Tripping the Light Cold-Tastic
My own good grandfather made his living as a cook in the Coast Guard. He had tattoos and smoked Winstons. He was a man’s man. And, in his own way, a poet. He had dozens of little phrases that I find myself turning when I just can’t quite articulate what I want. ‘Ugly enough to puke a maggot off a shit truck’ was one of his. ‘More useless than a one-legged man in a shit kicking factory,’ another.
Tonight my family and I enjoyed Zoo Lights at the Oregon Zoo. As I stood there watching the alligator (crocodile?) made from glowing light strings open and close his mouth for the twentieth time, another of my grandfather’s phrases came to mind — colder than a witch’s tit in a brass bra.
The lights were quite nice and my son enjoyed the train, though, it seems, every other two year-old in the vicinity found it lacking, or worse, a form of torture. We had a lovely time wandering around and identifying the various lit up animal shapes — is it a fish, no, it’s a platypus!
But it was cold. Very cold. Cold enough to freeze a maggot off a one-legged shit kicker. I’m just saying that if you go, wear a hat, a scarf and a portable heater. Because it was cold.
My conversation with my sister tonight went something like this…
her: Are we taking the kids to Peacock Lane?
me: If it’s not raining.
her: How about the Grotto?
me: If it’s not too frickin’ cold.
her: Drive-around thingy at PIR?
me: Even though it’s totally lame? I’m in.
ZooLights are fun, both from the family angle, and as a photographer one can do some interesting things. Here’s what I shot last year, including a motion shot of that crocodile:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ahockley/sets/72157594401267016/
I’m hoping to make a couple trips up there before the end of the year.
Chilly sure, but I haven’t even gotten out my winter coat yet.