Note: this was originally posted to Ben Around the Block on August 19, 2014. I have made minor edits.
If the title and surreal photographs didn’t make it clear, I’ve just come back from a relaxing weekend vacation in that center of institutionalized weird: Portland, Oregon!
Last Thursday, the first work-free weekday I had had in a while, was smooth yet busy. Between quickly packing up for my trip and the continuing trickle of housemates, life at Alpha House is no longer the marathon of peace and splendid isolation it was in June and most of July. That’s fine by me--I like the company and I won’t be around for long anyway. Packing went well and the trip went perfectly smoothly (aside from a late bus). Wandering the streets of Portland and snapping up dinner, I found the rendezvous hotel and finally got to see my loving parents for the first time in three months! After this beast of a summer, it was nice to see such friendly and familiar faces, a pattern that was kept up all across the weekend. This meeting in Portland was actually a family reunion, so I got to see plenty of my aunts, uncles, and cousins over the next few days.
Friday was very relaxing and mostly consisted of various shopping trips, restaurant hopping, and drinking. Saturday consisted of shopping trips at various markets, eating at delicious restaurants, and more drinking. Finally, Sunday brought us various degrees of shopping, some great restaurants, and yet more drinking. Are you noticing a pattern here? I jest--every day wasn’t exactly the same. Friday was one of my aunts’ birthday and was spent properly in a quirky wine bar, following trips to Deschutes and Powell’s City of Books, the two mandatory Portland stops for my family every time we visit. Saturday had several market trips and was finished with a touching memorial service to my Grandpa Bruce, a wonderful man who passed away last year (this service was the first time since his death that the entire family was gathered together). On Sunday, we visited a tranquil Chinese-style garden (pictured above) and finished it all up with a wonderful final dinner all together. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen most of my family, let alone spent time with them. I owe a lot in my life to them, ranging from support in my childhood to always being there in my adulthood. The fact that I got to see them all together in Portland, a city that features prominently in my recent life, felt like a perfect milestone in my young adult life.
(I know that this all seemed kind of concise, even for me, but to be fair, I’m still in relaxation mode, meaning that my writing mind is kind of on an informal hiatus.)
After a weekend with extended family, I was privileged enough to spend Monday with my immediate family in the sleepy little town of Hood River. Here, we did the natural thing for three adults in an area full of breweries would do: more drinking (responsibly)! On Tuesday, we finally headed back to Salem, passing by the Western Antique Aeroplanes & Automobile Museum (WAAAM, a fun acronym, if I say so myself). All in all, it was an outstanding outing and a great reward for finishing the summer!
…Well, the time will soon be upon me. Whether it’s tomorrow or in a week, I’ll be moving into Baxter Hall, away from Alpha House, thereby terminating my summer and this blog with it. I’ve got some stressful planning and packing to do (sound familiar?). May Fortune favor me!…as long as I don’t get too distracted by computer games.
Reflections:
Portland's always a fun city to visit, so I'm glad I was able to work it into this hectic summer. It's a good thing my family likes visiting Portland as much as I do, as it was awesome to see them again.
I originally posted photos of my trip to WAAAM, but (stop me if you've heard this one) I no longer have those pictures.
At the tail end of this trip, I fell back into the thrall of Star Wars: Empire at War, which is why I refer to computer games at the end of this entry. Eleven years later, I'm still hooked on that game, though I've also gotten more knowledgeable to the point of developing my own mod for it.
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