I am, at this very moment, in Eureka, California. Eureka seems to possibly be the home of the world's largest concentration of Tree Huggers -- yep! My fellow tree huggers -- I can admit it now -- it does my heart good, as you can imagine. I was even able to get a "Nature Defender (with tree in the middle)" sticker, a groovy Peace sign in the form of a turtle for the car PLUS, get this, a travel hammock to hang in between two trees, of course, for a nice nap. AND, tomorrow I am headed to the amazing and awe-inspiring redwood trees, which I dearly love. Maybe I was a tree in another life?? (Do I look a bit like a tree? My skin feels a bit like bark at times, mutter, mutter…)
I just spent almost a week with a friend about an hour from Lake Tahoe. What a difficult visit -- eating decadent chocolates, going on leisurely hikes, seeing Burn after Reading (I love the Coen Brothers) and Mamma Mia (they have the sing-along version and I didn't hold back -- heck, people were getting up and dancing with the movie! I know -- so wild, huh! I'm glad I took all that counseling so that I could stop being so shy for just these kinds of occasions.)
The cats are not as thrilled about my travels as I am -- Skootch, the Ancient One (18 3/4 yrs. old) had no trouble pretending she was a dog -- she adapted to the collar, leash, and hopping out at rest stops. My younger, and more cautious cat, Fugee the Fearful, did not take to this woofish behavior so she starved herself and refused water until we stopped, thinking this would get me to stop my travels.
But, as you can see, I am having a relaxing and enjoyable time and am not to be deterred. I think the Europeans really have something with their 6-8 weeks of vacation each year. Let's see, I have only taken 2-3 weeks off each year of my working life so that entitles me to 140 weeks or so of "make-up vacation" -- marvelous idea, if I could just get Gates or someone to cover the costs…Donations, anyone?
Friday, January 30, 2009
October 9-10
So, I went up to Redding, CA and decided I really did need to see those amazing redwood trees. They are so awe-inspiring, that a normal-sized grove of what I use to think were “elegant birch trees” almost seemed silly by comparison. After spending the night in Eureka and feeling slightly conservative in that cute little tree-hugger town, I decided to head to Eugene, another quite liberal place. I remember even in 1978 when I lived in Corvallis when we went to Eugene’s Saturday Market, I was amazed to see a man walking around with a parrot on his shoulder – a surprise even though my hippy days were not that far behind! Eugene is still a bit quirky. I had dinner at an excellent Indian food restaurant (Evergreen) and as I was leaving, I spotted two raccoons getting out of the restaurant’s dumpster – either they are foodies or ethnic raccoons.
For the time being, I figure it will do me good to immerse myself in a liberal community or two. And, in fact, I was happy to see that there is actually a town near Portland that is called Liberal! It's tiny, but it would be so much fun to say I live in Liberal, Oregon – a contrast to conservative Utah! With housing costs these days, though, can’t exactly move in just because it would be fun…so you can see, I haven’t completely lost all my common sense (please, no comments about how much I had to begin with).
Then, I had the shock of my life yesterday. I went to the grocery store to get more kitty supplies and almost needed CPR when I was offered a sample of beer! Yes, beer, alcoholic beer, the real stuff -- in the store!!! I almost felt like I should pull out my driver’s license and my Utah social club membership to the New Yorker… but the young woman giving out the samples wasn’t interested in seeing them.
And, incredibly, there are three "science of mind" churches in Portland and I haven't even looked for Friends or Unitarians! Woohoo, my spiritually won’t have to by the wayside….(uh, guess that doesn’t sound so spiritually mature that I would just let it go by the wayside without a church to go to!)
For the foodies (guess we have to say gourmands now….) this is also an example of things that are exciting about discovering Portland -- Burgerville (the Portland fast food chain) has burgers made of local beef, Washington berry shakes, and sweet potato fries (because sweet potatoes are in season). Also, their napkins were made from recycled paper and they left a copy of the local newspaper to share with customers while they wolfed their sustainable fast food meals…. most excellent!
My heart also skipped a beat when I was in the Troutdale “general store” having home-cranked pumpkin ice cream after breakfast (confession here – my Catholic roots have not left me entirely) and beside me was a table of three handsome, 50-something, fit men who had been riding their bikes and came in for some coffee and to chat about sustainable life styles. Sigh - be still my beating heart?
