Science rescued poetry for me. Verse had charmed me as a child. Dad often read kid-friendly poems aloud; I can still recite The Owl and the Pussycat and How Doth the Little Crocodile. Mom encouraged us to write haiku, limericks, and other forms as part of our homeschool education. My whole family loved Shel Silverstein’s … More Unconstrained By Form: Three Poets Who Studied Nature Through Verse
Too often I forget that Nature is more than a postcard: an exotic destination like jungles, deserts, or coral reefs. It’s not a place we visit, but a realm we inhabit. Environmental phenomena can whisk us on journeys even in the humblest urban landscape. Still we chase the thrill of terra nova, like earlier this … More Vanishing Vagabonds: Crossing Paths With Bohemian Waxwings
This two-part blog post series begins with my first visit to north Queensland in July 2022, and concludes with a second trip to the Gold Coast in March 2023. I stepped out into the winter day and immediately began dripping sweat. “How is this place habitable in summer?” I asked my Laddie, crossing the Woolworths … More God Save The Queensland, Part I: Destination Daintree
“You missed my Christmas music concert,” I called jokingly when the door lock clattered in the other room. I’d taken advantage of my Laddie’s absence at a softball game to bang out some carols on the keyboard, sans headphones. Although I still found it hard to muster much holiday spirit in summertime, this year I … More Best Local Bird Encounters of 2022
Halting on the red dirt trail, I squinted against the brightening sky. It had been overcast when I left on my Saturday long run, but now sunshine leaked through the dawn clouds. I should have brought my sunglasses! Or, having completed my mileage, I could switch to an entirely different type of lens. After a … More Interspecies Travel: A Wide-Eyed Wander in the Wetlands
After a few days exploring the lush Otway rainforest in Lorne, my Laddie and I set out along the most dramatic segment of the Great Ocean Road. We’d originally planned to drive it across two days, taking time to hike lengthy sections of the coastal trail, but since the weather forecast indicated this would be … More The Great Ocean Road Trip, Part 2
Wild Type 