Charles Nelson House, 1975

Notwithstanding Fr. Don Maddux’s spot-on homily (doing a kindness is always timely and appropriate), it was the Staub family who took center stage at Vespers yesterday – Paul with his ‘Oysterville Moment’ and his wife and son in a musical presentation featuring Celtic harp and mandolin, respectively.  The Oysterville Church was jam-packed.

CD Front Cover – ‘Bayview’

Paul talked about their house here in Oysterville.  He told of its condition when they purchased it twenty-five years ago – no foundation, rotting boards throughout the single wall construction, mortar long-gone from between chimney bricks and ditto the glazing compound around the window panes.  Plus there were many unseen ‘occupants’ who had taken up residence in the tiny, 1873 Charles Nelson house.  There were powder post beetles and carpenter ants in the walls, a bat colony inside the chimney, and a huge pack rat’s nest in the attic, There were electricity and running water, but no inside bathroom.  Only an outhouse.

CD Back Cover – Photo of Colin heading across the meadow to work in the oyster beds

But, its name ‘Bayview’ seemed promising even though, at that time, the meadow across the street was so overgrown that there was no bay to be seen.  Bit by bit, the Staub family fumigated and cleaned and rebuilt and replaced.  A few years ago they put an addition on the tiny house making it a livable vacation home for their family of four.  These days, with the meadow kept mowed and view intact, ‘Bayview’ is not only a reality, but has become the title for Kathleen and Colin’s new CD “to acknowledge the importance the bay has in our lives.”

The Vespers bulletin had this to say, in part, about the musicians: “Kathleen and Colin led the harp circle at the Portland Highland Games in July, and played some sets with the Scottish fiddlers… They are active in the Scottish Fiddling Club of Oregon even though Kathleen plays harp and Colin plays mandolin.  Colin started out as a fiddler until he heard (from Spud Seigel) that the mandolin was tuned just like a fiddle.  He has been playing mandolin ever since.

The Charles Nelson House after Restoration, 2006

Their CD was on sale after Vespers.  “Half the proceeds will go to the Oysterville Restoration Foundation,” Kathleen announced.  “The church needs a new roof and I hope this begins a fund for that purpose.”