CRR July 2020

CRREADER.COM • Vol. XVII, No. 180 • July 15, 2020 • COMPLIMENTARY Helping you discover and enjoy the good life in the Columbia River region at home and on the road

People+ Place

River Road

Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”

Let us go and make our visit.

page 26

COLUMBIA RIVER

dining guide

HOOD RIVER FRUIT LOOP • BENTO BOXES • SQUIRREL BRIDGES Columbia River Reader / July 15, 2020 / 1

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? 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.

CRREADER.COM Helping you • Vol. XVI, No. 176 • discover and enjoy March 15 – April 15, the good life in the 2020 • COMPL Columbia IMENTARY River region at home and on the

road

MOSS IN YOUR LAWN ?

What to do page 15

IN FULL VIEW Rex Ziak

ONE RIVER MANY VOIC , ES WASHINGTON POET LAUREA ’S TE COMES TO WAHKIAKUM COUNTY

$29.95

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

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.

DOWN AND UP Rex Ziak $18.95 A unique fold-out guide mapping day-byday Lewis and Clark’s journey from the Rockies to the Pacific Ocean and back.

page 14

People+Plac

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COLUMB

LE AILAB V A O ALS h, 3 14t at 133 w

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CRRPress 1333 14th Ave. Longview, WA 98632

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IA RIVER

dining guide

“It’s a different way of seeing.” A one-of-akind Field Guide to the lower Columbia, in poems and pictures. Now available from Columbia River Reader Press for pre-order in two editions, to be published in May..

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W

e may have had the wettest June in recent history and so far, July has also been a “dud,” not exactly firecracker hot.

The Coronavirus is still putting a wet blanket over our usual activities — baseball games, picnics, summer concerts. But that doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy other delights of the season: road trips, ice cream, and walking the neighborhood.

While proofreading this issue, prompted by Hal’s story, “River Road” (page 17), my brother Mike recalled a family story. Growing up, like the Calboms, we had an Oldsmobile, ours a 1953 “98” model, dark green and white. We spent endless hours in that car on driving / camping vacations to Spirit Lake, national parks, Sunday jaunts to visit my grandmother in Oakville, Wash., and other local, back road explorations my dad was addicted to. Snacks were usually part of the itinerary.

At one roadside stop my two brothers were sent in to get ice cream cones for the family. My mom, undecided about what flavor she wanted, instructed Mike and John: “Surprise me.”

They couldn’t choose, either, and ended up bringing her, to her obvious Publisher/Editor: Susan P. Piper Columnists and contributors: Tracy Beard Hal Calbom Alice Dietz Larry Fox Joseph Govednik Ted Gruber Jim LeMonds Diane Matthews Gary Meyers Michael Perry Judy Foutch Peters Nedi Piper Perry Piper Robert Michael Pyle Marc Roland Alan Rose Alice Slusher Greg Smith Jeff Stookey Debra Tweedy Production/Graphics Manager: Perry E. Piper Editorial/Proofreading Assistants: Merrilee Bauman, Michael Perry, Marilyn Perry, Debra Tweedy, Tiffany Dickinson Advertising Manager: Ned Piper, 360-749-2632 Columbia River Reader, llc 1333 14th Ave Longview, WA 98632 P.O. Box 1643 • Rainier, OR 97048 Office Hours: M-W-F • 11–3* *Other times by chance or appointment Website: www.CRReader.com E-mail: publisher@crreader.com Phone: 360-749-1021

Sue’s Views

Road trips, ice cream and 10,000 steps disappointment, a vanilla cone.

Looking back, I think vanilla gets a bad rap. It’s a great flavor, and especially delicious — as I would later discover — crowned with hot fudge.

I learned a few things about ice cream the summer after high school. I had a

remains my lifetime favorite sweet treat. My reward on evenings I go briskly walking at Lake Sacajawea.

job at 24 Flavors, the same place Hal mentions in his Production Notes.

It was a grueling job in many ways, working swing shift, prime time at the popular ice cream shop on hot summer evenings. I learned you must sweep the floor prior to mopping. I can probably still recite most of the 24 flavors. I learned to scoop a nice round mound.

And I discovered hot fudge.

Photo by Hal Calbom.

Cover Design by

Columbia River Reader is published monthly, with 15,000 copies distributed in the Lower Columbia region. Entire contents copyrighted by Columbia River Reader. No reproduction of any kind allowed without express written permission of the publisher. Opinions expressed herein, whether in editorial content or paid ad space, belong to the writers and advertisers, are not necessarily shared or endorsed by the Reader.

Submission guidelines: page 30.

General Ad info: page 8

Ned Piper 360-749-2632.

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

But what a relief now that the target number for a measurable health benefit (lower mortality rate) is, “they” say, more like 4,400 steps.

Much more doable! Hurrah!

Maybe I’ll see you walking at the Lake. Ask me for directions to make the perfect hot fudge sundae... as long as you’ve done your 4,400 steps, of course.

As kids, my brothers and I knew all about Hershey’s chocolate syrup, but the utter opulence of hot fudge was new to me — kept oozingly warm in that little pot — and a hot fudge sundae

Sue Piper

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

In this Issue

ON THE COVER Glass art at Norse Hall, Puget Island. Created by Hearts of Glass, Astoria.

Quote by T.S.Eliot, from ”The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.”

Speaking of, I was happy to learn recently that the 10,000 daily step requirement we’ve all been aspiring to is not based in scientific fact, but simply a number pulled out of the air for a fitness gadget’s marketing campaign. I never come close to the required 10,000 steps. Some of my friends probably think I don’t even try.

2

CRR Collectors Club

4

Me & My Piano

5

Civilized Life: Miss Manners

6

Tapping into 14th Avenue: Antidote Taps into 14th Avenue

7

Dispatch from the Discovery Trail ~ More than a Kick in the Pants

10

Northwest Gardening: How Does your Garden Grow?

13

Packed: Bento Boxes Boosts Brown Bags Style Factor

14

Out & About: Hood River’s Fruit Loop

15

Museum Magic: A Journey to Johnston Ridge Observatory

16

Quips & Quotes

17-20 People Place ~ River Road: Puget Island Pastoral 21

People+Place Recommended Books

21

Roland on Wine~ Wine, the Sensual Beverage

22

Where Do You Read the Reader?

23

The Natural World/Tangled Bank Essay: Realty Check

24

Besides CRR, What Are You Reading?

25

Cover to Cover ~ Book Review / Bestsellers List

26

Lower Columbia Dining Guide

29 Lower Columbia Informer: 30-31 Outings & Events Non-Calendar / Hikes / Farmers Markets 33

Astronomy ~ The Sky Report / Home Entertainment Outside

34

The Spectator: Longview’s Squirrel Bridges

34

Plugged In to Cowlitz PUD: Assistance during COVID-19 Columbia River Reader / July 15, 2020 / 3

ME AND MY

PIANO* *or other instrument

I

By Diane Matthews

t’s an A.B. Chase upright baby grand, serial #54118, light walnut, built in 1910. I bought it in 1958, when I was 12, with money I’d been saving since I was 6, the year I decided I always wanted to sing, and to do that I needed a piano. I had no idea how much it would mean to me and for how long.

My folks found a piano in Burien, at Sherman and Clay. It was refurbished and cost $350. I had $300. My parents bought it anyway and always claimed to own the bench. Since my life savings were gone, Mom and Dad paid for lessons. I don’t know if it was from waiting so long or buying my own piano, but I loved lessons. I practiced constantly and raced through the beginner books, eager to get to the “good stuff.” Often my chores, indoor or out, suffered as I lost myself at the keyboard. My father once threatened to sell my piano because I played it too much…! But still I played, the piano’s throaty, rich tones taking me to beautiful, peaceful places.

In high school and at church I sang in the choir, sang solos, in quartets, octets — whatever was asked of me. My trusty piano practiced me through it all. When not practicing, I simply enjoyed playing. Classical, pop, standards, I had no preference; if

Plastics

Reminders

I felt the piece, I played it. When teenage moods left me sleepless, I’d slip onto the bench and, in total darkness, play. Sometimes a piece memorized so well it made sight unnecessary. Sometimes I played chords, or just runs and rills that were nothing, but sounded so beautiful coming from my piano. Calmed, I’d pad back to bed, the last lovely chords echoing within. In many ways, the piano truly accompanied me through my teens.

College in Ellensburg meant the piano stayed home. But I couldn’t wait to get to its keyboard on vacation breaks.

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Diane Matthews at about age 6 (courtesy photo), when she started saving for her piano and today, at the same piano in her Rosburg, Wash. home.

Primary photo by Hal Calbom.

Then I was married, and we moved every three or nine months as my husband Mike pursued his degree.

As soon as we settled down we moved my piano in. My two boys banged on it with my blessing; no way could they hit those keys harder than I did! Neither showed interest in playing, but I continued to play and sing.

In Rosburg now for 40 years, my piano and I have made music with grandchildren, church singers and community choirs.

It has helped me practice for weddings, funerals and festival solos. It even limbered me for my times as church pianist and, as always, just let me play because I love to hear its music.

These days, when my voice fades and is unreliable, the piano notes remain strong. I’m amazed at the wisdom of little 6-year-old me and thank her often for this marvelous instrument that has accompanied me through life. As my fingers play, the piano’s rich, round notes bring my heart song again, and my soul sings.

•••

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

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

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When in doubt — throw it out!

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Civilized Living herself!” when this happens. As picky people hate autocorrect, this should discourage her.

By Judith Martin, Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin

DEAR MISS MANNERS: The science on wearing masks seems inconclusive, leading to near-religious zealotry on both sides. In public, there is no way to avoid taking a side.

Governors, mayors, news anchors and doctors appear on TV hectoring the public to wear masks, while not wearing them themselves.

I can see why people dismiss such guidance and feel the need to take the matter into their own hands.

Individuals who would ordinarily mind their own business now feel empowered to demand others accommodate their views.

What is a person to do when confronted in public by busybodies who disagree with their choice?

GENTLE READER: It was to avoid such problems that quarantines used to be (and still have been) given the force of law. When they come in the

form of guidance, the best defense for an individual is still citing authority, as in, “I’m doing it because the CDC says it will protect your health.”

Miss Manners cautions against trying to reason with those who prefer the medical advice of politicians and news anchors to that of doctors. The only conflict remaining, then, is with those who are against social distancing — so removing oneself from their vicinity serves a double purpose.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Can you provide some advice on an effective, polite way to tell a close relative who constantly corrects minor grammatical errors or pronunciations to buzz off? She interrupts people regularly to correct them. I’m sure she believes she is providing a public service, but no one else regards it that way.

GENTLE READER: If you can say so pleasantly, Miss Manners will allow you to announce, “Ah! Lady Autocorrect

Responds within hours, not days!

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But the real comeuppance will be when your relative makes a mistake of her own, which she is bound to do, and you say, “Really? I always thought it was ...,” politely stating the correct version.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I know Miss Manners has decreed that diners should eat asparagus with their fingers.

Does the same directive apply to broccolini spears?

GENTLE READER: Good heavens, no. Miss Manners cautions you not to try to apply reason to tradition.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: In business correspondence, when I don’t have a name, I begin with “Dear Madam/Sir.” However, these days, not everyone is

binary. Should I add “GF person” (as in gender-fluid), or “Human” or ...? Please guide me in being up-to-the-minute respectful.

GENTLE READER: You are to be commended for wanting to be inclusive. However, there are so many possibilities to consider that Miss Manners fears that an allinclusive salutation would take up the entire paper, leaving no room for the content.

So: “Dear Client,” “Dear Acme Toilet Paper Company” or “To the Customer Service Department.”

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Traditionally in our company, when co-workers are leaving, we all sign a card, get a gift and take said coworker out to lunch as a team. But amid quarantine, with us all working cont page 30

MEDICAL MATTERS

Longview Ortho embraces emerging trends in orthopedic care By Jim LeMonds

W

hile new technology is important in the orthopedic field, many clinics — including Longview Orthopedic Associates — are also focusing on improving care for joint replacement patients. Dr. Tony Lin of LOA discussed changes that have recently been put in place and others that may be on the way.

swelling and the development of blood clots. In the future, Tylenol could be administered via IV.

Preparation means optimization: Fully preparing patients for what they can expect from surgery is a key point of emphasis at LOA. “In addition to ensuring that people are in the best possible physical condition prior to surgery,” Lin said, “pre-op therapy and weekly joint classes are scheduled with our clinic’s total joint nurse practitioner.”

Dr. Lin is fellowship-trained in arthroscopic shoulder and knee reconstructions, joint preservation, cartilage repair and restoration, and shoulder and knee replacements. He is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and is one of only 2,400 orthopedic surgeons in the U.S. with subspecialty board certification in sports medicine.

Pain management readiness: Efforts are made to minimize post-operative pain while relying less on opioids due to their side effects. Again, LOA staff members discuss pain management with patients in advance of surgery.

Use of nerve blocks “Nerve blocks allow us to use less anesthesia, resulting in less nausea and drowsiness after surgery,” Lin said.

Nerve blocks last for 24 hours and limit pain without limiting mobility.

For this reason, patients can often walk and begin physical therapy on the same day they have surgery.

Treating inf lammation: LOA uses nsaids (nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs) that reduce

Post-surgery benefits: “Multi-modal analgesics (nerve blocks and antiinflammatories) reduce GI problems such as bloating and nausea,” Lin said. This speeds recovery and shortens hospital stays.

Call Longview Orthopedic Associates at 360-501-3400 for more information.

Former R.A. Long High School English teacher Jim LeMonds is a writer, editor, and marketer who rides his mountain bike whenever he gets the chance. He lives in Castle Rock, Wash.

His published books are South of Seattle and Deadfall.

Columbia River Reader / July 15, 2020 / 5

THE

Good Vibe Place

Around Town

Antidote taps 14th Avenue for craft beer, food, spirits... and a speakeasy!

Story and photos by Hal Calbom

I

f what ails you is a tired menu, watery beer and drab atmosphere, Longview has the Antidote.

