Whitecaps on the Mississippi

Because the Upper Mississippi River includes a series of locks and dams, it is hard to tell how much the water levels are natural and how much they are controlled by the lock masters. In the spring, it is obvious the river is high due to snow melt, but otherwise the...

Handing Over the Reins

Had Grinnell offered a bachelors degree in environmental studies, Clare would have majored in environmental studies. Instead she majored in computer science with a concentration in environmental studies. Concentrations at Grinnell are similar to minors at most other...

Autumn is Upon Us

Yesterday I brought my writing table indoors. I started the day writing outside, just as I’ve been doing every morning for the past four months, when I realized I was constantly sticking my hands in my jacket pockets to warm them up. This may be the earliest in the...

Iron River, Michigan

Every other year my extended family (i.e., mom, brother, two sisters, and spouses) takes a vacation together. Last winter I’d organized a fall trip to Yellowstone, but then cancelled all of the reservations because Mammoth and the Lamar Valley, the two park...

Year of the Tiger

I have friends on the West Coast who have yet to meet Manyu or Clare. They know of my wife and daughter through emails and phone calls from me, but they do not have a true sense of the life I now live. A few days ago I received an email from one of these old friends,...

Riding on Broken Glass

For the past month, there has been lots of broken glass along my usual bike route. It’s late summer with more outside drinking and more jerks tossing empties out of car windows. As hard as I try to avoid anything that might puncture a tire, I got a flat tire three...
Steven Simpson