The forests Up North may not have the majestic red and white pines that they did before we cut them down, but they still teem with life. Wildlife busily feasts as the forest erupts with a steady succession of treats that ripen in the brief window from last to first frost. The weather this
Like many of us, painter Thomas Paquette had a simple idea that quickly grew out of control. His plan to paint the 72-mile stretch of the Mississippi River through the Twin Cities morphed into "Why not paint the whole river?" It took a while to explore the river and complete the paintings, but the
Today I'm featuring a guest post from G. F. Gallagher, who writes fondly about the years he lived in and got to know friendly St. Paul, Minnesota. If you have a piece you'd like me to consider running, please contact me. Dean Author's Note: I'm a native Chicagoan, but for a good part
The Mississippi River has a long and complicated history. If you are like me and enjoy reading about different aspects of the river's history, you might wonder which books you should read to get the full picture. I'm here to help. In ten years, I've read a lot of books. I have suffered through
Ten years ago, I began writing about the Mississippi River. Yes, it’s been ten years! As you may or may not have followed every step I have taken in the past ten years, here are a few highlights: I share stories of the people and places along the Mississippi, like the story about the University
We’ve had a run of cold weather in St. Louis for a couple of weeks now, so ice floes are a common sight on the Mississippi River. I took advantage of the cold weather (how often do I get to say that!) to take some photos along the downtown St. Louis riverfront and of
