Standing in the rain learning about water

I went on a bicycle field trip on Saturday. I want to show you just what Oregonians will do. You put on an event that involves spending several hours under a downpour, and that’s educational, even, and people not only show up, but stick with it to the bitter end.

This would not happen in Italy. If people saw one raindrop when they got up that morning, that would be it. If they showed up and it started raining later on, they would run for cover (some even emanating a scream while doing so) and/or grab any item whatsoever to hold over their heads till they could get to shelter. Then at the first break in the rain they would flee, back to their dwellings.

The reason I know this, and the reason I often compare Italians and Oregonians is because I happen to have spent most of my youth in that grape land, so its people are with me always. Not to mention a few other peoples in whose countries I spent the rest of my youth and some of my adulthood.

The rainstorm that was predicted for last weekend finally arrived this weekend. Being a long-time converted Oregonian, I went on the field trip anyway. It was called Cycling the Well Fields. At first I thought this meant that our fields were “well” as opposed to “ill,” but I soon figured out that the two words go together, and the word “well” is a noun being used to modify the word “fields” to indicate the kind of field they’re talking about. In summary, it was a tour of our drinking water system in Portland and how it works. I have lots of pictures. Today’s just the intro. More tomorrow.