I am dedicating this entire column to the Britt Society, the unsung heroes of Britt Festivals. Did you know that the Britt Society is a separate non-profit 501c3 organization with their own Board of Directors and membership made up of 300 fantastic and active people? Established in 1964, its […]
The sweet-faced woman behind the counter turns to you and smiles a friendly welcome. This is Joelle Manning Graves, proprietor of Sterling Creek Antiques, located in the historic Orth Building on South Oregon Street in Jacksonville. Her kindly vibe and deep wealth of knowledge about the things she sells […]
With Oktoberfest beginning later this month, it seems an appropriate time to celebrate Southern Oregon’s pioneer community of German-speaking settlers. Although comprising only a quarter of the Rogue Valley’s population, first and second-generation immigrants from what are now Germany, Switzerland, and Austria were the dominant ethnic element, contributing significantly to the tenor and scope of […]
Prior to moving to Southern Oregon in 2002, I had just sold eBusiness Design, a web development company that specialized in helping large companies use the internet to market, improve customer service, distribute their product directly to consumers or just to inform their customers. When I arrived in Southern […]
By the time you read this, school will be back in session and I will be doing the happy dance, back in my bliss, working on the next book. But today it is early August, and I am trying to write while entertaining/mollifying/feeding my lovely children without benefit of an entertaining […]
Now there’s a word that can strike fear into the hearts and minds of otherwise stout-hearted men and women. How many times have we all heard someone say, “I wish they’d stop changing things all the time,” or “Why do we need to change… I like things […]
The Unfettered Critic – September 2014
Watching TV has never been so easy. Or so hard.
Remember when three networks—CBS, NBC and ABC—scheduled our viewing for us? Today we download favorite shows to “devices” like smart phones, tablets, computers and (insert new tech here!) in order to view them whenever we want. Now dozens of cable networks, […]
How many of you remember one of the most common commands in the English language appearing in the business community following the end of World War 2? The command was short… one word… and it seemed to be posted wherever one worked, especially in the tabulating department… […]
The past two Pioneer Profiles have partially explored the public persona of Peter Britt, the pioneer Swiss photographer famed for documenting Southern Oregon’s people, activities, and landscapes, and father of the region’s commercial orchard, wine, and ornamental horticulture industries.
First-ever Book on Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery Just Published—I am very pleased to announce that the first book ever written and published about Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery, Silent City on the Hill, is now available thanks to Bill Miller, who along with the assistance of his wife Debbie, have turned years of research and a love of […]
Rug Hooking began in America in the New England states as a craft of poverty, a “country craft,” done out of sheer necessity and done in isolation. While wealthy homes had woven carpets from woolen mills, poorer families were using every available scrap of fiber and hooking them into loosely-woven […]
Ordinarily, one’s reason for installing a retaining wall is for pure function, but in many cases, retaining walls can add depth, beauty and interest to a sloped or steeply-graded area.
There are many options when choosing materials for a new retaining wall. The style, color, and texture are all important but […]
There’s a meme going around these days called “Spiritual But Not Religious,”and it’s growing like gangbusters. (There is also the lesser-discussed “Religious But Not Spiritual,” which is a topic for another day.) Like all memes, it hops from one person to the next without great awareness of where it came from […]
We were taken aback last summer when a friend grumbled that George Gershwin’s l925 composition “Concerto in F” shouldn’t have been on a Britt conductor’s playlist. “The piece is one of our favorites,” we countered. “The guest pianist was exceptional and the orchestra delivered a brilliant performance.”
“It’s not classical,” he […]
Americans for the Arts (www.americansforthearts.org) compiled a compelling list of Ten Reasons to Support the Arts, backed by research studies proving that the value of art goes beyond decorating empty walls! Reason #9: “Arts improve healthcare. Nearly one-half of the nation’s healthcare […]
Although those of us who call the Rogue Valley home realize we have a wonderful place to live, raise a family and do business, evidenced by the statistics previously shared, it is apparent that far too much of our culture of caring is borne of economic necessity.
