Offshore Occurrence | Bar Harbor, ME | 2018
A giant cruise ship — like a space vessel floating in orbit — first caught our attention. It awaited water taxi after water taxi ferrying thousands of passengers who had waddled on sea legs to browse Bar Harbor’s boutiques. As we watched, sun, sea, smoke and rising vapor conspired to (more…)
Board Fence | East Wenatchee, WA | 2018
“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and (more…)
3 Trees | Twisp, WA | 2018
Summer 2018 will be remembered in North Central Washington as a season lost in smoke. An arc of lightning-caused wildfires shrouded many areas — including Twisp, Mazama, Omak, Wenatchee and other towns — under a smothering blanket of … >cough< … airborne particulates. Many residents sought a more (more…)
Worker Housing | Pateros, WA | 2017
Orchard workers I’ve known have been resigned to living in close quarters with fellow fruit pickers. Not luxurious digs, but not dirty and dilapidated either. (Although some must certainly be subpar.) A roof, a bed, communal bathrooms and heat on chilly autumn mornings are all that (more…)
Singularity | Walla Walla, WA | 2017
Many faiths teach that we are All One, but I’m not so sure. My experience has been that we are all very separate from each other and only occasionally — rarely, in fact — make deep and meaningful connections with fellow human beings. Many of us, however, do have an undeniable bond with the Divine, the presence (God, the Tao, the Force) that underlies reality. In prayer, meditation, stillness and silence, we can sense the (more…)
At the Rodeo | Omak. WA | 2017
Although not a diehard bull-and-bronc fan, I attended five rodeos in the last 14 months and, I must say, rode them out (safely in the grandstands) like a pro. I even began to recognize some of the cowboys — Cody, Dusty, Shane, Jake, Chase, Dakota — who drove the summer circuit from Calgary to Vegas. And I started to appreciate (more…)
Houseboats | Kennewick, WA | 2017
“Seeing all life in perfect symmetry. Perceiving each day with righteous clarity. Living each moment (more…)
Riverboat | Kennewick, WA | 2017
Small trips — maybe across town or to a nearby city — can often deliver rewards larger than, say, a week in Waikiki. In fact, if you keep expectations low, a small adventure can yield big surprises. Last year, we canceled a trip to Hawaii (high costs, big crowds) and instead packed up our low expectations and drove south three hours to Kennewick, WA. First surprise: Our hotel was on an island in the Columbia River. Not totally like Hawaii, but still surrounded by water. Second surprise: Skies were clear with temperatures at around 70 degrees. Not tropical, but incredibly pleasant. Third surprise: The hotel restaurant (and others nearby) offered seafood items at half of Hawaiian prices. No poi (a paste of taro root used in many recipes) but lots of tasty (more…)
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