Tag Archives: Portland

May17

Staying in Portland ’till the end (or the beginning)

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From Friday, 27-Apr-2024 through Wednesday, 01-May-2024


After my home became my apartment, and after my apartment became an apartment, I stayed with a friend. I had a few spare days to get things done before I stepped onto that plane – a few days left open to finish last tasks, and as a buffer in case previous tasks took longer than anticipate.

I had to put my car into storage, I had to lock down a few details with handing off the apartment keys, and… that was really it. A few odds and ends that I wanted to do, but… mostly just waiting.

Thankfully, my friend Bri was amazing throughout the whole exciting and chaotic event. She valiantly hosted me, drove me back after I locked the door on the Mustang (after putting it up on jacks, disconnecting the battery, and adding in fuel stabilizer). She went to dinners with me, helping me check those last boxes of places that I wanted to visit… and helped keep me out of trouble with a few final trips to the climbing gym in town.


It was lovely – and honestly a key part to packing up and saying goodbye to a home. Keeping time to feel the emotions, and having a friend nearby (if possible) to help navigate those waters. And of course, keeping time for things to go sideways, so they can be ironed out without anxiety or rush.

We even got to go to El Gaucho, finally – An amazing steakhouse that I’ve heard of, and had been meaning to go to… but never quite had the reason to take the leap.

It went well.

May7

My last days in Wilsonville

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Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday – April 24th, April 25th, and April 26th, all in 2024

I am a sentimental creature, by nature.  I may have mentioned that recently, but it rang especially true over the last few days.

I have been emotionally tumultuous through the last day’s that I’ve spent in the town that had been my home for the last four years.  I was holding it together pretty well until I took the photos down from the walls of my apartment – but once the photos of my friends, family, and adventures came down… So to did my emotional walls.

I wasn’t able to cry, which almost made it worse.  All I felt was a hole deep inside my soul, radiating raw sadness and loneliness at the sight of my emptying apartment.

It was my apartment, not my home.  My home was warm and comfortable, with welcoming photos of smiling family watching over me.  My apartment is sterile, with blank white walls and moving boxes against the walls, blocking off the couch.

At the same time, I was elated!  I’d be on a plane to Greenland by this time next week, and I’d be well on my adventure this time next month!!  I had tours of glacier caves booked, and countless other adventures simply awaiting my arrival in time!

The best way I’ve found to describe this was that I’ve finally left my anchor behind… But, without that anchor holding me steady to the seafloor, I’m careening from one wave to another, through peaks and troughs.

I can feel the waves calming, though, and writing all of these “going away” posts has helped me out quite a bit. So too has taking and reviewing some final pictures from Wilsonville… a last set from my walks around the town that’s been so good to me.

Apr19

Touching up the Mustang

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April, 2024


So this is just a quick note, but it’s something I’m proud of. Part of leaving Oregon, and the United States, is putting my car into storage. I’ve brought it in for a full maintenance, cleaned it up, and then did some touch-up work on some chips in the paint on the hood.

It worked well!

For anyone debating if they can touch-up the paint on their car… well, I did it. Wasn’t too tough, so… give it a try, I guess?

All I did was headed to the autoparts shop, asked for a touch-up pen, and then followed the directions. Cleaned off the chips, snapped off any bubbled paint, cleaned the surface… then applied two coats of paint and two coats of clear finish. Took me 20min total, over the course of… maybe 3 hours, letting everything dry.

My only regret? Not having kneepads. Kneeling to do the paint was kinda painful on the asphalt.