azette G December 2018
Gazette 38 more adventures
38 years of producing an exuberant Christmas card!
Susan, Murphy & James Thomas 1316 SW Mitchell Lane Portland, OR 97239-2826
Adulting, New job Tennis, Music Climbing, Skiing, Hiking Cycling, Cycling, Cycling Summer fires Autumn colors Murphy Buenas Aires, Ljubljana, Helsinki, London, Tallin, Innsbruk Sydney & Morgan Thomas 1427 11th Ave, Apt 212 Seattle, WA 98122 Wy’East very early in the morning.
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Another year of exploring, mostly in the saddle of my Open UP (UP for Untrammeled Path). 14,500 km of spectacular scenery. 855 hours viewing all that landscape, much of it wild, laying tracks variously on gravel, chunk, mud, dirt, rocks, asphalt, concrete, leaves, snow, ice and pine needles. Up in the air, 99,740 miles riding United Airlines to get to some of those far off places.
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voxdoc, Canon EOS5D, Moment lens, Rapha, Open Cycle, Arc’teryx.
Smoke frequently filled Oregon skies again this summer. Wonderful orange glow, a little hard on the lungs.
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Gazette inspiration from: my muse; snow, Apple, iPhone Xs Max, iPhone X, iOS 12 & OS Mojave, Instagram:
F ire days
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Outside
Ice & I - we’re friends. My favorite city, as seen from my favorite bike path.
Above: Family hike in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness outside of Seattle. We hiked over this ridge to Snow Lake. The Cascade rain cascaded. Below: Out on the trail nearing snowline.
While you are reading the Gazette, if you want to reach us... jim@voicedoctor.net susan@voicedoctor.net morgan@twinsis.us sydney@twinsis.us
: voxdoc : susan_sienko : morgan_thomas3 : sydney_thomas
Bikepacking the Cascades
: docvox : susan.sienko : morgan_thomas3 : sydney.thomas
(503) 341-2555 (503) 341-0767 (503) 867-0796 (503) 867-0798
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he 30th September edition of Cycle Oregon began in Baker City, Oregon, circumnavigating the Wallowa and Blue Mountain ranges, savoring western community’s flavor of rural life while riding steel and carbon machines that are technological marvels, yet can slow us down enough to immerse ourselves in the sights, sounds and smells of desert, mountains and ranchland.
Halfway, Oregon 6
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Far left: Cruising between the Wallowa and Blue Mountains. Near left: A goathead reaches deep into my tire. Tubeless tires are marvelous at handling these beasts. Lower left: Waking up in Halfway Upper Right: Sharing gravel with the ranch hands.
Avoid the traffic It’s been interesting to tackle a group ride. I’ve learned more about myself, solidifying my view that riding solo matches my soul. There is a tendency on a group ride to engage in conversation or athleticism. As soon as someone passes, I speed up and hop into their slipstream, which when repeated by others leads to the paceline. It is a form of pleasure. Distance passes quickly though and I’m not even sure where I’m riding. It’s also great to just meet people on the ride and strike up a conversation. The ice broken, the distance glides by. I engage in both the speed and the conversation. Then an enticing gravel road beckons. I make a left turn off the charted course, the gravel and lack of competition slowing my pace. The road is deserted. I stop and listen. A hawk circles overhead, close enough that I can hear the wind in his feathers. I take a photo, observing the circling on the wind, note the color on his wingtips. He comes to rest on a pole and I listen to his call.
I tend to stop a lot when I’m observing the sights, the sounds, and the smells around me. It can be difficult for company to match my stop and go pace. The group ride, Cycle Oregon gets me out here since it’s something I might not do on my own logistically. But then, it is getting off on my own that recharges my batteries. I snap a photo of two deer, a doe and buck, heads just above the
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Autumn already arrived in September at higher elevations, burning red. In the valleys, morning frost and afternoon heat combined to dry out the grassland. With the cold, it was difficult to get the fingers moving until the sun was rather high in the sky.
Forests and individual trees that had weathered previous wildfires stood green and tall.
dry grass in the golden glow of evening. Moments later a pickup emerges on the road beyond the field. Circling around the field, kicking up road dust, the pickup pauses beside me. The driver is in full camo, head to toe, including face paint. He is out spotting. He inquires if I had seen the deer. It is archery season, but he Weeds, beautiful weeds.
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points out there was a guy dressed in pink tights behind the deer so he couldn’t take a shot. I thanked him. We chatted about the backcountry I had been riding through. He certainly could have been a Republican and I a Democrat and we were both out shooting that evening, I with my
Heading through the ranchland between Pendleton and the Blue Mountains my maps suggested there was a path less pedaled available. I met wheat fields, hawks, dogs and the occasional rancher. Even a semitruck that inadvertently tossed me a giant onion - later consumed over steak.
camera and he with his bow, and we both shared a common pleasure of inhaling the outdoor air, a bit removed from the city and crowds. Sunflowers
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An guard dog out on the prairie. Not all farm dogs were nearly this friendly.
