Deep in the Mt. Hood Wilderness, miles from the nearest road, we came upon a pile of sticks heaped inside an unused fire ring. On… Read More »The physics of light

I’m home from a 70-mile trek on the Pacific Crest Trail—outstanding in so many ways, number one being the time to do it (I live… Read More »Big foot/yeti

John Muir famously said, “The mountains are calling and I must go.” Gandhi offered this advice: “There is more to life than increasing its speed.”… Read More »Listening Carefully

You’d think that after 47 years of marriage, Debbie and I would know all that there is to know about each other. (Maybe, at times,… Read More »Double duty

My grandson Griffin—age 5 and in my humble opinion the most wonderful grandson of all time—gave me a Thomas the Train for my birthday. On… Read More »Thomas & thomas

When I read a novel, I know that I’m engaged in a vicarious experience—I get to witness from a safe distance as the characters are… Read More »Hopefully

If you’re like me, you spend a lot of time (too much?) thinking about the future: planning, projecting, then revising those plans and projections. Do… Read More »Cranes May not be at Lake

I’m pecking away on a picture book manuscript— paring it down, and down, and down. Pretty soon it will have a negative word count, which… Read More »Picture books, more or less . . .

Improbably doesn’t necessarily mean impossible. Maintain balance. Go for your dreams!

I’ve been thinking, and writing, a lot about what it means to be a man. Popular culture sends many messages, often mixed and contradictory. A… Read More »The Question of Masculinity