I took this photo in front of the Bank of Astoria on April 10, 2009. The bank (at 11th and Duane) was recently bought by Columbia National Bank and changed its name (the statements still say B of A and so does the building), and it will take most of us years to think of it as anything other than the Bank of Astoria. The old names and features become so ingrained that when I first moved here in 2001, people were constantly giving me directions based on things that were no longer around, and may have been gone for 20 years! I had no idea what they were talking about. The right side of the photo is now a parking lot, but anyone who has been here for a few years (including me) will tell you. "It's by the old Safeway." The white building in the middle of the photo is a charming building that has been the Columbia River Day Spa for maybe six or seven years, but it, too, is a former bank. A lot of the old buildings keep the signage for historical or aesthetic reasons, and that would be a fun topic to explore sometime. Anyway, as Spring comes to Astoria with its rejuvenating ways, we give more than a slight nod to the old and comfortable, too. We love Spring here - it brings a few patches of blue in the sky and some rays of much-wanted sun.
Today is
Ruby Tuesday. Click on the link to enjoy other photos featuring red!
If you're interested, you can see
more pix of Astoria today on my other blog.
On Sunday I walked up the Astoria hill and around one of the residential areas. I love this transitional shot, showing the moss from the torrents of winter rain and also a bush filled with spring flowers. In fact, I was surprised at how many green shoots and new flowers I saw out today. It seems that only yesterday it was winter. I'm sure the seasons will jockey for awhile before it feels like spring has sprung.
This is the back of the Finnish Brotherhood's Suomi Hall, showing both the Finnish flag and the U.S. flag in paint. The brotherhood and/or building were established in 1886. That's an important date for me, as well, since it's the date my ancestors helped found the town where I grew up. I took this photo last April 5, but the trees look similar at this time of year, too. The back of the hall faces the Maritime Memorial seen in this post just across the grass. The curve of the Astoria-Megler bridge can be seen in the background of the Suomi Hall on the other side of Marine Drive. Also across Marine Drive is the Finnish Sauna, which has appeared in two posts and the Old Finnish Meat Market, which I haven't shown yet. This small part of Astoria is known as Uniontown.
I took this photo in front of the Bank of Astoria on April 10, 2009. The bank (at 11th and Duane) was recently bought by Columbia National Bank and changed its name (the statements still say B of A and so does the building), and it will take most of us years to think of it as anything other than the Bank of Astoria. The old names and features become so ingrained that when I first moved here in 2001, people were constantly giving me directions based on things that were no longer around, and may have been gone for 20 years! I had no idea what they were talking about. The right side of the photo is now a parking lot, but anyone who has been here for a few years (including me) will tell you. "It's by the old Safeway." The white building in the middle of the photo is a charming building that has been the Columbia River Day Spa for maybe six or seven years, but it, too, is a former bank. A lot of the old buildings keep the signage for historical or aesthetic reasons, and that would be a fun topic to explore sometime. Anyway, as Spring comes to Astoria with its rejuvenating ways, we give more than a slight nod to the old and comfortable, too. We love Spring here - it brings a few patches of blue in the sky and some rays of much-wanted sun.