On the down side -- I've been looking at real estate and to get a nice house I would either have to live in Vancouver OR go back to work full time – something the slacker in me is railing against. After being a hard worker all of my life, I have done a good job of embracing the slacker side of me, I’m proud to say. It would seem incongruous to now abandon that slacker trend and start working in a serious, full time position!
Other things I’ve seen thus far that are amusing to me:
- while driving through a more rural area of “metropolitan Portland” (well, okay it was a bit outside the metro area but not much), I saw houses with ducks, hens, and even a peacock running around in the yards!
A road construction crew had a woman stopping traffic – she stepped boldly in front of the line of cars to hold up her “stop” sign and when she turned around she had a vest that had “Wildish” written on the back. I thought that was pretty cool. I might have to look for a t-shirt or hoodie with “Wildish” on it for myself. To say that I am a wild woman would be an outright lie – someone who goes to bed at 9 pm or would rather read a book than party can’t quite qualify for the more adventurous “wild woman” label, but wildish could be something to aspire to, perhaps?
a newspaper advertisement for a “green” bible – printed with soy-based ink, 100% cotton/linen cover, made of 10 percent recycled paper AND this green bible is accompanied by a resource guide of suggestions for green living and a study plan around six environmental themes, plus a 19-page Green Subject index. Gotta love it…only in Portland?
October 11 – 17
I can’t believe I’ve already burned through half a month since I left Utah and I am now officially a resident of Oregon – well, at least the library people say I am! I got my library card and was amazed when the librarian told me I could check out 100 (yes, that’s right, one hundred) books, CDs or DVDs! I had no idea that Portland was bound and determined to help its residents have their own personal library – at least for three weeks at a time, anyway. Impressive!
But most important of all, the reason I can have a genuine Multnomah County Library card is because… tada -- thanks to Craigslist (again) I found a place to live -- not just a place to live, but a fabulous place to live. This house is wonderfully spacious, with a wrap-around porch, a fire place, a wood-burning stove to warm up those winter days, an entertainment room with a huge screen and HD television (geez, it looks like enhanced reality, it’s almost surreal).
The location is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful – it’s a part of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and at the end of the driveway and across the road is the trail to LaTourell Falls, which makes for a beautiful hike. I’ve taken my pudgy little body up the trail twice now and it is wonderful – soothes the soul and puts life into perspective. So, am I lucky or what? (huge grin here…) Amazingly, it’s only 30 minutes from Portland but only 10 minutes from Troutdale – one of the suburbs I had been considering because of its scenic beauty and closeness to the city!
In case you’re worried that I’m spending my life savings on my living arrangements, not to worry. I actually rent two rooms/share the house with one other person, three dogs and out in the pasture, three llamas and a goat (they haven’t come into the house yet…). ”The person” is another Boomer, Dave. It’s pretty funny because he named one of his dogs Bruno, which was my maiden name. And let me tell you, there are not too many Brunos around, person or dog! I made a commitment to watch the pets while he goes on vacation. So, I have a couple months to get the dogs to mind me. Not sure that the llamas or goat will ever do that, but maybe they will also adjust. Right now they look at me with a bit of suspicion through those big, long-lashed eyes... Oh, and Dave has a sister who is, in her own words, “a bleeding heart liberal,” environmentalist and vegetarian who believes in doing good!! So many things in common! She is also an artist and well, I’m just me. But, isn’t this truly amazing? I feel very, very fortunate.
You can imagine what a welcome change it is from the Travelodge I had checked into in order to start my search for a temporary living space for the next three or so months. When I checked in I found out that they had a Bronx pizza and sandwich shop next to the Travelodge. Not “next” as in you walk down the block but you could go into the pizza joint from the motel’s lobby so you can imagine how the smell of tomato sauce, garlic and pizza wafted through the entire place. At first it was fine – I just got hungry walking out of my room and out to my car. But after a few days I began to be afraid that dogs would start following me, thinking I was a walking pizza…
So, another list of things that have surprised me (the Wow List, Part 2):
But most important of all, the reason I can have a genuine Multnomah County Library card is because… tada -- thanks to Craigslist (again) I found a place to live -- not just a place to live, but a fabulous place to live. This house is wonderfully spacious, with a wrap-around porch, a fire place, a wood-burning stove to warm up those winter days, an entertainment room with a huge screen and HD television (geez, it looks like enhanced reality, it’s almost surreal).
