A Walk Across America, a bestselling memoir by Peter Jenkins first published in 1979, chronicles the first ½ of his journey on foot across the USA, stretching from Alfred, New York to New Orleans, Louisiana. The remainder of the journey unfolds in The Walk West (1981). “One half” is a fitting phrase to describe this … Continue reading Book Review: A Walk Across America
Good Signs / Bad Timing
All useful information (well, maybe a little TMI), right? Although it seems to me that first sign comes way too soon (unless you brought an aspirin synthesizer kit with you on your hike) and the second one comes way too late.
What Layers Mean to Me
A grownup is a child with layers on. ~ Woody Harrelson To make a full-blooded puff pastry, you need time, you need patience, and you need precision. It's all about the lamination: it's all about building up the layers of butter, dough, butter, dough; as the butter melts, it creates steam, and that brings up … Continue reading What Layers Mean to Me
3 x You = 22
Q: Campfire Tales, you talk so much about trees, I'm inspired to make a difference, but I don't know where to start. Can you please help? A. My pleasure! Below are three comprehensive links to get you started. This contest, put on by Save the Redwoods, is a genius way for parents and kids to … Continue reading 3 x You = 22
Tale of a 4th Grade Nightmare
It's one thing to have a nightmare, like the one I suffered for years of that woman on roller skates who skates menacingly towards me until she's just about to reach me, then is suddenly transported to the far end of the rink and starts coming at me again, over and over... ugh. I'd rather … Continue reading Tale of a 4th Grade Nightmare
Thank You for Your Cypress
Over the weekend, Cindy and I enjoyed our first hike together since... well, we don't need to revisit that, right? (If you missed it, you can catch up at this post.) We hiked the bluffs over a Marine Reserve near Moss Beach: Quick quiz. Can you identify everything the sign forbids? (Better hurry, because here … Continue reading Thank You for Your Cypress
Spring Check-In
My memories of Easter Sundays include two "traditions": Attending church. Not at the usual house of worship, however. Due to the spike in attendance, Easter service required being held somewhere with larger capacity: our local Seventh Day Adventist church. They didn't use their sanctuary on Sunday; we needed the upgrade. Win/win. Bad weather. Even though … Continue reading Spring Check-In
Roadside Art: Beautiful Thoughts Fence
On every fencepost of a house near my gym, an older man (the crow in photo 1) and his wife (the cute chick) turned the front of their home into a declaration of... well, of everything. Who they are. Who they love. Why they love. They are definitely in support of grandparents. Teenagers? Not so … Continue reading Roadside Art: Beautiful Thoughts Fence
Doctor Tree
“But some of the beneficial effects of trees and vegetation on humans may also arise from simply being around trees, since even the experience of seeing trees through a window seems to have a positive effect on health.” “E.O. Wilson coined the term biophilia hypothesis to propose that humans have an instinctual and deep emotional … Continue reading Doctor Tree
A Bit o’ Green
These photos, taken near a racetrack, a bank, a school, and a hospital, represent the corners of a four-leaf clover. You know what they say, right? With Luck Comes Wealth With Wisdom Comes Health ~ Famous Irish saying OK, some of that isn’t true. But what’s today without a little blarney, right? Happy St. Patrick's … Continue reading A Bit o’ Green
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