2013-11 5enses

Celebrating art and science in Greater Prescott November 2013

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Ty Fitzmorris rocks local geology Dale O'Dell crashes Photoshop World 2013

Volume 1, Issue 11

SPEAKING OF TURKEYS Alan Dean Foster outwings Washington wobblers Jimmy Polinori stuffs the bird

And much 2 more!

NATURAL HISTORIES The art & science of science & art

Million Dollar Quartet November 24, 2013

November 9, 2013

2 013 -2 014 SE A SON Lyle Lovett & John Hiatt November 6, 2013

B. B. King December 1, 2013

Tito Puente Jr. and The Pacific Mambo Orchestra November 4, 2013

5enses

November 2013 • Volume 1, Issue 11 Copyright © 2013 5enses Inc. unless otherwise noted.

Publisher & Editor: Nicholas DeMarino Creative Director: Jimmy Polinori Copy Editor: Susan Smart Read a new 5enses the first Friday of every month.

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

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

PLUS

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In which: discusses storytelling and heritage with sculptor Jesse Homoki.

Eric Moore

16 16 17 18 24 25 26

refuses to throw out the wild birds with the frozen bath water.

Ruby Jackson

Matt Dean

Robert Blood

Ty Fitzmorris

Helen Stephenson

Dale O’Dell

Mike Vax

Paolo Chlebecek

gets arty, flashy, and bluesy, then gets into the holiday spirit with a bazzar and the bizarre.

finds out why Gene Twareonite sics monstrous glaciers on unsuspecting children.

weighs the merits of a walk in the park against a trip to a famous battlefield.

sounds off about how music ed helps Every Good Boy Do Fine and save FACE in the real world.

proves he wasn’t brought up in the woods to be scared by owls.

phones home from Las Vegas with colorful snapshots from Photoshop World 2013.

unplugs his power cord and goes laptopless after swallowing a fiery tablet.

Gene Twaronite

Alan Dean Foster

Jacques Laliberté

James Dungeon

COVER: “Californian Vulture” (California Condor), by John James Audubon. Courtesy image.

espouses computer programming as a plausible-plus panacea for Washington woes and whoas.

discusses natural history and art with Josephine Michell Arader, Tom Fleischner, and Jen Chandler.

Moveable feasts & excess excesses

The science of indulgence

preaches good words about the hardest working plane in the aviation business.

Jimmy Polinori

proves that a hand stuffed in in a bird is worth two bushels of cooking proverbs.

Find out what’s going on in Greater Prescott

saves toads from certain death at the hands of their worst enemy — himself, naturally.

makes this planet even more fantastic for you and/or a suitable friend.

THIS PAGE: “Wake Robin,” by Elizabeth Blackwell. Courtesy image.

4 5 6 7 10 11 12 13

Sadira DeMarino

Left brain/Right brain

�ENSESMAG.COM • NOVEMBER ���� • CONTENTS • �

Cast of characters

By Sadira DeMarino

On

a crisp fall day with leaves falling all around, I walk up to a Prescott house, through the front door and am greeted by a rather large mountain lion.

Luckily, this particular mountain lion is a sculpture by Jesse Homoki, so I don’t need to remember any of my “What To Do When Confronted

By A Mountain Lion” training. That’s a particular skill set you might need while hiking in Prescott, especially on the Brownlow Trail, which happens to be the home of another one of Homoki’s mountain lions. You may also remember a mountain lion sculpture that lives at the Prescott Public Library; it’s another part of Homoki’s sculpture family.

Art & the artist Bronze and wax figures dot Homoki’s home and backyard studio.

Each bronze sculpture starts life as a wax carving cast into what becomes a mold. These wax renderings are intricate and precise. I can only imagine how much time and meticulous attention to detail it takes to create them.

Sculptures aren’t the only things I’m here to talk about. As you may’ve guessed by his last name, Homoki’s Hopi. He grew up in the Window Rock area on the Reservation, and he credits that upbringing with some of his artistic inspiration. Homoki attended Northern Arizona University as a mechanical engineering student and had never taken an art class. He

Outside the Frame Jesse Homoki works on a new sculpture. Photo by 5enses. took one, though, and was hooked.

Homoki’s been making bronze sculptures for 30 years. But there’s a twist.

Homoki picked up a wax cat he’d carved and the final bronze it bore.

There, smartly woven into its chest fur, are a rabbit, a butterfly, and a dove.

All of Homoki’s pieces have hidden elements. He believes they give each piece an extra meaning and another story to tell. Homoki laughs and says it’s not necessarily a “Where’s Waldo?” hidden object game or anything like that. He’s interested in art that’s See more of not a textbook Jesse Homoki‛s representation sculptures at of animals or 5ensesMag.Com people.

Homoki crosses his studio, turns around a cowgirl sculpture, “Penny Postcards,” and traces a word that’s barely visible in the strands of her hair as he recites a poem that goes along with the piece.

Knowing how much there is to his pieces, I’m eager to spend more time with that mountain lion at the library.

Stories & figures As we walk around Homoki’s studio, I can’t help but notice huge monoliths of sandstone and rocks rising from the ground.

“Being an artist,” Homoki says, “I’m always doing something, always tweaking things and trying new things.”

These are the next incarnation of his art. He calls them “more primitive,” but I see intricate details in them similiar to his sculptures.

When Homoki chooses each stone piece, he looks for its story. (“Why is it there? What does it mean?”) Then he coaxes that story from the stone by welding metal pieces to it and sandblasting images into it using stencils he creates from inner tubes and metal. His sand, by the way, is a byproduct of crushed slag from steel.

In these new pieces, Homoki hopes to bring the magic of the Hopi people into patron’s homes.

“Art says something about the society it came from,” he says. “I’m adding a part of who I am. … And when we create art, we start talking about who we are.”

As I wander through Homoki’s pieces, I look at the stone figures again. Each one looks like an ancient petroglyph that’s come to life, jumped down from a wall and, indeed, is eager to tell you its history, life, and stories.

If you want to see Homoki’s new works, you’ll have to visit his studio.

Lucky for you, there’s an open house: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 16 and 17 at 1625 Vyne St. ***** Sadira DeMarino lives in Prescott, where she’s owned and operated the resale clothing store Snap Snap for 18 years. For the past two years she’s been in business with her mother at 133 N. Cortez St. Contact her at SadiraDas@Yahoo.Com.

St. Jude’s

It’s Possible Bakery Wednesday is Bread for Life Day

• Focaccia • Biscotti • Honey wheat • White • & much more

410 W. Gurley 928-778-2725

Your bakery purchases help women & children in crisis !

� • FEATURE • NOVEMBER ���� • �ENSESMAG.COM

A wax lynx carved by Jesse Homoki. Photo by 5enses.

Around ...

... the Corner

November nourishment

By Ruby Jackson Love art but don’t always have the means to procure it? Boy, do I have a solution for you! If a local weekly scavenger hunt where the reward is a piece of art to keep for your very own (gratis) sounds too good to be true, look no further than Found Art Fridays hosted by Ollie’s Project Free ART on Facebook (search armyoart). Every Friday, a hint is posted on their Facebook page as to the location of a piece or pieces of to be found art, and all you have to do is … find it. The Project started back in September, and the treasures already found range from hand-knit, rainbow legwarmers to canvas paintings to jewelry, all created and donated by local artists.

Artists are encouraged to share their love of art by participating — there are absolutely no rules to govern the medium of what you contribute. The possibilities are endless, and the results (abundant smiles of joy) are a sparkling reminder of why most of us create in the first place. Ollie’s community enterprise is chock full of heart and inspires warm, fuzzy feelings upside downside.

While we’re talking art, Textiles & Textures Artisans Studio has fostered a creative exhibit titled “Prescott on Camera” featuring 17 artists who, for 48 hours, photographed 17 pieces of our local topography. (The original billing was 48-48-48, but they came up short.)

Expect to find favorite places and haunts as well as a few surprises portrayed in various photo-based techniques. Artists have been given carte blanche with their imagination and medium in this show in another throw-out-the-rules opportunity for artists and viewers alike. The opening gala reception is 7-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8.

On Sunday, Dec. 1 the one-andonly B.B. King will be performing at the Yavapai College Perform-

ing Arts Center accompanied by special guest, Lucille. This 88-yearold living legend is one of the hardest working musicians I know of and appeared at 250-300 shows annually until he hit his 70s. His current schedule is not nearly as brisk, so this is a rare opportunity to catch the phenomenal bluesman in person.

King’s stage presence is bold and intense even though his guitar playing appears practically effortless. He comes from the hallowed corridors of both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame, a rare combo reserved for the greats. This is an opportunity not to be missed.

