ECHO PIER: Excerpts from my Journal, Part 7.
Written April 20, 2019; edited 2021. The image above shows Kathryn under the structure of our imploded tent.
From mid-December to mid-March we took a break. Holidays first, then weather. An unusually cold and wet winter, much needed rain but not conducive to outdoor painting.
Echo Pier, located a distance from the bridge, provides an excellent view. The second day we were there, I spotted a burrowing owl. It has made its home among the stored equipment. I’m not sure exactly where, but it flew up when I walked over to inspect a crane up close. It is incredible how many animals live in the port besides the ubiquitous seagulls: hummingbirds, nesting cranes, lizards, stray cats.
We need a new tent! Last time we were at Echo Pier, a big wind came up in the afternoon. It knocked out a second side of the tent, so now two sides bend inwards. It will be okay on a balmy day, but we are in trouble if a breeze pops up! The wind got so strong we had to close up shop. Kathryn’s painting was coated with the sand that blew up. My eyes were filled with grit and my drawing caught the wind like a sail. My big captain’s chair fell over twice—all reminiscent of our earlier windy experience. The bag that held the tent’s side flap disappeared. We looked around but our efforts were futile. Unfortunately, it probably joined all the other trash that litters the harbor and make islands in the Pacific.
Our first day at Echo Pier we met a wharfinger, the person who is assigned as a mediator between all the different groups who use the port. He is a Port employee and assigned to four piers. He’s the guy who helps settle disputes between businesses, or the businesses and the construction company, etc. The title of his job sounds like it originated in the days of the clipper ships.