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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.
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SHARING SPECIAL DAYS, EVERY LAST ONE

Special days have special meaning which don’t hit the same for everyone.
For some it’s repeating, “Why bother,” for the fortieth time.
Others like to say, “I thought we’ve moved past all that.”
But you still find those looking for something special in every day, and keep looking until they find it. Hell or high water.
The last line is the bell ringer.
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OLD PORTLAND, YOUNG PARENTS

Make that old Portland, youngish parents.
Or not so old Portland, and not so young parents.
We weren’t teenagers, but if you ever want to feel like one push a stroller around downtown.
With two kids it’s like a double punishment, like sent to your room AND missing dinner.
What else?
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LET THEM, LET YOU, OR LET ME?

The Let Them Theory book has a lot of lets in the letters.
My favorites are the parts that address my problems, which come with a writing habit from what I can tell.
Will I discover why I’m not a better writer?
Learn what I should have done by now, or find a lingering message to get over myself already?
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NORTH BEND HEROES START HERE

 Calling North Bend a small town is a disservice to real small towns everywhere.
Driving south on 101 and crossing the North Bend Bridge takes you under this sign.
If you’re not paying close attention and keep going the same direction, the entire area of the largest metro complex on the Oregon coast feels like it’s all North Bend, especially if you miss the little coos bay sign.
How can the biggest city on the coast be a small town?
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toughen up

CDC SAYS OPIOIDS SHOULDN’T BE FIRST CHOICE? THAT HURTS.

Pain relief moves from legal heroin to physical therapy, exercise, and over the counter pills? Who knew? I wrote a post about an author’s reading called BLACK TAR HEROIN, SAM QUINONES, AND DREAMLAND. Sam Quinones showed up in Powell’s City of Books and talked about pill mills supplying zombie customers with their opioid prescriptions; about […]

24HR FITNESS vs $20

BETTING AGAINST THE ARMY AT THE OSU WALL? 1. Why does Oregon State University have a Marine Corps obstacle course near Gill Coliseum? Because OSU serves the Army, Marine, Navy, and Air Force ROTC. 2. Why would one former wrestler with a bad wing bet another he couldn’t climb over the red wall with the big yellow […]

KA-BAR TO THE RESCUE AGAINST BEARS AND OTHERS

  One of the benefits of being an Armed Forces veteran from the mid-70’s is the ability to relate to other veterans, to show respect for their service today.   History is full of great moments of grace and dignity, pomp and circumstance, but veteran to veteran isn’t about a parade, or acknowledgement.   Getting […]

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boomer years

Today Is A Special Day For Someone, What’s Your Day Like

  Coaches have had a grand time reminding their athletes that, “There’s someone somewhere training just as hard as you. Time to step it up.”   They say this right after you’ve had a special day of success so you won’t let it go to your head too fast.   Or, “Someone is training harder […]

BOOMER BUCKET LIST: SNOW MACHINE

Be Careful Or You Might Ride Your Boomer Bucket List Right Into A Bucket. Have you made your bucket list, the things you want to do and see before you kick the bucket? If not, you’ve got time. What’s the difference between a normal bucket list and a boomer bucket list? Call it age. Call […]

Funeral Feelings Expressed With Shovels And Sweat, Salt And Sea Water

“My father always wanted to be the corpse at every funeral, the bride at every wedding and the baby at every christening,” said his daughter.   My father had a cowboy funeral. Instead of the nearest Boot Hill, his ceremony happened in the veterans section a big cemetery. People from every part of his life […]

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buckle up

PORTLAND OF THE SOUTH, PT 1

From Portland to the Portland of the South starting in Knoxville. The true Portland of the South, according to local legend, is Asheville, North Carolina. After the cluster flop in the United terminal in Denver, going back to Portland would have been a good move, but intrepid travelers push on. Asheville is two hours away, which […]

NW Boomer Cruise

Finding Fun In Your Backyard River The next time you bike or walk, drive or fly, keep an eye out for bridges. They show local rivers to paddle. If you lived in the same town a while and never been on the water, the time is ripe. This is baby boomer nirvana.

BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAIN HUG FROM GROVE PARK INN

Or, How the Grove Park Inn cures your ills without pills. The Omni Grove Park Inn, GPI, comes packed with the sort of history that ties people to places through material anthropology. And it’s a clever knot. With an original main lodge dating from 1913 flanked by wings added in the ’80’s, the property sits […]

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