Field Trip

So because I am off work for a week I decided today to get out and do something adventurous. I went to the Walmarts. To a lot of you, this may not seem like much of an adventure, but I assure you, to me, it is. The Walmarts around here aren't very close to (civilization) me, and it's a sunny day, I have the time, and don't feel like cleaning, so off I went.

I think I left the house at like 9:45 or something, and headed west toward McMinnville. Sure, the Woodburn Walmarts probably is closer, but a) it's Woodburn and b) aren't people constantly getting shot out there? I figured McMinnville, though 30 miles away, would be a nicer drive.

So this particular Walmarts wasn't one of those ones that has a supermarket in it. I didn't realize (until someone told me later) that there was a difference. There was food in this one, but not like a big supermarket situation, a la Cancun. It was pretty frightening most of the way through, you know, because it's the Walmarts, but I managed to look cool and act like I knew what I was doing. I don't think anyone could see my skittishness. The good news is that I started to feel at home since everything was in Spanish and sometimes in English, so that helped. I actually bought some things, laundry soap, tall kitchen bags, diet A&W root beer, and the best part was they had my coffee - that Cafe Bustelo I dig - for like $3.40 a can! I bought three. There was a lot to be said for their Latin foods section, and then again not so much to be said about the rest of it. It was kinda dirty.

I was looking around for something to bring to the Lincoln Tower Christmas party Friday night, but I couldn't find anything and after about half an hour my nerves were starting to fray (I don't think there are a lot of people with day jobs over in McMinnville). I paid the low low price and headed back to Washington County. Actually I stopped at the Safeway across the street first because I had to use the restroom and because the Walmarts didn't have a supermarket, and I needed cranberries, sugar and creamer. This particular Safeway had my coffee too. So there's always back up.

I had a notion to get that Angela started on a sweater, so I had brought along my favorite-but-now-kitty-shredded sweater as a guide and headed east, hoping to find some kind of shortcut to Hillsboro. I found it - over a mountain, it turns out. Chehalem Mountain, so it wasn't like Mt. Hood or anything, but nevertheless, twisty-turny roads and people climbing all up your ass because you aren't taking the hairpin turns at break-neck speeds. The views (when I peaked and the sweat wasn't running into my eyes) were beautiful up there. I white-knuckled it the 15 miles or so and managed to get to the Orenco office in an hour. Christ.

Angela's last day is tomorrow so they were having some lunch, so I chatted briefly and then was on my merry way.

I'm home now. I think I belong in Washington County. The parking lot at the Walmarts made me a little nervous, all those big Dodge Ram trucks and people dressed in cammo. I think I'll stick to civilization.