Oregon has a darkness about it that does not exist in California, even though the Golden State has become decayed with abject progressivism.
California may have its cold moments in the winter, but it never gets below freezing. Ever.
Oregon is cold. It rains a lot. It's very humid in the air during winter, too.
It gets so dark at night, too. I have not seen the sun out since I landed here in Portland this past Friday morning. That's something that I cannot get too comfortable with, I must say.
I wanted to come to see my Dad and his wife, and it's good to be able to celebrate with family on the holidays. I have spent time alone on the holidays before, and it's not always fun. A sense of unhappiness can take over when one is alone on the holidays. Now that I am here, I wonder if I did the right thing. My Dad didn't pull punches with me. He intended to take it very easy this Christmas season, since he is going through intensive cancer care. I am a little sad about it, in that I haven't been able to do a whole lot with him, Patty, or the rest of the family. My niece Avery and nephew Ethan
This area is not a very welcome place in itself. The city of Albany has seen rapid population growth, no doubt about it. Californians are fleeing their high-tax, high-cost state.
I see a lot of working-class Americans here in Albany. They remind me of rural areas, especially in the high desert and the Central Valley in California.
There are a whole lot more white people in Oregon, too, than in California. I did see in one part of Albany, though, a church with signs in Spanish. Most of the young people working in fastfood restaurants and the managers for the same are white!
It's pretty surprising, not that I have a problem with men and women of different ethnic backgrounds helping out or working in service jobs or other industries. It's just that in California, there is so much illegal immigration overwhelming the state, and most of the illegal aliens are of Hispanic origin. One gets concerns when entering certain cities, where the vast majority of the people living and working in the area are Latino.
It's so cold here. It's so dreary here. Oregon is not a bright place. Gray, black, and green are the three colors which best describe this place.
I am so glad that I live in California. It's vibrant, it's alive. There is green, brown, red, blue, lots of colors, and the beaches are great, too. The weather is never too hot or too cold where I live, either. Right now in Albany, OR it is 33°! It's barely above freezing, while in Torrance, CA, it's 71°. Imagine that! The coldest point in the evening in Torrance is still warmer than the warmest point of the day in Albany!
Despite the weather, the city is growing! Albany is very special, in that people have a nice mix of rural and suburban all at once. This city is going through that kind of a transition as we speak. The city's population has grown steadily over the last seven years. In 2010, there were 50,158 people. As of now, there are around over 53,000. That is a significant uptick in the number of people entering the city. Four major freeways and highways pass through the city. First, there's the I-5, the same I-5 which travels right down California, specifically through Los Angeles County. There's the 99E, Interstate 20, and the 226 State Highway. There's a lot of manufacturing and farming in this area.
From what I can tell, the manufacturing boom has gotten big again. Thank God for Trump!
People in Oregon are quite unique, too. I have found that most of the young people are into the goth or the alternative look. The grunge Northwestern scene is still kind of strong, if not lingering here in the Northwest. Men and women walk around without jackets! They wear plain shirts, and some people wear shorts and flip-flops outside in this cold weather! Or course, there are plenty of people wearing skullcaps, snowcaps, and many men where flannel shirts, too. I can't believe it. This kind of weather takes some getting used to, doesn't it? For people who are born here, it's not that hard, I guess.
Indeed, I know that there are lots of Californians up here. At the Carls Jr. here in Albany, the manager running the evening shift told another customer that she was from California. She was even planning on going back to Southern California next year to go to Disneyland. That's a perspective I don't take into account that often. I have Hollywood and Disney practically in my own backyards, and yet I never think about going to them that often. I suppose most people end up missing something close by only because they can't get to it right away. Even though the amusement park is within one hour of my home, I still don't want to go there. It's too expensive, and I don't like the cultural contours of Disneyland now. Besides, who wants to wait in line for hours only to go on a handful of rides after an entire day? Everything is way too expensive, too, not just the ticket to get in.
I do notice that Oregon doesn't have a sales tax. The cost of some goods is higher, though, and not paying a sales tax does not make much of a difference. The same meal that I get at the Carl's Jr. in El Segundo, CA cost me a dollar more in Albany!
I think what has bothered me the most about Oregon now is that it's just too cold to go outside. The weather, the rain, the sleet that falls onto the curbs and the grass is just too cold to make going out and about comfortable. I had come to Oregon last year on Thanksgiving Day. It was about 50° in the morning. It was still cool, but more gentle, and I had a great time celebrating since I had gotten a great job and was celebrating the election of Donald Trump to the White House.
It was a lot of fun to be able to purchase a ticket with my own money and fly up to Oregon to be with my Dad and his wife Patty. I even visited the state capitol in Salem.
This time, one month and a year later, it's so much colder and wetter. I am just not ready for it, and I am glad to live in California, Southern California specifically!
I am glad that my Dad is well, though, and that he is happy and at peace in Oregon. He has gotten away from so much of the noise and the setbacks which he had faced in Torrance and then Lomita. He had his life there, but then after my mother died, he met another woman, they got married, and he is living happier ever after. That is good to know. His family has expanded incredibly up here in Oregon, too. He has grand-children that he can celebrate, too!
One of the reasons why I wanted to come up to Oregon? I wanted to spend time with my Dad, to know that he would be OK. I had had some dark times that I had faced because of the many challenges which have suddenly hit me. The thought of losing my Dad proved to be another layer of serious burdens on me that I was not ready to take on. A morbid set of thinking, that's for sure. My father may have a few days, a few years, or decades ahead of him. There is no reason for me to get sad or jilted or out of place.
My heavenly father is already watching out for me, so why should I get upset or fearful?
For now, these are my reflections about what is happening for me this Christmas season. Stay tuned for more comments soon!
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