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Theater: Outdoors: Gardening:
Camp
Schmooze What would Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Warren G. Harding say to each other if they got lost on a camping trip? The world will never know for sure, but Camping with Henry and Tom, a play by Mark St. Germain, took a stab at recreating that scenario. The play is based on records of an actual camping trip Edison, Ford and Harding took together, which turned out to be Thomas Edison's last trip with Henry Ford (historical records say that Ford and Edison took annual camping trips together for many years). No, the three men probably didn't crash their Model T on the way to the boonies, but the fictitious plot line is riddled with seeds of truth that are based on extensive research. Not many people know that industrialist Henry Ford was also a firm believer in reincarnation. And even though his presidency overlapped with Prohibition, Harding couldn't manage to resist the sauce — or marital indiscretions, for that matter. The play takes these historical facts and twists them into a lighthearted, yet poignant comedy that reflects the different varieties of human error in the form of three different personas. According to Corvallis Community Theatre Artistic Director Don Taco, it is St. Germain's invented banter that made him want to direct the production at the Majestic Theatre this month. "One of the things that makes the play so charming is these very strong personalities are poking at each other's weaknesses, and they're blind to their own," Taco says, "so you're laughing at all of them while they sneer at each other and argue." It is, Taco says, an "observation of human frailties and strengths," in which Edison is the brains, Ford is the businessman and Harding is the heart. And though it is a play about political and intellectual figureheads, politics take a back seat to witty banter. The play does get into the forbidden worlds of politics and religion, but won't smash you over the head with them in an embittered sermon. "It's thoughtful, but mostly it's fun," Taco says. Camping With Henry and Tom. Aug. 18, 19, 20 at 8 pm, Aug. 21 at 2:30 pm. Majestic Theatre, Corvallis. $10 adults, $8 students/seniors, All seats $8 on Thursday, Aug. 18.
Swimmin'
Holes There's no question that the Willamette Valley is getting hotter, with record-setting temperatures during spring and summer months each of the last five years. Some climate models suggest that average summer temperatures in our area will increase by more than 7 degrees over the next century, giving us hot, dry summers not unlike today's summers in Sacramento.
This is very bad news for skiers, foresters, people with big lawns — just about everyone except for Willamette Valley winemakers, whose vines have produced outstanding vintages since 1998 thanks to the extra heat and sunshine. And it's probably not a bad deal for people who enjoy spending hot afternoons taking a dip in local streams or rivers. The vast majority of H2O flowing through Lane County on its way to the Pacific Ocean is from snowmelt. Traveling east from Eugene on Hwy. 126 or Hwy. 58, water temperatures range from cold to downright icy. Below are some of the choice swimming destinations for people who need to cool off this summer. The Middle Fork Buford Park, the largest of Lane County's parks, has good access to swimming holes on the Middle Fork Willamette River. To get there, take Seavy Drive from Franklin Boulevard, near the 30th Avenue exit of I-5. You have to pay to park in a large parking lot (annual passes available). Hike along wheelchair accessible trails upstream. Several major tributaries of the Middle Fork are choice destinations. The best-known spot is Fall Creek. Drive Hwy. 58 for 13 miles to Lowell and follow the signs for Fall Creek (Moss Street to Fall Creek Road to North Shore Road to Forest Service Road 18). The best swimming holes are strung out like emeralds on a string from Dolly Varden campground upstream for more than 6 miles. The pools are deep, the water is crystal clear, and the streambanks are draped in a blanket of lush old-growth forest. Lesser-known and even farther out are Salmon Creek and the North Fork of the Middle Fork of the Willamette. To get to Salmon Creek take FS 24 from Oakridge (left on Crestview Street, right on 1st Street). Just 3 miles up the road, you'll see a sign for Salmon Creek Falls Campground. The short falls churn a deep blue pool to frothy white foam. It's the perfect place for a dip after a hot day of hiking or biking the Salmon Creek Trail. To get to the North Fork, take Hwy. 58 for 31 miles. Just before the ranger station, take a sweeping left and follow the signs for Westfir. At the four-way intersection, continue straight onto FS 19. For the next 20 miles you'll find some of the best swimming and innertubing in the state, each hole getting progressively colder as you travel upstream. The Coast Fork If you find yourself in Cottage Grove, there's great swimming on the tributaries of the Coast Fork of the Willamette, including Row River, Sharps Creek and Brice Creek. They're all accessible from Row River Road, which heads east from town. The McKenzie The best swimming holes on the McKenzie are around Finn Rock, about 30 miles from Springfield on Hwy. 126. An easy one to find is at a boat launch accessed by crossing the river on Quartz Creek Road (continue uphill to see some of the ugliest clearcuts in east Lane County) just before Finn Rock. The ultimate breath burglary can be experienced at Tamolitch Pool. Drive 126 east for 55 miles and turn left at the upper end of Trailbridge Reservoir. Hike upstream on the McKenzie River Trail for 4 miles. The McKenzie flows underground for three miles before emerging in Tamolitch Pool. It's easy to locate several jets of water pouring into the pool underwater from a wall of solid lava at the head of the pool. The water here is cold enough to make you hypothermic after as little as 20 minutes, even on the hottest day of the summer. Take care not to over-chill the Riesling.
