Happy Mother’s Day Whatcom County! This holiday is a great opportunity to celebrate mothers, in every form. So whether she gave you life, raised you right or merely inspires the best in you, be sure to let her know how much you love and appreciate her. And while you’re at it, take the special women in your life out for a little fun. You’ll find plenty of fun Whatcom County weekend events to keep you busy. Here’s a few to get you started. Don’t forget to check our full events calendar for all the great local happenings this weekend.
WhatcomTalk aims to be your source for positive information and events happening in Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden and throughout Whatcom County. If you have a suggestion for a post, send us a note at submit@whatcomtalk.com. For more events and to learn what’s happening in Bellingham and the surrounding area, visit our events calendar. To submit an event of your own, visit our events calendar and click on the green “Post Your Event” button.
Ola Sinnes, Bob VanderPloeg, Doug Bouwman, Willy Cadman and Vic Rohwer meet at the Hilltop to discuss current affairs and the good old days. Photo credit: Janine Johnson.
A few years ago, shortly after he retired, my stepfather joined a coffee group in his northern New York town. He would never refer to it as a “coffee group,” of course, but still, a couple times a week he drives the eight miles into town to grab a cup of coffee at a cafe. He goes at the same time, sits in the same spot, chats idly with the same people in this community of coffee. This surprises me.
My stepfather is not a talkative man. Not at all overtly social. But he has always been drawn to an interesting conversation, even if not as an active participant. One day last summer I joined him and it was clear that he hadn’t transformed into a social butterfly. He sat quietly amid the clatter of the busy cafe, listening to the discussion about world travel, letting us more loquacious customers guide the conversation. And he was thoroughly enjoying it.
Hilltop Restaurant is located on Guide Meridian in Bellingham. Photo credit: Janine Johnson.
My father-in-law, also recently retired, has found himself in a coffee group too. He meets up with five or so other men at a Skagit Valley restaurant every Tuesday morning. There is no agenda as they talk about books and current events. They get nostalgic and fondly revisit memories of their pasts. Over time these acquaintances have become friends. My father-in-law likes knowing that if he didn’t show up one Tuesday morning he would be missed.
I mentioned to a friend that I wanted to write something about these coffee klatches and he immediately said, “Oh, you have got to head up to Hilltop on Meridian.” Apparently, there’s a group of men that has been drinking coffee there every morning for 40 or 50 years. This sounded like an exaggeration. And it also sounded like just the group I wanted to sit down with. So I set my alarm for 5:00 a.m. to meet up with Bob and “the boys” at sunrise one Monday morning.
The group has been meeting at Hilltop for over 50 years. Photo credit: Janine Johnson.
As I walk up to the door of Hilltop Restaurant early that gray day I fall in step with a smiling man. He greets me by name and introduces himself. This is Bob VanderPloeg. He is the unofficial leader of this group. We stride into the restaurant together and greet the men already assembled. It is 5:45 a.m. The restaurant opens at 6 a.m., but three men already sit at a cluster of tables under a sweeping mural of Mount Baker. I shake hands with Victor “Vic” Rohwer, Ola Sinnes and Willy Cadman. We are soon joined by Doug Bouwman.
I take a seat and before I even set down my bag our server Leana has placed a mug in front of me and holds the coffee pot poised to pour. Would I like coffee? Yes. Because, as I mentioned, it is not yet 6 a.m. I am a little fuzzy-headed. But not these guys. They are downright chipper. I ask the obvious question: Why do you come here before the place opens? The answer: “We just always have.”
Bob VanderPloeg (R) and Ola Sinnes (L) have been meeting for coffee for as long as anyone can remember. Photo credit: Janine Johnson.
And indeed they have. Each of these men have been coming for coffee at quarter to six every morning for decades. Vic started to have his morning cup at Hilltop with his grandpa in the 1960s. Most of the others cannot remember exactly when they started the ritual but Bob chimes in saying, “I used to buy coffee here for ten cents a cup!”
Everyone lives within three miles of Hilltop and part of their daily routine for all these years has been to come in before work for coffee. Work started early so, naturally, coffee was even earlier. The restaurant is not technically open? Not a problem. Regulars have privileges. And this group is as regular as it gets. While most of the originals have passed, Bob, then in high school, was there when Hilltop first opened its doors and this group assembled in 1959. Hilltop has since changed locations and owners. And Bob is the only original left.
Ola Sinnes, Bob VanderPloeg, Doug Bouwman, Willy Cadman and Vic Rohwer meet at the Hilltop to discuss current affairs and the good old days. Photo credit: Janine Johnson.
