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PLAYING FAVORITES

A LOVE Song Lineup Compiled by the Staff

 TRACK #1

Brandi Carlile

“The Promise” by Sturgill Simpson For our February issue, we decided to put together a lineup of love songs from bands who have graced the stage here in Flagstaff. We start with Sturgill Simpson, off of his biggest year with a Grammy nomination intact, and his cover of When in Rome’s “The Promise.” He mines every last heartfelt emotion of that song, turning the New Wave synth tune into a masterful country crooner ballad.  TRACK #2

“Right in Time” by Lucinda Williams Lucinda Williams has played some of the most memorable shows at the Orpheum Theater over the years, and she remains one of America’s greatest singersongwriters, without a doubt. “Right in Time” opens her all-time-great Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. The chorus, “The way you move it’s right in time/It’s right in time with me,” says love in a way without saying it.  TRACK #3

“Shines” by The Donkeys For an up-tempo addition by a killer band who has made regular stops in Flagstaff on its frequent tours, “Shines” is a high water mark for the four guys from San Diego known as The Donkeys. The simple chorus of “Your love shines” becomes an anthem that could be about romantic love or anything beyond.  TRACK #4

“Home” By Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes

The Edward Sharpe show was named one of the best of last year, and the band’s signature song also is a bittersweet songstory with a refrain that includes the line, “Home is wherever I’m with you.” Alex Ebert and Jade Castrinos trade the malefemale vocals throughout a song that’s become a modern classic.

Sturgill Simpson

trick to pick just one. But “When We Fall In” is a soulful strummer with a beautiful call and response that sets up the song beautifully. Hayes’s smoky voice matched with a tune built for swaying is sure to kindle the romance.  TRACK #6

“The Electric Love Letter”

by Langhorne Slim

A lot of people missed the Langhorne Slim’s one show at the Green Room (here’s hoping for his return), but the newgrass folk master deserves a track in this lineup.

“The Electric Love Letter” is a sweet tribute to a girl who makes lightning when she smiles.  TRACK #7

“The Story” by Brandi Carlile One of the most powerful rock ballads put out in the last 10 years is Brandi Carlile’s “The Story,” the title track off her groundbreaking album. The clincher lines? “But these stories don’t mean anything/When you’ve got no one to tell them to/It’s true, I was made for you.”  TRACK #8

“Love Letter” by The Wild Reeds Another song about romantic correspondence, the banjo-driven, female-harmony-laden “Love Letter”

is one of The Wild Reeds’ best deeper tracks. It’s a song that feels like it could have been written decades ago, and yet still sounds fresh—like a number of Wild Reeds’ best tunes.  TRACK #9

“Honey Now” by Gillian Welch The jangly country-rock jam “Honey Now” is a bright, boot-shuff ling track from Gillian Welch’s Hell Among the Yearlings. Welch, in Flagstaff just last year with partner Dave Rawlings, shows her sassy side with lines like “Front door’s shut/Back door too/Blinds pulled down/ What you gonna do?”  TRACK #10

“Baby Can I See You Tonight?”

by Colin Hay

The former lead singer of the smash Australian 80s band Men at Work, Colin Hay has found a second life in singing and songwriting with profound but simple and intimate tunes. Hay, who has performed a few times in Flagstaff, has some sweet little ballads like “Baby Can I See You Tonight?,” which blends daily trials and a hope for love as Hay croons over simple guitars.

 TRACK #5

“When We Fall In” by Sean Hayes Singer-songwriter Sean Hayes has a deep catalogue of sturdy love songs, so it’s a

With each issue, we feature our selections of books, films, music and other media, as well as other interesting local products (or ones of local interest). We'll look at apps, gadgets, gift ideas around special holidays and more. We hope you'll check out the latest and greatest. You can send ideas and items to review at reviews@namlm.com. february17 namlm.com

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EDITOR'S NOTES

F

or this issue of Northern Arizona’s Mountain Living Magazine, we harkened back to an older tradition from the publication to feature artwork on the cover—and the most prominent of these artists to illustrate our magazine fronts is Fred Calleri. Calleri served as a graphic designer for Northern Arizona’s Mountain Living and Flagstaff Live for several years, but left after his painting career launched.

