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OREGON EXPERIENCE: WHAT TO EXPECT IF YOU’RE NEW TO THE STATE

September 24, 2020 by

People come from far and wide for the Oregon experience. They leave with gratitude for their time here, and make plans to return. After thrilling at the waterfalls, mountains, and beaches, they see places like Kansas and Oklahoma through new eyes. They take the Oregon experience home and make it work. By the way, what […]

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GREEN CHAIN DANCER TELLS SISTER STORY

March 18, 2020 by

The green chain in the local plywood mill called for me after freshman year in college. I had a college loan and the job was the best for paying it off and putting money away for sophomore year. I was the new guy on the swing shift crew in 1974 with men who enjoyed a […]

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EARLY SCHOOL RIVALRIES FUEL LIFETIME OF CONTENTION

March 6, 2020 by

Early school rivalries explain so much about how we interact with one another. I started school at sea level; the rivalry schools were on higher ground. That’s where kids from the fancy part of town learned how important they were and why they were better. At least that was the theory in first grade. Sports […]

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World’s Factory: China Fills Big Box America To The Brim

July 11, 2018 by

  The world’s factory, otherwise known as China, fills big box America from Costco to Target to Walmart.   From Home Depot to Lowe’s the world’s factory supplies America with the suburban necessities.   If it’s electronic components, or sporty textiles, or steel, look for the Made in China tag. You won’t have to look […]

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NIKE CANCER TEAM TRAINING CAMP REVIEW

May 15, 2018 by

  After a diagnosis for hpv throat cancer I found a cancer team. An Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist, a radiation oncologist, and a chemo-therapy oncologist, all gathered data for my best outcome.   That was the shared goal. I had a couple of others I shared with them, like avoiding opioid addiction and secondary […]

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Run Away From Home, Family, Life. But To Where?

September 11, 2017 by

If you were lucky growing up you couldn’t run away. Well you could, but would you end up someplace better?   My hometown is North Bend, Oregon. I attended the same grade school, junior high, and high school all in the same school district. So did most of my graduating class.   We didn’t hear […]

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LEARNING FROM WHERE YOU LIVE, PT.1: NORTH BEND

March 22, 2017 by

    Ask the North Bend question. In a reflective moment that soon passed, I asked my Dad which of us grew up in a rougher town. I felt certain he’d say his town, Ryderwood. Ryderwood was a logging camp town, a company town with a company store. The one thing all logging company towns […]

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CLAM DIGGERS, CLAM DIGGING, CARRYING A CLAM BUCKET

January 26, 2017 by

Life according to clam diggers.   Thoughts of childhood should come with warnings. If it’s one happy, golden moment, after another, it’s not a memory. It’s a Hallmark Card of childhood. Real memories include trying time, leaning time, and what to never do again time. Did you have friends or relatives who owned land and […]

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STOLEN BY GHOSTS, SAVED BY LIFE

October 31, 2016 by

The once a year excuse: Stolen By Ghosts. Halloween comes with one special get out of jail free card. If you ever blamed the dog for lost homework, you know the drill. To make it perfectly clear, I conducted a scientific poll, asking Millennials, GenX, Baby Boomers, and Greats (the greatest generation from WWII, thanks […]

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STEVE PREFONTAINE UNLOCKED

April 1, 2015 by

Prison Running Winner: Steve Prefontaine. Great sports events trap time in a bubble. You remember your favorite player scoring the winning points like it was yesterday, locking the image into your mind and throwing away the key. Yours for life. If the event was big enough, you learn more about the player and the game. […]

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