DREAM HOMES
Assistance League of the Columbia Pacifi c’s eighth annual Home & Chef Tour shows off
unique views of the old and new all while helping out Clatsop County kids
A
Story by MARILYN GILBAUGH
$VVLVWDQFH /HDJXH RI WKH &ROXPELD 3DFL¿F dreds of school kids who don’t have those basics.
presents its eighth annual Home & Chef Tour this $VVLVWDQFH/HDJXHRIWKH&ROXPELD3DFL¿F¶V2S
weekend, featuring country homes in the Lewis eration School Bell program is all about providing
and Clark area south of Astoria. Grab a camera and clothes to kids in need. “No” or “can’t” is not part
a buddy or two — or three or more. Carpooling is of ALCP’s vocabulary. The Home & Chef Tour is
encouraged, and a car is a must. From 11 a.m. to 4 WKHQRQSUR¿WYROXQWHHURUJDQL]DWLRQ¶VPDMRUIXQG
p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, it’s a rare opportunity to ex- UDLVHU IRU WKH \HDU DQG SURFHHGV GLUHFWO\ EHQH¿W
plore Clatsop County’s beautiful Lewis and Clark Operation School Bell.
countryside, both inside and out.
“Allowing us into a private home is a big deal.
The Cascade Range and its towering forests sit We don’t take our hosts, our sponsors, our restau-
as a backdrop to the region’s lowlands, meander- rants or any of the supporting participation we get
ing waterways, pastures and farmlands (animals from so many, lightly,” said Davies, who is the
included). This area is a gem in Clatsop County’s head of the Home & Chef Tour. “It is a big deal,
awesome and expansive beauty, a beauty that is of- and we really appreciate it.
ten usurped by the better-known Columbia River
“But really, how can you say no, once you know
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this tour is all about supporting kids?”
Five private homes (each housing a local chef
The homes on this year’s tour are listed below
inside), plus one well-known garden center cordial- in alphabetical order. Their addresses, including
ly open their doors to greet, meet and offer signa- Brim’s Garden Center, are printed on the back
ture taste treats to all comers. Assistance League’s of tour tickets ($25), which are available at Hol-
Home & Chef Tour is a chance to get an up-close- ly McHone Jewelers in Astoria and at all Clastop
DQGSHUVRQDO ORRN LQVLGH ¿YH SULYDWH UHVLGHQFHV County branches of Columbia Bank. Tickets and a
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map of locations will also be available at participat-
Brim’s Farm and Garden Center has agreed to ing homes on the day of the tour.
be part of this year’s tour. Owner and master gar-
dener Linda Brim will be brimming with garden-
The Bergerson Home
ing ideas, answers for spring and fall landscaping
David and Linda Bergerson’s home displays an
questions, and demon-
artist’s eye throughout,
strations too. Brim’s
from its bridged entry-
will host a chef from
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Assistance League of the Columbia Pacifi c
Astoria’s Blue Scorch-
plan. Much of the tim-
er Bakery.
ber came from 1950s
When
securing
movie star Tab Hunt-
homes for the 2015
er’s barn; he owned a
11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10
Home & Chef Tour,
horse ranch located just
Featuring fi ve homes in the Lewis and Clark area, south
Assistance League of
down the road. The res-
of Astoria plus Brim’s Farm & Garden, 34963 Hwy 105
WKH &ROXPELD 3DFL¿F¶V
idence was originally
Mary Davies didn’t
the Bergerson family’s
Tickets: $25
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tile and stone business
Get yours at Holly McHone Jewelers,
much of a challenge.
warehouse and mosaic
1150 Commercial St. in Astoria or at all Clastop County
“I just ask very nice-
art studio. Today it has
branches of Columbia Bank. Tickets will also be
ly and explain what
evolved into a lived-in,
available at each home on the day of the tour
Assistance League is
homey mixed-media
all about,” she said.
gallery.
For more information, contact Mary Davies at
“When home owners
Everything
that
503-738-2672 or visit www.assistanceleaguecp.org
hear it’s for clothing
could be recycled has
our Clatsop County
been: stone and tile,
wood, windows and
kids, they’re on board.”
Warm jackets, socks, shoes, pajamas and under- more. David’s degree in aeronautical engineering
wear — these are basic clothing most people take is evident in cantilevered planks, beams, interior
for granted. But in Clatsop County there are hun- bridges and a soaring center stairway. Handmade
Home & Chef Tour
12 | October 8, 2015 | coastweekend.com
dairy; today it houses 50 red Angus cattle on the
Inmans’ working farm.
The couple’s single-story country-style home,
built in 1971, was purchased in 1992. Remodeling
commenced immediately. Soaring ceilings, stone
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skies, and a massive rolltop desk from a Chicago
railroad station (it was moved in and stayed put)
add to the feel of a much-treasured and lived-in
family home.
Outside, Debbie’s gardening talent is evident,
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ternoon, the sun comes through the trees,” she said.
“When we moved here, there wasn’t one plant. I
got my love of the soil from my grandfather. I think
I must channel him.”
If you linger in the garden, don’t be surprised if
a curious goat or two come by to say hello. Also en-
joy bites by Fulio’s Pastaria, Steakhouse and Deli.
The Mary Kinney Estate
Mary de la Salandra stands outside her home in Lewis and Clark.
An expansive porch and ornate wooden front
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and a year-round Christmas tree.
