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The question gets asked of me, why do you donate 10% of all sales to a charity?

Part of my journey involves giving back something to this world. Yes, I recycle. Sure I try to eat organic and grow my own food and a lot of other little things but I also want to try and help out my fellow man in some way. Part of my growing up finally involved going back to school for computers. I received a degree and have worked in the computer industry in one capacity or another for the past ten years.

I was introduced to Cancer Patient Care back in 2002 or 2003 and worked with them as their tech support for their email and website. More recently I had been their outsource IT person. Needless to say I've gotten to know the people that work there and a little bit about what they do. I do not have a Cancer story.... yet. My Grandfather died when I was five from throat cancer but I was far to young to understand. That's the closest cancer has come to truly impacting my life.

So why then Bill? I'm cynical on big business and charities for the most part. In my opinion a cure for cancer is out there and will never see the light of day. Cancer is an industry unto itself and a very lucrative one at that. The economic fallout to certain industries would be devastating if a cure was ever revealed. Same thing with fossil fuels and cars but that's a whole different post. It's all about the money and a lot of the big charities are no different. Do a google search on a big charity and type the word scandal after it. Hypocrites. Sierra Club (whom I was big supporter of in my early twenties), Peta, Unicef, etc.... Granted nobody is perfect but come on!

Oh yeah, why then? Because I know the people that run Cancer Patient Care. From the Director to the volunteer that answers the phone. I know the hearts of gold that work there and I know their only mission is to help those with cancer that are in need of help. I know the money doesn't go to the Directors 6000 sq ft log cabin in the woods. I also know the burden of being financially strapped like the people they help. Like a lot of you I've lived through that and it's not something we wish on our enemies. I know the money that's donated goes where it should be going.

Here's an edited excerpt from an email I had with them today regarding my donations.

"What ever the amount it will be blessed and multiply like the fishes and loaves. Good will be done and clients will be helped"

"look at it as prescriptions, a grocery voucher, a tank of gas to get to and from chemo appointments. It only takes a mustard seed."

that's why.

For more information on Cancer Patient Care please visit their website - http://www.cancerpatientcare.org/faq.php

©2010 Bill Werle
Acrylic on canvas 11" x 14"

In 1995 I was at a crossroads in my life. My grandfather had died, my marriage was gone and things were just a mess. It was late fall and I was up at a certain lake in the mountains of southwest Montana by 4AM watching shooting stars and searching for answers.

As dawn broke I went down to the water, made my first cast and hooked a 19 inch Brook Trout in full colors. All was right with the world again I thought as I unhooked him and let him swim off. That one fish clarified a lot of things for me. This is my tribute to that moment.

This painting is unframed. If you wish to have it framed please contact us and we can work out the details with you. Please note this will increase the final price accordingly. phone: 509-714-9932 or Email: werle3 AT billwerlefineart.com or you can send us an email via the .Contact The Artist link.

©2010 Bill Werle
Acrylic 11" x 14" canvas

Emperor penguins on a dive searching for food. They are extremely social creatures and will coordinate dives and surfacing together when hunting or foraging. Penguins have been recorded diving to depths of 1755ft and it's believed the Emperor can go even deeper.

I chose the underwater environment after reading about the social aspect to their daily life. Life is like the ocean, it's big, scary at times, wonderous at others and sometimes full of the unknown. Especially in the depths. As humans life is just a little easier when we have a circle of friends that we can dive and forage with. It makes survival that much easier.

Often times when ridiculously bad luck or some misfortune befalls me I shake my head and have to laugh. Especially when things are beyond my control I laugh. A case in point, our Voyager blew it's engine the day before Christmas Eve which was a day or two or after discovering the dormer leaked.

Sure it ticked me off but when you realize that this is just the way things are going all you can do is smile and go with it. Once I laughed with my wife about the incredible misfortune that was taking place it was easier to deal with. OMG? ha ha ha can it get any worse?. ;There's some sort of release in laughter. Maybe part of it is accepting that the van is just not going to start no matter how many times I crank it over.

