Docks and things at the end of 12th Street, Astoria

Astoria is so much about history. Either it's already old, or it's going to change, and what you see will soon be gone. I took this photo on August 23, 2002, and as I type the blog post in December of 2008, the photo below is already history. The warehouses on the right have been refurbished and turned into a real estate office, a Coffee House, and some other things - or things in the making. They tried to keep the flavor, but of course it doesn't look old any more. I should take a comparison photo and link to it.

Both pictures were taken from the walkway along the outside of Baked Alaska, aka Doc's on 12th Street. The weather is so Astorian - low clouds with a sun break. I always love walking along the river. At the time I took the photo I lived in an apartment on Bond Street with a wonderful view of the water. I didn't know that by 2007, I'd be leasing the building that goes with the radio tower in these two pictures. You can't actually see the building from this vantage point.

Oswald West State Park

Lee and I took Steve Froiland, our visiting artist, to the beach at Oswald West State Park. It's one of the most beautiful places I know, and it's only a short hike from the highway south of Cannon Beach. This is the picnic area on a bluff above the sand and just north of a wild and wooded stream that runs into the sea. We had brought Steve from Minnesota to teach a drawing workshop, and for a couple of days we showed him a few of the beauty spots of Oregon. The three of us sat on the beach for awhile. Steve drew, teaching Lee and me while he did so. He loved to draw and paint - that was his life - and he was an incredible and generous teacher. He had a lot of patience and knew just what to say to help you understand.