The “stay in your lane” reaction comes from the wrong sources. As if anyone knows which lane is right for you, but they sure know which one is wrong. It’s the wrong lane when you take others our of their comfort zone of who they think you are. But people change. Just not those who […]
GRECO ROMAN MEDAL WITH A HAPPY FAMILY
January 23, 2021 by
Greco Roman sounds so classic because that’s what it is, classic. It sounds old, like Greek City-State and Roman Empire old. Way the heck back there. In the sports world, Greco Roman is a particular style of wrestling, not an architectural element. It’s for athletes who don’t want to get tangled up in someone’s legs, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