With the exception of Bob, who owns Meridian Equipment, and Vic, who works in construction, these men do not have to be at work anymore. Ola is a retired deputy Sheriff, Willy retired from the Intalco aluminum plant and Doug retired from Lynden Transfer. But still, they come most every day for a cup of coffee and conversation. Our current discussion progresses quickly from pleasantries to political views, with Vic taking the helm. Ola places a stack of quarters on the table between himself and Vic and pantomimes inserting one into a slot. “Gotta feed him to keep him talking,” he says to me with a wink and a wry smile. Vic has clearly heard this ribbing before and continues to calmly espouse his stance on government. I ask if there are ever any arguments. There are not. These men keep it pretty light and hold similar views on most things anyhow. This isn’t a group prone to heated exchanges. This is a group that finishes each others’ sentences.
The Shelf of the Dead memorializes members of the group who have passed on. Photo credit: Janine Johnson.
While we talk, Leana returns to fill our mugs several times. Mine is stock diner white but each of the men drink from a personal mug kept for him at the restaurant. Bob points out the wall behind me. Lined up on a shelf is an array of colorful mugs containing various mementos—a small American flag, photographs, obituaries. “That’s the wall of dead,” he tells me.
Each of the displayed mugs belonged to a departed member of this coffee club. They are a prominent and impressive memorial to those lost friends. And this gets me thinking… this particular coffee group is a sort of memorial too. It’s not like my stepfather’s group of casual acquaintances, nor is it like my father-in-law’s gathering of new friends. These men meet here not only to maintain a routine or to catch up with pals. They certainly do not meet here to simply drink coffee.
They meet here to keep a tradition alive.
When I ask the group to articulate why they do this every day, Ola asserts, “We come for coffee in the morning to complain about the price of coffee.” And that is certainly true. But there is also much talk about the “good ol’ days” during our morning together. The price of coffee is just one of the many things that have changed since 1959. And while these men can’t go back to the glory days when coffee was ten cents a cup, they can keep meeting every morning to preserve a little piece of the time when it was.
This photo shows the Maple Creek Reach in April 2017. Photo credit: Rob Rich.
On a mild, gray Earth Day morning, red-winged blackbirds flashed their colors and sang – konk-la-REE! – from the braiding creek. Volunteers huddled around coffee, pastries (generously donated from the Community Food Co-op) and a map. A rain-proof, human-sized county map, stretched tight across an event tent and speckled with orange, green and purple to show the land – all 20,760 acres, from working farms to wildlife habitats – that Whatcom Land Trust (WLT) conserves.
Eric surveys a big tree starting to “interact” with the Nooksack River near Maple Creek. All this complexity provides each salmon species with the different conditions needed at different phases of growing, sea-journeying, homing, spawning, dying and (in the next generation) hatching. Photo credit: Rob Rich.
Daniel Senner, WLT’s interning Stewardship Associate, pointed out the purple plot where we stood, wedged between Mount Baker Highway, Maple Creek (just east of the town of Maple Falls) and the Nooksack River’s North Fork. “These particular 110 acres are great for wildlife,” Daniel said, “and one of the few Whatcom places where all five species of salmon – chum, coho, pink, sockeye, chinook…plus steelhead, cutthroat and bull trout – can thrive.”
As we turned from the map to the land itself, where shovels and buckets full of bare-root saplings lay on the wet grass, it was clear that this habitat was no accident. “Basically, our goal today is to grow big trees and let them interact with the river,” added Daniel’s mentor and WLT’s Stewardship Director, Eric Carabba.
While “big” is ideal, those of us who’ve volunteered with Eric before know the operative word is “interact.” More than strict outcomes, this is a place conserved to allow natural processes to occur. Here, winter can blow trees to the water, pooling and redirecting its flow. Beavers can be beavers, creating new channels and openings for the sun. The creek can flood its floodplain.
Though dry weather is not guaranteed at Maple Creek Reach work parties, the rewards endure. Contact WLT Volunteer Coordinator Dennis Connor if you want to get involved. Photo courtesy: Whatcom Land Trust.
Ever since this land was cleared at the turn of the 20th century, then farmed for dairy cows and Christmas trees, people have known Maple Creek’s floodplain as a fickle place. But when WLT purchased this land over the first decade of the 21st century, they called it a “salmon’s dream stream,” a victory for the future of people and nature. As a non-profit organization, WLT works with willing landowners to purchase land or craft conservation easements that protect open space. In turn, places like Maple Creek Reach not only serve people diverse benefits – from carbon-storing trees to a sense of wonder – but they are places where people can serve. More than 20 WLT tree planting or weed pulling parties occur across the county each fall and spring, and in 2015-2016, volunteers racked up 1,347 hours of stewardship.
