CRR February 2019

CRREADER.COM • Vol. XIV, No. 163 • February 15 – March 15, 2019 • COMPLIMENTARY Helping you discover and enjoy the good life in the Columbia River region at home and on the road

Miss Manners on

CIVILIZED LIFE

Winter Fun

IF YOU CAN WALK YOU CAN SNOWSHOE HAIKUFEST 2019

WINNERS

Shucks!

People+Place

THE WEALTH AND HEALTH OF WILLAPA

page 28

COLUMBIA RIVER

dining guide

STEAKS Served with 2 sides

NOW OPEN! Tues - Sat 4:30pm to Close RESERVATIONS 360-747-6030

New York Strip Rib Eye Sirloin Filet Mignon

AND MORE! 1405 17th Ave., on Longview’s Historic Civic Circle

Come hike, bike, kayak, ski and snowshoe with us!

Mount St. Helens See Hiking story pg.15 Hike Club Listings pg. 30

For details Call 360-274-8445 or 360-430-7486 Or visit

www.mtsthelensclub.org 2 / Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019

W

arm winter greetings, everyone! Welcome to the February issue. I hope you’ll enjoy reading every page.

Many thanks to Gary Meyers for once again organizing and masterfully conducting our HaikuFest. Gary has made a simple idea into an art form.

We appreciate him!

Sue’s Views

And congratulations are in order for Alan Rose, whose Book Review this month is his 100th written for CRR. Thank you, Alan, for your thoughtful, intelligent, clever and often wry reviews.

Don’t miss Hal Calbom’s People+Place feature. Hal’s telling of the story — this time of the Wiegardt family and Willapa Bay oysters — was, for me, especially captivating, and illuminating for a former oyster-phobe .

When I was a kid, my family would regularly drive out to Raymond/South Bend, home to my aunt and uncle, three cousins and great aunt. I didn’t realize then their proximity to this magnificent Pacific coast and fertile Willapa Bay.

Publisher/Editor: Susan P. Piper Columnists and contributors: Dr. Bob Blackwood Hal Calbom Tiffany Dickinson Alice Dietz Ted Gruber Daniel Kellner Jim LeMonds Gary Meyers Michael Perry Ned Piper Perry Piper Robert Michael Pyle Marc Roland Alan Rose Alice Slusher Debra Tweedy

Advertising Manager: Ned Piper, 360-749-2632 Columbia River Reader, llc 1333 14th Ave • Longview, WA 98632 P.O. Box 1643 • Rainier, OR 97048 Office Hours: M-W-F • 11–3* *Other times by chance or appointment Website: www.CRReader.com E-mail: publisher@crreader.com Phone: 360-749-1021 Subscriptions $28 per year inside U.S. (plus $2.34 sales tax for subscriptions mailed to Washington addresses).

Years later, however, I came to my senses and learned where Willapa Bay really is, and discovered what oysters really are: indeed, delectable. Isn’t a plate of golden brown, gently pan-fried oysters everyone’s idea of a supreme culinary treat? The ideal appetizer?

it a unique estuary — the estuary of estuaries. Willapa Bay oysters are world class. And here they are, growing right in our own backyard! Who knew?

I hope everyone is enjoying a restful, cozy winter and getting enough oysters.

And enough snow.

Cheers!

Sue Piper

Maybe. Maybe not.

From this month’s P+P story, I learned three new things: 1. The correct definition of “brackish,” which I always thought meant “stagnant,” but now know is actually a mixture of saltwater and fresh water, such as what fills Willapa Bay. Definitely NOT stagnant!

Backyard learning and oysters.

2. That oysters are, basically, little gourmet filtering creatures, nutrient gleaners in shallow water.

Photo by Hal Calbom Tiffany Dickinson gears up for a snowshoe outing with members of the Mount St. Helens Club. See story, page 15.

Photo by Bruce Mcredie

Cover Design by

Man in the Kitchen’s cat

We wrote the BOOK on the good life!

But will she publish it? ~Ginger

Victoria Findlay’s dog

Columbia River Reader . . . helping you discover and enjoy the good life in the Columbia River region at home and on the road.

In this Issue

ON THE COVER

Shuckers at Jolly Roger Oysters, Nahcotta, Wash., shuck about 5,000 per day... each!

See story, pg. 17

~Smokey

3. Tidal action and the inflow of rivers constantly refresh Willapa Bay, making

We’d go for a Sunday visit and dinner.

Aunt Gertie was a good cook. The menu often included clams, or clam fritters, and oysters. I liked the clams

Production Manager/ Photographer: Perry E. Piper Editorial/Proofreading Assistants: Merrilee Bauman Tiffany Dickinson Michael Perry Marilyn Perry Debra Tweedy

but never even took a bite of an oyster, due mostly to their grotesque-to-me appearance.

4

Northwest Gardening ~ Early Spring Tips

5

Miss Manners

7

Dispatch from the Discovery Trail ~ Baby, It’s Cold Outside!

9

Biz Buzz

10

Roland on Wine: TV and Wine Could Lead to Travel

11

Medical Matters

12

HaikuFest 2019

15

Hiking: If the Snowshoe Fits...

17-20 People + Place ~ Sacred Grounds: Ken Wiegardt Columbia River Reader is published monthly, with 15,000 copies distributed free throughout the Lower Columbia region in SW Washington and NW Oregon.

Entire contents copyrighted

by Columbia River Reader. No reproduction of any kind allowed without express written permission of the publisher. Opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, not necessarily to the Reader.

Reader submission guidelines:

page 26.

General ad info: Ned Piper 360-749-2632.

Ad Reps: page 12.

CRREADER.COM Visit our website for access to the current issue and the archive of past Columbia River Reader issues (from January 2013),

21

People+Place Recommended Books

21

Quips & Quotes

23

Essay by Robert Michael Pyle: My Meringue Bazooka

24

Besides CRR, What Are You Reading?

25

Cover to Cover ~ Bestsellers List / Book Review

26-27 Outings & Events Calendar 28

Lower Columbia Dining Guide

29

Movies by Dr. Bob Blackwood

29

Astronomy ~ Night Sky Report

30

Lower Columbia Informer ~ Guest Column by Daniel Kellner

33

Where Do You Read the Reader?

34

The Spectator ~ Exchanging Messages

34

Plugged In to Cowlitz PUD

Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019 / 3

Early Spring Gardening Tips

Your garden is calling!

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By Alice Slusher

s I write this, I’m looking out the window at my fat-blossomed daffodils just bursting at the seams to explode into joyful living sunshine!

Winter is indeed on her way out, and there are a lot of things on the calendar this month to welcome spring!

Soil testing: If you want to do one thing to ensure that you have a healthy garden this year, get a soil test for both your veggie garden and your flower/shrub beds. The results from these soil tests will tell you exactly what you need to grow healthy plants, and you’ll save a boat-load of money by not buying unnecessary fertilizers and other additives. Don’t waste your hard-earned bucks on those DIY home soil test kits that you get at garden centers — they’re useless — the results are inaccurate, and you don’t get the benefit of results that tell you what

you need to optimize your garden. Call the WSU Extension office for more information.

Roses: Are you lucky enough to grow roses that the deer don’t eat up like candy? If so, WSU has three beautiful publications to help you take care of your roses and they’re free to download: Planting Roses, Rose Care Calendar, and Pests and Diseases of Roses. To find them online, search for “WSU roses.” cont page 27 Kalama resident Alice Slusher volunteers with WSU Extension Service Plant & Insect Clinic. Drop by 9–12 Mon-WedFri. at 1946 3rd Ave., Longview, with your specimen, call 360-577-3014, ext. 8, or send question via cowlitzmastergardener@gmail.com.

Lower Columbia Contractors Association

COWLITZ COUNTY EXPO CENTER

SATURDAY 9PM - 5PM, SUNDAY 10AM - 4PM ADMISSION: $2 OR 2 CANS OF FOOD

The show for those looking to renovate their homes; begin spring garden and landscaping projects and enjoy leisure activities in the playground we call home.

LEGO ® Build Competition

Junk Queens Show

Sign up for the LEGO® Build Competition for children ages 5-12 on Saturday March 16, preregistration is required. Learn more at lcca.net.

Sponsored by:

Native plants in landscapes How to grow a red tomato Lawn care How to compost using worms Growing vegetables Tips to save buying groceries Fruit tree pruning for summer Tips to control moles Free Workshops are sponsored by WSU Extension and WSU Cowlitz County Master Gardeners

Event Information at www.LCCA.net

4 / Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019

Landscaping Heating & Air Conditioning Home Décor Solar Energy Remodeling Roofing Siding & Windows Equipment Leisure Activities Banking

Junk Queens and Friends will be onsite selling Primitives, Antiques, Repurposed, Home Decor, and More!

Grandpa’s Trash is our Treasure.

Pre-register for paint classes.

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Civilized Living shrimp and leave the veggies. This may sometimes leave others with less complete portions or servings for their own plates.

Is there a polite way I can bring this up?

We’re all very close friends, but she can be sensitive to criticism, and I don’t want to say something that might hurt her feelings if I’m the one that’s being overly sensitive.

By Judith Martin, Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin

The other night, I made a casserole, and she took just the baked cheesy top layer and left the bottom portion. If someone makes a beef or shrimp stir-fry, she will invariably pick out just the beef or

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My friends and I frequently have dinners where we take turns cooking. One of the members of our circle will cherry-pick and take the “best” parts of a shared dish.

Call before you go

Your Columbia River Reader

Read it.

Enjoy it.

Share it.

Recycle it.

It costs more to fix Estate Problems than to avoid them...Have your Will prepared today.

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.

GENTLE READER: Stop asking your guests to serve themselves.

Arrange their plates in the kitchen — or at a buffet table nearby if they want to make requests for light meat or dark. But this comes with a warning: No fair complaining in the kitchen about any food your guests leave untouched.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: While on vacation at a theme park in Florida, I was shocked to see a mother enter the not-empty men’s room shouting for her son. There was no reply.

“I make house calls”

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When I suggested/requested she leave, given it was a men’s room which was being used by numerous gentlemen, I was informed that she had every right to be there, and she resumed shouting for someone who was not in the facility.

I have no doubt about what the reaction would be to my entering a women’s restroom even if looking for my daughter.

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Instead, I would politely ask a woman entering/exiting to see if my daughter (using her name) was “OK.” In this day and age, I cannot imagine putting a child in any scenario where their location is in question.

Was I correct in my request? Am I wrong in my view about how to handle locating my child?

GENTLE READER: Whether or not someone was singing “It’s a Small World (After All)” in your ear while this was occurring, the reminder is relevant. The mother was rude, but it would have been preferable to focus on how to help rather than how to criticize.

You could have asked the child’s name and said you would be happy to go look yourself to save her any embarrassment. Miss Manners hopes that this is what would happen if you were found hovering outside a women’s room holding a pink backpack, a coloring book, a child’s sweater and coat— and a worried look.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My parents frequently host longtime friends and neighbors for dessert and a chat after dinner and a movie night. Dessert is frequently cake or pie. cont page 27

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Please place your glass bottle and jars in your green garbage container or you may bring them directly to Waste Control for recycling

Tin & Aluminum Cans

E-Cycle

Magazines & Newspaper

Bring to Waste Control for recycling.

Printers, mice and keyboards are not recyclable.

No need to remove paper labels or crush cans.

Mixed Paper Clean paper. Like junk mail, cereal boxes without liners, egg cartons, etc. Shredded paper in a paper bag.

Cardboard

Do not tie in bundles - place directly into your brown recycling container.

Plastics 1 and 2 Only

No need to remove paper labels or crush cardboard.

Please do not place your recyclables in plastic bags Place directly into your BROWN recycling container

In an effort to serve you better, the City has compiled common information that residents often request, plus created an easy way for you to communicate with us.

Got a question? Just Ask Longview!

No need to remove paper labels or crush plastic.

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Most plastic bags are a solid color, preventing sorters from seeing the contents. Used needles or other hazardous materials are sometimes found; for safety reasons, such bags are not opened up.

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Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019 / 5

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REAL ESTATE LINGO DECIPHERED by Mike Wallin

Selling Mom & Dad’s home

One of life’s most challenging aspects is watching our parents age.

Then comes the day when you — and they — realize they’ve lost their physical independence. Whether they are downsizing into a smaller, less maintenance-intensive home or are moving in with you or to a care home, giving up a long-loved home is wrenching.

THANKFULLY, they have you and you have us and we have tips to help your parent or parents — and you — through this tough time.

Line up some labor

Cleaning out a family home is a huge job so don’t try to tackle this alone. If you have siblings, enlist their help. In fact, insist on it. Not only will you need Get legal advice their muscle but having family You may be required to use the proceeds of the sale to pay around may help ease your for your parents’ care if they parents’ transition as well. will be moving to an assisted Otherwise, hire some help. living facility or long-term Visit the neighbors to let them care facility and will require know what’s happening and ask Medicaid to pay for their care. for a referral to local manual laborers. Who knows? They Speak with your attorney may volunteer to help. early in the process to learn about the complex aspects Hire a real estate agent of selling an elderly parent’s It may seem too early in the home. process to hire a listing agent, but we disagree. Your agent should see the home before

Mike Wallin

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you start moving things out of it. Advice on what to leave for staging purposes is invaluable.

