CRR April 2018

CRREADER.COM • April 15 – May 14, 2018 • COMPLIMENTARY Helping you discover and enjoy the good life in the Columbia River region at home and on the road

Naturalist Robert Pyle and filmmaker Hal Calbom share bubbly at the historic Gray’s River Covered Bridge

Celebrate!

NORTHWEST WRITERS TOAST CRR’S 15th YEAR ROBERT MICHAEL PYLE: ESSAYS HAL CALBOM: PEOPLE + PLACE

page 33

COLUMBIA RIVER

dining guide

i

The Monticello Hotel congratulates the Columbia River Reader on its 15th year of publication and is honored to provide the venue for a Celebration in the Hotel’s Crystal Ballroom Friday, May 4 • 6–9pm.

2 / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / Columbia River Reader

G

reetings, everyone! Spring is finally in the air and the feeling of celebration is everywhere — prompted by the beautiful, billowing blossoming trees in many neighborhoods and the sounds of lawnmowers firing up, signaling Nature’s re-awakening and the return of birdsong, gardening, barbecue season and the pleasure of just going outside. Life is good!

Sue’s Views

We are excited to have reached a special milestone in this amazing adventure of publishing the Columbia River Reader. This issue marks the beginning of our 15th year!

To celebrate, we invite readers, advertisers and friends to join the CRR staff and writers and me in the Crystal Ballroom at Longview’s historic Monticello Hotel on May 4 . The 15th anniversary is represented by crystal and we chose this particular venue with that serendipitous symbolism in mind.

If you haven’t yet seen the stunning restorations at the Hotel, you are in for a treat. Please mark your calendar and plan to stop by that evening.

CRR owes its existence and success to all of you and we look forward to this chance to say “Thank You” and to celebrate together.

Publisher/Editor: Susan P. Piper Columnists and contributors:

Tracy Beard Dr. Bob Blackwood Hal Calbom Alice Dietz Ted Gruber Jim LeMonds Michael Perry Ned Piper Perry Piper Marc Roland Alan Rose Alice Slusher Greg Smith Gordon Sondker

Production Manager/Photographer: Perry E. Piper Editorial/Proofreading Assistants: Merrilee Bauman Lois Sturdivant Michael Perry Marilyn Perry Advertising Manager: Ned Piper, 360-749-2632

Milestones and new beginnings: Let’s celebrate!

Don’t miss Hal’s first piece, “A Naturalist at Home ~ Robert Michael Pyle.” You’ll have the pleasure of meeting both Bob Pyle and Hal on May 4. And I look forward to also welcoming to the party a great number of friends of CRR, both old and new.

See story, page 19.

Photo set-up by Hal Calbom; expert button-pushing by Susan Piper.

Cover Design by

Columbia River Reader is published monthly, with 15,000 copies distributed free throughout the Lower Columbia region in SW Washington and NW Oregon. Entire contents copyrighted by Columbia River Reader. No reproduction of any kind allowed without express written permission of the publisher.

Opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, not necessarily to the Reader.

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

Visit our website for access to the current issue and the archive of past Columbia River Reader issues (from January 2013),

For ad info: Ned Piper 360-749-2632.

CRREADER.COM

We have decided to make the re-telling of this captivating story one of CRR’s signature components, much like the HaikuFest, “Where Do You Read the Reader,” and now, “People+Place.” It’s just one more reason to celebrate!

Cheers to a Happy Spring!

Sue Piper YOUR PARTY INVITATION page 22

page 19

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

In this Issue

4

Letter to the Editor

5

Dispatch from the Discovery Trail : Why Jefferson Lied

9

Biz Buzz

ON THE COVER

Hal Calbom and Robert Michael Pyle (holding his trusty butterfly net named Marsha) pop the cork at the historic Gray’s River Covered Bridge.

As promised, this month we re-launch the second encore of Michael Perry’s popular 33-episode “Dispatch from the Discovery Trail.” The Lewis and Clark Expedition made a significant contribution to the growth of America and is ingrained in our local history.

people+ place

We are also celebrating the first in our new feature series, “People+Place,” by Hal Calbom, son of the longtime and highly-respected Longview attorney, the late Harry Calbom, Jr. and his

Reader submission guidelines: See page 30.

(plus $2.34 sales tax for subscriptions mailed to Washington addresses).

“People + Place” was hatched at our class reunion last summer after, as Hal later described it, I “plopped down,” and started trying to recruit him to write something for the Reader. I was thinking of a standalone piece, humorous, perhaps, or his reflections on visiting his hometown and the renewal of old memories. Can you go home again?

We emailed and tossed ideas back and forth and here we are, eight months later, delighted to celebrate everything evolving as it has.

Columbia River Reader, llc 1333 14th Ave • Longview, WA 98632 P.O. Box 1643 • Rainier, OR 97048 Office Hours: M-W-F • 11–3* *Other times by chance or appointment

Subscriptions $28 per year inside U.S.

wife, Esther, who were revered members of the community. Hal was a classmate of mine at R.A. Long High School.

10

Medical Matters

12

Miss Manners

15

Northwest Gardening

17

Out & About: Kids’ Fish-In

18

Out & About: Free Gardening Workshops

19-22 People + Place: A Naturalist at Home ~ Robert Michael Pyle 23

Out & About: Tracy Beard at Beacon Rock

24

Marc Roland on Northwest Wines

26

People+Place: Bob Pyle’s Top Five Columbia River Books

26

Besides CRR...What Are You Reading?

27

Cover to Cover ~ Bestsellers List / Book Review

28

Lower Columbia Informer ~ 3D Printing

29

Movies by Dr. Bob Blackwood: Tomb Raiders, Death Wish

30-31 Outings & Events Calendar /Hikes / Quips & Quotes 32

Astronomy ~ Night Sky Report / Loving the Night Sky

33

Lower Columbia Dining Guide

37

Where Do You Read the Reader?

38

The Spectator ~ From the Gorge to the Coast!

38

Plugged In ~ to Cowlitz PUD Columbia River Reader / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / 3

Letter to the Editor Story prompted memories Thank you. “Take a Sunday Drive” brought back the day Dad and Mom would put eight siblings in the old Chevy truck from Rainier to Vernonia and Clatskanie and stop for ten 10cent ice cream cones at Hump’s.

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Lewis & Clark

Why our founding father Thomas Jefferson lied to Congress

M

odern day presidents aren’t the only ones who conduct covert operations. Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and our third president, helped define and ensure the American way of life.

But if it hadn’t been for his vision and strategy — and his deception of Congress when he sent Lewis and Clark to explore the western lands — those of us living in the Pacific Northwest today might be flying a different flag.

The weakest claim Lewis and Clark often get credit for being the first white men to cross North America by land, but Canadians know that Alexander Mackenzie earned the honor. He was

Michael Perry enjoys local history and travel. His popular 33-installment Lewis & Clark series appeared in CRR’s early years and began its first “encore” appearance in July 2015.

a member of the North West Company that competed with the Hudson Bay Company to dominate the fur trade in what is now the Pacific Northwest.

Mackenize followed parts of the Peace and Fraser Rivers to the Pacific Ocean in 1793, publishing a full account of his explorations in 1801. A year later, Thomas Jefferson read Mackenzie’s story.

ENCORE #2

We are pleased to present Installment #1 of Michael Perry’s popular 33-month series which began with CRR’s April 15, 2004 inaugural issue. “Dispatch from the Discovery Trail” helped define and shape Columbia River Reader in its early years during the Bicentennial Commemoration of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Each installment covered their travels during the corresponding month 200 years prior. We are repeating the series for the enjoyment of both longtime and more recent readers.

While he undoubtedly a d m i r e d M a c k e n z i e ’s accomplishment, Jefferson also knew it strengthened Britain’s claim to the Pacific Northwest. In addition to England, the Oregon Territory was also claimed by Spain, Russia and the United States — which had the weakest claim, based on Robert Gray’s discovery of the mouth of the Columbia River in 1792.

Knowing he must act fast to protect America’s interest, Jefferson aimed to strengthen his country’s claim by launching an expedition to find the most direct water route to the Pacific Ocean.

At the time, two-thirds of the United States’ population lived within 50 miles of the Atlantic Ocean and its tidewaters. People living beyond the Appalachian Mountains felt isolated and many favored secession from the United States to form a separate country.

From sea to shining sea However, Jefferson didn’t see the mountains as a dividing line. He had long promoted exploring the lands west of the Mississippi River, with the idea of eventually making the United States reach from coast to coast. cont page 8

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WATER. FIRE. SMOKE. MOLD

Country Life Fair at Pomeroy Farm set for April 28-29

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he Country Life Fair at Pomeroy Farm has become a “can’t miss” spring activity for many local families.

The event, which has grown from the annual Herb Festival, is about getting back to the basics — getting outside, planting a garden, supporting local artisans, and learning new skills and trades. In addition to more than 40 local vendors, Pomeroy Farm will be hosting an Herb and Plant Sale as a fundraiser for their non-profit education programs.

Lots of other activities for all ages include friendly farm animals, yard games, candle making, and more! Kids will receive a Country Life Passport and may collect stamps at various spots as they work their way around the farm. Hayrides are available for a small fee. Food trucks will be offering a variety of good food and snacks.

One of the most exciting features of this event is the Country Life Demonstrators. Local, skilled craftsmen and women will be sharing

their talents and trades, including fly tying, blacksmithing, rug hooking, spinning, weaving, and more. Event goers will be able to see first-hand many different trades in action. The Historic Log House will be open for tours both days, as well.

If You Go:

Pomeroy Farm, 20902 NE Lucia Falls Rd, Yacolt, Wash. Ph: 360-686-3537 Hours: Sat., April 28, 10am-4pm; and Sun., April 29 11am-4pm. Gates close at 4, grounds will remain open until 5pm. Service animals only are allowed on farm grounds.

Admission is free, but donations are gladly accepted. No ATM is available.

Directions: Take I-5 S to WA-501/NW 269th St/Pioneer St in Ridgefield. (Exit 14); Take NE 259th St, NE 82nd Ave, NE 299th St, WA-503 N and NE 152nd Ave to NE Lucia Falls Rd.

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Columbia River Reader / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / 7

Lewis & Clark

from page 5

Jefferson believed the massive Columbia River reached inland to the Rocky Mountains. He thought following the Missouri River to its headwaters and taking a short overland portage across the continental divide might lead to the headwaters of the Columbia River.

Sending an American expedition along that route would strengthen America’s claim to the western half of North America. Such a trek, however, was not authorized by the Constitution and could be considered an armed intrusion into foreign lands — including the Indians’.

Satisfying curisoity

In early 1803, Congress approved the $2,500 Jefferson requested for an expedition promoting commerce, going no farther west than the Mississippi basin. However, Jefferson told his private secretary, Meriwether Lewis, that this official explanation “satisfied curiosity” and “masks sufficiently the real destination.”

Congress didn’t know it, but Jefferson had already made plans and picked Lewis to lead the expedition.

While the early Americans had been creating a new country along the east coast, France, Russia, England and Spain had laid claim to the western half of the continent. France ceded its claims to Spain in 1762, so Spain owned everything west of the Mississippi River except the Oregon Territory.

In 1800, Napolean decided he wanted the land back and Spain relented since it was no longer a world power.

It took two years for word of that transfer to reach Jefferson and he was not pleased. A few months earlier, he had asked Spain’s permission to travel up the Missouri in an effort to reach the Pacific coast, and they hadn’t mentioned France was the new landlord. Spain did say their explorers had already shown conclusively there was no water route between the Missouri and the Pacific.

Jefferson let Napolean know the United States would not tolerate French control of land in North

America. Before resorting to war, Jefferson sent an envoy to Paris in 1803 to try to negotiate the purchase of New Orleans and as much of the Mississippi Valley as possible.

Meanwhile, Napoleon had his hands full with the resumption of the AngloFrench War, so he decided to cut his losses in America and raise some money to fight his war in Europe.

They knew a good deal When France offered to sell all its holdings in North America for $15 million, the American envoy accepted although they had only been authorized to spend $10 million. They knew a good deal when they saw one.

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The news reached Jefferson on July 4, 1803: America had doubled in size, overnight!

Remember the story about colonists buying Manhattan Island from the Indians in 1626 for $24 worth of beads?

Well, the purchase of half the continent for three cents an acre was an even bigger steal.

The stage was set! Thanks to Jefferson’s behind-the-scenes efforts, America was ready to send the Corps of Discovery westward to reinforce its claim to what would eventually become the western half of the United States. Without that expedition, it is likely England or Russia would have ended up with what is now Washington and Oregon.

What the Lewis and Clark Expedition set out to accomplish 214 years ago was similar in scope and magnitude to America’s space exploration program.

And while the actual trip up the Missouri River began on May 14, 1804, the expedition officially began a year earlier.

It required careful planning, packing and preparation — similar, but on a much bigger scale, to what some Northwest families are doing now, as they get ready for their summer camping vacations.

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is more difficult these days due to financial aid hurdles, he said. “You can make your life a lot easier if you make certain choices when you’re younger.

HiTech U helps maximize a student’s chance of success, while minimizing the cost of their education.”

employment. “This is a win for the community as well as for employers.

We’re very proud to hand off,” she said, praising LCC and especially Glaser for his “passion, vision and leadership to bring HiTech U to the community.”

Glaser enjoys meeting students and seeing how appreciative they are to interact with people in industry and to learn. “It renews my faith in younger people,” he said with a smile.

“This is an important thing for our community,” said Bailey. “We need to help it get its legs.” HiTech U is a “key signature event on our campus, and the opportunity to take this next step is really meaningful to us.”

