Ship, Bridge, and Cannery Pier Hotel

Astoria, Oregon ~ Photo by Amy Ryding
Please click the photo to enlarge.
Astoria, Oregon, Daily Photo is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Cold on Deck

Astoria, Oregon ~ January 13, 2012
As my health continues to improve, I will be taking more new photos this year than I did last year. Meanwhile, here is a closeup from 2012. The gray ship is Navy Destroyer Paul F. Foster. You can see more of it in this older post.
Astoria, Oregon, Daily Photo is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

"Dude Sitting on Bench" by Amy Ryding

Astoria, Oregon ~ Photo by Amy Ryding
Astoria, Oregon, Daily Photo is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Rollin' Thunder

Astoria, Oregon ~ February 28, 2008
Astoria, Oregon, Daily Photo is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

The Towboat P.J. Brix

Astoria, Oregon ~ October 26, 2013

Photo by Sheryl Todd

Taken from the 12th Street pier, the towboat is the P.J. Brix, registered in Portland. I didn't catch the name of the ship.

Astoria, Oregon, Daily Photo is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

"Ships at Sunet" by Amy Ryding

Astoria, Oregon ~ Photo by Amy Ryding
Astoria, Oregon, Daily Photo is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Ships at Dock by Amy Ryding

Astoria, Oregon ~ Photo by Amy Ryding
I love this shot. As many times as I've been to the 17th Street dock, Amy's photo makes it look like a different place, like a a postcard from the early 1900s. Visit Amy's Long Beach Peninsula Photo blog.
Astoria, Oregon, Daily Photo is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Hello! (Oops, posted on the wrong blog!)

Italy ~ February 17, 2012

I wasn't expecting this. A ship's hull loomed almost out of nowhere and peered like an eager dog over the tops of buildings as we continued our coastal drive from Rome to Naples.

Astoria, Oregon, Daily Photo is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

On the Water

Astoria, Oregon ~ January 27, 2012

On a stunning, cold day, NYK Line's Neptune Leader is ready to greet river pilots on board Arrow II. Taken from Doc's on 12th Street.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

U.S. Navy Destroyer "Paul F. Foster"

Astoria, Oregon ~ January 13, 2012

Check out today's "Ship Report" for interesting info on the Paul F. Foster, the only inbound ship passing Astoria today. Of course, that's Astoria's Arrow II Pilot Boat.

The ship has personnel on board, but it can be tested using only remote control. What kid wouldn't like that for a toy?

This ship was used to test biofuel for propulsion, and it made a complete test run with everything working as hoped for. Hear more about all of these topics on Joanne's Ship Report podcast.

. Navy ship Paul F. Foster on Wikipedia

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Disharmonious

Astoria, Oregon ~ November 25, 2011

The colors clash in this photo taken yesterday at what's left of the 6th Street Pier. They go with the mood. The destruction is equally as complete on the other side of the pier, but I chose to post this picture today since I was initially focused on the ship, which seemed to be much closer to land than I usually see them at this point. It may be an illusion. When seen from even a block further onshore, the ships look terribly close. They recede visually as you approach the waterline. I don't remember when the viewing platform received this coat of paint, but I much preferred the previous look, which blended better with the natural and man-made elements.

The Cannery Cafe is gone (burned beyond saving in that horrendous fire and now razed by heavy equipment) which all makes me feel sad, but the condos slated for that space of open water were put on hold in 2008 when the economy tanked. I can't say I'm sorry about that. Astoria's setting and vistas are what give it its charm. The rest is gravy.

The ship is Power Loong, registered in Panama.

. The old platform colors

. Wind and flags: One of my favorite photos of the pier

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Getting Choppy

Astoria, Oregon ~ July 4, 2011

I took this photo last July from the back deck of Coffee Girl just about the time small boats decided that coming back to the mooring basin was the better part of valor. The photo below indicates one of the reasons this might be a good idea. The big ships aren't bothered. I love the ships' names. The one on the left has the evocative name of Navios Mercator.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Hawaiian Chieftain and Lady Washington

Astoria, Oregon ~ May 20, 2011

We've been seeing a lot of these beautiful tall ships on the Columbia River for the past few days. They've been taking passengers out for exciting reenactments and photo ops. I haven't gone, but I know someone who did, and I may be posting a photo or two when they come out of the camera. This is part of Astoria's bicentennial celebration.

