Columbia River Reader October 2023

CRREADER.COM Vol. XX, No. 225 • October 15, 2023 • COMPLIMENTARY Helping you discover and enjoy the good life in the Columbia River region at home and on the road

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

JOHN LENNON’S LIFE IN HIS OWN WORDS AND MUSIC PIANIST GRANT MACK AND ROMANIA’S QUEEN MARIE IN LONGVIEW WINTER GARDEN COLOR POPS TO PLANT NOW

People+ Place

EMERGENCY! 911 Dispatchers and their crucial conversations

page 19

page 26

COLUMBIA RIVER

dining guide

COLUMBIA RIVER READER COLLECTORS CLUB

LEWIS AND CLARK REVOLUTIONIZED

What really — truly — happened during those final wind-blown, rain-soaked thirty days of the Lewis and Clark Expedition’s trek to the Pacific? Southwest Washington author and explorer Rex Ziak revolutionized historical scholarship by providing the answers: day by day and week by week. We’re delighted to offer In Full View, and Rex’s other two books, one with an extraordinary fold-out map, as our inaugural offerings from CRR Collectors Club.

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

Helping you discover and enjoy

MOSS IN YOUR LAWN? What to do page 15

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

People+Place

Cutting Edge The art of the woodcut

IN FULL VIEW Rex Ziak

page 19

page 28

COLUMBIA RIVER

dining guide

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A true and accurate account of Lewis and Clark’s arrival at the Pacific Ocean, and their search for a winter camp along the lower Columbia River.

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America’s Planned City and the Last Frontier

by Hal Calbom Longview Centennial Edition.

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

The

Tidewater Reach Field Guide

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

three editions:

to the

Lower Columbia River in

Poems and Pictures

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“Michael Perry gets it right!

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

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

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

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

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Robert Michael Pyle Judy VanderMaten

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dispatches from the discovery trail

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

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

DISPATCHES FROM THE DISCOVERY TRAIL M I C H A E L O. P E R R Y

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

A LAYMAN’S LEWIS & CLARK

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D

ealing with a last-minute file corruption and subsequent stubborn computer crashes diverted my time and attention just before going to press with this issue. A publisher’s worst nightmare!

Just back from Bennington, Vermont, I had planned to write of my delightful trip with my longtime friend Karla Dudley to Sonatina Piano Camp, located in the heart of historic New England. Suffice it to say that the holiday issue will contain a “Me & My Piano” column by yours truly. And with no word limit for me! Rank has its privileges.

Sue’s

Views

As a preview: The Camp’s sprawling, quaint house once used as a convent contains 36 pianos — one in every bedroom, under the stairs, in the linen closet, and even on the porch!

Before and after our four-day musical experience, we motored through a big chunk of charming Americana, visiting Robert Frost’s home, enjoying a collection of paintings by Grandma Moses at the Bennington Museum, and savoring Yankee Pot Roast in Boston.

New England’s famous fall foliage color had not yet Karla and Sue about to enter the peaked, but reminded Karla and me that the Pacific Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Mass.

The engraving above the arch: “Enter Northwest exhibits equally-beautiful vibrant colors to Grow in Wisdom.” We hope it in the landscape this time of year. I’m ready to see it! worked.

Enjoy the change of seasons, and let’s catch up next issue, when I’ll tell you more about Karla’s and my “noteworthy”adventure.

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

ON THE COVER

Publisher/Editor: Susan P. Piper Columnists and contributors: Tracy Beard Dale Boudreau Hal Calbom Alice Dietz Brian Fleming Joseph Govednik Jim MacLeod Michael Perry Ned Piper Perry Piper Robert Michael Pyle Marc Roland Alan Rose Alice Slusher Greg Smith Andre Stepankowsky Debra Tweedy Judy VanderMaten Editorial/Proofreading Assistants: Merrilee Bauman, Michael Perry, Marilyn Perry, Tiffany Dickinson, Debra Tweedy

Jerry Jensen, Operations Manager, and Suzanne Deisher, Dispatcher, at Cowlitz 911’s new facility in Longview, Wash. Story, page 19.

Photo by Hal Calbom, Columbia River Reader is published monthly, with 14,000 copies distributed in the Lower Columbia region.

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

Submission guidelines: page 32.

General Ad info: page 6.

Ad Manager: Ned Piper 360-749-2632.

In this Issue

2

CRRP / The Collectors Club

5

Dispatches from the Discovery Trail ~ Episode 29

8

Civilized Living: Miss Manners

9

Northwest Gardening: Color POP!

11

Biz Buzz

12

Where Do You Read the Reader?

13

A Different Way of Seeing ~ The Tidewater Reach

16

Museum Magic: St. Helens, Oregon: On Location

17

Romania’s Queen Marie visits the Northwest

19–22

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

CRREADER.COM

E-mail: publisher@crreader.com Phone: 360-749-1021

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

People+Place: Hot Lines — Cowlitz 911’s Dispatchers

24

Notes from My Lives, by Andre Stepankowsky

24

Astronomy / The Sky Report

25

Local Music: Love is the Answer (The Concert John Would Have Given)

26

Lower Columbia Dining Guide

28-29

Advertising Manager: Ned Piper, 360-749-2632

Sue Piper

Out & About ~ Provisions along the Trail / Fabulous Fall Frolics

30

The World, My Oyster: Floatplane pilot wings his way

31

Longview Centennial Events

32-33

Submissions Guidelines / Performing Arts / Outings & Events

34-35

Cover to Cover / Besides CRR What Else Are You Reading?

35

Bestsellers List / Quips & Quotes

37

Hikes

37

Roland on Wine

38

The Spectator: Proofreading, pizzas, and pandemic precautions

38

Plugged In to Cowlitz PUD: Discounted Rate Program

39

CRRPress Bookstore

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Where to find the new Reader

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

WESTPORT YMCA Berry Patch (entry rack) Fred Meyer (rack, service desk) Teri’s (Ocean Beach Hwy) RAINIER Grocery Outlet Post Office The Gifted Kitchen Cornerstone Café (711 Vandercook Way) Rainier Hardware (rack, entry) Fibre Fed’l CU - Commerce Ave Earth ‘n’ Sun (on Hwy 30) Monticello Hotel (front entrance) El Tapatio (entry rack) Kaiser Permanente Grocery Outlet St. John Medical Center Senior Center (rack at front door) (rack, Park Lake Café) DEER ISLAND LCC Student Center Deer Island Store Indy Way Diner Columbia River Reader Office COLUMBIA CITY Post Office 1333 14th Ave. (box at door) WARREN Omelettes & More (entry rack) Warren Country Inn Stuffy’s II (entry rack) ST HELENS KELSO Visitors’ Center / Kelso-Longview Chamber of Commerce Sunshine Pizza Chamber of Commerce St. Helens Market Fresh KALAMA Olde Town: Wild Currant, Tap into Wine Fibre Fed’l CU Safeway Kalama Shopping Center SCAPPOOSE corner of First & Fir McMenamin’s Harbor Lodge (rack) Post Office Road Runner WOODLAND Fultano’s The Oak Tree Ace Hardware Visitors’ Center WARRENTON, OR Grocery Outlet Fred Meyer Luckman Coffee CATHLAMET CASTLE ROCK Cathlamet Pharmacy Lacie Rha’s Cafe (32 Cowlitz W.) Tsuga Gallery Parker’s Restaurant (box, entry) Realty West Visitors’ Ctr 890 Huntington Ave. Puget Island Ferry Landing N., Exit 49, west side of I-5 SKAMOKAWA Cascade Select Market Skamokawa General Store VADER NASELLE Little Crane Café Appelo Archives & Café RYDERWOOD Johnson’s One-Stop Café porch 4 / Columbia River Reader /October 15, 2023

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Lewis & Clark

DISPATCHES FROM THE DISCOVERY TRAIL EPISODE 29

What Happened to Sacajawea??

By Michael O. Perry

W

hen the Lewis and Clark Expedition returned to the Mandan villages in 1806, Toussaint Charbonneau (Sacajawea’s husband) was given a voucher for $500.33 for his services, but Sacajawea received nothing. In a letter to Charbonneau, Clark wrote, “Your woman who accompanied you that long dangerous and fatiguing rout to the Pacific Ocean and back diserved a greater reward for her attention and services on the rout than we had the power to give her at the Mandans.”

Clark offered to take Pomp back to St. Louis where he would educate “and raise him as my own child.” Sacajawea and Charbonneau agreed to let Clark raise their 18-month old son, but felt it was too soon to do so. In a letter, Clark wrote, “Charbono, if you wish to live with the white people, and will come to me, I will give you a piece of land and furnish you with horses, cows, & hogs.”

“Lewis and Clark Reach the Shoshone Camp Led by Sacajawea” by Charles M. Russell

a good and the best woman in the Fort. Aged about 25 years. She left a fine infant girl.” Even though her actual name does not appear in the record, many people believe it was Sacajawea who had died about four months after giving birth to a daughter.

Three years later, Charbonneau, Sacajawea, and Pomp traveled to St. Louis to cash his voucher. Charbonneau was given 320 acres of land, but after a year he decided he was not meant to be a farmer and sold the land back to Clark for $100. He left 5-year old Pomp in the care of Clark in 1811 and took Sacajawea back up the Missouri River. However, since Clark had married two years earlier, he did not actually raise Pomp as his “own child” as he had promised. Instead, he put Pomp in a boarding house and paid for his schooling.

Was this really Sacajawea? Probably. Sacajawea would have been about 24 years old in 1812. Toussaint Charbonneau had gone to Fort Manuel in 1811 shortly after leaving his son, 5-year old Pomp (Jean Baptiste), with Captain Clark in St. Louis. Believing Charbonneau to be dead, Luttig took Charbonneau’s daughter to St. Louis in Will the “real” Sacajawea please stand up?

1813, where the Orphan’s Court made Luttig legal On December 20, 1812, John Luttig, the clerk at Fort Manuel, a guardian of two Charbonneau children (one-year old trading post on the upper Missouri in present-day South Dakota, “Lisette” and ten-year- old “Tousant”). Who was this included a terse obituary in his daily log: “This evening the wife “Tousant?” Most people believe this was an error, and of Charbonneau, a Snake squaw, died of a putrid fever. She was the records actually refer to seven-year old Pomp (“Jean Baptiste”). Why would a judge have allowed Luttig to become legal guardian for Pomp? Pomp had In April 2021 we introduced a revised version of Michael Perry’s been under Captain Clark’s care for popular series which was expanded In the new book, Dispatches from two years, attending a private school, the Discovery Trail, edited by Hal Calbom and published by CRRPress. but Clark was away on business at the It includes an in-depth author interview and new illustrations and time. And why do the records show commentary. the boy was ten years old when Pomp was only seven? In any case, Luttig’s name was later crossed out in the court records and the name of William Clark substituted.

Michael Perry enjoys local history and travel. His popular 33-installment Lewis & Clark series appeared in Columbia River Reader’s early years and helped shape its identity and zeitgeist. After two encores, the series has been expanded and published in a book. Details, page 2, 39.

MICHAEL

O. P E R R Y

dispatches from the D

iscovery T

rail

CALBOM DEBBY NEELY cut art by

with HAL wood

A LAYMAN’S

K

LEWIS & CLAR

So, who was the ten-year-old “Tousant Charbonneau” shown on the legal papers? Some people believe Charbonneau’s other Shoshone wife (Otter Woman) gave birth to a son in 1803, three years before Pomp was born.

Thus, it is uncertain which Shoshone wife Luttig’s obituary pertains to.

Charbonneau may have abandoned Sacajawea after returning to the Mandan villages from their 1811 visit to St. Louis when Pomp was left with Clark. Perhaps he took Otter Woman and her son to Fort Manuel.

William Clark’s cashbook for 18251828 showed the status of all the Expedition members and states “Se car ja we au Dead.” However, since that same cashbook erroneously lists Sergeant Patrick Gass as being dead (he lived to be 99-years old, dying in 1870), some people think Clark could have been wrong in listing Sacajawea as being dead.

In 1884, on the Wind River Indian Reservation in present-day Wyoming, a Shoshone woman named Porivo, said to be about 100 years old, was laid to rest. Sacajawea would have been about 96 years old in 1884. The burial records said Porivo was “Bazil’s mother (Shoshone).” When the Lewis and Clark expedition reunited Sacajawea with her Shoshone Indian tribe at Three Forks in 1805, she learned most of her family was dead, so she immediately adopted the young son of her dead sister. Could this be “Bazil”?

Bazil was living with his mother when she died. For years, this woman had told people she had been with Lewis and Clark on the expedition to the Pacific Ocean and that her son Baptiste was a little papoose whom she carried on her back from the Mandan villages across the shining mountains to the great lake. It seems odd an Indian woman living in Wyoming could have known so much about the woman who accompanied the Corps of Discovery 80 years earlier. One has to wonder if she might indeed have been the real Sacajawea! cont page 6

October 15, 2023 / Columbia River Reader / 5

Lewis & Clark

from page 5

Pomp‘s Circumstances

Pomp’s Circumstances

By Gary Meyers

Mention “Sacajawea,” and most folks associate the name either with the Shoshone Indian woman who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition, or the U.S. dollar first minted in 2000. Longview, Washington residents will also associate the name with their beautiful lake in the center of town.

While Sacajawea is known to generations of students and history buffs, oddly, few remember her son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau.

His remarkable beginning with the Corps of Discovery, combined with his later experiences as a trader, guide, interpreter, miner, adventurer and world traveler remain an extraordinary story, even today.

Jean Baptiste was born at Fort Mandan (North Dakota) on February 11, 1805. His father was a French-Canadian fur trader, Toussaint Charbonneau, who had joined the expedition as guide and interpreter.

Within months of birth, Jean Baptiste began his odyssey, bundled and strapped to his mother’s back. Accounts indicate that he was a happy and healthy baby, well protected and treated as very special by the expedition members.

Captain Clark took an immediate liking to the toddler and nicknamed him “Pomp” or “Pompy” (spellings differ).

By the time the expedition eventually reached the Pacific Ocean and returned to North Dakota, Pomp was nearly two years old and had ridden over 5,000 miles, enduring along the way hardships unimaginable by today’s standards.

Clark’s affection for the boy was, perhaps, best measured when the expedition reached a prominent sandstone butte on the Yellowstone River that Clark named Pompy’s Tower (now called Pompey’s Pillar). Pompey’s Pillar remains today the only existing evidence of the Corps of Discovery along the trail; Captain Clark carved his name and date — Jul 25, 1806 — into the body of the rock.

Following the Corps of Discovery, Captain Clark provided Pomp with what has been described as, “the best education that money could buy.” At age 16, with his education completed, Pomp struck out on his own as a fur trader. He made a chance acquaintance that would have a profound effect on his future.

Prince Paul Wilhelm was a German noble who was visiting the United States on a nature study. He and Pomp immediately became friends, and Pomp accepted Prince Wilhelm’s invitation to accompany him back to Germany.

As a guest of the prince, Pomp traveled throughout Europe and North Africa, meeting royalty, enjoying the perks and privileges of the aristocratic class and also finding the time to learn several languages.

After six years, however, he had tired of the rarified life of royalty and returned to his roots on the Great Plains.

For the next 15 years, Pomp roamed the west, living off the land as a “mountain man.” He hunted. He trapped. He served as a guide for groups moving west. He did a short stint in the Army leading a Mormon battalion from Sante Fe to San Diego. He served briefly as the Alcalde (mayoral or magistrate status) of Mission San Luis Rey in Southern California.

Statues of Sacajawea with her 9-month old son “Pomp” on her back and Captain Lewis’s Newfoundland dog, Seaman, were created by Heather Soderberg in 2011, located at Cascade Lock’s Marine Park.

