l—UPPER’ LEFT 6 * EDGI
y o LU M E *i
NUMBER.
WEffiEk IÏÏ5
O m R U T T COftST PRODUCTIONS* PO BOX 1 U 1 ChNWON BIXCK O R T W O • 503-W~WS
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend,
inside of a dog it' s too dark to read.
All those in favor of free speech
raise your hand.
ACLU
Foundation of O regon
199S Uncensorgd Celebration
B a n n e d B o o k s o n th e Beach
T a k e in the display of risqué titles
By the way a banned
book m akes excellent beach reading
Jupiter's Rare & Used Books
2 4 4 N Spruce, Cannon Beach
4 3 6 -2 9 1 5
To the Editor:
On a recent trip to Cannon Beach, I picked up and read
my first copy of the "Upper Left Edge" newspaper. For the
most part 1 enjoyed it, but I feel I must reply to Professor
Lindsay's editorial on tourists on the front page.
First a little history. My grandfather built a house on
Madison St. in the 1950's, and our family has owned it ever
since. My great- grandmother lived there until she moved to
a nursing home, and since then the house has been used as a
vacation home, although it is occupied most every week by
some family member or other all summer long. I have been
visiting Cannon Beach regularly for more than thirty years,
and so consider myself a "part-time" resident.
Mr. Lindsey definitely has a bad taste in his mouth
regarding the tourists and their activities. I have to wonder
if perhaps he spots and distains me also, as I invariably
come down and browse through all the shops in town,
though I may visit one or more times a month. I never get
tired of looking all the wonderful things in the windows, or
sitting outside Osburn's enjoying an ice cream cone and
watching all the "slack-jawed cretins" he so despises. I love
saltwater taffy and take pounds of it home to my more
unfortunate landlocked friends, and as an accomplished artist,
have shown and sold many watercolor portraits of the so-
called "Great Phallic," Haystack Rock. I have traveled often
almost the length of the Oregon Coast, from Warrenton to
as far south as Bandon, and still my favorite beach, town,
and atmosphere is Cannon Beach. After so many years
spent here, it feels like home.
Yes, occasionally it becomes annoying to have to fight
crowds both in the streets and on the sidewalks just for a
short trip to Mariner Market to buy a quart of milk, but that
is the price that must be paid for living in such a beautiful
area. In fact, I am glad to see all the tourists, as I'm sure
most of the shopkeepers arc as well. In the next decade I
plan to move permanently to the coast and open a small
business, and I will be depending on those "day trippers" and
their Gold MasterCards to finance my lifestyle here.
Tourism is what makes life at the coast possible for a great
many people; the fishing industry obviously won't support
too many families any more. Look at all the advertisements
in your own newspaper! All those businesses advertising in
the Upper Left Edge. . . How would they survive if not for
all these "Labratory rats in a biology experiment"?
Mr. Lindsey uses the analogy of a pet dog in closing; let
me use another: "Let us not bite the hand that feeds us."
Sincerely,
Cathryn A. Howard
To the Upper Left Edge:
A tirade is always easier to extend than tolerance. I have
read and re-read Peter's diatribe on "tourists". Generally I
find, at least, literary interest in Peter's paragraphs because
he uses such wonderful words. At most, I am entertained by
his cranky, folksy view on events and ideas. Today I'm
disappointed and motivated enough to write a response.
I have lived here, in various forms and tenure, since the
70's... I visited here before I lived here. In fact, I
remember extending a little hospitality to you. Rev. Hults,
before you had the pleasure of living here. Hmmm. Billy
dear. . . did that make you a guest, a visitor, a (gasp, oh no!)
tourist? Why I believe it did. I'll let that point make itself.
And, Peter. Have you not left the urban growth boundary
of Cannon Beach in the last 40 years? It sounds as if you
yourself have never been a guest/tourist anywhere else. Or
are you simply suggesting that you are a well-behaved guest
while all others of the world who visit here are not?
I suggest the teeming masses that fill our sidewalks arc
an interesting and fairly (percentage-wise) accurate cross-
section of humanity. Some are rude. Some are thoughtful.
Some think first and only of themselvs. Some extend a
gracious and helpful hand to others. These descriptions
could apply to a listing of our local folk just as easily.
It is unfortunate, Peter, that I have to point out that your
treasured friend, Billy, who ran your words on his front
page, accepts money from those slack jawed cretins , to
contribute to his livelihood and (try to) enable him to keep
printing the fabulous (and fun) Upper Left Edge. And for all
the retailers who do present the Haystack merchandise there
are those who invest themselves in providing materials that
feed other needs than that of regional souvenirs - good food
for body and mind and spirit.
There are guests seeing the Pacific Ocean for the first
time, celebrants of anniversaries, wedding parties, soul
searchers who want to enjoy the beauty and impact of this
particular spot. . . European tourists enchanted by the
spaciousness. . . the friendliness of this place. There are all
different perspectives, Peter. All different ways to make do
with the reality of living in a destination location. I suggest
you harken to your (wildly acclaimed and justly so) days of
teaching. When tourists thoughtlessly toss, litter, gather,
encumber - respond. .. teach them a better way by example
or by suggestion.
