Member Benefits

Course Descriptions

Each semester is a new beginning supported by past experience.

Volcanology of Mount Baker and the Cascades
Cost: $70 A.L.L. members, $76 non-members
Location: Bellingham Yacht Club, 2625 Harbor Loop Drive One session: Thursday, September 16, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Registration deadline: September 9

Mount Baker has recently come under increasing scrutiny as an
active volcano and has only been studied in detail for the past
15 years. This course will present the past four million years of
volcanism in the area, which includes two separate caldera collapses.
Eruptive hazards from the volcano will be discussed.
The all-day field trip will visit the north side of Mount Baker,
ascending the Mount Baker Highway to the end of the road at
Artist’s Point to see volcanic ash deposits (including one from
Crater Lake in Oregon!), frozen lava flows, and of course,
Mount Baker itself. We can also see four or more eroded volcanic
vents that pre-date Baker. Participants will need to provide
their own lunch, drink, good walking shoes and coats.

Dave Tucker earned a master’s degree in geology at WWU in 2004. He is a research associate at the university, and is investigating Mount Baker’s eruption history over the past 10,000 years.

Health Economics
COST: $44 A.L.L. members, $56 non-members
LOCATION: St. Luke's Community Health Education Center, 3333 Squalicum Pkwy.
Five sessions: Wednesdays, September 17 - 24, October 1 - 15 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Registration deadline: September 10

Spending on health care in the U.S. is now 16 percent of gross domestic product, and growing. It is easy to cite that statistic and say something needs to be done. It is much more difficult to determine whether that number is, in fact, too high, why we spend so much, in the U.S., and what policies might be effective or desirable if we want to make changes. It is also important to consider the degree to which various proposals regarding our health care system merely trade one cost for another. Important threads we’ll follow include the ethical question of whether people have a right to health care; what problems universal coverage would address and what problems it would not; what incentives and outcomes we might expect with “pay for performance,” and what role consumer-driven health care might play in keeping costs down.

Hart Hodges is the director of the Center for Economic and Business Research and an assistant professor of economics at Western Washington University. Hart spent several years with an economic consulting firm in Alaska and before that was a financial analyst for the City of Portland, OR. Hart has also served as the Natural Resource Damage Assessment economist for the U.S. Department of the Interior and was a research associate at World Resources Institute in Washington, DC. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Washington, his masters in environmental management from Duke University, and his BA from Williams College. He started his career at Western Washington University in 2000 and was appointed director of the Center for Economic and Business Research in 2001. His research interests include health economics, regional economic development, and the management of transboundary resources.

Beautiful Rain Gardens for the Great "Northwet"
COST: $40 A.L.L. members, $45 non-members
LOCATION: Washington State University Extension, 1000 N. Forest St.
One session: Tuesday, September 23 - (includes field trip) transportation provided 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Registration deadline: September 16
LIMIT: 30 participants

Rain gardens are a beautiful and important way that individual homeowners can protect salmon streams and marine waters. For millennia, native forests and soils filtered, stored, and slowly released clean and cool water to our streams and shores. But as forests have been converted to roads, houses, parking lots, and commercial buildings, we have increasingly seen negative impacts to our water resources. When rain falls on roads and other hardened surfaces, it rushes over the land sweeping pesticides, oils, and other pollution into streams and marine waters. This rush of storm water can also erode the streambeds and banks, damaging the environment fish and wildlife depend on. Rain gardens mimic natural landscapes by filtering, storing and slowly releasing storm water, helping to protect the fish and wildlife we value as a fundamental part of the Pacific Northwest lifestyle. This course will cover rain garden fundamentals. Questions like: “What is a rain garden?” “Where can I create one?” “How big should it be?” “ What about soils and compost?” and “What sorts of plants can I put in one?” will be answered in this introduction to rain garden design and construction class.

Joyce Jimerson coordinates the WSU Whatcom County Extension Master Composter/Recycler program and serves as a Conservation District Supervisor. She’s passionate about soils and the important role that healthy soils play in creating clean waterways and good air quality.
Cheryl Lovato Niles is the WSU Whatcom County Extension Watershed Master/Beach Watchers Coordinator. She studied watershed processes and stream ecology at UC Berkeley and loves innovative solutions for a future of clean water and abundant fish.

