Bridge Reconstruction

October 2021

Tsuru Soars

by Hoob Hughes

A thousand years ago, during the
Heian period in Japan, arched bridges
were designed so that boats could travel
under them. Japanese garden bridges
are always made of natural materials likestone, wood, or earth. This style of bridge
is called a “moon bridge” and, more
specifically, “sori bashi,” which means
wooden bridge.
Tsuru Island’s bridge was originally built
around1970. In 2013, after the Garden’s
rebirth, Jim Card and many other volunteers built a new bridge. Inspired by glossy finish. Unfortunately, over time,
Nishinomiya Tsutakawa Japanese Garden this coating has deteriorated to thein Spokane, Washington, the Tsuru Island point where it requires replacement. The
bridge was built of the same purpleheart old varnish was removed from the handwood (Peltogyne), a hardwood native
rails and top beam of the bridge.
to Brazil. Tsuru Island’s bridge is twice as Volunteers John Harrold, Jim Buck,
wide and long as the one in Spokane,Frank (Hoob) Hughes, and Chuck Page
but all components were replicated by removed the handrails in August andmachining and meticulously assembled. moved them into the city’s barn, where
You may have noticed recently that it’s they were sanded smooth and reglued.
getting a facelift. Over the past seven
The top layer of the beam has also beenyears, the purpleheart wood has weath- sanded to remove the old varnish, thenered into a beautiful silver gray, with the realigned and tightened. Soon, the top
exception of the top handrails. They were railing will be reinstalled, and both willcoated with varnish to provide a smooth,

Friends of the Gresham Japanese Garden Newsletter

get a coat of Brazilian rosewood oil toprotect them.
You may also notice the floorboards are
uneven. The team plans to add bracing
to the underside of the planks to eventhem out.
Work should be finished in time forvisitors to enjoy the fall colors on Tsuru
Island. The garden is open during this reconstruction, and we ask you to pardon
the mess and be careful as you enter thegarden at this beautiful time of year.

Fall Workshops - Register on Website
The Art of Bonsai

Learn the art of bonsai creations. Each month,
instructor Mark Vossbrink, experienced bonsaiteacher, will guide you through a project.
Third Saturday of the Month, 1-3pm$35.00 - Includes instruction, starter plant, container, and all other material.

Origami Folding

Eileen Holzman, an art therapist, horticultural therapist, and retired art educator will take you throughthe steps to creating a simple shape to ones a little
more difficult.
Fourth Wednesday of the Month, 6-7:15pm$20.00 - Includes instruction and supplies.

Ikebana for Every Season
Instructor Nana Bellerud will cover the basic
concept, techniques, tools and equipment, andcare of ikebana (Japanese floral art). Participants
will make 1 basic style and 1 freestyle arrangementwith an emphasis on seasonal themes.
Tuesday, Nov 9th, 1-3pm$55.00 - Includes instruction and plant material

Christmas Wreath Making

Ring in the holidays with a personal touch?
Choose from a variety of greens provided by
Cherié Siegmund from Cedarglen Floral to createa 22” diameter holiday wreath.
Thursday, Dec 8th, 2-3:30pm$22.00 - Includes instruction and supplies

Volunteer Newsletter Editors: Sue Hughes, Mary Taylor, and Mary Dickson. Photos by Bill Peterson.

The Azumaya Receives a GiftI

ronically, this month’s photo pick by
If you’re
our photographer, Bill Peterson, coin- interested incides with this month’s cover story.
the building
It’s always a special moment when we’re of the ourapproached by a community member
Azumaya
who wants to contribute to the organi- (az u my a)zation. She came to Jim and asked why and another
the Azumaya floor was dirt instead ofgenerous
finished with the beautiful blue stone.
donor, Carl
Jim’s response, “we ran out of money.”
Diebold LumInstallation in 2016
Much to Jim’s delight, this citizen
ber Company,
donated the dollars to finish the floor.
download the PDF from our website,
Her reason: so brides wearing beautiful https://www.greshamjapanesegarden.
wedding gowns won’t get their hems
org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Azudirty. So thoughtful and generous!!
maya_history.pdf

PHOTOGRAPHER’S VIEW
小庇や砂利打やうな秋の雨

ko-bisashi ya jari utsu yôna aki [no]amelike pebbles pounding the eaves...
autumn rain
Kobayashi Issa 1816
— Haiku selection and Photo byBill Peterson

