Smallest park on Earth and other extremes

I bet you didn't know the smallest park on Earth is located in Portland Oregon. I didn't until I visited Google's Extreme Series page (updated daily). Mill Ends Park was created by a leprechaun by the name of Patrick O'Toole proving, once again, that one must be very specific when asking favors of the wee folk.


Mill Ends Park,
Portland, Oregon :
Smallest Park on the Earth

Mill Ends Park in Portland, Oregon is the smallest park in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records. The "park" is a 2 foot (610 mm) wide circle which in 1948 was intended to be the site for a light pole. When this failed to appear, Dick Fagan, a journalist for the Oregon Journal, planted flowers in the hole and named it after his column in the paper, "Mill Ends". Fagan told the story of the park's origin as follows: He looked out his office window and spotted a leprechaun digging in the hole. He ran down and grabbed the leprechaun, which meant that he had earned a wish. Fagan said he wished for a park of his own; but since he had not specified the size of the park in his wish, the leprechaun gave him the hole. Over the next two decades, Fagan often featured the park and its head leprechaun, named Patrick O'Toole, in his whimsical column.

Fagan died of cancer in 1969, but the park lives on, cared for by others. It became an official city park in 1976. Mill Ends Park is located at SW Naito Parkway and SW Taylor in downtown Portland.
The park's area is 452 in² (0.29 m²). The small circle has featured many unusual items through the decades, including a swimming pool for butterflies (complete with diving board) and a miniature ferris wheel (which was delivered by a regular-sized crane).

I Ching in a nutshell

(The title is meant to be a joke)

A friend recently posted, "Some time tell me how to learn I Ching? Please."

Naturally I am only too happy to oblige however the best I can do is an introduction.

Roy, I Ching ... I Ching, Roy.

Good luck guys.


But of course .........



I can't help offer an opinion or two. This is a blog after all.

First off, the name of the book translates as Book of Changes; "I" meaning change and "ching" meaning book. Don't ask it "yes or no" questions. You will really short change yourself ... sorry. The way I see it, when you toss the coins, you dip into the synergy of the moment as focused by your question so the more specific, the better. As above, so below. This is not the same as asking to be told what to do. For me, using the I Ching is like looking into the cosmic mirror. If I phrase my question properly, I get a peek at what is influencing a situation/me, and perhaps see more clearly the waters I am in and need to navigate.

Think about your question awhile. Wording is very important. Write it down. For instance, when I did the reading on my birthday recently, I asked "What is the Tao for my coming year?" Or suppose you want to quit the soul crushing corporate job that has you imprisoned in the dead dry center of middle America and go back to Santa Cruz so you can pick up your old life as a surfer dude. Then your question would be something like, "What are the influences surrounding my desire to ......" or perhaps ... "What would be the outcome of quitting my current soul crushing corporate job and ....." Get the idea?

The I Ching often confirms what I already know, which is amazing when you think about it but not particularly mind bending if you prefer carnival raz-ma-taz. My birthday hexagram reflected a condition I have been aware of for a while, Standstill, so I asked a second question in search of more information on a way forward. "How can I correct the mistakes I made that have resulted in stagnation" and got, "Cultivate yourself, await your alloted time, then you will be able to bite through." The changing hexagram, Biting Through, went into some helpful detail.


Be patient. It takes time to get use to the language and metaphors. The I Ching is among the oldest of Chinese classic texts and not dumbed down for the current age or its consumers. On the other hand, it is oddly modern. It shares a common language with computers, zeros and ones. The I Ching arrives at all 64 hexagrams and their changing lines through combining and recombining zeros and ones just as computers use what's called binary code, also made up solely of ever changing combinations of ones and zeros. Everything both systems do is based on zeros and ones. Elegant, yes?

That's it. Try it if you like. I recommend the Wilhelm/Baynes version of the book for your basic text. It's the original. It's easy once you get the idea of how to count each coin toss. If you don't want to buy anything you can find online versions of the method here or here or here or just look around for a site that suits you. On the other hand, if all this bores, mystifies or otherwise offends your religious and/or scientific bias, forget about it. Have some fun. Translate your name into binary code. Otherwise, what are you waiting for?

Step through the door...

