Young Mr. Bruns, Sunset
There is nothing more rewarding than sitting by a fire at treeline with one’s son, the night settled in and the temps dropping by tens of degrees behind the night sitters, the day of hiking receding behind the mountain silhouette, the whiskey warm at the back of the throat, and the next day holding promise beyond knowledge. Nothing more satisfying, indeed.
To this flat-lander, going from sea level–no, from six feet above sea level–to 13,500 in twenty-four hours, was a feat of major accomplishment. Add to the equation the loss of oxygen absorption inherent in lungs used (and abused) for fifty-four years and–now–this soft chair six feet above sea level is a most welcome abstraction. But it is an abstraction, this chair and place, and the night in the mountains retains a transcendent lasting reality.
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Speaking of transcendence, I have given some consideration to that famous night spent in jail by American Transcendentalist, Henry David Thoreau. Please consider my thoughts: That Famous Night in Jail at The Nervous Breakdown.
...the house I live in... 
Thanks for the reference and welcome home. After your description of mountain joy I was glad to see you are still singing Portland’s praises. The Buy Local rationale, translated into personal form, presented an interesting exercise. Mostly, I enjoyed the way you described measuring Thoreau’s influence (“degree to which one is true to one’s personality, spirit or character….”
My daughter-in-law is contemplating a career/life change. I recently sent her a reading presented by my yoga teacher stating, “we share our energy and our spirit with the people around us in numerous ways….no need to single-handedly save the world in order to validate our existence…staying in tune with our own values and living our lives in tune with our own vision is all we need in order to fulfill our time here.” My D-I-L told me she found the words helpful. I will refer her to your thoughts in “Famous Night” as I think they are supportive of a similar idea.
Thanks.