Deciding Where to Make a Difference

I must admit, I haven't done much this election season. I have read the news, posted on social media, gone to a handful of rallies. Basically, I have been seething, disheartened, shocked, and disappearing. I have been busy enjoying my new retirement since May with my Hawaii, Victoria, Vancouver BC, and East Coast adventures plus my 25th Anniversary trip with Sheryl. I spent the time in between clearing out of all the detritus and unloved/unused stuff. My house is immaculate.

But that is not enough. Obviously. I put on my calendar a two-week election trip. I don't have the income any more to write a check so I have to make a difference with my expertise and body.

I waited until I got back from the east coast to look to see how the races were shaking out. I wanted to be in a district that was "touch and go" for the candidate - where my work would make a difference - and where I had either a friend, family member, or some other connection with the district. I dove in to see what was going on.

I know, I know. There is plenty of campaign work to do right here in Oregon and southwest Washington. However, I know myself. I'm just not going to spend all day, every day campaigning when I have my friends, family, and bike rides to distract me. I needed to go someplace where that would be what I was doing.

And I found the perfect district for me. House District 19 in New York. The district includes Swan Lake where my family has a long history and where I would spend every summer in my youth. My dad is a resident of the district and I have a nodding acquaintance with the people and struggles that these Catskill Mountain people face. Just perfect.

When I was a kid, Swan Lake and the whole of the Catskill Mountains were the playground for families wanting to escape the big city heat. People would rent a little summer bungalow in a "colony" with a dozen or more families. Life was centered around the pool, handball court, the casino (indoor space to play ping pong, foosball, and card tables) on a rainy day.

My dad was a teacher so would get a lifeguard job at one of the local Swan Lake hotels all summer long. We would get up and put on our bathing suits and go to dad's pool for the day.

My grandparents owned a big boarding house in town across from the (new at the time) post office. Grandpa Julius built a bunch of bungalows in Apple's Bungalow colony up the road. (That is a-PELS - not apples.) My aunt, uncles and father inherited a small bit of land off the road back in the woods. my dad still goes up in April and returns in October to enjoy this beautiful spot.

I am so excited about getting to work in this district. More to come.Read more