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TRANSPORTATION DIARY: PUBLIC RIDES

A transportation diary clears up what is and what isn’t public transportation. It’s a bus, or a train, not your mom’s mini van. How many times have you counted on public transportation? My first daily bus ride started in Philadelphia.

HEDGE TRIMMER SEEN BUT NOT BOUGHT? HERE’S WHY:

A hedge trimmer on a pole for high shrubbery? No problem. Drag out extension cord, plug it in, and go at it. But a hedge trimmer powered by a battery?

AMERICAN STORIES: MOVING ON TO NEW LAND

American stories in early Oregon were about pioneers, travel, and hard work. How hard? As hard as it’s ever been clearing land by hand. But first they had to get here. And they’re still coming.

LOOKING UP IN RISING PORTLAND

Looking up in some cities comes with a warning: Don’t do it. Why? Because while you’re looking up someone is making plans you don’t see. Like what? Nothing useful, but when does that ever stop anyone?

OREGON BLUES ON A FATHER / SON DAY

Oregon blues are a different blues. I blame the clouds. But no clouds on Waterfront Blues Festival Saturday, which is why I wore a rash-guard hoodie instead of layers of sunscreen. It was a no cloud Saturday awash in family time:

PORTLAND BLUES SATURDAY

Portland blues come in more shades than one. Dark blue for the homeless. Darker blue for the park bench addicts. Blue green for the tax paying homeowners just living their lives and doing the best they can. But what about the rest of us?

FAMILY MATTERS MORE WITH DOUBLE MAGIC

Family matters more when the group starts shrinking. I know the story of a couple who immigrated to America with their little boy. Then they had a baby girl who grew up in Los Angeles. Like all the smart kids in school she moved to Oregon and married a local. This is where I come […]

ROSE GARDEN FLOWER GIRL TEST

When the rose garden calls how do you answer? There’s only one answer when it includes a birthday for a flower girl. And with a flower girl. With four flower girls? It started two weeks ago.

PORTLAND SUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

The Portland summer is why people move to Oregon. It’s also why people move away. Why? Because it doesn’t last long enough. That wasn’t the case yesterday at Portland Center Stage.

HOMETOWN WRITERS MISS THE BOAT?

Hometown writers miss the boat when they think everything’s been said about where they grew up. Then, to save their careers the turn their focus to their hometown. More like they use a sense of home to lure readers in. Like Thomas Wolfe.