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TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS IN WASHINGTON AND OREGON

December 4, 2024 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

Traditions and customs reek of history and ceremony. Just the way I like it. The more the merrier is fitting for both. But, like George Harrison said, “All things must pass.”

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Bybee howell house, customs, Fort Vancouver, historical, history, learning, museum, museum crew, new, old, old and new, Oregon, Oregon History, review, traditions, traditions and customs, travel, trifle

DEDICATION, DEVOTION, WRITING A BLANK SCREEN ALIVE

April 4, 2024 by David Gillaspie

BoomerPdx spam is very encouraging with kudos for dedication, devotion, and persistence. Persistence, not pestilence. For the most part I work to promote persistence in whatever field you find yourself in. You didn’t get there by accident. It may have started from an accident, or happenstance, but once you settle in, keep going.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: baby boomer, big loser, big question, BOOMER, boomerpdx, bowery, dedication, devotion, education, empathy, fitness, history, history museum, kids, looking forward, museum, persistence, spam, the bowery, what happened, wife, writer, writers, writing

SAFE DATING OR SIDEWALK SERENADES

March 23, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Safe dating is the goal for everyone brave enough to step out of their comfort zone, get off the couch, and open the front door. Whether long term, short term, husband-wife, blind date, or one of those high school reunion prince and princess things you hear about, safety is paramount. But, if you’re anything like […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: apartment, Army, bad boy, blind date, college, comfort zone, dating, dreams, high school, hopes, husband, love affair, love torch, men, museum, nice girl, NW Portland, one woman, philadelphia, prom, relationship, relationships, safe dating, talk, wife, women

STORY MEDICINE PRESCRIPTION: READ AND WRITE

February 26, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Story medicine is good for what ails you. Why? Because you deserve a break. Things go bad, and you read a story about something worse? You might feel better. But what about when things are going good, never been better. What story is going to improve that?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: army medic, blog, blogger, boomerpdx, chiaroscuro, Death, history, medical, medical advice, medical problem, medicine, mona lisa, museum, New York City, New York story, Oregon, pound of flesh, read, readers, sfumato, story, story medicine, story telling, the Louvre, wife, write, writer, writers, writing

HISTORY WORK NEVER ENDS FOR THE CURIOUS

December 8, 2023 by David Gillaspie

Doing history work where you live is the only way to get to your happy place. Or at least you’ll know where you are. The Oregon Historical Society’s downtown Portland history museum is just the place. But first ask yourself, “Am I curious?” If you read boomerpdx regularly, you pass the curious test. Take this […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, blogger, boomerpdx, curious, David Gillaspie, education, happy place, historiography, history, history museum, history work, history workers, millennials, museum, Oregon, oregon historical center, Oregon History, Portland, PORTLAND BABY BOOMER, portland monthly, Portland Oregon, reimagine portland, The Oregon Historical Society, Thomas Vaughan, travel, writer, writers, writing

OREGON HISTORICAL BUSINESS

November 3, 2023 by David Gillaspie

The Oregon Historical Society holds a special place in my heart. I took a temporary job there as a museum guard, a six month assignment to watch over an exhibit called Soft Gold. Six months turned into twenty-odd years before I signed off. It was a dream job from guard, to exhibit worker, to curatorial […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: America, american west, blog, blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, business, education, historical objects, history, history business, museum, museum docent, museum guy, OHS, Oregon historical, oregon historical center, oregon historical society, Portland Oregon, recommend OHS, travel, writer

ATOMIC BOMB EDUCATION FOR THE KIDS

October 7, 2023 by David Gillaspie

Atomic bomb work never ends at Los Alamos. That’s where the legends began and this is the museum that tells the story. The Bradbury Science Museum. Who doesn’t like a good science museum for family fun?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: atom bomb, blogger, bomb education, boom season, Bradbury science museum, family fun, fat man, general groves, little boy, los alamos, museum, Oppenheimer, science, science museum, shadows, story

DIALECT STORIES TOLD IN TONGUES

January 24, 2023 by David Gillaspie

Based on a particular vocabulary, all stories are dialect stories. From Mark Twain to Forrest Gump, and every stop in between. But what happens when language jumps off the page with directions, or recipes, or, wait for it: Feelings?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: baby boomer, Baby Boomers, BOOMER, boomerpdx, boomers, charisma, dialect, dialect stories, Mark Twain, museum, museum cataloguer, Oregon Coast, role model, stories

AGING MUSIC FOR COUPLES TO GROW OLD BY

May 23, 2022 by David Gillaspie

I first heard aging music from the Beatles. When I’m Sixty-Four came out when I was thirteen. Why would a young band contemplate being 64 years old? It seemed weird. Until I turned sixty-four.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: aging, aging music, aging together, ancient footsteps, Baby Boomers, beatle music, Beatles, church, depressing, dogs, john prine, museum, music, old age, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, Portland Oregon, projects, puppy, song, songs

PRESERVED LAND FOR THE AGES

May 21, 2022 by David Gillaspie

Preserved land, or land preservation, needs help. You know the old saying, ‘they don’t make more land?’ It’s never more true than land holding Native American sites. And that’s the problem.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: America, archeological site, Arizona, artifacts, historical preservation, indigenous people, land preservation, museum, Native American sites, native people, native sites, preserved land