Interesting day at the Beaverton Farmer’s Market this morning. And by “interesting,” I mean not in a good way.
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It’s started out okay, if a bit dreary. But it just “felt” wrong. Like something was gonna happen. Folks came and went, but it was unusually cold for early April, so unusually slow too. Still, it only sprinkled a bit, so at around noon, I figured the worst was over.
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But a few minutes later the temperature dropped precipitously. I didn’t measure it, obviously, but I swear it must have dropped 10 degrees in five minutes. A few seconds later a couple of big gusts started rattling my awning.
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Then just as I was helping an elderly couple from Japan, I glanced up and saw a whole line of maybe 8 or 10 vendor’s tables and canopies suddenly go airborne. A huge blast of cold wind and rain came screaming up out of the West and scattered produce and vendor’s booths as if they were weightless. I don’t think anyone was hurt, but from my vantage point, it looked like a disaster movie. Crap flying every which way.
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I looked down to tell the elderly couple that maybe they should find some cover, but they were already gone.
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Then came the thunder and lightning. Not altogether rare here in Western Oregon, but nothing like the storms elsewhere. It sounded as if it was right overhead. That’s when Ginger, our market manager, made the rounds to tell everyone to pack up; we’re closing an hour early today.
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As I was getting ready to pull out of the parking lot, the Sun came out. Suddenly, it was April. Blue skies, as if nothing had happened. Fine. Be that way.
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I drove East up Beaverton/Hillsdale Highway, got to the top of the hill near Hillsdale, and damned if the sky didn’t turn dark and nasty again. And down came a slurry of snow mixed with rain mixed with slush. It wasn’t sticking to my truck, but it was piled up on the side of the road. I drove another mile and I was back in the sunshine again. Just the craziest damn thing I’ve ever seen.
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Whoever was in charge of today’s April Fools stunt in Southwest Portland, my hat is off to you.
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