Oak Tree Twins

I have a confession to make: I am in love with the above two oak trees. I pass by them two or three times a week, and every time, I just want to stop and stare at them.

I thought I'd let you have a chance to stop and stare, too. Or not. Whatever works for you.

These lovely trees are on E. Pine St. in Stayton.

Technorati tags: stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Standing in wait

With school starting next week, soon the stands at the football field at Regis High School in Stayton will be filled with students cheering their team on at games.

I went to a high school football game once, when I was a kid. I can't remember with whom I attended, or who was playing, or who won, or if I stayed for the whole thing. But other than that, it was great.

Technorati tags: high school football / stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Dandelion field

In this neck of the woods, school starts again in a week... the effective end of summer. My 14-year-old niece went into a slight panic yesterday when she realized she only had a week left before she begins high school. I'm more than a little happy those days are long behind me. :)

To me, the photo above is symbolic of summer's end, with autumn just around the corner -- a field of dandelions which have spent their days in the sun and are greeting the sunset, with change coming with the sunrise.

Or something like that. The photo was taken at sunset in Stayton.

Technorati tags: stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Native Plants for Sale

The sign above was posted outside someone's house on Larch Ave. in Stayton. I'm guessing -- and I could be wrong -- they sell plants which are native to the area. I just liked the sign, so I took its picture.

Technorati tags: stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Stack 'em high

A big part of Stayton is the Norpac Cannery on Washington St. If I grasp the concept correctly, a cannery is where various things of the food variety get packed into various cans. Those cans are then sent to various stores where various people buy the various things packed into various cans. But I could be wrong.

My family has a fairly extensive cannery-related history going back over seventy years, so you'd think I'd know more about the process. My grandfather ran a cannery for many years, and various other family members worked in them at various times. My parents ran a farm sometime before I was born, and were members of the co-op at the cannery.

Anyway, the crates above were stacked outside the cannery. I thought they were nifty.

Technorati tags: canneries / stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

A movie under the stars

Last night I attended a "movie under the stars" sponsored by The Stayton Public Library and Star Cinema. They showed the perennial classic, Grease, on the side of the Mason lodge in Stayton. Jeff Mexico, owner of the Star, graciously agreed to let me take his picture while he set up the projector.

Several people came, complete with lawn chairs, blankets, and munchies, and the weather was perfect for an outdoor movie. It was fun to watch young kids discover the movie for the first time, and to hear at least a couple folks sing along with the musical numbers. One young boy was even wearing a leather jacket similar to what John Travolta wears in the movie. He was adorable. I wish I'd been able to get his photo.

Technorati tags: stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Church of Christ

I finally remembered to take my tripod with me last night when I decided to take a few night shots. I know, you're very impressed.

The above sign is from the Church of Christ on Washington St. in Stayton. I love how it is backlit, casting the light around the sign. It's a lovely effect. If you click on the photo to view it full size, you can see the light play on the stonework of the building.

Technorati tags: church of christ / stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Horsing around

This is Mac, a horse which belongs to my brother's neighbor. He (the horse, not my brother or his neighbor) is wearing a fly mask to keep pesky little bugs off his face. That got me thinking.

One of the joys of having hands is that I can scratch an itch as it occurs, but if all one has are hooves, then flies, mosquitoes, and various other little creatures would be beyond annoying. On the other hand (hah!), feed bags like horses use would be rather nifty. The only physical activity I'd have to engage in is chewing... no more exerting myself, lifting forks, spoons, etc.

At least, so I suppose. I haven't actually tried it. Not yet, anyway.

The photo was taken a bit south of Salem, Oregon, somewhere out in the boonies.

Technorati tags: horses / stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Freight Train at Sunset

The west end of Stayton is mostly industrial. The freight train above was sitting prettily just off of Wilco Rd., the main road through the industrial section, with the setting sun casting a lovely golden glow on the train's exterior.

Yes, I said the train was "sitting prettily." Because it was.

An update to yesterday's Smoke Plume photo post: I searched a bit, and couldn't find any news articles about it online, so it was likely a controlled field burn. A rather large controlled burn.

Technorati tags: freight train / stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Smoke Plume

The above shot of a very large column of smoke was taken west of Stayton along Shaff Rd. I haven't been able to find any online news sources with information about it, so I'm not sure exactly where it was burning or what the cause of it was. I do know it was somewhere southeast of Stayton, between Lyons and Scio. It seemed too large to be an intentional field burning, but I'm far from an expert on the matter.

At the bottom of the photo is a farm field, with irrigation equipment in use.

Technorati tags: stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Tennis, anyone?

So there I was, taking photos on a small bridge on 2nd Ave. in Stayton, when I looked down and saw a little yellow tennis ball floating down the creek. It turned out to be my favorite photo I took that day. In fact, I felt kind of special that I was the only one there to see him (yes, I've decided the tennis ball is male) go by. Then again, I am easily amused.

