Forest Berries

From the woods around Fort Clatsop.

I think they may be wild Lily of the Valley in an intermediate stage of ripeness.  Can anyone confirm (or point out what the actually are)?

Yarn Treats from Edinburgh

My dad recently had a business trip to Scotland, and very kindly offered to accept a yarn-purchasing commission from me.  He took time out of his schedule to stop by Kathy’s Knits to pick up some treats.  My commission was for a sweater’s worth of Blacker Swan, 10 balls of which I am now the excited owner.

Gorse Gold is the colorway.  I’m going to make Kate Davies’ Edinburgh-inspired Braid Hills cardigan to match.  Swatch is completed – casting on today!

 

I also got 3 other surprise yarn treats from Scotland – will post them later!

Coast Guard Lifeboat 44300

My favorite exhibit at the Maritime Museum in Astoria was this boat – Coast Guard Lifeboat CG-44300.  It’s an actual boat, retired from service after 19 years of active duty and 15 years as a training boat.  It had an incredible run on active duty, and now it’s spiffed up, as shiny and clean as if it were a replica, demonstrating an ocean rescue.

The CG-44300 was a 44′ prototype boat, self-righting and self-bailing, that was used along the Oregon coast in order to be tested in extreme weather and large waves; it passed its tests with flying colors.  During its career, it evidently rolled over several times, was pitchpoled once (rolled front to back end-over-end), and retired only when an engine was damaged on a rescue mission.

One of its most unbelievable stories – to crib directly off the informative placard – is this:  one evening when the 44300 was moored in a boathouse in Yaquina Bay, a 10,000 ton lumber ship lost steering control  and ran into the Lifeboat, plowing it through some docks and under another boathouse, where it had to stay, presumed unsalvageable, while the other crash wreckage was cleared away.  But when it was freed, it bobbed right up out of the water and righted itself, ready for use again.

It definitely deserves its place of honor on display at the front of the museum.

strange building-boat

We’ve had visitors in this weekend (and last) and we spent some time talking about our vacation in Astoria – in particular, the boats we saw passing our hotel.  We were reminded of one that is really indescribable – so I’m putting up the photos.

If I recall correctly, John noticed this first, and exclaimed in surprise that a building was being towed downriver….

 

On closer inspection, the situation really did not clarify itself.  What is this thing?  Where is it going?  What is it doing, being towed out to sea?

 

But regardless of the boat-building confusion that was never resolved (we really should have looked at the ship schedule while we had the chance), the tugboat was cool.

Or is it a towboat, since it’s got the flat front and two protruding pushing-bars?  I think that tow boat is the correct term, but I can’t remember.  Anyone?

Evening Frog

He was right on our front porch with us during dinner last night!

Do you like how he’s clutching that dried (raspberry) leaf so firmly?  It looked like he was going to hop off with it.

Flying Ear

I forgot that I’d taken this photo – it’s back when Max had gotten his jowly General Burnside haircut, before we trimmed it up.  So his face looks a little weird, but I thought it was hilarious that he decided to rest like that with his ear flapped up and his leg cocked – he’s not on his back or his side, but halfway in between.  But I guess it was comfy!

Sunrise Progression

Some minutes after the photos from yesterday; it was really interesting how quickly the sky and clouds changed color from gray, to blue, to bright pink, back to a purplish blue.

 

 

 

I was not so happy to be awake early enough to catch the sunrise, but at least I got some beautiful pictures from it.

Just before dawn on the Columbia

From Astoria:

Bowpicker

The best fish and chips in Astoria.

We read it before we got there, and were a little skeptical, but after testing a decently large sample group, we concur – it’s Bowpicker Fish & Chips. It’s tiny – just a little boat – where the only  options are a full- or half-size order of fish-and-chipped tuna and fries.  You get to the window – say how much you want – and they fry it and hand it over.  I’ve never had tuna fried like that before, and it didn’t sound that great, but it actually works really well – nice and firm.

Unfortunately, the length of the line matches the food’s reputation, and after a morning of biking up and down hills we were very tired and hungry.

But we traded off standing in the sun and sitting in the shade, and lunch was all the more delicious for the wait.  Definitely recommended if you’re in Astoria – especially if you’ve biked or walked up to the column just prior.

The boat itself is interesting – it’s a type of fishing boat I wasn’t familiar with before.  Here’s another one that was out in front of our hotel.

According to the informational sign, the bow picker style of boat was designed for single-person operation.  The open space at the bow has a second set of controls, so you can stand up there and steer and haul your fishing nets in at the same time.  No need for a crew.

Nice and efficient for a small operation.

 

 

 

View from the Top

Of the hill at least – not the top of the tower.  After climbing a large number of hills between the Goonies house and the Column, only to find at each that we had reached a dead end and had to go down again and back up, I was completely beat.  There was no way I was going to walk up another 150 stairs (or however many it is) just to be slightly higher up.

Plus the view is very beautiful just from the base of the tower.

 

Here are John and Max again…

standing in front of what looks, from this angle, suspiciously like a bridge held together by duct-tape.

 

Check out how far we climbed!
(confession: by the 5th thwarted attempt upward, I had to start pushing my bike up the steep inclines.  But I still made it!)