This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

When I write “The Queen,” everyone will know who I mean – Queen Elizabeth who died at the age of 96 a couple days.

She will be remembered fondly for her reign of about 70 years.

When my wife, Nancy, and I discussed “The Queen’s” passing, she  said that, when she was a girl of about age 3, she remembered “The Queen’s” investiture at the top of the English Monarchy.

When I was 3, I don’t remember much, if anything.

As for “The Queen’s” passing, President Joe Biden put it very well when he said:

“Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was more than a monarch.  She defined an era.  In a world of constant change, she was a steadying presence and a source of comfort and pride for generations of Britons, including many who have never known their country without her.”

Biden also credited her for being a British monarch to whom people “could feel a personal and immediate connection” and praised her for “an unwavering commitment to duty, and the incomparable power of her example.”

During her tenure, she met with 14 U.S. presidents – yes 14!

Frankly, I don’t know much in detail about the Monarchy, except that it has stood the test of time, not to mention various conflicts.  By her own steadfast presence, Queen Elizabeth formed a bond with citizens in the United Kingdom and did so with grace and dignity.

Perhaps one of the reasons was her love for Corgis.  She had more than 30 during her long tenure and those dogs gave her a real-world presence as they had the run of all the palaces and greeted all visitors.  Those Corgis that remain reportedly will go to The Queen’s children.

Various political figures, overseas and here, could learn a few lessons from “The Queens” conduct over the years, come hell or high water.

Remember, “God Save the Queen?”  Now, it will be “God Save the King!”