How would you spend $275? Would this money impact the rest of your life?
For Yuma, a Whole Planet Foundation microfinance credit recipient in Tanzania, $275 helped her rent a storefront, build a counter and purchase a refrigerator, which helped her expand her store’s inventory. $275 made her business sustainable and profitable, so she and her five-year-old son can live a better life.
Learn more about Yuma’s story and other entrepreneurs’ stories here.
Whole Planet Foundation was borne out of Whole Foods Market’s desire to give something back with a focus on the persistent problem of world poverty and hunger. Whole Planet Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization established by Whole Foods Market. The foundation provide grants to microfinance institutions in Asia, Africa, the Americas and the Middle East, who in turn develop and offer microenterprise loan programs, training and other financial services to the self-employed poor.
This March, every Whole Foods Market across the county, including Bellingham, will be fundraising for Whole Planet Foundation to alleviate poverty in regions Whole Foods Market sources products. One hundred percent of funds raised through customer donation and vendor support will benefit entrepreneurs across 69 countries and 15 U.S. cities. As entrepreneurs grow their businesses, they repay the loans. Whole Planet Foundation’s microfinance partners around the globe have a 97 percent repayment rate, which proves the impact of the foundation’s work.
Whole Foods Market team members have an opportunity each year to travel abroad with Whole Planet Foundation to meet microcredit loan recipients and help with community service projects. To date, 671 have volunteered in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Peru, South Africa, Thailand, Togo and the United States since 2007!
To support Whole Planet Foundation’s fundraising campaign in March, visit Whole Foods Market in Bellingham, which is located at the corner of Lakeway and Lincoln. The store is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sales, coupons, events and more are available at wfm.com/bellinghamlakeway.
Drayton Harbor Oyster Company's Pacific Oysters are as beautiful as they are delicious. Photo courtesy: Steve Seymour.
It would be an understatement to say the Drayton Harbor Oyster Company has gone through a few changes. Steve Seymour and Geoff Menzies started the oyster farming operation in 1985 as a non-profit endeavor, and since then the company has shown many different faces. Poor water quality plagued the Drayton Harbor for years before Drayton Harbor Oyster Company could become the successful for-profit company it is today.
Drayton Harbor Oyster Company’s Pacific Oysters are served up by co-owner Mark Seymour. Photo courtesy: Steve Seymour.
Seymour and Menzies were able to farm their 150 acres in Drayton Harbor for 10 years before water quality became an issue. In 1995, the Washington State Department of Health closed the bay to shellfishing. Septic placement, runoff from farms and other forms of pollution were the main culprits behind the bay’s closure.
When the bay shut down Seymour left the company to go work for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, but that didn’t deter his partner Menzies. Menzies worked relentlessly over the course of the next 20 years to get the bay into the condition it is now.
“Geoff is the real hero in this whole thing,” Seymour says. “He spent all his time while being pretty much unpaid to make this a possibility, and he worked side by side with agencies to make this a reality.” Menzies enlisted the help of the Puget Sound Restoration Fund and tried to get the bay re-opened in 1995.
With the Puget Sound Restoration Fund and Menzies’ energy they approached the state department of health and were able to re-open the bay and seed several areas of Drayton Harbor for two or three years, Seymour says.
One of Drayton Harbor Oyster Company’s Pacific Oysters rests on Drayton Harbor’s waters. Photo credit: Steve Seymour.
In 2004, Drayton Harbor Oyster Company received approval from the health department to harvest seasonally, based on water quality and rainfall. Seymour says this operation occurred on and off due to the inconsistency of the bay staying clean.
“When there were dry spells the bay was okay. Everything had been fixed and over $30 million worth of work were put in over a 20-year time period,” Seymour says.
In 2013, The Drayton Harbor Oyster Company LLC was born. Seymour had retired from Washington State Fish and Wildlife and Menzies was ready for a change of scenery. Ownership switched and Seymour regained the oyster farm.
