Civil War Re enactments at Fort Stevens

I never knew there were so many worlds within worlds.  I met some historical actors.  I didn't know they did living history when I first me them.  I met them over cats.  They adopted a little Siamese girl from me and we've been friends ever since.  Only later did I learn of their hobby.

But I began meeting others who do the same thing.  I was surprised.  I had not known so many people enjoyed recreating different periods in history, as a hobby or even as a part time job.   Yesterday, I met more, in the field behind Fort Stevens state park, encamped as living history of the Civil War.

The Civil War was brutal, deadly and bloody.   It was a horrible event in our history but had to happen.   Remembering it is one thing so as not to repeat mistakes.  Billy the Kid was involved, when very young, in one of the brutal battles, where men's penises were cut off while they were still alive, things like that and hammers to the head dispatched captured wounded.  Did witness to that turn him into what he became?  Reliving it as a way of life or hobby, I couldn't do that.  I have a vivid imagination where I can sometimes feel what I imagine or remember.   So I try to keep the bad memories asleep, don't need more.  War can seem romantic at a distance and patriotic.  At a distance.

Ran into a deer up near one of the Fort Stevens guns

Also a ground squirrel with very fat stuffed cheeks!

Shadow of me.  Inside a battery building.

After I finally left the old fort area of the park, I went back down to the campground section, drove through on Peter Iredale road, but did not first go to the beach that contains the ribs of that shipwreck.  I went to the right back towards the jetty.  I did not turn in at the various beach access parking lots.  Like Area A or B.  I went past the jetty, which might be Area C, clear down to Area D.  I'd never been to Area D before.  It's on the Columbia side.

Cars and trucks out on the sand.  People fishing, from land and on the Columbia River, not far from its confluence with the Pacific Ocean.  Just around the corner in fact is the Pacific.  This is taken from Area D.  Area C is the south jetty, that sticks out into the Pacific at the mouth of the Columbia.

The Columbia River, taken from Area D.

I drove back from Area D to the turn out to the jetty parking lot.  From there you can climb up an observation tower, to look both directions, to the Pacific or back at the Columbia river or out to the jetty.  Or you can hike maybe a quarter mile out from the parking lot, along the jetty, to a beach, on the Columbia side of the jetty, which is what I did.  This is taken from the beach, on the north of the jetty, looking out into the ocean.

This looks at the ocean south of the jetty.  After walking out to the beach on the north side, I walked east from the tower near the parking lot along the jetty, until I could find an easy way across it to the beach south of it.  I waded in the surf and enjoyed myself before returning to my car the same way I'd come.  Lots of walking yesterday.

I took these of barnacles on the rocks with the close up button on the point and shoot camera I mostly use now.   I love the camera.  When my other one broke, someone in Texas sent it to me.    The barnacles look like teeth have sprouted and grown on the ocean exposed rocks.

After leaving the jetty area, I went to the Peter Iredale beach and collapsed on the sand, promptly falling asleep.  I woke in time to head back to Astoria, just a few minutes away, to pick up the cats.  Once there I realized I had about 45 minutes to spare and walked more along the river walk, which is amazing. The town was crammed with people enjoying themselves.

Peter Iredale shipwreck ribs and people on the beach there, at Fort Stevens state park near Astoria.

Astoria Trolley.  It runs up and down the river front.  By river, I mean, to those not from Oregon, the Columbia.

Time to pick up the cats finally.   Worn out too I was.

Echo went this time.

As did Echo's sister, Fantasia.

And Molly went also.

Today will be a day of sleep.  For the three of them, and for me.