SEMI’s Certified Partner Program identifies organizations that provide quality training and have a framework of SEMI Foundation, based in outreach that can recruit Milpitas, California, recently and instruct high school recognized Lower Columbia students in the value of College as its first certified partner in STEM based careers. The the SEMI High Tech program. LCC organizations receive received the designation after training to deliver the completing a three-year process unique SEMI curriculum of delivering HTU with guidance utilizing high tech and and instruction from SEMI in At the March 23 ceremony at Lower Columbia College, left to STEM industry volunteer right: LCC Exec Director of Corporate Partnership and Training preparation to independently Hahli Rogers; Dean of Instruction Tamra Bell, President Chris instructors. Participants deliver HTU programs to local Bailey, V.P. of Instruction Brendan Glaser; SEMI Foundation come from local area high students.

Exec. Dir. Leslie Tugman. schools, and organizations “Our partnership with the SEMI monitor student progress over time technology, engineering and math) Foundation provides LCC the to document impact.

Since 2002, skills and inspire young people to opportunity to give young people and SEMI has reached more than 7,000 pursue careers in high technology families in our community exposure to high school students in 12 states and fields. HTU allows students to meet high tech career opportunities,” said nine countries with its award-winning engineers and volunteer instructors Chris Bailey, LCC President. Industry program. from industry in a face-to-face partners,including Steelscape, setting with tech-related, hands-on “We are delighted to partner with NORPAC, Weyerhaeuser, Cowlitz activities such as etching wafers, LCC in our common goal to motivate PUD and Laborator y Science making circuits, coding and training the next generation of innovators,” Institute, have made it possible, he for professional interviews. said Leslie Tugman, Executive said.

Director of the SEMI Foundation.

The program at LCC began nine years The SEMI Foundation has been Lower Columbia College is uniquely ago to raise awarenesss of STEM for holding its flagship program, SEMI positioned to pipeline students from junior and high school ages, explained High Tech U, at industry sites around high school to college on a track that Brendan Glaser, LCC Vice President the world since 2001 to emphasize speeds the time from graduation to of Instruction. Going to college the importance of STEM (science,

SEMI Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization founded in 2001 to support education and career awareness in the electronics and high tech fields through career exploration programs and scholarships. For more information, visit semifoundation.org.

Biz Buzz What’s Happening Around the River Biz Buzz notes news in local business and professional circles.

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

SEMI Foundation names LCC first certified partner of High Tech U

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tarting a new real estate brokerage is not for the faint of heart, but it is less daunting when the person at the helm has spent 20+ years in and around the real estate industry.

Brad Whittaker r e c e n t l y acquired his managing real estate broker license, paving the way for him and his wife Brad Whittaker and real estate partner, Mary Ann Whittaker, to open Realty ONE Group Pacifica in Longview.

Brad Whittaker’s background includes selling manufactured homes and custom-built homes and working as a mortgage broker, before figuring out that he could use all these skills to serve others in buying and selling real estate. Starting at Coldwell Banker Bain in Longview in 2015, Whittaker later moved his license to M Realty in Portland to take advantage of their marketing and focus on business coaching. When M Realty closed its doors, Realty ONE Group came to the forefront in matching the business ideals important to the Whittakers.

Based in California, Realty ONE Group stands for everything that the Whittakers believe to be important in creating an office that is successful at all levels: “coolture,” marketing that is second to none, a place where everyONE has a voice, a focus on giving back to the community, and 100 percent commission for the agents in their office. Plans are now underway to prepare space at 1322 Commerce Avenue, Longview, as the new home for this venture, with an opening tentatively set for June 1.

Columbia River Reader / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / 9

MEDICAL MATTERS

County. “They find it easier to drive to Longview than to fight the traffic heading north.”

MRI scans available at Pacific Imaging By Jim LeMonds

W

hen Longview Orthopedics Associates relocated to the new building at Pacific Surgical Institute at 625 9th Avenue in 2007, LOA physicians also opened an MRI clinic - Pacific Imaging Center - on site. The move has turned out to be a win-win for patients and surgeons alike.

Jack Berry, Director of Imaging Services at PIC, said that having LOA

and a physical therapy clinic (Longview Physical & Sports Therapy) in the same building with PIC makes access easy for patients and enhances communication among the medical professionals.

Berry noted that the MRI field is constantly changing to make scans quicker, safer, and more effective. He and his staff, which includes three fulltime techs and one part-timer, monitor a worldwide safety website on a daily basis and participate in ongoing discussions about procedures and equipment.

“We always use the safest method and technology that science has revealed.”

Pacific Imaging Center offers extended hours from 7a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. Elderly patients — particularly those from the Long BeachAstoria area — are scheduled so they can make it home before dark. Berry said PIC also attracts patients from Lewis

PIC and LOA welcome Kaiser patients with a referral. Although Kaiser patients who utilize PIC services have their images read by Kaiser radiologists, all other scans are read by radiologists at National Orthopedic Imaging Associates, a nationallyknown radiology group that provides two distinct advantages. “First, NOIA almost always gets reads back to the patient’s physician within 24 hours,” Berry said. “Second, unlike many radiology groups, NOIA assigns a person with sub-specialty expertise to read each scan; for example, if you have a brain scan, a radiologist trained specifically in reading brain scans will be assigned to examine yours.”

For additional information, call 360.501.3444.

•••

Former R.A. Long English teacher Jim LeMonds is a semiretired writer, editor, and marketer who rides his mountain bike whenever he gets the chance. He lives in Castle Rock, Wash. His published books are South of Seattle and Deadfall.

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Columbia River Reader / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / 11

Civilized Living

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cards being virtually nonexistent — or existent only virtually), callers have no choice but to use the number that they are offered.

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Another professional gentleman around the same age, who does some work in our office, has started to occasionally call me “hon” and “honey.”

I find this very offensive, but am unsure how to gracefully let him know my feelings. I have to work with this person and do not want to make our relationship awkward in the future, as I do not think he’s doing it to purposely demean me.

GENTLE READER: You can say kindly, “I’m guessing you’re having trouble remembering my name.”

Miss Manners assures you that being thought forgetful will make more of an impression on the gentleman than being thought forward.

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DEAR MISS MANNERS: At my company, we have our personal cellphone numbers on our business cards, which is fine. Nowadays it would seem like burying our heads in the sand to pretend that it’s impossible to reach us outside the office.

However, I think it should be an unwritten rule that business acquaintances should only use that number when there’s a time-sensitive issue and they can’t reach me at the office.

The vast majority of people who have my card do treat it that way. However, there are a few who simply call my cell number freely, for reasons that aren’t urgent. (For what it’s worth, I don’t work in medicine or any other field where reaching me is actually life-or-death.)

To me, it’s like giving a neighbor an emergency key to your house. You want them to have it in case there’s ever a need, but you don’t want them using it to drop in for a midnight snack.

Is there a polite way to let people know that for ordinary business, they should really only call me at the office?

Or should I just accept that since I’ve given them my cellphone number, they get to use it?

GENTLE READER: How would they know any better?

With the lines blurred between business and social situations and their respective calling cards (social

Miss Manners recommends that you create new business cards with only your office phone number listed.

Then, if you find yourself with clients who will need more direct access to you, you may invite them to use your mobile telephone number and scribble it in by hand.

A conspiratorial “I only do this for clients I trust with my personal information” can be added, if you can muster it up without sounding creepy.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: We dine at casual eateries periodically with certain friends. One of them habitually excuses herself by announcing, “I need to go potty.”

This has progressed from embarrassing to simply annoying. What is the proper thing to say, or is it too late to say anything? Should it simply be ignored?

GENTLE READER: “Do you need help?” (Miss Manners is assuming that your friend has just completed toilet training.)

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I’m a single professional woman in my early 30s, in an industry where networks and relationships are extremely important.

How should I respond when male professional contacts express an interest in meeting up, and I can’t tell if they mean professionally or as a date?

Although sometimes it’s clear (drinks after work, on the weekend, etc.), sometimes it’s for coffee or breakfast during the week, which could be either.

I have no problem firmly and clearly turning men down if they are aggressive or inappropriate, but sometimes they are nice people I respect, and would like to continue being friendly with — but not more than that. cont page 34

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M-F: 9:30–5:30 Sat: 10 - 5 Closed Sundays Columbia River Reader / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / 13

Experience Matters!

And Longview Ortho Has It

Dr. Turner, MD

Dr. Kretzler, MD

Trust your care to the staff at Longview Orthopedic Associates, the Lower Columbia’s most experienced and best trained orthopedic team.

LOA physicians have professional and athletes, introduced new procedures to Cowlitz

treated college surgical County,

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and provided training to other surgeons throughout the United States.

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14 / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / Columbia River Reader

Dr. Kung, MD Lin have the skill and experience to provide the solutions you need.

LOA is located at Pacific Surgical Institute, with MRI and physical therapy services available onsite for your convenience.

Kaiser patients with a referral are welcome at Longview Orthopedic Associates.

Dr. Lin, MD

Northwest Gardening

Garden Myth-busting

appointment to go there and fill up your buckets, trailers, or trucks with this amazing free organic material.

By Alice Slusher

Some deeply-rooted beliefs are groundless folklore

W

hen I was growing up, my grandfather taught me everything I knew about gardening.

I mean, he heard it from his father, so it must be true, right? As it turns out, that’s not always the case, and good research has demonstrated that some of our most deeply rooted (pun intended) garden beliefs are just groundless folklore. So what are some of these common myths that are so ingrained in many of us that common wisdom says it must be true?

The sun as magnifier?

Here is my favorite, and one I hated to stop believing because it seemed to make so much sense. Granddad always Kalama resident Alice Slusher volunteers with WSU Extension Service Plant & Insect Clinic. Drop by 9am–12noon Wed. at 1946 3rd Ave., Longview, with your specimen, call 360-577-3014, ext. 8, or send question via cowlitzmastergardener@gmail.com.

told me that you should never water your plants when the sun was shining because it acts like a magnifying glass and burns the tender leaves. Well, that’s just not true. Think about how you feel when you get out of a swimming pool on a hot day. The water cools your skin, and research has shown that it works the same way with plants.

However, you should avoid overhead watering as much as possible because wet leaves, especially bushy, crowded plants with poor air circulation, are susceptible to fungal leaf spot and other diseases.

Another one that I firmly believed in until just recently was that you shouldn’t use pine or fir needles or fresh wood chips as a mulch because it adds more acidity to our already acidic Pacific Northwest soil. I had also heard that using them would steal nitrogen from the soil. Well, neither of those things are true. According to good research, any acidification or nitrogen competition occurs only in the first centimeter or so of soil, and that’s not where we plant our garden seeds.

In fact, the only thing these organic

mulches do deter is weed seeds, which opportunistically land on top of the soil to germinate!

The pretty, finely shredded mulch we like to decorate our landscape with is really terrible for our plants because it rapidly mats down and creates a water barrier that prevents efficient watering. The same holds true for a layer of cardboard or the much-trusted black landscape fabric: water and air can’t penetrate properly and you set yourself up for plant problems. One warning, though, and this applies to any kind of mulch—never do “volcano mulching,” piling mulch up around the base of a tree or plant. This can create a problem with abnormal root growth and provides an ideal environment for pests to hide out and damage your plant.

Organic and it’s FREE!

If you want the absolutely best mulch, use arborist wood chips—and they’re free! The Longview Parks Department will dump a load for free at your home if you live within the city limits. If, like me, you live outside of Longview, you can call the Parks Department and make an

Rocks in pots?

Do you believe you must add stones or shells to the bottom of a flower pot to improve drainage? I believed that until I was convinced otherwise by a demonstration. You can try it yourself with a transparent pot or plastic glass. Poke drain holes in both of the glasses. Put a handful of stones in one of them, then fill them both with potting soil. Pour water in and watch what happens. I didn’t believe it until I saw it. Water flows freely through the glass full of soil only. In the other glass, the water reaches the stones and creates a bottleneck. The same thing happens when you put sand at the bottom of a planting hole, thinking that you’re improving draining. So skip that extra step with the added stones—your plant’s roots will thank you for it.

More potted plants are killed from over-watering than under-watering.

Roots can literally drown when they sit in soggy soil.

This brings me to another common practice that I can’t seem to break my cont page 16

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MASTER GARDENERS UPCOMING EVENTS WSU/Cowlitz County (360-577-3014): Attracting Birds and Pollinators to Your Garden April 28, 9am–12pm. Presented by Lower Columbia College and WSU Master Gardeners. Info:360-442-2840.

Earth Day Celebration April 28, 10am–3pm. Free activities for kids and adults. Cowlitz County Expo Center and Fairgrounds, 1900 7th Ave, Longview, Wash.

Drip Irrigation for the Home Garden April 24, 6–7pm.

Free.

OSU/Columbia County (503-397-3462): Spring Fair April 28, 9am–3pm St. Helens High School Commons, 2375 Gable Rd, St Helens, Ore. 34 varieties of tomatoes & selections of pepper plants for sale for just $1.50.

from page 15

husband from doing. When he plants a new tree, shrub, or plant, he digs the hole and wants to give the plant a “good start” by backfilling the hole with a handful of fertilizer and fresh, quality topsoil. Not a great idea: when this happens, the tree or plant only wants to grow its roots in the “good stuff” and won’t try too hard to spread its hungry little roots out into the native soil in our yard. This makes for a tree with a very weak, inadequate, root system. The only thing that should go in a planting hole is the plant, water, and the soil you dug to make the hole!

2018 Small Business

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Washington Paid Family Leave Jan. 2019 – Every business and Every employee Facilitator: Employment Securities, TBA May 11 Drug Testing Today – Marijuana included, not included?

Facilitator: Carly McMains, CIC Credit, President of SHRM May 18 Having difficult conversations - Ways to coach up or coach out!?!