The location is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful – it’s a part of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and at the end of the driveway and across the road is the trail to LaTourell Falls, which makes for a beautiful hike. I’ve taken my pudgy little body up the trail twice now and it is wonderful – soothes the soul and puts life into perspective. So, am I lucky or what? (huge grin here…) Amazingly, it’s only 30 minutes from Portland but only 10 minutes from Troutdale – one of the suburbs I had been considering because of its scenic beauty and closeness to the city!In case you’re worried that I’m spending my life savings on my living arrangements, not to worry. I actually rent two rooms/share the house with one other person, three dogs and out in the pasture, three llamas and a goat (they haven’t come into the house yet…). ”The person” is another Boomer, Dave. It’s pretty funny because he named one of his dogs Bruno, which was my maiden name. And let me tell you, there are not too many Brunos around, person or dog! I made a commitment to watch the pets while he goes on vacation. So, I have a couple months to get the dogs to mind me. Not sure that the llamas or goat will ever do that, but maybe they will also adjust. Right now they look at me with a bit of suspicion through those big, long-lashed eyes... Oh, and Dave has a sister who is, in her own words, “a bleeding heart liberal,” environmentalist and vegetarian who believes in doing good!! So many things in common! She is also an artist and well, I’m just me. But, isn’t this truly amazing? I feel very, very fortunate.
You can imagine what a welcome change it is from the Travelodge I had checked into in order to start my search for a temporary living space for the next three or so months. When I checked in I found out that they had a Bronx pizza and sandwich shop next to the Travelodge. Not “next” as in you walk down the block but you could go into the pizza joint from the motel’s lobby so you can imagine how the smell of tomato sauce, garlic and pizza wafted through the entire place. At first it was fine – I just got hungry walking out of my room and out to my car. But after a few days I began to be afraid that dogs would start following me, thinking I was a walking pizza…
So, another list of things that have surprised me (the Wow List, Part 2):
- the Costco (I think there are only two in all of Portland) is way out in a remote area, as if though they were ashamed of their Costco. Interestingly, the Costco not only carries a heck of a lot of selections of beer and wine, but also NPR’s Drive Way Moments and “Wait, wait…Don’t tell me” CDs and they sell green tea in a huge box! I wouldn’t have been surprised if instead of their pizza or polish sausage if they had featured a tofu burger or hotdog!
- people do NOT believe in speeding here. I was zipping along on the freeway, wondering why I was passing everyone when I noticed the speed limit near (not in) Portland is 60 mph and people actually go 60 mph. Out past all the suburbs the speed does go up to 65 but people go 65! I remember in SLC I would routinely go 70 mph and I had a lot of people constantly passing me so my lead-heavy foot will have to ease up a bit before I get a speeding ticket! I had to laugh – I actually saw a car creeping along the highway and on back window they had written in big letters “55 mph = 37 mpg.” Like I said, no one seems in a hurry here.
- Oregonians are not braggarts. I went to a Hood River farmer’s market and they had the biggest apple I had ever seen! Now, if this apple were in Texas or Alaska you would hear endless bragging about how bit they grow apples in Texas or Alaska but here it was quietly accepted as an everyday thing… I can’t wait to see their pumpkins!
October 18 – November 4
Almost every day I am amazed with how different Portland really, really is from Salt Lake City. (Some days this is worthy of three “reallys.”) This amazing insight occurs to me as I’ve begun doing the everyday mundane things that one does when settling into a new community – you know, the extremely exciting things like finding the closest post office, local bank, a place to get hair cuts, etc. The post office wasn’t such a big difference – after all, it is a federal establishment, although here people leave their newspapers so that others can enjoy them (just like at the fast food joint! How “green”…).
The biggest discovery in “differences” came when I was wondering where to get my short, short hair cut even shorter on a frequent, almost neurotic, basis. I was looking through the newspaper when an article caught my eye. It was featuring the local barbershop-about-to-franchise-because-they’re-so-popular, Bishops Barbershops. Can you picture this anywhere in Utah? “Bishops is a new kind of barbershop for Generations X, Y and Z that delivers high-end salon quality at affordable prices in a casual, fun environment that includes edgy artwork and music, and trend-setting stylists. Clients are taken on a walk-in only basis, and choose from an a la carte menu of services that includes style, shampoo, blow dry, a variety of cut and color options, or even a hot towel shave, and a free bottle of cold Miller High Life is offered to those who are 21 and older… People come in to Bishops to hang out, talk, have a good time and get high-end salon quality service without the pretentiousness or expensive prices…’We care about being part of the community and making it better... Our philosophy of building community is demonstrated by our support of local artists, musicians and fashion designers, as well as our participation in events that contribute to local charities and non-profit organizations.’” Not to be a snob (well, just a little...), but I would pass on the MHL, preferring a microbrew, which Portland is known for, after all. But still, what an amazing offer -- shampoo, cut, some highlights, a beer? Definitely worth checking out, just as soon as my short hair is long enough to cut again! And BTW, are Boomers included in Generations X, Y and Z or do I fall off beyond the “Z” and am considered too old? What if I still have childish behavior – does that count?
