

Life is a struggle
Last year, I was hiking in a deep swamp near Sylvania, Georgia, and came upon this tree. Unlike the many picturesque, stately, and kenspeckle trees I had photographed earlier in the day, this one stood out.
This tree was struggling. A parasitic vine had been wrapping itself around the trunk for many, many years. The vine had been sucking nutrients and water from the soil at the giant's base while pushing upward into the heights of this towering beauty. The vine wanted to ove

The Pancake - My Ultimate Comfort Food
There is something about the smell and taste of a pancake that makes me feel really good. Watching the batter bubble on the griddle, flipping the flimsy piece of dough over with precision so as not to splatter it over the rest of the kitchen, and then serving it up with warm maple syrup is, for me, the ultimate comfort on a Saturday or Sunday morning.
It goes back to those Saturday mornings as a child. That smell of pancakes cooking evokes images of Looney Toons, The Lone Ra