Cruising

Spent most of today, and will probably spend most of tomorrow, getting prints ready for the cruise ship coming in on Sunday. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined myself sitting on a pier in a 10x10 tent, in the wind and sometimes-rain, vending photos to cruising tourists.

Even so, it is a truly majestic sight to see the ship coming up the Columbia River and docking. It may even make the discomfort of being out there in the cold worth while.

Which makes me wonder why, when it's taken so long to attract these cruise ships to Astoria, anyone would even THINK of allowing LNG terminals on the Warrenton peninsula. Aside from terminals being potential terrorist targets, and destroying wetlands, why would anyone think it's desirable to disrupt river traffic?

I can't help but think that these beautiful cruise ships, whose visits are so hard-won, would have no desire to stop here when the primary view will be of eyesore terminals. Not to mention, they will probably have to disrupt their schedule to get past all the sentries, etc., around the terminals to come in to dock.

The whole idea of cruise ships coming to Astoria, I was told, was to attract new blood. It is hoped that the cruisers will see and experience Astoria, and want to move here, and/or open businesses here. The town is so beautiful, and the people so friendly, I think it's a pretty good plan.

But who's going to want to move here to get a view of some unsightly tanks? I just don't get it. I don't see how you can attract people when you build an eyesore to greet them.

For now, anyway, I will just enjoy the view before it gets ruined.

Astoria Photografpix

Astoria, Calpine, LNG