I don't know where the little guy came from, or where he ended up, but he made me smile. I hope he does the same for you.

Technorati tags: stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Home of the Eagles

Way back in the day -- the fall of 1988 to be exact -- I began my freshman year at the public high school in Stayton. The photo above is the front of the gymnasium, a place I tried to avoid, despite pesky physical education requirements.

It was at that school I took one year of French, which I passed only because my best friend at the time already spoke it fairly fluently (her mother's from France), so she pulled me through. Thank you, Tiffanie, wherever you are.

The high school takes in kids from other smaller towns in the area, and has 850+ students according to their web site. It also has (at least, it did when I was there) an interesting symbiotic relationship with the nearby catholic high school, where some of their students would come over to the public high school for a few classes, such as French. You know, the one I almost didn't pass.

But I will always remember the teacher who took over for the regular French teacher, who was on maternity leave. Her first name was Barbara and she had a brother named Ken. Yes, friends, they were Barbie and Ken.

Technorati tags: stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Through the golden grasses

Next to the Methodist Church featured the other day is a rusted old shed sitting in the middle of a nifty golden field. I have no idea what the shed is used for -- to store farming equipment, I'm guessing. Dunno.

The thumbnail at right is another view of the field and shed. It just sits there (the shed, not the thumbnail... although it's just sitting there, too, now that I think about it), a silent sentinal, slowly showing its age as the years go by. Just like the rest of us. Well, except for my sister, who literally looks half her age. And it's all natural... no work done or anything.

Not that I'm jealous.

Anyway, the point of this post... uh, hold on while I try to remember what it is... oh, yeah. The shed. Well, technically, the shed in the photo is blurred, but that's on purpose. See, I used a selective focus, and...

Oh, heck, never mind. I hope you enjoy the photo. It was taken in Stayton, by the way, just off of Fern Ridge Road.

Technorati tags: stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Northward expansion

Note: I didn't originally intend to write what I did below. It just kind of happened. It's not directed at anyone, it's just my opinion, and it's what I happened to be thinking when I decided to post the above photo. Don't worry, I won't make this sort of thing a habit.

At the edge of used to be a field. It had trees, bushes, and wildflowers.

Then, not so long ago, development began. What you see above is only a small portion of the houses, and more are currently being built. That old field is now filled with houses and yards, with parents and kids, with cars and bikes, with roads and sidewalks. It now contains a lovely little park which I featured back in June. Some businesses, a retirement facility, and a gas station also moved into the new area. New businesses are going in.

In between some of the houses are signs to remind us the area is a wetland. When it was still a field, it wasn't uncommon for it to flood during heavy rains, even spilling out onto nearby roads on occasion. A field just across the road still floods. Residents call the area Stayton Lake, because that's what it looks like.

But like most towns, Stayton is constantly growing. When there isn't enough room in town, the people have to go somewhere. So boundaries are expanded, new roads are paved, new houses are built, new businesses are opened, and fewer fields can be seen. It's part of what we call progress.

In the background of the photo you can see there are still some fields, mostly used for farming, and there are trees dotting the landscape. It makes me wonder what will happen a year, five years, ten years down the line.

I don't really have a point to all of this... no dramatic conclusion, no words of wisdom to weather changes to come. I apologize if I ruffled any feathers with what I've written, or bored any of you readers. Tomorrow I'll be back to my (ir)regular self. Stay tuned.

Technorati tags: stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Sliding Up

When I was a kid, oh so long ago, playgrounds had slides made of metal. On hot days, the slides would heat up and burn the backs of your legs, whether you were wearing shorts or pants. And if you were wearing shorts, by golly, you'd stick to the dang things, no matter what the weather. And all the slides had that flat area at the end which pooled water when it rained, and that pool would stay there for days, rendering the slide basically useless. That was part of being a kid, back in my day.

Slides are different now. They all seem to be made of molded plastic. There's no way such slides could heat up like the metal ones did. And where are the flat areas to pool the water? Is nothing sacred anymore?!

Well, what slides are made of may have changed, but the way children play on them certain hasn't. I can't tell you how many times I walked up a slide like the boy in the photo is doing, just to slide back down and do it all over again.

Of course, in my day it was harder. You can't slip on plastic like you could on metal. Especially when it rained. Ah, the good ol' days. ;)

The above photo was taken at Westown Park in Stayton.

Technorati tags: stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

The hills at sunset

So I was standing on top of the tallest hill in Stayton, in the middle of Lone Oak Cemetery, because it was sunset. You know, when the sky turns all sorts of pretty colors. Last night's sunset was a very pretty gold.

