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CLEAN DRINKING WATER? I’LL HAVE ANOTHER

This is the Tualatin River water, not drinking water.
With this river running through Washington County to the lake in Lake Oswego, then out to the Willamette, why isn’t it tapped for drinking water in Tigard and LO?
This warning from the Tualatin Riverkeepers lays it out:

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ARMY ENLISTMENT? HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Me: Today is my Army enlistment anniversary. Did you remember.
Wife: It’s also the day my Mom died.
Me: It is? I mean, yes, it is, and also my anniversary.
Wife: I’m glad you remember it.
Me: And there’s another thing to celebrate on the same date.
Wife: What?
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BOOMER BLOGGERS UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL. TOO CLOSE?

As a cohort of boomer bloggers, I read all about them.
From posts and opinions, to ABOUT pages, we’re all about challenges and adventures, the places we’ve been, places we’re going.
Take this picture for example. It’s from the Portland Art Museum page.
Does that big golden ring look like an adventure, some kind of portal? Yes?
What do you do when you see a portal? Jump in.

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WANTED MAN vs NEEDED. THERE’S A DIFFERENCE?

If you’re waiting for a wanted man to make life better, you’ll be waiting a minute.
This man was a one-float parade around Silverton during my last visit.
You could hear him from blocks away with his booming sound system blasting AC/DC.
When I left, he followed my car out of town, then turned back at the city limits.
He was either a one float parade or a motor escort service.
Either way, I asked myself: Are there town characters everywhere?
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ONE PORTLAND JOURNEY: MINE

I got off the bus at the end of my Portland journey, only to begin the real deal.
This is where I lived after breaking up.
My usual move after a break up was moving to bigger and better.
For instance, I broke up in Delaware and moved to Brooklyn, NY.
Here, I broke up in far SE and moved downtown Portland.
This building had a lot of break up apartments, so I was in good company.
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toughen up

CIGARETTE SMOKE ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM? DON’T DO IT

    Tobacco and cigarette smoke, the stuff of dreams and nightmares.   The dream part comes first. Light a stick and enjoy. All you’ve got to do is breath in, breath out, and watch the cigarette smoke curl into shapes. Later comes the nightmare part, the regret, the tubes, the hospital smell, the faces […]

Health Writing? Start With Cancer And Drill Down

  Health writing is about bringing hope to the afflicted. Cancer writing, not so much. One is about the future and the steps to make it better. The other is layered with dread.   One is about improving conditions, about personal bests, about gains; the other is layered with dread.   Health writing brings nutrition, […]

P16 THROAT CANCER MAKES TONGUES WAG AROUND THE WORLD

It’s taboo, too personal, off limits. I heard about P16 Cancer the hard way: I got it. How does it get you? It’s taboo, too personal, off limits.

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boomer years

7 WAYS TO ANSWER “HOW DO PEOPLE LIVE LIKE THIS?”

The question asked by everyone who sees your place just before a major clean up. You’ll never hear anyone ask, “How do people live like this?” They say it in the car on the way home, or on the phone with their friends. You get caught by surprise just before laundry day, yard day, or […]

MESSAGE TO AGING MILLENNIALS: STAND TOGETHER

Eventually you figure out where you stand. How does that work? Look around. You’re not standing alone. Even when if feels like no one notices, they do. What they notice is context, where you are, and the nearest identifier. The biggest thing is if they decide to join you. You might call it selfish to […]

BABY BOOMER MUSEUM

The take away from a Baby Boomer Museum is awareness. A visit to a big museum should make you ask, “How do they decide what to keep?” It’s the same question you’ll ask later, wondering why you bought anything in the gift store. Unless you say, “I needed another tea towel,” you need a better […]

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buckle up

HILLSDALE BLUEBERRY BREAKFAST: 41 YEARS OF THANKS

    Forty one years of the annual Hillsdale Blue Berry Pancake Breakfast speaks volumes for the community. Business owners turn out and join in the set up, the cooking, and clean up afterward.   Maybe it’s the same everywhere, but maybe not.  For a Portland neighborhood that used to be the Fulton Dairy, it’s […]

YOSEMITE IN AUGUST

Is It Worth The Time And Money To See Yosemite In August? The short answer is yes, but don’t pack your bag just yet. It’s a long drive from Portland to Yosemite, so careful plans are in order. You’ve planned a trip before? Sure you have. At least you’ve been on planned trips, so you’ve […]

PUBLIC BEACHES FOR OREGON MARINE GARDEN, MARINE RESERVE, MARINE OIL SPILL

    Public beaches usually mean one thing, like the one thing private beaches convey. Public beaches, like Oregon beaches, are available to everyone, anyone.   Private beaches? Not so much. More like a backyard pool.   But what happens when public beaches in Oregon come with obstacles?   What are we supposed to do […]

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