May

The Lucky Language of Fortune Cookies

by Meredith Mullins on May 14, 2018

Man's hands opening fortune cookies, revealing proverbs and sayings that can change your life. (Image © Comstock/Stockbyte.)

What wisdom can a cookie bring?
© Comstock Images/Stockbyte

Can Cookie Proverbs and Sayings Change Your Life?

We are often drawn to a peek at the future, whether fueled by fact or fantasy, proverbs or sayings, instinct or reason.

We shake the Magic 8 Ball to answer our important YES/NO questions and get answers such as “Signs point to yes,” “Outlook not so good,” or the annoyingly evasive “Reply hazy. Try again later.” (Was this a forerunner to sassy Siri?)

We sit in silence between worlds with our Ouija board and call on the spirits to guide us. We have our palms read or consult our horoscopes.

Tarot cards, ouija board, and magic 8 ball, all ways to tell the future in addition to the proverbs and sayings of fortune cookies. (Image © DrawbyDar/iStock, Pablofdezr/iStock, Montego666/iStock.)

Many ways to glimpse the future
© iStock

We study the colorful tarot cards for a glimpse of meaning about the past, present, and future, with messages from The High Priestess, The Hermit, The Magician, or The Wheel of Fortune.

Perhaps the most common oracle in the U.S. comes in the form of a cookie—the fortune cookie that arrives at the end of a meal at American Chinese restaurants or with every order of Chinese takeout.

We crack open the folded cookie and pause for a moment, wondering how the words on that tiny piece of paper might have meaning in our life. Or are they just a nice way to end a Chinese meal?

fortune cookies filled with proverbs and sayings that could be life changing. (Image © jerkaejc/iStock.)

Is our personal fortune likely to find us?
© jerkaejc/iStock

The Words of Fortune

The tweet-like messages range from poetic to practical, from vague enough to be true for anyone to specifics that can seem eerily prophetic.

The language of the fortune cookie is intended to be universal—inspirational proverbs and sayings, thought-provoking riddles, humorous comments on contemporary culture, and translations of traditional Chinese philosophy.

Paper strip with one of the proverbs and sayings of fortune cookies, You Will Become Great If You Believe in Yourself. (Image © EKaterina79/iStock.)

Universal inspiration
© EKaterina79/iStock

The writing strategy at Wonton Food, the largest producer of fortune cookies in the U.S., sheds some light and provides some “Oh, I see” moments about the fine art of fortune writing.

The company ships nearly 5 million cookies a day to Chinese restaurants all over the U.S. They have a simple goal. They want people to finish their meal with a positive message.

Proverbs and Sayings about love appear in fortune cookies. (Image © Angela King-Jones/iStock.)

A philosophy for any culture
© Angela King-Jones/iStock

Donald Lau, the sole Wonton Food fortune writer for decades has passed the pen to a new writer. But his philosophy is still at the heart of the messages.

“When they eat their fortune cookie, I want the customers to open the fortune, read it, maybe laugh, and leave the restaurant happy,” Mr. Lau says, “So that they come back again next week.”

The company has experimented with more “cautious” messages—reflecting the ups and downs of real life— but feedback from customers sent them back to more positive messages.

Fortune cookies with "Your taxes are due" is not one of the proverbs and sayings one wants to get. (Image © Robeo/iStock.)

Who wants this real-life fortune?
© Robeo/iStock

Messages like “There may be a crisis looming—be ready for it,” “Your luck is just not there— attend to practical matters today,” and “It’s over your head now. Time to get some professional help” were a bit of a downer.

The company also retired the iconic “You will meet a tall, dark stranger” as it sounded a bit too ominous.

Now, the fortunes are more philosophical than predictive. Some messages include a Chinese language lesson (an easy way to expand your Chinese vocabulary), as well as a string of lucky numbers.

Fortune cookies with proverbs and sayings like "Don't just think, act." (Image © Nicolesy/iStock.)

Motivational guidance
© Nicolesy/iStock

The lucky number sequence can be used in many ways—most often for lotteries or gambling investments.

Wonton Food still remembers providing winning Powerball numbers in one random fortune number sequence in 2005. The 110 winners who shared $19 million in prize money had all heeded the lucky numbers of their Wonton Food fortunes. They will long remember that happy ending to a Chinese meal.

