The sun was setting farther in the distance than this little Indiana girl had ever seen. Between me and the rugged, mountainous horizon was a scene of variegated green that seemed to be rolling my way. Foothills rose in the faded yellow-green of drying grasses, giving way to stately stripes of blue-green pine. Bright green bursts of cottonwoods shedding their wispy down offset the gray-green of Russian Olive and Silver Sage. And all served as backdrop to the stars of the show, the reintroduced bison lumbering their way across an expansive meadow made lush and vibrant by the late-season runoff.
The trip we mapped out was, in great part, to celebrate D’s October birthday. She said she wanted to visit the Southwest. And specifically The Grand Canyon. “You’ve already seen it,” I said. “Yes, but…
A Brush with Fame
Have you ever had a brush with fame? At the airport, at a restaurant, on the streets of New York or LA? It’s one thing to see a celebrity on television or in a movie. And I think most of us would agree that it’s yet another, even better thing to attend a live taping, movie shoot, or concert. But if you’ve ever had that “brush with fame” in your daily life, you know that experience is in a category of its own. Now imagine you happen to run across that same person and instead of walking away, they come over and strike up a conversation with you and then ask you to rub their back. Well, that’s basically what happened here. Only the airport was a Florida spring head and the rock star was a vegetarian with flippers.
It was a bit on the chilly side, but was still a great day to visit the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. The park is full of native FL wildlife—and one old hippo (we’ll get…
Holiday Rest
Card games have been a part of my social life since I was a baby. Literally. When I was born, we lived in a travel trailer at the Holiday Rest campground on Raccoon Lake. Evenings…
A lovely Spring sunset lights the web of a bowl-and-dolly spider somewhere in the Hoosier National Forest. The forecast called for rain but we were given reprieve, if temporarily. So another campfire was in order….
Praise for the bucket
If you’ve spent much time with me, and especially if you’ve had the chance to spend any time surveying my outdoor gear, you know that I’m a big fan of things that serve multiple purposes….
The nice thing about wade fishing a river is that, in those moments, there is nothing else. Naught but the kiss of the sun, the caress of the breeze, the song of the water. The…
Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates: Is it TRUE? Is it NECESSARY? Is it KIND?” On any given Sunday, that’s pretty sound advice. But in our current communication climate, it might…
Changing of the sun guard
As you may know, I wrote a song called “Bad & Better Angels.” In that spirit, I have some “bad & better” news. You may also remember (and have certainly seen) my beloved Orvis hat…