Newly located on 14th Avenue (adjacent, by the way, to the busy world headquarters of Columbia River Reader and CRRPress), Antidote Tap House claims to be “the cure for what ales you.” It seems to be working.

WHAT ALES YOU?

The two days we visited, Antidote was packed with patrons, inside and outside both front and back doors.

Patrons were happy to be out of the house and in a sophisticated atmosphere smacking of a favorite Seattle bistro or Portland watering hole. Chairs and tables spill onto the front sidewalk and back patio. Inside, the newly remodeled space is decidedly upscale.

“Three years ago there just wasn’t a lot of craft beer around,” said Kelli Busack, who with her husband Andy created Antidote.

“We thought there are people like us that had a longing for amazing craft beers,” said Andy, “and the decision was obvious — we’ve gotta start our own place!” Andy and Kelli owned a successful electrical contracting business, which they still operate, and had two kids just off to college, so the time seemed right.

6 / Columbia River Reader /July 15, 2020

Craft beer makes up around 75 percent of Antidote’s business, but they’ve extended their marketing savvy and network of relationships beyond the brewery set. Thanks to an exclusive relationship, they pour and sell only Barnard Griffin wines, a distinguished and delicious Columbia Valley (Washington) label, and work hard to support local brewers, bottlers, and distributors.

“We’ve got a great staff of people who completely buy into what we’re doing,” said Andy, whose business experience running Busack Electric is reflected in more than the Boiler Room decor. “We’ve gone from five people to around 15 since our move from the Triangle.”

Maybe the best advertisement for Antidote is the diversity of its clientele. There are families chomping burgers in a special under-21 section, craft beer connoisseurs who’ve joined the Coaster Club of tasters and savorers, ball caps and floppy sun hats out in the back alley beer garden, and of course the denizens of the Boiler Room on the prowl for midnight in Chicago at 5pm in Longview.

“We just bounced names off each other,” said Kelli, “and ‘the cure for what ales you’ and the name Antidote just leapt out at us.”

In May, 2017 the Busacks founded Antidote Tap House in Longview’s Triangle Shopping Center, and soon built a loyal following. Kelli and Andy seem to have pulled off the trifecta: serving not only high-quality craft beers but also premium wines and cocktails and family-friendly food. “We knew we weren’t going to be just a bar,” said Kelli, “and we take the name ‘tap room’ seriously.”

“We do our specialty drinks down here,” said Andy, “and can accommodate 25 guests comfortably.”

For the move to 14th Avenue, the couple hired professional talent to help them make the most of the smallish storefront space, and credit Craig Collins and especially Jared Bradshaw of Collins Architectural Group for creating an attractive space now rated at a capacity of 105 patrons.

“Andy loves old electrical stuff, and he kind of went crazy in the basement,” said Kelli, escorting us downstairs into the Boiler Room, modeled after a speakeasy and filled with vintage energy gear — relays, switches, antique gauges and equipment.

Antidote brings a spirited boost of daytime and after dark energy to our sometimes sedate Downtown.

And makes a great neighbor for your favorite monthly newspaper.

“We love our customers, and have never had a harsh word, a bar fight, or the need to boot somebody out,” said Kelli. “It’s just the good vibe place we’ve always wanted.”

••• Hal Calbom produces CRR’s monthly People+Place feature (see page 17) and is editor at Columbia River Reader Press.

Lewis & Clark

More than a kick in the pants

L

ast month’s column covered the unfortunate death of one, possibly two, Blackfoot Indians. One of those Indians had shot at Captain Lewis, just missing his head. Lewis, Drouillard, and the two Fields brothers felt lucky to have escaped with their lives after that encounter. Up to then, the only other death during the journey had occurred two years earlier, on August 20, 1804, when Sgt. Charles Floyd died from what today is believed to have been a burst appendix. But, soon, death would be looking for Meriwether Lewis again.

Lewis & Clark Encore We are pleased to present

Paid for by Dean Takko for State Senate Committee P.O. Box 1025 Longview, WA 98632

Installment #26 of Michael Perry’s popular 33-month series which began with CRR’s April 15, 2004 inaugural issue.

“Dispatch from the Discovery Trail” helped define and shape Columbia River Reader in its early years during the Bicentennial Commemoration of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Each installment covered their travels during the corresponding month 200 years prior. We are repeating the series for the enjoyment of both longtime and more recent readers.

with buffalo hides stretched over a framework, sort of like an umbrella.

Pryor and two others had left Clark on July 23rd to take the remaining horses to Fort Mandan in North Dakota, but two days later Indians stole the horses.

The three men then walked east to the Yellowstone River and found Clark’s note to Lewis. To Clark’s dismay, Pryor had brought the note with him!

However, on August 7th Lewis would find another note from Clark and would figure out what Clark had done.

Meanwhile, back in Montana…

After escaping with their lives on July 27th when at least one Indian was killed, Lewis and his three men needed to get to the mouth of the Marias River.

He had told the Blackfoot Indians that there were more white men waiting for him there, so he needed to get there first in case the Indians decided to attack.

They rode 120 miles in 24 hours and when they arrived, were happy to find the men led by Sgt. Gass and Ordway floating down the Missouri. While everyone felt security in numbers, no time was wasted; all their horses were turned loose and everyone got into the canoes and headed downstream at seven miles per hour to meet Clark’s group at the mouth of the Yellowstone.

While Lewis and his detachment explored the Marias River’s headwaters, the two parties headed by Sgt. Gass and Ordway had met at Great Falls to portage the canoes and supplies cached the previous year around the series of waterfalls. At the same time, Capt.

Clark took a detachment, including Sacajawea, to explore the Yellowstone River. The plan was for everyone to meet at the mouth of the Yellowstone River. All this without GPS, let alone a road map!

Clark reached the rendezvous point where the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers join near the Montana and North Dakota border on August 3rd and set up camp to wait for the others.

The mosquitoes were horrible, so Clark left a note for Lewis to look for them downstream. Five days later, after escaping the mosquitoes, Clark was surprised to see Sgt. Pryor floating down the Missouri in a bullboat, made Michael Perry enjoys local history and travel. His popular 33-installment Lewis & Clark series appeared in CRR’s early years and began its second “encore” appearance in April 2018.

With the support of labor, businesses, tribes and environmental groups, it is my ability to work with various groups that gives me the

Experience that matters.

Dean Takko

Choose your hunting partner carefully…

After surviving for more than two years in the wilderness, the men of the Corps of Discovery had become excellent hunters. But, as Dick Cheney might acknowledge, things can go bad while hunting with friends. On August 11th, Lewis saw a herd of elk along the river.

He and Pierre Cruzatte, a one-eyed Frenchman who didn’t see all that well out of his good eye, landed to try to kill some. Each of them shot an elk, but Cruzatte’s elk was only wounded and continued into the brush. After reloading, they each took separate routes in pursuit of the wounded elk.

And, be careful of what you wear

Lewis wrote, “I was in the act of firing on the Elk a second time when a ball struck my left thye; the stroke was very severe; I instantly supposed that Cruzatte had shot me by mistake for an Elk as I was dressed in brown leather and he cannot see very well; under this impression I called out to him damn you, you have shot me, and looked towards the place from whence the ball had come, seeing nothing I called Cruzatte several times as loud as I could but received no answer; I was now preswaded that it was an indian that had shot me as the report of the gun did not appear to be more than 40 paces from me and Cruzatte appeared to be out of hearing of me.”

Who, me?

Lewis stumbled back to the river, calling out to Cruzatte along the way, warning him to retreat since there were Indians in the bushes. Upon reaching the river, Lewis told the men he “was wounded but I hoped not mortally” and then ordered the men to go back and try to save Cruzatte. Lewis attempted to lead the men back in the search for Cruzatte, but the pain was so bad he nearly passed out after a hundred paces. He ordered his men to continue the search while he limped back to the canoe. About 20 minutes later, the men returned with cont page 8

Original • Hand-crafted Celebrating the good life Spreading good cheer Exploring our world Counting our blessings

Washington State senate 19 District th

DEMOCRAT

Supporting local business and communities Columbia River Reader / July 15, 2020 / 7

Dispatch

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

See ad, pg 27

The Broadway Gallery See ad, page 24

1265 14th Ave #130 • Longview

See ad, pg 23 See ad, pg 12

McThread’s

See ad, pg 21

from page 7

Cruzatte and reported they had seen no sign of Indians. Cruzatte said he had shot an elk after he and Lewis had split up, but denied shooting Lewis. Cruzatte “absolutely denied” hearing Lewis calling for help after being shot.

A little detective work Lewis wrote, “I do not believe that the fellow did it intentionally but after finding that he had shot me was anxious to conceal his knowledge of having done so… the ball had lodged in my breeches which I knew to be the ball of the short rifles as that he had, and there being no person out with me but him and no Indians that we could discover I have no doubt in my own mind of his having shot me.”

The .54 caliber ball was only used in the Model 1803 rifle, a gun that had not yet reached Indian hands.

Is there a doctor in the house?

Lewis wrote, “I took off my cloaths and dressed my wounds myself as well as I could, introducing tents of patent lint into the ball holes, the wounds blead considerably but I was hapy to find that it had touched neither bone nor artery.” The “tents” Lewis wrote about were rolls of lint used to keep the wound open and thus

allow new tissue to grow from the inside out and promote drainage. Lewis’s biggest danger was infection.

And we meet again The next day, Lewis’s party met a canoe coming up the Missouri. The two fur trappers told him they had passed Clark’s group the day before. When the two parties finally rejoined later that day, Clark was quite alarmed to find Lewis lying in the bottom of the canoe, seriously wounded. Lewis believed he would be OK, saying it would take 20 to 30 days to heal. Clark wrote that he, “examined the wound and found it a very bad flesh wound the ball had passed through the fleshey part of his left thy below the hip bone and cut the cheek of the right buttock for 3 inches in length and the depth of the ball.”

Lewis made his last journal entry of the Expedition on August 12th when he wrote, “as wrighting in my present situation is extremely painfull to me I shall desist until I recover and leave to my frind Capt. C. the continuation of our journal.”

Three weeks later, Clark reported Lewis was “mending fast” and by September 4th he was able to walk comfortably.

Next month’s column will cover the Expedition’s return to St. Louis.

••• See related story, page 9

Tom Lee

Attorney and Counselor at Law

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8 / Columbia River Reader /July 15, 2020

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Graffiti is nothing new

Just visited Terry Grambo across the page, now dropping in to see Nick for a second opinion on my Rainy Day Fund.

By Michael Perry

O

n July 25, 1806, Clark saw a “remarkable rock” near the bank of the Yellowstone River, 25-miles east of Billings, Montana. It was a large sandstone formation that stood 200 feet above the flat prairie. For centuries, Indians had painted pictographs and etched petroglyphs onto the sheer walls of the rock they called Iishiia Anaache (“Place Where the Mountain Lion Dwells”). The rock was a well-known landmark to the Plains Indians since it marked the location of a strategic natural crossing of the Yellowstone River. The rock would also become a significant landmark to early European explorers, fur trappers, immigrants and soldiers.

Clark climbed to the top to see what he could see, and then carved his name and the date in the rock. Today, that signature is the only physical evidence remaining to prove Lewis and Clark made the journey to the ocean and back. Clark named the outcropping “Pompy’s Tower” after Sacajawea’s 17-month old son Jean Baptiste Charbonneau (Clark had nicknamed him “Pomp”). The first editor of Lewis and Clark’s journals, Nicholas Biddle, later changed the name to Pompey’s Pillar.

Hundreds of individuals have carved their names on the rock

over the last two centuries. While Clark’s etching isn’t as clear as it once was, it is still visible. In 1882, the Northern Pacific Railroad took steps to protect it with an iron screen; in 1953 a glass case was installed to protect it from the weather. The land was privately owned until 1991 when the Bureau of Land Management bought it. It was declared a national monument in 2001.

Market swings making you uneasy?

Let’s talk.

Nick Lemiere CFP®

This photo of Pompey’s Pillar is in the Public Domain (it was taken

by Bob Wick, a BLM employee, in 2012).

The photo of Clark’s name is from Francis Hunter’s American Heroes Blog - WordPress.com •••

Member SIPC

Columbia River Reader / July 15, 2020 / 9

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How does your garden

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CATERING

H

ow are your CoVictory Gardens growing? I know there are a lot of first-time gardeners out there, as well as some folks who haven’t had experience growing in the PNW. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions we hear in summer.

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How much water do my plants need?

Seeing your lovingly tended garden plants wilting is terrible. But did you know that the roots cannot bring nutrients up to the leaves if the soil is too dry? In the past 8 years or so, our summers have been unusually dry. Your garden needs about one inch of water per week. That’s the rule of thumb. One suggestion is to set a used tuna can in your garden, and turn on the sprinkler, noting the time. When there is one inch of water in the can, that’s how long the sprinkler should run. However, irrigating with a sprinkler is inefficient and you really don’t want to get the leaves wet because it creates an ideal environment for plant diseases.

If you water your plants with a hose or sprinkler, do so early in the morning so the leaves will dry by the afternoon.

The best way to water your garden is

with a simple drip irrigation system or soaker hose. Online calculators can help you judge the amount of water you’ll need. When in doubt, your finger is a great tool. Dig down to your knuckle. If the soil is dry, water. If it’s soggy, stop watering and check back in a day or two. The soil should be moist like a wrung-out sponge — not wet, but not dry. And don’t forget to mulch! A one- to two-inch layer of mulch (grass clippings, leaves, even shredded newspaper) will help to keep the moisture in the soil and regulate the soil temperature. And remember, if the weather is unusually hot and windy and your plants have reached their bushiest, you’ll need more water.

What is this brown, rottenlooking area on the bottom of my tomatoes?

Blossom end rot! It indicates that your plants aren’t getting enough calcium. What to do — add calcium?

Well, not necessarily. Inconsistent watering (letting plants get too dry, then watering them) is the main cause in our area of blossom end rot on tomatoes, peppers, and squashes, where the bottom of the fruit is

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grow?

