Grace's Corner:

Hello From Portland
December 30, 2006

Hello Everyone,

I haven't posted anything for the longest time. I've been moving, unpacking, looking for a job, getting settled, finding my way around Portland, (no simple task), getting a bank account, and doing all the things you do when you move. What a job.

I'm happy to be here. I miss New England. I miss all of you. I can't be reminded of places I know back home without getting big knots inside as well as in my knitting. The tiny devil on my shoulder seems to be winning at times, saying "How could you be so stupid? What were you thinking?"

I love, love, love my house. I love coming home to it at night. I love getting into my bed and going to sleep. I'm glad to wake up in my bedroom in the morning. I love that it's mine. I love that my dishes are in the kitchen, my books are on the shelves, my loom and spinning wheel are right where I can use them. I love being able to turn up the heat and having a fire in the fireplace. I have room. I have space.

Relationally, I feel like I've been through a desert on a horse with no name. Out of touch. I think it will be easier now that I can get back into blogging and feel like I'm connected again. It was great to look at some of your blogs yesterday and today, after not seeing them for months.

I've been taking pictures and writing posts all this time. Now I would like to get all those posts on the blog. While I go back in time, getting caught up, I will also post current entries. It will be something like reading "The Time Traveller's Wife", a book I am reading for a book club I joined. It's a great story but a bit of a mind bender.

Today I went for a hike up Eagle Creek in the Columbia River Gorge. I went up this trail for the first time two weeks ago with my friend Matthew and I wanted to go back to get some photos with my 35mm camera. Today dawned clear and sunny so I figured this was the day to go. The temp was in the low 30's and there was a heavy frost.

It's such a beautiful place. The trail goes up and up along the wall of a narrow canyon. On one side is a sheer drop to the raging creek below and on the other side is the canyon wall which goes nearly straight up. Waterfalls rush down the canyon walls, which are covered in ferns, mosses, and huge Douglas Fir trees. Today parts of the trail were frozen and slippery. There were some moments when I wanted to turn back, but there were a lot of people out on the trail today and their presence was reassuring. I was careful though. I walked up for an hour and then came back down.

Most of the photos I took were with the 35mm camera, but I took a few to share on line with the digital camera.