It’s Quite Profound…
I’m not sure where any of you land on past lives, but I am way too into parts of the past to not have been here before. And it all peaks at different times of the year. Like right now. Right now, I feel really in touch with what’s going on around me. From the…
Pump the brakes, Hoss. This isn’t a movie and you’re not a kid anymore | 7.27.2025
Kool-Aid flavored fever dreamsof a possible future influenced by a romanticized and partly fabricated pastkeep me out of the kind of sleep I need at nightbut allow my imagination to stretch into long-ignored voids. What’s more to want thana cool country lake or to stare into a forest of pines?… Getting lost on an unkept…
Add A Lanyard: Function Over Form
It’s hard not to condemn someone for condemning you, but there I was – reading an ample tirade regarding “how stupid” I was for putting lanyards on my pocket knives – written by someone who just thought it was for looks. I’ve been carrying a pocket knife for more than 30 years. I’ve carried them…
She Could Change Everything About Her Using Colors Bold and Bright | 3.27.2025
The sparkle in your eyeswas always competing with the eagerness in your smile. You never spoke too much.You let your body do the talking… And you caught me in your sway. Everything was a photograph.Everything was perfect.Everything was what it needed to be to be in love… But you were never settled.There was something missing.A…
The Lost Boys
When I was a kid, my cousin set up a blanket tent for me in her apartment, the opening of which was a clear shot of her television. She made some amazing nachos, climbed into the tent, and turned on “The Lost Boys.” This was the 1980s, back when horror movies were relative. That movie…
From a Train | 9.20.24
I’ve got a buddy who takes a train whenever possible when he travels. Sure a plane or the open road is way more efficient – but you miss so much. I spent an hour and a half on a train today following the Connecticut River. Now I feel that I have no choice but to…
The Golden Retriever | 7.17.24
Another sunrise.A different place.I’m taller than them.I’m not taller than anyone. So this is the dream… One locked door that leads to conversations about Picassoand a room full of puppies. I try to relate.Small talk and Birkenstocks. A roommate unimpressed.A Sunday afternoon interrupted.She doesn’t care that we went camping.I don’t remember the part about camping.…
Moonlit Feather | 7.16.24
I’m back to waking upfrom dreams of people on the horizon.Caught up.Tapping me on the shoulder.Must be a summer thing. Glimmers of regret.People talk too much about things they don’t know.Putting words in my mouth. But oh to be distracted… It’s a wonderfully scary thingthat I’m trying to convince myselfI have no interest in it.…
Balanced Affections | 5.16.24
The Cut is looking rather on point this evening… But, like anything you plan to adoreyou need to be patient to see it right… Just don’t stare too long.Then it gets really real..Takes shape. Affections need to be balanced… I had a dream last night that doesn’t make sense anymore… A kiss on the neck.Hair…
Parenting | 2.25.24
This morningwhile the sun was risingand the house was sleepingI was dreamingabout the world ending. It started with planes in the airIt turned into explosions in the distance. I tried to call my mombut the phones were down.I wanted her to know I loved her…That everything would be alright. Then we were running.Everyone was trying…
Anthony Green | 1.20.24
Wait! This is going to be more than you want to hear, but it’s good… I’m fine with how I felt about you. It’s a wonderful thing. It was never anything more than a feeling, right? But I forget it sometimes and then someone says to me something wild about you – like my friend…
Pale Lungs | 12.30.23
What keeps you here? There’s no reason to consider thisanything more than a memory-inducedflair up. Something brought on by the warmthof the Holidays and the prospect ofnew beginnings. A tiptoe back into infatuation.One hell of a distraction.The hottest summer on record. Having let goand gracefully moved onallowing details to fadeuntil they won’t anymore.. I’ll write…
The Other ‘Days Between’
The week between Christmas and New Year’s is always a bit untethered. I take this week off from work to spend with my kids and face it down with no expectations at all. In fact, right now the only thing we’ve got planned out is a trip to Vermont tomorrow. Another fact: I didn’t know…
Relationships: A Case Study on Overthinking
