Portland Archives • DAVID G

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FRIENDLY OWLS IN THE FOREST DARK

November 15, 2024 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

I’ve heard owls hoot and they sounded like friendly owls. But I’ve never seen one in the wild. Until yesterday.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: civilized, dark forest, duniway track, feathered friend, forest, forest bath, Forest Park, friendly owls, macleay park, owls, Portland, running, running club, suburban wildlife, trails, under armor, wilderness, woods

NORTHWEST PORTLAND, NOVEMBER 12, 2024

November 13, 2024 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

My Northwest Portland stroll started on Burnside and 23rd. This is the view looking across Burnside: The Envoy. I met a guy who lived there. He said it was great. That’s good enough for me.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: apartment, arborist, burnside, free spirit, henpecked husband, neighborhood, northwest portland, nw 23rd, Oregon, Portland, share memories, suburbs, tree, trees, vista avenue, west hills

ON VETERANS DAY 2024

November 11, 2024 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

Veterans Day is for the old folks who remember their youth and those who were young with them. They remember the young people who didn’t have the chance to get old. My Dad got a chance to get old. He out-lived his Dad, just like I’m out-living him.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Army, college, conflict, education, enlistment, france, germany, italy, Korean War, Marine Corps, Navy, Oregon, Portland, Portland Oregon, service, Ukraine, Veterans Day, Vietnam War, WWII

GIVING THANKS TO CAREFUL READERS

November 2, 2024 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

Giving thanks for anything is a good idea. It only gets funky when you try to work it into something else, like the opposite of thanks. Would that be irony? But a sweet thank-you is not the same as a hearty F-you. All cleared up?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: author, blog, blog network, blogger, bloggers, boomerpdx, careful readers, comments, downtown Portland, filling a need, giving, giving thanks, gratitude, hairstyle, heart of portland, message, messaging, online, pissy old man, Portland, Portland Outdoor Store, readers, reading, scam, Social media, spam, thanks, vote, voter, voting, wig spam, writer

WRITING REWARDS YOU MISS IF YOU DON’T WRITE

October 30, 2024 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

Writing rewards come in flavors other than green. JD Salinger said the act of writing is reward enough. That from a guy who locked himself up for his reward. But he didn’t throw away the key.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: baby boomer, Baby Boomers, blogger, BOOMER, boomerpdx, boomers, cancer, Death, doing something, education, election, facebook, Love, millennials, Oregon, Portland, presidential politics, reward, rewards, sports, story, student loans, twitter, vote, voter, voting, women's healthcare, writer, writers, writing, writing reward, writing rewards

BETTER WORLD IN THE 90’S? BETTER THAN WHAT?

October 10, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Do you remember a better world that existed thirty years ago? Talking 1994? I’m trying without looking, but I hit the archives on history.com. Ron Rule from twitter inspired me with this:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: 1990, anxiety, better than what, better world, blog, blogger, college, cycles of history, david, died off, educational anxiety, fourth turning, generation, history, history museum, nostalgia, nostalgic, nostalgic twitter, Portland, public education, quote, suburbs, twitter, world, write, writer, WW2, X

KRIS KRISTOFFERSON MAKES IT THROUGH THE NIGHT

September 30, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Kris Kristofferson died yesterday. I found out in a text from one of my guitar guys. “RIP Bobby McGee.” We mourned Tom Petty’s passing, now Kris. In baby boomer world, it’s reminder of our tenuous grip on life.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: aging, baby boomer, bobby mcgee, country music, Johnny Cash, kids, kris kristofferson, live, mourning, music, old, Portland, taylor swift, writer, writing

ACCEPTABLE TOPICS SCROLLING TWITTER

September 21, 2024 by David Gillaspie

The notion of acceptable topics on twitter suggests there are unacceptable topics? Since it is the internet, you’ll find more than enough of both. You can find the funniest post you’ll see all day, and the saddest. But maybe we can skip the rampant bullshit?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: acceptable topics, hipster, new york, philadelphia, Portland, scrolling, scrolling twitter, Social media, subliminal advertising, subway, topics, twitter, twitter boss, twitter scroll, unacceptable topics

PERMANENT BUILDINGS FOR THE FUTURE

August 30, 2024 by David Gillaspie

I look for permanent buildings the older I get. It’s always a treat. I’m older than the town I live in, older than the first house I owned, older than where I live mow. Maybe I’m the permanent building? Naw. Maybe you?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: blogger, boomers, buildings, downtown Portland, education, Fox Theater, fox tower, millennials, Oregon, park avenue west, permanent, permanent buildings, Portland, Portland Oregon, travel, writer, writing

LIFELONG LEARNING? WHEN DOES IT END

August 20, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Lifelong learning is a goal, or should be a goal. Do it right and you’ll always have a motherlode of regret: “If I only knew then what I know now.” Call it what it is: continuing education. And it’s never over.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: believe, continuing education, dating, education, learning, lifelong learning, news lady, Portland, trust, valor