Category Archives: Uncategorized

Aug15

A shift in July Plans – A funeral

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Friday, 02-July-2021 through Wednesday, 07-July-2021


It still hasn’t really hit me.

I’m writing this up in early August, and it still hasn’t truly hit me that my Grandma is gone.

She wasn’t young, by any means, and she absolutely lived as full as life as any of us could ask for. She experienced, loved, traveled, lived, and passed those experiences on. She grew, and grew a family around her… and thanks to that, she doesn’t seem like she’s really gone… even though I know that she is.



I got the call on a Friday morning. A little bit before work, as I was getting ready for my low-key work Friday.

Within an hour I had plane tickets booked, and was working with the IT department in my office to get a loaner laptop assigned to me. My leadership tree was exceptionally helpful, and before early afternoon I had a laptop, travel authorization, I’d rescheduled my climbing trip, cancelled all the bookings that could be cancelled, and was getting myself ready to fly out East for the time since the Pandemic started.

The sky put on a show for me as the plane flew East and I stared quietly out the window.

It was the Fourth of July, and I could see scattered fireworks below us… steadily getting thicker as we got closer and closer into Boston.

I… don’t really know what to write, here. I didn’t take any pictures from the funeral, of course, and the entire day seemed to flow around us all like syrup.



People arrived. The Rabbi spoke. My family spoke. They weren’t the same words that were spoken after my Grandfather passed away… but they were similar.

The dirt landed with a thud against the coffin. We were reminded, again, that placing dirt into a grave is the greatest mitzvah that can be performed since the people it’s being performed for can never repay the debt in this life. The sentiment helped, but didn’t take away the dulled senses and feelings of emptiness.

We finished the service, we went home. Everyone stayed together, consoled each other, and stories were both told and heard.

It was… It was. Those words are enough. It simply was.

Jul22

A long staycation on July 4th – Hiding from COVID

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So my company was hit pretty hard by COVID-19, and instituted a 10% furlough program. Reduced pay, but balanced by various furlough days scattered throughout the year… primarily around holidays. July 4th was one of those, which meant that I had Thursday through Monday off from work – the 2nd through the 6th. Five full days for adventure!

My original plan was to drive out to City of Rocks in Idaho. I reserved a campsite maybe two weeks beforehand, and started planning out what to bring, and what route to take.

But… It’s a 10 hour drive, shortest route. 11, by the route I was thinking of taking. And that doesn’t include stops for gas, food, and the stretch breaks that I’d absolutely need on a trip that long. I kept trying to talk myself into it, but in the end I just talked myself out of the trip.

I canceled the reservations, and put together a new plan. A staycation, full of relaxation, organizing my new apartment, and re-aquainting myself with the Pacific Northwest…

 

 

Saturday and Sunday, 04 & 05-July, 2020

 

Saturday and Sunday, I basically did nothing.

It was glorious.

 

Officially, I was staying at home to avoid the crowds, and practice social distancing in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. I was doing a good thing, to help protect Oregon and minimize the spread of the disease currently wracking our county, and straining out healthcare infrastructure.

That was my reason. The fact that I was tired, and wanted to just relax and veg indoors while trying to heal from the sunburn that I’d gotten after forgetting how intense the sun can be in a convertible, just added an extra bonus to my decision.

 

So I relaxed. I cooked nice breakfasts, I ate good food, and I played video games. I read a bit, organized my new apartment, and luxuriated in the quiet that comes from not being at a crowded park with a thousand other revelers.

Like I mentioned – glorious.

Mar15

A Scotland Adventure – Part 1, the overview!

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Hello, and welcome back to your annual story time of Ben and Sarah’s international adventures! Keeping with the tradition of the last few years, Sarah and I visited with her family, this year going back to Scotland.

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From Saturday, 21-December, 2019 all the way through to Saturday, 04-Jan, 2020

 

Part 1 – The overview, and photo highlights

The general framework of the trip is detailed below; we didn’t come into the trip with any major plans or goals, we were really looking forward to the time to relax after the busyness of 2019. It’d been a pretty amazing year, full of huge amounts of growth… but with that growth had come a number of challenges that left us fairly drained.

A visit to the Highlands was exactly what the doctor ordered.

 

Quick summary of our trip to Scotland!

  • Leave Portland on Saturday, 21-December-2019
  • Get stuck in San Francisco due to a delayed flight, and stay overnight at the super-posh Grand Hyatt while also getting to walk around the city and visit my cousin
  • Arrive in Scotland on the 23rd… but unfortunately without our checked bags
  • Explore Aberdeen for two days (Tuesday and Wednesday), getting to see the Art Museum, attend the midnight mass at St. Maccars, and even watch dolphins jumping in the surf outside of town
  • Drive to the Isle of Skye, staying overnight at the BenLeva Inn on Loch Ness. We don’t see Nessie… but we do have a full can of Irn Bru (a type of soda) vanish, leaving only the pierced and empty can…
  • We spent three full days on Skye, and had an excellent time exploring and photographing everything we could find. Some major adventure points were:
    • We hiked up to the Storr (in the rain)
    • Explored the town of Portree, and ate some extremely good Cullen Skink
    • hiked the Quiraing route from the parking lot down to the town of Flogetty
    • Walked out to the Fairy Pools
  • Back in Aberdeen, we spent a day touring around the countryside, seeing standing stones and other amazing points of interest.
  • We spent another day back in Aberdeen exploring the city – seeing Greta’s office, visiting shops, and walking through some amazing museums