Columbia River Reader August 15, 2023

COLUMBIA RIVER READER COLLECTORS CLUB

LEWIS AND CLARK REVOLUTIONIZED

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

IN FULL VIEW

Rex Ziak

$29.95

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

EYEWITNESS

TO ASTORIA

Gabriel Franchére $21.95

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

THE TIDEWATER REACH Field Guide to the Lower Columbia River in Poems and Pictures

By Robert Michael Pyle and Judy VanderMaten.

three editions:

• Boxed Signature Edition, Color with color $50

• Collectors Edition,Trade paperback, with c $35

• Trade paperback B/W $25

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION

11 issues $55 SUBSCRIPTIONS MAKE THOUGHTFUL GIFTS... FOR YOURSELF OR FOR A FRIEND!

DISPATCHES FROM THE DISCOVERY TRAIL

A Layman’s Lewis & Clark by Michael O. Perry.

•Collectors Edition, Trade paperback. Color and B/W $35

Publisher/Editor: Susan P. Piper

Columnists and contributors:

Tracy Beard

Hal Calbom

Josh Carter

Alice Dietz

Joseph Govednik

Jim MacLeod

Ron Joslin

Michael Perry

Ned Piper

Perry Piper

Robert Michael Pyle

Marc Roland

Alan Rose

Alice Slusher

Greg Smith

Andre Stepankowsky

Debra Tweedy

Judy VanderMaten

Editorial/Proofreading Assistants:

Merrilee Bauman, Michael Perry, Marilyn Perry, Tiffany Dickinson, Debra Tweedy

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

E-mail: publisher@crreader.com

Phone: 360-749-1021

Sue’s Views

This issue includes a tribute to my longtime dear friend, Bert Jepson, whom we lost a few weeks ago. Bert and I met on the Spirit and Fellowship Committee at St. Stephen’s Church, and over the years enjoyed many a breakfast at the Cornerstone in Rainier, and other coffee shops, recounting the events, projects and — as he was fond of saying — the “conundrums” in our lives. We worked together 12 years for the American Red Cross. As executive director he said, “I’d rather fit the job to the person than the person to the job.” He arranged the beefing up of my computer to 32MB of RAM, a seemingly phenomenal amount back then, which

empowered me to do graphic design/print projects for the Red Cross as part of the U of O’s electronic publishing program. Later, I parlayed what I’d learned into the gumption to take on CRR, and am ever grateful for Bert’s confidence in me. If not for him, I probably would not have this publication, this Little Monster, today. Bert was sometimes mis-understood. But friends knew him to be a lovely man — smart, quick-witted, competitive, funny, humble, kind. We’ll missed him terribly. Loss is part of life. We can only strive to savor each moment, never knowing when those who are dear to us may depart. I hope everyone is having a good summer, and we are all counting our blessings.

Sue Piper

ON

Bestselling author Karl Marlantes at Cannon Beach, Oregon story, page 19.

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

Submission guidelines: page 32.

General Ad info: page 6. Ad Manager: Ned Piper 360-749-2632. CRREADER.COM

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

Photo by hal calbom

Empire of Trees

I received my copy of the Calbom book a few days ago. I haven’t read it cover to cover yet, but I’ve skimmed through it, and have read carefully parts of it.

Just wanted to congratulate not only the author, but your newspaper for the editing, layout, and organization of the book. The only other book on Longview’s history that I’ve ever read was McClelland’s book from 50 years ago. His book, which I also enjoyed, really emphasized the leadership of R. A. Long and the decisions of the early city leaders.

Calbom gives a much richer history, not ignoring the Long-Bell origins of the town, but describing its development also from the viewpoint of the average new resident and the blue collar workers for which it was built.

I had never heard before that the planners apparently contemplated a workforce at a higher socio-economic level than what actually came to exist —explains why the West Side is so nice — or that the St. Helen’s district was intended exclusively for Black employees. In fact, I didn’t realize that anyone had even thought about Blacks coming to the

town. Unlike Kansas City, we -— including our forest workers — were a world of Scandinavians.

My family bought from Long-Bell two of the five male dormitories on Oregon Way between Beech and Baltimore, and ran one of them as a boarding house during (and for a short time after) the war. We continued to operate it as a hotel largely for single men — without food service --— up until I was in high school, and I spent a lot of time in those buildings as a kid (my grandmother was the resident manager). I feel like I had one foot in a pre-war world that few folks in Longview today could really imagine. Also my congratulations to Susan Piper for the short but very interesting and intelligent interview with Hal at the end of the book. She asked good questions, both about the world Calbom described and about his own life and background.

Well done.

Don Harrison, Seattle, Wash. R.A.Long Class of 1958

Typos in the proofreading story

I had to laugh at Ned Piper’s “The Spectator” column in the July 15 issue of the Columbia River Reader. He erroneously wrote “We now have a team of six dedicated proofreaders who POUR over each word...” The correct term is PORE over, unless you are pouring coffee all over those words . . . Ha ha!

Eileen George Castle Rock, Wash.

ANOTHER typo!

Thank you for the much needed chuckle while reading Ned Piper’s piece, “Pursuing Perfection.” The end of the fifth paragraph had me reading it several times, even aloud to see if I was reading it wrong.

Keep up the great work on this wonderful paper. The looking back 100 years articles were so informative, thank you to everyone for all of your hard work.

Laura McGoldrick Castle Rock, Wash.

Editor’s note: How ironic that three typos survived in Ned’s July column. But in defense of CRR’s proofreaders, his column and mine (Sue’ Views) are often the very last to go into the issue, often after the group has finished. How do you spell “egg on the face?”

Low-impact

Exercise Classes

Sept/Oct/Nov/Dec

Tai Chi for Beginners

Tues and Thurs – 10 AM

Register through

NASM Certified Senior Fitness

Longview Parks & Rec 360 442-5400

Instructor

LaNay Eastman

Tai Chi for Health and Senior Fitness Instructor

TCHI Certified Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention (Standing/Seated)

Tai Chi & Qigong for Health and Wellness (Standing/Seated)

The Administration on Aging (AoA) has rated the TCHI Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevent (TCA) program as the highest evidence-based program for older adults and wellness. More information at www. taichiforhealthinstitute.org.

A Squirrely Manifesto Citizens of Longview,

We have spoken with Sandy B. McNutt, our local representative, who has graciously agreed to deliver this year’s lists of demands, grievances and concerns. We thought since Squirrel Fest is quickly approaching, we should look to resolve as many issues as possible bef-f-fore then.

Our first concern is inter-f-f-ference from crows, especially around the lake. Consequently, we are noticing an acute baby squirrel learning gap. Some of our littles have issues with peanut retrieval, others don’t even know what a peanut is. A Head Start program is proposed. In addition to the crows, we have dogs running amok on crazy long leashes, or worse, no leashes. All the while, we’re dodging mounds of duck and goose poop. Standards, people!

We also propose a new poll to see how often the squirrel bridges are being used. We have our suspicions they are not quite wide enough for the winter months when some of us tend to be a little more rotund.

And just so you know, we’ve got some rogue dashers darting across the streets, taunting drivers. Some think it’s the latest Tik Tok challenge. We’re trying to deal with this issue on our end.

Oh, and one more thing. During Squirrel Fest’s Bridge Tours, could the PA system in the transport truck with John Paul be turned down just a bit? It’s nap time f-f-for most of us. We hope with these issues addressed, we’ll have a little more order and less chaos for the f-f-foreseeable future. Thank you for letting us voice our latest concerns.

Sincerely,

Twitch E. Tail (submitted by Maureen Baldwin, Longview, Wash.

See Squirrel Fest schedule, and a Squirrel Bridge map, page 31.

DISPATCHES FROM THE DISCOVERY TRAIL

EPISODE 27

The Home Stretch

By Michael O. Perry

The last episode told about the accidental shooting of Captain Lewis by one of his own men on August 11, 1806. A day later, with Lewis lying on his stomach in the bottom of a canoe, his party caught up with Captain Clark in western North Dakota. It had been five weeks since the Corps of Discovery split up after crossing the Rocky Mountains, and somehow the entire party found their way to the meeting point at the junction of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers at the border of North Dakota and Montana, and was together once again and anxious to get to St. Louis.

Back at Fort Mandan

Two days later, they arrived at Fort Mandan where they had spent the winter of 1804. Clark wrote, “Those people were extreamly pleased to See us.” Sadly, their fort had burned while they were gone. However, Capt. Lewis had something he needed to do there. Before starting the journey in 1803, President Jefferson had told Lewis to bring some Indians with him when he

returned to Washington, D.C. Lewis convinced Big White, a Mandan chief, to make the trip with his family and a French fur trapper who would serve as an interpreter.

Checking out

Early

Private John Colter requested a discharge so he could join a couple of fur trappers who were heading up the Missouri. Colter had no desire to return to a “lonely” life in the civilized world. The captains agreed and, as Sgt. Ordway wrote in his journal, “Settled with him and fitted him out with powder lead and a great number of articles which completed him for a trapping voyage of two years.” Colter would soon discover the geysers and steam vents that today are part of Yellowstone National Park; however, when people heard about what he had seen, they thought he was crazy.

Goodbye to Sacajawea

At Fort Mandan, Clark wrote, “we took our leave of T. Charbono, his Snake Indian wife and their son child, who had accompanied us on our rout to the pacific ocean in the capacity of interpreter and interpretess.” Charbonneau was given a voucher for $500.33 for his services, but Sacajawea received nothing. Clark “offered to take his little son, a butifull promising child who is about 19 months old” to raise and provide the best education available. Clark wrote, “They

In AprIl 2021 we Introduced A revIsed versIon of Michael Perry’s popular series which was expanded In the new book, Dispatches from the Discovery Trail, edited by Hal Calbom and published by CRRPress. It includes an in-depth author interview and new illustrations and commentary.

Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery returned to St. Louis on September 23, 1806, officially ending their 29-month exploration of the West. Located on the Missouri shore of the Mississippi River in St. Louis, the Gateway Arch is an elegant monument to the westward expansion that followed. There was a nationwide competition in 1948 to design a monument in St. Louis honoring western pioneers. Construction of the arch began in 1963, and it was finished in1965. The 630-foot tall stainless steel arch cost about $13 million to build and was opened to the public on July 24, 1967. Elevators carry people to the top and its viewing windows.

observed that in one year the boy would be Sufficiently old to leave his mother… if I would be so friendly as to raise the child in Such manner as I thought proper, to which I agreed.” However, it wasn’t until 1811, when Charbonneau went to St. Louis to redeem his voucher, that he and Sacajawea would leave Pomp with Clark.

It’s Downhill all the Way

St. Louis was 1,500 miles downriver from Fort Mandan. On August 20th, Clark wrote they “only” traveled 81 miles that day; in 1804, while rowing upstream, they were lucky to travel a tenth of that distance in a day. On August 29th, Clark reported seeing a herd of at least 20,000 buffalo. Meat was once again plentiful and, with wild fruit such as pawpaws found along the river, everyone had enough to eat.

On September 4th, the men stopped at the grave of Sgt. Floyd who had died of a burst appendix on the journey up the Missouri in 1804. They discovered the grave had been opened by Indians, so they refilled it.

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

The Bar is Open!

On September 6th they met another trading party and Captain Clark bought a gallon of whiskey, “the first Spititous licquor which had been tasted by any of them Since the 4 of July 1805” at Great Falls, Montana. Some of the men traded to get linen shirts to replace their buckskin clothing. A few days later, Lewis had healed enough to walk with ease and could even run a little.

cont page 6

Lewis & Clark from page 5

Another group of traders told Lewis that Jefferson had sent out two more expeditions to explore the Louisiana Purchase: Zebulon Pike explored the Rockies in what is now Colorado, and the Freeman-Custis expedition went up the Arkansas and Red Rivers. They also learned that the Arikara chief who had gone to visit President Jefferson in 1805 had died in Washington, D.C.

Looking for “Captain Merry”

Breaking News

The party passed several Indian villages and met dozens of trappers and traders heading upstream. They stopped to obtain news from the United States, in exchange for information about what was upstream. They learned that Thomas Jefferson had been re-elected president, that Aaron Burr had killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel in 1804, that war had been declared, waged, and won against Tripoli, and that relations with England and Spain were strained and war seemed possible. They also learned the Spanish army had been looking for them during the last two years, and that many people thought they had been captured. “We had been long Since given up by the people of the U.S. and almost forgotton.” But Clark was told, “the President of the U. States had yet hopes for us.”

Even though Spain had officially given the Louisiana Territory to France in 1800, and France had sold the land to the United States in 1803, Spanish officials were not at all happy when they learned about the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Two months before the Corps set out from St. Louis in 1804, the Spanish military governor of Louisiana had given orders to arrest “Mr. Merry Weather Lewis, Captain of the Army of the United States.”

Four different Spanish expeditions set out from Santa Fe in search of the Americans over a two-year period. The first, in August 1804, made it to the Platte River in central Nebraska, but Lewis and his party were already well north of there. A second effort in October 1805 ended almost as soon as it began when Indians attacked. In April 1806, a third effort failed due to mass desertions.

