If It's April, We Must Be in Film Paradise: The Ashland Independent Film Festival (AIFF)
 
by Christine M


"With eleven screens all year round and the annual Ashland Independent Film Festival, one of the nation's top regional film festivals, if you're a film buff you'll never be at a loss for film entertainment in Ashland." - Mountain Meadows resident Gerald Hirschfeld, ASC, award- winning cinematographer.

We all knew about the Shakespeare Festival before we came, but new residents are usually delighted to discover many other local treasures once they're living in Ashland. My own big, wonderful Ashland “off-Bardway” surprise was film. I've been keenly interested in this often-paradoxical combination of art and commerce ever since my college days, and was happy that this university town supported a theatre like the Varsity. Throughout the year, special screenings are sponsored by many organizations around town (we even have a Bad Film Society). And thanks to staff picks and resident-run series, it's possible to enjoy, in good company, an eclectic assortment of movies several days a week without even leaving the Mountain Meadows campus.

But the jewel of our town's film crown is surely the AIFF, which happens in April every year. During the week of the festival, Ashland seems charged with a special kind of electricity as film fans rub shoulders with filmmakers, and knots of people talk film on the sidewalks and in the restaurants. Documentaries inform and inspire, and independently produced shorts and feature movies break new ground. If you're a film buff, you might as well just set the entire week aside to live and breathe Film.

During the five days of the festival, films are shown nonstop at the five screens of the Varsity Theatre and at the Historic Ashland Armory. Of the many entries submitted from all over the world, only about one in ten makes it into the festival (AIFF's Programmer Joanne Feinberg, has won a national industry award recognizing her as best in the country). At most of the screenings, directors, producers, writers, and actors are present for Q&A sessions, and these are fascinating and enlightening. In addition to screenings, the Festival offers panel discussions at the Ashland Springs Hotel on subjects such as activism and documentaries. And for the gregarious fan there are several special events including an Awards Banquet to honor the juried awards and audience favorites; assorted Bashes; and programs featuring outstanding invited filmmakers. The Black Sheep (on the Plaza) is the place to go between engagements.

For several years I've worked as an occasional volunteer in the AIFF office, and it's always a pleasure. I'm on call to do whatever odd jobs they need help with at the time – data entry, meal delivery, editing, filing, DVD copying and quality checking; lots of different things.
While doing updates of volunteer and member lists, I can't help noticing how many of my Mountain Meadows neighbors support the festival in one way or another; and at screenings and events, I almost always seem familiar faces. The most famous of these are Jerry Hirschfeld, who judges the Cinematography award for the festival, and Julia Tucker, the highly respected script supervisor on many notable movies.


(Julia Tucker and Gerald Hirschfeld, ASC)

AIFF continues to grow in reputation, regularly appearing on “Best Film Festivals” lists. Local film festivals have proliferated throughout the country in recent years, but filmmakers and fans who come to Ashland invariably single ours out as something special. This isn't a star-studded event, as it's not the kind of festival where filmmakers wheel and deal (you might spot some well known faces, but that's not why people come): it's essentially a celebration of film itself and a local movement, supported by hundreds of volunteers and thousands of members. Though thousands of visitors make an annual pilgrimage to the festival, it's also well attended by people living in the Rogue Valley who are just well informed and passionate about film. Whether you're a local or a visitor, our festival has the Ashland charm, that small-town feeling that makes it an extra-friendly experience for film fans and filmmakers alike. As one director put it, ours offers “the perfect blend of programming, audience, and location.”

It's probably no coincidence that the festival has such a following in the Rogue Valley. Southern Oregon has a longstanding film culture of its own, going back to the glory days of the big studios: Clark Gable had a getaway on the Rogue River, and Ginger Rogers had her ranch. Our scenic wilderness areas, ranches and small towns have long served as popular shooting locations for feature films, such as a baseball-themed movie that was shot largely in Ashland (one key scene was filmed right down the street from here, in the North Mountain Park ball field). Julia Tucker says, “Ashland has its share of very talented filmmakers, starting with students at SOU and ending with fully professional producers, directors, writers, actors, composers, and experienced crew members. I've had the privilege of working with many of them and they rank right up there with the best."