I’ve joined them for the last three years, and I’ve found Maple Creek an especially rewarding place to be part of the process and interact with others who love it. We are always a motley crew of one-timers and old-timers and those in between, welcoming all sorts of college students, church groups, singles, families and uncategorizables. The Earth Day work party turned out to be an especially moving one for me, because it was Eric’s last.
With his white tub of writhing treasures set right beside the hot dogs and salad, introducing us to caddisflies, stoneflies, mayflies and even some aquatic oligochaetes (relative to earthworms). “These,” Todd exclaimed, “indicate some high quality water.” Photo credit: Rob Rich.
Born and raised in Whatcom’s South Fork Valley (another stronghold where WLT allies healthy farms, forests and water) Eric served with the Army, built trails and studied geography at Western Washington University before coming to WLT. After eleven years, he’s ready for his next big adventure, but with humor and heart he made each work party timeless for thousands of volunteers. Anyone planting with Eric could expect the best of Whatcom’s historical and ecological lore, and also the ethic to get stuff done with tools like shovels, Pulaskis and weed wrenches. He’ll be sorely missed but his work will grow on in all the people he’s empowered and the places he’s touched.
Sometimes I lose myself in my tree planting work, making sure the soil packs tight – but does not constrain – the precious roots. But a place like Maple Creek Reach brings out all kinds of skills, curiosities and surprises. As noon came near, WLT Board Member Carl Prince arrived and fired up a grill, toted out on the land for a special Earth Day picnic to honor our labors. It’s not every day that people have or take the chance to revel in good food and work, or even to muse on the quality of the dirt, the turn of the seasons or the tricks of the weather. Or the impromptu wonders of nature, like the aquatic macroinvertebrates that volunteer and professional-cum-citizen scientist Todd Folsom scooped up from Maple Creek.
I’m sure all fifty-some of us volunteers had other good ways to celebrate Earth Day, but getting nearly 500 trees and shrubs in the ground near Maple Creek was pretty hard to beat. We know that some might not survive if there’s not enough water this summer, or too much next winter. But there’s no doubt some will hold birds’ nests, or shade fish or feed beavers who will create even more habitat than we could imagine. Some might even become like the old “Nooksack Giant,” which towered not far from here. But each one, in its own way, will add to the map, changing this place and leaving us changed.
These photographs, from the same place in October 2015 (top) and April 2017 (bottom) show how dynamic beaver dams at the Maple Creek Reach property can be. Research has shown that instead of blocking salmon passage, most beaver dams provide crucial habitats for young fish to mature. Photo credit: Rob Rich.
Luke Burbank wears a lot of imaginary hats. A panelist for 10 years on National Public Radio’s Chicago-based “Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!” news quiz show, Burbank also hosts Portland, Oregon’s “Live Wire Radio.” Maybe you’ve heard of a little television program called “CBS Sunday Morning”? He’s a correspondent there, as well.
Burbank broadcasts his popular TBTL podcast every weekday from his Bellingham home studio. Photo courtesy: Luke Burbank.
But the hat worn most frequently is for his “imaginary” radio show, “Too Beautiful to Live”—aka TBTL—a podcast beamed each weekday from the Burbank Springs Broadcast Center perched atop Alabama Hill, right here in Bellingham. It boasts hundreds of thousands of listeners from all over the United States.
Originating on Seattle’s KIRO Radio in early 2008, TBTL had a unique sensibility, undoubtedly on the weird side for the somewhat staid station. The program ran weeknights from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Intended to pull a younger local audience to KIRO, TBTL’s over-the-air ratings failed to rise, so it wasn’t a surprise when it got the boot in September of 2009.
“In the back of my mind, I always thought, ‘We’ll probably get fired from being a radio show, but I bet we can make this work as a podcast,’” says Burbank.
He was right.
The program garnered a solid following through daily downloads, so Burbank and original co-host Jen Andrews took it to the podcast masses. Andrews would eventually leave the show, replaced by Andrew Walsh, a TBTL listener with a production background in public radio.
No topic is off limits for Burbank and Walsh—who joins the show from his Seattle home and handles all the back-end production. They cover everything from their daily lives to pop culture, current events to Seattle sports, in a witty, fast-paced, self-deprecating manner that’s deeply endeared them to their fans. The show is now part of American Public Media’s Podcast Network.