There’s nothing wrong with being open and honest and wearing your heart on your sleeve. There’s also nothing wrong with talking about your feelings and realizing that nothing in life fits in a singular, simple box. Don’t ever assume you can assume what’s going on until you ask the hard questions or pre-emptively supply the…
The Ginger People
Before it left their system entirely, the illness that buggered up my girls over the weekend shared one of its remaining embers with me. It’s basically a cold with heavy nausea. Anyone who knows me knows that I could be fully engulfed in flames and won’t complain, but I tend to go fetal at the…
4:57-5:03am
Soft and sinking deep.I know this pillow’s got meas I start to fade away. So many words have left me since the light of my phone faded away. Then the sounds around me driftuntil all I can hear is the slowing of my breathing… The beating of my heart… And the small symphonythat accompanies dreamscoming…
Buffalo Tom | 9.7.23
Details fadelike taillights in fog.Just the minutiaenothing major. So, it won’t be like bumping into a stranger. But,with a sigh of relief -everything will seem newevery time. What a fantastic thing! This was a fantastic summer.Like a bug in a jar,I couldn’t escape. But was I even trying? As someone who swore offsuch things in…
John Mayer | 8.25.23
Familiar feelingsabout something and not someone… The thrill of diving deeper…The fear of not finding the bottom.The fact that there is no bottom… The sudden change of pace.An extra ingredient in the game of life. I’m getting distracted on purpose. It comes in waves.I may be a strong swimmer,but what am I missing on the…
The Nevermore
I used to have this friend named Tyler. Hell, he’s still my friend – I just haven’t talked to him in years. Life gets weird. It got a little weird. But – at this point – I can’t remember why. Water under the bridge…Anyway… This guy drank more coffee, per capita, than anyone I’ve ever…
David Gilmour | 8.15.23
A plateau can happen with anything… A period where nothing’s coming inand nothing’s going out. We are creatures who thrive on input.So these brief moments can make or break any situation. I find that it’s best to hold on -Stay the course..Don’t look backAnd don’t think forward… Don’t speculate.Especially when you don’t know.. You put…
Spare Change
We were just four kids who really loved music, so we decided to play it. So, from 1997-2000, we were Spare Change. I was in another band when Spare Change materialized. That’s what you did back then – you got into a band. Sometimes you switched bands. Sometimes bands broke up. Sometimes you went solo…
Gordon Lightfoot | 7.26.23
Soft featuresthat come with hard lines. I cross lines all the time… Deadpan deliverythat breaks the ice.Legions of laughterthat drew me out of hiding.. You get to know peopleand people get to know you.But I feel so disconnectedwhen I head out on my own. Laser-focused and drowning – but somehow I’m breathing.So there’s no need…
Blueberries and Rain
Growing up on my grandparent’s farm, I had the benefit of walking out into the orchard with my cereal bowl and picking some fresh blueberries to go along with my morning cornflakes. Somewhere in late May, maybe early June, my aunt and cousins would come over and we would drag out the massive nets to…
Dead & Company, Fenway 6.25.2023
I wrote this right as I woke up the morning after the show. It was still thick in the magic of it all and I’m still feeling traces of it now, a week later. There’s nothing like a Dead show, but there’s nothing like spending it with the people you love. There’s also something to…
Finally, a Chipmunk…
Early last month, someone set up a dome tent close enough to the edge of the road, near the trailhead at Ragged, that it was easy to see. Now that the forest has filled in, you really need to look for it – but it’s still there. The first time I saw it, the front…
So Many Roads…
I haven’t been getting out to hike nearly as much as I’d like to. It’s not for lack of want, but lack of time. Either way, being that this is my last week off before I start my new 9-to-5, I’m going to make an effort to get out there and get my head right.…
Jose Gonzalez | 4.23.23
The first time someone said your name wrong, they should have written a poem about you… But just imagine everything you’d have to get though at this point? … and you’ve gotten though a lot to get to this point. You’re a bit of an enigma.Someone I check in with after one too many beers.…
Lash The Mast | 4.22.23
… 5:08am Cat claws on sunburnt skin are easier to ignore than you might think when you’re trying to get another hour of sleep… Tori Amos plays on in the other room. I’m trying not to listen. But decided to let her sounds take me into another round of dreaming. All attempts are unsuccessful and…
