I go down to the shore in the morning

and depending on the hour the waves

are rolling in or moving out,

and I say, oh, I am miserable,

what shall —

what should I do? And the sea says

in its lovely voice:

Excuse me, I have work to do.

—Mary Oliver

I grew up in the desert, though I didn’t know it — home is simply “what is” when you’re a kid — but perhaps that’s why I have such an attachment to water. Or does every human? Is it that we’re all drawn back to moisture, being 55-65 percent water? Maybe this column would be better titled “life in water” or even “life of water” as babies are born with bodies nearly 78 percent water.

Whatever the case, early in life I became a water baby. I took my first swimming lesson at four years old. I taught Red Cross swimming classes at 10. I got my life saving certificate at 15, after “rescuing” my floundering 250-pound instructor Mike in the Lions Club swimming pool. My summer job between college quarters was life guarding at the Terrace Heights Country Club where every morning I would warm-up by swimming two lengths of the pool underwater in true trout-like fashion.

Rivers

But my fondest early water memories are centered around the rivers of Yakima County — the Naches, Little Naches, the Yakima, Tieton and Bumping. Rivers roar in the spring, thrash up enormous logjams, jump their banks, shove boulders around, maniacally leap into the air or cascade down rock faces in deafening majesty. A river is not to be messed with when it is at its peak in frigid, cobalt blue or frothy white.

Later in the summer is the time to make friends with a river. Under the midday sun, rivers placidly wallow around the feet of alders or cottonwoods, suck gently at mossy banks and, when dusk settles in, lull us to sleep. This is the season to walk barefoot in the mud at their edges and poke rocks with a stick for crawdads or lean headfirst just over their serenading lips to stare at tiny fish in the shallows.

Inner-tubing on rivers can be fun too, but I’d much rather stand and admire them than be part of the sway. I want to sit on the basalt outcropping we call the Ash Grove, east of Camp Roganunda, and listen to their music. Or just watch — rivers flowing, flowing rivers — in their never-ending job of pushing to the sea.

Shack Living

Some folks live on the river. Friends Allen Moe and Cathryn Vandenbrink have shacks on the sloughs up the Skagit River. Last month, Cathryn took me up to her place for an equipment drop and we made a day of it. The drive from Seattle is a pleasant 35 minutes. In Cathryn’s book the rule is “no hurry” — it’s part of the ethos of shack-life. The point is to breathe deeply when you get on the water, so why be frantic on the way to slow-down?

Once off the highways, we load the skiff from the dock, cast-off and putt-putt upriver. The day is bright though blue-grey clouds float just above the hills around us. We motor through a misty rain and pole up the appropriate slough until we find a water-depth that takes us directly to her shack. After a quick tie up, we unload the boat carrying baskets of clean laundry and supplies up the dock ramp.

Nib, now down to one partially functioning eye, baled off the deck and I found him scrambling up the bank amid the just-blooming skunk cabbage. After a towel-down, he sat in my lap in the sun as we watched the day go by. Living on the river is not about doing nothing; it’s about knowing the difference between doing and being.

Opening a space to think — with no cell phone, no Internet, no commotion — can be a scary prospect for some. Artists know that it’s where magical ideas lurk, ideas that can jump into your head from the natural environment at the slightest invitation.

Nahcotta by the Bay

In Nahcotta, I live on the bay side of town on a little rise. This situation has nothing to do with my being savvy — it was purely a matter of luck and the urging of a good friend. But by this quirk of fate I ended with a perfect southeast facing garden plot, less salt breeze, more protection from the storms, and, out the kitchen window, a view of Willapa Bay. The bay has, therefore, become a dear companion. It’s the first thing that greets me when I rise and the last face I see before the light dims.

All day long, I watch the tides pull back — uncovering rich mudflats and murky channels — and push up, filling to the treeline again. I can see folks stumbling around on the public clam beds and marvel at the graceful blue herons poised for hours it seems waiting for dinner or flying in over the house with nesting materials. For several weeks last summer, we had a resident eagle making high daily circles above our little piece of heaven.

For my first year, I was a bit envious of folks with an ocean view. Not to say those aren’t splendid, but now I have to admit a preference for the Willapa Bay watershed, all 600,000 acres of it. I love to watch the oyster boats and track the rising and falling shell mounds as the season progresses. The way the sunrise creeps out through the fog hanging on Long Island and the sunset lays its colors down over the waters just before dusk, I would not trade for one curling wave against the sand.

