Friday, January 11, 2013

A Tiny Park and Titanic Tatas

Thought for the day:  Portland, Oregon, won't build a mile of road without building a mile of bike path.   [Lance Armstrong]


Betcha thought we were never gonna get back to our virtual state tours, didn't ya? Well, here we are, better late than never, prepared to visit  the beautiful state of Oregon, AKA the Wet-Foot State. With as much as 180 inches of rain per year, it's understandable where that nickname came from, but with all the bike paths, hiking trails, and beautiful sights to see, it could just as well be called the Great Outdoors State. (when it isn't raining, of course)

The man of gold shown in the picture stands tall atop the state's capitol building. Called Oregon Pioneer, this statue, created by Uric Ellerhuson, pays proud homage to the spirit of Oregon's early settlers, a spirit which, one could argue, still exists in the heart of the state's hearty rain-soaked souls of today.

Okay, ready to check out some pictures?


This is Crater Lake. Isn't the color gorgeous? The deepest lake in the United States, it is literally located in a crater... yep, in the remains of an old volcano.


Not just the deepest lake, but also the deepest canyon is located in Oregon. Hell's Canyon, at 8000 feet deep, is the deepest gorge in North America.


Stuff doesn't just go down deep here; it also reaches for the sky. Mount Hood has to be one of the most picturesque spots in the state.

This is one of the waterfalls located in Silver Falls State Park. There are nine others located within this park, as well as a ton of forested trails, including 24 miles of hiking trails, 14 miles of horseback riding trails, and 4 miles of bike trails. Sounds like an outdoor paradise, doesn't it?


Sea Lion Caves, located near Florence, were first discovered in 1881, and are the largest known sea caves in the world.



Flowstone Cave, located at Oregon Caves National Monument. Pretty neat-looking, huh?



Not everything is Oregon is about the deepest, or the tallest, or the largest. Sometimes, it's about the smallest. Mill's End Park, in Portland, happens to be the world's smallest official park. It's two feet across, and was created in 1948... for leprechauns. Every St. Patrick's Day, it's the site for (ready?) snail races. In addition to the smallest park, Oregon also boasts the shortest river: the D River, measuring 121' feet long. (That's pretty darned long for a snail!)


The Darlingtonia, or cobra lily, only grows naturally in an area from central Oregon south to central California. The Darlingtonia Wayside, near Florence, is an eighteen-acre rare plant sanctuary and botanical preserve, featuring this plant and others.

The International Rose Test Garden is also located in Oregon. Here, roses from all over the world are tutored, so they can pass their high school equivalency tests. ( Just checking to see if you were paying attention.) At these gardens, located near Portland, more than 500 varieties of roses are cultivated.

There's plenty of things for history lovers to see in Oregon, too. Like Ft. Clatsop National Memorial, where you can visit a replica of the Lewis-Clark outpost of 1805-06.

Tired of all the outdoorsy stuff? Then, maybe you'd enjoy the Carousel Museum, containing the largest (of course!) collection of carousel horses in the world. Or maybe you'd prefer the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, where you can see the world's largest rosary collection, including the one carried by JFK during WWII.


Roses and cobra lilies aren't the only things cultivated in Oregon. So is an appreciation for Shakespeare. This Elizabethan Theater, located in Ashland, presents eleven plays a year on three different stages. Approximately half of them are Shakespearean.

I've saved a touch of whimsy for last. In Bend, Oregon, there's an unusual place called the Funny Farm, where you can find such things as a bowling ball garden, an electrical kaleidoscope that shows psychedelic Wizard of Oz images, a tire totem pole, and a dead Halloween mask burial grounds. Oh, and you can even buy bowling ball seeds in the gift shop, just in case you'd like to start your very own bowling ball garden at home. Too funny, huh? Care to take a quick trip to the Funny Farm???


Okay, ready to see what kind of cockamamie laws are still languishing on the books in the wild and woolly state of Oregon? Oh, by the way, as a point of interest, the Oregon state flag is the only one in the country that has a different image on the flip side. (It's a beaver.)



