tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28217489984799842952012-01-28T23:50:30.134-05:00Chesapeake. Outdoors. Now.River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.comBlogger4821100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-79693612080650044812012-01-27T05:33:00.005-05:002012-01-28T08:21:48.511-05:00

Seem ridiculous? The VA and PA Farm Bureaus  think that the government should decide whether you can hunt on your own farm during normal hunting hours and seasons. As many of you know, I've been engaged in the Sunday hunting debate in both Pennsylvania and Virginia - I hunt in both states, but less than I would if Sunday hunting were legal.   This week, legislation to partially roll back

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-20364852026943307152012-01-25T06:14:00.000-05:002012-01-25T06:14:00.861-05:00

Man, what is it with trout anglers? In conversation, they'll ask you a very standard, "Where ya fishin'?," to which I usually respond with the name the of the river system I'm fishing. If it were hunting, paddling, surfing or any other kind of fishing, that would be sufficient for friendly conversation, "Oh that's great, I used to go up there. Have fun up there!" But a few times per week, I

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-508265027946743992012-01-23T05:56:00.004-05:002012-01-23T13:06:52.786-05:00

There are no secret spots anymore. Not east of Interstate 95, anyway.   But there are spots that exist right under your nose that you'd never think would hold fish, ducks, or anything else of much value.  In our case, just a half mile off a state highway, a set of cool springs floods the headwater woods of the Nottoway.    Years ago, the state highway department found this place, a failing

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-69771884498122968022012-01-20T05:55:00.004-05:002012-01-21T16:56:27.044-05:00

Look closely at what is on the plant Thanks to some not great inventory control at my favorite online gear dealer, I find myself with an unneeded 2012 Petzl Tikkina Headlamp (I'm currently using  the 2011 Black Diamond Cosmo). A photo of the Tikkina (new, in box) is below. Want it? Here's how. I want you to tell me who's in this picture to the left.  Before you type in a response, think

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-21909568483765188422012-01-16T05:30:00.012-05:002012-01-16T05:30:02.128-05:00

The more time I spend here, the more I can only conclude that the River is done with us.  And you too. The people who lived here for a thousand years, the Nottoway Indians, still exist in the margins.  Their language, an Iroquoian dialect, was dead by 1838. Their name is a ghost in itself - "Na Da Wa" was a hateful Algonquin slur passed from the Powhatan scouts  to the English colonists within

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-28982853604489314532012-01-13T05:40:00.010-05:002012-01-13T05:40:00.232-05:00

There are a lot of ways to hunt bobwhite quail in Virginia.  All are designed to exhaust either your legs, your dog, your wallet, or some combination of the three.  But each of those tribulations can teach you a lot about silence, solitude, and humility. Still a bit shifty from my overnight ride down the fall line, and our early duck hunt, Tug, Whitey and I rode out to a managed quail preserve

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-9572650887924752692012-01-11T05:21:00.000-05:002012-01-11T05:21:00.914-05:00

I love ultra-light fishing.  The challenge and accomplishment of throwing tiny tackle at big fish, often in tight quarters.....it's like fly fishing for the lazy.   But since ultralight rods are.....ultralight....they tend to get snapped, pulled apart, and stepped on with great frequency, so it seems like I am always on the lookout for a new one. And God Bless Field and Stream, but I don't

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-54688616248853274202012-01-09T06:06:00.010-05:002012-01-09T06:06:01.252-05:00

Winding late night through the headwater swamps of the Nansemond, the Nottoway, and the Chowan, I could feel my grip loosen on what's real........those things slipping away like a jellyfish inbetween my fingers.  Maybe they're just the things I thought were real.  There's no chasing them now. There are no street lights in these places.  In fact the only reflections come from the eyes of deer,

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-38889740632844343552012-01-07T06:51:00.000-05:002012-01-07T06:51:00.301-05:00

Rediscovering ultralight / fly tackle trout fishing was a highlight of 2011 In 2011, I had some neat and kind of flowery annual goals that sounded good at the time.  Depending on the mood in which I read them, now a year later, I can infer that I either totally failed at achieving them, or I absolutely crushed them.  In other words, they were not great goals.   So let's set some better, more

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-46528118438045675862012-01-05T06:15:00.003-05:002012-01-05T06:15:01.020-05:00