Fortune cookie with money inside, a new version of proverbs and sayings for fortune cookies. (Image © Photodisc.)

Sometimes we wish for this kind of good fortune.
© Photodisc

Fortune Cookie History

The origins of the fortune cookie are murky. Some say the original idea came from China during the Ming Dynasty, when warriors delivered secret strategies inside tea cakes. Others trace the roots to Japan where rice cakes with fortunes inside (called tsujiura senbei) were sold near shrines.

Most everyone agrees that Chinese and Japanese immigrants to the U.S. in the early 1900s brought the idea to America and popularized the concept at Chinese restaurants.

One theory is that Makoto Hagiwara, with the San Francisco Japanese Tea Garden, created the cookies in 1907. Another theory gives credit to David Jung, who distributed the cookies from his noodle company in Los Angeles in 1916.

Fortune cookie with "I don't have the answer." as one of the proverbs and sayings. (Image © Robert Kacpura/iStock.)

Sometimes there is just no answer.
© Robert Kacpura/iStock

Whichever the origin, fortune cookies gained popularity in the U.S. after WW II and became a staple at Chinese restaurants throughout the country.

And, while you will occasionally spot fortune cookies in the U.K. and Europe, they are a decidedly American phenomenon . . . and, ironically, still rare in China.

Cute boy with row of fortune cookies, looking for the right fortune from all the proverbs and sayings. (Image © Yeko Photo Studio/iTunes.)

If at first you don’t succeed, keep searching for that perfect fortune.
© Yeko Photo Studio/iStock

Lasting Memories from One Smart Cookie

Most of us have had a fortune cookie saying that stays with us. Either we carry it in our wallet because it was so inspirational or we remember the cookie moment and the people with whom we shared the special fortune.

Here are some of my favorites:

The fortune you seek is in another cookie.
If you look back, you’ll soon be going that way.
Do not mistake temptation for opportunity.
If a turtle doesn’t have a shell, is it naked or homeless?
Don’t let statistics do a number on you.
You will be hungry again in one hour.
That wasn’t chicken.
Actions speak louder than fortune cookies.
Patience will find you this week. Wait for it.
Why not treat yourself to a good time instead of waiting for someone else to do it?
Ask not what your fortune cookie can do for you but what you can do for your fortune cookie.
Confucius say: If you think we’re going to sum up your whole life on this little bit of paper, you’re crazy.

Perhaps the best of all the proverbs and sayings is found in Iris Smyles’ New Yorker list of creative fortune cookie messages:

One day you will think to yourself, If only I could meet someone who understands me as well as this fortune cookie does.

Don’t worry. All signs point to YES.

Good luck!
© Brand X Pictures/Stockbyte

Thank you to the New York Times article by Jennifer 8. Lee, to the Time Magazine article by Olivia B. Waxman, and to the New Yorker article by Iris Smyles. For more information on the making of fortune cookies, visit the Wonton Food website.

Comment on this post below.

Meredith Mullins 3 Comments

Language & Culture/Proverbs & Sayings/USA

Apr

The Dogs on the Bus

by Joyce McGreevy on April 24, 2018

Meg Vogt, creative thinker and owner of Dogs Rule! welcomes canines on her dog bus in Portland, Oregon. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Dog’s Rule! is a (p)awesome bus service based in Sullivan’s Gulch, Portland, Oregon.
© Joyce McGreevy

Creative Thinking for Canines
in Portland, Oregon

Driving with a 12-pack isn’t usually the smartest idea. But when the “12-pack” is a dozen adorable dogs, it’s genius.

Meet creative thinker Meg Vogt, affectionately known as the Dog Bus Lady of Sullivan’s Gulch. When Meg launched Dogs Rule, a bus service for dogs in Portland, Oregon, the locals really got on board.

Creative thinker Meg Vogt and dogs on the bus pose for a “pack portrait” in Portland, Oregon. (Image © Ryan LaBriere)

The dogs on the bus go woof-woof-woof all around the town—en route to leash-free parks.
© Ryan LaBriere @LabrierePhoto

Dogged Devotion

Throughout her life, Meg has solved canine challenges that would overwhelm most people.

