-
Apology to the raccoon in my yard
You appear in my frame of vision as I glance out the back door as I’m on the phone with a friend talking about the hollow shell of our President, and the crumbling ash of Lindsey Graham’s soul. I interrupt my friend to tell her about you, and as I do, you slow to a…
-
Make Welcome The Wild
A while back we had the incredible opportunity to reimagine the branding and website for our friends at Coastal Expeditions. Our first meeting with husband-and-wife owners Chris and Kari Crolley was full of all the energy and excitement we hope for and seek out in clients. A few days after that initial meeting, Kari stopped…
-
The Way Out There / Episode 5: Sara Clow
Subscribe to the Way Out There podcast here. Sara Clow is a native of the Garden State, and one of my very best friends. We grew up together in the New Jersey suburbs, playing soccer and spending days exploring our extended outdoor “neighborhood.” Sara is also General Manager of Growfood Carolina, a food hub based…
-
Eight Stops
I look up as we pause between stations. Into her eyes, slate flecked with flame. Seven seats between us. Also acres, miles, millennia. As one does when one locks eyes with a stranger, I pretend I didn’t. I let my gaze drift to those beside her. And then, long beat, to her. I watch her…
-
The W-L Club
I write about my childhood quite a bit. Perhaps because my memories are so vivid, I feel compelled to write them down. Perhaps if I understand who I was a child, I’ll better understand who I am now. The other day, I got an email from a dear childhood friend. She was one of the…
-
Aaron and His Dad
Aaron Draplin is an incredibly talented and prolific graphic designer, and I’m a huge fan. I had the pleasure of hearing him speak a few years back. Even got to shake his hand (solid, warm grip), get a signed South Cackalackee Draplin poster, and grab a photo with him. He was as great in person…
-
We Are Family
Last week, a 14 year old girl and her Mom; a Southern-born, Indian-bred self proclaimed “fat, hairy, brown femme-trans-masculine queer bodied magic pony;” an engineer/activist transgender woman; and a critically acclaimed actress, African American transgender woman made me cry and made me proud all in one night. Sera, the 14 year old, was born Seth.…
-
Of Moms, daughters and showtunes
Thankfully, my Mom was never one of those Moms who commented on weight or personal appearance, other than to say things like, “Stop slouching. Stand up straight.” Or, “Are you sure there’s enough room in the crotch?” I count myself lucky for that. Both my Mom and Dad taught us from an early age that…
-
Tales from the “way back”
This is for you, Steph. I grew up in suburban New Jersey in the late seventies and eighties in a tight-knit neighborhood full of kids. In those days, my best friends and most everything I loved or needed was a short walk away. We played outside for hours at a stretch – in the creek,…
-
Hey Fella
You put yourself through college playing gigs and working odd shifts at the local hospital. Were you buddies with the other guys in the picture? Is one of them actually Al Anderson? In my head I hear you say, “They were all nice fellas.” That was one of your words. Years later, when I was…