Field Guide to the Lower Columbia River in Poems and Pictures By Robert Michael Pyle and Judy VanderMaten.
Rex Ziak’s edited and annotated edition of Franchére’s 1820 journal, The First American Settlement on the Pacific.
FOR YOURSELF OR FOR A FRIEND!
11 issues $55
In three editions:
• Boxed Signature Edition, with color $50
• Collectors Edition, with color $35
Rex Ziak • $29.95
WORDS
AND WOOD
Pacific Northwest Woodcuts and Haiku by Debby Neely •Boxed, Gift Edition with tasseled bookmark $35
OF ART
• Trade paperback B/W $25 DISPATCHES FROM THE DISCOVERY TRAIL
•220 historic photos •Boxed, signed. $50. IN FULL VIEW
Southwest Washington author and explorer Rex Ziak revolutionized historical scholarship by documenting minute-by-minute the Corps’ dangerous days at the mouth of the Columbia.
COLLECTORS CLUB / BOOK MAIL ORDER FORM
BOOKS: A PERFECT GIFT
A Layman’s Lewis & Clark by Michael O. Perry.
•BW Edition $35
Welcome to the July issue, which we hope you’ll find full of ideas and activities to enhance and enliven your summer. As we go to press, it’s opera that’s especially on my mind. This summer brings a constellation of opportunities and I urge readers to consider attending Pirates of Penzance in Morton, Wash., La Bohéme (and others) in Astoria, and Carmen in Portland’s Peninsula Park (pages 32, 37-38).
Opera is more accessible than many realize. Formal dress codes have relaxed, big time. But the productions are still passionate, inspiring and full of thrilling, dramatic grandeur. Opera is for Everyone. Let’s all treat ourselves!
A few months ago, retired Longview optometrist Jim Hennig, whose wife Susan Hinshaw enjoyed a full career as an opera singer, told me about The Met: Live in HD. This is the Metropolitan Opera’s award-winning series of live movie theater transmissions bringing world-class opera productions direct from the Met stage in New York to cinemas around the globe. Since then, Ned and I and friends have joined the worldwide audiences for Madama Butterfly, Tosca , Aida, and Fidelio. We’ve loved the experience; might you?
Publisher/Editor: Susan P. Piper
Columnists and contributors: Jan Bono
Hal Calbom
Nancy Chennault
Alice Dietz
Joseph Govednik
Bob Park
Michael Perry
Ned Piper
Robert Michael Pyle
Marc Roland
Alan Rose
Greg Smith
Andre Stepankowsky
Debra Tweedy
Judy VanderMaten
Editorial/Proofreading Assistants: Merrilee Bauman, Michael Perry, Marilyn Perry, Susan Nordin, Tiffany Dickinson, Ned Piper
Advertising Manager: Ned Piper, 360-749-2632
Columbia River Reader, llc 1333 14th Ave, Longview, WA 98632
P.O. Box 1643
E-mail:
Sue’s Views
What’s to like about MetLive in HD?
We’ve gone to the opera in several different cinemas in Portland, Olympia, and Scottsdale, Ariz. The $25 admission is affordable. There’s no dress code, although evening gowns and tuxedos would certainly not be prohibited, and could even add a light note. But casual garb — even jeans and tee shirts — is perfectly fine.
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 36. General Ad info: page 8.
There’s no need for opera glasses, since the close-up cameras provide clear views of the scenery, costume details, and performers’ facial expressions... merged with magnificent sound and reclining, cushy seats. Nirvana!
I especially enjoy arriving in the cinema just as the New York City audience is settling into their seats at the Met. The camera pans the interior space as patrons murmur, check their phones, look around. Truly, you feel like you’re right there among them. And the idea of hundreds of remote audiences joining in real time sparks excitement and a sense of connection.
During intermissions, the screen does not go dark. While the New Yorkers go to the bar, the gift nook, and the restroom, we in the cinematic audience afar are treated to backstage glimpses and interviews with performers, the conductor, set and costume designers. You learn a lot. Of course, you, too, can visit the rest room, and easily get a snack; you’re in a movie theatre, remember.
And because of the East Coast time difference, when The Met: Live in HD transmits the 1pm matinee, it’s 10am
What a difference a day makes
CORRECTION
Bill Kasch’s 90th Birthday Reception Tues., July 15 3:30-5pm Teri’s, 14th & Broadway, Lgv.
for us. Who can’t stay awake at that hour? Afterwards —perfect timing for a festive late brunch or lunch (operas are about three hours). Bon appetit! I’d love to know if you go (see below). And if you happen to see me there, please do say Hello.
And have a lovely summer, Everyone! Thanks for reading the Reader.
Please see pages 32 and 37-8 for more opera details. Note, a caveat: the Met’s Summer Encore series is recordings of live operas from previous seasons.
The Met’s 2025-2026 regular season opens Oct. 22 with La Bohéme, transmitted live at 1pm est, which will be for us, 10am pst
to work on my new paver patio? Page 11. Umbrella Man Since 2004
Nancy Chennault in her Castle Rock greenhouse. Photo by hal calbom Story, page 19.
Salad greens cRR File Photo Nature Niche Photo by JosePh Govednik Romeo and Juliet
imaGe couRtesy oF metRoPolitan oPeRa
Opera for Everyone!
Growing up with Charles Russell
Just finished reading this in the Columbia Reader. Old fact: I grew up in Great Falls, Montana. Part of my education was Lewis & Clark. And special times at Charlie Russell’s cabin/ studio, which was next to The Russell Gallery/Museum. Also if you were old enough, you could see lots of paintings by Russell in The Silver Dollar Bar, which was next to the Silver Dollar Barber Shop — where I got my hair cut. Thanks for the memories.
Jeff Weissman
Seattle, Wash
Joe Zammit
1940 – 2025
Long-time Longview resident Died in Malta June 21st
Loved by many
“But he had a helluva a temper,” according to one friend. “R.I.P., Joe.”
“About tomorrow, who knows anything. Except that it will be time, again, for the deepening and quieting of the spirit.”
~ Mary Oliver
Editor’s note: Mr. Weissman refers to “The Painful Portage” episode of “Dispatches from the Discovery Trail,” which appeared in the May issue. He is a member of a Seattle men’s book club including CRR feature writer Hal Calbom, who faithfully delivers copies to the group members each month. The Russell painting shown above is not specifcally related to the episode mentioned.
PaintinG: lewis and claRk on the loweR columbia by chas. Russell
Lewis & Clark
DISPATCHES FROM THE DISCOVERY TRAIL
AA Critical
Time for the Expedition: Must Get Horses! Sacajawea Helps
By Michael O. Perry
fter wasting 12 days trying to get Captain Lewis’s experimental iron boat to float after portaging around the Great Falls in present-day Montana, the journey resumed on July 14, 1805. A week later Lewis saw smoke that he hoped meant Indians were nearby. When Sacajawea began to recognize familiar landmarks, everyone was encouraged. On July 27th, the expedition reached the headwaters of the Missouri at Three Forks, west of present-day Bozeman, Montana. This was where Sacajawea had been taken captive five years earlier, but there was no sign of her people.
Finally, on August 11th, they saw a lone Indian on horseback, the first Indian seen since leaving Fort Mandan four months earlier. Lewis tried to approach, but the Indian turned and galloped away.
On August 12, 1805, after traveling 3,000 miles since leaving St. Louis 20 months earlier, the Corps of Discovery had reached the Continental Divide (the border between Idaho and Montana). There they found a spring believed to be the highest source of water flowing into the Missouri River. They crossed
over a ridge and Lewis drank from a stream he assumed, incorrectly, to be the headwaters of the Columbia River. Its not going to be easy!
...the journey resumed...
Once past the painful portage, the Expedition sought the headwaters of the Missouri. Passing through what today is called the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness, which still exists relatively unchanged, Captain Lewis wrote on July 19, 1805: ‘this evening we entered much the most remarkable clifts that we have yet seen. these clifts rise from the waters edge on either side perpindicularly to the height of 1,200 feet...the river appears to have forced its way through this immense body of solid rock for the distance of 5-3/4
Miles...I called it the Gates of the Rocky Mountains.’
Lewis then went ahead to look for the hoped for one-day portage route between the Missouri and Columbia River drainages. Upon reaching the 7373-foot summit of Lemhi Pass, east of present-day Salmon, Idaho, Lewis “discovered immence ranges of high mountains still to the West of us with their tops partially covered with snow.” He could see there was no Northwest Passage or easy walk to the Columbia River.
Lewis realized the fate of the Expedition now rested on their finding the Shoshone Indians and obtaining horses to continue the journey over the mountains and to the Columbia River’s watershed. The previous day, Lewis had seen the first Indian since leaving Fort Mandan four months earlier. Two days later, contact was made with two Shoshone Indians. Lewis gave them a few gifts and, using sign language, convinced them to take him to the rest of their tribe. They soon met 60 warriors on horseback; after seeing the gifts, they welcomed Lewis and his small party. Lewis only had three men with him, so the
Shoshone could have easily killed them if they wanted. Chief Cameahwait held a celebration that night.
I’d prefer medium-rare
The next day, in order to give Captain Clark and the rest of the men time to catch up, Lewis and his men went hunting with some of the Indians. When word came back to camp that Drouillard had killed a deer, the Indians raced off on horses. Lewis wrote that by the time he arrived, “Each Indian had a piece of some discription and all eating most ravenously. Some were eating kidnies, the melt [spleen] and liver, blood running from the corners of their mouths.” Meat was very scarce, and the Indians had been living off berries and fish, so they devoured the whole deer without bothering to cook it.
Trust but verify?
When Lewis told of more white men coming upriver, the Indians became suspicious. They feared an ambush by the Blackfeet Indians. To reduce their anxiety, Lewis and his men exchanged clothing with the Indians, and went so far as to give them their rifles with instructions to shoot them if it was a trap. Lewis told Cameahwait one of their people,
Five years ago, we introduced a revised version oF Michael Perry’s popular series which began with CRR’s April 15, 2004 inaugural issue and was reprised three times and then 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.
Early rendering of Gates of the Mountain, declared a national wilderness in 1964 and formally designated Gates of the Mountains Wild Area.
PostcaRd FRom the authoR’s PRivate collection
... “immence ranges of high mountains” They follow the Missouri up to the ‘Stony Mountains.’ They have to walk across this little hill and there they would find the mouth of the river going down to the Columbia. They found a spring, drank water from it, and made a note saying ‘I drank water from the headwaters of the Columbia,’ but then they go a little further up the pass and look out and as far as they can see are mountains. Not just mountains, but snow-capped. The things are full of snow and they know it’s going to be a very difficult traverse.”
Lewis and Clark from page 5
Sacajawea, was with Clark. He also told about York, Clark’s black slave. The Indians were eager to see such a man.
Family Reunion
Lewis was relieved when Clark and the rest of the party arrived on August 17th. Sacajawea recognized one of the girls as having been captured with her five years earlier at Three Forks, near present-day Bozeman, Montana. The other girl, Jumping Fish, had escaped while being taken to the Mandan Indian villages in North Dakota where Sacajawea was sold to Charbonneau. Even more amazing was the discovery that Chief Cameahwait was Sacajawea’s brother! While Sacajawea had shown no
emotion as they neared her homeland, she was very excited when she found both her friend and her brother. Sacajawea jumped up and ran to embrace Cameahwait, throwing a blanket over the two of them as she wept profusely.
