Week One As An Oregonian

Cole at Indian Beach

I have officially been an Oregonian for one week now and what a week it has been!!  As you know, I spent my first full day here on the northern coast exploring Indian Beach (at Ecola State Park), Seaside, Astoria and even a bit of southern Washington.


Since then, I ran a bunch of errands while I still had the rental car and learned that you cannot trust a GPS to not send you down the wrong way of a one way street.   Luckily, navigating the light rail system has proven to be a bit easier.

View of Willamette River from the train

I have found many exciting jobs online and have two interviews already scheduled for next week.  I have also found a couple of volunteer opportunities that I am pursuing as well.  I contacted Oregon Wild and have a meeting scheduled next week to discuss how I will help plan their annual fundraiser.  I also am meeting with the folks at the Portland Film Festival to help plan their kick-off and closing parties as well as do some photography at the festival later this summer.

I have joined several Meetup groups that either focus on hiking, photography, dogs or general socializing and am looking forward to several upcoming events next week: hiking at Mount Tabor on Wednesday morning and then wine tasting that night, a pug specific event at the dog park in Tigard on Saturday and hiking Washington Park to Pittock Mansion with a tour of the Japanese Garden on Sunday.

I met up with a friend in Hillsboro on Saturday for a drive in the country through some small towns.  This led us to Carlton where we checked out the festival that was happening, had lunch at Barrel 47 and then stopped for some wine and dessert on The Horse Radish Cheese and Wine Bar's outdoor patio before heading back to Portland.

Renae and I in Carlton

I have visited the dog park several times this week and Cole is loving that.  The Normandale Park has a small-dog-specific area that attracts a great variety of smaller dogs.  Everything from Chihuahua's to Silkie's to Scottie's to Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and everything in between.   There seems to be little drama among the dogs so it is quite fun to watch them run and play together. 

Cole making dog friends at Normandale Park

The bed I ordered earlier this week arrived yesterday and I am happy to report it is so comfortable, I decided to sneak in a nap this afternoon just to enjoy it a little more.  Unfortunately that cut into the time I had set aside to explore Laurelhurst Park but I am sure I will find time another day to do that.   

This coming Friday is the 4th of July so I will be heading to the coast, hopefully with a friend, to Manzanita for the parade and fireworks.  This is something I've wanted to do for several years now so it is pretty cool that it will finally be happening in just a few days.

Stay tuned as I continue to explore this amazing city and the beautiful areas that surround it!!

My Green Heaven

After much anticipation, I have finally made it to Oregon and not just to visit but to live!  The journey was long but worth every mile.  After wrapping things up with both of my jobs in Madison, packing up and cleaning my apartment and saying farewell to friends and family, Cole and I hit the road for a 2,133 mile drive through 7 states over the course of 3 days.  We headed west through Iowa and stopped 12 hours later in North Platte, Nebraska where I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I could get sushi delivered to my hotel room.  Shortly before arriving at our hotel, I was lucky enough to witness a thunderstorm rolling through off in the distance and even luckier to have my very own storm roll through right overhead.

Thunderstorm in Nebraska

Early the next morning, Cole and I continued west toward Wyoming with the goal of reaching South Jordan, Utah by early evening.  Entering eastern Utah via Highway 80 proved to be nothing short of spectacular with mountains and steep, winding roads.  We arrived at the hotel earlier than anticipated which was fortuitous since our hotel was located within minutes of the Wasatch Mountains which was quite the site to see.   Unfortunately, this is where I discovered my laptop was having serious issues and knew I would have to tend to them once I arrived in Portland.

Wasatch Mountains in Utah

Knowing Oregon was a mere 775 miles away, we got going extra early on the final day.  We headed northwest through Idaho and entered Ontario, Oregon on Highway 84 surrounded by mountains.  Everything we drove through from that point on toward Portland was amazing.  We drove over several mountains and enjoyed the breathtaking scenery in the Columbia River Gorge.  We arrived in Portland around 5:30 pm and after unloading the car and meeting my new rooommate and her dogs, was left with the house to myself for the night to unpack and unwind.

Columbia River Gorge

I awoke the next morning to a dead laptop but headed to the coast with Cole anyway to explore the northern section which was the only part left I had not yet seen.  We started at Indian Beach in Cannon Beach and then headed north toward Seaside through Gearhart and then to Astoria.  I figured why stop there and continued over the Astoria - Megler Bridge into Washington where I stopped to take in the view of Cape Disappointment which was not disappointing at all.  On the way back to Portland I picked up a new laptop which is working well to help acquaint me with the city and learn the public transportation system that I successfully used to get back from dropping off the rental car at the airport the other day.

