Oregon Chorale Chamber Ensemble Concert

Thursday, June 2^nd at 7:00pm

The caption beneath Ronald Reagan’s high school yearbook picture read, “Life is just one grand sweet song, so start the music.”  Join us for the next movement of your “grand sweet song” on Thursday, June 2^nd, at 7:00 pm as we host the Oregon Chorale Chamber Ensemble in a free, open to the public concert.

The Ensemble is part of The Oregon Chorale’s fifty-voice symphonic choir under the direction of Bernie R. Kuehn. Based in Hillsboro, the Oregon Chorale has been delighting audiences since 1985, performing choral music from around the world and maintaining an appreciation for technique while exhibiting flexibility of musical style. Their formal concerts showcase a variety of styles from Classical to Baroque, Renaissance to Contemporary. The June 2^nd concert will include “Bach Motet”, “Sing Unto God”, “Featured Awakening”, “16th Century Madrigals” and others.

Director Bernie Kuehn founded the Washington County Chorale, now the Oregon Chorale, in 1985. For the past six years he has directed ensembles at Pacific University and sung with the professional Tacoma-area choir Cora Voce.  Kuehn taught for twelve years in Gaston, ten years at Hillsboro High School and six years at Century High School before retiring.

The entire Chorale will perform their In Praise of Song concert on Saturday, June 4^th at 7:00 pm at Living Savior Lutheran Church in Tualatin and on Sunday, June 5^th at 7:30pm at St. Matthew Catholic Church in Hillsboro.

Cornell Estates is located at 1005 NE 17^th Avenue, Hillsboro.  For more information, please call 503-640-2884.

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Visiting Angels: An Option for In-Home Care

Life is a never-ending stream of choices. When we’re young, it’s deciding what to do on a sunny summer afternoon.  As parents, we make choices every day about our families and our children.  And when our children move away to college, we finally get to decide what to do in our new-found free time!

By all rights, our choices should become easier as we age.  After all, we’ve had years of practice, haven’t we? And yet, the decisions we make in our later years are as confusing, if not more so, than decisions about raising our families.  Which health insurance plan provides the best coverage? Should we look at in-home care or a nursing facility?  Will my newest prescription react badly with my other medications? The list is endless.

The Visiting Angels of Newburg understands the many choices you make every day. That’s why they strive to make staying at home a positive experience.  Part of a national network, these caregivers allow you to maintain your schedule while providing personal care.

But, you don’t have to take our word for it!  Click the video below to watch an interview with Brian Williams, Fox TV’s Nightly News anchor, on the wonderful care his father has received from his Visiting Angels.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

To learn more about our local Visiting Angels, please visit the Visiting Angels of Newburg website.

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May is Better Hearing & Speech Month

Hearing Education Workshop

Friday, May 27th at 10:00 am

Did you know that May is Better Hearing and Speech Month?

For over 75 years May has been designated as Better Hearing and Speech Month — a time to raise public awareness, knowledge, and understanding of the various forms of communication impairments.  Helen Keller once noted that of all her impairments, she was perhaps most troubled by her lack of speech and hearing. While blindness separated her from things, she said, her lack of speech and hearing separated her from people — the human connection of communication.

As part of Cornell Estates’ ongoing commitment to raise awareness about hearing loss, the Residents Hearing Education Group in conjunction with Kelly McCormick will be holding Hearing Education workshops for all staff and residents. The Residents’ workshop will be held on Friday, May 27th, at 10:00 am in the Party Room.  Other events throughout the month include free hearing assessments as well as a staff workshop.

This event is free and open to the public. Cornell Estates is located at 1005 N.E. 17th Avenue, Hillsboro. For more information, please call (503) 640-2884.

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How Does Your Garden Grow?

Ah springtime!  That simple word has so many meanings: new life, warm weather, the miracle of new plants poking their heads above the earth.  It promises bright summer days and breezy nights, block parties and summer fireworks. For plant lovers across the nation, it’s also the prime planting season for flower, herb, and vegetable gardens.

Residents and staff at Cornell are not immune to this seasonal call to arms.  Our greenhouse, raised beds, courtyard, and vegetable garden present the perfect opportunity for gardeners and the garden-curious to try their hands at growing flowers, herbs, and vegetables.  Few processes are more rewarding than nurturing a small seedling into a thriving plant.

