[With apologies and respect to Tom Robbins.]
J. was a little annoyed. I was making a three point turn — well, in truth, it was closer to a 12 point turn — in a gravel and mud driveway lined on both sides by tire eating gullies. The road was fast and winding — it was hard to see oncoming traffic from either direction. “Trust me,” I insisted, “it’s worth it. See, there’s this giant yellow dinosaur leaning up against a shed… really, we have to go back.”
It’s a long time ago now, but I still remember coming across a giant concrete head somewhere in Montana.… continued…
Okay, Nerd’s Eye View, let’s tell the readers what they can win! (Cue game show music…)
That’s right, it’s time for you to take a summer trip out to the Washington Coast! There’s the Westport harbor, a lively fishing port. There are windswept rugged beaches (no, seriously, I know that sounds like florid touristy hyperbole, but check out the photo, it’s from our last trip out there!), oyster farms, cranberry bogs, and more oyster farms!… continued…
The tulip fields are about to bust out in an absolute riot of color. We got to see some stunning oranges and reds and the daffodils, good lord, their quantities are spectacular, but in a few days it is going to be total insanity on the eyes. If you can swing it, play hooky on Monday the 20th — Nerd’s Eye View says it’s okay! — and rush up there. Even better if you get up at crack of dawn because I think it must be some kind of magic to watch the light come up in the middle of all that crazy color.… continued…
It’s serious business, this handling and showing of alpacas. They’re judged on their looks and their composure — or was it composition, I’m forgetting the exact term — and their fiber, don’t be calling it wool. There’s a handling component too — an alpaca obstacle course to complete in which the alpaca’s human must lead the alpaca through a series of activities: jumping a bail of hay, making a muddy, wet crossing (that one alpaca, a bit of a princess, resisted getting her feet wet), waddling through an array of tires, and more.… continued…