This was the first time the company became a for-profit business, Seymour says. Previously it operated on a community membership system. Members would pay $100 and receive around 13 dozen oysters periodically throughout the year.
Seymour says he couldn’t have imagined how popular the company would become. Last year they opened their raw bar in downtown Blaine and business has been booming. The raw bar ranks number one on both Yelp and TripAdvisor for the city of Blaine.
Drayton Harbor Oyster Company’s Pacific Oysters are as beautiful as they are delicious. Photo courtesy: Steve Seymour.
“Originally we just thought to make a small store offering some fresh product. But then, over time, the store became our best outreach effort in helping to keep the bay clean,” Seymour says.
Customers who have been to the raw bar have become interested in learning more about the bay and how they can keep it clean, Seymour says. The fact that there is a spot in their own town where they can get delicious seafood has spurred them into action, he says.
“People have rediscovered the bay in Blaine and they have taken ownership over this little gem right in their backyard. People are seeing what a local and fresh product can do for them and we are a family business so people appreciate that part too,” Seymour says.
Currently, the Drayton Harbor Oyster Company solely farms Pacific oysters. They tumble the product, which creates a deeper cup within the oyster, a main reason why their oysters are so popular on the half shell raw bar oyster market, Seymour says. He says he believes their oysters are creating their own special niche in the raw bar market.
Since opening in 2013 they had only been able to farm seasonally and were made to shut down during the winter months, but that all changed in December of 2016. The bay for the first time is now open year-round for shellfishing, the culmination of a 20-year goal, Seymour says.
To celebrate they threw a “shellabration.” Over 150 people showed up to the plaza in downtown Blaine to enjoy raw and grilled oysters, while celebrating the efforts made to keep the bay clean and open year-round. Seymour says the “shellabration” could become an annual event, he hopes that it continues as the years go on and as the company staff gets younger.
“I’ve already retired once, now I kind of just want to play around. I want to see the company being run by my son [co-owner Mark Seymour] and these younger guys and gals; while I just sit back and smile.”
With each year comes more information on living a healthy life, more specifically, eating well. 2017 is the year to work smarter, not harder when it comes to healthy diet; enter, superfoods.
By integrating superfoods from Whole Foods Market into your diet, you can make small, incremental changes toward better health. According to an article by Harvard Health Publications, it’s not enough to have a goal. You also need practical ways to reach it. For example, replacing staple ingredients in your kitchen with healthy alternatives such as white cane sugar with coconut sugar and vegetable oil with avocado oil.
Super Boosters
By adding a “booster” to your smoothies, teas, soups and salads, you can harness the power of inflammation fighters, immune boosters and more.
Turmeric contains curcumin, which provides powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Find some ways to cook with turmeric here.
Spirulina is a seaweed derivative and great smoothie booster! Just one tablespoon of dried spirulina contains four grams of protein and two grams of iron. Find more smoothie boosters, here.
Goji Berries contain lots of vitamins and minerals, such as iron and vitamins A, C and B2. Find some great Goji Berry snacks, here.
Chia Seeds are packed with antioxidants, fiber, protein, Omega-3 fatty acids and micronutrients.
Wellness Tonics
From golden milks with Turmeric to drinking apple cider vinegar, these nutrient packed drinks are center stage in 2017. Try to cut out caffeinated or sugary drinks by replacing that soda with a wellness tonic. Not only are they nutrient rich, but many aid in digestion and increase energy.
A happy, healthy gut is key when it comes to digestion and building a strong immune system. Due to our reliance on pasteurized foods, many people are missing healthy bacteria in their system that helps keep the gut functioning well. Probiotics are healthy bacteria prominent in fermented foods. As with everything, balance is key. At Whole Foods Market, look for products labeled “live” or “contain live cultures” to start adding a diverse mix of probiotics into your diet.