Canada, Our Northern Neighbor, an Overview
COST: $72 A.L.L. members, $87 non-members
LOCATION: Bellingham Public Library, 210 Central Ave.
Six sessions: Tuesdays, September 23 - 30, October 7 - 28 1:15 - 3:15 p.m.
Registration deadline: September 16

The goal of this course is sharing knowledge and personal experiences about Canada, as well as examining such issues as bilingualism, the rise of Quebec separatism, threats to Canadian unity, anxiety over the presence of a powerful southern neighbor, and support for the United Nations. In Whatcom County, Canadians whether as visitors, shoppers, or in business are commonplace. More than a century of cross-border movement has masked our lack of knowledge about Canada. Most Washingtonians, for example, know little about the country that built the greatest railroad of the late nineteenth century, an action taken to convince British Columbia not to enter the American union.

Michael Onorato has been a Bellingham resident since 1993, after retiring from a 35-year university teaching career. He taught Asian history in Buffalo, NY, American history in Calgary, Canada, and Manila, Philippines, and Asian as well as Canadian history for 27 years in Fullerton, CA. He was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, and moved west in 1965.

Kerala: Cardamom, Coconuts, and Communists
COST: $23 A.L.L. members, $30 non-members
LOCATION: St. Luke's Community Health Education Center, 3333 Squalicum Pkwy.
Three sessions: Tuesdays, September 30, October 7 - 14 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon (second session, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.)
Registration deadline: September 23

This small southernmost state of India is one of the most widely studied cultures by academics of several stripes. Known for centuries as Malabar, traders and colonists came to its shores drawn by its rich trove of aromatic spices. Called “The Kerala Model” in development policy circles, this society is unique on the Indian subcontinent and the rest of the developing world by way of its exceptional achievements on several social indexes. Kerala presents a democratically elected communist state government, a matriarchal social system, and a highly pluralistic religious setting from ancient Jewish synagogues to early Christian churches, mosques and Hindu temples. Included on the list of “Places to See Before You Die,” this beautiful state with its romantic past offers unexpectedly relevant social and political lessons. Visuals, film and the instructor’s personal experience in this society will help to make vivid a virtual visit to Kerala.

Becky Pillai discontinued graduate studies in Berkeley’s South Asian Department and left for India where she taught in New Delhi. She has spent most of her life living frequently in India. Her continued personal study of this culture is coupled with an insider’s perspective through her marriage. During winter months she teaches in a village school near her home in South India.

People of the Sea and Cedar
COST: $12 A.L.L. members, $17 non-members
LOCATION: Whatcom Museum of History and Art, 121 Prospect St.
One session: Friday, October 3 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Registration deadline: September 26

Whatcom Museum Curator of Education, Richard Vanderway, presents a demonstration talk on traditions, materials and manufacturing processes used by Northwest Coast Native people. He will show and describe materials and demonstrate the uses of artifacts and reproduction tools. Salmon will be cooked in a bentwood box by adding hot rocks. Participants will gain greater insight into the natural materials and native technologies of the culture.

Richard Vanderway has been an educator at the Whatcom Museum for 30 years. He has presented the People of the Sea and Cedar program at national and state parks, for conferences and conventions, and at over a hundred Elderhostel camps.

Art in Public Places: History of Western's Outdoor Sculpture Collection
COST: $24 A.L.L. members, $30 non-members
LOCATION: WWU Campus, Fine Arts Bldg.
Two sessions (second session will be a tour of the collection): Mondays, October 13 - 20 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Registration deadline: October 6

Western’s Outdoor Sculpture Collection is not only significant for its history and the individual artists’ works, but also for the scope of the public and private partnerships which, over time, have achieved a balance in the controversy of “public art” versus “art in public places.” The first week (2 hours) the course will focus on this history as well as a more in-depth look at the artists’ works. The second week (2 hours) will focus on an actual tour of the collection to see how works are sited on campus and how issues of preservation are critical to the collection.

Sarah Clark-Langager has been curator of the Outdoor Sculpture Collection and director of the Western Gallery since 1988. Before coming to Western, she was involved on both coasts in educational and curatorial roles at such museums as Yale University Art Gallery (New Haven), Albright-Knox Art Gallery (Buffalo), Seattle Art Museum, and Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute (Utica). Specializing in 20th century and contemporary art, she also acts as an advisor to many institutions initiating public art collections.

