Neighbor Focus Orval and Anne Davis Couple Purchase House and Lot for $1600 By Helen Koba Davis house, 1938

Orval and Anne, 1935

Orval and Anne Davis purchased a little house on an 80 by 100' lot on NE 41st Street (near Shaver) for $1600. That was in 1938, just one year after they were married and they still live in that house. After Orval returned from the war, he dug out a basement and added another half house to the original dwelling. The height of the dining and living rooms is off by a few inches and the floor seam is slightly slanted because he did most of the work himself. The original house had a sawdust furnace. About 10 trees had to be cut to make room for the addition. Not much more has been done to the house over the years, except the normal kitchen and bath updates that most houses in our neighborhood have had. Anne said the taxes were $36 per year at that time.

Henry Kern and his family were living across the street when the Davis' bought their house and until recently, Mr. Kern, who celebrated his 101st birthday this year, lived there. When I asked Anne why they have lived in the same house on the same street in the same neighborhood for 63 years, she politely said, 'The neighbors are nice, we have seen many people come and go, but all have been very nice and we have no complaints.' She added that people used to know each other better, now it seems everyone is so busy, they just come and go, don't have time to visit. But neighbors are still friendly and keep an eye on them.

Anne and Orval have three sons and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. One son and his children live close by and stop in to visit, cut the grass and plant flowers. Another son and his wife live in Bangladesh where they assist with food and other needs of the native peoples. Until retirement, Orval worked as a truck driver for ABC Food Company and Famous Foods of Virginia. Anne worked as an occupational therapy assistant. Now they enjoy their free time reading books, waiting for their grandchildren to visit, and generally not doing much!

When asked about the changes to the neighborhood, Anne said she misses Vern the Butcher, who had his shop on NE 42 and Beech; 'you just don't see stand-alone butcher shops any more'. Also there was a dry good store where the bagel store is now and a drug store where the clothing shop is. Anne and Orval had no tips for newcomers, but they said they truly like the neighborhood.

(Thank you Anne and Orval for sharing your story and photos with me. I met Orval when I used to walk my dog past his home. He told me how he dug the basement and built the house we were standing in front. I am interested in hearing from other people who have lived in BWNA for a long time. Helen Koba, 503-288-2568 or )

BWNA Commisions Fremont Design Study

In response to the neighborhood’s interest in land-use and design issues for NE Fremont, the BWNA commissioned a study of resident concerns as a step toward creating a neighborhood plan. A team of five Portland State University graduate planning students will research the background of the neighborhood and NE Fremont, establish existing conditions, and develop recommendations for future action by the neighborhood.

This project is being conducted as part of the Planning Workshop at PSU, the culmination of the two-year master’s degree program. Team members are Marta Conkle, Lisa Selman, Beth St. Amand, Diane Sullivan and Greg Theisen.

A Steering Committee consisting of BWNA residents, business owners, and a Rose City representative will provide project guidance. A public workshop to solicit resident feedback will take place in May, and a final report and recommendations will be issued in June.

BWNA President Willie Nolan and Land-Use Chair Chris Hathaway are coordinating BWNA’s communication with the team. If you have any comments or questions, please contact Willie or Chris. (See page 2 for phone numbers.) Regular updates will also be provided at the Board and Association meetings.

President's Message

Your Vote Counts at BWNA

Whew, what a year! It has been a year since I became president of BWNA and to say I have learned a little more about our community would be an understatement. Although I knew that most people cared about their neighbors and neighborhood, I have been so surprised by the depth and breadth of concern of our group. The last two general meetings have been very well attended with folks as concerned with the future of our neighborhood as those of us who sit on the BWNA board. I suppose we always have known that we could count on all of us as neighbors to participate when needed, but the response has been surprising.

Which brings me to my point. Every year, at the April general meeting, we elect half of the board members to two-year terms. This year we will elect five new board members, plus a vice-president and a secretary. The qualifications are simple: be a resident/property owner of Beaumont-Wilshire or a business owner with a location in Beaumont-Wilshire, be 18 years of age or older (no age ceiling!), and have a healthy desire to contribute to the preservation and enhancement of your surroundings. Our major function, besides the newsletter you are reading, is a fantastic National Night Out picnic in August and various neighborhood events such as tree plantings, spring cleanup functions, participation in Fremont Fest, and paying attention to changes and developments within our neighborhood.

