Stevie Wonder - Friend to All

Taking the Plunge

            After years of apartment living I was finally able to get a pet – Misty. She was a pure bred collie whose breeder had no more use for her. What a wonderful friend and the start of a long line of furry, four-legged companions.

          We had decided to be a one-dog family for a while after Hayward went on to Dog Heaven. Janey liked people so much we thought she’d go for it. But after several weeks of watching her mope around the yard and house, we decided to look online for a companion. Voilá, Stevie Wonder entered our lives!

          He was described as part Newfie (like Janey), but seeing him in person that assessment was in doubt. He had been abandoned in the woods and rescued and fostered by the most wonderful “Mom” who named him Stevie Wonder (because he survived) and warned us it might take him weeks to get comfortable with us.

          That was three years ago and from the very moment he entered our backyard and started playing with Janey we knew we were a perfect match. For the next few weeks he’s on vacation (as is your bloggerJ) and enjoying the good life at the Dungeness Pet Resort.

          But that’s enough from me. I’ll let him take it from here.

Stevie Wonder

          What can I say about my dog life? I get two squares a day in a round dish. Seeing my leash come out of the closet makes my heart race. Walks are the best part of my day – better than food even!

          I’ve got two moms who love me and pet me and scratch behind my ears whenever I nudge them while they’re watching TV.

          Of course my best friend is my big sister Janey! We don’t ever cuddle or sleep together or anything “cutesy” like that, but boy do we love to wrestle with each other in the back yard. We do it in the living room, too! We share toys and sometimes play tug o’ war, but our favorite thing to do is jump in the backseat of the car and head to Lake Aldwell on the weekend. It’s not a lake anymore but we get to run and sniff and run and mark and run and play ‘til we can’t play anymore because we’re so tired.

          All in all, I feel pretty wonderful. Get it? Stevie Wonder-ful. That’s me. 

        

1. Who are you? List 5 words that define you!

Energetic – Happy – Adorable – Inquisitive - Friendly

2. What have you done that you’re most proud of?

Learned not to run away from the people who love me. My foster mom taught me that. When I first met her I ran away to the Red Lion on the waterfront, and even when the folks there tried to feed me bits of steak, I wouldn’t eat it. I had given up. But my foster mom found me and nursed me and taught me how to trust.

3. If you could change one thing in your past, what would it be?

I have very short term memory. I wouldn’t have stepped on that thorn last week. Now I have to take pills and wear the collar of shame for a week. It’s embarrassing.

4. On a personal/client level, what drives you crazy? What gives you joy?

Crazy?  The neighbor’s dogs on the other side of the fence. I watch them through the cracks and run up and down but we can’t get together – because of the fence.

Joy? Any time the front door opens and one of my moms comes in. That’s the best.

5. Given no restrictions (i.e. money/physical capabilities) – what would you most like to do?

Do away with leashes so we could all be free. (I’d come home – honest I would!)       

Playing in the snow with my big sister, Janey.

Relaxing in the sun.

The Happy Family

A dog's life

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Al Young - On the Move

Taking the Plunge*

*This is a first for Taking the Plunge. I met Al Young over tea recently and knew I wanted to learn more about her, but she was only staying around long enough for her bike to be tuned for her 3000 mile+ solo jaunt to Maine. So, I asked her long time friend to write the intro. Thanks, Elizabeth!

     
         Al Young is a woman of incredible strength and courage who I feel privileged to call my friend. She is an excellent musician and singer, plus plays the trombone with style and flair. I’ll always remember seeing her on top of an upright piano playing the trombone in her derby hat in the musical, Cabaret.

Besides being a music teacher and gardener, she is an outdoor sports athlete – hiking, skiing, and bicycling. Admitting to having arthritis throughout her whole body, Al has had a total knee replacement, total shoulder replacement, foot surgery, carpal tunnel surgery, and while bicycling around the world in the year 2000, she broke her neck in France and missed three months of cycling, but kept up with the group and only missed six weeks of the trip.

She left her home in eastern Idaho on May 13, 2014 and bicycled here [more than 1200 miles] to see me and other friends in Oregon and Washington before she heads out on her own to Maine. She averages about 50 miles a day and is completely self-contained.

