Along the banks of the Sangamon River stand two trees: a small but strong holly and an impressive, spreading white oak. They stand as a living reminder of a story that happened a long time ago along the banks of this very river…. A long, long time ago on the banks of the Sangamon River, there reigned two kings: The […]

Rivers of my youth, pt. 3, the Suwannee Chances are, you know something of this, the third “river of my youth”. I mean, how many other rivers can you immediately name after hearing the first few notes of a song? Try it: Day Da-da Dum-dee-Dum Dee da-da! These notes are so iconic that even the sign where I-75 crosses the […]

I’m not sure what I was seeking back then, but somehow the “dense and haunting wilderness” of South Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp drew me in. Growing up in north Jacksonville, Florida, the Okefenokee, a 400,000 acre swamp, was only about 90 miles north of my home. I mean, this fascinating, untamed wilderness populated by cypress trees, Spanish moss, cottonmouth moccasins and […]

This time of year, I sit back in my red Adirondack chair overlooking the Sangamon River holding a stoneware mug of hot, lightly sweetened Irish Breakfast tea and look down upon the river. Just a few weeks ago the Sangamon flowed nearly clear, but now falling leaves stain it the color of my Irish Breakfast tea. I grew up down […]

I took an autumn walk in the cool, crisp air along the bank of the Sangamon River. Above me, the brilliant sun filtered through the leafy forest canopy in crimsons, yellows, ambers, oranges and greens, all against a backdrop of the brightest, deepest cobalt blue sky. Below me, in the dry weather of fall, the Sangamon River flows low, slow […]

I sat by the river on the autumnal equinox pondering life, the beauty of the river, the trees and the changing of the seasons. The equinox is one of only two days a year when night precisely equals day, marking the onset of spring and then the fall.  So I also pondered the idea of equality. I was recently reading […]