Missoula Magazine

bob phinney sketching and celebrating missoula

photo finish

missoula medical aid

sports in big sky country

anthony and shaunte

our photographers look back at 2008

calendar fetes montana’s homegrown athletes

building relationships in honduras

shooting hoops with faith and love missoula.com magazine

letter from the editor

T

he waiting nearly made me believe winter wasn’t coming this year. Ha! Now, as this season’s edition of Missoula.com magazine goes to press, our city is knee-deep in snow and more is on the way.

What better way to celebrate a new year than with our hills and valleys freshly outfitted in snow. In peace and stillness. With all the promise of unwritten days.

What better way to celebrate than quietly, with the enclosed collection of stories and photographs.

From Michael Moore and Michael Gallacher comes the tale of Missoula Medical Aid, launched a decade ago after Hurricane Mitch leveled Honduras, tended all these years by a selfless and ever-expanding corps of Missoula doctors, nurses and paramedics, committed still to helping those in need half a world away.

Jamie Kelly and Kurt Wilson are here with a profile of Bob Phinney, whose sketchbook is a tribute to workaday Missoula: a little funky, a lot beautiful. Many, many thanks to Phinney for allowing one of his drawings to grace our cover this season.

Wilson also led a staff of photographers (whose work Missoulian readers enjoy daily and Missoula.com readers each quarter) who provided a dozen of their favorite photos from 2008 to this issue of the magazine.

With them and through their work, we traveled up the slopes of Mount Jumbo, into the presidential primary fracas, to rural schoolhouses and wildlife refuges and train derailments. To our neighbors’ living rooms and back porches.

My thanks – and abiding respect – goes to photographers Wilson, Gallacher, Tom Bauer and Linda Thompson. It is an honor and a pleasure to work with you each day.

Bill Schwanke teamed up with Wilson and Thompson to bring us the story of two newcomers to Missoula: Shaunte Nance-Johnson and Anthony Johnson, Lady Griz and Griz basketball players, husband and wife, transplants to the Garden City from Yakima, Wash.

Theirs is a story of significant challenges – and successes. Of faith and love and a belief in a greater good. A fitting way to start any new year, but especially the one at hand.

I know the year ahead will be one of considerable difficulty for many of our friends and neighbors here in western Montana. Every day, it seems, our newsroom gets word of another local layoff or slowdown. We’ve suffered cutbacks of our own.

But through it all, the Missoulian and Missoula.com magazine will continue to bring our readers the stories of our time. We remain committed to our readers and community – to both helping our neighbors make it through the rough days ahead and continuing to celebrate all that’s abidingly good about life in this mountainbound city of ours. Quiet now, as we burrow deeper into winter.

bookmark it!

Go online to Missoula.com throughout the winter for:

play in the snow!

For the photos, videos and reports from ski hills and half-pipes throughout Montana, check out our winter blog, montanasnowsports.com.

speak out!

City Hall reporter Keila Szpaller hosts the conversation (and collects the complaints!) at out popular goverment blog, missoularedtape.com.

shoot around!

Bob Meseroll and Bill Speltz, who cover the Griz and Lady Griz basketball teams for the Missoulian, dish the inside scoop on the teams in their weekly podcast for Missoulian.com.

toast the season!

Tim Akimoff and Kate Murphy have all the info on winter beers and wines, and you will too if you visit their blogs, grizzlygrowler.com and knowyourvino.com.

living, working, visiting!

Each week, Missoula.com will bring you a dozen new features celebrating the lives, work and pastimes of your neighbors in western Montana.

missoula.com magazine

missoula.com is is the the flagship flagship magazine magazine missoula.com of the missoulian newspaper of the missoulian newspaper

publisher stacey mueller publisher john vanstrydonck sales & marketing director jim mcgowan editor sherry devlin

art director murphy editorkate sherry devlin

assistantart art director director mike kate lake murphy

editor kurt wilson assistantphoto art director mike lake

advertising bounds photodirector editorkristen kurt wilson

online director jim mcgowan

writers tim akimoff

writers tim akimoff

kim briggeman betsy cohen

gwenflorio florio gwen jamie kelly

daryl gadbow michael moore

lori grannis

bob meseroll michael jamison katemeseroll murphy

bob

michael moore greg patent

kate murphy bill schwanke

joe nickell

photographers greg tom patent bauer

jodi rave

michael gallacher

linda thompson

kurtbauer wilson photographers tom

michael gallacher

graphic design linda diann kelly thompson megan richter kurt wilson chris sawicki graphic design diann youa kelly vang megan richter

sawicki advertising sales chris jacque walawander youa vang 523-5271

advertisingAvailable sales jacque walawander distribution in more than 160 racks in western Missoula.com magazine is a natural 523-5271 Montana, extension for people who read and rely on the Missoulian newspaper. Reaching 80,000 to 90,000 readers daily, long been .recognized as the most in-depth source the Missoulian has distribution Available in more than 160 thorough, racks in western Montana, of news in western magazine takes this Missoula.com magazineMontana. is a naturalMissoula.com extension for people who read and relyaward-winning on the coveragenewspaper. another step, showing off tothe very best of daily, Missoula in wordshas andlong Missoulian Reaching 80,000 90,000 readers the Missoulian photographs.

Bythe capitalizing on thein-depth Missoulian’s throughout the region been recognized as most thorough, source presence of news in western Montana. and utilizingmagazine its established chain of distribution, Missoula.com magazine and Missoula.com takes this award-winning coverage another step, showing off Missoula.com Web site reachand more readers inBy more placeson than other such the very best of Missoula in words photographs. capitalizing the any Missoulian’s publication in western Montana. presence throughout the region and utilizing its established chain of distribution, Missoula.

com magazine and Missoula.com Web site reach more readers in more places than any No such part of the publication may be reprinted without permission. other publication in western Montana.

©2008 Lee Enterprises, all rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

No part of the publication may be reprinted without permission. ©2007 Lee Enterprises, all rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

on the cover:

Bob Phinney’s sketches are filled with all that makes Missoula funky and

on the cover: imminently down to earth -- from top to bottom.

Ryan Springer pedals along the Clark Fork River with a delivery of Le Petit Outre breads bound for downtown Missoula restaurants. artwork by bob phinney

missoula.com magazine

cover photo by linda thompson

the way we were

1963

dashing thru the snow Archie Anderson of St. Ignatius drives a team of horses pulling a sleigh with three young passengers aboard in 1963 at the base of the Mission Mountains. With Anderson on the buckboard is Karen Rider (Wilson) and in the back are Bonnie Rider (Gelhaussen) and Kim Rider (Gordon).

photo courtesy of kim gordan

missoula.com magazine

vol.3 no.1

inside this issue

contents winter 2009 “It’s different for every picture. It’s not always shape, but shape is a big factor. I’m looking for harmony in my subject, and by participating in that, I’m creating harmony for myself.” page 26

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in season

all year long

20 26 30 36 42

8 10 12 14 16 58 70

photographer 2008 favorites the details are between the lines amidst the backdrop hope + health faith in the game

missoula.com magazine

fashion buzz know your vino and your beer on the fly missoula cooks bookmark parting shot

Pierce Flooring your style your world

There comes a time when we need to take care of what takes care of us. “Our World.� At Pierce Flooring and Design we have started a program to recycle used carpet and pad. With our program, your living room and our world will continue to look beautiful year after year.

Customer driven, environmentally focused.

Montana Owned Since 1924

Ask us about our Pierce Green Program.

Missoula

# ! " missoula.com magazine

% $$$ &

tHe

fashion buzz

Winter wonderland fashion inspirations for choice of snowproof couture is wide open with

A.

B.

C.

A. Women’s Mountain Hard Wear black Synchro jacket, $275.

Mountain Hard Wear polar blue Panzee hoody, $130.

North Face black ski pants, $149.

B. Men’s North Face Apex Chimera 2.5, anemone green, $399.

North Face Meridian new taupe cargo pants, $45.

C. Women’s Powder Room Double Diamond 3-in-1 smoke-nature jacket, $180.

Powder Room Razzle Dazzle suspender cosmic blue pants, $100.

G.

H.

missoula.com magazine

I.

J.

the snow bunnies hitting the slopes this year. The many selections of bold colors and big patterns.

D.

E.

F.

D. Women’s North Face Scary Cherry snow white jacket, $329. North Face Derby free fit bittersweet brown pants, $99. North Face Cirque top vapor wick, spice red, 1/4-zip pullover, $56. North Face Denali thermal gypsy pink gloves, $30.

E. Men’s Mountain Hard Wear Kramer red lava jacket, $330. Mountain Hard Wear Lolo heather gray T-shirt, $25. Mountain Hard Wear Defiant Titanium pants, $165.

F. Men’s Spyder Logo cotton poly white t-neck, $65. Bonfire Snowboarding Company Chroma Kiji silk jacket, $160. Bonfire Snowboarding Company particle pants, brick, $100.

K.

L.

. Bonfire Snowboarding Company wooly 1x3 hat, icicle, $25.

G H. Dakin purple poly hat, $12.49.

I. Stockholm Azur blue goggles, $100.

J. Toaster Swany performance gloves, $45.

K. Gordini Aquabloc softshell men’s gloves, $50.

L. Dragon Rogue weapons vice goggles, $130.

Fashions from Bob Ward and Sons Photos by Tom Bauer and illustrations by Mike Lake missoula.com magazine

know your vino

by kate murphy photo by linda thompson

T

Comfort Wines for Comfort Foods

he thermometer is dipping lower each day and the icy fingers of winter have us in their grip.

The lingering gray skies, driving rain and quiet snow dustings can surely bring on the blues.

