Glorious sunset on Astoria's waterfront

If this isn't a bald-faced advertisement for Astoria, I don't know what is. I love the rain, the low clouds and mist over the river, the sun breaks, all of it. But a glorious sunset like this is one of the prize moments. I was particularly taken by the way the sun lights up the one building between the two masses of silhouetted waterfront ambience. The building on the left is where the river pilots get a bit of sleep before the eight- to twelve-hour trip back upriver to Portland. The buildings on the right also belong to the pilots, and the small roof on stilts at the far right of the dark buildings is the covered end of a public pier known as the Waterfront Park, where you can watch the river traffic, the clouds, the gulls, and whatever else is going on out there. you can just see one of the towers of the Astoria-Megler Bridge in the background. More on all of that later. What a peaceful way to end a day filled with technical "challenges"!

Sometimes it takes dark to accentuate the light, and they're both beautiful here. (Today's ShutterDay Challenge = Dark.) Where is your favorite place to watch the sun set?

Aerial symphony over Warrenton

The weather has been doing a bit of everything. I took this photo just across the Youngs Bay Bridge from Astoria as you enter Warrenton. This, for sure, was the photo for Skywatch Friday. The clouds seem to swell and pitch, boil up, tear apart and then drift away peacefully like shredded fleece. We often see clouds dark and low in the marine layer coming off the ocean, but today's spectacle contained everything at once. Just in time. Today's aerial symphony coincides with the start of Astoria's 10-day music festival. It will be an energetic week, with the midsummer Scandinavian Festival going on as well, and today the passengers from a huge cruise ship overflowing the sidewalks. The only thing I don't enjoy is the traffic! In case you wondered, the sign says, "Astoria/Warrenton Airport left 3/4 mile."

If you like photomemes, come check out "Reflections on Saturday." I'd love it if you'd help get it started!

And be sure to see Lee's Bend, Oregon, photo today . . . it's amazing!

Who says a retaining wall has to be boring?

The cement retaining wall on 16th Street between Duane and Exchange had interesting pattern details stamped into it when the concrete was wet. Maybe I'll go back and correct the numbers, but my guess is they are about 16 to 18 inches across and spaced several yards apart. They're all at about eye level on the wall. So far, nobody seems to know why someone imprinted these beautiful designs in the concrete. The concrete is "fairly new" in historic terms. Someone estimated it was put here in about the 1970s, although these patterns look earlier and more deco to me (if they're in period). The wall keeps a parking lot from slipping down onto a vacant lot in the block above the Shallon Winery. Most of the marks appear in plain concrete. I liked this one with the clinging vine in front.

The spot is historic, having been at one time the Arrigoni Hotel and later (1880) St. Mary's Hospital, owned by the Sisters of Charity, and the oldest hospital in Astoria. During renovation, it was found that the old Fort Astoria stockade had been on this site. Appreciation to Karen L. Leedom for information published in her book, Astoria: An Oregon History.

This is my entry for Think Green Thursday. For additional interesting current pix, please follow that link as well as this link to more City Daily Photo blogs and travel the world.

Downtown Astoria with passing ship

On this Watery Wednesday, I'm posting yet another view of the Columbia River. I've been wanting to show an overview of the town of Astoria from lower down on the hill than I showed the first time and the second time. Both of those were taken from the top of the hill. I took this photo last Saturday from a friend's back deck. They have an exceptional view not blocked by any power lines! This shows the major part of the downtown area. You can see how close the shipping channel is to the town. The moving ships have a specific lane, and then if they're dropping anchor, they'll go farther out into the river. The line in the water at the left is the flat part of the bridge to Washington. The ships pass under that bridge very close to land, then they skirt the land for a few blocks and turn toward the center of the river as you can see this one is starting to do. If you click on the image, you can see the small green and white pilot boat racing out to swap pilots for the trip upriver. I explained a lot about that in this post. One of the fun things to see in Astoria is the exchange of pilots when the boats dash out to the big ships. It usually takes place right in front of the town. I'll have some close-ups of the green pilot boats later on in the blog. We had perfectly beautiful days on Saturday and Sunday. It's been more overcast since then, but it's been burning off somewhat during most afternoons.

A festive sight on any day

The Riverfront Trolley runs along the River Walk almost from one end of town to the other all summer long and on nice days during spring and fall. The conductors are all volunteers who point out sights and describe Astoria's rather amazing history. You can ride as long as you want. The tickets are $1.00 for a single ride of any length, or pay $2.00 and get on and off all day long. Trolley Car 300 has quite a history, which you can read about on this site. My friend "Dangerous Dave" is one of the conductors. He points out our store as he rides the rails with his passengers, and tells them they *HAVE TO* come check out our unique collection of realistic stuffed and plastic animals. Many of them do, too! They're usually surprised to find such a place in this small town, and especially surprised to find out that we're actually a nonprofit for the conservation of tapirs! (Thanks, Dave!) Well, Astoria, Oregon, can be a surprising place. We'll just keep on bloggin' and keep on having fun :)

. Happy Ruby Tuesday!

