Delicious fish at Brigham Fish Market: Foodie Friday & FOWC

If you’re looking for some delicious fish while traveling in the Columbia River Gorge, check out the Brigham Fish Market in Cascade Locks, Oregon. This business is owned and operated by a local Native American family.

We like going there for the delicious fish and chips. The clam chowder is also one of our favorites.

fish and chips

In fact, this restaurant is so successful, it’s been featured in an issue of Food and Wine magazine. The article tells about how sisters Terrie Brigham and Kim Brigham Campbell are part of a family with a long history of fishing this area. After their preferred fishing grounds at Celilo Falls were inundated to create The Dalles Dam, their father and grandfather moved an hour down river. The sisters still use the scaffolds their family built for fishing.

fishing platforms

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Lovebird window display: Wordless Wednesday

lovebird window display

Baranger lovebird window display at National Neon Sign Museum, The Dalles, Oregon

Wordless Wednesday

Boot for walking drawings: First Friday Art

Before going on a long trip, I spent a lot of time shopping for a good boot for walking. Today I’m sharing my pen and ink boot drawings and photos.

boot for walking

While considering different boots, I considered the fit, materials, quality, etc. These Chaco boots seemed to be just what I was looking for. I liked the styling, but also how you can roll up the cuff to keep your ankles warmer in cold weather.

Chaco boot

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Octopus Recycler mural: Monday Mural

Though this mural is untitled, I thought it looked like a giant octopus recycler. The octopus appeared to be busy sorting through treasures it had found. It’s not far from the shoreline of Puget Sound in Edmonds, Washington. This mural was painted by Andy Eccleshall and it’s on the back of the Salish Crossing building.

Octopus recycler

It was hard to capture the entire painting with my camera. The mural also included this colorful crab. The business right next to the crab is appropriately named “Stranded by the Sea.”

crab mural

Monday Mural

Pesto Margherita pizza: Foodie Friday

Today I’m sharing a photograph of the Pesto Margherita pizza from Rush’s Squares in Bend, Oregon. This pizza includes pesto, a cheese blend, fresh mozzarella, grape tomatoes, fresh basil, and balsamic glaze.

Pesto margherita pizza

Though it doesn’t include tomato sauce, meat, or other common pizza ingredients, this simple Pesto Margherita pizza is my favorite in Bend. I especially like the fresh basil leaves and the drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Yum!

Rush’s Squares is one of the food trucks at the On Tap food truck pod in northeast Bend. As you may have figured out by their name, all their Sicilian style pizzas are square. You can order a pizza from their menu or create your own. Be sure to pair your meal with one of the beers, ciders, wines, or non-alcoholic drinks from the On Tap taproom.

Foodie Friday

Treasures of the Wild West: LAPC

If you’d like to see an impressive collection of treasures of the Wild West, be sure to visit the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. This world-class attraction is in Cody, Wyoming, an hour’s drive east of Yellowstone National Park.

Treasures of the Wild West in five museums

The Center contains five museums, including the Buffalo Bill Museum. There’s something for everyone at this museum.

Buffalo Bill Museum

During his lifetime, William F. Cody worked as a ranch hand, bison hunter, fur trapper, wagon train driver, Army scout, prospector, and Pony Express rider.

Cody is perhaps most well-known as a showman. He helped create a traveling show called Buffalo Bill’s Wild West. He took on the persona of Buffalo Bill.

Buffalo Bill Cody

Source: National Portrait Gallery. Smithsonian Institution.

Cody and his crew of performers put on outdoor western shows, highlighting (and romanticizing) the legacy of the West. The show began in 1883 and continued for 30 years.

Buffalo Bill's wardrobe

treasures of the wild west

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Mythical creatures of MOR: FOWC

While visiting the Museum of the Rockies (MOR) in Bozeman, Montana, I was amazed to see mythical creatures filling one of their halls. Kudos to whomever had the great idea to create and display life-sized representations of creatures that have existed in our imaginations for years.