Five days later, the crowd of 2000 cyclists readies to descend down the east slope of the Blue Mountains, onto Interstate Highway 84 into La Grande. 50 meters beyond the rest stop in Kamela though, I slip across the road and up onto some gravel. I have been checking out many gravel byways of northeastern Oregon this week. I already met ranchers, bakers turkeys, mad dogs and a loose roaming bull on the roads.
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This gravel section is a little different in that I don’t see a lot of good escape routes on the map. It is almost the sole path along mountains dropping steeply to the west. The road gets chunky and then a few washouts exclude all but the ablest of drivers. I persist. There is still the option to turn around, pedal back uphill a bit and rejoin the masses. The road improves after re-crossing Interstate 84. Aside from more deer, I don’t encounter humans for a half hour. Then a large pickup approaches from the opposite direction. He rolls down his window and stops. We talk deer, a good conversation starter out here. Over the next three hours along the spine of the Blues, I pass a Ranger, a Native American shepherd and two hunters on 4 Wheelers. I pass the point of an easy return backtracking and try a road appearing to head west into the valley on Google Maps. After a kilometer, there is a landslide, well overgrown with brush, obliterating the road for some time. I head back uphill. I try the next road down the west slope. After 2 km, it also has a washout, but 4 Wheelers have made a track through the gulley. I follow
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their lead. Earlier this week at camp, we discussed the first person mauled and killed this summer by a Mountain lion in over 100 years, a mountain biker out riding in the Cascade range. Then yesterday there was a report on Oregon’s first Mountain lion fatality, on a path near Mt. Hood that I too have hiked.
Above: The road along the Blue Mountain spine, at times wide and flat and at times dropping precipitously on both sides. I am searching for a route down the left side in this photo.
The trail narrows as no large motor vehicles have been passing here for some time. The 4 Wheelers have kept a double track visible on the ground. I descend but the
tree branches are getting lower as I dip through more washouts. Some of the branches are whacking me in the face from time to time as I descend at a good clip. I feel rather committed and I hope the trail doesn’t end before the bottom as it narrows down to a single track. A f ter a ha l f hou r a nd more than a 2000 foot drop in elevation, the trail merges onto a gravel road. It is still a long way to La Grande and I will arrive after dark, but the gravel turns to asphalt and I am back into the network of paved roads in the valley between Elgin and La Grande. If the Mountain lions saw me, they weren’t hungry or I was riding too fast. James
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ls i ns a o t i e & sat D n e S
Riding trails and gravel roads slows my pace and tickles my senses. One memorable day 35 kilometers up a gravel road followed by a 35 km descent without encountering a single motor vehicle, astounding me for the solitude. My camera drags my pace. Suddenly seeing a beautiful rock or a curved tree; stopping, getting down on the ground, observing the small world of fungi, gentians, trails of ants, bees, marching termites, an orchid; this is one sensory pleasure of a bicycle. There are visual, olfactory, auditory, proprioceptive and nocioceptive stimuli. In addition to the tiny world below my feet, climbing slowly up a gravel road in the forest, a window between tree branches frames distant ridges floating above fog. On east-slope summer rides, heat warms pine sap, scenting the air with vanilla. A meadow’s dry grass rustles in the Columbia Gorge breeze when I pause. Night riding a forest trail condenses the world to the illuminated spot on the trail ahead and a sudden unnoticed dip thrills my stomach. Riding in the quiet of a dark late-autumn night, I hear a tiny pop, then another and another. I wonder if water is being flicked up off the wet road. The pops pick up in rate and I start to feel the drops on my face. A drizzle has started. Continu-
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ing uphill a boundary is crossed and flakes appear among the drops. Rain turns to snow. Fingers go numb in the cold. Then, I stop after the effort of the climb. Numbness turns to a throbbing pain in my hands. Moments later, when the vessels dilate further, a glowing warmth envelopes my fingers.
