A year of adventures

 My first couple of weeks off work felt like a regular vacation - road trip, plays, camping, solo time and time with friends.  This week, though.. I’m home and apparently still not working. Will you be surprised if I say I did NOT suddenly pick up a yoga & meditation routine?? I’m not terribly surprised. I’ve long thought they would be nice routines to have, but nothing was stopping me from doing them before, either.  So! I have gone to the 9am outdoor pool water aerobics class twice this week. That was super fun and checked off my to-try list of finally swimming in that pool after living near it for 10 years. It’s mostly older women, and the kid even charged me the senior citizen rate!!!  I’ve read a couple books, went out for some DELISH West African food, and recombobulated after my road trip. I also had a little surgery today - in lucky room 13, no less - and it went fine. This weekend my big plans are to hit the Blues Fest and … dunno. I think I’ll see about...

What a study in contrasts! I camped in Lassen Volcanic National Park, which was greatly impacted by the Dixie Fires last year. Then I shifted to the coast and the dense, lush redwood forest.  A friend asked what I DO when I camp solo? Good question, since camp trips are typically about hanging out with others. My pattern for two-night stays has been: arrive late afternoon, get settled, poke around, eat dinner, read, sleep. Spend the next day on an activity - hike or paddle - plus meals and a book or two. Final day is just pack & go! Books-wise, my book group is reading The Ministry for the Future , near-term climate change sci-fi. After driving through burned-out landscapes it felt rather too close to home, so I’ll come back to that one. Instead I spent a delightful day reading Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - so fun!  I’m happy to report I did paddle around Butte Lake - it’s not so huge but it was neat to paddle right along an ancient volcano flow (I’m a bit vague o...

I moved from Portland to the Bay Area in 2006. It was a good move for my career, but my heart belonged to the Northwest and I knew it. Since I fully intended to move back someday, I was extra diligent to keep my connections there alive. One thing I started was an annual group trip to Ashland, Oregon, with friends from both places.  Ashland is home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, a name that really doesn’t do justice to the 8+-month season or the 10+ plays they stage (many plays run for months so you can see 6 in a busy weekend). There’s always at least one Shakespeare show, but the company has evolved greatly to offer so much more!  I’ve gone with a varying group of friends - usually about 12 of us make it - every year since 2007. Naturally our group trips to watch theater wasn’t A Thing during these last two beknighted pandemic years, but in 2022 we made our return! I got to watch one of the warm-up shows (one person played cello while two others made massive soap bubbles...

Hey look! My car hit 100,000 miles and I was even able to safely capture the moment. I was on my way home from a (partly rainy, semi chilly, yet fun) camping trip. It’s gorgeous in Eastern Oregon and I got my second paddle of the year in. Not a bad way to wrap up May!