Coos Bay Archives • DAVIDPDX

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OREGON COVER-UP REVEALED IN GEORGE ROGERS PARK

October 9, 2025 by David Gillaspie

The Oregon cover-up starts with scale for the new folks in town looking to show how backward we are, and how desperately we need help. Leader: We have our marching orders and we are assembled here to learn more about the problems these people get wrong. It would behoove you to pay attention. The lesson […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Astoria, blog, blogger, boomerpdx, Columbia, Coos Bay, dreams, education, George Rogers Park, history, kabul, lake oswego, national guard, Oregon, oregon cover up, Portland, Portland Oregon, rain, regular army, saigon, San Francisco, water, wet, willamette, writer

GROWING UP AMONG TOUGH PEOPLE HELPS

August 30, 2025 by David Gillaspie

The best thing about tough people is how nice they can be. Lucky for me, I grew up near a tough town, Coos Bay. One of my North Bend classmates said he started telling people he was from Coos Bay because he got more respect. People know Coos Bay for its toughness, North Bend not […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: blog, Coos Bay, growing up, lake oswego, marshfield, name association, North Bend, obscure blog, recognition, striving to achieve, tough, tough people, toughness, wrestling, wrestling coach

TENSION AND RELEASE, THEN REPEAT

August 24, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Honest Abe knew all about tension and release. When things got a little too tight for the old rail splitter, he grabbed his other axe and let it out. Some say he was a rocker, some say a folk singer, but he was a blues man. Look at the way he’s working the fifth fret […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: baby boomer, baseball, baseball mitt, booze bay, childhood, cliff diver, cliff diving, college kids, Coos Bay, diving, emergency, health, health emergency, make decsions, men, merchant marines, no-tell motel, normal men, purchasing history, release, repeat, tension, tension and release, tension release

GROWN MEN GROW UP, EVENTUALLY

August 4, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Eventually, grown men grow up and get with the program. They try to resist, but as we’ve learned, resistance is futile. So turn your hat around, stop the online sports betting, and make someone proud. Put on your big boy pants one leg at a time and stand for something. But what? Let’s take a […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: adult male, ambitious, ambitious woman, bachelor pad, better example, better life, BOOMER, Coos Bay, grow, grow up, grown men, hippie, historical, long haul, message, new york, older adult, Oregonian, Portland, portland pad, pushed, short haul, sports betting, stoned, stoned hippie, test of time

CLASSIC REACTION TO FEAR OF NEW READERS

July 28, 2025 by David Gillaspie

My classic reaction to any fear? RUN AWAY. It’s how I react to new readers, new writers, new people. Every new thing needs attention, needs a response, needs validation, needs time. A serious blogger can’t run away from everything. But, there are reasons . . .

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: blogger, Canby oregon, classic reaction, Coos Bay, Dan Gable, deals, Death, fear, gambling advice, grim reaper, Kobe Bryant, listen, listen attentively, Me generation, meals, Michael Jordan, new people, new readers, new writers, North Bend, obscure, obscurity, online engagement, overcoming, overcoming fear, pay attention, political analysis, run away, serious blogger, shohei Ohtani, steals

HOW TO SURPRISE YOURSELF

July 18, 2025 by David Gillaspie

How often do you surprise yourself? A: More often? B: Less often? This isn’t a survey or a poll so relax. However . . .

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomers, beauty, boomers, bulldog beauties, community, Coos Bay, coos bay beauties, coos river beauties, culture, dignity, experience, familiarity, golden ticket, grace, hometown, how to, Joel Mansfield, manners, married, material culture, need, small town, surprise, surprise yourself

ONE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE LATER

July 9, 2025 by David Gillaspie

How often does a declaration of independence come up? I declared my independence early. It was a quiet declaration that went something like: I do declare my living conditions to be unlivable. What did I do? Nothing.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Army, baby boomer, BOOMER, brother, Coos Bay, declaration, declaration of independence, free, free time, freedom, history, independence, independent, independent minded, Middle Child, personal responsibility, summer job, unstructured time, wife

DIFFERENT TIME, DIFFERENT PLACE

May 25, 2025 by David Gillaspie

The past is a different place, different yet familiar. Maybe too familiar? Familiar like you remember it now differently than you used to remember? Here’s how I remember it:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: baby boomer, Balch creek, big city, boomerpdx, bright lights, Coos Bay, different place, different time, education, family, history, jersey girl, memory, northwest portland, Oregon, Pittock Mansion, Portland, Portland Oregon, portland treasure, remember, starting out, starting over

ONE UP: DOES IT MAKE YOU BETTER?

May 5, 2025 by David Gillaspie

After watching the Jack Black one up skit on SNL, I’m fascinated. Why is it so funny? Is it because they take ordinary events and things and elevate them to virtue? Let’s find out.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: bad habit, Charleston, Coos Bay, empire, facinated, jack black, kids, lake oswego, North Bend, one up, one upped, one upping, ordinary events, wife

WALK AWAY PEOPLE? KEEP WALKING

April 4, 2025 by David Gillaspie

The problem with walk away people is what they leave behind: their mess. Someone will do the clean-up, just not them. They’re too busy. Not too busy walking, too busy making their next mess. There’s always something funny about them:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: boomer blogger, boomers, connections, Coos Bay, cut and run, decision maker, department head, downward spiral, education, family, health insurance, heart and soul, investments, job, keep walking, Love, low level, networking, older people, Oregon, retirement, team leader, walk away, walk away people, work