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.

Astoria Fire: A Sad Day

Astoria, Oregon ~ December 17, 2010

It all looks fairly placid, but last night and into the morning, two much-frequented and well-loved iconic Astoria buildings were completely gutted by fire. (I've also shared a very clear and telling video by Chris Patenaude on this blog's Facebook Page.) No one "on the ground" was injured; one of the approximately 80 firefighters on the scene had some damage to one shoulder, according to accounts I've read this morning. Several people took videos of the conflagration in the night. Not only are as many as 10 businesses homeless this morning, but this location was a favorite of locals and tourists alike.

Gunderson's Cannery Cafe (a favorite of mine since I arrived in Astoria and a place I've especially enjoyed lately), on the left, is the most talked-about casualty, but there was also a restaurant inside of Number 10 Sixth Street (on the right) that many of us enjoyed at lunch time. The prominent red roof in the middle of the picture is the 6th Street Viewing Platform, another place I cherished. I couldn't tell if it had sustained any damage.

You can look on Google for Astoria fire and see what comes up. At the moment, I'm sad, tired for other reasons, and need to get to work.

Number 10 Sixth Street this morning. At the moment, I don't have time to go into my thoughts or list the businesses that were inside. Suffice it to say, it's a sad day for a lot of people, and not only the owners of the property and businesses.

How many times have I gone in the door on the far right? I used to walk though the building as I was strolling the River Walk in order to look at the paintings by local artists, and I've enjoyed lunch at the Lazy Spoon Cafe just to the right of that doorway. Clatsop Behavioral Center helped many, many people with their counseling and groups, and upstairs was a remarkable refurbished Victorian suite (quite big, maybe 4 bedrooms and an incredible view) where I attended two events, and it could be rented for weekend getaways. I have a number of photos of these two buildings "in life," but they're filed by date, so I'll post them as I find them. Two of my all-time favorite pictures on this blog are of the 6th Street Pier and its buildings:

. Festive banners on the 6th Steet Pier with the now-burned buildings on either side of the walk

. The lighter colored building on the right is Number 10 6th Street

I got a comment and an e-mail about Number 10 having been the Bumblebee Cannery. I should have mentioned it before, but it was before my time here. Check out the comments linked below, and also the following e-mail:

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I didn't see any mention that 10 6th st. used to be Bumblebee Tuna's main offices. And it set vacant till Chester Trubuco took it over and made something of it. The fire is just many that dotted the waterfront of Astoria. I've watched many buildings burn down on the waterfront over the years. It is sad to see Chester's Dream go up in smoke. But the old facility had seen its better days and it was sad to see it go. One of the landmark was the big radio tower and antenna which used to be on the top of the building for many years. It was given to Sunset Empire Amateur Radio Club many years ago and was taken down piece by piece.

The city looses another major landmark.

When people visit the East Basin they forget or don't know about the building of George and Barker that was turned into a fish buying station and burned down in the 80's. It had a long pier and a building at the end which they stored some personal belongings. And it burned down this community has seen its share of spectacular fires over the years since the big fire since Dec. 8th 1922 every few years we have had a big fire. Which one is going to be next?

The way this city is constructed a fire in a basement could cause a good part of the city to go again!

What happened to our fire boat? Did they think we would have no more fires next to the water so they had to get rid of it?

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Good question. I was also wondering about the fireboat. Don't we have them at some of the demos during Regatta?

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Because Things Change

June 2002

One reason for snapping photos everywhere you go is to save images for the "memory book." We do this with photos of ourselves, our friends, our pets, and events. When I look back through my photos of Astoria, I often see things that have changed over the short nine years I've been here. This dumpster on the 6th Street Pier - whimsically painted by Diane Beeston - disappeared a number of years ago. This dumpster actually had a sentimental meaning for me, because when I planned to move to Astoria in 2001, it was one of my first glimpses of the town. When I decided to move here I had never been to Astoria. I did what research I could using travel books and the Internet, but there were many fewer photos online at that time, and one rare web site (gone now, I think) showed this dumpster (from the other side) and a seal poking its head out of the water. These were some of the strange pieces that helped determine my direction. A town with painted dumpsters and seals at the edge of town seemed welcoming.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Any day in Astoria

This is one reason why some people love Astoria and others don't. This photo could have been taken any day of the year. As it happens, it was taken on July 13, 2009. Yesterday the sun came out, and today is starting off as in the photo, although the weather report says the sun should peek through later. Yesterday afternoon was gorgeous. You never know. I love the misty, drizzly days, too, but when the sun comes out, it brings smiles.

