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DOWNTOWN PORTLAND OREGON ON A FAMILY SATURDAY NIGHT

Traveling to downtown Portland for a visit, for a look-around? But you’ve seen the news, the tents, the drugs, the crime. So have I. It’s a red flag, but not this time. We took a chance to claim, or reclaim, the Rose City as our own.

BE SOMEBODY? THERE ARE CLUES ALONG THE WAY

You’ve heard the request to ‘be somebody?’ Be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, and more. The request usually comes from an adult speaking to someone who screwed up. They ask why we can’t be better than what we’re in trouble for. It’s different when we’re in trouble with ourselves.

CITIZENSHIP TEST REVIEW: VOTING

I’ve never taken a citizenship test because I was born here from people who were born here. So no test for me, but I’ve always wondered if I could pass one. As a history major in college I have high confidence for a passing grade. If you do nothing but pay attention to current events, […]

MOTHER’S DAY LADY REVIEW

After one miss on Mother’s Day with sick kids, I never missed another. During the phone call to tell her about missing she decided to tell me the nuts and bolts of my adventurous conception. The date, the name of the motel, the works. What mom doesn’t share that story? I’ve since stayed in the […]

EXTRA EFFORT? WHO’S THE JUDGE

  There you are doing your best, trying your hardest, and a voice in your head says, ‘You’d do better with a little extra effort.’ If you’ve heard it, do you know where it come from? A coach, a teacher, a parent. “You could be somebody if you actually applied yourself.”

HEALTH JOURNEY ON A ROUGH ROAD

A ‘health journey’ is a phrase used by people with lots of doctor appointments. If you’re old enough you either take that rough road yourself, or you show up for others on it. Personally, I’ve never liked the term. I like it even less when it applies to young people coming down with old people […]

WRITING ROOTS: HOW DEEP DO THEY GROW

Writing roots are reading roots. Everybody knows that from their first grade if they had a teacher as good as Mrs. Baker. I recall her saying, ‘Our writing is a reflection of our reading.’ I believed it then as I believe it now. (Folding a corner to mark my place in Patrick DeWitt’s novel The […]

TOXIC MALE? HOW TO TELL

Baby boomers were exposed to the toxic male early on, but it had another name: Junior High Football Coach. But it wasn’t their fault, it was just the times. When guys with names like Dick Butkus, Ray Nitschke, and Sam Huff were stuffing guys like Jim Brown and Jim Taylor, every coach wanted their players […]

PEP TALK? MY BEST MEMORY BEFORE A BIG WRESTLING MATCH

When does a pep talk make all the difference? You’re warmed up, ready to go, just as the coach gives last instructions. As a high school wrestler in my second year, I needed all the pep I could get. Ordinarily you wouldn’t put a second year guy out against a well known mauler, but . […]

HOMEWARD BOUND? YES WE ARE

Homeward bound is the goal of all travelers. First it’s all about getting out and around, seeing new places and new people. Then it happens. Whether a face, a building, or something you eat, you’re ready to turn the corner and head for home. That’s the story, but . . .