Over the Water

My favorite ditch in Stayton runs by the public library and the Community Center Park, and provide a good place to hang out. These trees literally hang over the water, and I just think they're nifty.

I took this photo last summer. During these dull, gray winter months, I find myself longing for the sun. Of course, once the hot weather of summer rolls around, I'm sure I'll be longing for winter.

Water Tower

A view of the water tower... which is probably the highest structure in Stayton, from an elevation standpoint. Those things on top of the tower are cell/mobile receiver thingies (surely that's the proper technical term), from what I understand.

It's good it says 'Stayton' on the side, just in case folks in town ever forget where they are and need a reminder.

Nature's Gold

It's been raining a lot lately, so I thought I'd post a photo of a happier time, when the sky was filled with golden hues from a sun I can now only vaguely remember.

Oneonta Gorge

Guest photographer Tom Grimes of Gresham took the beautiful photo above of Oneonta Gorge in the Columbia River Gorge along the northern border of Oregon. His description:

This is a photo taken of Oneonta Gorge in the Columbia River Gorge. You can only visit during the summer low water. The first challenge is climbing over the log jam that blocks the canyon. Then you wade up the creek to the falls.

Thank you, Tom, for making the trek and taking this lovely photo.

Photo is Copyright © Tom Grimes. All rights reserved. Do not copy, redistribute, or modify without permission of photographer.

Road Out of Town

This bridge spans the Santiam River as the road heads south of out city limits. It isn't a long bridge... at least when going over it in a car. But I discovered it seems a lot longer when one's walking it and the darned thing lacks a sidewalk and cars are rushing very close by in a rapid manner.

That's just the sacrifice I make to take photos for this here site. ;)

Park Bench

This bench lives at a newish park on the north end of 3rd Ave. I think it's called Santiam Park, but I'm not sure. The park section for the City of Stayton is a bit out of date on that front.

If it isn't called Santiam, then let's pretend. The park, whatever you want to call it, is one of several public parks around town. I'm always happy to see places for kids and their families to have fun.

Train Tracks

Today's photo is just a shot of the train tracks along Locust St. at the west end of town.

I posted a photo back in November (Rail Line) by Dave at StaytonEvents.com of the same tracks, taken a little bit further west. His blows my photo out of the water. :)

Church Bell

This is the recently reinstated church bell at the United Methodist Church on Fern Ridge Rd. It used to be at the church, then it wasn't, and now it is again.

The ridged thing in the foreground is part of the church's roof. It has a nifty pattern to it, in my opinion.

Open Door

In the 'historic' section of downtown Stayton, on 3rd Ave., several older buildings have storefronts at street level and apartments up above. This doorway leads to such apartments.

Foothills Church

The non-denominational Foothills Church resides on Fern Ridge Rd. It's one of four churches all on that part of Fern Ridge Rd., all of different denominations.

That stretch also has a cemetery, mortuary, and hospital either on the road or right near. I like to think of it as one stop shopping of the living and dying sort. But, then again, I'm not exactly right in the head. ;)

By the Side of the Road

Today's photo is a bridge railing on the south end of town, between 3rd and 4nd Ave, along E. Water St. It sits over a different part the same water canal of which I posted a photo the other day. Then, I wasn't sure what the water was called, but Dave over at StaytonEvents.com helpfully provided an explanation (thanks, Dave!):

It looks like the power canal. It feeds the old power plant at 3rd and Water St. It also is one of the intake supplies for the Stayton water plant.

So it's both useful and pretty. Gotta like that.

Immaculate Conception Church

The Immaculate Conception Church sits across the street from St. Mary's catholic grade school on 6th Ave. It has a lovely stained glass window on the front, of which I posted a photo back in July.

Stayton has several churches, and I keep meaning to take pictures of all of them. For now, you can view the church photos I've already taken.

The Worms Crawl Out

We had some heavy rain yesterday, and it brought out the worms. They were everywhere... sidewalks, streets, driveways.

