Reader september1 2016

READER September 1, 2016 /

FREE

/ Vol. 13 Issue 35

Unknown Locals Bring ‘Hamlet’ to Heartwood Center

Got Wood?

How log jams and rootwads are a healthy part of North Idaho rivers

School Plant Levy Voted Down

Join us for our 21 Annual Harvest Party! st

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Think Green Drink Red at the New Pend d'Oreille Winery

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Why use Sandpoint Property Management to manage and lease your property?

Sandpoint Property Management provides:

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(wo)MAN compiled by

Cameron Barnes

on the street

“What do you think about the downtown Sandpoint streets returning to two-way at the end of the year?”

“I can’t wait. I grew up in Bonners Ferry and left after 40 years.

I remember Sandpoint when it was two-way. With the bypass, having two-way traffic will be excellent.”

Victoria King CEO of Kaniksu Health Services Sandpoint

“I definitely think it will help with tourism and for people who don’t know how to read signs ... it definitely will help people get around quicker.”

Andy Garcia Sales Associate Sandpoint

DEAR READERS,

It’s getting to be my favorite time of year again. Once Labor Day weekend is over with, Sandpoint turns into a different place. Gone are the crowds of people driving the wrong way down one-way streets, the traffic jams, the clogged sidewalks full of lookie-loos.

Don’t get me wrong, I love sharing our community with out-of-towners. They provide a great source of revenue for local businesses, and it gives us a chance to show off this paradise in which we live. But I also love having my town back, as many of you can understand.

September is a time for getting out and enjoying the fair weather. Before you know it, we’ll be shoveling snow again. Personally, my band is taking a break for a couple months just so Cadie and I can have our weekends free to explore, hike, camp and mess around in this beautiful place in which we live. See you on the trail!

-Ben Olson, Publisher

Are you reading this? so are 4,500 other people... ‘nuff said

Call Jodi @ 208.627.2586 To advertise in the READER

“At least with this way, you only have to look one way when you cross the street. If it’s two-way, you’d have to look both directions.”

Bill Bean Retired Spokane, Wash.

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Mackenzie Fraley Tourist Parker, Colo.

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www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editor: Cameron Rasmusson cameron@sandpointreader.com Zach Hagadone (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Taylor Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Aaron Burden (cover), Ben Olson, Cameron Barnes, Lori Reid, Jen Heller, Helipics.

Contributing Writers: Cameron Rasmusson, Ben Olson, Cameron Barnes, Louie de Palma, Bob Evans, Colin Moody, Cate Huisman, Brenden Bobby, Kevin Davis, Jim Mitsui, Maureen Cooper, Jennifer Passaro, Jeanette Schandelmeier, Amy Craven, Mary Haley, Suzen Fiskin, Jen Heller, Laurie Brown, Tim Henney, Marcia Pilgeram.

Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Griffin Publishing Spokane, Wash.

Subscription Price: $95 per year Web Content: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho.

We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community.

The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in massive bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. Free to all, limit two copies per person.

“Bicycles go against traffic, so it will be better if everyone can go both ways.”

Anne Stoermer Cook Sandpoint

READER

For more information check w/ Eichardt’s about 9.9 event

Sandpoint Reader letter policy: The Sandpoint Reader welcomes letters to the editor on all topics.

Requirements: –No more than 400 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion.

Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publishers.

Email letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com Check us out on the web at: www.sandpointreader.com Like us on Facebook.

About the Cover This week’s cover is a photo taken by a photographer named Aaron Burden of the underside of a daisy. Summer is fading! Get out and enjoy it!

September 1, 2016 /

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LETTERS To Idaho Lawmakers...

An open letter to Idaho state legislators: Once again, you spent your time and citizens’ tax dollars to pass laws that make sense and help Idaho operate more efficiently.

Our July 1 local newspaper detailed six new laws that were effective as of that date. One I found particularly interesting: Abortion Limits—It will soon be illegal to buy, sell or donate fetal tissue even though no such practice exists in the state. The law is a response to undercover videos released last summer that alleged Planned Parenthood officials were selling fetal tissue for profit. It was later determined the videos were altered and a grand jury in Texas cleared Planned Parenthood officials. So time was spent to pass a law for a non-existent problem based on an altered video from another state.

Meanwhile, women seeking an abortion will now be given a list of free ultrasound providers—typically owned by anti-abortion advocates.

In 1971, Roe v. Wade was upheld by the Supreme Court giving a woman and her doctor the right to choose an abortion.

In addition: Idaho health officials have released a list of providers that offer ultrasounds for women seeking abortions as required under a newly enacted law. The 11 ultrasound providers that requested to be included on the list primarily are crisis pregnancy centers, which often are run by religiously affiliated groups and discourage women from getting abortions. So, women who have made the very difficult and emotional decision to get an abortion are going to be bombarded by law, with anti-abortion literature by ultrasound providers who discourage abortions.

Idaho’s health agency says it has not inspected or certified the centers.

There’s no registry for this type of equipment in Idaho. Anyone can own and operate one. So, these centers do not have to be inspected or certified and anyone can operate them.

Furthermore, state officials have posted a warning that the information the centers provide should not be used as medical advice and is not endorsed by the state. The list will be updated annually each Jan. 1. Therefore, the state is mandating the information about these ultrasound centers be provided to woman, but the state warns this information should not be used as medical advice and is not endorsed by the state. Way to cover your backsides, legislators! And, in the 4 /

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meantime, the list will be updated annually at taxpayer expense.

This law is absolutely ridiculous and a waste of legislator’s time to enact the law. It is contradictory and adds unnecessary emotional stress on women seeking a legal abortion.

Apparently conservative Republican legislators in our state want to push their religious beliefs on the populace of the state. Have you never heard of separation of church and state?

Congratulations for your astute brilliance, common sense and using taxpayer’s money to pass laws to protect our citizens.

Maureen Tillberg Sandpoint

Disturbing the Peace...

Dear Editor, It seems the rights of our citizens, and the citizens right to peace, have been bumping heads lately. Two issues have cropped up lately that unsettled my otherwise peaceful day.

First, when the pro-life people strap megaphones to their chests and audibly dominate the Farmers’ Market, are they not disturbing the peace of the community and trampling on the rights of the majority of the people there? They are abusing the intent of the First Amendment’s “…right to peaceably assemble…” and moved into territory where laws are being broken.

Second, to be clear, I am a gun owner. Increasingly, I see guns holstered on hips and, despite it being Idaho law, it is disturbing the peace of myself, family and friends. Particular sightings were at the Festival; the other at the grocery store.

Why does ‘open-carry’ concern me like North Vietnam concerns me: I don’t know the person. I THINK, at worse, they could be depressed and close to the psychological edge of rationality; they probably live in some degree of irrational fear and feel threatened; they may be insecure; possibly they have a John Wayne fetish, or perhaps they are ultra-patriotic and only feel an imprudent need to demonstrate their Second Amendment right. Any or all of the above is not comforting in light of the fact that I KNOW any communication with this citizen would be curtailed by the fact they have chosen to carry a deadly weapon and clearly hold the option of, should there be a disagreement, using the weapon as their last word. I don’t hold that card in my civilized communication quiver. The exposed gun breaks the thread of a peaceful society by becoming the

The inoculAnt

very threat they feel they are protecting themselves against.

They disrupt the peace I believe we citizens have a right to.

I’m not here to fight the Idaho laws.

Instead, here is an option for those that choose to be armed: you could still be that imagined hero if your weapon was concealed. Then it wouldn’t frighten the children…us.

There is also something the citizens can do: Business owners can post “no guns allowed” notices at the entrance. If many businesses did this, armed folks would be banished with no place to shop.

Pack a concealed weapon if you feel this need, but please spare us the crass display of your issues.

Christopher White Sandpoint

97% vs. 3%...

Dear Editor, Suppose your child calls and tells you that your grandchild is very sick and they have taken your grandchild to 100 doctors who specialize in dealing with your grandchild’s symptoms. Ninety-seven of the specialists come up with the identical diagnosis and recommend that the only way to save your grandchild is to immediately commence ABC therapy. Three of the specialists, however, disagree and say that your grandchild is not really sick, that symptoms like this come and go and that you shouldn’t worry. Your child asks, “Mom and Dad, whose advice should I follow?”

Would you tell them to follow the advice of the 97 “do something now” specialists or the advice of the three “don’t worry” specialists? Or would you just say you are not a doctor and therefore have no opinion, and they are on their own?

Fast forward 10 years later. Your beautiful grandchild who survived the potentially life-threatening illness calls and asks you a question.

by LLi Reid

Your grandchild tells you that he/ she has been working really hard in school and has been studying climate science. They tell you that 97 of the 100 climate scientists that have studied the issue say that the planet is very sick from this thing called “climate change,” that mankind is causing it and that the only way to save the planet is for the people on the planet to immediately commence XYZ therapy. Your grandchild tells you that three of the scientists, however, disagree and say that the planet is not really sick, that the symptoms will come and go and that you shouldn’t worry. Your grandchild asks, “Grandpa and Grandma, whose advice should I follow?” Would you tell your grandchild to follow the advice of the 97 “do something now” scientists or the advice of the three “don’t worry” scientists? Or would you just say you are not a scientist and therefore have no opinion, and they are on their own.

The answers to both of the questions raised above may or may not have dire consequences. I ask you to ask yourself how you would respond.

In addition, how do you think your candidates for Congress would respond? If you don’t know, why not ask them, and more importantly, ask them whether they believe in the 97 percent of climate scientists or the 3 percent.

John Rohyans Sandpoint

PERSPECTIVES

Do we all pray to the same God?

Rev. Bob Evans, Emerge ‘N See UCC

By Rev. Bob Evans Reader Contributor

By Pastor Colin Moody Reader Contributor

There is always this nagging question: “When we pray, who are we praying to?” Or, “Do we all pray to the same God?” If you ask the faithful of any religious tradition this question, you will get a wide variety of answers. Maybe there are those who do not consciously question who they are praying to, as they have formed some concept of the divine that comforts them and at this point in their spiritual journey, they have not experienced an event that has displaced their comfortable vision yet.

There are also those who would say that their visions of who they are praying to have changed a lot over the years.

And there are those who would simply say, “I don’t know, but I have faith my prayers are heard in some way.” For these later religious, a particular vision has been replaced by mystery and subtle, complimentary participation.

This question, “Who do we pray to?” may sound almost heretical to some who have a comfortable vision of who they pray to, but I think it is a healthy question and even “the” question. It arises out of our steadfast willingness to pray for and seek to know the God of our origin and our relationship to the sacred in truth and in spirit. Prayer is our natural response to being bewildered

and awed by the holy dimension which gives power and meaning to existence. Just as Moses does when he gazes upon the burning bush, we ask, “Who are you/ am I?” It is a question that every seeker asks continually, either consciously, or unconsciously as we try in vain to pray faithfully to the Holy Spirit, which by definition is “totally other,” yet the answer to our deepest identity as children of God. Richard Rohr, a Catholic Priest in the Mystic tradition, states an obvious truth when he says, “Our image of God creates us.” If we are truly faithful to the one we pray to, we try to emulate in our own lives this heart—vision of God we see in our prayers.

