Well, we seem to have lost our bearded dragon, named Henry Flagler after the brilliant industrialist who developed most of Florida. It may seem crazy to some folks to get worked up about a reptile, but Henry is an extraordinary creature. We allowed him to have free range of our house for years, as the … Continue reading Farewell, Henry Flagler (maybe?)
Tag: A Life Well-Lived
Our adventures in Nantahala National Forest, part two: hiking Kinsey Creek Trail to the Appalachian Trail
During our time in Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina, we went on the most glorious hike. I feel the need both to share this information and memorialize the path for myself so we can do it again at a later date. Hiking distances are longer than they appear on this map. A lot of … Continue reading Our adventures in Nantahala National Forest, part two: hiking Kinsey Creek Trail to the Appalachian Trail
Our adventures in Nantahala National Forest, part one: Standing Indian Campground
Exploring the AT at Rock Gap. We have had an extraordinary past two weeks playing around Georgia and the Carolinas. The first part of our trip was spent at Standing Indian Campground in Nantahala National Forest, at the headwaters of the Nantahala River, a river that is very popular for whitewater rafting. (Something to do … Continue reading Our adventures in Nantahala National Forest, part one: Standing Indian Campground
Returning to Lake Hartwell
Elise out fishing with her grandfather on Lake Hartwell. Greetings from our family's cabin on Lake Hartwell, Georgia! Our latest road trip is underway. Despite an unusually heroic (by our standards) effort at planning, we were not able to leave South Florida until late in the afternoon last Saturday. We made the mistake of going … Continue reading Returning to Lake Hartwell
Rhapsody in hue
I have spent many sublime hours working in the garden over the past few months trying to get some major projects done before the real heat and humidity of the rainy season set in. We have booked a long camping trip to Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina and the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee … Continue reading Rhapsody in hue
Somewhere only we know
“In secret places we can think and imagine, we can feel angry or sad in peace. There is something to be said for just being, without worrying about offending anyone.”Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden For the last year that my family spent living in Southern California, my parents leased a house in a suburb … Continue reading Somewhere only we know
Lent is supposed to hurt
Detail from an 18th century headstone in a cemetery in Concord, Massachusetts. One of the perks of living in the center of town is we can now walk to Mass. There is a Catholic diocese and high school only a mile away from our house, which makes for an enjoyable stroll during "winter" in Florida, … Continue reading Lent is supposed to hurt
Good works
As it is not one swallow or a fine day that makes a spring, so it is not one day or a short time that makes a man blessed and happy.Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics One of the strange things about being a Roman Catholic is all of your non-Catholic friends and acquaintances will eventually start peppering … Continue reading Good works
“Sex and the City” and the urban cult of misery
Over the weekend, I found myself hate-watching the cringe reboot of Sex and the City, which they are calling And Just Like That. I realize hate-watching television shows does not seem like a pleasant activity, but I do this from time to time as a quasi-anthropological project. It is fascinating to me what cultural influencers … Continue reading “Sex and the City” and the urban cult of misery
We really underestimate the minds of animals
Sherlock Holmes It has been a while since I have written about our rough-coat Jack Russell terrier, Sherlock. But here is a delightful story. Sherlock has a loving but obstinate personality. He resists any form of traditional training, except for the command "stay" - and I think he only obeys that one because he can … Continue reading We really underestimate the minds of animals
Days of Sunshine 