The daily Astorian., May 24, 2017, Page 4A, Image 4

OPINION
4A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017
Founded in 1873
DAVID F. PERO, Publisher & Editor
LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor
BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager
JEREMY FELDMAN, Circulation Manager
DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager
CARL EARL, Systems Manager
Water
under
the bridge
Compiled by Bob Duke
From the pages of Astoria’s daily newspapers
10 years ago this week — 2007
Imagine the North Coast lined with vineyards full of ripening pinot
noir grapes.
“That’s what we’re headed towards with global warming,” said Bill
Bradbury, Oregon’s secretary of state.
Bradbury told a group of 50 people at Astoria’s Columbian Theater
Tuesday “the grapes that make the state’s signature wine love cool nights,
and to get them, they’re going to have to move north by the end of the
century due to rising temperatures.”
Other anticipated changes to the region from a warmer climate won’t
be so pleasant.
A gigantic fish tank.
That is the feeling created by the clapping seals, slithering
octopus and bubbling holding tanks visitors encounter at the
Seaside Aquarium.
It is filled with salmon, starfish, lobsters and various other
forms of aquatic wildlife, and at one time was a natatorium —
a salt water swimming pool — frequented by the residents of
Seaside. The pool’s reopening as an aquarium came in 1937,
after the pool was closed by the woes of the Depression.
A milestone is fast approaching for the aquarium. Friday
will mark its 70th anniversary.
A recent radio listenership study found KMUN 91.9 FM is, overall,
the most popular radio station on the North Coast.
The public station has, on average, the largest share of listeners age 12
and older from 6 a.m. to midnight Monday through Sunday.
50 years ago — 1967
The Daily Astorian/File Photo
The Peter Iredale wreck is more exposed than normal this spring,
apparently as result of washing away of surface sand. All four masts,
the outline of the hull, the main deck beams all are visible now.
SALEM — The House today reached a temporary settle-
ment in the fight over public or private ownership of Oregon’s
beaches.
The public emerged the winner by a 57-3 vote.
The measure would protect public access to the 16-foot ele-
vation mark — although the impermanent line will serve more
as a guideline for highway engineers and surveyors.
The bill directs the State Highway Department to survey the
entire 320-mile Oregon coastline. The surveys will be brought
to the 1969 Legislature, where a permanent line of demarca-
tion will be set.
SALEM – The House today removed the final roadblock to location of
a $140 million aluminum plant at Warrenton.
It passed, 35- 22, a measure that allows ports to issue revenue bonds to
provide financing for purchase, development and improvement of lands
within port districts.
The measure now goes to the Senate for concurrence on amendments.
WASHINGTON – The Interior Department may block
the proposed location of a large alumina plant near Astoria
because of a new policy soon to be announced by the John-
son administration on sale of revenue bonds by public agencies.
The administration is expected to ask Congress to repeal
the tax-exempt status which such revenue bonds have been
granted. The reasoning behind this change in policy is that the
government is losing too much in taxes by allowing its contin-
ued use.
75 years ago — 1942
There is too much of hate in the war psychology of America today
declared the Rev. Leslie Dunton, Seaside Episcopal church pastor, Thurs-
day noon at the Memorial Day observance address before the Astoria
Kiwanis club.
This Memorial Day, said the Seaside pastor, could well be dedicated
by the American people to thought about Christian brotherhood and the
peace that must follow the war. “There is no place in the day’s program
for the utterance of such insults as yellow-bellied bastards and the like,
which are heard on the radio these days and the words of hate that appear
in the newspapers when Japan and Germany are mentioned,” the speaker
said.
“Beat the Japs and the Germans — Yes, I say,” declared the young
Seaside pastor, “but keep in mind the peace that must follow the victory.”
There is no place in American thought for the annihilation of enemy peo-
ples, said the speaker.
GUEST COLUMN
Take time to smell the coffee
By APRYL SMITH
Special to The Daily Astorian
W
hen I was young,
traveling with Grandpa
Bersagel was always an
adventure … a SLOW adventure.
The trip initially started in a flurry
of activity: last-minute packing,
loading, the quick potty (“Yes, even
if you don’t have to go now!”), and
finally we’d pull out of the drive-
way between 3 and 4 a.m.