This is not an album review or a book review.  It wouldn't be fair.  You see, I've read most everything that's been published by Hemingway and about Hemingway. The outdoorsman. The writer.  The undependable human being. The loose cannon.  I have read detailed accounts of his good times, and even moreseo, his fascinating and horrible last years, culminating in his brutal suicide.  I remain

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-18721875555530092002012-01-03T05:51:00.004-05:002012-01-03T05:51:00.961-05:00

I am still cooling my heels on the back end of my hunting trip to southern Virginia - my first since January, 2009, and first serious one since November, 2007.  "Cooling" is the operative word because we suffered (not really) through near-tropical hunting conditions, waiting on a waterfowl migration that has yet to take place.  I did kill a few ducks and quail with my brothers and a few other

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-55578437131156170452012-01-01T05:45:00.004-05:002012-01-01T05:45:00.455-05:00

"Yes, of course you're interrupting - I was just blogging about wildlife management!" Man, I am seeing an insane number of outdoors blog "annual wrap ups" over the past week.  It's actually really cool.  I'm happy to say "I did it first" (...uhh...maybe?...probably not...) with 2009 and 2010 retrospectives already on file, but unfortunately that doesn't diminish the fact that some other

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-24611366524437348632011-12-30T06:08:00.002-05:002011-12-30T06:08:00.097-05:00

Please pardon me as I take a few days with my family to hunt quail, ducks, geese, and swan outside of the Great Dismal Swamp on the Virginia-North Carolina border. It's been a fabulous year at River Mud.  I've enjoyed writing for and chatting with all of you in 2011, and I am looking forward to an even better 2012!  Now go outside!  Oh, in case you're not familiar with the post title,

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-78426117587405209652011-12-28T08:10:00.002-05:002011-12-28T08:14:45.670-05:00

These geese, while spooky to hunters (and piling up next to public roads since they expect blinds or pits to be in the middle of the field), were still compelled to migrate south into this area (Maryland's eastern shore, January 2011) because of deep snow in New York and Pennsylvania.  It's almost January.  The waterfowl seasons in most states are at least half over.  This year, a situation

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-70124349376544052682011-12-25T05:14:00.002-05:002011-12-25T05:14:00.512-05:00

Yes, this is my child.  It's that time of year again.  A time of conflicts.  Of bold proclamations what season "is for," and who and what it's supposed to commemorate.   Negativity.  There's too much commercialism.  The sales aren't good enough.  What about Jesus?  (and okay, for the record, I do recognize that Jesus' actual birthday was likely in September, and moved to December for dubious

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-11463687172062767142011-12-23T05:16:00.004-05:002011-12-23T09:37:43.202-05:00

Note: I originally wrote this piece for Tim Borkert's blog - The Unlucky Hunter. Pay Tim a visit.  From: Ammoland.com Sunday hunting. To some, it conjures up memories of days afield with kids who have a once-a-week reprieve from school and sports. To others, it is yet another signal that America is moving away from being a society that encourages us to spend time at church and at home on

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-75317399364275234212011-12-21T06:03:00.000-05:002011-12-21T06:03:00.625-05:00

Planting Atlantic White Cedars Look, I don't know if it's ever gonna get cold this winter.  The deer are lazy, the ducks are still up in the Arctic Circle, and the hot rain keeps muddying up the trout streams and causing algae blooms in bass ponds. What I do know is that the Hankster is almost two and a half years old, and he is a firecracker roman candle.  And while the thermometer is slowly

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-91729758869523065742011-12-19T06:01:00.000-05:002011-12-17T23:01:23.761-05:00

I like this spot.  And during my first bow hunt here, I ended up with a half-dozen or more deer within 10 yards of me toward the end of legal shooting time.  Of course, I screwed it up by drawing my bow as one of them was pretty much staring at me, but it was an amazing hunt nonetheless.  You can read more about it here and here. So obviously I went back.  But my attitude was totally different

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-21249296401776113102011-12-16T10:57:00.000-05:002011-12-16T10:57:53.134-05:00

This blog needs Super Fan Suits ASAP.  Wonder if theyshould be in Max-4D Camo, or Turtlegrass Bonefish camo? I recently saw a post over at Troutrageous! where Mike highlighted his first commenter (and corporate sponsor???) Fish Creek Spinners, from back in December 2007.  Well, since River Mud also dates back to 2007, I thought for sure that I'd have a record of feedback from readers or other

