Consider these two flowers. The white flowers grow on a plant that is indigenous to Prince of Wales Island and surrounding areas. It is known variously as pushki, Indian celery, and cow parsnip. The purple, on the other hand, is foxglove, which is apparently a stranger in these parts. Some would call it invasive. I […]
In which the General takes us on the road
I have very few childhood memories that are more than one or two degrees of separation from a Volkswagen. During the sixties, my decade of single digits, the aunts had a succession of beetles while our family had a bus, nicknamed the General. The General was nothing to remark about when at home, but on […]
Miniature horse verses pony
I know I spelled “versus” wrong, but bear with me. This deliberate misspelling comes from how I used to laugh when my kids and others would start up a video game and one would say to the other something like this: “Here’s where Sonic has to verse Knuckles.” Anyway, what’s all this about miniature horses? […]
Adventures with log trucks
Like many communities on Prince of Wales Island, Coffman Cove got its start as a logging camp. When we moved there in the early nineties, it was well into its first decade as a city with a population of about three hundred. In 1991, the Coffman Cove cut-off consisted of twenty miles of what was […]
The minor tragedy of the curtains
When I was growing up my parents wanted two things for our house: to keep it warm and to keep it nice. My father was mostly in charge of keeping it warm. The only source of heat was a Moloch-style wood stove that crouched in the basement and sent its warmth up through a metal […]
A zen for all seasons
Whenever I need a moment, I drive to a tiny overlook in the west side of Craig. There is room for two cars, but more often than not I have the space to myself. One of my favorite things about Craig is how small it is: I can drive to this spot, almost all the […]
Subscribing is tough!
I am seeing and hearing that subscribing to my blog is very confusing and contains multiple steps. I have a consultation with a word press designer on Monday to get some answers to my questions on this topic. Meanwhile, I have posted an explanation of how to sign up over in the sidebar. Please give […]
The one and only front-yard trolley
My father was always looking for ways to keep us kids active and entertained. He built a catapult out of a rat trap and a block of firewood so we could fire acorns and walnuts across the yard. He hung a long cable from a tree so we could swing back and forth across the […]
Adventures with Huey Long
I was quite grown before I learned that Huey Long was a Depression-era politician from Louisiana who was assassinated at a young age. During my formative years, “Huey Long” was an odd-looking dog who had volunteered to become a part of our family. We estimated him to be equal parts beagle, dachshund, basset hound, and […]
The tenacity of salmonberries
The salmonberries move in when the trees move out. In Southeast Alaska, and no doubt other parts of the Pacific Northwest, salmonberry bushes are a common sight, especially in areas that have been clear cut by logging. (Here in Southeast Alaska, the trees will grow back naturally, and the berries will in turn subside, but […]