September 11, 2015 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 11A
CB named
Tree City
Breakers Point dune grading OK’d
Tree from Page 1A
Grading from Page 1A
Friends of Cannon Beach
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receive that designation in
April, she added.
In Oregon, the Depart-
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Community Forestry Program
adminsters Tree City USA
and provides guidance. Sie-
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able to teach community mem-
bers how to properly plant and
care for the trees that help clean
the air and provide habitat.
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component of this program and
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possibilities it offers,” she added.
During the 12 Days event,
Friends of Cannon Beach
Trees will be offering educa-
tional experiences for those
of all ages, along with plant-
ing, pruning and protection.
Cannon Beach was a Tree
City USA honoree in the
past, but let that status lapse.
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bert-Warhmund said, the city
will have to demonstrate a
commitment to trees by meet-
ing the four criteria each year.
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Point homeowners. Nor-
mally the sand would blow
into the forest, he said, but
invasive European grass
planted years ago is caus-
ing the sand to pile up into
nearly 50-foot-tall dunes.
“I believe our applica-
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homeowner Carol Keljo
told the Planning Com-
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ond of two hearings held
on the topic this summer.
Bruce Francis, proper-
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ers Point Homeowners
Association, said remov-
al of European grass and
planting of native species
will restore native dune
prairie ecosystems.
Ocean views and beach
access were also concerns.
“The whole concept of
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longer see the ocean from
his home, and can only
see the top portion of
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of a view has decreased
his property value, he
added.
Cannon Beach resident
Susan Neuwirth, who
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homeowner, said the de-
cision to grade the dunes
will also improve beach
access for all residents.
Friends of Dunes rep-
resentative Clay Newton
expressed concerns with
revegetation. He said only
small areas of the project
would be protected by the
new native plantings. The
grading may also result in
sand blown onto neigh-
boring properties.
He added that the
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privilege, not a right, as
the beach is owned by the
state.
Cannon Beach resident
Jan Siebert-Wahrmund
said waiting for a more
comprehensive sand man-
agement plan could help
protect habitats, improve
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of life and provide better
emergency protection.
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little difference either
way in a catastrophic
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replied.
Search for
native plants
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for native plants as soon
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years before they are fully
established, although suc-
cess could be determined
after six months, Francis
said, and positive effects
from the grading should
last nearly a decade.
The experimental na-
ture of the project worried
Commissioner Lisa Kerr.
“Mr. Horning said
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Kerr said. “That may be
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and understanding of sci-
ence does change.”
Kerr suggested mov-
ing forward with the grad-
ing as nearby streets were
recently given permission
for a similar amount of
sand.
Kerr said she wants
to see the science of the
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plan before endorsing the
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Point homeowners will
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and collaborate with the
city and state “in the fu-
ture,” at which time the
homeowners association
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new dune grading per-
mits.
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Johnson was the only nay
vote on Aug. 27. Com-
missioners Kerr, Bob
Lundy, Joseph Bernt and
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homeowner.
Ordinance from Page 1A
He added that such an or-
dinance could be subject to
an appeal to the Land Use
Boards of Appeals, however.
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that was a reason not to do it.
Councilor Wendy Higgins
said LUBA appeals cost the
city money and voted against
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Mayor Sam Steidel, Council
President Melissa Cadwal-
lader and Councilor George
Vetter voted in favor of it.
The ordinance will have
to go through the Planning
Commission before coming
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November.
The City Council also:
• approved a Charter
Communications contract
extension
• appointed new mem-
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and Budget Committees.
The Emergency Prepared-
ness Committee is still
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something and being able to paint
it. With the use of cameras today,
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drawer. You can use all these aids,
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help you. That gives you the abil-
ity to concentrate strictly on how
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professional artists come in and
spend time with me just to learn
how to paint fast.
5 Minutes with…
Blue Bond
Painter ‘makes art happen’
about putting our paintings up in
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was a for lease sign in the win-
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Blue Bond has been doing his art for seen Cannon Beach with a gallery
over 40 years. The painter learned available.” I just jumped right on
from some of the best and exhibits LWDQGWKDW¶VKRZZHJRWLW
his paintings in art shows throughout
the West. Over his lifetime, Bond es- Q: Tell me about your artwork. Is
timates he has completed more than there anything in particular you like
2,500 paintings.
Now he teaches art classes and to paint?
sells his paintings at the Blue Bond A: ,SDLQW:HVWHUQWKHPHV,OLNH
Studio and Gallery in Sandpiper WR GR DQLPDOV OLNH KRUVHV DQG
6TXDUHULJKWQH[WWRWKH-HIIUH\+XOO portraits and people.
Gallery.
%RQG¶VJDOOHU\RSHQHGWKLVVXP Q: How’d you get started in art?
mer and is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30
p.m. Thursday through Sunday, and A: I started when I was in grade
from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday. VFKRRO,¶YHDOZD\VEHHQLQWHUHVW
On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, ed in art. All my life. I really ex-
Bond and his wife, Karen, travel FHOOHGLQGUDZLQJDQGWKLQJVOLNH
EDFN WR 9DQFRXYHU :DVK ZKHUH that. It just developed from that.
he teaches art courses at their studio $QG ,¶YH VSHQW \HDUV SXUVX
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and gallery there.
never master. You just try to get
Q: How’d you end up opening shop better. Some people say to me,
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in Cannon Beach?
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A: We came over here to see thousands and thousands of hours
Dune
ordinance
put on hold
By Dani Palmer
Cannon Beach
Q: What’s it been like being in
Cannon Beach with all these other
artists?
