Here’s a shot taken at Mt. Tabor Park in Portland early last March…just as there was the hint of spring.

Ah, spring: it’s all we (or at least I) have to look forward to right now, as the winter solstice, tomorrow, brings us to the new, bleak, all-too-long, dark season. It’s wet, dreary, and bone-chilling cold here in Roseburg today as I write this. Winter is only just arriving, and here I am dreaming of the time of renewal that begins three months from now!

As I contemplate living, alone, through the rest of the holiday season here in southern Cascasdia, I’m thinking of the City of Roses…the place I endured a love/hate relationship with the last two years. Here are a few memories I have of that place:

Some Things I Miss About Portland

• Living in my (rented) house
• My friends & colleagues 
• KINK FM Radio
• My anonymity
• Low (relatively speaking, that is) gas prices
• Powell’s Bookstore
• PDX
• Mt. Tabor Park and the view
• All the movie theaters & the large movie selection
• Malls that are malls
• Kinko’s, Starbucks, Noah’s Bagels, and assorted-other convenience spots

Some Things I Definitely Don’t Miss

• Traffic
• The east wind
• Freezing rain
• The prison-like campus buildings
• Worrying about personal safety
• High prices on car/home insurance
• Crowds (especially this time of year)
• Getting lost
• Pervasive panhandling
• DEQ inspections