Live cultured pickles, sauerkraut, vegetables and kimchi (you’ll find these in the refrigerated case)
Unpasteurized miso (which has not been heated)
Tempeh, made from fermented soybeans
Fermented drinks and tea such as kombucha
Yogurt and kefir made with live cultures (not all commercially sold yogurt or frozen yogurt contains live cultures). Non-dairy yogurt varieties may also contain live cultures.
Probiotic supplements – we’ve got a large selection in our Whole Body Department
Whole Foods Market in Bellingham is located at the corner of Lakeway and Lincoln. The store is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sales, coupons, events and more are available at wfm.com/bellinghamlakeway.
For personalized recommendations pertaining to your diet and health, please see a licensed physician or health specialist.
Upcoming workshops at Whatcom Community College will introduce middle school students to non-traditional education and career paths. The March 4 “Guys and Guts” and April 22 “Girls Go Tech” programs allow 11-14 year-olds to learn about the worlds of healthcare and technology respectively through thought-provoking activities. The workshops also include information sessions for parents wanting to learn more about access to college and WCC’s professional-technical programs.
Students participate in an activity during the 2016 Guys and Guts workshop at Whatcom Community College. Photo courtesy: WCC.
Register now for the 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. March 4 Guys and Guts event held at Whatcom’s state-of-the-art Health Professions Education Center. The workshop highlights medically oriented fields, offering participants an opportunity to take part in a number of hands-on activities related to health professions including drawing ‘blood’ from an artificial arm, measuring lung capacity, ‘resuscitating’ a simulation mannequin, measuring blood pressure and much more. The $10 workshop fee covers one middle school boy and his parent or guardian. Registration includes hands-on labs, lunch for two, T-shirt for the student, campus scavenger hunt, presentations and career and educational information.
For more information, email lgardner@whatcom.edu or call 360-383-3193. Register online at the event website, whatcom.edu/guysandguts. Registration deadline is Feb. 28. Space is limited.
Girls will learn to excel in technology with Girls go Tech. Photo courtesy: WCC.
Enrollment is also open for the April 22 Girls Go Tech workshop, which offers an interactive approach to learning more about technology-related programs at WCC. In hands-on labs, students will experiment with Raspberry Pi computers, information security vulnerabilities and safeguards and various energy sources. The girls will also meet special guest speaker Dr. Regina Barber DeGraaff, professor of physics and astronomy at Western Washington University.
Similar in format to Guys and Guts, the Girls Go Tech workshop fee covers one middle school girl and her parent or guardian. For more information, email lgardner@whatcom.edu or call 360-383-3193. Register online at the event website, whatcom.edu/girlsgotech. Registration deadline is April 18. Space is limited.
These workshops are made possible by funds from the Carl D. Perkins Act and generous donations from Bellingham Central Lion’s Club, Bellingham Rotary and other local service organizations.
Gabe Rogel stopped just long enough for a warm drink between shots on the Ama Dablam expedition in Khumbu, Nepal. Photo courtesy: Gabe Rogel.
At age nineteen, Gabe Rogel bought his first SLR camera. He took a gap year from college and set out on a three-month solo odyssey to the infamous Himalayas. As a connoisseur of rocky ascents and some of Washington’s highest peaks, a trip to the other side of the planet would shape the next twenty years of his career, a career built on incredible adventures.
Rogel captured this skier on the glacial face of Mt. Tennant on the Antarctic Peninsula. Photo credit: Rogel Media.
Rogel was one of the fortunate to find what he loved to do in his youth and transmute his passion for rock climbing into a portfolio of work both impressive in scope and geographical intrigue. Rogel Media captures images of unbelievable vistas and the athletes who do the unimaginable- defy gravity, while at the same time challenging any degree of the mundane.
Originally from Spokane, Rogel pursued a photography degree in Colorado only to return to Bellingham to take a summer job mountain guiding at the American Alpine Institute. After two summers guiding trips to Mount Baker, Alaska and South America Rogel found himself at a crossroads between two loves – mountains and cameras.
