Chapter 54 - Living La Loca Vida

It is a good thing, I suppose, that I have little self-pride and even less self-discipline. I am a bit of a reprobate (often without the humor nor the affection) (Oh, fer cryin' out loud, go look it up for goodness sakes. Don't ask me to explain it to you!!) 

I say this as an excuse, what I tell people when I must give a reason or explanation for my many faults and offenses; my lack of order, cohesion, clarity and the definite lack of any kind of a logical progression in my life or, especially, in this blog. 

And so I begin somewhere and will, no doubt, end up somewhere completely different having followed a convoluted and torturous trail leading from the there to the here, then the now and then, knowing me, back to the here again. It's part of my magic, I guess, my charm as it were.

Let's start, shall we, in the Dorchester House where Carol and I were on hand to help the Cub Master, Hannah, present a lesson to the Den Leaders.

Our modest goal was to impress upon the Den Leaders the Importance of Using the Meeting Plans that have already been created and are available in the Den Leader's Handbook. Our intent was to show them how, by using the plans already in place in the Handbook, they could reach their goals, ease their burdens, increase their fun and lessen their chances of going into cardiac arrest.

Hahaha, we can't be faulted for good intentions, can we!?!

And so we three set up the whole affair, with root-beer floats, too. At least two of us were excited. 

And, what do you know!?! It worked!! Oh, I don't mean to say that each Den Leader became an instant devotee to the Den Leader's Handbook but, hey, each one saw how easy it could be to set up and run a meeting using the resources already in place. 

Why reinvent the wheel when we already have several of them spinning merrily along!?! 

They learned something. We had a good time, and we all got to be a bit goofy.

And me? I got to do something positive that I didn't screw up.

Hooah!!

I was feeling mighty damn proud of myself.

Ok, it's come down to this. Of the three bars/saloons/watering holes nearest to me, the Old Oregon seems to have won my affections.

Which is odd because, after the first visits I had definitely decided the Old Oregon COULD NOT be my favorite. 

But, then, things don't always work out the way you plan them, right!?! And, really, it boiled down to this...they have the better Fish and Chips. 

Life is simple, isn't it? I mean, we tried all three and then the Nauti Mermaid closed their doors and so it was down to two. The Cruise Inn was leading the pack but, well, there is a air, an aura, a feeling that didn't quite sit right with me while I was there. I mean, it's a genuine All-American Saloon but there was a missing piece there.

And since the Old Oregon (OO) had the better Fish and Chips, they won. I feel a bit more at ease in the OO than I did in either of the other two. And Carol likes their Fish and Chips so, there you are.

I mostly mooch the fries off Carol's plate so I really didn't care about the food (but I will say that the Cruise Inn has it hands down when it comes to breakfast. They kick some serious ass in the Breakfast Department) all that much. 

And there you are. After nearly three years I can say I have a bar. And that at least one of the bartenders there knows my name. And that's a start, isn't it.

Oh, yeah, they do serve a pretty decent burger.

Mmmmmmmmmm, grease!!

So having explained the OO's attraction, what say we take a look inside?

We mostly stick to the bar and the stools therein. I'm not a big fan of their tables. And at the bar you can get the faster service if you're inclined that way. And I am. Inclined that way.

The decor is early Americana, circa 60s. And it is functional. Nothing fancy but it works for a small bar.

And, of course, if it is good in color then it must be twice as good in B&W.

Hahahaha, honest!! B&W evokes different sense, emotions, reactions. However, even I realize it doesn't work with every scene. Sometimes it's just dull.

But I persist. I keep on trying.

I figure if I continue thinking in B&W then I might, with constant repetition, get a little better at it.

The Old Oregon (OO) is, above all else, a Hippie Bar. They're firmly stuck in the late 60s. It was the main reason I was 'turned off' by this bar when we first visited.

But it does have the best vibe for Carol and I. It feels more comfortable than the others. Plus the Fish 'N Chips and burgers are better here. Although, to be fair, the breakfast at the Cruise Inn is better.

See the sign? It's announcing half-price beer and free chili during the first half of the Super Bowl. Guess where I went to watch the first half of the Super Bowl?

Hahahaha, and I do enjoy a PBR every-so-often.

So Carol gets her Debbie Macomber (that woman is a prolific writer!!) books from a woman named Sharon at the Friends of the Library sale each Monday.

