With just a week left before the kids and I head back to school, we’ve been getting in our "one lasts" this week. One last bike ride to get Italian ice at the stand downtown. One last walk to the beach with friends visiting their grandparents across the street. And one last trip to Copperas […]
Tag Archives: adirondacks
I’m with the Lorax
Rattlesnake Mountain has long been one of my family’s favorite hikes around the Adirondacks. It’s always had a great mix of the things we love in a hike: a great view for a moderately challenging climb, cool mushrooms to look at, the occasional garter snake, a rock shaped like a chair that’s located at a […]
Going Where the Snow Is
On Sunday, the last day of a delightfully quiet winter break, I desperately wanted to go cross-country skiing. Thanks to some December rain, my yard is more grass than snow now, but an hour’s drive into the mountains solved that problem. I kept an eye out for wildlife, but the best I could do were […]
Collecting Leaves on Mount Jo
What do you do when your middle grade novel about a 7th grade kid whose leaf collection is ruining her life is off in New York City being edited? You head for the mountains to collect leaves, of course! THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z won’t need my attention until copy edits are complete, and […]
Almost Autumn
In honor of the first day of fall tomorrow, I’m sharing a few photos from today’s hike up Mount Jo in the Adirondacks. We decided to climb, even though it was drizzling when we got to the trailhead. This is the view from the summit — not exactly what we’d had in mind, but pretty […]
Rattlesnake Mountain
We hiked Rattlesnake Mountain in the Adirondacks on Sunday, one of my family’s favorites. Here’s why… You don’t find too many picnic spots with a nicer view. In case you’re wondering, the mountain doesn’t really live up to its name. Eastern Timber Rattlesnakes have been spotted on Split Rock Mountain, further south in the Adirondack […]
Journal in the Woods – Part 3
Two more miles through the woods…seven more mosquito bites…and Mystery Writer remains a mystery. The boys were off getting haircuts this weekend, so E and I decided to take the little black nature journal on another hike. This time, we checked out Silver Lake Bog, a beautiful trail that starts with a half-mile boardwalk stroll […]
Journal in the Woods – Part 2
Marjie and I loaded up the kids to hike Poke-o-Moonshine on Saturday, in the hopes of finding a clue in the mystery of the anonymous nature journal. Mystery Writer was there on September 7, 2006 and wrote about seeing ravens, hawks, and birch trees along the trail. Unfortunately, the DEC log book at the […]
Journal in the Woods
A little black leather-bound mystery fell into my lap today. My friend Marjie, another English teacher in my school, handed me the journal 9th period. A student’s father had found it in the trees alongside a trail when he was hiking in the Adirondacks. They looked for a name. Nothing. They read bits and pieces […]