Slow-growing saguaro is a symbol of the desert
As a visitor to the southwestern United States a couple of weeks every year, I had always wondered about the saguaro cactus that signals a welcome to the vast Sonoran Desert.
Like stoic sentinels standing guard, the giant saguaro marches up mountains, occupies highway roadsides and even lives along golf courses.
No two are alike. They inhabit only the Sonoran Desert, an area that includes parts of Arizona, California and Mexico.
Many are simply green spiny trunks rising out of the shadows of a paloverde tree or a bursage bush. Others have arms that reach up to the sky and may be 30 feet tall.
They don’t bloom until they are about 50 years old. The mature giant finally gets an appendage around its 75th birthday. The strange plant may tower in the desert until it is 200 years old and sport multiple branches.
Fascinated, I ventured out to the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, where the silhouetted saguaro grows prolifically.
Nancy White, the assistant director of education at the Desert Botanical Garden, talked about the saguaro’s role in the desert’s ecology.
Nature has finely engineered the saguaro, which can weigh several tons, and can survive extreme temperature fluctuations.
“Think of a Hummer vehicle loaded with the family and the dog,” White said.
The columnar structure of the pleated accordion- like surface allows the saguaro to expand or contract depending on the amount of water it’s storing. It holds so much water that it can go for many months without rain.
The saguaro is able to withstand storms and winds that blow across the desert thanks to system of lateral roots that run just below the ground’s surface. As soon as it rains, these roots and other hair-like roots suck up as much moisture as they can. Often, these roots twine around rocks and give the saguaro a phenomenal structural strength.
In late May, the saguaro sprouts creamy white blossoms with yellow centers that cluster near the ends of the branches. The blossoms open during cooler desert nights and close again by next midday.
Not all of the flowers in a single saguaro bloom at the same time. Instead, over a month or more, a few open each night, secreting nectar into their tubes and awaiting pollination. These flowers close at about noon the following day, never to open again.
Bats and moths feed on the nectar, pollinating the plant to produce a pink fruit about the size of a kiwi that has bright scarlet pulp with tiny black seeds. The fruit, said to be one of the tastiest foods of the desert, ripens just before the fall rainy season. It is hard to pick one before the birds and other insects get to it.
The native people harvest the fruit with a long tool made from the dead skeletal wood of the saguaro. They make preserves and syrups from the delicacy.
Fruit left on the tree drops its seeds. They germinate and start growing under a nurse plant. In about 10 years, the new saguaro will be about the size of a thumb. Eventually, the nurse plant may die as the saguaro takes its water. To survive, the saguaro seed needs the shade and protection of a nurse plant, such as a paloverde or bursage.
The typical mature saguaro is a happy hotel for the birds that inhabit the Sonoran Desert. The gila woodpecker drills holes in the saguaros. That’s just fine with the saguaro as it forms a “scab” that becomes a nesting house.
The nests maintain a comfortable temperature even during the warmest summer days because of protection from the sun and the natural air conditioning provided by the saguaro.
Many varieties of birds live in nests in the saguaro, including the woodpecker, cactus wren, elf owl, screech owl, sparrow hawk and whitewinged doves.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Travel story: New Zealand by Polly Kolstad
Great Falls 03/28/2010, Page P20
Floating past ‘a chip off the old block’ in New Zealand
It’s a bit odd to escape the northern hemisphere’s cold, snowy winter, go south of the equator for “hottie” days, then end up boating on a glacial lake surrounded by icebergs.
That’s just one of the many interesting activities “down under.”
Indeed, no matter the time of the year, there’s something cool about floating among millennium glaciers, ancient ice, and wet clear crystals in the New Zealand south island sun.
In the middle of February, my husband and I found ourselves overdressed, layered in fine local woolen sweaters and long pants. Who would have thought an 85 degree day would blaze down on Aoraki Mount Cook National Park and the Tasman Glacier in a country that can get 200 days of rain, clouds, and overcast a year?
Our B&B hosts, Denise and Michael Scheele, reminded us that “the lady (Mount Cook) is often cloaked.” They knew a woman from Scotland who had come four years in a row and never seen the top of Mount Cook, highest mountain in New Zealand’s alpine park.
It behooved us to head to the Mount Cook Heritage Centre and Village for an adventure.
It is a surreal feeling, cruising in an inflatable boat amid islands of ice. The ice may be centuries old, but the lake was formed only decades ago when huge swaths of ice sheared off the Tasman Glacier’s terminal face. Few glaciers terminate in lakes, and even fewer of these are accessible to the average person. The terminal end of this glacier is in a melting and calving phase which produces all the icebergs in Tasman Lake. It is a dynamic environment, often emitting a “chip off the old block.”
“Up until this time, Tenefly is the largest iceberg to come up,” said Katy, our guide and boat pilot, as she motored up to the towering ice cliff.
All around us were huge floating ice sculptures, each unique in color and shape. Before ice is exposed to the elements, it is extremely dense and a steel blue color. Once the iceberg becomes exposed to sun, wind, and rain, the gases inside the ice warm, separating the ice into individual crystals. At this stage the iceberg develops a white color.
Ice crystals, the essential element of the glacier, allow the glacier to move as one body of ice. They deform or change shape under immense pressure. The exposed iceberg is only 10 percent of the mass, we learned; 90 percent is under water. Icebergs have impurities that can cause cracks, or fractures, which eventually give way. When this happens, the iceberg may rebalance by turning over. Not far from us was one that seemed to be rocking and rolling. We moved along quickly, not knowing if it might flip.