Large-scale mythical creatures

A colorful 17-foot long dragon guards one of the entrances. These are mythical creatures, but they resemble lizards, snakes, and dinosaurs.

mythical creatures

Near the other entrance, a unicorn points the way ahead. Modern tales of this creature depict it as white with a single long horn. However, older stories describe them with the body of a goat and a short, colored horn.

Unicorn sculpture

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Glass from the Past: LAPC & MM

Today I’m sharing some of my green glass from the past. It’s nice to collect things you can actually use.

The first piece is a beater/measuring cup that’s practical and pretty. The Art Deco-style measuring cup also makes a nice display piece without the beater on top.

The next piece is a large cake plate with geometric patterns. It works great for cakes (and even better for homemade fudge). 😀

The next piece is a Vess Dry Ginger Ale bottle. I really liked its curvaceous shape.

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Owl shirt & sign: First Friday Art

Today I’m sharing an owl shirt & sign I created. I’m featuring a drawing I did of a Flammulated Owl, Psiloscops flammeolus. When I originally drew this small owl with pen and ink, it was one of my favorites. In fact, I liked it so much I made it my logo for the art business I once ran.

First, I’ll share a photo of the t-shirt. I used sublimation ink, sublimation paper, and a hot press to transfer this image.

owl shirt

As mentioned in a previous post, I’m still learning how to do sublimation printing. This time, my first transfer didn’t work well at all. I used the settings included with the hot press. When I redid it, I used the settings recommended by the sublimation paper manufacturer. On some fabric products designed for this transfer process, there may be an additional set of instructions. I figured out you should keep extra blank products to discover the best settings.

Here is a closer view of my owl shirt. A few areas aren’t as dark as they should be, but it turned out well overall.

owl print

Next, I’m sharing a picture of a sign from my one-time business, NatureWise Art. For a while, I participated regularly in arts and crafts fairs with my wildlife art. I sold stationery, prints, boxes, and rocks featuring my artwork. Creating this post showing my owl shirt & sign reminded me of the many hours I put into participating in fairs.

owl shirt & sign

Since I’m an introvert, these events weren’t easy for me. I thought I must not have inherited my family’s salesperson gene. Later, while working as an elected School Board Director, I learned successful politicians rely upon the key qualities of salespeople regularly. Over the 12 years I served, I became a salesperson. Though I no longer work at fairs or serve as an elected official, I “sell” information and entertainment on this blog site.

I have always said that everyone is in sales. Maybe you don’t hold the title of salesperson, but if the business you are in requires you to deal with people, you, my friend, are in sales. Zig Ziglar

Do you have artwork you would like to share? Be sure to include the First Friday Art tag.

First Friday Art (FFA)

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Born Again Babaylan: Monday Mural

The Born Again Babaylan mural is one of many murals located in downtown Bend, Oregon. This mural was painted by Bekah Badilla in 2021. I previously featured one of her other works, Myth of Progress, also located in Bend. The Born Again Babaylan mural was created in collaboration with the High Desert Equality and Justice Mural Festival.

born again babaylan

Bekah describes this work in the following partial description. See her website for the full description.

Melting out of the glacial ice is the spirit of a Babaylan and her descendants. Babaylan refers to the naming for a matriarchal leader, spirit guide and warrior prevalent in pre-colonial Philippines. The Babaylan is embodied in the ice, changing, shifting and eternally offering knowledge and guidance not through elitism and brute force but through spirituality, mysticism and ancestral strength.

Bekah Badilla

Monday Mural

Tasty treat at East Lake: Friday Foodies

If you’re looking for a special dessert in Central Oregon, try this tasty treat at East Lake Resort. While staying at the nearby campground, I had a craving for something sweet.

After a little kayaking on the lake, we visited the Blue Duck Grill at the resort. For dessert, we ordered this Mixed Berry Cobbler. It was a generous-sized portion, with plenty to share!

tasty treat at East Lake

The crumbly cobbler was topped with a couple dabs of whip cream and plump, delicious berries in a sweet sauce. The scoop of ice cream costs $1 more, but it was worth it. If you’re looking for a tasty treat at East Lake, consider ordering this cobbler.

