Coast Chronicles: Peninsula news and notes

Published 8:48 am Monday, July 18, 2022

Battling blackberries

I guess I got complacent during the last couple years’ of covid, but suddenly — when the sun finally showed itself — I woke up and noticed that blackberries (Himalayan, series Rubus discolores: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubus_armeniacus) were attempting to take over the house, the yard, the fences, gates and compost bins, basically anything nailed down. They grow like Jack’s beanstalk. So I went out with my long-handled loppers and let those blackberries know what for! — only to come into the house an hour later whimpering and whining, bloodied and bent, with wounds and fierce thorn-points all over my hands, legs and forearms.

Second attempt: time to suit up for battle with sturdy long pants, boots, long-sleeved shirt, heavy gloves and hat. This went somewhat better, but even then those fearsome stems, thicker than my thumb with long-reaching blackberry canes, took off my hat and plucked at my skin through my clothes. Not to be deterred I yelled, “I hate blackberries!” Yep, that slowed them down not one iota.

Having just conversed with Kelly Rupp and Kathleen Sayce about all things native and restorative, I inquired about how to really attack those blackberry demons. Kelly wrote, “Check out the ‘Uprooter,’ the ‘Extractigator,’ or the ‘Pullerbear,’ three heavy-duty pullers that can tackle stout trunk/stalks of weeds and shrubs. These work by firmly grasping the base of the trunk/stalk and literally ‘wrenching’ its roots from the ground.”

These are pricey garden tools, as Kathleen confirmed, but I especially liked the sound of “wrenching roots from the ground.” So I’ve ordered a Pullerbear tree puller and await its arrival. Stay tuned. (I have not mentioned this to the blackberries — I’m planning a stealth attack.)

Mike Lemeshko’s Ilwaco

Then I took a break from garden adventures and wandered down to last weekend’s Clamshell Railroad Days at our amazing Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum. Aligned with that, community historian Michael Lemeshko was conducting a two-hour walking tour of Ilwaco. Michael’s research takes one back to Ilwaco as it was between 1850-1890 when Baker Bay seeped into town nearly as far as Lake Street, leaving miles of mud flats at low tides. “It was a very shallow bay,” says Mike, “which was why the train trestle ran over a mile and a half out over the mud. Oysters could only be loaded or unloaded at high tide, so the schedule changed every day based on the tides.” (Which was why our Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Company was affectionately called the “Irregular, Rambling and Never-Get-There Railroad.”)

In those days the Presbyterian Church, now long-gone, was perched up on the hill across from Eagle Street, accessible only by a series of stairs and a wooden ramp built into the trees. And up the now abandoned Spring Street on so-called “Mess House Hill” was “China Town,” where the Asian cannery workers lived. (The town then was mostly rowdy young fishermen Finns; while Chinese workers were hired for the fish-cleaning and canning jobs.) “There were five saloons and one grocery store,” Mike continues, and, almost under his breath, “and a couple houses of prostitution up the road.” Ilwaco was named for Chinook Chief Elwaco Jim, a well-loved member of the community, though it was first simply called “sqwaklakul” or “where the trail comes out.”

Ten humans, plus Jackson, walked around town for a couple hours following Michael and listening to his tales of yore. (Historian Cyd Kerston helped by toting a bag of photos that were passed around at key points.) It was instructive to be reminded that even the most non-descript corners around town are saturated with local history, now mostly hidden, and were places of bustling activity in times past.

The museum’s community historian program, which ran for ten years before covid shut everything down, won’t be resumed in its old form. But museum exhibit curator and past director Betsy Millard noted that parts of the program could be revived: lectures, workshops, even a historic book group might be possible in the future. For those interested in Michael’s walking tour — it will happen again on the third Saturdays in August and September — call the museum for reservations: 360-642-3446.

Vespers

In another welcomed revival, Vespers is back after its covid hiatus. For those new to our area, this means a trip to Oysterville at 3 p.m. every summer Sunday for the treat of basking in live music by exceptionally talented musicians — some local and some from out of the area — in an acoustically magical setting. After a bit of administrative reorganization, the music portion of the gathering is being taken care of by Peninsula Arts Center (peninsulaartscenter.org) owners Bill and Sue Svendsen, while the homily portion of the proceedings is being handled by Steve Kovach. There is still an “Oysterville Moment” presented either by Sydney Stevens or Tucker Wachsmuth — providing a tiny taste of O’ville history.

For those unfamiliar with vespers, here’s the scoop: for a modest donation into the basket you will be soothed with an array of fantastic music. This week you’ll have just missed finger-style guitarist George Coleman. But there’s plenty of good times coming up. Folk, pop and country by Joel Underwood (July 24); Peninsula Guitar Trio (July 31); Celtic tunes by Kathryn Rose (Aug. 7); your favorites from Fred Carter (Aug. 14); songwriter Cal Scott (Aug. 21); Aug. 28, TBD; and, ahem, two sisters Cate and Starla Gable with genetic harmony (Sept. 4). Check it out — get bathed in an hour of song in historic Oysterville.

Westminster star

And finally, Pam Hill’s charming Japanese Chin “J.C.,” just eleven months old, has done it again! J.C., more formally called Touche’s Truth Be Told, is ranked number two in the nation after another round of top-ranking performances in various dogs shows around the country (rankings here: tinyurl.com/y7avh5he).

To top that off, at this year’s 146th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, which took place at Lyndhurst Mansion in Tarrytown, New York, J.C. won a special prize — Award of Merit — recognized world-wide. As Pam says, “This Award of Merit means the judge saw something special in J.C. It means your dog is exceptional. Of course, we know that! Everybody loves J.C. — he’s so friendly and social.”

J.C., sponsored by Hill Towing Inc., has quite a future ahead of him. Pam continues, “In October, he’s going to the nationals in Wilmington, Ohio. Then some big show in Texas. Eventually he’ll come home and I’ll breed him to our little girl Japanese Chin, Clover, who is a Grand Champion. I miss him so much, though. But when you make the decision that you think your dog would be great in the ring, it becomes a business. You get together with the breeders and the handlers and you make a schedule for the upcoming year. He has a whole family who love him and take care of him. So there’s a lot of trust involved. I’m just having the time of my life. And J.C. is too. He’s such a ham!”

So there you have it. Summertime and the livin’ is… crazy! There’s so much going on around town. I hope you’re making time to get out and about. But don’t forget that covid is still floating around: Omicron BA.5 and other variants are nothing to mess with. Have fun and be safe.

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