Astoria, Oregon

Repost from 2024:

Today, I left my cozy yurt and said goodbye to Manzanita.  I drove home to Vancouver.  

I visited Fort Clatsop near Warrenton for the very first time.  This is one part of the Lewis and Clark National Park and National Wildlife Refuge.  Fort Clatsop is a recreation of the camp of the Lewis and Clark expedition crew in the Winter of 1805.  Video: Winter Story.  There is a very nice visitor center with excellent exhibits and a nice gift shop.  I walked around the small log cabins inside the small fort.  It was raining when I toured the recreated fort camp.  

The highway from Astoria to Ranier, Oregon 30, is very good.  It follows along the Columbia River in many places and then inland over hills and valleys.  I take the bridge from Ranier to Longview, then down Interstate 5 to Vancouver.  

Astoria, Oregon - Information

Astoria   Population 9,500   A small town with many tourist attractions.  There are many motels, restaurants, cafes, grocery, museums, theaters, historical sights, marina, docks, hospital, gas, stores, services, supplies. 

Astoria Images  

"Astoria is a port city and the seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state of Oregon and was the first American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains.[7] The county is the northwest corner of Oregon, and Astoria is located on the south shore of the Columbia River, where the river flows into the Pacific Ocean. The city is named for John Jacob Astor, an investor and entrepreneur from New York City, whose American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site and established a monopoly in the fur trade in the early nineteenth century. Astoria was incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on October 20, 1876.  he city is served by the deepwater Port of Astoria. Transportation includes the Astoria Regional Airport. U.S. Route 30 and U.S. Route 101 are the main highways, and the 4.1-mile (6.6 km) Astoria–Megler Bridge connects to neighboring Washington across the river."

Columbia River Maritime Museum

Museums in Astoria

Astoria Lodging

Fort Astoria (1811-1825) History

Astoria Food 

Astoria   History1    History2

Astoria Column Historical Tower

Charter Boat Services in Astoria 

Lower Columbia River: Astoria to Portland, Ilwaco to Vancouver

Long Beach Peninsula  

Lewis and Clark Historic Sites

Clatsop County, Oregon  Population 38,000 

Fort Clatsop  Camp of Lewis and Clark in the Winter of 1805.  Video: Winter Story

Fort Steven's State Park  A World War II military base defending the Columbia River. 

Clatsop People

 

The following photographs were obtained on the Internet:

Astoria Column

Astoria and Bridge at the Columbia River 

Astoria Downtown

Longview and Ranier

Columbia River Near Clatskanie

Columbia River Near Clatskanie

Mt. Adams, Washington

Stratovolcano, 12,281 Feet (3,743 M) 

Cascade Mountain Range, Southwestern WA

Near Yakima, Packwood, Klickitat, and Goldendale WA

Mt. Adams - Wikipedia

Cascade Volcanic Arc

Karen and I have traveled all around this immense and dramatic mountain many times since 2016.  

Cascade Volcanic Arc

How Do You Get Out?

              The Fireplace Records, Chapter 38

How Do You Get Out?

Porcupine Roshi was a jovial fellow. He enjoyed jokes.  He laughed often. He was fond of riddles.  

Porcupine Roshi died last winter of pneumonia. One of his friends was reading one of Porcuspine's many old notebooks. He found some curious riddles:

Imagine you are in a room with no windows or doors. How do you get out?

I dreamt I was in jail and to be executed for a crime I did not commit.  How do I escape?

I thought about all the bad situations I could get myself into. This was driving me crazy. What can I do?

Answers: Stop imagining; stop dreaming; stop thinking for awhile.

How many sides does a Zen Circle have?
Two! The inside and the outside.

Porcupine drew a small circle on the ground with his stick. He sat outside the circle. Then, he said, "We must choose to sit outside of the Zen Circle, or sit inside of the Zen Circle, or standing strong and passing between the two sides of the Zen Circle while laughing at ourselves."

Comments, Sources, Observations, Koans, Poems, Quips:

Know the difference between fiction and non-fiction.
Reasoning can be more useful than dreams or imagination.
It is easy to distinguish between being awake or dreaming.
Deal with real events, not how you imagine them beforehand.
Think about or imagine something positive happening.
Don't let your imagination cripple you.
Nobody ever gets away from the grasp of Death.
Imagining something does not make it real.
Watch out for Porcupine Roshi's sharp quills.

