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Oregon Wildflowers In Action

Oregon Wildflowers In Action

As we approached the 2020 Presidential election, many of my friends asked me what they could do to help beyond their own vote. They knew I had been active with grassroots voter activation groups for several years, and they wanted real-world advice.

After mulling over how I could best help my friends get involved, I decided to launch a video series highlighting actions anyone could take to help others vote. This series, Vote+1, debuted in September 2020. Videos were a whole new medium for me; I'm a writer and am used to launching words out in the world, not my face or fashion! So I decided a small wardrobe upgrade was in order. I quickly realized I could reinforce my message with tee-shirts that carried messages of their own.

I chose the Oregon Wildflowers tee from Etta & James Junction because it gave me a quiet, lovely way to share my pride in and love for my home state of Oregon. Not only is it a beautiful place to live (its natural wonders are famous and diverse), it's a wonderful place to be a voter. Oregon is a 100% vote-by-mail state, so our voter participation numbers are some of the highest in the nation.

The tee shirt is soft, well-made, and beautiful, and the fit is superb. Even better, I got to support an independent artist with my purchase, not just some corporate shirt factory. I LOVE my Oregon Wildflowers tee. Thank you Etta & James Junction! - Asha

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Sparky's Loves

Sparky's Loves
In Jim’s words:
Three of my great loves: my home state of Oregon, craft beer, and golf.
Oh, I could go on ad nauseam about all the wonderful things to do and find here in Oregon. First, we are bordered by waterways on three sides: the Columbia River on our Northern edge, the Pacific Ocean to the West, and the Snake River on the East. The Columbia Gorge offers some of the most scenic views in the country, is considered one of the best wind surfing destinations in the world, offers numerous fish species from salmon to sturgeon, and of course, some very fine beers from the likes of Full Sail and pFreim breweries.
The Coast! Wow, the Coast! The Oregon Coast is special. From Astoria to Brookings, Hwy 101 takes you on a journey where there are miles of public beaches and craggy cliffs upon which the waves crash. People go just to watch storms come through and hear the ocean rage. Others are after a deep sea fishing experience or come to catch some sweet Dungeness crabs. Then there is the golf! From Gearhart (the oldest course west of the Mississippi) in the North, to Bandon Dunes Resort (which is just celebrating its 20th anniversary) in the South, there is no doubt that Oregon has some of the best golf in the world. And I can't leave the Coast without a mention of beer. There are too many to count, but from Fort George and Buoy in Astoria, all the way down the coast, you will find wonderful craft brew: Pelican, Rogue, and Chetco to name just a few.
Stay tuned as our Oregon adventure continues.............
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Floating Away From Alaska

Floating Away From Alaska

In Chris’ words:

Making our way from the western part of Alaska into the North Pacific, hoping for a break in the weather when the sun turned from shying and spite to warm and loving. When the ice had dripped its last tears of surrender to the flowers that would welcome us into the spring of the Pacific Northwest. A celebration of the end of icy cold and hard winds of where we had earned a living harvesting the bounty of the Northern waters. Passing the city of Seattle into the Duwamish Waterway, the glowing green hills and buildings shining in the sun, a city filled with possibilities and sights.

Lines now dragged upon the deck for securing the boat, sparking a light to the power of dreams and hopes we had before the season. Finally touching a road that did end a few miles away at the Bering Sea, and being free for a while to peruse a life of our own. 

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Cure For What Ales Him

Cure For What Ales Him

"Groom Finds Cure For What Ales Him". That was the headline of the Columbian newspaper article featuring my husband and I when we got married almost 23 years ago. You see, our first date was brewing a batch of beer, Charlie Papazian's Holiday Cheer Ale; we got engaged in Brugge, Belgium while on a Belgian beer tour; and we did our celebratory toast at our wedding reception with Rodenbach Alexander, the beer we were enjoying when Paul popped the question. For the record, I was totally sober when I tearfully and excitedly said, "Yes!".

A year and a half later, I was pregnant with our first kid. There's an old custom in England and Colonial America that an expectant mother would prepare a high-gravity ale and cask-condition it for 7-9 months, drink a little of it during labor to ease the pain, and then bathe her newborn in the beer. In our case, Paul was the brewer, I didn't get a chance to imbibe before heading in for an emergency C-Section, and Erin did not get dipped into a beer bath. But hey, we did get to share the Baby Bath Ale with our friends in our homebrew club, Oregon Brew Crew!

Two kids and many pints later, beer is still a big part of our lives. Paul and I have fun going to brewpubs wherever our paths take us and we geek out on Untappd, an app for keeping track of the beers we sample. I've only brewed twice since our first date, but Paul is back at it now that the kids are in college. We recently bought a kegerator so we now have two of his homebrews on tap. If you ask me, the Columbian's headline should have been "Bride Finds Cure For What Ales Her".

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