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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (March 16, 2001)
marrh 1fi, ?Ofit » j M f — ^ 25 Take Me to the River Continued from Page 23 When they have the time, Langston and Bernard socialize with friends in their Hood River home, which sits on two acres, and travel west to visit Portland, where they have a loft in the Pearl District. Spending time in both places means having it all, Langston says. When he tires of small-town life, he jumps into his car and heads for Portland. When the crowds and congestion of the city are too much, he heads east. Langston knows well the benefits of living in Hood River. Friends in the city usually don’t understand, though. Langston says they always have one question: Why? But as soon as they ven ture out to visit the Colum bia Gorge, they start to understand the quality of life, he says. “It’s not a sleepy little town,’’ Langston says. Usually, he says, friends just want to keep coming back. “Hood River has a lot to offer. People feel very comfortable here.” As a windsurfer, mountain biker, business man or resident, Langston says he never has felt out of place in Hood River. It is a special town all the way around, he says. HOOD G orge G a l s F iends Nancy Howard and Annette St.-Pierre both left Portland to live in the Columbia pflin sp&incs Gorge about five years ago. Howard lives with her partner, Kathy, in White Salmon, Wash. St.-Pierre is just down the road in Stevenson, where she shares her life with Alyson. The friends agreed to meet with Just Out at a coffee shop in Hood River and talk about life in the Gorge. The conversation started with the topic of potlucks. When you talk to lesbians living in the Gorge, you hear a lot about potlucks. Howard took St.-Pierre to her first one. JK : So, do you like it up here? N H : You can’t beat the quality of life. It’s the best-kept secret in the Northwest. ASP: Oh, I love it! There isn’t a time I’m driving that stretch of the highway [State Highway 14 in Washington along the Colum bia River] that I don’t feel blessed. JK : Do you get together every month? Nancy Howard: No. Sporad ically. Portlander Margaret Baker discovers the local homo hangout JK : Do you work? N H : I’m retired. [Grins] A SP: Part-time. Temporary service. Either side of the river up to The Dalles. Coventry Cycle (V W orks JK : Describe your home. ASP: No neighbors for two miles. Two acres. Wild animals. NH: I live in the woods. JK : Is there a downside to living in the Gorge? ASP: It is very difficult to get people to work [on your house]. They watch the wind and are suddenly off to windsurf. I miss some of the cultural events. An ito Accident in tl i e l a s t 12 m o n t h s ? D O N 'T D E L A Y ! C'all fo r y o u r F re e M a s s a g e to d ay . Serving your real estate needs for... rw m CONDOS C R tC C ray ( 760 ) 833-5434 V acation H o m e s H o tel P r o p er ties A partm ent B ld g s . Professional Service Com fortable B ikes ¡¡TarbellS ■REALTORS» 211E. Palm Canyon Palm Spring», CA 92264 T i ^ Other services available: JÉ C h iro practic P hysical T h erap y S p o rts M ed icin e R eh abilitation «MT Recumbants a Specialty! (COME SEE WHY!) Open Tuesday-Sunday 230-7723 2025 SE Hawthorne JK : Do your friends in Portland under stand why you live out here? Do they visit? ASP: People don’t come out. To them it is a long way away. I’d love to share what I have with people. N H : But once they come out, they want to keep coming out. JK : Have you had any problems out here because you’re lesbians? ASP: 1 have not had any problem yet. N H : 1 ve really not had a bad experience. When 1 introduce Kathy as my partner, nobody gasps. A SP: I’m not ready to walk down the street holding hands, though. Jonathan Kipp: I heard the women up here get together for potlucks. Everyone seems to talk about it. Is there a name of that group? How many show up? Annette St.-Pierre: Gorge Gals. I guess about...2 1/2 dozen. JK : Has the group met lately? N H : No. Not since the holidays. A SP: It’s time to do more. N H : Everyone hibernates in the winter, because of the ice. JK : Do you go into Portland very often? ASP: Tons. I go into Portland, and the traf fic just drives me nuts. N H : No. We’re homebodies. , < f JK : Do the local men and women get together, or is it segregated? N H : It is separate. I think it would be good to have a community of men and women. JK : Do you hope more gays and lesbians move out here, or are you hoping it stays small and relatively unknown? N H : Come visit, don’t stay. [Laughs] ASP: If we had a larger community I think there would be more tolerance. I wouldn’t be opposed to more people moving exit here. We can have bigger potlucks. [Smiles] J D book G ood Feel Good Full body waxing Facials & Make-overs Private Room — Safe & Friendly For Men & Women / porrtA/vD SPM £ & P P //A S Landing & Tualatin Jo h n 's 5 0 3 -2 2 6 -0 9 5 0 can Ginny 503 / 653-5523