Just a minute…
Writing a new blog post while I’m working probably isn’t the best use of my time – but as this is only going to take 5 minutes, and I need to shift my step to pivot to a new project, this is a nice way of doing it. I’m going to be 42 next month…
Ink & Dreams
I’m writing thisfrom the remaining embersof my subconscious.Where we just spend the better halftrying to find one another. I wrote the directions down, butthe letters didn’t line up – the numbers ran like water.Ink never dries on paper in a dream. Finally, we bumped into each other.Frantic on a stairwell.A collision of flannel.A hug in chaos.A…
Haiku For Those Who Know
Here is my homage to those folks who never take their racks off their roofs. They probably never check to see if the hardware is tight either, but I digress.. Kayak racks in JanLike ski racks in the summerAre just for show, man January 22nd 2023
For the love of Edie
Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians were part of some wild wave of hippy music that took off in the late 1980’s that also included bands like The Black Crowes, The Spin Doctors, and Blind Melon. Mother Love Bone could be considered part of the same movement, but they were on another wavelength because Andrew…
It’s Never Enough
The outdoors is my area of refuge. It doesn’t matter where I’m at, what I’m doing, or what’s going on around me – the outdoors fills my sails and keeps me going. And this time of year is actually one of my favorites. There’s not a lot going on out there in the winter. There…
December | Playlist
Music has the wonderful ability to guide you, enable you, inspire you, and help you understand yourself better than anything else on the planet. I don’t know if it’s the rhythm and the words, I don’t know if it’s the tempo and the tone – but whatever all of it is, it’s a powerful thing.…
Squirrels | 12.15.2022
I don’t mind telling anyone that the girls started sleeping in their own beds in the loft last night. They argued over who was going to sleep in what bunk and who was getting what stuffed animals, but in the end – they made the call and made it happen. Sure you can say they…
Weird Neil Rides Again
Growing up, I took it upon myself to absorb as much Neil Young as humanly possible. He was big medicine to me – his sound, his words, his politics. He found a place in me that I relied on to help me figure out who I was – and once I did, I kind of…
The Big Banter
I’ve been freelancing on the weekends for Gear Junkie since the beginning of the Fall. It’s been an exciting outlet for me to share my technical writing through – but let’s be honest, as technical as it can be, my soul and spirit hang from the pointing edges of each letter, and rest on the…
Proximity | 11.13.22
You movedAnd I almost didn’t find you.In dreamsI don’t know how to read.We touchedAnd didn’t recoil.Now I movedAnd you’re moving with me.
River Sisters Homestead
I live in a valley where the Connecticut River has a major influence on the weather we get down at the house. I’m half a mile from the main road, the other side of which lives the river. In the warmer months, you can hear the powerboats ripping down the multi-state waterway. Due to the…
Six From The Heart
I spent this weekend in the woods – submerged in the ether. Fall is always a special time for me to get out in the out there, but this year came on extra strong and having the ability to get away for two days right when the leaves were hitting their stride was nothing short…
Something in the way, Yeah…
Song lyrics are one of the most intoxicating ways to get words out. If you’re trying to get a message across or tell a story, having music accompany it has the potential to raise your intentions to new heights. They’re also memorable because they flow with a melody that causes the listener to retain it…
Recipe: Baked Apples
I don’t write down recipes because I generally just figure out what the kids and I like and remember to make it again – as they are creatures of habit (all kids are). But when I find something that inspires me to take a day trip to Vermont, well then I figure that warrants not…
It Starts With Fog | 9.28.22
Heading into the fog out here, you lose a second or two of seeing where you’re headed. It’s in that brief period of seemingly endless time where the mind wanders. Man, does it wander.
In the Moment: 9.25.22
Some people are freaking out that all future iterations of Darth Vader will be voiced by AI instead of James Earl Jones, when in reality they should be celebrating the fact that it’s just been confirmed, de facto, that there will be more Star Wars movies or TV shows with Darth Vader.
Eden’s Shore
Most people see Spring and Summer as the ideal time to have an adventure in the great outdoors. Spring? YES!Summer? Not so much… This morning I woke up and it was 45 degrees before the sun crawled over the mountain. It’s only 48 now with the sun in my eyes – and all I want…
There’s Always Airplane Mode…
Last week Elon Musk announced that he was going to launch more of his Starlink satellites into space so that some of the most remote locations on the planet would have cell service. Outlets like Outside and Gear Junkie picked up on the story, and – in accessing these articles on their respective social pages…
Needful Things: 210DX
It goes without saying that I’ve spent a little time on the mountain – but at one point it was a whole weekly to-do where The Wolf and I would get all sorts of food and drink, head out to where the woods twist and turn, have ourselves a fire, and get a good shine…
Gone Are The Days
The internet is really what struck the first tone of the death knell for brick and mortar retail experience; forcing retailers to decide if they wanted to focus on in-store sales or internet sales – or find the balance between both. Then, after years of finding what worked for their business model, Covid hit and…
The Reconnect
There was a time in my life where I was connected to the outdoor world through the people and gear. That connection enhanced everything I did outside, and – taking it step further – pushed to be more and do more when I was on one of my crazy adventures. I was in the middle…
Financial Advice from Afar
I don’t care who you are and how much money you make, everyone is feeling the impact of inflation right now – and it’s only going to get worse as we crest summer and head down into the colder months. That said, I have been chipping away to reduce my monthly expenses in an attempt…
For Your Consideration: Photos
I’ve been really focused on the things around me lately – absorbing and reflecting. Being that we’re in the center of summer, there’s so much to see and try and capture the essence of. … So much so that I find myself splitting my free time between looking up places for the girls and me…
Better Than a Needle: TPBs
I’m not going to turn this into a long-winded proclamation of my love for comic books, but I’ve got a couple of things to say – and I am going to wrap this up with three trade paperbacks that you should get your hands on asap. I came up in the 1990s reading comic books;…
This Summer I Slowed Down
I had no intention of ever becoming a hermit – if that’s what this all is. In fact, I was quite the social butterfly right up until Covid. Now, out here – on the other side of the pandemic – I’m quite comfortable with my latest hobby of staying away from the hustle and bustle.…
Half An Acre | 6.16.22
With Penny.. On an adventure.. I am following you around the yard.It’s June and we’re looking for all the things that thrive.You’re eight-and-three-quarters. Animals and insects love you.They stop what they’re doing to greet you.You spend your time talking to them. I am amazed. This is what we do every morning while your sister sleeps…
It all happened in 10th grade..
Kurt Vonnegut is the reason I am a writer. No, he’s not my favorite author – and yes, I can count endless books that I would reach for before his – but no one writes like him. I love the idea of Kurt Vonnegut and the person who was Kurt Vonnegut – I love to…
Dylan at 81
I got caught up in a hefty Bob Dylan phase in college. So much so that I couldn’t tell you what album (probably “Desire”) or song (probably “Wedding Song”) that got me hooked – but it was a fantastic time in my life where I could check out – for hours at a time -…
Cycles | 4.28.2022
Sometimes I get sadand I focus on obscure minutiaeto get me out of that hole. Lately, I’ve been sadso I’ve been focusing on a barn quiltI’m having made for the outside of the house. Barn quilts are a Vermont thing.Patterns on wood – painted or otherwise – placed in place to give passerby’s a hintof…
Tastebuds | 4.8.2022
I’ve lived a thousand livesEach with its own forgotten festivalsIn sync and alone. Sometimes I was in focusSometimes I walked along the side – Watching,Waiting to be let in. Keeping pace…Scrambling over the debris.Making fires to keep warm. But whether I was center stageor just there to pour the wine, I always gave it all…
Ingo Lilpeach
I’ve always had a thing for nicknames – maybe even a thing for new names – even though I like my name. Ingo Lilpeach was one that I never told anyone about. Maybe an alter-ego?Maybe a medieval character in the part of my imagination thatclosest resembles “The Princess Bride”? I don’t know. But the name…
Crappy Articles, Guns, and Life in the Great Outdoors
Outside Magazine is forever poking the bear with one-sided articles about people carrying firearms in the outdoors. Recently, they reposted an article from a couple of years ago, on a slow news day, to bring up their likes and comments on Facebook. No, I won’t link to it. No, they’re not talking about people who…
RIP Arcades
As a kid growing up in the 80’s and 90’s – arcades were a second home for me. I remember saving up my lunch money and doing odd chores around the house so I could split my bounty between comic books and arcade games – both of which were in the pinnacle of their existence…
Spur of the Moment: Turtle Creek (no editing)
Winter birdssing spring songsCelebratingdays beforewhen it was warm…Like springin winter. The banks of the riveredged in ice.Frozen boat rockscreek louder thanthe bird song. It’s still winter.Very much winters My thought are warmbut I should have worn gloves.
New England Winter Hobby
It must be a winter thing – actually, it’s obviously a winter thing – but the birds have really got my attention lately, and I don’t see this distraction letting loose until Spring. And that’s okay… It’s this time of year where they go from being “birds” to being Junco’s and Titmice – Wren’s and…
The Other Woodpeckers
Though I read a ton, I am the kind of person who likes to be surprised. Case and point – I know I can open a book or Google “Connecticut Woodpeckers” and be given a full, detailed spread about the variety of woodpeckers in the state – but I would rather experience their individuality spontaneously.…
In Dreams…
Storytelling is – and has been – the best form of communication – since.. Forever! That will never change. It’s storytelling that has allowed cultures to survive for generations.Storytelling that brought the news to the masses.. Storytelling is what allows us to thrive. And it’s in every aspect of communication – fact or fiction, or…
Good Listeners
Last night, the girls were asking me what our next pet should be. My first response was that we’re full up on pets for the time being, but as they worked on me a bit – and erring to my imagination – I said that our next pet should be a fox. I understand that…
Black Bears & Basement Stairs
I sat down this morning to do a little writing for a friend of mine. A link to the past, and connection to my life in the outdoors – nothing monumental, but I’m not looking for a change of pace. This is just something that fell in my lap, through word of mouth, and as…
That Skull and Wreath Combo
I take a ton of pictures. Sometimes I’ll take a picture and let it simmer – so that when I return to it, if I return to it, it has a different meaning. Such is the case with this picture – taken randomly as I was walking up to the driveway from the house. It…
Therapy from a Stranger
Rumor has it that Kris Kristofferson stumbled into a bar one night, saw a mailman with a guitar on stage – and before you knew it – John Prine stopped delivering mail and became a voice of the people. Now, I won’t go off on a rant here and tell you that John Prine was…
Clay
Memories… I can remember back to when I was 2-3 years old. Good memories and bad memories. Big family parties and a small kitchen knife that stuck into my finger when I was washing dishes in my diaper. (I’ll show you the scar.) But my memories are mostly good, because it was mostly good. (And,…
It’s not too late…
The thing about fall – especially, if not exclusively – in New England is that it’s the perfect time to get lost and found – a time to immerse yourself in all of it and let it guide you through without fuss or a set goal in mind. Whether you get into the witchyness of…
Cosmic Contradictions
Last night, Thursday August 12th, 2021, we were supposed to get a Perseid Meteor Shower of biblical proportions. We didn’t. We got a great night sky – clear as a glass – sprinkled in wonder – but no shooting stars or any other sort of cosmic occurrence. There will be another chance. There always is……
The Saga Of The White Faced Hornets
Saga seem like a strong word for something that only took up a few minutes of each day, for two days. But the whole idea of it – the physicality and possibilities it presented – was living rent free in my brain for a solid day – so, well – saga stays. Saturday, Aug 7…
The Den
Growing up, we had a room in our house that was designated as a catch-all: a place to store things forgotten that you weren’t ready to forget, a place to iron clothes, and a place to hide Christmas presents from prying eyes… It’s also where a majority of our houseplants, in varying stages of their…
Pileated Maple.. Maybe
There’s an old, dying tree out back that was old and dying when I bought this place a few years ago. It’s upright and alright – but this tree has decayed to the point where it can’t be identified. However, I would assume it’s in the maple family based on its size and what’s growing…
Foxglove and Daylily: A Tale Of Two Sisters
In the fall, my daughters will take on the next scholastic chapters in both of their young and wonderful lives. Penny, eight this coming August, will go into third grade – which I hear is a real doozy in modern times. It’s probably even more-so being that half of this year past year – and…
Jam On (Recipe At The End)
There’s always been a plan to plant things to grow things to sustain us here at our little homestead – and throughout the course of the pandemic, we made some serious headway: 8 Apple Trees (6 that are a sure thing). 10 Blueberry Bushes (8 that are putting out an impressive amount of fruit.. 2…
The Plateau: Social Media
“Many a hand has scaled the grand old face of the plateau. Some belong to strangers and some to folks you know…” “Plateau” by The Meat Puppets, Meat Puppets II Social media has become much more than it was ever meant to be, and to that end – it’s a problem. What was supposed to…
In Brief: Branding
In my real life, I engineer content – strategically – in order to create awareness for a brand or a brand’s endeavour. I work with companies to map out their journey by getting their widget and their message out in front of the crowd to help them take critical steps towards their success. So, I…
Fiddleheads (or lack there of…)
There’s a few specific areas on the mountain where you’re guaranteed to find your fill of fiddleheads this time of year. They pop up from beneath the leaves under the canopies about three weeks after the peepers make their presence known. I say this with confidence as I’ve been harvesting fiddleheads this time of year,…
An Unavoidable Pile Of Breadcrumbs
The universe is so vast that it’s incredible that anything connects – let alone if multiple things connect. But they do. These connections are breadcrumbs; coincidences that capture our attention and set us on a path – consciously or subconsciously. Tacitly, we’re drawn to it – this ethereal concept – and in some cases it…
Save Some Light For Me | 3.28.21
In my dreamsI visit familiar housesjust to hear familiar voices. I see things likerocks and treestaking over dining roomswith too many doorways… And small scaletechnical TV’swith lizards livingbehind their screens. I talk to peoplesitting inside wallsKnitting.We talk aboutbaseball gamesthey watched onthose reptile TV’s. People without facesthat would havefamiliar faces.If they had faces. Their eyes out…
Minding My P’s & Q’s
For Penny & Quinn You’re growing up in a world that’s just starting to understand the importance of equality; but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be a man out there who tries to establish dominance over you. It’s an antiquated dichotomy that seemed appealing in old movies, but never in real life. Submission isn’t…
Thanks, Doc…
Somewhere in 2001, I became an unofficial line coach for “The Vagina Monologues”. I can’t tell you if I was asked to take on the role as a challenge or as a building block to an unavoidable friendship, but I knew I had to accept it, and take it seriously – because it meant something…
.. And I Will Be Your Rainbow
For Penny When my daughter was in Kindergarten her mother and I went to our first ever parent teacher conference. Everything was on par – she talks, she colors, she contributes, she’s five. And then it got weird. The teacher told us she was very concerned about Penny because she really enjoyed talking about her…
Only After All…
I got really good at taking pictures somewhere along the way. They’re in places you might have seen – maybe not… But..Probably.. It got to a point where I made a career out of it and helped make other people make careers out of it. It’s good money, man. And it’s good for the ego……
A Wash Of Indigo…
Brain: That was pretty heavy… Spotify: Alright! I’m going to play “Meadowlake Street” by Ryan Adams…. The whole War On Drugs discography… Oh! And “Lost Stars” by Adam Levine! Brain: Seriously? Heart: Wooohoo! Brain: Dude.
Ferlinghetti Has Died
Lawrence Ferlinghetti has died at 101 years old – and it has shifted my step for just a minute. My junior year of college, I took a Beat Poetry class – taught by Ann Charters – who had built a career with the likes of Ferlinghetti, Kerouac, and Ginsberg – and had become somewhat synonymous…
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Tribe Of Flannel 