Ask for tips on whether to paint, replace carpet and other updates that will make the home more attractive to potential buyers.

Your agent can refer you to an estate sale company (if needed to help get rid of belongings), cleaners, painters and more.

Hiring an agent early in the process also allows Mom and Dad to get to know the agent and feel more comfortable about the sale process.

Move first, then sell

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6 / Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019

Lewis & Clark

Lewis & Clark Encore

We are pleased to present Installment

Baby, it’s cold outside!

M

any of us heard recent weather reports of the extraordinarily low temperatures experienced in the upper Midwest this winter. When the Lewis & Clark Expedition was camped at Fort Mandan (near presentday Bismark, North Dakota), they recorded temperatures as low as minus 45 degrees on several nights in 1805 (that was as low as their thermometer went!). Does it still get that cold?

On January 30, 2019, it got down to minus 27 at today’s reconstructed Fort Mandan – and that same morning, it got down to minus 56 degrees in Cotton, Minnesota. Those are actual temperatures, not the hyped “windchill” factors we often hear about.

Nowadays, people live in insulated homes heated by natural gas, oil or electricity… but, that is still cold!

All Iced Up After spending five months in presentday North Dakota during a bitterly cold winter, the Corps of Discovery was anxious to continue their journey to the Pacific Ocean. They had made a major mistake by leaving their keelboat and two smaller pirogues in the Missouri River after arriving at the site of Fort Mandan in November, 1804. With temperatures down to 45 degrees below zero, it hadn’t taken long for the boats to become trapped in the ice.

On January 22, 1805, the men began trying to chop the boats out, but they soon realized it was not going to be easy. The fluctuating level of the river had resulted in several layers of ice, and as soon as they chopped through one layer the void filled with water. An attempt was made to heat large rocks in the fire and then Michael Perry enjoys local history and travel. His popular 33-installment Lewis & Clark series appeared in CRR’s early years and began its second “encore” appearance in April 2018.

place them in the boats to melt the ice; however, upon placing the cold rocks in the fire, they exploded. It took over a month of chopping to free the boats, just as the ice was breaking up. If they hadn’t managed to get them out at that time, the boats would almost certainly have been crushed as the ice began breaking up and moving downriver.

#10 of Michael Perry’s popular 33-month series which began with CRR’s April 15, 2004 inaugural issue. “Dispatch from the Discovery Trail” helped define and shape Columbia River Reader in its early years during the Bicentennial Commemoration of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Each installment covered their travels during the corresponding month 200 years prior. We are repeating the series for the enjoyment of both longtime and more recent readers.

March 5th was the first day the temperature reached 40 degrees in 1805. The boats were put back in the water on April 1st, 1805, and the next week was spent packing. The Missouri was too shallow to take the keelboat any further, so it was loaded with all the mineral and botanical specimens, animal skeletons and skins (along with some live animals) collected between St. Louis and Fort Mandan. Many of those items are still on display at Jefferson’s home at Monticello and in the Smithsonian.

Jefferson planted some of the seeds, and many of those plants are still growing at Monticello. Clark had spent all winter drawing a map of the area west of the Mississippi River, based on his observations and information obtained from Indians and fur traders. A copy of that map was sent to Jefferson, along with a 45,000 word report, when the keelboat headed back to St. Louis with 15 men of the return party on April 7, 1805.

On the road again

On that same day, the 33 members of the permanent party, including Sacajawea and her 55-day old son, began the journey up the Missouri into uncharted territory. Lewis wrote, “Our vessels consisted of six small canoes, and two large pirogues. This little fleet altho’ not quite so rispectable as those of Columbus or Capt. Cook, were still viewed by us with as much pleasure as those deservedly famed adventurers ever beheld theirs… we were now about to penetrate a country at least two thousand miles in width, on which the foot of civilized man had never trodden.”

On April 9th, Clark wrote, “I saw a Musquetor to day” and the following day he wrote “Misquetors troublesom.”

This is surprising since it had been so cold all winter; all precipitation between October 15 and March 23 had been snow. After fighting mosquitoes the previous year, this was a bad omen! On April 14th, they reached “the highest point to which any whiteman had ever ascended.” From that point on, only Sacajawea had first-hand knowledge of what lay ahead.

•••

The Verendrye marker is a thin lead plate, 8-1/2 by 6-1/2 inches and about 1/8 inch thick. The inscription on the front is in Latin and reads: In the twenty-sixth year of the reign of Louis XV, the most illustrious Lord, the Lord Marquis of Beauharnois being Viceroy, 1741, Pierre Gaultier De La Verendrye placed this. That inscription is incorrect; Pierre Gualtier de la Verendrye did not bury the tablet in 1741 as written, but it was the only plate his two sons had. On the back side a message in French was scratched to correct the errors: Placed by the Chevalier de la Verendrye - Louis, Joseph, La Londette and Miotte the 30th of March, 1743.

Who was First?

M

any people still believe Lewis and Clark were the first white men to explore the Great Plains. Others wonder how the land included in the 1803 Louisiana Purchase initially came to be owned by France and Spain.

In 1738, Pierre Verendrye, a French fur trader living near present-day Winnipeg, Canada, visited a Mandan village near present-day Bismarck, North Dakota (about 60 miles south of where the Lewis and Clark Expedition spent their winter in 1804-1805). Mandan, Cheyenne, and Crow Indians told Verendrye about Spanish trading ships along the Pacific coast, fueling his desire to find a route to the Pacific Ocean.

In April 1742, two of his sons and at least two employees set out from the Mandan village on an exploration they hoped might end up at the “Western Sea.” The Verendyne group was warned of the fierce Snake (Shoshone) Indians, so they made a long detour to avoid a potential conflict.

Rather than following the Missouri River, they traveled southwest and west until, on January 1, 1743, they saw snow-capped mountains to the west that they reached eight days later (probably the Big Horn Mountains near presentday Sheridan, Wyoming).

Their Indian guides refused to go any further, so the Expedition was forced to return without seeing what lay beyond the mountains. In March 1743 on their return trip, the Verendrye brothers buried an inscribed lead tablet on a bluff near present-day Pierre, South Dakota, claiming the land for France. The plate, discovered by accident by school children in 1913, now resides in the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center at Pierre.

Upon his return to Manitoba, Louis Verendrye wrote they had “added considerably to the geographical knowledge of the period; ensured for the Canadians and French the friendship and loyalty of...Indian tribes until then unknown... (and demonstrated) that the route to the western sea was not to be sought to the southwest, but to the northwest...”

However, these were not the first white men to explore the interior of North America. 200 years earlier, Coronado had led a large expedition from Mexico to near present-day Salina, Kansas – 79 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.

Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019 / 7

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Explore the Longview Outdoor Gallery

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See ad, pg 23

Unique sculptures on display along the sidewalks of Downtown Longview, both sides of Commerce Ave.

See ad, pg 5

The Broadway Gallery See ad, page 22

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1262 Commerce • Longview, WA • 360-353-3533 8 / Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019

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.

Rep. Larr y Hoff (R-Vancouver) “Each of these committees plays a was sworn into office Jan. 15 as the vital role in the day-to-day operations newest state representative of Washington state’s for the 18th Legislative economy,” said Hoff.

District. He replaces “The actions we take former Rep. Liz Pike, who will affect millions of did not run for reelection. people, so it is my hope Hoff, who lives in Clark that we work together County, recently retired as in a bipartisan way to president and CEO of the get it right. We know $1 billion Fibre Federal Washingtonians don’t Credit Union. want tax increases, nor do they want unnecessary “It is truly humbling to regulations that stifle have the opportunity to economic growth. serve our 18th District Larry Hoff We should instead be communities in this new focused on supporting policies this role as state representative,” said Hoff, session that keep Washington state in a press release. “I look forward to competitive, grow jobs, and encourage bringing the voice and perspective of entrepreneurship and innovation.” so many of my friends and neighbors to Olympia, and to delivering results The 2019 legislative session began on their behalf.”

Jan. 14, and is scheduled to run for 105 consecutive days.

Hoff will serve as the assistant ranking member of the House Consumer Protection and Business Committee, Columbia County is seeking qualified which considers consumer protection citizens to fill seats on the Budget, issues, the safety and soundness Elected Officials Compensation, of state banks and credit unions, J a i l O p e r a t i n g , S o l i d Wa s t e , the regulation of consumer credit Transportation/Roads, Citizen and lending and securities and Transportation and Ambulance investments. He will also serve on the Service advisory committees, House Appropriations Committee, which play a vital role in advising which considers the operating the Columbia County Board of budget, and on the House Labor and Commissioners and its staff on issues Workplace Standards Committee, of importance to residents of the which reviews legislation related to county. industrial insurance, unemployment “The Board relies on citizen advisory compensation, collective bargaining, committees to review information and family leave, safety and health make recommendations so that we can standards, occupational health, and employment standards.

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make the best decisions possible,” said Board Chairman Henry Heimuller. “I can’t emphasize enough how much the Board of Commissioners appreciates people from throughout the County being involved in planning our services. It is citizen involvement that helps assure a good future for everyone.”

Appointment to all committees is subject to confirmation by the Commissioners. Applicants may be

interviewed by the Board, and may serve on staggered terms to allow for sufficient transitioning.

Those interested in serving on any committee should complete a Volunteer Application Form, available online at http://www.co.columbia. or.us/ or at the County Courthouse, 230 Strand St. in St. Helens. For more information on applying, email Jan Greenhalgh at jan.greenhalgh@ co.columbia.or.us or call her at 503397-4322.

The Havens, a Longview area consortium of 11 adult family homes, recently welcomed new owner-members Denise Ullman, operating Ullman Family Home and Ullman Senior Home; Jennifer Lux, operating Angel’s View Adult Family Home and Ken and Kristy Holly, operating Holly Care Home, which he designed and built. The group, which maintains a vacancy roster and central phone number, meets regularly to discuss management strategies, coordinate marketing efforts and offer mutual support. Together, they provide residential services for 66 adults.

The homes offer “more personalized care and time spent with residents” than typically provided in larger senior living facilities, said Jennifer Lux, a registered nurse with 21 years experience Left to right: Ken Holly, Kristy Holly, Jennifer Lux and Denise Ullman. with hospice.

Operating her own adult family home is “something I always wanted to do. When a brand new ready-to-license home became available, she took action. “Maybe I won’t do it in 10 or 15 years,” she said. “Maybe I’ll do it now. All the doors kept opening.”

“I love the elderly,” added Denise Ullman, also an RN, “and being my own boss.”

Outgoing president Brian Fawcett was honored at a recent meeting of the Rainier Chamber of Commerce. Fawcett served as president for two years (2017 and 2018), noted on a plaque presented

by Rainier businessman and Port of St. Helens Commissioner M i k e Ave n t and Rainier L-R: Mike Avent, Brian Fawcett, Michael Carter.

School SuperMeagan Tolles intendent M i c h a e l the Columbia-Pacific Food Bank, Carter. The new president is Meagan following five years with St. Helens Tolles, who recently started a new Community Credit Union, now position as development director with known as InRoads Credit Union.

Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019 / 9

Roland on Wine

Channel surfing for grapes

I

By Marc Roland

TV and wine might lead to travel

know I’m not normal. I consume an inordinate amount of media that relates to wine. My wife is mostly supportive of this habit because many of these shows take you to places around the world.

Because she is a self-confessed Francophile and lover of culture and travel, she joins me. We have indeed seen wine regions personally, but not nearly enough, so in between trips we can travel anywhere through media. I assure Nancy that we will travel again but in the meantime, we will continue to enjoy the plethora of wine videos and books.

My favorite videos lately can be found on Amazon Prime. Thanks to my wife’s insatiable appetite for books we signed up for Prime. It seemed like a waste of money until I found Prime included many on-demand videos about travel and wine. Some binge on popular TV series, but I dive into Longview resident and anything that looks purple and former Kelso teacher Marc smells like fruit. So here are a Roland started making wine in 2008 in his garage. few shows that might get your He and his wife, Nancy, taste buds excited and give you now operate Roland Wines the bug to travel. at 1106 Florida Street in Longview’s new “barrel district.” For wine tasting hours, call 360-846-7304.

Kids’ fishing event set for April 27 at Lake Sacajawea This year’s Lake Sacajawea Kids’ Fish-In, sponsored by the Longview Early Edition Rotary and scheduled for April 27, will again have seven 45-minute sessions starting at 8:00am. All remaining sessions will start on the hour and end 45 minutes later. Longview Parks & Recreation will handle the registration for each session. Go online to mylongview. com/rec, stop by the office at 2920 Douglas St., or call 360-442-5400 11am – 5pm.

We will be hosting 60 participants ages 5 – 14 per session, for a total of 420. Please sign up soon for the session most convenient for you .

Registration filled up and was closed prior to the event last year.

Please arrive at least 10 minutes before your scheduled session and remember, no personal equipment is allowed into the Martin’s Dock area during this event. We expect Lake Sacajawea to be planted with more than 2,000 rainbow trout and approximately 30 or more larger brood trout from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. ~ Gerry Bosh, Longview Parks & Recreation Foundation

It Starts With Wine Wine Enthusiast put this series together. You meet winemakers and chefs who are changing how we experience wine. It is a celebration of life. Travel to Uruguay and Argentina and be inspired to try new flavors and explore new regions. Some may enjoy the segment Meet your friends and relax at this classic neighborhood watering hole!

