Marine Layer on the River

August 14, 2010

The patterns that occur where the river meets the ocean create their own weather. One reason Astoria, Oregon, never stays hot for very long is that the heat draws the marine layer from the ocean (left in this photo) inland and chills the air.

As I understand it, the marine layer is not actually the visible cloud, but the cloud is often held underneath the marine layer, which is an invisible pressure zone. Later in the afternoon of the Regatta Parade with its 90 degree temperature, I opened my door near the river and felt positively cold. As I drove past town and stopped at the riverfront park, I discovered a finger of fog reaching upriver, a clear indication that change is coming rather quickly.

Crossing the Young's Bay Bridge to Warrenton a few minutes later, I could see the fog bank growing taller as it rolled in from the ocean. I wish I'd been able to take the next photo as the bank grew and darkened, but I thought I'd better keep both hands on the wheel, as traffic had begun to move. It was a mixed blessing. Who likes to sit in traffic, but then again, it was nice watching the atmosphere change.

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Coastal Produce

August 13, 2010

A number of gas stations (I can no longer call them "service" stations) along Marine Drive either sit empty these days or are being used short-term or long-term for other businesses. I've enjoyed stopping at Coastal Produce to pick up fresh fruit and vegetables. The gas station buildings are unused for the original purpose because we now have big companies, notably Safeway and Fred Meyer, selling gas on either end of town and because the tanks in these smaller, older gas stations have become leaky and nobody wants the expense of fixing and cleaning them up.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Hanthorn Crab Co.

Here is some of the interesting equipment you can still see inside Pier 39, where you can get crab live when the boats come in. Hanthorn retails crab out of a building on Pier 11. You can check out their day-to-day activity here on Facebook. Sorry, I took this photo back in April, before the season. I never seem to be at the right place at the right time, so I'll see what I can do about getting some live-action shots soon!

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Real Clouds

Warrenton, Oregon ~ August 27, 2010

I took this photo from the parking lot of the Columbia Fitness Center just across the bridge in Warrenton. I've been enjoying the huge, billowing clouds for the past few days. So often lately, it seems we have either no clouds at all or gray overcast days. No, I was not at the gym at the crack of dawn. This was taken at sunset across the marshy field next to the shopping center. Since, in some circles, Fridays are for watching the sky, check out more "skies from all over the planet" at Skywatch Friday.

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Blown Away

July 23, 2010

The remnants of this old barn are right next to the cattle feeder from an earlier post. New construction outside the frame of the picture indicates that one of these days this interesting roofline will be replaced. The devastation here could be the result of our windstorm of 2007, but I don't know that for sure.

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Historic Flag Pole

March 6, 2010

This old flag pole made from weathering the trunk of a tree stands just outside the east door of the Flavel House Museum.

It was presented to the Clatsop County Historical Society by the American Legion's Clatsop Post 12 on November 11, 1967. My question is, what makes this flag pole historic? Clearly, it's had some history - it's old and rustic - but where was it planted? What has it seen?

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Who Lives Here?

August 19, 2010

Actually, I have no idea who might wiggle, scamper or swim in and out of these holes. They were punched through the mesh by logs which float downriver and occasionally cause havoc to buildings. Usually they float back out to the river on their own, but sometimes they need help.

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The Y Gallery

In a town of interesting facades, this has to be one of the most unusual. It's listed online as:

Y Gallery

12th & Exchange

Artist Jim Russell/Vintage Bike Works

I know nothing about it except that it seems to be a private affair, or maybe by invitation only. It's located in a building that used to be the YMCA. I'll show you the marking on the corner someday. I thought I read that the building was spared by the 1922 fire and was used as triage during that event, but (again, trying to remember) I think there is a date of 1923 on the corner. Maybe someone will comment.

Part of the building's charm is this window on 12th Street.

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Pink Curtain

The colors and the exotic look on 12th Street caught my attention as I was entering Wells Fargo Bank the other morning. This is one of the downtown buildings that was rebuild in 1923 after Astoria's big fire of December 1922.

That's Clemente's Restaurant on the left and the Troll's Nook on the right. Which image do you like best?

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Containers for Fish

August 16, 2010

Big plastic containers sit along the River Walk behind the fish packing plant. The rails on the right are for the Riverfront Trolley, not for shipping the containers. They are shipped out by truck; the truck dock is on the other side of the block. I've been meaning to post a photo, so maybe I'll get to it in the next few days. The red building on the far right is Pier 11, which houses a couple of restaurants and some shops.

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Chowder, Coffee, and Ice Cream . . .

. . . specialties of the house at 14th Street and Marine Drive.

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More Regatta Photos: This Time from Stephanie

Thanks to Stephanie Roley for all of the photos on today's post. She was also at the end of the parade at the corner of Commercial and 15th Streets, but she braved the heat and moved around more than I did. She also started earlier. This year, the Port of Astoria is 100 years old. There's always a Regatta Queen, and this is her float.

This photo is for Francisca. I took one also, but I didn't get a good shot, so I'm glad to have Stephanie's photo.

The ladybug in a tutu has had enough. I saw him from the back, so I was able to get the correct identificastion.

This looks familiar: A trolley and a lighthouse.