Portage Bay

Even in Seattle, where I’ve been spending more time of late, I live in a tiny gypsy cabin floating on a barge. This culture-country combination is pleasing. I can hop metro bus 49 for 75 cents and in 15 minutes make it up to the Egyptian Cinema on Capital Hill, the Seattle Art Museum, or Pike’s Market. Or I can just open the door and feed the Canada goose family leftover crackers while I watch rowers zip by under the University Bridge. (If you’re too tall to pass beneath: toot one long, one short.)

I don’t know how I got so lucky. But water seeks its own level wherever it goes; it floods ravines, fills canyons and cracks, and smoothes all the rough edges on its way to more water.

I guess my heart and brain, 75 percent water; my lungs, 86 percent; my muscles, 75 percent; my liver, 85; my kidney, 83; my bones, 22; my blood, sweat and tears, 83, 95, 100 percent, are seeking a return to their source.

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Ilwaco is not failing. The empty buildings and shops that have closed recently are not due to lack of visitors. They were not due to lack of quality. They were wonderful thriving places that will be greatly missed. We have had proprietors retire, move on to bigger adventures in Florida and Hawaii, and sadly more than one who have passed away — many changes in a short period of time, but the town is not to blame. The location is good, the view is great.

Do not let the number of empty businesses scare you away if you are looking to establish a restaurant/bar or any other retail outlet. It’s been a tough time but we will prevail; we are Ilwaco.

KELLY FRECH

Ilwaco

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The Brix family’s legacy in the Columbia River region is all about building new lives and communities — almost from scratch and on an awesome scale. Immigrant success stories don’t come any better.

Last Friday, Peter J. Brix was at the Columbia River Maritime Museum greeting old friends and signing copies of his latest book, “The Brix Maritime Story: A Century of Towboating and Barging.” Along with a companion volume, “The Brix Logging Story: In the Woods of Washington and Oregon” — both are avialable at the museum — it comprises a remarkable visual and verbal archive of a period when our ancestors created good, viable lives by working hard in local woods and waters. It is a period that will always be the foundation of how Northwesterners imagine ourselves — our origin as strong, smart, outdoor-oriented people.

As with the family’s enterprises on dry land, Brix achievements on the water started small — with the purchase in 1910 of the 75-foot, 100-horsepower R. Miler, built in the Leathers shipyard in Astoria in 1891. Bought to serve the needs of the Brix-owned Knappton sawmill across the river from Astoria, this little “pre-owned” steamer was to be the first of many vessels to come.

It was a marriage of diverse businesses including logging, lumber manufacturing, maritime transportation, railways, banking and others that allowed the Brix family to survive the horrible times of the Great Depression that drove many others to ruin. Being good businessmen didn’t just save the Brixes. It also kept hundreds of breadwinners employed in Clatsop and Pacific counties and elsewhere in the region.

P.J. Brix, the author’s grandfather, has a grin in old photos that makes him someone you’d like to have known. Well along in the logging book, this passage confirms our positive impression:

“Having worked his way up the logging hierarchy, P.J. was ever mindful of the inherent danger his employees faced and cared about their welfare. As far back as 1908, P.J., together with several other Astoria sawmill owners, organized the Lumberman’s Hospital Association. In 1922, as a New Year’s present, he gifted his workers at both Brix Brothers and Knappton Mills with group accident and death insurance polices. This was a very progressive notion for the times. Though he had taken to wearing tailored suits when he went afield, P.J. was a much-admired boss who treated every employee with the respect they deserved. ‘We often talk about the times we spent in your camp and of the wonderful way in which you treated your help,’ one employee later related to P.J.”

As a side note, P.J. and his family long enjoyed a summer home in Ocean Park, traveling there via the Clamshell Railroad.

On the water side of the business, it would be hard to overstate how big a role Brix played in moving products up and down the Columbia, and elsewhere in the world. Although first-hand stories about the earliest days are hard to come by, its initial vessels were tightly woven into local life. They served as routine taxis and extensions of home for isolated hamlets. For one, the steamer General Washington maintained a scheduled circuit of runs from Astoria to Knappton, Deep River and other estuary towns.

“In those days, Knappton and the other north shore towns were like islands. All commerce, freight and people came by water, not land, and the pace of life revolved around the arrival and departure of riverboats.” Expectant mothers, newborn babies and injured loggers all owed their lives to this system of hardy steamers.

Again, the Brix story is fundamentally about getting things done — smartly and efficiently. Concerning one of the firm’s three boatyards, Knappton Towboat’s long-time chief operating officer, Ed Beall, recalled “The people in Rainier were capable of doing almost anything. With most shipyards, you had to wait for them to put together a sketch and a plan for how it could be done. Our response was often, ‘We need the boat tomorrow. Fix it now!’ With Rainier shipyard, they could take a piece of chalk, draw a picture on the floor and build it.”