  • Drivers must yield to pedestrians who are standing on the sidewalk. (Um, or they could just drive on the street...)
  • It's against the law for a driver to test his physical endurance while driving a car on the highway. (So... no running while driving, huh?)
  • It's illegal to place a container of human feces on the side of any highway. (Well, darn...)
  • It's against the law to carry a baby on a car's running board. (But, officer, the kid wouldn't stop crying...)
  • Dishes must drip dry. (Drop that towel, lady, or I'm gonna have to take you in...)
  • It's illegal to whisper dirty words in a lover's ear during sex. (Who's gonna tell?)
  • Sorry, but you can't eat ice cream on a Sunday. (Well, now, that's just plain wrong.)
  • It's illegal to buy or sell marijuana, but it IS legal to smoke it on your own property.
  • In Eugene, it's against the law to show movies or attend a car race on a Sunday.
  • In Hood River, juggling is strictly prohibited without a license.
  • In Klamath River, it's illegal to walk down a sidewalk and knock a snake's head off with your cane. (Step off the sidewalk first, silly.)
  • In Marion, you can't eat a doughnut while walking backwards on a city street.
  • Ministers there are also forbidden from eating garlic or onions before delivering a sermon. (Yeah, I guess garlic and onions could give a whole new meaning to fire and brimstone...)
  • In Myrtle Creek, it's illegal to box with a kangaroo. (But dancing is fine.)
  • In Portland, it's against the law to walk down the street with your shoelaces untied. (One word: velcro.)
  • It's also illegal there to hold a wedding at a skating rink, to wear roller skates in the restroom, or to whistle underwater.
  • In Salem, it's against the law for women to wrestle. (Not even in jello?)
  • In Stanfield, it's illegal for any animals to have sex within the city limits. (HEY! You dogs cut that out!)
  • And finally, in Yamhill, it's against the law to predict the future, or to leave your cellar door open. (Can't let any fortune tellers sneak in on the ground floor, now, can we?)
***

Okay, it's that time again, boys and girls. Time for (ta-DA!)

The Weirdest News Stories of the Week


circa 1941
***  London's oldest working fish smokehouse, built in 1880, survived WWII, but alas,  it may not survive a modern-day neighbor's complaint. A Luftwaffe bomb only shut the place down for a couple days, but a neighbor who's averse to the smoke and fishy smell may shut it down for good. But here's the thing: the complaining neighbor moved into apartments that were built next to the smokehouse just six years ago, and then he built a wooden studio type building--- right next to its chimney. Just for the halibut, I ask you: what kind of person moves next door to a fish-smoking facility, and then has the audacity to complain about the fishy smoke??? Never mind. I already know. The same kind of person who buys a house next to an airport, and then complains about the noisy airplanes. I hope officials are able to resolve the situation soon and the Purkis family can once again start smoking fish, because I tell ya what, London will be singing an unhappy tuna if there's a shortage of kippers.

*** Okay, so I know there's a stiff competition between news stations, and the naked truth is, the general public really does tend to be painfully unaware of what's going on in the world around them, but, is this the solution? Recently, on Swedish TV, while a news anchor blithely  interviewed a Moscow correspondent about the situation in Syria, a porn movie played on one of the screens behind her. For ten minutes. While the onscreen activity might have piqued the interest of certain members of the viewing audience, it's highly unlikely any of them heard a single word of the interview.


*** If ya got it, flaunt it, huh? Seems to be the strategy for at least one buxom beauty, anyway. I really wouldn't call it the breast way to make money, but the young lady is attempting to turn her titanic tatas into a treasure chest... by selling (you ready?) advertising space on them. I guess she figures, companies advertise on a bus... so why not on a bust? In her ad, which first appeared on a Czech Republic website, she says, Send me your message, and I'll send you a picture of it written on my breasts. Customers can rent one breast for five pounds, or get a two-fer bargain for only nine. No telling how many takers she's gotten so far, but after her ad got reposted (and reposted... and reposted...) to Facebook, one cheeky gentleman suggested a way for her to make even more money. He said he'd pay double... if she let him write the message himself. Sheesh. What a boob.

