2015-09 5enses

Celebrating art & science in Greater Prescott

Alan Dean Foster

chats up Prince Dakkar about rainy daisy chains P. 10

Ty Fitzmorris

maintains moisture’s a multifaceted mainstay P. 14

Paolo Chlebecek

invades your already quite populated privacy P. 18

Jacy Lee

trains his eyes on collectible con-tracks P. 20

And much2 more

AMPERSAND:

Ustadza Azra makes the exotic familiar SEPTEMBER 2015 | VOLUME 3, ISSUE 9 | 5ENSESMAG.COM

P. 16

WORLD BISTRO LIKE US ON

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FLYING SOLO WWW.FLYINGNESTSTUDIO.COM Presented by

September 5, 2015 7:30 pm $10 TICKETS AT THE DOOR solo dance performances by CONDER/dance + JordanDanielsDance

322 WEST GURLEY STREET PRESCOTT, AZ

*$10 dance improvisation class for all levels with Carley Conder and Delisa Myles 10 a.m. - noon, Sept. 5, 2015 @ Flying Nest Movement Arts

5enses In which:

Mara Kack

4 5 6 7 10 11

Karen O’Neil

documents a superabundance of activity in the wilds and, in due course, explores the nature of nature.

James Dungeon

spots a small, Western warbler who tends to see the forest for the trees from the tops of the tress, naturally.

talks culture, tradition, and dance with Prescott belly dancer, librarian, and entrepreneur Ustadza Azra.

Peregrine Book Co.

Paolo Chlebecek

Kathleen Yetman

Helen Stephenson

Alan Dean Foster

Jacy Lee

delves into realism in art, herpetology, a Somalian abduction, the West, twilight comfort, and Leonardo da Vinci.

Plus

Flip Photo

A visual puzzle from the Highlands Center for Natural History

Left Brain/ Right Brain

Find out what’s going on in Greater Prescott

22 22

Oddly Enough Smart, quirky comics by Russell Miller

Not-as-holy-days

Enjoy some alternative reasons for the season(s)

invades the question of privacy and hooks you up with a browser that will land you on the NSA watch list.

peppers her vegetable vector with a fruit that packs a punch and can up the culinary ante in almost any dish.

previews a Manhattan film project and takes a brief tour through the early days of celluloid dreams.

sings in the rain about the joys of art meeting science all the way from the gutters to the bottom of the sea.

Robert Blood

Copyright © 2015 5enses Inc. unless otherwise noted.

Publisher & Editor: Rev. Nicholas M. DeMarino P.M., M.A. Copy Editor: Susan Smart Read a new 5enses the first weekend of every month.

Visit 5ensesMag.Com, Facebook, & Twitter for more.

Contact us at 5ensesMag@Gmail.Com & 928-613-2076.

Panem et circenses.

14 5/6 16 8 18 19 20

Ty Fitzmorris

discovers that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence. ... Sometimes it’s golden and curly.

September 2015 • Volume 3, Issue 9

has been working on the railroad all the live-long day and returns with Dinah car collectibles and souvenirs.

COVER: “Bee Seated,” a whimsical child’s chair by Paula Cooperrider made from walnut, maple, poplar, and redwood. Photo by 5enses.

See Page 11 for more.

talks space, place, and creativity with the artists of, from, and on the Prescott Area Artists’ Studio Tour.

Jane Heckel works on jewelry in her home studio, which is on the Prescott Area Artists’ Studio Tour.

Photo by Pete Heckel. See Page 11 for more.

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5ENSESMAG.COM • SEPTEMBER 2015 • CONTENTS • 3

Plant of the Month

Bouteloua Bouteloua gracilis (Blue Grama). Photo by Sue Smith, Cals.Arizona.Edu/yavapaiplants.

By Mara Kack

After

Highlands Nature Festival

s Join u for rst the f i

There are amazing things out there waiting to be discovered. The field trips and workshops during this weekend festival are designed to inspire new insight, giving you a deeper respect and awareness of the natural world we live in.

Discover the Natural World Around You Symposium • Innovative Field Trips • Classes

September 11 and 12 sored Spon by • Matt Frankel and Leigh Ann Wolfe

MARKETING • PRINT • MAIL

Collaborating Organizations: Prescott Creeks, Yavapai Group Sierra Club, Prescott Chapter of the Arizona Native Plant Society, Natural History Institute of Prescott College, Ecosa Institute for Ecological Design, and the Heritage Park Zoo

Visit highlandscenter.org for information and registration.

4 • FEATURE • SEPTEMBER 2015 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

some blistering heat and mystifying thunderstorms, new variety and color has sprung up in our ecosystem. Within the calming blue of the Birdbill Dayflower (Commelina dianthifolia) and the brilliant yellow of the Common Sunflower (Helianthus annus) there is a hidden gem, Bouteloua.

Like most grasses, Boutelouas are an abundant species, and within the Prescott area they are easily overlooked. Commonly known are Blue Grama Grass (Bouteloua gracilis), Sideoats Grama Grass (Bouteloua curtipendula), and Black Grama Grass (Bouteloua eriopoda).

Starting

in spring, these perennial grasses cover our hillsides in a display of soft purple and green. As the spring heats up into summer, the leaves dry a bit and cover the landscape with a yellow tone. Through August and September rain brings color to the leaves again along with intricate flowers. Sideoats Grama sends up long flowering stalks with many spikelets (the flower structure of a grass which consists of many little flowers called florets) lined up all to one side. Blue Grama displays spikelets in an interesting way

reminiscent of delicate eyelashes fluttering for attention. The magnificence comes when each floret ripens, displaying spikelets with linings of silver hairs surrounding gold, purple, and green. The florets then open to display a light yellow anther, fresh with pollen to give to the wind.

The next time you’re packing for a hike, grab a hand lens or a magnifying glass. Then, take the time to stop on one knee, get close, and look. Find the colors of the florets, the complex texture of the spikelets, and seductive nature of the anthers.

Then continue watching, for the display from Blue Grama Grass isn’t over. As the wind pollinates these grasses, the spikelets curl and the seeds fall. Then as the air cools and dries once more, the hillsides will change again, for the Blue Grama leaves behind a sea of brilliant curls of feathery gold. ***** Mara Kack, education director at the Highlands Center for Natural History, grew up in Prescott surrounded by its natural wonder and now teaches through science and nature to inspire new wonder in current and future generations.

Visit the Highlands Center for Natural History at 1375 Walker Road, 928-776-9550, or HighlandsCenter.Org.

Bird of the Month

Townsend’s Warbler Townsend’s Warbler. Photo by John West.

By Karen O’Neil

The

Townsend’s Warbler is another quite handsome wood-warbler. The male has a striking, bright yellow and black face and head with a black mask, throat, and upper breast. The rest of the breast is yellow, the belly is white, the back olive-green, and the wings gray with two white wing bars. The tail is gray with white outer tail feathers that can be seen from underneath and in flight. The female is duller with a white throat.

This species does not breed in Arizona. Instead, it spends the summer breeding and raising its young in the coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest in both the coastal belt and the more inland mountains.

However, its migration is spread out over a long time in both the spring and fall, and it migrates through Arizona. It can be found during those two seasons both in the mountain conifer forests and in streamside trees in Yavapai County. Most individuals winter in Mexico and Central America in the same type of habitat as where it is found in migration, but a few can be found in coniferous/oak forests along the West Coast. In the U.S., this warbler is found almost exclusively in the West.

Look

for the Townsend’s Warbler in the up-

per parts of trees where it forages for insects. In its tropical wintering grounds it also feeds on berries and nectar. You won’t find it at seed feeders, but you shouldn’t rule out the possibility of it coming to suet feeders. Its close cousin, the Yellowrumped Warbler, winters in the area and readily comes to a suet feeder.

During August, September, and October, keep your eyes out for this handsome wood-warbler in both deciduous and coniferous trees. But, it is a small bird (about five inches long), and it may be high, so bring your binoculars. Also, remember to look again come April and May. ***** Karen O’Neil, Important Bird Area coordinator for Prescott Audubon Society, has been birding for 32 years — especially in Arizona, but also throughout much of the U.S. and parts of Canada, Central and South America, and Africa. She has served in many capacities for Prescott Audubon Society, including president, and has been president of the Arizona Audubon Council.

She has lived in Prescott for 33 years, and retired from Yavapai College in 2003 where she worked as a mental health/psychiatric nursing instructor for 21 years.

Visit Prescott Audubon Society at PrescottAudubon.Org. Contact them at Contact@PrescottAudubon.Org.

Bringing Wild Birds To Your Backyard!

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Highlands Center for Natural History’s

pilF Photo

What’s hooked, handsome, and hardy?

Photo by Duane Bebo.

5ENSESMAG.COM • SEPTEMBER 2015 • FEATURES • 5

Peregrine Book Co.

Staff picks

By Peregrine Book Co. staff “Juxtapoz: Hyperreal”

By Evan Pricco Hyperreal: realism in art characterized by depiction of real life in an unusual or striking manner. I cannot even begin to craft an explanation of what these pages hold nearly as well as Pricco does in his introduction.

Therefore my advice is to read and reread the introduction and prepare yourself to be amazed at how art has responded to our technological age!

Be sure to check out Lee Price, Zaria Forman, and Diego Koi — they are some of my favorites! —Sarah

Highlands Center for Natural History’s

Flip otohP

Feathers!

Photo by Felipe Guerrero.