More than 2,300 episodes in, the show’s “tens of listeners”—fans, dubbed “The Tens”—are a loyal bunch, traveling far and wide to see occasional live shows and donate to annual TBTL-a-thons, which keep the program afloat.
Burbank keeps plenty busy traveling to Chicago, Portland and other cities nearly every week for “Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!” or “Live Wire Radio.” He also ping-pongs across the country for “CBS Sunday Morning” assignments.
I recently sat down with Burbank at the Cabin, where we shared a couple drinks and talked a mile a minute while the jukebox spit out some of our old college radio favorites.
I began by asking Burbank about his experience on “Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!” which—if my Facebook friends’ enthusiastic responses to the news I’d be interviewing him is any indication—is what he’s best known for.
“The experience is: You walk onstage, see 400 people who realize you’re not Paula Poundstone, or Peter [Sagal], or Bill [Kurtis] and then they’re sad,” he deadpans.
He downplays his celebrity but the last time he was at the Cabin, a listener recognized him sitting at the bar.
“I was talking to the owner about the jukebox and this guy pops a squat next to us,” his tale begins. “He says this very bold statement, ‘CDs are so much better than vinyl. The sound is better.’ And I’m just horrified. The owner, a former audio engineer, is horrified. The guy was right on the edge of getting belligerent. Not belligerent, but on the spectrum. Then he looks right at me and goes, ‘Are you Luke Burbank? I’m a TBTL Ten.’ He was so excited.”
Burbank laughs at the memory.
“It ended fine but the tension was ever-so-slightly building and I was ready for us to move on—and by move on, I mean I was ready to drink my drink and stare forward,” he continues. “I almost had a moment of getting a bit brusque. I’m glad I didn’t because he turned out to be, other than you, the only person in Bellingham who’s aware of my show.”
Burbank was born in Northern California on a religious commune and grew up in Seattle, the oldest of seven children. During his junior year of high school, he and his girlfriend found out they were expecting.
“It was time,” he jokes. “You just get to a point where you’ve done the whole junior year thing, and you’re ready for parenthood.” (Watch Burbank’s “CBS Sunday Morning” commentary about his experience here.)
Another big thing happened around the same time: Luke’s evangelical Christian high school shut down.
“I think the two things were unrelated?” he jokes. He transferred to Seattle’s Nathan Hale High School. His daughter, Adelaide, was born February of his senior year.
“My daughter was born at Northwest Hospital,” he remembers. “I held her, was really freaked out and then I had to go to school because I had a Spanish test.” He’d told no one at school about the impending arrival. “I already felt like a weird, new kid. ‘Hey! Sidenote: I’m going to be a dad soon.’”
But Burbank met a classmate years later who said, “You were the guy with the secret baby, right?”
“So, I guess that wasn’t super under wraps after all,” he says.
East Coast colleges appealed to Burbank but his parental responsibilities steered him to the University of Washington. (He and Adelaide’s mother never married.)
Burbank ran through an array of part-time jobs during college, including a work-study stint at public radio station KUOW.
“I weaseled my way into different jobs there where I got closer and closer to talking on the microphone,” he says. He also worked as a traffic reporter, juggling calls from 10 different stations at once. “It was like boot camp for talking on the radio, doing it in different formats and having to think incredibly fast on your feet.”
After college he worked on conservative talk radio, then as a producer on KUOW, before moving to Los Angeles for a spell as a booker for NPR’s “Day to Day.”
His lucky break came a year later when he landed a coveted three-month NPR reporting internship that sent him to Washington D.C. with side work at WNYC.
While working on the show’s pilot for several months, Burbank was sent by NPR to guest host “Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!” and eventually became a panelist. His “CBS Sunday Morning” gig came thanks to a suggestion from fellow “Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!” regular, Mo Rocca.
His time at the Bryant Park Project was short; Burbank didn’t feel like a good fit for the show and New York City was too far away from his daughter. He returned to Seattle, jobless.
“This is going to sound like gloating, because it is,” Burbank says, taking a sip of his vodka soda. “The Bryant Park Project, which had a budget in the millions of dollars, died after six months. TBTL, which had a budget of hundreds of dollars, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.”
TBTL came about when Burbank’s longtime friend Jen Andrews learned KIRO was looking for a new nightly show, something different. The duo pitched what would become TBTL.
“We had a week to put it together,” Burbank says, “and we didn’t want to do any of the normal talk radio topics.”
The name’s origin?
“We were like, ‘This could be too beautiful to live,’” he says. “This could be the Arrested Development of radio and get cancelled because it’s too good.”
The show lasted less than two years.
