Refreshed Perspective

            I feel a flood of tingly gratitude for the wealth of adventures I was showered with last week. I feel rejuvenated with fresh perspective and brightly alive with realized potential. I traveled throughout the Pacific Northwest, staying with old friends and making new ones. I found myself constantly in awe of the emotions conjured by being in old places seen with new eyes. I found myself beyond delighted to be with companions, and even more tickled at the luxury of alone time to assess, sift, and explore myself. I will share a few snapshots and let your imagination take the rest:



         Beacon Food Forest is located on Beacon Hill in South Seattle. It is a public park managed by the people of Seattle. All of the plants in the park are edible public domain. There are monthly Saturday work parties which usually host upwards of 150 volunteers. Fruit trees, berry bushes, perennial edible greens and herbs, and even edible fungi are cultivated in this urban city park for anybody to indulge! I found myself spreading bark mulch, pruning, and turning compost in exchange for aromatic bunches of sorrel, oregano, kale, spinach, mint, and collard greens. If that's not an inspiration for the edible landscaping at the University of Utah, then I don't know what is!

      Plants are a source of light. Even though a thick layer of cloud cover usually graces the Olympic Peninsula, there is a sense of light everywhere where the moss can sprout and the trees can send down roots. It seems to me that the light that emanates from plants creates a subtly healing environment, whether you are aware of it or not. I had the opportunity to stay in our family's shared beach cabin on the Quinalt Reservation close to the Hoh Rainforest. The smell of ocean salt, fir tree bark, rich soils, and sweet green vegetation fill the air. The steady breath of the ocean creates a whispering undertone to all things said, thought, and witnessed here.

    As I progress into my next steps for the edible landscaping project, I feel ready. I feel animated and inspired to integrate the urban environment with the healing properties of nature. And that is the very essence of this project. I met with facilities yesterday. They agreed to take on the irrigation for the edible landscaping plot because it melds nicely with another of their projects. Facilities is highly efficient, controlled and precise. Grounds folks get things done. Working with them has given me huge insight into how these systems function. It makes the vision of a perennial edible landscape shimmer into perspective in a way that I do not necessarily see at the level of my normal academic projects. Compost, a few dozen plants, and a steel planter box, all tucked in with irrigation becomes a simple process, achievable and exciting.