Holiday happenings begin in November; Arizona’s Christmas City certainly isn’t slacking this time of year. The weekend of Nov. 23 brings the grand opening of the World’s Largest Gingerbread Village, an annual event over at Prescott Resort and Conference Center. This mouthwatering collection never fails to delight with its ever changing and full of sugar plum dreams. It’s already got me thinking of “A Marshmallow World” and a “whipped cream day — I wait for it all year ’round.” It’s sure to get you in the winter spirit. Mountain Artists Guild & Gallery is throwing its first Christmas Gift Bazaar this weekend, as well. It’s the place to be to get a jump on your shopping in a local way. Handcrafted original works of art by 20 participating artists grace the gallery for this special event. Prescott Valley’s Valley of Lights begins on Nov. 28. It’s open 6-10 p.m. every night through Dec. 30. The twinkling light displays, as viewed from the comfort of your warm car as you drive through the Fain Park area, is a great way to kickstart the season. Finally, my favorite annual festive event, the Holiday Light Parade, now in its 18th year, takes place 6-7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30. There’s something about hud-

Blues legend B.B. King performs Sunday, Dec. 1 at the Yavapai College Performing Arts Center. Courtesy photo. dling in the cold along with your fellow citizens, hot chocolate in hand, watching other locals on elaborately decorated, lit-up floats that brings on that Frank Capra-esque feeling. It’s truly a wonderful life.

***** A native of the Windy City, Ruby Jackson is a freelance writer and collector of Norfin Trolls. In her spare time she is an aspiring actress (drama queen) and millionairess (donations gladly accepted). Contact her at RubyBJackson@Gmail.Com.

We’re open Black Friday &

Small Business Saturday Granite Mountain Outtitters

320 W. Gurley | Prescott 928-776-4949

5ENSESMAG.COM • NOVEMBER 2013 • COLUMN • 5

Chasing dragons, snickers

By Robert Blood [Editor’s note: What follows are excerpts from a conversation between the reporter and Gene Twaronite about “Dragon Daily News: Stories of Imagination for Children of All Ages.”

This collection of children’s stories includes works previously published in print publications and websites from the late 1980s to present.]

BLOOD: So, what’s your elevator pitch for “Dragon Daily News”?

TWARONITE: Basically, the main idea is to have fun with your head.

Some of the stories have a moral of sorts, but the point isn’t to teach lessons — it’s to have fun. A lot of the stories start with the premise: those two magic words, “what if?” That’s the way I start a lot of my stories, by turning the world on its head.

BLOOD: Is that how you’ve always gone about writing?

a cop, who says there haven’t been glaciers here for 20,000 years.

Little facts come in casually. Most readers know glaciers don’t come from refrigerators, but that begs the questions where they do come from. That’s provoking intellectual curiosity. ... I weave in facts, but I have fun with those facts. In some sense, I guess I’m making up my own facts. But that’s not it — it’s the arrangement on the page, how it all fits together. I’m counting on my readers to know when I’m kidding. I write for an intelligent audience, whether child or adult, that can tell the Read an extended difference. You have fun interview with with the truth but only Gene Twaronite so far.

TWARONITE: It started with my first commercially published stories in Highlights for Children. Those stories appear in this collection.

“The Glacier That Almost Ate Main Street” was me turning science on its head. I was thinking about how to get across the idea of where a glacier comes from and combined that with something fun … and I ended up with a story about a glacier that begins in a refrigerator. That kind of set the tone for all of the other stories in this collection. Humor is present in all of my stories; I can’t write anything that’s completely serious.

BLOOD: I’m curious about how you deal with scientific facts like, say, with a glacier.

at 5ensesMag.Com

TWARONITE: When I make the premise so wacky, you know I’m joking. But I manage to weave glaciers into the dialogue when the main character talks to

BLOOD: Why did you start writing for children?

TWARONITE: I think, at the time, I was teaching and running an environmental center. It’s just what appealed to me. I’ve always been a big kid at heart, always the class clown type of jokester, so it’s a natural fit for me. And there’s a silly side to children’s stories, part of us that we never lose. It also happened that my first commercially successful stories were children’s stories so, with that success, I thought, “Alright, I’m going to keep writing them.”

I’ve written adult short stories and essays since then, but I’ve never lost that love of children’s stories.

BLOOD: Has the feedback for the book been any different than what you’ve gotten about your writing before?

TWARONITE: Yes. I was reading at a story time at Peregrine Books recently and, while I was reading “How to Stuff a Rhino,” one of the students there drew a picture of a

Gene Twaronite, naturally.Courtesy photo. rhino as it’s shown in the story. That was about as powerful of feedback as I’ve ever gotten. Children asked scintillating questions, too, but that beautiful little drawing, that was the highest compliment I’ve ever been paid. ***** You can buy “Dragon Daily News” in Prescott at Peregrine Book Company and Hastings or online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Contact the author or order the book at TheTwaroniteZone.Com. Gene Twaronite is also available for free programs that use his stories to teach Arizona Common Core Writing standards at state libraries and schools. A free teacher’s guide PDF for “Dragon Daily News” is available to anyone who purchases the book.

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.

aA

“Dragon Daily News” illlustration by Johanna Hoffman.

� • FEATURE • NOVEMBER ���� • �ENSESMAG.COM

Prescott Film Festival’s Script Notes

Looking forward On

Friday, Dec. 6, the Prescott Film Festival has a special showing at Peregrine Book Company. Two short films, “A Person Known to Me” and “Gandhi at the Bat,” screen at 6 p.m.

Los Angeles filmmakers Alec Boehm and Stephanie Argy, who wrote, produced, and directed the films, will be there alongside two actors from “A Person Known to Me” — Peter Wiant and his daughter Kaya Wiant.

Boehmand and Argy, best known for their multi-award-winning film “The Red Machine” (which was the opening night film at the first annual Prescott Film Festival in 2010), are shooting a series of short films that take place between 1895 and 1905 about a detective who travels the country solving crimes. They’re shooting their next short in Yavapai County (hooray!) and will be casting soon. The series includes short films and graphic novels and concludes with a full-length feature film.

The Peregrine Book Company screening is free and open to the public, but come early as there’s limited seating. Visit PrescottFilmFestival.Com for more info.

Who wins this knife fight? Watch “A Person Known to Me” on Friday, Dec. 6 and find out. Courtesy photo.

Film screenings at the Yavapai College Performing Arts Center are: “Gettysburg” on Tuesday, Nov. 12; “Glory” on Wednesday, Nov. 13; and Stephen Spielberg’s “Lincoln” on Friday, Nov. 15.

There’s no charge for the films or the lectures.

Find out more at YCPAC.Com/Gettysburg ***** Helen Stephenson is executive director of the Prescott Film Festival and collects old hats and Mary Poppins memorabilia. When she’s not watching films or marketing the fest, you can usually catch her at the computer in her Prescott Film Festival office on the Yavapai College campus.

Contact her at Helen@PrescottFilmFestival.Com.

4 Prescott’s 4th Friday

4FRIDAY

ART WALKS

’S

film lovers face tough decisions.

To wit, two completely different films screen in Prescott on Wednesday, Nov. 13.

First, the award-winning documentary “People’s Park” screens at 7 p.m. at Prescott College. Director Libbie D. Cohn will be at there for a Q-and-A. Cohn paired with J.P. Sniadecki to create this 78-minute single-shot film made in a public park in Chengdu, China. The film is co-sponsored by the Ecosa Institute, Prescott College, and the Prescott Film Festival. There’s no admission fee,

ancient China, we travel to the Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, where the college presents a Civil War symposium in honor of the sesquicentennial of the “Gettysburg Address.” The six-day event takes place at Yavapai College’s Prescott and Verde campuses.

The college offers live music from the Civil War era by Bobby Horton, lectures by Yavapai College faculty ranging from “Infectious Disease During the American Civil War,” by biology professor Paul Evans,” to “Native Americans and the Civil War: Roles and Consequences,” by history professor Deborah Roberts, plus three films.

The Gettysburg Symposium is a faculty endeavor organized on behalf of the Yavapai College Liberal Studies Department. Films are introduced

by Deborah Roberts, who, along with others in the history department, oversaw the film selections and checked each for historical accuracy.

COT T

Sometimes,

From

PRE S

By Helen Stephenson

but donations are requested.

In a quote from an article in the New York Times, Cohen said that the film was influenced

by Chinese scroll paintings, particularly the Song Dynasty-era panorama “Along the River During the Qingming Festival.”

“Glory.”

“人民公园.”

Choice films, choices

EVERY

TH

2013 January 26 February 22 March 22 April 26 Beginning at 5 PM May 24 June 28 July 26 August 23 September 27 October 25 November 22 December 27

See Special Events

www.ArtThe4th.com

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Left Brain: November’s mind-full events Events

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“CLAIMING THE COMMONS” • 6:30 p.m. Tuesday: Urban placemaker Mark Lakeman discusses community design and grassroots activism. Via the Ecosa Institute and the Prescott College Sustainability Department. (Prescott College Crossroads Center, 215 Garden St., 877-3502100, $5)

2

“Starry Nights” • 6:30 p.m. Saturday: See the Dumbbell Nebula, Ring Nebula, Andromeda Galaxy, and double stars. Via the Prescott Astronomy Club. (Vista Park, 1684 Sarafina Drive)

5

“Near Earth Objects” • 12:15 p.m. Thursday: Dr. Terry Oswalt, of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona, presentation.

(ERAU Academic Complex, 3700 Willow Creek Road, 928-777-6723)

“Jerusalem Jones & the Mystery of the Dead Sea Scrolls” • 7:30 p.m. Saturday: Dr. Ken Hanson discusses ancient texts and history. (Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2000, $12-$18)

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Prescott Astronomy Club • 6 p.m. Wednesday: Monthly meeting. (Prescott Public Library, Founders Suite, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-777-1500)

“Towards Collective Liberation” • 6:30 p.m. Thursday: Community organizer Chris Crass talk. (Prescott College Crossroads Center, 215 Garden St., 877-350-2100) “Arizona Water Law 101” • 10 a.m. Saturday: Environmental lawyer Jocelyn Gibbon presentation at the Citizen’s Water Advocacy Group’s monthly meeting. (Granite Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation Building, 882 Sunset Ave., 928-445-4218) “Preparing for Winter” • 10 a.m. Saturday: Presentation about pioneers’ winter preparations.

