GRAB BAG glimpse • words • q&a • food • fun
Photo by Matt Love
Sea Breeze Restaurant & Lounge is located near the junction of U.S. highways
101 and 26.
A G LIMPSE I NSIDE
An occasional feature by MATT LOVE
Sea Breeze Restaurant & Lounge
There I was, driving home
after a Saturday afternoon
presentation in Cannon
Beach, when it came into
view: the Sea Breeze Restau-
rant, just west of the U.S.
Highway 101 and U.S. High-
way 26 junction. I noticed a
neon sign that read “lounge”
and thought to myself: why
not? It had been a great
show. I made a few bucks. A
mini celebration of one beer
was in order.
The Sea Breeze was open
but the parking lot empty,
and I relished its emptiness
because I love being the
only person inside a coastal
lounge on a weekend
afternoon. I always fi nd great
stories at that non-witching
hour.
I walked inside the
lounge: two tables, two
booths, fi ve seats at the bar.
A football game on televi-
sion played without sound. I
was the only customer.
Perfect. I couldn’t believe
I’d never stopped in here
before. I wondered what
else I missed driving by it a
thousand times.
A kindly bartender came
up and took my order of
a draft beer and halibut
sandwich to go. I had the
place all to myself until a
couple of locals strolled in a
few moments later. That was
fi ne. They were quiet and
didn’t seem like the type who
screamed in public at football
games on television. I never
go to those loud places. No
stories are ever there.
I met the owner Steve
Russell. He and his wife, Lisa,
have owned the Sea Breeze
for 30 years! We talked a bit,
and I learned that Sea Breeze
moves a lot of bloody marys
in the mornings when the
tourists are rolling through
on their way to fi shing,
clamming and beachcomb-
ing. I guess going to the
coast does that to some city
people, makes them crave
good bloody marys in the
morning. Why not? It’s called
vacation.
The beer was good and
cheap, and the sandwich
smelled delicious. I left the
lounge but knew I’d be back.
The Sea Breeze, located at 84774 U.S.
Highway 101, is open from 7 a.m. to 8
p.m. Monday through Thursday and from
7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Friday Exchange
Letters to
the Editor
A good
n ew spa per is a
tw o-w a y street.
Y ou lea rn from
us a n d w e lea rn
from you.
Matt Love is author/editor of 12 books about Oregon. They are available at all
coastal bookstores or through www.nestuccaspitpress.com. He lives in Astoria.
NW
word
nerd
By RYAN HUME
Cape [kāp]
noun
1. clothing. A sleeveless out-
er garment, open in the front,
fastened at the neck and worn
draped over the shoulders and
back
2. land. A large point or
headland that juts out into a
body of water, usually the sea
Origin:
Garment: Prior to 1565, un-
distinguished from the similar
ecclesiastical garment known
as a cope. By 1611 cape is set
apart as a sleeveless garment.
Borrowed from Medieval Latin,
cappa, meaning “cloak.” Land:
Around 1395, borrowed from
Old Provençal cap by way of
the Middle French, meaning,
literally, “head.” From the Lat-
in, caput, meaning the same
thing.
“The project proposed is to build, along
the line previously established on the south
side, a strong pile-dike, rising 3 feet above
low-tide, 8,000 feet long, and 20 feet wide
from outside to outside, fi lled with fascines
and stone, and securely protected on both
sides with mattresses and stone. The dike
will start near the northeast corner of Fort
20 | January 29, 2015 | coastweekend.com
Stevens, and, following the 12-foot curve,
will be directed a little westward of the outer
part of the headland at cape Hancock.”
—From a report submitted by Col.
Gillespie and the board of engineers, for-
warded by Alex Ramsey, Secretary of War,
to the U.S. Senate on Feb. 22, 1881. “The
Proposed Bar Improvement,” The Daily
Astorian, March 12, 1881, P. 1
“The process of piling and rip rapping
on Clatsop spit, as suggested by Col. Gilles-
pie, seems to be the true and wise method
to secure the southern wall of the Columbia
ship channel. The northern wall will be held
fi rm by the rocky base of Cape Disappoint-
ment.”
— Rev. G.H. Atkinson, “The Columbia
River Ship Channel to the Ocean,” The
West Shore, Jan. 1, 1882, P. 17
Open Forum
P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103
editor@dailyastorian.com