The board meets every other month and our general meeting is the alternating months. While the time commitment is not great, dedication and a good attitude are definitely prerequisites. If you are even modestly interested, I invite you to attend the April meeting. There might even be treats…….

Willie Nolan

Election and Land Use Update

Every April, BWNA holds elections for officers, committee and board members. As Willie Nolan points out on page two of this issue, this has been an exciting year for BWNA and there is more work to be done. The first item of business at the April 9th meeting will be to elect new people to board positions; there are six at large members positions open and two officers to be elected. We encourage all neighbors to get involved. As we know, Beaumont Wilshire is a vibrant, livable neighborhood because of dedicated and involved neighbors. Start thinking about becoming a member of the board or one of the committees. People are needed on the Land Use, Crime Prevention, Graffiti Control, and Traffic committees, or with helping on the newsletter, assisting with the annual picnic, or heading up a project of your choice. During the second part of the meeting, we will hear from Lisa Selman, PSU planning student, who will expand upon and bring the association up to date on the land use and design project for NE Fremont St. Please come, get involved, hear about this project, and share your ideas.

Every April, BWNA holds elections for officers and board members. As Willie Nolan points out on page two of this issue, this has been an exciting year for BWNA and there is more work to be done. The first item of business at the April 9th meeting will be to elect new people to board positions.

We encourage all neighbors to get involved. Beaumont Wilshire is a vibrant, livable neighborhood because of dedicated and involved neighbors. Start thinking about becoming a member of the board or one of the committees. People are needed on the Land Use, Crime Prevention, Graffiti Control, and Traffic committees, or to help with the annual picnic, write for the newsletter, or head up a project of your choice.

During the second part of the meeting, we will hear from Lisa Selman, PSU planning graduate student, who will discuss the land use and design project for NE Fremont and the workshop in May. Come, get involved, hear about this project , and share your ideas.

The Truth About Wood Chips

By Rob Crouch

Wood chips, shredded bark and sawdust are materials that make excellent mulch as long as you add nitrogen to them. The nitrogen speeds up the composting process. Soil microbes break down any organic matter, and their activity is affected by the amount of carbon and nitrogen in the waste as well as moisture and temperature. Microbes need a certain amount of nitrogen for their own use. A shortage of nitrogen will slow down the composting. One cupful of nitrate of soda, to a bushel of wood chips is a good start. If you use liquid fertilizer, drench the chips or spray them at the rate you normally mix for your lawn. Any fertilizer with 'N' will work. Most fertilizers have the big three elements "N P K". These letters stand for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

You can put the wood chips down as mulch as soon as you get them, but remember the fertilizer. Don't worry if you see mushrooms or toadstools on the chips. They help break down the organic wastes, and will not harm your plants. If the leaves of your plants are yellowing, this might indicate a nitrogen shortage. You need to add more nitrogen to the chips. And remember to keep the chips a couple of inches away from the trunks of plants.

It is OK to add chips, bark and sawdust to garden soil; they act as a soil conditioner. They also tighten up sandy soil and loosen up heavy clay soil. But, don't forget the fertilizer.

Finding wood chips is easy; most of the arbor companies will drop off chips for free. The Urban Forestry division will be happy to drop off chips to residents within the City limits. Please send us a detailed map of the location you would like the chips, a name and contact phone number. Remember our smallest load is 5 to 7 yards of chips and we will be hauling them in a dump truck. The location should readily accessible from the street and not be in the way of overhead wires. We cannot give an exact date for delivery; but we go on a first call, first serve basis.

To order a load call Juanita or Rob at 823-4489. Send or fax ( 823-4493) a map showing the area for chips to be dumped. People are beginning to order for spring planting, so there may be a week or so wait for the chips.

Business Focus
Americana Frame

Frame Your Child's Picasso

by Mario Caoile

Sharlene Wienk, picture framer for 23 years, was matting a small original print a customer's mother had bought at Goodwill for one dollar. There were water stains around the print and creeping up to the left edge of the image. The mat board Sharlene placed around the print conveniently covered the offending stains.

