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About The Hood River news. (Hood River, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (July 15, 2015)
B2 Hood River News, Wednesday, July 15, 2015 ROOTS A nd B ranches By MAIJA YASUI The smiles of Aya and Mr. Soup J Some folks have expressed how envious they are that I am retiring. Others have said they cannot fath- om that I will not be serving the community in some manner, and they are right. This need to serve is in my DNA, I just won’t get paid for it. Retirement has given me the luxury of more time to reach out to some new found friends, and reconnect with some of those special senior citizens long neglect- ed. I use to tell myself I just didn’t have the time to stop by and visit. But now I do, and it is immensely reward- ing. I took a very special “new” friend up to Celilo for her cancer treatment last week and was able to share in that joyous moment when she was fitted with a stunning hair piece that helped her feel whole again. Icing on the cake was the news that her mammogram was clear, just one of a multitude of tests she had ago- nized over these last few weeks. I would have missed these moments if I was still working. I was able to stop by Hawks Ridge and take Soup Fukui out for a lit- tle drive, and listen as he shared memories of early life in Dee, the hard winters that destroyed some of the crops he had so carefully tended, a short stint in the service and the pain of losing his wife and only child. He has been a peripheral part of our family for years but on this car ride his loneliness is palpable. I tell him his smile lights up a room. His twin- kling eyes remind the ■ grandkids of Santa Photo by Maija Yasui The heat took its toll on everyone, from those NEW FRIENDS Sumio “Soup” Fukui, and Ren and Aya Yasui, Claus. I don’t think he be- lieves me. harvesting the fruit, to get acquainted over lunch and bandaids. We stop at the house the bucket dumpers, trac- for lunch hoping to catch tor drivers and sorters. up with Flip and find out how the pear crop is grow- We kept saying how unusual this year’s harvest was, ing. We are in luck, not only is Flip in for lunch but but one wonders whether it will become the norm Aya and Ren stop by. Aya runs over to Soup her out- given the dire projections of global warning. stretched arms offering a hug. His smile lights up the I look south to Mt. Hood as my beacon of weather room like last week’s lightening. change. I can still see the pristine white glaciers on “Mr. Soup, you have a band aid on your head. What the north facing side so familiar to us all. The moun- happened?” she asks. “I fell” says Soup somewhat tain is breathtaking with its graceful curves and white sheepishly, brandishing a purple eye below the cover- and dark undulations, but when viewed by satellite ing. “Don’t worry” Aya consoles him, “I have one technology from high overhead, you can see that only too.” She brushes back her bangs and shows him her the upper reaches of the mountain are still snow cov- very own band aid a mirror image of his. “It’s okay ered. The vast majority of the mountain’s surface is a Mr. Soup. It will get better.” She turns on his smile deep charcoal grey, naked rock skirting most of its once again. mass, their dark jagged profile in sharp contrast to the ■ white glacial cap. An epiphany in my conceptualiza- As we ride back to Hawks Ridge Soup counsels me. tion of global warming occurred with this shift in per- “Make the most of every day and those kids and spective. If Mt. Hood is our local barometer, we have grandkids. Do you know how lucky you are?” much to do to protect its ice pack from evaporating Mr. Soup, I do know that I am truly blessed. And into thin air. you are one of my blessings. Your sweet smile lit up Choosing to view life from a different perspective is our home and the heart of a little girl. When Aya an experience I am rapidly encountering as the mo- came over this evening, she ran through the front ment of retirement from public service has come and door and asked, “Is Mr. Soup here? I want him to see gone. Adapting is an important skill set, simultane- that my head is all better.” ously fascinating and fear provoking. One thing is for We will continue some of these road trips and see certain, change is inevitable and learning how to where they take us Mr. Soup. We may not put many adapt to an ever changing physical, social and politi- miles on the speedometer, but you will fill many cal environment is crucial to survival. hearts with your smile. ULY CAME in June this year. Not only was the sun working overtime to keep the temperature in