. Here is a typical example: many people feel that they need an addition, but by just adding space to your home may not necessarily add function. In fact, if done wrong you can generate the opposite effect and make things more confusing to your already confusing. A good architect can provide you with a great return on investment by simply doing some interior space planning. They don’t operate in a vacuum, they take all of your great ideas and build a plan that a builder can follow.
Why Hire A Contractor?
Most people know you should hire a builder to construct your new home. But should you hire a builder to tackle your kitchen remodeling project, or family room addition or bathroom remodeling? As an Architect some of my clients express a desire to tackle their own construction projects. When this comes up; whether the project is big or small I always say “go ahead but don’t expect to keep your job or your spouse”. Even a small construction project can be incredibly complex and require much time and expertise. A competent building contractor has the skill and experience to perform a project successfully and with minimal disruption to your life. Here are just a few things your builder does as a daily part of their job: Handle the Administration apply for and obtain building permits, meet with building code officials, coordinate inspections.
They know how to rearrange a few walls, add a window or two and help you select the proper finishes (finishes are a big deal to most homeowners) that enhance your home. This is what an experienced architect does for you, and you benefit from their experience in the field without the added and cost and inconvenience of unnecessary or wasteful additional square footage to your home. I’ve worked in construction for over 35 years, I have seen a lot. In all that time I have never had a client regret hiring the services of a competent architect. Also, speaking from the construction side of things, the reason I like working with an experienced architect is because in the end we have a killer project to show for our efforts. Andy Braden- Braden Construction 715-549-6099 info@bradenconstruction.com www.bradenconstruction.com
Daily Project Management Select and schedule the various vendors and sub-contractors, coordinate deliveries, answer daily questions, troubleshoot problems, sweep the floors and keep the job site tidy. Keep You Organized Almost any project can require selection of light fixtures, flooring, wall surfaces, doors, windows, appliances, paint colors – the list goes on. Your builder will keep you organized so that you are making selections in a timely manner so that your project is completed as quickly as possible. If needed give you someone to yell at. Your builder is responsible if a sub or vendor screws up. No need for you to try to sort things out with multiple parties. I can pretty much guarantee you if you are your own contractor you will be yelling at yourself. A good builder or remodeler can save your marriage and your job. Ron Brenner- ron brenner architects 651-342-1278 ron@ronbrennerarchitects.com www.ronbrennerarchitects.com WWW.STILLWATERLIVING.NET 15
studio time
By, Terry Hutchins, photo by Aimee Christenson
Valley Art Guide to Launch in 2014
W
hen Stillwater painter and gallery owner Tim Nyberg returned to Minnesota after spending the better part of a decade in Door County, Wisconsin, he was surprised to find something missing in the St. Croix Valley's otherwise robust art scene.
other local artists, I found I wasn't alone," said the prolific painter, whose studio and gallery just north of Stillwater is once again stocked with fresh creations waiting to be adopted by art buyers.
The revelation prompted Nyberg — also an author, illustrator and publisher of dozens of books, including the bestselling "Duct Tape Books" series — to put his publishing hat back on and begin work on what will become the St. Croix Valley's only comprehensive visual arts guide.
Now focusing primarily on fine art, Nyberg was a fixture on the Twin Cities advertising scene for decades, working as a graphic designer and illustrator for big brands and agencies. He also filled comedy clubs and FM morning show airwaves with characters like "Mrs. Millard America," "Helmer the Farmer Johnson" and "Jerry Atrick,", which helped him blur the line between creative-for-hire and the freeing nature of pure performance. It is that same sense of whimsy and play that guides his paintbrush across canvases today.
Nyberg relocated to Stillwater from Door County, an area also known for its natural beauty and burgeoning art scene. While living and painting on Wisconsin's peninsula, Nyberg helped launch a similar art guide there. "I was filling my gallery with paintings faster than I could find homes for them. I needed a way to get the word out to visitors and, after talking to
"Often, when people hear the word 'art,' they make an association with something inaccessible, elitist or expensive. My desire as a working artist is to introduce — and reintroduce — visitors to the fun side of fine art," said Nyberg, whose gallery welcomes visitors with nearby road signs advertising "Fun Art." Nyberg's original works, prints and greeting cards
"No art guide? In Stillwater? How are people supposed to advertise their galleries?"
