L U N A T A L K with Eva Moon

Northwest Moments

August 3, 2007 on 2:15 pm | In General Musing |

It’s Seafair time again. I can tell by the window-rattling roar of the Blue Angels warming up. They just flew right overhead in perfect formation. I have friends who complain of the noise, but I always find it exciting. Several years ago, we were hiking up to Rachel Lake in Snoqualmie pass near Seattle. It was a beautiful summer day, warm, patches of snow lingering in shady spots. We reached the crest of the ridge and stopped to take in the breathtaking view of the Cascades before beginning our descent to the lake. At that very moment, the Blue Angels flew by, not more than a couple hundred feet above our heads. I know they are not specifically a PNW thing; the Blue Angels fly all over. But that moment wrote them indelibly in my mind as an intrinsic part of my northwest.

Other “Only in the PNW” moments:

• Finding a story in the Seattle Times about what you should do if your kayak is approached by orcas. Not something we worried about much in Georgia. And the kicker was, most of the advice had to do with protecting the orcas, not the kayakers.
• Watching evening news footage of cars stopped on rainy roads to allow salmon to cross in the scant few inches of water. I just want to say that I am profoundly grateful I need go no further than upstairs to spawn and if the kids are out of the house, I don’t even need to go that far.
• Passing a rural roadside shack that offered both bait and espresso for sale.
• Nude bicyclists at the Solstice parade. Go for the body paint. Stay for the piercings you don’t usually get to see.

See more like that one:

• Murder Most Foul
• Whoops! There goes another northwest tree
• Snowshoeing: The Idiot's 10 Essentials
• Wag of the Tongue
• Words you don't want to hear