(Sharlot Hall Museum, 415 W. Gurley St., 928-445-2133, $6-$7) “Alzheimer’s Shadow” • 2 p.m. Saturday: Dr. Mitchell Gelber discusses how Alzheimer’s disease affects families. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000)

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“Neutron Stars & Gravitational Waves” • 12:15 p.m. Tuesday: Dr. Jocelyn Read, of California State University,

LEFT: Mark Lakeman.

Courtesy photo.

Fullerton, talk. (ERAU Academic Complex, 3700 Willow Creek Road, 928-777-6723) “The Havasu Canyon Falls” • 6:30 p.m. Tuesday: Arizona Geological Survey Director Lee Allison presentation at the Central Arizona Geology Club’s monthly meeting.

(Prescott Public Library, Founders Suite, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-777-1500)

13

“Infectious Disease During the American Civil War” •3:30 p.m. Wednesday: Dr. Paul Evans talk. Part of Yavapai College’s Gettysburg Symposium. (Yavapai College, No. 19, 1100 E. Sheldon Street, 928-776-2000)

“Flying the U-2” • 7 p.m. Wednesday: Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Art Saboski talks about flying the U-2 spy plane program.

(ERAU Davis Learning Center, 3700 Willow Creek Road, 928-777-6985)

14

“Native Americans & the Civil War” • 3:30 p.m. Thursday: Debbie Roberts talk. Part of Yavapai College’s Gettysburg Symposium. (Yavapai College, No. 19, 1100 E. Sheldon Street, 928-776-2000)

15

“Why Should We Give a Damn?”

• 3:30 p.m. Thursday: Keith Haynes discusses representations of the Civil War in fiction. Part of Yavapai College’s Gettysburg Symposium.

(Yavapai College, No. 19, 1100 E. Sheldon Street, 928-776-2000)

� • EVENTS • NOVEMBER ���� • �ENSESMAG.COM

16

Ancient Juniper hike • 9 a.m. Saturday: Hike to the largest Alligator Juniper trees recorded in Arizona led by Mark Plourde. (Prescott College Natural History Institute, 312 Grove Ave., 928-350-2280, $5, RSVP) “Military Ritual” • 10 a.m. Saturday: Presentation about guard mount and military routines. (Fort Whipple Museum, No. 11, 500 N. Arizona 89, 928-445-3122) “Arizona’s Civilian Conservation Corps & Our National Parks” • 1 p.m. Saturday: Robin Pinto, University of Arizona landscape historian, talks about the Civilian Conservation Corps’ Depression-era contributions.

(Phippen Museum, 4701 Arizona 89, 928-778-1385, $5-$7) Alan Dean Foster • 2 p.m. Saturday: Science fiction author Alan Dean Foster talk and book signing. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000) Brad Dimock • 5 p.m. Saturday: Grand Canyon River guide Brad Dimock presentation and book signing. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000)

17

“An Arizona Auto Adventure” • 1 p.m. Sunday: Author Nancy Burgess presentation and book signing.

(Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000) “And We Danced” • 3 p.m. Sunday: Arizona research

historian Mona Lange McCroskey discusses her new book of oral histories. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000)

17

“100 Years of Ranching II” • 7:30 p.m. Thursday: Gail Steiger discusses how the cow business, community, and country have changed. (Phippen Museum, 4701 Arizona 89, 928-778-1385, $5-$7)

21

“Past, Present, & Future of Mars Exploration” • 6:30 p.m. Thursday: Astrogeology Science Center Director Dr. Laszlo Kestay talks about Arizona’s role in Red Planet exploration. Via the Prescott Astronomy Club. (Prescott Public Library, Founders Suite, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-777-1500)

“Little Bugs, Big Tundra” •7 p.m. Thursday: Natural History Network President and Lyman Entomological Museum Director Terry Wheeler discusses arctic insects in a warming world. (Prescott College Natural History Institute, 312 Grove Ave., 928-350-2280)

Multi-day “The Art of Natural History” • Nov. 8-10.: Prescott College Natural History Institute grand opening celebration and symposium with open house, campus art tours, talks, and nature walks. (Prescott College Natural History Institute, 312 Grove Ave., 928-350-2280) Prescott Area Board Gamers • 5 p.m. Nov. 13 & 27: Play board games. (Prescott Public Library Bump and Elsea conference rooms and Founders Suite, 928-777-1500) Bird walks • 8 a.m. Nov. 2, 9, 23, & 27: Bird walks at Willow Lake, Chino Valley, Bradshaws, and Goldwater Lake.

(Jay’s Bird Barn, No. 105, 1046 Willow Creek Road, 928-443-5900, RSVP) Naturalist field walks • 10 a.m. Wednesday & Saturdays: Learn about local birds, geology, plants, and more. (HighlandsCenter.

Org., 928-776-9550)

November’s art-full events :niarB thgiR Events

2 6 7 20 22 23

“Images of Grandeur” • 1 p.m. Saturday: Jim Turner discusses Grand Canyon artists and photographers. (Phippen Museum, 4701 Arizona 89, 928-778-1385, $5-$7)

Poetry Discussion Group • 1 p.m. Wednesday: Dr. Janet Preston’s monthly discussion group.

(Prescott Public Library, Elsea Conference Room, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-777-1500) Poets Cooperative 6:30 p.m. Thursday: monthly poetry sharing meeting. (Prescott Public Library, Elsea Conference Room, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-777-1500) Open mic poetry • 5:30 p.m. Wednesday: Dan Seaman emcees monthly open mic poetry. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000)

4th Friday Artwalk • 5 p.m. Friday, monthly art walk including more than 18 galleries, artist receptions, openings, and demonstrations. (ArtThe4th.Com)

Contra dancing 7 p.m. lessons and 7:30 p.m. dance Saturday: Contra dancing, newcomers and singles welcome. With caller Peg Hesley and music by Iona. (First Congregational Church annex, 216 E. Gurley St., 928-925-5210, $4-8)

Multi-day Textiles & Textures artist jams • Noon Nov. 2 & 16: Open house and creative space for artists. (Textiles & Textures Artisans Studio, 217 N. Cortez St., 928-227-2659) Prescott International Folk Dancers • 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays: Easy and intermediate circle and line dances.

No experience or partner necessary.

(Unitarian-Universalist Building, 882 Sunset Ave., 928-445-7804, $2)

“Prescott on Camera” • From Nov. 8: 48-hour Prescott photo challenge show. (Textiles & Textures Artisans Studio, 217 N. Cortez St., 928-227-2659)

The Lori Higgins Fine Art Gallery. This new Prescott studio and gallery opened in October and features the painting and sculpture of Lori Higgins and the late actor and painter Anthony Quinn. Visit them at 110 S. Montezuma St. or online at LHGalleries.Com.

Yavapai College art students • From Nov. 8: Biannual art exhibit of art by Yavapai College art students. (Yavapai College Art Gallery, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2000) Brice Wood • Through Nov. 15: Abstract paintings and constructions by Brice Wood. (A Small Art Gallery, 115 E. Goodwin St., Suite D, 928-832-3220)

RIGHT: “Destiny’s Path.” Painting

by Lori Higgins. Courtesy image, manipulated.

Theater & film “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” • 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1, 2, 7-9 & 2 p.m.

Nov. 3 & 10: A comedy about how we memorialize the dead. By Sarah Ruhl, directed by Bruce Lanning.

(Stage Too, North Cortez Street alley between Willis and Sheldon streets, 928-445-3286, $12) “Mark Twain Tonight!”

• 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9: Hal Holbrook performs the one-man show he premiered in 1954. (Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2000, $25-$65) “Gettysburg” 7 p.m. Nov. 12: The 1993 film directed by Ronald F. Maxwell. Part of Yavapai College’s Gettysburg Symposium. (Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2000) “Glory” • 7 p.m. Nov. 13: The 1989 film directed by Edward Zwick. Part of Yavapai College’s Gettysburg Symposium. (Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2000)

“People’s Park” • 7 p.m. Nov. 13: The 2012 single-shot documentary directed by Libbie Cohn.

Via the Ecosa Institute, Prescott College, and the Prescott Film Festival.

(Prescott College Crossroads Center, 215 Garden St., 877-350-2100) “Lincoln” • 7 p.m. Nov. 15: The 2012 film directed by Steven Spielberg, in part adapted from the biography “Team of Rivals.” Part of Yavapai College’s Gettysburg Symposium. (Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2000) “The Lion in Winter” • 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14-16 & 21-23, 2 p.m. Nov. 17 & 23: A royal succession intrigue story set in 12th century England. By James Goldman, directed by Cathy Miller Hahn. (Prescott Center for the Arts, 208 N. Marina St., 928-445-3286, $11-$19)

Art “National Parks of the West” • From Nov. 2: Art featuring majestic landscapes and animals in National Parks. (Phippen Museum, 4701 Arizona 89, 928-778-1385, $5-$7)

“Eco-Friendly Adornment” • From Nov. 16: New, deconstructed, and up-cycled wearable art by Mary Kaye O’Neill, Carol Hunter-Geboy, and Linda Scott. (‘Tis Art Center & Gallery, 105 S. Cortez St., 928-775-0223) “Found Objects Show” • Through Nov. 19: Annual found object art show. (‘Tis Art Center & Gallery, 105 S. Cortez St., 928-775-0223) “Fine Art Furniture” • Through Nov. 21: Fine art furniture by Benny Goodman. (Arts Prescott Gallery, 134 S. Montezuma St., 928-776-7717) “Heaven & Hell” • From Nov. 22: New paintings by Ian Russell and sculpture by Bryan Tubbs.

