As I turned off Canyon Road today, I noticed a 3-story mushroom cloud rising over the trees near my office. Having never seen a 3-story mushroom cloud, let alone one possibly cascading out of my workplace, I checked to make sure I hadn't fallen asleep at the wheel.

Nope, I was indeed awake but the weirdness continued. I passed by a flock of geese* that had gathered one of the Tektronix campus' many rolling lawns. They too were starring at the cloud, equally baffled.

I arrived at the office a few minutes later and discovered that it was neither on fire, nor had it just been bombed. The cloud was coming from the opposite side of the campus. Already running late, I had no time to investigate further. Throughout the morning I haven't heard any sirens and no one around here seems to know about the cloud. I headed outside a few minutes ago and it's long gone. Maybe the geese and I were hallucinating?

Oh, how I love working in Beaverton- land of sprawling mini malls, car lots and surreal dream imagery.

* Every November, several flocks of Canadian geese move to the campus to sit out the winter. They're indifferent to humans and spend their time munching on the lawn when they're not loafing, honking nonstop or pooping all over the sidewalks. Earlier today, one of them hissed at me as I took a walk during my coffee break. I didn't know geese could hiss.

In the spring, they block traffic on campus streets as they lead their baby goslings from the campus to a small marsh near the MAX stop. Despite and because of their cantankerous attitudes, the geese are one of things that make working in suburbia enjoyable.