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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, August 15, 2007
den somewhat shadier than
is considered ideal, but the
plants hadn’t heard about
that. They were all growing
like gangbusters, including
sun lovers like tomatoes,
corn, and beans.
Rachel was modest to a
fault, but it was clear that
she has a brilliantly green
thumb. We plied her with
questions, and she happily
shared her knowledge with
By PEGGY KARP
Once in a great while
you have an experience that
is so unexpectedly wonder-
ful and so full of beauty and
joy that you want to share it
with as many people as pos-
sible.
That happened to me
and a small group of other
lucky people on Saturday,
Aug. 4 during the first
bicycle tour of Takilma’s
organic gardens. It was
sponsored by Spiral Living
Center, a new Illinois Val-
ley-based nonprofit organi-
zation.
We assembled with our
bikes at 9 a.m. on the park-
ing lot of Dome School, a
baker’s dozen of us of very
assorted ages, from
Na’amah, who rode in a
basket behind her mom, to
people in their 50s and 60s.
Sarah Kuhn, a young
mother and gardener at
Magic Forest Farm, organ-
ized the tour and led the
group with Barry Snitkin,
publicity director for Spiral
Living Center.
Throughout the day,
Barry, much like a friendly
border collie, would ride
back and forth on his bike,
making sure that none of us
were left behind or went
astray. From start to finish, a
palpable feeling of light-
heartedness and adventure
infused our band.
It was a perfect day,
with the temperature in the
mid-80s, and our spirits
were high.
From Dome School we
headed south on Takilma
Road a couple of miles to
our first stop at the home of
Rachel Goodman & Ron
Raven. Their lovely garden
is bordered by towering ma-
ture forest, giving it an al-
most fairytale atmosphere.
The trees made the gar-
us. She urged us to take
“anything that was ripe”
from the garden as a snack,
and then joined us as we
continued our journey.
This scenario was re-
peated with variations at
each of the gardens. All the
gardens and their keepers
exuded a spirit of generosity
and abundance. We were
invited to pick and eat any-
thing we wanted, and hap-
pily munched our way
through tender green beans,
sugar-sweet cherry toma-
toes, broccoli florets, nastur-
tium flowers, and handsful
of blueberries.
All the gardeners wel-
comed us with such unaf-
fected friendliness and
openness that we felt com-
pletely at home everywhere
we went.
Our second stop was
Doug & Alyce Kendall’s
Castles
to
C ABINS
We have
Protection You Can Trust
Linda Sallman
541-592-4541
128 S. Redwood Hwy.
Cave Junction OR 97523
Across from the new
Home Valley Bank
Mondays - Fridays, 9 to 5
Auto - Home - Life - Commercial
garden. Like Rachel and
Ron, and most of the other
gardeners, the Kendalls
came to Takilma in the early
1970s. Their land was the
site of the original Dome
School, and they shared a
photo of a class from those
early days with Alyce as a
young teacher.
The Kendalls’ garden is
divided into three areas for
rotation, with vegetables and
flowers in one, cover crop in
the next, and the third lying
fallow. Flowers mingle with
vegetables, berries, and
herbs, lending an informal
charm to the garden.
Our third stop was “The
Meadows,” a huge garden in
an exceptionally beautiful
forest setting, surrounded
entirely by BLM and U.S.
Forest Service land. Mark
Kelz, Beth Meadows, Ro-
main Cooper and Christy
Dunn have lived in this
piece of paradise for more
than 30 years and grow 100
percent of their produce.
Mark described in detail
some of the growing tech-
niques they’ve evolved. The
lushness of the garden bore
mute testimony to their suc-
cess. Then he too joined the
caravan as we continued
down to Illinois River for a
renewing dip before resum-
ing our tour.
The fourth garden,
owned by Joya Feltzin &
Bill Gray is a smaller, more
intimate setting. A spring-
fed pond with blooming
lotus lilies supplied water, as
well as a Japanese-like tran-
quility, while flowers
bloomed in happy profusion
alongside the food crops.
The fifth garden, owned
by Eric, another pioneer
Takilma settler, consisted
entirely of raised beds burst-
ing with produce, showing
how much food can be
raised in a small space.
When asked what he did
with the excess, Eric said
that he gives it away, much
preferring that to selling it.
We then proceeded to
our final stop, the Magic
Forest Farm, a small com-
mune which will celebrate
its 40th birthday next year.
Currently some seven
gardeners and their families
live and work there. Lunch
had been prepared for us,
and we gorged on zucchini
fritters, beets in garlic vinai-
grette, salad, and other deli-
cacies fresh from the gar-
den. Afterwards we strolled
about the farm, admiring the
acres of lush produce.
We biked back to Dome
School, our minds full of
vivid impressions of the
day. We had been granted a
privileged glimpse into a
world of magical beauty, a
world created by gentle,
hardworking people dedi-
cated to living in harmony
with their land and each
other. It was altogether an
inspiring, unforgettable ex-
perience.
Additional information
about Spiral Living Center
can be obtained by visiting
spiralliving.org or by
phoning 592-2693.
Beginning Wednesday, August 15
Neil Kisiela will again be teaching…
Chi Gung & Tai Chi
at the
Selma Community Center
Wednesdays at 6 p.m. & Saturdays at 10 a.m.
Wear loose, comfortable clothing.
Donation only.
For information call 592-6031
14th Annual
Over 100 Artisans
Fine Arts & Crafts
Aug. 18 & 19, 2007 • 10 am-5 pm
On the Boardwalk
Port of Brookings Harbor, Oregon
FREE • Admission • Parking • Shuttle
Demonstrations • Entertainment
Children’s Art Corner
541-469-7120 • www.artfestcoast.com
67939m
Takilma gardens two-wheel tour totally tasty
PLENTY OF BICYCLES and tents were in evidence at
Illinois Valley High School Saturday, Aug. 11 as some
260 Oregon Bicycle Ride participants encamped. They
left the next morning and will return Saturday, Aug. 18
(Photos by Illinois Valley News)
Named “Best Fine Arts Festival in 2006”
Oregon Festival & Events Association
NO PETS IN FESTIVAL AREA
Illinois Valley
Lions Club
Labor Day Festival
TALENT SHOW
Saturday, September 1 - Juniors
Sunday, September 2 - Intermediates
Monday, September 3 - Adults
Open-air stage - Jubilee Park
Prizes & Cash Awards
Entry Deadline is
Thursday, Aug. 29
For more details
or to enter
phone Donna at
541-596-2719
or Sue at
592-2252