Chapter 57 - Air feadh an àit!

And that pretty much sums up this particular chapter. It starts 50 years ago on an island that had only been a State for around nine years at that time. 

It begins with a 19-year old Marine taking a break from overseas visiting an island where his then 19-year old father, a sailor, entered World War II in a quick and violent manner.

And from there it bounces around over the years with birds, BS and flowers. Like the title says, all over the place.

So let's get this started, shall we? It began when I talked with my brother, Dave, a while back. He mentioned coming across some pictures of when we all met up in Hawaii back in 1968. I was taking my R&R in Hawaii because Curtis was there going to school. My Dad and my oldest brother, Dave, flew out from LA to join us. It was an interesting week.

I asked Dave to send the pictures he'd found to me and he did. And here they are.

Here's Curt and I someplace in Hawaii. I'm not sure. I don't remember posing for any of these pictures but there they are.

In the same place, I was taking a picture with my Yeshica TL Super. It was a 35mm SLR with a screw-on 50mm lens. 

It's my first camera and the one that ignited my love of photography. At the time I didn't realize what a good camera I had. It had a great lens, a 'normal' lens, that was fast at f1.2. And it was good glass...easy to focus with a split-image focusing screen so, when I took the time, I had very clear, very sharp pictures.

Hahaha, it's only drawback was that it was film. Too. Damn. Expensive. While I miss some aspects of film, I am sooooo doggone happy now with all the wonders of digital photography that I rarely think of them.

But, there I am, with a camera in Hawaii taking a picture that has been lost somewhere along the trail from 50 years ago to today.

Simpler times. My Dad and Curt eating standing up outside a fast food restaurant (?) somewhere in Hawaii. 

Also, note the fashions. Uber casual, we wore bermuda shorts and t-shirts. White, plain, unadorned, ordinary, no advertising t-shirts.

Except for Pop. He, like most of his generation, had some sense of decorum and dressed with a little more style. Dark polo shirt and slacks.

Hahaha, lighten up, Dad!! It's Hawaii.

I'm guessing all these, so far, were taken at the same place. Here I am, again, with my Yashica.

Now, as to the camera used to take these pictures. When I was on my way overseas I didn't know where I was going to be stationed or what I was going to do. I was a Radio/Telegraph Operator, 2533, and had been trained as a  Forward Air Controller (FAC) while I was in the 28th Marines. 

Because of the circumstances about the way I had volunteered to go overseas, I was, literally, headed there before I got my orders assigning me to a particular unit. When I got to Okinawa, without further orders, I had to wait around three weeks for my assignment to catch up.

In that time I bought a small, 16mm, camera. I was thinking I wanted something small and easy to carry I could use to get pictures of whatever I was going to be doing. I knew from experience that being a FAC meant I'd be humping a lot of extra gear in addition to my own. 

The reason for this long story is the camera used for these pictures was that same, small camera. I used to call it my spy camera it was so small.

And, obviously, it wasn't a very good camera either. The lens wasn't too sharp nor was it fast. But it took pictures and you can get an idea of what was what from them. 

Sort of.

Regardless, I saw a great sentiment a while ago and I've saved it...now is an appropriate time for it.

"We take photos as a return ticket to a moment that is otherwise gone"

Amen and amen.

I think David took most of those other pictures. I, obviously, took this one. Not too clear even with good sunlight.

And my Dad took this one. He and I just switched places. He did a much better job at it than I.

Show-off!!

WHAM!!

Let's leap forward now to just a few weeks ago. A woman I casually knew asked me to shoot pictures of her artwork to submit to a competition in Europe.

While we were there, Carol and I spotted this Flicker in a tree down a bit and across the street. With the light at its back all I could get was a silhouette.

And a Robin was there, too. 

I was asked once what the deal was with all the pictures of the birds. I can't really explain it. They're challenging to find and then to photograph. They're interesting. They give me an excuse to look around and a target to shoot at. I guess that's it.

Either that or I go total B&W on you and you know you wouldn't like that.

It was a rare day in Lincoln City this Winter. There was good light and blue skies. And a Robin in a tree. Why not!?!

I must walk. I have to. It's my only real form of exercise and I've let this lousy weather, this Winter, to become my excuse to stay inside and not walk.

No mas!!

And so I am, grudgingly, slowly, reluctantly forcing myself to get outside and walk.

ARGH!!

And I passed, again, this house set off the street I normally walk up on my way to the Connie Hansen Garden. And on this day it caught me. It was just this angle, though. Just this angle that worked. And I went for it.

I'm not a fan of pink houses but this one was so whimsical framed as it was by the neighbor's fence, the trees and the traditional blue of the house across the street it became fun instead of tedious.