Draw the Zen Circle wide enough so that many can sit within.
A few Zen Koans are riddles, and a few Riddles are zen koans.
Surprise laughter after a riddle's answer is a minor insight of sorts.
Some puzzles have no solution, no resolution, no conclusion.
Drawing a circle is a common metaphorical act in Zen.
What side of the Zen Circle are you on?

Riddles (200+ Riddles, with No Ads.)

Refer to my Cloud Hands Blog Posts on the topic of Koans/Stories. 

Subject Index to 1,975 Zen Buddhist Koans

Zen Buddhist Koans: Indexes, Bibliography, Commentary, Information

The Daodejing by Laozi

Pulling Onions  Over 1,043 One-line Sayings, Quips, Maxims, Humor

Chinese Chan Buddhist and Taoist Stories and Koans

The Fireplace Records (Blog Version) By Michael P. Garofalo

Or

Seeking a Literary Agent, Editor, and/or Publisher

I am seeking an author's agent, editor, and/or publisher
 to consider my books.

Discover your commercial success possibilities right HERE 
with books by Michael P. Garofalo.

My poetry is unique, creative, direct, experimental, philosophical, and
contemporary. Check out three of my poetry books that are ready for
publication right now:

Attention, Language and Time
Selected Poetry: 2016 - 2026
By Michael P. Garofalo

WebBook, 60 pages, October, 2026

At the Edges of the West: Highway 101 and 1.
Docu-Poems, Haiku, Photos, TextArt

The Tick-Tock Tractatus:
Speaking of Time: The Poetic Investigations

Five Corners of Time Eclectic Quintains and Tanka

My Daodejing Anthology and Concordance
is the very best. This Tao Te Ching anthology
is encyclopedic in scope, and well respected.

Other commercial possibilities
can be found at:

Twenty Five Steps and Beyond:
The Collected Works of Mike Garofalo 

Yes, the in-boxes of literary agents are filled to the brim with new manuscripts to read. And, they diligently proceed to try to discover value that will sell.

For a change, just open your web browser and you will find diverse creative work and whole books at my website.

As for reviews of my work, go here.

My 3,700+ Quintain poems at Bundled Up (Volumes 1 - 9) are designed for Ebook
publication. This is a special type of poetry and research for which readers frequently return. My quintain sonnets (5252, 554, 555, 553, 545) are an original formal and structural contribution to the genre.

I have saved $600 to help start this publishing process. I am not interested in talking to anyone who wants me to pay them for all the publishing and distributing of my creative works in paperback, hardback or Ebook formats.

I am seeking an author's agent and/or publisher who can see the possibilities
for commercial success from my writing and my existing books, takes the risks,
works with me on an ongoing basis, gets them published, and takes the lions-share of the profits.

What little money I might make will keep my websites afloat, and the excess
will be given to charity.

I don't have the funds or the time to actively market or promote my works to agents or publishers or the public. I will just let the wide range and value of my creative
works speak for themselves, and their commercial possibilities.

My goal is to write better and more! Since 1998, I have published all my creative work on my many Internet websites and blog.

To Contact Me

Thanks, Michael Peter Garofalo

Humanism

Humanism: Good Reads

The Little Book of Humanism: Universal Lessons on Finding Purpose, Meaning and Joy. By Andrew Copson and Alice Roberts. Piatkus, 2022, 256 pages. VSCL, Hardbound.

Humanly Possible: Seven Hundred Years of Humanist Freethinking, Inquiry and Hope. Penguin Press, 2023, 454 pages. VSCL, Paperback.

American Humanist Association

Humanists of Greater Portland, Oregon

Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe.  By Greg M. Epstein, Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University.  William Morrow, 2009, 250 pages. FVRL, Hardbound. Outstanding presentation!

I have enjoyed and benefitted from reading three books by the fine writer, humanist, and scholar: Sarah Bakewell. 

How to Live, or A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer.

At the Existentialist Cafe: Freedom, Being and Apricot Cocktails.

