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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.

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 […]

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 […]

RECLAIMING MY TIME ON SOUTHERN OREGON COLLEGE SIXTY-FIVE YEARS LATER

Southern Oregon College Graduating Class of 1960: My dad. He transferred after two years at Central Oregon Community College in Bend. It was a well used path to the first college degree in his family. He was thirty years old, an old 30. Back then thirty was older, fifty was a grandparent. Hit sixty and […]

EARLY TO WORK EVERY DAY

In my field if you’re not early to work, you’re late. If you’re late you can’t be a blogger? No, you can be late and blog, late and write, and it’s a good idea to be late. Being late builds demand. Can’t you feel it? But not too late.

WATCHING NEWS, KEEPING CURRENT

We’ve been watching news, keeping an eye on things, staying current. Nothing gets by us. With a pump in a water-tank, we find the flow. My school friends and I all believe a water pump in our tank is an essential service. It’s a big part of what keeps us alive and thriving, that and […]

MUSIC MUSCLE: USE IT OR LOSE IT

Where is the music muscle? In your fingertips? In your ear? In your voice? No wrong answer here. It’s all three, but there’s still something missing. Whether it’s ambient noise, sounds, notes, or whether it’s so important you buy tickets and make travel plans, there’s something about music I still don’t get. On one hand […]

NW PORTLAND FROM 1980 TO YESTERDAY

I take snap shots of NW Portland, not out of nostalgia but celebration, where you walk past buildings like this block after block. It’s the only area in town where authentic city life happens, where new people arrive, settle in, and walk from apartment to work. That’s the plan, the dream, and when it works […]

YOU SEE IT YOUR WAY, I SEE IT MINE? IT’S THE SAME GAP

And now, the end is near And so I face, the final curtain   Wait. What? That’s the story? That’s all there is? You want it your way, you get it your way, and now this? Nooooo. Nope. Not quite. There’s more.   My friend, I’ll say it clear I’ll state my case, of which […]

TO MY DEAR READER, FROM A BLOG

Dear reader is plural, but writers are told to focus on just one person, and since I’m the writer around here . . . Hopefully it’s a focus on the right reader? The last thing I need is learning how my posts led a reader astray. From me to you: DO NOT GO ASTRAY. DON’T […]