Burbank would return to KIRO a year later for “The Ross and Burbank Show,” followed by “The Luke Burbank Show,” while he continued TBTL in podcast format. He chose to move on from KIRO in 2013.
No longer tied down by a daily radio show in Seattle, Burbank and his wife, Carey, moved to Port Townsend—a city they loved and visited often. Burbank could fly off to his regular gigs, which now included hosting “Live Wire Radio” in Portland.
But Port Townsend proved a smidge too sleepy for the couple. Carey is a Western Washington University grad with family in the area, and the couple felt a tug north. They moved here in late 2015 and have fallen hard for Bellingham.
Adelaide is a senior at Western Washington University, where she also reads the news on student radio station KUGS. “She’s really good at it,” Burbank says, beaming. “I’m so proud of her.”
Burbank and his wife bought a mid-century modern home, which they’re remodeling. “I love it,” he gushes. “I’m never leaving that place.”
“I am the biggest fan of Bellingham,” Burbank says. “It just feels like there’s an influx of creative people here. If it’s up to me, I’m never living anywhere else.”
Seattle radio producer Andrew Walsh co-hosts Burbank’s TBTL podcast, which is downloaded by hundreds of thousands of listeners across the United States. Photo courtesy: Luke Burbank.
TBTL continues to trundle along thanks to its loyal listeners. Burbank and Walsh will drive a 30-foot RV from Everett to Austin in June, podcasting along the way as part of their annual TBTL-a-thon and culminating in a live show. Tens will travel from across the United States to join them.
Burbank can visualize a future of not juggling flights and hotel rooms and radio jobs, but he can’t quite see letting go of TBTL.
“For a lot of people who like the show, it’s a really big part of their day,” he says. “And not to be grandiose, but I think it would be a really big bummer for them if it went away.”
And so, Burbank and Walsh shall continue podcasting five days a week, leaving their trail of twisted tales, odd observations and funny audio drops for as long as their audience will have (and support) them.
“Here we are, 10 years later,” he says. “I’m constantly amazed that people listen to it.”
And sure, he’d like to travel a little bit less because, he says, it’s so much fun when he’s home. But the convenience of the Bellingham airport takes the sting out of his treks.
“I always fly out of Bellingham,” he says. “I actually think it’s faster to fly to Seattle and be inside of security.”
Burbank chooses his seat purposefully on his frequent flights in and out of Bellingham, promising the best vantage point of the place he now calls home.
“When I fly in, I always make sure I sit on the right side of the plane, so I can see,” he says. “I love it when that little prop plane enters Bellingham airspace and I look over and see Edgemoor, and Alabama Hill, and Lake Whatcom is all twinkling. I’m always like, ‘Yeah, I’m home. This is awesome.’”
The Community Food Co-op is commited to the survival of farms. Photo courtesy: Community Food Co-op.
The Community Food Co-op works with growers to get healthy, nourishing food into the hands of our community members. In the produce department, staff believes that produce should taste good, and also be good for you and for the farmers and farmland where it is grown.
Special measures are taken to ensure organic produce isn’t cross-contaminated. Photo courtesy: Community Food Co-op.
It is the mission of the Community Food Co-op to provide our area with fresh, delicious and sustainably grown produce from local farms. With its long-lasting relationships with local farmers, the produce brought to you by the Co-op includes a large selection of fruits, vegetables and even herbs and flowers. The Co-op is committed to sourcing directly from small family farms. They believe this is where the highest quality food comes from.
These relationships are at the core of the Co-op’s commitment to the survival of the farms we’ve come to depend on for quality and organic produce. Both Co-op stores carry about 90 percent certified organic produce and the produce departments themselves are certified organic by the Washington State Department of Agriculture organic program. That certification ensures that organic produce is carefully handled to avoid any potential cross-contamination with non-organically grown items.
Community Food Co-op staff are extremely knowledgable about the produce they sell. Photo courtesy: Community Food Co-op.
The Community Food Co-op produce staff prides themselves on being incredibly knowledgeable about the produce they carry as well as the many farms that provide that produce. When you walk into the produce department at either location, be sure to say hello and ask for tips on how to use any of the fruits and vegetables, particularly the out-of-the-ordinary selections that may be unfamiliar. The staff loves to talk about produce and share recommendations and favorite cooking tips.
Stop by the Community Food Co-op produce department today and pick up something fresh, nutritious and tasty!
Local job-training and creative-reuse textile nonprofit Ragfinery is hosting its 3rd annual Upcycle Runway Challenge Fundraiser! This year’s theme, “Cirque du Couture,” invites contestants to draw inspiration from the popular performance ensemble Cirque du Soleil, creating runway-ready creations out of anything they can find at Ragfinery. Contestants will walk the runway and showcase their creations at the Leopold Crystal Ballroom at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, May 19.
