Tag: Oregon

Spring-ish Update

Hello All….

I was planning to have this post be, well, posted back in January or early February, but obviously this didn’t happen. Aside from the New Years Resolution post and a couple others over the last year, I know its been quite for some time on this site between posts. Well, I have moved from the Southwest back to the Northwest of the United states in part is because that the “status quo” in my life had to be changed. Plus people were trying to “keep” in Arizona or I should say that people are/were expecting me on staying in Southern Arizona for the rest of my life.

Multi level Rocks with foliage.
Here are some multi level rocks located near Lily Lake at the south end of Fallen Leaf Lake, South Lake Tahoe, CA.

One thing that I’m going to try to do is to finish school in the Northwest. I’m going to try to buy a house while I’m finishing school. I’ve been looking for a bit of time, but haven’t really found a house that “feel” that “right” house to buy.

Knock on wood that I may or would have a new place by the end of summer. I, generally, know what type of place that I want to buy but finding it is another thing altogether. Though, one thing I would like or need a place that is big enough for a dog and for myself.

A Dead Tree in a Valley along a road from Virginia City, Nevada.
A Dead Tree in a Valley along a road from Virginia City, Nevada.

Updates Since January:

I took a class this last winter quarter but I didn’t have a good study habits, though my studying habits changed midway through the term. I did register for a class for the spring term but decided to drop it because I wasn’t able to properly have things setup a site properly. The subject of class is / was focused on developing themes for and customizing WordPress. Knock on wood that it would be offered again at some point again but I’m not holding out any hope that it would be offered again in the Fall term.

It didn’t help that I wasn’t in a good mindset to do homework for the last week because I concerted on my now dead dog (see the post here – opens in a new window).

One of my dogs that I had since 2014 had died back on the last weekend of March. Rogue died because of severe case of arthritis which affected his lower back and legs. Now without having a dog around I found myself bored and feeling “listless” as to what to do with my free time.

One thing I miss doing is going out and driving to places with my camera; since I can’t really do that until the stay in place is lifted in Oregon and California. Since I’m basically stuck inside which I’m doing some “spring” cleaning around my place.

This is a mountain peek located near Virginia City, Nevada.
This is a mountain peek located near Virginia City, Nevada.

The way things would look like is that it would be at least before I could go out for a drive with my camera. The places that I want to go to is Mt. Hood and parts of eastern Oregon.

One thing that I wanted to do but never did before the “stay at home” order here in Oregon was to travel to the beach or to trails around the Portland Metro. Obviously, I’m going to wait til things are more open to about the same levels before things closed down because of the pandemic. What I mean is that I should have and could have traveled around the region in January and February to take Photos – lots of photos. Whether if its on a trail, downtown Portland or around Vancouver, WA. and I didn’t do it where I didn’t want to go out at all for some reason. I know that’s a very lame reason.

There is a little more that I want to say but I’ll do another post at some latter time. I don’t want to jink things for the next six weeks or so.

Train Trip Through California

Here are some photographs that I took with my iPad on my way up to Oregon from Arizona. I managed a way to get to school and since I didn’t have my Canon Camera with me to take photographs the “next” best thing to do – is to take a couple of photographs with my iPad.

Granted these aren’t of the best quality of photographs which is kind of expected with a 1 and 1/2 old iPad.

These were between Paso Robles, CA and Salinas, CA except for the body of water in the gallery. Think I took the photograph in Oregon but not sure.

The Amtrak line that took these photos were on the Coast Starlight.

Enjoy – like or leave a comment below the gallery.

Traveling along the Amtrak Route.
Traveling along the Amtrak Route.
Traveling along the Amtrak Route.
Traveling along the Amtrak Route.
Traveling along the Amtrak Route.
Traveling along the Amtrak Route.
Traveling along the Amtrak Route.
Traveling along the Amtrak Route.
Traveling along the Amtrak Route.
Traveling along the Amtrak Route.
Traveling along the Amtrak Route.
This body of water is in Oregon.
This is a field of food in California.
Traveling along the Amtrak Route.

Help my Disabled Brother

Hello all

I’m asking for a little help for my disabled brother who has diabetes and has a prosthetic leg. The help I’m asking for is to help fix his car that he needs to get to his prosthesis and to see his diabetic doctors.

He has been using rent money to pay for taxi’s to and from his doctor’s and by doing that he has been evicted from his apartment, so now he is homeless too.

If you are able to help him or us to get his car fixed and here is a way to help him by donating at: Go Fund Me. There’s more details on the Go Fund Me page.

There is obligation on your part – meaning you the followers to help. This would be one of the rare times I would be asking for any kind of help in raising funds.

Thanks for any help that might be able to give him.

Peter

P.S. This post will be cross-posted with two other sites at bhchinooks.com and at psmithoregon.worpdpress.com.

A way to unwind….

After studying for University finals, or commuting to and from University in Downtown Portland. Or, after taking a long drive – such as driving from Alaska to Oregon, or driving to and from Lake Tahoe from Oregon. I would like to take a day or two to unwind from the driving or from studying for finals. Up to a few days of unwinding and do close to nothing but to adjust to the local area that I’m in.

