Turn the Car Around, Again

On the way home, I asked Mr. Odd Days to turn the car around again. (See the 16th's blip.) This time it was to get this shot of Mount Saint Helens. I liked the way it was peaking between the trees and behind the farmhouse.

I was 13 when it erupted. Even though we lived a couple of hours away from the mountain, the wind blew quite a lot of volcanic ash our direction. Everything was covered and gray. I wish I had a picture of our yard. I still have a bottle of ash I collected. It wouldn't wash off the plants and such -- just became a gooey cement-like substance. I remember trying to pick strawberries in a field the owners had over-irrigated in attempt to wash the ash off. The attempt failed miserably and we simply got icky and wet. Our family went up to the mountain once it was safe to do so (some months later.) The images my dad captured on slides are amazing. It looked like the post-apocalypse/disaster-of-the-week movie that it actually was. Today, however, the area has come back to life. Several interesting interpretative centers are available should you find yourself in this part of the world.

We're home again. A nice visit with the mother-in-law but good to be back. Now to transition from travel photographer to our regular schedule...