When gold was discovered at Sutter’s Fort, California, in 1849, the fever swept up Pomp and he headed north to seek his fortune. The fortune never materialized, and little is known of Pomp’s activities for several years thereafter.

The next episode of “Dispatches from the Discovery Trail” will cover Captain Lewis and his bizarre death.

In 1861, he re-surfaced as a clerk in the Orleans Hotel in Auburn, California. When news of another gold strike in Montana reached Auburn, Pomp grabbed his bags and headed toward the El Dorado that had eluded him earlier.

Sadly, his hope was not fulfilled. Pomp contracted pneumonia and died at Inskip Station, near Danner in Southeast Oregon on May 16, 1866, at age 61. He was buried there.

••• Note about the author: As a child, Gary Meyers lived in Ponca, Nebraska, where his curiosity about Lewis and Clark was piqued by three nearby sites mentioned in the journals. He later lived in Longview, Washington, and years later, upon reading Michael Perry’s column, “Dispatch from the Discovery Trail,”wrote this piece on Pomp for Columbia River Reader. Meyers’s contribution became a regular component of the series.

He founded CRR’s HaikuFest and remained Chief Judge until his death in May 2023.

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National Garden Club program pays tribute to fallen service members’ Sarah Koss, President and Phyllis Hull, Secretary families By Kelso Garden Club The Kelso Garden Club will dedicate a Gold Star Memorial By-Way Marker on Veterans Day, November 11, 2023 at 11 AM at Tam O’Shanter Park, Kelso in the small covered picnic pavilion.

This National Garden Club program supports those who have lost a loved one while in service to our country through the American Armed Forces.

All family members representing all conflicts, all branches of the service, and all circumstances of death are remembered.

The Kelso Garden Club wishes to offer honor, hope and healing to families and survivors through remembering this country’s fallen heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

The name Gold Star comes from the past custom of families of servicemen hanging a banner called a service flag in the window of their homes.

The service flag had a star for each family member in the United States Armed Forces. Living servicemen were represented by a Blue Star, and

those who had lost their lives were represented by a Gold Star. The Gold Star Memorial Marker was adopted by the National Garden Club in 2015, and first erected in Peoria, Illinois, May 14, 2016. There are currently 252 Gold Star Memorial Markers erected in the United States.

A Blue Star Memorial By-Way Marker was dedicated by the Kelso Garden

Club on Veterans Day 2021 to honor and pay tribute to all who have or are currently serving in the American Armed Forces for their dedication, determination, perseverance and love of country. The Gold Star Memorial Marker is located immediately adjacent to the Blue Star Memorial Marker in Tam O’ Shanter Park, Kelso. All Gold Star families and the public are invited.

Civilized Living

A Local Treasure - Revived!

BREAKFAST LUNCH • DINNER

By Judith Martin, Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin

DEAR MISS MANNERS: As someone whose goal is to provide a great experience for guests in her home, I make sure I set up, on tables and buffets, items that I’m offering for guests to eat and drink. I always have a ton of food left over after get-togethers, as I never want to run out.

We have a family member who comes over two or three times per year. He constantly opens our fridge, surveys the contents and then helps himself to other snacks and drinks, when there is already ample food and drink provided.

I find this so strange, and it makes me uncomfortable, as though I’m not doing enough to be a good host.

to her weekly knitting group and introduced me as her “friend,” rather than as her daughter’s mother-in-law.

That describes who we are, but does not adequately describe our relationship.

We certainly are friends, but we are much more. We are family united by our children. We can think of no one word to describe that relationship.

Can you?

G E N T L E R E A DE R : W h et h e r “mother-in-law” counts as one word or three, Miss Manners would have thought the phrase “my daughter’s mother-in-law” sufficiently succinct. cont page 15

Is it appropriate to feel this way? And if so, how might I discourage this in the future?

GENTLE READER: There is such a thing as behavior that is too familial, even when it is coming from actual family members.

While you have cause to be annoyed, Miss Manners would not take it as an affront to your abilities as a host.

She suggests that the next time this person comes over, you plant yourself (or a deputy) firmly in front of the refrigerator. When he approaches, politely ask whether he needs something that is not already out. Either that, or install childproof locks.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am visiting my daughter-in-law, who is the widow of my late son. Her mother took me 8 / Columbia River Reader /October 15, 2023

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COLOR POP!

Northwest Gardening Story by Alice Slusher

Plant early-flowering spring bulbs now for a late-winter lift

N

ow that autumn is here, I’m ready to start planning for next year’s garden, specifically my pollinator garden. I have many late spring, summer, and fall flowers for the bees and beneficial insects, but nothing for our early risers.

I looked around for ideas and a light bulb went off in my head. I told my hubby I was going to plant lots and lots of unusual spring bulbs out in the lawn that will bloom as early as late January. These plants all naturalize and spread nicely for an ongoing vibrant color display during the dim and rainy months. He was appalled.

“In my lawn? Heck, no!” Then he muttered something along the lines of “over my dead body.” But after I explained that these little flowers bloom and are finished before the grass gets long enough to cut, he was more amenable to the idea. My order for 250 bulbs should arrive soon!

There are many catalogs and online companies that offer quality bulbs, and our local nurseries carry some of these more unusual bulbs, too. I can’t wait to

get mine in the ground from late October to mid-November. I have never heard of some of them, and I am so looking forward to a very welcome flower display when we (and the early pollinators) most need it.

Here are some recommendations from experts for unusual fall bulbs that bloom very early in spring and can help support pollinators in the Pacific Northwest: Chionoscilla (Chionoscilla spp.) bulbs produce delicate flowers resembling miniature blue or white stars.

Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) is a charming bulb that produces bright yellow flowers with a cup-like shape. It blooms extremely early, often emerging through the snow, and provides an early nectar source for bees and other pollinators.

Glory-of-the-Snow ‘Spring Beauty’ (Scilla siberica ‘Spring Beauty’) This variety of Glory-of-the-Snow offers a unique color combination with its pink and blue flowers.

Chionodoxa luciliae, also commonly called Glory-of-the-Snow, is a small bulb that blooms early in spring with star-shaped flowers in shades of blue, pink, or white.

Fritillaria (Fritillaria spp.) bulbs come in various species and cultivars, with fascinating bell-shaped flowers. Look for varieties such as Fritillaria meleagris (Snake’s Head Fritillary) or Fritillaria persica (Persian Lily). They look like flowers from a sci-fi show!

Winter Snowflake (Leucojum aestivum) bears delicate white flowers with green spots at the tips.

Very cool!

Dog’s Tooth Violet (Erythronium spp.), also known as Trout Lily or Fawn Lily, produces beautiful nodding flowers in shades of yellow, pink, or white.

Oregon Fawn Lily is a native bulb with nodding, lily-like flowers in shades of yellow or white.

GOLD STAR FAMILIES ARE INVITED TO ATTEND GOLD STAR MEMORIAL BY-WAY MARKER DEDICATION Veterans Day

Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023 • 11 am

Tam O’Shanter Park • Kelso, Washington Public Welcome Sponsored by Kelso Garden Club Light Refreshments to follow For more info see story, page 8 or contact sarahkoss@comcast.net / 360-431-5168

Anemone blanda, also known as Grecian Windflower, produces daisy-like flowers in shades of blue, purple, and white.

Puschkinia (Puschkinia scilloides) offers delicate white flowers with blue stripes. They resemble miniature hyacinths and can naturalize in lawns or meadows, providing an early nectar source.

Camassia (Camassia spp.) are native bulbs that produce tall spikes of flowers in shades of blue, purple, or white. They are beneficial for native bees and other pollinators.

Bellevalia bulbs, such as Bellevalia pycnantha, offer clusters of bell-shaped flowers in shades of blue or purple.

Programs & Events OSU Extension Columbia County 503-397-3462 Sat., Oct. 17, 6:30–8pm Chat with Chip Zoom. Call for connection info Gardening Spot on KOHI (1600am radio) Every Saturday, 8:05 to 8:15am

WSU Extension Cowlitz County 360-577-3014 304 Cowlitz Way, Kelso, Wash.

For connection info or registration for in-person classes: cowlitzcomg.com/publicevents) Online Workshops. Tues., noon: Oct. 17

Winter Magic: No-Dig Lawn-to- Garden Bed Transformation

When planting bulbs for naturalizing, select a site with well-drained soil and sufficient sunlight. Plant the bulbs in the fall, following the recommended depth and spacing for each specific bulb type. To create a naturalized effect, consider planting them in groups or drifts rather than in formal rows. And equally important, I think, is to plant them where you can enjoy a beautiful and pollinator-friendly display in early spring.

•••

Kalama resident Alice Slusher volunteers with WSU Extension Service Plant & Insect Clinic.

Call 360-577-3014, ext. 1, or send question via cowlitzmastergardener@gmail.com.

October 15, 2023 / Columbia River Reader / 9

Upcoming Events Upcoming Events

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CHAMBER Happenings

Oct. 6 & 7:30 am to 9:00 am Oct. 13 2023 Small Business Boot Camp Fall Series Oct. 6 & 7:30 am to 9:00 am American Workforce Group, 1145 14th Ave., Longview Don’t Small miss outBusiness on our last two classes for the FallSeries Session!

Oct. 13 2023 Boot Camp Fall

Oct. 6 QPR Suicide Prevention American Workforce Group, 1145 14th Ave., Longview Vashti Langford, Thelast Rising Consultant Don’t miss out on our twoPhoenix classes Training for the Fall Session!

Oct. 13 STOP! Don’t say what you’re thinking out loud!!

Oct. 6 QPR Suicide Prevention Teedara Wolf, Training and Development Specialist, Cowlitz PUD Ryan Diggs Morgan Vashti Langford, TheMonty Rising Phoenix Training Consultant Register online at www.kelsolongviewchamber.org Oct. 13 STOP! say what you’re thinking out loud!!

M.R.Don’t Cleans Co-owners, Teedara Wolf, Training and Development Specialist, Cowlitz PUD at pm www.kelsolongviewchamber.org Oct. 10 Register 5:30 pmonline to 7:30 Business After Hours

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Explorer Brewing Company, 209 Ash St., Kelso Joinpm us at Company for a fun Business After Hours!

5:30 to Explorer 7:30 pm Brewing Business After Hours There will be food, music and beer. advance/$20 at the door.

Explorer Brewing Company, 209 Ash$15 St.,inKelso Register www.kelsolongviewchamber.org call 360-423-8400.

Join us at at Explorer Brewing Company for a funor Business After Hours!

Oct. 10

There will be food, music and beer. $15 in advance/$20 at the door.

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Oct. 6 & 7:30 am to 9:00 am Oct. 13 2023 Small Business Boot Camp Fall Series

American Workforce Group, 1145 14th Ave., Longview Don’t miss out on our last two classes for the Fall Session!

Oct. 6 QPR Suicide Prevention Vashti Langford, The Rising Phoenix Training Consultant Oct. 13 STOP! Don’t say what you’re thinking out loud!!

Teedara Wolf, Training and Development Specialist, Cowlitz PUD Register online at www.kelsolongviewchamber.org 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm Business After Hours Explorer Brewing Company, 209 Ash St., Kelso Join us at Explorer Brewing Company for a fun Business After Hours!

There will be food, music and beer. $15 in advance/$20 at the door.

Register at www.kelsolongviewchamber.org or call 360-423-8400.

Oct. 26

8:00 am to 3:00 pm Career Exploration Expo Cowlitz County Conference Center, Longview Over 3,000 area students from Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties will have an opportunity to explore careers with local businesses at this one day event. Space is available to showcase your company or organization’s careers. No cost to participate. Register at www.kelsolongviewchamber.org or call 360-423-8400.

Carolyn Fundingsland Auditor Cowlitz County

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6:00 pm 11th Annual Jingle All the Way The Civic Circle, Longview Get your bells on for the Chamber’s annual Fun Run/Walk! It’s not too early to start planning your costume for the 5:30 pm Costume Contest.

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Upcoming Events

Oct. 6 & 7:30 am to 9:00 am Oct. 13 2023 Small Business Boot Camp Fall Series

American Workforce Group, 1145 14th Ave., Longview Don’t miss out on our last two classes for the Fall Session!

Oct. 6 QPR Suicide Prevention Vashti Langford, The Rising Phoenix Training Consultant Oct. 13 STOP! Don’t say what you’re thinking out loud!!

Teedara Wolf, Training and Development Specialist, Cowlitz PUD Register online at www.kelsolongviewchamber.org 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm Business After Hours

Oct. 26

8:00 am to 3:00 pm Career Exploration Expo Cowlitz County Conference Center, Longview Over 3,000 area students from Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties will have an opportunity to explore careers with local businesses at this one day event. Space is available to showcase your company or organization’s careers. No cost to participate. Register at www.kelsolongviewchamber.org or call 360-423-8400.

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Register at www.kelsolongviewchamber.org or call 360-423-8400.

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Oct. 10

10 / Columbia River Reader /October 15, 2023 Dec. 8 6:00 pm 11th Annual Jingle All the Way

The Civic Circle, Longview Get your bells on for the Chamber’s annual Fun Run/Walk! It’s not too early to start planning your costume for the 5:30 pm Costume Contest.

Sponsorships available - call 360-423-8400 for more information.

Registration online for the event at www.kelsolongviewchamber.org

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Join us at Explorer Brewing Company for a fun Business After Hours!

There will be food, music and beer. $15 in advance/$20 at the door.

Register at www.kelsolongviewchamber.org or call 360-423-8400.

ServPro Longview Union Chamber Radio Host Fire Fighters

Oct. 26

Scoopology Poop Removal 180 Campbell Lane Port Orchard, WA 98366 360-957-8513

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Eric Skreen

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The Cooks Creations 351 Three Rivers Dr. Kelso, WA 98626 925-255-6308

early to start planning your costume for the 5:30 pm Costume Contest.

The Civic Circle, Longview Sponsorships available - call 360-423-8400 forRun/Walk! more information.

Get your bells on for the Chamber’s annual Fun It’s not too Registration online foryour the costume event at www.kelsolongviewchamber.org 5:30 pmearly to 7:30 pm Business After Hours to start planning for the 5:30 pm Costume Contest. available - call 360-423-8400 for more information.

ExplorerSponsorships Brewing Company, 209 Ash St., Kelso Registration online for the event at www.kelsolongviewchamber.org

Oct. 10 Scythe Brewing Co

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Overam 3,000 areapm students from Cowlitz andExpo Wahkiakum counties will Oct. 26 8:00 to 3:00 Career Exploration American Workforce Group, 1145 14th Ave., Longview have anCounty opportunity to explore careers with local businesses at this Cowlitz Conference Center, Longview Work • Bu l• Don’t miss out on our last two classes for the Fall one 3,000 day event. is available to showcase yourSession! company ee Over area Space students from Cowlitz and Wahkiakum countiesorwill ping I t Loc organization’s careers.

No costcareers to participate.

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Space is available to showcase your company or eeVashti c Langford, The Rising Phoenix Training Consultant ping I t Lo careers. No cost to participate. Register at Oct. 813 organization’s STOP! Don’t say what you’re thinking out loud!!

Dec. 6:00 pm 11th Annual Jingle All the Way www.kelsolongviewchamber.org or call 360-423-8400.