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on biodynamic wine. I personally would skip it. Seems like they are trying to take the mystery out of biodynamic farming, but instead leave you scratching your head. The series is a sensual feast for the eyes.

My favorite is the one on Uruguay.

It follows a doctor who lives in the U.S. and commutes to her family vineyard in South America. You meet a musician along the way, and the food they prepare is mouthwatering. Be warned, you will have a glass in your hand by the end of the show.

V Is For Vino If you love California wine regions this show is for you. Your host, Vince Antler, travels to 3 distinct wine regions in California. He cooks with chefs and explains wine tasting and winery processes. This is a hipster video with some cool music just like we would expect from the California lifestyle. It can be a little heavy on education, but you will learn a lot with fun interviews with winemakers.

The regions covered are Napa Valley, Santa Barbara, and Paso Robles.

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10 / Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019

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A Year In Port Portugal is a place on my shortlist of places I want to visit. Part wine show and part travelogue, you will be amazed at how port wine is made and the people who make it. The rich traditions of the English families who assisted in bringing this drink to the world dates back generations. Enjoy the reenactment each year of the old boats carrying casks of wine down the Douro River. Planning a trip to Portugal? A must see.

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Patrick Cappiello, acclaimed wine director at Rebelle and Pearl & Ash in New York City, shares his favorite bottles. Patrick is a witty, fast-talking sommelier who is a fantastic taster.

You will learn a lot about wine tasting with some surprises. His reviews of the best wines under $15 are especially helpful.

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Blood drives part of the culture at Pacific Surgical Institute When Nancy Stone organized the first blood drive at Pacific Surgical Institute in 2011, she thought it would be a one-time thing. Instead, that first event spurred her to make blood drives a regular part of the culture at PSI. Stone, who works at Pacific Imaging Center at the PSI complex at 625 9th Avenue, is the force behind 27 drives that have netted 591 donations. She hasn’t had to look far for motivation.

“I see people dropping in because they saw the bus or the signs and want to donate. At the end of the day, I think about the fact that one donation has the ability to save three lives, and I am inspired.”

Nancy Stone

She’s been fortunate to have a built-in pool of donors at PSI. Employees at Longview Orthopedic Associates, Pacific Imaging Center, Longview Urology, Pacific Surgical Center, and Longview Physical & Sports Therapy always show when the Red Cross comes calling. As an added bonus, most employers in the building are willing to keep their people on the clock while they are donating.

“My job is to hunt them down and sign them up,” Stone said.

Despite the strong support from PSI staff, Stone noted that more than half the donors are community members. “They are essential to our success,” she said.

Jessica Baker Real Estate Broker

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The Red Cross provides the opportunity for organizations like PSI to focus their blood drives. “We’ve hosted several that benefit local kids who are fighting cancer.

For each donation given, that child receives an equal number of transfusions at no cost. It’s a fantastic program.”

The next drive at PSI is tentatively scheduled for March 27th. Call Nancy at 360.501.3444 for more information.

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Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019 / 11

HaikuFest 2019 Here are this year’s selections. Thanks to everyone who entered.

TRADITIONAL 1. Poppies remember; their petals silent witness of true sacrifice ~Adele Brown, Longview, Wash.

POP 1. I strum in rhythm My fingers dance on the strings Ukelele sings. ~Ray Iwamoto, Honolulu, Hawaii

2.

Swift fell the shadow merciless upon the hare with beak and talons ~ Sharon Ashford, Longview, Wash.

2. Raindrops on tin roof Tap-tap-ti-tap-tap-ti-tap God’s Morse code – build boat! ~M. Blackburn, Beaufort, S.C.

3.

Up above the clouds Higher than the eagle flies Mysteries unfold. ~ John Hanna, Palo Alto, Calif.

Honorable Mention Deep purple syrup Huckleberries in rapture Warm buttered bisquits. ~Rena Langille, Seattle, Wash.

3. As folks grow older Look past their decay and see the youth in their eyes. ~Karin Kaczmarek,

Long Beach, Wash.

Honorable Mention Chokers and smokers Midnight tokers, log brokers Steve Miller bandaids. ~Samuel Berger, Seattle, Wash.

Firewood for sale, and Smoke on the crisp autumn air Summer snapping shut. ~Carol Blackburn, Longview, Wash.

Haiku maddening Too short to be difficult Why then writer’s block? ~Philip Nolan, Santa Ana, Calif.

Sea foam hieroglyphs Shaped by moon-tide messages Lost in translation ~John Ciminello, Naselle, Wash.

Dessert dilemma Left on plate it goes to waste Eaten, goes to waist. ~Mary Elliott, Toledo, Wash.

SPECIAL CATEGORIES Love Power of Haiku A haiku courtship Led to a July wedding And true happiness ~Lois Brudi-Conrod, Longview,Wash.

(Congratulations, Lois! from the CRR staff.)

Northwest Theme Haiku A wandering stream Was once a tiny trickle Columbia born. ~Purr Marchbanks,

Ryderwood, Wash.

Best Foreign Entry A gentle wind blows Ripples of light unfolding Upon the river ~Keith Simmonds, Rodez, France Blue Haiku You were too haiku for me, far too syllabic.

I just wanted sex. ~R. Chalmers, Rio Vista, Calif.

Tenacity Haiku My haiku is bad But they could not exclude me I will try again! ~Anonymous, Honolulu, Hawaii Political Haiku Trump haiku – no chance!

If I add some Pence, what then?

Perhaps a thumb’s up? ~ Paula Butler, New York, NY

It pays to advertise!

Ad Reps: Ron Baldwin 503-791-7985: Wahkiakum, Pacific,

Clatsop Counties, Mouth of the Columbia.

Tiffany Dickinson 706-284-4008:

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Ad Manager-Ned Piper, 360-749-2632: Other areas.

CRR AD DEADLINES March 15: Feb 25 April 15: March 25 Free Calendar Listing Submission Guidelines: page 26

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12 / Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019

Basho-based Haiku Frog jumps in old pond The image worked for Basho Will it work for me? ~Vicki Jaskowiak, Savannah, Georgia Publisher’s Citations Chartreuse moss blankets top beds of volcano rock warming Mother Earth ~Margaret Caron, Toutle, Wash.

Rain is falling now wrapping around the house like a gray, fitted sheet ~Carolyn Caines, Kelso, Wash.

CRR’s Annual

H

By Gary Meyers

aikufest 2019 closed on a very successful note. We received 204 entries, 36 within the final four hours of the contest.

Apparently, we still have those who think, mistakenly, that the last one slipped over the transom will be given special attention. Sorry! All entries are simply added to the master list as they arrive.

For those new to the Reader who may wonder how the winners are chosen, here is our secret revealed. Following the deadline, the judges are provided master lists with the entrants’ names removed to ensure anonymity. Each then selects, independently, 10 traditional and pop favorites and sends their picks to me. I tally the results and return to the judges a list of the haiku organized in order of total votes received. From this second list, the judges select the “best-of-the-best.” I only vote to break ties. The “almostmade-it” group from the second list vies for Honorable Mentions.

Occasionally, the judges recommend special categories for entries so bizarre, deep, or unique as to demand their own niches. This year we had several such entries as you will see.

We are increasingly impressed by the number of readers who dive like Basho’s frog into the old haiku pond for the first time. They sometimes create big splashes. We like to think that within each of our Reader fans is a haiku poet yearning to break free and we relish the opportunity to assist.

While we don’t elicit or encourage photographs to accompany haiku entries, we also don’t forbid them.

Judging, however, is based solely on the poetry. This year, Dave Ford from the Kalama boondocks submitted a cont next page

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haiku printed on a Northwest theme photo. He described the setting as “… early spring looking southwest over the clouded Columbia at moonset.

It was noisy…with birds and insects getting an early breakfast.” Those who enjoy spring strolls at dusk in the Northwest woods are very familiar with the “forest orchestra.” This was an entry that begged Special Mention in its own category. Thanks, Dave.

In closing out Haikufest 2019, I want to recognize the judges who are essential to these events. They don’t work even for peanuts. For them it’s totally for the love of the

I asked each of them to describe themselves in a single sentence. All were self-effacing. Linda and Mike Ryan have been my friends for more than 30 years. We met when we were stationed together in Tokyo. Mike is from Oregon originally and describes himself simply as “partly truth and partly fiction.” [He may be D.B. Cooper!] Linda will only say that she is a “farm girl from Colorado who married a USAF officer and ended up living all over the world.”

Mary is formerly a legal proofreader and currently a preschool teacher.

She favors the Oxford comma (an optional comma before the word “and” at the end of a list) and her favorite color is red.

We congratulate the winners and thank all who participated in Haikufest 2019. The spirit of Basho salutes you. Aloha nui loa!

•••

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Creighton is a retired US Customs and Border Protection chief inspector who has already checked our credentials and those of the entrants.

My dear friend and long-time judge, Deborah Kim, left us but two new replacements stepped forward: Peter Glick and Mary Cappabianca. Peter describes himself as “a scholar, linguist, widely read, and now a writer.” That hardly presents the complete picture.

Gary Meyers is CRR’s HaikuFest founder and chief judge. He grew up in Longview and, following careers with the US Marines and Northwest Airlines, enjoys retirement in Hawaii. He misses the rain, however, and visits Southwest Washington regularly.

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Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019 / 13

Mount St. Helens Club Proud to be Longview’s Premier Seafood Restaurant OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK WINTER HOURS 10 – 9

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If the Snowshoe Fits...

Outing reminds outdoor enthusiasts “This is my ideal place to live!”

I

Missing The Masthead?

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Story and photos by Tiffany Dickinson

n J a n u a r y, I embarked on a snowshoe hike at White Pass Resort with the Mt. St Helens Club. In m o r n i n g ’s d a m p fog, we met at the Longview YMCA. Seven hikers (three women, four men) stowed our gear in two vehicles and settled in for the two-hour drive.

The fog followed us up I-5 and east onto Highway 12. As we reached higher elevations and approached the Pass, the sun burned through. By the time we reached Morton, it was cold and clear. “Glad I packed sunglasses,” one hiker remarked as the blinding snow filled our view.

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White Pass was hopping. Our vehicles made their way past the ski lodge and bunny slopes. I couldn’t see the end of the line of parked cars along the highway.

After finding two spots on the north side of the road, we quickly suited up, checked our backpacks, and strapped on snowshoes. We needed our snow shoes immediately to climb the barrier created by snow plows.

After a few paces, the leaders reminded us to avoid the narrow paths made by cross country skiers.

“They get very irritated when we mess up their paths,” Susan Mejo said. Heading toward the Pacific Coast Trail, I thought, “This will be easier than I expected.” Crunching across the glistening snow. Warmer than I thought possible. No worries, I decided.

Portland native Tiffany Dickinson is a nurse-turned homeschooling mom-turned children’s writer. She moved to Longview recently and has already created her niche.

Photo by Bruce McRedie

! d e t i v n i e r ’ You THE PIANO STUDIO OF MARTIN E. KAUBLE NCTM,

Presents

ABRIANA CHURCH, Pianist Performing works by Bach, Beethoven, Schumann and Liszt Sunday, March 10, 3:00 p.m.

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church 1428 22nd Ave.,Longview, Washington Admission: Freewill Donations Contact Information: Martin E. Kauble (1.360.423.3072 14 / Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019

from page 14

George Wiest led the group. He and his daughter, Paula White, were out front all the way up the three miles to Sand Lake and back. Wiest grew up in the northeastern U.S. enjoying the outdoors. “But this,” he said, “is my ideal place to live.”

Being very sensitive to the cold, I wore several layers of clothing. Less than halfway up, my hat and gloves were relegated to my backpack, and near the top, my parka came off. I tied it around my waist, and it served best as a seat cushion at lunch.

Our single-file line quickly stretched out with the three faster hikers pulling far enough ahead that I couldn’t see or hear them, and the other three were within shouting distance behind me. I spent much of the ascent alone, soaking in my surroundings.

After escaping the road sounds, only crunching snow or the occasional conversation could be heard. Florescent green moss hung in languid fronds from the trees, in surreal contrast against the white. Overburdened branches dropped piles of melting snow too near the path for my comfort. I wondered if I should be wearing a helmet, but only a few drops touched my head. When the sunlight broke through the trees, the snow on the mountain glittered like an exposed diamond mine.

As we reached the last mile or so, the trail narrowed to the point that necessitated putting one snowshoe in front of the other. I frequently stepped on my own snowshoe, partly due to inexperience (this was my second time snowshoeing) and the fact that my snowshoes are at least 10 years old. All my fellow hikers sported smaller, shorter snowshoes. It was a steady uphill climb with a few downward dips to the top.

On the lookout for snow foxes and winter birds, I imagined hungry cougars aiming for the lone slow hiker. But I saw no wildlife other than the so-called “camp robbers” at our lunch spot. These native North American birds (Gray Jay, Stellar’s Jay, Clark’s Nutcracker, and the Black-billed Magpie) are often fearless around people, sometimes even eating from their hands. Several flitted around and landed near another group of lunching hikers. When we arrived at Sand Lake, we sat on shared tarps, eating, watching the camp robbers, and swapping outdoor adventure stories.