Western and Native American Cultural Presuppositions Compared
COST: $52 A.L.L. members, $67 non-members
LOCATION: The Willows, 3115 Squalicum Pkwy.
Six sessions: Thursdays, October 16 - 30, November 6 - 20 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Registration deadline: October 9

This course is designed to help the participant recognize and appreciate the presuppositions of each culture and to see how both might better be utilized in our present society. There will be a new discussion topic each week.

Language and Logic
Story, Masks and Dance
Time and History
Space and Nature
Self and God
Cultural Fusion

Elbert Beamer, a retired professor, has taught courses in religion and philosophy at Seattle University, WWU, and Cazenovia College, NY. Apart from a Ph.D. in Humanities (a combination of Literary Criticism, Art History, Mythology, Religion and Philosophy), he is an ordained minister.

The Art of the Personal Essay - Part ll
COST: $52 A.L.L. members, $67 non-members
LOCATION: WWU Campus, TBA
Six sessions: Fridays, October 17 - 31, November 7 - 21 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Registration deadline: October 10

This course is a continuation of the previous essay discussion group from the Fall of 2007. Participation in Part I is not a prerequisite. This will be a discussion group format using the distinguished anthology The Art of the Personal Essay, edited by Phillip Lopate, covering essays primarily over the last four hundred years both from Western and non-Western cultures. The essays are distinguished, indeed, and the reading and discussion of them should provide an enjoyable and enlightening experience for the participants.

Mark Packer is an attorney who has lived and worked in Bellingham for the last 35 years. He has previously conducted five courses for A.L.L. on various types of literature, and has conducted a great books discussion group called “Heavy Culture” in Bellingham for the past 17 years. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School.

The 2008 Presidential Election
COST: $24 A.L.L. members, $30 non-members
LOCATION: WWU Campus, TBA
Two sessions: Thursdays, October 23 - 30 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Registration deadline: October 16

This course will examine the historic 2008 presidential election contest. The first session will be an overview of the nomination contest in the Democratic and Republican parties, with a discussion of the roles of caucuses, primaries, party rules and the nomination conventions. The instructor has access to public opinion polls that were conducted during the primary and caucus seasons. This information will be used to assess how the candidates won and lost the battle for the nomination. The second session examines the general election in November and the role of campaigns and the Electoral College. We also will discuss campaign techniques used in 2008 and assess how they may affect the result.

Todd Donovan (Ph.D. University of California, Riverside) is a professor of political science at Western Washington University, where he studies elections and representation. He is the author of several books on elections, and conducts occasional public opinion polls.

Scams and Schemes: A Matter of Your Assets at Risk
COST: $26 A.L.L. members, $32 non-members
LOCATION: TBA
Two sessions: Fridays, October 24 - 31 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Registration deadline: October 17

Presented by the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office and the Prosecutor’s Office, this course is intended to arm participants with information in order to protect their assets from criminals who are using their expertise to engage in criminal enterprises with a goal of using creative schemes and scams to steal the identities, ruin the credit, and pilfer the bank accounts of victims. Focus will be on the nature of the crimes, strategies to protect against being a victim, and present a format for reestablishing their credit should they be victimized. Identity theft, the fastest growing crime in the country, will be featured.

Austin C. Welden, JD, LLB, was educated at UCLA and Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles. His career involved assisting Fortune 500 Corporations to resist fraud in practice before the Workers Compensation Appeals Board. He has worked with the Fraud Division of the District Attorney in Ventura and Santa Barbara, California and with the Prosecutor’s office in Snohomish County and Whatcom County.

Village Life in Bush Alaska
COST: $33 A.L.L. members, $39 non-members
LOCATION: Bellingham Public Library, 210 Central Ave.
Two sessions: Tuesdays, October 28, November 4 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Registration deadline: October 21

What is life like in small communities of rural Alaska? We will consider the people, their means of livelihood, recreation, challenges for young people leaving the village, village resources and community problems. Issues will be considered in light of the boom and bust economy including a little political history of Alaska before it became our 49th state and during its 49 years of statehood. We will look at the challenges for the education of Alaskan students. What is it like to teach in Alaska, including funding? What is it like for students from homes without a formal educational background? Why are there major funding issues today? Who is the new, very populist governor? How are things changing? Rural Alaska communities vary in many ways as do its people and the flora and fauna. So what are rural Alaska’s challenges and what is it like for outsiders?

