Portland, Oregon in 24 hours.

Over the last few months we visited our old stomping grounds twice - independently, and for work reasons. Conferences always seem to be hectic and stressful, and while we did see some friends and have some fun while we were in town, these were definitely not slow visits.

So when I saw that the Decemberists' Friday night Edgefield show hadn't sold out a few weeks ago, I immediately bought tickets. YAY! A whole weekend of fun!

Then I checked the calendar and realized we would be leaving Thursday late morning and returning early Saturday afternoon. YAY! A whole 50 hours of fun!

Of which nine would be spent driving and at least 14 would be spent sleeping... YAY! A whole ~24 hours of fun!

You can actually pack a lot of Rose City fun into 24 hours, especially during the summer months where festivals abound. Just ask our kind hosts for the weekend who recently published a compilation of 365 weird things to do in Portland, Oregon.

Or you can do what we did, and not do very much at all.

first stop: beer not made by 7 Devils Brewing Co...

Short visits are always a challenge because there are so many people we would love to see (and so many places where we would love to eat). That always ends up hectic and stressful too, so over the past few visits we've switched to quality over quantity. This time we were able to pull off a ¿Por Qué No? dinner reunion with Patrick's former co-workers, a true miracle!

last seen together: 2012(?)

About halfway through dinner I realized that Governor Brown was sitting two tables away. We see our US Senators and Representative fairly regularly around Coos Bay, but we don't see the governor often (or ever, ahem, Kate) and I was a bit star-struck. I resisted taking an awkward photo, but as we were leaving I leaned over and said "Coos Bay says thank you!" I felt like a total hick saying it, but I said it anyway, and the big smile I got in return made me feel... well, even more like a hick.

Otherwise, the only other familiar faces we saw all weekend were those of our hosts. There was travel talk. There was laughter. There was life talk. There was beer. There was beer talk. There was a really nice breakfast sendoff on Saturday. It was good.

When we weren't doing that stuff, we kept it simple.

We drove through some of the neighborhoods where we used to spend time. The phrases "WOW that's weird," "WOW that's new," and "WOW that's cool" were uttered quite a bit. 

weird

new

cool

We did "big city" stuff like buy new running shoes and visit independent record stores. We enjoyed the diversity and all the progressive political signs around town.

we all belong here®

We met one of our hosts for lunch at the PSU food cart pod Friday afternoon. Indian next to Mexican next to Thai next to Turkish next to sushi next to noodles? Heaven.

decisions, decisions...

decision: veggie Turkish pide from Turkish Voodough and

chicken tikki masala/pakoras from New Taste of India

We had a few hours to kill after lunch before meeting our other host for a pre-show beer. There were many, many hour-killing options available so we did what any former SE'ers would do - we avoided any further decision-making and wandered around Laurelhurst Park.

respite for the urban-weary

Laurelhurst Park was the spot of our second date; it's where we ran trails in prep for half-marathons; it was 3 blocks from our old apartment so it's where we headed whenever we needed a little nature. Nice to know that some things about Portland haven't changed.

Speaking of change, we knew the beer scene had multiplied like a wet mogwai since our last extended stay, but holy crap! We further avoided any decision-making and deferred to our host to choose. His recommendation was quick and wise: Ex Novo, where all profits go to charities, where the motto is "We gather, we volunteer, we drink beer! Drink Beer. Do Good. Be Awesome!"

photo courtesy pdx.eater.com

(was so excited to help local charities that I forgot to take a picture)

Pretty awesome.

And still speaking of change - holy crap, Edgefield! Stopping shows by 10pm? Metal detectors? Ninkasi beer? Oh my.

The band was great, scratchy lead voice notwithstanding...

 

approximately the 14th time I've heard that song live

upping the whale game this year

But in keeping with the catchiest tune off their latest album, the crowd was (mostly) awful. Walking to the "restrooms" I followed a drunk man weaving on the path, passed a drunk woman who fell while leaning against a tree, and waded twice through a lawn of drunk people talking through the entire show. We also sat behind a drunk guy wearing the shirt pictured below (I'm pretty sure Colin Meloy would've refunded this man's ticket price and - politely - asked him to leave if he'd seen that shirt).

what is this, the Coos??

When did you become a frat party, Edgefield? I got so annoyed that I went to the front to stand with the people who actually cared that there was a band on stage, and as we were leaving we decided that would be our last show there. At least we went out on a low note (Colin can't hit the high notes right now).

