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Morocco and my work
A Pebble Mosaic Carpet I built in a garden in Los AngelesI am in Morocco again for the second of what may be a continuing series of trips to discover and revisit all that is wonderful about this...
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Chefchaouen Blue
A view of Chefchaouen, MoroccoChefchaouen is a small city in the Rif mountains of Northern Morocco known for its climate, blue houses, and kif, or marijuana that is grown in the surrounding mountains....
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Melilla, an architectural gem on the Moroccan Coast
Palacio de AsambleaMelilla is one of two Spanish enclaves on the Moroccan coastline that are remnants of Spain's occupation of parts of North Africa. The other is Ceuta near the city of Tangier, which...
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A labor of love
I am about to post the most laborious essay I have written to date for this blog site. I've been wanting to do it ever since I revisited the Alhambra in Granada, Spain last year, but hesitated to do...
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Tales of the Alhambra
The Alhambra viewed from the Generalife"Everything here appears calculated to inspire kind and happy feelings, for everything is delicate and beautiful. The very light falls tenderly from above,...
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The Generalife
This essay is a continuation of the last one about the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. In that essay we accomplished the equivalent of two days exploring the citadel of the Nasrid Emirs. We will now...
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A lecture on April 10 in Eugene, Oregon
I will be giving my presentation called 'The Pleasure Garden' in Eugene at the Willamette Valley Chapter of the Hardy Plant Society on April 10. Eugene is my home town, so it is a pleasure to bring...
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Happy Arbor Day
Hundred year old magnolias planted as seeds or cuttings in the Bishop's Close Garden in PortlandArbor Day is a national holiday in the United States that falls on the last Friday of every April. It is...
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My Work
A carved stone niche in the First WallLately I have been a stone mason. There is a line in a song by the band Cake that we listened to today with the line; "The Stonemason does all the work". Stone...
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Garden Altars
A candle illuminates a Khmer Buddha in a niche in my gardenGanesha peers from a moss encrusted niche in my gardenWinter in the Pacific Northwest tends to be wet. It rains a lot, so I leave my lovely...
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Fantasy becomes reality in my garden
This afternoon on October 29, photographer Scott Belding came to my garden to capture images of two belly dancers, one who has become a much loved friend named Nagasita, and the other an instructor...
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El Cementerio de Tulcán
A face emerges from a hedge in the Cementerio de TulcanIn December of the year 2000 I made my first of what would be 11 winters spent in South America. An old college friend of mine and I flew from...
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Venezia
The Grand Canal at sunsetTravel is the stuff of dreams manifested in to reality. When I was a child watching the old game show 'Lets Make a Deal' on television, for me, the greatest prize one could...
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The Kolymbetra Garden
Looking down in to the Kolymbetra Garden Paradise is one of those elusive concepts we tend to stereotype as a tropical beach at sunset or the Garden of Eden, from which Adam and Eve were kicked out for...
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Ragusa, Sicily
A Baroque door on a Palazzo in Ragusa IblaThere are so many beautiful towns in Italy. The country is justly famous for them. Ragusa, on the island of Sicily is one of the most magical towns I visited...
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The Beautiful Stonework of Molyvos on the Island of Lesvos in Greece
A typical detail in an Ottoman wall in Molyvos, with raised pointingEach winter I travel for 3 months to different parts of the world. I have been focusing on the Mediterranean region for the last 6...
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Giving back to the Earth
I'm on beautiful island of Naxos now, the largest of the Cyclades group of islands in Greece. This is the island where the King of the ancient Greek Gods Zeus was raised, in a cave on a mountain...
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The Apollon Beach Mosaics, Greece
A variety of beautiful beach stones combined to make a sunburst mosaicThis winter I am spending 3 incredible months in Greece, island hopping from north to south. I started on the beautiful island of...
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The Minoan Labyrinth
Labyrinth patterns were stamped in to the coins of Knossos, from the Archaeology Museum, Heraklion, CreteOne of the main reasons I came to the island of Crete this winter was to visit Knossos, the...
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The Halls Hill Labyrinth, Jupiter
A beautifully enhanced image of the planet Jupiter showing a swirling cloud layer of ammonia crystalsIt is Spring and I am back on Bainbridge Island to resume work on the Halls Hill Labyrinth. Last...
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