my day in Eureka

Here are my dear friends Nym and Jaca, and their ultra-sweet dog Merry.
Wow, we've been blessed with a beautiful, warm day here along the coast. Yay for sunshine!
I started the morning cruising "downtown" (where even at 10:30am things were snoozeably quiet) and went to Los Bagels for a little snack. I lived just down the street from here for probably 3 years - maybe 4?

We headed to the Samoa beach around noon - check this out. You know, other than I hate that this car is rotting into the sand - I always get a little satisfaction when cars get stuck on the beach. Cars don't belong on beaches. Sadly, this one will probably be here for awhile. Although...it's kind of a cool picture - in an eerie, not-cool kind of way. You know what I'm saying?



Me, playing.



Yep, and here's me hugging Oscar goodbye. See ya later ya old warhorse! Thanks so much for getting me down here safe and sound. Have fun with "Leopard", your new farm truck buddy - don't get in too much trouble out there! I'll sure miss you! (But...honestly, I won't miss driving for awhile!)

landmarks

mmmmm, Humboldt. I love coming down here - one of the most gorgeous places on the planet - there seems to be no end to the rivers, redwoods, beaches - and it's soooo quiet. What a great place to land for my first day on the road.



This is the middle fork of the Smith River here on your left. A picture doesn't capture it, obviously. My buddy Bruceroy's land is in this neck of the woods on the South Fork - wonder if she's out there?

Ohhh...Babe is headless! I remember reading about this. This is such one of those sites that I see and say, "yep...I'm back in town." Those of you who know "Trees of Mystery" know how friggin huge these statues are. I guess Babe's head got a little case of rot and fell off at some point last year. I would've loved to be the employee driving into work and seeing that. I would've loved to see it happen. But, we've got this picture.


So, here's a little story for you.
See this back porch door? This is at Jaca and Nym's house and this
is the place where I had my last drink back in 2002. I tell this story every year at my anniversary meeting, so now you guys can put a picture to it. The short version goes like this:
I was sitting out here in the morning - I think I was on my third or fourth beer (Red Tail Ale) and smoking away..and Nymiah comes out and says "you know, I don't care if you drink, but you gotta stop drinking my beer."
Of course, she cared a great deal - but it worked. I was broke..I had already planned to stop as I was headed out of town to Sonja and Mike's the next day - and so..without any cash to buy any more booze - and as sick as I was anyway - that was that. Jaca and I were talking about that last night and she laughed about the association I have with this house. I like it - it's good to be reminded where you come from. Isn't that why we go to meetings?
Anyway, I mention this here for a couple of reasons...one just to give you guys a visual...and two, because I'm choosing to surrender up my tobacco habit from this point as well. I like symmetry, and this feels as good a place to start as any. So, I'm using the power of place...my own desire and throwing in the fact that it's Lent (didja know I'm Catholic?) to aid me in this transition. Feels right. Besides, what's a pilgrimage without a sacrifice? So...I'm sacrificing, well my inner tobacco addict I suppose. Man, she's been around for fucking ever! It's time to lay her on the altar, let her go the way of the gods and they can have at her for awhile. I've been dragging her around long enough.
Anyhoo...I'm heading down to San Francisco later this afternoon. I'll be in touch!

"and I drove out of there with no one behind me...."

That's not entirely true of course.

I have so many of you with me as I set out on this adventure...I can't tell you how much it has meant to have such overwhelming support - particularly over these last couple of weeks as I've packed and repacked and spun my emotions into spindles of trepidation, anxiety and finally, great excitement.

I thank you for all of your lunches and dinners and walks. Your phone calls, visits and seemingly endless cups of tea. Your quiet sitting while I pace and move piles. Your graciousness in watching Xena episodes with me and putting up with my never-ending commentary about it. Your hugs, kind smiles and reality checks (I'm laughing as I write this because the other day I was bemoaning the fact that I might not come back to Portland and gwen says, after a beat, "isn't that being a little melodramatic?"). Yesssss.

You have put your love and energy into helping me prepare for this great pilgrimage and I'm so excited to share as much of it as I can with all of you.
You guys are simply the best and I love you.
(Even now..here it is 10:00 at night and gwen just got home from work. She is in there making me a "going away" sandwich for the road trip down to Humboldt. Bread, meat and cheese. She knows me, that girl.)

So thank you my dear friends....we'll be in touch no doubt...probably so much so that I won't really be gone...except for the fact that you won't have to hear about Xena for awhile.

But I'll probably find a way to work her in.

