Environment
River Dreams
Along the lazy, tranquil, rushing, surging river,Dense hatches of gnats and mayfliesBriefly cloud the banks and darken the skies.For feeding fish, they’re a life giver. Below the rippled surface, rocks lurk near.They never move, yet break the flowOf dividing currents, some fast some slow,The river tells me, place the oars here. Logjams and sweepers, hazards…
Read MoreSlowing Down
I’ll admit it: I’m slowing down a bit. I’m well past my youth – so far past it, in fact, that I’m knocking on the door of my 60’s. I occasionally experience some angst when I look in the mirror and struggle to match the middle-aged fellow looking back at me with the image of…
Read MoreFriendship on the River
Late last June, I embarked on a midday trip with some friends on our glorious Snake River. The river was flowing fast due to the ongoing effects of the late spring runoff. Jn just the first 4 miles of the trip, we had seen Bald Eagles, Mule Deer, Red-tail Hawks, Mergansers, Ravens, Geese, and some…
Read MoreRandom patterns
I love the return of spring and its random patterns and awakenings. In spring, the days warm slightly – and then snow slightly – and then warm slightly, but despite the season’s see-sawing nature, we start to see the return of the flowers, insects, and animals that have been missing or were merely occupied with…
Read MoreThe Last Day of Summer
I just saw the last day of summer. I know what you’re thinking: it’s the Equinox – so didn’t we all just see it? That’s true, but if you work outdoors like I do, you don’t need a calendar to tell you when the seasons change. You just have to read the signs. Over the…
Read MoreNature and Literature
When I was in high school many years ago, the local environmental education program offered some great courses to help students see, imagine and create connections between the classroom and the great outdoors: Art and Nature, Nature and Literature, and Nature and Photography. I remember taking a Nature and Photography one winter and delighting in…
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