Sacajawea was the only member of the party who could speak the Shoshone language, but it still took four people to converse. Captains Lewis or Clark would speak to Private Francois Labiche, who would translate it into French for Charbonneau to translate into Hidatsa for Sacajawea to translate into Shoshone. Thus, Sacajawea was the key to obtaining horses from the Shoshone Indians. Lewis was encouraged by the fact there were between 400 and 700 horses grazing around the camp. The survival of the Corps would depend on being able to obtain some of those horses.
Next episode, we will arrive at the Shoshone village where Sacajawea had been kidnapped in 1800.
BS, MPAP,
Dr. Toddrick Tookes DPM, Podiatrist
Shannon Smith MPAS, PA-C
Cam Wilson 360-431-6626 ctwilson57@gmail.com
Tby Andre Stepankowsky
here are few better ways to enjoy a forested hike than to bring a little Sherlock Holmes mentality to the task.
I don’t, of course, mean conjuring up Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional detective. I just think that doing some sleuthing every time I enter the woods makes the experience more enjoyable and spiritual.
So every time I enter a forest, I look for clues into its past: What disturbances shaped it? What’s its age? What shaped its character — the mix and size of tree species that dominate?
Dozens of clues may help reveal the history of the woods.
Are there many old stumps around? Were they cut or did the tree just fall? Is there lots of charred wood? Are the live trees about the same age? Do many grow in a row, a hint that they took root in a fallen “nurse log” in an old forest? Or perhaps they’re perched on their column-like roots, with a large cavity beneath them, betraying their germination in an old stump that has since rotten away?
Sometimes solving a case is a real challenge.
smaller trees left standing? But most of the trees seemed roughly the same age, a sure sign the forest emerged from a clear cut and was left to regenerate itself.
But there was a nagging question: I knew the area’d been logged in the 1920s, but where were the old-growth stumps, which can last for centuries? And it was uncommon to see trees growing in a straight line — which would hint that the forest blanketing the area had been an ancient one with lots of nurse logs.
Had native tribes burned this area to create forage for deer and other game, a common practice in parts of the Northwest? But no, there were no signs of fire, such as scorched logs, stumps or snags.
I was stumped.
I’ve since learned that this same land had been logged once even earlier, in the 19th Century, and that might account for the lack of any remnant of the old growth forest that no doubt once stood there.
Entering the forest with a detective’s eye forces you to SEE, not just look.
My wife and I recently spent our 45thanniversary weekend at St.Edwards State Park, a 326-acre wooded area on the shores of Lake Washington that includes an elegant lodge housed in what was once a sprawling Catholic seminary. The park is crisscrossed by trails that zigzag through a plant community unlike any I’d ever seen. It was dominated by maples and some sizable cedar, with little Douglas fir.
What accounted for so much maple?
The species is shade tolerant but rarely dominates native forests in Western Washington unless they are in very wet locations and the forests are very old, as they are along parts of the Hoh River in Olympic National Forest.
Had these slopes been “high-graded” — with the best timber removed and
I seek out these observations because I believe it is instructive to understand the history of the land and establish a connection with the natural world.
Forests are like people. They’re born, they mature and then grow old, though on time scales typically longer than our own. Just like us, their character is shaped by forces and events of past. Over time, their character changes as shade-tolerant trees replace first-generation sun lovers, disruptions such as fires, windstorms and volcanic eruptions disrupt the status quo and human management plays tricks with the natural evolution of things. They are inspirational in their persistence.
Watching a forest change, and understanding its history, is another way to appreciate the cycle of life. And in this case, playing detective does not require a magnifying glass.
Award-winning journalist Andre Stepankowsky is a former reporter and editor for The Daily News in Longview. His Columbia River Reader columns spring from his many interests, including hiking, rose gardening, music, and woodworking. More of his writing can be found under “Lower Columbia Currents,” on substack.com.
By Judith Martin, Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin
Uninvited wannbe guests, bridesmaids pay to play? Parking
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I just moved into a new home, and I wanted to keep that information private at the place where I am temporarily working. I’m not particularly close to anyone there. Several people are nice to me, but not to the point of being friends.
in front of neighbor’s house
Well, word got out about my house, and now several people have invited themselves over or hinted as much. None of these people have ever socialized with me, so I find it odd and awkward that they would suddenly invite themselves.
Clatskanie Mini-Storage
I don’t entertain anyway, but I know telling them that will not work. I’m just really bothered that they say, “You’ll have to invite us over.”
What would you do? I need a list of excuses!
GENTLE READER: No, you need only one: “I’m not planning anything.” Or fewer than one, if that is possible: a strained smile and silence.
The shower has ballooned in size and scope to rival some weddings I’ve attended in the past, so I am not surprised it is proving to be expensive. But I had no input as to how big this shower has become, and being asked -- no, told -- to pay for it strikes me as inappropriate. Am I wrong?
I have no idea how to respond. How should I reply?
GENTLE READER: All of you should respond by asking the bride’s mother to give her daughter your love, along with your profound regrets that you are unable to serve as bridesmaids after all, having been unaware of the cost.
Bridesmaids are supposedly chosen because they are the dearest people to the bride. Why, then, are they considered exploitable for both labor and money? This calls for a strike.
June thru Sept, 10 – 2 except for festivals
Tues 2–6 • Fri-Mon 10–6
Miss Manners understands that people who have trouble saying no might be sorry to disappoint those who importune them. Or they may be cowed by the authority with which some people state their demands.
But to give a specific excuse is to admit that the matter is open for discussion.
You say you are busy? “Well, when will you be free?” they will ask.
You say that the house is not ready for visitors? “That’s all right; we don’t expect it to be in perfect shape.”
You say you have guests coming? “We’d love to meet them.”
And so on. If you don’t supply material, they can’t argue.
DEAR MISS MANNERS: All the bridesmaids for an upcoming wedding recently received a note from the bride’s mother stating that we owe a substantial sum of money to help pay for the bridal shower.
DEAR MISS MANNERS: The neighbor who lives directly across the street from me parks in front of my house. If this was occasional, I wouldn’t care, but it’s become the daily routine. I can’t imagine consistently doing this.
I enjoy looking out my window in the evening, but now my view is a car every night.
Today a work truck parked in front of my house, so the neighbor parked in their own driveway (which is always clear, as is their curb). When the truck left, they moved their car back to my curb, leaving their driveway empty the rest of the day.
I realize this could sound petty, but our other neighbors respect this unwritten rule.
GENTLE READER: In addition to unwritten, the rule is possibly unknown to this neighbor. Miss Manners trusts that you don’t think the car is purposely parked with the intention of blocking your view, and that you realize that others have a legal right to park on a public street.
Therefore, the neighbor would be doing you a favor by refraining from parking there. And to ask a favor requires purging any annoyance you feel and admitting that complying would be a voluntary kindness.
If you find that summer entertaining is getting a little crowded on your porch, expand your outdoor living space by adding the perfect patio in just a few days. Start tomorrow and you’ll be done and ready to entertain for Labor Day! This is one of those projects that, if you just “keep your eye on the prize” and take it a day at a time, does not become overwhelming. You really can do it yourself.
DIY: Put Together a Paver Patio
Nancy Chennault and her husband, Jim, operated a landscaping business and independent nursery/ garden center for 20+ years. She wrote CRR’s Northwest Gardener in CRR’s early years. After a hiatus, she re-joined CRR to reconnect us with some of her favorite gardening topics. Nancy is founder of “Castle Rock Blooms” community team of volunteers.
1 Choose a flat site large enough to provide ample space for seating and traffic flow. Outline the area with stakes and string. Excavate soil 6-8 inches below your string or below existing edges such as the sidewalks in this photo.
your spirits up when excavation seems endless. Our sign proclaims DAY FIVE!
4. Spread crushed rock (5/8 to 3/4 inch minus) to a depth of 2” or more. If the area was previously shrub beds with softer soil you will need at least 4”. Smooth, level and compact and install edge restraints to keep your patio from spreading. Our patio required edging on only one side, (along the greenhouse wall), because it was surrounded on three sides by sidewalks.
5. Apply ¼ inch-minus crushed rock (called “fines,” because very fine particles are mixed with it) to a depth of at least 2”. This will compact and create the base for the paver blocks. Smooth with a long board the same thickness as the pavers. Add support boards to the ends as shown. By resting the support boards on the hard surfaces at the same level as the desired top of the pavers and then pulling the long board across the surface of the “fines” your final depth will be exactly the height of the paver.
Story and photos by Nancy Chennault
2. When removing the soil keep the surface as flat and smooth as possible. Avoid deep holes that need to be refilled with softer soil.
3. Keep
6. The surface of fines must be compacted and level. Use a water roller or compacter to compress, adding more ‘fines’ to low spots and smoothing down high spots until the finished surface is exactly the height of the paver. Stage your pavers and you are ready to start!
7. Beginning on a straight edge, lay the pavers side by side as tightly together as possible. There is no spacing left for ‘joint sand’ or mortar in this patio. Many pattern combinations are available using different paver sizes and colors. You chose your pattern when you purchased your pavers, so be sure to use the design instructions or your own sketches to stay on track.
8. It is important to use support boards to keep the pressure consistent across the surface of the ‘fines’ as you continue to work your way across your future patio. This is an exciting time as you see all your hard work beginning to come together.
9. Once the surface is complete, you will need to cut edges of pavers that ‘hang over’ outside of the patio area. Use masonry saw to cut off the excess. Be sure to smooth the edges for a tight fit.
10. Settle the pavers that have been cut to the correct size into place and stand back! Wow! You did it. It looks great. You are ALMOST done.
11. Thoroughly clean the surface of your new patio and then apply a ‘sealer’ specifically made for concrete pavers. The sealer will protect the patio from moisture and preserve the ‘new look’ through the seasons. Let it dry and apply a second coat. NOW you are done!
12. Enjoy your new outdoor living space. As you see, we use ours for plant display. But every now and again we pull up a chair and enjoy the morning sun on our new “patio.” Service Above Self LONGVIEWROTARY.COM
Providing training to take action ... Helping those in overdose crisis ... Preventing death and saving lives ... Longview Rotary is teaching how to use Naloxone* when faced with an emergency. The goal is to spread the word, offer classes, and teach others to supply immediate treatment in case of drug overdose.
Looking UP
SKY REPORT
July 17th –Aug 17th
By Greg Smith
The Evening Sky
A clear sky is needed.
Be on the lookout for the promised super nova in Corona Borealis (this a somewhat dim constellation of stars in a curved line that represents a crown). It has been reported to be visible to the naked eye but use binoculars to make sure you can see it well. Corona Borealis will be found between the constellations of Hercules and Boötes (which looks like a kite). Boötes is earmarked with the bright star Arcturus, one of the brighter stars of the evening sky. This all appears directly overhead in the sky.
The Morning Sky
A cloudless eastern horizon sky is required. This is the time to see Neptune, as it rises with Saturn around midnight. July 16th will find Saturn and Neptune just under the moon in the southeastern sky. If you have some larger binoculars or a telescope you just may see Neptune’s bluish color. Remember, Neptune is 1.9 billion miles beyond Saturn. So it’s tinier and dimmer than Saturn.
Night Sky Spectacle
A clear dark sky is a must.
Outdoor Enjoyment
MOON PHASES:
Third Quarter July 17th
New Moon: Thurs, July 24th
1st Quarter, Fri, Aug 1st
Full Moon., Sat, Aug 9th
3rd Quarter Fri, Aug 15th
END OF TWILIGHT:
When the brightest stars start to come out. Allow about an hour more to see a lot of stars.
Wed., July 16th, 9:20pm
Wed., July 23rd, 9:12pm
Wed., July 30th, 9:03pm
Wed., Aug 6th, 8:52pm
Wed., Aug 13th, 8:41pm
SUNSET
Sunset is getting earlier - Yea!
