My daughter, Hannah, and I stepped outside into a frosty 29° morning, a half-moon hanging in the sky. It was a waning gibbous, halfway between full and new. A shrinking moon. At 5:15, an hour before sunrise on Easter morning, we drove to Devil’s Backbone Open Space so we could Read more…
Recently, I decided to go on a migration-seeking adventure. It’s that time of year when waterfowl (and many other birds) are on the move, heading for northern nesting sites. I live in Minnesota, near the Mississippi Flyway—one of four major bird migration routes in the U.S. It is a bird Read more…
I’ve had a relationship with Lake Superior since I was a child. My parents grew up in Duluth, near the shores of Superior. Consequently, I had grandparents there and many other relatives. While I’ve never lived in Duluth (my parents moved from there after kid #5, I was kid #7), Read more…
Spring is my favorite season. I love it so much I was willing to get up at 3 a.m. to welcome it properly. The vernal equinox is the official onset of spring, happening at an exact moment in time. This year, that moment was March 20 at 4:01 a.m. I Read more…
After a long workday—and I mean long, I decided to enjoy the gift of nature, so I took myself to a river in some local woods, a favorite spot of mine. I was after a moment of stillness by the water. I needed to let go of work and embrace Read more…
Recently, I did something I haven’t done in decades—I went horseback riding! A few friends and I saddled up for a ride, and while it had been years since I’d been on a horse, I wasn’t nervous at all—just excited. I’ve always loved animals, and horses are high on my Read more…
Have you ever had one of those days where you did so much work on a computer that your brain was buzzing? That was me on Monday. I started work early in the morning and decided to take a break around 3 o’clock. The weather in Minnesota had shifted in Read more…
Winter outdoor adventures can be exhilarating. Crisp air. Snowy landscapes. The wonder of a slumbering earth. It is a magical time that fills me with a sense of wonder. Winter sports and activities like ice fishing bring excitement, but it’s important to balance adventure with winter safety. I think about Read more…
A weekend snowshoeing trip to the Cuyuna Country Recreations Area was fitting for the first week in February. I went into the snowy woods twice, once with buddies and the next day alone (on Groundhog’s Day). Since snow has been scarce this winter, the snowfall that occurred on my first Read more…
I have been learning to find beauty in small things, joy in the everyday, mundane things of life. Nature has been helping me here, showing me repeatedly how very much beauty there is in the small. Not only that, but how vitally important the small things are. As I contemplated Read more…