This week, I have enjoyed reading her newest book:

Humanly Possible: Seven Hundred Years of Humanist Freethinking, Inquiry and Hope. Penguin Press, 2023, 454 pages. VSCL.

I have a number of webpages with my notes on Humanist philosophy:

How to Live a Good Life: Advice From Wise Persons

Pragmatism

My Views on Religion

Free Thought

"You are what you make of yourselves. Aim high, aim for the stars, and you may yet clear the rooftops. You will need courage, tenacity, motivation, and a good sense of humor on the route. Quality of character, happiness, fulfilment of potential and of human needs can be improved through changed values, through redirection of individual life, by a process of personal change, and personal evolution."
- Jeaneane Fowler

"The secret of happiness is this: let your interests be as wide as possible and let your reactions to the things and persons that interest you be as far as possible friendly rather than hostile." - Bertrand Russell

"Is it so small a thing To have enjoyed the sun, To have lived light in the spring, To have loved to have thought, to have done; To have advanced true friends, and beat down baffling foes.

That we must feign a bliss Of doubtful future date, And while we dream on this Lose all our present state, And relegate to worlds yet distant our repose? - Matthew Arnold

The Great Agnostic: Robert Ingersoll and American Freethought.  By Susan Jacoby.  Yale University Press, 2013, 246 pages. VSCL. 

 

Subject Index to the Book of Serenity 100 Zen Buddhist Koans

 

Book of Serenity 100 Koans (BOS)

Book of Equanimity or Book of Serenity (BOS)

The Book of Serenity (BOS) Book of Equanimity
100 Cases of Brief Stories, Spiritual Encounters, Koans, Wisdom Tales, Sermons, Dialogues, Parables
Compiled and published around 1224 CE.

Indexed by Michael P. Garofalo. Second Draft on August 26, 2023.

Primary Source for Indexing: The Book of Serenity: One Hundred Zen Dialogues. Translated with commentary by Thomas Cleary, 2005, 512 pages.

Subject Index to Cases in the Book of Serenity (BOS) 100 Koans Collection. Second Draft, August 25, 2023, 26 pages, PDF.

Alphabetical List of Cases in the Book of Serenity (BOS) 100 Koans Collection. Second Draft, August 25, 2023, 4 pages, PDF.

List of Cases by Case Numbers in the Book of Serenity (BOS) 100 Koans Collection. Second Draft, August 25, 2023, 4 pages, PDF.

 

Subject Index to 1,975 Zen Buddhist Koans and Discourses

The Book of Equanimity: Illuminating Classic Zen Koans. By Gerry Shishin Wick. Foreword by Bernie Glassman. Boston, Wisdom Publications, 2005. Recommended reading list, list of names index, 331 pages. ISBN: 9780861713875.

Book of Serenity: One Hundred Zen Dialogues. Translation and commentary by Thomas Cleary. Shambhala, 2005, glossary, notes, 463 pages. 100 Koans. VSCL, paperback.

Book of Serenity Translated by Joan Sutherland Roshi and John Tarrant Roshi. "The hundred koans of the Book of Serenity, also translated as the Book of Equanimity, were among those written by twelfth-century Chan teacher Hongzhi Zhengjue. In the thirteenth century, Wansong Xingxiu compiled Hongzhi’s koans and wrote commentaries for each. Although the collection is associated with the Caodong / Soto school, they are also taken up in koan study by Linji / Rinzai practitioners." Online PDF Version.

Shoyoroku (E. Book of Serenity, C. Ts’ung-jung lu) Online version of the Book of Serenity. Congrong Lu.
A collection of 100 koans, originally compiled in the 12th century by Wanshi Shogaku (C. Hung-chih Cheng-chüeh).

Book of Equanimity - Wikipedia 100 Cases. Compiled by Wangsong Zingxiu (1166-1246), and first published in 1224. The book comprises a collection of 100 koans written by the Chan Buddhist master Hongzhi Zengjue (1091-1157), together with commentaries by Wansong. Wansong's compilation is the only surviving source for Hongzhi's koans.

Buddhism: Bibliography, Links, Information, Resources. Compiled by Michael P. Garofalo.

Zen Buddhist Koans and Information: https://www.egreenway.com/buddhism/koansdup1.htm By Michael P. Garofalo.

