čʔosšnasq't

 

wičn u čluxʷ łuʔ sp'q'niʔ yetłxʷa n čʔosšnasq't. 

i kʷil łuʔ sččmasq't nwist łuʔ w'suʔł čłqli.  

Turnbull

After living in the Spokane area for most of my life - and attending classes at EWU in Cheney for three years - I never visited Turnbull Wildlife Refuge until this afternoon. 

My friend Carole introduced me to the park. This coyote greeted us at the entrance as we arrived. 

Turnbull is considered a riparian zone, which refers to an ecologically sensitive area situated between water and land, often characterized by water-loving plants like cattails or tule. The landscape is remarkably diverse, ranging from basalt scab-lands, to small lakes and pine forests. The vegetation is equally beautiful and diverse. 

We spent several hours at Turnbull photographing the plants and wildlife. It's truly an amazing place - well worth the visit. 

Tall grasses surround the many ponds and lakes. 

Ponderosa pines stand in the distance. 

This porcupine walked only ten feet away from us, apparently undisturbed by our presence. It was difficult to photograph because of the movement. However, I called out and said, "Stop moving so I can take your picture!" In that exact moment, it stood completely still and seemed to wait for my camera. It was quite funny. 

A lone pine on an island. 

Pink and purple flowers. 

A whitetail deer in velvet and a red summer coat. 

Ponderosa pines. 

Does anyone know these birds? 

Click on the image to get a better view. 

Lupine in the sunset. 

These little flowers were soft like feathers. 

Does anyone know their name? 

I believe these are naturalized or invasive flowers. 

Hillyard Center Closing

The Spokesman-Review recently reported on the imminent closure of the Hillyard Center. The building will be demolished within the next few weeks to make room for an extension of the north-south freeway. All GED and High School Completion classes will then move to our main campus at Spokane Community College. 

Every day for the last couple weeks, the Hillyard staff has packed boxes and dismantled classrooms. It's been a tedious and dusty process, but I'm excited for our space on the SCC campus. 

Photo credit: Dan Pelle at the Spokesman-Review. 

Front Page

The Benson brothers are getting all kinds of positive attention for their work on the Maple Street Mural. This morning, I saw their painting on the front page of the Spokesman-Review, and since our school typically subscribes to about 20 or 30 copies per day, their image was scattered onto every table and desk in the building. The image gave me the opportunity to promote their mural to anyone who would listen. I encouraged everyone to drive past 2nd and Maple to see the artwork in person. 

Photo credit: Dan Pelle at the Spokesman-Review.

Mural Update

A progress report on the Maple Street Mural: The outlines are not quite complete on the southwest section of 2nd and Maple, but certainly more than my previous visit. The artists have not yet begun painting the wall at the northeast corner of the intersection, though eventually they will. 

By the end, the black outlines will be filled with color.  

Passersby stop to make conversation, including newspaper reporters, television crews, photographers, fellow artists, and curious onlookers. The constant stream of conversation undoubtedly delays the finished product, but also increases the spirit of community.  

Twenty

Today is our 20th anniversary!

Happy anniversary Rhonda!

Living History

The Friends of Spokane House hosted a living history exhibit this weekend where participants dressed in clothing from the time of the original trading post (1810) and displayed traditional crafts. As part of the event, my Uncle Pat and I had the opportunity to speak to people about the history of the Spokane Tribe. 

Spokane House introduced many new items into our local culture, like guns and metal pots. They also brought decorative items, like glass beads from Italy. 

The traders persuaded the people to deliver beaver pelts in exchange for trade items. Beaver skins thus became a kind of currency or money. 

As an interesting side note, one of the earliest Salish words I learned in my childhood was a word for money. Years ago, I sometimes asked my father to take us to the movies or buy ice cream, and he would often respond by saying, "We got no sqlew." I always understood his meaning, "We have no money," but it wasn't until I was an adult that I realized the true meaning of this word: sqlew is the Spokane term for beaver. It's interesting to me that Spokane House influenced my family almost 200 years later. 

The beaver pelts were used to make top hats in Europe. 

Camp musicians. 

The grave of Jacco Finley near Spokane House.

Dakota near the Northwest Company flag. 

Maple Street Mural

Brothers Todd and Cain Benson are back to working their magic on a new mural at the intersection of Second Avenue and Maple Street in downtown Spokane, a mural reminiscent of a previous work located in the Central Food building. This latest installation was the result of a competitive process sponsored by the Spokane Arts Commission to transform public spaces into works of art.

My admiration for Todd and Cain began in 2008 when they created a visual tribute to John McCain and Barack Obama. Their work appealed to my sense of aesthetic beauty while holding a thoughtful insight into the subtle nuances of politics, community, and culture. Since that time, I have followed their projects and made sure to observe the process to the best of my ability. Sometimes they worked late into the night while still managing to entertain deep philosophical discussions. 

Their ability to transform public spaces is magical. Not only do they create tangible works of art, but just today I observed the effect of their work on the community. Random strangers stopped to photograph the mural, ask questions, or strike up conversations. One man in particular stopped to say how much one of the faces reminded him of his daughter Hope. In response to the man's story, Todd and Cain added the young girl's name to the painting. 

From an indigenous perspective, works of art sometimes carry spiritual power. Todd and Cain channel a similar power through their art - an art that comes alive with human connections.   

The mural is appearing under a train truss. 

 

A butterfly takes shape near the image of Hope.

Todd...

Cain...

A train passed overhead while cars filled the intersection.

A random passerby stopped to photograph the mural.

Another team was selected to install a mural under a train bridge just a few blocks away from the Benson brothers. I had the opportunity to visit this mural and meet the artist Lisa Soranaka. Her passion, talent, and commitment were equally inspiring. She paused her work and spoke to me about creating beauty in public spaces.   

Another team was selected to create a mural under the Wall Street overpass. The scaffolding was visible, but so far only a faint pencil sketch shows the eventual placement of the paint.