Careful With That Axe, Eugene

I was out photographing today and I realized that in Eugene the act of me photographing hasn't sparked much curiosity from bystanders. I've never been confronted while photographing, or even had anyone ask why I'm photographing their truck or yard, or them. In Portland, this was a daily occurance. Virtually every time I went out I was answering questions, occasionally hostile ones, from people curious what I was doing. In fact that was part of how I gauged if I was taking successful photos. If I got asked questions it meant I was sticking my nose in the right places.
Part of the explanation is that I'm generally less aggressive here with my camera. There are less bustling sidewalks and so I'm doing less candid street work. I'm shooting more nonpopulated scenes. I think the other part of it might be that Eugene residents are a little more carefree than in Portland. Anything goes here so long as it doesn't intrude on anyone else. It's a little more like the Wild West in that sense.