In the Mood for Jazz

Above: Everyone was in the mood for jazz, swing, and boogie-woogie at a concert held at the Olympia Country and Golf Club Friday night. The Jazz Senators were joined by a group called Somewhere in Time, above, who performed a tribute to The Andrew Sisters. The concert was open to the public.

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

http://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

With Mount Rainier and Budd Inlet as a stunning backdrop, the 17 member Jazz Senators gave a lively, open air, big band concert at the Olympia Country and Golf Club on Friday night. The concert was open to the public.

They were joined by a group called Somewhere in Time, who performed an energetic tribute to The Andrew Sisters. The three women, Melanie Bee, Alita DeLaCruz, and Gretchen Blair, made several costume changes throughout the show.

Bee and DeLaCruz have performed in several USO tours together, and Blair is a retired Army and Navy veteran who has performed for President George W. Bush.

Above: The Jazz Senators, led by band director Tracey D. Hooker, performed at the Olympia Country and Golf Club on Friday night.

“I’m completely delighted! This is my first time here - what great energy! What a beautiful night! I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks,” said band director Tracey D. Hooker during a break.

The Jazz Senators formed in 2005 as a backup for dentists performing at a benefit for the Olympia Union Gospel Mission. The group is comprised of active and retired military members, middle and high school band directors, and musical instructors.

Since that time, the group has performed at Rhythm & Rye in downtown Olympia, Panorama in Lacey, Music in the Park, and the Capitol Theater.

Above: Musician Gary Scott, lead alto saxophone player with the Jazz Senators.

Mount Rainier: Cell Service at Paradise?

Above: Visitors at Paradise Inn at Mount Rainier National Park relax in front of the fireplace on Thursday evening. The National Park Service has drafted an environmental assessment for the possibility of installing cellular service equipment at Paradise. The public is invited to comment on the proposal.

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

http://www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK – Visitors from around the world come to Mount Rainier National Park to see and climb The Mountain, hike the trails and other nearby peaks, or camp in the wilderness. 

Most are there to appreciate the area's natural sounds and beauty, and escape day to day routines, news alerts, and other hassles of modern life.

There is no cell service at Paradise. 

During the day, the Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center offers a deli, a book and gift shop, educational displays, a movie explaining the features and history of the park, weather information, and more. Brochures are provided in multiple languages.

In the evening, folks gather around the two massive fireplaces inside the historic Paradise Inn, listening to the fire crackle and pop. Some read a good book, or quietly listen to pianist Bill Powell play classic selections, as he has for the last seven seasons.

Others play board games or strike up pleasant conversations with staff and strangers. Chatting in hushed tones, all seem to enjoy the cozy ambiance and quiet camaraderie.

When you get back on the road, you can honestly say you didn’t hear about President Trump’s latest tweet. You can tell your boss you were out of range. You didn't hear about your friend’s relationship breakup, and in a worst case scenario, you may also not have heard that there was an emergency back home or a death in the family.

Being so out of touch could soon change and the National Park Service (NPS) wants your opinion about it.

The NPS is considering the issuance of permits to Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and AT&T that would allow those companies to provide cellular service in the Paradise area.

The NPS is required by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to consider all applications for the installation of wireless communication facilities on NPS lands.

In its environmental assessment, the NPS is considering two alternatives: a no action alternative and an action alternative. Under the no action alternative, cellular service would not be provided at Paradise.

Under the proposed action alternative, cellular equipment would be installed in the east and west attics of the Visitor Center with antennas mounted and concealed on the gabled ends of the building.

The park service will evaluate the two choices and their potential issues and impacts to the park’s resources, values, and visitors. Comments that provide corrections or suggestions to improve the alternatives or the environmental analysis would be most helpful, said a press release issued on June 5.

Comments may be made online at: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/paradisecellular or mailed to: Superintendent, Mount Rainier National Park, 55210 238th Avenue East, Ashford, Washington 98034.

The comment deadline is July 19. 

