![]() “All up and down the coast,” Kesey wrote, “there are little towns like Wakonda … where weary men talk about hard times and trouble … ” Much of the social interaction of the book took place in a bar called the Snag, whose model may have been any of a half-dozen bars that once lined Bay Street. ![]() The Stamper family lived upriver from Wakonda, a town which - like Florence - was built around the fishing and timber industries. Oregon novelist Ken Kesey, who made his home in the Eugene area, may well have been writing about Florence in “Sometimes a Great Notion.” Many literary experts regard this book about a stubborn logging family, published in 1969, as his finest work. It also has a string of freshwater lakes separated from the Pacific Ocean by hundreds of square miles of shifting sand hills, as the northern gateway to Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.Īnd it has Old Town Florence, possibly the finest example of citizen-ignited urban revitalization on the entire coast. It has a rich history, and fierce waves are constantly washing the jetties at the mouth of the Siuslaw River. Astoria boasts more than 200 years of history at the mouth of the Columbia River.Īsk the same travelers about Florence, and their faces may well draw a blank.īut this town of 9,400, little more than four hours’ drive west of Bend, has some of the best features of all of those other communities, and then some. Depoe Bay has a keyhole harbor and waves that crash constantly against its rocky bluffs. Cannon Beach is a more refined arts community. Newport, for instance, has its working riverfront and several major tourist attractions. To start the process, the veteran should download a copy of the VA CG 10-10 from A loving family can heal many wounds.By John Gottberg Anderson for The BulletinįLORENCE - There are a handful of small towns on the Oregon Coast that, travelers might agree, have a certain quality setting them apart from others. Application has just now been made possible on-line. Entitlement to benefits will vary depending upon the nature and extent of the veteran’s injuries or illness, specifically, the ability or lack thereof of the veteran to perform one or more of daily life activities such as feeding, bathing, hygiene, and ambulation. An eligible veteran must name a primary and family caregiver who must in turn, undergo VA-supervised training. Like most VA benefits, the application process can be exacting. These enhanced benefits include a stipend, mental health services, and access to health care insurance, if not already so entitled. On the VA published regulations governing eligibility for and application to the VA for enhanced benefits for family caregivers of veterans sustaining serious injuries post 9/11. There is even a caregivers’ website, where you can access a number of fact-sheets on benefits available to caregivers to veterans of all eras. Those services included a toll-free Caregiver Support Line 1-87 education and training programs regarding caring for Veterans at home counseling, support groups, and referral services. ![]() Recognizing the immense curative power of family, last year Congress passed the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act to provide enhanced benefits for family caregivers of seriously injured or incapacitated veterans who, but for their families, might well face institutionalization. Just as often, the strength of the family and its ability to support the wounded veteran is all that stands between the veteran and the despair of the Ledbetter lyrics. Often, family caregivers bear the brunt of caring for a wounded veteran who may be simply unable to care for himself in certain important respects. As we wrote last month, these wounds are often as invisible as they are grievous. Since 9/11 we in the extended military family have seen a type of combat and combat injuries that are unique to the War on Terror. It’s that great notion that speaks to us today. It stems from recognition of the power of family–the great notion–of rugged individualism and heroic determination that marked the Stamper family in the novel. The other subtext of the title is less fatalistic. Sometimes I get a great notion/To jump into the river an’ drown. ![]() “Sometimes I live in the country/Sometimes I live in the town/ Far from uplifting, Kesey’s “great notion” refers to the dark lyrics of Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter’s Goodnight Irene. Ken Kesey’s 1964 novel, Sometimes a Great Notion, tells the story of a proud and hardscrabble lumbering family in Oregon who live–and die–with the oft-spoken motto, “never give a inch.” The title is somewhat intriguing, though.
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