October

“October, and the trees are stripped bare of all they wear. What do I care?

October and kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall. But you go on and on.”

U2, October 1982

U2’s October is a beautifully written song with lyrics that speak of a changing season and the promise of a new chapter unfolding. I listen to the song often this time of year, usually while watching the autumn leaves fall carelessly from the trees in my backyard. This past month in Portland has been perfect. Mother Nature has given us her annual display of crisp, chilly mornings, blue skies and a sun that shines bright all day long. The clocks just fell back and the days are getting shorter but I wouldn’t trade early fall in the Pacific Northwest for anything. We probably only have a week, maybe 10 days left and then it’s all over. The curtain will close. November rain and the dark days of winter will descend upon us. We will soon return to Mordor for our annual visit but I’m okay with that. It’s time for a change. It’s time for a new season. The holidays will be here in a few short weeks and before you know it January will bring us ski season.

The calendar read November 13th and I had just gotten back from 4 days in my hometown of Los Angeles. The temperatures were in the mid to upper 70’s with bright sunny skies and light winds. Any and all outdoor activities were still in play. The surfers were catching waves, the beach volleyball and paddle tennis courts were full. The runners, skateboarders and cyclists cruised swiftly along the strand. I played tennis at a park one morning and waited 45 minutes to get a court. It was 9am, on a Monday. Later we drove by a golf course that had actual golfers on it. And then it hit me. It didn’t matter if it was November. It could have been April or May or even September. There is no discernible difference in LA. The weather is always the same. Keeping a calendar close by isn’t a bad idea.

Growing up in Los Angeles, I never had any clue what seasons were, how they make you feel, how they truly warm your soul. LA has seasons, they are just labeled differently. The 4 seasons in Los Angeles are summer, fire season, mudslide season and then spring. November comes but fall never arrives. The leaves never change colors. The temps might dip into the 60’s and sometimes down in the 50’s….brrr. The easiest way to identify this time of year is by the changing fashions. The locals rush deep in their closets to grab sweaters, puffy jackets and of course their Uggs. The weather doesn’t require winter attire, rather its just LA peeps telling themselves they deserve to own a closet full of Patagonia and NorthFace gear. Scarfs and knit hats are 100% accent pieces down here. They serve no tangible purpose. The natives have no clue that Mountain Hardware products are actually used for climbing mountains, fishing rivers, camping and being active. Climbing, fishing and camping are not exactly top of mind pursuits in the land of the sun. These activities require rivers, mountains and less traffic. The basic problem with Los Angeles is that it’s sunny and nice everyday. Not just yesterday and today but tomorrow and the next 47 days as well. That sucks. That is boring. There is no urgency to do anything because you can always do it tomorrow, there are no deadlines, the curtain never closes.

In the Pacific northwest there is urgency to every day. You might sneak in a round of golf in mid November and it could be your last round for the next 4 months. That is pressure. That birdie putt on 18 could be your last for a while. Do you really want to go for a jog or a bike ride in November? Get ready for cold rain, blustery wind and leaves everywhere. No thanks. Its officially treadmill and Peloton season. And really if you live in an area with perpetually perfect weather why would you ever stay inside?

Weather in Portland is a daily, year round discussion. Everybody loves to talk about the weather. My wife and I watch the 10 o’clock news every night to catch the weather forecast. We tune in again at 6:30am, again just for the weather. What could possibly change during 7 hours of sleep? “Folks, that 3 week wall of rain we mentioned coming off the Pacific Ocean will now arrive around 10am instead of 3pm so be prepared.” Ok, that’s good to know, thanks very much. And where else on earth do the weather people say that the rain will turn to showers or the showers will turn to rain? Isn’t that the same damn thing…..RAIN? I have lived in Portland for 25 years and still have no clue what the difference between rain and showers is.

