As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
July 27, 2016
I don't have an exact date for the first picture I am sharing, but we all remember when the big blue building on the waterfront (now the green building that houses the Old Town Market) was the home of Bandon Fisheries, where many locals worked at picking crab and shrimp.
Picking crab at Bandon Fisheries
Graydon Stinnett ran the plant for a number of years, when Bandon's waterfront was best known for seafood production and lumber mills. Before this building was erected, Bandon Fisheries operated out of the former Bandon Seafood building in the '60s, about where The Loft is now.
The second picture shows The Snack Shack, built by Gordy and Ann Texley, under construction at the intersection of Highways 101 and 42S in 1965.
The Snack Shack, 1965
It later became Ken and Carol Kreutzer's Rumpty's, and is now the home of the Rancho Viejo Mexican restaurant. Over the years, the building has been much enlarged, and a car wash/laundromat was built to the north of it.
Marvin "Bake" and Esther Leach owned a bakery in downtown Bandon for a number of years. The third picture was taken in 1960 when Buttons the Clown came to town. The only person I recognize is my cousin John Felsheim, just to the right of the mike. I think the bakery was pretty much across from Erdman's City Market (now Lloyds).
Buttons the Clown, 1960
* * *
I used to comment in the Herald the years that both the Coos County Fair and the Curry County Fair were held on the same weekend, which seemed like such poor planning.
But this year tops them all. The two top days for the Coos County Fair (Friday and Saturday) are the same days as the Cape Blanco Country Music Festival at Sixes (July 29-31), which is expected to draw 20,000 people (many of them from Coos County).
I can't figure out whether they didn't know that both events were on the same weekend, or maybe they just didn't care, but I am pretty sure that a lot of their potential fairgoers will be headed to Cape Blanco.
But I guess they won't have to worry about a conflict like that in the future since this is the last year for the Cape Blanco Country Music Festival, which is moving to Central Point, on I-5 near Medford.
* * *
The tragic accident on the highway between Dairy Queen and Price n' Pride has generated a lot of comments in the past week, as well as confusion as to when people need to stop and how long they need to stay stopped.
I have talked to a number of people who simply did not know the law, but all were aware that you have to stop when a person is in the crosswalk.
But what if they are simply standing on the curb waiting for traffic to clear before they venture into the crosswalk.
That is different.
Until a person has taken possession of the crosswalk, which in Oregon means "a pedestrian is crossing the roadway in a crosswalk when any part or extension of the pedestrian, including but not limited to any part of the pedestrian's body, wheelchair, cane, crutch or bicycle, moves into the roadway in a crosswalk with the intent to proceed," a driver does not have to stop.
Once a pedestrian has moved into the crosswalk, there are several rules regarding how long a driver has to remain stopped.
When turning at a traffic signal, drivers must stop and remain stopped for pedestrians until they have cleared the lane in which your vehicle is turning and at least six feet of the next lane.
At any other crosswalk, whether marked with paint or unmarked, drivers must stop and remain stopped until the pedestrian has cleared the lane in which you are traveling (or into which you are turning) and the next lane.
Exceptions include that you must remain stopped for students as directed by a crossing guard, or for a blind pedestrian using a white cane or a guide dog until the pedestrian is completely across the roadway.
What that means, of course, is that if you are traveling on a five-lane road, or even a four-lane, you can proceed once the pedestrian has cleared the lane you are traveling in, plus one more lane.
Often I will see people standing on the sidewalk/curb waiting for traffic to clear until they start into the crosswalk. Once they have put one foot into the crosswalk, traffic must stop and obey by the above rules.
* * *
I can assure people that Matt Winkel, our interim city manager, is working closely with ODOT to address this dangerous crosswalk. The ultimate goal is to have an RRFB (solar powered rapid flasher system) installed that would activate as soon as the pedestrian presses a button. There would be no mistake that someone is trying to cross the highway.
The state, however, has some requests, and the city is working to address those. The first thing they want moved are what they call several distracting poles that they say are obstructing views. The poles in question house lines belonging to Comspan, Charter and Verizon, but not the city, which has undergrounded its utilities in that area. We do have a light pole on the east side of the highway, installed to provide greater visibility at night for those crossing the highway at the crosswalk.
