Category: Nature

My Granddaughter Ari Rae’s 1st Pre-Spring Waterfowl Report Tuesday, February 5th, 2024: I awoke from my afternoon nap as my granddaughter Ari Rae came in from her Paw Patrol walk with her Mama, Aunt Abba, & our family’s Sheltie herd out around our main duck pond. “Tell Grampa what...

Returning Farmland to Forest A Lifetime Investment It was not part of the plan when my wife and I purchased our home, situated on one nine-acre post bank foreclosure subdivided parcel of an old north country farm lot. It was never anything I ever initially even remotely envisioned. It...

Exploring Adirondack Artistry Using Nature’s Canvas It’s funny the little things that quietly provide inspiration, those seemingly small childhood details that stay with us through life. I always admired the engraved “artist’s conk” scene pictured above. It adorned the fireplace mantle in our Stevenson Lane home through most of...

To Ari Rae Marra The Apple of Grampa’s Eye ********** ********** This is Ari Rae Marra. She loves to visit her Grampa’s house. Ari Rae and her Grampa have their own special greeting. Fist bump, high five, gentle head butt. It’s how they tell each other “Hello” & “I...

One Lone Hunter Sat in silent surveillance Watching swamped woodland landscapes Until God’s sunset found him One Lone Hunter Quietly unloaded his rifle Climbed down from his tree stand And made his way home ********** Until Our Trails Cross Again: ADKO...

Celebrating Fall’s Season Musings, Memories, & a Hike Framed in a Poem I took a walk today Down a leaf covered trail Fall’s carpet of yesterdays October’s confetti hail I took a walk today Down a leaf covered trail Reminiscing crunched leaf memories In full fallen foliage detail I...

The Anniversary Gift of a Lifetime: An Adirondack Flyover My wife Robin & I received a huge surprise this year from our children for our (Lord, PLEASE, hear my prayer! Help me get this number right!) 33rd wedding anniversary. They went in together and bought us an Adirondack plane...

Sharing Late Summer’s Harvest, Berry Picking Memories, & Mom’s Pieberry Recipe ********** Rule #1: “If you want Mom to make pie, first you have to pick pieberries.” This is a rule that I learned early on as a lad. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of Mom &...

A Zen Boat Journey of Discovery Spending a “Shipwrecked” Day Exploring Middle Saranac Lake’s Ship Island The landscape canopy was still fully arrayed in splendid shades of bright green as my wife Robin & I made our way up along Route 3 from Watertown for what was intended as...

When Life’s Struggle with Death Leaves a Blood Trail He lifted his nose to the breeze gently riding the first rising rays of the sun. Beneath October’s dank, musty fallen leaf blanket and balsam bough cover scent, the crisp north woods promise of snow filled his nostrils. Headed towards...