A dark, cold, and damp morning. As I was pulling into the parking area at McMahon’s Mill, I had the strange thought that I should see fishermen, bicyclists, and hikers standing around steel barrels with fires in them on strike and picketing the conditions. I often have strange passing ideas like Read More
Leave No Trace
A Forest Interview
(Yet Another Appalachian Allegory?) By a strange set of circumstances, that I refrain from going into here, I was contacted by the representative of a “person” to see if I would do an interview. I was given a list of rules, mostly come alone and in no way shape or form was I to bring a camera or Read More
X-pot Review: Useful Information
Useful Information Part of remembering Arthur is to encourage you, oh fellow travelers on the twisting road of life, to get out and spend some quality time in nature. There are many ways to do this, you can hike, bike, paddle, watch birds, or just lie on your belly in the grass and watch some Read More
The Toads – Another Appalachian Animal Allegory
(A note to readers: Arthur and I would often tell stories to each other, or more commonly make up stories together. Most of the time these tales were absurd and silly and reflected the excessive amount of imagination and curiosity that he and I shared. Other times I used them as fatherly lessons in Read More
America’s Wonderlands
When I was very young... When I was very young, five or six years old, not sure of exactly when, my grandmother gave me a book. This book was called Americas Wonderlands and was put out by National Geographic. I’d give you the publishing information but this book has been loved hard for many, many Read More
The Rescue of Her Royal Highness, Princess Yellowspot Longtail Salamanicus
(Or Another Appalachian Animal Allegory) It was a dark and stormy day, well stormy anyway, but quite warm for December. After a rainy afternoon of wandering about in the forest looking for things to photograph, dodging excitable whitetails, and enduring the malicious behavior of those reprobate Read More