“It was three days before Christmas, 1953. In an era when women often spent many days in the hospital after childbirth, the doctors told my mother to go home, to be with her family for the holidays. Her new baby was going to die anyway.”
A Visit to the Weddell Sea
“Far-away places seem ever so much more so lately...but let’s go to the Weddell Sea anyway. It’s an historical Sea, often trapping explorers and thwarting expeditions… As part of the icy world cupping the southernmost extent of the planet, the Weddell Sea is about as far away from our COVID world as a person can get.”
Lessons From A Lotus Flower
“One of the lovely lessons of this year are those delivered by things I usually appreciate largely in passing. Instead of glancing at something pretty, I stop now, and really take it in. There’s time… And in the passing of time, I have begun to see the evolution of brief lifetimes. So it is with the lotus in my fishpond.”
Not a Germ-Phobe, but...
“Normally, sleep comes easily and lasts well for me. However, for no discernable reason, one night recently, I woke up at 2:15am, and didn’t slumber again until after five o’clock. As soon as I was up for that regular nocturnal bathroom trip, I could tell that I was unusually wide awake.”
Sky-High Sanctuary
“Sometimes the sky is a great escape, a place where a person frazzled by the terrestrial world can send thoughts that seem to have nowhere else to go. Looking at the sky raises my eyes up, away from the fuss and bother of whatever is before me.”
An Allegory In Two Parts
“Who would have thought I’d feel like such a rule-breaker for having a scone and a cup of coffee. Yet there I was, delighting in these things while idling in the cocoon of my car on the city street, seeing people — people!—walk by, jog by, drive by.”
Penguins On Parade!
“Endearing” is a very apt word for penguins. The memory of visiting their southern, antarctic realm and witnessing the lives they lead is a pleasure. Sharing some of those distant opportunities (just last November: eons ago!) is perhaps a welcome distraction from the unending onslaught of COVID-19 news.”
The Earth Keeps Spinning
“One of my favorite Facebook posts of the pandemic was the one in which the human world exclaims, “There’s no way we can shut everything down in order to lower emissions, slow climate change, and protect the environment.” Mother Nature’s reply: “Here’s a virus. Practice.”
Small Civilized Steps
“When someone who otherwise self-identifies as a good human knows that a term can be offensive to another human nonetheless uses such hurtful words, I fail to understand why. This question has now reared its ugly head with the use of the term, “Chinese virus.”
Antarctic Ice
“The variety and vastness of the ice of Antarctica is humbling, haunting, and naturally powerful to me. Ice in Antarctica is like nowhere else on earth. The “Frozen Continent” is defined by it.”
Blue Eagle
Daily life and regular plans were set aside recently and a full-house church of people came together in Denver to honor a man I was honored to call my step-dad.
Elephant Seals Galore at South Georgia
“Seldom has the raw power of nature asserted itself on all my senses as did two mornings on elephant seal beaches in South Georgia…”
South Georgia On My Mind
“If the Falkland Islands seemed remote to me when anticipating a November expedition to the southernmost seas, then South Georgia was a bit mind-blowing…”
A Visit to the Falkland Islands
“It was early spring when our journey began… The remote Falklands archipelago consists of two main islands and more than 775 smaller islands, only a handful of which are populated by humans.”
Southern Ocean Sampler
“I pondered for weeks over how to best present the immensity of my latest adventure when it (far) exceeds easy expression. For starters, there are more than 6,000 images from my cameras to sift through in a frustrating effort to pick the best ones…”
Valpo Street Art
“Valparaiso is built on 42 hills (and they are steep)! We wandered the communities on the hillsides on our own, stumbling across dozens of examples of this beautiful artform.”
The Birds of Bering Sea (and Beyond)
“…While deeply appreciative of all winged creatures, I haven’t (yet) made time to learn their names and details… Still, it was mesmerizing to watch the birds as we crossed the Bering Sea…”
Da Bears!
“One thing I have learned while on a wilderness adventure is to harness expectations and just wait and see how things unfold. This is especially true of wildlife viewing.”
Streetsense IV
“Does your work in emergency care need a streetsense infusion? Try Streetsense IV – that is, the 4th edition of this longtime participant within the ranks of EMS literature! Often referred to (by others) as an “EMS classic”.
Seen in the Sea
“This watery world yields an exciting brew of critters! Lots of them are just cruising through seasonally… making for great wildlife viewing when steaming across the Bering Sea.”