Another difference is the “regular” inventory the Fred Meyer grocery store stocks. I found “milk” made from hemp seeds. Yep, hemp – touted as being “cholesterol free, vegan, full of essential amino acids, omega 3 and 6” so, of course, I had to try it – and it’s legal! ;-0 After drinking a gallon of it, I have to admit I felt nothing. Just kidding. I know you aren’t suppose to “feel” anything but I was thinking the omega 3 and omega 6 would kick in? …. it’s actually pretty yucky. But maybe it was just the chocolate flavor? Perhaps I will try the vanilla-flavored stuff.
On a somewhat related subject, during one of my trips to Fred Meyers I saw a cute little family of “dreads” going into the store. The mother had dread locks, their little boy (maybe 7 or 8 yrs. old) had dreads, and the daddy had dreads too! He was holding their baby and since it was raining, I couldn’t tell if the baby had a little headful of dreads too since the jacket hood was hiding her hair, but they were a very colorful and cute family! It led me to wonder, though, if, like tattoos or piercings, there should be some guidelines about when a minor could sport dreads? Definitely questions that never came to my mind in SLC! Oh, and I noticed the carts at FM also have cup holders; I did mention that Portlanders are known for their coffee shops and microbrew, didn’t I? Even Oregon’s corporations take their drinks seriously! Wow…
So, speaking of another neurotic behavior besides my hair-cutting tendencies, I always wake up to NPR. Even before I had a cup of coffee I was laughing, not at Steve Inskeep or Renee Montagne, but at the local news – they were talking about how this year, Oregon was fortunate enough to have experienced a “fairy tale season” for grapes (warm days, warm nights) and the vineyards are expecting fabulous wine from this year’s crop. I think they mentioned “well-hung grapes” but I hadn’t had my cup of coffee yet so I wouldn’t swear to that… Of course, the wine won’t be ready till about 2010, but apparently this year’s grapes are something to celebrate (and I don’t think they are waiting till 2010 either)….
And, the Oregonian reported that “test crabs have proven plump” enough to give Oregonians yet another reason to be happy in spite of the rain! Apparently they test Dungeness crabs for their “meat recovery rate.” It sounds very scientific but I bet it’s just a bunch of guys capturing some Dungeness crab, cooking them up and then weighing the crab meat they are going to feast on before they chomp it down! Hmm… doesn’t sound like a bad job to have – all the Dungeness crab you can eat, scientifically, of course. Wonder if they hire temps?
I was lucky enough to go to a local, small town Halloween party, which was a lot of fun – friendly, welcoming locals, very good music, and the usual array of Halloween costumes but one guy went as a “hoppy” guy – he was carrying a staff of real hops. Very Oregon….
Okay, enough of my feeble little musings. If you care to write and tell me about your neuroses, I would really appreciate it! Still miss you-all.
November 5 - December 15
Has it really been over a month since I last stopped to contemplate my discovery of Portland/Oregon? Have I gotten less observant or just lazy? No, please tell me that I haven’t fallen into the abyss of being lazy….(Being labeled “lazy” may send me to the analyst’s couch!) I have to admit that since it’s been over two months since I left JetBlue, I’m now beginning to feel a little guilty about being so totally non-productive. (Although, observation and discovery are difficult tasks, aren’t they?)