I was working the other day and heard a loud "BOOM"! As it turns out, the ships were firing cannons at each other and there was a big puff of white smoke next to one of the ships. I can't believe how loud the cannon fire was!

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Orange and Blue

Astoria, Oregon ~ April 5, 2011

It's unusual to see the pilot boat Columbia working on the part of the river near downtown Astoria. Usually we see the smaller green and white Arrow 2. The Columbia is made for the harsher conditions of the ocean. You can read about the various pilot boats by clicking on the labels below. That beautiful blue color is belongs to one of my favorite shipping lines, Honda, and you can guess what's inside. This particular ship's name is Celestial Wing. 

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

The Bridge of the Wadi Albostan

Astoria, Oregon ~ February 15, 2011

The subdued light gave me a chance to get a good exposure of the bridge of one of the big cargo ships, Wadi Albostan., as it makes its way to Longview, Washington, to pick up soya meal (see The Ship Report by Astorian Joanne Rideout; you can also listen to her wonderful and informative report with only a click of the link in the upper left of the page). 

Usually when I try to capture the bridge, it simply burns out against the darker background. I also got lucky and got a lovely light reflection in the red area of this ship. As you can see below, the light bridge is reflected on the surface of the river and the light bounces back to the hull of the ship.

That's the Pacific Fantasy (at anchor and going upriver to pick up potash) behind Wadi Albostan, and you can see the pilot boat transferring the river pilot to the ship for the trip upriver.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

By Land and by Sea

Astoria, Oregon ~ February 1, 2011

I enjoyed seeing these huge tomatoes on the side of the delivery truck in the Safeway parking lot. Goods arrive in Astoria by truck as we watch other products travel past on their way to or from the ocean on ships.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Three Ships Converge

Astoria, Oregon ~ January 21, 2011

The other day it happened again. I've seen this before. I glanced out my window to notice three ships about to converge. The orange ship in the center is anchored. The one on the left is heading to the right, and the one on the right is heading to the left. They passed each other - not quite all lined up in the center of my view - and then the swells from their movement came crashing onto the shore. The swells are not large, but I can often tell from hearing them that at least one ship has passed or that the pilot boat has gone out or come back in. The river ranges from almost completely calm as in this day's rain and low tide to waves that pound constantly when the wind is blowing.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Typical Lineup of Waiting Ships

Astoria, Oregon ~ December 6, 2010

The other day someone's comment suggested that I had been lucky to get a picture with the ships lined up like a parade on the Columbia River. For those who read this blog who have not been to Astoria, no it wasn't a lucky break or skill. The lighting was spectacular that day, but other than that, the ships appeared about normal. They can be seen "lined up" for miles in front of the city of Astoria on almost any given day. I don't remember if I've ever seen a day with no ships waiting on the water for space to become available in one of the ports upriver. Astoria's port is too small for offloading of much freight. I think there was a bigger ship unloding something the other day (did I hear that correctly?) and there is always discussion about dredging the channel to make Astoria available to the big ships. Sometimes there are up to 10 or so waiting on the river. I would say that typically you can see five or six ships at anchor and waiting to move. There are five in this photo, and I remember that there were at least one or two farther west. This photo was taken from the 12th Street dock looking upriver. You can see Tongue Point on the right on the Oregon side of the river, and the hills in the distance are in Washington, on the other side.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

CG 630 Comes Home

December 6, 2010

I happened to be on the 12th Street Pier yesterday when I saw Coast Guard ship 630 (Alert) coming in to dock at the Maritime Museum at the 19th Street Pier. Later I overheard someone in a store talking about the ship's homecoming, and it sounded like she'd been out for awhile. I don't know the story - maybe one of our readers will comment.

In this picture you can see all hands on deck, only a few short fathoms from home. You can read more about the Alert here and here.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Glowing Ships on the Water

Yesterday afternoon Laurel called to tell me to get out and see the rainbow that was standing on end across the river. I saw it, but couldn't get it to come out with any color in my photo. The next instant I noticed what a change of lighting had done to the ships at anchor just up the river. 

The lighting was just amazing. The ships were glowing, throwing golden fire on the water.

Visit James to see more Weekend Reflections.

I would also like to introduce those on Facebook to a beautiful collection of photos by Kim Taylor called "Visually Hugging Astoria." She was our October contest winner, and she makes magic with her camera! Check it out.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.