Being able to view, touch, and taste 500-year-old ice was a new experience. The crystal clear pieces that dripped from our hands tasted better than the finest of pure bott led water.
The lake’s water has a milky appearance from the “glacial rock flour,” a fine powder formed as the glaciers move, grinding and crushing brittle stones.
The Tasman Glacier and the mountains around it attract visitors from all over the world.
This is where Sir Edmund Hillary honed his mountaineering skills before his 1953 ascent of Mount Everest. A native of Auckland, New Zealand, Hillary came to Mount Cook to climb many times during his life.
In late 2007, the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre opened, three weeks before his death.
With one last look at Mount Cook resplendent in the bright blue sky, we hurried back for dinner. The Scheeles had fresh salmon from Lake Pukaki and vegetables from their garden, prepared, and awaiting our return, eager to hear about our day.
We were “gob smacked,” as they say in New Zealand.
PHOTO COURTESY POLLY KOLSTAD
An iceberg in New Zealand’s Tasman Lake
On the Road
— Polly Kolstad
Floating past ‘a chip off the old block’ in New Zealand
It’s a bit odd to escape the northern hemisphere’s cold, snowy winter, go south of the equator for “hottie” days, then end up boating on a glacial lake surrounded by icebergs.
That’s just one of the many interesting activities “down under.”
Indeed, no matter the time of the year, there’s something cool about floating among millennium glaciers, ancient ice, and wet clear crystals in the New Zealand south island sun.
In the middle of February, my husband and I found ourselves overdressed, layered in fine local woolen sweaters and long pants. Who would have thought an 85 degree day would blaze down on Aoraki Mount Cook National Park and the Tasman Glacier in a country that can get 200 days of rain, clouds, and overcast a year?
Our B&B hosts, Denise and Michael Scheele, reminded us that “the lady (Mount Cook) is often cloaked.” They knew a woman from Scotland who had come four years in a row and never seen the top of Mount Cook, highest mountain in New Zealand’s alpine park.
It behooved us to head to the Mount Cook Heritage Centre and Village for an adventure.
It is a surreal feeling, cruising in an inflatable boat amid islands of ice. The ice may be centuries old, but the lake was formed only decades ago when huge swaths of ice sheared off the Tasman Glacier’s terminal face. Few glaciers terminate in lakes, and even fewer of these are accessible to the average person. The terminal end of this glacier is in a melting and calving phase which produces all the icebergs in Tasman Lake. It is a dynamic environment, often emitting a “chip off the old block.”
“Up until this time, Tenefly is the largest iceberg to come up,” said Katy, our guide and boat pilot, as she motored up to the towering ice cliff.
All around us were huge floating ice sculptures, each unique in color and shape. Before ice is exposed to the elements, it is extremely dense and a steel blue color. Once the iceberg becomes exposed to sun, wind, and rain, the gases inside the ice warm, separating the ice into individual crystals. At this stage the iceberg develops a white color.
Ice crystals, the essential element of the glacier, allow the glacier to move as one body of ice. They deform or change shape under immense pressure. The exposed iceberg is only 10 percent of the mass, we learned; 90 percent is under water. Icebergs have impurities that can cause cracks, or fractures, which eventually give way. When this happens, the iceberg may rebalance by turning over. Not far from us was one that seemed to be rocking and rolling. We moved along quickly, not knowing if it might flip.
Being able to view, touch, and taste 500-year-old ice was a new experience. The crystal clear pieces that dripped from our hands tasted better than the finest of pure bott led water.
The lake’s water has a milky appearance from the “glacial rock flour,” a fine powder formed as the glaciers move, grinding and crushing brittle stones.
The Tasman Glacier and the mountains around it attract visitors from all over the world.
This is where Sir Edmund Hillary honed his mountaineering skills before his 1953 ascent of Mount Everest. A native of Auckland, New Zealand, Hillary came to Mount Cook to climb many times during his life.
In late 2007, the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre opened, three weeks before his death.
With one last look at Mount Cook resplendent in the bright blue sky, we hurried back for dinner. The Scheeles had fresh salmon from Lake Pukaki and vegetables from their garden, prepared, and awaiting our return, eager to hear about our day.
We were “gob smacked,” as they say in New Zealand.
PHOTO COURTESY POLLY KOLSTAD
An iceberg in New Zealand’s Tasman Lake
On the Road
— Polly Kolstad
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Kathy Casey story
Kathy Casey story
Great Falls 02/14/2010, Page P20
Skating coach Kathy Casey has roots in Great Falls
Just 18 days before the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Spokane hosted the National Figure Skating Championships, filling the city with elite skaters and coaches.
The athletes performed dizzying spins, triple Axels, twizzles, and a few quad jumps, while thousands of fans looked on in awe.
One of those on hand was Kathy Casey, a world-renowned coach and past president of the United States Figure Skating Professionals. Casey has served on the board of directors of the United States Figure Skating Association and on the U.S. Olympic Coaches Committee. She has been the official figure skating coach for three Olympic games and conducts seminars all over the world.
She’s also a Great Falls native.
Between commitments in Spokane, Casey reminisced about her early days in Great Falls and her first moments on ice.
“The Sieben family took Terry and I to a public session on rental skates,” she said of an outing with her brother.
Casey was hooked from her first wobbly glide and came home to tell her mother that she wanted to take lessons.
At the time, she was 12, “already, over the hill,” she said.
Yet, she entered some competitions, making it to a sectional event.
