4A • January 13, 2017 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com
Views from the Rock
Charcuterie and
wine to celebrate
the new year
Looking at life from
both sides now
W
S
orry, this message can’t be conveyed in 140 characters
or less.
Only a few weeks into the new year, the nation is
plunged into a tug-of-war on issues as profound as our
health, our planet and war. The deep splits on these
issues not only exhibit our individual preferences — or preju-
dices — but regional ones.
An editorial in a sister newspaper described the gap between
rural and urban Oregonians as “stark and deep. … In the wake
of a bitter presidential campaign and tight election, the gap has
never seemed so wide.” Only eight counties out of 36 counties
tilted to Hillary Clinton in Oregon, but Donald Trump received
220,000 fewer votes.
The editorial
nevertheless recalled
Abraham Lincoln’s
CANNON SHOTS
fi rst inaugural address
R.J. MARX
and concluded on an
optimistic note: “We
are more alike than
different.”
I would posit that
in this state, we are more different than alike — and that will
require some radically different thinking.
A matter of perspective
The League of Oregon Cities listed its 2017 legislative
session priorities for the new year in Salem, beginning Feb. 1.
Among them, housing, land use, lodging tax, marijuana and
water/wastewater, all critical issues close to home.
The South County is a little schizophrenic, developed by
hunters, fi shermen and loggers, but today relying on an econo-
my driven by tourism, largely funded by a cosmopolitan audi-
ence that couldn’t tell the difference between halibut and had-
dock. That which we valued — Paul Bunyan ranging overland
with a chainsaw strapped to his back — does not appear to
have the same role in a world where mountain bicyclists would
prefer to pedal among the trees sporting Day-Glo insignia and
GoPro cameras strapped to their helmets.
Visitors come to Cannon Beach to bask among the natural
resources — vast swaths of timberland, rolling mountains and
fertile streams — not to exploit them, but to appreciate their
beauty in their natural state.
Do we want more visitors or less? They supply the city’s tax
coffers, but they also choke downtown streets and roads.
Is land preservation a good thing? Conservationist Anne
French, who led a cadre of dowdy old socialites in front of bull-
dozers seeking to pave a rural dirt road, once told me she hated
the word “development,” because it implied there was some-
thing lacking in our natural environment. Yet I also interviewed a
New York developer who said he couldn’t look at a piece of land
without imagining a supermarket on it. Members of the North
Coast Land Conservancy recently celebrated the $10 million
purchase of 3,300 acres of land at Onion Peak, this in addition to
the $1.3 million Boneyard Ridge acquisition adjacent to Ecola
State Park. Will business and industry share their enthusiasm?
The city will be establishing an emergency management
site for mass care shelter. The process will require rezoning and
expanded urban growth boundaries.
The city’s strategic plan states by July 2018, an additional 25
units of affordable housing will be in place. By the end of that
year, the city will experience a 10 percent increase in long-term
rentals. By July 2020, Cannon Beach will make an additional 25
units of affordable housing available.
More people, more traffi c and so it goes. At the end of this
year, the city will create 50 new parking spaces in the downtown
district. Is Cannon Beach going to become more like Bend or
Beaverton?
The city’s Ecola Creek Watershed provides municipal water
to Cannon Beach. The Department of Fish and Wildlife consider
Ecola Creek West Fork a vital area for coho salmon.
The city plans workforce housing on city-owned land —
starting with placing park model homes at the RV Park. Since
the homes have no storage tanks or propane tanks, a permanent
sewer will be needed, as well as changes to the city’s zone codes.
As new park model homes come to the RV Resort in Cannon
Beach and elsewhere, who will determine limits on septic and
wastewater runoff?
In November, opponents in Cannon Beach of retail cannabis
sales sought prohibition. The vote was close, 51 percent to 49
percent. Whose rules will we play by? Future decisions could tilt
either way.
Fresh ideas
Environmental consequences of overfi shing, water contam-
ination, clear-cutting or other man-made activity are all too
apparent. Social consequences — lack of affordable housing,
R.J. MARX/CANNON BEACH
Will Cannon Beach always be a town where you can ride
your horse for a cup of Insomnia coff ee?
