The Story Behind The Photo All my research had pointed to the Gunflint Trail. “There is no mileage in photographing a bear with a long lens—it has been done before—it is hackneyed pulp.” David Yarrow After meeting David in Chicago,…
Read More
When Can A Person Truly Call Themselves An Artist?
I’m about to order new business cards and I’m curious. Do you become an artist the moment you believe yourself to be one? Is it a title offered to you after you have completed a degree or other institutional process that includes fancy paperwork and back pats?…
Read More
I Wasn’t the Hero or Mother They Wanted, but I Was the One They Needed
The story, behind the photo. “This is not what we trained for.” Mornings consisted of a.m. Ballet or Western Civilization classes. Afternoons were voice lessons, show choir, and nights of rehearsals or work-study shifts in the theatre. Rounding out the…
Read More
This is How YOU Can Take Climate Change By The Horns
Ten Actionable Actions Here’s where I struggle. What can I, a single person, do about Climate Change? I am going to give you a few, outside-the-box ideas, that can have an immediate impact. Plant a tree. I want to quote…
Read More
The Lesson of a Lifetime, Was Hidden in my Vegetables
How being a genuine guest, changed my life forever. Riding a train from Germany to Switzerland did little for my hangover. While my head was muddled, my heart was struggling. She had finally kissed me that morning, the first time. She would…
Read More
2021: A Year Worthy of Review
2021: A Year Worthy of Review The Year Of Firsts Whenever the next right word to write escapes me, my gaze turns out the east window. Snow and the red sheds of my parent’s farm greet me. In winter it is…
Read More
Dead in the Mountains
Nobody talked. It had been this way for a couple of hours. Occasionally there might be a murmur, or accidental nervous laugh. Some couple trying to keep their spirits up. Useless It is impossible to know what we were all…
Read More
March Update: MN State Parks
March is…an interesting time to be outside in Minnesota State Parks.
Read More
Tettegouche State Park – Winter
In winter it is as if you get a fresh start every time it snows. A new story can be told, a narrative reworked if you didn’t like the way it came out the first time.
Read More
Bike Tour – Part 4 “Wet Washington”
Remember that awesome mushroom book I bought on Day Two of the trip?
Yeah, after the night of infinite terror…
Read More
Things You Can Do With Free Time
How do you afford to travel, how do you get there, and how do you pick where to go? My secret has ultimately been to…
Read More
Mille Lacs Kathio
Sometimes I will have a free day sneak up on me and I just won’t know what to do with it. They are rare and usually a surprise via cancellation or change-of-plans. However, a few weeks ago, I found myself with a…
Read More
Minnesota County Fairs
Every summer in Minnesota, for an all too short amount of time, fairgrounds churn out an interesting mix of shaved ice, dust, and frivolity. Long conversations are had about the weather, how it is currently and how it was in years past. Bulls are ridden…
Read More
My Little Garden
You hear that sound of hard, dry dirt on a steel shovel. Try to imagine the feeling of black soil working its way under your fingertips. Your hand gently spreads the earth over the precious seeds. It will harbor them…
Read More
A Day At The Diamond
Yesterday I was fortunate to find myself with a little free time after work. It was a nice day, with the sun out and shining. Though forecasted, no rain had dared to show it’s face, so I wondered to myself…
Read More
If You’re Not Sweating, You’re Doing It Wrong
Whether that’s the official mantra or not, when participating in Zumba, those are the words I live by. And believe me, the sweat comes easy enough. With beats that would move the hips of even the most uncoordinated and shy,…
Read More
Ten Days In
I’m only ten days in to my project dubbed “The Leap Year Chronicles” and it’s already managed to put me through a whirlwind of excessively creative bouts and depressingly unimaginative fits. If you have no idea what I’m talking about,…
Read More2012 – The Biggest Thing Since The Wheel
It’s ok; I can tell you’re a little bit skeptical about this claim. Alas, I have a feeling that it’s true. Just give me a second; I’ll do my best to prove this outrageous claim to you. It’s coming, in…
Read MoreDoctor’s, Pills and Pushups
“Can you please roll up your sleeves? We’ll do two in each arm. These could hurt a little. Wow, no blood. You might feel those tomorrow or later on…when I last got my flu shot all the sudden a couple…
Read MoreEarly Preparations
I could probably write you a mini-novel describing all the things that go into organizing a trip like this. Every aspect has to be looked at, from what shoes you’re going to wear to what shots will be needed to…
Read MoreThe Last Supper
Years had passed since we’d last seen each other. I find that strange to say, as I’m only twenty five. In the interim we had finished school and pursued varied careers and adventures. As many people now do, I would…
Read More
The Beginning
(I’m too nostalgic to let all things old go, and this post is a great example of that. The interest in starting ‘The Spur Trail’ started way back in 2009, with a little website and a couple of blogs…
Read More