Wed., July 16th • 8:58pm
Wed., July 23rd • 8:52pm
Wed., July 30th • 8:43pm
Wed., Aug 6th • 8:34pm
Wed., Aug 13th • 8:23pm
This is the beginning of the Perseid meteor shower time. Meteors are visible most nights, but they start to ramp up in number through mid-August. The Perseids peak on the night of August 12th, but this year a bright moon will interfere with the sighting of the dimmer meteors; the brightest will be easier to see.
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.
Mount St. Helens Club
HIKES
(E) - Easier: relatively flat ground (up to 5 miles and/or less than 500 ft. e.g.)
(M) - Moderate: Longer, more elevation gain (over 5 miles and/or 500+ ft. e.g.)
(S) - Strenuous: Long and/or elevation gain (over 8 miles and/or 1200+ ft. e.g.)
Call leader to join outing or for more info. Non-members welcome. Driving distances are from Longview, Wash.
(SS) – Snow Shoe (XC) – Cross Country Ski (K) – Kayak (B) – Bicycle RT - round trip e.g. - elevation gain
July 16 - Wed Dry Creek Falls via PCT (E/M) Drive 165 miles RT. Hike 4.4 miles RT with 900’ e.g. This is a beautiful forested hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. A NW Forest or America The Beautiful pass is required for each vehicle. Leader: Dory N. 213-820-1014.
July 18 – Fri Kalama Falls (M) Drive 108 miles RT. Hike 6.3 miles RT with 311’ e.g. A short stop at halfway point at a small falls on the stream, then up, ending at a beautiful waterfall. There, hikers have a choice of going a short distance farther going across a single flat surface log bridge to a point for a rope climb up a short but steep hillside. Neither the bridge crossing or rope climb are too difficult. Those who prefer can instead return on the same trail and wait at a road crossing for the rest of the group. Discover Pass required for each vehicle. Leader: John M. 360-508-0878
July 23 - Wed Salmon River (M/S) Drive 190 miles RT to Salmon River. Hike 7.8 miles with 950’ e.g. The hike is a steady climb that takes you along the beautiful Salmon River with old growth trees, native plants of sword ferns and wildflowers. The trail can be narrow in a couple of places and rocky in other areas. We will hike to a rocky overlook with a vista. This is a wilderness area, so if there is a large group we will divide into smaller groups of 12. A SENIOR PASS IS REQUIRED. Leader: Susan M. 360-751-1255
July 26 - Sat Lolo Pass (S) Drive 192 miles RT to Lolo Pass near Zigzag. Hike 10 miles RT on the Pacific Crest Trail to Preacher’s/ Devils Pulpit (1200’ e.g). Nice, remote hike through ancient trees. Views of Lost Lake below. Leader: Bruce M. 360-425-0256
July 30 - Wed Discovery Trail Ilwaco (M) Drive 135 miles RT. Hike 6 miles RT to the North Head Lighthouse. Fairly steep for about 1/4 mile, then eases to a more gradual e.g., mostly paved with some dirt and gravel trails. Leader: Art M. 360-270-9991
Aug 2 - Sat Dog Mountain Loop (S) Drive 182 miles RT. Hike 6.9-mile loop with 2857’ e.g. to summit Dog Mountain; excellent views of the Columbia Gorge. Return to parking lot via Augsberger Trail. Leader: Charles R. 360-751-0098.
Aug 6 - Wed Washington Park Hike (E/M) Drive 100 miles RT. Hike 4 miles RT on dirt and gravel trails taking the Redwood Trail to the Wildwood Trail and arrive at the Pittock Mansion then head back. Parking fee. Leader: Art M. 360-270-9991
Aug 9 – Sat Indian Race Track/Red Mountain Lookout (S) Drive 206 miles RT. Hike 8.-mile loop with 1690’ e.g. in the Indian Heaven Wilderness on the PCT to the famous Indian Racetrack, then ascend to the 4968’ Red Mountain Lookout. Fantastic views of the Cascade volcanos and surrounding national forest. A senior pass or Forest Recreation pass is required for each vehicle. Limit:12 participants. Leader: Harry A. 360-280-4184
Aug 9 - Sat Lake Sacajawea (E) Walk 4 miles on flat ground around the whole lake or any portion for a shorter walk. **This walk is designed for super seniors and/or people with physical limitations at a slow pace.** Leader: Susan S. 360-430-9914
Aug 13 - Wed Pacific Way Dike Trail (E) Hike 5+ miles with little e.g. on a level path. Leader: John R. 360-431-1122
Aug 16 - Sat Chehalis/Western Bike Path (M) (B) Drive 148 miles RT. Bicycle 20 miles RT on paved bike path through rural scenery. Very little elevation gain. Leader: Bruce M. 360-425-0256
ROLAND ON WINE
Milestone
Washington vintners’ first $800-per-bottle wine... have we arrived?
by Marc Roland
It has happened. It’s a first. A milestone! The Washington State winemaking scene has recently celebrated the release of the first-ever $800 bottle of Washington wine. This ultra-premium price point arrives with the launch of the 2021 Naravane Cabernet Sauvignon from Rasa Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley.
What makes the Naravane Cabernet so special? It represents the winery’s “namesake release,” spotlighting Billo Naravane’s finest barrels from the vintage. Here is part of Jeremy Young’s review in the International Wine Report:
”Rasa Vineyards has earned an enviable reputation for crafting wines of extraordinary quality, but the recent release of their Cabernet Sauvignon marked a new pinnacle. I was compelled to award this wine a rare 100-point score — a testament to its near-perfect harmony of flavor intensity, structural balance, and complexity. This Cabernet is profound, with layers of nuanced aromas and flavors, seamless tannins, and an exceptionally long, memorable finish. It stands as a benchmark, not only for Rasa but for Washington wines as a whole.
With a deep, radiant purple-red core and a vivid crimson rim, the 2021 Naraane Cabernet Sauvignon immediately commands attention — both visually and aromatically. This is a wine of stunning depth and detail, revealing an intricate aromatic mosaic that evolves with each swirl: ripe black cherries and wild mountain blackberries emerge first, followed by layers of dried rose petals, cedarwood, and crushed thyme. This is not only a pinnacle for Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, but one of the finest expressions of the variety being made anywhere today. This price tag places Naravane in previously uncharted territory for Washington. Never before has a domestic bottle from the state approached this ultra-premium range. It makes a bold statement, positioning Washington Cabernets on a global prestige level traditionally occupied by Napa icons.”
Reactions among enthusiasts have been mixed. On one side, Rasa’s decision is applauded for ambition and recognizing the maturity of Washington terroirs — indicating the state’s capacity
cont page 25
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 360846-7304.
Our World in Words
AThe Unit Driveway surprise
by Bob Park
few weeks after moving to the farm on Coal Creek my Dad told me a “unit” of sawdust would be delivered for our sawdust furnace we heated the house with.
He said it was my job to shovel this through the small door at the top of the basement wall into the sawdust room. He mentioned it would come some time during the week and I could shovel it when I got home from school.
First, I had no idea what a unit was, but I knew the sawdust room was big.
So a day or two later I got off the bus from school and walked home from the bus stop at the Knapps, our neighbors who had seven kids. So of course, the bus stopped at their house.
Well, I got to the top of the driveway and up against our house on the concrete slab was a mountain of sawdust. I could not believe my eyes!
As I walked down the driveway the unit got bigger and bigger. The truck had backed up close to the house so the sawdust was piled right up against the house, covering the door in the wall. I stood looking at the pile wondering how I could ever get it all in the basement. I went in the house and said hi to Mom, then headed to the basement to get the scoop shovel.
I had not thought how I would get the door open with all the sawdust piled up against the house covering the door, so I went into the sawdust room for a look from the inside. I found two handles, one on each side in the middle of the door: simple wooden horizontal 2 inch x 5 inch pieces of wood with a nail in the middle that could be turned vertical for the door to be removed.
So I turned one handle and the door started to come open and I quickly turned the other and the door came down on me with sawdust following. At that moment my hatred for sawdust began.
I had sawdust under my shirt, in my underwear and shoes. It itched,and I fled the room shedding my clothes for a good shakeout. It helped, but not much, as this was green fir, pitchy material right from the mill.
I knew I had to get on with it, so UP I went and found a small divot next to the house in the pile where the sawdust had flowed into the then open door.
With scoop shovel in hand I climbed up on the pile and started shoveling sawdust through the door. This was relatively easy and worked
for a time, but soon enough sawdust was in the basement sawdust room, and the areas around the door was full and blocking more from being shoveled in.
Downstairs I went to then shovel the inside material away from the door, out into the room so I could get more in from the outside.
Back and forth I went, working from in front of the door and left and right until a half moon shaped ring of sawdust away from the door remained. The more I shoveled the farther from the door it was on the outside slab and the farther on the inside I had to haul it away from the door to get more in from the outside.
About then, Dad came home from work and said hello, then went into see Mom, never to be seen again until dinner. I had held out hope that he would help me, but no luck. About then I noticed Bridget, my dog lying under the big fir tree close by and I started crying and went over and sat by her for a good cry and to call my Dad every name I had ever heard my uncles call each other and anyone else. Bridget was always a good listener. This was somewhat of a relief, but I knew I had to get it done, so I got up and restarted my efforts.
Through the semi-circle, I would push the shovel in and fill it and drag it to the door and push it in. I could not lift the shovel when it was full. This seemed to go on forever. Tears came from time to time but what really developed was my hatred for sawdust and the furnace that used it.
Finally it was all in and I knew enough to sweep up the odd little piles here and there. I remember I was done before dinner, so this must have gone on for about two and a half hours.
I do not recall any particular dinner conversation about my efforts, but I do remember a feeling of pride mixed with hatred for the job and some not too nice thoughts about my Dad. It turned out the hatred was a waste of time because I did this for the next five years without fail, including the wintertime “double units.”
Bob Park enjoys the good life in his hometown, and elsewhere. This is #5 in a series of his recollections growing up in Longview, where he founded a steel fabrication business still operating worldwide.
An amusing confession of your staringout-the-window habit would be more effective than an admonishment for violating neighborhood expectations.
Miss Manners from page 9 There will be an awkward period as they get used to the change, and they might be unpleasant when you have to enforce it (flat souffle, anyone?). But, as with training a dog or a child, you will all come out stronger and less resentful for it. And with a better souffle.
DEAR MISS MANNERS: My friends manage to arrive at most places at a specific time -- doctors’ offices, work meetings, etc. However, two of my friends respond to my invitations by saying that they will be at my place “between 1 and 2.”
To me, this means that they disrespect my time and schedule, and they are unwilling to make a time commitment to me like they do to others.
Also, what am I supposed to do in that hour -- twiddle my thumbs?
From this point forward, I will be telling anyone who gives me an “arrival window” that that doesn’t work for me and that I’ll need a specific time. Anyone else have this experience?
GENTLE READER: Why is it that your friends are dictating what time they show up at your house in the first place? That is not how hosting works.
Miss Manners suggests you retrain them by giving a fixed time to show up and not accepting counteroffers. (“No, Darlene, I said 1 p.m., not between 1 and 2. I have to time the souffle.”)
DEAR MISS MANNERS : I live in a place where many cultures and nationalities abound. When I was at a restaurant with friends the other day, we were served by a comely waitress. My friend commented on the beauty of the “Asian waitress,” but I thought she was Latina.
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Is there a tactful and proper way to ask? Or are we better off not asking such a question at all? None of us wishes to offend anyone.
