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Author Archives: Teri J Pieper

Walking Through the Fire

Many of my favorite walking areas burned this summer so most of my images these days reflect the effects of fire. I apologize if you’re tired of them. Think how I must feel, seeing this and smelling this everyday; wiping ash from the dogs’ feet before they come in on a wet day.

It will be better when the snow falls and next spring I look forward to lots of green grasses and vibrant wildflowers.

These photos are from near the start of the Cougar Flats Fire, part of the Carlton Complex.

Eerily beautiful on a sunny fall day.
Imagine how hot it burned through here.
Some areas suffered patchy ground fires and the trees survived.
These elderberries did not survive
Guthrie
New grasses sprouted this fall from areas that didn’t burn too hot.
Fall colors contrasted with burned trees.

Bear Creek Walk

The girls (dogs) and I walked along Bear Creek earlier this week. It was the one weekday without rain in the forecast and I’m glad we took advantage of it. They were right – we’ve had rain four of five days this week. Of course, we need it and it does help me get inside tasks done but really, folks around here are unaccustomed to gray drippy weather. And it has brought much needed snow to the mountains.

This particular area of Bear Creek burned in the Cougar Flats fire in July – part of the infamous Carlton Complex, the biggest wildfire in Washington’s history. I remember at that time saying to a friend of mine “all of our favorite spring and fall walking areas are on fire”.

I was happy to find that the landscape around the trail suffered mostly a ground fire and most of the trees look like they will live! The fire stimulated new growth in plants that would have been dormant in the mid-summer heat and I saw sunflowers, yarrow and a tiny vetch in bloom. It’s nice to see their color at this time of year. And the trees are providing lots of color as well. The deciduous trees are all shades of orange, yellow and green and the pines that are partially burned are even pretty with their dark orange needles.

Ken and I walked this trail on New Years. You can photos from that day here. Sky was still a puppy then.

This area will be beautiful in the spring.

Dalmation Toadflax – and invasive, non-native weed.
Sky scampers across Bear Creek
A tiny puffball mushroom
New growth – maybe a willow?
Burned out tree root hole
I think this is a tiny buckwheat
Douglas Sunflower
Tiny vetch
Yarrow
Innovative foot bridge
Perhaps part of an old foundation
Luna looks good in yellow
Pitch
This tree bled pitch before the fire and it’s still doing it.
Beaver Creek

Fall at the Farmers Market

Today was the last day of the Methow Valley Farmers’ Market in Twisp. It’s always a bittersweet time even though I like the changing seasons and fall is so lovely. We welcome the rains and changing colors and the opportunity to enjoy a campfire after the long, difficult summer.

Vendors had lots of wonderful local handmade items – some decorative and some useful too; and produce to fill a root cellar or pantry. I took home a bag of yellow potatoes (my potato plants died from the fire’s radiant heat), a nice big bag of beets, some pears and some winter squash. Good food to go with the meat and fish that Ken is bringing home. All of us, including the dogs, will eat well again this winter.

Beautiful rosehips in the Commons area next to the market at the Community Center
And vibrant crabapples to feed the birds this winter too.
Someone left their silver slippers on the rock bench at the Commons
Patrick Hannigan’s Nice Nests nestboxes.
Almquist Pottery used to have a shop in Winthrop but they downsized last year and now sell at the market
Dan Russell’s great iron work
Local honey
Glass beads from Lucid Glassworks
Emily Post’s beautiful pottery
Nice to have a warming fire
Dana’s winter squash
Tomatoes from Brewster
Richard and Jocelyn grow wonderful organic pears and apples.

 

Phoenix Festival – Rising From the Ashes

We’re Not Burning Man was the theme of Saturday’s Phoenix Festival at TwispWorks. After this summer in the Methow Valley, folks came together from TwispWorks, Methow Arts, KTRT, The Confluence Gallery and others to create a reason to celebrate; to put this summer of fire behind us. It was a grand success! The music, the visual arts, the fun all put smiles on people’s faces. Spontaneous hugs erupted all over the place. We were able to enjoy fire – campfires, fire juggling, and later on (I missed these) fire dancing and a trumpet of fire!

There was music on two different stages from the start at 2 in the afternoon til way after 10 at night. All kinds of music. There were art demonstrations. There was interactive art. There were art vendors. Artist studios were open. Kids played with balls. Dogs were seen enjoying the scene.

Firefighters, the ambulance crews, law officers and a lookout were honored for their work during the emergencies.

People shared deeply personal art in the Share building. Some pieces were created for the show including paintings, collage, photos and poetry. Some were artifacts from the fires. It was all deeply touching.

Here are a few (too many) images from the event.

 

Olive is a service dog
The annual calendar from Door #3
Robin of Door #3
Rex
Eqpd has a ‘fix your gear’ night once a month. They will do simple repairs for free!
Daughter and mother
Basil
Lynnette and Roger
Even Superheroes need friends
Inside the Share room
Inside the Share room
My encaustic transfers inside the Share room. Two of them sold!
Inside the Share room
Splat!
Good thing there was a fire fighter around, just in case.
Patrick’s nest boxes – Nice Nests!
Patrick talks about his nest boxes
Sara Ashford’s Culler Studio
Carolee describes the natural dyes she uses on wool and hemp yarns
Twisted Knitters
Donna K, founder of the Methow Gallery
Drive in drugs?
That deer in the headlight look we all know so well around here.
Part of a raku pottery demonstration
Spontaneous hug
Multi tasking
Heeler/lab cross puppy
Local yoga teacher serves in the beer garden
Dusty 45’s
Spontaneous hug
Music hosts Don Ashford from KTRT and Superhero Danbert Nobacon
Jack, a hound/border collie cross
The popular free tour of TwispWorks
Short films in the Spartan Art Project
Rose and her daughter Magnolia return to the Methow. We miss you Rose.

Mostly a Dog and Her Stick

I walked my dogs with two friends and their dog, Bailey this morning at Big Valley. It was a rainy, kind of gray morning but not too cold. The dogs didn’t seem to mind and the rest of us were dressed appropriately for the weather. Bailey is a small dog and her thick coat sheds water. She never really got wet. Sky has taken over as star of the show and she is in just about all of the photos. Luna seems to steer away from the camera and lets Sky have her fifteen minutes of fame. We saw a pair of American Dippers in the river. Belted Kingfishers chattered back and forth and we saw a Bald Eagle fly overhead.

Bailey likes to have her picture made
American Dipper
Mushrooms growing out of a dead tree
Dignified?
Not so dignified
Shake
Throw the stick, Camille!
Ok, Kim, you throw the stick!
Uh oh, looks like it’s my turn to throw the stick
Throw it now. I’m not kidding.
I’m not the only person who photographs her dog.
Drips off of a gate