Love you guys and I'll see ya soon.

finito.....for now

Well -- I'm about as close to going as I can be. It seems like each hour that passed today completed one more step. Got my taxes mailed off. Saw Joanne and Israel down at Street Roots to say goodbye and check in about the column (1st issue out on Friday the 8th! Check it out at www.streetroot.org). Let's see, what else..mmmm...bought leggings, went to a meeting, had a lovely brunch with Lauren (thanks Lauren!) -- oh...and I got an incredibly wonderful massage from Jenna (thanks Jenna!).
Then I went home and cleaned out the last of my stuff - loaded it into the truck and shoved it into my storage unit. Dropped some notebooks off at Sisters. Went home again and cleaned out the fridge, my bathroom stuff and then Kit and I (the absolutely charming new housemate that I'm sad I won't get to spend more time with!) took all my altar offerings and sundry dried flowers and threw them in the fireplace and lit them on fire! Man -- the flames were righteous! It was very cleansing to watch it burn, all that sage and cedar smoked beautifully - all that intention shot up into the flue and out into the Universe. It was a great way to leave 4123 SE 33rd Place. Thank you Kit for encouraging that!

Now I am here with these charming critters. This is Yoda, gwen's adorable mongrel.


This is Mr. Skid - gwen's adorable feline. They are keeping me company while I take my backpack apart and try to shove the last of my stuff into it. gwen, my super sweet friend, left a plate of dinner for me in the fridge - it's 6:00pm and I have a couple of hours here before she comes home from work to kind of sit and veg and move ever-smaller piles around.

We're close my friends. I am excited, exhausted and ready to go.

thank you all soooo much...

What a very sweet party. Thank you everyone for showing up and offering such kind well wishes. I especially appreciated all the help from Joan, Sam and Vic for getting the food together in the beginning - and for Chris, Christie, Paul, Joan and Lisa rocking out the clean-up at the end.

It was wonderful to see everyone - I love getting all my friends together in one place and just seeing how everyone interacts with each other. I love how gracious and warm you all are. My house felt like one big hug after everyone left.
It's a funny time - that moment after the last person leaves. I walked back inside and the music was playing, but everything was suddenly so still after the blur of activity that took place just moments before. It was a lovely feeling really - to have that much love encompass the room - for me, for each other - it held there, very palpable. I am blessed to have you all in my life. I'm overwhelmed, really.

Tomorrow is my last day in Portland. I have some last minute stuff and then will spend the evening at gwen's - probably packing and repacking - taking in a couple of favorite Xena episodes and downloading songs onto the iPOD.
Funny - we're here. How did that happen?
I feel good though - I'm ready.

I love you guys!

Oh, Joan and Sam - how I'll miss you both!
We were all supposed to go skiing today (with Victoria), but the weather is just too nasty for driving up the mountain - the snow would've been perfect, but it's raining sort of an icy sludge here in town at the moment and that doesn't make for fun driving. So we decided to bag it in favor of brunch and hot chocolates.
However, Joan and I are about ready to head out into icy sludgeville to hike at Oaks Bottom. She works outside for a living and I'm pretty well used to walking in all weather at this point (or I better get used to it quick) - so we're gonna try to work off those calories we just pounded and get some fresh air.

These two have been such great friends - wonderful sources of wisdom and strength - what blessings to have both of you in my life!! No crying, Sam!

"why I oughta..."

Lisa called me a whiner yesterday.
Sheesh.
See if I let her have any fun at my party.

Okay, maybe she's got a point. She was referring to my last couple of posts which were, I admit, a tad morose. But you get the good, bad and ugly here my friends and I am a tad morose.

I actually posted a non-whiny message on Thursday, but somehow it showed up a couple of days behind - so if you read regularly and had no reason to scroll down, you would miss it. So take a look at that post Harass - and try calling me whiny!

So, it's early Saturday morning - I'm getting ready to go to ESSR. I'm hooking up with Joan, Sam and Vic today - we're supposed to go skiing - but are trying to work our way around the weather. It's raining right now - probably snowing on the mountain - we'll see. There have been avalanche warnings - Joan announced she didn't want to spend the weekend with us in a snow cave (party pooper) and so if the weather is too freaky we may just walk around in a park down here.

I have three nights left here in PDX. I just want to go at this point, I'm kinda just twiddling my thumbs. I'm doing a lot of packing and repacking of the two bags I'm taking (backpack and a duffle). That's about all I have left. I have a kitchen closet to clean out and one more load for the storage unit and that's that.

As far as the Walk goes, I'm starting to meet some folks online. I'm on the communications committee - there are about 10 of us and it looks like we'll be getting together before the dinner on Friday. There are some serious activists going on this journey and I found that comforting. You know, despite my moments of trepidation, I am thrilled to be a part of this; and even more so after "meeting" some of my fellow travellers. Makes me want to just jump on in and get going.

Okey doke, just wanted to say hi. Oh, by the way - I have had a couple of friends ask me if I'm being "sponsored." I want to put out there, that if you have interest in supporting the Walk, or sponsoring me; please go to www.longestwalk.org; it's a great website for one thing and there will be info there about donating and sponsoring Walkers.

Okey doke. Just wanted to say howdy.