The Apostrophe Blog
We went on a long, long drive in our relatively new electric car—nine nights, ten days. First to Walla Walla, Washington then northwest toward the Canadian border on mostly two-lane roads via places like Moses Lake and Coulee City and Omak where there were electric vehicle chargers in (mostly) big-box parking lots. We crossed the international border into Osoyoos, British Columbia and Voila!—an immediate shift of the so-called vibes as we explored the drop-dead-gorgeous lake/wine/orchard landscape of the Okanagan region, towns and cities including Oliver, Penticton, Naramata, Peachland, Kelowna, Armstrong, Vernon, and Summerland. So many exuberant Canadians on holiday enjoying the lakes, the sand, the water features, the very, very hot, hot sun. Never once did I think about people carrying loaded guns in public. That is the major contrast between these two countries, for starters. You really can feel the difference in a society when everyone of its citizens has access to universal healthcare too.
After a week or so, unfortunately, we had to tack back into the states. Because citizenship. Duh.
We took our time meandering back to PDX via backroads that led first to Twisp then to an overnight in lovely Ellensburg followed by a stunning drive along the Yakima River and its accompanying canyon, then back to the Columbia River gorge via Goldendale and the hamlet of Klickitat way up in yonder hills.
I took the photo above during our walk around a former Forest Service firefighters compound in Twisp, Washington. This spot is now known as TwispWorks, a creativity hub in the Methow Valley of northern Washington State.
Interests: Reading, writing, not arithmetic. The art and craft of poetry. Photography. Vegetable and flower gardening especially heirloom bulbs and dahlias. Movies in real theatres. Theatre on real stages. Art in real galleries. Crossword puzzles and, of course, Wordle. Singer-songwriters like Aimee Mann and Patti Griffin. All kinds of music especially 1930s jazz. Venice, Italy! The Dude abides.
- Poem-a-Day Publication at Second Coming - August 22, 2025
- The Running List… - August 21, 2025
- Moving Product… - August 8, 2025
