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Going backward, just as something different, I was in bed after 11, decided not to read, and soon fell asleep. I woke with difficult dreams of work and travel (not forgotten, but close to a nightmare), and these dreams continued when I slept again, but without the harshness, and are also now forgotten. I woke early, rolled over, dreamed waking bright dreams, and rose about 7.

Before bed, I was at First United Methodist Church in Beaverton at 6 and waited until 6:30 for Dondrea and Z to show. Z agreed to play Concordia with the Roma board, a favorite and prefect for two players, and we included the add-in Forum. I learned the game long ago from Will and Peaches with Corwin with me. I remember Will checking whether the winner had more cards than anyone else. His theory was that the more cards you had, the more likely you would win. Today’s play reminded me of that.

My first act was to play the Senator Card and get the first two excellent cards. Z did not surprise me by doing the same action, and we both soon followed by building our shops (instead of trading houses) in Roma and moving our ships into the special trade on the Mediterranean Sea (ships are handled differently in this game and are for trade, not colonists, as in the usual play). At this point, our roles were set. I bought more and more cards, and Z built over and over. I expanded my colonists (also used as trade ships in this version), and Z rushed to fill the board. The cards multiply the impact of your building, but I was behind on building. Z was rushing to finish the game, but was hampered by not adding colonists, and at the mid-game, upgraded the cards Z used by pausing the rush to get more cards, and started to accelerate to Z’s usual dizzying speed of play. In a desperate move, I played two Architect Cards (one I had to acquire) close together to build four shops (my only Farmer and Metal shops); I still had five left. There, Z finished all the shops and ended the game, and I got one more colonist out.

The score count had Z ahead until we counted the experts’ cards, and there, as anyone who plays Concordia will tell you, I won with the Weaver Card by eight points. Until then, Z was far ahead. I managed a last-minute dive and catch.

It is always a pleasure to play against Z. I have to be highly efficient and flexible to win. Again, just barely scraped by and had bought more cards than Z. Z won the last time we played on the Roma board for two.

We play fast, running as fast as we think, with occasional pauses to think more as options become available. Next, Flip-7 was two full games for Z, with me going out too far while Z played with three cards most hands. We kept our scores on the calculator app on our respective iPhones. I played more conservatively on the last hand, as the choir broke up (we play during choir rehearsal) and was ahead when we ended, but it was a partial game. We all chatted for a while and then went our separate ways. I stopped by McDonald’s, got a hot fudge Sundae, returned home in Air VW the Gray, and watched Star Trek: DS9 episodes.

Moving back from the morning into the early afternoon, I headed out and drove into surprisingly heavy traffic as various municipalities began installing across Beaverton. I would not dare to question the wisdom of the local officials or the number of holes they have installed. Slow-moving traffic had me burning more time than I wanted to reach the Dollar Store–I have to pack and clean–and I bought some plasticware for my trip, but the paper bowls and napkins were not available. I crossed the Cedar Hills Mall parking lot, across the street, and stopped at Paris Begette for a sandwich, another California Turkey club. This time, they offered to cut it in half. I have to admit, I ate it all.

I enjoyed my visit to Winco. I got a few extra items because they were well-priced. I found my bowls in 35 packs and napkins. I acquired their chicken for $5.99 and some potato salad for dinner. Joan S. and I discussed the finer points of cheap rotisserie chicken; she recommends WinCo over Costco, and I agree. The salt and pepper seasoning works well for the Winco version; I had that for dinner with the last of the broccoli (preventing it from becoming else while I am away).

Somewhere in the evening, I swept and mopped the kitchen floor and did the dishes. During the day, Deborah and I looked at the Getty Center.

I rose at 7ish, found the coffee from yesterday, had it with a protein bar, and wrote the blog. Deborah called me to start our day together, always a pleasure.

Dear reader, please consider attending if you are in the area. From the press release:

BEAVERTON, Ore. — [May 18, 2026] — A new public forum dedicated to ideas, culture, and civic dialogue is coming to Beaverton with the launch of the Beaverton Lecture Series, a community-centered initiative designed to spark thoughtful conversation and deeper connection across the region. The series opens on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at 7:00 PM with the inaugural lecture, “Indigenous Place Keeping: Learning from the Land,” featuring cultural leader David Harrelson. The event will be held at The Historic Downtown Methodist Church, located next to the Beaverton City Library at 12555 SW 4th Street, Beaverton, OR 97005. Admission is free and open to the public. Harrelson, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the tribe’s Cultural Resources Department Manager, will explore the Indigenous practice of “keeping place” — understanding land not merely as physical space, but as a living network of relationships connecting people, plants, history, and community. “No matter where you live, you are on Indigenous land,” Harrelson says, underscoring the continuing relevance of Indigenous knowledge and stewardship.

With more than 16 years of experience in cultural resources and heritage preservation, Harrelson’s work spans ethnobotany, Indigenous foods, contact-era Pacific Northwest history, and Western Oregon Indigenous art. In addition to his leadership with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, he currently serves on the Oregon Arts Commission and previously served on the Oregon State Advisory Committee for Historic Preservation.

ABOUT BEAVERTON LECTURE SERIES
The Beaverton Lecture Series was created to provide an accessible and welcoming gathering space where residents can engage with important ideas shaping culture, history, identity, and civic life. Our hope is that this series becomes a trusted gathering point in Beaverton for learning, dialogue, and shared reflection.

HERE
What: Indigenous Place Keeping: Learning from the Land
Speaker: David Harrelson Date: Thursday, June 4, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Historic Downtown Methodist Church 12555 SW 4th Street, Beaverton, OR 97005
Admission: Free and open to the public

Here is more information: David Harrelson Press Release.docx – Google Docs

Thanks for reading and considering attending (if you are in the local area).

 

I rose to another California-like day. I don’t recognize the weather here in the Greater Beaverton area. My first year was a wet year, 1996, with record rains in November and cold below 10°F (-22°C). I ground the last of the locally roasted coffee beans for another pot. I skipped breakfast as I was distracted by many little tasks and made little progress on the blog. It was lovely to talk to Deborah as I started my morning. It is hard to wait until next Monday to see each other

I had about 300 words done when I had to hop into the shower. Even with an extra hour, our Tuesday morning game was delayed an hour this week. I still managed to run late and arrived 15 minutes late (with the post-Rush Hour traffic in Portland allowing me to catch up on some of the time. I did pass two wrecks on Tuesday and was dodging debris on the outbound bridge from a wreck more than 100 feet in the air. That must have been a mess.

We spent three hours playing ISS Vanguard, a Sci-Fi role-playing board game, setting up our mission, and having many long discussions about the rules and possibilities. Richard is trying to game the system and get extra benefits, something he likes to do in the cooperative games, and also to try all the options. This part of the game is all about the process and decisions that impact the play. You can think about all the briefings and ship management before the exciting away missions, like in Star Trek. We run a simulation of assembling our gear for our characters’ mission, run all the game processes that represent ship functions, meet virtually in the hangar, pack the landing ship, and start.

It goes all wrong. We abort and return to the ship, we exhaust our planned characters, and find ourselves flying the ship to something less dangerous (Richard wanted to stay in the mission, but James and I voted to abort). Interestingly, the abort allowed us to complete the bridge upgrades to travel to the next world.

Another landing party, with all the gear already selected, we managed to run the landing process quickly and without failure (we added the new Warning Systems to our lander, which saved us), and we have a mix of horror, The Expanse, and Star Trek play. In the play, we cause a horde of giant insect-like creatures to swarm the planet and destroy our lander. We are stranded! We had no supplies. We managed to find our way, and my Engineer character recovered our discoveries from the wreck of our lander. We managed to survive with half our crew injured (I managed to avoid that this time), though my character failed at climbing, nearly fell to her/his death, but was saved by Richard’s character.