~ 01100001011100110110100001100001


Update: Be sure to write your (well thought out, carefully worded) question down before tossing the coins. Being able to refer back to exactly will help you interpret the results.

Wedding photos

I posted a set at Flickr if you'd like to see more photos from the wedding. They are in order just as I took them so you can get a sense of day unfolding. Enjoy.

Wake up and smell the latte

“We the People”. Ha!

The House authorized the government to spy on us and people are blaming the Democrats. Of course, I'm also furious that they caved into the Republican agenda but still it's pathetic scapegoating.

“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance” .

Sadly we, the American people, expect other people to take care of the dirty business for us. If we pay attention to politics all, we prefer to focus on our own pet issues and leave the big picture to "them". Screw us. This is what we get. America is a Corporatocracy now, that is a perfect slave state. Our chains are different but even stronger than the leg irons worn by slaves in days gone by. We are shackled by our addiction to “credit”. It’s the perfection of the slave state. There is no need for the slave master’s whip. Desire is the perfect master and the Corporate media stokes ours day and night. Naturally when the planet's natural resources run low these salad days will end but for now life still seems pretty good in the corporate kingdom, as long as you squint.

"The printing press has done for the mind what gunpowder has done for war." - Wendell Phillips

Dialing it down

I had to dial down the Bird Park this morning. Just too many pigeons, too early. Don't get me wrong. I love them as much as other birds but there is a balance and right now it is out of whack. They are large, communal and very talkative. This morning I removed all but one feeder. However, the pigeons love their afternoon bath and the tubs are full of nice clean water and waiting. They just won't find much seed on the ground. It's kind of sad, but they'll be okay. After all, I am not Mother feckin' Nature.

And this correction is also very much in keeping with the overall current of my life. I have to be still, re-evaluate things, weed out what doesn't work. It's not exactly a choice. The times call for it. Even when I did my annual birthday reading the other day, the I Ching said the same thing. The fundamentals are wrong. Energetically bite through the obstacles. Indeed.

Once again I am impressed with the oracle's accuracy. It reflected exactly what I have been experiencing for a while now. No, I don't feel particularly effusive about it. Sober, yes. Reflective, yes. Perhaps this lingering flu has something to do with my mood but anyone with half a brain knows that transitions, realignments, are not always fun but, from time to time, necessary. But don't let me rain on your day.

Think

Okay, if you've been keeping up here at the border crossing you've already watched the excerpt from Scott Jennings historically pathetic bogus testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning so here's a little fun from Live Earth. It's got a message but don't let that scare you off. At least I found it refreshing and delightful. Give it a chance. Perhaps you will too. As you know, it never hurts to ...

Think


More fun short films from Live Earth here.

Bogus "executive privilege"

BushCo. is defending a house of cards (all Jokers) in this Justice Dept. scandal. Get a load of this "testimony" by Bushman Scott Jennings who was questioned today by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy. The only hope these clown's have left is their bogus claim to "executive privilege". Jennings is a public servant but, in BushCo.'s pathetic attempt to avoid accountability, the White House won't even let him disclose his own job description!

These jokers really have their backs against the wall. They know they are defending a house of cards in a bowl of smoke, remove even one and the whole facade comes tumbling down in a puff.

Bush's house of cards

Babes in Bird Land and old crows too

A young quail couple, barely teenagers themselves, bring their baby over to the Bird Park several times a day. Seems they live at Dwayne's, probably under his giant Indian Willow tree-o-life. I don't know if cats got the rest of their family or they only had the one, but they are very protective of the little guy who, at this point, isn't any bigger than a tennis ball. Generally, one parent hangs back on lookout while the other escorts the baby around but he stays very close anyway. I say "he" because he has a tiny little comb on the top of his head but I don't know. Maybe he's a she. Perhaps time will tell. Anyway, they are very sweet as they work their way along, scratching and dirt bathing and keeping an eye on baby.

