The Journey

I am tempted to bury my head in a good novel, to plunk my feet in the sand and enjoy the summer breeze tiptoeing across the lake. But the crisis which shut down faucets in Ohio affects me too . . . and I suspect every person reading this blog.  It is a reminder...

Lake Michigan CrossingJuly 16, 2014Frankfort, MI to Sturgeon Bay, WI Wind in the face.Mid-lake water temperature33.6 degrees.No sun.No flies.No fog.No fingers.Frozenbut safe.A good day.

“So what did you learn?” I ask Brandi, the tall, striking 20 year-old daughter of my cousin. She has just returned from a school-sponsored semester living outside Cape Town, South Africa. Her job experiences were divided between working with elementary school children...

“I will not hurt you, little one,” I say softly to the dark eyes peering at me above the rippling water. The wet, whiskered nose is in the air, the small round ears flattened to the sides of its head. Most of the long, chocolate-colored body is submerged as it glides...

I stand alone at the trailhead, surveying the caution signs. I can almost feel the claws of the cougar slicing my shoulders; hear the swarm of killer African bees swirling about my face. Fear. Pain. Death.  For over two years I have stumbled in uncertainty and...

When one pauses to notice the Mockingbird spinning cartwheels above his throne atop the palo verde; hears the deep-throated gurgle of a Cactus Wren, the high-pitched call of the Gila Woodpecker, the mournful song of a lonely Roadrunner, or the rapturous serenade of a...

Are you looking for a Mother’s Day gift for a woman who lets out a whoop of joy at the first sighting of wildflowers? Who kneels to greet every unique, colorful face bursting through the frozen earth? Who’s raking the last remnants of snow and crusty oak leaves from...

When the exuberance of springupstages the desert’s preferencefor dusty grays, browns and milky greens,know I will be late for cocktails.

The man approached the microphone in a jam-packed public hearing of the International Joint Commission (IJC) last September holding a jar of what looked like grungy split pea soup. “This is the water that came out of my faucet last week just before the city shut down...

What is the greatest gift a storyteller can offer?  A story, of course. And for me, one who delights in telling stories about celebrating and protecting nature, particularly the Great Lakes, the more stories I have in my box, the better!  As one who has...

On Saturday, February 8th at 7:00 p.m. at the Gillette Nature Center at P.J. Hoffmaster State Park in Norton Shores, Michigan, I will be introducing the second edition of Tiny Treasures: Discoveries Made Along the Lake Michigan Coast. In this artistic combination...

Feet buried in the hot sand, the sun’s intense heat stinging my shoulders, I feel a slight breeze stirring Lake Michigan. It sends ripples of cool water rolling quietly towards my feet. Closing my eyes, I feel the heaviness of my heart. I asked my mother once how she...