Teedara Wolf, Training Development Specialist, Cowlitz PUD The Civic Circle,and Longview Get pm your11th on for the Chamber’s annual Dec. 8 6:00 Annual Jingle All the WayFun Run/Walk! It’s not too Register online atbells www.kelsolongviewchamber.org

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Oct. 6 & Oct. 7:3026amRegister to 9:00 8:00 am toam 3:00 pm Career Exploration Expo Cowlitz Business County Conference Center, Longview Oct. 13 2023 Small Boot Camp Fall Series Carolyn Fundingsland

Cowlitz County Conference Center, Longview Overwww.kelsolongviewchamber.org 3,000 area students from Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties will have an opportunity to explore careers with local businesses at this one day event. Space is available to showcase your company or organization’s careers. No cost to participate. Register at www.kelsolongviewchamber.org or call 360-423-8400.

360-423-8400 360-423-8400

6:00 pm 11th Annual Jingle All the Way The Civic Circle, Longview Get your bells on for the Chamber’s annual Fun Run/Walk! It’s not too early to start planning your costume for the 5:30 pm Costume Contest.

Sponsorships available - call 360-423-8400 for more information.

Registration online for the event at www.kelsolongviewchamber.org

www.kelsolongviewchamber.org

360-423-8400

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.

2023 NWPPA Environmental Excellence Award recognizes NORPAC Recycling Efforts OLYMPIA — Oct. 2, 2023 — The Northwest Pulp & Paper Association hono red L ong v ie w ’s NOR PAC manufacturing facility with its 2023 Environmental Excellence Award, presented Sept. 18 at a private event in Portland. The award recognizes the facility’s $50 million capital investment, which has helped the mill’s ability

“This $50 million capital investment expanded our ability to transform wastepaper into lightweight recycled paper for use in corrugated boxes and displays, paper bags and other packaging products,” said NORPAC CEO Craig Anneberg. “It represents a tremendous win for our facility, for our workers, and for the

Port of Kalama finalizes $2.4 million property purchase Site to be repurposed for major rail expansion at TEMCO grain elevator, additional recreational improvements

By Dan Polacek

Port Commissioners authorized the purchase of an 8-acre parcel south of Ahles Point last month, the first step in a larger effort to improve rail efficiencies at the TEMCO grain elevator.

Purchasing the site (adjacent to TEMCO) had been on the Port’s radar for some time, when engineers realized years earlier the grain elevator could not meet its load-out potential due to limitations in available track space. So, when the previous owner closed its doors, the Port began negotiating to acquire the property.

Photo (L to R): Chris McCabe (Executive Director, NWPPA); Todd Brooks (Engineering Manager, NORPAC); Wayne Wooster (Environmental & Sustainability Manager, NORPAC); and Brian Brazil, International Paper (Springfield, OR), NWPPA Board President.

to transform mixed wastepaper into lightweight recycled packaging papers, keeping more waste out of landfills, while creating more usable paper products.

NWPPA Executive Director Chris McCabe said the NORPAC investment is indic at ive of t he indust r y ’s c o m m i t m e n t t o i mp l e m e n t i n g sustainable manufacturing practices.

“NORPAC has proven itself to be an industry leader, taking significant steps to solve a persistent environmental concern: managing mixed wastepaper,” said McCabe. “The facility’s new pulping equipment produces recycled packaging papers from waste material previously sent to China, helping to solve a major environmental challenge while safeguarding more than 400 local family-wage jobs and supporting many other indirect jobs in Southwest Washington and beyond,” he added.

“We want to congratulate the entire team at NORPAC for their innovative and environmentally responsible approach to recycling.”

environment, and we are proud to receive this honor on behalf of our company.”

Todd Brooks, NORPAC engineering manager said, “The new recycled fiber plant, when combined with the legacy facility, allows the company to recycle nearly 1 million tons of recovered paper each year and create new products manufactured from 100 percent recycled wastepaper.

Much of which this wastepaper would otherwise be destined for landfill.”

“From a technological standpoint, this investment marks a significant step for ward in ter ms of re capturing wastepaper materials and transforming them into usable paper products, keeping more material out of the landfill,” Brooks added.

•••

With the sale behind it, the Port will begin site prep and demolition of all above ground structures, paving the way for a $17 million expansion that will add more than 17,000 linear feet of rail. When complete, the project will improve terminal capacity and efficiency at TEMCO by as much as 30 percent.

The Port has already received a $3.9 million FMSIB (Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board) grant from the state, and is actively pursuing other federal and state grants. TEMCO is also expected to help fund the project.

In addition to expanded rail lines, the Port will use a portion of the property to improve its recreational amenities at Ahles Point. It’s yet another example of the Port’s mission at work: inducing capital investment in an environmentally responsible manner to create jobs and enhance public recreation.

By Dan Polacek, Legislative/Public Relations Administrator, Port of Kalama

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October 15, 2023 / Columbia River Reader / 11

Where do you read

THE READER?

She got wet! help hisgot daughter She wet!

MirabellSusan Susan Brookfield, Brookfield, of just of Longview, Longview, just a f t e r r i d i nafter g a riding a bicycle bicycle downdown the the Gapofof Dunloe, Dunloe, Gap located westWest of of located Killarney, Ireland.

Killarney, Ireland.

“My “Mydaughter daughterand andI were utterly soaked I were utterly soaked bybyaadownpour, downpour,but butI saved by CRR!” I saved my CRR!”

Cross country Joe Hobson of Longview, on a recent visit to Murphy, North Carolina to help his daughter Mirabelle move cross country, stopped at the Rare Bird Emporia for a cup of joe and to share a copy of the Reader with others.

The Swopes, of Kalama, Wash, in Cape Town, South Africa. “We saw the real penguins too,” said Jennifer in an email, “not just the ones on the wall in the airport.” Note: Their backdrop almost fooled the editor! The glare in the sky was the giveaway.

12 / Columbia River Reader /October 15, 2023

In the Windy City The Wooters family of Scappoose, Oregon, recently traveled to Chicago and were photographed in front of Wrigley Field with the Columbia River Reader. Left to right: Travis, Marie, and Warren Wooters. They pick up CRR at Fultano’s in Scappoose.”Thank you for all the wonderful reading!” wrote Travis Wooters in an email.

WHERE DO YOU READ THE READER? Send your photo reading the Reader (high-resolution JPEG) to publisher@ crreader.com.For cell phone photos, 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!

A Different Way of Seeing

THE TIDEWATER REACH Poem by Robert Michael Pyle Photograph by Judy VanderMaten

Flood Tide

Field Note by Hal Calbom

The gravitational force of the

Fetching the Old Town at Scappoose

Moon and the Sun pulls at the Earth’s water and creates the tides. The change from low tide to high tide is known as a flood tide. The difference in depth between high and low tides during any particular cycle is the tidal range. Where rivers and ocean tides meet, the extent to which the saltwater reaches upstream and mingles with the river’s fresh water is the

They’d made some extra money that month, those photos from New Guinea in Smithsonian, and all the bills were paid for a change. Wanting a canoe in the worst way, they took the VW bus and their three hundred bucks downriver to Scappoose: “Brown’s Landing,” read the sign. “Boats & Canoes.”

Tidewater Reach.

It was an Old Town of Maine that caught their eye.

Not a classic wooden one like that sleek craft they’d paddled in the Thousand Islands that fall, they could never afford that. So, fiberglass.

But the struts were oak and the paddles, spruce.

Eighteen foot — long for solo, but they were two — plenty of stowage, and a keel to keep it stable.

They slipped it down the ramp into Multnomah Slough and it felt good. So over the years, it was up and down all those tribs, all those tidal sloughs, though almost never the river itself, too big for an open paddle craft, for them.

The Gray’s, of course, and Steamboat, Ellsworth, Elochamon; the Deep, the Bone, Seal Slough, Teal Slough; the Bear.

The Not-Quite-Whitewater River Run, with the kids.

•••

On this page we excerpt poems, pictures and field notes from our own “Field Guide to the Lower Columbia River in Poems and Pictures,” The Tidewater Reach, by Gray’s River resident and renowned naturalist Robert Michael Pyle, and Cathlamet photographer Judy VanderMaten. The two dreamed for years of a collaborative project, finally realized when Columbia River Reader Press published color and black and white editions of The Tidewater Reach in 2020, and a third, hybrid edition in 2021, all presenting “a different way of seeing” our beloved Columbia River.

Field Guide to the

Lower Columbia River in

Poems and Pictures

For information on ordering, see page 2, 39.

Robert Michael Pyle Judy VanderMaten

October 15, 2023 / Columbia River Reader / 13

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14 / Columbia River Reader /October 15, 2023

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Miss Manners

TAKE TIME TO VISIT DOWNTOWN LONGVIEW!

cont from pager 8

The real question is, given the warm feelings you share toward each other, is that description more, or less, demonstrative than calling you a friend? Even relatives can disagree on this point.

Shop, Dine, Relax ... Thank you for buying local and supporting small business!

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband and I love to cook. We often host small dinner parties for up to eight people, which is the max that our small dining room can comfortably hold.

Now, it has happened in the past that one or two guests have had to cancel on the day of, when we have already prepared most of the food and set the table. Would it be appropriate at that point to reach out to family or friends and extend a last-minute dinner invitation? And how would you word that?

I wonder this because I come from a culture in which impromptu dinner invites don’t raise an eyebrow, but where I live now, dinner parties seem to be more formal affairs. I worry whether my lastminute guests would feel like second-class ones -- which I definitely don’t want them to! I am just happy to share my cooking, and in these cases, I happen to have some free spots up for the taking.

GENTLE READER: Such invitations should be treated like gifts of hand-medown clothes: only to be offered to your most intimate friends and relatives -- those you know will not be offended when you tell them, honestly, that they are doing you a favor to fill in.

And since we are being frank, the honesty that Miss Manners intends you to practice is to explain why the invitation is coming so late -- not that they will be seated next to your neighbor’s husband, who is a crashing boor.

DEAR MISS M ANNERS: What is the best way to avoid explaining your preferences? Like, when you’re asked for the reason you don’t like a particular movie, food or person?

I’m looking for a polite phrase to avoid being pressed for an explanation for something I don’t want to explain.

GENTLE READER: “Tastes differ.” This should be accompanied by a philosophical smile and a shrug. If you need an illustration of the gesture, Miss Manners suggests watching old French movies.

••• 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.

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October 15, 2023 / Columbia River Reader / 15

Local Culture

MUSEUM MAGIC

Landing at City Hall.

Saint Helens: On location

Halloweentown, revisited Story and photos by Joseph Govednik, Cowlitz County Historical Museum Director

A

favorite fall treat has always included a visit to Spirit of Halloweentown in St. Helens, Oregon. The Disney film, “Halloweentown, “was filmed there 25 years ago and the Columbia County Museum Association is part of the festivities.

18 • 11–6 HOLIDAY Nov. Music, Holiday Artisan OPENING Cards & Treasures

As part of the production, the film crew useded local citizens as extras and incorporated some artifacts from the museum as props. Spirit of Halloweentown has a special theme every weekend, and the opportunity for this behind-the-scenes tour of movie props, actors, and locations is the weekend of October 21-22, from 12 noon-5pm each day.

This is a rare opportunity for you to learn about the filming of Halloweentown from t wo of the actors, Jerry Cole (Halloweentown Postman and present City of Rainier Mayor) and Betty Moyer (Vampire Mother), inside “Halloweentown City Hall.”

The actors will be in the courtroom used as Mayor Kalabar’s office, complete with a replica of the Mayor’s costume. There will be an opportunity to see an original copy of the script, props used in the dental office scenes, and the movie theatre seats used by Aggie Cromwell herself. Personally autographed cards and other souvenirs cont page 17

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

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Oregon 16 / Columbia River Reader /October 15, 2023

Ape Cave •

Kelso

Clatskanie

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Skamania Lodge

Vancouver Col. Gorge Interp.Ctr as •Cam Bonneville 12 Dam Crown Troutdale Point

son Steven Cascade Locks Bridge of the Gods

Hood River

Goldendale Maryhill Museum

The Dalles

To: Walla Walla Kennewick, WA Lewiston, ID

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

We are not cartographers.

from page 16 will be available. Those participating in this guided tour will gather at the courthouse lobby, then go up several flights of stairs. The courthouse is under renovation and is not ADA accessible yet. There is a fee of $25 for adults, youth 5-17 $12, and children under 5 free with an adult. For more

information about the Columbia County Museum Association or to schedule a museum visit please go to their website, colcomuseum.org. To purchase tickets for the tour of the film location visit spiritofhalloweentown.com/schedule.

A portion of the proceeds helps support the museum.

•••

Visit Historic Riverfront St. Helens!

Queen Marie, Maryhill, and the Long-Bell sawmill

By Longview resident Dale Boudrea

Editors Note: With egg on my face after realizing we hadn’t mentioned any “If You Go” details about Maryhill Museum in last month’s People+Place feature, we are happy to follow up with Dale Boudreau’s submission, inspired by his interest in Queen Marie, especially after reading the Memoir of Constance Lily Morris, who accompanied the Queen on her visit to the Pacific Northwest in 1926. On her trip, the Queen dedicated the brand new Maryhill Musuem, visited Crown Point in the Columbia Gorge, and toured the Long-Bell sawmill in Longview. Maryhill Museum is open ‘til Nov 15 and very much worth an autumn jaunt to visit. See “If You Go” sidebar, page 18.

Monday: October 18, 1926. “Whistle of steamers, roar of guns in white smoke puffs against gray fog, voices cheering in a stinging rain…the Queen of Roumania arrives!”

--Constance Lily Morris, On Tour with Queen Marie

A

merica has hosted numerous royal visitors over the years — Queen Elizabeth II, the Shah of Iran, Japanese Emperor Hirohito at Disneyland, Harry and Meghan, et cetera, — and we even have our own versions of royalty, JFK’s

Special decor and activities every weekend through Oct. 31, vendors, free photo opportunities, a haunted house, ghost town walk, costume contest, and more. For schedule a n d t i cke t i n f o, v i s i t spiritofhalloweentown. com

Queen and his devotion to her cause kept him constantly pleading that she visit his country, and she was to repay him years later by dedicating Sam’s Castle, at Maryhill. Marie of Romania was one of the most colorful

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Queen Marie touring the Longview mill with Long-Bell executives in 1926.

Photo courtesy of Longview Public Library

Camelot, Grace Kelly becoming Princess Grace of Monaco, and Elvis Presley, “the King.” And there was Queen Marie of Romania.

In the late nineteenth century, Sam Hill, an American businessman, lawyer, engineer, railroad executive and philanthropist, had traveled the world multiple times and befriended world leaders in Europe, as well as an innovative dancer from Illinois, Loie Fuller, in Paris. At the outbreak of the first World War, Miss Fuller found a new interest in the Red Cross. It was Miss Fuller who introduced Mr. Hill to her good friend, Romania’s Queen Marie.

With the Red Cross and the Hoover Relief Commission, Loie Fuller and Samuel Hill brought medical aid and hope to the infant nation of Romania.

Mr. Hill became infatuated with the

and influential royals of the early twentieth century. She was a warm, intelligent person, diplomatically and creatively brilliant, granddaughter of Queen Victoria on her father’s side, and granddaughter of Czar Alexander II on her mother’s side. Raised in England, she was chosen at 17 as the future wife to Crown Prince Ferdinand of Romania. They were formally engaged soon after their first meeting in England and married in January 1893 in civil, Catholic, and Anglican ceremonies.

After a short honeymoon in Bavaria, the Crown Prince and Princess left for Romania, where Marie was welcomed by the Romanian people, who had been longing for a more personal monarchy. From the outset, Marie had trouble adjusting to the austere cont page 18

October 15, 2023 / Columbia River Reader / 17

IF YOU GO Maryhill Museum of Art • Goldendale, WA Admission: Adults $12, Seniors (65+) $10; College $9, Youth (7-18) $5, Age 6 and under Free

Approx 100 miles (1 hr 45 min drive) east from Vancouver.