Peter Brix’s research discovered that his family’s American story started inauspiciously, with a Chicago swindler absconding with their savings in 1881 on their way from Germany to become farmers on the banks of Grays River in Western Wahkiakum County, Washington Territory. I was surprised to learn that I drove by their family cemetery countless times on the way to my prized old home on Altoona Road. I, too, have rowed the deceptively swift waters of Devil’s Elbow.

But where other farming settlers saw the big trees as little but annoying obstacles to plowing, the Brixes perceived an asset that sweaty work could turn into money. A Northwest commercial empire grew from this simple concept. It’s a story still worth studying.

Chinook Observer editor Matt Winters lives in Ilwaco with his wife and daughter.

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U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera-Beutler voted for the 37th time to repeal the Affordable Care Act. According to the Think Progress Blog, since 2011 House Republicans have spent 15 percent of their time — about 90 hours and over $50 million — on 36 earlier attempts to repeal Obamacare. All of which were doomed to failure because they’d never make it through the Senate, and they’d be subject to a presidential veto. And this latest attempt — which adds another $1.5 million to the tab — isn’t any more likely to succeed.

When you go on the Herrera-Beutler’s website, you can take a survey. In the survey she asks, “What would you like to see Congress focus on in 2013?” Your choices are: job creation and employment; government spending and the deficit; more affordable health care; and other. She never reveals the results of her survey, but I’d be willing to bet that most people respond “Job creation and employment.” And for those who respond “More affordable health care,” I don’t think repealing the Affordable Care Act is responsive to their desires. Repealing the act would raise prescription drug costs by re-opening the prescription drug donut hole, deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, end tax credits for small businesses, kick children off their parents’ health care before they turn 26, close prevention and wellness initiatives that lower costs and improve health, and eliminate the lifetime cap on health care costs and forcing Americans to declare bankruptcy because they’re trying to take care of their families.

I, for one, would like to see a lot more concentration on the creation of jobs and building of the economy than the waste of time and money being spent to repeal current laws and to investigate the Obama administration.

Dixie Wood

Ocean Park

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Some heroes’ flames of life are spent in a burst of glory, and some heroes’ lives are flames burned slowly through the years in quiet service. This Memorial Day, I honor in my heart my parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, siblings, cousins, numerous friends of my parents, my generations, my children and their generation, my neighbors and community members. I see hard work, honest soul searching, loving health care and honesty, the rising up to meet emergencies and disasters, faithfulness to duties, laughter, giving, and helping. These people are heroes in my eyes and heart and life.

Pat Donnelly

Seaview

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    The Ilwaco-Long Beach Kiwanis and the Ocean Park Methodist Church would like to thank the “Seat of our Pants” group for the program that they did at Ocean Park to help the Ocean Park Food-4-Kids fundraising.  It is because of groups like this that we are able to send food home each friday with the school children.

Ilwaco-Long Beach Kiwanis

John Epler, Secretary

Thank you, Dolan Gardner

    Dolan Gardner, only 27 years old, died tragically in a motorcycle-truck incident in late April. This young man left behind a legacy that will keep him in my thoughts, and perhaps in yours. Dolan created a specialized wheelchair for use on Peninsula beaches, which is available at the business he managed, Long Beach Mopeds.

    Because of Dolan, for some people our beach will be the very first beach where they actually get to the water. Think about that — it is not a small thing. If you or someone you care about is wheelchair-bound, you know that those with disabilities spend their lives coming in the back door and watching from the sidelines. Looking at the ocean from your vehicle is in no way the same as strolling along the shore. Dolan’s legacy makes the previously impossible now possible, and it adds to the magic of this place. Rest in peace, Dolan Gardner. Our corner of the world is a better place for you having been here.

Gayle Borchard

Long Beach

    Tied Pool Creations wishes to thank Cate Gable and the Chinook Observer for the wonderful article in last week’s paper that included interviews of some of our artists. We would also gratefully thank our community for their support and help in our continued growth! Unfortunately, Don Klang, who makes wood toys, was mistakenly left off of the list of our artists but certainly is a contributor to our offerings.

Angela Pierce

Ocean Park

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At the May 7 meeting of Pacific County Public Utility District No. 2, many spoke about dishonesty and cover-up of 10 years of activities that defrauded PUD #2 ratepayers. This activity was first brought to the attention of commissioners on Feb. 5. Yet, to date the commissioners have taken no action to investigate and answer any questions. Doug Miller, PUD #2 manager, and the three commissioners actively denied at first any knowledge and then invented a fictitious story of an “insurance deduction” which the PUD #2 paid for. This is untrue.

