It's a funny feeling, returning to Portland after only one week living out in the country. Friday as I was driving in, I experienced the most bizarre weather I've ever seen. Perhaps it foreshadowed a weekend of similarly unusual adventures... Following a long after-work swim, I headed east to Portland with the sun blazing behind me and dark clouds looming ahead. As I entered Cornelius "Oregon's Family Town", I was greeted at the same instant with a double rainbow (so vivid and bright!) and a lightening storm. Then before I knew it, hail was coming in torrents. It was absolutely nuts-- sun shining, hail pouring down, pink lightening and a double fucking rainbow.
Friday night was spent drinking red wine in my kitchen with my girl D'nae and catching up on all that has transpired since graduation. Saturday morning I was up bright and early at 6:30am to bike up to NE for the Hollywood Farmer's market, where I had the opportunity to work at the farm's booth selling perennial herb, pepper and tomato starts, duck eggs, salad mix (that I picked) and the various alliums (veggies in the onion family) we harvested on Friday. After the market I was tired with a very sore uterus and went home to take an epic nap and pack up more of my belongings. I made a delicious dinner of roots with carrots, beets and spring onions from the farmer's market. Eating the vegetables gave me the sudden urge to pack up my car and haul ass back to the farm to spend the night in the country where I belong (at this point in my life). But I knew there was unfinished business to take care of in the city, like retrieve some left-behind art work, so I stayed.
Saturday night is when the adventure really began. Just as I was headed out to my car, the weather went from unnervingly calm to absolutely torrential rain, lightening and thunder. But we were determined and armed with the makings of cocktails and some margarita glasses, D'nae and I invited ourselves for a dip in the hot tub of an apartment complex near Reed. We enjoyed our whiskey gingers in the babbling tub until 10pm hit and it closed. Luckily no one questioned our presence there, probably because we looked so hot in our bikinis... After meeting up with a couple more friends, Una the bike-touring Australian and Auden, caretaker of my 2-wheeled motorized vehicle, we were still feeling our H2o needs unmet, so we scoped out the next apartment complex over. Lo and behold they had a wonderfully lit outdoor pool that was just begging to be cannonballed! So with cat-like reflexes we scampered over the fence, disrobed and threw ourselves into that cold-ass pool (sorry Dad). We splashed around for a quarter of an hour or so before deciding we had best get out of there, so we pulled on our clothing (who needs towels!) and headed to a nearby Reed house to play ping-pong.
So we drank beer while Auden and I played a good deal of ping-pong (he beat me, the bastard) and then some dorks showed up who were very interested in singing karaoke on the sound system (sadly, this boombox allowed for such activities). This was only my second experience with karaoke, but I can surely say that I am decidedly not a fan after last night. Oh the horror-- what a strange mixture of confidence and atonality alcohol can produce! So D'nae and I danced and danced and laughed at the silly singers. Overall, it was a hilarious and joyous evening.
I was struck by how distanced I felt from Reed when I stopped by to pick up my belongings on Saturday evening (which reminds me I forgot some, darn). I wasn't sad. It felt appropriate to be disconnected at this point from the school where I spent the last four years and being there made me glad that I have a new life I am just embarking upon. There is so much potential for self-improvement at the farm, that time did not allow for in college. The long list of things I want to do includes (but is not limited to), in order of importance: learn how to grow vegetables organically (that's a biggie), take excellent care of my body and get back into tip-top shape, learn how to take care of the ducks and balance the books, cook more and better, become an amateur radio operator (the man who runs the farm it stoked to train me for the exam), play guitar again, and read so many books.
Beyond October, when the season is more or less over on the farm, I have no idea what the future holds. Perhaps travel, fame and fortune? Just kidding, my aspirations are purely pedestrian. Today I need to pack up the car (bringing up some bedding, a lamp and bed-side table for my room on the farm). Then I have the superb opportunity to go wine-tasting at a farm/winery that I have heard nothing but glowing reviews of from the family I work for as well as my esteemed mentor, who I also get to see today. Never before have I been wine-tasting, so I'm a bit nervous but I have no doubt that it will be fun. Now for packing up that car of mine...
Until next time,
PP
No comments:
Post a Comment