The menu also includes something called Terrible Pie that’s described as “so good it’s terrible.” I’ll have to try that on a future visit.

For dinner, I had the Habanero Bacon Jam Burger and it was very good. It somehow mysteriously vanished before I could take its picture. 😉

Foodie Friday

Livingston Montana: Monochrome Monday

While visiting Livingston Montana last summer, I was impressed by the well-preserved downtown buildings. Livingston, founded in 1882, currently has a population of about 8,000. This town was established while construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad was making its way westward.

Livingston Montana

To learn more about the historic downtown, consider going on a walking tour. This site gives more information on 22 historical locations in Livingston Montana.

downtown view

Monochrome Monday

Small and large scale: LAPC

In photography, the way you show objects in small and large scale can have a big impact.

When I’ve seen grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park, most of the time they are hundreds of yards away. I took this small scale picture through my spotting scope of a sow with two cubs in the Lamar Valley.

small and large scale

To see a closer view of a grizzly bear, I visited the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, Montana. They are massive creatures.

Grizzly bear

Sometimes, bonsai masters sculpt smaller versions of objects of nature. This is a juniper tree bonsai, recently purchased at the Bend Summer Festival. It measures 4 inches in height.

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Yoli Korean restaurant 5-course meal: FF

We’ve visited Yoli Korean restaurant in downtown Bend, Oregon before, but had never ordered the 5-course meal. We recently tried it and were not disappointed.

Yoli, the Korean word for cuisine, was created by Chef Joe Kim and his wife Laura and opened in 2022. I included a copy of the 5-course menu at the end of this post. You can see the lunch and dinner menus on their website. If you’re feeling adventuresome, give them 24 hours notice and order a Tasting Menu.

Raw Starter course

For the Raw Starter course, I had the Spicy King Salmon Hwe and my companion had the Yukhoe. The presentation is artful and the food delicious.

raw salmon starter

Yukhoe

The picture below shows the interior of the restaurant’s simple yet elegant design.

Yoli Korean restaurant

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Lan Su Chinese Garden: One Word Sunday

Near the shores of the Willamette River in downtown Portland, you’ll find a small gem of a garden. Lan Su Chinese Garden is the result of a collaboration between Portland, Oregon, and Suzhou, in the Jiangsu province of China.

The Lan Su Chinese Garden mission is to “cultivate an oasis of tranquil beauty and harmony to inspire, and educate our global community in the appreciation of a richly authentic Chinese culture.”

Lan Su Chinese Garden

Kuang Zhen designed the 1.03-acre garden with the help of 65 artisans. The garden opened to the public in September 2000.

Over 400 species of plants can be found here. More than 100 plants grow near Lake Zither, a feature created for the garden.

garden in the rain

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Fringed gentian drawing & photo: FFA & FOTD

Today I’m sharing a fringed gentian drawing I created from a photo. I used colored pencils for this drawing. Originally, I planned to paint over the drawing with water since I had used watercolor pencils. However, I decided to leave the drawing as is because I liked how the texture of the lines turned out.

fringed gentian drawing

Did you know that the fringed gentian, Gentianopsis detonsa, is the official flower of Yellowstone National Park?

If you visit the park in the spring, you’ll see lots of wildflowers in full bloom. We were there in the beginning of June 2024.

I took this picture at Black Sand Basin, just west of the Old Faithful area. As soon as I saw these blooming beside the boardwalk, I knew I wanted to do a fringed gentian drawing to try to capture their beauty.

Fringed gentians

I previously featured another photograph of fringed gentian and showed how they look with three different photo processing techniques. These flowers look pretty, no matter how they are presented.

Do you have artwork you would like to share? Be sure to include the First Friday Art tag.

