Dispatches

Beautiful river...

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 11:07:17 -0400

Beautiful river deposits! http://geologicfroth.com/sweet-san-juan-river-flood-deposits

Abandoned cars on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive (from Chicago...

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 13:29:51 -0500

Abandoned cars on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive (from Chicago Tribune)

Empathy 101

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 05:25:01 -0500

Empathy 101

One meal follows the other

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 21:58:57 -0500

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 15:47:13 -0500

The Tipsy Diaries: Finding the Frisco Cocktail

Sat, 30 Oct 2010 00:35:23 -0400

The Tipsy Diaries: Finding the Frisco Cocktail

Did I mention I’m starting an orange juice business?:...

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:21:02 -0400

Did I mention I’m starting an orange juice business?:

Last Sunday, one hundred fifty valencia orange halves went into my lever juicer and a gallon of orange juice came out.

I never tire of looking at the folds in the landscape...

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 23:26:50 -0400

I never tire of looking at the folds in the landscape surrounding the Susquehanna.

This time they’re seen in a true color satellite photograph in full fall color. Click through the image to read more from NASA’s Image of the Day.

Broccoli!

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 23:19:29 -0400

Broccoli!

Urban wild

Sat, 18 Sep 2010 15:19:25 -0400

As I sit on the couch in my living room, I hear the neighbors across the street exclaim to each other, “Is that a wolf‽ It looks like a wolf. Maybe it’s a dog and the owner is around the corner? No, look, it’s running away from us… I think that was a wolf!”

My windows don’t allow a view far enough down the street to see for myself, and by the time I make it downstairs and outside, the “wolf” is gone.

I don’t trust my neighbors’ identification skills, and it was probably just a stray dog. But if anything, it was more likely a coyote than a wolf. Coyotes at least have a history of venturing into and living in cities. I’ll have to keep my eyes open…

Technology Leads More Park Visitors Into Trouble

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 15:14:42 -0400

Technology Leads More Park Visitors Into Trouble

Fine Gin & Tonics

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 00:09:58 -0400

I had an epiphany the other week: why mix your damn fine (and expensive) gin with cheap tonic?

Oranges

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 22:05:03 -0400

Occasionally I’ll find myself in a quiet, dimly-lit kitchen in the still hours of the morning hunched over the stainless steel sink slurping on ripe orange wedges as the juicy fruit satisfyingly pulls away from the peel.

I expect that might be the case again tonight with the oranges still left over after squeezing three dozen for fresh juice.

The priced to sell, very ripe Valencia oranges I bought today remind me of those I bought at the Lyttelton farmer’s market in New Zealand with a handmade sign declaring “Look terrible, taste great!” Needless to say, they were delicious.

Summer rain

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:42:42 -0400

Summer rain

Recipe of the Day: Cornbread

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 03:06:12 -0400

Recipe of the Day: Cornbread

View from Mt. Norwottuck: This grassy cliff is my favorite spot,...

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:05:00 -0400

View from Mt. Norwottuck:

This grassy cliff is my favorite spot, just a slight ways down from the top and now hidden behind overgrowth. Best viewed a bit larger.

A Pacemaker Wrecks a Family's Life

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 04:42:00 -0400

A Pacemaker Wrecks a Family's Life:

A heartwrenching story about medical overtreatment.

A room with a view

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 00:56:39 -0400

A room with a view

Boots well worn

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 22:13:00 -0400

When I moved just a few weeks ago, I decided to toss the pair of Columbia hiking boots above. I kept them around for a bit past their lifetime, even though I replaced them at the beginning of the year with a pair of above the ankle Keens that still have cushioning and don’t have holes in them.

The low-tops above served my feet very well over the past four years, hiking in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania and the steeper hills of the Taconics, multi-day snowshoeing in Vermont and Massachusetts, walking the alleys and mountains alike in Morocco, clambering up and down volcanoes and through the muddy bush in New Zealand, and doing fieldwork on the apron of the mountains of Montana. I knew they were shot though when stepping in a shallow puddle meant the bottom of my foot was now wet.

The new boots are real nice, but I’m definitely going to have to replace these great, wear-everywhere low tops.

I had no idea that the eastern seaboard was now open to...

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 19:45:38 -0400

I had no idea that the eastern seaboard was now open to exploratory gas/oil drilling. Yikes. Not Off My Coast.