But we’ve got the cure: Embrace the warmth of your quiet home, slip into cozy sweats, cook up some comfort food and relax with a great bottle of wine.

Your spirit will be nourished.

Embrace the warmth of your quiet home, slip into cozy sweats, cook up some comfort food and relax with a great bottle of wine.

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missoula.com magazine

This is the time of year to enjoy a really good bottle of wine, or to open one of those bottles you had tucked away for a special occasion. Make it your own special occasion: Call it a post-holiday, pre-spring party and whip up your favorite foods while indulging in some quality hearty wines. I promise it will bring a warmer feeling and help you get through the few months to come.

If ever there were a beloved dish that defines the snuggly coziness of comfort food, macaroni and cheese is it. Most everyone grew up with mac and cheese, few people have anything bad to say about it and everyone seems to love you madly – albeit briefly – when you serve it.

There are lots of recipes out there and many cheeses from which to choose.

In my humble opinion, nothing beats the oozy texture and rustic flavors of a fine cheddar and a nutty aged gruyere topped with panko bread crumbs, aged Parmesan

Reggiano and a few twists of fresh cracked pepper. To accompany this fine dish, try a medium-bodied, chilled chardonnay or a fruity zinfandel.

Mark Ryan Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, Washington ($35).

This wine is fragrant, flavorful and well worth the money. It’s a rich and creamy Chardonnay, having the appropriate texture and fruit to stand up to your mac ’n’ cheese.

In fact, its crisp, sweet fruitiness is actually quite harmonious with the dish.

Initial aromas of the ripe apple and pear inherent in Chardonnay quickly evolve into rich scents of mango, pineapple, apricot, lemon butterscotch and toasted nutmeg. The explosive tropical fruit flavors fulfill the promise of the aromas, which are then followed by good acidity, giving this wine its distinctive layered flavor. The texture is lush and viscous and the finish is long and powerful, yet quite refined.

Oh my!

Dashe Cellars Dry Creek Zinfandel ($22). This superb wine made

of 93 percent zinfandel, 5 percent petite sirah and 2 percent carignane has soft ripe tannins, savory fruit and a velvety richness that will go great with your creamy, gooey mac ’n’ cheese.

The big zinfandel boasts a whopping fruit bowl of cherry, strawberry and plum aromas with a hint of spice and pepper.

One sip and the intense black fruit bursts in your mouth, blending perfectly with the chocolate and clove spice undertones. The finish is long and perfectly balanced with a depth of flavors.

It’s a classic combination, pasta and wine. If you’re not a macaroni and cheese fan, surely you’ll agree that there’s nothing more satisfying on a chilly night than a steaming plate of spaghetti and meatballs or lasagna, rich cascades of sauce and cheese still bubbling as it emerges from the oven.

Without a doubt, the enjoyment of these dishes is greatly enhanced by uncorking a sturdy Italian with plenty of good fruit and acidity.

P r o M

2 0 0 9

Poggio Vignoso Chianti ($11).

Fattori Bibbiani’s “wine of the people” is a simple, delightful food wine that I just had to mention. This remarkable little wine from a small family vineyard is made from 75 percent Sangiovese, 25 percent Canaiolo and Malvasia.

The youthful Chianti is bright with dried cherry and floral notes, balanced by refreshing acidity and soft tannins. It can be enjoyed with virtually anything, but with a rustic Pizza Margherita it is a comfort feast

continued on page 52

Jovani • Faviana • La femme Fashion • Precious Formals • Jessica McClintock

Open 7 days/week • 728-4326 • Downtown on Higgins • www.jelaines.com missoula.com magazine

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and your beer

Glacier Brewing Company’s David Ayers welcomes visitors to the brewery’s spacious tasting room in Polson.

Finding a connection by timothy alex akimoff photos by michael gallacher

Beer labels from Montana’s rich brewing history are displayed under glass on a tasting room table.

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missoula.com magazine

P

OLSON – It started out as a daydream in a car driving through Wyoming.

Now it’s in bottles and headed to a store near you.

Glacier Brewing Co. is modest in comparison to some breweries and lavish if compared to others.

The building that houses the brewery is an old racquetball court built by members of the Elks Lodge in the 1970s.

But next door is a tasting room that should make other tap rooms jealous.

It certainly makes the locals in Polson proud.

Head brewer David Ayers dreamed up Glacier Brewing Co. many years ago. He even dreamed up a location.

“Originally, Glacier Brewing Co. was going to be in West Glacier or even Kalispell,” Ayers said. “But we looked and looked for property.”

Ayer’s brother-in-law found the old Elks Lodge racquetball club in Polson, and

though it wouldn’t end up at the entrance to one of America’s national treasures, Glacier Brewing Co. found a faithful following in Polson. “”My first reaction was, ‘Oh, Polson, I don’t know,’ ” Ayers said. “We moved in, got it all set up and the community found out. The response was overwhelming.”

Polson residents buzzed with the news that the town would get a brewery.

“The mayor would come in and say, ‘Hey, I’m the mayor of Polson, what can I do to help you?’ ” Ayers said. “The people in the community picked up the dream and said, ‘Where do you need us to carry it?’ ” An old buffalo skull adorns one wall, a gift from a patron. An antique shotgun hangs above the bar, another gift. It’s the same with a stuffed pheasant one patron shot up at Ninepipe Reservoir.

“People come in and they want to have an ownership,” Ayers said. “They want a connection with the place.”

“These are the beers I like to drink,” says Glacier’s owner and head-brewer David Ayers of his line of German-style beers.

B

reweries are special places. They always have been.

And what sets them apart from other taverns and bars is what they do best.

Good beer often is a reflection of the brewer’s personality.

“It’s for a purely selfish reason,” Ayers said of his fondness for German-style beers.

“These are the beers I like to drink.”

Therefore, these are the kinds of beers Polson likes to drink.

Glacier Brewing Co.’s impressive lineup starts with a clean, crisp Polson Pilsner.

A throwback to rich golden European varieties, Polson Pilsner retains a refreshing, light-beer appeal with a formidable malt profile and a balanced addition of Noble

hops.

“I wanted to make a beer that could be considered a crossover beer for people used to the Bud, Miller, Coors and Kokanees,” Ayers said.

Once they cross over, Glacier Brewing Co. patrons usually climb rapidly up the ladder to the dark beauties at the top of the craft beer hierarchy.

“I’m very proud of this one,” Ayers said, holding up a tasting glass of his Golden Grizzly Ale, named after two bruins that charged him on a trip to Glacier National Park many years ago.

Ayers’ German-style beers are all very well balanced with just a hint more hoppiness than you’d find on the other side of pond.

The best-selling beer at Glacier Brewing Co. is the Glacier Select Oktoberfest.

Styled after a true Marzen, Glacier Select sits at a little over 7 percent alcohol by volume, which gives it a warm and mellow taste with that characteristic Oktoberfest sweetness.

Even though it is a popular beer brewed year round, patrons often dream about a pint of Glacier Select when the ice begins to form on Flathead Lake.

And in the heart of winter, there might

continued on page 53

missoula.com magazine

13

on the fly

In search of the Kiwi Brown story and photos by bob meseroll

T

EKAPO, New Zealand – I’m on my knees in the muck near where a spring bubbles up from the ground and empties into the river.

I’m dressed from waist to hat in olive, which is fortunate because right now this big brown I’ve been working on is swimming right at me. I bow my head – not in prayer, although that might have helped – so that the only thing the fish will see is an olive blob on the bank. I dare not so much as flinch, lest this big New Zealand brown recognize me for what I am – a predator.

My fishing buddy Dale, sitting in a place where he can see the fish without being seen himself, lets me know the brown has turned and is cruising away from me again. I begin false casting, making sure my rod never makes it past about 11 o’clock for

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fear the sunlight will reflect off my ferrules and alert the fish.

I do my best to anticipate where the fish is headed and drop my spent partridge caddis a couple of clicks in front of him. But the fish zigs when I played him to zag. Now I have to wait until his back is turned to my line before gently lifting it from the surface of the water.

And now the scene plays out again, and again, and again. Me kneeling immobile, the fish cruising to within an arm’s length, the fish retreating and Dale giving me the all-clear to cast again.

I have 15 to 20 minutes invested in this one fish now, in a pocket of water a horse could empty with a couple of good gulps.

I’m really convinced the spent partridge caddis will get the job done. It’s just a

buggy-looking fly and there doesn’t seem to be anything in particular on the water.

The fish is just being opportunistic, sipping whatever catches his fancy. I’m firm in my belief that it’s just a matter of getting the fly to the right place at the right time – without spooking one of these ultra-spooky Kiwi browns.

Dale keeps me apprised of the wanderings of the fish as daylight fades, making it tougher for me to pick out the shadowy figure as it lazily moves about.

He suggests trying a different fly pattern, a spinner as I recall. Stubbornness is one of my long suits, however, and I’m either going to get this fish on the caddis, or fail trying.

Dale’s suggestion is barely out of his mouth when I see the fish open his, slowly inhaling the caddis. I don’t want to set the

hook too fast; that’s death in New Zealand.

The Kiwis have a saying that once you see a fish take your fly, say to yourself, “Into my bag, you big brown beauty,” before setting the hook. I favor the shorter version, whispering, “God save the Queen,” then setting the fly. Regardless, the hook is set.

I stand up just as the fish runs right at me faster than I can strip in my line. He passes me through the small outlet from the spring into the open water of the river. Now he’s the one stripping line, but this time it’s off my reel.

A spirited battle ensues and doesn’t end until I’ve horsed the fish back into the outlet, where Dale helps me land and release it. Time distorts size, but I’m sure this fish was a minimum of 26 inches and just a beautiful specimen.

