FROM THE LOWER LEFT CORNER
For y o u r D eck, C e d a r S iding, o r Log H om e...
• © -
V ictoria SToppielLo
A Wood Finish that Works in All Kind? of Weather
«.••A**** •
defy !
Advice for tourists (and the rest of us)
Sunlight and water rob wood of
its natural strength and beauty
DEFVs unique water-based
formula penetrates deeply to
keep wood motsture-free and
has powerful sunscreens to
block damaging UV rays
With tourist season upon us. 1 find my
imtation nsing because of the behav iot o f some o f our
visitors 1 wish we could have a more mutually
beneficial relationship Ot course, tounsts benefit
some local denizens very directly, but for others the
benefits o f tourism are tnckie down, or at worst, no
benefit at all.
I've lived on the northwest coast for 15
years, and one o f my favorite maxims is that a tourist
is a person who dnves 15 miles over the speed limit in
town and 15 miles under on the highway I've lived in
communities so small they have nary a stoplight,
places where kids, dogs, and old folks wander the
streets on fix« without fear of being a vehicular
statistic—except during lounst season when urbanites
(there's my first slur) bomb down side streets in search
of their beach cottage, taking little heed that there are
no sidewalks and all foot traffic must share the same
pavement
Out on llie road, the opposite is true.
Rubber necking tounsts, often in motor homes, hold
up a string of cars, while they put? along well below
the limit, seemingly unconscious of the delivery
trucks and commuters trying to get somewhere on
time It's a good thing to remember that one person's
scenic highway is someone else's commuter route,
especially on the coast where Hwy 101 is the only
link between jobs, county seats, and community
colleges Please check your rear view mirror
periodically and pull aside so speedier traffic can gel on
with it.
I've also heard a lot of complaints about
tourist attitudes Restaurant servers tell war stories
about imperious diners, who seem to believe theirs is
the only meal being served in the place, pointing to a
coffee eup with an arrogant nod, generally behaving as
if it’s obvious the waiter or waitress is o f a subhuman
life form. Rude restaurant guests are a minority, but
just one can be the last straw on a jam-packed day in a
restaurant Please remember you're on vacation, taking
a break from your normal routine. You came here to
slow down, relax, experience something different—so
do that: slow down. If little beach towns were the city,
there'd be no point in coming here, would there? Or
would you like Manhattan Island with a beach?
Another local prejudice is that tourists are
responsible for all the litter Fast food places
exacerbate the situation, and we have some community
members who say "let them trash the beach as long as
they leave money in the till." While some believe
tourism is a non-extractive industry because visitors
don't eat the scenery or haul it away—too many
visitors, or too many thoughtless ones, can degrade the
scenery to a point where it no longer can be the goose
that lays the golden egg. I-ocal people as well as
visitors: Be conscientious with your potential litter;
go a bit further and pick up after our less thoughtful
friends.
Now that I’ve unloaded my curmudgeonly
thoughts, here's a bit o f helpful information I
routinely dispensed when welcoming visitors as a
B&B host on the Oregon and W ashington coasts:
How to predict the weather On the coast, precipitation
always comes on southeast, south, and southwest
winds, in that order. When the wind is from the
southeast, wet weather is headed our way. It may be a
shower or a day-long inundation, depending on the
time of year When the wind lums west, however, a
clearing trend is in the making, again varying in
length depending on the season. If the wind is from the
southeast or south, plan a day antiquing or visiting
museums and galleries If the wind is westerly, head
for the beaches and hiking trails.
Regarding sun bathing: First you need sun
and that comes usually with a brisk northwest wind
Therefore find a bit of lee, a spot with protection on
the north (rood places on the Peninsula are at the base
o f North Head or at Waikiki Beach, both in Ft. Canby
State Park. Although the headland isn't close,
Waikiki's piles o f driftwood and general southern
exposure provide a natural location with more wind
protection.
Finally, if beach walking is your forte, try
first thing in the morning. That 20 to 30 mph
northwest wind usually doesn't kick up til about 11
AM Any time before that, you’ll typically find a
calm, beautiful period when you can enjoy the beach
in shirtsleeves.
T h e P ro fessio n al Solution F o r Wood
Ab Childress glanced over toward me from his
position alongside a pair of sawhorses hobbled down on
the roof shell of the old Cannon Beach Lumber
Building.
"Think about it." He philosophized. "We're taking
part in a piece of history here!~"
Indeed!
When Billy Hults found out I'd joined the crew
transmogrifying the old lumber shed into a tavern, he
linked our work with the Deity.
"When you boys go down to begin work on that new
tavern, you're doing God's own work. It's blessed labor.
