Coast Chronicles: Wintery spring days

Published 9:21 am Monday, April 18, 2022

“Due to supply chain issues we are now getting the snow that was due in February.”

—Missy, Blue Mountain Wildlife, Pendleton, Oregon

Freezing and heat

The weather seems as crazy as we’ve been lately — what with the Ukrainian war, covid ramping up again, supply chain issues exacerbated, school bond muddiness, and… (add your items to the list here). Our Peninsula weather-Rolodex has been flipping around faster than ever: sun, rain, hail, sun, wind, snow, rain. Repeat. The Cascade passes were closed again briefly, and the skiers cheered last week. More snow, even down as far as the summits on Highway 30. Wow, I guess the lesson is to be adaptable, to live in the moment.

Which makes it a little more difficult to plan ahead. Anyway, the beginning of Ramadan and then Easter gatherings gave us a little respite to ponder, reflect, and be grateful while we continue to watch the horrors elsewhere. I drove to Yakima to spend time with sister Starla, and, despite below freezing temps in the valley, the sun was out. I guess we have about 5 billion more years before it runs out of hydrogen. Until then we can still count on the sunrise at least. (Astronomers say that our sun is in the most stable phase of its life cycle — so that’s something.)

The morning after below freezing temps, the valley fruit trees were covered in icicles. It’s a counter-intuitive technique that was invented on the Peninsula by D.J. “Jim” Crowley, the first cranberry researcher to work in our area. (Jim and wife Ruth came to the peninsula and created the research facility in 1923.) As water freezes it actually creates what’s called “heat of fusion” or “latent heat” which keeps heat buds at just above 32 degrees.

Crowley Sr., an agriculture graduate of State College of Washington (now WSU), discovered that it was frostbite that was killing the tips of the cranberry vines. He invented this technique, now widely used in all agricultural production, based on a physics concept. When ice melts, it actually produces heat. Crowley’s hunch, unheard of at the time, was that sealing the cranberry vines with a covering of ice might protect them from frostbite. It worked!

Though Crowley invented the concept in 1923-4, it took WSU until the 1940s to support the technique. Now it’s in common use for a wide range of agricultural ventures, including budding fruit trees in the Yakima Valley. (Overhead irrigation spraying replacing the old smudge pots.) Hence several mornings here we’ve seen icicles festooning the orchards in festive frosty fashion (say that fast four times — that oughta keep you warm).

The Vet Lunch

After a cancellation last year because of covid, the Vet Lunch this past week was a total success. Again Nanci Main rounded up the usual suspects, and then some, to make it happen. It was sponsored by the Senior Activities Center and the Ocean Park Moose Lodge (#2362). As Moose member Cliff Pederson says, “We’d also like to thank Cottage Bakery, and we appreciate Chef Choice for participating in our event.” Seventy-five vets were served a hearty lunch of roast beef, veggies, Jell-O salad, dinner rolls and dessert (donated from Peninsula bakers). Thirty-six different pies filled the tables at the back of the Senior Center: apple, rhubarb, strawberry-rhubarb, lemon cream, coconut cream, pumpkin, chocolate cream, cherry, and marionberry (as well as range of sugar-free selections). Every vet got served a piece of pie and took another one home.

I had a great time talking to our honored vets, but I think my favorite conversation was with Jerry Nichols, U.S. Navy, who served on the ship Point Cruz. Jerry said, “Our ship adopted a baby. Yep! And when someone raised a diaper up our flagpole, another ship cruising by saw it and said, ‘What’s going on?’ We said, “We have a baby on board!’ Then the word got around and reached someone from the upper ranks who called our captain and said, ‘Get that baby off the ship.’ Well, our captain called to have a boat lowered and a couple guys got in it. The baby was handed down, and they circled around our ship for 40 minutes or so before coming back onboard. Then the captain called back to his superior and said, ‘We got that baby off the ship, sir!’” (This story is captured in a book and a 1997 movie — “A Thousand Men and a Baby.”)

That baby, Danny Keenan, lives in Spokane and recently organized a reunion for Point Cruz shipmates at his home.

Also present and accounted for were Marian Lee, George Bess, Robert Simcoe and Robert Rogers — all World War II vets. The Flotilla #62 (Don Soren, Sally Kiess, Della Wilson, and a fellow whose name tag I can’t read), Al Betters (a Navy Seal before they were even called Navy Seals), and Cliff (U.S. Navy) were greeters at the door. Rita Nicely, Vicki Clark, and Katie Witherbee-Allsup (who also provided the dinner rolls) helped with name tags. John Vale, Senior Center executive director and head chef, held down the kitchen with help from Deborah Perry, Billie Warwick, Linda Herbert, Suzie Krasky, Pam Reynolds, Cortne Stricker and Pat King. Moose women helpers included Julie Cox, Sandra Edwards, and Tammy Newbill. Deena Gleb was Nanci’s Girl Friday. (Please forgive me if I’ve missed thanking you or gotten your name wrong.) Ocean Park fire house Capts. Jeff Archer and Harly Wait even drove up the big ladder truck and displayed an enormous American flag. Hooyah!

Other spring news

I often walk Jackson at Pacific Pines State Park, either through the pines, or the residences, the dune grass paths, or the beach — a lot of wonderful options (www.parks.wa.gov/558/Pacific-Pines). A couple weeks ago on a typical blustery spring/winter day with blasts of cold wind and almost-snow, a roaring chain saw in the park led me to Washington State employees, Dori and Cary. They were trimming the beach pines that were battered and broken by our winter winds and clearing up the picnic grounds.

These two were unusually cheery given the horrible weather but just happy to be doing their job making the park safe and getting it ready for everyone. I thanked them and told them how much I appreciate this particular gem on our north end. Its official description reads, “Dune grasses and knobby shore pines drop gently down to the wide, sandy, Pacific Ocean shore. This 10-acre day-use park is ideal for playing and walking on the beach, birding, fishing, shellfish harvesting and watching the sunset.” There you have it, nothing about dog friendly trails or the occasional mushroom finds — but maybe only us locals know that. (I hope I haven’t given away too much!) The park opens May 1.

Pacific Pines is just another reason to love where we live — along with unpredictable weather that keeps us on our toes; Nanci Main, John Vale, Cliff Pederson and legions of other big-hearted volunteers; and our amazing Vets. And if you think there’s anything else we need to be happy, gather a group of people together and make it happen!