{P}ortland {N}etworks {C}ollide & {A}lign

A few weeks back, my previous career at the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) collided with my current line of work as Portland's Green Building Policy Coordinator. A string of hand-me-down emails from the Mayor's office led to an ecocharette invite for PNCA's green renovation of their historic 511 Building.

In 2007, as I was wrapping up 7 years of teaching Natural Science, PNCA purchased this stately building for the grand total of $1. A sweet US Department of Education deal once the building becomes vacated by it's only tenant, Dubya's Department of Homeland Security. Fast forward to 2011, and PNCA's dream building is finally becoming a reality.

The charette was filled with PNCA faculty, students & staff from my past mixed with green building colleagues from the present. I was pleasantly surprised to find PNCA's commitment to establishing the 511 Building as the cultural center of an EcoDistrict - the next generation of green building at a neighborhood scale AND the primary focus of my current work. From that point forward, a constant string of professional and personal connections have been intertwining with PNCA folks.

At times the coincidences have been exceptionally bizarre. Earlier in the year, I bought online electronic tickets to a Thermals explosion for Bunny & I. On the day of the show, she couldn't make it. Lilly pleaded to fly backup. Too loud, and too late for 'Lil, so I flew solo. Contemplating all the latest cosmic PNCA connections, I rode down to the show wondering whether our stars would align. Sure enough, I arrived to a loooooonnng line, and at the very end there stood a former PNCA maintenance dude + date.

We joked around as the line crept forward. Then he entered the SOLD OUT show while I was stopped by the doorman. Unfortunately, my online order had not registered with the electronic WILL CALL. If I could only access my email on a smart phone, I would pull up the ticket confirmation. But alas, I am dumber than a doornail when it comes to cell phones.

Disillusioned by the night, I unlocked my bike and started heading back home when my intuition wisely reminded me that this PNCA connection was no coincidence. Being a good listener, I turned around and locked back up again. Within minutes I was given entry as one stranger pulled up my email confirmation and another one bought Bunny's ticket. And, The Thermals delivered a non-stop-slam-dance-sweat-fest. What a RELIEF!?!

Last Monday, The Thermals rocked out again with a surprise show at the century-old Oaks Park roller rink. Lilly learned to rollerskate the week before, and we scored a couple of free tickets.

On the last visit to Oaks Park in 2006, I busted my ankle horribly. When the music is booming, I can't help but fly around the rink with little regard for safety. Fortunately, no injuries this time, and we ran into Lilly's former babysitter for a few rounds.

Newlyweds

On the night of 10.15.10, we headed down to the Portland Art Museum hoping to get hitched to art. Within minutes of searching, I found my Art/Life Partner: a fifth century Chinese Bhudda head that immediately captured my attention with those divine eyes. Still, I like to know all my options and subsequently surveyed each museum floor, only to return back to the beginning with Bhudda. By that time, my real life partner, Bunny, was on board, too. Having married herself in a separate project earlier that day, this was her second ceremony as the good Rev. Ariana wedded us into a 1-year nuptial commitment with Art/Bhudda/Life.

And then a door opened. Being raised agnostic, I was neither attracted nor repelled by religion. Still, I am completely fascinated by strange coincidences and hold a strong belief in being guided by spirit. Several weeks, after our Art/Life marriage, Bunny asked,

"Since our night at the art museum, have you been noticing connections to Bhudda like I have?"

"No," I responded, "but maybe I should raise my awareness."

A few days later, she was in the midst of a rough spell, so I suggested a visit to the Japanese Garden with the kids to be get inspired by the Zen vibe and Fall foliage. En route to the garden, we stopped at a stranger's house who was selling an unusual commuter bike - a no-brainer for only 40 bucks. Moments after the test ride, we stepped into an antique store down the block and unexpectedly entered a showroom full of Chinese Bhuddas. Suddenly everything seemed sacred.

Trees.

Streams.

A sculpture and raked garden titled, Bhudda Herding Cats.

Lilly immersed in a silk screen installation.

Thanks to Lilly, Bhudda joined us for a holiday 'honeymoon' to Maui. While visiting a friend, she commented on the spines of a book series that collectively completes a head. Turns out that these Tezuka graphic novels depict a fictional life of Bhudda. We promptly reserved the series from the library and they arrived a couple days prior to our vacation. Perfect timing since Lilly, age 7, very recently dove into the joy of reading. The graphic novel completely captured her attention and she finished the last book (over 1,000 pages!) on our return flight home.

I was reading the series in Maui, too, and at one point, several of the characters describe our innate connection to nature and a divine ability for some to mind-meld with animals. The next day, we were playing at a beach, when a big, beautiful macaw swooped over us and then landed into the yard of a private home. Lilly followed its flight path and engaged in a conversation with the resident. Turns out that he had lived next door for many years with a Bhuddist monk who passed away. Shortly after, the macaw arrived and started living under his shelter. And soon after that, a mutual friend told him a promise from the monk, "After dying, I will return as a bird to continue teaching to my disciples." The macaw has continued to reside with him for the last 7 years.

Our newlywed life with Bhudda is brimming with sacred art, strange coincidences and spiritual connection to nature.

Mele Haole Haleakala Kalikimaka

With gracious help from Auntie Shanna, we escaped to Hana on the Winter Solstice for an exceptionally rare overnight date.