Cirque du Couture showcases the best in fashion creativity. Photo courtesy: Ragfinery.
Attendees at the event can expect a highly entertaining and inspiring show, as all levels and ages of textile artists walk the runway, demonstrating endless creative possibilities for transforming used textiles into new designs.
“It’s incredibly inspiring to see what creativity the participants put into their work and to witness people of all ages and backgrounds come together to celebrate at this wonderful community event,” says Ragfinery Manager Shan Sparling. “Each year it just keeps getting bigger and better!”
Ragfinery limited the number of contestants to 25 and met that capacity less than two weeks after opening registration. Judges will evaluate contestants in six separate categories and awards will be presented for each: Best Expression of Theme, Biggest Transformation, Most Creative Use of Materials, Best Presentation on the Runway, Judge’s Choice and People’s Choice.
Cirque du Couture is a fun way to highlight creative reuse. Photo courtesy: Ragfinery.
DJ Altered Fields will provide the musical backdrop for the event while beer from Boundary Bay Brewery, wine, and refreshments from Old World Deli will be available. Tickets can be purchased and additional information about the event can be found online at Ragfinery.com.
Ragfinery is a project of the Bellingham nonprofit, ReUse Works, and has a three-pronged mission to reduce textile waste, provide training job training opportunities to help residents gain long-term employment and support our rich textile arts community. They collaborate with local artisans and community volunteers to repurpose unwanted garments and textiles into a variety of upcycled goods that showcase the skills and talent of their collective.
Michael Jaross is all smiles after a day spent amongst the bees and their hives. Photo courtesy: Michael Jaross.
Michael Jaross is a melitologist, someone who can walk into the center of thousands of bees without so much as a hesitation or a bee suit. This is the super-power of seasoned beekeepers, those who’ve developed fearless deep respect, keen observation skills and a quiet mind capable of intuiting bees’ behavior. “Each hive has a personality,” Jaross remarked. Therefore, he keeps log books to jot down his observations of up to two dozen hives. Even in the midst of a swarm, the bees pay no mind to his gentle countenance or experienced hands.
Wherever in the world people have migrated, bees have come too. Although not native to the Americas, Jaross says there are four or five honeybee species currently residing in North America. Genetically traceable bee species were first brought from Europe to the east coast of the United States nearly 400 years ago. Apis melifera carnica, a sub-species Jaross has come to prefer, are gentle and good at surviving Whatcom winters. Commonly known as Carniolans, these bees are gentle but prone to swarming. To enjoy their advantages Jaross says, “You have to really know what you’re doing.” Over the last thirteen years, he’s worked diligently to understand the microcosm of these domesticated animals and their secret world.
A sampling of glass lidded bowl art pieces created by Michael Jaross. Photo courtesy: Michael Jaross.
After years of apprenticing as a glass blower (three years of which were spent in Sweden during the 1980s), Jaross learned the importance of seeking out masters to apprentice with and the benefits of hands on, experiential learning. A couple of his glass works are still displayed in the American Crafts Collection at the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
When he finally retired from glass blowing, he decided to fulfill his boyhood fascination with bee keeping. Growing up in a small town, the local library’s bee keeping journals captured his early imagination and compelled him to later explore one of nature’s most delicious mysteries. Compared to the experienced bee keepers of Whatcom County, some of whom have kept bees since way before the golden age of honey, Jaross is a mere novice. “I pieced together mentorships from different, older and very experienced bee keepers in the area,” he says. But to those in the county who call on him for annual bee consults and troubleshooting, he’s become the master he once sought to study with.
Bees are on the move during the 2015 season on the WWU campus at the Outback Farm. Photo courtesy: Michael Jaross.
As an urban homesteader, Jaross testifies to the importance of giving a little boost to pollination in local soil often layered with clay. “Since time immemorial, the answer to increased pollination is keeping bees,” he attested. He cans with honey, cooks with honey, gives some back to the bees and uses the rest as an income source to offset the inordinate amount of time he devotes to keeping the bees alive throughout the year and to, “support the habit,” of beekeeping.
Jaross began keeping a hive or two in his backyard, but gradually expanded. “There’s nothing intuitive about keeping bees,” he said. “They’re alien critters completely unlike any animal we keep for livestock or as a pet. The learning curve is long in order to keep bees productively, so they help you out and you can keep them alive, because keeping bees alive is not an easy thing to do in this day and age.”