As we made the much easier and faster descent after lunch, I chatted with Bruce McCredie, current Club president.

Noting the peace and beauty surrounding us, he said, “I feel sorry for people who can’t (or won’t) come out here.

They don’t know what they’re missing.”

About Mt. St. Helens Club The MSHC was formed by a group of men and women with a deep interest in the outdoors, nature study, and conservation. In addition to hiking, they also snowshoe, bike, and kayak, with a couple of overnight trips each year.

In 2018, the Club hiked 6,498 miles, including 154 miles snow shoeing, 623 bicycling, and 35 kayaking.

Members range from ages 12–94.

Guests welcome. The Club has monthly potlucks that include their business meetings. For membership information, see contact info in MSHC ad, page 2.

The Conservation Committee completes projects such as wrapping chicken wire around endangered trees along the Tenant Way dike to protect from beavers, trail maintenance on Hummocks Trail, clearing brush and re-staining picnic tables on Tarbell Trail, and donating picnic tables for natural areas such as Coweeman Dike path.

All hikers are expected to carry the 10 essentials, plus additional supplies as appropriate. Scheduled hikes are listed on the club’s website and every month in CRR (see page 30). Contact the leader for each individual hike for more information.

The afternoon was sunny as we retraced our route back to Longview.

Weary and sore in places I didn’t expect, I rested and listened to the light conversation around me. We drove past timbered peaks and shimmering lakes, through small towns, and by bump-in-the-road watering holes. And I thought, This is my ideal place to live, too.

•••

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

Raymond/ South Bend

Oysterville •

Chinook

• Grays River

Cathlamet 4

Astoria Birkenfeld

Mount St. Helens

Skamokawa

WestportPuget Island FERRYk

101

101

Pacific Ocean

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

Castle Rock

• Naselle

Warrenton •

Seaside

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

504

Long Beach

Columbia River

Washington

Vader

Ocean Park •

Ilwaco

VISITOR CENTERS

FREE Maps • Brochures Directions • Information

Vernonia

Longview

Ape Cave •

Kelso

Clatskanie Rainier

Woodland

503

Columbia City St Helens

• Ridgefield

rnelius NW Co ad Pass Ro

To: Salem Silverton Eugene Ashland

Sauvie Island

Vancouver 12

Portland

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

Local in

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

Col Gorge Interp Ctr Skamania Lodge Bonneville Dam

Troutdale Crown Point

97

Goldendale

• Seaside, OR 989 Broadway, 503-738-3097; 888-306-2326

•Yacolt

Scappoose•

Oregon

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Kalama

• Wahkiakum Chamber 102 Main St, Cathlamet • 360-795-9996 • Castle Rock Visitor Center Exit 49, west side of I-5, 890 Huntington Ave. N. Open M-F 11–3.

Maryhill Museum

Stevenson Hood River Cascade Locks Bridge of the Gods

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.

Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019 / 15

Peter Kung and Tony Lin Now Taking Appointments Before joining Longview Orthopedic Associates, Peter Kung, MD, and Tony Lin, MD, attended the world-renowned Kerlan-Jobe Sports Medicine Clinic in Los Angeles, where they were members of a medical staff that treated professional athletes from the L.A. Dodgers, L.A. Lakers, L.A. Sparks, L.A. Kings, and Anaheim Ducks.

In addition to sub-specialty board certification

in sports medicine, Kung and Lin specialize in treating knee and shoulder injuries and conditions.

Call Longview Orthopedic Associates to schedule an appointment. MRI and physical therapy services are located on site for your convenience.

Dr. Kung, MD

Dr. Lin, MD

We welcome Kaiser patients with a referral! www.longvieworthopedics.com

360.501.3444

16 / Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019

A monthly feature written and photographed

by Southwest Washington native and Emmy Award-winning journalist

Hal Calbom

Production Notes

Sacred Grounds: Ken Wiegardt

The Best Job in the World

The winter morning is chilled but windless on Willapa Bay.

Hal Calbom

I

people+ place

’m a storyteller. But before that I’m a story seeker ­— with a restless attention span, endless curiosity, the willingness to ask dumb questions, and a platform to share what I’ve heard and learned. I’ll give myself credit for a good eye and ear, but the rest is wonder and inquisitiveness.

The world is remarkable and wide.

I show up in Nahcotta, Washington, on the Willapa Bay side of the Long Beach Peninsula, and ask for Ken Wiegardt. At this point I’m simply an imposing (six-footseven) stranger proposing to ask questions and take pictures, a benign intruder. We focus on process first, how exactly we’ll spend the next three hours together. The photography precedes the conversation: shoot first and ask questions later. Ken grows more comfortable on his own terms, demonstrating what may be familiar to him but fascinates an eager, enthusiastic listener.

Next day, bleary-eyed, we take a morning boat ride in the pre-dawn dark, coffee cups warming our hands, sharing companionable silence.

He maneuvers me into position for photographs, perhaps ones he’s envisioned in his own head, his own story. I take notes and record more conversation, but by now there is more shared experience than explanation.

We leave before dawn, our aluminum boat easing out among the oyster dredges and motley shallow-drafts in the Port of Nahcotta. Pier lights reflect on the shimmering water. Even in pitch dark, Ken Wiegardt knows the Bay like a backyard, which is more than a mere simile. The neon-bright depth finder shows us constantly in 4 to 10 feet of water, scudding at medium tide across the familiar and carefully staked-out mud flats and oyster beds.

We pick up speed and head north toward the mouth of the Bay. Ken calls these his grounds — the 60 or 70 parcels of Willapa oyster beds owned outright or leased — many that were Wiegardts’ even before Washington gained its statehood. In the distance, far to the north, two bright bobbing lights reveal his dredge boat at last, patiently working the north of the Bay — back and forth, back and forth — harvesting. __________________________________ HC: What makes this oystering ground?

KW: Two words: clean water. Oysters truly are what they eat. They’re filter feeders, pumping water in and out. And if the water isn’t clean, you’re not going to have a good oyster.

HC: And they’re feeding on?

NICE TO MEET YOU Ken Weigardt resides

Ocean Park, Washington occupation

KW: It’s a mix of a lot of different things. We get a lot of water from the Pacific Ocean, and then Willapa Bay has a lot of small rivers feeding into it. At the north end we have Cedar River, you have North River; in the central to south part of the Bay you have Naselle River; at the south end of the Bay you have Bear River. So you have a lot of fresh water that brings a lot of nutrients. Mix that with the salt water and you get a lot of circulation and a lot of food.

Shellfish grower known for

Fifth generation in the family oyster farming business for fun

Fishing, spending time outdoors, spending time with family recommends

Be true to yourself. best way to eat oysters

Raw. Or put them in a steam basket for 40 minutes until they pop open, then finish them on the barbecue.

cont page 18

Back at the dock we shake hands warmly. I appreciate him and his conversation. He appreciates my interest and attention. We both appreciate sharing the story with you, the reader.

In a world awash in information, it’s these singular stories that stick, our human narratives. Discovering and telling those stories is the best job in the world.

••• Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019 / 17

People

“ One of every six oysters produced in the United States is produced in Willapa Bay.”

HC: So it’s brackish — I’ve always loved that word and hoped I’d get to use it sometime — fresh and salty combined?

~ Ken Wiegardt

KW: Yeah, it’s diluted salt water. The Bay is not going to be as salty as the ocean. And the oysters love it.

KW: Washington is unique in the entire country in the fact that people are allowed to own tidelands. I feel that’s one of the reasons why Washington leads the nation in terms of shellfish aquaculture. Being able to own your own ground makes a huge difference because you have pride of ownership.

You tend to take better care of it, and it provides a sense of security. When you own the ground, as opposed to leasing it, you can plan for the future.

They have a range they prefer. They don’t like it too salty and they don’t like it too fresh. Another thing that’s advantageous in Willapa is the vast expanses of mudflats.

Willapa used to be called Shoalwater Bay in the old days, meaning shallow water. And those mudflats are, basically, I guess the word would be “incubators” for food. They’re the base of the food chain. They provide a lot of the nutrients that the phytoplankton and the little critters need to grow.

HC: Do you pay taxes on it?

KW: Of course! It’s all registered with the county. We have tidelands that have been in the family since statehood and some that we’ve purchased as recently as two years ago.

HC: Tell us about that family. Five generations on this bay?

K W: We came to this area in 1876, from Denmark, and we’ve been here ever since. My great, great grandfather, Heinrich, left Denmark to avoid service in the army.

And he got a job on ships, and eventually ended up on the West Coast. He took a job on a guano schooner.

HC: Is the word out about Willapa oysters?

Are they known beyond the Pacific Coast?

KW: I should say so. One out of every six oysters produced in the United States is produced in Willapa Bay. And 70 per cent of our oysters — Jolly Roger Oysters — are exported, mainly to Asia.

HC: A delicacy?

KW: No, in Asia they’re a staple. It’s back here they’re still a delicacy.

It’s a natural wonder, an estuary of estuaries.

Willapa Bay formed when the Long Beach Peninsula, in reality a huge sand spit, began walling off the Pacific from the mudflats and river mouths of the interior. Thanks to its shallowness, fully half of Willapa’s water enters and leaves the Bay with every tide, creating a constantly circulating stew of nutrients and refreshed water. The Willapa ecosystem reverses the conventional model. Most of the land surrounding the Bay is publicly owned, set aside as the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, while the mudflats and tidelands are available for private ownership.

HC: I’m almost afraid to ask about a guano schooner.

KW: Back in the mid to late 1800s there were boats that went up and down the coast, collecting bird and bat guano, for fertilizer. But, finally I guess he couldn’t stand the smell anymore, so he jumped ship when it anchored in Willapa Bay, and we’ve been here ever since.

HC: Wow. A draft dodger and ship jumper? Right here, on the west side of the Bay! KW: The family actually started off in Bruceport, which doesn’t exist anymore. It was located on the other side of the Bay. Then they moved to Oysterville, in the late 1800s, and started in the oyster business.

HC: What was the market at the time?

cont page 20

People + Place afloat on wondrous Willapa Bay.

Please join us in supporting the humanitarian work of Make a donation of food or clothing at the donation center, 1222 Baltimore St., Longview, M-W-F, 8:30–11:30am. Monetary donations may be made online at svdplongview.com or mailed to St. Vincent de Paul, PO Box 29578, Longview, WA 98632.

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+ Place “They burrow down and create a series of tunnels, and it destabilizes the surface,” says Wiegardt, “The mud collapses, turning into a gooey muck, suffocating the shellfish.” According to the Takko op-ed, the inability of the shellfish farmers to treat their beds has cost them $50 million over the last five years, and threatens to reduce shellfish production by 90 percent in the coming years.

Shellfish farmers have been negotiating for more than a decade with the State Department of Ecology.

Growers argue the pesticide is applied sparingly, to the edges of shellfish habitat, and is applied only once every four or five years. Marilyn Sheldon, who owns about 1,500 acres in Willapa Bay, told the Aberdeen Daily World that imidacloprid is essential not just to foster oyster growth, but to protect eel grass and other marine sea life. “If you have a fifty-acre bed and can spray a five-acre buffer around it, you protect the whole acreage just by treating the edges. That’s how we can protect vast areas of habitat with very little treatment.”

Menacing Mud Shellfish farming, the lifeblood of Pacific County, faces extinction.

The Seattle Times

by Hal Calbom

Op-Ed headline, Dec. 14, 2018

S

Nonsense, writes Senator Takko, whose 19th Legislative District runs from Aberdeen to Longview, including Pacific County, “The conclusion is clearly political and is not based upon science. A process based upon science would — 10 times out of 10 — grant the shellfish farmers their permit, without controversy or delay.”

uch was the warning shot

fired in the editorial pages of the state’s newspaper of record by State Senator Dean Takko. His targets: “agenda-driven environmentalists and misinformed Seattle chefs” and the state Department of Ecology. In the opinion of Senator Takko and many of his constituents, Ecology blocked use of a pesticide they say is necessary to the survival of both their growing environment and their industry itself.

Meanwhile, burrowing shrimp continue to turn habitat into muck. Grower Dave Hollingsworth of Grays Harbor’s South Bay is also losing habitat. “At the rate the shrimp are going, I’m done,” he told the Daily World. Shrimp have turned 40 of his 150 oyster growing acres into slurry, and an in-law gave up his oyster farm across the Bay a year ago.

“It’s a very benign chemical,” says Ken Wiegardt of Wiegardt Brothers in Nahcotta, “It’s one of the most widely-used pesticides in the world.

It’s in flea collars. It’s used on grains, fruits, and vegetables. I’m not a big advocate of using chemicals, but we’ve got to protect the mudflats, somehow.”

The chemical in question, imidacloprid, is used to protect oysters and other shellfish from one of their own — burrowing shrimp, naturally occurring, which are ruining the muddy habitat.

Please join us in supporting

State Ecology Director Maia Bellon wrote in a press release denying the permit that new science shows imidacloprid to be more dangerous than previous research indicated.

“New findings make it clear that this pesticide is simply too risky and harmful to be used in Washington’s waters and estuaries.”

Growers like Wiegardt rue the day tending their own ground became political fodder. “We’ve treated shrimp for over sixty years. We used a chemical called carbonyl, which was phased out, and proposed a much more benign chemical to replace it. No luck.”

“It’s tough. I mean, I love this Bay. I would never do anything to harm it. And to have people think we’re just out to make a quick buck or to try to destroy the environment — that’s hurtful.”

••• Editor’s Note: The Washington State Legislature is considering two companion bills proposed by Rep. Brian Blake and Senator Dean Takko, moving jurisdiction over this issue from the state’s Department of Ecology to its Department of Agriculture, and proposing moderate use of imidacloprid under carefully controlled conditions.

We applaud Family House Academy’s mission of working together and serving one another in love: building respectful, academically successful and community-minded children.

Providing comfort in the midst of sadness and uncertainty to children involved in DCFS, CPS, The Emergency Support Shelter, Community House on Broadway and other Southwest Washington agencies.

You can help! Call 360-430-0173 and drop off new duffel bags, back packs, diaper bags, large tote bags, games, books, flashlights, PJs, blankets, etc. at Fischer Ins., 1414 16th Ave (on the Civic Circle), Longview, Wash., 9–5, M-F. Or make a tax-deductible gift via check payable to Luggage of Love, PO Box 367 Kalama, WA 98625.

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Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019 / 19

People + Place Oysterville, row his boat all the way to the south end of the Bay, walk the rest of the way to North Head Lighthouse to visit her. After the third trip he proposed.

HC: Is indentured servant as bad as it sounds?

KW: Not really, that’s just how they could work off the cost of the voyage, which was paid by their “owner” and got them out of the old country in the first place. The house they built still stands in Ocean Park.

Fun

Anyone who’s ever tried to shuck an oyster gets it: That prehistoric packaging is pretty effective. In fact, the entire business is laborious, difficult work, from the beds to the jars to the supermarket shelf.

For Ken Wiegardt, his two persistent challenges are regulatory paperwork and employment. It’s tough to get people to do this tough work, and hang on to them. Each of the shuckers seen on our cover this five thousand oysters shucked per day. Five at month Apeaverages Cave thousand. That’s about one oyster every six seconds.

HC: Are you comfortable talking about the so-called aphrodisiacal qualities of oysters? You know, the old bumper sticker, “Eat oysters, love longer” or something of that sort?

KW: San Francisco. It was still the Gold Rush days. This was part of the industry of feeding all the miners going both ways, up and down the coast. By this time Heinrich was working in oystering.

K W: I’m not uncomfortable speaking about it but I don’t know if I can attest to it!

HC: And he found himself a gal? Starting the Willapa Wiegardt dynasty?

HC: You said you get a lot of buyout offers. Ever tempted?

KW: Interesting story. He heard of an indentured servant, who was also Danish, who lived in the North Head Lighthouse, from Denmark. He would, all the way from

KW: Never. It’s my family’s legacy. I need to carry it on. And I’m happy doing it. I love being out on the ground at low tide. There’s always things to do, challenges, decisions to make, and it beats the heck out of sitting behind a desk in an office.

Hal Calbom is an independent film producer, educator, and writer. A third-generation Longview native, he attended RA Long High School and Harvard College and currently lives in Seattle. He began his media career as a broadcast journalist with the Seattle NBC affiliate, KING Television, as a producer and news anchor. He prefers his oysters on the half shell, with horseradish.

Gary & Trish Modrall and Sue Lantz appreciate the work of

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slantz@windermere.com www.suelantz.com

Cowlitz County CASA works to provide every abused and neglected child in Cowlitz County a voice amplified by a caring Court Appointed Special Advocate.

Sue Lantz donates 10% of every commission to a local non-profit of her clients’ choice

Proud sponsor of People+Place

20 / Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019

HC: Are you optimistic that Wiegardt Brothers will be in business ten years from now? Jolly Rogers?

KW: I have to be. It’s what keeps me going.

•••

Recently, NORPAC, NIPPON, and Weyerhaeuser had the opportunity to host a blood drive at NORPAC, coming together to donate 34 pints of blood. This means we are able to help save approximately 102 lives. It has been an honor to work with the American Red Cross as they help save lives, PLEASE JOIN US in supporting the traveling all over to collect blood for American Red Cross, which prevents those in need. and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.

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See story page 17

PRODUCER’S PICKS

Recommended Books Heaven on the Half Shell : The Story of the Northwest’s Love Affair with the Oyster by David G. Gordon, Nancy E. Blanton, Terry Y. Nosho.

Informative text and splendid photos from the world of aquaculturists, scientists, and connoisseurs.

Wintergreen: Rambles in a Ravaged Land

by Robert Michael Pyle.

Centered in the Willapa Hills, our own favorite Southwest Washington author’s masterful, and evenhanded, account of our treatment of the region’s precious resources.

Oysterville: Roads to Grandpa’s Village by Willard Espy.

The timeless reflections of Oysterville’s most famous denizen, wordsmith, editor, bon vivant. His family’s house on Willapa Bay still stands in historic Oysterville.

Q

UIPS & QUOTES

Selected by Debra Tweedy

Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength— carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength. ~Corrie ten Boom, 1892-1983, Dutch writer and Holocaust survivor

The great thing about getting older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been. ~Madeleine L’Engle, 1918-2007, American writer of young adult fiction

Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art. ~Eleanor Roosevelt, 1884-1962, American First Lady, diplomat and activist Do all the good you can and make as little fuss about it as possible. ~Charles Dickens, 1812-1870, English writer

Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured. ~Mark Twain, 1835-1910, American writer

The intuitive mind is a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. ~Albert Einstein, 1879-1955, German-born theoretical physicist

The antidote for fifty enemies is one friend. ~ Aristotle, 384-322 BC, Ancient Greek philosopher.

The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings. ~Wendell Berry, 1934–, American poet, farmer, environmental activist Debra Tweedy was born and raised in Longview and has lived on four continents. Recently retired, 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 said.

As a kid I learned to fish and have enjoyed it all my life.

Thanks to Early Edition Rotary, Longview Parks & Rec, WDFW and all the Volunteers who together present the Kids’ Fish-In at Lake Sacajawea.

Take a kid fishing! Sign up early for the April 27 event. More info, page 10.

I’ve cooked a few, too!

Paul W. Thompson CRR’s Man in the Kitchen Emeritus

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The Emergency Support Shelter serves victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse, trafficking and other crimes.

ESS provides education, training and support to our community and their services are free and confidential. . We want to thank them for their important service and invite YOU to join us at their annual breakfast on March 20, 2019.

Event details, see page 27. www.esshelter.com

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“I express traditional Japanese beauty through my art” Masami Kusakabe, Japanese Artist & Gallery Member kusakabe-masami-oshie

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22 / Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019

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The Natural World

My Meringue Bazooka

Robert Michael Pyle is a naturalist and writer residing along Gray’s River in Wahkiakum County for many years. His twentytwo books include the Northwest classics Wintergreen, Sky Time in Gray’s River, and Where Bigfoot Walks, as well as The Thunder Tree, Chasing Monarchs, and Mariposa Road, a flight of butterfly books, and two collections of poems. His newest titles are Butterflies of the Pacific Northwest and Magdalena Mountain: a novel, released in August 2018.

By Dr. Robert Michael Pyle

D

eep in the Dark Divide of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, a bunch of botanizers from the Washington Native Plant Society is exploring the high meadows in midsummer. We’ve backpacked up to the saddle between Sunrise and Jumbo peaks for two days of flower forays and the kind of campfire chats that naturalists love. I am losing myself in alpine air and heather scent when the montane silence cleaves before a wave of sound that begins as a hum, grows into a scream, and then an intolerable wail. It is a hive of motorcycles—not the Vinson ‘52s you might see cruising Highway 66 or the Harley Hogs on US 40 bound for Sturgis, but high-assed Hondas and Yamahas—tearing Boundary Trail #1 to bits.

This sevensome of dirtbikes roars right up to the edge of a trailblocking snow-field, revs around, and rides smack through the delicate heatherbeds, ripping out shooting stars and sedums in the rototill of their knobby caveman wheels. As they

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Joan Hitchcock & Sue Wachter

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rejoin the trail and roar away, their racket and scramble split the vista, scatter the mountain goats, and tear up the turf for as good as all time. The wild alpine air closes in again around the damaged day.

In his epic book Voyage of a Summer Sun, Robin Cody recounted a similar experience at the beginning of a canoe trip along the entirety of the Columbia River. High up among the wild headwaters in British Columbia, he wrote: “The whine of jet skis shattered the thin air. Two grown men, their wet suits filled to capacity, throttled past and unzipped the river.... Waiting for birdcall to come back to the river, I reflected on the whole idea of jet skiers and why we should let them live.”

I confess to similar sentiments. But as an unreconstructed adherent of nonviolence, I have searched and searched for ways to deal peacefully with jet skis shattering wild lakes and rivers, snowmobiles trespassing on the white silence, and leafblowers anywhere at all. I have languished on many a college campus, where of all places one should be able to enjoy languorous afternoons with a book and a breeze, only to have the serenity shredded by these satanic devices. No culture in which leafblowers prosper can be anything but in decline.

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This is the eighth in a series of selected essays to appear in Columbia River Reader. These were originally published in Orion Afield or Orion Magazine in the author’s column, “The Tangled Bank” and, subsequently, in the book of the same name published by Oregon State University Press in 2012.

In contrast, I recall a monastery in Moscow where the dominant sound was the gentle whisk of birch-twig besoms on old flagstone walks, as an inbred strain of brown cats sparred with hooded crows in an ancient Slavic dance, vying for bits of bread left behind by babushkas in black skirts and scarves. And just last fall I heard the rare, romantic music of the rake, as groundsmen in Guatemala cleaned leaves and monkey droppings from the lawns around Mayan temples.

The problem, whether in the backwoods or the heart of civilization, is the theft of the golden silence by selfish or expedient din. On a Forgotten Language Tour in Ashland, Oregon, I was almost drawn into a rumble by a belligerent with a leaf-blower across from my hotel at seven a.m. That’s when I decided to put my plan for nonviolent resistance into action.

Now I am quite happy to let the boors live, thanks to my meringue bazooka.

This blunderbus projects a gobbet of ultra-compressed meringue from its barrel. The wad homes in on sharp sound waves, so the shooter can hardly miss the malefactor. Upon contact, the dollop expands into an enfolding carapace reminiscent of those swirly wedding reception cookies that no one seems to eat, but

much bigger. The hardened meringue fully envelops its target, but remains porous, so offenders can still breathe.

Air-filled, it floats like kapok, so no one drowns. Targets can, of course, eat it too, so starvation is not a problem.

They just roll about in the sweet embrace of the meringue, absolutely silent. The MB also promises to ensure better fare at wedding receptions by using up all the available meringue.

I heard on the news recently that a retired professor in Wales has invented a “sound shadow” that blots out unwanted noise by generating the opposite waves. Apparently it works, but will be expensive, and useless for moving targets, unlike the MB. However, it shows I’m not alone in my disdain: sound pollution must be among the most irritating unsolved evils of the industrial age. Then there is the severe fouling of air and water accomplished by two-stroke engines.

You’d think everyone would want to fight it, but the noise just gathers, louder and louder. Luckily, I’ve found something even better than the mute button on the remote control.

I can see the MB’s extension into realms of warfare and other asymmetries of human behavior.

Instead of casualties, we will collect meringued hostiles bouncing around the theater of conflict, awaiting peaceful repatriation or transfer to Guantanamo. This device might even revolutionize revolution, as one could presumably use it on dolts, scoundrels, and ne’er-do-wells in various governmental bodies, cartels, and gangs.

I’ve got just a few bugs to work out in the meringue bazooka before production begins. How, for example, to keep it out of the hands of my neighbors, when I fire up my 24-inch Stihl.

•••

Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019 / 23

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“Exploring the American Southwest thrills me,” says Penny Lightfoot. “The vast red earth desert floors, monoliths reaching for the sky, graceful arches created over centuries by weather — they all leave me in awe.”

Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey was published in 1968, just before Penny’s first trip into the Southwest.

Abbey’s whimsical, reflective account of living as a park ranger at Arches National Monument before it became a national park captures different moods and moments of a man living largely by himself in the wilderness.

Wi t h A b b e y ’s talent for poetic Penny Lightfoot is a visual artist living in Longview.

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Called the “Thoreau of the American West,” Abbey was a novelist, essayist, militant conservationist, and always a maverick, whose best work includes a raucous sense of humor to help leaven his outrage over expanding environmental depredations.

Readers who enjoy Desert Solitaire might also enjoy his comical ecopolitical novel, The Monkey Wrench Gang (“It’ll make you want to go out and blow up a dam,” said The National Observer in its 1975 review) or his book of essays, A b b e y ’s Road.