 

               

Keeping Your Balance and Avoiding Falls for Older Persons

Keeping Your Balance and Avoiding Falls 
Safety Tips for Around Your House
For Older Persons, Seniors, Elderly:

Avoid clutter. Don't leave things on the floor. Pick up after yourself.
Make sure you have good lighting for both night and day.
Keep furniture and tables to a minimum. Leave room for walking.
Keep areas beside the bed and into a toilet clear and uncluttered.
Use hand bars beside toilet and shower.
Have a strong small ladder for reaching up to higher shelves.
Wear good shoes indoors.
Make sure rugs and runners are secure on the floor.
Watch out if you have steps into your garage or rooms.
Be careful, slow down, be alert!
Use your cane or walker as needed.
Be aware if medicines you take make you feel lightheaded or dizzy.
If sitting for a long time, stand up slowly and carefully.
Move carefully on arthritic or injured limbs.
Use tips and techniques for standing up carefully and safely.
Exercise each day to improve strength, flexibility, and balance.
Make sure all chairs, seats, and tables are in good working order.
Use it, or slowly but surely loose it.
Keep all cabinet drawers or doors pushed and closed properly.
Let others help you or pay for services.
Know you own strengths, limitations, or weaknesses.
If you are obese, it will impair your balance skills. Loose weight!
Do exercises to improve the strength of your legs and hips.
See a physician for serious dizziness.
Practice Tai Chi Chuan to improve your balance skills.
- Michael P. Garofalo, Balance

Aging Well  Information, Bibliography, Quotes, Notes, Links

Attention, Language and Time, Selected Poetry 2016 - 2026 by Michael P. Garofalo

 

Attention, Language and Time
Selected Poetry: 2016 - 2026
By Michael P. Garofalo

WebBook, 50 pages, September, 2026

My new WebBook is now ready for reading by any Internet user.
Can be viewed on cellphone, tablet, or desktop.
Google Translate Menu at the top of the page.
Free WebBook: No Ads, No Cookies, No Sign In, No Sales

Tai Chi Chuan Instruction in Vancouver, Clark County, WA

 Tai Chi Chuan Instruction in 2026-2027

The Yang Style of T'ai Chi Ch'uan

Private or Group Lessons

Instructor: Mike Garofalo, M.S., B.A.

Instructor's Qualifications

In Clark County, Washington State:
Vancouver, Battleground, Camas,
Orchards, Salmon Creek, Minnehaha,
Prairie Creek, Five Corners, Felida,
Sunnyside, City Center, Mill Plain

Contact Mike Garofalo by Email or Phone

Teaching and practicing the Yang Style
Taijiquan Short 24 Movements Form,
the Standard Long 108 Movements Form,
Cane, and Qigong

 

Cost for Lessons:
$20 per hour for one person
$30 per hour for two persons
Senior Citizen Discounts
Large Group Discounts
Long Time Student Discounts
Gratuities Always Welcome
Free Lessons for those in Need

 

Location of Lessons:
9102 NE 100th Street
Vancouver, WA 98662
Also at Nearby Locations

 

Websites: Cloud Hands Tai Chi Chuan

Blog: Cloud Hands Blog

Qigong (Chi Kung), Longevity Practice

 

 

Instructor: Michael P. Garofalo
Qualifications and Experience

I began learning Yang Style Taijiquan and
Qigong in 1986, and have taught these
Body-Mind Somatic Arts since 2000.
I also taught Hatha and Vinyasa Yoga
in Red Bluff, CA, from 2003-2016.

All of my Yoga and T'ai Chi Ch'uan
Classes Include Some Qigong
(Chinese Yoga) Practices

In 2026, I am 80 years of age.

 

I began learning Yang Style Taijiquan and Qigong from
1986-1990 with Sensei Frank McGourick in Whittier, California.
I studied Lui Ho Ba Fa and Qigong with Sifu Robert Moore from 1987-1990 in Whittier, California.
I studied Red Dragon Kung Fu from 1991-1993 with Sensei Tony Ippolito in Hacienda Heights, California.

I taught over 950 one hour classes of Taijiquan and Qigong in Red Bluff, California, from 2000-2017.
I also practice the Chen 18 Style of Taijiquan and Sun 73 Style
of Taijiquan, the cane weapon, and many Qigong forms.