I generally watch them while I sit at my computer, which is very convenient for me however, last evening I got trapped when they made an appearance in the front yard. I was sitting on the porch eating dinner when they scooted over from Dwayne's. It is obviously one of the chick's favorite things to do. Before they were half way across the lawn, he made a bee line for the tree with the thistle seed sack and his wary parents obediently followed but they weren't at all comfortable with me sitting so near. First the father, then the mother, took turns keeping me under surveillance while I sat obligingly still as a statue. Talk about time stopping but, most importantly, the baby had a great time, ate his fill of seed, snuggled in the dirt, explored the lavender forest next to the tree, scratched around again, explored the forest again. He even caught and ate an ant.

Since coming back from Portland, I dialed down the feed a bit in an effort to reduce the number of visitors to the park. I was getting a bit obsessive about it all but mornings are still peanut time and some very old crows, Minerva among them, continue to show up for them which pleases me. I've never watched a crow age before. Did you know they get gray like the rest of us?

But before you return to the ongoing reports of mind-blowing human folly, one last bit of news. Yesterday afternoon a sparrow broke all park records for time on a feeder. This fellow stayed on the tube at least an hour, maybe two. Not that he was eating the whole time. He sat for long periods just swinging on the perch, looking around, taking in the day. I like to think he was basking in the peace and quiet.

Price per minute

Here is an interesting tidbit from DailyKos:

Wrap your head around this one. The estimated cost of the war and occupation in Iraq for 2007 is $140,000 per minute. And who do you think is paying the bill?

Pigeon vs. crow

The photos at Everything is Permuted are consistently outstanding. The photographer chronicles the lives of a family of foxes that have visited his backyard for years, but he also turns his camera everywhere, capturing stunning moments like this fight between a pigeon and a crow. When you have a moment to relax, treat yourself.

Baby birds and elephants

Photo from Stirway to Heaven

Scientific American posted an article today dispelling the myth that baby birds and other little critters that have strayed or fallen from their nest
will be rejected by their parents if touched by humans. The good news is: THEY WON'T BE REJECTED BY THEIR PARENTS! You can safely return a fallen fledging to its home. Just be very careful to not disturb the nest. Parents do find that upsetting and may move everyone, including the returned baby, but not without great trouble. I wish I'd known this when I was kid. I still remember agonizing over downed baby birds that died because we didn't put them back in the nest. All those sad, shoe box beds, digging worm, soaking bread in water only to find the poor thing dead by morning.




Okay then. For my proxy amends, I voted for the Elephant Sanctuary again. There's only 3 days left to help them win the $100,000. In case you're wondering if the Sanctuary makes proper use of their funds, they get top rating from Charity Navigator. Be sure and vote everyday!

Off road trailer report

Don wanted to see some photos of the off-road trailer that's been Lee's back yard project since last summer so here they are...


We didn't want to isolate on the shake-down trip we went to that rare Nevada campsite that actually has picnic tables, latrines and, caramba, other people. For the most part, everything checked out just fine but he still has to work on making it easier to refill the tank from the extra gas cans. You can't see them in this photo but, besides the two on the tongue, there are two more cans inside the trailer along with lots-o-water, kitchen supplies etc.The super-siphon is very cool and worked fine externally but wasn't long enough to reach from the cans inside the trailer.


The REI screen house is also new. It is a fucking wilderness palace. The flies could only dream of puking on us and our food as we sat within enjoying scrumptious camp feasts.


We used to think we were camping in the lap of luxury when the tent was on top of the jeep. However, we couldn't drive to a nearby area without breaking everything down and taking it all with us and oops, no screen house! How did we ever get along?



It's a big improvement with the tent on the detachable trailer along with all extra gear and water and, of course, the airy palace which awaits our return after a day of poking around the Great Basin. Finally we have a base camp for extended exploration.

Love among the sunflowers

 

They planted thousands of sunflowers in the spring.

Along with the evergreens, they were stately witness.

The bride was beautiful. The groom was handsome.

The yard, the thousands of sunflowers,
family, friends, food and music, all wonderful.
 

Even though it looked like it might, it didn't rain.

Clark's dog Edison wore a bow tie and
Asia's dog Cairo was lovely in her huge white bow.

 

As the sun set and the sunflower forest faded into the twilight,
the thousands of tiny lights strung through the orchard for the occasion

 

came on adding an extra touch of magic to an already magical day.