Blessed, I tell you!"
Hults started ranting here He tends toward theatrics,
excesses, and wild declamation. He flails his arms
about and hits those near him for emphasis.
"Our democracy had its conception and birth in a
tavern. John Adams and those early patriots drank beer
and engaged in flights of fancy, creating the ideals we
hold d e a r"
I've had five dulcet days to reflect on these matters
while rehabilitating the roof and constructing parapet
walls.
I inquired of Ken Clark's dad Monday morning, my
first day on the job with Ken and his son Matt.
"Roy's well," Ken told me. "He'll be here tomorrow.
He's ninety years old this year. He and Harry Ayres
built this building, you know."
Sure enough. Next morning at 9 o'clock in the
morning, an old gray Toyota pulled onto the job site.
Out stepped Roy with his nail belt strapped on tightly.
"You boys need a hand up there?" he asked us.
I mentioned, facetiously, that we had a few heavy
beams to lift up there on the roof, twenty-some dizzying
feet in the air. I glanced around a few minutes later,
and, shazaam! There he was dismounting from a
precarious ladder to join in the fray! I spent a great
week with those Clark boys resurrecting the building in
its new incarnation, a restaurant and tavern going on
line next spring. The stories and reminiscences made
the hours fly.
Speaking o f incarnations, or reincarnations, two
businesses that lay fallow for some time are alive and
thriving. The Wavecrest Hotel, that lovely old nine-
gabled yellow building in south Tolovana Park, reopens
for customers this weekend. I am elated. My friend
Hank (We call him Daryl) promises to continue the
tradition set by Don and Vi Thompson during their
tenure as innkeepers.
The Bald Eagle Cafe, once thought extinct, rose like
the mythical Phoenix last month. The Jiroudek Family
members, following consent by the previous owners,
have named their coffee house after its predecessor.
Judith Wilkes and Doug Sweet opened the original Bald
Eagle Cafe in the late 70's at its site on S. Hemlock.
The cafe exudes the same quiet charm as its namesake.
Life in the village has improved by increments.
Highlights the Natural Beauty o f Wood
Will Not Flake or Peel
Easy to Apply and Maintain
Sun Country Log Home Store
Timber and McMinnville, Oregon (800)827-1688
www.TheLogHomeStore.com
Free Sam ple Available!
Where is there dignity unless there is honesty?
Cicero
G ourmet P iz z A
A
selection of
OREGON WINES &
fine BEERS
always on hand.
Come join us for
dinner near the
pounding surf at
Laneda & Carmel
in Manzanita
503/ 368-5593.
N
C lifton
A. B atchelder REAL ESTATE
Cole Horsley - Sales
A s s o c ia te
Residence 503-436-2845
Phone 503-436-9670
Post Office Box 386
Fax 503-436 9668
1235 S Hemlock Street
1 -800 436 9670
Cannon Beach. OR 97110
4 3 6 *1 8 8 5
I hope I shall posses firmness and virtue
enough to maintain what I consider the
most enviable o f all titles, the character of
an honest man.
George Washington
IL L A M O O k
IT E .A D
B o o k ' s
NELW&U-5E.Ù B O O K 5
g P E X lA L ORDERS
150 A ve . U, S e a s id e ?
Victoria Sloppiello is a writer living in Ilwaco, at the
lower left corner o f Washington slate.
CATS & DOGS
Philip Thompson
•
Women
by nature
are similar to cats
as men are to dogs
1 architect
Personalized custom designs for your unique site.
a r c h ite c tu r e & e n v ir o n m e n ta l p la n n in g
25925 N.W. St. Helens Rd., Scappoose, OR 97056
(503) 543-2000
Life is easier to take than you’d think; all that is
necessary is to accept the impossible, do without
the indispensable and bear the intolerable.
Kathleen Norris
Cats will bask in beauty
and need to lie
still on your chest
LUM IE TOKNSOM
R IA L ESTATE
Dogs love to chase
a ball and are sensitive
to punishment
ANTHONY STOPPIELLO
= = = = = = = = =
Women who like dog3
like men
while men who hate cats
are generally angry
Architect
Sometimes
they sleep together
or play and share food
but it's very
very rare
Earth friendly architecture
Consultant - Educator
Passive solar design
Conscientious material use
Licensed in Oregon and Washington
310 Lake S t • POB 72. Ilwaco. WA 9 6 6 2 4 ( 3 6 0 ) 6 4 2 -4 2 5 6
Cora Smith
UPPER LEFT EDGE ftUGUST 200Q
4
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F or A l l T our R ia l E state : N exos