He created covers for us up through 2012 and even painted portraits to go with our Arizona Centennial coverage that year. It’s been some time since we’ve chatted with him (he lives in Santa Barbara, California), and we were excited to connect. It’s great to have him back in the fold and we hope to see more of his work this year, along with others. Learn more about his work and his portraiture by visiting www.fredcalleri.com.

The month also marks a big leap for us to expand the way we look at arts coverage, as our feature on The Arts includes not our usual lineup of fantastic visual artists but two writers—wife and husband Erin Stalcup and Justin Bigos. Both of them are part of Northern Arizona University but are also doing big things on the national front with their poetry and prose. So, it’s a new move for us to open this department to capital-A Arts as a bigger idea to include more along the lines of literature and performance.

Another new move for us? Beer. Our By the Bottle section will rotate between wine by our favorite expert of the vino, John Vankat, and our new favorite regular Mike Williams, a beer connoisseur through and through. Williams will explore the brew with an eye toward desserts, such as pairing beer with chocolate. As time goes on, beer has become more complex and sophisticated (and a big part of Flagstaff’s culture), so we’re keen to feature it in our pages for the year.

All of our issues have some kind of loose theme and—aside from our tendency to look at love for the month (see Playing Favorites, Matters of Taste)—we are focusing our cover on health this time. The idea is that February is known as American Heart Month for hearthealth awareness and includes World Cancer Day on February 4. It’s also a time where our resolutions might slip somewhat, so a chance to look at holistic health is a good idea. We are pairing this with added advertising from great health firms—and hope to give some valuable insight to better well-being.

Happy Reading!

Seth Muller sethm@namlm.com www.namlm.com 6

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MATTERS OF TASTE LOBSTER BISQUE

THE

Date Night Stepping Up the Romantic Dining Game for Valentine’s Day—and Beyond

By Gail Collins

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D

ate Night is a newish term for the long term means of sustaining a relationship.

It’s a period when a couple can take time for themselves away from children and responsibilities. Kids and responsibilities acknowledged, as a practical matter, that sustenance should start the minute a couple moves from dating to partnership. There is no quicker way to undermine the love of your life than to take it for granted. Prioritizing and pursuing our lover makes for a woo-nderful life.

However, planning is key.

Great dates don’t just happen.

So what makes for a great date night? Because honestly, who wants a mediocre date night? First and foremost is food—there’s nothing more sensual than sharing a meal.

Second is ambience—cue the violins. That’s not necessary; it simply needs to be intimate and inviting enough to catch up on being a couple. Third, make plans for another date night.

And when those big moments roll around, like an anniversary or Valentine’s Day, you’ve honed the skills to kick it up a notch.

Cottage Place Restaurant in downtown Flagstaff knows a thing or three about special evenings. It’s been the thrust of their longtime success. Since they opened their doors in 1994, Frank and Nancy Branham have introduced new ways for people to delight in a meal and one another, whether through holiday prix fixe events, a monthly 6-course tasting menu or novel entrees. “It’s a small restaurant, so we think outside the box,” Frank said. “Our upscale, niche wine tasting dinners began in the 90s when no one else was doing it.” Now,

some patrons attend each month from as far away as Prescott and Phoenix.

As the name implies, the Cottage Place offers cozy seating at tables and banquettes surrounding a fireplace with northern Arizona scenic landscape art. The demure, familial atmosphere belies the flavor awards garnered. A short list includes: Wine Spectator Magazine’s Award of Excellence for 15+ years, Arizona Daily Sun’s Best Fine Dining and Wait Staff for many years plus Best Overall Restaurant in 2016, as well as Open Table’s Top 100 Restaurants and Best Overall in 2012. Personally, Executive Chef Frank, a culinary graduate of the “hardknocks school,” has been voted Northern Arizona’s Chef of the Year three times.

For a small town, Cottage Place has seen its share of big city boasts in dining reviews, but it is the precious memorymakers that remain the story.

