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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 27, 2015)
A sketch of summer Musings on phones, people and the city in Fort George Brewery S Story by MATT LOVE he sat next to me at the bar and ¿GGOHG RQ her phone inside the Fort George Brewery in Astoria. I put her at \HDUVROG6KHZRUHDSDLV- OH\ VOHHYHOHVV GUHVV DQG ZDV tatted up both arms. I wrote a OHWWHULQDORQJKDQGWRDEHDX- ty marooned in a big city. We had beers at our ca- VXDO FRPPDQG PLQH D OLJKW )RUW ODJHU KHUV FRQ- VLGHUDEO\GDUNHUSHUKDSVDQ DOH7KHUHZDVQRWKLQJWRGR but dispose of a sunny sum- PHUDIWHUQRRQZKLOHEHKLQG XVWKH)RUWEXVWOHGZLWKWKH VXPPHU UXVK 7KH ZRUG LV RXW RQ $VWRULD 7KH FLW\ RI UDLQLVKRW3OHDVHUDLQVRRQ RU WKHUH PLJKW EH D PLOOLRQ SHRSOHPRYLQJKHUH $ IHZ PLQXWHV HODSVHG 6KHWXFNHGWKHSKRQHLQKHU SXUVHDQGSXOOHGRXWDERRN $ERRN6KHSODFHGWKHERRN on the counter and began UHDGLQJ , FRXOGQ¶W EHOLHYH LW 7KH ODVW WLPH , VDZ DQ\- RQH UHDGLQJ D UHDO ERRN LQ SXEOLF ZDV WKH ODVW WLPH , VDZ VRPHRQH PDNLQJ D FDOO IURPDWHOHSKRQHERRWK ,W LV SDLQIXO WR ZDWFK VXEOLPH DQG LQH[SHQVLYH FXOWXUDOSDVWLPHVJRH[WLQFW OLNH UHDGLQJ D SDSHUEDFN QRYHO LQ SXEOLF HVSHFLDOO\ ZKHQ \RX UHDOL]H ZKDW IRO- ORZHGWKHLUH[WLQFWLRQKDUGO\ LPSURYHG \RXU OLIH DQG FRVW D ORW PRUH PRQH\ $UH ZH VXEVWDQWLYHO\ EHWWHU RII DV D FXOWXUH ZLWKRXW W\SHZULWHUV and rotary phones and four IUHH WHOHYLVLRQ VWDWLRQV DQG paper maps as guides? I see QRHYLGHQFHZHDUH 6KH IROGHG WKH ERRN WR- gether and sipped her beer. , JOLPSVHG WKH WLWOH ³&DW¶V &UDGOH´E\.XUW9RQQHJXW, FRXOGQ¶WEHOLHYHLW$ZRPDQ ZDVUHDGLQJD.XUW9RQQHJXW QRYHOLQDEDULQ$VWRULD , ZDV VR VKRFNHG E\ WKLV WKURZEDFN VSHFWDFOH WKDW , IHOW FRPSHOOHG WR VWULNH XS D FRQYHUVDWLRQ EXW ZDV XQ- sure how to proceed. I was UXVW\ DW VWDUWLQJ FRQYHUVD- tions with perfect strang- HUV LQ EDUV 2QFH ,¶G EHHQ decent at it. Now it seemed OLNH DQFLHQW NQRZOHGJH HQ- WRPEHGLQDQDJHZKHUHYLU- WXDOO\HYHU\RQHVLWWLQJDORQH LQ EDUV RU DQ\ SXEOLF SODFH IRUWKDWPDWWHULVILGGOLQJRQ WKHLU SKRQH DQG FRPSOHWHO\ GLVHQJDJHG IURP HYHU\WKLQJ LPPHGLDWHO\ DURXQG WKHP 7KHSKRQHLVDQXQZHOFRPH SUHVHQFH LQ SXEOLF SODF- HV ,W REOLWHUDWHV SRWHQWLDO FRQYHUVDWLRQV ZLWK UDQGRP VWUDQJHUV DQG WKH ULGLFXORXV stories and interactions that LQYDULDEO\ HQVXH IURP WKHVH impromptu human engage- PHQWV ,¶YH SUDFWLFDOO\ EXLOW The Fort bustled with the summer rush. The word is out on Astoria. The city of rain is hot. Please rain soon or there might be a million people moving here. D ZKROH 2UHJRQ ZULWLQJ FD- UHHU RQ WKHP 0D\EH ,¶OO EH going extinct soon. 6KH ZDV DERXW KDOI ZD\ WKURXJK WKH QRYHO , GRQ¶W UHPHPEHU P\ RSHQLQJ OLQH but her response was friend- O\ JDUUXORXV :H GLVFXVVHG WKHERRNDQGDELRJUDSK\RI 9RQQHJXW,KDGUHFHQWO\UHDG ZKHUHLQKLVODVWGD\VKHZDV RSHQO\ZRQGHULQJWRWKHDX- thor of the biography about KLV OHJDF\ :DV DQ\RQH JR- ing to read him after he GLHG":DV.HURXDFJRLQJWR EHPRUHSRSXODULQWKHHQG" :HOO.XUWUHVWLQSHDFH 6RPHRQH ZDV UHDGLQJ \RX for the first time I might DGG RQ D UHFRPPHQGDWLRQ from a friend. And reading \RX ZKLOH GULQNLQJ D EHHU ZKLOH VXUURXQGHG E\ ]RP- ELHV ]RQNHG RXW RQ WKHLU phones in one of the most LQWHUHVWLQJ ROG EXLOGLQJV RQ WKH2UHJRQ&RDVW :H WDONHG IRU DERXW PLQXWHVDQGWKHQ,UHWXUQHG WR P\ OHWWHU DQG VKH ZHQW EDFN WR 9RQQHJXW )LIWHHQ PLQXWHV ODWHU , VDLG ³JRRG- E\H´WRKHUDQGWKHQZDONHG RXW RI WKH )RUW IHHOLQJ SUHW- ty damn good. I thought to P\VHOI 0D\EH LW¶V WLPH WR UHDG 9RQQHJXW¶V ³%UHDNIDVW RI &KDPSLRQV´ DJDLQ 9RQ- QHJXW HYHQ LOOXVWUDWHG WKLV QRYHO KLPVHOI :KDW QRYHO- ist does that anymore? Matt Love lives in Astoria and is the author/editor of 14 books about Oregon, including “A Nice Piece of Astoria: A Narrative Guide” and “The Great Birthright: An Oregon Novel.” They are available at coastal book- stores and through www. nestuccaspitpress.com. Photo by Matt Love August 27, 2015 | coastweekend.com | 9