GENTLE READER: Then please just order your food. Miss Manners reminds you that the waitress is not a menu item of whom you may inquire the ingredients. She has work to do and may not want to explain her background to you.
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I had a quick cough, just a tickle. Do I have to apologize to the people around me? I didn’t do it intentionally. Same with a sneeze. I could maybe give an “excuse me,” but I’ve heard people say, “Oh, I’m so sorry, I apologize!”
GENTLE READER: The preferred statement is now, “It’s not COVID.”
(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, gentlereader@missmanners.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)
What’s Happening Around the River
Biz Buzz notes news in local business and professional circles. As space allows, we include news of innovations, improvements, new ventures and significant employee milestones of interest to readers. Please email to publisher@crreader.com
Pat Sari, Phil Sari, and Peter Rybar, who formerly owned the Columbia Ford and Hyundai dealerships, have developed a 43-acre tract named Longview Business Park, located between Beech Street, 14th Avenue, and California Way. City zoning allows for retail, offices, healthcare, and light industrial operations.
Each of the 14 parcels, located between Beech and the newly-paved Alaska Street, has separate utilities. Pat Sari said future plans for the Longview Business Park over the next
few months include a recreational and professional gun range, where police can maintain their shooting skills, and a State-affiliated special equipment business which modifies vehicles for police needs. The first business in the park has opened (see article at right) and remaining sites are being actively marketed.
New gym opens in Longview Business Park Center offers world-class skills training
The first occupant in the new Longview Business Park, Northpointe Northwest, opened for business July 1 (photo at left).
The facility contains high beams, spring-floors, trampolines, tumbling mats and blocks, and other equipment aimed for beginning- to intermediatelevel gymnasts to become stronger, more flexible and more agile.
“This will be one of the nicest recreational facilities in the country,” said owner Mark Lee , of Camas, Wash. “The size is perfect and all the equipment is brand new.”
Lee also owns Northpointe Vancouver, a facility employing 35, which has been “very popular in the Vancouver area over the last five years,” he said, attracting aspiring and former gymnasts and others who wish to exercise.
The new Northpointe Northwest gym (in Longview), expects to employ 15, including coaches and office personnel, said Joey Ochoa, recreational gymnastic director. Gymnastics is growing as an extracurricular sports activity.
1425 Maple Street Longview, WA 98632 360.425.2950 www.cascade-title.com
“We had well over 100 (Longview area) students traveling down to Vancouver,” he said. This led to the decision: “Let’s build up there, cater to the surrounding area.”
For info about classes and gymnastic training, call Northpointe in Vancouver,
cont page 17
Joey Ochoa, of Battlegrand, Wash., will serve as Northpointe’s Longview gymnastic director.
Diane Kenneway Escrow Closer / Assistant
Celinda Northrup Escrow Officer / LPO
Alison Peters Escrow Officer / LPO
Northpointe Northwest, Longview
Northpointe Gym from page 16
360-254-7958, or drop in at 901 SE Alaska Street, Longview, M-F, 9am–8pm; Sat, 9am–5pm, Sun 9am–4pm. . Free trials are available during public “Open Gym” sessions, Mon-Fri, 12–1pm and 4-5pm. Website: northpointe-gymnastics.com
New interpretive panels coming to Port of Kalama recreation area First phase of new
wayfinding signage to roll out at waterfront
The Port of Kalama plans to install a striking set of new interpretive panels, each rising nearly 5 feet tall and nestled in custom steel frames. Designed by Port staff, the panels boast a vintage waterfront aesthetic that seamlessly complements the frames, which were designed to honor Kalama’s historic role as a Northern Pacific Railway terminus.
Other vertical panels will feature park rules and regulations and fun facts for audiences of all ages, offering a mix of practical info and engaging tidbits.
On the heels of the interpretive panel installation, the Port will also install seven 14-foot directional signs, packed with Discover Kalama brochures, maps and
seasonal promotions. The towering frames will also host other panels with features on local wildlife, types of ships on the Columbia River and more.
Wander the waterfront later this summer and explore these new additions—they’ll make your next visit an even more memorable experience!
Port of Kalama news brief provided by Dan Polacek, Port of Kalama Legislative / Public Relations Administrator. Member SIPC
Nick Lemiere CFP®
Biz Buzz
DStory & photos by
Joseph Govednik, Director, Cowlitz County Historical Museum
Children’s Discovery Museum
A
summer place to take the kids
uring the summer break a great place to take the kids is the Children’s Discovery Museum (CDM) located at 404 Long Ave, in Kelso. This museum provides hands-on learning experiences for youths of all ages and has a robust summer program to engage children with continued learning through the summer.
CDM Executive Director Seth McNalley “playing” vendor at the make-believe produce stand.
The CDM made a giant leap last year with its relocation from downtown Longview to a larger facility in partnership with the Kelso School District, which provides several rooms in the former Catlin School (photo below), including a large multipurpose room, for the museum’s interactive displays.
Recently the museum installed an exhibit on the Mt. St. Helens eruption to coincide with the 45th anniversary of the blast.
“We’re so exited to have this educational exhibit focusing on the science and history of Mt. St. Helens to share with our youth,” said Seth McNalley, Executive Director of CDM.
This exhibit will be up throughout the summer. One of the programs offered to children is the Summer Meals & Programs which, in partnership with the Kelso School District, will provide free lunches for children during the programs, operated in collaboration with local non-profit organizations. The meals and programming are provided Wednesday – Friday through August 1.
My favorite permanent fixture at the CDM is the Nature Niche. It showcases a natural history display of specimens including animal bones, wasp nests, snake skins, furs, and all kinds of other natural history curiosities.
The museum is open Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 11am–3pm, and Thursdays from 10am–3:30pm. Admission is free. For more information, please visit www. cowlitzcdm.com or call 360-353-9682.
• Astoria-Warrenton Chamber/Ore Welcome Center 111 W. Marine Dr., Astoria 503-325-6311 or
Walla Walla Kennewick, WA Lewiston, ID
CDM interns Lily (left) and Kristin (right) check an exhibit. Below: A display in the Nature Niche
Hal Calbom
Production notes
Solace for us brown thumbs
It’s not all blossoms and bounty In nancy chennault’s world.
One reason experts, rather than amateurs, tend to run things is that they’re especially aware of the pitfalls, risks, and foibles that plague our endeavors. Nobody wins all the time. Winners know that.
“One of the things that people have to realize about gardening is you’re going to lose a few plants,” she told me, by way of consolation. “I lose plants every year, because I want to try something new or the weather changes and everything else.”
I’d confessed my fears to Nancy — really more that potent combination of ignorance and laziness — that I was hesitant to get my hands dirty over these pristine plants doomed to extinction by my own ineptitude.
With her typical cheerfulness, Nancy reminded me that great endeavors come at a price, that perfection is unattainable, and most of all that the challenge and fun of gardening is aligning one’s own efforts with the mysteries of the topsoil, the weather and the seed stock.
These sentiments seemed to me to apply to a lot of things, not just the backyard garden.
How often do we decline to start something or think outside the proverbial box because of fear of failure? Yet most every daring inventor, innovator, imagineer you meet will list “willingness to fail and try again” as perhaps his or her greatest quality.
“Just do it” is more than a slogan for a shoe company. It should encourage us all to try.
people+place
Growing for good
Nancy Chennault’s cultivated world
Nancy Chennault greets us in her greenhouse, of course. “I’ve always said that when I die if all they said was, ‘She was a good grower,’ I would be okay with that.
I am so fortunate to be doing what I’m doing, still!”
Nancy Chennault
A grower— and so much more — for more than 50 years, Chennault is a tireless mentor, busy seed and plant propagator, inspired landscape designer and nursery maven, vital community resource coordinator, and monthly Columbia River Reader columnist, to boot.
She’s helped put her home town both on the map and in the chips.
Castle Rock, Washington is a flower power to be reckoned with.
Not only has the village of 2,500 souls festooned itself with enough blossoms and blooms to win national recognition, it’s also turned all that green into greenbacks.
NOW IT’S ALL ABOUT
SUSTAINING ALL THIS
“The restoration of Castle Rock,” says garden writer and podcaster Janey Santos, “is all thanks to flowers.”
Transformation Town
Chennault makes no bones about the link between city beautification and an improved economy. “It’s a marketing plan,” she said. “We all agreed 15 years ago that if you want to make economic development viable, you improve the quality of the place.”
Visitors to Castle Rock are stunned by the transformation, as are judges who continue to cite the town among national champion beautifiers.
Besides blooming planters and baskets, Castle Rock streets are lined with enterprising businesses and offices. Memories of 15 years ago — of a town seemingly going nowhere with a 35 per cent vacancy rate — are comfortably in the rear view mirror.
“Now it’s all about sustaining all this,” said Chennault, who seems to be both firmly rooted in the soil of the present while imagining a blossoming future. Although she’s rallied an army of volunteers and school children, she remains an active mentor and coach.
cont page 20
“We’ve collaborated with the high school for 14 years on the baskets,” she said. “And we now have four greenhouses just at the high school alone. It’s nice for these young people to know where their carrots come from.”
Roots and Blossoms
Nancy was born in Berkeley, California, and grew up in Buckley, Washington, where her father owned and edited the local newspaper, the Buckley News Banner. She took a degree at the University of Washington that surely influenced her future career — teaching about the environment through the use of creative dramatics and storytelling.
“I had a job in college at Pay ‘n Save, as a store manager,” she said.. “This was in Tumwater. And I drove by this nursery every day and one day in 1974 I said, ‘Nope, I’m not going to do this any more.’”
The nursery gave her a job. “I watered houseplants and answered the phone for two dollars an hour.”
Did she have gardening in her blood? I asked.
“My grandma was a gardener. My grandpa always had a huge vegetable garden,” she said.
“My mom was a huge fan of fuchsias. In fact, when my husband and I bought our nursery my mom brought 68 different varieties of fuchsias that we could take cuttings from.”
America’s Hobby
Nancy, her husband Jim, and her Castle Rock colleagues realize they’re part of a growing trend that evidences itself everywhere, not just in their own nurseries and greenhouses.
Gardening is now an “industry,” and generates huge amounts of money for growers and suppliers, and lavish expenditures from green thumbs across the country and around the world.
“Jim and I think a lot of it was Covid,” said Nancy. “People had to stay home, but they could go visit a nursery because it was an essential business. It sold you plants and you could have a vegetable garden.”
In fact, gardens and landscapes had been doing blooming business even before the pandemic, but spiked during our enforced isolation.
GARDENING IS NOW AN “INDUSTRY” AND GENERATES HUGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY
GARDENING GROWS!
• 55% of American households engage in gardening activities
• Covid pandemic created 18 million new gardeners
• 35% of US households grow vegetables, fruits and other food
• Americans spend over $48 billion on lawn and garden products each year
Source: National Gardening Association
YOUR’RE INVITED! Cowlitz FCA All-Abilities Camp is a modified sports experience for All-Abilities campers with a focus on valuing every athlete the way Jesus does. Campers will be paired with a volunteer buddy as they rotate through four sport/activity stations. At the end of camp, family is invited to attend commissioning ceremony with camper. Ages: 5+
August 9 • 9:30AM – 12:30 PM
Kelso High School, 1904 Allen St Kelso, Wash Info / To register: www.pdxfca/all-abilities-camp
An organization of volunteers dedicated to providing free food and clothing to those in need, year-round.
IF YOU NEED HELP: FOOD & CLOTHING BANK 1222 Baltimore St., Longview. OPEN M-W-F, 8–11am; 3rd Tues of the month, 4:30–5:30pm.
