Feels so good to be back in The Shed.
I’m back in the The Shed after two weeks of an unexpected break. Before I dive head-first back into BikePortland, I wanted to share what happened and share a heartfelt thanks for your understanding and support while I was away.
Two weeks ago while celebrating the one-year anniversary of Bike Happy Hour, texts from my brother started to light up my phone: Dad had to be taken to the hospital. As it became clear how serious the situation was, I decided to drive down to Grants Pass (about four hours south on I-5) that same night. I expected to be gone for a few days. I was there two weeks — one in Grants Pass, and then one in Medford after he was moved to a larger hospital with better specialists. I spent about 12 hours a day in the hospital for the past two weeks trying to make dad as comfortable as possible.
And yesterday, we finally broke out! I dropped my dad at a rehab home in Grants Pass and finally got back home late last night. It has been a life-altering journey for both of us (and as anyone who’s been through this knows, the journey isn’t over).
While I dealt with this emergency and the days turned into weeks, I worried about keeping the BikePortland flame burning. It took a huge load off my shoulders to have Lisa Caballero step up with a few articles, and I’m very grateful for everyone who answered my call and shared a guest article. And the folks who sent in financial contributions to help offset meal and motel expenses — thank you so much! It was also wonderful to see photos of folks having fun at Bike Happy Hour these past two weeks. I can’t wait for next week to see all your beautiful faces again.
And now, back to your regularly scheduled programming…
