Can one person make a difference? Trying feels better than not trying. I spent a couple hours this weekend doing a volunteer trash pick-up for a river that is 35 million years old, give or take. The Willamette river is the 13th largest river in the U.S. It is 187 miles long. A key source… Continue reading Willamette river
Tag: nature
Habitat Restoration
It was beautiful. It was fun. It was hard work. We brought our love of beavers, nature, and our lunch to spend the day tackling a habitat restoration project under the care of Beaverworks. We worked very hard with hand tools for hours. You must have wit, grit, and a sense of wonderment to complete… Continue reading Habitat Restoration
Dynamic situations
I made a photo booth without walls to mindfully receive images of happy birds landing into the frame by choice. I fired up the Canon Rebel XSi with a zoom lens and braced myself against a tree. The camera would not focus on the subject because I was impatient and had not allowed enough time… Continue reading Dynamic situations
Trumpeter’s call wins
Crow habit
I have a crow habit. I know them: Crow, Crowie, and Croatia. There are more but I can’t remember their names. Some have asked me to paint them as they see themselves. It’s hard to describe but they don’t see themselves like we see them. They can be oversized black squares of energy that talk… Continue reading Crow habit
Flow
I wasn’t lost but I didn’t know exactly where I was. It was a beautiful place to be disoriented. I considered freaking out but decided to use my compass instead. I found my way back. “I know no one wants unsolicited advice”… she said to me, and then gave it. It reminds me of when… Continue reading Flow
Flotsam & Jetsam
If you don’t know what to do, pick up litter at the beach. It’s never the wrong move. At one point I am alone by the surf and this is where loud singing is released. I went to Heceta beach in Florence to pick up trash and I remembered a Mary Oliver poem that goes… Continue reading Flotsam & Jetsam
Comfort within
A man made bird sounds on an early morning bird walk. He tweeted, squeaked, squawked, whistled, buzzed and whooshed with his mouth making him my favorite bird that morning. A couple weeks ago, two people I’ve never met stood at my front fence and voiced observations: “I love your squash forest!”“I love your amaranth! It… Continue reading Comfort within
Green Island
This is where two rivers meet: McKenzie and Willamette. Sometimes I think we ask too much of nature. We go forest bathing and swimming in it; walking and running through it; drinking, huffing, and gobbling it down, all the time. It gives all that we need. How do we give back? I thought this while… Continue reading Green Island
Beaver Balance
Why do beavers matter? It’s like asking why does water matter? We need one for the other. There is something magical about beavers. They know the secret of restoration. We had beavers for a long time, about 7 million years, and then we almost lost them due to trapping. Now we are trying to build… Continue reading Beaver Balance