In spite of the oft repeated news that the Great Recession ended in 2009, I am going to provide you with a number of very clear and disturbing statistics within this article that make it abundantly clear our community is still struggling to break free from its lingering grip.
My hope is that 2014 will be remembered as the year of accessibility: accessible music, accessible venue and accessible Music Director.
Who’s afraid of classical music? Lots of people, apparently. Well, I am here to tell you that classical music is not just for the well-seasoned listener; it’s for everyone! […]
From September to June, we play the part. We diligently go through another school year. We make sure the kids have shining new supplies, presentable clothes, (unless you have teenagers) and healthy snacks, (which is more for us, because we all know they prefer Oreos over homemade anything!) We plan and […]
“Thoroughly unprepared, we take the step into the afternoon of life. Worse still, we take this step with the false presupposition that our truths and our ideals will serve us as hitherto. But we cannot live the afternoon of life according to the program of life’s morning, for what was great […]
In the 5+ years I have done this column, this month’s garden is at the top of my favorites list! Judy Hoevet and her husband Ken moved into their home on Laurel Lane three years ago, relocating for the weather and to be closer to family. Although the house was […]
Memorial Day afternoon a man driving down Oregon Street suffered a cardiac arrest then plowed into the face of GoodBean Jacksonville but not before crushing table and chairs just outside the entrance. The one hundred fifty-five year old solid brick pillar absorbed the car’s massive blow. Only by the […]
This June marked the 70th anniversary of “D Day,” when a brave and mighty fleet of soldiers landed on Normandy’s beach, where virtually the entire first wave of Americans, 10,000 in all, was annihilated by enemy fire—one of the most difficult missions ever carried-out by our soldiers […]
In June, Pioneer Profiles highlighted Peter Britt’s renown as photographer, artist, and documenter of pioneer life in Southern Oregon. However, Britt was also an avid gardener and is considered to be the father...
You’ve seen a great food movie or two, right? One that teases your salivary glands the way a romance tugs at your heartstrings? Tampopo (1985) presents a bowl of noodles as more sensuous than sex. Babette’s Feast (1987) tempts with lustful terrapin soup, quail in vol-au-vents and blinis. Like Water […]
I recently heard a local country singer on the radio talking about the difficulty of hitting it big in the music business. He shared how, one day, feeling tired and discouraged, he’d heard his phone ring and decided not to answer it. Later, when he listened to his messages, he discovered that...
Is there a difference in the health benefits between practicing yoga and going to the gym? Yes, there are many, but if your goals are just to keep fit and/or lose weight they can both accomplish that to varying degrees...
Independent, proactive, tenacious, innovative, adventurous, courageous, energetic, creative, spontaneous, curious, confident, persistent; all essential qualities for an entrepreneur or business mogul.
I bet you have something “Britt” in your house, like a poster. Britt posters adorn the walls of the Bella Union going back to the 1960’s. The Jacksonville Inn has collected autographed posters from the days of the Festivals within a Festival—Jazz Festival; Dance Festival and more. Jacksonville Elementary School has several framed posters adorning their...
Ordinarily, my column is about the “style” of a garden. This month, the “style” I encountered was not at all what I expected. It’s amazing to me how gardens “evolve” and how one’s gardening side naturally pops-out. Bonnie Selvitella will be the first to tell you she’s not a gardener.
This month next year, my lovely wife and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. That’s a quarter-century ago. It’s also the same year we started a life and business in Southern Oregon. As we grow older, more and more people ask us how we met, how we got started, how we made it all work.
It’s easy to add splashes of color to empty and challenging spaces on patios, porches and decks. This time of year, with flowers and landscapes in-bloom all around us, open spaces on patios, porches and decks can be challenging to soften due to a lack of color and/or greenery. One of […]
An area rug can serve to warm-up a tile or hardwood floor area, anchor a seating area, establish a dining or play area, and add character to nearly any indoor or outdoor space.