Michael Jaross instructs a multi-generational group of aspiring beekeepers at the Outback Farm on WWU’s campus. Photo courtesy: Michael Jaross.
For the past five years, he’s volunteered to lead Western Washington University students in the art of beekeeping. Every Saturday from April through the end of October, at the campus’ Outback Farm, he educates students and the public alike, producing some of the best honey around.
Most novice beekeepers receive a box of bees in the mail from a distributor in California, begin a colony and perhaps get through the summer, only to have their bees die when the weather turns cold. Jaross says, “Bees are livestock. When you keep bees in a box for your own benefit, they become livestock and not wild critters, and they should be treated with the same respect. Whatever level of stewardship is required for the bees to thrive, Jaross wishes to impart his knowledge so as to enable new beekeepers with optimal success.
Michael Jaross is all smiles after a day spent amongst the bees and their hives. Photo courtesy: Michael Jaross.
Jaross remembers buying his original box of bees – 15,000 bees and a queen. He hasn’t bought another box since. “I made it my business to keep the bees alive and to practice bee keeping in as sustainable of a way as I can,” he said. What he didn’t know then, and teaches now, is what a steep learning curve that includes.
He didn’t foresee just how Zen the art of bee maintenance would be or how deep his own understanding would evolve as a result of observing the subtle and delicate balances of bee behavior. Jaross imparts, “You have to completely retrain your way of seeing. Just as a surgeon has to train their eyes to see and react to things that we don’t normally see in everyday life, it’s the same with bees.”
The fact that bees can stay alive under the conditions humans have provided still amazes Jaross and impresses upon him the importance of educating the next generation. Join him and many other amateur and master beekeepers on a mission to pollinate and respect the bees, one flower at a time.
Whatcom Middle School Unified Soccer is fun for everyone. Team 2016, Photo credit: Dominique Lantagne.
I met Dominique three years ago when I was hired to be the Bellingham High School Unified Soccer Coach. At an early morning kickoff meeting for the coming season, I was immediately struck by her organization, drive and results-driven attitude. Dominique started Special Olympics in Whatcom County 10 years ago via Special Olympics of Washington. This program started with bowling. Track was added the next year, basketball the year after and then, in 2011, Unified Soccer. Unified Bowling started in 2015. Next up, Unified Basketball in 2017.
Unified Sports – what does that mean? It means a mix of athletes with and without intellectual disabilities playing competitive and compassionate sports. Opportunities to play Unified Soccer in Whatcom County exist at the university, high school, middle school and elementary school levels. Participants play five a side with three athletes – students with intellectual disabilities and two partner students without intellectual disabilities.
The goal of Unified Soccer is simple: meaningful involvement. It’s about playing, interacting, supporting, learning and teaching things about soccer and life both actively and passively to each other. It is a competitive sport but victory is not defined by the score. A team effort is key. As the slogan goes, “Motivate – Inspire – Succeed.”
Dominique grew up in Auburn, Washington, and was inspired by a Service Learning Class with Special Olympics in high school. When she was seventeen, she was told that she’d be a great Special Education teacher. This struck her. She had found her passion.
Dominique attended Western Washington University to obtain a Special Education Teaching degree and attended the University of Washington to receive a Masters in Counseling. She then moved back to Bellingham and began her career as a Special Education teacher. She’s been with Bellingham Public Schools (BPS) for sixteen years and Special Olympics for ten.
Whatcom Middle School Unified Soccer is fun for everyone. Team 2016, Photo credit: Dominique Lantagne.
Before Dominique started with BPS, there were no opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities to be involved or compete in organized sports within the district or county level. Seeing that void, she filled it by building a program that now encompasses over 100 athletes, over 50 Unified partners, 15 coaches and has expanded to the county schools.
What inspires Dominique? The book, “Miss Rumphius.” Miss Rumphius travels far and wide in her early years learning the importance of making something beautiful. In her later years, she spreads lupine flower seeds on her walks beautifying her town. Dominique’s lupine seeds are the athletes, families, coaches and community members involved with the Special Olympics and Unified programs. Her first Unified Soccer program was Bellingham High School’s team. They won District and State competitions in 2013 which qualified them to play in the Special Olympics USA Games in New Jersey in 2014. During this time Dominique got the nickname “Diamond Dominique” from the former head Coach, Mark Wright.
This BHS vs Sehome Unified Soccer game was fun for everyone. Photo courtesy: BHS Unified Soccer Team.
