I wrote on Father’s Day way back in the last century. It was an interesting time….
A Woman Dentist? Who’da Thunk it?
An article about my Tante Rachel and her visit to U.S. from Norway in 1950 The following article is from the March 26, 1950 edition of the Rochester, NY Democrat and Chronicle A D.D.S. From Toensberg, NorwayA woman dentist from Norway and a youngster from the U. S. are not an unusual combination at the …
Life During the Occupation
A letter from my Aunt Rachel Jullum in Norway, to my Grandmother Tordis Jullum Bornholdt in the United States after World War II Translated from the original Norwegian Tonsberg, Norway1945 Dear Tordis, At last, I can write to you again after these awful years. You have no idea of how things have been and what …
Favorite I-5 Pit Stops between SF and Eugene
Below is my list of pit stops and other such places between the Bay Area and Eugene, Oregon. Note that most of the places are Espresso-centric mainly because decent coffee has been traditionally hard to find along the route (but it’s getting better). Also, my fam are fairly hardcore road trippers, so they are used …
The Strange Tale of “Ethnic Artist” Sarah Jenkins
RACE? This story started when a friend of mine, I’ll call them C.B., shared the above image with a group of friends. It is a painting by an artist friend of theirs, Scott Siedman, which C.B. thought had a valuable message about race, and C.B. suggested it be shared. The painting sparked a discussion among …
A remembrance of being young, Black, and almost getting shot.
Originally posted to Facebook March 23, 2012 The story of Trayvon Martin that has been in the headlines the last few weeks has brought back one of the vivid memories of my youth. It reminded me of the day I was almost shot by a Police officer in Berkeley, California. Before I relate the story …
Things from my Mother’s House. Episode 1
This past year I’ve been splitting time between my home in Eugene, Oregon and my Mom’s house in El Sobrante, California. Getting to spend time with my Mom (Bergie) and my Stepdad (Steve) has been great and it’s also allowed me to appreciate some of the wonderful trappings that come with 80+ years of two …
A Prank is Born
The story of a semi-epic shenanigan feud in Black Rock City As most of my friends and colleagues know, I’ve been attending the annual Burning Man event for the last 25 years. A week long arts event that takes place in the middle of a Nevada desert in “Black Rock City”, a temporary city of …
An Introduction to REAL Barbecue
Contents The Definition of The Word BarbecueThe Primary ClarificationThe Secondary ClarificationHistory of BarbecueThe Native Americans & The SpaniardsRegional TraditionsThe SoutheastThe CarolinasMemphisKansas CityTexasThe Magic & Science of BarbecueWhy not grill?Why Barbecue?The Magic NumberMORE INFORMATION The Definition of The Word Barbecue The dictionary will tell you that the noun “barbecue” has at least four meanings: A framework …
Thoughts on the future of Burning Man and the transient nature of things (circa 1996)
2019 Introduction In light of the recent announcement by Burning Man regarding their intended “Cultural Course Correction” (an endeavor I wholeheartedly support), I decided to dust off and repost a somewhat related message which I wrote to the now-defunct Burning Man email list way back in 1996 after my 3rd Burning Man. It is interesting …