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?
