Economic Casualties

A couple of sad notices in Oregon papers this past week. The Columbia Gorge Hotel has closed its doors in Hood River. It was a way cool old hotel overlooking the Columbia Gorge - ornate public rooms, a good restaurant, beautiful gardens and grounds and a spectacular view of the gorge. I sure hope someone can secure financing to reopen this treasure.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/landmark_columbia_gorge_hotel.html

Not nearly as historic, but a cool place nonetheless (in my preferred old and somewhat seedy sort of way) my favourite pub in Corvallis, the Fox and Firkin, closed last week due to lack of business. The pub was located right downtown and was always my "19th hole" after a round of golf at the Trysting Tree Golf Course.

In local news, our on again/off again winter continues. It's on again today. Looks like we got about five inches of snow last night with more expected the next few days. Then warmer with rain. I see shoveling in my immediate future.

We set a record for snowfall in January - I think it was about 75 inches. We also got 9 inches of rain. I've had enough winter for a year - maybe a lifetime...

I've been very busy running errands for the elders. They insisted on having a Power of Attorney document completed and my name added to all their bank accounts. The banks are not cooperative - they insist on doing everything the hard way - massive amount of signatures and paperwork with multiple trips back-and-forth. The general Power of Attorney is essentially ignored by most of them.

My experience at DHSS had led me to believe that Alaska had a pretty good system for such things, living wills, power of attorney, guardianships and so forth; but I no longer believe that. The statutes and regulations may be fine, but in the real world nobody appears to be paying any attention. Since I've got plenty of time to deal with these matters I have not been obnoxious to all the financial functionaries with whom I've been forced to deal. But god help anyone with limited time, mobility, or patience.

Today I'm going to deal with the hospital and my folks living wills and I'm sure that will be painful, too.

And now for the fun part. A couple of pics from my recently excavated treasures.

I believe this was taken on Pleasant Island where Eric, Carl and I went cross country skiing a couple of times. More on these noteworthy trips in a future installment...


Jeff Hard and Jane Ellis in a hotel room in Anchorage in 1973.

The Anchorage trip was quite amusing. It was a Student Council gig of some sort. I have zero recollection of the business aspects of the trip. I do remember partying-down at the hotel however. Our faculty advisor/chaperon, Karen Price, had a hot date on offer and clearly felt somewhat guilty leaving us to our own devices. To assuage her guilty conscience, I talked her into buying us some liquor on the conditions we stayed at the hotel and did not cause a riot.

We were an extremely responsible group of kids - all things considered.