Category Archives: Uncategorized
The Deer Hunter
I rewatched The Deer Hunter the other night (magnificent film) and it reminded me I shot this last weekend. I was exploring the forest around Innisfree when I heard a small herd of deer heading my way, giving me time to blend in with the trees and film as they passed. Does and fawns …
The Sullen Possum, the Damned Bobcat and Yonder Sycamore
Flush with the knowledge of a daylong tree identification class, I was determined to walk out to the White Whale of my micro-forest, a few vertical brushstrokes of light slashing skyward amid the autumn rust that’s encased the rest of the hollow. That tree catches my eye every time I lumber down the driveway during […]
Alpha Oak at sunset
Norwegian Wood … Isn’t it good?
“My mind is never so pleasantly empty as when I’m chopping wood.” — Arne Fjeld, quoted in ‘Norwegian Wood’ When I moved into Innisfree, there was a cast-iron beast brooding in the center of the cabin. I was both terrified and intrigued by it. I’ve lived in numerous houses with fireplaces. Never one with a […]
Seeking shagbark on a sublime autumn evening
Three things during an incredible fall evening at Innisfree. 1. I realized I have a shagbark hickory just outside the cabin. I hadn’t noticed it previously because a massive white oak obscures it from the deck. As a bonus, I discovered the tree next to it is a mockernut hickory. I wasn’t certain on the […]
The Strange Lives of Familiar Insects
I’m watching insects through an entirely new lens on this autumn day, bathed in October Light (as John Gardner would have it). Crows raise hell in the trees on the other side of the ridge. Stanton Moore’s tribute to Allen Toussaint rolls out of the cabin in a funky tumble of brass and drums, rattling […]
Searching for ‘shrooms
Ever since I participated in a fungi hike at Rural Action, I spend a lot of my time watching the forest floor for interesting mushrooms. I’m going to use this page to keep a running list of the ones I’ve found and identified. The iNaturalist app has been invaluable in helping me keep track of […]
When trees put on their thinking caps
The more I read about trees, the more convinced I am that they possess a sort of intelligence. In the Paris Review, Cody Delistraty’s article “The Intelligence of Plants” summarizes a lot of the current thinking on how “smart” plants are. It’s interesting and compelling. I just finished listening to the audiobook version of Peter […]
I don’t think my editor will go for that
(A) reporter interviewed me over the phone. “You write so much about Eskimos in this book,” she said. “How come there are so many Eskimos?” I said that the spare arctic landscape suggested the soul’s emptying itself in readiness for the incursions of the divine. There was a pause. At last she said, “I don’t […]