Try laughter next time life's situations are so absurdly miserable.

As you go through life be sure to have fun and kick up some rooster tails! The bird, a Laughing Gull.

The Best Medicine

©2010 Bill Werle

Acrylic 11″ x 14″ canvas

There are no ugly ducklings. You are all uniquely beautiful because there is only one of you. No matter who or what is telling you that you are unworthy in some manner remember that. We are all swans inside in some way shape or form.

We saw and took pictures of Trumpeter Swans every time we went to Yellowstone. Majestic beautiful birds that floated the rivers in Yellowstone with such poise and grace.

I wanted the Trumpeter Swan to represent the good inside of everybody. Some people live their lives being put down, made to feel insecure in some manner or abused emotionally or physically until they themselves believe they are an ugly duckling.

I believe everybody, no matter the circumstances, has a swan inside.

Inner Beauty

Private Collection

©2010 Bill Werle

Acrylic on panel 11″ x 14″

This painting was a new style for me. I used a black background to provide high contrast to the egret.

Silent Lucidity

©2010 Bill Werle

Acrylic 11″ x 14″

Private Collection

Sometimes you have to look deep within yourself and bring forth the light to see the good.

I'm of the belief that there is no reason an artist shouldn't tell what motivates them to create a piece. I think it helps the artist get closer to their audience. There are times where some ambiguity or even silence is necessary. A piece may have the potential to touch or resonate within somebody in different ways. It may have a totally different meaning for somebody and as the creator of the piece I wouldn't want to detract from that by clouding it with my own personal interpretation.

In my opinion I've created such a painting. I can't relate what it speaks to me because of the deepness. It originally sparked in my head thinking about what the families of terminal cancer patients must have to deal with at the very end. Which led to dealing with the after wards. This then led to introspection and to this that and the other thing when dealing with harsh realities of life. Essentially sometimes you have to let go.

Release

©2010 Bill Werle

Acrylic 11″ x 14″ canvas

One of our all time favorite activities is to canoe the Little Spokane River. It's a lazy little river in the fall and really hardly more than a stream in some sections yet does have a couple little rapid sections that are fun in a canoe. They restrict what can be used to float the river so for the most part you have the river to yourself.

It's a crystal clear river, not very deep and for 95% of it your in the "wild", so much so that skinny dipping is an option we, OK "I" , took advantage of. I've caught fat little rainbow trout, we've scared a coyote drinking on the shore, seen numerous deer and then there's Moose. Every year we've gone we've come across momma moose and a calf. Every year but one which this blog is really about that one year.

The river ranges in size from 15-20 ft wide in spots to 15- 20 yards in others. Not very big in other words. this one particular year we were three quarters of the way done with the trip when we came upon momma moose standing on a point. The river was not wide, about 10 yards in this stretch, so I guided us as far right as I could to give her some space. We knew where mom was baby was not far away and didn't want to spook her. Sure enough, as we rounded the bend, we saw baby in the brush watching us. Seeing moose this close in the wild is both exhilarating and nerve racking.

What we failed to notice was the big bull moose 20 yards down the shore until he sort of snorted and stomped his foot. We all turned to look and his body went rigid as his legs stiffened. It was that point where escape plans instantly started formulating. Oh wait, I'm in a canoe, with my wife and four yr old son who was along for the first time, floating in about five feet of water and ten yards away from an obviously ticked off bull moose. There is no escape. The escape plan instantly changed to rolling us over and floating underneath the canoe to safety. Amazing how fast the mind works when it has too. We all stared at each other waiting for the other to make a move. The bull maintained his stiff posture and we maintained our dead silence. It was not until we were a good fifty yards down stream from him that my wife and I started breathing again. Wow! That was intense!