Owen Carter holds a BA and MA in school administration from WWU and has been principal of three Alaska schools in the villages of Nome, Aniak, and Grayling. He has provided bridge lessons on fifteen cruise ships plying the inside Passage between Alaska ports and has taken the Alaska ferry from Bellingham to Alaska.
Gail Carter has been a school librarian in bush Alaska, housed itinerant education and community specialists, started and led the Nome Community Book Club, and hosted Alaska village gatherings. She spent three months visiting the homes of foreign exchange students upon their return to South America. Owen and Gail have driven the Cassiar Highway from Skagway to Bellingham.

Predators ll: Diurnal, Crepuscular and Nocturnal Hunters
COST: $95 A.L.L. members, $105 non-members
LOCATION: Bellingham Yacht Club, 2625 Harbor Loop Drive
Three class sessions: Wednesdays, November 5 - 19 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
One field trip: Thursday, November 20 - transportation provided 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Registration deadline: October 29
LIMIT: 30 participants

Imagine…a unique blend of feathered and furred Northwest predators all in one course! We will explore golden eagle to cougar, special adaptations, bio-ecology, habitats and stewardship. Sharing the group’s collective knowledge in three weekday discussions, viewing stunning slide images of raptors and carnivores, as well as a field trip will round out our understanding of these fascinating life forms. Join us to better appreciate the intricate web of wildlife with which we are deeply connected!

David Drummond, Merlin Falcon Foundation President, has been a wildlife biologist, naturalist and educator since 1974. He also leads bird and wildlife tours on land and cruise ships around the world. David is principal investigator on the Coastal Forest Merlin Project and is now beginning a national Merlin book manuscript for publication of our citizen-scientist study findings. He delights in sharing with people and catalyzing their nature awareness!

History of the Christian Church: The Next 400 Years After the Apostles
COST: $48 A.L.L. members, $58 non-members
LOCATION: Bellingham Public Library, 210 Central Ave.
Four sessions: Wednesdays, October 29, November 5 - 19 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Registration deadline: October 22

Class topics will include the growth and changing structure of the church, the geographic expansion of Christianity and its relationship with the Roman Empire. We will examine some of the challenges to orthodoxy coming from movements within the church such as Marcionism, Donatism, Gnosticism and the Arians. We will see how these movements were responded to by the apologists of the second and third centuries. Another area of examination will be the establishment of forms of worship, along with the determination of the New Testament. We will conclude with the establishment of Christianity as the state religion and, time permitting, an up-close look at one or two post-Nicene fathers of the church.

Michel Pooleon received his Bachelor’s in history from the University of California Riverside, and a master’s in history from the University of California Berkeley. He taught history, geography, and economics for 40 years at Bellingham High School. As a member of Birchwood Presbyterian Church and an elder, he has served on the board three different times. He has taught church history to adult classes at Birchwood, including this proposed class, as well as classes in the reformation of the 16th century, the origin of Presbyterianism, and the role of the church in the American Revolution.

Early Industries of Bellingham Bay
COST: $29 A.L.L. members, $36 non-members
LOCATION: TBA
Three sessions: Mondays, November 10 - 24 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Registration deadline: November 3

This course will cover the reasons for European settlement of Whatcom County and the ways in which these settlers derived a living from the land. Details of pioneer life in Whatcom County, the spread of the settlements, and the ability to adapt to the evolving economic situations will be discussed, accompanied by slides. A more concise program will be offered dealing with those events and businesses located around the shores of Bellingham Bay, including the establishment and growth of the four towns that made up the beginnings of the current city of Bellingham. Class members will come away with a better understanding of the mental attitude and physical effort of the early settler, and greater knowledge of the history of the area.

Wes Gannaway has been involved with local history since the mid 1980s when he started to study the sandstone quarries in Whatcom County. Former presentations include programs on Ezra Meeker, the Sandstone Quarries, and the Great White Fleet in Bellingham. Wes is also co-author of the local history book Whatcom Then and Now. Wes has made prior presentations to members of ALL/WWU on the Navy in Bellingham Bay and the early history of Bellingham Bay.

