Published inWildlife Trekker·PinnedMember-onlyLittle Deer on The PrairieThe first in a series of stories centered on prairie landscapes and lives in North America — Dear reader, The restored Oronoco Prairie has become my favorite place to hike and to observe wildlife and prairie wildflowers within five miles of home. Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867–1957) lived as a girl with her family for a while near South Troy, Minnesota. …Deer3 min readDeer3 min read
Published inSix Word Photo Story Challenge·3 hours agoMember-onlyHappy Birthday, Mark TwainNovember Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Happiness” — Twain, thanks for making us smile “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” — Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835–April 21, 1910) grew up in a small wood-frame house near the banks of the Mighty Mississippi River in Hannibal, Missouri. Under the pseudonym of Mark Twain, he penned classic novels…Monthly Challenge2 min readMonthly Challenge2 min read
2 days agoMember-onlyMuffin Adapts to Her New HomeLittle Miss Muffin moves from Minnesota to Georgia — I will forever remember this autumn because of its whirlwind of activity and change. First, my wife Kazumi accepted a position at a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, 1,000 miles from our home in Southeast Minnesota. Next, we took a nine-day road trip to Atlanta to find an apartment. …Cats3 min readCats3 min read
Published inWhisker Winks by Muffin·Oct 27Member-onlyMuffin Attacks My Blue JeansLittle Miss Muffin surprises and entertains every day — This morning, my wife Kazumi called me from the dining room. She said, “Muffin is attacking your clothing.” I rose from my desk chair and rushed to the dining room to watch the cat in action. …Cats3 min readCats3 min read
Published inBicycle Trekker·Oct 25Member-onlyThe Japanese Odyssey Ultradistance Bicycle Ride is UnderwayRecap following day one of a 1,700-mile, 12-day, adventure — “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!” ― Hunter S. …Bikes2 min readBikes2 min read
Published inFull Frame·Oct 20Member-onlyNebraska Capitalizes on a Capitol AffairThe State Capitol of Nebraska rises from the prairie to serve as a cathedral to democracy — “Building becomes architecture only when the mind of man consciously takes it and tries with all his resources to make it beautiful, to put concordance, sympathy with nature, and all that into it. Then you have architecture.” ― Frank Lloyd Wright My roots drive deep into the Nebraska prairie sod…Full Frame11 min readFull Frame11 min read
Published inBicycle Trekker·Oct 20Member-onlyUpdate on Cyclist Nick Runtsch and the Ultradistance Japanese OdysseyFor some, this grueling ultradistance ride will be the adventure of a lifetime — My son, Nick Runtsch, departed from San Francisco International Airport just after midnight on a mid-October morning. His initial destination: Tokyo. Later that day, he arrived in Kagoshima, the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, located in the southern area of the island of Kyushu. But why has Nick traveled to…Cycling4 min readCycling4 min read
Published inWhisker Winks by Muffin·Oct 19Member-onlyMuffin Prepares to Move to a New HomeLittle Miss Muffin has become a lap cat, too — …she still seems like a kitten to me at the age of one. Before my wife Kazumi and I left home for a nine-day apartment-hunting trip to Atlanta, Georgia, we installed a Ring Indoor Cam in our dining room. The purpose of the camera was to keep an eye on…Cats7 min readCats7 min read
Published inWildlife Trekker·Oct 18Member-onlyIt’s a Beautiful MorningBack home again, where the colors are vibrant — After a week of apartment hunting with my wife in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s good to be back home in Southeast Minnesota. This morning, I hiked through the woods, camera in hand, for the first time in two weeks. Yesterday morning, the season’s first hard frost covered lawns and rooftops. But…Landscape Photography3 min readLandscape Photography3 min read
Published inWhisker Winks by Muffin·Oct 5Member-onlyMuffin Squeezes InShe makes for a pleasant officemate, too — My wife Kazumi and I have been officemates in our home’s second bedroom for the past thirty months. It has worked out well. But we frequently interrupt each other. Our cat Muffin shares our home office, too. She likes to lie down on the windowsill to my left. The fresh…Cats4 min readCats4 min read
