I drafted the outline for Cemetery Birding in the fall of 2019. At the time I was working on another book project with my mom, Valarie Bristol, and was waiting for Parking Lot Birding to be released in April of…
The fall migration starts in August for the birds with waves of Purple Martins, swallows, and song birds passing through. September we see an influx of hummingbirds; both the Ruby-throated and Black-chinned pass through Central Texas on their way to…
I hit my Covid- 19 live and work-at-home breaking point at the beginning of September. The swimming pools were closed, the days were miserably hot, and all the normal rituals and routines of the end of the summer seemed swept…
One step, two step, three step- into the clouds we go. The draw of the long, breathtakingly beautiful hike along the Garden Wall, is a calling I feel year after year. I cannot heed the call every summer, but I…
Sociology in a Sauna On occasion I make it to the gym to swim or work out if the weather is nasty, but I prefer to exercise outside. Last week I ventured to the Gold’s Gym at prime-time after work…
It gives me a thrill to look at the photos from the wildlife camera we have set up just outside the fence behind out house. I love seeing the types of wildlife we share this small space with, what time…
What can I say? I like lists. I like lists so much that I take a vacation every spring with my family to make lists of the birds we see. But even before we step foot out the door or…
It’s almost October and still 100 degrees in Central Texas. But with the arrival of a Baltimore Oriole in our yard this week, I know the fall migration is in full swing even it fall isn’t. The Ruby Throated Hummingbirds…
When I was a teen ager I never woke up until my mother made the third trip into my room to give me the final warning. I would lumber out of bed, get dressed, mumble something and get in the…
I love all things Texas, including the native plants and wildlife. Slowly I have removed the invasive plants from our yard and replaced them with Texas natives. It takes time to see the rewards of the change. But this fall…