Facilitator: Teedara Garn, Cowlitz PUD May 25 Hiring Qualified Candidates – How to interview to get the best candidate Facilitator: Donna Hughes and Frank Meza, WorkSource June 1 Workplace Harassment – It’s not what you know it is, what you should have known. Facilitator: James Sikora, Landerholm June 8 Employee Handbook, Update it. - With Legislative updates to paid sick leave and family leave - you need to update your employee handbook, NOW. Facilitator: Nicole Tideman, Walstead Mertsching Law offices

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16 / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / Columbia River Reader

So that’s my first installment of bursting the garden practice bubbles we’ve believed our entire lives. As the garden season moves into high gear, remember there is a great free resource for any of your plant, pest, or garden problems. Call or visit our WSU Extension Master Gardener Plant and Insect Clinic: 360-577-3014, 1946 3rd Ave. Longview on M-W-F 9am – noon. We’ll work with you to figure out a solution!

•••

OUT • AND • ABOUT

Longview Early Edition Rotary co-sponsors kids’ fishing event at Lake Sacajawea April 28

A

s a result of a program created to provide more fishing opportunities for youth throughout the State of Washington, the fishing area at Martin’s Dock in Longview’s Lake Sacajawea Park will be netted with 2,500 trout in time for the Kid’s Fish-In on April 28. The event is co-sponsored by Early Edition Rotary and Longview Parks and Recreation, with help from the Department of Fish and Wildlife, Cowlitz Game and Anglers, Mt. St. Helens Bassmasters, Lower Columbia Fly Fishers Association and Cowlitz Fly Anglers. Along with other experienced fishermen, members of these groups will instruct and help the participating youth. Each participant will also receive a rod and reel to keep and a hot dog and goodie bag.

Fish-In registration forms are available at the Longview Parks and Recreation Office and online at www.mylongview. com/recreation. Registration will not be accepted at the event. Space is limited to first 420 youth ages 5 through 14 years. This event will be held on Saturday April 28, 2018 at the Lake Sacajawea Park, Martin’s Dock.

The cost is $10 for a 45-minute session.

Sessions are every hour beginning at 8am and the last session begins at 2pm.

Please call 360-442-5400 for more information or to register by phone.

2018 Mt. St. Helens Regatta Western Modified Outboard Winter Nationals Outboard hydroplane racing up to 90mph

“My Art is Fanciful & Whimsical” Painting by Debbie Lee, Gallery Member

Every First Thursday New Art, Music and Nibbles

the-broadway-gallery.com 1418 Commerce Longview, WA Mon - Fri 10 - 5:30 • Sat 10-4

SILVER LAKE RESORT 3201 Spirit Lake Hwy, Silver Lake, WA

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In Historic Downtown Longview

Your Local SW Washington Artist Co-op since 1982

To: Centralia, Olympia Mt. Rainier Yakima (north, then east) Tacoma/Seattle

Raymond/ South Bend

Oysterville •

101

Chinook

•

Cathlamet 4

Astoria 101

Pacific Ocean

Mount St. Helens

Skamokawa Grays River

Warrenton •

Seaside

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

Castle Rock

• Naselle

Birkenfeld

WestportPuget Island FERRYk

Columbia River

Washington

FREE Maps • Brochures Directions • Information

504

Long Beach Ilwaco

VISITOR CENTERS

Vader

Ocean Park •

Longview

Ape Cave •

Kelso

Clatskanie Rainier

Woodland

503

Columbia City St Helens

• Ridgefield

Scappoose• rnelius NW Co ad Pass Ro

To: Salem Silverton Eugene Ashland

Sauvie Island

Vancouver 12

Portland

• Wahkiakum Chamber 102 Main St, Cathlamet • 360-795-9996 • Castle Rock Visitor Center Exit 49, west side of I-5, 890 Huntington Ave. N. Open 10–2.

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

Local in

for

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

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

Col Gorge Interp Ctr Skamania Lodge Bonneville Dam

Troutdale Crown Point

97

Goldendale

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

•Yacolt

Vernonia

Oregon

Cougar •

Kalama

May 5-6 • 10am-6pm FREE Admission

Maryhill Museum

Stevenson Hood River Cascade Locks Bridge of the Gods

The Dalles

To: Walla Walla Kennewick, WA Lewiston, ID

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

Columbia River Reader / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / 17

Free Gardening Workshops

OUT • AND • ABOUT

May 19-20 • Cowlitz County Expo Center/ Fairgrounds

In conjunction with the Home and Garden Show Saturday, May 19 9:30 a.m. Using Native Plants for Landscaping WSU Master Gardener Dixie Edwards and her husband Scott, owners of Watershed Garden Works will discuss the advantages native plants offer.

They will discuss considerations when using native plants and suggests great alternatives to using them to spice up your yard. Native plants offer a large variety of colors and shapes that flourish all year long in this climate.

11:00 a.m. How to Grow a Red Tomato Is trying to grow red tomatoes frustrating to you? WSU Master Gardener Alice Slusher will discuss the tips she uses to produce a bountiful crop of red tomatoes. You will learn how to get your tomatoes off to get an early start and what it takes to produce a great harvest of tomatoes.

12:00 p.m. Lawn Care Professional groundskeeper and WSU Master Gardener Bryan Iverson will explain everything you wanted to know about managing your lawn. Discussion on the proper techniques in lawn maintenance will include watering, fertilizing, weed control and mowing. Learn the best way to prepare the area for planting a new lawn.

1:00 p.m. Tips to control moles Sadly, all too many property owners know the frustration of having that vision of a beautiful lawn ruined by moles. WSU Master Gardener Bryan Iverson will talk about which techniques are the most effective in getting rid of moles.

Bryan will discuss what works and what products fail to get results.

2:00 p.m. How to Compost using worms WSU Master Gardener will discuss the advantages of vermi-composting which uses worms to break down food into compost. Learn how to manage worms to produce great compost while getting rid of your food waste.

Sunday, May 20

11:00 a.m. Growing Vegetables, where to start!

WSU Master Gardener Billie Bevers will discuss what to do in your vegetable garden to plan and prepare it for planting. You will learn when to plant, how to get an early start and what to takes to maintain healthy plants to get a great harvest.

12:30 p.m. Tips to Save When Buying Groceries Debbie Fredricks will discuss ways for you to reduce your grocery bill. Do you really save money using coupons? Are BOGO’s (buy one, get one) always cheapest? Do the big box stores really offer big savings? Retailers are skilled at separating you from your money. Learn insider tips from a former advertising manager on how to save money not only on groceries but on many other items you purchase.

1:30 p.m. Fruit Tree Pruning for summer WSU Extension Agent Gary Fredricks will demonstrate the technique used when pruning fruit trees. Pruning your trees will control the size of the tree and improve fruit quality. Fruit trees should be pruned every year. Proper pruning techniques reduce disease and promote greater fruit production.

Workshops sponsored by WSU Extension and WSU Cowlitz County Master Gardeners

Reasonable accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities and special needs who contact the office at least two weeks prior to the event. Extension programs and employment are available to all without discrimination. Evidence of noncompliance may be reported through your local Extension office.

18 / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / Columbia River Reader

A monthly feature written and photographed

by Southwest Washington native and Emmy Award-winning journalist

Hal Calbom

Production Notes The Scene and the Story: Coming Home

A Naturalist at Home: Robert Michael Pyle The vigorous man in the flannel shirt, white beard and mudded boots looks entirely at home walking into Duffy’s Irish Pub, the chief wide spot in the road in Gray’s River.

Hal Calbom

Who says you can’t go home again?

My first special news assignment for Seattle’s King 5 TV brought me home to Longview, to get a small city’s take on the presidential election of 1976, an astonishing 40-some years ago.

Among the interviews broadcast: dentist Frank Donahue and sawmill owner Jack Rose; Margery McKay, my high school history teacher; basketball buddy Kas Blums; and my 80 year-old grandmother, Delsa McDonald.

Despite its milltown, blue collar reputation, Longview’s working people were rolling in overtime and had good “middle skills” jobs. R.A. Long High School looked classical, Lake Sacajawea downright European.

My editors in Seattle liked the Longview story. I got to do more of these magazine-style pieces and hosted the program that aired them, King 5 Magazine, for six years.

I’ve always thought these stories work best when we evoke both a place and its people: environment and narrative, the scene and the story. Hence, this new feature series for Columbia River Reader, thanks to the urging and support of CRR’s peerless publisher, Sue Piper.

The confluence of the west’s great watershed, its fascinating people, and their dramatic habitats is what keeps me coming home again and again.

I am so very happy to be here. Thanks for joining us!

We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.

people+ place

~ T.S. Eliot •••

“Are you a denizen?” he inquires immediately of our willowy waitress named, appropriately, Meadow. And, when she pauses a moment, perhaps thinks he might have been “coming it a bit literary” for this rural watering hole in Wahkiakum County, the state’s second smallest with just 4,000 souls. “I’m not sure. I’ve only been denizening about three months now,” she says, “so I’m probably not formally denizen-ized yet,” to the immense satisfaction of the Pacific Northwest’s esteemed naturalist and writer.

Over a huge lunch and a couple of glasses of cabernet we settle down for two hours of conversation.

NICE TO MEET YOU Dr. Robert Michael Pyle

RMP: After a drive through the hills, my field assistant and I were about to go back to Portland. I started to turn left and then I said, “Wait a minute, I remember a covered bridge near here. Let’s go see it.”

HRC: You were working for the Nature Conservancy? When?

RMP: Yes, from 1977-80; this was August of 78. David said, “I’m from upstate New York, I see covered bridges all the time.

Let’s get back to Portland for dinner.” And I said, ”You’re a kid, I’m the boss of this car.

I want to go see the covered bridge!” So we did, and that’s when I saw the sign, “For Sale

By Owner” on the old farmhouse beneath giant oak trees. The other thing I saw was one of those broad, green valleys just like those I had idealized on a spring day back in 1970. It was the coming together of all these elements that really enchanted me.

HRC: Was the house in good shape?

RMP: Structurally it was sound, if showing all of its eighty years. The grounds had deteriorated from the virtual arboretum it once had been, which gave it the name “Swede Park.” But I liked the wildness.

HRC: You mentioned that you got a second opinion?

RMP: Yes, my dad took a look and he said, “Why do you want to move out here to this rainy place?

Why do you want to leave Colorado? Colorado’s a

resides

Grays River, Washington occupation

Naturalist, writer of 22 books from

Denver via UW and Yale known for

World expert on butterflies reading

The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt’s New World, by Andrea Wulf for fun

Chasing butterflies and playing blues harp recommends

Fiction of Penelope Fitzgerald and poetry of Pattiann Rogers

paradise!” I said, “Dad, too cold in the winter, too hot in the summer”— just as he had said about Ohio when he’d moved to Colorado!

Growing up near Denver, Pyle was a self-admitted shy kid enamored of the natural world. He belonged to a “Seashell of the Month” club and saved his allowance money for new selections, chased butterflies, and threw the discus on the track team. His initial attraction to the Pacific Northwest? Marine biology, not butterflies. His college of choice?

The University of Washington.

RMP: I say in Wintergreen, in the philosophical chapter called “And the Coyotes Will Lift a Leg,” that everybody’s invited to serendipity’s

Columbia River Reader / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / 19

People +

“ The epic carving of the Gorge ... imbued the C ~ Bob Pyle with much of its magic to this day. ”

picnic but you’ve got to accept the invitation...to be aware, and to act.

Will I admit to being an opportunist? I hope not in the negative sense of taking advantage of people, but I was aware of some remarkable and lucky opportunities, and I took them.

Robert Michael Pyle is among Washington’s most prolific and highly regarded authors. His notable books include Wintergreen; Where Bigfoot Walks: Crossing the Dark Divide; Sky Time in Grays River; and The Tangled Bank, a collection of essays originally published in Orion Magazine, selections from which will appear in Columbia River Reader beginning May 2018.

HRC: And those opportunities included a Fulbright and a Ph.D. from Yale? Not bad for a failed discus thrower.

RMP: Well, I did letter in track, but I was way too small to fling the platter in college. But yes, these things help. As for the Ph.D. it has allowed me to cash checks in strange towns!

If I were a fatalist who talked about things being meant to happen, you could find lots of such places in my story. But I prefer Jung’s hypothesis of “the physics of fate,” which says that there’s so damn much going on all the time that you are bound to have serendipity, if you pay attention to what’s around you.

HRC: And you became aware of here?

RMP: Yes! The Nature Conservancy trip. We came across to Wahkiakum because it was the one county in Washington for which I had no butterfly data. I had done my doctorate at Yale based on analysis of Washington butterfly distribution, comparing it against nature reserve distribution to see what the butterflies could tell us about gaps in the conservation system. But nobody told me it rains here all the time and there aren’t any butterflies! Well, there are, but it’s taken a while to find them.

He is both careful observer and grand expounder, a powerful combination: a magician of the rain and wet weather who transforms a walk out to the compost pile into an odyssey, and talks to loggers as easily as lepidopterists.

RMP: With Wintergreen, I transitioned from an urban conservationist who thought logging was bad to understanding something about a rural community and its jobs.

Mind you, I had only lived here eight years — to write such a book so soon is kind of rude, because I criticized some of their practices. But I also made a case for better practices that would respect the people of the woods as well as the woods, and for sustainable forestry over the

HRC: You’ve managed to do pretty well for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

RMP: Gray’s River has really been very much the right place at the right time for me — all forty years now.

I’ve isolated myself to some degree. I’ve rusticated. Oh, I’m involved in the community, but not nearly as much as some of my friends. The fact that you’ve got this barreling rain, 120 to 150 inches of it, and a lot of days that are just not inviting to get out into the world very much, definitely helps one make the transition into sitting down and writing. The books take a lot of time, and the rain helps keep me at it.

To kick off CRR’s People + Place series, Hal Calbom meets Bob Pyle for lunch

Protecting the life that sustains us.

Now in its 29th season providing a variety of entertaining programs and events which enrich the lives of the people of the Lower Columbia River Region.

https://xerces.org/

https://www.clatskaniearts.org/

20 / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / Columbia River Reader

+ Place

Columbia

In the neighborhood to picnic or fly kites

Skamokawa Vista Park 13 Vista Park Rd., Skamokawa, Wash. Fishing, swimming, RV hook-ups, tent camping, yurts 360-795-8605

long term. How could I be anti-logging?

