Until recently, the last—and only—photography class I ever took was back in the '90s in high school. To put that in perspective, I mainly recall ...
In Gratitude to Muskrat for His Sacrifice (or Happy Earth Day)
It's Earth Day, but I'm thinking of it as Thank a Muskrat Day. I recently was introduced to Muskrat, or rather a muskrat, who lives down the road ...
Black-capped Chickadee: Backyard Birb
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) Total birb. Among the cutest and most common backyard birds is the Black-capped Chickadee. This ...
Seeing Steller’s
Thirty-three hours. Five days. One bird. That's how long I spent, over two weeks, trying to see a single bird here in Maine, a Steller's Sea ...
Some Stellar Non-Stellers
When I venture beyond my backyard, birdwatching often entails seeing something different than what I intended or hoped to see. If I'm paying ...
Finding Stellar
"The eagle flew" a lady announced to me through her car window and immediately drove off. Darn it. On New Year's Day morning I showed up a frustrating ...
Beat the Blerch: A Virtual Race Report
This past week a T-shirt made me run a marathon. In July I signed up for the Beat the Blerch virtual race as soon as it was announced, despite not ...
Oh, The Things I See When I Run
Like many stories, this one began with a pregnancy test. Not mine, but one I saw years ago while running, discarded in a ditch on the side of the ...
On Lupines
“You must do something to make the world more beautiful.” ― Miss Rumphius Whenever I see lupines in bloom I hear that quote from Miss Rumphius, one ...
The Privilege of Nature: Diversity, Inclusivity, and Being an Outdoor Ally
For many, the outdoors is a refuge. I'd like to think that on the trail and in the mountains I escape politics and worldly concerns, and ...