So if like movies, dip your toes into the festival this year. You're likely to see some of your Mountain Meadows neighbors there -- and perhaps overhear comments like this, from a film director: “Ashland reminds you why you decided to make films in the first place. If there's a film festival in heaven, it looks a lot like Ashland.”

A BIRDER’S MUSINGS
Susanne K

Stately, solitary, and elegant, Great Blue Heron is back at our Mountain Meadows pond. He appears sporadically in spring, and requests quiet appreciative attention. No human mime could be as concentrated in stillness as he. I’ve seen him once, puzzled, questioning the fake heron. Now more at home in our pond, he stands confident and tall, camouflaged by the reeds on the island. At shoreline, he surveys the whole scene without disarranging a feather—just waiting.

“There aren’t any fish around here; don’t waste your time,” I tell him. Still, Great Blues are eclectic in their diet and could stab a salamander, frog, snake, crayfish, or aquatic insect. This one just stands and waits. “Where is your mate?” I ask. “Isn’t it about time you head up along Bear Creek to find the communal nesting site? It’s just back of the
Greenway in some of those tall pines.”

At the pond, a pair of mallards visit and on other days, geese appear—nonchalantly dip-diving, noisy, playful, messy, or threatening. In contrast, Great Blue stands regal, motionless, aloof, and concentrating. We are meant to honor him. At our house about wine-drinking time, we catch a glimpse of the broad-winged bulk of a bird filling the entire window frame. “Yes, it’s probably GBH returning to his night- time roost.” He’ll fly with head folded back onto his shoulders like a hunchback, wings beating slowly and majestically with his long legs trailing behind. We need to make a trip to Touvelle State Park along the Rogue River to watch the heron couples claiming their spots in group housing, busily bickering, repairing nests, fishing and fussing before the youngsters arrive. There at Touvelle we can witness a bustle of social activity concentrated around precariously built nests. What a contrast to our solitary, meditative pond visitor.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU:  NATHAN GALE
Bob Griffin

In the December issue of Mountain Meadows News the Editrix challenged us to drop our "Aw, shucks" modesty about writing by telling us, "If you can hold a conversation or tell a story,..." so here's my story about a conversation.

Now, we all know that one of the supreme pleasures of the Meadowlark Dining Room is the engaging conversation that arises from time to time, and often at the most surprising time. Recently I had such an experience, and I am still stunned whenever I think back on it. One day Leslie and I found two empty chairs at a table where Nate and Ellie Gale were enjoying lunch. I had often wondered what itwas like for them to spend several decades working and living in the Panama Canal Zone, so I set out to pepper Nate with questions.

As he warmed to the subject, I sat there with my mouth agape and just listened. (Here I must confess that I have not asked Nate for permission to write this account, and I'm relying on my shaky memory for the authenticity of details. Discretion has never been my long suit, however, and so I plow ahead.)

Nate's characteristic modesty began with a matter-of-fact explanation of how-as a trained veterinarian and scientist—he happened to discover several unknown tropical diseases. His findings were dutifully published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Even a non-science tyro like me understands the superior stature of that journal, thus the importance of his discoveries. Unfortunately, I can't recall the gory details of the awful maladies he had revealed to the world.

When Nate tried unsuccessfully to return to his sandwich, I pleaded for more and began to pump him for some of the hairy stuff. "Well, ..." he continued through our now-extended lunch, there was the time that he had been called upon to estimate the considerable danger run by the Los Angeles County zoo which wanted to accept the gift of a Cambodian War Elephant bull. Honestly, folks, had I been in Nate's shoes I would have said, sight unseen, that taking possession of that monster was a huge mistake. While reckoning the great risk, Nate agreed to look into it. Besides, the Mayor of LA had said, "Not accepting it is not an option." Cutting to the chase, I will merely say that Nate's life seemed in peril when the beast charged and pinned him to the wall with its head rammed against his chest, held him between 20-inch tusks, and focused on Nate as the prize with its baleful killer eyes. Had the tusks been two inches shorter, this would have been Dr. Gale's obituary. The elephant did knock him unconscious, with the intent of squashing him with its full weight.

