Dog Tales, an Unleashed Collection of True Stories

Dog Tales, An Unleashed Collection of True Stories is a collection of 33 stories about dogs and their humans.  One of those stories is mine!  My essay is called “Dog Is My Co-Pilot” and is about a doodle-doodle who came into my family’s life at an...
Pirate Blackbeard & His Chocolate Stories

Pirate Blackbeard & His Chocolate Stories

Blackbeard’s Cacao Treasure Is your mental image of Blackbeard, the adventure-swashbuckler pirate from the early 1700s with a mythic-proportion level reputation for fierceness, based on Hollywood images? From the 1952 film, 2006 TV series, or the rogue as seen in...
Adventure Wednesday’s Amazon Suggestions

Adventure Wednesday’s Amazon Suggestions

Want to help support me as I endeavor to inspire you and others to go on adventures?  I have not put ads on my site (they can be so annoying! If I ever do, it will be done tastefully!).  I am an Amazon Affiliate, so sometimes when I find products I like, I will link...
A Rammed Earth Home Dream Come True

A Rammed Earth Home Dream Come True

  Dave Wills loves to show off his homemade rammed earth home – the first in Benton County. When you see him and ask about it, he’s happy to invite you over to see it and share with you the wonders of this sustainable construction technique and his...
Tasting Tequila Adventure with Tips

Tasting Tequila Adventure with Tips

“Tequila is not something to shoot.  It’s best enjoyed sipped, without lime or salt” says Jeff Sawyer, owner of Bombs Away Cafe, a local hot spot in Corvallis, OR. Gone are the days of cheap tequila best drunk quickly, masked by other flavors or hidden in sugar-laden...
As Seen in Corvallis Advocate

As Seen in Corvallis Advocate

As Seen in the Corvallis Advocate In December 2021 I started a freelance gig as a writer for the hyper-local paper, the Corvallis Advocate.  This post will be a collection of links to my favorite stories. I’ve excluded short newsy-items that are necessary news,...
Maureen Transforms To Moku Chocolate Maker

Maureen Transforms To Moku Chocolate Maker

Maureen Nikaido is on a mission to honor the farmers who grow cacao and educate American consumers about the goodness of bean-to-bar chocolate with her new brand – Moku.  The first spark of this idea came in 2013 when she and her husband, Michio, toured a small museum...
Is this your year for Burning Man Tickets?

Is this your year for Burning Man Tickets?

2020 2021 2022 is the year to go to Burning Man! After two years of being pandemic canceled, this week-long event in the Nevada desert is on once again.  Every year the decision-makers at the Burning Man Organization create a process for buying tickets that enhances...
385 Miles of Backyard Adventures

385 Miles of Backyard Adventures

If you’ve lived in the same town for a majority of your life, how do you take a fresh look at it?  Why not explore it, as my friend Tim Holt did?  He explored 385 miles of the city he lives in, having adventures in other people’s backyards!  Tim and I live...
Sophie’s Adventures With ElfCon

Sophie’s Adventures With ElfCon

Sophie: “Dad, wouldn’t it be great if there were an ElfCon? You know, an event like Santacon but where kids can be a part of it.”  Dad: “That sounds terrific.  Why don’t you create it?” Sophie, thinking later that night before bed: “Yeah, that would be pretty cool.”...
Mood Boards for Vintage Trailers

Mood Boards for Vintage Trailers

What do you want?  When following your passion, the advice is to find what makes you feel good and go do more of that.  If you believe in manifesting or the law of attraction, then the next step is that more of what you like shows up.  It’s not all magic and mantras. ...
How to feel alive – get curious!

How to feel alive – get curious!

Get Curious “Curiosity killed the cat” is an idiom meant to keep you solidly in a box, to limit your imagination, to keep you from asking questions and shame you from exploring options others deem trouble.  Did you grow up hearing this phrase?  Although I...
23 Random Fun Facts About Chocolate

23 Random Fun Facts About Chocolate

What happens when you keep following something that you are passionate about? Your curiosity brings you so many things to learn!  Cacao is my spirit animal (so I’ve been told). So learning about chocolate has become my passion. (Is it yours too??)  Following what...