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An Ode to Grandpa Lee

An old-time pioneer amid modern vanity and "progress." The man stood tall in the wind with the sun beating down on his flat-brim cowboy hat. He was a working man, focused on his pioneer family in the western country they called home. Building and designing structures high and wide, the man skipped across wooden beams high in the air, under shadows cast only by moving clouds; wide open spaces watched the scene as death-defying feats were carried out in relative obscurity, as just another day of work. The man was an old-timer with relatively few years to boast, a before his time pioneer with an adventurous and loving wife plotting business in sagebrush lands far beyond the hyped city life bustling with seemingly meaningless activities. His skin was as leather, scorched in the sun and beaten with high winds containing drifting sand mixed with alkaline dirt. The dry mountain air in the high desert cleansed his heart with comfortable respite from the high temps and harsh weather e...

The Bicycle Years in Portland Part 1

Losing my driver’s license was a blessing in disguise. The big city life awaited me in Portland Oregon after I lost my driver’s license and decided living in a larger city may help my prospects. The year was around 2005 in the early spring and I was in my late 20s. Getting to the City At first, I wanted to bring my gas-powered scooter on the Greyhound bus, but they didn’t allow it in the luggage compartment. Visions of flying around Portland with a gas scooter that was louder than a lawnmower were probably a bit naive anyway, especially since I would be homeless. Having only around $250 to my name, rock-bottom credit, no driver’s license, no bank account, and not knowing anyone in Portland, I set my sights on the strange “big city” to get out of Eugene and make a new start. Maybe it was the Cannabis clouding my judgment, as it was likely the culprit for me being in the tight spot I found myself in anyways, but it was my lot, my mind, and my life to navigate regardless. After getting a ...