It took seven hours (!) to complete the mission and perform the save. We will play again on my return. I had not planned for such a long day, so I drove home during the early rush hour and headed out to get some food. I decided on the Old Spaghetti Factory. I wanted a salad and something filling; I was very hungry. My waiter served me a nice salad, a loaf of fresh bread with garlic butter, and a huge plate of spaghetti (slightly overcooked, as you find in most restaurants that don’t make their own pasta). The sauce was good. The meatballs and sausage were familiar and worked for me. A finish, a caloric festival, was Spumoni ice cream.

Next, I reached home in Air VW the Gray (down to 69%), took a break, and then headed to Walgreens to discover I was reading last month’s text and that only one prescription was filled (while I write this, I got a note that they did not stock my inhaler and there will be a delay). It is one of the reasons I prefer mail-order Rx processes. They are based in warehouses and can usually fulfill any order.

Jeanne L sent me a book on Michigan. We are traveling together (Deborah, Jeane, and me) in July to revisit and visit various nautical sights and enjoy the outdoors in Michigan. I will try to read the manual before we headed out on that trip. Thanks, Jeanne L!

Back at the house, I watched the last of season two of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (no spoilers), and the last season starts on July 23. I talked to Deborah and said good night. It is good to start and end the day together.

The rest of the evening was little things around the house and starting to pack. I did. It was late when I did this, and I found some hotels for my trip back to Oregon from California, but I booked them wrong (I called the B&B, and they corrected the dates). Spending an extra day to see the Lassen Volcanic Park at Bidwell House. I plan to return to the house on 26June, Friday. I went to bed past midnight, after sending a note to the B&B about the mistake.

Dear reader, please consider attending if you are in the area. From the press release:

BEAVERTON, Ore. — [May 18, 2026] — A new public forum dedicated to ideas, culture, and civic dialogue is coming to Beaverton with the launch of the Beaverton Lecture Series, a community-centered initiative designed to spark thoughtful conversation and deeper connection across the region. The series opens on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at 7:00 PM with the inaugural lecture, “Indigenous Place Keeping: Learning from the Land,” featuring cultural leader David Harrelson. The event will be held at The Historic Downtown Methodist Church, located next to the Beaverton City Library at 12555 SW 4th Street, Beaverton, OR 97005. Admission is free and open to the public. Harrelson, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the tribe’s Cultural Resources Department Manager, will explore the Indigenous practice of “keeping place” — understanding land not merely as physical space, but as a living network of relationships connecting people, plants, history, and community. “No matter where you live, you are on Indigenous land,” Harrelson says, underscoring the continuing relevance of Indigenous knowledge and stewardship.

With more than 16 years of experience in cultural resources and heritage preservation, Harrelson’s work spans ethnobotany, Indigenous foods, contact-era Pacific Northwest history, and Western Oregon Indigenous art. In addition to his leadership with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, he currently serves on the Oregon Arts Commission and previously served on the Oregon State Advisory Committee for Historic Preservation.

ABOUT BEAVERTON LECTURE SERIES
The Beaverton Lecture Series was created to provide an accessible and welcoming gathering space where residents can engage with important ideas shaping culture, history, identity, and civic life. Our hope is that this series becomes a trusted gathering point in Beaverton for learning, dialogue, and shared reflection.

HERE
What: Indigenous Place Keeping: Learning from the Land
Speaker: David Harrelson Date: Thursday, June 4, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Historic Downtown Methodist Church 12555 SW 4th Street, Beaverton, OR 97005
Admission: Free and open to the public

Here is more information: David Harrelson Press Release.docx – Google Docs

Thanks for reading and considering attending (if you are in the local area).

 

I rose around 7, warmed up yesterday’s coffee, sliced a bagel, toasted it, smeared it with cream cheese, and added some green olives (I did not have capers) and took both to the office. I decided to avoid the crash for no food and just coffee (no sugar). The coffee, while reheated, is fair trade (the last of it until the next order arrives, hopefully before I am traveling), is bitter, and reminds me how far we have to go before Justice with Compassion becomes the mission of humanity.

I do the usual and add my new Platinum Delta Amex to everything after it is delivered. I am removing the Gold version from my wallet (both electronic and physical) and will cancel it in the future (once it spends a month without a charge). I had meant to upgrade the gold version, but I messed that up.