Sharon is also a local artist and so I had to get a shot of one of her pieces on display in the city. Not my cup of tea but evidently it works for others.

Yay!! I found another puzzle at the library that was right up my alley.

Colorful, busy, 550 pieces and easy to put together. And I was off!!

And it was fun. 

Except when I realized it was missing over 50 pieces.

Ratz!!

Seriously, it was a bit more difficult finally admitting that the piece you were looking for just wasn't there. Then it was a tad more difficult figuring out how to fit in the ones that were.

And I seriously missed the satisfaction of placing the final piece to the puzzle into place.

I checked with the library to see if they wanted it back and, surprise, they said no. So, adios puzzle. Hello Trash Can.

On my walks to the Connie Hansen Gardens, I pass this colorful array of mailboxes. When we first arrived in LCO, their were a lot of flowers all around the base of these boxes.

It was a 'target rich' environment for flower pictures.

Then, last year, someone ripped out all the flowers and left just the mailboxes. Like you see in the picture. I mean, What the Hell!?! It was a huge disappointment. Seriously.

And then...

They ripped out the mailboxes and put in, just to the right in this picture, one of those big boxes where you have a locked box for each address.

Arghhhhhh!!!

It was unique and beautiful and now they ripped out paradise and put in a pedestrian mailbox.

But the flowers persist. See them? Just behind the telephone pole? Hahahaha, not as varied as before but at least there are flowers there. Marigolds.

Alrighty, then. I have my health and I have the time and so both Carol and I look for opportunities to volunteer help out, keep busy. And one of the ways we have of doing that is through the Kiwanis Club.

The Kiwanis Club (KCLC) has a money-raiser called the "Parade of Flags" where KCLC puts flags up along The 101 through the length of the city. KCLC does it 8 times a year and charges businesses a small yearly fee to have a flag flown in front of their business during those holidays.

Naturally, the flags get wet. There is no real good way of drying them so they get dirty and mildewy.

Enter Carol. She's on the Flag Committee and volunteered to wash all the cotton flags.

And so we were off to get all the cotton flags so that Carol could wash, dry and press all of them. This meant we had to go and cut the ties off so that we could bag up the flags and get them washed. And that's what I'm doing here.

And here. We did them in batches and Carol caught me unawares with her phone camera picking up a second batch. Sneaky girl.

Saw this tasty tidbit, you see a lot of them on FB, and, well, it looked good.

Hahaha, Challenge accepted.

And I was off. I made up the pancakes, fried the bacon and the eggs, forgot the doggone cheese and came up with...

This.

Not quite the same. It must be because I forgot the cheese.

Dammit!!

Another day, another puzzle.

While at the library the other day I saw another puzzle that looked fun...and easy. Like me. Imagine my surprise when I got back and opened it and found...this!!

Some thoughtful soul bagged the puzzle. They not only bagged the puzzle but they put all the 'Edge Pieces' into a smaller, separate bag.

I mean, how cool is that!?! I do appreciate the little extra help. Hahaha, I always do the edges first and then fill in from there. This little extra help just made that process go a bit quicker and a lot easier.

Sweet!!

I haven't even opened the second bag yet. And I already have the edges done.

Then it was off to the races!! And the race was fun. I've said it before there is a distinct pleasure I get from working out a puzzle while listening to the radio.

No pressure, just filling in the missing pieces.

And I like the idea that this would be another puzzle my Mom would like. The nostalgic kind depicting a life a million years ago. I realize it is a romantic, idealized version of those by-gone times but, nonetheless, I like it. It appeals to me.

And then there was the part I dislike...putting in the blue and mostly empty sky. Hahaha, I am a lazy puzzle putter-togetherer.

But I got through it. I persevered and it all came down to the 'last' piece (which I've conveniently pointed out with a nice red arrow).

You may be asking yourself how this particular piece, not even a 'sky' piece, came to be the last one.

Easy, I had dropped several pieces on the floor and thought I had picked them all up. When I got to the last piece and couldn't find it, I decided to check the floor again and this time I actually moved the chair and, viola!!, there it was!!

The last piece.

So I thought I'd shoot this picture a little differently, cause of the shadows, and hold the camera, awkwardly, in my left hand while putting the piece in with my right.

Not easy. And then I looked at the picture and realized in my zeal to get a different approach to the picture I hadn't realized I had the "Last Piece" upside down!!

