A Room with a View: Old Bend with Faith, Hope and Charity in the background (part of the Cascade Range).
Thump Coffee ignites the day: An oat latte, extra hot, extra shot.
First order of the day…
No, not a modern art museum: It’s a good scrubbing for the COW at Red Carpet Carwash.
Later that day, a very proud COW, now clocking 8,000-plus miles since February.
But speaking of art, here is an excellent abstract painting from Mockingbird, best gallery in town.
And an awesome bronze…
Hotel art at The Oxford is less inspiring…
I call the above Psychological Art, as if devised by research psychologists to diagnose patients: No right or wrong answers but only interpretations through which psychiatrists get their knickers in a twist as they prescribe to children all kinds of psycho-meds that earn them (the shrinks) generous kickbacks from Big Pharma. And maybe cause kids to feel alienated because they innately do not subscribe to formalism, do not join the rest of the herd and consequently get provoked by bullies to shoot up a school.
A drive to Sisters, about 20 miles northwest named after Mounts Faith, Hope and Charity. But the best view is Mt. Washington.
And a large painting inside The Barn, a local tap house…
Later, at a local shop in Bend I happen upon the writing table of my dreams, crafted in black walnut from Walla Walla, Washington. Now, if only I had a home to put it in…
The perfect Bend evening begins with wine tasting at Domaine Serene…
…as calm and peaceful as its name suggest, with top-tier juice as road fever cuts in (always on the sixth night) along with live music from above, some soothing James Taylor…
Then on to fine dining at Brickhouse, a large booth with a view of the bar, bring on Manila clams in garlic & white wine broth and a rack of lamb from New Zealand (ordered with Lulu in mind, lamb being her favorite).
My rumination as I nightcap at the bar over a pint of porter: After a week on the road I’m not sure if I’m grounded or gone to heaven—or if I care either way.
Because all I know at this point is I have no idea how I pulled it off (against all odds) but life is good (touch wood, preferably the walnut table I’ve got my sights on) and I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the experiences I’ve enjoyed and the life of adventure I continue to lead.