{"id":2459,"date":"2014-07-14T07:46:04","date_gmt":"2014-07-14T13:46:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/?p=2459"},"modified":"2014-07-14T10:49:21","modified_gmt":"2014-07-14T16:49:21","slug":"settling-into-portland-maine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/2014\/07\/settling-into-portland-maine.html","title":{"rendered":"Settling Into Portland, Maine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a>Yeah, I really love that dog \u2013 face licks, though, I try to avoid.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re all settling into Portland, ME. Enjoying the new town and all the lush foliage, wild roses, and many blooming things. Oh, and biking along the Back Cove and Casco Bay \u2013 just wonderful.<\/p>\n

Despite what Midwesterners think about the East, people here have been warm and welcoming. It\u2019s common for people that we meet on the path to smile and say, \u201cHi.\u201d The local dharma<\/a> community too has been welcoming and encouraging, including and especially the folks at the place we\u2019ve found to share space for practice \u2013 more on that when it\u2019s a done deal.<\/p>\n

Transitions, of course, have bumps and moments of excitement and confusion as well. In fact, yesterday, I was in the bathroom (in full stream) and heard the backdoor open and someone call, \u201cHello!\u201d Immediately followed by various dog and person noises. I ran out of the bathroom and found Bodhi growling at an unknown woman pinned between the storm door and the kitchen wall. Apparently she mistook our apartment for the one upstairs and just walked in.<\/p>\n

I had been thinking of posting this old case on the backdoor but hadn\u2019t gotten to it yet:<\/p>\n

\u201cZihu\u00a0set up a sign on his outside gate; on the sign were words saying,<\/p>\n

\u2018Zihu\u00a0has a dog: above, he takes people\u2019s heads; in the middle, he takes people\u2019s loins; below, he takes people\u2019s legs. If you stop to talk to him, you\u2019ll lose your body and life.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever\u00a0Zihu\u00a0saw a newcomer, he would immediately shout and say, \u2018Watch out for the dog!\u2019<\/p>\n

As soon as the monk turned his head,\u00a0Zihu\u00a0would immediately return to the abbot\u2019s room.\u201d<\/p>\n

Might not have helped.<\/p>\n

But I digress.<\/p>\n

There are a few endearing oddities to the local culture. The way they do garbage in Portland \u2013 putting trash in special blue plastic bags issued by the city (at $1 a piece or $2 for a slightly larger size), sealing them up with also special-issued twist ties, \u00a0and placing them on the curb (no standardized trash cans) makes me wonder about the toilet training of those who designed the system. How we deal with waste has long been something I notice, inspired I suppose the old Patti Smith line, \u201cThe transformation of waste is perhaps the oldest preoccupation of man (click here for the whole thing<\/a>).\u201d<\/p>\n

Mainers also are really into vanity plates. Tetsugan has been teasing me that I should get ROSHI but I\u2019m way too humble \u2013 really, I\u2019m even more humble than James Ford (I did check though and ROSHI is available).<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how it\u2019d look:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

And here\u2019s one of my hinky favorites:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s yoga (especially downward dog)\u00a0on paddle boards in Casco Bay (you might need to click on this one to appreciate it fully):<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

And, wow, wish you\u2019d a seen the cat this hair ball came out of!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

And finally, there\u2019s a restaurant in Old Port that also shares my name:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yeah, I really love that dog \u2013 face licks, though, I try to avoid. We\u2019re all settling into Portland, ME. Enjoying the new town and all the lush foliage, wild roses, and many blooming things. Oh, and biking along the Back Cove and Casco Bay \u2013 just wonderful. Despite what Midwesterners think about the East, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":182,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nSettling Into Portland, Maine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Yeah, I really love that dog - face licks, though, I try to avoid. We're all settling into Portland, ME. Enjoying the new town and all the lush foliage,\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/2014\/07\/settling-into-portland-maine.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Settling Into Portland, Maine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Yeah, I really love that dog - face licks, though, I try to avoid. We're all settling into Portland, ME. Enjoying the new town and all the lush foliage,\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/2014\/07\/settling-into-portland-maine.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Wild Fox Zen\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dosho.port\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-07-14T13:46:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-07-14T16:49:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/files\/2014\/07\/photo-2-239x300.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dosho Port\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dosho Port\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/2014\/07\/settling-into-portland-maine.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/2014\/07\/settling-into-portland-maine.html\",\"name\":\"Settling Into Portland, Maine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-07-14T13:46:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-07-14T16:49:21+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/#\/schema\/person\/45224391b7690e99673782337bd0eabd\"},\"description\":\"Yeah, I really love that dog - face licks, though, I try to avoid. We're all settling into Portland, ME. Enjoying the new town and all the lush foliage,\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/2014\/07\/settling-into-portland-maine.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/2014\/07\/settling-into-portland-maine.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/2014\/07\/settling-into-portland-maine.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Settling Into Portland, Maine\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/\",\"name\":\"Wild Fox Zen\",\"description\":\"Living the Dream\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/#\/schema\/person\/45224391b7690e99673782337bd0eabd\",\"name\":\"Dosho Port\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7b9712e98924dea6c08d55890403352f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7b9712e98924dea6c08d55890403352f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Dosho Port\"},\"description\":\"Dosho Port began practicing Zen in 1977 and now co-teachers with his wife, Tetsugan Zummach, with the Vine of Obstacles Zen. Dosho received dharma transmission from Dainin Katagiri Roshi and inka shomei from James Myoun Ford Roshi in the Harada-Yasutani lineage. He is the author of \\\"Keep Me In Your Heart Awhile: The Haunting Zen of Dainin Katagiri,\\\" \\\"The Record of Empty Hall: One Hundred Classic Koans,\\\" and \\\"Going Through the Mystery's One Hundred Questions.\\\"\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.vineobstacleszen.com\/\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dosho.port\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/author\/doshoport\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Settling Into Portland, Maine","description":"Yeah, I really love that dog - face licks, though, I try to avoid. We're all settling into Portland, ME. Enjoying the new town and all the lush foliage,","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/2014\/07\/settling-into-portland-maine.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Settling Into Portland, Maine","og_description":"Yeah, I really love that dog - face licks, though, I try to avoid. We're all settling into Portland, ME. Enjoying the new town and all the lush foliage,","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/2014\/07\/settling-into-portland-maine.html","og_site_name":"Wild Fox Zen","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dosho.port","article_published_time":"2014-07-14T13:46:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2014-07-14T16:49:21+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/files\/2014\/07\/photo-2-239x300.jpg"}],"author":"Dosho Port","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dosho Port","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/2014\/07\/settling-into-portland-maine.html","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/2014\/07\/settling-into-portland-maine.html","name":"Settling Into Portland, Maine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/#website"},"datePublished":"2014-07-14T13:46:04+00:00","dateModified":"2014-07-14T16:49:21+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/#\/schema\/person\/45224391b7690e99673782337bd0eabd"},"description":"Yeah, I really love that dog - face licks, though, I try to avoid. We're all settling into Portland, ME. Enjoying the new town and all the lush foliage,","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/2014\/07\/settling-into-portland-maine.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/2014\/07\/settling-into-portland-maine.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/2014\/07\/settling-into-portland-maine.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Settling Into Portland, Maine"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/","name":"Wild Fox Zen","description":"Living the Dream","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/#\/schema\/person\/45224391b7690e99673782337bd0eabd","name":"Dosho Port","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7b9712e98924dea6c08d55890403352f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7b9712e98924dea6c08d55890403352f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Dosho Port"},"description":"Dosho Port began practicing Zen in 1977 and now co-teachers with his wife, Tetsugan Zummach, with the Vine of Obstacles Zen. Dosho received dharma transmission from Dainin Katagiri Roshi and inka shomei from James Myoun Ford Roshi in the Harada-Yasutani lineage. He is the author of \"Keep Me In Your Heart Awhile: The Haunting Zen of Dainin Katagiri,\" \"The Record of Empty Hall: One Hundred Classic Koans,\" and \"Going Through the Mystery's One Hundred Questions.\"","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.vineobstacleszen.com\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dosho.port"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/author\/doshoport"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/182"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2459"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2459\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}