This picture won't go anywhere. It won't WOW anyone but, doggone it, it pleases me. I enjoy it.

On my way to the Garden, I always look forward to and pause by The Bird House (TBH).

These folks put out several bird feeders, cages with suet, sweet water and, sometimes, even forage for the deer. 

Usually I can count on seeing some activity there as I pass by and so I've quit just passing by and now I stop and wait there while I watch the birds. Like this Stellar's Jay that just wouldn't turn around.

And this snazzy Junko with his black hood.

And this House Finch. At least I think that is what it is. If not I know Carol will quickly correct me.

Hey, on a different day I was able to get the Stellar's Jay to pose a little better. 

You know I was just struck by the thought that at TBH, they don't have pigeons or crows tipping over their feeders and stealing all the food for themselves.

I wonder why not?

Boom!!

Time for a change!

The neat thing about Kiwanis, aside, of course, from the obvious good it does for children throughout the world, is that it affords me (always about me, right!?!) with opportunities to get out and, while I'm doing that, to do something useful.

Like this. Kiwanis sponsors a couple miles of The 101 along Siletz Bay as it makes its final run towards Taft.

Carol and I have the east side of the southernmost end of the part of the road assigned to Kiwanis. Hahaha, it's ours. We've done it 3 or 4 times now and we know it. It's starts at Milport Slough Lane and runs up to Siletz Highway, Oregon 229 and carries us across the widest bridge over the Siletz River.

It's a half-mile up and, naturally, a half-mile back. We generally average 3-5 large trash bags when we clean the highway quarterly.

As Mary Kate Danaher (The Quiet Man) would say, "It's just a good stretch of the legs."

And on this day it was beautiful. Oh, golly, it was nice. After rain, rain and some more rain for months we're starting to see some cracks in the weather. That day was one of them.

Hahaha, Carol's always enthusiastic about getting out and about.

The Kiwanian Team working on the West Side of our stretch of The 101.

Waiting for the Old Man to catch up.

Roger was there putting up the warning signs that there would be people picking up litter along The 101 for the next couple of miles.

And we got it done. And we had a good time. And we did something useful. A trifecta!!

Sometimes I see my pictures and catch myself wishing that I had taken that picture it's so good. And then, to my pleasure, I realize I DID take that picture. 

Always a treat when that happens.

After taking a step back from flower pictures last year, I've decided what the hell!?! I enjoy them and so I've given myself permission to go ahead and explore the flowers I see this year. Which is why most of this blog will be flowers and birds.

I wonder if I am a one-note player and then I think so what if I am. If that's the game then I'm all in. Plus, there's always my B&W to fall back on. 

Hahahaha, I know your heart takes a small leap with that bit of news about my B&W. Hahaha, I will try and keep it reasonable. 

But, seriously, I am going to work on 'seeing' in B&W this coming year. When I remember to.

But flowers are always there and willing to pose. Except when the wind is blowing hard.

Plus I have resolved to enlist the aid of my tripod. If I'm not too lazy to carry it. That should help. 

I don't know what's the deal with daffodils. They are one of my favorites. Pretty little things especially when they grow in a cluster. But to photograph them!?!

I haven't figured that one out yet. I am continuously disappointed with my shots of Daffodils. Most of them end up in the trash with a rare exception. This one isn't good but its been one of the better ones I've taken.

I will fall back on my Photo Mantra for my Coat of Arms...

Ut Supra Conatur

(Don't be lazy, look it up yourself. You've got a computer and a brain!)

I'm liking the idea of Spring. 

I'm loving the idea of Spring.

Hurry Spring.

Oh, the things you'll see if you just take the time to look.

Hahaha, just because the sky was blue over the Hansen Gardens.

I am convincing myself that I'm of an age where I needn't worry about what anyone thinks. If, in the years I have left, it pleases me then, dammit, it's a good thing.

Hooah!!

Under the category of, "Things you see," while on a walk.

In an otherwise ordinary home, one with several vehicles stuck in the driveway, there was this interesting tableau.

A homage to a lost pet? A current/retired/former firefighter? Someone who scored big at a garage sale and thought this tchotchke would be the perfect touch to an otherwise boring front porch? Regardless, it speaks to the eclectic nature of mankind...especially the kind that settles in LCO. Half of them are stuffy, stick-up-their asses retired money and the other half are semi-normal, slightly eccentric, prone to impulse purchases former Hippies or Wannabee Hipsters.

Who knows, but it makes for interesting walks. 

