tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5078672505139352535.post1833830827832454198..comments2023-02-09T02:09:23.333-08:00Comments on Light From a Pixel: Chernobyl to New Mexico, Fukushima to OregonChloe Koffashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13194170147086045368noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5078672505139352535.post-412317790136135882012-09-02T20:23:25.833-07:002012-09-02T20:23:25.833-07:00And so often we don't realize how much an impa...And so often we don't realize how much an impact a scent has made on us until we smell it again many years later. One smell can open the floodgates of memory.<br /><br />I have another friend who also lives in Portland now but grew up with me in FL. She has relatives in New Mexico and spent many childhood vacations there. She often talks about tastes and smells from there, which are completely foreign to me. But her stories and your mention of the roasted chiles make me think of Judy Blume's "Tiger Eyes", where the main character often mentions the local foods and sights that are new to her as a Jersey girl, but very impactful to her experience there. <br /><br />I hope the chile experience is awesome!HeyRayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05362463490531008412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5078672505139352535.post-87334786849532185382012-08-27T08:20:58.540-07:002012-08-27T08:20:58.540-07:00Also, regarding the scent of a place, like the des...Also, regarding the scent of a place, like the desert or ocean...it is a necessary part of the full experience of somewhere that you take it in with all your senses...sort of like a movie requires a soundtrack. Just recently, the Whole Foods stores in Portland, OR have started roasting and selling New Mexico Hatch chile. My family and I are going to go get some this week. For the first time in a decade, I am going to go inhale the scent of red and green chile being roasted on open flames - a very important piece of my desert childhood, probably much like the scent of the wind on the FL coast has been a very important part of your memories, too. Chloe Koffashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13194170147086045368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5078672505139352535.post-10646414090111455482012-08-27T08:10:43.551-07:002012-08-27T08:10:43.551-07:00HeyRay, You make a really important point - thank ...HeyRay, You make a really important point - thank you for that. These things that have been washed ashore aren't just debris, these are mementos of people's lives. "It was the tides of the planet showing us how connected we all are." This is exactly what I was trying to articulate, but you said it in a much more profound and even beautiful way. <br /><br /> Chloe Koffashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13194170147086045368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5078672505139352535.post-25810728518657293812012-08-25T18:53:29.966-07:002012-08-25T18:53:29.966-07:00A few weeks ago I saw a news story about a particu...A few weeks ago I saw a news story about a particular town in Oregon that's gotten quite a bundle of debris from Japan wash up on its shores. The biggest concern--according to this report--was that they'd already gone way over budget for trash removal because of it...and that residents with ocean-front property were getting annoyed. I was so amazed at the the lack of insight. This wasn't trash that was haphazardly dumped off the side of a luxury cruise ship, it was evidence of previous life that was violently and suddenly stolen. It was the tides of the planet showing us how connected we all are. <br />----<br />I grew up on the FL east coast, and everyone I know who grew up in our town swears that our beach has a distinctive smell that is different from even 20 miles north or south. You can see it on the faces of those of us who've moved away and only return every few months or years or decades, when we first arrive and go straight to the beach, face the wind, and take the first deep breath. HeyRayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05362463490531008412noreply@blogger.com