Thursday, March 6, 2008

It's a Boy!

The first flowers on my Indian Plum opened today and, as I expected, they contained pollen-capped stamens.




A male red-winged blackbird also made an appearence on the deck, demanding more seed. When he flushes the the other birds away and struts along the rail, I am reminded of Darth Vader’s swagger upon boarding the rebel ship in the opening scene of Star Wars. Ew! comparing birds to Star Wars. Could I get more nerdy?



Speaking of movies, I recently watched Into the Wild, the excellent adaptation of the nonfiction book. I was most taken with the relationships formed by the doomed main character, Alexander Supertramp, while on the road. The people he met instantly loved him and had a hard time letting him go. Alexander Supertramp seems to embody the spirit of the “Wandering 20’s,” a demographic I will depart later this month. As I watched the movie I could not help but think back to my own wanderings prior to meeting my wife and agreeing to sink our roots into Oregon soil. Back then I worked on bird research projects in many western states and spent several months in South America. I loved the changes of scenery, sleeping in a different places, and meeting so many interesting people. The hardest part of it all was leaving the people with whom I lived, partied, and worked. Alexander Supertramp seemed to have little problem doing this, perhaps that was his undoing. Though I still like to travel for work, I miss my wife and dog when I am on the road, I have trouble sleeping in new places, and I make fewer friends wherever I go. Perhaps my exit from the Wandering 20’s is complete.

1 comment:

Kathryn and Ari said...

I don't think comparing blackbirds to Star Wars is nerdy at all. That may say more about my dorkiness than your lack thereof, but the more the merrier, right?

I still haven't seen "Into the Wild." I have really mixed feelings about the book and the character of Alexander. The film looks as if its cinematography is absolutely beautiful, though!