By Ashley Lodato
A small group of friends quietly marked the end of an era at North Cascades Basecamp at a potluck on Sunday evening. The Basecamp, which was started in the early 1980s as a European-style lodge by Dick and Sue Roberts and for the past six years has been owned and operated by Kim and Steve Bondi, was sold to Seattle’s Bush School in July, to become their satellite campus for outdoor education and community engagement. Bush School director Percy Abram writes, “Mazama will provide an environment in which students will delve deeply and reflectively into their experiences with the environment and learn about the region’s unique history, culture, arts, agriculture and economy.”
Whenever a business sells in the Methow, people naturally wonder about whether the sellers are leaving the valley. Never fear, the Bondis are remaining with us! They are finishing out the season with guests at North Cascades Basecamp, and after some fall adventures will be back in the valley starting the next chapter of their professional lives. Congratulations to the Bondis and welcome to the Bush School.
Another celebratory potluck took place Sunday night as well, this one at the Yacht Club on Patterson Lake. The members of the Bad Ass Husbands band (Jeff Ulmer on keyboards, Curtis Edwards on lead guitar, Pete Eckmann on drums, Mark Monteverde on harmonica and bongos) entertained an appreciative audience with the blues. Despite the blustery weather, guests had a great time dancing, visiting and enjoying a delicious potluck of oysters, shrimp, salads, cheeses and desserts. Patterson Lake seems distinctly chillier to me in the past few days; time to fit in the summer swims while it’s still tolerable!
Eighth-grader Travis Grialou is in the midst of his fourth annual fundraising campaign for Little Star Montessori School’s scholarship awards. Travis, who took over the project from Taylor Woodruff in 2013, is a Little Star alumnus planning to run 150 miles this summer and is currently collecting pledges for his miles. Travis has already completed the bulk of the mileage, but he still has some time on the roads or trails ahead of him. If you see Travis running, you can thank him for his commitment to Little Star’s scholarship fund, which benefits more than a third of Little Star families. Better yet, you can join him in his efforts by pledging to support his campaign.
Run, Travis, run!
