Boring Personalities - The Sequel

           On the first day of the school year, teachers are obliged to cover student policy and code of conduct. In addition, they usually discuss their own unique house rules: things like expectations for passage in the hallways, boy decorum in the lavatory, etc.  "The Litany" in Mighty Room 5, home of Rosene's Rhinos, was probably the same in all aspects, save one.
At the end of my recitation, and with straight-faced earnestness, I told my class of wide-eyed sixth graders that from that day onward, the word "Boring" was to be used exclusively as a proper noun, and not an adjective - no exceptions.  I added further that, in assessing my teaching methods, students may, in private, use words such as "dull", "insipid", "bland", "uninspiring", etc. However, under no circumstances were they to use the "b" word. 
         Naturally, the more mischievous among them wasted little time placing that word in discourse, and within my hearing range.  At least, they were able to draw the distinction between what's common, and what's proper....when it comes to nouns.  The luminaries of our hamlet, spotlighted in this posting, are a far cry from common, and of course are very proper.

         At forty-three years and counting, there are very few families which can top our tenure in Boring. The clan of patriarch Bob Boring is one which does...by a scant five generations.  No parade of personalities would be complete without his profile,
          His, ancestor, and the original settler, William H. Boring, was a civil war veteran.  As has been the case with all his descendants, he was foremost a farmer.  Bob worked the family's land, scarcely a mile from the town's main and only drag.  This was his vocation when he wasn't hauling lumber, logs, and equipment for Valberg Lumber Co; the last of our seven sawmills. Doubtless, he was on hand to deliver product to freight cars on the old Portland Traction Co. railroad line when the latter made its nightly stops;  in our "commercial district",  and a scant two blocks from the hub of mill operations.  This was the railroad which gave the town the second half of its original name, "Boring Junction".  Though it hasn't been confirmed, Bob could well have nurtured his love of model railroading from that experience.  He and his son were two of the last six employees to walk past the sawmill gates when the plant closed in 1999.
           During the course of his four-score and some odd years as a resident, Bob has witnessed some significant changes to the landscape around the town we call home.  The most welcome have been the establishment of a fire district and its headquarters building.  The other noteworthy addition is our one and only municipal agency, the water district, over which he presides as board chairman, and which now services slightly over seven hundred homes in the area.  On the downside of progress, we share his lament that our charming, boondocky character is steadily fading from view. Literally and figuratively, Bob is our main man about town.

           As noted elsewhere in this post, Boring's inception dates back to 1903.  There are three buildings remaining which have a similar vintage; all near that first bend in the road as one motors through what we like to call "Mt. Hood's Gateway".  One of these is the grange hall.  Another is a brick two-storey which housed the original post office. The third is at the hub of the commercial district.  It represents Boring's only "mostly-full" service grocery store, McCall's General. (Evidently fresh meat and produce are not considered critical items to stock by the local gentry.)
                  The present owners, Ben and Donna Lee, were born in South Korea.  Ben immigrated to this country in 1989, returned to marry Donna one year later; then came back to stay in 1991.  Snared by a tangle of red tape, Donna had to wait two years to join him.  Prior to setting up shop and sinking roots in Boring six years ago, they operated a sandwich shop in Oregon City (Oregon's oldest city) and another grocery store twenty miles west of Portland.

                 According to Ben, former residents from distant reaches like Michigan and Illinois make return visits to their store.  They must be like the swallows of Capistrano, coming home to this turn-of-the-century relic.  While walking along the original hardwood floor and gazing up at the tongue-and-groove ceiling, they're doubtlessly attempting to reconnect with younger days, wonderful days.  When asked about the exact age of the building, Ben shrugs.  "It's just old", he allows, without fear of rebuttal.
             The current proprietors are both very upbeat about their present day retail experience.  Of all the places where they've lived and worked, their niche in the Land of Continuous Excitement is what they've liked best.  They are firm in the belief that the clientele in our corner of Clackamas County is the most friendly, and has provided them with a real sense of belonging.  As with all the other businesses in town, there has never been a single incident of vandalism to their property.  "We like it here."  We like you back, Ben and Donna.

         The insert for our third profile is not the product of PhotoShop trickery.  A palm tree actually does grow in Boring.  You will find it planted in the patio, directly in front of the Red Apple, Boring's classiest, and only legitimate restaurant. Its forebears at the same location were known as the Boring Burger and Paola's Corner; both of which provided fare that was supremely average on their best of days.  They were the place to go when pressed at the end of a stressful day, and the only alternative was a meal at home; which the man of the house would inevitably be obliged to prepare.  Thanks to Hong Chan, husband Rick and the crew of R.A., their spot on the corner of Oregon Hwy 212 and S.E. 282nd St. has given sweet deliverance to the townsfolk of both genders.
       The couple met twenty years ago in Quandong (formerly known as Canton) China.  Rick had already become a citizen of the U.S., and because of this it was a relatively simple procedure that allowed Hong to accompany him back to the states.  Through a series of contacts with family and close friends, they have managed or co-owned restaurants in Salem, Milton Freewater, and Tri Cities.  They became aware of the Paola property via word from another family member, and purchased it from them in June of 2010.

            Owning and operating the Red Apple has been anything but the proverbial piece of cake, especially for Hong.  Until six weeks ago, she had to oversee the entire operation by herself while Rick was dealing with health issues.  This meant supervision and scheduling of staff, inventory, quality control, as well as coping with a declining economy and a host of other headaches too numerous to mention.
            Now that hubby is back and tending to the galley, she is more free to do what she likes to do best; being on the serving side of things.  Hong knows that now she doesn't have to fret about ordering this or that, or the quality of the cuisine.  This writer/reviewer is quick to add there should never have been a moment's worry about what she brings to table.  Whether it's the Friday or Saturday night prime rib special, the Asian items numbered one through ten, or the rest of what's offered, everything has always been "primo", and reasonably priced.
            With Hong, as well as the rest of the "Magnificent Seven" interviewed over the past year, we enjoy much more than a consumer-provider relationship.  We are friends.  We are neighbors.  In a larger, busier environment who knows if that would have been possible?