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FRENCH TRAVEL WITH OREGON AND IOWA

French travel started out bumpy. I found my seat on the second plane, the long haul plane out or Minnesota. But it was occupied. That’s no way to start. Simple adjustment, right? But the lady had the same ticket for the same seat. At least that’s what she said. Then we all looked at our […]

TOM McCALL WATERFRONT PARK SUNDAY

We’ve heard the same thing all out lives: Get outside. More than once we’ve said it to others. How often do we tell ourselves to ‘get outside?’ That’s what I told myself Sunday and outside meant Waterfront Park in downtown Portland, Oregon. I knew my audience.

BIG TRUCKS FOR BIG JOBS

If you’ve got a big job, I mean really big, you’ll need big trucks to get ‘er done. Why big trucks? Because big jobs usually have a delivery component. You may not need the truck ‘on’ the job, but you’ll need a visit. Building a house? Big trucks are in your future. Building a skyscraper? […]

NORTHWEST TRAVEL BETTER THAN ???

(Any place you’ve seen before.) Start in Portland and drive any direction and I see elevation changes, more shades of green than a box of crayons, and snow capped mountains most of the year. Start in LA and drive any direction and never leave the freeway. Start in Kansas. No one wants to start in […]

BON JOVI TABLE vs BAND TABLE

Bon Jovi table versus the band table had a nice feel to it, like the Sharks and Jets in Westside Story, except without the dancing. One table is all in for one of the sexiest rockers to ever take the stage. Women love him, men want to be him. The other table worked the moment […]

BOOK REVIEW: BLACK TAR HEROIN, SAM QUINONES, AND DREAMLAND

Do Millennials Hear Boomer Parents Talk About Black Tar Heroin And The Damage Done? Sam Quinones Says Not Much. The movie Traffic isn’t about black tar heroin. It’s heroin, though, and shows a group of affluent young people dealing with a friend’s drug overdose. They drop him on the sidewalk outside an Emergency Room and […]

Learn The Tools, Then The Gun

War does one thing well, it gives a new vocabulary for death. One young man knew it front to back. “You’ve caught the best weather in Portland,” he said.  “Been too hot or too wet.  Not like this.” The weather?  It’s a start. He was built thick, maybe six feet tall. “Nice. After this I’m back […]

THIRD PLACE RANKING BEHIND HOME, WORK

Third place in sports is hard to celebrate, while third place in what passes for normal life is something to cheer for. At least that’s the idea. I celebrate third place in sports, the bronze medal, because only two others took things further. A third place in public life needs gold certification if you decide […]

PORTLAND FUTURE: WHAT TO EXPECT

What I want to see happen How many times have I driven over the Willamette River and looked at the Eastside thinking of what a Portland future could be? Every time. Early morning works best, especially if you’re leaving town for a short time. When I get back I don’t expect the freeway to be […]

STATE OF OREGON GETS BEAVER IN ’69

Too cute. Best of any state? Yes, it is.