For those that aren't familiar with moose. They are highly unpredicatable and should never be approached. They kill more people in Alaska than bears do. In the BWCA I've watched a cow moose come tearing out of the woods after a canoe when it got between her twin calves that were playing on an island in the channel we were in. I know first hand the volatility of the moose. The whole experience still makes my heart rate jump.

Here's a work n progress and then the finished painting I did in honor of that experience.

We spent the weekend at our favorite fly fishing only lake up in the mountains. No motors are allowed on the lake which eliminates 99.7% of the knuckleheads from camping there. It's a peaceful place for us. The lake is clear, the mountain air is clean, the scenery is killer and the soul rejuvenation factor is huge.

When life is a little spotty a trip to this lake brings everything back into perspective. The serenity that surrounds you allows for calm introspection. It is somewhat of an escape from the realities of daily life however it also allows you to clarify what's important.

Along the lake is a trail called Trail of the Cedars. It's about .7 of a mile to the Cedar grove at the other end of the lake and then another quarter mile up the creek to the fish viewing platform where the native Cutthroat trout spawn. It's this trail where I've made a lot of critical decisions in my life or clarified my current goals. Back in 97 it was on this trail where I decided I needed to go back to school and take action to improve life for myself and more importantly my family.

A walk through the woods with a lake below you and miles of forest above you does that to me. Saturday we took the trail again. The kids ran ahead and my wife and I quietly walked together enjoying the silence of the woods. Once again I clarified the current path I'm on. Yes, things are stressful. Sure my recent decision to quit my job was not the most thought out but it's forced me to take positive steps forward on a path I've let get overgrown for far to long. If I hadn't have quit recent steps forward would still be pipe dreams. Will it be easy? Nope. No two ways around that but when have I ever shied away from something because it was hard?

We get to the Cedar Grove and stood amongst the towering trees and it crystallized in my mind. As these Cedars have done for hundreds of years, I have to grow. One foot in front of the other brings growth. Like the Cedars, onward and upward.

Here in Spokane we have the Spokane river running through our city. It’s not a huge river like the Columbia or Mississippi but it does get pretty good sized closer to where it joins up with the Columbia. It’s a pretty classic western river. A boulder strewn rough and tumble river with rolling rapids, deep holes and gentle riffles along the first 40 or so miles before it opens up into a traditional wide lazy river.

The river is especially violent during spring run off. All the mountains in the area drain into it generating an enormous volume of water. The river tends to reshape itself every year because of it. The rapids are especially attractive to the kayakers towards June when the spring melt start to taper off. The insane cold of the water is not so brutal, the water is not so high but the levels are such that the rapids are still roaring.

 

Six or seven years ago when I was down at my favorite hole fly fishing I watched a kayaker almost die. It was a hot, sunny, late afternoon towards the end of June on a section with decent rapids up about 100 yards from me. The water was still cold enough that the trout were still actively feeding. The spokane river is not known for it’s fly fishing. Good, because that means there is more of the most beautifully colored, NFL linebacker shouldered, insanely strong native Rainbows for me to catch.

 

Back to the kayaker. In between casts I’d watch him as he rode the rapids. As kayakers sometimes do he rolled upside down but I thought nothing of it. I’d seen them barrel roll before playing and practicing. I made another cast and slowly hand crawled my nymph in. When my fly was in I glanced upriver again and he was still upside down! I freaked knowing the guy was in trouble. He was alone in the water and it had been a good minute to minute and a half since I saw him roll. I knew he was caught in an undercurrent and I started running/hopping the rocks up stream with the intention of diving in after him. I kick my shoes off and was three quarters of the way to him when the kayak suddenly started floating down river. Immediately thereafter he popped up with a giant gasp for air. He made it to the opposite shore and collapsed watching his kayak, now three hundred yards downstream, float away.

I hollered across to him to make sure he was ok. He kind of waved me off, “Yeah, I’m fine” he said a little sheepishly. Despite his embarrassment you could tell he had a close call and he knew it. Well I was done fishing after that. That was too close to a tragedy for me. So now the question begs to be asked, why do I tell you this story fellow traveler?