The state also wants the crosswalk moved to the north side of Ninth rather than the south side, and may install a safety island in the middle turn lane, which would further protect pedestrians.
The anticipated cost of the rapid flasher system is between $60,000 and $80,000, according to the state, with the city asked to pay half the cost, which I am sure we will be more than willing to do.
This is a very important crosswalk as it serves three schools, Pine Village and at least one commercial establishment.
It's hard to put a price on safety.
* * *
I talked at length with Sergeant Larry Lynch, who covered the fatal accident and wrote the report. The accident was caught on tape by surveillance cameras set up nearby by Price 'n Pride.
I will have more about the accident, and what the surveillance tape showed in my column next week.
* * *
I am not sure how many people remember Randy Montgomery, who called himself the Circle Maker. He was a man in his 60s, who was traveling the perimeter of the United States . . . praying for people to be kind to each other. While here, I believe he was the guest speaker at Pacific Community Church. He made many friends along his travels.
A resident of Mt. Shasta, Calif., where he started his walk, he spent three days in Bandon as a guest of Bobbie Bolden last summer, and she had kept in communication with him. At any rate, his life has taken a few more turns in the last year, but he was just getting ready to start his walk again, from the East Coast, when he received a phone call that his sister had been killed ... in the motorcycle accident in Bandon.
He immediately flew to Seattle to be with his mother, who is in her 90s, and to try and learn more about the accident, which claimed the life of his sister.
* * *
I read on Facebook that Glen Brown, Class of 1954, died June 30 in Albany. He was the son of Vern and Mabel Brown and the brother of Judy Brown Dinsmore (former mayor of Bandon).
I also learned that one of my classmates, Bill Hughlett, died last week in Coos Bay. He was a retired Coos Bay police officer, and his mother and step-father, Juanita and Bob Brady, owned a nursery south of town when he grew up here with his brother, Bob Hughlett.
* * *
It appears that the real estate market is much stronger than it was this time last year, particularly in Coos County. According to a publication called "Market Action, "Coos County lit up the pending sales this June. These accepted offers (116) ended 23.4 percent ahead of June 2015 (94) and 13.7 percent ahead of May 2016 (102) -- the strongest June for pendings in Coos County since at least 1999."
Comparing 2016 to 2015 through June, the average sale price rose 9.7 percent from $174,400 to $191,300. In the same comparison, the median sale price rose 7.9 percent from $159,900 to $172,500.
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
July 20, 2016
The first picture I am sharing this week was taken during a big flood (caused when Ferry Creek overflowed) in February of 1961.
Ferry Creek Flood, 1961
In the picture, taken along First Street near where it joins Fillmore and onto Riverside Drive, city crews are busy trying to keep the edge of the street from being washed away. At center, in the beige overcoat, is long-time police chief D. S. "Big Mac" Donald, who was always there in any kind of an emergency. Among the city crew members is Bob Hiley (with the brim of his hat turned down).
In the background you can see an old shed and next to it a building owned by Ernie Panter, and on down the street would be the old hospital building and Bandon Fisheries (now The Wheelhouse). The building in back, on the right side of the picture, is Bandon Seafood, which is about where the Loft now sits.
The second picture, taken in June of 1982, is looking west on Second Street.
Looking west on Second Street, 1982
The reason I am sharing this picture is because of Black Horse Boutique, at right, which has been a fixture in Old Town for four decades (now in a different location one block east). Virginia Weaver is retiring after 40 years in business, and is having a big sale, which opens today (Monday) at her location in what has been referred to as the McNair Building (recently purchased by Jon Hawkins). News of her retirement, which appeared on Facebook, generated many compliments for the popular woman, who has been a fixture here for so many years.
The Toy Shop now occupies this spot, and next to it you can see Lynn (now Davies) and Chuck Markham's Bandon Candle Shoppe, and the sign for The Pastime Tavern (now Cranberry Sweets). Across the street, before the building (and Old Town) was upgraded, sits the old Arcade Tavern building (now Bill and Louise Moore's Inner Garden). Next to it is a barber shop and a small art gallery.