Does the God we pray to play favorites and foster racism and predjudice? That would allow us to do so also. Does the God we pray to allow the domination of women by men? You see where I am going.

Ignore the Ignorant...

abusive towards Mr. Trump are laughable given his language, unending lies and fifth-grade bully insults. If you ever wonder about why bullying is getting worse you only have go watch one of Trump​‘s​ rallies to understand why.

Keep up the good work and ignore the ignorant.

Dear Editor, Hey Ben, there are worse things than being called a “liberal rag.” In fact you might want to wear that as​​ badge of courage here in God’s Country. I notice no one ever complains about your coverage of news, only clearly marked “opinion” pieces, and that is as it should be.

I have read Ms. Babayco’s letters to the editor and each reminded me of a piece of poo sniffing the air and wondering aloud where the stench was coming from. Be assured if she never reads your paper again you will lose no revenue!

Her complaints about Mr. Gier’s being verbally

pastor Colin MOody, Cedar hills church

Rev. Bob Evans and the Emerge ‘N See UCC will be exploring our various visions of God, as surely we do not all have the same vision, and the power of prayer directed at certain visions that may be either destructive or creative. Join us this Sunday at 9:30 a.m for holy conversation.

Ed Karasek Sandpoint

Disturbing Situation...

Dear Editor, The article (Reader 8/25) on the loaded handgun left behind at Foster’s Crossing is disturbing on several levels. A mother of several children was the first to find the loaded handgun. What if

Most Americans are praying people. At least that’s what a recent Pew Research survey showed. In 2014, more than half of those surveyed reported that they pray every day.

Surprisingly, even among people who self-identified as “religiously unaffiliated,” one in five reported praying daily.

So who are we praying to?

If we could listen in to prayers across the country, we’d hear a variety of prayers. Prayers addressed to Allah. To Shiva or Vishnu. To the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (in Judaism, Adonai; in Christianity, God).

We’d hear other prayers seeking refuge in Buddha, Sangha and Dharma. Prayers addressed to the universe or universal forces. To the self. And to other deities too numerous to mention.

Are all these prayers headed to the same destination? I don’t think so.

If I address and post a letter to my sister in Anchorage, Alaska, that letter starts moving to a distinct, unique address. It doesn’t head toward Poughkeepsie, N.Y., or Amarillo, Texas. Instead, the letter journeys toward a specific house on a particular street in Alaska.

In a similar way, like a wellskipped rock on a calm Lake Pend Oreille, a prayer follows the trajectoone of her children were the first to find the handgun?

What if someone from ISIS found the handgun?

Seriously, I am bothered about why the gunowner felt the need to have the loaded weapon in an antique store in the first place.

I am bothered that the gunowner’s identity is not revealed. This person gets to hide behind a shield of anonymity while potentially threatening the safety of the entire Sandpoint community.

I am bothered that there is greater concern about which bathroom transgender people can use while a loaded handgun can be left unattended in a public bathroom with no repercussions to the negligent handgun owner.

Finally, I am bothered by

ry intended by the one who offers it.

I’m not as knowledgeable as I’d like to be about prayer in other faiths, but I can share what prayer looks like for me as a Christian.

In recent years, I’ve become fascinated by the prayers called psalms, which appear in both the Jewish and Christian scriptures.

Following these ancient prayers, I direct my prayers to the infinite and personal, knowable and mysterious, powerful and gentle God. Some psalms express wonder at God’s creative work—I think of these as the “wow” prayers.

Others urgently call for God’s assistance in a time of crisis—the “help” prayers. A third group of psalms express gratitude for God’s compassionate intervention—the “thanks” prayers.

Perhaps the psalms offer a shared blueprint for all of us.

Couldn’t we all pause more often to say “wow” at moments of beauty in the world?

Wouldn’t it be freeing to humbly ask for help whenever we need it, instead of just muddling through on our own?

How might things change if every day we all looked for as many opportunities as possible to say thanks?

Wow. Help. Thanks. Those strike me as good launch pads for just about any prayer.

Colin Moody serves as the adult ministry pastor at Cedar Hills Church. He says he’s still learning how to pray.

the statement of Sandpoint Police Chief Corey Coon when he says that the “best defense against a tragic [gun] accident” is for “open and concealed carriers to keep an alert mind.” No disrespect intended to the police chief, but I suggest that no guns, open or concealed, is the best defense against a tragic gun accident. Just think back several years ago to the mother who was shot by her two-year-old son in the Hayden Wal-mart.

After the Wal-mart incident, the deceased mother’s father was quoted as saying that she was a responsible gun owner. This might be true, but she is and remains a dead responsible gun owner.

What are my rights as a non-gun owner? Do I have

the right, say, to walk into a Sandpoint antique store to go shopping and not be concerned that someone might walk out of the restroom with a loaded handgun that was forgotten by its owner?

Possibly the only connection between “rights” and “responsbility” is that both words begin with the letter “r.”

Jim Healey Sandpoint P.S. Thanks to the Reader for bringing this potentially “tragic” story to the attention of the Sandpoint community. This is something that the major newpaper in town has neglected to do (as of Sunday, August 28).

Lighten Up Part 2...

Dear Editor, Just a quick response to your comments on “Lighten Up.” You state that the subject post did indeed offend you, I said I was not offended and thought it was silly and gave me a laugh, in fact, I didn’t even consider racism until you brought it up in you comments. Again, I guess we can find “racism” in anything if we try hard enough, I guess we just see things differently and just have to agree to disagree.

I do agree with you 100 percent on your statement “If it’s racist, its no good.”

However, isn’t the Black Lives Matter organization racist in itself as only black lives matter?

As a side note, even though I don’t always agree with you, I do have to compliment you on this fine community newspaper you put out.

It’s a wealth of community information. But I still think you should “Lighten Up.” C.P. Kattner Sandpoint

C.P. Let’s agree to disagree.

Thanks for the compliments, though. Regarding Black Lives Matter, I don’t think their point is that ONLY black lives matter. It’s that black lives matter, TOO. There’s nothing racist about that, in my opinion.

-Ben Olson, Publisher September 1, 2016 /

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NEWS

LPOSD plant levy voted down

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff A high voter turnout marked the Lake Pend Oreille School District Plant Levy election, which residents roundly rejected with 2,953 in favor and 5,493 opposed.

With 23 of Bonner County’s 33 voting precincts affected by the LPOSD levy, 50.5 percent of eligible registered voters turned out for the election.

That’s a huge increase from the last LPOSD levy vote—a 2015 supplemental levy supporting school staffing, programs and operations, which drew a 29.6 percent turnout.

The increased interest is likely due to the plant levy’s request of $55 million split over six years, a figure that would have reconstructed or massively overhauled Sandpoint Middle School, Washington Elementary and Northside Elementary and added structural additions and improvements to other schools. Earlier this year, an inspection team rated seven of the district’s 11 facilities as either “unsatisfactory” or “poor,” and the plant levy was proposed as a solution for the worst-rated facilities with the highest student populations.

In the wake of the levy’s

failure, LPOSD Superintendent Shawn Woodward said the planning committee and school board are taking a step back to analyze their approach to the levy proposal. They want to identify the effective elements and missteps while collecting feedback and suggestions from the public.

“The bottom line is we need to reflect on the result and process,” Woodward said.

To that end, the planning committee will soon meet to debrief on the election. A little later, the school board will go through a similar process.

The idea is to look back on the last several months and open the process for local feedback before formulating a new solution to the problem of aging and decrepit school buildings, Woodward said.

A major element of that process will be a new feedback function added to the plant levy website, www.voteourschools. org. Voters will be able to share their thoughts regarding the failed plant levy campaign and offer suggestions for future efforts.

“This will be a way for people to give anonymous feedback if they choose to be anonymous,” Woodward said.

Voters cast their ballots at Sandpoint Community Hall on Tuesday. Photo by Cameron Barnes.

According to Woodward, there are plenty of other things to occupy school officials’ time. The new school year starts next week, for one thing.

And administrators need to start planning a campaign to

Beacon faces lawsuit threat

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

A small independent paper and the Hagadone Corporation are butting heads over a photograph the media company claims was misused.

Terri Ivie, editor of the River Valley Beacon, said she received a letter from a Hagadone Corporation lawyer claiming up to $2.2 million in damages for publishing a photo possibly owned by the company. According to Ivie, the photo in question is a picture of Jeff 6 /

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Connolly published in the July 26 issue of the paper.

The Hagadone Corporation, which owns several newspapers throughout the Inland Northwest, claims the Connolly photo was taken by Ivie while she was employed by the company at the Priest River Times. However, Ivie said she found the picture on Connolly’s website. She cannot be sure she took the picture since several people photographed

the moment.

Ivie and her son, Nick Ivie, are former employees of the Priest River Times.

They founded the River Valley Beacon as a free weekly paper after the Hagadone Corporation significantly restructured the Times.

renew the supplemental levy next March, a two-year property tax that maintains a large percentage of school staff and programs.

“Attention will move to that in the immediate future,”

Woodward said.

The plant levy was one of the most intensely contested proposals for the school district in recent years. While past school levies have had their detractors, the opponents of this year’s plant levy were much more organized, utilizing meetings, mailings and yard signs to drive their message. The debate between supporters and opponents played out on social media, with both sides fiercely advocating their cause.

This year’s proposed facilities plant levy gave many voters pause due to its sheer size, which supporters said was the most cost-effective way to address all structural issues at once. Opponents, however, said the tax increase was an unfair burden, especially for those living on fixed incomes. According to the school district’s data, the school tax burden on a $200,000 home with a homeowner’s exemption would have increased from $184 to $384 per year under the levy.

Opponents also said the district did not provide sufficient community involvement and feedback opportunities. With the new feedback and suggestion system, district officials hope to address this concern.

23-year-old killed by train

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff A young North Idaho resident was killed late Monday evening after being struck by a train.

The Spokesman-Review reports that Adam Ferris, 23, was hit and killed by a train while walking along the tracks near U.S. 95 near the Samuels Road crossing. The incident is being investigated by Idaho State Police and the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office, and alcohol may have been a factor.

A review of Ferris’ Facebook page paints a portrait of a young person struggling with gender identity issues.

A message posted by Ferris shortly before the fatal collision indicates that an emotional crisis may have been a factor in the incident.

A writer for the Sandpoint Reader is in contact with Ferris’ friends and family. A more detailed story will appear in a future issue.

FEATURE

The trees of the Long Bridge

By Cate Huisman Reader Contributor

The majority of the denizens who enjoy walking or cycling across the old Long Bridge have no idea how precarious its existence is. It’s not that it’s about to fall into the lake. But a persistent story suggests we have to keep watering the trees on it if we want to keep using it as a park.

Or maybe not.