Before Nate could explain how this Perils of Pauline ended, I began asking about his vivid tattoo of a red-eyed tree frog, about poisonous jellyfish, rabid bats, sharks, spiders, snakes....

Ah, snakes! Well, there was the time that someone was interested in taking possession of a rare 22-foot-long Asian Python. By this time, I had given up on my own lunch, held rapt as I was by Nate's low, raspy voice. Three people were to handle the constrictor: Nate, a trusted ally to wrestle with the tail, and some kid who would handle the large middle—but wisely bailed out and ran. Nate was in charge of the python's mouth, and at a certain point his arm got sucked into the mouth of the herpeto-logical Leviathan, held in place by more rows of sharp teeth than any non-expert could ever imagine. Cool to the bitter end as his arm turned white, then blue, and then white again, Nate's inner scientist wondered what kind of antibiotic he would need. It took the jamming of a ruler into the creature's dental work to free Nate's arm, which emerged with only puncture wounds as souvenirs.

In my mind's eye I can see a younger Nate donning scuba gear, clenching a K-Bar knife between his teeth, and otherwise armed with only a rectal thermometer, casually heading down into the deep to take the temperature of a great white shark. And if you are in the mood for some REAL spellbinding, sometime ask him about South America's rabid bats!

But I hope you agree that no further proof is needed to make the obvious point: our community is full of surprises. We can be a lively bunch, even when it requires patience and possibly rudeness to extract the juices from some of the most succulent conversation we have ever enjoyed.
 

COMPUTER LIFE AT MOUNTAIN MEADOWS: THE USERS GROUP, THREE YEARS OLD AND STILL CHANGING WITH THE TIMES
By Christine Menefee

When I moved to Mountain Meadows several years ago, I asked who was in charge of the computer users group here because I needed help and advice. Turned out nobody was, so I was "it"! I set up an email list for anybody who was interested in computers (at any level of expertise) and since then, we've had a common point of communication within MM for anything computer-related....More...

WELCOME, MILLIE!
Catherine C

To the delight of her friends at Mountain Meadows, Millie  is now here
 to stay. She first bought a place here over three years ago and has visited from her native Hawaii each summer, getting to know more Mountain Meadows neighbors on each trip. Millie did research for the Hawaii State Legislature. Retirement took her from Honolulu to a more rural area on the Big Island, closer to her mother, where she worked as a consultant on community development issues for state and local agencies and served on the County of Hawaii Water Board. Recently, Millie had dinner in the Clubhouse with Larry and Janet N, and they were astonished to learn that they had lived on the same rural road near Hilo but had never met. Larry remembers how Millie's dogs barked as he walked past her gate.

Millie is a dedicated watercolorist. She wants to live in an active arts community and went online to select a place near her son in Portland. After considering several sites in the Pacific Northwest, she chose Ashland for its cultural life and Mountain Meadows for its warm welcome. Though she's still settling into her Golden Aspen condo, Millie has jumped right in-she has already joined Sarah D's pencil drawing workshop and can be seen in the Fitness Center early in the morning. Aloha, Millie!

Mountain Meadows  resident in the news: Ashland Daily Tidings.  Click to see the article.

Deep, Steep and Cheap: A Skier’s Life at Mountain Meadows
By Ed F

Easing into Retirement… In the spring of 2004, I was living in a house overlooking Lake Sammamish and easing into the idea of retirement. I expected that to be nearby, in the Seattle area, perhaps three to five years in the future. I was unaware that Marilyn, my wife, was already hoping to move closer to her children and grandchildren in Northern California.

On Memorial Day weekend, we drove to Berkeley to meet my newly born grandson. Before we left, Mar searched “retirement Ashland” on the Internet, and up popped Mountain Meadows. Mar suggested a drive-through on our way south. I’d always enjoyed our stops in Ashland and agreed, thinking, “Well, yes, three to five years downstream, we may be ready for a move south. Besides, I have a son, daughter-in-law, and twin grandchildren living in Eugene.”

