Washington, it seems to me, is a state that is largely held together 
by blackberry vines. I strongly suspect that it is the tensile strength of the native wild blackberry vines that has forestalled the frequently predicted earthquake. Everywhere you look—on the edges of roads and highways, your neighbor's back fence, the hedges on either side ![]()
of local bike paths—there are lush, enormous blackberry vines. Often, if you're lucky, the vines are heavy with fruit. We've been watching the local blackberry herds, waiting for that brief perfect moment of ripeness, and I think we're there. Tomorrow, we'll be going berrying. I'll be wearing jeans and a long-sleeved shirt to ward off the also very large and numerous prickers and thorns. Read more
