Misty Morning Sunrise

Astoria, Oregon ~ January 19, 2014
On the Riverwalk at 15th Street.
Astoria, Oregon, Daily Photo is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Coolest Sign Award

Astoria, Oregon ~ November 20, 2012

I could fall in love with almost any Victorian house, but I have a special place in my heart for Italianate Victorians. I can't tell you why. They're not as interesting-looking as the more ornate Victorians, so maybe it's their unexpectedness or their stately effect. Or maybe it's the name. This house across from the rectory (or whatever denomination it is) in my last post gets my personal "Coolest Sign of the Day" award.

Circa

1870

This Italianate was built to be the

home for the Charles Heilborn

 Family. In 1904 it became the 

home of Geo. Nelson, a ship's

Chandler. Eleanor – his

 wife – was the daughter of 

Capt. Gustov Holmes.

1929

Mildred Stacey arrived in

Astoria the night of the 

1922 fire. She moved into 

this house in 1929 and ran 

an upscale boarding house 

from 1930-1960's. She lived 

here until her passing at 

the age of 104 ~

 private     residence

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Rectory in the Rain

Astoria, Oregon ~ November 20, 2012

I always love the variety of design and detail found in Astoria's older buildings. This one bears a plaque from the historical society. I believe this is on Franklin Street. I know it's near 15th. I did not take note of the denomination of the church next door, so maybe someone will tell me.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Almost Everyone's Dream "Fixer Home"

Astoria, Oregon ~ March 12, 2011

Anyone who loves fixer-upper houses has probably been drooling over this one for years. It's hard not to want to give it some TLC and make it nice again, but for that to happen, you have to have an owner who either cares about fixing it up or wants to sell it to someone who will. On the other hand, it's been around in its dilapidated condition for so long that it's become firmly entrenched in the lore of Astoria. Some people call it "The Halloween House." By the way, this is the yard where the deer from yesterday were feeding, and there's an interesting window photo (2nd picture) here.

This house also appeared in our photo contest last October. This photo shows the corner where the deer were feeding.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

A Cafe for Deer

Astoria, Oregon ~ March 12, 2011

Columbian black-tailed deer can often be seen trotting up and down Astoria's streets. These two stopped off for a snack at the old Flavel House on 15th Street, sometimes known as the Halloween House (is that right?). I'll show the house tomorrow.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Shining Silver

Astoria, Oregon ~ February 7, 2010

I've had this one in my "to post" file for awhile. I like it because it shows something I mentioned in my "Downtown Astoria" post the other day. I've never seen anyplace that is as shimmery and shiny as Astoria is when the rain stops for awhile and the sun comes out.

I took this photo from the River Walk looking up 15th Street. The street in the immediate foreground is Marine Drive. On the other side of the big intersection Commercial Avenue is about ready to merge with Marine on the left. Area Properties is in the downstairs portion of the building on the right. Beyond the empty space on the right is The Blue Scorcher along with Fort George, a very popular and growing brewpub.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Mystery Solved: Chinese Stones in Astoria

Astoria, Oregon ~ December 8, 2010

Yesterday's mystery photo was a gray, lumpy stone, looking for all the world like an ancient tree trunk, so imagine my surprise when the first guesser, cieldequimper, commented, "That has got to be a sleeping dragon, all curled up." Well, it wasn't, exactly, but it was part of a Chinese stone installation prominently featuring dragons. Lying within two or three feet of the mystery stone was the carved marble dragon shown above. Clytie and Jean B were both close with "some part of a statue." How did you guys do that? Both the natural stone and the dragon column can be seen outside of the old Englund Marine store at 15th Street on the River Walk as part of the Astoria Chinese Heritage Park project still in progress. The park is on the other side of town; I'll have to get over there and see if anything new has been done. Meanwhile, the rock art has been lying next door to my place since October.

Here is a more complete view of the column. I'm not sure how many columns were imported to Astoria, but it seemed like there may have been a dozen. I have photos of the day the crates were brought in and opened, but I'll have to find the right folder. I know I have them, but I can't locate them quickly.

This is the mystery rock from my photo. I took the picture standing on the other side looking over the ridges. The details in the rock are quite unusual.

Above is another of the stones.

And this description tells what they are and where they came from. I'm sorry, I don't know any more about the carved dragon columns at this time. I was out of town when the opening exhibition was held on October 16th.

The exhibition was held here in the old Englund Marine building, which also served as Goonies' Headquarters during Goonies Week last June. The banner says:

Astoria's Bicentennial LEGACY GIFT

The Garden of Surging Waves

Bronze & Stone Artwork from Xi'an

http://www.astoriachineseheritage.org/

Exhibit Opening October 16, 2010 

Mayor Willis Van Dusen can be seen talking about Astoria's Chinese heritage and the meaning of the park in this video by Ron Law. The Chinese Heritage Park also has a page on Facebook.

