FROG HOSPITAL -- July 1, 2019
By Fred Owens
Dear LaConner Friends,
I moved down to California almost nine years ago, after living for so many years in LaConner. I have been back several times for a visit, but even so I am starting to feel not so connected to my old home. It was almost 25 years that I lived there, more than anyplace else, even my childhood home back in the suburbs of Chicago, so I will always be a part of LaConner. I read today about the new library being planned. That is such a good idea. I can still close my eyes and walk around town in my imagination, but I am starting to forget things like who used to own At's a Pizza -- oh, that was Judy Iversen.... and I can see Dean Flood's little old red house, although Dean is gone and so is the house.
I moved down to California almost nine years ago, after living for so many years in LaConner. I have been back several times for a visit, but even so I am starting to feel not so connected to my old home. It was almost 25 years that I lived there, more than anyplace else, even my childhood home back in the suburbs of Chicago, so I will always be a part of LaConner. I read today about the new library being planned. That is such a good idea. I can still close my eyes and walk around town in my imagination, but I am starting to forget things like who used to own At's a Pizza -- oh, that was Judy Iversen.... and I can see Dean Flood's little old red house, although Dean is gone and so is the house.
But Frog Hospital marches on. We are encouraging more group
participation in the writing of it, so tell me what's on your mind.
Picture yourself just finishing your morning cup of coffee and taking a
look out the window. What do you see?
And honestly, how well are you getting along with everybody else in LaConner?
Please send me a story, even a wry tidbit.
It will appear in an upcoming issue of Frog Hospital.
Also, Laurie and I expect to visit the Old Towne sometime in October, so see ya then,
love,
Fred
And honestly, how well are you getting along with everybody else in LaConner?
Please send me a story, even a wry tidbit.
It will appear in an upcoming issue of Frog Hospital.
Also, Laurie and I expect to visit the Old Towne sometime in October, so see ya then,
love,
Fred
Here is how people in LaConner responded to my letter
Denise Hollister So
I’ve lost that connection to La Conner even though I only live across
the valley in Bow. It is not the same La Conner of our memories of past.
Too many of the ole folks have passed on for me. All the artists that
have passed on, including Dana and Joel
from Edison. Bill Slater, Guy Anderson, I know, so many more. John
Kagoris, then way back, Charlie Berg, and I first met Bob Hollister
there, playing at the La Conner Tavern.
Peter Goldfarb. Fred, I recall a
meeting (1987/88?) when the younger, outraged "Locals" got together
with the Chamber of Commerce to protest all the recent publicity
promoting tourism to La Conner. I had been guilty of some of that, and
the White Swan on my sign had been
beheaded. Tom Robbins (who brought in a good share) spoke of "the old
days", and how he liked it better without the tourists and how they had
ruined it for him. Then, long time, senior resident Roberta Nelson, who
grew up in La Conner, leaned over to me, and whispered in my ear: "And I
liked it here before Tom Robbins". There was life before we got there,
and there will be life after we are gone. Nothing stays the same. In
reference to the comment above, I know people who complain about all the
new tourist activity in Bow/Edison. Good luck with your projects.
Maggie Collinge. Fred, Larry and I
moved to Anacortes almost 7 ears ago now. I go to La Conner to Dr.
Fischer to get my teeth cleaned and to Lizz, for a haircut. I now go to
the Episcopal Church here in Anacortes. It was just too much driving to
keep up with church activity at the
United Methodist Church in La Conner though I miss the people there. I
attended church there for over thirty years. I can ride my bicycle to
church and to many other places here in Anacortes. I was too far from
La Conner to ride my bike on a regular basis when we lived out on Snee
Oosh Road. I do like making the occasional trip to La Conner with folks
who have come from out of town; I always see somebody I know and take
the time to have a visit when that happens.
Hopie Ruiz.
And I do believe Mary is still working at Pioneer Market.
Judy Booth. Yes, she is.
Debbie Aldrich.
We moved to La Conner 3 years
ago after hanging out here for many years. I love living here now. I see
my neighbor, Molly's chickens in the middle of town.
Judy Booth.
Nine years! Holy
cow Fred. It's been nine years since you helped me clean a house - no
hair? I get along with the people in La Conner that I like... I'm such a
brat. I'm grateful to the tribe for contributing to the library. Georgia Johnson having
to leave the school is a tragedy. My kids graduated from a great school
- LC - and went on to be quite successful in their chosen fields -
engineering and dance. I spend less time in town and more on Pull and
Be Damned. I look out my window right now and see tall firs and cedars -
a madronna tossed in here and there, clouds over Skagit Bay and
hummingbirds at my feeder. It's still; very quiet. Not even bird song.
Oops - spoke too soon, there's a Robin's trill.
Old Times Around the Ping Pong Table
We
moved from Up River in Marblemount to LaConner in the fall of 1979. The
Alligator Palace was in its final days. LaConner was a two ping pong
table town back then. One ping pong table was in the 1890s tavern and
the other ping pong table was in the volunteer firemen's rec room.
That
was where the Town Council met, around the ping pong table, which was
maybe a little too hokey for some people. But I liked the informality of
the meetings. What I noticed and maybe it wasn't until 1981 that I
noticed but it was all women. Or almost all women. Mary Lam was the
mayor, Diane Goddard was the attorney, Kathi Ernst was the clerk and Pat
Sherman was the treasurer. Of the council members, four were women --
Roberta Nelson, Judi Iversen, Neva Malden and June Overstreet.
And
the fifth member and lone masculine vote was Don Wright. What was
remarkable about this was that nobody noticed, or maybe said anything
about it. It wasn't a disaster and it wasn't the dawn of a new day
either. It was just eight women sitting around a ping pong table
throwing spit balls at Don Wright. He ducked.
Diane Sherman. Reminds me when I first moved
to LaConner-- later than you, seeing the farmers drinking coffee around
the table in the Planter Hotel early in the dark morning. Wonder what I was doing up at that hour.
Denise Hollister. Ruth Bakke was the best. Those
giant Norwegian crepes, that folded wouldn’t even fit on a platter.
Homemade raspberry jam and cottage cheese. 50 cents. As close to a New
York blintz as you can get.
Lysa Conn Sherman. I'm still here. I remember
the way it was back in the 70's, probably because I was a kid and sober.
Many things have sadly changed, but many remain the same. You can
still get a great burger at the Tav., it will cost you, though. Many
folks have stayed and raised their generation of LC Braves, too. It
still has a funky vibe around its' squidgy little edges. You won't get
me out of here in anything but a pine box.
That's all for now. I
did receive more responses from LaConner friends than you see here, but
I try not to make things too long. We should do this again sometime.
See ya,
Fred
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