I spent two nights in Portland so I would have a chance to really get to talk with Tacee, one of my oldest friends. Tacee and I lost touch with each other in the early 90s before I moved to Korea, and with the exception of our 20 year high school reunion (that was a trip), we hadn't seen each other since the early 90s. In my time in Portland I realized that the city is awesome, that Tacee lives next to one of the best restaurants I've ever been to (Persian food), and that Googlemaps cannot be relied on when it comes to pointing out where to ride your bike (that was a reminder, I really already knew that). I also realized that although our lives have gone in totally different directions, Tacee and I totally understand each other. Yay for renewing old friendships!
I left Tacee's at 6 a.m. which allowed me to make it to Kat, Jeff, Biko and Stokely's house before the boys had gone to bed. I took a bike ride one of my two days there, and Kat took me to the little one room schoolhouse to talk to the students on the other day. It was really good to hang out with that amazing family. I love those boys! By living on this remote ranch Kat and Jeff are really giving the boys the opportunity to explore nature and experience life as it was when I was growing up-- not the totally fast-paced, ultra-controlled, always-technological way that city kids are living these days.
I left the Shasta Mountain area at 3 a.m. and made it to L.A. and Jena's apartment by dinner time. I treated myself to vegan ice-cream at Scoops Westside, but on my bike ride back to Jena's realized that I had no energy left in my body after the long drive. Jena and I hung out at my favorite cafe, Amandine, and I took a long bike ride down to see Lisa and Alex, reveling in the California sunshine along the water as I passed through Santa Monica, the marina, along Dockweiler and Manhattan Beach to where the Elghazi's live in Hermosa Beach.
Since Jena is dissertating and because she was leaving for the east coast, I stayed there two nights and then switched to Scott's house. Which was super awesome because Scott lives with Bonnie the Bunny (and Megan, but Megan is in China). We had some great talks and I shared my spinach with Bonnie who appreciated it more than friendly humans. After Scott's I headed to the AAS Conference, picking up Feriyal on the way.