This was one of Rogel’s first profitable photographs of a Mount Baker climb some twenty years ago. Photo courtesy: Rogel Media.
“I was guiding up at Mt. Baker, shooting slide film and shooting around Bellingham and I remember this major moment of selling my first climbing photo to a climbing magazine,” Rogel recalled. “That photo I sold was taken on the Mount Baker summit crater while I was guiding. It was three guys on a rope team silhouetted with Mount Baker steaming behind them.”
Later that year Rogel would attend the Outdoor Retailer Show, opening his eyes to an entire industry. After selling a photo for $300 for a rock-climbing calendar, he realized he could combine his passions, make a real living and turn an outdoor lifestyle into an alpine dream vocation. Patagonia would be the first major company to buy one of Rogel’s photographs- a fly fishing shot used as an ad in a fly fishing magazine. When the crème de la crème of the outdoor industry comes knocking and says they’ll pay $1000 for a single photo, Rogel said, “That’s when the light really went on.”
Rogel captured this mountain biker cruising down the rocks in Green River, Utah. Photo credit: Rogel Media.
After a ton of knocking on major outdoor industry doors and finding a niche, fast-forward to today and Rogel Media has made in-roads with companies like Patagonia, North Face, Marmot, Bombardier and Outside Magazine. A few years ago, Rogel began working with Sony as one of their Artisans of Imagery. “It’s funny to be sitting here talking about the early days because I remember being in Bellingham that first summer and saying, ‘I can’t believe this is happing.’ I was twenty-two. That’s when my career began,” he acknowledged.
When people feel this eager passion, they can forgive awkward first impressions. Rogel recalled, “I used to lug around this thick, heavy light table for slide viewing. My first time working with Marmot, twenty years ago, Tom Fritz was the VP of marketing, whom I didn’t even know. He was expecting me to pull out a book of my photos and instead I pull out this light table. I asked, ‘Hey, do you have anywhere for me to plug this in?’” That encounter led to a contract and a retainer with Marmot. Rogel fondly remembers brokering the deal from a payphone in Yosemite just before climbing El Capitan.
Rogel Media Gabe Rogel captured Carl Jonson biking through the trees of Mt. Fromme, North Shore, BC. Photo credit: Rogel Media.
As a teenager working as a ski tech at Mountain Gear in Spokane, Rogel couldn’t have dreamed the path his climbing feet would soon traverse. Mountain Gear would be the first company to use his photos for their comprehensive catalog. It was a $20 gear trade per photo and at the time he thought, “Sweet, that’s more cams and carabiners or another road trip to the desert.” The yearly catalog was enough to give Rogel the early recognition for his images that would circulate his name throughout the vast sea of outdoor industry vendors.
Segue to the countless photo expeditions Rogel has coordinated since then. He’s worked for major companies who’ve contracted with him to film or photograph unique lifestyle perspectives, allowing him to capture many corners of the world from unique vantage points. One film project had him profiling high altitude, high- profile, climber Adrian Ballinger.
Gabe Rogel captured Peter Doucette hanging off this rock at Ama Dablam base camp in Khumbu, Nepal. Photo credit: Rogel Media.
“I shot up on the mountain most days but on the last day, I got to take a bunch of heli rides with the door off, hanging out the side shooting two climbers down on the ridge of the mountain we’d been climbing on previously. Seeing Everest and Makalu as we were coming up over those ridges of Ama Deblam, from that perspective, I’ll never forget that,” he said.
Shoots for Rogel are still usually trip based and sometimes photojournalistic – capturing the essence of a place, or highlighting athletes, or photographing the crazy things people do for a challenge, or the gear that takes them there. From guiding in the Alaska Range, to the highlight of all trips – an 8,000-meter peak he skied (without oxygen) in 2005.
Gabe Rogel stopped just long enough for a warm drink between shots on the Ama Dablam expedition in Khumbu, Nepal. Photo courtesy: Gabe Rogel.