Next, I read some of the news and find it depressing as President Chaos-Battleship continues to spin news stories with obnoxious behavior to cover both his failures and the various nefarious schemes (Elon giving him options on the IPO, for instance, though this is not in the press; a guess on my part). I try not to get angry; it is a game with the White House, and I refuse to play.

I get the blog going and complete it. I spent some time trying to remember the day. It is always strange, the jumble that memory forms after twenty-four hours. I assembled the story and decorated it with pictures.

I started the laundry and got the towels done. I started the small mixed load of accumulated laundry from the weekend. While it was running, I headed off to lunch. I headed to Happy Panda, and when Air VW the Gray got me there without any issues, though the City of Beaverton and Washington County are installing holes all over the roads, and any lane choice is speculative, at best. It is hole season on our streets again.

My investments are doing well after recovering from the chaos of war. I am in a moderately aggressive mix, but still with bonds and cash to keep everything safe. US Bank Wealth Management is handling it.

Lunch was cashew chicken with extra veggies, with more water chestnuts and bamboo shoots requested by me. It was a good mix. The waiter at Happy Panda (sorry, I have forgotten her name) asked about my trips and remembered that my girlfriend is from the Detroit area, and was happy to hear I was headed to California in my EV. She was at first concerned about the price of gas, but then learned it was an electric-only vehicle and smiled.

I read more American Civil War stories as the battle is starting to wind up, what is known as the Last Hurrah of the Confederate Army (Nashville 1864). General Lee’s army was already locked in a siege at Petersburg (1864), having been cornered by Grant; the Army of Northern Virginia was slowly bludgeoned and reduced, and would ultimately surrender.

I paid the bill with my new AMEX, which was working, yay. I headed to Costco to get some supplies for the trip. I found a few things at Costco, and air filters for the house on special. Having escaped Costco, I next risked Safeway for some treats and other items. I filled another bag of items to take south. Aws was checking and was happy to see me. He has been checking for years, and we talk about life when there is nobody waiting. It was fun to quickly catch up (there was a line), a handshake, and a promise to update him on California when I am back.

With all breakfast stuff acquired (bowl, plates, plasticware still on the list), I was back at the house. I finished the laundry, forgetting to pull out a dress shirt, but it was only sort of wrinkled. I watched another Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode. Time was disappearing, and soon it was time to head to the Golden Valley Brewery.

Dondrea and Z were waiting for me when I arrived a few minutes late. We got a table outside and drinks: Old Fashioned for Dondrea, their special Black Walnut Old Fashioned for me, and a Sherry Temple for Z. Dondrea and I both went for the meatloaf (It was lovely with mash and brochili) while Z tried the new item on the menu (that started today), Shrimp Boil. Z faced her first experience peeling shrimp, and it was fun to watch her learn to master this skill on slippery Cajun-style cooked crustaceans. There was spicy sausage, corn on the cob, and potatoes, too. All our food and drinks were great (though Z wanted cherries in her drink, we suspect the homemade cherries at the bar were not for kids). Dondrea and I switched to coffee while just enjoying the warm, dry June evening, something that did not exist for my first twenty years in Oregon. We enjoyed some decaf, but then we headed out in separate directions.

At the house, I was tired, and soon in bed, and quickly fell asleep.

Dear reader, please consider attending if you are in the area. From the press release:

BEAVERTON, Ore. — [May 18, 2026] — A new public forum dedicated to ideas, culture, and civic dialogue is coming to Beaverton with the launch of the Beaverton Lecture Series, a community-centered initiative designed to spark thoughtful conversation and deeper connection across the region. The series opens on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at 7:00 PM with the inaugural lecture, “Indigenous Place Keeping: Learning from the Land,” featuring cultural leader David Harrelson. The event will be held at The Historic Downtown Methodist Church, located next to the Beaverton City Library at 12555 SW 4th Street, Beaverton, OR 97005. Admission is free and open to the public. Harrelson, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the tribe’s Cultural Resources Department Manager, will explore the Indigenous practice of “keeping place” — understanding land not merely as physical space, but as a living network of relationships connecting people, plants, history, and community. “No matter where you live, you are on Indigenous land,” Harrelson says, underscoring the continuing relevance of Indigenous knowledge and stewardship.