That was my last cast of that particular trip to New Zealand’s South Island, one that began with a fish on a lucky first cast.

Rest assured, there were plenty of fruitless casts in between; that’s trout fishing Kiwi style – lots of disappointment interspersed with incredible rushes of adrenaline.

And one of the great things about fishing in New Zealand is that when it’s mid-winter here, it’s mid-summer there. If you decide to flee Missoula’s gray winter skies for the sunny ones Down Under, here are a few things to keep in mind. (I should mention that all four of my trips to New Zealand have been to the South Island, so I can’t speak with any authority on conditions on the North Island.)

Fly patterns If I could take just one pattern, it would be a parachute Adams. But all the permutations of the Adams family should be high on your list of what to tie for a trip to New Zealand – parachutes, standard ties with hackle-tip wings and poly-winged patterns in both white and gray are my favorites. And have them ready in sizes from 12-18.

Along those same lines, gray Wulffs in 14s and 12s can be very effective and as a bonus they stand up well to the toothy Kiwi browns.

Caddis patterns can be quite effective.

My favorite is the spent partridge variety which I believe works best in low light on slack water. Elk-hair caddis, as well as the LaFontaine caddis pupa, should be in the box as well.

Standard attractor patterns like royal Wulffs, red or green humpies, and a variety of mayfly patterns in different colors will cover most surface activity. Stimulators can occasionally elicit strikes and you should

continued on page 54

Balance: the life of business,

the business of living.

w o m e n ’ s

s y m p o s i u m

Saturday, February 14, 2009 Hilton Garden Inn in Missoula - 8am - 5pm Keynote Speaker:

Carol Grace Anderson “Getting Fired Up Without Burning Out”

www.discovermbn.com missoula.com magazine

15

missoula cooks

In the foreground is the braided challah before the second rise, and in the background a baked challah.

The baked bread is about triple the size of the unrisen loaf.

A loaf of biblical portions by greg patent photos by michael gallacher

T

he winter months are a great time for baking yeast breads.

The oven heat not only warms the kitchen, it generates tantalizing aromas to whet the appetite.

One of my favorite breads is challah, the Jewish Sabbath bread. This braided loaf, golden and tender from eggs and oil, is steeped in tradition and symbolism.

To set it apart from the ordinary weekday loaf of whole wheat bread, it is made with white flour, sugar or honey for sweetness, and oil and eggs to symbolize richness of spirit. Traditionally, challah was baked on Friday, in advance of the admonition that Saturday be a day of rest where no work of any kind was allowed.

Today it is baked and eaten any day of the

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week.

The term challah means “portion,” and biblical law directed that a small piece of dough or bread be set aside as a gift for the Jewish rabbis, who had no income of their own. Today, this commandment applies more to professional bakers than the home cook, as it involves batches of challah using five pounds of flour.

B

read baking began more than 5,000 years ago in the area known as the Fertile Crescent, a region that today includes Israel, Lebanon, parts of Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Turkey, Egypt and Iran.

There weren’t any supermarkets then where one could buy packets of dried yeast. Instead, bakers “trapped” wild

yeasts by setting out vessels containing flour and water, which acted as yeast magnets. Periodic “feeding” of the cultures with more flour and water produced a sourdough, and all ancient leavened breads began their existence this way.

This recipe makes a large, spectacular four-braided loaf. You begin by making a “sponge,” a mixture of flour, yeast and water that results in the production of more yeast cells and begins the development of the bread’s flavor. The resulting bread is moist and tender and is delicious plain or spread with butter.

Challah makes excellent sandwiches, toast, and when a day or two old, sensational French toast.

continued on page 18

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3

4

5

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Follow the step-by-step photos for the braiding.

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missoula.com magazine

Sponge • 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose

flour or bread flour, or a combination • 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) rapidrise (instant) yeast • 1/4 cup hot water (125˚ to 130˚F)

Dough • 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour or bread flour, or a combination • 2 teaspoons salt • 6 tablespoons sugar • 2 large eggs beaten with 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature • 6 tablespoons vegetable oil (safflower, olive, peanut or a combination) • 1 /2 cup tepid water, plus more if needed

Topping

Sesame seeds or poppy seeds

Note on measuring flour: Dip a dry measuring cup into the flour container, fill the cup to overflowing, and sweep off the excess with a straight edge to level the contents of the cup. Don’t shake or bang the cup. One cup of flour measured this way weighs 5 ounces (140 grams).

F

or the sponge, stir together 1/2 cup flour and yeast in the large bowl of an electric stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Add 1/4 cup hot water and stir well with a wooden spoon to make a smooth sticky mass of dough. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let the sponge rest for 1 hour at room temperature. The sponge will double or triple in volume and be full of bubbles.

To make the dough, add the 4 cups flour, salt and sugar to the sponge. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the beaten eggs, covered, to use as a glaze, and add the remaining eggs to the sponge. Add the oil and water and stir well with a wooden spoon to make a shaggy-looking mass. Cut down into the dough repeatedly and stir it around for a minute or two until it coheres into a roughlooking lump.

If using a stand mixer, attach the dough hook and knead the dough on medium-

low speed for about 5 minutes to make a smooth, elastic, supple, non-sticky dough.

If necessary, adjust the consistency of the dough with small additions of water.

Remove the dough from the mixer and knead for a minute or so on an unfloured surface. Add additional flour if the dough is sticky, but only enough to make it manageable.

If making the dough by hand, knead the dough in the bowl until it comes together into one coherent lump. Then knead the dough for about 5 minutes on your work surface until it is smooth, elastic, supple and not sticky. Add additional flour if the dough is sticky, but only enough to make the dough manageable.

Wash and dry the mixing bowl and coat it with cooking spray or brush it lightly with oil. Add the dough and turn to coat both sides. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at a cool room temperature (65 degrees is ideal) until doubled in size, about two hours.

Line a large (17-by-11) baking sheet or large (17-by-14) cookie sheet with cooking parchment. Have ready the reserved egg, a pastry brush, and either some sesame seeds or poppy seeds.

continued on page 56

here’s the recipe for an evening of fun.

Start with the aroma of something special simmering on the stove.

Stir in the expertise and passion of Missoula’s nest chefs. Layer in a good dose of learning and laughs. Then nish with a delicious sampling from a menu of always unique culinary creations. And voilá – you have another terric evening in the Good Food Store’s cooking classroom. Whether up to their elbows in a hands-on class or kicking back in a demonstration class, our guests do have a good time.

So stop by the customer service desk or visit goodfoodstore.com to see what’s cooking in the weeks ahead.

Then join us for a class. And help stir up the next night of fun.

1600 S. 3rd St. West

|

Missoula

|

541.FOOD

|

www.goodfoodstore.com missoula.com magazine

19

22008 0 08

the best of 20

missoula.com magazine

Our photographers remember the year just past through their favorite photographs.

2

1

3 1 MICHAEL GALLACHER: Enrique Marquez Banda makes just over $2 an hour herding sheep on Mount Jumbo and the North Hills as part of the city of Missoula’s noxious weed control program.

2 MICHAEL GALLACHER: When then-presidential hopeful Barack Obama came through Missoula in April, he was treated like a rock star by the packed house at Dahlberg Arena. Having both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in Montana on different occasions were some of my high points for the year.

3 Kurt Wilson: Dayton Elementary kindergarten students MacKinly Corrigan and Jesse John Uski play on the swings outside the 98-year-old school during recess. Down to seven students less than five years ago, the school has 45 kids enrolled now. missoula.com magazine

21

4 4 Kurt Wilson: A long-eared owl is held for banding where it was captured near Charlo by researchers at the Owl Research Institute led by Denver Holt. The long-eared owl study has been a consistent project for the institute for all of its 20 years.

5

5 TOM BAUER: Justin Lawrence and his 4-year-old daughter Kaelyn sit amidst some of Lawrence’s collection of KISS memorabilia at their home in Clinton last March. Lawrence, whose obsession with the band began when he was in kindergarten, says the items are barely the start of his collection.

6 Linda thompson: The wreckage of a Montana Rail Link 19-car derailment lines the Clark Fork River near Plains, where approximately 37 tons of soybeans spilled from the train cars into the river.

7 SWAN RELEASE: TOM BAUER: Kat Imhoff, right, state director for The Nature Conservancy, holds a trumpeter swan prior to a release of the birds onto a pond at the Two Creek-Monture cattle ranch in May. Biologists hope to create a self-sustaining swan population in the Blackfoot Valley.

8 MICHAEL GALLACHER: This photograph of Hillary Clinton, taken at the Neptune hangar on her stop in Missoula last April, was my favorite from the presidential primary campaign. I thought it captured the stark reality of political campaigns: When all is said and done, the candidate is truly alone in the crowd.

9 LINDA THOMPSON: Illinois Sen. Barack Obama walks the stage of a rally at the Adams Center while campaigning for the Democratic nomination for president. “This is our moment. This is our time. We will transform this country,” says Obama.

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10 Kurt wilson: School girls from the Amish community near St. Ignatius line up before starting their noontime softball game. From left, the girls are Emily Miller, 10, Debra Miller, 9, Hannah Miller, 13, Heidi Miller, 13, Kaylene Yoder, 12, and Melanie Beachy, 12. Both boys and girls play almost every school day.

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LINDA THOMPSON: Gary Tobol, a 15-year employee of Stimson Lumber Co., stands on his front porch across from the mill after it was announced the Bonner plant would shut down indefinitely. “I’ve been into logging most of my life,” says Tobol. “It would have been nice to stay open a little longer. ... It’s just tough all over.”

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TOM BAUER: A wildfire on Mount Sentinel glows on the hillside behind the clock tower of Main Hall on the University of Montana campus in July.