United Van Lines recently published its inbound and outbound moving data for the year of 2013. The winners are Oregon and the Carolinas. The losers are New Jersey, Illinois and New York.
We may live in an historic town, but I’ll wager that when studying history in school, you hated it. Was your history class like mine, consisting of nothing more than memorizing important dates of people and bigger-than-life events? King George may have been a bad king… at least from the American colonists’ point of view, but what were we taught about the man himself? Very little!
Maybe you’ve noticed. You’ll be watching the final moments of a television show. Just as the characters arrive at the quintessential pinnacle of dramatic closure, a pop song that isn’t part of the normal background music springs forth. The scene continues without dialogue, using the power of song to enhance the emotions playing out on screen.
It’s Britt season, so what better subject for summer’s Pioneer Profiles than Peter Britt, whose pioneer homestead is now the site of Britt Festivals, the Britt Gardens, and portions of Jacksonville’s Woodlands Trail System. Perhaps best known as the pioneer photographer who documented Southern Oregon’s people, activities, and landscapes from the 1850s to 1900, Peter Britt was also a visionary, a painter, a respected horticulturalist, a vintner...
I learned early this morning that I am a success. A story on NPR related how certain wingless mosquitos in Antarctica survive under the most miserable of conditions, awaken out of semi-dormancy, live for ten days, mate, and die. In the animal world, the reporter noted, this is considered a successful life. You have reproduced. You have won.
How much time do you spend feeling happy? Not just thinking about unlikely scenarios that could make you happy, like winning the lottery. The fact is that right now, in this moment, you can choose to live your best life and […]
Merchandisers began promoting color as the Depression came to an end. Americans were more than ready to trade in their dark-colored vehicles, clothing and kitchenware and everything took on vivid hues.
I grew up with my mother’s 1930s Singer sewing machine. It’s a classic—black with gold scrollwork, nestled in a solid walnut cabinet. I watched her pull out the arm hidden under the left side, flip the top open and secure it flat on the arm, then lift the machine out of its compartment. That’s all it took to get ready to sew.
I first met Old Jim back in the early nineties when commercial Jacksonville was struggling to survive. The only enterprise with consistent lines out the door throughout the year was Loaves and Fishes, the community food kitchen next door serving hundreds of seniors every week.
The real estate market in Jackson County continues its recovery with the median price of a home growing by 4.2% for the first quarter 2014 to $187,500. The number of homes sold in the first quarter of 2014 has actually decreased to 345 compared to 389 sold in the first quarter 2013.
It began with a wind chime and bird feeder! Pam Wright moved here last August to her home on 8th Street to get away from “stucco condo” life in Orange County, California.
Most of us in Jacksonville love having a thick, lush and beautiful lawn! This is a great time of year for planning, preparing and implementing turf care. Here are a few spring tips that will make your grass healthy, green and lush.
Most of us are familiar with natural fertilizers and […]
We made a mistake.
Two seasons ago, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival presented “Animal Crackers,” the Marx Brothers masterpiece that stormed Broadway in 1929 and hit Hollywood in l930. We’d heard how great the OSF production was. But we were busy. We missed it. And […]
When we watch Antiques Roadshow, we all hope that the painting we have in our own garage is the “big” one. Although it could be, 9 times out of 10, it’s not.
Some of you may not be aware that, when I am not composing best-sellers, I am a practicing therapist. I don’t always lead off with that particular title because painful experience has shown that the word “therapist” can be, shall we say, off-putting for some folks.
Congratulations to blues singer Cee Cee James, winner of the 2014 Rising Stars competition.
With daffodils and crocuses blooming, it’s a great time to freshen-up the interior of our homes. We’ve all heard the expression, "Spring Cleaning," and for me, there’s more to it than just cleaning!