I’ve even gotten lazier about pushing that still-pudgy body up the hiking trails, sadly. God only knows how much I need to do that with strict discipline and on a daily basis with the pie I’ve eaten for breakfast. (Excuse: the oatmeal wasn’t going to go bad in the next day or so.) I have to admit it has not been as inspiring to hike in the mud and rain now that the rain is more frequent, but heck, the parking lots to the many hikes in the Columbia Gorge teem with hikers every single day so it hasn’t stopped the true Oregonians. (Hello, folks, it's not an ideal day to be out, didya notice?) Okay, so I’ve been exposed as the fake Oregonian. I guess I can live with that (even if I am as pale as the rest of them…) but I’m wondering, when are my Juneau/Alaska roots going to prove me rain-worthy? I remember hiking, jogging, and even picnicking, in the rain back then. Yes, I was younger but I thought I was suppose to mature into a tough old broad, not someone who hides in the warmth of the fleece blanket when it’s raining? Dang, I'm wrinkly AND soft? Geez...
And while I’m into full-on whining, I need to fess up and say that the honeymoon is really over – yep, I would like to formally register a complaint about Oregon! So here it is: one annoying thing about Oregon is that you cannot pump your own gas. It isn’t that they give you “full service” like they did back in the “good old days” when they cleaned your windshield, checked your tires/oil AND gave you freebies (including a smile) … No, they just make you wait in line while one poor gas station attendant (no smiles on his/her face) runs around to all the cars…You can imagine the lines for the reduced-cost Costco gasoline – you would think they were giving boxes of chocolates away!
Actually, that was my first encounter with an unfriendly Oregonian. After waiting for hours (grin…I am prone to exaggeration) for the attendant to return, I thought I would help the process by removing the gas throttle from my car since the tank was now full, but as soon as I laid my hands on it, the attendant came rushing over to tell me that what I was doing was illegal. When I started giggling (from thinking that it was such a dangerous thing to do -- don’t try this at home, folks!), he said in a very disapproving manner, “So you think that’s funny?” which, of course, only made me laugh even more. (I mean seriously, did he receive 60 hours of training and a national certification to pump gas in a safer manner than the general public?!) I’ve been asking the locals what the rationale behind this is and no one can tell me for sure why progressive Oregon still has this strange law; as far as I can tell, the only other state in the Union that has a similar law is New Jersey. Hmm --- Oregon, New Jersey….New Jersey, Oregon…do they have anything else in common? So strange… Someone mentioned “they had a strong lobby” – what, the Gas Station Attendants United or AFL-CIO Gas Station Technicians Local 44? I don’t understand…
So you can see that reality has set in. Don’t misunderstand, I am still euphoric about being here, but at least I’m not wondering around like a three-year old in a candy or toy store. Well, that is, until I go to the local Trader Joes and then I’m back to the wide-eyed look, holding back the desire from telling total strangers, “Look they have Dragon fruit for sale and I don’t even know what the heck that is but I’ve gotta have some! And look, they have wild mushroom flatbread and edamame hummus, fergodssake!” Yesterday I found another natural food store and after going carefully down each aisle in wonder of the selection (was the buyer a previous five-star chef somewhere?!), I was thinking they might call security when it was time to close the store but I wouldn't be ready to leave? So here are the other fun things, ala Northwest:
I’ve even gotten lazier about pushing that still-pudgy body up the hiking trails, sadly. God only knows how much I need to do that with strict discipline and on a daily basis with the pie I’ve eaten for breakfast. (Excuse: the oatmeal wasn’t going to go bad in the next day or so.) I have to admit it has not been as inspiring to hike in the mud and rain now that the rain is more frequent, but heck, the parking lots to the many hikes in the Columbia Gorge teem with hikers every single day so it hasn’t stopped the true Oregonians. (Hello, folks, it's not an ideal day to be out, didya notice?) Okay, so I’ve been exposed as the fake Oregonian. I guess I can live with that (even if I am as pale as the rest of them…) but I’m wondering, when are my Juneau/Alaska roots going to prove me rain-worthy? I remember hiking, jogging, and even picnicking, in the rain back then. Yes, I was younger but I thought I was suppose to mature into a tough old broad, not someone who hides in the warmth of the fleece blanket when it’s raining? Dang, I'm wrinkly AND soft? Geez...
And while I’m into full-on whining, I need to fess up and say that the honeymoon is really over – yep, I would like to formally register a complaint about Oregon! So here it is: one annoying thing about Oregon is that you cannot pump your own gas. It isn’t that they give you “full service” like they did back in the “good old days” when they cleaned your windshield, checked your tires/oil AND gave you freebies (including a smile) … No, they just make you wait in line while one poor gas station attendant (no smiles on his/her face) runs around to all the cars…You can imagine the lines for the reduced-cost Costco gasoline – you would think they were giving boxes of chocolates away!