The little fella above was busy working his way up a hilly driveway when I took his photo. That's rather industrious for such a small guy. Or gal. Or whatever. I didn't check. ;)

Walk Along the Water

Finding a map which names the bodies of water around Stayton ain't easy. I've found two different topography maps which seem to have conflicting information. Or I just don't understand how to read them. Or both.

Anyway, the water in the photo above is either something called 'main canal' (of what, I don't know, but it's near 'lateral canal'... at least, according to one of the maps), or it's an offshoot of the Santiam River. I think. It could be a very large and persistent puddle for all know.

It runs along Wilderness Park, which sits behind Pioneer Park in Stayton.

Beautiful End To A Great Day

We have another photo from guest photographer Ronda Faught! This time it's a lovely photo she took a few days ago in nearby Springfield. Thanks again for sharing, Ronda.

Click here for more images from Ronda and other guest photographers.

Photo is Copyright © Ronda Faught. All rights reserved. Do not copy, redistribute, or modify without permission of photographer.

Crows' Nest

I really like crows. I think they're beautiful, with their shiny black feathers. But, alas, I get the impression the feeling isn't mutual.

There's a certain yard I pass by often which gets frequented by a mass amount of crows, and I every time I try to take their pictures they fly away. *sniff* And I adore them so.

I did manage to get a picture of several of them sitting in a tree... I couldn't tell if any of them were k-i-s-s-i-n-g. ;) I count 14 of them in the photo.

And, in case you were wondering, this is a actual new photo! Wow, eh?

Green Water

One more time into the ditch. Yes, friends, I can't seem to stay away from the rather pretty ditch which runs through Stayton.

This photo is of some trees and bushes being reflected into the water, taken at Pioneer Park. It's very green. I like it.

Trees Near and Far

Another shot from last summer -- some trees in a field on the northeast end of Stayton. See, one tree is near and the other is far. Am I blowing your mind? Hmmm??

Didn't think so. I just couldn't come up with a better title, so we'll just have to live with this one.

2nd Avenue Bridge

This little bridge spans a different section of the adorably named Salem Ditch than what I posted yesterday. It sits on 2nd Ave., between the telephone company and the Stayton Chamber of Commerce. For whatever reason, I adore the red railings on the bridge.

Thanks to those who sent me well wishes yesterday. I really appreciate it. It's going to take me a bit to work through it, but hopefully I'll feel better soon.

Creek

I dug into my non-published photo archives today for a photo I took last July of the small creek which runs next to Pioneer Park.

As I think I've pointed out in the past, the creek is actually called Salem Ditch, since it's a ditch which runs between Stayton and Salem. I don't know how much of it is man made and how much of it is natural. I don't really care. I just know it's pretty for a ditch.

Sorry about the non-recent photo... I haven't been feeling well this last week, so my photo taking has been limited. As soon as my body cooperates, I'll go back out there and annoy the townsfolk with my camera once again.

Three Sisters

Three Sisters Mountains from Monument peak on a beautiful June day

We have another gorgeous photo from the talented Ronda Faught, this time of the Three Sisters mountains in the Cascade Mountain Range. You can read more about the Three Sisters at Wikipedia.

Thanks as always to Ronda for contributing such beautiful photos.

Photo is Copyright © Ronda Faught. All rights reserved. Do not copy, redistribute, or modify without permission of photographer.

Mount Jefferson

Mt. Jefferson from Monument peak on a beautiful June day

We have another stunning photo from guest photographer Ronda Faught! Mt. Jefferson is in the nearby Cascade Mountain Range, which lie east of Stayton, and is the second highest mountain in Oregon (source: Wikipedia). Ronda took this photo from Monument Peak, also in the Cascades.

On a clear day, Mt. Jefferson can be seen from certain parts of Stayton.

Tomorrow I'll be sharing another photo Ronda sent in of the Three Sisters mountains. Be sure to check back, because it's another beauty.

