CHAPTER FOUR-PILGRIM’S PROGRESS

Martin's Pond at sunset_Peacham VT_October 2015

Dearest Readers,

I’m two and a half months now in Portland. During this time, I’ve been sticking my toes in a few Sunday ponds testing the spiritual waters around my neighborhood. I’m a pilgrim on a path through life seeking transcendence. I was raised Irish Catholic and I still strongly identify with that heritage. A beautiful Catholic Church is a comfortable, familiar place, but I have trouble accepting many of the supernatural aspects of religion. I like ritual and a community of like-minded souls gathered to share values of compassion, and social justice. I’m committed to helping my neighbor and being kind. This is hard to do alone. (Hard to do–period!) In Vermont last year, I discovered the “Awe” of wild nature–the animals, mountains, weather, sky, water, and especially the trees. I could almost see that these natural, silent things stood in front of a vast “something” that underpins the cosmos. Words fail.

It’s more difficult in the city to see beyond the buildings, artificial light and human sounds to experience Nature’s transcendence. But here’s my path so far in order of spiritual preference. 

The Jesuit Volunteer Center in Portland

#1. The Jesuit Volunteer Center, is a non-profit Catholic storefront charity located in a low-income area near my home. I’m excited about this place and the Encorps program for seniors committed to social and ecological justice. JV Encorps is a program that I want to apply for this Spring. It offers to a select group each year opportunities for community service, and retreats for community and spiritual formation. More to come on that I hope…

Becoming a Tree No.8_oil on canvas_8.5in x 14in_2015

#2. My own personal path is through my artwork. My painting series “Becoming a Tree” explores my connection to wild nature and trees as portals to deeper understanding of my place in the universe. I have resumed this body of work.

Shrine Room at the Portland Shambhala Meditation Center

#3. The Shambhala Meditation Center of Portland is a short drive from home, located in a classic brick former public library, now an office building. 

Timory celebrating the birthday of Sakyong Mipham, the current teacher and leader of Shambhala Buddhism 

This is also a comfortable space for me. Shambhala is a network of Westernized Tibetan Buddhist centers in the USA and worldwide. I was a member of the Decatur GA and St Johnsbury VT Shambhala Centers. I like a meditative community that believes in humanity’s basic goodness, and the ability for world change through kindness and compassion. I do not believe in re-incarnation, but that does not seem to be a deal breaker in attending. I‘ve found peace through meditation and learned about that ineffable “Way” beyond what we see in daily life.

St. Andrew's Catholic Church_Portland OR

#4. St. Andrew’s Catholic Church is an easy walk from my home. It’s a beautiful American style gothic edifice and a welcoming congregation. Inside, the old and new blend in an open plan with plenty of lay involvement in the mass.

Sign reads: St Andrews–A Community of Justice, Compassion and Peace–All are Welcome

I especially like St. Andrew's dedication to social justice and Hispanic (neighborhood) inclusivity. St. Andrew’s offers support groups for women, for transgender, gay, and same sex couples. The congregation aligns itself with Pope Francis’ emphasis on serving the poor. This is right up my alley.

#5. I have a personal traditional ritual around the holidays of reading Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken”. I find a depth of meaning in this poem–a nugget of wisdom and simplicity. Frost lived in Ripton, Vermont, not far from Rutland where I spent a lot of my childhood and adolescence. Reading this poem, I imagine Vermont woodlands, snow, forested mountain roads and the Yankee ethos of rustic, simple living close to the land. I read it quietly these days.

Exterior view

Interior view before members arrived

#6. The Center for Spiritual Living- This is an interesting nation-wide religious organization that believes in God, but not in Jesus’ divinity–only Jesus as an important spiritual teacher. I attended a service last Sunday that included a homily, music, singing and meditative prayer. 

