Reflections on my summer

This summer was totally amazing in many different ways. I was free to choose my own goals, and free to explore life in ways I had never done before. I didn't have a job to worry about (though thankfully I had a paycheck - I love academia!) and since my stuff was in storage all my old projects could be forgotten. I was thrilled to have a new job - my dream job, to look forward to, and thrilled to be done with my first job which I was glad to leave. This feeling of liberation and accomplishment gave me the confidence to be open to the world and to enjoy my interactions with new people and places during the summer.

The summer started before I left Massachusetts, with a long visit from my mom. Together, we drove up to Maine for my first ever visit there, and on the way up we went to a terrific music hall in the middle of nowhere for some great modern folk-style music. We also went on a whale watching cruise off the Boston coast. We did a little hiking including the cedar swamps that feel magical to be in.




Then I sent my stuff into storage, loaded up my car with my summer essentials and pets, and headed to North Carolina to spend the summer with family. I had my own apartment waiting for me and I knew more of my neighbors within a week than I had known after a year in Massachusetts - people were much friendlier in N.C.! I was thrilled to spend time with my mom and sister, and especially to get to know my adorable nephew.

Shortly after arriving in N.C. I flew out to Oregon to find a house. There was one I had in mind when I flew out; walking distance to campus and quite cute. However, the neighbors were reportedly drug dealing and the street just wasn't good. Fortunately the place I ended up buying went on the market while I was there, and I jumped on it after seeing it and exploring the neighborhood. That was after having been up and down nearly every street in town - and picking up every for sale flier I could find. There was little here in my meager price range. I was happy to stay with a friend's brother and his family while looking for a house - they live only about 20 miles away from where I now live. It is nice to know good people here. I will have them over after I unpack.

Once I returned to N.C. I got started on an old research project that had been sitting in my files. I knew if the data was decent I could get a small paper from it this summer, and I intended to present it at a conference which was fortunately near home. Having worked hard on that project I was ready to spoil myself, so when I found out a guy I knew would be in Vegas and said I could join him and his friends I got online and used a voucher I had to go there for only $100. With all my job interviews I have made elite status on NWA, so I was upgraded to first class - funny since I booked it 2 days in advance and paid so little...

I made a friend on the plane and he invited me to join him and his friends the following evening for a show. After being fairly bored with the guys I was hanging out with (they were math grad students and mostly interested in star trek and poker...) I jumped at the chance to join my new friend for a show. The girl he had gone on the trip with met us there, and she was a hoot. We are still in touch. She had friends from Poland she was meeting there and she invited me to party with them. We stayed up dancing all night and went in Caesar's fountain at 4am - this is a lot more fun than the Star Trek exhibit! I went to my first gay bar that night - I saw a transvestite pole dancing, a midget on the dance floor, and the guy from the plane got us free drinks because the bartender was hitting on him. These people were a lot of fun and we ended up staying up until morning joking and laughing. I am still in touch with the lady - she is hilarious.

Upon returning home I had to nearly immediately leave again to go with my mom and sister to help take care of a cousin (and very close friend of my mom) who broke her hip. It was not an easy trip because my mom's old home town is very depressed, and the conditions of our cousin's hospital and home life were hard to deal with. I also had trouble finding healthy food and felt sick for most of the week. It was, however, a great time to spend with my sister as the two of us continued on and saw a few aunts, uncles and cousins in Birmingham while my mom stayed in the country with our cousin. My favorite part of the trip, however, was the final drive home when we started singing the songs we used to sing as kids - and ended up calling an old babysitter to help remember some lyrics. She was at work, but joined in the singing over the speaker phone :)

Even visiting these people was different from my usual experiences. I went out clubbing with a cousin and saw a lifestyle I had never experienced. She is such a beautiful and sweet girl that everyone is drawn to her and wants to do things for her. Her friends were very welcoming to me which was nice because they are not like people I usually hang out with. One is a model and all were seemingly more interested in beauty than academics. Charles Barkley was at the club we went to, which was rather cool. I didn't go talk to him though - he seemed bombarded. My cousin did as one of her friends knew him. After leaving the club we went for food at the only place still open - a late night bar which was rather seedy. Some guy who tried to convince us he was a vampire was trying so hard to pick up my cousin's friend. She was understandably totally uninterested and gave him a very hard time in return. We had a fun evening and had a good time laughing about it on the way home and the next morning.