GARAGE DOORS & OPENERS

Wayne-Dalton of Missoula 5657 Alloy South Missoula, MT 59808 406-728-6243 www.wayne-dalton.com

life’s front door

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are between the lines photos by kurt wilson

B

ob Phinney is clearly a photographer.

Standing in front of his myriad street vistas, the viewer can see nearly all the elements of fine photography – curious angles, tight composition, blur and effect, even a semblance of irony.

The one thing that is missing, however, is obvious enough: Phinney doesn’t work with a camera.

Instead, the Florence artist, so dazzled by what he calls the “funky stuff” of Missoula’s landscape, captures the Garden City’s concrete corners and urban byways with masterful sketches and paintings.

“It’s Zootown, and it’s quirky, and it’s got some really funky stuff in it,” says Phinney, who was born in Lewistown and moved back to Missoula 10 years ago after a career in Seattle. “There’s a lot of subject matter in Missoula, just sitting right here.”

Phinney is pointing to Higgins Avenue, his view out the windows of the Gibson, Schweyen & Englund Gallery and Studio downtown, where his work is most prominently displayed in Missoula.

Phinney has created hundreds of smallscale sketches, drawings, paintings and combinations thereof of Missoula and the

by jamie kelly

surrounding area, most of them of the life and architecture of the city and surrounding area.

And always, he approaches the craft as a photographer approaches a scene.

“It is like looking through a camera and composing,” says Phinney, a Montana State University graduate who has also shown his work in Seattle and Butte, as well as numerous galleries around Missoula.

“It’s different for every picture. It’s not always shape, but shape is a big factor. I’m looking for harmony in my subject, and by participating in that, I’m creating harmony for myself.”

D

udley Dana, owner of the Dana Gallery next door, featured Phinney’s sketches and small- and large-scale paintings for several years beginning in 2002.

“He’s been one of my favorite artists for a long time,” says Dana. “His take on Missoula is pretty unique, and his paintings are so energetic. It’s clear that he’s in love with Missoula.”

Phinney’s street scenes will be quite familiar to anyone who knows Missoula as a city.

To see Bob Phinney’s sketches and paintings, visit the Gibson, Schweyen & Englund Gallery and Studio in downtown Missoula, 248A N. Higgins Ave. missoula.com magazine

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The Roxy Theatre from Sixth Street, Missoula Textile in the hulking shadow of Mount Sentinel, the old Crystal Video on a starry night, and coffee talk in the interior of Break Espresso. Right now, more than 100 of Phinney’s works are available at the gallery.

While a photographer’s eye is evident, there is little else to suggest realism.

Phinney’s work ranges from nearly cartoonish sketches to colorful abstraction – and deliberately so. His job is not just to depict what’s there, but also what needs to be said.

“There’s a lot of play involved,” he says.

“Why should I do what a photographer does? To me, the point is to be involved in the creative process and to validate my perception and to find something unique, discover something that wasn’t there.”

It’s an artistic philosophy that Phinney teaches students in his workshops and classes – what he calls “being in the present” while working.

“It’s only about 10 to 20 minutes, but there’s a sense of elation and connectedness and being in the present that you don’t get being in front of a big canvas,” he says. “It’s like a Zen practice, a meditation.”

Dana, who works mostly in photography outside of his job as gallery owner and psychologist, once took one of Phinney’s sketching and painting workshops.

“The thing about Bob is that he’s just such a fantastic teacher,” says Dana. “He’s one of those artists who thinks that you can’t really paint unless you can draw. So we couldn’t paint anything until the second day.”

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hile in Seattle working in the sign business – “a practical, valuable and marketable” way to make a living – Phinney joined an art league, where he first saw painters working from still life in the city.

“I was blown away,” he says. “It was beautiful and inspiring. It made me realize that I wanted to deal with what’s there.”

Dana agrees that Phinney is accomplished at depicting “what’s there.”

“He doesn’t leave things out,” he says.

“He’s very true to what he draws and paints.

If there are telephone wires there, then there are telephone wires (in the drawing).

In one painting of an alley behind Kinko’s, he’s even got this little satellite dish in there. Bob is very honest that way.”

When Phinney and his wife Deanna returned to Montana 10 years ago, Phinney set out to “follow my bliss” as an artist.

So he and Deanna scoured the scenery for a place to live, and eventually landed in the hills outside of Florence.

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Phinney was home, the city just 15 miles down the road.

“I remember when he came back,” says Dana. “He was just homesick as hell, painting his tail off. I remember him being outside, and it’s freezing and he’s wearing gloves, but he’s just sitting out there in his chair painting the courthouse.”

The Missoula County Courthouse, with its iconic dome, was hardly the only source of architectural inspiration for Phinney. Turns out that Missoula had plenty to offer, in the city and outside of it.

“It’s a nice mixture of nature and urban, together,” he says. “There’s such a diversity here. It’s not all cowboys and not all farmers, like Lewistown. I guess in a cheesy kind of way, it’s always nice to have contrast in your work.

“There’s a lot that’s immediately tasty.

Then again, there’s beauty in the kitchen sink and the alley, if the light is right.”

Jamie Kelly covers arts and entertainment for the Missoulian. He can be reached at 523-5254 or at jkelly@missoulian.com.

Kurt Wilson is the Missoulian’s photography and multimedia editor. He can be reached at (406) 523-5244 or at kwilson@missoulian.com.

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amidst the backdrop Mon ta na

By Kim

T

his is Montana, but that’s Canada just beyond the horizon.

It’s your basic A.B. Guthrie/Ivan Doig/Piegan and buffalo/Sweetgrass Hills/ missile silos and oil derricks landscape, what some would call nothingness.

And that’s just the backdrop.

Up front are the Spinning Marvels, a trio of short-skirted, bespectacled, rollerskating girls performing on a hardwood floor at the Marias County Fair in Shelby in 1958.

Their acrobatics grace the cover of the newest Montana Historical Society calendar, which in 2009 is dedicated to the history of Montana sports in society. For 8 1/2 bucks, or free to society members, you get sepia-toned glimpses of a curling team

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a nd Sports Br igge m a n

from Butte and Fanny Sperry Steele riding a bronc at the Gilman Stampede outside Augusta in 1919.

There’s an impromptu boxing match at state Sen. Kenneth McLean’s sheep shearing camp near Miles City in 1905, photographed by Evelyn Cameron.

“Looking at the boxers’ faces, it doesn’t look like a grudge match,” said Richard Sims, director of the Historical Society. “Just guys having some sport.”

L.A. Huffman captured a behind-thehooves shot of three racehorses pounding down the dusty track at the Custer County Fairgrounds in Miles City. Spectators on the infield sit astride their own mounts or on horse-drawn buckboards.

With just a few exceptions, there’s sky.

It stretches, obviously blue, over January’s shot of downhill ski racers dwarfed by snow ghosts at the top of what’s probably Big Mountain in Whitefish. It silhouettes September’s “timeless rodeo scene” of a cowboy catapulting spurs to the heavens – and head pointed the opposite direction – from the rear end of a high-kicking bareback bronc.

August brings Logger Days in Libby.

Two widely disparate-looking men on opposite ends of a crosscut saw (aka, the misery whip) do their thing as timekeepers and judges look on.

“That’s one of my favorite pictures, because I’ve been there,” Sims said. “I’ve worked the ol’ crosscut saw myself. I feel their pain.”

The Spinning Marvels show their talents at the Marias County Fair in Shelby in 1954.

“That was one of the very least dangerous (stunts) we did,” says Mary (Skeslien) Welker today. She’s the one being spun in the photograph.

Montana Historical Society

A women’s basketball game in Missoula includes player Jeannette Rankin (third from left), who later represented Montana in the United States Congress.

Montana Historical Society

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T

he state Historical Society puts out one of these calendars each year, as a gift to current members and a lure to potential ones. Last year the theme was quilts, in full color. A couple of years before that the focus was on cooking, combining recipes with historic photos of culinary settings.

Sports have historically helped knit together isolated communities in this wideopen state “as kids travel a long way on a team bus to play basketball or eight-man football,” Sims said.

But you won’t find many garden variety sports shots in the calendar. The

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only sign of a basketball is in a photo accompanying an essay at the front. Women in bloomers are playing on an outdoor field in west Missoula, with a derby-wearing referee and spectators on the sideline.

The caption identifies the player third from left as Jeannette Rankin, future U.S. congresswoman.

The football photo also focuses on women, a dozen of them cross-armed in a team photo of the Havre girls’ gridiron team of 1924.

The paradox of too many historical photos is that a side slab of the history is missing. A moment is frozen in place and

time, but what time? Which place?

September’s flailing bronc rider is unidentified, as is the rodeo arena in which he’s taking flight and the year in which he’s doing it.

So the sleuthing begins. There are no billboards on the white rodeo chutes, so we’re immediately back to, say, the 1960s.

Rodeo dress is mostly timeless, but hat styles have apparently evolved. Those that crown the visible heads of men in the background are high-crowned, tight-fitting affairs, again emblematic of the pre-1970s.

And what about the boy in a white T-shirt who sits on the fence? He’s wearing

Top Photo: Three racehorses and their riders pound down the stretch at the Custer County Fairgrounds in Miles City.

L.A. HUFFMAN/Montana Historical Society A boxing match in a hand-held ring provides entertainment at the sheep camp of state Sen. Kenneth McLean in 1905.

EVELYN CAMERON/ Montana Historical Society missoula.com magazine

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white high-top sneakers and his pant legs are cuffed. Aha! It’s the 1950s, or we miss our guess. The venue could be anywhere, though the best bet is it’s in central or eastern Montana. This sky is unfettered by mountains.