U.S. Colonial History (1492-1776) - What You Weren't Taught
COST: $28 A.L.L. members, $38 non-members
LOCATION: Bellingham Yacht Club, 2625 Harbor Loop Drive
Four sessions: Tuesdays, November 18 - 25, December 2 - 9 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. (fourth session, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon)
Registration deadline: November 10

Most of what we learned in 11th grade was oversimplified, inaccurate, or even mythological, not to say ethnocentric. We’ll investigate the world views of both Europeans and colonials, their various motivations (political and economic), and the cultural exchange between Native Americans and colonials. We’ll also reconstruct colonial culture (1704-1765) using only primary source colonial newspapers.

Richard Mollette recently retired as a U. S. history teacher from the Seattle School District. He was instrumental in introducing new curriculum based on primary source material, a key component in ethno-history, a combination of anthropology and history. He holds a BA from Wagner College (NYC), in Anthropology from the City University of New York, and currently serves as a Professional Education Advisory Board member at Seattle Pacific University.

From Sub-prime to Credit Crunch - Is Your Money at Risk?
COST: $37 A.L.L. members, $43 non-members
LOCATION: The Willows, 3115 Squalicum Pkwy.
Two sessions: Thursdays, December 4 - 11 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Registration deadline: November 26

This course will attempt to describe, demystify and explain the rapidly changing financial situation right up to the day the course is given. It will review the events which have led to the current crisis. For background it will describe the nature and doings of each of the players, and the relevant financial instruments.

Paul Tholfsen is a retired CPA and a former Managing Partner of the Bellingham office of Moss Adams LLP, and also served as the director of the national firm’s tax practice. Before his accountancy career, Paul taught physics at Western Washington University. He has earned a BA in electrical engineering and a master’s and doctorate in physics.

People and Their Things: A Psychological Perspective on Clutter
COST: $21 A.L.L. members, $26 non-members
LOCATION: TBA
One session: Friday, December 5 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Registration deadline: November 28

People’s relationship with the objects in their lives is varied and personal, influenced by life experiences, brain chemistry, ethnic heritage, and the surrounding mainstream culture. Periodically most of us are faced with the sometimes overwhelming task of paring down, deciding what to keep and what to let go. To do so makes life more manageable, and increases space and energy for the present. This introductory workshop will give you fresh perspectives on the dilemma of “clutter.” Through writing you’ll explore your unique relationship with your things, allowing the task of weeding out to be both possible and meaningful.

Carolyn Koehnline, M.A., Licensed Mental Health counselor, has had a private psychotherapy practice in Bellingham since 1992. She has also led workshops on physical, mental, emotional and time clutter both locally and at national conferences for over 17 years.

Gestalt Therapy as a Way of Life
COST: $33 A.L.L. members, $39 non-members
LOCATION: Bellingham Public Library, 210 Central Ave.
Two sessions: Mondays, December 8 - 15 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Registration deadline: December 1

Fritz Perls, MD and Gestalt Therapy made a dramatic splash as the Human Potential Movement spread throughout the land. Other forms of therapy are foreground now, but Gestalt is alive and well as a way of life, with similarities to indigenous ways, Eckhart Tolle’s work, and Buddhism. Cyndy watched it all happen on the West Coast and will share her experiences and teachings with the participants through stories, demonstrations and a video.

Cyndy Sheldon, MSW, was trained by the founders of Gestalt Therapy, Fritz and Laura Perls, in the 1960’s. She co-founded the Gestalt Institute of San Francisco where she taught for 23 years before relocating to Arizona. She’s taught Gestalt in Europe, Canada and Australia for many years and has published articles on Gestalt Therapy. She is in private practice. For more information, go to www.cyndysheldon.com.

Topical Presentation of Islam and Middle Eastern History
COST: $61 A.L.L. members, $76 non-members
LOCATION: Bellingham Yacht Club, 2625 Harbor Loop Drive
Six sessions: Tuesdays and Thursdays, January 6 - 22, 2009 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Registration deadline: December 30

We will discuss the evolution of Islam from its founding through the expansion, the preservation of Classic Western Knowledge, and on through the chaos following the discovery of oil. In particular we will discuss: the Koran, Sharia Law, the Hadith, Islam’s major divisions (Sunni and Shiite), the role of women, the Arab-Israel wars and Wahabism. We will conclude by discussing the rise of radical Islam, which has occurred primarily in Western Europe, and the response with the many cultures and their varying level of political correctness.

