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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 2018
CONTACT US
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IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON
KONA IS STILL MISSING
ayla Edmondson’s 8-month old dog, Kona, a female
Pomsky (Pomeranian-husky mix) has been missing since
May 8. The 15-pound pup has a life-threatening blood condition,
and needs medication.
“I’m asking people to keep eyes open for Internet sales, as
there’s been speculation of her being sold,” Kayla said. “But also
keep an open mind that she could have been lost. And she loves
hanging her head out of the car window.”
There’s also a concern that someone who doesn’t use social
media may have found Kona, and not realize she’s missing.
Legally, if you find someone’s pet, you are required to actively
look for the owner for 30 days if you don’t surrender the animal
to a shelter.
There’s a $2,500 reward for Kona’s return. If you spot her, call
Kayla at 313-244-2313 or the Astoria Police Department at 503-
325-4411. There is a Facebook page, “Kona Missing Pomsky.”
“I love my little girl so much,” Kayla added. “I still have faith,
and will never quit looking for her. I’m endlessly praying that some-
one has the heart to do the right thing, and return her to her family.”
K
FOUR ‘BEST PLACES’
ell, it’s official: Tourists love the North Coast. FlipKey by
TripAdvisor recently compiled a list of “15 Best Places
to Vacation on the Oregon Coast” (tinyurl.com/flipkey15). The
North Coast scored well, with Gearhart coming in at No. 4 (pic-
tured, courtesy of Flipkey), Arch Cape at No. 6, Cannon Beach
at No. 7, and Seaside at No. 9.
If you’re wondering how the towns were chosen, it was
according to vacation rental review scores on TripAdvisor.
Each place had to have at least 15 bookable properties, 100 total
reviews, and at least a 4.5 out of 5 average score.
W
‘THE PLAYGROUND OF MILLIONAIRES’
n the Sunday, June 22, 1884, edition of The Daily Morn-
ing Astorian: “There is a strip of sand running from oppo-
site Garibaldi, Tillamook County, to Cape Meares, that has
all the attributes necessary to make a desirable seaside resort.
Not the least among its attractions is its isolation. ... Just now
it is not ‘fashionable.’ As soon as a great four square house is
built and ‘improvements” are made, and it is duly advertised
as a ‘resort,’ it will have lost its chiefest charm.”
In 1884, this spit of land — Pacific Ocean on one side,
Tillamook Bay on the other — was only used for camping
parties. But in 1906, T.B. Potter bought the 600-acre spit,
and began selling lots in the aptly named Bayocean, touted
as the “Queen of Oregon Resorts” and “the playground of
millionaires.”
The resort had paved, lighted streets, businesses, a “lux-
ury” hotel and a saltwater pool in the Natatorium (pictured,
courtesy of PDXHistory.com), which also featured a water-
fall, wave machine, orchestras serenading swimmers and a
1,000-seat movie theater. Since there was no land access,
Potter built what was then the largest yacht on the West
Coast, Bayocean, in 1914 to bring in prospective buyers.
The demise of the resort began when the Army Corps of
Engineers agreed to build a single jetty at the north mouth
of Tillamook Bay in 1917. The Corps warned that a second
jetty was needed, but no one wanted to pay for it.
As a result, the redirected ocean currents began erod-
ing and narrowing the spit at a rate of 60 feet a year by the
1940s; the last house fell into the ocean in 1960. Nothing
remains of the “Queen of Oregon Resorts” but small bits of
debris in the sand.
Even though Bayocean became an island in 1952, the
post office didn’t close until 1953, when the postman —
who was one of the first, and also the last Bayocean resi-
dent — Francis Drake Mitchell, was court ordered into the
State Hospital in Salem. He would not have left otherwise.
Ironically, a breakwater was built in 1956, and a second
jetty, which counterbalanced the effects of the first jetty, and
the spit has rebuilt itself. What happens to it next remains
to be seen.
(tinyurl.com/bocean1, tinyurl.com/bayocean2, tinyurl.
com/bocean3)
I
‘AN IDEAL PLACE’
IF ONLY IT COULD TALK …
ow that Bayocean Spit has stabilized, it has returned
to its original pristine state. Much like it was in 1884,
it is a place for the family to go camping, hiking and bird-
watching. So what’s next? If the powers that be aren’t dili-
gent, redevelopment.
Tillamook County took over most of the Bayocean lots
via foreclosure some time ago. Even though the spit is tech-
nically a Tillamook County park, the Oregon Coast Alli-
ance reports that there are no funds allotted for it to actually
be maintained for public use (tinyurl.com/bayocean2)
Adding complications to the already tricky situation,
there are private land owners whose properties on the spit
abut the park. One landowner in particular, Portland devel-
oper Dale Bernards, had plans for developing the 50-plus
acres he bought in 2008.
He started by penning up a few goats on his site. Then in
2009, he inquired about approval for a “caretaker’s dwell-
ing” to start a farm, but was told the spit’s comprehensive
plan wouldn’t allow it. Aside from ecological issues, there is
no infrastructure whatsoever.
Undaunted, in 2014, Bernards wanted to build an “eco-re-
sort” with glamour camping, horses, a marina and a marine
research lab on his land. That proposal was turned down in
2015 by the Tillamook County Planning Commission.
Now Mr. Bernards’ chunk of the spit is up for sale by his
company, Canterbury Commercial LLC, described as “an
ideal place to take in the beauty of the Oregon coast …”
You can find it listed under “Property” at canterburycom-
mercialllc.com. A photo is shown, from the website.