Her ultimate goal was to become a coach. And it wasn’t long before her dream came true.
In 1962, she became the assistant coach at the Lakewood Winter Club in Tacoma, Wash. In 1990, she was offered the position as skating director for the Broadmoor Skating club in Colorado Springs, Colo. She directed that program until 2000.
During her years in Tacoma and Colorado Springs, Casey coached many famous skaters, including Great Falls’ own Scott Davis, who went on to become a United States National Figure Skating Champion, World Figure Skating Champion and Olympic silver medalist; Rosalynn Sumner s, Nicole Bobek, Scott Hamilton, and the reigning U.S. Senior Ladies gold medalist, Rachel Flatt.
She said she taught Davis through trial and error.
Casey could see other countries were way ahead of the United States then, through weight training and exercise. Casey had little information on the biomechanics of jumping so she went to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and enlisted their help.
Collaborating with the research team — they rewrote how to do a triple Axel 18 times — they came up with excellent results. Her studies helped her earn the 2005 U.S. Olympic Committee Sports Science Coach of the Year.
Today, skaters learn to jump using a pole harness, a pole with a contraption that wraps around the skater. Holding the pole, the coach skates along with skater, preventing serious falls during an attempted jump.
Another innovation is the dart fish, a machine similar to a video camera that replays the skater’s jump, detailing how long they have to be in the air to reach the desired number of revolutions.
Casey’s coaching colleagues nominated her for the 2009 Sonja Henie Award. She received the honor at a dinner. As her name was announced, Casey came down the aisle dressed as the legendary Norwegian figure skating champion in high top skates and vintage costume.
Today, after some 35 years as a successful coach, Casey conducts skating seminars in Canada, Sweden, Great Britain, Norway, Scotland, Switzerland, Australia and the United States. She has given presentations for the International Skating Union and conducted developmental ice skating camps in Finland, Slovenia and China.
While she will have no official duties at this year’s Olympics in Vancouver, she will be on the sidelines cheering on skaters she knows through her years of coaching.
When not traveling the world, Casey ofte n comes back to Great Falls to visit her 98-year-old mother.
➤ For full coverage of the Winter Games:
www.gftribune.com
On the Road
— Polly Kolstad
TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO
Kathy Casey
Powered by TECNAVIACopyright (c)2010 Great Falls Tribune 02/14/2010
Great Falls 02/14/2010, Page P20
Skating coach Kathy Casey has roots in Great Falls
Just 18 days before the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Spokane hosted the National Figure Skating Championships, filling the city with elite skaters and coaches.
The athletes performed dizzying spins, triple Axels, twizzles, and a few quad jumps, while thousands of fans looked on in awe.
One of those on hand was Kathy Casey, a world-renowned coach and past president of the United States Figure Skating Professionals. Casey has served on the board of directors of the United States Figure Skating Association and on the U.S. Olympic Coaches Committee. She has been the official figure skating coach for three Olympic games and conducts seminars all over the world.
She’s also a Great Falls native.
Between commitments in Spokane, Casey reminisced about her early days in Great Falls and her first moments on ice.
“The Sieben family took Terry and I to a public session on rental skates,” she said of an outing with her brother.
Casey was hooked from her first wobbly glide and came home to tell her mother that she wanted to take lessons.
At the time, she was 12, “already, over the hill,” she said.
Yet, she entered some competitions, making it to a sectional event.
Her ultimate goal was to become a coach. And it wasn’t long before her dream came true.
In 1962, she became the assistant coach at the Lakewood Winter Club in Tacoma, Wash. In 1990, she was offered the position as skating director for the Broadmoor Skating club in Colorado Springs, Colo. She directed that program until 2000.
During her years in Tacoma and Colorado Springs, Casey coached many famous skaters, including Great Falls’ own Scott Davis, who went on to become a United States National Figure Skating Champion, World Figure Skating Champion and Olympic silver medalist; Rosalynn Sumner s, Nicole Bobek, Scott Hamilton, and the reigning U.S. Senior Ladies gold medalist, Rachel Flatt.
She said she taught Davis through trial and error.
Casey could see other countries were way ahead of the United States then, through weight training and exercise. Casey had little information on the biomechanics of jumping so she went to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and enlisted their help.
Collaborating with the research team — they rewrote how to do a triple Axel 18 times — they came up with excellent results. Her studies helped her earn the 2005 U.S. Olympic Committee Sports Science Coach of the Year.
Today, skaters learn to jump using a pole harness, a pole with a contraption that wraps around the skater. Holding the pole, the coach skates along with skater, preventing serious falls during an attempted jump.
Another innovation is the dart fish, a machine similar to a video camera that replays the skater’s jump, detailing how long they have to be in the air to reach the desired number of revolutions.
Casey’s coaching colleagues nominated her for the 2009 Sonja Henie Award. She received the honor at a dinner. As her name was announced, Casey came down the aisle dressed as the legendary Norwegian figure skating champion in high top skates and vintage costume.
Today, after some 35 years as a successful coach, Casey conducts skating seminars in Canada, Sweden, Great Britain, Norway, Scotland, Switzerland, Australia and the United States. She has given presentations for the International Skating Union and conducted developmental ice skating camps in Finland, Slovenia and China.
While she will have no official duties at this year’s Olympics in Vancouver, she will be on the sidelines cheering on skaters she knows through her years of coaching.
When not traveling the world, Casey ofte n comes back to Great Falls to visit her 98-year-old mother.