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Cover to Cover Brought to you by Book Sense and Pacific Northwest Booksellers Assn, for week ending Feb. 3, 2019, 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

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BOOK REVIEW

By Alan Rose

The First Conspiracy

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HARDCOVER NON-FICTION 1. Becoming Michelle Obama, Crown, $32.50 2. Educated Tara Westover, Random House, $28 3. Deep Creek: Finding Hope in the High Country Pam Houston, Norton, $25.95 4. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat Samin Nosrat, Wendy MacNaughton (Illus.), S&S, $35 5. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up Marie Kondo, Ten Speed Press, $16.99 6. Girl, Wash Your Face Rachel Hollis, Thomas Nelson, $22.99 7. Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive Stephanie Land, Hachette, $27 8. Dare to Lead Brené Brown, Random House, $28 9. The Library Book Susan Orlean, S&S, $28 10. 12 Rules for Life Jordan B. Peterson, Random House, $25.95

MASS MARKET 1. 1984 George Orwell, Signet, $9.99 2. Dune Frank Herbert, Ace, $9.99 3. Good Omens Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, HarperTorch, $7.99 4. Ender’s Game Orson Scott Card, Tor, $7.99, 5. The Lies of Locke Lamora Scott Lynch, Spectra, $8.99 6. The Name of the Wind Patrick Rothfuss, DAW, $9.99 7. Meet Your Baker Ellie Alexander, St. Martin’s, $7.99 8. American Gods Neil Gaiman, Morrow, $9.99 9. The Way of Kings Brandon Sanderson, Tor, $9.99 10. Where’d You Go, Bernadette Maria Semple, Little Brown, $7.99

CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATED 1. The Wonky Donkey Craig Smith, Katz Cowley (Illus.), Scholastic, $7.99 2. Hello Lighthouse Sophie Blackall, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $18.99 3. Goodnight Moon Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd (Illus.), Harper, $8.99 4. Little Blue Truck Alice Schertle, Jill McElmurry (Illus.), HMH Books for Young Readers, $7.99 5. We Don’t Eat Our Classmates Ryan T. Higgins, Disney/Hyperion 6. The Giving Tree Shel Silverstein, Harper, $17.99 7. The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eric Carle, Putnam, $10.99 8. That’s Me Loving You Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Teagan White (Illus.), Random House Books for Young Readers, $8.99 9. The Snowy Nap Jan Brett, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, $18.99 10. Baby Animals Stephan Lomp, Workman, $5.95

If history were written like a thriller. producer Josh Mensch have partnered to write about a little-known incident that reads, well, like a thriller.

Told in the present tense (“It’s a hot summer day in Virginia, and this young man is full of sorrow.”) it maintains a breathless pace with short chapters often ending in an ominous cliffhanging sentence (“But that trust is about to be tested, in ways that Washington could never imagine.”)

The First Conspiracy may read like a slick thriller, but it is also fascinating history, bringing the reader into the gritty day-to-day reality of the earliest months of what became the American Revolution. This is far from the glorified, simplified and romantic versions we have often been given.

If the American Civil War (18611865) is sometimes referred to as the second American Revolution, because of how it came to redefine this nation, providing what Lincoln called a “new birth of freedom,” Meltzer’s and Mensch’s book shows why the Revolution could be considered America’s first civil war. There was bitter strife between those colonists loyal to the Crown, and those committed to breaking from England and creating a new nation. “Traitors” depended upon where you stood.

Even the families of the Founding Fathers were not immune: Benjamin Franklin’s son, New Jersey Governor

Washington may be one of the most

seasoned military veterans in the colonies, but that isn’t saying much.

Colonial officers like Washington were given inferior positions compared to their British counterparts. As a colonel, Washington was a midlevel officer who had never led more than a hundred men in actual battle…

(His) enduring reputation as a great military leader is not based on his technical skill as a tactician. He would win a few impressive battles, but overall he lost more than he won.

What made him great—at least in the particular circumstances of the Revolutionary War—was his sheer staying power, his total devotion to his army, his relentless sense of duty, and a stubborn refusal to ever give up.

of land and money. Tryon was even successful in planting a mole in the Continental Congress, who sent regular reports of the members’ in-fighting.

Many in Washington’s army were young men who had left their farms and were in a big city for the first time, and now introduced to all its temptations: “Even back in the 1770s, New York has established a well-earned reputation for one exceptional quality: vice. As the cont page 26

ATTENTION, READERS

Read a good book lately? To be miniinterviewed by CRR Book Reviewer Alan Rose for a future “What Are You Reading?” spotlight, please contact him at alan@alan-rose.com or the publisher/ editor at publisher@crreader.com.

~ from The First Conspiracy William Franklin, supported the Loyalists; his father did not intervene when William was arrested and imprisoned.

Many Americans were caught in the middle, just trying to earn a living for their families. Governor Tryon developed a vast spy network and through this network, he actively recruited citizens, including Continental soldiers, to remain loyal to their British heritage through offers

March 12 • Cassava 1333 Broadway Longview

SECOND TUESDAY

www.alan-rose.com

Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019 / 25

Outings & Events

Performing & Fine Arts Music, Art, Theatre, Literary 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.

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. Businesses and organizations wishing to promote their particular products or services are invited to purchase advertising (contact info, page 3).

HOW TO PUBLICIZE YOUR NON-PROFIT EVENT IN CRR Send your noncommercial community event’s basic info (name of event, 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 Mar 15 – April 20:

by Feb 25 for March issue.

Events occurring: April 15 – May 20:

by Mar. 25 for April 15 issue.

Calendar submissions are considered for inclusion, subject to lead time, general relevance to readers, and space limitations. See Submission Guidelines, above.

FIRST THURSDAY • March 7 Broadway Gallery Enjoy refreshments and meet the month’s featured artists.

Reception, 5:30-7:30pm.

Music: by Derek Reynods: Unexpected Ukulele www.the-broadway-gallery.com 1418 Commerce Ave. Downtown Longview, Wash.

Across the River Cowlitz County Historical Museum 405 Allen St, Kelso, Wash.

7pm Program: final installment of John Simpson’s “Civil War Letters.”

Book Review from page 25

Continental officer William Tudor puts it in his diary, ‘Every brutal gratification can be so easily indulged in this place that the army will be debauched here in a month…’” The authors translate: “To put it another way, this place knows how to party.”

Central to the story stands the tall and commanding presence of Washington himself. He is rightfully remembered for his character, which breathes with bravery, duty and honor.

Yet he is also allowed his flawed humanity. As a Virginia slave owner, he removed African Americans from the Continental army; however, he soon adjusted his prejudices to the requirements of the moment.

He writes to John Hancock: “it has been represented to me that the free Negroes who have served in this army are very much dissatisfied at being discarded…” Imagine! There is fear that these soldiers may go over to serve in the British army, so Washington relents, and at different times during the war African Americans will comprise six to twelve percent of the Continental army, making it “the most integrated fighting force in American history until the Vietnam War.” One is reminded again that, during its two darkest moments, this nation was fortunate to have leaders of such uncontested character as Washington and Lincoln.

26 / Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019

•••

Broadway Gallery Artists co-op. Classes for all ages, workshops and paint parties.

Featured artists: Feb: Barbara Matkowski (mixed media), guest artist Mary Huels (ceramics); March: guest artist Mary Duvall (paintings), Gallery member/ Japanese artist Masami Kusakabe (jewelry & paper art). Gallery hours: Mon-Fri 10-5:30, Sat 10–4. 1418 Commerce, Longview, Wash. 360-577-0544. www. the-broadway-gallery.com.

McThread’s March 1–29 Feature Artists Joan Hitchcock and Sue Wachter, with silk textiles. Opening Reception Sat., Mar 2, 2–4pm. Free demos, 9:30am. March 16: Nuno felting with Linda McCord, must register. Mar. 16: One day only sale on anything green. . Refreshments served.

1233 Commerce Ave., Longview, Wash.

360-261-2373.

Tsuga Gallery Fine arts and crafts by area artists. Thurs-Sat 11–5. 70 Main Street, Cathlamet, Wash. 360-795-0725.

Redmen Hall History and art. 1394 SR-4, Skamokawa, Wash. Thurs-Sun, 12-4pm.

Info: 360-795-3007 or email fos1894@ gmail.com.

Community Arts Workshop/Alcove Gallery with volunteer instructors and a variety of arts and crafts materials available. Free. Located in the CAP building,1526 Commerce, Longview, Wash. Open Mon–Thurs 12–3:30pm.

For more info: 360-425-3430 x 306, or email capartsworkshop@gmail.com. See story, next page.

Koth Gallery, Longview Public Library Feb: A variety of artwork by Lower Columbia College students.. Opening Reception for the public Feb. 5, 3–5pm. 1600 Louisiana Street, Longview, Wash. Mon-Wed 10am8pm, Thurs-Sat 10am-5pm. Info: Daniel, 360-442-5307.

Cowlitz Valley Old Time Music Association Music jam night with open mic, 7–9pm, 1st, 3rd and 5th Fridays, Catlin Grange, 205 Shawnee, Kelso, Wash. Primary instruments: guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, piano, accordion. Traditional country and/or bluegrass. Dance floor open. Info: Archie Beyl, 360-636-3835.

“Sabrina” starring Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, and William Holden.

Monthly movie presented by Friends of the Library at Kalama (F.O.L.K.) Tuesday, Feb. 19, 1:00pm in the city council chamber at the Kalama Public Library, 312 North 1st Street, Kalama, Wash. Free and open to the public. Donations to F.O.L.K. to benefit the Kalama Public Library will be gratefully accepted. Info: Kalama Public Library, 360673-4568.

Call to Artists During May, Columbian Artists Association is hosting their 43rd Spring Art Show at the Rose Center for the Arts Gallery. Two judges will award cash, ribbons and Sponsor prizes. Artists over the age of 18 are invited to participate. More details, entry forms and prospectus are at: columbianartists.org.

Piano Recital by Abriana Church Mar. 10, 3pm, St. Stephen’s Church, 1428 22nd Ave., Longview, Wash. Presented by Martin Kauble Piano Studio. Details, page 14.

Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts season underway. See ad, page 2.

Original • Local Celebrating the good life Spreading good cheer It’s an amazing world Lifelong learning / thinking is a good thing!

Kids’Fish-In at Lake Sacajawea.

Saturday, April 27.

Register early!

See article, page 10.

Outings & Events

Recreation, Outdoors Gardening, History, Pets, Self-Help Cowlitz County Museum Open Tues-Sat 10am–4pm. 405 Allen St, Kelso, Wash. www.co.cowlitz.wa.us/museum. Info: 360577-3119.

Wahkiakum County Historical Society Museum Logging, fishing and cultural displays. Open 1-4pm, Th-Sun. 65 River St, Cathlamet, Wash. For info 360-795-3954.

Appelo Archives Center Historic exhibits, Naselle-Grays River area. 1056 State Route 4, Naselle. T-Fri 10–4, Sat 10–2, or by appt.

360-484-7103. appeloarchives.org.

Longview Bridge Club Weekly duplicate bridge games Mon 10:30am, Thurs 6:30pm, Kelso Senior Center, 106 NW 8th Ave. New players welcome. For info or help finding a partner: Rich Carle, 360-425-0981 or rhcarle@msn.com.

Explosive Volcanism Tuesday, Feb. 19.

The Mount St. Helens Institute’s Volcano Views and Brews Science Pub Lecture Series.

Presenter: USGS Research Geologist Alexa Van Eaton. Loowit Brewing Company, 507 Columbia St, Vancouver, Wash. All ages welcome. Doors 5:30pm, presentation 6:30pm “Sabrina” Tues, Feb. 19, 1pm. Feature film starring Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn and William Holden. Presented by Friends of the Library at Kalama (F.O.L.K.) in the city council chamber at the Kalama Public Library, 312 North 1st Street, Kalama, Wash.

Free to the public. Donations to F.O.L.K. to benefit the Kalama Public Library gratefully accepted. For more info, contact the Kalama Public Library at 360-673-4568.

Five Common Birds of the Astoria area

by Barbara Linnett. Sunday, Feb. 17, 1pm. “In Their Footsteps” free lecture series. Netul Room, Lewis and Clark Nat’l Historical Park, Fort Clatsop (near Astoria, Ore.). Series presented by Lewis and Clark National Park Assn. and Fort Clatsop. Info: 503-861-2471.

Emergency Support Shelter Fundraising Breakfast Mar. 20, 7:30am (seating begins 7am) Cowlitz County Expo Center. Seats must be reserved in advance. Suggested donation $50, all proceeds support programs and work of ESS. To host your own table or reserve a seat please contact Sherrie Tinoco, 360-353-5777 ext 17 or email sherriet@ esshelter.com.

GARDENING EVENTS OSU Extension/Columbia County Info: 503-397-3462

Field to Market Workshop Mar. 7, 9am–1 pm $25 Grafting Workshop Mar. 9, 9am–noon $15, Basic Woodland Management Shortcourse Mar. 12-21 (5 sessions) $40 individual/$50 couple

WSU Extension/Cowlitz Master Gardeners. Info 360577-3014 Spring Gardening presentation series throughout the LCCA Home and Leisure Show, Cowlitz Expo Center, March 16-17. See ad, page 4

AFRICAN INFLUENCES

Paintings by Apala Barclay Feb. 14 – April 2 at Community Arts Workshop’s Alcove Gallery

lives in Portland where he C. Apala Barclay was born continues to use his talent in Liberia, West Africa, to tell his life story, and into a family of historians share his experiences. and politicians. As a child, A p a l a vis it ed s everal Apala’s interest in survival, African villages and gained healing, and helping others first-hand experience in led him to the healthcare local traditions such as field and to work with the mask making, ritual and Portland Central City dance. His initial tools Concern Old Town Clinic.