The final Spanish expedition set out in the summer of 1806, just as the Corps was heading down the Missouri from Fort Mandan. This time there were 105 Spanish soldiers, 400 New Mexico milita men, and 100 Indians. By September 1st, they had made it to a Pawnee village on the Republican River in south-central Nebraska. If they had continued on for another week, they most likely would have met the Corps of Discovery at the junction of the Missouri and Platte Rivers. However, the Pawnees objected to the Spanish expedition; rather than push the issue, the Spaniards turned around and went back to Santa Fe. Who knows how the Lewis and Clark story might have ended if the Pawnees had let the Spanish forces proceed.

Approaching civilization

On September 20th, the men let out a cheer when they saw cattle in a field – a sure sign they were approaching civilization. Clark wrote that the men “Sprung upon their ores” as they approached a village, and fired a salute that was answered by boats at the dock. “Every person, both French and Americans, Seem to express great pleasure at our return, and acknowledged themselves much astonished in Seeing us return. They informed us that we were Supposed to have been long lost Since.”

A day later they arrived in St. Charles and again were greeted by people who were surprised to see them alive. The men saw women walking along the river and, with “great dexterity” they rowed to shore for a closer view of the first white women they had seen in more than two years.

Home at Last!

After traveling 8,000 miles in 28 months, they arrived back in St. Louis on September 23, 1806.

A messenger from St. Charles

had informed the thousand citizens of St. Louis that the Corps of Discovery was coming. John Ordway wrote the men “Fired three Rounds as we approached” and “The people gathered on the Shore and Huzzared three cheers.” After landing, Lewis immediately asked when the next mail dispatch was scheduled and was told it had already left. He sent a messenger to hold the mail until the next day so he could write a letter to President Jefferson.

Dear Tom…

Lewis spent most of the night writing. He opened his long letter by saying, “It is with pleasure that I announce to you the safe arrival of myself and party at 12 OClk. today… In obedience to your orders we have penetrated the Continent of North America to the Pacific Ocean… and sufficiently explored the interior of the country to affirm with confidence that we have discovered the most practicable rout which dose exist across the continent by means of the navigable branches of the Misouri and Columbia Rivers.” He went on to explain that there was no all-water route; Jefferson’s vision of a Northwest Passage had been put to rest. It would take a full month for his letter to reach Jefferson.

The men had succeeded in their mission and the expedition was over. There was still a lot of work to be done to study all the information and all the plant, animal, and geological samples they brought back. And, there would be a book to write.

The next episode will cover the Expedition’s return to St. Louis.

Ad Manager: Ned Piper 360-749-2632 All areas

Sue Lane 360-261-0658 Downtown Longview & all areas

AD DEADLINES.

Sept 15 issue: Aug 28

Oct 15 issue: Sept 25

Submission Guidelines, page 32.

By Judith Martin, Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Regardless of anyone’s feelings on the matter, the popularity of giving children unique or unusual names is continuing. So what is a reasonable person to do when the name as written is pronounced differently than phonetics would allow?

For example, I recently came across a “Courtneigh.” Reading this, it would be pronounced “Court-nay,” but when I did that, I was corrected and told it should be “Court-knee.”

I had one little girl the other day whose name was written “Mia,” which is not unusual. But when I called for Mia, an angry mother huffily informed me that her name is pronounced “Maya,” like the ancient civilization. There was another child with the seemingly normal name “Dominique.” Except this child was a boy, and I was told to pronounce his name “Dominic.”

I want to be welcoming to all, but how should I act when parents can’t seem to spell? My own name is uncommon, but at least pronounceable.

GENTLE READER: Your annoyance is nothing compared to what those children will have to go through. Having an unusual name means a lifetime of spelling and pronouncing it for other people.

Parents may have good reasons for conferring such names anyway — honoring a person or a heritage, for example. Or the desire for something distinctive (although it is odd how often names that seemed unique turn out to be part of a fad).

Or perhaps they just can’t spell. In any case, Miss Manners expects people to make a good-faith effort to learn how others want to be addressed. And she requires an equal goodfaith effort from the bestowers and holders of these names when patiently explaining those preferences to others — and ignoring mistakes that are not likely to be repeated.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Is it rude not to push a chair back to the table when you exit it? My husband drives me to distraction by leaving chairs pulled out at odd angles away from the table.

GENTLE READER: Etiquette’s only interest in the final disposition of the chairs is that they not be left where they can cause accidents. This means not leaving them in a position to block others from coming or going, and not pushing them back to the table if they still contain other diners.

cont. page 18

Wildfire Warriors

Landscaping tips for safeguarding you home

Story by Alice Slusher

It’s not official yet, but it would seem that we now have a fifth season in the Pacific Northwest — wildfire season. We’ve been fortunate so far this year, but the smoke and nearby wildfires in the past couple of years have made us all realize that we live under a constant threat. In fact, experts say that since wildfires are not a matter of if, but rather when they will happen!

When protecting a house from wildfires, it’s up to us to create defensible space by clearing flammable materials within 30100 feet of our homes to stop fires from getting too close to the house and give firefighters the space they need to work.

The placement and kind of vegetation near homes can be the deciding factors between survival and destruction. Homes surrounded by thick, dry vegetation like tall grass, shrubs, and close-by trees face a greater risk of catching fire. On the flip side, a well-maintained landscape featuring fire-resistant plants, properly trimmed trees, and enough space between plants can act as a natural barrier, lowering the chances of the fire spreading to the property.

Here are some easy steps to take Remove brush near your house and under trees to block the fire’s path and prevent it from reaching your home

or spreading to other trees. Replace with a well-irrigated flower bed and fire-resistant plants.

Cut or thin out low-hanging branches, dead limbs, and dense tree stands so a fire won’t use the trees as a ladder. Keep your lawn mowed at 4 inches or less to keep fire from racing across it.

Programs & Events

OSU Extension Columbia County 503-397-3462

Online Workshops: Registration is required. extension.oregonstate.edu/county/ columbia/events

Gardening Spot on KOHI (1600am radio)

Every Saturday, 8:05 to 8:15am

WSU Extension Cowlitz County 360-577-3014

304 Cowlitz Way, Kelso, Wash. For connection info or registration for in-person classes: cowlitzcomg.com/publicevents)

In-person Workshop

Sept 7, 6pm Seed Saving

Online Workshops. Tues., noon:

Aug 15 Weeds: What to do in Fall

Aug 22 Harvesting the Garden

Aug 29 Seed Saving

Sept 9 Water-wise gardening with droughtresistant plants

Sept 12 Growing Garlic in the Pacific Sept 19 Composting

awayfrom vegetation. Place the tanks, stored firewood, and other flammable materials at least thirty feet away from your home.

If you have a propane tank, keep it properly anchored and ten feet twigs, needles, and leaves. Plants with strong-smelling sticky sap or papery bark should also be considered risky. Many evergreen conifer trees and shrubs, such as arborvitae and junipers, fall into this category.

Clear leaves and debris from your 30’ perimeter, deck, roof, and gutters. Prune back any branches that overhang your roof. While you’re at it, don’t burn your yard debris. Recycle or compost it properly.

After reading this, it may sound like you are supposed to create a desert landscape around your home. However, by eliminating very flammable plants and choosing fire-resistant plants, you can create lovely, colorful surroundings.

Plants that act like torches in a fire have certain traits: Their leaves, twigs, and stems contain flammable substances like waxes, terpenes, or oils that you can smell as strong, aromatic scents when you crush their leaves, and they have fine, dry, or dead material like

No plants are fireproof, but there are many fire-resistant plants available for your landscape, and they share certain characteristics. Deciduous plants boast fire-resistant qualities, thanks to their moisture-filled leaves and bare branches in winter, making fire spread difficult. Their leaves have low resin and watery sap. Look for plants that don’t accumulate excessive dead leaves and branches in their interiors, as dry litter becomes fuel for fires. Choose slow-growing plants requiring minimal pruning, making them ideal choices for fire-prone areas.

I’ve only touched on the highlights of home protection, and if you’d like more essential information, including fire-resistant plant lists, look online for OSU’s publications Fire-resistant Plants for Home Landscapes, and Living with Fire: A Guide for the Homeowner. Now is the time to start thinking about next year’s plant because fall is the best time to transplant new perennials, trees, and shrubs.  Stay ready, stay safe!

A well-maintained landscape featuring fire-resistant plants, properly trimmed trees, and enough space between plants can act as a natural barrier, lowering the chances of the fire spreading to the property.

Dedicated community volunteer honored

Longtime community fireball Arleen

Hubble (center) was honored recently with a plaque at Lake Sacajawea. Hubble “has devoted years of leadership and volunteering throughout the community,” wrote State Senator and Longview Port Commissioner Jeff Wilson, citing the annual Go Fourth celebration, United Way, American Cancer Society, Christmas parades and many more activities. Wilson is pictured here, along with his wife, Trisha (right), and mother, Judie Wilson.

Financial strategies built just for you.

1332 Vandercook Way Longview, WA 98632

360-425-0037

Member SIPC

Nick Lemiere CFP®

DESPITE BUSINESS, LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO ‘ROUND

Biz Buzz

What’s Happening Around the River

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

To make sidewalk cafés more affordable and streamline the process to establish them, the City of Longview has reassessed the fees and process, resulting in right-of-way permits and annual license fees now set at $240. A right-of-way permit will be issued once a site plan and café layout is submitted, with a final inspection of the improvements, and quarterly inspections thereafter to ensure clear accesses and emergency exits, 4-feet walkways, and ADA compliance. Liability insurance covering the City is required. Direct questions to the City of Longview Public Works, 360-442-5200, or publicworks@mylongview.com.

Dr. Kretzler retires

After serving patients in the local area for 30 years, Dr. Jon Kretzler has retired.

Kretzler, who joined Longview Orthopedic Associates in 1993, saw his last patient on June 29.

Shawnna Riedwig , operations manager at LOA, called Kretzler a humble, compassionate man.

“He cared for his patients and his community,” Reidwig said. “He cared for the LOA staff and did his best to make the clinic a happy place to be and to work.”

Kretzler graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1987. He completed his residency in orthopaedic surgery at Yale New Haven Hospital and then finished fellowship training in sports medicine at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

Kretzler treated a wide range of orthopedic issues, specializing in hip and pelvic surgeries.

Long-time colleague Bill Turner, M.D noted that Kretzler’s many devoted patients appreciated his personal attention. “We all admired his depth

Space for smaller businesses planned in Spencer Creek Business Park

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

The Port of Kalama will break ground early next year on a unique 43,000-sq. ft. light industrial building — the first of many planned for its Spencer Creek Business Park — consisting of 16 flexible suites designed to accommodate new businesses looking for mid-sized space to grow.

The building, unlike any other in the Port’s inventory, will feature suites ranging from 2,400 sq.ft. to 3,800 sq.ft., which can then be reconfigured into larger suites. The unique sizes will provide an alternative for businesses who aren’t quite ready for the port’s larger buildings, which start at 10,000 sq.ft.

“As we designed and promoted this building, we received interest from a variety of industries seeking this size and type of space,”said Port Commissioner Troy Stariha. “We’re being both selective and patient.

of knowledge and surgical skills,” Turner said. “The hallmark of his career was his commitment to even the most challenging cases.”

Kretzler plans to use his retirement for travel, white water kayaking, and spending time with family.

Whomever we decide to partner with must be the right fit for our community.”

The Port has already received a letter of intent from a future Mountain Timber Market vendor, who anticipates a need for more space as their business grows into the next year. Local businesses are also making inquiries.

And much like the Market, the design of the building will borrow the old “mill town” aesthetics from Kalama’s early days, complete with modern touches and exterior finishes.

By the time it’s fully built out, Spencer Creek Business Park will produce a thriving campus for cultivating local employment, entrepreneurs and Port customers. Look for construction to begin in the first quarter of 2024.

Port of Longview offers summer tour series

Tours will be conducted twice a day Aug. 17 – 19. Visit www.portoflongview. com to learn more and to register.

GRAMBO Investment Adviser Representative

Where do you read THE READER?

On German waters Tracey Humbird of St Helens, Ore., reading the Reader aboard “Emerald Sky” in Passau Germany, with group host Becki Bozart of BriBeck Travel in Rainier. Oregon.

Nordic spray! Dave Spurgeon and Amy Baker of Longview Wash., visiting Kjosfossen Waterfall in Norway.

Three sisters south of the border Doris Cozad, Sharon Jeffries, Dianne Sudol in Roatan, an island off the north coast of Honduras, celebrating Sharon’s 60th birthday.

Trio on the loose Wayne Van Hamme (left), of Longview, Wash., with his brother Jerry Van Hamme, of Dallas, Texas, on the island of Madeira, Portugal. At right: Wayne with his wife, April Van Hamme, at a fountain in Syracusa, Sicily. They also visited Malta on the same trip.

A Different Way of Seeing

THE TIDEWATER REACH

Riverwalks

are the same everywhere, except how they’re not. One shoreline promenade is a lot like another, tugging the body along the waterline, a chance to move the muscles, to dampen the mind and its muddles in the generous lap of wake, and wind, and wonder.

