The Visitor

My friend Tim and I were having breakfast at his home when a black bear arrived on the lawn. The bear passed through the children's toys and walked right up to the window. A moment later, it walked up to the front porch, where only a screen door separated us from one another. The bear heard us and ran away. It circled around the house and then ran down the driveway. 

A little while later, Tim got some plaster casts of the bear prints in the sand. It was a little eerie to stand so close to a bear, but I count it as one of the more amazing experiences of my life. 

Gratitude

I want to express my gratitude to my friend Nate who came out from Indiana to help with my recovery. He has been taking me to my appointments and making sure that I get out of the house. Yesterday we visited the Manressa Grotto in the Kalispel Country.  

Among the camas...

Lunch

My mom brought me out to lunch this afternoon. She has been such a wonderful support ever since I suffered a stroke several weeks ago. Now she is supporting my recovery. 

Mi mamá me llevó a comer hoy en la tarde. Ella ha sido un apoyo desde que sufrí un derrame cerebral hace algunas semanas. Ahora está apoyando mi recuperación. 

Rhonda and Whitney had lunch with us. 

Rhonda y Whitney comerieron con nosotros. 

All the waiters at the restaurant know me. When they saw me walking with a cane, they all came out of the kitchen and greeted me. It was a very sweet gesture. 

Todos los meseros en el resaurante me conocen. Cuando me vieron caminar con un bastón, todos salieron de la cocina y me saludaron. Fue un gesto lindo.  

Many people have expressed concern about seeing me out of my house. You should know that part of physical therapy requires me to go outside and walk every day. Walking and other physical activities will help my brain to re-wire itself.

Algunas personas han expresado su precupación al verme salir de la casa. Deberían saber que parte de mi terapia física me requiere salir afuera y caminar todos los días. Caminar y otras actividades físicas ayudarán a que se sane mi cerebro. 

Prom Date

A young man - the son of family friends - came to our house today and asked my daughter to the prom. He was so nervous, but he was gracious and polite. He even brought a bouquet of flowers. She said yes. 

I was sitting on the couch, but I heard everything. It was so sweet. I found myself getting misty. I'm officially old - my baby is going to the prom. 

Un joven - el hijo de amigos de nuestra familia - llegó a la casa hoy y le pidió a mi hija a que vaya al baile de graduación. Estaba tan nervioso, pero fue muy amable y cortés. También le dió un ramo de flores. Ella dijo sí.

Yo estaba sentado en el sofá, pero escuché todo. Fue tan dulce. Me sentí muy sentimental, y lloré un poco. Oficialmente soy viejo. Mi bebé se va al baile de graduación. 

South Perry Pizza

When I woke up this morning, I had an unbearable craving for South Perry Pizza. More importantly, I couldn't stop thinking about my friend Erin. My wife treats me really well, so she drove me all the way to South Perry to fulfill my wish. 

Everybody wants me to stay home and sleep, but man, I get so damned bored sitting in my house all day every day. Boredom cannot be good for my healing. And besides, my physical therapist said that I really am supposed to get out and walk a couple times a day. 

My baby girl Whitney had pizza with me today. 

Here's my new look with short hair. I don't like the new hairstyle, 

but I am thankful to be alive. My hair will grow back. 

At South Perry Pizza, I was really hoping that I would see Erin by some chance, but it didn't work out. As we were leaving, I asked several of the waiters if they knew her. They all said no. Hmmmm. So then, I left a note for her on the bar and just asked them to give it to Erin when she came in. I had no idea if she would find her note or not, but I decided to just trust the universe to deliver the message to its proper destination. 

We saw these beautiful spring flowers outside the pizza place. I was just thinking, "I should take a picture of those flowers," when Whitney jumped out of the car and said, "I should take a picture of those flowers." Apparently, she learned something from me. 

When I got home, Erin re-posted my note on FB, so I guess the message found its recipient. Everything must have worked out. She said the note made her sniffle. :)

Ingrid

Ingrid is my former student at Whitworth University where she took a class that I teach in Native American Film. She is a Kaqchikel Maya woman from Sololá. Guatema with a passionate drive to defend indigenous rights. She always added a fiery, insightful perspective into our class discussions. Last year, she took a job in Guatemala at Cultural Survival to support indigenous radio. She was in town this week for a brief visit. 

Ingrid era mi estudiante en la Universidad de Whitworth donde tomaba una clase que enseño sobre las Películas de Nativos Americanos. Ella es una mujer Kaqchikel Maya de Sololá, Guatemala con un deseo apasionado de defender los derechos indígenas. Siempre añade una perspectiva intensa y profunda a las discusiones en clase. El año pasado, aceptó un trabajo con Cultural Survival (Sobrevivencia Cultural) para apoyar la radio indígena. Está de visita esta semana.  

Ingrid's boyfriend is Stephen, my friend who made an appearance in a previous blog post. He recently visited Ingrid in Guatemala. He sent me a gift that was beautifully wrapped in a newspaper with a Gallo beer ad. I seriously love the wrapping paper. 