(Ian Russell Gallery of Fine Art, 130 S. Montezuma St., 928-445-7009) Abia Judd art students • Through Dec. 1: Art by Abia Judd Elementary School art students.

(Method Coffee, 3180 Willow Creek Road, 928-777-1067) Graves & Skjei • Through Dec. 1: New art by Slade Graves and found object sculpture

by Jody Skjei. (Slade Graves Studio, 234 S. Montezuma St.) “A Festival of Color” • Through Dec. 1: Colorful art from more than 40 artists. (Mountain Artists Guild & Gallery, 228 Alarcon St., 928-445-2510)

�

Mike’s Musical Musings

Thoughts on music education

By Mike Vax How many of you played in a middle school band or a high school orchestra? Or, did you sang in choir or a school a capella group?

The percentage of people who participated in music classes in middle school and high school is high. Did it give you a love of performing music?

I’ll bet so. Even if you don’t perform anymore, you certainly enjoy listening to music in one form or another.

What you may not realize is that the study of music is not just a means of learning to play an instrument or sing with others in a group.

Learning music teaches young people success.

Here

are some things that I’ve found to be true after 40-plus years of involvement with music education: • Music students often get better grades than students who haven’t studied music.

• Music students get better scores on college entrance exams.

• Music students seem to do better in their adult professions • Music students are creative thinkers.

Moreover, the study of music also gives students: • Knowledge that hard work often pays off in success.

• Time management skills.

• The ability to meet deadlines.

• Firsthand experiences that practice really does make perfect.

• Confidence in themselves and when dealing with other people.

• Understanding of the importance of teamwork and knowledge that everyone’s part contributes to the whole’s success.

• The importance of working with and for a person of authority.

• Math skills including functional fractions, complex counting, and practical arithmetic.

• Foreign language acquisition tools as evidenced by the reading and translation of sheet music.

And that’s just the basics. There’s plenty of scientific research to back this up, too.

Hopefully,

you can see why so many of us in the arts want to make sure that music and art education are never taken out of the schools. It’s a cold, hard fact that many of the most influential people in the world have studied music at one time or another. That also goes for successful people in sports and business. I’ve actually had famous athletes tell me how their high school band director was instrumental in teaching them how to be successful in life — and, by extension, on the field.

But many school districts around the country have cut back or even cut out their music programs.

There are far too many examples to cite. And that’s all the more reason to celebrate the successes right before our very eyes.

We in the Quad Cities should be proud of the work that our music teachers do to make their students and our area enriched by their presence. Very proud, indeed. ***** Mike Vax is a Prescott-based jazz musician and educator. As his column progresses, he’d love to hear your questions, comments, and ideas for future columns. Contact him via his website, MikeVax.Net.

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brain food

CUISINE

Bird watching ... or not

By Jimmy Polinori — The Culinary Composer

’Tis

that time of year again. The smell of turkey and pumpkin pies signifies the start of yet another holiday season. I have always favored Thanksgiving over any other holiday, mostly because it is a simple occasion with little fanfare. Just family and close friends gathered to share in good tidings and to be grateful and gracious. I’ll take that over frenzied shopping, unnecessary credit card bills, and materialistic expectations any time.

Continuing with my left-of-norm tendencies, turkey isn’t my favorite part of Thanksgiving. Not by a long shot. For me, the stuffing is the star of this beautiful holiday. It can make or break the meal, in my opinion, and if you were to have me to your home, I would sit in quiet judgment of how you did or did not execute the stuffing. I kid of course, but it’s my favorite part.

This month’s recipe, clearly, is for an Italian stuffing that I put on the table every year. Moist, savory, and robust, this stuffing aims to please and may steal the show from the bird.

Speaking of the bird, I’ll mention a few helpful tips for a perfect turkey: Avoid the common pitfall of basting every hour. Frequent opening of the oven door does more harm than basting does good. Make a home made herb butter the night before and chill it overnight. In the morning, wash the turkey and rub the skin generously with the herb butter using clean hands.

Separate the skin from the breast meat and other areas of the turkey and pack butter between the skin and the meat. Place the turkey in the roasting pan, pour 1 quart of chicken stock in the bottom of the pan, cover the whole turkey with foil and cook as directed per the weight of the bird. Only baste two or three times max. Remove the foil for the last hour to brown. If time permits, cook longer at a lower temp for a more moist and tender bird.

Instructions 1.) PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES 2.) FRY ITALIAN SAUSAGE, SET ASIDE (DON’T DRAIN) 3.) SAUTE GARLIC, ONION, CELERY AND OREGANO IN 1 STICK OF BUTTER. MELT THE OTHER STICK AND SET ASIDE 4.) IN A VERY LARGE MIXING BOWL, COMBINE BOTH TYPES OF BREAD CUBES. COVER WITH THE MELTED BUTTER, ADD PARMESAN, SEA SALT, PEPPER, GARLIC POWDER, AND TOSS WELL 5.) ADD IN SAUSAGE AND THE ONION/CELERY MIX, CHICKEN STOCK, AND NUTMEG AND TOSS 6.) STUFF THE TURKEY LOOSELY, DON’T PACK IT IN TOO TIGHT. THIS WILL HELP AVOID SALMONELLA POISONING THAT OCCURS WHEN THE BACTERIA TRANSFERRED FROM THE BIRD TO THE STUFFING IS NOT KILLED BECAUSE OF UNEVEN COOKING 7.) TRANSFER REMAINING STUFFING TO A LARGE PAN (I BUY 2 DISPOSABLE TURKEY ROASTER PANS: 1 FOR THE TURKEY, AND 1 FOR THE STUFFING) 8.) BAKE FOR 75 MINUTES

Get more recipes for the holiday season at:

Facebook.Com/TheCulinaryComposer

Ingredients 3 LBS GROUND MILD ITALIAN SAUSAGE 2 BOXES TRADITIONAL STUFFING CUBES 2 BOXES CORNBREAD STUFFING CUBES 32 OZ CHICKEN STOCK 16 TBSPS SALTED BUTTER (2 STICKS) 1 LARGE WHITE ONION, DICED 8 LARGE CELERY STALKS, SLICED 3 TBSPS MINCED GARLIC 2 TBSPS CHOPPED OREGANO 1 CUP GRATED PARMESAN 1/2 TBSP SEA SALT 1/2 TBSP WHITE OR BLACK PEPPER 1/2 TBSP GARLIC POWDER 2 TSPS GROUND NUTMEG

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Alan Dean Foster’s Perceivings

By Alan Dean Foster A running joke among those who have studied literature is to begin a story, usually faux, by quoting from the novel “Paul Clifford,” by the English author Edward BulwerLytton, by saying, “It was a dark and stormy night.”

Fans of science-fiction have a similar favorite trope, which they enjoy modifying to suit whatever literary or cinematic threat happens to be manifesting itself in the relevant tale. To wit: “I, for one, welcome our new alien overlords.” Or, “I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords.” And so on. A particular favorite, since the plot device is featured in so many stories, is, “I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords.”

Which brings me to Congress.

Not physically, thank your favorite deity, because if I happened to find myself there at the present time, I don’t think I could restrain myself.

Or my vocabulary. However, this column is supposed to be about science and/or art. Not politics.

So let’s talk science.

Many

ground actors in the novel is a device called the Colligatarch (from “colligate,” to connect or unite, and “autarch,” a ruler who has absolute power).

The Colligatarch has been provided with so much input (essentially every bit of information on Earth) and so much processing power that it can pretty much govern by suggestion. In other words, it doesn’t need to force anyone anywhere to do anything, but since its suggestions are customarily the correct ones, to go against them is invariably to fail.

Back to Congress (apologies in advance).

Obviously we’re not sufficiently mature as a species to hand over decision-making to a kind of semi-conscious world wide web. We still prefer rendering our own irrational decisions even when they lead to such appalling consequences as war, famine, the spread of diseases we could easily stamp out, and twerking. But imagine for a moment if such a device as the Colligatarch was available.

Forget for a moment your personal opinion of the Affordable Healthcare Act. Instead of trying to defund something that was legally passed into law, suppose all the elements of the AHA, pro and con, large and miniscule, could be entered into and processed by a machine that all sides agree beforehand is smarter and more even-handed in its decision making than any politician from your local dog catcher on up to the President himself.

Suppose both sides agreed, beforehand, to abide by whatever result, advice, or instructions such a machine could provide.

Imagine how much faster Congress would run (right now it has two speeds: dead slow and slower than dead). Imagine how much more efficiently the country would run. A machine belongs to no political party.

What

about the programmers, you ask?

