Picking up trash and a few memories.Byline: THE OUTSIDER By John Rezell The Register-Guard With overcast skies, a misting of precipitation precipitation, in chemistry precipitation, in chemistry, a process in which a solid is separated from a suspension, sol, or solution. In a suspension such as sand in water the solid spontaneously precipitates (settles out) on standing. and temperatures creeping around the 50s, Saturday morning certainly didn't strike me as something I'd proclaim pro·claim tr.v. pro·claimed, pro·claim·ing, pro·claims 1. To announce officially and publicly; declare. See Synonyms at announce. 2. as a day at the beach. Yet, there we were. The whole family, hiking across from Carl G. Washburne State Park's campground just north of Florence, where we spent Friday night, to the picnic area on the beach, where we were chipping in our part of the Great Oregon Spring Beach Cleanup. With tens of sign-up sites up and down the coast, I didn't expect to necessarily see the parking lot full of cars. But it was. There was a line to sign up, all smiling, happy faces eager to help a bigger cause. We got our trash bags and hit the beach. In each direction there already were troops hard at work. We decided to hike south, trying to get out in front of the army of vacuum cleaners vacuum cleaner, mechanical device using a draft of air to remove dust, loose dirt, or other particulate matter from dry surfaces. It is especially useful on highly textured surfaces, such as carpets and upholstery, that are difficult to clean by wiping or brushing. to dig into Verb 1. dig into - examine physically with or as if with a probe; "probe an anthill" poke into, probe penetrate, perforate - pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance; "The bullet penetrated her chest" some real trash. When we got to a clear spot and started picking up, well, you know me and my expectations. I envisioned hauling old tires and big chunks of ship-wrecked bows and sterns. Maybe a mast mast, large metal or timber pole secured vertically or nearly vertically in a ship, used primarily for supporting sails and rigging. The mast is as old as sailing vessels, and the oldest sailboats depicted (those of ancient Egypt) had a small mast placed forward and . Surely a few message-filled bottles. Hardly. My wife, Debbie, and Sierra managed to get out in front enough to pick up some serious trash, a brick, clothes hanger, two toothbrushes, two lighters and rope. My daughter Taylor and I took a more easy pace, and, honestly, were relegated to the little stuff. The details. The things you learn on an outing like this aren't exactly earth-shattering. Like how much pieces of Styrofoam cup that have been worn down by the waves can look a lot like clam shells. But some things are inspiring, like hearing your children talk about their effort with pride, pointing out a perspective that happened to slip under my radar. I mean, heck, in my mind the real goal of a great cleanup is to make it so you can spend a day at the beach and enjoy the view, without wondering who would leave some trash behind, or why. Instead, as Sierra pointed Sierra Point is the name of several locations:
Taylor worried about sea gulls mistaking some tiny piece of plastic for food. So I didn't feel too bad that I spent a few hours trying to fill a huge trash bag with pieces of plastic and such, 90 percent of which was no bigger than a dime. It doesn't matter how big your haul, what matters is how clean the beach is, so you can enjoy it. And Sunday, we went out under clear blue skies and enjoyed the handiwork of the thousands who combed comb n. 1. a. A thin toothed strip, as of plastic, used to smooth, arrange, or fasten the hair. b. An implement, such as a card for dressing and cleansing wool or other fiber, that resembles a hair comb in shape or the beaches in the cleanup. We toured Heceta Head Heceta Head is a headland that stands at a 1,000 ft. above the Pacific Ocean in Lane County, Oregon, United States. The Heceta Head Light is located on its south side. Heceta Head is named after the Portuguese explorer under Spanish Commission, Bruno de Heceta, who explored the Lighthouse lighthouse, towerlike structure erected to give guidance and warning to ships and aircraft by either visible or radioelectrical means. Lighthouses were long built to conform in structure to their geographical location. Until the beginning of the 19th cent. and played around the cove there. Later, we headed over to the Oregon Dunes, to hunt for shells and driftwood. While venturing off the beaten path, as has become a custom, I found a disturbing deposit near the top of the dunes. Someone had dropped four large fluorescent tubes, a couple of light bulbs and another big chunk of glass. The thought that they could be buried by the sand in a week or so, and happened upon by bare feet bare feet symbol of impoverishment. [Folklore: Jobes, 181] See : Poverty frolicking on the Dunes, turned my stomach. I finally made my big haul of trash. Only this haul, with mixed feelings. Still, as we headed back to Eugene with snow-covered Sisters peeking over the hills, the overwhelming thoughts returned to how Oregon has helped shape our family. How we've redefined something as simple as a day at the beach. Reach John Rezell, aka Raz, at Eugenemeraz@att.net. |
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