El novio de Ingrid se llama Esteban. El es un amigo mío que apareció en una entrada pasada de mi blog. Recientemente le visitó a Ingrid en Guatemala. Me envió un regalo bellamente envuelto en un anuncio de periódico para la cerveza Gallo. En serio me encanta el papel de regalo que me envió. 

The gift was an Indian mask. 

Thank you Stephen. 

I love it!

El regalo fue una máscara indígena. 

Gracias Esteban. 

¡Me encanta!

A screen shot from the Cultural Survival website shows Ingrid and other indigenous people marching in defense of sacred lands. I truly admire her strength of spirit. 

Una captura de pantalla de la página web de Cultural Survival muestra Ingrid y otra gente indígena que marchan en defensa de las tierras sagradas. Sinceramente admiro la fuerza de su espíritu. 

Casi Cielo

My friend Connor and I visited Starbucks this afternoon and encountered a strange piece of heaven. We each grieved our separate losses, when I looked up and saw this advertisement with the line Guatemala Casi Cielo - Guatemala Almost Heaven. Yes, Guatemala was for me almost heaven, a place filled with happy, loving memories. The words alone brought a small moment of comfort in my grief. 

Mi amigo Connor y yo visitamos Starbucks esta tarde y encontramos un pedazo extraño del cielo. Los dos lamentábamos las pérdidas distintas de cada uno, cuando miré hacia arriba y vi un cartel con la línea Guatemala Casi Cielo.  Sí, Guatemala ha sido para mí casi un cielo, un lugar lleno de recuerdos felices y amorosos. Las palabras por si solas me dieron un pequeño momento de consuelo en mi aflicción. 

Flames of Orange and Gold

My friend Connor is visiting Spokane from the East Coast. Yesterday afternoon, we drove to Wellpinit to see my uncle, but as we passed the petroglyphs at Riverside State Park, the gray clouds burst into flames of orange and gold. It was one of those moments that would have felt wrong to ignore or dismiss. We simply had to stop and offer our respect to the sun and the beauty of creation. 

People who follow my blog regularly will notice that I often post sunset pictures. I am fully aware that photographs never fully convey the magic of those moments; however, I am perhaps foolish enough to believe that simply pointing to the beauty will inspire others to seek out their own connection to the Divine.  

The trail seemed to lead directly into the sunset. 

The Little Spokane River. 

The fiery sky was reflected in the water. 

***
**
*

As an aside, I am experimenting with taking pictures in RAW format, rather than JPEG. So far, it reallly does seem to offer greater flexibility in editing things like the white balance and such. All of the pictures in this post were taken in RAW format and then converted to JPEG. 

Salish Dolls

Annette made some beautiful "Salish dolls" that she sold today at Northern Quest. Rhonda and I went out to see them and happened to see Shelly buying one of the dolls. 

Annette prepared some information about the dolls: 

These dolls' dresses are made of brain-tanned, smoked buckskin. They are embellished with parfleches, cedar baskets, and woven baskets. The plants, rocks, moss, and wood are all native to the Spokane Indian Reservation. The Salish women of the Great Northwest of the United States are hardworking, loyal, loving, care-giving, strong spirited, and compassionate to all people, animals, and Mother Earth.

Annette is an inspiration to me. 

Each doll is hand-made and unique.

They each have been given a name.  

Annette and Shelly. 

The details of each doll are intricate and beautiful. 

Indigenous Connection

The aboriginal tour is coming to an end. The group will visit the Spokane Indian Reservation tomorrow, and the following day, they will fly back to Australia. Sadly, their visit has been all too brief. This evening, we all shared a final meal together, and afterwards, a small group of us got together for some amazing conversation. We discussed indigenous culture and spirituality in our respective countries, and we found that the similarities are many. In the end, our common experiences created a deep sense of mutual appreciation, understanding, and connection. 

In this photograph: Peta, Barbara, and Dixie. 

Mobile Murals

This story is only a couple months late, but I finally got to see the Mobile Murals Project on Third and Division. I was driving to work, when I suddenly recognized a painting made by Todd and Cain Benson (above). Seems like their artwork has stopped me more than once. In any case, I really love public art, but I especially feel a connection to Todd and Cain. 

A city...

A horse with an American flag design.

"Beasts of the Wild"

Johnny

What an awesome day! I got to spend several hours with Johnny Arlee this afternoon talking about language, spirituality, and education. Maybe sometime I'll get to share more of our conversation, but for now, I just want to express my gratitude for our meeting today. lemlmtš čoleʔ.

Temple Dedication

My dear friend Francesca has dedicated a portion of her home as a Tibetan Buddhist temple. She lives in an older house with an addition that has been converted into a sanctuary. The house includes a shrine to the Buddha and a large portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. 

She asked me to offer a prayer as part of the dedication ceremony, 

Geshe-la, a Buddhist monk from Tibet, conducted the main portion of the ceremony, reading first in Tibetan and then in English.  

The service was deeply ecumenical. Father Connolly, an old family friend, participated in the ceremony.

Geshe-la.

