Autumn Color in Northeast Oregon
Series of photographs of trees turning color in mountains of Northeastern Oregon.
Mystery Eggs Update
I’m in Central Oregon this week with a steady wi-fi connection, so I can begin to catch up on some internet work, including long overdue reports on the latest bird activities around my Northeast Oregon yurt. I’ve finally identified the species that hatched out of the eggs I discovered in a rusty tool box on [...]
Furr
I retired from teaching at an independent high school several years ago to free up time for writing and growing food. One of the things I miss most about it is the connection to all the wild creativity that comes from younger generations. Several days ago, I attended the graduation of students I taught in [...]
Mystery Web: A Tarantula Lair?
A Desert Tarantula Lair? In anticipation of a visit to Central Arizona, I featured the desert tarantula on my blog last week. I didn’t see one, but my partner Jerry snapped a photo of this amazing web. We found it off Highway 89 just as it descends from Peeple’s Valley towards Wickenburg. I’d love some [...]
Trilliums in the City
I craved trilliums yesterday but didn’t have the energy to drive far. And with 92,000 acres of green space in Portland, Oregon, I didn’t have to. I drove ten minutes across town and entered 645 acres of trillium heaven in Tryon Creek State Park. A washed-out footbridge detoured me onto a horse trail, but I [...]
A Wordless Wildflower Day
Catherine Creek, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon
Getting Close to Ireland
The closest I’ve been to Ireland is Conwy castle on the coast of Wales. It was summer, mid-way through college. I was in a naive and dreamy stage then, weighing my future options. Major in anthropology or English? “Save” others in the world ( did I mention naive?) or explore my own cultural identity in [...]
Eagles and Dogs
A sore throat, stuffy nose and cough inspire me to play with images instead of words today. Okay, there are some words, but not too many. Django and I headed out to the Sandy River Delta a few days ago. We go there at least once a week when we’re in Portland and have seen [...]
Superstitions, Saguaro, and Bajadas
A trip to Prescott College for a colloquium (and to visit my son) breaks my writing routine and has brought me into a drier, sunnier winter. A 24 hour detour to the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix gave me a a taste of a desert spring. It also fulfilled a long-held fantasy of walking among the [...]
Christmas Snow
The snow is melting now; I’m going to miss it. Oh, I’ll be glad to be able to drive again without worrying about chains and snow shovels. But I’ve enjoyed almost two weeks with a good excuse for not driving, shopping, or doing the usual Christmas run-around. Snow enforced stillness and quiet and convinced me [...]
