June 17, 2021 - The humble rowboat ... simple, useful, and underrated. We have many types of watercraft at Camp Many Moons, but my go-to is the rowboat. This one is a "Jon boat," supposedly nick-named that by Scandinavian fishermen. Flat-bottomed and square-bowed, it is stable and light-weight. This makes it easy to launch and … Continue reading In Praise of Rowboats
June 4, 2021 - Sometimes you just need to turn off the words -- and the thoughts. A hammock is a great place for that. Mine swings just feet from the shoreline. Sometimes I come here to read and sometimes to think. If I stay here long enough, the words and thoughts stop...and I just … Continue reading Turning Off the Chatter
May 31, 2021 - You know that space between dreams, when you've let go of the old one before the new one has taken shape? It's an uncomfortable place to be. It can be ugly. But it's necessary. Up to now, Camp Many Moons has been a kind of rustic nature get-away -- the first … Continue reading Making Space
May 24, 2021 - I'm a pretty rugged girl. I use a chain saw, for pete's sake! But a persistent mosquito can turn me into a wimp ... an irritable, whiny wimp. And it's a whine - not a buzz - that we hear, say insect scientists. They make that sound by beating their wings. … Continue reading Irritation Management!
May 18, 2021 - Here we come! Hello, sun! Hello, people! Like the fiddleheads (fern fronds) unfurling at Camp Many Moons after a long and chilly spring, my friends scattered throughout the U.S. are gradually emerging from a year of pandemic hibernation to reengage more directly with society. Some are uneasy. Some are hesitant. Most … Continue reading Re-Emergence
October 25, 2020. "Follow your dreams and find your bliss," the self-help gurus say. Ah, but there is often a backside in this path towards dreams and bliss. Not a dark side, or a bad side. Just a backside. I'm bumping into it as we chop, drag, burn and scrape to create a big open … Continue reading The Backside of Bliss
October 20, 2020. A pink dawn brings thoughts, again, of the in-between's. The halfway. The middle. Pink is a middle color, halfway between red and white. Twilight is a middle time, halfway between daylight and darkness. (It occurs in both morning and evening.) Morning twilight is referred to as dawn -- that first light before … Continue reading Twilight Pinks at Dawn
October 10, 2020. Such beauty. And, trepidation! Autumn is a time of paradox in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, as the parade of colors announces the approach of winter. Many people call autumn their favorite season here. Former residents yearn for it. Tourists flock to it. Hikers (including me) are giddy in it. But autumn means that … Continue reading Autumn’s Paradox
September 20, 2020. A kayak can take you places a larger vessel can't - like into the weeds. Places where noise won't penetrate - like into the marsh. Paddling in the silence can help you breathe more deeply. See more clearly. Think more calmly. Get acquainted with your core -- muscular and spiritual. At Camp … Continue reading Paddling Into Silence
September 16, 2020. Anyone who's experienced a good campfire knows how mesmerizing it is. Dancing flames grab the eye and don't let go. Maybe it goes back to mankind's early days, when fire was invented. Suddenly, light. Warmth. Comfort. Imagine, back then! A chimney logs grabs you even harder, and plays a vertical visual symphony. … Continue reading Dance of the Chimney Log
