Category: Nature

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...

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...

An On-Site Saranac Lake Upper Locks Construction Project Update As I packed, planned and prepped for a weekend trip to Saranac Lake to undertake some personal agenda items and attend my best friend’s father’s funeral, the word on the street was that the NYSDEC’s tentative opening of Saranac Lake’s...

“This Arbor Day Message is Ari Rae Approved” My spring arbor order arrived April 12th. With chilled early spring temps, April’s shower spigot flooding most everything, and full-on mud season going full force, my initial plan was to let things dry out a bit before planting. 30 white pine...

A Connectivity Experience Being One with the Moment As April 8th and eclipse day approached, I found within myself a growing urge to make plans that would somehow allow me to uniquely experience totality’s moment. For a brief while, it appeared our northern New York State Watertown hacienda would...

Safely navigating multiple sclerosis & disability’s challenges while living outdoors. Multiple Sclerosis. It’s not something I talk or write about much, but after the sudden onset of symptoms, including numbness in my lower legs and feet, headaches, nausea and vomiting, a series of medical exams, an excruciating battery of...