Over an eight-week expedition for Marmot on Shishapangma in Tibet, there was never a dull moment. “It was two months of my life, looking back, that were the most dreamy and surreal,” Rogel said. And even though those extended adventures abroad aren’t the mainstay of Rogel’s work today, his next footage or photograph will surely be as epic as those early days he spent discovering his passion wherever he decided to climb.
Broselle defeated Yelm's Jeremy Smith in the 3A 195-pound finals to secure his second career state title. Photo credit: Grant Clark.
The match was one of the more physical encounters at Mat Classic.
The state’s top two 195 pounders in the 3A classification going full bore for the full three periods, neither taking a step back.
When it was finally over, Ferndale’s Ben Broselle exited the mat battered and bloodied but, above everything else, elated as he became just the third Golden Eagle ever to win two state wrestling championships.
Broselle closed out his high school wrestling career in grand fashion by earning a hard-fought 7-4 victory over a very-game Jeremy Smith of Yelm in the 195-pound state finals at the Tacoma Dome on February 18.
The senior’s strong showing helped Ferndale finish ninth overall in the team standings, the squad’s highest placing since 2008.
Broselle defeated Smith, 7-4, in the state finals. Photo credit: Grant Clark.
In addition to Broselle’s title, the Golden Eagles also received a third-place finish from junior Eli Coy (132 pounds), a sixth place from sophomore Jaden Schwartz (145) and an eighth place from senior Pavel Kolbert (170).
“Today was just awesome. I’m sad for all the guys who lost, obviously,” Broselle said, “but super happy for all the guys who won. Eli, Jaden, Pavel, I can’t believe they all did it. They were all cheering me on, egging me on for my state title. Incredible way for it to end.”
With the victory, Broselle, who won the 182-pound title last year, enters a select fraternity of Ferndale wrestlers, joining Chet Slevin and Jason Muggy as the only multiple-time state champions in program history. Slevin captured the 189-pound title in 2003 and 2004, while Muggy remains the school’s only three-time titlist, winning the 141-pound crown in 1988 and back-to-back 148-pound titles in 1989 and 1990.
Broselle made short work of the competition in advancing to the championship round, pinning his first three opponents in lightning-quick fashion.
Blaine junior Saul Magallon (right) during his 220-pound state semifinal match against Tumwater’s Caden Hicks. Magallon would go on to win his first state championship. Photo credit: Grant Clark.
He opened his run at title No. 2 by pinning Connor Wood of Prairie in 32 seconds. That triumph was followed by pins of Kamiakin’s Luke Eskelsen in the quarterfinals (1:23) and Mount Spokane’s Mason Miethe (1:29).
Smith ended hopes of an all-Whatcom County final when the Yelm senior defeated Squalicum junior Brian Pullman, 3-2, in the other semifinal match.
“It would have been fun wrestling Brian again,” said Broselle, who defeated Pullman, 6-1, the previous week in a regional semifinal matchup, “but I’ve wrestled him three times. I wanted someone new.”
What he got was a determined Smith, who had placed third in the same weight division last year in the 4A ranks with his only setback at the 2016 state tournament coming in overtime in the semifinals.
Broselle scored a two-point takedown in the first period to establish an early advantage. The two battled the rest of the way.
Squalicum’s Brian Pullman has his arm raised after taking third place in the 195-pound division at the state tournament. Photo credit: Grant Clark.
Shortly after the first points were scored, the first of four match stoppages for blood cleanup would take place, an indication of how physical the title match was.
“That actually helped me a little. I was getting tired,” Broselle said about all the stoppages. “It was a tough match. I had never wrestled him before. I had wrestled two out of the four kids in the semifinals before so I knew what I was getting into, but with Smith, I had no idea.”
Despite missing out on a finals appearance, Pullman rebounded impressively, defeating Eskelsen, 3-2, in a loser-out match before knocking off Miethe, 5-3, in overtime to secure third place.