And there is company, if desired. Is it white pelicans and egrets with plumes like high cirrus clouds in high winds on a Mexican lakeside malecon? Or magpies and kingfishers of a mid-continent canyon? Or the sea lions and sea otters and herons haunting Monterey docks or northern riversides near their sea-dumps? Rafts of western grebes? Cottonwoods or palms, willows, alders, or mimosas?

And always and everywhere, dogs...lots of dogs.

For towns that haven’t yet sacrificed their shorelines to industry, rip-rap, or roadways (or have grabbed them back again), there is something about a riverwalk they will never regret, for which the citizens will always thank them.

Call it a grace note on existence. Call it wet. Call it a chance to step back and consider where to stand now, at the moist edge, where we once stepped out.

BOOMS AND RAFTS

The Columbia serves as a highway for all kinds of travelers, including logs on their way to the sawmill or for shipment overseas. Originally, “log drivers” wrestled individual logs downstream, an extremely dangerous practice. Bundling lots into larger rafts — some of enormous size, as much as 2,000 feet long — gave them stability and allowed them to be towed and maneuvered. Log booms, on the other hand, were stationary, and anchored by several logs driven as pilings to catch logs directed their way. Though they look similar, the boom remains in place while the raft travels the waterway.

On this page we excerpt poems, pictures and field notes from our own “Field Guide to the Lower Columbia River in Poems and Pictures,” The Tidewater Reach, by Gray’s River resident and renowned naturalist Robert Michael Pyle, and Cathlamet photographer Judy VanderMaten.

The two dreamed for years of a collaborative project, finally realized when Columbia River Reader Press published color and black and white editions of The Tidewater Reach in 2020, and a third, hybrid edition in 2021, all presenting “a different way of seeing” our beloved Columbia River.

For information on ordering, see page 2, 39.

Follow me, I’m going to the CRRPress bookstore

Poem by Robert Michael Pyle • Photograph by Judy VanderMaten

Field Note by Hal Calbom

Cowlitz County Republicans invite

LINCOLN DAY FUNDRAISER DINNER

Saturday, Sept. 23rd

Monticello Hotel Ballroom

On Longview’s historic Civic Circle

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No-Host Cocktail Hour 5–6pm

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Amidsta world full of negatives, this new column serves a singular purpose: to outline and spotlight the hidden beauty of Downtown Longview.

It’s easy to imagine that an area as robust and developed as our downtown has things that will never be conveyed by advertising, yet represent a truly remarkable display of culture.

by Josh Carter

Longview Outdoor Gallery

THE ROAMING DOWNTOWNER

I spent a recent Friday roaming about downtown searching for that very thing. I roamed the thrift stores, window shopped the pawn shops, and then I found it — an exciting place to spend Friday night!

A new storefront in downtown, centered between the All In Saloon and Kathie’s Clutters and Crafts in the 1300 block of Commerce Avenue is Locked and Loaded Records. I had the opportunity to explore their studio.

It’s no doubt a place that will mark the beginning of a dream for many local artists. The gentleman that runs the operation slid onto the stage and began to jam as the car cruise started out side. By 6 o’clock I was fully immersed in an exciting jam session with two new friends.

Locked and Loaded Records is exactly what the culture of downtown needed...freedom to create, explore and collaborate. The question in my mind that still stands: What will the name of the next multi-platinum group from Longview, Washington be called?

Columbia River Reader BOOK BOUTIQUE

Gift Books Lewis & Clark, Longview’s Centennial, Columbia River poetry, history, see pg 2 Gift Subscriptions for yourself or a friend!

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And how many wedding receptions, company parties and groups will make memories within these walls? Downtown Longview is thriving and Locked and Loaded is on track to be a major part of it.

This article is powered by the Longview Downtowners. The Downtowners is a business association focused on a vibrant downtown. This article is a recurring segment meant to highlight how great the downtown truly is.

Josh Carter serves as president of Longview Downtowners, a 501c(3) non-profit, membership-based business and community association. The Downtowners are dedicated to the promotion, preservation, and development of Downtown Longview. Initiatives include revitalization through beautification, tourism, event creation, business assistance, and investment recruitment. For more info, visit downtownlongview.com or josh carter, 360-636-0110 or josh@klog.com

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The Significance of 1923 And it’s not all about Longview…..

This year there are many celebrations to commemorate the centennial for the City of Longview’s founding in 1923. The Columbia River Reader’s “From Page to Stage” variety show event at LCC was among many uplifting ways to celebrate Longview’s founding. We continue to celebrate with the upcoming Centennial Gala, drone show, log rolling competition, and other festivities the weekend of September 8th and 9th.

What people may not have considered is the year 1923 was significant locally for many reasons. The Cowlitz County Historical Museum has installed its newest exhibit, “1923: The Year that Changed Cowlitz County History,” which explores all of the impactful events of the year.

The year started off with a disastrous beginning as the Allen Street Bridge collapsed on January 3rd, killing

about 20 people. The exact number of casualties is unknown as many were transient workers heading back from construction in the land that would be Longview. This was the deadliest bridge accident in Washington State History.

The town of Ryderwood shares its birth year with Longview, and the two siblings are intertwined with the extraction of raw timber from the forests around Ryderwood to the processing at the mills in Longview.

The Pacific Highway was completed in Cowlitz County, creating a paved linkage from Canada to the Oregon Border and beyond, and celebrated by

COWLITZ COUNTY MUSEUM EXHIBIT 1923: The Year that Changed Cowlitz County History

214 Allen St., Kelso Museum hours Tues-Sat 10–4

a motor parade from Olympia to Salem late that year. The population shift in the county led to a relocation of the county seat from Kalama to Kelso, with county offices opening in December in the newly constructed Cowlitz County Courthouse, now serving as the County Administration Building. Come by the museum to learn more about all of these events and more! For more information please visit www.cowlitzcounty history.org, or call the museum at 630577-3119. To learn more about centennial events, please visit www.longview100.org. •••

Story and photos by Joseph Govednik Cowlitz County Historical Museum Director

In Fond Remembrance

Out to Breakfast

By Bert Jepson • Originally published in May 2011 CRR

Honoring Bert Jepson, who died in May after an extended decline in health. Over several years, Bert wrote an occasional “Professor Epicurious” column in Columbia River Reader, and helped with advertising and distribution. He’ll be missed and remembered as a generous, gregarious, dear friend.

Ilove food that grabs you for breakfast, that challenges your taste buds and sticks to your ribs, served with hot strong coffee, cream and good conversation or lots of newspapers. Breakfast is my favorite meal.

Breakfast: the only meal you can order all day long

What is it about breakfast that makes it so special, so different, so hard to define in a way lunch and dinner will never be? Not as formal as dinner, but often just as substantial, and often described as more important. Is it because it is at the start of our day, and new beginnings always bring excitement?

How many times have you started out early and rewarded yourself with breakfast when you had been on the road only a couple of hours? How many times have you been on the road late at night, with miles still to go, and pulled over and had breakfast even though it was nowhere near daybreak? Are there any who have socialized all night and then gone out for breakfast before going home to bed? Advertising campaigns are built around the “breakfast of champions,” not the “dinner of champions,” but presumably champions eat that, too, as well as lunch. I have stopped for breakfast at all times of the day, but the only time I order lunch is around noon and the

only time I order dinner is in the evening. Sometimes I have stopped for a snack or made myself one at home, but breakfast is the only meal that I might have two of in the same day!

Memorable breakfasts

I remember breakfast with my grandma and great aunt when I was little, with my dad on the way to a game or to go fishing. Or with my friends on a road trip in college, with my sons when they were tots or, later, when they were teenagers with me and my dad on our way to a football game. All were different experiences, all special. I remember learning about racism at breakfast — from a man who would not serve other people — and how to handle that, even if it is not you being the one excluded. I remember learning about the power of love and self control when my father, who had been taking care of everyone else at my grandmother’s funeral and not shedding a tear himself, broke down over a bowl of oatmeal in Burns, Oregon, on our way home because it reminded him of her.

I remember having a good time at breakfast in a bar in Talkeetna, Alaska, watching the Ducks beat USC because it was the only place I could go to see the Ducks football game. I think special breakfast experiences are, somehow, less expected and, hence, better remembered.

Breakfast Food

I adore quiche, with fruit on the side. I love a big country fried steak with scrambled eggs and hash browns, biscuits, and gravy. I salivate over lox, bagels, cream cheese and capers. I feel passionate about hangtown fry (oysters, eggs, cheddar cheese, olives and onions in a pie crust). There are so many great breakfast dishes! How do you feel about Eggs Benedict or a fluffy omelet speckled with smoked salmon and stuffed with whipped cream cheese? Or an Italian omelet infused with diced sausages or salamis and stuffed with provolone and mozzarella cheese and covered with a marinara? Don’t forget the ham steak with fried eggs, grits and red eye gravy. My goodness, are you hungry yet? We haven’t even gotten to the blueberry pancakes, strawberry waffles, strudels, donuts, fritters, croissants, muffins, biscuits or French toast, stuffed and otherwise.

Yes, I love breakfast in all of its arteryclogging wonderfulness!

Thinking of Bert, my godfather and great friend

By Perry Piper

Bert Jepson was my godfather from the time of my growing up in St. Stephen’s Church in Longview.

I have fond memories of him and his son Jake when they lived in the Kelso hills and eventually moving to St. Helens after a few years in Alaska.

Bert was an avid Oregon Ducks fan, watching probably every game for decades and seeing quite a few in person with his father, as well.

Bert was the executive director of the local American Red Cross chapter when I was growing up and my mother worked there.

Having a strong character, Bert was always there to lend a hand when he was still in good health, and up for discussing any topic in depth, even if he didn’t understand much of it, like crypto currency mining or the various companies of the gaming computer I helped him build.

In the last few years of Bert’s life, he would occasionally join my group at Dangerous Gentlemen, a board game shop in Longview, to play difficult modem games which he loved. His favorite was Stone Age, a game about growing your tribe and trading or building houses.

One Christmas, I gifted him a whiskey advent calendar, Scotch being his top choice. So each day of the season, we’d meet and taste the next day’s variant while watching a movie.

He and I for many years delivered CRR together, doing the St. Helens and Scappoose route. While we were having heated philosophical debates, he’d often slam on the brakes and jokingly tell me to get out of the car.

Bert was a comedian and had a knack for making people laugh. He was a great man and will be missed. I proudly wear cashmere Brooks Brothers sport coat in his honor, which he had custom-made for me as a gift several years ago.

Perry Piper remained in touch with Bert even after moving to Portugal. The two enjoyed a special relationship.

Miss Manners from page 8

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My nosy neighbor follows my husband and me around and takes pictures of us. My husband smokes, and she is always taking photos of him smoking. This morning, while we were watering flowers, she took several pictures and commented, “Got both of you.” Short of calling the police, what do I do?

GENTLE READER: You say, “Please stop taking photos of us.”

DEAR MISS MANNERS: There’s a local saying where we live: “You never know how many friends you have until you have a beach house.” We were lucky enough to have bought a beach house before prices in our area spiraled out of control. We frequently invite friends, new and old, to stay with us, but we have noticed a trend that disappoints us.

Some “friends” seem to see us as innkeepers rather than hosts. They will rise late, leave for the day, and sometimes return after dark (they can come and go in their own entrance). They share neither breakfast nor dinner with

us, despite our repeated invitations, leaving us with an abundance of food we purchased to share with them.

Are we incorrect in thinking an invitation to stay with us includes the expectation that they will spend at least some of the time actually WITH us?

GENTLE READER: Apparently you beach house owners also learn which friends you do not have.

Miss Manners is shocked that this happened to you even once. That it has happened so often as to be considered a trend makes her wonder whether you should rephrase your invitations — and revise your guest list. Meanwhile, you could detect intentions by asking what they eat for breakfast and whether they have any dinner restrictions. If the answer is “Oh, we won’t be around for meals,” you can respond, “Oh, dear, we had hoped to enjoy your company. But as this isn’t a good time for you to visit us, let’s rethink it.”

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am extremely heat-intolerant, and I live in an area where I am reasonably comfortable 10 months of the year. In July and August, however, I am basically housebound, as anything over 75 degrees can induce loss of

appetite, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and extreme lethargy. I am essentially limited to A/C and swimming for those two months.

My issue relates to my summertime clothing and my gentleman friend (I am a woman). The only clothes I feel comfortable wearing during the summer months are loose-fitting sleeveless dresses, of which I have many. Even underwear is a sacrifice I make only when in the company of others. My significant other is the problem. Invariably, when he shows up to see me — whether we are going out, even just for fast food, or staying in to order a pizza and watch movies — he ALWAYS states that he feels underdressed.

I have assured him repeatedly that I am not “dressed up,” I’m just HOT. What do I say to make him stop? It’s embarrassing as well as annoying.

GENTLE READER: What on Earth is he wearing — or not wearing — if he considers a loose dress to be contrastingly formal? Never mind. Perhaps you can tell (or remind) him about your underwear sacrifice.

No, skip that, too. The heat seems to have gotten to Miss Manners’ sense of decorum.

The argument-closer is to say that you will wear what you choose and he may wear what he chooses — if that does not cause more serious problems. Possibly with the law.