Consider Mr. Diego.

Viciously attacked as a puppy, Mr. Diego was soon making his mark on the world—specifically on its inhabitants. But Meg, who was then a dog walker, spent years working through his issues, gradually enabling him to socialize peaceably.

Mr. Diego the white Scottie went from troubled pup to poster dog thanks to Meg Vogt’s creative thinking. (Image © Meg Vogt)

By 2015, Mr. Diego had become the poster pooch for the local humane society.
© Meg Vogt

Chelsea, a retired police dog, had degenerative myelopathy. Every morning, said Meg, she’d “ease the dog’s rear end into a special wheelchair and drive to a park where Chelsea could chase after squirrels.”

“We totally bonded. Still, I told myself that when Mr. Diego and Chelsea passed, I would move on to a real job. But there was no way. I had all these soul connections with dogs.”

After a series of remarkable careers—paginator at USA Today, audio engineer, video producer, camp counselor, radio show host, and concierge, Meg had found her real job.

Creative thinker Meg Vogt, Max the poodle, and Grendel the Irish wolfhound howl for fun on the dog bus in Portland, Oregon. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Meg, Max, and Grendel practice howlistic therapy.
© Joyce McGreevy

How Much Is That School Bus in the Window?

In 2008, Meg bought an old school bus and figured out how to operate it on the drive home. She parked it beside the house that she shares with her very supportive wife, Deb (“Not a Dog Person”) Bridges. Then she invited the neighborhood over.

Families, children, and other creative thinkers paint the Dog Bus in Sullivan’s Gulch, Portland, Oregon. (Image © Meg Vogt)

Sullivan’s Gulch neighbors gather for a paint-and-pizza party.
© Meg Vogt

The dog bus was born. And wow, did it ever bus a move. Who let the dogs out? Oh, I see: In Portland, Oregon this is not a rhetorical question.

Blue Rover, Blue Rover

Recently, I joined Meg on her rounds. Our destination? Thousand Acres—open land, berry bushes, and a delta. It’s off-leash paradise.

Because her passengers lack opposable thumbs, Meg uses house keys that clients entrust to her. Eagerly anticipating their day out, the dogs trot to the bus door, race up the steps, and take their usual seats.

Dogs of several kinds board the dog bus, a product of Meg Vogt’s creative thinking in Portland, Oregon. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Why chase your tail when you can catch a bus?
© Joyce McGreevy

It’s Spring Break. Several dogs are on vacation, taking their humans with them, so we’re down to a six-pack and a bonus pup. Our seven riders range from petite Moe to a pony-sized Irish wolfhound named Grendel. (Which technically makes Grendel a Beowulf-hound.)

Now add Meg’s “god dog” Piper the Scottie, Ida the yellow Lab, Max the French poodle, Porter the black Lab, and Finn the fantastic medley. It could be a recipe for chaos. Instead, it’s like the best buddy movie ever.

Grendel leans his massive head out the window, breezing. Moe snuggles. Porter seems pensive, as if composing a bestselling bark-all. Max, Ida, and Piper look out the windows. Finn reclines but casts a supervisory look over the pack.

Several dogs gaze out the windows of the dog bus, a product of Meg Vogt’s creative thinking in Portland, Oregon. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The dogs are poised for that first sight of green fields.
© Joyce McGreevy

Go, Dog, Go!

The dogs somehow contain themselves as Meg parks. Once out the door, they run merrily down the path, splitting off occasionally to run in broad, looping arcs.

Meg Vogt and dogs enjoy a run at a leash-free dog park in Portland, Oregon. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Best dog run ever!
© Joyce McGreevy

There is no happiness like that of dogs roaming free.

“Ida Idaho” spots a puddle and knows just what to do.

Dogs enjoy a puddle at a leash-free dog park in Portland, Oregon, thanks to creative thinker Meg Vogt and her dog bus. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Dive in!
© Joyce McGreevy

Dogs frolic at a leash-free dog park in Portland, Oregon, thanks to creative thinker Meg Vogt and her dog bus. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Max and Grendel show off for the pup-arazzi.
© Joyce McGreevy

Porter, the quiet one, turns daring explorer, scouting the perimeter. Piper and Moe hold court with adoring fans.

