Illahee Wrestlers poorly mimic Portland Wrestling. (I'm not sure how they got me to smile for this photo!) As a kid I was called a tomboy, not a girly girl. I'm hopeful that our kids of today aren't dropped into either of those buckets, and instead invited to be wherever on a continuum they want … Continue reading Portland Wrestling: A league of its own
Memories
Bring back the joy: the illustrations we remember
My brain is distracted, as much as I want to get on with writing something significant. (But what...my distracted brain asks....is significant?) During my non-work hours and between checking email or worrying about my adult kid making it through COVID-19 or thinking about an elderly mom I can't visit - I have moments of concentration, … Continue reading Bring back the joy: the illustrations we remember
True confessions: Kitchen Aerobics
This new world of COVID-19 invites me to write about topics not previously imagined or considered. For after all, in what has before felt more like normal times - even if I didn’t recognize them as such - I write about things of importance, at least from my perspective. More than that, much of my … Continue reading True confessions: Kitchen Aerobics
About that Husky grudge
It's been a tough week for me in terms of personal, professional and political happenings. I don't know about you, but I'm in the need of a bit of levity. With football season in full force, this post seemed relevant. And while many of us may hold grudges detrimental to ourselves and others, perhaps I'll … Continue reading About that Husky grudge
Take me as I am, not as you want me to be
Mid-life apologies to all cheerleaders and rally teams of my past. I was never one to dream of being on such a team, or involved in such a sport. Maybe it is to blame the 7th grade P.E. teacher at LaGrande Junior High who once said to me, "Your cartwheels are crappy. Maybe stick to … Continue reading Take me as I am, not as you want me to be
Teach our children well: a story about trillium
I keep meaning to get to that next novel. Write it, that is. (The one that lies in wait, somewhere, inside me.) Instead, other words infiltrate my not-still brain, urging it on with a different, pressing demand. Another blog. My brain is obsessive. It rapidly composes, adding words to one another, making it hard to … Continue reading Teach our children well: a story about trillium
Returning to place
Does place pass through us, from those who came before? I suspect it must. Yesterday was my 30th wedding anniversary. I spent the morning with energetic, bright, curious kids - none I had met before - and the afternoon and evening alone. And although I love my spouse and was disappointed that he couldn't join … Continue reading Returning to place
Unplugging
Yep. I admit it. I'm a bit addicted to my screen. Having returned from a few days unplugged in the beauty of Mt. Hood National Forest and adjoining wilderness areas I am even more fully aware of my reliance on it for work, life, writing. This realization took me back to October 3, 1981. My … Continue reading Unplugging
Resurrecting the magic of a Peninsula expedition
My kayak is tuned to the music of the Willamette River. Honestly. Yet smoky skies chased us away
The Portland Steamer keeps on puffing
"BUT OF ALL boats, Dad most loved steamboats. They ruled the stories he shared: carrying goods and passengers up and down the Columbia and the Willamette. Oh, to have been a passenger on the early steamboats puffing along the two-thousand-mile long Columbia River! Our Columbia: the river that introduced William and Chloe to the Oregon … Continue reading The Portland Steamer keeps on puffing