James Card: Editor

Keeping a Lid on Vandalism
In the past several days the garden has experienced anumber of incidences that involved vandalism. As manyreaders are aware there is a camera installed in thegarden that will allow us to monitor and record whatgoes on. The process has worked fine and the camera
did its job for several weeks until the vandals decided topull the cameras power cord out of the J-box and alter
the position of the camera.
On Saturday, Oct 15th, the volunteers met in the Resource
Center instead of working in the rain. It was a time ofdiscussion and planning for upcoming events. Therewas also a discussion about the vandalism and how todevelop a plan of action to respond and protect OUR
investment.
The designated “Chief” John Harold will be the directorof security for Tsuru Island.
John, so graciously
volunteered to coordinate the security needs. He willdevelop procedures, review equipment needs,
coordinate other volunteers and network with others
that share our ownership.

Not only do we want to detour the disrespect of thosecreating the damage but we want visitors that faithfully
come to the garden to feel safe and welcome. Many haveexpressed their disgust over the vandalism and support
for the volunteer efforts. Donations have also come inallowing repairs and additional equipment to bepurchased to aid in the security of the garden

VOLUNTEER ENTHUSIASM
Recently I went to purchase a special ladder at
PCI Equipment, to assist in trimming the topsof trees. I asked if I could post a notice for a“volunteer tree climber” to trim the mature tallpines. They were kind enough to say yes.
When I returned with my notice, Joe McMains,the manager, greeted me with excitement. Heis a Climber Specialist. Joe and a couple ofSince the Oct. 15 meeting Police reports have beensubmitted, lines of communication have been establishedwith authorities and a meeting has been set up as part of
the networking process John has established. The
camera has been reconnected and downloaded
information was reviewed. Pictures of occupants at thegarden have been distributed to authorities.

assistance will be coming later in the fall to take

The Gresham Outlook featured the garden vandalism.
Check it out online. As mentioned in the article " If you
see something, say something" by contacting John, Jim orTad.

cleanup and debris removal.

ISSUE 11care of the garden needs.
I learned that this type of project is much easier
to fill with volunteers when they do not have toclean up and remove the debris. Thanks to ourwonderful garden volunteers who will do theJames

Card

OCTOBER 2016 EDITION

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The Cryptomeria plant is now in the ground at thegarden waiting to be pruned to complement its
surrounds. It was purchased to replace a pine that
had been eliminated by the pine moth.
Now the appearance of the island will be enhanced byadding a new maple (“Ukon”) to the west slope. Early
Camera View of Tsuru Islandin the design process, 2 trees were eliminated due toage and safety. One was a large weeping willow.
That removal left a huge hole to the view on theDuring the school year the KAZ KIDS come to thenorthwest side of the garden. Attempting to provide agarden on Tuesdays and Thursdays from Gresham

fall show of color to the entrance end of the bridge andHigh school All the teachers and students come tothe whole west side several other maples were added

Main City Park to provide maintenance on Fridays.

to the west slope. The plants are all in the Palmatum

They help to maintain the grounds from Tsuru Islandfamily with their rich and deep red foliage.

north to Powell and each side of the “Spur Trail ".

As the balance and flow began to take place with theIn partnership with Parks and Recreation this area isplants maturing, another endeavor was to draw thecleaned of debris and leaves. The area is weeded,

eye to the middle of the area south of the bridge withpruned and raked. In order to allow for the efficient use

bright green leaves in the summer and a brilliantof time, the garden volunteers provide the students

yellow in the fall which created a beautiful display.

with lunch at the COHO...rain or shine.

This maple loves the shaded morning and the full sun
afternoons. It will be maintained to a maximum of 8

The Parks Department provides tools and vehicles tofeet.

load the debris into for disposal. The students have asystem and have the routine down pat! Stop by andDon Schmidt Nursery was able to provide the tree thatsee how they are doing and give them encouragement.

is about 5 feet tall and will push outward as the shapetakes place over the second year of planting. Later,

The KAZ KIDS work schedule dates
October 28th,

January 20, 2017,

April 21st,another version of this same maple will be used as a& May 19th

container plant. The right color and shape of pot willallow the plant to become a showcase of texture andcolor. Hopefully this will all happen in November.

