The Traveling Peach

>Ecola Beach

peach — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 19:46:00 +0000

>I looked at my archives today and wow, I am shocked by how little I’ve been posting. I’m thinking about doing another “blog for every day for 30 days”; I really enjoyed writing regularly and feel like I’ve been negligent.
Updates!
I got a job and I start tomorrow. It might not be a dream job, but it will pay the bills and has some perks. Wojc and I are settled into our little apartment in NW Portland, I believe the neighborhood is called Nob Hill. It is a far cry from New York, but a relaxing change that seems to be growing on me.

Our first week in Portland Wojc and I took a day trip to the coast. It’s only about an hour and half drive to Seaside and as a born and bred coasty that is a relief. We explored Ecola State Park beach at the magical hour right before sunset. It was chilly, but so beautiful.

After being on the road as nomads for 7 months, it has been hard to adjust to a stable life. It feel good in the sense that my heart isn’t thumping out of my chest from stress, but I won’t lie that it has been all peaches and cream. I was down for several days, thinking about life on the road and NYC, luckily this yoga video pulled me out of my funk. Our day trip to the beach combined with the weekend jaunt to Port Orford has eased my way into stability and today my mood had improved greatly.

>It’s In The Water

peach — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 03:46:00 +0000

>When Wojc, my brother and I were in Port Orford last week we were supposed to drive back Monday. However, Monday was so beautiful that we just couldn’t tear ourselves away. It was one of those days thats so warm and sunny that your mind plays trick on you and you think its May or June.

Since we had another day, we loaded up the two hard shell kayaks and one blow up kayak and headed to Garrison Lake not far from my home. It was late afternoon and the sun was shining, absolutely perfect.

We glided out on the lake and I immediately vowed to kayak as much as possible this year. I really am a fish, I’m just more comfortable on the water. Rafting, kayaking, swimming, sailing, anything on a boat and I’m happy. I used to raft and kayak quite a bit in high school and even did a four day trip down the rogue river so boating is kind of like second nature to me.

Garrison Lake is a beautiful place, it’s in town but surronded by trees and just a few houses, the lake is only separated from the Pacific by a small beach. We paddled almost all the way around the lake with very little wind (shocking) and caught the beginning of sunset with a few purple and pink clouds.

Of course, no float would be complete without some delicious Olympia (sarcasm). The day was so energizing and I can’t wait to get on the water again. Who would’ve thought visiting Port Orford in January is like a beach vacation?

>Keep On The Sunny Side

peach — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 03:16:00 +0000

Wojc and I decided to take a drive down to see my brother in Eugene a couple days ago. In our typical style we didn’t leave Portland until 4:30 and pulled into Eugene around 6:30. We were all pretty tired, but decided to all drive down to visit my mom and dad in Port Orford; we continued the drive and arrived at my Mom’s at 11pm on the dot. I really love living in Oregon again, it’s so amazing to be able to drive down to my hometown on a whim and spend the weekend, a five hour drive doesn’t seem so bad post-NYC.

On Sunday, we woke up to one of the most perfect days since summer. Sunny, no wind and fairly warm; the kind of day where you want to spend every minute outdoors. So we did. We drove north to Floras Lake and hiked out to the beach.

This beach is one of the most beautiful. You rarely see anyone and the orange cliffs looming over the ocean provide such a spectacular contrast in color. We hiked way down the beach, climbing up cliffs and exploring inlets.

On our way back we passed a cave in one of the cliffs and wanted to explore. It was awesome, you could crawl back about 20 feet on your hands and knees to a little “room” that opened up enough for three people to fit. My claustrophobia kicked in ever so slightly, but what a cool spot to watch the waves.

The day and hike was one of the best in months. These two days have been the exact combination of family and sun that I needed so desperately. I really was feeling a winter depression kick in where it feels like my body can’t go on without sunlight. Luckily, I got hours of Vitamin D that will hold me over for the next couple of weeks.

