No Chaser

The Smell of Asphalt

So, I'm here in the Pacific Northwest having a grand old time, and spending so much time running around and drinking great beer that I have no time to post to my blog.  I've been to the beach and am heading out again tomorrow, I've visitied with friends, will see family next weekend, and have taken numerous walks and bike rides all over town.  I've enjoyed many wonderful meals, foods I can't get in my sad little corner of the Midwest, and awaken every day with a plan for where to eat next.  The politics and city development are progressive, and there is evidence of beautiful life-affirming creativity everywhere.

It has been a really nice break from Cornlandia, which is so culturally opposite of this place.  And, you know, people here smile at me rather than scowl, and no one harasses me for what I wear, how I look, the kind of dog I have, whether I say hi to them on the street or not.  I didn't grow up here, but I spent seven years living in various parts of this region, and I've decided I want to move back here as soon as possible.  Despite all this, at no time during this visit have I felt any kind of nostalgia or yearning.   Until yesterday.

Clonk and I were sitting at a local brewpub, and the sliding door/windows were open all around.  It has been hot here lately, but yesterday, while we were enjoying a very good IPA, it started to rain.  When it rains after many hot days in the PNW, the rain turns to steam as it hits the asphalt and rises up bearing a very distinct scent.  It smells of rain and asphalt, but also of peat and ozone.  It's not a particularly pleasant smell, but it is particularly local.  And, for some reason, when I smelled it, I started to cry. I breathed deeply and cried some more.  And it was then I realized how very much this place has become home to me.

posted by: NoChaser at May 20, 2006 12:19 | link | comments (2) |

On Vacation

If you haven't guessed by the dearth of posts or by my actual presence in your area, I am on vacation and staying in a home with a bad internet connection, so I will most likely not be posting much if at all for the next month and a half.

However, I will be having fun in person with many of my faithful readers: smelt, tapir, yknot, quippish, mrs. yknot, the wee yknotlet (who can't read yet), tt, tot, little miss sunshine, tb, mp, the fam, etc. Yahoo!

Already in the land of rain and breweries, I have eaten many good meals, imbibed delicious beer, and watched two outstanding roller derby matches. I have taken several walks around my old town and seen zillions of instances of creativity, political smarts, and joy. I really need to get out Cornlandia and back to the real heartland.

posted by: NoChaser at May 07, 2006 12:34 | link | comments (2) |