I came out of two forestry schools, and I know where the pulp for my books comes from. Once a couple of loggers came to my house in their stagged-off jeans, cork boots, and red suspenders. At least they’d left their chainsaws in their rig, a good sign. “You that guy Powell?” They called me “Powell,” you know?

local watering hole

Duffy’s Irish Pub 3779 SR-4, Gray’s River Open 7 days, 12–8pm 360-465-2898 for history buffs

Redmen Hall Friends of Skamokawa/River Life Interpretive Center 1394 W. SR-4, Skamokawa Th-Sun, 12–4pm. 360-795-3007.

HRC: Trouble?

RMP: “You write that book ‘Evergreen’?”

They called it “Evergreen.” I said, “Yeah, I guess so.” “Well, we want to buy a couple of copies and have you sign ‘em.”

Because they got it! They got that I was criticizing short-term corporate logging practices that hurt their families as well as the forest.

Gray’s River Covered Bridge circa 1905 / Ahlberg Park. Covered Bridge Road (off SR-4 at Loop Rd), Gray’s River.

Appelo Archives & Logging Museum / Café 1056 SR-4, Naselle Tu-Fri, 10–4, Sat 10–2 Cafe: Tues-Fri, 10–4 360-484-7803

HRC: Are you primarily a west side guy, west of the Cascades, or do you range farther afield?

RMP: My natural habitat is the green and the moist. But I do love the east side too. The dry slope is richer in butterflies, particularly in the mountain canyons. I do enjoy going over there just to immerse myself in those sweaty canyons or desert steppes. I go to a special place in Asotin County where the Grande Ronde River flows into the Snake River. I found one new butterfly for Washington there, and I’m on the trail of another one. I do love eastern Washington, but I am always happy to get back to the damp.

HRC: Are these echoes of your Colorado upbringing, or a completely new scene set?

RMP: West side and east side speak to different parts of me, and both loves come from my childhood. My mother, born in Seattle, and her mother, a pioneer teacher, always spoke of rain and ferns and moss. Those stories drew me here. But the east side speaks to

outdoor fun

Columbia River Kayaking 957 Steamboat Slough Rd, #1 Tours, instruction Fri-Sat-Sun, 12– 4 pm 360-747-1044 columbiariverkayaking.com

what I imprinted on as a kid in Colorado, grasslands and desert and heat and sage. The Thunder Tree is my “dry book,” as Wintergreen is my wet book.

Washingtonians are very fortunate to have easy access to both of these worlds.

HRC: As a truly amateur geologist but professional filmmaker I love the drama of the landscapes, the coulees, the Channeled Scablands.

RMP: As you know, it was the Glacial Lake Missoula Floods that carved out those landforms. J. Harlan Bretz was ridiculed when he pointed this out, but now we call them the Bretz Floods. That is the title of one of the song-poems I’ve composed and perform with Krist Novoselic, celebrating that great green gouge. The epic carving of the gorge permitted the free transit of water all the way from the Pend Oreille country to Ilwaco — at least until the dams — and imbued the Columbia with much of its magic to this day.

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HRC: We’re about 8–10 miles from the Columbia, up the Grays River? Does the magic extend up here?

RMP: Oh, yes! When the American seafarer Robert Gray came in May, 1792, ultimately depriving us of Canadian health insurance because he beat Vancouver over the bar, his name stuck. This place was hopping a hundred years ago. It’s been all downhill ever since, economically. And yet something special persists. Thank the gods we are beyond the commuter zone. Relative isolation and rain keeps the population blessedly low: Four thousand! No traffic lights in the whole county. cont page 22

people+ place Bob Pyle’s TOP FIVE RIVER BOOKS

~ see page 26

www.lowercolumbiaschoolgardens.org/ Columbia River Reader / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / 21

People + Place HRC: Are you here to escape from human beings? Urban life?

RMP: Urban life, yes; I’ve got little use for it. But people, no. I enjoy the kind folks here. I really came to encounter nature daily, including people. Among these fields, forests, and rivers, I’ll never be bored.

Pyle is concerned over climate change, loss of habitat, conservation of public lands. However, as I learned in our conversation, he’s also empathetic and realistic. His one axe to grind — sitting here in the heart of timber country — is with those who would separate the provinces of man and nature. He calls it dualism.

RMP: Any world view that objectifies the other, attempts to dominate the other. A duality between humans and nature is the most dangerous idea there is. Everything I write tries to smear that false line, which licenses all manner of enormities against the nonhuman world, the more-than-human world. The Willapa Hills are as good a place as any to work on reconciling people as a part of nature.

HRC: You have called yourself an urban conservationist.

RMP: That was me when I lived in the city, working to save bits and pieces of urban habitat. Now I work to reconcile country and city attitudes, as an urban/rural dualism is dangerous too. Many local people see the liberal cities as the tail wagging the dog, imposing values and regulations that just don’t fit here. I don’t go along with general blackballing of the city. But I will say that it’s easy to be an urban

Hal Calbom grew up in Southwest Washington.

At R.A Long High School, Hal was student body president and an all-conference basketball player, later graduating from Harvard College with a degree in government. He began a career as a broadcast journalist with the Seattle NBC affiliate, King Television, as a producer and news anchor. Today he works as an independent producer, educator, publisher and keynote speaker.

conservationist who discounts rural needs.

HRC: I think of the line from William Blake, “Without man, nature is barren.”

RMP: I don’t fully agree with Blake there. Nature will outlast us, of course, and be just fine.But the inverse certainly applies: without the rest of nature, humans aren’t just barren — they’re toast.

HRC: One of the prominent listings in your bio is “founder of the Xerces Society.” Which is?

RMP: My Fulbright Scholarship to England was to study butterfly conservation in the only place it was being much done. I founded Xerces (named for the extinct Xerces Blue butterfly) in 1971, as a means of applying what I had learned. Now the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation has over 50 staff in five states, and is the largest pollinator conservation team in the world. I am very proud of them.

HRC: What’s on your agenda now?

Works in progress?

RMP: I have a new Northwest butterfly field guide out from Timber Press this month. And I’m very excited about the publication of my first novel this summer, by Counterpoint Press of

Berkeley. Set in my native Colorado, it’s called Magdalena Mountain. I’ve been working on it for 44 years, over ten drafts.

HRC: I think of you as a non-fiction guy?

RMP: I read more fiction than nonfiction. I find the two inform each other ­— ­and writing fiction is fun!

HRC: And, some poems, I understand?

RMP: Yes, many poems. Poetry is at the heart of my current writing. I have two published collections and I am working on a third. I also have high hopes for a set of Columbia Riverinspired poems to go with the stunning images of Cathlamet photographer Judy Vandermaten. Our working title is “The Reach,” for the tidal reach of the Great River of the West.

HRC: I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed this.

RMP: Are you going to eat that last oyster? I’ll trade you a river poem for it.

HRC: Deal.

RMP: Watching the river otters’ sleek and pointy loop-de-loop over and over and over I managed to miss the evening news.

Invitation TO READERS, ADVERTISERS AND FRIENDS:

Please join us to celebrate

Columbia River Reader’s 15th Year Friday, May 4 • 6 – 9pm Monticello Hotel Crystal Ballroom 6pm Doors open • Meet & Greet Music by Mike Poe & Friends

on Longview’s Civic Circle

7–9pm Classic rock music by Mike Poe & Friends

Meet and greet the publisher and staff, readers, friends, advertisers, columnists and writers, including our new “People+Place”feature writer Hal Calbom with special guest Dr. Robert Michael Pyle.

Dancing, mixing & mingling

Hors d’oeuvres and Champagne provided

6:45pm Brief program and Champagne Toasts

No-Host Bar available 22 / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / Columbia River Reader

•••

OUT • AND • ABOUT

Beacon Rock 1804 and Beacon Rock, today

Popular climb makes fun, historic outing

I

Story, photos and recipes by Tracy Beard

awoke to brilliant rays of light streaming through my bedroom blinds. Inspired by the glistening glow, I rolled out of bed to greet the day earlier than usual. Determined to soak up the glorious weather, unusual for the Pacific Northwest this time of year, I decided to spend the morning outside hiking Beacon Rock.

I loaded my CamelBak™ with water, grabbed a jacket, and packed a light lunch before heading south on I-205 and then east on WA-14. After a 50-minute drive, approximately 37 miles from my home in Vancouver, Washington, I parked my car, hung my Discovery Pass on the rearview mirror, and ventured out to the base of the rock. Following the markers guiding me toward the trail, I read several posted signs along the way.

The remains of a small volcano that once graced the landscape, Beacon Rock is essentially the solid core left after years of abuse from the elements. As the Columbia River roared through the gorge age after age, it ate away at the outer wall of the volcano ,leaving the 848-foot-high basalt plug. This stoic landmark climbs upward from a lush green forest. As I contemplated my ascent, my thoughts reflected on others that have climbed this rock before me.

On May 14, 1804, Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark left with 31 others on the Corps of Discovery Expedition commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson. This Expedition was one of the first exploratory missions to the Pacific Ocean. The main purpose of the Expedition was to find a direct water route to the Pacific Ocean, and more than 200 years before me, on October 31, 1805, these early expeditioners arrived at the very rock I began to climb.

William Clark repeatedly made references in his notes regarding this landmark, calling it “Beaten Rock.”

However, when Clark returned in the spring of 1806 he referred to the place as “Beacon Rock,” and no one knows why he changed the name. In 1915 Henry J. Biddle purchased Beacon Rock for one dollar hoping to preserve it and the nearby surroundings for his children, grandchildren, and future generations to enjoy. Henry spent the next three years building a trail to the top. The numerous bridges and handrails were put into place creating a safe and easier ascent to the summit.

Pressing forward I appreciated the painstaking labor that Mr. Biddle endured to construct a trail with plentiful switchbacks making the route less steep for others to hike. The entire trail is between 1.6 and 1.8 miles up and back with a little over 600 feet in elevation gain.

Meandering through the lower portion of the trail, I stopped and dared to look up to sneak a peek at the rock’s crown. The sunshine lit the treetops morphing the deep green pine needles into a blaze of bright yellow that shone against the face of the rock. As I worked my way upward, I left the forest and the resounding song of local birds in trade for vast views of the Columbia River and the echo of train cars roaring down the track on the far side of the River.

The trail rises up on the south side of the rock offering spectacular views of the snow-dusted mountains on the Oregon side of the Columbia River. Some perspectives afford pure easterly views where inlets cut into the landscape while others present a westerly outlook where the rapid current is evident on the water’s surface.

Before reaching the summit, the trail redirects to the back or north side of the rock before wrapping around up to the top. This section of the trail is shaded by trees, and the rumble of nearby cars permeates the air.

When standing on the peak, visitors are 850 feet above sea level. The sign at the top reminds today’s expeditioners that long ago recurrent floods ripped through the gorge bringing a deluge of mud and ice hundreds of feet high raging down the river at 60 miles per hour. As I stood at the top reveling in the warmth of a superb spring day, I wondered if Lewis and Clark were mesmerized by the same beauty that was before me. In the quiet stillness, I was greeted by one of the locals, a wellfed squirrel. He, or she, seemed quite comfortable in the midst of the current explorers and came close begging for a treat. cont page 24

The work of freelance writer and photographer Tracy Beard has been published in many regional, national, and international magazines.

Her stories focus on luxury and adventure travel, outdoor activities, spas, fine dining, and traditional and trendy libations. She attended culinary school in San Francisco, and owned a catering company, adding to her enjoyment and authoritative understanding of food.

Formerly of Longview, she now lives in Vancouver, Wash.

Columbia River Reader / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / 23

from page 23

There isn’t much room to relax at the peak, although other visitors were seated enjoying lunch or a snack.

I chose to begin my descent. My thoughts brought me to what Lewis and Clark must have eaten on the first day they spied Beacon Rock. Their journey began in St. Louis on May 14, 1804, and ended on September 23, 1806, making for a very long trip.

President Jefferson commissioned them to learn about the waterway, but he was also interested in the economic usefulness of each region along the way. Historians say Jefferson wanted to know what plants and animals thrived in the areas they traversed. Traveling for over two years with a large number of expeditioners required a great deal of food each day, and Lewis and Clark had to plan ahead for when food was scarce and wild game was in short supply.

According to Tori Avey, a historical food writer, “The early expeditioners loaded their keelboat with almost 7 tons of dry goods including flour, salt,

PROVISIONS

ALONG THE TRAIL

Tracy’s Sweet & Spicy Cornbread 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 2/3 cup granulated sugar ½ cup yellow cornmeal 1 Tbsp. baking powder ½ tsp. salt 1 ¼ cups milk 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1/3 cup vegetable oil 3 Tbsp. butter, melted 1/4 tsp. chili flakes Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 glass pan.

Combine flour, sugar, corn meal, baking powder, chili flakes, and salt in a medium bowl. Combine milk, eggs, vegetable oil, and butter in a small bowl. Mix well. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just blended. Pour into greased pan.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

coffee, pork, meal, corn, sugar, beans, and lard. About 93 pounds of portable soup, a concoction that was boiled until gelatinous and then left to dry until hard, was also brought along.”

Clark wrote, “We eat an immensity of meat; it requires 4 deer, or an elk and a deer, or one buffaloe (sic) to supply us plentifully 24 hours.” When meat was abundant, one man could consume 9 pounds of meat in a day.

Today’s backpacking, hiking, and camping food looks a bit different than what the 1804 expeditioners ate. On a crisp spring day, one of my favorite lunches to pack is sweet and spicy cornbread and hot minestrone soup. Although mine is made at home (recipes below) and transported in a thermos to keep it hot, it certainly warms me from the inside out when navigating the trails on a chilly day in the Pacific Northwest.

To learn more about Lewis and Clark’s adventures read The Journals of Lewis and Clark, edited by Bernard DeVoto.

Michael Perry’s “Dispatch from the Discovery Trail,“ is also featured each month in CRR. See page 5.

