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MISSING PORTLAND FOUND

August 22, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

I asked Big Paul about missing Portland and he set me straight. “It’s not missing.” “It is if you can’t find it.” “Then you need to look harder.”

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, bike, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, boomers, education, history, missing portland, Oregon, Portland, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, Portland Oregon, skateboard, Social media, story, travel, twitter, wife, wildwood trail, wind surf, writer, writers, writing

GUITAR NIGHT STARTER PACK

August 21, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

Guitar night always starts the same: With a plan. Plan to sound musical, nothing more, nothing less. The plan is successful when two people play together the first time and agree they sounded good. For at least ten seconds. Why ten seconds?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, bad childhood, band practice, blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, dna, dreams, dropout, fender, fender telecaster, Get better, GUITAR, guitar night, guitar practice, hopes, improve, learning, music, musical dna, new guitar, open mic, parents, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, practice, repeating, sing, singer, telecaster, travel, twitter, writer, writers

LEAVING HOME? NO, JUST GET OUT OF THE HOUSE TODAY

August 20, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

Leaving home is a life event? Not so much after the first time, whether it was leaving for college, the Army, or a first apartment. When baby boomers leave home what they’re doing is leaving their house. So when did leaving the house become such a big deal? Maybe right after some important study says […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, Baby Boomers, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, breaking news, customer, customer service, family, leaving home, millennials, opinion, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, Portland Oregon, slow news, slow tv, Social media, story, travel, twitter, wife, writer, writers, writing

ONE QUESTION, ONE ANSWER, OR . . .

August 19, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

Ask one question, just one, and if you know each other, things start clicking, woman or man. If you don’t know each other? Good luck. Maybe don’t ask anything. It’s not any particular question we’re talking about; it could be anything. “Is that a new car?”

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: answer, Baby Boomer blogger, blog magic, boomer parents, education, facebook, family, fitness, history, life altering, MARRIAGE, married, millennials, one answer, one question, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, Portland Oregon, question, remember, Social media, story, travel, twitter, wife, writer, writers, writing

PORTLAND SUMMER CHEER FROM HERE

August 17, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

How far is a carefree summer walk in the park from the pressure packed navigation through the urban sprawl for Portland summer cheer? One moment you’re walking a forest trail along the mighty Tualatin River counting birds and snakes and turkey vultures. Look, two snakes. Take the bridge for a good look at the river […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: American Dream, baby boomer, Baby Boomer blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, commerce, dream, education, historical, history, kids, learning, millennials, music, Oregon dream, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, portland dream, Portland Oregon, portland summer, shared dream, Social media, story, travel, twitter, writer, writers, writing

BEST LAID PLANS OFTEN GO AWRY

August 16, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

This is what I like to tell people: the best laid plans often to awry. At least that’s what I’d tell them if they asked. No one has really asked, but I’ve heard talk that sounded like complaining, which deserves a solid answer. You had plans? Well, now you know, the best laid plans often […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, beer, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, education, gear, GUITAR, guitar player, history, jam, jamming, looper, Love, married, millennials, music, music jam, Oregon, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, Portland Oregon, sober Saturday, Social media, stay sharp, story, sweat, travel, twitter, wife, write, writer, writers, writing

FOR THE LAST TIME: A LIST

August 15, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

You come to the last time after too many bad burgers, bad drinks, and bad decisions. Enough is finally enough. This post was inspired by a short visit to a local tap house, the last such visit. What happened?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: atomic bombs, beer, better jobs, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, civilization, commander, drink, education, enthusiasm, facebook, happy hour, higher education, hiroshima, history, hotelier, japan, last time, learning, more money, nagasaki, rising generations, rude, Social media, suburbs, the last time, travel, twitter, vote, wife, wine, winery, writer, writers, writing, WWII

MATTRESS SHOPPING + BABY BOOMER = MARRIAGE COUNSELING

August 14, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

Go mattress shopping and expect to find more than a mattress. Like what? The outstanding feature to me is meeting people who quote $20,000 for a new bed. Sound normal to you? Not to me, and here’s why:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: bed frame, bed shopping, boomer blogger, deep sleep, education, facebook, family, head board, history, kids, kill you, learning, MARRIAGE, marriage counseling, married, mattress shopping, Oregon, Portland, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, Portland Oregon, Social media, story, travel, twitter, wife, writer, writers, writing

THE GREEN BOOK MOVIE REVIEW

August 13, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

I saw The Green Book after watching documentaries on Bill Russell and Quincy Jones. The sequence matters because real people in the docs had already explained in pretty stark terms how it was to be black. The harsh reality they told showed up in scene after scene in a different context. How different?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: baby boomer, Baby Boomer blogger, Baby Boomers, blogger, boomer blogger, brooklyn, deep south, education, facebook, family, friend, friends, friendship, gay, green book, learning, life lessons, movie review, music, new york, race relations, racial strife, Social media, the army, the green book, travel, writer, writers, writing

DESCRIPTIVE TITLES ARE NOT ADMISSIONS OF GUILT

August 11, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

If some well known celebrity shows up on a screen, any screen, talking about drug addiction, mental health, and suicide, they’re not talking about themselves. Instead, they’re using their recognition, their acclaim, and their name-fame, to get a message across to a broader audience. Why do they bother with adding their feelings? Because they […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, Baby Boomers, Ben Affleck, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, boomers, celebrity, commie, communist, describe, descriptive, descriptive titles, education, facebook, family, fitness, history, kids, learning, Nike, Oregon, Phil Knight, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, smoker, smokers, smoking, Social media, story, title, travel, twitter, urban growth boundary, vote, wife, writer, writers, writing