Bodies of water

 

'Bodies of Water' 11x14" oil pastel;
Kathleen Faulkner

An atmospheric river arrives.

It is loud.

Its effects are mighty on the 

Skagit, Snohomish, Nooksack, Stillaguamish, Puyallup, and Cowletz rivers.

We see good action, movement, and some panic. 

There is a lot of destruction.

Further West is the Salish Sea. 

Deep below the surface, another reality.

Can you hear the silence?

Field of Dreams

               'Floooded Field' 18x24" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

This field that grows our food

is flooded after a storm

It is an annual occurrence.

I am grateful for these fields.

They keep development away

thanks, in part, 

to 

Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland. 

Trees: 1 Neighbors: 0

'Morning' 23x21" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

It's been pouring rain.  My property is soaked.  My walkway is underwater.  I live on a hill so flooding is not something I worry about too much.  The wind uprooting my trees when the ground is so saturated is the bigger concern. 

I live in a neighborhood that does not appreciate trees.  They distract from the potential view that some neighbors are intent upon having.  I've been begged, shamed, cajoled and threatened but to no avail.

There are two things that would do the trick.  My death and/or a major windstorm.  I've lived here through several wind storms of historic proportions but still the wind is always able to make me nervous.  In the end, though, it will probably be my demise that will seal their fate.  

So, for now, here's a toast to my excellent Tree Friends:  May you live and grow forever and may I live a very long life.