Tualatin Community Advantage Magazine May 2023

ADMINISTRATION

Matthew Nelson, Publisher

Catrina Nelson, CFO

Tara Weidman, Executive Assistant

Donovan Darling, Content Manager

PRODUCTION

Jeremy Okai Davis, Art Director

Hilary Berg, Sr. Graphic Designer

Brittany Jungenberg, Sr. Graphic Designer

Morgan King, Sr. Graphic Designer

Shawn Schmidt, Sr. Graphic Designer

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Alice Wiliams Angie Helvey

David Bates Dennis McNabb

Kelly Romo Olive Gallagher

Patti Jo Brooks Robert Matsumura

Tyler Francke

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Andrew Sambuceto Angie Helvey

Brittney Waterman Carly Carpenter

Hayley Starkey Henry Schifter

Kara Langley Laurel Bice

Malaina Kinne Tayler Lundquist

Tyler Francke

ADVERTISING SPECIALISTS

Don Ormsby Bill Kistler

Stephanie Baker Jim Belan

Peggy Jacobs David Long

Chris O’Brien John Zobrist

Brad Marti Shelley Zeman

Tina Toney Darren Dwyer

Ashley Berotte Mary Kay Wiens

Looking to reach local consumers?

We Specialize in direct-mail products: community magazine advertising, mailing inserts, postcards and more. For more information, call 503.825.2111 or email info@ActiveMediaUSA.com

BUSINESS FEATURE Grand Decks

Heat Blocker Extreme® is one of the most energy efficient residential windows available! Dave's presentation took 30 minutes and the price was 1/3 the cost of double pane windows and a 4 hour presentation by another company…….. The reduction in street noise with these new windows is amazing………..YELP REVIEW

As one of the largest and highest rated window companies in Oregon, I have the Oregon distribution rights to the triple pane Pro Series Heat Blocker Extreme®, one of the most energy efficient residential windows available. I offer these amazing triple pane windows for up to 60% less than the sale prices of most other companies’ double pane!

Pop Art To Wildlife

Local Artist Overflowing With Creativity

BY DENNIS MCNABB, STAFF WRITER

Covering subjects across the board: from pop culture to wildlife stills to portraiture and beyond, local artist Araceli Teichman produces some of the most beautiful, eye-catching, true-to-life paintings imaginable!

Growing up in a family that valued artistic expression, Araceli was encouraged and began drawing at an early age. Although she had an innate talent and passion for it, it wasn’t until middle school that she found a mentor who significantly helped her to develop that talent. She opened Araceli’s eyes to the wider spectrum of creative possibilities by taking her to museums, presenting her with a variety of additional mediums to explore, and offering her space in her own art studio for her to work in. It was just 4 years ago, though, when Araceli’s older sister introduced her to rock painting, and she discovered her niche. She is still willing and capable of producing work on other surfaces–she has done charcoal and graphite drawings on paper and paintings on agates and other types of rock–but the majority of her output comes in the form of acrylic paintings on white stone tiles. And they are incredible!

Exquisite, freehand paintings of album covers (from the likes of Led Zeppelin, Queen, and The Scorpions), famous movie characters (like Frankenstein’s monster, Pennywise, and Jason Voorhees), and wildlife in action (hummingbirds in flight, lions on the prowl, velociraptors stocking their prey); there is virtually nothing she can’t reproduce. And she welcomes every

new challenge, portraits in particular! The images she creates leap from the page—or in this case, the tile—and come alive in ways other artist’s struggle to capture.

Araceli is an artist in the truest sense of the word. Humble and introverted by nature, she is much more comfortable letting her paintings do the “talking.” That said, she is happy to work with any businesses or clients interested in displaying or commissioning her art, and she is always seeking ways to broaden her horizons as both a person and an artist; to learn and to grow. If you have a photo or an idea, she welcomes your requests!

Araceli Teichman is a local untapped source for incredibly life-like paintings of a variety of subjects! Contact her via email at ateichmanart@ gmail.com or follow her on Facebook or Instagram at A. Teichman Art for requests, updates, or photos of her latest pieces. Don’t miss out on this rare talent!

Mommy-Era Advice

Hacks for maternal skincare survival

By the time you’re reading this, I will have welcomed my sixth son. Can you believe it? So in this article, I want to address the motherhood era of skincare and makeup.

