“Thank you for visiting your national park.” We’re open! (Except for boat tours on the lake. No Visitor Centers. Plus, we hid the shark.) Oops, did it sound like “full access?” My mistake… “Phased Reopening,” means: No Pinnacles Road Or East Rim Drive. Only guests eat at the Lodge. No Ranger Programs. Some hiking trails … Continue reading Crater, Crater, Now or Later?
Photography
Tree Advice
Without humans, trees would manage just fine. Without trees, people would perish. Everything on the earth that moves uses energy that is stored in bonds between carbon atoms, first formed in a green plant through the process of photosynthesis. You, me, earthworms, ants, bees, tigers, sloths, and aphids: we all run on trees. And it's … Continue reading Tree Advice
Bodie’s Farewell Part IV: Dusty Trails
Part I Part II Part III Unemployed; in dread of the poorhouse; Bodie applied Far and wide. Umpteen appeals, the sole reply—denied. Schoolhouse, Cain House, Hotels (near the Shell), and dozens more. One sample: “Cleanliness and Godliness aren’t at war.” Seeking absolution, Bodie held fast long past Lent Yet in the end, moths and rust … Continue reading Bodie’s Farewell Part IV: Dusty Trails
Station Identification
"We interrupt your regularly scheduled post to give your Camp Host time to finish several projects. Until those are ready to launch, please stop by the Gift Shop and make yourself an Identification Medal for the low price of only $.50, enjoy the latest tree distractions, or catch up on the two series of posts … Continue reading Station Identification
Imagine Tree & You
The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity... and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself. ~ William Blake
Presidential Words on the Wild: Jimmy Carter
It is good to realize that, if love and peace can prevail on earth, and if we can teach our children to honor nature's gifts, the joys and beauties of the outdoors will be here forever. ~ Jimmy Carter, from An Outdoor Journal
Letters With Jimmy
From me to The Honorable Jimmy Carter: Dear Mr. Carter, Over several months during my 8th grade year, a friend and I retreated on our lunch period to a far corner of the junior high school campus (overlooking the graveyard across the street). There I would explain – in exacting detail, like a Faulknerian narrator … Continue reading Letters With Jimmy
I COVID You Not
Everyone handles stress differently. My default — after I rant for "a while," way too long according to some — is humor. What I'm appreciating most in these crazy times is hearing the "nugget of sanity" that I notice everyone either seems to be looking for or has already found. A nugget of sanity … Continue reading I COVID You Not
Purple, Green & Gold
In celebration of New Orleans Mardi Gras, how about a quick display of the purple, green and gold? Please remember the Mardi Gras rules: Be proud. Proud as a peacock! But always remember what comes before a fall. Take good notes. Even better, take good pictures. It all goes by in a blur.
Love is All Around
Happy Valentine's Day!
Campfire Tales 