Here's what's left inside the building.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Trouble on the Tracks

September 23, 2010

In spite of, or between heavy rain showers, these guys are working to fix something on the Riverfront Trolley track at 15th Street and the River Walk. I'm not sure what the problem was, as the cones remained in place when they left and the trolley kept running.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

There Goes the Couch

After shouting about this dumped couch on the blog and on Facebook, making phone calls, and finally putting it on craigslist (with no calls and no takers, but then it had a broken leg and didn't smell that good), Lee finally paid Don Sparks to come and haul it away. It was cheaper than paying the waste management company, but it also should not have been our problem. Francisca was right in her comment. Someone needs to re-think the incentives (or lack of) and the process of disposing of these cast-offs. (Maybe someday they will all be made of recyclable modules, but that's another story.) There was another interesting comment about thrift stores going out of business because they also have to find a way to dispose of the junk that is pawned off on them rather than only the things someone would want to buy. I've noticed that it's very hard to get thrift stores around here to take anything, because they are overloaded anyway.

By the way, this intersection is 15th Street and Marine Drive. The lower part of the building on the right is Area Properties. Lee owned the business before he retired, and it's now owned by mother-daughter team Barb and Meagan.

Don's truck is not going the wrong way (see the sign), but the block is only a few yards long here, as Commercial and Marine Drive converge going opposite directions. The "One Way sign is for Commercial Street. Here's a view of that short block from the east with Marine Drive on the right and Commercial on the left. The building in the middle is Area Properties.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

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.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

The Giraffe on Duane Street

May 27, 2010

Back in May I was walking up 15th Street nearing Duane, when I noticed two things I'd never seen before, and I cut over to get a better look. For one thing, I don't remember the sign commemorating the Lovell Auto Co. The date on the sign says 1910, but the paint looks new. For another thing, I thought someone had put a giraffe high on the side of the building. When I got closer, I could see it wasn't intended to be a giraffe - I had just found the bundled-up wiring on a lucky day. Here's the same building in another post seen from the corner of 14th and Duane.

Around the other side of the building on 15th Street was a similar arrangement, but this time it was clearly not a giraffe. The Blue Scorcer Cafe is located inside the glass windows.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

The Goonies' 25th Anniversary Celebration: June 3-7, Astoria, Oregon

May 26, 2010

This is the place. I found out the other day that headquarters - or The Goondocks, as they're calling it - will be in the old Englund Marine building right next door to my shop at 15th Street and the River Walk. Does that mean there will be 30 people converging on the nextdoor parking lot? 300? 3,000? I have no idea, but I'll definitely keep you posted. Today's photo is the window of Englund Marine. (I've left the image large so you can read the poster if you click on the image.) With the "We've Moved" sign removed from the glass, the empty store will come alive for the long weekend, and will be the location for ticket sales, souvenirs, and treasure maps. June 3 to 7 will will be festive and interesting around here, I'm sure. I'll keep my camera at the ready. You can read more about events and plans on this web site.

By the way, the reflections in the window are Hunt's Furniture Store (in front; now under new ownership and renamed Roby's Furniture and Appliance), and Owens-Adair Apartments (the taller building in the back with a pointed roof), a care and housing facility for seniors. It was at one time St. Mary's Hospital, now in a much bigger building a few blocks away. If you look again, you might see the looming shape of the photographer.

See more Weekend Reflections.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

The Biggest Rhododendron Bush in Astoria

May 14, 2010

Lee pointed out this rhododendron bush at 15th Street and Exchange as being the biggest rhodie in town. I don't think I'd disagree. It seems the colors tend to bloom at different times. The reds and salmon came out first, then the various pinks and whites. There are some purple rhodies I'm keeping my eye on for future blog posts. They are almost ready. On a rainy day like today with gray skies the past two days, it's good to remember that we sometimes see such a stunningly beautiful, unpolluted blue up above.

The building behind the rhododendron is Angel Medical.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Warm and Pleasant Funk

October 26, 2009

Blue Scorcher Bakery Café

1493 Duane Street, Astoria, OR 97103

The Weather Underground site shows light rain and mist, so it must be the wind-driven waves slapping at the pilings of the building that contrive to sound like a torrent out there tonight. I know for sure that it's wet, and it feels cold. The pleasant warm-looking funky interior of the Blue Scorcher appears inviting as I write this post late Thursday night preparing for autopost on Friday morning. That's why I took it out of the archives for you.

The lettering on the side of the glass where they do their baking says, "Free Estimate." Since the window, now used as a room divider, was recycled, I wonder where it came from.