The third picture was taken in December of 1966 because the photographer (probably me) tried to make it look like the vehicle on a car carrier parked along Highway 101 was actually on the roof of Bandon Bookkeeping, below on Second Street.
Bandon Bookkeeping, 1966
The building, now the Hickory Club (private museum) owned by Nancy Evans, was just east of the Capps Motor Co. garage, now the property where the visitor center is located. Across the highway you can see the end of the Uni-Gas building, about where Dan Farmer's insurance office is located.
Bandon Bookkeeping was owned by Tom McGinty, whose wife Pam later became plant manager for Ocean Spray after W. T. Dufort retired.
* * *
We've all heard about or witnessed near-accidents at the crosswalk on Highway 101 at Ninth Street (near Dairy Queen) and Friday, shortly after 11 a.m., our worst fears were realized. But in this case it was not a pedestrian who was killed.
Apparently a motorcycle, operated by a Crescent City, Calif., man, who was accompanied on the back by his partner, stopped to allow someone to cross the highway. But a pickup truck towing a trailer rear-ended the motorcycle, throwing the 60-year-old motorcycle passenger Karen Barlow, also of Crescent City, to the ground. The pickup was driven by Richard Riddle, 68, of Sisters. Both vehicles were headed north on the highway when the crash occurred.
Sgt. Larry Lynch of the Bandon Police Department said the accident is still under investigation by the Bandon PD and the Coos County Crash Team.
This was a very traumatic experience for people who saw the woman lying dead on the pavement, and has prompted many to question who is responsible for installing lights at the crosswalk, and what can be done.
Several years ago, at the suggestion of councilor Chris Powell, white lines were installed on the highway ahead of the crosswalk, giving people a better opportunity to see why people were stopped. Confusion sometimes arises when the person coming along on the outside lane thinks the inside lane driver is stopped to turn left onto Ninth Street so he or she proceeds through the crosswalk, when someone is actually crossing the highway.
Many high school and junior high age students use this crosswalk, as do a number of people who live at Pacific Pines, and it has never been safe.
My sister Maggie and my pal Brian both say that they turn on their flashers in a situation like this to alert people that someone is crossing the highway. It is something I've never heard of, but it is certainly worth a try.
Apparently it is up to ODOT (Oregon Department of Transportation) to install a flashing light or some other kind of safety device at the crosswalk, and I am sure that the city will be requesting that they do that as soon as possible.
Whether or not this would have kept someone from rear-ending a vehicle who was already stopped is doubtful.
But improvements are needed ... sooner rather than later.
Not sure why the driver of the pickup did not see the motorcycle, but once the investigation is completed, I am sure more information will be forthcoming.
This brought back memories about a similar motorcycle/vehicle accident on Highway 42S at Lampa Lane when a female passenger was killed last May. This latest death is, I believe, at least the seventh motorcycle death in Oregon in the last couple of weeks.
* * *
Steven Tallhunter, a man I always referred to as the "blueberry man," has made the news again. This is not the first run-in with authorities for Tallhunter, who was a regular at the Old Town Market for several years before he was arrested for domestic violence (allegedly strangling his wife in front of his teenage children).
His ex-wife and his children continued to operate the blueberry farm, outside of Myrtle Point, and he moved to Powers, apparently to be near his mother.
But he has demonstrated continued erratic behavior, which culminated last week with his arrest on several charges, including cruelty to animals.
The press release said the sheriff's office is seeking the public's help in providing testimony related to numerous illegal acts, including the trapping and torture of a fawn and other acts committed by Tallhunter, 56, over the span of Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekends.
He is charged with aggravated animal abuse, criminal trespass, criminal mischief and reckless driving.
It is sad that mental health aid is so lacking in Coos County ... and throughout the country.
* * *
I heard from Steve Buck (Mongo) who posts my column to his website at Bandon.tv each week that while he will post this week's column, he will be unable to post the next one.
He is having his aortic heart valve replaced next week, which requires a minimum five-day hospital stay. "If you write a column, I will publish it as soon as I can," he advised me in an email.
