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BEACH MUSIC BY PAT CONROY, A REVIEW

April 12, 2023 by

Beach Music sat in my TBR pile for years while I passed by. At over 700 pages it intimidated me. I like novels around 200-250 pages. The Great Gatsby clocks in at 208 paged; Catcher In The Rye runs 234 pages, more or less. Beach Music at 800 pages? I got a Harry Potter vibe […]

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SHOWING RESPECT TO READERS

April 11, 2023 by

How often is showing respect an afterthought? It happens when you start taking things and people for granted. Not everyone has had the same advantages so respect means something different to them. But we’re talking about you.

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HOMEWARD BOUND ON HAWAIIAN WATERS

March 30, 2023 by

I felt homeward bound with my head underwater and breathing though a snorkel. No, I wasn’t drowning, just mingling with the fish on Kauai. Lots of fish everyday. So many that you could miss those swimming just under the surface, so look up.

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TRAVEL BLOGGERS START AT HOME

March 20, 2023 by

Travel bloggers come in all shapes and sizes. They’re not all baby boomers reminding others not to litter in new places. “Put your gum in a tissue and drop it in a garbage can, not throw it out the car window.” But they all bring a sense of obsession about where they are at any […]

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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.

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SHOWING UP vs BEING PRESENT

March 14, 2023 by

Showing up means being present? Not today. It means being ready, being there, right there, right where you planned on being. Is that where you are? Right now? If not, why not?

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CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE IN THREE PARTS

March 13, 2023 by

Civil disobedience arrived the night I was standing in front of an Army barracks listening to an order from a captain. “First Platoon report.” I was the leader of the fourth platoon during a middle of the night fire drill where things didn’t go well. “Fourth platoon, report.”

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FAMILY ROADSHOW WITHOUT THE ANTIQUES

February 27, 2023 by

The Family Roadshow is the same as the show on OPB but with livelier stories. Instead of, “This belonged to my great-great grandmother and it’s been handed down generation after generation,” why not The Truth? “I stole this off my grandpa at his wake,” Or, “This book used to be my Mom’s. She’s still looking […]

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HISTORY CLASSES WITH PROFESSOR JOHNNY HORTON

February 23, 2023 by

Dear readers, history classes are more than remembering dates and kings and generals. I know this because college changed from that to a more comprehensive picture of time and event during my protracted historical education. The standard when I graduated in 1991 included three books: a novel of the times, one writer’s opinion in a […]

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HOPEFUL CITY, URBAN DUMP, OR BOTH

February 18, 2023 by

What makes a ‘hopeful city?’ Take Portland for example, a place other states once yearned for in their signature city. “We love Portland; we want to be Portland,” said Asheville, North Carolina. Except there are a few problems to overcome.

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