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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Some out there will not believe this, but I’m actually
going to write about something I’ve not touched on before.
That’s right, this is a never-before-told story. Ready? Here
goes.
Once upon a time in a far distant galaxy ... No, that’s
not it. How about, I was born in a log cabin and had to
chop wood when I was only 3 ... Nah, that’s been done.
All right, here’s the real tale: It was a brisk morning
with a bright sun, and the mountain air was clear and crisp.
It was a fine time for a walk, so off I went from a bed-and-
breakfast inn located in a Northern California small town.
There’s nothing like striding vigorously to keep the ol’
ticker in shape, and to see the sights you’ve not seen be-
fore. Besides, being in a strange town (strange in that it’s
all new to you) can be an eye-opener. And such locales
often offer many good opportunities for photography.
Sunlight filtering through the pines, firs and occasional
oaks in the vicinity gave me a good feeling. It’s a quiet set-
tlement with a “downtown” consisting of approximately six
blocks on two streets containing a mix of commercial and
residential uses. Some newer structures stand amid the
more venerable buildings, a few looking as though they
date to the 1800s. Either that or I’ve seen too many black-
and-white movies.
There’s also a completely residential neighborhood, so
I had plenty of walkin’ room.
At any rate, there I was, meandering at a good pace
and feeling like a happy tourist, when I encountered a fel-
low walker. He was older than I by several years, but he
was a fast walker and a good talker. We fell into step to-
gether at a corner, said “Hello” and “Good morning,” and
exchanged names. His name was Walter, and he had lived
in the town for many years.
As we walked he pointed out various buildings: a for-
mer church, where he and his late wife were wed, but she
died a few years ago after 52 years of marriage; he noted
a large structure he said was originally a bakery that be-
came a breakfast hut that became a pizza parlor, and now
the place is closed. Windows are broken, and the porch is
falling down.
Our walk continued, sometimes on the sides of asphalt
streets with weeds coming up through the cracks, and
sometimes on concrete sidewalks with sparkly stuff. Walter
noted the city hall, a tiny building open three days a week;
a couple of new motels; two greasy spoon cafes; a sort-of
ritzy restaurant that offers steak and pizza; and several
rustic barn-like buildings. In fact, a couple of them actually
are used as barns, although Walter said it’s not like it used
to be when horses and carriages were in the majority.
Eventually we neared one end of town with a knoll
which had a white-painted split-level structure as its princi-
pal feature. Walter said it housed the town medical clinic,
and that it once served as the medical facility for all the
loggers who used to work in the area. He was going to
have his blood pressure checked, and to see if some heart
medication had come in.
We shook hands, and split company as comrade
marchers. I hope Walter is doing well; he struck me as a
man of honor with a head for history.
Attention
Golfers!
Illinois Valley Golf Course
is OPEN for Business
With an all-volunteer
workforce, the course
is looking great!
Support your local golf course and
GOLF ALL DAY for $10
$10 green fee valid through April 30.
592-3151
Illinois Valley News
www.illinois-valley-news.com
An Independent Weekly Newspaper
Co-publishers: Bob & Jan Rodriguez
Editor-in-Chief: Michelle Binker
Entered as second class matter June 11, 1937 at Post Office as Official Newspaper for
Josephine County and Josephine County Three Rivers School District, published at
321 S. Redwood Hwy., Cave Junction, OR 97523
Periodicals postage paid at Cave Junction OR 97523
P.O. Box 1370 USPS 258-820
Telephone (541) 592-2541, FAX (541) 592-4330
Email: newsroom1@frontiernet.net or newsdesk@illinois-valley-news.com
Volume 72, No. 3
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Dangerous crosswalk
From Lloyd Franklin
Cave Junction
I live at Hopeful Rancho
on Takilma Road, and I have
a complaint for the Cave
Junction City Council or
whoever, before something
drastic happens.
I do volunteer work at
the Illinois Valley Senior
Center Thrift Shop in Down-
town CJ three days a week.
Many times I use the cross-
walk, where you would think
people would stop, but they
don’t. I have nearly been hit
several times, along with the
workers who help me.
I would like to see a cau-
tion light or stop light put in
the drainage by the crosswalk
by Taylor’s Country Store
and the thrift shop.
The reason I am com-
plaining is I would like very
much to see something done
before someone gets killed.
Susan Chapp
Forestry Action
Committee (FAC)
Cave Junction
FAC’s volunteer weed
group is making plans to start
the obnoxious weed pull col-
lective for the spring.
As you might know,
there are several invasive
plants running wild through
our valley, and you may have
heard that some folks are
doing something about it.
The star thistle was our
main target last year. We will
be monitoring the four sites
we cleared, hunting up new
ones and continuing our pol-
icy of educating land holders
to keep this particularly inva-
sive plant from spreading.
During this season when
the ground is damp, we urge
land owners to pull some of
the broom plants that seem to
be everywhere. They pull up
so easily when they are
young. Medium ones can be
lifted with the dig of a shovel.
For the bigger ones, a weed
wrench can be borrowed
from FAC. The damp ground
makes it possible to get the
roots.
Broom, an evergreen, is
the green of fir. It has tiny
leaves, but mostly all stems.
It grows to 5 feet and more.
People used to make brooms
out of it and a bunch of it all
together looks like a witch’s
broom. In the spring it has
pretty yellow or orange pea
flowers. The pods look like
pea pods, but are thinner and
turn brown in the fall.
