September 8, 2017
T he C olumbia P ress
6
Senior Moments
with Emma Edwards
Thoughts of old courtship bring contentment
A walk down memory lane.
Just reminiscing. We seniors
enjoy doing that, especially
on warm days when we know
better than to run around in
the heat.
I was sitting in my recliner
Monday with the oscillating
fan keeping me a little cool-
er and, for some unknown
reason, I got to thinking,
remembering. Sometimes I
forget what I did yesterday,
but long-term memories God
allows me to keep.
My walk down memory
lane led me to a time I was
16, going on 17. That time
of life can take a lot of twists
and turns. My girlfriend,
Joan, had a boyfriend. I did
not. In fact, I’d had only a few
of what you could call dates,
each accompanied by one of
my big brothers as chaper-
one.
Joanie came up with a plan.
Her boyfriend, Lee, had a
friend Bob who had a friend
Bill.
“Let’s get them togeth-
er on a blind date,” Joanie
says about me. Lee and Bob
agreed. Bill agreed. My par-
ents did not.
They required Bill to come
to the house first and meet
them. That they would even
consider the wild idea sur-
prised me. Would you believe
they liked this 17-year-old
boy at first sight?
The only objection my opin-
ionated father had was that
Bill had blue eyes. You see,
we were a family of seven
-- all with dark brown eyes.
Papa thought “one could not
trust a man with blue eyes.”
He was the Archie Bunker of
his day.
My parents reluctantly
agreed to the date and, since
I would be 17 the next month,
I could go without a chaper-
one. It pleased them that we
planned to go just three miles
away with a group of young
people for a picnic at Chan-
dler Park.
That was a Sunday after-
noon in August 1949. What
they didn’t know is that Bill
and I walked around the
small park in eastern Detroit
holding hands. I remember
feeling exhilarated and fear-
ful at the same time.
That was how it all started.
Toward the middle of Sep-
tember, Bill invited me to go
to the fair with his family.
My parents readily agreed to
that. Since Bill didn’t have a
car, that was about the only
way we could spend time to-
gether.
Anyway, my birthday was
Senior lunch menu
Monday, Sept. 11: Crab cakes, roasted potatoes, broccoli,
tomato soup, ice cream.
Thursday, Sept. 14: Pulled pork, pasta salad, carrots,
mixed greens, bread pudding.
The Warrenton senior lunch program is at noon (doors
open at 10:30 a.m.) Mondays and Thursdays at Warrenton
Community Center, 170 SW Third St. Suggested donation is
$5 for ages 55 and older; $7 for those younger. For more
information, call 503-861-3502.
soon approaching. He called
on the phone, of course, but
our calls were limited to 10
minutes (my parent’s rule).
And, no, we hadn’t even
kissed yet.
We were sitting on a bale of
straw at the fair watching the
goats frolic when Bill pulled
out a small box and hand-
ed it to me asking if I would
“go steady” with him. It was
a pretty bracelet with a little
plate on it that said Emma on
one side and Bill on the other.
I was delighted. I never told
my parents I was officially
“going steady.” Bill didn’t tell
his folks either.
It was fun finishing my se-
nior year with a boy who
thought I was special.
Little did I realize we’d be
married a year and a half
later and spend the next 53
years side by side. And that
we would be blessed with six
children, all with brown eyes.
(That pleased Papa!)
Thanks for walking down
memory lane with me. Bill
has been with the Lord for 13
years now. But I feel rich to
have my many memories.
School districts sponsor
student internship program
A nearly year-long part-
nership that gives students a
chance to have paid intern-
ships at select businesses
next summer kicks off this
month.
The program is managed
by Clatsop Economic Devel-
opment Resources or CEDR
and paid for by five school
districts -- Warrenton, Asto-
ria, Jewell, Knappa and Sea-
side.
The program arranges in-
ternships at a variety of
companies through one ap-
plication process. The proj-
ect-based internships are 9
weeks, with students directly
hired by the companies. The
goal is to connect companies
with emerging talented stu-
dents and create a profes-
sional employment experi-
ence for the interns.
Businesses must be located
within Clatsop County, able
to host an intern full time for
a minimum of six weeks, pro-
vide a minimum-wage sala-
ry and provide an employee
mentor for the intern.
An all-day training for busi-
nesses that have signed up is
set for Wednesday, Sept. 27,
at the South County Center of
Clatsop Community College.
The training will be con-
ducted by the McMinnville
WORKS Summer Internship
Program, which was devel-
oped by the McMinnville
Economic Development Part-
nership, which has had tre-
mendous success, organizers
said.
The program received the
Oregon Economic Develop-
ment Association’s Outstand-
ing Collaborative Award in
2014 and the McMinnville
Area Chamber of Commerce
Award for Business Educa-
tion Partnership of the year
in 2015.
In Clatsop County, the pro-
gram’s partners are Clat-
sop Community College, the
Northwest Regional Edu-
cation Service District and
Hampton Affiliates’ Warren-
ton mill.
The Sept. 27 training work-
shop, which is $59, will lay
out the timetable for the re-
cruitment and application
process with intern hiring
in April, and the internships
running June through Au-
gust.
To register for the work-
shop, or get more details, con-
tact the program at 503-338-
2402 or sbdc@clatsopcc.edu.
Spruce Run area considered for scenic designation
The Oregon Parks and Rec-
reation Department seeks
feedback on a study evaluat-
ing a 17-mile section of the
Nehalem River for possible
inclusion in the State Scenic
Waterways Program.
The Nehalem River study area
starts at Spruce Run Camp-
ground and ends at the bound-
ary of Cougar Valley State Park
near Cook Creek Road.
A scenic waterway desig-
nation would help protect
the scenic, natural and rec-
reation value of this section
of river by forcing a review of
some activities within a quar-
ter mile of the bank.
The feedback will be used to
write a report that will either
recommend for or against
designating the portion of the
river as a state scenic water-
way.
A public hearing is set for
5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12,
at the North County Recre-
ation District, 36155 Ninth
St., Nehalem.
As part of the designation
process, scenic waterways
staff involve the community,
evaluate public support, and
objectively study the river to
determine if it meets specific
criteria.
The meeting will begin with
a presentation to explain the
scenic waterways program
and the criteria the river seg-
ment must meet to be includ-
ed in the program, followed
by a question and answer ses-
sion. The second half will be a
public hearing.
For more info call 503 986-
0631.