Oregon, California, Arizona
September and October, 2012
On to Uruguay
Moving from the USA to Uruguay…
Some photos of leaving Ashland, Oregon. Driving down south through California, to Phoenix, Arizona. Back west over to Los Angeles then on the flight to Uruguay!
Benefit Gorge Jazz Concert
The Dalles, Oregon, USA
April 10, 2011
In The Dalles, Oregon, performed on 10-Apr-2011 with The Gorge Jazz band at The Dalles Civic Auditorium led by Sam Grotte.
My Picture Summary Of 2006
Portland, Ore and Nevada City, CA
As 2006 began, the cold and drizzle of new years, and the feeling not so good was in january sending the vibe to go do something, so it was go up to mt hood as a get away, stay overnight and try skiing for the first time in 20 years, when i did not know how to ski either. After checking into the hotel in the small town of Government Camp, Oregon, the lights for night skiing wew shining at the resort Mt. Hood Ski Bowl right across the street.
Going over and watching a few people on the rope tow, we decided not to wait until morning to attempt skiing, rent some boots and skis and try it out. It was hard letting go of the rope because a turn at the top was required, but after a bunch of runs it was time to get some rest to go to the Mt Hood Meadows the next day.
Meadows started out great going down the green hill a bunch of times without problems, then the next green… It was getting later in the day and there is a green running from the top lift, gotta do it! The problems were ice, ungroomed snow, not wearing ski socks, being able to see the curvature of the earth, and not knowing how to ski.
Being on ice was uncontrollable and making the feel of I am not going to be able to stop. After each slow section there was an Iced hill, with trees in the gravitational pull direction. The upper mountain was closing and there was a ski patrol going along behind to make sure I made it down as the weave of the socks were cutting into the fronts of my shins and now causing pain. Slowly part by part, finally made it down the mountain.
As the horror past the realization of how much better I felt in the snow covered area compared to the city got me really hooked. Time to ski more to get away from the pollen and molds of Portland even though at this time it did not know that pollen was effecting me.
So it was time for more skiing for sure. Trying to find new stuff to do in life in Portland was not as easy as I thought it would be. Other places moved to had not been so difficult with meeting people and finding things to do so it was time to work on some new or old hobbies.
I was driving down Sandy Blvd in the Hollywood district and saw there was a music store closing so I decided to stop and check out what kind of ‘deals’ they had. There was this pretty trumpet there that was supposedly at a discount for $1700. I almost purchased it right there because the salesman was working me but I hadn’t even played for more than 20 years.
Taking note of the brand and model, went to the house and checked ebay and found the same one for $300. The trumpet came soon, I gave it a try it seemed like a great trumpet, but I really didn’t have anything to play or remembered all that well on how, so it was going just sit in the case except for the times I would play with it when I knew the neighbors were not around.
I had to take a trip to Santa Rosa for parents health stuff and on the way stopped in Nevada City to look at a property that was online for sale. I was no longer feeling very well in the rental house in portland and not sure if it was just a bunch of mold getting in from the walls or from outside since the house was older and leaked air like crazy.
Nevada City, California is a place where we had looked for property years in the past, once to try and move my parents there, and other times to just find land to build a house on.
The place found was perfect, on a large piece of land, old growth forest, future expansion on the small house possible, it was perfect. A bit high price but bought it. Packed up the chickens and the belongings in the damp drizzle of Portland, got the ‘kid’ side panels glued on the 2nd crx I had recently purchased. Went south to start anew.
The second day after getting there the realization of that there was more wildlife showed itself when the chickens were out running free without fear and psycho was taken away by a hawk.
A secure coop had to be built to protect them, and they are lonely so more chicks were needed and obtained. During the coop building process and the chicks growing, the pecking order established, they were not to be separated again, and they hens were all very aware of hawk danger.
Getting to know the town and what it had to offer, we went to see the Nevada County Concert Band perform in Pioneer park. When Cheryl the conductor informed the audience that anyone that had played an instrument in the past could join, I decided to pull that trumpet out of the case and give it a try at the next rehearsal. The trumpet was a more of a pro trumpet so I ended up buying more trumpets on ebay trying to find the right one for me. I did also have problems with some notes because of a partial numbness of my upper right lip from having shingles in 2001, but I found a mouthpiece that would help with that. In just a couple weeks I was playing in concerts starting at the county fair.
