Tracey Barnes-Priestley: Hi, I'm Tracy Barnes Priestley.

This week on "What's On Your Bucket List?"

My two guests have a lot in common.

They share positive attitudes, curious natures, and a great willingness to laugh, but we're checking very different things off of their bucket list.

All thanks to two very special chairs.

Coming up next on "What's On Your Bucket List?"

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Tracey: I am here with Diane Mettam, who is our my guest for today.

Diane, what are we checking off your bucket list?

Diane Mettam: I am going to the beach.

Tracey: You're going to-- Diane: And I'm dressed for it.

Tracey: What was it you put on that application?

Diane: I wanted to go to the beach in an accessible chair that's made for the beach so I could get my feet wet and roll in the sand and do all the things I haven't done in years.

Tracey: Diane is a retired bilingual Methodist pastor who has had a very interesting career.

Diane: I had a circuit from Crowley Lake to Lone Pine which is about 80 miles.

And I'm Spanish speaking, so I had a Spanish speaking groups in various towns along the Highway 395 that we did Bible studies and English lessons and whatever they needed.

Take them to the doctor, go to immigration.

Tracey: Unlike any guest I've ever had before, you're no stranger to television?

Diane: No.

Tracey: You had your own show.

Diane: I did.

Tracey: What was that?

Diane: "Su Programa en Español".

It was called "Your Spanish Program," and it was bilingual.

We had guests talking about community affairs going through the newspaper to talk about upcoming events.

Tracey: But then, then Diane, Diane went for the Lights of Hollywood.

Diane: I was very lucky.

They had a casting call in Lone Pine, our daughter wanted to go and then she forgot to sign herself--to clear that day with work.

So, Brad and I thought, "Well, we'll go, what the heck?

It'll be a fun day and we'll take a picnic."

And so, we went and we were both selected for the preliminary cut for Maverick.

Tracey: Maverick.

The movie?

Diane: The movie with Mel Gibson and James Garner and Jodie Foster.

Tracey: Great movie.

Tracey: And Graham Greene, wonderful movie and with a lot of fun.

Tracey: Always up for a new experience, Diane was also a contestant on the popular game show, "Jeopardy."

And how did you do?

Diane: I won $20,000.

Tracey: You did well.

Diane: I did, I did.

I won 19,000 the first day, and I knew I was gonna lose the second day, so I made myself third so that other person could get 2,000 instead of 1,000.

But it was a childhood dream, I've always wanted to do that.

Tracey: So for you to apply to "What's On Your Bucket List," isn't a huge stretch.

You've lived a life where you just kind of try things when you're interested.

Diane: Absolutely, yes, yes.

I saw your program, and then I saw the notice in the paper.

I thought, "Oh, this is not important enough.

No, they're not gonna choose this because it's just too, you know, blah."

Oh, lady wants to go to the beach, big deal, you know.

And so, when you called me I was so surprised and so pleased.

Tracey: On your application, you said you wanted to show other people that they could access the beach since you hadn't been to the beach in 20 years or something, and you wanted to get the word out.

Diane: Brad will sometimes will pull over at a rest stop so I can look out at the beach.

We'll drive as far as we can get but I can't get through the sand, so.

Tracey: Right, well, I think we've got a great thing planned for you today.

Diane: I think so, too, I'm so excited.

Tracey: And I let you dress for the occasion-- Diane: I did.

I thought-- Tracey: We'll get Brad on camera in a minute.

You are the darlings of the beach crowd.

Diane: Oh, thank you.

Tracey: All right, shall we get going?

Diane: Yes, please.

Tracey: All right.

Tracey: Next, I sat down with Mike Cipra, Executive Director of Friends of the Dunes, which is a 40-year-old nonprofit housed in the Humboldt Coastal Nature Center.

Mike Cipra: We have hundreds of volunteers and people who are deeply committed to coastal conservation which means education and restoration of some of these environments.

And I think a key and a core part of what we do, is providing access.