***  What a crappy thing to do. Thieves in Alberta, Canada, had the chutzpah to steal a man's outhouse right out from under him. Well, not literally. But they did take it. Just two months after a farmer and his son finished building the new privy, thieves came in the middle of the night and stole it away, leaving naught behind for the poor farmer to find in the morning but a gaping hole in the ground. He's offering a reward for the return of his toilet, but alas, the police have nothing to go on. And sadly... neither does the farmer.






Have a super weekend. Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.

67 comments:

  1. Great pictures of Oregon, loved the laws and the news stories.

    I hate people who wistle under-water.

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    1. Yeah, I know what ya mean. The show-offs! I'm lucky I can whistle on dry land.

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  2. Oregon is one of the few states I've never visited, so I thoroughly enjoyed your tour. Since I hate to exercise, Mill's End Park (at two feet across) would be the perfect place to jog.
    And, of course, some day I'll probably wind up in the Funny Farm........

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  3. Wow! Seems like Oregon is such a wonderful placed...I liked the Mill's End Park...so cute...thanks for touring me around oregon!...:)


    xx!

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    1. Glad you liked it. I enjoy seeing bits of the Philippines through your eyes, too.

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  4. I'd love to visit Oregon.

    What a beautiful lake and the small park is so cute.

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    1. Me, too. I'm not sure which I like best... that lake or Mt. Hood. Both look gorgeous in pictures.

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  5. Tell those people in Oregon....Canada wants their beaver back lol.

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  6. I have to say I have a soft spot for Oregon. I hadn't seen the smallest park though. That is so cool.

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    1. Does that mean you hail from Oregon? I know you're currently living in the same state as I am, but an awful lot of people living here came from somewhere else. (We started out in Maryland.)

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  7. The cobra lily is gorgeous! I'd never heard of one before. Cool.

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  8. Susan as a newer member to this blog, I didn't realize you did these state tours. Now I am going to have to take a peek at the archives! This was wonderful and very educational. Crater Lake needs to be added to my bucket list :)

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it. (The simplest way to find the archived state posts would be to click on the "nutso laws" tag.) This "project" has required a lot more research than I originally intended, but I've enjoyed getting the mini-education. I'm covering the states in alphabetical order, and so far, have learned something new about each state, and found something I'd like to visit in ALL of them.

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  9. One has to have the correct pronunciation of Oregon or "tourist" is immediately stamped on your forehead. Let's all bring our snails to that park for a race.
    I like to wake up in the morning to some humor.

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    1. Glad to start your day with a chuckle. I'd much rather enter snails in a race than eat them...

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  10. Nothing to go on? Snort!

    Thank you for another lovely--and enlightening--state tour. :)

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    1. I know. I don't guess I'll ever outgrow my love for stupid potty humor. Have a super weekend.

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  11. Oh, I love that Crater Lake photo! I've never been to Oregon but I hope to make it to the Pacific Northwest one of these days. Even more so after this post.

    I love the law about whispering in your loved one's ear LOL LOL. I'd love to hear the testimony on court for that one.

    Happy weekend! :)

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    1. Crater Lake's color is breathtaking, isn't it? Yeah, that "whispering dirty words during sex" law is pretty funny, but I've found a lot of quirky state laws regarding sex. I know they aren't enforced NOW, but I can't help but wonder if they EVER were.

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  12. He's a fine figure of a man!
    And am loving that toilet.....sorry OUTHOUSE
    in Wales the od name for a toilet is ty Bach
    Which means LITTLE HOUSE

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    1. Ty bach sounds so much more sophisticated than... "crapper". Around here, we often call it the reading room.

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  13. !