Clarence Zylstra was born in Holland in 1930 and lived there through World War II. In 1948 he immigrated to the U.S. He served in the U.S. Army as a linguist from 1951 to 1952. Following his discharge he became a dairy farmer in Everson and student at WWU. Upon obtaining a masters degree in economics, history and political science, he became a teacher at Whatcom Community College where he has taught for more than 30 years.

Excursions

MEMBERSHIP PRIORITY REGISTRATION FOR MEMBERS for excursions and travel only (does not apply to courses) will be in effect through September 9. All registrations after this date will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis for both members and non-members.

Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle
COST: $41 A.L.L. members, $51 non-members
Cost includes transportation and admission fees. Lunch and other coffee breaks will be on your own. The zoo has lots of food outlets or you pack your own picnic.
DATE: Monday, September 29
DEPARTURE LOCATION: WWU’s Lincoln Street Park & Ride
SCHEDULE: Board a Bellair bus at 8:45 a.m. for a 9:00 a.m. departure; arrival time at zoo approximately 10:15 a.m.; meet at zoo entrance at 3:15 p.m. for departure to Bellingham at 3:30 p.m.

Registration deadline: September 24 - Member priority: September 9

Let’s go to the ZOO! (without the kids)! How long has it been since you went to the zoo? Have you ever gone without the kids or grandkids? Here’s your chance to bring your own inner child and go with people your own age who are young at heart! The paths in the zoo are level and well maintained. There is a battalion of wheel chairs available so mobility issues needn’t stop you on this trip, provided you have a pal to push. We will try to create a good mix of structured events and lots of time on your own to linger where you are most interested. The zoo offers docent-led tours of about 1½ hours in length, which focus on one particular area, such as the Tropical Rain Forest or African Savanna. We will try to arrange several of those although, since docents are volunteers, the zoo can’t guarantee their availability. We are hoping that Jolly Miller, the architect who designed the Woodland Park Zoo, will be available to meet with us. If he is, what a fun thing that would be!

Special Exhibit: Butterflies and Blooms will be open and is free with zoo admission. There is a lot of information about butterflies and their life cycle as well as two greenhouse-like structures with free-flying butterflies of at least 15 species native to North America. There is also a conservation garden devoted to showing gardeners how to attract and sustain butterflies in their own gardens.

There are various food outlets at the zoo. They are gathered together at The Pavilion, sort of a food court arrangement. You can plan rest stops for coffee in the morning, lunch and even an ice cream cone in the afternoon. If you prefer to bring your lunch, that works too.

LaTraviata - Opening Night Gala at the Skagit Opera
COST: $60 A.L.L. members, $70 non-members
Cost includes transportation and ticket to opera.
DATE: Friday, October 10
DEPARTURE LOCATION: WWU’s Parking Lot 12A
SCHEDULE: Board a Bellair bus at 4:45 p.m. for a 5:00 p.m. departure; 6:00-7:30 p.m. is the Opening Night Gala festivities with a 7:30 p.m. curtain; board bus at approximately 10:20 p. m. for arrival in Bellingham about 11:00 p.m.

Registration deadline: September 18 - Member priority: September 9

Dig out your fancy duds (or not…..fancy dress is NOT a requirement!) and come with us to the Opening Night Gala of LaTraviata at the Skagit Opera’s McIntyre Hall in Mt. Vernon! Those who have been in McIntyre Hall say it is a gorgeous hall with not a bad seat in the house. And those who have already attended performances of the Skagit Opera have nothing but high praise for the quality of their productions. How lucky we are to have this wonderful opera venue so close to home!

Verdi’s LaTraviata is a well-known and well-loved crowd pleaser. Alastair Willis, recently on tour in Japan with YoYo Ma and his Silk Road Tour, will be conducting. Morgan Smith of the Seattle Opera will take the role of Germont. Many have raved about his Escamillo in Skagit Opera’s production of Carmen in 2006. Tenor Wesley Rogers will play Alfredo.

We would suggest having a late lunch or an early dinner at home before we depart. At 6 p.m. the festivities begin in McIntyre Hall with a reception and lecture on the opera by Erich Parce, stage director for the production. There will be a cash bar and hors d’oeuvres courtesy of the opera. A good time to mingle and visit! And then, at 7:30 p.m., the curtain goes up on LaTraviata!