Tracey: In 1985, Charles and Rachel Stamps built this innovative structure as their retirement home.

Then in 2007, Friends of the Dunes bought the home and surrounding acres.

Renovations to the house began in 2010.

This unusual building is now home to numerous exhibits, educational programs, and restoration projects.

Mike: The Humboldt Coastal Nature Center is a place where we welcome people and orient people to the dunes.

And it provides access to more than, at this point, 1700 acres of coastal dunes that are managed for conservation and for public access.

We believe that if people have access to these places, they're gonna fall in love with them, and people protect what they love.

That's-- Tracey: Oh, there it is.

Mike: That's kind of core to this mission and to what we do here.

You know, a lot of people's access point into Friends of the Dunes is, their kids or their grandkids have come out here on education programs that have been going on for more than 20 years at this point, right?

So if you've grown up with this, if you can go to these places and explore these places, you're gonna learn more, you're gonna connect more with the coastal environments and that's really what we're here to provide.

What we have here in Humboldt County, is probably the most intact native coastal dune ecosystem on the US West Coast.

Tracey: Is that right?

Mike: This is a nationally significant place.

Tracey: With over 7,000 visitors a year from all over the world, staff and volunteers work to ensure public access to the dunes and shoreline.

This includes a program that offers the use of an adaptive wheelchair.

Mike: People can come to the Humboldt Coastal Nature Center, check it out for free.

It's a really emotional thing, right?

Tracey: It is, it is.-- Mike: To be able to experience the coast and we shouldn't take it for granted.

This is something that's here in our backyard, and it should be accessible to everyone, right?

And that's kind of at the core, the heart of what we do.

This should be accessible to everyone.

Tracey: Thank you so much for your time, your energy, your effort, and I think we're gonna get Diane to the beach.

Mike: Right on.

Tracey: All right, let's do this.

Mike: Yes.

Tracey: With that, it was time for the big reveal.

Diane: Oh, my gosh.

That's wonderful.

Look at the tires.

Tracey: Look at that-- Mike: How are you, my friends?

Tracey: No wonder I can't go anywhere.

Mike: This is the beach wheelchair here.

My name is Mike.

Diane: Hi Mike, I'm Diane.

Mike: With Friends of the Dunes.

So nice to meet you, and welcome to the Humboldt Coastal Nature Center.

Diane: Thank you so much.

Mike: We're really excited to be able to share this with you.

Tracey: Look at this-- Diane: I'm excited too, this is beautiful.

Tracey: Tell us a little about it Mike, how does this-- Mike: So kind of the way it works is basic physics.

These wheels, these broad wheels are distributing the weight so that it can roll more easily over sand.

And it's entirely mechanical, there's no electronic components at all to it.

We've pumped up these.

It has a little break here.

You generally don't need to use it if you're going over fairly level surfaces.

But you are gonna need some human power in order to push it because it doesn't have any motor on it.

But it is designed specifically for these sort of coastal environments and for going over sand.

Tracey: Shall we go to the beach?

Diane: Yes ma'am, let's go to the beach.

Tracey: All right, thank you Mike.

Tracey: We loaded up the chair and took off for Clam Beach where Diane's husband Brad, helped her into the chair.

Brad: All right, my dear.

Diane: Ooh, thank you sweetheart.

Tracey: They started off down the special access mat that allows individuals with disabilities to travel from the parking lot all the way up to the beach.

Diane: Oh, look how beautiful the waves are.

Oh, that's gorgeous.

Tracey: Welcome to the beach, Diane.

Diane: It's beautiful.

Isn't it beautiful?

Tracey: It is, it is beautiful.

Diane: Look at the tide coming in, the waves.

Tracey: Yeah, well, are you ready to go further?

Diane: Yes, ma'am.

Tracey: Okay.

Diane: This is wonderful.

Tracey: Yeah.

Diane: Yeah.

Tracey: Okay, here we go.

