Totem

I have long felt a special affinity for herons. I had never seen one until about 20 years ago when my marriage was breaking up and they started showing up frequently, both in Hawaii where I lived and on the mainland when I would visit family. It was sort of uncanny, but in a good away. When I researched the species, I learned herons are determined, patient and independent. As an artist, I can identify with those qualities. When I see one, I feel a happy tug in my heart, like there you are.

Splash

A few years ago I spotted this swan being rehabbed in a tiny pool on Sauvie Island. I hope he or she has fully recovered and is splashing in much larger bodies of water now.