“Cars are really the telling things” in dating a photo, Sims said. But he adds, “That’s part of the fun is maybe people helping fill in the missing information.”

W

hich brings us back to the Spinning Marvels. Who were these young ladies, putting on a show on a cloudy July day on a wooden platform next to the racetrack in Shelby in 1958?

Top Left: Several fishermen compete in a fishing derby at the Montana State Industrial School in Miles City in the early 1950s. Montana Historical Society

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Well, that was Kay Cochran (now Weiser) spinning Mary Skeslien (Welker), with Roxie Mitchell (Allred) standing in the background. It was a four-girl act. The other spinner, Linda Lux (Johnson), isn’t in the photo.

“That was one of the very least dangerous (stunts) we did,” observed Welker, the only Spinning Marvel who calls Shelby home 50 years later.

“We’d get on their shoulders, two on the ground and two on the shoulders, and they were spinning while we were on their shoulders,” she said. “And there was one called the double-back bend, where there were two spinning and two doing the double

Top Right: World champion lady bronc rider Fanny Sperry Steele rides a steer at the Gilman Stampede in September of 1919. Montana Historical Society

back bends over their arms.”

Mitchell’s grandparents owned the roller rink in Shelby, and her father, Roscoe, performed in a spinning act in his youth. That’s how the girls got started.

Cochran was a freshman in high school and the other three eighth-graders when the act was launched.

The ’58 fair in Shelby was the “first time we really performed for anyone,” Allred said.

It wasn’t the last. For the next four years, as the girls went through high school, “Grandpa Roy” Mitchell hauled them to gigs in his Volkswagen van – to county fairs and events from Kalispell to Scobey, and

Bottom Left: Unidentified sawyers vie on the “misery whip” in the crosscut competition at Logger Days in Libby in an undated photo.

BILL BROWNING/Montana Historical Society

Bottom Right: This undated photograph shows skiers likely at the top of Big Mountain near Whitefish. BILL BROWNING/ Montana Historical Society

from Billings to Lethbridge. They were even on TV a few times.

“Roxie’s grandfather put together two pieces of plywood for us, 8-by-8 feet, and we had to stay on that little square,” she said. “That was our floor. We packed that little thing everywhere.”

To a basketball tournament in Cut Bank … to a talent show in Taber, Alberta, where they took second prize.

“At the time it was new and different,” Allred said. “No one else was doing what we did. There were other roller skating acts, maybe not in Montana but throughout the country. The unusual part was it was four teenage girls. Usually there were men involved, because there was a lot of lifting.”

“We had a lot of fun, and I think we each made $25 a night,” said Welker.

The girls got married and went their separate ways after high school. Allred lives in Mansfield, Ohio, and Weiser is in Indianapolis. Johnson lives in Great Falls.

They keep in touch and three years ago got together in Helena for a spin down memory lane.

It’s not known who was taking pictures of the Marvels in Shelby that day in 1958. But a similar shot showed up in historian Michael Malone’s “Montana Century,” published in 1999, and more recently in a junior high Montana history text book published by the state historical society.

Allred recently visited her mother, who lives in Missoula.

“I knew this calendar was around, but we went to the Book Exchange in Missoula and there it was, on display,” she said. “I was … I couldn’t believe it.”

She experienced a moment of pride and surprise, Allred said, “mostly because when we did it, this was not our intention.”

“I mean, we’re all, like, 63 years old now. At the time we were, what, 13, 14, 15? Our intention was not the Olympics or anything. We just had a lot of fun and my grandparents and parents, and (the other girls’) parents were all very supportive.

“We just had opportunities to do this and we did it, but it wasn’t like any kind of plan that 50 years later somebody would put us on a calendar.”

Kim Briggeman is a reporter for the Missoulian and longtime history buff.

He can be reached by e-mail at kbriggeman@missoulian.com.

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HOPE

HEALTH

missoul a aid to Hondura s written by Michael moore

I

photos by michael gall acher

f Missoula Medical Aid was born in a hurricane, its current midlife incarnation is a bright sunny day that fends off the occasional thunderstorm and delivers nothing but goodness and fair weather.

But that was hardly a predictable forecast back in the fall of 1998, when Hurricane Mitch roared through Honduras.

Bill Woody, owner of a fledgling Missoula business called Nightingale Nursing, was watching television coverage of the hurricane one night and noticed the relief effort by the group Doctors Without Borders.

“I instantly thought, ‘We should do that,’ ” Woody recalled recently.

The idea wasn’t terribly well received by his coworkers, but Woody was on to something.

Nightingale Nursing, which provided full-time nursing care, had just lost a patient, and Woody had a handful of nurses with nothing to do.

“I didn’t want to lose them for lack of work, so it seemed natural to me that we could maybe send them to Honduras to help out,” Woody said.

Only U.S. relief agencies working in Honduras didn’t

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want people, just money. But one of Woody’s employees knew someone who worked for a relief agency with offices in Honduras, Save the Children.

“When we finally reached them, they said they had plenty of money, but they needed bodies on the ground,” said Woody.

“And that was what we had.”

Within a matter of weeks, through the goodwill of Missoula and lots of hard and sometimes disorganized effort, Missoula Medical Aid rumbled to life.

And by Nov. 27, 1998, a dozen medical providers, two translators, a self-described builder and two journalists from the Missoulian were on the ground in San Lorenzo, a small sultry town in southern Honduras that had been ravaged by floods.

They found a land torn asunder from its roots, a hospital that spent two weeks filled with water and a desperate people in need of all manner of medical care.

But they also found a calling.

Ten years later, about 250 people from Montana have gone to Honduras to lend a hand, working in the small towns and mountain villages, doing everything from medicine to agriculture to building houses.

Opposite page: A month after Hurricane Mitch, the San Lorenzo Hospital still lacked basic lifesaving equipment and medicines that we take for granted in the states. Top Left: Hurricane Mitch pounded the mountain town of Pespire, killing hundreds and washing away the remains of those long passed. Top Right: A woman waits patiently for someone to attend to her ailing baby at a field clinic in Nacaome. Bottom Left: Cindy Jimmerson spent her first day in San Lorenzo, Honduras, back in 1998 attempting to save the life of a 50-day-old boy suffering from pneumonia and dehydration while the child’s mother looked on at right. A former Life Flight nurse with St. Patrick Hospital, Jimmerson joined a hastily organized group of doctors and nurses from western Montana to help meet the needs of Hondurans devastated by Hurricane Mitch. Missoula Medical Aid still has an outreach program in Honduras. Bottom right: The devastation of Hurricane Mitch was overwhelming at times for the Missoula Medical Aid team.

“It’s really quite remarkable what’s happened, and there’s a very strong tie between Missoula and Honduras now,” said David Cates, who serves as executive director of Missoula Medical Aid. “I think that we have something solid in place that will last through the years.”

K

risty Rauch, an OB-GYN in Missoula, was on that first trip. In fact, Woody gives her credit for bringing his idea to life.

“Without Kristy’s enthusiasm, we might not have gotten off the ground,” Woody said.

Rauch turns the praise back to Woody, but the fact is, that first relief trip to Honduras was something she’d always wanted to do with her medical career.

“I love new things and travel and the chance to help out, and I always imagined that medicine would make it possible for me to do that,” said Rauch, who will return to Honduras with MMA in January. “It’s a case where the profession really opened a door for me, and now it’s opened that door for so many other people in Missoula.”

Rauch has now been to Honduras seven times. She’s become a welcome fixture in the San Lorenzo hospital, but it wasn’t always that way.

On that first visit, which came on the heels of four feet of water coursing through the hospital’s halls, Missoula doctors and nurses were viewed with a skeptic’s eye.

“I think there’s always the chance that people will feel that we are there to judge them,” said Cates. “The best thing about our ongoing commitment to these towns is that people know us now.

They know Kristy when she shows up in the hospital.

Now, instead of sidelong glances, Rauch gets hugs and kisses.

“One of the docs that I’ve gotten to know over the years, he has us over to his house for dinner now,” she said. “He wants me to do procedures so he can see how we do it in the U.S.” Cates knew that part of measuring success in Honduras would be establishing trust. Rauch sees that trust every time she goes south.

“I think they know they can depend on us now,” she said.

“We’ve got their backs.”

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. . . I ’ v e f o u n d t h at t h e co mm i tm e n t t h at Missoul a medical a i d h a s to t h e s e f e w p l a c e s i s r e a l ly r e wa r d i n g . . . To p r o v i d e t h at c a r e to them has been pretty i n s p i r at i o n a l . ” - Dr. Andy Puckett

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onduras has come a long way since Hurricane Mitch dumped 25 inches of rain in the south in less than three days. More than 8,000 people died and many more were unaccounted for. Property damage was almost incalculable, and the country is still recovering.

Yet, for people like Rauch and Cates, who regularly spend weeks in-country, the changes are heartening.

“We’ve seen the effect of our own work, and we’ve seen Hondurans making changes on their own for the better,” Rauch said. “There’s still so much to be done, though, and there’s always a part of you that’s frustrated that you can’t do more.”

Although MMA’s primary mission is medical, the group has been moving into areas that affect health but aren’t direct medical aid. MMA and Save the Children have been working with farmers in northern Honduras to improve crop yields and storage, Cates said. MMA has also worked to improve basic nutrition in the backcountry villages it visits.

“Those sorts of changes, they’re very important to health, particularly for kids,” said Cates. “It’s clear that when you’re feeding children better, you are going to have better outcomes where their health is concerned.”