ISSUE 11OCTOBER 2016 EDITIONPage 2

Over the past few weeks substantial
progress has been made toward theEndowment program for the Japanesegarden. The first step was to acquire anagreement with the City of Gresham toendorse the needs of the endowment
which will support the maintenance andprograms within the garden. Secondly,
written procedures / guidelines for theEach month some plants in and around the garden will behandlingshowcased. Clues will be provided in the description to beestablished. These include expectations

able to visit the website and identify the plant and thenofventure to the garden to find that particular plant.

monitoring the governing board who aretheoftheinvestments

investmentweremanagers

andthe directors of the Gresham Ebetsu
Any questions or comments please send toSister City Association. And third, aGresham.Japanese.Garden@gmail.com

written document is being prepared that

#10 - Always near or in the water, this plant enjoys a naturalenvironment. These plants came from two sources; the City ofGresham removed these from a construction site andCardscapes donated the other group. They have an
insignificant bloom in the spring and summer and are cut backeach fall.

will

provideacceptanceguidelinesforthedonations.

Notallofdonations to the fund will necessarily becash.

Donors may wish to provide

material that requires some type of
inspection, appraisals and/or handling.
These gifts will have to be handled#11 – Do not reach into the middle of one of these. It is not apleasant experience. This plant looks totally different during
the growing months and does a good job of catching papers
and leaves as they blow by. Use this plant when needing toprovide a spot of color to balance the blues and yellows in thegarden.

explicitly to the guidelines.
The endowment is intended to support
the critical maintenance that will beneeded to preserve the garden as garden
management changes over the years.
This information will not only assist#12 - This plant is always hardy and not too particular about

with the solicitation of services but will

where it resides or the soil it lives in. It always acts as anallow

anchor to the landscape. Some varieties are domestic andperformance. To build those guidelines asome come from Asia. Oh and keep your pruners sharp assmall committee will be established to

you may need to use them often.

aid in the process and make the bestforthetrackingofservice

decisions possible.

ISSUE 11OCTOBER 2016 EDITION

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guests are to abide by tea house etiquette regarding
gestures used to drink the tea and appreciation ofNormally a person would be featured in the “Behindutensils. The host acquires a collection of bowls andthe Scenes” section. The "Japanese Tea Ceremony" willutensils to fit the aesthetic of that particular ceremony.

be the center of focus this month. To tell that story

The ceremonies are classified as informal or formal tea

would be difficult even for an expert because there isgatherings; Informal is a simple course of hospitality

nothing simple or quick to learn about this centuries

that includes sweets, thin tea and maybe a light meal.

old event. Even the most basic elements of tea have a

The formal tea ceremony includes a full-course meal

background that is not only involved but have also

followed by sweets, thick tea and thin tea and usually

evolved as time has passed.

lasts 4 hours.

There

are

thin

teas

and

thick

teas;

different

The changing of the seasons is important to the tea

preparations for different types of tea. Some teas areceremony.

used indoors and some outdoors.

The guests havemain seasons: the sunken hearth season, constituting

preparations before the ceremony and exact places atthe colder months and the brazier season, the warmer

the ceremony. The host has a special way of preparing

months. For each season, there are variations in theand presenting the tea depending on the event.

performance and utensils. All the tools for tea

At the tea ceremony at Tsuru Island an Ikebana flower
arrangement was suggested by Jim Card, for abeautiful setting for spectators. Mary Dickson politely
said no to any arrangement without asking the host.
The arrangement must be ordinary and simple so as tonot distract from the ceremony. It should give theviewer the same impression that those flowers
naturally would give if they were growing outdoors, innature. Unnatural or out-of-season materials should
never be used. Also, props and other devices are notused.

Traditionally the year is divided into twoceremony are handled with exquisite care. They arescrupulously cleaned before and after each use andbefore storing. It is meant to be a fun and social event,where guests leave feeling uplifted and content.
Those participants who prepared and presented the tea
ceremony at Tsuru Island in August are students ofGracey. They are at various levels of accomplishment.
The ceremony was part of their studies.

The skill of preparing and drinking the green tea used
is an art requiring many years of study to master. The
whole process is not about drinking tea, but is about
aesthetics, preparing a bowl of tea from one's heart.
The host of the ceremony always considers the guestsStrategic Partners

with every movement and gesture. Even the placement

The City of Greshamof the tea utensils is considered from the guests view

The Gresham Rotary

point. The relationship of the tea server with the tea,

Historic Downtown Gresham

the environment, the tea ware, the guests are wellthought-out.

The intimate tea room is usually large

enough for 4-5 people. In this space, often surrounded
by a garden, the participants withdraw from their busy
lives. Each gathering is a unique experience.

TheResolutions, Inc.
Gresham High School
Johnson Creek WatershedCouncil
East Metro Soil and Water
Oregon Koto Kai
Edward Jones - Dino Rocha

ISSUE 11OCTOBER 2016 EDITION

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