I’ve never known anyone so disciplined and efficient as Al. We’ve been friends for 25 years.   -- Elizabeth Kelly


Al Young

     My first life is as a musician. I taught junior high band and chorus for 15 years and retired.  I then worked at a landscape nursery and became manager after several years and retired again after 15 years.  I directed the Jackson Hole Chorale for 10 years and played trombone in the Jackson Hole Brass Quintet for ten years as well as sang in several different Sweet Adeline Quartets, the last one being ‘The Youngsters’ for 10 years.  That was a pun as our accumulative years added up to 215 this past year.  I also played in the JH Community Band which I directed for 1 year, played in the JH Jazz Band and directed the JH Symphony Orchestra for 2 years.  I also directed the musical “Into the Woods” and my claim to fame is when I had a part in “Hair”.

My second life is gardening.  I have always gardened starting when I took care of the family garden as a kid.  I now have a 2500 square foot garden with an 8x12’ greenhouse and a 30x36’ hoophouse.  My dream has always been to have a roadside stand but second best is a stand at the local Farmer’s Market, which I have done for several years.  It is so satisfying to have repeat customers and especially those who say things like “you grew that here?”  I started out by selling veggies out of the back end of my explorer.  I’ve come a long ways.  I’ve expanded for the purpose of having a side job after retirement that I enjoy that will bring in a little extra income.  I also plan to do landscaping jobs on the side as time permits.

When I’m not playing music or gardening, I’m probably hiking, biking, backpacking or cooking for a dinner party. In 2000 and since, I rode the Odyssey Bike Trip Around the World. I rode across America with a friend, have done several state rides, and rode the Orient Express Bike Ride through eight countries.  I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro for my 60^th birthday and have hiked the Haute Route from Chamonix, France to Zermatt, Switzerland which I plan to do again next year with another friend.  I started out on the Pacific Crest Trail, but had to abort after 28 days due to a knee injury the year before on the ski slope. (I sold the skis and gave up that activity.)  I hope to hike more of the PCT in the future years.

1. Who are you? List 5 words that define you! 

       Ambitious – Organized – Self-sufficient – Driven - Adventurous

2. What have you done that you’re most proud of? 

       Rode my bike around the world with Odyssey.

3. If you could change one thing in your past, what would it be? 

       I’d never had gotten married.

4. On a personal/client level, what drives you crazy? What gives you joy? 

  Crazy – People who say “I can’t” or “I should do this or that.”   

       Joy – Being able to take care of myself.                              

5. Given no restrictions (i.e. money/physical capabilities) – what would you most like to do?     

       I have worked hard for everything I’ve been able to do or have acquired. I can’t even imagine having unlimited funds or an inexhaustible body to do more than I want to do. I’ve always lived within my means and will continue to do so.  

Loaded up and ready to go!

You can follow Al's journey by reading her blog at: www.alsbucketlistride.com.

Al’s book “Shifting Gears: My Global Bike Odyssey can be found at:  http://www.experienceplus.com/blog/?p=325

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Matthew Nash - Challenging the Comfort Bubble

          I met Matthew Nash not long after he moved to Sequim and started working for the Sequim Gazette as a reporter. If I remember correctly, he was interviewing me about the release of my book of movie reviews, “Sofa Cinema: An Easy Guide to DVDs.” He was very shy, but easy to talk with and it wasn’t long before we were bantering about movie titles like two kids playing ping pong – a very fun time.

          It’s a tough time to be a print journalist, but he’s found his niche and I wish him well.

Matthew Nash

Growing up in Oregon, in and near Portland, I dreamed of playing professional basketball. Every night I’d have a tradition of shooting 100 free throws with my feet edged next to my parents’ garden. But reality hit in high school and I considered the military, the ministry, education and more before finding my newspaper niche in college.

I quickly became editor of the school newspaper and recruited a dedicated team. I went to work for a newspaper near my hometown before realizing my environment wasn’t ideal with moldy walls, an archaic computer with a green screen, a narcoleptic sports editor and an editor who said the F word more than I can count.

I’ve been in Sequim going on six years. I met my wife here and our son was born here.

