Chiffon | Wenatchee, WA | May 2019
You might say this wedding dress embodies the swirl of life — love, marriage, kids, care and attention deep into old age. Not so obvious are interwoven layers of discovery and rediscovery that enfold what’s important. You know: Those overlays and overlaps, repeated through the years, that teach (more…)
Dark Ridge | Wenatchee, WA | June 2019
Worries can build quickly, loom menacingly, frighten thoroughly, and dissipate instantly. When trouble clears, we of course assess the damage. But we might also wonder (more…)
Museum | Pullman, WA | June 2019
Mirror-sided buildings offer opportunities for reflection. They appear ethereal — thin, light, transparent — yet often anchor a cluster of more traditional, more solid structures. Enlightened people do the same. They stand centered in themselves and their surroundings, fully engaged yet slightly apart, receiving yet giving. Their presence gives us (more…)
Airplane Hangars | Colfax, WA | June 2019
Men push small planes from tight hangars. Wings bounce as if too flimsy to fly. The guys check struts, tires, cowlings and fuel tanks, then squeeze into cockpits and crank the engines. Loud, even from 100 yards away. On takeoff, each plane divulges its pilot’s disposition — smooth and confident, fluttery and unsure. One at a time, the aircraft rise, bank sharply and (more…)
Homestead | Odessa, WA | June 2019
Each abandoned homestead is a face of farming from the early 20th century. You can read the family’s struggles in the house’s sagging lines and worn facade. But while decades of harsh weather and hit-or-miss incomes took a toll, the structure still (more…)
Vineyard | Benton City, WA | June 2019
I’m always curious when wine lovers specify the tastes bursting from a single sip. Fruit flavors make sense, of course. But cedar bark? Wet gravel? When and how would your tastebuds experience musty cardboard? It seems unlikely that four friends sharing a bottle could nod in agreement: “Yes, burnt rubber.” But tastes are elusive and tongues (more…)
Traffic Control | Schrag, WA | June 2019
Far from town, in the middle of nowhere, I slow and then stop at the intersection, look both ways and proceed cautiously. I’m driving the only vehicle to pass here in (I’m guessing) at least two days. But a life of social conditioning — obey authority — keeps me in line even here at the far edge of rural America. Truthfully, I’m a bit ashamed of my (more…)
Grain Elevator | Eltopia, WA | June 2019
Up in the air. Head in the clouds. Sky’s the limit. Ways to describe our boundless potential seem … well, boundless. What I’ve found, however, is that our most comfortable position is more down-to-earth with both feet on the ground. That stance provides (more…)
Culverts | Stratford, WA | June 2019
From here, we look for passage to there. Sometimes it’s a big pipe under the road. But more often we transition with help from a person or situation. Store cashiers (shopping to ownership), gym workouts (weakness to strength), religion (seeking to finding). In fact, we’re slip-sliding along one of life’s (more…)
Bug | East Wenatchee, WA | June 2019
If humans are wondrous, shouldn’t fleas, ants and other tiny bugs be even more so? In their itsy-bitsy bodies are packed brains, hearts, guts, eyeballs and, most remarkably, survival instincts. Or maybe not. One theory speculates that teensy creatures are the coalesced nerve endings of a larger ephemeral presence. A hive mind embodying the resolve and purpose we see in, say, a web-spinning spider. That might also explain why (more…)
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