•••

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

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Production notes

New Kids in Town

I’ m search I ng for common themes between the two big books that frame the career of author Karl Marlantes, Matterhorn and Deep River. Meanwhile, echoing still through my brain is 12 months writing Empire of Trees, our recent history of Longview’s hundred years.

The immigrant experience. We are all immigrants. New kids in town. Firstcomers have an advantage over followers; They know the ropes and claim the territory. Then the word gets around, and a new wave comes to town, willing to work more for less pay and status. They threaten the status quo. Immigrant-residents begin to close the doors and block the paths that brought them here themselves. What got them in now threatens them.

Fitting in. Lt. Mellas, the new kid in Matterhorn , spends 80 pages, before a single shot is fired, worried about adapting, fitting in, feeling stupid, as he adjusts to his platoon and making life or death decisions. Deep River’s Finnish family faces strange customs and discrimination. They struggle to adapt: Their daughter, Aino, never does. In Empire of Trees, the settlers of Longview build a company town, both beholden to it and resenting it.

The hard facts of change. Nothing stays the same. Mellas’s platoon is transferred off Matterhorn after six backbreaking days “digging in.” The IWW is blamed for a “massacre” that threatens Aino’s beliefs. A worldwide depression stops Longview’s dreams in their tracks.

Embracing contradictions. Life happens fast and we fail to adjust; lifestyles and opinions and beliefs lose synch, and clash. In Matterhorn, blacks and whites feud while fighting “gooks.” Everybody hates the government but deeply depends upon it. Politics is populist but still discriminatory. Democracy and nationalism both contradict and co-exist.

When we’re the new kids in town, we advocate change; once we’re established, we resist it. The rules that apply to “us” somehow don’t apply so well to “them.”

The themes in Karl Marlantes’s books are themes of life itself.

people+place

War and Peace The Worlds of Karl Marlantes

We expect novelists — those imagineers of lives and tales — to live dramatic lives of their own. Karl Marlantes, bestselling author of the breakout Vietnam novel Matterhorn in 2010 and the Northwest immigration saga Deep River ten years later, is no exception. Theirs is no easy business. Novelists build fictions but base them in facts. They dwell in worlds of the imagination often grounded in carefully-observed realities. They explore life’s contradictions and paradoxes. They seek what’s true even when making it all up. They can be tortured and torn.

In a sun-weathered old cottage in touristy Cannon Beach, Oregon, Karl Marlantes readily discusses, even embraces, the contradictions and confusions of our modern lives. As groups of beachcombers in flip flops and floppy hats troop by outside, our discussion ranges the world, from the joy of playing rugby at Yale to the terror of killing a man after looking him in the eye.

The coffee table is piled with books, of course, chief among them C. G. Jung’s The Red Book, the huge collection of the mystical, scientific and arcane musings, drawings and dreams of the great Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher. As befits the eternal student, Marlantes has a well-thumbed copy of a companion text, Reading the Red Book, close at hand. He has been in therapy for PTSD since it broke up his first marriage and was finally diagnosed in the mid-nineties. Karl Marlantes doesn’t claim to have seen it all. But he’s certainly chosen to view life, love, war, and work frankly and in the round, and to share his reflections and stories with the rest of us.

“You’ve got a combination of a writer and a Finn. Introversion is a serious issue!”

-- Karl Marlantes

When Karl Marlantes grew up in Seaside, Oregon, it was a logging town. His dad worked in the woods, as did most dads. He recalls that during his schooling four kids lost their fathers tragically, killed in logging accidents. It was dangerous work.

His ambitious family excelled in academics and sports and, like many immigrants, valued both their own traditions and their new homeland — he’s Finnish on his mother’s side and Greek on his father’s. They proudly served their new country. Karl’s father landed at Normandy in the D-Day invasion; his uncles fought in Italy and in the Philippines. “That’s why they called it ‘the service,’” he told Vietnam magazine. “It was just something you did.”

Climbing the mountain

In school Karl got top grades — “School was easy for me — I never really studied that much” — and won a National Merit Scholarship. On a whim, goaded by an older brother who’d been on athletic scholarship at Oregon State and thought

“The violence of combat assaults psyches, confuses ethics, and tests souls. This is not only a result of the violence suffered. It is also a result of the violence inflicted.”

- from What

It Is Like to Go to War

Photo: Second Lieutenant KarL MarL anteS in VietnaM

Karl could use more of a challenge, he penciled in the word “Yale” on the scholarship form in addition to his home-state Ducks and Beavers.

“Next thing I know I’m in,” he said, “the scholarship people had done all the applications for us.

They pushed Yale. I think they probably wanted a poor rural kid to mix with all the prep school and money types.” He

seemed okay playing to type, recalling with some glee getting off the train in New Haven and ducking into a bar, asking, “Does anybody know how to get to Yale?”

The view from the top

In New Haven Karl found a home on the Yale rugby squad. He got to know a “screw off” legacy classmate (“he was actually very smart, he just didn’t work”) who would later become the 43rd President of the United States.

cont page 20

And he thought seriously about joining the Marines following graduation: “They’d told me all the Marines did was guard embassies,” he said, “but by 1968 I wasn’t so sure. We’d heard plenty about Vietnam by then.”

He hedged his bets at Yale, completing four summers in the Platoon Leader’s Class, a parallel route to ROTC leading to a lieutenant’s commission should he choose to enlist in the service following graduation. But suddenly he had a more attractive offer: He’d applied for and won a Rhodes Scholarship, the most prestigious academic award in the world.

“I wrote to the Marine Corps Commandant, and asked him if I could delay my deployment.” The Marines were smart enough to know a smart Marine studying at Oxford would be good public relations for the beleaguered services. They said yes, go ahead, but you’ll still owe us three years.

“The minute I got to England I started to feel guilty. Guys I’d gone to school with were in the war, and I was chatting up girls at Oxford.” Six of his schoolmates would die in Vietnam, a staggering number considering the small class sizes at Seaside High School.

“My friends were over there fighting and dying,” Marlantes said, and he quit Oxford after just one term.

“There’s never been a Vietnam War novel as stark, powerful and brutal as Matterhorn. Marlantes manages to exceed the efforts of his closest literary descendents ... He manages to write with a dark and chilling beauty, even as he chronicles some of the most unspeakable events his readers are likely to encounter. It’s the rare kind of masterpiece that enriches not just American literature but American history as well.”

--Michael Schaub, NPR

Books by Karl Marlantes

Another mountain to climb

He engineered yet another abrupt and dramatic change in a life full of them: he asked for immediate combat deployment to Vietnam and ended up near the Laotian border on a particular hill, among thousands of them, that he would immortalize as Matterhorn.

Although Marlantes maintains the novel is not an autobiography, the episodes and characters in Matterhorn stem largely from his own experience. The principal character, a second lieutenant named Mellas, is a white kid from Oregon with an Ivy League education, desperate to fit in with the warravaged platoon and its fractious culture. Fitting in, learning the ropes, adapting while holding on to something central to oneself — culture, history, consciousness itself — is a constant theme in Marlantes’s work, whether set on a ridge top in southeast Asia or a timber stand in Southwest Washington.

Despite his misgivings, anxieties, and the horror of the bloody conflict itself, Marlantes emerged a genuine hero, awarded the Navy Cross, the Bronze Star, two Navy Commendation Medals for valor, two Purple Hearts and ten air medals. Then, still seemingly a man out of time, he returned in 1969 to a bewildering country in the throes of revolution and protest.

DOES ANYBODY KNOW HOW TO GET TO YALE?

Like the iconic decade itself, known simply as “The Sixties,” Marlantes’s story is particularly time-critical. His four college years, 1963 to 1967, were dramatically different from the four that followed, 1968 to 1972.

“I often tell people the sixties didn’t really start until ‘67,” he said. The emerging Generation Gap began to fracture only toward the end of the decade, not the beginning of it. And Marlantes straddled that chasm: “I got in and out ahead of most of it. In 1969 I was already home from Vietnam and in Washington D.C. and protesters were yelling ‘babykiller’ at me from across the street. And they were younger than I was. I was stunned and hurt.”

cont page 21

Shortly after his stunning success with Matterhorn, Marlantes wrote a nonfiction follow-up addressing many of the same issues and experiences in the first person. What It Is Like to Go to War has been hailed from within the military establishment and by the general reader. Deep River experienced great regional success but didn’t achieve Matterhorn’s national prominence.

In January, 2024 Grove Press will publish Marlantes’s new book, Cold Victory. Set in Helsinki in 1947, it portrays an international confrontation through the lens of a domestic drama and personal relationships. As the Cold War begins, Finland teeters between the Soviet Union and the West. In this tense atmosphere, two old rivals reconnect and devise an improbable bet, leading to consequences far beyond themselves.

“Mellas felt left out again — and stupid. He knew full well why he had stuck his foot in his mouth, but hadn’t thought ahead...that his comment would ... work its way around the company.”

-- from Matterhorn

courtEsy imagE

Coming down from the mountain

The problem was he had no real publisher or product.

A small not-for-profit house in the Bay Area, El Leon Literary Arts, had printed copies and given Marlantes 120 of them as his “pay” which sat piled in his garage.

Karl Marlantes, when Matterhorn received a rave review on the cover of The New York Times Book Review.

As with so many “overnight” successes, Matterhorn, called by many the best novel ever written about the Vietnam War, was years in the publishing. Three decades, in fact.

“It was costing $50 every time I had to print up and send this huge manuscript out,” Marlantes said. “Just for another rejection. Finally my wife, my first wife, said, ‘Why don’t we enter it in some of these contests?’ There were all these writing contests out there, and a few months later we’d won the Barnes and Noble ‘Discover Great New Writers’ contest.”

“They publish books so writers at least have a product to send out instead of just a manuscript,” he said in an interview with Vietnam magazine, “But we had incredible backing from Barnes & Noble. We had sales reps writing to Entrekin saying, ‘This is a great book.’ And then independent bookstores got behind it. The buzz started.”

Morgan Entrekin, one of New York’s last publishing superstars, had recently published the highly-acclaimed Cold Mountain. When his Atlantic Monthly Press published Matterhorn jointly with El Leon in March 2010 it made publishing history: More than 600,000 copies sold, and with critical praise worldwide.

The journey home

The 40 years between the conception of Matterhorn and its publication were busy and eventful — five children, numerous corporate jobs, and a fierce restlessness that

saw his children attending as many as 15 schools during their K-12 years. Unfortunately these years also saw the dissolution of Marlantes’s marriage and a startling realization: He was a sick man. “My poor wife just thought I was crazy,” he said, “she had no idea what was going on.”

What was going on were the classic symptoms of what was finally diagnosed many years later as PTSD — Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. “I was at a retreat, in a consulting or counseling session that was work-related, in the late 1990s. And I started to get more and more anxious, and finally the counselor I’m working with said, ‘Have you ever been in a war?’ and I completely lost it. Sobbed for five minutes.”

The counselor insisted Marlantes get immediate help — “Don’t even drive home, I’m calling him up right now” — from a specialist in the recently named and treated disorder. “You need to see this man immediately, and begin treatment.”

MY POOR WIFE JUST THOUGHT I WAS CRAZY

Logging in the early 1900s. “Deep River” portrays the extraordinary labor and constant risk of early logging, fishing, and survival itself.

Top: Electric skidding and loading machine (courtEsy of loNgviEw Public library)

Left: Men on stump (orEgoN historical sociEty)

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Karl Marlantes with his dog, Reggie, in the backyard of his summer cottage in Cannon Beach, the population of which is “about 1,000 to 1,200 in the winter.” And in the summer? “30,000,” he said, with a twinkle in his eye.

It just blew my mind. I shouted to my wife, “I think we just got the kitchen remodeled.”

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Kelso Track and Field State Champion

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Age 18 — 3,103

Age 19 — 8,283

Age 20 — 14,095

Age 21 — 9,705

Age 22 — 4,798

Age 23 — 3,495

Age 24 — 2,650

Age 25 — 2,018

Age 26 — 1,414

Sources: Karl Marlantes, United States Archives

from page 21

Suddenly the nightmares, the reactions to tiny sounds, the sudden flare-ups of rage, the depressive moments, the profound sorrows, were fit into a pattern that could be acknowledged, addressed, and treated. The effects of PTSD are catastrophic, he has said, especially on families.

In his vivid memoir, What It Is Like to Go to War, he writes: “For every veteran alone in the basement, there is a wife upstairs, bewildered, isolated and in despair from the dark cloud of war that hangs over family life.”

The Armed Services now take PTSD most seriously, especially given several violent outbursts and incidents in the public eye.

A recent U.S. Army study called PTSD “epidemic” and estimated that it affects almost a half million veterans of the Afghan and Iraq conflicts alone.

The view from the river

“Above

-- Karl Marlantes, at the launch of Deep River

Since Matterhorn, Marlantes hasn’t forsaken his preoccupations. He writes about people adapting and fitting in to new environments; people faced with moral, social and political dilemmas and difficult choices; people reconciling personalities that, as a Jungian, he recognizes as divided and in need of integration.

