I try not to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of books I want to read. It doesn't help that I continue to regularly pick up new reading material from my local library and favorite bookstores. I have piles of books ahead of the newer ones I select, silently apologizing to those I relegate to … Continue reading Digging for roots
Oregon Territory
Time traveling to the secrets of our past: Part 2
It's time to get back to those other stories. You may have read Time traveling to the secrets of our past: Part 1? which was mostly a story about furniture; not a secret. Might it be that some stories are less secretive but merely details that, for one reason or another, were not talked about? … Continue reading Time traveling to the secrets of our past: Part 2
Time traveling to the secrets of our past: Part 1
I was gifted a copy of Washington Irving's 1836 Astoria from my friend Laurie. Although I have read Peter Stark's more recent book by the same name, I always meant to read this original volume. Given that my dad and grandfather were Pacific Northwest historians, it might seem a bit surprising I didn't already have … Continue reading Time traveling to the secrets of our past: Part 1
Preserving Old Oregon: A tribute to John Klatt
John Klatt from Old Oregon website. Our community mourns, celebrates and shares tributes to a special man, John Klatt. I'm not sure exactly when I first met John, or whether it was his wife Jody who I met first. What I do know for sure about this friend: he was beloved by his friends, family … Continue reading Preserving Old Oregon: A tribute to John Klatt
The mountains beckon
Maybe it's the glimpse of January sunshine inviting me to daydream both ahead and back to moments of wilderness glory. Or, perhaps it’s the claustrophobia of being sandwiched during the pandemic, between telework and caring for a mostly bed-bound loved one. I peer outside to catch the summit of Mount Hood to the east, and … Continue reading The mountains beckon
About those ferries
Canby Ferry, October 27, 2019. Our dad loved ferries. We grew up ferrying across the Willamette River on the Canby Ferry, and back when I was little, we crossed the mouth of the Columbia by ferry between Astoria, Oregon, and Megler, Washington enroute to the Long Beach Peninsula. Rivers fill me, through and through. The … Continue reading About those ferries
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
Find my friend: then and now
Imagine it to be 1842 in Oregon Country - your spouse hasn't arrived home by nightfall, although expected to return by horseback to Oregon City after a week away in Astoria. As worried as you may be, a logical choice might be....
Creating portraits from the past
Chloe Aurelia Clarke Willson & William Holden Willson I have precisely one photo each of my great-great-great grandparents, Chloe and William. I don't know the dates the photos were taken, although both pose as older adults. And, despite not knowing what they looked like as babies, children, or as younger "newlyweds," I feel fortunate to … Continue reading Creating portraits from the past
Power of story at Willamette Falls
I am excited to share the video produced by the Willamette Falls Legacy Story Telling Project about our family history and “My Music Man.” Kudos to the beautiful work of Ian Probasco and Shelly Parini. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdri5L9pi4M&t=42s Learn more about My Music Man, upcoming readings, and the Willamette Falls Legacy Project .
Dede's Books and blog 