Northwest Gardening

winter rains leach it. But if you add too much nitrogen, you’ll get lush green leaves and few or no tomatoes. It’s recommended to add nitrogen three times to your plant during the growing season —when you plant it, when it reaches about 12 inches in height, and when there are baby fruits on the plants. This is another reason to get a soil test before you start your garden. You’ll know exactly what and how much of the soil nutrients might be lacking before you plant. Another problem can be heat. Tomato flowers won’t pollinate at temps above 85 degrees.

By Alice Slusher

Remember, if you have any gardening questions at all, please contact our WSU Estension Servie clinic: cowlitzcomg.com/plant-and-insect-clinic or cowlitzmastergardener@gmail.com. We’re here for free help!

•••

A bit of exciting news — it’s really going to happen: our long-awaited

from page 10

brown, soft and rotten looking. Yes, it indicates a calcium deficiency in your veggie, but the main reason is the roots can’t draw the calcium up into the plant when the soil is dry, and your fruits pay the price! Your best bet? Get a soil test. If the results show deficient calcium, you’ll be told how much lime or dolomitic lime to add in the fall or late winter.

However, in most cases, consistent soil moisture will take care of the problem. Side note — another garden myth: putting egg shells in the planting hole won’t help.

Neither will Epsom salts!

What about Epsom salts?

“My grandfather, aunt, friends all recommend that I use Epsom salts because it’s the miracle garden additive

WSU/OSU Extension Events

— keeps voles and moles away, is a perfect fertilizer, and will give me the biggest, best crops ever, etc.

If I had a penny for each time I heard this garden myth, I’d be rich! Epsom salts are actually magnesium sulfate. A complete fertilizer has nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Yes, magnesium is a nutrient that plants require, but our home garden soils are not deficient in magnesium.

This is another reason to get a soil test in early spring before you plant your garden. An imbalance in other nutrients, like potassium and calcium, will make it difficult for the roots to take up magnesium from the soil. There’s another problem, too. Epsom salts leach from the soil and can potentially pollute our water. And voles and moles? They laugh at Epsom salts. Save your Epsom salts for a long, leisurely soak in the tub after a hard day working in the garden!

Sat 8:05-8:15 “Garden Spot” on KOHI (1600am radio) Wed., July 15, 22, 29 FREE Pressure Gauge Testing. 9am–1pm, Ext. office, St. Helens ONLINE Classes 12 Noon–12:30pm,Tuesdays.

Call Extension coordinator Gary Fredricks, 360577-3014 Ext.3, for connection info.

July 14 Companion Planting; July 21 Your plants need water; July 28 Cool Weather Gardens; Aug 4 What’s Going on; Aug 11 Garden Harvest; Aug. 18 Preserving your harvest; Aug 25 Weed control options. 360-577-3014 Ext.3, FredricksG@co.cowlitz.wa.us

My tomato plants are bushy and green but I don’t have any tomatoes!

It’s possible that you’re giving them too much nitrogen. Nitrogen in the fertilizer promotes green foliage growth and needs to be added to our soils after the

greenhouse at the Juvenile Services Center in Longview! The WSU Extension Master Gardeners in Cowlitz County would like to thank the William B. Price Fund for Children, Cowlitz Community Endowment Fund, and the Esther Talback Memorial Fund for their very generous grants to fund our Youth Outreach Greenhouse project. We will be getting started building it as soon as restrictions are lifted.

Kalama resident Alice Slusher volunteers with WSU Extension Service Plant & Insect Clinic. Call 360-577-3014, ext. 8, or send question via cowlitzmastergardener@gmail.com.

AGENT SPOTLIGHT ~ “Integrity, guidance, and communication are my promise to you,” says Tom Johnson, who prides himself on being laser focused on his clients. Having been in the Army National Guard as enlisted and as an officer, Tom utilizes his experience every day.

A family man who knows the ups and downs that life can throw at you, Tom credits his three daughters for teaching him patience, integrity, and open communication. Using these skills every day to assist and guide his

Meet Tom Johnson! clients, Tom has become an excellent Real Estate Agent!

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No job is too big or small,” he says. “From a $30,000 piece of land to a $1,000,000 multi-family building, I give the same service and time for all of my clients.”

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Packed!

Food as Art

By Gary Meyers

Bento boxes boost brown bags’ style factor

S

ome readers probably recall fondly the days before trendy coffee shops and fast food outlets started dotting every street corner. Lunches were lovingly prepared and packed in paper sacks by our moms, and sometimes dads, with our names printed on the sides to prevent mix-ups at school. The sacks usually held a basic sandwich wrapped in waxed paper (aluminum foil would come later). A sliced tomato or pickle might be included as well as some chips, and perhaps an apple or cookie. The lunches were nutritious but hardly exciting. These same sack lunches also served the midday needs of family members working outside the home. What was common then is not so common now but sack lunches still exist.

A Japanese friend and colleague, Rika Oji, is newly wed; her husband is a sergeant in the US Army. He mentioned to Rika one day that his coworkers’ wives sometimes prepared sack lunches for their husbands.

He wondered if she might do the same for him.

Little did he realize that he had tapped into his wife’s passion, a hobby that showcases both her culinary skills and artistic talent.

Rika Oji, preparer of the bento box extraordinairé

Rika was not familiar with American sack lunches but she was certainly knowledgeable about the Japanese version: the ubiquitous bento.

Bentos date back hundreds of years.

A bento is a single portion take-out or home-packed meal common in one form or another throughout Asia.

Traditionally, a bento consists of rice or noodles, fish or meat, vegetables, and fruits, assembled in a small box or tin. If not packed at home, they can be found for sale in bento shops, department stores, convenience shops, and train stations. But it’s the bentos packed at home that set them apart from their commercial cousins.

Japanese wives devote many hours of time and energy when preparing bentos for their family or themselves. The boxes most often are arranged in a style called “kyaraben” (character bento).

Kyaraben are created to look like popular characters from Japanese cartoons and comic books. Another popular style is “oekakiben” (picture bento). These are decorated to look like people, animals, flowers, or famous structures and monuments. Decorating bentos is so popular that competitions are often sponsored to select the most creative and esthetically appealing.

In addition to providing nourishment, bentos can also convey not-sosubtly the preparer’s mood. The hapless husband who commits a real or perceived slight or transgression at home might open his noontime bento to find nothing but a cold slab of plain rice with maybe a pickle thrown in for color. The message is clear: it will be cold shoulder for dinner, silence throughout the evening, and a night’s sleep on the floor or couch.

In creating her bentos, Rika uses a variety of foodstuffs including hamburger patties, shumai (steamed pork dumplings), Korean pancakes, spaghetti, tamagoyaki (fried egg), spring roll, chikuwa roll (a steamed jelly-like hollow roll of fish paste and egg white), chicken rice omelet, potato salad, and kamaboko (pureed flavored fish formed into small loaves). The photo shows a few of Rika’s creations. (I can imagine it might take some time for Rika to make friends with the other wives!)

••• Longview native Gary Meyers retired after two careers and now lives in Honolulu, but visits CRR territory frequently. A world traveler, he has friends everywhere and contributes wit, whimsy and wild ideas for stories.

Sometimes we even let him write them up! He is CRR’s HaikuFest founder and chief judge.

Columbia River Reader / July 15, 2020 / 13

OUT • AND • ABOUT

A summer drive at the base of Mt. Hood

Getting fruit loopy!

By Tracy Beard

L

ess than one hour’s drive east from Portland, Oregon, is the Hood River Fruit Loop. A compendium of farms, orchards, cideries, vineyards, wineries and shops are mapped out as a trail located predominately along Highways 35 and 281. As more and more places are opening up to the public, plan to spend the day cruising this stunning section of Oregon’s countryside while tasting delicious wines, sampling ciders, and picking fruit.

My daughter Brittney and I escaped our neighborhood and ventured out to see what was currently open in the Hood River area. Much to our delight, many businesses along the Fruit Loop were open, with owners anxiously awaiting visitors. We selected a variety of places to visit.

Before planning your trip, be sure to check out hoodriverfruitloop.com, check out the individual business websites, or call to confirm which days and hours they are open.

Our first stop was Pearl’s Place Fruit Stand. We turned off Highway 35 and found ourselves immediately immersed in a grove of pear trees. According to Wikipedia, each year Oregon produces approximately 800 million pears, making Oregon the number two state in the U.S. for fresh pear production.

Washington state is number one. The Hood River area and the Rogue Valley are the top growing regions with nearly 19,000 acres of pear orchard land. Pearl’s Place offers other fresh fruits, including apples, peaches, cherries and more.

Next, we stopped at Mt. Hood Winery.

We shared a flight of white wines.

Due to current regulations we could not sit at the bar. The server placed two wine glasses and five mini carafes containing a sampling of the different wines on a tray. We took the tray outside to the patio and enjoyed

Vancouver, Wash. resident Tracy Beard writes about luxury and adventure travel, traditional and trendy fine dining and libations for regional, national and international magazines and is a regular “Out & About” contributor to CRR. 14 / Columbia River Reader /July 15, 2020

our “self-pour” tasting while gazing out at the vineyards. Before leaving, we picked up a copy of the “Hood River Fruit Loop Guide to Local Farm Stands.” This comprehensive guide includes information about each stop.

The fold-out map inside makes it easy to traverse the entire loop.

Tr a v e l i n g f u r t h e r south on Highway 35 we reached Packer Orchards & Bakery.

We donned our masks and went inside to pick up a delicious package of herbed goat cheese and a loaf of multi-grain bread. Back outside we commandeered a picnic table next to the peach orchard.

We savored a few nibbles and then continued to Stave and Stone Winery at the Vineyard. Unfortunately, the venue was open only on the weekends.

We were traveling on a Tuesday and vowed to return, as the facility looked

luxurious and inviting. The picnic area outside boasts splendid views of the vineyards and Mount Hood in the distance.

Our last stop before lunch was, Draper Girls Country Farm & U-pick Orchards. The cherry orchards are situated adjacent to the parking area.

We meandered through the store where I picked up a jar of Draper

Girls delectable Walla Walla Sweet Onion/Gilroy Garlic BBQ sauce. The store stocks numerous flavored ciders, assorted fruit jams and a collection of other tasty treats available for purchase.

Just outside on the south side of the store is a park-like setting perfect for a snack or picnic lunch. The area features magnificent views of Mount Hood, quaint tables and an old-fashioned tree swing. The swing, crafted from a weathered board, hung securely bolted to long chains that dropped down from a branch high above in the tree. The swing gently swayed in the breeze and enticed Brittney to jump aboard. She seated herself and began rocking back and forth and seemed to float in the air.

The sight took me back to a time when she was a little girl. We would spend hours at the local park where she and cont page 15

Local Culture

MUSEUM MAGIC

A Journey to Johnston Ridge Observatory

By Joseph Govednik Cowlitz County Historical Museum Director

M

useums, art galleries, and libraries will open when we achieve Phase 3 in Washington’s Safe Start reopening. While we are in Phase 2 we can take advantage of nice weather and enjoy the natural history museum which is our great outdoors.

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Johnston Ridge Observatory (JRO) for a museum project. This magnificent vista of the north face of Mt. St. Helens is just a 70-minute drive from Castle Rock. The drive up is an experience unto itself with scenery including reforested areas, viaducts spanning valleys, and on many occasions, head-on views of the mountain. Be sure to stop along the way at the various vistas, visit an A-frame house partially buried by mud, or grab a bite at the Fire Mountain Grill which has views of the North Fork Toutle River in its outdoor seating area.

cont page 16

Fruit Loop from page 14

her brother Garrett would laugh and giggle while playing on the swings and slides.

We walked around the corner from the serene setting and discovered a number of large and small goats waiting for some attention. Food for the goats is available for purchase if you are so inclined.

Driving toward the southernmost end of the loop, we discovered the unincorporated town of Parkdale.

Chinook

•

Grays River

Cathlamet 4

Warrenton • 101

Seaside

Pacific Ocean

FREE Maps • Brochures Directions • Information

• Kelso-Longview Chamber of Commerce Kelso Visitor Center I-5 Exit 39 105 Minor Road, Kelso • 360-577-8058 • Woodland Tourist Center I-5 Exit 21 Park & Ride lot, 900 Goerig St., 360-225-9552

Astoria Birkenfeld

Mount St. Helens

Skamokawa

WestportPuget Island FERRYk

101

Vernonia

Longview

Ape Cave •

Kelso

Clatskanie Rainier

503

Columbia City St Helens

• Ridgefield

rnelius NW Co ad o R s s a P

To: Salem Silverton Eugene Ashland

Sauvie Island

Vancouver 12

Portland

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

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

Local in

for

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

• Pacific County Museum & Visitor Center Hwy 101, South Bend, WA 360-875-5224 • Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau 3914 Pacific Way (corner Hwy 101/Hwy 103) Long Beach, WA. 360-642-2400 • 800-451-2542 • South Columbia County Chamber Columbia Blvd/Hwy 30, St. Helens, OR • 503-397-0685 • Astoria-Warrenton Chamber/Ore Welcome Ctr 111 W. Marine Dr., Astoria 503-325-6311 or 800-875-6807

Col Gorge Interp Ctr Skamania Lodge Bonneville Dam

Troutdale Crown Point

97

Goldendale

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

•Yacolt

Scappoose•

Oregon

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•••

VISITOR CENTERS

Washington

Castle Rock

• Naselle

base of Mount Hood. This winery offers plenty of outdoor seating, including a covered patio and lots of umbrellas. Guests were encouraged to order a glass or bottle of wine to relish while they relaxed on the property.

Comfortable couches, organized in a way to create cozy nooks, hailed visitors and provided a safe and welldistanced place for guests to imbibe in delectable glasses of vino while sharing conversation with friends.

