Last Saturday, Yuka and I ascended the great Spencer Butte. It took maybe 45 mins to an hour to climb, and the view was spectacular. The summit was very small and about 15 people and 15 dogs were milling about up there. All of Eugene was visible, as were the distant Cascades (the Three Sisters, Mt Jefferson, and a curiously named Three-Fingered Jack). A panorama of the Willamette Valley was all around, along with appearances by the great river itself. It was a fine day, as it has been for the past two weeks or so. In the mid-70s, clear skies, low humidity.

Everytime I see someone here who is bored or upset or otherwise negative, I just want to say, "Take a look around you!"

I'm trying to enjoy as much time out of doors as possible. The rain will start in a couple of weeks. It will continue raining until spring, from what I understand. I still believe though that it will beat snow & ice & Iowa cold.

This weekend is the Eugene Celebration, a citywide festival downtown, with food, beer, and music. The North Mississippi Allstars will be here tomorrow night. I will too. Frank Slugsnotra was crowned Eugene's Slug Queen for the festival.

Enjoying work at the O'Depot.

This is the bike path through Amazon Park, going south to my house. The path goes directly to my street. The mountain ahead is Spencer Butte (2062 ft./625m). A butte is an isolated hill or mountain with very steep slopes and a flat top, but with a smaller summit area than a mesa. It is covered in Douglas Fir trees. I hope to climb it sometime soon.


There are over 30 miles of paved off-road bike paths in Eugene. Some go along the Willamette River, which make spectacular views:

The river is left undeveloped, which preserves the natural beauty of the area.

Today, Yuka and I drove out to Florence, Oregon, about 55 miles west of Eugene. It is at the end of North America. Sand dunes, high winds, empty shores, an abandoned crab shell. I put my feet in the great Pacific Ocean.

Florence, Oregon

The beach is a very spiritual place for me. Maybe because of the waves rushing in, the constantly shifting sand, the flux of change all around. It as evident here of the universal law of change as anywhere, I suppose. A few months ago, I trudged up to Nagoya Bay in central Japan. It was my last day there. I stood there, under the cloudy sky, watching fishing boats and huge ships sailing into the Taiheiyou, the Pacific, that great expanse of water that has no memory and knows no equal on this earth, a sea that reaches all the way to America. Now, today, I was looking back toward Asia, that land impossibly far away but yet always connected by the rolling waves and shifting sand.

Got a job offer yesterday from Office Depot. I think one may be in the works for Market of Choice as well. Six interviews done as of this morning. Well, it will be good to be working again--it's been about six weeks.

I was thinking about my Japanese friends today--the ones in America & the ones back home--what's up!

oooh yeah!!!

Also, I got a bike. A Schwinn. It's got a flat tire. So I'm learning Zen & the Art of Bicycle Maintenance. I learned about a the quick release lever on the front wheel (a ten-second way to get the front wheel off the bike) and how to take the tire off the wheel (using the backs of spoons as tire levers!). The tube has a hole in it that was previously patched, so I'm not sure if I'll patch the hole or get a new tube and save this one for future scenarios. I got the bike for $50, by the way, from a guy named Dave in a storage lot. Long story.

Eugene's a great bicycling town. According to a website, Eugene's bicycle path network "includes 30 miles of off-street paths, 89 miles of on-street bicycle lanes, and 5 bicycle/pedestrian bridges spanning the Willamette River." Near my house are great bike paths--I can bike all the way to grocery store without touching the street (about seven blocks). This grocery store deserves attention. It's called Sundance, and it's been open since 1971. All of its produce is organic, and much of it is locally grown. Also, you can buy many things in bulk. They have hot vegetarian options for an alternative to fast food and around 170 beers available. I go there almost every day.