All in all, though, it was a great 24 hours. We were happy to visit, and we've already decided to return for several days this fall without any plans.

But we were also happy to get back to little old Coos Bay. We have our challenges here, but we're definitely more comfortable in this rural coastal town than any big city. We're grateful for our experiences over the years that got us here, and we're looking forward to what's next.

Whatever that is...

paying attention to signs

What a long, strange year it's been.

Dear 2016,
Remember that time in July when Patrick and I got the call that the Subaru's engine needed to be completely rebuilt (also known as the icing on the craptastic cake that was the first half of you), and I shook my fist at the sky and shouted, "What else ya got for us, 2016?!"

Man, did you ever deliver...

There's not much to say about you that hasn't already been said, 2016. But between your numerous punches, you gave us here at Slowly Global some wonderful gifts too.

Like that month on Orcas Island, and our subsequent road trip down the coast where we relived fond memories from April 2013 and got to explore Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park. That was pretty great.

Turtleback Mountain - Orcas Island

Hoh Rain Forest Hall of Moss - Olympic National Park

Olympic National Forest (day one-zero-four-four)

Cape Disappointment State Park - WA

The 2016 farm internship you gave us didn't exactly go as planned, but we still learned a lot about farming, the Rogue Valley, and ourselves during those 10 weeks. (We even got a weekend on the Eastern Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway - new territory to both of us.)

most important lesson: no onions on our future farm!
 

iconic Toketee Falls - check!

Besides, if that farm internship had worked out, we wouldn't have been able to help our parents relocate and settle into their new homes, enjoy extended time with family and friends on both coasts, spend a week on Steens Mountain and in the surrounding areas, and take a quick trip to Portland to see the man who started it all five years ago. So thanks for all of that.

Rocky Mount, NC

Eugene, OR

Kiger Gorge - Steens Mountain

Clear Lake - Sisters, OR

Frank Turner's mosh pit at the Oregon Zoo

Your latest gift of this extended Coos Bay housesit has turned out better than we expected. We're appreciative of our jobs and the new friends we've made. We're also enjoying the natural beauty of Coos County and the quirky little pockets of culture we run across from time to time.

our backyard for the winter

And let's not forget the beer, 2016. Good job on the beer.

the northwest is the best

Between your punches and your gifts, 2016, you've really given us a lot to think about. We've gone around and around about where we go from here, and it's still anyone's guess... But as a wise man once said, as long as we've got a place to sleep, clothes on our backs, and some food to eat, we can't ask for anything more.

Onward,
J&P

A review, a preview, and a ginormous THANK YOU.

Day 975 of FUNemployment! Crazy.

As I sat down to write this year-end post, I started to go down the "gratitude" path but it took an uber-sappy turn at some point. Believe me, no one wants that for Christmas. Suffice to say, returning to Portland and the US in general was more challenging than we expected and we're eternally grateful to everyone who supported us, particularly those of you who stuck with us through our crankypants summer.

Anyway! Here's the 2015 review for anyone just catching up...

For the first time since 2012, we spent most of this year in our home country. We visited 18 national parks and explored 19 states. We said hi to the cherry blossoms, the Man in Black, the Continental Divide, and the best campsite in Oregon. We tried very hard not to mess with Texas. We kept (at least) ten dogs, six cats, and lots of chickens company. We volunteered for a few worthy causes. We caught up with supportive family members, friends, and former colleagues. We saw some great music. We helped our parents with life transitions.

So in spite of all the sitting around we did this year, we were actually quite busy.

We're wrapping up the year in Canada where we're celebrating our third consecutive Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year holiday outside of the continental United States. Whereas our US adventures were obviously comfortable and familiar, the Canada portion has also felt comfortable and familiar thanks to our Alberta friends and the town of Vernon, BC which honestly feels like every other suburban town in any English-speaking country.

okay, maybe it's a little prettier here...

... than, say, Beaverton

One of the most common questions we're asked is, "what's next?" We're happy to say that we finally have an answer! Here's the 2016 preview: after our BC housesit and another month-long housesit on Orcas Island, we'll head to Eugene to help Patrick's mom with a little spring cleaning.

And then? THEN?!?! Starting next spring we'll be interning on a beautiful vegetable farm in Southern Oregon!

