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THE WILD SIDE, OR JUST ANOTHER WALK

Oregon’s wild side is a twenty minute drive away. Big city life gets gritty near Portland, Oregon’s West Burnside. The pretty lights, the shimmering beauty reflected on the Willamette from the top deck of the Marquam Bridge that looks like Paris lights on the Seine from the Eiffel Tower, disappear after you park your car. […]

EXQUISITE CREATURES, OR JUST MY FAMILY

Exquisite Creatures is in the final days of its second run at OMSI. Christopher Marley’s nature collection occupies two floors. In one word, it’s an incredible experience made more so by who I saw it with: Wife, kid, daughter in-law, and a four year old. But not just any four year old, which I’ll get […]

MOUNT HOOD VIEW FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD

The Mount Hood view is so good from the neighborhood that streets are named after it. That’s what you get in a town near a mountain. You could say a town near a mountain range since there’s also a view of Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams to the north, Mt. Jefferson to the south […]

HEALING POWER OF WRITING (feeling better yet?)

healing power

HUSTLER MAN FAIL AT DINNER TABLE

I watched a hustler man work the magic one night at a dinner table. He was alone, wife out of town, with a few married couples. One woman caught his attention. Hustler: You seem very happy tonight.

PORTLAND PARK BLOCKS IN DECEMBER WITH DOG

The Portland Park Blocks, the south side, deserves a good look this time of year. Call it a learning moment, my dog did. Who’s a good girl. We started at Portland State University to see what the youths were up to.

OLD STORY? THEY’RE ALL OLD STORIES THE OLDER YOU GET

An old story wears thin over time? Not when it’s your story, no matter how many times you tell it. When you hear, “I’ve heard this so many times,” don’t take it as criticism. That’s just someone bragging about their listening skills, not trashing your repetitiveness. Still, why not add something new?

FRIENDLY OWLS IN THE FOREST DARK

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

NORTHWEST PORTLAND, NOVEMBER 12, 2024

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.

ON VETERANS DAY 2024

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.