It would be an easy enough matter to check, crosscheck, and re-crosscheck any programming to ensure that it’s non-partisan. The key, of course, is that any decision handed down by such a system would not be a directive, or an order. Only a recommendation. But, if time after

None

of it becomes law, of course, until humans vote on it. Once again: If the machine network proves to be right the great majority of the time, then such voting should proceed in much more orderly and expeditious manner, saving us the need to endure endless bloviation and meaningless platitudes from overheated Congressfolk. Such speech can be reserved for human pundits and particular media outlets, where they will do less harm.

Can such a system be any more dysfunctional than the one we have now? Given the option, I’d wager Ben Franklin would be the first to vote to put it to use.

Now if you’ll excuse me, my toaster is calling. ***** 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. Amanda Maas is a visual arts student at Prescott College with a focus in illustration. She’s also a minion at The Art Store, in Prescott. aA aA

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time the system’s recommendation turned out to be correct, before long it would be a foolish member of Congress indeed who opted to vote against it.

Airlines already use such a system (to their benefit, not ours) to set routes, determine flight times, and decide which aircraft to put on what flight path. Farmers in nearly every country collate information from NOAA and other sources to determine what to plant, how much to plant, when to plant it, and when and where to bring it to market.

If comparatively primitive linked computers can decide when we fly and what we eat, why not have a similar system make suggestions about which Federal program deserves to be funded, how much it should receive, and so forth? Exempt from the need to appeal to special interests or get reelected, an impartial computer network could be expected to deliver programs based purely on information.

Ill. by Amanda Maas.

years ago I wrote a novel called “The I Inside” (which has nothing to do with the movie of the same name whose producers were futilely called to account for swiping my title and who, in the time-honored fashion of filmic production ethics, choose to pretend neither I nor the book actually existed, presumably thus salving the fragmentary portion of whatever consciences they might once have possessed, though I am not at all certain their immortal souls remain safe).

The story involves a man who is more than he seems who catches a single glimpse of a woman in a passing vehicle and becomes helplessly, unutterably smitten with finding her. Among the back-

I, for one, welcome our (insert programming here)

By James Dungeon

At

first blush, the 250 prints in the Josephine Michell Arader Natural History Print Collection are a dizzying floral and faunal cacophony.

In one image, a pair of Great Auks enjoy a dynamic scene with severe cliffs and choppy seas. In another, gruesome eels swim in an illusory ether stacked row upon impossible row. Others depict plants — some in acute, meticulous realism, some in a surreal limbo including multiple stages of development.

From a scientific perspective, you could divvy these prints up by taxonomy, geography, or morphology.

From an artistic perspective, you could divvy them up by chronology, technique, or stylistic sensibilities.

By all means, do that — a large selection from the collection is on display Nov. 8 - Dec. 14 at the Prescott College Art Gallery at Sam Hill Warehouse, while an ongoing rotation of prints debuts at the college’s nascent Natural History Institute this month — but before you delve too deep into delineation, just look at them.

Just. Look.

HISTORIES The art & science of science & art

CONTINUED ON PAGE �� >>> FROM TOP: “Magpie,” by John Gould, a print from the Josephine Michell Arader Collection; M. Jennifer Chandler, director of the Prescott College Art Gallery at Sam Hill Warehouse, hangs “Californian Vulture” (California Condor), by John James Audubon, in the Prescott College Natural History Institute. Courtesy images.

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The Art of Natural History Celebration & Symposium Nov. 8-10

Friday, Nov. 8 4-6 p.m.

Natural History Institute open house 6-8 p.m.

Josephine Michell Arader Natural History Print Collection opening at Sam Hill Warehouse

COUNTERCLOCKWISE, FROM tail, by Pierre-Joseph Redout tail, by William H. Emory; Dr. photo by Benjamin Drummon Sam Hill Warehouse, examin lection; All courtesy images.

Saturday, Nov. 9 8-10 a.m.

“Natural History Exploration” with Carl Tomoff 9-11 a.m. campus tour of Arader collection 10 a.m.-noon “Butte Creek Stream Restoration” with Joel Barnes 2-3:30 p.m.

“The Art of Natural History” panel discussion with Tom Fleischner, Julie Comnick, and others

Sunday, Nov. 10 9-11 a.m. campus tour of Arader collection 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

“A Naturalist’s Way of Seeing” with Walt Anderson All events except for the gallery opening take place or meet at Prescott College’s Natural History Institute, 312 Grove Ave.

... FROM PAGE �� “Well, the first thing is that some of them are just jaw-droppingly gorgeous,” says Dr. Tom Fleischner, director of Prescott College’s nascent Natural History Institute. “There are some of them, like the Great Auks, that I just can’t keep my eyes off of.”

That simple act of looking was the first step that lead to the creation of these images. It’s the starting point for what Fleischner calls “humanities oldest tradition” that inspires both science and art.

“Natural history,” Fleischner says, “is, quite simply, paying attention to the world around us.”

“The Art of Natural History” “Natural history can be problematic for people,” Fleischner says. “They think, ‘Hey, that’s something I did in grade school in a field.’”

In fact, he continues, it’s a multi-faceted area of study that brings together skills and ideas we think of as disparate in modern academic settings.

“It’s about the relationship between feelings and facts, emotion and rationality, between esthetics and cataloging,” Fleischner says. “(It’s) how these things come together and help us understand the natural world.”

In an effort to highlight the interdisciplinary aspects of the field, Fleischner has teamed up with M. Jennifer Chandler, director of the Prescott Col-

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lege Art Gallery at Sam Hill Warehouse for “The Art of Natural History,” a three-day celebration and symposium Nov. 8-10 at Prescott College. (There are other faculty members and students involved, too.)

Although the Natural History Institute technically opened for a few events earlier this year, this weekend doubles as the facility’s official grand opening.

There are walks, talks, and panel discussions that begin at the renovated Natural History Institute (312 Grove St.), as well as an art gallery opening for selection from the Josephine Michell Arader Natural History Print Collection at Sam Hill Warehouse (232 Granite St.).

The Arader collection itself — the pieces of which straddle the 16th through 19th centuries — is the jumping off point for the weekend’s eponymous panel discussion 2 p.m., Saturday, at the Natural History Institute.

“There are so many different ways to approach and appreciate these pieces,” Chandler says. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve got an artist background, a science background, or if you’re a lover of history or a lover of language.”

In order to facilitate novel discussions about these pieces, Chandler says, the gallery will have some hands-on stations and other activities at the gallery.

“We’re trying to really honor the Age of Discovery that many of these pieces came from,” she says. “We really want to create a discussion about this.”

M TOP LEFT: “Son-bread,” by Elizabeth Blackwell; “Rosa banksiae” deté; “Caracal male” detail, by Georges Cuvier; “1 Ostrea Multilirata” deTom Fleischner, director of Prescott College’s Natural History Institute, nd; M. Jennifer Chandler, director of the Prescott College Art Gallery at nes a print from the Josephine Michell Arader Natural History Print Col-

The “hopeful side” By the time she graduated from Prescott College in 2007, Josephine Arader had all but given up on a career in on-the-ground conservation.

“There were a lot of classes about how to keep the faith while working in these fields, but it was really hard for me,” Arader says. “I didn’t see a way I could work with policy or actual conservation without getting discouraged. … It was too dismal.”

She entered the family business, Arader Galleries — a collection of galleries across the country that deal in rare books and art. (It was started by her father, Graham, nearly four decades ago.)

This might seem like an about face, except that Arader Galleries specializes in natural history prints.

Building on a program Arader’s father started with a school in Florida, the gallery has given large sets of artwork to a handful of educational institutions across the country. (Technically speaking, they lease them to an institution for a few years while raising money to pay for them.

At the end of the lease, Arader Galleries

donates the remaining balance.)

“It seemed like that kind of program and collection would fit so well at Prescott College,” Arader says.

“So, a year or two ago, I emailed Tom Fleischner, who was my mentor and advisor when I was there.”

Fleischner, who was wading through the development of the Natural History Institute back then, says the timing was serendipitous.

“It sort of came out of the blue,” he says, “but, by coincidence, everything lined up. ... It’s been amazing.”

What was initially pitched as a $300,000 collection ballooned to $1.2 million. (By early October, more than half the money had already been raised by Arader Galleries.)

Although she can’t make it to Prescott for the “The Art of Natural History” weekend — and, truth be told, she’s a little embarrassed that collection is named after her — Arader says she could think of no better home for these pieces.

After all, this kind of work is what inspires people to continue fighting the good fight, she says.

“I think that natural history artwork is the hopeful side of things,” Arader says. “It’s a way for us to celebrate the natural beauty of the world.” ***** Visit the Prescott College Natural History Institute

1-5 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays at 312 Grove Ave. or online at Prescott.Edu/Natural-History-Institute. Visit the Prescott College Art Gallery at Sam Hill Warehouse 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday at 232 N. Granite St. or online at Prescott.

Edu/Gallery. “The Art of Natural History” celebration and symposium is Nov. 8-10 at both locations.

Visit Arader Galleries online at AraderGalleries.Com. James Dungeon is a figment of his own imagination. And he likes cats. Contact him at JamesDungeonCats@Gmail.Com.

Curious about whose work is in the Josephine Michell Arader Natural History Print Collection at Prescott College?

There are pieces by John James Audubon, PierreJoseph Redouté, Leonhart Fuchs, Elizabeth Blackwell, Albertus Seba, John Gould, Aria Sibylla Merian, and Mark Catesby, among others.

