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THE ASTORIAN • THuRSdAy, ApRIl 22, 2021
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IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON
RAINFOREST RAFFLE
UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL
KEEP LOOKING AHEAD
P
enny Goolian found the remains of an intriguing-look-
ing fish in the surf near the Seaview, Washington beach
approach. She posted her photos (shown) on the Long
Beach Peninsula Friends of Facebook page, wondering if
anyone knew what it was.
“It is a longnose lancetfish (Alepisaurus ferox),” Tif-
fany Boothe of the Seaside Aquarium explained. “We
see about a half dozen or so a year. Longnose lancetfish
can reach lengths of 7 feet and weigh up to 20 pounds.
“Resembling a barracuda, this is one fish you would
not expect to run across along the Oregon Coast. Their
beautiful large eyes, sharp fang-like teeth and serpent-like
body distinguishes this fish from most others living in the
Pacific Northwest.
“… They range from the southern Bering Sea to Chile,
and occupy surface waters down to 6,000 feet. We also
know that they are not picky eaters, they are known to eat
over 90 different species of marine life, including each
other and, unfortunately, are attracted to plastics.
“Their unique feeding habits, along with the varying
range of depth that they occupy, have scientists studying
their stomach contents … (to) better understand how the
marine food web is changing over time, if at all. It may
also help understand changes in the food web brought on
by events like El Nino or La Nina.”
“For some reason,” Tiffany added, “in the spring and sum-
mer, a handful of these guys wash ashore on Oregon beaches.”
NEW DETERMINATION
un Rerun: “I videotaped a young man
tightrope walking along the Riverwalk,”
Penny Rodgers wrote about 21-year-old Aus-
tin White. “He was pretty impressive.”
He is pictured in a photo by Carol Johansen;
the photo inset is from his website, austinwhite-
photography.com
“It’s called slacklining,” Austin clarified, and
it entails “walking on a 1-inch flat dynamic web-
bing pulled tight between two anchors.”
“I started slacklining after watching a rock
climbing documentary that showed someone
walking and doing different tricks on it,” he
explained. “After I saw him walking between
two canyons, hundreds of feet off the ground, I
was hooked to idea that I could learn how to do
the same thing.”
In Moab, Utah, he walked a 1-inch slack-
line 430 feet off the ground over a canyon. “No
poles,” he said proudly. “It was a really magical
moment. It was really cool.”
He’s walked all sorts of slacklines, including
one longer than a football field. “… Any strug-
gles I have, any bad days I’m having, they go
away when I’m on the line,” he declared. “My
mind goes still and the line goes still.
“Slacklining for me is an amazing lesson
for life. It may shake and wobble around, and
it may be scary sometimes, but no matter what,
you have to just stay focused and keep look-
ing ahead, always remembering the line you’ve
already walked, and not to let it hinder the line
ahead of you.”
“It’s what gets me up in the morning,” he
confessed. (In One Ear, 5/30/2014)
Note: Austin now lives in Bend. He is an out-
door lifestyle and adventure photographer. You
can see his work at @austingwhite on Instagram.
F
n unusual raffle item came to the Ear’s attention:
A 36-inch by 36-inch acrylic on canvas painting,
“Onward,” by Seaside artist Greg Navratil (gregnavrati-
lart.com). A portion of the painting is shown; the full work
of art can be seen at dragonfiregallery.com (scroll down).
Tickets for the raffle are $10 each, three for $25 or 12 for
$100, and can be purchased at the DragonFire Gallery, 123
S. Hemlock St. in Cannon Beach or by calling 503-436-1533.
“My interest in art began early,” Navratil recalled. “At
age 7, I had a drawing of a dog, ‘with eyes as big as sewer
lids,’ published in the Denver Post.”
“… My paintings begin by visiting colorful natural
areas,” he explained. “There I hunt for scenes with my
camera and numerous photos are taken. Back in the studio,
key photographs are selected that will become paintings.
“Grid patterns are then laid out on the photo. On the
painting surface a larger corresponding grid is drawn …
The grids on the canvas are painted with accurately placed
tiny shapes of color reminiscent of pointillism,” which is
painting in tiny dots that look blended in the viewer’s eye.
It’s important to mention that the raffle benefits a cause close
to the hearts of many: All proceeds will be donated to help the
North Coast Land Conservancy purchase, and perpetually pro-
tect, 3,500 acres that will become a Rainforest Reserve.
A
FAMILY TREE
he Astorian has a large family tree,” Steve For-
rester, retired editor and publisher of The Astorian,
wrote. “One of its distant relatives — William Coe of Lake
Oswego — visited us on April 13. William’s grandfather
was Morgan Coe, publisher of The Astorian-Budget from
1959 to 1960 and The Daily Astorian from 1961 to 1971.”
William was in Astoria visiting clients of his healthcare
consulting company. He is pictured, courtesy of Steve;
Morgan’s photo is inset next to him.