With more than 16 years of experience in cultural resources and heritage preservation, Harrelson’s work spans ethnobotany, Indigenous foods, contact-era Pacific Northwest history, and Western Oregon Indigenous art. In addition to his leadership with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, he currently serves on the Oregon Arts Commission and previously served on the Oregon State Advisory Committee for Historic Preservation.

ABOUT BEAVERTON LECTURE SERIES
The Beaverton Lecture Series was created to provide an accessible and welcoming gathering space where residents can engage with important ideas shaping culture, history, identity, and civic life. Our hope is that this series becomes a trusted gathering point in Beaverton for learning, dialogue, and shared reflection.

HERE
What: Indigenous Place Keeping: Learning from the Land
Speaker: David Harrelson Date: Thursday, June 4, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Historic Downtown Methodist Church 12555 SW 4th Street, Beaverton, OR 97005
Admission: Free and open to the public

Here is more information: David Harrelson Press Release.docx – Google Docs

Thanks for reading and considering attending (if you are in the local area).

 

Sunday started with me not rising to an alarm. I woke and was a bit unsteady at first, but after some coffee and getting started, I was able to move, write, and get ready with confidence. I used the last of my Fair Trade Equal Exchange coffee, but more is inbound. I again skipped breakfast and started on the blog. I had Sunday School to teach and food to bring. I bought sandwich trays and, this time, a cheese-and-meat platter with grapes at Costco for the class.

I wrote until about 9:15, then showered, dressed, and all that. The EV was at 100% charge, and I got in, looked, did not put it in reverse, got out of the car, and unplugged it. The car cannot be driven while plugged in, a good safety feature, and I was happy that this time I looked.

Traffic was now flowing in summer patterns, and my trip to First United Methodist in Beaverton, Oregon, was short, too short. I called Deborah, and we talked for twenty minutes until 10:30, when we exchanged with Emmaus Church, the church buildings, where they had the earlier morning service. The Wesley Hall and Chapel are used by other churches in the morning and early afternoon. The expansion of the buildings to be used (rented) by other congregations helps pay the bills and supports other Christian groups. Being Methodist means we have no doctrine of preeminence and accept other denominations. To us, our ways work, but it does not make us right or better.

I counted forty-two people present for the service and learned that three were watching online. I was distracted by the song “Morning Has Broken,” one from my wedding and a favorite, and I cried as I sang it. Ashley was behind me with her little one, singing beautifully, while I tried to match the pace of the song. I am a terrible and untalented singer. I forgot to take the count and was not ready when Dondrea, our preacher for today, called the usher (me) forward. I got it together and missed someone who wrote their check out. Later, at the final music, I calmly walked back to the altar, raised the check and the counts (written on a bulletin to identify the service), and then put them in the collection plate. After the service, Jack would collect me, and we would put the offering and note into the safe (stuffed in an envelope).

Dondrea, as I covered above, was preaching today. The Name of God is the theme of the new sermon series, and Dondrea is doing Elohim (אֱלֹהִים), God the Creator in Christian interpretations, she shares. She covers that this is the first name of God in the Hebrew text, and one of a hundred names. She explains this name is technically a plural form and that Christians believe it foreshadows the Trinity. It is also taken to how the majesty of God the Creator (a single form does not suffice to cover the majesty of God).

Dondrea, in one of her best sermons, I think (here), says God created relationships and made humans in God’s image. God and we need to be in a relationship, and this is one of God’s creations. That it is not just worship, but to be in community, and in community with God. I recommend the link (Dondrea’s sermon starts at 10:53).

One of the street people joined us and had some food; the meat-and-cheese plate was out early. He would continue to stay for my Sunday School Class. It was my last class, “The End is Nigh,” I would say a few times. When you are doing The Book of Revelation, it just seems the right thing to say.

