Along the River Walk

Astoria, Oregon ~ May 14, 2010

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Diamonds in the Evening

July 19, 2010

The sun made diamonds on the water between Pier 11's banquet room and waterfront fish packing equipment. The small shiny spots at the left-hand side of the photo midway up indicate the wood decking where the River Walk and Riverfront Trolley both make their way along the river. A fishing boat is docked on the right. I think the glass of the restaurant may be tinted but I did not desaturate.

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Trolley from the Top

July 5, 2010

For those who have wondered what the Astoria Riverfront Trolley looks like from the topside, I took this photo from the 4th floor of the Holiday Inn Express. The bay just to the left of the trolley is either the only beach or one of the very few beaches in Astoria where you can get into the river for a cold swim without climbing down the rocky bank. And it was very, very cold this July 5th.

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Ripples

Astoria, Oregon ~ May 14, 2010

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Astoria Welcomes You!

May 14, 2010

I love the look of this place - it's about as funky as it gets, but it won't last long without a lot of TLC. At first I thought this was the platform for the train station (the brown building on the right) - and maybe it was a very long time ago, but after that it was a feed and grain storage building. I thought it looked like a station platform, so my first version of this post was about trains. Here's what I wanted to say:
An excursion train ran again for a short while a few years ago, and then it stopped. But a several-year-long project will put an historic steam engine on the line in 2011 that will run along the river through Astoria and beyond to . . . I'm not sure if the end point has been determined yet. I heard about it on KMUN the other day, and when I get a chance I'm going to check out the quonset hut at the west end of town where the work is being done. The project welcomes the public's attention and donations. Here is their web site. Won't it be fun to see the old engine chugging down our rails? I'm up for a ride, are you? I took this photo from the River Walk.

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Gone

July 12, 2010
Along the River Walk

Remember the hollyhocks from July 12th's post? I didn't mention that they were right outside my window. I also captured them just in time. . . .

July 14, 2010
Same Location

To my surprise, when I looked outside today, huge metal jaws were devouring that very same bush. Soon it disappeared along with the tree, the mound of earth, the roses, and the other greenery. What's coming next? I'm not sure, but my guess is . . . a couple of parking spaces. [Later note: Thankfully, they will be making a new planter rather than parking spaces. For the moment, we're looking at level dirt.]

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Animated

July 7, 2002

Yes, I was glancing through my archives and found this pic from 2002 that I've always liked. It was taken on the beach near the Peter Iredale. We have plenty of driftwood along this part of the coast at any season, and much of it is not the teeny variety. I seem to remember reading that this grass that keeps the dunes from eroding was brought in and is not native. It looks pretty, though, and helps make the Oregon Coast what it is to us today. I wonder what was here before the grass? Did the forest come right down to the sand? Note the overcast day. We've been having similar weather this year, but it may be the coldest July I can remember. I'm not complaining, and we tend to get sun in the afternoon, but I hear some people grumbling about it.

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Glowing Like Heated Steel

July 5, 2010

One of my favorite sunset sights is the last red gleam off the steel of the Astoria-Megler Bridge. You have to get a closer look to really see it.

Here is the setting sun illuminating the upper structure of the bridge.

And here is the lower. Enlarge the photos for a better view.

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Branches and Wires: Hollyhocks In Situ

June 11, 2010

By the River Walk near 15th Street.

One plant, several angles. Believe it or not, the building you see across the River Walk is this one.

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Ocean Angel II

July 4, 2010

Although I took this photo just after noon on July 4th, we've been having a lot of days like this. Usually the sun comes out later in the day. One day the temperature reached over 90 degrees, which is an unusual day for Astoria. Yesterday a heavy fog bank rolled in around 5:00 pm. It's always interesting and usually changeable.

Fishing boats are busily going up and down the river these days to get to the ocean. The small boat is always attached on the back this way on this particular boat. I'm not sure how they use it while fishing on the ocean.

Please read the anonymous comments below for excellent info.

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