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I started off on the well worn path, one I have walked many times. It curves through a mature forest of oaks: live, laurel, and water; loblolly pines, mockernut hickory, southern magnolia, sweet gum, black gum (sour gum or black tupelo),and red mulberry. Sprinkled in these woods are dogwood, American holly, black cherry, and red […]

As I arrived at Gadsenville Landing just after sunrise, a flock of iris swooped in and landed in the marsh. This kayak venture was the inverse of my last trip, where I paddled into a side creek off a main channel. That waterway went nowhere, and as I paddled against the outgoing tide the creek

I really didn’t need another project. I used to joke about how I had projects for my next several lives. This facetious idea was the result of a 1980 decision to embark on an ultimate do-it-yourself project – designing and building a house. It was a choice based on youthful energy and naivete. With the

My driveway needed pruning, so I tackled the task during a light rain in the early morning. The year’s growth had reached in from the sides and overhead, and the rain sodden branches reduced the opening of this living tunnel.

Spring has continued to proceed in the LowCountry. New flowers erupt; birds make their spring appearance. The male painted bunting shows its spectacular colors; the female on closer inspection has a more subtle but equally appealing color palette.

I stepped out the front door for a walk within the confines of stay-at-home orders. One of the books I had checked out of the library before closures had a reference to Henry David Thoreau walking six miles to visit a tree, as if it were an old friend. I had a visit in mind

There were pleasant surprises on our way north on I-95. Fortunately, we did not have to suffer through the extensive traffic slowdowns experienced on our last trip north.  Swatches of color along the roadside in northern Virginia and beyond to Philadelphia

Fifteen minutes is a short slice of time. It is the increment used in Britain’s Big Butterfly Count, held in 2018 for its ninth year. People are encouraged to sit in a sunny spot (as in their garden),

The opposition of the paths was striking. The center of the solar eclipse’s path of totality, heading to the southeast out to sea across Bulls Bay. And almost 28 years ago,

During recent walks around Bull Island and the Washo Reserve at Santee Coastal Reserve I noted fallen trees from Hurricane Matthew. These casualties were quite limited relative to Hurricane Hugo’s effects in the same areas. I found myself peering under the overturned root balls,

New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania were a frozen world. Fields were snow covered,  the air was frosty, and waters were iced over. Here is a sampling. Ice across from Atlantic Highlands to Sandy Hook.

Out on the road in Monmouth County (NJ), my father and I made the familiar trip into Red Bank and Marine Park on the Navesink River, my ancestral waters. My life began there – learning to sail, boat, and waterski; fishing for snappers and crabbing; and teaching sailing out of the Monmouth Boat Club. And