Wall of religious tolerance at Center for Spiritual Living

Nancy–Greeter and Practitioner at Center for Spiritual Living

 Advanced “Practitioners” like Nancy above, are available for spiritual counseling. It felt like a Unitarian Church service attended by educated liberals seeking to do good deeds and have a community. Nice people, but not my kind of spirituality---too dry I guess is the word. They follow the teachings of their founder, Ernest Holmes who wrote the book,”The Science of Mind”.  I haven’ t read it, but I’m leery of science-based religious groups that have one venerated leader. I may be a hypocrite here, since I like Pope Francis, a former scientist and venerated leader.

In the old days as a Catholic child, choosing a religious base was easy. You were Catholic, so you attended your neighborhood parish where you found moral answers, community and often a school.

One thing I do know–the birth of all of my grandchildren and most recently the birth of Iva Mae Hazel Ercin on December 27th here in Portland have all been awesome, transcendent and spiritual experiences for me.

Welcome to this amazing world dear Iva Mae Hazel Ercin

CHAPTER THREE-GETTING THE GEAR

6:00 pm Pacific Time. Portland OR_12.20.2015

 

I'm soaked after a rainy walk to and from the supermarket

Dearest Readers,

Fall and Winter in Portland means almost daily rain and more rain, again and again. I was warned, but I didn’t really believe it. That’s me in the picture above walking back from the supermarket–drenched–in my London Fog trench coat with not enough fabric water repellant.  Sometimes the rain is just a gentle mist. At other times there’s a downpour for an hour, or a nice drip-drop under a passing black cloud. We’ve had a few days of solid precip that created puddles like ponds, that kids slopped through at a local park I attended with grandson Henry. Three Moms looked on, comforted I guess by the fact that all the children were protected by tall rubber boots, rain jackets and hoods. Everyone appears prepared for, or impervious to the dampness.

Preschoolers, decked out in slickers with hoods are undaunted by rain on a class outing.

 

Kids probably from Albina Head Start on an outing along NE Skidmore St.

Landscapers at my neighbor’s house are doing major terrain shifting in the mud and rain. If they stayed home on rainy days they’d be out of business.

 

Landscapers from Grass Stains take a break to smile for my camera

Bikers in Portland are ubiquitous rain or shine, with head protection or without.

I equate it to the can-do snow travel attitude in Vermont. Schools and businesses up there are generally open no matter how much snow has fallen. Roads are quickly plowed and people use good snow tires to keep themselves mobile. Likewise, people in Portland keep themselves dry and on the move with the proper clothing.

My daughter Ayla bought me a waterproof rain shell with a hood that can be quickly flipped up or down whenever the rain starts or stops. This eliminates the need for carrying an umbrella.

 

Wearing my rain shell for a selfie in my bathroom 

Joel lent me his rain pants for walking or exercising outdoors. (My jeans were always getting soaked during walks). 

Much needed rain pants for long walks in the rain

Even my dog Etta now has a lightweight yellow rain slicker with hood. She no longer resembles a drowned rat after a rainy walk.

 

Etta in my studio in her new rain gear

Everywhere I go the natives know how to deal with the climate. I listen well and this makes life so much easier.

Scotch-Gard is my friend

There's beauty in all of this volatility. The clouds will part, revealing blue sky and sun, or a glorious sunset after a downpour. A fresh batch of ominous clouds may rumble in with rain again, followed by a solid low ceiling of leaden whiteness overhead. Local weather seems fickle, and randomly dependent on which street you live on at what moment in time. Quite an experience!

A clearing of clouds at dusk on NE Rodney Avenue_Portland OR

CHAPTER TWO-FINDING A COFFEE SHOP

Sierra my barista and the gluten-free bakery behind her

9:am Pacific Time. Portland OR_12.14.2015

Dearest Readers,

#1. Meet Sierra, the barista at TULA my favorite NE Portland neighborhood coffee shop, serving all gluten-free luscious pastries and earthy coffees.  It's sunny, welcoming and fresh inside. An excellent local coffee shop and cafe was top priority on my list of places and services to find…and Portland does not disappoint!

