John Day, a fur trapper, signed on with John Jacob Astor’s Pacific Fur Company in 1811 as part of the Overland Expedition to establish a trading center at the mouth 
of the Columbia River. By the time they reached the Snake River in Idaho, Day was not feeling well. He stayed behind with Ramsay Crooks while the rest of the party pressed onward to Fort Astoria. When spring came, they set out to catch up with the others. Members of the Cayuse Tribe came upon the pair camped at the mouth of the Mah-hah (Mau Mau) River. Rather than killing them outright for their trespassing, the Indians took everything from the interlopers: food, equipment and the clothes they were wearing. Somehow Day and Crooks managed to survive several weeks until another party from the Pacific Fur Company, canoeing down the Columbia, found them and escorted them to Astoria. John Day became a legend. The river became known as the John Day as did the town later founded 150 miles to the south. John Day the person never visited John Day the town.
A World Without Tipping?
Do you ever wonder – as you carry your dishes from your restaurant table across the room to the bus tubs, after eating a meal that you ordered and paid for at the counter, and went back to the counter when your name was called to pick up your food and carry it yourself to the table – why you dropped money into the tip jar on the counter before you even saw a glimpse of your food?
For Your Reading Enjoyment
The Write Launch is a monthly on-line literary magazine. It publishes a wide spectrum of essays, poetry and short fiction. The August issue includes a short story from me, about one person’s journey from Kansas City to Sonoma.
That Dump, The White House
Responding to questions about why he spends so many weekends at Trump-branded properties, our president explained he did so because, “That White House is a real dump.” President Harry Truman held the same opinion. He complained that ghosts roaming throughout the building interrupted his sleep. What he heard was moaning and creaking from sagging floors and unreinforced walls.
Ross Island Returns!
The Curse of Matt Duffy
The San Francisco Giants were World Series winners in 2010, 2012 and 2014. At the All-Star break, just past the 2016 season midpoint, the Giants were on their way to another even-numbered year championship. They led their division by ten games over the second-place Dodgers, with a record of 57 wins and 33 losses.
Then they traded away third baseman Matt Duffy. After trading Duffy, the Giants compiled a record of 30 and 42, clinching a wild-card playoff spot on the last day of the season. Coincidence? I think not.
The Matt Duffy curse continues in 2017. The Giants are battling the Philadelphia Phillies for the worst team in Major League Baseball. Their record since the 2016 All-Star game through the end of July is 70 wins, 109 losses. Giants pitcher from another century, Hall-of-Famer Christy Mathewson, once said, “You can learn little from victory. You can learn everything from defeat.” The Giants are amassing a huge storehouse of knowledge.