. Earlier posts on the Blue Scorcher

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Dark and Light

November 10, 2009

The light on the river makes all the difference. Compare these shots with the one from yesterday's post. I love both the subtle and the dramatic. Some days you get the nice shots and some days you don't, no matter what the weather is doing. I really like these pix from November 10th, taken just off of 15th Street. It doesn't hurt that the shipping line has provided us with gorgeous colors and the pilot boat is positioned for a photo op.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

More snow, December 18, 2008

December 18, 2008

Don't you love the day-glo green? I do. Especially in near white-out conditions. Two river pilots are either going to or coming from work. It's a nice day to go out on the water in a small boat and climb a ladder onto a ship, yes? They laughed a friendly greeting when they saw me taking their picture. The location is the River Walk at 15th Street, just outside my store. That's Marine Drive where you can see headlights and cars.
The weather on December 18th was truly chaotic, with snow one minute, hail the next, then sun and blue skies, then snow, then hail again. I couldn't help running outside with my camera every few minutes, and if you'd like to see the results, I posted about it that day on my personal blog.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What can they be thinking? It wasn't even Thanksgiving yet when this reindeer scene was installed (don't get me wrong, I like reindeer). Maybe next year, they'll get the decorations up on the 4th of July - or just leave them up all year.

This traffic island at 15th Street welcomes people coming into town from the east (coming towards us) on Highway 30 and lets them know they're entering a National Register Historic District. There's an artistic welcome sign behind the reindeer and facing the other direction, which I'll save for another post. We're seeing it now from the downtown side. The island is the dividing point for Commercial Street (going our direction on the right) and Marine Drive (coming towards us from Portland and pionts east) on the left.

Whatever you're doing, whether celebrating Thanksgiving or not, celebrating some other holiday, or having a normal Thursday around the world, I hope your day is happy. Don't mind my snippy comment too much, OK? I just wish they'd wait till after Thanksgiving to start in with the Christmas mood. Isn't timeliness kind of special? I remember I anticipated my mom beginning to take the Christmas decorations down from the high shelf in the bedroom and transform the house into a magical wonderland. It was a special time, and maybe more-so because it was of short duration. Here in Astoria, there is a manger scene at the other end of town already and rainproof candy canes along Commercial Street. Call me Scrooge. I like turkeys in their season, and I like the winter holidays in their own time.

Pointed hats in the rain

I parked at the corner of 15th Street and Exchange Avenue, headed for a warm cafe, a cup of coffee and a pastry. It was cold and drizzling, and as I was right next to the small park which is the site of Fort Astoria, I sauntered over for a look and a photo. This is always a pleasing place to visit. There's no fence, no ticket taker, no concession stand, just this lovely mural by local artists Roger McKay and Sally Lackaff, and a cleverly-integrated model of one of the old blockhouses. There are also a couple of very interesting plaques, which I'll get to another time. It's a small corner park, and it's peaceful.

As I enjoyed the mural in the rain, I felt somehow close to the Indians on the beach with their water-shedding pointed headgear. It was the first time I'd understood viscerally the utilitarian advantages of this tribe's uniquely-designed hats. I think the mural is just lovely, not only showing us how a scene on the Columbia's banks may have looked, and how the locals dressed, but I also love the added details of the crow, the dog, the ship and the small canoe. The tree is real, and so is the green grass in the foreground. So also is the green dripping color in the painted sky that speaks of our climate.

The mural is painted on the back of the Fort George Building, which I haven't discussed yet, but will sometime. The Blue Scorcher is one of the businesses inside the building. I've shown Fort Astoria in one other post.

The Blue Scorcher: A bakery/cafe with a big difference

One of the pleasantest places to eat in Astoria is the Blue Scorcher Bakery Cafe at the corner of 15th Street and Duane Avenue. Occupying half of an older Astoria concrete building, this place has an atmosphere like no other. It's built into the side of a hill, which is not so unusual for this town, but it does lend charm. The walls are . . . well, you can see for yourself. The decor is funky. The space is spacious. The views are riverine. The smells are delicious, and the tastes are even more so. It's run as a workers' collective. You can borrow and read the New York Times or any number of other papers and magazines you don't see on every street corner in Astoria. The owner/workers are friendly, and they think "Community" with a capital "C." They have a program called Bread Equity, which you can read about on their fascinating web site, linked above. (Check out their gallery; 40 types of bread? And those are only the ones they have photos of!) One thing I'm not sure about is how they got their name. Do they have a temperamental indigo oven that runs a little hot? (Ah, mystery solved.) One warning: Don't go in unless you intend to get hooked.

Here's a review and some photos by someone who loved it.

The big drip, part 2

Since I'm sure you were all wondering what happened to the 5-inch-wide water-filled drip on the wall at 15th Street and Duane Avenue (posted on October 1), I'm presenting a much-anticipated follow-up. No, I didn't poke a hole in it as several of you mentioned you would want to do, and I don't know if anyone else did, either. I didn't see an obvious hole. For several days, it remained about the same, and by October 13th, it had morphed into this. Your vigilant reporter will keep an eye on it, and let you know if anything newsworthy occurs.