FILE PHOTO
Th is aff ordable home plan design was rejected in 2016.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Maybe we can all agree on something: the scenic beauty of
Cannon Beach. Th e Cannon Beach Gallery Group, hosts
of the Plein Air Festival, received a portion of the Tourism
and Arts Commission’s grant funding.
medical care and need for educational opportunities — will
only become more pressing. Risks of tsunami and natural disas-
ter will be competing for dollars in a session that starts already
$1.7 billion in the hole.
Our differences are real and hard and at times we share little
common ground.
My message: that’s OK. Dig in and stand fi rm.
Our points of view are our strongest asset, combined with a
will to sustain our values.
The 2017 Oregon legislative session lasts only 160 days,
ending on or before July 10. In Cannon Beach, these issues are
discussed year round at council, planning and design review
meetings.
So ladies and gentlemen, to your corners. Get involved in
city politics. Hold representatives accountable. Show up at City
Hall. Tell us what’s important to you. Annoy your friends on
Facebook with political barbs. We’ve never needed fresh ideas
more than now, or to do more with less.
Let’s keep the discussion alive and have confi dence that our
tolerance — and our tenacity — will yield results we can all
live with.
A master of fantasy at the Cannon Beach Library
W
e at the Cannon Beach library
are very pleased to announce
that fantasy writer Terry
Brooks will be speaking at the Satur-
day, Jan. 14, at 2 p.m. as part of the
Northwest Author Series. Brooks is
well-known for his epic Shannara series
and will be talking about the “Shannara
Chronicles,” his newly-released televi-
sion mini-series.
Brooks was born in the rural mid-
western town of Sterling, Illinois, and
he and his wife Judine now divide their
time between Seattle and Cannon Beach.
His bachelor of arts degree is in English
literature, and he later obtained a law
degree from Washington Lee University
and practiced law before becoming a
full-time author. He has written 23 New
Publisher
David F. Pero
Editor
R.J. Marx
Reporter
Lyra Fontaine
Sales/Advertising Manager
Betty Smith
AT THE LIBRARY
CARLA O’REILLY
York Times bestsellers during his writing
career; more than 21 million copies of
his books are in print.
Don’t miss it!
Also in January, Cannon Beach Reads
will be beginning their eleventh year.
On Wednesday, Jan. 18, at 7 p.m., they
will discuss “Fahrenheit 451,” by Ray
Bradbury. The novel presents a future
American society where books are out-
lawed and “fi remen” are directed to burn
any they can fi nd. The book is named
Production Manager
John D. Bruijn
Circulation Manager
Heather Ramsdell
Classifi ed Sales
Jamie Ramsdell
Advertising Sales
Holly Larkins
Brandy Stewart
CANNON BEACH GAZETTE
The Cannon Beach Gazette is published every other
week by EO Media Group.
1555 N. Roosevelt, Seaside, Oregon 97138
503-738-5561 • Fax 503-738-9285
www.cannonbeachgazette.com • email:
editor@cannonbeachgazette.com
after the assumed temperature at which
paper combusts.
For additional information about
Cannon Beach Reads, contact Joe Bernt
at 503-436-4186 or send him an email at
berntj@ohio.edu.
All in all, January at the library will
be a quieter time — but also a cozier
time! We took down our holiday decora-
tions and put them away until next year,
but we still can enjoy these cold winter
days by the gas fi replace surrounded
by good company, great books, current
newspapers and free Wi-Fi.
Lastly, don’t miss our fi rst library
membership meeting and brunch of 2017
at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 1. Guest
speaker Pam DeVisser will be discussing
palliative care.
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POSTMASTER:
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Copyright 2017 © Cannon Beach Gazette. Nothing can
be reprinted or copied without consent of the owners.
hen we opened Provisions 124 in 2015, our
primary goal was to offer the fi nest gourmet
products from the Pacifi c Northwest. We wanted
to offer our customers an assortment of locally produced
artisan products they couldn’t fi nd in their hometown. With
that in mind, we searched out local sources of delicious
marionberry jams, hazelnuts, bread, cheeses, kombucha,
coffee and oil
and vinegar. But,
it was the local
UNCORKED RAMBLINGS
charcuterie we re-
ally were excited STEVEN SINKLER
about.
Charcuterie
is a fancy name
for salami and other meat products such as sausage and
paté. Years ago, Hickory Farms owned this product space
and you couldn’t go into a mall at Christmas time without
seeing a large summer sausage “pop-up store.” Today, small
gourmet charcuteries are making meats which are European
in style and are nothing like your grandma’s Hickory Farms.