C. Q&A

         

1. Who are you? List 5 words that define you!

Husband – Dad – Geek – Dry – Observant

2. What have you done that you’re most proud of?

Daily I challenge my comfort bubble. As someone who struggled with breaking my shell, journalism has transformed me. It’s led to a lot of good things I never could have imagined 

3. If you could change one thing in your past, what would it be?

For differing reasons, I’ve gotten rid of a lot of good albums over the years. I’d keep them because many of them I’ve bought back over the years. I’d use that money to buy more music and go to concerts.

4. On a personal level, what drives you crazy? What gives you joy?

I prefer people chewing with their mouths closed. I also like to recycle and turn the lights off. 

I’ve become a sucker for the show “Full House” as of late. With so much animated TV shows geared towards toy marketing, the Tanner family comedy is incredibly cheesy but mostly wholesome and appropriate for everyone. My wife and I knew we were hooked again when we laughed at three consecutive jokes on the show. Have mercy!

5. Given no restrictions (i.e. money/physical capabilities) – what would you most like to do?    

I’d open a comic book store next to a Burgerville (Oregon/ WA burger chain). I like the idea of eating a burger and fries while reading on my own time.

Matthew & Son

You can reach Matthew at  mnash@sequimgazette.com 
And read his work at sequimgazette.com or through facebook.com/sequimgazette or twitter.com/sequimgazette. 

***

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Larry Crist - "I have to hear what I’m writing off the ears of others."

There’s a “take me as I am” quality about Larry Crist that’s reinforced when he reads his poetry. Although a little young to be a child of the 60’s, he personifies that era of questioning authority, challenging everyman to stand up and do his part.

 Born in Palo Alto, CA., Larry’s lived in London, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and for the last twenty years, Seattle. His worldly perspective is focused on what an individual can do through activism to make a difference

  

Larry Crist

I began school already knowing how to read and found school dull. I was a disruptive kid. My parent’s broke up early. We moved a lot. She was a teacher. I got in trouble with the law in my teens and spent a year in jail without finishing high school.

     The only thing (aside from drugs and alcohol) I found interesting was theatre. I spent my late teens and most of my twenties doing plays and appeared in a number of films as well. After receiving a BA at HSU I earned my MFA at Temple University. Halfway through this program, I bought a typewriter and began writing stories, poems, whatnot. I was 27.

     This was thirty years ago, I’ve been writing ever since. I began getting things published in my mid-thirties after I moved to Seattle in 1992.

     I do a lot of readings: open mics, bars, features. It has become an integral part of my writing process. I have to hear what I’m writing off the ears of others.

    

     1. Who are you? List 5 words that best describe you.

    

     Curious – Defiant – Blunt – Impatient – Inquisitive

2. What have you done that you’re most proud of?

Depends on when asked. At this moment it is getting my first book—Undertow Overtures—published. Last year it would have been something else, a publication perhaps. When I was 12 it would have been a ball I hit for a homerun or a fish I caught. Pride, is highly transitory.

3. If you could change one thing in your past, what would it be?

I wish I wouldn’t have been such a fuck-up as a kid. I’m sorry I didn’t try out for football in high school. I have a great throwing arm and can kick a football better than any one I know, only I didn’t discover this until I was in my late thirties.

4. On a personal level, what drives you crazy? What gives you joy?

Pompous certainty. The self-centeredness of homo-sapiens, thinking this is their planet and they can treat it and other animal species like trash. God, religion, war, politics; it’s all a racket.

5. Given no restrictions (i.e. money/physical capabilities) – what would you most like to do?

I might learn to sail—be a sea bum. I’d continue to write at about the same output but would work/hustle less. I’d take more train trips, attend more weddings, go to baseball games and attend spring training. I’d partake in more activism with regards to planet saving efforts, as well as helping to defeat the rise of fascism here in the United States.

Contact Larry at    Larrycrist13@gmail.com

Undertow Overtures is available through Amazon.

• Two short Films Tidal Wave, Everybody I have Ever Known, writer and narration, by Salise Hughes, Northwest Film Forum.
• Jack Straw 2013  
• Three Pushcart nominations.

Reading at Elliott Bay Book Store - Seattle

Contact Larry at:    Larrycrist13@gmail.com

Undertow Overtures is available through Amazon.

• Two short Films Tidal Wave, Everybody I have Ever Known, writer and narration, by Salise Hughes, Northwest Film Forum.
• Jack Straw 2013  
• Three Pushcart nominations.

