Fly-by

I'm off to the beach house today with Jane and Don (Jane is a friend from my school program, who started with me and is progressing about the same dogged but Not Fast pace; Don is her sweet husband). I think I'll be out of online range most of the time I'm away... I'm looking forward to the ocean and the sky and some quiet reading time.

Had a lovely little serendipitious interlude yesterday. I woke up early and hied myself off to a little diner I'd seen earlier in the week. While I was eating at the counter, I struck up a conversation with the guy sitting next to me (why does this never happen at home? It keeps happening here), who turned out to be an interesting, friendly guy. He's a test pilot (something about companies ordering customized helicopters and planes) who lives just outside of Portland, big climber/hiker/cyclist/etc. When we finished our eggs, he offered me a little walking tour of the neighbourhood we were in; we walked on a bridge or two, then talked about hiking in the city, and we ended up deciding to hike on some of the city trails in the hills. All very spontaneous, and we had a wandering afternoon, first tromping on the roads that wind through the hills, where the houses implausibly perch right on the edges. We talked as we tromped --life, travels, relationships, hiking, politics, cities -- and had a warm, connected time. After about three hours of hiking, we descended, shared a milkshake, and parted ways. We exchanged phone numbers, but I don't know if I'll have time to reconnect in the less-than-two-days after I return.

Now, for a quick run along the Willamette, then packing, then off to the coast. I'm sad that this is my last week!