Ahh....Vacation!
Well, ok, its true. Oregon is gorgeous. I lived in Washington for a number of years and would have said its the most beautiful state, but as it turns out, I think Oregon might be even more beautiful. We loved pretty much everything about it; from downtown Portland to the coast, the Cascades to the desert. Gorgeous.
We stayed at an incredible cabin right on the water; now that we're home to the muggy midwest, we are trying so hard to focus on our actual Madison lives rather than just skip ahead to planning our next opportunity to go to this incredible place. I was actually DRIVEN to go out and walk on the beach, on the path along the bluffs, in the tidepools and rocks, into town. I haven't walked that much in years.
The question of the moment: how many minutes/hours/months/years will it take us to decide to move to Oregon? Points for comparison:
mosquitos: Madison has many, Oregon has almost none
flys: same as above
humidity: similar to above
days above 90: similar to above
On the other hand,
huge thurderstorms and downpours: also similar to above, unfortunately
fireflys/lightening bugs: same answer, sadly
dramatic weather changes: yeah, there are more in Madison, and we'd miss them quite a bit.
And some other points,
where can you garden in November? Oregon.
where can you grow hot weather crops like eggplant? definitely Madison.
where can you get away without a parka? Oregon unless you want to go skiing.
where can you begin to feel like there's mildew in your hair in the winter? That would be Oregon.
where can you drive a couple hours to a desert when you start to mildew? Yep. Oregon.
where can you cross country ski? This is a hard one, because I think if you're willing to drive, you can ski a lot more frequently in Oregon. Those mountains, you know. Madison doesn't actually have that many ski-able days in most winters.
where can you find huge black spiders in your house? I'm afraid that's more common in the Pacific NW in my experience.
where is the mushroom hunting best? Oregon for sure. All that rain, all those mountains.
where can you be alone outdoors? I think this is easier in all that wild forested land in Oregon too.
And then of course,
where can you have a hotshop in your yard/basement? probably either place, especially if the authorities in Madison don't catch on
where can you have chickens in your yard? I think both places, although there's a chance this would rule out Portland.
where can you grow zone 8 plants and trees? That would be Oregon. How tempting.
So...what do you think? Move or stay? Feel free to weigh in if you think I've got my facts wrong. I lived in Seattle and Ellensburg, not Oregon, so I might be a little off. Also don't hesitate to tell me if you think you live somewhere even better! I'd love to hear about it!