The Branhams are familiar with many regular clients’ birthdays and anniversaries— like the couple, who staked out a window table for 14 years running on Valentine’s Day, and another, who books each New

EXECUTIVE CHEF FRANK BRANHAM

SEARED AHI TUNA february17 namlm.com

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CRÈME BRÛLÉE

Year’s Eve. One pair held their wedding dinner at Cottage Place and returned each year, even after they moved to Colorado.

Others make a family tradition of Christmas Eve. People are happily surprised when the chef stops by every table, helps people with their coats and clears dishes or other routine tasks. People know and recognize the chef as “the guy with the crazy pants.”

“We never get complacent in our routine,” Nancy said.

The full color menus and over –the-top decorations for holidays in addition to the food help set Cottage Place apart. A recent monthly Tasting Menu featured pan-seared scallops with lemon beurre blanc and tomato basil relish, chef ’s soup, duck confit and pear salad with candied walnuts and brie, cranberry sorbet intermezzo and an entrée choice of maple-glazed rack of lamb or cocoa-crusted venison, plus apple flambé with house made cinnamon pecan ice cream.

“The wine was a personal development project for me,” Frank noted. He meets weekly with purveyors to keep the list extensive with local, domestic and international bottles.

Fish is flown in from Oahu, lamb from Australia and beef from the Midwest, while local produce is utilized when possible. The soups and sauces bear the right balance of flavors, “and often a little heat because it’s Arizona,” Frank joked. It’s labor-intensive—a demi-glace requires 18 hours prep and lobster bisque employs meat and shell for a deep stock plus smoky paprika—and customers appreciate the fuss. Nearly every Valentine’s Day menu features the option of Beef Wellington, individually seared, layered and wrapped in lattice puff pastry with mushroom duxelles.

“Our aim was to create something that makes people happy,” Frank said. That’s a successful recipe for a great date night.

Learn more at www.cottageplace.com .

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BY THE BOTTLE

Of Love and Lagers V

Pairing Great Beers with Romantic Meals

By Mike Williams

alentine’s Day arrives this month, and what better way to celebrate than with a home cooked, multi-course meal? With an elegant variety of craft beer to supplement with each sumptuous dish, that’s how. This month, I sat down with Evan Luthye from Flagstaff’s Whole Foods Market beer and wine department to discuss proper pairings for favorite Valentine’s Day eats.

With any dish, one should first look at the flavor of the foods being served. Start broadly; asking basic questions such as, is the dish salty or sweet? Or is it on the savory side? Is it creamy, buttery, fruity, rich, toasted or floral? From there, you’re presented with the question of whether to complement the existing flavors of the dish or go the complete opposite direction and contrast the existing flavors.

Keep in mind that beer generally breaks down into six different flavor categories: Crisp and clean, sweet and malty, dark and roasty, hoppy and bitter, fruity and spicy and sour and tart.

Casanova, iconic lover from the 18th century, famously started each day with 50 oysters and, in keeping with that tradition, Luthye suggested fresh them up as an appetizer. “You usually think of champagne to

go with it, but there are a lot of really bright beers that go really well with those, too.” His suggestion was Prairie Artisan Ales’ Funk Gold Mosaic. This dry hopped sour just made its way to Arizona and its tart sourness goes wonderfully with the flavor of oysters without being too overpowering.

Another solid choice for an appetizer is the charcuterie platter. In addition to being visually stunning, charcuterie platters also offer a wide dynamic of flavors to go with any craft beer of your choosing and offer the perfect chance to add a contrasting flavor to the course, as the beer will bring out notes in the cheeses that otherwise might go ignored.

“I’ve always thought the Scottish Ale was the MVP of the beer and cheese pairing world,” Mr. Luthye said, “90 Shilling from Oddell is a classic medium bodied ale with malt and roast flavors that seems to bring out something new with every cheese.” He also recommends cloth-bound cheddar, which owes its rare flavor and sharpness to its aging process and offsets the richness of dubbels and tripels Belgians, as well as saisons, perfectly.

The star of any meal is, of course, the main course.