After the service, I discussed some conclusions using a church reasoning system, TRES, which examines issues through four facets: Tradition, Reason, Experience, and Scripture. Methodists believe that our personal experience should be included in what is usually a three-view process. I covered various topics (not going to reteach the class here), and we talked about how some ideas fail on everything but experience, but we cannot deny these experiences. In the class, I suggest that this is why we have many different interpretations of the Apocalypse and the End Times, and why they are fiercely held.

With the class done, the room cleaned up, and most of the food eaten or packed away, I headed out. Back to the house. I had just a small sandwich roll and a few bits of cheese. I had Dungeons & Dragons with M@ at 5:30. Deborah and I spent a pleasant time just hanging out on the phone. We are both excited to be traveling together again soon. After ringing off, taking care of a few things, I finished the blog.

I was hungry and made a frozen Indian-style Trader Joe’s dinner with Naan and rice. It helped me get my focus back, and I watched another episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, in which most of the Enterprise’s senior staff are turned into Vulcans with poor social skills. The writing seemed a Shakespearean commedy variation on gender switches and mistaken identities. It was fun, and one character went full-Romulan.

That is my character with a custom printed and painted figure, Carter the Great, at the door looking in the room full of out-of-their-mind catering robots. Our characters left a poor review for the place and a copper for the tip.

I traveled to M@’s with roses and mint I got from the garden. We played our 11th Level D&D 2024 characters in the Expedition to Barrier Peaks rewrite for 5E, and now updated to 2024. This is a SciFi crossover adventure that incorporated material for an unfinished Space Opera version of early D&D (back in 1976), which later became Gamma World. We are working with the main computer (in addition to this rewrite) to clean up the ship. We cleared away various problems (details not included here to avoid spoilers and the material is copyrighted) and found ourselves in some fights. It was fun, and Scott and I talked tactics and gaming for about thirty minutes after. Our tactics were chaotic this gaming session.

In the backyard, there is a new Western Tiger Swallowtail. Summer is here. I love watching them flitter here and there.

After that, I read for a while and soon was nodding off. I slept on the side of the bed where Deborah rests when she is here. Deborah called me on Monday morning and shared that she dreamed I was beside her in Michigan, knew it was not true, reached out, and I was there. We both woke this morning happy, and some of the loneliness lifted, but we became impatient for our trip to start.

Dear reader, please consider attending if you are in the area. From the press release:

BEAVERTON, Ore. — [May 18, 2026] — A new public forum dedicated to ideas, culture, and civic dialogue is coming to Beaverton with the launch of the Beaverton Lecture Series, a community-centered initiative designed to spark thoughtful conversation and deeper connection across the region. The series opens on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at 7:00 PM with the inaugural lecture, “Indigenous Place Keeping: Learning from the Land,” featuring cultural leader David Harrelson. The event will be held at The Historic Downtown Methodist Church, located next to the Beaverton City Library at 12555 SW 4th Street, Beaverton, OR 97005. Admission is free and open to the public. Harrelson, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the tribe’s Cultural Resources Department Manager, will explore the Indigenous practice of “keeping place” — understanding land not merely as physical space, but as a living network of relationships connecting people, plants, history, and community. “No matter where you live, you are on Indigenous land,” Harrelson says, underscoring the continuing relevance of Indigenous knowledge and stewardship.

With more than 16 years of experience in cultural resources and heritage preservation, Harrelson’s work spans ethnobotany, Indigenous foods, contact-era Pacific Northwest history, and Western Oregon Indigenous art. In addition to his leadership with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, he currently serves on the Oregon Arts Commission and previously served on the Oregon State Advisory Committee for Historic Preservation.

ABOUT BEAVERTON LECTURE SERIES
The Beaverton Lecture Series was created to provide an accessible and welcoming gathering space where residents can engage with important ideas shaping culture, history, identity, and civic life. Our hope is that this series becomes a trusted gathering point in Beaverton for learning, dialogue, and shared reflection.

HERE
What: Indigenous Place Keeping: Learning from the Land
Speaker: David Harrelson Date: Thursday, June 4, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Historic Downtown Methodist Church 12555 SW 4th Street, Beaverton, OR 97005
Admission: Free and open to the public

Here is more information: David Harrelson Press Release.docx – Google Docs

Thanks for reading and considering attending (if you are in the local area).