Feathers

are versatile structures that are unique to birds. Like our fingernails and hair, feathers are structures that are dead at maturity. Each of the 10,000 different species of birds across the world have feathers with different looks and functions. The number of feathers on a bird can range from the thousands, as on a hummingbird, to more than 20,000, as on a water fowl. From the long, tightly hooked primary and secondary feathers along wings for flight, to the contour feathers along the body for attractive displays of color or subtle camouflage, to the fluff y semi-plumes and down feathers for insulation, all the way down to tail feathers — a variety of feathers help every bird species thrive in their specific habitats.

6 • FEATURE • SEPTEMBER 2015 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

“Snakes: The Evolution of Mystery in Nature”

By Harry W. Greene For all lovers of the scaled and enigmatical, a tome equally at home on a discerning coffee-table as on the serious herpetologist’s desk.

Greene’s clear, impassioned writing is the perfect vehicle for his experience and erudition in the natural history of Serpentes. Spectacular photos by Michael and Patricia Fogden show snakes hunting, mating, on the move, and at rest. Bask in their serpentine glory. —Reva “A House In The Sky”

By Amanda Lindhout & Sara Corbett This story will haunt you long after you read it.

Amanda is incredibly brave, and as terrifying as some of her stories may seem, they are powerful and need to be read. —Lacey

“All the Wild That Remains: Edward Abbey, Wallace Stegner, and the American West”

By David Gessner This book reignites a love for the west that Abbey and Stegner instilled in Americans all over the country, and a passion to conserve that precious land. This is a wonderful homage to two very influential writers and adventurers. —Emily “Our Souls at Night”

By Kent Haruf One of the first things you learn in an Intro to Creative Writing class is that you should show, not tell, your readers what you want them to know, to feel. Kent Haruf, though, goes a step further.

He has the gift of subtly easing you into a feeling without shoving it in your face. He wrote this book while he was dying, and knowing that, it adds another layer onto the beautiful prose that makes up every page of this wonderful little book. —Jon “Leonardo’s Brain”

By Leonard Shlain In this unusual biography, Shlain weaves neuroscience and history together creating a story that almost makes you feel as if you knew Leonardo da Vinci himself. I immensely enjoyed it despite the fact that the author died before completing the editing of the book. —Veri

***** Visit Peregrine Book Company at PeregrineBookCompany.Com and 219A N. Cortez St., Prescott, 928-445-9000.

Vegetable of the Month

Peppers An assortment of peppers. Photo by Shanti Rade.

By Kathleen Yetman

Chiles,

chili peppers, peppers, bell peppers — no matter the name, they are all fruit from plants of the same genus: Capsicum. Capsicums are native to the Americas and are extremely popular worldwide in cuisine.

Fossil evidence shows prehistoric people from southern Peru up to the Bahamas were cultivating peppers 6,100 years ago. Currently there are around 25 recognized species in the genus, five of which are domesticated. There are thousands of cultivars of peppers.

Hot peppers contain the chemical capsaicin, which produces a burning sensation when eaten. This chemical is most plentiful in the placental membrane of the fruit that holds the seeds. Most mammals find the burning sensation unpleasant, however birds are unaffected, and thus contribute to the spread of seeds. Peppers’ heat is measured on the Scoville scale, which rates a given pepper by units. A bell pepper has a zero and an extremely spicy pepper has more than 2 million.

Peppers

are an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin A. They are

also a source of vitamin B6, folic acid, potassium, and fiber. Red peppers contain lycopene, which is believed to help reduce the risk of certain cancers. Peppers are extremely versatile in the kitchen. They can be roasted, smoked, dried, fermented, sautéed, pickled, stuffed, grilled, powdered for spices, infused in oils and liquors and pulverized for hot sauce.

Americans are familiar with bell, jalapeño, poblano, and cayenne peppers. Those looking to expand their repertoire should look to local farmers. Want to know some pepper cultivars gaining popularity on the farmers market scene? Lunchbox: a small, thumb-sized super sweet pepper perfect for snacking. Shishito: a Japanese pepper with great flavor and a little heat. Padron: a Spanish pepper with a lot of flavor and one in ten is hot (Spanish roulette!). Indian Bhut Jolokia (Ghost pepper): a super hot pepper that should be left to experienced spicy pepper enthusiasts. ***** Kathleen Yetman is the Managing Director of the Prescott Farmers Market and a native of Prescott.

Visit the Prescott Farmers Market every Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to noon from May through October at Yavapai College.

Prescott’s finest submarines since before downtown traffic 418 W. Goodwin St., 778-3743 M-F 10:30-2:30, Weekends closed

October 10th & 11th at Watson Lake Park

Saturday & Sunday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

FEATURING • Cody Lundin, founder, Aboriginal Living Skills School, LLC and star of Dual Survival providing educational sessions on Saturday • Live music with six talented bands • Arizona Game & Fish Dept. displays and exhibits • 300-ft zip line • Four person climbing tower

• An expanded two-day fishing component featuring a scenic netted cove with over 2,000 rainbow trout • Live creatures • Sporting equipment displays • Food • Rappelling • Kayaking • Disc golf • Camping

• Many booths & exhibits • Boats, RVs & ATVs • All in the scenic setting of the Granite Dells of Prescott Admission Fee Required.

Business & organization booth space available, as well as sponsorship opportunities. Volunteers are always needed.

Open Space Alliance of Central Yavapai County

Go to www.prescott-az.gov for all details on the event, or call 928-777-1122. We hope you can join us.

5ENSESMAG.COM • SEPTEMBER 2015 • FEATURE • 7

Left Brain: September’s mind-full events Events

11-12

5

Hiking Spree Kick-off • 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., & 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 5: Early-bird hike, kick-off presentation, and kick-off hike for the eighth annual Highlands Center for Natural History Hiking Spree.

(Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550) LAN party • Noon Saturday, Sept. 5: Play multiplayer computer games like “Quake,” “Counterstrike,” and “Tribes.” A monthly Local Area Network party via Western Sky PC. (Game On, 1957 Commerce Center Circle Suite C, Prescott, PPCGG.Com)

“Prescott History with Melissa Ruffner” • 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5: Historian and author Melissa Ruff ner discusses early Prescott and some of its most colorful residents, including members of her own family. (Phippen Museum, 4701 Arizona 89, 928-778-1385, $3-$7)

8 9

“The Short But Remarkable History of Sedona's Schnebly Hill Formation” • 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8: Wayne Ranney discusses Sedona's Schnebly Hill Formation.

A monthly Central Arizona Geology Club meeting. (Prescott Public Library, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-778-6324)

“Amelia Earhart: A study in Courage, Daring, & Foolhardiness” • 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9: Gene Tissot, whose father was Amelia Earhart's mechanic during her 1935 Hawaii-to-California flight, discusses the woman who disappeared while almost completing an around-the-worldflight. (ERAU Davis Learning Center, 3700 Willow Creek Road, 928-777-6985)

10

Williamson Valley Trail bird walk • 7 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 10: Local, guided bird walk at Williamson Valley Trail.

(Jay’s Bird Barn, No. 113, 1046 Willow Creek Road, 928-443-5900, RSVP)

Rick Kempa & Grand Canyon Poets • 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10: Authors of two anthologies of Grand Canyon writing present stories, photos, and how-to information.

(Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000) “Ethnobotany of the Hualapai Tribe” • 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10: Carrie Cannon, ethnobotanist for the Hualapai Tribe and member of the Kiowa Tribe, describes her research to keep the Hualapai ethnobotanical knowledge from being lost.

(Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550)

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Moonlit Naturalist Walk • 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11: Monthly moonlit naturalist walk. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550) Arizona History Adventure • 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 12: Learn how pioneers turned the harvest into food for the winter months. An Arizona History Adventure. (Sharlot Hall Museum, 415 W. Gurley St., 928-445-2133, $3-$7)

“Water Smart Landscapes” • 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 12: Annikki Chamberlain and Amanda Richardson discuss using less, preventing runnof, and preserving beauty. A monthly Citizens Water Advocacy Group meeting. (Granite Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation Building, 882 Sunset Ave., 928-445-4218) “America the Beautiful” • 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12: Prescott art docent Hugh Meier discusses a journey west through

“Starry Nights” • 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19: See the Double Cluster, Andromeda Galaxy, Dumbbell Nebula, Ring Nebula, Keystone Cluster, Albireo, and Eagle Nebula. A Prescott Astronomy Club Star Party. (Pronghorn Park, 7931 E. Rusty Spur Trail, PrescottAstronomyClub.Org)

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“Let's Get Wild!”

• 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 20: Learn how to forage and feast from nature's supermarket.

Bring your own bowl as we harvest wild edible plants then picnic around the pool and gardens. (Heaven on Earth Sanctuary, 4395 Lake Forest Lane, 928-308-2146, $20-$25, RSVP) “Verde River” • 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24: Doug Von Gausig discusses the Verde River. A monthly Prescott Audubon meeting. (Trinity Presbyterian Church, 630 Park Ave., PrescottAudubon.Org)

Highlands Nature Festival • Friday & Saturday, Sept. 11 & 12: The Highlands Center for Natural History — in collaboration with Prescott Creeks, Yavapai Group Sierra Club, Prescott Chapter of the Arizona Native Plant Society, Ecosa, Natural History Institute of Prescott College, and the Heritage Park Zoo, and more — presents the first Highlands Nature Festival.