There we go.

Diane: This is so cool.

This is wonderful.

Look at this.

Oh, I've missed this.

My first time at the beach in 30 years, yes.

Tracey: Isn't that great?

Yeah.

Tracey: Taking the view.

Diane: Yes, it's gorgeous, it's just gorgeous.

Tracey: Diane and Brad's faithful companions, Jack and Hannah, Jack were also having a wonderful time.

Diane: Here we go we're gonna go down and see the water.

You've never seen that before, either of you.

Oh, pretty stones.

Oh, there's that wonderful smell of the beach.

That seaside smell, I love it.

Tracey: I know you wanna put your toes in the water, but I'm not sure we're gonna get you close enough.

Diane: I don't think so and it's kind of cold.

It'll be okay, oh.

Tracey: Well we made it.

Diane: We did.

Tracey: To the ocean for the first time in 20 years.

Diane: Thirty.

Tracey: Thirty years.

How does it feel?

Diane: Wonderful, I love the smell of the beach and the ocean and I'm looking at all the things, you know, the plant life that's there and the rocks and the sand.

We have this wonderful landscape around us.

Tracey: And we do.

Diane: We are just blessed to live here, aren't we?

What do you think, little boy?

What do you think little girl?

They say, "I don't know.

I just don't know what to think."

Oh, this is wonderful.

♪♪♪ Diane: What's out there?

What's out there?

What do you think?

I know, isn't this fun and different?

Isn't this fun and different?

You've never been here.

Thank you sweetheart so much.

Oh, look at the bird.

Did you see the bird?

There's another one.

There's, oh, there's some more birds.

Hasn't this been fun?

Hasn't this been wonderful?

Tracey: Well, here we are at the end of the ride.

How was it?

Diane: It's wonderful.

Tracey: What does it feel like?

Daine: Exhilarating, exhilarating and getting back to nature, you know, getting back to our source.

We come from water and here we are but I love the smell of the ocean and just the scent of the sand and everything that's in the sand.

The dogs enjoyed it.

Tracey: Well, and you said this was their first time to the beach as well.

Diane: Yes, ever.

Tracey: Yeah, yeah ever and they did very well.

Diane: Really well.

Yeah, yeah.

Tracey: Well, what would you say to other people who might think, "Ah, I wanna do that but I don't know how," or.

Diane: Oh, you can do it.

Now we know to go to the Friends of the Dunes because they have this wonderful chair and then this is a great beach because it's fairly flat.

Tracey: And the path that you came on-- Diane: And it's beautiful.

Yes, and we had that wonderful path right there.

Tracey: Next to Humboldt County apparently so, yeah.

Diane: Yes, so thank you for that 'cause that was great.

You know, and I think even if you didn't have this chair, you could take your regular chair down the path to the end and just sit or turn, you know, you could sit over there and still get some beach access which is great.

Tracey: Some beach which you haven't had in far too long.

Diane: No, not at all.

You know, darling.

Tracey: Well, I loved it that you and Brad showed up dressed for a beach party.

And I really appreciate that you applied and gave us this opportunity to check this off your bucket list.

Diane: Well, thank you, and I'm just so thrilled that you chose me and that you had this program so that I can fulfill a wish.

And thank you to my dear husband for pushing me.

Tracey: To watch this and other episodes, go to keet.org.

all: So, what's on your bucket list?

Tracey: My next guest, another fun loving woman with a positive outlook, was in search of a truly unique experience.

Tracey: We are here in the center of Arcata Plaza, doing something we've never done before.

This is what we call our whimsical shoot.

When I read the application, it cracked me up.

And I would like to introduce you to our guest today, Laurene Thorpe.

Thank you for a wonderful "What's On Your Bucket List" idea.

What are we checking off today?

Laurene Thorpe: Well, we are checking off what I call, "I was just wondering."

And I was just wondering what it would be like to be your height Tracey, 'cause I'm not.

Tracey: Ta-da.