 

Life right now is like the river during spring off. The extremes right now are like the rapids and riffles of the Spokane. It’s equal to about mid-june, so I’ve weathered the worst, but the water is still high and the river is still dangerous in places. The work situation I’ve been through before, so in that respect I’m like the kayaker in the midst of the rapids. Other current life situations are unfamiliar territory and I’m like the kayaker upside down doing his best to right himself. A daunting task with the volume of water pummeling you and and the swirling under tow pulling at you.

No problem, trust in myself and keeping my wits about me have served me well in the past and will again. The rapids are dangerous but I wouldn’t have attempted them if I didn’t think I could handle them. Like the kayaker that nearly drowned, “Yeah, I’m fine….”

The Fisherman

©2010 Bill Werle

Acrylic on canvas ? 22 x 26

I'm lucky enough to live in an area where the Osprey thrives. With the numerous lakes and rivers we have the population is abundant. We have an active nest about two stones throw away from our house due to our close proximity to the river.

I once had the pleasure of having an osprey dive and catch a trout 40 ? 50 feet off the bow of my canoe. Fantastic graceful birds of prey. Having said that when they hit that water it's a furious explosion of raw nature at it's finest. They stream line themselves and hit that water full force with claws outstretched to grab that fish.

So this one this particular day the osprey was circling above the bay at the end of the lake we were fishing. It was sunny, the red winged blackbirds were chattering back and forth with the occasional burp from a frog or two. Suddenly the Osprey hovered, he was locked on to his next meal, and then whoosh. He dropped into a dive no more then 20 yards off the front of the canoe. It was so quick, then sploosh in he went and immediately pooped back up, flapping, struggling to break free of the water and then he was airborne. A nice 14 inch rainbow trout in his talons he flew off to his nest. Awe inspiring?.

Attack Life

©2010 Bill Werle
Acrylic on canvas ? 30″ x 40″

Don't live your life waiting for life to happen. Like we almost did to the Eagle via DDT, shooting, etc? life eats the bystanders. Be an Eagle, be a survivor, live your life to the fullest. Go to your grave exhausted and spent screaming "What a ride baby!" Attack Life.

Having grown up spending summers in the Boundry Waters I was instilled with a deep appreciation for nature. At that time seeing a Bald Eagle was a rarity even in the mostly unspoiled wilderness of the BWCA. We would marvel at one from our canoe and on a few occasions had the pleasure of seeing them fish. I think because it was not so common to site one that eagles became a special bird for me at a young age.

This morning we pushed ourselves on a 6.7 mile hike in Mt. Spokane state park. The park is Washington's largest state park and has Mt. Spokane at 5889 ft as it's centerpiece. We hiked the nordic ski trails below the top that wind through the forest and along the ridges providing spectacular views of the valleys below.

On our way up to the park we saw a couple whitetails and numerous turkeys but no major sightings on the hike. We were treated to the shrill whistle of the varied thrush. I hadn't heard one of those since hiking up in the Tobacco Root mountains in Southwest Montana. Glacier is another place where it's common to hear them.

Since it's been a fairly wet spring and no, Spokane is really nothing like Seattle so stop with the rain jokes , we did get to see the tracks of all the wildlife up there. The trails are obviously highways for the deer and moose. We came across fresh bear and coyote scat. Fresh as in maybe an hour old?. One of the bear piles was deposited square on top of an old pile of coyote scat. When your at the top of the food chain I guess some of the other lower species need to be reminded.

The huckleberries appear to be primed for a banner year which is exciting. We went picking last year and had huckleberry pancakes for months. Huckleberries baby! Slight huckleberry deviation here; One hike up to a trout lake in a granite bowl 4-5 miles back high up in the Selkirks of North Idaho we found ourselves wondering through about a mile of huckleberries. They were in full swing and it became apparent we weren't the only ones enjoying them. Not only was the bear vibe making the hair on the back of my neck stick up but the fresh steamy piles of purple bear scat every 100 yards or so was not helping. The other notable fact about this hike is that the Selkirks are one of the last places in the lower 48 that have a semi viable population of Grizzly?. One of many hair raising bear experiences!

