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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 2018)
1B THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2018 CONTACT US ewilson@dailyastorian.com (503) 325-3211 ext. 257 COMMUNITY FOLLOW US facebook.com/ DailyAstorian IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON GOOGLY EYES rom the Believe It or Not file: A fish market in Kuwait was closed down recently for trying to make their fish look flip- ping fresh by putting plastic googly eyes over their not-so-fresh- looking real peepers, BBC.com reports (bit.ly/googlyorbs). The ruse was discovered when a video of the faulty fish made the rounds at WhatsApp. Then photos of the plastic eyes falling off turned up all over social media, and were picked up by the newspaper Al Bayan. The photo shown is from Al Bayan’s Twit- ter feed, @bayan_kw Kuwait seems to be a hotbed of fishy fraud. In July, a fishmon- ger put steel nails in his fish to make them heavier, therefore more valuable. What’s next? F BACK TO BAJA oat-A-Lahti, the GPS-equipped miniboat launched by last year’s third-grade class at Hilda Lahti Elementary School, has been having a very tough time trying to get to Japan (tinyurl. com/tinylahti). So far, the miniboat has been doggedly heading east and beaching, instead of west. In February, it beached at a very remote spot on the Baja Peninsula, and was finally rescued in March. “Boat-A-Lahti has spent her summer in Guerrero Negro on the Baja Peninsula, near to where the whales calve and the salt- water evaporates in North America’s largest open-air salt produc- tion facility,” Melissa Reid, a teacher at the elementary school, reported in a recent update. After being delivered to the captain of the Port on the Island of Cedros, she said he “was kind enough to visit with the boat cap- tains with boats currently anchored nearby and getting ready to head out to the open sea, and a tuna boat named the Maria Isabel II agreed to take Boat-A-Lahti along with her!” Pictured, the miniboat being handed aboard the tuna boat, courtesy of Nate Sandel, who noted that Boat-A-Lahti was relaunched at 8:08 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 30. “She sailed for six days before turning towards shore and beaching herself Tuesday night,” Nate wrote in the latest update. “When I checked on her location Wednesday morning, she was miraculously in a backyard (15 miles from her beaching loca- tion) in the town of San Juanico (Baja California Sur, Mexico).” “What will happen next?” he mused. “Just waiting for the email/phone call!” B CUPOLA MAKEOVER ucien Swerdloff and his Clatsop Community College His- toric Preservation students have once again worked their magic at the Knappton Cove Heritage Center. “Joe Cain and Jon Simmons were instrumental in restoring the cupola (used for ventilation) that sat atop the old water tower tank that served the historic U.S. Quarantine Station at Knappton Cove,” Nancy Anderson wrote. “Water was an important part in the functioning of the station — lots of laundry, as well as numer- ous showers for the immigrants and crew members arriving at the Port of Astoria from 1899 to 1938.” Especially for showers, no doubt, after long voyages in crowded sailing ships. The cupola now has a place of honor in the center’s Artifact Alley. L ‘IT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD’ un rerun from Jan. 29, 2010: Steve Smiley and his wife, Anna (pictured), of Brownsmead, have been raising purebred Yorkshire Terriers for 15 years, and currently have 14 Yorkies under foot. “My wife owns the dogs,” Steve joked, “I’m just the hired man.” In early January, Steve saw an item on the TV news about a little boy in Washington, D.C., whose Yorkie puppy, a Christmas present, was literally snatched right out of his arms on his front doorstep. “It’s a shame to treat a little kid like that,” Steve told the Ear, “because it would be a lasting memory of his forever that somebody really took advantage of him. It could affect his whole personality forever, you know, and I hate to see a little kid not get a chance to be happy if they can.” “I’ve got some surplus dogs,” Steve thought at the time, “and I’ll give him one.” He needed help to find the boy, and Mr. Google produced a story by Lindsey Mastis about 8-year-old Andrew “Kofi” Gordon (pictured) and the dog-napping of Luxy. A few phone calls and emails later, Steve spoke to Kofi, his mother and Mastis. “He likes to do that talking,” Anna Smiley said, laughing. Six-month-old, Samuel (SAM) is a good match for Kofi, Steve says, because he “he’s a smart dog, easily trained and will be loyal to that little boy till hell freezes over.” The puppy is housebroken and already knows a few basic commands. Steve also told the family they could breed Sam, and put some money toward Kofi’s college education. Sam got gussied up Tuesday with a complimentary grooming by Heidi Fields at Bay Breeze Boarding, and Dr. Larry Goza gave Sam his checkup, and contributed toward Sam’s airfare. “There are lots of nice people here,” Steve said. Asked if he would miss Sam, he laughed and said, “I love every one of those puppies. See, this is the best part of it — I get to spoil the puppies, and then when they’re gone, I don’t miss them, because I already had the fun with them.” F LOCAL BREVITIES rom the Friday, Sept. 7, 1888, edition of The Daily Morning Astorian: • All of the tin-horn gamblers have been driven out of Astoria by the chief of police. They will flourish in Tacoma and give Sunday morning prize fights as a side show. — Tacoma Ledger. Note: The Encyclopedia Britannica says: “The phrase ‘tinhorn gambler’ derived from gamblers who set up games of chuck-a-luck (a dice game) with a little money and a metal chute …” TrueWestMagazine.com adds that such a person would be “unscrupulous, unskilled, self-important or low-class … a dude