I know, I know, sea lions are considered to be pests in Astoria. I have heard many a fisherman call them "rats of the sea," and far worse.
I have also heard many tales about "the fish that got away." But around here, the fish (mainly salmon) didn't get away on its own ... the salmon being pulled into the boat by an expectant fisherman was snapped up by a sea lion that popped up out of the water like a jack-in-the-box with jaws.
Sea lions are federally protected because they were once being wiped out, but now they are now proliferating like cockroaches, so the fishermen have no recourse. The salmon are not quite as prolific in their procreation, and now the salmon are threatened.
There was an article in the Daily Astorian today about controlling sea lions that really made me wonder.
Sea Lions
Don't get me wrong. I love the sea lions around here. I love hearing them bark, and love watching them romp and cavort in the river and laze around. And frankly, I don't even like the taste of salmon. But I understand the fishermen's point of view, too ("shoot the bastards"), although I find the idea repellent. I also understand that this has traditionally been an area for salmon, and that the situation for the salmon has become critical.
What concerns me is just WHAT do they plan to do about the sea lions? I've heard tales of them being tagged, then transported very far away, and having them turn up right back here a few weeks later. Sea lions are very bright. Fishermen tell me they are easily as bright as a dog.
Okay, you can't transport them. I sure wouldn't go for shooting them. Then what's left? To that, I have no answer. Personally, I like sea lions more than I like salmon, but that's irrelevant in this ecological tug-of-war, and I don't want to see salmon get exterminated, either.
Hopefully, a way will be found to maintain a balance that will not harm either species.
Astoria Photografpix
astoria oregon, sea lions, salmon, Columbia River bar
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Monday, April 17, 2006
Astoria - Bar Pilot Death Update
The Columbia River bar (where the Pacific Ocean meets the mouth of the Columbia River) has rightfully earned its reputation as the Graveyard of the Pacific. There was an article last week in the Daily Astorian about the conclusion of the investigation into the bar pilot's unfortunate death in January.
Bar Pilot Death Investigation
After reading it, I find it hard to believe that the safety measures they are now contemplating putting into effect weren't there all along. Sure, some of it was caused by errors on his part, and the rest was total mishap. However, it seems to me that there shouldn't be any room for mishaps in such a dangerous occupation, and that there should be safeguards in place to bypass possible bar pilot errors as well.
I hope he rests in peace, and that his death will spur safety enhancements swiftly for the other bar pilots.
Astoria Photografpix
astoria oregon, bar pilot, Columbia River bar
Bar Pilot Death Investigation
After reading it, I find it hard to believe that the safety measures they are now contemplating putting into effect weren't there all along. Sure, some of it was caused by errors on his part, and the rest was total mishap. However, it seems to me that there shouldn't be any room for mishaps in such a dangerous occupation, and that there should be safeguards in place to bypass possible bar pilot errors as well.
I hope he rests in peace, and that his death will spur safety enhancements swiftly for the other bar pilots.
Astoria Photografpix
astoria oregon, bar pilot, Columbia River bar
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Ruptured Easter Egg Epiphany in Astoria
I've had a lot on my mind lately, what with the new market season coming up.
Changing the store-room piled high and wide with boxes into a matting studio. Forty tupperware containers later ... check. Cross that one off the list.
Getting the sub-basement cleared out to make more storage for the aforementioned tupperware containers. Haul out old stove, and assorted garbage, etc. Put in a sub-floor. Check all those off the list, too.
Update my own photo biz website (Astoria Photografpix). Update the North Coast Vendors Association website (here it is). Check and check, and I'm still dreaming in HTML code.
Get all my stuff off an old laptop I'm selling, and reinstalling goodies in the new owner's name. Check.
Okay, so tonight, to relax a little, I thought what the hell, I'll make some deviled eggs, my one consession to Easter tomorrow. Unfortunately, while I was boiling the eggs, I was also working on an Excel spreadsheet of my photo inventory. The smell of burning boiling eggs is really quite interesting, at least enough so to distract me from my spreadsheet. Or maybe it was the exploding egg that blasted off out of the pot like a misguided missle that caught my attention.
Anyway, I was able to salvage most of the mess, and decided perhaps egg salad was a better bet, so I chopped celery, and onions, and did all that egg salad stuff, but the salad was in too big a bowl, and I had to find a smaller container.
This brought about my epiphany of the day. I had the large container of egg salad, with the smaller container next to it. As I was puzzling over which utensil would work best to DOWNLOAD the salad from one bowl to the other, I actually caught myself. Download???
Omigod. It MUST be time to go to bed.
Astoria Photografpix
astoria oregon, astoria, easter eggs, easter, eggs
Changing the store-room piled high and wide with boxes into a matting studio. Forty tupperware containers later ... check. Cross that one off the list.
Getting the sub-basement cleared out to make more storage for the aforementioned tupperware containers. Haul out old stove, and assorted garbage, etc. Put in a sub-floor. Check all those off the list, too.
Update my own photo biz website (Astoria Photografpix). Update the North Coast Vendors Association website (here it is). Check and check, and I'm still dreaming in HTML code.
Get all my stuff off an old laptop I'm selling, and reinstalling goodies in the new owner's name. Check.
