Nowhere on Earth is free from plastic pollution these days, from the highest mountaintops to the deepest ocean canyons. The problem gets worse each year and seems to peak during the holiday season when household trash rates in the U.S. increase by 25% or more. Much of that trash is plastic waste that will be…

Tromping through our woods in December in search of a Christmas tree, I often notice an evergreen fern, one of the few green plants on the forest floor this time of year, other than young conifers. An easy fern to identify, it grows in fountain-like clumps and has glossy, dark green leaflets or pinnae. This…

The turning of the Sun marks a significant turning point of light. In the Northern Hemisphere, the light of the Sun will embark upon its ascent of increased light that will peak in June’s Summer Solstice. While in the South, the Sun’s arrival in Capricorn sees the slow descent into shorter days and longer nights.…

Each generation has its own memories associated with Christmas. When I was growing up back in the 50s, there were certain trends from that period that are unlike those of today. I think it’s safe to say that there were more “real” trees than “fake” trees in people’s homes back then. Those looking for a…

I’ve been to World Series Games in Yankee Stadium during the 1990s, with Pettitte on the mound and 56,000 cheering, the entire structure shaking violently. But I’ve never experienced anything quite like the moment when 39,000 people felt our hearts drop into our stomachs as we went from cheering beyond ourselves, ready to burst into…

With the holiday season upon us and many of us traveling to visit family, we must take time to consider gratitude. Where does it come from? How is it sustained? How do you show it when you are feeling it? What can you do to find more gratitude? How does it affect us and others…

Sports were my greatest concern growing up, to the detriment of almost every other activity. I never considered choir or band or scouting or anything else. I was all-in with my sporting interests, which varied in degree between basketball, football, baseball, and track.  My personality was completely defined and characterized by my involvement in athletics.…

The first extreme skiing The ski school constructed an upward-sloping ramp in front of the Snowshed Lodge observation deck. We blew snow on it to maintain the right amount of surface needed to create a perfect ski jump. Two daredevils, Herman Goellner and Tom LeRoy, figured out that they could get enough speed to hit…

In the cold October air, my classmates and I gathered around the square oak board placed on the ground more than a year earlier. Carefully, we lifted it and peered underneath. Against the dark brown soil, two shiny lines caught our attention: salamanders. Both were Eastern red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus), the most abundant salamander species…

Grief is the price you pay for love. War is the price you pay for peace. Discipline is the price you pay for freedom. Nothing in life is free. Few people are willing to pay the price for what they want. Do they even know what they want?  People think they know what they want,…

Jacques Audiard’s musical thriller can’t achieve its lofty ambitions but still offers more than most films Acclaimed French film director Jacques Audiard delivered one of the best crime films of the past 20 years in 2009’s “A Prophet.” Audiard returns to the crime world once more, but this time, he travels from the French prison…

Standing on the berm of a small pond, I watch the resident beaver leave its lodge, a silhouetted nose moving through the water. It disappears briefly and returns with a branch in tow. The beaver clambers over the edge of its dam along a muddy path, a branch bouncing along behind. Despite the muddy trail,…

“December is a month of enormous potential. It’s a time we can all give and receive. A time when the spirit of humanity shines the brightest,” said Michael Josephson. Thanksgiving weekend 2024 was one we will not forget. At least 18  inches of snow, along with the excitement of World Cup will create stories for…

We floated along Upper Royal Flush, enjoying the fresh, all-natural snow beneath our feet. It feels so good, this marvelous gift of nature. Soft, rotary turns as we kept our skis flat on the snow. Using lateral ankle flexion, we can adjust our edge angle to the terrain, letting our bases float over the snow.…

I have a friend who lives just outside of a major city in the South. He’s done well for himself; he drives a nice car, has a lovely wife and kids, has carved out a successful career in the insurance world, and lives in a beautiful home. Recently, we had a conversation about getting older…