These are the facts:

On July 31, 2003, Jason Dunsmoor, PUD #2 chief engineer, ordered a lift truck from United Rentals to be delivered to 590 Henkle St, Raymond. The lift truck was delivered on Aug. 4, 2003. Rental invoice #3486031-400 shows PUD #2 as the rental customer, and that insurance coverage was rejected. The lift was transported to Dunsmoor’s private property, where it was used until Aug. 11, 2003, placing 25.9 hours on the machine.

On Aug. 11, 2003, PUD #2 equipment and personnel in the process of removing the lift, flipped the machine over, causing major damage. Accident reports were prepared and sent to PUD #2’s insurance company. The insurance company established claim #2425-001. The lift was returned to United Rental on Aug. 12, 2003, and the invoice notes damages pending. Invoice for the rental was $1,147.64. PUD #2 paid the invoice on Aug. 25, 2003.

I contacted United Rentals and inquired about the amount of damages and the person(s) or organization making payment. They reported this claim is Risk #03L1722, but they would not release the details until PUD #2 authorizes it.

On April 2, 2013, a freedom of information request was made to Doug Miller, requesting that this information be obtained. Miller answered that the $1,147.64 was the insurance deductable. PUD #2’s insurance company, as of April 2, has received no claim for damages. This amount does not include the cost of labor to PUD #2 of employees hauling the equipment from Dunsmoor’s property, recovering the damaged equipment, and delivering to United Rentals.

I’m sickened by seeing the commissioners act impotently at their meetings. They are nothing more than a rubberstamp, and we pay them over $40,000 a year.

Commissioners are elected to protect our interests, not their own. Hard questions require courage to ask, and doing their due diligence.

Ron Craig

South Bend

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For the past four years I have served on the Advisory Council for the Regional Long Term Care Ombudsman (LTCO) serving Grays Harbor and Pacific counties. Most folks do not know what the LTCO is, which is truly unfortunate.

Under the Older Americans Act, every state is required to have a LTCO to address complaints and advocate for improvements in the long-term care system. The state LTC ombudsman coordinates the activities of the long-term care ombudsmen throughout Washington. For more information about the Washington LTCO, go to: www.waombudsman.org.

Our regional ombudsman is Judy Dawe. Due to budget reductions, Ms. Dawe is a part-time employee. Although the LTCO continues to shrink, the need for its existence remains painfully obvious. Notwithstanding her limited hours, Ms. Dawe is passionate about her work.

She empowers individuals, families and communities to scrutinize the safety and dignity of all long-term care residents. Her oversight covers assisted living facilities, nursing homes, adult family homes, which include elderly residents, as well as individuals with short-term or long-term disabilities requiring extended stays.

Ms. Dawe receives and responds to complaints and conducts independent investigations. Anyone can seek assistance from the LTCO. In addition to the resident, family members, community members and the facilities can request the LTCO’s assistance. Ms. Dawe’s role is to make sure the resident is being treated properly.

Example: A facility is concerned a family member is improperly refusing to allow a resident to return home so the family member can live in the resident’s home rent-free. Facilities can (and do) contact Ms. Dawe to help the resident navigate such a situation.

Example: A facility’s procedure is to awaken a wheelchair-bound resident at 6 a.m. to “queue” up in the hall and is wheeled to the dining area at 8 a.m. Prior to living at the facility, the resident enjoyed resting in bed watching television and eating breakfast at 9 a.m. The facility’s procedure described above is a violation of the resident’s legal rights.

One would like to believe these facilities have good intentions; however, anecdotally, many are now owned by for-profit national corporations that are more concerned about the bottom line. As a result, facilities are often under-staffed. Staff is over-worked and inadequately trained. Corners are cut.

Residents are neglected and/or abused.

Residents — often somewhat or severely compromised physically, mentally or both — are unable or fearful of advocating for their own protection. Long-term care residents have significant legal rights — of which residents, facilities, families, and the community are notably ignorant.

We, as community members, have an obligation to make sure residents in long-term care facilities are treated with kindness and respect. I was recently speaking with a colleague who goes into a facility regularly. He noticed issues of concern and knew about the LTCO; yet, at that time, it did not occur to him to report his concerns to Ms. Dawe.

We can all do better.

For instance: Every facility is required to have the LTCO contact information prominently posted. Don’t see it? Ask. See something troubling? Report it.

One ongoing and serious issue is the LTCO is in dire need of volunteers. This can be a rewarding opportunity. Retirees are ideal candidates, as are folks who are underemployed. If you qualify as a volunteer, you are reimbursed for mileage. You and Ms. Dawe work out what hours and facilities are best suited for your schedule and skill-set. Note: Being a volunteer LTCO requires a serious commitment! You must complete and pass the volunteer application process.