Finn wades into the water. There is no branch so big, no stick tossed so far, that he cannot retrieve it.

A dog carrying a branch frolics at a leash-free dog park in Portland, Oregon, thanks to creative thinker Meg Vogt and her dog bus. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Finn branches out.
© Joyce McGreevy

The Leader of the Pack

When it’s time to go, how do you gather a pack of dogs from 1400 acres? The secret is to be Meg Vogt. At her call, all seven come running. Together, they lope along as one big family and board the bus.

Creative thinker Meg Vogt and her dogs stroll through a leash-free dog park in Portland, Oregon. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Anyone who thinks the dog bus is a trendy business is barking up the wrong tree.
The only high end in this labor of love is Grendel’s.
© Joyce McGreevy

To be tuckered out after a day of fun is the best kind of tired in the world. While the dogs rest, Meg shares her story.

Incredible Journey

“I was that white kid on the Rez,” she says. “It was a beautiful experience, growing up in Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin.”

Most nights, Meg would take her bedding out to the screened-in porch. There she’d sleep with her dog Carly, whom her mom had rescued as a puppy.

“It was sweet waking up to the sound of an Evinrude motor on the lake. I’d get in the canoe with Carly in front. Then I’d take off across the lake, go hiking in the National Forest. That was my childhood.”

Lassie (and Buddies), Come Home

One by one, the dogs are returned home. I feel like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, sad to bid farewell to my new friends.

Neighbors and dog visit with creative thinker Meg Vogt on a porch in Sullivan Gulch, Portland, Oregon. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Max loves Meg’s dog bus so much, he watches from a balcony for its arrival.
© Joyce McGreevy

It’s the community, says Meg, who helps keep her bus running. When the dog bus needed a new transmission, folks pitched in. “Sullivan’s Gulch is a good community that way. We all take care of each other.”

Meg Vogt and Štĕpán Šimek are creative thinkers and Sullivan Gulch neighbors in Portland, Oregon. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Meg chats with Sullivan’s Gulch neighbor Štĕpán Šimek . . .
© Joyce McGreevy

A passerby, Monique, chats with Meg Vogt, whose creative thinking led to the dog bus in Portland, Oregon. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

. . . and a delighted passerby named Monique.
© Joyce McGreevy

Dog Tales and Winding Trails

Now Meg hopes to fund a multi-purpose space for dogs and humans called Rawhide Ranch. So she’s writing books. There’s no shortage of material:

Her richly lived life has doglegged around the world. (Although we’ve only just met, Meg and I discover that our paths had crossed years earlier. We’d both been volunteer radio hosts at KAZU in Pacific Grove, California.)

There’s true love conquering all as Meg’s wife faced down metastatic colon cancer. Deb played soccer between rounds of chemo and went from having a 6% chance of survival to becoming a world-class race walker.

A little dog named Moe rides the dog bus, a product of Meg Vogt’s creative thinking in Portland, Oregon. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

When Moe lost a twin, the pack cheered him up.
© Joyce McGreevy

Then there are Meg’s “myku,” her version of haiku. Doggerel? Hardly! But the dogs clearly are muses:

Shut down your keyboard.

Come! Take in the morning light.

Can you smell the rain?

Creative thinking at its off-leash best.

That night, I make a wish on the Dog Star: May Meg’s dog tales and other writing find a loving home. And may the dog bus and the dog pack always roam free.

A license plate from the dog bus in Portland, Oregon reflects Meg Vogt’s creative thinking. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Long may their tails wag!
© Joyce McGreevy

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Joyce McGreevy 9 Comments

Clever Ideas/Making a Difference/Nature Discovery/USA

Apr

Glass Floats? Finders Keepers!

by Joyce McGreevy on April 16, 2018

A glass float made for Finders Keepers in Lincoln City reflects a cultural tradition of the Oregon coast. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Several times a year glass floats like these are hidden along Lincoln City’s shoreline.
© Joyce McGreevy

A Cultural Tradition on the Oregon Coast

No one sees them, but dozens of Float Fairies roam this seven-mile stretch of the Oregon coast. Several mornings a year these anonymous volunteers stroll the shores of Lincoln City, carefully placing glass treasures among driftwood and seagrass. Soon, the Float Fairies blend in with us mere mortals who have come in search of these treasures.

