There are many forms of beauty. I tend to fall in love with old trees. There is a shore pine tree next to my house. Old and gnarled, a bit scruffy, the tree has been battered by too many windstorms and hard driving rain. Weather-beaten limbs are covered with gray moss the texture of barnacles that have stood the test of time. Stellar Jays, Towhees, Woodpeckers, Eurasian doves, goldfinches, and sparrows flit from branch to branch at different times of the day. The tree grows too fast and the birds are never the same. I don’t know who I love more, the tree or the many birds who inhabit its secret spaces tucked away where they can play a mystical game of hide and go seek.
Beyond experiencing beauty, we offer the works of several fine writers who take us on a journey to think about the world we live in. Author and Documentary Filmmaker John de Graaf writes a superb article,
In Barbara Lloyd McMichael’s monthly column Building Back Better, she probes a piercing question: Can Beauty Save Us? She explores Biden’s initiatives that are intended to repair the environment and restore the balance between public lands and who should have access to them. She suggests that beauty may end up being the salvation of the world. Annie Searle’s probing article A Divided Country invites us to examine whether the gap is closing or at least shrinking between the polarized political beliefs that threaten to unravel America.
The other day I stumbled upon a beautiful expression of art where I never expected to find it—in the midst of the Wonder Garden in Manzanita, Oregon. I’ve written about the Wonder Garden before because it is right next to the North Tillamook Library. In this issue we offer an update of the Library and the Wonder Garden.
Welcome to our annual issue on beauty! Happy July!
PR FOR PEOPLE®
THE CONNECTOR
Editorial Staff
Chief Content Creator:
Patricia Vaccarino
Published by
PR for People®
Brand Manager:
Josue Mora
Copy Editor:
Lars Brockner
Chief Photographer:
Ilya Moshenskiy
Design and Layout:
Josue Mora
Photo Credits:
William Lulow, Josue Mora, Ilya Moshenskiy,
Patricia Vaccarino and a very special thanks to John de Graaf, and the Hoffman Arts Center.
On the cover:
First Lady Bird Johnson and Stewart Udall
Contributors:
Lynn Berger, Dave Bresler, Peter Corning Ph.D,
Rongqing Dai Ph.D,
John de Graaf, JoAnne Dyer, Ron Flavin,
Michael Fliegelman,
Randy Friedberg, Esq.,
Manny Frishberg, Linda Jay, Henri P. Gaboriau, MD,
Sally Haver, Alison Harris, Roger Hillman,
Lorraine Howell,
David L. Laing, Linda Jay, Nick J. Licata,
William Lulow,
Dean Landsman,
Barbara Lloyd McMichael,
Joe Puggelli, Annie Searle, Hall Stuart-Lovell,
Jordan Riefe, William Thomas, Patricia Vaccarino, and
Serena Wadhwa.
PR for People® The Connector is published monthly by Xanthus Communications LLC, 2212 Queen Anne Avenue North, PMB #615, Seattle, WA 98109. Please send any address changes to [email protected].
Copyright ©2021 by Xanthus Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. Written content and original photos in this publication must not be reproduced in any form without permission. Requests for permission should be sent to Patricia Vaccarino [email protected].
Letter from the Editor
Dear Friends
& Colleagues: