Observations

It has been several months since I started learning Spanish in an online language school. It continues to be an interesting endeavor – sometimes elating and sometimes frustrating, the latter one especially when I cannot remember the vocabulary we learned and used in reading and talking exercises prior. The exciting part is that the process […]

It has been a unusual winter here in the Northwest this year so far – warmer than usual temperatures, so that the moisture that came our way plentifully in December settled mostly as rain rather than snow. When finally, two feet accumulated on the ground I pulled the trigger – full of anxiety since that

Do you have those? I don’t have those either but if I did, there is a local heating and cooling company that advertises their ability to fulfill those. That is really good to know and in fact hard to forget since the spot airs on local radio pretty persistently.

When we grew up kale and leeks were winter vegetables. While there are others these two could literally be left outside in the frost, kale in particular turns brown and becomes the ingredient of brown kale, a dish that is only served after the first frost occurs. Have you ever wondered if animals also have

Autonomously driving vehicles show up in the news at some frequency, so when I first saw them in San Francisco a few days ago, I knew immediately what they were. Surprising perhaps that there were quite a few and also from different companies zipping around. Curious I signed up with Waymo, who has truly driverless

If you had asked me a few weeks ago, how I felt about San Francisco, I would probably have given a mixed answer. It has been a long time since my last visit for recreational purposes – in fact 2018 is the last time I went and showed the town to my sister and her

Last weekend King Tides occurred on the Oregon coast and we were there! This is an event that happens multiple times every year during the winter months. Especially the high tides bring impressive waves and water rushing up rocks and cliffs along the shoreline. We got to experience that firsthand in Depoe Bay – where

Last week our grandchildren and children were here for a visit. As the colder season and the holidays are in full swing my wife looked through local offerings for kids’ activities especially including indoors. She found a music class at our local library. We are members and visit the library at some regular cadence. It

Looking back, I have probably emptied the dishwasher over 100 times or more in my life. Still this time I noticed something for the first time. In our cupboard we have sets of cups associated with table ware sets that we have purchased over time – some still complete and some slightly diminished through breakage.

Having friends with whom one can discuss a wide range of topics like family, life, politics – is a blessing. One can learn, test ideas or just have fun recounting stories old and new – some awkward, some embarrassing or just funny. There are lighter topics; and some are heavier, for example caring for one’s