Lynsi's Local Beat: Too pesky? Waylon proves hard to find for some

By Lynsi Musselman

In January of this year, the Albany News came out with a character for young readers to locate each week in the newspaper. Waylon the Pesky Cowboy, hidden in every issue, has quickly become a fan favorite with the youth in Albany. Novel idea to increase readership, especially with an audience not as familiar with the idea of holding an actual paper. 

However, the older generation in town cannot seem to locate him. The editor of the paper, who is responsible for hiding Waylon, has even been confronted at the golf course and around town with how elusive Waylon seems to be. Anonymous chatter has also been reported among residents “have you been able to find Walton?” The name being incorrect might not be the only reason hindering their ability to locate the figure.

To avoid being accused of ageism, we are all aging daily and will be affected by the changes that getting older surprises us with. One day the surprises seems more noticeable though, feeling like the Twilight Zone or the X-Files, depending on your age. The signs just appear with dwindling eyesight, thinning hair, and not being able to find Waylon. 

There seems to an anomaly surrounding the search for this hidden figure and age though. Science tells us that cognitive decline is part of the gradual aging process but is there more of an unexplained phenomenon at hand here? 

Art such as a Stereogram, which is a two dimensional picture that if starred at long enough shows a different three dimensional figure, also called Magic Eye. The image is supposed to just appear, but apparently you have to look at it just right. Stereograms trick your brain into focusing on something further away, allowing you to see the image with parallel vision. Typically, these are easier for younger people to see since depth perception is sharper. As a young member of Generation X, several minutes in the 90’s were wasted at the Mall of Abilene trying to see these images. Spoiler alert, never saw anything hidden. 

Waylon does appear to be somewhat like a Magic Eye, making it harder with those struggling with depth perception more difficult to see. Not technically age related but more of a case of training your eyes to see images that are similar to optical illusions. Buy a paper and see if you can find Waylon; it might be insightful.