The volunteer training is required for all individuals who wish to be a certified volunteer Long-Term Care Ombudsman. Volunteers receive 32 hours of training, over four sessions or days, which includes on-site visits and homework. There is no cost to participate.

To report any concerns or if you are interested in volunteering, please contact:

Judy A. Dawe

Regional Long Term Care Ombudsman

800-828-4883 ext 120

360-500-4520

judyd@coastalcap.org

To find out if you are eligible for Northwest Justice Project services:

For cases including youth (Individualized Education Program and school discipline issues), debt collection cases and tenant evictions, please call for a local intake appointment Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at (360) 533-2282 or toll free (866) 402-5293. No walk-ins, please.

For all other legal issues, please call our toll-free intake and referral hotline commonly known as “CLEAR” (Coordinated Legal Education Advice and Referral) at 1-888-201-1014, Mondays through Fridays 9:10 a.m. to 12:25 p.m. If you are a senior, 60 and over, please call 1-888-387-7111; you may be eligible regardless of income. Language interpreters are available. You can also complete an application for services at http://nwjustice.org/get-legal-help.

Sarah Glorian

Senior Attorney

Northwest Justice Project

Aberdeen

1-866-402-5293 (toll free)

www.nwjustice.org

www.washingtonlawhelp.org

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The “article” on the front page of the May 8 Observer disturbed me greatly. Not only did the Observer choose to print hearsay without any facts to back it up, but I can only guess at what the family went through to suddenly read that a member of their family, now dead, is basically being accused of a death. Is this now a gossip newspaper? What about fact-checking? What about being responsible to the living relatives of people in that article? Ouch.

Jennifer Trump

Ocean Park

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Big things will be happening at a festival in Raymond on May 25. This is a part of the March against Monsanto* (see below). Here in Raymond we are taking a positive, peaceful approach to the awareness and concerns about our food and its sources. So many people are unaware of the dangers in our food supply, and many don’t understand what exactly a GMO is. There will be knowledgeable speakers, booths and vendors to help you understand the concerns about Genetically Modified foods and chemicals. The information being provided will help those who attend understand the concerns and offer solutions for finding safe, healthy and affordable alternatives for themselves and their families.

The festival will be taking place at the park in front of the Farmers Market and Carriage Museum in Raymond. There will be many activities for the whole family. There will be an interactive area for kids with hands on seed planting and things for them to do. There will be organic and non-GMO vendors to offer you local solutions to GMO foods and products. The local business community is also getting very involved that week with non-GMO offerings in their line of products or services. Look for our “Non-GMO Week” signs and stickers on display. Watch for updates of involved businesses. There will be a mutant vegetable contest. There will be GMO awareness movies playing in a tent on the side of the building that people can watch at their leisure all day. The speakers involved will be from different areas of knowledge, local business, farmers, Institute for Responsible Technology, beekeepers and there will be an open mike session at the end for anyone who wishes to add a personal note. There will be much more, watch for updates.

*March Against Monsanto has announced that on May 25, tens of thousands of activists around the world will “March Against Monsanto.” Currently, marches are being planned on six continents, in 36 countries, totaling events in over 250 cities, and in the U.S., events are slated to occur simultaneously at 11 a.m. Pacific in 47 states.

Tami Monroe Canal, lead organizer and creator of the now-viral Facebook page, says she was inspired to start the movement to protect her two daughters. “I feel Monsanto threatens their generation’s health, fertility and longevity. I couldn’t sit by idly, waiting for someone else to do something.”

For more information see “March Against Monsanto” and ‘’March Against Monsanto Raymond WA” on facebook.

If you would like to contact the organizers of the Raymond festival, you can email us at gmoawarenessmay25@yahoo.com.

MARY DOUBEK

Raymond

•••

    March Against Monsanto: 11 a.m. (Worldwide) in Raymond at the Farmers Market

    There will be a supervised showing of “The Lorax” at 11 a.m. for any parents who wish to have their children supervised while they are part of the march, although children and dogs are welcome.

Speakers:  

Noon to 12:45 p.m.    Daniel Brandt – Institute for Responsible Technology

1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.    Arthur Zeigler – Sea-Crop

2 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.    Julie Tennis –  Beekeeper, writer, Educator

2:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.    Jason Knott – Homesteader, educator

3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.    Pam Drake – Institute for Responsible Technology

4 p.m. to 5 p.m.    Open Microphone

Movies:

11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.    “The Lorax”

1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.    “The Vanishing of the Bees”

2:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.    “The World According to Monsanto”

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