Joe and Eve Della Valle regularily cruise up and down the streets of Carlton, picking up any trash items they encounter on the way.
Marcus Larson/News-Register

The Della Valles constantly find themselves purchasing antiques from a variety of places.
Marcus Larson/News-Register

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Joe and Eve Della Valle started walking for exercise about a decade ago, when they were living in Lincoln City.

They soon discovered their walks led not only past interesting houses and beautiful sights, but also past litter carelessly scattered along city streets.

“Somebody should do something about it!” Eve declared. Then it hit her: “We’re that somebody.”

Ever since, she, Joe and whomever they can recruit have walked not just for exercise, but also for “trash-er-cise.”

“We do the Budweiser dip and the Happy Meal stretch,” said Eve, who is scandalized by the thought of people tossing trash out their car windows.

The Della Valles continued trash-er-cizing after moving to Carlton in May 2004. Now they can be seen almost daily walking the streets with grabbers and garbage bags at the ready.

The long-handled grabbers, which the Della Valles call “pick-er-uppers” are essential tools in trash-er-cizing. Eve applied tape to the tongs of hers, so she can pick up even the tiniest bits of trash.

They keep an eye out for grabbers at garage sales. That way, they have enough for the crowd that joins them on Earth Day and the trash-heavy days following Halloween and the Fun Days parade, and for a small group of walkers who frequently accompany them.

Nelda and Ron Skidmore and Char and Andy Eldine are among the regulars.

“I met Nelda on the street and drafted them,” Eve said. “Char told me about a particularly messy street, so I drafted her. I told her, ‘Those who spot it have to help!’”

The Della Valles and their friends often are rewarded with waves or shouts of “Thank you!” Sometimes they get unexpected help, usually from children. And the Carlton Business Association presented them a good citizen award.

But the life of a trash-er-cizer isn’t always easy.

“People look at you as if you’re strange, picking up garbage,” she said. Her husband added, “They look at you as if you should be wearing an orange jumpsuit.”

Eve said she has seen a few parents shoo their children away from “those weird people.” But she’s also had many chances to explain to kids what she’s doing.

Pointing out soft drink cups and other items that otherwise would get ground into the earth, she explains that picking them up now will keep them from contaminating the water table in the future.

“We care about the town,” she tells kids. “We care about its health. We want to live in a nice clean community.”

She and her husband enjoy knowing they are helping the environment as they get their exercise. And they like getting to know their community better as they walk around town or down to Wennerberg Park, which is bordered by the North Yamhill River.

They stop at a local deli for coffee and chat with whomever they meet. “I’ll talk to anybody,” she said.

Trash-er-cizing often gives them things to talk about, too. They’ve found all sorts of strange stuff, including a couch that they dragged out of the bushes for the public works department to take care of.

On the scary side, they once picked up a handgun at a Lincoln City intersection.

The gun was loaded with hollow-point bullets. They took it straight to the police.

Cigarette butts predominate. “Literally thousands of them,” Eve said.

They also find lots of bottles and cans, which they return to the store. And often they find money, everything from coins to a $20 bill.

Once a $100 bill turned up with a note that said, “Enjoy your windfall.” After trying to find the bill’s owner, they concluded a grateful homeowner had left it for them on purpose.

“We don’t do it for the money, of course, but that was nice,” Eve said.

When they’re not collecting trash, the Della Valles collect things they like.

He enjoys old toys. She loves old-fashioned suitcases, which she stacks up to use as bedside tables.

Souvenirs with a bathroom theme and antique cooking tools are displayed in their home, each in the appropriate room.

The Della Valles find some of their display items while scouring garage and estate sales all over Yamhill County. They used to display item at an antique mall in Lincoln City, but gave that up last year.

The couple ran an antique shop in Carlton briefly, but sold it so they would have more time for other activities. In Lincoln City, she ran a gift shop while he worked in radio.

They found their Carlton home — or rather, building site — several years before making the move over.

“The whole town just looked so great,” Eve recalled. “The Nistlers still had the granary then, with pots of flowers blooming, and the old railroad station is just cute. We were just struck by it.”

Starla Pointer, who is convinced everyone has an interesting story to tell, has been writing the weekly “Stopping By” column since 1996. She’s always looking for suggestions. Contact her at 503-883-6263 or spointer@newsregister.com.