To make a donation of food or clothing, visit the Food & Clothing Bank, M-W-F. 8–11am. Monetary donations may be made there, or online at svdplongview.com, or by mail: St. Vincent dePaul, PO Box 2957, Longview WA 98632
Please join us in supporting this humanitarian work cathlamet? 1st 3rd wed 9-noon director 360-577-0662, pres 360-577-0662
The Evans Kelly Family
One Of LOngview’s piOneer famiLies
Proud Sponsor of People+Place
Nancy Chennault with student Drake McCary and teacher Julia Collins at Castle Rock High School.
According to Nancy, “The nursery industry itself has seen a huge surge among the young people. We’ve also begun to see more families coming in.”
Active Climate
“I would say I’m an activist in that we’ve got to do something and it may be too late for some things,” she said. “People need to realize that they’re the ones that are responsible.”
Chennault was probably a climate activist a long time before it was cool. Ever practical, she cites personal experience, not political positioning, in highlighting our environmental challenges. Consider the petunia bud worm, she suggests.
“I first saw it probably 25 years ago where it was in Ashland, and people would have big baskets and they would be green in the middle of July, no blossoms,” she said. “And all the little larvae were eating like crazy.”
As the years passed she watched the budworms and their industrious larvae migrating north, as climate changes modified their habitat: “As it warmed, our winters were less cold and severe, our summers were warmer and drier, and I watched it move all the way up through the center of Oregon.”
She cites one of her favorite communities, Oregon City, as a petunia worm victim. Oregon, by the way, is known as the nursery state. Remarkably, nurseries are Oregon’s number one agricultural producers.
“Oregon City used to do phenomenal baskets, they still do, and one year I went through there and they were totally green. And they didn’t know to watch for it yet.”
Nancy remains vigilant. “Our waterers do a wonderful job here, they’re all volunteers. But we keep an eye out, too. I monitor, I watch. You try to get to things before they become a real problem.”
Growing Forward
NURSERIES ARE OREGON’S NUMBER ONE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS
Northwest hydropower produces no carbon emissions, thereby significantly reducing the total carbon footprint of the region’s energy production.
Today’s buzzword “sustainability” has been common parlance to dedicated growers forever. “Trees and plants are basically a crop. You can’t just harvest once and go away,” said Nancy. “You can’t do it for two years and all of a sudden you don’t. It’s got to be sustainable.” cont page 22 Proud Sponsor of People+Place Providing Clean Power Since 1936
North County Sports & Recreational Complex includes an Event Venue featuring madeto-order wedding accommodations, bride and groom photo spots, and open-air eating and dancing areas. Nancy served as landscape designer for the complex.
“Volunteers have done every stick of it, except for the big timbers.”
Four or five workers from the Dept. of Corrections are “bound and determined to complete the final brick pathway in time for a wedding July 26th. “They’re an absolute joy to work with,” she said. “They’re people who are making every effort to be better.”
ALTHOUGH SHE’S RALLIED AN ARMY OF VOLUNTEERS...SHE REMAINS AN ACTIVE MENTOR
Today’s evolved “sustainability” includes infrastructure and atmosphere, not just plantings — the landscapes, hardscapes, water features, drainage systems, and people impacts which complicate simple “plant growing.”
One of the latest Castle Rock community projects, the North County Recreation Association’s picnic pavilion and venue, began as volunteer-supported services for a youth sports complex.
Today’s spectacular realization of that vision offers the best of what Castle Rock, and its inspired activists and volunteers, can do: Beautifully planned and planted, the complex can host all kinds of events, in a carefully sculpted environment of both built and natural features. The venue is scheduled to host its first wedding July 26th.
“We are so blessed in Castle Rock,” Nancy said. “Our Community Development Alliance, which is a non-profit, combined with our volunteers and schools. It’s all about quality of life.”
Interviews are edited for clarity and length.
Hal Calbom, a third-generation Longview native and author of Empire of Trees: America’s Planned City and the Last Frontier, produces CRR’s People+Place monthly feature, and is CRRPress associate publisher. See his “In the Spotlight” feature, page 37.
Anew exhibition at the Washington State History Museum (WSHM) showcases an era of rapid change in American history through fashion. “Dressing the Gilded Age: Fashion from the 1870s to the 1910s,” which explores how clothing helped introduce new ideas about social, political, and technological progress, runs through Feb. 15, 2026. WSHM is located at 1911 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma. Hours are 10am–5pm, Tues through Sun..
The Gilded Age was a time that brought abundant wealth to the United States through industrialization and technology. Manufacturing progressed, and the distribution of commodities nationwide became easier with new transcontinental railroads.
“Before the Gilded Age, clothing was primarily handmade,” said WSHM director Jennifer Saunders in a press release. “It was a time-consuming and expensive production process. With the introduction of mechanized sewing machines, mail-order catalogs and ready-to-wear fashion, the cost of clothing dropped significantly. Fashion became widely available to people of different social classes for the first time.”
Dressing the Gilded Age features a variety of clothing and accessories, from beautifully restored dresses worn by the wealthy to everyday workingclass attire from the Washington State Historical Society’s collection. Photographs, historical advertisements, and catalogs illustrate the rise of consumer culture and the widening socio-economic divide. The exhibition also includes tools and stories of the harsh conditions in the fashion industry that often took advantage of women and immigrant labor.
The exhibition also connects how fashion served as a symbol of identity, status, and political ideology. Figures such as the “Gibson Girl” characterized fashionable, independent, and athletic middle-class women. Women aspired to try new gender-defying activities, particularly sports, like mountaineering and basketball. Suffragists of the time advocated not only for the right to vote but also for less restrictive and more practical clothing. For more information about Dressing the Gilded Age and other exhibitions and programs, please visit washingtonhistory.org.
About The Washington State Historical Society and History Museum
The Washington State Historical Society works with our communities to explore how history connects us all. Its most prominent activity is the Washington State History Museum, located at 1911 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma. The museum features interactive core exhibitions about Washington in the Great Hall, rotating special exhibitions, and various public events and programs covering a wide range of historical topics. The WSHS provides curriculum resources, downloadable exhibitions, and educational support across the state, as well as consultation and resources for museums and heritage organizations.
Roland on Wine from page 13
to deliver wines that can stand alongside the world’s elite. On the flip side, a number of collectors and connoisseurs are questioning whether the experience truly warrants the price. I have mixed feelings about this.
What is sure is it will be a niche purchase, reserved for the rich and for wine collectors. The release taps into a growing trend for collectible, cult-status wines. Washington has steadily built a reputation for high-end Cabernets, such as the famed Quilceda Creek, which earned multiple 100-point scores and was famously featured at a
White House state dinner, yet none have crossed the $500-mark until now, making Naravane a new benchmark. For wine lovers eager to glimpse the next frontier of Washington wines, the Naravane 2021 will be inaccessible because of price. However, it does offer an opportunity for some to taste a wine born of exceptional viticulture, precise winemaking, and bold ambition for the few — it’s a historic investment for collectors, but most of all, it is demanding attention to the world-class nature of Washington wine. The 2021 Naravane Cabernet marks a bold first as Washington’s first $800 release—a
testament to the state’s rising stature in the ultra-premium wine world, even as it sparks spirited debate about value, rarity, and the evolving race for cult status.
My opinion is that we have the ladder leaning against the wrong building. If this is just a “statement wine” showcasing what Washington can do with Cabernet Sauvignon, then so be it. But what do we really want wine to represent? There will always be wineries which want to pursue perfection, but at what cost? We know that our state makes great wine at an affordable price point. Some are exceptional at $100 a bottle. Isn’t that good enough?
IMAN IN THE KITCHEN CLASSICS Dressing up Four favorites fresh from scratch
made a terrible mistake the other day. I knew better, but once I started, I couldn’t help myself. I began reading the list of ingredients in my prepared salad dressings. You know, the kind that say, “refrigerate after opening.” It all began at a cookout where the hostess discovered she was about to serve ketchup with an expiration date four years past.
Once home I checked all my open and unopened bottle of condiments. After realizing that my Thousand Island and Caesar dressings were too old and should have been tossed, my eyes wandered to the ingredients. Damn. All of them had a list of natural ingredients, but toward the bottom the Polysorbate 60, 80 and 90 appeared, along with disodium this and that, aluminum sulfate and others too complex to pronounce. Even my favorite mayonnaise included calcium disodium EDTA, whatever that is.
Must we?
Must we eat these chemicals and serve them to our guests? Thus began my search and experimentation with fresh, homemade salad dressings.
When asked my desired salad dressing at a restaurant, my automatic response is “Ranch, please.” This recipe makes Hidden Valley want to go away and hide.
The Raspberry Vinaigrette I concocted has that “fresh berry” taste you won’t find in a commercial bottled variety. My next Crab Louis will have the freshest Thousand Island dressing. And forget about expiration dates. Serve your family and guests freshly made salad dressings; they will store in your refrigerator for two weeks or more, but don’t worry, these dressings are so tasty they will be used up long before they get stale.
Got a kid hanging around?
The following Poppy Seed dressing is my favorite, along with the Raspberry Vinaigrette, Ranch and Thousand Island.
Most of the ingredients for all these recipes are already in your pantry or growing in your back yard. They’re so simple to mix up a child can do it. Got a kid hanging around? This is a perfect entry for them into food preparation and they’ll have a vested interest in eating those salads.
Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing
1/4 C. canola or olive oil
1 Tbl. sugar
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp. fresh lemon or lime juice
1 tsp. dry mustard
Ranch Dressing
1/2 C. sour cream
1 C. buttermilk
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbl. lemon or lime juice
1 Tbl. vinegar
1 Tbl. chives, chopped
1 Tbl. parsley, chopped
Mix all the ingredients together, cool and serve.
Thousand Island Dressing
6-8 stuffed green olives, chopped
1/3 C. chili sauce
1 hard cooked egg, chopped
1 Tbl. yellow onion, finely chopped
1 Tbl. sweet pickle relish
1 C. sour cream
Blend all the ingredients and cool before serving.
2 Tbl. red wine vinegar
1/4 C. fresh raspberries
Blend all the ingredients but the raspberries in a food processor. Give it a minute or two. Add the raspberries, blend well and serve.
Poppyseed Dressing
1/4 C. red wine vinegar
1/4 C. diced onions
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
11/2 tsp. poppy seeds
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. canola oil
Blend all but the oil in a food processor. Slowly add the oil while continuing to blend. When the mixture thickens, you’re done. Cool it and use it.
Paul Thompson wrote his popular “Man in the Kitchen” column and other features since CRR’s first issue. He retired from his teaching career in Oak Park, Illinois, and moved back to his hometown of Longview in 2012, passing away in July 2021. We re-run some of his classic recipes and column excerpts from time to time, in fond remembrance and appreciation for his friendship and role in developing CRR’s zeitgeist.
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
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–10:30pm; Sun 11am–9pm. 503-728-3344
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. 503-556-9950. interstatetavern@yahoo.com
El Tapatio
117 W. ‘A’ Street
Mexican Family Restaurant. Open Fri-Sat 11am-11pm, rest of week 11am-10pm. Full bar. 8-11pm. Patio seating. 503-556-8323.
Longview, Wash.
1335 14th Avenue
18 rotating craft brews, pub fare. M-Th 11am–9pm. Fri-Sat 11am–10pm. Local music coming soon. 360-232-8283. Wine Wednesdays: $5 pours.
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.
Formerly The Carriage Restaurant & Lounge located on 14th Ave.
3353 Washington Way. Chinese & American cuisine. Full bar, banquet room stage room with balcony; available for groups, special events. Restaurant: 11am–9pm, Lounge 11am–1:00am. 360-425-8680.