Tracy’s Spring Minestrone Soup Kosher salt 10 cups chicken broth 8 cloves whole garlic smashed, plus 3 cloves chopped ¾ pound cheese tortellini Extra-virgin olive oil 8 fresh sage leaves Needles from 1 fresh rosemary sprig 2 medium carrots, finely chopped 1 zucchini, finely chopped 20 fresh green beans, tipped and tailed, cut in half 1 onion, finely chopped ¾ pound bulk pork sausage 1 can (28 oz) plum tomatoes, drained and chopped 2 cans (28 oz each) cannellini beans, drained ½ bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped 1 bay leaf Juice of ½ lemon Ground black pepper ¼ cup grated Parmesan Boil salted water. Combine the broth and the smashed garlic cloves in a big saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes, then remove garlic with a slotted spoon.

Cook tortellini for 3 minutes, drain and set aside. (It should be underdone.)

Pour ¼ cup olive oil in another big saucepan. Add the sage and rosemary and warm the oil for 3 to 4 minutes to infuse the oil. Discard the herbs. Add the carrots, onion, and the chopped garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and green beans and cook 1 more minute.

Put cooked vegetables on a plate. Add a drizzle of oil to the pan and cook the sausage. Break into pieces and cook until brown. Return vegetables to the pan, add drained tomatoes, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the beans, parsley, bay leaf, lemon juice, broth, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

Stir in tortillini and discard bay leaf. Top each serving with grated Parmesan and serve.

24 / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / Columbia River Reader

Roland on Wine

Ideal wine: good, and affordable

A

f r i e n d of mine recently returned from France, exclaiming about the amazing wine. Her question: “Why was it so good, yet so inexpensive?”

My response: “Because you were in France.”

Seriously, wine for the budget-minded is kind of a misnomer. Budget and wine are two words that tend not to go together. But why? I believe it is a modern problem. For centuries wine was more healthy and accessible than water. It was easily made by anyone who had a grape vine — put grapes in a container, let it naturally ferment, and — viola! — wine.

The earliest evidence of wine was discovered in Iran, dating back to the Neolithic period. The oldest evidence of cultivated vines was found in Georgia, dating from 5,000 B.C. It is believed that grapes originally fermented by mistake. Native yeasts accidentally came in contact with grapes stored in containers, turning the sugars in the grapes into alcohol. The art of winemaking was later refined by monks and spread throughout the Mediterranean by the Greeks. The Romans made it popular all over Europe and the Spanish, as well as other Europeans, took it to the New World.

Many of my friends do a lot of traveling to Europe and when they return, I hear the same stories.

They say the wine is incredible and cheap. In some cases, cheaper than water. In the back of my mind, I’m saying “Yeah, right, everything seems better in Europe.” They talk about going into wineries and wine bars and they pour the wine right out of the barrels. I’ve even thought about doing the same thing at my own winery.

But as a winemaker, I know that you have to keep barrels topped up in order to protect the wine from oxidation. So how do they do it? My research tells me that the “cheap” wines poured out of a barrel do experience oxidation because the barrel is constantly being exposed to air as the winemaker tries to keep the barrel full. So in this case, oxidation is an accepted process in

these wines and is not considered a fault. The wines become less fresh and fruity and lean toward the dried fruit and spicy side. Many everyday Italian wines fall in this category. They are flat out good.

When I say that the words “budget” and “wine” don’t go together, I’m describing a modern problem that started in the 1960s when wine changed from being inexpensive jug wine to varietal labeled, bottled, and put under cork. Jug wine was usually called Chianti or Chablis. I remember the jug wine and it was pretty bad, but it wasn’t always that way.

Early commercial winemaking in Northern California was brought here by immigrants from Italy. The Italian thirst for wine was only quenched by making it themselves. Some turned to commercial endeavors and, after prohibition, the industry grew.

How many remember Italian Swiss Colony wine? This conclave of Italian winemakers and vineyard workers made good wine in the 1880s and some went on to start other wineries.

So why has wine gotten so expensive?

Three things come to mind—terroir (land), oak, and aging. Modern winemaking techniques and the quest for better and better wine has added layers of complexity to every step, from vineyard to table. In the Washington State wine industry with a relatively short history, folks have to buy expensive land to grow grapes.

This translates into higher prices.

I have always wondered why many European wines are such a good value even after import cost. Well, it is the land, purchased and paid for in some cases 10 generations ago. I buy grapes at an average cost of $2,000 a ton and the rule of thumb is you need to make $20 dollars a bottle to break even. So can we assume that once the land is paid for, the price of wine will go down? Not a chance. It has become the norm, even in Europe, to age wine in small oak barrels. It just makes the wine better. Add anywhere from one to two years of extended aging and you know what I’m going to say—higher price. French oak barrels can cost up to $1,000 apiece to make 24 cases of wine! This trend to make better wine is driven more by the industry than the consumer because all industry cont page 25

from page 24

people want to win awards and be considered great. So “wineflation” is here to stay for awhile, but there could be a backlash.

I think wine should be a part of a lifestyle that includes food, family, and friends, but this is being threatened and turning wine into something you only enjoy once in a while. I think it is time that the wine industry challenge this upward spiral by looking at the value of

wine in society and the good life and not only in terms of profit and catering to those who can afford it. Consumers need to find wines that are both good and affordable and buy them.

Winemakers need to consider the idea of making good — not great — wine, because what’s wrong with that? Let’s take a lesson from our Italian friends: Non chiedere all’ oste se ha vino buono.

Literally, don’t ask the innkeeper if his wine is good. Figuratively, don’t ask a question to which the answer is obvious. Should not wine be good and affordable?

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people+ place

BESIDES COLUMBIA RIVER READER...

What are you reading?

See story page 19

BOB PYLE’S

Top Five Columbia River Books 1) Voyage of a Summer Sun, by Robin Cody. One of the greatest water-journeys ever, canoe all the way, top to bottom, told without a drop of braggadocio but a bailerful of wry wit, big heart, and pure grace.

2) Reach of Tide, Ring of History, by Sam McKinney. In his small, handmade boat, Robin Cody's buddy and mentor Sam McKinney, a riverman's riverman, cruises the lower river into the waterscape of his boyhood.

3) Astoria, by Washington Irving. Irving never came here, but wrote J. J. Astor the First's disastrous colonial venture for him; I give it the nod over Peter Stark's excellent recent version for adventure, sheer terror, and fun reading.

4) Tie: The Organic Machine, by Richard White and Northwest Passage, by William Dietrich. Both fine books dive deep into the Big River's very workings, White more via the mind, Dietrich more in the soul of it.

5) The Reach, photographs by Judy Vandermaten, poems by Robert Michael Pyle. Not yet published. "Photographer and poet, deep denizens by the Columbia River Estuary, seek publisher for stunning book. Contact c/o CRR."

COMING, IN NEXT ISSUE OF CRR! Columbia River Reader is pleased to announce we will be presenting selected essays from The Tangled Bank, by Robert Michael Pyle, as a monthly feature starting May 2018.

“These essays, each a multifaceted gem, convey an exuberant sense of what it feels like to encounter the greater-than-human world with senses alert and mind engaged. And what a mind! Equally at ease in science and art, in philosophy and fun, Robert Michael Pyle is curious and knowledgeable about all manner of living things, from butterflies to bats, from bioluminescent plankton to the yeast in beer. If you can’t go afield with him, go a-page. You will not find a livelier companion.” ~ Scott Russell Sanders, author of Earth Works and A Conservationist Manifesto.

By Alan Rose Linda Hartung loves history —“reading about history, talking about history, watching current history, and listening to young people who are making history.”

From this love of history, she has read all three of Clint Hill’s books about his career as a secret service agent working in the White House: Five Presidents: My Travels with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford, Five Days in November, and Mrs. Kennedy and Me. Hill was both a witness to and a participant in one of the twentieth century’s events that remains etched in the memories of millions of Americans. He writes, “It makes no difference how old you are, or what you have experienced, there are times in your life that affect you so deeply that, no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try and erase them, your mind will never let the memories fade. For me, there were five days

in November 1963, when I was thirty-one years old, that are seared into my mind and soul. In the blink of an eye, everything changed…”

Linda especially enjoyed his book about guarding Jackie Kennedy. “I could understand the frustration of keeping people safe, while they felt their lives were being continuously invaded. He was putting his life on the line to protect the President and his family, while his own life and family suffered because of his profession.”

She also appreciates that Hill continues to respect his former clients, refusing to divulge family secrets or share personal family information, yet she believes that history buffs and Kennedy fans will find this a fun and easy read offering new insider information.

•••

Linda Hartung recently retired from Wahkiakum County Health & Human Services, where she worked as a Prevention Specialist for more than thirteen years. Her career as a Prevention Specialist/ Health Educator has also taken her to “fascinating places” in Montana, Oregon, Oklahoma and Hawaii.

ATTENTION, READERS

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

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26 / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / Columbia River Reader

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By Alan Rose Call Me By Your Name

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Elio is a precocious seventeen-year-old living with his professor father and

HARDCOVER NON-FICTION 1. Educated: A Memoir Tara Westover, Random House, $28 2. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry Neil deGrasse Tyson, Norton, $18.95 3. Russian Roulette Michael Isikoff, David Corn, Twelve, $30 4. The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning Margareta Magnusson, Scribner, $18.99 5. The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck Mark Manson, HarperOne, $24.99 6. The Hidden Life of Trees Peter Wohlleben, Greystone Books, $24.95 7. Born a Crime Trevor Noah, Spiegel & Grau, $28 8. Dear Madam President: An Open Letter to the Women Who Will Run the World Jennifer Palmieri, Grand Central, $20 9. Heart Berries: A Memoir Terese Marie Mailhot, Counterpoint, $23 10. 12 Rules for Life Jordan B. Peterson, Random House, $25.95

Brought to you by Book Sense and Pacific Northwest Booksellers Assn, for week ending April 1, 2018, based on reporting from the independent bookstores of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. For the Book Sense store nearest you, visit www.booksense.com MASS MARKET 1. Ready Player One Ernest Cline, Broadway, $9.99 2. The Left Hand of Darkness Ursula K. Le Guin, Ace, $9.99 3. American Gods Neil Gaiman, Morrow, $9.99 4. 1984 George Orwell, Signet, $9.99 5. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams, Del Rey, $7.99 6. Dune Frank Herbert, Ace, $9.99 7. The Name of the Wind Patrick Rothfuss, DAW, $9.99 8. The Way of Kings Brandon Sanderson, Tor, $9.99 9. Good Omens Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, HarperTorch, $7.99 10. The Wise Man’s Fear Patrick Rothfuss, DAW, $9.99

CHILDREN’S INTEREST 1. A Wrinkle in Time Madeleine L’Engle, Farrar Straus Giroux, $8.99 2. The Hate U Give Angie Thomas, Balzer + Bray, $17.99 3. Children of Blood and Bone Tomi Adeyemi, Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), $18.99 4. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda Becky Albertalli, Balzer + Bray, $10.99 5. Roller Girl Victoria Jamieson, Dial, $12.99 6. Wonder R.J. Palacio, Knopf Books for Young Readers, $16.99 7. A Wind in the Door Madeleine L’Engle, Square Fish, $6.99 8. Everything, Everything Nicola Yoon, Ember, $10.99 9. Hello, Universe Erin Entrada Kelly, Isabel Roxas (Illus.), Greenwillow Books, $16.99 10. The War That Saved My Life Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Puffin, $8.99

The universal (and uniquely personal) experience of falling in love mother in northern Italy when Oliver, a twenty-four-year old American graduate student, comes to stay with them for six weeks during the summer of 1982. Elio’s awakening desires, fears, and feints of attraction-repulsion will be recognizable to many who remember their own experience of First Love, that sense of opening oneself up to another person so totally, so nakedly.

Stories of First Love are both universal and, at the same time, uniquely personal. They may differ in the details, but the psychological upheavals—one moment soaring to the heights of ecstasy, the next plunging to the depths of despair—the desires, the deliriums, the sense of danger, all are a common report among those who survived.

In beautiful, insightful language, Aciman expresses the intoxicating, dizzying first hit of infatuation, that burst of desire followed by its instant antidote, fear. “I was afraid when he showed up, afraid when he failed to, afraid when he looked at me, more

Alan Rose, author of The Legacy of Emily Hargraves, Tales of Tokyo, and The Unforgiven, organizes the monthly WordFest events and hosts the KLTV program “Book Chat.” For other book reviews, author interviews, and notes on writing and reading, visit www.alan-rose.com.

“Right now you may not want to feel anything…If there is pain, nurse it, and if there is a flame, don’t snuff it out, don’t be brutal with it. Withdrawal can be a terrible thing when it keeps us awake at night, and watching others forget us sooner than we’d want to be forgotten is no better. We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to feel nothing so as not to feel anything—what a waste!” ~ from Call Me By Your Name

through all of them, and more than once—some I’ve never gotten over and others I’m as ignorant about as you are today, yet I know almost every bend, every tollbooth, every chamber in the human heart.” All true. But the young person still needs to experience it for him- or herself.

Like many before him, Elio will discover that First Love often becomes transformed into First Loss, and, like other major life events, it leaves scars; the difference is that with time, we come to love those scars.

•••

frightened yet when he didn’t.” Elio comes to realize the power the beloved holds over the lover: “if one word from him could make me so happy, another could just as easily crush me.”

He is swept along on powerful currents of emotion, overwhelmed by strong often contradictory feelings at war with each other on the battlefield of his heart. Sensing Elio’s turmoil, his father offers, “You can always talk to me. I was your age once…The things you feel and think only you have felt, believe me, I’ve lived and suffered

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Columbia River Reader / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / 27

the Lower Columbia

Informer

W

by Perry Piper

e’ve been hearing about 3D printing for the last few years, but what can it do now? Does it enable the creation of anything beyond children’s plastic toys or small replacement parts for model hobbyists? While I helped a client recently create a handheld model house with his desktop printer, it might not be too long before we can live in one that’s life size!