➤ For full coverage of the Winter Games:
www.gftribune.com
On the Road
— Polly Kolstad
TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO
Kathy Casey
Powered by TECNAVIACopyright (c)2010 Great Falls Tribune 02/14/2010
Joe Halko Show Galerie Trinitas
Joe Halko story
Great Falls 01/22/2010, Page L01
‘A Tribute to Joe Halko’
Galerie Trinitas to host show honoring late artist
By POLLY KOLSTAD For the Tribune
Joe Halko was an artist, a taxidermist, a wildlife lover and a gentle man who was right at home in Montana.
On Sunday, a show in his memory, “A Tribute to Joe Halko,” opens at Galerie Trinitas on the University of Great Falls campus.
“He always really admired Sister Trinitas and enjoyed her enthusiasm,” Joe’s widow, Margaret, said. “He liked helping her on her projects and learned a lot from her. She improvised and so did Joe.”
Halko died in March at the age of 68.
Early in his career, Halko left Montana for the Fisk Studios in New York and then for the Scottsdale (Arizona) School of Art. But he never forgot his roots.
He eventually returned to the area he loved: the ranch he grew up on near Stockett, his high school alma mater in Centerville, and the University of Great Falls, where as a stu& shy;dent he studied art under Sister Mary Trinitas Morin.
His artistic inspiration often came from the wild things — bears, deer, antelope, rabbits and geese — he saw outside his home in Choteau.
“Joe understood the anatomy of animals; he knew their bodies,” Margaret explained. “He worked outside or in the studio every day.”
Halko began as a taxidermist at the Great Falls Sporting Goods store. It was during this time that he started creating sculptures with his colleague and friend, Tuffy Berg. “My father, Cliff Rumford, taught Joe how to be a taxidermist,” said Leslie Stafford, recalling the early years at the family store.
Halko was a lifelong friend to the Rumfords. Among the Halko memorabilia the Rumfords treasure is a bronze of a pigmy owl and a picture of the family’s first dog that Joe did.
Halko was involved in the C.M. Russell Art Auction for years and was recognized as the Peoples’ Choice sculpture award winner in 1979 and 1983.
A year ago, Halko completed the Stations of the Cross bronzes installed in the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Great Falls.
According to Carol Fitzpatrick, her husband, Stan, bought the first piece Halko ever put in an auction. It was a pen and ink drawing of a herd of elk.
The Fitzpatrick family farmed in the Stockett area
See HALKO, 2L
TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO/STUART S. WHITE
Joe Halko describes his sculpture at the 2005 Russell Auction at the C.M. Russell Museum.
POLLY KOLSTAD PHOTO
A show in Halko’s honor opens Sunday at Galerie Trinitas.
Powered by TECNAVIACopyright (c)2010 Great Falls Tribune 01/22/2010
Reply Forward
New window Print allSponsored Links2010 Toyota SpecialsCash Back & 60 Month Low APR At City Toyota. Stop In & Save!www.City-Toyota.comRanch for Sale, ArgentinaBariloche, 25,000 acres Wildlife Resources - Fishery ResourShanahancampos.comMontana Elk HuntingPack into the backcountry by horse & mule, hunt the bulls.www.KLazy3.comOcean Side Country LodgeNewfoundland Moose & Bear Hunting We Will Take Good Care Of Youwww.oceansidecountrylodge.comBeaulieus Trophy HuntsNewfoundland $4175.00 95% success Free Videos All Inclusivewww.BigGameHuntingNewfoundland.caWe Have The Hunt You WantWorld-class bird and big game hunts Service, discretion, and valuewww.mbogo.netTexas Hunting Leases2010 Hunting Leases for Deer, Hog Quail, Dove, Duck, Exotics & More!www.LeaseHunter.comMontana Horse PropertyMedicineRoot Ranch has it All Views, 1549 Open AC, Water, Accesswww.MagnificentMontana.comMore about...Hunting »
Deer Hunting Outfitters »
Hunts »
Texas Hunting Guides »About these links« Back to Inbox Archive Report spam Delete Move to Labels More actions ‹ Newer 16 of 64 Older ›Compose a message in a new window by pressing "Shift" while clicking Compose Mail or Reply.You are currently using 225 MB (3%) of your 7424 MB.Last account activity: 4 days ago at IP 125.239.38.7. DetailsGmail view: standard turn off chat turn off buzz older version basic HTML Learn more©2010 Google - Terms - Privacy Policy - Buzz Privacy Policy - Gmail Blog - Join the Gmail team - Google Home
Great Falls 01/22/2010, Page L01
‘A Tribute to Joe Halko’
Galerie Trinitas to host show honoring late artist
By POLLY KOLSTAD For the Tribune
Joe Halko was an artist, a taxidermist, a wildlife lover and a gentle man who was right at home in Montana.
On Sunday, a show in his memory, “A Tribute to Joe Halko,” opens at Galerie Trinitas on the University of Great Falls campus.
“He always really admired Sister Trinitas and enjoyed her enthusiasm,” Joe’s widow, Margaret, said. “He liked helping her on her projects and learned a lot from her. She improvised and so did Joe.”
Halko died in March at the age of 68.
Early in his career, Halko left Montana for the Fisk Studios in New York and then for the Scottsdale (Arizona) School of Art. But he never forgot his roots.
He eventually returned to the area he loved: the ranch he grew up on near Stockett, his high school alma mater in Centerville, and the University of Great Falls, where as a stu& shy;dent he studied art under Sister Mary Trinitas Morin.