Heavenly Hana. Even with its continual rain, this legendary paradise delivers a full dose of romance with every visit. Dining over local fare, the full moon rose from the ocean through silver-lined clouds and swaying palm trees. A beacon of light on this darkest day of the year. We soaked in a moonlit sauna, then returned to our yurt where gentle waves lulled us into a deep slumber.

A constant rain the next morning sent us in search of sun. At the end of a windy side road down to Nihaku, we found sunlight along with giant waves crashing into a jet black shore.

We also randomly ran into a French family that Bunny had met on Baby Beach a few days earlier while I was off on an upcountry bike ride. Being a fellow bicycling fanatic, Bunny encouraged me to contact the French father, but it wasn't until Nihaku that we connected. Within minutes of meeting, a ride was planned the next morning to Haleakala Crater - a climb so grueling that I never would have considered it on my own. The summit was covered by a cold, dense fog, but here's what it looks like on a clear day :~)

And here's some more pic's of our Mele Kalikimaka with the Maui Ohana.

Holyday Ball-Ball Express

Nearly all my life, I earned the title 'night owl' followed by 'sleepy head' the next morning. This blog itself was born in the wee hours of the night following Superbowl XLIII while anxiously anticipating the late arrival of baby River into the world. But my biological clock shifted gears when I turned 40 over the summer. Suddenly, I can hardly keep my eyes open past midnight and awaken promptly at the crack of dawn.

Even after hosting a late-night holiday party last weekend, I rose early with the sun - a tad hungover and wishing to fall back into the abyss of sleep. Then River woke up, too. Lately all he talks about is 'ball-ball' (football) and 'choo-choo' (trains). This morning was no different. Looking outside, a warm tropical front had blown in a brief respite from weeks of rain & cold. A perfect opportunity for a long ride. So, I packed River on the back of the bike and headed out on a ball-ball & choo-choo adventure.

With our Hawaiian vacation right around the corner, we rode a tailwind out to the airport to watch planes take off. Then caught light rail trains across town to the Springwater Corridor bike path.

Along our return, we happened upon the Holiday Express steam train gearing up at Oaks Park.

News to me, the Oregon Rail Historic Foundation operates annual holiday rides on this relic from a century past. All aboard!

Children of every age entered the passenger cars as River & I were blown away by full-blast horns and high-pressure steam spraying from the mammoth engine. The train chugged away slowly down the tracks and then raced us along the Willamette River.

Our big bike adventure ended at the Hedge House to watch the Steelers eeek out another tight win. River's 1-year-old passion for football is adored by the Pittsburgh fans who congregate here religiously every Sunday during the season.

At the crack of dawn on this last day of Autumn, I woke to a choir of tropical birds. Soon joined by River with his usual request for ball-ball, then Lilly, then Bunny. The family relived the whole Super Bowl XLIII experience on DVD (a special Christmas gift request for Bubby :~) remembering River's last days in utero.

Happy Holydays!

Criss Cross Crusade

On the eve of Halloween, Lilly was invited to a costume party where I ran into Tom, an old friend that I hadn't seen in years. Dressed as the Silver Surfer, Tom's costume time warped me back to Portland circa 1997 when we competed in our first and last triathlon: The Aluminum Man. Yep. Aluminum. Not as strong as iron, but more heat tolerant than plastic!

Absent from the party, Tom's 10-year old son was continuing the family studliness down in Astoria attending his new-found passion: Team Bear on Cross Crusade. Around here, this local cyclocross circuit sits somewhere between Burning Man and Tour de France (check out the link to this Halloween race video).

A month earlier, I was leaving Citybikes shop with the finishing touches on an old MB-2 restoration when I ran into Spencer, Cross Crusade Cat A racer. Returning from an Alpenrose race, he looked at the mountain bike and only had one thing to say,

"You gotta race that bike in cyclocross."

A reluctant reply, "Nope, these old bones are too brittle and this classic is going on Craig's List tonight."

And on Craig's List, it sat there...and sat there...and sat there for a month. A couple of bikey fanatics responded, but no sale.

That brings me to Halloween. Bunny's new flower fairy friend invited us to a costume party where Cross Crusade emerged into the conversation AGAIN. Her husband, Vaughn, also races on Team Beer and offered a 30-minute mount-remount-hurdle-carry training session. I took him up on it a week later, and the next morning Lilly wakes up singing the Halloween classic:

Criss cross applesauce

Spider crawling up your back

Cool breeze, tight squeeze

Now you've got the shiveries!

Ok, all signs are GO! So, I corral the kids and bikes into the van headed for the last day of the Cross Crusade season.

Here's Lilly with her kiddie-race game face just before receiving a season-ending wasp sting.

And River is thrilled to find everyone else wants to play in the mud, too!

With all these criss-cross connections, I can see a season of Cross Crusade in our future. I'll hold onto the old MB-2 for good measure.

10.10.10

In alignment with 2010, tens have been recurring all year long... and October 10 was a thematic pinnacle as Bunny finished her last big wedding design project of the season. One wedding in tens of thousands chosen on this Sunday across the world.

I can't seem to recall 9.9.9. But on the morning of 10.10.10, we watched Tim Burton's latest film, 9, as the rain poured with seemingly no end in sight. Our pumpkin picking plans with Nanners had all but washed away until the clouds finally parted in the afternoon and Bunny finished her wedding flower delivery. We all headed out for a fun-in-the-sun-filled adventure at the quirky country bumpkin Plumper Pumpkin Patch.

A perfect 10!