C. Apala Barclay were only dry clay and His current artwork reflects charcoal but it soon became apparent his civil war experience, his memories that he had a natural gift for drawing, of painful and peaceful times, and his and drawing became one of his most hope for genuine peace for all people effective forms of communication. everywhere. In Apala’s own words, “ my joy, sorrows, and pains are best He studied art in high school, college expressed on the canvas.” and with local artists in Liberia and worked as an artist, craftsman, and The Alcove Gallery, located in the political cartoonist before and during CAP building at 1526 Commerce, the Liberian Civil War. Longview, Wash., is open MonThurs.,12–3:30pm.Info: 360-425Displaced from his homeland, Apala 3430 x 306. studied in U.S. colleges and now

Gardening Tips

from page 4

So when is the right time to prune your roses and spray them with fungicide?

We used to be told that President’s Day — mid-February — was the target date. However, with our unpredictable weather these days, the best indicator is when that glorious yellow harbinger of spring, the forsythia bush, is in bloom.

That’s when you can protect your rose bushes from black spot and powdery mildew with a preventive copper-based fungicide spray, available in any garden center. Always follow the directions on the label. This is also time to prune your roses. If you don’t know where to start, the best free DIY info is available online with lots of illustrations for pruning newbies. Search “Illinois Extension prune roses.” You’ll be pruning like a pro in no time!

Shrubs and trees: It’s still early enough to give your landscape a facelift with new shrubs and trees. The best thing you can do for anything you add is to plant it in the right place. Read the label! Do a little research! What are its light, moisture, soil requirements?

Remember, that cute little bush in the pot may grow to 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide when mature. I once lost the walkway to my front porch when I planted this darling, petite fir tree…

Now is the time to prune any late summer flowering shrubs. If you prune the ones that flower in spring and early summer, you’ll be chopping off all this season’s flowers! If in doubt, wait. It’s always safe to prune any shrub right after it blooms. And it’s always okay to prune out dead branches at any time.

Fruit trees and blueberries: Yup, it’s time to prune them now. Don’t just go chopping away. Learn how to prune properly so you won’t end up with ugly stubs and horrid watersprouts — those numerous, thin, vertical shoots that form on the remaining branches after improper pruning. They make your poor tree look like it’s having a really bad hair day. WSU has a great free instructional publication: Pruning Your Home Orchard. I also highly recommend Cass Turnbull’s Guide to Pruning — a great book that takes the mystery and fear out of pruning.

Garden Planning: My favorite part of winter and early spring! Sketch out your garden. Make sure you know each plant’s light and space requirements.

You may want to rotate your crops, too, to help keep soil-borne diseases and insects at bay. Many diseases and pests are plant family specific, so mix it up a little. Plant your tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants where your peas,

Miss Manners

from page 5

My mother often slices the dessert in advance of the event. I personally would prefer to see the dessert being cut, as it offers the illusion of freshness.

I commented that I think she should wait until the guests have arrived before cutting so they may offer input on how big of a slice they would prefer.

She replied that since the guests are seated in the other room and the dessert is not presented as a whole, it does not matter.

She added that restaurants do not usually display the entire cake before bringing you a slice.

Our friends and neighbors host my parents for the same event on alternate weeks. I asked my mother whether they wait to cut the dessert. My mother replied, yes, and that it takes almost 10 minutes. Time considerations aside, when is the correct time to cut the cake?

GENTLE READER: Before it is eaten and after it cools. Miss Manners agrees with you about seeing a cake in all its majesty and avoiding waste. But she does find it tedious to hear guests ask for “half of that”, “no, half of that”, “no, smaller”, “no, smaller than that” until the desired crumb is achieved.

There is something about bringing out slices that makes one imagine a decoration disaster in the kitchen, or that leftovers are being served.

Miss Manners suggests cupcakes or individual desserts as a compromise.

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.

••• beans, and lettuce were planted last year.

Move your cucumbers and squash to the tomato patch.

Plan to add an insectary garden bed this year! If you have raised beds, or room for a small flower bed, plant a glorious burst of color to attract and provide shelter not only for pollinators, but to create a haven for those seldom-seen but hardworking mini good-guy bugs that keep the bad guys at a minimum. I’ll tell you more about this next month, but set aside some space — you’ll be so glad you did!

Gotta run—I can hear my apple trees calling me — it’s time to get off my duff, sharpen my bypass pruners, and give my trees their spring haircuts!

•••

Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019 / 27

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

Sun-Thurs 11am–9pm. Fri-Sat 11am–10pm..

503-728-2922

Ixtapa Fine Mexican Restaurant 640 E. Columbia River Hwy Fine Mexican cuisine. Daily specials.

The best margarita in town. Daily drink specials. Sports bar.

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

Rainier Alston Pub & Grub 25196 Alston Rd., Rainier 503-556-4213 11 beers on tap, cocktails.

Open daily 11am.

503-556-9753 See ad, page 10.

COLUMBIA RIVER

dining guide

Longview 716 Triangle Shopping Center. 18 rotating craft brews, pub fare. M-W 12 noon –9pm, Th-Sat 12 noon-11pm, Sun 12 Noon-8pm. 360-232-8283. Follow us on Untappd .

Restaurant & Lounge

Conestoga Pub Cornerstone Café 102 East “A” Street Microbrews, wines & spirits Prime rib Friday & Sat. Open M-F 6am–8pm; Sat-Sun 7am–8pm.

503-556-8772. See ad, page 11.

Evergreen Pub & Café 115-117 East 1st Street Burgers, halibut, prime rib, full bar.

503-556-9935. See ad, page 10.

Goble Tavern 70255 Columbia River Hwy. (Milepost 31, Hwy. 30) Food, beer & wine + full bar, Live entertainment. 503-556-4090.

See ad page 10.

Luigi’s Pizza 117 East 1st Street, Rainier 503-556-4213 Pizza, spaghetti, burgers, beer & wine.

See ad, page 10.

614 Commerce Ave., Longview. 18 varieties of pizza. Salad bar, Lunch buffet all-you-can-eat. Beer & wine.

Mon-Fri open 11am, Sat-Sun 12 Noon.

360-353-3512.

The Carriage Full breakfast, lunch and dinner 6am– 9pm. Full bar in lounge, open 6am.

Three happy hours daily (8–10am, 12– 2pm, 5–7pm). Group meeting room, free use with $150 food/drink purchases.

1334 12th Ave. 360-425-8545.

Country Folks Deli 1329 Commerce Ave., Longview. Serving lunch and dinner. Sandwiches, soups, salads. Open M-Sat 11am. 360-425-2837.

Freddy’s Just for the Halibut. Cod, halibut & tuna fish and chips, oysters & clams., award-winning clam chowder. Prime rib every Thurs. Beer and wine. M-W 10–8, Th-Sat 10–9, Sun 11–8.

1110 Commerce 360-414-3288.

See ad, page 14.

Hop N Grape 924 15th Ave., Longview M–Th 11am–8pm; Fri & Sat 11am– 9pm; Sun 11am–7pm. BBQ meat slowcooked on site. Pulled pork, chicken brisket, ribs, turkey, salmon. Worldfamous mac & cheese. 360-577-1541 See ad page 9.

Masthead Castaways 1124 Washington Way, Longview.

Famous fish & chips, gourmet burgers, Chowders. 13 beers on tap. Extra parking in back.

360-232-8500.

28 / Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019

Fire Mountain Grill 9440 Spirit Lake Hwy, Milepost 19. Lunch & Dinner: Burgers, sandwiches, salads, steaks seafood, chicken & dumplings, housemade cobblers and infamous Bigfoot Burger. Riverside dining. Open 10am–8pm daily. 360-274-5217.

St. Helens, Oregon 1260 Commerce Ave. Serving lunch & dinner Mon–Sat 11am–10pm. Full bar, banquet space, American comfort food. 360-703-3904. www.millcitygrill.com. See ad, page 8.

The Original Pietrio’s Pizzeria Homestyle cooking from the 1960s-1970. All natural ingredients. Beer and wine available.

Open Wed. thru Sun, 7am–8pm. 1140 15th Ave., Longview. See ad, page 10.

Toutle/Mt St Helens

Porky’s Public House 561 Industrial Way, Longview Slow-roasted prime rib Fri & Sat, flat iron steaks, 1/3-lb burgers, fish & chips.

33 draft beers. Full bar. Family-friendly, weekly jazz and acoustic dinner hour sets on Weds. 360-636-1616. See ad, page 14.

Sunshine Pizza & Catering 2124 Columbia Blvd.

Hot pizza, cool salad bar. Beer & wine.

503-397-3211 See ad, page 12.

Scappoose 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. 503-5435100.

Ixtapa Fine Mexican Restaurant

Red Kitchen 848 15th Ave., Longview. Cocktails, taps, vino. Traditional diner fare, breakfast, lunch, dinner. Sandwiches, burgers, funky comfort food, incl. Bacon Gouda Mac n Cheese, shepherd’s pie, healthy options. Full service bar, incl 12 taps. 7am–10pm, M-F, 8am–10pm Sat-Sun.

Roland Wines 1106 Florida St., Longview. Authentic Italian wood-fired pizza, wine, and beer.

Casual ambience. 5–9pm Wed-Sat. See ad, page 24.

Teri’s 3225 Ocean Beach Hwy, Longview.

Lunch and dinner. Fine dining, with specials, fresh NW cuisine. Happy Hour.

Full bar. Mon–Sat open 11am. Closed Sundays. 360-577-0717.

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 Warren Country Inn 56575 Columbia River Hwy. Fine family dining. Breakfast, lunch & dinner. Fri Prime Rib special, Taco Tuesday. Full bar. M-Th 8am–9:30pm, Fri-Sat 8am–10:30pm, Sun 9am–9pm.

Karaoke Fri & Sat.503-410-5479.

Woodland The Oak Tree 1020 Atlantic Ave., Woodland. Full breakfast, lunch and dinner menu. Fresh from scratch cooking. Great happy hour menu. Sun 7am–9pm, M-Th 8am–9pm, Fri-Sat 7am–10pm. 360-841-8567

Castle Rock Parker’s Restaurant & Brewery 1300 Mt. St. Helens Way. I-5 Exit 49.

Lunch, Dinner. Burgers, hand-cut steak; seafood and pasta. Restaurant opens 11am, Lounge 12 Noon. Closed Monday.

360-967-2333

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

Blackwood on Movies

Astronomy

TWO FOR THE SEESAW

SKY REPORT / FRIENDS OF GALILEO

M. Night Shyamalan’s “Glass” and

By Dr. Bob Blackwood Steven Knight’s “Serenity” M. Night Shyamalan has been successful with a number

By Ted Gruber

of films e.g. “The

S i x t h S e n s e . ” So I took the opportunity to see “Glass.” Well, you can’t win them all. Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson certainly are two good Samuel L. Jackson, James McAvoy, and Bruce Willis star in Shyamalan’s “Glass.” Universal Studios. actors. I am not as familiar with James McAvoy, but he displays some talent. Unfortunately, I feel these actors could have done much better if their script was up to it.

I understand that other films, such as Shyamalan’s “Split,” have had more impact on its viewers and reviewers, but I somehow missed them. I saw “Glass” with an open mind, but it soon appeared to me to lack characters with any real development (you can’t blame the actors for that) even though at least Willis and Jackson have shown their talent in a number of films. Set in a psychiatric environment, I kept wondering why there were just three people in so many situations. And why were they often so quiet. I kept hoping for someone to have a breakthrough of some kind.

In the future, I think I will limit my attention to Shyamalan’s films until I start reading rave reviews. I know he has talent; I just did not see it in this film. If you disagree with me, you must have a great deal of patience and an awareness of something that is more subtle than what I can perceive.

Good luck with this film, but there is always another one. “Glass” has a PG-13 rating.

Dr. Bob Blackwood, professor emeritus of the City Colleges of Chicago, coauthored with Dr. John Flynn the book, Everything I Know about Life I Learned from James Bond. Mr. Blackwood lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway star in Steven Knight’s “Serenity.”

IM Global, Guy Heeley and Greg Shapiro

Steven Knight’s “Serenity” (R rating) with Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Diane Lane certainly had its moments, but, when it was over, I did wonder why I had a feeling of disappointment. McConaughey plays a guide on a chartered fishing boat which he manages. He spends his time on the water searching for a giant tuna named Justice. Does he find any justice in this film? That would be telling.

Let me tell you. McConaughey’s character is a noted war veteran and fishing guide from Plymouth Island. He is spending his time trying to catch this tuna. Is he really chasing the tuna named Justice, or is he really looking for justice? Well, we’ll never know that for sure in this film, though he does cut Justice free when one of his clients catches him. I thought that was rather strange, but it tells you something about the film. It is not for real; it is an allegory.

O boy, I preferred “Moby Dick,” myself.

Of course, this tale of life on the sea in the 21st Century

has women in it. Diane Lane plays McConaughey’s regular girl. Anne Hathaway plays Karen, who is the guide’s ex-wife. Her husband, played by Jason Clarke, is abusive.

Doesn’t this sound like a perfect vacation? Even when Karen offers him a boatload of money to kill her husband, you get the feeling that the guide would rather take a powder.

I’m not going to spoil your fun, if you do find it to be fun. Peace.

