<p>Val Ryan</p>

I recently turned the buckboard south and went to Ashland to see three plays.

It was a great road trip, sunshine both ways, top down, bugs in my teeth, just cant get enough of it.

The plays were all excellent. I groused a lot about the plays I saw in March, so this trip was a treat and erased all memory of anything less than perfect.

I saw August Osage County again, having seen it in Portland two years ago. It is funny and sad and horrific and defines dysfunctional family. Tracy Letts is the playwright, son of Billie Letts, who wrote the Oprah-anointed Where the Heart Is. His talented family also includes his actor-father Dennis Letts and his brother jazz musician, Shawn. Store that in your trivia locker.

The next play I saw was The Pirates of Penzance. It was among the very best things Ive ever seen in Ashland. Of course, its hard not to love Gilbert & Sullivan. Seeing and hearing David Kelley, one of Ashlands treasures, sing I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General is a high point in my theater-going life. He might not be Olivier or Burton or even John Malkovich, but Kelley delivers what G & S had in mind. The whole play is funny, absurd and all ends well, of course. It played in the outdoor theater on a beautiful, warm, moonlit night. What could be finer?

Third on the list was this seasons wild card: Julius Caesar, with Caesar played by a woman. Shakespeare purists might be rolling in their graves, but it was very effective.

The theme of OSFs presentation was the repetitive nature of treachery, assassination, plotting and self-deception. The courtyard of the New Theatre was hung with banners depicting slain leaders, revolutionaries and presidents through the ages. The banners continued into the theater and up the stairs to the stage. The implication is obvious: we never learn. We dont stop killing.

In this frame, it little matters whether Caesar is a man or a woman. S/he is another slain leader, plotted against by friends, who are then in turn plotted against. The cycle goes on. Very well acted by all concerned. Not an uplifting message, but certainly true.

I wont trouble you with all the delicious restaurant choices there are; suffice it to say that the palate returns home as tickled as the mind is challenged and the soul is satisfied by the magic of theater.

While we are on the subject of culture, have you considered spending a Second Saturday afternoon at the Cannon Beach Library? We have a dynamite slate of authors, a congenial format and a good time is always had by all. The afternoons begin at 2 with the author speaking and sometimes reading a little and then it segues into a Q & A session.

Brian Doyle kicked off the new season and was his usual wonderful, funny, emotional self. Next up, on Oct. 8, is Emily Chenoweth. Then, on Nov. 12, we host Scott Sparling; Dec. 10 is Jennie Shortridge; Jan. 14 is Jess Walter. On Feb. 11, our very own Kathryn James, author of the irresistible Princess of Cannon Beach, will talk about the book and self-publishing a topic always of interest to new writers. March 10 brings Erica Bauermeister, April 14 is Jane Kirkpatrick. Jane was unable to join us last season because of her husbands illness, but she was happy to say yes this time. May 12 brings Kevin OBrien to town and we finish the season June 9 with Robert Dugoni.

Whether well-known or not so much, each author brings something new and different to us. They are uniformly generous about answering questions and signing books. Its a great way to spend some time on a Saturday afternoon.

Your intrepid news-gatherer has another report to make this one less personal and praps more beneficial to all of us. I attended the forum presented by the mayor, the council and the city manager to lay out for the citizens of Cannon Beach eight alternative plans for coping with the spectre of the killer tsunami. I will leave the nitty-gritty details to my journalistic betters and trust them to get it right. My overarching impression is that our civic leaders are taking our safety very seriously. This meeting was brought to life by Sam Steidel, a councilor, who wants the dialogue to begin regarding which alternatives we approve of and are willing to pay for. That is the sticking point: nothing can be accomplished without a great expenditure, probably coming from a bond issue.

Congratulations to all concerned for their presentation, for starting the conversation and for surrounding us with people like geologists and engineers who know whereof they speak. Stay tuned: The life you save will be your own. 

Val Ryan owns Cannon Beach Book Company. Her column appears every other week.