A MAN’S GOT TO believe in something

‘A MAN’S GOT TO believe in something. I believe I’ll go fishing.’ So says the inscription on one of my coffee mugs. It’s a good inscription. So today my young friend Kent dropped by to take me fishing. I told him this is probably the first time in 5 decades someone has taken ME fishing! But this was Muskie fishing—a

A walk in the St. John’s University woods

YESTERDAY I TOOK KATHY for a walk in the St. John’s University woods, full of big oaks and maples and one of our favorite fall destinations. It was, as always, a tonic. The glorious colors and the stately trees, the crunch of leaves and fragrance of the forest, simply the chance to be outdoors beside a blue lake under a

OCTOBER SUNRISE

OCTOBER SUNRISE, Church O’ The Pines. The morning gossiping of chickadees. The laugh of a pileated woodpecker. The reflecting Father of Waters…. All the congregation, surrounded by beauty. We wish you beauty. We wish you Good Sabbath.

THIS IS AN ANCIENT Limber Pine

THIS IS AN ANCIENT Limber Pine, perhaps 3,000 years of age. Perhaps the oldest tree in all of Canada. The glorious photo was taken by my son, Bryan, on a pilgrimage to the Canadian Rockies, far off the beaten path. The image speaks deeply to me, as he knew it would… Here is a being rooted in the high ground

WHEN THE LAND is swallowed up

WHEN THE LAND is swallowed up by cults and conspiracies; when weak men pretend to be strong and fools pretend to be wise; when all is pretense leavened with hate; then it is good to spend time among trees. Small trees or big trees, it does not matter. All that matters is that they are real. And honest. All that

IT IS A BEAUTIFUL MORNING

IT IS A BEAUTIFUL MORNING at the cabin in the piney woods. The chickadees and jays and red squirrels are all proclaiming its virtues. And their own. But today I will be traveling. Appearing at the Detroit Lakes MN Public Library at 2pm. And later at the Bagley Library at 6pm. I suspect we may talk about books! Perhaps play

THE WAY OF A STREAM

THE WAY OF A STREAM is the way of all that is good and free and wild. It is the way of shadows and light, of music and of gentle harmonies, and the fragrant breath of the living earth. To come to the bank of a stream is to come as a sort of pilgrim, seeking the sacred essence of

A beautiful autumn day

YESTERDAY, a beautiful autumn day, Kathy needed a little pick-me-up. A little beauty. A bit of perfection. So we headed for St. Cloud’s glorious Munsinger Gardens and Clemens Rose Gardens. They did not disappoint. Sometimes we almost felt as if we were strolling through a series of Monet paintings—but even better—for there were the lovely scents of roses and alyssum

Rising in the morning

SOMETIMES, rising in the morning, simply going out the cabin door and looking up… is enough to begin the day with perspective. Peace. Inspiration. As Aldo Leopold said, “I love all trees. But I am in love with pines.” It is good to live in the company of trees.

ON A WINDY and rainy day

ON A WINDY and rainy day in which we were unable to paddle among Lake Kabetogama’s Grassy Islands and picnic on Woodenfrog Point as planned, we instead had a lovely lunch at nearby Arrowhead Lodge. Nearly 100 years old, it is a classic Minnesota North Woods resort. We still hiked Woodenfrog and another trail along the shore, finding pine knots,