Tai Chi for Diabetes Instructor Trained and Certified by Dr. Paul Lam in 2003.
Tai Chi for Arthritis Level 2 Instructor (Sun Style) Trained and Certified by Troyce Thome in 2006.
Advanced Tai Chi and Qigong training at workshops or classes led by Robert Moore, Paul Lam, Ken Cohen,
Patricia Long, George Xu, Elaine Waters,
Bill Helm, Doc Fai-Wong, Sher K. Lew,
Kevin Weaver, Troyce Thome, Yang Jun,
David Fetyko, and Brian Knack.

I taught Hatha and Vinyasa Yoga in Red Bluff from 2003 to 2016 for over 1,460 hours of one hour classes.
YogaFit Level IV Certified Yoga Instructor (Standard 200 Hour Yoga Alliance Curriculum Completed) in 2004.
Over 100 hours of additional yoga training with Dr. Paula Barros, Desiree Rambaugh, and at the Ananda Yoga Center.
All of my Yoga Classes include some Qigong (Chinese Yoga).

Personal Fitness Trainer Certified by AFAA 2007
Mat Pilates AFAA Certified 2005
Spin Cycling AFAA Certified 2005
Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) Certifications
SilverSneakers Trained Instructor 2012
CPR and AED certified from 1999-2017, 2024.

Emergency 30-Day Substitute Teaching Permit, 4/1999-4/2017
Certified by the State of California Commission
on Teacher Credentialing.
M.A. Education, 40 units, CSU Chico.
M.A., Philosophy, 30 units at CSU Los Angeles.
M.S., Library and Information Science,
University of Southern California, 1968
B.A. Philosophy, CSU Los Angeles, 1967

Brief Biography

My telephone number in 2026 is 530-200-3546.

 

Qigong
(Chinese Warm-up Exercises, Chinese Yoga,
Chi Kung, Energy Development, Energy Work)

Eight Section Brocade Qigong (Ba Duan Gin)

Five Animal Frolics Qigong (Wu Qin Xi)

The Magic Pearl Medicine Ball Qigong

Ba Gua Circle Walking Eight Mother Palms

Entering Tranquility: Standing Meditation

Silk Reeling and Circles in Taijiquan

Temple Qigong

Dragon Qigong

Muscle-Tendon Changing Qigong (Yi Jin Jing)

Cloud Hands Website

Cloud Hands Blog

25 Steps and Beyond: Collected Works

 

Updated on April 12, 2025

 

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, Chapter 67

Dao De Jing, Laozi
Chapter 67

"In the world each says
My Tao is great and seems to lack resemblance
In the end only great therefore seems to lack resemblance.
It looks like resemblance goes with the long-lasting
With what is tiny as well.
In the end I possess three principles I am obtaining yet defending
One, say compassion
Two, say thrift
Three say lack of venturing to act to precede the world.
Compassion, so be able to be brave
Thrift, so be able to expand
Lack venturing to act to precede the world
So be able to perfect tools of growth.
Right now, abandon compassion just to be brave
Abandon thrift just to expand
Abandon being behind just to precede
Death goes with these.
In the end with compassion
A war happens and next comes conquering
Keeping to it happens and next comes solidity.
The heavens attain helping
It happens that compassion is defending."
-  Translated by David Lindauer, Chapter 67

"Everyone, says that my Tao is great,
seemingly different (from yours).
Because it is great, it seems different.
If it were not different,
it would have vanished long ago.
I have three treasures which I hold and keep.
The first is mercy;
the second is economy (thrifty);
the third is daring not to be ahead of others (which draws jealousy).
From mercy comes courage;
from economy comes generosity;
staying behind ensures maturity and fulfillment.
Nowadays men shun mercy and be brave;
abandon economy and be wasteful;
do not believe in humility, but always try to be the first.
This ensures death.
Mercy brings victory in battle and strength in defense.
If God wants to save him, makes him have mercy." 
-   Translated by Tienzen Gong, Chapter 67 

 

