The Past

From recently and from a ways back.

I visited my friend Christian (Sister C) up in Seattle this weekend. Had a great time.

Gotta see the locks (and the really big fall run Chinook!). I've always had an interest in ships, was fun to watch the locks in action. Made a trip to the market and we BBQ'd what really turned out to be great Albino Trout. I forgot how awesome the market is up north. Didn't make it for 25c (I searched and there no longer appears to be a cent symbol on a QEWRTY device) PBR's though, maybe next time. I bolted a table together, so that took care of some of the inner project drive for the weekend. All in all, good trip, have to go again soon.

It has been years since I have been in Seattle proper, was a little bummed to see the big red R is now a beige big T.

I found that I tend to spend an inordinate amount of time in Bookstores, Record Shops (the kind with real vinyl...I truely miss a good record shop), and Museums. I was reminded of the age-old lesson why I stopped going into Bookstores.....I have a problem....

(of course on the flip side) I found that I have a tendency now to curse at people driving less than the speed limit in the left lane on a 2-lane freeway, and anymore I seem to spend at least a full day decompressing from the week behind :(.

From way back; tonight I started reading an article in the Oregon Historical Quarterly which made me think about the current state of affairs in government. Is this much different that an era close to 100 years ago in this country....are the ideals similar to Wilson's? At least the introduction made me think that:

There were fatal flaws in President Woodrow Wilson's belief that fighting a war against Imperial Germany in 1917 would make the world safe for democracy. The Great War of 1914-1918 had already set in motion events that would undermine Wilsonian idealism and overwhelm movements toward political and social reform. Even as the United States and its allies celebrated victory on November 8,1918, hope and exultation dissolved into pessimism, materialism, and social conflict. While the United States and Japan gained prestige and international influence, World War I contributed to the collapse of European empires and spawned the Bolshevik Revolution. The millions of dead and displaced victims of war, revolution, and a deadly, worldwide flu pandemic further undermined international stability. Peace did not end conflict. American forces continued to conduct "Gunboat Diplomacy" in the Caribbean and China, U.S. soldiers fought against Bolshevik revolutionaries in northern Russia and Siberia, and U.S. Marines faced years of guerrilla warfare with insurgents in Nicaragua.

That almost 100 years later sounds eerily familiar......


Astoria-Megler Bridge, Astoria, Oregon, March 2006, by LHD