First Friday Art (FFA)

Flower of the Day (FOTD)

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Sasquatch sculpture: Monochrome Monday

This enormous Sasquatch sculpture is part of the Sensing Sasquatch exhibition currently at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon. Sensing Sasquatch considers this mythical creature from a Native American perspective. It will be at the Museum through January 12, 2025.

The Protector was created by Hollyanna CougarTracks DeCoteau (Yakama, Nez Perce, Cayuse, Cree). This work is based on her memories of seeing the shadows of Sasquatch in the forest.

Sasquatch sculpture

She noted that Indigenous peoples admire Sasquatch because they are “protectors of all living things… if they die so too does everything else.”

The fur-covered Sasquatch sculpture was impressive, but so was the way they separated the sculpture from the rest of the exhibit. Long strands of string hung from curving ceiling tracks, adding to the sense of mystery. I loved the shadows created by the curtains surrounding the artwork.

Monochrome Monday

Seeing pairs in art and nature: LAPC

Seeing pairs of bronze bulls bash together in winter blizzards

seeing pairs
The Battle by Rip Caswell, High Desert Museum, Oregon

and a couple of cascades crashing down craggy cliffs

Shoshone Falls
Shoshone Falls, Idaho

Seeing two octopi slip and slide over seaside skyscrapers

Octopus mural
Octopus mural by Goonie Wolfe, Anthony Ortega, & TME Crew in Lincoln City, Oregon

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Antlers & horns & skulls: Monochrome Monday

This antlers & horns & skulls chandelier is at the Fishing Bridge Visitor Center and Trailside Museum in Yellowstone National Park. A metal circle is adorned with bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain elk antlers & horns & skulls. It’s suspended by heavy metal chains.

antlers, horns & skulls

This museum is small and probably overlooked by many visitors to the park. I recommend stopping by to see its collection of historic bird specimens. If you want to see mounts of many of the park’s birds to help identify them in the field, this is a great resource.

Monochrome Monday

Lava Hot Springs: LAPC & FOWC

The hot pools of the Lava Hot Spring tourist attraction are in the city of Lava Hot Springs in southeastern Idaho. Four blocks from the hot pools, you’ll find a water park and indoor and outdoor swimming pools, also heated by hot spring waters.

Swooping red sunshades over the hot pools offer visitors shelter from the sun.

Lava Hot Springs

The five outdoor pools in the Hot Pool site have water temperatures ranging from 102 to 112 degrees Fahrenheit. Lava Hot Springs uses over 2.5 million gallons of hot spring water per day to heat their pools.

pools

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Otter sculpture in snow: Monochrome Madness

Since the temperature reached 102.4 degrees Fahrenheit at my house yesterday, I thought back to the cool day I saw this otter sculpture in snow. This bronze sculpture titled “Otter” was created by Ann Bannard. It was installed in Riverbend Community Park in 2009.

otter sculpture in snow

The Bend Park and Recreation District office is located behind the otter sculpture. To the left of the building, you can see a sculpture of kayaks. It’s one of my favorites here in Bend and I featured a closer view of it in a previous post.

Monochrome Madness – Sculptures

Gray squirrel drawing & photo: First Friday Art

Today I’m sharing a gray squirrel drawing and photo I created. I drew the squirrel with a charcoal pencil.

It’s fun to work with charcoal because you can change its appearance by using different techniques. You can “stump” it by using the side of a charcoal stick, your finger, a chamois cloth, or other materials to spread it. Since it lifts easily from a surface, you can erase or scrape parts of it off. Some artists mix charcoal with water or other liquids .

Gray squirrel

I’m also sharing a photograph I took of a gray squirrel at Three Island Crossing State Park in Glenns Ferry, Idaho. I like this picture because it looks like the squirrel is giving me a fist bump. The diagonal streams of water from a sprinkler in the background add an interesting detail to the photo.

fist bumping rodent

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Chiwen roof decoration: Monochrome Monday

This chiwen roof decoration is at Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland, Oregon.

