2021 Symphony - 3rd Movement - Fall

 At this time of year the sky is still dark as I awake at 6. I see the red eye flights arriving and departing at the airport off in the west, their lights looking like fireflies in the dimness of the early morning. The air is cooler, even though sunny and temperate, beach days are a memory until next year when the afternoons  will once again be long, and the sun, sitting high overhead in the middle of the sky will be warm. The sun lies lower in the sky now. Now we form a different set of memories, colorful leaves, the scent of fires crackling in fireplaces and thoughts of the upcoming holiday season, hopefully more joyous than the last when pain, depression and fear of a silent epidemic held us in it's brutal, cold hand.  

I have gone to the theatre, a passion of mine I missed deeply. While the play wasn't all that great the theatre of the theatre was. A group of people, vaccinated and masked, once again sharing an experience. A group of people reconnecting with being the social animals that we are. Trying to reconnect with the feeling of being together instead of isolated and apart. 

Crawling From the Wreakage

 We have been left with the pile of wreckage the former president created of the United States. It has become, in many places, a soulless shell of it's former self filled with hate and cruelty. 

A young man of high school age, speaking about the death of his grandmother from covid, pleading with this local school board for a mask mandate, heckled by adults in the room. A parent attacked in his car by others after a school board meeting for asking their board to take the same action. 

People spout hate and hurl insults at a sitting president that speaks in a slow, reasoned way. They call him feeble and senile. Yet the former president they idolize suggested that if we stopped testing covid cases would go away. Suggesting that ingesting disinfectants might combat the virus forcing manufacturers to plead with customers to use the products only for their intended purpose. Spouted lies, hate, division and fear daily across social media platforms bringing us to the brink of civil war. A war that may still be fought.

We watch as a woman right to chose and all citizen's right to easy voting access are chipped away by state legislatures. Much of our judiciary branch, including the Supreme Court, has been stolen from us.  Judges appointed, many highly unqualified for their positions, put into place to ensure restrictive, ultra conservative decisions by the very same people that once complained of progressive judges legislating from the bench.

The media shares blame. Even the so called progressive media question and criticize the new administrations every move yet offer no alternatives. They are addicted to strife, chaos and division. It is "good television".  They could, if they desired, elevate the conversation. Debate, offer suggestions and alternatives, move us forward. Instead they throw gas on a fire which is close to, of not already, out of control. Because, you know, ratings and all. 

Can we recover or do we call the 250 year old grand political experiment, the United States, a failure. What is needed is empathy. Concern for the well being of people other than ourselves. Acceptance and tolerance of people of different colors, cultures, religions and ideals, just attempting to make their way through the world like everyone else. The country that once, with pride, called itself a melting pot needs to return to that value. We need to create a place where what is best for all is more important than what is good for the individual. Where we move forward instead of becoming stagnant or watch ourselves be turned into a political, social and ideological circular firing squad. 

We were once the United States. We are no longer. I fear we may never be again. I hope, for the sake of future generations it is not too late, that we will be able to repair, that this fear does not become a future reality.

Washington/Oregon 2021 - A Last Look - Mt. Hood

 We arrived at the lot to return our rental car. The manager, the same one we had doused with windshield washer fluid at the beginning of our trip, came out to tell us that we would be better off returning the car at the airport as his shuttle wasn't running yet and he wasn't sure when it would start, which seemed odd, but off we went to the airport. 

Going up to the counter to check in, we were informed that, although both our bags were within the weight limit for two people, one was too heavy than the allowable weight of a single bag. We went off to the side to shift contents. It was an awkward moment. I felt the eyes of the people in line judging us and our level of  traveling competence. 

After a few last minute purchases, tee shirts, hoodies, airline passengers are captive consumers, as I learned while working at a store in O'Hare. We were taxiing towards the runway. We had, during our stay in Portland, searched fruitlessly for a peek at Mt. Hood. Clouds, rain and location had thwarted our efforts. But, as we moved towards the runway, off to the left we saw the snow covered peak out the plane window. As we lifted off into the air we viewed three majestic peaks on the horizon, each dusted with a coating of mid June snow. 

Washington/Oregon 2021 - Traveling and the U.S. Health Care System

 Without going into lurid detail I needed to visit an urgent care facility our final day in Portland. It kept me pretty much in the hotel room for the majority of that day but I was rather over the devastation that was Portland at that point, so, no great loss. My husband, with my complete blessing, headed off to Nordstrom, getting lost both coming and going by his later account. 

But back to the urgent care. When it became apparent I was having a problem my husband called the first phone number that came up on his phone. Oddly, they had no physical site, they only came to the patient. They then informed us that they would not see us because we were from out of state. The women at the desk at our hotel, who were wonderful throughout our visit, not only found a nearby urgent care site but also made an appointment for us.