Two companies, the American ICON and Netherland’s MX3D, have caught the imagination of the public with housing and bridge projects, respectively.

ICON uses a track system built alongside the housing project(s) to bring the concept of a factory production line to your neighborhood, creating each house before moving down the rail to the next one on the block. Their current achievement delivers a 650-sq ft concrete home for $10,000 in an average 24 hours!

Different variables can change that from 12 to 48 hours, but are we really complaining? Perhaps someday young couples will get their family home started and finished the week before the wedding. ICON’s goal for the future is to bring the cost down to a mere $4,000 for the same project. They will focus on helping the developing world first in 2019, but soon the technology will be able to create extravagant palaces for the middle class, as well.

3D Printing: Perhaps Rome could be built in a day Affordable housing for all may be within reach

company worked with the city to come up with a new safety framework and steel material mix to make sure the bridge can become a beacon of our fantastic future, not just a gimmick that will collapse in a few years.

While ICON and other housing projects already seek to reduce building costs, MX3D’s bridge is actually the same cost as a normal bridge for now. Although, they will embed digital sensors all over the structure to get a read on its structural health over the years so they can be proactive on repairs or alterations.

While this news may seem incredibly far fetched, that is quickly becoming our new reality across many fields that all seem to be experiencing exponential growth. It’s exciting to watch 3D printing grow and I’m certain that down the road, my dream home in the country will incorporate it for the price of a traditional down payment.

••• Perry Piper is about to embark to Europe and “Down Under”for extensive travel and tele-commuting until the end of summer.

He’ll be re-connecting with old friends, including Daniel Kellner, the German foreign exchange student who lived with the Piper family three years ago.

It’s not just the speed and cost savings, though, that we have to look forward to, but the possibility of new architectures without running up a Up to $1,750 in Lease Cash bill only millionaires available, or take advantage of 1.9% financing for 60 months could afford. MX3D 1.90% annual percentage rate, announced in 2015 based on approved credit, that they would financed or leased thru create a 40-foot 3D Hyundai printed steel canal 10-Year / 100,000-Mile bridge in Amsterdam.

Powertrain Warranty Their design is very otherworldly, reminiscent of some type of alien science fiction film with its metallic wobbles and juts in and out. The

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28 / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / Columbia River Reader

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TWO FOR THE SHOW

Blackwood on Movies

“Tomb Raider” and “Death Wish” Both films have been done before ~

By Dr. Bob Blackwood better or worse?

I

don’t remember much about 2001’s “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” with Angelina Jolie except that Angelina sure looked good in her well-chosen outfits. The film was based on the successful video game, which gave it an audience even before the film was released. Character

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development? No, not in this film. Well, how about its successor—Director Roar Uthaug’s “Tomb Raider” with Alicia Vikander? I think it is about the same sort of picture—a sexy lady, lots of action, etc.

Does that make “Tomb Raider” a bad film? No, if what you want is an action film, you have it with this film. I grew up watching old Hopalong Cassidy and Roy Rogers films on television as my father controlled the set. The girls in those films were quite proper and well-dressed. “Tomb Raider” shows a modern woman, dressed not to impress but for success in the jungle. Some critics liked it more than the earlier film. I doubt, however, that it will make the money of the earlier film. Vikander is certainly a competent actress, but this film was probably not the best one to display her talents.

I enjoy reading other critical evaluations of films.

Sometimes I learn something; other times, I regret I wasted my time. I make up my mind about a film the moment I walk out of the theater and into my car. Eli Roth’s “Death Wish” with Bruce Willis struck me as an interesting film, more so even than the original “Death Wish” starring Charles Bronson. I liked both films for different reasons.

Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft displays her talent and her skill with a bow in “Tomb Raider.” Warner Bros.

efforts. Yet, the skills of the surgeon require that the doctor be able to spill blood as necessary. There is less animosity in Willis’ character, just a determination to kill the killers. We also see the humanity in Willis’ character as he helps his daughter recover from the injuries done by the muggers.

I think this film has provided some motion picture critics with the opportunity to blast this Hollywood production as an argument for illegal use of firearms. I certainly don’t advocate carrying a firearm for everyone in the U.S. On the other hand, I will point out that revenge as a motivation has been used in many plays for the last 2500 years and certainly in many motion pictures. Should critics urge the public to boycott this film? I say, let the people make up their own minds.

•••

Bruce Willis plays a doctor who revenges himself upon the killers of his wife and the muggers of his daughter in “Death Wish.” Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Dr. Bob Blackwood, professor emeritus of the City Colleges of Chicago, co-authored with Dr. John Flynn the book, Everything I Know about Life I Learned from James Bond.

Mr. Blackwood lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Michael Winner’s 1974 film with Charles Bronson had the advantage of being the earlier film, the tale of an architect who killed the sort of men who killed his wife and injured his child. He became a vigilante. In Roth’s film, the vigilante is a surgeon (Bruce Willis), who is seeking the killers of his wife and finds them. Frankly, I found Willis’ character more interesting; as a surgeon, he had to make life-saving

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1110 Commerce Ave. Longview Columbia River Reader / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / 29

Outings & Events

Performing & Fine Arts Music, Art, Theatre, Literary 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 different towns, three counties, two states and beyond and does not publish Letters to the Editor that are endorsements or criticisms of political candidates or controversial issues. (Paid ad space is available.)

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

Outings & Events calendar (free listing): Events must be open to the public. Non-profit organizations and the arts, entertainment, educational and recreational opportunities and community cultural events will receive listing priority. Fundraisers must be sanctioned/sponsored by the benefiting non-profit organization. Businesses and organizations wishing to promote their particular products or services are invited to purchase advertising (contact info, page 3).

HOW TO PUBLICIZE YOUR NON-PROFIT EVENT IN CRR

FIRST THURSDAY • May 3 Broadway Gallery Enjoy refreshments and meet the featured artists Barbie Kaemph Matkowski and Michael Metz.

Reception, 5:30-7:30pm.

Music: Acoustic guitar and vocals by Mark Dykstra &Trish Ballard www.the-broadway-gallery.com 1418 Commerce Ave. Downtown Longview, Wash.

Call to New Artists for Gallery Membership Call to all artists for a pet-themed Community Show (see website).

Across the River: Cowlitz County Historical Museum 405 Allen St., Kelso, Wash May is Historic Preservation Month.

7pm Program: “What Makes a Monument?” Presentation by Lisa Hedgpeth, Longview Public Library, and Jonell Kenagy, CCHM Board member.

Mark Morris High School Class of 1983 35th Class Reunion Saturday, Sept. 8, 6pm, at the new McMenamin’s Kalama Harbor Lodge. Classmates are encouraged to register as soon as possible. Reserved rooms are on a first paid, first served basis; a reservation code will be provided once the reunion fee is paid in full. For more info, please contact Stacy Dalgarno via email at stacydalgarno@comcast.net or Facebook.

Details are also available on Mark Morris Class of 1983 FB page.

THE PET DEPT.

Send your non-commercial community event’s basic info (name of event, sponsor, date & time, location, brief description and contact info) to publisher@crreader.com Or mail or hand-deliver (in person or via mail slot) to: Columbia River Reader 1333-14th Ave Longview, WA 98632 Submission Deadlines Events occurring May 15 – June 20:

by April 25 for May 15 issue.

Events occurring June 15 – July 20:

by May 25 for June 15 issue.

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

“I sure hope they will let us into the party at the Monticello Hotel on May 4!”

Ginger aka Gretchen Victoria Findlay’s dog

“Well, why in the world wouldn’t they? We are the stars of this publication! We are performing a public service.

Therefore, aren’t we service animals?

We can go anwhere.” ~Smokey

Man in the Kitchen’s cat 30 / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / Columbia River Reader

Broadway Gallery Artists co-op. Classes for all ages, workshops and paint parties.

April Featured Artist: Debbie Lee (acrylic on canvas and stone pet portraits); May: Barbie Kaemph Matkowski (mixed media) and Michale Metz (ceramics). Gallery hours: Mon-Fri 10-5:30, Sat 10–4. 1418 Commerce, Longview, Wash. 360-577-0544. www.thebroadway-gallery.com. Currently calling for tNew Artists for Gallery Membership. Call to all artists for a Community Show with a pet theme coming in June (see website).

Tsuga Gallery Fine arts and crafts by area artists. Thurs-Sat 11–5. 70 Main Street, Cathlamet, Wash. 360-795-0725.

Redmen Hall History and art. 1394 SR-4, Skamokawa, Wash. Thurs-Sun, 12-4pm.

Info: 360-795-3007 or email fos1894@gmail. com. Creative Wood Designs Exhibit April 13-29, Thurs–Sun12–4pm. Info: Pam Emery, 360-218-6504.

Koth Gallery, Longview Public Library March: Jane Fromherz; April, Ron Walker.

1600 Louisiana Street, Longview, Wash.

Mon-Wed 10am-8pm, Thurs-Sat 10am-5pm.

Info: Daniel, 360-442-5307.

Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts 2017-18 season now underway. Tickets: CTPA box office, 1231 Vandercook Way, Longview, Wash. 360-575-8499. columbiatheatre.com. See ad, page 17.

EARTH DAY CELEBRATION Sat, April 28, 10am–3:30pm Cowlitz County Expo Center Farmer’s Market • Live Animals Rock Climbing Wall • Science Fun • Portable Planetarium Hands-on Exhibits • Educational Booths • Live Music Suggested donation: One can of non-perishable food for the CAP Help Warehouse.

Info: 360-442-5209

Oregon Symphonic Band 3pm, Sun., April 22, Clatskanie Arts Commission. See ad, below.

The Art Gallery at LCC Through April 26: Exhibit by Pei Pei Wallace. Rose Center for the Arts, 1600 Maple St., Longview, Wash.

Gallery hours: Mon-Tues 10–6, Wed-Thurs 10–4). Info: 360-442-2510 or lowercolumbia. edu/gallery.

National Theatre Live, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” April 28; “Follies,” May 4. Showings 7pm. $15; Seniors, students, LCC staff/ faculty $10 plus $2 per ticket processing fee.

Lower Columbia College Rose Center for the Art, 1600 Maple St., Longview, Wash.

Community Conversations Free one-hour lectures, Thursdays 12noon, Laufman Lecture Hall, Room 101, Health and Science Bldg, Lower Columbia College, 1600 Maple St., Longview, Wash.

•April 19: “The Extraordinary Life of Sojourner Truth,” presented by Courtney Shah.

•April 26: “Marie Curie and Lise Meitner – Women of Physics,” presented by Adam Wolfer.

•May 3: ”Gods of Our Time,” presented

by Geoff Richie.

•May 10: “A Debate on Superheroism”, presented by the Fighting Smelt debate team and LCC Science Fiction Club members.

Return to the Forbidden Planet April 27–May 20 Fri-Sat 7:30pm, Sun 2pm see ad, page 26

stageworksnorthwest.org

360-636-4488

1433 Commerce Ave., Longview.

Outings & Events

Recreation, Outdoors Gardening, History, Pets, Self-Help Cowlitz County Museum New exhibit: “The Great War: A Cowlitz County Centennial Reflection,” exploring how the Lower Columbia region supported the war effort (WW1). Open Tues-Sat 10am–4pm. 405 Allen St, Kelso, Wash. www.co.cowlitz.wa.us/ museum. Info: 360-577-3119.

Wahkiakum County Historical Society Museum Logging, fishing and cultural displays.

Open 1-4pm, Th-Sun. 65 River St, Cathlamet, Wash. For info 360-795-3954.

Appelo Archives Center Historic exhibits, Naselle-Grays River area. 1056 State Route 4, Naselle. T-Fri 10–4, Sat 10–2, or by appt.

360-484-7103. appeloarchives.org.

In their Footsteps “Lewis and Clark’s Discovery of the Willamette River: Recent Findings of Their Secondary Mission,” by Dr. Steven McClure. Sunday, April 15, 1pm. Free lecture series. Fort Clatsop Visitor Center (near Astoria, Ore.) Netul Room. Series presented by Lewis and Clark National Park Assn and Fort Clatsop. Info: 503-861-2471.

Annual Loggers Reunion Sat, April 21, 10–2pm. 12 noon: guest speaker Allan Wirkkala on the life of “logging inventor” Oscar Wirkkala. Appelo Archives, 1056 SR-4, Naselle, Wash.

Once Upon a Time Casa Gala and Auction Sat., April 21, 5:30pm. Cowlitz Expo Center.

Info: cowlitcountycasa.org Friends of St. John $6 Sale April 24,25,26.

Tues/Wed 8am–5pm, Th 7am–3pm. St. John Medical Center Cafeteria, Longview.

Cash/Credit/Debit/PR Deduction. Proceeds to benefit scholarship program and medical center special projects.

TAKE A

Lake Sacajawea Kids’ Fish-In Sat, April 28.

Youth ages 5–14. Sponsored by Longview Parks & Rec and Early Edition Rotary. Preregister (required) and pay $10 fee online www. mylongview.com/registration or visit 2920 Douglas St., Longview. Choose from seven 45-min sessions, on the hour starting 8am.

Final session starts 2pm. Volunteers on hand to assist. Rod/reel combos and terminal tackle provided. No personal equipment allowed.

Participants may keep equipment or donate it back for following years. Fish cleaning, gift bag with meal ticket redeemable at Pioneer Lions food wagon for each participant. Limited to 420 youth; sign up early for preferred time slot.

Mt. St. Helens Regatta May 5-6, 10–6. Silver Lake Resort, 3201 Spirit Lake Hwy, Silver Lake, Wash. Outboard hydroplane racing up to 90 mph. See ad, page 17.