"All in the world call me great; but I resemble the unlikely.
Now a man is great only because he resembles the unlikely.
Did he resemble the likely, how lasting, indeed, would his mediocrity be!
1 have three treasures which I cherish and prize.
The first is called compassion.
The second is called economy.
The third is called not daring to come to the front in the world. 
The compassionate can be brave;
The economical can be generous;
Those who dare not come to the front in the world can become perfect as chief vessels.
Now, if people discard compassion and are brave;
If they discard economy and are generous;
If they discard modesty and are ambitious, they will surely die."
-   Translated by D. T. Suzuki and Paul Carus, 1913, Chapter 67

"The Tao may appear to be idealistic, but if you can put it into practice, you realize its greatness.
There are three traits which are required. 1. Compassion. 2. Patience. 3. Humility
Compassionate and you can face things the way they are.
Thus you can forgive yourself of any mistake.
Patient and you remain unmoved until the right opportunity arises.
Humble and you overcome self-importance, thus the ego.
In following the Tao, these are your three most valuable treasures."
-   Translated by David Bullen, Chapter 67 

"The world calls my Tao great but myself insignificant.
Yes: the clearer Tao manifests the more meaningless the ego becomes.
Worth nothing and without duration is he who wants to rate and be of importance.
Three treasures I guard which endure: the first is compassion the second frugality the third modesty.
Compassion makes me brave frugality generous modesty a carrier of the eternal.
Today the inconsiderate is called brave the spendthrift generous the go-getter progressive. 
They are progressing away from the essential thing toward decay toward death while the compassionate conquer through gentleness remaining in existence through non-resistance.
Heaven fills with compassion those it wants to preserve."
-   Translated by Schmidt, Chapter 67

  

"All the world says that, while my Tao is great, it yet appears to be inferior to other systems of teaching.
Now it is just its greatness that makes it seem to be inferior.
If it were like any other system, for long would its smallness have been known!
But I have three precious things which I prize and hold fast.
The first is gentleness; the second is economy; and the third is shrinking from taking precedence of others.
With that gentleness I can be bold;
With that economy I can be liberal;
Shrinking from taking precedence of others, I can become avessel of the highest honor.
Now-a-days they give up gentleness and are all for being bold;
Economy, and are all for being liberal;
The hindmost place, and seek only to be foremost;
Which in the end is death. 
Gentleness is sure to be victorious even in battle, and firmly to maintain its ground.
Heaven will save its possessor, by his very gentleness protecting him."
-   Translated by James Legge, 1891, Chapter 67  

"Everyone under Heaven regards my Tao as Great, resembling nothing else.
Great, yes; that is the reason it resembles nothing else.
If it resembled anything else, it would have slight chance of survival.
I have three Treasures to hold and protect.
The first is Compassion.
The second is Economy.
The third is not presuming to be the First under Heaven.
Compassion permits Courage.
Economy makes Generosity possible.
Not presuming to be the First under Heaven is a quality of Leadership.
Now, abandon Compassion and consider Courage.
Abandon Frugality and consider Generosity.
Abandon Humility and consider Leadership.
Impossible !
Now, Compassion in battle leads to Victory; Compassion in Defense lends strength.
Heaven will assist the commander who exhibits Compassion."
-   Translated by Karl Kromal, 2002, Chapter 67 
 
"Everyone says my Dao is so great that it does not look like anything.
I say because it is so great, it does not look like anything.
If it were like anything, it would have disappeared long ago.
I have three treasures to keep and protect:
The first is kindness, the second is thrift, and the third is not fighting to be first.
Only if you are kind, can you be brave;
Only if you are thrifty, can you be generous;
Only if you do not fight to be first, can you be a leader.
However, the people today are not kind but brave,
Are not thrifty but generous,
Are not humble but want to be leaders.
These people are destined for failure.
With kindness, when you fight, you will win; when you defend, you will be strong.
If the heavens wants to save someone, it will always give him kindness as his defense."
-   Translated by Xiaolin Yang, Chapter 67 

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu: Introduction, Bibliography, Commentary, Chapter Index 

Chapter 67 of the Dao De Jing by Laozi: Text and Commentaries

Index of English Language Translators of the Tao Te Ching

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices

 

Chapter and Thematic Index to the Tao Te Ching

Rafting Down the Trinity

Rafting Down the Trinity

The river said go easy, so we pushed off,
      letting the raft find its own argument.
The current kept offering us opportunities:
           a bend, a hush, a Class 3 rapid, a sudden lift.
We followed, not knowing how far trust
           could carry us, only that it kept saying "Yes!"