Here’s what we know is true: What we now think of as the pedestrian bridge was the third span between Sagle and Sandpoint. It was built in 1956 to replace a wooden bridge that had suffered from heavy traffic during the war years. The fourth bridge—the current bridge used by vehicles—was built alongside it in 1981.

That was 35 years ago. After that point, things begin to get murky.

According to Marvin Fenn, engineering manager for District 1 (the northern panhandle) of the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD), the people who were in the department when the new bridge was built are gone now, and he could find no written record of why the old bridge was left in place and not removed when the current vehicle bridge was built. The paper files that were in use at the time are in a vault in Coeur d’Alene, and they are, shall we say, hard to search at this point.

Skip Pucci of Sandpoint was around 35 years ago and is still around now. His recollection is that the state condemned the old bridge because the side rails were not the right height, or perhaps the spacing between them and the bridge surface was not legally acceptable.

In any event, the old bridge remained, and Pucci decided to put a tree on it as a memorial to his brother-in-law. For a planter, he ordered a well casing from a concrete supplier in Cocolalla, and he got a spruce tree donated. He loaded up dirt in his

One of the trees lining the walking bridge portion of the Long Bridge. Photo by Cameron Barnes. pickup and drove it out on the condemned bridge, and several members of his family joined him to plant the tree in the well casing.

When they were in the midst of this solemn ceremony, the little group was confronted by a member of the highway department staff, who had brought a state patrolman with him.

“He gave me two hours to get the tree off the bridge,” remembers Pucci. “I told him that wasn’t enough time; it was getting dark. So he gave me until morning.”

But Pucci didn’t take the tree away: “What I did was get another one and put it out there.”

When he was confronted by authorities again, Pucci recalls, he explained he just needed till the weekend to get the two trees off. And then over the weekend, Pucci lined up aid from several school children and planted five more trees.

In Pucci’s telling, there was a screaming ITD official after that, followed ultimately by an agreement that the trees could stay on the bridge if it was designated as a city park. But if the trees died, the bridge was to go back to the

state. The official told his boss that the trees wouldn’t last more than three weeks, Pucci recalls, “which inspired me to put more trees on it.”

That was more than three decades ago, and the story has since become a part of the bridge’s folklore. The trees are still there (although the spruce have been replaced with aspen, which require less water), and Pucci is still watering them.

Meanwhile, the bridge—once closed to all—now sees hundreds of cyclists and walkers, especially in the summer months. And according to the story, if the trees die, we will all lose use of the condemned bridge.

But perhaps things are not so dire. According to Kim Woodruff of Sandpoint Parks and Recreation, the bridge is not and never has been a city park. And Fenn insists that the bridge is and always has been the property of the state.

“We never gave it up,” he says with conviction, even though the paper work to prove this may be buried in an ITD basement.

Would we lose use of the old bridge if the trees were to die? I

asked Fenn directly: “Absolutely not,” he replied. Fenn doesn’t know Pucci and wasn’t around when Pucci perpetrated his surreptitious planting. “Someone probably put the trees out there to give it a more pedestrian feel,” he says. He’s not enthused about the well casing planters, which are heavy, and suggests that an engineer would probably prefer them off there. But trees and planters or not, “The bridge has turned into an icon,” he points out.

So we may not have to adhere to the deal that Pucci remembers: In order for us to use the bridge, it doesn’t necessarily have to have trees and be a park.

But the trees are there, and they do give the bridge a park-like feel. So the hunt is on for a way to water them that improves on the one Pucci has been using, which involves dropping 5-gallon buckets into the lake on ropes and hauling up lake water. He has come to realize that he won’t be able to do this forever.

He’s tried on several occasions over the last few years to recruit assistance, and it has

materialized—temporarily. A community group volunteered, but people would help for a few weeks and then disappear.

No one has indicated a willingness––like Pucci’s––to haul buckets of water up from the lake for the next 30 years.

Fortunately, it doesn’t necessarily need to be another Skip Pucci, who is obviously irreplaceable. There has been talk of a sprinkler system. Avista is willing to provide power for it. But it’s not clear where the funds would come from: The county has no money for it, the state sees it as the responsibility of local authorities, and the city of Sandpoint is fond of saying that the bridge is beyond the city limits.

But maybe some of those walkers and cyclists have some ideas. If that’s you, the Bonner County Trail Mix Committee wants to hear from you; you can reach them through Jan Griffitts, jan@looptravel.com, 208 290 1973.

Skip Pucci: 265-7876 Marvin Fenn, ITD CdA: 208 772 1200 Jan Griffitts: 290 1973 September 1, 2016 /

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Angels’ Back to School program a hit for 14th year

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

For the 14th year, parents and students alike lined up at Farmin Stidwell Elementary School on Tuesday to receive some much-needed assistance by the Angels Over Sandpoint Back to School program.

The popular event sponsored by the nonprofit Angels Over Sandpoint provides free school supplies to students in need.

“This is my favorite event that we put on,” said Amy Flint, president of the Angels Over Sandpoint. “We get to put a lot back into the community on multiple levels. It helps level the playing field for all students.”

When the program began in 2002, 20 children benefited. This year, over 400 families and 859 students signed up to receive assistance. The program is funded solely by a combination of donations

Bouquets: •I love when I order food to go and they give you compostable or recyclable containers. I know they’re a little more expensive, but there are a few restaurants in Sandpoint that have embraced these non-Styrofoam options. One of these days, Styrofoam will be a thing of the past, when people say, “Remember Styrofoam? What the hell were we thinking?”

•I appreciate having a robust letters to the editor section.

No matter what the subject or opinion presented, I think our readers appreciate it also. One thing to take note of, however: Please keep letters under 400 words and realize that we put the paper to bed on Wednesday night. If you send your letter in at the last minute on Wednesday and we can’t publish it because the paper has already been laid out and there is no space, please don’t accuse us of playing favorites. The best chance to guarantee your letter to appear is to send it early to letters@ sandpointreader.com.

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and grant writing by the Angels.

“We worked closely with Staples, who is our partner when it comes to ordering supplies, storing them, and delivering them to us,” said Angels member Robin Hanson. “We also receive donations from Sandpoint Super Drug.”

Each registered student received a free backpack and a grocery bag full of supplies such as binders, pens, pencils and the like. For the third year, the Angels have also incorporated personal hygiene into the mix, providing toothbrushes, toothpaste and deodorant.

Walking into the gym at Farmin-Stidwell, hundreds of backpacks are lined up according to grade level in the “backpack corral” managed with efficiency

by Merry Brown-Hayes and husband Tony Hayes. Behind the registration table, dozens of Angels volunteers hand out grocery bags full of supplies. As the doors open, the families stream in with excitement and glee, some children hopping about with joy as they pick out their favorite backpack designs. You can literally see the relief on parents’ faces when they walk out with hundreds of dollars of free school supplies.

For mother of three, Kristin Osborne, the program saves her at least $50 per student.

“It helps out a lot,” said

A mother and her two children pick out new backpacks at Farmin-Stidwell Elementary School on Tuesday. Photo by Ben Olson.

Osborne, who attended the event for the third year with her three children. “I still have to get school clothes and shoes, and this year they are requiring kids to have ear buds for iPads, but it’s a really great program. It’s really helpful for the community.”

Priest River mom Heather Dodd agreed: “I save a lot of money,” she said. “At least $50 or more after all the supplies they give us.”

Angels volunteer B.J. Biddle believes the outcome is worth the effort and hard work.

“Each one of us volunteers

probably has an amazing story to tell about this program,” said Biddle. “One year I saw this family in the backpack corral. This little kindergartner walked in and was told she could pick out any backpack she wanted. She looked up to her mom and said, ‘Momma, I get to choose a new backpack!’

It warmed my heart. Stories like that make all the aches and pains worth it.”

According to Hanson, the school supplies cost the Angels around $30,000 each year.

“The best part is, whatever money we don’t spend goes into a

shoe voucher fund,” said Hanson.

Teachers and guidance counselors can dole out shoe vouchers to students throughout the year who might benefit from a helping hand.

To register for next year’s Back to School program, contact the Community Action Partnership at 255-2910 after the school year and register your students. It only takes a moment.

Also, to donate to this worthy cause, you may send checks to PO Box 2369, Sandpoint, ID 83864.

Fundraiser slated to help Bird Aviation Museum

By Ben Olson Reader Staff The Bird Aviation Museum and Invention Center will be holding a special black tie fundraising event next month to celebrate the lives of Drs. Forrest and Pamela Bird and to keep the museum operating.

“With Forrest passing in August and Mom in October, with the estates, it’s a long process to get everything settled,” said Pam’s daughter and museum director Rachel Schwam. “We’re just working on getting some funding for right now.”

The Ponderay Rotary is co-sponsoring the event, which will take place on Saturday, Oct. 1 at the Bird Museum. Check-in will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by a cocktail hour and mingling at 6 p.m. Plated dinner service catered by DISH at Dover Bay begins at 7 p.m. There will also be a shuttle provided by Whitetail Transportation.

“My heart just goes out for them [at the museum],” said Ponderay Rotary board member Kathy Gavan.

“They’re just such hard workers.”

The Ponderay Rotary chooses to assist one organization a year.

This year they chose the Bird Museum.

“We are so appreciative and grateful,” said Schwam. “We are normally the ones that are asked for help, but this time we need help.”

The fundraiser will host a series of fun activities for participants. A wine wall is a blind drawing where each buyer purchases a $20 ticket and can win a $20 bottle of wine, or perhaps a $150 bottle. An art auction features a limited number of artwork pieces by local artists such as Lucy West, Kathy Weisberg and child prodigy Akiana Kramarik. There will also be a dessert dash, which auctions off a gourmet dessert from local bakeries, Rotary members and museum staffers.

There will also be a video presentation celebrating the lives of Forrest and Pam. “There will be some tearful moments, but it will be a joyous occasion,” said Schwam. “We are

Drs. Pam and Forrest Bird. Courtesy photo. continuing on their legacy and mission—education, inspiration, passing onto community and stewardship.”

Tickets for the event are $125 per person, $250 per couple, or a sponsorship table of 8 will be $1,500. To purchase tickets or donate any items for the fundraiser, please call Kathy at 265-7967 or go to the Bird Museum webpage at www.BirdAviationMuseum.com and click the “donate” button.

The Bird Museum plans to stay open through September Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

Anyone interested in hosting special functions should call the museum at the number listed above.

“We’ll close down during winter months, but we’ll reopen with bigger and better exhibits, including a few surprises,” said Schwam. “In the long term, we will stay open.”

Schwam also noted that anyone looking for fun volunteer opportunities to call the museum directly at 255-4321.

Mad about Science:

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist Ever since Pokemon GO! came out, you’ve probably come to love your phone’s GPS. It helps you find that Pikachu you’ve spent the past hours crawling through your neighbor’s topiary trying to catch. Have you ever wondered how it worked? Or what it was?

GPS stands for Global Positioning System, and it does exactly what you think it does: It tells you where in the world you are. How does it figure that out?