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Susan’s year by Susan
Cycling
Cycling took center stage this year. In addition to my normal commuting to/from work from May to September, I spent many more hours in the saddle making sure I was prepared for our week-long cycling trip in September, logging about 1800 miles for the year (which is almost double that of last year). I continued to ride with my women’s biking group “Ladies Let’s Ride” which bikes every Sunday (unless the weather is too bad) and has hill rides on Wednesday nights from May until September. Although I ride up the hill home each day from work, I started to ride
the Wednesday hill rides which I’m sure contributed to my success on Cycle Oregon. We continued our Annual Clinical Research Wine ride at Eola Hills. It was amazing to watch Paige and Cassie who hadn’t biked at all prior to the ride, bike the 50-mile ride, enjoying the sights, wine and
keeping up with the gang the whole way. Although Jim usually bikes in the cities that he travels to, I have never biked internationally at all before. This year while we were in Helsinki I spent each day on my “yellow bike”. Helsinki is set up for cycling with bike paths throughout the entire city, making seeing the sites by bike easy and safe. In contrast, biking in Buenos Aires was crazy, and seemed like a death wish at times. While Jim was willing to bike around the downtown area, I limited my biking to the burbs
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ties that we could do together. After we returned each day we would catch up in the beer tent hearing about how everyone’s ride was a little different, despite riding the same route. Cycling provided the opportunity to take in through the beautiful parks or on the beautiful landscapes and see what designated bike paths. I also got the the rural towns had to offer. Although opportunity to bike along the beaches the whole week was fabulous and well of Colonia, Uruguay. If was beautiful biking all along the coast. This year biking has certainly introduced me to unique neighborhoods both locally and internationally.
Cycle Oregon
The highlight of my cycling adventures this year was Cycle Oregon. While we officially cycled with approximately 2000 of our closest organized, I was certainly over having to find my tent in tent city, sleep on the ground and use the porta potties. It was definitely a ride to remember.
Travel
friends, Jim and I and four other couples (Russ and Ann, Cathleen and Gil, Sylvia and Jim, and Beth and John) cycled 443 miles around ea stern Oregon. Wit h per fect weather (although a little chilly one morning), the ride took us to Baker City, Halfway, Wallawa Lake, Elgin, Pendleton, and La Grand. Prior to the ride, some members of the group didn’t know each other; however, by the end of the ride we were all bonded by the experience and have even talked about finding other biking opportuni-
Now that the girls no longer live at home I have the opportunity to travel with Jim to his meetings this year, taking me to Helsinki, Finland and Buenos Aires, Argentina. As Jim worked most of the time on both trips, I explored the cities on my own. In Helsinki, I started each day talking with the young women at the front desk, asking for local lunch recommendations. I planned the sights that I wanted to see around the city based on the location of the restaurant. Each restaurant was unique, offering only a few options. Since none of the menus were in English, I tended to trust the waiter/waitress on what I should have for the lunch. I was never disappointed and it exposed me to foods that I might not normally try. While
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in my steps walking an average of 15 miles each day. Once I had explored Buenos Aires, I ventured further, taking the train to Tigre, an island that is surrounded by small streams and rivers. I took a boat tour along the canals, which allowed you to see
at lunch on my last day I was sitting at the community table and started talking with the gentleman across the table from me. I asked him if there was one thing that I should do before I left what would it be. He said that if I hadn’t experienced the sauna’s that is what I should do. He recommended a local neighborhood sauna, away from the touristy areas. Löyly Saunas offered three choices you could try: the continuously heated sauna, the once heated sauna and the traditional smoke sauna. I tried out each one and when I got too hot, I ventured outside and dipped myself in the cool sea. It was a wonderful experience, certainly one that made me feel more like a local. Buenos Aires is such a big city and was a distinct contrast from Helsinki. As a result, I took a different approach to sightseeing. Each day I chose a different neighborhood to visit allowing me to experience all the unique neighborhoods that Buenos Aires has to offer. Since I could never figure out the bus system, I walked to each neighborhood, which allowed me to really experience the uniqueness of each neighborhood and to find shops and restaurants that were off the beaten path. I certainly got
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the unique homes and reminded me of New Orleans with the swamp land and vegetation. I also took a ferry to Colonia Uruguay, a UNESCO world heritage site. It was an interesting city with influences of Portugal and Spain, both of who claimed the city
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as theirs. It was a beautiful city on the Rio del la Plata filled with amazing history and beautiful old buildings. I ate lunch at a wonderful restaurant looking out to the Rio del la Plata. The coast is lined with beaches which I’m sure are packed in the summer, but
were very empty as I biked by them to get a complete view of the coast line. One of the highlights of our time in Argentina was our visit to Iguazu the largest waterfall system in the world. While the falls can be experienced from Argentina and Brazil, the Argentinian side offered us the opportunity to see the falls from both above and below as we hiked around the park. As we got ready to return to Buenos Aires to head home, the airline went on strike. We headed to the airport, hoping to find an alternative flight later in the day or early next day. When we realized that we weren't going to get out, Jim quickly acquired thelast two seats on an airline that had only one flight a day. We arrived just in time to pick up our luggage in Buenos Aires before heading home.
Family and Friends
For my birthday this year, Jim, my friend Lisa and I went to watch tennis at Indian Wells. It was four wonderful days of hiking in the mornings (at
least for Lisa and I) and tennis in the afternoon and evenings. I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed watching the tennis live rather than on TV. We watched so many matches and saw classic players and some up and coming players. It was certainly something I would do again, maybe the French or Australian Opens, who knows?