For the past several years, in addition to visiting San Lorenzo, Missoula Medical Aid has also been setting up shop in La Esperanza, a mountain town in the north. The group still travels into smaller communities, but the hospital treatment in town is focused on orthopedics.

below: Dr. Steve Yoder shares a laugh with a group of children waiting in line to see him.

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Missoula doc Andy Puckett was drawn to that mission by David Cates.

Puckett, like Rauch, had always imagined that he might take his expertise to the Third World someday.

“I really thought it would be with a group like Doctors without Borders, which goes everywhere,” he said. “But I’ve found that the commitment that Missoula Medical Aid has to these few places is really rewarding. We are treating people there in La Esperanza who would otherwise never receive care. To provide that care to them has been pretty inspirational.”

As rewarding as the work is, Puckett and Rauch always leave the country knowing there is so much more to be done.

“I guess there’s a certain frustration in knowing no matter what you do, there is so much undone,” Rauch said. “I guess that’s what keeps us coming back.”

Coming to terms with that frustration is part of makes Cates so valuable to MMA. “David understands the culture so well, he’s able to put us more at ease about all the things that don’t get done,” said Phil Gardner, an ear, nose and throat specialist who took part in the first post-hurricane trip and recently returned. “He keeps us grounded in what’s possible.”

right: The grace of the Honduran people is evident in the face of 64-year-old Juan Umberto Rivera and his 10-year-old nephew, Edwin Jesues Aguilar.

Opposite page:

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A

Above: Nurse Mary Huddle, right, helps a Honduran nurse deliver a baby in the spartan San Lorenzo Hospital birthing room.

Below: Dr. Phil Gardner, center, removes a tumor from the throat of a Honduran woman while Dr. Kristi Rauch, left, assists.

“The few modern things that they have here really make things worse,” said Gardner of the hospital. “There’s a facade.

It seems like a real hospital, but it’s not.”

Below: The team dealt with long lines wherever they went. “These people aren’t sick because of Mitch,” said team leader Steve Yoder at the time. “This is the constant state of affairs. Mitch just makes it worse.” right: The church at Laure was badly damaged when Hurricane Mitch fueled a small stream into a raging torrent that swept through the village. The medical team treated more than 400 people in one day at the Laure clinics.

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merican doctors have pretty lofty expectations for their workplaces. Those expectations go out the window when working in the Third World.

On that first trip 10 years ago, a pig in the hospital hall was simply that. A fly circling the surgically cut hole in a woman’s throat became just a fly instead of an unspeakable horror.

“Things are so much different than that first trip, but it’s never going to be like working here,” said Gardner.

Last time, for instance, one of Gardner’s patients had just been gored by a bull.

“You just have to put yourself in a different head space when you’re there,” he said. “Sometimes you can just provide the most basic service, because of a lack of equipment or supplies, or sometimes because of the conditions.”

But what Gardner and every other doc and nurse who’ve traveled to Honduras have come to understand is this – sometimes the simple act of providing care is enough.

“There’s an appreciation for what we do that you don’t often see,” Rauch said.

The reason is simple; the expectations just are not the same.

On Gardner’s last visit, one of his patients had a badly abscessed tooth. The same person in Montana would have required additional dental work to replace the tooth and perhaps brighten the smile.

“But this guy, he just wanted the tooth out,” Gardner said. “That’s the best thing that could happen to him that day, so that’s enough.”

Cates said part of growing into the mission of serving Honduras is understanding both sides of one’s limitations.

“The needs are vast and expansive, all over the country,” Cates

said. “What we’ve learned to do is pick off manageable pieces of the puzzle and set to work fixing them. You can’t fix everything, but once you come to terms with that, the good things you can do are all the more meaningful.”

And that, for doctors like Kristy Rauch, is enough.

“It’s taken me a while to come to terms with the mission, but for me, the payback is seeing the faces of people when we arrive every year,” she said.

“They are geniunely glad to see us, and they know we are committed to them for the long term. That’s a great feeling.”

Michael Moore is a reporter for the exPlore iMAGine exPerienCe leArn exPlore Missoulian who traveled to Honduras exPerienCe leArn iMAGine exPerienCe leArn with Missoula Medical Aid on its first trip iMAGine exPerienCe leArn exPlore iMAGine exPlore iMAGine exPerienCe leArn exPlore 10 years ago. He can be reached at (406) 523-5252 or by e-mail at mmoore@missoulian.com.

Missoulian photographer Michael Gallacher also made that first trip to Honduras with MMA. Reach him at (406) 523-5270 or by e-mail at mgallacher@ missoulian.com.

Missoula Art Museum 335 N. Pattee Street Missoula, MT 59802 406.728.0447 www.missoulaartmuseum.org Free Admission Wednesday 12-8 Thursday – Sunday 12 -5 Located in the heart of downtown, MAM hosts over 26 thought–provoking contemporary art exhibitions from local and international artists every year. Coming in 2009: 37th Art Auction, John Armstrong Prints, Mary Ann Papanek-Miller, Coretta Kent Prints, Marie Watt: Heirlooms, Montana Triennial, Kerri Rosenstein, Roger Shimomura, Freeman Butts, and more.

Image credit: George Gogas, Judith Basin Encounter: When Charlie Met Pablo on the Open Range, detail, 1987, acrylic, 54 x 83”. MAM Collections.

Historical Museum at Fort Missoula Building 322, Fort Missoula Missoula, MT 59804 406.728.3476 www.fortmissoulamuseum.org Open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend: Mon - Sat, 10-5; Sun, 12-5 Open the rest of the year: Tues - Sun, 12-5 Established in 1975 to “Keep Missoula County’s History Alive,” the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula is located at the core of historic Fort Missoula with permanent and changing exhibits and 15 original and relocated structures on site.

Montana Museum of Art & Culture Meloy and Paxson Galleries PARTV Center The University of Montana 406.243.2019 www.umt.edu/ montanamuseum Free Admission Sept. – Apr: Tues – Thurs, 11 – 3; Fri – Sat, 4 – 8:30 pm May – Aug: Wed – Sat, 11 – 3 The exciting MMAC Permanent Collection consists of over 10,000 works of art and artifacts, including historic, contemporary and Montana regional art as well as public art on the renowned UM campus. Interdisciplinary programming is at the heart of MMAC’s mission.

Image credit: Robert DeWeese, Untitled, oil on board.

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Faith in the Game

By BILL SCHWANKE Photos By KURT WILSON and Linda Thompson

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S

he thinks he looks like Will Smith, even if his ears don’t stick out quite as far as the actor’s.

He thinks she’s an inspiration with a great sense of humor.

She’s bubbly, ready to chat and exudes seemingly boundless energy. He is softspoken and more reserved.

But the married couple playing basketball for the University of Montana share traits, too – a strong faith in God, their love of the game, and difficult pasts coupled with an optimistic belief in their future together.

Anthony Johnson signed with Montana first, recruited out of Yakima Valley Community College in Washington, where he led his team to the Northwest junior college tournament championship game

after averaging 24.4 points per game during the regular season.

Shaunte Nance-Johnson finished up at Yakima two seasons ago and spent last season coaching the Riverside Christian School team to a 22-6 record while Anthony was finishing his junior college career.

They played basketball at rival high schools in Tacoma, Shaunte at Foss and Anthony at Stadium. Months after graduation, they met – albeit not under the best circumstances.

“She was dating my best friend at the time,” Anthony recalled. But that relationship didn’t last.

“After the breakup, he was the shoulder that I cried on,” Shaunte explained, “and then later we just started to realize that we had a lot more in common – our age, the goals that we want to accomplish later on

in life. We went through the right steps to making it justified, I guess.” fter high school graduation in 2005, Anthony sat out of school for a year while Shaunte went to play basketball at Northwest Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho.

But he sent a strong message the morning she left for school.

“I proposed to her with a black rubber band,” Johnson said. “I knew I had to pull something to keep her. We were both crying.”

Shaunte said “yes” before heading to college. Over the next few months, they carried on a long-distance relationship until she returned to Tacoma, where they both worked and lived together in an apartment in his mother’s house.

When Anthony got the chance to play Division I basketball, it posed a dilemma.

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43

Shaunte obviously wanted to go to the same school, but that meant she might have to give up playing.

“Once he knew that this was the place for him, we just prayed about it because I had no connection to Montana,” Shaunte said, adding that other options had fallen through.

Shaunte accompanied Anthony on his visit to Montana and met Lady Griz assistant coach Trish Duce. She gave Duce a film of one of her junior college games.

When head coach Robin Selvig returned to Missoula and watched the film with his staff, the door opened for Shaunte.

“There were a lot of things that just really fell into place,” Shaunte pointed out. “I can only assume it was God because one, a scholarship opened up (and) two, I didn’t have any connection here and just a film, and that was the only film I had.”

B

oth players had situations in their past that could have pushed them in another, perhaps more negative, direction.

Shaunte’s parents never married. Her mother was going on 16 when Shaunte was born, and her father left for Texas when he learned of the pregnancy.

Her mother died when Shaunte was 12, and was buried on her daughter’s birthday. She and her mother had been living with her grandparents, but her grandfather died four months after her mother, “pretty much of a broken heart,” Shaunte said. Another four months later, her grandmother developed cancer in her larynx and had her voice box removed.

Shaunte’s brother developed kidney problems and may need a transplant.

Turns out Shaunte is a match and has agreed to donate a kidney when the time comes.

“Coach Selvig (still) is allowing me to have a scholarship with the possibility of having to do that (transplant) surgery,” Shaunte said.

Anthony had issues of his own to deal with, what he called a basic “inner-city story.”

He grew up with a single parent after his father left when Anthony was about 6 months old. His mother had two more boys after that and held down as many as three jobs to provide for the family.