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Rachel Buker - Surviving and Thriving

          Rachel Buker led an all day seminar for the Artist Trust EDGE Literary Grant program on copyright law that I attended. Sounds boring, but it wasn’t. An attorney having a background in the arts is an asset for young (and seasoned) artists on the rise.

          One of my joys in profiling folks for Taking the Plunge is learning other facets of their personalities and, ultimately, liking them even better!

Rachel Buker

Spring gives me an itch like no other season.  I have at least a half-dozen half-finished projects around the house right now. In the midst of a downpour today I decided it was high time to clean up the patio and adjoining garden area. The patio is a favorite spot on summer evenings, but it was definitely in need of a little TLC after a soggy winter. I found multiple wine corks swollen with rain in the garden. These corks provide me with some certainty that I am living right.

When I am not excavating wine corks from the garden or otherwise turning my condo upside down, I am an intellectual property lawyer, writer, traveler, knitter, and friend to animals.

  

Photo by Lydia Goolia

         

1. Who are you? List 5 words that define you!

Runner – Attorney – Confidante – Creative – Adventurer

  

2. What have you done that you’re most proud of?

There’re a lot of different things in my life that I am proud of, all the various facets of my education, playing musical instruments, having a very diverse array of wonderful, talented friends, being a Vermont native, becoming a long distance runner, and accumulating some really interesting stamps in my passport.

But, I think what I’m truly most proud of is surviving and thriving (although it certainly did not feel like thriving at the time) during some serious adversity—the kind of adversity that you do not choose, but that chooses you.  These are the events that prove the true force of your own character. I have confidence and pride in that now.

3. If you could change one thing in your past, what would it be?

I honestly wish I had done more wild crazy things when I was younger.  There really is no going back.  I was far too serious and hardworking as a teenager.

4. On a personal level, what drives you crazy? What gives you joy?

     What drives me crazy (in no particular order):negativity, entitlement,and sexism.

So very many things bring me joy (in no particular order): spending time with friends and family, raising my puppy and taking her on adventures, my cat purring in my ear when I fall asleep at night, traveling, pretty much everything about the Pacific Northwest, going to Sounders games (and watching EPL games on Saturday mornings), running (especially trail running), cooking pasta meals, discovering fantastic local wines, yoga, spending time on Vashon Island, great conversations, buying flowers for no particular reason, laughing until I cry, and desserts.

  

5. Given no restrictions (i.e. money/physical capabilities) – what would you most like to do?   

I would devote a lot more productive energy to my creative endeavors and be far more prolific as an artist and a writer.  I still feel a lot of anxiety hanging about my creative process, and I really wish it would just let me be.

I would also travel more and run at least ten more marathons.

Can't resist a photo op!

Reading Sunday, May 18, 2014

Playing  with my dog!

Enjoying the sunset

Links for Rachel:

A&A – www.artandartifice.net

LinkedIn

Twitter

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Charlotte McElroy - Determined to be "Normal"

          You think you know someone and then you realize you don’t. Charlotte McElroy has performed in my plays almost since the day we met ten years ago. Her career on the stage goes back much further. A sharp wit with impeccable timing, one can only imagine her years ago at a school assembly commanding the attention of hundreds of teenagers with ease. Until I read her words for Taking the Plunge, I had no idea the number of obstacles she overcame to become a respected educator, supporter of the arts, and community activist.

          Whether tap dancing to the beat or tackling the challenge of piano lessons, Charlotte wasn't (and isn’t) afraid to meet adversity head on.

Charlotte McElroy

I was born at home on a small Texas panhandle farm in 1939 to older uneducated parents living in two rooms of an old drafty farmhouse. My sister, born four years later, was deemed the most beautiful baby in Castro County. I was a disappointment. On my twelfth birthday my mother expressed her feelings in words that still hurt.

“I knew you were different when you came out.”

I started to have nightmares and in my dreams I was dressed in a white gown made by my mother, walking down the Baptist church aisle to be joined to a rich farmer I would be expected to wash, iron, clean, cook and meet him at the door with a kiss no matter how he smelled after a long day of plowing.

I was determined to be “normal.” I managed to get elected cheerleader, fire-baton twirler, Miss Personality, Girls’ State representative, Student Senate Representative, and I went to state three times as an outstanding baritone horn player.   