I will definitely still write my column next week, part of which Amy has been running in Western World each week, and if Mongo is able, I am sure he will post it when he can.
The pictures are what has generated most of the interest in recent weeks, and I really appreciate that Amy has found room in Western World for them... to go along with the entire column which Mongo posts each week. Amy also posts the column on the Bandon Western World website, which allows people to blow up the photos to get a better look at what I am talking about..
* * *
I knew we were having some extremely windy days recently, but I didn't realize just how windy it was until KVAL news showed Coos County (last Thursday) as the windiest place in the state at 43 miles an hour.
* * *
Police Chief Bob Webb learned the hard way what can happen when you climb down a steep embankment to assist a woman who had crashed her car (on July 11).
I actually never heard anything more about the accident, nor do I know the name of the woman, but the chief contracted an extremely bad case of poison oak/ivy, which necessitated a trip to the emergency room for a shot.
He did say that although the woman suffered multiple non-life threatening injuries, her first concern was for her dog, who had been traveling with her. But the little pooch did not survive the accident, which I am sure was very traumatic for her.
I think of how much my sister Molly loves her 16-year-old frail little dog, Blue Angel, and how she would feel if something like that happened .... actually I hate to think about it.
* * *
People will have their first opportunity to see the new amphitheater in City Park (which is not a building but a stair-stepped grassy area to accommodate an audience in front of the new bandstand) as Music in the Park begins Sunday, July 24, and will continue every Sunday in August from 1 to 4 p.m.
"Oregon's Own" 234th Army Band of the Oregon National Guard will perform at 1 p.m. on July 24. For more information contact Greater Bandon Association at 541-297-2342.
* * *
With news last week that counterfeit bills have been circulating in Bandon, Sara Kimball, manager of Bank of the Cascades, announced that they would be offering a short seminar at the branch at 5 p.m. on Tuesday (July 19) to go over some tips and resources available to help business people tell if the currency they are accepting is valid.
There is no cost for the seminar and it is open to the public.
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
July 13, 2016
The first picture I am sharing this week was taken in May of 1959 during construction of the Texaco Service station, which is now the Shell Station on Highway 101 between Delaware and Elmira.
Texaco station construction, 1959
In the background you can see the building that is now Dr. Sharen Strong's dental office. Across the street is the old American Legion hall, which is now the site of the La Fiesta Mexican restaurant. In back to the left is the old McNair Hardware building, which was destroyed in an arson fire in 1975, before being rebuilt.
The second picture, taken in May of 1958, shows smoke from a gorse fire over the bank along Ocean Drive/Beach Loop near Table Rock Motel.
Gorse fire, 1958
This was long before M.C. Ball built her big house just this side of the motel, as well as the house which Fred and Keeli Gernandt own. This house, which I think was built by tugboat captain Martin Guchee, still stands today and has had a number of different owners over the years.
The third picture was taken in May of 1960 during the grand opening of McKay's Market (now Price n' Pride) when the store was much smaller than it is today. To the left were some old shacks that were later torn down to make way for an auto dealership, which is now the Napa Auto store.
McKay's Market, 1960
* * *
I was happy recently to learn that one of my favorite people ... former Tiger running standout Stan Goodell ... had been named cross country coach at Grants Pass High School.
The Grants Pass Courier recently carried a story and a picture of Stan, with one of his star runners, 17-year-old Max Belnap.
What should have been a joyful time for Stan turned into a nightmare on the Fourth of July when Max Belnap, his 17-year-old friend Ryan Merker (also a track star), and Max's father, John, apparently died when their small plane crashed into the ocean just off Brookings as they were headed home to Grants Pass. The sheriff's office said the plane took off from the Brookings airport about 10:30 p.m. It was the first time Merker had flown.
As soon as Stan heard that they were missing, he headed straight for Brookings to help in the search. But the next day, some people walking along the beach found a backpack, which had washed onto the shore. It belonged to one of the young men in the missing plane, which dashed hopes that they might have gone down somewhere in the mountains between the two towns.
He poured his heart out on his Facebook page pledging to continue searching until the trio was found.
