Out There
Frank Lloyd Wright once said that if you want to live out in the country drive a half hour out of town and once you are there drive another half hour further.
I asked Ginger a question about if there are any outlets for animal feed where she lives. Ginger lives in Jewell, where there is no commerce at all. This community is probably 30 miles of windy roads from Astoria. There is a school there and a County Police sub-station. It easily fits into that two-plus half hour drive from town.
People that live that far out have to have excellent planning skills. You just don’t run to the corner store if you need a cup of sugar. Sometimes the nearest neighbor is farther than most town folks have to travel to go to a store. I know how it feels to be involved in a project and realize I need some hard ware or a part. For me it is usually a 40 minute round trip to visit the lumber yard. It’s a 30 minute round trip for me to go just to Utzingers.
Once while traveling through Maupin with little fuel in the tank, I wondered why people would want to live in a community with no commercial services available without traveling great distances to get them. It’s not like they are hermits. These are communities with a great number of people, but people clustered without services.
I know that when I do grocery shopping I buy much more that my friends that live in cities. I know people in Paris and New York that have tiny apartments and small refrigerators that buy their food fresh, daily. They don’t store a lot. When you live any distance from a grocery store the more apt you are to have a freezer and a big pantry.
I live out of town, but I’m not sure I would enjoy living so far out that leaving home becomes an excursion. If I were someone of means I would open a store in Jewell. Everyone out there has animals. Everyone out there needs food. It would be great to have a real general store out there other than the little one on Hwy 26.
So Ginger, I’ll offer to do some shopping for you the next time I have to come to Jewell. I’ll be running out of hay in mid-December. Are you or your neighbor still holding?
posted by The Guy Who Writes This at 4:00 AM
9 Comments:
Guy, if you open the grocery, I'll open a bookstore.
i love maupin. i used to get over there a few times to chukar hunt. stayed at a quaint little hotel right on the deschutes. drove by there a year or so ago and they completely ruined, i mean, remodeled it.
so much for quaint.
Some of them thar Jewell folks are pretty good at living off the fat of the land.
Darev, that won't be happening any time soon, sorry.
g, that's a strange thing for a guy in the remodeling business to say, but I hear you.
Anon, should they be called "Jewellers?"
Dang. I thought opening a bookstore in Oregon could be a zillion dollar idea. I need to do it before someone steals my idea. (grin)
Hee hee heee...... Utzingers. What a name.
We got a farm supply place a few miles down the road called "Dicky Bubs". I almost ran off the road laughing the first time I saw it.
Darev, not as long as there is access to Amazon.com. And here's the article I did on Utzinger's a few years ago.
Grovers
I have 100 bails I can sell...and I placed a couple of calls on your behalf, you should be set. You can contact me through Gwen. It's funny...the way I live...rarely getting out..we lived like that when we lived in town...made a list and scheduled my time wisely while shopping/running errands..we also have two fridges in the kitchen. I find that people who live out of town like this seem to have a better sense of self sufficiency...and, not a lot of 911 calls for "I have a stomach ache" or "I cut my finger". When we get a call...it's usually serious. People come out to my house to camp...I tell them "I AM CAMPING!"
Ginger, I can only take 50 at a time and I will need some in mid December. I promised Gwen that I'd do my best to open her parking area, and I sent some other customers her way, so when she runs out I'll contact you.
Also I heard heroic things about you during the flood up there. You deserve a good neighbor award.
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