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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JULY 7, 2017
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IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON
SUNSHINE ON MEMORIES
CLOWN CAR COMES HOME
rom June 14, 2013: The Astoria Clown Car has been
stuck in the desert out in Shaniko for decades, and Jeff
Daly has been on a mission to bring it home. The car is not
only part of Astoria’s history, it has sentimental value for
Jeff, too — his father was one of the first Astoria Clowns.
“The clowns originally got the car, a 1948 Chrysler, in
1955,” Jeff told the Ear. “It was used by Hughes-Ransom
as the family limo for the funerals. The clowns bought it
for $250 and painted it orange, top to bottom. They trav-
eled thousands of miles throughout the Northwest and
Canada promoting the building of the bridge to nowhere,
the Megler.”
It wound up in Shaniko when Chrysler collector and
town developer, Ed Martin, bought it for $700. “The car
was a highlight, and probably the most photographed item
in the ghost town,” Jeff noted.
For four years, no one responded to Jeff’s calls about the
vehicle. Recently, however, Debra Holbrook, the Shan-
iko town historian, got Jeff in touch with Martin’s widow,
Joan, who now lives in Milwaukie. Joan was willing to
sell the car for $500. “Done deal, I’ll buy it,” Jeff told her.
“When I mentioned that a group of Astorians would
make the journey to get it, in clown outfits, I told Joan we
would like to have her there for pictures,” Jeff explained.
“She said she couldn’t do it, as gas is expensive and she
couldn’t afford it.” So Jeff offered $750. She was shocked,
but she’ll be there.
Jeff also has a personal connection to the car. His sis-
ter, Molly, was sent to live at the Fairview Hospital and
Training Center when she was not quite 3 years old (www.
wheresmolly.net). “One of the reasons the Astoria Clowns
were formed,” Jeff said, “(was) so my dad could go to the
Salem institution to visit her in disguise, since he was for-
bidden to see his daughter as a father. ... This car took them
on that trip in 1957.”
And soon the car will make another trip — back home
to Astoria.
STAY AWAY FROM BIG SHIPS
F
rom April 6, 2012: The Ear bumped into Skye McKey
the other day, and she told the Ear she recently accom-
panied Judith Niland (pictured, inset) to Fernhill Glass on
Exchange Street (www.fernhillglass.com) to watch the creation
of an unusual memento: Some ashes from Judith’s late husband,
Franko Lowey, and her dog, Molly, were used in the making
of a keepsake glass plate by glass blower Claude Kurtz, who is
also pictured. Skye shot the photos.
The Ear was intrigued, and asked Judith about it. “It is actu-
ally a service Fernhill Glass offers,” she said. “I saw it being done
last year when I was visiting. I am going to hang it in my living
room window, and as the sun changes positions in the sky, so will
the plate colors.”
“As someone who has lost a beloved loved one,” she added,
“this is a wonderful way to continue to remember, honor and feel
their light shine down on you as the sun beams through.”
F
HANDSOME BOYS
J
rom Oct. 24, 2014: Do you remember the mannequin
that was always standing in the window of a house across
the street from the Astoria Safeway parking lot? She was there
for years and years, then suddenly, and mysteriously, she disap-
peared. What happened to her?
North Coast resident Lorinne Mondeaux, pictured inset, has
the answer. During a casual conversation with the Ear, just out of
the blue, Lorinne mentioned the mannequins. Yes, plural. There
were actually two of them, Amy, pictured right, and Amanda
Adams, “the mannequin twins.”
The story goes that the twins’ owners, Kyle and Michelle
Adams, moved from Astoria to Sugarloaf, Calif., and then to Big
Bear City, Calif., where Lorinne was living at the time. At that
point, the couple wanted to get rid of the mannequins. Lorinne
told the Ear she remembered the Astoria window icons, and
bought the twins “to keep them together.”
So where are they now? They wound up in a open year-round
shop in beach town Santa Cruz, Calif., Lorinne reports, that is
Halloween-themed on the mannequin twins’ side, and a normal
beach-front store on the other side.
The “girls” are “living their sisterhood dream,” said Lorinne
with a chuckle, “as window dressing on beachfront property.”