504

Long Beach

Columbia River

Our last official stop was at Marchesi Vineyards & Winery. Marchesi, a small boutique winery, features wines made from Italian grape varietals. Franco Marchesi, the owner and winemaker, was born and raised in Piedmont, Italy, a region with a similar climate to the

Vader

Ocean Park •

Ilwaco

away, we arrived at Lavender Valley. It is impossible to miss this bright purple building that sells a variety of lavender products. The lavender bushes out in the field should be putting on a full dress rehearsal by mid-July.

After Parkdale, our route turned north onto Highway 281. Many stops along the Fruit Loop Trail do not lie directly along the two highways. We added the venues’ addresses to our GPS and found the ones located on the smaller country roads. We made a quick stop at Grateful Vineyards that features cider and pizza. Just a mile or two To: Centralia, Olympia Mt. Rainier Yakima (north, then east) Tacoma/Seattle

Raymond/ South Bend

Oysterville •

This little town boasts a few eateries, a lovely park, and the Hutson Museum.

We grabbed some barbequed pork at Apple Valley BBQ and ate across the street at the park.

Maryhill Museum

Stevenson Hood River Cascade Locks Bridge of the Gods

The Dalles

To: Walla Walla Kennewick, WA Lewiston, ID

Map suggests only approximate positions and relative distances. Consult a real map for more precise details. We are not cartographers.

Columbia River Reader / July 15, 2020 / 15

Museum Magic The visitor center at JRO is closed during this time, however the parking lot is accessible with portapotties on site for convenience.

The observation deck will be accessible where a commanding view of the valley below and mountain provide panoramic beauty. Numerous interpretive panels outside provide context and information about the area, mountain, and valley below.

A trip up to JRO makes a perfect half-day or more excursion for the family. This is an opportunity to educate adults and children alike about natural history, geography, and the volcano within our own

Thank You! P+P Sponsor Partners Community leaders supporting excellent journalism and spotlighting worthy organizations and programs.

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back yard. If you have not been to the JRO recently, consider making a visit during this 40th anniversary year of the eruption. Be sure to check the website for the Mount St. Helen’s National Volcanic Monument at www.fs.usda.gov/ giffordpinchot/ prior to your journey for the most up-to-date information.

For information about joining the P+P Partners Circle, Ned Piper, 360-749-2632 or Sue Piper, 360-749-1021.

call

No Justice.

No Peace.

End Racism.

•••

PET DEPARTMENT Those humans! They just won’t follow suggestions about masks and social distancing. It must be like herding cats.

How dare you?! More likely they can’t teach old dogs any new tricks! ~Smokey

~Ginger

Victoria Findlay’s dog

Q

UIPS & QUOTES

Selected by Debra Tweedy

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. ~ John Muir, Scottish-American naturalist and author, 1838-1914 Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson, American writer and philosopher, 1803-1882 If you took some chamomile tea and spent more time rocking on the porch in the evening, listening to the liquid song of the hermit thrush, you might enjoy life more. Joy is there for the taking. ~ Tasha Tudor, American illustrator and writer of children’s books, 19152008

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What you are afraid to do is a clear indication of the next thing you need to do. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, American writer and philosopher, 1803-1882

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Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius—and a lot of courage— to move in the opposite direction. ~ E. F. Schumacher, German-British economist, 1911-1977 Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish writer, 1850-1894

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People are frugal in guarding their personal property; but as soon as it comes to squandering time, they are most wasteful of the one thing in which it is right to be stingy. ~ Seneca, Roman Stoic philosopher and statesman, 4 BC-65 AD

Old friends cannot be created out of hand. Nothing can match the treasure of common memories, of trials endured together, of quarrels and reconciliations and generous emotions. ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery, French writer and aviator, 1900-1944 16 / Columbia River Reader /July 15, 2020

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.

“

I worship God through sports by making it a priority to pray before every game. When I focus on prayer, it creates a positive mindset within me and reminds me why I am on the court. As a Christian athlete I’m not competing for my coach, my teammates, my parents, or even myself, I am competing solely for Christ.”

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A monthly feature written and photographed

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Hal Calbom

Production Notes

people+ place River Road: Puget Island Pastoral

Roads to Nowhere

Recipe for a Road Trip: WHEELS A car weary of commuting and errands.

PAVEMENT A scenic two-laner headed out of town.

Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road, Healthy, free, the world before me.

NATURE Topography, geology, natural wonder.

HISTORY Chronology and the passages of time made visible.

DISCOVERY Mixtures of the familiar and the newfound.

~ Walt Whitman

DELIGHT One or more of the 4 F’s: fun, fickle, funky, flaky.

“Let’s take a ride!”

It was my dad’s solution for everything — restlessness, boredom, chores. The car was an Oldsmobile, with a vast interior, and later a Ford Country Squire wagon, thanks to those rear-facing third seats and because Bill Sari’s Ford dealership was a valued client.

In the 50s we celebrated prosperity and mobility. Our Greatest Generation parents, quietly proud of having won World War II and the sacrifices required, were eager to reap the rewards of their service and their success.

The car rides, usually on weekend afternoons and lacking a specific destination, were as short as 15 minutes or as long as a couple of hours, a local travelogue and Chamber of Commerce progress report rolled into one. Often a drive up Cascade Way to see new mid-modern “view homes” a-building.

Or that new school taking shape.

Or the futuristic office development.

Maybe Reynolds or Weyerhaeuser were adding a new production line. It was a building time — the American dream simply owning a home to stay in and an automobile to get away.

MOVEMENT Get out and walk in sun, rain or wind.

STORIES Comment and conversation.

Buckle up — Bigfoot roams! But first, let’s stop and smell the flowers.

The riverside village of Cathlamet is Wahkiakum’s county’s seat. Ornate plantings frame the courthouse and adorn the yards. Main Street curves gently beneath historic Bradley House,

past galleries and shops, leading walkers down to the waterfront. The towering Pioneer Church, built in 1895, is now a community center and the most prominent landmark for miles. Cathlamet Market offers snacks and drinks for the road ahead.

Locals and visitors pay homage to Julia Butler Hansen, Cathlamet’s favorite daughter. Hansen House has

been restored as a Heritage Center and offers occasional tours. Hansen served 21 years in the Washington State Legislature and, as a Kennedy Democrat, in the United States Congress from 1960 to 1974.

At the end of Main, the road beckons: Highway 409, toll ferry to Oregon, and historic Puget Island.

Little Norway It’s our very own island in the stream.

Early explorers called it “Sturgeon Island” or “Sea Otter Island.”

The British named it for the welltraveled Lieutenant Peter Puget, and Norwegians settled the 5,000acre Puget Island in the early 1900s.

Enterprising farmers and fishermen, they built dikes in 1917 to manage spring freshets and a road in 1925 cont page 18

Entertainment options were less plentiful. And we were frugal. A highlight might be going to Kelso and watching the train come in — imagine that! — another testimony to machinery and might. And if we’d behaved ourselves, a run to 24 Flavors.

Do you order your old standby chocolate chip or experiment with pistaschio?

Simpler times. More importantly, times of hope and good faith. Surely ambling and sightseeing, not commuting, were better uses of this wonderful newfangled necessity, the automobile.

“Where we going?”

“I don’t know. We’ll see.”

•••

Columbia River Reader / July 15, 2020 / 17

People

from page 17

to connect its two ferries, the Westport and the Cathlamet. The emerging community soon bore the name “Little Norway,” and erected venerable Norse Helgeland Hall in 1938.

The Wahkiakum Loop — Cathlamet, Pug

Today the Julia Butler Hansen Bridge connects Cathlamet to the island, and on its southern side Wahkiakum County’s Oscar B. ferries travelers and commuters hourly to and from Westport, Oregon.

The island retains its historic character and rural feel. Cows idle among a landscape of barns, sloughs, and quiet vistas. Ramshackle piers stretch out over the water, next to perfectly landscaped homes, next to abandoned boats with weeds grown up among their splintered decking, next to quonset huts housing machine shops or fishing gear.

Not a stoplight or indeed a commercial establishment in sight.

Crisscrossing the island, you see two imposing Lutheran churches, testament to the piety of the Scandinavian settlers. Norse Hall, still flourishing and graced with a stained glass Viking ship above its doors, testifies to their love of song and dance. The recently restored hall still hosts events, bingo nights, and private parties. These are shades of Karl Marlantes’s Deep River, where Finns, Norsemen and Swedes trekked miles for a tune and a twirl.

The river’s main channel skirts the south side of the island, Oregon in the distance.

The Oscar B Wahkiakum’s 23-car ferry is a day tripper’s joy. An imposing man with a gentle smile collects our $6 once we’ve motored onto the Oscar B, places chocks around the front wheels, connects the fore and aft gates. Brian McClain is retired Navy, a former logger, part-time deck hand and full-time appreciator of everything Lower Columbia.

People+ Place takes a river ride.

Super Hero Coffee Café!

Please join us in supporting the important work of the • Pet Adoptions • Volunteers Needed • Donations appreciated and needed • Spay/Neuter and Vaccine Clinics

Please call to schedule (instead of regular walk-in clinics). Limit of one person per appointment due to Covid-19.

“This is a great way to honor those taking care of people.” ~Jenny Hicks, on Avamere’s Super Hero cart she’s been setting up in parking lots at Skilled Nursing Rehabilitation Centers, where staff enjoy complimentary coffee and Danish pastries.

• cowlitzhumane.com • 360-577-0151

Proud Sponsor of People+Place 18 / Columbia River Reader /July 15, 2020

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+ Place

get Island, Westport — by road and by river ”It’s the people,” he said. “Yes, it’s a pretty little run. And the weather and tidal flow make it interesting. But we get amazing people.”

McClain’s favorite passenger was a woman on a bicycle who told him, matter-of-factly, where she was headed and where she had been. “I figured maybe Portland or Astoria.,” he recalled. “She said she’d been around the world! On her bicycle. And we were part of that journey!”

The Oscar B makes 18 runs a day and operates 365 days a year. There have been ferries here since 1925, when Walter Coates began regular Columbia River ferry service. Coates employed an eight-car diesel boat on each end of the island and his Buick sedan to ferry foot passengers between the two. McClain points out recent sighting spots for otters and even an elk or two. And, if you look closely, there’s evidence of a strain of local humor — sculpted Sasquatch figures lurking in the trees.

Pie in the Sky The mile and a half crossing takes about 15 minutes and deposits you in Westport, a third the size of Cathlamet across the island and the river.

What it lacks in size it makes up in pies.

The Berry Patch is a long-time destination for locals and travelers, starting or finishing a loop or simply picking up a fresh-baked pie on the way to the beach. A full-service restaurant, the Berry Patch is a 30-year fixture on Highway 30. The busy kitchen baked more than 8,000 pies in 2019.

Waitress Mernie Davies says berry pies are by far the favorites — recommending the

marionberry and huckleberry as “starter pies” for the uninitiated. The gift shop features every possible permutation on berries — jams and jellies and syrups.

To and Fro If you believe half the fun is getting there and getting home, a couple of considerations:

Named for “Captain” John West, who later developed innovative salmon canning processes, Westport grew up around West’s water- and then steam-powered sawmill and cannery complex in the 1850s. Today the area supports a large pulp and paper mill a few miles downstream at Wauna, and popular Bradley State Park Overlook perched on the ridge high above it.

The two approaches to the Puget Island loop — Oregon’s Highway 30 and Washington’s Ocean Beach Highway (SR-4) — run parallel but offer different rewards. Oregon’s is the fast way to Astoria, a perfectly comfortable and occasionally scenic direct shot with threelane passing every few miles. Washington’s State Route 4, on the other hand, is a truly exceptional two-laner, a classic “Blue Highway.”

Running fast out of Longview to Stella past sloughs and backwaters, cont. page 20

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Columbia River Reader / July 15, 2020 / 19

People + Place from page 19

log rafts and old salvage rigs, SR-4 unveils the Columbia majestically, then climbs Eagle Cliff atop the north shore ridge before sauntering down to historic Cathlamet.

This is, in fact, our turnoff, but Road Ramblers, please take note for future reference: The remainder of this road, SR-4, this westbound Ocean Beach Highway, is spectacular and rewards a slow pace and no time deadline.

Improvement makes strait roads,

Viking ship panel above Norse Hall entry door created

by Heart of Glass, Astoria, Ore.

but the crooked roads without Improvement, are roads of Genius.

~William Blake “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell”

Norse Hall 444 SR-409, Puget Island, Washington

Ambling through Skamokawa, a wonderful old river village, and Gray’s River, it winds up over KM Mountain and through the Willapa Hills.

Finally, skirting the Naselle River mouth and Willapa Bay, turn after slow, breathtaking, mind-bending turn, SR-4 offers endless variations of tides, mudflats, foliage and light.

It’s truly Blake’s Crooked Road without Improvement. A road of Genius.

Recently refurbished, Norse Hall anticipates a celebratory Ribbon Cutting and Open House once Covid-19 precautions allow, hopefully this Fall. Visitors may explore the mini-museum and admire improvements, including stunning new upper level lights (generously provided by Elwood Enge).

Bingo: Second Saturday of each month, 6–8pm, will resume when allowed.

Snacks available for purchase. Public welcome.

Your destination: the glorious edge of the world, the Pacific Ocean and under-appreciated Long Beach Peninsula, with 20 miles of drivable(!) sand beach.

•••

Event Space: The spacious, two-level Hall, with kitchen and restrooms, is available for rent to private groups.

For more information, call Cheryl Nelson, 360-431-7120.

Hal Calbom is a third generation Longview native who makes his living as a film producer, educator, and writer. His new book, Resourceful: Leadership and Communications in a Relationship Age,

IF YOU GO Puget Island Tour

serves as basis for keynote speeches, workshops, and online training.

He is editor of The

Driving directions: From Longview, take SR-4 west 25 miles to Cathlamet, follow signs, cross bridge to Puget Island. From Rainier, drive west on OR-30 22.6 miles to Westport, follow signs to ferry.

The ferry operates daily, departing on the hour from Puget Island, 15 min past the hour from Westport. Limited hours during Covid-19: 5–9:30am and 3:30–8:30pm. For updates call Ferry Hotline 360-795-7867.