Ashland and Mt. Meadows… And so we spent a pleasant night in Ashland’s historic Lithia Springs Hotel, which we knew from earlier trips, and then moseyed over to Mountain Meadows, all of two miles across town. A Mountain Meadows rep showed us some lovely houses, and then we ascended the hill to the Golden Aspen condo building. Entering a unit on an upper floor we caught our breath; there, through the south-facing windows of the living room, lay Ashland, looking for all the world like an Alpine village. And beyond the town and foothills rose Mt. Ashland, still showing some snow. It was not quite Mt. Rainier, but it was the highest peak in the fascinating Siskiyou range.

Mt. Ashland… On our way south we took the cutoff to Mt. Ashland, just to take a look. There we chanced to meet the summer caretaker of the ski area. “How’s the skiing?” I asked.

“Deep, steep, and cheap!” he answered.

“How cheap?” I asked.

“How old are you?”

I said I was in my seventies. He said, “It’s free.

That was a bit too much to ignore. We continued our trip south, but by the time we’d reached Lake Shasta, I was on the cell phone asking to spend the weekend in the Mountain Meadows guest condo on our way back. Mar just chuckled.

That was Memorial Day Weekend. On Labor Day weekend, we were moving into our condo in Golden Aspen. I was able to continue easing into retirement, thanks to the state of the art Ashland Fiber Network, which made it possible to live here and consult with my company online.

We’ve enjoyed every day of our four years here. We knew, of course, about the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF), but we weren’t aware of the extent of the performing arts in the Rogue Valley. I’m now convinced that Ashland possesses more cultural amenities per capita, or per acre, than any other town in the U.S. Nor do those benefits stop at the city limits. Next to us is the aptly named town of Talent, to which we can drive to the thriving Camelot community theater in a matter of minutes. And that’s just the beginning of the cultural opportunities; but back to my own favorite subject…

A skier’s life… We have a group of five Mountain Meadows skiers, plus a friend from my Unitarian Universalist Church in Ashland, who often ski together and sometimes we seem to have complete runs to ourselves. (The lift operators apologize if we have to wait for a chair!) Now, in April, we enjoy two seasons in a single day: a forty-minute drive to the 7500-foot Mt. Ashland places us for a winter wonderland of skiing; the descent back down to Ashland in the 2000-foot Rogue Valley returns us to bloom-laden springtime.

Ok, the “free” skiing at Mt. Ashland turned out to be only for day passes. For a season pass, including photo ID, I’ve been paying all of $19 (plus a voluntary $20 to support the ski association’s commitment to using only green power). Not bad, considering that I paid $5.00 a day at Stevens Pass when I was a high-schooler in Seattle in the 1950’s.

And the rest of the year… Alas, the ski area will close later this month. Then the six of us will pull our bikes out of winter storage and head down the paved path in the Bear Creek Greenway, a park celebrating an old Indian path that extends the entire length of the Rogue Valley. Only occasionally will we stop at one of the local wineries; after all, we probably have to get back for an OSF play or a concert or other presentation at Southern Oregon University. We might re-charge in the top-notch Mountain Meadows dining room, or toodle down to one of Ashland’s fine restaurants. (I’ve finally learned not to leave the Aspen garage more than ten minutes prior to a reservation, because everything in town is so close!)

Aging in place… Some day, Mar and I may take advantage of available assistance as we “age in place” at Mountain Meadows. For now, we appreciate not being locked into a prepaid contract for assisted living. Truly we are enjoying an active retirement.

Dr. Gert Pokorny

Dr. Gert Pokorny’s path to Oregon has been a circuitous one, beginning in Czechoslovakia just before World War II. He attended medical school in West Germany, came to the United States for practical medical training, and eventually settled in Los Altos Hills, in the Bay Area of California.

During a trip to Medford to visit retirement communities, it was a “chance encounter with two ladies in downtown Ashland one morning that led me to Mountain Meadows. They expressed such enthusiasm for this community and for Ashland.” Gert began making plans, and moved to Mountain Meadows in January 2002.
“Retirement always represented the freedom to do the things I’m interested in. I loved practicing medicine, but I have so many other interests that I never had time for,” says Gert. And so he took to the skies—with model airplane building and flying, astronomy, and his number one passion: paragliding.
 “I always wanted to retire as soon as I could—and I did,” says Gert, “and I travel to Switzerland for four months every year for paragliding. Like Switzerland, Ashland’s mountainous terrain makes it ideal for paragliding. “In paragliding, the key is to circle in rising columns of hot air. Like vultures do,” Gert adds with a smile. “Ashland is wonderful for paragliding and has everything else I was seeking--four seasons, skiing, sailing, hiking, and more.” Although busy with his many interests, Gert notes “retirement is a little different than I had imagined, because I went from having this close relationship with my patients to life in a community where I only knew a handful of people. But I have quickly built a new circle of friends because everyone here is so open and friendly. That’s what makes Mountain Meadows special.”
 