��

November bird watching Bath time

By Eric Moore

Cold

House Sparrows enjoy a watery constitutional. Photo by Zach Hauri, Wikimedia Commons, courtesy image.

conditions can be very stressful on wild birds. But you can help your feathered friends brave winter weather.

Surprisingly, one of the most important things you can do for wild birds in winter is to provide an open source of water. Even in the dead of winter, wild birds have to drink and bathe. Birds bathe frequently to clean their feathers in part because clean feather are more effective at insulating against cold conditions.

Providing open sources of water attracts birds to your yard that are dependent on water in winter. Species such as American Robins, Western Bluebirds, and Cedar Waxwings frequent bird baths in flocks. Having a bird bath is the best way to attract these varieties of birds to your yard.

Consider using either a heated bird bath or a bird bath heater this winter to keep your bird bath open and accessible to birds when they depend on water for survival. ***** Eric Moore is owner of Jay’s Bird Barn, 1046 Willow Creek Road in Prescott. Contact him at Eric@JaysBirdBarn.Com.

Strongmen

By Matt Dean

The

first time I saw a C-130 Hercules, there were seemingly hundreds of them lined up wingtip to wingtip. They sat dormant, adorned with preservation material over the windows, engines, and other critical areas.

The C-130s were patiently parked in a dirt field in Tucson at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and 309 Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group.

C-130s are an impressive transport aircraft with a significant history and service record. With squat, wide bodies and pudgy noses, they may not be the prettiest planes, but they more than make up for that in performance.

The C-130 was an aircraft borne of necessity.

When World War II-era transports proved insufficient in the Korean conflict (War) the U.S. Air Force sought new proposals from several aircraft manufactures. The winning proposal was Lockheed’s C-130, which began production in 1954.

Today, the C-130J Super Hercules is still in production, which wins the C-130 the longest running production in aircraft history. Although it began life as a response to military needs, the aircraft’s sturdiness and reliability made it a natural choice for civilian use for transport duties and aerial firefighting, among other purposes. Additionally, C-130s have a long service record in aid delivery to remote parts of the globe because of

A C-130J Hercules is cleaned up using the wash system (nicknamed “Bird Bath”) in 2006 at Keesler Air Force Base, in Mississippi. Photo by U.S. Air Force Technical Sgt. James Pritchett, Wikimedia Commons, public domain. their ability to take off and land on short, unprepared runways.

If you want to see one up close, there are two C130s at the Pima Air and Space Museum, south of Tucson. One is an original C-130A and the other is a C-130H. You can also catch them in action on the Weather Channel during “Hurricane Hunters” in which the WC-130J Super Hercules is featured.

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***** Matt Dean is a Prescott native and a teacher for Prescott High School’s online program who enjoys spending time with his family and walks with the dogs. When he’s not aircraft spotting, you can find him steadily working on projects at his home and property. Contact him at Matt.

Dean@PrescottSchools.Com.

News From the Wilds

By Ty Fitzmorris

November

is the beginning of the long quiet of winter for the Central Highlands. The cold has crawled from the cracks of night into the light of day, and every creature adjusts its way of being to take this into account.

Unlike creatures in areas with severe winters, Central Highlands inhabitants adjust their habits in minor ways. Our bears don’t hibernate (with the exception of pregnant females), our beavers don’t thoroughly sequester themselves in lodges, many of our birds don’t migrate south, and some of our butterflies even emerge to fly on sunny days.

On the other hand, the overwhelming majority of plants stop flowering and die, leaving only seeds to represent the next generation. Meanwhile, most of our insects have finished their adult lives and provided for the next generation of young, who stay still in their eggs for many more months.

Most of our mammals stay active and change their diets to hardier, often less-digestible foods, most of which are harder to come by.

These quiet months are a challenge to the naturalist after the bewildering panoply of the growing season, but some of the more neglected aspects of the natural world remain for exploration. Winter is a great time to study the rocks and landforms of the Central Highlands that form the basis for our ecoregion. The Central Highlands are defined as the broad band of mountains and valleys between the Mogollon Rim of the Colorado Plateau and the deserts of the South, from the Chihuahua to the west to the Sonora to the south to the Mojave to the east. The Central Highlands, as a result, have plants and animals from all of these regions, though they’re intermingled in ways that remain unstudied.

The three geologic processes Looking for that have affected our region weather and most are the volcanism night sky info? that’s provided the extrusive igneous basalt cap of Check out the Colorado Plateau as page 22. well as the intrusive igneous granite that formed the Granite Dells; the spreading of the geologic plates, which have pulled the highlands apart causing dropped crust to form valleys; and the movement of rock materials by gravity, water, and wind, which carve the majestic valleys such as Sycamore Canyon, the Agua Fria, Walnut Canyon, and Beaver Creek Canyon. ***** Ty Fitzmorris is an itinerant and often distractible naturalist who lives in Prescott and runs Peregrine Book Company and Raven Café as a sideline to his natural history pursuits. Contact him at Ty@ PeregrineBookCompany.Com with questions or comments.

Screech Owls, like this one, are among the smallest owls in the Central Highlands of Arizona. Photo by Ty Fitzmorris.

A brief survey of what’s happening in the wilds ...

High mountains

• Young Ravens gather into large groups, sometimes as many as 50-70 individuals, and can be seen at sunrise and sunset flying from communal roosts to feeding sites.

Visit: Spruce Mountain Loop Trail, No. 307.

Ponderosa Pine forests

• The Arizona Black Rattlesnake (Crotalus cerberus), along with related species, begins looking for hibernacula in which to spend the winter — sometimes with many other rattlers. Rattlesnakes are much maligned but are typically very interested in avoiding humans and will not bite unless harassed.

Visit: Schoolhouse Gulch Trail, No. 67.

Pine-Oak woodlands

• Young Western Screech Owls (Megascops kennecottii) find temporary territories. These small, beautiful owls, which weigh from 3.5 to 10 ounces, prey on worms, insects, rodents, birds, and even crawdads.

Some have been observed catching rabbits and, rarely, ducks.

• Galls on oak trees and shrubs are very visible now. The most common is the Oak-apple Gall, which looks like a red-orange peach, but is really an incubation site for an immature

wasp. The wasp stings the plant, laying its egg in the growing tissue of the oak, and the plant grows this specialized structure around the developing larva. Oaks have over 300 types of galls, including some that look like furry animals, curled leaves, and gnarled twigs.

Visit: Little Granite Mountain Trail, No. 37.

Pinyon-Juniper woodlands

• Javelinas switch to eating large amounts of prickly pear, along with whatever protein-rich plant food, such as acorns and pinenuts, still remains.

• In this season of relative quiet, Scrub Jays (Aphelocoma californica) and other species can develop a tendency for recreational activities such as what is euphemistically called extra-pair copulation, or torrid autumnal affairs. (This is technically not unique to this season or these species.)

Visit: Tin Trough Trail, No. 308.

Grasslands

• Pronghorn change their diets to shrubs and tough evergreen plants now that grasses have died. Pronghorn can digest many plants that are poisonous to cattle, and thereby graze grasslands evenly. This, in turn, allows for a greater diversity of plants to thrive where Pronghorn graze, since no one species

can outcompete others.

Visit: Mint Wash Trail, No. 345.

Riparian areas

• Most of our creeks dry up until the snows of winter arrive and melt.

• Ducks and other waterfowl begin to arrive at our manmade lakes, such as Watson and Willow lakes, near Prescott. These lakes have become important migratory stopover points for many species and will have thousands of individuals of many different species from now until February.

• Beavers cut branches from Aspens and other riparian trees, pushing them into the mud to store for midwinter food. Because Beavers slow down the flow of rivers and distribute nutrients in riparian areas, they’re very important for maintaining river health in the Southwest.

Visit: Lower Wolf Creek Falls Trail, No. 384.

Deserts/Chaparral

• The leaves of Ocotillos (Fouquieria splendens) change color and fall.

This species, along with Palo Verde trees (Parkinsonia microphylla), has photosynthetic bark and only grows leaves during times when water is abundant. Then they drop them as drought periods return.

Visit: Agua Fria National Monument.

5ENSESMAG.COM • NOVEMBER 2013 • FEATURE • 17

Tinkerers and wannabes snap photos in professional lights at Photoshop World 2013 in Las Vegas. Photo by Dale O’Dell.

Prescott On Camera 17 artists - 48 hours - 17 pieces of the map

48 Hour Challenge Exhibit Nov. 8 - Dec. 24

Textiles & Textures Artisans Studio

217 N. Cortez - Prescott 928 - 227 - 2659 Tues. - Sat. : 10 - 7 | Sun. : 11 - 4

18 • FEATURE • NOVEMBER 2013 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

A dispatch from Photoshop World 2013

By Dale O’Dell

As

we enter the third decade of the “digital revolution” of photography, we don’t have time to lament the loss of Kodachrome to the CMOS sensor, or cameras that have morphed into little more than computers with lenses or the smelly mystery of the chemical darkroom; we’re too busy shooting cell phone “selfies” and downloading the latest “junk shot” from Carlos Danger. Photography has been forever changed.