One-way fares: $6 passenger cars, pickups under 22 ft. $4 Motorcycles • 3 Bicycles • $2 Foot passengers

Tidewater Reach, Field Guide to the Lower Columbia River in Poems and Pictures,

just published by Columbia River Reader Press.

STILL HERE AFTER 38 YEARS

But our Columbia Theatre needs everyone’s help. Coronavirus closures caused the loss of revenue from the Theatre’s annual fundraiser, and many canceled shows. Please help keep this community gem surviving, and thriving.

20 / Columbia River Reader /July 15, 2020

Please join me in supporting Longview Outdoor Gallery’s goal of purchasing six more sculptures in time for the City’s 2023 Centennial. Mail your tax-deductible donation to Longview Outdoor Gallery LPSG, PO Box 2804, Longview WA 98632

Paul W. Thompson

PLEASE DONATE $38 OR MORE NOW! columbiatheatre.com PO Box 1026, Longview, WA 98632

23 by 23

CRR’s Man in the Kitchen Emeritus

Proud Sponsor of People+Place

Proud sponsorofofPeople+Place People+Place Proud Sponsor

“Cetus, Guardian of the Sea,” by Brian Berman, located at Commerce and Hudson, one of 17 sculptures given to the City over the last eight years.

To learn more or donate online, visit www.longviewlog.org

Roland on Wine

Wine: The Sensuous Beverage

people + place Hal Calbom’s

Favorite Road Books Back Roads of Washington

by Earl Thollander

One third sketches, one third lyrical descriptions, one third maps — and the whole completely charming. Willard Espy wrote the forward for this ambling, easygoing classic.

Coast Country

by Lucille McDonald.

A brief, modest, and comprehensive history of Southwest Washington.

McDonald was a native of Portland, a Seattle newspaperwoman, and entirely smitten with the Lower Columbia and its relatively recent, but dramatic, story.

Blue Highways

by William Least Heat-Moon

National in scope but local in spirit, this is the book that enshrined the two-lane road trip for many travelers and readers. Today the term “blue highway” embodies more than a map reference: it’s a state of mind.

River Horse

by William Least Heat-Moon.

Sequel to Blue Highways, Heat-Moon travels from Astoria, Queens, to Astoria, Oregon, in his 21-foot boat Nikawa (Osage for River-Horse) and a battered trailer for portages.

Dharma Bums

by Jack Kerouac.

On the Road invoked the spirit of the getaway. Dharma Bums invokes the spirit of the destination.

From Bay Area bungalow to whiteknuckled treks in the Sierra, climbing to an isolated fire watcher’s shack in the North Cascades, Kerouac’s thinly fictionalized tribute to poet Gary Snyder puts Zen practice into people and place.

Seduction, uncorked

By Marc Roland

W

hat is the best wine in the world? It’s the one you’re drinking! Come on, let’s get real about wine. Only a fraction of 1% of the world’s wine drinkers think about this question and even less can afford it. So the conversation should be around the question of how to find really good wine for an affordable price. After writing this column for a while now, I realize this is important to me. I think I know why. It has to do with why we drink wine in the first place. We drink because it is the ultimate sensual experience. It effects all parts of our body. First the palette. The sensation of sweet, savory, mouth-watering crispness, bitterness, dryness, and the hundreds of tertiary flavors associated with different wines titillate our senses. I hesitate to say that no other drink has the variations of flavors that wine does, but only because I haven’t found it yet.

its seductive nature. Sommelier Alessandra Rotondi does and hosts wine tastings that allow participants to explore the fine art of using wine to spark passion and amorous feelings. Maybe I should do that! She equates a wine tasting to a first date. You often start a wine tasting with a bubbly – a prosecco or champagne – which often makes your lips tingly. Moving on to a white wine, Rotondi talks about the fragrances and the transparency of the wine, “much like the fragrances of a person and your ability to getting to know them.” Next is your red wine. Here, she discusses the body of the wine and the discovery of it. And in Italy the dessert wines are called “the pajamas wine because they arrive at the end,” says Rotondi.

As always, my advice is think about wine more. Good wine is affordable and the benefits immense. I hope your interest has been piqued.

I am stymied by the popularity of fortified sparkling water beverages. Not that I don’t think they have their place as a viable delivery vehicle for ethyl alcohol, but the taste is one dimensional like KoolAid. It goes down fast and doesn’t satisfy. Summer is here, so for those on the move, hanging out at the beach, it may be perfect, but I don’t see myself sipping White Claw (OK, I named it, it’s a hard seltzer)at Thanksgiving dinner. I’m really not a wine snob, but I do want to encourage readers to discover the joy of flavor! So the beverage you are drinking is the best because you chose it, you like it, and you paid the price for it.

Secondly, The sensual effect of wine is enhanced because it is often consumed more slowly and in the company of friends and lovers. This is why wine is the drink of choice for celebrations that focus on relationships. How many of you use Bud Light to toast someone you love? I would be surprised to see White Claw in the hand of a groom at his wedding celebration. Wine is meant to be sipped and enjoyed, not pounded down. It is the difference between making love and just having sex! At it’s best, drinking wine is a thoughtful drink that focuses on the people you are drinking it with—thus accelerating the feeling of goodwill and congeniality.

Thirdly, the sensuality of wine is rooted in history. People have written about it for centuries.

“Where there is no wine, there is no love” ~ Euripides. They can’t all be wrong. We don’t talk enough about the sensuality of wine or

••• 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 360-8467304.

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mcthreadsartworks.com mcthreads@gmail.com Columbia River Reader / July 15, 2020 / 21

Where do you read

THE READER?

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Longview residents Tom and Joanna Lee on their wedding day, April 20, 2020.

Their big wedding was canceled by the Covid pandemic so they had a socially distanced wedding in Cathedral Park in Portland, complete with the Reader.

Doesn’t everyone read CRR at their wedding?

Photo by Steele Photography

A former logger and local small business owner, Brian Blake is OUR independent voice for Southwest Washington Passed legislation to keep local biomass facilities open, preserving hundreds of jobs Funded local retraining programs for displaced workers and soldiers returning home Protected K-12 and higher education from further cuts

Send Brian Blake back to Olympia working for us!

Paid for by the Committee To Elect Brian Blake (D) • www.electbrianblake.com • repbrianblake@msn.com • 360-589-0123

22 / Columbia River Reader /July 15, 2020

WHERE DO YOU READ THE READER?

Send your photo reading the Reader (high-resolution JPEG) to Publisher@CRReader.com. Include names and cities of residence. We make it a practice to acknowledge photos received; if you don’t receive an acknowledgment within 5 days, please re-send. If sending a cell phone photo, choose the largest file size up to 2 MB. Few readers are traveling to CHALLENGE faraway places during the Coronavirus, but OF COURSE you are still reading the Reader ... Please send photos showing us where... your backyard? the bathtub? At the drive-thru? Express your creativity and humor!

The Natural World

Reality Check

By Dr. Robert Michael Pyle

W

hen I was a boy, my family’s escape routes from the suburbs to the mountains were any one of a dozen canyon roads into the Front Range west of Denver.

Each one — Boulder Creek, Clear Creek, Coal Creek, Turkey Creek — had its own traits, which we came to know and watch for. Heading up Deer Creek, for example, leaving the weedy flats and cutting through the hogback into red hills of Gambel oaks, I always looked for the funny little sign that read: OLEO ACRES—ONE OF THE CHEAPER SPREADS. “Oleo” was short for oleomargarine, the recently concocted substitute for butter. The pun referred to early TV advertisements that maintained that “the cheaper spreads” would never match real butter’s flavor or quality.

But since we always used margarine, I didn’t know any better. By the time I came to fully appreciate butter, cholesterol had come along, and it was too late to enjoy “the real thing” in good heart. (Though now we know that margarine, with its saturated fats, was much worse.)

So, what is real, anyway? A recent trip to Okinawa offered several opportunities to consider the question

WO

RKSHOP

S

point-blank. From the first morning’s gaze out my hotel window, I could see that Naha, the capital of the ancient Ryukyu Kingdom and of modem Okinawa, was of mostly recent construction. The Battle of Okinawa in 1944 had devastated the old city, leveling most of the wooden houses and coral-bedrock structures built over hundreds of years as if they’d grown out of the earth. Virtually all of the postwar buildings, strongly contrasting with the few surviving old houses, are made of cast concrete. Even the vast Shuri-jo Castle, a baroque confection of red-stained wood, coral limestone, and tile, has been rebuilt.

The present skyline may or may not follow traditional architecture, but does this render it inauthentic? In his essay “Walking Downtown Naha,” Gary Snyder described the newer buildings as being saved from the sameness one might expect in postwar concrete boxes by their varied shapes, colors, and lines; “they are jumbled, skewed, winding, tangential, and they rise and break with the rolling terrain,” he writes — in other words, they are organic.

Among the few vestiges of what came before, several stone pavements run steeply from the castle hill down into the warren of the old city.

These paths cut a cross-section through uplifted coral cliffs

After August First New Door / Same Building 1309 Hudson Street UPTown & Down Home

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Robert Michael Pyle is a naturalist and writer who has resided along Gray’s River in Wahkiakum County for many years. His 23 books include the Northwest classics Wintergreen, Sky Time in Gray’s River, and Where Bigfoot Walks, as well as The Thunder Tree, Chasing Monarchs, Mariposa Road, a flight of butterfly books, and three collections of poems. His newest titles are Butterflies of the Pacific Northwest, Magdalena Mountain: a Novel, and The Tidewater Reach: Field Guide to the Lower Columbia River in Poems and Pictures (with Judy VanderMaten, just published by CRRPress). See page 2.

Photo by David Lee Myers

This is the 25th in a series of selected essays to appear in Columbia River Reader. These were originally published in Orion Afield or Orion Magazine in the author’s column, “The Tangled Bank” and, subsequently, in the book of the same name published by Oregon State University Press in 2012.

whose eroded calcium carbonate is pocked with crannies, hollows, and cavelets stuffed with ferns and other limestone-loving plants. Concrete is another source of calcium carbonate, the soluble lime from which caves are carved by water and time.

So it too becomes water-pocked, providing nooks for many of the same plants that colonize the coral walls. One particular plant, a vine called creeping fig (Ficus pumila), has tough, heart-shaped leaves that cling flat against the substrate and soften almost every hard surface in sight into a Cambodian or Mayan ruin. Along with the usual algae, lichens, and mosses seeking any place to grow, and the assiduous gardening by residents on every patch of exposed soil, these greens lend a living veneer to this city of cement. I came upon a tiny, ferny grotto behind our hotel,

fashioned from both cut coral chunks and concrete, molded to receive and pool a little spring. Hunkering between the shiny hotel tower and a palm-and-cane covered hill, it eased the passage from the manufactured to the growing, the human to the morethan, and sublimely demonstrated the relativity of “real nature.”

It happens that Gary Snyder was also in Naha, where we were attending a conference of the Japanese branch of the Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment. In his keynote talk, he likened a working urban infrastructure to a state of ecological climax. Thinking of it that way, he said, gives a great opportunity for urban haiku. The urban and the rural, Snyder feels, are parts of the same phenomenal universe as the wild. Later, on a field trip to a historic site, I was scanning the off-coast rocks for birds. When Gary asked what I saw, I pointed out a gray heron perched on a mushroom-shaped remnant of reef.

He glassed the peaceful scene. Then, grinning his impish poet’s grin, he whipped off an instant haiku invoking the ancient castle site, the heron, and the tourist buses. The border between what’s natural and what’s not slipped another notch. For “natural,” like “real,” is often counterposed to “artificial,” or “mechanical.” Yet surely Snyder is right: nature includes the whole show, both oleo and butter, concrete and coral, birds and bushes and buses.

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By Linda Keller Good eyebrows are more important now than ever!

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Still more dimensions to this question came out starkly during the conference.

In my talk, I reiterated an idea cont page 24

Columbia River Reader / July 15, 2020 / 23

Tangled Bank

from page 23

BESIDES COLUMBIA RIVER READER...

I call the “extinction of experience,” whereby the loss of common local species within people’s easy reach leads to alienation, apathy, and further extinction—a particularly vicious cycle of disaffection and loss. A great naturalist and activist from Hokkaido, Mamoru Odajima, responded with a shocking story about children of his district who have long acquired and kept large stag beetles for pets. But as wild beetles have become scarce, they are more commonly bought than caught. Now, when the beetles die, the boys sometimes ask if they can get more batteries for their “toys.” Well, why shouldn’t they think the insects have simply broken down? After all, they didn’t crawl through the brush to catch their beetles; and battery-driven puppies have been a big item here in recent years. Another speaker, Shoko Itoh, a scholar of American literature from Hiroshima, admitted that the great majority of children’s free time is likely to be spent these days in what she called “the technosphere:” on computer games, the Internet, and other electronically assisted activities.

This being the case, she wondered, shouldn’t we recognize the fact, and accord the technosphere its due place as experience worth having?

Maybe so. Virtual experience snaps the synapses just the same as the actual: I feel, therefore I am. And maybe that would be good enough, if it weren’t for the fact that living systems desperately need saving, and few people care enough to conserve something they know only secondhand. But how much experience is enough? If you can’t have wild nature, will captive do? Or how about the mere representation of the real? Our hotel in Naha posed a couple of piquant teasers along these lines.

Inside the front door stood an endemic Okinawan shrub with shiny palmate leaves, hung with dozens of brilliant golden chrysalides—the pupae of a big, black-and-white Asian relative of the monarch called the rice-paper butterfly (Idea leuconoe). The hotel maintained a large butterfly cage where the larvae were reared on milkweed vines twined around trellises placed near the shrubs, so the wandering larvae would pupate on the ornamental bushes. These were then removed to the lobby as decorations, like lit-up Christmas trees. When the butterflies emerged a week or two later, they’d be released as part of an effort to re-establish the species in the city. Those who noticed the gilded pellets, as brilliant as polished drop earrings, were delighted and perhaps even inspired by them.

What are you reading?

Mini-feature coordinated by Alan Rose Jayber Crow: The Life Story of Jayber Crow, Barber, of the Port William Membership as Written by Himself.

