All that we behold is full of blessings.
William Wordsworth
…
Thinking of you, Wendy!
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Tags: Friendship, Oregon, Portland
Symbols do not dirty,
but endure, embraced by moss and surrender.
Punctuated by memories larger than life, clear and sure as the sky.
Always there, guiding in ways large and small.
Standing the test of time.
The blue light special twenty-two summers hence.
The tall shadows.
The ripe fruits
And blending of textures that make up a life.
See beyond what lies ahead.
Forget that you have changed.
Measure only the weight of the present moment,
No matter the color,
For there is always love, light,
And lemony hues of sun and flowers to come.
Just there, more memories.
Some fuzzy.
Then clear.
Touch them before they are gone
And replaced by the barrow full
With lofty dreams
Of new places
Hanging like gifts
Buried like treasure
But always home.
In loving memory of sweet Patsy:
You made my tea with milk and warmed my heart.
Happy Tuesday, gentle readers. How are you? I am chilly-willy. It is freezing here, quite literally. Our thermometer has been hovering around twenty-two degrees since the sun came up, and I’ve got nearly enough layers to rival little Randy in A Christmas Story, yet my feet remain cold. Blasted poor circulation!
All is not lost, however. I am in good spirits and thinking fondly of our recent weekend getaway to Eugene and Depoe Bay. We went two weekends ago and had a grand time exploring. Eugene, if you don’t know, is the home of the University of Oregon (for my Colorado friends, think Boulder, circa the early 1990’s). It’s two hours south in the valley, a lovely drive through verdant pastures with volcanic vents like massive mounds of granite scattered by the wind. On the day of our drive, the skies were laden with heavy suitcase clouds, traveling alongside us, and the trees, oh the trees, a patchwork of emerald, gold, crimson, tangerine, and amber: the perfect portrait of Oregon in the fall.
Our home away from home was The Excelsior Inn, just west of campus. It has a stellar and quite beautiful restaurant along with lovely, quaint rooms named after classical composers. I chose Schubert, of course, and was very pleased. There are also a myriad of watercolor paintings from local artists lining the halls, so it’s a feast for the eyes too.
In another feast for the eyes, we visited the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art on the U of O campus. I have to say, it is probably the finest small museum I have ever seen, with an exquisite and well curated collection of art. The building is pretty lovely, too, and precisely what I conjure when I think of an art museum: fine ironwork, high ceilings, gorgeous marble, and shining floors. There’s also a nice cafe and a kids (of all ages) area with costumes and neat activities pertaining to current exhibits. For $5, it is well worth the price of admission.
We also had the pleasure of spending the evening with my former student, Matt, and his sweet and adorable girlfriend, Kelly (no pictures – darn!). We enjoyed their good company over dinner and drinks (still a bit odd to enjoy libations with someone I knew as a teenager!), along with a special screening of the Oregon gem One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. It had been a long time since either the hubster or I had seen it, and it didn’t disappoint.
The next leg of our adventure didn’t disappoint either. Though there was a thick blanket of fog and grave concerns on both our parts that we might not actually be able to see the ocean. I grumbled and fretted, bemoaning our predicament, but was ultimately redeemed when I not only saw the whitecaps crashing but could smell their delightful scent. There is nothing like sea air to buoy spirits!
As a perfect tie in to our Eugene adventure, our picture perfect Depoe Bay lodgings (The Channel House) were just adjacent to the bridge in the scene where Jack Nicholson’s character takes the gang fishing. Though we didn’t fish, we ate plenty of local seafood (Yaquina Bay Oysters and smoked salmon, among others, oh my!) and saltwater taffy so fresh it was warm in our hands. We also watched Oystercatchers, and a tenacious Cormorant catch its breakfast (very exciting!) while sipping hot tea and gorging on golden pastries, granola, and eggs. I think it’s what could be described as the height of splendor. Indeed. Sometimes it is nice to get away.
Happy Saturday!
How are you? Enjoying fall? It’s been a pretty terrific one here,so far, lots of dry days and beautiful evenings, with enough rain to keep it interesting and moist. “The night was moist.” Do you remember that from Throw Momma from the Train? I love that movie. Danny DeVito, you are wack-a-doodle and make me laugh.
So, to happenings as of late. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your lovely comments and support during my campaign to be a guest on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. You guys are beyond terrific. Truly. As for Mr. Fallon, he isn’t banging down my door, but it’s out there, as they say, and I just feel in my bones that something marvelous will come of it all. Indeed I do. If anything, I certainly have a great appreciation for anyone who writes and directs. Those one minute films take a lot of effort!
The first four photos, as you are likely to have surmised, are from Halloween (if not, maybe you should put down that cocktail!). The hubster is, you guessed it, a crow! Aren’t his wings lovely? I am water and definitely drawn to the abstract. We had a grand time at our friends Satan (Stan the Insurance Man) and the Bar Wench’s party. There were many fine costumes, yummy drinks, and good food, like sausages wrapped in Pillsbury croissant dough. I kid you not, those are the height of splendor in party fare! I ate more than my fair share.
We also spent a lovely rooftop evening at a fund raiser for one of our new favorite places, Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center. There was an awesome band called Stumbleweed (traditional bluegrass for all your high lonesome needs), cocktails served up from the stellar and local House Spirits (the Bees Knees!), and lots of delicious food prepared by Opal Creek’s uber-chef Rebekah. Not surprisingly, we met some very fine folks just as interested in keeping this gem of a place intact for the ages, including the architect for the rather deluxe and tallest building in the the blurry photo below. How cool to be engaged in conversation and ask, “Would I know any of your work?” and have her grin and say, “Well, yes, that building right there.” Huzzah!
Finally, a little update on the Subaru. After some reflection, we’ve decided to donate it to charity. The hubster is a happy bicycle commuter three days a week, rain or shine, and we just don’t need it. Besides, the Portland Rescue Mission has what looks like a pretty terrific program that trains people to work on cars like ours before selling them to benefit their charity. It’s a pretty sweet deal all around. I am even slightly grateful to the thug who stole our car for bringing this about. Life is pretty sweet.
Be well!
Tags: Jimmy Fallon, Oregon, Portland
We all have the extraordinary coded within us, waiting to be released.
Jean Houston