It’s always ironic to chat up the rep in the booth and then decide to buy the thing he’s showing. As soon as I say I’ll buy it, he tells me, “I’m just the lens cap rep — that guy over there will take care of the transaction.” Of course “that guy over there” is busy with a line of 15 people waiting for him. I’ll come back later and get the thing. (I don’t.)

The Canon printer rep went on a rant about how bad Epson printers are and then, later, when I talked to the Epson printer rep he said the exact same thing about Canon printers. I laugh and tell them it’s simply their jobs to trash the competition; when I asked about HP printers they really got going — and so did I, right outta their booths.

I

One of the most profound changes in the digitalization of photography is the replacement of the darkroom by the computer. When it comes to “development” of pictures, all roads lead to the ubiquitous program known as Adobe Photoshop.

So dominant has Photoshop become that there are numerous annual conventions, workshops, schools, and trade shows devoted to it.

One of the big ones is Photoshop World, held every September at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Each

year I attend Photoshop World because it’s an opportunity to see the latest gadgets and keep abreast of current trends and technologies. It’s also a good excuse to go to Vegas where I can observe humans of every shape, color, and configuration gather for forced fun and hopeful debauchery. The ones carrying cameras were headed off to Photoshop World so I tagged along with Nicky Nikon, Maggie Megabyte, and Otto Focus, got my badge, and entered the exalted hall of The Trade Show.

Photoshop World offers workshops and lectures, where alleged great photographers, wannabes, and has-beens will show you their digital “secrets” for a fee, but I don’t attend that stuff. My interest lies with the pure consumerism of new gadgetry, so I attend the (free) trade show only.

This year it was packed. Oh look, there’s Johnny Jpeg, who always “wears” his Nikon over his photographer/fly-fishing vest. And he’s heading towards the Nikon booth, his 500 mm lens pointing the way perched like a lighthouse on the tip of his beer gut. Why do these guys (and it’s always guys) feel the need to carry extreme telephoto lenses in a crowded room where no one needs a long lens?

In this context the 10-grand lens isn’t useful for anything more than a penis extender. Big glass?

was hoping to get my hands on some of the new LED studio lights, but all the vendors were still pushing 90s-style fluorescent lights.

They did have two sets lit with umbrellas, soft boxes, and other light modifiers with huge crowds.

Why the crowds? Because on one set they had an actual girl, a pretty model, and 50 guys (including Johnny Jpeg with that silly 500 mm lens) were vying for that “fashion model” shot for their portfolios. Can’t fail with pre-set-up lighting, right guys?

Inkjet printing on aluminum sheets is pretty neat. I checked out the sample prints, and I think I should do this for some of my work. If I sell prints on aluminum and someone later decides they don’t like the picture, they can always repurpose the print as building material.

I noticed a woman holding an iPad way over her head. I felt sorry for her being so farsighted

she had to hold the tablet that far away, but she was actually taking a picture. Urgh, photography without using an actual camera. I hope she visits the booth showing strap-on auxiliary lenses for tablets and cell phones.

After

dropping a couple hundred bucks on gadgets and a new RAW conversion program, I was about to leave when I found the most interesting booth at the trade show. It was the only nonprofit group there, and it wasn’t selling anything photographic.

This was Shelter Me Photography, an outfit that photographs and publishes photos of shelter dogs.

I saw a collection of good photos of good dogs, and when they shared those photos online, the dogs got adopted. Some dogs were less than 24 hours away from being euthanized and the shared photo saved the dogs’ lives. How wonderful!

It was a good show this year, and I’ll be at the 2014 Photoshop World. If you don’t find me at the Trade Show, I’ll be at the bar in the Luxor laughing at Nicky Nikon while he tries to figure out just exactly what that sexy woman meant when she asked, “Do you want to party?” ***** Dale O’Dell is an author, photographer, digital artist, and Prescott resident. As an artist, he’s known as a surrealist which is an oddly appropriate occupation for one well-versed in ufology and the paranormal. His artwork can be seen at Van Gogh’s Ear Gallery and at DalePhoto.Com.

FROM TOP: A larger-than-life Hoodman mascot straddles a booth with larger-than-budget accessories; a young girl gets a kiss from a dog at the Shelter Me Photography booth. Photos by Dale O’Dell.

19

Moveable feasts & excess The science of

I’d

like to begin this introduction with a quote from the wife of a great American entrepreneur: “Nothing exceeds like excess.”

Hard to argue with a statement like that, right? (Or any tautology, for that matter.) Whether celebrating the end of a workweek, visitors, holidays, or visitors leaving, we all enjoy enjoying ourselves. There are plenty of menial maxims and brave bromides about this: “Work hard, play hard”; “Have a good time”; “No, I don’t think I ‘have a problem.’ I’m just a social drinker”; etc.

It’s hard to talk about limits in a culture that measures fun in terms of barrels. But if you’ve ever wondered how much of a good thing really is too much, then get ready for a brainy brimful. Science has you covered.

The information in this guide comes from scientific studies and, to a lesser extent, recapitulations of those studies. Some of the details may’ve been omitted from the original reports. Others may’ve been omitted from the reports about those original reports. Still others may’ve been omitted by this reporter reporting about reports about those original reports. And, let’s be honest, I’ve already shown bias on the subject by indulging in pop culture references, hackney writing tropes, and use of the first person.

In short, take this information cum grano salis, but in a salt-has-many-usesand-,-historically-speaking-,-has-the-potential-to-help-or-harm kind of way.

You experience the world through sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste.

Why not see what happens when you privilege those five senses to their utmost?

Taste As fans of classic film and Indian food know, some like it hot. Some like it so hot that they eat ghost peppers, aka Bhot Jolokia — a pepper 400 times hotter than Tabasco sauce. Aside from discomfort, there’s no reason not to try a bite: It’s almost impossible to accidentally eat enough spicy food that it kills you. According to a widely cited paper published in a 1980 issue of Toxicon, a 150-pound person would have to eat 3 pounds of powerful powdered chilies to kill themselves. Still, it doesn’t take much dig-

ging on Google to find reports of hospitalizations following contests where people eat really, really spicy food. Even moderate amounts of spicy food can cause gastrointestinal issues for some people.

Remember Eddie Kasalivich, from “Chain Reaction”? That’s probably the real reason he kept running around like a proverbial headless chicken.

Some dining delights are fine on occasion, but harmful when consumed over long periods of time. If you eat about a half cup of carrots every day for a couple of months, for

instance, you can develop carotenemia (your skin will turn yellow-orange). It’s definitely reversible, fairly innocuous, and almost certainly amusing.

However, mercury poisoning — a serious danger for those who regularly eat raw tuna and sushi — is no laughing matter. It can result in crippling, potentially fatal conditions. According to U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency guidelines from 2004, 6 ounces of raw tuna a week is the limit. That’s about one meal with a healthy chunk of tuna a week.

Sound Loud music is fun. But, at about 110 decibels, the volume of rock concerts is well above the range that can cause permanent damage to your ears. (Incidentally, earbuds can get that loud, too.)

You shouldn’t lament that after the fact, though, when you can’t understand your friends and there’s an incessant ringing in your ears. That “noise hangover” may be your body’s way of saving your hearing.

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In times of great stress, your ears’ cochleae release the hormone ATP, which, in effect, temporarily reduces your hearing sensitivity. That’s the discovery made by a team of scientists headed by the University of New South Wales, as published in the April 2013 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In essence, your ears are operating at a diminished capacity, dampening sounds so you can still hear without risking damage. It’s

only a partial solution, though, and chronic exposure — even with ear ringing — can cause permanent hearing loss.

On a related note, courtesy of a 2006 article on LiveScience, you probably can’t scream loud enough to make yourself go deaf because a neurological signal stops your brain from processing the sound before you even make it. The related study involved crickets, somehow.

Smell The smell of everything from fresh roses to signals than when first confronted with it. Agnes putrid garbage can elicit strong reactions. Constant Becker, of London’s Science Museum, explains as exposure to any smell, spiriting or dispiriting, usumuch on How it Works’ website in November of ally results in acclimation, ergo you should mini2010. The phenomenon isn’t fully understood, but mize exposure to smells you want to enjoy the basic idea is that your brain prioritizes novel and maximize it for those you want to oversignals so that it can assess and categorize threats. come. Acclimation results from sensory adaptaThat’s why it takes very little of a new smell to get tion — a mechanism by which the brain stops proyour olfactory neurons firing like crazy. cessing enduring static signals so as not to become overloaded with redundant information.

Specifically, when constantly confronted by the same smells, Who doesn’t want a front row seat to the Zombie Apocalypse or whatolfactory neurons fire fewer ever new show dominates the post-“Breaking Bad” drama landscape?

Get as close as you want: Despite what your parents may’ve told you, sitting too close to the TV has no long-term effects on your vision. That myth has a basis in reality, though, as described in a January 2010 EarhtTalk article in Scientific American. Back in the 1960s, endorsement of massage is limGeneral Electric sold some TVs that gave off as much as 100,000 times ited to the realm of supplemental the amount of radiation as federal health officials had deemed safe. care. Moreover, the clinic further Those TVs were hastily recalled, but the myth that sitting too close to catalogs conditions that probably the screen was hazardous for your health lingered and is still prevalent aren’t compatible with the modaltoday. Incidentally, electronic emissions from TVs made after 1968 aren’t ity — bleeding disorders or bloodlikely to harm your body or your vision. You might get a headache from thinning medication, burns or sitting too close, but that’s about it. open or healing wounds, deep vein On a related note, reading in dim lighting may give you a headache or thrombosis, fractures, severe osstrain your eyes such that it’s difficult to see for short periods of time. teoporosis, and severe thrombocyThere are, however, no long-term effects of reading in poor topenia — along with rare dangers lighting conditions — be they candle, or otherwise. If your eyes including internal bleeding, nerve feel sore, turn in for the night and try to sleep it off. Odds are, you’ll damage, temporary paralysis, and wake up with a fresh view of life. allergic reactions to massage oils or lotions. Regardless, hands-on healing may just be what the doctor ordered.

