Looking back on some favorite memories from 2018… January: The Vikings fell short—okay, far short—on their bid to be the first team to play at home in the Super Bowl. But life in Minnesota goes on. Here I am with my trusty Toro snow blower, clearing out the first ten inches dropped on us by … Read more
A week ago, I returned from Puerto Rico, where I’d spent the previous week helping to rebuild a home destroyed by Hurricane Maria. Almost immediately, my wife and I began preparations for Thanksgiving. It was, to say the least, a disconcerting juxtaposition of events. Puerto Ricans have spent the last year working to recover from … Read more
On our way to Carlisle to be a part of the Celebrate the Book Week, my wife and I stopped at Gettysburg, our first visit to this landmark in a terrible war. Here I am at the monument erected to the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment. In the great battle fought at Gettysburg, the 1st Minnesota—or the … Read more
The earth has spirit. You can feel it everywhere. But in some places, the power of that spirit makes itself known in extraordinary ways. When I stand at the edge of Lake Superior and watch great waves roll in across that vast stretch of steel blue water and break against the rocky shoreline, the power … Read more
Looking back on some favorite memories from 2017… March: In Arizona’s Red Rocks country, beside Dry Beaver Creek. But as you can see, in spring, it’s anything but dry. I took a solo hike into the back country to try to unravel a few knots in the plotting of the Cork O’Connor novel I’m working on … Read more