triple digits, it never seemed to set. The nights were unbelievably bright with sunrise coming be- fore the sun was laid to rest properly. It reminded me of Alaskan evenings in the land of the midnight sun. The bamboo surrounding our koi pond grew over a foot in just one day, seeming to thriving in the intense heat, while other flowers and fruit wilted in spite of an early morning sip of recycled water. Cherry harvest came a good two weeks early this year, allowing us to finish harvesting the weekend of the fourth rather than just beginning to pick on that all American holi- day. While we typically worry about rain destroy- ing the fruit’s marketabil- ity, this year we were faced with another quirk in Mother Nature’s bag of tricks, the oppressive heat softened the tender cherry morsels and re- duced their shelf life. We scrambled to get them packed and delivered to the fruit company before they lost their luster, a tell-tale sign of the per- fect cherry. First Book gives new books to local families First Book Hood River works with existing literacy programs throughout the County to distribute new books to local children who, for socio-economic reasons, have limited access to books. The mission of First Book is to increase literacy in chil- dren in Hood River County. On April 27, the Hood River Valley High School Teen Par- ent Program held the First Book Hood River book distrib- ution party. Because of a gen- erous grant First Book re- ceived this year, each child was given five books for their home libraries. Ali Church at- tended as a special guest and representative of the United Way. As a special treat chil- dren at the center read to the group, underlining the goals and benefits of the program — everyone loved their stories. First Book Hood River re- ceives generous support from Hood River Lions Club, Unit- ed Way of the Columbia Gorge, Gorge Community Foundation, and individual community supporters and volunteers. “We could not continue our work without these local supporters and are endlessly thankful,” said Kym Zanmiller of First Book.. First Book Hood River grants book awards four times a year and the next grant ap- plication cycle will open in September. If you would like more information, contact Dorothy E. Milford will celebrate her 100th birthday with an open house on Saturday, July 1 8 a t t h e P a rk d a l e Grange from 2-4 p.m. Cake, ice cream and snacks will be served, and all are welcome to attend. Cards are appre- ciated; no gifts, please. Dorothy was born in Fort Scott, Kansas on July 21, 1915 to her par- e n t s, Jo h n a n d A d a Bruner. She very proud- ly calls herself an “Old Kansas Farm Girl.” As a young adult, she mar- ried her husband, Theodore W. (Walt) Mil- ford and in the early 1940s, they moved from Kansas to Oregon, with short periods of time spent in California and Washington. When they came to the Hood River Valley, they knew they had found “home.” They purchased a house in the Mount Hood area of the Hood River Valley and to this day, Dorothy lives in the house which her husband remodeled and rebuilt. Three chil- dren were born to them, Columbia Gorge Peace Village is gearing up for its eighth summer, and there are still several spots avail- a b l e f o r c a m p e r s. T h i s year’s camp runs August 3-7 at Mosier School, and serves kids aged 6-13. Peace Village is a day camp full of fun activities that support its “Principles of Peace” mission: Authentic Self-Ex- pression, Connection, and Empowerment. Kids are placed in small camper groups with coun- selors that lead them t h r o u g h a c t iv i t i e s t h a t teach the core concepts of non-violent conflict resolu- tion, media literacy, earth connections, service, move- ment, music, art, and peace heroes. Campers also enjoy Vil- lage Fair activities which expand on themes of peace, the environment and na- ture, sustainability, food, and the arts. All of these experiences are developmentally appro- priate and model a deep re- spect for cultural and reli- gious diversity. We cele- brate that our children are Kym Zanmiller at zan- miller@gorge.net. If you would like to volunteer or do- nate, call Nancy Paul at 541- 490-5330 or write First Book Hood River at P.O. Box 221, Hood River, OR 97031. lege, in upstate New York, prepares students for suc- cess through hands-on expe- rience with internships, re- search and study abroad. Its inte g rative cur riculum builds bridges across disci- plines and uniquely blends liberal arts and professional study. Located in New York’s Finger Lakes region, the Col- lege is home to 6,100 under- graduate and 460 graduate students. Free weekend