Once upon a time, before the ribbon was cut on the internet’s information highway, there was this thing called hobbies. Hobbies were activities focused on something an individual enjoyed, and wanted to spend a portion of his or her spare time pursuing. Unlike the cerebral tech knowledge required to engage in web surfing and obsessive […]
I looked forward to my very first day of school with mixed emotions. It was 1957, summer was over, and days of aimless fun were coming to an end. On the other hand, there was excitement about that big complex of brick buildings four crosswalks from our house, Hillview Crest Elementary School. Finally, there was […]
On a gorgeous spread of farmland plateau above the Columbia River outside Hood River stands the Double Mountain Horse Ranch. It’s hard to imagine a better place for those seeking the adventure and renewal that comes from riding a beautiful trail on horseback. “Horses captured me from an early age,” says owner Margo Goodman. When […]
A year and four months after moving her traditional barber shop to its new location on 1149 NE Division Street, Melodie Favara is still catching up with customers from her former location, and has attracted quite a few new ones. “Traditional” is the key word at Hair’s My Barber Shop; Favara is the proprietress of […]
Governor Mike Huckabee Keynotes Oregon Freedom Rally Aside from two national midterm elections, Oregon conservatives haven’t had much to celebrate in the last eight years. They haven’t fielded a winning statewide candidate in fourteen years. This year, at the Oregon Liberty Alliance’s fourth annual Freedom Rally, there was a new Republican president, a GOP majority […]
Over the course of my life I’ve listened to 50s rock, surf, Beatles and the British Invasion, classic rock, and heavy metal. Around the time I turned 50, I began appreciating the kind of vintage standards and contemporary ballads that my parents have always liked. Don’t worry; I’m not going to go all John Boehner […]
Fresh fruit and vegetable market says goodbye to loyal customers After forty-three years operating as one of Portland’s most popular farm-to-table produce markets, The Barn will close on November 23rd , the day before Thanksgiving. Generations of families have enjoyed The Barn’s hand-irrigated, hand-harvested fruits and vegetables. Shelia Trapold, co-owner with husband Tom, explains the […]
Many Portlandians worry more about invasive plants than they do about undocumented immigrants. My yard is overrun with invasive plants. Since I never plant anything, this state of affairs is not entirely my fault. Somehow the invasives just got here. I have no doubt that their ancestors have lived here since before I was born. […]
Local Republican Marrieds Are Convention-Bound The Republican Party has just completed its wildest nominating process, well, since ever. With Donald Trump striving to gather the full support of a party often divided by his candidacy, the GOP convention in Cleveland this July will be one of the most dramatic in history.
My father does not come from wealthy people. There was always a roof over his head, and he didn’t miss any meals, but it was hardscrabble at times, first as a toddler in Nebraska, then a young boy growing up in Casper, Wyoming. When my father’s father, Grandpa Fred, up and left for California, Dad […]