How to cool off while maintaining decorum, because . . .

. . . it's not over yet! By the way, although I don't know what the construction is about directly behind these ladies, the festivities behind the construction are the tail end of the parade, which starts on Duane, wraps around one block near the post office, and snakes back to the starting point along Commercial. Fort George Brewery, located behind the yellow tent, puts on an open-air event to go along with many of the local events.

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Now You See It . . . Now You Don't

July 26, 2009

This is an older photo I took on the River Walk, and I've been meaning to post it for some time. I like the torn sign, the various contrasts, the bit of purple, the shadows, and the feet. And now, as of this past weekend, it would be impossible to take this photo again. The post is still there, but the pavement to the left has been resurfaced in a dark black. It simply won't be the same again.

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Boardwalk

One of the ways Astoria manages life on the hillside is with this section of boarwalk on Exchange between 17th and 18th Streets. The hill slopes steeply off to the right. I originally took the photo because I liked the lighting, the grate, and the sun coming through the orange tag on the tree. There are also stretches of wood planking along the river walk, but I don't remember any other stretch of boardwalk elsewhere in the city.

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Fall Colors in August

August 15, 2010

I couldn't help noticing these beautiful red leaves while avoiding the hot sun at yesterday's parade.

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Fun at the Regatta Parade

The annual Astoria Regatta Festival is 116 years old, and this year it celebrates the Port of Astoria's 100th birthday. The parade took place yesterday on one of the only really hot days we've had all year. It was 90 degrees, which for here is scorching. I got my first glimpse of the participants along the River Walk after they'd finished the parade route.

Then I ambled my way across Marine Drive to watch from the shaded corner of Commercial and 15th Streets, a mere two blocks from the end of the official parade route. Some hot and tired participants chose to turn left onto 15th Street (on our right) and make an early escape. I watched from under the shade of this tree with a plastic bottle of ice and fruit juice. Especially today, I'd rather be the photographer.

This was one of my favorites, the "Get A Life Marching Band" from Portland, whose slogan is, "We eat better than we play." I believe this is true, because otherwise they would all be starving, and clearly they were not all starving. All of the members have three things in common. Check out their site to see what they are. I imagine they have a lot of fun.

Trying to keep the "Get A Life" dog cool. What is a parade without a hotdog or two?

These are not hot dogs, but very hot tigers from the Cub Scouts. If the parade had only taken place a few hours later, they would have been the ones smiling. The marine layer came in and dropped the temperature back to Astoria's typical summer high 50s or low 60s.

I usually don't like clowns, but I always enjoy the ones in the Astoria Regatta parade. They're laid back and colorful. Whatever it is, I like them.

Watch out, Clown.

The woman with the white face is suffering from Clown Kissing Syndrome. It seems they know each other.

Here is one of the beautiful Daughters of Neptune. You may need to enlarge the photo for the full effect . . . or not.

Wells Fargo had a nice stagecoach, but what I really liked were the sleek horses.

Ronald is joined in his big red shoe by a couple of friends.

This is my favorite float, the Astoria High School Class of 1960. I got to the parade late, so I missed some of the first floats, but this would probably still be my favorite.

And this was my favorite music. This percussion group from Portland (I think) was hot in the right way and got an ovation. By this point in the parade, many of the bands were too dripping hot and tired to play anything.

They look cool and lovely, but I can assure you, these ladies in their navy blue gowns and spiky heels were finished.

Another hot dog, anyone?

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Born to Spin

August 13, 2010

We finally got some temperatures in the high 80s, and I heard as many complaints about it as I heard people saying they were thrilled. For me this wind wheel on Marine Drive was a welcome distraction from the too-warm day.

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Busy

July 31, 2010

It's a busy moment along the Columbia River near downtown Astoria. There's at least one more boat just outside the frame of the photo. The pilot boat Arrow 2 is working alongside the blue and yellow Morning Spruce of the Eukor line. Of course, I've used the zoom. The ships and boat are not in any danger of colliding.

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Rich in Color and Design

I had no idea that yesterday's comments were going to take such a strange turn when I planned to follow up with these photos of the First Presbyterian Church on the corner of 11th and Franklin. The church is next door to the social hall (yesterday's post), which, it seems, has had many (and varied) uses. I love the colors in this photo especially. They've been painting this church for at least a year, and the results are warm, inviting, and fun to look at.

The church also has interesting architectural features. As with yesterday's building, I would call it Gothic Revival, which I guess in the U.S. is of the Victorian Era.

All four photos are of the side (or is it the back?). It's the opposite side from Franklin Street.

Here is a link to one of the towers and the facade on 11th.

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Gothic Revival on 11th Street?

I've always found this building at the corner of 11th and Harrison to have an interesting and oddly charming facade. My imagination puts it on the English moors in a novel by one of the Brontë sisters. In looking up styles online, it seems to be Gothic Revival, which began in England and became popular in the United States. The sign on the door says, "Astoria Conservatory of Music," but I believe that the building began life as part of the First Presbyterian Church next door, which has more ornate elements of the Gothic Revival style.

Here's the Harrison Street side of the building, which happened to be in sunlight for a few minutes yesterday morning.

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