    I need to let my sisters know they cannot juggle without a license. I don't think they knew that and I would hate for there to be kerfuffles with the law as a result ...

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    1. Well, I'm sure it's perfectly fine to juggle schedules and activities without a permit. They just have to be careful about the chain saws.

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  14. Loved this post! Virtual tour, stupid laws, outrageous behavior, what more could a girl ask for in a post! Awesome.

    Tina @ Life is Good
    http://kmdlifeisgood.blogspot.com/

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    1. Glad ya liked it. With a big enough smorgasbord, hopefully everyone can find a tolerable dish.

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  15. I'm sorry -- I have lots to say, but I just cannot get over that tiny park. :-) That is so goofy I just love it.

    Pearl

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    1. I'm pretty sure I'd kick butt as maintenance manager for that entire park. "Why, yes, I'm a park ranger. Yep, just me... I run the whole danged thing by myself." (Actually, it sounds like a job for Barney Fife.)

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  16. Great post and nice pics and posting on Oregon. I don't think I'll ever complain about a day of rain after reading. I mean 180 days of rain, wow! Also definitely the Weird News of week. I am still laughing at the last one about the stolen outhouse! They'll take anything not nailed down these days! :) Enjoyed reading!

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it. I always thought of Seattle as being the rain queen, but Oregon sure gives it a run for its money. I'll bet that poor farmer wasn't laughing when he strolled outside the next morning with his newspaper tucked under his arm...

      Happy weekend!

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  17. Never been to Oregon, but it's on my bucket list (well, the whole Northwest is). After reading your post, that item on the bucket list just got highlighted.

    LOL at the weirdest news!

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    1. The northwest sure does seem to be an outdoor paradise, doesn't it? Maybe one of these days...

      Glad the weird stuff tickled your funny bone.

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  18. Please sit down. Take a slow deep breath. I must tell you something shocking. I have never been to Oregon. Crater Lake looks beautiful, but the thingies (rock formations?) in the Flowstone Cave freak me out a bit for some reason. They look sort of like big claws. So where do Oregonians get the pot they smoke at home? I'd better find out just in case I pay a visit.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Oh, Lordy, woman, you're slipping! I mean, a state you haven't visited yet? What IS the world coming to?

      As for the pot, I guess they have to sneak into Washington to buy it, huh?

      Have a super weekend, kiddo.

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  19. It's illegal to place a container of human feces on the side of any highway. (Well, darn...)

    That would have been a really major issue a few decades ago here in South Carolina. This proud state came rather late to the building of interstate rest stops with bathrooms. As late as the early 80's residents could guess what a car parked on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere meant. And I'm talking both men and women, old and young.

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    1. It wasn't an issue for US when we drove through South Carolina in those days. We had a '68 Mercury Commuter station wagon, ( a BIG sucker) and we honest-to-goodness took a potty chair with us when we drove to Maryland. Nothing like flying down I-85 with your daughter sitting on a potty chair looking out the window. As for the boys and I, we had to hold it until the car needed gas. In those days, there was no such thing as making stops to stretch our legs. Oh, no, it was all about getting there as soon as possible. Much better now. Now, my HUSBAND is the one who wants to stop all the time...

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  20. SUSAN ~
    I was questioning your fact about Crater Lake being the deepest in the U.S. I seemed to recall that Lake Tahoe in Nevada / California was the deepest. (It sure felt the "coldest" anyway, when my Pa pushed me out of the boat and into the Lake when I was maybe 13.)

    So I Googled it and you were . . . CORRECT!
    Lake Tahoe is the second deepest.

    Also, judging by that particular picture you posted of Hell's Canyon, it certainly doesn't appear to be the deepest gorge in North America. I would have thought that Airheadzona's Grand Canyon has it beat.

    But seeing as how you were right about Crater Lake, I'll take your word for it about Hell's Canyon.

