I rode through downtown Bend on my way to meet up with Randy and Bill. The streets were lined off and there was some sort of festival going on that was apparently associated with food somehow. Delicious smells wafting in the air. The skies were blue and clear, and the temps quite comfortable.
Arrived at REI and while waiting a man from Eugene rode up and struck up a conversation. Asked all the usual questions you get when people see your fully loaded touring bike. His name was Trey, and he said he and his wife had just renovated a room next to their house and offered it as a place to stay if I needed while in Eugene. Another example of the kindness of strangers we see all the time on these rides. Hope for humanity. No politics or religion or meanness or judgment. Just kind and generous acts amongst strangers.
Randy and Bill arrived and we headed into REI to pick up a few items. As we waited for Randy, Bill and I began getting to know each other. I was immediately struck by his twinkling blue eyes, that hinted at a very interesting life. And the fact that Bill is a writer suggested that he would be skilled in communicating about that interesting life. I was not disappointed. Bill is retired and moved to Sunriver near Bend a couple of years ago. Along with being a writer, he is also a poet, musician and photographer. A lot of his perspectives have been influenced and shaped by his experiences in the Vietnam war, and life afterward. He has also engaged in a number of interesting occupations over the years. For example, he worked as a social worker with the juvenile justice system in Portland, which seemed to bring a great deal of satisfaction where there was success, as well as sadness where things did not turn out well. I learned that Bill and I also share a common interest in meditation and contemplative prayer as a primary means of centering our lives.
After REI, we walked around the beautiful shopping complex called the Old Mill District, and found a lovely Italian restaurant (Pannini's?) with tables outside next to the water and hiking/biking trails. Across the Deschutes River there was a concert going on, and the lawn appeared full of people enjoying the afternoon. The food was fabulous. I had cauliflower soup, another version of pasta primavera that was out of this world, and it was all topped off with the best tiramisu I think I have ever tasted.
As my birthday lunch progressed, Bill and Randy asked about my association with Truth Be Told, and the work they do. I told them how I had met Nathalie almost 6 years ago now, and described the programs that TBT offers inmates to help them learn to write and tell their stories. The overwhelming emotion I felt the first time I attended a TBT graduation in prison and witnessed the way the graduates so articulately told their stories. The pride with which they received their diplomas of completion. And the impressive way many of these women have used the TBT experience to affect their approach to life after prison. Bill was especially interested in the use of storytelling as a means of coping with some rather harsh realities of life that led to prison in the first place. He related it to experiences that Vets often have coping with PTSD arising from war, and how writing can be a way of release.
After lunch, Bill drove us around for a little tour of the Bend and Sunriver areas. The beautiful snow-capped mountains in the distance, pine trees all around, the river, and just the general feel of the area. We arrived at Bill's beautiful home - typical of what you might expect a writer/musician would live in. Rustic and spacious, and frequented by deer who graze in the yard and pass through. We settled in for the NBA finals, accompanied by Sammy - Bill's 20+ pound lover cat. He is one of those Maine Coon (?) looking cats. Gave me a little bit of a cat fix to get me through for a bit.
I was given a lovely room/apartment above the garage for the night. All the comforts of home and then some. Retired for the night extremely relaxed and happy after a great day. Took a picture of the sunset. Can't say enough about Bill's hospitality - but will start with a simple "Thanks".
