I have an actual dining area and my kitchen is as cute as a button! I really like all of the windows in my place. It's starting to feel like a place I want to return to.
My place faces an open courtyard and the other side of the complex so I get to see everyone who passes - it feeds into my curiosity about other people.
The city does not have an identity crisis, despite the melange of nicknames! Portland seems to pride itself in many regards....there are many of things I'm just discovering about the country's best kept secret.
Some of my first photos of the city are below..
Synagogue that I want to visit - gorgeous Byzantine style of architecture
Hawthorne Bridge
Apartment building - lots of architecture like this in the Nob Hill District
It's been about 10 days since I left
It took me a few days to realize my dream had actually been realized. While I live removed from the busy-ness of
When I discovered
I had a job interview with a gardening therapy organization two days after I arrived. I got "lost" on the way to the interview, but I still managed to arrive early. The interviewer mentioned how impressed she was that I could show up for an interview two days after my arrival.
I love that there's no use for a water filter here, I love that the rainy and cold weather makes time stand still in ways I haven't experienced before, I love that there are little parts of each place that holds a significant place in my heart:
And there are little parts of my friends that come alive in all I discover and that brings me incredible comfort.
My dearest Shakti Sisters,
I am safe and sound in my new little home here in
Communication via email hardly suffices when it comes to expressing the depth of my gratitude to all of you for the ripples of love you sent through my heart, mind and spirit. THANK YOU so much for your surprise send-off cards and letters and photos and art pieces. There is such poetic brilliance in each one and I will cherish them always.
I set the box aside for days knowing that I would miss all of you that much more when I read through them. I carved out a space amongst the heaps of boxes and furniture and cried puddles with each and every card. Your words will lift my spirits in this time of transition and I am eternally grateful.
One of the biggest lessons I have already learned here is that love has no limit or boundaries. I feel like the most fortunate person for knowing all of you and I carry bits and pieces of all of you in my new life. You're with me in the co-op, while I find snails on my plants (who snuck in and came all the way from San Diego!), and when I use all of the tools that I gained as a Helping Hand to stay grounded on this new journey.
You are all just as close to my heart as if I were a 7-minute drive away....yet I already miss seeing your smiles in closing circle, hearing your gentle laughter and just being there with you.
all my love, Dani D
Friends intervened when it appeared as though I would never be packed for my move the next morning and they stayed until all hours helping me pack and clean ever corner of the apartment. See picture 2 (Roxanne and Sarah tackle my kitchen). I barely lifted a finger. 
A friend told me that this had come full circle for me. She hoped that I could see what I had given to the community and that I create community wherever I go. I will never forget that evening. It took the edge off of the sadness I felt in leaving. See pictures 3 and 4 (me and Ms. Liza, AKA Za and me and Ms. Becca, AKA, Boo).
My friend, Sarah offered to make the road trip with me. It was about 18 hours in all with stops and coffee breaks. Charlie, Indigo and Zoey handled the long ride gracefully and they're still settling in quite well. Sarah was a trooper: Zoey's pacing and meowing, Charlie's bad breathe bouncing around in the car, animal hair everywhere...
We arrived late Sunday evening at Farm Sanctuary, and it was the respite I needed. More soon. See picture 5 of Sarah in the Sheep Barn.
Love, Dani