Chiwen

These dragons, placed on both ends of roof ridgelines, are thought to protect the inhabitants from fires. Fengshui theory says they also protect against floods and typhoons. Chiwen translates to ‘hornless-dragon mouth.’ This dragon likes to swallow things, including evil influences.

Monochrome Monday

Bozeman wall art: 1-to-3 Photo Challenge

I really liked this Bozeman wall art at the recently remodeled Bozeman Hot Springs. The facility was remodeled with a more modern style. I mention this site briefly in a recent post and will feature it in a more detailed post in the future.

I used Corel PaintShopPro 2021 for different photo processing effects. In the original image I slightly increased the contrast and fill light and cropped the edges. Use the slider to view each effect compared to the original.

This one shows the original photograph and the same picture with a Retro effect. For this image I went to Effects>Photo Effects>Retro Lab>Light cold. I liked how this effect makes the green color stand out. The blurring around the edges focuses your attention on the artwork.

Bozeman Wall ArtCold filter

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Hot springs of the West: LAPC & WPWC

On our recent trip we stopped at several hot springs of the West. Each site was special in its own way.

Hot springs occur when geothermally heated groundwater emerges onto the earth’s surface. In areas like Yellowstone National Park, magma is present at shallow depths below the surface. Temperatures in Yellowstone’s hot springs may reach 198 degrees Fahrenheit. At the developed hot springs of the West we visited on this trip, pool temperatures are constantly monitored and modified with colder water.

Lava Hot Springs is located in the town of Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. In this picture, the scenic Portneuf Range mountains tower in the background. This post gives more details about the site.

hot springs of the west

Bozeman Hot Springs is in Bozeman, Montana. Remodeled in May 2024, this facility includes 12 indoor and outdoor pools. It’s gorgeous! The stage behind the outdoor pools will host future entertainers. Pieces of columnar basalt serve as seating and landscaping. Here is my description of this facility.

Bozeman springs

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High Desert Voices June 2024 newsletter

Here’s the High Desert Voices June 2024 newsletter for your reading pleasure. Lots of nice photos as well! This newsletter is published by and for volunteers at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon, where I volunteer.

High Desert voices June 2024

Articles this month include one on accommodating visitors with disabilities, one on facts about local wildlife mothers, one on the High Desert Ranger Station, and one on a birding event at the Museum.

Please enjoy this month’s issue!

Sturgeon sculpture: Sculpture Saturday

I recently saw this white sturgeon sculpture at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, Oregon. They are the largest freshwater fish in North America.

Sturgeon sculpture

A couple months later, I watched these white sturgeon swimming around at the Oregon Zoo. These fish were three or four feet long, but this species can reach lengths of over 14 feet and weigh more than 1,500 pounds. Sturgeon can live more than 100 years.

Sturgeon

Here in Oregon, white sturgeon live mainly in large freshwater streams and estuaries along the coast. They occasionally travel into the ocean.

Here is a picture of a much younger white sturgeon taken at the High Desert Museum several years ago. I wouldn’t mind having a sturgeon sculpture of this size fish. The other fish pictured are trout.

White Sturgeon & trout, High Desert Museum, Bend, Oregon 20February2018

Sculpture Saturday

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Family Mural of Flowers & Birds: Monday Mural

This cheerful mural, Family Mural of Flowers & Birds, was created by artist Denae’ Manion of Manion Studios. Manion is a talented mural artist and honorary member of the Wall Dogs, an international mural painters group. Besides murals, her work also includes logos and designs, face painting, hand painted gifts, custom shoes, and she hosts PaintNite events. She also creates “entertainment paintings” live at various events.

Family Mural

Her Family Mural of Flowers & Birds mural is one of 33 murals in The Dalles, Oregon. We visited The Dalles in August of 2022 during their Northwest Mural Fest. It’s a great place to see the work of many mural artists.

Monday Mural

Brasada Ranch view: Pull Up a Seat

Last weekend, we drove to Brasada Ranch resort in Powell Butte, Oregon for a BBQ and art show event. They have spectacular views of the Cascade volcanoes from their restaurant. These red chairs around a firepit were a nice accent in this scene.