Sight

Touch You need never feel guilty about paying for a massage. Although research is ongoing, some doctors are beginning to proffer massage as a supplement to medical treatment.

Acknowledging results of emergent studies, the Mayo Clinic suggests massage may be helpful for a litany conditions including anxiety, digestive disorders, fibromyalgia, headaches, insomnia related to stress, myofascial pain syndrome, paresthesias and nerve pain, soft tissue strains or injuries, sports injuries, and temporomandibular joint pain. Still, their tacit

COUNTERCLOCKWISE, FROM LEFT: “Thanksgiving Day,” greeting card illustration, source unknown, The Graphics Fairy; “Servitvs Libera,” engraving from “Homo et ejus partes figuratus & symbolicus, anatomicus, rationalis, moralis, mysticus, politicus, & legalis,” 1695, Vintage Printable; nose illustrations from “Tutte le parti del corpo hvmano diuiso in piu pezzi,” 1608, Vintage Printable, manipulated; all images public domain.

��

Skyward Weather

By Ty Fitzmorris

Average high temp: 60.6 F, +/-4.20 Average low temp: 27.5 F, +/-3.15 Record high temp: 83 F, 1963 Record low temp: -1 F, 1931 Average precipitation: 1.2”, +/-1.37” Record high November precipitation: 8.68”, 1905 Record low November precipitation: 0”, 11.6 percent of all years on record Max daily precipitation: 4.3”, Nov. 27, 1919 Source: Western Regional Climate Center

Night skies Nov. 3: New moon at 5:50 a.m.

Nov. 4: The Taurid Meteor Shower,

hits its peak after midnight. While fewer meteors might be visible than as with some showers, viewing should be good due to the new moon.

Nov. 16: Leonid Meteor Shower.

This usually bright meteor shower is washed out somewhat by the full moon, but you can still observe many meteors. As with all meteor showers, best viewing is after midnight because our location moves onto the side of the Earth facing into our rotation around the sun.

Nov. 17: Full moon at 10.16 a.m.

Comet ISON as can be seen in the Northern Hemisphere as it approaches Earth through December. By AstroFloyd, Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons 3.0.

Highlight: Comet ISON, which some astronomers are calling the comet of the century, will be at its most visible this month, as it makes its closest pass to the Sun on Thursday, Nov. 28. Though there is a chance that the comet could disintegrate as it rounds the Sun

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and therefore vanish, this comet will likely be at least as bright as the moon, and may be visible during the day. Look for ISON near sunset and sunrise, increasing in brightness as it nears the Sun and then nears the Earth until Tuesday, Dec. 26 when it passes us and heads back into the

outer solar system. The comet will not pass very near to the Earth, but will provide an extraordinary sight.

For astronomers, this is the biggest event of the year.

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Diagnosis: Technology With Paolo Chlebecek

By Paolo Chlebecek

You’ve

already got a computer and a smartphone — so, why get a tablet? The ever-producing tech market says you need one.

But do you really need an Apple iPad, Windows tablet, or one of the many Google Android models out there? Let’s explore your options.

As with any purchase, you need to ask yourself what you’d use it for. One major question: Would a tablet help with work or is it just for entertainment? If you really need it for work, then consider one with good email capabilities. Most new tablets are fine on that front, that front, but not all of them will support a

robust version of Outlook.

Many of the Windows Surface pro tablets are your best bet for running Outlook. Starting out at about $800, they’re among the more expensive options, but you do get a full productivity suite that easily integrates with Microsoft Office. The included snap-on keyboard is essential for correspondence and documentation, as well. If that’s what you’re used to and you need that type of arrangement, then a Windows tablet may be a good option.

For many people, iPads offer plenty of options for work and play.

Prices range from $329 (for the mini) to $929 (for the full size with cellular data). There’s no shortage of accessories for iPads, either. You can even get a USB typewriter — yes, an old-fashioned typewriter

Tablet-topia adapter that allows you to “type” on the iPad. My favorite tablet options are the Google Android varieties. Many manufacturers have different models, but Samsung and Google seem to stay on top. Prices range from $150 to $800 and possibly more.

The accessories and flexibility on these models know no bounds, as well. I use a Samsung Galaxy Note 2. It’s got a 5.5 inch screen, so it’s kind of a combination phone and tablet — a phablet?

Another consideration is whether you’ll primarily be using your tablet for travel and casual surfing around the house. If so, you may want an ebook reader, instead. The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite and the Barnes & Noble Nook seem to have the most flexibility. And since they’ve got black and white e-ink

displays that only use battery power when pages are turned, their batteries last for weeks.

Whatever device you decide on, be sure to shop around. And make sure to play with it at the store and get comfortable with its interface and features.

Maybe you’ll decide the tablet isn’t for you. Still, more and more people are ditching their laptops for tablets. It’s probably worth a look. ***** Paolo Chlebecek is founder and owner of PaoloTek, which he started in 2003. He enjoys technology of all kinds and, in his spare time, likes to go on adventures with his wife and four-legged children. Contact him at Paolo@PaoloTek.Com.

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Gene Twaronite’s The Absurd Naturalist

By Gene Twaronite At the outset, let me state that this is not about throwing toads. Or, at least, not far.

The incidents described here occurred in New Hampshire, where I once owned a home with a front lawn. Now, mowing a lawn is not the best inspiration for writing an essay. Not while the mind is being ground into senseless pulp by the relentless noise and fumes. But, the active mind forever seeks meaning out of the most mundane tasks.

Now that the stage is set, I shall introduce the cast of characters. All but one have the same name — Bufo americanus, otherwise known as the American Toad. Pretty much any lawn in eastern North America will have its fair share of them during the warmer months. The large, lush lawn around the old schoolhouse where we lived was toad heaven.

Appearing with the toads is a rather pathetic character who plays out the same farce every few minutes as he pushes his existential lawnmower back and forth across this accursed lawn. For the toads, the farce might well turn into a tragedy were it not for the fact that our comic actor dutifully stops his grim reaper, bends over and picks up the hapless amphibians on the verge of their doom, and much to his bemusement transforms himself into a superhero — the toad thrower.

For

this lonely image of the toad thrower, I have the late writer, scientist, and anthropologist Loren Eisley to blame. His “lawn” was actually an isolated beach in Costabel. As he recounts in his essay, it was there that the author encountered another bit player in the drama of existence — a man who desperately threw starfishes back into a heartless sea which had tossed them upon the beach to die. He tells Eisley: “The stars throw well. One can help them.” (“The Star Thrower” by Loren Eisley).

As for me, I’m more of a toad tosser than a thrower. Unlike starfish, toads do not “throw well.”

The toad thrower Whether I actually helped them is another matter.

It is true that in the course of the six summers that we lived there I must have saved hundreds of toads from certain death. But for how long, and to what purpose?

Beyond the narrow, ordered realm of my former lawn extends a wider sea of life. It will kill toads in random, untidy fashion without the slightest remorse — kill them with predators, diseases, parasites, floods, tornadoes, fires, and starvation.

But that same sea of life, like the ocean confronting the star thrower, continues to throw up countless new toads — something on the order of 4,000 to 12,000 eggs laid by each breeding female summer after summer, for as long as there are toads on this earth. Though most of them will never live past the egg stage, the process will go on well after this toad thrower is gone.

The

toads I saved on one day would have eventually gone the way of all toads and of all organisms — gone so that other life might persist. Perhaps, in some infinitesimal way, I helped to boost the overall toad population by allowing more of them to survive and multiply.

I might have also helped boost the local garter snake population by giving them more toads to eat. On the other hand, I might have helped to decrease insect or worm populations preyed upon by the hungry toads. But I doubt if my impact really mattered in the overall scheme of things, if such a word can be used to accurately describe what goes on out there.

And, while I cannot control this heartless sea that throws up its life indiscriminately, I could at least control the depredations of my mower. I am not helping nature by doing so. It’s just that I’m not introducing another destructive element into the equation. A nature that can so ruthlessly terminate the existence of dinosaurs and so many other now extinct life forms, and which has gotten along just fine without us for most of geologic time does not need my help. It is only my self-image that I am trying to help.

In

describing the desperate fight for survival of our Ice Age hunter ancestors, Eisley concluded in his essay that, while many of them lost their way, some kept alive “the memory of the perfect circle of compassion from life to death and back again to life — the completion of the rainbow of existence.” The only thing I do know is that the image of the toad thrower matters to me, for as long as the toads and I travel the same road together. © Gene Twaronite 2013 ***** Gene Twaronite’s writing has appeared in numerous literary journals and magazines. He is the author of “The Family That Wasn’t,” “My Vacation in Hell,” and “Dragon Daily News.” Follow Gene at TheTwaronite Zone.Com.

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