I found three other cafes nearby that served great brew, listed here in order of best to least favorite, but all excellent and within a 15 minute walk from home.

The Albina Press_N Albina Ave, Portland 

#2: The Albina Press–Great brew, and nice pastries, but nothing that was gluten free on the days I went there. (I’m not allergic, but I’ve found lately that ingesting wheat makes my tummy swell. I’m a bread addict, so this discovery is painful.) The Albina Press has nice outdoor benches with tiny built in coffee rests and a cozy interior with art shows on the walls–

The Albina Press inside-warm and comfortable

but the recorded music is too loud. It always drives me outdoors, even on rainy days. 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Albina-Press-Coffeehouse/152791121399765

Ristretto Roasters on N Williams Avenue, Portland_Grandson Henry's hand on Dad's lap 

#3: Ristretto Roasters–Excellent, excellent coffee, but no gluten free items available the days I went there. The space is slick, sunny and swank. Maybe a little too open and hard edged for me---The atmosphere strikes me as industrial-modern and expensive, but serving delicious joe.

http://ristrettoroasters.com

 

Extract Coffee Roasters_NE Prescott Ave, Portland

#4: Extracto-Excellent coffee, but a long wait for it, and loud music. All coffee at Extracto is a “pour-over”, which means they individually prepare a single drip cup of coffee for you. In my case, it’s a decaf Americano. 

Barista making Pour Over drip coffee at Extracto 

Preparation involved several steps that confused me and took forever.  

Fanciful dragon and monkey mural at Extracto

Luckily the interior was cozy and downscale, with paintings on the walls, and cute repurposed school desks and benches (pews?) for seating.

http://www.extractocoffee.com/#about

I’m establishing my new life in Portland by finding anchors, and navigating the neighborhood on foot and in my car, scouting out essential stores and service providers–like a vet for Etta (my aging pooch), a hairdresser for me, a spiritual community, a bank, a drug store, a daily exercise regimen, an artist center, and a nearby supermarket that I can walk to. I’ve zeroed in on most of these. More exploration adventures to come.

The best...and so close to home!

CHAPTER ONE – MAKING IT ALL FIT

I'm thrilled to present to you the freakin' Empty POD!

6:00pm Pacific Time. Portland OR_12.3.2015

Dearest Readers,

I’ve done it! Slowly emptied my giant POD of furniture into my little house in Portland (with help of course).

The Ark of My Possessions landed in Portland

My furniture arrived from Atlanta about two weeks ago in the biggest POD unit available. It looked like an ark ran aground in the driveway, packed to the yardarms with at least two of everything in my world. Today the POD man hoisted it up and took the empty shell away. This is a milestone in my change of place.

POD Man hoists the empty ark

And takes her away!

For years I’ve claimed to want to live simply, but this time the rubber hit the road, and I really did have to downsize from a 960 sq. ft. Georgia condo, to my lovely 496 sq. ft. tiny house in Portland Oregon–a reconfigured, redesigned two-car garage adjacent to my daughter Ayla and her partner’s home. 

Half-way through moving in, the house is full and the POD is still 1/2 full

It’s been a challenge sorting through all my boxes and bins of “must haves”, and constructing piles of stuff to donate, keep, or ditch. This is just a corner of the studio before the giveaways:

Some boxes still remain in the house to be unloaded, but I know where things will go. It’s a bit of a jigsaw puzzle, but I’m relieved and unburdened.

At some future date more accumulations from my mother’s, and my life will need to be jettisoned, but I can move around in my house now, do Tai Chi and dance in the studio, entertain little Henry, (my grandson), Ayla and Joel, and readily retrieve what I have put away at a moment’s notice.

Creating my nest and studio space was step one in feeling at home. Check!

Cute isn't she? Kitchen on the left, Living Rm/Studio on right. Bedroom behind the kitchen, bathroom and closet behind the studio. Big loft for storing paintings above the kitchen