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-86254696027414221712011-12-14T05:27:00.004-05:002012-01-15T22:28:37.652-05:00

You know how it be.  You're searching for outdoor information on your local east coast destination, or for your next trip that's predictably up or down I-95, and as you make the outdoor blog rounds, what you find instead is some outstanding information on fishing for Gila Trout in the New Mexico desert, primitive weapons hunting for moose in Alaska, and some dude's killer hike through Santa

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-42382593137025252242011-12-12T06:00:00.002-05:002011-12-12T07:23:17.292-05:00

Awesome spot for hiding. Horrible spot for shooting. (visit here if you'd like the photo-condensed version!) Click. "Add." Click. "Complete." Click.  Status: Submitted. With that, my day's work was done. A big proposal out the door.  It was 2:06pm, and I knew exactly what I needed to do. I politely excused myself from the office and headed out to the truck.  My bibs, boots, and coat were all

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-70592052010756878362011-12-11T06:40:00.000-05:002011-12-11T06:40:00.141-05:00

Hank runs wild at Irvine Nature Center's back 40 ? 60? 110?  It's a big field - wish they'd restore it as habitat! You wouldn't think this is about 8 miles outside of Baltimore's city limits Hank was ecstatic to find (and he found it himself) a "dwagon toof", which he talked aboutfor the next day and a half.  The "dragon tooth" in question (fox jaw) Hank pretty much runs as fast

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-44789367762596593922011-12-09T05:55:00.005-05:002011-12-09T05:55:00.520-05:00

I'm outdoors a lot. Maybe two or three days a week.  It's pretty rare, maybe once or twice a year, that I have an outdoors experience that strikes me deeply enough that I can't blog about it with a nifty combination of text and photos and move on to the next adventure. I recently had one of those days.  My first bow hunt in three years. One of those beautiful days that starts off

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-45245600380752485992011-12-07T05:54:00.015-05:002011-12-07T05:54:00.345-05:00

My new bowhunting spot - complete with unhunted herd! Out of nowhere, I landed a new local hunting spot recently.  It's full of big deer and no hunters - I don't know which is more exciting. The invitation came during a conversation about trying to protect a nice wooded swamp (that one on the left) from development and simultaneously keep the landowner from going bankrupt. To even get the

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-29939995932108305172011-12-05T06:12:00.001-05:002011-12-05T06:12:01.152-05:00

I love my Remington 870, but I only shoot it a few times a year anymore.  I'm more proficient with other guns on sporting clays (Browning Gold, 20ga) and birds (Mossberg 935, 12ga), but the 870 is still an outstanding gun, and worth pulling it out of the safe every so often. Regardless, we were headed down to southeastern Virginia for my Dad's retirement party.  41 years as a civilian in the

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-9780864561818136742011-11-30T06:05:00.001-05:002011-11-30T09:52:41.264-05:00

It's done.  Duck hunting celebrity Jeff Foiles just began a 13-month prison sentence at the Federal work camp in Marion, Illinois.  A few months ago, Foiles pleaded guilty to one Federal count of profiting from the falsification of duck harvest records, resulting in an illegally killed duck being transported across state lines.  Because Foiles' guide service profited from the transaction, it

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-77544651852751794952011-11-27T05:58:00.000-05:002011-11-27T05:58:00.068-05:00

Every fall, the wolf spider shows up.  In our front yard. The front porch. The garden.  She's after the fall's crickets, as they slow down and become easier and easier prey in the cool evenings.  And while the wolf spider has such unfriendly traits as, "will inject venom freely if provoked," and "has an acute sense of touch," we welcome her every fall because of the devastating impact she

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-22288130165399771692011-11-24T06:38:00.000-05:002011-11-24T06:38:00.798-05:00

Northern Kent County, Maryland - 14 hours beforegoose season begins You know, let's just get right into it.  The one about "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."   In the last four November Goose Openers, I've killed exactly one duck, zero geese,  and done the calling for several other ducks and geese (maybe five birds total) for other hunters in the blind/pit

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-22120678675279687192011-11-17T05:42:00.005-05:002011-11-17T10:07:02.609-05:00

