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THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2019
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Lucy Kleiner
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BEST OF THE YEAR
OUR 9 FAVORITE WEEKEND BREAKS OF 2019
By LUCY KLEINER
The Astorian
‘MY HOUSEMATES’
By Muriel Jensen
Muriel Jensen
Claire, a Westie/
Cavalier King Charles
mix, at Thanksgiving.
In this winter Weekend Break, Muriel
Jensen provides an intimate, creative
look into her personal life as she discuss-
es her pets and writing process.
“Dog, cats and people of my imagina-
tion. Meet the characters vying for my
attention.”
T
hroughout the year, we published dozens of thought-
ful, inquisitive, exciting Weekend Break articles from
writers throughout the community. From holiday tra-
ditions to honing your gardening skills, here is a look back
at some of our favorite Weekend Break articles of 2019.
‘BREAKING BREAD DURING
THE HOLIDAYS’
By Ed Hunt
In the fi rst Weekend Break of 2019, Ed
Hunt took a look at professional cook
and caterer Micky Bates’ New Year’s
tradition of opening her home and
cooking for the community.
“Warmth and light in winter comes
from the laughter of other people, and
I fear it is too tempting to shutter our-
selves away. I look around my house,
and it is cluttered with the detritus of
daily living and the aftermath of the
holiday season. I wonder at the am-
bition of cooking for so many people
while also cleaning.
‘The older you get, the less you fuss
about things like that,’ Mickey said. ‘It is
what it is.’
What it is, is home.”
Mickey Bates dishes up salmon
chowder at her open house.
Ed Hunt
‘CONNECTING WITH THE
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE’
By Denise Reed
This April article by Denise Reed takes
a look at how music can express and
connect with the fi rst people that called
this land home. Inspired by a choral sym-
posium in Auckland, New Zealand, Reed
turned to her personal library to fi nd
music that connected to the symposium
theme “People of the Land.”
“I wanted to express through music
cultural awareness and empathy. I chose
as the North Coast Chorale’s focus piece,
‘Songs of the Earth,’ an unpublished
piece of music by Hal Eastburn. This piece
includes poetry, sayings and prayers of
Native American communities express-
ing their philosophical and spiritual
beliefs about the world and our role in it.”
Paiute petroglyph in Steens Mountain.
Roger Dorband
‘MOTHER’S DAY: ITS US
HOLIDAY ORIGINS AND HOW
FAR WE HAVE WANDERED’
By Aaron Breniman
In this festive Weekend Break, Aaron
Breniman takes a new perspective on
Mother’s Day and its evolution through
history.
Ed Hunt
A sign at Cooper Spur on Mount
Hood.
“From its early roots in the 1908 memo-
rial of Ann Reeves Jarvis to her daugh-
ter’s renouncement of its commercial-
ization, the present-day holiday’s lost its
way, but thinking diff erently can help
make it count.”
‘THE MOUNTAIN IS OUT’
MOUNT HOOD AND OTHER GODS
OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
By Ed Hunt
In this March article, Ed Hunt dis-
cusses the peaks that surround us
and the joy northwesterners feel
when the mountains are visible on
a clear spring day.
“Our volcanic peaks are majestic
gods that lie in repose among un-
tamed forests rather than jagged
ranges crowding far-off horizons.
Our mountains are mighty things
that shine when the curtain of
clouds lifts to reveal their emi-
nence. They seem personal and
singular, close enough to touch.”
SEE THE REST OF THE
BEST STORIES ON B2
Aaron Breniman and his mother near
the remains of the Peter Iredale.
Aaron Breniman
‘WEATHERING AND
REVELING IN THE
TIDES OF LIFE’
By Ed Hunt
In this Weekend Break, Ed
Hunts takes readers through
the life cycle of the familiar
salmon so dear to the people
of the Columbia-Pacifi c
region.
“Rivers are constants of
change. The river is always
moving and yet always there.
We live our lives on a river of
time only sometimes realizing
the current reduces jagged
wounds to smooth stones.”
Ed Hunt
The Klickitat River in
Washington state.