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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 2016)
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016 COMMUNITY 1B A LITTLE CHRISTMAS JOY BABY, IT’S COLD OUTSIDE ‘M HE DID IT RIGHT T he Ear just happened on the photo shown of a seal pup lounging at the Seaside Cove taken by Kimberley McCaw on Dec. 23. There was a big storm that day, she told the Ear, so she was really startled to see the pup just hanging out at the Cove like that. She called the Seaside Aquarium, and someone came out and took a ORRNDWKLPKHZDVMXVW¿QHDQGSXWXSVLJQVWROHDYHKLPDORQH Kimberley was told the pup was probably about 5 weeks old, and just about the right age when their mothers send them out on their own. A few hours later he was gone. “My idea was he was just getting shook around in the cove,” she speculated, “and wanted a break.” She posted the pup’s photo on her own, and on the Daily As- torian’s Facebook pages, hoping someone would see it. “I was so excited to share him with someone,” she recalled, “but it was so near the holidays, and everyone was doing their own thing.” So here he is, better late than never. “He was a little Christmas joy,” Kimberley said. HERE’S THE SCOOP ‘F rite & Scoop, the ice cream store with house-made French custard style ice cream and Belgian style fries, cel- ebrated their one year anniversary and found the most popular ice cream had a very simple name, Bobby,” Jeff Daly reports. “Owners Kevin and Lisa Malcolm worked with one of their best customers to come up with an ice cream to satisfy his taste buds, and he wanted it to be named Bobby — not the usual name we know this character by in the 66 years he lived in Astoria and gained a reputation as a designer and architect.” The sign describing the ice cream, pictured in Jeff’s photo, says: “Vanilla ice cream with housemade nougat throughout. Inspired by (and named after) one of Astoria’s most lovable citizens!” ³,IWKLVÀDYRUGRHVQ¶WJUDE\RX´-HIIQRWHG³WKHUHDUHDGR]- en others available, some with real fancy names.” ‘D id you know that author Terry Brooks (http:// terrybrooks.net) has had one of his novels turned into a miniseries that’s premiering on MTV?” Pam Chater asked the Ear. No, for shame, the Ear didn’t know. He and his wife, Judine, and their cat, Roxy, are Cannon Beach residents. A prolific writer, Terry has dozens of books to his credit, and is well known for his fantasy series, “The Shannara Chronicles,” which was adapted for TV, and premiered Jan. 5. It’s been a long journey — the first of the Shannara books was written in the 1970s; the latest in 2015. By the way, Pam submitted the photo of the author (shown) with pointed ears because “his writing is pure fantasy and beautifully done.” On a local note, Terry and his wife started the “Get Lit at the Beach” confer- ence in Cannon Beach to promote authors and reading. The Ear digresses. Back to the Shannara series on MTV. In an interview with PasteMagazine.com (http:// tinyurl.com/tbrcomcon) when he appeared at Com- ic-Con in San Diego to promote the TV series, Terry noted that he is not the screenwriter. His job was to vet the scripts and make sure they stayed true to the fans’ perceptions. “I don’t think that there were any mis- steps in the way that it was put together,” he declared. “The fans have always had tremendous expecta- tions,” he recalled, “and they have said to me, ‘Do not screw this up. If you’re going to do it, do it right.’” And he did. DARING DO T ‘O nce again the intrepid Brownsmead Boys (pictured) assailed the frigid, windswept waters of Greater Blind Slough to perform an annual feat known as the New Year’s Day Water Ski in and Bottle Cap Flip,” David Graves wrote. “This is a tradition that began over 50 years ago and continues to live in the hearts of Brownsmead Boys everywhere to this day. ³7KLV\HDUWKHRUJDQL]DWLRQZDVUHSUHVHQWHGE\RQO\RQH¿UVW generation member, a rarity to be sure. The second generation was, however, well represented by Matti Raihala, Quinten Graves and Ed Jones. There were even a couple of up-and- coming third generation ‘Boys’ in attendance in the persons of Cooper and Ben Jones. “Though the wind was howling out of the east and there were white caps on the slough, the committed few braved the elements and successfully managed to appease the spirits of the slough, as well as the alligator who lives there, with their feats of daring do. Another year of tranquility is thus guaranteed for the greater Brownsmead populace by the defenders of Blind Slough.” We’ll all sleep better, to be sure. y family and I live in Washington, mainly in the Everett area,” Laura Gomez wrote. “Myself, my two sisters and my parents have been com- ing to Cannon Beach every year at Christmas-time for more than 25 years. It is our home away from home. Over the years our family has grown with little ones running on the beach and playing in the cold sand without a care. “This year in