At the ripe age of 55, I have finally purchased my first boat. In My Music Man I dedicate well more than one chapter to boat memories and stories, from canoes, steamboats and our childhood boat the DeeDee to Dad's final watercraft, the Walrus 4. While I was writing those stories, a friend said she was surprised … Continue reading My boat and I
Worker safety, politics, the past
I didn't want to blog about politics. In fact, when I began these "musings" and my novel last fall, it was precisely because of politics. And my worries for our country. I imagined a creative outlet; a needed heart-and-brain-break from news. Neither did I imagine much of an intersection between my career and day job … Continue reading Worker safety, politics, the past
July means baseball
Yep, it's been a year. A year since I fractured four metatarsals running over home plate during the Old Fashioned Baseball game at West Linn's Willamette Park, pitching distance from the Willamette River. Silly me - I should have just avoided the base and merely rung the bell, which is all that really counts in … Continue reading July means baseball
Surprises in the mail
There is something a bit mysterious about an unopened, gifted package. The idea for the novel I am working on (see: A note in a bottle) was made even more special by the surprise package I received in the mail that one day, so many decades ago now. The post-office delivered mailer I received the other … Continue reading Surprises in the mail
Barges, I would like to go with you….
For the past ten years I have ridden the Portland Aerial Tram to work at OHSU, rising up to Portland's Marquam Hill. In these four moments of travel time I have watched breathtaking sunrises and exquisite sunsets, gray socked in days amid torrential loud downpours, and once, in a gusty windstorm, my tram car stopped … Continue reading Barges, I would like to go with you….
A rose is a rose is a rose
I recently finished reading The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. I admit I was a bit disappointed by what felt to be too much plot at its climax, but I found the central theme relating to the meaning and intentions of flowers to be marvelous. And the book offered me a replacement for it … Continue reading A rose is a rose is a rose
Ferries: the Willamette to the Mekong
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 and Washington's Long Beach Peninsula. While I have been lucky to work a few times in Thailand, it really wasn't until this … Continue reading Ferries: the Willamette to the Mekong
Crazy politics: a time to write
Shortly after the November 2016 presidential election, I began a novel. Two factors intersected at virtually the same time. First, I had finished my final editing of My Music Man with the ultimate "send" of my manuscript to the publisher. But even bigger, was my obsessive brain becoming unhealthily addicted to the news. My spirit … Continue reading Crazy politics: a time to write
Oregon’s visitor from the sky: the Willamette Meteorite
Most West Linners, at least those who have been here for awhile, likely know at least a little bit about a famed humongous piece of iron that sits today in the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. And if you happened to know nothing, but were out walking the paved trail that meanders along … Continue reading Oregon’s visitor from the sky: the Willamette Meteorite
Book researching: snail mail to Google Earth
Dad, in his fictitious model railroad town of Zenith, (Those things left behind) reminded us that its adjacent port town was based on the Oregon town of Westport. As I crafted the opening chapter for my newest writing project, for whatever reason, my heart told me that Westport was the perfect location. Unlike in my … Continue reading Book researching: snail mail to Google Earth
Dede's Books and blog 