Of course, gardening has a host of other benefits.  It builds strength, flexibility, and endurance.  Weeding, hoeing, and mulching are a great form of cardio exercise. Given a choice between staying indoors and walking on a treadmill and gardening, I would certainly choose the garden!

Unlike most forms of “exercise,” gardening is a very social experience. There’s lots of time to chat with your neighbors or even draft your children or grandchildren to help out.  On the other hand, it can also be an ideal time to think, meditate, or even daydream.  Believe it or not, daydreaming is as necessary to a healthy brain as learning new skills!

Best of all, gardens provide a unique opportunity to give back to your community.  Growing herbs and vegetables allows you to share the fruits of your labor with your neighbors and friends.  Beautiful flowers will brighten anyone’s day, whether delivered in a bouquet or viewed from a second-floor window.  Most importantly, a garden is open to everyone.  Even non-gardeners receive the benefits of a beautiful, relaxing place to restore their soul.  Linda Solegato said it best: “Plants give us oxygen for the lungs and for the soul.”

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OASIS Lecture:

Native American Art of the Columbia River Gorge

Friday, May 20th at 1:30 pm

Multnomah Falls is everywhere in Oregon: on postcards, calendars, guidebooks, and more.  But there is more to the Columbia River Gorge than breathtaking waterfalls!  Join Dr. James Keyser as he explores Native American vision quests, shamanism, and rock art in the Columbia River Gorge.  The presentation begins at 1:30 on Friday, May 20^th at Cornell Estates.

The Gorge has been home to humans for at least 10,000 years.  It’s a major transit highway between the coast and the interior of the United States.  It was also a major source of food – Oregon’s famous salmon!  It’s no surprise, then, that Native American peoples left their mark on the area. To this day, the rock art of the Gorge tribes include some of the most fantastic images in North America.

Dr. James Keyser has a keen interest in the art, religion, and culture of these Gorge peoples.  Raised on a Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, Dr. Keyser later obtained his PhD in anthropology.  He taught as a college professor for a few years before discovering his true calling: being an archeologist. For 26 years, he served as the staff archeologist for the U.S. Forest Service’s regional office in Billings, Montana and later as the regional archeologist for the Pacific Northwest Region based in Portland.

In addition to over 150 monographs and articles on archeology and rock art, Dr. Keyser has also authored five books on rock and ledger art.  He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the study of Chauvet Cave, the oldest cave painting site in Europe.  Now retired, he divides his time between Portland and his home in northern Italy.

Cornell Estates is proud to partner with OASIS Portland which offers challenging programs in the arts, humanities, wellness, and technology and volunteer services.  To attend the presentation, please call OASIS to reserve your space at (503) 241-3059 or visit www.oasisnet.org/portland to register.

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Rose Festival Court: Fairy Tales Come to Life

Unlike thousands of women in the US, I did not set my alarm for 2:30 am on April 29^th to watch Kate Middleton marry her prince.  I wasn’t waiting to see her wedding dress, or to witness their oh-so-brief kiss on the palace balcony. In fact, until I turned the TV on that night, I had forgotten about the event entirely!

And yet, I had a silly smile on my face as I watched the evening’s special reports.  No wonder people around the world had tuned in to watch the wedding: All the press in the world couldn’t improve upon this timeless story of a fairy tale come true.

Two weeks later, princess fever is still in the air, particularly at Cornell Estates Retirement and Assisted Living. But this fever has nothing to do with the royal wedding. Instead, plans are in full swing to welcome Portland’s own royalty: the 2011 Portland Rose Festival Princesses.  The Court arrives at Cornell every year, bringing their star-quality with them as they celebrate our May birthdays.

But the highlight of the “Princess Season” is the crowing of our very own Senior Rose Court Princesses.  Six princesses are selected by their peers and crowned in a pageant worthy of Buckingham Palace.  The Royal Rosarians, dressed in their distinctive white suites, escort each of our princesses to the stage for their coronation.  There are speeches, photo shoots, and best of all: the crowning of a retirement and assisted living queen.

After their coronation, these new queens and princesses are members of the Senior Rose Court festival for life.  They will represent Cornell in the Hillsboro 4^th of July parade and remain active members of our community.  And next year, they will stand proudly by as six new princesses are chosen.

Dr. Martha Levine said it best:  “We are all princesses or princes in our own lives.”  I’ll toast to that!