Events offer hands-on field trips and workshops for adults to learn more about the natural world. The 6 p.m. opening symposium at the Prescott College Crossroads Center includes panelists John Flicker, Prescott College president; Sarah Porter, Kyl Center for Water Policy executive director; Walt Anderson, Prescott College professor of ecological studies; and Nichole Trushell, Highlands Center for Natural history founding director; with moderator Tony Brown, founder of the Ecosa Institute of Ecological Design. (Locations and prices vary, visit HighlandsCenter.Org for more) IMAGE: Nichole Trushell, founder of the Highlands Center for Natural History, instructs a group of docents in training. Photo by Dave Irvine. the eyes of immigrants. (Phippen Museum, 4701 Arizona 89, 928-778-1385, $3-$7) “A Field Guide to Fire” • 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12: Poet David Chorlton and artist Julie Comnick discuss their latest project. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000) “Oral History of Yavapai People” • 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12: Caroline Butler discuses the oral history of the Yavapai people. A Second Saturday lecture. (Smoki Museum, 147 N. Arizona Ave., 928-445-1230)

13 17

Wildflower celebration • 7:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 13: Third annual wildflower celebration featuring wildflower walks every half hour. (Community Nature Center, 1980 Williamson Valley Road)

“Cosmic Collisions Galore” • 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17: Dr. Lisa Chien, Northern Arizona University professor of physics and astronomy, discusses the collision of galaxies, which can create enormous bursts of star formation, disrupt entire galaxies, transform their shapes, and even lead to the merger of central black holes. Via Prescott Astronomy Club’s Third Thursday Star Talks. (Prescott Public Library, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-778-6324)

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Granite Basin bird walk • 7 a.m. Friday, Sept. 18: Local, guided bird walk at Granite Basin. (Jay’s Bird Barn, No. 113, 1046 Willow Creek Road, 928-443-5900, RSVP)

8 • EVENTS • SEPTEMBER 2015 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

19

Lisa See • 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19: Writer and novelist Lisa See discusses her books including “China Dolls” and “On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My ChineseAmerican Family.” Via the Yavapai College Literary Southwest Series. (Yavapai College Library, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2261) Frontier Arizona Experience • 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 19: Discover more about the Ordinance Department, which handled more than just guns and bullets.

A Frontier Arizona Experience event.

(Fort Whipple Museum, No. 11, 500 N. Arizona 89, 928-445-3122)

Patricia Downing DeAsis • 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 19: Patricia Downing DeAsis, of the Tsalog Cherokee tribe of Oklahoma, shares information about Cherokee culture and medicine people prophecies. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000) “Dance of the Bones” • 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19: New York Times bestselling mystery writer J.A. Dance discusses her new thriller and 51st novel, “Dance of the Bones.” (Prescott Valley Library, 7401 E. Civic Circle, 928-759-3040) “Wild Women of Prescott” • 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19: Jack MacKell Collins presents a behind-the-scenes look at the red light women who made their living in the prostitution industry along Granite Street in Prescott. (Sharlot Hall Museum, 415 W. Gurley St., 928-445-2133)

“The History of the Yavapai Tribe” • 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25: Linda Ogo, Audray Ogo Harley, and Natasha Sanchez share their local tribal history. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550, $17)

Acker Park 20th birthday celebration • 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26: Come celebrate the birthday of Acker Park, an 80-acre natural parkland established by citizen vote. (Acker Park, 421 S. Virginia St., details at HighlandsCenter.Org)

“The Horse in Art” • 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26: Prescott art docent Dan Ermenchuck discusses the evolution of the horse in art. (Phippen Museum, 4701 Arizona 89, 928-778-1385, $3-$7) “The Curious Nature Guide” • 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26: Best-selling author, naturalist, and artist Clare Walker Leslie offers adults of all ages an invitation to step outside for just a few minutes a day.

(Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000) “The Temple of Doubt” • 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26: Arizona young adult author and teacher Ann Boles Levy discusses young adult books with gritty, smart, strong female leads. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000)

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“Wild Weeds” • 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28: Author Katrina Blair discuses wild edibles and eco-success stories of working with city councils. (Heaven on Earth Sanctuary, 4395 Lake Forest Lane, 928-308-2146, $10-$15, RSVP)

Multi-day “Showcase of Historic Firearms” • 10 a.m. Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 12 & 13: Second annual showcase of historic firearms from local collections, museum archives, and the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office. (Sharlot Hall Museum, 415 W. Gurley St., 928-445-2133, $8-$10) Prescott Area Boardgamers • 5 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 2, 16, & 30: Play European-style board games. (Prescott Public Library, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-777-1500) Naturalist City & Field Walks • 8 a.m. Wednesdays & Saturdays: Discover local insects, birds, geology, plants, and more. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550) Summer Prescott Farmers Market • 7 a.m. Saturdays: Enjoy local organic produce and goods from local farmers. Yavapai College, Parking Lot D, 1100 E. Sheldon St., PrescottFarmersMarket.Org)

September’s art-full events :niarB thgiR

5

Events

“Flying Solo” • 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5: Solo dance performances by CONDER/dance and JordanDanielsDance. (Flying Nest Movement Arts, 322 W. Gurley St., 928-432-3068, $10) The Improvitionians • 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5: Improv comedy at 5,000 feet. (Stage Too, North Cortez Street alley between Willis and Sheldon streets, 928-445-3286, $5)

12 13 20

Prescott Food Truck Festival • Noon Saturday, Sept. 12: Enjoy paid samples from more than a dozen food trucks and beers. Benefits Prescott Meals on Wheels.

(Mile High Football Field, downtown Prescott, $5 admission, $2+ samples)

“Silence, Stillness, Music, & Movement” • 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 13: A music and movement workshop with Delisa Myles and Jonathan Best. Visit FlyingNestStudio.Com/ MAndMWorkshop. (Flying Nest Movement Arts, 322 W. Gurley St., 928-432-3068, $30-$60) Navajo Rug & Indian Art Auction • 9 a.m. preview, noon auction Saturday, Sept. 20: Eighteenth annual auction featuring hundreds of contemporary and historic Navajo weavings. (Smoki Museum, 147 N. Arizona Ave., 928-445-1230)

Antiques on the Square • 8 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 20: Sixty vendors cater a variety of antiques. Benefits Prescott Thumb Butte Questers. (Yavapai County Courthouse Square, 928-443-8909)

21 23 25

“International Day of Peace” • 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 21: Celia Farran performs in honor of the International Day of Peace. (Heaven on Earth Sanctuary, 4395 Lake Forest Lane, 928-308-2146, $15-$30, RSVP)

“Back to School” • All September and musical performances on Thursdays: A month-long series focused on student painters, artists, and musicians including “The Blue Cat Series,” the third iteration of pieces by students in Prof. Ken Ottinger’s Yavapai College art class and black and white photography by Yavapai College photography student Stephanie Spence. Every Thursday, guitar guru Drew Hall plays with his high school, college, and adult students. (El Gato Azul, 316 W. Goodwin St., 928-445-1070) IMAGES: Black and white photography by Stephanie Spence, Yavapai College photography student and El Gato Azul employee. Photos by 5enses, inverse color.

“Young Frankenstein” • 7:30 p.m. Sept. 10-12, 17-19, & 24-26, 2 p.m. Sept. 13, 20, & 27: A musical based on Mel Brooks’ unqualified classic comedy film spoof of Mary Shelley’s novel of bringing the dead back to life. Directed by Randy Faulkner. (Prescott Center for the Arts, 208 N. Marina St., 928-445-3286, $14-$23) Argentine Tango Workshop • Sept. 18 &19: Judy y Jon from Las Vegas and Buenos Aires lead a weekend tango workshop. Visit FlyingNestStudio.Com for schedule and prices. (Flying Nest Movement Arts, 322 W. Gurley St., 928-432-3068)

Open mic poetry • 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23: Poet Dan Seaman emcees monthly open mic poetry.

(Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000)

“The Tempest” • 6 p.m. dinner, 7:30 p.m. show Sept. 25 & 26: William Shakespeare’s classic tale of love, power, and the quest for freedom. A Laark Productions performance. (Arcosanti, via Exit 263 on I-17, 928-632-7135, $20-$40)

4th Friday Art Walk • 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25: Monthly art walk including more than 18 galleries, artist receptions, openings, and demonstrations.

(ArtThe4th.Com)

Prescott Intertribal Powwow • Sept. 25-27: Ninth annual intertribal powwow. Public welcome. (Watson Lake Park, 3101 Watson Lake Road, PrescottPowwow.Org)

Manhattan Short Film Festival • 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25: See short films and take part in an international festival.

Visit PrescottFilmFestival.Com for details.

(Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2000, $6-$12)

26

Contra Dance • 7 p.m. lesson, 7:30 p.m. dance Saturday, Sept. 26: Contra dancing. Via Folk Happens.

Calls by Deb Comly, music by Wild Thyme.

(First Congregation Church, 216 E. Gurley St., 928-925-5210, $4-$8)

Multi-day Modern-day meditation • 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 2 & 16: Open.

Calm. Think. Act. An active, four-part practice. (Flying Nest Movement Arts, 322 W. Gurley St., 303-903-2630)

Yoga classes • Mondays, Tuesdays, & Thursdays: Yoga classes including Ayurveda yoga, gentle yoga over-50 class, mindful and gentle yoga, and dynamic flow yoga. Visit FlyingNestStudio.

Com for schedule. (Flying Nest Movement Arts, 322 W. Gurley St., 928-432-3068, prices vary) Social dance classes • Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, & Sundays: Learn the Argentine tango, West Coast swing, tribal belly dance, Lindy hop swing, flamenco, and Latin dance. Visit FlyingNestStudio.Com for schedule. (Flying Nest Movement Arts, 322 W. Gurley St., 928432-3068, prices vary) Community Yoga • 5:15 p.m. Tuesdays & Thursdays, 10 a.m.