I know all too well what it’s like with a newborn and little ones running around while also trying to feel somewhat like your “normal” self. As all moms know, things change once you have a child, which often includes your makeup and skincare routine. Eventually, you’ll find your new normal.

Even if I’m home all day, I still look in the mirror and want to feel good about myself. I get it, it’s hard when you’re sleep deprived, feel like a human cow, and have dark circles you didn’t even know could be that deep of a shade, so lowering expectations of what you need to do during this season is necessary. Give yourself grace: You made a human. You will feel normal again, but in the meantime, discover these three mom hacks — another four will come in June. So stay tuned.

Mom Skincare Hack No. 1 — Micellar Water

My first mom skincare hack: Invest in a great micellar water. I use Aqua Falls from a Swiss skincare line called Valmont. Micellar water is a cleansing water that doesn’t need to be rinsed off. You simply put it on a cotton pad and swipe it all over your face, knowing you’ve thoroughly cleansed your skin — as long as the micellar water is reputable. Why is this a great mom hack? Those early mornings when you don’t get a chance to shower or wash your face, you’ll have your cleansing water for freshening up morning and night.

PROTECT, PERFECT, HYDRATE

Three-in-one skincare, sunscreen, and mineral makeup. The dream combination of sunscreen and antioxidants provides robust skin defense from damaging, aging, environmental aggressors, including UV, blue light, pollution, and free radicals.

Mom Skincare Hack No. 2 — Tinted SPF

I personally love wearing makeup. It makes me feel good, and when I feel good, I do better. So for me, wearing some makeup is ideal for my overall mood boost. Having spent the last 12 years with a baby at some stage on my hip, I rarely have time for a full morning makeup sesh. A tinted SPF, like the C-Shield Anti-Pollution Moisure Tint from GloSkinBeauty is essential. You need to wear an SPF every day; so why not combine it with a good mineral makeup coverage that also protects against blue light and free radicals via the vitamin C? Moms need multi-tasking, and this is it! I wear this everyday.

Mom Skincare Hack No. 3 — Wash Your Face Earlier in the Evening

Don’t wait until you’ve put the kids to bed and maybe tackled the dishes in the sink before washing your face; you’ll be too tired. We moms often put ourselves on the back burner. I suggest eating dinner and then washing your face. You’ll have more energy and maybe even enjoy it. No matter how small, this routine is “you” time. With sleep deprivation affecting not only your body but your skin, too, it is important for newborn mothers to remember to take care on so many levels, and that includes your skin.

I have more momma advice but will have to share those tips and tricks in the next edition of this magazine, as there is only so much room and time! Be sure to share any of your own mom skincare or makeup advice for a chance to be featured on our Instagram page: @divine_complexions.

CHRISTINE LEWY Licensed Esthetician • Owner of Divine Complexions Spa Award-Winning West Coast GloSkinBeauty Makeup Artist • NW Regional YUMI Lashes Educator

“MEAT ” THE VETERAN

BY TYLER FRANCKE, CONTRIBUTING WRITER

For as long as he can remember, Army Lieutenant Colonel Mark Johnson wanted to be a soldier. He grew up with a desire to serve — and be physically and mentally challenged — in the United States Armed Forces.

“I knew very early on I wanted to be in the military,” he says. “I remember watching that show ‘60 Minutes’ when I was probably 6 or 7, and they had a story about the United States Military Academy at West Point, and I was just mesmerized by it. And so throughout my young life, I wanted to go to the academy and become an officer.”

Mark attended and graduated from Oregon State University on a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship and accepted his commission with the Army in 1997. It was the beginning of what would ultimately be a 24-year career.

He spent several years assisting in peacekeeping operations in Kosovo and other areas of southeast Europe that were formerly part of the Republic of Yugoslavia. It was a tame and relatively unexciting assignment, and Mark was

Proudly sponsored

by

thinking about starting his civilian career, when the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, changed everything.

to Canby and start farming,” he says. “But when 9/11 happened, I remember my wife turned to me and said, ‘You’re not getting out anytime soon.’ It was definitely this new sense of being needed and wanting to serve my country.”

Mark served primarily in the field of military intelligence, including two deployments to Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division and one to Afghanistan during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, respectively.

