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Books
Feeney's Legacy A great gardener's resource
lives on.
Morsels
Eugene's Silk Road Mini reviews of area
dining spots.
Threads
Old-School Shoes: Step ahead of the footware
fashion curve.
Treadmarks
Going the Distance: The Saab 9-5
is a superb highway cruiser.
Feeney's
Legacy
A
great gardener's resource lives on.
BY RACHEL FOSTER
THE NORTHWEST GARDENERS' RESOURCE
DIRECTORY. Created by Stephanie Feeney.
Edited by Debra Prinzing. Sasquatch Books, Ninth Edition, 2002. Softcover,
$24.95.
Many readers who are addicted to gardening will be
familiar with The Northwest Gardeners' Resource Directory,
a wonderfully comprehensive guide to businesses, services and opportunities
for gardeners lucky enough to live up here in the top left corner.
Sadly, the compiler of the directory, Stephanie Feeney, died in 2000.
The good news is that her book did not die with her.
This year a ninth, thoroughly updated edition has
emerged, with a fresh, smarter format. For the continuation of this
useful enterprise we have to thank Sasquatch Books, a company that
has done so much to bring good regional writing to the Pacific Northwest,
garden writing included. Among many classic Sasquatch titles are Steve
Solomon's Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades and Ann Lovejoy's
The Border in Bloom, Naturalistic Gardening and Cascadia.
Feeney and her husband, Larry, had published the directory
themselves under the imprint Cedarcroft Press. When Sasquatch purchased
the rights to the book, the publisher assigned the job of rewriting
it to free-lance writer Debra Prinzing.
"I met Stephanie through Seattle gardening circles,"
Prinzing said recently. "Like almost everyone she met, I immediately
became part of her enormous 'inner circle' of gardening friends. Stephanie
and Larry actually tried to interest me in buying the book myself.
But I have two young sons and a husband who travels a lot, and I realized
I just couldn't be a self-published writer. We spent long conversations,
including a full day on Oct. 20, 2000, just a few weeks before she
died, talking through Stephanie's dreams and ideas for the book's
long future."
Re-writing the resource directory was a prodigious
undertaking. The book had not been researched since 1999, so every
entry was checked and updated. "This was the project that took nearly
a year out of my life," Prinzing told me. "I was up long hours and
hauled my kids to countless gardens and nurseries in Oregon, Washington
and B.C." It was a labor of love for Prinzing, just as it had been
for Feeney: "My copies of the seventh and eighth editions are dog-eared
and soil-stained," she said. "Stephanie really opened the doors of
NW gardening for all of us. Her fanaticism for sniffing out great
resources was relentless. ... I think she saw in me the same obsessive
attention to detail she saw in herself."
When I asked what she considered the most important
changes in the ninth edition, Prinzing responded, "We've tightened
it up, making the book more user-friendly; added web sites in nearly
every entry; and added new discoveries along the way."
 |
| STEPHANIE
FEENEY AND DEBRA PRINZING. |
Gardeners love buying things, and at the heart of
the directory are 140 pages devoted to nurseries, plant sales, seed
sources and garden shops. But there are also sections on gardens to
visit; volunteer and educational opportunities; and societies, publications
and organizations that can give you the help you need.
What makes this book so useful is its great indexing.
I have relied on it for years to help me determine who to call when
I'm researching a new plant topic for an article. The search is made
easier by the remarkable index of nurseries listed by specialty, from
annuals and aroids to vegetable starts and wildflowers. If you like
to travel, check out the nurseries and gardens listed by geographical
location.
It is also fascinating just to sit down with this
book and browse. Did you know there is a North American Fruit Explorers
Kiwi Interest Group? At least six societies devoted to koi and koi
ponds? Or a nursery in Washington that specializes in natives rescued
from areas about to be logged or developed?
Look no further for a terrific gift for any gardener
relocating to or within the Pacific Northwest, or anyone who does
not have this book already. But first be sure to get a copy of the
new, ninth edition for yourself.
Book
Notes
Poetry Lives weekly reading and open mike
features Joan Dobbie at 7:30 pm on Aug. 29 at Cozmic Pizza.
...Award-winning writer Michelle Tea (Valencia) reads
from her new memoir, The Chelsea Whistle, at 7 pm on Sept.