In 1973, the Department of Defense got tired of using maps and trying to give directions to different military craft at different points on the planet while trying not to get confused, themselves. They decided that it would be a good idea to shoot a whole bunch of satellites into orbit that would help tell our boys where they were and where they should be going. Initially, the project used 24 satellites in 1995. I make this sound like it shouldn’t have taken 22 years, but it was an enormous endeavor. Each of these satellites had to be positioned in geosynchronous orbit (that means they had to “stay put” without falling out of the sky.) during a time when spaceflight technology was still relatively new and—as you guessed it—not guided exclusively by satellites.

Kind of like making a hammer without already having a hammer to make it with.

Or, as many of us know, trying to get a credit card without already having a credit card.

In case you were wondering, the number of GPS satellites currently in orbit is 31, and to triangulate an accurate position, at least 4 must be within line-of-sight of one another and you.

Brought to you by:

Bonner County Sandpoint Area Democrats Picnic Seniors, Inc. to postponed host garage sale

gps

But Brenden, if this was a DoD project, why can I use it on my phone? Wouldn’t they keep something like that to themselves?

Probably, I’m sure that came up at a meeting at one point. It seems that the incredible boons to global economies that are able to use GPS systems freely outweighed the “let’s keep this to ourselves and hold it over our subjects’ heads” trait that is so often attributed to our governing bodies.

It has been proven that sharing is caring, as GPS is a pivotal tool for more than just catching that Magikarp you didn’t want, but for being able to coordinate entire fleets of planes near-simultaneously, avenues for cargo ships and navigationally challenged hikers around the world.

So how does data from a satellite get onto your phone?

Does that mean I have a SATphone?!

No, it doesn’t. You wouldn’t have to ask if you had a SATphone.

Whenever you are connected to the network, whether it’s through WiFi to use the internet, or the mobile network that’s available almost every-

where, the GPS network is connected to that, feeding data from the satellite, to the network, then to your phone. Your provider has the capability to talk with the satellite, then they telephone it to you. A literal telephone game.

But Brenden, it happens so fast! It knows where I am immediately!

That’s the idea. When your phone sends a request to the satellite through the network, it takes only a fraction of a fraction of a second to go from your phone, to the cell tower, to the provider’s hub, to the satellites, back to the hub, back to the tower, back to your phone. That’d be a long trip for us, but these things are moving damn near the speed of light, faster than our brains can process what is actually going on- Hell, faster than our eyes can even perceive that there is any sort of a delay.

If it does take a while, that has more to do with your lack of service than the satellites’ ability to communicate.

When science and engineering come together, some pretty amazing things happen.

By Reader Staff

By Reader Staff

Bonner County Democrats have announced their annual picnic fundraiser will have to be postponed.

The picnic was originally scheduled for Sunday, Sept.

4 at the new Laughing Dog Brewery facility.

The event had to be postponed because Laughing Dog hasn’t fully moved into their new headquarters and are ill-prepared to host the event.

The Bonner County Democrats are currently looking for a replacement date either at the end of Sept. or the beginning of Oct. For more information, contact the Bonner County Democrats at www.BonnerDemocrats.org or call 265-7251.

Sandpoint Area Seniors, Inc. (SASi) will be holding a garage sale fundraiser from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Friday Sept. 9.

The events will take place at the Sandpoint Senior Center garage and parking lot, 820 Main St. There will be items that have been collecting in storage at SASi, as well as many items donated by others.

The public is welcome to donate items for SASi to sell with the proceeds going towards their many valuable programs assisting seniors in the Sandpoint area.

SASi is a nonprofit organization, so donations are tax deductible.

For more information, call 263-6860.

Random Corner Don’t know much about Beer?

We can help!

•Light is what makes beer go bad. That and a life of crime.

•A Beer Wave of 388,000 gallons flooded London in 1814 after a huge vat ruptured.

•Egyptian Pyramid workers were paid with beer: 1 gallon per day.

•At any given time, 0.7% of the world is drunk. That means 50 million people are drunk right now.

•Cenosillicaphobia is the fear of an empty beer glass.

•The strongest beer in the world has a 67.5% alcohol content.

• At the Wife Carrying World Championships in Finland, first prize is the wife’s weight in beer.

• In Argentina, political parties have their own brands of beer.

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OUTDOORS

Got Wood?

Log jams and rootwads are a healthy part of North Idaho’s rivers

By Kevin Davis, USFS Reader Contributor Picture a healthy river or stream with cold, clear water running over boulders and cobbles through a shady corridor of tall evergreen trees with overhanging shrubs lining the banks. That picture in your mind might be your favorite fishing stream; or it might be the view from a bridge that you drive over on your way to town.

Picturesque it certainly is, but there may be something missing. What does a tree become when it tips over? Well yes, dead, but when a tree falls in a river or stream it begins a second very important ecological phase, as a log.

Wood is as vital in streams as the gravels and substrate that fish spawn in, especially in the heavily forested north woods.

You might even say that rivers evolved with wood for thousands of years.

When a tall white pine or cedar fell in the channel it would form a major obstruction in the water’s path. Depending on how the tree fell in the channel, the water either diverted around it, scoured under, plunged over, or backed up above it as more wood lodged in around it.

All these features create incredible fish habitat, and the more habitat present in a stream, the more fish it can support.

Wood is the home for aquatic invertebrates such as caddisflies, stoneflies, and mayflies. The decomposing logs form cavities and aquatic insects feed on the cellulose and add to the organic material in the water. Wood, especially trees with roots attached, can remain stable even in high flows that move large boulders. Logs and log jams help to store and sort gravels that form gravel bars where streamside vegetation grows.

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Natural log jams in EF Lightning stabilize bed load and create fish habitat. Photo courtesy of Helipics.

Wood helps develop spawning beds that have the right sized gravels where trout and salmon look to lay their eggs.

A river system that is lacking wood, for whatever reason, usually has a decreased potential to support aquatic insects, and therefore does not support as many fish. Without the logs and log jams to create pockets to accumulate gravels, there may not be a healthy riparian plant community or gravels available for spawning fish.

Log jams also dissipate energy when streams are flooding. Rushing water gets backed up behind big log jams and the water’s destructive power is reduced. If stable wood and log jams are present through the entire length of the river flood waters pinball through and

never quite reach that critical energy to blow out of the river banks and wreak havoc on everything in the floodplain.

This is not to say that having enough wood in the system will prevent flooding. Flooding is a natural way a river dissipates energy and that is why maintaining healthy floodplains adjacent to rivers, with plenty of vegetation and logs, is so important; they help reduce flood damage downstream.

So why would we take wood out of a river if it performs so many valuable functions? Years ago, when fish biology was becoming a field of practice, they thought log jams presented barriers to fish migration, so they cleaned it out. Foresters and loggers salvaged wood out of rivers

and streams to send to the lumber mill. Engineers took wood out of the channel since it posed a threat to washing out downstream structures like roads and bridges.

On popular boating rivers, rafters and guide services asked to have dangerous logs and jams removed to make the river safer for boating. Wood is removed from streams for many reasons and has been for many years.

In the past couple decades, however, many natural resource practitioners have come to realize the importance of wood, and where it is appropriate the Forest Service is utilizing wood in natural configurations to do stream restoration projects.

Engineered log jams are used to create fish habitat, enhance

hydrologic functions and protect infrastructure such as roads and bridges. Rootwads are used in bank stabilization projects where roads were lost in a flood.

Rivers and streams in North Idaho may never be the fisheries that they once were, but if we manage them for all their natural components, including wood, they will at least be set on a trend to maintain clear, cold water and healthy fisheries for years to come.

Kevin Davis is a hydrologic technician with the U.S. Forest Service. He works all over Bonner and Boundary county on national forest land doing watershed related projects involving culvert replacement, road maintenance and fish habitat improvement.

Photos of the week: It was another fun-filled week around Sandpoint last week. Here are a few captured shots to tantalize your retinas.

From Top Right, clockwise: Cosplayers gather during after the Cosplay contest at the last weekend’s Sandemonium event at Forrest M. Bird Charter School. Photo by Cameron Barnes. • The Music Conservatory of Sandpoint (MCS) celebrated their new expansion last week with a ribbon cutting. MCS is now occupying the bottom floor of their building on 110 Main Street in Sandpoint. Back row (left to right): Kathi Samuels, Keith Congleton. Front Row (left to right): Alisha Dawson, Karin Wedemeyer, Ruth Klinginsmith, Judy Heraper and Charis Uzabel. Photo by Ben Olson. • Kai Gonzalez of Sandpoint sits in the the sidecar of Ron Stocking’s Yamaha at last week’s inaugural Bikes, Brews and Blues Motorcycle Show and Rally at MickDuff’s Beer Hall. Photo by Cameron Barnes. • Allison Weir (inside the badger costume) is chased by Seneca Manna at last week’s Sandemonium event. Photo by Cameron Barnes. •. A special appearance by Optimus Prime at last week’s Sandemonium event. Photos

by Cameron Barnes.

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Speed Dating for Book Lovers 12pm @ Sandpoint Library If you are an avid reader, a book club member, or don’t k Throwback Thursdays at the 219 to read next this is the place to be. Come meet other “lo 7-11pm @ 219 Lounge share your favorite book or author. Make a match and b Featuring live music with Brian Janew book list of recommended titles. Light refreshmen cobs and friends served, all are welcome. Hosted by the Friends of the L Live Music w/ Pretty Lights 9pm @ The Hive Check out rising stars Pretty Lights, with this Electronic Dance Music show at the Hive. From all we’ve seen about this band, this is a show you won’t want to miss

Live Music w/ the Powell Brothers 5:30-8:30pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Live Mus Duo of Sandpoint brothers who not 9-12pm @ only play great music, but make some Celebrate of the coolest instruments you’ve seen patio wit Live Music w/ Chris Lynch music by 6pm - 9pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante Sandpoint Farmers’ Market 9am-1pm @ Farmin Park Come for the locally grown produce, stay for the live music. Always a good time at the Farmers’ Market! Arthur and Mia Goldblum will be performing

Live Music w/ David Walsh 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Flamenco guitar player extraordinaire Funky Junk Antique Show 10am-4pm @ Bonner Co. Fairgrounds Check out all the wonderful treasures and amazing crafts - everything from salvage to retro and everything in between. Live music both days and great food vendors. Admission is $5 (good all weekend!); children 12 and under free

Free First Saturday at the Museum 10am-2pm @ Bonner Co. History Museum This free Saturday is courtesy of Sandpoint Super Drug. Enjoy free admission and view Era III of the Tales from the Wardrobe featuring the 1940-1959 era

Live Music w/ Chris Lynch 6pm - 9pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante

Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Game Night at the Niner 9pm @ 219 Lounge

Funky Junk Antique Show 10am-4pm @ Bonner Co. Fairgrounds The biggest antique and retro treasure show in Idaho! Come one, come all!

