The Valet Key

The plan was for me to meet at Tom’s house 5:30 in the morning and then drive north together in his car for three days of fishing. Manyu rode along with me, so she’d have our car while I was away. Our dog, Jack, came along, because he comes along whenever he is...

Autumn Turnover

At a very basic level, I know what autumn turnover is. As air temperatures drop, the water near the surface of lakes and slow-moving rivers cools and then sinks. This forces the water near the bottom to rise, and the water literally turns over. During this transition,...

Non-Fiction

I read mostly fiction, but about once a year I shift to non-fiction for a little while. I am in one of those phases now. I just finished a book about college admissions and am half done with two other non-fiction books. One of them is Michael Pollan’s book about...

Might Have Fixed My Canoe

During my recent Boundary Waters trip I discovered a big ding in the bow of my canoe.  It was there before I started the trip, but I really don’t know how it got there. I’d never repaired any watercraft before, but now I had no choice. I drove up to Winona, Minnesota...
Steven Simpson