His artistic inspiration often came from the wild things — bears, deer, antelope, rabbits and geese — he saw outside his home in Choteau.
“Joe understood the anatomy of animals; he knew their bodies,” Margaret explained. “He worked outside or in the studio every day.”
Halko began as a taxidermist at the Great Falls Sporting Goods store. It was during this time that he started creating sculptures with his colleague and friend, Tuffy Berg. “My father, Cliff Rumford, taught Joe how to be a taxidermist,” said Leslie Stafford, recalling the early years at the family store.
Halko was a lifelong friend to the Rumfords. Among the Halko memorabilia the Rumfords treasure is a bronze of a pigmy owl and a picture of the family’s first dog that Joe did.
Halko was involved in the C.M. Russell Art Auction for years and was recognized as the Peoples’ Choice sculpture award winner in 1979 and 1983.
A year ago, Halko completed the Stations of the Cross bronzes installed in the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Great Falls.
According to Carol Fitzpatrick, her husband, Stan, bought the first piece Halko ever put in an auction. It was a pen and ink drawing of a herd of elk.
The Fitzpatrick family farmed in the Stockett area
See HALKO, 2L
TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO/STUART S. WHITE
Joe Halko describes his sculpture at the 2005 Russell Auction at the C.M. Russell Museum.
POLLY KOLSTAD PHOTO
A show in Halko’s honor opens Sunday at Galerie Trinitas.
Powered by TECNAVIACopyright (c)2010 Great Falls Tribune 01/22/2010
Reply Forward
New window Print allSponsored Links2010 Toyota SpecialsCash Back & 60 Month Low APR At City Toyota. Stop In & Save!www.City-Toyota.comRanch for Sale, ArgentinaBariloche, 25,000 acres Wildlife Resources - Fishery ResourShanahancampos.comMontana Elk HuntingPack into the backcountry by horse & mule, hunt the bulls.www.KLazy3.comOcean Side Country LodgeNewfoundland Moose & Bear Hunting We Will Take Good Care Of Youwww.oceansidecountrylodge.comBeaulieus Trophy HuntsNewfoundland $4175.00 95% success Free Videos All Inclusivewww.BigGameHuntingNewfoundland.caWe Have The Hunt You WantWorld-class bird and big game hunts Service, discretion, and valuewww.mbogo.netTexas Hunting Leases2010 Hunting Leases for Deer, Hog Quail, Dove, Duck, Exotics & More!www.LeaseHunter.comMontana Horse PropertyMedicineRoot Ranch has it All Views, 1549 Open AC, Water, Accesswww.MagnificentMontana.comMore about...Hunting »
Deer Hunting Outfitters »
Hunts »
Texas Hunting Guides »About these links« Back to Inbox Archive Report spam Delete Move to Labels More actions ‹ Newer 16 of 64 Older ›Compose a message in a new window by pressing "Shift" while clicking Compose Mail or Reply.You are currently using 225 MB (3%) of your 7424 MB.Last account activity: 4 days ago at IP 125.239.38.7. DetailsGmail view: standard turn off chat turn off buzz older version basic HTML Learn more©2010 Google - Terms - Privacy Policy - Buzz Privacy Policy - Gmail Blog - Join the Gmail team - Google Home
Gallery 16 is 40 years old
Great Falls 01/29/2010, Page L01
Nine women started Gallery 16 — 40 years ago
Group of female artists still operating Central Avenue mainstay; anniversary celebration gets under way on Feb. 5
By POLLY KOLSTAD For the Tribune
Gallery 16 is officially over the hill and its members couldn’t be prouder.
Forty years old this year, the gallery got its start in 1970, made up of nine women looking for an opportunity to show their work. Most were working at home at their dining room tables. Judy Crowder, Jean Halverson, Lela Tonkin Hamley, Muriel Kittock, Sam Borchers, Marilyn Christ-Janer, Kay DeMille, Pat Hoiland and Val Knight were the founding members, taking over Contemporary Ideas. The gallery, at 309 16th St. N., was run by a group of men who were ready to give it up.
“So in we went, a gutsy move,” recalled artist and Gallery 16 member Judy Ericksen.
“They were all beginning artists, except Val Knight who was enormously accom& shy;plished,” Ericksen said of the original members. “She was the lightning rod, the spark plug.”
The gallery’s founding members drew up incorporation papers, chipped in $15 a month for rent and enlisted the help of their husbands to build display furniture. Because it was located on 16th Street, they called it Gallery 16.
Gallery 16 grew and moved across the street from the C.M. Russell Museum in about 1972. Eventually they were drawn to a location downtown, next door to a popular restaurant at the time, Green Goods, which is now the Penington Place.
From there, they moved to 319 Central Ave., and in the 1980s, when they outgrew that location, relocated to the current site, 608 Central Ave.
“We have decided it’s going to be feet-first, if we have to move again,” Ericksen said.
Gallery 16 had a satellite shop for a time at Paris Gibson Square but soon realized they didn’t have the staff to o perate both.
While the artwork is the backbone of the gallery’s four decades of success, the artists’ tight bond has held it all together.
“It’s a wonderful family,” Ericksen said.
“We get to talk up other people’s art. We are one of the few incubator shops — a place for people to start and grow,” President Joyce Ranum said. “We are friendship, a family, a big support network, not just a 9 to 5. We are all there for each other.”