Bird and Sea- Life-Watching in the San Juan Islands with David Drummond, aboard the Snow Goose
COST: $79 A.L.L. members, $89 non-members
Cost includes boat trip, morning snack, lunch, and David Drummond to tell us what we are seeing.
DATE: Saturday, November 8
DEPARTURE LOCATION: Gate 12 Squalicum Harbor (by the Bellwether Hotel).
SCHEDULE: Meet at Squalicum Harbor, Gate 12 at 8:45 a.m. to board the Snow Goose at 9:00 a.m.; estimated return time of arrival at Gate 12 is 4:30 p.m.

Registration deadline: October 23 - Member priority: September 9
Note: Enrollment for this excursion is limited to 30 participants based on boat capacity.

Those who have sailed aboard the Snow Goose know what a comfortable boat she is. And those who have taken a birding class from David Drummond know what a lively, knowledgeable and enthusiastic teacher he is. David is a wildlife biologist/ educator and consultant with extensive northwest experience in support of many natural resource agencies and organizations. He is also just plain fun and fascinating as a lecturer.

Drive to Gate 12 at Squalicum Harbor and park free. Board the Snow Goose and enjoy Bagelry bagels and coffee/tea while we cruise out to the San Juan Islands, head toward Lummi and then through Hale’s Passage. Birds are typically rafted in this area getting ready for winter. We will cruise west past Matia Island and enter Sucia Island from the east side around noon. Depending on weather and tide, we will either dock at Sucia or be shuttled in to take a short hike across the island and have a look at its magnificent geology.

Around 1:30 p.m. we will depart Sucia and head east while sipping hot whisky soup and enjoying hot sandwiches. (If you cooks feel inspired to bake a batch of cookies to pass around we won’t say no!) We’ll plan to be back at Gate 12 between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m. having cruised across Bellingham Bay in what we hope will be a magnificent sunset (not guaranteed!). Pick up your car and be home for the news and dinner….full of fresh air and new stories about birds!

Vancouver Symphony Matinee and Shaughnessy Sunday Lunch
COST: $102 A.L.L. members; $112 non-members
Cost includes transportation, lunch and ticket to the symphony.
DATE: Sunday, November 30
DEPARTURE LOCATION: WWU’s Parking Lot 12A
SCHEDULE: Board a Bellair bus at 9:00 a.m. for a 9:15 a.m. departure; Shaughnessy Restaurant at 11:00 a.m.; Symphony at the Orpheum Theatre will be at 2:00 p.m., arriving back in Bellingham approximately 6:00 p.m. -
REMEMBER YOUR PASSPORT!

Registration deadline: Thursday, November 13 - Member priority: September 9

The Shaughnessy Restaurant in the VanDusen Gardens is a lovely spot to have a leisurely lunch on a Sunday morning (and maybe a little stroll in the gardens?) before taking in the matinee at the Vancouver Symphony. We will order from a limited menu of about five entrée choices followed by dessert and tea/ coffee. The cost of the meal, including tax and gratuity, is included in your excursion cost. Alcoholic beverages may be purchased at your individual expense.

We return to the Vancouver Symphony for another concert featuring one of the brightest new stars on the conducting scene as well as a soloist who is a real violin wunderkind. The program will consist of the Overture from Verdi’s I vespri siciliani, the sublime Sibelius Violin Concerto and Bartok’s Symphony for Orchestra. This last piece, seldom performed, will “rock the Orpheum” according to VSO literature.

The solo violinist is Corey Cerovsek, a real musical child protégé. Born in 1972 in Vancouver, Canada, and now residing in Paris, he began playing the violin at the age of five. He graduated at age 12 from the University of Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music with a gold medal for the highest marks in strings. He completed his doctoral work in music at age 18 at Indiana University. He has performed in North America with the orchestras of Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Detroit, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Atlanta, Baltimore, Montréal, Vancouver, and Toronto, among many others, as well as with major orchestras internationally.

