Family Birth Center

Last week I got to play with babies!

This was a very fun story and I loved talking with the new parents. Silverton Hospital has a wonderful birth center -- Cindy and I are talking about checking it out. We love our current doctor, however, so I think we might be staying with what we know.

Anyway, here is the story:

Silverton Appeal

Woodburn Tulip Festival time

If any of you are looking to make a trip to Oregon... make sure you come later this month when the Tulip Festival is going on about 10 miles down the road from my house.

I try to get out there every year -- during the week to miss the monster crowds -- and it's always a lot of fun. This year will be great because I have Violet and seeing her get covered in mud from head to toe should be an adventure in itself!

Anyway, I wrote an article about the festival for Oregon.com, you can find it here.

Hope all is well.

Pat

New project for Oregon.com

This last month Oregon.com work has really picked up. Enough to where I am thinking about backing off the Statesman Journal work.

That way I would have more news and tourist stories, and slowly move away from advertorial work.

Anyway, here is the link to the new blog. If it's approved it should be pretty fun.

What Happens in Oregon...

Hope all is well with you.

Pat

A love story

I went and covered this story last week and it's a heart-breaker. Then I came home and got the flu. So, I am guessing I picked it up in the nursing home.

Anyway, I am under the influence of NyQuil right now, so here is the story.

Sneeze!

Pat

UPDATE: I guess it also got picked up in the Statesman Journal, here is the story. Guess I will be running out and getting a copy of the SJ later -- or I might just have them send me a copy. Hope you all had a good Valentine's Day.

Pat

A full life

Last week I had one of the rare instances where you meet a person who has had such a full and intersting life, you could spend hours with them just talking about their experiences. Well, Candy Carey is one of those people.

From working with Caesar Chavez to being an animal wrangler on commericals and movies -- there are many of her stories I couldn't fit into the article that was in the Appeal.

Here is the article, enjoy.

I know I did.

Pat

School story

Well, most of my work lately has been for Statesman Journal special sections, which aren't online. If they do happen to get posted online, it's six months after they published. So, you don't get to see them.

Here is a news story I did last week for the Silverton Appeal. I find my work out there very rewarding and I am trying to get into some other small community newspapers just for the fun of it.

Mark Twain counselor story.

Violet and Cindy are back from New York. They flew out last week to attend Cindy's brother's wedding. I didn't go because it was: A. Too expensive. B. No extra time to explore or do touristy things. C. I had a bunch of SJ work to get done.

They both came back with a rash -- which supports my theory that I am allergic to New York.

Pat

I have a love/hate relationship with snow

Well, before the snow hit the Portland area earlier this week, I was able to get a couple of stories done for the Silverton Appeal and the Stayton Mail. Now that the snow is here, and Violet and Cindy are sick, work is kinda tough.

They are on the mend, just little head colds and an ear infection for Violet, and the snow is slowly (too slowly) melting.

Here are the articles:

Mount Angel FFA rebuilds greenhouse

Local companies help to make Stayton Library expansion a reality

Think mel

The Columbian online

Well turns out the work I am doing in the Home & Lifestyle magazine is online. Go figure. :)

So, I am going to link that here as they get posted, about once every two months.

Explore

Timely Matters

Have a good thought for Violet she is sick. This is our first real cold, and she is pretty miserable.

Very rewarding

With this whole freelance gig, I have found myself gravitating more toward stories that I would like to tell, versus what would pay the bills. I am in the lucky situation of having financial freedom right now. I am sure that will change when Violet hits school (or we have a second child) but for now I am free to do what tickles my fancy.

This last week I was looking for stories in Stayton and so I called local churches to see what they had going on. I came across these folks that I think we could all learn a thing or two from.

Congregation practices what they preach.

Hope you enjoy it -- I had a lot of fun writing and meeting these great folks.

Pat

Another story posted and, oh, Happy New Year!

Well I wrote a story for the Senior LIfe and it ended up in the regular newspaper.

Either they didn't have room in Senior Life, or they liked it so much it made the paper. Either way...

Here it is.


Have a Happy New Year!

Pat