When despair grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting for their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
— Wendell Berry, The Peace of Wild Things
Presque Isle (French for “almost an island”) is a 323-acre forested headland that juts into Lake Superior, located in the northern tip of the city of Marquette, Michigan. The park supports over 100 species of native plants and diverse habitats, including black rock beaches, bogs, and forest. It is rumored that albino white-tailed deer can be seen at the park, and their presence has made its way into local folklore.
Read MoreNational lakeshores are owned and operated by the National Parks Service, which means they usually have more well-maintained trails, historical markers, and maps; however, it also means that they have more rules. We had Kari’s beautiful adventure pup, Kindi, with us, and the NPS does not allow dogs on many trails due to interference they can cause with local wildlife (including bears). But there were still many beautiful spots we could access and keep Kindi by our side!
Read MoreIf you’ve been reading the blog for awhile, you’ll remember that I went to Canyon Falls last August while vacationing with my friends, Kari and Kayla, in Marquette, Michigan, where Kari was attending graduate school. Well, Kari graduated with her MA in Literature this spring, so Kayla and I drove up to Michigan to help her move. No surprise, we spent almost our entire time there going on new hikes, as well as some old favorites!
Read MoreSeven Mile Creek Park is 628 acres, with ten miles of hiking and equestrian trails winding along the creek for which it’s named. Seven Mile Creek got its name because from the creek crossing, it took seven miles for early settlers to get to the county courthouse via a trail that is now Highway 99.
Read MoreIn 1924, three thousand people gathered for the first mass and dedication of the Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother. At the blessing, Archbishop Alexander Christie offered this prayer: “Let this be a sanctuary of peace for all peoples of the earth and surely in this day a sanctuary is needed. Torn with differences, strife, and grief, the world needs sanctuary where the human spirit can seek peace and consolation.”
Read MoreWhile you might not think of Portland as a particularly volcanic area nowadays (especially compared to other western states like Wyoming), turn back time about 5 million years, and the story would be very different. In southeast Portland, nestled at the top of a quaint neighborhood is Mt. Tabor, an extinct volcanic vent and remnant of this volatile time in Oregonian history. Its cinder cone (a steep conical hill of loose pyroclastic fragments) is part of the Boring Lava Field, an extensive network of Plio-Pleistocene era cinder cones and small shield volcanoes ranging from Boring, Oregon to southwest Washington. This park was my destination for my second nature excursion in the city while visiting for the AWP 2019 Conference.
Read MoreWhile most of the trip was spent attending panels about writing (shout out to the amazing environmentalism in young-adult literature and humor in YA panels I went to) and teaching writing, I did manage to explore the crazy-good food options in the city (try: Screendoor, Butterfly Belly Asian Cuisine, and Salt & Straw ice-cream). Most importantly, though, I was able to sneak away for some nature excursions. The first of these was at Washington Park, one of the oldest parks in Portland, in the heart of the city.
Read MoreWhile these warmer spring temperatures are appreciated by everyone, myself included, the extreme temperature swing from a horrifically cold winter to an unseasonably warm (and snowless) March are undeniable effects of global climate change. Every spring hike this season will no doubt be tinged by this undercurrent of fear at the future state of the environment.
Read MoreIt’s at about this time every year that I get horribly nostalgic. Facebook and Instagram are flooded with those “remember what you were doing X years ago” posts—all photos from my time studying abroad in Oxford, England, three years ago. It’s not so much wanderlust that compels me to be mopey and stare at my Oxford photos for an hour at this time of the year; it’s missing the quotidien of living in another place, the same melancholy I get thinking about Kentucky now that I’m in Minnesota. It’s missing eating Nando’s at least once a week, going to lectures in beautifully old stone buildings crawling with ivy, hot chocolate and millionaire’s shortbread from Caffé Nero, the Marston footpath being flooded from the relentless rain, and waiting for my creative writing tutorial on a bench beside the river.
Read MoreI haven’t introduced her on the blog yet, so if you didn’t know, Ryan and I adopted a kitten this past September (it’s a long story, but I’m horribly, horribly allergic to cats, and we met her as a week-old-kitten while touring our wedding venue. I wasn’t allergic to her mom, so we took a chance and magically, I’m not uncontrollably allergic to her either). Her name is Bisous (French for kisses), and I find her to be a conundrum. Ryan has owned cats throughout his childhood, and though I’ve owned a bunny, a turtle, several fish, and seven dogs over my lifetime, I’ve never had a cat before Bisous. So here’s a list of questions, concerns, and downright oddities that I, as a dogs-are-the-best-pets person, can’t seem to understand about owning a cat.
Read MoreTwo weeks ago, the Midwest was plunged into the newest polar vortex. While you read about Chicago setting train tracks on fire and Lake Michigan freezing, Minnesota was dealing with 40 mph+ winds, -35 degree temperatures, and -55 degree windchills. It was so cold that perfectly functioning cars with brand new batteries weren’t starting, and MSU, Mankato cancelled classes two days in a row. The only thing that compelled me to leave our apartment was to run my car for thirty minutes to keep the battery alive.
Read MoreIf you know me, you know I love plants. One of my favorite places in the entire world is a botanical garden, and I’m currently trying to turn my apartment into a greenhouse. So I never pass up the opportunity to try out a new conservatory or botanical garden.
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