A Beaumont Wilshire resident for the past 60 years, Anna Etling Carson grew up on a ranch on Larch Mountain in east Multnomah County. She graduated from Corbett High School in 1922 where classmates remembered her as a remarkably attractive young lady. She was born 99 years ago in November 1903 during an ice storm. The midwife had to crawl on her hands and knees to get up the hill to the ranch house. Anna’s family lived without electricity or running water. It was her responsibility as a child to carry drinking water from a spring in the family orchard. She helped her brother, Fred, carry large pails of fresh milk to sell to the crews working on the Scenic Columbia River Highway. When she was old enough to leave home, her older half-sister, Lydia, helped her enroll in the Oregon Normal School in Monmouth, Oregon where she studied to become an elementary school teacher. After teaching in Warrendale, Oregon for several years, she came to live with cousins in Portland and taught at Batton School. Her cousin, Bill Gray, introduced her to Marion Carson, one of his auto parts customers. Anna and Marion married a few months before the Great Depression. Their daughter, Annette, was born in 1936 at the bottom of the Depression and their son, John, was born in 1942 during World War II. At that time they purchased their home on NE 40th Avenue for $4300. For many years, Anna’s husband ran an auto repair shop on NE Broadway. As small business owners, the Carsons made it a point to patronize other small businesses in the neighborhood. Anna taught Sunday school at Highland Congregational Church on NE 9th and Going. She was active in the Wilshire Garden Club for over 40 years and in 1994 received a certificate of commendation for her contributions. Marion Carson died in 1989 and for the past six years Anna has been confined
to a wheelchair. Being dependent is a big change for someone who used
to help others and give rides to the elderly. Anna is growing old gracefully,
never complains, and is easy to care for in her own home. Her friends
and family look forward to her 100th birthday next year.
In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a new restaurant in the neighborhood. Located at 4110 NE Fremont, Cool Runnings Café is a fresh face in a familiar space. For nearly a decade and a half, it was home to Café Bravo Italia. Since changing hands, the interior has been redesigned and greatly improved with warm colors and a new layout. Cal and Heidi Ferris, owners of Cool Runnings Café, have coupled their creativity and culinary passions to carve out a unique niche in Beaumont Wilshire. The atmosphere has a somewhat tropical feeling, characterized by vibrant colors, a beautiful bamboo bar top, and an assortment of Caribbean themed art decorating the walls. Since age six, Cal Ferris knew what he wanted to do. “I wanted to be a chef and one day run my own restaurant,” says Cal. That day is now. But it could not have been possible without a lot of hard work and dedication. Beginning at age 15, Cal has worked in the restaurant industry, amassing a wealth of experience. It was while working as a cook for Jake’s Crawfish that Cal developed his skills in Cajun cuisine. The entrees are reasonably priced and not only taste good, but are also well presented. This extra attention to detail is something that Chef Cal puts into each dish he prepares. Although specializing in Cajun style cuisine, the menu is full of surprises. What’s more, there may be as many as ten specials on any given day. Of course, don’t forget to save room for dessert. Beverages include an organic espresso line-up, teas, juices, and Jamaican
sodas. Starting this winter, Cool Runnings will be open until 10pm and
offer a variety of alcoholic beverages. Wines from the Northwest, France,
and Italy will be introduced, along with an impressive assortment of West
Coast microbrews.
One night in November, as I was driving on Fremont at about 7:30pm, I had a frightening experience. I had just gone through the intersection at 33rd and about a block farther, I suddenly saw a man standing on the dividing line in the middle of the road. He seemed to be only inches from my car as I passed. Cars were coming in the other direction too, so he was stuck there. I don’t think I’ve ever come so close to hitting someone in my life. I was shaking by the time I made it home. At first I was angry and wondered what he was doing there. I know we don’t have enough crosswalks on Fremont, but he could have crossed at 33rd. He was dressed in dark clothing too. Then I started to wonder if it was my fault. Was I going too fast? Should I have seen him in time to stop and let him cross? This incident got me thinking about the safety of our neighbors as the nights get longer, and also of our four-legged friends. I’ve seen many signs about lost pets around the neighborhood, and I’m sad for those owners who are searching for their beloved Fluffy or Rover. I want to take this opportunity to remind us all to drive cautiously
now that it is dark in the mornings and evenings as people commute to
and from work. Also be careful crossing streets and be aware of cars.
Drivers don’t always see everything they should. Slow down, pay attention,
and have a safe holiday season.
Randy Leonard, the recently elected Portland City Commissioner, will be outlining his plans and goals for the city and then listening to us. This is a wonderful opportunity to ask questions and share our concerns with him before he takes office. Sherrie Knutsen, the new principal at Beaumont Middle School, will also be attending this meeting to discuss her goals and plans for the rest of the schoolyear. Maybe she will be able to address concerns about the shortening schoolyear. We will also be having our HOLIDAY PARTY the same evening. Please bring a treat to share. Several people requested childcare in our recent survey. Ask and you shall receive! FREE CHILDCARE by a qualified childcare professional will be available at our December 9 meeting. Please join us!
