There is a blight on my land, and it just killed my favorite chestnut tree. The so-called chestnut blight, introduced a century ago, wiped out 4 billion American chestnut trees and is still a potent exterminator of all the new trees sprouting from the old roots. I had great hope that our 30 [...]
I was hiking up the side of Tumbledown Mountain in western Maine last week when the trail disappeared and I lost my way. I was looking forward to the wonderful views from the rocky summit, but that was not to be. Similar to many companies embarking on a clear path to success, somewhere [...]
We had a big blow the other day, and as I went by the Wachusett Reservoir it was whipped up into big white caps. It was impressive to see the momentum these waves had as they cruised across the lake. It reminded me of the recent conference I attended where some 200 companies introduced a [...]
How does a plant grow from a rock? I was wondering this as I looked at the black birch seedling sticking out of the hunk of granite. Looking a little closer I could see that it had a toehold in a small crack, where it was able to summon the ingredients for growth. This is [...]
Bode Miller beat me. Yes, I actually raced against him at Cannon Mountain last weekend, and he was faster than me (as were about sixty 10-12 year-olds…) I must say that I thought I went pretty fast until I saw him go by in a blur. Besides being the best ski racer ever to hail [...]
I was drinking in a beautiful spring-like afternoon on Saturday when I heard the unmistakable honk of the Canadian geese. A few more honks and a moment later I saw the big birds flying overhead in their signature V formation. I was struck by this not only because it was the first indication [...]
I was cross country skiing last weekend, enjoying a crisp winter afternoon, when I came across a flock of birds picking over a carcass. Rather than gather seeds peacefully from the millions of pine cones in the forest, these creatures chose to battle each other for a few scraps of coyote (or whatever the [...]