Well, it struck my fancy for a number of different reasons.

One, because it reflects just a good natured positive attitude on life which I think is part of healthy aging, and it also struck me as a really interesting kind of metaphor for the aging process.

How tall are you?

Laurene: I'm 5 foot, with these shoes I'm almost 5'1".

Tracey: Okay, and I'm an even 6 feet tall.

So we are exactly one foot difference.

Laurene: We are.

Tracey: What's been your perspective on your heights throughout your lifetime?

Laurene: Well, actually, when I was in junior high, I was one of the tall kids.

I was on the basketball team and then in high school everybody shot up and I didn't.

But my mom, my mom was only 4'9".

She was under 5 feet.

So, and my dad was 5'8", so it didn't, you know, didn't really seem an enormous difference but-- Tracey: How did you decide to apply for Bucket List and this particular request?

Laurene: Well, I was talking at a unfortunately, there's these memorials that we go to for a friend, we were talking with you.

And I was realizing I don't really have a bucket list per se that I think of as a bucket list but I do have--I was wondering what it would be like to go there wondering what it would be like to be this.

And so, I was just, at the moment, I was just, I was looking at you and going, "I wonder what it's like," I said, "To be, you know, 6 foot.

Wouldn't that be interesting?

And it's all, it's like, I'm very happy with who I am and how I am physically, but I just thought, you know, it would be interesting to walk into a store and not have to say, "Hey, tall person can you help me?"

Tracey: Yeah, well-- Laurene: Which is pitiful.

Tracey: I love the perspective and I think that's kind of a variation on Bucket List just the wondering if.

Tracey: I asked Laurene how her height had impacted her life.

Laurene: You know, my brothers would tease me.

You know, I'd lose something in a tree and, you know, that they could reach and they would just stand there and-- Tracey: Oh, brothers.

Laurene: Make me jump so.

Tracey: Oh, brothers.

Well, I appreciate your spirit.

I think we've kind of gone the extra mile here to really come up with a fun segment and thank you so much for applying.

I think we should get you going.

Laurene: Thank you Tracey, this is fun so far.

Tracey: And then it was time for Laureen to be tall.

Laurene: Look at this.

Oh, my throne.

Oh my goodness.

That is so cool.

Tracey: And I'd like to introduce you to my nephew, Mark.

Laurene: Oh, hi Mark.

Tracey: Mark this is Laurene.

Mark graciously offered to build this for his crazy auntie.

Tracey: Mark is a woodworking artist from the Bay Area.

Discovering his passion for wood as a young student, he went on to take classes in college and has created a number of award-winning pieces throughout his career.

Mark graciously drove this masterpiece up to our house where he and my husband, another talented woodworker, did the final assembly.

Tracey: What do you think?

Laurene: I just think it's tall.

It's lovely.

Tracey: And so, the adventure begins.

You're ready?

Laurene: Yes, I am ready.

Tracey: All right we're gonna get you in that chair and the fun will begin.

Tracey: For this Madcap caper, we had the help of some wonderful local businesses.

Our first stop was right on the plaza.

♪♪♪ Tracey: This is Natalie Walston.

Thank you so much for hosting us for this segment.

Tell me where are we and what is this store all about?

Natalie Walston: We are standing in the middle of our new shop, our new men's gift and lifestyle store called Bell & Hook.

We are directly across the street from our flagship original store plaza.

Stacey: How do you decide what goes where in the store?

Natalie: Well, it's tricky and we have 15 foot ceilings here and you really wanna utilize all of your space but you also know you can't put things tall because people can't reach them.

Tracey: That's right.

It's gorgeous space and I know that our guest is really excited to be here.

Whether she's short or tall, she said, "I've never been in that store."

So, shall we go meet?

Natalie: Absolutely, I'd love that.

Tracey: Here we are.

What do you think?

Laurene: Wow, I think everything is very high up but not anymore.

Tracey: It's gorgeous, isn't it?