Today, the gallery features 10 to 12 shows a year, show
See GALLERY 16, 2L
TRIBUNE PHOTOS/ RION SANDERS
Gallery 16 members from left, Pat Erickson, Judy Ericksen, and Marcia Hocevar show works by Mary Ann Young, Jean Halverson and Alice Chambers Paige, three of the original nine artists of Gallery 16. The gallery will celebrate its 40th anniversary Feb. 5, from 5 to 9 p.m.
Gallery 16 features not only a several artists, but also a variety of media.
Powered by TECNAVIACopyright (c)2010 Great Falls Tribune 01/29/2010
Reply Forward
New window Print allSponsored LinksNeed a Publishing Agent?Let Us Find a Publisher For You. Easy 3 Step Process. Start Now!www.FindYourPublisher.comPrint On Demand PublisherPublish Your Book Quickly & Easily. Get Your Free Publishing Guide Now!www.iuniverse.comWriting a Book?Expert independent publishing help- editing & marketing. Free guide!www.AuthorHouse.comHow To Get PublishedGet A Free How To Publish Guide Mailed To Your doorstep At No Costwww.Xlibris.com/HowToGuideSelf-Publishing OptionsDIY Option with Free PDF Upload and Full Array of Publishing Services.www.CreateSpace.comGet Your Book EditedWith Our Industry-Leading Editors Get A Complete Editing Packagewww.Lulu.comSeeking A Book Publisher?Find A Book Publisher & Learn How To Publish Your Book. Free Guideswww.ChooseYourPublisher.comEarn by Writing ArticlesWriters earn great money writing informative articles. Start today!HubPages.comMore about...Birthday Party Ideas »
Kids Birthday Parties »
Children 'S Party Favors »
Australian Artist »About these links« Back to Inbox Archive Report spam Delete Move to Labels More actions ‹ Newer 15 of 64 Older ›Compose a message in a new window by pressing "Shift" while clicking Compose Mail or Reply.You are currently using 225 MB (3%) of your 7424 MB.Last account activity: 4 days ago at IP 125.239.38.7. DetailsGmail view: standard turn off chat turn off buzz older version basic HTML Learn more©2010 Google - Terms - Privacy Policy - Buzz Privacy Policy - Gmail Blog - Join the Gmail team - Google Home
Nine women started Gallery 16 — 40 years ago
Group of female artists still operating Central Avenue mainstay; anniversary celebration gets under way on Feb. 5
By POLLY KOLSTAD For the Tribune
Gallery 16 is officially over the hill and its members couldn’t be prouder.
Forty years old this year, the gallery got its start in 1970, made up of nine women looking for an opportunity to show their work. Most were working at home at their dining room tables. Judy Crowder, Jean Halverson, Lela Tonkin Hamley, Muriel Kittock, Sam Borchers, Marilyn Christ-Janer, Kay DeMille, Pat Hoiland and Val Knight were the founding members, taking over Contemporary Ideas. The gallery, at 309 16th St. N., was run by a group of men who were ready to give it up.
“So in we went, a gutsy move,” recalled artist and Gallery 16 member Judy Ericksen.
“They were all beginning artists, except Val Knight who was enormously accom& shy;plished,” Ericksen said of the original members. “She was the lightning rod, the spark plug.”
The gallery’s founding members drew up incorporation papers, chipped in $15 a month for rent and enlisted the help of their husbands to build display furniture. Because it was located on 16th Street, they called it Gallery 16.
Gallery 16 grew and moved across the street from the C.M. Russell Museum in about 1972. Eventually they were drawn to a location downtown, next door to a popular restaurant at the time, Green Goods, which is now the Penington Place.
From there, they moved to 319 Central Ave., and in the 1980s, when they outgrew that location, relocated to the current site, 608 Central Ave.
“We have decided it’s going to be feet-first, if we have to move again,” Ericksen said.
Gallery 16 had a satellite shop for a time at Paris Gibson Square but soon realized they didn’t have the staff to o perate both.
While the artwork is the backbone of the gallery’s four decades of success, the artists’ tight bond has held it all together.
“It’s a wonderful family,” Ericksen said.
“We get to talk up other people’s art. We are one of the few incubator shops — a place for people to start and grow,” President Joyce Ranum said. “We are friendship, a family, a big support network, not just a 9 to 5. We are all there for each other.”
Today, the gallery features 10 to 12 shows a year, show
See GALLERY 16, 2L
TRIBUNE PHOTOS/ RION SANDERS
Gallery 16 members from left, Pat Erickson, Judy Ericksen, and Marcia Hocevar show works by Mary Ann Young, Jean Halverson and Alice Chambers Paige, three of the original nine artists of Gallery 16. The gallery will celebrate its 40th anniversary Feb. 5, from 5 to 9 p.m.
Gallery 16 features not only a several artists, but also a variety of media.
