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FINDING FUN YET? IT’S AROUND HERE SOMEPLACE

June 14, 2021 by

Finding fun is a state of mind. Let’s start right there. More than a good laugh, fun is contagious. It’s one contagion that’s good to share. An expression, a sign, a street, or a dangerous looking critter preserved for all time. Some are funnier than others, but it helps to stay vigilant. One person’s fun […]

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TRAVEL BOUNDARIES? STOP BEFORE YOU FALL OFF THE EDGE

June 11, 2021 by

Travel boundaries means hit the brakes before you drive into the ocean. This isn’t Kansas where driving off the road means plowing a wheat field. Over here you’ll get wet if you make that mistake, so keep an eye out for an ocean.

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LIFE PATH? SHOULDN’T THERE BE BETTER SIGNS

April 27, 2021 by

My life path included picking up a rental car in Barcelona, Spain. A taxi took me from the VRBO apartment in the Gothic District to the train station car office. The key to success was memorizing the path back. I had two chances since I didn’t know to bring my passport for a car rental. […]

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THOUGHTFUL TRAVEL, OR HOW TO GET WHERE YOU PLANNED ON GOING

April 14, 2021 by

Thoughtful travel feels like something that takes the fun out of adventure. Besides, how thoughtful do you need/want to be in getting someplace? Plan the place, load up, and head out works. Until it all goes south. If you have all of your thoughtful travel plans on your phone, then lose your phone on the […]

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HEMINGWAY LIFE STORY BEST OF ALL TIME

April 7, 2021 by

The Hemingway life story by Ken Burns is a sure sign, but of what? That he grew up in what amounts to a fundamentalist family? With a mother that logged all of her sacrifices for him? Then held it against him? Add a father with well defined ideas on how to behave. And Ernest disappointed […]

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ASIAN AMERICANS ARE AS AMERICAN AS IT GETS

March 12, 2021 by

Asian Americans are as American as it gets. I’ve said it twice. Fight me. Hate crimes against elderly Asian Americans is not a sport, not a statement, but an act of cowardice and ignorance committed by the sort of people we’ve seen too much of. Who are they? Who might be joining them? It’s people […]

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LIME JUICE, LEMON JUICE, AND ORANGE JUICE

June 22, 2020 by

Juice comes from any fruit or vegetable that gets squeezed hard enough. But why not just eat the fruit or vegetable and call it good? Once you eat a grape, drink some grape juice, what’s next? Some might say wine, some might not, but wine is the answer.

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TRAVEL BUG BITES BACK? SCRATCH THAT ITCH

April 23, 2020 by

Once upon a time the bite from a travel bug meant one thing: pack that bag. We all know people bitten by the travel bug. From pictures, to videos, to restaurant receipts, they can’t stop re-telling the same story over and over. We know them because that’s just who we are. See something that draws […]

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK? COME ON NEW YORK

April 19, 2020 by

Doing the right thing in New York is the same as doing the right thing in Oregon: Stay home, keep a social distance. My social distance from NYC is 3000 miles away, but it wasn’t always that way. Frank said it best:

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HISTORICAL DREAM OF PARIS AND VERSAILLES

February 28, 2020 by

One historical dream, a recurring dream for adventurers and scholars, is being somewhere important by yourself. Imagine renting Disneyland, except it’s Versailles. And you’ve got it all to yourself.

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