Freckles? Nope, mud splatter from a mountain bike ride. Note to self: be sure to keep your mouth closed next time. Although I have to… Read More »A taste of nature

This is what joy looks like when you’re seven years old. Why is my grandson Griffin jumping with it? School. He loves school. May we… Read More »Jumping with joy

After a lengthy break, I’m back in the faculty saddle again at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Yesterday I finished responding to the first… Read More »In dedication

I’ve spent the last year being 71. Not without its POAs (Potholes of Adversity), overall this last lap around the sun has been pretty great.… Read More »Prime Time

“You rock, Romeo!” This from a high school student at Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s production of Romeo and Juliet. Romeo had just peeled his shirt off.… Read More »Swept away

On a recent trip to the South to visit family and friends, Debbie and I stopped in Hermitage, TN to see my Uncle Cecil, who… Read More »

When my daughter, Kelsey, was getting ready for her first solo backpacking trip, I asked her how she was feeling about it. She said, “Excited… Read More »Excitervous

I’m a big fan of tenacity. It gets me to the top of mountains, the bottom of steep ski runs, THE END of the umpteenth… Read More »Attack of the Tenacious Jumping Cholla

Interesting strategy: advertising a service—in this case garbage disposal—along with a threat.

On a scale of 1-10 on the Graduated Ranking System of Mindless Stupidity (aka GRSMS), my latest was getting run over by a 1,200 pound… Read More »the graduated ranking system of mindless stupidity