Carriage house at 17th and Jerome

Yesterday I showed another side of this house with a large corner cupola (to the left, outside the current photo), and Mom of Three made the comment: "About two years ago, I saw a really old man puttering around out there. What's also great about that house is the carriage house there. It's in better shape. That place has it all. An amazing grassy front yard, views for days, and the architecture." "Views for days," refers to the fact that this house is perched at the top of 17th Street with an incredible view over the Columbia River and the town.

These are not fall colors. I took this photo on the same day in May as I took the pictures for yesterday's post. The lighting makes all the difference. The potting shed or tool shed is also interesting in that it is not separate from the house at all, but (speaking of corner cupolas) wraps itself around the corner of the house, covering part of two walls. It's all so intriguing, and I love the colors.

Corner cupola on 17th and Jerome

It looks like I could do "Corner Cupola Week" without much effort. I've been wanting to post photos of this house since I took them last May, and after yesterday's cupola, it may be the right time. I actually don't know what you'd call this style, but it has wonderful details. Some seem quite unique; I don't think I've ever seen a diamond made of shingles like the one between the two windows.

Here's another view of the house on the hill. It's empty now. I expect it will be fixed up and sold. One thing's for sure. There are a lot of unique architectural details in this town, and it would be fun to take pictures of all of them.

Corner cupola . . . what's the story?

I love walking past the Grandview Bed and Breakfast at 16th Street and Grand. The thing on the corner of the building is called a "corner cupola." The history of this architectural form is a bit more elusive than the name - at least in a cursory online check. I'd like to research the style further and hopefully talk with the owners of the building. For today let me just say that I've seen pictures of corner cupolas on ornate Victorian buildings and on French Medieval fortresses. It does make one wonder what came in between. Please do follow the link to the web page of this charming place. The rooms have delightful names, the B & B looks more than inviting, and you'll see a photo of the view and a photo of the other side of the building, in which the style looks completely different. I'll have to post more of this very interesting building another time.

The steeple in the distance was featured in this earlier post. It's worth a look if you haven't seen it (or just want to see it again). It's lovely and intriguing.

Swooping like waves

The Columbia River Maritime Museum was built in an unusual shape custom-designed to fit its theme. You can't see it from here, but inside the blue glass is a Coast Guard boat perched on a fiberglas wave at a rakish angle you can hardly believe. A sound system blares the noise of the sea in storm, and the point seems to be to show that (unlike lubbers might imagine), the boat rocks not only in one direction, but torques in several at one time. If you thought a carnival ride was designed to play havoc with your senses and your last meal, give some credit to Mother Nature.

The museum contains world-class exhibits and a nice gift shop, and owns several real buoys and lightship, which you can tour. There is also a dock where real ships tie up. Here are some glimpses of the museum and grounds during the arrival of a cruise ship not long ago. I'm looking forward to going inside again, and I'll be sure to take you along.

The pavement on the right is actually part of Astoria's River Walk.

Shapes of steel and wood

Bridge. Orange sky. Glowing lamp. Car windows. Inky black waterfront. What else is there to say?

The other side of the tracks

On the left (not seen here, of course) is the great expanse of the Columbia River. On the right are old tracks and a weathered building I particularly like. Between them is the River Walk, surfaced in blacktop and much-used on a nice day like this.

Outside in

Ships on the Columbia reflected in the windows of Baked Alaska, Astoria, Oregon: September 20, 2009. For more details, a panoramic view, and a second reflection of the ships in another building, check out this post on my personal blog.

For more photos featuring reflections, take a look at Weekend Reflections.

End of summer

I took this somewhat dreary end-of-summer photo on September 22. Compare it to this one taken on June 16th. The green stuff (moss, algae?) has almost burned away in the last two months of comparatively dry and occasionally hot weather. The gray building is the Columbia River Bar Pilots' dispatch office (and what a location for an office, eh?); you see it from the other side in the June 16 photo. The pilings are what's left of city structures and (perhaps) sheds to dry and mend nets. I haven't checked the exact history of this block, but an interpretive plaque nearby says, "Before the fire of 1922, much of downtown Astoria was built on pilings over the river. People built out from the original hilly shoreline, creating a level commercial district with access to the water. Every type of business might be located over the water: hotels and taverns, churches and fish canneries, lumberyards and a railroad depot."

Some people complain that winter brings rain, and that we have all too much of it, but I look forward to winter, too. The visiting crowds thin out, the pilings turn green again, and the skies are brightened with the most amazing sunsets. We even have a number of bright t-shirt days. At the moment, however, toes and noses are pretty cold.

Clouds over the Columbia

I've shown this view a few times, and it changes with every nuance of lighting. A moment before I took this picture, there was light reflected off of the sides of some of the buildings. I liked those shots, but the clouds over the Columbia River became more dramatic after they hid the sun. The clouds have been very active lately, including dropping a lot of rain. Happy Skywatch Friday from Astoria, Oregon, everyone.

Oops

We've had some very heavy rains the past few days, and on one of my walks after the sky cleared up, I found this unusual sight. Although I've never seen the like of it before (certainly not on this scale), it illustrates one of the hazards of painting in a rainy climate. It looks like the new coat of paint dried just enough to hold water. I didn't measure, but I'd estimate that sac is just about 5 inches across.