Mt. Spokane is not one of those Grizzly strongholds so while a black bear is not a bear to trifle with I've faced them and dealt with them before. A Grizzly on the other hand. I like them just fine 2-300 yards across the meadow and down the slope. The Grizzly holds a certain mystique for me and I'd rather keep that mystique alive?.

*Please note that not one "Bear S#^% in the woods" joke was used in the making of this post. Oh but it's killing me not to?.

I love the mountain trails. The ones with a crystal clear lake 4 miles back. Those unspoiled gems stocked with westslope cutthroat or brook trout are so eager to take my Royal Wulff or Pheasant Tail nymph. Flies that I tied just for this occasion. It's my reward for slogging uphill for miles, gaining 2000ft of elevation and having to step over huckleberry laden grizzly feces.

Now that's life baby,

But this isn't about hiking per se. It's about taking the difficult path to get the reward. But I'm too old, not enough time or that's too hard?? I was approaching thirty and contemplating going back to school. My uncle asked me "How old you going to be in two years?" (I was looking at a two year computer network degree) "31 or 32″ I responded. "So what would be better? 32 with a degree or just 32, either way your going to be 32 right?" The logic is quite simple but very powerful.

It was during this same conversation he gave me my most prized and since that day most used piece of advice. "If you don't like the way things are going, only you have the power to change it. So change it. Why continue on the same path if you don't like it. You DO have the power to change things."

Again, an oh so simple concept that I don't believe many people think about. Think about it and let it sink in. Your 35 in a dead end job, why? You, and only you, have the power to change it. Waiting for the life fairy to come along and make your life better won't happen. Never has for me anyways. Identify the problem/issue, identify the preferred outcome, write down the steps necessary to accomplish the preferred outcome and in the immortal words of Nike, just do it. YOU have the power to make a change.

Going back to school at 30, with a family and bills to pay was not easy. That's just one of my examples and yours may be much more difficult. The rewards started to pay off before I even graduated. Took almost two years but things changed. Easy? Heck no, worth it? Heck yes.

If I can take the backcountry trail to a better life, you can too. You can take that first step to making a change. When you get to that lake at the top sit on the rock overlooking it and enjoy the view before taking the pole out. It's a beautiful view. The other nice thing about taking the trail that few take and getting to that lake at the top. The fish are easy pickings?.

Have you ever read "The Power of Positive Thinking" by Norman Vincent Peale? It was a life changer for me. Ok, maybe not a changer but certainly an enhancer. I've always had a fairly decent outlook, I'm a glass is half full kind of person, but the message and concepts in the book really hit home for me.

The second most important thing for my mindset was a saying my salesman uncle told me in the early 90's. It was so brilliant in it's simplicty but so true. "Life is cyclical. If life is going wrong for you just hang on, It will get better. If life is going great for you hang on, it will get worse." The key is to get life's upward curves (the good) higher and higher and keep the downward curve (the bad times) from going too low. If you can truly understand the meaning behind this and grasp the importance of the concept life just gets that much easier.

Positive thinking has it's detractors. People discount it as not facing reality. While "positive thinking" alone won't get you far, if you apply a good honest effort to that positive thinking you'll find life becoming that much easier and goals less daunting. Everyone of you has it in you to succeed at whatever it is you personally want to accomplish. It's generally a simple matter of fine tuning the brain since the subconscious will actualize what it receives as input. The worlds top athletes visualize success for example. They visualize the basket at the buzzer, the 27 ft putt to win the masters, the bases loaded single in the bottom of the ninth with two outs.

Visualize your paintings, visualize being happy, visualize a happy relationship with your significant other. You'll be surprised what happens when you work towards achieving that mental visualization of success. :)