A thick-cut seared steak or aromatic seafood are both solid choices, but demand different styles of beer to compliment your selection. For the savory flavor of a steak, run with a bold flavor like a double or triple IPA like Stone’s Ruination. For seafood, with its more subtle flavors, shoot for a lighter beer. The ever classic Pilsner or Hefeweizen is solid choice, but don’t rule out a sour like Destihl or Almanac.

Pasta is also another classic choice and for proper beer pairing, Evan suggested trying to match grains. “If you’re having a linguine, angel hair or anything on the lighter side, look for more of a German style Pilsner or, locally, the Diamond Down Lager from Lumberyard and the Kolsh from Mother Road.”

For a meatier sauce, he suggests heading back to the Scotch Ales and English Pale Ale. Finally, dessert. The final course is the perfect opportunity to bring out the sweetest beers to kick the flavor of whatever you’re serving into overdrive. I suggest hitting the chocolate aisle at Whole Foods and going the nonconventional route with a salted or caramel.

Then, bring it home with a chocolate stout or porter, such as San Tan’s brew with the sassy name—Sex Panther. february17 namlm.com

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THE ARTS

Celebrating the Lyrical Flagstaff Author Couple Works to Elevate the Power of Language

By Diandra Markgraf

B

alancing on her mother’s hip, baby Thalia busily flaunts her creative promise with every click of her tongue and newfound vibration in her vocal chords. Her music is an early work in progress, but her parents Erin Stalcup and Justin Bigos—two members of Flagstaff’s celebrated literary tribe— have spent near lifetimes in the lyrical world of poetry and prose. As they discuss the dynamics of their careers, their passions, they focus on discovering music in language within an altered creative process.

For the couple marking their 10th wedding anniversary this year, 2016 scored off the charts in terms of their personal and professional lives. They purchased a home and welcomed their child after hurdling several professional landmarks. Stalcup published her debut short story collection, And Yet It Moves, through Indiana University Press.

Bigos, who saw his piece, “Fingerprints” included in Best American Short Stories 2015, had a recent novella in Seattle Review gain traction with an agent. The couple’s jointly published literary journal, Waxwing, also ticked off its 10th issue last fall. The spring 2016

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Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine

edition of the carefully compiled journal also featured a poem, “Good Bones” by author Maggie Smith, which went viral online.

With a fully stocked community stitched in person and digitally, the influence of the pair has leapt from the page. To get here today, all roads have led back to Flagstaff—Stalcup’s hometown—where the two have become lecturers with the Northern Arizona University Department of English.

Bigos, an East Coaster from Bridgeport, Connecticut, cited his defensiveness about the city that will also become a central character in his newly forming novel next to the city’s most notable representative, the flawed P.T. Barnum of circus lore. Stalcup and Bigos met during a limited-residency MFA program at North Carolina’s Warren Wilson College in 2002. He was living in Chicago; she was home in Flagstaff.

And after the MFA program, Bigos checked into New York City, and remembers protesting the war in Iraq days later. “That was in March 2003. I called you from a payphone,” Bigos recalled. Stalcup does, too, and she was not far behind.

TREKS & TRAILS

A BRIDGE TOO FAR Exploring Petrified Forest for Onyx Bridge Leads to Challenges and Rewards

By Larry Hendricks

F

iery color sleeps in a bed of ice and the remnants of a Christmas storm.

Human breath fogs into a cloudless sea of sky where a red-tail hawk searches the ground below the rim for signs of a cottontail rabbit, or a rock squirrel, or even a mouse. But the ground rests quiet, too cold for lizard or snake.

Neither coyote nor fox are anywhere in sight from a vantage point that shows miles of reds, oranges and tans painted onto the world with wind, water, heat and cold. Boots crunch on frozen clay and rock down a steep path.

Dried, winter grasses, cactus and juniper of the rim give way to barren beauty and erosion through time, when a desert was once filled with water and a forest of trees reached high to the light. Water and mineral conspired with time, and the trees, preserved as stone, remain more than 200 million years later. A winter hike into the wilderness of the Petrified Forest National Park east of Flagstaff can prove to be a nearsolitary study of the dramatic landscape that only the desert Southwest can offer, but it can also prove to be a challenge.

