I've been gone from Ashland, Oregon about 5 weeks now and I was musing on what I miss. Before I left, I thought I would miss Tacos Michel terribly, but with the plethora of amazing taco stands in SoCal, that hasn't really happened. (Although if you're in Southern Oregon, you must go there!) Then, I thought I'd miss the coast, but I'm only 20 minutes to Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, and Newport Beach, so while the Oregon coast is ruggedly beautiful, it was a bit of a hike to get there and I can't say I really *miss* it.
So, what do I miss about the place I lived for the last 3 years? Ashland never really became my home like NYC was/is, but it was my permanent locale for a while anyway.
Well, in all honesty, I don't miss much. That probably sounds terrible, I know! It doesn't mean I didn't like living there. I did and it was an experience I'm so glad I had. And of course I miss Musician's Friend the way you would any job you really enjoyed (and I've been lucky to have loved just about every place I've ever worked).
However, my definition of missing something is true longing--a nagging feeling that if given the chance, I would go back and experience whatever it is in a heartbeat, no questions asked. Sort of like the way I miss the New Malaysia Restaurant in Chinatown I used to frequent (oh, their roti canai!). Or the way I just miss the general 24-hour hustle and bustle that is NYC.
I can't think of anything that fits that description here, however there are a few things I miss to a lesser, but still justifiable, degree.
* OK, the natural beauty is a given, but I'll list it anyway. It is a gorgeous, remote location, no doubt about it, and I really liked being able to live in a place that was as pretty as Ashland.
* My hairdresser. Yoko at The Plaza in Ashland was one of the best, nicest hairdressers I've ever had, including the ones I used to go to in NYC. And so inexpensive!
* My pilates teacher. Millie at Verve Pilates in Medford rocked.
* My dentist. I'm serious. If you're in Southern Oregon, go to Dr. Michael Kempf and Sandy. Tell them Jeff and I sent ya.
* My goats. You can read about them here.
* Last, but not least: Marionberries. When I first moved to Oregon, we stopped by a roadstand selling marionberries and I thought they were playing a joke on me, Ms. East Coaster. "Marionberries? Are they...named after Marion Berry?" They just looked at me strangely and said, "Who?" Oh well. They're yummy though. Great in pies and I've never seen them anywhere other than Oregon.
