Pretty for the Season

Astoria, Oregon ~ December 18, 2012
I took this outside the Astoria Co-Op last year. It's a pretty shot for the season any year! This year I've made my first photo calendar, using photos from Astoria Daily Photo. Check it out in the upper right of the page. Happy New Year!
Astoria, Oregon, Daily Photo is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Bright Flowers on a Gray Day

Astoria, Oregon ~ September 18, 2012

Outside the Co-op

By this time, I wasn't getting out much, and when I did, it was hard to stand up long enough to take a photo. It was always a pleasure to see the changing floral array when I would stop to buy food.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Colorful Flowers at the Co-op

Astoria, Oregon ~ September 25, 2012

Outside The Astoria Co-op on Exchange Street

I thought I'd post this cool box with colorful flowers in a brief break from my "Drive-by Astoria" series. 

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

A Pumpkin between Holidays

Astoria, Oregon ~ November 22, 2011

For several weeks now I've been eyeing this fat pumkin outside the Astoria Co-op. I mean, how can you miss it? Girth aside, it looks comfortably settled on the hard concrete. Does it worry about being cold? Is it happy to be singled out because of its size to have a life beyond the vegetable baskets inside the store? To be singled out because of its unique shape to be an object of attention? Will it be cast away or eaten when the holiday is over? I anthropomorphize and I wonder. What else are you going to do when an object like this becomes part of your landscape? 

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Checkerboard Tulips

Astoria, Oregon ~ April 6, 2011

One of my favorite flower finds this spring was this pot in the parking area outside the Astoria Co-op (Exchange and 14th Streets) containing checkerboard tulips.

The rest of the flowers and vegetables in the pot were a welcome sight as well.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

New Plants and Soup

Astoria, Oregon ~ April 17, 2011

This stand in front of the Astoria Co-op at 1355 Duane Street is one of the places where you can buy baby vegetable plants despite the unseasonably cold weather. They were grown locally by Packy and Teresa at 46 North Farm, and that's one reason I'll probably start here with my annual plant buying if I get around to working my few square feet of ground or buying and fitting out some big pots.

Both doors enter the co-op. If you go in the righthand door, you're immediately treated to yummy fruits and veggies. Inside the lefthand door you will encounter the tastiest homemade soup on the planet. If you do neither, you might want to dream the time away gazing at warped buildings and blue sky in the store's front window. There's even a picnic table with benches provided nearby.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

A Place for Kids

Astoria, Oregon ~ March 23, 2011

Inside the Astoria Co-op food store there is a corner to welcome kids. I'm sure the playthings and mat attract some ages. I especially love looking at the painting, which I think is by local artist Sally Lackaff. If anyone knows for sure, please comment! Sally Lackaff and Roger McKay have worked together on detailed paintings and murals around town, so this could be a joint effort. I did not see a signature, but it could have been there somewhere.

The painting contains wonderful details such as this friendly-looking raccoon and the heron, which can be seen in the upper right of the photo. The ship is wonderfully reminiscent of the adventure novels I loved as a pre-teen, although the painting actually represents our local area, its wildlife and its history. 

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

The old co-op building

October 26, 2009

In an early CDP post, I talked about how so many local places are referred to as "the old" this or that, so that a relative newcomer like myself has no idea what people are talking about. I'd try to get directions, only to find that I couldn't understand them because I didn't know where "the old" (whatever) used to be. It had been gone since before my arrival in Astoria. The building you see here will probably be referred to as "the old co-op" for some time to come.

The food co-op is alive and well, but it's moved from this wonderfully funky building on Duane and 14th to a newer building on Exchange and 14th that has much less character. I'm sure the new place serves them well (I should say "us," since I'm now a member), but I recall the first time I walked into the building shown here. I thought I'd stepped into a piece of San Francisco from the hippie days, and I loved it. So, until someone moves in and gives the location a strong new identity, it's still "the old co-op" to me, and probably to many others as well. I wonder what else it used to be? Maybe someday I'll have more time to do the research.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.