Anthony was born in Pasadena, Calif.,

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but the family also lived in Arkansas, back in California, and finally in Washington.

“I haven’t had a place to really call home and to really grow up,” Anthony explained. “We were really, really, really poor. A lot of times we had to go without eating. My mom would definitely go without eating, just to take care of us.” or Anthony, basketball is an escape from the hardships he and his family endured.

“I know anything that I’m going through, I can pick up a basketball and forget about it for the next 40 minutes or so,” he explained. “(And) I love competition and everything that it brings.”

Shaunte said basketball has taught them a lot beyond just the game.

F

“It’s taught us dedication,” she said, “being motivated when you don’t want to do something. ... Without basketball, we wouldn’t have survived those (bad) times.”

Anthony saw other young people that weren’t involved in sports turn to other things like drugs, violence and gangs to escape from reality.

“If I didn’t have basketball, I don’t know really where I would be,” he said.

Just as basketball eases the pain of the past, it helps them see a future.

Shaunte loved her coaching experience a year ago and would like that to be an option for her.

“I find so much passion in being able to teach others the game, just because I know, with them being young, how much they

Memories

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123 South Ave • 728-5500

Anthony Johnson and Shaunte Nance-Johnson came to Missoula after Anthony was offered a basketball scholarship by Griz coach Wayne Tinkle. Not long thereafter, Lady Griz coach Robin Selvig saw a tape of Nance-Johnson in a game, and soon tapped her for his team. love it,” Shaunte explained. “At that point in their lives it’s just fun, and they want to get better. Once you’re older, it becomes sometimes a job even though you still love it.”

Anthony said he prays for help in determining how he can carry forward his love of basketball and what it’s taught him.

“I really feel like it’s God’s will for me to become something great in basketball,” Anthony said, adding that he would like to play professionally at some level. “But it’s not for just money or recognition or fame.

“I understand all that stuff’s gonna come with it,” he went on, “but it’s just to accomplish a whole other set of goals that I have.”

missoula.com magazine

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T

o keep things on an even keel, the couple – who celebrated their second wedding anniversary on Nov. 1 – often go for long periods without talking basketball at all. Sometimes, though, they discuss strategy, in conversations that can last for hours.

“She’ll be on the court, and I’m taking notes,” Anthony said, “stealing her moves.”

Shaunte said playing each other is out of the question.

“We thought it would be cute to play ‘nice’ basketball,” she said, “but it gets really intense to the point where it’s just best that we don’t, because we’ll go home upset and probably won’t talk for awhile.”

Where will they end up is another question.

“It’s kind of like where God wants us,” Shaunte said. “I mean, we didn’t expect to be in Montana, and obviously He wants us here for a reason, so we have a lot of goals to accomplish here first to see where our next step is.”

“Wherever it is, it’ll be exactly where we’re supposed to be,” Anthony echoed.

Bill Schwanke is an online reporter for the Missoulian’s Web site, Missoulian.com. He can be reached at (406) 523-0493 or by e-mail at bill.schwanke@lee.net.

Kurt Wilson is photography and multimedia editor of the Missoulian.

He can be reached at (406) 523-5244 or by e-mail at kwilson@missoulian.com.

Missoulian photographer Linda Thompson can be reached at (406) 523-5270 or by e-mail at lthompson@missoulian.com

Top photo Lady Griz Shaunte NanceJohnson looks for a pass in a game against the Boise State Broncos.

Left photo Montana Grizzly Anthony Johnson maneuvers past the competition in a close game against the Santa Clara Broncos.

missoula.com magazine

47

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bookmark

Between the Covers Books to warm those long winter nights by gwen florio photo by kurt wilson

L

ighter wallets mean that a lot of people are going to be stuck in the dark this year – as in the dark, dreary and, above all, too-short days that are winter in Missoula.

Not as many people will make February getaways to Arizona, let alone Hawaii or more exotic places where the sun is hot, the views are cool and the drinks always have those festive little umbrellas.

But there’s a silver lining. Long, gray winter days and interminable snowy nights are probably the best time of the year for reading. And reading is really, really cheap – in fact, if you use the library, it’s free. Best of all, it can take you so much farther away than even your usual snowbird haunts.

India, for starters. Fact & Fiction’s Barbara Theroux recommends “The White

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Tiger” by Aravind Adigo, winner of this year’s Man Booker prize. It’s about a chauffeur who murders his employer. Can you say class struggle?

The ultimate exotic, struggling place is probably Afghanistan. “A Thousand Splendid Suns,” by Khaled Hosseini of “Kite Runner” fame, is out in paperback now. “It’s worth curling up with,” says Theroux.

That part of the world also comes into play with a recommendation from Becky Haddad of The Book Exchange.

Enough people have already read “Three Cups of Tea” by Bozeman mountaineer Greg Mortenson; even more have heard about it, thanks to the fundraising efforts of his Central Asia Institute, which builds schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan and

particularly concerns itself with educating girls. Even if you’ve read it, pick it up again.

Mortenson’s mission can’t be stressed enough.

The most remote locale of all comes in a book mentioned by Russ Lawrence of Hamilton’s Chapter One Book Store.

“I like books that just take me away somewhere way different,” said Lawrence, and it doesn’t get much different than “The Gone-Away World,” a post-apocalyptic debut novel by Nick Harkaway, the son of espionage master John LeCarre. “I’d say it’s somewhere between William Gibson and Edward Abbey,” Lawrence said. “It’s kind of gonzo. One of the characters is even named Gonzo.“ From the far-away to the right-here-athome, Haddad liked Kate Davis’ new book,

“Falcons of North America,” which Davis, executive director of the Florence-based Raptors of the Rockies, wrote with Rob Palmer and Nick Dunlop.

And, both Lawrence and Theroux recommend “Full Court Quest: The Girls From Fort Shaw Indian School Basketball Champions of the World,” by Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith, whose title says it all.

It doesn’t, however, hint at the emotional wallop of a book that tells of a team who started playing with a soccer ball and a basket nailed to a wall, and ended up beating all challengers at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis.

“It’s just chock-a-block with Montana history, as well as a fascinating story,” Lawrence said.

More Montana history comes into play with a nod from Haddad for “Tough Trip Through Paradise,” Andrew Garcia’s account, edited by Bennett Stein, of the war between the U.S. government and the Nez Perce.

Lawrence also recommended “As Big as the West: The Pioneer Life of Granville Stuart,” by Clyde A. Milner II and Carol A. O’Connor. Like the others, it’s firmly rooted in place as it dissects the life and times of the cattle king and vigilante.

The biggest of all, in terms of Western literature, has to be “The Last Best Place: A Montana Anthology,” the weighty tome edited by William Kittredge and Annick Smith.

“It would keep somebody reading all winter long,” says Haddad.

Another collection on Lawrence’s list is “The Norman Maclean Reader,” which – along with old favorites – contains chapters from an unpublished book Maclean wrote on the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Edging toward contemporary times, Lawrence said “it’s almost too obvious” to read Ivan Doig’s new novel, “The Eleventh Man.” “It’s got everything – Montana and a sweeping history of World War II,” he said.

Lawrence also likes Kim Barnes’ new novel, “A Country Called Home” about a couple who moved from Connecticut to a remote farm in Idaho.

And, finally, he said Rick Bass’ “Winter: Notes from Montana,” is always, well, perfect winter reading.

Gwen Florio is the Missoulian’s city editor.

She can be reached at (406) 523-6268, or gwen.florio@missoulian.com.

Kurt Wilson is photography and multimedia editor of the Missoulian. He can be reached at (406) 523-5244 or by e-mail at kwilson@missoulian.com. missoula.com magazine

51

Comfort Wines for Comfort Food ...continued from page 11 fit for a queen. Pizza Margherita is actually named after the 1878 Queen consort of Italy, Margaret of Savoy. Royalty or not, this wine is an absolute delight.

Marchesi di Barolo Maraia Barbera di Monferrato, Italy ($15).

In Italian, Maraia means “little rascal,� a fitting name for this captivating wine with so much charm and personality. Made with 100 percent barbera, this wine is fresh and brimming with scents of wild berries and hints of vanilla.

The palate has bright fruit flavors, smooth tannins and structured acidity. This wine is a definite food wine and should be paired alongside your furry slippers, as well as meaty red sauces, hearty pastas and risottos.

Not in the mood for pasta? Not a problem. Cassoulet with bacon, andouille sausage and country ribs, Coq Au Vin (fancy name for a French chicken stew), slow-cooked pot roast, meatloaf or a classic cheeseburger are all comfort food sensations worth mentioning and they, too, deserve a great wine accompaniment.

Here are two more choices to keep on hand for those long, chilly evenings.

Panther Creek, Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir, Oregon ($43). With excellent

fruit concentration and intensity, this wine exudes comfort and indulgence. The bouquet carries dark cherry notes, plum, blackberry, anise, leather, vanilla and a touch of lavender.

In the mouth, the wine is creamy with sweet cherry and blackberry characters followed by rich spiced flavors of cinnamon, orange peel, black pepper, cocoa and earth.

It has great structure through the finish, with good acidity and moderate tannins that will pair beautifully with most foods.

Chateau du Cèdre, Les Prestige, Cahors, France ($25). Made

from 90 percent malbec and 10 percent tannat, this wine has strength and power alongside an extraordinary delicate edge.

The nose carries aromas of licorice, tobacco, leather and dark cherries, while the palate had deep brooding flavors of plum, dark cherries and bitter chocolate.

In the mouth, this wine is velvety with a core of ripe, peppery tannins. This wine is muscular and complex, yet well balanced.