Powered by TECNAVIACopyright (c)2010 Great Falls Tribune 01/29/2010
Reply Forward
New window Print allSponsored LinksNeed a Publishing Agent?Let Us Find a Publisher For You. Easy 3 Step Process. Start Now!www.FindYourPublisher.comPrint On Demand PublisherPublish Your Book Quickly & Easily. Get Your Free Publishing Guide Now!www.iuniverse.comWriting a Book?Expert independent publishing help- editing & marketing. Free guide!www.AuthorHouse.comHow To Get PublishedGet A Free How To Publish Guide Mailed To Your doorstep At No Costwww.Xlibris.com/HowToGuideSelf-Publishing OptionsDIY Option with Free PDF Upload and Full Array of Publishing Services.www.CreateSpace.comGet Your Book EditedWith Our Industry-Leading Editors Get A Complete Editing Packagewww.Lulu.comSeeking A Book Publisher?Find A Book Publisher & Learn How To Publish Your Book. Free Guideswww.ChooseYourPublisher.comEarn by Writing ArticlesWriters earn great money writing informative articles. Start today!HubPages.comMore about...Birthday Party Ideas »
Kids Birthday Parties »
Children 'S Party Favors »
Australian Artist »About these links« Back to Inbox Archive Report spam Delete Move to Labels More actions ‹ Newer 15 of 64 Older ›Compose a message in a new window by pressing "Shift" while clicking Compose Mail or Reply.You are currently using 225 MB (3%) of your 7424 MB.Last account activity: 4 days ago at IP 125.239.38.7. DetailsGmail view: standard turn off chat turn off buzz older version basic HTML Learn more©2010 Google - Terms - Privacy Policy - Buzz Privacy Policy - Gmail Blog - Join the Gmail team - Google Home
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
95-year-old fitness guru shares secrets to top health
By POLLY KOLSTAD For the Tribune
To say that Jack LaLanne is a physically fit 95-year-old would be a vast understatement.
Some 80 years after he joined the business, the nationally recognized fitness expert is still at it, lifting weights, swimming and encouraging Americans to make exercise and proper nutrition part of their lives.
“Get it out (of your diet),” LaLanne declared during a phone interview from the San Francisco Bay area, referring to cakes, pies and junk food.
He knows this all too well.
As a teenager, LaLanne was addicted to sugar and was sickly and depressed. When his mother took him to a lecture given by fitness advocate Paul Bragg, LaLanne learned how to turn his back on sweets.
He became a football star and a wrestling champ, and at age 22, opened the Jack LaLanne Physical Culture Studio in Oakland, Calif.
LaLanne studied the anatomy of the human body and concentrated on body building and weight lifting, something that was totally new then.
“I was the first one to have women, the elderly and athletes working out with weights,” he said. “At the time all we had were solid dumbbells.
LaLanne said he also was the first to put exercise machines into motion. The leg extension machines, pulley machines using cables and weight selectors used at local gyms today were some of his first innovations.
By POLLY KOLSTAD For the Tribune
To say that Jack LaLanne is a physically fit 95-year-old would be a vast understatement.
Some 80 years after he joined the business, the nationally recognized fitness expert is still at it, lifting weights, swimming and encouraging Americans to make exercise and proper nutrition part of their lives.
“Get it out (of your diet),” LaLanne declared during a phone interview from the San Francisco Bay area, referring to cakes, pies and junk food.
He knows this all too well.
As a teenager, LaLanne was addicted to sugar and was sickly and depressed. When his mother took him to a lecture given by fitness advocate Paul Bragg, LaLanne learned how to turn his back on sweets.
He became a football star and a wrestling champ, and at age 22, opened the Jack LaLanne Physical Culture Studio in Oakland, Calif.
LaLanne studied the anatomy of the human body and concentrated on body building and weight lifting, something that was totally new then.
“I was the first one to have women, the elderly and athletes working out with weights,” he said. “At the time all we had were solid dumbbells.
LaLanne said he also was the first to put exercise machines into motion. The leg extension machines, pulley machines using cables and weight selectors used at local gyms today were some of his first innovations.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Wilmington, NC Travel Story
Wilmington article for your writer's website
Great Falls 12/13/2009, Page P20
History is at home in Wilmington
A wedding can take you to places you’ve never been.
Recently, my husband and I attended a ceremony in southeastern North Carolina and discovered Wilmington, a city rich in history. It’s nestled between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Coast.
Although it does not border the ocean, the city overlooks the sound, the IntracoastalWaterway and barrier islands that lie between.
Long ago, sailors described the river as the “Cape of Fear” because the high winds raised havoc with ships.
The old part of the port city rises from the river walk where voices of the past whisper from the remains of shipyards, the Cotton Exchange, the city market, and restaurants and shops in refurbished wharf buildings.
Friendly guides tell Revolutionary and CivilWar history from horse-drawn carriages, trolleys and even Segways.
Before the CivilWar, Wilmington was an active seaport, shipping great quantities of nav al stores (tar, pitch and turpentine), wood products and rice to Charleston, Baltimore, New York and the West Indies.
The war changedWilmington as it became the Confederacy’s main blockade running seaport. The Union took over the area but eventually the southern families who owned property were able to move back and restore their fine homes, churches and mansions.
Wilmington has the largest number of National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina, and one of the largest in the U.S. Today, visitors tour the old district, walking along charming brick-lined streets.
Stories unfold on the plaques that grace grand porches and holy steeples, structures maintained as they were in antebellum days. The city is proud of its historical committee, which is diligent about keeping up the street side and iron-gated properties.
Built in 1848, our bed and breakfast, the Rosehill Inn, has been restored by innkeepers, Tricia, Bob and Sean Milton. The two-story white Georgian-style house was once the home of Henry Bacon, who in the 1880s, served as the government engineer in charge of the Cape Fear River improvements. He was the father of Henry Bacon II, who later became the architect who designed the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Only a heavy sleeper could snooze through the melodic carillon, regularly rung from the First Presbyterian Church down the street. The church, with its finials and soaring stone spire, topped with a metal rooster, can be seen from many vantages. It is said that the Rev. Joseph R. Wilson, pastor from 1874 until 1885, was not proud of his son, Tommy’s, slingshot antics as he shattered neighbors’ windows. But ThomasWoodrowWilson did grow up to be the 28th president of the United States.
