An Embarrassment of Riches at Walmart

I had the vegetables. 

All I needed was a cutting board

This is the cutting board selection 

of Walmart. Never mind

 all the knives. There are at least 35

different cutting boards.

THIRTY-FIVE!

Anyway, I decided I'd get a plastic one. 

Easier to clean. The first one that caught 

my eye was this one: It's small and you

could use it a scoop. So it said. 

It was a little too expensive though. 

And a little gimmicky. Then I saw this one: 

Cheaper and, I thought, it could

add some color to my space pod.

Next I saw these Cutting Mats: 3 to a pack.

The cheapest so far and thin, 

so they take up minimal space.

But, I imagined, you'd probably 

cut right through them in no time. 

Then I saw the SuperBoard®. It

looks like plastic granite. Plaranite (?)

A serious piece of equipment. 

I liked the graphics better too.

I'm not sure why. It looked European 

even though it was made in the US. 

It was a little expensive. $12 maybe.

And it was just a little too big

But, I rationalized, sometimes

quality is worth it. 

I had it in the cart and was

headed for the door when 

I spotted this one: I had 

overlooked it before. It was the last 

of its kind. Hanging on a hook,

not stacked like the others 

Smaller and thinner than 

any of the other ones. Just the

right size for the coach.

I bought it. it's perfect. It fits

flat in the bottom of the sink

and it is only an eighth 

of an inch thick so it slides

in easily under my plates...

 ...and it cost 88 cents.

Oregon Cascades

Three Fingered Jack Mountain

Sunset on Mt. Hood from Lost Lake.

First there is a mountain,

Then there is no mountain 

Then there is.

Multnomah Falls, Columbia Gorge, Oregon.

Deflation in Bend

I came across these uninflated bouncy houses

in Bend, OR. Kind of beautiful.

From Montana to Oregon

This, from the last evening in Glacier NP. 

The moon is rising and the setting sun is raking 

across the mountain. 

Right before the weather turned crummy. Time to go.

Cool but kinda spooky sculpture at the edge of the park:

We are in distress. A political campaign of hate and 

lies has gained unprecedented traction.

Eastern Washington: the land of windmills and wheat.

An ersatz Stonehenge sits near the Columbia River.

Glacier National Park, etc.

Here are a couple of shots that give a hint of the vastness 

of the North Dakota prairie. The skies were incredible that day.

...and a most unusual sight: a rainbow that appeared

at the crack of dawn.

This is a church in North Dakota; abandoned 

and decaying: a metaphor, maybe.

This is the view from my campsite in Two

Medicine, Glacier National Park.

Going To The Sun Road, in Glacier NP has one

breathtaking view after another.

Leaving Glacier, I found these two (four?)

keeping an eye on things.

This election season our country is whipping

itself into a frenzy of hatred and fear.

It's distressing. What's happened to us?

A Little Bit About Michigan

The Michigan State Capitol is a beautiful building 

on a lovely campus in downtown Lansing.

It does look a little like the aspect ratio is off though.

Mackinaw City is home to this giant wiener...

...and the southern end of the Mackinac bridge:

gateway to the Upper Peninsula, or U.P., or Yoop, if you prefer. 

The Oopie has some interesting food choices:

From what I could gather, the Oopies subsist on

a diet of smoked fish, cheese curds, beef jerky,

soft serv, fudge and liquor. They also favor something

they call "pasties." I tried one and they're a kind

of white peoples' version of an empanada. Pasties, 

as you may know are also an antique bit of modesty 

among burlesque performers of bygone days. 

Thus I was a little bit alarmed when I saw this sign:

Yeesh!