JULY 7, 2016 // 23
BOOK SHELF // GLIMPSE // WILDLIFE // POP CULTURE // WORDS // Q&A // FOOD // FUN
PHOTO BY MATT LOVE
The Shelburne Inn in Seaview, Washington, will host an
Ernest Hemingway dinner on July 9.
A G LIMPSE I NSIDE
By MATT LOVE
The Shelburne Inn Pub
At long last, I made my
way to the historic Shel-
burne Inn in Seaview. I’d
heard so many wonderful
descriptions about it that I
simply had to visit.
Imagine my surprise
when I walked in and met
fellow Coast Weekend
contributor Dwight Caswell.
The convivial Dwight was
pulling a shift as a bar-
tender in Shelburne’s cozy
pub, greeted me warmly
and set me up right with a
local beer and a bowl of the
exquisite mussel chowder. It
was easily the best chowder
I’ve tasted in years and will
redefi ne the word “chow-
der” in your mind, which is
a good thing when so many
coastal clam chowders have
virtually no distinction, and
apparently, few clams.
The pub exudes a
charming literary vibe, and
thus it makes perfect sense
for the Shelburne Inn to
host an Ernest Hemingway
dinner matched with Papa’s
favorite cocktails on July 9.
Quite naturally, be-
ing that he’s a writer and
remarkable doctor of mix-
ology, Dwight will have a
starring role in the Heming-
way dinner; he’ll entertain
diners by reading passages
from Hemingway’s classic
works, and who knows,
maybe sip a little Pernod
and challenge someone to
a round of fi sticuff s and go
full-tilt Ernest.
Most hard core Hem-
ingway fans have a favorite
book. I’m partial to “A
Moveable Feast,” his 1964
memoir of living in Paris in
the 1920s. It was the gold-
en era of the Lost Genera-
tion when Hemingway was
writing “The Sun Also Rises,”
his infl uential debut novel,
and hanging out with the
likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald
and Gertrude Stein.
There are dozens of
wicked anecdotes in “A
Moveable Feast,” and one
can only hope Dwight
chooses one to read that
involves eating and drink-
ing. That would seem only
fi tting for a writer’s den like
the Shelburne Inn pub.
Matt Love is the author/editor of
14 books, including “A Nice Piece
of Astoria.” His books are avail-
able at coastal bookstores or his
web site, nestuccaspitpress.com
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PHOTO BY ALEX PAJUNAS
The old stagecoach road that was blasted into the rock at Hug Point is still visible today.
NW
word
nerd
By RYAN HUME
Hug [hʌg]
verb
1. a universal form of
human intimacy expressed
by holding someone tightly
to your body with your arms;
an embrace
2. to cling onto a particular
idea or concept
3. to stay physically close
to an object
noun
4. the act of hugging
5. Hug Point: a 42-acre
Oregon State Recreation
Site located approximately
fi ve miles south of Cannon
Beach to the west of U.S. 101
just north of Arch Cape. This
stretch of sandy cove beach
and its forested headlands
include a waterfall, caves and
tide pools to explore during
low tide. Hug Point becomes
impassable during high tide.
Origin:
Enters English in the
mid-16th century most
likely from a Scandinavian
source. Compare to the Old
Norwegian and Old Icelan-
dic hugga, which means
“to comfort.” It is fi rst noted
as a noun in 1617 as a
hold in wrestling. It wasn’t
until the 1650s that its
common association with
an aff ectionate embrace is
recorded.
Hug Point is said to
have gotten its name from
late-19th century travel-
ers, who used the beach as
a stagecoach route — the
only way to gain access
to Arch Cape in the south.
The rustic beach road
was carved into the head,
which the coaches had
to “hug” to get by. When
the road was blasted out
of the rock face and by
whom continues to be a
source of debate.
“In the 1910s, a roadway was
blasted out at Hug Point, which
made the road accessible to
automobiles as well as coaches,
though it was only usable at low
tide. Several sources claim it dates
to 1920, when a man from Arch
Cape bought a brand-new Maxwell
motorcar and tried to drive it home.
It reportedly got stuck in the surf
while driving around the point,
and the incoming tide submerged
it. The man was so angry he raised
subscriptions from his neighbors,
bought dynamite and blasted out
the roadbed — so the story goes.
Stagecoaches, wagons and now
automobiles could finally cross Hug
Point at low tide without getting
pickled in corrosive saltwater. And
cross it they did, regularly; after
all, there was no alternative. To this
day, you can still see the wheel ruts
from the original stagecoach road
dug into the rocks.”
— Elaine Murdy-Trucke, “How Hug
Point got its name,” The Daily Astorian,
Friday Extra, Feb. 13, 2015
“For a long time Hug Point
was considered quite a drawback
to that part of the beach south of
it, as it was passable to vehicles
only at extreme low tide, but the
perseverance and energy of the
people soon found a remedy for the
drawback, and with the aid of drill
and powder they carved a perfect
roadway around the solid rock
point, making a passable highway
at nearly any stage of the tide.”
—Herman Rose, “Most Picturesque
Stretch of the Pacific Shore,” The Sunday
Oregonian, August 14, 1904, P. 31