Cold and dark winter in the far north can appear lifeless. Few birds sing. Conifers maintain their needles, but deciduous trees, bushes, and groundcover lose their leaves and enter dormancy. They look dead. There is a groaning as winter drags on. People wait impatiently, eager, expectant for what lies ahead. The initial glories of spring elicit groans and frustration among... READ MORE >
Patches of aspen riddle the desert mountainsides of south central Oregon, bright against the darker pines and juniper, brighter still against the red and browns of volcanic rock strewn through the landscape. Aspen provide ecological diversity, offering forage and shelter for calving elk, among other creatures. Basque shepherds inhabited these lands in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They... READ MORE >