Fig
Facts In a part of the world where it is sometimes a challenge to ripen a tomato, a fruit native to regions south of the Mediterranean may seem an unlikely subject for cultivation. But thanks to a recent string of moderate winters followed by warm summers, figs have reliably been showing up in local markets. Figs will not ripen off the tree and ripe figs are too squishy and delicate to ship easily, so for those of us who like fresh figs it's pretty much local figs or nothing. Most fig lovers agree that the best way to enjoy this luscious fruit is straight off the tree, preferably warmed by the sun. Why not grow your own, and indulge yourself as often as possible?
Landscape designer and permaculture maven Heiko Koester tells me he is aware of just three kinds of fig that are likely to succeed in the Willamette Valley: 'Brown Turkey,' 'Desert King' and 'Lattarula.' A lot of things go by the name 'Brown Turkey,' Koester says, so buy yours from a reputable dealer such as Raintree Nursery, One Green World or Burnt Ridge Nursery. When Koester refers to the Willamette Valley, by the way, he means the valley floor. Once you get into the foothills, he says, you just may not have the warmth to prevent loss of top growth in freezing winter weather. Fig plants will be damaged (to an extent depending on a variety of other factors) in a 0 – 5 degree winter. An established tree will grow back promptly from the roots, but you'll lose the following season's crop. Karen Schultz of Sunglo Farm was selling ripe Desert King figs at the Lane County farmer's market in early August. I watched her bite into one of these yellowish green fruit. It had a peach-colored interior. Karen called Desert King "the top fig for Western Oregon," and confirmed that it's the first of her figs to ripen. She was too busy to tell me what other kinds she grows. Desert King is a 'single cropper.' Many varieties can, in the right conditions, produce two crops of figs a year, but Koester counts on only one crop in our area. 'Brown Turkey' is capable of a second crop on the current season's growth, but this will only happen in a very hot summer. (Some cool-climate fig experts recommend removing all unripened fruit from the tree in late fall.) Fig trees are healthy and easy to grow. Commonly grown fig varieties need no pollination, so a single plant will bear fruit. Koester points out that figs require no skilled pruning to enhance fruiting and will tolerate all but the wettest soils in the Willamette Valley. Morning sun is not enough to ripen the fruit, so place your tree in a warm spot that receives full sun or afternoon sun and also provides some stored or reflected heat (from a house wall or a pavement) and some protection from wind. Urban areas, because they tend to trap heat, offer a greater chance of success. Figs will soak up all the nutrients and water they can find, quickly reaching 15-30 feet high and wide. But they will also grow in relatively lean circumstances, so you may be better off planting your fig well away from cultivated borders. Trees that have become too big should be stooled back to 2-4 feet of trunk. As Koester puts it, the soft wood "cuts like butter." With light gray bark and large, tropical-looking, bright green foliage, fig trees are very ornamental. They also grow well in large containers. A fig tree is a good choice to furnish an ugly wall, or to shade a patio or ground-floor window. It looks nice close-up, casts a dense, cool shade in summer and in winter the leaves fall off. Trees planted primarily for looks can withstand a good deal of pruning, whether to remove inconvenient branches or to confine to a small space. On a recent trip to London I noticed a hedge of heavily pruned figs at the foot of a retaining wall in front of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, a striking and practical choice for what must be a very hot situation when the sun shines. Rachel Foster of Eugene is a garden consultant and author of All About Gardens, a selection of past Eugene Weekly columns. She can be reached at rfoster@efn.org |
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