In other news, I got a job in Portland! Oddly enough, I heard I got the job the morning I moved to Portland. Talk about good timing. I start next week, I’m a little apprehensive about starting a full time job, but I know it’s for the best right now. Things are really starting to look up!

peach — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 01:48:00 +0000

While I wait for my mom to edit some grad school application stuff I figured I’d pop in and let anyone who cares to read that I GOT AN APARTMENT!! I finally made the decision to move to Portland. After much thought I realized that Oregon is the best state around so of course I should move there. Finally, after 6+ months I have a place to call my own (or I will in a few days when I move in). It is so needed, there is only so long one can wander around without privacy and a place to unpack your clothes. Now here’s hoping that I like Portland!

In other news, I thought my grad school application was due April 1st and very recently learned it was February 1st. This news set off about 24 hours worth of anxiety as I scrambled to gather my thoughts. Luckily, I have nothing but time and have made quite a bit of progress on the application and only hope my recommendations get done in time. I feel like a slacker who has been out of school way too long but can’t wait to get back into the world of academia (if all goes well).

And in other amazing news, I will be insured within a day or two and I am ecstatic. Being uninsured makes me paranoid so this is a relief. What a life of luxury I’m living with BOTH Health Insurance and a home.

>The Power of Now

peach — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 07:08:00 +0000

>It’s weird that I haven’t tried to live in the moment for the past 7 months or so; in fact, I had completely forgotten about the practice. As I was sitting on the couch in Wojc’s brother’s house as they were loading the last of our suitcases in the car I started to stress. Who am I kidding? Even the cat was nervously pacing as we packed all of our belongings. I sat on the couch and my mind started to go to an anxious place where I began to worry about leaving for Portland tomorrow and looking for an apartment and what if I didn’t like any of the places and so on and so forth. All of a sudden it hit me: right now, right this very moment everything is fine and I’m happy. If I could learn to live in the present moment then my life would be different. If you truly live in the moment you really can’t stress; all of my anxiety and stress stem from worrying about what will happen a day from now, a week from now, a year from now. Because of all this stress I often let days pass without fully enjoying them.

“Nothing ever happened in the past; it happened in the Now.
Nothing will ever happen in the future; it will happen in the Now.”

Eckhart Tolle provides me with an excellent meditation that I really hope to incorporate in my life as often as possible. I think it’s like a muscle, the more you exercise it the stronger it becomes and the more I practice living in the moment the easier it will become. When I had this epiphany it was like a cement block lifted from my shoulders.

>Home is where the heart is.

peach — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 08:38:00 +0000

>Y’all I’m getting serious about this apartment business. Wojc and I have pretty much agreed on Portland and so we will be making yet another drive down on saturday to really truly look for a place. I have about four appointments set up thus far all in the Pearl area and the Hawthorne area. If any Portlanders know of good neighborhoods I should be checking, please let me know! I really don’t know the city that well yet.
Anyway, back to “settling down”. My last home was my apartment in Harlem over 6 months ago. For months I have lived in a tent, a truck, under the stars, an empty vacation home, my mom’s house, my boyfriend’s parents’ house, my boyfriend’s brother’s house, a shack in northern Washington and too many friends’ floors to count. I realized the other night that I haven’t been alone in a house for over a month. And wow, for a person who needs ample “alone time” this has been an adjustment.
Within a week (knock on wood) we will have an apartment. My nest egg will be slightly smaller and reality will have finally set in. As I approach this permanent move I find myself feeling deeply nostalgic for New York City; because, oddly enough, it is my comfort zone. When I’m not tearing up over NYC skyline footage, I’m getting that old familiar urge to hop on the first plane to India. Aww, the joys of being a commitment-phobe. This is the end of an era. New York was unexpected and three years passed in the blink of an eye, all my memories feel like a dream and I think, “did that really happen?” With the end of traveling, reality is sinking in that I am no longer a New Yorker who can proudly gripe about rent prices and subway rides. And with this sudden turn to melancholy, I will only look forward to a slower paced, less expensive, happy daily existence.
I desperately long for a place to call my own and know that after the initial stress I will love the stability; however, staying still has never been my strong suit. So now, I push away that urge to roam and settle back in my beloved home state, Oregon.

