The Flickr Astoria Image Generatr

After observing the VE Day silence, and then a lovely lunch wtih my Mum and my Uncle in Twickenham, Mum and I made our way to the River Thames for a riverside walk, near Hampton Court Palace.

I have long been fascinated by the houseboat "Astoria". Built in the early 1900s by a theatre impresario, there is room enough under the shade on the top deck for a 90 piece orchestra.

Ownership of the boat was taken on, in the early 80s, by Mr David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, who converted it into a recording studio in which significant parts of the last few (post Roger Waters) PF albums were recorded, as well as Mr Gilmour's solo work. I am a huge fan and rate Mr Gilmour as the finest electric guitar player ever. Of course, that is highly subjective.

I was pleased to finally see the boat, having read a lot about it and seen clips and pics of the interior online. There were no signs of activity around the boat, so I have nothing to report about any new David Gilmour or Pink Floyd albums.... ;-)

Ana Magruder
Watercolor on paper on wood panel.
28 x 28 inches

Art at Phở Mekha, Astoria, Oregon.

The Artist's statement:

In modern urban mythology, Portland and Astoria have reputations as having been hotspots in the late 1800s for "Shanghaiing," which involved men being kidnapped and forced into labor on a ship.

Although this practice did occur, it was not commonplace, likely because it required the perpetrator to commit felony kidnapping, a notorious crime.

"Crimping" was far more common, because it skirted the edge of the law. Men known as "crimps" ran boardinghouses that provided services on credit to sailors and other unemployed men.

When they were unable to repay their debts, they were forced to work on ships to repay the debts. The crimps benefited by taking a cut of the advances paid to
the indebted "sailors" that they delivered to ship captains.

Old maps often included sea monsters in remote reaches of the oceans, but in this map-rather than attacking the ship-the monster is preventing crimped and Shanghaied victims from escaping.

The mermaid muses represent alcohol, prostitution, gambling and entertainment-vices used to lure sailors to boardinghouses and set them on course for a cruel journey.

About the Artist:

I am a Portland, Oregon oil painter. My favorite subjects are people, animals and whatever lies between. Drifting between realism and surrealism, I love recreating vintage America, re-imagining the lives and stories of the characters on my canvas or just exploring the emotional color of faces.

I am inspired by past eras. My love of vintage things was instilled in me at an early age. When my family visited my grandparents, we would explore the local antique shops and flea markets. My love of vintage treasure hunts and the thrill of the “find” has carried over into my artwork, and now I am always on the lookout for striking images and themes from bygone days. As I explore the magic and beauty of scenes from past lives—historic or recent—the addition of imaginative or unexpected elements creates a narrative that emerges on my canvas.

My attraction to faces, people and the stories behind them is a consistent theme in my art. My focus on facial features is a way of working through a mild deficiency in my own ability to recognize faces (prosopagnosia) and exploring what makes each person unique. I enhance the stories behind the faces in my paintings with details, textures and/or colors that provide clues about how I see subjects’ psyches and moods.

Anna Magruder is a recipient of a 2014 RACC grant for her "Oregon's Painted History" series and was honored with a 2015 Artist Residency at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos. In 2012 she was a featured artist on Oregon Art Beat—OPB's Emmy Award-winning statewide arts series. Her art appears in numerous publications and book covers.

Anna Magruder Art & Illustration -- specializing in portraits, whimsy and historic.

Anna Magruder
Oil on handwoven strips of canvas, contemporary beads, vintage 1800s trade beads.
32 x 68"

Art at Phở Mekha, Astoria, Oregon.

The artist's statement:

When Astoria was established as a trading post along the Columbia, approximately 200 Clatsop tribe members inhabited the area.

The early Astorians cultivated an alliance with one-eyed Chief Comcomly from which they both beneflted -- Comcomly negotiating and delivering highly desired beaver, otter and other furs in exchange for goods, such as beads, tools, tobacco, copper sheets, clothing, and flrearms.

Unlike other tribes, when the Unitd States claimed the Oregon territory, the members of the Clatsop tribe were not required to move to a reservation, and in fact, they were the only tribe in Oregon that was not removed to a reservation.

The approximately 200 remaining members now form an unofflcial confederation, the Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribes of Oregon.

In 2001, the Chinook tribe (which included the Clatsop) gained offlcial recognition, but it was reversed by the Bush administration.

They remain un-recognized, despite their efforts. The Clatsop-Nehalem have been turned down for membership with both the Confederated Tribes of Siletz and Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.

The tribe today has no formal recognition and has
struggled to retain its identity.