Just think … for $495,000 you can own a bit of Oregon
Coast history. And it might even stay put, this time around.
SWEET CASES FOR HARD TIMES
icture this: A young child is being told by police officer and
a social worker that she has to leave (her home) with them,”
Jeri Normandin (pictured inset) wrote. “… They quickly gather
some of her things into a trash bag and take her from her home.
… We can do better.
“Children’s division workers do all that they can to help these
children, but they have so many kids, and not a lot of funds. We
at Starfish Minis Daycare are working … to raise money so we
can provide Clatsop County Children’s Division ‘sweet cases.’
“… These duffel bags will be decorated with fun designs and
encouragement, filled with a pillow pet/stuffed animal, coloring
books/crayons, blanket and hygiene kit that will belong to them,
and go with them, throughout their journey.”
Jeri hopes to raise at least $2,775 to make 100 “sweet cases.”
Anyone can donate at tinyurl.com/sweetbags
“These children deserve to know their emotional needs are just as
important as their physical needs,” she added. “We can show them
they are special and cared for by putting these bags in their hands.
“Let’s show them they deserve more than a trash bag to carry
their most precious belongings … because a child’s belongings
are never trash.”
‘P
ONE IN 100 MILLION
ess than 400 people took notice when Maine fisherman
Robin Russell caught a rare albino lobster last November
off the eastern coast of Canada and posted a photo on his Insta-
gram account.
Just recently, however, when the image popped up on a popu-
lar Maine Instagram feed with 27,000 followers, it went viral, and
was picked up by several news outlets. The lobster, named Lucky,
is shown courtesy of @robinsonfrankrussell and @igersmaine.
“The odds of finding an albino lobster are one in 100 million
lobsters. Yet, people do find them,” University of Maine’s Lob-
ster Institute explained. “One in 100 million. That’s a long way
from the one in 2 million blue lobsters that appear in nature.”
(tinyurl.com/1in100m)
Lucky got lucky. Russell donated him to the Huntsman Marine
Science Center/Fundy Discovery Aquarium in St. Andrews, Can-
ada, where, he said in an Instagram post, Lucky “will now live
out the rest of its life with a bunch of other cool colored lobsters.”
L
‘WISH YOU WERE HERE’
N
n Saturday, Don Kelly was driving up 16th Street from Cus-
tard King, and mistakenly thought an empty lot he spotted
was the site of the Fort Astoria replica, which is actually at the
corner of 15th and Exchange.
Fearing the vacant lot meant the fort had been torn down, he
stopped to do some metal detecting into Astoria’s history. “To my
amazement, and about 16 inches deep, I pulled up what I believe
to be an old iron cannonball weighing in at 6 pounds,” Don wrote.
“Thinking about Fort Astoria, and pulling that out of the ground,
really made my day!” A photo of the cannonball is shown, cour-
tesy of Don Kelly.
Where did the cannonball come from? Nancy Rawls found
the most likely answer in “Shelldrake: Canadian Artillery Muse-
ums and Gun Monuments” by Harold A. Skaarup (tinyurl.
com/6pounder):
“In 1814 Fort Astoria had a cannon style swivel gun and sev-
eral heavy guns which had been brought by sea. These included
a four pounder and six long naval six-pounders from the (British
ship) Isaac Todd.” Don’s cannonball probably being part of this
artillery makes sense.
“The vacant corner lot on 16th Street threw me for a loop, but
made me more determined to find something special, and indeed I
did,” Don added. “If it could only talk, I’d love to hear its journey!”
O
ne of the few postcards mailed from the Titanic is up
for auction July 18 at Warwick & Warwick Auction-
eers in England, and is expected to fetch at least £20,000 (about
$26,350), according to a press release on the auction house’s
website, tinyurl.com/postTitan.
The postcard was mailed by Sarah Daniels (nickname Fis-
gig) — four days before the ship sank — to her friend, Miss
Green. She wrote, in pencil, “I wish you were here, it is a lovely
boat & it would do you good. Am just going on deck.” The post-
card is pictured, courtesy of Warwick & Warwick.
Daniels was a maid to the Allison family. She tried, unsuc-
cessfully, to warn them of the danger when the ship hit the ice-
berg, and survived because she boarded a lifeboat. The rest of the
family group perished except the nursemaid, Alice Cleaver, who
also saved the Allisons’ baby.
O
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 younger than 62. Breakfasts
are open to the public. Proceeds af-
ter expenses help support 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.
or go to astoriafiberarts.com
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.
Karaoke — 7 to 8 p.m., Seaside
Lodge and International Hostel, 930
N. Holladay Drive, Seaside. Free
session, all ages, for those who
love to sing karaoke. Refreshments
served. For information, call 503-
738-7911.
Spinning Circle — 1 to 3 p.m.,
Astoria Fiber Arts Academy, 1296
Duane St. Bring a spinning wheel.
For information, call 503-325-5598
Seniors Breakfast — 9 a.m.
to noon, Astoria Moose Lodge, 420
17th St. Cooked to order from
SUNDAY
menu, includes coffee. Cost is $5
for seniors 62 and older, $7.50 for
those younger than 62. Breakfasts
are open to the public. Proceeds af-
ter expenses help support local and
other charities.
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 suffer-
ing from a serious brain (mental)
illness. For information, contact
Myra Kero at 503-738-6165, or k7e-
rowood@q.com, or go to 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.
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.
Senior Lunch — 11:30 a.m.,
Bob Chisholm Senior Center, 1225
See NOTES, Page 4B