The Girl Behind the Turtle’s Name

Organic Gardening To Do’s For the Fallby Mary DicksonW

hen Hana Hashimoto visited
Sea Turtle Inc., a turtle rehabilitation and conservation
center at South Padre Island, Texas, in
2020, she learned how sea turtles get
injured in the sea with marine debris orboat strikes. Some of the turtles receive
surgeries and rehabilitation. Hana chosea turtle stuffie as a memory of her trip
there and named it Kamekichi, whichmeans “Lucky Turtle” in Japanese. When
she learned that the turtle at the Gresham Japanese Garden needed a name,she immediately ran to her room, got
her Kamekichi, and submitted her entry.
Hana is 8 years old, the granddaughterof Mary Dickson, a Garden volunteer.
Her mother and father are doctors andcame to the US several years ago fromJapan. Hana was born in Pittsburgh, andthe family now lives in Amarillo, Texas,
where she is a third grader. She moves
easily between English and Japanese
languages. She has played the violin
since she was 3 and the piano since she
was 4. She has held her own summer
virtual recitals, inviting her family andfriends in Japan and the US (via Zoom)
since the pandemic started.

She also loves art, especially drawing
and painting. (She did all drawings andpaintings on the wall behind her inthe picture with a little help from her
mother, Mariko. Some of them are “color
by numbers,” some of them are from
YouTube art lectures.)
Her essay about caring for her neighbor’s dog last Christmas was in a Japanese Newspaper (https://nyseikatsu.
com/editions/814/814.pdf P15, Shukan
New York Seikatsu April 10th, 2021).
Hana has dreamt of getting her own
dog for a couple of years, and finally her
dream came true this spring, when she
got a corgi puppy, Trixie. She really loves
her and teaches her lots of tricks. She
demonstrated her prowess when Grand-

Dogs are GreatGARDENER’S TIP
Read this month article, Organic
Gardening To Do’s by Jim Buck. Fall is avery busy time of year for gardeners !
— Jim Buck, Garden Volunteer
and Organic Gardener

Join Our Flock

Sign up on our website toreceive the monthly newsletter.

by Jim Buck

ma Mary visited in August.
Just like the turtles being rehabilitatedin Texas, the turtle area of Tsuru Island
needed help to be its best, after thegarden had been neglected for so many
years. And visitors to the Garden are
lucky to see such an interesting feature,
now named by Hana Hashimoto.
Hana is excited that her name was chosen and looks forward to seeing Kamekichi the next time she visits Gresham and
Tsuru Island.

Hana Hashimoto, Turtle-naming winner

Ask Jim!
Plant Care Videos

Landscaping with boulders can anchor agarden and they can also be utilitarian.
When Jim Card designed Ebetsu Plaza,
being the dog lover he is, he picked a boulder that had a natural concave side to holdwater, making a natural water bowl for dogs.
Find it on the Touchstone Paver path.
And yes, we fill it when mother nature
doesn’t do it for us.

Ask Jim! is a plant care video series
featured on our Facebook page,@greshamjapanesegarden.
Submit your Ask Jim! question tohttps://www.greshamjapanesegarden.
org/ask-jim/.
Please subscribe to our YouTube
channel - Gresham Japanese Garden.
We need 100 subscribers before we
can have our own URL!