VIC SHARES PASSION FOR
STAINED GLASS
Bob G

Most people think of a hobby as stamp collecting or an afternoon of chasing a golf ball. While Vic's natural modesty would argue against direct comparison with L.C. Tiffany or the medieval masters of stained glass, the crowd that assembled in the Mt. Ashland Room for the October Friday Forum was less reserved in its admiration. What we beheld was a spectacular fusion of an engineer's precise discipline with an artist's awesome insight. After almost ninety minutes of fireworks, Vic treated a remaining dozen enthusiasts to a demonstration of his techniques.

He began by telling us how his interest evolved from leather working, etc. and continued with a low-key, detailed description of the beginnings of the art form in eleventh-century France. In short order, this history lesson led to an overview of modern glass manufacture that included sliced cylinders, bull's-eye glass, extruding glass plate, qualities of texture, and covered a dizzying array of pertinent considerations, such as cost of materials, soldering variations and, especially, the fascinating procedure of working out draft designs on the board backgrounds of his own creation.

I don't mind admitting that I missed some of the explanations of the master machinist, since I was struck from the onset by the alchemy of the transformation from raw materials into art. Moreover, I couldn't stop laughing about his aside of getting his original brainstorm in some California bar. Overall, what made the afternoon so engaging for the packed audience was Vic's account of how various pieces emerged from the different phases of his and Arlene's life and adventures; glass enhancement of their home in Morgan Hill, CA, gorgeous works commissioned by friends and institutions, and the like. Throughout, the convenience of his audience was foremost in his mind, as he fielded questions unhesitatingly whenever they arose.



Weekend to Weekend – Several Days in the Life of a Mountain Meadows resident

[Editor's note: Mountain Meadows is designed for over-55's, and Roy S certainly takes this concept to heart. For this article, he decided that instead of narrowing his topic to just one of his interests, he'd take a look at at a week in his life that included most of them. He wrote this in March, 2008 --in the process, touching upon: maintaining connections with the Bay Area; musical events; theatre; skiing; education; food; Ashland's small-town quality; and many other aspects of life here.]

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY: A trip South. My wife, Marge, and I made one of our frequent trips to the San Francisco Bay Area to see family and friends. This time, we celebrated the 8th and 5th birthdays of our grandchildren, Catherine and Jonathan, by taking them to a matinee performance of the San Francisco Ballet. They loved it. After the performance we ate at a nearby restaurant -- and ran into two other Mountain Meadows residents, who were down for the evening ballet with their granddaughter!

MONDAY: heading back. The morning found us visiting other relatives in Menlo Park, and at noon it was time to head back home. Here's a tip on managing the Bay Area traffic: listen for a report every 10 minutes on KCBS radio, and you'll know which bridge not to take. (Of course, in Ashland and Southern Oregon we don’t need radio traffic reports, because there isn’t any traffic to be concerned about!) During the effortless drive back, I practiced singing my part for an upcoming choral performance, Marge did some reading, we listened to some of our CDs and, for six hours, enjoyed the beautiful scenery of rivers, lakes, and mountain passes, that took us finally home to the lovely Rogue Valley and Ashland.

MONDAY EVENING: world class music. We got back to Ashland just in time to attend the Monday evening concert by the Percussion Ensemble of Southern Oregon University (SOU) in SOU’s Recital Hall. That's just 1.5 miles from Mountain Meadows. A year or two ago, a retired college percussion consultant who had participated at college music departments nationally spent some time at SOU. He said this college’s percussion ensemble was better than any other in the country except Juilliard’s – and maybe ours is better than that one, too! We have been amazed at the quality of musical talent in the Rogue Valley, and most of that is centered in Ashland.