Shortly after returning to N.C. I left again for Ohio to see old friends. On the way (well, not really on the way but I made it work anyway) I went to Nashville to use the gift certificate I got for my birthday. It entitled me to laps in an Indy race car and a Stock car, each going up to 180 mph. I didn't even know what those two types of cars were before booking my rides! It was awesome - probably the best gift ever. Thanks mom! Next time I'm driving :) A friend of mine - in fact an older student from my last quarter in Ohio, invited me to join her family for a day at the mid-Ohio race tracks to round out my racing weekend. That was awesome. I got to see both types of cars in action, and we got passes where we could go behind the pit crews and see behind the scenes. I loved the smells, the sounds, and the adrenalin in the air. I had no idea racing would appeal to me, but it did. I was glad to have that new experience!

In Ohio I had bad sleeping arrangements as my friend (the same one that helped me make the drive to Oregon) had a horrible house mate. That house mate had invited his (previously unmentioned) wife and two kids to stay for what he said was a week or two, and it had been 6 weeks and they were still there. They were total slobs, too, and freaked out by my dog. I didn't enjoy that at all and spent as little time there as I could. That freed me up nicely though to see other friends. I have 3 friends there who are artists - though one has yet to decide if she will ever part with anything, even though she has had nice offers for purchasing some of them. The other two both have works I would like to buy and I enjoyed visiting with them again.

One of those artist friends is the one that originally rescued my dog. She had me over to party, got tipsy, and told me more of the story of her rescue than she ever had in the past. Apparently she thought I would feel guilty and want to return my dog - but after 2 years now there is no way - she is mine for good. She found out who the owners were about a month after I took the dog in and had kept the secret all this time. Apparently the owners had bought a new house in the country and couldn't move in yet, but couldn't have a dog in their apartment. So they (after having obtained the dog in exchange for work done for a breeder) dumped the puppy outside and left it there for over a month until they could also go live there. When my friend's grandma found the puppy, she was covered in tics and fleas, dehydrated, and malnourished. I don't think these people deserved to have her - I am glad she is mine. I also think my friend did the right thing to not tell me immediately - I would have felt guilty then, but my bond with her is too strong now.

I also went out with another friend to a fancy new restaurant/bar/club in a restored church. The place could be really cool but probably will not do well. The service was horrific. Our waitress seemed totally inept and clueless, and seemed to think it was cute that she was that way! And this at a place where entrees start at $20 for a small plate. After the dinner we went to a lesbian dance club - also a first for me. I had not even known of it my whole 7 years living in Columbus. I have to say it was really liberating to be there. There were no pretenses and no snobbery like I felt at the place I went to with my cousin earlier in the month. There were straight couples, gay couples, but mostly just groups of friends dancing and having a good time. No one was dressed fancy and everyone seemed accepted and comfortable. There were even very nerdy looking guys confident enough to dance on the tables - that I would never see at some hip trendy club. I had also never been dancing with this friend before - it was a weekend unlike any other I had ever spent in Ohio.

When I returned back to N.C. I was happy to be dating a really fun, nice and cute guy I had met just before my trip. We had probably the most fun date ever, starting with a good dinner at a Thai restaurant, then an impromptu canoe trip down a river around midnight. This was tricky as there were lots of downed trees blocking our paths and places where we had to wade through in the dark. I ended up bruised up a bit but it was fun. Then we talked for a while on his porch and ended up cuddling in a hammock until dawn next to a horse pasture. I had actually dated more since April than I had in the last 2 years combined. And although this guy was the first person I liked enough to spend so much time with, overall the dating has been fun and positive and gives me hope for the future. I am starting to enjoy meeting people, getting to know them, and am meeting people that are worth knowing. On another fun date with the N.C. guy we camped out by the river - my first time sleeping outside in a long time. I was comfortable outside and I can't wait to get back into camping now that I'm on the west coast. A day that I also really enjoyed involved hiking, eating homemade ice cream on the porch with locals at a little country store, then helping him move bales of hay on the farm. That's hard work - I was sweaty, filthy, and sore after that - but it was fun :) This is the same friend that fixed up the bike for me as I mentioned in an earlier post. The last evening I saw him, just before the move to Oregon he also took me on my first motorcycle ride which I really enjoyed - it felt liberating!

Then it was time for my conference. I had submitted my paper and was ready to give my talk, which was well-received. I made a lot of new friends at the conference as well as spent quality time with some old friends. A friend I had made a few years ago (and not seen since) had lost over 100 lbs since she had started power lifting, and she can now dead lift 270 lbs! It was great to catch up with her and hear of all her adventures. It was also terrific to see how empowered she is becoming, and how great she looks! I have been inspired (by more than one source) to be more physically strong this summer, having spent a lot of time at my sister's yoga studio and gotten a private work-out routine worked out with one of the instructors there based on my personal goals and target areas.

At the conference since I wasn't stressed about anything I was able to hang out with people much more than usual. This allowed me to see things I don't normally see. I found out things about people I never would have guessed - personal things I would not post here. I also participated in drinking games (though I didn't drink - I was still accepted) at 2am in the hotel lobby with a bunch of professors and teachers ranging in age from mid-20's to probably about 60. I had no idea such behavior went on at conferences and although I'm glad I saw it, I'll probably avoid it next time :)

After the conference two old friends came back to my mom's house with me and we hiked, went canoeing and on the jet ski, and had some nice meals both out and at home. It was great to have visitors, catch up with friends, and to do some more activities before heading to South Africa.

This summer was just amazing. Not only did I get the quality time with family I had been missing, but I also learned things about people I never knew, met people I would have never met in my past, experienced loads of awesome new things, and enjoyed every minute of it. I also had the chance to re-evaluate goals, set and work on new ones, and re-think how I want to shape my future. All this and I still got a paper accepted for publication :)

And all this BEFORE my amazing trip to South Africa!!

Exploring my new neighborhood

Since my friend left I have realized how exhausted I still am. I think I went about 14000 miles by plane and 4000 miles by car in the 2 weeks since I had flown back from Cape Town. I also hadn't slept any long sleeps except the night of my friend's wedding. I am overwhelmed by the boxes stacked up in every room of my house, and also of all the things that I have to do to settle in. I haven't done my bank balance in 2 months - yikes! I have had to prioritize like figuring out how my sprinkler system works before killing some of the beautiful plants I have like the Japanese Maple tree.

One of the high things on my list is of course finding the best places to hike/walk with my dog. One of the reasons I choose this neighborhood was the many spaces left undeveloped and the paths running throughout it. I walked with her on them the very first morning here. She saw deer on the path that same morning - oh what a thrill for her! We have also seen deer in the common space right behind my yard. I am so happy to have that common space because with the tall trees left in it, it provides a lot of privacy. Today she got to chase deer - I think she is very glad we moved here. She seems to love the smells in the air as sometimes in the car she gets very excited - there are a lot of sheep farms around. She also loves the back yard though she's already found a way under the fence :(

Last night we went to a dog park not far from here. I could walk there from my place though we didn't last night because we were checking out a few different parks. The people at the dog park were nice and Audrey seemed to enjoy it though she mainly wanted to fetch a stick with me instead of running around with the other dogs.

Today was our best exploration yet and has confirmed that I picked a good neighborhood to live in. We took the common space paths through my neighborhood into an "open space" that is something like a city park, except it is basically undeveloped land with trails. It is a hilly meadow from which you can get a nice view of the town. That open space backs up to a huge city park, and to a very large forest that is cared for by the University. I could hike for days in there and getting there requires passing only about 6 blocks where I can actually see houses - the rest is totally natural and tranquil.

One thing that I will have to learn more about is safety issues around here. There are cougars - I don't know how common they are, but there are warnings at this park and forest. These animals can easily be over 100 lbs and could eat my dog :( Apparently sightings are uncommon and mostly at dawn and dusk since they hunt at night, so I'll just have to go mid-day. There are also black bears - I wouldn't want her to mess with those either, even though they are mainly herbivores.

Speaking of safety issues it was interesting for me to contrast this neighborhood and lifestyle with Cape Town. Very expensive houses on the upper side of my neighborhood (upwards of $700,000) have fully decorated porches with very nice furnishings that are totally open to people who are walking along the road. One person even had a very artistic wood bench that I am sure cost at least a few thousand dollars. It wouldn't be easy to steal - it is heavy, but none the less it is great to live in a place where things can be kept outside like that. I also loved how open things are. The most private path through the neighborhood has many side paths so people can easily walk straight out of their back yards and go hiking.

I know I will love living here. I still miss Cape Town, and especially the friends I made there. Oregon is now my home, though, and I am looking forward to settling in here. I am sure I will go back to Cape Town - perhaps even next fall. By then I will have my heart here as well so it will not be so easily lost there :)

Back in Oregon - this time for good...

Once in Portland I was picked up by the friend who helped me make the drive. He had stayed behind to baby-sit the dog. I was envious to hear of all the fun he had exploring my new state. He told me the stories over dinner in a cute area of Portland. Ironically the exact same intersection I had explored back in January when there with another friend - but that was at 11pm desperately looking for a place still serving food, so this time I got to see it in a more relaxed way. My friend took my dog to Mulhnomah Falls which I had also seen in January - they are beautiful and there are several falls there. I want to go back to hike; when I was there all was icy as it had just stormed. He also took her to Mt. Rainer park where she hiked and swam in a lake. He got this great pic of her shaking off after the swim. My little dog was spoiled!

The following day the two of us took her to the beach, which is only about an hour's drive from my new house. The beach was terrific though the ocean water is ice cold. At the beach there was a dog people thought was lost. It turns out he was with some surfers who had left him on the beach while they were in the water. I suspected as much since each time someone emerged from the water's edge the poor dog would run up to them looking excited then look depressed to find that it was not his owners.

Audrey loved the ocean - she loves everything. She chased the birds and ran at the edge of the water. We threw a tennis ball for her and watched her confusion as it moved around in the waves. She learned quickly to fetch it before it got carried too far away. The sand there was very very fine and soft. I enjoyed running it through my fingers. I laid back in the sand and just enjoyed the fact that I was home and there was to be no more moving around.

We stayed long enough to watch the sunset. That was a popular idea as lots of people (a few dozen?) showed up to do the same. It was really nice. My friend took pictures; when I get them I will post some here.

The next day - we unpacked my office at work and ran errands. The following day was my birthday and time for my friend to go to the airport and return home. So back to Portland we drove. I stayed in Portland long enough to shop at Ikea before heading south again. I did more shopping on the way home since there are no major stores in my town. That evening though, I was very happy to be back home!

Again on the road - or rather in the air!

No sooner did I arrive in my new home in Oregon did I up and leave; flying to Minneapolis for the wedding of a friend I've had since we were 10. I was exhausted, but didn't really realize it until I sat down for the ceremony and closed my eyes to wait for it to start. I nearly nodded off! What a shame if I had slept through it! I didn't though, and it was beautiful in its simplicity and meaning - I was glad to be there. My friend looked absolutely stunning, too.

I arrived at the wedding mid-afternoon though the ceremony wasn't until the evening. The hotel had a terrific pool so I swam laps - something I hadn't done in ~2 years. I was feeling very motivated and probably swam more than I should have - it felt so good to use my body after sitting in the car for a week though! I may have been better off napping under the circumstances :) Swimming was a great aerobic exercise though; which is something I need more of. I will try to do that here in Oregon. There is an athletic center in my neighborhood I should check out, and of course the University must have nice facilities available to me.

At the wedding I didn't know anyone except my friend's brothers who I hadn't seen in ~15 years or so. It was nice to see them but we didn't really have anything to talk about. It was funny they didn't recognize me at all. I think of all my high school friends, this one and I have probably changed the most. We have also waited the longest before starting families, putting schooling and our careers first at least in our 20's. We also have become more physically active later in life and are constantly trying new things. Her husband bikes in road races and this summer I dated a person who biked across country. I find it funny since in high school neither of us dated, and if we had it would have been someone who had their noses stuck in books, not someone like either of these people. It is good we have both found balance and branched out in life; academics aren't everything!

At first I was uncomfortable at the wedding because I didn't know anyone and I wasn't sure there were people I would connect with there - and many of them seemed to know each other already. By my friend pointed me in a good direction as to someone to talk to. I joined her table and everyone there was nice. There was a progressive and fun lesbian couple who met in a choir, a newly married couple with a husband who had gone to college in our home town when we were there in high school, and a lady with a PhD who had almost gone into academia. We had an enjoyable evening eating and talking.

I was ready to crash early that evening and had probably my first good night's sleep since before leaving South Africa. I was the last person to arrive at the brunch they had arranged at the hotel the next morning. That worked out well for me though since things were getting quieter and I was able to talk to her and her new husband more than the previous night. I wanted a quiet place to work for the afternoon before heading back to the airport but they suggested I come to see their house - which was a great idea. I got to see where they live and the projects they are doing to fix it up. Then I had a late lunch with my friend before catching an earlier flight back to Portland. (I was able to go home on standby 3 hours earlier.)

My new home

I arrived in my new home in Oregon the evening of September 5th. Exhausted from the trip, and having no furniture at my new place, but loving the town as I have each time I've seen it. I took my friend out to dinner as it was his birthday. Since mine was less than a week away the restaurant gave us each free desert with a candle in it. It was nice :) I was glad to know a nice restaurant, thanks to being taken there during my interview. I also knew my way around fairly well since coming here to look for a house.

Speaking of my new (and FIRST!) house, I love it! My friend thought it was much better than the pictures suggested. My back porch is such a sanctuary - I feel so calm and peaceful out there. The whole neighborhood is pleasant - certainly the best I've ever lived in. The house itself has a lot of nice features that I didn't expect, like fully automated in-ground sprinkler systems and a heating system you can program to have the house at different temperatures throughout the day. The old owners left some fairly useful things like shelves in the garage and toilet paper in each bathroom (THANK YOU!) and some great potted plants in the yard. The appliances I got as part of the contract are also all new and nice. I feel completely spoiled!

One thing I thought a lot about this summer was how much stuff I really wanted to have in my life - I feel I have an excess of things and that just unnecessarily complicates life. It is better to have only a few things of value and not be tied down to useless stuff. I lived this summer with only what could fit in my car, and even from that there was little I missed and a lot I didn't end up needing. Being in Europe and South Africa confirmed that - there people tend to have less junk and less cheap items. More quality; less clutter.

I was actually rather frustrated with the moving truck arrived and boxes and boxes of stuff I didn't remember or miss started piling up in my nice new house. It felt like my life was suddenly becoming complicated and that I had a whole host of new projects/tasks to contend with. My new goals I made this summer had to wait; my old problems had arrived :( Fortunately I had scheduled cleaning people to come in and give the place a through clean and that wasn't really needed - as I was able to instead put them to task cleaning my furniture. It had been in storage all summer, apparently totally unwrapped, and had gotten filthy. Once they did that and I had things in place a little bit I started to feel better about my "stuff."

My living/dining area feels very comfortable; very much like home. My furniture fits well here, and I missed my piano and my grandmother's antiques. I intend to think carefully about my home projects so I do not get overwhelmed. I am thankful I have a move-in ready house by anyone's standards and nothing needs to be done. I will take as much stuff to charity as I can once I finally unpack my boxes. This place is already feeling like home and I am sure I will embrace it fully once I am settled in.

The drive out west

Saturday of labor day weekend it came time to pack the car and drive out west. Mom was a great help with the packing and cleaning of my apartment. I tried to buy her lunch in thanks only to find the place only took cash - oops! Mom had to help with that too :) Oddly I could have paid for lunch in South African rands or Euros but not in dollars...

Fortunately I had left some stuff at mom's place and had to drive out there before officially hitting the road. I say fortunately because no sooner had I pulled out of the apartment did one of my cats pee and poop in the crate then sit down in it. The whole car smelled and it was gross. I was able to throw out the towels (I had in the crate just for such emergency) at mom's, hose off the cat, and put in fresh towels. I thus was able to start my trip with a relatively odor-free car! At that point he could pee/poop no more, and I guess his behavior served as a warning to the other two cats because there were no more accidents the entire trip!

I went west through Tennessee and past where my step-dad lives. The drive in the western part of North Carolina and just into Tennessee is absolutely beautiful. I wish I had hiked more this summer. I was able to once with the friend I made; he was awesome - I wish I had met him sooner and hiked a lot more. I was very happy to be carrying a bike on my car that he fixed up for me - a 1970's 1-speed that is cute and should work well for me in Oregon. That was a very nice parting gift. I felt Oregon-ready with that strapped on top of my luggage carrier! (My new town is one of the most bicycle-friendly towns in the country.)

I met my step-dad for dinner; we had a fun sushi dinner at a place near his apartment. He wanted me to stay longer but I needed to make it past Nashville where I had booked a pet friendly hotel. The last hour of driving that night was a killer - I was probably still jet lagged, and tired from loading up the car. I made it though, and managed to get all the pets in the room without too much trouble. It took me 6 trips to and from the car for my stuff, the pet food and cat litter, and all 4 pets. There were two young guys partying in the room next to me and they seemed quite amused by the parade I put on. They also wanted to flirt. I was in no mood for that! I crashed quickly after settling into the room, though I was too anxious about the trip to sleep well.

The next day I went from Nashville through western Kentucky and Missouri to Kansas where I stopped in Manhattan (home of KSU) to pick up a friend to help with the rest of my drive. Driving that day was un-eventful. I had seen much of that land before, and had a book on tape to keep me entertained. It was nice to arrive where a friend was staying, because I was able to have dinner with him, his cousin, and her husband. We met again for a late breakfast the next morning, including an early birthday cake for him, and took a tour of the cousin's husband's research lab before hitting the road again. The other nice part about this stop is being a small town my hotel options were limited so I stayed at a rather nice place for the night - no more seedy next door neighbors to contend with! My friend also helped me with the pets, turning 6 trips into only one with the hotel cart. I did feel guilty taking so many pets into a fancy hotel - but they were ok with it.

On the 3rd day we went through Kansas, Colorado (to Denver then North), and into Wyoming. We got about 100 miles ahead of where I thought we would, and had a good day driving. We listened to a book on tape; a fun story about criminals and novice crime solvers on a cruise ship. We saw the most interesting set of characters at "Taco Time" in western Kansas - I guess middle-America does fit some stereo types. A ~10 year old kid had the thickets rat's tail I've ever seen, and an old weathered man had a kid's spider man t-shirt on; I'd need a picture to show how odd it looked. Everyone in there looked like the poster children for middle of nowhere hicks. They made people in Western North Carolina (that I joked about all summer) look Parisian-chic by comparison! Super friendly though. Spider man guy held the trash can flap open for me :) The food sucked, but oh well.

I had never before seen Colorado, and my friend and I were both amazed at how quickly the landscape changed form Kansas to Colorado. There was also an amazing storm we passed through in Colorado that resulted in a huge double rainbow. The 2nd I'd seen this summer. We could see sheets of rain and huge strikes of lightening and the clouds were ominous. The land was high desert; barren and beautiful. Denver came up majestically with the Rockies as a backdrop. I will certainly have to spend more time in that state. Wyoming is also quite pretty and worth further travel, but it was dark when we reached there. We ate dinner at a truck stop diner and though I was totally wiped out (my friend had taken over the night driving - he's a night owl; useful for this trip!) we enjoyed overhearing the conversation between two truckers about the odd types of loads they had carried in their pasts, and what they enjoy about the different things they haul.

The 4th day brought us out of Wyoming, through the NE corner of Utah, which I still think has the most breathtaking scenery in our country (even from this corner off the highway it was beautiful), and through the southern part of Idaho. Utah had a nice grassy rest-stop with great hilly views; I'll have to get pics from my friend to post here. My dog by now couldn't wait to run around as she had only had frisbee playing in hotel lots each morning (except a terrific creek swim in Manhattan, Kansas near the cousin's apartment.) We also passed a fierce storm in Utah that slowed us down; fortunately we didn't get any of the large hail that was reported on the radio. The lightening was rather frightening though, and it seemed we would pass through the worst of it, but it moved east and we missed it. The winds were so strong my entire luggage carrier shifted about 6 inches backward, loosening all the straps. This caused a funny resonance with one of the straps resulting in a high-pitched vibration sound that was rather annoying but quite curious. I'm glad the carrier I borrowed had a water proof lining and my friend lent me extra straps to go with it!

In Idaho we had dinner with a long-lost cousin of mine on my dad's side. It was a hoot. He mostly talked of gambling and his son's motorcycling. I enjoyed meeting him. That night we were going to drive into Oregon but fortunately I called ahead to request late check in, only to find out they closed their window at midnight and we couldn't arrive later than that. This forced us to stop for the night just at the border, only 50 miles ahead (having lost 50 of those we gained the previous day). I was rather exhausted that day, though, so it probably worked out for the best. I also am now acquainted with motel 6 which from the 2 I've since been in are rather nicer and less expensive than many day's inn hotels. They also allow dogs in all rooms so you don't have to worry about the pet rooms being booked up.

Our 5th and final day was totally in Oregon - and all in daylight, which was terrific; I loved seeing my state in detail. Oregon has the most amazing eastern half that is high desert like Colorado, with lush little valleys fed by streams between hills of desert brush and rock. Then there are the Cascades which seem to me like an enchanted forest with moss on the trees and an abundance of ferns. Then you come to the Willamette valley, where I now live, which is so fertile, and you can see mountains on both sides. Past this is the coast with rocks and pine trees making it so much more lush than the plain sands of the central-east coast.

Our drive was on a minor highway which was more direct but also slower - totally worth it though. I really enjoyed seeing the small towns. Eastern Oregon is so vast and desolate we went about 120 miles from the Idaho border to Burns and the largest town we passed had about 4 buildings and one intersection. There was no gas to be bought there at all. Good thing we had a full tank. We stopped in Burnes at "ye old castle" for a decent late diner breakfast. The great thing about that place was the atmosphere. It was filled with antique toys of all types. Refurbished bikes from the 1950's sat above the booths, and tricycles hung from the ceiling. Bookcases were filled with toy cars, buses and assorted other things. It was like a museum. What a great find! Later that day we passed Bend and Sisters; both gateway towns for the Cascades. I can't wait to go hiking here - the mountains are amazingly beautiful. The Pacific Rim Trail is calling me... We arrived in my town around 6pm. I was exhausted, but happy to be driving directly to my new home.

Home again - if only briefly

I was supposed to have a 24 hour layover in Amsterdam on my return from Cape Town (as I did on the way there). However, I didn't see much point in bumming around and I missed my family, so I got on an earlier flight home and had only 3 hours layover instead. The downside of that is that my mom had to pick me up 1.5 hours from her house at nearly midnight. My sister and her drove out together - they were brave! They said I recovered faster the next day than they did from staying up late - and I had nearly 30 hours of travel plus jet lag to contend with! My sister was thoughtful and brought me snacks for the car ride. I had so much to gossip with them about - I hadn't spoken to anyone on the phone the whole time I was away. I was glad to be home a day early.

In the 3 days I was home I hung out with a friend I had made in North Carolina, got my hair dyed back to brown (in an effort to cut a cost out of my budget in Oregon - blond is expensive to maintain!), sent some of my stuff to Oregon in boxes to make more room in the car, and packed up my stuff. I also spent quality time with family, including playing with my nephew and swimming in the pool with mom. We found out that afternoon that my dog can't stand to see me go underwater - she valiantly jumped the fence barking her head off to try to rescue me. She can not go in the pool though - so mom had to spring into action to catch her before her claws could go near the pool liner! I missed my pookey-girl so much while I was in Africa... She wouldn't leave my side after I returned! I didn't want her to, either.

It was both stressful and exciting to get ready for the move. My heart was still in Cape Town, and I was tired from traveling. It was also surreal to know that I had a home of my own waiting for me in Oregon. My first home - MY first home! The long drive to the west coast was not something I was looking forward to - not with a dog and 3 cats in the car. I also had a mixed feeling of both leaving a place that had come to feel like home, and how great it was to be near family for the summer, but also a feeling that I didn't belong in Hickory and the whole town seemed foreign to me after getting acclimated with Cape Town. Nothing seemed right anymore - not the fixtures on public restroom stall doors, or the road signs, or all the little things that I had gotten used to abroad. Plus I kept trying to drive on the left hand side of the road - though I didn't drive in Cape Town I had become used to the feel of being on the left!

I love my family and am glad to have had the time to spend with them this summer. It was now time to start my new life in Oregon though, and I had to do it, no matter how overwhelming everything felt.

My last weekend

Saturday my host took me on another amazing hike - this one called "silver mine." My friend joined us, as did another young professor in the department. The four of us had a great time together - I am still waiting for them to send me the pics of the 4 of us at our picnic spot.



This hike was at times easy and at times challenging. There were places where you had to pull yourself up a bit, and believe it or not, there is a trail in that pic on the right. Mom said it looked more like a drainage ditch! It was well worth it though... Overall we hiked 4 hours, and had an amazing picnic with a view that couldn't be beat. My host really knows how to pick a picnic spot!



On Sunday I had a busy day. A prof from the center for higher education took me out to lunch at a nice fishing village. We walked out on the peer, saw a whale (which became a casual thing by the end of my trip) and ate with a view of the ocean. Then my new friend invited me to his sister's house to meet his nephew who is 1.5 years old and very cute (though not as cute as my 2 year old nephew!) Then my host picked me up for another terrific game of scrabble at his cousin's house, and later that evening my friend had me over since it was my last night. I felt like I was being shuffled from here to there all day! It was good to feel I would be missed.

The scrabble game was again fun - my host and his cousin were good fun. They made lots of jokes; both clever and silly ones. They also teased me a lot about my new "friend" and made lots of flirtatious words on the scrabble board in my honor. I managed to come in 2nd - not bad! I didn't have the luck this time of drawing the big scoring letters, but I managed to hold my own. I think my host is a little sore I beat him two times in a row! I wish I could join them weekly to play :)

Alas Monday it was time to go home. I spent as much time as I could with the students; conducting interviews and looking at their work. I also cleaned out my office, organized my papers, packed and did all that necessary stuff. When dinner time came both my host and my friend took me out to my favorite Thai place (nice I stayed long enough to know the restaurant scene!) then to the airport for my midnight flight. I was sad to say goodbye to both of them. I know they will miss me, and I miss them quite a bit.

More about safety in Cape Town

Friday evening and Saturday evening I ate dinner at my new friend's house. It was very nice because I was sick of eating out. We went to the grocery store and got bread, cheese, wine, soup, and salad. Other than making those evenings relaxing and enjoyable, it was interesting to see how someone else lives in this city. At this point I had been to the house of my host, and one of his cousin's. I got to see the house of my friend in more detail and talk with him about the security issues.

Each house I saw had a separate front gate in front of the front door. You keep that locked so if someone comes to your front door you can open it but they are stuck behind the gate. That way you can find out what they want but they can not come into your house unless you open the gate. The houses all also had security systems. Most of the nicer ones had walls around the property, with razor wire or electric wire above the walls to keep people from climbing over them. At my friend's house, he also had the security system set up such that when he goes to sleep any movement in his lower floor will set off alarms.

My friend told me accounts of break-ins to his row of townhouses before they put up the electric wires. He has a small round kitchen window; one time he heard noise, came downstairs and found footprints on the inside wall under the window. Kid-sized foot prints. Although it was so nice to be in a home and have a causal meal, I realized those two evenings how much I missed being free to just walk outside whenever I wanted to. I also missed seeing yards that bleed into each other and accessible open spaces inside neighborhoods. I don't think I could live like that - other than the amazing hikes, it felt like living in a cage.