comes to Maryhill Maryhill Museum of Art invites residents of Hood River, Wasco, Sher man, Gilliam, and Jefferson coun- ties to visit free of charge during the weekend of July 18 and 19. Residents of those counties need only present their driver’s license to re- ceive complimentary admis- sion. On Saturday, July 18 at 3 p.m. Maryhill will host a free performance of The Taming of the Shrew in the muse- um’s gardens, produced by Portland Actors Ensemble as part of the company’s Shake- speare-in-the-Parks series. Visitors are invited to bring a blanket or camp chair for seating; Bake My Day food cart (Goldendale, WA) will be at Maryhill serving a Renais- sance menu in keeping with Shakespeare’s day, or bring your own picnic. The event is sponsored by Judy Lack- strom and Bob Morrow, PACE Engineering, and Phil Swartz. Preceeding the per- RV Doc — Bruce Henderson Mobile Service & Repair State Fire Marshal Certification #001242-08 Service & Repair. I come to you! B RUCE H ENDERSON 541-993-5982 L ICENSED & C ERTIFIED formance from 1 to 3 p.m., Chalk It Up To Shakespeare will take place. Everyone is invited to create a temporary museum master piece inspired by Shakespeare, during this free, drop-in program adja- cent to the Sculpture Gar- den. WKO-High Cascade Mills Buying Logs & Timber Douglas Fir White Fir Pine Gas Appliances Electrical Repair Get your RV road ready! ! K O O L This size ad in the HRN 9 times for only $175 50 ! Call Kirsten at 541-386-1234 two daughters and one son. Their oldest daugh- ter passed away in 1982 and Walt in 1989. Dorothy has many friends and her family laughingly says that “ s h e n eve r m e t a stranger.” For the most part, as a young woman, she was a stay at home mother and wife; how- ever, she did work in re- tail for a while at Paris Fair Department Store and Safeway, when it was located in the Pietro’s Pizza building. She also sold Avon for a few years, but her fami- ly was sure that she pur- chased more items than she sold. Dorothy loved to sing and could play many musical instru- ments, including piano, accordion, guitar and more. Her favorite past time has always been so- cializing and visiting with friends. She cur- rently enjoys going to church on Sunday at the P a rk d a l e Baptist Church and to the se- nior dinner on Thurs- day at the Mount Hood Town Hall. ‘Peace Village’ seeks campers, donations Submitted photo FIRST BOOK’S Nancy Paul, center, meets with moms and kids receiving First Book dona- tions, from left Lucy Munoz and her son Anthony; Ali Church of United Way holding Harper We- seman, Aya Yasui, Ren Yasui, Vi- olet Lorenzen, Kelsey Dorzab and her baby, Kaylee, and Clau- dia Chamonica holding her baby Yureli. Krummel makes Dean’s List Duncan Kr ummel, a Music Composition major, was named to the Dean’s List in Ithaca College’s School of Music for the spring 2015 se- mester. Krummel, a Hood River Valley High School graduate, can be seen on stage this month at Columbia Cetner for the Arts in “Next to Nor- mal.” Details in Happenings, page B3. From day one, Ithaca Col- Dorothy Milford celebrates 100 years Jeremy Beddingfield 541-399-3933 Norm Byars 541-490-2940 Mill: 509-427-8413 2022 Wind River Hwy • P.O. Box 8 Carson, WA 98610 nurtured by many faith tra- ditions and welcome this opportunity to learn from each other. Sixty percent of our campers need financial aid in order to attend Columbia Gorge Peace Village. Last year, we provided 45 full scholarships and approxi- mately 40 partial scholar- ships to our campers. This year, we are still fundrais- ing to make sure that any child is able to attend camp. We have special support from a grant from the Jub- itz Family Foundation, and from our Regional Peace- maker Sponsors: Jody Behr, Hood River Valley High School Community Work Day, M.L and J.D Hatten- hauer, Gorge Ecumenical Ministries, and Bethel UCC. If you would like to join our sponsor list with a do- nation of any amount, con- tact us! To register a camper or to m a ke a d o n a t i o n , v i s i t c o l u m b i a g o r g e p e a c ev i l - lage.com. Joe Guenther Financial Advisor 1631 Woods Ct Suite 102 Hood River, OR 97031 541-386-0826 www.edwardjones.com Member SIPC Recycle Tips MILK CARTONS - Are NOT recyclable locally. - Also known as ‘gable tops’, milk cartons and shelf-stable “aseptic containers (juice cartons) take too long to pulp up at Northwest paper mills, which are designed for newsprint. If you put milk cartons in recycling, they end up at the landfill and add cost to garbage/re- cycling service. - Purchase milk and juices in recyclable plastic containers if possible. www.tricountyrecycle.com 541-506-2636