Dire Fog

Rehearsals are late in the day, and the drive home is in the dark.  Yesterday, took a wonderful back route, over the hills and through the trees on a 2 lane road. [An amazing attribute of Portland is the West Side of town with it’s wooded areas covering the hills.]  Arrived at the top of a hill, to a street with the same name as the street on which I am staying- [but 4 miles away and no through street to connect them] – and came to an unexpected and abrupt stop as the road was being blocked off by the police.  There were lights flashing and persons moving about, but no sirens.   All was still.   Apparently a car driven by a woman in her 60’s, hit a women in her 30’s who was walking.  It would be easy to do, as awful as that sounds.  When the pavement is black and the night is black and the fog is thick, one sees things often just too late.

Fog

This was an experience that I haven’t encountered in a looong time.  Driving in fog the density of pea soup.  At night.  I forget what it feels like and how the headlights bounce off the walls of the fog and oncoming cars are distorted by their lights and the middle lines fall away as do the edges of the road.  Now that I’m out of it, I can not quite remember if I thought it was easier in the places with street lights, or better without.

The Silence

At night, upon my bed:  no sirens, no one talking and walking under my window, no bottles being collected, no trash collection, no free-lance recyclers going through the bags, no beeping horns, no dogs barking, no bright lights.  How do I ever sleep?

A New Span

All of another sudden, a new bridge span.  The last ‘new bridge’ #11 crossing the Willamette River opened in 1973.  This one will open in 2015.  It is for all traffic but cars.  The span is visually beautiful.  I am having trouble finding a good picture of what it looks like at present… but the link below will start your education.  Exciting to see such a construction.

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/06/construction_begins_thursday_o.html

All of a Sudden!

Driving along, thinking my own thoughts, minding my own business and I look to the right out the passenger side window, and there it is, Mount Hood, an arms length away!  Like a singular alp mountain, just rising up before your eyes.  It is hard to describe, except imagine, driving down the road and suddenly a gynormous piece of meringue appears in your path; that sort of sensation