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can also be found in other spots, like Tamarack Gallery (where he has shown for three years), boutiques and even Kowalski's grocery stores. But it's the gallery experience that artists like Nyberg truly relish and love creating for visitors, and the new art guide will be designed to lead visitors to the numerous galleries like Nyberg's that line the St. Croix Valley. "Art guides are invaluable resources for artists, galleries and art buyers alike," said Nyberg, who is partnering with fellow artist (potter/painter) and retired Stillwater High School art teacher Joe Samuelson (affectionately known as "Mr. Sam" to his students) on the publication. "Joe and I hit it off immediately. We're both kind of fun-loving goofballs, but at the same time down to business. People around here know Joe. And, when he volunteered to sell the ads that would support the publication, it was a no-brainer." The response has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Nyberg, who hopes for 100% inclusion of artists and galleries from Taylors Falls / St. Croix Falls south to Hastings / Prescott. The visually rich guide will be available free to visitors throughout the St. Croix Valley, and Nyberg and Samuelson plan to distribute 20,000 copies in its premiere year – 10,000 in the May issue of Stillwater Living Magazine and 10,000 at
various locations throughout the St. Croix River Valley. Like other sought-after art guides, the publication will feature display ads for artists and galleries and maps to guide artbuying visitors. There will also be art-related articles including a forum about buying art, a look at Chilkoot's First Friday series, and a cover article about renowned potter Warren Mackenzie. The deadline for artists and galleries to be included in the 2014 guide is March 21. The guides will be distributed beginning May 1 throughout the St. Croix Valley, as well as an online version. Concluded Nyberg, "The arrival of a true, robust and free art guide will help the St. Croix Valley, already a fantastic art scene, continue to carve out a reputation as a true arts destination, and this will benefit not only artists and gallery owners, but just about every business in the Valley. We encourage both artists and galleries to participate to make this guide a reality." Full information on the Valley Art Guide is available at ValleyArtGuide.com. Terry Hutchins is a Minneapolis writer and art critic.
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Pride of Craftsmanship By Ann M. Ponath
18 STILLWATER LIVING
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l
Michae
Ruth
tillwater is a city known for its lovely old homes, each one with a history. Our humble Cape Cod is no grand Victorian, and it’s relatively young at sixty-seven, but it does have a story to tell that started long before I arrived. 504 St. Croix Avenue, West, was built by my husband David’s grandparents on a former strawberry patch. This was in the old days when “built by” meant that Michael and Ruth actually built their own home with their own hands and the bartered labor of relatives and friends. We still have the notebook carefully detailing the hours provided by Walter, Ted, among others, the prices paid for wood and nails, the black and white photos preserving each step. In 1946, Grandpa Michael, a cabinet maker and Stillwater Manufacturing employee (also sometime slaughterhouse watchman and WWII Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant worker), began with a capped basement, using it as his underground workshop until time and money allowed for the addition of the first and second stories. A steam shovel dug that basement, horses pulled the level flattening the front yard and cardboard insulated the attic. One Saturday, Grandpa, Ted and a few others raised and braced the rafters, a full day’s work. That night, an unexpected storm blew in and erased any signs of progress. The dream of two Dutch residents, the house was a modest proposal--three bedrooms and one and a half baths. With just one son, a large house was not needed, but built-in cupboards and shelves, even a basement wall of tiny drawers, labeled for screws, nails, pulleys, keys, springs and locks, and a dining room china cabinet were little wooden works of art created by Grandpa’s own hands. Grandma Ruth reportedly hated that the bathroom opened into the dining room, but otherwise, the little house was just right. After several years of work, the family of three plus disabled great-grandma Elvira moved in. Great-grandma had never seen the house. After viewing the main floor bedroom meant for her, she crawled up the stairs to the one allotted to the young son. “This is my room!” she proclaimed - and so it was. David’s father remembers nailing down subfloor and insulating between the studs, but his time in the house was short. Just a few years after the house was completed, he moved on to further his education and became a
