Sounds that make me happy

Sitting in the car for long hours, I listen to a lot of music. And sometimes I listen to nothing. Sometimes the voices in my head are too loud to hear anything but them (not in a mentally ill kind of way...just normal, healthy voice).

Dylan asked me once last year,

"What sound do you love?"

I had never really thought of this question before, but it stuck with me and while I answered it then I pay attention even more now. I listen more and I like that.

So here are a few:

The crackle made by pebbles on the shoreline. Water rushes in and crackles out with the tides. This is a predominantly west coast experience.
Ginger shrieking “EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE” whenever I walked in the door. So shrill it could hurt your ear drums, yet so energy packed it was always hard not to laugh.

Leaves rustling underfoot partnered with bright colors creating warmth despite the crisp air.

Babies laughing. Especially when whatever they are laughing at is just not that funny.
Dylan playing the guitar in his own little world totally unaware that I snuck in the door. Amp that up with a fire in the backyard.

My puppy (a fully grown 80 pound “puppy”) sniffing my neck right before going in for the kiss attack. Almost crying…snorting in my ear. So wound up and eager to get out and play.

The swooshing sound of a snowboard on fresh trails…like listening to waves. Gently carving toward and then away from Dylan as he patiently mirrors my line.Songs that have found the secret to time travel, quickly transporting you to another place.

Just to name a few, but no where near the end of the list.

Blustery

I spent last weekend in Spokane and I was shocked by the cold! Yikes! I was not ready for 20 degrees while we set up in the shade. Sans gloves and forgotten hat. Not to mention the boy scouts that were parked up next to us outside REI selling their popcorn...they were prepared. Damn mottos.

I returned to Portland with visions of last week dancing through my head. Blue skies, perfect temperatures, sunshine for days. Sunshine? Where did it go? What happened to summer?

I am in never-ending denial that this year will slow down any minute now! Surely...it has to! Unready and unwilling I have been dragged into fall. How could this happen? I want to go back!

But then I remember...I like fall. I think I spent too much time in Florida and learned to ignore this amazing time of year. Palm trees don't change. But the maples and the oak and the aspens, they most certainly do. And it is beautiful.

Yesterday felt like a holiday. A vacation day spent at home reminded me of so many other things I love about the fall.

Snuggling into a warm, fluffy bed (but not down fluffy. Synthetic fluffy. I recently learned those birds aren't plucked...they are killed! How naive am I?)

The crazy wind creating little twisters of red and yellow leaves.

Delicious mulled wine with friends in a comfortable candle-lit restaurant.

Cooking breakfast at noon and brownies at nine. Both hearty and warm!

Sweaters. Big comfy sweaters.

The crisp, clean air. You can almost smell the breeze.

Movies in bed and more snuggling. (If you have not seen Triplets of Belleville you should)

Oh...and galoshes. Mine are worn straight through. Too much dancing in the rain and puddle splashing last year.

SO it's fall. It's time to be excited and let the summer go. It will come back again. Always does.

9.25.09 School of Cross

I must admit that I have truly fallen for some of Portland's greatest trends. While I resist the urge to squeeze into tight and tapered jeans I do love the music scene, coffee and BIKES.

I may or may not own a beautiful Trek Madone carbon fiber frame. And somehow, despite the weight, I still manage to struggle while pushing it up the west hills with the gracious man who bought it for me.I would also like to admit that one of the things I will miss most while on the road is Cross Crusade Cylclocross races. Despite never participating in the competition, I fell in love with the atmosphere last year and looked forward to photo opportunities, free coffee and Bob's Red Mill steel cut oats provided by Chris King. Sloshing around in my favorite galoshes, focused on the lens until Dylan rounds the corner...then I quickly forget what I am supposed to be doing and get lost cheering and counting the number of single speeds in front of him so I can shout out his number. The whole time listening to the cow bells ringing in the background.

Fall in Portland = Cyclocross

I will not be able to attend a single race this year, but I did have an opportunity to take some pictures last night at the School of Cross hosted by Pumped Promotions and the Yakima Bike Vigilantes and despite the low light, this will have to satisfy the cross itch...for now.

Fun with motion.

The full set.

More from Single Track.

Some more shots from last year.

9.23.09 Beautiful Beautiful Montana

My first week full-time week with the Go Love Adventure Tour involved a (long) road trip to Missoula, MT. Oh Montana...I love you so.