Cole at Indian Beach

There is so much to look forward to here but I don't think it has totally sunk in that I have really arrived.  Today while walking back from the dog park with Cole, I took time to really observe the neighborhood.  The flowers, plants and trees that are so much unlike what I am used to in Wisconsin.  Each house has unique little features, architecture and landscaping.  The diversity in all the people walking down the streets.  The little differences like how you are not allowed to pump your own gas and the composting containers that you get in addition to the normal recycling and trash containers.  I'm looking forward to exploring more starting this weekend when I will meet up with a friend to check out Jones Creek in the Tillamook State Forest and next week when I head to the coast for 4th of July fireworks.  Stay tuned, there are many adventures (and photographs) waiting to happen!!

To see all of my candid, one-handed, cell phone pictures along the way from Madison to Oregon, click here. 

Daring to Imagine

After three years of hoping, wishing and dreaming of moving to Oregon it is finally happening.  And quickly I might add.  Once I got the news that a job awaited me in Portland, I devoted all of my energy to the logistical tasks of relocating cross country:  finding a place to live, hiring movers, changing addresses, cancelling utility services, etc.  With just eight days left in Wisconsin and finally having a minute alone where I am not inundated with a slew of tasks to do, a bit of the whole thing hit me:  my entire life is about to change!  This realization is both terrifying and exhilarating. 

My furniture is going into storage.  I will no longer be living alone.  I will be foregoing access to a vehicle and will be learning to use a new public transportation system.  I will be spending most of my work day outside, walking around Portland instead of in an office.  I will know very few people.  I will have no favorite restaurants, music venues, coffee shops or parks.  I have no idea where my veterinarian, grocery store, post office or library will be.  I have no idea what the next chapter of my life will look like.  And you know what?  That's completely OK.  I am daring to imagine I can have a different life.

For those of you who have always been mostly content with how your life is, part of me envies you and the other part of me feels sad for you.  I have never felt settled or content.  I have always been looking toward something new.  The next big thing.  It's probably part of the reason I have a bucket list a mile long and take great joy in planning trips and making goal lists.  I have no idea what it would feel like to not want for something.  Someone once asked me if I suddenly accomplished everything I had dreamed of right now, would I be content?   The answer was clear, I hope not!  What would life be like if I never hoped or dreamed for something in the future?  I'm not talking about things.  I'm talking about adventures, people and learning.  For better or worse, I thrive on the experiences that come with taking risks.  Of not standing still.  Of going after the things I want.  Or think I might want.  Changing my mind.  Making mistakes.  Sometimes that works out and sometimes it doesn't.  Either way it goes, the experience of that adventure helps me discover a little more of who I am and who I want to be.  How sad it is to me to think that there are people who will never know the feeling of stepping into the unknown.  Of risking what is easy for what might be great.  When you take a chance on your dreams, they might just come true. 

Thank you to all those who have genuinely shared in my excitement for this new adventure I am about to embark upon.  Your support means more than I can convey.  I am embracing the possibilities of what could be and I have confidence that no matter what the future holds for me, this all will be meaningful.  For the few of you know don't understand or think I am making a mistake, thank you for lighting a fire in my soul to live the best life I can and to enjoy every moment of the journey just a little bit more. 

For a glimpse into some of the things I love, and to see a bit of Oregon through my eyes, check out my photography here.  

Louie Schwartzberg

I first learned of Louie Schwartzberg when he gave a TED Talk a few years ago.  About six months ago, I discovered a few of his short films, on Netflix that completely blew me away.  Then a couple months after that, I came across an interview he did with Oprah.  If you have not heard of this person, and you love nature and photography like me, you need to know who he is.

He is on a short list of people who inspire me and one of two major contributing factors that prompted me to finally make the move to Oregon and get involved with conservation work.  His feelings on photography and how important it can be are thought provoking.  His Moving Art:  Oceans film is probably the single most beautiful piece of cinematography I have ever seen.  It perfectly portrays what I love so much about the west coast.

“I hope my films inspire and open people’s hearts.  Beauty is nature’s tool for survival – you protect what you love.  If I can move enough people on an emotional level, I hope we can achieve the shift in consciousness we need to sustain and celebrate life.” - Louie Schwartzberg

I hope you take some time to learn more about his work, his message and take away a little something like I did that can change your world too.

My photography is a work in progress but I hope one day to be half as good as Schwartzberg.  To see my nature journey in photos, visit my Flickr page here.