Saturdays: Free community all-levels yoga class for people from all walks of life. Come heal your whole self. No experience necessary. (Deva Healing Center, 520 Sheldon St., DevaHealingCenter.Org)

Mindfulness meditation • 6:30 p.m. informal sit, 7 p.m. formal sit Tuesdays: Meditation group open to people of all faiths and non-faiths followed by optional discussion. (First Congregational Church, 216 E. Gurley St., PrescottVipassana.Org) Performance dance/movement arts classes • Wednesdays & Thursdays: Learn contemporary dance, movement for life, and normative movement. Visit FlyingNestStudio.Com for schedule. (Flying Nest Movement Arts, 322 W. Gurley St., 928-432-3068, prices vary) Saturday Night Talks series • 7 p.m. Saturdays: Weekly classes including “Great Spiritual Stories,” “The Dilemma of the Illusion of Separation,” “Women on the Path,” and “Alignment and Aliveness in the Body.” (Vigraha Gallery, 115 E. Goodwin St., 928-771-0205, $5)

Art “Forces of Nature” • Through Sept. 13: New art by Brenda Diller and Cathy Gibbons. (The Raven Café, 142 N. Cortez St., 928-717-0009) “What You See” • Through Sept. 14: Dynamic abstract paintings by D.S. Moore. (’Tis Art Center & Gallery, 105 S. Cortez St., 928-775-0223) “Fiber & Glass” • From Sept. 15: Transparency and transformation-themed art by Jo Manginelli, Cindi Shaffer, and Judy Book. (’Tis Art Center & Gallery, 105 S. Cortez St., 928-775-0223) Arizona Print Group • Through Sept. 16: Printmaking from the Arizona Print Group. (Mountain Artists Guild & Gallery, 228 Alarcon St., 928-445-2510) “Artists’ Studio Tour” • From Sept. 18: Group show in conjunction with the upcoming Prescott Area Artists’ Studio Tour. (Mountain Artists Guild & Gallery, 228 Alarcon St., 928-445-2510)

YC Fall Faculty Art Exhibition • Through Sept. 19: Photography, ceramics, sculpture, painting, digital design, printmaking, multimedia, watercolor, painting, and drawing by Yavapai College art faculty.

(Yavapai College Prescott Art Gallery, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2031) “Objects Found” • Through Sept. 22: Annual show transforming beauty and history with everyday items. (’Tis Art Center & Gallery, 105 S. Cortez St., 928-775-0223) Butch Corrington • Through Sept. 23: Custom mesquite furniture by Butch Corrington.

(Arts Prescott Gallery, 134 S. Montezuma St., 928-776-7717) Cothern • Through Sept. 23: Jewelry by Cothern.

(Arts Prescott Gallery, 134 S. Montezuma St., 928-776-7717) “The Eyes Have It” • From Sept. 24: Annual photography show. (’Tis Art Center & Gallery, 105 S. Cortez St., 928-775-0223) “In Motion” • Through Sept. 26: Explore movement as a central design concept in 2-D and 3-D art.

(Prescott Center for the Arts Gallery, 208 N. Marina St., 928-445-3286) “Just For Fun” • Through Sept. 26: New art.

(Mountain Artists Guild & Gallery, 228 Alarcon St., 928-445-2510) “Day of the Dead” • From Sept. 28: El Dia de los Muertosthemed art. (Prescott Center for the Arts Gallery, 208 N. Marina St., 928-445-3286) Southwest Regional Exhibit • Through Oct. 17: Traveling exhibit with works by contemporary Arizonan artists.

(Prescott College Art Gallery at Sam Hill Warehouse, 232 N. Granite St., 928-350-2341)

9

Chain reactions

Alan Dean Foster’s

Perceivings

Appreciating the beauty of science function plus art

Now,

By Alan Dean Foster I love it when science and art merge.

When they do so in the service of something functional, that’s even better.

My favorite example, albeit one that’s fictional, is Captain Nemo’s Nautilus from the Disney film version of Jules Verne’s “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” The Nautilus is a work of art by Harper Goff that was designed as if it was to be a real, functioning Victorian-era submarine. I still remember the mixture of awe and delight that attended the first full sighting of it in the movie when I saw it in the theater way back in 1954.

That the design continues to inspire to this day is a testament to Goff ’s artistic talent and the skills of the Disney special effects team that brought it to life. For many years, the original model used in the movie was on display in Disneyland.

Scientific function plus art. We never see enough of it. Moscow’s subway system is another outstanding example. But those were made real by Hollywood and governments. It’s rare when you can do something similar to your own home.

I’m going to speak now of rain chains.

rain chains may be something most of you grew up with. They may be as common in your neighborhood as the rain gutters from which they usually hang. But until a couple of years ago I’d never heard of them, and if I’d seen any, they didn’t stick in my mind.

Apparently originating in Japan, rain chains (鎖樋, kusari doi in Japanese) are long strings of chain links interspersed every so often with decorative water-slowing embellishments. Forged from copper or brass, these interrupters can take any shape. Flowers are an especially favored motif. Long strings of chained-together lotus blossoms, cherry blossoms and other blooms are a common sight at the roof corners of Japanese temples. Rainfall spills off the roof or flows down a gutter and into a hole from which the chain hangs.

The water then slides down the chain and through a succession of flowers, cups, birds, and sometimes animal shapes that slow its rush. At the bottom the water is deposited in a rain collecting barrel or onto a drainage channel on the ground.

Not only do the chains slow and guide the runoff, but the sight of the water gurgling through the various metal sculptures as well as sliding down the chain links is wonderfully relaxing to look at. So is the sound the water makes. During a heavy downpour, the system can be overwhelmed by the amount of runoff, but the sight and sound still beat water simply cascading off the roof or vanishing into an ordinary downspout.

That’s art. The

science involves what we call cohesion. Being strongly cohesive, water molecules will tend to follow each other rather than, say, gravity. This is why rainwater running off your roof will tend to curl underneath the overhanging edge before finally falling to the ground. Give water a path to follow — a length of string, say — and the water molecules will try to stick to and follow one another rather than plunge straight to the ground.

Without the tiny gaps provided by cotton string, water has a harder time sticking to copper or brass. Still, given the path provided by the chain links, water will tend to follow them downward, from link to link and flowershaped cup to cup. The links and the sculpted cups also serve to break up the water’s rush, conveying it more gently to the ground than any downspout.

So,

by adding rain chains to a building, you are actually sculpting water — something that sounds impossible but, in the case of rain chains, arose not from a desire to create art but from a very practical necessity. The physics of liquids, of gravity, and of metallurgy all end up serving an aesthetic purpose.

(Incidentally, for a good source of well-priced rain chains, try NutshellStores.Com.) It may not be the Nautilus, but it sure looks good on the house. ***** Alan Dean Foster is author of more than 120 books, visitor to more than 100 countries, and still frustrated by the human species. Follow him at AlanDeanFoster.Com.

TOP: A copper rain chain sculpts water. Photo by Monarch Rain Chains, Creative Commons 3.0.

LEFT: A concept drawing/blue print of the “Nautilus” by Harper Goff for Disney’s “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” Fair use.

10 • COLUMN • SEPTEMBER 2015 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

Creature comforts

Open doors, arms await patrons of the eighth annual Prescott Area Artists’ Studio Tour

By Robert Blood “The only thing I know is that if I get to my studio, that means I’m alive today.”

— photographer Robert Farber As hackneyed as it is to begin with a quotation, Farber’s is irresistible. It illustrates the singular passion artists have for their space.

An artist’s studio is no mere tool repository. It’s an extension of self and of character. It’s a place in which life is lived and, in a sense, created.

That’s why, given the opportunity, you should jump at the chance to meet an artist in their studio space.

And you’ve got a doozy of an opportunity next month. …

The eighth annual Prescott Area Artists’ Studio Tour runs 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday through Saturday, Oct. 2-4. The free, self-directed tour includes work by 56 juried artists at 38 artist studios, plus several dozen more artists at four art centers.

Mediums include ceramics, pottery, glass, jewelry, paintings, and more.

The Mountain Artist Guild has sponsored the independent, volunteer-run tour since its inception.

In recent years, the cost putting on the tour has been in the $10,000$12,000 range. It’s brought in roughly $1,000-$2,000 from artist fees plus raffle tickets.

This year’s studio tour benefits two children’s art programs: one through Mountain Artists Guild and one through ‘Tis Art Center and Gallery.

Now that the housekeeping’s out of the way, it’s time to hear from some of the artists behind and on the studio tour. ...

X the #s Number of years of the annual tour: 8 Number of artist studios: 38 Number of art centers: 4 Number of juried artists: 56 Number of additional artists: Several dozen Number of dollars to attend: 0 Number of dollars paid to organizers: 0

Privacy & participation Many days, Deanne Brewster exits her Prescott home, takes in a view of the San Francisco Peaks, and retires to her ceramic studio.

“Retire” is too passive a word, actually.

“I get caught up in the moment when I’m creating,” Brewster said.

“Whether I’m throwing work on the wheel or hand building slabs, I relish that alone time. It’s re-energizing.”

She’s had the space since 2000, when she and her husband relocated from Connecticut. Brewster’s the chair of studio tour’s executive committee and has hosted a tour stop

since its 2008 inception.

A variety of materials for her mid-fire stoneware line the studio.

They’re neatly arranged but heavily used. Partly, that’s because Brewster loves to experiment. Partly, that’s because Brewster periodically opens her space to students and the public.

Each June, she opens her studio so people can craft items for Prescott’s annual Empty Bowls fundraiser.

