Fairy slippers, aka calypso orchids, are blooming on Center Island, while manmade miracles have transformed my old stomping grounds, the Columbia River waterfront near Portland, Oregon.

The Return of the Creature In My Chimney -- with a happier ending.

As the San Juan Islands' quietest season winds down with a month of weird and wintry weather, island hermits look toward spring.

On a lonely walk with my cat, a skittering in the bushes raises the hair on our necks. 

Visiting friends on a neighboring isle is a big event in these cold and wind-blown months. 

Snow, ice and gales can't stop a loving dad from meeting up for a special Christmas with his daughter.

After a cozy Thanksgiving with welcome visitors, I've been hunkering down for winter in the wind-blown San Juan Islands.

After months of dry skies and a recent sunny weekend on the Pacific Coast, I'm back in the writing hut with November rains thumping the rooftop. It feels like home.