I took this photo from the top of the 6th Street Viewing Platform. The tiered decking is for public access to the river front. I've seen people catch sturgeon from this deck, or you can simply enjoy a fantastic view of the river and the ships, and sometimes seals and sea lions. Anything made of wood here is clearly at the mercy of the elements, and I've watched the effect that water has on this platform over the past few years. It's not unusual to walk along the waterfront and see the occasional replacement board or number of boards in their bright new-wood colors nailed right up against the fading gray. The upstairs of the first building is called "The Penthouse," a several-bedroom, beautifully decorated place that can be rented for groups or parties. Everything else here is business, whether office space or, like the yellow building, part of the fishing and packing industry. The photo is taken looking east, and most of the town is nestled behind the buildings or on the foggy shoreline. "Misty" or "drizzly" may be better words, as we don't get much dense fog here on the shore.

There's a coin-operated telescope on the platform that I've never used, and a plaque describing vanished lifeways of the local Indians. I like it that some of the history of the river can be found in pictures and words along the waterfront.

I've used this photo as my contribution to Watery Wednesday. Follow the link to see more pix featuring water.

The 6th Street Viewing Platform and thoughts on what it all means

This platform always looks tropical to me, although Astoria is anything but tropical, and this year we haven't even had that many t-shirt days so far. Maybe it's the shape of the roof, and maybe it's the colors and the poles it stands on that make it appear to be an interloper from warmer latitudes. In any event, we love it, and we usually take or direct visitors here. It's built next to the Cannery Cafe at the end of the pier on 6th Street, and it's fun to hang around and watch the ships; seals; sea lions; birds; the great, wide expanse of sky; sturgeon fishing in season; or just watch the Columbia roll on. From here, you can observe the huge ships travelling the whole length of town and farther. There's a two-level deck at the end of the pier with a pay-per-view telescope that I've never used, and an interpretive plaque about the original people of the area. The pier is only a few yards long, and is essentially part of the River Walk.

The only uncool thing in the photo, as far as I'm concerned, is the pole on the left. It's an initial part of the planned condo that was to have been completed this Spring. When the economy tanked, or maybe for other reasons I don't know, it never got started except for a number of tall poles planted in the water. They already mar photos of the river, bridge, and people's sunset photos from here, and if the building is ever completed, it will block, from the platform, one of the views everyone comes here to see - for tourists and locals alike. (In the linked photo, you can see the legs of the viewing platform at the left of the picture.) We will still be able to see a large part of the river and the flat part of the bridge, but not the tall towers that give it most of its character. Once blocked, the view will belong to only those few who buy a condo here. It's sad and stupid. I don't usually get on soapboxes in my City Daily Photo posts, but this is a pet peeve. Only eight years ago when I drove into town for the first time, you could see more of the river from the highway than you can today. Over the next few years, views may be blocked that will never again be accessible to the public. One thing I'm doing as I wander around town with my camera is to document and blog those vistas and old buildings that will someday be gone. It's happened already, and apparently we don't care enough to stop those who can afford to do it.

NOTE: I have since learned that if this condo is built, there will be a viewing deck open to the public all the way around the building. It will actually afford a beautiful view of the bridge. I still have feelings about the view being blocked from the actual river walk (bike traffic, for instance), and the height of the building. However, I've learned a lot more about the topic of waterfront views and access, how they have actually improved since earlier years, and what the ongoing issues are. As more comes up via photos, I will both learn and talk more about it. Apparently there is a lot to be said. Basically, in the 1800s, it was all about industry, which left statutes in place that we all deal with one way or another. (To be continued.)

The pier on Sixth Street

I always enjoy stopping by the viewing platform at the end of Sixth Street. It was especially festive today with flags and banners whipping in the wind (notice they're not all going the same direction). The flag of Finland (blue and white) is on the right, and of Norway (red, blue, and white, not clearly visible) on the left. Parts of Astoria were settled by Finns, Norwegians, and Swedes. I'll have more of the Scandinavian heritage to show later; Astoria's annual Scandinavian Festival is coming up in mid-June. I believe I saw a Swedish flag, too, but it didn't come out in my photo. I'll have to go back and investigate. Of course, that's the US flag further down the pier, and various banners add to the playful atmosphere. I love the colors and I love the fish banner.

On the left is the Cannery Cafe. The square platform with the red roof is is the Sixth Street Viewing Platform. There is a viewing deck below the level of this boardwalk at the end of the pier, and on the right is an office building with many suites (downstairs) and an upstairs penthouse that can be rented for parties and events or used as a getaway rental. It has at least four or five beautifully-appointed bedrooms, hardwood floors, and a huge kitchen. The living room faces the water and is gorgeous. I've been to a couple of events there, alas, without my camera. I'll try to get pix sometime.

This wispy sheet of cloud is typical of the past few days. The sky has been relatively clear, with thin clouds, haze at times, or cumulus clouds low on the horizon. But I'm not leaving my jacket at home yet when I go for a walk! It was actually chilly when I took this picture at 6:02 pm on Thursday! I thought this would be a fun picture for Skywatch Friday.