Off we went!
Over 400 miles on I-5... what a treat.
The beginning part of the drive is aesthetically uninspiring, at best. It starts getting pretty when you pass Sacramento and start heading up the mountains, peaking in beauty in the general Shasta area. There were some fairly impressive mountains,
and even a little snow up high.
We also enjoyed a strange area of extra-luminous fog (or some other low-lying meteorological phenomenon... it looked like fog to me, but than again, that's what I'm used to):
Beautiful!
Unfortunately I failed to photograph most of what we ate on this trip, so this entry will diverge somewhat from the usual subject matter. After all, this is my blog and I can write about whatever I want. Anyway, rest assured that we did not go hungry on the ten hour drive to Eugene. I had recently come into a great deal of salami and cheese (the fruits of an overzealous exploration of the wonderful world of the restaurant depot), so we had plenty of sandwiches. Salami and brie, salami and chevre, some with cornichons and all with dijon mustard of course. We also had what J. terms my "vegetable feedbag," which contained my daily requirement of cucumbers and radishes. I think we also had some fruits, some boiled eggs, and various kinds of tea.
I have this unbelievable thermos that my friend Jeff's dad got in the army, I think:
I've had it for at least ten years, and it has never failed me. It's not beautiful, but that water was still scalding twelve hours later. What a treasure!
As far as I can remember, we didn't have to buy any food until we hit the grocery for dinner supplies near Ashland. Unfortunately we were lacking in the essential sweet component of travel food, but oh well, sugar makes me feel weird anyway. By the way, the sunset, which we hit in the beautiful stretch of the drive near Ashland, was amaaaazing:
It just got better and better!
The drive was really pretty uneventful. Especially for me, as Jesse drove the whole way. We finally arrived around midnight, almost exactly 10 hours after departure. My new apartment used to be the working studio of an artist named Frank Okada; it still has a somewhat dilapidated arty charm. I fell for it right away, and I can't wait to settle in. It's always a bit weird to arrive at an empty apartment in the middle of the night, but we made the best of it.
We dragged in some of U-Haul's furniture blankets and dug up some covers and stuff. It was still about 90 degrees, so we didn't need much. Much to our surprise, there didn't seem to be any mosquitoes present, or really any bothersome insects at all. If there are any mosquitoes in the area, they always track me down with admirable precision, so I would know. This absence was a blessed surprise, as the combination of exhaustion, extreme heat (even at midnight), and blood-sucking beasts would have been absolutely unbearable.
I stocked the fridge with what we had brought:
I know, it's pretty skimpy. But still better than many a college student!
Then we ate some "Thai Kitchen" noodles (actually not bad for a package thing!) and passed out. The "bed" was very uncomfortable.
Cozy, nonetheless!
The next morning we got right to work. We were going to Jonathan and Cara's wedding in Portland on August 1, and we had to return the U-Haul before leaving town, so really we only had one day to plan everything, get all our supplies, and get a decent start on everything. Luckily it was basically the hottest weekend ever in Oregon, so going up and down the stairs a billion times was a total breeze (my apartment is a little box on stilts). See Jesse's blog for additional details on how we fixed it up.
The food situation on this trip was kind of grim, unfortunately. I wasn't set up to really cook until the very end of the trip, and I was (am) really broke, and we were working really really hard 8 a.m. to midnight every day, so it was characterized by long periods of extreme hunger, interspersed with brief episodes of ravenous eating of whatever was at hand. Our second night there, we had the time-honored traditional moving-in meal of pizza and beer... the pizza wasn't great but whatever, it's an American standard.
Jonathan and Cara's wedding was amazing. It was in Overlook Park in North Portland, right by their house. We had the delightful good fortune to be staying at the Palms Motor Hotel, mere steps from both the ceremony and the wedding "afterparty." I've always wanted to try the Palms (based solely on the glory of their sign),
but it seemed ridiculous when I lived a block away. As you might imagine, it didn't quite live up to its advertising, but it was a decent motel and very convenient.
