Select Page
The Little Beach

The Little Beach

My campsite overlooked a small body of water, bigger than a pond, not exactly a lake. This water became a source of great joy and insight. The sun and moon both rose over her. My first morning there, I was excited and woke before 5 am. It was 46 degrees and dark....
Those Pesky Miles

Those Pesky Miles

A couple of pesky miles, or maybe four, I wasn’t sure. Regardless, I had attempted this tiny stretch of the NCT repeatedly without success. I couldn’t find the trailhead, car problems sent me home, endless rain relocated me to the cabin, a creepy truck parked on the...
Summer Solstice

Summer Solstice

H​appy Solstice Eve! Tomorrow is the longest day of the year. My favorite way to celebrate the Summer Solstice–besides a music festival–is to watch both the sunrise (5:20 am) and the sunset (8:32 pm). There will be over 15 hours of daylight! Watching the...
Fairy Gathering

Fairy Gathering

It’s been a few weeks since I spent time in the woods. The cool darkness is welcoming. It contrasts sharply with the heat of the paved parking lot, where three young men in purple robes moved in unison. Their long strides carried them toward the woods, a backdrop for...
Flower Skeletons

Flower Skeletons

Stepping onto the trail with a shiver, I am grateful for my windbreaker and zip-up tight. A quick survey of the woods indicates that everything is brown and dead. I knew it would be. It’s mid-November in Illinois. Regardless, walking in the woods grounds me, even if...
Murder Mansion

Murder Mansion

Fifteen years ago today, Steven Hill and I bought a house locally known as the Murder Mansion. Murder Mansion because it is a big house and, you know… MURDER. In the mid-1950s, a man called Tex Perkins killed his estranged wife and then himself in the front yard. In...