Force Major Gregory Stone and Army Captain Christopher Seifert, who was Mark’s best friend.

“That was probably the hardest part of my career,” Mark says. “And that was something we had to deal with before the invasion had even started.”

Mark spent much of the last decade of his career back in Eastern Europe, helping establish North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters in former Soviet Bloc countries, including Bulgaria and Poland in the wake of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.

His final assignment, ironically, was in support of medical operations at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, beginning in February 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning.

Mark retired from the U.S. Army in September 2021 following 24 years of active-duty service. He continues to serve the next generation, though, teaching and leading the Junior ROTC program at Reynolds High School in Troutdale.

Know

Building the Deck of Your Dreams

Create the outdoor space you deserve

of time on the deck, so I want to find out how you visualize the space and what makes you feel comfortable. We bring samples, colors, and pictures, and we like to go through the whole project from start to finish so you can understand the process and the expected timeline.”

Alex and his team work with many different manufacturers, but 90 percent of their composite decks are built with Trex®, one of the best materials currently available. Trex is eco-friendly, pet-friendly, and lasts at least 25 years. “The price, quality, and customer service with Trex is unmatched by other materials on the market, and we have a great relationship with them,” says Alex. “All my crew members have at least 2 years of experience working with Trex and composite material in general, which is important because very specific codes must be followed to prevent future problems with the build and the warranty.” In addition to the 25-year warranty on the Trex material, Grand Decks warranties their labor–3 years for deck resurfacing and 5 years for a new deck.

BY ANGIE HELVEY, CONTRIBUTING

WRITER

PHOTOS BY MALAINA KINNE

It’s that time of year when most Oregonians are ready for warm weather and sunshine. We dream of lazy afternoons on the back deck with a glass of wine or family barbecues on the patio, watching the kids play in the yard. Helping to build your ideal backyard space is what Alex Sachlteanu, owner of Grand Decks, does best, and this is the perfect time of year to start your dream project!

A well-designed deck enhances the beauty of your home, increases its value, and creates a gathering space for your family and friends. Grand Decks designs and builds new decks, fences, patio covers, and provides deck resurfacing. Alex has over 10 years of experience building decks and manages every project personally to ensure top quality and craftsmanship. “As the project manager, I’m on the job site nearly every day,” explains Alex. “I’m checking on my team to make sure they are following the plans and doing a great job, as well as checking in with the customer, answering any questions, and making sure they understand the process of work.”

Alex loves working with customers to plan their projects and spending time to help you decide what design is right for you. “When you’re building a deck, it’s really designing a living space,” says Alex. “As a homeowner, you’re going to spend a lot

Grand Decks is dedicated to providing high-quality work, completed on time, and pays special attention to details and customer requests for the project’s duration. They never adjust the contracted price in the middle of the project, even if extra expenses are discovered during the build. Locally-owned with friendly and knowledgeable staff, Grand Decks prides itself on working closely with customers through any issues or concerns. “We are here to solve problems, not make them,” Alex says. “Our motto is no problems, just work to do. And we will do whatever it takes to satisfy the customer and help them build the deck space of their dreams.”

Visit their website at granddecks.com for more information or to request a free estimate. Or give them a call at 503-664-7364.

How long have you been part of Clark Lumber?

I am a little unclear of my start date...I thought I went to work part time at Clark Lumber during the winter right around Christmas time, so that would be a start date of 1986.

What is your favorite part of working in a building & hardware environment?

I'm a wood guy and I love old hardware stores. I grew up going to the local lumber yards & hardware stores for my projects. I helped build a log cabin one summer. In high school I took all the woodworking classes I could, even if for non-credit. I did finish carpentry for a side-job when not in school and did a stint of cedar shake roofing.

These experiences help me help our customers! What I really like is being independent. We are part of the Do It Best Hardware co-op, but we still have a say in what we stock and how we conduct business.

What is something you wish more people knew about small business?

These are some of our unwritten guidelines; these are how we do business!

Learn and call your customers by name. They will appreciate it. Be a good listener and try to understand the project that you are helping with. Listen to what customers want. That's the beauty of being independent. We can stock what people want, not what the big box wants to sell you. Say thank you. We really do appreciate your business!

When you're not busy being the best manager ever, how do you like to spend your free time?

