Dancing days are here again

Meaninglessness means there's nothing to stop us from creating meaning for ourselves.

Midway life's journey I was made aware

That I had strayed into a dark forest,

And the right path appeared not anywhere.

I hate Sundays. I think it goes back to being forced to wake up early and go to church when I was a kid. Or maybe it's because I stay up all night so I don't throw off my schedule working the night shift. (Typed that as "shit." Almost didn't correct it.) 

I feel like shit, and I'm working six days this week. A co-worker is on vacation, so at least I'll have six days to get a little overtime. I need to see my NP because I'm out of RXs for my ADHD meds, and I think my anti-depressants need to be adjusted or changed altogether. 

I read 26 books in 2010, 37 books in 2011, and this year I have read 60 books. I have just started my 61st: Driving with Plato, by Robert Rowland Smith.   I'm also watching Planet Hulk, because I have raging ADHD.

Got some film developed the other day. I miss my cameras; I haven't been shooting much lately, especially now that the rainy season started. 

Sunset over the coastal range


Amusing little car at the Grand Lodge.


The Doctor's Office Bar at the Grand Lodge.


Hello, me.


More of the Grand Lodge


The Blue Heron French Cheese Company in Tillamook


More Cheese Company


Hello again, me


Rockaway Beach


My friend, V, and her dog, Ike at Rockaway (annual girls' weekend!)


Goblins at an abandoned lumber mill










To Write Love On Her Arms










Willkommen. Bienvenue. Welcome. C'mon in.


Why, yes. I am an amazing photographer.

Weird Wind and the Cat Couch

Last weekend I went back to Rockaway Beach for "girls' weekend."   It was me, my friends V and S and two other ladies I hadn't met before (G and D).  Lots of good food, too. My S'mores cupcakes were a hit.  

I got off work Saturday morning, drove home, picked up a few things, hugged Tank and headed to Rockaway. V and G had gotten there late on Friday and when I arrived, they were getting ready to walk down to the beach. I work graveyard with V, so she knew all too well how tired and in need of sleep I was, so I crashed in the back room and asked V to wake me up at two.  She did, and I think I slept for another hour, then got up and hung out with the gals. It was very quickly decided that another walk to the beach was in order, so we spent an hour or so walking by the water, taking pictures, talking, enjoying the sun. 

Basically, we just lazed around, ate, drank, smoked, etc. until dark, and then we loaded up the cooler with some wood and marshmallows and headed down to the beach for a fire. 

(G, D, me, S)

If you've never sat around a fire at night on the beach with the waves crashing (visible) nearby, you're missing out. Oh, it was lovely. I don't know how long we were down there, but eventually we packed up and headed back to the house.  More eating, smoking, drinking (arnold palmers and, I believe, oolong-infused whiskey? sooo gooood), bullshitting. Lots of laughter. I passed out on V's dog for a little while, and then we all went to our respective beds and konked out. 

In the morning, we had breakfast, cleaned the place up, packed up our stuff and hit the road. On the way home, G, V and I stopped at the Blue Heron French Cheese Company in Tillamook. They were there for the cheese. I was there for the petting zoo.  We didn't stay long. V and G took off and I stayed for a little while to wander and take pictures with my Nikkormat. Then I got in my car and headed home.  

A few hours later, I was back on the road, headed to Portland to meet up with my friend A and her four kids (ages 13, 9, 4 and 2).  The plan was to go to Lents Park and see "The Goonies."  I had a great time, though the kids scattered pretty soon into the movie. It was an awesome crowd, cheering in the right places, yelling out lines, cheering for the Goonies. My people. I'm willing to bet I was the only honorary Goonie in that park, though. HA.

(me and the kids. the 13-year old takes great pleasure in being taller than me.)

On the way home, I stopped at Walgreen's because I lost my hair tie thingy.  Walking the store, I noticed two guys standing in the parking lot. One of them was honking. That's when I noticed four ducks standing in the handicap spot.  Long story short, I spent a half hour in the parking lot watching four ducks with two stoners at 1:00 in the morning.  It was awesome. I fed them some graham crackers and an Odwalla bar and me and one of the stoners tried to convince the other stoner that ducks are man-eaters, that they have shark teeth and prey on humans.  I said I'd seen it on National Geographic. We almost had him convinced.   Stoner #2 and I tried herding the girls down to the pond at the bottom of the hill, but they ran into some bushes and waited for us to walk away. Then they waddled after us.  That's when I shot this video:

Good times.  Eventually, I made it back home and the rest is history. 

In other news, I'm teaching myself to play "Wish You Were Here."  I was having trouble getting a handle on it and then I found THIS guy, and viola! 

If everyone taught songs by singing the chords, the world would be a better place. 

The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.

...or the river.

A little over the week ago, I drove out to Sauvie Island. I hadn't been there in over a year, which is a shame because it's pretty much my favorite place in all of Portland.

A bunch of my coworkers had planned to meet up at the pumpkin patch with their families and do the corn maze and all that happy crappy.  By the time I got there, I was frazzled and anti-social. I couldn't get a hold of my friend, and the light was fading, so I bought a park pass and drove out to the beach to work on my wheelchair project.  My partners in crime:

• Reg - my Nikkormat FTn (loaded with b&w film)
• Frank - my Nikkormat FT (loaded with color film)

The wheelchair has been slowly deteriorating over the years, which I've allowed to happen, and now it only goes backwards and the right wheel locks up more often than not.  It was quite a trip lugging it up the stairs and down the sand dune, but I think it was worth the effort. Looking back, I wish I'd tried some different angles, but oh well. Sauvie Island isn't going anywhere.

Summer was gone when the heat died down, and Autumn reached for her golden crown

Sunday - Sauvie Island (iPhone, digital camera)

Friday - Pioneer cemetery (Nikkormat FT)

Sugar Maples (Nikkormat FT, again)