Dominique has witnessed firsthand the impact her programs have had on students at BPS. With her undergraduate degree at WWU and her work at BPS and Special Olympics, she’s seen students through BPS from Kindergarten age to Community Transitions (CT). Through CT post-high school aged students achieve their transition goals in the areas of education and training, employment and independent living. For example, two of my athletes participate in trial work experiences, one at Habitat for Humanity in Whatcom County and one at Value Village which is affiliated with the Arc of Whatcom County. This is very gratifying for Dominique, to see youth with disabilities, grow, learn and be included in our community.
Kylan Gobert loves cheering his team on. Photo courtesy: BHS Unified Soccer Team.
Dominique is an advocate for disability awareness. She built a program to include equality of access to sports and physical education, and connected the community to adopt and support the program. As the program has grown to include 15 coaches she now misses the closeness and intimacy of getting to know a small group of athletes and families better. But I think she also realizes that the growth in her programs has allowed more athletes, coaches and parents to get involved and receive the bond that a team of people with a common goal has. Many coaches have stayed with the program for many years due to the connection and positive impact that the program has within the community. Dominique is incredibly grateful for the time and commitment that so many people have put into the program.
Unified Bowling participants are making friends and building memories. Photo credit: Dominique Lantagne.
Dominique attributes her success in the growth of the program to strong communication and keeping a positive intent. At times her job can be frustrating. She describes her typical work week as, “there is no typical work week.” It involves outreach, coordination, facilitation, putting out fires, clerical work and constantly looking to the future. Progress is measured in new sports offerings and building the connection between participants and the community. While the paperwork can be cumbersome, she keeps an eye on the prize with an outlook of positive intent. It shows.
What lingo is important to Dominique? People first language. Simply put, we are all people, with and without disability. All of us have strengths and areas of needed improvement and it’s important to keep the person ahead of any disability. Saying an, “autistic person,” verses a, “person with autism,” may seem like a nuance but the human element is most important, not labeling the differences first.
BHS Unified Soccer 2017 helps kids make friends and build skills. Photo credit: Dave Reynolds.
What tools does Dominique use? Social media and blogs connect her and her staff to the people she serves. The use of social media has helped her reach more people.
Dominique is an extremely busy person. She has a husband and two children, ages nine and seven. Raising her children takes up most of her non-work time. In her limited free time, she enjoys exercising, kayaking, camping, hiking, snowshoeing and traveling. She loves Bellingham and the access to resources including the tight-knit yet substantial community we live in. She marvels at the spectacle of people reaching out to the community and how the community will react to make things happen.
Without Dominique’s hard work and determination, hundreds of youth in our community would not have had access to competitive sports leagues. Her programs have changed the lives of hundreds of students and families for the better. Our community would not be the same without her.
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Got an idea for someone you’ve always wondered about? Maybe you already know them but think they deserve some lime light. I’m looking to get to know others that make our community a better place, a unique place, maybe even a stranger place. Drop me a line at submit@whatcomtalk.com.
Mother’s Day is May 14 and we at Joe’s Gardens have an incredible selection of hanging baskets to make your mom, or any mom you would like to honor, happy.
Give the gift that keeps on giving this Mother’s Day. Photo courtesy: Joe’s Gardens.
Have a shady spot to fill? Hanging fuchsia baskets are perfect. Or choose one of our custom designed shade baskets designed with shade loving plants.
Full sun? We have that covered too with a beautiful array of sun-loving hanging baskets.
Can’t decide? Build your own hanging basket or planter with our large selection of basket stuffers and guidance from our helpful crew.
Your mom will feel the love all summer long with a beautiful hanging flower basket. Photo courtesy: Joe’s Gardens.
How about a herb pot or planter instead of flowers? We have Whatcom County’s largest selection of herb and vegetable starts to create the gift that keeps on giving!
Gift Certificates are available! Please contact us at 360-671-7639 or gardenhelp.com if you are unable to visit us in person.
Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone! I love a good holiday that’s all fun and none of the work and Cinco de Mayo is a perfect example. So get out, get together with friends and have some fun! You’ll find plenty of great Whatcom County weekend events to keep you busy. Here’s a few to get you started. Don’t forget to check our full events calendar for all the great local happenings this weekend.
WhatcomTalk aims to be your source for positive information and events happening in Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden and throughout Whatcom County. If you have a suggestion for a post, send us a note at submit@whatcomtalk.com. For more events and to learn what’s happening in Bellingham and the surrounding area, visit our events calendar. To submit an event of your own, visit our events calendar and click on the green “Post Your Event” button.
Kevin Wiebe is a Ferndale native. Although he graduated from Ferndale High School, he admits he wasn't a model student. His teachers and administrators...
