(computer is being repaired. will begin uploading drawings when i get it back on thursday.)

It’s remarkably beautiful here in Twisp. We are surrounded by mountains, some snow-capped. I came in this morning from Omak, behind the Stop the Wall folks (www.stopthewall.us). They are pulling a trailer with a replica of a section of the separation wall being built by the Israeli government. It’s fun to drive behind them and watch people driving in the opposite direction do double takes.

We will do an event together tonight, as we did in Omak last night. With about 5,000 people, Omak is the big city in this part of Eastern Washington. It’s a very conservative town. Across the river is the Colville Indian Reservation. As you might imagine, the crowd was small, however it was good. The judge from the reservation showed up and drew parallels between the colonialist beginnings of the US and Israel.

On the drive to Omak from Seattle, I drove through miles and miles of apple orchards. Some of the trees were in bloom and behind them mountains with snow on top. I thought of Palestine and the beauty of the olive trees and the surrounding hills. Helping friends in Qalqilya and Zebabde harvest their olives. And the taste of the olive oil–better than butter. And meeting Hasan, a spry 91-year old man in Zebabde who drinks it and says it’s why he is so healthy and strong.

A family I know in Qalqilya had their trees uprooted by bulldozers to make way for the seperation wall. Some of these trees were over 200 years old and had been cared for and provided a living for their family for almost as long. An Israeli peace group gave them a gift of new olive trees. However, the wall has taken their land as well. So. There is no place to plant the trees.