Columbia River Reader Jan 2024

CRREADER.COM Vol. XX, No. 227 • January 15, 2024 • COMPLIMENTARY Helping you discover and enjoy the good life in the Columbia River region at home and on the road

CLAMMING AT THE COAST NANCY CHENNAULT: GET SOME GREEN IN YOUR LIFE! THE CURIOUS MR. BIDDLE

“Snipe,” by Debby Neely

Jazz!

COOK’S CHOICE page 17

page 30

COLUMBIA RIVER

dining guide

COLUMBIA RIVER READER PRESS BOOK BOUTIQUE LEWIS AND CLARK REVOLUTIONIZED

COLLECTORS CLUB ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION THOUGHTFUL GIFTS...

FOR YOURSELF OR FOR A FRIEND!

• COMPLIMENTARY 176 • March 15 – April 15, 2020 CRREADER.COM • Vol. XVI, No. road River region at home and on the the good life in the Columbia

Helping you discover and enjoy

What really — truly — happened during those final wind-blown, rain-soaked thirty days of the Lewis and Clark Expedition’s trek to the Pacific? Southwest Washington author and explorer Rex Ziak revolutionized historical scholarship by providing the answers: day by day and week by week.

MOSS IN YOUR LAWN? What to do page 15

ONE RIVER, MANY VOICES WASHINGTON’S POET LAUREATE COMES TO WAHKIAKUM COUNTY page 14

People+Place

IN FULL VIEW Rex Ziak $29.95 A true and accurate account of Lewis and Clark’s arrival at the Pacific Ocean, and their search for a winter camp along the lower Columbia River.

The art of the woodcut

page 19

dining guide

ESCAPE TO BARCELONA • “FEATURED

11 issues $55

CHEF” RETURNS

We’ll send your recipient a printed gift notification card.

NEW!

Debby Neely is a Northwest artist and poet. This is her first book combining words and woodcuts.

words and wood • debby neely

EYEWITNESS TO ASTORIA Gabriel Franchére $21.95 The newly edited and annotated by Rex Ziak version of Franchére’s 1820 journal, Narrative of a Voyage to the Northwest Coast of America in the Years 1811, 1812, 1813 and 1814, or The First American Settlement on the Pacific.

Cutting Edge page 28

COLUMBIA RIVER

This work is astonishing. The variety of moods and nuances Debby evokes in simple black and white — delicacy writ with a knife and gouge — testifies to her craftsmanship and to her love for her subjects.

WORDS AND WOOD

Adding haiku to these dramatic images pins them in moments and memories and heightens our attention and interest.

Pacific Northwest Woodcuts and Haiku by Debby Neely •Boxed, Gift Edition with tasseled bookmark $35 We’re proud to present Debby’s Words and Wood to the people of the Pacific Northwest and to lovers of art and the natural world everywhere.

– The Editors

words and wood

I sign my name with the red chops. The top chop is my name in Chinese. The bottom chop says, “I draw birds and animals.”

Photo by hal Calbom

pacific northwest woodcuts and haiku

Debby Neely From Words and Wood

THE TIDEWATER REACH Field Guide to the Lower Columbia River

debby neely

COLUMBIA RIVER READER PRESS

in Poems and Pictures By Robert Michael Pyle and Judy VanderMaten.

The

Tidewater Reach Field Guide

• Boxed Signature Edition, with color $50 • Collectors Edition, with color $35 • Trade paperback B/W $25 • Audiobook $15

MIchael o. Perry is a retired environmental technician, avid collector and conservator, and student of Pacific Northwest history. He lives in Kelso, Washington.

“Michael Perry gets it right!

Good storytelling is key to meaningful learning for all ages, and ‘Dispatches’ informs us in a relaxed, enjoyable way, perfect for anyone wishing to explore with the explorers.”

“‘Dispatches’ is a great read, well researched and documented, and presented in an appealing format.

The perfect place to start learning more about the Corps of Discovery.” — ALLEN BENNETT President, Lower Columbia Chapter Traditional Small Craft Association

— DANIELLE ROBBINS Education & Public Programs Coordinator, Cowlitz County Historical Museum

to the

Lower Columbia River in

Field Guide to the

Lower Columbia River in

Poems and Pictures Robert Michael Pyle Judy VanderMaten

M I C H A E L O. P E R R Y

Poems and Pictures

Robert Michael Pyle Judy VanderMaten

Michael Perry has a collector’s eye, a scientist’s curiosity, and the Pacific Northwest in his heart.

In thIs engagIng new book author Michael Perry takes a fresh look at the Lewis and Clark Expedition — what they set out to do, what they experienced, and where they failed and succeeded — from the layman’s point of view. Compiled from a popular monthly magazine series, and adding new notes and commentary, Perry’s Dispatches adds to the lore and legacy of the famous Expedition the insights, quirks, and wry observations of a gifted amateur historian.

Featuring the work of

woodcut artist Debby Neely “Meadowlark” On the cover: “Whispering”

DISPATCHES FROM THE DISCOVERY TRAIL

dispatches from the discovery trail

In three editions:

M I C H A E L O. P E R R Y

dispatches from the Discovery trail with HAL CALBOM woodcut art by dEbby NEELy

A LAYMAN’S LEWIS & CLARK

$35.00 ISBN 978-1-7346725-6-5

53500>

www.crreader.com/crrpress

CRR PRESS

Collectors Edition

ISBN 978-1-7346725-4-1

9 781734 672565

read by Hal Calbom (online only)

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CRRPress 1333 14th Ave. Longview, WA 98632 Name_____________________________________________ Street_____________________________________________

A Layman’s Lewis & Clark

by Michael O. Perry.

•BW Edition $35 •Signature Edition.

Boxed, tasseled bookmark, Color and B/W $50

EMPIRE OF TREES

America’s Planned City and the Last Frontier by Hal Calbom Longview Centennial Edition.

•Boxed, signed. $50.

All book mail orders include shipping and handling charge. All book and subscription orders mailed to Washington include State sales tax.

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Words and Wood City/State/Zip______________________________________ Email_____________________________________________ Phone ____________________________________________ *Gift Subscription for _______________________________ Mailing Address _______________________________________ Please make check payable to CRR Press. To use credit card, visit www.crreader.com/crrpress _________________________________________________ 2 / Columbia River Reader / January 15, 2024

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W

elcome to the first issue of 2024!

We are happy to welcome Nancy Chennault, who is returning to the fold, so to speak, and resuming her role of CRR’s Northwest Gardener. You’ll enjoy her “Color your new year GREEN!” column on page 23.

For readers who cook, I share here my recipe for Butternut Squash Soup, which I served several times over the holidays, always to rave reviews. It’s the easiest soup to make and impossible to botch.

Sue’s Views

Ingredients: 1 med--sized butternut squash 1 med. onion, chopped 32 oz. chicken stock Salt and pepper to taste 1 /4 tsp ground cayenne pepper For garnish: Dollops of sour cream, sprigs of (or finely chopped) basil or parsley, and croutons (optional).

Rinse squash, prick skin 6–8 times with a sharp knife. Roast in an open pan or baking dish at 425ºF for 90 min. Remove pan from oven, set aside. While squash cools, melt in a small skillet 1 Tbl oil and 2 Tbl. butter. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, over medium-high heat until onions are well- browned, even to the point of charring.

Cut squash in half; remove stem, skin and seed and discard. Scoop out squash flesh.

This is a great winter warmer, one of my three go-to soups perfect for snowy days — which were predicted this coming weekend, but as usual the weather people are already walking back the forecast, now suggesting only slushy snow on Saturday, Jan. 13.

I still hope!

And even on non-snow days, there’s nothing like a piping hot cup of homemade soup to warm everyone’s hearts. Happy Valentine’s Day, and here’s hoping 2024 is a good year. Thank you for reading CRR.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Soup, snow, and warm hearts

Sue Piper Columbia River Reader ... Helping you discover and enjoy the good life in the Columbia River Region, at home and on the road.

ON THE COVER Alan Cook on jazz night at Roland Wines in Longview. Story, page 17.

Publisher/Editor: Susan P. Piper

Photo by Hal Calbom

Columnists and contributors: Hal Calbom Nancy Chennault Alice Dietz Brian Fleming Joseph Govednik Dayle Olson Michael Perry Ned Piper Dan Polacek Robert Michael Pyle Marc Roland Alan Rose Greg Smith Andre Stepankowsky Debra Tweedy Judy VanderMaten

Columbia River Reader is published monthly, with 14,000 copies distributed in the Lower Columbia region. Entire contents copyrighted; No reproduction of any kind allowed without express written permission of Columbia River Reader, LLC. Opinions expressed herein, whether in editorial content or paid ad space, belong to the writers and advertisers and are not necessarily shared or endorsed by the Reader.

Puree squash in a blender or food processor until smooth, one-half at a time. Add onion, chicken stock and seasonings, blend until velvety. Add small amounts of water if consistency seems too thick. Refrigerate. To serve, heat on stovetop, microwave, or crockpot. Makes a good first course or pre-dinner/cocktail party appetizer.

Yield: About 2 quarts.

BOX HOSTS INVITED Do you own or manage a high-traffic, visually-attractive commercial location?

Do you feel an affinity with CRR and wish to partner with us by hosting a sidewalk box to provide your customers and clients the gift of CRR every month ?

We have sidewalk boxes and inside racks available, and welcome additional distribution outlets.

Call Ned Piper: 360-749-2632 for info.

In this Issue

5

Dispatches from the Discovery Trail ~ Episode 30

6

Hikes

7

Civilized Living: Miss Manners

8

Out & About: Clamming at the Coast

11

Astronomy / Sky Report

13

Biz Buzz

14

Where Do You Read the Reader?

15

Museum Magic: The Watts House in Scappoose

16

Longview Library goes mobile

17

People+Place: Jazz scene legend Alan Cook

23

Northwest Gardener: Color your new year GREEN!

26

Where to Find the Reader (24/7 and even in your bathrobe)

27

A Different Way of Seeing ~ CRRP Book highlights

28

Quips & Quotes / Besides CRR What Else Are You Reading?

Advertising Manager: Ned Piper, 360-749-2632

29

Cover to Cover / Bestsellers List / Book Review

Columbia River Reader, llc 1333 14th Ave, Longview, WA 98632

30

Columbia River Dining Guide

31

Notes from My Lives, by Andre Stepankowsky

31

Roland on Wine

Editorial/Proofreading Assistants: Merrilee Bauman, Michael Perry, Marilyn Perry, Tiffany Dickinson, Debra Tweedy

P.O. Box 1643 • Rainier, OR 97048 Office Hours: M-W-F • 11–3* *Other times by chance or appointment E-mail: publisher@crreader.com Phone: 360-749-1021

Submission guidelines: page 32.

General Ad info: page 7.

Ad Manager: Ned Piper 360-749-2632.

32-33

CRREADER.COM

Submissions Guidelines / Performing Arts / Outings & Events

34

The Spectator:

34

Plugged In to Cowlitz PUD: Reporting a Power Outage

Visit our website for the current issue and archive of past issues from 2013.

January 15, 2024 / Columbia River Reader / 3

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4 / Columbia River Reader / January 15, 2024

Lewis & Clark

DISPATCHES FROM THE DISCOVERY TRAIL EPISODE 30

year later, in January 1808, 37-year old Clark married 16-year old Julia. They had five children before she died 12 years later.

Clark’s Life ...

Afterwards

St. Louis became their home, and their first son (Meriwether Lewis Clark) was born in January 1809. Earlier, in August 1806, when the Corps returned to Fort Mandan in North Dakota, Clark had offered to take Pomp, Sacajawea and Toussaint Charbonneau’s oneand-a-half-year-old boy, to St. Louis to raise him as his own son. They agreed, but wanted to wait a year. By the time they brought Pomp to St. Louis in 1810, Clark was married and had his own son with another on the way, so rather than adopting 6-year old Pomp, he placed him in a private boarding school.

By Michael O. Perry

M

eriwether Lewis and William Clark had been coleaders of the Corps of Discovery. Both men are usually referred to as Captains, but in fact only Lewis held that rank. After Lewis invited Clark to join the Expedition as co-commander in 1803, the Army refused to promote Clark so he was officially only a Lieutenant during the journey. In 2001, President Bill Clinton signed a posthumous Captain’s commission for William Clark.

About the time Lewis asked Clark to join the Expedition in 1803, Clark visited Congressman George Hancock in Virginia. Clark, who was 33 years old, was quite taken by two girls he saw riding horses on the estate. One girl, Judith “Julia” Hancock, was just 12, while the other girl (her cousin) was 14.

Some people think Clark asked permission to marry Julia during the visit, but that seems unlikely. While Clark expressed an interest in Julia, it appears Colonel Hancock refused to let Clark court Julia at that time. He may have acknowledged Clark’s interest by telling Clark that if he could establish himself financially he would look favorably on his request. Perhaps one of Clark’s incentives for joining Lewis on the Expedition was for the opportunity to secure fame and fortune so that he might win Julia for his wife.

Clark was clearly thinking about Julia in May 1805 when he named a river for her in Montana. While Clark made no mention about it in his journal, Lewis wrote, “Cap C who assended this R. much higher than I did has thought proper

to call it Judieths River.” Lewis’s writing and then crossing out the words “thought proper to” suggests he initially had doubts about the propriety of naming the river after Clark’s future wife, but Lewis soon followed suit by naming the Marias River after his cousin.

Upon returning from the Pacific Ocean, Lewis and Clark traveled to Washington, D.C., to see President Jefferson. Clark went to Virginia to visit Julia Hancock in January 1807. Did he ask permission to marry her at that time? Nobody knows, but he wrote to his brother on January 22 indicating he would soon be married. He began a serious courtship and, by March 1807, Clark wrote to Lewis saying he was engaged. A

After Meriwether Lewis’ apparent suicide in 1809, Clark took over the task of getting a book published about the Corps of Discovery.

Even though that project had been given to Lewis, he had not written a single line of text in the three years following their journey.

In 1810, Clark arranged for George Shannon, one of the members of the Corps, to go to Philadelphia to help Nicholas Biddle, a lawyer, prepare the narrative of the Expedition.

Shannon helped fill in missing details and helped Biddle bring everything together.

Clark assisted by answering questions Biddle raised, and thus the book contained additional information not found in the daily journals.

By the time Biddle finished the book in 1813, his legal business was consuming all his time so he hired Paul Allen to finish the project. cont page 6

In April 2021 we introduced a revised version of Michael Perry’s popular series which was expanded In the new book, Dispatches from the Discovery Trail, edited by Hal Calbom and published by CRRPress.

It includes an in-depth author interview and new illustrations and commentary.

Michael Perry enjoys local history and travel. His popular 33-installment Lewis & Clark series appeared in Columbia River Reader’s early years and helped shape its identity and zeitgeist. After two encores, the series has been expanded and published in a book. Details, page 2.

MICHAEL

O. P E R R Y

dispatches

This $1 gold coin was produced for the Lewis & Clark Centennial Exposition held in Portland, Oregon, in 1905. There were 10,025 coins produced with 1904 dates and 10,041 coins produced with 1905 dates. Meriwether Lewis is represented on the front and William Clark on the back. The proceeds from the sale of these coins financed the bronze memorial of Sacajawea erected in Portland’s Washington Park.

rail iscovery T from the D with HAL

CALBOM NEELY

by DEBBY

woodcut art

A LAYMAN’S

K

LEWIS & CLAR

January 15, 2024 / Columbia River Reader / 5

Lewis & Clark

from page 5

Incredibly, when the two-volume book was published in 1814, there was no mention of Biddle anywhere. Instead, the title page proclaimed the book was “Prepared for the press by Paul Allen, Esquire.” Perhaps Biddle wanted complete anonymity; it is inconceivable that Allen would have taken credit for the book unless Biddle wanted it that way.

Biddle had been promised half of all the profits from the 2,000 books produced, but he refused any payment – not even the $500 he had given Allen out of his own pocket. Biddle wanted Clark to receive all the profits, but it appears all Clark received was the copyright and the right to publish a second edition. Amazingly, two years after the book was published, Clark still had been unable to obtain a copy for himself! The book did not sell very well, since it had been eight years since the Expedition was completed.

As you might expect, original copies are very rare today and command extraordinary prices (a near perfect copy sold for $35,000 in 1967). Reprints of the book are available and are highly recommended since it provides a fuller story than the actual journals.

After the Corps of Discovery returned to St. Louis in 1806, Clark’s slave, York, asked for his freedom. York was about the same age as Clark, and had been his life-long slave companion. York had faithfully performed his share of the work required during the Expedition, and Indians had been impressed with his black skin and great strength. His presence undoubtedly enhanced the prestige of the white strangers as the Corps visited isolated Indian tribes. York believed he had earned his freedom, but Clark disagreed.

So, once the Corps disbanded, York returned to his old life as a slave. He asked Clark to sell him to someone in Louisville so he could be closer to his wife, but Clark refused. York was very unhappy, and from that point on Clark treated him harshly. About 10 years later, Clark finally granted York his freedom and set him up with a freight-hauling business in Kentucky.

Rumors indicated that York failed in that business and died of cholera by 1832.

The Curious Mr. Biddle Nicholas Biddle has survived in history as a financier and banker who served a variety of presidents and ultimately ended up fighting with one — Andrew Jackson — over the banking system in the still fledgling United States. A man of varying tastes and talents, Biddle was a contributor to, and later editor

Nicholas Biddle (1786 –1844)

by William Inman

of, Port Folio, the first U.S. literary journal. He served as secretary to President James Monroe (1806–07), then Monroe’s minister to England. Apparently aware that the Lewis and Clark narrative was languishing, Biddle wrote “History of the Expedition of Captains Lewis and Clark” (1814), based on the explorers’ notes provided to him by Clark. Due to pressures from his career in public service, he consigned the completion of the book to an assistant, Paul Allen, who ended up appearing as chief author and copyright holder.

Biddle refused any financial reward for his efforts, insisting what there was should go to Clark. Today the “Biddle Book” remains probably the best — and very rare in the original — summary record of the Expedition.

In 1820, Julia became ill and went to her father’s estate in Virginia, where she died. A year later, their daughter died. In November 1821, Clark had recovered from his grief and married Harriet Radford, Julia’s cousin (this was the 14-year old girl Clark had seen riding a horse with Julia in 1803).

Harriet had three children from an earlier marriage, and had two more after marrying Clark.

Clark was appointed chief Indian agent and brigadier general of the militia for the Louisiana Territory in 1807. He participated in the War of 1812, and was appointed governor of the Missouri Territory in 1813. Surprisingly, Clark was defeated in the election for governor of the state of Missouri in 1820. Clark served as superintendent of Indian affairs from 1822 to 1838.

His second wife died in 1831; Clark was 68 when he died in 1838. He had outlived two wives and three of his seven children. William Clark will long be remembered as one of America’s great heroes.

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6 / Columbia River Reader / January 15, 2024

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Mount St. Helens Hiking Club Call leader to join outing or for more info. Nonmembers welcome.

(E) - Easier: Usually on relatively flat ground (up to 5 miles and/or less than 500 ft. e.g.)

(M) - Moderate: Longer and more elevation gain (over 5 miles and/or over 500 ft. e.g.)

(S) - Strenuous: Long hikes and/or elevation gain (over 8 miles and/or over 1200 ft. e.g.) sketch by the late Deena Martinson.

Jan 17 - Wed. Kalama Waterfront (E) Drive 20 miles RT. Walk through town and over to the marina and waterfront for 3+ miles RT on level paved path along the Columbia River.

Leader: Barbara R. 360-431-1131 Jan 20 - Sat. North Head Discovery Trail (E) (B) Drive 120 miles RT. Bike out and back for 12 flat miles on well-maintained, paved path. Interesting sculptures and pathways to the beach. If the day is rainy we will hike instead. Leaders: Jackie D. 360- 430-1111, Dory N. 213-820-1014 .

Jan 24 - Wed. Lake Sacajawea (E) Walk about a 4 mile loop around the lake or walk half the lake trail. There is very little e.g.

Leader: Art M. (360) 270-9991 Jan 27 - Sat. Forest Park - Maple Loop (S) Drive 90 miles RT. Hike an 8 mile loop with 500 e.g. Explore grotto-like canyons inside Portland’s “urban wilderness.” Leader: Bruce M. (360) 425-0256.

Jan 31 - Wed. Kelso Dike (E) Drive 10 miles RT. Hike 3+ miles on gravel path with no e.g. Leader: John R. (360) 431-1122.

Feb 3 - Sat. Lake Sacajawea (E) Walk 4 miles on flat ground around the whole lake or any portion for a shorter walk. **This walk is designed for super seniors and/or people with physical limitations at a slow pace.** Leader: Susan S. (360) 430-9914 Feb 7 - Wed. Brownsmead Loop (M) Drive 70 miles RT on Hwy 30 to the rustic town of Brownsmead. Walk a 6-mile loop on paved roads with little e.g. It is believed that Brownsmead is a ghost town, so be prepared to be spooked! Leader: Bruce M. (360) 425-0256 Feb 14 - Wed. Lucia/Moulton Falls (E) Drive 100 miles RT. Hike 5.5 miles on level path with views of the river and waterfalls.

Leader: Barbara R. (360) 431-1131.

Civilized Living and giving him experiences that — one hopes — are not returnable. Maybe one of those can be teaching him the manners that his mother seems to be dreadfully lacking.

By Judith Martin, Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I live in a small town where there are many opportunities to know your neighbors’ troubles and help if you can. In the past two months, there have been two families needing help. One friend suffered an illness, and another’s family home burned to the ground.

Miss Manners therefore suggests that, when asked if you have seen the app, you respond by saying dismissively, “I did, but I already donated privately.”

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have a niece who had a baby a year ago. The mother hosted a shower, and I gave a very generous gift from her baby registry. About a month later, the gift I had given her was listed for sale on her social media page.

I helped the first friend by driving and running errands. Another friend of that family set up an app where people could sign up to donate meals. I didn’t sign up, as I was already helping in another way.

If she was not happy with the gift, I would have gladly returned it in exchange for something else. Needless to say, seeing the gift for sale left a bad taste in my mouth. I never mentioned any of this to anybody. My niece has no idea I came across my gift for sale on her page, and I’m not going to bring it up.

There will simply be no more presents.

Three friends forwarded the app to me, as they saw I hadn’t signed up: “Hey, did you get this??”

For the other family, I dropped off a gift card from the grocery store. Someone then set up a social media fundraiser, where the majority of folks chose to donate with their names listed.

Since I’m not on the list, I’m getting the same question, with the implication I haven’t helped: “Hey -- didn’t you see the app?”

Now, the baby is turning 1 and there is a birthday party planned. The invitation has a gift registry listed. I’m going to be out of town, so I will not be in attendance, nor am I inclined to give a gift of any sort.

I don’t want to feel as though I need to explain, but how do I avoid the “app shaming”?

GENTLE READER: In the current climate, the idea of not getting credit for your good deeds is unthinkable. Social media has only made it more public ­— and easier to shame those who choose not to, or who use a more discreet method for their charitable acts.

Am I overreacting by sending my regrets for the upcoming party and withholding future gifts without stating why? I hate to punish the child because of the actions of the mother.

I do plan to spend time with him as he grows up, and to give him experiences rather than gifts whenever possible.

GENTLE READER: Selling presents off of one’s very own registry is a confounding practice. She asked for it!

Trading it for cash publicly, and therefore exposing the scam, is even more unspeakably rude.

223 NE 1st Street, Kalama 9–8 M-Sat, 10–7 Sun • 360-673-2200

Miss Manners assures you that you are under no obligation to issue any more presents.

But she likes your idea of spending time with the child

IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE! Call an ad rep:

Ad Manager: Ned Piper 360-749-2632 All areas Sue Lane 360-261-0658 Downtown Longview & all areas AD DEADLINES. Feb 15 issue: Jan 25 Submission Guidelines, page 32.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: We are fortunate to have been able to build a vacation home. In our first year of owning this property, we have hosted many family members and friends, as well as invited our college-aged children to host their friends.

We have also offered the home to my sister when she was visiting her daughter, who attends college nearby.

Now an adult relative asked to use the house (without us there) for a vacation with their partner, and I’m finding myself conflicted by this request.

Building this home was a big decision for us, and we are not interested in making it a rental property. I am not keen on setting a precedent that opens the door to my sizable extended family requesting weeks they want to use our home -- but perhaps we already have by inviting our children and my sister to use it.

I wonder if there is an appropriate way to set boundaries that balance my desire to be generous with my desire to limit unattended guests to those we invite per specific circumstances.

GENTLE READER: You do not need to make excuses. It is your home and you may lend it — or not — to anyone you like. You know — as does Miss Manners, and anyone else who tries to compare the situations — that a daughter and sister are quite different from these more distant, and more brazen, relatives.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I must admit I’ve never understood etiquette’s requirement to invite people to one’s home after being invited to theirs.

When my spouse and I host, we feel that it’s our idea -- nobody asked us to make a dinner and invite the group. We enjoy cooking and spending time with everyone.

Is it not improper for hosts to expect that they will be “repaid” with invitations from their guests?

GENTLE READER: Your statement is akin to the frequently argued one that people should give presents because they really want to, and therefore responses from the recipients are unnecessary. So only selfish people feel the need for positive reactions from those they entertain or send presents.

Evidently, you do not care whether the presents were successful, or if your guests liked you enough to initiate seeing you again.

Most of us do. Miss Manners can think of hardly anyone —or even any business — not wishing, if not clamoring, for “likes” and feedback.

However, reciprocating hospitality does not necessarily involve duplicating the original scenario — what you characterize as repayment in kind.

People entertain in different ways, and an invitation to a picnic or a bistro would be full reciprocation for a formal dinner.

What is important is what it says: “We were not just looking for a free night out. We enjoyed ourselves and want to see you again.”

DEAR MISS MANNERS: We have a small galley kitchen and a small adjacent breakfast nook. When entertaining, guests congregate in both.

Their physical presence in these small spaces impedes my ability to prepare the meal, and their attempts to engage me in conversation are distracting -— often leading to me misreading a recipe or not getting something out of the oven in time.

How can I politely and firmly ask them to leave me alone while I work on meal prep?

(My wife tells me my own attempts meet the second criteria, but not the first.)

GENTLE READER: “Out! Anyone who expects to eat dinner, please assemble elsewhere. I can’t cook with all of you in here.” Followed, if necessary, by “Shoo!”

No doubt your wife expects something more gentle from Miss Manners. But if these guests are close enough friends that they feel free to wander backstage, they should understand it to be meant in a jovial fashion.

If your wife fears they will not, she should herd the guests by saying firmly, “Please come into the living room.”

And serve the drinks there.

Your Columbia River Reader Read it • Enjoy it Share it • Recycle it Columbia River Reader is printed with environmentally-sensitive soy-based inks on paper manufactured in the Pacific Northwest utilizing the highest percentage of “post-consumer waste” recycled content available on the market.

••• Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

January 15, 2024 / Columbia River Reader / 7

OUT•AND•ABOUT

Clamming at the Coast

Seagulls, sand, and a promise of chowder Story by Brian Fleming • Photos by Stephen Tack

R

ecently the tide, weather and presence of daylight held together long enough for my son Harold and me, along with our friends Stephen and Brooke, to head to Ocean Park on Washington’s Long Beach Peninsula in hopes that we might obtain our limit of Pacific razor clams.

As a father of teenagers, I find it a constant struggle to come up with activities that are engaging both for them and for me. Clamming, though, is one of those rare instances where our interests converge.

Pulling onto the beach approach in my trusty VW van, I felt a familiar and welcome nostalgia, which brought a smile to my face and a warmth to my heart. I have had the privilege of being out on this beach with three generations of my family, senior to me.

We unloaded and put on our boots, chest waders and clam bags, grabbed our clam guns and headed towards the surf. The sun was low in the horizon, but we had about 30 minutes before it would set. It was less than a -1.0 tide, the clams were showing well in the sand. They were pretty small on average, and we all managed to get our limits.

This is Harold’s happy place; few things does he look forward to as he does clam digging.

After we all returned to the van from the surf, I handed him a five-gallon bucket. He paused.

I was expecting to see him roll his eyes, but he refrained, took the bucket and headed to the surf to fill it halfway with sea water.

We stopped at Jack’s Country Store upon our departure from Ocean Park to load up on the necessary rations needed to survive the hour and fortyminute drive back to Longview . You know, the basics: cocktail shrimp out of the cold case, smoked oysters, and, of course, gummy bears. Back home, we parted ways with our friends, with the promise that I would have them over soon for chowder.

That night I left the clams in the bucket of water Harold had fetched from the surf. If the 8 / Columbia River Reader / January 15, 2024

clams remain in sea water overnight, they will purge most of the sand out of themselves, easing in the cleaning and keeping them alive until the next day when I would have enough energy to clean them.

For cooking, I like to take the clam meat and dip it in an egg wash and then cover them in finely-ground Ritz cracker, finally frying them in a cast iron pan with about a quarter- inch of hot coconut oil, flipping once, browning both sides.

I highly recommend this amazing fall, winter and spring activity.

Children under 15 can dig for free but those older are required to buy at minimum a state razor clamming license. Razor clamming can be dangerous, some have even lost their lives in the pursuit, so please do your homework and watch the conditions before going out.

More information is available on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife website on razor clamming, including the current season information and open beaches.

And, in a future column, I may give the basics of cleaning clams... but for sure, I’ll share my recipe and a report on how the clam chowder turned out.

••• Brian Fleming is a Longview businessman and floatplane pilot. Father of three children, he enjoys taking his kids on regional adventures and will write occasional “Out and About with Kids” features.

Internal Medicine & Preventive Care SCOT T B. KIRKPATRICK, md, abim

Scott Kirkpatrick, MD and Christie Kirkpatrick Schmutz, MD, now both seeing patients part-time in-person and online

CAN YOU DIG IT? Tentative scheduled clamming opportunities at Long Beach, Washington Jan. 23, Tues, 5:13 p.m.; -0.3 feet Jan. 24, Wed, 5:53 p.m.; -0.4 feet Jan. 25, Thurs, 6:28 p.m.; -0.4 feet Jan. 26, Fri, 7:01 p.m.; -0.2 feet Jan. 27, Sat, 7:32 p.m.; 0.0 feet Feb. 7, Wed, 4:41 p.m.; -0.7 feet Feb. 8, Thurs, 5:26 p.m.; -1.2 feet Feb. 9, Fri, 6:09 p.m.; -1.4 feet Feb. 10, Sat, 6:49 p.m.; -1.4 feet Feb. 11, Sun, 7:29 p.m.; -1.0 feet Feb. 12, Mon, 8:08 p.m.; -0.3 feet Feb. 21, Wed, 4:56 p.m.; 0.2 feet Feb. 22, Thurs, 5:33 p.m.; 0.1 feet Feb. 23, Fri, 6:05 p.m.; 0.1 feet Feb. 24, Sat, 6:34 p.m.; 0.2 feet Feb. 25, Sun, 7:02 p.m.; 0.4 feet

CHRISTIE KIRKPATRICK SCHMUTZ, md

On all open beaches, the daily limit is 15 clams per person. Each digger’s clams must be kept in a separate container, and all diggers must keep the first 15 clams they dig, regardless of size or condition, to prevent waste.

All diggers 15 or older must have an applicable fishing license to harvest razor clams on any beach. Licenses may be purchased from WDFW’s licensing website, and from hundreds of license vendors around the state. WDFW recommends buying your license before visiting coastal beach communities.

Richard A. Kirkpatrick M.D., FACP

Rachel Roylance BS, MPAP, PA-C

Dr. Toddrick Tookes DPM, Podiatrist

Telemedicine Visits Available Nicholas Austin MSPAS, PA-C

Gordon Hendrickson, PA-C

WE ACCEPT MOST INSURANCE PLANS REGULAR CLINIC HOURS

More info: Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife website wdfw.wa.gov Alex Nielson M.D., ABFM

Vlad Bogin

M.D., FACP

Mon-Fri 8am–6pm Sat 9am–1pm Sun 12-4pm

360-423-9580

www.kirkpatrickfamilycare.com

Kirkpatrick Foot & Ankle • American Board of Podiatric Surgery • Diabetic Foot Care • Ingrown Toenails

• Heel & Arch Pain • Foot Surgery • Fungal Conditions • Wound Care

• U.S. Navy Veteran

360-575-9161 Dr. Toddrick Tookes DPM, Podiatrist

January 15, 2024 / Columbia River Reader / 9

This holiday season, our downtown was rife with examples of what it means to support locals, and I got a first-row seat to see how local ties can drastically impact businesses.

I was working with Paige Espinoza on her new website and was lucky enough to spend time getting to know her. From the house-made croutons to the Ruben sandwich you can crave for days, it wasn’t l o n g THE b e fo re I ROAMING realized DOWNTOWNER that the food she serves is just as nurturing as the hugs and words she dishes out alongside them. She’s been a lifelong member of this community, and even days after her birthday, you can still hear customers shouting “Happy Birthday” from their booths. To be in the Country Folks Deli is to be in the heart of the community.

With so much competition in jewelry, it’s great to see how many people are compelled by an ad about one of our downtown businesses.

Ram Jewelers hosted May the their annual holiday sale this year and powers reported it as their biggest ever, giving of Local all of the credit to local relationships. compel Be it the local creative you! firm, Carter Venture Solutions, the local radio stations, KLOG KUKN and The Blitz, or the local clientele that stuffed the shop those three days, it’s the relationships Josh and Nicole Lamb have built over their years in business and giving back to their community that made,, ultimately, their campaign so successful.

All from a little local shopping.

••• As president of Longview Downtowners, Josh Carter invites various members to “ghost write” The Roaming Downtowner monthly column. A 501c(3) non-profit, membership-based business and community association, the Downtowners are dedicated to the promotion, preservation, and development of Downtown Longview. Initiatives include revitalization through beautification, tourism, event creation, business assistance, and investment recruitment. For more info, visit downtownlongview.com 10 / Columbia River Reader / January 15, 2024

We’re family owned, locally owned & here to stay

Kiss 2023 goodbye!

DOWNTOWN EATERIES Details, Dining Guide, page 30

Authorized See ad,Lazboy page Dealer 23

1413 Commerce Ave. Longview 360-575-9804 MON - SAT 10 - 5

www.elamshf.com

Let’s update your makeup!

LINDA KELLER at Pretty Please Text or Call 360-749-PINK (7645) to schedule your free consultation

1311 Hudson Street • Longview

EXPLORE

Longview Outdoor Gallery Unique sculptures along the sidewalks of Downtown Longview, both sides of Commerce Ave.

Teri’s Café on Broadway

The Broadway Gallery See ad, page 32, 34

Columbia River Reader

BOOK BOUTIQUE

Gift Books Lewis & Clark, Longview’s Centennial, Columbia River

poetry, art, history, see pg 2

Gift Subscriptions for yourself or a friend!

Mon-Wed-Fri • 11am–3pm Other times by chance or appointment 1333 14th Ave, Longview Free local delivery of books

360-749-1021

ADVERTISE WITH US!

30-day shelf life Reasonable rates People actually read it It’s LOCAL! Not everyone lives and dies on Facebook For info call Ned Piper 360-749-2632 Sue Lane-Koontz 360-261-0658

Astronomy

SKY REPORT

Looking UP Jan 17 – Feb 18th, 2024

All times are Pacific Standard Time Moon Phases:

By Greg Smith The Evening Sky (a clear sky is needed.)

Jupiter is high in the Southern sky by 7PM. On the 18th of January the half Moon will be next to Jupiter having a grand display (called a conjunction) in the early night sky. Saturn is in the southwestern sky at the same time. The bright constellation of Orion is fully visible with its star nursery M42.

The Morning Sky

A cloudless eastern horizon sky required The first week of February. Venus rises around 5 in the morning, while Mercury rises around 6am.

Night Sky Spectacle

A cloud- free morning is a must A beautiful star cluster known as the Beehive Cluster (M44) is rising in the east located in the constellation of Cancer the Crab. It is called the beehive due to it looking like a swarm of bees. Located

New: Thurs., Jan 11 1st Quarter: Fri., Jan 19 Full: Fri., Jan 26 Last Quarter: Sun, Feb 3 New: Sat., Feb 10 End of twilight - when the brightest stars start to come out. It takes about another hour to see a lot of stars.:

Wed., Jan 17th, 5:28pm Sat., Jan 27th, 5:41pm Wed., Feb 7th, 5:56pm Wed., Feb 21, 6:16pm

between the constellations of Gemini and Leo it is a somewhat faint Constellation.

By sweeping your binoculars between these two constellations, you will find this swarm of stars. It is an open cluster, meaning that it is not a tight ball of stars but just a group of stars spread out over an area larger than a tight ball. This open cluster will be visible during the winter months.

This month I will diverge from the normal astronomical revelations. This month I want to focus on an earthly phenomenon. This is about how water drains in your sink. Here in the Northern Hemisphere it seems to swirl in a clockwise direction. Some of you may have heard that in the Southern Hemisphere it swirls in a counterclockwise direction. This is supposedly due to what is known as the Coriolis Effect. This is due to the Earth rotation giving a spin to air and water.

But the problem lies in the size needed to get this Coriolis effect. It works on hurricanes and ocean currents because long periods of time and large areas of geography are needed. Your sink is way to small for this swirling effect to manifest and a small sink drains way too fast.

A drain will drain clockwise in the southern hemisphere just as it does here in the north. How do I know this? I have spent time in southern Brazil and watched my sink drain clockwise. The shape of the sink has more effect on how the water drains than the Coriolis effect does. If you swirl your finger in your drain at home counterclockwise you can make the water in your sink drain backwards and it will continue to drain till all the water is out. It won’t stop mid-drain and go the other way. This belief is one of many myths of what is called bad astronomy.

Get the books Bad Astronomy and if you can find it, Bad Science, by astronomer Dr. Philip Plait and read about the common cultural beliefs that are not true.

There is lot of bad science and bad astronomy out there, passed on by people and con artists.

•••

Call before you go !

Guide your children’s success with a Living Trust.

A Myth of Bad Astronomy

“I make house calls”

THE LAW OFFICE OF

Vincent L. (Vince) Penta, P.S. 1561 11th Ave. Longview

360-423-7175

Longview resident Greg Smith is past president of Friends of Galileo. Meet him and other club members at monthly meetings in Longview. For more info about FOG, visit friendsofgalileo.com.

ME AND MY

PIANO* *or other instrument

“Me & My Piano” Reader Submissions INVITED! Share your unique story of you and your relationship with a musical instrument in 500 words or less and mail to CRR, 1333 14th Ave., Longview, WA 98632, or email to publisher@crreader.com. Note “Me and My Piano” in the subject line

and if possible attach/include a current mugshot and/or a photo of you with your instrument, then or now.

Don’t worry about perfect spelling or syntax. If your story is chosen, we will provide editing services and will contact you for additional details or embellishments as needed.

January 15, 2024 / Columbia River Reader / 11

12 / Columbia River Reader / January 15, 2024

Biz Buzz What’s Happening Around the River Biz Buzz notes news in local business and professional circles. As space allows, we will include news of innovations, improvements, new ventures and significant employee milestones of interest to readers. Please email publisher@crreader.com to share the local buzz.

Movie-themed party honors retiring LCC president Chris Bailey Retiring President Chris Bailey was celebrated at a moviethemed party at Lower Columbia College’s Rose Center on Jan. 2.

Bailey served 12 year s as LCC’s 12th president. His immediate predecessors James McLaughlin and Vernon P. “Pete” Pickett joined the many other well-wishers.

Bailey, 63, who moved to Longview for the job, recalled his early days. “I was stunned by the amount of volunteers in this community.” And referring to a component of the audience, he said “We have an amazing culture and group of employees here. You all make me proud.”

Applicants to fill Bailey’s position numbered 83, partly due to LCC’s reputation. “The Washington State (community college) system is one of the best in the U.S,” he noted.

Financial strategies built just for you.

Nick Lemiere CFP® 1332 Vandercook Way Longview, WA 98632 360-425-0037

Member SIPC

Murdock Trust gives Three Rivers Christian School $500,000 Three Rivers Christian School recently announced a major milestone in the school’s history, with the receipt of a $500,000 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. This grant will be instrumental in advancing the ongoing renovations of the middle/high school campus located at Beacon Hill in Longview.

“We are deeply honored and grateful for the support from the Murdock Trust,” said Dr. Erin Hart, the school’s superintendent. “ This grant will enable us to accelerate the renovation process at Beacon Hill, fostering a space that empowers our students to grow academically, spiritually, and socially.”

The renovations will be part of a $1 million remodel phase and include upgrading classrooms and facilities to provide more efficient HVAC, plumbing, and lighting systems to reduce environmental impact of facilities; redevelopment of existing classrooms into project-based learning labs for STEA2M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Agriculture, and Math), Library and Café upgrade; and further development of the library space and entrepreneurial café space for student learning.

“The impact of this grant extends far beyond the walls of our school. It will positively influence our students’ lives and shape their futures, as well as benefit the wider community., said Director of Development Julie Rinard in a press release. For more info, contact her at 360423-4510 or jrinard@3riversschool.net.

Three Rivers Christian School is a PreK-12 private school which strives to prepare students for a life of purpose and service by fostering academic excellence within an authentically Christian framework.

The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust is a private foundation established by the late Melvin J. (Jack) Murdock in 1975. The Trust’s mission is to enrich the quality of life in the Pacific Northwest by providing grants and enrichment programs to organizations that strengthen the region’s educational, cultural, and spiritual base in creative and sustainable ways.

Senator Patty Murray tours Port of Kalama’s just-opened Mountain Timber Market

Senator Murray tours Port of Kalama’s new Mountain Timber Market, talks with local leaders KALAMA, WA – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, toured the new Mountain Timber Market at the Port of Kalama on Jan. 3rd and heard from local leaders about the Port’s economic development initiatives.

“The Port of Kalama has really created something special with the Mountain Timber Market on the waterfront — this is such an incredible space for small businesses to reach new customers and for people to come together, shop small, and enjoy something to eat,” said Senator Murray. “I have been a big supporter of the Port for many years, and I will stay in close touch with them to ensure their needs are heard and acted on in the other Washington. I already know the Mountain Timber

Market is going to be a boon to the economy and the tourism industry here in Kalama — it’s great to experience it firsthand today and I’m excited to see what the future holds.”

“My fellow Commissioners and I — along with our staff — were thrilled to welcome Senator Murray back to Kalama,” said Port Commissioner Randy Sweet. “The Port of Kalama’s recreational waterfront has undergone a remarkable redevelopment since her last visit, and we were delighted to show the Senator the many ways the Port has contributed to our community, and to our state and national economy.”

The roughly 33,000-square-foot Mountain Timber Market — a twostory multi-use market that serves as a destination for shopping, dining, cont page 21

Pioneer Lions Celebrate 100 Years Every 50 years the Longview Pioneer Lions are lucky enough to have an International President as a keynote speaker. At an event held at the Cowlitz County Event Center on November 30, 2023, more than 230 Lions and guests from throughout the Northwest heard the importance of a “Strong, Vibrant Lions Club” in every community, from Dr. Patti Hill, the 2023–2024 President of Lions Clubs International.

Receiving Presidential Certificates of Appreciation, which is the 4th highest award in Lions, were Patrick Palmer, Cindy Sessions, Greg Firth, Mark Koelsch, Anne Camarda, and Darlene Mongeon for their incredible service to the Club and community.

The Pioneer Lions are most noted for Christmas lights on Lions Island and their Yellow Chuckwagon at many community events. They serve throughout the area in many activities: reading, road cleanup, vision screening, park cleanup and much more. Anyone can visit a meeting held every Tuesday at noon at the Longview Eagles on 12th Avenue. We have a program that might interest you.

– Submitted by Hal Palmer.

January 15, 2024 / Columbia River Reader / 13

Where do you read

THE READER?

Nothing rotten here!

Kit and Ann Wenrick, of Kelso,Wash., in Nanortalik,Greenland. Greenland is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.

On Safari The concert John might have given Drew Harrison, following his show “Love is the Answer,” the music of John Lennon, at Longview’s Columbia Theatre in November.

Gary Herold and Aloma Thomas from Longview, Wash., reading the Reader in Grahamstown, South Africa, on safari.

WHERE DO YOU READ THE READER? Send your photo reading the Reader (highresolution JPEG) to publisher@crreader.com.

For cell phone photos, choose the largest file size up to 2 MB. Include names and cities of residence. Expect an acknowledgment within 5 days of submission; otherwise, please re-send.

Thank you for your participation and patience, as we usually have a small backlog!

In the City o Lights Bob Goldberg and his wife Nancy Stevens of Astoria, Oregon recently traveled to Paris to visit with friends and see the sights, including the Arc de Triomphe. They picked up CRR at the Kelso Amtrak station on their way to SeaTac.

First trip to the UK Castle Rock resident Stephanie Worth (right) with her friend, Sandy Caines, of Vancouver, Wash., at Edinburgh Castle. The two were on a trip to visit Stephanie’s family in England, with a stay in Edinburgh Scotland, It was Sandy’s first trip to UK.

At the elephants’ ‘safari shower’ John Kenagy of Longview, Wash., lounging with the Reader in the Madikwe Game Reserve in South Africa.

14 / Columbia River Reader / January 15, 2024

Local Culture

MUSEUM MAGIC

Reaching Out The Multiplier of Reciprocal Relationships Story and photos by Joseph Govednik, Cowlitz County Historical Museum Director

V

isiting a museum is the perfect way to spend a rainy winter day. Over the years Museum Magic has highlighted many options to visit within the Columbia River Reader distribution area. This month, I’d like to share with our readers an opportunity to visit some great regional museums for free through our public libraries, or nationally through a sustaining membership with the Cowlitz County Historical Society.

Your Kelso or Longview Public Library card grants holders access to immense resources in literature, information, and media. Did you know the Kelso and Longview Libraries have guest passes to the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, Oregon that may be checked out? If you have a hankering for visiting cultural attractions in greater Portland, the Longview Library has passes available to the Oregon Historical Society, and through its reciprocation, select museums and attractions each

Libraries are part of the essential public benefit, cultural enrichment, and increased quality of life for our community.

Raymond/ South Bend

Oysterville •

To: Centralia, Olympia Mt. Rainier Yakima (north, then east) Tacoma/Seattle

Warrenton • Astoria

101

Seaside

Pacific Ocean

Cathlamet 4

Vernonia

Oregon

• Kelso-Longview Chamber of Commerce Kelso Visitor Center I-5 Exit 39 105 Minor Road, Kelso • 360-577-8058

• Castle Rock Visitor Center Exit 49, west side of I-5, 890 Huntington Ave. N. Open M-F 11–3.

Longview

Ape Cave •

Kelso

Clatskanie

Birkenfeld

FREE Maps • Brochures Directions • Information

• Wahkiakum Chamber 102 Main St, Mount St. Helens Cathlamet • 360-795-9996

Skamokawa

WestportPuget Island FERRYk

Columbia River

VISITOR CENTERS

• Woodland Tourist Center I-5 Exit 21 Park & Ride lot, 900 Goerig St., 360-225-9552

504

Castle Rock

Naselle

Grays • River Chinook

101

Another option to expand your reach in visiting cultural attractions is through a sustaining level membership at the Cowlitz County Historical Museum (CCHM).

Washington

Vader

•

month in Greater Portland. These passes are limited and available on a checkedout basis. If someone has checked out the pass, you may get on a waiting list, just like checking out a book.

cont page 21

Ocean Park • Long Beach Ilwaco

Erik Moser, Kelso Public Library’s director shows off passes.

Kalama

Rainier

Woodland

Columbia City

• Ridgefield

Scappoose•

To: Salem Silverton Eugene Ashland

503

Sauvie Island

Portland

for

Points o mation f In Recre terest Special ation Dinin Events Arts & Eg ~ Lodging ntertain ment

• Pacific County Museum & Visitor Center Hwy 101, South Bend, WA 360-875-5224 • Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau 3914 Pacific Way (corner Hwy 101/Hwy 103) Long Beach, WA. 360-642-2400 • 800-451-2542 • South Columbia County Chamber Columbia Blvd/Hwy 30, St. Helens, OR • 503-397-0685 • Seaside, OR 989 Broadway, 503-738-3097; 888-306-2326

•Yacolt

St Helens

NW lius Corne oad Pass R

Cougar •

Local in

• Naselle, WA Appelo Archives Center 1056 SR 4, Naselle, WA. 360-484-7103.

• Astoria-Warrenton Chamber/Ore Welcome Ctr 111 W. Marine Dr., Astoria 503-325-6311 or 800-875-6807

Skamania Lodge

Vancouver Col. Gorge Interp.Ctr as m a C • Bonneville Dam 12 Crown Troutdale Point

son Steven Cascade Locks Bridge of the Gods

Hood River

Goldendale Maryhill Museum

The Dalles

To: Walla Walla Kennewick, WA Lewiston, ID

Map suggests only approximate positions and relative distances. Consult a real map for more precise details.

We are not cartographers.

January 15, 2024 / Columbia River Reader / 15

Books on the Move

Library goes mobile

By Hal Calbom

New bookmobile to spread good words community-wide “We’ve heard so many bookmobile stories!” said Jane Ditewig, of the Longview Library Foundation. “People remember a bookmobile in their lives, or in the lives of their parents and families.”

Welcome, Longview Mobile Library!

This year the community begins an outreach tradition of its own: Come fall of 2024 our venerable Longview Public Library goes on the road in its very own bookmobile, or Mobile Library, as it’s formally dubbed.

The project objective is to benefit the under-ser ved in Longview and the surrounding rural library district by increasing public access to library materials and ser vices. It will also help market and boost existing programs among the Library’s many constituencies: neighborhoods, daycare and senior centers, veterans’ locations, Head Start facilities, parks and parking lots, playgrounds, festivals, schools, and more. Patrons will have access

people+ place Celebrating life in the Columbia River region, supporting local journalism, and spotlighting community causes Thanks to our sponsors: Weatherguard • Cutright Supply • NORPAC The Evans Kelly Family • Joe Fischer • Cowlitz PUD For information about becoming a sponsor, please contact publisher@crreader.com or call 360-749-1021.

Typical bookmobile interior shown on Longview Library Foundtion website.

longviewlibraryfoundation.org

Seventeen feet long, custom-built in Ohio for some $325,000, equipped with removable book cubicles, wheelchair accessibility, and user-friendly driving, the bookmobile will be owned by the city but entirely financed by the Longview Library Foundation.

The city will pay only annual costs for maintenance, fuel, and insurance.

“This idea came directly from the library staff, who brought us the proposal in 2021,” said the Foundation’s Ditewig, “They listened to customer inputs, and feedback across the community. There’s a real need for the library to share its resources as broadly as we can.”

to books, DVDs, wi-fi, computers, reading programs, story time, and other Library-sponsored events.

“Think about the impact on early education,” said Ditewig. “Head Start is terribly stressed for teachers and materials; day cares and pre-schools are eager for early childhood education. It’s a perfect chance to partner and share resources.”

According to Ditewig, the outpouring of community interest and response has been resoundingly positive and gratifying. Fundraising is currently at about 90 percent of the amount needed. Pledges of $125,000 from the cont page 22

16 / Columbia River Reader / January 15, 2024

“The Diner”

painting16x20 inches acrylic paint on canvas

by Joe Fischer

Longview is Alive with Art!

JOE FISCHER

A monthly feature written and photographed

by Southwest Washington native and Emmy Award-winning journalist

people+ place

Hal Calbom

Production Notes Arts in Residence: What a Century!

We frontier people have always been mad for culture. Maybe because we still carry some mud on our boots, or envy the civilized eastern trappings we’ve left behind, or simply want to grow sophisticated faster.

Scene Maker: Jazz legend Alan Cook lays down the beat

T

he drummer usually arrives first. His instrument is actually a set of instruments, known collectively as a drum kit — some assembly required.

When I meet Alan Cook, two hours before his gig, I gingerly step over the myriad parts of that kit. Spread out across the floor in front of us — neatly and methodically — are drums, stands, pedals, sticks and brushes, a stool to command from, various boxes and cases, and sheaves of music.

“I have three kits,” he told me. “This is the most basic: snare drum, tom toms, bass drum, ride cymbal, crash cymbal, high hat. It usually takes me about an hour to put it all together.”

Our region’s old photographs reveal endless celebrations, performances, events. Crowds watching something at the drop of a hat. Sports seem as much performance as recreation. Traveling troupes and amateur theatricals are in great demand, all to slake the hunger for what writer Wallace Stegner called “the graces of imported civilization.”

Despite being creative director of the “Thursday is the New Friday” jazz series at Roland Wines, he’s still his own roadie. His SUV is parked out front, and he repeats a trip to and from the stage he’s probably made a thousand times.

It took a reminder from our feature subject, jazz drummer Alan Cook, and my recollections of last year’s experiences writing about Longview’s history to underscore both our cultural yearnings and our accomplishments.

THURSDAYS ARE THE NEW FRIDAYS

“Marc and I started this Thursday series mainly for our own enjoyment,” he said, referencing Roland Wines owner Marc Roland, “Then people started showing up regularly. We still do it for the love of the music, but we’re turning people on to good jazz, too.”

Rhythm In Mind

Alan Cook was born in Scotland, raised in Toronto, and learned his chops in southern California growing up in Orange County, where his dad worked

cont page 18

Great Venues This area abounds with performance spaces, from church sanctuaries to school auditoriums to the two crown jewels: the Columbia Theatre and LCC’s Rose Center.

Great Artists In the last six months I’ve profiled two world class performers, Jim Messina and Mark O’Connor, prior to their gigs here. Pianist Grant Mack and the Lower Columbia College Symphonic Band knocked my socks off with a Grieg concerto this fall.

Great Community From theater troupes to gallery collectives, craftspeople to clubs and lifelong learners, people volunteer their time and talents for themselves and their community: Friends of Galileo, Longview Outdoor Gallery, Broadway Gallery, and the Minthorn Collection at LCC, have all appeared in the pages of the Reader this past year.

Great Events From drone shows to the ’23 Club dinner, what a year for in-person events, culminated with the ultimate DIY, CRR’s own gala, “From Page to Stage,” honoring Longview’s Centennial.

We may still have mud on our boots, but our eyes are on the stars!

•••

January 15, 2024 / Columbia River Reader / 17

from page 17

in the aerospace industry as a technical writer. A soft-spoken and dapper man, Cook is in his early 70s and he’s played jazz — “I’ve always had rhythms going through my mind” — virtually his entire life.

“When my wife and I were looking online to move from LA in 2015, it was important to be close to a vibrant jazz scene and have as many playing opportunities as possible,” he said. On one visit north to check out a rental property in Cathlamet, they passed

by Lake Sacajawea and marveled at the drive out Ocean Beach Highway near the Columbia River.

“Alan Cook was a legend in the LA jazz scene.”

-- Marc Roland

“The small town feel and the beauty of Longview left an impression on us,” he said, “The immediacy and beauty of the natural environment hereabouts thrill us to no end. Two words for certain: Bald Eagles!” Forty-five minute drives to Portland’s vibrant jazz hub seemed hardly a bother for a Southern Californian used to 90- minute commutes, and he was surprised, especially at the local arts scene: “The cultural life of Longview is also rich and diverse, not apparent perhaps at first sight but inescapable once you’ve experienced it over time.”

Scene Makers

“Alan’s been a big draw,” said Marc Roland. “He’s brought some amazing players here from around the region.” Roland admits jazz can “still be a hard slog” for audiences used to soft rock and juke box tunes, but is encouraged by the overall response to “Thursdays are the New Fridays.”

“People like the intimacy of our venue, the pizza and the wine. And Alan is a great evangelist for jazz — he was a legend in the LA Jazz scene.”

As six o’clock approaches (the Thursday sessions run 6 to 8pm) Roland’s fills with an enthusiastic crowd ordering food and wine, while Alan welcomes the two other musicians joining him for

tonight’s gig, a trio playing as Mother Tongue: Portland-based Dillon Nadler on Stratocaster guitar and Eden Holland on upright acoustic bass. “Mother Tongue,” said Alan, “references the thought that music is the common mother tongue for all mankind.”

Iconoclasm

Jazz players are notorious iconoclasts — constantly tearing down and reassembling tunes, forms, and formats. Tonight the music feels free-form but is charted and scripted. The trio commands the crowd’s attention but leaves room — and sonic space — for their conversations and camaraderie.

The audience is respectful without being reverential and the two hours pass quickly. As a listener, I’m struck by the contradictions embodied in jazz, its discipline and freedom integrated. cont page 19

“

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Jazz players are notoriously hip, as well, and employ a language all their own. Unlike the raucous bashers we grew up with in rock — John Bonham, Keith Moon, Ginger Baker — Cook produces a vast range of tones, dynamics, effects.

“I view my instrument, my percussive array, as a palette with infinite subtlety in regard to color, response, dynamics, voice, chameleon-like sonic possibilities,” he said. “That’s what I love about my instrument and it continues to inspire me to plumb all aspects of it.”

“Jazz draws on every other type of music,” added Marc Roland, “blues and folk and pop. When I met Alan and some of the guys he brought to town, I said, ‘Well, why not?’ Jazz is the American classical music.”

Alan’s extensive network — and jazz is all about networks of players, composers and arrangers, venue and club owners, concert promoters, recording industry veterans — has uncovered a rich trove of musicians with regional roots. His musical brother-in-arms, Brad Dutz, even moved here 18 months after Alan and his wife, Nancy.

ICONOCLASM: REJECTING CHERISHED BELIEFS AND INSTITUTIONS OR VALUES AND PRACTICES

And evidence suggests jazz is alive and well at the formative level, too. High school jazz bands are more and more popular, and competitions such as the Essentially Ellington Festival in New York City regularly feature talented troupes from the Pacific Northwest.

“We’re going to keep at it,” said Marc Roland. “Alan isn’t just our creative director, he’s our spirit and inspiration, too.

Come out and join us Thursday nights! Check the website for who’s playing.”

Afterglow

I suspect the drummer is usually the last to leave, too.

Alan brings attentiveness and interpretive spirit to the rest of his life, too, it seems, not just the moments hovered over a tom, punctuating a passage or knitting together recurring themes.

After the gig, the musicians get pizza, and eagerly interact with their audience. “I know I like nothing better than sharing my love for and knowledge of the music with anyone showing interest in it,” he said. “My door is always open in that respect.” cont page 20

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COOKING WITH MR. COOK For those new to jazz, Alan suggests three classics as introduction

from page 19

Meanwhile, of course, he’s methodically disassembling the kit, as careful buffing the pieces and settling them into their niches now as he was getting the eighth-notes right in performance.

With his waist-length white hair neatly tied behind, and his gentle manners, Alan Cook emits a zenlike and humble vibe, in awe of his own craft and the privilege of pursuing it, and sharing it.

All the Things You Are

Written by Kern and Hammerstein for the musical “Very Warm for May” in 1939. I think this has been played, reformed, re-imagined as much as any song in the jazz lexicon.

My Favorite Things

Illustrates how source material can be formed and refined in the hands of giants. Most of us are familiar with Julie Andrews and “The Sound of Music.” The great John Coltrane did a 14-minute variation in 1960 that set a new standard and pioneered modal playing.

Just You, Just Me

Like many jazz standards, from an earlier musical called “Marianne’”from 1929. Again, transformed and interpreted by dozens of artists. Thelonious Monk’s transformation and distillation of it into his famous composition “Evidence” bears special highlighting.

“JAZZ IS THE AMERICAN CLASSICAL MUSIC”

Marc Roland with Alan Cook. For more info: rolandwines.com

The patrons and other musicians continue to filter out. Alan gives host and partner Marc Roland a parting embrace, then continues the load-up and pack-out.

He’s likely to be first on the scene again next Thursday night.

•••

Hal Calbom, author of Empire of Trees, produces CRR’s People+Place monthly feature, and is CRRPress associate publisher. A Longview native, he now lives in Seattle but returns regularly to Longview to work

Thank You, Paul Bricknell for all you do in the Cowlitz Chaplaincy program...we love and appreciate you!

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Proud Sponsor of Proud Sponsor of People+Place 20 / Columbia River Reader / January 15, 2024

“Jazz is a living breathing life force that cannot be captured or delineated sufficiently in words,” he tells me, on parting, “but I — we — keep trying.”

People+Place

Sen. Patty Murray from page 13

and community events, and serves as a small business incubator — opened in November and includes about a dozen businesses so far. The Association of Washington Business recognized the Port of Kalama in November for their vision and work opening the Mountain Timber Market; the Port was one of ten businesses recognized for growing the local and state economy with recent projects.

Ports are the backbone of Washington’s economy, and Senator Murray has been a longtime champion to ensure their competitiveness. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Senator Murray helped pass invests more than $17 billion in port infrastructure and water ways with the primar y aim of addressing needed repairs and maintenance backlogs, reducing congestion to strengthen our supply chains and remove bottlenecks to expedite commerce, cutting emissions near ports by boosting electrification,

and investing in other low-carbon technologies to reduce environmental impacts on neighboring communities.

In particular, the law designates $450 million annually for five years for the Port Infrastructure Development Program. This will allow significant improvements to port facilities and projects that include: loading and unloading of goods at a port; movement of goods into, out of, around, or within a port; resilience projects addressing rising sea-level, flooding, extreme weather events, and natural disasters; and environmental and emissions mitigation measures.

The 2020 Water Development Resources Act includes changes secured by Murray to the Harbor Maintenance Tax and Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. These changes will provide billions of dollars each year to invest in and enhance the global competitiveness of ports in Washington state and across the country.

North Coast Symphonic Band travels “Over the Pond and Back” at Feb. 4 concert The North Coast Symphonic Band, conducted by Terry Dahlgren of Warrenton, Oregon, presents a concert of British and American music at 2pm, Sunday, Feb. 4, at the Liberty Theatre in Astoria, Oregon.

“Over the Pond and Back” is a musical journey over the Atlantic Ocean to Britain, featuring music from Vaughn Williams to the Beatles. The return trip features a tapestry of Americana, from “Shenandoah” to “New York, New York.” Fiskare String Quintet will perform prelude music starting at 1:30pm. NCSB Board President Brian Bergman will be the concert’s emcee.

Regular admission is $15. High school students are admitted free; middle school students and younger are free with a paying adult. Advance tickets can Conductor Terry Dahlgren be purchased at the Liberty Theatre Box Office from 2–5:30pm, Wednesdays through Saturdays or online at www.libertyastoria. showare.com. Tickets will also be available at the door starting at noon the day of the concert. The Liberty is located on the corner of 12th and Commercial streets in Astoria, Oregon.

For more information on the North Coast Symphonic Band’s 44th season, visit www. northcoastsymphonicband.org, e-mail cablebri@charter.net, or call 503-298-1087.

••• From a press release submitted by Dan Polacek, Port of Kalama Legislative/Public Relations Administrator.

Museum Magic from page 15

This level of membership provides access to partnering museums of the North American Reciprocal Museum Association (NARM). Each affiliate member of NARM (the CCHM is an affiliate) grants membership privileges to each other.

NARM benefits are accessed through membership of affiliate organizations and provide access to more than 1,300 museums in 6 countries. For example, your sustaining membership at the CCHM would grant you membership privileges such as free admission and gift shop discounts at America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, or the Palm Springs Art Museum in California. Please check out the following websites for details, information, and restrictions to the free museum passes and NARM benefits and member organizations.

The North Coast Symphonic Band.

Kelso Public Library https://www.kelso.gov/library Longview Public Library http://www.longviewlibrary.org/ Cowlitz County Historical Museum https://cowlitzcountyhistory.org/membership/ North American Reciprocal Museum Association https://narmassociation.org/how-it-works/ Questions? Contact Joseph Govednik, Cowlitz County Historical Museum, 360-577-3119.

••• On my way to the Museum... later, strike up the band!

Fiskare String Quartet will perfrom prelude music.

January 15, 2024 / Columbia River Reader / 21

Bookmobile from page 16 Foundation, $50,000 from the Rural Library District and $5,000 from Friends of the Longview Library for seed money. Contributions continue to come in, including those from Altrusa (the first and largest service group donation), the Ben B. Cheney

Foundation, the Rose Foundation, the Wollenberg Foundation matching grant, proceeds from Art Speaks Volumes and Give More 24, several large personal donations and lots of dollar bills and coins collected at events such as Squirrel Fest.

“There are so many “when I was a kid” stories about the impact bookmobiles

have had in communities, including Longview,” Ditewig said. In bringing the Library out in the community, Foundation and staff aim to help improve low scores for kindergarten readiness and impact Longview’s belowstate-average scores on the English Language Assessment for grade schools exam.

Despite the Library’s status as one of Longview’s most historical and impactful bequests from its founder, usage isn’t what it might be. Of more than 54,000 eligible patrons (37,000 in the city limits, 16,000 outside plus schools), in 2021 only 7,816 were active cardholders. Patrons in unde-rserved areas will have the opportunity to obtain a library card aboard the Mobile Library as well as learn about more than 250,000 free items including ebooks, downloadable audio materials, and programs available to them.

Updates and donation information about becoming “part of the story” can be found on the Longview Library Foundation website: www. longviewlibraryfoundation.org •••

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Color your new year GREEN

Tips for adding a green tint to your life

WELCOME BACK, NANCY! 2024 is Nancy Chennault’s 50th year pursuing her horticultural endeavors.

She’s grateful to be continuing, even in retirement, to grow beauty as a member of “Castle Rock Blooms’” team of volunteers.

She and her husband Jim operated a landscaping business and independent nursery/garden center for 20+ years. She wrote CRR’s Northwest Gardener column with great spirit and pizazz from 2006 until early 2017. Now, after a seven-year hiatus she has come out of “retirement” to reconnect us with some of her favorite gardening topics.

by Nancy Chennault

G

reen is one of the most versatile colors we see and use in our daily living. It is the color of money. It is the evergreen we appreciate and benefit from year- ‘round in the Pacific Northwest. Green can be as sparkling as an emerald or muted as the precious jade. Green can also apply to a way of life. How we view our environment and how we relate to it can lead to an approach often interpreted as “living green.” There has been a lot of media coverage devoted to global warming, wildlife habitat, salmon stream restoration, wetlands and energy consumption, to name a few hot topics.

How you approach your gardening activities may not change the world, but it will help make your own little bit of the world a “greener” place.

Gardening is fun. It can be a relaxing, stress-free escape from the day-today challenges of life that is both invigorating and inspiring. Perhaps

you never thought of yourself as a gardener. Maybe this is your year to try something new, to look outside the box and expand your horizons. Whether you inhabit acreage where wildlife runs free or house a small cactus on your kitchen windowsill, you are a gardener.

Gardeners look at their outdoor living space as an extension of their home and often bring the outdoors in.

The traditional list of projects for the gardener to consider for January would generally include the leisurely activity of looking through catalogs and magazines to find motivation for the upcoming year.

With feet up and snuggled into toasty slippers, gardeners sow the dreams of summer flower and vegetable gardens.

They order new seed packets and compile lists as garden chores are recorded for future dates. You can think of this month as “discovery” month. Each week, choose an activity that encourages an

environmentally friendly approach to your world. The mental “payoff” is a sense of accomplishment and the knowledge that you can make a difference.

GENTLY GREEN GARDEN TIPS 1. Still have that Christmas poinsettia?

Recycle it by tossing it into the compost.

Recycle the pot by reusing it for another plant. The specifics for encouraging the bright red bracts (colorful “blooms”) are complex and would consume valuable time and energy for the homeowner.

Leave it to the professional growers and plan to purchase a new plant next season.

You could keep it as a “houseplant” year around, but it would most likely never acquire the coloration that adds to a cheerful holiday décor.

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Set it in front of a window with the best light. Large leafy houseplants are good for

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your health, just as leafy green vegetables are beneficial in your diet. Green plants exhale oxygen. They also absorb carbon dioxide and other impurities in the air we breathe. We can all use more oxygen in our indoor living spaces in the winter months when our doors and windows are kept closed to the flow of fresh air.

3. Prune fruit trees

And use a Combination Dormant Spray. Lime Sulphur fungicide and the Horticultural Spray Oil are both biologically safe for use in a more concentrated combination while the trees are dormant. This spray will help clean up spores from fungus diseases and smother over wintering insect eggs. This simple spray will help reduce or eliminate the need for less environmentally safe sprays later in the growing season. Contact your local nurseries and garden centers for the specific products recommended for your area.

4. Put a splash of flower color where you can see it.

Whether it is a pot of fragrant yellow primroses on the kitchen table or a container of spring bulbs by the driveway, find a place for some flowers.

Nestle some cyclamen next to your front porch. They are quite hardy and the blooms will last for months. As we endure weeks that seem filled with monotone colors of gray, white, beige, brown and black, a flower’s cheerful colors brighten our days. Thankfully, in our neck of the woods, there is always a lot of green, even in the winter months.

Happy New Year and may your 2024 be lavishly green.

•••

January 15, 2024 / Columbia River Reader / 23

Best Wishes for a Happy and Healthy 2024 T

he entire team at Longview Orthopedic Associates wishes you a happy and healthy new year. If you need our assistance, we will be there for you.

Our skilled, experienced physicians have performed tens of thousands of surgeries. They provide fingers-to-toes treatment of a wide range of orthopedic conditions.

While we do perform joint replacements and arthroscopic procedures, our goal is always to utilize the least invasive strategy for dealing with your problems.

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Low-impact

Where to find the new Reader

Exercise Classes

It’s delivered all around the River by the 15th of each month. Here’s the handy, regularly-refilled sidewalk box and rack locations, where you can pick up a copy any time of day and even in your bathrobe: TOUTLE LONGVIEW Drew’s Grocery & U.S. Bank Service Post Office Bob’s (rack, main check-out) CLATSKANIE In front of 1232 Commerce Ave Post Office In front of 1323 Commerce Ave Mobil / Mini-Mart In front of Elam’s 1413 Commerce Fultano’s Pizza In front of Freddy’s 1110 Comm.

WESTPORT YMCA Berry Patch (entry rack) Fred Meyer (rack, service desk) Teri’s on Broadway RAINIER Grocery Outlet Post Office The Gifted Kitchen Cornerstone Café (711 Vandercook Way) Rainier Hardware (rack, entry) Fibre Fed’l CU - Commerce Ave Earth ‘n’ Sun (on Hwy 30) Monticello Hotel (front entrance) El Tapatio (entry rack) Kaiser Permanente Grocery Outlet St. John Medical Center Senior Center (rack at front door) (rack, Park Lake Café) DEER ISLAND LCC Student Center Deer Island Store Indy Way Diner Columbia River Reader Office COLUMBIA CITY 1333 14th Ave. (box at door) Post Office Omelettes & More (entry rack) WARREN Stuffy’s II (entry rack) Warren Country Inn KELSO ST HELENS Visitors’ Center / Kelso-Longview Chamber of Commerce Chamber of Commerce Sunshine Pizza KALAMA St. Helens Market Fresh Fibre Fed’l CU Olde Town: Wild Currant, Tap into Wine Kalama Shopping Center Safeway corner of First & Fir SCAPPOOSE McMenamin’s Harbor Lodge (rack) Post Office Road Runner WOODLAND Fultano’s The Oak Tree Ace Hardware Visitors’ Center Grocery Outlet WARRENTON, OR Luckman Coffee Fred Meyer CASTLE ROCK CATHLAMET Lacie Rha’s Cafe (32 Cowlitz W.) Cathlamet Pharmacy Parker’s Restaurant (box, entry) Tsuga Gallery Visitors’ Ctr 890 Huntington Ave. Realty West N., Exit 49, west side of I-5 Puget Island Ferry Landing Cascade Select Market SKAMOKAWA VADER Skamokawa General Store Little Crane Café NASELLE RYDERWOOD Appelo Archives & Café Café porch Johnson’s One-Stop

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26 / Columbia River Reader / January 15, 2024

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A Different Way of Seeing

THE TIDEWATER REACH

EMPIRE OF TREES

by Hal Calbom

AMERICA’S PLANNED CITY AND THE LAST FRONTIER

FIELD GUIDE TO THE LOWER COLUMBIA IN POEMS AND PICTURES

Visionaries, gamblers, and evangelists, they would build the world’s largest sawmill, a planned city, and a new American path to the Pacific, all presenting “a different way of seeing” our beloved Columbia River.

Poem by Robert Michael Pyle Photograph by Judy VanderMaten Field Note by Hal Calbom

Movers and shakers: S.M. Morris, Robert A.Long, and Wesley Vandercook

I Cover the Waterfront

Photo courtesy of Longview Public Library

(Ilwaco, December, 2018: For Karla)

Sometimes it seems the hopes of all mankind lie

WORDS AND WOOD

on display in a small-town bookstore, against

PACIFIC NORTHWEST WOODCUTS AND HAIKU

all odds still open on a bleak December dock

HISTORIC FOG

in a time when so much else is going, going, gone.

The recent history of the Lower Columbia is particularly scant and mutable. The two states bordering the river are half the age of their eastern peers. The rugged topography has impacted navigation, settlement, and precise historiography. Even the particulars of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the legendary Voyage of Discovery, grew hazy as the Corps approached the mouth of the Columbia, and have been subject to debate and revision.

After the reading I spill out the back door onto the wet green waterfront. Walk up and down in the dripping dusk. The slips still have boats, though the fleet is tiny now.

Still, a good seafood grill, a pub, and Jessie’s Fish Market at the end of the pier, persist.

I remember charters by the dozen, the cafe at the end of the spit, Doupe’s Hardware as a going concern. But now it’s mostly a matter of the riverfront, where the Columbia brushes Baker Bay before dying, or being born anew, into the Ocean itself. And what moves me is not what’s gone, but what somehow remains:

by Debby Neely

Across Deer Harbor

Flying with grand grace Craves tasty frog legs for lunch

the boats, the oysters, the books shiny in the light through the wet window. They speak to the possibility

Disrupted by rain

of all things, even in these times, waterfronts do.

As long as little seaside towns live on, giving harbor to half-forgotten craft and vagabonds on a winter’s night, I will continue to cover the waterfront, seeking something not likely to be found, anywhere else.

•••

This page (and page 4) features samples from CRRPress’s four books.

CRRPRESS was founded in 2022, with the first printing of Tidewater Reach, followed by Dispatches from the Discovery Trail, Empire of Trees, and Words and Wood.

For purchase info, see page 2.

BOOKS • BOOKS • BOOKS • BOOKS • BOOKS • BOOKS • BOOKS • BOOKS January 15, 2024 / Columbia River Reader / 27

Q

Cover to Cover

UIPS & QUOTES

BESIDES COLUMBIA RIVER READER...

What are you reading?

Monthly feature coordinated by Alan Rose

Selected by Debra Tweedy

When life seems hard, the courageous do not lie down and accept defeat; instead, they are all the more determined to struggle for a better future.

--Elizabeth II, Queen of England, 1926-2022 On days when warmth is the most important need of the human heart, the kitchen is the place you can find it; it dries the wet socks, it cools the hot little brain.

--E. B. White, American writer, 1899-1985

Taking crazy things seriously is a serious waste of time.

--Haruki Murakami, Japanese writer, 1949People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy.

--Anton Chekhov, Russian author, 18601904

by Dayle Olson

The story takes place in Mount Vernon, La Conner, Seattle, Tacoma, Astoria, Ilwaco, and Chinook, locations viewed through a Coast Salish lens allowing non-Native readers to witness the unequal and demeaning circumstances of present-day Indian families. At the root of Sasha’s pain

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could.

Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson, American writer and philosopher, 1803-1882 Strength shows not only in the ability to persist, but in the ability to start over.

--F. Scott Fitzgerald, American writer, 1896-1940 Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.

--Rumi, Persian poet, scholar, theologian and mystic, 1207-1273 A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labours of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.

-- Alber t Einst ein, German-born theoretical physicist, 1879-1955 Longview native Debra Tweedy has lived on four continents. She and her husband decided to return to her hometown and bought a house facing Lake Sacajawea.“We came back because of the Lake and the Longview Public Library,” she says.

is her search for a place to call home.

She is not alone in feeling uprooted and displaced. As settlers spread west across the countr y, efforts to eradicate, relocate, and indoctrinate native people were intended to extinguish their way of life.

Winner of the 2023 Pacific Northwest Book Award and named an NPR Book of the Year, Sasha LaPointe’s unsparing memoir recounts not only the author’s personal trauma but also generational trauma. I was inspired to read it after hearing Sasha speak at Lower Columbia College.

She comes from strong women who persevere even when outside forces conspire to wipe them out, beat them down, and violate them. This is hard to read. One ancestor is a young Chinook woman who loses her family to smallpox, so marries a white ship’s

captain who houses her separately in a shed at his home in Ilwaco (both structures still stand). Another ancestor sees her small business destroyed by lawless, racist townsfolk. Substance abuse plagues Sasha’s mother, uncle, and relatives. She is sexually assaulted throughout her childhood and teen years. When she finally addresses her “spirit sickness,” it is through the traditional rituals of her people that she begins to heal.

A painful history, Red Paint is also a story of strength and hope. It won those book awards for a reason.

••• Dayle Olson’s poem, “Water Highway,” was one of eight selected statewide by Humanities Wa s h i n g t o n for inclusion in Washington Poetic Routes. Her short stories were selected for Seaside Libraries anthology in 2019 and 2020. Dayle is a member of The Writer’s Guild of Astoria, and lives in Cathlamet with her husband David and one opinionated cat.

7 am - 9 pm 7 pm

LOWER COLUMBIA CURRENTS Commentary by

At St. Stephen’s Church 1428 22nd Ave., Longview Feb. 13, 2024

SECOND

For information visit

www.alan-rose.com

Andre Stepankowsky Former longterm reporter and editor for The Daily News invites you to explore the issues of the day through his free online newsletter.

Find it on substack.com Search for “Lower Columbia Currents”

28 / Columbia River Reader / January 15, 2024

Drink Good Coffee, Read Good Books Located in the historic Castle Rock Bank Building 20 Cowlitz Street West Mon-Sat • 8:30–5 360-916-1377

Cover to Cover

Top 10 Bestsellers

Brought to you by Book Sense and Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, for week ending Dec. 31, 2023, based on reporting from the independent bookstores of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

For the Book Sense store nearest you, visit www.booksense.com

PAPERBACK FICTION

PAPERBACK NON-FICTION

HARDCOVER FICTION

HARDCOVER NON-FICTION

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses Sarah J. Maas,

1. The Boys in the Boat

1. Iron Flame

1. Oath and Honor

1. Taylor Swift

1. Working Boats

2. The Creative Act

Wendy Loggia, Elisa Chavarri (Illus.), Golden Books, $5.99

2. A Guide to the Dragon World

Bloomsbury Publishing, $19 2. Trust Hernan Diaz, Riverhead Books, $17

3. All the Light We Cannot See Anthony

Doerr, Scribner, $18.99

4. Bookshops & Bonedust Travis Baldree, Tor, $17.99

5. A Court of Mist and Fury Sarah J. Maas, Bloomsbury Publishing, $19

6. Never Whistle at Night Shane Hawk (Ed.), Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. (Ed.), Vintage, $17

Daniel James Brown, Penguin, $19

2. Killers of the Flower Moon

David Grann, Vintage, $18,

3. The Body Keeps the Score

Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., Penguin, $19

4. Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed Editions, $20

5. An Immense World

Ed Yong, Random House, $20

6. All About Love: New Visions

bell hooks, Morrow, $16.99

7. On Island Time

Chandler O’Leary, Sasquatch Books, $24.95

7. Babel

R. F. Kuang, Harper Voyager, $20

8. Cascadia Field Guide

Travis Baldree, Tor, $17.99

Cmarie Fuhrman (Ed.), Mountaineers Books, $29.95

9. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

9. The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine

8. Legends & Lattes

Taylor Jenkins Reid, Atria, $17

Rashid Khalidi, Picador, $19.99

10. A Court of Wings and Ruin Sarah J. Maas,

10. Crying in H Mart

Bloomsbury Publishing, $19

Michelle Zauner, Vintage, $17

BOOK REVIEW Founding Partisans: Hamilton, Madison, Jefferson, Adams, and the Brawling Birth of American Politics H.W. Brands

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Doubleday $32.50

ime has a way of smoothing out history’s wrinkles. Today we picture the “Founding Fathers” standing unified and statuesque in their powdered wigs and rectitude.

But H. W. Brands, professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin, reminds us just how fraught and tumultuous those early years were.

In 1787, Congress was seen as hapless, dysfunctional, corrupt, taking too long Alan’s haunting novel of the AIDS epidemic, As If Death Summoned, won the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award (LGBT cat egor y.)

He can be reached at www.alan-rose.com.

Rebecca Yarros, Entangled: Red Tower Books, $29.99

2. Fourth Wing

Rebecca Yarros, Entangled: Red Tower Books, $29.99

3. Demon Copperhead

Liz Cheney, Little, Brown and Company, $32.

Rick Rubin, Penguin Press, $32

3. The Wager

David Grann, Doubleday, $30

Barbara Kingsolver, Harper, 4. How to Know a Person $32.50 David Brooks, Random 4. Lessons in Chemistry House, $30 Bonnie Garmus, 5. Prequel Doubleday, $29 Rachel Maddow, Crown, 5. The Heaven & Earth $32

Grocery Store

6. Democracy

James McBride, Riverhead Awakening Books, $28 Heather Cox Richardson, 6. Remarkably Bright Viking, $30

Creatures

Shelby Van Pelt, Ecco, $29.99

7. A City on Mars

Kelly Weinersmith, Zach Weinersmith, Penguin Press, 7. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow $32 Gabrielle Zevin, Knopf, $28 8. The Kingdom, the

8. The Covenant of Water Power, and the Glory Abraham Verghese, Grove Press, $32

Tim Alberta, Harper, $35

9. The Narrow Road Between Desires

Britney Spears, Gallery Books, $32.99

Patrick Rothfuss, DAW, $26

10. Tom Lake

9. The Woman in Me 10. Hidden Potential

Adam Grant, Viking, $32

Ann Patchett, Harper, $30

CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATED

EARLY & MIDDLE GRADE READERS Tom Crestodina, Little Bigfoot, $19.99

2. The Big Cheese Jory John, Pete Oswald (Illus.), Harper, $19.99

3. Construction Site: Taking Flight! Sherri Duskey Rinker, AG Ford (Illus.), Chronicle Books, $17.99

4. Grumpy Monkey Suzanne Lang, Max Lang (Illus.), Random House Studio, $8.99

5. Bluey: The Beach Penguin Young Readers, $4.99

6. Little Witch Hazel: A Year in the Forest Phoebe Wahl, Tundra Books, $19.99

The delegates came to the convention with their special interests and their special egos, along with their distrust and dislike of one another, where they argued over a host of issues: the huge debt (yes, our nation began with a huge debt), deciding who could vote, who could levy taxes, whether there should be a national bank, the continuation or elimination of slavery, even arguing over the location of the capital: Philadelphia, or New York, or maybe some Virginia swampland they could get cheap on the Potomac.

They were brilliant men who had competing visions for the new nation, visions we are still wrestling with 250 years later. The Federalists (John Adams, Alexander Hamilton) wanted a strong central government to stand up to the European heavyweights, while the Anti-Federalists, later called

8. Where the Wild Things Are Maurice Sendak, Harper, $21.99

9. Bluey: Grannies 10. How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Dr. Seuss, Random House Books for Young Readers, $19.99

Republicans (Jefferson, Madison) were wary of a federal government, wanting the power to remain with the states and the people—white, propertied, male-type people.

6. Flor and Miranda Steal the Show Jennifer Torres, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $8.99

7. An Anthology of Our Extraordinary Earth Cally

Jon Klassen, Candlewick, $19.99 9. Wonka Roald Dahl, Sibéal Pounder (Adapt.), Simon Farnaby, Paul King, Viking Books for Young Readers, $17.99

10. The Puppets of Spelhorst (The Norendy Tales)

Penguin Young Readers, $4.99

– from Founding Partisans

Rosanne Parry, Mónica Armiño (Illus.), Greenwillow Books, $9.99

8. The Skull

Adam Rubin, Daniel Salmieri (Illus.), Dial Books, $8.99

What Washington deemed an awful crisis, Alexander Hamilton accounted an opportunity. Some of the difference was temperamental.

Washington preferred calm, while Hamilton thrived on uproar, to the extent of creating his own when circumstances didn’t provide enough. But some reflected the different arcs of their careers.

Washington expected that his days of great accomplishment were over; he currently enjoyed all the esteem his ego desired. Hamilton’s career had hardly started, his egotism was far from sated, and every crack in the status quo afforded an avenue he might exploit to advance himself.

4. Super Extra Deluxe Essential Handbook Scholastic, $14.99 5. A Wolf Called Wander

Oldershaw, DK Children, $21.99

7. Dragon’s First Taco

A timely reminder of our partisan past to make decisions, and when they did, the decisions were wrong. So different from today. Everyone agreed that the Articles of Confederation that held the thirteen former colonies together were inadequate, and so a convention was called to come up with a better constitution. This was Do-It-Yourself government, they were making it up as they went.

Tui T. Sutherland, Joy Ang (Illus.), Scholastic Press, $24.99 3. A Horse Named Sky Rosanne Parry, Kirbi Fagan (Illus.), Greenwillow Books, $18.99

Kate DiCamillo, Julie Morstad (Illus.), Candlewick, $17.99

By Alan Rose

Above the fray sat Washington in his aloof eminence. He did not possess Hamilton’s brilliance, or Jefferson’s eloquence, or Adams’ passionate, selfrighteous zeal. What he did possess was character, integrity, and the people’s trust. At the end of his first term as president, both parties begged — or, this being the 18th century, beseeched — him to accept a second term, fearful that the young American experiment would collapse without him.

For the casual reader, this book may get too much into the nuts and bolts of building a government. Brands also relies heavily on the actual words from the founders’ letters and diaries. Such “loquaciousness” can be a challenge in our stripped-down Twitter-verse of text messages.

Eventually, these partisan patriots brought forth the US Constitution.

Rather than the crowning achievement as we see it today, it was considered a compromise document leaving no one happy. Instead of the joyous celebrations and bell ringing that greeted the Declaration of Independence 11 years earlier, the Constitution was ratified grudgingly as the best they could agree upon. And we’ve been arguing pretty much ever since.

•••

January 15, 2024 / Columbia River Reader / 29

COLUMBIA RIVER

Clatskanie, Ore. Fultano’s Pizza 770 E. Columbia River Hwy Family style with unique pizza offerings, hot grill items & more!

Dine-in,Take-out and Home Delivery.

Visit Fultanos.com for streamlined menu.

503-728-2922

dining guide

The Corner Cafe

796 Commerce Ave. Breakfast & Lunch. Daily Soup & Sandwich, breakfast specials. Tues-Sat 7am-3pm. Closed Sun-Mon. 360-353-5420.

Email: sndcoffeeshop@comcast.net

Eclipse Coffee & Tea

Ixtapa Fine Mexican Restaurant 640 E. Columbia River Hwy

Fine Mexican cuisine. Daily specials.

The best margarita in town. Daily drink specials. Dine-in, curbside pickup.

M-Th 11am–9:30pm; Fri & Sat 11am–11:30pm; Sun 11am–9pm. 503-728-3344

Rainier. Ore. 102 East “A” Street Microbrews, wines & spirits 7am–8pm Daily. Inside dining.

Interstate Tavern

119 E. “B” St., (Hwy 30) Crab Louie/Crab cocktails, crab-stuffed avocados. 17 hot and cold sandwiches. Amazing crab sandwiches. Full bar service.

Catering for groups.

503-556-5023. interstatetavern@yahoo.com 503-556-5023

El Tapatio

117 W. ‘A’ Street Mexican Family Restaurant.

Open Fri-Sat 11am-11pm, rest of week 11am-10pm.

Full bar. Karaoke Fri-Sat 8-11pm. Patio seating. 503556-8323.

Longview, Wash.

1335 14th Avenue 18 rotating craft brews, pub fare.

M-Th 11am–8pm. Fri-Sat 11am–10pm; Sunday 11am–6pm. Local music coming soon. 360-232-8283.Wine Wednesdays: $5 pours.

Bruno’s Pizza 1108 Washington Way. Pizza, breadsticks, wings, salads, fish & chips. WE DELIVER. Four beers on tap. 360-636-4970 or 360-425-5220,

The Carriage

Restaurant & Lounge

The Carriage Restaurant & Lounge (formerly located on 14th Ave).

NEW LOCATION! 3353 Washington Way (formerly Regents) Chinese & American cuisine. New menu in the future. Full bar, banquet room available for groups, special events. Restaurant: 11am–9pm, Lounge 11am–1:00am. 360423-8680.

In the Merk (1339 Commerce Ave., #113) 360-998-2139. Mon-Fri 8am– 4pm. Specialty coffees, teas, bubble teas and pastries....drinks with a smile. Takeout and on-site.

Freddy’s Just for the Halibut

1110 Commerce Ave. Cod, Alaskan halibut fish and chips, award-winning clam chowder.

Burgers, steaks, pasta. Beer and wine. M-Sat 10am–8pm, Sunday 11am–8pm. Inside dining, Drive-thru, outdoor seating. 360-414-3288. See ad, page 4.

Hop N Grape

924 15th Ave., Longview Tues–Thurs 11am–7pm; Fri & Sat 11am–8pm. BBQ meat slow-cooked on site. Pulled pork, chicken, brisket, ribs, turkey, salmon. Worldfamous mac & cheese. 360-577-1541.

Kyoto Sushi Steakhouse 760 Ocean Beach Hwy, Suite J 360-425-9696.

Japanese food, i.e. hibachi, Bento boxes, Teppanyaki; Sushi (half-price Wednesdays); Kids Meal 50% Off Sundays.

Mon-Th 11-2:30, 4:30-9:30. Fri-Sat 11am10pm. Sun 11am-9pm.

Lynn’s Deli & Catering 1133 14th Ave.

Soups & sandwiches, specializing in paninis, box lunches, deli sandwiches and party platters. Mon-Fri 8-3, Saturday 10-2.

360-577-5656

Roland Wines

1106 Florida St., Longview. Authentic Italian wood-fired pizza, wine, and beer. Casual ambience. 5–9pm Wed-Fri, Sat. 1–9. 360-8467304. See ad, pg 22.

Scythe Brewing Company 1217 3rd Avenue #150 360-353-3851 Sun-Thurs 11:30am -8pm; Fri-Sat 11:30am -10pm.

Family-friendly brewery/ restaurant with upscale, casual dining, lunch and dinner.

Stuffy’s 804 Ocean Beach Hwy 360-423-6356 8am–8pm. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. American style food. Free giant cinnamon roll with meal purchase on your birthday with proof of ID. Facebook: Stuffy’s II Restaurant, or Instagram @stuffys2.

Teri’s Café on Broadway

30 / Columbia River Reader / January 15, 2024

1133 Broadway. Lunch and Dinner, full bar. Open Mon-Sat 11am–8pm. 360-577-0717

Castle Rock, Wash

L

Luckman’s Coffee Company 239

Scappoose, Ore. Fultano’s Pizza 51511 SE 2nd. Family style with unique pizza offerings, hot grill items & more! “Best pizza around!” Sun–Th 11am–9pm; Fri-Sat 11am–10pm. Full bar service ‘til 10pm Fri & Sat. Deliveries in Scappoose.

503-543-5100. Inside Dining.

Huntington Ave. North, Drive-thru.

Pastries, sandwiches, salads, quiche.

Ixtapa Fine Mexican Restaurant

Parker’s Steak House & Brewery 1300 Mt. St. Helens Way. I-5 Exit 49.

Lunch, Dinner. Burgers, hand-cut steak; seafood and pasta. Restaurant open 1-8pm Tue-Th, 1-9pm, F-Sat. Lounge Happy Hours 4pm. 360-967-2333. Call for status/options.

Vault Books & Brew 20 Cowlitz Street West, Castle Rock. Coffee and specialty drinks, quick eats & sweet treats. See ad, page 34.

33452 Havlik Rd. Fine Mexican cuisine.

Daily specials. The best margarita in town.

Daily drink specials. M-Th 11am–9:30pm; Fri & Sat 11am–11:30pm; Sun 11am–9pm. 503-543-3017

Warren, Ore. Warren Country Inn 56575 Columbia River Hwy. Fine family dining. Breakfast, lunch & dinner. Full bar. Call for hours.503-410-5479. Check Facebook for updates. Dine-in.

Toutle, Wash.

Kalama, Wash.

DREW’S GROCERY & SERVICE

215 N. Hendrickson Dr., Port of Kalama.

A Northwest pub and unique bars serving breakfast, lunch & dinner daily.

Info & reservations, bar hours at mcmenamins.com. 8am–midnight daily.

360- 673-9210. Indoor dining, covered outdoor seating, curbside take-out.

Woodland, Wash.

St. Helens, Ore. Sunshine Pizza & Catering 2124 Columbia Blvd. Hot pizza, cool salad bar. Beer & wine.

Limited inside seating, curbside pickup and delivery.

503-397-3211 See ad, page 26.

Big River Tap Room 313 Strand Street on the Riverfront.

Lunch/Dinner Tue-Thurs 12–8pm; Fri-Sat 12–9pm. Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef, pastrami. Weekend Burrito Breakfast, Sat 8-11, Sun 8am-3pm.

5304 Spirit Lake Hwy (10 mi. fr Exit 49) 24-hour fueling (gas & diesel, card at pump, cash at Jule’s Snack Shack (when open). Red Leaf Organic Coffee. See ad, page 25.

“SoCo” 1350 Atlantic Ave. Rotating craft brews, pub fare. Open M-Th 11am–6pm; Fri–Sat 11am–10pm; Sunday 11am–6pm.

360-841-8941. Wine Wednesdays: $5 pours

L

uckman

Coffee Company 1230 Lewis River Rd. Small batch on-site roasted coffee, breakfast, lunch. Inside seating. M-F 5:30am–6pm, Sat 6am–5pm, Sun 7am–3pm..

THE OAK TREE

1020 Atlantic Ave. Breakfast served all day.

Famous Bankruptcy Stew, Oak Tree Salad, desserts baked in-house. Full bar.

Happy Hours 1-3, 7-9pm.

Live music. 360--841-5292.

Restaurant operators: To advertise in Columbia River Dining Guide, call 360-749-2632

NOTES FROM MY LIVES

ROLAND ON WINE

by Andre Stepankowsky

What is the value of loyalty — or of selling it out?

I

’m certain many college football fans contemplated that question after some of the annual New Years bowl games took place with many top players absent from the field.

The players “opted out” to avoid the chance that they might get injured, weakening their status — and financial fortunes — as potentially high-level NFL draft picks. Their absence turned some games — most notably the University of Georgia’s 63-3 shellacking of previously unbeaten Florida State — into an Orange Bowl fiasco. FSU was without two dozen players, including six starters, who opted out.

In pure business terms, opting out makes sense. For most “opt outs, ” bowl games would have been their final collegiate competitions.Their skills already have been thoroughly evaluated. They have little to prove and little motive to risk injury. And universities have sometimes left players in the lurch following latecareer injuries.

I get the logic, but I don’t accept it.

There’s a thing called loyalty that these athletes are forgetting.

Loyalty to their teammates, without whom they would have achieved nothing.

Loyalty to their universities, which gave these student-athletes educational scholarships, tutoring, coaching, promotional support and myriad other benefits worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Loyalty to the fans, who finance the extravagantly profitable enterprise that NCAA college football has become.Athletes who sit out their final, oft en penultimate games spoil fans’ experience. It’s like assigning understudies to act out the biggest drama of their careers.

I can’t see how they can look their teammates in the eye.They’ll have regrets for the rest of their lives.

It’s true: College football is a rugged sport. In 2021, the Indianapolisbased Datalys Center for Sports

Injury and Prevention estimated that 255,000 injuries requiring medical attention or missed playing time occurred in a five-year period ending in 2019, or an average of 51,000 a year.

An estimated 73,700 athletes played NCAA college football in 2018–2019.

Assessing the risk — especially of playing in a single game — is a complex statistical challenge. The probability of injury varies by many factors, such as position (linemen and defensive backs suffer the largest proportion of injuries). And the rate of post-season injuries (those occurring in bowl and championship games) is lower than regular-season competition, according to the Datalys Center study.

These athletes have accepted the risk over years and thousands of plays, and their choices send messages that ring far beyond the gridiron.

What does opting out say to young fans? That they shouldn’t take chances because it’s risky? That it’s OK to abandon teammates, co-workers and friends to protect personal interests?

That money is worth more than loyalty?

Perhaps opting out will diminish next year when the NCAA expands its four-team championship playoff to 12 teams, giving athletes with pro ambitions more motive to keep playing. Ultimately, though, this situation demands an ethical response.

That’s why I applaud Georgia star cornerback Kamari Lassiter, who reversed his decision to opt out of the Orange Bowl. According to The Athletic, he told Bulldogs Coach Kirby Smart: “I can’t do it. I wanna be out there playing with my guys.”

••• Award winning journalist Andre Stepankowsky is a former reporter and editor for The Daily News. His CRR columns spring from his many interests, including hiking, rose gardening, music, and woodworking. More of his writing is available through his online newsletter on substack.com by searching for “Lower Columbia Currents.”

by Marc Roland

A “State of Wine” Address

T

Tradition, innovation at crossroads

he American wine industry has undergone significant transformations in recent years, evolving into a dynamic panorama as complex as red blends.

Tradition and innovation is at a crossroads.

As we step into 2024, customer preferences are leading the change. Technical advancements have made it possible to make better wine in larger amounts, but will customers buy it? And what about global climate change?

Even though it is possible to make better and more wine, will less acres under vine due to famine be a problem? To me some things seem certain.

In 2022, the American wine industry experienced a resilient recovery from the pandemic’s initial disruptions. Wineries adapted to the challenges, embracing e-commerce and direct-to-consumer models adding value to consumers by offering safe, small-group tasting and experiences.

However, I see a backlash coming in 2024.

Wine tastings and wine, in general, is more expensive, despite the advances in technology and, might I say, less exciting.

The wine business still caters to the perceived American palette of sweeter and higher-alcohol wines. People are interested in true wine. These are wines that have a human touch. Wine made from sustainable and organic vineyards.

Consumers are starting to demand ecofriendly practices. Wine sales have been lackluster in 2023 because consumers just aren’t interested in corporate wines. They are drinking less wine, but the wines they do drink are from producers they have a relationship with. Distilled beverages are capturing consumers’ attention.

The role of technology has grown exponentially, from precision agriculture and data analytics to wineries enhancing efficiency using additives to refine flavor profiles. AI is also assisting winemakers by predicting optimal harvest time. Will this be the wave of the future? Or are folks getting tired of the predicability of wine?

Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay continue to dominate, but for how long?

There is a growing interest in lesser-known grape varieties made in a low-tech way in growing regions not affected by climate change. Also, a

growing number of consumers are exploring wines made from alternative varietals and methods.

Pet-Nat (Pétillant Naturel) PetNat wines are sparkling wines made through natural fermentation, capturing the carbon dioxide produced during the process.

Orange Wine A type of white wine made by fermenting white grapes with their skins, resulting in a more complex and textured flavor profile.

Natural Wines Wines made with minimal intervention, including little to no additives or preservatives.

Sparkling Red Sparkling red wines have been gaining traction lately.

These wines challenge the notion that red wines must be still, offering a refreshing and different experience. Try some Lambrusco Uncommon Varietals Winemakers are increasingly experimenting with lesser-known grape varieties like Albariño, Trousseau, Zweigelt, and Grüner Veltliner.

It falls on those willing to innovate and listen to the customers to create exciting wines. Wines that match up to the changing values of consumers. I’m not sure customers of the future will be willing to support mass produced wines made in a test tube. Maybe I’m wrong.

But the trend towards low intervention wines that taste like the place they are grown is not really a trend, it is a movement sparked by a new generation of growers and winemakers. There are opportunities ahead for those willing to return to a sustainable industry, even if it means lower sales, but higher loyalty to a product that will always be a part of the good life.

As we raise a glass to 2024, things must change or we will find ourselves falling short of the expectations of a new generation. If you still love your Chardonnay and Cabernet, don’t worry. Supplies are abundant and many producers are returning to single vineyard and terroir-driven wine that you should try. This is the year to spread your wings and show you care about quality and sustainability.

Cheers!

•••

Longview resident and former Kelso teacher Marc Roland started making wine in 2008 in his garage. He and his wife, Nancy, now operate Roland Wines at 1106 Florida Street in Longview’s new “barrel district.” For wine tasting hours, call 360-846-7304.

January 15, 2024 / Columbia River Reader / 31

Outings & Events P.S. Quips & Quotes: NEW YEAR’S THOUGHTS Bethany Lutheran Church

Quilt Show

FREE ADMISSION

Fri-Sat, Feb. 9th & 10th, 10am–3pm Bring Display Quilts on Thurs., Feb. 8, 10–3

Baked Goods • Used Books & Puzzles Quilt Raffle • Men’s Table Soups, Sandwiches, & Pie, Eat In or To Go Men’s Garage Sale, Arts & Crafts Vendors 34721 Church Rd. Warren, OR

INFO: Chris, 503-888-7540

Schifrin / Custer Mission: Impossible Theme Gregory Smith A Major Minor Mystery

Music of Mystery Family Concert Dr. Robert Davis Conductor

Howard / Roszell Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them John Williams Escapades from Catch Me If You Can Edvard Grieg Peer Gynt Suite 1

Sunday, February 4 3:00 p.m Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts 1231 Vandercook Way, Longview, WA

Even in a time of elephantine vanity and greed, one never has to look far to see the campfires of gentle people.

--Garrison Keillor, American author, humorist, and radio personality, 1942-

One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this: To rise above little things. --John Burroughs, American naturalist and essayist, 1837-1921 Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can. --Danny Kaye, American actor, singer and dancer, 1911-1987

BROADWAY GALLERY 1418 Commerce Avenue, Longview Tues thru Sat, 11–4. Visit the Gallery to see new work. For event updates check our website: the-broadwaygallery.com, at Broadway Gallery on Facebook, and broadway gallery longview on Instagram.

Items sent to CRR will be considered for publication unless the writer specifies otherwise. Writer’s name and phone number must be included; anonymous submissions will not be considered.

Political Endorsements CRR is a monthly publication serving readers in several towns, three counties, two states and beyond and does not publish Letters to the Editor that are endorsements or criticisms of political candidates or controversial issues. (Paid ad space is available.)

Unsolicited submissions may be considered, provided they are consistent with the publication’s purpose. Advance contact with the editor is recommended. Information of general interest submitted by readers may be used as background or incorporated in future articles.

Outings & Events calendar (free listing): Events must be open to the public. Non-profit organizations and the arts, entertainment, educational and recreational opportunities and community cultural events will receive listing priority. Fundraisers must be sanctioned/sponsored by the benefiting non-profit organization. Commercial projects, businesses and organizations wishing to promote their particular products or services are invited to purchase advertising.

32 / Columbia River Reader / January 15, 2024

Feb 1• 5:30–7pm • Refreshments! Live Music

January Studio Sale Jan. 16-27 (select art at huge discounts!)

HOURS Tues - Sat 11–4

FEATURED ARTISTS JAN: All Gallery Artists 3D Member Show.

We are a great place to buy gifts and take classes! Check our website or come into the Gallery.

Plus: 2D Show at Longview Library thru January.

Free Gift Wrap on request. Gift Cards Find a unique gift! We have beautiful

FEB: New gallery member Molly artisan cards, jewelry, books by local authors,

Butson, silver jewelry & more Thanks to generous donors all concerts this season are free!

wearable art, original paintings, pottery, sculpture, photographs and so much more.

Find out more at swwsymphony.org or by calling 360-430-0960

Submission Guidelines Letters to the Editor (up to 200 words) relevant to the publication’s purpose — helping readers discover and enjoy the good life in the Columbia River region, at home and on the road — are welcome. Longer pieces, or excerpts thereof, in response to previously-published articles, may be printed at the discretion of the publisher and subject to editing and space limitations.

Join Us for First Thursday

THE MINTHORN COLLECTION OF CHINESE ART

HOW TO PUBLICIZE YOUR NON-PROFIT EVENT IN CRR

Send your non-commercial community event info (name of event, beneficiary, sponsor, date & time, location, brief description and contact info) to publisher@crreader.com Or mail or hand-deliver (in person or via mail slot) to:

Columbia River Reader 1333-14th Ave Longview, WA 98632 Submission Deadlines Events occurring: Feb 15–March 20

by Jan. 25 for Feb 15 issue.

Mar 15- April 20

by Feb. 25 for March 15 issue.

Calendar submissions are considered for inclusion, subject to lead time, relevance to readers, and space limitations.

See Submission Guidelines at left.

CLATSKANIE ARTS COMMISSION Performances at Birkenfeld Theatre, 75 S. Nehalem, Clatskanie, Ore.

Tickets/Info: www.clatskaniearts.org

HIKES see page 6 Watercolorized sketch by the late

Deena Martinsen,

A gift from Dr. and Mrs. H. Minthorn to the community via Lower Columbia College Foundation, The Minthorn Collection of Chinese Art encompasses a wide range of styles and is displayed in the upper level of the art gallery in LCC’s Rose Center, open M-Th 10–3 during current Forsberg Exhibition only. Free.

January 15, 2024 / Columbia River Reader / 33

the spectator by ned piper

S

Monumental sports moments

pectator sports can be exhilarating. And just as likely, disappointing. For me, the high side dates back to 1977, the year the Portland Trailblazer basketball team beat the Philadelphia 76ers for the NBA World Championship. That year, the business I was affiliated with, Torrence Insurance, bought six seats in the Portland Memorial Coliseum. The series against the 76ers was a best-four-of-seven-games. The first two games were played in Philadelphia. The ‘76ers won them both. No one was surprised, as Philly was expected to win the series, no question about it.

Game three was played in Portland. The morning of the game, we partners met to determine who would get the game tickets. I raised my hand and got a ticket. To everyone’s surprise, the Blazers won that game.

The next morning, the partners met to figure out who would get tickets to the next game. I said, “I went to last night’s game, so I’m out.” Those who wanted tickets made their wish known. After everyone got their ticket, there was

one left over. I got it! Portland won the game. The next two were played in Philadelphia. Portland took the first, Philly the second. They came back to Portland for game seven, with the games tied at three each.

PLUGGED IN TO COWLITZ

Five of my partners each took a ticket to game seven. That left one for me. The Blazers took the championship that night in the most emotionally exciting sports moment I had ever experienced, or have since.

By Alice Dietz, Cowlitz PUD Communications/ Public Relations Manager

Compare that to the Jan. 8 game, Washington Huskies versus Michigan Wolverines, for the 2024 NCAA Championship. The game was so talked-about and anticipated, my wife Sue actually knocked off work early — despite her lack of much interest in football, and not quite having this issue yet put to bed — and came home to watch.

As a graduate of UW, and harboring a dislike of the Michigan coach, I was expecting this to be another monumental sports moment for me. As it turned out, Michigan ran all over my Huskies.

While disappointed, I was at least able to watch the game and eat pizza with friends.

Maybe that’s what sports is all about.

•••

Longview resident Ned Piper coordinates CRR’s advertising and distribution, and enjoys meeting/greeting friends, both old and new.

Accepting year-round enrollment.

Call to schedule a visit and tour.

Jewelry by new Gallery member Molly Butson, February Featured Artist

Elementary campus 360.423.4510 Middle/High school campus 360.636.1600 3riversschool.net

PUD

Are you prepared for an outage?

S

torm season is upon us. To assist us in restoring your power as quickly as possible, we ask that customers please report outages through SmartHub by clicking the orange “Report an Outage/ Inquiry” button in SmartHub. Reporting an outage this way is easy and will instantly report your outage in our system, whether it’s a widespread storm event or just your power.

Don’t have SmartHub? Here is the QR Code to download: Bad weather in the fall and winter brings a greater chance of power outages, normally caused by high winds and falling trees and limbs. Even though bad weather is the primary cause of outages, your power can go out anytime of the year and for any number of reasons. Typically a power outage will last 2-4 hours, but in severe weather conditions can last all day or more. If you’re prepared, an outage it is much easier to endure.

Re-imagine your child’s education at one of the most innovative schools in Washington!

Plan ahead and make sure you have the following items on hand: •2-3 day supply of canned/packaged food and fresh water (bottled) •Blankets •Flashlight and radio, with fresh batteries. Make sure you know where they are to make it easy to find them in the dark!

ADDITIONAL QUICK TIPS

•Make sure to have a “corded” telephone available and a phone jack to plug it into.

•Cordless phones do not work when the power is off.

•Know how to operate your garage door manually. Electric garage doors will not work when the power is off.

•Teach your kids to never touch a downed line and to tell an adult if they see one.

For more tips, visit our outage page: cowlitzpud.org/outages/what-todo-during-an-outage/

January Studio Sale: Jan 16-27.

Select art at huge discounted prices!

First Thursday • Feb 1

5:30-7pm • New Art, Nibbles and Music

1418 Commerce

360-577-0544

OPEN Tues thru Sat 11-4

In Historic Downtown Longview

Your Local SW Washington Artist Co-op since 1982

the-broadway-gallery.com 34 / Columbia River Reader / January 15, 2024

.••• Alice Dietz is Cowlitz PUD’s Communications/Public Relations Manager. Reach her at adietz@ cowlitzpud.org, or 360-501-9146.

4,975 REASONS TO

VOTE YES

FOR KELSO KIDS

We Provide Peace of Mind for your Real Estate Investment

TRUSTED

FOR OVER 40 YEARS

Amy Hoyer Escrow Officer

Carrie Staggs Escrow Assistant.

Pam McCormick Bookkeeper/ Recorder

Melinda Jason Gottfryd Hanson Policy Typist Title Officer

Darren Plank Title Officer

Leah Stanley Title Officer

Service is the difference!

Steve Quaife VP/County Manager

Accurate • Reliable•• Timely • Locally ACCURATE RELIABLE • Owned TIMELY • LOCALLY OWNED

1159 14th Ave, Longview • 360.423.5330 • www.cowlitztitle.com

We’ve got you covered.

RENEWAL LEVY

WATER. FIRE. SMOKE. MOLD

BALLOTS DUE

FEB. 13 Paid for by the Citizens for Kelso Schools Committee

yesforkelsokids.org voteyes@yesforkelsokids.org

Call 360-425-3331

ServiceMaster by JTS–Longview, WA • www.servicemasterjts.com

January 15, 2024 / Columbia River Reader / 35

ColumbiaRiver RiverReader Reader/•October January 15, 15, 2020 2024 36 / Columbia