The big red shed

This romantic building is one of the most painted and photographed in all of Astoria, and possibly in the Pacific Northwest. Locally it's known as "Big Red." The roofline was more balanced and aesthetically pleasing before the big storm of December 2-3, 2007, blew the top to shreds. The building began life in 1897 as a drying shed for fishing nets and a place where fish were transferred. Boats were also lifted directly out of the water and into the building for repair. Currently and most recently, Big Red has served as a studio for local artist Royal Nebeker and others. It has a rich history and a remarkable setting. You can read more about all of this and see a photo of the way it looked before the storm by following this link and this one. It's reached only by a private catwalk and is not open to the public. I've never been inside, but I've dreamed about it.

I took this photo yesterday on my walk from Pier 39 along the river to 15th Street, and I decided to use it today for Skywatch Friday. For several days, the sky has been bright blue and clear above with light haze at the horizon and along the hills. This may not seem like an "event" (after all, it's summer), but here it IS an event people talk about any time it doesn't rain, drizzle, or lay in a blanket of clouds for three or four days in a row. The temperature reached about 80*F on Thursday. We're scheduled for another warm day, then cooling. The thing is, the cool weather often comes in a day earlier than predicted. Astoria can't handle too many warm days in a row - the heat sucks the cool ocean air right up the river and we go back to our typical overcast or drizzly skies for awhile. We'll see who's right this time, the official forecast or me :) If it get's into the 90s or up to 100, the cool weather comes in that much faster. We only have a few days in that temperature range each year; that's one reason I moved to the North Coast. I love it that way! I'll keep you posted.

For a glimpse inside Big Red and to hear some hauntingly beautiful music, click on the YouTube picture below to see/hear Israel Nebeker's music video. Israel is the son of the building's owners, and an extremely nice young man. The band is Blind Pilot.