or a phony.” • Taking warning by two fires in the town of Aberdeen, on Gray’s harbor, has bought a hand engine and hose cart in Salem for $425 (about $11,300 now), and will organize a fire department to battle with the lurid leveler. Note: According to the city of Aberdeen’s website, the volunteer fire department prevailed until a professional fire department was established in early 1908. • For Sale — Seaside Lots. Choice lots in (J.T.) Mulkey’s Addition to Ocean Grove for sale upon reason- able terms. Now is the time to buy before the boom. Apply to Geo. Noland or C.R. Thomson. Note: Ocean Grove was near the mouth of the Necan- icum River, and some of the land was involved in an ugly ongoing lawsuit in the 1880s (http://bit.ly/OcGroLawsuit). Buyer beware. • Mr. Kindred yesterday filed a plat of a new town he has laid out between the military reservation east of Fort Stevens and the site for the new life saving station. Several lots are already purchased. He thinks he will call the new town Cornersville. Note: Apparently not. Cornersville is among the missing. F BIGFOOT IN THE NEWS t’s time for some Bigfoot updates, so here goes … Nope: Bigfoot researcher Todd Standing sued the British Columbia government to recognize sasquatch as an indigenous hom- inoid mammal, the Vancouver Sun reported. The case was thrown out as “incapable of being proven.” Stay tuned. (bit.ly/nogobigfoot). Bigfoot Running: One night in mid-August, a California farmer said he saw a Bigfoot family of five or six on his ranch in Fresno County. When they scattered, the one carrying a pig over its shoulder tripped on an irrigation pipe, sending the poor pig fly- ing. bit.ly/BFtosspig Bigfoot Crossing: Also in August, a driver saw a 6- to 6 ½-foot black creature stepping over a guardrail off Route 4 in rural White- hall, New York. A not unusual sight, apparently — in July, the vil- lage made Bigfoot its official animal. FYI, there’s a Sasquatch Calling Festival on Sept. 29. (bit.ly/officialBF) It’s Official, Redux: As of Saturday, Bigfoot will also be the offi- cial animal of Marion, North Carolina. “Who is to say what’s out there?” Town Manager Bob Boyette told The Charlotte Observer. “Nobody knows for sure, and there are some smart people who are convinced it’s real.” (bit.ly/quatchreal) I DO YOU KNOW MARIO? he Ear received a request for help from a young woman who is searching for her birth father; she hopes someone on the North Coast can help her find him. “My name is Ilana Michael Spence,” she wrote. “I was born on Jan. 15, 1994, in Astoria, Oregon. My mother’s name, at the time, was TraLynn Spence. She was born on Aug. 23, 1969.” Lana’s mother is pictured, left (Lana is holding the bear); right, Lana as she looks now. “My biological father, Mario, is not listed on my birth certif- icate — not by choice, but because my mom did not want a cus- tody battle later on down the road (so she’s said),” Lana explained. “I was told that he was kind, and did visit me at the hospital. “My uncle, John Hurley, told me that my biological father worked with him at the Pier 11 Feed Store and Restaurant. They were not close, only co-workers, so I do not have any other information on my father. My mother has told me many times that she does not know his last name.” Mario would have been working at Pier 11 at least from spring 1993 to early 1994. Do you know him? If you have his contact information, or know who he is, please contact the Ear at 971-704- 1718 or ewilson@dailyastorian.com “I’m 24, and have been looking for him for a long time with no help,” Lana revealed. “Any information you could offer would be very appreciated.” T WHAT IS IT? noticed a mass across the street, and then at Violet LaPlante Park in Alderbrook, where I took its picture,” Jan Mitchell wrote, describing the picture shown. The “pod” is 8 to 10 inches long. Close to her house, the same web-like structures are in an apple tree and an alder tree. “Then, on our way home from a trip to Portland, I saw liter- ally hundreds of them, mostly on deciduous trees,” she explained. “Might one of your readers educate us on what this is? There is sort of a elongated oval of something more dense within the ‘web.’ I don’t recall seeing them before in my 24 years in Oregon.” Anyone know what these things are? ‘I COMMUNITY NOTES SATURDAY Lower Columbia R/C Society — 8:30 a.m., Jim’s Roadhouse Grill, 1605 E. Harbor St., Warrenton. Lo- cal Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) chartered radio control mod- el aircraft club meets for breakfast and business. All model aircraft enthusiasts are welcome. For infor- mation, call 503-458-5196 or 503- 325-0608. Angora Hiking Club — 9 a.m., Sixth Street parking lot; 9:50 a.m., Manzanita city parking lot. Nehalem Point hike. Membership is not re- quired to participate. For informa- tion, call June Baumler at 503-368- 4323 or go to angorahikingclub.org Chinook Indian Nation Coun- cil — 11 a.m., Chinook Nation Trib- al Office, 3 E. Park St., Bay Center, Washington. Meeting open to all tribal members, who are asked to arrive on time and 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 community stitching time. All skill levels welcome. 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 younger than 62. Breakfasts are open to the public. Proceeds af- ter expenses help support local and other charities. ringinganvildesign@gmail.com Blacksmith Enthusiasts Meet — 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Camp 18 Blacksmith Shop, 42362 U.S. Highway 26, Seaside. Participants can bring their own forge and anvil setup. Metal is available to experi- ment with; coal is provided. There is no charge, but donations to Camp 18 Loggers Memorial Museum are welcome. For information, contact Mark Standley at 503-434-0148 or Herman Doty at 971-306-1043 or 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 See NOTES, Page 4B
