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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2018
CONTACT US
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IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON
WHO ARE WE?
‘THE POWER OF POSITIVITY’
en-month-old Cyrus “Squishy” Churches of Astoria, who
was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia shortly after he
was born, has been named one of the Children’s Cancer Associ-
ation (CCA)’s Heroes for 2018. Photos of Cyrus and his family
are courtesy of CCA.
CCA Heroes are selected annually by medical teams at Ran-
dall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel, Doernbecher Chil-
dren’s Hospital, Shriners Hospital for Children and CCA staff.
Cyrus’ chemotherapy treatments required monthlong hospital
stays, with only a week off in between. Visits from the MyMusicRx
team cheered him up, though, during his ordeal. “That was his favor-
ite!” said his mom, Toniann. “At first, he would just stare or chase
after them, but soon he was wanting to play along.” He also enjoyed
jam sessions with his guitar-playing dad, Chad, and lullabies.
“Cyrus has zero self-pity or judgment,” said Chad. “Even if
the doctors came in and did something that was painful, he would
just smile at them.”
Toniann agreed. “He brings so much joy to other people —
especially to us.”
Now that Cyrus is in remission, he can do typical baby activ-
ities, like learning to walk, bouncing in his Jolly Jumper, and his
forte, being charming. He can also get back to enjoying his favor-
ites — crackers, pickles, the color red, and banging blocks.
“Even at his young age,” Whitney Wilhardt of CCA added,
“his parents say that their son has already taught them a valuable
lesson about the power of positivity.”
T
BEAR WITH IT
any of you may have noticed a naked man holding
a sign on the side of the road near Second Street in
Astoria on Saturday. The sign said: “How we care for the
least of us defines us as a community. Who are we?”
In case you’re wondering what that was all about, the
man was Michael “Sasha” Miller, and he was protesting
that Astoria icon John Wedell, aka “Helmet John,” and all
his belongings, have been moved from his usual roost on
11th Street to a spot out of sight from the downtown busi-
ness district. Michael and John are both pictured, courtesy
of Michael Miller.
“I wrote about John Wedell being shoved out of the
downtown area in my last letter to the editor,” Sasha
explained on his Facebook page. “Of course, I was limited
to a couple of hundred words, and have no money to pay
to say something longer.
“While many have commended me on my letter, it
doesn’t change anything. John is still being treated like the
junk he collects, something that can just be put someplace
else, and therefore denied the warmth of affection some
have for him, all because the 11th Street adults, cops, and
city couldn’t, in the past two decades, come up with a way
of helping and managing one of their mentally ill residents.
“How much time and money have we wasted arresting
people for marijuana, when we could have been spending
time and money coming up with constructive approaches
to dealing with the mentally ill in our community?
“So, as not to allow the town to ignore their lack of
guardianship over John Wedell, I’ve tried to talk myself
into committing a nonviolent protest, but it just scares me.
What happens when my nerve runs out to stand up for the
things I believe in?”
M
PILFERING PRIMATES
F
un rerun from 2013 in honor of Goonie Days, June 7-10:
The Ear came across a Goonies trivia tidbit the other day
on the Ain’t It Cool News website, featuring two still shots of
two gorillas that were taken during the filming of “The Goonies”
(tinyurl.com/2gorillas). One is shown; a section of the other is
inset.
The article noted that “apparently these gorillas … were
released during the initial Fratelli car chase at the beginning of
the movie, and were to pop up at different times throughout the
film.” The Ear looked up the script, and yup, it’s true. The apes
turn up on pages 5, 12A, 12B and 101 (tinyurl.com/goonapes).
From page 101: “The two gorillas leap out of their red golf
cart on the other side of the pumps! Grunting in ecstasy at the
sight of Troy’s red automobile, they lumber toward it, tossing
Troy and his friends to one side like Cabbage Patch dolls.