PEO Mother’s Day Garden Sale May 10(4–7pm), May 11 (9am–6pm), May 12 (9am– 4pm). Cowlitz Expo Floral Building, 1900 7th Ave.,Longview, Wash. Large hanging baskets, unique planters, birdhouses, vegetable/herb gardens, shabby chic, painted furniture and more. Cash, check, credit card.; no early sales.

Proceeds for scholarships for future education of women. Info: Terri, 360-431-6156.

Third Annual Tomatopalooza and Plant Sale Sat-Sun, May 19-20, 9–3. Cowlitz County Fairgrounds Floral Bldg. Presented

by Cowlitz County Master Gardeners. Info: 360-423-1449.

Longview Bridge Club Weekly duplicate bridge games Mon 10:30am, Thurs 6:30pm, Kelso Senior Center, 106 NW 8th Ave. New players welcome. For info or help finding a partner: Rich Carle, 360-425-0981 or rhcarle@ msn.com.

HIKE

with

Mt. St. Helens Club

This friendly club welcomes newcomers.

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

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

Wed, April 18 • Lake Sacajawea (E) Walk around the whole lake (3+ mi.) or walk half the lake (1+ mi.) with little e.g.. Leaders: Trudy & Ed 360-414-1160.

Sat, April 21 • Storey Burn/University Falls Loop (M) Drive 150 miles RT to Rogers Camp on the Wilson River summit.

Hike a 7-mile loop with 600 ft. e.g. on historic trail in the Tillamook Burn State Forest Leader: Bruce 360-425-0256.

Wed, April 25 • Marquan Nature Park to Council Crest Park (M). Drive 98 miles RT. Hike 3.5+ miles on unpaved trail with 633 ft. e.g. At the top, the trail has great views of Portland and Mt. Hood and points west. Lunch optional. Leader: Art. 360-423-3140.

Wed, May 2 • Coweeman Dike (E) Hike 3+ miles RT with no e.g.on dike. Leaders: Trudy & Ed, 360-414-1160.

Sat, May 5 • Hamilton Mountain (M) - Drive170 miles RT. Hike 7.6 miles with 2,000 ft. e.g. Loop hike thru second growth Douglas fir forest to high point with views of Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams and Table Rock. Leader: Bill D. 503-260-6712.

Wed, May 9 • Oxbow Park (E/M) Drive 130 mi.

RT. Hike 4.5 mile loop with 100 ft. e.g. along the scenic Sandy River thru large old growth trees.

Leader: Bruce 360-425-0256.

Sat, May 12 • Puget Island Bike/Hike (E/M) Drive60 miles RT. Bike or hike up to 22 miles with no e.g. on the flat pastoral roads of Puget Island. Leaders: Kim 360-431-5530 and George W. 360-562-0001.

Wed, May 16 • Lake Sacajawea (E) Walk around the whole lake (3+ mi.) or walk half the lake (1+ mi.) with little e.g.. Leader: George S. 360-425-8099.

Sat., May 19 • Tarbell Trail/Larch Mountain (S) Drive 103 miles RT. Hike 10 miles RT with 2,200 ft. e.g. Hike up Cold Creek to the 3,496 ft.summit of Larch Mountain. Awesome view of the Yacolt Burn State Forest. Leader: Bruce 360-425-0256.

World View in Longview: Global Fiber Arts Exhibit at

By Yvette O’Neill Raynham Alcove Gallery

F

iber arts by local artists and crafters from around the world are now on display at the Alcove Gallery during the month of April. The gallery is open from noon to 3:30pm, Monday through Thursday, and is located in CAP’s Community Arts Workshop at 1526 Commerce Ave. in Longview.

Quilt cover designs by Carmen Robinson and Vickie Musgrove, creative crochet and weaving by Cat Walquist, and needle felted wool works by Melissa Philbrook are some of the local art works in the show.

For a global perspective on fiber arts the exhibit includes work from Africa (kente cloth strip weaving from Ghana, indigo tie dye from Ivory Coast, a kanga from Kenya and an appliqué from Benin), Central America (ikat weaving from Guatemala and fine pine needle basket weaving from El Salvador), and Asia (Hmong embroidery from Vietnam and wheat paste resist dye from Japan).

The Community Arts Workshop welcomes all members of the

Q

UIPS & QUOTES

Selected by Gordon Sondker

•Once upon a time my opponents honored me as possessing the fabulous intellectual and economic power by which I created a worldwide depression all by myself.

~ Herbert Hoover • Thrift is care and scruple in the spending of one’s means. It is not a virtue and it requires neither skill nor talent.

~Immanuel Kant • Economy is the art of making the most of life. The love of economy is the root of all virtue.

~ George Bernard Shaw • Economy is half the battle of life; it is not so hard to earn money as to spend it well.

~ Charles H. Spurgeon •Education makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern, but impossible to enslave.

~ Omar N. Bradley

community on a drop-in basis. Stop by sometime and check it out. There is something for everyone; workshop activities include paper crafts, collage, drawing, painting, plastic canvas embroidery, weaving, crochet, quilting and “enhanced doodling” with weekly no-fee art lessons and individual projects. A music room with a variety of instruments is also available.

The Community Arts Workshop (CAW) is sponsored by volunteers and donations and all materials are provided at no charge. Each participant is encouraged to pursue his or her own interest in an encouraging, safe space to learn about how the arts can work for them. For more information please call 425-3430 ext. 306 or visit capartsworkshop@gmail.com.

••• Yvette O’Neill Raynham, now retired, was an instructor of art education and art history at Lower Columbia College.

The arts workshop was a longtime dream of hers. More volunteers and donors are welcome. For info call 360-636-0940 or email yloneill@teleport.com.

• I was greatly influenced by one of my teachers. She had a zeal not so much for perfection as for steady betterment — she demanded not excellence so much as integrity.

~ Edward R. Murrow •The seasons are what a symphony ought to be: four perfect movements in harmony with each other.

~ Arthur Rubenstein •The man who graduates today and stops learning tomorrow is uneducated the day after.

~ Newton D. Baker •Sixty years ago I knew everything; now I know nothing; education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance. ~ Will Durant • Education is that which remains when one has forgotten everything he learned in school.

~ Albert Einstein Longview resident Gordon Sondker recently celebrated his 91st birthday!

He continues to enjoy life and stay busy.

Columbia River Reader / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / 31

LOOKING UP / FRIENDS OF GALILEO

Astronomy

Sky Report: April 15 – May 15

By Ted Gruber Evening Sky

The next few months present some great opportunities to view Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system.

Jupiter rises in the east-southeast and is the brightest object in the late evening and overnight sky, other than the moon. In mid-April, Jupiter rises about 10:30pm, but by mid-May you’ll be able to see the giant planet as early as 8:30pm. During the overnight hours, look for Jupiter about 30° above the horizon in the southern skies.

Venus remains visible in the western sky for about 60–90 minutes after sunset. The bright planet gets higher in the sky and remains visible a few minutes longer each evening.

Overnight Sky

The ringed planet Saturn rises in the southeastern sky around 3:00am on April 15, and about two hours earlier by May 15. The red planet Mars rises a few minutes after Jupiter on April 15, and about an hour earlier by mid-May. Both planets remain visible through the overnight hours.

Jupiter has 69 known moons. Many of these are very small, but its four largest — Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto — can be seen with binoculars.

Meteor Showers These four moons are called the In last month’s sky report, I Galilean moons or Galilean satellites mentioned the because they were Lyrid meteor discovered in 1610 The April 18 Friends of Galileo shower. It is by the astronomer Astronomy Club meeting will feature active from Galileo and were NASA Solar System Ambassador Greg April 14-30, t h e f i r s t m o o n s Cermac presenting “Multi-messenger peaking before discovered orbiting Astronomy: A New Era in Space Science.”

His talk is about NASA dawn on April a planet other than 22 with a rate Earth. They orbit exploration of the Universe through Gravity Wave and X-ray discoveries. The Jupiter faster than meeting starts at 7:00pm at Mark Morris o f 1 5 t o 2 0 meteors per our moon orbits High School Large Group Instruction hour. The early Earth — ranging facility. Please enter from the west from only 42 hours entrance doors to the cafeteria by exiting morning hours of April 21, for Io to 17 days Ocean Beach Hwy south onto 17th Avenue. The public, including students 22, and 23 will for Callisto. This and curious novices, are welcome! offer the best means the relative The program usually concludes about viewing if skies p o s i t i o n s o f t h e 8:30pm. Refreshments will be offered. are clear, but four moons change you may see a rather quickly, often few Lyrids any time after dark appearing in different configurations during the active period. The over the same night. meteors appear to radiate from a For example, at 11:00pm on the night point in the constellation Lyra high of April 23, Callisto and Europa appear in the east-northeast sky. on the left side of Jupiter, with Io and A second meteor shower, the Eta Ganymede on the right side. Then just Aquariids, is active from April 19 three nights later, all four appear on the to May 26. It peaks the night of left side. The night of May 13 offers May 6-7, with potentially decent Io, Ganymede, and Callisto clustered viewing three nights before and just to the right of Jupiter, with Europa after the peak. The Eta Aquariids farther off to the right. are one of two annual meteor showers resulting from the Earth Kelso resident Ted Gruber makes a regular passing through the debris trail report to fellow members of Friends left by Halley’s Comet. While they of Galileo, a familyare best viewed from the southern friendly astronomy hemisphere, in our region you can club which meets still see Eta Aquariids from a dark monthly in sky site with a reasonably clear Longview. For info about FOG, call view of the southern horizon.

Chuck Ring, 360636-2294.

32 / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / Columbia River Reader

•••

LOVING THE NIGHT SKY

By Greg Smith

The hobby of amateur astronomy

W

hat is the hobby of Astronomy? It is a whole range of involvement anywhere from just enjoying the night sky without knowing what the star names are or even the constellations, to being an amateur astrophysicist with $100,000 worth of hi tech equipment.

The one thing that unites this whole range is the love of the night sky.

Just going out and looking is the best start. Then use your binoculars to go to the next step. This is where you get to see a lot more of what is up there. This is where your desire of knowing more about the stars begins.

Next get a planisphere and learn the constellations. If this is as far as you go, great! You are an amateur astronomer!

The hobby of amateur astronomy can be more than just looking at pretty stars, galaxies and nebula. Though for the vast majority of amateur astronomers that is just what it is.

Other amateur astronomers are also what might be called semi-professional astronomers. They have their own domed observatories, which rotate with the sky and are filled with all kinds of equipment. These people are working with research astronomers of various universities and NASA, the Europeans Space Agency and the Japanese JAXA in the looking for exoplanets or solar research, or most anything that is being researched. Many comets are still discovered by amateur astronomers using large binoculars.

Still, there is nothing more fun for these amateur astronomers to do than to go out and meet the public, young and old, and show the stars, galaxies and planets of the night sky. They want to pass onto others what a parent or neighbor gave to them (My dad got me started with Orion and the Big Dipper). Some took an astronomy

class in college just to fill a science credit that they needed. They were hooked unexpectedly.

This is an ironic component within modern astronomy. Many professional astronomers have never actually looked through a telescope, or do not know the constellations by sight. They have spent their entire careers sitting at a computer screen looking at numbers, and working equations to study the science of astrophysics. They got hooked by the science, and not the night sky. Then again, many professional astronomers were first amateur astronomers. They got hooked by a dad, a mom, a grandfather, or neighbor. They kept the interest while in school doing school science projects and went onto college to pursue the science, but still the love of the night sky was their first motivation.

As you become more interested in the night sky and astronomy, go to the library and check out the astronomy course in the Great Courses DVD series. Come visit the Friends of Galileo Astronomy Club and get to know the local astronomers; we will warmly welcome you and answer as many questions as we can.

Please read Ted Gruber’s article on what is up in the sky at this time. It is very informative and will help you on your way in knowing the spring night sky.

Greg Smith is a member of Friends of Galileo, a familyoriented amateur astronomy club which meets monthly in Longview. For info about the club, call Chuck Ring, 360-6362294.

Jessica Baker Real Estate Broker

Cowlitz County 4th generation

(360) 431-6744 jessicabaker@cbbain.com 796 Commerce Ave Longview, Wa 98632

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

M-Sat 11am–10pm; Sun 11am–9pm.

Summer Hours starting May1–Sept 30: M-Sat 11–11; Sun 11am–10pm 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. Sports bar.

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

COLUMBIA RIVER

dining guide

Longview 716 Triangle Shopping Center. 18 rotating craft brews, pub fare. M-W 12 noon –9pm, Th-Sat 12 noon-11pm, Sun 12 Noon-8pm.

360-232-8283. Follow us on Untappd See ad, page 10.

1329 Commerce Ave., Longview (alley entrance). Fine dining, happy hour specials. wine tastings. Fridays only, open 5pm. 360-425-2837.

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

Open daily 11am.

503-556-9753 See ad, page 8.

Homestyle cooking from the 1960s-1970. All natural ingredients. Beer and wine available. Open Wed. thru Sun, 7am–8pm. 1140 15th Ave., Longview. See ad, page 12.

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

503-556-8772. See ad, page 8.

Evergreen Pub & Café 115-117 East 1st Street Burgers, halibut, prime rib, full bar.

503-556-9935. See ad, page 8.

Goble Tavern 70255 Columbia River Hwy. (Milepost 31, Hwy. 30) Food, beer & wine + full bar, Live entertainment. 503-556-4090.

See ad page 8.

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

See ad, page 8.

Castle Rock

Restaurant & Lounge

Full breakfast, lunch and dinner 6am– 9pm. Full bar in lounge, open 6am.

Three happy hours daily (8–10am, 12– 2pm, 5–7pm). Group meeting room, free use with $150 food/drink purchases.

1334 12th Ave. 360-425-8545.

Country Folks Deli 1329 Commerce Ave., Longview. Serving lunch and dinner. Sandwiches, soups, salads. Open M-Sat 11am. 360-425-2837.

See ad, page 36.

Freddy’s Just for the Halibut. Cod, halibut & tuna fish and chips, oysters & clams., award-winning clam chowder. Prime rib every Thurs. Beer and wine. M-W 10–8, Th-Sat 10–9, Sun 11–8.

