Soon after the New Year, I walked the perimeter of a sandbar on the Columbia. It juts north from the Oregon shore in Hood River and is called “The Spit.” Kite board enthusiasts know it as the largest sandy launch site in the Mid-Columbia Basin. From March through October, surfers take off from here and … More Down by the Riverside
Last week, the first snow of winter arrived. All day, fine grains of powder squeezed through a sieve of cloud and fell like glitter on top of the fence posts and the shoulders of the shrubbery and filled the crevices between the tiles on the garden path. Above me, geese gabbled among themselves, heading south, blind and … More The University of Cancer
In early October, morning frosts gave way to blue skies and warm days. Autumn breezes moved among the limbs of maple, oak, and birch trees and their leaves dried and curled and changed color but held their grip on the boughs and refused to fall. Aided by this good weather, the virus I’d picked up … More Meditation for a Friend
My wife and I just returned from 10 days in New England. We entered Acadia National Park, in Maine, the afternoon prior to the government shutdown. There, we hiked to the summit of Cadillac Mountain and walked along the shores of Sand Beach and Jordan Pond. On the second day we followed the Great Meadow … More Leaf Litter, the ER, and Wobbling
Here, in Oregon, at our new home in town, Mourning Doves have my attention. Their baritone voices resonate from perches in nearby trees and from the tops of phone poles along the street. These birds are wonderful fliers. They are fast, able to climb and dodge rapidly as they move from spot to spot announcing … More Mourning Doves
“Our house is a very, very, very fine house. With two cats in the yard, Life used to be so hard …,” Crosby, Stills, and Nash Actually, there’s just one cat in the yard. At 16 pounds he has the heft of two, but Spanky, our tiger stripe rescue, prowls our new property alone. The … More Schrodinger’s Cat, Pandora’s Box, and a Pet Cat (Scan)
I have two remarkable sons. In previous posts, I wrote about them here and here. They do so much for my wife, Marilyn, and I. Noah, the oldest, contributes to our lives on the macro-level. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. There, he works as an associate attorney with the Environmental Protection Agency … More Fatherhood
“Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” ― Mary Oliver My mother passed away in the summer of 2007. She was 91 years old. It’s been nearly six years since she died. So, it surprised me when recently, while out walking, my thoughts turned her way. I’d left my home … More Walking With My Mother
Way back on January 20th, a rare sunny day loosened the grip of winter. While out walking, I noticed the year’s first robins exploring the fruit trees. Within 24 hours, colder weather returned and forced these scouts back to their sea level outpost. The early arrival, however, portended winter’s retreat. The days began to lengthen. … More Robins
Recently, I changed doctors. The Hood River community does not have an oncology practice. Consequently, they contract with established physicians from Portland, OR. Dr. A is our new visiting hematologist. She attends to all local patients with cancer and, when necessary, manages their chemotherapy in our hospital’s small infusion ward. Fortunately for me, her training … More Black and White
Good Blood, Bad Blood 