Dear Mom, it's Christmas and I miss you. I've missed you every day since you died; how can it have been nine months? I miss you as I visit parks, so many places you and I journeyed together - later you using sticks, walker and wheelchair. I miss you when I cook certain foods, listen … Continue reading Dear Mom, it’s Christmas and I miss you
Willamette River
Sixty, American Pie and the dental drill
Today I turned sixty. Yes, sometimes my writing reads like a stream of consciousness. More recently, maybe less so. Today, I am certain, probably more so. Sixty. Sixty years ago, as Mom's nurse or doctor at Portland’s Good Samaritan Hospital told her “not yet,” she and Dad crossed Northwest 23rd Avenue to Quality Pie Shop. … Continue reading Sixty, American Pie and the dental drill
Paddling, mournfully I muse
I went for a paddle this morning. Knowing it to be one of the last warmer fall mornings. Relaxing a bit, knowing I couldn’t get in the water as early as I do in the summer with daylight lapsing, yet still one of the only boats on the water. Not being much of a cold … Continue reading Paddling, mournfully I muse
Gloveless and out of juice
I found two reasons to return to my office, once it was allowed earlier this summer. Those of us working as "non-essential" or "telework able" for large healthcare institutions aren't wanted onsite during these troubled times of infection and overcapacity. One reason I returned at two days per week –although I'm appreciative to have flexible … Continue reading Gloveless and out of juice
Summer in the Willamette Valley
"SUMMER IS TRUE river time. Lazy summer emanates nature's special recipe: a potpourri of carp and cottonwood that transports any grown-up river kid back to childhood on the rivers of the Willamette Valley. After cottonwoods cover banks and nearby roads with white fluffy fibers, mowers and tractors hew lawns and till soil. The milky fibers … Continue reading Summer in the Willamette Valley
Make way for ducklings!
My solo early morning kayaking ventures gives me space to breathe, remember and practice gratitude. I began these prior to publishing My Music Man and not long after Dad died (see: My Boat and I). Although I am surprisingly eager to return to work and no longer practice 100% telework, I do know working at … Continue reading Make way for ducklings!
Ripples turns two…and
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
A story hidden in the mist
Lake Oswego Log Hoist building, Sept. 2020 I suspect only those most familiar with this special stretch of the Willamette River can readily identify this structure. The morning fog in this photo adds an eerie, surreal aura enticing our imaginations to wonder: what's the back story of this structure from our past? If I didn't … Continue reading A story hidden in the mist
A river meanders nearby
The Willamette River is featured in much of my writing. The river is a theme that permeates my memoir, My Music Man and my blog-based Then, Now and In-Between: Place, Memories and Loss in Oregon. My family last gave and heard public tributes to our dad while on the Willamette River. Just last month our … Continue reading A river meanders nearby
Oaks Park: Portland’s Coney Island on the Willamette
This photograph, taken by F. Sowell around 1912, shows Edward Klees pulling taffy at Oaks Amusement Park. Image credit: Oregon History Project. My oldest memory tied to Portland's Oaks Park mostly reminds me of the Don McLean song American Pie. When it was first popular on the radio, early in the 1970s, I was an … Continue reading Oaks Park: Portland’s Coney Island on the Willamette
Dede's Books and blog 