Nearby attractions: Goldendale Observatory, Maryhill Winery, Stonehenge Memorial (open dawn to dusk, free admission) Perched on a bluff, Maryhill Museum of Art overlooks the Columbia River on Washington’s SR 14, just west of US 97 and across the Biggs Rapids-Sam Hill Bridge from Oregon’s I-84. The Museum is a exquisite collection of treasures, including Queen Marie

of Romania’s regalia, Theatre delaMode French fashion dolls exhibit, the Rodin exhibit and outdoor sculpture garden.

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

“

I strive to be the best teammate I can be, actively choosing to love and cheer on my teammates, regardless of the circumstances. I am thankful for the God-given opportunity to be a collegiate athlete, rather than getting too wrapped up in wins and losses.

Queen Marie & Maryhill Museum cont from page 17 atmosphere at the Romanian court.

King Carol, German by birth, was a cold, imposing man, which disturbed Marie’s ‘high spirited’ nature. Despite her disagreements with the King’s interdictions, Marie showed deep respect to her adopted country and the Romanian people, and early on learned to speak the language.

In October 1914, just months after the start of World War I, King Carol died and Marie began urging her husband to ally himself with Britain and declare war on Germany, which he eventually did in 1916. Her war-time dedications further endeared Marie to her people and abroad through newsreels.

The years after the “Great War” presented a sense of optimism and opportunit y throughout the postwar world. Romania, rich in natural resources and agriculture products, needed to expand its economic and political potential. Marie’s plan to visit America at her friend Loie Fuller’s behest and Sam Hill’s invitation had been rumored in the press for several years before it finally happened. Feminists were especially delighted and they applauded that a woman was coming.

The sovereign body of Romania was reluctant to endorse the trip because of the expense, until they found that most of the cost would be borne by the railroads, steamship companies and the cities visited. They realized the tour would be virtually free.

In October 1926, Queen Marie, two of her five children — 23-year-old Prince Nicholas, 17- year-old Princess Ilean — and a party of attendants, European dignitaries, 169 pieces of luggage, and the Queen’s black spaniel stepped aboard the S.S. Leviathan to sail across the Atlantic.

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Queen Marie of Romania, pictured here in her coronation robes, visited the Pacific Northwest in 1926. She dedicated Maryhill Museum of Art and visited Longviewl

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Maryhill Museum of Art

The ship sailed into New York harbor in a drizzling rain where a great crowd stood awaiting the Queen’s party.

The trip was major news in American papers and anticipation was high.

Here was a royal family of the “real world” whom they could see, cheer, and possibly touch or speak with. Three water-spouting fireboats heralded their arrival, 592 patrolmen (12 mounted, 30 on motorcycles) and a fleet of new cars lined the dock. The motorcade, with Mayor Jimmy Walker riding with Queen Marie in an seven-seated Packard limousine, made its way down Broadway where crowds lined the sidewalks showered in ticker-tape confetti. Presentations, radio speeches and a luncheon at City Hall preceded the Queen’s party departure for The White House and a state dinner with President Coolidge.

The trip west would be aboard “The Royal Romanian,” a special 15-car luxury train provided by the B&O railroad. It contained seven private cars, including the Queen’s car, “The Yellowstone Park,” the most luxurious; three compartment cars; two sleepers cont page 37

18 / Columbia River Reader /October 15, 2023

“The Little Cheerleaders” painting16x20 inches acrylic paint on canvas

by Joe Fischer

Longview is Alive with Art! Proud Sponsor of

People+Place

JOE FISCHER

A monthly feature written and photographed

by Southwest Washington native and Emmy Award-winning journalist

Hal Calbom

Production Notes

Re-learning the Power of Community T h is ye ar L ongv ie w and env irons began to restore to life their tradition of togetherness: gathering as a group to commemorate, debate, participate.

We didn’t realize the power of this communing until it withered and waned.

The pandemic was so very much more than a health crisis: it was a social disruption of unprecedented scale.

This centennial year presented more than the contemporary challenge of getting people off their couches. In the wake of three years of COVID and its enforced isolations, we were struck by the novelty of convening in person, rubbing elbows, shaking hands and simply greeting each other.

The other night I was reminded of this at the ’23 Club’s 90th anniversary dinner and program. People seemed extra-extroverted, if you will, distributing generous laughter and applause to the program, making raucous conversation over clanking cutlery and 1920s background music. Even joking over the name tags.

people+ place Hot Lines 911 Dispatchers connect county’s emergency services I’d guessed wrong about the professional first responders — the frontline 911 people — who answer over 200,000 emergency calls a year in Cowlitz County.

I’d expected to hear about listening skills, empathy, the fine art of drawing people out and helping them solve their problems. The so-called “Soft Skills.”

“Are you kidding?” cried Suzanne and Tara, in unison, who anchor the team at Cowlitz 911, ”We’re the most Type A people in the world! We’re very direct. Our job is get people the right help, as quickly as possible, not just hold them by the hand.”

Like many high-stress environments, there’s a deceptive atmosphere of calm in the new Cowlitz 911 headquarters on Longview’s Ocean Beach Highway. That’s conscious compensation for one of the world’s most stressful and fickle jobs. An oft-told story recalls an agonized 911 dispatcher comforting an elderly woman through her dying moments as her house literally burns down around her, then — some 15 seconds later — responding to frantic pleas to retrieve a lost kitten.

“It’s mentally exhausting,” said Suzanne, who’s worn the dispatcher’s headset for 28 years. “You just want to go home and sit.”

Or, adds her workmate, Tara, “You’re going to want to go home and cry.

And then people ask you all the time what you do and you say 911 dispatcher and they go, ‘Oh, cool.

What’s the craziest call you’ve ever had?’”

Upgrades

Last year three prominent changes boosted the job quality at Cowlitz 911. Today this critical, ever-vigilant cont page 20

“WE’RE THE MOST TYPE A PEOPLE IN THE WORLD!”

Community requires individuals to unite around common purposes, show collective support for the efforts of others, and simply celebrate — which takes a crowd. You don’t high five yourself in a mirror.

True communities provide more than consensus. They offer affirmation and validation. A handshake and greeting are among the most venerable and ancient gestures of respect. Of belonging. Of common purpose.

And as I walked away from the busy Cowlitz 911 building last week, subject of this month’s People+Place, I was struck foremost, even more than the stories of stress and agonizing conversations, by the sense of gratitude the staff and dispatchers felt for their community’s support funding their new headquarters.

“That show of support meant we were appreciated and acknowledged,” the dispatchers told us. “That’s a big boost.”

A community is far more than a madding crowd. It’s the head, heart and soul of our civic life.

•••

Construction of the new 911 center was completed in May 2023.

Technology was installed and went live July 4, 2023.

October 15, 2023 / Columbia River Reader / 19

People + Place and often overlooked service has a glistening new headquarters and state of the art technology, thanks to overwhelming bond issue support from the public, has upgraded the job classification of its tireless responders from “secretary /clerical” to “first responders,” and has been under the new leadership of Executive Director John Diamond, a veteran manager and former hostage negotiator.

“It’s amazing to hear them on the phone,” said Diamond, who’d spent ten years in Island County before taking the reins in Cowlitz County, “and compared to other similar-sized 911 coverages in the country, this county has about one and a half times the amount of call volume.”

“Cowlitz County seems to catch a lot,” said Suzanne (who like others in this story chose to go by first name only, for security purposes). She and her co-workers agree that the increase in drug use and abuse, and serous mental illnesses untreated and rampant, feed this negative trend: “And that boosts the thefts and vehicle prowls. It truly is a vicious circle.”

Often buried in the background — literally, their former headquarters was in a dingy basement — the 911 team was buoyed last year by tremendous citizen support for a successful bond issue and the state-of-the art (and above-ground) new building it funded.

“We had a lot of input in planning this building,” said Tara, herself in a third decade

“YOU’RE GOING TO WANT TO GO HOME AND CRY.”

a s a dispatcher, “and when the public showed up and supported us, that was a huge deal. The cops and the firefighters are the heroes. We know that. They’re the ones that show up. But every day we’re right here, too, behind the scenes.”

On The Job

“People are addled and stressed,” said Suzanne. “The help they need is in our hands. Sometimes we even have to be firm or bossy, to clarify and stay on point.”

Dispatchers sit in a dark room surrounded by screens. The entire operation parlays computer power into faster response times, location tracking, and divisions of resources. Each station sports an electronic tower indicating

call status, and a master screen lists calls in progress. It’s a discouraging menu of dysfunction: domestic abuse complaints, thefts, drug overdoses, random ranting and raving.

Technology presents complications, too: 86 percent of all calls are now cell phone calls, making locations mobile and elusive.

And hang-ups, whether from a “pocketdial”, a prank, or a domestic dispute threat —- “I’m going to call the police! — occur in one of every four calls.”

According to Susanne and Tara, call management is crucial, from the very first words spoken. “We have to take control, immediately. ‘Pardon me, ma’am. I need some specific information from you. I need to get help to you as soon as I can.’”

A continuing challenge for dispatchers is callers who themselves demonstrate some cont page 22

Longview Fire Department is one of six fire districts supported

by Cowlitz 911. Pictured here: left to right: Michael Lewis, Spencer Altfilish, Michael Scott, Kacey Crockett, Engine 82, Longview Fire Dept.

20 / Columbia River Reader /October 15, 2023

People + Place

Inside Mission Control John Diamond has ample technical and human resources at his command. But it’s experience that makes the difference.

“We do a lot of comforting, too. But these are always inprogress negotiations. Very fluid.” Not only have people rarely experienced the trauma that prompted their call, he pointed out, “but they’ve never had to verbalize this kind of trauma, especially during the emergency itself.”

Of every 20 people interviewed for a dispatcher’s job (and they seem to be always needing to replenish their ranks — it’s that stressful), four are deemed qualified and two make it through the training and orientation period, which is around 10 months. Experience counts — the three dispatchers we talked to average more than 25 years each on the job.

Diamond has previous training and experience as a hostage negotiator, and spent his last 10 years in Island County, directing their first responders. He likes Cowlitz County and his team of 25, including 18 dispatchers. “This is a good-sized coverage area, not too big, not too small.” The team averages more than 600 calls a day, when you’ve subtracted hang ups, pocket dials, and cranks.

The new center resembles a NASA control room, dominated by screens and facilitated by five overlapping digital systems: stateof-the-art phone technology, elaborate mapping and tracking software, dispatch software connecting to fire, police and medical services, a sophisticated radio system, and back-up generators capable of supporting a downed grid for a week.

John emphasizes that although his team serves the public that

calls, the other half of their job is feeding actionable information to the boots-onthe-ground responders: “We support 5 police departments — Longview, Kelso, Kalama, Woodland and Castle Rock — and the Cowlitz County Sheriffs.”

DIGITAL SUPPORT Phone technology Mapping software Dispatch software connections Radio Back-up generators

Six county-wide fire and rescue districts / departments connect and count on their calls, directions and situation reports. “And we’re the contact point for the County Coroner, the ambulance services and even private alarm companies that sign service agreements with us.”

What’s also on the uptick at Cowlitz 911 is attitude and productivity. The vote of confidence from the public and new facilities — with calm outdoor spaces to breathe and unwind — is appreciated by each and every dispatcher and support staffer.

Diamond hopes the improved conditions will help address the nationwide shortage of dispatchers. “We’re paying a lot of overtime, and are budgeted for five more dispatchers than we have right now. We encourage interested people to come visit us and apply.”

•••

Operations manager Jerry Jensen and Executive Director John Diamond enjoy the fresh air and green spaces built into their new headquarters.

To the Keeblers whom I love so, brewing my morning cup of joe.

Day after day you do it right, roasting at night, out of sight.

What would I do if you were not there? oh the mornings would be so hard to bear!

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People+Place Then and Now

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People+Place October 15, 2023 / Columbia River Reader / 21

People + Place

from page 20

them focus when at work but adequate time to unwind when off work: four 12-hour shifts followed by four days off; then three 12-hour shifts followed by three days off.

kind of impairment: drunkenness, drug intoxication, mental illness. “We’re not psychologists,” Suzanne told me. “The rule of thumb, if we see any potential for violence, or amping up a situation, is ‘When in doubt, send them out.’”

I asked them about difficulty letting it all go, even during off hours. “Most of the time I want to go home and just sit,” said Suzanne, “but I have two kids and an active life away from work.” She’s married to a police officer, so there’s a doubled sense of the potential perils all of us face every day.

If dispatchers are uncertain, or concerned about a potentially violent or unstable situation, they’ll tag the call and case to indicate the need for heightened awareness by the on-site responders.

“It’s definitely made us helicopter parents,” she added. “We need to work really hard not to hover, not to show anxiety or fear ourselves.”

Fresh Air and Sunshine

Dispatchers and follow-up responders agree they’d rather run on five non-events, or situations where they merely mediate and calm people down, than miss a serious crisis due to uncertainty or indecisiveness.

“I’m a fixer. I like to try to help people fix it,”said Jerry, Operations Manager at Cowlitz 911, after three decades as a dispatcher. “I like fixing situations. I think that’s part of the description for this job.”

Steering the Call

“Most ever ybody “WE NEED TO TAKE CONTROL, here is a strong Type A personality,” said BUT IN AN UNDERSTANDING WAY” Jer r y. “ T here’s a real art to driving or steering a conversation. Not only have people probably not experienced what’s prompting the call, they’ve never made an emergency call, either.”

Most callers simply don’t know what to provide,” said Suzanne, “We need to take control but in an understanding way. We have to do some pretending, sometimes” she added.

“The caller may be providing nothing at all that helps us. We just need very specific pieces of their story.”

Despite the stresses, the 18 dispatchers at Cowlitz 911 are excited by their new headquarters, which offers both efficiency and respite. “We asked for more rest rooms, and we got six!” said Tara. Being out of the basement, with a vote of confidence from the public they serve, has boosted morale.

“We need to get help to you,” added Tara. “If we can make that clear to them, we can make the call more efficient.”

“We used to be designated ‘secretaries’ and everybody knows it’s a lot bigger job than that,”Tara concluded. “When they put that tax levy out, and the public responded so positively — to help us improve what we do and how we do it — that’s a big deal.”

All three dispatchers we talked to said the work is mentally exhausting. They work an unusual schedule designed to give

••• Longview native Hal Calbom has produced CRR’s “People+Place” series since April 2018, and is the author of Empire of Trees: America’s Planned City and the Last Frontier, published this spring to coincide with Longview’s Centennial. He lives in Seattle.

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NOTES FROM MY LIVES

by Andre Stepankowsky

The meat of the matter: Our planet needs us to change diets

C

limate change may eventually make vegans of us all.

I recently read a statistic that meat accounts for nearly 60% of all greenhouse gases released from food production worldwide.

By some estimates, rich nations must reduce meat consumption by 75 percent to meet greenhouse gas reduction targets.

But worldwide meat production is growing rapidly.

This is going to be hard for many people, me included.

Meat often is overlooked as a contributor to climate change. Remember, though, that beef and dairy cattle and other livestock are notably flatulent, releasing massive volumes of methane, an especially potent earth warmer.

Remember, too, that carbon-absorbing forests are disappearing to make room for grazing grasslands. Brazil, for example, is rapidly denuding the Amazon rain forest to raise more beef cattle, contributing to a loss of biodiversity in addition to climate change.

Finally, massive amounts of energy, fertilizer, water and other resources are expended to grow animal feed such as corn and soy.

Climate change has put my appetite and taste buds in conflict with my environmental sensibilities and my Eastern European heritage.