1110 Commerce 360-414-3288.

See ad, page 29.

Hop N Grape 924 15th Ave., Longview M–Th 11am–8pm; Fri & Sat 11am–9pm; Sun 11am–7pm. BBQ meat slow-cooked on site. Pulled pork, chicken brisket, ribs, turkey, salmon. World-famous mac & cheese. 360-577-1541 See ad page 8.

1260 Commerce Ave. Serving lunch & dinner Mon–Sat 11am–10pm. Full bar, banquet space, American comfort food. 360-703-3904. www.millcitygrill.com. See ad, page 28.

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

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

360-967-2333

St. Helens, Oregon

My Thai Kitchen

421 20th Ave., Authentic Thai food, i.e. Drunken Noodles, Pad Thai, Green Curry. Tues–Sat 11:30– 2:30pm, 4:30–7:30pm. 360560-3779.

The Original Pietrio’s Pizzeria

614 Commerce Ave., Longview. 18 varieties of pizza. Salad bar, Lunch buffet all-you-can-eat. Beer & wine.

Mon-Fri open 11am, Sat-Sun 12 Noon.

360-353-3512.

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

33 draft beers. Full bar. Family-friendly, weekly jazz and acoustic dinner hour sets on Weds. 360-636-1616. See ad, page 13.

Red Kitchen 848 15th Ave., Longview. Cocktails, taps, vino. Traditional diner fare, breakfast, lunch, dinner. Sandwiches, burgers, funky comfort food, incl. Bacon Gouda Mac n Cheese, shepherd’s pie, healthy options. Full service bar, incl 12 taps. 7am–10pm, M-F, 8am–10pm SatSun. See ad, page 13.

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

Casual ambience. 5–9pm Wed-Sat. See ad, page 10.

Teri’s 3225 Ocean Beach Hwy, Longview.

Lunch and dinner. Fine dining, with specials, fresh NW cuisine. Happy Hour.

Full bar. Mon–Sat open 11am. Closed Sundays. 360-577-0717.

Fresh-roasted coffee, snack and pastries. 1335 14th Ave., M-F 7am–4pm, Sat-Sun 9am–4pm.

360-232-8642 See ad, page 11.

Sunshine Pizza & Catering 2124 Columbia Blvd.

Hot pizza, cool salad bar. Beer & wine.

503-397-3211 See ad, page 34.

Scappoose Fultano’s Pizza 51511 SE 2nd.

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

Sun–Th 11am–9pm; Fri-Sat 11am– 10pm; Sun 11am–9pm. Full bar service ‘til 10pm Fri & Sat. Deliveries in Scappoose. 503-543-5100.

Ixtapa Fine Mexican Restaurant

33452 Havlik Rd. Fine Mexican cuisine.

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

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

Karaoke Fri & Sat.503-410-5479.

Woodland The Oak Tree 1020 Atlantic Ave., Woodland. Full breakfast, lunch and dinner menu. Fresh from scratch cooking. Great happy hour menu. Sun 7am–9pm, M-Th 8am–9pm, Fri-Sat 7am–10pm. 360-841-8567

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

Columbia River Reader / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / 33

Miss Manners

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GENTLE READER: There is so much pseudo-socializing in the workplace that Miss Manners worries that people don’t seem to know how to be pleasant in a businesslike way.

A polite response, when a colleague suggests meeting, is, “What would you like to discuss?” And if the gentleman looks blank, you can add, “I like to be prepared.”

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But if he says, “I’d just like to get to know you better,” you know it is not really about business. And you can say cheerfully, “I don’t really stay around here socializing, but you can always stop by my desk.”

Regular Hours Mon – Thur 9 – 6 Fri - Sat 9–5 After-hours by arrangement

scappoosebusinessandtax.com

Spring

from page12

How can I ascertain what their intentions are? And what is a kind and polite way to turn somebody down if I suspect that they are interested in a date? Usually it’s a general invitation for coffee, and they ask me when is convenient for my schedule, not a specific date that I can be unavailable for. I don’t want to risk saying I’m not interested in dating, when they could mean just a meeting!

is here!

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favors

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stuff you need

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34 / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / Columbia River Reader

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My wife and I dine out often, and never cease to be amazed when restaurant servers feel compelled to comment on how much of our meal we’ve eaten.

We’ve heard comments like “You really killed that,” “You must have hated that,” and “Wow, you must have really been hungry.”

These type of comments have ruined more than a few otherwise pleasant meals. I would think that restaurant management would stress the need for appropriate communications with customers. What is the proper response to such boorish and unprofessional comments?

GENTLE READER: “How kind of you, with the work you have to do, to take the time to watch how I eat.”

DEAR MISS MANNERS: A visit to a family-style restaurant found me next to a table with three males, all wearing designer baseball caps indoors. Their actions showed they felt they could do whatever they wanted, even early Saturday morning.

The mother ordered soda pop while trying to convince an infant their only choice in the matter was juice or water.

Letting others know how I feel about something like this gets me labeled a hater with rude remarks about “wait till you have children!” Such behaviors impact other aspects of society now and later. cont page 35

Where to find the new Reader It’s delivered all around the River by the 15 of th

each month. Here’s the list of handy, regularlyrefilled sidewalk box and rack locations where you can pick up a copy any time of day and even in your bathrobe ...

RAINIER LONGVIEW Post Office Post Office Cornerstone Bob’s (rack, main check-out) In front of 1232 Commerce Ave Glaze, Gifts & In front of 1323 Commerce Ave Giggles Rainier YMCA Fred Meyer (rack, grocery entrance) Hardware (rack, entry) US Bank (15th Ave.) Earth ‘n’ Sun (on Hwy 30) Fibre Fed’l CU - Commerce Ave Monticello Hotel (side entrance) El Tapatio (entry rack) Kaiser Permanente DEER ISLAND St. John Medical Center Deer Island Store (rack, Park Lake Café) COLUMBIA CITY - Post Office Cowlitz Black Bears box office WARREN LCC Student Center Warren Country Inn Mini-Mart next to Regents Indie Way Diner ST HELENS Columbia River Reader Chamber of Commerce 1333 14th Ave. Sunshine Pizza Post Office KELSO Wild Currant Heritage Bank Visitors’ Center/ Kelso-Longview Olde Towne (near Bemis Printing) Safeway Chamber of Commerce SCAPPOOSE KALAMA For more Post Office Fibre Fed’l CU locations or the Road Runner Kalama Shopping Center pick-up point Fred Meyer nearest you,

corner of First & Fir (east entrance) visit crreader.

WOODLAND com and click Fultano’s Visitor’s Center “Find the Ace Hardware The Oak Tree Magazine” CATHLAMET under CASTLE ROCK Cathlamet Pharmacy “Features.”

Lacie Rha’s Cafe (32 Cowlitz W.) CLATSKANIE Four Corners General Store Post Office Parker’s Restaurant (rack, entry) Chevron / Mini-Mart Visitor’s Center Wauna mill (parking area) 890 Huntington Ave. N. Exit 49, west side of I-5 SKAMOKAWA Skamokawa General Store RYDERWOOD NASELLE Comm. Center Appelo Archives & Café

from page 34

GENTLE READER: You know what else is ruining society?

Freelance critics who go about examining the behavior of people who are minding their own business, and delivering unrequested criticism.

If Miss Manners did that — and she

never criticizes unless appealed to, as you have done — she would rate your behavior below theirs.

guests to be smart and not drink and drive. What would be the best way to word this?

DEAR MISS MANNERS: We would like to put something on the invitation for my daughter’s wedding that alcohol will be served, but that we want our

GENTLE READER: Probably “There’ll be free liquor, but don’t get drunk.” Miss Manners asks you to refrain from any such pre-emptive scolding.

(Please send your questions to Miss M a n n e r s a t h e r w e b s i t e , w w w. missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

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Columbia River Reader / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / 35

Lunch • Dinner

Open 11am Mon-Sat

Open ‘til the cows come home. 360-425-2837 1329 Commerce Ave • In the heart of DowntownLongview

Music lasts a lifetime!

Piano Lessons A great investment in yourself or as a gift

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360-423-3072

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technique • theory • performance 36 / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / Columbia River Reader

Where do you read

THE READER?

In the room Roman Fedorka, of Kelso, Wash., with his elephant, “Fluffy.” at camp outside of Pai in northern Thailand.

Don’t go barefoot! Longview residents Jim and Charlotte Brittain at the Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, California.

Where’s Father Ralph? Mike and Marilyn Perry, CRR

contributors and Kelso residents, at the Wai’oli Hui’ia Church (built in 1834) in Hanalei, Kauai. The beautiful NaPali Coast — the location of several movies, including South Pacific and The Thornbirds, begins six miles up the road.

WHERE DO YOU READ THE READER?

Holy moly! Peter and Debbie McHugh, of Scappoose, Ore., during their recent twoweek tour of Israel.

Send your photo reading the Reader (high-resolution JPEG) to Publisher@CRReader.com. If sending a cell phone photo, choose the largest file size up to 2 MB. Include names and cities of residence.

Thank you for your participation and patience, as we usually have a small backlog. Keep those photos coming!

Columbia River Reader / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / 37

PLUGGED IN to

the spectator by ned piper

COWLITZ PUD

From the Gorge to the coast

S

ue has long imagined expanding the Columbia River Reader’s distribution area to reach “from the Gorge to the Coast.” I’m happy to announce we’ve just taken a step in that direction.

A few weeks ago, I took an exploratory drive down to the Appelo Archives in Naselle, Washington, stopping along the way at the Skamokawa General Store, the Duck Inn in Skamokawa and Duffy’s Irish Pub in Grays River.

Like Johnny Appleseed, I dropped off a short stack of Readers at every stop, while at the same time promoting the coming April issue featuring Grays River resident, author and naturalist Robert Michael Pyle. Nearly everyone I encountered knows Mr. Pyle and had good things to say about their famous neighbor.

After scouting out locations on the Washington side of the river, I crossed the bridge to Astoria, where I left small

Durable and beautiful!

stacks of papers in The Bridgewater Bistro and at Fulio’s, one of our favorite restaurants. A week after my initial drive to Naselle, I loaded two Reader sidewalk boxes into the back of my car and made the trip again. When I entered the Skamokawa General Store, the young clerk was helping a customer check out his order. She said, “May I help you?” I told her to go ahead and finish with her customer.

The customer, a tall gent who I assumed was a logger, said, “You go ahead, my wife’s in back picking up a few more items.” With that nod, I told the clerk that I had stopped by a week earlier to see if I could place a Columbia River Reader sidewalk box outside their store. I mentioned that the young man who was behind the counter that day said he would check with the owner.

Before she could tell me that she knew nothing about this and that she would have to call the owner to see if it was

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Her phone call to the owner yielded a positive result. I positioned the box in a prominent place outside the store. About the time I finished, another shopper arrived and, noticing the box, took a copy of the paper and thanked me for making it available in Skamokawa.

Yes, it’s a long drive toward the coast.

Yes, it will add another day to our delivery schedule, but it is gratifying to know that residents in that part of the region appreciate having access to the Reader. Besides, I love the drive. On my last trip down, I saw four bald eagles circling high above the Columbia, possibly searching for salmon skimming just beneath the surface. I also saw 30 magnificent elk taking a time out in a field just off the road.

We live in a beautiful part of the planet. Let’s hope that the work of naturalists like Bob Pyle will lead us to understand, appreciate and maintain the ecosystem for generations to come. And we can all look forward to Bob’s essays appearing as a regular CRR feature, starting in the next issue.

•••

Kid-proof Waterproof Pet-proof

Longview native Ned Piper enjoys reading, writing, watching basketball, feeding his backyard birds and schmoozing with CRR advertisers and readers.

ur brating o he e l e c w o N serving t d 52n year iver region! aR Columbi

Hours: 9–5:30 pm • Sat 9–4pm WA LIC. COLUMR529 LQN, OR: 145 www.Carpetone.com 105 B. Street West Rainier, OR Phone: 503-556-0171 Toll Free: 800-886-0171 38 / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / Columbia River Reader

okay, the customer said, “You mean, we’re going to have the Reader here at the store? That would be great! I have to drive into Cathlamet to get a Reader, and sometimes the box there is empty.”

By Alice Dietz

E

very year around this time, we hear about customers receiving postcards promising free dinner in exchange for their full attention (and possibly their first-born). We care about the accuracy of the energy saving costs our customers may be promised by these companies.

In our experience, we have seen customers spend a great deal of money on energy savings products that do not work. When Initiative 937 passed, Utility companies with 25,000 or more customers became required to meet a certain level of Renewable Energy Credits, which is why you may be inundated with promises of energy savings and rebates.

Our Energy Efficiency folks do a great job of working with our customers to ensure that they are making the correct energy efficient purchases for their home and receiving the most reliable rebates. Before investing your hard-earned dollar, call one of our Energy Efficiency Advisors at 360.501.9514 for free advice on your next energy efficient purchase.

During the month of April, we are offering our customers who stop by our office free LED lightbulbs. These lightbulbs have an average of 25000 hours. Why is Cowlitz PUD giving away free lightbulbs to our customers instead of lowering your rates? As mentioned above, we are required to meet a certain percentage of Renewable Energy Credits and every lightbulb we give away helps meet that requirement.

All about the good life

Is April already over and you are just now reading this column? We will be at the Home, Garden and Leisure Show offering the same promotion on May 19 and 20th. Another fun event we are participating in is the City of Longview’s Earth Day on April 28th.

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Happy Spring project season and don’t forget to call 811 before you dig!

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We hope to make you smile Good for wrapping gifts!

Alice Dietz is Communications and Public Relations Manager at Cowlitz PUD. Reach her at adietz@cowlitzpud.org or 360-5019146.

Columbia River Reader / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / 39

40 / April 15 – May 14, 2018 / Columbia River Reader