My wife and I spent last week hiking in Washington State. First, we visited Mt. Saint Helens National Monument. We hiked at Independence Pass and climbed Windy Ridge. Our trail followed an exposed slope several miles north of the crater. The devastation caused by the volcano’s eruption 30 years ago dominates the environment. Pumice lay like … More Climbing Mountains
My iris blooms arrived in May and departed in June. Most of the lavender flowers shriveled unattractively on their stalks and I cut them off. Yesterday, I dug a colony of these bulbs from my perennial beds. I shook off the dirt, storing them in a paper bag. I’ve four more clumps to remove, energy willing. … More It’s Complicated
Years ago, I owned a variety of Volkswagen Beetles. With the help of John Muir’s revolutionary book, How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive, I rebuilt and maintained several of the anemic air-cooled engines. I also learned to embrace the author’s most important advice: preventive maintenance. As children came along, I settled down with a career … More Anemia
On Valentine’s Day, my wife and I adopted a neutered adult male cat. I named him Spanky. He’s a brawny Bengal looking tabby. He weighs 16 pounds and is oblivious to his size, believing he is a lap cat when, in reality, he is a two lap cat. We estimate his age at three to … More Balance
In a small town, the ripples of surprise caused by a cancer diagnosis don’t stop with family and friends. They spread outward through the secondary connections in the community: the merchants, the clubs, and the schools that tie us together socially. The pool in which they reverberate may be small but before the surface smoothes, … More Cancer in a Small Town
Four nights ago, winds buffeted the house. Chimes, hanging from the eaves, rang like instruments in a Balinese Gamelan and disturbed my sleep. At first light I ventured outside. There, I retrieved our empty garbage can, which the wind had blown westward like a piece of tumbleweed. Then I proceeded to feed the quail and juncos that inhabit the thickets … More The Winter of My Contentment
Recently, I met with my oncologist, Dr. M. His practice is located in Portland, OR. Each Thursday, however, he travels 60 miles up the Columbia River Gorge to Hood River. Here, he spends the day attending to cancer patients in our small community. He commented that my disease continues to be in “complete remission.” His … More Unremarkable
Last Sunday morning, I walked six miles. Then, I spent the afternoon working in my garden. I dug up a row of potatoes. I rooted after the spuds like a wild pig. I got down on all fours and, with a potato fork acting as my snout, unearthed the crop. I washed and sorted the … More Harvest
Last night, strong winds buffeted the Hood River Valley. This signaled the end to a brutal hot spell. Fortunately, my wife and I had escaped to the higher elevations of central Oregon during the worst of the heat. We’d gone there to spend time with her family and to decompress following the wedding of our … More Passages
My family is safe and sound following several harrowing trips through the Columbia River Gorge. We’ve lived in the Hood River Valley for 30 years. Nothing confers “sourdough” status upon visitors more quickly than driving The Gorge in a winter storm. It doesn’t matter whether you are a passenger or behind the wheel. If you’ve … More Remission, Relapse, Rejoice
Good Blood, Bad Blood 