I love spending time with family. I also like to be involved at church. Faith is very important to me and has formed the basis for how I should treat customers. I enjoy woodworking, fishing, and old trains and cars. But the hobby that outshines them all is toy trains. I enjoy collecting and operating old toy trains. Any brand, any size. The older the better. I also enjoy friends in this hobby that share the same passion. I even do toy train repair, so access to a good hardware store is handy!

Clarks Clarks ccreative reative ccorner orner

DIY Mother's Day Planter

The perfect diy to do together or gift to your loved one!

STEP TWO

Using wood screws, attach the boards to the 4x4s at each corner forming a rectangle.

Do hardware stores intimidate you? don't think you're the diy type? don't fret!

we are here to show you some easy diys and unique ways to use everyday items you can find at clarks!

STEP ONE

Visit Clark Lumber Hardware for great service and custom cut lumber.

Supplies

For one 4'x8' box, but easily customizable to any size!

Four 4"x4" cedar boards

Two 2x12' cedar boards, cut to size.

24 - 3" wood screws Power Drill

Optional - paint or stain for a custom look!

PROTIP:

STEP THREE

Fill your DIY planter box with soil and whatever flowers or veggies you'd like!

Bonus! Customize your planter boxes with paint from our new paint center!

Lay some landscape fabric beneath to protect from weeds and pests!

Close Encounters on Third Street

Celebrating 23 years of out-of-this-world fun

By David Bates, Contributing Writer

In Yamhill County, the town of McMinnville lays claim to one of the most celebrated UFO sightings in modern history: The Trent family farm photos which were snapped when Paul Trent saw a disc flying over his property in 1950.

Even the Condon Report–which was commissioned nearly two decades later to give the U.S. Air Force an excuse for closing Project Blue Book, their UFO investigation office–had to admit: The UFO captured by the McMinnville farmer appeared “to be consistent with the assertion that an extraordinary flying object…flew within sight of two witnesses.”

For more than 20 years, McMinnville has celebrated UFOs and aliens with the second-largest festival in the country: McMenamins’ 23rd Annual UFO Festival will be held in downtown McMinnville at the Oregon Hotel May 19–20. It’s got something for everyone: UFO experts and abductee speakers, live

the admission that they’d been investigating UFOs. A growing number of government officials and U.S. Navy pilots went on the record: UFOs are real, and they really don’t know what they are.

This year’s UFO Festival in McMinnville will play out against a backdrop of heightened interest in Congress and the media, and the creation of a new office to investigate UFOs, the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO).

There’s no better time, or place, to check out the UFO scene.

music, a costume contest and alien merch, vendor booths, and, best of all, a parade that proves Portland isn’t the only city that knows how to be weird. The festival was conceived in 1999 to mark the 50-year anniversary of the Trent sighting, and from humble beginnings it has since grown into a significant cultural event appealing to those with a casual or passing interest in UFOs, but also to the more serious researchers and students of the phenomenon. And thanks to developments in the last few years, the latter group is growing.

The Pentagon came clean with The New York Times and also 60 Minutes (news magazine) on CBS a few years ago with

This year’s speakers include Earl Grey Anderson from the Mutual UFO Network, who will give a presentation on some of the most baffling cases he’s investigated; Experiencer, speaker and spiritual counselor Sev Tok; Travis Walton, who claims he was taken aboard a UFO in 1975 and whose story is the subject of a documentary by Jennifer Stein, who will also attend. Finally, the research team of Cheryl and Linda Costa will talk about “A New Approach to Ufology,” with a special focus on UFOs spotted over Oregon.

Ground Zero for the festival is McMenamins Hotel Oregon, 310 NE Evans Street in McMinnville, while speakers will appear at the Community Center a couple blocks north, 600 NE Evans St. Panels and lectures are ticketed, but the pet costume party, parade and other events are free.

For more information, visit www.UFOFest.com.

From Blimps to Bombers

Tillamook home to world’s largest free-standing, clear-span wooden hangar

Tillamook home to world’s largest free-standing, clear-span wooden hangar

By Robert Matsumura, Contributing Writer

For most Oregonians the name “Tillamook” evokes both cheese and the beach. The famous Tillamook Cheese Factory is the source of our visions of tasty blocks of cheddar, and likewise, the town’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean makes it a popular coastal destination. History buffs, however, also associate Tillamook with World War II due to Naval Air Station Tillamook, and the Tillamook Air Museum.

