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This book reflects the varied interests of the author, a retired software engineer. The book contains family history, poetry, and essays on science, government, and philosophy. The essays on science warn the public against romanticizing space exploration, and yet propose that the government help finance a project to make hydrogen the fuel of the future. The essay regarding the Social Security Trust Fund will surely find non-favor with conservatives. When one considers the scientific background of the author – he has a degree from MIT -- perhaps the most unusual aspect of the book is the essay which gives a historical summary of how Western philosophers have analyzed mankind’s ability to have ideas or concepts.

Materials include diaries, notebooks, correspondence, ephemera, certificates, and a scrapbook. Letters, 1862-1928, are from Canyon City, Heppner, and Portland, and relate to family and personal matters, courtship, and the hotel business. A transcript of a letter from Phil Metschan, 1862, provides details on his journey to the west coast and activities in Portland. Also included is a file of condolence letters on the death of Marie Metschan, 1895. Papers of Marie Metschan include: confirmation certificate, 1855; passport, 1863; and a diary from Canyon City, 1866. Diaries of Phil Metschan date from 1861-1918 and include his travel diary from a tour of Europe, 1908. Papers of Anna Metschan Cattanach include autograph books and a scrapbook of clippings relating to family and friends. Among the materials relating to the Imperial Hotel in Portland are a set of menus, and a special supplement to the Oregon Journal, 1910. The collection also contains numerous family certificates, such as a Masonic confirmation, 1867; certificate of high priesthood, 1885; and certificate of election as State Treasurer, 1891. A title abstract to a lot in the Irvington section of Portland can be found in the Flanders family materials. A folder of election ephemera documents the 1930 run for governor by Phil Metschan, Jr.