On our 'Vacation'

I hurry to use this image on my blog before Mary Lou uses it on hers. We took fresh horse pictures yesterday - perhaps those will distract her for a few days. In this image I see us enjoying time together in a beautiful location, amidst turbulence and uncertainty.

As we departed Eden St for the rail station, the taxi driver gave us a fresh and friendly send-off, inquiring about our journey and interested in our plans. At the station we met, to our surprise, N.O., dressed, to our further surprise, for Ascot: top hat, tails, grey waistcoat, pressed shirt and pink tie, special Ascot trousers, polished plain-toe black oxford shoes. On the train he explained this mandatory apparel with good humour before we launched into an enjoyable discussion of the the periodic table and IPY chart. What will you do in Oregon?, he asked. I dissembled: friends, our kids born there, chance for some time together. But hadn't we already told the taxi driver about our job interview?

We flew Heathrow to Chicago, and then on to Portland. We had nice views of Greenland, but the flights, especially the second leg, seemed endless. We did have good leg room thanks to preferential seating on United. The immigration agent in Chicago also asked about our plans. Oregon, he asked? Middle of nowhere. Rather, we agreed, edge of nowhere. (Edge visible in the picture above.) Helpful driver to the car agency, drove the rental car to a hotel in central Portland, sleep. End of a long day.

Awake, exhaustion not withstanding, by 3 am. We opened the laptop, checked emails (particularly to find information about our accommodations in Newport, which we had not, until that point, received), and then explored. We identified the nearest Whole Food grocery and noted its opening time. We used our browsers and Google Earth to find the locations of horse boarding stables from a list sent to us, and we searched for additional equestrian centers. Planned our day's activities. I worked on my presentation. Arrived at Whole Foods as the doors opened for business. Should we eat breakfast first, or buy food supplies first? Too tired and hungry to make a decision, I think we did both.

We drove through quiet Sunday-morning Portland, noting of course the bicyclists, into the rich farmland and varied crops of the Willamette and Yamhill valleys, across the forested coast range, and finally down to the coast. We stopped for a view (picture above), a stretch, and a deep inhalation of the fresh fresh air. We continued through Newport south toward Waldport, to explore one possible horse boarding location, all the time enjoying the views, the trees, the hills, and the smooth roads. We toured the Aquarium together (as paying customers), picked up our access card for the guest condo, bought some food at the local coop, and arrived, finally, at our destination.

For the next three days we explored, primarily by car but occasionally on foot, Newport and its surroundings, assessing bike routes, bike stores, libraries (as we have not had one in Cambridge for nearly 3 years!), horse boarding possibilities, housing possibilities, and the beach and coast range environments. Oh, and I did two days of interviews, including a very positive (I felt) presentation to Aquarium staff. We felt welcomed and well-treated, and we enjoyed very nice weather. We visited friends in Corvallis and reminded ourselves of the long drive back to Portland. A couple tens of hours of travel and back to Cambridge.

What did you do on your 'vacation'?, people may ask. Enjoyed some time together in a beautiful location, rediscovered a part of Oregon that we knew only casually, and, perhaps, got a job.