A shimmering moment in time

I dug this one out of the archives from June 28, 2007. I took it from our back deck on one of those evenings when the light was so perfect that nothing could go wrong. The building in the sun's glow was a marine supply company, since moved, leaving this place temporarily empty. The lousy economy may have saved this romantic old building that seems so much a part of the river for at least another year. There is a condo in the works, of course to be much taller and wider and view-blocking than the current building, and I wish the reprieve could last forever. The structure on the left is the base of a still-active radio tower, a landmark that can be seen from almost any part the north side of Astoria.

This is my contribution for Mellow Yellow Monday.

A ship's "bones" on the beach

I took this photo of the wreck of the Peter Iredale in February 2008, and decided to use it today for Scenic Sunday. The Peter Iredale is a popular destination in any season. You can drive right up to the edge of the beach. There are always curious people, photographers, kids, locals and visitors exploring the ruins or waiting for that perfect photo. To me, this angle and amount of ship exposed makes it feel almost alive, or almost like it was alive at some point. I've already posted one photo from another angle with the sun turning the shore to gold. Depending on the tides, more or less of the ship's carcass is exposed, and this view is somewhat unusual. Although I've never seen it, I know people who have been lucky enough to walk on the teak deck of the ship when even more sand has washed away. It's preserved in almost perfect condition, but at the moment it's under sand again. It appears once every few years or so. Often all you will see is the prow of the ship and a few of the metal structures that held up the masts. Every visit is different because of the action of the waves over the days and weeks before your visit, the height of the tide when you're there, the time of day, the lighting, and the weather. The tides here will go all the way to the cliffs on a very high tide, and somewhat further out than you see here when the tide is low. There's always water in the small pools that form around the wrecked prow. Another of my sunset photos that you all liked was also taken here.

The ship came aground in a storm on October 25, 1906. The wreck is a few miles south of the entrance to the Columbia river. There are just under 2,000 known shipwrecks in and around this dangerous river bar, called "The Graveyard of the Pacific." Amazingly, in this ship disaster no one was hurt, and it was lucky for us that it occurred where we can enjoy the aesthetics and romance associated with old ships and the history of the days of sailing ships.

Lighting at the Liberty

Last night we attended Laurel's graduation from Clatsop Community College, which is at the top of the 16th Street hill. The commencement event was held downtown in the ornate 667-seat Liberty Theatre, built after the fire of 1922 and refurbished in 2002. It opened in 1925 and featured silent movies and vaudeville acts. It's said that the accoustics are some of the best in Oregon. My camera and I were not up to the task of showing the interior at its best, and I found myself focused on the arresting ceiling with it's gorgeous period lighting fixture and the round opening allowing entry into the obscured pipes and lighting equipment. It's interesting to click on the photo and peer into the dark.

The Liberty is an Astoria landmark. The sight-lines are all good, the seating is comfortable, and there's plenty of interesting decor. At least some of the paintings depict scenes of Venice. In all, as a theater should, it takes you away from the streets of Astoria and into another world. There was a full house for graduation, so I didn't walk around and take pix from other angles. I will simply have to go back again with my camera. I did get a few other shots that I'll use elsewhere, and of course one of these days I'll show the delightful facade of the building. The Liberty Theatre is considered one of the gems Astoria has to offer to residents and visitors. It's also a key downtown location, and passengers from the cruise ship are often brought to this corner by bus. They can then catch the return bus on the same corner at specified times during the day.

I'm taking part in the Shutter Day photomeme where the theme today is "Light."

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.)

Built over water and destroyed by flames

The pilings you see are made of cement, and although these days there is no water under Exchange Street, the whole of downtown Astoria was at one time built on wooden pilings over the Columbia River. You can still see the pilings in a few locations like this, where there is a parking lot rather than a foundation. I'm standing on Franklin Street to take this photo. The street in the foreground is Exchange. We're looking across the site of the old Safeway store to Duane Avenue, then the blue building beyond that is on Commercial Street, which is the main drag going east. The next block beyond that is Marine Drive, which carries all of the westbound traffic through town, and Marine essentially skirts the river. Since the downtown area is also approximately nine blocks long, that's a lot of area built up over water and mud. There are stories of people fishing from the windows of buildings and through holes in the streets in earlier days. Fires in 1883 and 1922 destroyed much of downtown Astoria, and eventually concrete pilings replaced the wood. Today I'm taking part in the Thursday Challenge, where the theme is "old" - as in, Old Astoria.

The red thing in the middle of the photo is the trailer that housed the Bank of America until a few weeks ago after a fire gutted the building on Thanksgiving night, 2008. Tragically, one man was killed, but as for Astoria's buildings, only the corner of one block was damaged.

This blog is a labor of love, but the time I spend on it is in part made possible by Tapir and Friends Wildlife World online gift shop. Thanks for visiting. I love your comments!