Photo is Copyright © Ronda Faught. All rights reserved. Do not copy, redistribute, or modify without permission of photographer.

Library Expansion

Back in November, I posted a photo of the beginning stages of an expansion of the public library here in Stayton.

They've made some significant progress. I read the other day they've raised $2 million of the roughly $2.3 million needed to complete construction. This community has really come together to make the bigger and better library a reality. Gotta love that.

In the photo, the existing library is on the left. The construction will add significant size to the library. I can't wait to see it when it's completed. You can be sure I'll be taking photos.

6th Ave

Today's photo is the view from the top of the steepest hill in town, on 6th Ave. It's hard to get a feel of the steepness from this photo, so let me illustrate with a story from my youth.

Once when I was probably nine or ten, a friend decided to try to ride his skateboard down the hill. The road is not without its bumps, though, so it was a short lived trip. My friend ended up with scraped knees and hands, but his skateboard managed to continue the ride for a bit longer, until it hit a curb, flipped completely over sideways, and landed on its wheels. It suffered no permanent injuries.

Needless to say, I did not try to follow suit... on a skateboard, that is. But on a bicycle, going down the hill full tilt is a brief but exhilarating experience. Not that I would recommend it, of course. That would just be wrong and dangerous and I don't want to be sued. ;)

By the way, that white dome in the photo is part of St. Mary's elementary school.

Clearance 8'4"

This completely random photo was taken at a bank drive-through, because I was at there and I had a camera, so I took a picture. You've always wanted to see the clearance sign at a bank drive-through in Stayton, haven't you? That's what I'm here for: to fulfill your every photo need.

The View From 10th Avenue

It's kinda tough to get overview type shots of Stayton, since there are really one two hilly areas of town, and they're both pretty close together. The rest of Stayton is pretty flat.

I keep trying to find new views from the same place, the top of 10th Ave., since it affords the best views. This shot looks south at a less populated area of town... and out beyond city limits. I'm fairly certain there are houses down in there somewhere, but it's not easy to tell with all the trees.

Up In Smoke

I took this photo from a hill behind a house on Dawn Dr. I just thought the smoke looked nifty with the sun shining through it. Makes it look like the smoke is glowing.

Thanks to everyone who commented about my theme day photo yesterday. I really appreciate it.

DP Theme Day: What Really Annoys Me In My City

This month's theme day was hard. I have a few issues with Stayton, and have mentioned a couple of them in the past (new homes being built everywhere, reduced green spaces, and similar themes). But when I learned of this month's theme, the first thing that popped into my head was sidewalks and curbs.

As a person with a disability, I've been keenly aware of what areas of town do and don't have handicap accessibly sidewalks, what streets have no sidewalks at all, and things which temporarilyy block sidewalks, like garbage cans, cars, overreaching sprinklers, etc.

It's like running an obstacle course to try to go down many streets in town in a wheelchair or on a scooter. It requires darting in and out of traffic just to get a few blocks down the road.

So that's my annoyance. The photos above show a few sidewalks without curb cuts, which are the sloped corners you see on newer sidewalks. The big photo is on a busy street (Washington St.), and for anyone in a wheelchair or scooter wanting to get up on that sidewalk, they either have to go several feet out of the way, or go up that little "ramp" on the upper right side of the photo, which requires going out into traffic, and doesn't quite reach the sidewalk so it doesn't do much good. Not even remotely safe.

The others are near the elementary school, where children ride bikes, etc., every day. You can see part of the photos show sidewalks going only one direction, broken blacktop on the streets, and definitely no handicap access.

This is an issue I've raised in the past to the city council, letters to the editor, etc. Granted, these sidewalks are older, and it requires funding to fix. But still, it's been many years with no improvements in a lot of areas. I hope it gets fixed someday soon.

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Over 50 Daily Photo sites are participating in the 1st February theme, "What really annoys you about your city", please use the links to below to visit them.

Due to time zone differences and other factors, the theme photo may not be displayed until later if you are viewing early in the day.

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