Coast Explorer Blog

Noted impressionist painter Ernestine Tahedl is a featured artist at Depoe Bay’s Silver Heron Gallery where many of her pieces depicting watery lilies are currently on display. Tahedl’s water lilies reflect an ethereal quality indicative of her fluid style.

There is a decidedly ethereal quality in Ernestine Tahedl’s lily ponds. In this painter’s watery world, reflection and light perform major roles and her serene blues and greens play perfect antagonists to the bold splashes of color in her spotlighted lilies.

Tahedl explores and pushes the fine line of balance between realistic imagery and impressionistic expression in her work. Austrian born and formally educated in Vienna, Tahedl now calls Ontario, Canada her home. With a wealth of awards and accolades under her belt, she has exhibited her work at major galleries in Austria, Canada and New York, to name a few.

Her recent works, the majority of which are large scale acrylics on canvas, can be seen on the Oregon coast at Silver Heron Gallery in Depoe Bay. Her 48 X 64 inch acrylic on canvas (above top), titled “Silent Evening” is priced at $5500. Silver Heron Gallery, 15 SE Bay Street, Depoe Bay (541) 765-2886

Seaside Aquarium is home to a Giant Pacific Octopus and other interesting creatures.

Beneath the waters of the Pacific Ocean lives a fearsome-looking creature – the Giant Pacific Octopus. Living an average three to five years in the wild, these invertebrates grow to an average of 110 pounds, but the record size was over 600 pounds with an arm span of 30 feet across! Usually reddish-brown in color, octopuses use special pigment cells in their skin to change colors and textures to enable them to blend in with their surroundings. These creatures are so intelligent they can learn how to open a closed jar with food inside it. (The hard part is getting the jar back!) Octopuses hunt at night, feeding primarily on clams, shrimp and fish, but have been known to attack and eat sharks and birds, tearing the flesh with their sharp beaks. According to Tiffany Boothe at the Seaside Aquarium, the sex of an octopus can be determined by the third arm from the right eye. If there are no tentacles on the arm, it’s a male. The Giant Pacific Octopus at the Seaside Aquarium is a male weighing 35-40 pounds and his reach, arm to arm, is about six feet. You can see this and other interesting creatures at the Seaside Aquarium, 200 N. Prom, (503) 738-6211.

PELICAN PICKS DINING: Fall/Winter 2010-11
Things we love about coastal dining from the readers and staff of Coast Explorer Magazine

Seafood Stew at Pelicano Restaurant in Ilwaco
The big flavors in Pelicano’s seafood stew are what we love. The Southern Italian concoction is a mélange of big chunks of the seasonal seafood catch, bi-valves in season and always a delicious savory Mediterranean broth. Only the best and freshest ingredients are celebrated in this scrumptious stew. Pelicano Restaurant, 177 Howerton Way SE, Ilwaco (360) 642-4034.

Florentine Cookies at Cannon Beach Bakery
We can’t help but salivate a little bit when we think of these saucer sized toffee and almond cookies. They’re both crunchy and chewy and are available plain or chocolate-dipped. Get your own Florentine cookies at Cannon Beach Bakery (you can’t have ours!). Cannon Beach Bakery, (503) 436-0399

Steaks at The Driftwood Inn in Cannon Beach
The Driftwood Inn is well-known for their steaks-and rightly so! They are nicely aged, hand cut to order and seasoned only with garlic butter before grilling. We love the filet mignon, always thick, tender and juicy and cooked to perfection. The Driftwood Inn, Cannon Beach (503) 436-2439.



Fish and Chips at Buoy 9 in Hammond
Fish and chips are a staple on the coast, and the beer-battered halibut with fries at Buoy 9 are among the best. We like that the fish is always fresh and is caught locally. A great meal for $15.95. Buoy 9, 996 Pacific Drive, Hammond, (503) 861-2962.


Gingerbread Pancakes at Grateful Bread

You don’t have to pour on the syrup to give these heavenly pancakes flavor. They are made from scratch with organic powdered ginger, molasses, buttermilk and spices and they smell just like gingerbread fresh out of the oven. Yummy! Grateful Bread Bakery & Restaurant, 34805 Brooten Road, Pacific City 
(503) 965-7337.


Got something you love that deserves to be a Pelican Pick? Send it to us at: editor@coastexplorermagazine.com and you may see it here in a future issue.