On January 17th, 2021 Betty White turned 99 (!), and Michelle Obama turned 57.  H(late)BD, amazing ladies!  It also marked the 2-year anniversary of poet Mary Oliver’s passing. And that means – I am 2 freakin’ years sober.  WTF.   It’s taken me over a month to write this post.  I kept thinking – be PROFOUND,… Continue reading Second Sober Solar Circumnavigation

Life on Misty Mountain Installment #4: The towns on Mt. Hood are small and dispersed.  On its western slope, where we have spent most of our time, there isn’t really a central “downtown” like you might see in Aspen or Tahoe or Mammoth or even Big Bear.  The closest you can get is Government Camp… Continue reading Netflix Foots the Bill

Life on Misty Mountain Installment #3: After 9 months at Misty Mountain, one of the things that I have come to appreciate most is our proximity to the perpetual flow of water.  Maybe it’s because I spent much of my life in drought, both in Northern and Southern California.  I learned that water was precious… Continue reading Drop by Drop

Life on Misty Mountain Installment #2: In the 7 months we’ve been at Camp Quarantine we’ve experienced 3 seasons and a variety of “weather.”  It is certainly a change from the very predictable, year-round sun of SoCal.   Mt. Hood sits smack-dab in the middle of the Cascade Range which starts at the very top of… Continue reading Layer Up

Life on Misty Mountain Installment #1: It seems our days are numbered here at Misty Mountain. We’ll spend the next few months enjoying the Winter Wonderland that we’ve been told is Mt. Hood Forest, but in early 2021 it looks like we’ll be heading somewhere else. With an end in sight, I’m feeling the need… Continue reading Orbit

They say there are 3 responses when threatened – to fight, flight or freeze.   For the last 12ish years, when I was still drinking, I was in constant “flight” mode.  Drinking was an escape from pretty much everything – overwhelming work, strained relationships, cable news, civil unrest, jeans that no longer fit.  Anything that… Continue reading Be Eunuch.

Sweatember stops for nothing – not fire (so last week…), smoke (all.the.time), floods (under a flash flood warning RIGHT NOW), or rain (tomorrow 🤞)! 10 ACTIVE-ities down, 13 to go! Thank you to The Phoenix for giving us a space to connect and heal during these crazy times. There’s still time to change and save… Continue reading Nothing

I saw someone post a “Never Forget” 9/11 Facebook frame on their profile pic this morning, and I immediately assumed it was the equivalent to a butt dial or pocket post.  It must have been a mistake because there’s no way it’s already 9/11. Ant yet, here we are.  The last few days have been… Continue reading #OregonisBurning

Geez Louise, it’s been a crazy few days.   On Friday, we headed out into the PNW wild for some Bustache Adventuring and river-side camping.  This holiday weekend was shaping up to be the hottest we’d experienced here in Oregon, with temperatures reaching near triple digits. Over the next 3 days, we had a grand time… Continue reading Hazy Heap

Wow.  Thank you everyone for the incredible support and words of encouragement on my posts about sobriety!  I am just blown away by your virtual love.  Regular Sierra just wants to go hide under some blankets now, and call it a month… Sober Sierra says, “No,” though.   I wish I could be cool and say… Continue reading Risky and Wild