And, next to the Dog House and down from TBH there is the site where the former mailboxes once set in a glory of wildflowers gone, well, wild. Now it's an empty patch with a Gray Structure full of boxes with no soul that serves to take in and spit out the U.S. Mail.

But! And here is where we reaffirm the belief that hope always springs eternal (human nature, y'all). Here is where those scrubby, untended, beautiful, miraculous wildflowers are forcing their way back. And it is here where I stop to appreciate their wonder as I meander back from the Hansen Gardens.

And I take advantage that these flowers are, growing haphazardly as they are, not always lined up in a neat and orderly fashion. Many present their backsides to the passing world and that affords me the opportunity to capture them from the rear. I know many others do this but I like the idea of seeing them from both sides now, from front and rear and up and down.

Hahahaha, it's fun and sometimes I score. Works for me.

Yeah, I usually have the camera within easy reach in my place. You never know when you'll see something interesting. Like the morning light coming in through the slats that serve as a cheap curtain for the large vista windows in my front room. 

Patterns, lines, angles. These are my siren, my Theixiope, which calls me to take ridiculous pictures instead of sending me to my death.

She's a real bitch sometimes. Especially in B&W.

Ah, my auto. My car. My transportation. Carol and I recently returned from a jaunt down the coast to see the last of the Oregon Lighthouses on my list. Mission accomplished and, according to the Trip Meter, the whole sally was about 460 miles AND the onboard computer told me my MPG...and I love this!!! My MPG was 49 Miles to the Gallon!! 

Whaaaaa...!?!

Totally rockin' the MPG, y'all!!

KA-POW!!

When I can get warm enough to sit at the kitchen table and work I likes to fiddle with a puzzle.

I found this small puzzle at the Dollar Tree and grabbed it on a vagary.

This one was fun and easy and, as you can easily guess, relit the interest in puzzles.

Oh, and it's a nice picture, too. 

So that little one led to bigger challenges. But not too big.

I found this one at the library...they give them away for free!! 

WTH!! What a deal!!

And I deliberately looked for one that wasn't too difficult. I'm not keen on piecing together a wide blue sky. Nope, uh-uh, I'll pass, keep moving, not today.

What I found I am interested in is something that poses a 'minor' challenge...just right for one with limited intelligence, skills and patience. The stress is on the word, patience.

This one fit the bill exactly. It was fun, minimally challenging and easy to look at.

But, unfortunately, it was missing one piece. Yes, yes, I checked the floor under the table very carefully but, no, I didn't find the missing piece.

So, when I returned it, stout fellow that I am, I noted that it was missing one piece and put an "X" where the piece in question was.

It's still good...just be aware. Kinda like life.

There it is in all its completed glory. The missing piece, if you're looking is just a wink above and to the left of center. Oh, I guess since this puzzle was missing one piece some thoughtful person decided to add three pieces from another puzzle. See them? There on the left just below my glasses. 

Strange.

The Old Man by the Sea. Hahaha, I've found I am much more comfortable if my neck is warm. Thank goodness for scarves.

I should be smiling. Don't know why I'm not.

But I'm smiling here!!

Hooah!! Cooking up some tasty chicken for Caesar Salads and other fun things in the big electric skillet. And I'm wearing my brand-new NMSU Aggies apron. Finally, I can maybe stop with the subtle and not-so-subtle stains on my shirts and trousers.

Thank you Joe and Sara.

BAM!!

Back to the puzzles. This was the third one I did. With the lousy weather and my naturally lazy nature, I was spending a lot of time indoors. 

Don't know why I didn't do the usual pictorial documentation of this puzzle but...there it is. Done.

Another treat from the library and this one fits into my nostalgia mood. My Mom would have liked it. Somewhere in an imaginary Brooklyn shortly after the turn of the century.

Hahahaha, I didn't forget to document the next puzzle, though.

And, yeah, it's another one from a place long ago. Another one my Mom would have liked.

Here it is. 

I admit, I get a particular pleasure putting in the final piece in any puzzle. It's that sense of completion, the satisfaction of having done something. The me that I am right now doesn't get that much these days. It's no tragedy, really. It's mostly intended to be truthful. But, yeah, it's nice to start a project and finish it.

Like this one.

Hahahaha, I enjoy this too much. 

Here's the final piece to the puzzle.

(Cliche much?) 

A step back in time to an America that is forever gone.

And, look!! There I am doing what I do best. Sitting, relaxing and observing life as it passes by.

I tell you, someday, in the not too distant future, I'm gonna break out my pipe and enjoy a good smoke.

Ahhhhhhh...

My next challenge.

Carol got some paintings from her sister that their mother had done. These were original paintings, not the paint-by-numbers kind. 