I am most certain this must be the state a certain patriotic song writer visited before discussing purple mountains.Not to mention, my first (but absolutely not my last) trip to Glacier National Park. LOVE. I saw my first snow of the year, visited with an old friend from my Environment Oregon days and had great conversations with my new friends and road trip family. Worth every second of the 8 hour detour. I'll stop talking now...there's just too much to show you.

Want more?

9.11.09 Daily Inspiration

I took a break from work today after my first 10 hours in the building. Dreading my last two and feeling overwhelmed by the transition I was getting grumpier by the minute. I watched as a “facilities” staff person rearranged our lobby chairs and tables preparing for some kind of special event. This man was so excited as he lifted and moved furniture. He took great pride in what he was doing and inspired me to return to work with a better attitude. I was reminded in that moment that many people don’t have jobs right now and I have four...five if you count catering...and six if you throw in the Go Love Adventure Tour. It can be exhausting and it can make you lose sight of what you love about each job, but this man was a reminder to take each day at a time and enjoy where I am at and what I am doing.

I often find it hard to say no (not because I lack strength, but more because I want to do it all) and this can lead to a crazy over-committed schedule. Again, life comes down to balance. I can be busy and I can be a “yes man” as long as I don’t allow myself to be walked on or over-commit to the point of doing things half-hearted. BUT regardless of schedule, I am the one who agreed to be there for a 12 hour day and being tired by personal choice is no reason for complacency. I want people to see that I also enjoy my job. I want to be there.

As the universe would have it, turns out the lobby was being rearranged so they could host a dinner and I happen to know the guest of honor. She is a dermatologist and one of the leading experts on contact dermatitis...she is fascinated by her work. Talk about placing the exclamation point on my life reminder to enjoy work. However, Fran's energy extends way beyond her career and as I sat back and eavesdropped to her friends and coworkers toasting her, I was reminded that I am headed in the right direction. I aspire to find all the things that make me most happy, including a career. Balance. In Fran's own words, "Mostly I'm more pleased than anything that I've been able to have a professional life that worked well with my private life. It's given me a chance to put my family first. And they remain central to my life." She is consistently challenging the known and has an open mind to learning new information...never stop learning. A mentor to myself and so many others both professionally and personally, she is also a role model for blazing trail, being a pioneer and maintaining excellent work ethic.

In regards to my new job while feeling guilty about leaving the old ones, Fran offered the best advice of anyone,

"Have a lovely life. I know you will. Life is just so thrilling!"

Cheers to that.

Beautiful things

On the road to Seattle last week I saw one of my favorite northwest landscapes and quickly remembered why I love the freedom that comes with travel. You escape the “normal” beauty that surrounds you on a daily basis and get a chance to open your eyes to new surroundings. Somehow upon the return to the familiar your eyes remain open and the normal is once again captivating. A few examples…

A stormy, slate blue sky retreating to allow the sunshine through. In the process shadows are cast over green pastures making them brighter than you could possibly imagine.

Looking out over the Columbia River Gorge on an overcast, rainy day with minimal view only to turn around and see the granite wall behind you funneling a small stream of water across the lichen then dripping slowly from the plush moss at the bottom.

The Portland and Seattle skylines mocking the Cascade Mountain range. Beautiful and striking but only visible once you round the bend of the highway. Watch at dawn or dusk as the light reflects off the water making each street an alley of stark contrast, showing off the disparities between new glass and old brick designs.

The cascade mountains themselves, disjointed and independent, making an eerie, mirage-like image on the horizon. Each making a bold statement to geological strength and power, while blending in to the soft blue of the horizon and easing the soul into a more peaceful state.


The trees. All greener from the plentiful rains abundant not just in the parks but littering the sidewalks, 3 to a block.

And to think…I’ve barely escaped my back yard. Let the road trip begin!

9.10.09 I could be more. I should be.

A small piece of graffiti on the wall of an abandoned building. I had to pass this simple but powerful statement every day. In a car I may have never seen it, let alone had the time to read it, but on my bike the blunt truth was haunting. Not just for that individual (I don’t support vandalism, but wonder about the thoughts that provoked this action) but also for so many other young people trying to find their way.

I thought of taking a picture so many times...then I would get home and forget. Out of sight, out of mind. Now it is gone. Is that a statement to my lost photographic opportunity or a tribute to my quickly progressing future?

Who should you be?