Aaron

Aaron

    An artistic depiction of rain and clouds with pink flamingos and flying birds, emphasizing the beauty of rainy weather in Oregon. This vibrant artwork highlights nature's resilience and the unique lan.
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    Oregon Coast Faces Rising Drought Risk

    The Oregon Coast is getting to know drought written by Daniel O’Neil | illustrations by Cate Andrews It seems impossible to separate the Oregon Coast from rain. With the Coast Range serving as a moisture-trapping barrier to the east, the coastal communities feel amphibian, half-belonging to the Pacific source of all that precipitation. Countless streams and rivers, endless moss and lichen, and every shade of green—that’s the Oregon Coast, for most of the year, at least. Despite receiving 6 or more feet of rain each year, Oregon’s coast has also begun to suffer from drought. The dry season tends to start earlier these days, sometimes lasting all spring and summer, and when it does, local inhabitants like fish, forests and farmers struggle. Water is a precious resource even on the “rainy” coast, it turns out, despite popular belief. “When you’re dealing with levels of rain like in our community, it…

    Beautiful view of Headlands Coastal Lodge & Spa overlooking the ocean at sunset, with a scenic island in the background, showcasing Oregon’s stunning coastal landscape.
    Explore Oregon, Lodging

    Headlands Coastal Lodge & Spa

    written by Kerry Newberry | photography by Headlands Coastal Lodge & Spa On a brisk, moonlit night, I peer into tide pools, mesmerized by wispy sea anemones. Our local guide knows every creature that calls the intertidal zone home. When rain begins to patter, we wander just a few minutes across the beach to our luxe lodging at Headlands Coastal Lodge & Spa. One of the coast’s most celebrated escapes, Headlands is a study in thoughtful design. Warm, lodge-like interiors—leather couches, sheepskin throws, intimate fireplace nooks—are balanced by contemporary touches like sea-grass light fixtures and sculptural branch chandeliers. Expansive windows frame rolling dunes, surfers carving waves and the striking silhouette of Haystack Rock, seamlessly bringing the outside in. Perched on a bluff with every room facing the ocean, the lodge invites lingering. But it’s the adventure offerings that truly elevate the stay. By dawn, I was skimming over swells in…

    Unique display at Portland’s Temple of the Weird showcasing quirky artifacts and spooky memorabilia.
    Explore Oregon, Travel Spotlight

    Portland’s Peculiarium: A Temple of Weird

    Something Peculiarium this way comes in an already-odd city written by Joni Kabana Peek through the door of The Freakybuttrue Peculiarium in Northwest Portland, and you’ll swear you’ve stumbled into the dreams of a mad scientist, or maybe the nightmares of an imaginative child who never quite grew up. This offbeat museum-shop hybrid is equal parts art installation, curiosity cabinet and love letter to all things bizarre. You’ll find walls lined with glowing alien fetuses, cryptid exhibits and framed photos that seem to follow you with knowing eyes. There’s even a “surgery experience” that lets brave visitors pose as the patient (or the doctor!) under bright, eerie lights. Founded in 2011 by self-described “collector of the curious” Mike Wellins and friends, the Peculiarium celebrates Portland’s proud weirdness with a wink and a grin. Each room brims with oddities that blur the line between fact and fiction, humor and horror. But…

    A family and friends gather around a backyard fire pit, roasting marshmallows and enjoying a warm evening outdoors. The scene highlights outdoor living, fire pit construction, and socializing in Orego.
    DIY, Home + Design, Live Oregon

    How to Build a Backyard Fire Pit

    written by Melissa Dalton | illustration by Chamisa Kellogg In 1977, an architectural handbook called A Pattern Language decreed: “There is no substitute for fire. Build the fire in a common space … where it provides a natural focus for talk and dreams and thought.” While this refers to an indoor fireplace, we can also apply it to the backyard. Here are our tips to build an outdoor fire pit—a surprisingly easy weekend project when you have the right materials. 1 PICK A SPOT Before starting, always check local regulations about what is allowed in your jurisdiction. General guidelines are wide-ranging, and suggest a spot anywhere from 10 to 25 feet away from any structures or trees. Make sure there is a water source close at hand, the ground is level and utilities have been identified before digging. 2 CHOOSE THE SIZE, SHAPE AND MATERIALS At minimum, the pit should…

    Close-up of poached eggs on toast with fresh vegetables, including tomatoes and greens, served on a rustic plate with a bowl of eggs and a salad in the background.
    Farm to Table, Live Oregon, Oregon Home Grown Chef