Here in Oregon, we are fortunate to enjoy meats from two
of America’s fi nest charcuteries, Olympia Provisions and
Chop Butchery & Charcuterie, both from Portland.
Olympia Provisions has a bigger brand name, as both
Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey have sung the praises
of their meats. Olympia Provision’s bestselling “Saucisson
Sec” is a dry salami made in a traditional French style, com-
bining ground pork with garlic and black pepper. Chop’s
“Garlic and Black Pepper” is similar in style, with slightly
less fat and more seasoning. Both salamis are savory,
delicious and popular year-round. During the year, we also
carry Olympia Provisions paté and other dry salamis from
both Olympia Provisions and Chop, but we always carry
these two classics. When customers ask which wine pairs
best with these salamis, I tell them they can go in a couple
of different directions, depending on their preference.
If looking for a red wine, I recommend a wine that has
a nice fruit presence with lower tannins. Syrah is a food
friendly red wine packed with blackberry fl avors and hints
of pepper, making it a perfect companion to salami. I rec-
ommend Lujon Cellars Syrah if more fruit is desired or Al-
exandria Nicole’s Jet Black Syrah if looking for darker fruit
and pepper fl avors. If a softer red wine is desired, J Scott
Grenache would pair nicely as it delivers red fruit fl avors,
think cherries and strawberries, with slight hints of pepper.
When a white wine is preferred, I’d stay away from
high acid wines like Riesling or pinot grigio. Instead, I’d go
with a softer white wine, like Puffi n Pinot Gris which of-
fers fl avors of apple, honeysuckle and lemon zest. Pudding
River Barrel Aged Chardonnay would also be an excellent
choice as it delivers a soft mouthfeel of apple and pear.
Both of these Oregon wines are made with a nod to the old
world, which makes them perfect for charcuterie. I’d also
be quick to recommend a delicious bottle of rosé, as I truly
believe a chilled bottle of dry rosé pairs nicely in almost
any situation. Stoller Pinot Noir Rosé is delicious, but of
course my favorite is our very own Puffi n Rosé, which is
made from grenache and syrah. These dry blushes deliver
strawberry fl avors that are food friendly and counter the
garlic and pepper fl avors, rather than match them.
If willing to venture is a slightly different direction, I’d
also recommend a bottle of bubbles to go with charcuterie.
Sokol Blosser Sparkling Evolution is a delicious brut
(dry) sparkling wine with slight fl avors of citrus and
nectarine that combine nicely with the bubbles. A bottle of
bubbly transforms a simple plate of sliced meats into an
elegant entrée.
The next time you’re looking for something to eat, but
don’t want a full meal, try some local charcuterie with a
bottle of local wine. You’ll see what our European friends
have known about for years, it’s a divine combination.
Throw in some cheese and crackers while you’re at it.
Happy New Year from all of us at The Wine Shack and
Provisions 124. Please drink responsibly!
LETTERS
Save school money, improve bridges
At the Dec. 15 Seaside School District board meet-
ing, I requested and received from the board the budget
for the recently approved $99.7 million school bond.
Before the bond election, I wrote an article that was
published in the Seaside Signal and the Cannon Beach
Gazette. It noted that high school building costs are
presently running at a cost of $35,000 to $42,000 per
student assuming no land cost. The Seaside district cor-
rectly revised its earlier plans and now will not replace
Seaside Heights Elementary School, which houses 500
of the districts 1,500 student enrollment. That leaves
a need to build new schools for 1,000 students which,
based on current school projects, should cost about $40
million.
The Seaside School District is building schools for
1,280 students (not 1,000) even though school enroll-
ment has been declining and the Cannon Beach charter
school will draw away students. Seaside’s facility cost
per student, per their estimate, is $82,000 and not the
$37,000 to $45,000 that is the current, typical cost per
Oregon student. The Seaside cost estimate assumes an
average of 150 square feet per student and a cost per
square foot of $255 (plus extra for coastal and foun-
dation additions) for building construction costs. The
real difference in Seaside’s numbers is in the site costs,
which are over $10 million.
Two decisions by the school board made the school
bond cost high: 1) the decision to build for a growth
of 280 new students and 2) to incur signifi cant site
See Letters, Page 5A
THE NATIONAL AWARD-WINNING