“Bonzo jumps onto the hood, caving it in, as Bertha leaps into
the car. Bonzo takes his familiar place behind the wheel, reaches
out to stomp on the pedals. The car lurches forward and drives
away erratically, spinning from side to side.”
This subplot didn’t make it into the film or the extra features
on the DVD and Blu-ray editions, so the pilfering primates are
gone — but not quite forgotten.
OTTER STUFF
FOUR BROTHERS ACROSS AMERICA
storian Jennifer Lindstrom had an interesting encounter
last weekend. “Well, I was just riding along the waterfront
between Warrenton and Hammond, when I spied an otter swim-
ming toward the rocks,” she wrote. You can watch her video at
tinyurl.com/otterstuff; a screen shot is shown.
A few North American river otter facts are in order, courtesy of
the Oregon Zoo. Fur trapping dramatically reduced their numbers
in the 1800s, but they have rebounded well. Otters swim about 7
mph, and the average dive is 1-2 minutes — but if needed, they
can stay underwater for 4-6 minutes. Ranging up to 40 miles of
waterway, their favorite snack is “the slowest fish,” but they also
enjoy “frogs, crayfish, turtles, insects and sometimes birds or
small mammals.” Strangely enough, otters aren’t born knowing
how to swim — they have to be taught by their mothers.
“He came right out of the water to do otter stuff,” Jennifer
recalled. “I backed up so he couldn’t see me, got closer, popped
up, and filmed the cutie.”
A
ot something you see every day on the North Oregon Coast:
A bear was spotted in Nehalem Bay State Park on Memo-
rial Day afternoon, the Tillamook County Pioneer reported
(tinyurl.com/nehalembear). It was a single adult who wasn’t
bothering anyone, just rambling along.
“The animal was simply crossing the road,” Park Manager
Ben Cox reported, “no aggressive or alarming behaviors were
noted.” Even so, if you’re headed out that way this weekend, be
sure to keep your pets on a leash.
N
WHERE’S BUGBY?
tidbit from the Friday, June 1, 1888 edition of The Daily
Morning Astorian:
• Advices from Bugby, between Clifton and Westport, are to
the effect that James Cusick, of Knappa, has succeeded in open-
ing up an excellent quarry at that point, and one that the report
states can furnish suitable and sufficient rock for the Fort Ste-
vens jetty.
Note: This snippet refers to an obscure area called Bugby, or
Bugby’s Hole, on the Columbia River. A map is shown, courtesy
of Topozone.com. A Feb. 3, 1902 edition of the Morning Orego-
nian mentions that an Army engineer, Capt. William C. Lang-
fitt (pictured inset), was blasting away the face of a bluff, “try-
ing to open up a stone quarry at Bugby’s Hole” for rocks for the
South Jetty, which was then being supplied by a quarry at Fish-
er’s Landing, much further north upriver.
“Capt. Langfitt feels very confident that he will be able to get
the rock he needs from Bugby’s Hole in the future,” the article
states. There’s no mention of what happened to James Cusick’s
quarry plans, however.
A
he Four Brothers Across America, deaf young men
who met at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.,
are leaving Astoria this week to bike the 4,230 miles of the
Transamerica Trail to Yorktown, Virginia, Astorian Ardi
Chapman told the Ear. They will camp out along the way.
Pictured, from left, Jake Grindstaff, Gilwon Seo, Dakota
Daniels, and Jerrod Grill.
In a note, Jake explained that he wants to become an
actuary or teacher at the college level, and coach his favor-
ite sport, basketball. He is making the trip because this
journey has been a childhood dream.
Seo’s major is physical education and recreation. “I’m
not sure about my future,” he wrote, “but I am sure to sup-
port the deaf community in South Korea however I can. I
know it will be difficult … (and) I will try for 101 percent.”
He’s making the cross-country trek to learn about what’s
special about America and the Lewis and Clark Trail.