Above: In an aerial view of Mount Rainier, the predicted coverage by Verizon Wireless is explained in its analysis dated April 8, 2016. The red colored areas indicate the best indoor and outdoor cellular coverage at and around Paradise. The green colored areas indicate poor indoor and average outdoor coverage, and the blue colored areas indicate poor indoor and outdoor coverage.

Above: If needed, three pay phones are located at Paradise Inn near the registration desk. A dollar in change gets you ten minutes for a national call. Pre-paid phone cards are available in the gift shop. Armed with a fistful of quarters, this man from Tampa, Florida was making a call to his family. Asked his opinion about the proposed cellular coverage at Paradise, he said he did not want it. He said he and his family were looking forward to playing a game of Scrabble.

Many visitors who arrive at Paradise are surprised that there is no cellular service.  After a few attempts and expressions of disbelief, they realize it’s true, unless they hike up the mountain a little ways and hope to catch a rogue wave, or head down.

While cell phone coverage could improve visitor safety and communications amongst park service staff, Little Hollywood randomly chatted with several visitors about the proposal, and could find no one who wanted the coverage.

A man in his 20s with an open laptop said he already knew there wasn’t service, and downloaded “half the internet” before he arrived.

Another man with a laptop said that he had plenty of cached files to keep him busy, and didn’t want cellular coverage. When pressed about its possible availability for safety concerns, he said that the closest he’s come to an emergency is when he arrived at the Inn on the night of the presidential election and informed staff and fellow visitors that Hillary Clinton had lost.

“People were devastated. That felt like an emergency!” he laughed.

His wife agreed.

“There are plenty of safety signs and barriers telling me where I can’t go,” she said.

Wendee and Ed Vogel, of Merrimack, New Hampshire, are staying at Paradise Inn for a couple of days, and have already visited several places throughout the Northwest. They stayed in Olympia on Wednesday night and will be taking a river cruise on the Columbia River next week.

Last week, they stayed in the Olympic National Park at Kalaloch and have appreciated being away from televisions and telephones. Both expressed opinions against the proposal.

“This is nature! I think it would be weird if there was cell phone service. I like being off the grid for a while,” said Wendee Vogel.

Her husband, a software engineer, agreed.

“It’s good to be away from the internet. It’s not like they’re losing business without it,” said Ed Vogel, referring to the park service administration.

The couple admitted that in the case of a family emergency, they did forget to leave an itinerary telling their loved ones where they were and where they were going. 

Above: Frank and Patti Helling of Fresno, California. Helling has portrayed the life and work of naturalist John Muir for 36 years. Muir ascended Mount Rainier in 1888. After his visit, Cloud Camp was renamed Camp Muir, and Muir was instrumental in the establishment of Mount Rainier National Park. 

Frank and Patti Helling of Fresno, California are also staying at Paradise Inn for a couple of days, visiting Mount Rainier National Park for the first time. They are on vacation in Washington State to visit their grandson’s graduation in Woodland. 

Helling has portrayed the Father of the National Parks, naturalist John Muir, around campfires at Grant Grove in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, and for Road Scholar, formerly Elderhostel, for 36 years. 

“I started portraying Muir when I was a substitute teacher in junior high schools. It would be an all-day birthday party for Muir, and I’d tell stories and teach the kids about his life,” he laughed.

After being told of the park’s proposed cellular service, Helling says he remembers when, a few years ago, Verizon Wireless put a cellphone tower on Park Ridge above Kings Canyon Visitor Center in Grant Grove. 

“It hasn’t been a big deal - it’s not a big ugly thing,” he said. The 80 foot tower was put into an area that was already an established telecommunications site.

Then, perhaps suddenly wondering what John Muir would think of the proposal, Helling paused, looking deep in thought.

“On the other hand, I’m not a user of social media, but I know a lot of people would be on their devices if the park had cell phone service.”

Then, Helling spread his arms upward toward the rafters of Paradise Inn, adding with expression, “They would miss all of this!”

Above: At Paradise, the snow begins to fall as a father and son take in the beauty of Mount Rainier National Park on Friday.