If anyone can help the team heal, it is Stan, who has spent four decades as a coach in Southern Oregon. He coached the Rogue River boys to back-to-back state cross country championships in 1994-95, and added another boys title coaching Hidden Valley in 2008.
He helped the Rogue River girls win championships in 1996 and 1997. He also coached at Southern Oregon University for both the men's and women's teams and at Brighton Academy.
Stan is a 1972 graduate of Bandon High School, and two years ago he was honored by the SWOCC Foundation as their outstanding alum.
Stan Goodell at state track meet, early '70s
I recently sent him an email when he asked me about my late cousin Laurie Felsheim.
He said, "Thanks for the update Mary. And thanks for the nice comments about being a role model . . . I grew up in a world of hard knocks but had great role models in Coach Sutherland, Guy Crapper, Mickey Hurley, Big Mac and You. I came to a fork in the road one day and thank God I chose the correct one to travel down.
"So, it's very easy for me to connect with kids today and attempt to steer them in the right direction. Running is a powerful source to use in teaching self-discipline and self-confidence. Stay in touch."
My heart aches for him today . . .
* * *
I read this week about a 24-year-old Bandon woman, Shyan Barnes, who was killed when the big rig she was sleeping in rolled over on Interstate 10 in Southern California last week.
She was a passenger in a truck hauling PVC pipe, operated by a 42-year-old Bandon man, who was not identified in the article. He suffered serious injuries and was hospitalized.
* * *
Last week I mentioned that Angie Smith and her husband, Leigh, who have been managing Windermere, are moving to Woodburn. I took the info from a nice article in Western World, which was apparently submitted by the owners of Windermere.
Unfortunately, the information about Leigh's job wasn't quite correct. He is going to be the maintenance director at St. Joseph Catholic Church, where he will be overseeing capital improvement projects.
In an email to me, Angie said: "We will truly miss Bandon and wish we could have made a living there, but health insurance was costing us way too much and we are grateful to be able to have jobs where we can be salaried with benefits and put that money on a mortgage."
Angie will become a principal at a Catholic school in Woodburn.
* * *
Paul Hay posted on Facebook last week that Pazaz is back. Paul and wife Cindy and family have officially moved back to Bandon and are starting up their old printing and marketing business, including website designs.
Please let Paul know if he can help with anything, by calling 970-317-1979 "until we can get the new business location open. We are very excited to be home," Paul said.
They have many friends in Bandon and it's great to have them back.
* * *
I almost forgot that I hadn't mentioned the very successful Fourth of July celebration in Bandon last Monday. The day went like clock-work and huge crowds enjoyed the parade, activities in City Park, music at the marketplace, the second-annual cardboard boat races, Alive After Five and the spectacular fireworks display at dusk. More than 200 people bought glasses for the wine walk.
Everywhere I went people said how much they enjoyed themselves, and the only thing that would have made it even more perfect was if the wind had decided to stop blowing.
But we all know that we have no control over the weather ... although I would guess that someone was looking out for the Southern Coos Hospital Foundation's annual golf tournament fundraiser. It rained Friday night, and most of the day Sunday, but the day of the event (Saturday) was relatively warm with just a bit (OK quite a bit) of south wind.
* * *
I was interested to learn that 18-year-old Logan Kitzhaber of Portland, who caused an accident north of Lincoln City July 4, was driving a Toyota Prius registered to his father, former Oregon governor John Kitzhaber.
The next day it came out that young Kitzhaber admitted to having smoked marijuana the night before the accident, and had been drinking before he crossed the center line and struck a motor home, which rolled onto its side, injuring a 67-year-old Washington man and his wife. Fortunately their injuries were not serious.
I am assuming he was ticketed since you have to be 21 to legally smoke marijuana, but it just said that it was an ongoing investigation and they were looking for people who may have seen him driving before the accident.
* * *
I have to share a couple of ads that I saw in a 1913 issue of the Bandon Recorder.
The first is an ad from the Bandon Power Company (before it became a city-owned utility). It's titled "Got Any Time To Spare?" "Use electric appliances for the household work and you will have time for other things. Let us demonstrate them to you."
