"The remaining mountain-tops of a receding continent much older than the American mainland." These are the San Juan Islands of  the Pacific Northwest.The earliest inhabitants of these "mountain tops" being Coast Salish Indians, some coming to fish seasonally, some believing  the islands to be their place of origin.

Much later In the 1800's with the influx of british trappers and the expansion of the Hudson Bay Company in the Northwest, many people settled in the islands, and began farming and fishing, the two main industries forming San Juan's cultural and economic history. The number of farms in the San Juan's peaked in 1925, with decline in the following decades during the great depression  and the second world war .

As the industry turned towards tourism for survival, farming diminished, while still remaining a large part of the cultural identity of the islands. Today, farming on a smaller scale in the San Juan's is growing steadily alongside the "slow food" movement in the United States. Local farmers have entered the political process with a powerful message for sustainability; environmentally , economically and socially. The Farmer's market on San Juan, which brings farmers from the outer islands together every Saturday from April thru Oct . and monthly in the winter has just secured a permanent building in which to grow and support the movement even more fully, through the San Juan Islands Agricultural Guild .

http://www.sjiagguild.com/

Recently, I've been invited to photograph two of these small farms. What follows in photos is the beginnings of this project. In photographing "Raven's gap", a family run farm owned by Rob Waldron, again the beauty of years of hard work and stewardship of the land sparked my imagination at this pivotal time in American history. The farm is mapped with thirty-five year old cottonwoods and poplars that Rob planted when he first began , a tribute to his backbone and vision. Any contemplation of  the future of  food , consumption and consumerism should be accompanied by getting to know the validity and inner workings of farming on this smaller scale. 

The major themes in life are experientially noted on a farm . Birth, death, adaptation and survival, love and purpose, hard work and compassion and what lays in between. The farmers I have met are extraordinary people, with inspiring life stories. Like " the remaining mountain-tops of a receding continent " they have endurance. Through a visual narrative I hope to record their connections to the land, their vocation, and their families ; glimpsing the essence of who they are from a personal perspective.