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a person wants to put into that,
learn how to do that. You never,
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ed to a painter in my life who just
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say, “Which is your best paint-
ing?” and I truly believe an art-
ist will answer “Maybe my next
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anything we do. We always want
to get better and better and better.
art class right here in the studio.
I do commissioned portraits.
A lot of people bring in photos
of their dogs or their horses or
their children or a self-portrait.
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in the studio. People are really
interested in watching the art
happen.
Q: What do you off er at the studio
Q: Do you work with people of all art
and gallery here?
skill levels?
A: I offer art classes for someone A: ,GR,OLNHWRZRUNZLWKDGXOWV
that would want to do a private
I teach people how to paint, how
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somebody in your profession, you
understand each other better. An-
other interesting thing is people
come in from Canada or Wyo-
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my art refreshing because many
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has done it and has done it so well
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impact on my life. Much more
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been.
Sweet Basil’s
Cannon Beach eatery delivers fresh ingredients
Review by MOUTH OF THE
COLUMBIA
It was a gorgeous sum-
mer evening, the shadows
just growing long. With
clams and Osso Buco be-
fore me and an iced mug
of beer at my side, Dr.
John came over the stereo.
The rich, indulgent tastes
coupled with the canoni-
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me away, far from Cannon
Beach.
Which, I imagine, is
pretty much what owner
and chef John Sowa intend-
ed. While Sowa originally
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studied in Louisiana under
one of the original celebri-
ty chefs, Paul Prudhomme.
After a decade or so in the
region, Sowa found his way
to the North Coast, where
he opened Little Bayou in
Seaside. It was big, boast-
ed live music regularly, a
lively array of hot sauce
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of the Big Easy. In 2007,
though, Sowa and his wife
felt it time to downsize, so
he moved on to open Sweet
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do only lunch. He found a
small place with a smaller
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portable hotplate/camping
burners. As such, the menu
notes that because of the
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awhile, though on my trips
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Sowa told me. So he at-
tempted to expand, albeit
incrementally, by offering
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what hungry tourists want-
ed. And so he returned to
his bayou beginnings with
a full dinner menu. But he
did so with a strong and un-
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For dinner, my compan-
ion and I began with the
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white wine sauce and load-
ed with bacon, tomato, car-
amelized onions and herbs,
they were as much a plea-
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to eat. (Indeed, with clams
the process can be just as
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table adjacent to ours de-
voured their own bowl so
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ly ordered a second. “We
had one order and we just
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another,” the wide-eyed
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amazing.” I agreed.
My companion and
I then shared entrées,
the Seafood Jambalaya
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Of the two, the taste (and
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Buco towered above the
Jambalaya. It was marvel-
ously plated, standing on
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If you go
SWEET BASIL’S
271 N. Hemlock St., Cannon Beach
503-436-1539
RATING:
PHOTO BY MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA
PHOTO BY MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA
Th e Mouth found this sal-
ad to be fresh and fi lling,
featuring a base of organic
greens, cranberries, wal-
nuts, apples and chicken (as
well as a few cucumbers and
some tomatoes on the side,
which had no business be-
ing on the plate).
Sweet Basil’s Vegetarian
Reuben features thinly cut,
peppered Tofurkey instead
of pastrami.
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sauce underneath which
sat the richest, creamiest
parmesan-tinged polenta
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meat from the bones was a
delight, and wrapped in the
center it remained juicy and
steaming hot.
The Jambalaya was less
memorable, its red sauce
almost bland by compari-
son. The seafood in the dish
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though not outstanding.
The sausage offered a sig-
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spice. My companion and I
shared the two dishes (nei-
ther of which was outland-
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a point not to over-eat. We
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slowed for at least a good
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both the brain and body
were operating at around
60 percent. (In part, I blame
that devilishly creamy po-
OHQWD
The lunch menu, howev-
er, was much leaner. From
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seemingly anathema to the
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vation? Happily, I found it
to be the latter. Thinly cut,
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texture of pastrami, and
the remainder of the ingre-
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Swiss cheese and a light-
ly sweet Thousand Island
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Indeed, unless in the midst
of an insatiable craving for
red meat, the Vegetarian
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your gastrointestinal tract
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As the menu noted, the
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“Simply tomatoes, basil
pesto, mozzarella and pro-
volone.” Indeed, standard
HOURS: Lunch is served from 11:30a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday to Monday. Dinner is served 5 to 9 p.m.
Wednesday to Monday.
PRICE: $$ – Entrées hover around $20, though lighter
fare is available.
SERVICE: Attentive but structurally quaint
VEGETARIAN / VEGAN OPTIONS: Thoughtful and
available, though not overwhelming
DRINKS: An extensive selection of wine, as well as
beer, coff ee and tea.
as it was, it sang. It was
buttery, oily, full of pesto
and balanced by bright to-
matoes. (Both sandwiches
were served with two or
three bites worth of mixed
greens, topped with a smid-
gen of house-made roasted
tomato dressing, and both
could be made vegan with
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Finally I had a salad
so familiar there ought to
name it for it. On a base of
organic greens were cran-
berries, walnuts, apples and
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cucumbers and some toma-
toes on the side, which had
no business being on the
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perhaps the least appealing
ingredient (besides those
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meat was dry and unsea-
soned. Overall though, the
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It also differed from the
menu.
In fact, I found two dif-
ferent menus in Sweet Ba-
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the window differed ever so
slightly from the one on my
table. The distinctions were
almost meaningless. For
instance, on the salad one
menu said it came with pe-
cans, another said almonds.
I received walnuts. To me
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to putting the best and fresh-
est ingredients available that
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hands, and occasionally
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