“I especially love it when someone makes a soup bowl who’s never touched clay before,” Brewster said.

“No matter why someone’s here, I want them to experience clay in some way — hence, the tiles.”

Deanne Brewster poses in front of her studio doorway with her dog, Rose, next to a pillar of tiles painted by patrons of prior Prescott Area Artists’ Studio Tours.

Photo by Richard “Butch” Berentis.

The tiles — how did you miss those? — are outside Brewster’s studio on columns.

“During the studio tour, I invite everyone to paint a tile then, afterword, I fire them and post them outside the studio,” Brewster explained.

“I’ve been doing it long enough that people of all ages come back and see what they’ve done in years past.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 >>>

5ENSESMAG.COM • SEPTEMBER 2015 • PORTFOLIO • 11

Pete Heckel turns some alabaster in his home studio. Photo by Jane Heckel.

... FROM PAGE 11 Parallels & perpendiculars “Honey, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

That’s what Pete Heckel tells his wife of nearly five decades, Jane Heckel, when he heads from their Chino Valley house to their workshop and studio.

“Then, four hours later, I come back,” Pete said with a laugh. “You can lose time out there.”

He turns alabaster into bowls. The lathes run silently — that is, until you apply the tools to the stone. He’s also a woodworker.

Though Jane uses drill presses and displays some of her jewelry in the shop, it’s usually too dusty for her to work alongside Pete. Instead, she crafts jewelry in a room in their house.

“When I do counted bead work, that takes concentration and, when strands have to match, it can be tedious,” Jane said. “I just go with the flow. I can walk away, come back, say I’m not happy, and rip something apart.”

Her jewelry includes lots of sterling silver and copper. The clutter swells and shrinks according to whim.

“Sometimes it’s controlled chaos,” Jane said. “If I get too many projects going, it gets overwhelming and I need to put stuff away and refocus.”

Pete and Jane are chairs of the studio tour’s publicity committee and have been on the tour for about five years.

“We love talking to people and doing demonstrations,” Pete said. “When I’m carving the alabaster, it looks like a rooster tail coming off. People get a kick out of that.”

Populace & pragmatism When Patty Lindsey’s Chino Valley house was built in 2004, she decided to set up her art studio in the garage.

“It’s a good-sized garage, though,” Lindsey said. “If it weren’t for the four kilns, it’d probably be a 10 car garage.”

Lindsey is a fused glass artist and teacher. She’s been part of the studio tour for five years. In that time, she’s seen the number of Chino Valley studios on the tour creep higher and higher.

“Places in town get hundreds of people,” Lindsey said. “Out here, we’ll only get 100 people, but they’re good quality people.”

One of the quirks of her studio is that, apart from materials, there’s almost zero half-finished work around.

“It’s a process, fusing and slumping,” Lindsey said. “When you’re done, you’re basically done with the piece.

There’s not really anything else to do.”

12 • PORTFOLIO • SEPTEMBER 2015 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

Because she sells pieces in multiple galleries in California, Lindsey is constantly at work. For the studio tour, her business Pasadena partner comes in to help field questions.

“A lot of people ask if glass is expensive or about the different processes involved,” Lindsey said.

Patrons can set glass pieces with glue for collectively created pieces. After the tour, Lindsey fuses and slumps them.

“I wanted to let people experience glass,” Lindsey said. “Last year, we did garden stakes, and there were five little kids just going crazy with it. It was a lot of fun.”

Patty Lindsey cuts mater mat in her home studio

rials on a quilter’s cutting o. Photo by Barry Lindsey.

Paula Cooperrider poses with “Bee Seated,” a whimsical wooden child’s chair. Photo by 5enses.

Piece & peace You won’t see Paula Cooperrider’s workshop on this year’s studio tour.

“I’m in Williamson Valley, probably 15 miles beyond the furthest studio out on the tour,” Cooperrider said. “I understand why I’m not on the route.”

A fine art woodworker, Cooperrider works in a decidedly well-loved shop.

The building was started in 1996 and the space evolved into its current iteration during the following decade.

“It has every major tool and all the minor tools of a wood carver, furniture designer, furniture builder, and sculptor,” Cooperrider said. “And above that is a big studio space where I work with other media.”

Despite the tools at her disposal,

though, art is sometimes a waiting game. Take her 7-foot tall anthropomorphic child’s chair, “Bee Seated.”

She intended finish it for an art show years ago.

“I couldn’t get the upholstery the way I wanted it, though,” Cooperrider said. “Now, years later, there are new materials and techniques to do what I wanted to do.”

She just needed incentive to finish it. Enter this year’s studio tour. And, while you can’t see Cooperrider’s studio proper, you can see the fruits of her labor at Jim Antonius’ blown glass studio in Prescott.

“He’s got a very cool, fun space,” Cooperrider said, adding, “When I’m working on something, nothing gets

cleaned up or put away in my studio, anyway.”

After considering “Bee Seated,” she smiled.

“I’m just happy to see it finished.” ***** The eighth annual Prescott Area Artists’ Studio Tour is Friday through Sunday, Oct. 2-4. Find out more about the free, self-guided tour at PrescottStudioTour.Com. Robert Blood is a Mayer-ish-based freelance writer and ne’er-do-well who’s working on his last book, which, incidentally, will be his first. Contact him at BloodyBobby5@Gmail.Com.

13

News From the Wilds trees, which bear no visible cones), like apples on Emory Oak trees, like smooth, blushing tumors on Gambel Oaks, or like furry, curled leaves on Arizona White Oaks. Oaks, in fact, have the highest diversity of galls, with over 300 different types found on them. Many of these galls will appear now, as specialist wasps, moths, and flies lay their eggs in the growing tissue of their coevolved host-plant.

Our

Blue butterflies of the family Lycaenidae are among our most beautiful, and many are mating and laying eggs, such as these Marine Blues (Leptotes marina). Photo by Ty Fitzmorris.

By Ty Fitzmorris

September

glows in the golden light of late summer, its sunrises heady with the smell of white Sacred Datura flowers, fading into the noontime butterscotch of sun-warmed Ponderosa, and later into the dusk sweetness of bricklebush. In much of North America, September marks the beginning of the colder part of the years with last harvests and cold nights. But in the lower latitudes, such as the Mogollon Highlands of Arizona, September is still summer, though with hints and foreshadowings of autumn.

The monsoon rains usually continue into the early part of the month, tapering off eventually into glorious sunny days — with extraordinary flowering of purple four-o-clocks, asters, and morning-glories, red penstemons and Scarlet Creeper, yellow sunflowers and daisies, and the tall, strange, tree-like Wright’s Thelypody (Thelypodium wrightii), with its white flowers. Insect diversity, too,

continues to grow and change, with some of the largest insects of the year making their debut. Look for the large brown Rhinoceros Beetle (Xyloryctes jamaicensis), the Great Ash Sphinx Moth (Sphinx chersis), and the gigantic leaf-mimic katydids of the genus Microcentrum, as well as the harmless (though somewhat alarming) Giant Crab Spider (Olios giganteus), which is often seen in houses as temperatures fall outside.

It is during this time of extraordinary plenty that many creatures begin to prepare for the coming cold season. Most of our woody plants are setting seed, which woodpeckers and squirrels are storing away in granaries; young of many mammal species are leaving home to establish their own territories; and insects are laying eggs, their unique adaptation to climatic stress. One of the most unusual egg-laying techniques in the insect world is the creation of galls, which are structures created by plants in response to an insect laying its egg in the plant’s tissue. Galls can look like pine cones (on juniper

14 • FEATURE • SEPTEMBER 2015 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

most water-dependent creatures, such as snails and mushrooms, abound now — species that one rarely associates with the desert Southwest. Arizona is home to at least 200 species of native snail, most of whom are completely unstudied, though they can easily be seen consuming riverside vegetation during this wet season.

Our species of fungi number in the thousands (just in Arizona!) and, again, are substantially unstudied, but they present a bewildering diversity from now until the fall, from brittlegills to puff balls to earthstars.

Their fruiting bodies are the only part of a mushroom that we typically take note of, but this is a small part of the organism. The real fungus is a network of filamentous mycorrhizae interlacing (and often enriching) the soil. In fact the largest organism on Earth is thought to be a single mushroom 2,400 acres in size in Oregon and may be 8,500 years old.

The mammals of the Central Highlands are, for the most part, at the peak of their year. Food is abundant, and most species are not under any real food or water stress, so it is now that the contests for mates begin.

Mule and White-tailed Deer, Elk, and Pronghorn begin their annual rut in September, after their antlers and horns are fully grown. Coyotes, foxes, and Porcupines are also finding mates and breeding. Other mammals, such as squirrels and chipmunks are stashing food for the coming cold season.

Some species of birds start to migrate into our area from the north toward the end of the month, and we’ll see species that we haven’t seen in large numbers since spring.

Violet-green and Northern Rough-

winged Swallow can be found in flocks, though they’ll have continued their travels southward by midOctober. Teal, Hummingbirds, and warblers, mostly in fall plumage, pass us as they fly south. Look, also, for the earliest migrant hawks from the north, including Ferruginous, Swainson’s, and very early Roughlegged Hawks. ***** Ty Fitzmorris is an itinerant and often distractible naturalist who lives in Prescott and is proprietor of the Peregrine Book Company, Raven Café, Gray Dog Guitars, and is a founder of Milagro Arts, a community arts nexus, all as a sideline to his natural history pursuits. He can be reached at Ty@PeregrineBook Company.Com.

