La Push, WA

April 5, 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

“It’s up to you,” Ric places the decision heavily on my shoulders. “You pick; I’ll drive.” The choices are to drive two hours to Neah Bay, where if we are willing to trek over fallen logs and a bit of a rocky trail for a mile, we might be able to see whales; or to […]

The Oregon Coast

March 29, 2018.Reading time 5 minutes.

“Let’s go for a seafood lunch on the ocean.” So, I bundle up – the temperature is cooler here than we’ve used to – and we head along highway 126, out of Eugene. The two-lane road winds through trees, passes through a tunnel and leads us out to the amazing Oregon coast. We stop in […]

Los Angeles, California

March 13, 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

“There’s a place called Balloona Wetlands which is supposed to be good for birding,” Ric tells me the first morning I’m ready to go again. “It’s in LA, though.” Innocently, I shrug and say: “Sure”. We are staying in a motel in Ontario, California while our RV is having some work done. Los Angeles is […]

Where Are The Dogs?

Contemplating risk –a reunion with a former selflooking for an exit When did I become a snakerestrained?When did I become persona non grata? I slither between storiesconvince myself I can flydistraction a ruse I have big cat energyoverstepping boundariessocially adverse A faulty jeweldreaming of abundance but there’s a dragon to disarm My mother’s burden on my […]

Turning (tanka)

Mother

When I had a mothermy hair would cascadein curls of auburn perfectiona red velvet bow to accentuate the wave And I’d wear my bestnewly sewn frockwith lace at the neckand fishnet stockingsand patent Mary Janes And the girls giggling with delightwould skip hand-in-handto the school promand the boys shyly perchedagainst the back wall would wonderhow […]