M

y passion for assisting at Tsuru flow through the branches and removIsland emerges from my desire ing suckers on limbs will improve fruit
to “give back” to the commu- and spur production. It’s advisable tonity in which I live, and my strong belief trim tall rose stems back so the strongthat we are called to restore this Earth, winds of winter won’t uproot the bushes.
that we as humans have tried to domFinal rose pruning can wait until February.
inate and in the process have mismanRaking leaves and composting themaged with such profound consequences. will add wonderful nutrients to yourOrganic gardening nurtures a sustain- garden. I was surprised touring world faable environment that is more respectful mous gardens in Europe to see so manyof nature’s intricacies and its original
gardens using this technique during thedesign. Tsuru Island embraces that same winter months. Professionals know theaspiration.
value leaves bring to soil health when
Fall is an incredibly busy season forturned into the garden in early spring—an avid gardener. It is the time to both
all for free. Add some manure to the top
Jim Buck pruning his blueberry bushes
plan and plant. It is the optimal timeof the soil on rhubarb and asparagus soto plant bulbs such as hyacinths, lilies,
it can work down into the roots over the to add to the beauty of the area? Is therea different design to your raised beds
crocus, and tulips for spring color, as
winter.
well as the best time to plant new trees
I have also learned that burying canes you want to make to allow better access?
Evaluate your garden successes and theso their roots can get established over
and other annual garden plants (suchnot-so-great results and begin planning
the winter.
as tomatoes, squash and cucumbers)
When planting bulbs, mix some bone right into the garden bed allows them to what seeds to purchase for planting next
meal in with the soil below the bulbs to compost right there and adds fertility to spring. Clean and sharpen shovels andfoster more blooms. Tilting lily bulbs in the soil for next year. You can add a cover other tools.
If you have retained some lawn, fall is
the soil avoids water sitting in them and crop over the top of these spots as well.
a great time to aerate it and to apply acausing them to rot during winter. Many Fall is a wonderful time to plan as
nurseries have fall sales for perennial
well. What plants will need a little extra dolomite lime, so our clay soils can more
plants to fill those empty spaces in your protection this winter with more mulch easily release their nutrients to the grass.
beds.
or a relocation perhaps? What seeds can This will save on buying expensive commercial fertilizers. You can also reseed
There is also so much trimming to
you collect to sow next spring? What
accomplish, such as, removing the oldplanting scheme are you thinking about patches in your lawn that have died by
raspberry and marionberry canes andin your garden that may provide better loosening the top soil, applying seed
then giving support to the new canes
micro-climates and better yields? What and covering it with .25 inch of enrichedsoil. Be sure and keep this moist until thethat have sprouted for next year. Trimareas of your garden need different
ming fruit trees to create suitable aircolors, heights (as in trellises) or textures seeds sprout.

We’re a WinnerThe Gresham Area Chamber ofIt’s all about the community.
Commerce held its annual BusiWe do it all for you!
ness Excellence Award September
15th at Mountainview Christian Church. In Jim Card’s acceptance speech, heThis year, the Gresham Japanese Garden acknowledged the dozens of volunteers
won in the category of “Best Non-Profit.” that put in time, and stated, “it’s all about
the community”, then added, “we do it all
We’re humbled to receive this honor.
for you!”

Chamber of Commerceand Visitors Center

The Girl Behind the Turtle’s Name

Organic Gardening To Do’s For the Fallby Mary DicksonW

hen Hana Hashimoto visited
Sea Turtle Inc., a turtle rehabilitation and conservation
center at South Padre Island, Texas, in
2020, she learned how sea turtles get
injured in the sea with marine debris orboat strikes. Some of the turtles receive
surgeries and rehabilitation. Hana chosea turtle stuffie as a memory of her trip
there and named it Kamekichi, whichmeans “Lucky Turtle” in Japanese. When
she learned that the turtle at the Gresham Japanese Garden needed a name,she immediately ran to her room, got
her Kamekichi, and submitted her entry.
Hana is 8 years old, the granddaughterof Mary Dickson, a Garden volunteer.
Her mother and father are doctors andcame to the US several years ago fromJapan. Hana was born in Pittsburgh, andthe family now lives in Amarillo, Texas,
where she is a third grader. She moves
easily between English and Japanese
languages. She has played the violin
since she was 3 and the piano since she
was 4. She has held her own summer
virtual recitals, inviting her family andfriends in Japan and the US (via Zoom)
since the pandemic started.

She also loves art, especially drawing
and painting. (She did all drawings andpaintings on the wall behind her inthe picture with a little help from her
mother, Mariko. Some of them are “color
by numbers,” some of them are from
YouTube art lectures.)
Her essay about caring for her neighbor’s dog last Christmas was in a Japanese Newspaper (https://nyseikatsu.
com/editions/814/814.pdf P15, Shukan
New York Seikatsu April 10th, 2021).
Hana has dreamt of getting her own
dog for a couple of years, and finally her
dream came true this spring, when she
got a corgi puppy, Trixie. She really loves
her and teaches her lots of tricks. She
demonstrated her prowess when Grand-

Dogs are GreatGARDENER’S TIP
Read this month article, Organic
Gardening To Do’s by Jim Buck. Fall is avery busy time of year for gardeners !
— Jim Buck, Garden Volunteer
and Organic Gardener

Join Our Flock

Sign up on our website toreceive the monthly newsletter.

by Jim Buck

ma Mary visited in August.
Just like the turtles being rehabilitatedin Texas, the turtle area of Tsuru Island
needed help to be its best, after thegarden had been neglected for so many
years. And visitors to the Garden are
lucky to see such an interesting feature,
now named by Hana Hashimoto.
Hana is excited that her name was chosen and looks forward to seeing Kamekichi the next time she visits Gresham and
Tsuru Island.

