Field Notes by Imara

  Sushi bar view from table, Sada Sushi & Izakaya  By: Savannah West Tucked along the Willamette River in downtown Corvallis inside the Water Street Market complex, Sada Sushi & Izakaya is more than a place to eat. It is an experience shaped by decades of expertise and a level of detail you notice from the first bite. Entrance of Sada Sushi & Izakaya By: S. West The approach is part of the charm. After entering the market, visitors pass a painted mural of a pioneer storefront and an unexpected red British phone booth before descending a short staircase. Beyond a traditional noren curtain, diners enter a warm, intimate izakaya that feels tucked away from the busy streets outside. YouTuber Billie Furuichi echoes this feeling when she describes the restaurant as “just like going to Japan” and “such a cute little place.” Fish tanks line the space, including a tall cylindrical one beside our table, adding a calm, almost meditative presence. At the center of it all is Sa...

Self-Portrait, close-up By: Lynn Mohr My grandfather measured time in miles, not minutes. I can still picture the passenger seat of my grandfather's car, usually a bright red or yellow truck, the model never the same for long, but the feeling of being there beside him always unchanged. From that seat, I remember the soft hum of the tires on Oregon highway pavement and the way his hand would lift slightly off the wheel whenever something caught his eye. A weathered barn leaning into a field. An old shipwreck disappearing into the fog. A covered bridge quietly tucked between trees like it was trying to stay hidden from time itself. He would slow down, not always enough to stop, but enough to notice. And then he would talk. Footprints in Sand, Oregon Coast By: Lynn Mohr Our drives were never about getting somewhere. They were about everything he had seen before me, and everything he was trying not to forget. My grandfather worked as an insurance claims adjuster before retiring, a job...

Sand Dunes Namibia Desert  Designed by Freepik www.freepik.com I have not even finished the first book in the Dune series, but I can tell you that I have watched both Dune: Part One and Two by Legendary Pictures. The Litany Against Fear has become my personal mantra while watching those films, and reading the rest of the series has become a personal goal of mine. I am Savannah West, a non-traditional student attending Linn-Benton Community College in Albany, Oregon, majoring in Anthropology and Journalism. This whole year has felt like a whirlwind. I decided to enroll in my local community college because I had hit rock bottom with my illness and needed a big change, or else I feared the worst. I have CPTSD and also suffer from other psychological illnesses shaped by trauma and less-than-remarkable parenting.  I had been almost completely agoraphobic, unable to go get a glass of watering my own apartment at this time last year. Now, I am a contributor for The Commuter, LBCC's ...