May took us to Spokane for Jim’s medical school roommate Russ’ daughter Molly’s wedding. It’s hard to believe that time has gone so quickly that now the children of our friends are getting married. Amazingly, the weather was perfect for the first weekend in May. The wedding was beautiful, as was the bride and her handsome groom. The following day we ran the Bloomsday run, a 12 km run with a killer hill around 10 km (you know it’s bad when they time how long it takes you to get to the top). I was amazed that I finished and now I’m officially a “Bloomie”. I’ve never done a “girls getaway” before, but over the summer, Lisa and I joined Melanie in Sun River for four days of hiking, tennis, biking, reading.
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at Stephen and Sanaz’s lake house, kayaking, swimming, eating, drinking and enjoying our time together. It was a wonderful weekend celebration for my mom.
and Yahtzee. The weather was perfect which added to our amazing relaxing time. We’ve already started planning next year’s escape, hopefully for a few days longer this time. August 8th was a special birthday for my mom and so with the help of Stephen, Stephanie and my dad, the girls and I surprised her with a visit to Toronto. We went to see the musical “Come From Away”, about the city of Gander Newfoundland, who took on 38 planes on 9/11. It was a great musical demonstrating the Canadian Spirit and hospitality. The next morning provided my dad with another opportunity to cross one more thing off his bucket list when the twins and Kendall accompanied him on “edge walk”. Basically, a walk on the outside top deck of the CN tower. Stephanie, my mom and I were glad to stay on the ground and have a nice glass of wine, while they experienced the thrill of walking on a 1.5 metre wide ledge, 356 metres above us. We spent the remainder of our time
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Work
2019 will bring about more changes in personnel in the Clinical Research Department, as both Cassie and Cole have moved onto new opportunities. Paige is still with us and Christa starts in early January. We hope to fill our other vacancy as soon as possible as we are anticipating a busy year ahead. I received my multicenter grant to examine two different delivery models of an intense motor learning camp for individuals with cerebral palsy and look forward to working with our colleagues at Shriners in Lexington and Columbia University on this project. We love to have visitors and have lots of empty rooms for anyone who wants to visit. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy new year. Susan
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Morgan’s Memories by Morgan
Wow, what a year this has been! It seems like as I get older, time flys by so much faster. This past year was a whirlwind and I couldn’t be happier. From a new job to moving apartments there have been many changes in my life. Life after college is an adventure of always paying bills, never doing homework and working five days a week!
Work This past year I started as leasing agent for Broadstone Clarendon, brand new apartments in Lower Queen Anne. In March, I was promoted to Assistant Business Manager there, where I was able to take on more responsibilities and learn more about the business.
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However, I worked by myself most of the time and learned quickly I need to have a team and people around me. So I went and worked up on Capitol Hill at Infinity Apartments which is where we lived and Sydney worked as well. I worked there for about two months and loved the commute of just having to go down the elevator. In August, I ended up switching jobs and started working at Zillow. I work in their downtown corporate office on the 29th floor overlooking the water. I have been there for five months currently and love it so far. I
college. It was very hot and after 2 weeks I was ready to get back to Seattle. Being there made me realize why I live in the Pacific Northwest. This was the longest Sydney and I have been apart but both of us enjoyed it and only talked on the phone a little bit. We both were busy, so the time flew buy. Surrounded by amazing people and great managers, I love my team. I am excited to see where this jobs takes me. The work environment is fun and I got a pet fish for work named Gilbert.
Travel I am learning quickly it is much harder to travel when you have a full time job. However, I still managed to make time for it. I went to visit my friend Hollynd for her 24th birthday in July. I have known Hollynd since she was 6 so it has been a while and is always fun to celebrate another year!
am on the Zillow Offers team as a Seller Success Specialist, working to help Zillow buy homes in select markets. In September, I went to Arizona for two weeks to earn my Real Estate License. It was a long two weeks filled with 90 hours of classes, which took me back to
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Sydney and I went together to San Jose for the weekend and celebrated with wine tasting, a day visit in San Francisco and soaking up the sun. I fell in love with San Francisco and almost thought about moving there! However, Seattle still has my heart.
In August, Sydney, my mom, and I went to Toronto to surprise my Grandma Sienko for her birthday. We spent four days out there with family and had the best time. We walked the edge of the CN Tower with my grandpa and Kendall, our cousin. It was one of
the coolest views I had ever seen and was such a cool experience. It’s nice to make time and see my family in all of our crazy busy lives. We spent the next couple of days relaxing at my Uncle Stephen’s lake house. I made it home to Portland finally at the en d o f Aug ust for the first time since Christmas. S o m e h o w Portland is not that far, but somehow 9 months flew by and I hadn’t been back. It was great to be back for a weekend! We went to all of my favorite places including Por Que No and Wiz Bang Bar. We scootered around the city and enjoyed shopping with no sales tax. I returned home for Thanksgiving for a couple of days. My grandparents from my mom’s side came out to visit as well! It was just the right amount of time for the holiday. It was filled with lots of food, wine and shopping! I will always appreciate no sales tax in Portland. I came home last last time this past year to celbrate the Christmas holiday. I was hope for about 5 days which is the longest time since graduating college.
Seattle It’s crazy to think I am going on my 6th year in Seattle! This place has officially become my home. I fall more in love with this city everyday! I signed
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my first year-long lease in August so it looks like I will stay up here until this coming August, but I am sure it will fly by. Now when people ask where I live, I always say Seattle and never say Portland anymore. When I went to college I was so sure I would only live in Seattle for 4 years and go back to Portland after. Now a year-and-a-half post-grad I couldn’t be happier living up here. I think it took me so long to go back to Portland because my whole life is up here now. My parents have made plenty of trips up here and we saw them every month or two. Murphy even visited us twice, once for a week and once for almost a month. Although, it was so much fun, it was also a lot of work and made me realize I do not want a dog as they are a lot of responsibility. Having Murphy visit was the perfect
situation as it was only temporary. We moved out of Infinity Apartments in August after three years living there. It was bittersweet as that had been the only place we had lived besides living on campus and at home in Portland. Infinity was my home for the last 3 years but I was ready for a small change. We moved right next door to Jack apartments so we are still living in the heart of Capitol Hill. Our new apartment is similar to our old one, just in a newer building. This time I have the bigger room which is always nice. It was a good change and I love the apartment. We made it feel like home! We have bought our first non-IKEA couch and rug!
Adventure I got outside of the city, going skiing with family at Crystal Mountain Resort early in the year. In February, my dad came up and we hiked Lake 22. This is probably one of my favorite hikes I have done with amazing views. In the spring we hiked Little Si with my dad and Murphy. I continue to love escaping the city for a day. When we are in Portland we like to go on walks along the trails though the city with Murphy!
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Friends We love to have friends come up to visit us and show them around Seattle! Two of our friends from Portland came up to say hi, Hannah Savinar and Sam Malech. It’s fun to have friends from Portland see Seattle for a day! Of
course, I spent many summer nights on our rooftop with friends, drinking wine and enjoying Seattle’s best season! This past year our neighbors Mikayla and Emily became our good friends so it felt like we were living in a dorm again which was really fun and even more convenient. I try and grab happy hour or dinner with friends as often as I can given everyone’s busy schedules. This year our parents were out of the country for our birthday so we cel-
ebrated with some of our close friends in Seattle, wine tasting at the Seattle Urban wineries. This was the first year I have really learned to appreciate wine so have enjoyed trying different wines.
Life Another year is in the books! As 2018 came to a close, I cannot believe I turned 24. This year has been filled with a lot of changes but I can confidently say they were all for the better. I learned a lot about myself the first year after college. Working life is no joke. However, I am glad I found something I am passionate about and can’t wait to see what the future holds. I am sure next year will be just as crazy if not more! But that’s what life is for! If you are ever in Seattle feel free to reach out and say hi! We always have a place you can crash at! Morgan
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Thomas Family Portrait
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Happy Holidays from
James, Sydney, Morgan, Susan & Murphy
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Feeling 24!
by Sydney
W
hat a year it has been! This was my first full year since completing college and it has been an amazing year. It started by celebrating the new year with my friends in Seattle and ended with the same thing of ringing in the new year in Seattle. Seattle has become one my of favorite cities and I love living here.
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Work
This year I continued in property management as a Leasing Specialist and in February became the Assistant Business Manager. I have learned a lot about sales, customer service and management. I continue to learn something new each week.
Seattle
I am still living on Capitol Hill in Seattle and love it. For most of the
item versus in Portland, we have to hop in the car and drive. I love the fact of never having to drive and if I need go somewhere far, Uber is quick and easy. The Capitol Hill block party is one of my favorite times of the year and is always a lot of fun. I enjoy walking downtown, having lots of restaurants within walking distance and always trying to find the best happy hours. I feel like I am slowly learning about adult life starting with always feeling like you have a bill to pay. Even this Christmas, Morgan and I asked for new dishes and a vacuum. We are slowly seeing what is important and what we need. Living in a 750 square foot apartment, we do not have room for extra things. We love living in our apartment together and it works well.
year Morgan and I were in the same apartment as last year but in August moved right next door and will remain in Seattle for another year as we signed another lease. This was the first time we signed a 12-month lease, so that was a big commitment for us, as previously we were on month-to-month. With most of my life being in Capitol Hill and close to it I couldn’t ask for a better location to live in. Most things are within walking distance so when I go home to Portland, having to drive places seems like it takes forever. Living 3 blocks from Whole Foods and 1 block from QFC, it is very easy to run to the store and grab just one
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Portland
parents and Portland. My uncle was visiting in September, so we went down for the weekend. Portland had just started renting battery powered scooters so we rode all over Portland on them and had so much fun. I’m just hoping Seattle gets them soon. We came back for Thanksgiving as well and my mom’s parents were also there. We spent the visit hiking, wine tasting, eating at our favorite places and trying new happy hours and of course shopping tax free. Although I am going on 6 years of living in Seattle I still hate paying tax and enjoy not paying it when I come home to Portland. I also came back for a few days at Christmas. Seeing friends, spending time with family and enjoying Portland the trip went by very fast.