This shot looks west out past city limits towards Aumsville, a bustling metropolis of rougly 3,000 bustling people, and Turner, a town of approximately 1,100 non-stop action-oriented folks.

Party on, friends. ;)

Technorati tags: stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Methodist Church

The above is the United Methodist Church on Fern Ridge Rd. in Stayton. It recently underwent an extensive renovation, including the reinstallation of the bell tower (click here to see a close up of the tower).

The bell once hung at the church, but had been in storage for several years. It was put back up during the renovation.

As a point of interest, Fern Ridge Rd. is home to four churches, despite being a pretty short road. It also has a cemetery (and mortuary right around the corner), and is about a block away from the town hospital. So you can get born, get churched (in one or more of four different religions!), and get dead and buried all in one handy dandy location.

Technorati tags: methodist church / stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Boys on boards

After I was finished taking pictures the other day of the construction site (and its photogenic garbage bin ;) ), I was in the middle of putting my camera away when three boys on skateboards zipped by me. I just barely managed to get my camera back out and turned on to take the above photo. They were practically gone before I even realized they were there. I apologize for the blurriness.

This was taken on 1st Ave in Stayton, next to where a dentist's office (which used to be a pharmacy), which is next to where that dentist's office will be (that building used to be a dog groomer's place), which is in front of the library (which used to be the fire department), and across the street from a parking lot (which used to be a house and yard), and it's also across the street from the phone company (seen in the background of the photo), which also used to be the cable company and also used to be a cell phone provider, but then it wasn't, and now it is again. I think.

And I am my own grandpa.

Technorati tags: skateboarding / stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

2623

A Stayton dentist is building a bigger office roughly two inches away from his current office. That, of course, means all kinds of fun stuff sitting around, like portable toilets, chain link fences, pylons, and garbage bins, like the one pictured above.

That's right, I stood around in a parking lot taking pictures of a giant garbage can. Not only that, I also took a picture of a pylon. Having a digital camera can be a dangerous thing, since it can make one take pictures of all kinds of random junk, in the off chance one of the photos might be something which doesn't completely suck. But partial suckiness I can live with. I'm not that picky.

Technorati tags: stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Bridge of light and shadows

Sometimes photos almost take themselves. I was walking across Jordan Bridge, the covered bridge in Stayton, and saw the way the light and shadows fell and just had to take a picture. Sometimes my obsessive compulsiveness comes in handy. :)

Great news

Two days ago I posted about a friend who was missing in Arizona. I am very happy to report he was found yesterday, alive and well. I don't know what happened yet (and whether he shares them publicly is up to him), but what's important is he's okay.

Technorati tags: covered bridge / stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Radio service

There's an long defunct TV and appliance store on 3rd Ave in Stayton. It still advertises 'records, cassettes, and compact discs' in peeling letters on the window. It has a faded 'RCA clearance sale' banner in another. Whatever's left inside the store is covered and forgotten. Blinds are drawn in all the windows. Planters sit outside the door which haven't held flowers in who knows how long. This place hasn't been in business for many years, and it shows.

But at the back of the store a neon sign proclaiming 'radio service' still glows. It peeks out at passersby through the gaps in the blinds. It catches my eye whenever I pass the store. I am always amazed the building still has electricity, and that the neon on the sign is still lit. I hate to think of it ever going out.

To see the whole building, click on the thumbnail at right.

Technorati tags: neon signs / stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Nice rack

Today's photo is being posted just because I like it. It's a bicycle rack which lives outside the public library in Stayton.

While I was there, a girl walked by and asked what I was taking photos of. My brilliant reply? "Just... stuff." The girl nodded her head, and walked away. I have such a way with words.

Actually, at the time I was trying to take pictures of tree roots (here's one of the photos), and that meant pointing the camera at the ground a lot. I wasn't quite sure how to explain that.

A Serious Note and Request

UPDATE: STEVE WAS FOUND ALIVE AND SAFE ON AUGUST 11, 2006!!!

A friend named Steve Davidson (he's from here in Oregon but now lives in Mesa, Arizona) has been missing since July 23rd. Please visit the MySpace web site his family and friends have set up for more information about him.

We hadn't been in contact for a couple of years, and just the other day I was thinking I needed to email him and get back in touch. Then I opened yesterday's newspaper and read the article about him being gone. Please, if you live in Oregon, Arizona, or anywhere even remotely close, please visit the MySpace page and learn about him. Maybe you can help find him. Thanks.

Technorati tags: movie theater / stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Nighttime Star

Back in June, I posted a photo of the Star Cinema in Stayton. That photo really didn't do the place justice, so yesterday I took a new photo, this time at night.

The building has neon lights which create a great atmosphere, like you're stepping into the past when you walk through the door.

To learn more about the Star, visit their web site.