In my family, you had not really dined unless you had a piece of meat. My late grandmother, who delighted in satisfying my prodigious appetite, dished out potfuls of stewed beef any time I visited.

I love meat in all forms: baked, stewed, grilled, fried and even raw (as in steak tartare). Beef is a particular favorite.

In 1982, I and a former TDN colleague, 6-foot-7-inch Dell Burner, had a meat-eating contest at the Sayler’s Country Kitchen in Portland. It still offers the “72-ounce challenge.” Eat a 4.5 pound steak and trimmings in an hour, and you don’t pay.

It was a memorable evening that led to a hilarious feature story about raw meat and raw egos. But neither of us finished.

I can still consume seven pork chops in a sitting, and a late friend used to call me “the insatiable maw.” Now, though, I restrain

myself to avoid bloating my store of dietary reserves. And I also want to leave this planet healthy for my kids and future generations.

The trouble is, what to do about it? I’m in a Catch 22.

My wife, Paula, and I have reduced our red meat intake. And I have eliminated delicatessen meats from my diet in favor of healthier salads. Still, there usually is some kind of meat on our dinner table.

I could rationalize and say that agriculture is not among the top four emitters of greenhouse gases in the United States, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The biggest are transportation (28%), electrical power generation (25%) and industrial plants (23%). Agriculture is No. 5 at 10%, just behind commercial and residential sources (13%). Still, farming accounts for a lot, especially considering that the United States is world’s second largest emitter of greenhouse gases, behind China.

So while we drive less, turn down thermostats and take other steps to reduce our carbon footprints, there’s still a need to steer clear of meat.

Eat more veggies and fruits? No doubt, doing so would help fight climate change.

Growing them is less carbon intensive, and they produce calories more efficiently than meat. Yet their production also depends on abundant water, pesticides, fertilizers and poor migrant workers.

I don’t think too many of us — myself included — want to become vegans. Still, eating more beets, lettuce, tomatoes, artichokes, spinach, mushrooms and other plant matter would help.

Eat more fish? The oceans already are overfished.

The root of this problem is global overpopulation. There simply are too many mouths to feed. Governments must adopt policies that discourage large families. But that is a long-term solution. Climate change is an urgent matter, and we need to change how we feed people soon. That won’t be easy— or popular.

SKY REPORT

Looking UP

By Greg Smith

Oct. 18 – Nov. 18, 2023 The Evening Sky (a clear open low Eastern horizon is needed.)

All times are Daylight Savings Time Nov. 4th Standard Tome returns Moon Phases:

Jupiter is rising on the eastern horizon in mid-October, while Saturn will be almost halfway up in the southern sky. The galaxy M32 in Andromeda will be very high up, virtually right overhead in the sky.

1st Quarter: Friday, Oct 21 Full: Fri, Oct 28 Last Quarter: Sun, Nov 5 New: Thurs, Nov 13

M45 (the Pleiades) will be north of Jupiter almost even above the horizon. Also at this time, the outer planets of Neptune and Uranus are in this section of the sky. Uranus is located halfway between the Pleaides and Jupiter.

It will be hard to find, but if you spot a blue dot, you have found this funny-named planet.

Mon., Oct. 16, 6:54pm Sat.,Oct 31, 6:30pm Wed., Nov 8, 5:20pm Sat., Nov. 18 5:09pm

The Morning Sky ( A cloudless Eastern horizon sky required )

Venus is up and in the Eastern sky by about 5am and will be rising earlier and earlier the rest of Autumn. It will slowly retreat back toward the horizon as it begins its loop back around the far side of the sun. Jupiter is still above the western horizon by 6:30am, and the Pleaides are high in the sky directly above Jupiter.

Night Sky Spectacle ( A cloud-

free morning is a must.)

Rising in the east-northeastern sky and well above the horizon is the ancient asterism ( a group of stars that make a figure in the sky but is not recognized as a constellation) M45 the Pleiades. Known for thousands of years and sometimes confused with the Little Dipper, it is way too far south to be the holder of t he nor t h st ar. Use binoculars o r a telescope of any size and you will see far

Just chew on that for a moment.

•••

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

24 / Columbia River Reader /October 15, 2023

Astronomy

End of twilight - when the brightest stars start to come out. It takes about another hour to see a lot of stars.:

more than the five or six stars that can be seen with just your eyes. If you are lucky viewing in your telescope, you may just get a hint of blue surrounding theses stars. This is star light reflecting off the smoke like dust that is going by. This cluster of stars is fairly close by astronomical standards, only about 130+ light years away. If you have exceptional eyesight and have an exceptionally clear sky, you may see up to 14 stars. If you have noticed the emblem on the front of Subaru cars, it is a depiction of this asterism, as Subaru is the Japanese name for this group of stars.

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

Reverence, Irreverence and Rock & Roll

‘The concert John would have given’ Remembering John Lennon at Longview’s Columbia Theatre Nov. 4

By Hal Calbom

“I’m not sure John was the most popular Beatle,” said singer Drew Harrison, “but he was certainly the most controversial.” And, when considered in retrospect, probably the most difficult to categorize and catalogue.

Harrison will perform, with a nine-piece band, what he describes as a “reverential” show — not a cover band jukebox musical — at Longview’s Columbia Theatre on Saturday, November 4th. “Think of it simply as a great rock and roll show, John’s life in his own words and music.”

Harrison, a singer-songwriter in his own right — is an able interpreter of Lennon’s post-Beatles music, including such songs as “Whatever Gets You Through the Night,” “Working Class Hero,” and “Imagine.”

These songs have rarely been collected in one performance — “the concert John would have given,” says the billing — and Harrison’s gathering them into one performance is a fresh and exciting opportunity for Lennon fans, and potentially even skeptical non-fans.

“There are a lot of John skeptics and John controversies,” Harrison told me in a phone conversation from his home in Alameda, California.

Many see him as a peacemaker and musical guru, while others dismiss him as a lofty hypocrite and gadfly with an outrageous opinion on everything and Yoko Ono glued to his side. As to the question of “who broke up the Beatles,” we both agreed to leave that to tabloid speculation.

I asked Harrison about his own musical journey. “We all start in the garage and decide how far we’re going to try to go with it,” said Harrison, reflecting on his own career. Born and raised in New York City and migrated to California as a teenager, he and a couple of other California cronies began to write original music.

“Creating a song out of nothing is hard, hard work,” he said.

“We rented a storage unit in San Leandro and just kept at it, night after night.” Harrison eventually ended up a solo act, and set out on a musical pilgrimage to Ireland, with 700 of his own CDs in tow. “I hung out in Europe and lived in the Czech Republic. They liked my original stuff, but they went crazy when we played anything by the Beatles. They were, and are, ecstatic for music.”

Thus the roots of “Remembering John Lennon — Love is the Answer.”

Harrison has worked hard to create his reverence band, and insists his goal is to “capture the instrument that was John’s voice.” Describing the evening as one concert the Boomers haven’t seen yet, he has assembled a superb group of artists eager to play at the Columbia, long known by musicians as a classic venue with great acoustics and charm.

Photos by Bailey Elizabeth Roger

“This is more than anything a labor of love,” he told me.

“These days just putting together a live band and taking it on the road, let alone a nine-piece, is a heavy lift.”

Because this compilation post-Beatles is relatively rare, Harrison cherishes the chance to re-tell the Lennon story, emphasizing its last ten years.

“McCartney was the driven one,” he said. “John was the beautiful dreamer. And I think that’s part of what drives every musician — ‘Wait a minute, maybe I can do music, too.’ That’s the joy and community of it all.”

I was impressed with Harrison’s intelligence and insight.

Attendees at the Columbia Theatre can expect a truly Lennon-esque mix of reverence, irreverence, and raucous rock and roll.

••• Hal Calbom writes CRR’s People+Place monthly feature (see page 19) and is author of Empire of Trees: America’s Planned City and the Last Frontier, published this year by Columbia River Reader Press to mark Longview’s Centennial.

Editor’s note: Calbom himself is a garage band musician and especially enjoyed his conversation with Mr. Harrison, not to be confused with George..

Performance, 7:30pm, Saturday, Nov. 4. Tickets: $22.50–49.50 1231 Vandercook Way, online at columbiatheatre.com, phone 360-575-8499

Experience the Best.

Experience Cascade Title.

Alison Peters Escrow Officer / LPO

1425 Maple Street Longview, WA 98632 360.425.2950 www.cascade-title.com

Celinda Northrup Escrow Officer / LPO

Diane Kenneway Escrow Closer / Assistant

Consistent, Courteous and Complete Title and Escrow Services October 15, 2023 / Columbia River Reader / 25

COLUMBIA RIVER

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

Dine-in,Take-out and Home Delivery.

Visit Fultanos.com for streamlined menu.

503-728-2922

dining guide

The Corner Cafe

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

Email: sndcoffeeshop@comcast.net

Eclipse Coffee & Tea

Ixtapa Fine Mexican Restaurant 640 E. Columbia River Hwy

Fine Mexican cuisine. Daily specials.

The best margarita in town. Daily drink specials. Dine-in, curbside pickup. M-Th 11am–9:30pm; Fri & Sat 11am–11:30pm; Sun 11am–9pm. 503-728-3344

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

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

Takeout and on-site.

Freddy’s Just for the Halibut

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

Burgers, steaks, pasta. Beer and wine. M-Sat 10am–8pm, Sunday 11am–8pm. Inside dining, Drive-thru, outdoor seating. 360-414-3288. See ad, page 7

Interstate Tavern

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

Catering for groups.

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

El Tapatio

117 W. ‘A’ Street Mexican Family Restaurant.

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

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

Longview, Wash.

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

M-Th 11am–8pm. Fri-Sat 11am–10pm; Sunday 11am–6pm. Local music coming soon. 360-232-8283. Inside dining See ad, page 39. Follow us on Untappd.

Bruno’s Pizza 1108 Washington Way. Pizza, breadsticks, wings, salads, fish & chips. WE DELIVER. Four beers on tap.

360-636-4970 or 360-425-5220,

The Carriage

Restaurant & Lounge

The Carriage Restaurant & Lounge 1334 12th Ave. Open 8am–9pm (sometimes later, call to check). Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Full bar, banquet room available for groups, special events. Happy hours daily 9–11am, 5–7pm. 360-425-8545.

Hop N Grape

924 15th Ave., Longview Tues–Thurs 11am–7pm; Fri & Sat 11am–8pm. BBQ meat slow-cooked on site. Pulled pork, chicken, brisket, ribs, turkey, salmon. World-famous mac & cheese. 360577-1541.

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

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

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

Lynn’s Deli & Catering 1133 14th Ave.

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

360-577-5656

Roland Wines

1106 Florida St., Longview. Authentic Italian wood-fired pizza, wine, and beer. Casual ambience. 5–9pm Wed-Fri, Sat. 1–9. 360-846-7304. See ad, page 25.

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

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

Stuffy’s 804 Ocean Beach Hwy 360-423-6356 8am–8pm. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. American style food.

Free giant cinnamon roll with meal purchase on your birthday with proof of ID. Facebook: Stuffy’s II Restaurant, or Instagram @stuffys2.

26 / Columbia River Reader /October 15, 2023

Castle Rock, Wash Luckman’s Coffee Company 239 Huntington Ave. North, Drive-thru.

Pastries, sandwiches, salads, quiche.

See ad, page 39.

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

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

Vault Books & Brew 20 Cowlitz Street West, Castle Rock. Coffee and specialty drinks, quick eats & sweet treats. See ad, page 35.

Kalama, Wash.

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

503-543-5100. Inside Dining.

Ixtapa Fine Mexican Restaurant

33452 Havlik Rd. Fine Mexican cuisine.

Daily specials. The best margarita in town.

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

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

Toutle, Wash.

DREW’S GROCERY & SERVICE

5304 Spirit Lake Hwy (10 mi. fr Exit 49) 24-hour fueling (gas & diesel, card at pump, cash at Jule’s Snack Shack (when open). Red Leaf Organic Coffee. See ad, page 32.

215 N. Hendrickson Dr., Port of Kalama.

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

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

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

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

Limited inside seating, curbside pickup and delivery.

503-397-3211 See ad, page 17.

Big River Tap Room 313 Strand Street on the Riverfront.

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

Woodland, Wash.

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

360-841-8941. See ad, page 39. “SoCo”

L

uckman

Coffee Company 1230 Lewis River Rd. Small batch on-site roasted coffee, breakfast, lunch. Inside seating.

M-F 5:30am–6pm, Sat 6am–5pm, Sun 7am–3pm. See ad, page 39.

THE OAK TREE

1020 Atlantic Ave. Breakfast served all day.

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

Happy Hours 1-3, 7-9pm.

Live music. 360--841-5292. See ad, page 8.

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

Patients Praise Quality Care at Longview Ortho The experienced staff at Longview Orthopedic Associates takes pride in providing the best possible care to area patients. From fingers to toes, we can provide the help you need. Call today to schedule an appointment with one of our skilled physicians.

Dr. Turner, MD

Dr. Turner did both of my knee replacement surgeries. He is an orthopedic genius.

“Dr. Kung is very caring and has helped me in many ways. I highly recommend him to anyone having shoulder problems.”

~ P.W.

~N.D.

Dr. Lauder, MD

“Dr. Lauder always makes me feel taken care of. He’s prompt and answers all of my questions.”

~K.B.

Dr. Kung, MD

Dr. McLeod, DPM

“I really appreciated Dr. :

McLeod’s kindness and openness.

He was amazing.”

Dr. Lin, MD

“Dr. Lin is always great and understanding.

I am glad he is in our area.”

~ K.D.

~ J.S.

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

360.501.3400

October 15, 2023 / Columbia River Reader / 27

OUT•AND•ABOUT

By Tracy Beard

PROVISIONS ALONG THE TRAIL Caramel Appletini

1 ounce Vodka 1 ounce Sour Apple Pucker ½ ounce Buttershots 3 ounces Apple cider Caramel sauce Apple slice

Drizzle a martini glass with caramel. Mix Vodka, Sour Apple Pucker, Buttershots, and Cider in a cocktail shaker with ice.

Shake for 20 seconds and pour into a martini glass. Garnish with an apple slice.

Caramelized Pears with Baked Oatmeal

A fabulous, warm, comforting breakfast or dessert dish.

Vanilla sugar ½ cup plus 2 Tbl sugar ½ vanilla bean Pears 2 Tbl unsalted butter 3 pears (D’Anjou, or firm Bartletts) 1 lemon Oatmeal 1 cup milk 1 cup water 2 Tablespoons butter 2 large eggs 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 3 cups rolled oats To finish the dish 1 cup heavy cream Place the sugar in a bowl. Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the bowl. Use your fingers to distribute the seeds. Save the pod.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the butter in a 9x13 baking dish to melt the butter.

Grate the zest of half the lemon and set it aside. Juice the whole lemon. Peel the pears and split them lengthwise.

Remove the cores and toss the pears in the lemon juice. Remove the baking dish and sprinkle ½ cup vanilla sugar on top of the butter. Arrange the pears

Favorite stops for seasonal fun Story and photos by Tracy Beard

F

all is one of my favorite times of the year, especially in the Pacific Northwest. The heat of summer is gone, and the cold of winter is not yet upon us. Fall brings moderate temperatures perfect for hiking and cycling, stunning fall foliage with multicolored leaves, delicious comfort foods made in crockpots for chilly nights, and pumpkin lattes and hot apple cider to begin the day. Whether you enjoy outdoor activities, savoring tasty bites, or fun family outings, here are some of my favorite fall stops: Lacamas Lake Heritage Trail 303 NW Lake Road, Camas, Washington

cut side up and drizzle the remaining lemon juice on top. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 more minutes.