Finish the evening with a comforting banana bread pudding topped with candied

spiced pecans and custard sauce. The absolute perfect wine to pair with this dish is the Silvan Ridge Early Muscat, Oregon ($11). This wine is fermented at a low temperature to accentuate the fresh fruit character and is like drinking the fruit right off the vine.

Bursting with aromas of peach, mandarin orange and lovely white flower blossoms, this wine has exotic and luscious flavors that mirror the nose with a lively citrus quality, refreshing acidity and light fizz to balance the sugar. The finish is clean and refreshing, with long fresh peach flavors. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Enjoy this time to stay warm, be comfy and take pleasure in a hearty dish and wine that will warm your soul – and before you know it, spring will be here and you will need to run, not walk, to the closest gym and start working it all off!

Kate Murphy is the wine writer for the Missoulian and Missoula.com magazine.

Check out her blog at KnowYourVino.com.

She can be reached at (406) 523-0486 or by e-mail at kate.murphy@missoulian.com.

Missoulian photographer Linda Thompson can be reached at (406) 523-5270 or by e-mail at lthompson@missoulian.com.

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Finding a connection not be a better fireside sipper than Slurry Bomber Stout.

As thick as you’d imagine that treesaving sludge to be, but tasting of richly roasted grains, coffee, caramel and with a blackened marshmallow nose, Slurry Bomber Stout is beer worth being contemplative with.

The Autumn Ale is brewed once a year, and all of Polson knows what is coming.

“You do that one and it smells like there’s a campfire at the brewery,” Ayers said.

A great food beer, Autumn Ale is brewed with grain that is dried over peat fires.

A

nother thing that sets Ayers aside is his ability to brew beers that appeal to the olfactory sense of a beer lover, something that is often missing as other brewers look to pack everything into the taste.

The smoke in the Autumn Ale is big and noticeable on the nose, but as you take a sip, it blends into the complex caramel malt playground.

Perhaps his best magic trick, the Flathead Cherry Ale smells like a jar of candied cherries brought to the nose, but brought to the lips, it is the essence of a light, well-balanced fruit ale.

Being the family friendly place that it is, Ayers developed a line of soft drinks and Montana’s first energy drink.

“It’s called Montana N-R-G,” Ayers said. “People ask, ‘What’s it stand for?’ I say, ‘Say it really fast.’ ” Ayers uses only white or brown sugar for his soft drinks because, he said, it provides a deeper sweetness.

Six years in, Ayers and the rest of the crew at Glacier Brewing Co. are expanding where their beers are sold, and the true sign of a satisfied brewer might be the fact that he’s building a 10-gallon brew system for trying out small batches for further production.

“Yeah, we passed where my dream ended a couple of years ago,” Ayers said.

“What better job could you have?”

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Reach Missoulian online reporter Tim Akimoff at tim.akimoff@lee.net, or via the Missoulian’s beer blog, GrizzlyGrowler.com.

Photographer Michael Gallacher can be reached at (406) 523-5270 or by e-mail at mgallacher@missoulian.com.

missoula.com magazine

53

Kiwi Brown ...continued from page 15 also have a good selection of spinners in various colors.

You’ll also need a selection of nymphs.

My favorites are the pheasant tail and goldribbed hare’s ear. Have them ready in all varieties and sizes – weighted, unweighted, gold bead heads and tungsten bead heads.

My buddy Dale is particularly adept at catching the ultra-fussy fish on very small nymphs. For his most effective pattern, he uses olive or black pheasant tail for the tail.

For the body, he uses a couple of pieces of Coates and Clark brand standard thread in either Summer Brown or Army Drab colors and one strand of black krystal flash.

Tie in at the thorax and cover it over with thread back to the tail, then twist the thread and krystal flash tightly and wind back toward the thorax, making a nice segmented body. He uses a sparkly olivebrown or peacock dubbing for the thorax.

On larger patterns, you can add legs of pheasant tail or a “beard” of pheasant tail under the hook for smaller patterns. The darker tungsten bead usually works best.

And depending on when you’re going to be there, you should have cicadas and manuka beetles, terrestrials that can be deadly in the right circumstance.

Tactics This might be the biggest difference between fishing in western Montana and fishing in New Zealand.

Here, you hope for overcast days where the insects will be more plentiful and the rises more frequent. In New Zealand, you hope for sunny (and calm, but that’s rare) days so that you are better able to peer into the water to spot fish. Rises are far more infrequent on most Kiwi waters, so you need to train yourself to pick out fish as they hold or feed below the surface. It takes practice, even in the gin-clear Kiwi streams.

Once you spot a fish, you need to be exceptionally careful about your approach.

These fish spook easily.

Pay careful attention to backwaters and eddies. More than anywhere I’ve ever fished, some of the biggest fish to be found cruise lazily around in water that is moving very slowly, if at all. Find an unobtrusive place from which to cast and try to anticipate the “beat” of the fish.

Because the fish can be so spooky, it’s often best to use a dry fly as an indicator when fishing a nymph. In slack water, you can even suspend a nymph just several inches below the dry with good results.

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missoula.com magazine

Bob Messeroll caught this Kiwi Brown on a stimulator.

Food, lodging, car rentals With all due respect to Kiwi chefs, no one goes to New Zealand for the food.

Give me some fish and chips or a chicken sandwich and I’m happy. One hint: Stay away from the whitebait sandwich. It’s exactly what it sounds like.

Lodging can be done on the cheap, particularly if you take a friend. Almost every little town has some type of campground (motorpark, as they say there) and many of those offer small cabins if you don’t want to use a tent. Many of the campgrounds have common kitchens and bathroom/shower facilities. Don’t be afraid to dicker with hotel clerks; if you’re there during a slow time, they’ll often come down in their rates if you make an offer.

Cheaper rental cars can be found by staying away from the major companies, although the cars will often have a few more miles on them. Search online and look for weekly or monthly rates, depending on your length of stay.

One thing to keep in mind: On my last trip to New Zealand, diesel fuel was far cheaper than regular gas and we were able to save a significant amount of money by renting a diesel SUV. Bob Meseroll is the Missoulian’s sports editor and writes a weekly fly-fishing column for the newspaper’s Outdoors section each summer. He can be reached at (406) 523-5265 or by e-mail at bmeseroll@missoulian.com.

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Biblical loaf ...continued from page 19 Transfer the risen dough to an unfloured surface and pat it gently to remove large bubbles. With a sharp knife, divide the dough into four equal pieces of about 10 ounces each. Roll each piece into a long even rope about 18 to 20 inches long. Move the dough back and forth under your hands, separating your hands as you extend the dough. Use gentle pressure. This is a very responsive dough and is a joy to handle. If the dough seems at all sticky, dust it very lightly with flour. If the dough resists being stretched, set it aside covered with a towel for a few minutes to relax the gluten.

Once you have four long ropes, you’re ready to braid the challah.

Align the ropes vertically in front of you and give yourself plenty of working room. Join the ends of the ropes farthest from you, pinching them firmly together.

The ropes will radiate toward you from their junction (photo 1 on page 18). Spread the ropes well apart.

Starting from the right side and moving left, mentally number the strands 1, 2, 3, 4.

For your first move, lift strand 1 over strand 2 (photo 2). Then take strand 3 and move it right all the way over strands 1 and 2 (photo 3). Arrange the strands well apart so that you can clearly see four strands.

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Now, number the strands from the left, moving right. Take strand 1 and lift it over strand 2 (photo 4). Then take strand 3 and lift it left all the way over strands 1 and 2 (photo 5). That’s the pattern you will repeat alternating right with left until you complete the braiding (photos 6-9). It’s OK to stretch the dough a little as the braids get shorter. When you reach the end, pinch the tips of the strands firmly together and tuck them under the loaf (photo 10).

When I discovered aYoutube video on challah braiding, I’d pause it after every move, rush into the kitchen across the hall from my study, perform the maneuver I’d just seen, and repeat going to my computer, then the kitchen, until I’d shaped the loaf.

Place the loaf diagonally on the prepared baking sheet. Coat the loaf lightly with cooking spray and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the loaf rise until puffed and slightly more than doubled in size, about two hours or so at a cool room temperature or about 45 minutes in a warm place (85 degrees).

Adjust an oven rack to the center position and preheat to 325 degrees in time for baking.

Discard the plastic wrap and carefully brush the challah with the reserved egg, making sure to paint all surfaces. Sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds and place the pan in the oven. Bake 30 minutes at 325

degrees. Then raise the temperature to 350 degrees and bake until the challah is wellbrowned and cooked through, another 10 to 15 minutes.

The challah is done when the probe of an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers between 195 and 200 degrees. Another way to test for doneness is to simply turn the loaf over gently with oven mitts and rap the bottom with your knuckles. You should hear a hollow sound.

Set the challah on a wire cooling rack and serve warm or at room temperature.

It’s customary to tear hunks of challah off the loaf, but it’s also perfectly OK to cut the bread with a serrated knife.

Makes 1 large loaf, about 2 1/4 pounds.

Greg Patent is a food writer and columnist for the Missoulian and Missoula.com magazine.

He also co-hosts a weekly show about food with Jon Jackson on KUFM, Sundays at 11:50 a.m. His cookbook, “A Baker’s Odyssey,” was nominated for a 2008 James Beard Award. His new cookbook, “Montana Cooking,” celebrates the food of our state.

Visit Patent’s Web site at www.gregpatent.com.

Or write him at chefguy@gregpatent.com.

Michael Gallacher is a photographer for the Missoulian. He can be reached at (406) 523-5270 or by e-mail at mgallacher@missoulian.com.

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parting shot

p.s. photo by linda thompson

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A light winter breeze sets sail to snow and ice crystals on a lone tree, as the season of light and shadows enfolds western Montana.

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