Grass. Really?

So while I am here in Medford, OR I am noticing things that I did not expect. Mainly: the ground. Yes, beautiful mountains surround me closely on all sides and the sky is excellently blue when the clouds part. Everyone is very nice and friendly which I don't know why I wasn't expecting. But really....the ground....is soft. I suppose its coming from Virginia where there is a lot of red clay and most of the dirt is placed there and comes in bags from Lowes. But here, the dirt is black and soft. The grass is so thin and soft...the kind you can roll and around and lay in without getting pricked from thick sharp and all around unpleasant grass. You don't need a blanket to lay on the grass..it is just pleasant! I have kind of been obsessing about the grass...I even took a picture of it.

What else weirded me out when I paid attention? The birds. I have never heard these kinds of birds before and they are everywhere and loud. I am not that into birds. They look like regular birds, but they sound completely different than anything I have previously heard. These things as well as time changes has solidified my opinion of travelling as distinctly weird.