My quarry: Onyx Bridge in the northern wilderness of the park. The

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Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine

hike starts at the Painted Desert Inn, which is just a couple of miles from Interstate 40 at the park’s northern entrance about 25 miles past Holbrook. At the inn, it’s just a short walk to Kachina Point, which allows a hiker to visualize the hike by studying Lithodendron Wash below. Kachina Point also offers breathtaking views of the park and the Painted Desert. The wash provides a guide to find Onyx Bridge, a 30-foot piece of fossilized log that has been eroded from the Chinle Formation.

The Chinle Formation is a layer of sediments laid down during the late Triassic Epoch of the planet’s history more than 200 million years ago. According to information from the National Park Service, the area was once a large basin with rivers and streams flowing through thick vegetation and trees. Many of the trees were preserved by being fossilized.

The trailhead falls to the west of the Painted Desert Inn down a steep decline

into the wilderness below. I took my hike on Dec. 26, which was a day after a Christmas snowstorm passed through northern Arizona. The winding descent on the frozen ground proved a bit precarious, but as soon as I got to the bottom, petrified wood abounded. The coldness of the late morning continued to make the hike easy going on the frozen mud and clay through the hills and slopes to Lithodendron Wash.

At the wash, I used a map provided by the National Park Service to navigate to Onyx

Bridge, and hiked for the better park of 30 minutes before trying to find a small drainage that would take me to the site.

The hike has no established trail, and storm had wiped out all footprints or any other indication of where hikers before me had gone. How far would it be before I found the right drainage? In the meantime, the sun worked its magic on the frozen ground, and ice turned to water.

What was once solid became squishy, and then it became slippery, slick and thick. My hiking boots became heavy with mud, clay and sand as I ventured down several drainages in search of a rock fall that would take me to Onyx Bridge.

The day warmed, the mud thickened on my hiking boots. Nobody in sight, I marveled at the desert’s winter february17 namlm.com

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HOME FRONT

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High Country

Stunner A-1 Mountain Home Shows Strength in Character and Natural Styles

By Geanne “G” Shanahan | Photographs by Jamelle Kelly

O

ne of the Flagstaff area’s knockout forest homes is a property that is evocative of rural Minnesota. Located near the slopes of A-1 Mountain, the residence captures the feel and aesthetic of a Midwestern barn and adapts Arts and Crafts and traditional Scandinavian styles. The drive to the property alone is a scenic one, reminiscent of a Robert Frost poem. There are winding roads, valleys and dramatic shadows cast from the canopy of pines that saturate the landscape. There is a quiet that resonates and a profound stillness. It is there, in the hillside, seemingly cut into the rolling of the land, that the home announces itself.

Designed by Christopher Alexander and built by Deb Fisher of Ridge Top Construction, the home carries a strong character—built with

elements of wood, stone, concrete and metal. It brings a palpable and inviting warmth to the interior.

Sitting on 10 acres that border forest service land, this home evokes the beauty and simplicity of nature. The homeowners discovered this parcel of land while on a weekend bike ride.

Picnics at the location soon turned into hours spent conjuring up wistful ideas for what their future home would offer. They agreed that the home needed to be highly functional and inviting, a home that would duplicate the environment of their youth and would invite the beauty of the outdoors, inside. Upon ascension of the malapai rock and paver steps that lead up to the home, is a large outdoor fireplace that serves as a unique gathering place. There are multiple patios and a deck that offer the opportunity to observe wildlife, allow for privacy and are utilized daily by the family. february17 namlm.com

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Time spent addressing details and functionality resulted in features such as a cupola in their son’s bedroom that affords light to filter in and illuminate the private loft space which are flanked by two sets of built in bunk beds. The interior of the home has traditional touches, such as hexagon flooring in the master bath circa 1900s, vintage stained glass windows from England and oak and alder trim and woodwork throughout.

As the family grew, so did the home. An addition was masterfully completed on the lower level in 2009 that extended the four-bedroom, two-bathroom home 3,000 square feet. This home is a destination property not just for the location, but for the senses; as it transcends time with its mood and grasp of yesteryear.

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