Americana Frame, Sharlene's shop, has been at its Beaumont -Wilshire location for 15 years. On the walls are frames of all types, design, color, and shapes-rectangles, ovals, octagons, heart and fan shapes. One can buy ready- made frames for photographs and smaller prints, or Sharlene can custom frame your original art, posters, photographs, mirrors, prints, needlework, children's art. Bring it in, Sharlene will frame it. She likes creating shadow boxes, used for displaying three-dimensional objects which require depth.

How did she get into the business? Her husband, who was into photography, needed frames. Sharlene made frames for him and decided to open a frame shop. She is a member of the Professional Picture Framers' Association, where she learned her craft by attending their ongoing educational seminars and workshops. In 1986 she received her picture framer's certification.

"Why does a customer, like the one with the one-dollar print with water stains, drive all the way from Port Townsend, Washington, to get her print framed by you?" I asked her. "Quality and service." She said. Some of her repeat customers used to live in the neighborhood, yet they come back to Americana Frame. And what does she like most about her picture framing business? "Creativity and customers."

Every once in a while Sharlene receives large orders from businesses such as Elmer's Pancake and Steakhouse in Beaverton and other locations. She has also framed works for the American Red Cross and the Port of Portland for the past 18 years. November and December are the busiest months for the shop, but because she has been around so long, Sharlene is busy all year round.

Remember that photograph or print that you put away in the basement because the glass is broken? How about your child's masterpiece drawing that you know looks better than a Picasso? Take them to Americana Frame and let Sharlene help you get them on your wall where they should be.

Location: 4223 NE Fremont. Hours: Tuesday to Friday, 10 to 5 and Saturdays from 10 to 2. Phone: 503-281-2838. Fax 503-280-0771.

Business Focus
Beaumont Florist

Beaumont Florist Keeps Corner Blooming

By Margaret Davis

The corner of NE 42nd Avenue and Fremont has for decades been a haven for fresh cut flowers. Pattie Scarpelli, owner of Beaumont Florist, has made sure of it. While most neighborhood residents are still deep in REM, Patti is out at 6 a.m. every day scouting the day’s blooms at the Portland Flower Market, on Swan Island, to stock her shop.

Patti is no stranger to the art of flower purveying. She worked for ten years at Fremont Florist, the long-standing shop that operated out of the same location, until its proprietor, Ken Woods, died in 1988. Three weeks later, Patti opened Beaumont Florist and business has, well, flourished over the last 13 years. What she likes best about the business, she says, are “the special customers that we have and the wide variety of flowers from season to season.”

When asked to name her favorite, she demurs, saying that she likes “whatever’s prettiest that day.” The shop carries botanical beauties from Holland, Ecuador, Colombia, and Hawaii, such as lilies, roses, tulips and orchids “We have better luck nowadays,” she says. “More kinds of flowers are available year-round.”

She and employees Doug, Amy and Brian, who do everything from floral design to washing out buckets, and driver Robert, cater to all kinds of events from weddings to parties and funerals. The biggest national, and international, occasion they help celebrate is not Valentine’s Day, when Beaumont Florist delivers only about 2,000 roses, but Mother’s Day, for which they “deliver all week long” and fill several hundred orders.

It’s not just women getting all the lush bouquets, Patti notes offhand, “Just as many orders are sent to men as women.”

Beaumont Florist, at 4201 N.E. Fremont St., is open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call 503-281-5501.

Business Focus No Bonz About It A Dog's Life By Gretta

Hi, my name is Gretta, and I must be the luckiest girl in town. A neighbor of ours, Julie Rae MacLeod, has opened up a new, and FUN place to go in Hollywood—No Bonz About It—a daycare for dogs! Once a week, at 7:15 am, my dad drops me off at No Bonz. There, all my friends are waiting—Jake, Tia, Molly—there is another Gretta too, but she got there first, so I am Gretta 2. (That’s ok, I know I am the best because my mom and dad tell me so every day.)

