What do you do with a runaway boathouse?

We had a glorious blue-sky day yesterday, and I met Laurel, James, and my grandtapir, Teagan, at Coffee Girl. I hadn't been out to Pier 39 since before the storm of November 22. At the time I'd heard that the Sheriff's floating boathouse had come unhitched from its tether on the other side of East Mooring Basin and crashed into Pier 39. But I'd forgotten about it in the intervening month and a half, figuring it had been taken back home - so I was surprised to see it this morning, still snuggling up to the dock at 39.

Here's the boathouse from a slightly different angle. Do you see the white dot on the horizon in front of the bridge? That's a fishing boat docked at the 36th Street Pier, right near where the boathouse drifted from. You can click on the photo to enlarge it.

And the crime scene tape? Well, when the tide was high, the ill-mannered boathouse had wedged up against Pier 39's railing (you can see where it's broken), and impaled itself. It seems that Floyd had to call in a crane to get it off. Pier 39 was left with a broken rail, hence the tape, and the boathouse was left limping.

Here's a larger view of the pier where the boathouse used to live just to the left of the white boat and the rust-colored ramp. It's worth clicking on this photo just to see the beautiful fishing boats. When I left Pier 39, I went over to the original location of the boathouse at the 36th Street Pier, and that's where I stood to take the photo below.

The bright tan rectangle at the waterline in the distance to the right of the old cannery and the jetty is . . . the errant boathouse.

The place where it used to live is now quite empty except for a couple of poles and swimming sea lions (not visible under the water in this photo). The City felt it was too expensive to transport the boathouse back to its dock and fix the damage, so, according to the tale I heard, Floyd is hoping it will be able to be refurbished and used as a shed by an organization that teaches kids about boating. I don't have all the facts, so maybe someone will fill me in and I can update the blog.

If nothing else, today's post was an excellent excuse to get out and walk around the docks - not that one really needs an excuse on a day like this.

A house for Karen

This large stucco house sits at the corner of 4th Street and Franklin Avenue. I took the photos on the same overcast and misty day as I took the picture of the "Ships on cotton" from a vantage point just down the street.

Here's the house from the side and back. About this house, Karen wrote: "Can't wait to see the picture of the old house. When we had it, it was covered with ivy, and I mean covered. Dad loved the ivy, so we could never paint the house. The people who bought it from mom took it all down. Last time I looked at the house, it seemed to me it had been turned into 2 apartments. Lord knows it was big enough. Dad built a deck out over the garage that could be accessed from the big bedroom upstairs that we used as a party room. We had a great view from it."

I see now that the deck must be on the other side. Karen also sent an interesting story about one of the other houses in the neighborhood, so when I go back to take its photo and post the story, I'll see if I can get a picture of the deck on this house. Each house in Astoria has its own style and history. One of the unusual things about the house in today's post is that it's made of stucco. In Astoria, that's the exception, as most houses are made of wood.

The design on the on the pillar looks somewhat Italianate to me, although I'm not an expert. I believe the Italian trend in the U.S. was prominent in the Victorian era, when many of our local houses were built. However, whether the trim on the column is new or old, I can't say.

Karen sent e-mail with more about this house:

January 9, 2010

It looks so much better than it used to. . . . I mentioned the house was a dirt-brown color when we lived there. The ivy on that side was so thick that Mom and I would have to get on Dad to trim it away from the windows every so often so we could get some light. My room was the one upstairs on the chimney side and the ivy went all the way up there. Every Christmas Dad would thread lights through the leafless ivy branches. It took him an entire weekend usually. It became tradition that when the lights started going up, Fritz would concoct the first of many of that year's batches of glogg and he and Art Sandstrom would come over and straw-boss the whole operation. It is amazing that between the usually stormy weather and the glogg, Dad never fell off the ladder.

