We are in the middle of the "dog days" of summer here in Oregon. It's hot. We escape to the ocean during days where we are almost too hot for us. I grew up in the south, so heat is not an issue for me, but some days, even though it's hot, I'd rather be splashing in the ocean water instead. Unfortunately, with the heat, we are making national news again with a large wildfire, unfortunately. The smoke hasn't been too bad here, which is weird to say that, because to a lot of people it would be bad. Given that we've seen worse, it's not that bad. Our eyes are burning a bit, but it's tolerable. The largest wildfire burning here is the Bootleg Fire and as of right now it's burned over 400,000 acres. It's a ways away from us, but it doesn't make it any less upsetting. The amount of wildfires that have happened here in the last three years is alarming. Although, we are in the Willamette Valley and are not used to wildfires being so close to us, it's a bit unsettling to wonder what's happening to this beautiful state. Hopefully, fire crews and fighters can get ahead of these this year and the Bootleg Fire will the worst we see of 2021. Fingers crossed. Here are five things this week.
1. This Moment.
Skylar and I spent a few hours in Lincoln City, Oregon, this week picking up beach trash and other items that could end up in the ocean, or cause injuries. We ended up picking up about two pounds of trash with most of it being items that could be recycled. It's amazing to me how caress people are with, not only the earth, but even of other people. Don't be that person, be mindful of everything, including yourself.
2. This Wax.
Being in a cold water area of the world, and the chilly parts of the Pacific Ocean, we have to go with cold water wax for our surfboards. We particularly live the Sticky Bumps brand and this blueberry scent is heavenly. It's almost so delicious smelling you want to lick the bar. Putting it on our boards is a treat, for sure.
3. This Shadow.
The morning sun comes through the windows in such a way that makes me forget sometimes that I live in a city. I love how it hits this wall where our floor clock stands.
4. This Launch.
Just like with the launch of Richard Branson, we watched Jeff Bezos take flight into space this week, too. He took off from the ground with his Blue Origin program and New Shepard rocket and he had a successful flight, as well. It is incredible that they allowed the general public, like us, to view their progress into space travel. I love that we can be part of some great history being made.
The "dog days" of summer are in connection to the constellations in the sky. On July 20, 2021, the star Sirius, the dog star, lines up with the sun. The days between July 3 to August 11 are considered the "dog days" as the sun and one of the other brightest stars are in the sky at the same location. Romans thought the star next to the sun meant it was going to be hotter temperatures, but it's the Earth's tilt that brings on the hotter days in the Northern Hemisphere during the "dog days."
Did you catch Antares in the sky this week (19), or the Full Thunder Moon (23)?
Positive affirmations this week:
You have more control over things you allow to affect you. More control than you might realize. Here is a quick checklist of things you literally can control. Try to pick one and work on it in the coming week. Once you have one down, move to the next one. We are looking for progress here not perfection. Remember that! You can do this!
We got to fit in another surf trip this past weekend. We were able to determine that the foam board we have isn't quite big enough for Jeff, but Skylar and I rocked it. I enjoy the thrill of waiting for a wave to come in and just going for it. It's funny, as many times as I've been in the ocean, I still get startled the first time the water gets in my mouth. It's like I forget how salty it is each time we go, but once it happens I immediately remember. I don't think a lot of people realize how salty the ocean water is. I'm sure it tastes differently in different bodies of water, but the Pacific is like the worst cold broth you've ever tasted. ☺
Our surf boots are awesome. They look odd, but we find this design allows for better grip of the board. You can grab a pair here.
My contacts love the saltwater and so does my skin.
We love our Wave Storm foam sticks. They are great for beginners and help you learn the basics of surfing. They are affordable and come with everything you need to get started with surfing, even if you've never been before. You can snag a board here and here.
