Ahhh, Oregon!

We arrived safe and sound in Oregon last night. The boys were great on the flight.

The plane was probably the most poorly maintained commercial airliner I've ever been on. I sure hope they put more effort into the maintenance on the vital systems like the engines and safety systems than they did on the creature comforts.

The in flight movie was "Meet Dave", which looked and sounded like a pretty funny movie... when we could see or hear it. The video and audio signals periodically shut off at random intervals. At any given point in time, we could either see or hear the movie, but rarely could we do both at the same time. It also blacked out three times and took a few minutes for them to restart it. It also skipped forward and backward in the movie a couple of times. We got to see the ending twice.

Even so, I still thought it was a pretty funny movie, and I was surprised when I went to IMDB to see it had such a low rating. I think "Welcome to Old Navy" is going to be a popular one-liner that will work it's way into everyone's vocabulary. (Old Navy sure got their money's worth on THAT investment!)

Tangent

Speaking of Effective Advertising: This one floored me. We're sitting there in the Honolulu Airport waiting for our plane to board. We're watching the planes taxi back and forth outside the window. All of a sudden, ES says, "DELTA! Mommy, that's the kind of plane that Woody and Buzz were going to fly to Japan on in Toy Story 2!"

I had to pick my jaw up off my lap.

Why on earth would he remember THAT particular detail of the movie?

End of Tangent

Okay, so, here are my initial impressions of being back in Oregon...
- It always amazes me how crystal clear, fresh, and clean the tap water is here... and absolutely frigid Arctic polar bear BUTT COLD. Sorry, maybe that was the wrong image to put in your head. It's like there's a pipe from the North Pole to our faucets in the house here.

- It's very weird laying in bed with your wife in the same room you lived in as a teenager. It's a very different room now - a very nicely decorated guest room. Even so, when I lay down and close my eyes, I think my depeche mode and new order posters are still on the wall and it seems like I'm doing something bad being in bed with a GIRL.

- It's weird seeing so many Oregon license plates. ...I know, I know... DUH! It's just that normally we're the only weirdos driving around with the trees on our license plates.

- I've never seen so many Obama bumper stickers on the same street... and not a single McCain sticker. This doesn't come as a surprise mind you, but still, it's an unusual exeperience.

- Now THAT's a recycling bin!

Recycling, Yard Waste, and Trash
Note the recycling bin is like twice as big as the trash bin.

- My wife is happy...

She's addicted to Target.
That was first on her agenda for today.

- The boys are happy...

They've been attached-at-Grandpa's-hip since our arrival and thoroughly wearing him out.

- I'm happy...

See this post.

- Did I mention it feels like we've packed for an Arctic Expedition?

This was just our checked baggage.

- All during the flight, I was looking forward to having Burgerville for dinner, but they CLOSED before we got there last night. The nerve! We made it for lunch today though.

One of their advertising slogans used to be, "Burgerville: INconveniently located for most of the United States."

The Time Has Come for Oregon

Bubblehead posted about the announcement of the next three Virginia Class submarine names: Missouri, California, and Mississippi. I was a little disappointed by the announcement, although not surprised by any means. The reason I was disappointed is that I keep hoping to see another name on the announcement of the next Virginia Class to be built. I keep hoping to see a new USS Oregon.

USS OREGON (BB-3)
Print from the Ship's Christening Pamphlet

I mean, don't you think it's about time? Hasn't it been long enough? The last USS Oregon (BB-3) was the pride of the fleet and "McKinley's Bulldog."

In 1890, Mahan's Influence of Sea Power on History had planted the seeds of American Imperialism and led others like Teddy Roosevelt (then Assistant Secretary of the Navy) to realize the importance of coaling stations for ships to replenish their supplies and extend their operating range around the globe. As America prepared for the Spanish American War in 1898, the Oregon embarked on her famous journey that took 66 days and 14,000 miles to steam from San Francisco all the way down through the Strait of Magellan and back up to Jupiter Inlet, Florida to join the U.S. Atlantic Fleet for action. She kicked some serious butt at the Battle of Santiago and defeated the Spanish Navy.

USS OREGON the Day She Left San Francisco

The voyage of the OREGON to join the Atlantic Fleet captured America's attention, and they waited with baited breath for each report of her progress. Remember they didn't have satellite communications, so the only way to measure her progress was when she arrived at refueling stations along the way.

Lights out! And a prow turned toward the South,
And a canvas hiding each cannon's mouth
And a ship like a silent ghost released
Is seeking her sister ships in the East.
When your boys shall ask what the guns are for,
Then tell them the tale of the Spanish war,
And the breathless millions that looked upon
The matchless race of the Oregon.

- John James Meehan, "The Race of the Oregon"

The crew of the OREGON prepares for rough
seas as she heads toward the Strait of Magellan.

At the time World War II erupted, she was a museum in Portland, Oregon. It was determined that her scrap metal was too valuable for the war effort though, so she was taken away to a rather inglorious ending.

We've had many ships named after states since then, most notably the Ohio Class submarines. Now, as the Ohio Class are still in service and the Virginia Class are being built, I figure sooner or later they're going to run out of state names, and they'll have to resurrect this proud and honorable name from the naval history books and christen another USS Oregon.

When I googled "USS OREGON," I was surprised how many links came up. Wikipedia and the Navy both offer good overviews of the ship's history. Someone put a lot of effort into this Spanish American War Centennial Website. There are online photo archives here and here.