Lessons in Editing and Salmon

Speaking of editing, these bowls were culled from a student ceramics sale at my daughters' high school several years ago. Aren't they lovely? Once I plucked them from the sea of other bowls with various colored glazes, they became a collection--a "statement" if you will--and I feel very fortunate to have them now. 

 

Computer altered image

And the above was also an exercise in editing: I scanned one of my acrylic paintings and zoomed in on a small square of it.  Then I altered the colors and put the square into a pattern. 

But what I really want to share with you, is that I volunteered at a fundraising dinner for the Wild Salmon Center, a Portland-based non-profit, on Tuesday.  The event was the kick-off of an international scientific symposium on the salmon who call the Pacific Rim their home.  Salmon are a "keystone" species of the Rim, which includes the coastal regions of Japan, Russia, Canada and the U.S.Pacific Northwest.  This means (loosely) that they are essential to the well-being of at least 100 other species of both flora and fauna in the region.  Organized by the WSC and Ecotrust , the symposium is bringing scientists together to discuss ways to preserve and enhance the critical habitat of these amazing fish who hatch in fresh water streams before migrating to the great Pacific Ocean; and who then return to the very river, and finally, the very stream where they originally hatched, only to spawn and die, leaving their ocean-rich protein and nutrients for the multitude of dependent species to draw upon.

Well....the keynote speaker of the evening was retired NBC Nightly News anchor, Tom Brokaw, who, of course, is one of the world's most trusted and respected news correspondents, and who possesses a deep, lifelong reverence for the natural environment.  Mr. Brokaw, not surpisingly, is a storyteller extraordinaire, and what a compelling story he told; weaving anecdotes and facts, and sharing moving tales of his extensive time in the wilderness.  People immediately rose to a standing ovation at the conclusion of his talk, and many claimed the evening was one of the most memorable of their lives.  Truly, he spoke with such simplicity, sincerity and eloquence.  My hope is that many people, beyond the several hundred at the event, will have the opportunity to hear his call to awareness and action.  Afterall, every region of the world has keystone species which are critical to the well-being of all of us!

(Hopefully, the Wild Salmon Center will post the video of Mr. Brokaw's talk to their website, at which point I will provide a link.)

Happy weekend everyone!  (Oh, and links to the non-profits are there, but for some reason, I can't get the blue highlighted text to appear.)