Perhaps most of you know that I was hanging out in LA for a while…jumping around temporary places (three in six months). LA is not for me. I couldn’t connect to the wavelength of the city itself, the people, the artistic community, and definitely not the pricetag associated with what I can only describe as “a headache”. I knew that I wanted to leave LA, but I didn’t want to go back to the east coast. I’ve always wondered if I would like living in Portland, Oregon. So I decided that there’s no time like the present to find out. And no more temporary places. This is the real deal and I am getting my own place.
So I left LA last week. I visited Redwoods National Park and the state parks associated with the redwoods along the 101. I had never been to that area and it was beautiful, magical, and tranquil. I went on a few hikes, but Fern Canyon in Prairie Creek Redwoods State park was my favorite. Apparently they filmed the famous ewok scene and scenes from Jurassic park there. But all fame aside, the place is just amazing. I am posting photos from that particular area in this post.
I stopped in Eugene to visit a good friend there. I then drove to Portland and arrived on Saturday and met up with friends whom I hadn’t seen in a long time. By 3am, I was on my way to the ER. The second time in two weeks. The trip to the ER led to a visit to a new doctor and then an emergency surgery to remove my 6th kidney stone. The stone had been hanging out for over a year, but decided to move a lot during my last 2 weeks in California. Stupid kidney stone! Some welcome to Portland! They say that you should research the hospitals, schools, and neighborhoods in the place where you are moving. I guess I got a third of that down now.
Although this was an unfortunate situation, I can’t say enough good things about healthcare in Portland. The doctor and hospital experiences that I’ve had here so far have been the best ever. They are willing to listen to you, seem genuinely concerned and want to help, and even the smallest things are not overlooked. They were willing to bend over backwards to help me. I have never received this kind of healthcare anywhere in the US.
Unfortunately, I had to cancel my trip home to Pennsylvania, but will be rescheduling after I know what’s going on. When I come back to Portland, I will begin the hunt for my own new home! I am very excited about moving to Portland. I have faith that this city holds everything that I have been wanting in a place to call my own home. I even have a photo studio lined up with a few friends. So when it’s raining outside, I’ll just sit under my warm studio lights and pretend that I’m on a tropical beach.
Anyway, more photos to come, but here are photos from Fern Canyon for now.