The Storm also received a sixth place from junior Jase Cooper (113) and an eighth from sophomore Dominick Mack (285).
Broselle defeated Yelm’s Jeremy Smith in the 3A 195-pound finals to secure his second career state title. Photo credit: Grant Clark.
In the Class 2A tournament, Blaine junior Saul Magallon won the 220-pound state title, while Lynden senior Brody Weinheimer was runner-up in the 195-pound division.
Magallon defeated River Ridge’s Blayne Haderman, 3-1, in the championship round. Haderman entered the tournament as the top-ranked 2A wrester in the weight class. The two were tied at 1-1 until a late two-point takedown in the third period secured the win and the title for Magallon.
Magallon was one of three Borderites to take home some hardware as senior Colton Economy (third, 132) and senior Riley Fritsch (fifth, 170) each placed.
Weinheimer cruised into the state finals after dominating his first three opponents, highlighted by a 67-second pin of Mountlake Terrace’s Reyne Mack in the semifinals, before losing in the finals, 3-2, to Othello’s T.J. Martinez.
Ferndale senior Ben Broselle hugs coach Caleb Schlack following his 3A state championship victory. Photo credit: Grant Clark.
Mount Baker finished fourth as team in the girls’ state tournament, getting a state title from junior Emma Bruntil in the 135-pound division and placings from Gabriella Mata (sixth, 110) and Korbyn Cadle (sixth, 120).
It marks Bruntil’s second state championship as she won the 130-pound title last year while attending Nooksack Valley.
Lynden’s Kali Spady posted a third-place finish in the 145-pound girls’ state tournament, while Nooksack Valley had a pair of placings in Lynette Samano (sixth, 125) and Grace Himango (eighth, 190).
Western has two audition-only a capella groups on tour in Eastern Washington. Photo Courtesy: WWU A Capella Club.
Senior WWU Student, Spencer Johnson, is not a beat-boxer. “People are familiar with that term,” says the a capella club member, “but it’s really not the same thing as being a vocal percussionist. I don’t make up all my own noises. I’m basically the drum set.” Johnson, vocal percussionist and bass singer for WWU’s men’s a capella group, has participated in a capella club for the entirety of his college career. “It was initially just a place for me to sing, but it’s also become a place where I can meet and make friends who share a common interest,” Johnson says.
Rebel Clef is on tour in Eastern Washington. Photo Courtesy: WWU A Capella Club.
For those who don’t speak Italian and have yet to see “Pitch Perfect,” a capella is choral music performed without musical accompaniment. It’s up to the vocalists to fill the roles of the instruments. Songs are typically centered around one or two soloists, with the rest of the group providing instrument-like vocal accompaniment.
Western’s a capella club consists of three distinct groups, each with its own student director, music and events. The aptly named audition-free group All Aboard, directed by Gillian Lait, invites new singers to join every quarter, regardless of experience level. Johnson directed All Aboard for two years before auditioning for the small men’s ensemble, Rebel Clef. “All Aboard is more laid back, which is what works for a lot of students especially if they have busy schedules,” Johnson says. “But this fall I decided to audition for Rebel Clef because I was ready to put even more time into a capella.”
Under the direction of Willey Ohana, Rebel Clef performs during the school year everywhere from church festivals, to auctions, to open mic nights and talent shows. The women’s ensemble, Major Treble, is directed by Taylor VanDuser. Just like Rebel Clef, this small, audition-only ensemble works throughout the school year to prepare for concerts and competitions. Although most members aren’t music majors, all groups rely on technical music knowledge to create and execute original arrangements. “It’s a commitment,” Johnson says, “We put a lot of work in together, which makes it really rewarding. You could easily equate it to being on a sports team.”
Western has two audition-only a capella groups on tour in Eastern Washington. Photo Courtesy: WWU A Capella Club.
However, it’s not all work. Between singing and studying, club members join each other for movies, game nights and potlucks. “It’s really a group of friends that you can stick with,” Johnson says.