Regardless, seeing them reminded me OF the ol' paint-by-the-numbers kind and, POW!! I was off!! 

I did a little research and found this one and ordered it. Picked it up the other day and now I'm off on my paint-by-number kick.

With a little World War II drama thrown in.

Here's what it looks like now.

And here is what, in a perfect world, it will look like when I'm finished, right!?!

Hahaha, hardly. It isn't a perfect world and I sincerely doubt it will look like this. Oh, to be sure, it will 'resemble' this painting but you'll have to squint your eyes to see the resemblance.

And so it begins.

Hahaha, this won't be the EZ-PZ I thought it would be.

Ay! Chimichanga!! No lo creo, y'all!!

You remember my whining about getting out and about? Sure you do. I know you read everything I write in these highly entertaining, imaginative and witty blogs.

Anyway, it was a good day outside and Carol called and said let's go for a walk down by the Villages.

Good idea and we were off!! We parked at the end of the road in the Villages and then walked towards Road's End State Park. The walk took us through a forest and then on a road along a marsh.

And we got to see things.

But the real treat was when we saw this Heron taking flight. And, for once, I didn't just stand there gaping. I actually reacted, brought the camera up and caught this semi-good shot of the heron flying away from us.

He's there, swinging left into the trees just off the ground. 

Found him!?! Good. 

So we were looking for him as we made our way up the road towards the State Park.

And we found him. By golly, we were hitting on all eight cylinders.

He had landed on a large bough and was, literally, prancing back and forth on the bough ruffling his feathers.

Why? What's up with that!?!

We stood there watching and taking his picture and he continued pacing back and forth.

Strange behavior we thought until we spotted the why.

She was resting on a branch in an adjacent tree and above him a bit.

Comely wench, eh!?! 

Now we understood the prancing and ruffling and grand-standing.

Here you can see the Miss on the left side and, looking carefully, you can see the Mister down in the lower right-hand corner.

She had a great seat for his Love Dance.

After a while, he stopped and stood still for maybe a minute. Was he tiring? Was she spurning his advances? 

Then, suddenly, he took off. 

He flew back the way he had come from when we first saw him.

And I caught a semi-good shot of him flying away. Hey, it's an ongoing challenge and, with practice, I'm getting a bit better at panning and shooting these moving birds.

He was gone back the way he came. 

The Miss sat there for maybe 30-40 seconds and then she took off headed towards where he had gone.

Ah, young love!!

We made it up to the Park and were both astounded at the number of cars there. The lot was full and they were parking along the road.

It's gonna be a long summer, I think.

So we turned around and headed back and spotted this little guy taking the sun at the top of a tree.

Taking a break from a busy day of flitting here and there getting food.

And this brassy song bird who flew into a bush alongside the road and posed for me.

He was very cooperative however next time he could pick a better perch. I'm just saying. 

Like this one. Can't do much about the light from the sun and I wasn't about to wade into the marsh to get a better angle but I was happy to have seen, and shot, this one.

When we got back on the trail, we spotted this Flicker.

Hahaha, how cool is that!! There were a number of them flying about but this was the only one I was able to get a shot of.

Looking good, Little Flicker Buddy!! Looking good.

And, finally, a Robin. Normally a ground-scratcher, this one must have been resting for a bit up in the trees. 

Looking cool!!

A small part of the trail through the woods back to where we parked the car. From this path you can take off up the Knoll where, if you can make it up, you can get a fabulous view of the Seven Miles of Smiles (the beaches) of Lincoln City. I did it once. I'd like to do it again but I'd hate to have to be air-lifted off the side of the Knoll cause I was having a heart attack.

Just being real.

Since we were so close to Aces and since we had both worked up an appetite and since I'll take any excuse to stop for a cold brew, we headed over to Aces for lunch.

Hahaha, we've become kinda regular here and a couple of the staff even know our names. And, odder still, nearly every time we stop by we see someone we know from Audubon, Scouts or Kiwanis.

Small town America.

I tried the Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich.

It was OK but I won't order it again.

And Carol, adventuress that she is, went with her favorite, Fish 'N Chips. 

She says that Aces has the best Fish 'N Chips in the city. I just realized I've never tried them. I think I shall the next time I'm at Aces.

Hahaha, living life on the edge!!

And there it is. Another chapter. A life lived simply. 

The world churns and broils around me but in my small part of it, the life is simple. I'm a reasonably happy and satisfied man. Any demons that torment me are there because they're old acquaintances. We've known each other for a long time. They're not easily sent away. But, to be fair, they aren't as painful as they once were. 

Still, they're mine and I'll deal with them. And in the meantime I will strive to become the richest man in the world.

Hooah!!