Over the last eight months, Shannon Shora has crafted soothing massage experiences for clients both local and visiting. She has cultivated a reputation for high quality massage, backed by her 24 years of experience with massage therapy. While a relative newcomer to the Mt. Hood area, the Texas native has spent the last six years living around Oregon and cultivating a love for the lush natural world that defines the state. “I love the mountain,” says Shannon. “I love the fores

Lon Welsh (left) and Mitch Williams. We wouldn’t have Barlow Wayside Park without them. Photo by Steve Wilent If you haven’t yet visited our local Clackamas County park, Barlow Wayside, you’re missing out on a sweet place to walk in the woods and along a quiet mountain creek, witness salmon and steelhead spawning, and relish the sight and sound of two small but lively seasonal waterfalls. It’s not a large park, compared to other local parks, such as the US Bureau of Land Mana

Tiffany Vanek and Hans Wipper opened Wippersnappers in Sandy 10 years ago, when their daughter Anika (pictured) was only seven. (Credit: Brit Allen) When Hans Wipper and Tiffany Vanek opened Wippersnappers Kids Play Place in 2015, their own little whippersnapper was only seven years old, and loved helping her parents design the play structures that she — and hundreds of other kids — would get to traverse.  Now their daughter Anika is 17 and helping out with the family busines

Last week I attended my 20-year dental school reunion in Boston. It’s still a bit crazy for me to accept that 20 years have flown by since I graduated from dental school. I spent a few days in Boston strolling down a nostalgic memory lane.   In addition to seeing old classmates and visiting old stomping grounds in the city, I got a chance to visit my old school and attend a class by my old Operative Dentistry professor.  He was the best professor at the school and he is still

The holiday season has a way of creeping up on us. One moment we’re admiring the last of the fall colors, and the next we’re knee-deep in to-do lists, gift wrapping, and blinking lights. It’s a season meant for connection, but it can easily become one of exhaustion. This year, I’ve been thinking about how important it is to protect our mental health by slowing down and savoring the moments that really matter. Working hard is a beautiful thing — it gives life structure and pur