Owl-Teasing in Bush’s Pasture Park

April 27, 2015 1 Comment read Oregon, Pacific, The Great Outdoors, Travel, USA, West

Bush’s Pasture Park in Salem, Oregon, has an owl problem. Namely, an owl that likes to swoop down on unsuspecting people and scare the bejesus out of them while stealing their hats. “Owlcapone” has struck at least four park visitors, and Rachel Maddow suggested that the only way to get visitors to take the owl warning seriously is to place yellow “raptor attack” signs throughout the park. The city of Salem agreed and there are now at least twenty signs posted to warn visitors that an owl could be lurking anywhere up in the trees above, waiting to strike. People probably do take it more seriously now. Just not me.

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Flashback Friday: Oahu About Fifteen Years Ago

April 24, 2015 Comments Off read Hawaii, Pacific, Travel, USA, West

Me and my “psychotic friends network” shirt, because I can always be counted upon to keep it classy.

I’m off in Oahu with a group of awesome people, and prepping for this trip made me dig up the photos from the last time I was there. I hadn’t thought about it for a long time, and it was surprising how flipping through the album brought everything back. Snorkeling in Hanauma Bay for hours and realizing afterward that I’d forgotten to put sunscreen on the backs of my legs, which made sitting difficult for a week. Hiking in brutal heat, learning about native and invasive plant species from a surfer bro named Mitch. Climbing the steep Diamond Head stairs, complaining the entire way. Marveling at the ubiquity of ABC stores. The peace at the grounds of Byodo-In Temple. It’s funny, the stories I remember about the people as well: the night we went to a Korean barbecue restaurant and one of my boyfriend’s aunts grabbed my breasts and said in halting English that they were “very good”. The way Bob would pop his hands off the steering wheel every time he sneezed and said it was a pilot reflex–I remember that every time I sneeze in the car. The time and effort Mitsuko put into ensuring I had a nice trip, even though it was her wedding week. The way she smiled and thanked me for making her son a good person. There was ultra-cringeworthy stuff, too. The way I almost shouted into a cell phone at the Ala Moana mall because I hadn’t really used one before. The way I showed up to the aforementioned wedding in a white dress. How did I not know that was taboo? Why didn’t anyone tell me? How did the bride keep from slapping the shit out of me? This time, I’m going to be in charge of what I see and do. I’ve got so much planned, and I hope that fifteen years from now, my new photos fill me with even more memories of a wonderful time filled with wonderful people. Only maybe this time, I’ll have learned to keep my horizon lines straight.

Spotted on the Roadside: Vinehenge in Escondido, CA

April 17, 2015 Comments Off read California, Pacific, Spotted on the Roadside, Travel, USA, West

Escondido’s Grape Day Park wouldn’t be the same without its unique playground, dubbed “Vinehenge” by the creators. Sprawling vines are designed to climb and swing upon, mosaic leaves rise up from the ground to form the cutest seats, and a slide is encased in a bunch of vibrant purple grapes. I wondered how the heck I missed this when I worked in Escondido, and as it turns out, the installation was put in place in 2004, six months after I moved out of the area. It’s always fun to see unique playgrounds, especially since so many old, cool structures are being torn down across the country. I vividly remember the playground in my hometown with the huge metal swirly slide that would burn the backs of your legs in the summer sun, and the giant spinning wooden hamster wheel of danger–I don’t think either are there anymore, but I could be wrong. Then again, it’s good that some of these death traps are no longer in action, because the only people who should be pirouetting on a metal barrel that rotates around a metal pole are already in Cirque du Soleil.

Spotted on North Broadway in Escondido, CA.