Yachats, Oregon, is a town on the Oregon Coast, located in Lincoln County. As of 2020, the population was around 800 people, although since Yachats has a large population of tourists and temporary residents, it is much larger than that might suggest.

Before European contact, the area was inhabited by different indigenous peoples, although from my research, it seems that the exact inhabitants were unclear. Oregon Geographic Names, usually a reliable source, lists the name as being from the language of the Siletz People, but other sources I read said the area was inhabited by a band of the Alsea People. As like so many other areas in the Pacific Northwest, the native culture is sadly lost.

The history's European settlement follows a familiar pattern in Oregon: what begun as a natural resource based settlement has turned into a center for tourism. Unlike towns to the north, however, Yachats was never a major timber or fishing center. It was isolated,…

What if we came in pieces and parts

in plastic bags

with a small tube of glue

what if we were left on the doorstep

lit like a fuse

crackling

burning

what if we came

in at the middle

stayed to the end and came back for the start

what if we came like a ransom note

with a map and a warning

what if we came like an afternoon storm

what if we came fully formed like a colt

The full classic story of Cannonball Adderley's nickname is that he was at first called »Cannibal« because, when they were young, he was so fat and his brother (Nat, a noted trumpet player in his own right) so thin that it seemed as though Julian must have eaten most of Nat (or so their friends would claim). It was subsequently misheard as »Cannonball« when he began to meet people who didn't know his brother or their background, just that Adderley was in fact very fat. Since »Cannonba…