June is nearly here, taking me by surprise – I almost missed Beyond the Ripples second birthday! Like with many things, in some respects I feel it as if the book was only just released, while it also seems as if it has been with me for much longer. And yes, while Annie and Frank … Continue reading Ripples turns two…and
Columbia River
Stories of our generation: Mount St. Helens
Each generation holds memories unique to a time period, influenced by place. I have no doubt all of us alive today will forever remember the impact the novel coronavirus makes on our lives, creating unique but oddly similar stories, many of them sad. For people living in the Pacific Northwest on May 18, 1980, the … Continue reading Stories of our generation: Mount St. Helens
The Chief Factor returns
He still shows up everywhere. And yet, it was only today when it dawned on me: although I write about Dr. John McLoughlin in my memoir, I have yet to blog about him. After crafting over 150 blogs during the past 3 years, that is a bit surprising. Especially when, without a doubt, my favorite … Continue reading The Chief Factor returns
They keep coming
Five of the six Gill Brothers: J.K., Benjamin, James, John, and Samuel. I’m never going to get rich on book sales: that was never a dream or expectation. What I also didn’t expect or imagine, was the number of connections arising because of me publishing my books. And yet, they keep coming. I didn't think … Continue reading They keep coming
The first house and early Rose City roses
Yes, I do believe I wear a flashing invitation: come tell me when your family arrived in Oregon. I have been eager to hear stories from those "newer" to the state, along with those natives who hold the longest residency. Last week I blogged about my new friend Nancy, whose descendants include Etienne Lucier (French … Continue reading The first house and early Rose City roses
How we connect: hello Montana
Whitefish Lake, Montana from Amtrak train. It all began when the woman asked me to watch her luggage so she could dash, unencumbered by belongings, into the Union Station bathroom. (The PA system had announced the Empire Builder train was running at least an hour late.) When she returned she asked me about the book … Continue reading How we connect: hello Montana
The back story: the stag
Photo credit: Levi Saunders It was two years prior when an old buck experiencing dementia wandered the shoreline of the Columbia River. His antlers were still attached on this late winter day, and the river was not yet rushing with spring runoff and snow melt. The buck found his final resting place, tucked up near … Continue reading The back story: the stag
Before the Oregon Trail
Memaloose, Island of the Dead, from the Memaloose rest stop on Interstate-84. Each June for the past decade I've driven the Columbia Gorge Highway, from Portland to Eastern Oregon, to attend a conference for my "day job." (You know, the one that pays for most everything in my life.) The first few years I continued … Continue reading Before the Oregon Trail
A road to the coast
Hundreds of times in my life I have traveled from Portland to our Oregon Coast through the Coast Range. At least a quarter of those times I have stopped at the one rest area off Highway 26. Once, yesterday, I actually took a few minutes to view the historic kiosk located there, usually too eager … Continue reading A road to the coast
Win a free book: identify this river stretch
The Willamette and Columbia Rivers were big players in my memoir, My Music Man. These moving waterways play smaller, yet important roles in my novel. While Oregon (and beyond) rivers exude stretches of beauty and intrigue, who might recognize the stretch I selected to film my Beyond the Ripples trailer? Name this stretch for a … Continue reading Win a free book: identify this river stretch