Each group’s annual tour is the perfect combination of work and play. Past tours have included trips to Portland, Vancouver and Seattle. This year the audition groups trekked away from the coast to Central Washington University to perform concerts at high schools, shoot their music video and participate in exchanges with other a capella groups. Exchanges offer the opportunity to sing for other clubs and get valuable feedback. “Tour is nice because it’s not a competition,” Johnson says. “It’s an opportunity to work on things with other people. It’s a good skill and a good way to bond.” All Aboard will go on tour in Seattle this spring.
“The concerts are a lot of fun,” Johnson says. “It’s just great that people who love to sing can get together, regardless of major, and sing with each other. Where else can you see that?” The all-club concert at the end of every quarter is open to the public and is held on the Thursday of Western’s dead week. You can also see Western a capella perform at the ICCA Northwest Quarterfinals, held this year at the Mount Baker Theatre on February 25. Here schools from all over the region, as far as Utah, will fight for a chance to represent the northwest at the semifinals in Salem, Oregon.
Being deaf doesn’t stop Lila from teaching Dandelion why he is so important to the world. Photo courtesy: Sheryl Hershey.
Submitted by: Sheryl Hershey
Lila is a happy little girl who listens with her heart and speaks with her hands. Being deaf doesn’t stop Lila from teaching Dandelion why he is so important to the world. The Lila Books are a fun and colorful way to teach young children about the importance of kindness and understanding.
“Lila and the Dandelion,” teaches that you don’t have to be perfect to be important. Photo courtesy: Sheryl Hershey.
Book one, “Lila and the Dandelion,” teaches that you don’t have to be perfect to be important. Book two, “Lila and the Stinkbug,” is about the importance of apologizing and being kind.
The character of Lila is based on Lila Ahlsten, the author’s grandmother, who graduated from Western Washington College in 1964 at the age of 62. Ahlsten taught at the Washington State School for the Blind. Her students were both deaf and blind. Unable to bear the thought that these children would likely be institutionalized, Ahlsten’s goal was to teach her students how to get by in the world, and to help them realize that they had a purpose for being here, just like everyone else.
The Lila Books teach children that they don’t have to be perfect to be important. Photo courtesy: Sheryl Hershey.
The author, Sheryl Hershey, loves presenting her books to children from ages 5 through 8. Available for doing PowerPoint presentations of both books, Sheryl also gives a signed copy of whichever book has been presented to each child. If you’re interested in having the author do a presentation for your school or Sunday school class, please email her at thelilabooks@yahoo.com.
Inspired by natural beauty, Nancy Canyon blocks out time to paint each week. Photo credit: Patricia Herlevi.
Bellingham has the most artists per capita next to Santa Fe, New Mexico. And while the city has many artists showing up at galleries, art walks, studio tours, the Chuckanut Writers Conference, and open microphones, I have encountered Nancy Canyon at all those types of gatherings.
Similar to many artists who settle in Whatcom County, Canyon has an affinity for the natural surroundings. A visit to her studio located on the second floor of the Morgan Block Building in Fairhaven immerses visitors in supernatural beauty. When I visited Canyon’s studio, she mentioned that she mainly paints reflections of trees in the water.
Nancy Canyon paints reflections of trees in the water of Padden Creek. This painting appears on the cover of her book, Dark Forest. Photo credit: Patricia Herlevi.
“I like to keep a tight focus,” Canyon shares with me as she sips her herbal tea. “However,” she reconsiders, “I would like to paint landscapes in the future.”
In an earlier interview, Canyon reflected on her inspiration found on nature walks. “I love color, patterns, light and shadow. I’m in awe of nature. When I walk the path past Scudder Pond each morning, I’m thrilled by the colors the brush is taking on: red, chartreuse, beige and black. It’s amazing. And the sky reflecting in the pond makes me almost swoon. That sounds old fashioned but I don’t know how else to say how the beauty of nature affects me.”