The rubber raft slipped into its thoughts, a quiet logic...
Twisted by river stones, paddles, muscles, and wind
     and the long drag of downhill cold water.

Sunlight leaned into the canyon,
     finding us still where the current slowed.
There the catfish waited without hurry on the bottom.
We felt the day open, wide as the bend ahead.

Morning slid down the canyon
     and the river took it all in, cool and certain.
Our paddles touched the old stories---
     eddies of lore that encircled everyone.

We rafted the long remembering. Grateful to be included.

Later, the wind arrived, ruffling the surface
           into small disagreements.
We answered with strokes that tried to match
           the river’s impatience.
Even the banks seemed to listen, cottonwoods
leaning in as if our passing mattered,
           though we knew it did not.

The water shook us and we were fully ready,
paddling the raft past the damp bark of the alders.
We let the river tumble us over the large boulders,
bouncing us with a sudden, breathless glee.
Everything we meant to say stayed up on the shore;
only the wordless water mattered, and the joy and laughter.

Paddles touched the hush, the canyon walls held their breath.
Water knows the way.
We follow its old thinking, grateful for the hints it keeps.

Toward evening the canyon settled in dim shadows.
The water gathered its memories.
We followed, quieter now, trusting the way it carried us---
     not toward any lesson, but simply forward-down,
     the river doing what it always does,
     and us grateful to be allowed along.

We stopped, made camp, ate French bread and cheese,
drank wine, talked by the fire...

The River moved on in the darkness.
We dreamed of being tossed off the raft.

  

Water Falls Into the Gorge

We drove out to Dougan Falls in the Spring,
       like salmon moving, drawn in by obscure passions.
I followed the ear-opening sacredness that keeps
       coming back to me in the rain of memories.

The stream doesn't care about a trillion rocks.
It goes because it's been blind for many millenniums;
       unlike what the lanky Douglas Firs discovered
              when standing still for decades in the Gorge winds.

My niece never said much about beauty.
       I parked the car, we joined the crowds,
       walked up to Dougan Falls.
We both looked up and didn't speak.

The noisy songs of Cascadian waterfalls:
from high to low, young to old,
flowing down, colder to cold,
into the Columbia River flowing bold;
till it becomes the salty blood
       in the arteries of Oceanus
beyond the south jetty of Living Time.

Excerpts from:

Watching, Language and Time
Selected Works: 2016 - 2026
By Mike Garofalo
A Free WebBook, 70 Pages

Potholes State Park, WA, Yurt Camping Trip, Day 2

Potholes State Park, WA, Yurt Camping Trip, Day 2
April 2025
Michael Delmer, April, Karen, and I

Potholes State Park, Eastern Central Washington State

Columbia National Wildlife Refuge

Columbia National Wildlife Refuge - Wikipedia

"Birdsong by day, coyote chorus by night. Dramatic cliffs and rimrock sit side-by-side with lakes, potholes, and marshes. Desert denizens and waterfowl sharing the same rugged landscape.

Comprising nearly 30,000 acres, Columbia National Wildlife Refuge is a scenic mixture of rugged cliffs, canyons, lakes, grasslands and sagebrush. The combination of lakes and surrounding irrigated croplands, combined with generally mild winters and the protection provided by the refuge, attracts large numbers of migrating and wintering mallards, Canada geese, tundra swans and other waterfowl."

Columbia National Wildlife Refuge is a scenic mixture of rugged cliffs, canyons, lakes, and sagebrush grasslands. Formed by fire, ice, floods, and volcanic tempest, carved by periods of extreme violence of natural forces, the refuge lies in the middle of the Drumheller Channeled Scablands of central Washington. The area reveals a rich geologic history highlighted by periods of dramatic activity, each playing a major role in shaping the land. The northern half of the refuge, south of Potholes Reservoir, is a rugged jumble of cliffs, canyons, lakes, and remnants of lava flows. This part of the Scablands, known as the Drumheller Channels, is the most spectacularly eroded area of its size in the world and was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1986.

Moses Lake City, Washington, (27,000 Population)

Othello, Washington