Okay, so tonight, to relax a little, I thought what the hell, I'll make some deviled eggs, my one consession to Easter tomorrow. Unfortunately, while I was boiling the eggs, I was also working on an Excel spreadsheet of my photo inventory. The smell of burning boiling eggs is really quite interesting, at least enough so to distract me from my spreadsheet. Or maybe it was the exploding egg that blasted off out of the pot like a misguided missle that caught my attention.
Anyway, I was able to salvage most of the mess, and decided perhaps egg salad was a better bet, so I chopped celery, and onions, and did all that egg salad stuff, but the salad was in too big a bowl, and I had to find a smaller container.
This brought about my epiphany of the day. I had the large container of egg salad, with the smaller container next to it. As I was puzzling over which utensil would work best to DOWNLOAD the salad from one bowl to the other, I actually caught myself. Download???
Omigod. It MUST be time to go to bed.
Astoria Photografpix
astoria oregon, astoria, easter eggs, easter, eggs
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Sloping in Astoria
At last ... an explanation for why my kitchen addition has a decided downward slope!
I got in touch with an old-time contractor here in Astoria, TG, and he came over for a look-see about jacking up the house, which is trying to head down the hill for a swim in the Columbia River, just like any other house on the north slope. The kitchen addition sags about 3" below the rest of the house, which I found worrisome.
No measuring tape for this guy, he just came in, stood in the kitchen addition for a while, looked things over, and asked to go to the basement floor below (which, by the way, is still 10 feet above the ground). On the landing right below the kitchen addition, he started to laugh.
"Has anyone bothered to look up?" he asked.
"Nope."
"So do it."
I looked up, and then I started to laugh, too. The kitchen addition slopes for a damn good reason ... it was built right on top of the sloping porch roof below it. The porch no longer exists in its original form, but the roof sure does. And of course, the original porch roof was sloped to slough off the rainfall. So the kitchen isn't sinking, after all. It was just built on a sloping roof to begin with. Go figure.
Then we went down to the very bottom of the house. He stood there, too, and shook his head in disgust.
"Back in the old days, they knew where to stop a house."
By that he meant that they knew how far out onto the hillside they could go on that slippery muck they were building on, and to go no further out onto the slope than absolutely necessary. If the house had stopped where they originally stopped it, and the porch hadn't been added onto the back, and the kitchen addition hadn't been put on top of the misbegotten porch, I wouldn't be having all these problems.
Another gem from TG: "Actually, a house should never have been built in this location."
Ummmm, well that one really gave me pause, but hell, it's here, so let's do what we can.
So then we went up to the second floor, where it is obvious that the weight of the kitchen addition is tearing the north end of the house away from the framing. On the northeast corner second story bedroom, there is a gap in the ceiling that is nearing an inch wide.
"Yup, gotta shore this thing up damn near immediately. The north end of the house is trying to leave."
So what it boils down to is that the house is not "jacking up" material. It needs to be shored up, which entails putting in new footings on the north, east, and west walls, and pouring a partial cement foundation about two feet high. Then we will put posts in the cement, so that when the house inevitably shifts again, we can add shims to the tops of the posts.
Anyway, the bright light on the horizon is that I have at last found someone who will work on the house.
Astoria Photografpix
astoria oregon, astoria, north slope, sliding house, foundation problems
I got in touch with an old-time contractor here in Astoria, TG, and he came over for a look-see about jacking up the house, which is trying to head down the hill for a swim in the Columbia River, just like any other house on the north slope. The kitchen addition sags about 3" below the rest of the house, which I found worrisome.
No measuring tape for this guy, he just came in, stood in the kitchen addition for a while, looked things over, and asked to go to the basement floor below (which, by the way, is still 10 feet above the ground). On the landing right below the kitchen addition, he started to laugh.
"Has anyone bothered to look up?" he asked.
"Nope."
"So do it."
I looked up, and then I started to laugh, too. The kitchen addition slopes for a damn good reason ... it was built right on top of the sloping porch roof below it. The porch no longer exists in its original form, but the roof sure does. And of course, the original porch roof was sloped to slough off the rainfall. So the kitchen isn't sinking, after all. It was just built on a sloping roof to begin with. Go figure.
Then we went down to the very bottom of the house. He stood there, too, and shook his head in disgust.
"Back in the old days, they knew where to stop a house."
By that he meant that they knew how far out onto the hillside they could go on that slippery muck they were building on, and to go no further out onto the slope than absolutely necessary. If the house had stopped where they originally stopped it, and the porch hadn't been added onto the back, and the kitchen addition hadn't been put on top of the misbegotten porch, I wouldn't be having all these problems.
Another gem from TG: "Actually, a house should never have been built in this location."
Ummmm, well that one really gave me pause, but hell, it's here, so let's do what we can.
So then we went up to the second floor, where it is obvious that the weight of the kitchen addition is tearing the north end of the house away from the framing. On the northeast corner second story bedroom, there is a gap in the ceiling that is nearing an inch wide.
"Yup, gotta shore this thing up damn near immediately. The north end of the house is trying to leave."
So what it boils down to is that the house is not "jacking up" material. It needs to be shored up, which entails putting in new footings on the north, east, and west walls, and pouring a partial cement foundation about two feet high. Then we will put posts in the cement, so that when the house inevitably shifts again, we can add shims to the tops of the posts.
Anyway, the bright light on the horizon is that I have at last found someone who will work on the house.
Astoria Photografpix
astoria oregon, astoria, north slope, sliding house, foundation problems
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