The Stottrup Family Reunion-Return to Silver Falls: the Sequel

Reunion

The Stottrup Family Reunion attracted members from as far away as Sweden, England, Iowa and Minnesota and as close as California and Portland drawing us to Silver Falls State Park, Oregon's heaven on earth where Kenz and Diane were married 6 years ago. 3 of our family were missed, Dave, Jeanne and Emma.

The remoteness felt as real as if we had moseyed along the Oregon Trail driving our covered wagons, generous supplies and animals defying the normal pioneer challenges: typhoid, injuries, delayed flights, drownings, gas prices, and snake bite.

24 saints and sinners arrived passing 4.5 days together indulged in music, hiking, board games, reminiscing, eating, inquiring, listening, served with a side of BINGO and prizes.

My Family Collective

In the best of environments, beautiful Silver Falls State Park easily stretched our mental and physical capabilities among 3 generations alongside 3 of man's best friends Diego, Maggie and Shrimpy.

Time well spent mastering gorgeous trails and water falls filling my need for hiking amongst other rabid-walkers. I was happy to be in good company with those who easily outshone me. Nate led the way and ran circles around my walking addiction.

Bingo Marathon - by the light of lanterns.

We started early on our BINGO game and dragged it beyond our bedtimes not wanting to give up the G.O. Rumors of cheating bubbled up as all of Harold and Stella's children won early rounds, some twice, but were abated as the rumor mill started to win.

Weddings and funerals are reunions that bring groups of family members together in joyous and sad gatherings, but for my money I'd rather have the voluntary call to duty with a family reunion. No high heels, gifts, grieving, last words, just being.

Oregon beaches.

Silver Falls State Park weather remained pleasantly temperate with gentle warm breezes contrasting with the cooler Oregon coast. Discoveries of interesting rock formations, Joe the rescued seal memorial and shrouded lighthouses set the scene for writing a great Oregon-coastal-mystery presumably based on Joe the Seal's fate.

When people asked how the reunion went, I happily responded above and beyond expectations. I'm ready for the next gathering.

Portland

East of Willamette, South of the Columbia River and North of Burnside: North Portland's working class gives us a peek into an older era of Portland seeped in the myths and stories of resilience.

A home with a red front door, Paul Bunyan, Danish pancakes of my childhood and tolerance. Where a young girl and her dog can lead the parade of life with crunchy ants on the side.

Paul Bunyan has a presence in Kenton, North Portland, Bemidji Minnesota and Klamath California. As a child we visited the statues of the legendary lumberjack Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox on the shore of Lake Bemidji. Early lumberjacks admired Paul for his working skills: strength, speed and his ability to lasso a tornado for fast travel.

A warm visit with 2 other globe trotters, who were once neighbors in Irvine, spending half their time in New Zealand and the other half in Portland. So nice to see the healthy Pamela and moving closer to retirement Alan.

Joyful reunion of seeing Bahia after 3 years. San Diego was the artistic and creative waypoint to meet and catch up in real time.

Observations on a Journey

The ice got me to thinking.

Our hotel had an ice machine on every floor humming away near the elevators heating up the soft drink machine next to it.

The barista in Portland said he heard a rumor Europeans don't use ice. I tell him they use less, sometimes none. Logic tells them that ice is the enemy of volume and why displace the real product you are drinking.

A waiter in the UK generously doles out 3 ice cubes while my American guest struggles to find the generosity with this act of ice rationing.

Clearly ice is a small thing, but it becomes representative of differences in cultures and perspectives. What is a "normal "size? What is necessary and what is wasteful?

As an observer with feet in several worlds, treading the double edged sword reveals many dichotomies.

Irvine

Staying at the Golden Arms, always gracious Tia, catching up with friends and family. Gale, Joanne, Tia, Leslie, Henry, Lance, Kenza T, me, Renata.

The next day Joanne became a grandmother when Jessi had baby Jaxon. Tia is next in line for Travis and Christine's twin girls.

Nina and Glenn warmly toasted and warmly hosted another gathering of friends. We are the lucky recipients of such love.

Self Examination

Life's events, friends, family serve as reminders to re-examine life, health, emotional outlook and future plans. Our future move also causes constant examination.

I'm reminded of the delicate web we live on and how things can happen in a split second to great consequence. My sister-in-law Marcia's recent serious brush with a pulmonary embolism re-enforced the family reunion's importance. We were happy she could travel from Iowa to Oregon to attend.

A recent philosophy lecture at our local Bath Royal Literary Science Institute posed a question. It was a statement made by Socrates during his trial, which didn't end well for him, resulting in his hemlock cocktail.

The question, do you agree or disagree: "The unexamined life is not worth living". I immediately agreed saying I feel we all need to examine our actions, lives, belief systems to improve ourselves.

I have been thinking about this question for some time as the world spins out of orbit. We as humans have highly developed thought processes setting us apart from other animals. Then why do we behave like animals forgetting our powers to reason, choosing fear and tribal beliefs to horde power and money? Shouldn't we examine our actions, lives, beliefs to make this a more empathetic, inclusive world?

Sadly Socrates' examinations of man's behavior and questions also frightened people and ended his life.

“Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.” Socrates.

Catching the plane to England

Adieu, Adieu, Adieu to you and you and you.