How do we know where we are going, if we don’t stop and reflect on where we have been? Over the Next Horizon is such a moment in time. This uniquely different book is an assortment of photos, essays, articles, tidbits and short stories from award winning author Brian Ratty. He offers this gratifying volume as an introduction to his storytelling and as a handshake of appreciation to his readers. This retrospect, in many ways, is the authors coming of age story. It reflects the history of his time and the long ago events he has written about. These tales include the discovery and culture of the Tillamook Indians, the tragic demise of sea Captain Robert Gray, and how the Mountain Men led the way for America’s manifest destiny. The book also includes personal essays about his conversation with a former president of the United States, his grandfather’s escape from the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, and how the little fishing village of Astoria Oregon helped win World War II. His articles include narratives on fly fishing in New Zealand, wild horse round-ups and the dark secrets the government won’t tell us. And sprinkled throughout the pages are four fascinating new short stories with many hilarious tidbits of the author’s life growing up in a blue collar family. There are no shortcuts through the wilderness of life. Over the Next Horizon is a commentary of our common history and a retrospect of our life and times. It’s a compelling montage of memoirs that reminds us of where we have been, and what might be over the next horizon.