A heron in the sun

Yesterday morning a juvenile great blue heron (at least, I think that's what it was) found that the radio tower outside my office was a good place to catch some sun in the 31-degree morning.

You can see it there near the base of the tower with the pilot boat passing. I love the colors on the river. The heron hunkered and preened by turns. I hoped it would extend its neck in a gorgeous photogenic pose, but it preferred to conserve heat, extending as little as possible. Periodically it would throw its head one way or another to reach spots on its back and underside, but never did it give me an opportunity to catch a pose other than . . . well, scroll down and see for yourself. It was pretty interesting. The herons usually find other places to perch in Astoria, so I consider myself lucky when they come this close to home. Click photos for larger images.

River, ships, pilings, Astoria: winter

Astoria: Cold and beautiful morning

This morning was about as cold as it usually gets here in Astoria. The colors and clarity on the river showed the scene in all its glory. The photo was taken looking approximately east, and the bit of land sticking out into the river in the background on the right is Tongue Point. I took the photo from a block or so east of the Maritime Museum.

We usually have a few days each year when we have ice on the ground. Here is a puddle with the top frozen between the River Walk and the river bank.

Looking back west toward the Astoria-Megler bridge through trees that show damage from our big storm in December.

[Your visit to my blog helps us generate traffic to support the Tapir Preservation Fund and its online gift shop. Thank you! ~ Sheryl]

Astoria Coffee House

A pleasant place to get out of the rain on a day like today.

This time it was a skinny one

Here's one of the more troublesome logs we've had. It's odd, because it's not very big around, but it got lodged under the building's pilings and it wasn't working its way out, or when it appeared to be coming out, it went right back under. And it would float back in when I tried to pull it out. It was stubborn! You can't see how long it is, but went all the way under the building. I'm writing this after the fact, but I think it came out the other side. It's surprising how big a thump it can create, banging over and over again in the current when it's caught and won't release. I feel sure this is one we had to cut up.