With Seattle continuing to grow on me and adult life taking over, I haven’t had as many chances to come to Portland as when I was in school. It took me 9 months to come back since the previous Christmas. Of course, I always love Portland and have an amazing time but when I leave I realize Friends that I am not ready to live there and This year started off by ringing love being a few hours away from my in the new year with our friends in Seattle. After living up here for many years, many of my friends now live up here. I enjoy celebrating their birthdays at new happy hours, or rooftop bars, as Seattle has some cool ones. Our friends Hannah and her family came and visited Seattle for a day, and our other friend Sam came
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and visited as well. It is always nice to have friends from Portland come up and visit and show them around Seattle.
Family
I believe one of the main reasons I don’t come home as much is because my parents come to Seattle many times a year. It started off with skiing at Crystal Mountain with my family. Hiking Lake 22 which had one of the most amazing views I have ever seen and hiking on Little Si with Murphy. My parents have also started bringing Murphy up when they are both gone at the same time and he will stay with us for 2-4 weeks. This has been so much fun and we love watching Murphy, although it makes me realize how much responsibility a dog is, even though Murphy is one of the best dogs ever. So many stores in Seattle have dog treats, so Murphy makes friends with everyone. I love watching Murphy but at the end I am glad for him to go home.
this year. In July, we went and visited our friend Hollynd in Santa Clara for her birthday. This was one of my favorite weekends of the whole year. It has been awhile since we had seen her, but also to spend the weekend in California was a lot of fun. We went wine tasting, had a picnic in the park, celebrated her birthday with her friends and spent two days in San
Travel
I didn’t travel very many places
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Francisco. San Fran is an amazing city and we had so much fun exploring it, I would go back any time. In Aug ust, we surprised my grandma for her 80th birthday in Toronto. This was a fun weekend filled with lots of family activities. We went and watched Come From Away, which was very interesting and my favorite thing was we walked around let us know and we would love to meet the CN Tower with my grandpa and up with you! Sydney my cousin. This was an amazing view of the city and would recommend it
to anyone. We also went to my uncle’s lake house in Orillia and spent two days on the lake, which was a nice relaxing time before we had to head back to Seattle. I am looking forward to what 2019 brings, and if you are ever in Seattle,
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There is a transition. Kids go away to college, but they come home on breaks, so they still “live” at home. Then they get a job and their vacation time suddenly disappears. The seemingly nebulous transition has become a real change. Now they have bills to pay, budgets to balance. They run out of time in the day to accomplish everything. So it seems like it is my turn to be a young again and visit the home of new adults. I’m off to Seattle about once a month to visit my adulting daughters. I enjoy hearing about Capital Hill life, fairness and unfairness, jobs, work, boredom, excitement, sports, financial decisions, banking, where to shop, who has good food.... We take each day as an opportunity to explore, a mini-vacation.
Sometimes we wander the city, others we head out of Seattle for a hike. If they are busy, Seattle encourages study which I happen to still enjoy. I often head to a cafe while the girls are working and I write, away from the typical Portland distractions. However, time in a Seattle cafe has the side benefit of coffee, brea k fast, lunch and dinner with the girls. I can also crash at night in their apartment, just like I did in college and medical school. Odd how a 900 sq. ft. apartment can feel comfortable after years of suburban lux in a large 50’s modern ranch home. I hop on my bike in the mornings and explore this new city. I’ve even picked up a new set of cycling friends from my rides. Perhaps this is childing? James
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2 2 ake
O n t he s l o p e s o f Mt . Pilchuck, there are cedars of enormous g ir th. Ba sed on Instagram photos, we headed into the Washington rainforest north of Seattle. We lost our way a bit, but discovered fantastic trees, and eventually wandered up a steep slope on a quiet February day. The old growth trees seem unimaginably ancient, some likely more than 1000 years old.
