Category Archives: Nature

Myers Creek Beach

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Myers Creek Beach, OR

This morning, I asked Harry if he was woke? He said, like he frequently does, “I’m awake.” I explained that I didn’t mean the past tense of wake, but rather woke as in “alert to injustice in society, especially racism and sexism.” Along this vein, in Berkley, CA, its woke city government is planning on renaming all the city’s manholes to maintenance holes. Heaven forbid that a non-male gendered city employee be asked to climb down into a male gendered hole in the ground. But on the other end of the spectrum, at the Soo Walmart today, woke thought faced a whole new challenge. When Anne got in line at the pharmacy, there was already a woman at the pickup window and a man was seated at the bench beside it. Anne asked the man if he was in line, but he said, “No, that’s my girl there.” Anne explained that she hadn’t wanted to butt in line. He answered, “That’s OK Miss, you can have cute girl privileges.” This conversation occurred within earshot of “his girl” and while Anne was picking up her first Medicare prescription. Anne never felt offended by any of this, instead she was simply amused.

Mountain Pasque

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Crater Lake Mountain Pasque

Anne and I went to town: Walmart (food and drugs), The Quilted Moose (fabric) and Karl’s (lunch). Normally, we prefer to grocery shop up here at Meijer’s, but Walmart is a preferred provider on our new Medicare plan. We didn’t need the prescription filled until next week, but as it turned out, they called to say that it was ready, the moment that we got back to the cabin. We’ll be back.

The Quilted Moose is not to be confused with the Quilted Fox, which is in Saint Louis. It is also not the Sick Moose, as Harry choose to refer to it. I waited in the car, while Anne shopped. Ashmun Street is undergoing major roadwork and the Quilted Moose was at the center of it. I kept getting distracted by the flash of a yellow Cat, as its bucket arm waved back and forth in my mirror. It was very disconcerting seeing that huge mechanical claw moving over the stenciled “objects in mirror are closer than they appear” lettering.

Karl’s was our reward for doing all of this consumerism. This is what members of the credit card elite like to do. Reward themselves for spending, by doing more spending. I had their Rueben and a pint of cherry cider. The Rueben was excellent, but the cider was a knockout. Anne had their chicken sandwich.

The Pasque flower is a traditional medicinal herb of the mountains. It is a powerful plant that is used for high blood pressure and as a nervous system remedy. The flower appears before the leaves.

Terrible Tilly

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Tillamook Lighthouse, Oregon

For years, Tillamook Rock was a sanctuary for wildlife. Then in 1879 the birds scattered, when high explosives were used to blast this basalt rock. A boom marked the commencement of lighthouse construction. The top third of the rock was removed. For 500 brutal days, through howling winds, pounding waves, dense fog and bitter cold the lighthouse was built, earning it its nickname. For 76 years until 1957 the light from Terrible Tilly shone its warning beacon out to sea. While it was operating the wildlife stayed away. After the lighthouse was shuttered, the wildlife began to return. Closed to the public, it is an important nesting site for the Common Murre. If you look closely at the above photo, you can see dozens of sea lions resting at the base of the rock, just above the surf.

Today was laundry day. Anne and I did it all. Bubs and Harry came into town and we joined them at Penny’s for lunch. Later we shopped at Meijer’s.

Switching now from Terrible Tilly to Terrible Trump, I cannot stay silent over his recent spate of racist tweets and statements. He has repeatedly attacked four freshmen congresswomen of color, using the racist dog-whistle of telling them to go home. Three of the four have known no other home than this country and all four are US citizens. While it is certainly permissible to disagree with their politics. It is unacceptable to employ racists tropes, as Trump has done. While his behavior is hardly surprising, the silence from the Republican Party is even more distressing. Their silence enables the #RacistInChief.