The flicker perches in the flame. The damselfly survives the cold of September, extending summer, by perching on a rock that absorbs the flame. Humans hold the flame (of burning flicker trees) […]
Burn Baby Burn
Grassland Tours for the Okanagan?
Grass evolved to thrive in hot fire landscapes. Given that human activity has increased heat and fire … … across the planet … … shouldn’t we stop mowing grass and … … […]
Mountains Are a Form of Weather
I was formed by the water, soil and air of a mountain valley. One of the consequences is that, to me, the mountains are not “in” the sky, do not “block” the […]
When Trees are Weeds: Truth and Reconciliation from the Ground Up
Yesterday I started a meditation on classicism, and how the cultures within Canada have some choices, given German experience with the power, failure and abuse of classical models as a means of […]
A Home In the Earth and the Sun: The Beginnings of an Urban Blueprint
I’ve been staring at this beaver lodge for years. Big Bar Creek I thought at first, well, yes, it’s a good model for a house. And sure enough, the Secwepemc who are this land […]
Fire in the Similkameen
Things are burning up in the high country between Keremeos and the Pasayten wilderness. Here was the view Thursday morning, looking south from Olalla towards K Mountain. By 4 pm I left […]
Blend In! (Not.)
Drought makes it easier for birds. They need the help. Sucks for stink bugs and lilacs-planted-in-the-wrong-place, though.
Water in Fire Country
The Okanogan River (left) Entering the Columbia At the mouth of the Okanogan River, which begins with snow melting on the rocks above my house in mid-winter, water is privately owned, whether […]
No More Wild Fires Please
It is a catastrophic summer in the Interior of British Columbia. Close to 15,000 people have been evacuated from their communities. Indigenous communities who refuse to leave are isolated. Read about the […]
Evacuated from Fire Country
Central British Columbia is going up in flames. Towns in which I used to live, with my friends, have been evacuated in the face of fire. We got off the plateau just […]