Laurene: It is gorgeous.

What a beautiful shop.

What a beautiful store.

Tracey: Yeah, this is the owner, Natalie.

Laurene: Hi, Natalie.

Natalie: Nice to meet you.

Laurene: Nice to meet you too.

Natalie: Welcome to Bell & Hook.

Tracey: Yeah, and this is her store.

All right, shall we take a little tour now.

Laurene: Oh, I love cards, I always-- that is just so perfect for my husband.

Tracey: All right.

Laurene: "Happy birthday handsome" because that's what he thinks he is and it's just lovely.

Tracey: And look at you, you just.

Laurene: I just didn't have to reach up, I just grabbed it.

Tracey: Wow.

Does it look different from your-- Laurene: It is different just that one foot, you know, just makes difference.

Tracey: Atta girl.

Laurene: Yay, that would be impossible even if I jumped.

I've never been able to get that at my underground height.

It's very cool.

Tracey: That's a very cute hat.

Laurene: That is a very cute hat.

Tracey: I can put it away for you if you-- Laurene: Well, you know, George used to be a tour bus driver on the Avenue of the Giants.

This might be perfect for our 40th living together anniversary which is this Sunday.

Tracey: Oh, my goodness.

Okay, all right.

Laurene: Well, Tracy, what can you reach without difficulty?

Tracey: What can I reach without difficulty?

Laurene: Can you reach that jar without difficulty?

That tester?

Oh, that, oh, I meant the lower one.

Obviously very easily.

Tracey: Yeah, not a problem.

Laurene: So that would not even be in my consciousness to even try.

I wouldn't try.

This is nice seeing things from this perspective.

Tracey: Laurene paid for her items, and then we were off to another new and unique store.

I asked owner Amy Fowler to tell me about her creative enterprise.

Amy Fowler: So this is Humboldt Haberdashery.

It is the British definition of haberdashery more so.

It's kind of sewing, hat making supplies, costuming supplies.

I have new hats, lots of vintage fabrics and yarns.

And then I'm a milliner, so I have like wedding, Kentucky Derby style hats.

Oh wow.

I do hat cleaning and repairs, all sorts of different stuff that could kind of fit into that crafting area.

Tracey: Yeah, a wonderful space.

Tracey: After introducing Laurene to Amy, it was time to look around everything Humboldt Haberdashery, had to offer.

And then Laurene saw a hat that caught her eye.

Laurene: What I'm wearing.

Let me see if I can, oh, easily, easily, piece of cake.

Oh, well, look at this, this is just perfect.

But you know, the thing I have with hats, I have a tiny little head.

And it's always like a thing that they actually.

Tracey: It's like the reverse of Cinderella's shoes.

Oh, this is lovely.

Tracey: And is this one of yours?

Amy: It's one of my hats and then a silk scarf is actually locally made as well.

Laurene: Oh, nice.

Tracey: Beautiful.

Laurene: Nice, it is beautiful.

This is lovely too.

Here, watch, watch this one.

I can put it back.

Tracey: Oh, impressive.

Laurene: This is-- Tracey: What about this one?

Laurene: I had an aunt who wore this hat.

Amy: And that one I've done in custom colors for people as well.

Tracey: Isn't it charming?

And it fits your head.

Laurene: It's kind of like a Queen Elizabeth one.

Tracey: It is, yes, yes.

Tracey: Very matching outfit.

Laurene: Very apropos with the chair.

Tracey: Laurene was fascinated to discover all of the treasures around the store.

Tracey: Look at these.

Laurene: Well that is just-- these are-- I love the vintage stuff.

Tracey: Isn't it?

Laurene: It's great, yeah.

Tracey: What do you think?

Is this your color?

Laurene: It could be.

It's an Easter color.

I wanted an Easter bonnet.

Tracey: Oh yeah, you know, you could be the queen.

Everything you-- Laurene: It could be-- this is very-- that's this one and that other purple one are very cute.