Authentic Indian trading beads from the early 1800s are interspersed through this piece.

These beads can be identified by the inclusion of two beads tied together (look carefully, some of the second beads are very small pieces of bone). Authentic trade beads also surround Chief Comcomly's panel.


About the Artist:

I am a Portland, Oregon oil painter. My favorite subjects are people, animals and whatever lies between. Drifting between realism and surrealism, I love recreating vintage America, re-imagining the lives and stories of the characters on my canvas or just exploring the emotional color of faces.

I am inspired by past eras. My love of vintage things was instilled in me at an early age. When my family visited my grandparents, we would explore the local antique shops and flea markets. My love of vintage treasure hunts and the thrill of the “find” has carried over into my artwork, and now I am always on the lookout for striking images and themes from bygone days. As I explore the magic and beauty of scenes from past lives—historic or recent—the addition of imaginative or unexpected elements creates a narrative that emerges on my canvas.

My attraction to faces, people and the stories behind them is a consistent theme in my art. My focus on facial features is a way of working through a mild deficiency in my own ability to recognize faces (prosopagnosia) and exploring what makes each person unique. I enhance the stories behind the faces in my paintings with details, textures and/or colors that provide clues about how I see subjects’ psyches and moods.

Anna Magruder is a recipient of a 2014 RACC grant for her "Oregon's Painted History" series and was honored with a 2015 Artist Residency at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos. In 2012 she was a featured artist on Oregon Art Beat—OPB's Emmy Award-winning statewide arts series. Her art appears in numerous publications and book covers.

Anna Magruder Art & Illustration -- specializing in portraits, whimsy and historic.
riverseagallery.com/artist/anna-magruder#biography

Anna Magruder
30 x 40 inches


Art at Phở Mekha, Astoria, Oregon.

The artist's statement:

Born in Germany, John Jacob Astor (1763-1848) made his fortune in the fur trading industry and New York real estate. After arriving as a near-penniless immigrant, Astor became the first multi-millionaire in the United States.

At the outset of the Nineteenth Century, Astor set out to establish a global trading empire based at the mouth of the Columbia River in what is now Oregon. He had concluded
that the entire tradable wealth of western North America lay in its furs, so he set out to establish the first permanent U.S. settlement on the West Coast as a global trading empire, and in June 1810, Astor organized the Pacific Fur Company.

Astor, while remaining in New York, dispatched two groups of men west-one by sea around the southern tip of South America and one by land over the Rockies-to establish a worldwide
trading network centered at present-day Astoria.

Conflict, death, starvation and other horrors plagued both the ship, the Tonquin, and the overland party, with a total of 61 lives lost en route.

Astoria never became the fur-trading emporium Astor had envisioned. But over time, that first, tiny settlement evolved into a
boat and ship building center, a successful timber town and the salmon-canning capital of the world.


About the Artist:

I am a Portland, Oregon oil painter. My favorite subjects are people, animals and whatever lies between. Drifting between realism and surrealism, I love recreating vintage America, re-imagining the lives and stories of the characters on my canvas or just exploring the emotional color of faces.

I am inspired by past eras. My love of vintage things was instilled in me at an early age. When my family visited my grandparents, we would explore the local antique shops and flea markets. My love of vintage treasure hunts and the thrill of the “find” has carried over into my artwork, and now I am always on the lookout for striking images and themes from bygone days. As I explore the magic and beauty of scenes from past lives—historic or recent—the addition of imaginative or unexpected elements creates a narrative that emerges on my canvas.

My attraction to faces, people and the stories behind them is a consistent theme in my art. My focus on facial features is a way of working through a mild deficiency in my own ability to recognize faces (prosopagnosia) and exploring what makes each person unique. I enhance the stories behind the faces in my paintings with details, textures and/or colors that provide clues about how I see subjects’ psyches and moods.

Anna Magruder is a recipient of a 2014 RACC grant for her "Oregon's Painted History" series and was honored with a 2015 Artist Residency at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos. In 2012 she was a featured artist on Oregon Art Beat—OPB's Emmy Award-winning statewide arts series. Her art appears in numerous publications and book covers.

Anna Magruder Art & Illustration -- specializing in portraits, whimsy and historic.
riverseagallery.com/artist/anna-magruder#biography

Seen at Phở Mekha, Astoria, Oregon.