On Market Street is the pre-CivilWar Bellamy mansion. Built for the family of physician Dr. John Bellamy, the house was seized and used as the Union militar y headquarters at the end of the war. In September 1865, the U.S. government pardoned Dr. Bellamy for his allegiance to the Confederacy and allowed him to return home with his family. The tale is still told how the last surviving Bellamy daughter refused President Taft entry when he knocked and asked to have a look at the grand home.
Restored to its palatial style, the mansion is a museum. Basketball fans know Michael Jordan grew up inWilmington. He played for Laney High School, though he was cut from the varsity squad as a sophomore. He eventually made the team, leading them to the state championship. Today, the high school gym is named after Jordan.
The river walk is the heart and soul of the downtown Wilmington wharf.
As we strolled along, we came upon Scotsman Darrell Chambers, polishing the engraved silver on his bagpipe. A member of a well-known pipe band, Chambers showed us the intricate parts of his tartan instrument. He briefly boasted that “there are more Scots here in Wilmington than in Scotland.”
Walking along the Cape Fear River, it’s hard to avoid the foghorn of the Capt. J.N. Maffitt, a tour boat. Across the river, the battleship North Carolina rested in calm waters, making World War II history come alive during narrated tours. A well-known sideshow to the battleship is “Charley,” an aging 12-foot alligator, who surprises tourists approaching the battleship.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF POLLY KOLSTAD
The Bellamy Mansion Museum and the battleship North Carolina, both in Wilmington, N.C.
On the Road
— Polly Kolstad
Powered by TECNAVIACopyright (c)2009 Great Falls Tribune 12/13/2009
Great Falls 12/13/2009, Page P20
History is at home in Wilmington
A wedding can take you to places you’ve never been.
Recently, my husband and I attended a ceremony in southeastern North Carolina and discovered Wilmington, a city rich in history. It’s nestled between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Coast.
Although it does not border the ocean, the city overlooks the sound, the IntracoastalWaterway and barrier islands that lie between.
Long ago, sailors described the river as the “Cape of Fear” because the high winds raised havoc with ships.
The old part of the port city rises from the river walk where voices of the past whisper from the remains of shipyards, the Cotton Exchange, the city market, and restaurants and shops in refurbished wharf buildings.
Friendly guides tell Revolutionary and CivilWar history from horse-drawn carriages, trolleys and even Segways.
Before the CivilWar, Wilmington was an active seaport, shipping great quantities of nav al stores (tar, pitch and turpentine), wood products and rice to Charleston, Baltimore, New York and the West Indies.
The war changedWilmington as it became the Confederacy’s main blockade running seaport. The Union took over the area but eventually the southern families who owned property were able to move back and restore their fine homes, churches and mansions.
Wilmington has the largest number of National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina, and one of the largest in the U.S. Today, visitors tour the old district, walking along charming brick-lined streets.
Stories unfold on the plaques that grace grand porches and holy steeples, structures maintained as they were in antebellum days. The city is proud of its historical committee, which is diligent about keeping up the street side and iron-gated properties.
Built in 1848, our bed and breakfast, the Rosehill Inn, has been restored by innkeepers, Tricia, Bob and Sean Milton. The two-story white Georgian-style house was once the home of Henry Bacon, who in the 1880s, served as the government engineer in charge of the Cape Fear River improvements. He was the father of Henry Bacon II, who later became the architect who designed the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Only a heavy sleeper could snooze through the melodic carillon, regularly rung from the First Presbyterian Church down the street. The church, with its finials and soaring stone spire, topped with a metal rooster, can be seen from many vantages. It is said that the Rev. Joseph R. Wilson, pastor from 1874 until 1885, was not proud of his son, Tommy’s, slingshot antics as he shattered neighbors’ windows. But ThomasWoodrowWilson did grow up to be the 28th president of the United States.
On Market Street is the pre-CivilWar Bellamy mansion. Built for the family of physician Dr. John Bellamy, the house was seized and used as the Union militar y headquarters at the end of the war. In September 1865, the U.S. government pardoned Dr. Bellamy for his allegiance to the Confederacy and allowed him to return home with his family. The tale is still told how the last surviving Bellamy daughter refused President Taft entry when he knocked and asked to have a look at the grand home.
Restored to its palatial style, the mansion is a museum. Basketball fans know Michael Jordan grew up inWilmington. He played for Laney High School, though he was cut from the varsity squad as a sophomore. He eventually made the team, leading them to the state championship. Today, the high school gym is named after Jordan.
The river walk is the heart and soul of the downtown Wilmington wharf.
As we strolled along, we came upon Scotsman Darrell Chambers, polishing the engraved silver on his bagpipe. A member of a well-known pipe band, Chambers showed us the intricate parts of his tartan instrument. He briefly boasted that “there are more Scots here in Wilmington than in Scotland.”
Walking along the Cape Fear River, it’s hard to avoid the foghorn of the Capt. J.N. Maffitt, a tour boat. Across the river, the battleship North Carolina rested in calm waters, making World War II history come alive during narrated tours. A well-known sideshow to the battleship is “Charley,” an aging 12-foot alligator, who surprises tourists approaching the battleship.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF POLLY KOLSTAD
The Bellamy Mansion Museum and the battleship North Carolina, both in Wilmington, N.C.
On the Road
— Polly Kolstad
Powered by TECNAVIACopyright (c)2009 Great Falls Tribune 12/13/2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