Technorati tags: movie theater / stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

3rd Avenue

The south end of 3rd Avenue in Stayton is known as the "downtown" area. It's not the busiest street -- that honor belongs to 1st Ave. -- but in a lot of ways, it's really the heart of the town.

Most of the buildings on this end of the street are decades old. The movie theater has been there since the early part of last century. And on Sunday evenings, you can walk around in the middle of the street and take photos without worrying about getting run over.

Which is what I was doing two days ago. The photo above was taken standing next to the movie theater on the left (which is where there are cars parked... a movie was showing at the time), which is next to City Hall, which is next to an insurance company, which is next to a bar. On the right is our only new clothing store, a new pizza place, and a heating and cooling place which has been there for years. I think there's another bar in there somewhere, too.

On a side note, in my wanderings, I took photos of a window, inside a window, and the neon sign on top of the movie theater.... just in case you want to see things in a little bit more detail.

Technorati tags: stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Black and white in color

These two police cars were parked outside the police station in Stayton. This department is full of kind people, from the woman in the front office who registers dog licenses and who's so proud of her springer spaniel, to the ordinance officer who stood on the hood of her truck to reach an injured bird in a tree, to the patrol officer who still comes to your house to take a report on vandalized Christmas lights, even when we told them they don't have to.

Life in a small town -- it's not perfect, but it's pretty good.


Update to yesterday's post: turns out I actually did get a photo of the artichokes. Who knew?

Click on the photo at right to see the full-sized version on Flickr.

Technorati tags: police cars / stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Community garden

Stayton has a nifty community garden where folks can sign up for plots they can plant in, complete with a built-in watering system. The two-sided bulletin board has articles posted with helpful tips on growing various things like tomatoes, and information on how to sign up for a plot for next year.

When I was there, a nice woman at a nearby house told me to be sure to get a photo of the artichokes because they were pretty. I didn't tell her I wouldn't know an artichoke if it came up and bit me in my tomato, if you know what I mean. I just walked around taking various photos, hoping at lease one of them involved the fabled vegetable. Provided it is a vegetable. I really wouldn't know.

Technorati tags: wood carving / pioneer park / stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Carved in wood

Continuing yesterday's theme of "what doesn't belong here" (I just made that up, so don't feel you missed anything), today's photo is of a face carved in the Stayton-Jordan covered bridge at Pioneer Park in Stayton.

It's unfortunate the person who carved it chose to deface the bridge in such a way. It's especially unfortunate because the person in question seems to have artistic talent. Unlike graffiti, this can't be painted over, since it's carved in the wood of the structure.

But, it is what it is, and it makes for an interesting picture. I apologize for not getting better perspective on it, but I would have had to climb onto the side part of the bridge to get to it. I probably would've tumbled into the water if I'd tried.

Technorati tags: wood carving / pioneer park / stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

The happiest tree

The other day on my walk through Wilderness Park in Stayton brought me across the above -- a cut log with a smiley face (complete with its tongue sticking out) spray painted on it. It was hiding on a side path not far from the main walking area.

Normally I'm not a fan of defacing things, but this I loved. It was unexpected little surprise brought a smile to my face and it wasn't hurting anything, so it's all good in my book. I give the artist an A+ for style and creativity.

Technorati tags: wilderness park / pioneer park / stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Danger: Swift Water

The water doesn't look that swift, but I didn't jump in to find out. I'll just have to take the sign's word for it.

This was taken on 4th Ave. in Stayton.

Technorati tags: water / bridge / stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

A River Runs Through It

I took a walk yesterday over the creek and through the woods, to the place the above photo was taken. Wilderness Park to be exact, which is located behind Pioneer Park in Stayton. I didn't even know they were two separate parks until recently.

But now I know Wilderness Park is a 55-acre wooded area with paths and waterways running through it here and there. At the back is what you see above. I'm a bit confused on the geography of waterways, so I can't figure out if the one in the photo dumps directly into the nearby Santiam River, or if it's just close. Dunno.

While I was there, a young girl was bent over the water for several minutes, apparently intent on catching a fish with her bare hands. Her efforts were ultimately in vain, but you have to admire her optimism.

Technorati tags: wilderness park / pioneer park / stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog

Daily Photo Theme Day: Self Portrait in Favorite Place

I didn't wanna do it. Post a picture of me, that is. But it's theme day for the various daily photo blogs, so I did it for the community. I know, I'm so selfless. My photo was taken at Pioneer Park in Stayton, with the Stayton-Jordan covered bridge in the background.

See what the other wild and whacky folks in the daily photo world for their self portraits by following the links below:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29

(Note: I'm posting this a few hours early, since a bunch of the DP'ers above are in other countries and way ahead of the Pacific Time zone, where I am.)

Technorati tags: pioneer park / stayton / willamette valley / oregon / daily photo / photoblog