Skyward • Sept. 4: Mercury at greatest eastern elongation. The planet nearest the Sun will be at its highest in the evening sky after sunset. Look for Mercury low in the western skies for about an hour after the Sun sets, below and to the right of Spica, the brightest star in Virgo.

• Sept. 12: New Moon at 11:41 a.m.

• Sept. 23: Autumnal Equinox at 1:21 a.m. The sun will set almost exactly to the west this evening, and everywhere on Earth day and night will be of equal length. The name “equinox” refers to this, meaning “equal night” in Latin. Today also marks the first day of autumn in the northern hemisphere.

• Sept. 27: Full Moon at 7:50 p.m. This is the Full Moon that is closest to the Earth this year, though it is one of three “supermoons,” the others being in the preceding and following months.

This Full Moon will also undergo a Total Lunar Eclipse beginning just as it rises in the east, and will be at its maximum from 7:11 p.m. to 8:23 p.m.

News From the Wilds, too A very brief survey of what’s happening in the wilds ...

By Ty Fitzmorris

or) conclude their mating season and finish laying eggs even as some eggs hatch into tadpoles.

• Young River Otters leave their parents and their home territories and disperse into new habitats. This species is reoccupying habitats from which it was extirpated by trapping, declining water quality, and habitat loss, and now can be found throughout the Southwest.

• Monarch Butterflies appear toward the end of the month and begin their long migration south following creeks and drainages.

• Katydids, large-winged relatives of grasshoppers, fly in riparian galleries. These are some of the best leafmimics of the insects.

Visit: Bell Trail, No. 13.

High mountains • Coyotes begin courting and run in pairs.

• Elk breeding season begins, and the resonant bugling of male elk can sometimes be heard in wilder areas.

• Porcupines begin their breeding season (with a substantial amount of care) in the Aspen groves in higher elevations.

Visit: Dandrea Trail, No. 285.

Ponderosa Pine forests • Black Walnut leaves begin to turn yellow as cold air drops down river drainages from the higher mountains.

• Large patches of vegetation underneath Ponderosas turn bright red toward the end of the month. These wispy, near-leafless plants are Dysphania graveolens, a type of goosefoot that emits a pungent, resinous smell when touched. (Thanks to Lisa Zander at the Prescott College Natural History Institute for the ID help).

• Some needles on Ponderosas start to turn orange, and are shed toward the end of the month as new, soft green leaves replace them. Healthy Ponderosas lose nearly 40 percent of their needles every autumn, and even though this type of needle loss can be rapid it doesn’t necessarily indicate health problems. Also, the wonderful vanilla-butterscotch odor of the Ponderosa is at its peak now — smell in furrows in the bark.

Visit: Aspen Creek Trail, No. 48.

Pine-Oak woodlands • Emory Oak and Arizona White Oak bear their nutrient-rich acorns, providing one of the year’s biggest crops for Acorn Woodpeckers, Rock Squirrels, and Cliff Chipmunks.

• Mule Deer begin their rut. Males can sometimes be seen sparring and territorial marking, such as rubbed spots on saplings, can be found easily.

• Mushrooms “flower” in great diversity, especially in areas with downed, wet wood. It is during this time that most wood decomposition takes place, with their aid.

• Fendler’s Ceanothus continues to flower. The Navajo use this plant as both a sedative and an emetic (to cause

Young Greater Short-horned Lizards (Phrynosoma hernadesi) are leaving their parents now to establish their own territories and find food. Photo by Ty Fitzmorris. vomiting), and the berries are an important food source for many animals.

• Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus) bears its seeds. The long, spiral seeds burrow actively into the soil when they fall, both as a method for self-planting and fire-avoidance.

Visit: Miller Creek Trail, No. 367.

Pinyon-Juniper woodlands • Goldenrods (Solidago spp.) and bricklebush (Brickellia spp.) in flower, the latter of which has arguably the best aroma of any of our flowering plants, which it releases at dusk to attract moths.

• Butterflies fly in great diversity, drawn to the flat, open flowers of the aster family including the fleabanes, sunflowers, asters, and groundsels.

Visit: Juniper Springs Trail, No. 2.

Grasslands • Pronghorns begin their short breeding season with males entering their rut. During this time the males will fight for dominance, and winners will gather together a harem of females.

• Yellow and purple asters abound along with sunflowers.

• The grasshoppers, our primary grass herbivores, reach their final, winged life-stage, and many species can be found in different microhabitats. Look especially for the massive, though wingless, Plains Lubber Grasshopper (Brachystola magna), which can often be found crossing roads such as Arizona 69, east of Dewey-Humboldt.

Visit: Mint Wash Trail, No. 345.

Riparian areas • Canyon Treefrogs (Hyla arenicol-

Deserts/Chaparral • Paintbrushes (genus Castilleja) bear their bean-like seed-pods.

These beautiful plants are unusual in that they are hemiparasites, i.e., they draw nutrients out of other plants, but also perform some photosynthesis of their own.

• Seep Willow (Baccharis sarothroides) flowers in desert washes. This plant was used extensively by the Tohono O’odham to make arrows and brooms as well as to brew a tea for coughs.

Visit: Algonquin Trail, No. 225.

Weather Average high temperature: 81.8 F, +/-2.9 Average low temperature: 48.8 F, +/-3.2 Record high temperature: 98 F, 1948 Record low temperature: 26 F, 1903 Average precipitation: 1.72”, +/-1.51” Record high precipitation: 10.02”, 1983 Record low precipitation: 0”, 6.2 percent of years on record Max daily precipitation: 3.08”, Sept. 24, 1983

15

Bridging traditions

Ustadza Azra teachesbelly dancing, cross-cultural history

By James Dungeon [Editor’s note: The following interview was culled from conversations between the reporter and Prescott-based belly dancer and teacher Ustadza Azra, founder of the New Moon Tribal School of Bellydance. Her belly dance classes are held at Lotus Bloom Yoga Studio, 777 W. Hillside Ave. Her new DVD, “Dynamic Zilling for Tribal and Cabaret Bellydancers,” $25, is scheduled to go on sale on Amazon in September. Visit her online at UstadzaAzra.Com.] How did you get started belly dancing?

My mom told me stories about how she did it as a child. Some of them were great and some of them were no-n0-no. She told me about being held up by a crowd of family members as the women danced to celebrate her coming of age. I thought to myself, “Oh my god, I never want that.” But she didn’t teach me it. … I grew up in California, and I came to Prescott in 2005. My boss saw a flyer for belly dancing, was talking about it, and I decided to try it. What my mom did, it wasn’t the stage belly dance; it was the more social. So, I started taking classes and got really into it and took some workshops with my friend Ginney. We were really into it. One day we drove all the way out to Redlands, California for a belly dance show and drove back the same day. I had a lot of stamina back then.

In 2008, I ended up moving to Florida for a job at a university. Until then I’d mostly done tribal belly dancing and a little bit of American cabaret-style.

But in Florida, I was exposed to the more traditional form of belly dancing and I really loved it.

I was introduced to vintage, modern Egyptian, Turkish — all these different styles of belly dancing.

The music is the thing that really drew me in. It was some of the same music I grew up listening to and already enjoyed. In tribal, you end up dancing to a lot more modern music. When you listen to the older music, though, you can understand how the moves of, say, Egyptian and Turkish belly dance came into being. You can belly dance to dubstep, but that music wouldn’t naturally lead to the creation of belly dance moves. When you listen to traditional music, you can hear how the moves were rooted in the music.

If Florida’s where you got exposed to other styles, why come back to little ol’ Prescott?

Because I missed it here. I came back to Prescott in 2011. Like I said, I grew up in California, around L.A., and you don’t really bump into people you know there. You have to arrange meetings with friends. I remember when I first got to Prescott and saw a guy I knew from work at the grocery store and I didn’t know how to react.

He said “hi,” that was he getting milk for his boys, and it took me some time to process it. After living in a big city, you’re not used to that. When I

was in Florida, in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area, everyone was so far apart. Some people would drive 45 minutes or an hour-and-a-half every day for work. There wasn’t as much of a chance to bond with people. Even at classes, after everything was over, people shot off in separate directions. My mom flew in to visit me and said, “You have a choice: You can stay here or move back to Prescott” and wrote the choice on a sheet of paper.

I actually still have the piece of paper — she wrote that down so it really hit home. I didn’t have a job, but she said she was sure if I wanted it, it would happen. So, a job opened up at the library here , I applied, and I got it and moved back and started doing tribal belly dance again. I still have a feel for the more traditional form, though. When the troupe I was a part of disbanded, I created the New Moon Tribal School of Bellydance which covers both tribal and vintage style. I want to make sure people appreciate the history of belly dance. Some tribal dancers put down traditional belly dance as a bunch of prancing around and posing, but when you listen to the music or see it performed, it’s different. ... People like Rachel Brice or Zoe Jakes know how to draw from that history. It’s like anything else: You learn a foundation and you build upon it. I make sure people are aware of the history.

Every style of belly dance has something beautiful in it.

What does the belly dance scene in Prescott look like?

It seems to be a more transient community, what with the colleges and people coming and going, but there are several different tribal belly dance troupes. … Tribal is about a group language. Your using a kind of sign language and, if it were just you, you’d be talking to yourself. The more vintage style has soloists, and there are some great ones here. … You have to go to Phoenix if you want Ustadza Azra. to attempt to make a liv-

16 • FEATURE • SEPTEMBER 2015 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

ing performing belly dance, though. It’s kind of like clogging: You have to be an avid clogger to go see other cloggers. The same is true with belly dancing. Prescott has events, like Tsunami on the Square and Acker Night, and venues like Pasquale’s Place, which is now Marino’s (Corner Bistro), and Taj Mahal, but it’s often performances for other belly dancers.

