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MODERN RUNNING FOR YOUR LIFE

Running for your life used to be pretty simple.
There’s something that might kill you if it gets close enough.
And it’s a surprise, a big surprise.
No one needs to tell you what to do:
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PDX WOOD A WELCOME SIGHT

Call it PDX wood, Portland wood, Oregon wood.
Or call it what it is, Douglas Fir from the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua.
And call it a nice wall.
It’s nice in a way, but unfinished looking.
Your call:

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PORTLAND TRAVEL NOTES: THE BOOKENDS

This is the flat spot in the river bank where people used to take a break.
Whether coming up from the Columbia River, or down on the Willamette, this was the original rest stop for paddlers.
Then it grew, grew some more, and for those of us who’ve traded punches on her streets, it’s all grown up.
And it has bookends on the part people think of when they hear the word ‘Portland.’

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MISTAKEN IDENTITY? MAYBE NOT

It could be a case of mistaken identity if you’re in an outfit led by a naked lady and winged horse all clad in gold.
Where’s the plan? What’s the goal? Is it safe?
No one gives a good answer.
Where’s your plan, what’s the goal, is it safe?
If the plan is to paint yourself gold and get a winged horse you might want to take another look.
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TO BE INTERESTING BE INTERESTED

It can’t be just in my individual baby boomer blogger brain, but these guys are famous in every form you see them, hear them, feel them.
I was driving around town, passed through a parking lot, and there they were on the wall looking like an Andy Warhol fever dream.
Were they trying to be interesting?

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toughen up

Self Glossing Portland Writer Gives Cancer Warning

  “Warning? We don’t need no cancer warning,” said everyone who’s never followed directions even once.   With cancer warnings around every corner, every speck of asbestos in the ceiling, breath of air, drink of water, it gets wearing to the point of being normal.   More people with cancer? More young people? More millennials, […]

CANCER ROOM: BEST OF TIMES, WORST OF TIMES

The biggest motivation for writing a cancer room memoir like ‘LICKING CANCER, The Full Response’ is paying tribute to the people I met in there.   From staff to patients, it’s a team focused on the same goal, until it goes off the tracks, and it does in one way or the other for everyone. […]

24HR FITNESS vs $20

BETTING AGAINST THE ARMY AT THE OSU WALL? 1. Why does Oregon State University have a Marine Corps obstacle course near Gill Coliseum? Because OSU serves the Army, Marine, Navy, and Air Force ROTC. 2. Why would one former wrestler with a bad wing bet another he couldn’t climb over the red wall with the big yellow […]

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boomer years

SHOOTING GUNS IN THE BOOMER ARMY OF 1974

The all volunteer Army was still new in the mid-70’s. No one opened a draft notice anymore, no life changing letters came in the mail. At least not that letter. In those days the Army was run by baby boomers straight out of Vietnam. Every Drill Sergeant had a story to make your toes curl and […]

Today Is A Special Day For Someone, What’s Your Day Like

  Coaches have had a grand time reminding their athletes that, “There’s someone somewhere training just as hard as you. Time to step it up.”   They say this right after you’ve had a special day of success so you won’t let it go to your head too fast.   Or, “Someone is training harder […]

BACK TO THE FUTURE AT 60

Back To The Future Or How’d You Know It Would Turn Out Like This? By 1985 the oldest baby boomers were around 40 years old. They were old hippies by then, or peppy preppies if they cut their hair and learned how to trade bonds. Yes the boomer generation was settling in quite nicely toward […]

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buckle up

THE BRIGHT ANGEL SIDE OF LIFE

Bright Angel is the name of the trail that runs from rim to rim across the Grand Canyon. It’s a place to meet new friends and enjoy the outdoors. An interpretation of Bright Angel is Baby Boomer ass kicker. If you make it down a mile and a half to the first bathroom/water stop and […]

PORTLAND PLANNING VIEW FROM SOUTH WATERFRONT

    Does the top pic look anything like a Portland planning Christmas card? Stacked apartments dot the SW Portland landscape like a vision of Chicago from the Sears Tower.   That’s not the welcome mat Portland planning rolls out for new pioneers. Where’s that world famous food cart court next to a tap room? […]

NW Boomer Cruise

Finding Fun In Your Backyard River The next time you bike or walk, drive or fly, keep an eye out for bridges. They show local rivers to paddle. If you lived in the same town a while and never been on the water, the time is ripe. This is baby boomer nirvana.

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