    What I SIMPLY CAN'T BELIEVE, however, is that with all the interesting info tidbits you mentioned, there was no mention of 'The Oddest Spot On Earth' - THE OREGON VORTEX, along the banks of the Sardine Creek, about 30 miles from Grant's Pass!

    I learned about that as a young boy by reading the Frank Edwards book 'Stranger Than Science' over and over (and over) again. I was utterly fascinated by that chapter in the book.

    As an adult, I came to learn that Walter Knott, creator of America's first themed amusement park 'KNOTT'S BERRY FARM', patterned his 'Haunted Shack' attraction after the real-life Oregon Vortex.

    Some time in the very late '80s or very early '90s, my Dad and I took a road trip north. Grant's Pass was the point where we turned around and headed back to Los Angeles.

    It was some years after that when I reacquired a copy of the book 'Stranger Than Science' and reading the chapter 'The Oddest Spot On Earth' again, I realized that I had been only about 30 miles from the Vortex. I've been kicking myself ever since. So close! I WAS SO CLOSE! (And my Pa would have loved to see it too.)

    I doubt I'll ever be in that neck of the woods again. I had my chance and blew it. Typical.

    ~ D-FensDogg
    'Loyal American Underground'

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    1. You're right: Hell's Canyon looks pretty puny in that picture, but that was the only free-to-use pic I could find. There are probably better shots on the internet that do a better job of showing its depth, but I don't wanta mess with anybody's copyright.

      I didn't mention the Oregon Vortex because I didn't know anything about it, and didn't run across it in my research, either. So, thanks! I LOVE it when one of you guys has some info to add to one of these state posts. I'll be sure to look into it. (Um, not literally...)

      You know, maybe something that's held that much fascination for you for so many years is worth trying to make another trip there someday.

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  21. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  22. I have to wonder what caused these laws to be written. Did someone actually ride on the running board of a car carrying a baby and who reported the person whistling underwater?

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    1. Yeah, I know. The stories behind some of these laws must be pretty interesting. What are you doing up so late? Heck, what am I doing up so late??? Time for bed. I can hardly keep my eyes open...

      Have a super weekend.

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  23. Hi Susan .. love the views of the lake and crater etc .. also the tiny garden - for racing snails ... the Funny Farm in Bend ... I've always liked the name Bend! The Cobra Lilies are just beautiful ...

    Talk about a tour around ... cheers Hilary

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    1. Hi-ya. Glad you enjoyed the tour. Something about that tiny garden strikes me as British... at least, it reminds me of a British sense of humor. Cheers!

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  24. Oh I absolutely loved this post! It was informative, scenic, funny and your wit had me laughing like a braying donkey! I really do love your subtle sense of humour, unlike mine which just bashes people over the head like a sledge-hammer. As the young kids say, YOU ROCK! :)

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    1. Thanks. Glad you liked it. There's room for all kinds of humor; the important thing is to laugh, and your sense of humor definitely makes me laugh, too. They say laughter is like exercise on the inside, and to tell the truth, most days, it's the only exercise I get.

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  25. A place I have always wanted to visit. Definitely on my bucket list.

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    1. Mine, too. I think we may need bigger buckets. Dunno why, but that reminds me of something I read somewhere: The trouble with bucket seats is not everyone has the same size bucket...

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  26. The post is great, the laws are funny, and the state is beautiful. However, I am a huge advocate of women's rights. If they can't wrestle, I'll never live there.

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    1. HA! Well, you could always do a quick visit, but you'd better hide your crystal ball in the trunk.

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  27. What? No ice cream on Sunday! These laws are too funny! But Oregon is a beautiful state. We drove down the coast from Washington one year. Breathless scenery!

    And, thank you, Sweet Lady, for your beautiful review. I'm most appreciative.

    Happy New Year! *raises glass*

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    1. Yeah, I know. No ice cream on Sunday is sheer blasphemy. You're very welcome for the review. My pleasure. Happy New Year to you, too. (Where's the ice cream?)

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  28. It should be against the law for there to be a law forbidding Ice Cream on Sunday!

