In Washington
or In Oregon
At this writing-moment I am yet again resisting the urge to grab my trusty swatter to kill the fly that is buzzing in the window (I am Diana the Huntress incarnate during the summer months) and instead enjoying the cool mountain breeze through the lace curtains on my bare, footstool-ed feet while gazing through the maple and oak leaves at the active stratovolcano, Mount Hood, in the distance.
That’s the thing about travel - or at least changing up your normal routine - it gives you new perspective.
If you normally live in a humid part of the country/world, in the summer you can escape to the simplicity of arid heat, like that of the desert or mountaintop. I planned this trip to visit my aunt, but as an added bonus it turns out I have subjected myself to the simplicity of a hot summer day with breezes and no weather-drama. The only drama so far has been finding Llamas in the back garden this morning.
There are wineries in this area of Washington, so yesterday I visited Syncline Winery, which specializes in biodynamic estate wines. The tasting space was ensconced in an outdoor garden, where you could choose where to sit - Adirondack chair or couch cushion? - with umbrellas all around and bees buzzing in the lavender plots. I am reveling in the fact that I made the prior decision to not check any luggage for this trip, so it was easy to not “worry” about transporting bottles of wine, since you can’t have liquids in a carryon. Sometimes tasting something is enough. And - sometimes it isn’t. I am coming home with three pounds of coffee from Coava Coffee Roasters, though. Lord knows I have my priorities straight.
One thing I did unfortunately miss out on during this visit was going to Fossil, Oregon with the family to visit my cousin Dan Robinson and his wife Melanie. Dan is a renaissance man, mega-talented at both painting and songwriting. Aside from his lovely wife Melanie having such a beautiful name, she is a beautiful and talented woman herself, and a big thank you goes out to her for the gorgeous hand-made coasters she sent back as a present for me.
I have her to thank for pointing me in the direction of Diana Gabaldon’s books over twenty years ago. Melanie really listened to my yearning for a return trip to Scotland (this was back in 2005) and gave me the remedy which was Diana’s books. I returned home from that visit with Dan and Mel and read the entire Outlander series, which saved me from bothering to watch the later television series. Not meaning to offend anyone who enjoyed the television series - I tried several times to watch it but couldn’t transpose the brain synapses created from Gabaldon’s book storytelling to the screen version. To me, it smacked of soap opera-y energy. If I need a hit of Scotland man-swoon, I’ll pull up a Gerard Butler film or interview, thank you. All set.
I wish all of you a cool breeze, a good book, an unexpected sighting, and a deep, Yogic breath.
Blessings & Love,