F
OVERHEARD
NORMAN SAVES THE DAY
uly 18, 2014: Astorian Norma Sasaki saw several bucks
crossing Niagara Avenue Sunday at about 8:30 p.m. Her
photo of some of the group is shown.
“There were nine, but I was only quick enough to capture the
five,” she wrote. “There was one little doe with them. She must
be some ‘hottie’ to attract all those handsome boys.”
Well, maybe not. According to the Quality Deer Management
Association, in the summer unrelated male deer can form bach-
elor groups outside of mating season — when the testosterone
levels are low — and just hang out together for a while (http://
tinyurl.com/buckboys).
“That was a sight I’ve never seen before,” Norma confessed.
‘SISTERHOOD DREAM’
rom Feb. 22, 2013: This being a maritime community, the
Ear is always on the alert for pertinent books. A good one is
“How to Avoid Huge Ships,” by Capt. John W. Trimmer.
New copies of the book are now selling for $598 (honest), and
used for $99.69, on Amazon.com (http://tinyurl.com/avoidship).
Pictured, the book’s cover and a reader’s illustration of an imag-
inary diagram.
One would think avoiding huge ships would be as simple as
one book reviewer suggested: “This book could be summed up
in three points. 1. Keep your eyes open 2. Lay off the booze 3.
Repeat.”
Actually, the book is a serious primer on how pleasure boaters
can avoid being flattened by a huge ship, but the more than 1,300
reviews on Amazon.com are a cackle-fest. Here’s an example:
“I’m very much scared of ships. I live over a hundred miles
inland and at 6,000 feet elevation but one can never be too care-
ful!” — R. McLaughlin
If you want a good chuckle, go read a few more.
F
rom Aug. 25, 2011: A little gem was overheard by Mary
Tanguay Webb while she was reading a book in the waiting
room of an Astoria orthopedic clinic. A man and a woman behind
her greeted a man who came in with an injured knee, and asked
him how it had happened.
“It just went out on me as I got out of the cab to get on the
ship. No warning. I was already there, so I just went to work,” he
replied. At this point, Mary realized he was probably a bar pilot.
“The ship was Chinese and they had no ice,” he continued.
“They gave me two frozen fish and a frozen burrito to put on it.”
“It is absolutely true,” Mary swears, “and soooo Astoria!”
F
rom Feb. 13, 2015: Seasider Jimmy Cole posted a
whopper of a video on Facebook (http://tinyurl.com/
normhero) about a yellow Labrador retriever named Nor-
man, pictured, who saved a young girl from drowning in
the Necanicum River.
Norman himself was rescued in 1993 by Annette
McDonald, who lived with her husband, Steve, near the
Necanicum. Norman was scheduled to be put down the
next day at the shelter, but when Annette saw him, she
knew right away she wanted him.
Soon after she brought Norman home, Annette real-
ized there was something wrong — he kept bumping
into things. A visit to the vet confirmed that Norman was
going blind, but was otherwise a healthy, happy dog, full
of enthusiasm. “Norman was able to adjust to his eyesight
really well,” Annette recalled.
One summer day in July 1996, Lisa Nibley (pictured
inset) and her brother, Joe, were swimming in the Necan-
icum when the tide suddenly changed. Joe managed to get
out of the water, but Lisa became caught in a strong cur-
rent, and was being swept upstream. She was in trouble,
and exhausted from struggling, but no one could hear her
screams for help.
As luck would have it, Annette had stayed home from
work that day, and took Norman for a walk on the beach.
Somehow he heard Lisa, and suddenly bolted away from
Annette, ran over 100 yards, jumped in the water and
swam toward the struggling girl. Annette caught up and
yelled to Lisa to call Norman so he could find her by the
sound of her voice. Once Norman located Lisa, he towed
her to shore, guided by Annette’s voice.
“I knew he was my guardian angel,” Lisa said, “and
someone had sent him to save me.”
News of Norman’s heroism traveled far outside of Clat-
sop County, and he and Lisa were featured on the cover
and in a story in the July 14, 1997 “Hero Pets!” issue of
People magazine (http://tinyurl.com/normhero2).