And then there are the Portland snow forecasts. These are the best, especially for someone from LA. The Rose City gets snow on occasion and while it usually doesn’t amount to much, once every few years it dumps big time! When this happens the entire city stops. The news people talk of Armageddon and the end of times. Please don’t go to work. Please don’t drive. Please don’t even go outside. Please sit on the couch and watch wall to wall weather coverage on KPTV Fox 12. These folks are the best at feeding our collective weather addiction. In fact, just this last week, their head meteorologist (1) suggested it might snow this week over Thanksgiving. They often can’t predict the weather 24-36 hours in advance but regularly tease us with their 7 and 10 day local forecasts. That is marketing at its finest. Watching for school and community event closures on the tv crawl at the bottom of the screen is another Portland pastime. It’s amazing to me how many various community groups feel the need to call the TV station and tell them that their event is cancelled due to 9 inches of snow. “The Raleigh Hills Bunko Group’s annual bake sale will not be held at 6pm at Valley Church.” This news literally affects maybe 11 people in the entire city. Invariably the prediction of snow is wrong and the kids grumble and bitch as they head to the bus stop feeling like they were robbed by Frosty. And then the following week it actually snows but nobody told us. The kids are stranded at school, on buses, or in hours of Portland snow traffic. Unfortunately many people in Portland can’t drive in the snow. And please don’t blame those of us from California because we can drive in both rain and snow. We were born in our cars, treat them like temples and can’t live without them. The conditions matter not. So whether it’s a light dusting or even 3-4 inches the locals here call uncle and immediately give up in the snow. Some Portlanders will actually abandon their cars on the side of the roads during a snow event. “It’s dark and snowing sideways and I’m only 5 miles from home but guess what..I think I will walk.” People here will even leave their cars on the freeway. In a million years, nobody in LA would purposely abandon their car on the 405. Not even OJ. Respectable people from Minneapolis, Chicago or Cleveland would be shocked at how snow totally owns Portland.

So here I am, a kid who grew up in the Southland, who worshipped the sun and spent entire summers at the beach and I now love the seasons and embrace the cold and rainy winters. I love the unpredictability. I love how it can completely change a day of youth soccer, usually for the better. Sure the car comes home a bit muddy but at least Johnny ran around and had a blast getting filthy dirty, diving in the mud for 50 minutes. In Los Angeles, when it rains at a soccer game, even a sprinkle, the game is stopped immediately. Everyone runs for cover, especially the Moms. I have actually seen this happen. I stood on the field at Palisades Park on a pleasant Saturday morning watching a friend’s 9-year old mid-fielder play. Young soccer players were chasing the ball up and down the field just like they might in Portland. And then a light rain started to fall and all hell broke loose. People started to flee like there was a fire. I started to look for locusts. It was crazy. There were grown adults falling over each other grabbing their chairs and coffee mugs and then an all out sprint to reach some sort of cover. Johnny and Susie walking slowly behind, mumbling about why the game had to be over. Mommy, it’s only rain. In less than 7 minutes the entire field and sidelines were empty. 30 minutes later it was sunny again. I think it was October.

Seasons are nature’s calendar and it’s nice to have the outdoors inform your dress for the day as well as your outdoor options. The weather narrows many of our options for half of the year but when it does turn to spring we are the happiest people on the planet. We live for that first sunny day in late February or early March. It's only 55 degrees but the skies are blue and the birds are chirping. We search everywhere for our sunglasses and then order a new pair on Amazon just to be safe. We get our golf clubs and bikes out of storage and buy new tennis balls. We visit the local park that we have only driven by for the past 90 days. We smile and breathe in the fresh air. Of course the air is always fresh here, but spring feels slightly better. We give ourselves a quiet internal pat on the back “you made it thru another winter you tough fella.” There is an understanding that the worst has passed. The outside will be open very soon.

And let’s be perfectly clear, Mordor has airports and planes. “We can check out anytime, but we can never leave…” Usually 4 days of sun and surf provide the quick sanity check and Momma gets a head start on her tanning. That’s all we need to nurture our souls and remind us how thankful we are to live in Portland.

Today is November 22nd and the rains have remarkably stayed away this year. It has been abnormally dry all month but it will definitely end soon. So listen to Axel’s words and remember “nothin’ last forever.

“So never mind the darkness

We still can find a way

'Cause nothin' lasts forever

Even cold November rain”

Guns N Roses, Use Your Illusion, I 1991

1) Evidently a meteorologist is someone who studies and forecasts the weather. The 3 main LA weather people over the last 30 years were Fritz Coleman, Johnny Mountain and Dallas Raines. They were closer to being comedians and personalities than weather scientists.