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EMPTY HANDS IN THE GETTY

The empty hands in the Getty Museum, or Getty Center, caught my eye more than the hands with cigarettes. Can’t you see a coffin nail, maybe a Phillip Morris Commander, in this guy’s hand, tipping ashes into the skull? The artist sees the whole picture and paints it; visitors see modern interpretations. I see a […]

OREGON MAP: BEHIND THE SCENES

An Oregon map on a wall? Who doesn’t have one of those? But when they show up unexpectedly it’s a happy reminder. You see things and wonder, ‘What’s that look like from the air?

TAX DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HERE AND THERE

The tax difference between sitting in my garage and getting lost in Arizona is pretty big. I’ll explain. I just got a property tax statement, maybe you did too? The list of where the money goes is impressive. Compared to what?

ONE TRICK PONY, MAYBE TWO

I rode this horse three times a week, sometimes more, for two months. Her name was Fancy and she let me know how important horses are. A retired Air Force sergeant owned Fancy and Roxy and he rented them on one condition: You had to ride them the way he wanted you to ride. It […]

READING LESSON: WHO? WHAT? WHERE?

A reading lesson is more than the title for a blog post, more than a list of books, but it’s not more than you need. If you didn’t know, now you know. I need a lesson, you need a lesson, we all need a lesson. After a writing lesson, I’m here to help. All ready? […]

AMERICAN MEETINGS, OREGON STYLE

Today’s American meetings will be held in the most American of places. Anyone seeking to learn more about America should memorize these names. Americans should memorize them, too. We forget so quickly. Where do we meet?

A CURATED LIFE OF MUSEUM QUALITY

Who wouldn’t want a curated life? Curated: carefully chosen and thoughtfully organized or presented We’d get to skip all of the confusion and misunderstandings and go right to the good stuff. Sounds good to me, except for a small part. You know that small part?

MY JOURNEY? WHERE ARE WE GOING

How many times have you seen a title beginning with, ‘My Journey?’ The answer is, “A lot.” I googled it to make sure. Everything is journey, an adventure, a trip? No, no it’s not, and understanding why is a great cause of disappointment. But, if everything was a journey, how many have you had?

BELIEF TO DISBELIEF, AND BACK

Belief to disbelief in anything you see, touch, or feel, is a short trip. First you hear something you like and it’s all, “Hell yeah, brudder.” But real life happens, as it does, and what you’ve heard comes to fruition. It’s not what you expect? Your inner-immature critic says, ‘F-that. No one asked for that.’ […]