Downtown Olympia Views Studied by City

Above: On one of their frequent walks to the popular Madison Scenic Park, Eastside neighborhood residents Michael McFarlan and Ginger appreciate the view of the Capitol Building, downtown and the territorial Black Hills on Monday morning. This view is one of several priority viewsheds to be analyzed by the City of Olympia as part of a downtown strategy planning effort. 

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Located at the southernmost tip of Puget Sound, Olympia, Washington has long been described as having the most spectacular views of any state capitol.

From downtown Olympia looking north, one sees Budd Inlet and the Olympic Mountains. To the south, the state Capitol Dome, the fifth-tallest masonry dome in the world and the tallest in North America, rising 287 feet high. To the east, Mt. Rainier. Looking west, the territorial Black Hills.

On March 3, City of Olympia staff briefed councilmembers serving on the city’s Land Use and Environment Committee on the next steps for analyzing several viewsheds within downtown. 

A viewshed is the line of sight between an observation point and a view. The purpose of the city's analysis is to protect or enhance existing views, not to create new viewsheds. 

The recently updated Comprehensive Plan shifted an emphasis from protecting certain views from public streets to protecting and enhancing views from public gathering places. The city says that the observation points to be analyzed must be in public spaces either in downtown or look through downtown to a landmark view. 

An upcoming online city survey will offer the community an opportunity to comment on the viewsheds proposed for analysis. 

The Downtown Strategy’s process builds on past planning efforts during the Comprehensive Plan and Shoreline Master Plan updates. At a November 2015 workshop, participants prioritized certain viewsheds with observation points within downtown that were most important: the Olympic Mountains, the Capitol Dome, Budd Inlet, and Capitol Lake.

With the input of community members and city staff, consultants will analyze up to ten community-valued viewsheds. The analysis will also consider zoning and potential building height increases. Using 3D graphics, modeling will show each view as it exists now, if redeveloped under current zoning, and under any zoning options being explored.

The viewshed analysis will be presented at a June Downtown Strategy workshop and viewshed protection recommendations will be offered to the city council by August.

Above: The viewshed of downtown and the Capitol Building from a pocket park on East Bay Drive as seen on Monday afternoon. If the Port of Olympia parcels are developed as proposed near Chestnut and Olympia Avenue NE, the view of the Capitol Building would likely be obstructed. 

It is unclear from city documents which East Bay viewshed the city is considering analyzing: there is another pocket park further north on East Bay Drive, created in 2004 through a community partnership with the East Bay Drive Neighborhood Association, the Port of Olympia, and the City of Olympia.

Viewshed Priorities

The city has already identified five priority viewsheds for analysis: the Capitol Campus to Budd Inlet with a view across the isthmus, the effect of the 1063 Building on the view of the Capitol Dome, Madison Scenic Park to the Capitol Dome and the Black Hills, the Puget Sound navigation channel view to the Capitol Dome, and the West Bay Park view to Mt. Rainier through downtown.

Five viewsheds under consideration for analysis include Capitol Way and Union Avenue to the Olympic Mountains, Marathon Park to Mt. Rainier, Park of the Seven Oars (near the Harrison Avenue NW and Olympic Way NW roundabout) to Mt. Rainier, Priest Point Park to the Capitol Dome, and the East Bay Waterfront Park to the Capitol Dome.

Above: The 1063 Building is currently under construction on Capitol Way. During the design process, the city made its concerns known to the state about the five story, 215,000 square foot office building. When completed, the building will block the view of the Capitol Building from downtown. Conversely, views of Budd Inlet and the Olympics, as seen here from the Capitol Campus, will soon be obscured. The city does not have zoning authority over the Capitol Campus. Photo taken February 25, 2016.

Several community members attended the March 3 Land Use and Environment committee meeting, commented on the limited scope of the viewshed analysis, and urged the inclusion of other views. 

Krag Unsoeld commented that Mt. Rainier cannot be seen from Marathon Park on Deschutes Parkway, so that particular viewshed should not be listed, and instead be replaced with another viewshed.

Former City of Olympia mayor Bob Jacobs also commented, saying that view protection should involve the whole city, not just downtown.