20 Cowlitz Street West, Castle Rock. Coffee and specialty drinks, quick eats & sweets. See ad, pg 30
(Parker’s former location), 1300 Mt. St. Helens Way. 360--967-2333. Open daily, 11am–10pm. Steaks, pasta, calamari, salads, sandwiches, fondue, desserts. Happy Hour, full bar.
Kalama, Wash.
LUCKMAN’S COFFEE Mountain Timber Market, Port of Kalama. Open 8am–7pm. 360-673-4586.
Scappoose, Ore.
Fultano’s Pizza 51511 SE 2nd. Family style with unique pizza offerings, hot grill items & more! “Best pizza around!” Sun–Th 11:30am–9pm;
Warren,
Toutle, Wash.
Roland Wines 1106 Florida St., Longview. Authentic Italian wood-fired pizza, wine, beer, specialty cocktails. Casual ambience. 5–9pm Wed-Sat, 360-846-7304 See ad, page 4.
Scythe Brewing Company 1217 3rd Avenue #150
Stuffy’s
360-353-3851
Mon-Thurs 11:30am -8pm; FriSat 11:30am -10pm. Sun 12-8pm. Family-friendly brewery/ restaurant with upscale, casual dining, lunch and dinner.
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
Café on Broadway
1133 Broadway. Lunch and Dinner, full bar. Mon12–8pm. Tues-Thurs 11am–8pm, Fri 11am–9pm; Sat 12–9pm. 360577-0717
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. 360673-9210. Indoor dining, covered outdoor seating.
Antique Deli 413N. First. M-F, 10–3. Call for daily sandwich special. 360-673-3310.
FIRESIDE CAFE 5055 Meeker Dr., Kalama. Open Wed-Sun, 9–4. 360-673-3473.
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 32.
Big River Tap Room 313 Strand Street on the Riverfront. Lunch/Dinner TueThurs 12–8pm; Fri-Sat 12–9pm. Chicagostyle hot dogs, Italian beef, pastrami. Weekend Burrito Breakfast, Sat 8-11, Sun 8am-3pm.
THE TIDEWATER REACH
A Different Way of Seeing
A Different Way of Seeing
Poem by Robert Michael Pyle • Photograph by Judy VanderMaten • Field Note by Hal Calbom
Lux Sit
From the blue table at Mo’s she watches the pilot boat lights creep into the docks. Yellow lights on the bridge span glimmer, red ones flash, reflect off the river below. Travelers’ lights flicker past the guardrails. Green navigational lights show where to go, where not. Lights on the ships at anchor seem unbearably sad, while lights up in town speak of ways to spend an evening, a life, in restaurants, night spots, theaters, before the blue hearth of the television.
She doesn’t care. There is a blue glass dolphin on a bouncy spring stuck in a sparkly chunk of coral on the windowsill, and a blue glass crab with a sticker that says “I glow,” both of them for sale. And there is the glossy blue table. And there is the river, which might be blue in certain lights. And there is the night ahead.
She takes a sip from the blue plastic water glass that says “Mo’s” on the side, pays her bill, steps out into the many lights of the Columbian night. Keeps an eye out for the green ones, the navigational aids, with no clear idea at all of what comes next.
She sits at the blue table at Mo’s, thinking of all the lights, all the lives, all the ways she might have followed this fickle river. And how regret could equal happenstance minus foresight, and remorse could just be content filtered through oinks and rude breath of sea lions.
Steelhead have a trick Spawn but do not die each year Out and back again Coming Together
This page and pg. 5 feature excerpts from CRRPress books.
CRRPRESS was founded in 2020, with the first printing of Tidewater Reach, followed by Dispatches from the Discovery Trail (see current episode, page 5), Empire of Trees, Words and Wood, and A Lifetime of Art. Purchase info, see page 2, 39.
EMPIRE OF TREES
by Hal Calbom
AMERICA’S PLANNED CITY AND THE LAST
FRONTIER
Air Mailers: 1928 Longview epitomized both industry and salesmanship. National and even international promotions were relentless. Five years in, founder S.M. Morris handed the latest Longview broadsheets — attached to mini-parachutes — to Mayor A.L. Gibbs, who dropped them from his airplane on surrounding towns, inviting them, boldly and shamelessly, to join the celebration of their grand creation
Photo couRtesy oF lonGview Public libRaRy
UIPS & QUOTES Q
Selected by Debra Tweedy
There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.
--Elie Wiesel, Romanian-American writer, activist, Nobel laureate, 1928-2016
Indecision may or may not be my problem.
--Jimmy Buffett, American singer-songwriter, 1946-2023
May we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion.
--Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th president of the United States, 1890-1969
Mathematics may be defined as the subject in which we never know what we are talking about, nor whether what we are saying is true.
--Bertrand Russell, British philosopher and mathematician, 1872-1970
It is not what a lawyer tells me I may do; but what humanity, reason, and justice tell me I ought to do.
--Edmund Burke, Anglo-Irish statesman and philosopher, 1729-1797
A little learning, indeed, may be a dangerous thing, but the want of learning is a calamity to any people.
--Frederick Douglass, American social reformer, abolitionist, writer, 1818-1895
The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them.
--Patrick Henry, American politician and orator, 1736-1799
There are no morals in politics; there is only expedience. A scoundrel may be of use to us just because he is a scoundrel.
--Vladimir Lenin, Russian revolutionary and politician, 1870-1924-
The only thing that could spoil a day was people, and if you could keep from making engagements, each day had no limits. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.
--Ernest Hemingway, American writer and journalist, 1899-1961
IWhat are you reading?
The Grey Wolf Louise Penny
Review by Jan Bono
arrived at the Louise Penny party a little late— and I came in through the back door. In 2021, Penny co-authored A State of Terror with Hillary Clinton. I never thought I’d read, let alone enjoy, a nail-biting political thriller, and yet I was instantly mesmerized by her masterful use of language and the interwoven lives of her characters.
After that, I went looking for what else Penny had written and was delighted to discover the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, which begins with Still Life (2005). The Grey Wolf is the 19th book in the series. Along with bringing the reader up-to-date on the main characters living in Three Pines, Quebec, Penny takes us back for a quick look at previous books without making it feel too “deja vu all over again.” In other words, you don’t have to read the books in order.
Gamache investigates a series of mysterious events that are revealed to be part of a conspiracy to poison the drinking water of Quebec. This act of domestic bio-terrorism has its origins in the higher political stratosphere of the provincial government. But how high, and who’s ultimately behind it?
As in most intriguing page-turners, Gamache finds it tough to figure out who the bad guys are, and who he can trust. Like most mystery readers, I enjoy analyzing the clues and trying to figure out whodunnit before the protagonist does. It’s a challenge that adds to my enjoyment, and I’m disappointed if I figure it out too soon. I’m happy to say this book did not disappoint!
Jan Bono is the author of the Sylvia Avery Mystery series, set on the Long Beach Peninsula. Her newest book, The Freedom of the Day: Everyday Silver Linings, is a collection of stories reminding us “to keep focused on ‘the good stuff’ in our lives.”
ATTENTION READERS
Read a good book lately? Share your impressions and thoughts with other CRR readers. Email alan@alan-rose. com or publisher@crreader.com for info. Writers and non-writers welcome, editing services provided, and can be based on phone mini-interview if preferred.
and her husband
largely
of CRR’s editorial team from afar.
I don’t get much fan mail. At least, she never tells me if I do. Does anybody even know I’m here? I aim to please. Umbrella Man Since 2004
20 Cowlitz Street West Mon-Sat 8:30–5 • Sun 10–4 360-916-1377
We Make the Complex Simple
Our escrow officers and underwriters have the experience to help you navigate the most challenging details. That expertise, paired with our unrivaled experience in the market, makes for a smooth transaction and lets you focus on what really matters: providing celebratory closings.
Experience a new level of simple. Contact us today.
Longview native Debra Tweedy has lived on four continents. She
returned to her hometown in recent years,
due to Lake Sacajawea and the Longview Public Library. Newly-relocated to Springville, Utah, to be near family, she remains part
Rebecca Yarros, Entangled: Red Tower Books, $20.99
7. I Who Have Never Known Men
Jacqueline Harpman, Transit Books, $16.95
8. Throne of Glass
Sarah J. Maas, Bloomsbury Publishing, $19
9. Monk and Robot
Becky Chambers, Tordotcom, $18.99
10. Sandwich
Catherine Newman, Harper Perennial, $18.99
Brought to you by Book Sense and Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, for week ending June 29, 2025, based on reporting from the independent bookstores of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. For the Book Sense store nearest you, visit www.booksense.com
PAPERBACK NON-FICTION
1. On Tyranny
Timothy Snyder, Crown, $12
2. Braiding Sweetgrass
Robin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed Editions, $22
3. The Wager
David Grann, Vintage, $21
4. The Wide Wide Sea Hampton Sides, Vintage, $19
5. The Light Eaters
Zoë Schlanger, Harper Perennial, $19.99
6. The Artist’s Way
Julia Cameron, TarcherPerigee, $20
7. The Body Keeps the Score
Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., Penguin, $19
8. The Backyard Bird Chronicles
Amy Tan, Knopf, $36
9. Solito
Javier Zamora, Hogarth, $19
10. A Dumb Birds Field Guide to the Worst Birds Ever
Matt Kracht, Chronicle Books, $15.95
1. Atmosphere
Taylor Jenkins Reid, Ballantine Books, $30
2. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
V. E. Schwab, Tor Books, $29.99
3. James Percival Everett, Doubleday, $28
4. So Far Gone
Jess Walter, Harper, $30
5. The Emperor of Gladness
Ocean Vuong, Penguin Press, $30
6. My Friends
Fredrik Backman, Atria Books, $29.99
7. The River Is Waiting
Wally Lamb, S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books, $29.99
8. Wild Dark Shore
Charlotte McConaghy, Flatiron Books, $28.99
9. Great Big Beautiful Life
Emily Henry, Berkley, $29
10. Dungeon Crawler
Carl Matt Dinniman, Ace, $30
1. The Serviceberry
Robin Wall Kimmerer, John Burgoyne (Illus.), Scribner, $20
Ever since Ocean Vuong brought out his stunning debut novel, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous (2019), many of us have been eagerly awaiting his next. It has arrived, and The Emperor of Gladness is very different. Where Gorgeous was slight, tight, and focused, a letter written by a young Vietnamese American man to his illiterate mother, Gladness is much longer and sprawling,
Alan’s haunting novel of the AIDS epidemic, As If Death Summoned, won the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award (LGBT category.) He organizes the monthly Word Fest gathering (info at left). Reach him at www.alan-rose.com.
almost montage-like in presenting a range of characters and their stories. Although an undercurrent of sadness runs through both books, the first had a sense of hope and promise. This new novel is almost unrelieved in its bleakness, its emotional tones painted with a palette of grays.
It’s set in the fictional East Gladness, a post-industrial blight in Connecticut, polluted and forgotten by the politicians and polluting corporations, and reflecting the characters’ lives (“everyone rushes past us…We are the blur in the windows of your trains and minivans, your Greyhounds.”)
These are people who have become accustomed to living without hope.
Among them is Hai, a nineteen-yearold Vietnamese American, ashamed and drug-addicted, self-medicating to assuage the pain of living. He lets his mother believe he’s attending college, studying to become a doctor. Preparing to end his life, he meets the aging, slowly dementing Grazina Vitkus, and becomes her caregiver, living with her in her old, decrepit house. The pair bond, finding comfort in their mutual caring for the other.
