One of a Hunter’s Most Trusted Companions Every Hunter Has One I’d trapsed the mountains with my dad on his fall hunting trips since I could remember. I began hunting in earnest the first year I was legal. Which, in New York State when I was a lad, was...

A Zen Boat Journey Seeking Escape from the Doldrums ********** I’ve found myself in a bit of the doldrums of late. Not due to any particular life circumstance. It’s simply a place I find myself wandering into occasionally. It may be due to fatigue, both mental and physical, or...

A Pre-Civil War Bean Pot & Mysteries Surrounding an Early 1800’s Ale Bottle Researching a Pair of Early Adirondack Artifacts My Ongoing Quest for “Before” ********** “Before” That’s a powerful word. The desire to discover it is in large part what drives me. I just love finding old bottles....

A 2024 Wildlife Trail Camera Chronology When thirty-four years ago I began my overgrown farm lot reclamation endeavor, I never in my wildest dreams imagined that what I was in fact doing was creating my own private wildlife area. I have previously penned pieces detailing those efforts and how...

An Anniversary Day Trip Celebration of September’s Early Fall Colors ********** As August’s Summer Sunset Slowly Fades September’s Sunrise Ascends Mountain Marsh Paintbrush Horizons Hint Fall’s First Bright Splashes of Red Morning Sun’s Misted Dewdrop Rays Glisten Falling Leaves Drift the Winds Mother Earth’s Arboreal Timepiece Autumn’s Onset Portends...

There’s a spot on the deacon’s log Near the end of the lean-to Where I like to sit Soaking in the rising sun’s first warming rays Listening to our propane fueled pot percolate As I watch morning coffee’s slow drip Contemplating today’s yesterdays and tomorrows Breathing in that fresh...

When Planet Earth Needs a Superhero Patrolling Swamp, Meadow & Forest ********** August 19, 2024 Somewhere Deep in The Adirondack Mountains It materialized as if out of nowhere. A spinning disk-shaped object, sitting low over moonlit mountain lake water, emitting not even the slightest whisper of sound as it...

A True Story ********** This story is dedicated to my father. Dad, whether you knew it or not, I was always watching, listening, and learning. ********** Prelude “Into the Forever Wild” The Adirondack High Peaks Region, mid-July, circa 1978: An olive-green station wagon eased its way through the gate...

“I SHALL LIVE OUT MY DAYS BEING TRUE TO MYSELF” ********** Until Our Trails Cross Again: ADKO...

Greetings! Even after nearly fourteen years, this remains my daily prayer. Said quietly, every morning, first thing, as I mark yesterday off the calendar, put that day in my pocket to save, and prepare to take on THIS day! I was out working on my trails one day a...

Have you ever passed in a no passing zone? Ran a Red Light…. On purpose? Exceeded the speed limit….After Dark….While driving your Dad’s boat? Checked out in the “Express Lane” with too many items? Made a wake in a “NO WAKE” zone? Called in sick when you weren’t? Raise...

There’s always something magical about that first night in camp. Our family’s first foray into camp came a bit later than usual this year. That was in large part due to the upper locks rebuild, but also in part simply because of how our effort to make camp reservations...

The Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Cottage My Cottage Caretaker Guided Photography Tour Followed by a Presentation on the Renowned Author’s Life & Works Hosted by the folks at Historic Saranac Lake ********** I grew up in the shadows of the Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Cottage. We called it the...