4 at Mother Kali's. ...Portland crime novelist Phillip Margolin
will discuss how to write legal thrillers at 6:30 pm on Sept. 5 in
the Baker Downtown Center (formerly, Register Guard Building). $5
donation for non-members of Mid-Valley Willamette Writers. ...Poetry
Lives weekly reading and open mike features Toni Van Deusen and
Michael Hanner at 7:30 pm on Sept. 5 at Cozmic Pizza. ...Northcoast
Redwood Writers' Conference Sept. 6 and 7 in Crescent City, CA. (707)
464-3670. ...J. Jance reads from Partner in Crime at
7:30 pm on Sept. 9 at Bloomsbury Books, Ashland. ...Portland photographer
Page Jordan displays work from Body & Soul at 7
pm on Sept. 6 at Barnes & Noble. ...Jo Brew (Preserving
Cleo), Leigh Anne Jasheway (Serious Side Effects)
and Jane Capron (Finders Keepers) talk about their work
at 3 pm on Sept. 14 at Barnes & Noble. ...Richard M. Brodsky
reads from his autobiography, Jodi: The Greatest Love Story Ever
Told, at 3 pm on Sept. 15 at Barnes & Noble. ...Molly Best
Tinsley, winner of 2001 Oregon Book Award for Throwing Knives,
a short story collection; and poet Nance Van Winckel, author
of three collections of poems, read at 7 pm on Sept. 17 upstairs in
the Eugene Public Library's reading room. ...Poet Scott Lubbock
reads from his new collection, In for Life. Out on Good Behavior
at 7:30 pm at Cozmic Pizza. ...Chris Chester, author of Providence
of a Sparrow: Lessons From a Life Gone to the Birds (Univ. Utah
Press, 2002), reads at 7 pm on Sept. 19 at UO Bookstore, upstairs.
...Poets, essayist, novelists and naturalists Brenda Peterson
and Linda Hogan, co-editors of Intimate Nature: The Bond
Between Women and Animals, read at 7 pm on Sept. 21 in the Performing
Arts Center, Newport. $7, students, half-price. ...Local writer and
editor Colleen Sell reads and signs A Cup of Comfort for
Women and A Cup of Comfort Cookbook at 7 pm on Sept. 26
at Barnes & Noble. ...
Eugene's Silk
Road
Mini
reviews of area dining spots.
Chao Prad Ya
580 Adams St. 344-1706
A new Thai joint is making a go for it in Whiteaker,
across from the ever spectacular Red Apple on 6th Ave. It's not a
BAD neighborhood, but it ain't College Hill, either. Nevertheless,
I'm going.
Tried the Phad Thai ($5.95) first — what else
would you do? And it was nice, medium-sized rice noodles cooked just
right and steaming, little fried tofu, egg, onions, bean sprouts and
ground peanuts, and, like many of the dishes, cooked to mild, medium,
hot or extra hot.
Next I tasted the Phad Kee Mao ($5.95), always been
craving it since I had one I liked in Seattle, but have never found
one made with love in these parts. It's in the same ballpark as Phad
Thai, but this variation features wide rice noodles, bamboo shoots,
jalapeño, sweet basil, broccoli and chili sauce. Damn, it's good.
I tried it with bak bak begak but they'll also throw tofu, beef, pork,
shrimp or squid in, as with most the dishes.
The Mussaman Curry ($5.95) was also a delight; can't
wait 'til winter when I can go get some to beat a cold. Big pieces
of potato sopped in yellow curry sauce, carrots and onions swimming
in a racy melange. Dollop over rice and enjoy.
There are 10 appetizers to choose from, a handful
of soups and a passel of salads, but I need to go back for those,
and I will. They'll work with STRICT VEGETARIANS too,
so all you grass nibblers get in there; this little friendly diner-turned
Thai haven will delight you.
11 am-9 pm daily. $-$$$. — Ben Fogelson
Café Lucky Noodle
207 E. 5th Ave. 484-4777
The sign hanging out on Fifth Avenue, across from
the Fifth St. Market, reads Café LN in italics. With a name like
Lucky Noodle, and ownership by Ring of Fire restaurateur Josh Kiem,
I expected Asian cuisine, maybe with some northwest fusion salmon/blackberry/polenta
extras. Imagine my surprise when homemade gelato and espresso greeted
me at the door. This place is as Italian as it is Asian.