Dakota explained he is studying digital media and
graphic design. His goal is to become a “deaf soldier” in
his deaf community, and become a digital media teacher
and football coach. “I’m doing this (ride) because my
father did it in 1991, from Portland, Maine, to San Diego,
California,” he wrote. “I want to try this trip so I will be the
second generation to bike across America — and to have
plenty of stories to share with my dad and everyone.”
Jerrod plans to get a master’s degree in deaf studies,
with a concentration on cultural studies. His goals are to
“be happy and love my life,” and “to teach the people in
physical culture with deaf culture.” He’s biking across the
country because he loves to go hiking, climbing moun-
tains, and enjoying the beauties of nature.
The team also shares the bond of belonging to the
same fraternity, Kappa Gamma, the oldest fraternity of
the deaf (kappagamma.com). “We know each other in our
deaf community as defining a small world that we know,”
Dakota added. “We have a common togetherness by our
Blue Brotherhood.”
You can follow their journey on their Facebook page,
“Four Brothers Across America.” Bon voyage!
T
‘QUIRKY BLEND OF ODDITIES’
he website Atlas Obscura, which specializes in “Curious
and Wondrous Travel Destinations,” recently featured Trish
Bright’s Museum of Whimsy at 1215 Duane St. in Astoria
(museumofwhimsy.com), calling it a “delightfully quirky blend
of oddities spread throughout an old 1920s bank.” It appears
that’s an understatement.
The Ear was curious enough to go to the Museum of Whim-
sy’s Facebook page, fb.me/MuseumofWhimsy), and the pho-
tos alone are intriguing. One is shown, courtesy of the Museum
of Whimsy, but frankly, it was hard to choose just one, as there
are so many wondrously unusual items to feast your eyes on. To
enter, it costs $5 per person, or $10 per family, and it looks like
it’s worth a visit.
T
COMMUNITY NOTES
SATURDAY
Seniors Breakfast — 9 a.m.
to noon, Astoria Moose Lodge, 420
17th St. Cooked to order from menu,
includes coffee. Cost is $5 for seniors
62 and older, $7.50 for those under
62. Breakfasts are open to the public.
Proceeds after expenses help sup-
port local and other charities.
Sit & Stitch — 11 a.m. to 1
p.m., Homespun Quilts & Yarn, 108
10th St. Bring knitting, crochet or
other needlework projects to this
community stitching time. All skill
levels welcome.
Detachment 1228 Marine
Corps League — noon, El Compa-
dre, 119 Main Ave., Warrenton. For
information, contact Lou Neubecker
at 503-717-0153.
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 astoriafiberarts.com
SUNDAY
Seniors Breakfast — 9 a.m.
to noon, Astoria Moose Lodge, 420
17th St. Cooked to order from
menu, includes coffee. Cost is $5
for seniors 62 and older, $7.50 for
those under 62. Breakfasts are
open to the public. Proceeds af-
ter expenses help support local and
other charities.
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.
MONDAY
Chair Exercises for Seniors
— 9 to 9:45 a.m., Astoria Senior
Center, 1111 Exchange St. For in-
formation, call 503-325-3231.
Scandinavian Workshop —
10 a.m., First Lutheran Church, 725
33rd St. Needlework, hardanger,
knitting, crocheting, embroidery
and quilting. All are welcome. For
information, call 503-325-1364 or
503-325-7960.
Grace and Encouragement
for Moms — 10 to 11:30 a.m.,
Crossroads Community Church,
40618 Old Highway 30, Svensen.
GEMS group is a time for moms to
relax and enjoy each others’ com-
pany. Free childcare is provided.
For information, call Rachael Bid-
dlecome at 503-458-6103.
Senior Lunch — 11:30 a.m.,
Bob Chisholm Senior Center, 1225
Avenue A, Seaside. Suggested do-
nation $3 for those older than 60;
$6.75 for those younger than 60.
For information, call Suzanne Bja-
ranson at 503-861-4202.
See NOTES, Page 3B