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Learn The Tools, Then The Gun

May 27, 2019 by

War does one thing well, it gives a new vocabulary for death. One young man knew it front to back. “You’ve caught the best weather in Portland,” he said.  “Been too hot or too wet.  Not like this.” The weather?  It’s a start. He was built thick, maybe six feet tall. “Nice. After this I’m back […]

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THIRD PLACE RANKING BEHIND HOME, WORK

May 6, 2019 by

Third place in sports is hard to celebrate, while third place in what passes for normal life is something to cheer for. At least that’s the idea. I celebrate third place in sports, the bronze medal, because only two others took things further. A third place in public life needs gold certification if you decide […]

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PORTLAND FUTURE: WHAT TO EXPECT

April 18, 2019 by

What I want to see happen How many times have I driven over the Willamette River and looked at the Eastside thinking of what a Portland future could be? Every time. Early morning works best, especially if you’re leaving town for a short time. When I get back I don’t expect the freeway to be […]

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STATE OF OREGON GETS BEAVER IN ’69

April 16, 2019 by

Too cute. Best of any state? Yes, it is.

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PROMOTE AMERICAN FUTURE WITH AN AXE

April 14, 2019 by

Without getting into the details, I’ve somehow collected about fifteen axes. I’ve become an axe repository. Along with axes for wood, I’ve found six guitars around the house. I claim one. ‘Why the axes,’ I wonder when I add them all up. Then it came to me. America was built with an axe of one […]

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WHO LIES ABOUT ABANDONING NYC

March 19, 2019 by

I spoke to a woman recently who moved to Portland Oregon from Brooklyn New York, just casual conversation in a Safeway line. We had something in common since I moved here from the same place, though she didn’t start in North Bend Oregon. She was big city all the way with no perspective on the […]

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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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MONUMENTAL PUBLIC WORKS: FREMONT BRIDGE

March 2, 2019 by

What you see in the picture is the westside offramp off the Fremont Bridge here in Portland. I was cruising north on Front Ave past the Hawthorne Bridge, my most traveled Portland span across the Willamette, past the Morrison with it’s I-5 N access. The Burnside Bridge, Steel Bridge, Big Red passed by, and finally […]

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PORTLAND URBAN LIFE REVERSE HISTORY: FROM 2-17-19 TO 2-13-17

February 18, 2019 by

The ultimate joy of aging gracefully is the grace part. I don’t feel a need to lash out at every wrong I’ve ever felt. At the same time I can’t listen very well to others working their own lash. I mean, who really knows what brings people to act the way they do? Well, I’ve […]

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HAPPY VALENTINES DAY CHICAGO, DEARBORN, EAST LANSING

February 14, 2019 by

Happy Valentines Day to the great American cities of midwestern love. Chicago, Dearborn, and East Lansing have all showed the love to boomerpdx recently and Valentines Day seems a good time for A SHOUT OUT. If February 14 isn’t a world wide celebration, it is here in Oregon. “Why?” you ask.

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