Another way I would like to unwind is to read a book or a few books if I have the time to read them. If I am able to read a good book – with 300 to 750 pages (give or take) per book and my mind is the only thing that is active.

Enjoy your ways to unwind…. read other ways to daily life.

This was taken in the Spring of 2007 for a photography class.
This was taken in the Spring of 2007 for a photography class.

Reading Books

For the longest time I didn’t read books outside of class. I haven’t been able to read anything from any genre that is out there. I have felt down for some time and I wasn’t in any mood or the patience to read any kind of books.

Last September while visiting Lake Tahoe for a month I was able to read 4 books and it took me about 8 days to read through all 4 books.

There is one that I started to read in May 2012 yet I didn’t finish the until last September (2013). Its called “‘Salem’s Lot” by Stephen King and the book is good and it seemed that I was on edge for a few days after I finished the book.

I should know better about reading any books by Stephen King while staying for month in the mountains. Since I tend to read books in the afternoon or into the late evening while up there.

I may or may not post about the books that I read on this site. I may put the title of the books on a page at a later date.

An Oregon centric blog…

A tree with the sunset behind it.
A tree with the sunset behind it.

Hello All

I’m in the process of setting an Oregon centric blog in addition to this blog. Why? You may ask – it’s mainly to separate out any content that I’m going to post into a specific place than into a catch-all cluttered blog like this blog. This blog seems to be cluttered and since I’m going to have photographs that I take in Oregon or SW Washington or talk about places in either place I thought it be nice to have a specific place to post about such things.

Its located here (opens in a new window).

I know that I can or should keep everything I post on this one blog, since I would add a lot of other photographs here and I had this blog for a long time – I felt best to have a centric blog for a specific topic – which in this case would be about Oregon and possibly places in SW Washington.

Leave a thought or two = if you like at the bottom of this post.

Peter

Columbia Park in North Portland and Mt. Hood

This set of photographs were taking a few months back (February 2013) in North Portland at Columbia Park along North Lombard Street. The photo of Mt. Hood taken near University of Portland looking towards the Southeast in the evening sunset. The photos had been edited to bring out the sunlight in each one.

Here is sunlight coming through the trees in a North Portland, Oregon Park.

Changing Reading Habits

Novels in a Polish bookstore
Novels in a Polish bookstore (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One thing that I have noticed that have changed is the type of books that I have read for the last 6 to 8 years. I used to read only Science Fiction and Computer books, a few fiction and non-fiction books. I am looking at more authors from fiction and non-fiction books. I’m getting burnt out and tired of reading Sci Fiction and Computer books in general. Basically similar content when I’m computer books and I could say the same thing about Sci Fiction books.

For all the reading I want to do now, I just don’t have access to the books that I already have in storage, in Alaska.  Even though I go to the library to check out books that I want to read, it’s still not the same of going into another room that is full of books and choosing a book that I already own.

I love to read. A lot, when I can or when I’m not in school and even though I read for classes, it is nice to read books that takes your mind of off things for a short bit of time before getting back to reading for school or work.

Even though I’ve started to read books again, it had been a hit and miss habit that comes and goes like the wind. Sometimes reading could be the only thing that would be the only thing that would make me sleepy enough to fall asleep at night. That’s one thing I like about reading these days.

Now, I just to figure out to spread out reading for pleasure, school, and daily life evenly to make things work seemly together. I, also, need to make time to take photographs for class, and for building up a portfolio. I need to find some way to publish some photographs so I can get noticed. Taking and talking about photography is for another post for another time.

Later

Now waiting for a response… from 2 Universities

Note: I got an email from PSU saying I would hear a decision from them in the next 4 to 6 weeks, and I would figure the same amount of time for University of Oregon.

So, now I’m waiting for a response from Portland State University (PSU) and University of Oregon. The next couple of months will be slow; in regards to, hearing from them.

I’m hoping to get into University of Oregon since its my first choice to attend, and Portland State is my second choice. If I don’t get into either school, I may just transfer to another junior college in the Portland Metro Region.

If getting into the above mentioned Universities and if I don’t transfer to another junior college; I may end up going back up to Alaska and finish school up there.

It’s a matter of waiting and hearing back from the two Universities before I decide on which road to take. Knowing my luck, I just may end up back living in Alaska.

The last 2 years in Portland haven’t been great but alright for the most part. Things could have gotten better, things said differently, and things should have gone differently.

One thing that’s starting to bug me is  my health. I’ve noticed a couple of things that have cropped up recently that have me concerned about. These specific things I hope to get checked out on the sooner side.

Anyways, I hope that these 2 Universities would get the transcripts from the school’s that I’ve already attended. The transcripts went by USPS standard mail which my take 7 to 10 business days (usually). With Portland State they would send out an email saying that they received documents when they would arrive to the admissions office. For some reason I thought the transcripts would have arrived by now to Portland State and to University of Oregon.

Seems like that moving to Oregon and applying to University of Oregon and to Portland State has been a waste of time so far. I may eat these words when and if I hear back from them if I’m admitted to either school, and I would update this post when I do. I might also link to another post when I add note to this post.

I’m just tired of waiting of things that take time to go get done or get processed.

Later…