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About The Hood River news. (Hood River, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2015)
B2 Hood River News, Wednesday, April 15, 2015 ROOTS A nd B ranches By MAIJA YASUI The competition of spirit C ompetition among kids has its pros and cons. As parents and coaches it is our re- sponsibility to help keep the intensity of competition in check for our kids and provide them with life’s larger lessons. Some of the old adages I learned as a child still ring true: “It is not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.” If there is a win- ner, your opponent is a loser by its very defini- tion. With good coaches our kids learn how to be winners in every situa- tion, regardless of the final score. My children had some great coaches who were highly competitive but still kept their eye on that larger prize. My oldest son, Corey, was an all-state football player under the tutelage of coaches Burton and Drew. Don’t get me wrong, those coaches love to win, but they were just as passionate about their teams being good sports, never feeling like losers if they have given their best. A memory I hold dear is when their cham- pionship football team awarded their team “as- sistant” the most improved player award. This young man had struggled with developmental disabilities throughout his life but was an inte- gral part of the team. Blossom Craft and Quilt show happens April 18-19 at county Fairgrounds Blossom Craft Show and the Blossom Fest Quilt Show take place April 18-19, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Hood River County Fairgrounds in Odell. Admission and park- ing are free. Artists, craftspeople, and vendors from around the Northwest will be on hand offering wonderful arts and crafts, plants, garden art, handcrafted home furnish- ings and decorations, photos, dried flowers, gourmet food products, rhododendrons and azaleas, jewelry, beads, clothing, and much more. Taste award-winning wines and a w i d e variety Blossom Time of food. Events continue Odell this weekend and Garden go through April C l u b holds 26. See Panorama its an- special section for n u a l full details. plant s a l e Satur- day at the Craft Show. Hood River Valley High School FFA will be there offering a variety of plants for sale from their greenhouse both days. Plants grown by professional grow- ers will be for sale through- out the event, too. Along with garden art, decorations, and more, the show is a “must” for those who love a beauti- ful yard or who want to get a jump on their spring garden- ing. The Sunday edition of the Blossom Craft Show features the Gorge Strings perform- ing during the afternoon. The Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers will be offering tasty Hood River pears fresh from controlled atmosphere storage for sale. The Special Olympics or- ganization will there with a fundraiser to support their important work. The annual Blossom Fest Quilt Show and Sale will be in the Floral Building at the fairgrounds. More than 100 beautiful handmade quilts will be on display, with many of them for sale. This show and sale is a favorite of quilt- lovers from around the Northwest. Follow the signs to the Hood River County Fair- grounds, located at the inter- section of Wy’east and Sum- mit Roads, south of Hood River, near Odell. ■ Daughter Kim has judged every softball coach on their ability to find something great in each and every young girl who loves to play softball, re- gardless of their talent, a lesson learned from one of Little League’s greatest softball coaches, Hugh Hinman. Now my grandchildren are taking centerfield in a variety of athletic and artistic endeavors. Last weekend we watched Auni play on Fred Tru- jillo’s team, a hodgepodge of tweens and teens who just love to play softball. As the girls have gotten older, the level of competition has in- creased, which unfortunately provides more op- portunities for kids to feel like losers. Like all grandparents, our eyes were on our granddaugh- ter Aunika. We felt pride in her accomplishments, some nice hits and great catches and throws which allowed her to leave the field with her head held high in spite of some really lopsided scores. What happened to the five-run mercy rule? Fortu- nately the opposing coach instituted it to help keep the teams enthused. And when one girl was injured we were allowed to bring in her little sis- ter from the bleachers to play the final game of the day. After the game, Coach Trujillo congratu- lated each of the girls on their individual and team accomplishments, keeping their spirits high. The umpires were supportive as well, encour- aging struggling pitchers when they were “off ” or catchers when they took a few too many pitches in the gut. He even ran out to first base to high- five Auni when she made a spectacular catch. Per- haps he was just bored, but I believe he wanted to keep the love of playing the game in all of the girl’s hearts. ■ Who would think that the Oregon Battle of the Books state championship would be more competitive than baseball? In spite of a rotten cold that has been sapping my strength this last week, I headed down to Chemeketa Community College in Salem to watch Kendra and Aunika, Ji- mena, Nick and super dedicated alternate Ethan go head to head with other regional champions from across the state. Wy’east Middle School sailed through the first two rounds, showing good sportsmanship, camaraderie and understanding in spite of their nerves. As they moved through the Sweet 16 rounds into the ultimate eight, they continued to support one another. I firmly believe that if they hadn’t faced the future state champi- onship team Fern Ridge in that round, they would have gone on to face them in the finals. It was a great competition, leaving no losers in the room. They were matched perfectly, answering question after question, wowing the judges and parents alike. They kept their cool and played their hearts out. Kendra and Auni will move on to their roles in “Shrek,” with Kendra center stage as Fiona as well as directing and helping choreograph the dancers. Auni will stay behind the scenes, focus- ing on the sound and lights. Katie will perform in the Hood River Valley High School Choir spring concert. Cooper will play in his first Minors base- ball game this Monday, which promises to test the patience of Coach Sal Rivera, but who I am sure will rise to the occasion. And son Corey will con- tinue to inspire his twins and their seven-year-old classmates to enjoy running and throwing catch- ing and hitting, regardless