Little guy beats out national giant at airport.
Byline: RETAIL NOTEBOOK By Edward Russo The Register-Guard Dan Brawn, who will take over the gift shops at the Eugene Airport in four days, can't quite believe his luck, though he refuses to call it that. "I feel blessed," he says. In April, city officials...

Once, in Madrid.
"Joan" I asked my friend as we walked the streets of Madrid on an early evening in late winter, "why does it say 'ONCE' on all the kiosks here?" Joan (pronounced YO-ahn) stopped to look at me. "'Once'? It says 'Once' on a kiosk?" "Not just one kiosk,...

Sunset plus.
* Some of you may not know that Sunset produces special-interest publications in addition to the monthly magazine you hold in your hand right now. In the newsstand rack where you usually find Sunset, this month look for our annual food special. This year, "100 All-time Favorite...

Springfield Beacon: warm memories despite sad end.
Byline: GUEST VIEWPOINT By Matthew Smith There's a picture that I hold close to my heart. It's the picture of a newsroom packed tightly with eager new employees, all ready to take on a momentous task - successfully launch Springfield's newest paper, The Springfield Beacon. ...

Tarkovsky's Horses.
Tarkovsky's Horses In that beauty a horse displays, standing in sun on a grassy field, which I'm traveling past in a train, a few days after my father died-- I suddenly see him again. The passage of the greenness ... With the same exalted peace Tarkovsky's horses in Andrei...

Of a Life's Dignity.
Of a Life's Dignity Only a single key remains of a life's dignity, the key to the last room must be fettered to the trouser pocket on a chain. The wristwatch my father forgets to wind, the hands pointing to always and ever. Calendar leaves imperceptibly put out shortcuts...

Trees Are Read.
Trees Are Read There are always trees that can tell my father what season we're in, they glow in his brain, the white trunks of the birch trees, heroically straight or calmly swaying. There are trees without leaves, --so it's winter, when the sun's rays cut through the room....

The Workers.
The Workers The ledge has been stripped bare for months, Now workers park up there at lunch, feast on The view: Matsqui Prairie, Abbotsford, Eagle Mountain, Clayburn (where my turbaned grandfather Worked in 1903) and, beyond it all, Mount Baker. Builders, inspectors, framers hammer and nail All day as...

Off the eatin' track; MBTA train stations vary from full-service to barren concrete slabs.
Byline: Shaun Sutner Deep within Worcester's cavernous Union Station, Brad Goodness dispenses coffee, pastries and newspapers to commuters rushing to catch the early morning train to Boston. As other businesses have come and gone at the usually half-vacant historic landmark, Mr. Goodness has been the...

Premiere much missed.
Byline: Jim Keogh COLUMN: FILM CLIPS A few months ago, the film magazine Premiere folded after 20 years. The only issue to which I wasn't a subscriber was the very first, with Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd on the cover promoting their comedy "Dragnet" (though...