Anchored In Astoria
June 9, 2008
By Donna Quinn
In an age where generic big box chain culture and soulless cookie-cutter developments are rapidly changing cities and transforming landscapes, special communities with a unique and powerful sense of place offer a deep connection with the authentic. Psychologists posit that when we are detached from the place we live in, we are detached from our deepest selves as well. Perhaps the old adage that “we can’t know who we are until we know where we are” is truer today than ever.
Astoria, Oregon defies easy labels and descriptions. While it may seem unconventional to use an Italian fish soup to describe a town steeped in Scandinavian heritage, Astoria is much like a hearty bowl of Cioppino. Begin with one small historic town with Victorian homes on tree covered hillside promontories, and surround on three sides with water, water and more water. Add world-class views of the mouth of the Mighty Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean. Throw in rugged, dramatic and changeable weather, an iconic bridge, salty people, zesty artists, and a real working waterfront. Mix in eccentric characters, salmon-salmon-salmon and old-old-old along with ghosts of the past, and you may get a taste of Astoria, a place still filled with mysteries, stories, and the scent of home. Read more
Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata)
June 3, 2008
It is difficult for us today to fully appreciate what western red cedar meant to the native cultures of the Northwest Coast. We have nothing that can compare. Not even plastic, the ubiquitous source of so much of our stuff, can provide the variety of essential material goods to our contemporary culture. Beyond that, the tree held a position of great spiritual significance among coastal peoples-a reverence unimaginable for any substance today. For the Native Americans of the Pacific Coast, cedar was their tree of life. Read more
Sponsor