What are some of the common misconceptions about belly dancing?

“Are you a stripper?” No. No I’m not. Some people in different communities, whether they be churches or neighborhood groups, have thought that belly dancing has something to do with stripping. Nooooo. It’s quite different. Another misconception is about body types. You have to have a certain level of fitness to do it, but it’s not that high. There are moves that grandmas and children can do. It’s a natural movement; you can do it. Some people have seen videos — that have what I guess you would call a “trick” aspect to it — where people see how many pops they can fit into a shot period or how many crazy things they balance on their head or juggle to capture the attention of an audience. That’s a part of belly dance, but it’s not really a part of belly dance. Belly dancing is about movement.

If someone can do it while balancing a kitchen sink on their head or juggling swords, that’s great, but that’s not what you have to do. It’s about dancing to the music. It’s about music interpretation. Another thing is that people think you have to expose your belly.

Some people do, of course, but in other countries belly dancers can’t do that — by law. They might have a sheer gauze or flesh-tone fabric there, but they have to have a zipper in plain view on the side. It looks odd until you find out that it’s by law there. Yes, there are actual moral police there.

Photo by Clark White

Wait. Isn’t “belly” in the name of the dance?

Well the term “belly dance” comes from Sol Bloom, who, at the 1893 World’s Fair, presented “danse du ventre,” which is literally “dance of Photography. the belly.” There are other words names for it in

other countries, though. The two-piece look started when dancers took cues from costumes from Vaudeville and film. It’s a Hollywood influenced invention, really, that came about in the 1920s or ‘30s. The costume a lot of people think of when they think of belly dancing is a Western fantasy mixed with Eastern art. Women in Egypt aren’t wearing a two-piece to go shopping. They also aren’t, by the way, wearing something completely covered in coins. It’s going to be too hot for that — you’d get burned. Yes, their outfits include coins and metal pieces, but not as many as you’d think. … The top of that two-piece looks like a bra, but that’s just the general shape. It’s like the difference between leggings and pants. If you bought a bra at Target and tried to turn it into a belly dance costume, it wouldn’t be able to hold the weight of the decorations and accessories. The material and build is sturdier than a bra. … Another misconception is that the dance is for men. In reality, most forms of belly dancing are social. They’re really for families, women and for kids. People aren’t sure, though sometimes where to look when someone is performing. I’ve genuinely got a question from a guy who, very politely and honestly, asked where he’s supposed to be looking when I dance. If it’s moving, you can look like any other performance art. Some girls think we’re trying to steal they’re guys, which is ironic as we’re dancing for them, the women. The whole point of the dance is to interpret the music and socialize. It’s not meant to sexualize women or little girls. It’s a dance that’s appropriate for little girls, too.

You recently started working on a DVD about belly dancing with zills, i.e. finger cymbals.

Yes. It’s called “Dynamic Zilling for Tribal and Cabaret Bellydancers” and it should come out in September. It’ll be on Amazon and probably be about $25. The DVD is set up in two sections.

One gives a foundation for a notation system I created in order to create zill compositions. The way a lot of people do zill patterns now is to say Right-Left-Right, Left-Right-Left, Right-LeftRight. Now, when you write that down and give

thing over and over again, that’s a different story.

Ustadza Azra and friends belly dance. Courtesy photo. that instruction to five different people, you’re going to get five different patterns. You could try to use drum notations, but there aren’t the same “dum” and “tek” distinctions for a zill. So I created a different system that you can use without having a music background. I wanted someone who couldn’t read music to be able to use it. So, anyway, the first part of the DVD introduces the system and, if you’re already familiar with the Right-Left-Right way of thinking about zills, lets you rewire your brain. The rest of the DVD uses it to teach layered zilling. … I’ve seen people use zills who use the same pattern for the same song, even

Read the extended interview at 5ensesMag.Com. when it slows down or changes parts. That’s part of the reason some belly dancers don’t like using zills. They can be, well, quite annoying if not used properly. Some zill performances at festivals drive some of my friends nuts due to the repetition. But, when you play them in this way that allows you to write different parts and not just repeat the same

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With zills, a belly dancer is also a musician, which is notable considering so much of belly dancing is done without live musicians nowadays.

Having a live band is one of the big issues. With recorded music, belly dancing can be more choreographed than it normally would be. … At an Arab dance seminar I attended, a woman who was doing her dissertation on belly dance asked a panel of experts what the word for improvisational sections in belly dance was in each of their countries. After talking to each other for a bit, they couldn’t come up with anything. That’s because, historically, it’s all improvised. Choreography came much later.

Musicians played songs differently than each other — even well-known songs everyone knew — so belly dancers had to react to the music that was being played, not an exact reproduction. Tempos changed. It was exciting. Recorded music is more cost-effective, for sure — especially in the context of a restaurant or even a club. It became what one author calls tick-tock clockwork belly dancing.

She’s writing a book, incidentally, called “Midnight at the Crossroads: Has Belly Dance Sold Its Soul.” It was interesting getting the live music for Acker Night. I let my students know things could change and it was faster than what we’d practiced.

When the musicians stopped, we had more to go, so I signaled to the band to continue, and they did. There’s a give-and-take live that you have to experience for yourself. It’s more … circular. ***** Find out more about Ustadza Azra at UstadzaAzra.Com. Her new DVD, “Dynamic Zilling for Tribal and Cabaret Bellydancers,” $25, is scheduled to go on sale on Amazon in September.

Classes are held at Lotus Bloom Yoga Studio, 777 W. Hillside Ave. James Dungeon is a figment of his own imagination. And he likes cats. Contact him at JamesDungeonCats @Gmail.Com.

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17

Diagnosis: Technology

By Paolo Chlebecek

Yup,

it’s that time again. It’s time to get geeky. I was asked by a devoted reader recently to report and evaluate the efficacy of various ways to surf the web incognito. Good question and much to discuss. Let’s begin.

If you do a web search for “browse the internet anonymously,” you’ll literally get over a million results. Why is it needed, and can you trust those various methods to circumvent detection? First let’s review what the internet can find out about you. Even before you search online for anything, your computer and browser broadcasts your public IP location; the operating system and version you are using; what internet service provider you are using; what software you have running; your screen resolution; and even the kind of hardware you are using. Plus a whole bunch of additional information.

Supposedly, this helps give you a “more friendly user experience.” That web page you’re visiting can display the information and images clearly and no matter what kind of computer or browser you’re using it will look the same across all plat-

Inversion of privacy

How safe are you on the internet? forms. Therein lies the problem. It’s just too much information being given out without your knowledge or consent. Sure, you can read the EULA (End User Licensing Agreement) that comes with just about every piece of software, hardware, and computer browser to find out just what information is being sent out into the ether. But who does that?

We just click “I agree” and move on with our lives.

So,

how do you keep yourself private, or more private than you are now? It comes down to such tools as the TOR browser. This is only one of many such tools that you can use but, since we have limited space, this is the one I’ll focus on.

I know what you’re thinking: “But I have a ‘Private’ or ‘Incognito’ option in my browser, doesn’t that help?” Not really. All that does it keep other people who also use your computer from finding out where you’ve been. But, if someone really wanted to, they could retrieve that information with the right software. Sorry folks, you’re not really private at all.

The site TorProject.Org has a lot of information about surfing in privacy. Simply put, TOR uses a group of servers or other interconnected computers to randomly relay your internet requests and traffic so it appears your requests are coming from another location.

The website says this network of computers “helps you defend against traffic analysis, a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and ARTISTS COOPERATIVE privacy, confidential Sculpture | Painting | Pottery business activities and relationships, and state Jewelry and much more! security.”

After deploying the

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Tor browser, the data that’s revealed about your computer and location is (almost) completely obfuscated. Again, the TorProject.Org has much more information as to how it works.

How can you get it? It’s simply a matter of downloading and installing the Tor Browser from them. It’s a modified Firefox Browser that has the Tor anonymity browser (or The Onion Router) features built in. What can you expect from this browser? Well it looks very much like Firefox, but it lacks a few features that we are all accustomed too. For example, it doesn’t use Flash or Java for added security. The problem with that is many websites, even banks, use those programs to deliver content and even security through them.

Without them you may not be able to see or use some websites. The other drawback is speed.

Many of my speed tests have revealed that you get somewhere between 5 and 10 percent of both your download and upload speed. So, if you have a very fast connection like I do, you still only get about 2-3 MBPS down and less than 1 MBPS up.

And … that’s slow! Almost as slow as the ol’ dial-up, yuk! Having said that, it’s usable and it definitely keeps your information yours, mostly.

The

only way to completely hide your activities from ever touching any computer is what’s called a Live Boot Environment or Live CD or USB. It’ll be discussed in a later article.

Until then, you didn’t hear about any of this from me. ***** Paolo Chlebecek is founder and owner of PaoloTek, which he started in 2003. He loves dogs of all sorts and oddly finds himself driving around town between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. every weekday. Wave hi when you see him or contact him at Paolo@PaoloTek.Com.

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18 • COLUMN • SEPTEMBER 2015 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

By Helen Stephenson

Short

films. Fantastic bits of celluloid (or, more common today, bits and bytes).

This art form continues to grow and gain popularity. Why do filmmakers make short films? For many filmmakers, a short film is a calling card to prove their storytelling skills. Can they direct? Light? Tell a story? The proof is in the film.

How can audiences support these filmmakers? There are several ways.