It has a lot of volatile oil
so as brush it burns quick and
hot and can be a fire danger.
Left undisturbed it spreads
and becomes very thick, tak-
ing over. This time of year
and into early spring, when
the ground is wet, is a good
time to pull this plant.
Knapweed is all browned
stems and seeds now standing
2 to 3 feet tall. The new green
leaves are close to the ground.
Digging them now is easier
than when they get big. Get-
ting a few out on a nice day
when the gardening bug has
bitten you helps keep them in
check. They can become a
terrible problem if you don’t
stop them.
We aren’t experts at all
this. We are interested in any-
one who wants to share what
they are doing in this field.
We will be planning and or-
ganizing to start pulling again
and need people to help.
It’s not hard work and
it’s very healthy. We go out
one morning a week when the
weather is fair and work to-
gether a few hours pulling
invasive plants. For more
information phone 592-4098.
Airport lease resolved
From Jack McCornack
Cave Junction
I hope I didn’t sound like
a smart aleck last week when
I said, “I may just send them
a check for the full amount
they demanded.” It’s not as
though refusing to pay our
rent at the airport is an option.
The option was, the
county commissioners had
offered to credit my company
(McSquared Design) with the
money we’d spent on the
building to date, but it was
only 600 bucks or so total. “A
dollar here and 20-cents
there,” to quote Airports
Manager Alex Grossi. Our
reduced rent was contingent
on the county’s satisfaction,
and my only contention (well,
other than why had it taken
Josephine County 15 months
to discover it was unsatisfied)
was: If I use a dollar’s worth
of caulk to stop a $100 leak,
how satisfied is the county?
The answer is, a dollar’s
worth, which was a bit of a
surprise to me.
I knew when I signed the
lease that Josephine County
could set the “satisfaction”
bar where it saw fit, and I
knew Grossi finds me unsat-
isfying in many respects, and
I feel my retroactive rent of
$1,786 is going to a good
home (the Josephine County
coffers). Also, I’m confident
that the county will spend it
wisely. The $80 a month rent
increase is a bargain, now that
we’re released from the obli-
gation to do the building
maintenance. It was costing
McSquared more than that in
materials and labor, anyway.
Also, I understand the
county’s quandary: how does
one value volunteer labor?
Should McSquared be cred-
ited for work accomplished
by a crew whose only reward
was lunch and the satisfaction
of a job well done? When we
spend a hundred bucks on
hamburgers, should that
count toward our mainte-
nance budget? Well, appar-
ently not, but that in no way
diminishes our appreciation
for the many people who vol-
unteered, or worked for a
reduced rate, to help us keep
this historic building on its
feet.
I agree with the county
legal counsel, Steve Rich,
who observed that, “There’s
been woefully little done to
restore that building.” But I
think it reflects the previous
18 years of county neglect
(and we were paying full
price for rent during the last
five of those let-it-rot years)
more than the latest 22
months. And though we’re
returning the building to the
county in better shape than
we found it, it still needs a lot
of help.
On the bright side, since
our lease issue was settled
(yes, we paid the money and
our check cleared), the com-
missioners have approved an
offer from the National
Smokejumpers Association to
send a crew this summer to
give the building a major
renovation. They will donate
their time, and will be work-
ing with donated materials,
and though the retroactive
rent thing took a big bite out
of the money McSquared had
committed to them, we’ll be
doing what we can. I hope
everyone who supports the
preservation of our airport
and its history will help wel-
come the smokejumpers back
to the valley, and will appre-
ciate how they’re choosing to
spend their summer vacation.
As for Grossi, I have no
hard feelings regarding the
retroactive rent raise. We
have our differences (mostly
about safety issues, a few
about maintenance) but I rec-
ognize that he’s the boss out
here, and if I’d wanted him to
go easier on me personally, I
could have quit telling him
how to do his job (and occa-
sionally doing it for him)
years ago. He has quite a lot
to deal with, managing two
county airports (here and
Merlin) and the many airport
tenants and users who dis-
agree with him about this or
that, and managing the mil-
lions of dollars available from
FAA grants. I wouldn’t do his
job for triple what his prede-
cessor at I.V. Airport was
paid.
Wants recognition
From Debbie Wilson,
NT & IDNT
Licensed Nail Technician
Cave Junction
It is a shame that our
local newspaper does not
seem to have the time to at
least mention all of the volun-
teers who contributed their
profession, time and money
to the great kids during Ca-
reer Day at Lorna Byrne Mid-
dle School.
This is the second year I
have been asked to present
my profession as a possible
career, and the second time
that our local paper has de-
cided it not important to men-
tion. I had such a wonderful
time with the enthusiastic
bunch. I took half of my work
day off and presented a career
in nail technology open to
men and women.
Pedicures and manicures.
A profession necessary in our
society for health, hygiene
and appearance. A profession
necessary to earn a license
for. I told about licensed
schools, curriculum, scholar-
ships, grants and student
loans. I presented a viewing
of procedures, literature and
magazines and creative arts
and possibilities.
I also had raffles for free
manicures to enable encour-
agement of caring for ones
self and looking good. I also
handed out 20 percent off
cards for services to those
who participated in hopes to
again encourage doing some-
thing healthful for them-
selves. I answered many
questions from the students.
My profession and skills
are based on helping others
and is important. I wish our
local newspaper would see it
that way as well by at least a
mention.
I appreciate Lorna Byrne
for believing that my profes-
sion is important and for let-
ting me work with some
really great kids.
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