After leaving Salem, Oregon, Wendi and KDcat drove less than an hour to the city of Corvallis where they met up with their hosts the Zander's -- Joni, Steve, Bekka, and Stephanie -- a fellow unschooling family Wendi had come to know in an online forum. It was great to be in their company and we loved them right away,? Wendi wrote. ?Their home is absolutely beautiful on a really cute lot with plenty of plants and trees around ? including the most delightful flowers that smelled divine (I think they were called Daphne).
Corvallis is the city we ve mentioned multiple times -- the city that feels like it s the right fit for us. Well, it lived up to our dreams in just about every way. It s a progressive, hip town with a lot going on. The people are friendly, the weather is beautiful, the land is gorgeous, and there are lots of unschoolers. Access to fresh, ogranic, raw foods doesn't seem to be an issue anywhere in Oregon, according to reports from the road so far. While they've been away, we've talked quite a bit each night about what they're finding -- and fresh organic produce seems pretty much everywhere out west. "The west," wrote Jim Morrison, "is the best." (Surely he was a raw foodie.)
Jon Gold, owner of the Sunny Side Up Cafe (a vegan and vegetarian restaurant there) and an unschool father, put together a little gathering of unschoolers for KDcat and Wendi. They were able to meet some local unschoolers and ask questions. There was also a gathering one day at the cafe where KDcat was able to do some art at a table with some other unschool teens. It's definitely a creative, easy-going town with some fantastic people in it!
Oh, and Wendi also got to meet up with Cheri Scott, a local raw foodie who she knows from Penni's Raw Food Rehab group!
Corvallis features cute homes with beautifully landscaped yards, lots of flowers, multiple parks, and it s not a long drive to be in the mountains or on the beach (they visited some of the beaches, so be looking for pics/vids of that in a future post), depending on which way you drive.
However, no matter how awesome it was, Wendi and KDcat felt like there was something not quite right. Wendi had to admit being sad to not find herself jumping up and down with excitement, knowing that Corvallis was, indeed, our new home. On paper and through research, it really does seem like the ideal place for us. However, in reality, Wendi and KDcat realized that we ve lived in a big city too long and that the small-town feel just doesn t feel like a perfect fit for us ? even though, again, Corvallis was charming! It s a very good thing they re making this cross-country trip to visit places, because we could have easily moved there and found out too late that it wasn t ideal for our family. And so it was back to the drawing board for the hometown search!
Thanks so much to our wonderful hosts, who not only welcomed Wendi and KDcat with open arms, but supported us in our decision to continue looking beyond their beautiful city. KDcat had a great time with the family, especially with their cats (see some fo the pics!).
Oh, the drama! Where will Pure Jeevan wind up settling ? Is there an ideal town ? Will Wendi and KDcat fall in love with some charming little burg, or decide that big-city life is best? Why are strains from 1960s television shows swirling through my head? Suddenly, I head Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor singing:
Green acres is the place for me.
Farm livin' is the life for me.
Land spreadin' out so far and wide
Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside.
New York is where I'd rather stay.
I get allergic smelling hay.
I just adore a penthouse view.
Dah-ling I love you but give me Park Avenue.
~Theme song from "Green Acres"
Tune in again SOON for the thrilling continuation!!?
Once again, we'd love to thank our generous trip snack sponsor, Natural Zing, for helping us to make this possible on our budget!
Original Comments
Below, we have included the original comments from this blog post. Additional comments may be made via Facebook, below.
On March 5, 2010, wrote:
I am glued to the ongoing trek across the PNW...by the time you get to Tulsa maybe you'll have found home sweet home ! Sending lots of love and prayers for safe and enjoyable travels! xoxo...Pen
On March 5, 2010, wrote:
like i said ... you'll just know when it's right! : )
On March 5, 2010, wrote:
Yeah, we need you up here in Seattle...HELLOO! ;)