During the time enjoying the greatness of the small town and what it has there were problems arising. During brush clearing and tree cutting for fire safety, Tim’s allergies were getting worse and breathing really bad. After getting allergy tests, it was starting to become very clear that cedar and juniper trees were a major problem. The problem with the Cedar trees is that in Nevada City the is the Incense Cedar tree, all old growth around the house, and as some were being cut, the amount of pollen flying off as they his the ground was unbelievable and possibly deadly.
The first gen prius was replaced with a new touring model that was much better on the corners and one of the crx’s went to my nephew brian because 4 cars were too many.
Nevada City was one of the best places i’ve been except my allergy tests were not showing actual allergies, which means that there is nothing that can be done about the bad feeling that the trees were giving me, but we could try and get tim’s under control with allergy shots and then we can start expanding the house. The location was great being between skiing, and not far from San Francisco to visit friends and not far from Santa Rosa, so I was closer for the care of my parents, with my mother having to be in a Home now for awhile.
My mother while in a nursing home was slowly getting worse, and she started having a problem that out of thinking of any thing that could possibly happen for her heath wise, she went where not imaginable. She lost the ability to swallow. She could barely get down the blended stuff.
It was another time where I got that call that had happened a few times already, she was failing it wouldn’t be long, so i back that couple days worth of clothes bag and headed towards the Santa Rosa and the miserable place she never wanted to be.
When I arrived I surprisingly found her sitting in the hall in a wheel chair slumped over alone where she should not have been. I had her put back in her bed to access the situation. She was not the unresponsive person that was described to me on the phone, but she was unable to eat, but able to answer honest questions with yes/or no answers using her tongue and blinking in a logical way to answer. This was a big problem.
She never wanted to be in a ‘home’, but she definitely did not want to be on any tubes or life support, but she never wrote it down, never got to it. This was happening just after the whole Terri Schiavo case and since she was so aware and conscious there was no choice but she had to get a feeding tube although I didn’t want to go against her wishes.
The first tube was more of a temporary style that was very uncomfortable and she pulled it out during the night, then after it was replaced, she pulled it again. Her being so aware of what was happening only made the permanent feeding tube the only available option, because at the time there was no doctor that would just let her go with her wishes. While she was at the hospital getting the device, I signed her up to move into a different care home. There was one good nurse there that was very caring but it was time for something new.
With getting nutrition again, there was only the hope of her getting mentally a bit better, but she didn’t want to.
I could only continue with trying to feel better around the trees and hope the allergy doctor for tim could help. The beginning of winter was pretty dry with very little snow fall, so going to the california ski resorts was not helpful since they didn’t have very much snow and the trees had no cover.
Just hope for things better in 2007.
My Picture Summary Of 2005
Sedona, AZ and Portland, Ore
As of the beginning of the year still in the 5th house since 2000, there was a lot of mess to clean up from the flood on 12/29/04. The chickens had to live in the garage while the coop was repaired, and every night for 2 weeks there were warnings that another flood may occur at 2 or 3 AM so it was very crazy. A dusting of snow around Sedona on January 7th covered up the sand, trash, and muck for a few hours which made it relaxing for a short while.
On the day before the flood when were getting firewood together, the youngest hen ‘bang’ ran at a tarantula and bit one of its legs off, after she began getting real sick. We took her to a vet that give antibiotics that had to be injected. During one of these, is where I found it true that a chicken well go to sleep when held upside down. After giving the shot she laid there with no movement. Then after feeling totally freaked out that I gave the shot wrong, she all of a sudden sprang up. double freak.
She really never recovered completely and would lay eggs that were not solid shell. A few months later when re-staining the house, she saw a pile of battery acid on the lift and ran over and ate it, killing herself very quickly. It wasn’t that the acid was a draw to any of the other chickens, it had been arounds for days and they all avoided it. She was not in good physical shape and I think she knew what she was doing.
