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I turned the motor off, sat back in the captain’s chair, and closed my eyes so that I could listen.  I heard individuals getting to know each other, I heard the excitement in their voices,  I heard words of encouragement and support, I heard big belly laughs, I heard big sighs of relaxation, and then…

The Devil’s Walking Stick‍ ‍It’s possible that the North American native tree which sports the largest of leaves might also boast having the largest clusters of flowers. Like inch-and-a-half leaflets which make up a six-foot leaf, flowers of Aralia spinosa are small, but many. Quietly drift up to one hanging over the water of Lake…

We went from last week’s holiday busyness with its afternoon thunderstorms, to this week’s slower pace with slightly cooler temps and no significant weather.  One exciting thing we encountered was when a small, non-venomous water snake dropped from a low hanging branch into our boat.  I grabbed a small towel from my guide bag and…

Birds‍ It’s a dog day afternoon, and the welfare birds (as our old friend Joe called them) are coming in for lunch. Singing happy bird songs, too, as if a soaring mercury is what they’ve been waiting for. Titmouse drops four or five seeds down to waiting doves and a squirrel before taking one for…

I’m 1300 miles from home, and it’s July. I know, it’s hard to believe, but I’ve  been there in July  every year for 14 years! So my darling wife and dedicated crew released me to go just hang out with loons for a few days-in northern WI- me and the mosquitos that is. Just hang…

Puttering along‍ Slow down, you move too fast. Your wake leaves Lake Jocassee less tranquil. You’ll miss the nuance of the inimitable beauty of Jocassee, rushing as you do from waterfall to waterfall. Rediscover the lost art of puttering. These rocks tell stories, but you have to go slow and be quiet to hear them….

Wednesday morning, as we approached the dam, we watched a large raptor climb and dip repeatedly like a kite on a string.  Assuming at first it was a juvenile eagle, we  realized as we got closer, it was an osprey.  Within minutes, a second one soared up from the Keowee side of the dam, being chased by…

Give Me Liberty  ‍ Independence Day. What does independence mean to turkey vultures spiraling ever higher in the sky? How independent are bears, or coyotes, or trees in the forest, or humans? Why are eagles, with their fierce yellow eyes and formidable yellow beaks, the symbol of independence? Eagles are, after all, unapologetic thieves, stealing fish…

Chasing loons. My wife Kay, editor of the Blue Wall Weekly, said to me the other day that all I ever write about in winter is loons. Well, au contraire! I write about Bonaparte’s gulls too, after all. So here it is in the depths of summer, and I’m packing to go chase Jocassee loons…

  Summer Sound ‍ Every morning, birds of all feathers welcome a New Day as predawn light creeps over the eastern horizon. Their songs are an orchestra: layers of sound, unique to each species, simultaneous, clear, and loud. Mates call and answer. Cardinals, blue jays, fish crows, sparrows, finches, wrens… all offering salutations to the rising…

There is so much to write about this week, it’s hard to narrow it down to the few words allowed me here. After all, it’s Mica’s birthday on Sunday. The company ship’s dog will be a sporty 10 years old. Nearly born on a boat, that dog. Then there is the Wood thrush that sang…

Water ‍ ‍Bright hot sun has lightly toasted exposed skin before we slip into the clear soothing water of Lake Jocassee. Instant relief. Nerves are calm, frustrations dissipate, aches and pains ease, anxieties float away among a surface litter of pollen, leaves, and skittering waterbugs. We swim to an ice-cold waterfall where oxygenated water bubbles and…