Portlandians
I came to a not so unexpected realization yesterday while
driving. I totally get Portlandians (I don't know for sure if that is what
people from the Portland metro call themselves but I'm using it.) I get the
incessant glorification of the sun after the long, rainy, cold winter. Last
year was my first full year after living in Bend.
Now Bend, Oregon is an experience unto itself. We moved
there after a steaming hot summer in Little Rock. We left humidity and heat
from hell and found ourselves in the high desert. I was disappointed rolling
into Bend. The scenery from Idaho to Bend is desert. I didn't like it and I
hadn't visited Bend prior to moving. Dave had and I trusted him. I did have the
backup of every movie shot in the Northwest. It is green, huge ferns, towering
trees and the unfiltered light that makes producers and directors clamor for
filmmaking in the Northwest.
Uh yeah. That really isn't how 90% of Oregon looks like.
Most of it is high desert. Dry landscapes, real tumbleweeds and a deficient quota of
rain, Bend especially. Bend receives most of its precipitation in the winter
through snow. The entire time I lived there I may have seen 1 storm and only
about 5 times a shower. I did, however, experience a type of snow I had never seen before. The days in the summer were glorious at 5,000 feet and
the nights were chilly. But I hated not having the rain. I love rain. I love
gray days.
So it became a blessing when we moved from Bend to West
Linn. Now let me preface something before going on. I had come to Portland
several times during the Spring and Summer prior to moving. I loved it.
Glorious sunshine, temperate weather and so much green, berries and flowers! Uh
yeah. We moved in late August and I was treated to my first taste of the
Portland drizzle. Dave had warned me but I didn't believe him because it had never rained on any visit to Portland or the coast!
The Portland drizzle is only slightly less famous than
Seattle's never ending drizzle. Portland has a rainy season and believe it or
not, it is technically a temperate rainforest. The forest is breathtaking here.
The coast is magnificent and on a clear day I get to see the completely snow
covered slopes of Mt. Hood. (I was surrounded by magnificent mountains in Bend
as well. Bend actually takes top prize for majestic mountains. It was the first
time I saw snow in July and August.)
The first year in Portland I cherished the rain. As I mentioned
before I love rainy days. I'm just that weird. I have a friend that is the same
way. The winter was mild. I did experience frost so thick a person from the
South would consider it snow. It rained until April or so and then it cleared
up. It didn't rain much the entire summer and in fact we did have a heat wave
that lasted two weeks and I had to buy a personal air conditioner. It is pretty
unheard of here but two story houses suck when it comes to a single ac/heating
unit.
So when fall rolled around last year I was ready for rain. I
was ready for the cold weather. But then I got to experience Fall again. It was
glorious. A riot of colors. My Japanese red maple stood out amongst the gold's
and browns. Winter made her way in and we actually had snow. The rains
continued and for the first time in my life I began to crave the sun. We had a
mild winter, truth be told and it wasn't until the last two months or so that
we had substantial rain.
But I get Portlandians now. My daughter summed it up the
other day. She said she took a picture of the sun setting because she was
afraid she wouldn't see it again. A sunny day here brings out every one. You
see runners, walkers, dogs being led, windows open and people just getting out
any way possible. You see people turning their face into the crystal clear
sunshine and smiling. You take out a lawn chair and sit down basking in the
rays. When the sun sets you mourn a little bit because you don't know if it is
going to be gray and rainy the next two weeks.
I get it. I've become a Portlandian. I still love my
Portland Drizzle but I cherish the sunny days. They immediately fill me with
this all encompassing joy. I feel the magic that is in the air and I begin
seeing the flowers blooming in all their glory. I drive past miles of
blackberry bushes growing everywhere and I know that in a few months I will be
hitting farmers markets, picking berries and soaking up the sun. I'll still
love the rainy days but I totally appreciate the sunny ones.
I'm lucky. I live in a place where we have the most glorious
seasons imaginable. Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter all offer something unique
but more than that I finally get to experience them. In Arkansas you pretty
much go from Winter straight into Summer ( and it is usually so hot and muggy
that you can't do anything without panting and dripping sweat).
I think often of moving back because Arkansas will always be
home to me. I miss my family and friends terribly but it wouldn't be the same
as it was before. I've been gone too long. And then the sun pops out and I
realize that I was born to live on/near the coast. I may not get to swim
without turning blue. I may have to deal with daily drizzle but it makes me
appreciate the sun ever so much.
To those looking to move because they feel hot, cold,
stifled or just want to embrace a new adventure I say this: MOVE. Never be held
down to one place if you don't want to be there. I offer up Portland as your
next adventure. As for me…I may wind up on the other coast just to say I've
been there. Who knows?
Namasté
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