creativity

The moment I waved the gate card at the unresponsive lock, I knew I should have read the email before making the hour and a half drive out to Lake Trask. My boys and I looked up to see the sign on the gate boldly telling us to park our vehicle and check in at… Read more

It’s an absolutely crazy idea but one of my colleagues and I are going to start an art club at work. It’s crazy because who has that kind of time? It’s crazy because I should focus more on my writing. It’s crazy because we so often want to flee the building at the end of… Read more

Spring in one of the best wonders I know and I’ve got a few photos to prove it. Blossoms and acres of green keep finding me wherever I go: The spring fair: Dogs that bark at me from windows while I walk deep in the hilltop: Of course, the black cat who curls up on rainy… Read more

Special Note: This is a piece I wrote for the Puyallup Valley Community Band, a group I rehearse and perform with throughout the year. It’s a wonder to me that music can mean so much to so many at all ages.  For Katriel Looney, reeds are the biggest problem with playing the clarinet. It’s a constant… Read more

My mother-in-law Vivian likes to read popcorn Christian romances. You know the type. There’s a swooning woman and a shirtless guy on every cover of the stacks of books she keeps close at hand. God is always a player in these stories so they are not exactly Harlequins — but they aren’t far off. Once… Read more

When we first got on the ferry on our way to an island last week, I told my sons to look closely for whales. I had never yet seen one in the wild and always wanted to catch a glimpse. Maybe, I thought, today would be the day. They hang out in the waters near… Read more

On Monday, I hobbled into my teaching job. Every other step, pain zipped though the right side of my hip and forced me into a jerking sort of movement just short of a collapse. I could not keep my face straight or look people in the eyes until it eased up again. Over and over I heard… Read more