Hana Hashimoto, Turtle-naming winner

Ask Jim!
Plant Care Videos

Landscaping with boulders can anchor agarden and they can also be utilitarian.
When Jim Card designed Ebetsu Plaza,
being the dog lover he is, he picked a boulder that had a natural concave side to holdwater, making a natural water bowl for dogs.
Find it on the Touchstone Paver path.
And yes, we fill it when mother nature
doesn’t do it for us.

Ask Jim! is a plant care video series
featured on our Facebook page,@greshamjapanesegarden.
Submit your Ask Jim! question tohttps://www.greshamjapanesegarden.
org/ask-jim/.
Please subscribe to our YouTube
channel - Gresham Japanese Garden.
We need 100 subscribers before we
can have our own URL!

M

y passion for assisting at Tsuru flow through the branches and removIsland emerges from my desire ing suckers on limbs will improve fruit
to “give back” to the commu- and spur production. It’s advisable tonity in which I live, and my strong belief trim tall rose stems back so the strongthat we are called to restore this Earth, winds of winter won’t uproot the bushes.
that we as humans have tried to domFinal rose pruning can wait until February.
inate and in the process have mismanRaking leaves and composting themaged with such profound consequences. will add wonderful nutrients to yourOrganic gardening nurtures a sustain- garden. I was surprised touring world faable environment that is more respectful mous gardens in Europe to see so manyof nature’s intricacies and its original
gardens using this technique during thedesign. Tsuru Island embraces that same winter months. Professionals know theaspiration.
value leaves bring to soil health when
Fall is an incredibly busy season forturned into the garden in early spring—an avid gardener. It is the time to both
all for free. Add some manure to the top
Jim Buck pruning his blueberry bushes
plan and plant. It is the optimal timeof the soil on rhubarb and asparagus soto plant bulbs such as hyacinths, lilies,
it can work down into the roots over the to add to the beauty of the area? Is therea different design to your raised beds
crocus, and tulips for spring color, as
winter.
well as the best time to plant new trees
I have also learned that burying canes you want to make to allow better access?
Evaluate your garden successes and theso their roots can get established over
and other annual garden plants (suchnot-so-great results and begin planning
the winter.
as tomatoes, squash and cucumbers)
When planting bulbs, mix some bone right into the garden bed allows them to what seeds to purchase for planting next
meal in with the soil below the bulbs to compost right there and adds fertility to spring. Clean and sharpen shovels andfoster more blooms. Tilting lily bulbs in the soil for next year. You can add a cover other tools.
If you have retained some lawn, fall is
the soil avoids water sitting in them and crop over the top of these spots as well.
a great time to aerate it and to apply acausing them to rot during winter. Many Fall is a wonderful time to plan as
nurseries have fall sales for perennial
well. What plants will need a little extra dolomite lime, so our clay soils can more
plants to fill those empty spaces in your protection this winter with more mulch easily release their nutrients to the grass.
beds.
or a relocation perhaps? What seeds can This will save on buying expensive commercial fertilizers. You can also reseed
There is also so much trimming to
you collect to sow next spring? What
accomplish, such as, removing the oldplanting scheme are you thinking about patches in your lawn that have died by
raspberry and marionberry canes andin your garden that may provide better loosening the top soil, applying seed
then giving support to the new canes
micro-climates and better yields? What and covering it with .25 inch of enrichedsoil. Be sure and keep this moist until thethat have sprouted for next year. Trimareas of your garden need different
ming fruit trees to create suitable aircolors, heights (as in trellises) or textures seeds sprout.

We’re a WinnerThe Gresham Area Chamber ofIt’s all about the community.
Commerce held its annual BusiWe do it all for you!
ness Excellence Award September
15th at Mountainview Christian Church. In Jim Card’s acceptance speech, heThis year, the Gresham Japanese Garden acknowledged the dozens of volunteers
won in the category of “Best Non-Profit.” that put in time, and stated, “it’s all about
the community”, then added, “we do it all
We’re humbled to receive this honor.
for you!”

Chamber of Commerceand Visitors CenterBridge Reconstruction

October 2021

Tsuru Soars

by Hoob Hughes

A thousand years ago, during the
Heian period in Japan, arched bridges
were designed so that boats could travel
under them. Japanese garden bridges
are always made of natural materials likestone, wood, or earth. This style of bridge
is called a “moon bridge” and, more
specifically, “sori bashi,” which means
wooden bridge.
Tsuru Island’s bridge was originally built
around1970. In 2013, after the Garden’s
rebirth, Jim Card and many other volunteers built a new bridge. Inspired by glossy finish. Unfortunately, over time,
Nishinomiya Tsutakawa Japanese Garden this coating has deteriorated to thein Spokane, Washington, the Tsuru Island point where it requires replacement. The
bridge was built of the same purpleheart old varnish was removed from the handwood (Peltogyne), a hardwood native
rails and top beam of the bridge.
to Brazil. Tsuru Island’s bridge is twice as Volunteers John Harrold, Jim Buck,
wide and long as the one in Spokane,Frank (Hoob) Hughes, and Chuck Page
but all components were replicated by removed the handrails in August andmachining and meticulously assembled. moved them into the city’s barn, where
You may have noticed recently that it’s they were sanded smooth and reglued.
getting a facelift. Over the past seven
The top layer of the beam has also beenyears, the purpleheart wood has weath- sanded to remove the old varnish, thenered into a beautiful silver gray, with the realigned and tightened. Soon, the top
exception of the top handrails. They were railing will be reinstalled, and both willcoated with varnish to provide a smooth,

Friends of the Gresham Japanese Garden Newsletter

get a coat of Brazilian rosewood oil toprotect them.
You may also notice the floorboards are
uneven. The team plans to add bracing
to the underside of the planks to eventhem out.
Work should be finished in time forvisitors to enjoy the fall colors on Tsuru
Island. The garden is open during this reconstruction, and we ask you to pardon
the mess and be careful as you enter thegarden at this beautiful time of year.

Fall Workshops - Register on Website
The Art of Bonsai

Learn the art of bonsai creations. Each month,
instructor Mark Vossbrink, experienced bonsaiteacher, will guide you through a project.
Third Saturday of the Month, 1-3pm$35.00 - Includes instruction, starter plant, container, and all other material.

Origami Folding

Eileen Holzman, an art therapist, horticultural therapist, and retired art educator will take you throughthe steps to creating a simple shape to ones a little
more difficult.
Fourth Wednesday of the Month, 6-7:15pm$20.00 - Includes instruction and supplies.

Ikebana for Every Season
Instructor Nana Bellerud will cover the basic
concept, techniques, tools and equipment, andcare of ikebana (Japanese floral art). Participants
will make 1 basic style and 1 freestyle arrangementwith an emphasis on seasonal themes.
Tuesday, Nov 9th, 1-3pm$55.00 - Includes instruction and plant material

Christmas Wreath Making

Ring in the holidays with a personal touch?
Choose from a variety of greens provided by
Cherié Siegmund from Cedarglen Floral to createa 22” diameter holiday wreath.
Thursday, Dec 8th, 2-3:30pm$22.00 - Includes instruction and supplies

Volunteer Newsletter Editors: Sue Hughes, Mary Taylor, and Mary Dickson. Photos by Bill Peterson.

The Azumaya Receives a GiftI

ronically, this month’s photo pick by
If you’re
our photographer, Bill Peterson, coin- interested incides with this month’s cover story.
the building
It’s always a special moment when we’re of the ourapproached by a community member
Azumaya
who wants to contribute to the organi- (az u my a)zation. She came to Jim and asked why and another
the Azumaya floor was dirt instead ofgenerous
finished with the beautiful blue stone.
donor, Carl
Jim’s response, “we ran out of money.”
Diebold LumInstallation in 2016
Much to Jim’s delight, this citizen
ber Company,
donated the dollars to finish the floor.
download the PDF from our website,
Her reason: so brides wearing beautiful https://www.greshamjapanesegarden.
wedding gowns won’t get their hems
org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Azudirty. So thoughtful and generous!!
maya_history.pdf

PHOTOGRAPHER’S VIEW
小庇や砂利打やうな秋の雨

ko-bisashi ya jari utsu yôna aki [no]amelike pebbles pounding the eaves...
autumn rain
Kobayashi Issa 1816
— Haiku selection and Photo byBill Peterson