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