The difference between his two great books is height versus breadth. Matterhorn, set on a ridge top, vaulted readers from one fraught moment to another — spikes of action jumping across the pages like a seismograph. Its long-awaited successor, Deep River, moves horizontally, broadly, and sometimes languidly, across generations and often at a walk, or ambling drive, through the rich natural environment. Deep River is no less compelling despite its more deliberate pace. It stars its environment — the colossal trees, the brutish and beautiful river, the ramshackle settlements, the forbidding terrain — as much as its characters. And, unlike Matterhorn, there are strong female characters, notably the novel’s heroine, the determined and radicallyminded Aino Koski, a feminist before her time.

“I really don’t like novels that impose a 21st century sensibility on 19th century characters,” Marlantes said in our Cannon Beach interview. “She’s based on a character from the ‘Kalevala,’ and, I think, some of my aunts. That generation — they were tough cookies. It’s a myth that these women were under the thumbs of their husbands. They were unbelievably strong women.”

How typical of the extravagantly curious Marlantes to whirl together early Washington State history, the Finnish epic poem “Kalevala,” immigration over five decades, politics, labor organizing, primers on high wire logging and gill net fishing, into a moving picture as deep, wide and flowing as the magnificent Columbia itself.

And how typical of his fastidious side, ever aware of nuance, to change the Naselle River to “Deep River,” and simply on a whim. He writes in the author’s comment concluding Deep River: “There is a real Deep River just

KARL MARLANTES’S FAVORITE BOOKS

east of Naselle. I simply liked the name for my novel. My apologies to locals who would prefer historical accuracy to artistic license.”

Karl Marlantes grew up on stories, many of them told to him while fishing on the Columbia with his grandfather, Axel. Ultimately it’s stories that help him resolve the contradictions he sees and feels: the archetypes in the Norse sagas and the paradoxes of Jung.

“Those early pioneers in Northwest America were tough people. We’ve lost a lot of that. That’s one of the ironies — as we’ve solved problems, we’ve lost a lot of toughness. Is that good, or bad? I wish we could have both, but I don’t know if it’s possible.”

IT’S A MYTH THAT THESE WOMEN WERE UNDER THE THUMBS OF THEIR HUSBANDS

all, I just wanted to pay tribute to how hard these people worked.”

The dense, complex, probing of the tortured Russian soul. Poet W.B. Yeats explores the world of fairies, ghosts and spirits.

Exploding the sunny patriotism that plunged Britain into the carnage and loss of WW1.

Jung’s autobiography and the key to many of his ideas and interpretations.

Tolstoy’s masterpiece paints the Napoleonic Wars and their impacts on his own Russia.

Karl Mantanes at Cannon Beach, Oregon, July 2023.

Boys* and their Toys

*and girls

When I was a kid growing up on Beacon Hill, I had an “O” Gauge three-rail toy Lionel train. It was located in the small attic room above the garage. It had a steam engine, 3three or four cars and a caboose. I could shape it like an oval or a figure “8.”

Many a rainy day was spent up there just watching it go around and around. We — the other neighborhood kids and I — would also play with our Erector sets, Lincoln Logs, Lone Ranger Cheerios layouts and endless games of Monopoly.

Then came the girls, golf clubs, trumpet lessons and college. Just like Puff the Magic Dragon, life changed.

But the nagging urge to watch small trains go ‘round and ‘round was always in the back of my mind. So last December, thanks to Amazon, I

sent away for eight curved tracks, eight straight tracks, an engine, tender, three cars and a caboose. I spent an evening hooking up the new “O” gauge train and put it around the base of the Christmas tree.

I was in heaven and a kid again. It took me back to my youth. This one has a horn, a whistle and a voice that announces, “All Aboard.” My wife, Dot, rolled her eyes a little, but she could see I was enthralled. Our “grand dog” barked at it. My kids and brotherin-law asked if I could turn off the whistle and bells so they could watch the game.

By Ron Joslin

questions and watched the three types of layouts they have on display: “O” gauge, “HO” gauge and “N” gauge. We took a trip to the fairgrounds in Ridgefield to attend a swap meet and train show and saw the LK&R portable train layout. Over hot dogs and a coke, we talked to Richard who is a member of the LK&R club. He was very patient with us, answered a lot of our questions and invited us to join his group.

Then, a few days later my neighbor Mike and I were having coffee at his house. Mike has a three-bedroom house with a full, almost unused basement. (Can you see where this is going?) He took me down to the basement and asked me if I wanted to help him build a model railroad layout in the main room. I think that’s the most excited and wide-eyed I have been for a long time.

The journey started. We visited several times the Longview-Kelso-Rainier (LK&R) Model Railroad Club, located in the Three Rivers Mall. We met some of the members, asked a lot of dumb

As members, Mike and I have met a dozen or so people from the club. They are all volunteers in the LK&R and have met every question with answers, advice, and, on occasion, offered us free stuff. Richard even came to Mike’s house twice to offer help with our layout.

We have taken about four trips to the “Whistle Stop” store on Division in Portland. There we have met the same gentle answers to our queries and have had many chances to buy stuff for our layout. Like most hobbies, model railroading is expensive. As one gentleman said: “Heroin might be cheaper.”

If you want to see our layout, you probably need to wait a year or two because building the platform, laying track, wiring the tracks and accessories, building the mountain, the tunnel, the buildings in town will be a long journey. We are learning as we go, two steps forward and one step back.

All aboard! •••

You don’t need to be a kid to enjoy playing with trains

Ron Joslin is a retired music educator from the Kelso School District.

NOTES FROM MY LIVES

by Andre Stepankowsky

Don’t let cameras, chit-chat rob the magic of wilderness

Afriendly admonition greets hikers near the trailhead of Wallace Falls State Park in Washington’s North Cascades.

“Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher,” advises a sign posted with one of the most famous lines penned by William Wordsworth, the great English nature poet.

There is indeed a lot to enjoy and learn here: Tall waterfalls, frothy rapids that slalom and shush through boulders and rapids in a soothing music, where you see that one of a river’s main tasks is to erode and carry mountains to the sea. Here you appreciate that nothing — not even a hippo-sized boulder lodged in the channel near a river crossing — is immutable.

Canopies of old growth cedar and vine maple shade and fan the river like servants cooling a seated Indian raja. The Wallace River seems to gush out of walls of trees and underbrush. It tumbles and churns over hard, abrasive rocks formed millions of years ago in the ocean thousands of miles to the south — and that are still rising today.

But this essay isn’t just an exploration of the wonders of Wallace Falls. It’s meant to pitch an admonition of my own: If you really want to SEE and learn from nature, put away your camera and cell phone and really LOOK carefully, with a sense of wonder and imagination.

On a hike there in early July, I was disappointed — I almost wrote appalled — at how little apparent appreciation so many visitors had for the natural beauty around them. It’s a sorry observation I’ve unfortunately made many times during my explorations of the wild.

Upon arriving at the first of several waterfalls, many hikers immediately snapped a selfie or posed for a group shot. Then they chit-chatted among themselves, grabbed a bite to eat, compared electronic images and continued on or headed for home. I waited quietly, ultimately frustrated, for anyone to remark or ask a question about what they were seeing.

This type of superficial nature “appreciation” has become a programmed response that interferes with internalizing what nature is and what it offers to us. It’s as if the ubiquity of the cell phone camera now prevents us from building memories and images where they really count: in our brains and spirits.

I wonder how many of the three or four dozen or so other hikers I encountered that day could remember that the Wallace River had sliced its waterfall channel in two? Or took note of the giant log that bridged the river precariously near the top of one of the falls and that decay or a mountain storm will one day hurtle downriver, where it will help form life-sustaining pools and riffles?

In other words, how many of them really looked and wondered at what they were seeing? Were they “coming into the life of things,” as Wordsworth encouraged them?

A birder whom I encountered on the trail had a similar same lament when I complimented her careful observation as she briefly held down her binoculars.

Nature changes in two ways: rapidly, as it did at Mount St. Helens, or at the eon-length pace that created and sculpted Wallace Falls. It’s easy to see the sudden changes that shape a landscape, as it is with the dramatic events that change our own lives. Taking time to appreciate the slow but inexorable change in nature invites us to self-assess the long-term forces and habits that shape our own character.

We just have to let nature be our teacher. •••

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

SKY REPORT

Looking UP

Aug 19 – Sept18, 2023

The Evening Sky (a clear, open, low western horizon is needed)

As the month of August progresses, Planetary risings get earlier in the Evening. Saturn rises in the late evening at about 9:30pm Aug. 20th in the southeast, in the Constellation Capricorn, by mid-September it raises by 8:00pm.

Jupiter rises around 11:30 pm in midAugust in the East Northeast and by mid-September by 8:30 pm in the east. The Andromeda Galaxy is up in an easily viewable position in the eastern sky around 8:30 pm. Use binoculars to see the bright center of the Galaxy.

August 30th brings us a Blue Moon, the second full moon in a calendar month. The first full moon of August occurred on Aug. 1st.

The Morning Sky (cloudless eastern horizon sky required) Venus is returning to the morning sky, as it has passed from the front of the sun, about 6:00am. Around 5am on Aug 20th, Orion is back up in the southeastern sky. Yes, the winter constellations come out in the late Summer mornings. Mid-August at 5am, Jupiter is very high in the southeast sky and Saturn is visible in the southwestern sky about a fist width above the southwestern horizon. By mid-September Saturn has set around 4:30am.

By Greg Smith

All times are Daylight Savings Time

Moon Phases:

New: Wed, Aug 16th

1st Quarter: Thurs, Aug 24th

Full: Wed, Aug 30th (Blue Moon)

Last Quarter: Wed, Sept 6th

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

Sun., Aug 20th, 8:44pm

Sun., Aug. 27th, 8:30pm

Sat., Sept 9th, 8:05pm

Wed., Sept 20th, 7:43pm

Night Sky Spectacle

(A cloud- free evening is a must) The three stars that make up the Summer Triangle — Vega, Altair and Deneb —are high in the sky and loaded with many delights, especially around the center point of Cygnus the swan, which”‘flies’” down the middle of the Milky Way. Large binoculars will show a number of open star clusters, No globular star clusters reside in this portion of the Milky Way Galaxy.

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

Clatskanie, Ore.

Fultano’s Pizza

770 E. Columbia River Hwy

Family style with unique pizza offerings, hot grill items & more!

Dine-in,Take-out and Home Delivery. Visit Fultanos.com for streamlined menu. 503-728-2922

COLUMBIA RIVER dining

Eclipse Coffee & Tea

In the Merk (1339 Commerce Ave., #113)

360-998-2139. Mon-Fri 8am–4pm. Specialty coffees, teas, bubble teas and pastries....drinks with a smile. Takeout and on-site.

Freddy’s Just for the Halibut

guide

Teri’s Café on Broadway

1133 Broadway. New lunch spot. Open Mon-Sat, 11–6.

360-998-2936

Castle Rock, Wash

Ixtapa Fine Mexican Restaurant

640 E. Columbia River Hwy

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

Rainier. Ore.

102 East “A” Street

Microbrews, wines & spirits

7am–8pm Daily. Inside dining.

Interstate Tavern 119 E. “B” St., (Hwy 30)

Crab Louie/Crab cocktails, crab-stuffed avocados. 17 hot and cold sandwiches. Amazing crab sandwiches. Full bar service. Catering for groups. 503-556-5023. interstatetavern@yahoo.com 503-556-5023

El Tapatio

117 W. ‘A’ Street Mexican Family Restaurant. Open Fri-Sat 11am-11pm, rest of week 11am-10pm. Full bar. Karaoke Fri-Sat 8-11pm. Patio seating. 503556-8323.

Longview, Wash.

1335 14th Avenue

18 rotating craft brews, pub fare. M-Th 11am–8pm. Fri-Sat 11am–10pm; Sunday 11am–6pm. Local music coming soon. 360-232-8283. Inside dining

See ad, page 39. Follow us on Untappd.

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

The Carriage

Restaurant & Lounge

The Carriage Restaurant & Lounge

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

The Corner Cafe 796 Commerce Ave.

Breakfast & Lunch. Daily Soup & Sandwich, breakfast specials. Tues-Sat 7am3pm. Closed Sun-Mon. 360-353-5420. Email: sndcoffeeshop@comcast.net

1110 Commerce Ave. Cod, Alaskan halibut fish and chips, awardwinning clam chowder. Burgers, steaks, pasta. Beer and wine. M-Sat 10am–8pm, Sunday 11am–8pm. Inside dining, Drive-thru, outdoor seating. 360-414-3288.

The Gifted Kitchen

711 Vandercook Way, Longview “Celebrate, create, inspire.” Soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps, entrees, sides, pot pies, quiche, grazing boxes & more. M-F 11–6; Sat special events only; Sun closed. 360-261-7697.

Hop N Grape

924 15th Ave., Longview

Tues–Thurs 11am–7pm; Fri & Sat 11am–8pm. BBQ meat slowcooked on site. Pulled pork, chicken, brisket, ribs, turkey, salmon. World-famous mac & cheese. 360-577-1541.

Kyoto Sushi Steakhouse

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

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

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

Lynn’s Deli & Catering

1133 14th Ave.

Soups & sandwiches, specializing in paninis, box lunches, deli sandwiches and party platters.

