Summer camp is one of those things that, if you’ve done it, you probably have great memories, perhaps even friends you made that you are still in contact with or maybe some token you hung on to that you made during craft time that evokes memories of your time at Read more…
Here’s a thing I didn’t know: Father’s Day was first celebrated in 1910 in my hometown of Spokane, Washington! Of course, it followed the inauguration of Mother’s Day back in 1908, but I can’t help thinking that’s the right order. Turns out a young lady named Sonora Smart Dodd heard Read more…
In a little less than a week my daughter will be graduating from the University of Oregon and I will be in the crowd snapping pictures and screaming and clapping for her when her name is called. It’s going to be a wonderful day for me personally and for me Read more…
I was born in the Northwest and live there to this day. I like it here and have said before that it’s a great place to live and raise a family. I suppose I could have lived other places and I have lived other places briefly, but I keep coming Read more…
Today is Memorial Day in the United States. When I was growing up it was never very clear what the purpose of the day was. I don’t know if we didn’t talk about it in school or we did and it didn’t stick. Regardless, when I was growing up it Read more…
When I was a freshman in college, my first computer game was published. Coincidentally, when I was a freshman in college, my last computer game was published. Which is, in other words, to say that when I was a freshman in college, the ONE time a computer game I had Read more…
Here is my graduation speech, from one decidedly not-famous speaker to my decidedly wonderful soon-to-be graduate. Congratulations, Graduate. You’ve accomplished one of your life goals and now you have the wonderful and enviable opportunity to ask yourself the question: What comes next? Recently you told me that for the last Read more…
When I first started writing these … whatever they are: columns, postings, articles, I imagined I was writing them to my kids. I wanted them to know more about me and I imagined I would share with them wisdom and answers that I had come to over my life. This Read more…
The Northwest is a wonderful place to live, in my opinion. Around Portland we a wide variety. You can go from the beach to top of Mount Hood in a few hours. You can go from the green valley to the east of the Cascade range to the high deserts Read more…
When I was little, probably only five or so, my Dad used to have a group of friends he played poker with fairly regularly. I remember that I wasn’t much taller than the table, but I could see up there and see the red, white and blue chips, the drinks Read more…