Portland and Stuff

We had a great weekend in Portland. It was so nice to see friends and family again. We celebrated with everyone; we were eager to see people and they were eager to see us. It felt great to be so welcomed, like we'd never left.

I didn't have much of an agenda, but even so I got to tick off a bunch of boxes on my list of Favourite Things To Do in Portland:

• Shop for CDs (used, of course) at Everyday Music (there's nothing like it in Vancouver, or most of Europe for that matter)
• Shop for magazines at Rich's Cigars
• Buy some Stumptown coffee (ground for French Press)
• Have a pint at Laurelwood (the seasonal Vinter Varmer no less)
• Have some German ale (Spaten Optimator) at the Rheinlander
• Get a slice of Flying Pie pizza (sausage and mushroom!)
• See a matinee at the Academy Theater
• Shop for hard-to-find foodie items at Trader Joe's (actually, Margo did this)

We enjoyed lots of food, drink, and excellent company. For readers who were there ... thanks for your warmth and hospitality and we look forward to visiting soon.

Monday was our moving day. It was a sad parting, especially for Sarah, who cried for some time at leaving her friend Nika. Margo met the movers she'd hired at the truck rental, and I met them all at our storage unit. The loading went smoothly and quickly. Then we were off - two movers in the truck, and us in the rental car. We agreed to stop at Blaine so I could swap passenger seats with them, since I had the Customs paperwork.

Ever since we made landing last year in Edmonton and declared our personal effects to follow, we wondered exactly how this would play out. We knew we needed to present these papers and inventory at the border, with our possessions, but we had no idea what to expect: would they be searched? Would we need to provide additional ID or papers? 

But the actuality was surprisingly smooth. I showed our papers at the booth; we were directed to a bay on the side, entered an administration building, and our papers and IDs were checked again. There was no inspection (though I'd expect there was some form of sensor inspection as we passed the booth). The border wait was just five minutes, and this only added about ten minutes to that.

Then we unloaded it all. It was a challenge to find space for it. But the unloading was just as quick. The movers, friendly and professional, took their leave of us to enjoy a hotel in town before returning the truck to Bellingham and taking the train back to Portland (all at our expense, as agreed).

Now we have hills of boxes, though the hills are getting smaller. Box after box is being scissored open, emptied, broken down, and added to a stack for recycling later. (It will be another van hire.)

Some of our things are nice surprises, like seeing old friends. For me, these include office shirts, several pairs of trousers I didn't know I had, bike panniers I thought we'd given away. But for much of the things, we're wondering why we ever stored them. We agree we saved way too many things. We'll struggle to place what we keep, and lots will be Craigslisted and Freecycled.

Also, with all this new furniture, we're seeing our first dust gathering on it, and realizing that soon enough, we'll have bum imprints in our futons, and our white sofa covers will need laundering. 

But it is nice to have all our things in one place, finally, and to enjoy them again. Me, I'm enjoying listening to albums again. For the last few years, with only an iPod and dock, I've only listened to ripped music. I've figured out how to use our Playstation to play CDs without needing a TV, so I don't have to buy a CD player.

Sarah is enjoying the boxes of childrens' books that Margo saved for her from her own childhood. Sarah is quite excited to have books from favourite authors like Roald Dahl and Judy Blume in her room, and we find she gets lost in a book quite easily.

It's also great to have our dishes again. The Italian mugs, the wine glasses, the familiar ceramic of the plates and bowls - it's so nice to see and use them again.