By Wendell Berry

T

By Jeff Stookey

his is a book about the tensions between Heaven and Hell, between loving your neighbors and hating your neighbors, and the possibility of redeeming those hatreds. It’s about love for a vanishing way of farming life in and around the small town of Port William, Kentucky, along the banks of an unnamed river, and about the generations of people who inhabited that land from the early 1900s to the 1980s.

And who better able to tell that story than the town barber? Jayber says that knowledge comes to the town barber Jeff Stookey was born and raised in the Okanogan River valley of north central Washington State. He is the author of Medicine for the Blues trilogy, now available as audio books from audiobooks. com, libro.fm/audiobooks, bookmate.com, and other vendors, as well as in paperback and as eBooks. Sign up for his newsletter at JeffStookey.com.

In that same lobby, piped-in birdsong greeted me each morning when I came down to breakfast. This was pleasant.

But would it move anyone, as the pallid thrushes and mauve violets behind the hotel moved me, to prowl farther along the wooded path?

Or how about the fish I saw at the end of my visit? While bidding goodbye to Gary, Korean poet Ko Un, and others in the Kansai airport in Osaka, I noticed an aquarium in the boarding area. Even captive fish can enliven an indoor wait, so I sidled up to the pretty fish and bubbles and...they turned into an advertisement! The fish were virtual; the “aquarium,” a cleverly designed video screen. Still they were riveting, until they vanished in favor of changing ads for Coke or Toyota, and the illusion was lost. The fish presumably were real, somewhere. But here and now, the fish, the bubbles, and the seaweed were merely excited pixels in an electronic tube. The phenomenon was real, all right, but the nature was nothing but bogus.

24 / Columbia River Reader /July 15, 2020

as cats come to the milking barn. He hears the gossip, the stories, the history, from the many different men whose hair he cuts, as well as from those who come to “loaf” in his shop. He’s able to see and feel and re-tell those stories, understanding them from all sides. That is the greatness of this book: its honesty and its compassion. It is a book about America.

There is too much to say about why I love this book. I love its many anecdotes, its many characters, its evocation of a landscape and a way of life. It challenges me to love my world as much as Jayber Crow loves his, with all its beauty and shortcomings.

Anyone interested in fine writing, great literature, and a reading experience that will break open your heart should read this beautiful book.

••• From the other side of the ocean, I can see that Okinawa broadened my notion of reality. But thanks to those airport fish, one of my deepest convictions remains intact: a bird in the bush is worth a thousand pictures.

•••

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

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Cover to Cover

Top 10 Bestsellers PAPERBACK FICTION 1. City of Girls Elizabeth Gilbert, Riverhead Books, $17 2. Circe Madeline Miller, Back Bay, $16.99 3. Girl, Woman, Other Bernardine Evaristo, Grove Press/Black Cat, $17 4. Little Fires Everywhere Celeste Ng, Penguin, $17 5. The Overstory Richard Powers, Norton, $18.95 6. Normal People Sally Rooney, Hogarth, $17 7. The Beekeeper of Aleppo Christy Lefteri, Ballantine, $17 8. A Gentleman in Moscow Amor Towles, Penguin, $17 9. Black Leopard, Red Wolf Marlon James, Riverhead Books, $18 10. The Island of Sea Women Lisa See, Scribner, $18

PAPERBACK NON-FICTION 1. White Fragility Robin DiAngelo, Beacon Press, $16 2. So You Want to Talk About Race Ijeoma Oluo, Seal Press, $16.99 3. Stamped from the Beginning Ibram X. Kendi, Bold Type Books, $19.99 4. Just Mercy Bryan Stevenson, One World, $17 5. Born a Crime Trevor Noah, One World, $18 6. The New Jim Crow Michelle Alexander, New Press, $18.99 7. The Fire Next Time James Baldwin, Vintage, $13.95 8. The Color of Law Richard Rothstein, Liveright, $17.95 9. Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed Editions, $18 10. Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?

Beverly Daniel Tatum, Basic Books, $18.99

BOOK REVIEW

By Alan Rose The Nickel Boys

By Colson Whitehead Doubleday $24.95 Now also in Paperback

Even in death the boys were trouble.

Good stories reflect the quandaries of their times. The best stories reflect the quandaries of all times, those issues that remain basic to our evolving humanity.

It’s why we still read Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex or Shakespeare’s King Lear. They speak as much to our time as they once did to their own.

Colson Whitehead has recently won a second Pulitzer prize, placing him in a rather select company of authors.

His new novel, The Nickel Boys, is set during the early Civil Rights years. Elwood Curtis is an African

HARDCOVER FICTION

HARDCOVER NON-FICTION

1. The Vanishing Half Brit Bennett, Riverhead Books, $27 2. Where the Crawdads Sing Delia Owens, Putnam, $263.

3. Death in Her Hands Ottessa Moshfegh, Penguin Press, $27 4. A Burning Megha Majumdar, Knopf, $25.95 5. Fair Warning Michael Connelly, Little Brown, $29 6. Deacon King Kong James McBride, Riverhead Books, $28 7. The Water Dancer Ta-Nehisi Coates, One World, $28 8. The Dutch House Ann Patchett, Harper, $27.99 9. The City We Became N.K. Jemisin, Orbit, $28 10. Camino Winds John Grisham, Doubleday, $28.95

1. How to Be an Antiracist Ibram X. Kendi, One World, $27 2. The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir John Bolton, S&S, $32.50 3. Untamed Glennon Doyle, The Dial Press, $28 4. Breath James Nestor, Riverhead Books, $28 5. The Splendid and the Vile Erik Larson, Crown, $32 6. Between the World and Me Ta-Nehisi Coates, One World, $26 7. Me and White Supremacy Layla Saad, Sourcebooks, $25.99 8. I’m Still Here Austin Channing Brown, Convergent Books, $25 9. What It’s Like to Be a Bird David Allen Sibley, Knopf, $35 10. Educated Tara Westover, Random House, $28

Brought to you by Book Sense and Pacific Northwest Booksellers Assn, for week ending June 28, 2020, 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 MASS MARKET 1. Dune Frank Herbert, Ace, $10.99 2. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou, Ballantine, $7.99, 3. 1984 George Orwell, Signet, $9.99 4. Ender’s Game Orson Scott Card, Tor, $7.99 5. The Way of Kings Brandon Sanderson, Tor, $9.99 6. The Left Hand of Darkness Ursula K. Le Guin, Ace, $9.99 7. The Cabin at the End of the World Paul Tremblay, Morrow, $7.99 8. The Eye of the World Robert Jordan, Tor, $10.99 9. The Fiery Cross Diana Gabaldon, Dell, $9.99 10. Blue Moon Lee Child, Dell, $9.99

EARLY & MIDDLE GRADE READERS 1. This Book Is Anti-Racist Tiffany Jewell, Aurelia Durand (Illus.), Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, $14.99 2. New Kid Jerry Craft, Harper, $12.99 3. The One and Only Bob Katherine Applegate, Patricia Castelao (Illus.), Harper, $18.99 4. Guts Raina Telgemeier, Graphix, $12.99 5. Ghosts Raina Telgemeier, Graphix, $10.99 6. Bob Wendy Mass, Rebecca Stead, Nicholas Gannon (Illus.), Square Fish, $7.99 7. A Wolf Called Wander Rosanne Parry, Monica Armino (Illus.), Greenwillow Books, $16.99 8. Brown Girl Dreaming Jacqueline Woodson, Puffin, $10.99, 9. The One and Only Ivan Katherine Applegate, Patricia Castelao (Illus.), Harper, $8.99 10. Sisters Raina Telgemeier, Graphix, $10.99

Brotherhood of Broken Boys American youth inspired by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to “be somebody.” Raised by his grandmother, he excels at school and is on his way to college when he is mistakenly involved in a crime and then sentenced to the Nickel Academy, a reformatory for youthful offenders, but also housing boys who were orphans or abandoned and who the state had nowhere else to place.

They refer to themselves as the Nickel boys “because their lives weren’t worth five cents.”

Based on the scandalous Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Florida, Nickel Academy’s staff ranges from the apathetic to the downright sadistic; corruption is standard, and the boys are abused emotionally, physically, and sexually, becoming part of “the infinite brotherhood of broken boys.”

The discovery of the bodies was an expensive complication for the real estate company awaiting the all clear from the environmental study, and for the state’s attorney, which had recently closed an investigation into the abuse stories. Now they had to start a new inquiry, establish the identities of the deceased and the manner of death, and there was no telling when the whole damned place could be razed, cleared, and neatly erased from history, which everyone agreed was long overdue.

~ from The Nickel Boys

into bitterness, discord, and rage? The optimist in me has to believe in a better future for my children, but the pessimist maintains that we have a long and troublesome path ahead, as we always have. In the story of Elwood and Turner, my two Nickel Boys, I tried to find a method to dramatize my existential quandary.”

It is our nation’s existential quandary as well. At the end, Whitehead offers a surprising twist that leaves the reader with a sense of profound loss—what we as a society have lost. The Nickel Boys could have been worth much more than five cents.

•••

world works, especially for black boys, and he becomes Elwood’s mentor on how to survive in the real world.

At Nickel, Elwood’s life changes abruptly and irrevocably. Amid this hell, he’s befriended by Turner, who, unlike Elwood, has no illusions, no dreams, nor any interest in Dr. King’s high ideals. Turner knows how the

This gripping story raises enduring questions—about race, incarceration, reform and punishment, the value we place on youth such as Elwood and Turner, and about the kind of society that tolerates “reformatories” like the Dozier School for Boys.

Alan Rose, author of Tales of Tokyo, The Legacy of Emily Hargraves, and The Unforgiven, organizes the monthly WordFest gatherings, which are temporarily suspended. His next novel, about the AIDS epidemic, As If Death Summoned, will be published in 2020 by Amble Press/Bywater Books. More book reviews, author interviews, and news updates can be found at www.alan-rose.com.

In a foreword, Whitehead discusses the soul-source of his tale: “How to reconcile the racial progress we’ve made since my grandparents’ generation with our current regression

Drink Good Coffee, Read Good Books Located in the historic Castle Rock Bank Building 20 Cowlitz Street West Columbia River Reader / July 15, 2020 / 25

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

Sun-Thurs 11am–9pm. Fri-Sat 11am–10pm. 503-728-2922

COLUMBIA RIVER

dining guide

Kelso, Wash.

The Original Pietrio’s Pizzeria

614 Commerce Ave., Longview. 18 varieties of pizza, prepared salads. Beer & wine. Open 11am every day. Inside seating by reservation only.

360-353-3512.

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

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

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

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

Open daily 11am.

503-556-9753 Conestoga Pub Cornerstone Café 102 East “A” Street Microbrews, wines & spirits Prime rib Friday & Sat. Open M-F 6am–8pm; Sat-Sun 7am–8pm.

503-556-8772.

1626 West Side Hwy Family Mexican restaurant. Full Mexican menu. Daily specials. Liquor, beer & wine.

Mention this listing for $5 off purchase of $30 or more. Open Mon–Sat 11am–9pm.

360-423-3704.

Longview, Wash.

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

M-W 12 Noon–9pm, Th–Sat 12 Noon– 11pm. Sun 12 Noon–8pm. Local music.

Follow us on Untappd.

See ad, page 10.

Luigi’s Pizza

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

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

26 / Columbia River Reader /July 15, 2020

3353 Washington Way Chinese & American food. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Full bar. Food to go during open hours. Families welcome. Deliveries available after 5pm. Call for Live Music on Saturdays. Open Tues-Sun, 8am–9pm. Phone: 360-423-8680

The Carriage Restaurant & Lounge The Carriage Restaurant & Lounge 1334 12th Ave. Open from 6am to close. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Full bar, banquet room available for groups, parties, family reunions, etc. in lounge, open 6am. Three happy hours daily (8–10am, 12–2pm, 5–7pm). Group meeting room, free use with $150 food/drink purchases.

360-425-8545.

115-117 East 1st Street Burgers, halibut, prime rib, full bar.

503-556-9935

70255 Columbia River Hwy. (Milepost 31, Hwy. 30) Food, beer & wine + full bar, Live entertainment. 2–10pm M-T-W; 11am–10pm Th-F-Sat 503-556-4090.

215 N. Hendrickson Dr., Port of Kalama.

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

Handcrafted beer, wine & cocktails, burgers, specialties, incl Kamikaze Seared Ahi & more. Live music, art, history & riverfront hotel rooms. Info & reservations at mcmenamins.com. Bars hours vary; see website for details. Pub open M-Th 7am – midnight; Fri-Sun 7am– 1am. Reservations required for dinner. 360- 673-9210.

St. Helens, Oregon

Regent & Woodshed

Evergreen Pub & Café

Goble Tavern

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

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

Kalama

Freddy’s Just for the Halibut.

Cod, halibut & tuna fish and chips, oysters & clams, award-winning clam chowder.

Prime rib every Thurs. Sunday Brunch 9am–1pm. Beer and wine. M-Sat 10am– 8pm, Sunday 11am–8pm.

1110 Commerce 360-414-3288.

See ad, page 10.

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. 360-577-1541

Grant’s at the Monticello

Hotel on Longview’s historic Civic Circle. Casual upscale dining. Seafood, steaks, pasta, burgers. Happy Hour specials 3pm. M-Th 11-9, Fri-Sat 11-10.

360-442-8234.

Sunshine Pizza & Catering 2124 Columbia Blvd.

Hot pizza, cool salad bar. Beer & wine.

503-397-3211 See ad, page 34.

Scappoose, Oregon

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

Casual ambience. 5–9pm Wed-Fri, Sat. 11–3. See ad, page 8.

Fultano’s Pizza 51511 SE 2nd.

Family style with unique pizza offerings, hot grill items & more! “Best pizza around!”

Sun–Th 11am–9pm; Fri-Sat 11am– 10pm. Full bar service ‘til 10pm Fri & Sat. Deliveries in Scappoose. 503-5435100.