Unbeknownst to many, Tillamook is home to the largest free-standing, clear-span wooden structure in the world. Over seven acres in size, the building is 1,072 feet long and 296 feet wide, and rises more than 15 stories in the air. Commissioned and constructed by the U.S. Navy in 1943, Hangar A and B of Naval Air Station (NAS) Tillamook housed blimps for antisubmarine and convoy escort. Together the two hangars had the capacity to house eight K-class blimps stretching 252 feet in length. By comparison, the Goodyear Blimp is 190 feet long. The K-class blimps contained 425,000 cubic feet of helium, and had a lift capacity of 7,700 pounds.

Equally impressive as the blimps themselves were the hangars. More than 2 million board feet of lumber was needed to construct each hangar. The majority of the wood was sourced right here in Oregon, and required 50 different lumber companies to produce all the wood for the massive project. Due to wartime mandates to conserve metal, even the gutters and downspouts were fashioned from wood. Constructing the hangars primarily of wood saved more

than 2,000 tons of steel per hangar. A mind-boggling fact in the construction of these gigantic wooden edifices is that hangar A was completed in a mere 27 days!

With the completion of the hangars in 1943, NAS Tillamook operated blimps from this location from 1943-45. The blimps belonged to Squadron ZP-33, patrolling ports in both Oregon and Washington, and shipping lanes from the San Juan Islands to California, covering a 500-mile radius. The Lighter-than-Air ships (LTA) could remain aloft for 48 hours with a cruise speed of 50-67 knots, and cover 13,000 square miles of ocean per day.

At the time, the Japanese threat to the Pacific coast and American shipping was quite real. The Japanese had deployed long-range I-class submarines to attack American naval and shipping interests along the West Coast. Japanese naval command deployed the I-25 and I-26 submarines to the Pacific Northwest to seek and destroy U.S. naval vessels headed to Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. In the course of their deployment, Fort Stevens on the Oregon coast was shelled by I-25, which was the only shelling of a military base on the U.S. mainland during World War II, and the first since the War of 1812.

On September 15, 1945, just weeks after the Japanese surrender—and thus, the elimination of the Japanese submarine threat—NAS Tillamook was reduced to functional status. By October the last two blimps departed for California, and by mid-1946 the Navy had decommissioned all of their LTA units.

From 1945-1982, three separate lumber companies in the Tillamook area—Diamond Lumber, Angel Lumber, and Rosenberg—ran their operations from the hangars. In 1984, Wren Aircraft leased hangar A for the production of Cessna 182 Skylanes. In the wake of a fire that devastated hangar A in 1992, Tillamook farmers were still able to use it for hay storage.

Hangar B, evolving through multiple uses over the years, finally returned to its original purpose— housing aircraft. In 1992, the Port of Tillamook Bay established the Tillamook Air Museum in Hangar B and over the years have acquired

numerous World War I and World War II planes. The museum collection has included a Bf-109 Messerschmitt, A-4B Skyhawk, P-38 Lightning, and a Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber among others. On a more modern note, the museum also houses an F-14 Tomcat fighter jet, the same model of jet featured in the original “Top Gun” movie starring Tom Cruise.

In addition to the aircraft collection, the museum also features wartime artifacts and photographs from World War I to the present, most notably parts from Germany’s tragic Hindenburg blimp. Along with the planes and artifacts, the Tillamook

Air Museum offers exhibits that strive to bring the wartime experience from years past to current generations. One can explore first-hand what it was like to climb into and hunker down in a British World War II air raid shelter while the Germans “blitzed” the skies over England during the famous Battle of Britain. One can also sit in the cockpit of the museum’s aircraft trainers and imagine life as a jet pilot, and wander the bulbous interior of a Mini-Guppy transport plane to learn about the amazing variety of cargo it once carried. The Tillamook Air Museum is visited by approximately 80,000 people per year, and is open daily, year-round.

If you happen to visit Tillamook anytime in the near future, be sure to visit historic Hangar B and the Tillamook Air Museum for a fun and immersive view of life during an epic period in history, and experience in person this impressive and unique piece of Oregon’s World War II heritage.