We took Pernell and our dog, Benny, to Oregon for four days last week. Doing so was a smart move, psychologically speaking. I hadn’t realized how much the limitations of the stay at home order along with the general stress of avoiding Covid had weighed on me until we took off for one of the most beautiful coastal places on earth.
The change of scenery, the confirmation that life is indeed going on, and engaging with the staggering beauty of the natural world lifted me up. Optimism and hope are possible again. Trust is possible again. Belief in the power of my own personal agency is possible again. It wasn’t until I watched the sun come up over a paddock in Tillamook that I recognized how much those qualities had been eroded over the past five months of watching my city burn and news reports of Covid deaths day after day.
Here are a few pictures. I hope they inspire you to make a break for the open road, safely. Avoid crowds. Wash your hands. Be as self-contained as possible. Have a mask handy for instances when social distancing isn’t possible. But get out and breathe. Find a way to be with the ones you love most. We visited with my step-daughter in Astoria, and it was wonderful.