Teri’s, 3225 Ocean Beach Hwy, Longview. Lunch and dinner.

Burgers, steak, seafood, pasta, specials, fresh NW cuisine. Happy Hour. Full bar.

360-577-0717.

Ixtapa Fine Mexican Restaurant

Roland Wines

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

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

360-967-2333.

Vault Books & Brew 20 Cowlitz Street West Coffee and specialty drinks, quick eats & sweet treats. See ad, page 25.

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

Mark’s on the Channel

34326 Johnson Landing, Scappoose, Ore. Floating restaurant. Fish & Chips, Burgers & Sandwiches, Marina setting.

Open year-round, See ad, page 8.

Warren

Toutle/Mt. St. Helens

Fire Mountain Grill. Mile 19, 9440 Spirit Lake Highway, ThursMon, 11–6 (or later). Newly remodeled.

Lunch & dinner. Burgers, steaks, seafood, homemade cobblers. Riverside dining.

360-274-5217

Warren Country Inn 56575 Columbia River Hwy. Fine family dining. Breakfast, lunch & dinner. Fri Prime Rib special, Taco Tuesday. Full bar. M-Th 8am–9:30pm, Fri-Sat 8am–10:30pm, Sun 9am–9pm. Karaoke Fri & Sat.503-410-5479.

COLUMBIA RIVER DINING GUIDE

Welcome back to dining out!

During Phases 2 and 3 re-opening after Coronavirus closures, restaurants’ hours and days of operation may fluctuate. Expect limits on seating capacity and per-table group size, in accordance with State guidelines. Call first if in doubt. Please support our local restaurants they are vital in the economic and social life of our community!

Internal Medicine & Preventative Care Open Every Day for Your Convenience Holidays & Weekends Included

WE DO ULTRASOUND

Richard A. Kirkpatrick, M.D., FACP

Dara M. Newberry, RN, MSN, DNP

Brooke Wethington, BS, MPAS, PA-C

Nicholas Austin MSPAS, PA-C

Melanie Hughes, BS, MPAS, PA-C

Karen L. Joiner, RN, MSN, ARNP

Dr. Toddrick Tookes, DPM, Podiatrist

Vlad Bogin, M.D., FACP

We Accept Most Insurance Plans Telemedicine Visits Available Temporary clinic hours: Mon-Fri, 8am to 6pm Sat, 9am to 1pm Sun, Noon to 4pm

Future salesman Columbia River Carpet

See store for details

360-423-9580

No interest for 12 months

1706 Washington Way, Longview

Waterproof Kid-proof Pet-proof flooring 10,000 ft Luxury Vinyl Planks 2 colors

Rachel Roylance, BS, MPAP, PA-C

ON THE CIVIC CENTER www.kirkpatrickfamilycare.com

Kirkpatrick Foot & Ankle

1 Sale Price Price ($3 Reg. price) *See store for details

$ 99

99

R OPEN FOS !

ES S–I4N BUU T A S – N • MO RS 9 HO

WA LIC. COLUMR529 LQN, OR: 145 www.Carpetone.com

105 B. Street West Rainier, OR Phone: 503-556-0171 Toll Free: 800-886-0171

Dr. Toddrick Tookes, DPM, Podiatrist

• American Board of Podiatric Surgery • Diabetic Foot Care • Ingrown Toenails • Heel & Arch Pain • Foot Surgery • Fungal Conditions • Wound Care • U.S. Navy Veteran

360-575-9161

783 Commerce Ave. Suite 120 BOTH BUSINESSES UNDER SAME OWNERSHIP Columbia River Reader / July 15, 2020 / 27

Longview Orthopedic Associates Offers Help for Patients with Joint Pain

M

ore than 50 million Americans have been diagnosed with arthritis. Of those, more than half report that joint pain limits their quality of life.

The skilled staff at Longview Orthopedic Associates can provide the help you need. Bill Turner, Jon Kretzler, Peter Kung, A.J. Lauder,

Dr. Turner, MD

Jake McLeod, and Tony Lin specialize in treating knee, hip, shoulder, ankle, and wrist problems.

Don’t let joint pain prevent you from enjoying life to its fullest. Call today to schedule an appointment with the area’s best-trained and most experienced orthopedic team.

Dr. Kretzler, MD

Dr. Lauder, MD

Dr. McLeod, DPM

Dr. Kung, MD

Dr. Lin, MD

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

360.501.3400

28 / Columbia River Reader /July 15, 2020

the Lower Columbia

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, regularlyrefilled sidewalk box and rack locations where you can pick up a copy any time of day and even in your bathrobe ...

WESTPORT LONGVIEW Wauna mill U.S. Bank parking lot Post Office Bob’s (rack, main check-out) RAINIER In front of 1232 Commerce Ave Post Office In front of 1323 Commerce Ave Cornerstone YMCA Rainier Hardware Fred Meyer (rack, service desk area) (rack, entry) Teri’s Earth ‘n’ Sun (on Hwy 30) Grocery Outlet El Tapatio (entry rack) Fibre Fed’l CU - Commerce Ave Grocery Outlet Monticello Hotel (front entrance) DEER ISLAND Kaiser Permanente Deer Island Store St. John Medical Center (rack, Park Lake Café) COLUMBIA CITY - Post Office LCC Student Center WARREN Regents Warren Country Inn Indie Way Diner ST HELENS Columbia River Reader Office Chamber of Commerce 1333 14th Ave. Sunshine Pizza KELSO Post Office Heritage Bank Olde Town (Wild Currant) Visitors’ Center / Kelso-Longview Safeway Chamber of Commerce SCAPPOOSE KALAMA Post Office Fibre Fed’l CU Road Runner Kalama Shopping Center Fultano’s

corner of First & Fir To find the 24/7 Ace Hardware McMenamin’s Harbor Lodge pick-up point WARRENTON, OR nearest you, WOODLAND Fred Meyer visit crreader.

Visitors’ Center com and click CATHLAMET “Find the CASTLE ROCK Magazine” tab.

Lacie Rha’s Cafe (32 Cowlitz W.) Cathlamet Pharmacy Tsuga Gallery Parker’s Restaurant (box, entry) Puget Island Ferry Landing Visitors’ Center 890 Huntington Ave. N. Exit 49, west side of I-5

RYDERWOOD Café porch CLATSKANIE Post Office Chevron / Mini-Mart Fultano’s Pizza

SKAMOKAWA Skamokawa General Store NASELLE Appelo Archives & Café Johnson’s One-Stop

Auto, Home, Flood, Boat, RV, ATV Business & Commercial Insurance & Bonding

360-274-6991

25 A. ST. SW • CASTLE ROCK • 866-514-3356 LIFE • DISABILITY • LTCI BUSINESS CONTINUATION FUNDING INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP MEDICAL

FAST FRIENDLY SERVICE!

Informer

by Perry Piper

F

IT’S KOOKY! IT’S CRAZY!

rom reader submissions showing the effect of Covid-19 on summer holidays, we chose the following as most interesting and timely:

Stan Fouch Sr. with the DWCK a t B e a r d ’s Hollow.

Circa 1962.

“One of my fondest memories as a child was my dad, Stan Fouch Sr., driving our amphibious DWCK to Beard’s Hollow, Long Beach, Wash., to camp and celebrate the Fourth of July. These days,of course, due to pandemic-related restrictions, camping is closed at Beard’s Hollow. Dad would put the canopy on the DWCK and we’d drive onto the Long Beach main entrance and out into the ocean, going right through the breakers. What a thrill that was – those were the days!” ~ Judy Fouch Peters, Longview.

On the horizon Similar to the DWCK amphibious craft, this new electric truck has similarly-wild ambitions. The Tesla Cybertuck, a paint- and rust-free stainless steel powerhouse, will have a range up to 500 miles, the highest ever for an electric vehicle. Adding to the futuristic aesthetic, the truck comes with options for a solar roof and even an on-board separate electric vehicle ( ATV). All Tesla vehicles, including this one, are predicted to soon be selfdriving and profitable as robo taxis. I very excitedly await production in 2021.

If you like what you see, you’ll be glad to hear that Elon Musk has announced a

cross-country tour of the Cybertruck, so you can see it for yourself soon.

I look forward to meeting Elon’s youngest and sixth son, X Æ A- ii. I just hope I pronounce his name right.

••• Perry Piper keeps his “electric thumbs” on the pulse of emerging technologies. He is available to assist with computer and technology needs. See ad, page 30.

Columbia River Reader / July 15, 2020 / 29

Outings & Events

Miss Manners

from page 5

from home, what would be the appropriate protocol to celebrate our co-worker before her last day?

GENTLE READER: A luncheon.

It was always the employer’s responsibility to honor a retiring employee with a laudatory party, but some years ago, many refused to spend the money, leaving the remaining employees to supply both the appreciation and the expense.

Miss Manners always thought it a disgrace to shift the obligation of recognizing service to the retiree’s colleagues.

But at least it won’t cost you anything, as the luncheon will, of course, be virtual.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am a woman in her 60s and pride myself on my cooking. My sons and friends will vouch for my ability. I am also not above learning from others or taking suggestions.

That being said, the other night I was cooking some stuffed peppers in the oven. When I went to check on them, the tomato sauce looked very dark.

When I told my husband what I noticed, he said he had added some red wine.

I was livid. It’s one thing to come to me and say “Hey, how about adding ...” but to add it without me knowing was unacceptable. He seemed to think it was no big deal.

We are both in the wine and food industry. Do you think it is OK to alter someone else’s cooking while it is being cooked, and without asking or telling?

GENTLE READER: Not only is it not OK, it is a plot device for domestic murder mysteries. Miss Manners suggests you emphasize that point to your husband and make a deal going forward: No one may alter any food or drink in preparation without warning and explicit and verbal consent.

••• (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.)

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.)

Computer, phone, tablet bugging you?

I can help!

Hands-on lessons with your electronic devices at your home or CRR’s Downtown Longview office.

Call or text:

360-270-0608 PERRY PIPER PRODUCTIONS

30 / Columbia River Reader /July 15, 2020

As we re-open in Phase 2 and 3, please submit info (deadlines below), and watch these pages for Outings & Events details!

HOW TO PUBLICIZE YOUR NON-PROFIT EVENT IN CRR Send your non-commercial community event basic 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: Aug 15 – Sept 20:

by July 25 for Aug 15 issue Sept. 15 – Oct 20:

by Aug 25 for Sept 15 issue.

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

BROADWAY GALLERY 1418 Commerce Avenue , Longview, Wash See ad, page 234 First Thursdays and classes are cancelled until further notice, due to Pandemic.

NEW DAYS/HOURS: Tues thru Sat, 11-4 Social Distancing will be observed, Gallery members and customers must wear masks. Staff will follow cleaning procedures according to state mandates.

Featured artists:

July: New work by our 28 Co-Op artists August: Brian Lightfoot (carved walking sticks); Student Art Show.

We have Artisan Masks $7

Get the best care for your loved one.

Openings NOW!

Adult Family Home Advantages

Unsolicited submissions may be considered, provided they are consistent with the publication’s purpose. Advance contact with the editor is recommended.

Information of general interest submitted by readers may be used as background or incorporated in future articles.

Outings & Events calendar (free listing): Events must be open to the public. Non-profit organizations and the arts, entertainment, educational and recreational opportunities and community cultural events will receive listing priority.

Fundraisers must be sanctioned/sponsored by the benefiting non-profit organization.

Businesses and organizations wishing to promote their particular products or services are invited to purchase advertising..

Performing & Fine Arts, Music Art, Theatre, Literary Recreation, Outdoors Gardening, History, Pets, Self-Help

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

Welcoming new residents during Covid crisis!

PREMIE

R SENIO

R CARE

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

Drop in for a tour any time!

Outings & Events

TAKE A

HIKE

This friendly club welcomes newcomers.

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

RT(round trip) distances are from Longview.E=easy, M=moderate, S=strenuous, e.g.=elevation gain.

with Mt. St. Helens Club

Community / Farmers Markets Trunk Sale & Farmers Market Elochoman Marina, Cathlamet

Astoria Sunday Market

Sundays • 10–3 thru Oct 13 Downtown on 12th, just off Hwy 30, Astoria, Ore. • 503-325-1010 www.astoriasundaymarket.com

500 2nd St,, Cathlamet, Wash.

Fridays thru Sept 27 • 3–6pm cathlametmarina.org Deb Holland, Mgr: 360-849-9401

Due to the uncertainty of the pandemic, please note the following: 1) Hikes will take place only if the hike leader thinks it is safe to do so on that date.

2) Hiking groups may be limited, at the discretion of the hike leader.

3) Call the hike leader for any further information or instruction.

Castle Rock Farmers Market

4) Always be safe and protect yourself, be considerate of others during this pandemic.

Columbia-Pacific Farmers Market

Wed, July 15 Lake Sacajawea (E) Walk around the whole lake (3+ miles) or walk half the lake (1+ mile).

Leaders: Trudy & Ed 360-414-1160.

Wed, July 22 Lucia Falls/Moulton Falls (E) Drive 95 miles RT, Hike 4+ miles with views of river and falls. Little e.g.

Leader: John 360-431-1122.

Sat, July 25 Coldwater Butte (S) Drive 120 miles RT, Hike 12 miles RT with 2,200 ft. e.g. on the Boundary Trail for great views of Mt. St. Helens Monument Blast Zone. Leaders: Bruce 360-425-0256 or 360846-7940 cell.

Wed, Aug 5 Discovery Trail, Ilwaco (E/M) Drive 135 miles RT, Hike 5-6 miles RT. Hike up to North Head Lighthouse and return by way of Beard’s Hollow. Trail is fairly steep at the start for about 1/4 mile and will then ease up to a more gradual e.g.

Trail is paved. Leader: Art 360-270-9991.

Sat, Aug 8 Paradise Park (M/S) Drive 200 miles RT, Hike 12 miles with 2,300 ft. e.g. from Timberline Lodge to Paradise Park on the flanks of Mt. Hood.

