Thursday, August 25, 2011

Farmer's Market

I'm supposed to be on vacation this week. I sort of managed to turn working for the motorcycle program last weekend into something of a vacation. Katie came along and we stayed an extra night in Portland. Hey, she got to stay in a nice hotel and I took her out for a fancy supper. That has to count, doesn't it?

Then there was that one little thing I needed to do so a contractor could finish up a project. It's only a half day, after all. Katie left me on my own and spent the day with her sister. Guess I'll have to shut things down for a few days and try to actually act like it's vacation time. In the meantime, here's a few photos from the Farmer's Market in Salem.

You may go looking for vegetables but find something else. Like my training Sergeant told me years ago: "Welcome to Yakima, the land of fruits and nuts!"

So here's the early morning stop at the project that started it all. I love early mornings in summer. Cool and fresh. Perfect for riding.



As I was parking Elvira in Salem I saw this scooter pull up. No backing in, I see. The woman riding the scooter had a light weight jacket the same color as her bike. Which was also the same color as her helmet. Looks like the perfect accessory for some similar crocs, don't you think?



This shot below struck me because it shows mass transit, the scooter, and an SUV. Differing ways to roll, as they say.




This is the rider of the yellow scooter. Her and I had a nice chat. As charming as I am, she decided after a bit that getting food was much more interesting. I am so deflated!



This was the day for pastel colored Vespa LX150's. Another good accessory for those who wear crocs. Especially for Canadians!



A little dog.



You know what they say. It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog. In this case I think the big dog was already full and decided not to snack.



There were many displays of vegetables. Way too healthy for the likes of me.



However, even junk food eaters like me are not averse to learning more about Russian culture!



Here's the obligatory cute sunflower shot. Oh golly gee, have a nice day!



Why not make a little music and collect a little dough? I tried standing on a corner and singing, once. You'd be amazed how many people paid me to shut up!



The solar panel caught my eye. The guy uses it to charge the battery on his chair. We had a brief conversation. The woman behind him is his mother. Aw, what togetherness. I asked why she didn't have a solar panel. I guess he likes ditching her for a while when her battery dies. What a way to repay the woman whose Social Security check supports you!



These twins looked pretty bored. Until......



Wow! Did somebody mention motorcycles?



I was really tempted to get a hair cut on the way home. There's a beauty college in downtown Salem. One can often get a good haircut for a cheap price. Especially when you just want a regulation cut that only involves running an electric clipper over your head. This sight caused me to have second thoughts.

Haircuts while you wait. If you're in a real hurry leave your head with us while you go to Starbucks. I have to say I wasn't too excited about the new "lop off" service!



Miles and smiles,

Dan

7 comments:

SonjaM said...

Scooters in Croc colours! Hilarious! Do crocs count as safety gear, Dan? At least this lady will be seen with this shiny two-wheeler and her yellow outfit.

A cheap haircut is just plain wrong, period! I mean, people have to look at you all the time, and live with the aftermath, while you only get to see it in the mirror. My 2 cents ;-)

Unknown said...

Irondad:

I, on the otherhand like generic haircuts, after all I am looking out and don't notice it

don't they sell Pink or Yellow crocs down there ? and why would a rider with a yellow outfit, not wear a yellow T-shirt. It just doesn't make sense.

I have noticed your new style. It's like a photo blog with a few words thrown in.

bob
Riding the Wet Coast

irondad said...

Sonja,

Perhaps I caused some confusion in my wording. The hair style I prefer should be thought of more as "not elaborate" rather than cheap. More like you would expect to see on a police officer pulling you over for breaking the sound barrier on your scooter.

Presentable, but short. Which is why it can be done with clippers.

Besides, a truly hardcore motorcyclist will rarely be seen without their helmet! :)

Take care,

Dan

irondad said...

Bobskoot,

They do sell pastel colored crocs down here. It seems the only people who buy them weigh as much as most motorcycles, alas.

Yes, I changed the style for a bit. Thank you for noticing. Photography is becoming more and more intriguing. I've been there and done that so much as a rider.

My enthusiasm is being rekindled by making photos. New and differnt challenges to conquer. So I'm indulging myself for a while on the blog.

Having said that, do you find the new style more appealing than the other?

Take care,

Dan

Anonymous said...

Gee, thought I was reading Conchscooter's blog! All these wild and crazy photographs!
And that reference to Canadian pink Crocs; what's the idea???

As to ear-lowerings...
I get my head done to what might be called a 0.5 haircut, not shaved, but close to it.Got to like the feel during my last round of chemo which turned by hair ends to stubs. Solution? Shave it, now I much prefer the almost shaved appearance.
No helmet hair, for me.

Keith - Circle Blue said...

If Katie says getting to stay in a nice hotel and you taking her out for a fancy supper counts . . . then it counts. My opinion don't matter :)

I almost bought a pink scooter once. It was the exact same scooter as the one I was looking for but it was significantly cheaper. Ah, but Heather put her foot down and told me I was going to buy the blue one. And, I did.

I didn't respond to your post a while ago about your posting photos here instead of in a separate blog. I like seeing what you're seeing. I hope you keep doing these sort of posts in addition to the wonderful posts on riding skills.

Thanks for the share.
~k

Roger said...

I sat down expecting another of our wonderful intense riding blogs, but i throughly enjoyed reading this instead. Although bloggers obsession with Croc's is worrying.