First, if you see a short film you like, and it becomes available on iTunes or some other platform, spend a couple of dollars and purchase it. Nothing shows support for the arts like cash!

Short filmmakers also want live input from audiences, and what better way to do that than at a film fest?

This month, the Prescott Film Festival will once again be supporting and showcasing the art of independent short films when they present the annual Manhattan Short Film Festival, 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25 at the Yavapai College Performing Arts Center.

These

short films follow a long tradition in filmmaking. The very first films ever were short films. Who made the first film? Film scholars credit Frenchman Louis Le Prince with

that honor. (Though Thomas Edison tried his best to take the credit.) The first film, “Roundhay Garden Scene,” was shot in 1888. This was simply a scene of Le Prince’s family walking around the garden. The patent for Le Prince’s camera was granted in New York, in 1886. This was four full years before Edison and his assistant, Dickson, made their film.

The first public film screening was held in Paris on Dec. 28, 1895.

It came from the Lumieres brothers — “Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory” — and it is 46 seconds long.

Their movie camera was based on the movement of a sewing machine because the grab advance mechanism advanced, paused, then exposed. If you opened the back of the camera, it became a projector.

Meanwhile, over in France, Georges Mêlées was making narrative shorts and documentaries in 1896. Many of his films don’t exist anymore, so scholars are unable to classify them. However, in 1902 Mêlées made a film that is still quite famous. If his name isn’t a familiar name to you, the images of his films almost certainly are; at least one particularly iconic image.

Mêlées was called “the creator of the art of cinema.” Despite the accolades his films received, he hit a rough patch in 1917 when the French

What

4 Prescott’s 4th Friday

ART WALKS

4FRIDAY ’S

Findings on first films

COT T

A shorts history

army turned one of his studios into a hospital. During the war, the French army confiscated 400 prints of Mêlées films to melt them down for their celluloid and silver content. Amongst the things made from his films?

Heels for army boots.

When a rival studio bought his studio, Mêlées was outraged and burned all the negatives of his “A Trip to the Moon,” a classic film by films he’d stored at the Georges Mêlées. Public domain.

Montreuil studios and his sets and costumes. As a across the globe, bringing great films result of this and the French Army to great venues and allowing the burning his films, only around 200 audiences to select their favorites.” of Mêlées films exist today. He made Join us in Prescott as we present 538. A wonderful (fictionalized but the best of the best of short films based on fact) story about Mêlées is at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25 at the the 2011 film “Hugo.”

Yavapai College Performing Arts should you expect Center. For more information visit when you partake of PrescottFilmFestival.Com or find us the long tradition of short film screen- on Facebook. Tickets are $6-$12. ings at the Manhattan Short screening this month? Simply put, some of the ***** best short films from across the world. Helen Stephenson is the founder and The producers of the shorts festiexecutive director of the Prescott Film val call it “an instantaneous celebraFestival and the director of the Setion that occurs simultaneously dona Film School at Yavapai College.

PRE S

Prescott Film Festival’s SCRIPT NOTES

EVERY

TH

2015 January 23 February 27 March 27 April 24 Beginning at 5 PM May 22 June 26 July 24 August 28 September 25 October 23 November 27

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5ENSESMAG.COM • SEPTEMBER 2015 • FEATURE • 19

By Jacy Lee

plate, mildly decorated, but marked Frisco, bring two thousand dollars. More common plates or forks might be valued from five to fifty dollars.

Another luxurious marvel provided by some railroads was their hotels. S.F.R.R. (Santa Fe, now A.T.S.F.) had a chain of hotels spread across America for the travelers after a long day on the rails.

Their Harvey Girls were so renowned for hospitality that they inspired a movie. Winslow, Arizona, was home to the famous La Posada Hotel, a gem of the S.F. line. This became a haunt to many famous stars on their way to L. A.

In his song “The City of New Orleans,” Arlo Guthrie bemoans, “This train has the disappearing railroad blues.” And he was right.

Although freight trains are still quite prevalent, noncommuter passenger travel on the rails is a trickle of what it once was. On a recent drive across America, I saw numerous freight trains, some with hundreds of cars, but only one passenger train, with a half dozen or so cars. It’s true, the golden age of rail travel is dead, but the age of railroad collectibles is very much alive.

There is a multitude of railroadrelated items in the antiques and collectibles world. Almost anything that would be in a house was also in a train. There were also many items that were on the outside of trains.

Probably

the most common outdoor railroad collectible is the lantern. Kerosene lanterns were used by brakemen, mechanics, detectives, and, most notably, inspectors. The typical lantern is about 10 inches tall, with a metal bail above that.

The metal base and cap sandwich a glass globe, usually clear or red. To differentiate railroad lanterns from common barn lanterns of the same make, railroad lanterns are embossed with the company initials. A lantern manufacturer such as Adlake would have made both barn and rail lanterns, but the rail lanterns would be initialed, in the metal. The really good lanterns would also be marked on the glass globe itself.

Lanterns are nice and easy to handle and display. Other exterior railroad collectibles are not quite as amiable. The “Railroad Crossing’ signs of 100 or so years ago were solid cast iron. Most collectors today can’t even safely mount them on their walls.

Other

All aboard

Train your collectibles on the road less traveled The porcelain coated signs that hung on cars or station walls are a little easier to display.

Another tough piece to handle is the track switches. Switching was done by iron, pump-like handles, which were bolted near the track junctions. These were 6 or 7 feet high and made to withstand a … er … a train. These are best moved with the help of a hand truck.

20 • COLUMN • SEPTEMBER 2015 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

The

interiors of passenger cars were the lap of luxury. Many people marveled at the amenities provided, which often eclipsed their own homes. Dining cars provided porcelain dinnerware and silver flatware to match.

Again, almost all of these items were stamped or marked, denoting the rail company. At a house auction in Springfield, Missouri, I saw a cake

notable collectibles were inside the sleeper and daytime cars. Luggage racks, attached to the top of walls, are popular and functional today. They were brass or iron, ribbed on the bottom, with fancy sides. Think of the overhead luggage compartment in airplanes, only open, airy, and fancy. Another nice amenity provided for travelers was blankets.

The Pullman blanket, from Pullman sleeper cars, is a comfy collectible from that era. Don’t forget, we were human, so spittoons, ashtrays, corner sinks, and even toilet bowls had their function back then, not to mention their market today.

The list of R.R. collectibles goes on. Some lines had mascots, like Chessie, from C. & O. (Chesapeake and Ohio). Chessie was a proud papa cat whose likeness appeared on Christmas posters, ashtrays, decks of cards, and more.

Uniforms, caps, locks, tools, maps, bills, timetables, photos, engine specs, headlights, and more round out railroad mania. When it comes to collecting railroad items, we should be all aboard.

***** Longtime Prescott resident Jacy Lee has been in the auction business for 37 years and is directly responsible for a fraction of a million pounds of minimally processed Railroad memorabilia. recycling each year.

Photos by 5enses.

Live Music in the Granite Dells October 10th & 11th at Watson Lake Park

Saturday, Oct. 10 • 10:30 a.m.-noon: The Cool Water Band • 12:30-2 p.m.: Mogollon • 2:30-4 p.m.: Road 1 South Sunday, Oct. 11 • 10:30 a.m.-noon: Small Change • 12:30-2 p.m.: Shri Blues Band • 2:30-4 p.m.: Filabusta

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Mogollon

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The Cool Water Band

Small Change

Bring your lawn chair, blanket, and ice chest. Great food vendors will be on hand.

Go to www.prescott-az.gov for all details on the event, or call 928-777-1122. We hope you can join us.

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Not-asholy days The

fourth holiday quarter is just around the corner. That’s no reason to gloss over festivities this month, though. Consider celebrating ...

Sept. 1: Emma M. Nutt Day • Don’t phone it in.

Sept. 6: Read a Book Day • Do “Idiot’s Guide to ...” titles count?

Sept. 13: Defy Superstition Day • Except that walking under ladders isn’t particularly safe.

Sept. 16: Collect Rocks Day • A gem of a find.

like a bizarre space invader, this giant Isopod lives in the Pacific Ocean at great depths. These armor-plated scavengers can grow to over two feet in length and can walk on the ocean floor as well as swim with paddles located under their bottoms They have been found eating whale carcasses on the ocean bed and gathering up animal scraps like crabs. When disturbed they will roll up into a tight, hard ball just like a wood louse or pill bug.

ODDLY ENOUGH … When samples of these animals were brought to the surface and frozen for later examination, scientists were shocked to see that they revived completely once they were thawed out. *****

Sept. 16: Play Doh Day • It’s salty, too.

Sept. 22: Elephant Appreciation Day • Soundtrack courtesy of Primus.

Sept. 23: Checkers Day • The game, the patter, that Chubby guy — gotta love ’em all.

Sept. 23: Dogs in Politics Day • Aren’t they all?

Sept. 25: Comic Book Day • Your favorite panel.

Sept. 28: Ask a Stupid Question Day? • Does this one count?

Looking

The

Flower Urchin, like most sea urchins, is covered with short spines that are non-venous. Between these spines are delicate little structures that resemble flowers, hence the name, Flower Urchin.

ODDLY ENOUGH ... Each one of these petite little “flowers” has three fanged pincers that slam shut when provoked, injecting venom instantly! ***** Russell Miller is an illustrator, cartoonist, writer, bagpiper, motorcycle enthusiast, and reference librarian. Currently, he illustrates books for Cody Lundin and Bart King.

Bellydance Classes with of New Moon Tribal Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced classes held at Lotus Bloom Yoga Studio

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22 • FEATURES • SEPTEMBER 2015 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

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