Discoveries of Innocence in My iPad

Around nine years ago, when my new iPad appeared on the scene and took on an extra role as a powerful toy for our two oldest grand-kids, they began sneaking into the device and taking photos of themselves when they were alone and untended. Many photos. Lots of teeth. Later on I'd come across the …

Learning Bird Language

These days, even with the Covid pandemic still raging, it’s still possible to find an online talk about the language of birds oriented to backyard bird enthusiasts. All that undifferentiated sound we walk through any day, any season, as we go about our lives. Many of these talks attune the untutored ear to small details …

The Art of Portraiture

The world is awash in an endless sea of selfies.  I want to make an important distinction between a selfie and a self-portrait.  It’s the difference between the image that might contain the caption “Here’s me standing in front of the Eiffel Tower” and an image that says something true and essential about me, or …

Bring On The Dark Sky

For many years I have failed to catch the August Perseids meteor shower. Last summer we were in the midst of a tumultuous move from the home we had lived in for a decade, preparing to leave the big old house we loved, the home in which my mother had spent her last years. The …