This was the most unpretentious, charming, joyful wedding I have ever had the honor to attend to date. It was also really fun! The weather was very hot that day, but J. and I managed to stay very cool in our fancy dress:
Here are a couple of pictures from the ceremony:
Awwwww!
After the ceremony we all carried our chairs over to the tables, and the party began.
J & C had a great setup for the food at the wedding. There was beer and wine in coolers, and all the food was set up under the park's covered area, self-service. All the dishes were thrift store finds, and guests were encouraged to take whatever they fancied home with them (including flowers, tablecloths, vases, everything!). As the food was served buffet style, you could pick out dishes you liked, and then load them up with your food, and then take them home with you when finished! There was lots of tasty Japanese-type stuff (cold noodles and sushi), as well as more traditional picnic fare. All delicious, and plenty of it. To our delight, there was carrot cake for dessert. Yum! The whole concept was absolutely ideal for guests who had very recently moved into a new home. I got some lovely wine glasses, a few kitschy plates, and a platter. I scored a killer Pink Floyd glass for Jesse:
In sum, a good time was had by all. I really enjoyed showing Jesse around Portland, and he liked the city a lot. But my, how it has changed since I arrived from the East Coast in 1998! I don't think I have ever seen such a dramatic transformation of a place in such a short time. Mostly for the good, I think, though some parts of the city are so shiny and new that it boggles the sensibilities. North Portland in particular has really been on the move. Five years ago, just before I moved to SF, a lady began serving food out of a tiny trailer by the Fresh Pot on N. Mississippi. Now it is a darling little restaurant (called the Moxie, maybe?); we ate breakfast there the day we left:
I had a poached egg on greens with mushrooms; it was very delicate and most delicious, too. I was proud to see how the little restaurant had grown in my absence.
After all the fun wound down in pdx, we got on the good ol' Greyhound and returned to Eugene. Our return was uneventful, and we were ready to get back to work on Monday morning. On Monday and Tuesday, we painted nearly everything in the apartment white, and Jesse built me a ton of shelves and some boxes. I had to put all these books
somewhere:
Luckily the space housed my library perfectly. It was great to liberate all my beloved books from their cardboard prisons!
On Tuesday I finally got to realize my dream of having pegboards in the kitchen (hurray!), and I got the kitchen pretty well-organized. There was no table yet, though, so we had our soba noodles with stir-fried broccoli and mushrooms picnic-style, on the floor. Nonetheless, I was delighted that it was finally time to cook!
Too bad the stove is electric, and miniscule, but I checked and my roasting pan does indeed fit in the oven. Better cooks than I have made gourmet feasts on much less welcoming appliances, so I see it as a long-term challenge to my skills. Oh, and I'm also planning to cheat and buy a little butane camping burner for things that need more finesse.
On Wednesday Jesse finished the dining/kitchen table, so on Wednesday (Jesse's omelettes -- a challenge on the unfamiliar electric stove -- and salad) and Thursday (blackened red snapper, rice, and spinach -- very tasty!)nights we had real dinner at the new table. There is a lovely little fish market right across the street from my apartment; the fish was very fresh, and the fishmongers very friendly, and I am eager to try more of their seafood. They also sell fish and chips out the back, which of course I will try ASAP. The neighborhood is really probably the best location I could have found in Eugene; 15 minute walk to school, numerous grocery stores, the farmer's market and specialty shops within a twenty minute walk, and quite a few appetizing-looking restaurants nearby. What luck! Anyway, it was great to finally be eating some home-cooked food, and the table is fantastic. Time to celebrate!
We left to return to SF very early on Friday morning, and since our return I have been slowly saying goodbye to the place that has been the best home I have ever known. I have truly felt at home here more than I have anywhere else in the world, but then again every place has something valuable to offer and I am eager to explore my new home and make all 280 square feet of it it my own.
1 comments:
WOW, Sof, what a fabulous apartment---especially after Jesse's genius and your brilliance transformed it! (I looked at Jesse's blog, too.) The transformation is awesome, as is the picture in my mind of you two working together at it.
Also, I really enjoyed following your whole joint-journey. it gave me a much better sense of what j-man is like and of what you two share. how lucky you both are to have each other!!!
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