Wildlands
Last week, I received an email from Washington State University Press telling me that Marvelous Wings had arrived from the printer. They were mailing my author copies the next day. I sat at my desk, staring at the wall, trying to take it all in. I drafted the opening essay in this book more than … Read more
I had just turned off State Route 129 onto the small road running beside the river when I saw what I had come to find: a large, strange-looking basalt structure projecting from the canyon wall. I had read about lava dikes for years, and suddenly one was standing in front of me. There were three large … Read more
The water tumbled over the cliff and crashed into the plunge pool two hundred feet below, sending a wave of mist up through the canyon toward where I stood. The sound was loud and filling, giving this place a sense of wonder. I had come to Palouse Falls to see what it looked like, and … Read more
I like to make a calendar for my family and friends. It is a chance to showcase my photographs around a particular theme and share the wonders of the natural world. It is a chance to look hard at what I’d captured, trying to pull out the very best. A calendar limits me to thirteen … Read more
The Marckworth Forest is northeast of Carnation, Washington. The Department of Natural Resources manages these lands for timber. The state harvests trees to help support the school system. Yet, it has lots of natural habitats and can be an outstanding place to visit. The area is a few miles up the hill from Stillwater and … Read more
A large log lies on the ground by the horseshoe bend in the lane. The dead trunk had toppled about two decades ago, but it had stood upright, still dead, for as long as I can remember. I first noticed the snag when I was about eight years old. My mother and I were probably … Read more
In July, the Milky Way rises almost vertically in Washington State, moving from east to west throughout the night. On Sourdough Ridge, twilight faded toward darkness, and the stars began to glow. The star band appeared on the southern horizon and rose over our heads to the north. No clouds were visible on any horizon, … Read more
The lace lichen hung only inches from my eyes. So close that each eye seemed to be seeing a different part of the plant. Its yellowish-green leaves draped like long hair strands, although the middle ones were more like wide-egg noodles. Technically, these aren’t leaves but thalli. The Oxford Dictionary defines a thallus as “a … Read more
The Katmai Peninsula is wild, still supporting all the animals and fish present when Europeans first came to Alaska. The vastness, the brown bears, the sockeye salmon, and the glaciers leave one in awe. We spent a week in Alaska, where we experienced this landscape. I traveled with Nature Photography Adventures; they organized the trip … Read more
Presentations I am preparing to give several book readings, presentations, and discussion sessions over the next four months. More will be added once the book is available. Some will focus on Alaska and what I cover in my book. Others will be versions of my talk titled What is a Raptor Anyway? Both are about … Read more