“The Coe family moved to Astoria from Botswana,”
Steve explained, “where William’s father did agriculture
consulting on behalf of the U.S. State Department. One of
his early childhood memories is of seeing fishing dorries
on the beach in Gearhart.
“William was 11 years old when Morgan died. As a
boy, William delivered the Budget. He attended Gray
School and was an Astoria High School graduate, class of
1989. His father, Ned Coe, owned rental properties and his
mother, Donna, was a nurse.
“William shared his paper route with his brother. ‘My
brother collected money from the easy customers, and left
the rest for me. I had to go back and back to collect from
some customers. I learned more from that route about busi-
ness than in some classes at Oregon State University.’”
‘T
he effects of the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsu-
nami can still be felt and seen. For instance, a clock
in Fumonji temple in Mayagi Prefecture hadn’t worked
since it was submerged in the tsunami, according to a story
in The Mainichi (bit.ly/tsuclock).
Bunshun Sakano, the 58-year-old head priest at the
temple, bought the almost 100-year-old Seiko clock in an
antique shop in Fukushima Prefecture several years before
2011. He and the clock are pictured above, courtesy of Main-
ichi/Hana Fujita; the tsunami photo is by Kyodo News/AP.
On Feb. 13, a 7.1 earthquake hit Japan. When Sakano went
to check the temple for damage the next morning, he heard tick-
ing. Yes, the clock was suddenly working again. A Seiko rep-
resentative opined that “it’s possible that the pendulum, which
had stopped, started moving again with the shaking of the
earthquake or that dust which had built up inside came loose.”
“It’s like a sign of encouragement that the real resto-
ration is to come,” Sakano said. “Maybe it’s pushing me to
move forward with new determination.”
T
RADIO GARDEN
ant to spice up your ear candy a bit by adding some
international flavor? If so, check out radio.garden,
which has links to thousands of radio stations streaming
live from all over the world.
By the way, Radio Garden is also available as a phone app.
Just a few of the offerings are: Orthodox Chants out of
Cheboksary, Russia, Alefamusic from Antisiranana, Mad-
agascar, Audio Noir Radio, 1940s and 1950s Philip Mar-
low radio thrillers out of Chicago and El Mandara, North
African Music, out of Tunisia.
Jonathan Puckey runs Radio Garden with a small
team in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands.
“Our dedicated team is hard at work tending to the gar-
den on a daily basis.
“By bringing distant voices close, radio connects peo-
ple and places,” Puckey explained. “From its very begin-
ning, radio signals have crossed borders. Radio makers
and listeners have imagined both connecting with distant
cultures, as well as reconnecting with people from ‘home’
from thousands of miles away.”
W
HOLY GRAIL OF GOLF
n April 13, Burien, Washington
resident Ken Smith hit his tee
shot on the par three 15th hole at Gear-
hart Golf Links,” Nick Nikkila wrote.
“Thinking he had hit the shot too long,
and over the slope at the back of the
green, he turned away and walked to
his cart. In doing so, he missed seeing
he had achieved the holy grail of golf, a
hole-in-one.
“… His tee shot had been long, land-
ing on the slope, where it sat for a sec-
ond or two before rolling back towards
the green. Cliff Kilponen and I, mem-
bers of the threesome nearby on the
16th tee box, watched as the ball slowly
rolled down the slope onto the green and
into the cup.
“The 10-15 mph wind from the
north-northeast prevented Smith from
hearing our yells of ‘A hole-in-one!’
and he drove up the cart path, still think-
ing his ball was somewhere beyond the
green.
“I’ve played golf for over 50 years
and this is my first hole-in-one,” the
happy 78-year-old Smith exclaimed
when he was told.
The last time he had played that
course was 40 years ago. Smith was met
by Jason Bangild, PGA general man-
ager and director of golf, who congratu-
lated him on his feat, which was formal-
ized by those who witnessed the shot.
“After buying a celebratory round of
drinks,” Nikkila added, “a still-grinning
Smith was off to share his story with his
wife.”
‘O
INTO THE DEEP
ascinated by the RMS Titanic wreck? Well, if you
have an extra $150,000 lying around, you might be
able to get onto OceanGate‘s first week-long Titanic
expedition in a few months, as part of the support
team. OceanGate plans to dive down to document the
wreck, its deterioration, the debris field and marine life
in the area. You can apply at oceangateexpeditions.com/
how-to-join
However, it’s not just a matter of money to go along as
a “mission specialist crew member” — an interview and
training are required. After all, the wreck is more than 2
miles deep in the North Atlantic. A few of the specifica-
tions include being able to: board a small boat in rough
seas; “demonstrate basic strength, balance, mobility and
flexibility;” and live aboard a research vessel.
Needless to say, if you are even the tiniest bit claus-
trophobic, this adventure is not for you. (Images cour-
tesy of OceanGate Expeditions)
F