Picnic in the Park–and- Looking for a Lepidopterist

Oh we do have us a mini heat wave here in Eugene, OR.  I really need to have a talk with old Mr. Sol.  He lets us freeze in June and July and then in August he tries to make up for it by slow roasting us!  Please Mr. Sol, a little moderation would be nice.  The mercury has climbed to over 90F for the last several days and it is supposed to get worse before it gets better.  Add to that the smoke from several Oregon wildfires, and that equals health alerts for old folks and those with breathing problems.  Might get a thunder storm Friday night which would wash away some of the smoke.

But we braved the heat for a little river time yesterday.  Our favorite picnic lunch is a Subway sandwich – so easy, I just tell them what to put on it and I don’t have to slice, dice, or clean anything up.  Now that’s a picnic.

We took our sandwiches to Skinner Butte Park on the banks of the Willamette River.  This is just across the river from Valley River Center, a great boondocking area that many of you have enjoyed.

Poppy appears to be sniffing a pocket of sunshine (I’m sure there must have been more to it!).


Something caught their eye…


We managed to snag a table in the shade and enjoyed our Subs.


This is a busy park and right on the Willamette River bike path.  The path is heavily used by bikers and walkers alike and today was no exception.  The paved bike path goes on both sides of the river before it converges and continues on to Springfield.  Good to see people out enjoying the sunshine.



Between these picnic tables and the river, there is a more primitive pathway that allows river access.  This path is for pedestrians only.



One thing I do NOT like to see is idiots who ignore the law and launch their watercraft without the required Personal Flotation Devices.  I watched these two young ladies blow up their Sevylor canoe and launch into the river without any PFDs on board.  The craft looked more suitable for a small lake or a swimming pool!  There have already been people killed on the river this year and more who were rescued.  The river is relatively calm here but there are unexpected hazards and hidden detritus that can play havoc with inflatables.  I think they should be billed for the rescue efforts if they have launched without PFDs on board!!


With our lunch finished and trash put in the trash can where it belongs (another pet peeve of mine!) we vacated our table.  Didn’t take long for it to find a new tenant.


Here’s a picture I took when the kids were here and we visited Shotgun Creek.  Hope someone can tell me what it is.  The kids were calling it a butterfly but it looks more like a moth to me – but that is why I am looking for a lepidopterist!








And then, just because I like the looks of it, a fence I pictured when we went to the Finley Wildlife Refuge .


As Porky Pig would say, “That’s all, folks.”