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
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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!”
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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.
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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-
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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
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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
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At almost 2 a.m. Jan. 12, the vessel entered the ocean. The
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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
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ied at Astoria’s Greenwood Cemetery. Hundreds of beachcombers
collected the bonanza of building supplies, canned salmon, bags of
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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
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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.”