    I am going to have to try that whistling under water thing :)

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    1. At the very least, one should be able to enjoy a sundae on a Sunday. Whistling under water should work out okay, as long as you remember to blow OUT. I like the cowboy look, Tex.

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  29. Your beautiful blue Crater Lake looks a lot like our South Australian Blue Lake, named of course for its colour, it is also in an old volcano, down in the city of Mount Gambier.

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    1. Hmmm, maybe that means volcanoes spawn beautiful blue water when they're finished spewing all that fire and brimstone.

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  30. I'd love to visit Oregon but it's too rainy for me to want to live there - I tend to wither without sunshine.

    I do love these posts about the states, very interesting. Especially that lake. I wonder if anything lives in it and if so what?

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    1. I know what you mean. A day without sunshine is like... night. There are trout and salmon in Crater Lake, but they didn't occur naturally; man introduced them. (Trout, this is Salmon... Salmon, meet Trout...)

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  31. I've missed the state tours! What beautiful photos. I want to go to Oregon!

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    1. Thanks. Yeah, I'd like to visit Oregon, too. In fact, I wanta visit all the states I've covered so far...

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  32. Hi there,

    I'm one of those "drive-by" bloggers and thus I wanted to say, great post! Thanks for sharing! Me follow your blog!

    Sorry, what am I doing? Susan, despite the funny laws, I had a marvellous time in Oregon and you brought back some wonderful memories to me via the words and the great photos. I wont mention the Oregon trucker who drove me off the road on Interstate 5. That was well scary.

    Thank you, Susan.

    Gary

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    1. Sorry about the trucker in Oregon who ran you off the road, but hey! it was just one more exciting adventure you lived to talk about. You can't say that your life has been boring...

      Thanks for the drive-by... and for not running me off the road.

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  33. You live in a beautiful state, friend.

    I enjoyed the tour.

    www.girlwithanewlife2.com

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    1. It IS a beautiful state, but I don't live there. It's just another stop on my virtual tour around the country. We live in Georgia. (Ye-HAW!)

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  34. You and your puns - lordy how I have missed you. giggle
    Nothing to go on and what a boob. sigh...only you girlie, only you.

    And yes I was paying attention. When I read that I thought that the word tutor was going to be used in a way I had never heard in regards to growing roses [wait...am I even on the right post? I have been enjoying catching up so much I might have left this on the correct entry. Forget anything I said about paying attention. I LIED. giggle]

    Anyhoodle - I have decided that along with my dream of one day buying a small RV or camper and touring the country with my beloved Pooldad I am going to use every one of your virtual tours of the states to go and check out the sights you detailed. It will be a sort of Swiderski's Guide to the Universe - or the USA [which thinks it is the center of the Universe, but I digress] Isn't that the neatest idea? Hey - a girl can dream and Pooldad and I always, from the first week we met almost two decades ago, promised that when the last kid left home [only 2 years now] we would get our RV and head out to see more of the US than just a few states on the east coast which is all I have ever seen of our fine country. I don't keep many of my dreams anymore but I do hold out hope for at least a year of that one - and now that the little light bulb has gone off in my head that you get to come along [vicariously of course] via your blog - well it makes it that much more a dream I really want to fulfill. Sound good? Yep, to me too. ::BIG GRIN::
    I best get to sleep, but it has been fun visiting for a while. Missed you and I am glad to be back, if just to read all your silliness.
    12:34 xo Skip

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    1. Good to hear from you. I've really missed you, too.

      HA! No, you didn't mess up... you just thought you did. Right comment for the right post, so yeah, you WERE paying attention. Just sleepy.

      I LOVE the idea of you and Pooldad taking a Swiderski tour in an RV. Then you can blog about all the places you see. Sounds like a great idea.

      I like the idea of you just stopping by to read, even if you don't feel like making a comment, too. Knowing you "might" be reading will put a smile on my face.

      Take care, kiddo. 12:34

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