WWW.STILLWATERLIVING.NET 19
Photos by Aimee Christenson
Lutheran minister. With the exception of a few summers, he never returned to live in the house. Michael and Ruth, however, inhabited 504 for more than 40 years, until Grandpa’s illness and Grandma’s dementia forced them into a nursing home down the block. Grandson David was the next to claim ownership and soon afterwards, we married, with Grandma’s roses on our wedding cake. I had never met the builders, but I was excited to join David in his charming house on the North Hill. When I first visited the house in the 1990s, it was beginning to show its age, but David had already begun re-screwing and repainting the sheet rock. He bought a new stove and covered the swirly blue kitchen linoleum with shiny white squares. His mother’s fresh curtains dressed up the windows. Modifications continued throughout the early years of our marriage—more painting and stenciling, updated bathroom fixtures. We pulled back the living/ dining rooms’ brown-gold rug and scraped away the hardened carpet pad to reveal wood floors, and grew grass where Grandma’s flower beds used to be. Romeo, the cat, bounced around our projects and little David became the fourth generation, but the first baby, to fill the house on St. Croix Avenue. As another son, a daughter and a puppy came home to this house (and the disgruntled cat moved out), the TV moved to the basement where a gas stove heated our new family room area. We added a clunky play structure, trees to mark each birth, my grandmother’s daffodils and a hopeful square for vegetables. (Each spring, we remain hopeful, but the shady spot is just not right for growing pumpkins and the sunny spaces are reserved for baseball games.) It was the era of swords and scarves, Play-doh and playgroups, tonsils out and stitches in, science projects and sleepovers, 20 STILLWATER LIVING
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homework and housework—a lot of living. Now our house was bulging at the seams and a spring hail storm damaged the roof. We considered moving to accommodate three kids and a big, black dog, but no town charmed like Stillwater, no neighborhood could be so neighborly, no house was ever “home.” So, lacking Grandpa’s skills, in Ann Ponath the summer of 2003, we called in the carpenters and added on—a master bedroom with my dream cedar-shaked dormer, an upstairs bathroom, (no more showers in the basement!), an expanded “loading zone” breezeway, a new roof, windows, siding, sidewalks and a patio created from the old garage floor. David’s dad assisted, remembering the original building project when he was just 12. We helped where we could too, insulating the garage, painting the cedar shingles and woodwork, choosing light fixtures and the color of the switch plates. It was hard work just keeping the dog, our own kids and neighborhood friends safely out of the way! We remember digging the ditch for the electric cable and climbing the ladder to the new bedroom just to see the view and smiled as the boys and their neighborhood friends retrieved wood and siding from the dumpster and added on to their swing set. Now there was room for all, even a bonus daughter! The addition required a variance hearing to amend a zoning law. I wrote a letter and our neighbor, a kind bearded book store owner, spoke on our behalf, saying the letter was “the most exquisitely written” plea for home improvement he’d ever read. As most old home owners will agree, our old house will never be truly perfect. One night, little David’s head took a nasty, bloody beating from his great-grandpa’s cabinets. The steps are so creaky no teenager can ever sneak in after curfew. The new patio is already cracking. The garage has room only for one, leaving the other two vehicles out in the cold. In spring, the basement sometimes floods. The living room floor plan contains no spacious, lofted ceilings or central air, but there is room for a nine-foot balsam and a pile of presents, space for a piano and its accompanying students. The double lot doubles as a ball field, even though the back siding is dented with the marks of missed passes and hard line drives. The trees in the front are large enough for shade. The fourth in a long line of swings hangs from the maple’s thickest branch. The ancient front door is cracked and drafty, but
