I flew back from Thailand last week and have been busy reconnecting with my good friends in Santa Cruz and recovering from a cold I picked up during the 24-hours of traveling.
Now I’m at my father’s in Oregon and will be here for a while. I love staying here. First, my father and I are great friends and we don’t see each other enough. Second, this place is like a healing retreat center. We’re in the forest, about 5 minutes outside of Eugene, but you can’t see a single home as we’re surrounded by trees. The home is on 4 acres of forest and meadow, with a big garden, fruit trees, a waterfall and coy pond my dad made. There are deer in the yard on a regular basis.
My dad first build an A-frame on this land when I was 6 years old. Do you know what an A-frame is? It’s a home shaped like a big A. Two of the walls lean together to form the roof. We had an “out-house” and we carried our water from the well, and heated it on the stove to take a bath. It was “Little House On The Prairie” style and I loved living like that as a child.
My parents divorced a couple of years into that venture, and my mom moved to northern California. I would go back and forth between the two homes a lot, but that is another story.
My dad remarried a woman who had two daughters, and it was like “The Brady Bunch” – my dad and his two sons (I have a younger brother) and his new wife and her two daughters.
Needless to say, the A-frame (which was basically one huge room) needed expanding. That’s when my dad built the first addition, and he’s been building additions, bedrooms, sun rooms, offices, garages, a sauna, and more, ever since.
I like to tease my dad that he has obsessive-compulsive-building-disorder. In any case, he does nice work and this home is a sanctuary. I’m fortunate because he loves having me come stay.
I might be going back to Thailand about 3-6 months from now, so it doesn’t make a lot of sense to find a home in Santa Cruz and get a lease, yet. So, this is where I’ll be for the time-being. It feels good to be here. I may be spending some time in Arcata with my mother and my brother as well.
I’m working on getting Nok a visa so she can come and experience the US and meet my friends and family. Unfortunately, it can be a challenge to get a visa for a Thai person coming to the US. Wish us luck!
I’m attaching a photo of my dad’s place. Can you see the original A-frame in the photo?
Enjoy the spring!
Ryan
My Father's Home
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Ryan Eliason is a professional life and business coach. You are reading his personal blog. Subscribe here. Also, see his professional blog for bite-sized business building tips and lifestyle design strategies. Download your FREE audio seminar and workbook on How To Have The Best Year of Your Business and Your Life.
