People in our lives Thanks for love and friendship

Pam Posed for me

Five months have gone by since I have been living at Ya Po AH in Eugene OR. A couple of years of  remarkable life changes, from a near death experience to a move across the country. When you get to my age there is a lot to reflect on, the experiences  of life, the ups and downs, rolled up and stored somewhere in the brain, mixed up and perhaps for the most part forgotten. Enough are remembered  to say, did I learn anything from from those experiences. Of course learning is on going and change is  constant, things are the same familiar patterns, but move on to something different. I have accomplished very little since I have been here. Lots of time to think or not think.  Now I have few responsibilities, no walking the dog, mowing the lawn, keeping the house heated, dealing with bills that I might not have enough money for. I have feelings of guilt  because I have time and freedom to do whatever I want. How ridiculous, it is what most people want.

 All the people at Ya Po Ah are 62 or older.  I am curious to know what these people’s lives are about, what they have done in their lives, what their professions were.I have met many interesting people here and observed many kinds of people on the streets. I have never been around so many people. They are friendly and helpful. Many people outside, walking, riding bikes, sitting with friends in cafes. When I am on my bike, I pass a man sitting on a bench staring ahead. He is there almost every time I go to the river. There are so many homeless people in Eugene and I wonder how did they get to be homeless.

I have had a good life, and I am thankful and appreciative for everything I have experienced. I do not know why I have been given so much. I hear of other peoples problems, with family, jobs, etc. I had a great marriage, two loving sons  and their mates, that have done everything for me. It amazes me. Doug and Christopher rebuilt the old house in Maine. After I agreed to move to Eugene, Diane investigated the low housing programs and through her we  found Ya Po Ah. I would never have made it to Eugene without without the help of Doug and Christina  packing all my stuff, mostly paintings and then Doug driving  the truck across the country. What a fantastic experience that was. All the people that contributed to the Go Fund Me enabled me to have money to pay for the cross country trip. Alice daughter of my friend Pam sponsored a show in Newburyport at the art association and I was able to return to the East Coast for that and to be in Maine again. These are just the recent things that have happened in my life. It gives me pleasure to have friends respond to my blogspot, even though I am not good responding on facebook. So for all the people that I know and have known I honer you all. I am grateful for your friendship, help and kindness. It is the people in our lives that enrich our lives, that give meaning and purpose to our lives, that help us be better people, that help through hard times and be with us to celebrate the joys. It is the energy of love that binds us together. For all those that have contributed to my life's journey, I thank you now and I am sorry if I did not express my appreciation sooner. 

Chris sketching

Doug carving

Iris and her niece

Charlie napping

                                                               I rarely took photos of gatherings

Chris and Diane 

Doug and Christinaa

 brothers

working on the house

Nancy and Doug

Charlie and Jane

Alice

Diane, Doug, Charlie, Audrey, and dog Mocha at Pemaquid

Thanksgiving potluck, table extented into porch room

Thanksgiving

Christmas season

Fall is here

Wires

Fall is here and the weather is cooling down. There were a couple of warm days last week and I probably had my last swim. I was the only one in the water except for  the ducks and  a few rafters floating  down the river.  

The painting above is a neighborhood scene. What interested me was the open window on the roof dormer and the wires and roof  shapes of the building behind the apartment house. Here residents and business are together, side by side.  No beautiful New England style homes so I have to look at everything from a different perspective. The views from my window are great but I haven't attempted to paint one yet. When I go to Chris's farm I usually make a small painting, mostly trees. I have only painted 12 watercolors. I am painting on the backs of old paintings, and for some reason there is no sizing and I have had to use acrylic on some of them. They are not great but I will get better with practice. I also ordered some paper.

I go every Saturday to the outside market. As you can see the winter vegetables are in. I love the fresh food and seeing the people and food arrangements. I get outside every day for exercise. I have my own little garden. I haven't counted but there may be 50 little Ya Po Ah plots, flowers and vegetables together, very pretty, with benches to sit on and enjoy the scenery.

ducks at my swim spot

rafters

Home in Maine

my home in Maine

Mira resting with her paws crossed

Lucy came over with Mira and we went for a walk. I emailed to Lucy some photos of Mira when she was a puppy. I got her when she was 8 week old. I started looking at photos of my home in Maine and when I do that I some times cry because I love where I lived and I miss the place. For me it is the most beautiful place I have ever been and I am so thankful I lived there for 32 years. It was hard to let it go. The place is a part of me.  Memories are not the same as being there , experiencing the wholeness of a place, sights, sounds, weather, fog and sun, heat and cold. Nature has always been my companion, fills me with peace and awe. I would sit on the rocks of the shore of the cove being very thankful for the beauty all around me. Doug and Christina now own the house. I do not know how they will experience the cove. I do hope they will love it there.
Below a few of the many paintings made of my property on Back Cove

Remembrance of 911

I thought this might be of interest
I live in the tallest building in Eugene. Soon after it was built back in the 1960ies they made a law no other building could be built as tall. Today in memory of Sept 11, 2001 there is a ceremony at Ya Po Ah with bag pipes and a little speech. The firemen climb the stairs of the 18 floors, 14 times, up and down, which is the amount of stairs the firemen climbed at the world trade center.

as seen from different places

sunday trip

building in Brownsvile, interesting shadows

Today was the trip to Brownsville, a town that looks something like it did when it was  settled about1850. It was a busy place with a woolen mill, a gris mill and a lumber mill. Lucy for us the museum was open and that was very interesting. We went to the park for our picnic lunch and found a huge dog show going on. I enjoyed seeing the dogs. The bus from Ya Po Ah holds 14 people and it was full.
Now it is the end of summer, shorter days, still warm and I ride to the river every day and take a dip in the river. I have been painting some. Nothing turning out very good but I still enjoy the effort, different subjects I have to integrate into my mind. Life is easy and simple, all the time in the world to do what I want when I want, no responsibilities, enough money, I never realized I would live like this. I enjoy all my time, observing everything. My days are full. I am thankful, grateful,  that I can enjoy life as I am now.

on the way

calapooia river at the park

People drive from all over for dog shows and they camp in comfort.

it is like a western town

nothing open, nobody around

I guess everyone was at the dog show