Honeymoon in hurricane season

I just got a call from the honeymooners. Blue skies, perfect temperatures and, other than the bride sobbing her heart out this morning over Edison the dog's losing battle with cancer (he was at the wedding in fine spirits, wearing his shiny black bow tie, eating heart shaped cookies and occasionally strolling out to mingle with the crowd) the tensions of the last few months are wafting away like jungle steam. At the moment they're in Old San Juan, soon to fly to the beautiful, romantic island of Culebra. photos I know I'm being silly about Tropical Storm Dalila, but a mama's got to keep an eye on things, eh? Anyway, here's the latest from Weather Underground:

These factors should limit significant

strengthening in the short-term and

ultimately result in weakening beyond

48 hours. Dalila will begin to encounter

cooler waters after 48 hours.
HA!

And this from Dive Global:

Although hurricanes can develop any time of the year in Puerto Rico, the season is generally considered to be from July to November, with September the most likely month. Island folklore has it this way:

June, too soon
July, pass by
August, we must
Remember September
October, all over.

So...

Wedding sketch

I can't go into detail about The Wedding. I'd get into big trouble with my daughter if I did that. You'll have to wait until after the honeymoon and she's back at the keyboard, ten days to a couple of weeks from now but I can't help saying one tiny thing. The Day was, in every way, Perfect.

Currently, the happy couple is honeymooning in Puerto Rico. Haven't been there but I'm sure it's wonderful. However, now that the pre-wedding trauma is over I, for one, am on post-wedding storm watch. Tropical Storm Dalila is just off Mexico's west coast. I'm not totally freaking out because we were in the Yucatan during Hurricane Wilma and, although ultimately Gamma was just one too many, we never felt that threatened. Keep a good thought with me?

Outta here

We're off to Oregon. My baby girl is getting married this weekend! Sorry. Photos and videos story from the trip will have to wait. I have a bad case of the flu.

Hasta la vista.

Return

Earth dreaming sky

We're back from our shake down trip in the Nevada interior. I'm exhausted. Facing the bitter, sad history of the land, the animals, suspended, crumbling into the vastness, emptied me. Oh yes. It was also invigorating and wonderful. There are a few bugs to still work out but, tor the most part, the new gear worked just fine. It was very different having a base camp instead of changing locations every couple of days. We took on too much, drove to many miles trying to cover too much territory. From now on, with a base camp, we can limit ourselves to a radius and get into the details. We did hike about half way up from the floor of the basin to the Alta Toquima snowman, but didn't make it to the top. Not on the agenda this time, thank the gods.

I took several photos and a few videos. As soon as they are ready, I'll post a few. At the moment, I'm moving pretty slow. Nice to be back but the desert hangs over my head like a vulture reminding me that these towns, these comforts forced upon it are, like everything and everyone that has tried establishing itself in this land, passing.

In a couple of days, we leave for Portland and The Wedding.

Hasta la vista

We're leaving in the morning for a four day shake-down camping trip to the middle of Nevada. Time to try out the off road trailer Lee built. We'll skirt the northern boundary of Area 51 for a bit before turning north into the Alta Toquima wilderness. That's where, a few Julys ago, I was lucky enough to photograph the famous, highly elusive Alta Toquima snowman. So, take care. Don't burn down the house. Vote for the Elephant Sanctuary (thanks Asia!) and save my place at the Busy Bee.

Vote for Elephants!

Queenie

Okay, this is going to require a bit of dedication but you can do it. This month, please vote every day you possibly can for the Elephant Sanctuary. It's a vote for elephants. I know that's asking a lot but the voting lasts for the whole month. Yes, its a clever way to get traffic to the ReZoom site but the prize is $100,000 donated to the winning charity. What the hell? It's a just a click. Come on. You can do it.

War costs: 12 Billion a month

Hilarious
Bush blog

In case you haven't heard, this reich wing war is costing us 12, that's TWELVE - BILLION - DOLLARS A - MONTH. For this we can all thank our very own American Idol, The Decider.