“It really was a miracle how it all came together,”
Annette recalled. “Maybe God does that to get your atten-
tion, and maybe to humble us a little.”
F
LOCAL BREVITIES
rom July 5, 2013: For fun, the Ear decided check out The
Daily Morning Astorian to see what was going on in early
July 1890 (http://tinyurl.com/DAfourth):
“A.E. Shaw, a first class bilk and would be sport, is now a
resident of Pomeroy, Wash., where he is trying to make people
believe that he is a dentist.”
The death of Miss Eliza Benson, The Bearded Lady, made
front page news. She and her 15-inch beard died at her home in
Georgia. No, she was not the famous bearded lady.
“Mrs. Delia Cross, of Brooklyn, is now Mrs. Capt. Cross, of
the steamer Oregon, though she was compelled to affix a cross to
the papers in place of her name. This is said to be the first case
in which a woman has become owner and master of a sea-going
vessel.”
Jeff’s New Restaurant on Second Street, with a “Private
Entrance for Ladies,” was offering meals for 25 cents. While din-
ing, the orchestra would play from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5:30
to 7 p.m.
Just in case one overindulged at Jeff’s, one could always
resort to Tutt’s Pills, which “stimulate the torpid liver, strengthen
the digestive organs, regulate the bowels and are unequaled as an
anti-bilious medicine.” Sounds terrifying.
F
COMMUNITY NOTES
SATURDAY
Lower Columbia R/C Society
— 8:30 a.m., back room at Uptown
Cafe, 1639 S.E. Ensign Lane, War-
renton. Local Academy of Model
Aeronautics (AMA) chartered radio
control model aircraft club meets for
breakfast and business. All model
aircraft enthusiasts are welcome.
For information, call 503-458-5196
or 503-325-0608.
Angora Hiking Club — 9 a.m.,
Sixth Street parking lot. Gnat Creek
Hatchery hike. For information, call
Arline LaMear at 503-338-6883.
Chinook Indian Nation Council
— 11 a.m. Chinook Tribal Office, 3
Park St., Bay Center, Washington.
Meeting is open to all tribal mem-
bers; attendees are reminded to
bring a potluck item. For questions,
call 360-875-6670.
Sit & Stitch — 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.,
Homespun Quilts & Yarn, 108 10th
St. Bring knitting, crochet or other
needlework projects to this com-
munity stitching time. All skill levels
welcome.
Pug Socializing Club — 1
p.m., Carruthers Park, Warrenton.
For pugs and their owners. For in-
formation, call Dave Kinney at 415-
827-5190. Join online at http://tinyurl.
com/socialpugs
Columbia Northwestern Mod-
el Railroading Club — 1 p.m., in
Hammond. Group runs trains on
HO-scale layout. For information,
call Don Carter at 503-325-0757.
Spinning Circle — 1 to 3 p.m.,
Astoria Fiber Arts Academy, 1296
Duane St. Bring a spinning wheel.
For information, call 503-325-5598
or go to http://astoriafiberarts.com
to bring their own forge and anvil
setup. Metal available to experiment
with; coal is provided. No charge, but
donations to the Camp 18 Loggers
Memorial Museum welcome. For
information, contact Mark Standley
at 503-434-0148 or Herman Doty
at 971-306-1043 or ringinganvilde-
sign@gmail.com
SUNDAY
Blacksmith Enthusiasts Meet
— 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Camp 18 Black-
smith Shop, 42362 U.S. Highway
26, Seaside. Participants welcome
National Alliance on Mental
Illness (NAMI) Support Group — 2
to 3:30 p.m., Seaside Public Library,
1131 Broadway. Family to Family
Support Group, for anyone with
friend or loved one suffering from a
serious brain (mental) illness. For in-
formation, contact Myra Kero at 503-
738-6165, or k7erowood@q.com, or
go to www.nami.org
Line Dancing — 5:30 to 8 p.m.,
Seaside American Legion, 1315
Broadway. For information, call 503-
738-5111. No cost; suggested $5 tip
to the instructor.
See NOTES, Page 2B