No Bonz is the greatest place! All day long I get to run and jump and play with my friends. Sometimes there are over 20 of us! There is an outside play area where we can play if it isn’t too cold; there is a fenced-off area for “quiet time” and there is even a couch! Since I don’t get to climb on the one at home, it is especially fun to play on the couch at No Bonz. When Mom or Dad comes at 6:00 pm to pick me up, I can barely jump into the car, I am so tired. It is all I can do to eat my dinner before crawling into my bed for the night, where I dream about playing with my friends at No Bonz.

I hear my mom and dad talking about No Bonz sometimes. They love it! We don’t go for a walk on those days that I play at No Bonz—I am too tired—and they seem to like a night off. They also like the deal! Prices are $21.00 for a single visit—less if packages of 5, 10, or 20 visits are purchased. All dogs are screened; I had to be interviewed before I was allowed to come! No Bonz is located at 3351 NE Sandy. There is off street parking so I can get out of the car safely. The phone number is 503-234-5909. Be sure to call, reservations are required. They even have a website (see below) you can get all of the information there.

Well, that is about it, I go to No Bonz on Tuesdays; you can check me out on the live Doggie Cam at www.nobonz. com. I am the white German Shepherd. (If you see me cuddling with Jake, don’t tell my mom—I’m not allowed to date until I am 2—and that is not until next month!) See you later!

Gretta

Business Focus
Michelle Newell, Acupuncturist

Acupuncturist Joins Clinic

Michelle Newell, a licensed acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist, has joined the Beaumont Health Care Clinic, located on the corner of NE Fremont and 45th. . The clinic was opened in 1995 by Dr. Lori von der Heydt, a naturopathic physician. Andrine de la Rocha, a massage therapist, joined the clinic in 1999.

Michelle has a Master’s degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine. She specializes in musculo-skeletal conditions and emotional and gastrointestinal imbalances and finds treating chronic pain syndromes particularly rewarding. “Acupuncture is well suited for offering pain relief without the negative side effects of over-the-counter and pharmaceutical pain medicines”, she says. She is looking forward to setting down roots in the Beaumont community, which has many alternative healthcare practitioners all within a few blocks of each other. “I’m pleased to be part of a community that welcomes alternative healthcare”, says Michelle.

Chinese Medicine (which includes acupuncture, herbal medicine, massage, therapeutic exercises and dietary recommendations) has been practiced for over 4,000 years, making it the oldest professional, continually practiced medicine in the world. In the United States, Chinese medicine has become one of the safest and most rapidly recognized and utilized forms of holistic healthcare.

One of the biggest obstacles to individuals utilizing acupuncture is the very common fear of needles. People don’t realize that the needles used in acupuncture are very different from the much larger, hollow, immunization needles that we all feared in childhood. Acupuncture needles are about the size of a human hair and patients report that acupuncture is surprisingly pain-free. In fact, most often it produces a pleasant and very relaxing experience, which patients look forward to.

Michelle invites you to call her at (503) 249-7752 or drop by the Beaumont Health Care Clinic to discuss your healthcare concerns and how acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can help you. The clinic is located at 4445 NE Fremont.

Wanted: Walking Leaders!

Are you a regular walker? Want to make new friends in your neighborhood and earn some extra money? The SHAPE (Senior Health and Physical Exercise) project of Oregon Research Institute is starting a walking program for sedentary seniors in Portland. We are looking for mature adults of any age to lead walking groups in their neighborhoods. Groups meet three times a week for 30-minute sessions. Walking leaders are paid $30/week. Interested? For more information, contact the SHAPE office at (503) 235-3955 or e-mail . Walking groups are part of a research project on senior health.

Neighbor Focus Stories Wanted

Do you know of anyone in the neighborhood that you find interesting and who would be willing to be interviewed? We welcome neighbor focus articles. Email your story to or call 503-288-2568.

Free Blood Pressure Check

On each second and fourth Thursday from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., two registered nurses will provide free blood pressure screening at Bethany Lutheran Church sponsored by the American Heart Association. Everyone is welcome to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to maintain good health. Bethany is located at NE 37th and Skidmore. For more information, call the church office at 284-3836.