Because Canada is a country at the north of the world, it reads things in a northern kind of way. This, for instance, is seen as a hot place, not as 10,000 […]
Weird Canadian Shit
I know, I know, Canada is that nice country at the top of the world, but, um, folks. Look. Here’s an inukshuk, a trail marker from the extreme Arctic (a great spot), […]
Environmental Psychology: Cinema Carved in Stone
I promised to talk about the art of reading cultural narratives in mountains. There are many techniques, so let’s start with the observer. Unlike in modern cinema, in this art form the observer […]
Reading Stories in the Cliffs
The first thing about reading stories in cliffs is that cliffs are made out of rock. What we see in them is in our own heads. Nonetheless, they allow us to see […]
Reading Clowns, Cougars and Sacred Children in the Rock
In the story that tells this land, one pair of creatures that spring from the rock are the pair of Cougar and Clown. Let me show you three examples. Here we are […]
Elves in “Canada” and Iceland
Elves are all over the place in Iceland, like this one in the elf village at Skutustaðir. Well, elves are human-shaped, really, but they can vanish into stone and reappear from it, and […]
Bull Snake on the Front Porch After Lunch
Literally. It decided to go in (backwards) and finish digesting. Take a look below. This is apparently a great place to spend the winter. If you ever get caught out in […]
The Cougar, Found at Last!
For four years, I have been looking for a cat. I found the eagle, and the turtle. I found a swan, a goose, a duck and a dog that might be a […]
Western Yellow-bellied Racer
These are fast snakes. Usually they just zip by, a few inches up in the grass, and you hardly see them, but this one is trail smart, and has mastered the art […]
Beating the Heat
The water comes to the rock faces of Turtle Mountain under the snow. It’s gone now …. … but it intensifies the sun and creates an early season for the arctic plants […]

