“… blogging about life, travel, books, food and the outdoors”

Cherishing 50 years of friendship

Cherishing 50 years of friendship

Fifty years ago this month I met Darla. I had moved with my family to Concord, Calif., from Springfield, Va., a month before I turned 8. She and her family lived next door. I soon found out she was a year and grade older than me. She would be a fourth-grader that...

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Iconic Mark Twain impersonator bids farewell

Iconic Mark Twain impersonator bids farewell

  Countless authors have set their books in Lake Tahoe or written about this mountain locale. One of the most famous is Mark Twain. Considering he died in 1910, I clearly never met him. But I feel like I have. This is thanks to MacAvoy Layne. For 35 years Layne...

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Tina Turner musical a high-energy tribute to a legend

Tina Turner musical a high-energy tribute to a legend

What a force. That energy. The resiliency. And that voice. There aren’t enough superlatives to describe Tina Turner. While I never saw her in person, on Sunday I saw The Tina Turner Musical in San Francisco. Outstanding. As most people will know, Turner’s story is...

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Deschutes more than a local Oregon brewery

Deschutes more than a local Oregon brewery

“Good beer brings people together.” That was the sentiment of Gary Fish when he founded Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Ore., 35 years ago. And it remains the foundation of the family- and employee-owned beer manufacturer. The odd thing is that I would have sworn Deschutes...

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Oregon about to let people pump their own gas

Oregon about to let people pump their own gas

Next time I’m in Oregon I will be pumping my own gas. This is because in June the Legislature passed a law allowing for self-serve gas stations and the governor agrees it’s a good idea. This is a big change. Lawmakers in 1951 thought the concept of pumping one’s own...

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Locks of love add to scenic overlook

Locks of love add to scenic overlook

In a state that seems overdeveloped, pausing at the Paradise Lookout is a reminder how vast California really is. It’s easy to miss this lookout along the Skyway between Chico and Paradise. The view, well, it’s spectacular—better than what photos convey. From here...

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