Notable bits from the journey thus far
I've been a part of a parade in communist Russia;
Spent three nights and four days deep within a cave;
Hand fed a black bear;
Been a Canadian national rowing champion three years in a row;
Tripped David Bowie;
Had yellow fever;
Moved 3250 miles to a city I’d never been to (Portland in 2000) with no job -
have now lived here 17 years longer than I’ve lived anywhere else;
Completed the London marathon - albeit not quickly;
Lost a sister to Reye’s syndrome;
Guided Michael Eisner, Barry Diller; Diane Sawyer; Candice Bergen; Tina Brown and others through the Dordogne Valley, France on bicycles;
Been ‘pursued’ by over 30 baboons interested in a banana - terrifying;
Not lived at home since I was 13 years old;
Ridden my bicycle 500 miles from Fairbanks to Anchorage over the course of five days;
Made it 50 years without a cavity;
Been fountain hopping in Rome;
Gone 28 days without a shower - though I don’t make a habit of it;
Watched a lion kill an impala;
Paddled a sea kayak from Everglades City to Key West;
Pulled an all nighter to knit a sweater I never ended up wearing;
Summited Mt. Elbert - the tallest 14er in Colorado;
Waded and hiked through an alligator infested swamp in the Florida Everglades;
Spent 75 days in an 18’ trailer, covering 11,056 miles, through two countries, six provinces, and 21 states with a three and five year old;
Been ‘blessed’ by an elephant in the streets of Jodhpur, India;
Slept under the stars in the Thar desert 40 km from the Pakistan border;
Ridden a camel in and out of said desert;
Bought a 1400lb, motorized 8 x 12 Chandler & Price Letterpress and had it moved down stairs, into my basement, without having a clue how to operate it;
Taken up oil painting at the age of 42 and it's become a significant source of my income;
Been Vice President of a Board of Directors for Portland Backpack - an organization that aims to minimize food insecurity;
Drove 2725 miles over the course of three days with two kittens and two teenagers as passengers;
Completed a 10-day silent Vipassana meditation course with no prior meditation practice;
Painted 100 human portraits in oil paint over the course of five months.
When I’m in, I’m all in.
I’m up for the challenge and I rise to the occasion.