Art in passing
We are sad to mark the passing of B. Hive. We didn’t know he was even feeling bad…indeed we didn’t even know he was, at all. So imagine our surprise when his epitaph rolled by at 60 m.p.h. It was accompanied by a burst of color and images surpassing the mundane suburban gallery it rolled...
Did you have a happy National Parks Week?
Why does anyone think we need a National Parks Week? To “celebrate” these treasures? No. Bogus. You don’t “celebrate” good wine or the Sistine Chapel. Yes, you acknowledge the joy they give us, so in that sense you celebrate them. But the main idea is that you are supposed to partake of them. Consume them....
Happy National Parks Week!
A gentle reminder: in the United States, this is National Parks Week. Free admission to all 397 properties managed by the National Park Service, “84 million acres of the world’s most spectacular scenery, historic landmarks and cultural treasures.” (Note to the National Park Foundation, which penned the citation above: the parks are inarguably excellent places...
Happy Tax Day!
Your taxes are due. Pay them, because you must. Then ask yourself if you’re getting your money’s worth. It won’t matter. Even if you don’t like the hand you’ve been dealt here, you still have to pay. And pay. If you’re paying, it’s because you’re making money. In this economy, that’s a good problem. You...
Why hasn’t this man gone viral?
Before you read any more of this post, take a breath…prepare yourself for awesomeness…then go take a look at Simon Beck’s Snow Art Facebook page. Then come back here. We’ll wait. OK, that was great, right? Great because it is unexpectedly cool. And because it is so simple you can’t understand why someone hasn’t done...
Bird-watching is the new NASCAR
Mark the date and time: with this post, bird-watching shows up on our radar as a bona fide recreational pursuit for over-50s. We used to think of this as a hobby, but it seemed to lack the physicality we seek in recreation. Also, no gear, no cool jargon, no bracing risk of self-destruction. How wrong...
We’re so done with glamping
We’re done with glamping. So over it. We’re over thinking about it and looking at the pictures. There’s no future here. But we can’t quit it. Not just yet. Soon, but not now. One reason: we like the pictures. We don’t know why we like them. It might be for the same perverse impulse that...
Ultralight camping: Dropping 20 pounds of gear is like losing 20 years
Snow melts, summer seems like a possibility, and suddenly hiking and biking gear seems fascinating in a way it didn’t three weeks ago. The seed takes root; a few days later you invent a reason to swing by your local outfitter. You daydream about day hikes. Then something a little longer. And gear that...
Climate change is really starting to sting
Despite years of truly frightening predictions about the inevitability of climate change and its disastrous effects, the world seems to have lost traction on the issue . People are still writing stories, scientists are still debating models, activists are still acting. But previously concerned citizens now seem to be uttering a...
Glamping sites trending more toward glam than camping
If you are confused about luxury camping (also called glamorous camping or, awkwardly, glamping), you are not alone. Some of these places, like the “romantic” English shepherds’ huts found on goglamping.net, look like slightly-more-claustrophobic-than-normal ice-fishing shacks. But there seems to be a trend toward more upscale hospitality, where guests are coddled with opulent...
Another outdoor pursuit
While not conducive to the healthiest of lifestyles, the lowly cigar has become the last refuge of a population entirely comfortable with politically incorrect acts. Stereotypes die hard (and usually of cancer) but as I took on the art of the cigar it became clear that this was indeed an outdoor pursuit. When my favorite...
Boundary Waters video even more beautiful knowing the place is on fire
Missing Hatchet from Nate Ptacek on Vimeo. Freelance photographer and cinematographer Nate Ptacek has put together a video (set nicely to music by the Fleet Foxes) of a September canoe trip through Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. It’s a pleasant wintertime reminder of what’s so great about the woods…and there’s a special frisson when...