We figured out our exact generation with a generation website. Jeff and I always assumed we were of the same generation, but we aren't. We're five years apart, but we are different generations because of how his birthdate falls. He does relate more to my generation, which is the Xennials. We feel we fall with Generation Y, which floats between Generation Z and Millennials. We are the lost generation. But, you can figure your own here. We also watched Virgin Galactic Unity 22 flight with Richard Branson. We are eager to see Jeff Bezos make the same flight. We love anything space related. We also added our names to the Parker Solar Probe back in 2018. If you aren't familiar with the Parker Solar Probe, it was launched into space to orbit the sun and collect data. Our names were added to a USB drive aboard the probe. We also took a trip to Bend and checked out the Whitewater Park surfing area along the Deschutes River last Sunday. We are definitely going to be doing this soon! Here are five things this week.
1. These Clouds.
The cloud cover in the valley has been quite interesting lately. The top one is on our way to Eugene, Oregon, and the bottom one is one Jeff sent me from his work parking lot. He says it looks like a Strong Man about to smash the building. I would much rather be making out images in clouds than see wildfire smoke everywhere, so for now we will take the interesting clouds.
2. This Stool.
I bought this stool at an estate sale for $10 and it was broken. I was hoping to bring life back to it, but couldn't figure out how to repair the broken leg. Jeff surprised me by taking it to work one day and having another worker take it home and weld the leg back together. He gave it back to me and told me what he had done. I was so excited that he got it fixed and even more so, excited that I can now start painting it and bringing it back to life.
3. This Thought.
As simple as this sounds, it makes me smile.
4. This Sticker.
On one shopping trip to Whole Foods in Portland I noticed this sticker that was in front of the elevator. Each time we returned I took a picture of it to document how much it progressed as it was repeatedly stepped on. The last picture shows the inevitable outcome of the poor sticker.
5. This Mission.
It was cool to watch Richard Branson make history with this flight to space. With so much uncertainty in the world lately, positives such as this event are thrilling to watch. I don't know if any of us will ever make it to space, or not, but we are excited to watch others create a pathway there for those in the future. Right now, you can win a trip to space for you and a friend with Space for Humanity through Omaze.
Did you catch the moon beside Venus and Mars (11), or Venus and Mars kissing (13), or how about the moon close to star Spica (16)?
Positive affirmations this week:
You never have to make yourself be a certain way to the right people. What I mean is, when good things happen to you, be proud of yourself, and only listen to your fans, not your critics. There's a time to be humble and a time to celebrate and celebrating the good you've done or talking yourself up before a special moment is not arrogant. There is no shame in talking yourself up and saying good things to yourself. Things like, "you've got this," "you're awesome," or even "you did great today." This thought that you can't be your own coach is awful. There is absolutely nothing wrong in saying good things to yourself and being your own best friend. This is a great self love technique that will help build your confidence and actually help with mental health issues. Doing these positive thought routines and even saying them out loud changes your mental state, too. Ignore then naysayers and tell yourself you're awesome, you got this, and you're the bomb! Do it every day when you're feeling down or less than yourself. And, don't forget, you're incredible and you can achieve great things!
This is what we call the "tunnel of happiness" under SW Colorado Avenue near the Deschutes River in Bend Whitewater Park (Bend, Oregon). The tunnel follows the Haul Trail and is part of the Deschutes River Trail Project in the Old Mill District of the city. Tunnel artist is Tom Cramer and he created the explosion of color to help brighten your day. The outside of the tunnel was created by Sandy Klein and features spring flowers and birds prominent to the area, including Red-Winged Blackbird, Osprey, and Kingfishers, to name a few.
One more thing. This signage is in the bathrooms around a lot of the Bend parks. I wish all bathrooms would take note of this and add them to add bathrooms. Sometimes people at their lowest point use public restrooms either to go to the bathroom, or take some time to themselves to use, or contemplate their next moves. Just a subtle reminder of these could possibly save someone's life. If you are one of these people, please reach out. As much as it seems like it doesn't help, there is always someone that will do their very best to help you in some way. I've been there. It's hard and I understand. I am not ashamed anymore of my struggles and you shouldn't be either. Let's talk.
Life at a "Swell's" pace is a lifestyle and travel blog chronicling the life and travels while living in Oregon's beautiful Willamette Valley. It is mostly written by Shelly HW. Click the image to learn more»
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