Benches | Coulee City, WA | February 2020
“There is in all things a pattern that is part of our universe. It has symmetry, elegance, and grace. You can find [these qualities] in the turning of the seasons, the way sand trails along a ridge, in the branch clusters of a creosote bush’s leaves. We try to copy these patterns in our (more…)
Lichen | Sun Lakes, WA | February 2020
A lichen turns red — or orange or yellow — when its dinner buffet gets shut down by harsh growing conditions. Dim sunlight, reduced moisture, extreme temps. In frustration, it’ll shed its green-gray photosynthetic food layer and go nude and hued. (Look away now if you’re prudish.) The exposed, colored, flat-leaf structures adjust to surroundings and, remarkably, whip up new recipes, new buffet selections — sort of like replacing everyday mashed potatoes with eggplant casserole. OK, that’s my final smorgasbord reference except to say that (more…)
Cave | Sun Lakes, WA | February 2020
I could camp here for awhile. Make it cozy with a patch of flagstone flooring, a ventilated fire pit, a few beaver blankets. Obviously, water and septic would be a problem, just as it was 5,000 years ago when Native Americans used this cave as a way station. But maybe there’s potable seepage in the walls? As for waste … well, a 100-foot cliff is just a few steps away. (OK, a bucket might be safer.) And that million-dollar view hasn’t changed in millennia. What you see at sunset will likely be the same at sunrise. Of course, the ghosts might be (more…)
Tower | Spokane, WA | February 2020
Wall #2 | There’s nothing fancy about the neighborhood surrounding the Spokane County Courthouse, a massive but frilly structure built in 1895 and affectionately labeled “The Castle.” Experts say it’s the best example in the western U.S. of French Renaissance architecture, its cones and turrets based on a pair of overly ornate chateaux. I like that I can spot its flag-topped tower from the back-alley door of a neighborhood pub. The spire peeks above a chipped wall, a nearby dumpster, and us early risers arriving for the $4.99 breakfast special. “Whatcha see?” asks one bleary-eyed patron who’s already had (more…)
Spires | Spokane, WA | February 2020
Wall #1 | Church spires beckon in the distance, but I linger in the lee of a cinder block wall to escape the winter wind. The wall radiates warmth and smells of kitchen herbs, and I’m not sure the church will be as soothing. In fact, the statue of a genuflecting angel in the building’s nave — a gesture of welcome to visitors — makes me uncomfortably twitchy. I prefer my supernatural beings less (more…)
Thirsty Poodle | East Wenatchee, WA | February 2020
At the River #3 | We’ve trained the dog in basic commands — sit, stay, heel, come — which he fully obeys when he sees the need. I mean, why sit like a schlump when it’s clear that squirrel needs chasing? In return, he’s trained us in various life skills: There’s lots to learn with your nose to the ground; a wild goose chase can be (more…)
Water View | East Wenatchee, WA | February 2020
At the River #2 | We have a better view from this side of the river. Looking west, we see the big city with its high-rise downtown, manicured waterfront and neon prosperity of Applebee’s and Home Depot. Behind it all rise the foothills of the Cascades, flowered in spring and snow-capped in winter. And at night, the stars and moon glide atop (more…)
Cigarillo | Wenatchee, WA | February 2020
From behind a tinted window, I watched the guy smoke his small cigar. He was scruffy and maybe homeless. But puffing away while sitting on a bench in the sun gave him immense pleasure. He’d blow a smoke ring, read a sentence or two from the book in his lap, chuckle at what he’d just learned, puff again and exhale another vaporous circle. Whatever he’d done in life, whatever good or bad turns he’d taken, he’d emerged as a master of leisure. I left the window for two minutes to complete a task, and when I returned the guy was (more…)
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