Close But No Cigar, Rob
I'm finally in Hood River. Unloaded, albeit not yet unpacked. I like my housemates a lot. I like my house a lot. However, I don't know how I feel about being on Pacific Standard Time. It's harder to call home at a reasonable hour.
Sorry to disappear on y'all like that. My last day at work was August 30, I was out of my apartment by noon on August 31, and that night I was in the mountains. Then I went to Boise and then I went to the Sawtooths (Sawteeth?) and then I went to Salt Lake City and then I came back to Boise. I spent a good part of that time staying in houses without internet access. Luddites. It did mean I had a lot of fun, though, and do you know how good it feels to have disconnected for a while? To have stopped compulsively clicking through my blog reader and have started reading some real live books with my downtime?
Yeah.
But you wanna know what I've been up to, don't you? Stories and pictures and all that? I'm workin' on it. First maybe I should unpack some blankets to sleep on 'til I get a bed. And maybe my toothbrush.
Because I'm nice and because I'm excited about it, here's a few bullet points to get you through in case life gets in the way (as it is wont to do):
- I saw 4 rattlers and 2 black bears and hiked along one heck of a gorgeous river with Josh. Bonus points for lots of great conversation and a couple of tiny trout on my line.
- I bonded big time with my buddy B, who reminded me how great generosity and openness are. He opened up his home and hospitality to me for anything, anytime, who bought me food all over Boise and showed me where all the desert swim holes are.
- I rediscovered my love for vintage Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen tracks.
- Ryan showed me some of the best of Salt Lake City, from the smelly lake itself up into the Wasatch and the Bayou and night-biking and porch-sitting and snippets of music everywhere. Also, I met the inspiration for none other than HAYDUKE. Yeah.
- I had a gracious goodbye with L & E; for my worrying we were all on the same page. (no awk, ladies!)
- Met a keeper straight out of the blue, J, a real damn fine one, who reminded me why I should never ever settle and why I keep a shelf for candles above the woodstove. If you've got jive, you've got jive. And a small string of bright memories like pearls - Dawson's, chai with a shot of espresso, the dock and the stars, a dog's warm nose on my shoulder, a compass rose, and the kind of endless conversation where you trip over your words because you can't keep up and you're so excited because you're connecting and lighting up like whoa. Yeah, I live 6 hours away now. Yeah, I know you can't really make that work and no I'm not going to try. So it goes. Here's to letting go ... and to trusting that one good turn deserves another.
- In general was reminded of why I do what I do and what and who and how I want to be and who and what I want in my life. It's a great feeling.