I was also happy to see Eva. She was teasing me after the ceremony that she only gets to see my pictures when they appear on the internet. Apparently, he daughter retrieves the pictures and shares them with her. As a result, I felt obligated to post this picture to add to her collection. 

Graham

My friend Graham interviewed me this afternoon as part of his master's thesis in adventure education at Prescott College. Some years ago, Graham and I gave our support to a young man in our community who made a commitment to only eat wild foods for several months. It was an inspiring project, and now Graham is researching the influences, motivations, and outcomes of this young man's "wild foods challenge." He is also exploring the role of mentoring in supporting young people who initiate meaningful nature-based projects.

As an exchange for my willingness to be one of his research subjects, Graham agreed to appear in my blog. 

Cultural Restoration

Lately, I have received a series of unexpected visits. Just last night, my friend Tim happened to be in the neighborhood after a two hour drive from Sandpoint. Seems like that never happens, but we took advantage of a rare situation to get some great conversation time. 

During our visit, we spoke about the concept of "cultural restoration."

Cultural restoration is difficult for me to fully define. It is based on the idea that certain cultural practices from the past tended to encourage a greater sense of personal and community integration than current practices. For example, when people shared a communal oven for baking bread, or got together to pick huckleberries, the shared interdependence created strong community ties spanning multiple generations. However, as society moved toward industrialization, people tended to rely less upon one another. As a result, our present age increasingly suffers disconnection and the fragmentation of community. 

Using the example of food, maintaining a community garden, or reviving the tradition of pit baked moss, could be considered forms of cultural restoration. 

Micah

The other day, Micah visited with me on the campus of Whitworth University. We hardly know each other, but he once heard me give a speech that impacted him in a meaningful way. Now he was passing through Spokane and asking me to talk about the spirituality of hunting - something he called the "sacred hunt." He took a video of our conversation to be posted on a future blog or website. 

When he visited, I neglected to get a picture. 

Today he stopped by my house on his way out of town to offer the photograph we missed. He was exhausted from an eventful weekend on the road, but I really appreciate the authenticity of his expression. It's all part of the memory we share.

This picture represents a change for me. Years ago, I hardly photographed people at all, or if I did, the faces were so distant that the photograph lacked spirit. My mother once complained when I went on a trip to Washington DC and took hundreds of pictures, and all of them devoid of people. I have come to realize that human faces are almost always the most important memory from any event. 

Ceremony

Our visit to Nauvoo was a wonderful experience, but it was occasionally lonely for me. The people were wonderful, but I missed my own culture and spirituality. 

Toward the end of the pageant, Daniel - a Native man from Kansas - drove six hours to see the show and connect with members of the cast. He was in the pageant himself several years ago, so he knew many of the same people. I am not sure how he found out about me, but he heard there was another Native in the cast, so he tracked me down, and we had a great visit. 

Out of the blue, he said that he brought a hand drum and that he wanted to sing. So the two of us went into the Grove - the same grove where Joseph Smith once preached some of his most important sermons - and sang from our respective traditions. It was an amazing, impromptu ceremony that totally lifted my heart. By the end, any heaviness or loneliness simply fell away. 

I'm still grateful to Daniel for helping me that afternoon. 

Reunion

While in Nauvoo, I had an unexpected mission reunion with Elder Clark and the former Hermana Bragg. They approached me during the country fair, and we later had a chance to talk at the end of the show. It was a delightful surprise - wonderful!  

snpinktn

Snpinktn is an indigenous place name in present-day British Columbia that was Anglicized and changed into Penticton. This week I had the opportunity to visit snpinktn with a fluent elder from that area. I was the taxi-man who brought him home from the Sisyikst gathering last week in Inchelium. The whole time we were together, he corrected me when I pronounced the English place name. It might be something casual like, "I've never been to Penticton before," but he stopped me every time and repeated the name in Salish. He spoke the word slowly and emphatically, "Sn-pink-tn." He never uttered a tone of anger or irritation, but perhaps a quiet insistence to not validate the colonial distortion of the indigenous landscape.  

This elder's influence impacted me in unexpected ways. I found myself speaking scattered phrases of his dialect, simply because they were present in every conversation - I didn't have to think about it. By the time I left Canada, I found myself thanking cashiers or greeting waitresses in Salish. At the border, the agent asked, "Where did you visit in Canada?" 

Without thinking, I said, "snpinktn," and for a moment, I totally blanked on the English name.  

The reserve sits on a hillside overlooking the city. Most of the road signs are written in Salish first, followed by English. These are small cultural reminders, but they are so important. I wish our community would do this. 

The Outma Sqilxʷ Cultural School helped sponsor an elder's gathering for elders and young people to come together and share cultural knowledge. After taking my friend home, I stayed another couple days to witness some of the cultural events. 

My new sl'axt Koy showed some of the 

young men how to raise a tepee. 

A woman demonstrated a dip net 

made entirely from spec'n (dogbane).

She also demonstrated spec'n bags.  

Cottonwood canoes on display. 

The food for the elder's dinner was cooked in 

pit ovens, just like we do at Wellpinit. 

Hide tanning demonstration.