Luna

My birthday is the last day of August and the last summer holiday is Labor Day which always falls on the first Monday in September. Thus when I was a kid my birthday always signaled the end of summer was near which took some of the luster out of my birthday but the summer I turned sixteen my birthday signaled the beginning of a new world for me. I was old enough to get my first drivers license!

The concept of ying and yang describes two opposing and, at the same time, complementary (completing) aspects of any one phenomenon (object or process) or comparison of any two phenomena... They are universal standards of quality at the basis of the systems of correspondence seen in most branches of classical Chinese science and philosophy.

They say there are a couple of things in life that are inevitable; death and taxes. Well let me add another, football season! Like clockwork it arrives in towns large and small every year and when it's rolling along there are tremendous numbers of fans and supporters of their favorite teams.

Well, our gatherings at our favorite watering hole have been altered somewhat. Myself, Jersey Jerry, chef extraordinaire, and Jungle George, renowned retired animal trainer and circus man, are going to be scaled back due to Jersey’s relocation to Central Oregon. Of course he says he will return to visit Yachats and Waldport and we can get together and discuss worldly issues, but as you know, when folks say they will be back to visit it’s often just a casual statement and sometimes never results in anything.

We residents of small coastal towns and villages on the Central Oregon coast all know some residents that have lived in them for decades. Being on the Western edge of the country these folks settled in what was once the frontier and in many cases the Wild West. It was before there was even a highway that connected the northern Oregon coast with the southern Oregon coast. It was way before modern devices such as phones and televisions became staples in everyone’s home, and walking was a way of life, not just a way to stay fit!

My birthday is the last day of August and the last summer holiday is Labor Day which always falls on the first Monday in September. Thus when I was a kid my birthday always signaled the end of summer was near which took some of the luster out of my birthday but the summer I turned sixteen my birthday signaled the beginning of a new world for me. I was old enough to get my first drivers license!!

And music for the ears

July is a big month for fairs and rodeos in Oregon as well as music festivals. From the Philomath Frolic and Rodeo in Philomath to the alternative style fairs like the Oregon Country Faire in Eugene, to the Brit Festival in Jacksonville, the state is jumping with good times! Well, we here in Yachats also have a couple of events in July that find folks from all over enjoying themselves with the divine pleasures of food and music. This is the weekend of the 28th annual Yachats International Music Festival and the 38th annual Yachats Lions Annual Smelt Fry!

In many small towns there are buildings other than schools or churches that serve as focal points for community gatherings and other functions. Buildings that have been built, moved or remodeled. When I was in the military stationed in Condon Oregon the place to go for weddings, dances, celebrations and other festive occasions was the Grange Hall.

While we continue to get bombarded by blasts from the highly visible Presidential hopefuls and the TV screens show horrific pictures from war ravaged parts of the world and showing in Texas busloads of children being shuttled from shelter to shelter in a highly controversial case involving the state versus a polygamist sect there remains a part of our society that works basically behind the scenes to better conditions; volunteers.

On a quiet street in Yachats George Kirkpatrick leans back in his easy chair and looks at the small stream running through his yard. It's a tranquil scene, light years away from the life he led as a wild animal park and zoo worker before becoming a circus animal trainer and world traveler. His life has now come full circle bringing him back to the place he visited as a child with his parents. His eyes twinkle as he begins his tale.....

The Webster Dictionary definition of “Super” is “greater than others of the same kind” and when “Super” is used in “Super Bowl” it means it’s the greatest game going that day!

Actually it’s been the biggest game of the year for the forty one years; this years Super Bowl is number forty two.

You know the old phrase “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence”?  Well, living where I do and doing what I do, reporting on local events and interviewing people, I get to hear lots of comments on that phrase.

I know this might sound odd but today as I sit pondering my next column I find myself at odds with the Magnificent Sun which has seldom been seen in the area recently. Here on the coast it’s been cold, damp, and generally uncomfortable for the last couple of months and we’ve all been hoping for Sunshine and here it is and it’s blinding me! I’m suffering from Mole like symptoms; eyes not used to brightness!

The taxes have been filed, and for those with kids, the last leg of the school year is in full swing, so people are gearing up for their summer getaways. In Yachats where I live summertime is tourist season or as I like to call it “visitor time” and things change around here from the dreary, drizzly days of rain and mist to sunshine and people enjoying the Oregon coast.

Well we’ve made it another year and it sure hasn’t been dull or mundane. World events, sports, politics, and the economy are just a few areas that have had upheavals and cataclysmic events that have affected the courses they have taken. Landmark decisions, new interpretations of current laws and the rapidly growing use of electronic communication has changed the way we talk to one another and the way we view law enforcement and surveillance by authoritative agencies. To say it’s wise to view the New Year with eyes and ears wide open is an understatement. More and more it’s necessary to pay attention to what’s going on around you!