Actually, that was my first encounter with an unfriendly Oregonian. After waiting for hours (grin…I am prone to exaggeration) for the attendant to return, I thought I would help the process by removing the gas throttle from my car since the tank was now full, but as soon as I laid my hands on it, the attendant came rushing over to tell me that what I was doing was illegal. When I started giggling (from thinking that it was such a dangerous thing to do -- don’t try this at home, folks!), he said in a very disapproving manner, “So you think that’s funny?” which, of course, only made me laugh even more. (I mean seriously, did he receive 60 hours of training and a national certification to pump gas in a safer manner than the general public?!) I’ve been asking the locals what the rationale behind this is and no one can tell me for sure why progressive Oregon still has this strange law; as far as I can tell, the only other state in the Union that has a similar law is New Jersey. Hmm --- Oregon, New Jersey….New Jersey, Oregon…do they have anything else in common? So strange… Someone mentioned “they had a strong lobby” – what, the Gas Station Attendants United or AFL-CIO Gas Station Technicians Local 44? I don’t understand…
So you can see that reality has set in. Don’t misunderstand, I am still euphoric about being here, but at least I’m not wondering around like a three-year old in a candy or toy store. Well, that is, until I go to the local Trader Joes and then I’m back to the wide-eyed look, holding back the desire from telling total strangers, “Look they have Dragon fruit for sale and I don’t even know what the heck that is but I’ve gotta have some! And look, they have wild mushroom flatbread and edamame hummus, fergodssake!” Yesterday I found another natural food store and after going carefully down each aisle in wonder of the selection (was the buyer a previous five-star chef somewhere?!), I was thinking they might call security when it was time to close the store but I wouldn't be ready to leave? So here are the other fun things, ala Northwest:
- On a recent trip to the library, I noticed a young mother openly breastfeeding her baby – no wrap to cover the exposed breast but not one person in the library seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary (other than ”sheltered” me!). Needless to say, I would not have seen this anywhere in SLC. Speaking of nudity, I recently read in the paper how a young Portlander bicyclist had been exonerated of indecent exposure charges from riding in the nude because the Judge said that cycling naked has become a “well-established tradition” in Portland! (Again, something that wouldn't be encountered anywhere in Utah.)
- A local small-town Christmas parade had quite the turn out, including someone with their billy-goat in tow, and of course, plenty of dogs! I bet you didn't know billy goats enjoy parades, too. It turns out that Oregonians love their pets. Actually, Portland was named the most pet-friendly city by Dog Fancy Magazine in late 2006. A good time can be had by all -- furry, balding, billy goatish, whatever…Oregonians, however, just banned pets from state government buildings due to some recent remodeling, so apparently there are some restrictions.
- The public radio and television stations here are phenomenal. It takes 30 minutes for them to rattle off their affiliate radio stations – I figure that’s how they cut costs: if they take enough air time to list their affiliates they can do without buying another programming slot. Well, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration , but they list some 37 frequencies on their website! Speaking of their website, one of their staff members had decidedly midnight-blue hair in her staff picture. Fantastic! I always thought midnight blue or emerald green hair would be fun to try! Maybe I could volunteer at OPB? They also feature local bands, which is a real treat. The Portland music scene is vibrantly alive.
- Oregonians are fond of happy hour and they are rumored to have the best selection of happy hours in the U.S. Many restaurants/bars feature half-price drink and food menus which are quite excellent. I went to the local brewer, McMenamins at their Edgefield location, and had a fabulous chicken paprikash sandwich (paprika-marinated chicken breast with grilled mushrooms, melted dill havarti and a dill sour cream sauce which, while not discounted, was lip-smacking yummy). What was memorable about their menu was their dessert list – their chocolate cake was made from their Terminator Stout and their brownie was a Black and Tan brownie; I almost expected their home-made vanilla ice cream to be crafted from their wheat beer (it was not). What was pretty cool, too, was the diversity in staff and patrons. One of the cooks was a young woman with a mini-Mohawk and grunge attire. When she finished her shift, she was replaced by a red-head who had an unmistakably bookish look – short, short hair, glasses and he was wearing a nice dress shirt and slacks. He looked like he should have been at the law library. The two young men who sat next to me were equally interesting. One of them had two books – Buddha in Your Mirror and Hands of Light, which made me think that perhaps the local brewery was a good place to pursue spirituality? I dunno, I’m willing to give it a try, all, of course, for the sake of spiritual growth.
