Three Dumpsters

February 11, 2010

These three dumpsters sit at the entrance to Doc's on 12th Street. The one that looks like wood is not. It's been skillfully painted to look like wood. I believe the artist is Jo Brown, whose murals I've shown in earlier posts, and who painted an outstanding mural on the back of the Sears store across from this dumpster. To the left of the dumpster is the River Walk, and to the right is the bank of the Columbia River. The red-topped cans are for recycling.

There was a famous Astoria painted dumpster at the 6th Street Pier when I arrived here in 2001, but it's gone now. It was a fanciful painting by Diane Beeston showing sea creatures and a dancing octopus. I have a photo somewhere and will post it when I find it.

For those who asked about the rooftop garden mural, yes, it is a mural. There are a number of roof-level murals in Astoria, and I'll get their photos taken one of these days :)

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Ship and Boat

All month long, the small boats have been out on the Columbia River from first light till last fishing for sturgeon, and the salmon season is also opening. There are a number of web sites such as this one and this one that will tell you all you could want to know about fishing the Lower Columbia River. It's big business and also big fun for sports fishers.

The small boat and the ship in this photo are not so close together, as I've used the zoom, but I understand it's a memorable expeience to see one of the big ships from a small boat.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

A Good Cause: Fundraising for "Shanghaied"

The Astor Street Opry Company is raising funds for a new home. The company produces Astoria's longest-running play, "Shanghaied in Astoria," which goes into its 26th season on July 8th. To quote their web site, "The Astor Street Opry Company’s Live on Stage… Award winning…Family Entertainment…That Original…Historical, Hysterical…Musical Melodrama… SHANGHAIED IN ASTORIA! This locally written play is part-vaudeville, part-soap opera, and part 1950’s style Hollywood musical – all combined into a fun and entertaining look at traditional local cultural folklore. What originated as a celebration of Astoria tradition has now become a tradition itself. . . ." You can see this sign as you near downtown on Marine Drive. Here they are on Facebook, too.

In the old days, Astoria was one of the towns in which real shanghaiing took place.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Almost Mediterranean

The other day I showed you a guest photo of the Astor Hotel taken from the Hotel Elliott, above. The Elliott has been completely refurbished during the past decade, and the rooms are elegant. It's too bad their web site doesn't show more, but you can see some nice photos with a Google image search. The Elliott is the brown and tan building with the roof garden. The building in front with the tile roof has businesses on this side and the Liberty Theatre on the other side. I see that I still need to post a good photo of the outside of the Liberty. The pink building on the left is this one, which I've decided is more Art Deco than Art Nouveau, although it has both flavors.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

The Riverboat "Spirit of '98"

The "Spirit of '98" leaves the dock at 17th Street and cruises toward the setting sun. After a short tour of Astoria's waterfront and a turnaround, it will make its way back up the Columbia River.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

For Your Convenience . . .

Since I posted the first bike rack photo, I've noticed them all over town. They're painted different colors, but the shape is always the same. Most people seem to find them as convenient as the one here at the post office. One reader mentioned that they flop over in these racks. I think most users tie them up to the side for stability, taking all three spaces.

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.

Mrs. Shively and Her Grave

OK, yes. This is weird. Thank you, Stephanie Roley, for sending this photo (see yesterday's post). What appears to be Mrs. Shively posing in front of her own tomb is actually an actor dressed up for a special occasion. Stephanie wrote: "Here's another one from Pioneer Cemetery that I posted on Facebook after the annual Halloween cemetery event. Now I can't even remember which historic group sponsors the event, but they dress in character and have interesting stories about some of the people buried there. As you can tell from the photo, this lady was not very nice (Mrs. Shiveley I believe)."

Tomorrow we'll move on to a new subject, but I couldn't resist giving this photo a day of its own. Thanks, Stephanie!

Revisited January 9, 2012: If you enjoy cemeteries or find them creepy or both, please check out Julie's new Taphophile Tragics blog and meme. Enjoy  :-)

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

A Strange Mausoleum

Astoria, Oregon ~ June 10, 2010

I encountered this unusual-looking mausoleum at the edge of Pioneer Cemetery, scene of yesterday's post. It is the burial place, or at least the memorial for the Shively family (inscriptions given here). I don't mean any disrespect, but cemeteries can be odd and interesting places, and as I wandered I through, approaching from the back (last photo), I thought I had found the gardener's shed, except that the windows to the inside were in the form of crosses.

Embedded in the front are memorial plaques to members of the family. This one is on the left of the rusted iron door (which did not open).

This plaque was on the right.

Here are two of the three crosses above the door.

And a tombstone to the left buried in the roots of the tree and barely visible among the vines that cover the uneven ground. Perhaps it wasn't visible at all until volunteers from the high school cleaned the stones recently. Stephanie, who lives across the street, mentioned the cleanup.

This was my first glimpse. I had wandered across the hilly and uneven ground of the cemetery from one corner to the other. Most of the stones are flat or square, with the exception of a couple of taller monuments like the one for the Warren family. This is the only building. Except for the crosses, it could almost be a tool shed. It looks like it belongs in a Gothic novel.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

George Wright Warren Memorial in Pioneer Cemetery

June 10, 2010

This moody photo could have been taken almost any day in June, except that there may be a few more leaves on the trees today than there were on June 10th. This is Pioneer Cemetery at the top of the Astoria hill, and the marker is for the Warren Family. George Wright Warren was one of those early business tycoons who founded banks and other industries. He lived in Knappa, Astoria, and Warrenton, where he built dikes to create valuable farmland out of his property. I believe it's this marker that stands tall in the sunset in this post.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.