Culture Features

Paul Schmitz isn’t a holy man, but he’s in the reincarnation business nonetheless. A jack of all trades with a craftsman’s soul, Schmitz has built a name for himself by tearing down old, unwanted buildings and then lovingly re-constructing the sum of their parts, creating something different, and perhaps better, than their creators ever imagined.
His showpiece is a westside Bend home that’s constructed largely of recycled timbers, telephone poles, and post consumer board. Schmitz who recently finished work on the home, and has started work on another almost identical model, dubbed the project Recycled Home (Number 1), and the description is right on. Most of the exterior and many of the interior materials are enjoying a second lease on life. Timbers for the front porch came from a lumber shed, much like our own dearly departed crane shed, in Weed, California where Schmitz spent two years deconstructing the massive building. Thanks to the prevalence of materials from the Weed project and other mill deconstruction jobs, the home and grounds have a sort of sawmill motif. The corrugated metal roof came from a building that was part of a decommissioned kiln system in Gilchrist.
If the local real estate market ever climbs out of the doldrums, the home will be more than just a one-off. Schmitz has nine lots at the base of Overturf Butte that were once part of a small nursery. He plans to redevelop the entire site, creating a mini “recycled neighborhood” that’s sandwiched in with a bunch of otherwise cookie-cutter craftsman homes.

The work beneath the gloves…Boxers don't walk. Boxers don't strut. Boxers glide, eyes forward,
their profiles reminiscent of Dick Tracy, strong and dashing, with a
hint of vulnerability that belies the ballet of brutality to come.

Noted
author Joyce Carol Oates refers to boxing as, "the lost religion of
masculinity," and the horde that gathered on a Friday night in the
Middle Sister Building of the Deschutes County Fairgrounds for the
preliminary bouts of the Oregon State Golden Gloves championship came
to re-christen this loss. Men dominated the throng as Ozzy Osbourne,
Rammstein and Mexican rap detonated from speakers. The overpowering
smell of nachos and popcorn blended with the bittersweet aroma of mixed
drinks. The bartender, resplendent in a jewel-toned vest and bow tie,
attempted to create a little bit of Las Vegas elegance on a
linen-draped card table positioned near a hall water fountain.

Pretty is as pretty does and a flirty apron worn over jeans and a sheer top coyly whispers: "I've got both covered."
Similar to the dress with pants trend of the last few years, a smart apron develops the look a step further, exhibiting DIY confidence while maintaining a view of those apple bottom jeans - practical femininity at its finest.

Heading for the peak…Last Friday afternoon, Jonathan Fessler was working busily to finish up
some editing work on local television commercials. But in a little more
than two weeks later, Fessler will be in Kathmandu, Nepal and prepping
for a climb of a 20,000-foot peak. It's a quick change, to say the
least, and not just in elevation.
Fessler, 26, a Bend-based filmmaker
who had been working for KTVZ and also shot and edited the recent
locally made short film "Age, Sex, Location," is part of a team headed
to Nepal for a project tentatively titled "Climbing for Heathcare."
Fessler is the producer and director of a documentary headed up by Les Zollbrecht and the
Mountain Leadership Institute, following six men traveling to Nepal to
raise awareness about the need for healthcare in an area where
residents must endure a nine-hour walk in order to receive care at a
hospital.

We all know St. Patrick's Day is marked with pints of Guinness, Irish Car Bombs and lots of Irish whiskey.