While the pears are baking, whisk the milk, water, butter, eggs, salt, and reserved zest in a large bowl. Sprinkle baking powder over these and stir to combine. Add oats and stir again.

Use a spatula to turn the pears over, carefully spooning sauce over the pears. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees.

Dollop oat mixture around the pears in the pan and bake another 20-25 minutes until the pears are soft and the oatmeal edges are light brown.

Make vanilla cream by bringing the cream, remaining 2 Tbl. vanilla sugar, and pod to a simmer in a saucepan.

Simmer for 5 minutes and reduce to ¾ cups. Chill the cream.

GREAT GIFT IDEA! Special price on EL42mm Swarovski Bincoulars ‘til Dec. 31

39 years experience, including 17 as goldsmith for Gallery of Diamonds, Longview.

Fabulous Fall Frolics

John Edmunds

711 Vandercook Way, Suite 122, Longview Tuesday - Fri 9:30–5:00 • Sat 9:30–3

thejewelersbenchinc377@gmail.com 28 / Columbia River Reader /October 15, 2023

While dogsitting in Camas, Washington, I discovered this 3.5-mile gravel shared-use trail in East Clark County on the west side of Lacamas Lake and Lacamas Creek. Traversing the path, you may encounter other dog walkers, hikers, runners, and cyclists along the way. Lacamas Lake is in view for most of the hike, along with birds, rock formations, and scattered waterfalls. The park offers numerous picnic spots and playgrounds for the children. Parking and toilets are available on either end of the trail, and the southern trailhead includes a boat launch. The trail rambles up and down gently with a 203-foot elevation gain, and if you manage to make it up and back, you can add 7.1 miles to your workout log. Dogs are welcome but must be on a leash.

Pomeroy Farm and Pomery Cellars 20902 NE Lucia Falls Road, Yacolt, Wash.

Pumpkin Lane provides fun times at Pomeroy Far m during the fall season. Join the hayride and watch for “pumpkin people” scenes, pick out the perfect pumpkin for carving, take advantage of the many photo-ops, explore the historic farm, and take the kids to visit the resident farm animals. The Farm is open every Saturday and Sunday throughout October from 10am to 4pm.

Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for kids ages 3-11 (2 & under are free), and pumpkins

Cedar Creek Grist Mill – 43907 NE Grist Mill Road, Woodland, Washington

The Cedar Creek Grist Mill is a working mill and museum. The mill is open on Saturdays from 1–4pm. On a recent visit, I met John, the current president of the mill. He said, “We grind wheat and cornmeal every Saturday when the water in the creek is high enough and show people how the milling process was done years ago.

are sold separately. Please leave your pets at home unless they are service animals, and enjoy the free parking.

Pomeroy Cellars offers wine tasting and a few savory bites to enjoy while you sip.

You can taste wines inside and enjoy the vintage décor or sip outside on the lovely patio.

Events at the farm and the winery take place throughout the year. Afternoon teas in the fall and winter, live music in the summer, and various workshops fill Pomeroy’s calendars.

Upcoming events include Pumpkin Lane After Dark on Friday, October 20, when the staff at Pomeroy Farms combines fun in the pumpkin patch with some delicious wine and S’mores. This event is for adults 21+ and older and costs $35 per person.

Tickets are on sale now for the November 30 and December 1, 2, 7 & 8 wreathmaking classes.

Sauvie Island

Sauvie Island is a fabulous place to pick out your pumpkin, get lost in a corn maze, or cook some tasty autumn fare. Parking at the corn mazes and fruit stands is free, but if you want to hike or sit on the beach, you must have a Sauvie Island parking permit. It costs $10 per day or $30 annually. You can purchase one online or pick up a day pass at one of the many markets on the island.

There is plenty to do on the island. I recommend making a large loop around the island and taking a few less-traveled roads for outdoor adventure.

The island is approximately 32 square miles, about the size of Manhattan.

Farms to Visit on Sauvie Island: Visiting the local farms is a favorite activity on the island. The Pumpkin Patch, Bella Organic Pumpkin Farm, and Topaz Farm are all very popular, and each farm has a produce market. Many people pick up fruit for canning, and different farms offer large quantities for sale in the markets, or you can pick fruits and vegetables directly from the fields.

The Pumpkin Patch has been a family destination for more than 50 years. Visit the animal barn, the Patio Café, the produce market, and Portland’s Original Maze. There are free daily hayrides in October.

Bella Organic Pumpkin Farm boasts a corn maze, produce market, animal petting area, grill, and a cow train.

Topaz Farm is not far down the road from the bridge if you are heading west, and it can be seen directly from the road.

Kid-centric, this farm features a children’s sunflower maze, farm animals, a grill with picnic fare, a cow train, and a produce market.

Kruger Farm is another popular stop.

We are a favorite destination for school kids, and we are a donationbased business. We are also very popular with photographers in the fall season as the leaves in the area are absolutely gorgeous.”Pulleys and belts just under the ceiling turn and churn to grind the grains into flour and cornmeal. The same system runs the apple cider press.

As long as the water is high enough in the creek, the volunteers at the mill plan to press 10,000 pounds of apples on October 28.

This event is the most popular one at the mill. Check the website to confirm the date, as it may be postponed into November if the water levels are not high enough.

••• Tracy Beard writes about luxury and adventure travel, traditional and trendy fine dining and libations for regional, national and international magazines. She is in her eighth year as CRR’s “Out & About” columnist. She lives in Longview, Wash.

October 15, 2023 / Columbia River Reader / 29

THE WORLD, MY OYSTER

Floatplane pilot wings his way over local waters Story by Brian Fleming Photos by Stephen Tack

A

re you one of those people who, after a long hot summer, really gets excited about the weather turning downright nasty? I am!

There’s an angst during summer that pushes us to perform. It might be to paint the house, exercise excessively, or eat fresh produce from the farmers market until we get sick. Whatever your thing is, whatever pushes you, you are not alone.

RE-OPENED gas & diesel pumps for 24-hour fueling pay card at the pump, or by cash inside the Snack Shack when open

I like to fly float planes; I mean I LOVE to fly float planes! My favorite times of the year to fly are early fall and spring.

Texture in weather excites me. Winter and summer are often boring here in Southwest Washington. I fly during the summer, but it often takes second to the above-mentioned duties that we all put on ourselves.

Recently, almost coinciding with the change in the weather, I needed a break after pushing all summer. I operate a small local business and live above it; at times it can be difficult to physically and psychologically get away. So I loaded up my 1971 VW bus with camping gear and headed to Scappoose, Oregon, where my floating hangar peacefully resides in a marina housing my floatplane “Poppy,” a 1950 Cessna 195.

I worked all that afternoon and into the night getting the plane ready to fly the next morning. I set up a cot and spent the night and was awakened the next morning by the amplified sound of torrential rain hitting the uninsulated tin roof. Still next page

Visit

Jules Snack Shack and

NOW OPEN!!

OPEN

Your convenient last stop on the way to the Mountain!

FREE WI-FI Open 7am–7pm

Drone shot of Brian Fleming’s Cessna 195.

Serving the Pacific Northwest Since 1959

7 Days a Week

Serving the local community for 85 Years!

DREW ’S GROCERY & SERVICE, INC

Just 10 miles from I-5 Exit 49

5304 Spirit Lake Hwy • Toutle, WA 30 / Columbia River Reader /October 15, 2023

360-274-8920

360-423-2206

longview@theroofdoctor.com

Call to schedule your free estimate

from pg 30

not sure where I was going to be flying that morning but hopeful the rain would subside, I crawled out of my cot and got busy.

My friend Stephen Tack arrived just after my pre-flight inspection. He assisted with the fueling and would be participating in the day’s adventure. He took the photos, operated the drone and in general provided me with someone to talk to, besides myself.

Once Poppy’s engine was started, I untied her from the dock and we were Cathlametbound, by far our area’s friendliest seaplane destination! At A-Dock in the Elochoman Slough Marina, with its 90-degree slips, one can simply turn in and cut the power, with no fear of hitting a wing or a piling.

A five-minute walk took us to “The Cottage,” where the food and cof fee are constantly good.

This is my go-to b re a k f a st s p ot i n C at h l a m e t .

Over breakfast, I mentioned to Stephen that I had never landed on Grays Harbor; the winds were light and the visibility was safe that day, so that’s the direction we decided to go.

water, I set a course toward Hoquiam, about 60 miles to the northwest. At t h e a p p rox i m at e mid-point of this journey, I spotted Bay Center. I had never landed there, either, so having adequate fuel aboard, we headed west. Setting up the approach over the Niawiakum River towards Bay Center, it became apparent there were too many oyster bed markers to land without further study of the boat channel’s location. After circling once, we headed north, Passing Tokeland to our left, we left Willapa Bay behind and headed straight towards Grays Harbor.

Exiting the marina, I pointed Poppy west into the wind. Breaking

Abeam Grayland, the mouth of the Elk River came into view, and thoughts of Brady’s Oysters filled my head. Not sure cont page 37

Great stops: The Cottage in Cathlamet, Brady’s Oyster in Westport.

LONGVIEW CENTENNIAL EVENTS

Community-wide Invitation Longview Community Church 2023 Centennial Calendar

NEW CENTENNIAL BOOK Empire of Trees: America’s Planned City and the Last Frontier

by Hal Calbom

$50 plus tax

Cash • Check • Credit Cards

Mon-Wed-Fri, 11-3 Columbia River Reader office 1333 14th Ave., Longview (next to Antidote Tap House)

Oct. 15 Historic Video: Distress, Healing and Celebration (1985 – 2002) Sermon topic: Constructing Breaking of Bread All-Church Photo (weather-dependent) Hill Memorial Concert at 3 PM featuring Michael Allen Harrison “Thank You” Bulletin Board Display Prayer Walk after service or during the week around Lake Sacajawea from Community Church to Hemlock footbridge and back OR around Community Church locale Oct. 22 Historic Video: Challenges and Changes (2003 – 2023) Centennial Service: Constructing Prayer All-Church Photo (weather-dependent) Time Capsule Dedication All-Church Brunch Honoring former pastors, church leaders, interns, missionaries Reservations Required Oct. 29 Historic Video: …Pursuing the Future (2019 and Beyond) Hallelujah Service: Constructing Testimony Rev. 19 Hymn Sing-a-long 3pm led by Dennis Boaglio & David DeVidal Ice Cream Social in Fellowship Hall following Sing-a-long

Book also available at Kelso Visitor Center, Cowlitz County Museum, Broadway Gallery.and online at CRREADER.COM/CRRPRESS Published by Columbia River Reader Press

BOOK CHAT - Listen to Alan Rose’s conversation with Hal Calbom at alan-rose.com under “Book Chat” tab.

Interview with Hal Calbom, Sue PIper, and Library staff Becky and Angela, Empire of Trees and the Columbia River Reader on “Your Shelf or Mine” podcast, longviewlibrary.org

* Cards for writing Thank-yous are available in the Main Sanctuary.

The Longview Public Library’s Podcast Your Shelf or Mine is celebrating the Centennial with historical episodes, including:

To make reservations for the All-Church Brunch, downloading all eight videos; Prayer Walk routes, and directions for donating church artifacts for the Time Capsule, please contact our link at longviewcommunitychurch.org.

• Longview’s ‘23 Club, with Cal Fowler and Abe Ott • Empire of Trees: America’s Planned City and the Last Frontier, with Hal Calbom and Sue Piper • Joseph Govednik, Cowlitz County Historical Museum, World War II

To listen, visit longview100.org, click on “Events” and then the Your Shelf or Mine button

NEW EXHIBIT

“1923: The Year that Changed Cowlitz County”

405 Allen St., Kelso • Hours Tues-Sat, 10–4 VISIT WWW.COWLITZCOUNTYHISTORY.ORG

Historic Walking Tour Pick up your FREE Passport at the Longview Library and enjoy exploring nearby places, with information about each inside the Passport. Great family activity, fun for all ages.

Limited supplies.

October 15, 2023 / Columbia River Reader / 31

Outings & Events Columbian Artists Association Annual Fall Show at Longview Public Library,

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. Commercial projects, businesses and organizations wishing to promote their particular products or services are invited to purchase advertising.

HOW TO PUBLICIZE YOUR NON-PROFIT EVENT IN CRR

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

Columbia River Reader 1333-14th Ave Longview, WA 98632 Submission Deadlines Events occurring: Nov 25–Jan 20

by Nov 5 for Nov 25 Holiday issue Jan 15- Feb 20

by Dec 26 for Jan 15 issue.

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

See Submission Guidelines at left.

1600 Louisiana St., Longview, Wash..

Through Oct 31. Artwork by members of the association. Open to the public; exhibits for members only.

HIKES see page 37 Watercolorized sketch by the late

Deena Martinsen,

Author presentation/book signing

Tues., Oct. 17, 7pm. Presented by Kalama Library. Guest author Michael Perry, Dispatches from the Discovery Trail: A Layman’s Lewis & Clark,with Hal Calbom, author of Empire of Trees. 312 N. 1st Street, Kalama, Wash. Info 360673-4568.

Squirrel Bridge Dedication Ceremony

held with the Wako, Japan Sister City delegation, Thurs, Oct 19, 1pm at 1604 Kessler Blvd, right across from the Japanese Garden.

Annual Cornucopia of Treasures

Online auction through Oct 21. Gifts, trips, art, services, gift certificates. https:// www.32auctions.com/2023FOS1894.

Info: friendsofskamokawa.org. River Life Interpretive Center open 12–4pm, Fri--Sun. 360-795-3007. Historic photos and displays, gift shop, book store, exhibits. 1394 SR-4, Skamokawa, Wash.

Got Eco-Anxiety? (Chronic fear of environmental doom). “Climate Grief: Strategies for Hope and Resilience,” program by Kim Smith, Ph.D, Sociology Dept., Portland Community College, 2–4pm, Sun., Oct 22, St. Stephen’s Church, 22nd and Louisiana St., Longview, Wash. Public welcome.

CLATSKANIE ARTS COMMISSION Per for mance s at Birkenfeld T het re, 75 S. Nehalem, Clatskanie, Ore.

Tickets/Info: www.clatskaniearts.org

Quincy Grange Halloween Carnival

Oct 31, 5–8pm. 78314 Rutters Rd., Clatskanie, Ore. Follow signs from Clatskanie. Games, bingo, prize store, Tombstone Café for dinner and snacks.

Affordable family fun. Proceeds benefit scholarships, youth and community programs. Info: Barb: 503-4143 or Ellen: 503-728-2886.

THE MINTHORN COLLECTION OF CHINESE ART

LCC Symphonic Band Concert Nov 17. featuring Grant Mack, pianist. See opposite page.

Holiday Splendor Annual Gala Dinner & Auction presented by Clatskanie

Kiwanis. 5pm, Nov. 24. $45. American Legion Hall, Clatskanie, Ore. Tickets Umpqua Bank or from a Kiwanis member.

Joyous Holiday Bazaar Sat., Nov. 4, 10am-7pm. Kelso United Methodist Presbyterian Church, 206 Cowlitz Way, Kelso, Wash. Unique holiday decor, handcrafted cards, gifts, ornaments, houseplants, cinnamon rolls & coffee.

See ad, page 38.

Alcove Gallery Two-man Art Exhibit

through Nov. 16. Derek Degenstein, abstract expressionist; Michael Donner, concrete/stone mason creates collage glass, bones, stones, quills, acorns.

Galler y open 9–3:30,M-F, 1526 Commerce Ave., Longview.