An informed observer notes:

The outline framing the shelves appears to mimic the silhouette of an 18th-century American highboy in the Chippendale style, particularly the Philadelphia Chippendale variant. This style is characterized by:

A broken pediment or scrolled bonnet top (as seen in the exaggerated silhouette framing the top of the shelving unit),

Cabriole legs with pad or ball-and-claw feet (represented abstractly in the lower corners),

A generally ornate and sculptural profile, often with dramatic curves and a sense of vertical grandeur.

The silhouette here is a playful, abstracted homage to the style, flattening and exaggerating the characteristic contours for visual impact rather than function. It doesn't aim to recreate a highboy literally, but rather evokes its iconic outline as a frame for eclectic, modern contents.

The Hoya plant, also known as wax plant or porcelain flower, is a tropical vine or shrub native to Asia and Australia. It is prized for its thick, waxy leaves and clusters of star-shaped, fragrant flowers that often look artificial due to their glossy texture. Hoyas are popular houseplants because they are relatively low-maintenance, tolerate some neglect, and can produce beautiful blooms under the right conditions.
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Frite & Scoop opened on Astoria's riverwalk in October 2014.

Two of the world's favorite treats were combined into one unique shop, where we make craft ice creams and great fries. We make every batch of French-custard style ice cream from scratch, as well as all the mix-ins (and the fry sauces!).

We are open all year, though our hours are limited. We have a small crew of employees, and making everything from scratch is hard work! If you ever wonder what our hours are, we recommend looking at the foot of this website. We are also diligent about keeping information up to date on google, yelp, trip advisor and our fb and instagram pages.

We no longer provide samples, since ingredients and supply costs have more than tripled in the past 3 years.

It's just too expensive to give away our ice cream.

We thank you! We hope you enjoy your treats. We made them with love.
www.friteandscoop.com/about

Phở Mekha Astoria is a Vietnamese restaurant in Astoria, Oregon, specializing in pho and other Vietnamese dishes.

They are located at 1313 Marine Dr, Astoria, OR 97103.

The restaurant utilizes family recipes passed down through generations, according to Discover Our Coast.

Pho Mekha Astoria has received positive reviews, with many customers praising the quality of the food and the friendly service.

And someone has done a bang-up job of selecting the decor.

With a little help from Deep Dream Generator (AI software).

West German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag, Minden/Westf, no. 2317. Photo: Constantin Film / Studio Hamburg / Allianz / Astoria / Winterstein. George Nader as Jerry Cotton in Schüsse aus dem Geigenkasten / The Violin Case Murders (Fritz Umgelter, 1965).

Ruggedly handsome American actor George Nader (1921-2002) was a Universal star of second features in the 1950s. Was the muscular beefcake star then sacrificed to the tabloids to save Rock Hudson's heterosexual reputation? During the 1960s, Nader’s career had a second life in the European cinema as FBI agent Jerry Cotton.

George Nader was born in Pasadena, California, USA, in 1921 (1932 according to some sources). He was the second son of Alice (née Scott) and George G. Nader, vice-president of a grocery chain. During World War II, he served in the US Navy as a communications officer in the Pacific Theatre of Operations. After the war, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in theatre arts at Occidental College and appeared in productions at the Pasadena Playhouse. In 1947, he met Mark Miller, who had one of the lead roles in a Pasadena Playhouse production of Oh, Susannah! Nader was in the chorus. The two fell in love and established a household together. Miller had intended to go to New York to study opera, but abandoned his plans to stay in California and help Nader launch his career. Nader got small parts in the Western Rustlers on Horseback (Fred C. Brannon, 1950) and other B-movies. He got the lead role as Roy, the hero who saves the world from the clutches of ‘Ro-man’ in the low-budget 3d thriller Robot Monster (Phil Tucker, 1953). The film, shot in only four days for a mere sixteen thousand dollars, took in over a million dollars in its first run. In the 1980s, the Medved brothers listed it among the ‘50 worst films of all time’ and became a cult classic. The tall and muscular Nader also had a sonorous voice and was offered a contract by Universal Pictures. He usually played parts that emphasised his ‘beefcake’ and frequently appeared in swimsuits with his chest hair intact. In the mid-1950s, he played in several popular films, like the Western Four Guns to the Border (Richard Carlson, 1954) with Rory Calhoun, the crime drama Six Bridges to Cross (Joseph Pevney, 1955) opposite Tony Curtis, and the WWII actioner Away All Boats (Joseph Pevney, 1956), co-starring with Jeff Chandler. In 1954, he even won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer. Unfortunately, the studio already had such good-looking and athletic stars as Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis on its roster. Nader often found himself being cast in such second features as the Film Noirs Appointment with a Shadow (Richard Carlson, 1957) and The Female Animal (Harry Keller, 1958), with Hedy Lamarr in her final appearance.