It was still dark out, but grandpa
believed in getting a good start
to the day. Ironically, we’d make
several stops during our trip to
wherever we were going, and even
as a child I found it odd that we
rushed so maniacally before the sun
rose, just to stop at every family
restaurant and rest area along the
way.
My most memorable trips with
my grandparents were our yearly
camping vacations at Suttle Lake,
in central Oregon. We would stay
for two to three weeks, so you can
imagine the amount of packing
and preparation an extended stay
like that would require. Once the
pre-dawn whirlwind loading of
food, clothing and grandchildren
was complete, and we would finally
be on the road, Grandma B would
immediately bring out the silver
thermos and pour grandpa a cup
of coffee. I would settle in with a
book and a flashlight, thinking that
Suttle Lake must be clear across
the entire continental United States
since the trip would take, what felt
like, forever (However, Google
maps estimates the travel time
between Svensen to Suttle Lake to
be 3 hours and 17 minutes, with
moderate traffic).
At least I knew better than to
ask, “Are we there yet?” until the
sun had risen. About that time, an
hour-and-a-half into our journey,
we would stop at Elmer’s Family
Restaurant in Kelso, Washington,
for breakfast and more coffee.
I suppose that early morning
thermos of coffee, combined with
our breakfast and coffee visit to
Elmer’s, is the main reason why we
consequently stopped at every rest
area along the Interstate 5 corridor.
Another hour-and-a-half down the
interstate, grandpa would locate
a Denny’s for another “quick bite
to eat.” Mind you, this was before
Google Maps and Siri, and grand-
pa’s gift for sniffing out a Denny’s
restaurant would make any blood-
hound jealous! After our meal and
more coffee, you guessed it: more
rest area pit stops. Even to this day,
I bet I can tell you approximately
how far it is to the next rest stop at
any point along I-5!
Finally, we would take the exit
to the Santiam Highway … just up
Submitted Photo
Apryl Smith, with her grandfather, Robert L. Bersagel.
and over the mountain and we’d
arrive at Suttle Lake! An end to
the daunting journey was in sight,
but alas, just shy of the mountain
summit, we’d pull over for some
of grandma’s brownies and coffee.
By this time, I was usually cranky,
cramped and whiny, but grandpa
was just hitting his stride.
From that point on, we didn’t
stop again, probably because the
nearest “bathroom” was at our
campground, which also might’ve
been why grandpa drove like a bat
out of hell up that mountain! Upon
arrival, the chaos of unpacking,
setting up camp and exploring our
beloved Suttle Lake erased the
drudgery of the drive. We swam,
hiked, fished, and enjoyed every
second of every day for the next
few weeks. Our trip back home
was never quite as eventful as the
journey there, maybe because we
all knew our vacation was ending.
Reflecting back on those trips to
Suttle Lake now, I see that grandpa
was modeling a lesson for me —
one that I still have yet to learn as
an adult. Grandpa understood that
there is something to be said for
enjoying every moment in the jour-
ney, from the second you leave for
vacation at 3 a.m. to the minute you
pull back into the driveway with a
heart full of memories.
Why not enjoy some pancakes
with your grandkids along the way,
or drink your 30th cup of coffee,
if that’s what you love? The lake
isn’t going anywhere, but those
moments are fleeting and precious.
We set such a frenetic pace for
ourselves, but the story ends the
same for everyone, so why rush
through it?
Our tendency to want to “fast
forward” through life starts young:
we want to grow up, venture out
on our own into the real world,
maybe get married and have kids,
can’t wait for those kids to move
out, we’ll retire, and then what?
The difference between rushing
through life and looking forward
to the future is what you do with
the present. You can enjoy the little
moments, or focus so far ahead that
those opportunities go unnoticed.
Grandpa Bersagel never took time
for granted. He passed away last
week, just a few months before
his 96th birthday. It’s easier to say
goodbye to him knowing that he
truly lived life to its fullest. As for
me, I’m going to make more time
for coffee and rest stops on my
interstate-paced adventure!
Apryl (Davis) Smith, previously
of Svensen, is the grown grand-
daughter of Robert L. Bersagel,
whose death notice appeared in
last week’s paper. Robert was well-
known in the Svensen and Knappa
communities, mostly as the man-
ager of the Svensen Co-op Store
for several decades, but also as
a founding member of Svensen
Friends Church, now Crossroads
Community Church.
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