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PORTLAND RECHARGE PRIMER

Walk down Broadway and you can feel the Portland pulse, the Portland recharge, which is no surprise when you see the volcano map. But, more than that, the city feels primed for a renaissance, a Portland Renaissance. And that means an Oregon Renaissancea?   . . . new growth of activity or interest in something, […]

JOIN OREGON HISTORY FOR THE PEOPLE

Oregon history is full of familiar names and places we remember from Mrs. Kraus’ third grade class. Statues around the state show them as they were. Their exploits are logged in libraries and museums. The Oregon Historical Society at 1200 SW Park, Portland Oregon is both museum and library. That’s a 2 for 1 if […]

NOT LOST, BUT STILL A HISTORY OF LOSING

You are not lost if you still have enough gas in the tank and sunlight in the sky to keep going. But, not everyone agrees. I chalk it up to those who’ve experienced enough losing to know the symptoms. They’ve seen losers, been losers, and know what they’re talking about when they call you a […]

LOCAL HISTORY STUDENT + HOBBYIST = HISTORY FANS

What we have here for the history student is a picture of a post-industrial landscape typically found beside polluted rivers across America where time has passed it by. The industrial ruins-looking build-up is a common sight from New England to North Bend. What we need to know is this particular mess can be considered the […]

ALL EYES ON THE AMERICAN WORLD CUP, JULY FOURTH

Did anyone leave a 4th of July gathering to watch some World Cup action? France v Paraguay? Canada v Morocco? Me neither. I had to take my dog home before a bunch of kids filled up the backyard. The games were already on.

WRITING PARTNERS? CHOOSE CAREFULLY

Two nights ago I watch Hamnet from the blue velvet couch with July 4th coming around the bend. It’s about Shakespeare, which isn’t a spoiler. One of the more helpful movie openings, it explained early that Hamnet and Hamet are the same name. The same. So I was set. Hamnet it is.

BEST BUY TACTICAL COMMANDO

I made a birthday run to Best Buy for my wife’s birthday. Married people do this all the time. Maybe just husbands? The difference was, my trip was on the birthday, which some people call irresponsible, tactless, whatever. But I knew what I wanted and where to get it. And I knew the timeline. How […]

MY TOP JULY FOURTH: 1976

In 1976 July Fourth found me living in Philadelphia, of all places. I was standing in the audience listening to President Ford address the nation from the Liberty Bell. I was a regular Army private two months from being discharged after two years. My uncle, a career Marine, was with me. It felt different than […]

PIECES OF A LIFE TOGETHER, AND ‘THE PAST’

If you spend enough time with someone you may eventually get the feeling of living a life, of sharing a life, together. With that in mind, why wait until the last minute to get, or give, the flowers. Is there a plan for how to do that? How do two people put those pieces together? […]

WALK THAT LONESOME VALLEY, OR BABY SHARK, PICK ONE

You know you’ve got to walk that lonesome valley. That’s just how it is. The part about walking it by yourself? I’m not so sure about that. I tried walking it by myself and got pretty far, even though I wasn’t alone. Technically.