Canyon keeps a busy schedule between balancing time she spends with her grandchildren, teaching writing classes at Whatcom Community College, painting and writing fiction. Despite the distraction of Bellingham’s trails, Canyon manages to stay focused.
Nancy Canyon writes and paints at her studio in the Morgan Block Building in Fairhaven. Photo credit: Patricia Herlevi.
A look around her studio filled to the brim with her foliage and reflection paintings and Spirit Boxes, causes me to wonder about her secret for success.
“I write all day Mondays,” Canyon says. “Tuesdays I do Pilates, and then I work in my studio in the afternoon. Wednesdays and Thursdays I have my grandsons, two boys five and ten years of age. On Wednesdays, they work on art in the studio while I paint. On Thursdays, we’re at the house so they do crafts or watch a movie while I write. Friday, I’m in the studio. Sometimes I write in the studio on Fridays and sometimes I paint.”
Canyon began exploring art when she was in grade school. And since that time, she has taken the route of a lifelong learner. “By fourth grade I was penning the beginnings of novels,” Canyon recalls. “I completed three little stapled chapters, one book called “The Mystery of the Tin Box.” I imagined I could be a novelist when I grew up. Later, I mainly made art. Then in 1997, I went to Natalie Goldberg’s workshop in Taos, New Mexico. That was the true beginning of becoming a writer. After that, I took a novel writing certificate program at the University of Washington. Then I earned an MFA at Pacific Lutheran University.”
Canyon’s collection of skulls inspires her paintings. She also writes poems and fiction. Photo credit: Patricia Herlevi.
Life circumstances caused Canyon to relocate from the Kitsap Peninsula to Bellingham in 2005. “My marriage was failing and because of my husband’s popularity on the Peninsula, I decided I needed to either move to Bellingham where my daughter lived or back to my hometown of Spokane,” remembers Canyon.
“My daughter and her husband were talking about having children, so it was a no brainer. It was a big move for me, as I only knew one other person besides my daughter. So, I made a goal to be outgoing, meet people, go to readings, lead workshops, etc. Since I was in a creative writing program at Pacific Lutheran University, I started a weekly writing group to help generate the pages I needed. It wasn’t long before I had a large community of writing friends.”
Canyon wears many hats. She is a modern Renaissance woman. I first met Canyon at the Chuckanut Writers Conference in 2013. Like many authors in the city, she exudes a passion for her craft.
Inspired by natural beauty, Nancy Canyon blocks out time to paint each week. Photo credit: Patricia Herlevi.
“I love to write most anything,” Canyon says. “I’m partial to the novel and have written four. Currently I’ve almost completed my memoir of the two years I spent tending a fire lookout tower in the Nez Perce National Forest in the 1970s. I also love to write poetry. I have a good publication record of poetry and my poetry book ‘Saltwater’ was locally published by Independent Writers Studio Press.”
Learn more or see what Nancy is up to at her website.
The public is invited to a Cultural Heritage Tourism presentation by Cheryl Hargrove of HTC Partners on Wednesday March 1, 2017, 6:00 – 8:00 pm at the Mt. Baker Theatre Walton Room, 104 N. Commercial Street.
An expert in the field of economic development and tourism, Hargrove’s engaging presentation will give an overview of the economic value of cultural heritage tourism, and kicks off a strategic planning project sponsored by the City of Bellingham and Bellingham/Whatcom County Tourism. Together with tourism stakeholders, the project will create an inventory and analysis of Bellingham and Whatcom County’s cultural heritage tourism resources and
Together with tourism stakeholders, the project will create an inventory and analysis of Bellingham and Whatcom County’s cultural heritage tourism resources and attractions and will involve research and assessment of market trends and target market segments. The project will result in a strategic long-range plan, as well as recommendations for product development.
Contact Katie Franks, Project Manager at kfranks@cob.org or 360-778-8388 for more information. RSVP is not required but is encouraged.
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