I Live in Beauty

I live in Whatcom County, Washington state.  That doesn't tell you why I love it so much.  My earliest memories are of Chicago - not the suburbs but the grit and dirt of the city itself.  At the time, I thought it was fine.  I hadn't known anything else.

When I was 12 we moved to Iowa, and I had a new perspective on Chicago.  Iowa at that time was full of cornfields and beef cows.  I also remember going to an experimental farm for raising buffalo.  And then I went to college in Iowa City.  I loved it there: it was peaceful, until just after the chaos of Kent State.  Then there were armed National Guards everywhere.

Then I went to Madison Wisconsin for grad school.  It was lovely too.  Then on to St. Louis Missouri for law school at Washington University.  That was beautiful - there was a large park nearby, and lots of green where my then husband and I lived and worked.

And then on to Seattle.  That was a big change.  Seattle in those days was not nearly as sophisticated as it is now.  But it was quite beautiful for a city.  I loved it there for a long time.  Then after about 14 years, I moved north to a 13 acre plot with lots of trees, chickens and horses.  That filled my heart for a long time.

Next I got a job in Olympia, the state capitol.  I lived just up a hill from the beach, next to a creek and was surrounded by trees.  That lasted four years.

I have a perspective from living in a variety of places.  When I tell you this is the most beautiful place I have ever lived, you know it is not hyperbole.

Whatcom County is truly beautiful.  There are lots of trees, hills, the Nooksack River, and Bellingham Bay.  I drive through the county often.  I live near the center of the county and my dad and I live about 20 miles from the biggest city: Bellingham.  It is green all the way into town.  Even in the "city" there are deer and other wildlife.  One of my friends lives on a plot that backs up to a green belt.  I have often seen does with their fawns in the spring, and once I saw a majestic six-point stag!  In the late summer the eagles gather on the Nooksack River to gorge on salmon.  My dad and were delighted when we saw hundreds of eagles.

We I live on an plot just shy of a half acre in a small town.  There are fruit trees and a pond.  The frog chorus is spectacular.  Mostly the people who live here are families with children.  It is a safe place.  I am looking forward to Halloween because the children are so fun to watch.  The little ones come early with a parent, and the older kids come a bit later.  It has been a long time since I've heard trick or treat from a small child.  It's fun!

One of my favorite sights is Mount Baker, majestic and clad in snow year round. There are legends about the mountain.  The natives in the area call the mountain Komo Kulshan. You can find the fascinating legend of Komo Kulshan here: http://home.online.no/~arnfin/native/lore/leg268.htm   The name means "White Steep Mountain."  From our home it is about a 1/2 drive to the National Forest, where one can see Komo Kulshan in the south and Mount Shukshan in the north.  The National Forest is in the middle, with spectacular views everywhere at any time of the year.

Truly, I believe this is heaven on earth.

Mount Baker

My Dad's name is Dale, if you want to know. He and I went up Mount Baker, known by the natives in the area as Komo Kulshan. You can find the fascinating legend of Komo Kulshan here:
http://home.online.no/~arnfin/native/lore/leg268.htm

The mountain looked a bit different to me, and I realized I have never been on the mountain at this time of year. At sea level, it is summer (even though it hasn't been very warm!). But on Mt. Baker, it is spring. Snow is melting, but surely not gone. We couldn't go all the way to the top of the highway because there was deep snow. There were people snow shoeing and cross country skiing.

We did, however, go to Nooksack Falls. The native people have a legend about that too, though I cannot tell it. The falls are beautiful anytime, but this was the best experience I have had there. The river is swollen from the snow melt run-off, and the place was full of rainbows.

There is a shallow cave at the bottom of the falls and just inside it, there was a huge rainbow. It was more pronounced than the other rainbows, I suspect because of the contrast to the dark behind it. It was lovely, and a great counterpoint to the last trip my Dad and I made up the mountain.

That was in the deep winter, and the mountain had feet of snow. The trees were decorated with it - so beautiful! As we went up the mountain, a young man waved us down. He and some friends had been back-country skiing down the mountain and hitching rides back up with people headed toward skiing. By the time Dad and I were going up though, there were few to no other cars heading up. We gave him a lift, and got to see the beauty near the top. That too was lovely.

The mountains are important in the shamanic tradition of Peru, in which I have been initiated. We go to the mountain to renew our mesa - a kind of medicine bag. Because this mountain is the nearest to where I live, it is my teacher, and I give it thanks.