Brasada Ranch

Here’s a closer view of some of the marvellous mountains.

This beautiful resort has received recognition from Condé  Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Golfweek, USA Today, and other sources. Since we live close by, we did a staycation in one of their cabins a couple of years ago and it was great!

Pull Up a Seat

What they use to make brews: Monochrome Monday

This post shows what they use to make brews at Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon. Last year we went on the Barrel House Tour at this brewery. I highly recommend this tour that focuses on their barrel-aged beers.

While on the tour, I thought some of the sights seen in the factory might look good with black and white processing.

to make brews

Monochrome processing highlighted all the angles and straight and curved lines of the equipment.

Beer making equipment

However, I admit, the high alcohol barrel-aged samples consumed on the tour may have made everything they use to make brews look special to my slightly blurry vision. ;D

Monochrome Monday

Lion at Portland Japanese Garden: Sculpture Saturday

This lion at Portland Japanese Garden was guarding the entrance to the gardens. This statue shows a female with a lion cub under her paw. These statues represent protection and compassion.

lion at Portland Japanese Garden

They are known as komainu in Japan. In other parts of the world they may be called Fu Dogs or Foo Dogs.

Sculpture Saturday

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Hope may be… : LAPC & WPWC

Hope may be bright spots in the darkness

curving tunnel

Or at the end of a twisted and turning path

hope may be trail

Hope may be something we wish and pray for

otter praying

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Lan Su Chinese Garden seating: Pull up a Seat

Lan Su Chinese Garden seating in Portland, Oregon on a rainy spring day.

Lan Su

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Pull Up a Seat

Soda Springs Scene: Monochrome Monday

The dramatic cloud formations caught my attention in this Soda Springs scene.

Soda Springs scene

Soda Springs is a small city in Idaho known for its geyser and mineral springs. The Soda Springs Geyser is on a timed release valve and it goes off once an hour. Yes, really!

Monochrome Monday

Mt View Orchards mural: Monday Mural

This Mt View Orchards mural is located in Parkdale, Oregon. The plants growing around the mural make it blend into the background.

This is one of our favorite businesses to visit to buy fresh local fruit in the fall. You can pick your own fruit and flowers or buy what they’ve harvested. They also produce beer, wine, and cider. This beautiful 50+ acre site was featured on a Top Chef episode in 2021.

Mt View Orchards mural

This business is part of the Hood River Fruit Loop. There are 28 farms open to visitors along the 35-mile route .

Here’s some of the fruit we bought last year. Yum!

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Hook & Plow in Bend: Monochrome Monday

Hook & Plow is a farm-to-table restaurant that recently opened in Bend, Oregon. The seafood, meats, and produce served here are sourced locally. Wines and craft beers on the menu are also from the local area. Take a peek at their full menu here.

I’m highlighting the interesting architecture with sepia tone processing. Straight lines, curved lines, and various textures stand out in this monochrome picture.

Hook & Plow

Monochrome Monday

April HDV newsletter 2024

As you may know, I’ve been volunteering at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon since 2013. I work on their volunteer newsletter. We are sharing the April HDV newsletter with staff and volunteers and we’d like to also share it with you. High Desert Voices (HDV) is a newsletter published by and for Museum volunteers.

The newsletter covers events and exhibitions at the High Desert Museum, as well as other topics. The museum features wildlife, living history, and culture topics related to the High Desert region.

April HDV  newsletter, High Desert Museum entrance

The April HDV newsletter includes articles on the relationship of Indigenous people with Mother Earth, a behind the scenes look at the Museum’s birds of prey, and the progress being made on returning steelhead to the Crooked River in Oregon.

Please enjoy this month’s HDV newsletter. I’m very proud of the work our Newsletter Team accomplishes. We’re always grateful for the input we receive when working on articles from staff, speakers, and other sources. Comments from you, our readers, would also be appreciated. Thanks!