Finally, and with oatmeal

As I stated in yesterday's blip, the journey to Ashland continues this morning, but not before a very special encounter: after months of following each other's blip journals and sharing quips and comments, I finally had the pleasure of a face to face meeting with the lovely and talented kendallishere whose words and photography I have long admired.

We rendezvoused at Lovejoy's Bakery in Portland's Pearl District where Kendall introduced me to a bowl of oatmeal like I have never had before - rich, creamy, with a texture like rice pudding, topped with a sweet creme brulee sugar crust. Heaven.

And then, of course, there was Kendall herself! I was thrilled to finally have her right in front of me and be able to look her up and down. I enjoyed hearing about her early teaching experiences, the years in Northhampton, the years in Africa, her children, her move to Portland plus all the nuances in between that served to connect these events into one beautiful story that is all Kendall's.

With a four hour drive in front of us, Rich and I had to wrap up our breakfast and get on the road, and Kendall had to get back to Leif, her childhood friend, visiting Portland for a few weeks.

I'm now writing from our hotel room in Ashland after seeing what was perhaps the finest production of King Lear ever. I learned that in order to further expand the performance, the director cast two actors in the role of Lear in order to explore all the possible interpretations within one season.

Tomorrow, we have all day to relax, eat, drink, and explore the town before 8pm curtain call for Cymbeline, one Shakespeare's later works.