32 / Columbia River Reader /October 15, 2023

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

Outings & Events COWLITZ COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM EXHIBIT

Centennial Events see pg 31

1923: The Year that Changed Cowlitz County History 214 Allen St., Kelso • Museum hours Tues-Sat 10–4

BROADWAY GALLERY Join Us for First Thursday

Nov 2• 5:30–7pm • Refreshments!

Music by Dennis Harris

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

HOLIDAY OPENING...

Nov 18, 11–6. Music, Holiday Artisan Cards & Treasures

HOURS Tues - Sat 11–4 We are a great place to buy gifts and take classes! Check our website or come into the Gallery.

FEATURED ARTISTS Oct: Gallery Artist Scott McRae, paintings; Guest Artist Ina Wagenman, mosaics Nov: Guest Artists Lisa Harrington, painting; Tamara Hinck, Native American wood sculpture.

Free Gift Wrap on request. Gift Cards Find a unique gift! We have beautiful artisan cards, jewelry, books by local authors, wearable art, original paintings, pottery, sculpture, photographs and so much more.

An Evening of Concertos Featuring soloists from the orchestra Dr. Robert Davis Conductor

Sat. October 21, at 7 pm & Sun. October 22, at 3 pm Wollenberg Auditorium LCC Rose Center for the Arts 1600 Maple Street Longview, WA

Candide Overture Concerto in C minor for Violin and Oboe Sicilienne et Burlesque Trumpet Concerto in Eb Romance for Violin and Orchestra Villanelle Andante e Rondo Unharese Romance in F major, Op. 50 Oboe Concerto Ràkóczy March Thanks to generous donors all concerts this season are free!

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

Longview native Grant Mack to perform piano concerto in hometown Grant Mack will return to Longview as featured soloist with the Lower Columbia College Symphonic Band at its Nov. 17 concert.

Mack has established himself as a leading collaborative pianist, both in Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest. He is a 1977 graduate of R.A.Long High School and 1980 graduate of University of Puget Sound with a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance.

He received a full scholarship from American Institute of Musical Studies to study opera and vocal coaching in Graz, Austria.

In 1987 he accepted a job playing chamber music in Honolulu, Hawaii, leading to a 30-year stay in the islands. Mack was the pianist for the Honolulu Symphony from 1994-2015, while also being a frequent guest artist and rehearsal pianist numerous performing ensembles. He was also an adjunct professor of piano and chamber music at Hawaii Pacific University from 20082014.

IF YOU GO Lower Columbia College Symphonic Band 7:30pm, Thurs., Nov 17 Rose Center for the Arts, LCC, Longview

to

Featuring Grant Mack, Pianist, performing “Piano Concerto in A minor,” by Edvard Grieg.

In 2012, Mack decided to re-visit higher education and earned a Master of Music degree in piano performance from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. In 2015, he moved to Eugene, Oregon, to pursue doctoral studies at University of Oregon.

During his time there, aside from his studies, he quickly became a collaborative favorite of local and visiting artists. He received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Collaborative Piano in 2022.

Mack is co-founder and co-director of the Columbia River Chamber Music Festival, periodic performances in Longview, Wash.

Stella Chapel Annual Harvest Fest Saturday, Oct 21, 4pm - 6pm Enjoy the beauty of autumn on a short drive west of Longview on Ocean Beach Highway, until you reach the historical Stella area.

Turn on Germany Creek Road and proceed two miles to 124 Sherman Road, Longview.

The evening’s activities include a German-st yle dinner, Silent Auction and Door Prizes. Visit with friends and neighbors, discover a variety of Silent Auction Items created, harvested and donated by local artisans and members of Stella Chapel. Silent Auction results will be announced by 6:15 pm.

Stella Lutheran Chapel is located a short, picturesque drive west of Longview.

Menu: Smoked Bratwurst and

Sauerkraut, Green Beans, Potato Casserole, Bread, Dessert, Coffee and Apple Cider.

Suggested Donation: $20 at the door. This event made possible by Thrivent Financial for a Thrivent Financial Team Project. Proceeds go to Stella Chapel.

More Info: Laura McCartney, 360-636-2032.

Mark your calendar and come and enjoy an evening of fun and fellowship!

October 15, 2023 / Columbia River Reader / 33

BESIDES COLUMBIA RIVER READER...

Cover to Cover

What are you reading?

Monthly feature coordinated by Alan Rose

After the Ivory Tower Falls by Will Bunch

By Jim MacLeod

initiatives opened the door to shady practices with forprofit scammers reaping billions by peddling dist ance learning schemes and subprime diplomas.

H

ow did college become unaf fordable for the average American family? Prior to World War II, only one out of twenty young people enrolled in college. Then the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known at the G.I. Bill, kickstarted an age of mass higher education that became the embodiment of the American Dream. More than two million returning veterans took advantage of government paid tuition and living expenses, igniting a nationwide expansion of colleges and universities that ultimately benefited generations of civilians as well.

Award-winning journalist Will Bunch traces how the dream of higher education morphed from free tuition for many into a $1.7 trillion nightmare of student debt through seven decades of policy decisions, greed, and political opportunism: state funding cuts spawned higher tuition and fees, making college less affordable for the middle class; well-intentioned student loan

During this era, rapidly increasing automation, job o u t s o u rc i n g, a n d fossil fuel replacement strategies caused factory closures and the loss of countless well-paying noncollege jobs. Big Oil aggressively refuted the consensus of the world’s top climatologists, fueling the resentment of displaced workers and adding to the public’s distrust of science, stoking the culture wars between the haves and have-nots.

Bunch narrates this downward spiral from the heady days of free universities through the eyes of real people who were left perplexed, left behind, or left out of the American system of higher education, producing a very readable book that ends with a prescription for a cure – but only if we can muster the national will.

••• Jim MacLeod writes as JJ MacLeod, the author of seven books in the Harry & Company Mystery series, available as e-books from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.com. After ten years of travel in an RV, he and his wife of more than 50 years enjoy waking up to the same scenic view of the Columbia River.

LOWER COLUMBIA CURRENTS Commentary by

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

Find it on substack.com Search for “Lower Columbia Currents” 34 / Columbia River Reader /October 15, 2023

BOOK REVIEW

By Alan Rose

Poverty, American-style & supersized Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond Crown/ Random House $28

Why is there so much poverty in America? I wrote this book because I needed an answer to that question.

So begins Matthew Desmond’s new exploration into poverty, American-style. A sociology professor at Princeton University, Desmond wrote Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City (2016), which won the Pulitzer Prize. But, unlike Evicted, this book isn’t about “poor people” so much as why people are poor in the richest country in the world.

In at tempting to underst and “my country and its confounding, unblushing inequality,” Desmond examines systemic povert y—the housing, employment, educational, banking, and welfare systems that keep families poor. He contrasts American-style poverty with that in other industrialized nations, showing alternatives that are healthier, for families but also healthier for the national economy.

Not surprising, a major factor is the prevalence of “bad jobs,” those offering low pay, no benefits, and that are subsidized through the federal government’s welfare programs, such as supplemental food nutrition, health care, and the Earned Income Tax Credit (“If he manned the grill at a McDonald’s in Denmark, his paycheck would have been double what it is” here.)

He highlights the exploitation of the poor through predatory pay-day lending

7 am - 9 pm 7 pm

This is who we are: the richest country on earth, with more poverty than any other advanced democracy. If America’s poor founded a country, that country would have a bigger population than Australia or Venezuela.

Almost one in nine Americans— including one in eight children— live in poverty…Our gross domestic product is larger than the combined economies of Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, India, France and Italy. America’s poverty is not for lack of resources. We lack something else.

– from Poverty, By America practices, or by changing illegal redlining policies into legal “exclusionary zoning laws” (“We went from banning certain kinds of people from our communities to banning the kinds of housing in which those people lived.”)

He challenges and debunks long held myths with actual data from a range of different studies: for example, that immigrants drag down wages and displace native workers (“Americans don’t exactly queue up for immigrant jobs”), or that raising the minimum wage increases unemployment. Nearly a third of the book (80 pages) are notes supporting his arguments. cont next page Alan’s haunting novel of the AIDS epidemic, As If Death Summoned, won the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award (LGBT categor y.)

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

Cover to Cover Brought to you by Book Sense and Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, for week ending Oct. 1, 2023, based on reporting from the independent bookstores of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

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

Top 10 Bestsellers PAPERBACK FICTION

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses

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

3. Mad Honey

Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Finney Boylan, Ballantine, $18

4. The Midnight Library

Matt Haig, Penguin, $18

5. A Court of Mist and Fury

PAPERBACK NON-FICTION

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. Killers of the Flower Moon

1. Tom Lake

David Grann, Vintage, $17

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

3. Crying in H Mart

Michelle Zauner, Vintage, $17

4. The Body Keeps the Score

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

5. An Immense World

6. The Thursday Murder Club Richard Osman,

6. Dopamine Nation

Penguin, $18

Dr. Anna Lembke, Dutton, $18

7. Legends & Lattes

7. Indigenous Continent

8. This Is How You Lose the Time War

Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone, Gallery/Saga Press,$16.99

9. Babel

Pekka Hämäläinen, Liveright, $22

8. All About Love

bell hooks, Morrow, $16.99

9. This Is What It Sounds Like Susan Rogers, Ogi Ogas, Norton, $17.95

R. F. Kuang, Harper Voyager, $20

10. Solito

10. The Passenger

Javier Zamora, Hogarth, $18

Cormac McCarthy, Vintage, $18

CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATED

EARLY & MIDDLE GRADE READERS

1. Democracy Awakening 1. Something, Someday Heather Cox Richardson, Amanda Gorman, Christian Viking, $30 2. Fourth Wing Robinson (Illus.), Viking 2. Enough Rebecca Yarros, Books for Young Readers, $18.99 Cassidy Hutchinson, Simon Entangled: Red Tower 2. Boo! Bluey’s Halloween & Schuster, $30 Books, $29.99 Penguin Young Readers, $14.99 3. The Wager 3. Demon Copperhead 3. Room on the Broom Barbara Kingsolver, Harper, David Grann, Doubleday, $30 $32.50 Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler 4. The Creative Act 4. The Running Grave (Illus.), Dial Books, $8.99 Rick Rubin, Penguin Press, Robert Galbraith, 4. Little Blue Truck’s Halloween $32 Mulholland Books, $32.50 Alice Schertle, Jill McElmurry (Illus.), 5. Doppelganger 5. Lessons in Chemistry HMH Books for Young Readers, Naomi Klein, Farrar, Straus Bonnie Garmus, $13.99 and Giroux, $30 Doubleday, $29 5. Spooky Pookie Sandra Boynton, 6. Elon Musk 6. The Iliad Boynton Bookworks, $6.99 Walter Isaacson, Simon & Homer, Emily Wilson 6. Just Because Matthew Schuster, $35 (Transl.), W. W. Norton & Company, $39.95 McConaughey, Renée Kurilla 7. The Book of (More) (Illus.), Viking Books for Young 7. The Fragile Threads of Delights Power Ross Gay, Algonquin Books, Readers, $19.99 $28 V. E. Schwab, Tor Books, 7. Goodnight Moon $29.99 8. A Fever in the Heartland Margaret Wise Brown, Clement 8. The Covenant of Water Timothy Egan, Viking, $30 Hurd (Illus.), Harper, $8.99 Abraham Verghese, Grove 9. Outlive 8. Taylor Swift: A Little Golden Book Press, $32 Peter Attia, M.D., Bill Gifford, Biography Wendy Loggia, Elisa Harmony, $32 9. The Last Devil to Die Chavarri (Illus.), Golden Books, Richard Osman, Pamela 10. Build the Life You Want $5.99 Dorman Books, $29 Arthur C. Brooks, Oprah 9. Construction Site: Taking Flight!

Winfrey, Portfolio, 10. The Heaven & Earth Sherri Duskey Rinker, AG Ford (Illus.), $30HarperOne, $22.99 Grocery Store Chronicle Books, $17.99 James McBride, Riverhead 10. Eek! Halloween! Sandra Books, $28 Ann Patchett, Harper, $30

Sarah J. Maas, Bloomsbury Ed Yong, Random House, Publishing, $19 $20

Travis Baldree, Tor, $17.99

HARDCOVER NON-FICTION

1. The Skull

Jon Klassen, Candlewick, $19.99

2. The Sun and the Star

Rick Riordan, Mark Oshiro, Disney Hyperion, $19.99

3. Mexikid

Pedro Martín, Dial Books, $14.99

4. A Horse Named Sky

Rosanne Parry, Kirbi Fagan (Illus.), Greenwillow Books, $18.99

5. Swim Team

Johnnie Christmas, HarperAlley, $15.99

6. When You Trap a Tiger Tae Keller, Yearling, $8.99

7. The Moth Keeper

K. O’Neill, Random House Graphic, $13.99

8. Rez Dogs

Joseph Bruchac, Dial Books, $7.99

9. Coraline

Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean (Illus.), Harper, $9.99

10. A Wolf Called Wander

Rosanne Parry, Mónica Armiño (Illus.), Greenwillow Books, $7.99

Boynton, Boynton Bookworks, $7.99

from page 34

He shows how the “welfare system” benefits wealthy and middle-income families far more than the poor. (“In 2020, the federal government spent more than $193 billion on homeowner subsidies, a figure that far exceeded the amount spent on direct housing assistance for low-income families ($53 billion.)”) Both are government subsidies, but only one is considered “welfare.” And don’t get him started on corporate welfare!

America’s poverty is not unsolvable. There are answers. One example: If the IRS was empowered to go after the wealthy tax cheaters and large US corporations who register outside of the country, there would be sufficient funding to provide adequate housing, education, health care, nutrition, and child care for all our citizens.

The grim news is that America’s high rate of poverty has largely been by choice; the good news is that we as a society can make different choices that will benefit all members of our society.

••• NOTE: Poverty, By America was a book discussed by the “Book Club for Our Time,” hosted by both the Kelso (daytime group) and Longview (evening group) libraries. Check their websites or www. alan-rose.com for upcoming titles.

Q

UIPS & QUOTES

Selected by Debra Tweedy

Society is like a stew. If you don’t stir it up every once in a while, then a layer of scum floats to the top. --Edward Abbey, American author and essayist, 1927-1989 To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk. --Thomas Edison, American inventor, 1847-1931 A writer — and, I believe, generally all persons — must think that whatever happens to him or her is a resource.

All things have been given to us for a purpose, and an artist must feel this more intensely. All that happens to us, including our humiliations, our misfortunes, our embarrassments, all is given to us as raw material, as clay, so that we may shape our art. --Jorge Luis Borges, Argentine writer, 1899-1986 Reading makes immigrants of us all. It takes us away from home, but more important, it finds homes for us everywhere.

--Jean Rhys, British novelist, 1890-1979 You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any Direction you choose.

--Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel), American children’s book author and cartoonist, 19041991

Sense of beauty is the gift of God, for which those who have received it in good measure, can never be thankful enough.Gertrude Jekyll, British horticulturist, garden designer, and writer, 1843-1932 Indian Summer comes gently, folds over the hills and valleys as softly as the fall of a leaf or a windless day. It is always unexpected. After a sharp cold spell, we wake one morning and look out and the very air is golden. The sky has a delicate dreamy color, and the yet-unfallen leaves on the bravest trees have a secure look, as if they would never, never fall.

--Gladys Taber, American author and columnist, 1899-1980 Autumn is the best occasion in which to sniff, and to sniff for pleasure, for this is the season of universal pungency.