The second is a Bank of Bandon ad, which reads "Draw A Check on the Bank of Bandon for the amount of your bills and note how much more your creditors will respect you. They at once class you as a man who does business in a business way. Have an account at the bank and your credit will be better, your money safer. Don't think you have to start big. Small accounts are as acceptable as small ones." (My guess is the writer meant to say as "acceptable as big ones," but that's not how it reads).
It was a different world back then . . .
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
July 06, 2016
Most of my faithful readers see my column each week on Mongo's site at Bandon.tv, but lately it has also been running in Bandon Western World. But a problem in the layout last week (my guess is there was simply not enough room) resulted in two of the four pictures being eliminated ... but not in the narrative, so it was pretty confusing.
At the bottom of the column, it said that if people wanted to read the rest of As I See It they could go to theworldlink.com/bandon, which I did, and all of the photos were there. Hopefully that is what people did if they wanted to see what I was referring to.
On another history note, people who have old photos of Bandon (taken between the 1800s and 1939) are invited to bring them into the museum Thursday (July 7) between 2 and 5 p.m. where they will be scanned by a company who is putting together a history book of Coos County.
Now it's time to get back to the photos.
The first picture I am sharing this week was taken during the annual Bandon Lions Club March of Dimes auction held in the front showroom of Capps Motor Co. in February of 1963. Pictured are Bill (left) and Velda Ellis. The guy with the pipe was an employee of KWRO Radio who helped broadcast the auction.
Bandon Lions Club March of Dimes auction, 1963
But what is interesting is what is outside the window. Capps Motor is now the Harbortown Events Center, and across the street, where you can see the Capps Motor service station, now sits the visitor center. On the hill, across the highway, you can see Chick Girard's machine shop (now Freedom Graphics). As you go up the hill, there is nothing much there as city hall had not yet been built.
The second picture, probably taken some time during the '60s, is looking east on Second Street, probably from in front of the Masonic/bank building where Western World was located in those days.
Looking east on Second Street, 1960s
The signs I can see are for M&L Grocery, The Minute Cafe, The Golden Rule, Croxall & Perry Grocery, Erdman's City Market, Lloyd's Cafe and the Bandon Theatre ... on the left side of the street. On the right you can see Carr's Variety (now Bandon Baking Co.) and the Rexall Drug Store (now Winter River Books).
I love the third picture, which was taken during the 1974 BHS homecoming parade. Riding on the back of the car in the foreground is the late Jim "Hutch" Hutchens, who was in my photography class and always a favorite of mine.
1974 BHS homecoming parade
This picture was taken just as the parade started up the hill and at right you can see Belle and Leander Cox's house, where I spent many a night with my good friend Andrea Cox (now Langley). This is about where, or just below, Fred Carleton's office now sits. You can see what was then the Catholic church convent on top of the hill.
* * *
I was interested in reading the history article on Windermere, which appeared in last week's Western World. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite accurate.
Windermere may have been built in 1935, as the article says, but it was not built by Laura (actually her name was spelled Lura) Morgan. Lura and her mother, Mrs. Lucinda Morgan, bought Windermere in December of 1938 from the owner J.F.T. Kirkup, who had homes in both Bandon and Portland. I discovered this information while going through the 1938 papers, which I retrieved from my late uncle's garage. I was pretty sure Lura Morgan did not build the motel; she did, however, years later, build the beautiful home that sat just north of the motel.
At the time when she and her mother bought it, the small article read:
"... have already taken possession of the Windermere Apartment Court, located on the ocean bluff opposite Westmost Golf Course. It has four duplex apartment buildings, each with a transient apartment overhead. It is considered one of the finest properties of its kind on the Oregon Coast."
It is still, today, one of the most unique properties with an absolutely fantastic ocean view and easy beach access.
Sorry to read that Angie and Leigh Smith, who have managed the property for five years, are moving to Woodburn, where Angie will become principal of a Catholic school. Her husband will also work for a Catholic school in that area as a custodian. They have both been very active at Holy Trinity Catholic Church and Angie has been a definite sparkplug in helping revive the Bandon Community Youth Center. They will be missed!!
