Caution: Heat Wave Ahead!

Some info re: heat related illnesses

I've always been somewhat sensitive to excessive heat, as my mother was (and still is) before me, but about 10 years ago I suffered a bout of heat exhaustion that was awful! Fortunately my DH (trained in first aid) knew what was going on and how to treat it until my sibling, who has more medical training, arrived to render further care. My first symptoms that day were (and still are) intense abdominal cramps and slight dizziness. It was not fun...let me tell you.
Since then I know that during times of excessive heat I have to be extra diligent with drinking fluids (even when I am not thirsty), doing most of my tasks either very early or late in the day and staying in our air conditioned living areas. I also know that heat seems to have a cumulative effect on me so I have to be careful even when the worst of the heat wave is over.
In conclusion here are two links to some good, reliable information about heat, heat related conditions and more: here and another (from the Red Cross) here. The forecast this week is calling for many areas of the PNW to experience a prolonged heat wave so fellow NW'ers please be safe (and all others experiencing heat waves in their areas too).
Blessings, Aimee
PS: Info for pets too:)

Walks in His Gardens--Highway 30

One route I am particularly fond of taking to Astoria is Highway 30 which runs along the Columbia River (but mostly not within sight of the river). It is largely a rural route for much of its length from Astoria to the Portland area (where you can catch other highways/freewaysto get you to your final destination in Washington or Oregon).

When you are traveling this route you will also - roughly - be on the same path Lewis & Clark used some 200 years ago.

So here we go...

Forested areas.

More...

Lots of trees!

Wildflowers along the road.

This was an area just off Highway 30 on the way to a local park
along the Columbia River.

And this is the park -- on the river.
Looked like a peaceful place to spend awhile and watch the sailboats. .

So there you go--a small sampling of the forests, mountains, beaches and agricultural regions along Highway 30.
Hope your weekend is filled with the beauty that is nature.
Blessings,
Aimee
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Photos: I arranged the photos to roughly duplicate what you would see if you were traveling west (from Astoria) to east. Some areas I omitted--mainly the communities you pass through along the highway

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_30_in_Oregon#Astoria_to_Portland

Walks in His Gardens--Fort Stevens Area

Across the bay from Astoria and along the most northwesterly coast of Oregon are a few more places worth visiting (only some of which we were able to fit in during our time there). The main destination for us here would be Fort Stevens, a large state park which borders both the Pacific Ocean and the Columbia River. It is amazing place with a shipwreck (everyone survived it), a rock jetty with an observation tower--good for seeing whales, lots of seabirds and the mouth of the Columbia, beaches along both the river and ocean, a beautiful lake and more!
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When I was a child we used to come here and 'Farmer Boy' and I brought our own kids here when they were younger too--in fact somewhere I have a photo of them by the wreck of the Peter Iredale. It is time to start scanning again photos in our scrapbooks I think.

But before I show you Ft Stevens, I want to show you photos of the Lindgren cabin at Cullaby Lake. Since we have Lindgrens (not this line though and Swedish not Finnish) in our extended family ancestry, and since I love log cabins, I definitely wanted to do at least a drive-by before heading onto the park. I am not sure if the cabin is ever open for tours but I would dearly love to go inside someday:)

The Lindgren cabin.

This was built by a Finnish immigrant and his neighbor per the sign to be found here. It is made of axe-hewn cedar logs and was later moved to this site. .

Have I said enough that I LOVE it:)
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And now Ft Stevens---

Coffenbury Lake.

I thought there was a huge sand dune here by the lake but I didn't really see much of one. Perhaps things have changed or maybe I am thinking of Honeymun State Park near Florence which also has a lake. Or maybe all things look bigger to small children:)

The Peter Iredale shipwreck.

Another child perspective thing--it seemed like the wreck was always surrounded by the ocean whenever I saw it. Maybe this was the case and the shoreline has changed or maybe we always came at high tide.

What is challenging is trying to get a photo without any people in it--this spot has been popular for as long as I remember! As it was I had to use photo editing software:)

More info on the shipwreck and some more photos can be found here.

Inside the shipwreck (bow section)

Yes it was a little foggy here; not the pretty wispy white fog though.

I think I'm getting into the fall mood already--I miss showers and pretty, wispy white fog--the kind that you get in early autumn on the mountains :)

Photo taken from the remains of the stern

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Along the Clatsop Spit--this might be Trestle Bay or the Columbia River.

Info on the Columbia River is here.

Another area.

The mouth of the Columbia River.

Sorry about the very poor quality of the photo; my camera is not doing well on some distance shots. While we were there we saw a huge amount of birds, as I have said and a whale. We also saw ships on their way towards the river's mouth. Now I know why my 'gut instinct' said to bring a pair of binoculars with me; what I don't know is why I didn't listen to it :(

Ya know--this photo looks more like a watercolor then a photo; strange.

The South Jetty

There is an observation tower here where you can view both the Pacific Ocean and the Columbia River.

This is part of the Battery Russell.

You start your visit here climbing a flight of stairs that lead you up to this area where you'll find really old buildings that are pretty interesting and if you are 'lucky' (like we were) maybe even a dead rat. Yuck..and in keeping with my luck I almost stepped on it. I did force myself to take a photo of the dead one but I am thinking of enlarging my 'no reptile picture posting policy' to include rodents too. so NO photo here!

And that is final.

I might also add that before you get into this area, there is a sign warning of dangers like holes, drop offs and so forth. It is worth a trip but the warning is real; this place was last used in WW2.