And further, by remembering that folks as fun and
fascinating as Rev. Billy were once tourists - you might
open yourself to actually meeting someone in 1995 who is
opinionated, articulate, imaginative and mannerly. Stranger
things have happened.
Mary Anne Radmacher-Hershey
August 1, 1995
Addendum:
As days have passed I realized Peter "got my dander up
so because of my own experience as a traveller/tourist. I
pay conscious attention to respect the place and people
which 1 am visiting. And I know many who visit here do
the same.
What Peter points out is true - the "tourist" here has
changed in the last decades. But so has the profile of the
average American. This article of Peter's was more a
diatribe on current American values. .. it directed its voice
to a generalized, collective "tourist" and I object(ed) to that.
Last year I remember some advice that Dr. Karkeys offered
visitors. It was a gentle, pointed reminder to, before doing
anything in this special place, "go to the beach, take off
your shoes and walk around."
Stress levels escalate, to be sure, at this time of year. ..
evidenced by my mercurial response to Peter's justly held
opinion.
What's the point? The problem's a lot deeper than some
misbehaved guests with car alarms. And the solution isn't
clear to me. . . but I know that mostly folks prefer to be
treated as individuals and not glumped together. I know I
do.
(editor's note; The 'visit' of the beloved Rev. referred to by
Mary Anne was actually a working one, Billy and his
companions being canvassers for OSPIRG, and not tourists
as she thought. But thanks for M.A.’s hospitality
nontheless.)
Il Professore,
The topic of your August column was ostensibly
"tourists". The piece had more to do with dogs, doo-doo,
and old males, however; and Professore Pietro, this troubles
us. We detect a Newt-like quiver in the voice that harkens
back to a "saner" time when Dads worked and Moms took
care of the kids. Those days are gone and what we are left
with is today's "real thing": a lot of tourists in the summer
who feel the same pressures as the rest of us. They don't
have much leisure time, worry about money, and are often
not mindful enough to enjoy what's in front of them. But
surely they are no more callous and aggressive than the
author of August's column? We have admired your
thoughtful and considered opinions over the years, but the
tone of August's entry goes beyond the occasional surly note
we have come to expect in your work. In fact, it reminds us
of a certain old male yipping dog we know, but that's
another story . . . perhaps your Ibogaine Rx needs adjusting.
Or may we suggest that in the summer months you emulate
a more mellow journalist than Hunter Thompson, say Andy
Rooney?
Yours Affectionately,
Las Tres Locas
Okay, that does it. Now, for the final word on the subject.
Yes, the Upper Left Edge survives on ads and contributions
in part from tourist- dependant businesses. Yes, your
beloved editor sells used books to visitors as well as locals.
Yes, it is impossible to earn a living from fishing or even
logging for most people here on the edge. The reason for
that is that the loggers over cut, destroyed streams, killed
salmon runs, and generally killed the golden goose. All in
the name of giving the folks what they want. Well, might
we humbly suggest that if the tourist industry is going to
endure in this and other locations, that it best learn from the
history of past industries in this area. Tourists visit Cannon
Beach for lots of reasons, not the least of which are the
natural beauty and artistic people who live here year round.
This community has taken many controversial actions to
preserve the livability of the town, to save us from the fate
of Lincoln City and strip mall towns. The price of living in
Groucho Marx
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S eptember
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BASEBALL
With less than a month left in the season,
and the Cubs at 500, we are tempted to
start thinking of next year. The only good
news we have is Mr. Baseball is back and
we've got him. So get into it: baseball,
the art, is about to reach the mainstage for
its brief fling next month; the World
Series. How many years can your beloved
editor wait?
Cannon Beach is not just having the sidewalks remind you
of a crowded high school hallway, or a fifteen minute wait
to get that quart of milk while listening to screaming litters
of children whose parents seem to be as careless about their
maintenance as they were about their manufacture, but doing
all this while rushing to your third job of the day at
minimum wage. It has been said that the equivalent of the
City of Chicago visits Oregon each summer; pity they don't
bring the Cubs. We have been called stupid because we
don't have a McDonald's in town. We have seen, yes, "slack
jawed cretins" demanding ice water, bathrooms, and instant
gratification at Bill's Tavern, then stiffing the waiter on a
$30 bill. We have put up with, in businesses all over town,
being treated like serfs and morons by our own "guests".
We have a theory that the excessive amounts of oxygen in
our air makes them act that way.
We feel that the point the professor was making was that
if we don't pay more attention to what we do and how we do
it, we will ruin the very reasons people want to visit. And
if the visitors we are attracting do not appreciate this
community, perhaps we should reasses what kind of a
community we are or want to become. For surely the cost
of living anywhere should not be common courtesy, respect
for the town, the natural environment and the people. Just
because your employer pays your wages, doesn't mean you
have to crawl on your knees for the almighty dollar. No,
you shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you, but remember,
just because you feed a^og doesn't mean you can whip it.
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UPPER LEfT EQ6E S L P Itn O 1115 ,