--Bertha Damon, American humorist and writer, 1881-1975

Drink Good Coffee, Read Good Books Located in the historic Castle Rock Bank Building 20 Cowlitz Street West Mon-Sat • 8:30–5 360-967-2299

Give me the splendid silent sun with all his beams full-dazzling, give me juicy autumnal fruit ripe and red from the orchard. --Walt Whitman, American poet and essayist, 1819-1892

Longview native Debra Tweedy has lived on four continents. She and her husband decided to return to her hometown and bought a house facing Lake Sacajawea.“We came back because of the Lake and the Longview Public Library,” she says.

At St. Stephen’s Church 1428 22nd Ave., Longview Nov 7

SECOND

For information visit

www.alan-rose.com

October 15, 2023 / Columbia River Reader / 35

36 / Columbia River Reader /October 15, 2023

Roland on Wine

Queen Marie cont from pg 18

and a dining car, which was changed out at every different railroad line.

The Queen’s party of family and guests consisted of 85 passengers — reporters, secret service, secretaries, a large staff of domestic workers and a trained nurse.

On Tuesday morning, October 26th, “The Royal Romanian” headed west across the plains, making numerous stops in small towns and cities so the Queen could meet with the American people, including immigrant Romanian shepherds. In that effort, the Queen invited two farmers, their wives and children at each stop to ride along to the next stop that they might share information on agricultural topics.

At one such occasion, Mrs. Morris reported in her memoir: “The train rounded a curve as the Queen entered the reception car and threw her squarely into the lap of Mr. Sperry, one of the farmers of Bismarck. Queen Marie laughed as Mr. Sperry helped her up. That surely was an informal introduction.”

In Spokane, 40,000 excited citizens greeted the Queen and Sam Hill rejoined the party there for the balance of the cross-country trip, down to the Columbia River, where Marie had promised years earlier to dedicate his Maryhill Museum.

The next day the entourage crossed into Oregon to meet Governor Walter Pierce. A 30-car motorcade took them to Portland, stopping at Multnomah Falls and admiring the Columbia Gorge from Vista House. The royal party was cheered into Portland across the new “Steel Bridge” festooned with Romanian and American flags. They also toured Portland’s Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children, and later the Queen, an avid horsewoman, attended a horse show at the Pacific Livestock Exhibition before attending a gala reception at the historic Multnomah Hotel.

Early the next morning, the train left Portland’s Union Station for Seattle, where an anxious crowd started gathering at King Street Station for a scheduled 1:10pm arrival. Several of the Queen’s party were reported to be greatly annoyed to be taking off without breakfast. Throughout the trip, Marie had shown an interest in varied American innovations and was genuinely curious to see the lumber mill and the “planned” town of Longview, just 40 miles up the Columbia.

The stop in Longview en route to Seattle was made specifically at the Queen’s request, as Romania held

The Promising Piquette

Floatplane cont from pg 31

if the far south end of Grays Harbor was plagued with the plethora of oyster bed markers we’d encountered in Bay Center, I thought it was definitely worth a look. The area was clear, and we touched down. I headed towards what appeared to be a boat launch made completely of oyster shells.

As we got closer, it looked as if the entire Brady’s staff was lining the bank. I killed the engine, gently sliding to shore. Mark, one of the owners of the operation and son-in-law of the founder, came down to ask us if we were having trouble. “No sir, we’re here for the oysters!” Mark said we were the first floatplane to pay them a visit and warmly welcomed us.

Stephen and I each had an oyster shooter and I bought a dozen oysters in the shell to take home.

We departed before the outgoing tide had time to leave us high and dry.

Continuing northeast, I made a landing on the Chehalis River in Aberdeen to investigate what appeared to be a sunken steamboat from long ago with its boiler sticking out of the water. What an absolute treat this was to find! Satisfied with the day’s adventures, we departed the Chehalis River and flew a nearly straight line back towards Scappoose, ending a perfect day of exploration of one of the most beautiful places on our planet!

••• vast forests and a burgeoning timber industry. Sam Hill was perturbed at the delay, but Marie was adamant and felt that the visit was due reward for the many formal receptions, dinners and press interviews she had obliged. Hill cabled the Seattle City Council: “Hope

Renewed interest in wine made from leftovers

H

By Marc Roland

ar vest is w rapping up in Washington State and I’m hearing from a large cloud of witnesses that it will be a great vintage.

The yields were down, but the quality of the fruit was above average. What this means for us consumers is we can expect some great wine in about a year. Of course, they will cost more, especially on the upper end. Less fruit equals higher prices. But not to worry — the last few years have produced a bumper crop of good fruit, so in the value wine category, bargains are still out there.

I am the luckiest man in the world to be able to make wine as well as taste it often with friends and family. Recently I tasted a wine that I have never had before. A fellow winemaker shared a bottle of piquette that he made using leftover grape skins and seeds from freshly pressed juice. I was surprised as to how good it was!

Upon further discovery I found out that throughout the history of winemaking, people have looked for ways to use all parts of the grape to minimize waste.

Their resourcefulness produced a refreshing wine with a lower alcohol level, which extended the sustainability of their vineyards.

Piquette has been made for centuries, but has gained in popularity around the world. The name was coined in France, but due to the natural wine movement and sustainable winemaking practices, there is renewed interest in piquette.

It can be made from any grape variety

In Oregon, Troon Vineyards in Grant’s Pass and Kramer in Gaston are notable examples. According to Kimberly Kramer, “We were in the middle of harvest, and I thought ‘why am I drinking all this hard seltzer when I could be making piquette?”

So this year I asked myself the same thing, why aren’t we making piquette? So we did—out of syrah grape skins. The formula is simple. Add water, sugar, and yeast to the wine pomace. What is not so simple is to get it to taste good, get it to ferment, and know what other additions might be needed to balance out the flavor. Have you ever used a teabag more than once?

That’s piquette in a nutshell. Maybe you prefer the second cup of tea. If you do, piquette may be for you. As this wine becomes more available at a winery near you, you can cash in your White Claw and get a refreshing, low-alcohol alternative to add to your repertoire.

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

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

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

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

(S) - Strenuous: Long hikes and/or elevation gain (over 8 miles and/or over 1200 ft. e.g.)

to make up later for this discourtesy. Not my fault.”

Queen Marie was so fascinated at the Long-Bell Lumber mill tour and the Company town that the visit stretched longer and longer. They were four hours behind schedule when the train finally arrived in Seattle. Queen Marie and her children were driven to City Hall, where Mayor Bertha Landes, the first female mayor of a major American city, Governor Hartley, and additional dignitaries joined in a hurried motorcade tour of the city to make up for lost time.

•••

and in an array of styles from sweet to dry, sparkling, or crisp and acidic. A recent search on the Internet brought up only a few examples of piquette by Washington producers and only one available at Total Wines in Vancouver.

Nov 1 - Wed Rainier City/ Suburban Walk (E) Drive 10 miles RT to Rainier Park. Walk 3.5 miles RT with 200’ e.g. around the park, along the river park, through downtown Rainier. Leader: Melanie F. 907-351-8741

Watercolorized sketch by the late Deena Martinson.

Oct 18 - Wed Fort Stevens State Park (M) Drive 120 miles RT. Hike 5a 4.3-mile loop on paved path with 100’ e.g. Nice walk through coastal forest and old growth Spruce trees. Drive 5 extra miles to south jetty viewing platform for great views of the Pacific Ocean. Leader: Bruce 360-425-0256.

Oct 25 - Wed Castle Rock Dike (E) Drive 20 mi RT. Hike 3+ miles on a flat paved trail with the option to hike to the top of “The Rock.”

Leader: Barbara R. 360-431-1131.

Oct 28 - Saturday Cascade Head (S) Hike 6.6 miles RT with 1310’ e.g. to summit of Cascade Head. This trail traverses Nature Conservancy land and provides excellent views of Pacific Ocean headlands.

Leader: Bruce (360) 425-0256.

Nov 8 - Wed Willapa Hills Trail (E) Drive 92 miles RT to Adna Trailhead. Hi9ke by country farms, about 6 jiles to Chehalis and back. Mostly flat path, little e.g. Leader: Leslie P. 360-520-4592.

Nov 10 - Fri Cape Horn (S) Drive 125 miles RT. Hike a 7.2-mile loop with 1300’ e.g. A classic hike with fantastic views of the Columbia Gorge. Leadesr: Judy Ten H. 406-371-6869, Bruce M. 360-425-0256.

Nov 11- Sat Lake Sacajawea (E) Walk 4 miles on flat ground around the whole lake or any portion for a shorter walk. Designed for super seniors and/ or people with physical limitations at a slow pace.

Leader: Susan S. 360-430-9914.

Nov 15- Wed Lake Sacajawea (E) Walk about a 4-mile loop around the lake or walk half the lake trail. Very little e.g. Leader: Art M. 360-270-9991.

October 15, 2023 / Columbia River Reader / 37

the spectator

I must admit, for me it was not as enjoyable to work alone. When we are all seated around the table at the CRR office, if someone encounters something they don’t understand, the question can be answered with a brief conversation. I missed that aspect, sitting alone with a red pen in hand until 2:00am, having come across something I questioned and was unsure about.

by ned piper

I

Proofreading, pizza, and pandemic precautions

have w r it ten before about our crackerjack proofreading team and how we gather each month to pore over the pages for typos, incorrect dates, too many periods at the end of a sentence, anything that we think needs to be corrected. At the end, Sue takes us all to dinner, usually at a restaurant that advertises in the Reader.

This month, thanks to the fact that three of our team members had recently tested positive for the dreaded COVID virus apparently again making the rounds, Sue wisely decided that we should not meet as a group. The pages to be proofed would be delivered in three-hour intervals, round

robin style — along with a ready-to-bake pizza ­­— to our proofers at their homes.

While it wouldn’t be as enjoyable to work and eat alone, it would undoubtedly be safer, healthwise.

Another thing that came to mind is that I had yet to get my next COVID booster shot. I made plans to do that immediately, along with a flu shot.

Guess who was designated as “he who would deliver?” You got it. And I was happy to do it. I even got to look in on a couple of NFL football games while waiting to pick up and deliver to the next team member. So I didn’t miss very much of my Sunday afternoon sports spectator-ing.

Having seen — while keeping my distance from one of our team members — the effects COVID had on him, I know I want no part of that.

(Or is it “affects?” A question that a fellow proofie would know the answer to). And should the period go inside or outside the parentheses?

I’m hoping that we can all be back to normal by the time of proofreading the Nov. 25 Holiday Issue.

A JOYOUS HOLIDAY BAZAAR! Saturday, November 4, 2023 10am-7pm

Editor’s note: “Effect” is a noun, “affect” is a verb. As a rule, punctuation generally goes within parentheses.

But aren’t rules meant to be broken?

Kelso United Methodist Presbyterian Church

“The big red brick church at the east end of the Cowlitz Way bridge” Our Mission: Worship God, Grow in Faith and Be in Service to All

Unique, Handcrafted, Home baked Fall and Winter Holiday Goodies, Gifts, Decor & MORE

••• Longview resident Ned Piper coordinates advertising and distribution of CRR, and enjoys the opportunities to meet and greet friends, both old and new.

Warm fresh cinnamon rolls & coffee!

SANTA visits! noon-1:30pm & 5pm-6:30pm (BYO camera)

Get the best care for your loved one.

We have openings!

Adult Family Home Advantages

360-703-5830

P In Home Doctor Visits P Home Cooked Meals P Locally Owned P 6 to 1 Caregiver Ratio P Small Homelike Setting P 24-Hour Registered Nurses Support P Memory Care Experts P Therapies in Home P Licensed facilities that exceed state standards

www.thehavenslongview.com The Havens are now hiring Licensed Caregivers 360-442-0758

38 / Columbia River Reader /October 15, 2023

PREMIE

PLUGGED IN TO

COWLITZ PUD

By Alice Dietz, Cowlitz PUD Communications/ Public Relations Manager

What is the Discounted Rate Program?

As we head into the colder weather, there are options to help reduce your bill! The Discounted Rate Program is a reduced electric rate for qualifying low-income senior citizens, disabled customers, veterans, and active military.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS •Low income up to 175% of the Federal Poverty Level AND •Age 62 or older OR •Permanent disability OR •Veteran OR •Active military PROGRAM ASSISTANCE •20% discount off your monthly usage – Income up to 175% of the Federal Poverty Level •30% discount off your monthly usage – Income up to 125% of the Federal Poverty Level HOW TO APPLY •Pick up and complete the Discounted Rate Application or download it on our website.

•Drop off application and income verification at our office, 961 12th Avenue, Longview, WA. WHAT IS THE VETERAN DEPOSIT WAIVER? The Veteran Deposit Waiver honors the contributions of active United States military personnel and United States military veterans by waiving the security deposit for a new residential account.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS This waiver is applicable to new customers who are active-duty United States military or honorably discharged United States military veterans.

The veteran or individual on active duty must provide a current military identification or official military orders.

R SENIO

R CARE

The Havens is a group of 11 premier, independently owned and operated homes.

Drop in for a tour any time!

HOW TO APPLY Simply let our Customer Ser vice Representative know and provide the required documentation.

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

A Different Way of Seeing...

CRREADER.COM/CRRPRESS 1333 14th AVE, LONGVIEW, Wash.

M-W-F, 11–3 • INFO: 360-749-1021

THE TIDEWATER REACH Field Guide to

the Lower Columbia in Poems and Pictures

Great Gifts!

Also available at:

By Robert Michael Pyle and Judy VanderMaten

“Tidewater Reach is a pleasure to hold; it provokes delights, both intellectual and emotional. I commend all who were involved in bringing us this treasure. It deserves a place on your bookshelf and in your heart.” -- Cate Gable, “Coast Chronicles,” Chinook Observer, Long Beach, Wash.

hington.

Association

MICHAEL

dispatches

MICHAEL

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woodcut art

A LAYMAN’S

by dEbby

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ition

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Mail Order Form, page 2

PRESS

Tidewater Reach and Dispatches books feature original woodcut art by Debby Neely

All books Include author Interviews

• Kelso-Longview Visitor Center

• Tsuga Gallery Cathlamet

By Michael O. Perry

72565

• Cowlitz County Historical Museum Shop Kelso

• Morgan Arts Center Toledo

A Layman’s Lewis & Clark

Collectors Ed

• Broadway Gallery Longview

• Vault Books & Brew Castle Rock

DISPATCHES FROM THE DISCOVERY TRAIL

l discovery trai

hed and ng format. about the NETT mbia Chapter

the dispatches from

wis and re they pular atches wry

• Columbia Gorge Interpretive Museum Stevenson

By Hal Calbom

• Skamokawa Store Skamokawa

Signed, Gift-boxed

• Godfathers Books Astoria, Ore.

$50

• Columbia River Maritime Museum Store Astoria, Ore.

• Appelo Archives Naselle • Time Enough Books Ilwaco • RiverSea Gallery Astoria,Ore.

• Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum The Dalles, Ore.

Please support our local booksellers & galleries

For Longview’s Centennial!

Empire of Trees

America’s Planned City and the Last Frontier

ots! p s e e f f o c local e t i r o v a f ffee o c d e t s a Everyone’s o rt of r a e h t o t d Dedicate

Drive Up or Drop In Pick up drinks, breakfast, or a bag of coffee Coffee roasted in small batches in-house!

1230 Lewis River Road, WOODLAND, WA 239 Huntington Ave. North, CASTLE ROCK

DOWNTOWN LONGVIEW

1335 14th Avenue Opens 11am

CLOSED SUNDAYS

WOODLAND

1350 Atlantic Avenue Opens 12pm

Antidote Tap House - We Cure What ALEs You! October 15, 2023 / Columbia River Reader / 39

ColumbiaRiver RiverReader Reader/•October October15, 15,2020 2023 40 / Columbia