M canh J hilc
im
NEWPORT ....
C
oyote
D t it r lb w t l« a
Goodyear, Ariz
We just got here, they are having a war.
Back in Newport, February was proceeding apace,
rain, wind and a pervading grey that seeps into the
soul til summer seems an eon away and an open
vein a reasonable alternative to the wait.
Enter Friend Joe.
"Hey, want to go to war?"
"A war? Well..."
"No, really, it's in Arizona. Ever hear of the
Society for Creative Anacronism? It's a bunch of
people who dress up like its the Middle Ages in
armor and stuff and they carry swords and spears
and just have a hell of a time."
"They drink beer and mead and stuff, then on the
weekend they get out in this field wearing armor
and just knock the dog pucky out of each other. It's
wild."
"You'll see the damnest things, people dressed up
like knights and mongols and slave girls in chain
mail bikinis..."
"Hold it. Chain mail Bikinis?"
"Yep, and not a stitch on underneath."
"Arizona? Sunshine? Chain Mail Bikinis... and
they let anybody in?"
"You bet. And we won't even have to pay. My
brother in San Diego sells them swords and jewelry
and stuff and if we help him set up and maybe help
sell, we'll be right in the middle of it all. It's really
interesting."
"Chain Mail Bikinis? Authentic Middle Aged Chain
Mail Bikinis?"
In Friend Joe's '64 Volkswagen Beetle, we drug
the rain with us the full length of sunny California
and heard the San Diego weatherman say there had
been 2.46 inches of rain there in the last 24 hours.
Arizona is better. Lightning jags and thunder
mutters among the distant mountains, but in
Estrella park, the night is warm and still. Ah,
finally.
People are wandering around in costumes
carrying swords, axes, spears and huge gnarley
clubs. Joe and brother seem to have tent erection
in hand so I appoint myself lookout. No CMB's in
sight.
Then onSaturday, they had a war. Hundreds of
people in armor line up on opposite sides of a big
field. They aren't carrying steel, but weapons made
of rattan sticks padded with foam rubber and
wound with duct tape. Hmph, I think. Then
someone blew a horn and they charged each other.
If at that moment, King Arthur & Co. had come
around a corner they would have heid themselves
right back to Camelot and raised the draw bridge.
Unless they saw the weapons.
Then the two armies met.
If a warrior is hit with what would be leathal
with steel, he is suppose to die. I saw several cases
where this rule was academic. They were knocked
colder'n a wedge. One got to ride in an abulance.
Silly as it looks, you don't want one of these guys
after you with his padded stick. Not unless you
want the dog pucky knocked out of you, you don't.
Saturday eve is party night. Costumery ambles
among the pavillions, strong drink is consumed.
And, finally, holding hands with a huge young man
in a fur loincloth and Celtic blue paint, She came.
Long, lithe, blond, wearing a Chain Mail Bikini top
and a skirt of same so small there was no question.
Not another stitch. If they have those in Valhalla
I'm signing up to go Viking tomorrow.
Mother Nature's
Natural Foods • Juice Bar
298 Laneda Avenue
P.O. Box 737
Manzanita, Oregon 97130
503 • 368 • 5316
Mon - S a t 10 -5 :3 0 C losed S u n d a y
When you
w an t the
w ord
out
So, you're walking up the beach at night,
maybe with your dog, maybe with your kid,
or with a friend. The moon is waxing,
glowing cool through wisping, swift clouds,
the tide’s surging whispers fading, then,
without warning, a brilliant spotlight spears
you as you turn, still walking, shading your
eyes.
You stumble, disoriented, now unable to
see the sand without the glare and harsh
shadows the weapon-like light throws.
Perhaps, there's some emergency, there's a
search for someone, but there's no call, only
the light tracking you as if you were walking
a guarded border.
Maybe you're walking home at night,
enjoying the warm south wind in your face,
and the quiet. A passing car slows, then
stops, and a police officer asks for your
identification and your reason for being
here. A second car appears in case the
officer needs assistance. When you ask why
you were stopped, you are told that your hat
is out of place here. (This may be the
pedestrian equivalent of, "Your license plate
light was out.")
I have been in places which were under
martial law. The readiness of violent force
is said to be a response to serious danger to
the community. Everyone walks in fear, and
in a heightened state of alertness. It is a bit
like being in a combat zone. People get
killed.
Cannon Beach is not under curfew, and its
citizens and visitors must not be treated as
if there were terrorists about.
Those of us who have seen the lands of
violence resent being reminded of them.
We are at peace, and are here not to fight
and win, but to play, and learn.
3 3 0 -9 4 * 4
P.O . * • * sxfrs
—
.........................................................
ANTHONY STOFTIELLO
' ■
= A rchitect
Earth friendly architecture
Consultant - Educator •
Passive solar design
Conscientious material use
Licensed in Oregon and Washington
310 Lake S t • TOB 72. Ilwaco. WA 9 B 6 2 4 (2 0 6 ) 6 4 2 -4 2 5 6
" H t didn’t toy ‘al dente, ’ did h t? "
DON PETRIE’S
ITALIAN FOOD COMPANY
613NW T h ird 2 6 5 ‘ FOOD
Nye Beach, N e w p ort
fllf ■T|>\gLE5 o/ CodTeMT
RESTAURANT
"A Very Special
Dining Experience"
Dinner Sealings
Sunday - Thursday - 7.00 p.tn.
Friday and Saturday - 6:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m
BY RESERVATION
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The Upper Left Edge is a monthly
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publication with a current distribution
of 5,000. It is circulated throughout
the Oregon and Washington coastal
communities and larger metropolitan
areas which serve them. As stated in f
the upper left corner of the Edge flag,
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ft
increasing number of subscribers
worldwide. Now in its third year of
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A
c c e n t u a t e . t l I£
R o m ance . N
y
<? ur . L ife !
The Moby Dick Hotel and Oyster Farm
on Willapa Bay
Nahcotta, Washington
Advertising rates are as follows:
Business Card Size Ad
1 /1 6th approx 3x5
, /8 th approx 4x7
1/4 th approx. 6 1 /2 x 9
1 /2 page
Full page
Back page
Now serves Dinner By Reservation
Chef Julianne Maki
$25.
$ 35
$50.
$100.
$150.
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»
Make your birdwatching more memorable
or fo r that m atter any geta way,
business retreat, fam ily reunion, et al
. . per month Payment is due the 15th of the
month prior to the issue in which ad is to appear.
Camera ready art is requested We are usually on
the streets by the first weekend of the month
For reservations or information
(206) 665-4543 fax 665-6887
P.O. 82, Nahcotta, WA 98637
im iX F T m t WftRCH W?5
* I
3