From left, top row, Susan Wentworth, Mary Davies, Cheri Folk, Jane
“I’ve loved old stuff since I was 13 years old,”
Cartwright, Shelby Mogenson and Pat Rothenburger; second row, Marlene said. “There’s nothing new in our house
Chris Holen, Loren Cross, Mary de la Salandra, Drake Radditz and except a relaxing tilt-back chair purchased for
Brian Burgess are pictured outside of Mary de la Salandra’s home in
Lewis and Clark. Built in 1912 by Mary Strong Kinney, the home is fea- George’s retirement.”
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tured on Assistance League of the Columbia Pacifi c’s Home & Garden
Tour, set for Oct. 10.
came from the Tongue Point gym. “We designed,
stained and placed everything in here,” Marlene
furniture (dowels only please) from tables to doors said. “In the garden room, our oldest daughter did
the painting and our youngest the stenciling, and I
handles feature the couple’s attention to detail.
The outdoor kitchen and smokehouse is David’s took care of placing the old drinking fountain. Now
GRPDLQZKHUHKHVPRNHV¿VKFDQVDQGGULHVKLV our grandchildren ask when they can paint a wall.”
When working on a home project, the couple
provisions while Linda tends to a bountiful garden.
“We’re hunter-gatherers, doing our best to recycle employs local builders, craftsmen and upholsterers.
and sustain,” said David.
“For our kitchen cabinets, I bought the knives
'UDNH5DGGLW]RI5DGGLW]5LYHU*XLGH6HUYLFHV we needed, and our woodworker carved the detail-
will be the couple’s guest chef during the tour.
ing while a local Astoria woman was making the
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The House Residence
“I love them.”
The George and Marlene House house is lots
Baked Alaska will serve food at the couple’s
of fun to say. It was designed by the couple and home during the tour.
built in 1997 to purposely look like it’s been com-
fortably nestled into its location for many years. A
The Inman Farm
small blacksmithing sign, one of George’s many
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hobbies, announces that you’ve arrived. The soft /DUU\DQG'HEELH,QPDQ¶VKRPHLVD¿HOGIXOORI
yellow exterior of the home is bordered by a walk- JUD]LQJ%RHUJRDWV7KHQH[WLVWKHH[SDQVLYH
way garden, showing off Marlene’s master gar- view of the Youngs Bay area, including the high
dening skills and hinting at more to come in the peak of Saddle Mountain. In the lower pasture, a
backyard.
big red barn, built circa 1900, was once part of a
The 1912 Mary Kinney Estate — aka the Stone
House — is a landmark in the Lewis and Clark
area. Current owners Mary de la Salandra and her
husband, Raymond Martin, bought the house in
2013 and are only the third owners of the resi-
dence.
“Every morning I wake up not quite believing
that I get to live in this house!” said Mary. “It’s a
dream come true.”
Designed by a widowed Mary Strong Kinney
when she was 53 years old, the house has long
had a reputation as one of the most extraordi-
nary homes in Astoria. Built on a 100-acre par-
cel, it overlooks the Lewis and Clark Valley with
a full view of the river. The four stories, plus an
all-wood attic (which musician and owner Ray-
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Craftsman style.
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en-acre wooded site. Virgin wood trim, some
measuring 2-by-20 feet, is from the Kinney Mill.
This wood, as wood lovers love to say, “you just
can’t get anymore”; it will make any wood appre-
ciator’s day.
Many of the stones built into the exterior re-
putedly came from passing ships. In the 19th cen-
tury, cargo ships used stones as ballast, material
that provides stability in wind and water (insuf-
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Mary Strong Kinney, born in Salem in 1859,
was widowed in 1898. She raised four sons, man-
aged her late husband’s saw mill near Astoria and
never remarried. President of the Astoria Wom-
en’s Suffrage Club, Kinney was elected to the Or-
egon House of Representatives in 1920, serving
as the only women in the legislature in 1921. She
was later elected to the Oregon State Senate, serv-
ing from 1923 to 1925.
In the crash of 1929, Kinney lost her fortune
and her Astoria home. The Stone House later sold
in the 1930s for $7,000 to Mary and Arthur Fil-
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children and family lived in the house for many
years.
Photos by Joshua Bessex
A large window provides ample light in the dining room of Ramona Pope and Brad Hunter’s home.
During the Home & Chef Tour, attendees will
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The Pope Digs
The Ramona Pope and Brad Hunter house has
survived many evolutions. Occupied by 10 differ-
ent families over its nearly 100 years, the building
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was here before the dyke,” said Ramona. “You
came home by boat or over trails. There were no
roads.”
At another juncture it was the Battlecreek
Chicken Farm. Plumbing was an outhouse until
1952.
During the tour, Beach Burrito will serve as
guest chef for attendees.
The original house was just a small square.
“We bought the house and four acres 26 years
ago when the house had grown to 1,500 square feet
and the land was valued at more than the house,”
Ramona said. “Today our home is a 3,000-square-
foot, four-bedroom country home. We took walls
down, bumped out bedrooms, doing nine remod-
eling projects over the years — along the way dis-
covering old bottles and ancient newspapers in the
walls.
“Sometimes we ask ourselves what we were
thinking when we bought our house. Then we re-
member that we didn’t see it like that. We saw our The kitchen in Ramona Pope and Brad Hunter’s Lewis and Clark home, which is part of the eighth annual Assistance League of
the Columbia Pacifi c’s Home & Chef Tour, taking place Saturday, Oct. 10.
dreams.”
October 8, 2015 | coastweekend.com | 13