A note on Southern Oregon University: SOU, with just 5,000 students, has been designated as the Center for the Fine and Performing Arts for the entire 7-campus University of Oregon system. This is a big plus for us Ashland residents. About a year ago, the New York Times listed “20 Hidden Gems” across the country for aspiring college students who wanted a top quality education, but for whatever reason couldn’t go to universities such as Harvard or Yale. SOU was one of those hidden gems!

TUESDAY... daily life, and Mountain Meadows-style democracy. After our daily morning stint in Mountain Meadows’ wonderfully equipped fitness center, I caught up on emails. Then, in the afternoon, I attended a meeting of a Mountain Meadows task force which had been formed recently to address a concern. Keep in mind that the residents at Mountain Meadows own their homes – equity is ours – and we group together to take care of our mutual concerns. We do employ a management company to administer and maintain our common buildings and grounds, but they are almost like family. There is no corporate owner here that calls the shots – Mountain Meadows is democracy at a high level because we know and care about each other.

TUESDAY NIGHT: lifelong education, with a dollop of culture. Tuesday meant class night for me at SOU: a “building a website” course at their computer center, followed by a 2½ hour choral rehearsal in their choir practice room.

WEDNESDAY MORNING: skiing. When I moved here from the Bay Area, I hadn’t skied for over 25 years because the long, hectic drive to the Sierra and the long lift lines had taken the fun out of the sport for me. After moving here, I joined the Wednesday skiers, a group from Mountain Meadows, and winter has become a joy. Mt. Ashland, at 7,000 feet, is the highest peak in the Siskiyou Mountains, and the views from there are inspiring: Mt. Shasta to the southeast, the town of Ashland below to the north, and the peaks of the Cascade Range trailing off to the north with Mt. McLaughlin the nearest. The ski area is only 22 traffic-free miles away, taking 40 minutes, and a 5,000 foot elevation gain. On this day I stuck to the intermediate runs, which are steep but beautifully groomed. With no lift lines, I had two hours of nonstop skiing.

AFTERNOON: lunch and theatre, Ashland-style. I joined Marge for a light lunch at Allison's, one of the many delightful small restaurants on Main Street in Ashland. A couple of tables away from us, we spotted two actors from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) in busy conversation. I wanted to tell one of them how much I had enjoyed him as a regular on the series Boston Public – back when I watched broadcast TV – but I didn’t want to interrupt them.

As we were walking a short block to a matinee performance of August Wilson’s “Fences” at OSF, I recognized another OSF actor, Miriam Laube, walking behind us. We stopped to tell her how much we looked forward to seeing her as the female lead in “The Clay Cart.” That's a 2,000 year old play from India directed by OSF’s new Artistic Director, Bill Rauch. We had studied the play several weeks earlier in a class at SOU, and asked how she was enjoying it. She paused, searching for the right words, and said enthusiastically that it is the most incredible experience that she has ever had in theater. As we have observed, the sense of community permeates all levels in Ashland – actors and audience are mutually appreciative of each other. The performance of “Fences” was wonderful – deeply moving.

EVENING: dinner and a concert. We got home to Mountain Meadows in time for an early dinner in Meadowlarks, our own Mountain Meadows Dining Room. Wednesday is a special night there – chefs Bryan and Bill come out of the kitchen with portable cook stoves to prepare an ethnic meal, customized to each resident. We specify what we want to be put into the dish of the week – this time it was paella! We could choose from mussels, seafood, and other ingredients - or have it all. Delicioso!

After dinner we were off again - to the SOU Recital Hall to hear the SOU Jazz Ensemble, an 18-piece band. This reminded us of the first musical event that we attended here; it was this Ensemble's end-of-the-school-year concert. What a joy – we knew then that we had moved to the right place!

THURSDAY MORNING: OLLI-SOU. That lengthy acronym, OLLI-SOU, stands for Osher Lifelong Learning Institute – Southern Oregon University. It’s attended by seniors and taught by volunteer seniors – including former college professors from universities across the country. Our topic this morning was Arthur Miller’s “A View from the Bridge,” and our guest speaker director was Libby Appel, the director of the current OSF production. She had just retired as OSF’s Artistic Director after serving in that position for 12 years. She was only the fourth Artistic Director of this, the nation’s largest regional theater, since its founding in 1935, and the first woman in that position. Needless to say, it was a fascinating discussion.