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Trivia Night 7pm - 9pm @ MickDuff’s Karaoke Night 10pm - Midnight @ 219 Lounge

Fri Boo 10a Use and

Coaste @ Silve Fall Fe All day

Learn to dance the Swing – 7pm @ SWAC Learn the Triple Time East Coast Swing fro Diane Peters. 610-1770 for info

Seniors Day 9am-12pm @ Bonner Mall Walk the mall, listen to speakers, learn health tips, enter drawings, play bingo and enjoy free refreshments. Sponsored by Bonner Mall merchants and Life Care Aging Better In Home Care

3D Printing Workshop for Adults 4pm @ Clark Fork Library Learn what 3D Printers are used for and how to design your own 3D printable object. A beginner level class. Space limited, preregistration required by calling 266-1321

Winter Ridge Speaker Series 6pm @ Winter Ridge Effective relief for PTSD

Fall Fes All day @ Celebrat tions wi music, f tivities. the moun

Sandpoint Photo Club 5-7:30pm @ Sandpoint Library Learn and share with other Sandpoint photographers at the Sandpoint Photo Club

Dollar Beers!

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dry

Pup 12An wee anFor

Throwback Thursd 7-11pm @ 219 Loun Featuring live music and friends, $2 dome Join in playing in this night setting every T

ful

September 1 - 8, 2016

or don’t know what t other “lovers” and atch and build your efreshments will be s of the Library

A weekly entertainment guide to keep you on your toes. To list your event free, please send an email to calendar@sandpointreader.com.

“Florence Foster Jenkins” film 7:30pm @ Panida Theater Starring Meryl Streep

Live Music w/ Miah Kohal Band 9-12pm @ 219 Lounge Celebrate Labor Day weekend on the patio with some great drinks and live music by rockers Miah Kohal Band

Reader recommended

Dollar Beers!

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dry

First Friday Open Art Reception 6-8pm @ Infini Gallery Come on over to Infini Gallery at 214 Cedar St. in Sandpoint to check out September’s new crop of artists, including Andrea Van Voorhis, Kate Matlosz, Kris Dills and Biscuit Street Preacher.

Also, photography by Kip Folker

Live Music w/ Marty Perron and Doug Bond 5:30-7:30pm @ Idaho Pour Authority The mandolin/guitar duo that always brings a smile to your face

Fall Fest at Schweitzer Live Music DJ Night at the Niner All day @ Schweitzer Mountain Resort w/ The Liabilities 9pm @ 219 Lounge Celebrate the end of summer opera8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub tions with a giant festival of fun, live Listen to some great blues music, food vendors and mountain ac- Computer Class - Basic Computers rock by the Packwood tivities. No less than 8 bands will rock 8:15am sharp @ Sandpoint Library Brothers Learn about the parts of a computer, the mountain over the long weekend! computer terminology, memory, navigation and accessibility. Preregistra- Coaster Classic Car Show @ Silverwood Theme Park tion required 263-6930 um Friends of the Library point Books By the Box Book Sale view 10am-2pm @ Sandpoint Library Idaho Writers’ League – 9am @ Sandpoint Library fea- Used book sale with monthly themes Sandpoint Chapter of state writer’s organization. All are welcome. A great chance to network with local authors and special featured selections Coaster Classic Car Show @ Silverwood Theme Park Fall Fest at Schweitzer All day @ Schweitzer Mountain Resort

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First Tuesday at Eichardt’s 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub A monthly music event hosted

by Jake Robin at everyone’s favorite disfunctional pub

Puppy Power Hour 12-1pm @ Ponderay Pet Lodge (895 Kootenai Cut-Off Rd.) An hour of supervised play and socialization, open to puppies 8 weeks to 6 months of age. Puppies must be current on veterinarian-administered vaccines. Power Hour is $5 per session or 5 for $20.

For more information, call the Pend Oreille Pet Lodge at 255-7687

k Thursdays at the 219 219 Lounge ive music with Brian Jacobs , $2 domestics and $3 crafts. ing in this informal open mic g every Thursday night

Sept. 10 Injectors Car Show @ Downtown Sanpdoint Sept. 10 Annual Harvest Party @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

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Second Avenue Pizza welcomes the PEND OREILLE CUP players in for pizza after the game!

We offer gluten free small pizzas!

Mon - Fri 11am - 10pm Sat - Sun 1:30pm - 10pm

LITERATURE collecting vignettes

This open Window

Vol. 1 No. 8

poetry and prose by local writers

edited by Jim mitsui

by Maureen Cooper

Moments of rusty twilight by the Pend Oreille River, holding hands while music swirls from the stage in whirling measures sweet as a stolen kiss like the ones you surprised me with as we set up our chairs near the tamarack tree overlooking the field.

-Maureen Cooper August 2016

This week I’ve decided to use a prompt from my workshop as an example of how different writers using the same exercise can end up with a totally different product. This is where stream-of-consciousness comes in—none of us think the same way. We come from different backgrounds, varied life experiences and beliefs. Our writing styles are personally unique. Many factors enter in to this diversity.

One of the challenges facing writers is what to write about. I find it useful to read a lot of the genre that we prefer to write in. Why? Because we can find ideas, inspiration and a motivation to write from reading someone else’s work.

We’re not talking about plagiarism, we’re talking about using someone’s idea and applying it to our own experience. We can also make this a contest of sorts: try this exercise, email the result to me, and I’ll publish the one I think is the best.

Incidentally, I have changed the list of words so what you end up with will be a new exercise, different than the one that inspired the example responses by Jeanette Schandelmeier, Amy Craven and Maureen Cooper. My original list included: linen, volunteer, musical, whirling, Pend Oreille, textbook, tamarack, father, kiss and rusty.

Writing Idea: “Psychic Landscape II” (Come up with your own new title) 1. Write 10 lines or sentences; no more, no less.

2. The piece must include, somewhere, a proverb, adage or cliché like “…a needle in a haystack” but you must change it slightly. This is called “bending a cliché.” I had a Spanish exchange student who wrote, “Only time will talk.”

He meant, “Only time will tell,” which is trite, but because of a mistake in translating the infinitive, he made the cliché come back to life. Time does “talk” to us.

3. Use five of the following words or phrases in your piece.

Go ahead and “adjust” these if you want—add an “-ing”, change the gender, etc. Don’t use all 10, use exactly five.

•late afternoon •wolf-whistle •kitchen •prayer •tuck •hunters •slide down •ruin •I fold •mother 4. Don’t worry about “making” poetry or being perfect or making complete sense. Just write whatever falls into your head and on to the page.

5. Oh. I forgot to tell you that you have exactly 30 minutes to do this. Go! The idea here is to force you into a sort of stream-of-consciousness rather than the methodical, topic outline, and organized paragraphs that we were taught in our high school English class. Sometimes the best ideas and creativity come from deep in our mind, where it has been waiting for us to use them.

Maureen lives in Cocolalla. She wrote this down in stolen moments while doing a photo shoot for her store.

psychic landscape

by Jeanette Schandelmeier Tall rusty tamaracks wave after the storm in a sky as red as roasted tomatoes. I hung my linens from the ones near the clothesline and now they whirl in the windy aftermath creating musical hisses.

-Jeanette Schandelmeier 8/7/16

A native of Alaska, Jeanette is a retired educator. She lives on Talache Road and keeps active, raising chickens, maintaining a bee hive, gardening and hiking.

Want to see your poetry in the Reader?

Send in your submission to: jim3wells@aol.com.

journal notes: center

by Jennifer Passaro

Light patterned where every relative woke.

I slept to arrange darkness.

You reach to touch the bruise on my shin, your hand is cool as the underside of the lake.

No children live on this street.

The stucco kisses the blue and stays.

My presence shakes in my left hand.

Sometimes in this light. My ear on your last true rib. The under dapper of your lip a range I believe no one else has seen in this light. I carry your name in my temple, where the hot afternoon touches the head.

—Jennifer Passaro Jennifer sends poems from Pocatello, where she’s working for the summer for the U.S. Forest Service.

Rather than being literal, her work exemplifies the mystery that is poetry. Rather than telling us what and how to feel, she evokes the emotion through imagery in a natural way.

enough already

by Amy Craven Early to bed and early to rise gives one pretty much the same time of wakefulness and sleep as one who is late to bed and late rising Enough with textbook adages and rusty sayings left over from our fathers and their fathers

before them The music goes missing and we hear only

an endless spinning and whirling of noisy greyness It hurts our ears and makes us fidget in our seats as if we are listening to the pontifications

of a stodgy preacher

-Amy Craven August 2016 Amy Craven is back as a singer, composer, poet and observer of nature. She ended up in Sandpoint after life on the East Coast; Baltimore, Boston & New York City.

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Pend Oreille Paddler book great for children and lake monsters

By Mary Haley Reader Contributor Grandparents, if you want your grandchildren to visit more often, try reading to them “The Mysterious Pend Oreille Paddler,” by local artist and writer Whitney Rae Palmer. This whimsical book is a pleasure to read again and again. Parents know readability is indispensable for sanity for a picture book that will be dropped will be dropped in your lap regularly.

This is the legend of our own lake monster, The Paddler. I first heard about this beast as I stood in line ready to dive into the lake for my first bridge swim. I kept my eye out for him or her, but wasn’t disappointed to make it to the finish line without sighting The Paddler. Pend Oreille is the fifth deepest lake in the U.S. at 1,150 feet, right behind Lake Superior, so the possibility of a deep dwelling creature is at least as likely as the Loch Ness having one at its paltry 745foot depth. Every beautiful lake should have a fanciful monster swimming around in it.

This is not a first-grade reader book. Words choices like, “Mysterious mythical creature,” or “periwinkle skies,” are not elementary reading. This is a picture book to read to young children. Its four rhyming stanzas per page is unique. Many publishers have come away from rhymes because they don’t translate into foreign languages, but as a parent they make reading a 16 /

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book out loud to a child much more enjoyable. The words are beyond a young child’s reading ability, but it will challenge their vocabulary. This is a good first step in learning to read.

Of course the writing is not really the point of this book. It is the pictures. Ms. Palmer has a whimsical style that appeals to more than just children. The artwork has movement, color, and personality. The lake is recognizable as a bald eagle glides over the lake with the Schweitzer Ski Resort in the distance. My favorite illustration is a picture of the Loch Ness monster with eyebrows and a beard before a Scottish castle. This book won’t scare children so they avoid the water, but it will help them appreciate this amazing lake. I grew up in North Idaho, and I took for granted the incredible beauty that surrounded me until I moved away. Reading this book will be one more way to remind children how blessed they are to be here.

“The Hunt for the Mysterious Pend Oreille Paddler” is availavle at Vanderford’s, Sandpoint Farmers’ Market on Saturday and online at www.

WhitneyRaePalmer.com. Mary Haley is a local grade school author. Her book “The Great Potato Murder” is available locally and on Amazon.

Opening hearts and minds

By Suzen Fiskin Reader Columnist I have always been a feminist, even in my Playboy Mansion days. It’s a word that has gotten a really bad rap over the years, yet at its heart, gender equality is one of the biggest shifts we can make for creating a better world for us all.

This isn’t just a women’s issue; this is a human issue. In a time when we need all the creativity we can muster to find solutions for some of our biggest challenges, it’s time to include the other half of the population to create new answers.