Now, because I am covered by the ACA, my insurance is not accepted outside my state. Thankfully the fee was affordable but brought to my mind, once again, the horrible and unfair conditions of our country's health care system. What might have happened had the problem been more serious? Though I pay for insurance "in network" care was unavailable to me. 

We are the only industrialized country without a system of national health care. We also, because our health care is allowed to be profit making, spend more on it per capita. Some might yell "socialism". I call national health care a system that is fair, efficient and rooted in common sense and decency.

Washington/Oregon 2021 - The Columbia River Gorge

 A faceless interstate highway lead us to a historic, 2 lane country road which runs high above the Columbia River. The lush green we had become accustomed to lined the sides of the road. Overhanging trees created verdant tunnels. 

Our first stop was Vista House, a lookout point graced by a beautiful Art Nouveau observatory dating from 1915, unfortunately closed due to covid restrictions. The lookout gives you an expansive view of the river and gorge. Even with the observatory closed 2 levels of platforms outside still allows you to experience the beauty of the surrounding area. 

As we drove further occasionally some of the former roadhouses, dating from the 1920's, could be seen set among the thick foliage. We headed for the first of the several waterfalls in the area. They plummet over the tall rock walls of the gorge, cut by the river over the ages, adding their water to it's wide expanse. Some of the falls are thin ribbons, others raging torrents that seem almost boastful of their incredible beauty and immense power. Some fall from the walls directly into rocky stream beds becoming rapids, others cascade, collecting in pools or streams before rolling over another rock ledge taking a more indirect route to the river below. 

As we reached Multnomah Falls, the second highest year round waterfall in the U.S., the number of people increased. From a historic lodge, with the gift shop ubiquitous in almost all U.S, scenic spots, a trail leads up to a bridge which spans the falls providing visitors with an up close view of the roaring waters. The water catches on rock and ledges during it's descent adding dimension and texture to the spectacle. 

Instead of taking the highway from the falls we decided to take the small road back in the opposite direction from which we had come. The sunlight filtered thorough the canopy of trees as the sun broke out giving us relief from the rainy gloom. As the clouds dissipated we were treated with a clearer view of the river below. We stopped at Vista House for a final look, now cloud free, of the Columbia Gorge before heading back to Portland. 

Washington/Oregon 2021 - Portland's Japanese Gardens

 A friend who had lived in Portland for several years had told us that the city's Japanese Gardens would take us half a day to explore. We went through them in an hour and a half. This was partly due to the pouring rain we sloughed through the morning we were there. Though lovely they are relatively small, and, to my mind, not worth the rather hefty admission charge. 

After wandering a bit we found cover from the relentless rain and, consulting the map of the gardens, realized that we had seen everything. The rain kept us from fully exploring the mountain top park where the gardens are located. The park is a lush oasis. In addition to the Japanese Gardens there is a Rose Garden, Portland calls itself the Rose City, and the city's zoo.  

We decided, as we had spent far less time than we had allotted for the gardens, to take in the Columbia River Gorge and it's waterfalls, which we had originally planned to visit the following day. We returned to the hotel and got directions and maps to the gorge from the two lovely, gracious, helpful ladies at the reception desk, they were a delight to deal with the entire length of our stay, and were on our way to the waterfall wonderland. 

Washington/Oregon 2021 - Portland

Perhaps if  I had had the opportunity to visit pre covid. If I had visited before the economic devastation and the weeks of riots and demonstrations had ravaged the city, things would have appeared different.

What we found as we drove through the streets was a city looking as if it was emerging from war. Scores of empty storefronts, blocks of buildings with windows boarded up, a homeless problem that, even city leaders admitted, had reached crisis levels. Tent cities have been created under roadways and vacant lots. The tents of the homeless lined entire city blocks. The inhabitants of the tents, dirty and bedraggled, wander the streets, sometimes converging in groups on corners. Windows of bars and restaurants were covered with paper, closed, some perhaps permanently. Small parks and squares are barricaded, fenced off and graffiti scarred. I heard on the news one local official say that it would take as long, if not more, than 2 years for the city to recover. To me this assessment seemed overly optimistic. The city had a desolate, almost desperate air. 

Like many west coast cities it had a provincial feel. Perhaps, being developed so late they haven't had an opportunity to mature, perhaps they do not care to. They are content to be what they are, not striving for more. Unlike my home town of Chicago, which, despite occasional missteps, looks forward to the future, while respecting the past. Bold, arrogant, aggressive yet well mannered and genteel all at once. 

For a city so rich in moisture Portland lacks the lushness it could possess. It's streets bare of greenery. It seems to disregard it's past. Historical structures are intermixed with bland, unimaginative concrete structures. Form follows function, except the form is missing altogether. I found myself wondering what was sacrificed, what had been lost forever for so little gained. 

Perhaps it is me. Maybe my life in one of the world's great metropolises has made me demand more. I am certain there are those that are content in Portland as I am content in Chicago. Perhaps, even at it's best, Portland is just not for me.