Mon-Fri 8-3, Saturday 10-2. 360-577-5656

Roland Wines

1106 Florida St., Longview. Authentic Italian wood-fired pizza, wine, and beer. Casual ambience. 5–9pm Wed-Fri, Sat. 1–9. 360-846-7304 See ad, page 28.

Scythe Brewing Company

1217 3rd Avenue #150

360-353-3851

Sun-Thurs 12noon -8pm; Fri-Sat 12noon -10pm. Family-friendly brewery/ restaurant with upscale, casual dining, lunch and dinner.

Stuffy’s 804 Ocean Beach Hwy

360-423-6356

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

Teri’s, 3225 Ocean Beach Hwy, Longview. Lunch and dinner. Burgers, steak, seafood, pasta, specials, fresh NW cuisine. Full bar. Tues–Fri, 12–8pm. Sat

3–9pm.. Closed Sun-Mon. Curbside pickup. Inside dining. 360-577-0717.

Luckman’s Coffee Company 239 Huntington Ave. North, Drive-thru. Pastries, sandwiches, salads, quiche. See ad, page 39.

Parker’s Steak House & Brewery

1300 Mt. St. Helens Way. I-5 Exit 49.

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

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

Kalama, Wash.

215 N. Hendrickson Dr., Port of Kalama. A Northwest pub and unique bars serving breakfast, lunch & dinner daily. Info & reservations, bar hours at mcmenamins.com. 8am–midnight daily. 360- 673-9210. Indoor dining, covered outdoor seating, curbside take-out.

St. Helens, Ore.

Sunshine Pizza & Catering 2124 Columbia Blvd. Hot pizza, cool salad bar. Beer & wine. Limited inside seating, curbside pickup and delivery. 503-397-3211 See ad, page 17.

Big River Tap Room 313 Strand Street on the Riverfront. Lunch/Dinner Tue-Thurs 12–8pm; Fri-Sat 12–9pm. Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef, pastrami. Weekend Burrito Breakfast, Sat 8-11, Sun 8am-3pm.

Scappoose, Ore.

Fultano’s Pizza

51511 SE 2nd. Family style with unique pizza offerings, hot grill items & more! “Best pizza around!” Sun–Th 11am–9pm; Fri-Sat 11am–10pm. Full bar service ‘til 10pm Fri & Sat. Deliveries in Scappoose. 503-543-5100. Inside Dining.

Ixtapa Fine Mexican Restaurant

33452 Havlik Rd. Fine Mexican cuisine. Daily specials. The best margarita in town. Daily drink specials. M-Th 11am–9:30pm; Fri & Sat 11am–11:30pm; Sun 11am–9pm. 503-543-3017

Warren, Ore.

Warren Country Inn

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

Toutle, Wash.

DREW’S GROCERY & SERVICE

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

Fire Mountain Grill 9440 Spirit Lake Hwy 360-957-0813. Call for days and hours.

See ad, page 38.

Woodland, Wash.

1350 Atlantic Ave. Rotating craft brews, pub fare. Open M-Th 11am–6pm; Fri–Sat 11am–10pm; Sunday 11am–6pm. 360-841-8941. See ad, page 39.

LucKM an Coffee Company

1230 Lewis River Rd. Small batch on-site roasted coffee, breakfast, lunch. Inside seating. M-F 5:30am–6pm, Sat 6am–5pm, Sun 7am–3pm. See ad, page 39.

THE OAK TREE

1020 Atlantic Ave. Breakfast served all day. Famous Bankruptcy Stew, Oak Tree Salad, desserts baked in-house. Full bar. Happy Hours 1-3, 7-9pm. Live music. 360--841-5292. See ad, page 18.

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

Pacific Imaging Center Offers Outstanding Imaging Services

Pacific Imaging Center offers the best of all worlds - excellent MRI technology, welltrained techs, affordable pricing, extended hours, and superior customer service.

PIC’s 1.5 Tesla 16-channel high-definition scanner produces incredibly sharp images. MRI’s completed at PIC are read by radiologists at NOIA (National Orthopedic Imaging Associates), one of the nation’s foremost radiology groups, NOIA provides rapid return of results to your primary care physician.

NOIA involvement also ensures that patients will have their scans read by radiologists who specialize in the area of focus. For example, if you have a brain MRI done, it will be read by a radiologist with advanced training in assessing such scans.

PIC accepts a wide range of insurance carriers, including Kaiser.

Patrick Burns, Director of Imaging Services at PIC

By Tracy Beard

Two Mock Mules

1 ½ ounce choice of Simple Syrup

½ ounce lemon juice

Ginger Beer

Place ice in a cocktail shaker. Add lemon juice and flavored simple syrup. Stir vigorously. Strain into a copper cup filled with ice. Top with ginger beer and serve.

Mango/Cardamom Simple Syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

6 cardamom pods

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ripe mango chopped

Tracy’s

Vinaigrette

Salad

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons capers

2 oil-packed anchovy fillets

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon fresh oregano

Black pepper to taste

Throw all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend.

Salad

4 large eggs

8 small red-skinned potatoes

4 ounces green beans – stemmed

4 ounces arugula

1 cup cherry tomatoes – halved

2 (5-ounce) cans tuna -drained

1 (12-ounce) jar of marinated and quartered artichoke hearts – drained

½ cup Kalamata olives – pitted

8 leaves fresh basil

Freshly ground black pepper

Kosher salt to taste

Place all ingredients in a saucepot and bring to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes and let steep for an hour. Strain and refrigerate simple syrup for cocktails.

Blueberry-Vanilla Simple Syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

½ cup blueberries

1 teaspoon vanilla

Place all ingredients in a saucepot and bring to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes and let steep for an hour. Strain and refrigerate simple syrup for cocktails.

Boil the eggs for 11-15 minutes, depending on your preference. Put the eggs in an ice bath and then peel. Place the potatoes whole in cold water, bring to a boil, and cook 10-15 minutes until fork tender. Place green beans in boiling water for 2 minutes and add to an ice bath. Divide all ingredients onto four plates and dress with the vinaigrette.

Alex Nielson M.D., ABFM

Richard A. Kirkpatrick M.D., FACP Rachel Roylance BS, MPAP, PA-C

Dr. Toddrick Tookes DPM, Podiatrist

Vlad Bogin M.D., FACP

Scott B. Kirkpatrick M.D., ABIM

Gordon Hendrickson, PA-C

Nicholas Austin MSPAS, PA-C

Christie Kirkpatrick Schmutz M.D.

CHRISTIE KIRKPATRICK SCHMUTZ, md

Christie Kirkpatrick Schmutz, MD, in August!

Niçoise

Plentiful birds,peacful scenery

The Chehalis Western Trail & beyond

Story and photos by Tracy Beard

Rolling along with last month’s theme of e-biking, I went for another bike ride this summer. However, this time the journey was completed using my own power, on my own bike. My favorite adventure friend, Connie, accompanied me on this 10-mile trek. We headed for The Chehalis Western Trail, a rail trail in Washington that occupies an abandoned railroad corridor once used by the historic Weyerhaeuser-owned Chehalis Western Railroad.

Our Trailhead

Connie and I met up and parked our cars at the Monarch Sculpture Park and Art Center. The Sculpture Park is an outdoor art gallery opened in 1998 by sculptor Myrna Orsini and Retired Federal Judge Doris A. Coonrod. This 80-acre park, filled with unique sculptures produced by several artists locally and internationally, was a gift to the community and is in Thurston County, approximately 10 minutes from Tenino.

The park is free of charge, open from dawn until dusk, and offers no motorized vehicle access. Guests can enter on foot or via bike, but plenty of parking is on the road along The Chehalis Western Trail. The park features over 150 contemporary sculptures, a fantasy garden, a bird and butterfly garden, a Japanese garden, and a sound garden. Connie and I enjoyed meandering through the various gardens while discussing the artist’s thoughts when they created each piece.

The Chehalis Western Trail

Driving to the starting point, Connie and I realized that the day we chose to ride was also the same

weekend as the STP (the Seattle to Portland ride). We passed numerous riders on the way to our parking spot. Luckily their route did not cover the section of the trail we chose to ride.

The Chehalis Western Trail follows the route of a Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. railroad. For years trains carried millions of logs harvested from Washington state forests all the way to the coast. This means of transportation lasted 60 years, from the 1920s to the 1980s. Today, this 21.2-mile trail is the epicenter of the Thurston County trail system, which reaches out to every major town in the county.

The Sculpture park where we began is approximately 3 miles north of the Yelm-Tenino Trail. We started riding south to the Yelm-Tenino Trail, rode back past the park another 2 miles, and then returned to the

park to complete our 10-mile trek. Along the way, we discovered some abandoned train cars. Most of our ride was shaded by large trees, which was a plus since the temperature that day reached the 90s.

If we had continued riding north past our turnaround spot, we would have enjoyed the views overlooking the Deschutes River Valley and headed into Lacey. Continuing onward would have taken us through farms and forests until we reached the Woodard Bay Natural Resources Conservation Area on Puget Sound. Visitors can hike the Upper Overlook Trail from September through March at Woodard Bay, but it is closed from April to August for nesting herons.

Lacey boasts pedestrian bridges over Martin Way SE, Interstate 5, and Pacific Avenue SE, and shortly south of the third bridge, the trail crosses the Woodland Trail. This 2.5-mile trail connects to Olympia.

Trailheads with parking can be found at Woodard Bay, Chambers Lake at 14th Avenue SE, 67th Avenue SE, and Fir Tree Road between Summerwood and Country Vista Drive SE. Parking for just a few cars is available at several other street crossings along the route.

Nearby Attractions

Connie and I love gardens. Larry Lael labored for over 40 years creating Lael’s Moon Garden Nursery, where guests can wander the different sections of this magnificent garden and purchase various plants.

Don Juan’s Mexican Kitchen offers excellent Cadillac margaritas and a sampling of dips with their chips. I like their shrimp tacos. Don’s mom cooks in the kitchen and supervises the restaurant. I have returned here many times because the food is equal to the cuisine you would find in a restaurant in Mexico.

Billy Fran Jr. Nisqually Wildlife Refuge is an incredible place to spend a few hours or even the entire day. If time is limited, the one-mile boardwalk through the grassy marsh area is a fabulous preview of what the Refuge contains. If time allows, venture out to the old barns and take the long boardwalk over the wetlands to the viewing point near the Sound. The birds are plentiful, and the scenery is peaceful. •••

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

NEW CENTENNIAL BOOK

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

by Hal Calbom $50 plus tax

Readings/Book Signing

Meet the Author

Friday, Sept. 8 • 4 – 9pm

Monticello Hotel Park View Room (in lobby). Historic photo display. Buy a book, enjoy a complimentary glass of bubbly!

Saturday, Sept. 9 10am – 12:30 pm

CRR’s office, 1333 14th Ave. (next to Antidote Tap House)

Book also available at Kelso Visitor Center, Cowlitz County Museum, Broadway Gallery, and CRR office, 1333 14th, Longview.

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

• Longview’s ‘23 Club, with Cal Fowler and Abe Ott

• Empire of Trees: America’s Planned City and the Last Frontier, with Hal Calbom and Sue Piper

“Mr. Long

to air in Sept. as radio play

The radio recreation of “Mr. Long Timber Baron,” written by the late Dr. Travis Cavens and originally produced in June 2004, will be presented by Phyllis Cavens and Bicoastal Media.

The show will be featured as an old time evening radio show on Bicoastal Media in installments at 7pm, Mon–Thurs, Sept 11–14, on 1270aM or 99.9fM radio, and available subsequently online at kedoam.com in podcast format.

Tune in and follow the genesis of Longview, the Planned City, as the Long family and the Long-Bell company discover the natural beauty and rich natural resources in this region.

The Planned City included measures to provide recreation, healthy life, entertainment and education

• Joseph Govednik, Cowlitz County Historical Museum, World War II

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

SPEAKER PRESENTATION Thurs. Sept. 7, 6pm

Don Larry will discuss his grandfather, E.N.Larry, designer of the Port of Astoria, who became Long-Bell’s in-house architect in 1922. He was a prominent architect and engineer in Longview.

within the community. The plan comes together, but not without family and company strain and great personal cost to make the beautiful city the community enjoys today. Join other listeners as the genesis of Longview is shared!

--Submitted by Peter Ouellette, who will portray Mr. Robert A. Long

Historic Walking Tour

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

COMMUNITY READ KICK-OFF

Mon., Sept 11, 5:30pm

Selected book: Empire of Trees

Presentation by author Hal Calbom

100 books available free, first come, first served.

Community book discussion Oct 2, 6pm

Discuss Library-generated questions related to Empire of Trees, the City of Longview, and your role in the shaping of Longview for the next 100 years.

More details at

CENTENNIAL WEBSITE: longview100.org

PublishEd by columbia rivEr rEadEr PrEss

Timber Baron”

Dr. Cavens, pictured here in downtown Longview alongside a sculpture of R.A. Long, frequently played the part of the City’s founder at community events.

LONGVIEW’S ANNUAL GATHERING OF

NUTS!