To take a break, drove over to New Mexico to check out Santa Fe and Taos for Cinco de mayo. There didn’t seem to be too much big event about, since its more indian than mexican. We went up to taos and took a tour of the taos pueblo.
On the drive back to sedona, on mothers day I was able to get through to my mother on my sisters cellphone while she was visiting her at the nursing home. It was the last time she talked to me on the phone, her sentences were really bad. After that when I visited it was more of just one word or two. Later in the year when I visited I asked her if she wanted anything, and she said ‘sketti’ so I went to my dads, made some homemade and even though he didn’t want to I made him take it over and feed her that instead of the prunes that they would give her. She ate the whole plate which she enjoyed for the 4th of july.
After that, she wouldn’t eat hard food again. Must of been her choice because she didn’t want to be there, but all she got was the blended everything. But she at least had the last food food that she wanted.
Brian Graduated High School!
Getting tired of the cleanup and painting, and working on the deck boards in sedona, we needed a break and decided to go to canada. One of my employees of the past had moved to Portland, Oregon and I had always wanted to go there, so we jumped on a plane and rented a car to go to canada which I had not been to, then back.
Portland was in its phase. The phase I call the seduction. Those few days a year when portland has the most perfect of weather, people eating on the streets, smiling, laughing. Being the kindest, most amazing people in the entire country. Nothing I had seen anywhere else in the country. The boom is going clean streets and no trash cans, how can this utopia exist and never know that it really exists!
A drive over to Mount Saint Helens for a view of the aftermath, then a drive to Seattle to visit friends, then to Victoria Island, BC. What a beautiful place.
After getting back to Portland, the full seduction is in swing. Why does not everyone live here, why isn’t everywhere like this. Must live here where there is not the possibility of the house floating away in a torrent of water. We must sell the house. Find a rental and start the perfect life in this incredible place.
A nice big house is being restored on SE Clinton Street, everything is sanded down, the wood is gonna be nice, new furnace, new water heater. Internet lines, all new kitchen, this will be great, must rent it, go back and pack! What a glorious summer!
In Sedona, put the house on the market, got the pro-painters, bought new carpet for the whole house, the carpet guys are going to retile also. Mormons. Install day, no show. No calls. Won’t install in a house that has 2 men living in it. Found someone else to install the carpet and tiles that were paid for at the last minute. Hired someone to finish all the decks.. When will he finish?
Portland allows 3 city chickens, so some have to go, but the ones to keep were not too hard a choice, orange, psycho and biscuit. Taken the others away to a new coop was difficult as they have been through a lot.
The move day, the deck is not done. He says he will finish, he’s sad were going, we drive off and he disappears from the face of the earth, even unpaid.
The drive is Long with 3 chickens and 2 cars, by the 3rd day still just going north in southern oregon and get a call the the furniture is 2 days early and going to be delivered at 8 AM… had emergency mcdonald’s, and then drove ahead at a higher speed to be there and get some sleep at the new place that I hadn’t seen for 3 months. Can’t wait.
Arrival at the house at 2:30 AM. Since last seeing the house, painters have come in and sprayed over all the wood. The house is covered in dirt. There are people living in the basement and there is no insulation. There are tools and saws everywhere. A call to the owner, says he will be there at 7. I rent a motel 6 room nearby, get in the room with food poisoning. So sick, zero sleep. Have to call friends that live in portland to deal with the owner and movers til I can make it back. The movers waited at the house was slightly cleaned enough to move stuff in, nowhere else to put it all. Fixing the house problem would have to wait.
2nd day, the rain started.
It won’t be fixed, we have to find a new place. Someone that will allow the 3 hens. Finally found a nice place in the NE section of town on the Alemeda rise. Where was that utopia that was in july? Where did that place go? This was one of the worst decisions ever to move to this drizzle, grey place. Why do we feel horrible physically here?
A trip on Christmas up to Mt Hood, we felt better in the snow. All the land around is under a blanket of white. There is skiing all around, haven’t done that in years.
Back to Portland. New Years eve sitting on the couch, watching Tivo. No reason to celebrate with the floor cold from the air leaking through the windows and settle down for complete discomfort.