page contents Google

MY BEATLES MARATHON

First off, it didn’t start as a planned Beatles marathon.
I hadn’t even thought of it when my wife came home and said, “This is the same music I heard when I left this morning.”
Me: Hey Siri, play The Beatles for two days.
No, I didn’t say that. Nobody says that, but here we are, Day 2.
[Read More…]

BASHING CIVIL DISCOURSE TO NEW HEIGHTS

How often do you catch yourself in civil discourse and regret what you’ve said?
It usually goes something like, ‘this would have been better if I had just stayed on topic.’
That’s the polite self-talk. The other?
Not so polite.
[Read More…]

THE RUBY ANNIVERSARY LANTERN

What’s a ruby anniversary?
We’ve all heard of the silver and golden anniversaries, but ruby?
Weddings are funny things, and now so are anniversaries.
You don’t want any missteps or mistakes, so in service to all matrimonial celebrations:

[Read More…]

CUVÉE MOTHER’S DAY WITH CHEF GILBERT HENRY AND COMPANY

Mother’s Day grows more importance when it’s part of a masterplan.
Add a road trip with a restaurant at the end and it edges toward epic.
It goes without saying that any two lane drive through rural Washington and Yamhill County is enough to make you want to sell everything and move into a dilapidated barn in the country, it also shows what pulled pioneers out of the midwest.
A forty minute trip does all that before you walk into Chef Henry’s realm of Cuvée in Carlton.
Cuvée?

[Read More…]

MAY 1986, THE LAST WEDDING

It was a cloudy, wet, day, in May 1986 for the last wedding.
Like so many raised on the Oregon coast, a cloudy, wet, day, is good luck no matter where you are.
Everything was done, everything set in Sandy, from rented morning coats to a rented preacher.
The preacher was a second choice.
[Read More…]

More Posts from this Category

toughen up

WHAT SEVERE ILLNESS MEANS TO OTHERS

  Under the category of ‘Who Knew’, severe illness opens the door to compassion. And it’s not all about you.   Talk between cancer survivors is one thing; talk between a cancer survivor and someone untouched launches other topics. Some survivors are good listeners, others see the open door and rush right through.   That […]

BOOMER HEALTH INDEX

When No News is Good Boomer Health News. Just when you’ve turned the corner and feeling better, clothes fit better, face looks more like you remember looking, something happens. You forget to move. You decide not to get up. You don’t feel making an effort is worth the reward. You’re tired. Now what? You could […]

IF YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT, LOOK WHERE FOOD COMES FROM

Small print shows where food comes from. Smaller print explains what food factories add to improve shelf life. You need good shelf life when you ship long distance. A three year expiration date on food might be something to skip for dinner. If you know people who identify as ‘foodies’ you’ve heard about the fresh […]

More Posts from this Category

boomer years

MILLENNIAL VOTING HISTORY PRIMER

A BoomerPdx reminder for millennial voting. The biggest block of potential voters hit the polls this month. Is millennial voting up to the task? Are they ready for the burden they’ll strap on with the wrong vote? Look at the elderly man in the picture, also known as President Harry S. Truman. Why the huge […]

HIGH GROUND TO VIETNAM VET MEMORIAL: a photo essay

“The high ground is good.” That’s what the old timer said. “And there’s not so many people.” I found him under the Vietnam Veterans of Oregon Memorial bridge, sitting in a lawn chair and handing out pamphlets on Veteran’s Day. Had his car parked on one side of a flowerbed and a walkway without a […]

IN PRAISE OF GOOD DRAINAGE FOR THE NEW YEAR

One of the highlights of Army basic training is a week long camp out. Everyone needs to enjoy the outdoors this way. You learn new skills and meet new friends. New friends come with the other half of the tent you’ll spend the week in…together. It’s called a shelter half. If you can’t get along […]

More Posts from this Category

buckle up

HISTORIC MICHIE TAVERN IN VIRGINIA FOR LUNCH HISTORY

Did Thomas Jefferson have a favorite tavern? If he did, and he was a good neighbor, it would have been the Michie Tavern. Not far from his home, Monticello, Michie Tavern was right there at the bottom of the hill. Except it was moved from miles away, which doesn’t mean it wasn’t a favorite watering […]

MANHATTAN STATES OF MIND ACROSS AMERICA

    Does anyone see a Manhattan sunrise and feel the power of the Big Apple, the urge to go out and take a big bite? Or a Manhattan sunset at the end of another satisfying day sorting chicken and chicken sh!t.   Manhattan promised you could make it anywhere if you could make it […]

THE EXPLOSIVE BEAUTY OF THE NW

One Rule: Everything Changes. No, this isn’t the only region with snow on the mountains and this isn’t the only mountain. The Cascade Range pops up like continental acne, fueled by ocean crust diving under the heavier land plates, melting, and voila, volcanos. Capturing the power of geological force is one thing, capturing elemental force […]

More Posts from this Category