Each year around Thanksgiving when the season turns cold, a plague of crows descend on the city of Minneapolis from Canada and northern Minnesota. Here are some photographs I recently took of large concentrations of these wintering crows in the treetops above the University of Minnesota campus. Such gatherings of crows are colloquially referred to … Continue reading Scavengers
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Under the Bark
Last Sunday, my nine-year-old son and I hiked the perimeter of Pike Island in nearby Snelling State Park. With the Minnesota River bordering one side and the Mississippi River the other, the small wooded island is home to a plethora of wildlife. Early winter is upon us here in Minnesota and there was a light … Continue reading Under the Bark
A Mailman Remembers the Dead
The dead are remembered as they are forgotten because it is the rememberers, after all, who are dying too. I count myself as one of them. What I mean is that when you die people will remember you, but when they die you will be truly gone. It happens. Almost all traces of an individual … Continue reading A Mailman Remembers the Dead
Who Has Time For Moby Dick?
Hey readers! I see people checking out the blog from time to time. I wish I had more to say, but who has time for Moby Dick when the perch are biting? It’s a little guy, I’ll admit it. But if not for the picture, how would you even know? It could just as well … Continue reading Who Has Time For Moby Dick?
Men in Black
My wife announces that she is going to bed and I tell her goodnight. “You guys should get to bed too,” I say to my sons who are lounging across from me on the couch. They groan. “You’re back to school on Tuesday.” The teacher’s union voted to end their strike over the weekend. The … Continue reading Men in Black
Reclamation
A Happy Couple
Each day the trees along the river seem to burst with more color. The drabness of winter is turning to spring. I went fishing today at Hidden Falls Park and didn’t catch a darn thing. Except for this photograph—a mating pair of Canadian geese. I was glad I went. It kept me human. And that’s … Continue reading A Happy Couple
A Story With Wings
I just wanted to thank all my readers and extend an invitation to check out my story, "Wasted Meat," which appears in the latest (Nov/Dec 2019) issue of Gray's Sporting Journal which is available now at Barnes and Noble. I knew "Wasted Meat" was a special story when I wrote it, perhaps my best. Success, … Continue reading A Story With Wings
Roswell City Limits
My father died on February 25th, 2012. He was 67 years old. He had made an appointment to see a doctor that day, but the pain got to be too much and he ended up dialing 911. He had a perforated stomach that led to septicemia which is a bacterial infection of the blood. He … Continue reading Roswell City Limits
Remembering the Hobo Day Riots of 1990–The Skinny Kid Goes to College
I remember the day my father dropped me off at college. I was eighteen years old. I gazed into the mirror after he had gone and said aloud to my reflection, “You’re never going to make it here.” The room was spartan with concrete walls, a bunk, a dresser and a desk on each … Continue reading Remembering the Hobo Day Riots of 1990–The Skinny Kid Goes to College
Crow City 