At the end of the 1950s, George Nader tried his hand at TV series, including the NBC adventure offering The Man and the Challenge (1959–1960) and Shannon (1961-1962), and then relocated to Europe. In Italy, he played musketeer D’Artagnan in Il colpo segreto di d'Artagnan/The Secret Mark of D'Artagnan (Siro Marcellini, 1962) with Magali Noël. In Portugal, he appeared in the Eurospy film Misión Lisboa/Mission Lisbon (Federico Aicardi, Tulio Demicheli, 1965). But he found his biggest success in West Germany as G-man Jerry Cotton in the crime thriller Schüsse aus dem Geigenkasten/Operation Hurricane: Friday Noon (Fritz Umgelter, 1965). FBI agent Cotton was Germany's answer to James Bond. Murph-15 at IMDb: “In comparison to the Bond films, the Jerry Cotton movies are not as 'posh', but they are better stories. Operation Hurricane is the first and best of the series. The story is very interesting, with a few turns to keep the viewer going up to the end.” In the following years, Nader enjoyed a modest career revival as Jerry Cotton in a series of such Eurospy films, and he became the number two most popular film star in Germany behind Lex Barker. His eight Cotton films include Die Rechnung - eiskalt serviert/Tip Not Included (Helmut Ashley, 1966), Der Tod im roten Jaguar/Death in the Red Jaguar (Harald Reinl, 1968), and finally Todesschüsse am Broadway/Broadway's Deadly Gold (Harald Reinl, 1969), with Heinz Weiss. He returned to the US, where he played in a TV series and a final film, the fantasy Beyond Atlantis (Eddie Romero, 1973) starring Patrick Wayne. Nader retired completely from acting in 1974 because an eye injury made him particularly sensitive to the bright lights of movie sets. According to an interview with the German fanzine Splatting Image, his eye injury was the result of an accident during the production of the never-released movie Zigzag (Albert Zugsmith, 1963), when a blank pistol round exploded too early next to his eyes. Filming took place in the Philippines, and no adequate treatment was taken in time, resulting in the partial loss of his eyesight.

George Nader turned to writing and dabbled in real estate. His Sci-Fi novel Chrome (1978) told the story of forbidden love between a human and a robot, a metaphor about the place of gay men in society. Nader and Mark Miller collaborated on a second novel, The Perils of Paul. It is about gays in Hollywood with names camouflaged and was published privately in hardcover in 1999. In 1985, Nader was named one of the beneficiaries of Rock Hudson's $27M estate when the star died of AIDS. Nader came out of the closet in 1986. Timothy Sexton at Yahoo! and IMDb both suggest that “Nader's career was sacrificed to (tabloid) Confidential to save Rock's much more lucrative heterosexual reputation". In the mid-1950s, rumours about Nader's homosexuality had begun to surface. Nader and Miller were living together, but neither publicly acknowledged his homosexuality. Universal arranged for Nader to be seen on dates with beautiful stars as Martha Hyer and Piper Laurie. Linda Rapp at glbtq: “One publicist even went so far as to suggest that to avoid being outed by Confidential. Nader should marry and then get a divorce a few years later. A female secretary was willing to participate in the scheme. Nader and Miller discussed the possibility, but Nader could not bring himself to take part in such a sham.” Nader, many years later, in an interview: “We lived in fear of an exposé, or even one small remark, a veiled suggestion that someone was homosexual. Such a remark would have caused an earthquake at the studio. Every month, when Confidential came out, our stomachs began to turn. Which of us would be it?” However, such a tabloid article about Nader is not known (Confidential did publish an outing story about Tab Hunter). Nader and Hudson were lifelong friends, and Mark Miller was even Hudson's secretary for nearly 13 years. In 2002, George Nader died at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, of cardiac pulmonary failure, pneumonia and multiple cerebral infarctions. He was 80 and was survived by Mark Miller, with whom he had spent 55 years, and by two cousins and his nephew, actor Michael Nader.

Sources: Linda Rapp (glbtq), Army Archerd (Variety), Timothy Sexton (Yahoo!), Strange Words, The New York Times, Wikipedia, and IMDb.

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards..

As the El passes..

365 2025 Still the Wheel Turns - Day 119 April 29
The Flickr Lounge - Weekly Theme 18 - Seasonal Changes - When spring starts, the summer cruise ships stop overnight in Astoria, Oregon port on the Columbia River then head up to Alaska for the summer!