One Writer Mom. One Teen Kid. One Brilliant Australian Shepherd. One Comical Border Collie Mix. One Dog in a Maine Coon Cat's Body. And Latest to the Party — One Cuddly Cavalier.
Posted in Nature on Dec 7th, 2007
I’ve lived on or near water my whole life — ponds, rivers, swamps, lakes, streams, you name it. And I’ve spent a good deal of my life swimming, sailing, and skating on it. So I’ve learned a lot about how wind, water, and ice work. When it comes to ice safety, there are several factors [...]
Posted in .Cait and Me, .My Dogs and Me, Nature on Dec 1st, 2007
Sometimes the day races by before I get a chance to get outside. Kiera doesn’t care what time of day it is, she just wants to make sure that, at some point, we get in our three mile walk. You see, Kiera has taken it upon herself to act as my personal fitness trainer. She [...]
Posted in Nature on Nov 29th, 2007
I’ve always loved watching birds. Once you know how to decipher their signs, they have a lot to tell you about what’s going on around you. For instance, if you’re sitting in the woods, and all of a sudden you see a flush of ground birds (robins, pheasant, turkey, etc.) fly up, you’ll know that [...]
Posted in Nature on Nov 9th, 2007
The wood’s stacked, the leaves raked, the lawn mowed one last time, and the tools put away. We’re ready for winter. But my Maple trees? They’re still busy putting on their last hurrah.
Posted in .Cait and Me, Nature on Oct 24th, 2007
Whales-online.org offers this podcast with Marc Bekoff, Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado and Fellow of the Animal Behavior Society. The interviewer and Marc discuss his new book Animals Matter: A Biologist Explains Why We Should Treat Animals with Compassion and Respect. Marc’s book considers the full spectrum of [...]
Posted in .Cait and Me, Nature on Oct 23rd, 2007
This is the view from the top of Owl’s Head, one of Lake Placid’s shorter hikes — just over 2 miles up and back. Cait and I were heading back after a long weekend at my mother’s (Andrew stayed home to get in the last of some golfing, while watching the dogs). Just as we [...]
Posted in Nature on Aug 7th, 2007
With summer in full swing and Cait out of school, we spend more time at my mother’s place up in the Adirondacks. Since I always appreciate seeing pictures of where you all live around the world (it helps to satisfy my wanderlust), I thought you might enjoy seeing more than just my pond. When the [...]
Posted in .Cait and Me, Nature on Jul 10th, 2007
I thought I was immune, but I guess I’m not anymore… For the first time in decades, I’ve got Poison Ivy. I got it pulling some vines off my trees. My hands are a blistered mess, which makes typing interesting. In others words, this’ll be a short post. Just a quick refresher for those who [...]
Posted in Nature on Jun 26th, 2007
Most people know that the expression Go On Walkabout comes from the aborigines. But most people don’t know much about the underlying reasons for the practice. When aborigines set off on a Walkabout, they’re taking a spiritual journey to a “Belonging Place” in order to renew their relationship with their Dreaming and the Landscape. I [...]
Posted in Nature on Jun 14th, 2007
Ring ring ring. Disembodied voice from Caller ID, “Call from wireless caller.” Wondering what Andrew has forgotten, as he’s just left the house for work, I answer, “Hey, what’s up?” “I need you to do me a favor. Can you walk down the road to the bridge by George’s house?” Thinking that’s a very interesting [...]
The fragrance in the air here the past few weeks has been more heady than any perfume.
Posted in Nature on Jun 2nd, 2007
By now, you guys know that I have an interest in anything up in the sky. Here are some photos that will help give you a sense of scale. These are the planets closest to the Sun. Except for Pluto, which has recently been demoted as a planet and is the furthest from the Sun. [...]
Posted in Nature on May 28th, 2007
Cait and I are always looking at clouds. We like to see what shapes we can find in them. Here are some clouds we saw recently. Take a look and see if you find a shape that jumps out at you. Then scroll down to see what I saw. . . . . . . [...]
Posted in Nature on May 22nd, 2007
We live in a town where “green” isn’t as much about being environmentally friendly, as it is about contests to see who’s lawn looks most like a perfectly manicured golf course. We don’t play. Pesticides not only aren’t safe for our dogs, but they’d wash into our pond with far reaching consequences for the wildlife [...]
Posted in .Cait and Me, Nature on May 8th, 2007
Recently, we got to spend a few days on the ocean in South Carolina. The weather was perfect, the beach was spectacular, and Cait and I enjoyed a game we’ve been known to play for hours at a time. We’ve dubbed it “Must Sea TV.” It’s a simple game, really. You just bend over –or, [...]