* * *
There are a lot of pros and cons about the increase in the minimum wage, and whether it will hurt or harm people needing entry-level jobs, but whatever your position, the latest increase took effect Friday (July 1).
The minimum wage depends on what area of the state you live in, and it ranges from $9.75 an hour in the Portland area to $9.50 in non-urban areas, including Coos and Curry counties.
The minimum wage in medium density counties (like Deschutes, Lane and Marion) will also rise to $9.75 an hour.
A year from now, the minimum wage will be $11.25 in the Portland area, $10.25 in medium density counties and $10 in lower density counties, including Coos and Curry.
The wage goes up incrementally until it reaches $14.75 an hour in Portland, $13.50 in medium density counties and $12.50 in our area (which computes to 50 cent increases each year until 2022).
* * *
I have some fantastic new panoramic shots of early Bandon, including one of the Port of Bandon tug, and another of a huge load of lumber leaving the Moore Mill & Lumber Co. dock (probably in the late '50s).
They are 12x36 inches and I plan to submit three of them for the hospital's "Coastal Treasures" show and probably display the others in my shop (with Davidson Pottery) in the Continuum Building in Old Town.
If you haven't stopped by the shop to see the picture of Moore Mill, you're missing a treat. I will also have it on display at the hospital. The show opens with a reception Sunday, July 17, from 1 to 3.
* * *
The headline on the latest email from the Oregon State Police screamed out "Fourth Fatal Motorcycle Crash in Less Than a Week on Oregon's Highways."
Three of the four drivers were over the age of 55, and the fourth was 39.
I saw this a couple of days after I was telling a friend of mine (who used to have a motorcycle) how dangerous it seemed to be for older, less experienced drivers.
And then I saw this . . . .
The three older guys were riding on rural roads in Lane and Josephine counties, while the fourth fatal occurred on Interstate 5 at the 235 interchange just north of Albany.
(Update. I just went to my email and saw a fifth fatal . .. this time involving a 33-year-old man on a rural road near Cottage Grove).
* * *
I have been having nothing but computer problems, and some of them are new. Lately, my computer has been very slow and an error message pops up saying I am running out of memory. I read somewhere that I should have at least 1 Gb of memory . . . and I have 8. I believe it has something to do with all the photos on my computer. I finally moved 10,000 of them onto my auxiliary hard drive and things seem to work better, but now at least two of my four USB ports do not work. In fact, when I tried to put the auxiliary hard drive back into my computer, none of the USB ports would work until I shut down.
I don't know if it is a problem with my computer or if it's in the program. I don't even know how to tell how much memory I have at any given point even though it says I have 8 Gb, but it appears that most of it is used up (whatever that means).
I just now tried to plug in my other hard drive ... and none of the USB ports work (except the one that drives my wireless mouse). It may be time for a new computer!!
It got a lot worse. As I tried to send my column, it again said I did not have enough memory so I closed my computer (fearing that the column would be gone) and restarted. So far, so good, but I am really nervous about this computer ....
* * *
I heard that former city manager Chris Good has a new job as codes enforcement officer for the city of Boise, Ida., and I noticed that he listed his beautiful house this week.
I have not been inside, but from the photos that are on Zillow (house is on 10th Street), it is light and airy ... with two sunrooms.
I certainly wish Chris well in his new job . . .
* * *
I am sure it's been printed somewhere, but I have not heard why there was no Coos Kennel Club dog show in Bandon this year. I do know that it had been getting smaller the last couple of years, so maybe that's the reason.
It was certainly a popular event with dog lovers ... and I was sorry to learn it would not be held this year.
* * *
I often get three or four robo calls a day . . . on my cell phone. This week I got one that was even weirder than usual. A voice that was clearly a man's says: "This is Barbara from account services . . . "
At that point I laughed and hung up. I am on the "do not call" list, but it doesn't seem to do any good.
Generally I don't answer calls unless I recognize the number ... and that's how I missed the call from the Chase fraud department, which was legitimate.
You can't win!
Previous columns by Mary Schamehorn
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