This will be my last week writing for the Storm Lake Pilot Tribune. Next week I will return to industry, working in the electrical division of Evapco in Lakeview. If money is the root of all evil, then a career in journalism is a short cut to sainthood, but I am ready to renew my acquaintance with the devil. I learned electronics in the Navy, and that training has been paying the bills ever since...

I apologize for talking politics here, a place where you usually see birds and boats, but I have to make a few comments. Monday I covered a visit by Ruben Gallego, who is a congressman from Arizona here to support Hillary. Trouble is, he didn't support Hillary at all, he just tore down Trump. And most of the bad things people say about Trump actually can be taken as compliments...

I have been obsessive/compulsive about working out since I was about 19 years old, when I quit smoking and tried to make amends. In 2010, after Jane got a gold medal from the President's Fitness program, she inspired me to keep track of my physical activity at their online site. ...

James and Patricia Hampton came over for a game of pool Monday night, and before we went inside they were admiring Hunky Dory, who sat in the yard on her trailer. The oarlock blocks are made of pinewood, with a coat of epoxy that gives them a golden hue, the dark streaks of grain creating a tiger striped look. James said, "Those oarlocks are awesome," and I basked in the glory of being mistaken for an artist. Turns out, that will be the last compliment those blocks ever get...

One of my goals this summer was to spend more time swimming in the lake. In May or June I jumped in once, but the wind was blowing and I took a mouthful of water when a wave broke over my head. I've heard bad things about drinking the lake water, but all it did to me was make me hack and cough for a while. ...

Monday, a year ago, August 22, this paper carried a photo of a garter snake someone had killed in Scout Park, along with a caption suggesting there was no need to kill snakes. It was my first appearance in The Pilot Tribune, so this week is my one year anniversary as a writer for the paper...

It has been pretty hot this week, but the winds of change are blowing. Friday morning it was still dark outside as I took the dogs into the yard a little after five. In the cool, clear morning air, I saw Orion lying low against the eastern horizon - his first appearance of the year. ...

When Jane and I lived in Raleigh, I tried to have supper done in time to watch the news. Every night we watched the 6:00 local news and the nationals at 6:30. We always knew what was going on. But in Iowa, the nats come on too early, so now we almost never watch TV, and I am pretty clueless about all the world's problems. ...

Last Thursday we had a stiff wind out of the South, creating some pretty big waves on my side of the lake. But Thursday is a rowing day, so I launched the Hunky Dory and rowed straight into the waves for about 45 minutes. Busting into the waves is pretty fun because the bow flies off the face of the wave, and plows into the next one with a satisfying pop. ...

Jane took me to Martin's Access in Cherokee County Sunday evening. Situated along the banks of the Little Sioux, the park has hilly areas with dense stands of mature hardwoods and open meadows. Jane rides her horse there, but it was my first visit. We saw several deer, including a huge buck, and lots of birds...

Pilot-Tribune service will continue uninterrupted. At the office we all chipped in to buy a handful of lottery tickets for the big $500 million dollar drawing last week, and I'm delighted to report we didn't win, so we will continue to show up for work and do what we do best - make a great paper for you. ...

Sunday evening as Jane and I were walking home from Circle Park after the fireworks display, we realized again how nice it is to live in Storm Lake. All three days of the weekend were incredibly nice, with temps in the seventies (in July!) and a nice breeze to keep the bugs away. There are a lot of places you can't safely walk at night, let alone relax while you're doing it, but in Storm Lake it was the perfect moment to reflect on just how nice a place we've moved to...

This is going to sound far fetched, but I swear it's true. There are some pretty cool videos on Youtube if you look up "spearfishing Revillagigedos Islands" ("ree VAY uh hee HAY dos") During a later trip, Tom Lyons made a video about spearfishing there called "Granted..." but I haven't seen it on Youtube...

Last week I took my bow and arrow out to the range for some practice. I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, which wouldn't have been too surprising, except I had shot really well the previous day and I had convinced myself I was just like Robin Hood, only better. The problem is I didn't know what I was doing right the first time, and I don't know what I did wrong the second time...

Usually, I choose to focus on the joys of daily life in my column, but in the wake of the mass murder in Orlando I feel obligated to add my two cents, so here are my thoughts on the subject. I don't claim to know everything, or even have an answer, these are just my thoughts...

The birds have changed. I think the spring migration is pretty much over, I haven't seen or heard any cool migrants lately, I think all the birds here now will stick around till the end of the summer. I was pleasantly surprised this week to hear an eastern wood pewee in Scout Park. ...

As a kid I always enjoyed trips to my grandmother's. When my grandfather retired from dairy farming, they moved into a small house near the center of Greensboro, and they would tell us romantic tales of work and play back on the farm. An old black-and-white picture of a handsome young man in uniform hung on the wall. It was my uncle Mark, who never came back from the Pacific in World War II...

This week I went to BVU to take some photos of students who came outside for a chance to pet some comfort dogs. The Student Activities Board ("sab" in you're in the know) sponsored the event to give the students an opportunity to relax during a stressful part of the semester. Being a dog lover myself, it was a lot of fun. The dogs in question were specially trained to be comfort dogs, which is to say they allow themselves to be worshiped. Nice work if you can get it!...

Last Thursday I was walking my dogs in Scout Park early in the morning half asleep, when I saw a gray bird flush into a tree. It looked just like a mockingbird, but there aren't any mockingbirds around here, so I assumed I was mistaken. But I did perk up a little bit. Then we walked around the lighthouse, and I saw it again, and this time I was sure it was a mockingbird...

Jane's daughter Maura was staying with us last week, and when we took her to Omaha to catch a plane back to Raleigh, we stopped by Desoto National Wildlife Refuge on the way home. Desoto is located on a bend of the Missouri river, in the heart of the Central Flyway. It's a famous (as far as National Wildlife Refuges go) for it's bird watching, especially shore birds and waterfowl. They maintain flooded fields especially to attract waders and I expected to see lots of birds...