Is that an emu? Damn, where’s my camera?

I’m sitting at a desk.  This particular desk is just outside of Portland, Oregon in a home I am living in while I write my book.  I can stay just as long as I wish.  I can leave here tomorrow or stay for a year.  The choice is mine and mine alone.

I landed here about a week ago via traveling on a roadtrip from Denver to … somewhere.  I guess on a roadtrip to here.  Right where I am.  I was staying in my little Gypsy Daisy trailer in the back yard of my old friend when I decided that I wanted to make this town my home for a while. One thing I know about friends and family is that if you want to keep them you’ve gotta respect their homes, their schedules, and their personal space or you may not have them as friends any more. So I put an ad on CraigsList!

The ad read:

$400 / 250ft² – Looking for a Writer’s Cottage (Near Portland)

I’m a writer seeking a small creative space to live for the next two or three months while I write my first book. I’d like it to be peaceful and offer wifi. I have everything else and can pay up to $400 a month. I currently live in Denver, CO and have taken a road trip to see the country (my third in 4 years, actually). I left Denver 3 weeks ago with my little travel trailer. Portland and the northwest is where I’d like to stay for a bit, at least through December. Right now I’m staying with a dear friend in West Linn. We have agreed that I will only stay until the end of October, so there is some time to find the right situation and place. I have a job I do from the road that allows me some time to travel like this. I’m super low key, love life and people. If you have a spot, or know of one please send an email to the cl address. Once we correspond a bit and are comfortable, we can arrange to talk. Thanks, Lisa

Guess what? I FOUND ONE! About three hours later I received an email from a Jay and one of his housemates that they would love to meet me. I ran by to check it out with Deb and we were so thrilled about it that I moved in a couple of days later. The price is lower than I expected and doing some work/trade will reduce it even more. Work/trade stuff like helping to care for and upgrade the home and lot. There is room to park my trailer, they allow my kitty, and they offer wifi. He is encouraging me to make the space my own by painting the walls and laying flooring. There is even a ton of furniture for me to use for my office and to store my personal belongings.

How does it get any better than this?

THIS is how … the home sits on 5 acres about 15 minutes from the city on a winding road near a river and tree farms. It is a community of artists who love to eat healthy and cook a meal together almost every evening. We drink clean well water and put wood in the stove to heat the house. I may even get to learn about aquaponic gardening and welding when I’m not writing. So glad I have this opportunity.

With just a little bit of courage I was able to find myself the perfect creative space to write! It’s been about 4 years since I started this journey of wanting to be a published author. Possibly a feat that feels so large and unattainable that I’ve been hiding from it and finding little shiny objects (LSOs) that distract me, like the emus living next door … LSOs taking me away from my next dream. Well, time to tame those little shiny objects and harness the power of their light to infuse my days with focus and creativity.

From Lisa’s Desk at Jay’s Place on the Clackamas River, OR

Category : #coffeehouse #roadtrip #Gypsy_Lisa, Happiness
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