The International Peace Garden spans Canada and the United States celebrating the longest unfortified border in the world. Near the geographic center of North America, Rugby, North Dakota, the garden begins where the natural water borders of the great lakes open onto the prairie, and the prairie begins to rise to the mountains. I visited here in 2009 as the highly charged political debate engulfing our country seemed to paralyze our nation. Yes, 9/11 happened in 2001, and the Iraq war was rattling our national psyche. I longed for peace in a garden as only nature could bring. Now in 2025 as our country and the world grapple with conflicts, I try to remember conflict is part of life. Peace Gardens reminds me citizens around the globe see gardens as a path to peace.
Category: USA
Turtle Island–Wisdom for All
Turtle Island is a name for Earth or North America, and it is used by some American Indigenous peoples and some Indigenous rights activists. The name is based on a creation myth common to several indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands of North America.
Flowers in the Tetons, Wyoming
The majestic mountains are so big, the sky so wide and the view in every direction is spectacular. Exploring the Grand Tetons is an experience of grand proportions. It is easy to miss the wildflowers surviving in this dry climate under a bright summer sun. Yet the flowers are there, in yellow, purple, red and white.
Summer Color from Rich’s Workshop
The day began with the promise of an early morning storm; no rain, but a cool breeze and an overcast sky made it so wonderful to be outside this July morning. There were clouds in the sky, heavy clumps of gray at varying levels and in shades from light to dark. We have only a few days of cloudy skies in Arizona, so when they occur, we talk about it, noticing, watching, and photographing them. The forecast promised rain, but it missed us. We stay dry. Here the water supply worries are real.
Let’s Celebrate! Fredrick Olmstead made everything better
Let’s Celebrate!
Here’s something worth celebrating, and it’s not National Walk to Work Day (April 1) or Lima Bean Respect Day (April 20). Instead, it’s a yearlong celebration of the first American Landscape Architect, Frederick Law Olmstead.