Still, noodle is the key word in this restaurant's
style. Noodle as in Marco Polo bringing noodles from China to Italy.
The menu is a silk-road fusion of Italian and Asian flavors. And usually
it seems to work just fine.
Tempura, risotto, spring rolls, ratatouille, Phad
Thai, spaghetti, the menu ping pongs back and forth between the cuisines.
However much it bounces back and forth, the ingredients remain high
quality and the portions tend to be huge. I ordered enough risotto
to share ($11) and had plenty for breakfast as well.
It feels more like a nightclub than a restaurant.
There's a full bar against the back, and a long complicated drink
list. Don't expect the tropical infusions of the Lava Lounge here,
most of the drinks have Italian inspiration. The Stiletto, with bourbon,
lime juice and amaretto, was refreshing and richly smooth at once,
and other names were tempting too: the Italian Cowboy, the Vespa,
the Rossini.
However much energy and attention went into creating
a balanced menu and an interesting drink list, even more went into
creating an atmosphere. The resulting style is more metropolitan than
many places 'round these parts, could even be in Portland, and will
vie with Café Zenon for noise level. As a casual observer I counted
around a dozen different and deliberately designed light fixtures.
The booths down the center of the space have geometrically complicated
shapes and low backs, perfect for scoping out your neighbors. The
night I went, the place was hopping and our neighbors were downright
rowdy.
If you insist on perfection in service and speed in
the kitchen, give this place a couple more weeks to ripen. If you
enjoy a nightlife and Italian desserts, go now and try it out before
the students arrive and you have to wait for a seat.
7:30 am-1 am daily. $-$$$. — Marina Taylor
Morsels is a revolving feature that tries to capture
the atmosphere as well as the cuisine of some of our favorite places
to eat in and around Eugene, along with food news. Suggestions? Call
Ben or Marina at 484-0519 or e-mail marina@eugeneweekly.com
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Old-School
Shoes
Step
ahead of the footware fashion curve.
BY STYLE GUY
"Classic" is the most overused term in
fashion. Classic fit jeans, the classic navy blazer, the classic pinstriped
suit — who cares, right? Well, you care, Eugene. While many
believe they possess a unique sense of style, not a day passes that
I don't see a dozen locals wearing the same Abercrombie & Fitch
T-shirt.
 |
| SHOES
SO COOL, EVEN STYLE GUY HIMSELF GETS WEAK IN THE KNEES WHEN HE
SEES THEM! |
Apparently, several desire to stay abreast of such
ephemeral trends, so I shall indulge.
For those who grew up as disciples of AYSO, you've
noticed the classic black soccer sneaker is back in vogue, and not
necessarily on the soccer pitch. Nike, Adidas, even Sketchers have
reintroduced these relics from the late '70s, and now redefine "ugly
urban chic." Indeed, for a mere $200, Puma offers a leather pair designed
by Jil Sander (don't strain yourself, Eugene, Jil Sander is a renowned
German designer with an outlet in Hamburg, not Valley River Center).
Yet, beyond the leisure suit, can any fashion from
the '70s be considered classic? I fear not. In fact, soccer shoes
weren't even the coolest sport shoes of the era. Do you remember the
Spot-Bilt JuiceMobiles? These alabaster cleats with orange soles were
endorsed by OJ himself, and fit him much better than the gloves.
To stay ahead of the footwear curve regarding Eugene
fashion (a debatable oxymoron), you need old-school sports shoes.
You need Hyde shoes! Hyde has crafted shoes since 1906, with styles
entitled Coliseum, Fenway, and Canton. These glove leather
shoes have 360-degree stitching, raw cotton laces, and signature design
of leather laced around the topline. Hyde shoes are the kind Lombardi
used to wear while patrolling the sidelines, and he wore his with
a suit!
Your grandfather, or possibly great-grandfather, once
entrusted his athletic destiny to Hydes on some ancient gridiron.
The Galloping Ghost, The Gashouse Gang, The Four Horsemen, Mr.
Inside, Mr. Outside, The Seven Blocks of Granite — the legacy
of blood and sweat are forever forged in the leather, stitches and
laces of Hydes.
 |
| TRICKY
DICK WORE HYDES WHILE SITTING THE BENCH AT WHITTIER COLLEGE. |
But you say Peleā? Please! Get some backbone back
into your wardrobe!
