The tide was exceptionally low, exposing a rock face usually submerged. And there on the rock clung a purple (or ochre) sea star, the first I’d seen. Locals here on Lopez Island were excited to hear about it; sea stars in the Salish Sea have been scarce since they suffered a species-wide viral disease in…  Read More…

We arrived on Lopez Island in August to a cabin nestled under towering firs. Our house sits in a forest, yet crack the door and the air is fecund with salt and kelp. We are near the sea! A few doors away, an old waterlogged stairway leads down the cliff to a small shallow bay….  Read More…

We’re moving again! The life under the sea is calling, and I hope to start exploring it soon. Scuba diving is in my future! But New Mexico lies nearly a thousand miles from an ocean, and since moving stuff across a continent is expensive, we’re shedding possessions. You’d think after moving eight times in under…  Read More…

I was raised a Mennonite, taught from a young age to pray and to reflect on faith in everyday life. So I was happy when Ann Hostetler, professor of English at my alma mater, Goshen College, posed a few questions to me after Tamed by a Bear came out. It gave me a chance to…  Read More…

The rise of the near-full moon in early November took my breath away. Sundown often shows a soft pink blush on the eastern horizon, but this twilight showered us with beauty beyond measure. The truth of nature In these times of political turmoil, opening to truth—that is, to nature—is crucial. Even if natural forces are…  Read More…