Pat
I was born in England in 1940. I attended Manchester and London universities but don’t remember working very hard! I enjoyed sports, hiking and camping, dancing and reading. I became a teacher and, in some form or another, did that for most of my working life. In1965 I got married and moved to California – we were part of what was known as “The Brain Drain”. The brain was my husband – courted by several Universities to do his Ph.D. here in an attempt to catch the Americans up to the Russians in science and technology. I did what we called a PHT – putting hubby through – it means I worked while he played in the lab and on the beach in La Jolla!
We were tempted by Corvallis when OSU offered my husband an assistant professorship but we had started a family and felt it would be hard to live on the salary he was offered. We went to Ithaca and Cornell U. instead. Both my children were born in the US; Andrew in 1966 and Kate in 1968. We often thought that we would like to return to Oregon and although I am now on my own I think my husband would approve of my move to CoHo. Andrew and his family live in Portland, which is not too far away. Kate is in Colorado where I lived for many years and I miss her and the mountains.
I moved in here, with my two dogs Franco and Maggie, in October 2009. Since then we have added a cat – thanks to Susan who fosters kittens from the Humane Society. I love the multigenerational community – particularly the youngsters who drop in to visit my pets and help me to walk dogs. I am enjoying some gentle gardening and exploring the local woods and beaches. I volunteer at Benton Hospice and have found a niche with the Friends Meeting and Five Stones Sangha. This is a great place to live and though there was no room for me two years ago I am glad I stayed in touch and eventually found a home here.
