Jitters

[Author’s note: I am still planning to write about Portland’s coffee scene, but I wanted to tell you about a place I found right before I came back to PDX last Friday.]

The day after we finished harvest, I found a coffee shop in my hometown where I could sit down to write a few things. It’s called Jitters, and it is located on Main Street in Dayton, WA. Here’s what I found out about Jitters, just in case you ever pass through Dayton. Jitters is a great place to go if you’re looking for a quiet place on a rainy day. With its old, red-brick walls and its well-worn hardwood floors. Jitters would fit in well in Portland’s coffee scene. Located in the heart of Main Street, the café resides in the historic Engle Building, built in 1887.

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Discovering China

You might wonder why someone from a small town in Eastern Washington would ever be interested in going to spend a month in China to study Chinese. I had to think about that for a while to come up with an answer. When I came home to harvest last week, I remembered why. The answer can be traced back to Dayton and to my best friend from home, Ryan Rundell.

Ryan and I have known each other for more than 25 years. He has been one of my best friends for almost as far back as I can remember. Over the years, we spent hours playing sports together, rehearsing and performing in school musicals together, chasing girls together and rooming together in college. Ryan is the one who got me interested in China and learning Chinese. Here’s the story:

我最好的朋友

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Harvest!

My apologies for being a little inconsistent with the posts. When I got back to Portland, I found out that my family still had a week of harvest left. I don't know how many read my earlier post about harvest, but I couldn't pass up the chance to go home to help finish. We have been working hard because  the end is in sight, so there has not been much time left over to write. If the weather holds, we'll be done tomorrow. Here are a couple of pictures from the last few days.

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Harvest and the HFC

Today I want to take a short break from China to introduce you to the HFC—the Hutchens Family Circus. As some of you know I grew up on a farm near Dayton, in eastern Washington State. My father and my brother still farm there, and there are certainly times when I miss being there. Wheat harvest, happening right now, is one of those times.

We endearingly call ourselves the HFC because over the years we have  been through many crazy undertakings and mishaps. Nothing illegal, mind you, but sometimes stuff happens.  I have a long list of stories tucked away that will make a good book when I take the time to write them up. One of the latest HFC “performances” was so compelling that I had to write about it. It might be the best show that the HFC has ever put on. Unfortunately, I missed the whole thing. Maybe by writing up the story and sharing it with you, I can participate by extension.

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