Categories
PLACE

Saying Goodbye to Cascadia

The for sale sign is in the front yard. The house is listed online. The time has come. After almost 10 years of residing in Oregon, my wife and I are packing up and moving back to California. I am starting a new job with a wonderful nonprofit organization dedicated to the scientific study of […]

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CULTURE PLACE

What Is The Deal With Olympia?

It is often said that state capitols do not make for great cities. This is undoubtedly true along the West Coast. Sacramento is exceedingly lame compared to its much cooler cousins San Francisco and Los Angeles. Salem is fairly forgettable and not so interesting when lined up against Bend, Ashland, or Portland. And then there’s […]

Categories
PLACE

Snow and Solitude: A Christmas in Western Oregon

I shouldn’t complain, so I won’t. My wife and I just spent a brilliant week on the Big Island of Hawaii in mid-December to celebrate her birthday. Warm, sunny weather, exploring black sand beaches, swimming with sea turtles, downing mountains of poke, and quaffing rum-soaked cocktails with little umbrellas. It was everything a Hawaiian vacation […]