Things I like about Oregon:

• Watching the dogs run around in the Pacific ocean surf (and learning a valuable lesson about drinking salt water).
• The sunflowers that seem to fill every highway median on the east side of the state.
• Fresh clam chowder, salmon, and swordfish tacos.
• Seeing multiple vehicles with surfboards strapped to their roofs on highway 20 (but also seeing beaches near Newport with waves, but surfer-free)
• Elevation changes and associated vistas.
• Roads that wind around mountains.
• A man trying to bring a dog into a library and arguing that the guys at the Co-op down the street let him do it.
• Oregon State’s campus (and getting hyped for college football games in the fall).
• The Williamette River, clean and wide (and thinking about kayaking on it).
• A downtown in Corvallis that is organized and walkable/bikeable and full of life. In fact this is probably the coolest city I’ve ever been to.
• And more, but my fifteen minute time limit on this library computer is winding down.

Things I don’t like about Oregon:

• We still haven’t found (and might not be able to find) a place to live with three dogs and rent is astronomical. I really don’t want to give up on the Corvallis dream, but it’s looking a little grim right now. We can only stay in a Super 8 Motel for so long, you know.