Lonely souls, adventurous spirits, and outdoor-sy people, if you haven't visited it yet, there is a beautiful, barely-inhabited stretch of West Coast peninsula that will help you reminisce on the days of the Wild West, when saloons and churches battled for souls in tiny towns. Come and discover Oysterville and Nahcotta in Washington, through photographs taken in the fall of 2015. You may just want to take a trip there afterwards. In reading the captions of my photos on display, you will learn about the ties the region has with San Francisco, how much gold a Willapa Bay oyster harvest paid in the mid-1800's, and about the mysterious missing streets of the city on the bay. With historic residents from as far as Norway and as exotic as the Isle of Man, wouldn't you be intrigued? Thought so!
There isn't much by way of businesses at the end of the straight-shot road. You've got the Oysterville Store, run by the multi-talented Greg Rogers, selling local art, Oysterville-inspired sweatshirts for your walks on the windy beach and bay, as well as locally crafted goods and vintage candies. And The Oysterville Sea Farms Store, where you can buy canned oysters, crab, salmon,and tuna free of preservatives, as well as the "Willabay Best Breading for Everything" to fry 'em up at home. Clams and Oysters can be eaten here that were harvested the same day, and they have the reputation of being the best in the country (lucky us!). If you get that itching to stay longer, you can post up at the 3 bedroom Oysterville Guest House on Territory Road, where you can enjoy their herb garden and a fire-pit (yay!). Stop in Nahcotta's Bailey's Bakery and Cafe' for some chowder, baked goods, and espresso. In case you ran outta there and forgot to bring any seafood home, you can always visit one more local online store at http://www.willapa-oysters.com/ I mean, they will ship you crab mac and cheese, for cryin' out loud!
The show will open during the May 2016 Second Saturday Artwalk in downtown Astoria at Forsythea, a home and garden store located at 1124 Commercial Street. The owner of the store, Patricia Fagerland, has contributed her drawings in the very charming historic walking tour map of Oysterville.
On display will also be a handful of shots from Oregon's north coast, where I live.
Artwalk is officially from 5 - 8pm on Saturday, May 14, 2016. I will be there in person to answer your questions and guide you through the night! For the full printable PDF of May's artwalk flyer, click here.
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