The headache started with a glass of wine for lunch, and I think I have developed a sensitivity to sulfides. It made the afternoon and evening harder. I will try to keep hydrated and avoid alcohol.

I rose early on Saturday as I had an opera at the local movie house. It was time for the Met Live in HD broadcasts of El Ultimo Sueno de Frida y Diego at 10 local time for the NYC 1:00 matinee showing at the Met. This was the only one I caught in this season of broadcasts; my travels to this point had overlapped some of the dates, and I became inattentive and missed a few. I saw a reminder for the show in a movie preview and bought a ticket only a few days ahead (and ended up in the second row from the screen, but it worked, and I have sat here before). Someday I will have to have an Opera Saturday for the church and get a group, and maybe a Sunday School class on the opera.

I made coffee, grabbed a yogurt, and swallowed that as I rushed. I wrote a few hundred words in the blog, recalling the events of Friday quickly today, which is not always easy, and saved the text to finish later. Dressed in a T-shirt, as this was a movie theater, not The Met, and boarded Air VW the Gray with a 50% charge, and spent a percent to get to the Century Theater. It is assigned seating, and I sat alone in my nearly front-row seat. I was only ten minutes early. A few other folks grabbed the end, but I was alone. I enjoy being with friends at these events, but also the quiet of being single.

The first act surprised me with how wonderfully bright, full of dance, and the opera was filled with haunting music. The story of the Day of the Dead and the release of Frida from the Realm of Death for this special moment. It introduces Diego first, and he is heavy now (there are lots of jokes about that), and his appearance at the Day of the Dead celebration, and begs Frida to cross over. A contra-tenor plays a dead person who cross-dresses as Greta Garbo, Orlando, and the ruler of the land, wonderfully played and sung as a sassy woman in a bones costume and skull face, only lets Orlando out when Frida agrees to cross over too. I was mesmerized by the colors, singing, music, staging, and the emotions of the first act.

It is a modern opera, and the breaks included interviews with the creators, and they discussed how the opera works in their minds. The singers, too, were interviewed, and we, as The Met Live in HD audience, also get to watch the set changes. I got some kettle corn, but I couldn’t finish it because the sugar high was too much.

The second act felt somewhat flat at first, but it slowly built to an incredible ending with Diego’s death (it is an opera, after all). Frida refuses Diego as he tortured her in life (the words from the opera) and will not have that pain back. She painted to stop from killing Diego or herself; her art consumed her pain. She returns to life not for Diego but the colors; she misses the colors in death. At the end, both shades now and all their pain fading, they finally hold hands, and the opera ends. Not forgiveness, but now, as shades, pain and anguish are behind them.

I cried and relived Susie’s passing as Diego passed on stage, but I was not hurt by those memories. I felt more at peace this time. Of late, I have had stray thoughts of how I could have saved Susie by getting the diagnosis of heart issues before the strokes, how I could have pushed more rehab, and all the usual replay your mind does, freely mixing grief and guilt (shaken but not stirred). I know it is grief (and survivor’s guilt) and yet another phase of acceptance (from Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross), but it does not make it easier (which Ms. Kübler-Ross said in her studies). Many folks who have faced the death of loved ones have told me it never stops. You keep going. I keep going. Deborah spots the hard days and is supportive. Susie’s mother, Leta, helps too.

Aside: My only psychology class, honors version as a freshman at Central Michigan University, by a practitioner, and I still draw from what I learned back in the 80s. It was a very difficult class. I remember doing well, but the tests were a nightmare of memorization.

I was dizzy from sitting in the dark and a sugar high, and drove the short distance to the other side of the strip mall that includes the theater, and tried Pastini. This is a chain, but this specific one at Cedar Hills seems better to me. Salads and garlic bread seem expertly made. I tried the meatball with pasta and found it industrial. The meatball was excellent, but the sauce reminded me of something from a can; my tastes are not what they were, and this could be a personal issue. I will stick to the Carbonara for here out. I ordered wine (and a headache) with my garlic bread. The salad was great.

