Thanksgiving in Portland

Family. Food. Phone calls. That last minute putting together of everything to go on the table. Some things are always the same even as life continues to evolve. I drove from Sonora to Portland with a nice in between stop in Klamath that made the 700 miles a bit more bearable, even enjoyable. I had perfect weather with just a bit of Oregon fog, managed to miss all the really bad traffic on I-5 near Redding, and ambled up through the green Oregon valleys to Deborah’s house on the west side of Portland.

Melody and Kevin were there with Hillary and Elric. Deb and Raul were amazing in all that they did cooking and decorating and hosting the event. It was a good time. A perfect turkey, everyone saying what they are most thankful for this year around the table, and eating till all we could do afterward was sit around on sofas. No dramas, no traumas, just good traditional family stuff.

Hillary is growing up so fast. 14 years old and 100 percent her own person, dealing with all the parts of being 14. I have no idea what kind of adult she will be, but I can imagine it will be unique and totally her own. Hearing about the cliques in high school was fun. Just like it has always been, only more of them with fascinating names, like Emo’s who I guess like to cut themselves because of their angst in life. That’s a new one! Jocks and Preps never change, and not surprisingly, Hillary is an “Outsider” which just by the fact that she is happily part of a fairly large group means she isn’t an outsider at all. Moments with the grandkids.

I got lots of hugs from both of them. Deb’s partner’s kids were with us as well, Austin and Ashley, adding to the family mix, and making the table nice and long. Keeping our own circle is nice and yet I noticed the expansion that comes from adding more people opening up. Reminds me again of how it used to be in my women’s group. I would fight to the death adding new members and then when we eventually did, those people became my closest friends and added so much to the mix.

Shopping with Melody for the grandkids on Friday morning. Girl time with Melody and Deb after the men went to work and back to Portland. Kevin’s brother Dan was also part of the mix, and as quiet and non happy as he can be, he even smiled a lot and had a good time. Evening with Deb and Raul laughing a lot and playing a dice and chip game called Swipe. Easy and fun and lots of laughing. Deb’s home is always comfortable, and now it’s even more so with the living room all extended and the dining room by the kitchen. Room for everyone to be together doing whatever.

It’s cold in Portland today, but clear. Yesterday as we were driving to the store, Mt Hood loomed up huge and white in the east above the city. I so love the northwest. The Sierra’s are beautiful but nothing matches the majesty and magnificence of those volcanos. Maybe because they are young and full of energy and probably dangerous. So beautiful and so dangerous.

Today I will return down the Willamette Valley through green and tan fields with mountains on both sides of me, over the Cascades and down to the Klamath. Spend a night in the stars and big trees at Mo’s and then back down into the murky world that waits for me in California. I always feel as though I am dropping into something thick when I go my home in California. And rising when I leave to return to Oregon. Every time. I feel the lifting of something heavy on me, open the window of the truck and feel the air, and open my eyes to see space and distance and volcanos and I feel myself lifting as well.

Maryruth was angry with me for saying how unhappy I am in California. She said it was her home and wasn’t right for me to complain about it to her. A surprise for me actually because usually we don’t have those kinds of nono’s in our conversations. But Maryruth doesn’t read blogs, so I am safe here. Safe to remember that California is not my home, that my body and my soul don’t resonate there, that I am most at home in Oregon, my home.