The running of the...

One of the most famous of all runs is The Running of the Bulls. This event which takes place in several countries, Spain being the most famous of the lot, has spawned off many similar and varied events and sometimes sub cultures. And even though the Walla Walla Valley may not be the center of the Universe it too has its own "run" that is more than a passing fad. 

On Saturday the 16th of May, under blue skies and warming weather the 12th annual running of the ducks also known as the Ducky Derby took place. Organized by the Exchange Club of Walla Walla this event raises funds to promote a safe and secure environment for children of the area.

                                                              

This event was well attended and with over $20,000 in prizes to be won, it was a nail biter. The ducks, 16000 strong took to the water like they were made for it. Overcoming the swirling rapids of Mill Creek, still swelled from the high water coming down from the snow packs high up in the Blue Mountains, the ducks bravely sallied forth. Along the way there were more obstacles; rocks, reeds and twigs, reached out from the banks to snag the unsuspecting ducks. It was a perilous affair.

And yet the winning duck, the brave warrior, unencumbered by the thought of 15,999 others chasing close on its tail, navigated the pools, eddies and tumbling water to arrive triumphantly at the finish tube.

As I was looking back at this event I was compelled to muse on other runners. As mentioned earlier the Bulls may be famous, however when it come to Just Plain Wacky... well, events like The Running of the Santa's, The Running of the Brides and even The Running of the Nudes take the cake. Well you be the judge... and next time go running your self. Who knows it might become a fad in your neighborhood.

Midnight madness

It has become almost a tradition, if one is able to create a tradition in just one month. Thursday nights at the movies. May it would seem is the month for the grand releases. Starting off with the movie Wolverine, Star-trek, Angels and Demons among others to come the movie industry seems to be getting all the pieces right. 

Last night was somewhat of an exception. Not in the fact that I did not attend, but in the fact that not many other people did. It may be that in this time of economic hardship viewers have to choose between watching a movie or putting bread on the table. In any case opening night, midnight showing of Angels and Demons found me with prime seating and no jostling in lines. 

Well that just leave another 6 more days before the next one comes out which from the previews is going to be an epic continuation of the saga. Too bad the governator could not make a comeback.

An inspiring outlet for creativity

Have you had an awesome idea, a flash of understanding, a creative "ah ha" moment when the cosmic objects align and the perfect idea materializes out of the random firings of your neurons? What do you do with it? Write it down on paper? Tell it to your best friend? Or do you go out and just do it? This evening I came across a group of individuals who after having an idea went out and made it happen. If you are a fan of the LOTR then this is good news for you. 

With the culmination of the trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, fans all around the world could hardly wait for more epic productions. The next movie scheduled to be produced and currently being worked on is The Hobbit ( Sometime in 2012) which tells of the prequel to the trilogy. However in this world there are some very astute individuals, one of them being Chris Bouchard. An up and coming film maker Chris noticed that when reading the appendices in J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy that there was another story between the stories that had gone untold. As a fan he took on this challenge to bring to light this chapter in the great saga and to raise the bar of independent films at the same time. Impossible you say, well judge for your self. 

With permission from the Tolkien estate to produce the story Chris, along with a host of other talented individuals from around the world donated time effort and many other things too numerous to account for and produced the "The Hunt for Gollum". As a fan of the LOTR trilogy, this has been one of the best, if not THE best fan made film that has transcended mere copying to bring to the audience another chapter in the quality that the cinematic productions had. Yet all this was accomplished with a budget of 3000 pounds which is under 4500 US dollars. If you have not yet seen it this is one movie that must be seen.

 And the best part of it all its online and free. Thats right, welcome to the digital revolution. A little inspiration, some elbow grease and good will from many individuals and fans like us can enjoy these creative works. 

Dawn to dusk, a narrative

Color, molded into spherical skins with a single odd shaped tetrahedron thrown in for variety. The cold crisp air of the Walla Walla valley, the blue sky of the late spring and a slight breeze for interest kicked of this mornings balloon launch. As it has been for the past 34 years this year once the balloons took to the morning sky laying claim to the 35th annual Balloon Festival. 

Over the three days balloonist will be launching their crafts sometimes a couple times each day to float gently over the farms, fields and people who look up in awe. To think of ballooning as a form of flying is like to think of floating down a river in a inner tube boating. Yet flying it is.

The blue sky this morning was made more spectacular with the bright colors and patterns of the balloons. And as the day wore on other aspects of the festival each in turn caught the eyes and ears of all those who attended. A classic car show, horse races, and the ever popular booths with both trinkets and food that made ones mouth water and stomach growl even if you had just finished eating lunch. 

The evening concluded with the Night Glow. Balloonist tethered the balloons to the grounds and as the sky took on the shade of a rich deep blue color the glow from the flame lit up the balloons. In addition to the balloons the sky was also lit by the flashing of fireworks. Rockets screamed into the air blossoming into petals of glowing embers that rained back to earth. As the night grew darker and the starts peaked out so did the moon, bright and fully illumination to show the way home to all the weary people who had spent the day frolicking in the sun and enjoying the festivities.

TGIF and Balloons

Its another friday, glorious, sun shining, blue sky friday. And not just any friday mind you. This is the friday that heralds the start of the Walla Walla Balloon Festival. With the next three days of balloons, booths and general funness... this weekend is shaping up to be good. 

However this also brings up a notoriously naughty and deviously dichotomous question; should I use the weekend to rest, sleep and in general enjoy the pleasures of a comfy couch or even a blanket in the sun, with a good book or get out, be active, do as many fun things as possible? Or maybe the answer is a happy median between the two. A little bit 'o this, a little bit 'o that and spread the love around. 

In any case, for right now it seems like the best choice is to get out and enjoy the sun... and maybe have an adventure.... hey nowhere does it say that adventures only happen in books. Besides unless you get out and have an adventure there will not be anything to write about in books anyway... so maybe get out there and have an adventure. It might be even better than some one else's wildest imagination.

Eradicating Naivety

The fear of the unknown and even the fear of the barely familiar seems to be quite the cause for concern for many people. It seems to me that in this day and age of the information superhighway that runs multiple lanes we seem to be quite timid about doing the work to discover what others who came before us spent days, hours and weeks pouring over dusty old books. Reading clippings in newspapers and listing to the latest news on radios and TV used to be the only way a person could become informed of the world around them. Now with the internet being so much a part of ones life information is but a few clicks away. How then is it still possible that the world still has people who are naive. Looking up the definition of it on the online Webster dictionary I am give the following descriptor. "deficient in worldly wisdom or informed judgment". 

When anything you want to know from Aardvarks to Zoot suits are readily available why the naivety? I think that there is a growing trend to stay in our comfort zone. This seems to be reenforced with kids today when we tell them to not talk to strangers, be safe, don't climb that tree, don't wander too far from home, in-fact don't leave home at all. All these restrictions to protect them when they are still in grade school and then college rolls around and its a "thanks for playing, now move out and find your own way". To muddle this even more while I enjoy the ability to learn about the world around me via the mode of the internet even that is getting to the point were children need to be guarded from it. 

So where does this leave us? The only way I see how we can influence future as well as current generations to be more curious is to create environments that are safe in which they are able to explore and learn without fear. Train the young that stranger danger does not mean avoid all people that you don't know or people that are different. This just promotes ethnic and racial walls. I cant say what may be best for everyone as that is a choice that each person may need to make for them selves, however I think that we as a society should no longer be naive. Lets be aware of what is going on around us so that we can be better citizens of it and influence it to a higher plain.