A couple other interesting things is that the house has an 8-x-8-inch sold oak beam that runs in one piece the entire length of the house. It is there to stay. Another is that this year will my graduating class at Star of the Sea will be celebrating our 50th reunion. The class voted to have our all-night graduation party at my house because of the big bedroom upstairs that we used as a party room. The deck is over the garage on the other side of the house from your picture. Dad was something of a character too. I have some old news clippings and pictures that I will dig out and send you one of these days. I think you will get a kick out of them.

Ships on cotton

I took this photo on Tuesday, January 5, from the corner of 7th Street and Franklin Avenue. What sruck me, of course, is how the ships seemed to be floating in a mass of cotton. The clouds had separated just enough to give us a view, but had left one good layer on the water's surface to enshroud the point where the ships connected with river.

What also strikes me when looking at the photo is that I don't know how to convey the breathtaking sensation we get when looking down from a height. I'll just have to tell you that this vista caught me off guard in a very pleasant way. I know that Karen will relate to this view, as it's just down the street from her old house. Karen, I really will post the house photo, but today I'm taking part in "Skywatch Friday." Everyone - for more images of the sky around the world, check out Skywatch Friday.

Orientation and links for those who love them: We're looking directly across downtown Astoria, facing up-river. The hilltop you see is in Washington. The gray spire on the waterline at the right is the radio tower. Pier 11 is just to the right of the evergreen tree on the left of the photo, and the Flavel House is behind the tree. The big red building in the center of the photo is this one, and just to the right with lots of windows is Baked Alaska, although the linked photo is taken from the other side of the building.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

7:45 a.m.

After days of rain and gray skies, Mother Nature treated us to this incredible sunrise. I took the photo from right outside my shop on the River Walk. The yellowish lights on the left (you may have to click to enlarge it) are the lights of the Maritime Museum. The white lights to the right are headlights on Marine Drive. The orange spot in front is reflected sky in a rain puddle. We usually get some stunning skies in January and February, and I was beginning to wonder if they'd happen at all this year.

I received e-mail about yesterday's post from Karen Schultz, who grew up in that neighborhood. I thought the amusing story and the history would be a wonderful addition to this blog so, with her permission, I've added it to the text. Go ahead and check it out! I'll have more stories from Karen in upcoming editions. I was going to post one today, but the sun rose and I coudn't resist today's colorful image.

That way, Santa

No, this is not a belated Christmas post. I came across Santa and some helpers yesterday when I was looking for a house that will appear in an upcoming edition of Astoria, Oregon, Daily Photo. It was misty out, though warmer than it's been the past couple of weeks. At about 11:30 a.m. on this dark morning, the cheery colors were welcoming, and I had to take these pictures.

Here you also get to see another of Astoria's many, many unusual houses. I never get tired of looking at the unique ways that pieces can be assembled to build the four walls and trimmings. And once again, is there a house in town that hasn't had to adapt to a hillside? It's definitely part of Astoria's charm.

Back to Santa. It seems he may have forgotten to head for home, or else he got lost, but . . .

. . . this sign should help!

Several of you have thought this was a 'gator coming out of the chimney, but do you remember "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas"? I'll bet this is Dr. Seuss's grinch.

If Astoria's houses could talk . . .

I've received several lively and informative letters from Karen Schultz, who graduated from Star of the Sea High School in Astoria in 1960. She's given me permission to use her memories on this blog, and I want to thank her very much for that! I hope you'll find them as much fun to read and as informative as I do. They will appear on several posts along with the right photos.

-----------------------------------------

January 6, 2009:

Ohmygawd, Sheryl. I know that house in today's picture so well. It has a history, like so many of them. It was the home of Captain Fritz Elfving, the man who started and owned the ferry system across the river until about 1945. He was one who had both the Tourist I and Tourist II built. The story is a bit sad in that he built up the business in order to turn it over to his only child, a son. But his son was killed in WWII so Fritz sold the whole thing to the State. I knew Fritz well. He and my dad were close friends. He was a real character, and even though he came over from Sweden when fairly young, he had an accent you could cut with a knife right up until he died. We always knew it was Fritz on the phone because when we picked it up, all he ever said, in a very loud voice, was, "Yonson?," asking for Dad [Harold Johnson], of course. After Mrs. Elfving died, he decided to go find some "vimmen." He was in his mid-to-late 70's by then. He started taking cruises. Every so often, one of the "vimmen" he met on a cruise would come and visit him. Just to keep things "proper," he would have me or Barbara Sandstrom, who lived in the house to the east of his, come and stay at night when the "vimmen" were there. We were both in high school. Everyone got a kick out of this, most of all me and Barb. When Fritz died, he left the house to his nephew, Dodi Larson. Dodi still lived there when Mom sold our house after Dad died in 1974. I wonder if it is still in the family.

