Ashland, Oregon
42°11'40'' N and 122°42'34'' W
An opportunity to dog sit was on our radar for a while and we weren’t sure how it was going to fit. The Universe conspired and after leaving Hawaiʻi we made our way to Oregon!
When in Oregon we must always visit the Wylds! Krystal and Jen have known each other for more years than we will count and one should never pass up an adventure with Jen. You really never know what you will get yourself into. This time around it was hair sparkles, virtual Hanukkah celebrations, and really epic old forts turned into really wonderful parks.
We also got to see old friends for pizza and beer, visit all of the eclectic winter craft markets in Portland, and meet Hedgy the hedgehog.
Hedgy belongs to Mary’s cousin Jackson and his family and hedgehog are really cool! We were super lucky to spend a few days with them and they were packed with material fit for a righteous Wes Anderson film. Our favorite adventure: the middle school holiday concert! On our way to the concert, in rush hour traffic, the tuba virtuoso announced (in complete panic) “I forgot my music!” Massive shout out to the epic tag-team parenting of Jackson and McKenna for getting everyone to their places and coming in with the music, from home, right on time. Wow. McKenna is also really, really good at jiu jitsu and we are always up for an adventure. She absolutely kicked our butts on the mat and now we know what it means to flow like water and crush your opponent!
We hopped into a trusty rental car and made the trek from one end of Oregon to the other just in time to watch 5 dogs for the holidays while Mary’s other cousin got married in Cabo. Cousin Cathy makes a righteous dirty martini and the laughs started pouring in.
A petrified walrus penis, more chanterelles than you could ever imagine, and dogs with personalities for days all welcomed us to our new home for the month of January and February.
Cousin Cathy treated us all to a truly wonderful evening holiday concert and Bill made home-made doughnuts! This place was shaping up to spoil us rotten! Before we get too far we have to introduce Daisy, or Daizor as we nicknamed her. She is 16 dog years (112 human years) old and an absolute curmudgeon. She also doesn’t like change and we were a whole lot of change. Just imagine being trailed by a grumpy old dog who just sort of falls over sometimes and barks at nothing. We miss her now, but it took a minute to love her.
Speaking of love, Mary LOVES tractors. In Ashland there is no shortage of tractors, and golf carts, and farm cars and Mary drove ALL of them…everywhere! Now we know what is a necessary element for a happy Mary retirement - an electric golf cart!
After two weeks of training we were in charge of three littles: Charlie, Maisel, and Penny; one sensitive hunting dog: Oliver; and a grumpy old lady: Daisy. Trial by fire my friends. Trial by fire! We learned that Penny, who seems like the sweetest dog on Earth, is actually a sneaky thief! Oliver, a very obedient and well-mannered hunting pup, is terrified of fireworks and Daisy. This is very funny as Daisy is 1/10th of his size. Maisel slipped into great despair as she knew we were not her parents and she wasn’t interested in any of our surrogate love. Charlie was the best. We imagined Charlie clad in bell bottoms with a fruity drink, happy to be outside or in your lap and always full of kisses. Needless to say we survived and everyone, including grumpy old Daisy survived…even though Mary had to dig her grave before the ground froze…just in case.
Our time in Ashland had two missions. Dogs were #1 and #2 was organizing and cleaning the barn…s. We now know that if we ever had to we could rock the daylights out of a cleaning and organizing business: junk haulers, stuff organizers, craft storage solutioners. When wading through absolute uncertainty in a ruckus job market aiming to move to the largest city in the US we recommend physical labor as a way to manage and decompress. What a sense of accomplishment time and time again. Also, for the record, an old metal filing cabinet is the perfect yard tool organizer.
Ashland is stunning and we are beyond grateful for the opportunity to be surrounded by golden eagles (who we thought might eat the littles) and the magic of sun, rain, and snow. Mary’s dream came true when we went to dinner at Omar’s - not a middle eastern restaurant despite the decorations. We also signed up to spend time at the YMCA. The pool is heated to 80 degrees and if you time it right you can have the entire yoga room to yourself.
In celebration of cleaning the farm car, we visited the Schneider Museum of Art at Southern Oregon University to see What’s at Stake featuring contemplations on global conflict by Masami Teraoka, Al Farrow, and Zeina Barakeh. Al Farros’s work also crossed our paths in San Francisco and was arresting. From afar the sculptures seem beautiful and well done replicas of familiar buildings. Up close, the structures are made from spent artillery and bullets. The centerpiece was the White House featuring handguns for door jams.
Mary proclaimed that come hell or high water we should just GO to NYC. We certainly weren’t getting jobs in NYC from Ashland, Oregon. So we headed back to Portland to plan a launch to NYC. This time we had a crash course in self care from Bri and enjoyed face masks, incredible lotion, and rejuvenating teas. We also got to spend quality one-on-one time with Abbey, the dog, who wants zero to do with strangers. It was a lot of her looking suspiciously at treats from under the bed. Oregon, we love you! And Daisy is going on 120 in dog years despite everyone’s skepticism.