of their understand- ing of the game. ■ Exhausted after a weekend of coughing and cheering, I curled up on the couch on Sunday and watched the end of the Masters Golf tourna- ment. There was quite the media hype about the super talented 21 year old Jordan Spieth and his role in bringing back the mania around golf that Tiger Woods had once provided. The young man didn’t appear to buy into all the hype, just play- ing quietly and determinedly throughout the af- ternoon winning handily. For me, the previous day’s event when Jack Nicklaus, the Golden Bear of golf, predicted he would make a hole in one and then did exactly that was truly the most ex- citing. It wasn’t about the competition and win- ning or losing, it was how he could still play the game at the age of 75. B irths Kayla Adkins A daughter, Kayla Joy Ad- kins, was born March 31, 2015, to Michael Lee and Jennifer D. Adkins. She weighed 5 pounds, 14 ounces and measured 19 and one quarter inches. She joins a brother, Hunter John B. Ad- kins, 2. Grandparents are Kayla H. Johnson and the late John B. Johnson of Hood River, Suzanne Adkins of San Marcos, Calif., and C.D. Adkins of Oceanside, Calif. Great grandparents are Joyleen Hobson and the late Alton Hobson of Pocatello, Idaho. Submitted photo Mike and Patty Schend on their wedding day. Schends celebrate 40th Patty and Mike Schend of Hood River celebrate their 40th wedding an- niversary on April 19. Patty, an retired grade school teacher, and Mike, retired Director of Com- munity Education, were married on April 19, 1975, in Wahpeton, N.D., where they lived before moving to the Gorge in 1980. Their children are Jes- sica “J.J.” and Kirk Whit- ney, Bend, and Sammy Schend, Portland. They have one grandchild. Mike and Patty are ac- tive members of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Mike’s involvement in the community has only slowed down slightly since retirement as he is still actively involved vol- unteering for various community org aniza- tions and activities. In their free time Mike and Patty enjoy spending time with their grand- son, Elliot, getting to- gether with friends and traveling around the world both together and with their good friends, Chuck and Becky Bugge and Forrest and Karen Bell. Stephen Curley and Tracy Ramsey Ramsey, Curley to wed this summer Tracy Ramsey of The Dalles and Stephen “Squrl” Curley of Underwood have announced their engage- ment. They will be married on August 29, 2015, in Under- wood. The bride-to-be graduated from The Dalles High School in 1980 and works at River- side Restaurant, Best West- ern Plus Hood River Inn. The future g room g raduated from high school in Westch- ester, Pa., in 1976 and is a Blues radio host, Blues music promoter and real es- tate agent. Honor attendant will be Terrie Barnhouse, longtime friend of the bride, and best man will be Guy Russel Johnson, Jr., longtime best friend of the groom. Housing needs tour comes to The Dalles Oregon Housing and Com- munity Services (OHCS) is seeking community input on how to address housing needs in Oregon, and is com- ing to the Gorge as part of the process. OHCS is developing a fed- erally required Consolidated Plan, a five year look at how to address housing needs in Oregon. The Consolidated Plan is the strategic look at how to address the housing needs and invest in services that support persons experi- encing homelessness. The agency needs community input and advice to deter- mine how we can do better in serving Oregonians with the lowest incomes. “OHCS is committed to the idea that all Oregonians have the opportunity to pursue prosperity and live free from poverty,” said Margaret Van Vliet, OHCS Director, “We are eager to hear from people across Oregon to learn more about the local housing con- ditions, and gathering input about our priorities for the next five years.” People throughout the state are struggling to pay rent, and home ownership is out of reach for many. In most communities in Ore- gon, a minimum wage earn- er must work over 70 hours a week to pay for a two bed- room apartment and still have money left over for food and other basic necessities. ■ To hear about the chal- lenges facing the residents of Oregon, OHCS is hosting several public events in com- munities across the state. Screenings of American Winter followed by a commu- nity discussion will be the fo- rums in Tillamook, Klamath Falls and The Dalles. The Gorge event will be April 17, 6 p.m. at Mid-Co- lumbia Senior Center, 1112 W 9th St., The Dalles. Folklorist speaks April 21 at Hood River Library Learn about folklife and some of the people in your community who practice tra- ditional crafts and skills. The Oregon Folklife Network presents Folklife in your community by folklorist Nancy Nusz at the Hood River Library on Tuesday, April 21, 6 p.m. The presentation is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact the Hood River Coun- ty Library District at 541-386- 2535, info@hoodriver library.org, or visit their website at hoodriverli- brary.org. A veteran folklorist, Nusz was previously the Director of the Oregon Folklife Pro- gram, which was part of the Oregon Historical Society until 2009. She is known for her stellar fieldwork, public programming, exhibits, and curriculum development. done some contract work for UNESCO in Paris, France, and is very excited to be meeting old friends and in- terviewing new ones in Ore- gon’s Columbia River Gorge region. Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts of the Oregon Folklife Network. Submitted photo JUAN ANTONIO MARTINEZ of Hood River County, playing tra- ditional music, one example of folk life Nancy Nusz will discuss at the Hood River Library event on April 21. Since leaving the Oregon Folklife Program, she has Moving means we need to sell this old beauty Honduran Mahogany $300 Provides great dish and linen storage Call 541-490-7529 or email mdogotch@gmail.com Apr. 18th Jan. 5 pm 1pm 7th or · 6pm The Oregon Folklife Net- work is administered by the University of Oregon and is supported in part by grants from the Oregon Cultural Trust, Oregon Arts Commis- sion, Oregon Historical Soci- ety, and the National Endow- ment for the Arts. CONCEAL CARRY CONCEALED CARRY PERMIT CLASS CLASS PERMIT Oregon Oregon- Utah - (valid 35-states) Washington-Utah April 28 • 1 pm & 6 pm Best Western: Red 1419 W Main Ground McMinnville Lion: 2535 St., NE Battle Cumulus Ave Utah/OR/WA: $80.00 or Oregon only: $45 The Dalles Civic Auditorium OR / Utah: (Valid in WA) $80 or Oregon only: $45 FirearmTrainingNW.com FirearmTrainingNW@gmail.com 360-921-2071
