In the current economic pinch it seemed crazy to drive a 2,932-pound Prius 18 miles round-trip just so I could ski a few miles in circles. The Piedmont ski trails currently have the best classic ski conditions around, however, and my family relationships don’t do well when exercise and time outdoors are curtailed. The day … More Working through the anxiety
The jaws of hunger threatened to tear apart our household as my wife opened the office door and said, “Honey, we have nothing for breakfast unless there’s an egg in the chicken coop. We only need one egg.” Having just been outside an hour earlier, I knew our young hens hadn’t bequeathed a single egg … More A Snow Surplus Can Pay Big Dividends
Another 6 inches of snow today! Slow and steady is winning the race this March. My humble woodpile, which I realize is “cute” by any standard, is still lasting and comforting for me. To the left, is our chicken coop that will be full of chickens after the snow melts. I’m happy to wait. Part … More Winter Continues to Spring Forth
Here’s my newspaper column this week: As I scrawl these words on a lovely evening, smoke from my wood stove wafts from the chimney and twists up and through large snowflakes falling like feathers. It’s snowing again, as it did the weekend prior, and I welcome it as if it were manna from heaven. Sam … More Glad the Groundhog Got it Wrong
Yesterday I celebrated my March birthday in the proper way, and I’m thankful our healthier winter this year allowed it. I took the day off work, spent the entire day cross country skiing, and capped it off with steaks grilled on my new charcoal barrel grill with the family. I started out at Korkki Nordic, … More My Ideal Birthday Party
After enduring a long day of grumpiness whilst plying the corporate waters in front of a computer in my basement office, I had a delightful cleansing ski through the Lester Park Ski trails this evening. I was there when the first snowflake fell from this evening’s winter storm. What a difference 45 minutes on the … More A Cleansing Ski
I look forward to our annual winter cabin trip all year. We always go remote and rustic, but this year my buddies and I chipped in for something a bit more posh. Rather than lugging our stuff through unmaintained trails to an abandoned shack, we skied a mere 3.5 miles to our home base behind … More Winter Cabin Trip. A great tradition.
Most of our family is battling a cold. I just can’t sit around breathing stale air all weekend, so the dog and I ambled on up Tischer Creek. It’s one of my favorite short hikes, and is fully surrounded by the city of Duluth about a mile from my house. This little canyon is very … More Prescription for a Cold
Last night we hosted the ideal impromptu New Year’s Eve gala. The idea of having this family friendly “Burning Man” alternative had been tickling around in my mind for weeks, and we finally had it last night. My son and one of the neighbor boys nailed together a monstrosity out of scrap lumber and drift … More The Ideal New Year’s Eve Gala
International Border: Here I am posting a column I wrote a few years ago for our local newspaper. Space didn’t allow for me to tell nearly enough of the story, but I’ll come back to it here and there. The cabin and locale referred to have been a home away from home for me for … More Journey To the Top of the 48
Ed's Big Adventure 