AFTERNOON: our own concert series. Music is a big part of life at Mountain Meadows, because it means a lot to so many of us. One of my contributions to life here has been to organize a series of two concerts a month called Music at the Meadows. Though we bring musicians in from throughout the Rogue Valley, this Thursday's performance featured one of our own Mountain Meadows residents, Alan Berman. A professional artist from the Monterey Bay area, he sings enchanting jazz standards, accompanying himself on the piano. This day, he played our beautiful grand, backed up on bass by another popular jazz musician. It might be worth noting that not all of our residents are retired; Alan, for example, plays gigs in various local venues, and some residents still work full time.

And political involvement: After Alan's performance, I was off to nearby Medford to attend an Executive Committee meeting of the Jackson County Democratic Central Committee. I belong to the Executive Committee as a representative of the Mountain Meadows Democratic Club – the county recognizes our large group of active, informed residents. No other living group or neighborhood is represented on the Executive Committee – we rock! [Editor's note: the Executive Committee has since added a second active community group, The Stonewall Caucus.] Unfortunately, because that was a long meeting, I missed the SOU Symphony Band concert that evening. So did Marge, because she was at the weekly rehearsal of the Peace Choir in Ashland. That formidable group, with more than 100 members, inspires residents throughout the Rogue Valley at special events. Sometimes we have to make hard choices!

FRIDAY: our unique Ashland High School theatre. In the morning I practiced my choral songs, wrote some announcement items for the Mountain Meadows Weekly Bulletin (including Sunday evening’s piano concert, Wednesday’s Classic Movie showing, and the next Music at the Meadows concert), and organized some other things. The evening, though, took us with some friends to Ashland High School for their spring musical, “Beauty and the Beast.” You can well imagine that in a small town with both OSF and SOU, a high school musical here probably goes beyond any high school production you’ve ever seen in acting, sets, costumes, and sheer musicality. And this production did! In fact the Ashland School District – with just the one high school – has been ranked as one of the top 100 in the United States.

SATURDAY: my day on stage. I sang in matinee and evening performances at the SOU Recital Hall with the 40-member Jefferson State Choral Coalition (JSCC) under the direction of Kirby Shaw. This amazing musician has over 2,500 choral arrangements/compositions in print – with almost 1,000 of them published by Hal Leonard! The JSCC might be called a jazz choir, but Kirby Shaw’s arrangements go beyond simple labels. For example, he had arranged “Bridge Over Troubled Waters,” one of our numbers, for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

SUNDAY MORNING: Ashland's spiritual community. The morning found us getting to church early to help set up. Having attended the Unity church in Palo Alto for about 16 years before moving to Ashland, we were very happy to find that this small town has a branch of that denomination. And as Board President of the church here, I find satisfaction in helping it succeed. The Ashland community is very spiritual and has been for millennia, dating back to the Native Americans who preceded us here at sacred springs at the confluence of the Siskiyou and Cascade mountains. The Native community is still highly visible in Ashland, as are a great variety of other spiritual traditions.

AFTERNOON: several music events. The afternoon found us back at SOU to hear a concert by their two fine choirs, celebrating the end of the academic quarter. Then we returned quickly to Mountain Meadows, to prepare the Mt. Ashland Room for an “Early Sunday Evening” recital by five of SOU’s advanced piano students, on our beautiful grand piano. SOU's Director of Keyboard Studies, Alexander Tutunov, is a past winner of the Russian National Piano Competition, and we're blessed to have him in our community. His students are highly talented and very gracious, and are thoroughly appreciated by Mountain Meadows residents.

WAS THIS A “TYPICAL” WEEK? Well, that concludes a week in the life of this Mountain Meadows resident. No, it wasn’t a typical week, but no week here in Ashland as a Mountain Meadows resident is quite “typical.” If my week sounds overwhelming to you, keep in mind that you can be as active or inactive as you wish. It’s your choice, because independent choice – and a seemingly endless variety of opportunities - is the essence of life here.