I Hike, Therefore I Am

Occasionally, I bump up against a perspective born out of modern society’s single-minded focus on productivity: “What’s…

Look! From ambition’s ashes! It’s a Phoenix! It’s an Osprey!

Countless eons ago, when I was young and drunk on naivete, I wanted to be a professional tennis player. Fueling this ambition was not fame…

The Haunting of Innumerable Things

Color me irrational, but I believe I’m possessed. Disappointingly, my haunting does not come with…

A (Long) Farewell to Bolt

A few days ago, we lost a very close family member. Our dog Bolt was put to sleep after a short fight with liver…

This is Filtered Water

It’s not often that my mind wanders deeper than the tepid shallows it habitually splashes around in. Contemplation is a rare visitor and when it visits, seldom lingers. Introspection was the last thing on my mind when I picked up the book “ This is Water” by David Foster Wallace. All the…

Patagonia 2024 Schedule

Just in case anyone is interested in the cities and days spent during our recent Patagonian trip.

Willnapism: Needed now, more than ever

If you live long enough, life teaches you some lessons. Unless, like me, your supply of naive optimism is bottomless. In which case, you earned nothing but “F”s at your neighborhood Hard Knocks Community College. You never made it to the graduation ceremony…

Fishy Career Choices

My 9-year old son talks incessantly about wanting to be a marine biologist when he grows up. My wife and I, wanting not to be outdone as supportive parents, have gushed repeatedly, “We will accompany you on all your ocean expeditions and help you catalog mollusks and invertebrates.” In…

Exploding Salsa

My son, along with 30+ other children of varying talent, had to perform at a piano recital last Saturday; food was promised at the event, so I skipped lunch. On arrival, the first thing I found out was food would be served only after the recital was over. The recital started at 3 PM and a quick…