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THE SUN DEVILS SHOCKER OVER OREGON

The Sun Devils did their best to ruin Oregon’s playoff run. And they did it during my first visit to Frank Kush Field. As a sports fan, I had great seats for the biggest football game of the year. My takeaways from the night were more than game results. To start, the Ducks and Sun […]

BOOMER TRAFFIC SCHOOL

INSPIRED BY When you move to the suburbs, remember this: You’re not the first. You’ll find long-term residents in your new town whose parents and grandparents all went to the schools your kids will attend. They’re not used to new people. When you tell them you moved from Portland’s inner-eastside, they’ll look at you like […]

CAGE FIGHT SHOWS GOOD MANNERS

The line outside a symphony hall finds civilized people on their best behavior, looking good and full of hope for a night to remember. It’s a well-dressed crowd on Broadway, a shuffling queue of elites found in cities around the world where even a mugger might receive a gracious thank you. By elite, I mean […]

TRAVEL SOUVENIR pt2: French Classic Mother Sauces

Give yourself a French travel souvenir that keeps giving. Instead of trinkets taking up space until you don’t remember where they came from, or why they had any appeal when you first saw them, why not learn something? Find a travel souvenir that reminds you of a time and place, which is what happened during […]

HISTORY BEGINNER: COMMON BASICS FROM UNCOMMON BLOGGER

Long stories blur into each other the more they’re told. Eventually a common thread emerges. I’m a history beginner, you’re a history beginner, we all be history beginners. If you don’t agree, then visit a new place, a place where you don’t speak the language, a place with different food, where you essentially throw yourself […]

EUROPEAN HISTORY NOTES FROM OREGON HISTORIAN

European history notes from an Oregon historian? Is this a guest blog post from someone new? Good one. No. I’m a history major with a focus on Oregon history along with two decades of history with the Oregon Historical Society. Ask me about material identification. It’s wood, metal, or stone. Or plastic. Ask me about […]

NOTRE DAME UPDATE FROM OREGONIAN IN PARIS

How do they fix broken stone and burned timbers? It looks like this:

FRENCH TRAVEL WITH OREGON AND IOWA

French travel started out bumpy. I found my seat on the second plane, the long haul plane out or Minnesota. But it was occupied. That’s no way to start. Simple adjustment, right? But the lady had the same ticket for the same seat. At least that’s what she said. Then we all looked at our […]

TOM McCALL WATERFRONT PARK SUNDAY

We’ve heard the same thing all out lives: Get outside. More than once we’ve said it to others. How often do we tell ourselves to ‘get outside?’ That’s what I told myself Sunday and outside meant Waterfront Park in downtown Portland, Oregon. I knew my audience.

BIG TRUCKS FOR BIG JOBS

If you’ve got a big job, I mean really big, you’ll need big trucks to get ‘er done. Why big trucks? Because big jobs usually have a delivery component. You may not need the truck ‘on’ the job, but you’ll need a visit. Building a house? Big trucks are in your future. Building a skyscraper? […]