December 16 – January 15
So…I have finally gotten over the shock of the record snow we received around Christmas time. The first day was exciting – after all, I thought I would be missing the beauty of a white Christmas, but now the snow was coming down, creating a beautiful “winter wonderland” in the Gorge – breath-takingly beautiful, actually, and just in time for Christmas – perfect! I was delighted with the frozen falls, the towering trees covered with snow, the white stillness. I laughed at the news cast that warned drivers that they needed chains on their cars even though the amount of snow at that time would have been considered inconsequential in Utah! However, I stopped singing Christmas carols and flitting about happily in our frozen surroundings when it snowed again – lots of snow. I soon stopped laughing about the Oregonian’s “over-reaction” to snow when the snow continued, and continued, and continued…. The power went out, the interstate was closed, food supplies began dwindling, no newspaper, no mail, no nothing but more snow. And, we could not get out out of our driveway even though both of us have four wheel drive. (Even with tire chains on Dave's car!) We both started getting cranky….growl…hiss….the white Christmas didn’t seem as charming all of the sudden.Dave, however, managed to get us to his sister’s house in Stevenson, Washington for the Christmas celebration, in spite of the amazing snow and the fact that there were only a handful of cars out on the road/interstate. It was a harrowing drive and I wondered if we would be unwrapping Christmas presents in the car while we waited to get “unstranded.” (Panic, did we have food and water in the car to tide us over?! I get really mean if I get hungry AND cold!) We made it without any problems, though, and I decided it was fitting to label Dave “The Animal” since he drove the car through the horrible road conditions without flinching (though he did have a much-deserved shot of tequila when we got to his sister’s house) while I sat in the back seat, my eyes as wide as saucers. If I had been responsible for the driving, I would have (a) been whimpering the entire time after (b) suffering a panic attack and (c) swearing to move to Arizona after all, and (d) polishing off a good bit of that bottle of tequila afterwards (and some before?) to calm my nerves! Actually, truth be known, I would have been a big chicken and not ventured out at all – I am reluctant to experience terrifying moments at my advanced age. One cannot underestimate the power of frightening moments and heart attacks, right? Right….
Okay, so we made it through the Christmas storm and had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas with Dave’s family. Then, the snow stopped – woohoo! But, the rain began. At first it seemed wonderful to have warmer weather and rain. Once again, the good mood and high spirits returned. I was running into town to take advantage of remarkable after-Christmas sales and my food supply had been restocked. People were out in droves, happy to break free from the weather-related imprisonments. It was party time!
January 16 - January 31, 2009
Yikes, the weather challenges have continued. Thinking that things would settle down after the record snow and subsequent mudslides, I began settling back into my routine. Mother Nature, however, had something else in mind. All of the sudden the Gorge winds became noticeably, undeniably, “gusty.” Pretty soon, I could hear the wind roaring through the trees even within the comfort of the house. My cat hid under the bed and would not emerge until the winds quieted down – laying on top of my bed, I wondered if I should the same, but the prospect of laying on my back underneath the bed for hours was not very appealing (I know....possible boredom beat concerns about safety.) One of the times that I went into town, I had a pretty scary ride home when the wind gusts rocked my cute little Toyota RAV and I had to steer carefully. I wondered if I should have purchased a Hummer instead. I could see huge trees swaying back and forth in the wind and I worried that one of them would come crashing down. No sooner had I had those thoughts that, in truth, trees did come crashing down. Over the next couple of days, there were trees everywhere, blocking roads and paths. The local newspaper counted 30 trees down in one of the area parks. I heard one woman say that a meteorologist who lives in Corbett had clocked winds at 114 mph! In the 1980s I lived in Juneau, Alaska, where “Taku winds” gust up to 70 mph, so I was no stranger to these vigorous winds, but the Taku winds seemed tame compared to what I was experiencing now! Fortunately, no trees came crashing down on the house. Instead, the winds tore off the gutters and knocked over the lion statutes in the front of the house – inconsequential damage compared to what could have occurred.
That darn Dave was still on vacation, having a good time on warm beaches while the “record winds” came through the Gorge. After a couple of days of having no power and the darn generator not working as reliably as I had expected, I picked him up from the airport and, suddenly, things were fine – no more winds, the power was restored, the trees on the road were cleared off – it almost seemed like I had made the whole thing up! Dang, was he lucky or what, missing out on the “wind adventures!”
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