It’s a town where high school kids, having nowhere to go on Friday nights, park their stepfathers’ trucks in the unlit edges of the Walmart parking lot, drinking Smirnoff out of Poland Spring bottles and blasting Weezer and Lil Wayne until they look down one night to find a baby in their arms and realize they’re thirtysomething and the Walmart hasn’t changed except for its logo, brighter now, lending a bluish glow to their time-gaunt faces.
– from The Emperor of Gladness
To help support them, Hai gets a job at a franchise restaurant called HomeMarket (“We turn food into feeling, folks.”) To Hai, it “was not so much a restaurant as a giant microwave…‘made by hand’ meant heating up the contents of a bag of mushy food cooked nearly a year ago in a laboratory outside Des Moines and vacuum-sealed in industrial resin sacks.”
The manager proudly boasts theirs is “the third-best-grossing HomeMarket in all twelve locations in the Northeast.”
Here again, Vuong, an award-winning poet, has some lovely images expressed in some beautiful language: In spring, the cherry blossoms don’t just blossom, they “foam” across the county, the soft rains “pebble” against the window, in the fall, the aspens are “coppering along the shores.” Kids from the nearby Catholic prep school come pouring in to the restaurant, “a sweatered sea of suppressed, unrepentant hormones.”
Ours has been called a second Gilded Age, with all the excess, inequality, and corruption of the 1890s. In every Gilded Age, there are the un-gilded, those barely getting by, whose lives are sustained by cigarettes, cheap booze and street drugs, or over-prescribed opiates, and this week’s lottery ticket. Vuong is giving expression to the forgotten in this current age of glitz, glut, greed and gloom, reminding us that for some — for increasingly many — the American Dream has gotten so far out of reach, they can no longer remember their own dreams. They no longer dream.
LONGVIEW
U.S. Bank
Post Office
Forever Fit - 1211 18th Ave
Bob’s (rack, main check-out)
In front of 1232 Commerce Ave
In front of 1323 Commerce Ave
Where to find the new Reader
It’s delivered all around the River by the 15th of each month. Here’s the handy, regularly-refilled sidewalk box and rack locations, where you can pick up a copy any time of day ... and even in your bathrobe:
WOODLAND
The Oak Tree
Visitors’ Center
Grocery Outlet
Luckman Coffee
CASTLE ROCK
In front of CR Blooms Center
Cowlitz St. W., near Vault Books & Brew
Visitors’ Ctr, 890 Huntington Ave N., Exit 49, west side of I-5
Cascade Select Market
VADER
Little Crane Café
RYDERWOOD
In front of Elam’s 1413 Commerce
Teri’s on Broadway (side entry)
In front of Freddy’s 1110 Commerce
YMCA
Fred Meyer (rack, service desk)
Grocery Outlet, OB Hwy
Fibre Fed’l CU - Commerce Ave
Monticello Hotel (front entrance)
Kaiser Permanente
St. John Medical Center (rack, Park Lake Café)
LCC Student Center
Columbia River Reader Office 1333 14th Ave. (box at door)
Omelettes & More (entry rack)
Stuffy’s II (entry rack)
KELSO
Visitors’ Center / Kelso-Longview Chamber of Commerce
KALAMA
Etc Mercantile
Fibre Fed’l CU
Kalama Shopping Center corner of First & Fir
Columbia Inn
McMenamin’s Harbor Lodge (rack)
Luckmans Coffee, Mountain Timber Market, Port of Kalama
Café porch
TOUTLE
Drew’s Grocery & Service
CLATSKANIE, ORE
Post Office
Mobil / Mini-Mart
Fultano’s Pizza
WESTPORT
Berry Patch (entry rack)
RAINIER
Post Office Cornerstone Café
Rainier Hardware (rack, entry)
Earth ‘n’ Sun (on Hwy 30)
El Tapatio (entry rack)
Grocery Outlet
Senior Center (rack at front door)
DEER ISLAND
Deer Island Store
COLUMBIA CITY
Post Office
ST HELENS
Chamber of Commerce
Sunshine Pizza
St. Helens Market Fresh
Olde Town (near 2-Cs Vendor Mall)
Big River Tap Room
Safeway
WARREN
Warren Country Inn
SCAPPOOSE
Post Office
Road Runner
Fultano’s
Ace Hardware
WARRENTON
Fred Meyer
CATHLAMET
Cathlamet Pharmacy
Tsuga Gallery
Realty West/Computer Link NW
Puget Island Ferry Landing
SKAMOKAWA
Skamokawa General Store
NASELLE
Appelo Archives & Café
Johnson’s One-Stop
ILWACO
Time Enough Books (entry table)
LONG BEACH
Long Beach Merchants Assn
OCEAN PARK
Ocean Park Chamber of Commerce 1715 Bay Ave.
RAYMOND
NW Carriage Museum
Timberland Library
SOUTH BEND
Pacific County Historical Society & Museum
Cascadia Chamber Opera is pleased to present the Cascadia Chamber Opera Festival 2025 in Astoria, Oregon, with performances beginning on Wednesday, August 13th at Fort George Brewery with Pint-Sized Opera, and, subsequently, staged operas presented on August 15th, 17th, 22nd, and 24th.
This combination of events will include fully-staged productions of Giacomo Puccini’s “La Bohème,” Leonard Bernstein’s “Trouble in Tahiti,” and Ned Rorem’s “Four Dialogues for Two Voices and Two Pianos,” all sung in English at the Charlene Larsen Center for the Performing Arts (formerly known as The PAC).
The Festival plans opportunities to hear opera, hear about opera, check out panels on topics relevant to the opera season, and just simply enjoy all sorts of music for the lyric stage. See ad, page 37
1,300-volume collection WAR HISTORY BOOKS
Ancient • Medieval • Civil War • 1812 WWI & WWII all Theaters • D-Day Normandy • Iraq • Korea • Afghan Vietnam • North Africa • Sea Battles & MUCH MORE!
60-YEAR COLLECTION
MODEL SHIPS & AIRCRAFT
Boxes of finished, unfinished, and unstarted models.
SALE starting Sat-Sun July 26-27
2103 Willow Pl, Longview, WA:
9am–5pm Sat-Sun, or other days by appointment 360-423-6825
Columbia River Reader BOOK BOUTIQUE
Lewis & Clark, Longview’s Centennial, Columbia River poetry, art, history, see pg 2, 29, 39 Gift Subscriptions for yourself or a friend!
Mon-Wed-Fri • 11am–3pm, or by chance or appointment 1333 14th Ave, Longview Free local delivery of books 360-749-1021 GREAT
WHERE DO YOU READ THE READER?
Send your photo reading the Reader (high-resolution JPEG) to publisher@crreader.com. For cell phone photos, choose the largest file size up to 2 MB. Include names and cities of residence. Expect an acknowledgment within 5 days of submission; otherwise, please re-send. Thank you for your participation and patience, as we usually have a small backlog!
A needed winter sunbreak Brian Fleming in Mascota, Mexico, in the mountains above Puerto Vallarta r elaxing, visiting friends and getting some much-needed time to sit in the shade and ponder
IN BARCELONA Kalama residents Judy and Jim Bain at Tossa de Mar, Brava Coast of Spain.
ON THE PENINSULA CRR’s book reviewer Alan Rose led a writers retreat on the Long Beach Peninsula. Participating writers take a break with the Columbia River Reader, kneeling left to right: Elaine Cockrell, Jaimee Walls, and Lori Steed; standing, left to right: Carrie McKinnon, Tiffany Dickinson, Craig Allen Heath, Debz Briske, and Stella Mortensen.
Sunset dinner
Glen Spears of Ocean Park, Wash., and Erica Robles, of Cabo San Lucas, on the Caborey sunset dinner cruise in Cabo San Lucas Mexico.
Submission Guidelines
Letters to the Editor (up to 200 words) relevant to the publication’s purpose — helping readers discover and enjoy the good life in the Columbia River region, at home and on the road — are welcome. Longer pieces, or excerpts thereof, in response to previously-published articles, may be printed at the discretion of the publisher and subject to editing and space limitations.
Items sent to CRR will be considered for publication unless the writer specifies otherwise. Writer’s name and phone number must be included; anonymous submissions will not be considered.
Political Endorsements CRR is a monthly publication serving readers in several towns, three counties, two states and beyond, and does not publish Letters to the Editor that are endorsements or criticisms of political candidates or controversial issues. (Paid ad space is available.)
Unsolicited submissions may be considered, provided they are consistent with the publication’s purpose. Advance contact with the editor is recommended. Information of general interest submitted by readers may be used as background or incorporated in future articles.
Outings & Events calendar (free listing): Events must be open to the public. Non-profit organizations and the arts, entertainment, educational and recreational opportunities and community cultural events will receive listing priority. Fundraisers must be sanctioned/sponsored by the benefiting non-profit organization. Commercial projects, businesses and organizations wishing to promote their particular products or services are invited to purchase advertising.
HOW TO PUBLICIZE YOUR NONPROFIT EVENT IN CRR
Send your non-commercial community event info (incl 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, Longview, WA 98632
Submission Deadlines
Events occurring: Aug 15 – Sept. 20 by July 25 for Aug 15 issue Sept 15 – Oct 20 by Aug 25 for Sept 15 issue.
Calendar submissions are considered for inclusion, subject to lead time, relevance to readers, and space limitations.
See Submission Guidelines above.
Outings & Events
Into the Woods Musical July 11 – Aug 10. Fort Columbia Theatre, Chinook, Wash. Fri & Sat 7pm, Sunday 2pm. Seating $15–23 per person. Tickets www.papatheater.com. Also at Oakie’s Thriftway, Ocean Park. Art Demo Fair July 16, 10am–3pm.Longview Library. Learn about pottery, quilting, fiber arts, broadside printing, more. All ages. Info: 360-442-5331.
The Rocky Horror Show July 11 through Aug. 3. Stageworks Northwest Theatre presents the original live version of the musical that became a cult classic movie. $25/$18/$12. 1433 Commerce Ave., Longview. Advance tickets at stageworksnorthwest.com
Concerts at the Lake July 17: Stevie Starlight Band/HVSHI; July 24: Paperback Writers; July 31: Groove Nation; Aug 7: Hair Nation; Aug 14: Stacy Jones. Martin Dock, Lake Sacajawea, Longview, Wash. Food vendors and snack carts, beer & wine available.
Julia Butler Hansen Heritage Center Open house. July 19, 11am–2pm. Sign-up sheet in front yard. 45 Butler Street, downtown Cathlamet, Wash. During Bald Eagle Days
HIKES
See page 12
wateRcoloRized sketch by the late deena maRtinsen,
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 Forsberg Gallery in LCC’s Rose Center, open M-Th 10–3. Free.
Oysterville: Pearl of the Peninsula July 27–Sept 6. Exhibits in Marie Powell Gallery and Luisa Mack Gallery, Ilwaco waterfront, Port of Ilwaco. Opening Reception July 27, 1–5pm, in conjunction with Ilwaco Art Walk. Meet artists Marie Powell, Penny Treat, Gregory Gorham (painting above), Anna Lee Larimore, and Luisa Mack. 177 Howerton Way SE, Ilwaco Wash. Info 360-244-0800.
Pirates of Penzance Aug. 1–9. Roxy Theatre, Morton, Wash. See details, page 37.
Summer Music in the Stacks Aug 6, 11am; Aug 7, 2pm. Featuring Canterbury Ensemble string trio. Longview Public Library, 1600 Louisiana, Longview Wash. Free. See ad, page 38.