It's so cute.

Here we go.

Maybe a jaunty-- She never did a jaunty angle, did she?

Tracey: Maybe when she went to the races.

Laurene: Aha, she was very racy.

That's how I remember her.

Tracey: Yeah.

Laurene: There we go.

Tracey: Fun store.

Laurene: It is a fun store.

I will have to come back.

Laurene: Yeah, all right.

I'm sure Amy will help you find things.

So I think next on our list we're gonna do a little grocery shopping.

Laurene: Yes, let's do that.

Tracey: Ready?

Laurene: Okay.

Tracey: Next up, a visit to my favorite grocery store, Murphy's Market in Sunny Brae where manager Miles Gonzaga welcomed us.

Miles Gonzaga: I mean, I can't imagine what it's like to be 5 feet tall and not be able to grab the top things on the aisle, or ask for help, or I don't even know.

Do people ask you for help when they're shopping?

Miles: All time, yes.

Tracey: Really?

Yeah, all right.

Okay, well we're gonna get her going, and I appreciate your time and effort.

Miles: Anytime.

Tracey: All right, all right Laurene, here we are at the grocery store.

Laurene: This is like a new world.

Tracey: Is it really?

Laurene: It is, it is.

Tracey: Does it look pretty different?

Laurene: Yes, yes.

I didn't know they kept that stuff up there.

I've been looking for it for years.

Tracey: All right, well, let's let you go shopping then, shall we?

Laurene: Okay, okay Tracey: Come on ahead.

Laurene: I think I need a bag.

I didn't have to ask anybody.

That is marvelous.

That is just great.

To be honest when I shop, I don't even look at this stuff up here, and certainly I wouldn't even attempt to get like a two liter bottle of something.

That would be like insane.

Tracey: In part because of the weight, right?

Laurene: Well, the weight yeah, because even if I managed to get a hold of it a little bit.

Tracey: Let's stop a sec.

So like juices, same kind of.

Laurene: Same kind of thing especially something in a bottle.

Like I'm not, you know, I can reach up to like that shelf.

Tracey: This one?

Laurene: But the very top one, you know, if I'm-- sometimes I get my fingers up there but, you know, something that's glass or heavy, I don't wanna chance it, so, you know.

Tracey: Yeah, different perspective.

Laurene: It is a different perspective.

Tracey: Look at you.

Laurene: Look at that.

I would've not been able to get the dark roast.

Tracey: Oh, interesting.

Laurene: Without help.

Now what--?

From up here?

Yeah, now I wouldn't have been-- you know, now this is something I would maybe, you know, look around to see if they're selling some kind of spoon, you know and I would-- Tracey: Knock it off?

Laurene: Knock it off, use a tool because, you know, I'm human and we use tools.

Tracey: That's right, that's right.

Laurene: Or at least a monkey, or an otter.

Miles: All right, looks like I got a 40 here.

Laurene: Oh look, I handed him the money over the screen.

Tracey: Oh, and what do you usually do?

Go this way?

Laurene: Go in there somewhere?

Tracey: Oh, oh yeah.

Tracey: Before saying goodbye to Laurene, I had one final question for her about her positive approach to life.

Laurene: I am a believer and you just accept things as they are.

And if you can do that, you can pretty much deal with anything.

So, you know, I accept my height and everything as it is, though this is a fun detour.

But I did really wanna say that I am perfectly aware there are people who have really physical challenges.

So, this is just--this is not in any way, you know, ignoring that people who have real issues.

But this was just fun.

Tracey: It's been a different perspective.

So, thanks for your help in making it happen.

Laurene: Well you're welcome and thank you for going with it and giving me this opportunity to see things a little bit differently.

Tracey: All right.

Laurene: Thanks.

Tracey: To watch this and other episodes, go to keet.org.

both: So, what's on your bucket list?

male: That was amazing.

Laurene: Oh, very funny.

Tracey: All right, great.

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