Hah!! That won't do. Not at all. So I had to reshoot it.

And, lazy to the very end, I went back to the old way and shot holding the camera in my right hand. Much easier.

And I had the "Last Piece" right-side up.

Hooah!!

And another one bites the dust!! Hahahaha, I do enjoy putting the "Last Piece" in and finishing a puzzle.

There it is!! The finished puzzle. And, hey!! That's me down there in the lower left side, walking my dog.

The Old Salt.

It's been a long and dreary winter. Long. Dreary. 

Carol and I went to the Kiwanis Satellite Breakfast Meeting and then I dropped her off at her place. When I got back to the Shack, I noticed the weather was, oddly, clearing.

And it continued and it was looking like a good morning. Rather than spend it inside, I decided to get out and get away. A quick call to warn Carol and then I went over and picked her up. We headed south, stopped in Newport at the Walmart and got a large deli sandwich for lunch and then headed east towards Albany.

The idea had been to drive to Albany, explore and find some park named Bowers Rock State Park. I followed the Garmin to get to Albany and things were going on schedule when we made our turn to take us into Albany.

And I saw this guy, flying along and then lighting in a nearby tree. So, naturally, we stopped and got some pictures. A lot of them.

And then we spotted a second eagle in another nearby tree. Wowsers!! How cool was that!?!

And that caused us to remember our last trip to Albany when we went to the Talking Waters Garden (TWG) and saw not one but TWO eagles. And one thing led to another and we were off to the TWG.

Even though it didn't appear on Garmin we did find it with the help of the local Tourist Information Bureau.

This place is a real kick in the pants. 



Unfortunately, we got off to a late start...it was around 1100 when we finally hit the road. When we arrived at TWG we had maybe an hour to walk around...and eat lunch.

We brought our lunch into the park and found a handy bench overlooking the large pond at the southern end of the Garden. And chowed down. After lunch, we started our walk. I figured if we just followed the trail we were on we'd go just long enough for the time we had left. 

And we were off! Plenty of Mallards out today.

Plus this Bufflehead pair, Mr. & Mrs.

And a lot of turtles sunning themselves on logs. The last time we were here we didn't see any turtles so we don't know if they introduced them recently or last time was just one of those things and we missed them.

This trio gave me the best shot and so they made the Blog.

And this guy, a Common Goldeneye. What a neat looking duck with his comb set up like that.

Then we saw this guy. What the!?! The Missus looks pretty much like a Mallard except, as I just noticed as I was writing, possibly for the bill. Her's might be darker and wider.

But this is the guy I was interested in. 

A Cinnamon Teal. 

The Cinnamon Teal is found in western North and South America. It's a small dabbling (that's what he is doing in the above picture) duck with bright reddish plumage on the male and duller brown plumage on the female. It lives in marshes and ponds and feeds mostly on plants.

Every so often I like to do a bit of bragging. Carol and I reluctantly agreed to help start the Cub Pack Committee. We were already in deep with the Troop Committee and, for me, I just wanted to keep it simple and work with the Troop.

When we started with the Cubs there were maybe 8 or so kids, no real committee and no recognizable organization.

And now look!! Look at all the people that are involved with Pack 47.

The Wolf Den needed to do some Community Service for their Wolf Council Fire Adventure Belt Loop. Plus the Lion's Den needed to participate in an outdoor activity for their Lion's Patch. And so we had a chance to plant trees and we grabbed it.

But, look!! Look at all the people who are now involved in the Pack that Carol and I helped to build. There were over 32 people, kids and adults, out there.

I think everyone had a good time. It was an exceptional afternoon, mild and dry. And there was plenty of mud to go around.

Before we got started, Mike explained how to locate the position to plant the seedling and then that it needed to be buried up to an inch above the root. Then he explained the need to work in teams to do the job easily and quickly.

And we got at it.

It took around two and a half hours to plant the 500 seedlings.

It's great to be a part of this and it is really great to know that, in a small fashion, I am responsible for making this all possible.

It was a good day for Pack 47.

And that's my life. Up until February 10th.

Trying to get myself organized again and break out of these winter doldrums. I do need some sun and a lot more dry weather to shake off this Blue Funk I've been wrestling with for what seems like forever.

Life is good. Just gotta remind myself.

Edgar Allan Ho-Ho-Ho sez...