•••

March 15–April 15 Evening Sky Mercury returns to the evening sky in mid-February and makes its best evening sky appearance of the year later that month. The innermost planet becomes dimmer each evening, but it also climbs slightly higher in the sky through February 26. That evening, Mercury appears 11° above the western horizon about 30 minutes after sunset. Mercury remains visible in the evening sky through the first week of March, although it appears fainter and lower to the horizon with each passing day.

Mars becomes visible high in the southwestern sky as darkness falls.

Although nowhere near as bright as it was last summer, the red planet is still easy to spot. Mars remains visible until setting in the west around midnight.

Morning Sky Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn are easily visible in the pre-dawn southeastern sky. Jupiter rises around 3:30am in midFebruary and about 90 minutes sooner by mid-March (3:00am adjusting for daylight savings time). All three planets remain visible until fading into the morning sunlight.

Through February 18, bright Venus rises about two hours after Jupiter, with the fainter ringed planet Saturn right behind. That morning, Saturn appears just 1° south of Venus. After February 18, Saturn rises before Venus, and the gap between the two planets increases each morning.

•••

Kelso resident Ted Gruber makes a regular report to fellow members of Friends of Galileo, a familyfriendly astronomy club which meets monthly in Longview. For info about FOG, visit friendsofgalileo.com.

Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019 / 29

the Lower Columbia

Informer

by Perry Piper

By Daniel Andreas Kellner • Editing assistance by Perry Piper I am happy to welcome a special guest columnist, my German “brother” Daniel, who is currently visiting our family for the fourth time. He must like it here! I asked Daniel to share his thoughts about Germany’s commitment to green energy. The Germans lead the European Union both in envisioning renewable energy scenarios and in implementing them. ~ Perry Piper

The green challenge

Can renewable energy power the future?

T

By Daniel Kellner

he news is always screaming about a climate apocalypse, but what can we really do about it?

Most of the energy we use was converted from fossil fuels. But fossil fuel isn´t endless, plus some bi-products lead to higher average temperatures on our earth. Hence, we must someday get our energy from technologies that won´t have those disadvantages. The earlier we change, the better the future of our children and their children will be. Let´s be clear, the outlook is dire.

Renewable energy (RE) can be wind or solar energy as well as biomass, geothermal or hydropower. For 2014, RE´s part of the total global energy production was 14.4 percent and rising. Although our planet gives us a huge amount of energy flow, we are still not using much.

The main reason for that might be , technological. economical, but also Sadly, we aren´t able to convert much of that energy into electricity. There are land constraints, e.g. complex geography, alternative land use or sensitivity of the environment. On top of that, being able to convert the remaining energy cannot easily be done. For example, a wind turbine can´t extract all the energy in the air at that location. Also, there are operation and maintenance energy costs that lower the total output (net).

The conversion to what the consumer can actually use is an unfortunately inefficient process. Further net energy losses occur through transportation as well as water, land and air quality control.

Is the remaining RE net enough to be our main energy source? Earth´s population is rising as is the energy consumption per capita. This will result in massive energy costs.

Nevertheless, we need to adapt RE across the globe´s diverse resource regions, like geothermal vs solar. For instance, rural inhabitants might not like the aesthetic of RE systems like wind farms and their low power return per number of units. Americans might not like the dependence on foreign countries. Especially in places with more sunlight throughout the year for solar power minus the heavy transportation net loss. Admittedly today, we often depend on the oil of countries we´re not necessarily best friends with. Still, if you want to power today´s planetary demand with solar energy, you would only need a dessert area of a size dimension as Washington state!

It will be a big challenge to limit the space and resources needed while increasing the energy output and decreasing the energy input aka efficiency.

Why do we need RE? We all would like future generations to live without pollution or an energy deficit.

Therefore, we must lower the speed of climate change. However, too much land area for RE systems isn´t the perfect option either, because that could harm ecosystems. A burning energy source called biomass, for example, is a competitor to agriculture and nature for required land use.

The main problem with RE is the intermittency of the two main sources: wind and solar. If you want to last through a party, would you rely on those two hoping there´ll be wind or sunlight? I don´t think so. You would want a reliable source with an energy stock and matching energybackups. Batteries would work, but not only is that currently bad for the environment, batteries are also not ideal for the amount needed. Grid

30 / Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019

MEET & GREET Anyone wishing to say “Hello, again!” to Daniel or meet him for the first time is invited to stop

by CRR’s office at 1333 14th Daniel Kellner and his American “brother,” Perry Piper.

Photo by C’s Photography.

Ave, Longview On Monday, Feb. 25, 11:30am – 2pm for a complimentary GERMAN CHOCOLATE TASTING with Daniel and the Pipers. expansion works, too, e.g. in Europe you could lower the energy overproduction by half. Unfortunately, the construction process would take decades. On the other hand, RE systems are built fast and can be used for overproduction.

Daniel Kellner was an exchange student at R.A.Long High School in 2015-16.

See related story: The Spectator, page 34. Daniel is studying sustainable energy systems at University of Applied Science Emden-Leer, on the north coast of Germany.

Can RE power our future? Mainly, we need energy. If industries would be near a RE system, less energy gets lost and therefore less energy would be needed.

Although the most important thing is:

Perry Piper enjoys world travel and will be leaving in March for an extensive trip through South America. While he is away, he’ll be helping remotely with CRR and can refer clients to a technical consultant filling in for him helping people with their computer needs. Reach Perry at 360-270-0608.

We n e e d t o l o w e r o u r e n e r g y consumption! If we achieve this, RE can power the future´s energy demands. In the long term, there is no way around it!

•••

TAKE A

HIKE

with

Mt. St. Helens Club

This friendly club welcomes newcomers.

For more info please call the hike leader or visit mtsthelensclub.org.

RT(round trip) distances are from Longview.

E=easy, M=moderate, S=strenuous, e.g.=elevation gain.

Wed, Feb 20 Lake Sacajawea (E) Walk around the entire lake (3+ miles) or walk half the lake (1+ mile) with little elevation gain. Leaders: Trudy and Ed 360-414-1160.

Sat, Feb 23 Elk Rock Snowshoe (SS) (E/M) Drive 100 miles RT. Snowshoe 5 miles out-andback with 1,000 ft. e.g. to high point on the Spirit Lake Hwy. Open terrain and expansive views. Leader: George W. 360-562-0001.

Wed, Feb 27 Elk Kalama Waterfront (E) (E/M) Drive 20 miles RT. Hike 3+ miles on level path along the Columbia River. Leader: John 360431-1122.

Sat, Mar 2 Neahkahnie Mountain (M/S) (E/M) Drive 160 miles RT. Hike 5 miles RT with 1,500 ft. e.g., or 8 miles RT with 2,300 ft. e.g. to a spectacular high point view overlooking Manzanita and the Oregon coast. Leaders: David and Belinda 360-430-9879. on level path along the Columbia River.

Wed, Mar 6 Marine Drive Bike Path (E) Drive 90 miles RT. Walk on paved bike path 4+ miles RT with minimal e.g. next to the Columbia River and Portland Airport. Leader: Bruce 360-425-0256.

Sat, Mar 9 Tilly Jane Snowshoe (SS) (M/S) Drive 250 miles RT. Snowshoe 5 miles RT with 1,900 ft. e.g. to the A-frame, or 7 miles with 2,200 ft. e.g. to Cloud Cap. Scenic out-and-badk with great views on the north side of Mt. Hood. Leader: Mary Jane 360-355-5220.

Sat, Mar 16 Milo Melver State Park (M) Drive 142 miles RT. Hike 5.7mile loop with 344 ft. e.g. along scenic Clackamas River. Leader: Bruce 360425-0256.

See related snowshoe story, page 14; for club contact info, see ad, page 2.

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Where do you read

THE READER? WHERE DO YOU READ THE READER?

Send your photo reading the Reader (high-resolution JPEG) to Publisher@ CRReader.com. If sending a cell phone photo, choose the largest file size up to 2 MB. Include names and cities of residence. Thank you for your participation and patience, as we usually have a small backlog. Keep those photos coming!

Nothing like a new tent

David Bell at Skamokowa Vista Park “winter camping” with his new rig and old dog, Bravo.

Near the Kenai River

Longview resident Joan Nelson and daughter Tracy Foister in Kasilof, Alaska.

Accepting children & adults as new patients.

Call to schedule your appointment.

Laser Dentistry Services Fillings and

many other procedures can be completed without drilling or anesthesia injections.

Daniel Haghighi, dds

Lower Columbia Oral Health Center for Implant Dentistry

&

“Where Dentistry Meets Medicine”

1538 11th Ave. Longview, WA • www.lcohdental.com • 360-636-3400

At Pompeii Left to right. Shirley Hindman, Neskowin, Oregon; Candace Abbott,

Longview Wash.; Dianne Sudol Dalton, Gardens, Idaho; Sharon Cope-Jeffries, Longview, Wash.; Crystal Sudol, Las Vegas, Nev.; Trina Harrington, Neskowin, Ore.; Doris Cozad, Longview, Wash.

flowers@dapperdandelion.com

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www.dapperdandilion.com Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019 / 33

the spectator

PLUGGED IN

Exchanging Messages

COWLITZ PUD

by ned piper

T

his column actually begins in 1954, when a young German exchange student, Gottfried Eichler, traveled to Longview to live for a year with the Piper family. His fellow R.A. Long classmates promptly nicknamed him “Ike.” Ike’s ready laugh and all-around good nature allowed him to make friends easily. I was 15 years old then. It never occurred to me that Ike would remain my friend for more than 60 years.

In 1960, Paul (Man in the Kitchen) Thompson and I visited Ike and his family in Atzenbach, Germany. In fact, I celebrated my 21st birthday in the Eichler home.

Since that time, Ike and I exchanged hand-written letters every two or three years. That was before e-mail, but it wouldn’t have mattered because Ike refused to buy a computer.

ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE

DELIGHT IN THE RESULT

Seven years ago, our son Perry decided to travel to Europe. I was pleased that he put a visit to Gottfried (Ike) and his wife Renate on his schedule. During that visit, Perry made an exerted effort to talk Ike into getting a computer and joining the rest of the world communicating via e-mail. In his late 70s at the time, he wouldn’t budge.

A year or two later, Sue and I accompanied Perry to Europe and a visit with Ike and Renate. Over dinner, Ike asked if we would entertain a visit from his 15 yearold grandson, Daniel. We agreed.

Before Daniel left Germany, he convinced his grandparents that the only letters they would receive from him would arrive via e-mail.

His family bought Ike a computer and Daniel showed him how e-mail works. I now exchange messages with Ike a couple times a week.

812 Ocean Beach Hwy Suite 100 Longview, WA

360-577-6956 esteticaspa.com @EsteticaDaySpaLv

Leisure Show! We will have some great giveaways, including free LED lightbulbs. Stop by the expo center and visit our booth. Have you been to City of Longview’s Earth Day event at the expo center? If not, you really should.

It is a great one-day event on April 20 from 10-3:30. Cowlitz PUD will be there with our many kid friendly displays and more giveaways. An allnew event we will be participating with this year is the Area Agency on Aging and Disabilities of Southwest Washington’s Senior Expo on May 7 from 10-2 at the expo center. Our Energy Efficiency advisors will be on hand with giveaways, safety tips and ways to save on your monthly utility bills.

If you want to stop by and discuss the mid-c or resource adequacy, we are more than happy to have those conversations. But if you just want to stop by and talk about ways to save on your electricity bill, cost savings programs we offer or just pick up a free LED light bulb, please come visit Cowlitz PUD. •••

to

By Alice Dietz

Transmission, distribution, power supply? Oh, my!

L

et’s face it. The utility industry can be a daunting one to grasp. When in meetings where acronyms are tossed around willy-nilly and spot markets, the mid-c, resource adequacy and decarbonization are the focal points of meeting conversations; it is easy to feel like a fish out of water. Although these complicated topics are vital to the operations of a healthy utility, Cowlitz PUD believes that making ourselves available to the customer is what remains at the heart of successful outreach and community relations. We are approaching our busy spring season and invite our customers to come visit us at one of the many events where Cowlitz PUD will have a booth.

March 16 and 17, our Energy Efficiency team will be available to talk all things Energy Efficient and Rebates at the Lower Columbia Contractors Association’s Home, Garden and

Alice Dietz is Communications and Public Relations Manager at Cowlitz PUD. Reach her at adietz@cowlitzpud.org, or 360-5019146.

I’m happy to report that he has returned for a three-week visit to Longview during a break from his studies. In addition to renewing friendships, eating “USA burgers,” drinking root beer (not available in Germany), and playing Sue’s new grand piano, Daniel will be sending e-mails of his

Daniel had such a grand time in Longview, that he found a way to come back three years ago as an exchange student at R.A. Long High School. We had a wonderful six months with Daniel in our home.

adventures to his grandparents. He’s also helping with CRR! See his article on renewable energy, page 30.

••• Longview native Ned Piper enjoys reading, writing, and schmoozing with CRR advertisers and readers and, of course, watching sports on TV or in live venues.

Committed to helping you find

Music lasts a lifetime!

Piano Lessons A great investment in yourself or as a gift

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technique • theory • performance 34 / Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019

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Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019 / 35

36 / Columbia River Reader / February 15 – March 15, 2019