Wildflowers, great meadows, and Mt. Hood views. This is an out-and-back trek, so you can do less than 12 miles and still get the full alpine experience. Leader George W 360-562-0001.

Wed, Aug 12 Crown Zellerbach Trail (E) Drive 50 miles RT to a beautiful leg of the C-Z Trail. Hike approx. 5 miles on a nice trail through lush forest with gradual e.g.

Leader: Bonny 503-556-2332.

Sat, Aug 15 Squirrel Bridge Walk (E) Walk 4+ miles through town and visit 7 squirrel bridges with a short talk about each. Leader: John 360-431-1122.

Haircut Express parking lot, 151 Huntington Ave.N, across from Castle Rock Bakery Sunday thru Sept • 1–5pm Fridays •12–3pm thru Sept Downtown Long Beach, Wash. www.longbeachwa.gov cpfmmallory@gmail.com 360-224-3921

Cowlitz Community Farmers Market

9–2, Tues (thru Sept) and Sat (thru October) 1900 7th Ave, Cowlitz Expo Center, Longview, Wash.

Wear masks, follow posted protocols, enter at north end. www.cowlitzfarmersmarkets.com Laurie Kochis 360-957-7023 lauriekochis@msn.com

Ilwaco Saturday Market

Saturdays, 10am–4pm Port of Ilwaco 165 Howerton Ave., Ilwaco Wash. www.portofilwaco.com

Scappoose Community Club Farmers Market

Saturdays thru Sept 26 • 9am–2pm Behind City Hall next to Heritage Park, 2nd St., Scappoose, Ore. www.scappoosefarmermarket.com Bill Blank 503-730-7429 scappoosefm@gmail.com

Lower Columbia School Gardens Produce Sale

Order online, lcschoolgardens.org, Wednesdays after 5pm. No-contact pickup process Friday afternoons at Northlake School Garden, 2210 Olympia Way, Longview, Wash. info@lcschoolgardens.org Questions: 360-200-8919

CRR gladly lists community-based Farmers Markets selling local produce in the Lower Columbia region. Send information to publisher@crreader.com.

Please indicate “Farmers’ Market listing” on the subject line.

Columbia River Reader / July 15, 2020 / 31

Community Life

Stageworks Northwest invites new Board members

By Larry Fox, Stageworks Northwest Artistic Director

I

t has been over 12 weeks since our lives were changed by the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak and created this exceedingly difficult time for our country.

New guidelines, which are still being established, will determine the process and procedures required to ensure the safety of our volunteers and you, our patrons. Rest assured that this is our primary focus.

This also creates opportunity for change, growth, and bringing in new ideas and people to help us take our theater to the next level.

Stageworks Northwest, like most businesses here in Longview, has taken a substantial loss on our ability to provide you with quality live performances. But we will reopen and the current Board of Directors along with our volunteers are working diligently to reopen this fall.

REAL ESTATE TIPS

For us to meet the new challenges and to grow as an organization, we are currently looking to recruit five new Board of Directors members to help us with this planning and transition. Elections are to be held in August and we are currently accepting applications for this volunteer position.

by Mike Wallin

Going FSBO? Three things you must think about f you’re a DIY type of person, Iwithout the thought of selling your home the help and expense of a

real estate broker may be attractive to you.

Although selling a home isn’t exactly rocket science, there is a lot that goes on during the transaction that the layperson knows nothing about.

If you insist on doing it yourself, take some time to consider some of the most challenging aspects of the process.

1. How much will you ask for the home?

Knowing the current market value of your home is the most important part of selling it.

Pricing a home too low is like taking a torch to a stack of your equity dollars and lighting them on fire.

Mike Wallin

Pricing a home too high is dangerous, as well. Overpriced homes tend to sit on the market, languishing, until the price is lowered.

2. Marketing is what gets homes sold Now that you know how much you’ll ask for the home, it’s time to determine your marketing plan: How will you get the word out to buyers that your home is for sale?

3. All that paperwork The National Association of REALTORS study finds that the most challenging aspect of the for-sale-by-owner process is dealing with the paperwork.

Not only will you need to locate the forms and contracts, but you’ll need to know how to fill them out correctly. Even one small mistake can be disastrous... (continued)

For the full article visit www.mikewallin.com https://mikewallin.com/real-estate-blog/going-fsbo-hereare-3-things-you-must-think-about/

Five Star Broker, REALTOR

Highest Rated Locally 360-560-3636 CELL

michaelkwallin@gmail.com 1140-11th Ave., Longview, WA By appointment only

32 / Columbia River Reader /July 15, 2020

Feel free to reach out to us with questions on this or any aspect of the home purchase process.

“To inspire, challenge, nurture, educate and empower artists and audiences through performance arts in order to strengthen a sense of community and enhance quality of life in the Lower Columbia River Region.”

Request applications at Stageworksboard@gmail.com Stageworks Northwest PO Box 2034, Longview, WA 98632 stageworksnorthwest.com Phone: 360-636-4488

~Mission of Stageworks Northwest, a 501c(3) non-profit organization dedicated to performance arts.

Astronomy

SKY REPORT

July 15 – Aug 20

Rise early — in your jammies or without — to see all five ‘naked eye’ planets

By Ted Gruber Evening Sky The two largest planets, Jupiter and Saturn, continue to rise a little sooner with each passing evening.

In mid-July, Jupiter rises in the southeast right at sunset, with Saturn following about 15 minutes later. By mid-August, both planets rise before sunset. Jupiter appears first in the evening twilight, and then Saturn becomes visible as the sky darkens.

Morning Sky If you’re up before sunrise in midJuly, you can see all five “naked eye” planets. Jupiter and Saturn set in the southwest just before sunrise. Mars rises in the east just after midnight, Venus in the east-northeast about 3:00am, followed by Mercury in the east-northeast about 4:30am. The latter three planets remain visible until disappearing in the morning sunlight.

Mars returns to the evening sky in late July, rising in the east just before midnight, and about 90 minutes earlier by mid-August.

Although Mercury only remains visible through very early August, the rest of August provides opportunities to see the other four morning planets.

By mid-August, Jupiter sets in the southwest just after 3:00am, followed

by Saturn about 45 minutes later. The red planet Mars and bright Venus remain visible until fading into the light of dawn. On the morning of August 15, Venus appears just to the south of a crescent moon.

On the evening of August 1, and continuing into the early morning hours of August 2, the nearly full moon sits just below Jupiter and Saturn. Brighter Jupiter appears west of the moon, and the ringed planet Saturn appears just east of it.

Time to review your insurance costs and coverages?

Perseids Meteor Shower The Perseids meteor shower is active from July 17 to August 24, peaking the night of August 11 into the pre-dawn hours of August 12. This is always one of the more popular showers each year because it occurs during warm summer nights and it typically produces a high volume of meteors – often about 100 per hour at the peak. This year a quarter moon at the peak will drown out the fainter Perseids, so only the brightest meteors will be visible, but you can still see Perseids throughout their active period, although at reduced rates. The shower is called the Perseids because

the meteors appear to emanate from a point in the constellation Perseus in the northeast sky.

••• Signing Off After almost three years of writing sky reports for CRR, this will be my final column. I’ve appreciated this opportunity to share my enthusiasm of astronomy with you. Keep looking up! ~Ted Gruber

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near Red Leaf Coffee on Ocean Beach Hwy We’re here for you during this uncertain time!

When one commissioner proposed giving away control of our $500 million landfill, Commissioner Weber said, “No!”. Working with our major customers, the cities and big employers, he crafted a set of management goals to make the landfill more environmentally sound and more profitable for taxpayers, while keeping rates for local customers the lowest west of the Cascades.

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3202 Ocean Beach Hwy • Suite 150 Longview, WA 98632

Up & running with lessons online...

Music lasts a lifetime.

Remember, we’re all in this together!

Piano Lessons A great investment in yourself or as a gift

When a federal budget bureaucrat cancelled promised funding for monitoring sediment flows down the Cowlitz, Commissioner Weber went back to Washington, DC, faced down that bureaucrat with the evidence that flood protection was at-risk, and won his promise that funding would be restored.

“Best presentation I have ever seen,” the bureaucrat later wrote.

When child custody cases in our court system faced a backlog of over two years because criminal cases get priority scheduling, Commissioner Weber said that kids shouldn't be suffering from such emotional turmoil in their crucial years. He convinced his colleagues it was time to add another judge to the bench - and he found the money to do it without raising taxes!

Martin E. Kauble Longview, WA

360-423-3072

(www.kaublepianostudio.com)

technique • theory • performance

Paid for by Weber for County Commissioner, PO Box 1042, Longview 98632

GOP

Columbia River Reader / July 15, 2020 / 33

in CRR’s bus. I figured they’d want to see Lake Sacajawea, maybe the Longview Community Church, the Monticello Hotel and the Columbia Theatre.

the spectator by ned piper

O

Longview’s Squirrel Bridges

ne might think that if Longview were to be “famous,” it would be due to its status as a rare planned city.

There was also a time when the city, named for its founder, Robert

A. Long, boasted the world’s largest sawmill. Longview was also the home of Molt Taylor, inventor of the Aerocar, the world’s first flying car. But there is another thing: Our squirrel bridges.

A few years ago, I was asked to drive nine visitors from Canada around town

1. The Nutty Narrows Bridge Olympia Way near 1525–18th Ave. Erected in 1963 by Amos Peters and believed to be the world’s first squirrel bridge. Peters constructed the bridge of aluminum and a fire hose after seeing squirrels attempting to cross Olympia Way from the Library grounds to the Old West Side neighborhood. A wooden squirrel statue (pictured, above left) is located near the Shay Locomotive next to the library.

2. Bruce Kamp Bridge 1318 Kessler Boulevard.

Erected in memory of Bruce Kamp in 2011.

Made of copper, and the first covered squirrel bridge in the world, this bridge’s 24/7 squirrel web cam is accessible from the lvsquirrelfest.com website.

As we stopped at each one, the visitors got out and spent about 20 minutes taking photos, oohing and ahhing over the tiny bridges. As luck would have it, we actually witnessed the rare sight of a squirrel crossing a bridge — the one located on the 1700 block of Kessler Blvd.

With this year’s SquirrelFest cancelled, I’m paying my own tribute by taking notice during my daily walks near Lake Sacajawea. A map and list of bridges are included here if you’d like to do the same. Maybe I’ll see you on the trail. Watch out for peanut shells in your hair!!

••• Ned Piper enjoys a love-hate relationship with local squirrels, some of whom have taken up residence in the Piper attic.

Thanks to readers who responded to his plea for help with suggestions of mothballs and ultrasonic, motion-activated owl-like devices. These seem to be doing the trick.

7. All-aluminum exact scale replica of Portland’s Fremont Bridge (pictured above) On Kessler Blvd near Kessler School at the south end of Lake Sacajawea.

Constructed by H&N Sheet Metal in W. Kelso, cut out by S & R Sheet Metal in Kelso, it is the longest bridge so far at 20 feet.

34 / Columbia River Reader /July 15, 2020

COVID-19 Customer Assistance

By Alice Dietz

C

owlitz PUD is committed to keeping our customers connected to essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency. If you are experiencing hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, you may be eligible for support, including long-term payment arrangements or bill assistance.

This does not relieve customers from the obligation to pay for utility services.

Warm Neighbor Program – Pledge assistance up to $300 for qualifying lowincome customers.

Discounted Rate Program – Reduced electric rate for qualifying low-income senior citizens (62+) or disabled customers. Contact CAP at 360-4253430 to schedule an appointment.

LIHEAP – Pledge assistance up to $1,000 for qualifying low-income customers.

Schedule an appointment with CAP at www.lowercolumbiacap.org.

Payment Arrangements – Various options such as: •Budget Pay – 12-months of equal payments •PrePay Debt Recovery – 25% of each payment goes towards your past due amount •Customized Repayment Plan – 6-month customized payment plan based on individual needs Contact Customer Service at 360.423.2210 or customerservice@ cowlitzpud.org to discuss which option is best for you.

4. OBEC Bridge Louisiana Street, near 1503 – 23rd Avenue. Constructed and donated by the company which built the new Washington Way bridge across Lake Sacajawea. Constructed of wood with interesting architectural bracing and installed in 2013.

6. R.D. Olson Mfg, of Kelso, Wash., built this bridge to resemble the Lewis & Clark Bridge crossing the Columbia River at Longview/Rainier. This bridge was installed on Kessler Blvd across from Lions’ island (near Washington Way, in the 1000 block of Kessler Blvd) stretching across the 57-foot wide street.

COWLITZ PUD

No. What these travelers wanted to see was our squirrel bridges and only our squirrel bridges.

3. John R. Dick Bridge On Nichols Boulevard near RA Long High School. Designed and built by John R. Dick and installed in 2012, shortly after his death. It is based upon the Leonard Zakim Memorial Bridge in Boston. Mr. Dick had a lifelong fascination with bridges, and enjoyed the TV show Boston Legal, in which the bridge appeared prominently in background shots.

5. Safety Awareness Bridge 1708 Kessler Boulevard.

Designed and constructed by the Bits and Bots Robotics Club of RA Long and Mark Morris High Schools. Inspired by the memory of Linda LaCoursier, who was struck by a car. Made of aluminum with cutouts and tinted material. Many squirrels use this bridge. Installed in 2015.

PLUGGED IN TO

LONGVIEW’S SQUIRREL BRIDGES

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503-397-3211

OTHER ASSISTANCE – Contact agency for pledge information.

•DSHS – 360.501.2400 •FISH – 360.636.1100 •Salvation Army – 360.423.3992 •VFW (Veterans Only) – 360.577.6757 •Local Churches

For more information on Proclamation 20-23 COVID-19: Ratepayer Assistance and Preservation of Essential Services visit: https://www.governor.wa.gov/ office-governor/official-actions/ proclamations ••• Alice Dietz is Communications/Public Relations Manager at Cowlitz PUD. Reach her at adietz@cowlitzpud.org, or 360-501-9146.

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36 / Columbia River Reader /July 15, 2020