Earlier this summer we thought a lot about our transition back to paid work while making sure we spent those 40+ hours/week doing something we loved. Interning through Rogue Farm Corps' FarmsNext program, which offers a structured educational approach for people like us who think we want to be farmers, seemed like the most appropriate approach. The program will help us answer frequently asked questions like "You know farming is really hard work, right?" and "You know there's no money to be made in farming, right?" and "You know there's no 401K program for farmers, right?" (Kidding - we already know all of those answers. But we will get answers to more important questions like "What are the best soil, greenhouse, and cover crop management techniques?" and "Do you have any best practices for irrigation in this crazy time of climate change?" and "How does one actually drive a tractor, anyway?")

It feels a little odd to be starting over in our 40s but we're pretty confident that our host farmers will teach us a lot about getting started, staying positive, and figuring out how to be successful in this particularly challenging field.

Much more on this later - just know that we're super excited to return to Oregon and kick start our next life! (Is it April yet? ... How about now? ... Now?)

Thank you for your ongoing support. We look forward to keeping you posted on next year's farm shenanigans and our plans beyond November 2016...

Hope next year brings you joy, gratitude, and most of all, continued adventure - however you define it!

... to you and yours!

Sorta WWOOFing near Sundre, Alberta.

Since I had to explain it to the border control officers about five times when we were crossing into Canada recently, I'll tell you too: I met Coleen and Andre back in 2010. We and a few other couples spent a week together on a dinky little boat in the Galapagos Islands. Us passengers all got along really well and we kept in touch afterward. (See? It's really not that interesting of a story, especially not after you tell it umpteen times.)

Anyway, the story gets much better. When we were looking for WWOOF gigs on the first leg of our trip back in the summer of 2013, I emailed Coleen to see if she had any leads. Turned out she and Andre knew a great couple who had a bison ranch outside of Calgary, so we reached out to them and the rest is history. Coleen and Andre live in Calgary but they also have a farm near the bison ranch, and we all went down for dinner one night while we were WWOOFing.

June 2013 Team Galapagos reunion

Flash forward to November 2015. After Corvallis we'd arranged a housesit in Vernon (British Columbia) for the holidays. Vernon is just a full day's drive from Coleen and Andre's farm, and when you've driven across two entire Northern American countries and taken a train across Australia, a full day's drive is nothing, so I reached out to see if they needed any farm help for those two weeks between our housesits. As luck would have it, Andre was building a mezzanine level in his barn and welcomed extra hands. We had a lot of fun helping him (and his crew of assorted friends and family members) on the weekends... and we learned so much!

 

start of day one

step 1: attach the "scabs"

step 2: even out the posts

step 3: haul up and secure the 40' and 28' beams

step 4: nail everything together
(while wearing the same jeans from the 2013 Team Galapagos reunion photo)

step 5: play with Willie

step 6: start installing the joists

end of day four

(most of) the crew

Jack and Willie, our after-hours entertainment

We made some pretty good progress in just four days. During the week while Coleen and Andre were at work, we helped with other small barn work and independent projects around the farm.

fencemending

burning stuff

checking in on the beautiful draft horses

Speaking of horses, one of Andre's had a bum foot so a neighboring training facility was hosting her for Epsom salt soaks during the week. Turns out this was the same facility that housed and trained award-winning Clydesdales, some all the way from Tillamook, Oregon! Such handsome horses.

patient Angel gets a foot soak 

while Jen plays "dog magnet"

Sometimes we just looked around and enjoyed the scenery.

first night at the farm

almost every morning at the farm

last day at the farm

We also spent half a day at Peter and Judy's bison ranch, where we visited the cows and new calfs and helped with some tree felling around the house. Such beautiful bison at Buffalo Horn Ranch!

hi there, did someone say something about food?

oh, there it is

It was a great two weeks in a really peaceful area of Alberta. We enjoyed Andre and Coleen's company and their projects (even when it was 0°C outside! ehhh, it's a dry cold) and we were so happy to be able to catch up with Peter and Judy too. Hopefully we can see everyone again - maybe the next reunion will be in Oregon!

Next up: Vernon, BC, whose "notable people" (according to Wikipedia) include the Tampa Bay Lightning's Eric Brewer, the Pittsburg Penguins' Andrew Ebbett and Eric Godard, Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland, the first Chinese Canadian NHL ice hockey player Larry Kwong, and the Florida Panthers' Jerred Smithson. Are you sensing a theme? I think I'm gonna like Vernon...