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STAYING GUN SILENT IS NOT MY STRONG SUIT

August 5, 2019 by

The idea of gun silent goes against the grain. Guns are not silent, just the opposite. The only gun silent people I know are gun people who share the idea that the only person who needs to know if they have a gun will know. They aren’t into the show and tell, the technical talk, […]

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PERFECT FATHER’S DAY PORTLAND PRIDE PARADE

June 17, 2019 by

A Portland pride parade shows the city like no other parade on the schedule. Rose Festival parade, Twilight parade, I’ve seen them. Chinese New Year parade? I’ve walked with the dragons twice. I’m kind of a Portland parade guy. I like walking in the streets without having to watch for cars. The wife and I […]

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WHAT I LEARNED BY STARTING A RANGE FIRE

March 15, 2019 by

Like how to put it out. During a high school sports trip a team in two vans drove through Wyoming. If memory serves, Wyoming was the closest state to Oregon selling fun fireworks like bottle rockets and firecrackers after a lifetime of sparklers and Piccolo Petes. Since we were high school guys in both vans, […]

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BIG MOMENTS CHANGE LIFE DIRECTION

February 5, 2019 by

The first thought I have when I hear someone complain about their life going nowhere fast? ‘Then do something to change your life direction.’ Do I give advice on what to change? Oh, hell no. My advice to boomerpdx readers follows the same line of thinking: Don’t offer advice to someone complaining about their life […]

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WRITE A BOOK, THEY SAID, IT’LL BE FUN

January 17, 2019 by

    Long form writing is like a walk in the woods with no map. In the dark. With animal noises. And cliffs on both sides of the trail. If that isn’t a picture of adventure, what is? And all you need to do is sit down and write. And stay down. For a long […]

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FAMILY TIES OVERCOME SOME THINGS, NOT OTHERS

January 9, 2019 by

    Everyday I wake up I see a little gold tree with small family portraits hanging from the bare branches. Maybe you’ve got one that looks like the top image? That’s not mine. Mine used to be on my childhood fireplace mantle beside my grandfather’s railroad watch. Now I’ve got them both, and they’ve […]

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Funeral Feelings Expressed With Shovels And Sweat, Salt And Sea Water

September 1, 2018 by

  “My father always wanted to be the corpse at every funeral, the bride at every wedding and the baby at every christening,” said his daughter.     My father had a cowboy funeral.   Instead of the nearest Boot Hill, his ceremony happened in the veterans section a big cemetery.   People from every […]

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BETTER SELF? IF YOU HAVE A BETTER SELF, WHO WERE YOU BEFORE FINDING OUT?

June 19, 2018 by

    Life mysteries usually get solved by our better self, the part we hope others notice because it’s better than the usual.   The mystery solutions usually fall between ‘Wow, I didn’t think I could do that’ and ‘Oops, I thought I could do that.’   One shocking example was Det. Mark Fuhrman during […]

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FATHER’S DAY REMINDER: WHO’S YOUR DADDY?

June 16, 2018 by

  When my kids were young we played a game of ‘Who’s Your Daddy’ one Father’s Day.   It started and ended with one question: “Who would you rather have as a dad than me?”   I had their answers all planned out. Of course they’d favor me?   Instead of a simple “You” as […]

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How Teamwork Is Supposed To Work In Real Life

June 5, 2018 by

    A team is a temporary group with the same goals. Whether it’s sports, school, work, or family, it’s important to know how teamwork is supposed to work.   The biggest element of teamwork is cooperation, which is in shorter supply than most expect.   For example, in the armed forces all entities compete […]

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