My son Bryan Wood is a professional naturalist and environmental educator. He is also an extraordinary musician, and performs often with our WildSpirit Band. In this beautiful song he combines all his skills and passion in one beautiful, powerful statement. It is the right moment for this song, and it is the right song for this time. In the haunting
An Old Log
A gray and darkening day. A rising wind. A last few skeins of geese arrowing down the great river. I take a break from working in the woods to sit on a favorite log, in a special place called Galleons Lap, named in honor of my old friend, Winnie-the-Pooh. Pines toss their heads in the wind–moaning, sighing, whispering, “Winter. Winter’s
Squirrels Spiral
The afternoon sun gilds the trunks of red pines with gold as they await the coming of the first winter storm. Squirrels spiral up and down, tails flying. All is bustle and commotion among all the forest creatures prepare for what they sense is coming.
A Surprising Leaf…
This is a mulberry leaf, from our “golden surprise” tree, the last one holding its leaves in the forest.
The Surprising Tree
In mid-November, after all the trees in the woods have dropped their leaves, we see a golden glow from deep in the woods. Pushing through brush and dead falls to investigate, we find a surprise. Standing among the pines, alight in the morning sun, is a tree from our childhood, a tree we have never noticed in our woods before.
Canoe Restoration
Last week I finished restoration on my old friend the Bluebird, my blue Old Town Columbia canoe. This week was the turn of my even older friend, the Pistachio Princess, pal and partner through so many of my guiding years. She’s a Mad River, mist-green, wood -trimmed Explorer, sturdy and strong and an all around beauty – featured in my
Stories from the Guided Motorcycle Tour of Minnesota
Douglas Wood writes about the Naturalist’s Scenic Motorcycle Tour of Minnesota that took him through tall pines. / Photo courtesy of Douglas Wood Written by Douglas Wood I’ve loved the feeling since I was a little boy, hanging my head out the back window of my granddad’s sedan on a country road, smelling sweet clover and fresh-cut hay, hearing just
New Adventures in Blogging
Happy Sunday. We’re starting a new adventure – again! We’re going to try blogging. Let us know how it goes!
How I Write
Hi gang, Welcome to the very first “Wood’s Lore” Blog. In it I will try to stay connected with readers and friends on themes that are significant to me, and that I think you might be interested in as well. Let’s start with an “easy” one: How I Write. I write with a pen on a yellow tablet. Longhand. I