Two Months!

I can’t believe I have been in Portland two months. It feels longer. A lot has shifted in me the last two months. Overall life in Portland is going well. I am starting to grow weary of looking for a place to live as I feel distracted most of the time as that weighs on my mind. However, I am very much enjoying my time in between. I am taking and ENJOYING Spanish. Something I have wanted to do for a long time as I want to continue to spend more time in Latin America not to mention sponsor a child from Guatemala.

Today I rode across 8 Portland bridges. *Hawthorne *Ross Island * Marquam * Burnside * Broadway * Fremont * St. Johns * Broadway. What a great experience!!

More Photos

http://picasaweb.google.com/dduncan1013/JourneyWest?feat=directlink

I feel blessed to have met and reconnected with people who unwittingly help push my edges and grow as a person.

The pace of traffic still leaves me with the desire to pull my hair out. However, I have now taken to journaling while driving. Are you scared? What else does one do going 40 mph on a highway!! A highway!!!

Thirty degree variance

Last week it was 100+ degrees and this week there were times it was as low as 65 degrees. Despite the lack of sleep due to lack of air flow, I want to go on record as saying, I prefer the heat. I find during the year I am cold far more than I am hot, so I relish the days I am hot. I have little doubt there are a handful of people who complain when it is hot and complain when it is cold and that in another four months the complaint is going to be cold & rainy. Of course this is the case in the Upper Valley. SORRY to hear my New England friends. The Northwest in general loves to make weather THE NEWS! The Portland heat wave brought numerous it’s hot and tomorrow’s going to be hotter headlines and ways to beat the heat and any other story the media could grab to create a headline.

Casualty of the heat

One 90 degree morning as I walked to work I noticed a dead baby bird on the sidewalk. I assumed it must have fallen from a nest. I stared at it for a while trying to determine its status. I was torn about continuing onward because if it wasn’t dead, I didn’t feel right leaving it there to suffer. Of course, I didn’t know what I would do if it were alive. I wondered, do I step on it? Do I throw it in traffic? All of these sounded absolutely horrific to me, but leaving it to suffer seemed equally horrific. I was in a quandary. I assessed it was dead and continued on to work, but the questioned stayed with me, what was the right thing to do.

Two Cadillacs and a Scooter

The same week on a hot afternoon, I made a left two turn only to discover the right lane blocked by two low rider Caddys. The drivers seemed to think that the middle of the street was a good place to catch up or perform a transaction - who knows. I was feeling irritated and annoyed so I threw it into reverse to pass them when I heard a beep and something hit my bumper. My heart went to my stomach because I didn’t see anything in my side or rearview mirror. I finally heard a HEY! It was a woman on a scooter. I rolled down my window to see if she was ok. She raised her hand at the two Caddys, “WHAT ARE THEY DOING!?” She then said, “I think you bumper is bent, but other that no worries.” She was so pleasant and friendly. She scooted on while I sat there feeling sick and shaken. The commotion seemed to cause the Caddy drivers to disperse so I went on my way wishing I were an animal that could shake off the adrenaline running through my body.

Feeling the fear & tractor rides

Last weekend I went on my first Portland bike ride. It was great to get back on a bike. I love riding! We crossed the Sellwood Bridge on the way back to our respective cars. Well, for those not familiar with the bridge it is a very narrow bridge. Biking, walking, scootering, running are all done on one side on a narrow sidewalk shared by street lamps. There is no forgiveness for bikers. You either crash into the wall and risk going over into the Willamette River or fall into traffic. Pick your poison. That being said it doesn’t stop cyclists from riding across despite the recommendations to walk across. I, however, decided I was going to attempt to ride it. I felt exhilarated once I reached the other side. I am trying hard to feel the fear and do it any way. To push at my edges and do what I normally wouldn’t do; break out of my tendency to stay in my cocoon. I don’t always follow-through, but I did that day. Later that day I went to a long-time friend’s dad’s house and got a tractor ride on 1940s restored John Deere tractor! What a treat!