Since I’m technically on vacation, my writing time is quite limited. Nevertheless, on a recent hike we came across a fascinating scene. Until last week, we had never been to Minnesota’s North Shore—that stretch of Lake Superior shoreline stretching from Duluth to Grand Portage. A few weeks ago, I lamented…
Spring, finally, has sprung. Two weeks ago, it seemed as if it’d never get here! The last couple of months have been cooler than normal, and I believe cloudier, too. Tree buds opened late. Flowers have delayed their blooming. Garden planting has been put off. I’ve only mowed the lawn…
After my recent episode at the end of a Sunday morning service (I wrote about it last week), it was decided I needed a break. At first, I balked at the word “need.” I mean, a vacation is always nice, but need suggests some kind of deficiency. When I got…
After having a relatively minor bout with COVID a few weeks ago, my bride finally felt up to getting out for a bit of a hike. We thought about heading south to Matthiessen State Park near LaSalle, Illinois—a little sister park to her more famous neighbor, Starved Rock. Both have…
“Nature speaks a silent message that can be heard when conditions are just right.… Truth exists in wild places—where the air is clean, the water pure, the land free.” Scott Stillman, Nature’s Silent Message Honestly, I’m not very good at listening out there…there where the sounds of silence speak volumes…
Living a little under a mile from the church where I serve as pastor, I often walk to the office in the morning to get some exercise. I’ve discovered that listening to an audiobook along the way makes the walk shorter and less routine. There are, after all, only so…
I don’t like being cold. Due to the nature of my work, I spend a good bit of time at a desk: reading, studying, administrative stuff. This time of year, it doesn’t seem to matter what I do, my feet and hands are often cold. And I don’t like it….
The air was cool and crisp, but not cold—the sun’s warmth kept any discomfort at bay. The occasional clouds were not a nuisance or obstruction; they added to the texture of the brilliant azure blue sky. Dry leaves swooshed and crunched beneath our feet. Those they had left behind on…
I’m currently in the middle of listening to an audiobook on one woman’s through-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail—the 2,650-mile path from the California-Mexican border to the Washington-Canadian border. The author-hiker shares innumerable difficulties, hardships, dangers, injuries, fears, and failures along the journey. Imagine having to run along the trail…
Aside from a couple multi-day backpacking trips, almost all the hikes I’ve done have been with my bride of almost 41 years. We’ve been on day-hike trails in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Arizona, Utah, California, Alaska, Costa Rica, and Malaysia. Surely, I’m…
