POST #2 OCTOBER 28 2011 WEEKLY WANDERINGS
As I sit in the warmth and comfort of the Vancouver Central library, I have time to reflect on the week that has just passed.
I arrived back in Vancouver yesterday afternoon, after spending a week in Oregon, just south of Portland taking care of a cat named Jill. The time just flew by and much of it was taken up exploring the area by my favourite form of transport, the bicycle.
An initial ride took me around Lake Oswego which wasn't too long, and gave me a good look at my neighbourhood. A trip to Tryon Creek state park one day and a journey into Portland along the Willamette river on another expanded my horizons. For all you book lovers out there, get this. If you are ever in Portland make sure you take the time to visit Powell's Books. This is without a doubt the largest book store I have ever seen. Apparently it has been in business since the late '60's and was originally a car dealership. Wouldn't it be nice if we could convert all the car dealerships in the world, into book stores. But I digress. Anyhow, it has over 1 million books, 70% of which are used. My friends in Portland had recommended Powell's too me and I certainly wasn't disappointed.
My longest bike ride while staying in Lake Oswego, took me south through rural farmland to the town of Canby, about 1.5 hours south by bike. Part of the journey involved a ferry ride across the river, which added to the charm of the trip.
All in all, I think I managed to get a pretty good look around, and I enjoyed the time spent in the area.
When I arrived in Lake Oswego, I was offered the use of a car to get around in, which I declined. Having not owned a car since 1993, it has become something that seems ever more foreign to me as each year passes. This offer of the car, actually made me begin to ponder my relationship with biking, and I began to think of all the places I've been and miles I've ridden in the past 25 years or so.
Oddly enough, I rediscovered this humble form of transport back in 1986 when I lived in Los Angeles of all places. Cycling there for the year, then led to a winter being a bicycle courier back in my home town of Calgary, followed by a journey from Vancouver to Los Angeles the following year. That ride, probably did more than anything else to help cement the relationship I currently enjoy with my bike. Since then I have cycled in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, and the thrill and fun I receive never seems to wear off. And thankfully because of bike helmets, I'm still around to talk about it.
So now I am back in Vancouver, and I have a few days until my next housesit begins on Nov 1st with one of my regular clients here. It's dog time coming up now, which will be a change from recent weeks, but I know both the dogs and I will look forward to our reunion.
I'm not sure how much I will be wandering in the next week, however I will continue to be thoughtful about many things with each passing day.
Until next week then,
bye for now,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
THOUGHTFUL: showing consideration for others; occupied with or given to thought; contemplative; meditative. WANDERER: moving from place to place without a fixed plan; or having no permanent residence; nomadic.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
THE THOUGHTFUL WANDERER BEGINS
POST #1 OCTOBER 21, 2011 LAKE OSWEGO OREGON USA
Lately it seems (and by lately I mean at least the past 3 years but probably a lot longer than that), I have become even more thoughtful than I am normally prone to being. And as far as being a wanderer, well, anyone who has known me for any length of time, would have to agree that there is a definate element of that in my personality.
So recently when I came up with the idea of producing a weekly blog, the first order of business was, "What on earth shall I name the thing?"
Eventually, after numerous ideas, I came up with this name, and once I had mulled it over for a day or two, it felt to me as though I really couldn't have made any other choice.
Another event which happened recently in my life was that I sold my sailboat which for the past almost 7 years, has been my primary residence and which was located in Vancouver Canada. So with the signing of a contract and some cash exchanging hands, I all of a sudden became homeless. That action certainly helped in aiding the wanderer in me, because now I have been forced to look elsewhere to find shelter out of the weather. Don't get me wrong though, I am very happy with the current situation as it was something I chose to do, and so already in less than a month, I have lived at two new locations, including my current one right here in Oregon. I have just spent three wonderful weeks on Orcas island in Washington, which was marvelous.
Maybe this is what becomes of an ageing world traveller. It won't last forever, nothing ever does, but for now, it's a simple lifestyle and one that fits me like a glove.
What has made this wandering easy and at the same time rewarding is the fact that I spend my time travelling from one place to the next, in order to take care of peoples' pets. Over the years, at least the past 10, I have had the good fortune to get to know a variety of new people and pets, and recently I decided to expand my horizons by joining an organisation which matches houses with housesitters. Now, in very short order I find myself booked right through until the end of January 2012.
I had hoped to be heading to Australia by the end of this year, at least that was the plan. But as it turns out, before that happens I will be heading north to an old home of mine, Dawson City in the Yukon. I said to a friend the other day, that if I keep heading north I will eventually be south. Dawson in the dead of winter can be brutally cold, and this year it may seem more so, seeing as I was expecting a beach somewhere, however it does have a magic of it's own and I am looking forward to the trip.
As far as the design and content of this blog goes, I expect it to change over time (and being the techno ludite that I am, it may take a while for me to work some things out)however this will be an evolution of sorts, and maybe someday in the future I'll look back at this blog and laugh at how simplistic it was.
OK, so that's about it for blog #1. Where things go from here is anyone's guess, especially mine, but I do look forward to producing a weekly entry, if for no other reason than to lay down a record for myself, as to what I have been up to.
Thanks for reading.
Paul
SAWAFAATRIAB
Lately it seems (and by lately I mean at least the past 3 years but probably a lot longer than that), I have become even more thoughtful than I am normally prone to being. And as far as being a wanderer, well, anyone who has known me for any length of time, would have to agree that there is a definate element of that in my personality.
So recently when I came up with the idea of producing a weekly blog, the first order of business was, "What on earth shall I name the thing?"
Eventually, after numerous ideas, I came up with this name, and once I had mulled it over for a day or two, it felt to me as though I really couldn't have made any other choice.
Another event which happened recently in my life was that I sold my sailboat which for the past almost 7 years, has been my primary residence and which was located in Vancouver Canada. So with the signing of a contract and some cash exchanging hands, I all of a sudden became homeless. That action certainly helped in aiding the wanderer in me, because now I have been forced to look elsewhere to find shelter out of the weather. Don't get me wrong though, I am very happy with the current situation as it was something I chose to do, and so already in less than a month, I have lived at two new locations, including my current one right here in Oregon. I have just spent three wonderful weeks on Orcas island in Washington, which was marvelous.
Maybe this is what becomes of an ageing world traveller. It won't last forever, nothing ever does, but for now, it's a simple lifestyle and one that fits me like a glove.
What has made this wandering easy and at the same time rewarding is the fact that I spend my time travelling from one place to the next, in order to take care of peoples' pets. Over the years, at least the past 10, I have had the good fortune to get to know a variety of new people and pets, and recently I decided to expand my horizons by joining an organisation which matches houses with housesitters. Now, in very short order I find myself booked right through until the end of January 2012.
I had hoped to be heading to Australia by the end of this year, at least that was the plan. But as it turns out, before that happens I will be heading north to an old home of mine, Dawson City in the Yukon. I said to a friend the other day, that if I keep heading north I will eventually be south. Dawson in the dead of winter can be brutally cold, and this year it may seem more so, seeing as I was expecting a beach somewhere, however it does have a magic of it's own and I am looking forward to the trip.
As far as the design and content of this blog goes, I expect it to change over time (and being the techno ludite that I am, it may take a while for me to work some things out)however this will be an evolution of sorts, and maybe someday in the future I'll look back at this blog and laugh at how simplistic it was.
OK, so that's about it for blog #1. Where things go from here is anyone's guess, especially mine, but I do look forward to producing a weekly entry, if for no other reason than to lay down a record for myself, as to what I have been up to.
Thanks for reading.
Paul
SAWAFAATRIAB
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