Reflections

Wonder is a gateway through which the universe floods in and takes up residence within us.  –Brian Thomas Swimme and Mary Evelyn Tucker in Journey of the Universe In January, there was a week when the morning temperatures here in the rainforest hovered around 25°F (-4°C), which is cold for us. The rain barely made a showing, snow never fell, the wind was absent, so frost happily hung around, coating as many surfaces as the winter sun would allow.    One early morning, before

Granary Incense Cedar; JD Burress On a rainy New Year’s Eve our son Nico drove us to the top of San Diego’s Palomar Mountain (6000’ elevation) for a hike in the clouds. His 1998 Toyota Tacoma, fitted with a new set of tires, easily maneuvered dirt and gravel switchbacks hedged by coastal sage scrub. As we climbed out of the valley, the tree line took over and soon we were in the forest. Near the peak, we parked at Scott’s Cabin trailhead and made our way through sections of i

Greetings to you on this, the Winter Solstice! The cats were restless this morning and in their own way, insisted that I wake up long before it seemed advisable, certainly well before the sun made her appearance. I obeyed them because cats do not easily give up. Once I fed them, I stepped outside into the darkness, and as fortune would have it, right into a conversation between two owls. While they exchanged information, I sensed that I was in a sacred circle with two magni

After college, before babies and smart phones, JD and I moved to Portland, Oregon, where I found a job as a representative for a small college textbook publisher. My Thomas Guide directed me to campuses all over Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana, where I’d try to persuade professors to adopt our word processing, programming, and computer science books. Before the key was in the ignition of the company issue Ford Taurus, I’d memorize highway numbers, landmarks, a

This time of year, in between the rains, the cows still graze in wide open fields. Today, one scene caught my eye as I passed the last dairy before heading home–200 jersey cows all lying on the lush pasture, except for one gal who stood in the middle of them all. I shouted to no one, “What a standout!” And then immediately thought of our dear dog Bodhi who we said goodbye to just a week ago.   Over the last month, I’d often get down on the floor at Bodhi level and ask him if

Recently, my daughter Alexandra and I took a botanical printing class taught by Hannah Watson  through Wild Craft Studio School  in...

Vine maple by C. Burress, 2025 We miss a lot from reading the papers that are made from the trees instead of reading the trees...

Shadows in the Understory (Burress) “Were it not for shadows, there would be no beauty.” –   Junichiro Tanizaki Most mornings, after...

Great horned owlet (CA) Photo by C. Misen, 2025 There is a pair of Great horned owls who return every year to their nest in an oak tree...

Western red Cedar, Tillamook Estuaries Partnership, Tillamook, OR, April 2025 Earlier this month, my husband and I joined 20 others who...