Clik here to view.
Island paradise
Bridge over Cascade LakeIt was just six weeks ago that we returned from Orcas Island, the jewel of Washington's San Juan Islands, all refreshed and rhapsodizing about a weeklong vacation. It was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Clik here to view.
The Ring
The family heirloomThis is another installment of a regular feature, a guest blog from someone in the Rough and Rede community. The writer has been my best friend since junior high school.By Al...
View ArticleSaturday Sounds: Van Morrison
Some artists seem to have been around forever. Like Van Morrison.With an astounding 40 albums to his credit, his music has been part of the soundtrack of my life, especially during my high school and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
8 Father’s Day gifts I didn’t receive
Still on the wish list1. A new car 2. Big honkin' gold necklace3. Certificate for neck tattoo4. 10 sessions of tanning5. Thick roll of Benjamins6. Blazers season tickets7. Tickets to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Managing stress
I made time last week to fill out an online health questionnaire, part of the annual ritual that comes along with receiving health care benefits. Little did I know how timely it would be to choose...
View ArticleClik here to view.
OMG: The new future
Nearly 20 years ago, I spent part of a summer in a management training program at Northwestern University outside Chicago. As a capstone, three or four of us classmates collaborated on a project that...
View ArticlePatty and Grace
Both hail from New England. Each has her own rabid followers. And they could not be more unlike as performers.I had the good fortune to see Patty Griffin in concert (for the third time) Thursday. Three...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rediscovering Utne Reader
With so many choices these days for reading material, I honestly can't remember the last time I paged through a copy of the Utne Reader.In my 20s, I was a regular reader. The magazine's progressive...
View ArticleSaturday Sounds: Joan Osborne
Rarely in Portland does it hit 90 degrees before the Fourth of July, but it so happens we're in the midst of a five-day stretch expected to crest at 96 degrees Tuesday. So it's appropriate today to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Clik here to view.
Home run of a book
I suppose the metaphor referenced in the above headline was inevitable, given the title of the book I recently read: "The Art of Fielding." It's the debut novel by Chad Harbach and, boy, is it good.I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
First place, baby!
Go, Bucs! At PNC Park, May 2012The Major League Baseball season has just passed the halfway point and as I look at this morning's standings, I couldn't be happier.American League, Central Division:...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Backyard Taco Shells
From left: George, Erin, John, Beth, Brian, Morgan, EllieFor the second time this year, members of the Broken Taco Shells gathered to celebrate the end of another season of bowling.Our coed bowling...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Welcome home, son
Joey Chestnut wins his seventh straight Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island with a new world record of 69 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.Six months had passed since Jordan and Jamie...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hot dog heaven
Lori's Kamikaze DogIf you love hot dogs -- and who doesn't? (wait, don't answer that) -- the place to be yesterday was the sun-baked backyard of a big, sprawling home in North Portland. Saturday was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Clik here to view.
Trying something new
Jason Everman went from rock musician to Kunar Province, Afghanistan, as a member of the U.S. Special Forces.Yesterday began with a Facebook message from a longtime friend and fellow blogger: "Hey...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The North Platte Canteen
Once upon a time, in the days before air travel became routine, there was a small town in western Nebraska where the railroad trains stopped daily to let off or take on passengers traveling east or...
View ArticleSaturday Sounds: Florence and the Machine
The British Isles have produced its share of female pop stars, haven't they?Adele. Amy Winehouse. Annie Lennox. Duffy. KT Tunstall. Lisa Stansfield. And, back in the day, Dusty Springfield.To that list...
View Article