Space Invader

I got this little guy years ago out of a vending machine at a Mexican restaurant outside of Ashland, Oregon when the family van broke down coming home from Florence on a summer trip. He now lives on a bookshelf and comes out to play on occasion.

We used to drive up from Chico, CA to Florence, OR most summers to visit the hoards of aunts, uncles, cousins, and various other relatives that migrated up there way back when. The canoe was secured to the roof and the camping gear shoved into the back of the van. My dad, brother, and I would take turns reading The Hobbit out loud while my mom drove. I don't remember ever reading any other book on those trips and we all now know the story by heart.

The last time I visited Florence, I was on the tail end of a cross-country road trip with a couple of friends. It was strange to be up there with no canoe, no Hobbit, and my parents 500 miles South.