Why I live here: Something you'll never see in Cleveland

(Thirty-three years ago today I came to Portland for the very first time. Before I left to go back to Minnesota a few days later, I’d promised myself that I’d live here one day. Eight months later, I was back on a plane to Portland, this time on a one-way ticket to a new adventure in a new world. Over the intervening years, I’ve left and returned to Portland four times. After the fourth return, it dawned on me that this is the only place that’s ever felt like home. There won’t be a fifth move departure. Today I want to share one the myriad reasons I love living here.)

For as long as I’ve lived in Portland, this view has always been one of the things that says “home.” Portland’s a place blessed with an overabundance of physical beauty, and there are many distinct views that hold meaning for me. The approach to PDX on a clear, sunny day has always been #1 for me, though. If you’re fortunate enough to be sitting on the left side of the plane, the approach takes you so close to Mt. Hood that it feels as if you could almost reach out and touch it. I’ve lived here off and on since 1983; seeing Mt. Hood like that never ceases to leave me awestruck. During the winter it can be seen with a full snowpack, and the mountain’s snowy, crystalline beauty is tough to be. During the summer, with its snowpack diminished, it can look a bit careworn.

The above photo is evidence of a winter with a far below average snowfall and a very warm summer, which have combined to strip Mt. Hood of most its snowpack. This is not a good thing; the water supply of Portland and other municipalities depend on Mt. Hood’s snowpack for their water supply, and things are looking rather bleak in some places. There’s no water rationing in Portland (yet), and the rainy season is still a good two months or so away.

Seeing Mt. Hood on a daily basis was one of the things that helped me fall in love with Portland. Of course, during the winter, the grey and dreary weather can hide the mountain for days upon days, but it’s always there, and it’s always good to see whenever it reemerges. It’s one of the things that I find comforting about living here. Sure, Seattle is beautiful, and it has Mt. Rainier, which is much bigger than Mt. Hood…but it also has Houston’s traffic. Portland’s is getting worse, but I don’t have to deal with it, so it’s easy to ignore that problem.

I don’t live in a perfect place; Portland, like any place, has its problems and issues. At this point in my life, I can’t imagine anywhere else I’d rather live out my days. With Erin’s family being here, and having just purchased a house in February, I have a perfect excuse to stay…and I plan to do just that.