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Educational Travelogue:

Rwanda in Recovery

Friday, May 13^th at 1:30 pm

Over a decade ago, the 1994 Rwandan genocide shocked the globe and drew thousands of international volunteers to help in the recovery process.  We invite you to experience first-hand the stories of local volunteers Doug and Sue Minson as they share their personal experiences in Rwanda at Cornell Estates on Friday, May 13^th at 1:30 pm.

A retired attorney and medical doctor, the Minsons have worked alongside Rwandans in medical schools, prisons, and schools for the past two years.  The stories they describe are of tragedy, but also of hope and inspiration, peace and brotherhood, and the divine gifts of human compassion and human resilience.

Sue serves as a volunteer teacher at the Kigali Medical School.  Doug volunteers with Prison Fellowship International, assisting the ministry inside the prisons of Rwanda in their efforts to reconcile the differences between racial groups, and help HIV/AIDS women and street children.  Prison Fellowship International has begun a technical schooling program for street kids.  This year will celebrate the school’s first graduating class.

Sue and Doug will share photos of the many beautiful places and animals they have seen in Africa, as well as photos of the people they have been working with. A special treat will include their hike up Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. You won’t want to miss it!

This Educational Travelogue is free and open to the public.  The series runs each month and covers the travels of residents, staff and community members.  Cornell Estates is located at 1005 N.E. 17th Avenue, Hillsboro.  For more information,  please call (503) 640-2884.

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New Lecture Series!

Dirty Jobs

Behind the Scenes: Wine-Making

Saturday, May 7^th at 2:00 pm

If you’ve ever seen Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel, you know there are some difficult, strange, messy and interesting occupations out there! Join us for our first official Cornell Estates “Dirty Jobs” program on Saturday, May 7th at 2:00 pm.  John Platt of Helvetia Vineyards and Winery will be here to tell us about the “dirty,” messy, fun task of wine making!

John farms 70 acres of forest, vineyards, and Christmas trees in Helvetia. In 1987 he and his wife made their first wine, and in 1989 they started selling grapes to home winemakers. From 1992 to 1995 they custom-crushed their grapes at Laurel Ridge Winery under the Helvetia Vineyards label and opened their own winery in October 1996.

Come and enjoy a taste of Helvetia Vineyards wine on Saturday, May 7th! We’ll find out if crushing grapes is as messy as it looked on I Love Lucy!

This event is free and open to the public.  Cornell Estates is located at 1005 N.E. 17th Avenue, Hillsboro.  For more information,  please call (503) 640-2884.

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Bass + Mandolin: A Mother’s Day Concert

Friday, May 6^th at 1:30 pm

Celebrate Mother’s Day with a unique blend of classical, folk, and original music played on bass and a mandolin.  On Friday, May 6^th at 1:30 pm, Portland’s new acoustic duo, bass+mandolin, will perform selections from their newly released album that showcases Bach’s Inventions, Mozart’s Canzonetta from Don Giovanni, and their own original compositions that weave in and out of swing, jazz, classical and bluegrass with crooning vocals.

As bass+mandolin, Brian Oberlin (mandolin) and Josh Feinberg (bass) achieve chemistry unparalleled in today’s acoustic music circles.  Inventive, creative, and interactive, the two explore the bonds of their music, most of which is written for bass and mandolin. They also cover traditional music – Americana, swing, jazz, and classical. Each concert is full of new ideas as they spring and lope through songs, bouncing off one another’s nuances with a lively thrill.

Brian Oberlin, the duo’s mandolin player, is a self-taught musician and a finalist in the 2003 National Mandolin Championship.  He has performed as a soloist and ensemble member at over 1200 live concerts and is also passionate about teaching.  In 2010, he and his wife founded the Oregon Mandolin Orchestra, where he currently serves as its director.

Upright bassist Josh Feinberg is no slouch on his instrument, either, transitioning from playing with prestigious youth symphonies around New York City to professional gigs during high school.  His professional experience won him a scholarship to the New England Conservatory of Music. Like his partner, Feinberg is wears many hats: talented composer, performer, teacher, and expert sitar player.

In addition to the May 6^th concert at Cornell Estates, they will also be playing the following Friday (May 13^th) at the Walters Cultural Arts Center with the rest of the Oregon Mandolin Orchestra.  That concert begins at 7:30 pm. Tickets may be purchased at the Arts Center.  For more information, please go to www.bassmandolin.com.

This event is free and open to the public.  Cornell Estates is located at 1005 N.E. 17th Avenue, Hillsboro.  For more information, please call (503) 640-2884.

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