>A Year In Review

peach — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 05:47:00 +0000

>As per usual, I’m a little late in the year in review/resolutions post. Better late than never, right? Minutes before pulling alongside James Lipton, I awkwardly asked a car full of people as the last few minutes of 2010 ticked by, “if you had to use one word to describe your year what would it be?” Apparently people weren’t feeling introspective as I was met with a change in subject, but I thought about my question and realized mine would be unknown. 2010 was full of adventure, excitement, stress, dread, joy but the most common theme was the unknown, both good and bad.
I was preyed upon by two guys with guns and ski masks in February. This caused so much stress, anxiety and fear and was the final push I needed to plan my escape from New York.
I quit my job in June. One of the most difficult and yet best decisions I’ve made in some time.
I packed up a truck and fulfilled a life long dream of driving cross-country in June and July which turned into one of the fondest memories of my life.
I spent my summer and fall traveling happily between Arizona, Oregon and NYC.
I stressed more days than I care to count about where to move and wondering if I will ever get a job.
2010 was filled with some of the best times and some of the worst times but not a day that I regret.
In 2011 I hope to continue my adventures but with a little more stability. I am so happy to be on the west coast again within driving distance to almost all of my closest friends and family that I already feel like I’ve succeeded in 2011; however, I am not without resolutions.

In 2011 I hope to decide on a city to live in, find an apartment, get a job and travel overseas. And apply/get accepted to graduate school. The End.

Salt N’ Pepper Revisited

peach — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 06:08:00 +0000

A few days ago on one of the only sunny days on the southern Oregon coast the family and I embarked on a visit to Salt and Pepper beach south of Port Orford on 101. My mom, sister and brother-in-law hadn’t been yet and they needed to see such an outstanding place.

The day couldn’t have been more perfect for a December coastal day. Trailblazing down the hillside, slipping down the mud and tripping our way through blackberry vines quickly warmed us up. With the sun shining it felt like a perfect sunny day.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: this is the most spectacular beach I’ve seen. As you walk down the final grassy hill and look down upon the beach you can’t help but feel part of a mystical place. There are no buildings, electric lines, roads; there are no sounds other than the boom of the waves crashing on the rocks. It’s as out of this world as I’ve been while staying right here in Oregon.

When I’m on Salt and Pepper beach a feeling of peace washes over me. Maybe it’s my brain waves syncing up with the tide. Maybe it’s the memories I have as a child splashing through the waves. The sun rays peaking through the clouds and the glow of the blue/gray ocean balance and calm me. I want to do yoga, sleep and run when I come to this place.

It has been such a good week down in Port Orford with my family. We haven’t been all together for several years and this time has been memorable. I wish we could all stay here for at least another week, and yet real life awaits. My sister and bro-in-law will fly out shortly, I’ll be heading to Portland and my brother off to where ever the wind takes him. It’s sad parting ways, I only hope we’ll all be together sooner than it took last time.

peach — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 21:31:00 +0000

Happy Festivus To All!!!

Christmas morning was magical. I hope everyone is having a wonderful day regardless of what you celebrate!

How Lovely Are Your Branches

peach — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 20:56:00 +0000

A week ago I hopped on the train from Seattle. My sister and brother-in-law got on a plane and my brother took his car. We managed to coordinate our arrivals within a half hour of each other in Portland. Shockingly there were no delays. We then proceeded to make the 5 hour drive south to Port Orford where we have spent the week lounging and making the most of family time.

A couple days ago we woke up to a gloriously sunny day and knew it was the perfect day to find our christmas tree. Throughout my childhood we spent hours and hours driving the logging roads in search of the “perfect” tree; of course, this rarely happened and we could never agree on a tree. Usually the search would end in desperation as the sun dropped and the rain fell and we were left with a scrawny Charlie Brown tree. Honestly, the tree doesn’t really matter; it’s the adventure and tradition that means the most.

We all packed into the truck and began the drive up China Mountain. Not ten minutes passed when my brother spotted a nice tree on the side of the road. We inspected it and knew it was perfect. Luckily, my conscience was eased when we noticed it had a disfigured trunk and was growing a steep hill not suitable for survival.

Utku got down to the business of sawing it down with our less than sharp blade. With such a small trunk, the tree came down quickly.

The speed in which we found and cut down the tree was unheard of so we spent the remainder of the afternoon seeing the sights and going to the beach. It’s times like this when I so happy to be an Oregonian.

Later that night my sister and brother put up the tree and we all decorated it. Not the greatest picture, but believe me it is one of my favorite christmas trees yet, made even better with the smug satisfaction of finding the perfect one deep in the wilderness.