Lake 22, Washington
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Jim and Susan were gone a lot this year, but that’s OK with me as I got to spend time with my two favorite families, Morgan and Sydney and Kirsten and family. I like spending time with both families, because unlike Jim and Susan, they let me sleep with them. I really like to cuddle and put my head on those cozy pillows they all have.
y h p r Mu
Susan and I have continued to explore the trails in the neig hborhood. I really enjoy our early Saturday morning walks since the trails are empty, it gives me the opportunity to run off leash for many miles. I seem to have been getting in a lot of trouble lately for eating thing s I’m not supposed to eat. While the girls were home for Christmas, they went to Ken’s Bakery for breakfast and broug ht home a wonderful loaf of RaisinPecan bread that they left on the counter. While they were out, the smell of bread was too tempting and I ate the entire loaf. Unfortunately, I left the empty bag as evidence rig ht in the middle of the kitchen floor so it wasn’t too difficult for them to figure out what I had done. While I felt a little bloated from eating that much bread, I certainly enjoyed every bite. On Christmas eve, the smell of chocolate caug ht my nose as I was wondering around the living room. I put my paws on the stereo
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table and found a chocolate bar at the back on top of a present. Guessing it must be mine, I ate the whole bar. When the family arrived home from church, they again found the evidence (I’m not good at cleaning up the evidence). I soon learned that althoug h it tasted really good, chocolate isn’t good for dog s and then needed to make me throw up so it wouldn’t cause me to have medical problems. I guess I’m going to have to watch what I steal off the counter tops since some things are good for me. Murphy
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Winter lasted a long time in 2018. I logged a lot of kilometers on studded bike tires and descended a few trails skiing in the mountains. With the right equipment, snow and ice are exciting and beautiful. I can’t say that I love the cold fingers in winter sports, but I love the beauty and the silence.
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rm a W We travelled to California’s Coachella Valley primarily to improve our tennis game by watching professional tennis at the BNP Paribos Open in Indian Wells. It was important to bring a bike to get away from the crowds at times. Sunlight was intense, brilliantly lighting the spines of many desert plants. Tennis was excellent although we are not sure we actually can play any better.
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Photos & video focus my eyes on the world around me. Some go up on Instagram, but I end up with an old fashioned Gazette too.
Photography
Music Still playing keyboards; electric for the Trinity Bahnd and acoustic for the Choristers. My hobbies and my studies overlap.
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Last year I felt motivated to write a book or at least update my previously published “Why is there a frog in my throat?” Diagnosis of voice disorders seems easy to me, but appears difficult for others. Yet understanding a bit of physics and music (two topics not frequently taught in medical school) makes diagnosis simple. Over the course of the year there were several denials from publishers and after a year one accepted it. The agreement was so onerous that I couldn’t bring myself to sign and lost interest in pursuing other publishers. Meanwhile, during my professonal travels I keep running into
people around the world who tell me how they have read and enjoyed the voicedoctor.net website even though the website has languished a bit in terms of updates. Putting the publishing difficulties and web site success together, I divide up the chapters I have already written into web pages and put them up on the voicedoctor.net website. I set aside a week at a time to work on it, typically holing up in an AirBnB somewhere and writing and uploading all day. So the summary of what I have learned in my studies has an outlet to the world via the world wide web.
Laryngology
Annemieke Beelen from Amsterdam, The Netherlands visited in February, trying out the Portland rain and posing with Jody and I in front of giant vocal cords.
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I bring my bicycle and cameras to laryngology meetings.
Along t
London
Royal Observatory, Greenwich
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he T ham
es
London offers a variety of entertainment. On a bike, shooting between Red London double-decker busses offers one kind of thrill. Watching other cyclists occupy their ground in London traffic teaches another lesson. Turning hard right, like a continental driver, into oncoming traffic can wake one up in the morning.
Gazette Gazette 2018 2018
ia n o t s E , n i Tall
ia n e v o l S , a Ljubljan
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i k n i s l e H
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Colleagues Michael Benninger, Teemu Kinnari, Gauthier Desuter, Yakubu Karagama & Markus Hess also take the plunge.
My friends Ahmed Genaid & Teemu Kinnari thought I should immerse myself in the pleasures of Saunasaari, a traditional Finnish Sauna, & the restorative waters of Kruunuvuorenselkä.
a i r t s Au My colleague, Josef Schlรถmicher-Thier, invited me to Salzburg for his biennial conference on all things voice. I added a little time onto my trip and randomly drove up the Gschnitz Valley, finding a dairy farm inn, AlfaierhofBergheimat (located in the center of the valley floor on the right and my room above right). I awoke to cow bells each morning (photo above left). The stunning green is from the summer thunderstoms that drenched me several times and finally put to rest my bike Karoo GPS and my iPhone. Amazingly both were replaced under warranty!
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WPATH - World Professional Association of Transgender Health meeting.
a n i t n e g r A Iguazu Falls, a lot of water, ginormus, spectacular & choose a couple other superlatives.
Buenos Aires buildings appeared tired, though crowds could be lively on the streets day and late into the night.