LONGVIEW’S SQUIRREL BRIDGE COLLECTION

1. The Nutty Narrows Bridge Olympia Way near 1525–18th Ave. Erected 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 lower photo) 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.

AUG 19 • SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

In R.A.Long Park in Longview’s Civic Circle, 1445 17th Ave.

10am Official Opening! Vendor Booths, Nut House & Kids’ Activities

10am Sandy B. McNutt Welcoming

10am Cornhole Tournament begins

11am, 12, 1, 2, 3, 4pm Squirrel Bridge Tours $10

2pm Beer Garden opens, $5 Cover

3,6,7pm Band performance

8pm Cornhole Tournament ends

10pm Beer Garden closes

All Day: Vendor Row • Food Concessions

For more info: lvsquirrelfest.com

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.

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.

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.

Longview Centennial Events - cont.

Centennial Merchandise

Souvenir Centennial Calendars, illustrated $5. Official Centennial Coins $10, lapel pins $3 (2 for $5); T-shirts $15-22, Pens $1, Stainless steel tumblers, etc.

Now available at Kelso- Longview Chamber Visitor Center next to I-5 in Kelso, and Longview YMCA.

Cornerstone Ceremony • Saturday, September 9, 1pm

At the gazebo at RA Long Square in Longview’s historic Civic Circle

The city of Longview turns 100 this year. Longview Masonic Lodge #263 turns 100 next year.

To celebrate their shared history, Longview Masonic Lodge #263 will give the City of Longview a birthday present — a new time capsule, to be opened in 2123 during the city’s bicentennial. Submit your ideas for objects to go into the capsule to represent each decade, to the Lodge at freemasoncowlitz.org/time-capsule, or to info@freemasoncowlitz.org

YMCA OF SW WASHINGTON 100th Birthday

Sept 30 Ice Cream Social and Ol’ Time Music, 2–5 pm Ice cream treats, music, dancing. $5 Adults, $3 kids. Info 360-423-4770 • longviewymca.org

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.

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.

8. PUD Squirrel Bridge

LONGVIEW’S SQUIRREL BRIDGES

Amos Peters Squirrel Statue,erected by the Sandbaggers on Longview Public Library grounds in honor of Amos Peters

Submission Guidelines

Letters to the Editor (up to 200 words) relevant to the publication’s purpose — helping readers discover and enjoy the good life in the Columbia River region, at home and on the road — are welcome. Longer pieces, or excerpts thereof, in response to previously-published articles, may be printed at the discretion of the publisher and subject to editing and space limitations. Items sent to CRR will be considered for publication unless the writer specifies otherwise. Writer’s name and phone number must be included; anonymous submissions will not be considered.

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

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

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

HOW TO PUBLICIZE YOUR NON-PROFIT EVENT IN CRR

Send your non-commercial community event info (name of event, beneficiary, sponsor, date & time, location, brief description and contact info) to publisher@crreader.com Or mail or hand-deliver (in person or via mail slot) to: Columbia River Reader 1333-14th Ave Longview, WA 98632

Submission Deadlines Events occurring: Sept 15 - Oct 20 by Aug 25 for Sept 15 issue Oct 15 – Nov 25 by Sept 25 for Oct issue.

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

at

An emotive set of portraits — some realistic, some abstract and inventive — enliven the Alcove Gallery at the Community Arts Workshop (CAW) at CAP, 1526 Commerce, free and open to the public, Monday through Friday, from 9am to 3:30pm, until Thursday, September 21st. Opening Reception Aug. 18, 1-3pm. CAW also offers ongoing free arts and crafts classes, free materials, and a welcoming environment.

BROADWAY GALLERY

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

FEATURED ARTISTS

Aug: The Show of the Century Community art exhibit honoring Longview’s Centennial.

Sept: Laurie Michaels (sculpture); guest artist Barbara Matkowski (mixed media)

The following local artists are included in the show: Brandy McCartney, Ruby Jones-Hutto, Cat Walquist, James Wright, Sherri Nordquist, Mic McCoy, Devin Looney, Craig Clark, Bonnie Smith, Jerome Makinster, Johnson, Alex Rudinsky, and Michael O’neill. Come and enjoy this exhibit of artworks that look back at you as you look at them!

Join Us for First Thursday

Sept 7• 5:30–7pm Nibbles & Bites! Live Music by Freelance Mix

HOURS Tues - Sat 11–4

Painting classes by Scott McRae, Beth Bailey, and Lorena Birk; Mono-print Cards workshop by Sandra Yorke. Check our website or come into the Gallery.

We are a great place to buy gifts and take classes! Free Gift Wrap on request. Gift Cards

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

FALL Model Train Show & Swap Meet

Saturday,

September 9th • 10am – 3pm

Three Rivers Mall, Kelso, Wash.

$5 Admission ages 13 and above

All children FREE with one paid adult

$10 Early Bird entrance available 9am

Many Vendors

200 Tables Available

FREE PARKING

I-5 Exit 39 west, left at the light just after passing Red Lobster. Go past Safeway to the southwest entrance to the old Macy’s store.

Be sure to visit our Club located in the Mall

-- Yvette Raynham, CAW Founder, Gallery Director

Longview Library selects Empire of Trees for Community Reads program

Longview Public Library has selected Empire of Trees as a Community Read book. 100 copies are available free on a first-come, first served basis. Program kickoff is Sept .11, 5:30 pm, with a presentation and reading by author Hal Calbom.

Longview Centennial Events

see page 30-31

THE MINTHORN COLLECTION OF CHINESE ART

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

By Alan Rose

What are you reading?

coordinated by Alan Rose

By Jim MacLeod

The Founders’ Fortunes

by Willard Sterne Randall

If you are disgusted with partisan squabbling and long for the civility and wisdom of our Founding Fathers, DO NOT read this book. The framers of the Constitution were every bit as conniving and divided as today’s political leaders. None was perfect, and neither were the documents they crafted. This was an era when only white males with substantial land holdings could vote or hold elective

office — less than 5 percent of the population. Chattel slavery was legal and women had no voice in how they were governed; neither did small landowners, tenants, shopkeepers, clerks, laborers, or emancipated slaves. The framers were bankers, merchants, planters, lawyers and other professionals who vied for restricted markets without a legal currency or voice in Parliament.

Once England’s worsening financial woes demanded more than the cashstrapped colonies could bear, the founders were compelled to join forces in rebellion. Most of them were patriots who staked their lives and fortunes in order to gain independence. The price of victory was bankruptcy for the nation, and even America’s first billionaire ended up in debtor’s prison. This book is a must for everyone who wants to know how money shapes

our country, both then and now. Our founders created an imperfect framework that had to be amended to correct oversights and meet the needs of a growing nation.

This book suggests that history has more to teach us than lists of memorable battles and heroic speeches.

•••

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

LOWER COLUMBIA CURRENTS

Commentary by Andre Stepankowsky

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

Reading with your heart in your throat

The Wager A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder

by David Grann Doubleday $30.

In January 1742, a leaky, patchedtogether vessel washed up onto Brazil’s coast. It contained 30 men so severely emaciated that the citizens of Rio Grande at first didn’t recognize them as human. The men were survivors of His Majesty’s Ship the Wager that had departed England one-and-one-half years earlier. Their ship, badly battered attempting the stormy Drake Passage around Cape Horn, had reached the Pacific, but then ran aground on an island off the coast of Patagonia in May 1741. Marooned and slowly starving on the desolate island, they had set out in October to make their way back around the horn of South America, traveling 3000 miles, this time in their flimsy, make-shift craft. It was an extraordinary tale of fortitude and endurance, and the men were hailed as heroes.

Then, six months later, another decrepit vessel landed on the coast of Chile. It held only three men, also from the Wager, but they told a very different tale. The thirty sailors were mutineers, guilty of the most abject treachery and murder. As the three castaways’ account became known, the first group responded with countercharges against the ship’s commanding officer whose incompetence and tyrannical

“Nothing was more frequent than to bury eight or ten men from each ship every morning,” Millecamp wrote in his journal. Altogether, nearly 300 of the Centurion’s some 500 men were eventually listed as “DD”—Discharged Dead. Of the roughly 400 people on the Gloucester who had departed from England, three quarters were reported to have been buried at sea…Byron tried to offer his deceased companions a proper sea burial, but there were so many corpses, and so few hands to assist, that the bodies often had to be heaved overboard unceremoniously.

personality had threatened to doom them all. The British Admiralty convened a court-martial to determine what really happened on that windswept island in the Gulfo de Penas, what the men had come to call the Gulf of Pain.

This is one of those books you read with your heart in your throat. David Grann (The Lost City of Z, Killers of the Flower Moon) writes history as if it were

– from The Wager next page

Alan’s haunting novel of the AIDS epidemic, As If Death Summoned, won the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award (LGBT category.) He can be reached at www.alan-rose.com.

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses Sarah J. Maas, Bloomsbury Publishing, $19

2. Trust Hernan Diaz, Riverhead Books, $17

3. Legends & Lattes Travis Baldree, Tor, $17.99

4. The Midnight Library Matt Haig, Penguin, $18

5. This Is How You Lose the Time War

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

6. Love, Theoretically Ali Hazelwood, Berkley, $17

7. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Taylor Jenkins Reid, Washington Square Press, $17,

8. The House in the Cerulean Sea TJ Klune, Tor, $18.99

9. A Court of Wings and Ruin Sarah J. Maas, Bloomsbury Publishing, $19,

10. Too Late Colleen Hoover, Grand Central, $18.99

from page 34

Top 10 Bestsellers

1. Killers of the Flower Moon David Grann, Vintage, $17

2. Crying in H Mart Michelle Zauner, Vintage, $17

3. American Prometheus Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin, Vintage, $25

4. The Body Keeps the Score Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., Penguin, $19

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

6. On Island Time Chandler O’Leary, Sasquatch Books, $24.95

7. Cascadia Field Guide Cmarie Fuhrman (Ed.), Mountaineers Books, $29.95

8. All About Love bell hooks, Morrow, $16.99

9. Happy-Go-Lucky David Sedaris, Back Bay, $18.99

10. The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America Matt Kracht, Chronicle, $15.95

a novel—with breathtaking action, vivid characters, increasing suspense. He achieves this by drawing from the written accounts of key figures: David Cheap, captain of the Wager, lacking the respect of his men, would rise above his shortcomings, displaying remarkable courage and determination in an extreme situation; the Wager’s gunner John Bulkeley, “an instinctive leader,” confident, resourceful, and able to command the respect and admiration from the crew, became leader of the mutineers; sixteen-year old John Byron, the younger son of a nobleman, had signed on as midshipman to make his own fortune in the world. The most attractive character in Grann’s telling, Byron becomes the conscience of the Wager, seeing the plight and desperation of the mutineers, yet remaining loyal to the captain in spite of Cheap’s failings. (He would survive the ordeal to become the grandfather of the poet Lord Byron.)

From their different accounts, Grann weaves the tale of the Wager , finally leaving the reader to weigh the merits of their actions—and too, to ponder what he or she would have done in such extreme situations.

1. Demon Copperhead Barbara Kingsolver, Harper, $32.50

2. The Covenant of Water Abraham Verghese, Grove Press, $32

3. Fourth Wing Rebecca Yarros, Entangled: Red Tower Books, $29.99

4. Lessons in Chemistry Bonnie Garmus, Doubleday, $29

5. Light Bringer Pierce Brown, Del Rey, $30

6. Crook Manifesto Colson Whitehead, Doubleday, $29

7. Remarkably Bright Creatures Shelby Van Pelt, Ecco, $29.99

8. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow Gabrielle Zevin, Knopf, $28

9. Happy Place Emily Henry, Berkley, $27

10. Yellowface R. F. Kuang, Morrow, $30

1. The Wager David Grann, Doubleday, $30

2. The Creative Act Rick Rubin, Penguin Press, $32

3. Baking Yesteryear B.Dylan Hollis, DK, $32

4. I’m Glad My Mom Died Jennette McCurdy, Simon & Schuster, $27.99

5. Poverty, by America Matthew Desmond, Crown, $28

6. The Art Thief Michael Finkel, Knopf, $28

7. Pageboy Elliot Page, Flatiron Books, $29.99

8. A Fever in the Heartland Timothy Egan, Viking, $30

9. Atomic Habits James Clear, Avery, $27

10. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Charlie Mackesy, HarperOne, $22.99

QUIPS & QUOTES

Selected by Debra Tweedy

I could never stay long enough on the shore; the tang of the untainted, fresh and free sea air was like a cool, quieting thought. --Helen Keller, American author, disability rights advocate, lecturer, 1880-1968

The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.

--William Butler Yeats, Irish poet, writer, politician, 1865-1939

Reading makes immigrants of us all. It takes us away from home, but more important, it finds homes for us everywhere.

--Jean Rhys, British novelist, 1890-1979

We are all born worthy. Worthy of love, worthy of success.

--Jamie Lee Curtis, American actress, producer, author, 1958-

Distance changes utterly when you take the world on foot. A mile becomes a long way, two miles literally considerable, ten miles whopping, fifty miles at the very limits of conception. The world, you realize, is enormous in a way that only you and a small community of fellow hikers know. Planetary scale is your little secret.

