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PORTLAND HISTORY COMEBACK JUST IN TIME

Portland history used to be easy. Two old guys flipped a coin in a clearing and here we are living happily ever after. That’s my story, but I’m not sticking to it when I tell the Portland story.

WHAT MAKES A GREAT BURGER?

A great burger is a matter of timing. If you haven’t eaten all day anything would be great. That last thing you ate was a little off so you’ve been looking forward to the next meal. This burger fought through adversity to land on greatness.

MAKING TIME TO SHARE TIME

Making time for this, for that, but we still run out of time. On the run? From a Beaverton Farmers Market morning to a Waterfront Blues Festival evening, all the different faces turned into a blur. Some faces, not all.

BLUE PORTLAND IN STAGES

Blue Portland is like a blues band. You don’t start at the main stage in the Waterfront Blues Festival. You don’t always have a limousine ready to jump into after playing your set. That’s Portland carrying its guitar in a gunnysack, headed on down to the railroad tracks.

OLD FOLKS TALKING IT OUT ON TELEVISION

Why would old folks not rest on their laurels? Either they’re not tired, or they have no laurels. Last night’s Presidential Debate showed more than just the candidates. It also showed the problem with the format.

SISTERS BROTHERS BOOK, MOVIE, AND MORE

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt spooked me from the moment it showed up. What kind of tricky title was that. Would it be about brothers and sisters, sisters who wanted to be brothers? I had to find out, and so I did. I picked it up and read it. Then what?

DOWNTOWN PORTLAND OREGON ON A FAMILY SATURDAY NIGHT

Traveling to downtown Portland for a visit, for a look-around? But you’ve seen the news, the tents, the drugs, the crime. So have I. It’s a red flag, but not this time. We took a chance to claim, or reclaim, the Rose City as our own.

HOME STRETCH FROM LONDON TO PORTLAND

The home stretch is the payoff for travelers. Under budget, on time, no lost passports or ID? Check. Spend the last night in London relaxing and resting up for the nine hour flight in the morning? Wouldn’t that make sense? Resting up to sit for nine hours? Or . . .

LAST ROOM AT THE END OF THE LINE

The last room of a six stop roadie through England is the most expensive per square foot. It’s an impressive number due to the square feet. The smallest of the six, it’s on Bayswater, a half a block from the Notting Hill Gate into Hyde Park. Queen-sized bed in a queen-size bed slot tight enough […]

BREAKING IN PERIOD FOR NEW SHOES

For breaking in new shoes the store man said wear them at least ten hours. I wore a pair for ten minutes out of the store and knew they weren’t right. Too heavy, thin soles, and why did I even buy them? To be honest, it happens all too often.