January was a fun month. We had several adventures, some of which did not go as planned but worked out well anyway. Certainly the big event of the month was seeing Tommy Emmanuel at the Alladin theater in Portland a couple weeks ago. Tommy walked onto the stage and, without…

Rolling all my holiday updates into one. Halloween seems a long time ago, but it’s the start of the holiday season and the period between Halloween and New Year’s always seems like one long rush into winter and the new year. Our neighbors advised us to expect Trick-or-Treaters so, given…

I’m trying to commit to at least one post a month. This may result in some slightly generic titles. Today is my mother’s birthday. If she were alive she’d be ninety-eight. My mom was a serious, responsible person. She treated people with respect, and she kept her promises. …

Our big news is the recent visit of my in-laws who spent the weekend last month and did some touring of the wine country with us. …

Here’s one for all you proggers! Long ago, in 1971 to be exact, the nascent progressive rock band Genesis released their second — third, if you count that thing they did in high school — album, the far too aptly named ‘Nursery Cryme’. This was the first album to feature…

Nope. Can’t hear it. Monmouth Oregon, where I live, is bordered to the west by Oregon’s Coastal Range, and to the east by the Cascade range. The latter celebrates Mounts Hood, Jefferson, Adams, and the Three Sisters. …

Today, my wife and I celebrate thirteen years of happy marriage. We’ve been through a lot together, and every year on this day, I reflect on how much we’ve both grown and how our years of shared experience have deepened our intimacy and mutual understanding. This past year has been…

So this is what the front of my garage looked like around the time of my last post. I’m hoping this explains why I haven’t written in a while. More than half of this is has been moved into the house now.

A wonderful day of getting the house organized. Above all the feelings of relief and excitement is a greater feeling of gratitude to all the folks who helped us get here. So… Thanks to Jenni, Lisa, and Chloe for house sitting and protecting our home from the ravages or roaming…