The Hammer Times

Portland

Stories about living in Portland, OR.

  • The Portland Years

    Part 2: Dedicated to Friends of the Body Have you ever started a small project, that grew into a bigger project, and after a while it seemed like the project became your life? That’s how energy or body work started for me, with a hoped for quick fix for anxiety morphing into a seven year Read more

  • The Portland Years

    Part One I lost my faith in God in my twenties, aware at the time that it was slipping away, but helpless to do anything to stop it. When I sought support from a range of pastors, they all said the same thing. The fact that I was talking to them about losing my faith Read more

  • Domicile Unknown

    315 homeless people died in Multnomah County in 2022; that’s almost one person per day, and 23% more than in 2021. The number of deaths has increased by nearly 30% each year between 2018-2022. “Accidental deaths” (146), which includes overdose (123) was the leading cause of death. “Natural causes” including infections, heart disease, cancer, strokes, Read more

  • The Freedom of Space

    I’ve found unexpected freedom living in the Pacific Northwest these past 25 years. I came west in 1997 when I moved to Federal Way, WA, located midway between Tacoma and Seattle, from Syracuse, NY in order to be closer to my sister and her family. I used to tell my middle school social studies classes Read more

  • Lincoln Memorial x Homelessness

    In the weird way that your pocket selects random pictures from your phone, even when you haven’t looked at that particular photo in months, mine chose pictures from last October’s visit to the Lincoln Memorial to show me each time I took my phone out on my morning walk to take a photo of Portland’s Read more

  • Leaving NEFP

    For more than a year my happy zone was NEFP on a Saturday morning. 😎 It was a place of great joy to me, a space to bring my whole self in the service of others. I threw myself into the creative whirlwind of feeding hundreds of families twice a week during a pandemic, hauling Read more

  • Leaving Portland

    After six years, tonight is my last in Portland. I’ve developed a bit of a love-hate relationship with this city. It’s by far the filthiest place I’ve lived, bringing to mind time spent in parts of India. There are piles of trash under every overpass, along every highway, and in every neighborhood. Worse, there are Read more