Buenas Aires
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Buenas Aires traffic
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d n a l t r Po y
Broadway bridge
Burnside bridge Japanese American Park
Cit e g d Bri
Ross Island bridge My favorite city to visit is the one I live in and return to; Portland, Oregon. I frequently cycle along the Willamette River reveling in the views of nature and engineering.
Steel bridge
!" St. John's bridge
Marquam bridge
Fremont bridge
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C 1 2 t a e S
W
e make one S turn for sequencing into Chicago‘s O’Hare International Airport. We won’t be on time, but not too far behind schedule. I have one hour to get from Chicago gate B2 over to gate C16, for departure. That sounds like a lot, but boarding actually starts in 25 minutes. There is some advantage to boarding with group 1, mainly having a bin for carry on luggage. Last year in Ghent, Belgium it took 6 days before my checked bag arrived because of a baggage handler’s strike in Brussels. I am hungry, so I arrive at the gate and verify that it is the correct one, even though the main sign is blank. I see one that says Munich. I reassure myself they haven’t switched gates while I was walking. I quickly duck in to the United lounge for relief. It is crowded, but the facilities can be cleaner than in the terminal. They have some snacks, now served on paper plates. Hmmm, seems like a budget cut. I can get rid of coffee here, but I can't bring myself to drink the coffee, so at the last minute I decide to seek out a coffee at Starbucks. I look both ways in the terminal. It is at the end of the terminal. I can make it. No one will recognize me buying a Starbucks. My bags are a bit heavy, with a computer, camera and 7 disk drives,. I can’t jog, but I shuffle fast. I pausedto shift my shoulder bag twice. In line, the Undeciders in front of me offer me a move up while they decide. I order
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some new ($$$$) combo protein/ caffeine drink. Then wait. Boarding has started. The delivery end of the bar is surrounded by customers. One by one they hear their names, grab their drink and slipp away. Back at the gate the “need extra time, Global Services and families with small children groups” are probably on board. I get a FaceTime call and chat away while the “barista” creates my concoction. I know Global Service boards quickly and I suspect group 1 is already filing onboard. The barista’s fingers slip and he drops the protein measuring cup into my drink. He giggles with the female “barista” beside him as he reaches in and fishes it out with his fingers... (if I’m dead or in the hospital when you read this). My drink is taking time, more time that I expected. I can remain calm I tell myself, multitasking the call, the distance to the gate, the
Gazette 2018
time when the gate is closed. I glance at my watch. The Undeciders get through the line and receive their drinks. I’m getting a touch nervous. Groups 2 and 3 are surely getting on. My drink finished, my number is called out, I grab the grande megacup, say goodbye and speed walk to my gate. I’m still in time and pass by the group 4 line heading into the empty group 1 line. I open my United app and bring up my boarding pass, seat 21 C. I memorize it so I won’t have to get my phone out again. Someone is showing the gate agent their passport. Right! International flight. I set down my bag, the straw, my drink, my phone, backpack and fish out my passport. I heft my luggage and turn my phone screen on holding it over the laser reader. “Welcome aboard Mr. Thomas,” the gate attendant says. Finally I’m in the jetway. I pocket my phone. Knowing the stewardess at the plane’s door will direct me to the correct side of the plane, I tell her 21C before she can ask to see my ticket. I head back to seat 21C. There is an elderly couple in 21 B and C, so I aim for the window seat, 21A. The Mrs. asks if I can’t get by her without her getting up. Usually I’m athletic enough, but with a pack on, I doubt there is room even in this extra-legroom row to slip through. They both unbuckle, move slowly into the aisle. I make it to the window seat. I settle in, downloading email before the phone has to go off. The doors close, the electronics
off announcement comes. Then a scowling man comes up and says, “You’re in my seat!!!” He has brought the stewardess with him. I offer to get up, but it does take time for my row mates to move again. “I apologize, I had 21C and took the window since someone was already sitting there.” The angry man cuts me off, “That was never your seat! It was mine!” I check my app on my phone to see if I have made a mistake about my row. The stewardess says to me, “Don’t worry about it. The doors are closed and no one else is boarding. You can have any empty seat back there.” I decide to check my app anyway to see how I made a mistake and when the United screen comes up, it says 10 G. Maybe I brought up the wrong screen, possibly the screen for the next flight. I restart the app and I see that my seat has truly changed to 10G, a seat further forward. The stewardess looks at my phone, “Didn’t they tell you about your upgrade?” “No,” I said. My upgrade must have come through in the moment when I set my phone down and got out my passport. What are the chances? I say goodbye to my friendly seatmates as well as scowling seat ursurper, take my carry on luggage out of the bin and head forward. Maybe there is a role in the world for angry people. Otherwise, I would have been in the knee jamb section and seat 10G would have been empty the whole flight.
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The feel of water
To be alive
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