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SAFE DATING OR SIDEWALK SERENADES

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 […]

FAST MONDAY BOOMERPDX NEWS TROLL

Fast Monday, the big news day after the weekend. I like news, I like big news, but this isn’t an aggregating news site. Until now. The news is local and urgent on the day of the week that blurs past like the rainbow smear that evaporates when you wash your windshield.

PORTLAND FREEZE WORSE THAN SEATTLE?

The Portland Freeze that didn’t happen came when I moved to NW Portland. My apartment building was a busy place to live for students and professionals. The pretty lady who sold text books always looked like she just stepped out of Vogue. She was in a class of her own. And chilly. Hey Patricia. But […]

PORTLAND ROAD TO TIGARD

The Portland road out of town comes in four iterations: Highway 30 to Scappoose, I-84 to Gresham, Highway 26 to Beaverton, and I-5 to Tigard. Of course the roads extend further, but not today. If you’re leaving Portland for the suburbs, those are the choices. I know you’re asking, “Why would anyone leave the beautiful […]

LEAVING PORTLAND IN 1974

Leaving Portland in 1974 was quite memorable. Memorable departures usually have a location in mind. I was headed to Fort Ord, California and the All-Volunteer Army on September 6, 1974. What was I thinking?

A BIKE RIDE TOO FAR WITH DUBIOUS REWARDS

A good bike ride is a cause for celebration and a good bike makes all the difference. Better yet, a good bike seat makes all the difference. But there’s more: bike shorts with a big old pad, water and food for a longer ride, and the determination to finish what you started. That last part […]

PORTLAND BRIDGE RUN AND RESCUE AFTER DARK

This is my favorite Portland bridge, the Hawthorne Bridge. The picture makes it look longer than it is on foot, or on a bike. When I lived on the west side, I had a job on the east side and crossed it twice a day. Then I moved to east side and worked on the […]

OPTIONAL FRIENDSHIP: YOU CAN’T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT

An optional friendship depends on time and place. But it’s not your time or your place. Tell me if this sounds familiar: “I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to do anything, but in between my schedule, my plans, my obligations, my interests, my work, my obsessions, my fears, we should get together sometime.” […]

EAST COAST KIND, WEST COAST NICE, WHICH ONE IS BETTER

East coast people stand up for this, stand up for that. And they stand up for themselves. “I do, I do stand up for myself,” is the reply that works best, right until they start talking about what they stand up for. Then it gets dicey, a little uncomfortable. It’s one thing to stand up […]

PORTLAND APARTMENTS, A BOOMERPDX LEGACY

Renting three consecutive Portland apartments over five years on the same city block means you’ve either found the right neighborhood, or you’re a NW Portland kook. I knew I wasn’t the kook when I first moved in. That guy lived in the house across the street, a large older man dressed in crotch strangling overalls […]