I have more free time because of my bike. My free time comes as a result of riding to work each day, which counts toward my exercise, leaving more time for house renovation projects and relaxing. I used to take the 30-minute bus ride on the #33 to and from the office. Once I got home, I would quickly change into my work out clothes and go for a run or lift weights for 30 minutes. By the time I finished exercising, showered, ate dinner and helped with the dishes, there was not a lot of time left to accomplish any tasks around the house. Ongoing house projects were taking forever to complete and Heather and I were frustrated with primer walls and plastic drop cloths. I had to do something. I’ve seen the runners along NE Fremont in
the wee hours of the morning. I was inspired. So I tried the early morning
exercise routine and my snooze button ended up with the better workout.
I needed something more convenient to my schedule and sleeping habits. It has been 6 months since I started to commute by bike and I have more
time in the evening for my projects. Consider: If anyone has been considering riding a bike to work, I would be happy
to answer any questions or help plan your route. Send me an email at sweeney@pbworld.com
and join the growing numbers of happy and smiling bike commuters. They’re
the ones with the bugs in their teeth.
Every year the City of Portland looks for individuals who have made outstanding contributions to our city and neighborhoods and honors them with the Spirit of Portland award. This year Mary Jaron Kelley, a Beaumont Wilshire resident, received the Spirit of Portland Award as the “City Employee of the Year Award.” Mary actually works two jobs with the City. She is the Community Relations person for the North Portland Neighborhood Services. She is also the Facilitator and Educator for Environmental Services’ Naturescaping for Clean Rivers Program. In both of these positions Mary works with many of the public schools. Drawing from her landscape design training, she has organized many landscaping/environmental projects including projects at Alameda and Sitton Elementary Schools. Her commitment to schools doesn’t stop when the workday ends. Last year she spearheaded a volunteer clean-up and landscaping project at Beaumont Middle School. She put many volunteer hours into this project even though her oldest child is many years away from attending middle school. As someone that has worked along side of Mary on volunteer projects, I know how well she embodies the values behind the Spirit of Portland award. Please join me in offering congratulations to Mary. We are lucky to have her in our neighborhood.
Okay, I admit it, I got lost. I was gone for 15 hours. 15 very long hours for both my parents and myself. I would like to share some very important lessons we learned. Tags are important. Make Sure a Lost Report Is on File Early Action Is Best Look Everywhere! And Remember…
The BWNA board sincerely thanks the people who responded to the survey published a few months ago. Sixty-one persons, or approximately 2% of BWNA residents responded. Respondents’ main concerns are:
Other significant issues included school board/education (38%), environment (33%), community/regional (21%), city/regional government (8%), and employment/economic development (6%). Several people expressed an interest in finding ways for neighbors to get to know each other and for more activities for parents and children. Unsupervised teens causing problems in the park and on the Alameda staircases came up more than once. The majority of respondents said they never attended neighborhood meetings, the remainder attended occasionally, and 5 people responded that they attend every meeting. Of those who don’t regularly attend meetings, 13 people said that they don’t care to get involved; 8 people said that they cannot at this time; 7 people suggested providing more interesting topics; 7 suggested providing childcare, 6 suggested changing the meeting time, and 5 suggested changing the meeting day. Others requested treats and more social activities. Thirty-five people responded they would serve on a committee such as the annual picnic, community projects, crime, land use, and government. However, most of these people did not write their name or contact information. (If you’ve been thinking you would like to do something for the neighborhood, now is the time! Please come to the next meeting December 9 or contact a board member.) Most of the respondents said they regularly receive the newsletter and said it was ‘excellent’, ‘informative and easily available.’ Suggestions included adding more news, historical stories about the neighborhood, more resident profiles, and more community policing reports. Thirty-five people had visited the BWNA website and 24 people had not. Finally, people took the time to make wonderful comments about issues they would like to see addressed at meetings or through committees such as: the desire for crosswalks on Fremont, traffic abatement at the intersection of 41st and Alameda, more stop signs at intersections, and a left turn signal at Fremont and 33rd. There were comments about new development projects along Fremont that included a desire for the neighborhood to have more of a say in the design process. People also suggested inviting government policy makers, social activists, gardeners, artists, and home improvement specialists as guest speakers at meetings. Someone suggested tapping into the neighborhood’s children and younger members to help with activities. Finally, teenage drinking and crime were a big concern. If you would like to read all of the comments, extra copies of the survey results are available at Beaumont Market. Again, thank you to all who took the time to respond. The neighborhood association can’t wait to get going on some of the many great ideas. by Helen Koba Now that the holidays are upon us, here are a few tips on how to protect your purchases as you shop. When you find yourself at the mall, along with everyone else in town, do not bring your purchases to the car and then leave to buy more items. This is the time people are on the look out for cars to break into which may hold lots of valuables. Do not leave any items that may appear valuable and tempting to others in the front or back seats. Also, this is a good time to make a list of ALL your credit card numbers in case they are lost or stolen. Write down the card number and name of credit company. Always keep handy the phone number you should call if your card is stolen. The quicker you notify your credit card company, the less items will show up charged to your card! For other crime prevention tips for the holidays and in general, call Katherine Anderson, the crime prevention specialist at the Central Northeast Neighbors Office at 503-823-2781. The BWNA newsletter is always looking for writers. If you are interested
in writing about businesses in the neighborhood, neighbors, old and new,
or happenings, contact the editors at mc-hk@msn.com
or call 503-288-2568.
Featured there are photographs, baskets, sculptures, paintings, boxes and books. Or you can commission an artist to paint a mural on a wall or car or tile a bathroom. Browse in the comfort of your home, the library or an Internet café. You’ll find that special object to delight that special someone.
Bella Flora Open House
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