Priceless gold nuggets from a 50th high school reunion? I had it checked out. They looked at the front, the back, turned it over. “How much,” I asked?
LEAVING TOWN? GOING HOME? NOT EXACTLY
August 27, 2023 by
Leaving town is one thing. It’s different for everyone. How different? Some never come back. But we all carry parts of town, growing up in a place, with us. Nothing shows it more than a high school reunion on the long side.
KOLOA SURPRISES KEEP HAPPENING? YES THEY DO
March 19, 2023 by
Koloa surprises are different than the usual Hawaiian happiness? As if Kauai island needs more to keep it interesting. No snakes, gators, or bugs are all a welcome surprise. But there’s more.
WHEN ‘OLDEN DAYS’ GET OLDER
January 27, 2023 by
My olden days started in 5th grade. It was a nice day in North Bend, Oregon. A little chilly, not that foggy, and just windy enough to spread your jacket out like wings and lean in to it. I skipped half the lunch recess outside and ducked into the grade school library. The door was […]
UNDERDOG LIFER STARTS EARLY
January 6, 2023 by
An underdog lifer life needs to start early, otherwise it’s just following trends. But how early? Top underdogs are never the first born, the first to start new things, or the first in line. If they were first, they wouldn’t be underdogs. Start with where you were raised.
ALPHA MALE OREGON TEST
December 30, 2022 by
The Oregon Alpha Male is a different breed. It’s more than dressing up in cool guy clothes and driving a fancy car. More than showing up at a public event and making a splashy entrance. Being an Oregon Alpha Male is more than appearance.
GROWING HOPE ON FALLOW LAND
November 4, 2022 by
Growing hope is my hope. Why? Because I like hopeful people. They do things I might try to do, go places I might like to go. In my work life I choose hope. Family life? I choose hope. Here’s now to grow hope in what feels like barren land.
DIVISION STREET, NOT DIVIDED PORTLAND
August 13, 2022 by
Division Street is not some hotbed of urban problems with people taking sides. In the southeast 30’s it’s a home stretch for Portland people moving to Oregon. Even better, it’s been a neighborhood, a changing neighborhood, for people who put down roots decades ago.
YOUR STORY DONE YOUR WAY; MY STORY IS RIGHT HERE
February 16, 2022 by
When you write your story, or tell it, or carve it into wood or stone, it’s your choice. For many baby boomers from the middle boomer aisle, not early or late boomers, the story includes things like: “We drank water from a garden hose, rode bikes without helmets, and ate everything on our plate.” I […]
BIG DECISIONS ARE TOO HARD?
Big decisions come every day, one fastball after another. In the game of life, you stand in and take your cuts. You might get on base, you might strike out. Or you might opt out of the whole thing? Wait a minute.