Carlos Miguel Prieto, considered one of the most dynamic young conductors in recent years, is the Director of the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Mexico (National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico), Mexico’s most important orchestra. He also serves as music director of another Mexican orchestra, the Orquesta Mineria, as well as two orchestras in the US, the Huntsville Symphony (Alabama) and the Louisiana Philharmonic, where he leads the cultural renewal of ravaged New Orleans. Last season he debuted with the Boston Symphony at Tanglewood with YoYo Ma as soloist.
Bring your passport. It will be necessary to board the bus!

Tacoma Museums Tour
COST: $54 A.L.L. members; $64 non-members
Cost includes transportation, admission fees, and docent tour of special exhibit at TAM. Lunch is on your own. Both the Tacoma Art Museum and the Glass Museum have cafes. In addition, we will be supplying a list of other restaurants in the immediate area.
DATE: Wednesday, December 10
DEPARTURE LOCATION: WWU’s Lincoln Street Park & Ride.
SCHEDULE: Board a Bellair bus at 7:15 for a 7:30 departure; arrive in Tacoma approximately 10:30 a.m., depart for Bellingham at 4:30 to arrive at the Park & Ride about 7:30 p.m.
Registration deadline: November 25 - Member priority: September 9

Many have suggested going to Tacoma to one or another of the three museums grouped together there: the Tacoma Art Museum, the Museum of Glass and the Washington State Historical Museum. We have fashioned a trip that will, hopefully, answer all of these requests! Excursion fare includes a “3- museum pass” so that you will be able to do a once-overlightly- tour of all three museums or delve more deeply into art, glass or history…..YOUR choice!

The Tacoma Art Museum is home to a collection of more than 3,500 works, with an emphasis on art by Northwest artists, a notable collection of Japanese woodblock prints, and the most comprehensive public collection of glass art by Tacoma native Dale Chihuly. In addition the TAM will have a special exhibit at this time. Docent tours of the Ottoman Empire exhibit are being arranged for our group in the morning.

The exhibit, Oasis: Western Dreams of the Ottoman Empire from the Dahesh Museum of Art (NYC) presents a broad, international survey of Western artists' responses to the cultures and landscapes of the Ottoman Empire in the nineteenth century. The exhibition explores the art movement that arose from the Western fascination with the East, which peaked in the nineteenth century. Organized by the Dahesh Museum in New York, the exhibition includes approximately sixty paintings, sculptures, photographs, prints, and drawings. The TAM will have another special exhibit at this time entitled What Is a Trade? Donald Fels and Signboard Painters of South India.

Undoubtedly the Glass Museum and the WA State History Museum will also have special exhibits or attractions. You may want to check out the websites of all three museums as the date approaches and target planning of your day to suit your particular interests.

The Nutcracker at the Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle
COST: $99 A.L.L. members and each guest under 18 years; $109 non-members and each guest under 18 years (please provide names of guests)
Cost includes transportation and ticket to the ballet. Lunch is on your own.
DATE: Thursday, December 18
DEPARTURE LOCATION: WWU’s Lincoln Street Park & Ride
SCHEDULE: Board a Bellair bus at 10:15 a.m. for a 10:30 departure, arrive McCaw Hall for lunch at noon; curtain goes up on The Nutcracker at 2:00 p.m.; arrival time in Bellingham at approximately 6:15 p.m.

Registration deadline: November 21 - Member priority: September 9

How long has it been since you have treated yourself or a beloved child in your life to a live performance of The Nutcracker by a world-renowned professional ballet company? Ever? Too long? We have seen it on TV……but that’s not the same! Here are some of the reviews from last year.

There are 'Nutcrackers' by the hundreds, but only a few are distinctive. PNB is one of them. — Seattle Post- Intelligencer

The thrill of the children both in the audience and on stage is contagious. — The Seattle Times

This Nutcracker alone is worth a trip to Seattle. — Newsweek

New venue, same timeless magic: Nutcracker is a dream at McCaw Hall! — The Seattle Times

In another “first” for r A.L.L., children over the age of 5, who are well-behaved and can reliably sit through a several hour performance, are welcome! Lunch will be “on your own” but McCaw Hall, home of the PNB, has a lovely restaurant right there under the same roof. You can order off the menu and get your own individual check. Service is rapid and the food is very good.

Wouldn’t this be a fun thing to do with a favorite grandchild or young friend? Even if you have to persuade parents to let them play hooky on a Thursday? Have a special lunch with your youngster and then introduce him or her to the magic of the Nutcracker in live performance!!

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