Chapter 79: Happy New Year!

With Grama doing well after her brain surgery and me still holding together and able to sit for the 3 hour ride, Bob and I decided to both go check the cabin out and have a weekend away.

We arrived Thursday afternoon and set out Friday to entertain ourselves. It was about 30 degrees and very clear and windy so hiking to the lighthouses or on trails was out of the question so we drove over to Astoria. I've been wanting to check out the Astoria Column. It is located on the highest hill in Astoria and is 125 feet tall and sits on a 600 foot tall hill overlooking EVERYTHING. Once we walked around, we discovered that it was  $FREE$ to climb the column so off we went. Even though I had been active since my surgery, I hadn't actually exercised. About 1/2 way up the 164 steps I got kinda winded but it didn't last too long.

Here's a picture of the Column itself. There are Christmas lights on it to make it look like a tree up on the hill, not guy wires like I first thought.

Engraving on the side...

The very top...

Looking up to the dome from the bottom of the column...

Once at the top you could see for miles and miles and miles. This is Saddle Mountain south of us and it's a bit east of Cannon Beach.

The Astoria-Meglar Bridge looks tiny although it is actually over 4 miles long.

We can see both Mt. Rainier on the left, and Mt. St. Helen's on the right in the same eyeful.

The Columbia River.

The lump in the center of the picture is Cannon Beach.

To the south over the bridge is Warrenton. Warrenton is important because there is a Home Depot, Costco and Starbucks. We spend a LOT of time and money at Home Depot. You can see the approximate location of these amazing places in the white area at the south end of the Warrenton Bridge.

Our tour made me very hungry, but then, what doesn't? So we stopped at Fort George Brewery + Public House in Astoria. The building is chockablock with history. The original Fort George, founded in 1811, was the first American-owned settlement on the Pacific Coast. The Fort George Building is built on the site of old fort, and the spring that watered it. Just look at the size of the timbers in the ceiling. Now that's old-growth timber. 

On our way back from Astoria we looped through the little fishing town of Ilwako. It's tradition that they make a Christmas tree from crab pots. We didn't get back at night to see it lit up. 

Ilwako is so proud of their little town they even decorate their sewage treatment plant!

A quick drive on the beach to watch the clam diggers in action.

Saturday I put some chips in the side yard and attracted a bunch of birds for Nitro to watch. You can see he has his Big Cat hunter crouch on.

We watched a movie then heard fireworks. I did not even realize it was New Year's Eve until I heard them. I was in bed by 10.

Bob straightened out some electrical in the porch bedrooms. Nothing is as it seems in that cabin. Even though Bob knew he'd cut the power to this fixture before he started working on it, I REALLY unnerved him by taking a flash picture when he touched it. (Insert choice words here.)

Of course the wiring issue was not contained in the ceiling and involved him taking the sheetrock off the wall that he had installed on our last visit.

A Happy and Prosperous New Year to All!