Men have held the reins of power for a very long time, and it isn’t working. We need a different mindset to find new ways of living together on this planet. In the war of man against nature— we all lose.

We have created a world in which competition has ruled the roost; where might is right. This has led to some serious consequences: our environmental problems, the squandering of resources with endless wars, severe economic inequities, and so much more. The “we don’t talk with our enemies” mindset builds walls, not bridges.

Women don’t tend to call on physical strength when faced with a challenge. We are more inclined to collaborate than compete. The imbalance of these points of view has led to many of our problems.

This is such a big subject, I’ve narrowed my scope to the good ol’ U.S. of A. Gender bias is so woven into the tapestry of our culture that it can be hard to see. Many times, it’s oh-so-subtle, and other times it’s so blatant that my head wants to spin around like in “The Exorcist!” We can’t change anything that we don’t acknowledge first, so here are some ways gender inequality show up.

Last year, the United Nations sent a delegation of human rights experts to assess the overall treatment of women in the United States. These three delegates were women from Poland, Costa

ALL HUMANS ARE CREATED EQUAL

Rica and the U.K. All of these women were “appalled” by the lack of gender equality in America.

They found our country to be seriously lacking by international human rights standards in many areas including our 23-percent gender pay gap, violence against women, and affordable child care.

One of their biggest surprises is that women in America don’t even realize what they’re missing. An example is the U.S. is one of only three countries in the world that doesn’t guarantee women paid maternity leave. Others guarantee at least 14 weeks.

Gender bias is rampant in the workplace. I looked up “CEO” on Google images. The first image that showed up was “CEO Barbie,” 47 photos down the page. There were only five women in the top 100 pics which mirrors the 4.6 percent of female CEOs of Fortune 500 and S&P 100 companies. What?

Black men got the right to vote 51 YEARS before women did—and they weren’t even considered whole human beings.

The Equal Rights Amendment was created in the 1920s, passed both houses of Congress in 1972 and died when only 30 of the 38 states required for ratification signed on the dotted line by the 1982 deadline. It still hasn’t passed.

Let’s talk. No man was ever asked however does he balance his work life and home life. How well would men take a government in which only women dictated what they did with their reproductive organs?

Gender bias is melded into our language. His-story, man-kind, chair-man, police-man, hu-man, and man-power are some that come to mind. All of these “man”

words spoken untold times each day by millions of people reinforce the meme that men are the standard and that women are less than that.

If a man or boy exhibits sensitivity, he might be called a “sissy” or that he does something “like a girl,” as if that was a terrible thing to be. An assertive woman at work is often called a bitch or a feminazi while her male counterpart is demonstrating strong leadership skills.

Marriage is another area where sexism reigns. “I now pronounce you man and wife,” allows him to stay a person, and puts her in a predetermined role. The standard of a woman taking her spouse’s name in lieu of her own is another way to diminish her identity.

In 2014, just 12 percent of films had a female protagonist, and oft times these roles revolve around getting, keeping or losing the love of her man. I go crazy with the lack of female role models.

I want to live in a world where a boy or man have the space to be gentle and sensitive, and a girl or woman can be strong and powerful.

In a time when our old systems are collapsing, it’s more important than ever to invite the input of the other half of the population to the table. It’s only by creating true equality in education, government, the workplace and our homes that we will find find new solutions together, so we can set this world on a course for a brighter future for us all.

It’s about men and women uniting to create a kinder, gentler and more balanced world for us all.

Suzen Fiskin is a Happiness Coach, marketing wiz, and inspirational speaker. She’s also the author of the book, “Playboy Mansion Memoirs.” If you have any questions or comments, here’s how to find her – (208)5720009 or suzenfiskin@yahoo.com

OUTDOORS

The Beehive Five:

No, it’s not the name of a band, but it does rock

By Jen Heller Reader Contributor Towards summer’s end, as the sunlight hours shrink and the tourists begin to disappear, there’s always that urge for one last BIG adventure before the snow falls. Maybe a short backpacking trip, maybe an off-trail bushwhack, maybe a destination hike to some high alpine lake, so you can impress that hot catch from dollar beer night with your fly-fishing skills.

For your consideration, we present: The Beehive Five.

Or, the High Traverse. Or, the Harrison-Beehive Traverse. Call it what you want, travel it in whatever direction you will, this hiking route is the stuff of local legend. The Reader has hosted a selfie-video of the route by Benjamin Read on its website for the past year. Rich Landers, staff writer for the Spokesman-Review, described the route briefly in his ode to “Rock-Hopping” a few weeks ago. Ask anyone at the Sandpoint Rock Gym about “The Fin,” and they’ll know exactly what ridgeline you’re talking about.

It’s not that the route is impossible. It just has everything, from views to lakes to endangered species to elements of human interest.

The High Traverse can be run in a couple of different directions: from the Beehive Lakes trail up to the ridgeline, following it northwards to Harrison Lake; from Beehive Dome in a bushwhacking scramble up to the ridgeline, and over to Harrison Lake; or, reverse either route, starting from the Harrison Lake trailhead and exit via one of several routes towards Upper Pack River Rd. If scrambling along cliff edges for miles sounds too strenuous, or if you’re afraid of a little vertigo, any of these options can be amended with some savvy route-finding for a flexible and fun “Lower Traverse.”

And then, there’s the side excursions. For example, starting from Beehive Dome leads to a

Top Left: The Fin, with Roman Nose in the background. Top Right: Aircraft wreckage found on the hike. Bottom Right: The sign commemorating an amazing survival. Photos by Jen Heller.

hallway-like break in a rock wall two-thirds of the way up to the Twin Peaks. It feels like a steep version of a medieval pathway, hiking between two narrow walls left by the ancients. Heading downhill due north through the notch, you’ll quickly access the deep (and impressively unfrequented) Little Harrison Lake. Calling Little Harrison a “gem” is super unoriginal, but it’s too deeply hued and blued to be compared to much else. If you don’t keep mind of the time, you may be tempted to sit and stay just a little too long.

For all its solitude, the basin that holds Little Harrison Lake holds plenty of evidence of human activity. Hiking along the crest, it’s easy to forget the existence of humans initially, as golden eagles soar by and inspire panicky peeping from the shy pikas scurrying among the talus fields. And then, looking down, you’ll see the signs of the people who’ve been here before you. A “Happy Birthday” message for “Delilah” painstakingly spelled out with white rocks in an open green area near the shores of Little Harrison.

Or, further along, beneath the towering cliffs of the Fin, the remains of a crunched aircraft tail that’s been laying in the boulders for 30 years. Knowing that everyone survived both the crash and the long hike out through the snow makes spotting the half-buried pieces much more enjoyable. If you’re paying attention, you may even spot the sign commemorating the incident up on the crest.

A winter’s hike might allow a glimpse of that elusive herd of woodland caribou that still occasionally wander down the Selkirks from Canada. However, August-September really is

the best time to hike the Crest. Grouse scurry about confused and frantic before thundering away loudly. A half-molted ptarmigan stalks quickly away in the underbrush on its feathered feet. While the Pack River Valley can seem calm and still during your sweaty ascent, the moment you gain the ridgeline, the winds rushing eastward from Priest Lake can be stunningly strong and cold, and they multiply the dizzying effect of standing on a boulder at the top of everything.

Depending on the route you choose, you can anticipate traveling six-10 miles, with plus or minus 3,500 vertical feet pitched in.

While there’s no set path, all of the High Traverse can be slowly picked through on your own two feet except for The Fin at the midway point. Let’s just say The Fin will make you wish you had taken that pee break earlier. True, if you’re a climber, it’s only graded at about 5.6. For us laypeople, interpret that as “downclimb now and forget your dreams of hiking across this sucker.” For The Fin, you’re going to need ropes, climbing experience, and calloused hands suited for scrabbling across black lichened-granite faces (if you’re worried about missing out, just keep this in mind—downclimbing gives you a good chance to get an up-close view of that aircraft wreckage, with the option of scrambling right back up onto the ridge as soon as you’ve passed The Fin).

At day’s end, the High Traverse will likely leave you with 4-5 peak ascents of 7,000-plus ft under your belt; a couple of incredible photographs; and some very sore muscles. Not a bad way to cap off a summer’s adventures.

Thoughts from the Pros: •Leave no trace! Everything up here is fragile, from the black lichens on the peaks to the small wildflowers in the basins. Tread lightly.

•Read up on some geology beforehand, so you don’t reveal your rookie status when bragging about your exploits post-hike. Best tip: Expand your vocab! For instance, though scree and talus are technically the same thing (loose rock piles that have been shed off of mountains), people generally use “scree” to describe smaller, gravelly stuff and “talus” to describe the larger boulder-like expanses that you’ll scramble over on your Selkirk Crest quest.

•Calculate how long you think your trip will take by researching carefully, reading blogs, and partial-hiking your entrance and exit routes (Another good resource is “Climber’s Guide to North Idaho and the Cabinet Wilderness” by Thaddeus Laird. Borrow it from a climbing friend or snag a used copy online).

Once you’ve got your slowest possible time figured out, add two hours to your ETA. You’ll need it for route-finding, snack breaks and enjoying the view.

•Not sure you can pull this one off on your own? DON’T! Even if you’re lucky enough to have cell service, if you get in trouble, being airlifted from this area is going to set you back at least $20,000. Hike with a buddy, stopping frequently to look at your surroundings and to update your emergency exit plan. Or, better yet, join the Idaho Conservation League’s guided Traverse hike on Sept 17. You can sign up at the ICL office, or call 265-9565 for more info.

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Gardening with Laurie:

Fall Planting

By Laurie Brown Reader Columnist It’s September, and the gardening season is winding down. Time to start putting things to bed, raking leaves, and… planting. Yes, planting.

It’s the perfect time of year for getting many plants in the ground. Cooler temperatures mean less wilting of plants and of gardeners. Rains mean less hose wrangling for you. Fall tends to be less demanding as the weeds are tapering off, unlike in spring when they are exploding. And a lot of garden centers have sales on plants now, trying to get inventory down for less work through winter. You can plant up to six weeks before the ground freezes; cold air temperatures are fine as long as the plants haven’t been kept warm in greenhouses.

Everyone is bringing out the spring blooming bulbs right now; it’s actually a tiny bit early for planting them. You don’t want warm soil to spur top growth; you only want root growth from them. But you want to be getting perennials, shrubs and trees in now, so that they get their roots dug in and settled before cold shuts them down and frost heaving starts.

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on late plantings; I’ve taken rocks and put them on the root ball to hold them down—this also helps keep deer from pulling them up. But it’s still better to get them in early. This is a good time for dividing and transplanting spring bloomers, too; they’ll be ready to bloom next year if divided now. But leave the late bloomers like asters alone; divide them in spring (of course it’s all right to plant potted asters now). And it’s the best time for dividing and planting peonies. They won’t bloom next year, but they will get a good start.

Potted plants frequently are root bound when bought at this time of year. Make sure to loosen the roots; unwind circling ones and spread them out. If the plant has lots of fine roots making a “block” of root mass, take a sharp knife and shave about a half-inch off the root ball to expose new little growing tips. Add aged compost to the hole, and plant at the same level it was at in the pot. Cut back tall, floppy plants and remove dead flowers. Do not fertilize, except for phosphorus (which soils in our area usually don’t need). You don’t want any tender new growth on

the top of the plant! Make sure plants are kept well-watered up to planting time, and water deeply when you plant them.

In fall, all plants need deep watering if rains are not regular and heavy. It greatly increases their chances of surviving winter. Write down what you plant where or make a map—frost heaves the plastic tags out of the ground at least half the time and they go wherever plastic tags go when they disappear.

Do not mulch plants until after the ground freezes. The idea is to insulate the frozen soil so it does not go into freeze/thaw cycles and heave the plants out. A heaved out plant is prey to both dehydration and exposure to lower than 32º F air temperatures.

When there is no snow on the ground, take a walk in the garden, check for heaved plants, and gently replace them. If you buy some plants and have to wait a bit before planting, DO NOT bring them into the house or garage. Keep them out in the weather that they will have to live in. They need tough love.

-GUEST OPINION-

LPOSD School Plant Levy

By Tim Henney Reader Contributor Somewhere amidst the impressive barrage of school levy letters to the editor in last week’s Reader an advocate wrote that Sandpoint is “not just a town full of retirees and second homeowners” opposed to paying for better public education. That’s partly true.

Sandpoint is full of old fogies like my 1957 bride and me. But many of us believe passionately in paying higher taxes for improved school facilities. Fellow fogies I know feel that few needs are so urgent or obvious as quality public education. We might be labeled the silent minority, except that it sounds too much like Tricky Dick Nixon’s “silent majority.” Those were folks who, In the early ‘70s, thought Henry Kissinger’s Vietnam war was patriotic.

My bride and I, both college graduates, have three kids in their 50s, all college grads. We have two grandkids in their late 20s, both college educated and in post-graduate programs. More apropos, we have two Sandpoint granddaughters, ages 11 and 6 who, “the Lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise,” as some cowboy singer sang, are college-bound. More critical to that goal than the good Lord’s willingness or rising creeks, however, is leading-edge public education. Including safe, up-to-date buildings.

Top of the line facilities to match our top of the line faculties.

For some, getting a college degree is a family thing—a given from infancy on. Other contributive, productive Americans earn it through brains or brawn, or both, in pursuit of the good life.

Some seek a degree because it beats the alternative—being drafted or working for uncle Bubba’s dwindling squid boat business when one’s life interest is poetry.

If a profession is part of the plan, college is of course a prerequisite. Others enter the halls of ivy mainly to land a mate. Or to have fun trying. For all the above, and equally so for millions of youngsters who annually enter the work force after high school, a comprehensive education is essential to a constructive, happy life.

Teachers are role models. Together with math, English, history and other life enrichments, teacher role models convey self con-

fidence, responsibility, thoughtfulness, civility. The stronger the school system, the better the teachers and role models. Teachers get paid peanuts for these things but they do them anyway. Obviously more valued by American society are gold-plated entertainers, professional jocks, hedge fund tycoons and corporate fat cats. But who would you rather your children be spending their days with: Sandpoint school teachers or Donald Trump?

Admittedly, some of us curmudgeons performed our most demanding civic responsibilities earlier, when younger, in other places. Serving on college and church boards, helping start a nature education center, stoking a community’s interest in recycling, producing Broadway musical fundraisers, heading a United Way campaign, chairing construction of a small town tennis complex—these my bride and I have done elsewhere. Other local elders have similar resumes.

In Sandpoint, in our dotage, we relax, admire and appreciate the civic efforts of others who have the steam we once had. Short on steam or not, Sandpoint duffers continue to contribute.

My bride and I, for example, are dedicated local shoppers. That helps (at 81 she has never been in a Walmart. She deserves a medal).

We dine regularly in downtown restaurants and buy clothes from downtown retailers (occasionally we do these things in Bonners Ferry, Hope and Clark Fork when we feel the urge for major road trips).

For years we’ve moored boats at local marinas. We buy snowblowers, garden tractors, cars, books, appliances, kitchen remodels and groceries not from oafish loudmouths who blabber their bullshit on TV, but from Sandpoint and Ponderay providers. We think this is important, necessary, vital. It helps keep our community solid.

And proud.

To that end, after three full decades of retirement we vigorously support public education. And paying our share to keep it up to speed. There’s really no other responsible option if one loves one’s kids. And their kids. And if one hopes to perpetuate our communities, and our civilization, as we know them.

STAGE & SCREEN

Unknown Locals bring ‘Hamlet’ to Heartwood

By Cameron Barnes Reader Staff Being the macho man that I am, I once refused to see plays when I lived near Broadway in New York. Shortly after, my father coerced me into going. I loved it.

It would taste like vinegar if I ever uttered those words aloud, but the way that play hit my soul struck me. It was similar to the feeling when a well-sung national anthem plays on a big stage, a swelling of pride and love for humanity.

This upcoming Tuesday and Wednesday will hold tryouts for the upcoming “Hamlet” production at the Forrest M. Bird Charter High School. The seminal Shakespeare tragedy is set to hit the Heartwood Center stage this November 11-12 and 18-19. About a dozen roles will be cast; will you be one of them?

Auditions take place 6 p.m. Sept. 6 and 7 at Forrest M. Bird Charter High School.

Shakespearean monologues are recommended, but certainly not required. As long as you can demonstrate the ability to memorize and deliver the language, you have a shot.

“Even for a town the size of Sandpoint, it’s amazing the amount and quality of people we audition,” said director Michael Bigley The Unknown Locals, a local theater company that combines original plays and the classics that we all love, is heading up the production.

“This will be our seventh production in the last three years,” said Maddie Elliot, who along with her husband, Chris Herron, produce plays for Unknown Locals.

“There are sure to be some familiar faces, ... It’s always exciting to have new people get involved.”

“Last spring,

we put on ‘Macbeth,’ which was a big success,” said Bigley. “This year we will be following that up with ‘Hamlet,’ and although the two are quite varying in style, one comparison can be made.”

Both plays feature choreographer Cory Repass—the catalyst behind the amazing sword fighting that took place in the many fight scenes of ‘Macbeth.’

The storyline of ‘Hamlet’ doesn’t contain as many of these open battle scenes, but you can be sure that with him back in the fold, the closing act will be spectacular. Repass’ work was the “highlight of last year’s show” according to Bigley.

After the success of last year’s ‘Macbeth,’ Bigley is excited to direct the Unknown Locals’ latest take on Shakespeare.

When not directing on the stage, Bigley teaches English at the Forrest M. Bird Charter High School. Before that, he pursued a PhD in Medieval Studies from University of California, Berkeley.

He urges all who are potentially interested to not be leery of auditioning. The script to be used this year will be edited down, meaning a shorter and

leaner production time.

Years ago in Sandpoint, auditions were held for the play, “The Foreigner” which still resonates strongly with Bigley as this was the first time he was cast alongside his son in a play. Ever since then they have both been into theater.

After discussing with Bigley a few of the plays I’d seen while living in New York, he said, “I read the New York Times theater page and kind of just weep silently to myself ... Here in Sandpoint, we have to make our own ... If in New York, I certainly wouldn’t have the opportunity to direct ‘Hamlet’ on Broadway, as that would be a career high for any world-famous director.”

For more information check out the Unknown Locals Facebook page, which contains all audition announcements and additional contact information.

Sept. 1 @ 7:30pm Sept 2 @ 5:30pm Sept. 3 @ 7:30pm Sept 4. @ 3:30pm

“Florence Foster Jenkins”

The story of Florence Foster Jenkins, a New York heiress who dreamed of becoming an opera singer, despite having a terrible singing voice. Starring Meryl Streep and Hugh grant

Sept. 8 @ 7:30pm | Sept. 9 @ 5:30pm Sept. 10 @ 5pm & 8pm | Sept. 11 @ 3:30pm

“Cafe Society” film directed by woody allen

tuesday, sept. 20 @ 8pm

Gallagher’s last smash tour get your ultra splash zone and splash zone tickets fast before they sell out! Also available: safe zone!

Thursday, sept. 23 @ 8pm

George winston in concert

George Winston’s concerts feature a variety of styles including melodic folk piano, New Orleans R&B piano, and stride piano

Foreground: Seneca Cummings as Macbeth and Jeremiah Campbell as Macduff in last years Macbeth performance.

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FOOD

The Sandpoint Eater ‘Tis the season

By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Food Columnist

‘Tis the season and, at last, our summer is complete. The Corn Man, Jim Cadnum, has arrived. Our anticipation is so great that, though he seemed late this year, he was pretty much right on schedule. For the next few weeks we’ll line up for a few ears or a few dozen ears.

Waiting in the line is enlightening as fellow loyal corn enthusiasts share family recipes and tips (scrape the largest kernels off the cob first).

Corn is one of the early crops known, and we owe thanks to our continent’s Mexican neighbors for this diverse staple that is found in myriad products in our pantry: corn meal, corn flakes, hominy, grits and even alcohol. We’ve come to depend on many of these products (especially folks with gluten-free diets), but nothing can compare to biting into an ear of golden sweet corn, slathered with butter and seasoned simply with salt and pepper.

Jim has been peddling his corn at the Sandpoint Farmers’ Market since 1995 and sells around 200 dozen ears each week. Now that’s a lot of corn!

He speaks of his corn seed varieties with knowledge (and affection) and rattles off gestation dates like a proud expectant father. Renaissance—an early variety—was planted first, followed by five plantings of Montauk. These carefully selected seeds and planting dates will ensure sweet corn to last the entire season. Every Friday, in preparation for Saturday’s market, he spends nearly eight hours picking the ears himself and filling those iconic burlap bags. With the 20 /

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addition of Jim’s new two-row corn planter, I expect we’ll see him at the market for many years to come.

How to prepare an ear of corn can sure stir up a lot of expert advice. Some swear by tossing a pinch of sugar, a dash of lemon juice or even a few drops of milk to the water before adding the corn. Cooking times vary from 3 to 10 minutes. My favorite corn on the cob directions come from the Jim the Corn Man and his trusty sidekick, Bob the Bag Man. I feel like if anyone knows their way around an ear of corn, it’s those two. Jim brings a pot of water to a boil, drops in the corn and when it comes back to a boil, he cooks it for three minutes. Nothing in the water except corn, and no pretentiousness to his formula. Plain water, because why would you put sugar in the water when the corn is already sweet? Salt? Well, along

with butter, it belongs on the corn, not in the water. Bob simply butters up an ear of corn, wraps it in waxed paper and cooks it for three minutes in the microwave.

From my not-so-scientific survey in the corn line last Saturday, I learned the most popular recipe featuring corn as a key ingredient is chowder.

Amidst chefs and home cooks, everyone had an opinion and no one held back on the merits of bacon or no bacon, whether or not to pre-cook the corn, and voicing their thickening choices that included cream, corn starch, or pureeing some of the soup then adding back into the pot as a thickener.

For nearly 400 years, corn has been a New American staple. And waiting in that line, we all agreed upon the comfort and familiarity it brings to our tables. Nearly 40 years ago, far, far from home, a simple corn soup brought me much

comfort. On the first morning of a long anticipated journey to Bogotá, Colombia, I was in a busy café. Using my best (C-) high school Spanish, I ordered a glass of orange juice.

Can you imagine my surprise when a ham and cheese omelet appeared before me? Knowing I was in over my head, I acknowledged the plate with a gracious nod to the server and quietly proceeded to eat it. The rest of the day, and the next, didn’t turn out much better.

While the mountains and countryside were spectacular, the exotic foods delicious and my hosts ever so gracious, I was frustrated with the language barrier and my inability to form the deep connections I had dreamed about.

A few days into the trip, while strolling the Plaza Bolivar, we stopped for lunch at La Puerta Falsa, a local landmark.

My friend, Jaime, ordered Ajiaco, the national soup of

Colombia, for our small group.

A family-sized steaming bowl, filled with a rich chicken broth, cubes of potatoes, disks of corn on the cob and slices of warm, buttery avocado was placed on the table. The familiar foods looked so appealing, like a little bit of home, and along with free flowing red wine, it was the most delicious meal and companionship I experienced on that first of many trips to South America.

Even today, a simple ear of corn can evoke memories of that young girl in a faraway land. You don’t have to go South America to experience Ajiaco, but you do need some good corn to try out my recipe.

So head on down to the Market and get there early. Last week’s corn was gone well before noon. It’s a friendly wait, and, along with your corn, you may pick up another new recipe or two.

Ajiaco (Colombian Chicken, Corn, and Potato Stew) Serve with crusty bread and Chilean red wine

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

• 1 (3 ½ to 4-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces • Salt and freshly ground black pepper • 3 tablespoons butter • 1 large white onion finely chopped • 2 teaspoons dried oregano • 2 large baking potatoes, peeled • 6 cups chicken broth • 1 cup water • 2 pounds small assorted new potatoes cut into cubes, and covered with salted water in a bowl

•Pat chicken dry and season with ¾ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.

Accoutrements:

serves 6

•Heat butter in a wide, heavy dutch oven or pot over moderately high heat, brown chicken in 2 batches, skin side down first, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken as browned to a plate.

•Add the onion, oregano and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and saute, stirring, until light golden, about 5 minutes. Coarsely grate the baking potatoes with a box grater and add to the pot. Add back the chicken, broth, and water, covered, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.

• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves • 1 cup heavy cream or sour cream • 3 tablespoons drained capers •Transfer chicken with tongs to a • 3 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, and cutting board to cool. Add the cubed cubed

new potatoes to pot. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until cubed potatoes are almost tender, about 10 minutes. Add corn and simmer, covered, until tender, 5 to 10 minutes more.

•While corn is cooking, remove skin and bones from chicken and coarsely shred meat. Add meat to pot and heat through.

•Serve with accoutrements.

MUSIC

This week’s RLW by Ben Olson

READ

Feeling Tipsy?

Sometimes, a reader will hand me a book and say “read this, you’ll appreciate it.” Which means it’s a book about journalists who are misunderstood and even hated.

Someone handed me a book called “Basket Case” by Carl Hiaasen and, after reading it, I realized why. It’s a crime novel, yes, but it also delves into the downfall of print journalism in the U.S. I’ll hold onto print journalism until they pry the newsprint from my cold, dead hands. Period.

Sandpoint band Still Tipsy and the Hangovers

By Cameron Barnes Reader Staff If you haven’t heard Sandpoint’s own Still Tipsy and the Hangovers you haven’t made the most of the local bar scene. Either that, or you had a few too many to appreciate a live music staple. We had a short conversation with Brian Grise, Meg Turner and Reese Warren, who are, together, Still Tipsy and the Hangovers.

SPR: What genre of music would you say most closely represents Still Tipsy and the Hangovers?

Brian Grise: It’s kind of hard to put a finger on that because we work with a few different elements, and sometimes one shines more than others. But for the most part we play swing music.

There’s also a mixture of ‘20s/‘30s jazz and ‘40s/‘50s rock-a-billy.

Some people have used the term jazz-a-billy to describe us ... so yeah, we’re basically a bunch of hillbillies playing jazz music.

SPR: Is the band working on any projects?

Grise: We’ve got a couple new songs in the works and are even thinking about adopting some songs from our previous band, Not Quite Punk. We’ve only been together for six months, so for the most part we’re working on the business side of things such as T-shirts and a press kit ... We’re definitely wanting to play more gigs out of town.

SPR: Favorite musical and non-musical influences?

Grise: Probably my biggest influence I’ve ever had is Django Reinhardt ... I think he started playing professionally when he was 12 in 1922 or something. His family were traveling Gypsies, and that’s all they did is travel around and play music.

He was the first guy I ever heard that I was like, ‘What ... is that?’ I’d also have to say The Misfits, Rancid and The Cramps” SPR: Can you give me some history on how the band came to be?

Grise: It’s really interesting how I met Reese Warren, our guitar player, who is now one of my best friends. One of my favorite things to do ever since I was a little kid was to take in the sun, lean against a tree and practice

LISTEN

my guitar ... No matter how I’m feeling beforehand I always feel better after.

In 2003, he was actually my next-door neighbor, but I didn’t know him yet ... there was a patch of grass and some trees outside our building ... one day I go out to play and there’s this ginger sitting against a tree playing his guitar ...

I stopped and listened for awhile and I realized he was playing this Django Reinhardt song! So I sat down on the other side of the tree from him and started playing along and we probably played for over an hour together without saying anything to each other. Finally I was like, “Hey man you wanna go drink some whiskey?” and he was like, “Hell yeah!” and we’ve never stopped jamming since.

Nowadays I call him freckle dick. Meg and I were bar acquaintances for a long time and eventually became roommates. One day we came home a bit drunk, and she started singing Patsy Kline, and I said to her, “You know I can play these songs for you on guitar right?” From then on out it became a thing. We’d get drunk and she’d say “Get out your guitar!

I’m singing Patsy Kline.”

SPR: What kind of cover songs do you normally play?

Meg Turner: A little bit of everything, The Speakeasies, Liquid Paradise all the way to the “Addams Family” theme song,

which everyone really gets into and snaps along.

Grise: Meg’s a little more on the pop side...she tries to get us to play Britney Spears sometimes, which is fine with me because we’ve done a couple of those and they always turn out really good... they’re always fun. People know it, but we play it with our jazz-abilly style ...We hit the chorus and you see they whole bar turn to us like, WTF!

What’s your outlook on the record industry in today’s world?

Grise: I think at one point it was a really good thing, and then it became this big ugly monster that just took advantage of everything. Everything’s been flipped on its ear in the last 10 years or so ... but now it’s even more noticeable. Nowadays you have to have some serious weight for them to even look at you, and if you do already then what’s the point.”

From left to right: Brian Grise, Meg Turner and Reese Warren. Photo by Cameron Barnes. like when our bar tab is actually more than what they were paying us to play, even though it was really implied that they would cover our drinks in the first place. What do you call that? Not dine-n-ditch. Maybe gig-n-go. I personally like playing dive-bars because people tend to get a little more into it ... we always have a great time playing at Roxy’s, 219 and A&Ps. Check out Still Tipsy and the Hangovers play at the 219 next Friday, Sept. 9.

Crossword Solution

What’s the best and worst part of working clubs/bars?

Grise: We’ve actually played a couple of shows that went south,

I’m not usually a big soundtrack fan, but the work that Nick Cave and Warren Ellis did for the motion picture soundtrack of newly released “Hell or High Water” is fantastic.

Not only are the original scores haunting and lonely, but the selections by artists such as Townes Van Zandt and Waylon Jennings move the film along, helping earn it a 99-percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. If you haven’t checked out the movie yet, watch it. It’s going to be out on DVD real soon.

WATCH

After having an experience with real life hoarders, I had to check out the A&E show “Hoarders.” Yikes.

Though I quickly tired of the dramatic flairs tossed into the show, it’s a fascinating look at people who suffer from compulsive hoarding disorder.

It’s almost like watching the aftermath of a train collision: You don’t want to keep looking, but somehow you can’t look away.

We had a neighbor that was evicted, and after touring the apartment before clean-up, I was able to see first-hand how awful this disease is. That is, I was able to see it for the first 20 seconds until hundreds of fleas began crawling up my legs and sent me screaming from the room.

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w o N & Then compiled by

Ben Olson

Each week, we feature a new photograph taken from the same vantage point as one taken long ago. See how we’ve changed, and how we’ve stayed the same.

Historical information provided and verified by Bonner County Museum staff and volunteers. The Museum is located at 611 S. Ella — (208) 263-2344.

Westward view across Sand Creek from approximately the location of the NPRR depot. Largest building (right of center) was the Safeway Store.

CROSSWORD

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

1973

ACROSS

The same view today. The white building (top) is now home to Sandpoint Pediatrics and North Idaho Urology.

2016

Woorf tdhe Week

lucubrate

/LOO-kyoo-breyt/

[verb] 1. To work, write, or study laboriously, especially at night.

“Lucubrate now, celebrate later.”

Corrections: Nothing to report here, folks, move along.

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1. Parts of aprons 5. Dress 9. Border 13. By mouth 14. Cognizant 16. Cajole 17. Cut into cubes 18. Plateaux 19. Large 20. Banana oil, e.g.

22. Quick-tempered persons 24. Sweeping story 26. Hair net 27. Cautiously attentive 30. Small piano 33. Spill over 35. Pertaining to the oceans 37. Ambition 38. Thick woolen fabric 41. Beer 42. Corrupt 45. Station 48. Queasiness 51. Queen of the jungle?

52. Cattle farm 54. Photos 55. Emasculated 59. Ill-gotten gains 62. Two-toed sloth 63. Cokes or Pepsis 65. Tiny sphere 66. Blend 67. Mutual promise to marry 68. “Do ___ others...”

Solution on page 21 69. Heap 70. Remain 71. Flower stalk

DOWN 1. Portend 2. Colored part of an eye 3. Germs in the blood 4. Roomette 5. A leg (slang) 6. Amazes 7. Woodworking tools 8. Intelligence 9. Spiny anteater 10. Gloomy 11. A measuring instru-

ment 12. X X X X 15. Prevent legally 21. Jazz phrase 23. Thrust with a knife 25. Religious splinter group 27. Jacket 28. Birdlike 29. Not high 31. Tending to vanish like vapor 32. Anklebone 34. Damp 36. Not more 39. Snake-like fish

40. Trickle 43. Take care of 44. Russian emperor 46. Drudgery 47. A male demon 49. Make into law 50. They play roles 53. Serf 55. Astrological transition point 56. Against 57. Travel on water 58. Information 60. Be worthy of 61. Biblical kingdom 64. Timid

In some countries, what I did would be considered polite, especially in Fartland.

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