Storm Light At The South Jetty

As I sit and write, I hear the unmistakable patter of the rain as it pelts the southwest side of our house.  Weather wise, yesterday was a much more interesting day because one minute the wind was howling and pelting rain.  Then twenty minutes later, it would clear for as long as thirty minutes and it would be just beautiful.  During one of the short lived periods, I made a fast run to the beach and returned with a couple of images that depict a bit of the storm’s intensity.

 

The waves from the Pacific ocean that pummeled the South Jetty could best be described as agitated and angry!

 

  

The dunes were hammered by near constant winds which were clocked at 30 miles per hour when the image was made.  Notice the bend in the antenna on the left side of the photo.

As always, the storm light was brief and the rain and hail soon returned.  I can’t wait until June!

Ugly Weather On The Horizon

 

As is my custom, I check the National Weather Service’s forecast for our area each morning.  It came as no surprise to read the following in the special weather statement:

THE UPPER RIDGE WHICH HAS GIVEN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST SUNNY AND
WARM FALL WEATHER WILL SHIFT EAST THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT.
THIS WILL ALLOW AN INCREASINGLY STRONG WESTERLY JET STREAM TO
IMPACT THE NORTHWEST OVER THE WEEKEND.

THE FIRST STORM IS EXPECTED TO IMPACT THE COAST THURSDAY NIGHT AND
FRIDAY WITH A GLANCING BLOW TO NORTHWEST OREGON. RAIN AND WIND
WILL BE MOSTLY ALONG THE NORTH COAST.

The “ugly weather season” begins in earnest this weekend so I decided it might not be a bad idea to take a hike.  I have been wanting to explore more of Cape Disappointment State Park in Washington, so on a whim I grabbed my boots and hit the road.  After considering all the options, I choose to hike to the  top of McKenzie Head; I figured that if it was good enough for William Clark in 1805, it would do just fine for me today.   In 1805 it must have been a struggle to reach the top, but today it’s little more than a leisurely stroll.

During the second World War, the site became part of the harbor defense of the Columbia River, the site was also known as Battery 247.  Many a cold night was spent atop of the head by the soldiers who manned the battery’s six inch guns.  Today, the guns are long gone and the battery is slowly crumbling, but I returned with a few images of a nearly forgotten installation.

 

A portion the battery’s command post which is slowly crumbling as the forest vegetation encroaches

 

 

 

A view from the bunker where the gun’s ammunition was once stored

Sunset Over Trestle Bay

 

This past Saturday evening, the lovely wife and I took an impromptu trip to the beach in the hopes of catching a stellar sunset.  Recent attempts have been thwarted by the near constant fog bank and this trip was no exception.  Upon our arrival, we were greeted by a rather stiff wind and a sun that was rapidly sinking into the fog.

Once again, this is about as good as it gets!  The national weather service is predicting a major rain event to last for the majority of the weekend; perhaps the sun has set for the season.

Skunked Once Again

 

 

The skies finally cleared late this afternoon following another soggy weekend.  On a whim, I decided to take a drive to the beach and see what the setting sun had to offer.  Upon leaving the house, I discovered that a thick bank of fog was quickly moving in so time was of the essence.  Sadly, the fog hit the beach before my arrival, so plan B was to walk along the banks of Trestle Bay.

Well, a least for those of you who unable to  make the trip with me, you now know how Trestle Bay appeared on a foggy evening in September 2010.  My friends, that’s as good as it gets!

A Visit To The Estuary

 

While on my way to meet my “biking buddy” for a ride into the woods, I had a little time to kill and decided to take a short hike into the Nechacium River estuary.  As the sun was just rising, the colors were incredible!  The hike was short but the sights and sounds were priceless!

The Government and Statistics

While watching the Ken Burns documentary, The Civil War, I was reminded of two things governments do exceedingly well.  They collect nearly endless amounts of information and generate statistics.  During the program, the following statistics were put forth:  for both the north and the south, the average height of a solider was five feet eight inches and they weighed one-hundred and forty-three pounds.  Their odds of dying in combat were 1 in 65, they stood a 1 in 10 chance of being wounded, and a 1 in 13 chance of dying from disease.   The minimum enlistment age was eighteen; the average age of a solider was twenty-five. 

The recruitment officers were extremely flexible and allowed drummer boys as young as nine to serve.  By the war’s end, 100,000 soldiers, not yet fifteen years of age served in the Union army.  It is believed that private William Black of the Union army  was the youngest solider wounded; he was not ever twelve years of age.  Astounding!

As a former government employee, one of my most dreaded duties was to compile several separate annual accomplishment reports.  I learned at a very early age that governmental agencies lived and died by their annual accomplishments!  Seldom did anyone question the outcome of a task; most of the questions centered on the amount accomplished.

My least favorite report was titled “the pesticide clearinghouse report”; a lengthy document sent to the department of agriculture which summarized our plans for the application of pesticides to the forest.  This one report took the better part of a day to compile and in the early days was typed prior to submission.  In the twenty plus years we prepared the document, only twice did someone from the department of agriculture ever call with a question about our report.  That fact alone always left me wondering!

The answer to me wondering came one morning in the early 2000s when I received a call from a sectary from the department of agriculture.  She explained that she was new to the job and having recently received our report she was uncertain what to do with it!  After getting over my initial shock, I asked her if someone actually reviewed the document to which she responded no.  Apparently the person who did that job had retired several years ago and no one else assumed that task.  As far as she could tell, our report was the only one that had been received annually for the past several years!  I quickly told her that I would make her life my pleasant in the coming years by never submitting the report again.  Government statistics, you have to love them!!

Painting This Old House

Anyone who has ever owned a home knows there are few task more daunting than painting the exterior of a big old house.  At the onset the project seems so simple, choose appropriate paint colors, purchase the paint, power wash the structure, than spread the paint.  If the project was only that simple!

Although our house is not the city’s oldest, it’s birth dates back to the late 1800’s.  It therefore comes as no surprise that before the painting can begin several sections of siding will need repair or replacement.  Over the past one hundred years of its  life, the house has also developed more than a few cracks cracks.  If previously caulked, all cracks must be inspected and recaulked as necessary.

When I began the project on July 1st, I estimated that the job would be completed in less than four weeks.  Even though the two sides to be painted were the highest, what could possible keep me from accomplishing my goal?  Apparently the weather failed to understand my plan as much of July and August we were shrouded in constant fog and drizzle both of which make painting a challenge. 

Painting a tall house requires several ladders of various lengths.  If you ever need a ladder, give me a call because I have four and they range in length between eight and thirty-two feet.  My assistance is however not included in this offer!

 

This is the view of Astoria I enjoyed while painting the peak of our house.

 

A view of the nearly completed job taken between rain showers the last week of August.

At times it seems as if the work of a home owner never ends!