Oh, I could go on and on. That is what is so wonderful about your pictures; they bring back so many memories. I hadn't thought of Fritz in years. At one time, he also owned most of Svenson Island. Barb went to Star of the Sea too, was younger than I by a couple years. Her dad, Art, managed Safeway for a long time. Barb married a classmate, Jerry Zorich, who was mayor of Long Beach at one time. She died of cancer a couple years ago.

-----------------------------------------

Thank you, Karen! There will be more excerpts as I photograph other places mentioned in your letters.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Astoria's royal thrones

The weather has been doing nothing but raining incessantly for at least 24 hours, so I dug these photos out of the archives from August 18, 2009. Perched over one of Astoria's sunken lots (my back was to the restrooms when I took this photo), and right next door to this plaque, is one of the most suprising public restrooms I've ever seen. I don't know who thought up the jumbo-sized moulded gold letters, but I thank them every time I pass by. I like the look. The style appears to me to be nouveau Art Deco, although the building has a sort of Classical look with the attached columns.

The restrooms are usually clean, unlocked, and in no-waiting mode. I assume they were built here because Sunday Market takes place half a block away during the summer, but many of us have thanked the donors and builders during the rest of the year as well. In an effort to give credit where it's due, I've included below the plaque from the center of the building.

Oh yes, note the truck. There is usually someone parked here.Happy Ruby Tuesday!

Rain and more rain

The Columbia River, Astoria, Oregon ~

December 16, 2009

Imagine that. It's something we get a lot of here on the North Coast. It gives us our beautiful rainforests, of which I intend to post more this year. I like the sun, too, but rain, rain, and more rain is what creates our unique and always-interesting ecological niche. I don't mind it. Growing up in a dry climate, I would savor every storm. I've passed that intense fascination after living here for more than 8 years, but I still love the rain. Let it come. I took this photo at the base of the radio tower at 15th Street and the River Walk. That's Englund Marine's old building on the right. I don't get tired of looking at that, either. It's very picturesque.

A new year, new journeys

Astoria, Oregon ~ September 16, 2009

This is for Lee of Bend, Oregon, Daily Photo, as he starts today on his Amizade Adventure.

As many of us are making Resolutions, you're beginning an amazing adventure in physical space as well as intellectual, emotional, spiritual. You'll be going by plane rather than by ship. And yet, may your anchor be a safety net, and not a tether; may there always be a warming glow at the center of your world; may the horizons await and the sky be limitless. Have a safe journey and an expansive experience. I wish you smooth sailing, now and always.

~ Tapirgal

A new dawn for a new year

Happy New Year, Everyone!

This was going to be my post for January 1, until I remembered to participate in Theme Day yesterday. . . .
Although the sunrise is from November 24, 2005, the wishes are always current. May we have colors, brightness, hope, and love going into 2010. I remember the way I felt on the morning I took this photo from a window on Harrison Street. I wish those feelings for all of us today and throughout the coming year.

Theme Day (Changes): "Cloudy and bright"

Astoria, Oregon ~ November 9, 2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR, FELLOW BLOGGERS AND FRIENDS!

What can I say? The colors and effects of weather and light on the river are breathtaking and ever-changing. I never get tired of looking when the river is in one of these moods. You may have to enlarge this one to get the full effect.

This was originally going be my post for January 2, until I realized that the City Daily Photo Theme Day was "Changes." My original January 1 photo will post tomorrow.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants