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ROCK TRIPPING: NO MUSHROOMS ADDED PHOTO ESSAY

October 15, 2021 by

Rock tripping is parking the car in a deserted lot with broken down cars scattered around, cats on the prowl, and a gnawing thought that it’s a place where catalytic converters get yanked. Could there be a zombie attack? A good look around doesn’t put it out of question. What carries the moment is the […]

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SANTIAM PASS: FIRE AFTERMATH PHOTO ESSAY

October 15, 2021 by

A Santiam Pass fire isn’t finished when the last flames are out. There’s the environmental clean-up. Then restoration. They bring out the manpower and big rigs for the work. Imagine what it looked like during the fire based on what it looks like now. Is terrifying too much? I don’t think so because it jumped […]

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FREEDOM MASK: WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO LOSE?

October 14, 2021 by

What’s a freedom mask? Is it the expression on a prisoner’s face on the way out of jail? The look married people have after the final decree is signed? Or is it a blue four-ply square with pleats that comes with loops that fit behind your ears? Since I’ve never been to jail overnight, just […]

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WORDPLAY POWER GOES WRONG? WATCH YOUR TONGUE

October 13, 2021 by

Wordplay power: the activity of joking about the meanings of words, especially in an intelligent way. Those are the funny people having fun with wordplay power. Intelligent funny people. They see things and hear things that make them laugh, and we laugh along. The meaning of words changes over time. So has what’s been considered funny. Oddly enough, we change over time, too. What about […]

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DAD POWER: YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE SUPER

October 12, 2021 by

Dad power comes from men who know the secret of being a dad. It begins in denial. “I’ll never have kids, I’ve got enough problems.” Then curiosity. “I’d be a better dad than anyone I know.” The final straw? “I think my girlfriend would be a great mom.” That’s it. That’s the entire post. But […]

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STORY TIME FOR AN INVITING TREE AND BABY

October 11, 2021 by

Story time begins a long, long, time ago when a little girl picked up an acorn, but not just any acorn. This one had a special shine so she buried it in a special place. The oak tree from the special acorn grew faster than the other acorns the little girl planted. As the years […]

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RELAYED STRESS: BAD NEWS TRAVELS LIKE WILDFIRE

October 10, 2021 by

Relayed stress comes from hearing and repeating bad news, and it doesn’t get enough attention. Finding bad news is easy. It’s as easy as opening a magazine, a newspaper; as easy as looking at a phone screen, a laptop, or a tablet. Bad news is popular in print, on air, everywhere. “Do you remember where […]

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FEELINGS MATTER, A REVIEW OF WHY ON SAUVIE ISLAND

October 9, 2021 by

Feelings matter when you see yourself in a forty year old reflection. In the image I’m looking through a window with another window shining on the other side. Every year for decades a crew would go to Sauvie Island and prepare a historical house for the upcoming season. Every room was cleaned, inventoried, and filled […]

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SELF ESTEEM: TOO MUCH OR TOO LITTLE

October 8, 2021 by

Self esteem is the last defense against doing something regrettable. If you’ve ever needed to build your self esteem, you know the risks. The early build up happens while kids travel the route from grade school, to junior high, high school, college, job, wife and kids. That’s one route. Call it the traditional route. There […]

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MAKE EXCUSES THAT AT LEAST MAKE SOME SENSE

October 7, 2021 by

Make excuses for yourself that don’t make others look bad. If you’re more of an ‘excuse’ person than a ‘get things done’ person, at least make it plausible. Instead of, “I can’t do ____ , because of ___ ,” try and be convincing. Do this instead: “I did ____ , but I need help with […]

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