American author Henry David Thoreau built a one-room shack on Walden Pond and lived in it for two years. He hoped that immersion in nature and a simplified lifestyle of introspection would help him gain insights into human nature and society. His book about it became a bestseller. (There's a wonderful new documentary about him … Continue reading On Huron Bay
H2O: hydrogen and oxygen. It's the only chemistry some of us remember from high school--the simplest part. Its impact on humans is also simple; we simply can't live without it. Water covers 71% of the earth and fills about 60% of our bodies. In 16-ounce form, it's a commercial product encased in plastic. In mass … Continue reading Water! Anywhere & Everywhere!
And now, Antarctica. (Source: long-forgotten personal photo albums.) Every human life includes events that almost nobody knows about. Those with children or grandchildren often share those events that way. The rest of us find other ways -- like a public blog. It feels bold. I fear being judged for showing off. I'm pushing through it … Continue reading A Life Exposed (The Albums) – Antarctica
Mid-spring in the far north brings wild turkeys down from the woods, and torrents of rushing water down from the hills. One month into the three-month season called Spring, the changes come slowly. In photos and captions, the continuing record of seasonal changes on Huron Bay in Michigan's U.P. Turkeys are an ancient bird; some … Continue reading Turkeys & Torrents
Nature reflects humanity, and vice versa. Cycles of destruction and renewal, ebb and flow, the ugly and the beautiful. Trees fall -- and sometimes are "felled" -- and we clean up the mess to create a more peaceful scene. We often use "nature" as a synonym for refuge. It is that. But it's also the … Continue reading Spring Clean-Up
I didn't know about the spices until the last day. Before then, it was all about the water. My friend Susan and I went to Spice Island -- aka Grenada -- to scuba dive. It was our 4th or 5th dive trip together. We're both long-time divers, with several hundred dives each. These days, she … Continue reading Diving Spice Island
I don't remember much from chemistry class. I wish I did. How does moving water turn into ice? How does it create such amazing structures? Those are the questions that arise when you visit O Kun De Kun Falls in Michigan's Upper Peninsula at the end of March. More photos and thoughts below... Flowing water … Continue reading Icefalls
Yay! Spring!? Nope....not yet. In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, spring teases you. One day it's here and the next, it's gone. Actually, it is "here," officially. The calendar says so, even if my eyes don't. The vernal equinox, spring's astronomical arrival, occurred a week ago. At my other home in Zone 7 (Virginia), daffodils are blooming. … Continue reading Spring? Not!
More than 3' feet fell in some places. In the end, it was an historic winter storm in Michigan's Upper Peninsula -- in some places. But not right here. Almost 40" fell on Mount Arvon, just 15 miles away. But here on the west side of Huron Bay, maybe 16" based on my twice-daily shoveling. … Continue reading Winter Storm – Prediction Vs. Outcome
Sometimes, you have to "lose" something in order to find something else. News of an expanding war is distressing to many of us military vets and retirees who served during the Iraq War and 9/11 and have studied wars through history. The "what's-happening-now?!" question lives too much in our brains. The "what-happens-next?" question follows closely … Continue reading Losing “The War,” Finding Nature
For Many Moons 