GPHQ 11: Newberry Road

May 13, 2021

Yesterday

With all of the principals now vaccinated, the time had finally come for us to fire up the Raven for a road trip south for some long overdue reunions. With a full day ahead of us, we left home early and drove to Silverton to visit the Grumbys, who we last saw nearly a year ago when they joined us for a socially distant tour of the covered bridges of Linn County.

A lot has happened in the meantime, in their lives and ours. Their big news is that their new home is completed and they’ve moved in since we were here last. It was just a shell when we first saw it last March, just days before the Covid crisis hit Oregon and the world started shutting down; but now it’s beautiful, warm and homey. As are it’s occupants.

Image not found :( — So great to see Jen after all these months. It’s closing in on a year now.

The fearsome foursome, vaccinated and unmasked. Covid, pah!!

I caught the womenfolk looking my way, staring and chortling. I have no idea what they found so humorous.

The ruthless Raven renders Ron ridiculous, swiftly slashing him down to size.

A few hours later we piled in the Raven again and drove on to Salem for a second reunion with three other long-standing friends: Lynn, who we last saw at her home in Eugene on our way south to Chico last November; Frank, who I think I last saw two summers ago when I drove down for a haircut from my old barber before leaving for Iberia; and Frank’s wife Julie, who we haven’t seen in so long that I can’t remember now when it was.

We met in Frank and Julie’s back yard under a canopy sheltering us from the sun and spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on each others’ lives. It’s been too long, and hopefully won’t be so long until the next time. Inexplicably though, I failed to pull out the camera.

Today

I’m not antisocial exactly, but I’m definitely well off on the introverted end of the scale. And after a full year of near isolation, I’m out of practice at socializing. All that work yesterday keeping up my corner of a conversation wore me out a bit, so I took it easy today. After hiding out at the coffee shop for a while, I biked out Leif Erickson Drive and up to Skyline for another hill video, this time dropping down Newberry Road. It was a pretty lazy effort though. I didn’t bike too hard, I didn’t stop often for photographs because it sounded like too much work, and now I’m not even going to say much about it either.

Do enjoy the video though. It’s a great and speedy descent, dropping 800’ in two miles.

This plant has developed a bit since we saw it last. Bill: does it still look like fringecup?

Amazing that after living around it most of my life I’ve never really noticed the erect growth pattern and opposing leaves of nettles. Some of these stalks are taller than I am. They remind me of a Japanese pagoda somehow.

Video sound track: Ballad of Pancho Villa, by Vince Guaraldi and Bolo Sete.

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Jen RahnSo great to see you and Rachael and hear more of your stories.

I especially loved your quotable quote "It's just a plan; it's not a commitment."

Your ability to adapt to changing circumstances (always with positivity and openness!) never ceases to amaze me.

I was to be like you and Rachael when I grow up!
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2 years ago

Andrea BrownI wore out two sets of brakes commuting to Skyline School on Newberry Road. But it was always beautiful.
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Andrea BrownI knew you’d worked up at that school, but I’ve never heard tha you commuted up there by bike. Quite a trek!
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2 years ago

Andrea BrownTo Scott AndersonHARDLY. These were my car brakes.
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Andrea BrownOh. And I was so impressed!
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2 years ago

Rachael AndersonTo Jen RahnWhat a nice thing to say! I wish I was as creative and clever as you! I loved reading all your great poems.
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2 years ago