“The first step in this kind of process should be a community conversation to define what is important to community members about views,” said Jacobs. 

Jacobs is active with Friends of the Waterfront, a local group that has advocated for view protections for several years. That group offered city staff a specific list of comments, questions, and suggested views.

“….We also note the need for clarification of some terms. For instance, what exactly is meant by ‘Capitol Dome’? Just the dome? Or does this include the columns beneath the dome? Does it include the Temple of Justice and other buildings? Wilder and White designed the ‘Capitol Group’ to appear as a single structure when viewed from the north. Also, what exactly is the ‘Navigation Channel’ and where is it? Clear definitions will be necessary to the development of clear regulations….” asks Friends of the Waterfront in their letter.

In response to the city’s call for suggested viewsheds for analysis in addition to those already published, the group offered: Capitol Campus to Mt. Rainier, Port Plaza to Capitol Dome, Percival Landing to Capitol Dome, a larger stretch of East Bay Drive to the Capitol Dome (not just the mini-park), Rt. 101 at the Red Lion hotel to Mt. Rainier, Harrison Avenue roundabout to Mt. Rainier (broader than Seven Oars Park), lower roundabout to Mt. Rainier, Deschutes Parkway to Mt. Rainier, Lakeridge Drive to Capitol Dome and Capitol Lake, San Francisco Street to East Bay Drive and Capitol Dome, Eastern Washington Butte at Heritage Park to Mt. Rainier, Port Plaza viewing tower to Mt. Rainier, views of East Bay and West Bay ridgelines, and the Thurston County Courthouse to the Capitol Dome.

Editor's Note/Full Disclosure: Janine Gates also commented at the March 3 meeting. Providing personal pictures as examples, she said the viewshed of landmarks should be expanded to include the experience of coming into downtown and take into consideration the special viewpoints of children and animals who see the city from different perspectives. She also asked that the city conduct a nighttime viewshed analysis to determine the impact of light pollution. Light pollution from the 123 4th Avenue Building and the nine story Capitol Center Building, if it is ever redeveloped, she said, would mar the nighttime beauty of landmarks such as the Capitol Building. With regard to sea-level rise issues, she also suggested an underwater view analysis of downtown.

For more information about the viewshed analysis, go to www.olympiawa.gov or contact Amy Buckler, Senior Planner, City of Olympia, at (360) 570-5847. The city welcomes descriptions and photo(s) of your favorite view(s) which can be emailed to Buckler at DTS@ci.olympia.wa.us.

Above: An unencumbered view of Mt. Rainier from downtown Olympia is one of the most spectacular, cherished sights enjoyed by community members. Photo taken from a West Bay Drive office building parking lot in May 2012.

Winter Camping Weekend at Mt. Rainier

Above: Moonrise over the Tatoosh. Not too far up, winter camping offers rewarding views.

 

Getting Away From It All: Winter Camping on Mount Rainier

By Janine Unsoeld
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The gate between Longmire and Paradise at Mount Rainier National Park is now open 24 hours, but always check for park alerts, news and weather before you leave home.

No doubt, the National Park Inn at Longmire is an enticing and very romantic possibility for spending a night or two, and the historic Paradise Inn is scheduled to open for the 2014 season on Wednesday, May 21.

Winter camping this past weekend on the mountain, however, was spectacularly beautiful, and offered its own rewards to practice physical and mental endurance, and gear management.

I learned a lot: Hand warmers in my gloves were life-savers, as were the stash of nuts in my pocket when my go-to calorie supply of Snickers bars were frozen so bad I couldn't get a bite off, ever, and, for someone my size, carrying a 46 pound pack was a ridiculous load. 

Despite the grueling lessons learned, it was great to escape from the routine, and remind oneself that there’s more to life than work, meetings and day-to-day minutia.

Above: The weather at Mt. Rainier was clear and beautiful this past weekend. At 2:00 a.m., and throughout the night, the moon was bright orange, with stars and shooting stars on display.  

Above: Coming back from Panorama Point at sunrise.

 

Above: Janine learns the hard way, and carries a ridiculously heavy, but seemingly necessary load.