News & Posts
State of Portland 2023
Last fall I visited downtown after mainly staying out of the central business district (CBD) since COVID had set in. I was looking to get my daughter’s computer fixed at the Apple Store which was the only one that had next-day appointments available. After arriving and walking around the CBD, I was shocked. I took…
2023 Holy Land Pilgrimage
It is now finished — the 2023 Holy Land Pilgrimage. It will take months — if not years — to unpack everything we have seen, and stories we read, and to continue to celebrate the friendships formed. As a sit here on my layover and on the bumpy plane ride home, I am thinking so…
Daily Prompt: Write About Your First Computer
Write about your first computer. In the days of IBM PC vs. Mac, we had many lively discussions at home. My dad was a strong PC supporter (and rightfully so since his software only ran on PC). At school, my world was opened up to the Mac. We had Mac SE’s in our school. These…
Visiting Kann
One of the most popular new restaurants in Portland and beyond is Kann. Kann opened in August 2022 and continues to be one of the most popular restaurants on the Portland scene. Behind this phenomenon is Gregory Gourdet. Recent press and awards: Portland Month’s 2022 Restaurant of the Year, New York Times’ 50 best restaurants…
Daily Prompt: Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you.
Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you. Well, well, well, look what we have here, folks! It’s the one and only “My Favorite Pair of Shoes” tale. I mean seriously, if shoes could talk, these ones would have some stories to tell. And let me tell you, this pair…
Holy Land Pilgrimage Day 10
We woke up early today to make our way to the stations of the cross and then to the Holy Sepulchre. By the time we got to the Holy Sepulchre, there were many groups ahead of us and a long wait time to view Golgotha and the tomb of Jesus. We went to Calvary first…
Holy Land Pilgrimage Day 9
This morning we left the hotel early for a day of seeing the sites around Jerusalem. We started following Christ’s passion as he returned to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. We followed his footsteps with all the events that happened to him starting on Thursday night of his passion and celebrated Mass at the Church of…
Holy Land Pilgrimage Day 8
This morning we traveled to the Western Wall. The old walls that surround the Temple Mount are just massive. Looking at the types of stones that were used, their sizing of them, and the details of manufacturing, we can determine which King or empire built what and when. There is so much that has been…
Holy Land Pilgrimage Day 7
Today we started early in the morning heading over to Bethlehem. We had to go through a checkpoint to get into the Palestinian part, which was smooth. I did see a lot of workers standing around at the Israeli side of the checkpoint waiting to be picked up for work (Palestinians cannot take their cars…
Holy Land Pilgrimage Day 6
Today we started out early once again to check out of our hotel and get on the road to Jerusalem. We left the hotel at 7:45 and beat the heat the best we could. By the time we reached Jericho, it was over 100 degrees. An interesting fact is Jericho is the lowest point on…