          I received a music scholarship to West Texas State University and a drama scholarship to Eastern New Mexico University. Mother said “No money” for a worthless college education.

I got a job, gave up music and drama, graduated from WTSU in three years with a BS in Education and got a job teaching third grade in Amarillo, Texas. I completed my MA in Education and moved to Ojai Ca and stayed for thirty years.

I received a Teacher of the Year award in 1974 and Principal of the Year in 1991, plus being chosen as one of the 100 Best Principals in the US.

I retired in 1995 to Sequim, WA and pursued my interests.  On Feb 1^s 2013 I married my partner of 20 years.

I’m now normal. It only took 74 years.

1              1.      Who are you? List 5 words that define you!

Teacher – Friend - Tap Dancer – Principal – Advocate

                         2.  What have you done that you’re most proud of?

My courage to face and fight adversity, discrimination, and gender

Inequality, even if it meant losing my job.

                                     3.  If you could change one thing in your past, what would it be?

I’m ashamed to say, I didn’t reach out to gay and transgender students

because of my fear of being “outed”. I would need a lot of time to make

up for this mistake.

4.   On a personal level, what drives you crazy? What gives you joy?

Indecisive, loud-mouthed people make me crazy.

All the years I spent with so many wonderful kids of all ages gives me great joy.

                 5. Given no restrictions, what would you most like to do?

    Build a school for all impoverished, abused, hungry and “different” kids.  

         It would be free and open all year.

      

In Hennessey Street with fellow thespian, Marianne Trowbridge

Rehearsing Hazel Speaks! with Elizabeth Kelly

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Ingrid Ricks - Pursuing Her Dream

          The word that comes to mind when I hear author Ingrid Rick’s name mentioned is “energy.” I recently heard her talk at the end of a long day of lectures. She was the last speaker of the day and I had just glanced at my watch to make the decision to slip out quietly and catch the next ferry home or give her a few minutes to talk and then make my decision.

          I am so glad I stayed! Ingrid not only exudes enthusiasm for her passion of writing, she is a wealth of information about the current world of publishing.

          Later that evening, after the requisite Seattle ferry ride and subsequent long drive home, I loaded her memoir, “Hippie Boy” onto my Kindle and realized she is the total package; an author and a marketer who wastes no time. She inspires young and old, experienced writers and novices. Ingrid's a dreamer who works hard to make dreams come true.    

Ingrid Ricks

My new favorite quote is “The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do.” ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach

That really sums up my philosophy on life. Like so many people I know, I had a hard time giving myself permission to pursue my dream—which for me was to write my memoir, Hippie Boy and carve out a living as an author.

It took me along time to GO FOR IT, but when I did, everything changed for me and it opened up doors and opportunities I couldn’t have imagined.

What I’ve learned is that dreaming big is only one part of the equation. You’ve got to put in the work required to turn that dream into reality. When you do, magic happens.

1. Who are you? List 5 words that define you!

Determined – Positive – Storyteller – Eye Health Warrior – Friend/Mom

                           (I know.that’s six.)

2.      What have you done that you’re most proud of?

I co-founded www.weareabsolutelynotokay.org, a program that uses my coming-of-age memoir, Hippie Boy, as a guide to help teenagers find their voice and power by writing and publishing their stories.

I’ve also started a blog called www.Determinedtosee.com that gives hope to people struggling with blinding eye diseases and encourages them to make diet and lifestyle changes that can benefit their eye health.

3.      If you could change one thing in your past, what would it be?

I would have eaten a more healthy diet.

4.      On a personal level, what drives you crazy? What gives you joy?

Negative people drive me crazy. I can’t stand it when people say “no” implying that something can't be done.

So many things give me joy: music, friends, my daughters, my husband, long beach walks, my daily eight-ounce hemp mocha, writing….to name a few.

5.      Given no restrictions (i.e. money/physical capabilities) – what would you most like to do?

I would do exactly what I’m doing now: writing books, helping teenagers to claim their voice and power through personal storytelling, and continuing on my quest to save my eyesight (I suffer from RP, a degenerative eye disease), and motivating others to take charge of their eye health.

But I would also DEFINITELY travel more.

Connect with Ingrid

www.ingridricks.com

www.facebook.com/ingridricksauthor

www.twitter.com/ingridricks

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