In early March I took an exhilarating yet exhausting drive across the Ozarks. Though Springfield and Salem lie nearly on the same latitude in Missouri, they’re about 75+ miles apart. …
Gun Show-Train Show Smack Down
What I remember from a local train show yesterday was the fleam. I hadn’t seen once since running the Ozark Agriculture Museum. It’s a simple device. They were used to …
At Joan Ackermann’s in the Berkshires
I got to know Joan at the Humana Festival of New American Plays in Louisville, Kentucky. To me and a lot of others, especially on the East coast, she’s one …
Birdwatching from Madison, MN, to Subiaco, AR
Has our poet of overgrown fields flown the coop to become some exotic creature? Maybe a crow? Lots of critters inhabit Robert Bly. Can his work have wings into the …
Selected Scenes from a Delta-Variant Summer Road Trip
Best burger on the road: Kewpee Drive-inn, Lima, Ohio. A giant angelic baby stands atop the roof of the historic eatery. More dolls on the inside and a sign proclaiming, …
Earth Day at the Homeless Shelter
A freak blizzard early this week has meant snowmen coexisting with redbud trees in full bloom. The cold front probably nipped Ozark fruit and spring soirees. This photo is a …
Whippoorwill Morning
One of these mysterious bird sings downhill at 5 a.m. The world’s going to be new once again. Warm enough to leave windows cracked, love ballads from doves, owl warnings, …
Surprised by This Spring
Has anyone else wept for the blooming jonquils or the ten people shot in Colorado a few days ago? They take my breath away as I drive into Arkansas: random …
Reflections at Roaring River
We’ve reached a great turning point, the Opening of Trout Season, March 1st. A week ago it iced all the way to Texas. Snow plows and cinder trucks growled. A …
The Coldest Night at the Overflow Shelter
This has been a winter to remember. The text message came about 3 p.m. A man who signed up to work at a nearby church taking in homeless can’t make …
Rafting the Rockies during a Pandemic.
All winter into spring we’ve wondered if we could trek to the desert. A few weeks before going one couple dropped out of our crew fearing travel from Oregon during …
Alford Forest: New Lease on Life
How to escape a pandemic, urban stress or summer’s heat? A river offers a safe, forever cool retreat. Ozark streams present recreation constantly renewed by huge springs, some of the …
Spring Burning and Thoughts of China
Driving from our cabin on the Jacks Fork a few days ago, March 17, I felt I was back in Rockies. South of US60 the horizon near Blue Buck Mountain …
Thankfully Cleaning my Chimney
The new year has swallowed me up with chain sawing, stacking firewood and hauling ashes from our cabin woodstove. There’s nothing like wood heat to warm you. It makes me …
Branson Dreaming
This town has come to symbolize the Ozarks for far too many. A recent visit focused my qualms for our country music mecca. Money dominates this view of the Land …
Free Solo with Terry du Bose
I saw a great documentary recently about a young guy who climbs giant rock formations without ropes. Why would anyone take such risks? Having done a fair amount of rock …
Biking from the Ozarks to Finland
A month ago I was on one of the most spectacular cycling trips in the world, the Finnish Archipelago, some 20,000 islands stretching west toward southern Sweden across the Baltic …
At Trails End Camp
This story involves my growing up on the edge of the Ozarks. This may be the beginning of my roots in oral history projects. I think of ol’ Charlie all …
Into Deep Water with Tom Z
It’s a perfect summer day in western Connecticut, where Tom Zetterstrom still lives at the edge of an ideal town, Canaan. He’s the lord of nearby Rattlesnake Hill. We’ve been …
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