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TIGARD MAN: WHY MOVING OUT OF INNER CITY PORTLAND WAS A GOOD IDEA

August 20, 2020 by

I’ve been a Tigard Man for thirty years, but it feels like yesterday. Memories of Portland keep reminding me why I moved. Not bad memories, but they weren’t good for others. For example:

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SUBURBAN LIFESTYLE DREAM VS REALITY IN OREGON

August 7, 2020 by

I heard a reference to suburban lifestyle dreams from someone who was raised in urban apartments. There’s nothing wrong with city living, except when a city slicker claims to know about life in the suburbs. In my time, I’ve lived small town, urban, and suburban, though I’m not a fan of the suburban lifestyle tag.

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FUN TIME BALANCES REGRET AND REMORSE

July 29, 2020 by

A fun time is the break in the clouds, a ray of sunshine on an otherwise darkened day. How’s that working this week? We all having a fun time yet? If not, why not? Maybe we need a new soundtrack, new songs for this space in time? (Thank you Ten Years After.)

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HOW STRONG PEOPLE PREVAIL OVER TOUGH TIMES

July 5, 2020 by

Strong people come from every corner of the globe. Based on what I call research, wandering around to flatten my learning curve, I met a bunch of strong folks between Philadelphia and Eugene, New York, and Portland. My interpretation of what strong means comes from where I was raised. It’s probably not much different than […]

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BOOMER ANGLE: BE MORE ENGAGING

June 24, 2020 by

The boomer angle of working through life isn’t working so well. The scummy people you see in the news talking from both sides of their mouth? They all aim for the boomer angle. Mr. Trump himself is Boomer #1 in the line up. What happened?

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SOUTH PORTLAND PEOPLE CHANNEL PROUD MARY

June 17, 2020 by

Old painting of a rower An early morning walk by the Willamette showed the sort of Portland people see before they move here. A calm scene, placid water, with sun breaking through scattered clouds for a blinking reflection. With the Ross Island Bridge on the left, and the actual Ross Island in front, dog walkers […]

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BASKETBALL COURT: A DATE WITH HISTORY FROM THE DRIVEWAY

May 13, 2020 by

A basketball court is today’s proving ground for American youth. Like other kids of a certain generation, though, baseball was my first proving ground. After I proved I wasn’t very good at it, something about a weak arm and slow legs, the basketball court replaced the diamond. Instead of going to a lumpy field, I […]

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PARIS REUNION OF THE FUTURE

May 11, 2020 by

A Paris reunion points to a specific time and place, where other reunions bring people from school or work or family. In any case, there’s always someone absent, which changes the focus from who’s there to who’s missing. Instead of guesses and speculations, try and show up and be with the others who found the […]

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TIGARD HOUSE HUNTER REVIEW

May 2, 2020 by

Before Tigard house hunting began, one big question came up too often. Why Tigard? The view I had from downtown Portland included every direction out of the city.

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PANHANDLING THE PANHANDLERS IN PHILADELPHIA

April 29, 2020 by

Panhandling is an urban characteristic that brings diverse emotions. For some, the response it, “Don’t talk to me.” Followed by, “Don’t make your problem my problem.” The reverse: “I don’t have change, but please take this ten dollar bill.” The response is different with the roles reversed.

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