--Bill Bryson, American-British journalist and author, 1951-

1. Where’s Waldo? Martin Handford, Candlewick, $8.99

2. Bluey: Camping

Penguin Young Readers, $5.99

3. Weather Together

Jessie Sima, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $18.99

4. Bluey: The Beach

Penguin Young Readers, $4.99

5. Taylor Swift: A Little Golden Book Biography Wendy Loggia, Elisa Chavarri (Illus.), Golden Books, $5.99

6. Goodnight Moon Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd (Illus.), Harper, $8.99

7. The Going to Bed Book Sandra Boynton, Boynton Bookworks, $6.99

8. Little Blue Truck Alice Schertle, Jill McElmurry (Illus.), Clarion Books, $8.99

9. The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eric Carle, World of Eric Carle, $10.99

10. Bluey: The Pool Penguin Young Readers, $4.99

Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you.

--Mary Lou Retton, American gymnast, 1968As for rosemary, I let it run all over my garden walls, not only because my bees love it, but because it is the herb sacred to remembrance and to friendship.

--Sir Thomas More, English lawyer, judge, author, humanist, statesman, 1478-1535 Genius without education is like silver in the mine.

--Benjamin Franklin, American scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, writer 17061790

A black cat dropped soundlessly from a high wall, like a spoonful of dark treacle, and melted under a gate.

--Elizabeth Lemarchand, English writer and educator, 1906-2000

1. The Skull Jon Klassen, Candlewick, $19.99

2. The Sun and the Star Rick Riordan, Mark Oshiro, Disney Hyperion, $19.99

3. Nimona ND Stevenson, Quill Tree Books, $18.99

4. The Moth Keeper

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

5. The One and Only Ruby Katherine Applegate, Harper, $19.99

6. Super Extra Deluxe Essential Handbook (Pokemon) Scholastic, $14.99

7. Swim Team Johnnie Christmas, HarperAlley, $15.99

8. Allergic Megan Wagner Lloyd, Michelle Mee Nutter (Illus.), Graphix, $12.99

9. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Judy Blume, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, $9.99

10. Hatchet Gary Paulsen, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $9.99

CLATSKANIE GARLIC FESTIVAL

A goldmine for gardeners

Cope’s Park, Clatskanie, Oregon

Several garlic growers from Oregon and Washington will bring their bounty. Last year we had more than 6,000 garlic bulbs at the festival. This year there will be even more, because we’ll have more growers, with all 11 major horticultural varieties and dozens of unique strains represented. It will be a goldmine for gardeners wanting seed stock as well as gourmet cooks who want to up their game.

There will be unique and fabulous arts and crafts and DELICIOUS food!

Musicians: Standard Keys (opening); The Lorna Baxter Trio.

Outings & Events

Mount St. Helens Hiking Club

Call leader to join outing or for more info. Non-members welcome.

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

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

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

Aug 16 - Wed    Lewis & Clark Discovery Trail to Tillamook Rock Lighthouse (M/S)

Drive 140 miles RT.  Hike 8 miles out & back with 1600’ e.g.  The initial 1.5 miles is steep with lots of switchbacks and then gentler up and downs through the forest that runs along and above the Pacific Ocean.  Near the halfway point there is a restroom, campsites and a viewpoint of the Tillamook Lighthouse. Leaders: John & Mary Jane M. 360-508-0878

Aug 18 - Fri  Paradise Park (S)

Drive 110 miles RT.  Hike 12.5 miles with 2,300’

e.g.  A classic Mt Hood hike, from Timberline Lodge climb down (and up) Zig Zag Canyon to fields of wild flowers and alpine views of Mt. Hood. Visit Timberline Lodge too. Leader: Pat R. 360-225-7232 or 360-560-9554

Aug 24th - Thurs      Oxbow Regional Park (E)

Drive 123 miles RT. Hike 6.5 miles with about 550 foot e.g. through an ancient forest and along the Sandy River. $5 VEHICLE FEE. Leaders: Linda J. (360) 431-3321, Leslie P. 360-520-4592

Aug 26 - Saturday

Mirror Lake/Tom, Dick and Harry Mountain (S)

Drive 196 milesRT. Hike 6.4 miles RT with 1500 foot e.g. past scenic Mirror Lake to mountain top viewpoint of Mt Hood and surrounding National Forest. Leader: Bruce M. 360-425-0256

Aug 30 - Wed   Seminary Hill Natural Area (E) Drive 90 miles RT.  Hike 4.5 miles with 320 foot e.g.  Just east of Centralia.  This hike offers hilltop wandering and views of Centralia, Chehalis and the Chehalis or Skookumchuck River Valley. Leader: Barbara R. 360-431-1131

watErcolorizEd skEtch by thE

dEENa martiNsoN

Sept 7 - Thurs      Silver Star Mountain (M/S) Drive 120 miles RT. Hike 12.5 miles RT with 2600’ e.g. Through canopy on Klockman Ridge up to the old fire lookout access road. From there we will traverse the east ridge through the Rock Arch on Ed’s Trail and up to the summit where a fantastic 360 degree view of SW Washington awaits.

Leader: Bill D. 503-260-6712

Sept 9 - Saturday              Lake Sacajawea (E)   Walk 4 miles on flat ground around the whole lake or any loop/portion for a shorter walk. The total hike length will be decided by the group at the time. The group will hike all together. Note: This walk is designed for Super Seniors and/or people with physical limitations at a slow pace. Leaders: Susan S. 360-430-9914

Sept 9 - Saturday    Ape Canyon Trail #234 (S)    Drive 120 miles RT.  Hike out and back 11 miles RT with 2083’ e.g. along a lahar with beautiful views of Mt St Helens.

Leader: Dory N. 213-820-1014

Sept 13 - Wed

Noble Woods/Jackson Bottoms (E/M) Drive 110 RT.  Walk a short distance through the woods with little e.g. on a paved trail.  Then proceed to Jackson Bottoms from Noble Woods.  Jackson Bottoms is about 4.5 – 5 miles on a gravel trail with very little e.g.  There are many trails and ponds as well as birds to see. Leader: Art M. 360-270-9991

Sept 16 - Saturday

Elk Meadows and Gnarl Ridge (S)

Drive 230 miles RT.  Hike 10.5 miles out and back with 2400’ e.g. to a large meadow and on to Gnarl Ridge with cliff edge vistas.

Leader: Pat R. 360 225-7232 or 360 560-9554

Story by Steve Routon • Photos courtesy of Clatskanie Farmers Market

August 19 • 10am-4pm (new, extended time upon popular demand)

Your

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

The Separation of ‘Hooch’ and State

By Marc Roland

I know it’s August, but let’s call it WAugust. This is the new campaign being promoted by the Washington State Wine Commission. Some of you may recall the days when the state liquor stores were the only place you could buy your booze, but they also had wine. But then it all changed. It happened in 2011 when the public was bamboozled into voting for privatization. The arguments for seemed logical — lower prices through competition, promoting free markets, greater selection, and just getting the inefficient State out of it. The so-called separation of hooch and state. On the other hand, many were afraid if the State got out of the business, public health would suffer. None of these fears were realized and prices and selection didn’t change much.

But for me, Washington Wine month conjures up memories of Christmas because that was the main time that I would buy the hard stuff. For me, state liquor stores were associated with smells and smiles. I can’t describe the scent but I remember it fondly, and the sales folks were so friendly. Recently Meenakshi S. Subbaraman and William C. Kerr did a study that argued that voters would reject privatization if the vote happened in 2023. I would agree.

The WAugust promotion breathes new life into Washington wine month with a summer theme. According to the promotion, “August is a special time in Washington. WAAugust bottles this summer feeling, pairs it with Washington Wine, and serves as an official invitation to seek out WA Wine Month events and participate any way you please. Whether you take a road trip to a new winery, or pack WA wine in the cooler for your camping trip, there’s no wrong way to WAugust”

But it may be a little harder to find the values than before 2011. State liquor stores were on the forefront of stocking a great selection of Washington wines on the shelves and the knowledge to help you make a good selection. Try that at your local grocery store where Washington wine gets buried in the wine section and you can be assured that no one will point you in the right direction. Let me lend a hand so you can take advantage of the deals. Let’s start locally. I’m not seeing promotions at any of the local grocery stores or wine shops, but local wineries are doing some special things this month.

Capstone Cellars (179 Shanghai Rd., Kelso, Wash.) will be celebrating with discounts on select red wines along with a lineup of wonderful artists. Select 2016 red wines will be 20% off and 30% off for club members*.

Summer schedule: Friday 3:30pm to 8pm, Saturday noon to 6pm and closed on Sunday.

Bateaux Cellars (288 Smokey Valley Rd, Toledo, Wash.)

Live music, Saturday Aug. 12 with Dan Dingman, Aug. 26 with CloudShine, 5-7pm. Happy Hour Thursdays — enjoy an extra 10% off your total bill. 2021 Sauvignon Blanc and 2021 Vilaine will be 30% off while inventory lasts.

Roland Wines (1106 Florida St., Longview, Wash) Live Jazz every Thursday night 6-8 pm. During August, free tasting of Roland’s newest release, made from 100% Washington Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc.

washingtonwine.org

Your one-stop place to find WAugust events throughout the state. They also have a trip planner app that may be worth a free download. Map My WA Wine on the app store.

We aren’t going back to the State control of liquor sales and the State stores as best promoters of Washington wine, so it is up to individual businesses to step up and shout it from the mountain tops. I don’t see that happening much. But you do have me!

Go WAugust!

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

the spectator by ned piper

PLUGGED IN TO COWLITZ PUD Those squirrels!

Afew years ago, the Chamber of Commerce asked CRR to give a group of Canadian visitors a tour of Longview, using our bus. I agreed, envisioning a drive around Lake Sacajawea, seeing R. A. Long High School and the Community Church, finishing with a quick drive through Longview’s industrial section.  But, no…all the visitors wanted to see were Longview ’s eight unique squirrel bridges! They were so much in awe, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them have returned over the years for Squirrel Fest.

Sue says I have a love/hate relationship with squirrels. I do enjoy watching the little critters scampering through the branches of the huge oak tree in our backyard. I’ve also been known to put nuts out for their dining pleasure.

But I did not appreciate the squirrel(s) chewing through a cedar shake on our roof to get in and set up housekeeping in the attic. It took some time and effort to evict them.

A few years ago, we got a small Meyer lemon tree. One year, about 20 small-but-growing lemons turned black during a surprise freeze. We now move the plant indoors during winter and back outside in the spring. But ever since that freeze, despite loving care the tree appears healthy, but produces just one smallish lemon each year. And for the last two years, the single,

ripening lemon disappeared… only to be found buried in a nearby potted plant. That’s one big nut, Mr. Bushytail! Or do squirrels like citrus?

Sue inherited her mother’s wrought-iron spiral plant stand holding five plants; like her mom, she always plants red geraniums. The stand is near the base of the oak snuggled up to our deck. Squirrels can often be seen chasing each other around the tree, up and down the trunk, regularly knocking off one or more geranium plants. We keep moving the stand farther away, but the “vandalism” persists. In my newest strategy, I’ve discretely tied the flower pots to the stand with string. We shall see if this solves the problem.

It’s for the squirrels’ own good. You see, I want to like our little friends. Can’t we all just get along? •••

By Alice Dietz, Cowlitz PUD Comunications/ Public Relations Manager

Eat for Heat returns for 6th year

Warm Neighbor’s Eat for Heat Meal Kits for Two is back for year number SIX! Looking for an easy meal to grill up before your weekend? Stop by one of our pick-up locations in Longview, Woodland, or Castle Rock on September 14th and receive a locally curated box that includes your choice of a bottle of wine or beer and a full meal for two. We are ramping up our menu this year and partnering with many local vendors to bring you a 100% local meal. Stay tuned as we announce our menu items and partners leading up to the event.

This is Warm Neighbor’s largest annual fundraiser that supports our community’s most vulnerable by assisting with their utility bills. 100 percent of the proceeds benefit the Warm Neighbor Fund and are dispersed in Cowlitz County. While we are benefiting a good cause, we hope to give local restaurants, vendors, aand farms a platform to showcase their talents. If you are interested in purchasing tickets, visit our website at cowlitzpud.org

•••

Alice Dietz is Cowlitz PUD’s Communications/ Public Relations Manager.

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

Reach her at adietz@cowlitzpud.org, or 360-501-9146.

By Robert Michael Pyle and Judy VanderMaten

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

By Michael O. Perry

By Hal Calbom

Also available at:

• Columbia Gorge Interpretive Museum Stevenson

• Broadway Gallery Longview

• Cowlitz County Historical Museum Shop Kelso

• Vault Books & Brew Castle Rock

• Morgan Arts Center Toledo

• Mount St. Helens Gift Shop Castle Rock, I-5 Exit 49

• Tsuga Gallery Cathlamet

• Redmen Hall Skamokawa

• Skamokawa Store Skamokawa

• Appelo Archives Naselle

• Time Enough Books Ilwaco

• Godfathers Books Astoria, Ore.

• RiverSea Gallery Astoria,Ore.

• Columbia River Maritime Museum Store Astoria, Ore.

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

Please support our local booksellers & galleries