Columbia River Chamber Music Festival Aug 7–10. Aug 7, 7pm Vocal night; Aug 8, 7pm An Evening in France; Aug 9, 7pm, A Night in Vienna; Aug 10, 3pm, Grab Bag. St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 22nd and Louisiana, Longview, Wash. Donations invited. Program info: columbiarivermusic.org
Cascadia Chamber Opera Festival 2025 Astoria, Ore. Aug 13– 24. Fully staged, English-sung productions of Giacomo Puccini’s “La Bohème,” Leonard
Bernstein’s “Trouble in Tahiti,” and Ned Rorem’s “Four Dialogues for Two Voices and Two Pianos,” all performed in English at the Charlene Larsen Center for the Performing Arts, 588 16th St., Astoria, Ore. Pint-Sized Opera, Wed, Aug 13, 7pm, Free, Fort George Brewery, featuring performances by festival artists. Tickets/info: cascadiaconcertopera.org, or 503.338.9132. See ad, below, and related stories, page 32, 37.
“Women’s Committee of the Council of National Defense Registration Cards,” by Amber Oldenburg, genealogist and lecturer. Lower Columbia Genealogical Society. Aug. 14. Virtual meetings doors open 6:30pm. Program 7pm. Public invited (consider joining for $20 per year). For a link to join the meeting or Society, contact lcgsgen@yahoo.com. Please request link 24 hours prior to the event.
Kalama Cultural Festival Aug 23-24, 11am–6pm; Port of Kalama’s Westin Amphitheater. Celebrating the Hawaiian and Native American cultures of the Pacific Northwest. Live music, dance groups,vendors. See details in ad, page 35.
Ghostbusters Aug. 15; Ghoonies, Aug 22; 6–8pm. Movie Nights Under the Stars. Free. Lake Sacajawea Park, Longview, Wash. Bring blankets or lawn chairs. Preactivities start at 7:30pm.
BROADWAY GALLERY
1418 Commerce Avenue, Longview Tues thru Sat, 11–4. Visit the Gallery to see new work. For event updates check our website: the-broadway-gallery.com, at Broadway Gallery on Facebook, and broadway gallery longview on Instagram.
FEATURED ARTISTS
July Tamara Dinius (painting); Guest Artist George Discant (woodcarving) August Community Art Show “Community”
Unique gifts!, beautiful artisan cards, jewelry, books by local authors, wearable art, original paintings, pottery, sculpture, photographs and MORE!
FIRST THURSDAY Aug 7th
5:30–7pm. Join us for Live Music and Refreshments
Classes & workshops available on our website or in store.
If you have a group of 5–7 who are interested in a Paint & Sip, call the Gallery.
*Call to Artists: Community Art Show in August themed “Community.” To enter bring your original artwork inspired by “Community” to the gallery by 4pm Tues, July 29. Reception Aug 7th. Show runs Aug 1-31. See our website or visit the Gallery for more details & entry form.
OPEN Tues - Sat 11–4 Free Gift Wrap on request.
Voted one of top 3 Galleries in SW Washington.
by Hal Calbom
Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates raid the Cascades
This charming Lewis County town has never lacked ambition.
In fact, at one time during the 1950s, Morton, Washington, produced more railroad ties than anywhere else in the world. Today it’s producing something else — a wonderfully successful arts and theater scene that’s drawing talent, raves, and audiences.
Commuting and Collaborating
Birth
AUGUST 1 – 9
of the musical
“This is the first time we’ve done light opera,” said ‘Pirates of Penzance’ show director Lynne Olmos in a recent phone conversation. “We’ve done a summer musical for almost 20 years now, and we thought, ‘Why not?’”
Olmos is one of the principals in an ongoing collaboration between Centralia College East and the Fire Mountain Arts Council. “Pirates” will play in Morton at the venerable Roxy Theater, August 1st through 9th (see “If You Go” details, next page).
“We use volunteer actors, from all over the region, really,” said Olmos. One of the challenges, and joys, of rural theater is bringing a lot of people together for tryouts, rehearsals, and for the shows themselves.
“Pirates” sports a cast of more than 30, and an extensive support staff, rehearsing and preparing in both Centralia and Morton through July.
Hal Calbom is associate publisher with CRRPress,and produces CRR’s monthly “People+Place” feature, see page 19.
“This show is desperately funny,” said Olmos, “We were worried that it might be kind of cheesy and over the top but it’s this strange humor that carries over. It’s been cracking us all up.”
Comic or Light Opera is generally regarded as the precursor of the modern musical: less portentous and dramatic than its cousin, the “Grand” opera. First taken seriously as a creation of the German / French composer Jacques Offenbach, who composed more than 100 programs known as “operettas,” the form was perfected for English speakers by the British team of Gilbert and Sullivan, who composed 14 comic operas between 1871 and 1896.
Light opera is almost always comic and amusing, with, according to the Metropolitan Opera website, “lovers’ spats, mistaken identities, sudden reversals of fortune, and glittering parties.” In short, it deftly blends both art and entertainment.
Running Starts
“Pirates of Penzance” will add education to its art and entertainment: Both high school and community college students earn credit for participating in the show, through Centralia College and through high school Running Start programs. Olmos says these programs are especially popular in rural areas which may lack the breadth of standard curriculum offered elsewhere.
This musical comedy by Gilbert and Sullivan, follows the plight of Frederic, mistakenly apprenticed to a band of pirates. As he meets and falls in love with Mabel, the daughter of the bumbling MajorGeneral Stanley, the plot unfolds into many a humorous twist and turn.
In the Spotlight from page 37
“This is a way to keep our kids at home, around here,” she said. “They can get college credit while still in high school. We also get a lot of families — siblings,parents and kids — who participate, too.”
It’s the best of both worlds: sophisticated theater in a home town atmosphere. And all played for laughs, the longtime currency of Mssrs. Gilbert and Sullivan.
IF YOU GO
Pirates of Penzance
Aug 1–9
Roxy Theater, Morton, Wash I-5 Exit 68. 1hr 10 min drive from Longview
Aug 1, 5, 6, 9: Fri, Tues, Wed, Sat • 7pm Sat, Aug 2 • 2pm
Adults $15, Students $10 roxymorton.org
“This is a fabulous force for our communities,” said Olmos, who when not directing teaches English at Mossyrock High School.
“Theater is just the best preparation for life. We truly believe that.”
Other Operatic Opportunities:
Cascadia Chamber Opera fully staged performances:“LaBoheme” Fri, Aug 22 and Sun, Aug 24, and other presentations Aug 13–17. See ad, page 36.
“Carmen,” Opera in the Park Portland, Sun, July 27. Free. Peninsula Park, 700 N.Rosa Parks Way, Portland. operaintheparkportland.org
Seattle Opera “Pirates of Penzance” Oct 18–Nov 1. seattleopera.org
and Juliet (2024)
METROPOLITAN OPERA
The Met: Live in HD
See Sue’s Views, page 3.
Summer Encores 1pm and 6:30pm Portland-Vancouver, Olympia and other area cinemas.
July 23: “LaTraviata”
July 30: “Romeo & Juliet”
Aug 6: “Lucia di Lammermoor” Aug 13: “Rigoletto”
New 2025-2026 Season LaBoheme Oct 18, 10am pst Info and cinema locations metopera.org
Mthe spectator by ned piper
Burma Shave, country roads
y connection to Columbia River Reader has given me so many pleasures over the years. Just being a witness to Sue coordinating and bringing together the many puzzle pieces that result in this paper every month still amazes me, even after 21 years. The CRR team of old and new friends, family members, and the occasional “mystery guest” has coalesced nicely over these years, and continues to evolve.
We have our proofreading and distribution team, regular columnists, serendipitous submitters of one-time articles, many who contribute to the Outings and Events calendar listings, and hundreds of readers who travel the world and send in photos for “Where Do You Read the Reader?”
And let’s not forget the all-important advertisers and sponsors who underwrite costs in order to make the paper available for free to CRR’s many readers throughout the communities in our region. We are all connected!
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting dozens upon dozens of avid readers while delivering the Reader on my “paper route.” A month ago I was filling the rack at the supermarket in Winlock when a couple asked if this was the new Reader. Yes, I replied.
“We are so happy that you’re delivering in Winlock,” the wife said. “We used to drive to Longview every month to get our copy.”
Another example: “Do you suppose I could have two copies? I take one to my mother. She loves the Reader.”
I love driving the four routes I cover. Kalama and Woodland to the south, Toutle, Vader and Castle Rock to the north, and even further north to Toledo, Winlock and Ryderwood. I love driving along those wooded country roadways. Have you ever noticed that whenever you come to a tight curve, you almost always encounter another vehicle coming ‘round the bend? My favorite section of road is from Vader to Ryderwood when I come to the quasi-Burma Shave roadside signs. Signs like these were once ubiquitous on the two-lane roads throughout the nation with their different bits of wisdom on five small signs. The one approaching Ryderwood reads:
Many a forest
Used to stand
Where a lighted match
Got out of hand.
–Burma Shave
I remember seeing these little gems when Grandpa Gebert and his young grandson (me) drove around the county in his beloved Pontiac. Good memories never fade. And I’m collecting more every month, while delivering the Reader.
Longview resident Ned Piper is mostly retired, but assists with CRR ads and distribution — when he is not enjoying TV sports or political talk (wrangling) shows.
Romeo
Rigoletto (2013)
La Traviata (2018)
PLUGGED IN TO COWLITZ PUD
By Alice Dietz, Cowlitz PUD Communications/Public Relations Manager
Why Wildfire Mitigation Plans?
With the rise of wildfires nationwide and associated legislation and regulations, utilities are actively crafting wildfire mitigation plans. These thorough plans
enable utilities to establish operational policies and practices to help prevent, prepare for, and respond to wildfire incidents.
A Different Way of Seeing...
While Cowlitz County has been determined low risk for wildfires, it is important for our customers to have a self-sustaining plan in the event of a wildfire.
Cowlitz PUD proactively crafted a comprehensive Wildfire Mitigation Plan in 2021 to bolster community safety and enhance the resilience of the electrical grid. We continuously refine this program as we gain insights into wildfire risks in Cowlitz County and adapt to evolving conditions, including an updated version of the plan published in 2024.
THE TIDEWATER REACH Field Guide to the Lower Columbia in Poems and Pictures
THREE EDITIONS • $25, $35, $50
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.
DISPATCHES FROM THE DISCOVERY
TRAIL
A Layman’s Lewis & Clark $35
by Michael O. Perry
Catalog Raisonne by Gregory L. Gorham ‘Easel-y Art’ Exhibition Edition $100 • Boxed, easel included
Cowlitz PUD’s mitigation strategies encompass design and construction, inspection and maintenance, operational practices, situational and conditional awareness, and response and recovery.
To help you prepare your self-sustaining plan visit: https://www.cowlitzpud.org/ outages/wildfire-mitigation/
Also: Refer to Cowlitz PUD’s ad, back cover (page 40), this issue.
Alice Dietz may be reached at adietz@ cowlitzpud.org, or 360-501-9146.
Order Form, page 2. Or call 360-749-1021 FREE local delivery. Or purchase online: crreader.com/crrpress
Books also available at:
• Columbia Gorge Interpretive Museum Stevenson
• Broadway Gallery Longview
• Cowlitz County Historical Museum Shop Kelso
• Kelso-Longview Visitor Center, Kelso
• Vault Books & Brew Castle Rock
• Tsuga Gallery Cathlamet
• Redmen Hall Skamokawa
• Skamokawa Store Skamokawa
• Appelo Archives Naselle
• Time Enough Books Ilwaco
• Marie Powell Gallery Ilwaco
• Godfathers Books Astoria, Ore.
• RiverSea Gallery Astoria,Ore.
• Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum The Dalles, Ore.
