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BLUE SKIES IN THE BOOK REVIEW MIRROR

Blue Skies came to me via Twitter. T.C. Boyle mentioned a new novel and he delivered. What he delivered felt a little too close to home for me, which kept me reading. How close?

OREGON EVOLUTION AT THE STATE FAIR

Oregon evolution means securing the human necessities of food, shelter, and clothing. Of course you know that. But have you seen the twist on necessities at the Oregon State Fair? Have you? Let’s start at the beginning.

LEAVING TOWN? GOING HOME? NOT EXACTLY

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.

BETTER VIEW FOR BETTER TIMES

This better view comes from Front Street in Coos Bay. Better than what? It’s a better view than the parking lot outside my motel door, but I’m not complaining. A ship, a bay, and a dream of discovery. What else would you want?

CITY LIVING REALLY GOT YOU DOWN

City living gets everyone down eventually. Then we get back up and keep going. And it doesn’t have to be a big city. Someone from Coquille might call someone from North Bend a ‘city boy’, which is probably better than pretty boy. And it rolls on from there.

HOMEWARD BOUND FOR NORTH BEND TOWN

Homeward bound will always be North Bend, Oregon. For me, maybe not you. What feels like a nice memory is more than that. Let’s go with a living testament to the hardworking people who still call it home. Hard working?

LIFE GOALS: CLIMB THE LADDER, WANDER AROUND, OR BOTH

Life goals bring everything into focus the way the right rug ties a room together. It starts with a list of things to accomplish by a certain year and an ambitious plan for doing it. There’s the calendar with each day, week, month, year, with room to pencil in your progress. And you are progressing, […]

VENARDOS CIRCUS LIFE, AND MINE TOO

Venardos Circus showed up on the calendar as a nice family outing with the children. It was perfect timing before they got too old to enjoy the spectacle of The Big Top. Don’t the mid-thirties seem just about right? We were a party of husbands, wives, a ten year old, a toddler, and more. But […]

PHILADELPHIA TIME STANDING STILL

Philadelphia time passed by these stadiums and arenas in South Philly. It’s a shot from the Seventies with Veteran’s Stadium, JFK Stadium, with The Spectrum in between. The Phillies and Eagles played in The Vet, The 76ers in The Spectrum, with the annual Army v Navy game at JFK. Not. Any. More.

EARTH BURDEN GROWS WITH POPULATION

If the earth burden grows with population, will it shrink with a population decrease? Not when we hear about ‘forever chemicals.’ How does anyone rebound from a ‘forever’ problem? By the way, ‘forever’ is spelled PFAS.