Have you ever noticed how two trajectories can meet unexpectedly in your life? That's how it was when we joined Looping Sid on a visit to my hometown this week. We met Sid in North Carolina in late March just before entering The Great Dismal Swamp. We were more than 4,000 miles into The Great … Continue reading Hometown Visit With Sid
The chainsaws are busy again at Camp Many Moons. It got me thinking. How do you know when to trim back and when to lop off? The question applies not just to trees but also to outmoded habits. Or stuff you don't use any more. Or relationships. When it comes to trees, the answer is … Continue reading A Time to Trim, A Time To Cut
Where is "home?" Where your heart is, they say. For boats doing The Great Loop, it's the home port. For Mainship Many Moons, that's Huron Bay, a narrow 12-mile-long bay (some call it a fjord) on the southern shore of Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Many Moons has been at anchor here for over … Continue reading Many Moons at “Home”
Many Moons has extended her stay in the small town of Darien, Ga. in the salt-marsh tide-creek ecosystem, as this coastal region is called. The other Looping boat near us has done the same. We've entered days of projected rain and winds, with conditions worse north of us. Weather delays are expected on The Loop. … Continue reading Biding Time in the Marshes
The waterfront path at my camp is the first thing I cleared after buying the land. It's lined with stumps, every 20 feet or so -- with foreign words on them. You may be stumped by this! Let me explain. Some people are content to look at a pretty scene. I want to feel it. … Continue reading Stumped? I’m Finnish!
Boo and Roscoe are my outdoor companions. They are so fun, and funny. I can't imagine outdoor life without them. Roscoe is a full-blood Siberian Husky who weighs 65 lbs. Boo is an American short-hair of undetermined pedigree who weighs 6 lbs. Both are about 11 years old but still full of energy and curiosity. … Continue reading Pets Need Nature Too
It's 65 feet of wood planks. It sits on the frame of an old house trailer. It rides on wheels so it can roll in or out of the water as needed. On nice days, it's the centerpiece of Camp Many Moons. It plays many roles: a place to read, or visit, or tie up … Continue reading The Dock
I've always been aware of the moon -- its phase, its arc, its pull. Even more so here at Camp Many Moons! I gave this place its name for three reasons. 1. It was the nickname my brother gave me. 2. It suggests a Native American connection. 3. I want the retreat we've developed here … Continue reading (Many) Moons
"Blessed be the tie that binds." So begins an old hymn I learned as a child. It came to mind as I paddled over bits of sunken railroad ties that bind me to the history of Huron Bay. Across the bay from Camp Many Moons, the remains of the Iron Range and Huron Bay Railroad … Continue reading Ties That Bind
On the south end of Camp Many Moons, the waterfront is interrupted by a small inlet. The waters of Huron Bay ebb and flow here. The sand does, too. Sand is a remarkable medium, both adaptable and resilient. It shifts as nature or humans require, never losing its elemental nature even as its appearances changes. … Continue reading Shifting Sands
For Many Moons 