Western pond turtles live here! Here is Golden Gardens park, in west Eugene. It’s nearly 200 acres of land, with a mile walking path that weaves around ponds. This area became ponds after gravel was removed to build freeways. Back then they didn’t demand that gravel businesses restore the land. Instead, they left steep loose… Continue reading Turtle Club Med
Tag: nature
A few days in Joseph, Oregon
I didn’t rinse off my paddleboard after this trip. I wanted it to absorb and hold the water molecules of Wallowa Lake. This water is sacred. I think all bodies of water are sacred, but this lake seems acutely so. I paddled to the middle of the lake. I laid on my back, face to… Continue reading A few days in Joseph, Oregon
Look, a bird!
I didn’t mean to end up in the shaman section, but that can happen when you are looking for books about trees. I was at the library. I couldn’t find the book about cottonwoods, so I had to ask the librarian for help, which made me feel about eight-years old. As the librarian lead the… Continue reading Look, a bird!
Sol Duc retreat
No computer, no TV, no cell service Sol Duc resort sits down on the floor of Washington’s Olympic National Park. Sol Duc is said to mean “sparkling water,” and was discovered by non-natives around 1880. Sitting in the hot sulphur water, about 30 of us watched a man high up on a rickety ladder, replacing… Continue reading Sol Duc retreat
transformation betwixt land and sea
Plankton are abundant here. “It smells very biological,” said one man I met in the sparsely filled parking lot. One area in particular did smell like the brew of a million creatures. The South Slough Reserve is so understated, I think it goes unnoticed by the crowds. It was America’s first estuarine research reserve, established… Continue reading transformation betwixt land and sea
Generosity of spirit
Poetry group this month with Ilene and Carol jumped off with the theme of forgiveness. Ilene said once she got into forgiveness, it hit her, “ok, this is the deal.” She led forgiveness workshops and wrote, “nothing is as deeply raw as the time leading up to the act of forgiving and nothing comes from… Continue reading Generosity of spirit
Lichen sanctuary
Some of my best ideas start out as jokes. Such as, the lichen sanctuary. The lichen sanctuary would rescue wayward lichen. There would be ample space to relocate displaced lichen. This place would be a safety net for lichen that has been pushed out of its habitat, fallen out of a tree, and unable to… Continue reading Lichen sanctuary
Notes from January
We gathered on my living room floor near the flickering stove to start our group meditation. The orange tabby loitered in front of me. The small dog jumped in her round bed, 2 feet away. “So, tell me what brings you here to meditate? “ The cat started to chase a bug. The dog stared… Continue reading Notes from January
Walk slowly and look closely
Dave could read coyote scat like tea leaves. “See this hair? That’s nutria.” Others contained grain, a mouse, grass. “That’s a thigh bone,” he pointed down to the ground to what looked like a mess inside of a mess. We saw no possums but were told that no one enjoys eating them, not even vultures.… Continue reading Walk slowly and look closely
A walk through backwater sloughs in a riparian forest
It’s like the place where Winnie the Pooh lives. It’s not the grounds to prove physical accomplishments, victories, or achievements. About 11 miles south of Corvallis, off Peoria road, Snag Boat Bend is a simple walk in a quiet place. It offers grass, blackberries, willows, water, leaves and trees. There is a bog. Beavers live… Continue reading A walk through backwater sloughs in a riparian forest