    How to Make the Perfect Poached Egg

    written by Thor Erickson | photography by Tambi Lane It was a cold January morning washed in frozen fog—formed after warm air rode up over the Cascade Range and settled above colder air, trapping it like a blanket of hollandaise sauce. The ponderosa pines outside leaned into it, quiet and contemplative, waiting to see whether the sun was going to bother showing up. Standing in my kitchen, staring at the coffee maker as it bubbled away, it hit me—it’s time for a poached egg. After a shot of caffeine, I gathered the necessary tools—a large pot, a slotted spoon, an instant-read thermometer and a small cup. A friend whose hens lived lives of enviable luxury had just given me a dozen fresh eggs. Once I cooked them in perfectly heated water, white vinegar and salt, these beautiful brown orbs would make the perfect breakfast. As I prepared to poach my…

    Prime rib roast seasoned with herbs and spices, cooking in a skillet.
    Farm to Table, Live Oregon, Recipes

    Beef, Three Ways

    Chuck Roast with Elotes Painted Hills Natural Beef / FOSSIL Gabrielle Homer SERVES 8 Ingredients: FOR THE CHUCK ROAST FOR THE CORN Instructions: FOR THE CHUCK ROAST FOR THE CORN TO SERVE Wagyu Meatballs with Dijon Cream Sauce and Herbs Bistro Alder, Dossier Hotel / PORTLAND Chef Benjamin Waterman MAKES 9 MEATBALLS Ingredients: Instructions: Cold-Sear Rib Eye Steak or Strip Loin Chef Leif Benson, Oregon’s Culinary Ambassador SERVES 1 EACH Ingredients: Instructions:

    Ancient redwood tree towering in California's forest, showcasing its massive trunk and lush green canopy. Perfect for illustrating California's natural beauty and giant trees.
    Explore Oregon, Northwest Destination

    Wander and Wonder In California’s Redwood National and State Parks

    Dreamlike and misty, winter is a serene time to explore Redwood National and State Parks written by James Sinks The world can make you feel small, sometimes. Among those times, in a very good way, is when you are being absolutely dwarfed by the world’s largest trees, and maybe embracing a few. Endangered California coastal redwoods—the tallest of them reaching more than 350 feet and alive since the era of Jesus—once thrived in some 2 million acres along the Pacific coastline. That was before the 1850s, when the Gold Rush lured legions of European settlers west. The trees were too massive to cut for the region’s Indigenous peoples, who saw the trees as sacred and lived among them, but the new arrivals had big saws. Local tribes were decimated and in some tragic cases slaughtered, and the volumes of lumber helped feed mills and the new economy. For the next…

    Two elk in a winter landscape with moss-covered trees in the background, showcasing Oregon's diverse wildlife during the winter season.
    Adventure, Explore Oregon

    Wild Winter: Oregon Wildlife Watching Guide

    Reunite with the natural world when it seems asleep—but isn’t written by Cathy Carroll Winter is often mistaken for a season of dormancy—but look closer. You’ll see a natural world alive with drama and beauty, from tens of thousands of snow geese taking flight over the Klamath Basin, to herds of Roosevelt elk moving through the Coast Range, to whales migrating through the Pacific. Guides and naturalists can deepen the experience, helping you spot these animals while sharing insights into how species and ecosystems are interconnected—and deepening our perspective on how we fit into the natural world. Here are some guided and unguided experiences to consider. LONESOME DUCK RANCH | CHILOQUIN Klamath Basin Birding Tens of thousands of snow geese are resting on wetlands of the Klamath Basin, a fine feathered duvet of aviary serenity. Then the entire flock launches, turning the sky white, the black tips of their wings…

    A woman smiling outdoors in natural light, representing resilience and personal growth, aligning with themes of self-discovery and transformation in Oregon.
    Live Oregon, Notebook

    Unfixed: Finding Meaning Through Illness

    Memoir and media platform reframe upheaval and illness as a doorway to radical love and meaning interview by Cathy Carroll Kimberly Warner’s newly released memoir, Unfixed, traces her quest for wholeness after confronting long-buried family truths, New Age self-improvement dogma and the perfectionism that shaped her. After developing a rare neurological disorder in 2015, the filmmaker began creating award-winning films, limited series, podcasts, memoirs and live roundtables. Her work, a space where adversity becomes a source of creative intelligence and philosophical insight, has been recognized by PBS, Harvard Medical School and the Invisible Disabilities Association, among others. She lives on a farm in North Plains, west of Portland. What felt most urgent for you to explore in your book, film and audio work? In 2018, still staggering from a rare neurological disorder that left me with unrelenting vertigo, I sat down at my husband’s computer with the urgency of someone…