I stumbled upon something potentially interesting to folks familiar with the history of expansion of nation states. While being in the US for six weeks helping my father and then attending our son's wedding I may have inadvertently added to French overseas holdings.
When visiting my father I took to occasionally Watering the Gophers. You see, his yard was filled with evidence of their underground excavations. Years ago I read where buying panther urine from a local zoo and twinkling a little around one's property can help keep the predators at bay. Since the gophers were predating on my father's grubs and insects I thought I'd run an experiment. If panther urine worked, why not human wee? Hence the Watering of the Gophers.
I love success stories and this is one of my favorite. When Nature Called, I'd head outside, locate a mound of fresh soil and urinate on it. The mound would decrease in size and the gophers seemed to find another area to excavate. So if my theory was correct, I was helping keep the Gophers at Bay. Success! Though I'm not sure just how grateful my father is for proving the point.
One day while driving home, Conrad, my brother, took us on a tour of the Bandon Dunes Golf Course. We were on a nice and windy road when Nature Called. She struck like a Bolt of Thunder! [ed: No. Not like the 1975 Ducati 750GT/Sport, though from the sounds of things there might not have been much difference.] "Oh driver!" I demanded. "Pullest Thou Over, s'il vous plait." Out I jumped and, well, the surrounding shrubbery will be a brighter green come next spring.
Readers of this blog may note a prior entry wherein I recorded the Insanity of Car Rentals. What I haven't previously described is what happened when we parked the BMW Z4 on the grass by a large blackberry bush next to Mr UHaul's Garage in Port Orford. Without going into the gory details, suffice it to say, come next spring the blackberries could grow darker and juicier than in prior drought years.
It was then that I realized the Error of My Ways. Or, rather, the Unintended Consequences of Taking an al Fresco Leak wherever my bladder demanded. My father had been waiting the Right Moment to inform me of a few of the nuances of Nation Building and European Expansionism.
Frenchmen, well known for watering the scenery in wide open nature have used the principal of Peeing in Public in place of planting their country's flag in the soil and declaring that ground for France. This, according to my well informed father. Bon.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I proudly introduce to you the newly discovered and now declared France in the New World. Of course each place will need to be renamed in place of the former English appellations. Bandon by the Sea will become Bandon sur mer. The Bandon Dunes Golf Course will be opened to gophers as a safe haven against Men Who Pee. It's new name is la merde de golf. Sand traps will be replaced by little mounds of soil. Lastly, Port Orford will now be referred to as la Sainte Porte Orphord du garage de UHaul and the blackberry bush will be the site of a new shrine. No suitable name for the shrine has yet been identified and numbers for the new departements shall be coming forthwith.
Residents of these areas will forthwith be notified. Passports may need to be reissued.
It should be noted that la ville des Hipsters in the northern part of the region called Portland will not be joining France as a newly annexed area. We're not quite sure how to proceed as our editor was seen being hauled away by the local constabulary after attempting to take a leak in public.
When visiting my father I took to occasionally Watering the Gophers. You see, his yard was filled with evidence of their underground excavations. Years ago I read where buying panther urine from a local zoo and twinkling a little around one's property can help keep the predators at bay. Since the gophers were predating on my father's grubs and insects I thought I'd run an experiment. If panther urine worked, why not human wee? Hence the Watering of the Gophers.
I love success stories and this is one of my favorite. When Nature Called, I'd head outside, locate a mound of fresh soil and urinate on it. The mound would decrease in size and the gophers seemed to find another area to excavate. So if my theory was correct, I was helping keep the Gophers at Bay. Success! Though I'm not sure just how grateful my father is for proving the point.
One day while driving home, Conrad, my brother, took us on a tour of the Bandon Dunes Golf Course. We were on a nice and windy road when Nature Called. She struck like a Bolt of Thunder! [ed: No. Not like the 1975 Ducati 750GT/Sport, though from the sounds of things there might not have been much difference.] "Oh driver!" I demanded. "Pullest Thou Over, s'il vous plait." Out I jumped and, well, the surrounding shrubbery will be a brighter green come next spring.
Readers of this blog may note a prior entry wherein I recorded the Insanity of Car Rentals. What I haven't previously described is what happened when we parked the BMW Z4 on the grass by a large blackberry bush next to Mr UHaul's Garage in Port Orford. Without going into the gory details, suffice it to say, come next spring the blackberries could grow darker and juicier than in prior drought years.
It was then that I realized the Error of My Ways. Or, rather, the Unintended Consequences of Taking an al Fresco Leak wherever my bladder demanded. My father had been waiting the Right Moment to inform me of a few of the nuances of Nation Building and European Expansionism.
Frenchmen, well known for watering the scenery in wide open nature have used the principal of Peeing in Public in place of planting their country's flag in the soil and declaring that ground for France. This, according to my well informed father. Bon.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I proudly introduce to you the newly discovered and now declared France in the New World. Of course each place will need to be renamed in place of the former English appellations. Bandon by the Sea will become Bandon sur mer. The Bandon Dunes Golf Course will be opened to gophers as a safe haven against Men Who Pee. It's new name is la merde de golf. Sand traps will be replaced by little mounds of soil. Lastly, Port Orford will now be referred to as la Sainte Porte Orphord du garage de UHaul and the blackberry bush will be the site of a new shrine. No suitable name for the shrine has yet been identified and numbers for the new departements shall be coming forthwith.
Residents of these areas will forthwith be notified. Passports may need to be reissued.
It should be noted that la ville des Hipsters in the northern part of the region called Portland will not be joining France as a newly annexed area. We're not quite sure how to proceed as our editor was seen being hauled away by the local constabulary after attempting to take a leak in public.
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