Back in PDX Again

What a shock to be back in the land of good coffee and rain. I suppose that when you fly from place to place the change in climate and local culture is more shocking to most. For me the trip that started at the Lone Worm Ranch near Winchester, Texas late in March and dragged me through LA and my dad’s last days and funeral to Portland has change me forever. I left here full of optimism, purpose and direction and I return with a scary excitement of not knowing what I will do next.

Seeing my family again brings some joy in returning to Portland. In the past when I returned from LA to Portland it was a nice change. Getting back to Portland after being in Texas is chilling in reality and spiritually. Yes it is green here, it is good to be back in the Urban Grind writing and enjoying the good coffee, and familiar faces, but I think that I left more than my Serotta (my road bike) back in Texas. I knew that I would be putting on my winter clothes when I arrived but I had hoped that my creative direction and focus on web development would stay alive easily and that is not the case. Like anything it is going to be a struggle to stay creative and so I am making plans to simply my life by jettisoning anything that is not directly helping my goals to return to Texas with my family.

Seeing my dad before he passed away has helped me deal with not having him around. I am glad that I had a chance to help complete one of his life’s goals by getting a home on the ranch so that his descendants can visit. Texas really surprised me and I was not prepared for how much I would fall in love with central Texas. This is not to say that Portland is not nice, but in my old age I have gotten pretty picky about where I want to live. If I cannot live in Texas then Portland is where I will spend my days. Big towns like LA or Houston are just too much for me to swallow at this point in my life. I wish that I lived in a town smaller than Portland now that I think about it. When I was in Texas even Austin was too big and I found that towns like Giddings or La Grange which have populations of about 5,000 were just right for me. It is nice to visit the big towns but it is also nice to leave them when you are done and want to go home.

Looking out into my back yard on Tillamook Drive I stared at the house over my back fence and got teary-eyed thinking about how I could look out any window in the ranch house and not see any buildings, just trees, fences and cows. Well enough self-indulgent whining, it is time for me to get ready to pick up my son from school.