Known as Lawetlat’la by indigenous Cowlitz people, Mount St Helens blew nearly a quarter mile off its height 40 years ago in the most economically destructive volcanic event in the history of the United States.  Killing at least 57 people and destroying … Continue reading Lawetlat’la goes Topless

Cindy is an expert atlatl spear thrower.  She had practice using a ball thrower to whip tennis balls farther down the street so Jenna would run after it and thus exercise.  So she naturally could throw her spear with an atlatl.   We … Continue reading Columbia River

The Queen of the West docked in Umatilla, Oregon, and we hopped on Jodi’s bus for a full day of touring to Pendleton, Oregon-renown for the Pendleton Round-Up and woolens (clothing and blankets).  Jodi keeps up a continuous prattle of information and jokes for … Continue reading PRSN BLU

Exploring the city of The Dalles, Oregon, we stumbled onto a series of murals depicting 10,000 years of history: Native American Indians, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the pioneers who forged a new life at the end of the Oregon … Continue reading Paddle Wheeler on the Columbia River

Well, maybe over there. Hard to determine along the Snake and Columbia Rivers because the rivers are not the same today as they were over 200 years ago.  Islands are gone, rapids are gone, the shore eroded, or worse yet, as much … Continue reading Lewis and Clark Slept Here….

More like the Jack of Clubs instead of the Queen of Hearts, this paddle wheeler is royalty but not opulent as we expected for the price of the cruise.  We romantically selected a paddle wheeler as opposed to a modern ship. … Continue reading Columbia River on the Queen of the West

San Lucas Tolimán Every day a couple vendors lingered at the entrance to our hotel Tolimán plying their blankets and beaded trinkets.  This beaded lizard struck my eye immediately as the perfect gift for my great-grandson, Gabriel.  Every morning as we left … Continue reading Viernes

Brendan is into art, surreal and imaginative. So this mask from the market in Chichicastenango, Guatemala is the perfect gift. 200 Q was the final price, down from 300 Q (the equivalent of $40). Probably too much but bargaining is … Continue reading Masks

To be sure, the beautiful model in this fabulous blue gown in Antigua’s central park is there for a photo shoot. However, she emulates the contrast between the rulers and the people. The Maya Indian in her typical traje (dress) … Continue reading Contrasts: Antigua, Guatemala

A chaos of colors, cultures, contrasts. Sunday, early morning, the market is Mayan for the Mayan while the tourists are still sipping their lattes. A large hall and warrens of alleyways are rich with vegetables, fruit, live chickens, rabbits and turkeys, … Continue reading Chichicastenango, Guatemala