Finders Keepers, a popular treasure hunt for handcrafted glass floats, originated in Lincoln City. Now in its 19th year and inspiring imitators, the event grew out of a cultural tradition.

A poster for Finders Keepers in Lincoln City reflects a cultural tradition of the Oregon coast. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Finders Keepers runs from mid-October to Memorial Day.
Treasures may include glass sand dollars, shells, and sea stars.
© Joyce McGreevy

Today, visitors come from all over, seeking their own brilliantly-colored, signed, and numbered glass floats.

Treasure Hunting

I, too, have come in search of treasure: treasured time with sisters. Having three sisters in Oregon, I’ve made my way from high-desert Bend to seaside Newport, then up the rugged coast to Lincoln City, where Carolyn lives.

Artist Carolyn McGreevy of Lincoln City celebrates Finders Keepers, a cultural tradition of the Oregon coast. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

A photographer of sea, sky, and stone, Carolyn charts the course of our glass float treasure hunt.

An ocean view from Lincoln City inspires seekers of glass floats at Finders Keepers, a cultural tradition of the Oregon coast. (Image © Carolyn McGreevy)

First stop, North Lincoln County Historical Museum. There the Watson-Simpson Collection awaits us, resplendent as crown jewels.

Glass floats at North Lincoln County Historical Museum reflect a cultural tradition of the Oregon coast. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

At first, fishermen crafted their floats from whatever glass was available to them—usually, recycled beverage bottles. Something about the sea stirs a terrible thirst, it seems.

Then, glass-making companies sprang up in Japan, Norway, Russia, and the U.S. Thousands of glassblowers found jobs making floats by hand. Circa 1890s-1930s, these floats are among the most ornate and coveted collectibles.

An 1877 S.H. Davis & Co. glass float in Lincoln City reflects a cultural tradition of the Oregon coast. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

A Fragile Industry

Later, companies switched to using industrial molds and machinery to mass-produce “improved” floats—cheaper, more uniform, less colorful. Eventually, companies phased out glass altogether.

Over time, the world’s fishing vessels began using plastic, aluminum, even Styrofoam floats. For generations of beachcombers, coveted glass floats became all the rarer—except in Lincoln City.

That’s where artist Jennifer Sears had a brilliant idea for celebrating the Millennium: commission local artists to create glass floats, each distinctive, then place them in the open for anyone to find.

People enjoy the beach in Lincoln City where Finders Keepers is a cultural tradition of the Oregon coast. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Playing with Fire

Soon we’ll play Finders Keepers. But first, says Carolyn, let’s see how glassblowing happens. We make our way to Lincoln City Glass Center.

There we watch as artisans gather molten glass, scooping it like honey from crucibles heated to 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Glassblowers Daniel Hogan, Steve Hagan, and Jolene Boyce at Lincoln City Glass Center make glass floats, continuing a cultural tradition of the Oregon coast. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Daniel Hogan and Steve Hagan face the heat. Wearing thick mitts, Jolene Boyce deftly flips a glass bowl.
© Joyce McGreevy

They roll the glowing mass across a marver, a special metal table, to distribute heat evenly. Then, as if adding sprinkles to ice cream, they dip the molten lump in crushed glass to add layers of color. At various points, the glass is returned to the crucible to keep it hot and malleable.

Glass floats and glassmaking tools at Lincoln City Glass Center reflect a cultural tradition of the Oregon coast. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

As for the glassblowing, the artisans carry this out as nonchalantly as if they were chewing bubblegum, not working with bone-searing liquid fire.

A mobile made of glass floats at Lincoln City Glass Center reflect a cultural tradition of the Oregon coast. (Image © Carolyn McGreevy)

Sailing, Sailing

All week, Carolyn and I tailor our adventures to the changeable coastal weather. On bright days, we look at tide pools, fishing boats, and bright pebbles.

Agates and other pebbles from Lincoln City beach shine like glass floats, part of a cultural tradition of the Oregon coast. (Image © Carolyn McGreevy)

On blustery days, we head for Captain OverKeel Cabin and batten down the hatches. Its interior resembles an ancient sailing ship. There’s no cable TV, no wifi, just the magic of forgetting what century this is.

Captain OverKeel Cabin reflects vintage charm in Lincoln City, Oregon where beach-combing for glass floats is a cultural tradition. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Up and at ‘em

Nobody sleeps in on Finders Keepers days. By Saturday, the Float Fairies have placed 300 treasures all over the beach. Locals and visitors will soon be out in droves.

To help us on our quest, we seek out local expert Eric Johnson. As public relations coordinator for Lincoln City, Eric is first to see the glass floats as they arrive from artists’ studios all over Lincoln County.

PR coordinator Eric Johnson of Lincoln City talks about Finders Keepers, a glass float treasure hunt that’s a cultural tradition of the Oregon coast. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Raised in Astoria, working in Cannon Beach and now Lincoln City,
Eric Johnson is truly a coastal citizen .
© Joyce McGreevy

Does he have tips for spotting glass floats in the wild?

The secret, says Johnson, is not to look too hard. You’re more likely to discover a float the less fixated you are. And stay safe. Floats are never placed in risky-to-access areas. Just get out there and enjoy the day.

Oh, I see: Instead of treasure-hunting to the point of frustration, simply notice the beauty all around you. Good life advice, too.

A glass float hidden on the Lincoln City beach reflects a cultural tradition of the Oregon coast. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

A handmade glass float placed on the Lincoln City beach for Finders Keepers reflects a cultural tradition of the Oregon coast. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Finding Bliss

After combing the beach, antiquing in town, and sipping coffee by the fire, the prospect of a Lincoln City sunset draws Carolyn and me outdoors again.

And just like that, we find it—a gorgeous glass float!

A Finders Keepers glass float in Lincoln City reflects a cultural tradition of the Oregon coast. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

It’s in the hands of Todd Terrell, who marvels over its beauty with partner Rose Bliss. Their delight is what caught our attention.

Amber Bliss and Todd Terrell celebrate finding a glass float at Lincoln City Finders Keepers, a cultural tradition of the Oregon coast. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

For one companionable moment, we share in the joy, happy as nine-year-old kids. That’s all it is—a moment, created by years of cultural tradition on the Oregon coast.

A lovely moment to share with your sis. If that isn’t finding treasure, what is?

Glass art in the pavement of a Lincoln City street reflects a cultural tradition of the Oregon coast. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

When will Lincoln City drop more glass floats? Find out here.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Joyce McGreevy 4 Comments

Clever Ideas/Cultural Heritage & Traditions/Nature Discovery/USA

World Views:

Topics

Category Archives: USA

The Lucky Language of Fortune Cookies

Can Cookie Proverbs and Sayings Change Your Life?

The Words of Fortune

Fortune Cookie History

Lasting Memories from One Smart Cookie

The Dogs on the Bus

Creative Thinking for Canines
in Portland, Oregon

Dogged Devotion

How Much Is That School Bus in the Window?

Blue Rover, Blue Rover

Go, Dog, Go!

The Leader of the Pack

Incredible Journey

Lassie (and Buddies), Come Home

Dog Tales and Winding Trails

Glass Floats? Finders Keepers!

A Cultural Tradition on the Oregon Coast

Treasure Hunting

A Fragile Industry

Playing with Fire

Sailing, Sailing

Up and at ‘em

Finding Bliss

World Views:

Topics

Category Archives: USA

The Lucky Language of Fortune Cookies

Can Cookie Proverbs and Sayings Change Your Life?

The Words of Fortune

Fortune Cookie History

Lasting Memories from One Smart Cookie

The Dogs on the Bus

Creative Thinking for Canines in Portland, Oregon

Dogged Devotion

How Much Is That School Bus in the Window?

Blue Rover, Blue Rover

Go, Dog, Go!

The Leader of the Pack

Incredible Journey

Lassie (and Buddies), Come Home

Dog Tales and Winding Trails

Glass Floats? Finders Keepers!

A Cultural Tradition on the Oregon Coast

Treasure Hunting

A Fragile Industry

Playing with Fire

Sailing, Sailing

Up and at ‘em

Finding Bliss

Creative Thinking for Canines
in Portland, Oregon