And women, don't let the history of these storied
shoes scare you off. Style Guy thinks Hydes worn in autumn with khakis
or jeans look better on you than on the fellas. Lace up a pair for
tailgate parties at Autzen or Reser, and you'll the belle of the BBQ!
So where can you buy a pair? These shoes are so fashion
forward; none of our fine local retailers have stocked them yet. You'll
need to travel to the fashion district of downtown Corvallis and visit
Sedlak's Shoes, or go on to Portland.
Today's style of "classic" soccer shoes will soon
be yesterday's news. Once Sketchers hits 100 years in business, then
I'll pay attention; meanwhile, go get the originals.
Back to Top
Going
the Distance
The
Saab 9-5 is a superb highway cruiser.
BY JIM MOTAVALLI
SKYTOP, PENN. — I'm writing this from
a rooftop aerie at Skytop Lodge in Pennsylvania's picturesque Poconos.
I've managed to get away with the family for a week, and this venerable
and rustic hotel (it dates back to 1925 and is surrounded by 5,000
acres of nature trails) beckoned.
I can see a very full moon through the window, and
down below, in the parking lot, a still-warm Saab 9-5 sedan ticks
quietly. Earlier today, I blasted it down I-84 in what had to have
been one of the most painless journeys the family and I have ever
taken. And, not for the first time, I applaud the long legs of the
big Saabs. For trips that cross more than one state border, there's
nothing like the 9-5 (or its predecessor, the 9000).
Launched in 1947 by a company with an aviation background
that included World War II-era bombers, the Saab (like the English
Bristol, which it initially resembled) at first looked like an airplane
without wings. It was streamlined and used lightweight materials long
before that was commonplace, and it favored clean, no-frills design
statements. Swedish modern, as it were. In the late '70s, Saab was
one of the first companies to routinely turbocharge its cars. The
99 took off like, well, like an airplane.
I owned a 1972 Saab 95, complete with quirky column
shift and German V-4 engine. I lusted after its cute-as-a-button station
wagon variant, which sported tiny fins. I also coveted the 9000, and
used one whenever possible on long trips. The piece-de-resistance
was the huge, roomy heated seats, which cosseted my back like nothing
else coming out of Europe. Whoever designed the lumbar support was
a genius.
It must be said that the 9-5 is not as quirky as past
Saabs, and that may have something to do with General Motors, which
has owned the company since 1999 (the same year this car replaced
the 9000). Even the styling isn't all that distinctive; the 9-5 could
be an Infiniti. It does, however, retain the floor-mounted ignition
switch, but that's one longtime Saab quirk I could do without.
With distinctions only Ingmar Bergman fans understand,
the big Saab comes in Linear, Arc and Aero models. In an American
or Japanese car, these distinctions would largely involve luxury and
appearance equipment, but the Saabs all look pretty much alike, with
three very different power trains, including, respectively, a turbocharged
four (185 horsepower), a turbocharged V-6 (200 horsepower) and a high-output
version of the turbo four (250 horsepower). Both the five-speed manual
and the four-speed automatic are good choices.
All the 9-5s are well equipped with high-end features,
but the model lineup is somewhat confusing. The "entry-level" Arc
actually has the same basic price (around $30,000) as the "top of
the line" Aero. The Arc boasts a fancy Harmon/Kardon stereo and electronic
stability control, while the Aero has very useful sport suspension
and that 250-horsepower engine. The uprated suspension is a worthy
addition because the 9-5 is a big car that otherwise tends to lean
on corners.
The strong points of the 9000 are also evident here:
a roomy and airy cabin that pampers even rear-seat passengers, logical
dash layout, a great trunk (that can be expanded by folding the seats).
Saabs have suffered from poor reliability in the past. While this
is certainly not General Motors' strong point either, there is the
perception of better build quality since the 9-5 was introduced. GM
is certainly trying to increase Saab's market share and give it more
play in America.
The 9-5 still feels mighty European, though, and that's
not a bad thing. It loves the autobahns, and is made to order for
long blasts. I found it very difficult to keep this big Swede under
80 miles per hour, so I'm lucky I made it to my bucolic retreat in
Pennsylvania without a ticket.
Jim Motavalli is editor of E The Environmental Magazine.
Questions or comments? jimm@emagazine.com
CONTENT PROVIDED BY THE AUTOMOTIVE
MARKETING DEPARTMENT.
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