June my hus- band and I welcomed a little girl named Nina. We were very ex- FLWHGIRUKHU¿UVWWULSWR&DQQRQ Beach and to bundle up and brave the winter beach. We wanted to share with you our little chunky monkey (pictured) bundled up and out on the beach enjoying the amazing sunset and view of Haystack. Her cheeks were cold braving the wind, but she didn’t take that smile off her face. Even though she is a wee one, we like to think she en- joyed Cannon Beach just as much as we do every year.” “Thank you for welcoming us into your community and letting us visit every year,” Laura added. “The people who live in the area are always welcoming, and offer a friendly smile.” he Ear wondered what the world is thinking about the North Coast. Here are some current offerings: Dubious honors: Astorian Dan Sealy submitted that Roadsnacks.net has declared Astoria is No. 5 on the “Most Ghetto Places to Live in Oregon,” based on per capita household income, high school graduation rates, number of convenience stores, drug stores and discount stores, and crime (http://tinyurl.com/astghetto). Seaside: You came in at No. 8. Roadsnacks also rates Astoria as No. 2 in the “10 Drunkest Cities In Oregon,” based on the per cap- ita number of bars, pubs, wineries and liquor stores, drunk-related tweets and divorce rate (http://tinyurl.com/ astdrunk). Seaside comes in at No. 5. Kudos: In happier news, OnlyInYourState.com has declared Astoria to be No. 1 of the nine “Best Cities In Oregon To Retire In” (http://tinyurl.com/astret): “Asto- ria is a gorgeous 10,000 resident coastal town ... With a growing art scene, historic buildings, astounding views, and great restaurants, this charming beach town is a great place to spend your golden years.” The Ear really would like to know where that beach is. ConsumerAffairs.com reports that it analyzed FBI and Census Bureau data, and Cannon Beach is the third safest FLW\LQ2UHJRQIRUSROLFHRI¿FHUVSHUFDSLWDDQGLVDOVR considered “one of the safest cities in the U.S.” (http:// tinyurl.com/canbsafe). Manzanita is No. 1 in Oregon, by the way. Just for chuckles: Yahoo Travel urges travelers to take the “Best Vacation Ever! A Pot Tour of Washing- ton and Oregon” (http://tinyurl.com/pot-tours). To top it off, they thoughtfully offer a link to WeedMaps.com, so you won’t get lost between tokes. A FATEFUL ANNIVERSARY T uesday was the 80th anniversary of the wreck of the steel- hulled cargo ship SS Iowa on Peacock Spit at Cape Disap- pointment on Jan. 12, 1936. The Ear wouldn’t have known, if not for Stig Johannessen and the Astoria Oregon: Culture, Tales and History Facebook page, and his link to the account of what hap- pened (http://tinyurl.com/ssiowa34). The Iowa left the Weyerhaeuser pier at Longview, Washington, Jan. 11 with a full load, including two million board feet of lumber on her main deck, and stopped in Astoria to drop off the river pilot. The captain, Edgar L. Yates, an experienced bar pilot, took over WKHVKLS*DOHZDUQLQJSHQQDQWVZHUHDOUHDG\À\LQJEXWVKLSWUDI- ¿FZDVUXQQLQJVPRRWKO\VR&DSW<DWHVSXWRXWWRVHD At almost 2 a.m. Jan. 12, the vessel entered the ocean. The VWRUP VXGGHQO\ LQWHQVL¿HG EDWWHULQJ WKH ,RZD ZLWK UDLQ VTXDOOV treacherous waves and high winds (73 mph and above). Yates at- tempted to sail on. The Iowa’s distress call came in at 3:45 a.m. The ship was adrift near Peacock Spit, having been swept more than two miles off course. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Onondaga left Astoria to assist the stranded vessel, but could not approach due to the storm. Those watching through telescopes from the North Head Light Station spotted the ship about three miles from shore, as breakers drove her hard onto the sand. At daybreak, the Iowa was still being hit by giant waves and wind, and was breaking up. A sailor emerged from the pilothouse, and was swept away. No signs of life were visible after that. The destroyed ship is pictured in a photo by S. J. Ellis, and earlier, inset. In the aftermath, only 10 bodies were recovered of the 34 souls DERDUGWKH,RZD2QHRIWKHVDLORUVZKRZDVXQLGHQWL¿HGZDVEXU- ied at Astoria’s Greenwood Cemetery. Hundreds of beachcombers collected the bonanza of building supplies, canned salmon, bags of ÀRXUDQGPDWFKHVIURPWKHVKLS¶VFDUJRZKLFKOLWWHUHGEHDFKHVXS WRPLOHVDZD\IURPWKH¿QDOUHVWLQJSODFHRIWKH66,RZD² reportedly the greatest maritime disaster recorded on the Columbia River Bar in the 20th century. SPELL CHECK? D an Sealy posted photos on Facebook recently of the signs for Scandinavian Cannery Road, and one can’t help but wonder if the thought of heading west impeded someone’s ability to spell the ZRUG6FDQGLQDYLDQ7KHVLJQKHDGLQJHDVWLVMXVW¿QH+LVSKRWRV are pictured. The Ear’s reaction to the photos was the same as those who post- ed in response: Surprise at never having noticed the spelling error, even after driving by both signs repeatedly for 10 years. One smarty- pants aptly noted: “I doubt it was Scandinavians that made the sign.”
