By Ashley Lodato
With rain and cooler temperatures forecast to usher in the official start of autumn, people headed to the hills in droves over the weekend to get what may be (but what we hope won’t be) a final fix of the mountains before the first lasting snowfall. Sixth-grader Bodie Paul — who was less than 24 hours off a three-day camping trip with the entire sixth grade — was spotted in the Prince Creek area with his dad, Chris, enjoying some fall fishing and grouse hunting. Bodie is an adept horseman and seemed quite comfortable in the saddle while leading two pack mules.
The Pauls got far enough away from the trailhead that they didn’t see the dozens of mountain bikers on the Angel’s Staircase loop, all of whom were also enjoying a glorious fall weekend, savoring the solitude of the backcountry along with about 40 other riders. Many of the cyclists referred to the ride as a “hike-a-bike” experience, due to the challenging terrain, but no one seemed to mind.
Meanwhile, International Peace Day was celebrated across the world. Designated by the United Nations in 1981, International Peace Day is designed to strengthen the ideals of peace within and among all nations and all people. Peace education is an important component of the Montessori program and is integrated into everything that Little Star Montessori School does. (“Averting war is the work of politicians; establishing peace is the work of education,” wrote Montessori founder Maria Montessori.) Many a Little Star graduate fondly remembers time spent at the “peace table” resolving conflicts with classmates.
Because there was no school on the official Peace Day, Little Star marked the occasion on Monday, when, at 11 a.m., Little Star students joined Montessori schools all over the world in singing “Light a Candle for Peace.” The 2- to 5-year-old students shared their thoughts about peace, which included Maeve Belsby’s “people not getting hurt” and Wylie Smith’s “peace is love,” and then the entire school sang the song. Call me sentimental, but if you can watch a group of valley tikes singing about peace without getting teary-eyed, you’re either callous or dehydrated.
For those of you in the dehydrated camp, the opportunity exists to remedy your condition! On Saturday, the Methow Conservancy will host a party during which guests will use a mechanical contraption to compress chopped up apples until sweet fluid runs out of them. Said amber-colored liquid will then be put into bottles that guests can take home, to enjoy the delicious, non-alcoholic, fruit-based beverage at a later time.
Bring your own bottle to Dave and Marilyn Sabold’s house between 2 and 4 p.m. to enjoy both the party and the apple-flavored drink.