Corwin called and was stopping by. I agreed, spacing I needed to get food at Costco, and waited for him, and he arrived with Hank the Dog. Corwin and I played the Cthulhu Pandemic board game and just missed closing all the gates, losing. Seldom have I played when Cthulhu appears (the stars were right) and ended the game. At least we went out spectacularly with the world being destroyed by the elder god.

I headed to McDonald’s on the way to Richard’s in Portland for a quick dinner and remembered I needed to get the sandwiches. I rushed to Costco. I managed to get the sandwiches and a meat-and-cheese platter with grapes. I then rushed back to the house and dropped off the platter and sandwiches. Corwin was cooking the spare pork chop I suggested he cook for dinner, and I managed to catch Hank before he bolted outside. With that problem resolved, I drove to Richard’s and arrived about ten minutes late. The traffic was low (It is the Rose Festival Parade weekend), and I was surprised, estimating 45 minutes late.

Today, my first time playing a Settlers of Catan brand game, Starfarers, and Richard did the teach for the game, and we soon were playing. The rules and structure are clear, and we were off. I started by dropping some colonies, not realizing how the resource generation worked, and just happened to have good numbers. I tried most things, but noticed Richard was playing a different game with upgrades. Laura (there were three of us) got a lucky break, and her ship jumped to the other side of the board. She was colonizing like me.

Richard won with my scoring three back, and Laura was just a point behind. Overall, I liked the game, and it plays fast. It sells for about $107 for a new copy (there are two add-ons for about $55 each). I passed on another play, but we did play the card game Flip 7, and Laura beat me by a few points. With the last game done, I headed out while Richard was heads down on some Kickstarter. There is always another game out there getting upgraded or reprinted (often with a super-sized box and premium components).

My return home was uneventful. Corwin was watching cable and the last season of Daredevil; it was a bank robbery story, and I did not remember much about it. We enjoyed that together, and then Corwin and Hank headed out. I ordered a prescription that would run out during my upcoming trip.

I snuggled into my bed, read more American Civil War history, then turned off the light and fell asleep.

Dear reader, please consider attending if you are in the area. From the press release:

BEAVERTON, Ore. — [May 18, 2026] — A new public forum dedicated to ideas, culture, and civic dialogue is coming to Beaverton with the launch of the Beaverton Lecture Series, a community-centered initiative designed to spark thoughtful conversation and deeper connection across the region. The series opens on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at 7:00 PM with the inaugural lecture, “Indigenous Place Keeping: Learning from the Land,” featuring cultural leader David Harrelson. The event will be held at The Historic Downtown Methodist Church, located next to the Beaverton City Library at 12555 SW 4th Street, Beaverton, OR 97005. Admission is free and open to the public. Harrelson, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the tribe’s Cultural Resources Department Manager, will explore the Indigenous practice of “keeping place” — understanding land not merely as physical space, but as a living network of relationships connecting people, plants, history, and community. “No matter where you live, you are on Indigenous land,” Harrelson says, underscoring the continuing relevance of Indigenous knowledge and stewardship.

With more than 16 years of experience in cultural resources and heritage preservation, Harrelson’s work spans ethnobotany, Indigenous foods, contact-era Pacific Northwest history, and Western Oregon Indigenous art. In addition to his leadership with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, he currently serves on the Oregon Arts Commission and previously served on the Oregon State Advisory Committee for Historic Preservation.

ABOUT BEAVERTON LECTURE SERIES
The Beaverton Lecture Series was created to provide an accessible and welcoming gathering space where residents can engage with important ideas shaping culture, history, identity, and civic life. Our hope is that this series becomes a trusted gathering point in Beaverton for learning, dialogue, and shared reflection.

HERE
What: Indigenous Place Keeping: Learning from the Land
Speaker: David Harrelson Date: Thursday, June 4, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Historic Downtown Methodist Church 12555 SW 4th Street, Beaverton, OR 97005
Admission: Free and open to the public

Here is more information: David Harrelson Press Release.docx – Google Docs

Thanks for reading and considering attending (if you are in the local area).