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We both climbed to the top section of this building--my best friend via the stairs and I by a earthen ramp. I think at one time you could see the coastline from there but the trees have really grown and it is no longer visible. It may come as a surprise to some that this area was shelled during World War II by the Japanese; the Americans did not return fire and no one was killed. Some info about the Battery can be found here and here too along with more photos..

Part of the Peace Memorial.

And on that note I will close and say good night!

Blessings,

Aimee

Walks in His Gardens-Astoria Again!

It has been a nice summer in our gardens; it really has!! I've loved working and being outside for the most part and seeing dreams becoming reality is really satisfying! But as I've said before, I was born with a 'travel bug' which was continuously nurtured by likewise afflicted parents during my childhood and even into adulthood; I just cannot stand to be home very long--no matter how wonderful it is--before the call to explore compels me to get on the road again. And such was the case this last week--

Now since my hubby had to work, I asked my best friend if she would like to go with me and she, being likewise afflicted with the 'bug', said yes and off we went.

Pictured (left to right): Norwegian cardamom-cinnamon roll, powdered sugar topped fattigmann, Finnish prune tart pinwheel and plain fattigmann. Recipes for all these can easily be found on the web.

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We were headed to one of my favorite places on the Oregon coast which I hadn't been to for several years--the port city of Astoria. I was more then eager to see it again; after all it has an awesome Scandinavian bakery--and I was hungry for a Finnish prune pinwheel, fattigmann and other Nordic treats you see above! (If you live in Washington there is a great Nordic bakery in Poulsbo; haven't been there in awhile but last time I went it was good. Of course you can try your hand at some of these treats at home too.)

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I did have some goals in mind (besides food that is!) for our trip and my friend, who wasn't familiar with the area let me take the lead. Our itinerary would include Ft Stevens (just across Young's Bay from Astoria), Astor Column, hunting down some of 'The Goonies (& other movie) filming locations and driving past the numerous Victorian homes that this little 'San Francisco' of the Pacific NW has.

Astor Column, taken on an earlier trip there. It was impossible to not get people in the photos I took on our recent trip:) A history and more info on the column can be found here.

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Although our order of visitation was different, I am going to start with the high point of Astoria (literally the HIGH point) which is Coxcomb Hill, It is here you will find the Astor Column and panoramic views of the surrounding area--a place of beautiful mountains, foothills, waterways and more!

The route there is fairly well marked and once you are on Coxcomb you just follow it to the top (expect a lot of curves and some good views including a peek at the column above as you draw closer.

BTW--as you cross over Young's Bay you can also spot the column on the hill if you are looking for it:)

Beautiful, isn't it? I never get tired of this place and I don't think I am alone in that feeling.It is well worth the short drive up to the top of the hill. I should say that there is, in addition to the column, a gift shop and rest room facilities.

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But there is much more to Astoria then the Astor Column and Hollywood figured that out a long time ago. Astoria has been the site for at least some of several movies including the Goonies, Kindergarten Cop, Short Circuit, Free Willy and Into the Wild among others. Not surprising for as you can see the views are incredible here and at nearby Ft Stevens and the Cannon Beach/Ecola Beach areas.

We set off to track down some film locations...

finding the school used in Kindergarten Cop was no problem (I had been by it many times before) but you'll have to wait for a moment for the photo..

My main goal was Goonie locations though and after a little hunting around (we did have an exact address and partial directions but no map) we were able to locate the Goonie home. I was very excited about that!!

(Sorry but since it is on a private road I am not posting a photo here; however Goonies are allowed to walk up and see it per a sign at the bottom of the hill. If you want to see a photo just do a search for 'Goonie house' and you'll find it). I also found Data's house nearby plus a great view of the river below

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BTW-- I should say before moving on that the bridge in the last photo of the Astor Column area was in the movie Short Circuit.

Here is a photo of the Flavel Museum - a beautiful Victorian and the museum in The Goonies. Eek! I cut off the top part of the tower with the photo border; oh well...

Other areas of the NW with lots of Victorians is Port Townsend and Port Gamble, Washington state. Of course I find Victorians everywhere I go:) I love the style of home and one time was lucky enough to get to sleep in the tower of a home in Portland, Oregon. Apparently my mom lived in one for awhile when she was younger so maybe I come by this love for them naturally.

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(Another type of home I really love is the log cabin/home and we saw one of those too on this trip. I will post it when I post the photos of Ft Stevens and the Hammond/Warrenton area. I have stayed in several of these too in both Oregon and Washington )

And here is a picture of the John Jacob Astor School which was a prominent location in Kindergarten Cop. I hate to admit it (true confession here..but I sometimes watch these films just because I love Astoria so much). If you follow this link you can see my earlier post of Astoria with a few more photos (trolley streetcar, waterfront, etc)

One last photo ---for now that is.

This is part of the waterfront--the one along the Columbia River. The trolley goes along this area I believe although I did not see it on this trip.

At Ft Stevens you can see the mouth of the Columbia River; it is considered dangerous to pass over but many ships--large and small do it each day.

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Note: I haven't forgotten about the photos from my trip to the lavender and berry farms. Just needed to check on something first...will post soon and also some incredible photos from southern Oregon/northern California AND the photos from across Young's Bay and part of Lewis & Clark's route along the Columbia River.

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Blessings,

Aimee

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Sorry this post is a bit rambling--

it is late here (well actually it's early, early morning) and I am really tired.

TY for your understanding:)

Update: well it is now afternoon and this still sounds rambling after some changes, but since I have my mind on some other things I am going to leave it. Hope you enjoy the photos:)