its stunning scarlet continually welcomes us home. Like a living history museum, our house is filled with relics. David’s famous pizza bakes on Grandma Ruth’s cookie sheets. The dining room table that hosted neighborhood card parties in the 1950's, now hosts nightly family dinners. Grandpa’s handmade games of battling tops and dice are closeted in the family room. My sloppy t-shirts fill the drawers that held clothes much better made. The entry rug was woven by Grandma; the kids wait for rides on the shortened pew that came from their church. Our girls share the room, now brightly pink, once claimed by their great-great-grandmother. Our children have added their own memories to the mix—soccer balls, curled water colors, muddy boots, sports pictures, ballet shoes and instrument cases. When my husband’s family comes over for another birthday party or Thanksgiving, the stories continue: dart ball practice in the basement, Grandma’s beautiful gardens, the green living room, the recliner that never left the corner, the smell of deep-fried sunnies and onion burgers, the outdoor plants moved indoors each autumn, turning the main floor into a greenhouse. And we, in turn, remember that in this dining room, David proposed with a quirky rhyme; this red bedroom still sports the mighty blow of the Nerf basketball game. The backyard bonfire pit slowly burns the stump of the pesky honey locust knocked down like those rafters in that long ago wind storm. And still the story goes on: For a time, we were the young ones on the block; now we’re the ones keeping the annual root beer float party alive and the neighborhood contains enough babies to keep our daughters in babysitting jobs for years. Recently, the big, black dog, our beloved pet since daughter #3 was nine months old, began to limp. The vet discovered bone cancer, and it was time to say goodbye. Soon, we will be saying more goodbyes as “little” David leads his siblings off to college. The basement family room is undergoing a change, too, as the children’s toys are packed away, but not too deeply, as we anticipate the next generation. Often the question is asked, “What would Grandma and Grandpa think of the old house now?” Although my flower beds tend to the wild side and the old wooden work bench has been covered with plastic toys or a TV, I like to think they’d be surprised and happy. Surprised and happy that sixty-seven years later, the house is still filled with people bearing their name. Surprised and happy that their perfect little white house is now a little bigger and a little more worn and not quite as neat and tidy, but full of life with its joys and tears—exactly what a home should be. It is a memory house, a house built with affection and maintained with care, a house of many stories—past, present and future. Ann Ponath is a writer, proud to raising the fourth generation to enjoy this hand built Dutch Town home.
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By Michel Clausen Tigan
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“I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out until sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” –John Muir
Walking through the doors of the River Center you are overwhelmed with the smells of wood, fire, and earth. You enter the wilderness with its timeless summer days and the cool summer nights. In this place, you are song and dirt, freedom and spirit. In short, you are a camper. To go to camp is to step into a circle of fellow campers and counselors whose personalities are dressed up in hiking boots and tie-dyed t-shirts. The excitement of the year’s upcoming adventure prompts expectant smiles. You know that if nothing else the summer will fill you with as much pride, strength, knowledge, and bug bites. At camp, you change for the better.
traditional day and resident camps to specialty and tripping camps. Campers can sign up for golf, climbing, fishing and log rolling day camps. They can take trips to Lake Superior, the Boundary Waters, or the Porcupine Mountains of Michigan. Summer Day and Resident Camps are just one part of Camp St. Croix’s legacy. Through the Environmental Education Programs, children of all ages and backgrounds have found intrigue in the glitter of the winter spruce, the tapping of maple trees in the spring, or the sounds of the prairie in fall. Through the words and lessons of the environmental education staff, classroom walls melt away into living biology. Tall grasses of the prairie brush the students’ pant legs and beckon for them to learn the names of each resident living there. In one school year, Camp St. Croix’s environmental education staff paints living pictures of classroom curriculum to over 4,000 children. In a time when computer screens, televisions, gaming systems, and cell phones dominate our children’s free time, Camp St. Croix reminds us of the value of play and tactile education.
These adventures and more happen every year at YMCA Camp St. Croix. Camp St. Croix’s 400 acres of majestic river property have been a part of the St. Croix River Valley for 105 years. During those years a myriad of stories have unraveled among campers, school groups, alumni, staff, and volunteers. These stories are alive in the draw of the canoe paddle and the whine of the wind filling a sail. Surrounded by friends, both new and old, life’s richness takes form in the curves of the river, the smell of the grass, and the feel of a dusty saddle beneath you. Summer camp at Camp St. Croix opens its doors to youth, ages 4-18, with programs ranging from WWW.STILLWATERLIVING.NET 23
DISSOLVING CLASSROOM WALLS Katie Bloom, Camp St. Croix’s Outdoor Education Program Coordinator, stands before adults and students on a routine basis explaining how to play the game “Predator Prey.” The game is essentially hide-andseek with elements of tag (the running and chasing), but this game leaves its players full of environmental information. The game asks its players, (who are paired in small groups with animal names like “mouse,” “wolf,” and “deer,”) to figure out how to survive. Creating a hands-on educational experience about the food web, the game shows off the habitats of the Midwest’s prairies and deciduous forests, which are laden with predators. The students and teachers run and laugh as they play; meanwhile the lesson about survival, habitats, and food webs has been planted.
" Because our classes are so hands-on and take place in an outdoor setting, most kids leave wanting more. We design the classes to meet MN and WI education standards so that teachers can follow up back in their classrooms. Many teachers also use the team building lessons learned at camp to revisit the values of respect for self and others, cooperation, and encouragement throughout the school year. " - Katie Bloome
The knowledge gained in one day or a week’s worth of outdoor education is just one piece of what Camp St. Croix does for its participant schools and classrooms. The camaraderie, team building, and respect for self and others found in the experiences they have last all year. “Our camp leader was a perfect match for our children. He challenged, encouraged, and taught them with kindness and respect,” says Maureen, teacher. “Our students loved the experience. We heard lot of ‘I wish school was like camp all the time!’ from the kids,” says Julie, teacher.
THE POWER OF TEAM BUILDING Team Building and retreats are an aspect of Camp St. Croix that reach beyond the traditional student population into the businesses, corporations, and churches that freckle our Twin Cities Metropolitan area. Whether you are coming just to get away with your family or you are building the foundations of your corporations, retreating to Camp St. Croix strengthens relationships. Team Building adds one more layer to the experience of creating connections by asking your group to reach beyond their comfort zones into a place where there’s healthy communication and acceptance. Activities can range from energetic and physical experiences designed for groups looking to experience a "risk," to a more sedentary, intellectual program. What most of these programs have in common is the belief that team concepts and skills are best taught through experiences as opposed to traditional, meeting-room training methods. Walking into the initiatives forest you’ll see rope webs and giant logs big enough to hold 15 to 20 adults. These are the tools available to Gonzo, the Team Building staff member. It’s upon these logs and platforms that bonds are made. Standing on the log is a group of business men and women ranging in age, their task is to get in order, from one end of the log to the other,
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according to their birthdays. Without talking. The first line up goes quite well as the group figures out how to gesture their birthdays on their hands and navigate around each other without falling off. Proud and accomplished, the group members smile and visit with each other until Gonzo brings them back, this time with blindfolds in his hand. “I need you to help each other get your blindfolds on and then find your way back onto the log,” he says. The blindfolding is easy enough, but watching these men and women normally dressed in suits and pinstripe skirts find their way back onto the log, it appears that the Team Building challenge is well underway. Once positioned on the log Gonzo asks the group to get in order according to height. Again no talking. As the group creates its non-verbal communication style, something else has happened: the office walls, the cubicle, the professional hierarchy has disappeared. The CEO becomes equal to the intern in ability to shuffle around one another, talking in hand taps and head pats in order to complete the task at hand. A team has been created.
CAMPS FINAL IMPRESSIONS Driving into Camp St. Croix you notice a tunnel leading from River Crest Elementary to camp. This tunnel, like a gateway into adventure, leads children from the school-aged care program to the fields and prairies of Camp St. Croix. Here, the students are safe in a structured environment and have the opportunity to experience all that Camp St. Croix has for them: recreation, environmental education, and team building. The program, a partnership between the school and the camp, urges children to get outside two days a week at camp and play. For many, this may be their first time setting foot on camp property. For others this is home. They return to the smell of wood, fire and earth. Back to the memories that make summer the apex of their year. Back to Camp St. Croix. Camp St. Croix’s mission is to increase knowledge, respect, and an overall appreciation of the natural environment. Inside the River Center, some will prepare for resident camp, day camp, team building, schoolage care, environmental education, or vacation, but all will be changed by the values of respect, honesty, pride, integrity, courage, and caring. Through the doors to Camp St. Croix, experiences are forged, lived, and remembered. Anyone touched by Camp St. Croix will tell you that their outdoor experiences have left roughhewn imprints on the soul. The memories are magical and magnetic.
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St. Patty's Day
Erin Go Bragh With open arms the Irish accept all comers on St. Patrick’s Day. Again this year the Luck-O-The-Irish even extend to the day of the week at which the holiday takes place. The 17th falls on a Monday which makes for a great four-day weekend celebration of all things Irish. With Modest adjustments to one’s last name such as McSwenson or O’Andersen, all become the lucky, the joyful, the beautiful – if only for one day, er long weekend. Pull that green spirit wear out of the closet and grab those neck beads or boa and get out there with the masses to enjoy Irish fun at its best.
St. Patrick’s Day Toast Saint Patrick was a gentleman, Who through strategy and stealth, Drove all the snakes from Ireland, Here’s a toasting to his health. But not too many toastings Lest you lose yourself and then Forget the good Saint Patrick And see all those snakes again. 'Beannachtam na Feile Padraig!' Happy St. Patrick's Day Whatever you choose to do with your Irish weekend, please think ahead and plan for save travels. Sláinte. 26 STILLWATER LIVING
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St. Patrick’s Day Weekend 2014 at Charlie’s Pub & the Water Street Inn
Friday, March 14th:
Special Holiday Menu all weekend, great Live Irish Music.
Live Irish Music in the Pub 7:30 to 11:30 – Jennifer Licko
Saturday, March 15th: Live Irish Music in the Pub from 5:00 to Midnight
Jennifer Licko
5:00 - 8:00 Jennifer Licko 7:00 to 11:00 - The Jolly Groggers in the Ballroom
Sunday, March 16th: Live Irish Music from 1:00 to 11:00 - Special Menus and giveaways all day
The Jolly Groggers
1:00 - 4:00 Tom Dahil 5:00- 8:00 Mischief 8:00 - 11:00 Irish Duo, Chris and Carlotte
Paul & Lorraine
Monday, March 17th * St. Patrick’s Day First 50 people get free Charlie’s Pub Shirts Live Music in the Pub from 3:30 to 11:00, Live Music in the Ballroom from 4:00 to 11:00
Tom Dahill
3:30 - 6:30 Tom Dahill in Charlie's Pub 7:00 - 11:00 Paul and Lorraine in Charlie's Pub 4:00 - 7:00 Sister Tree, Dee Brust and Kerri Joy 7:00 - 11:00 Mischief
visit www.waterstreetinn.us for more info.
e
Sister Tre
Charlie’s Pub - your home for great Irish Music in Stillwater!
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perspective DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS LOCATION? Win a dinner for two! Email the correct location to
PHOTO BY CURTIS DALE. IF YOU LIKE HIS WORK GO TO WWW.CURTISDALE.COM
inquiry@stillwaterliving.net by the end of this month. A lucky winner will be drawn from a pool of correct answers. Each month we will run a new Perspective, so don’t get discouraged if this one stumped you. Congratulations to last month’s winner, Mary Ann Westin of Stillwater. When your curiosity overwhelms you, visit curtisdale.com or facebook.com/CurtisDaleCreations each month to discover the location of this month’s picture.
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FEBRUARY 2014
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THE
15 STILLWATER LIVING
OCTOBER 2005
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