Bush blog

Flowin' with the flow

A funny thing happened after I did that I Ching reading the other day. First off, I let go of the whole 5th Friday thing and felt instant relief. That's not so amazing in itself. Letting go of any blocked energy generally has that effect. I had been at the cafe for a couple of hours by then but, except for a few minutes when I first arrived, June was too busy to talk. Free of it all, I started packing up my computer, preparing to leave. After all, I don't need a big event to read a little poetry. There's always Jen's open mic, or I can read in Reno or set something up for myself in Carson City and it doesn't have to be on a 5th Friday or any "special" day. I turned around and June was there saying, "I only have 5 minutes". We had a great talk, at least 15 minutes. She suggested I keep my mind and the night open. Scale it down. Maybe have more open mic spots. Just do a reading. Whatever. Cancel the day of the show if I don't think it's going well. After all, that's Comma Coffee. Do it and see what happens. Or don't.

I'm always one for starting small, working with what is, so I can get down with that. Pause in the jangled rush of the day. That's why I like Comma Coffee in the first place. So that's it. I'm hangin' with it. No decision at the moment. Goin' with the flow. But I did let Mr. Lee know that, as he makes camping plans for what's left of the summer, I've got my eye on that date.

Bird Park, Sunday morning

As I've mentioned before, Minerva and her companion are not the only old birds that frequent the Bird Park but I have been watching them the longest. Minerva was quite the champion last year when she drove off a Magpie hassling a flock of smaller birds trying to eat at the feeder. This spring, I was shocked to see how much she aged over the winter.

Another old bird showed up here this morning, a small black one. Even its legs were spindly and that's saying something as all bird's legs are spindly anyway. Like the other old birds that come here, she had the ragged feathers, tottering gate and was just generally the worse for wear. I like to think that any old bird that finds its way to the Bird Park must be especially delighted knowing what a hard place the desert can be. The young ones who come here right out the egg have no idea.

Minerva and her companion with the wild feather sticking out of one of her wings just left. I tried capturing a little video of them for your viewing pleasure but, although they don't mind me watching them from my window, the second I raised my camera, off they went. Birds.

Mirrors and oracles

I don't leave important decisions up to oracles anymore than I leave them to the face looking back at me from the mirror but I do use both to study what I already see. So, while sitting here at Comma Coffee, I consulted the I Ching about what is the correct path for me to take regarding 5th Friday at this time and got

Return: Not far and returning without respecting aversion. Good fortune.

changing to

Removal: Removing something. Before this is doine it is not practical to make plans.

All which is to say that letting it go at this time feels right. Like tossing a coin, it's how one feels about the toss, not the yes or no attached to a particular side, that one needs to pay attention to. Sometimes a timely retreat is the best way forward.

Poe's law

Sadly true. Poe's law from the Urban Dictionary:

"Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is impossible to create a parody of Fundamentalism that SOMEONE won't mistake for the real thing."

5th Friday photos & slideshow

There was a good turnout for the 5th Friday event at Comma Coffee in Carson City. The evening included dance, drama, poetry, weird fiction, comedy, and an open mic.

Comma Coffee before the show

Four Ash Canyon poets read during the open mike segment and they were excellent. I mixed a track for my reading. It worked out pretty good so I may do more of that in the future.

Lucky Pierre

The biggest event for me was that a long time friend from the Ashland days, Barbara Bonomo showed up with her charming friend Pete the dog. It was great seeing them. She made a special point to drop in for the show on her way home to Arizona. They were at the Comma when I got there that night. Pete sat up and watched Scot Sarni's rendition of Hamlet but slept through most everything else.

Monsieur La Chance and Lucky Pierre

Rita Geil was Mistress of Ceremonies. Poet Susan Botich read. Dave Fritz performed original music. Ellen Hopkins, Lindsey Stoeberl, Roman Valenzuela, Zach Trippiedi read from Impulse. Susan Priest did a performance art piece as Palisades. Also, every time I turned around, Lucky Pierre was sitting somewhere else.

Ellen Hopkins and Haley Bennett reading from Crank.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was how much June Joplin, the proprietor of Comma Coffee, liked the show. Afterwards she emphatically encouraged us to go on but at this point, it doesn't look like we'll be doing another show. Too many personality clashes putting it together. I'm just not into that kind of thing. It got to be a big drag. Anyway, glad we did it. Glad it's done.

Barbara, Pete the dog, Lucky Pierre and Monsieur La Chance

Barbara posted photos and a slideshow from 5th Friday on her blog The First Chakra. Check it out.