Morning Sun

On my early morning bike rides, I frequently pass this long abandoned dock. On more than one occasion, I swear that I've heard Ottis Reddin calling ..........


Sittin' in the morning sun
I'll be sittin there when evening comes
Watching the ships roll in
And then I watch 'em roll away again, yeah

I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Ooo, I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time

Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay
by Ottis Reddin and Steve Cropper

OK, so there are a few things that don't exactly jive with the song. First, the dock actually sits on the Columbia River, but it's still a water side location. Then there is the fence and the razor wire; not exactly inviting you sit and ponder life unless you are a seagull!

On the other hand, the photo was taken during the "mornin' sun". The dock however faces due north so seeing the rising sun is not an option unless a celestrial event of unknown magnitude occurs.

The Sunday AM Walk

Sunday morning I rose early with the intention of taking a bike ride along the beach but when I to get my bike, the weather changed my mind. During the night, the skies had turned to liquid as a heavy drizzle fell from the sky. As my bike does not have fenders, rides accompanied by any form of precipitation are less than enjoyable.

I changed plans and instead headed to Fort Stevens State Park for a hike along the banks of the Columbia River; just for the fun of it, I brought along the camera. Since it was just after sunrise and the drizzle was on and off, I had relatively low expectations for a photographic outing.

Despite the fact that it was a "low contrast" sort of day, photographically speaking, I was struck by the beauty before my eyes! The peace and quiet was also astounding as I had the entire beach to myself. This seldom happens during the month of August.

Looking east up river towards Astoria

There was an added bonus, the recent high tide had redistributed the sand so my foot prints were the first of the day.

Gardening Update

The above photo shows my vegetable garden as seen just before sunset a few evenings ago. Needless to say, the corn is unlikely to make it before the first frost unless I construct a mini-green house over the plot. I have come to the conclusion that the north Oregon coast is pretty poor country in which to grow corn.

In an attempt to increase my odds, I even planted an early variety call Early Sun Glow which is claims to produce within 63 days of planting. If my memory is correct, I sowed the corn around June 15th, so as of today it's been in the soil for a total of 54 days. Given that, it will take a miracle of unknown proportions in order to be harvesting corn in nine days. If by some chance it actually does, I will not have to hire help to harvest the crop!

Oh well, the radishes, lettuces, and peas that were planted in early June turned out just fine so this vegetable garden thing hasn't been a total waste!