State park trail entry point.

Journey Home

Tales from the pilgrimage.

  • July Photos

    July is a delightful month despite record heat this year. Foliage is lush, flowers are brilliant, and on a clear day, the sky goes on forever. These are some favorite images this month, captured with my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. Trail Walking Events Home Read more

  • Googling Around

    My Google origin story is in 2006, a group of consultants from Hyderabad, India, working on a software installation at my Cedar Rapids office, convinced me to move to a new email platform called Gmail. At the time I needed a referral to get into Gmail, which the guys gladly gave. That decision, with unlimited… Read more

  • Week 14 — Summer Harvest Ramps Up

    We had some good rain this week and that boost growth in the garden. There were cucumbers, zucchinis, and squash aplenty. I checked garlic by digging six plants and decided to give it another week or two before harvesting the main crop. After pulling a couple of onions, I decided to harvest the whole crop… Read more

  • National Military Monument

    My insurance company informed me there will be a National Military Monument in Washington, D.C. They wanted my permission to put my name on it. I did not respond. On Veterans Day 2015, I wrote, I don’t understand veterans recognition in the 21st Century. Everyone thanks veterans for their service if they know he or… Read more

  • Reading Going Out the Window?

    Will reading be a short anomaly in human history? That’s a question asked by Rose Horowitch in her Atlantic article “The End of Reading is Here.” It is a bit of a downer, especially for people who make it a point to read from a paper book every day. I’ve written before about how few… Read more

  • Fennel: A Summer Vegetable

    I learned to grow fennel while working at Susan’s farm beginning in 2013. It is a remarkable plant with its entirely of bulb, stalks, and fronds being edible. I grew eight or so plants this year and have begun to harvest them. Pretty soon there will be too many to use in the kitchen so… Read more

  • Grinding it Out — Taco Tuesday

    Three weeks into summer, the average high temperatures are running a few degrees higher than average. This is the hottest time of the year for Eastern Iowa, and people born here can get used to it. That doesn’t mean we particularly like it. Exercise and gardening occupy a narrow morning window from sunrise until 8… Read more

  • Summer Visit

    As I’m typing, an unexpected visitor is approaching from the east. Read more

  • Peoples’ Coalition Rides Again

    As I walked along the state park trail, I didn’t know if I would participate in the annual 4th of July parade in Coralville. Wild bergamot was beginning to bloom under the heat dome that parked over the Ohio River Valley and included us. I was mindful of the effect of high temperatures and humidity… Read more

  • Week 13 — Gardening Under a Heat Dome

    Week 13 was characterized by dealing with the heat dome that descended over the Midwest. I established a durable routine to protect the garden for what will likely be repeated heat domes in this geography. More kale for the food pantries in Week 13 and we are not close to being done with the crop.… Read more