As some of you have read here occasionally, I am a big fan of music about hard times and hard places.  Anything written in those conditions was made for me to listen and absorb. And the more I thought about it, the more I thought it'd be interesting to seek out some of my favorite songwriters and see what moves them.  What is it about American places, and the American outdoors, that lend

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-4575734122606863702011-11-16T20:23:00.001-05:002011-11-17T07:03:32.914-05:00

Hank, second birthday......party held at our local nature center's Natural Play Space When somebody who's an adventurous person - I'm talking outdoorspeople and urban adventurers alike - think about having kids, there are a whole lot of opinions that they can consult.  Confusing and conflicting opinions.  But I'll leave you with two thoughts, and a ton of photo evidence (backwards, by age) to

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-43792934506659395902011-11-15T05:28:00.002-05:002011-11-15T05:28:00.257-05:00

I have truly pressed my luck this fall.  I have been saltwater fishing when there was no salt, trout fishing after two hurricanes dumped 2 feet of rain on the stream in just a 9 day timespan, duck hunting on a flood tide....on open water, and bass fishing when I knew full well that oxygen levels and water temperatures were both through the basement. I've made a good run of it, but nothing

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-84107323821840201992011-11-11T12:15:00.008-05:002012-01-06T01:43:50.862-05:00

"Hey Bobby! Your New York habitat projects SUCK!" Ever notice that the people who are most critical of environmental conservation efforts are those with the least possible skin in the game?  The most obvious groups are animal rights activists and anti-sportsmen groups, who take pride in re-branding nearly every voluntary conservation effort in the United States as a "bribe to hunters and

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-6244505646933593182011-11-08T05:09:00.001-05:002011-11-08T05:09:00.694-05:00

If you've never hunted wild birds where they congregate in huge numbers, I don't know that I can explain it to you.  To call it a "fever" or an "addiction" would lend itself to t-shirt slogans and ridiculous vinyl decals. To say that it's "heritage" conjures up an absurd combination of neanderthals and DAR gowns.........depending on which type of heritage we are really discussing here. No,

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-11293932663915166352011-11-06T12:46:00.004-05:002011-11-06T12:46:00.351-05:00

We motored out of the gut, out of the creek, and across the river before dawn.  The winds were high - and wrong- for October - out of the Southeast at 10kt.  Another windy, sunny morning after a flooding rain.  As the clouds raced across the sky before dawn, the moonlight showed the tops being clipped off by upper level winds coming from the southwest.   All of this made for some pretty

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-21985652096588611232011-11-05T06:07:00.000-04:002011-11-05T06:07:00.147-04:00

This is one of Baltimore's Most Beautiful Gardens, two years running.  It ain't real pretty right now, that's for sure.  All the veggies, the flowers, the bees are gone.  The snakes and rabbits too.  I've planted winter peas and oats twice, in hopes of stabilizing the soil over the winter.  The rats and rabbits made quick work of them both times, leaving me with a few sprouts, and a weak hope

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-47532132608754943182011-11-04T05:49:00.000-04:002011-11-04T05:49:00.263-04:00

So, I recently caught a couple of bass just like this in cold, cold water somewhere in the Gunpowder River drainage: Obviously not a largemouth bass - water's too cold, too much current.  And seemingly not a smallmouth bass - here's a picture of a smallmouth bass I caught just a mile downstream: Definitely some similarities, but the eye color is much more brown than red.  Since I haven't

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-10100695681048493672011-11-03T05:56:00.001-04:002011-11-03T05:56:00.364-04:00

It was just not a banner year for the garden, and in many ways I'm ready to stop thinking about it and to start planning 2012's garden.  Other than planting cover crops for the second time (first round eaten by birds and rats), the only significant task left in the garden was to pick sweet potatoes last week. Technically, you are supposed to pick sweet potatoes after the first frost, when the

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-49457415289438734332011-11-02T06:07:00.001-04:002011-11-02T06:07:00.206-04:00

It's truly fall in Maryland when farmers are cutting the soybeans at night, inbetween rainstorms In Maryland, this is a barrier I meet every fall.  I love warmwater fishing with light tackle, that is, focusing on largemouth and smallmouth bass with very small lures, rods, and reels.  At some point in the fall, it becomes nearly impossible to continue fishing as a result of muddy water from

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-64776056845958126832011-11-01T06:00:00.002-04:002011-11-01T07:25:02.860-04:00

It's ironic that after living in Baltimore for 13 years, I found this place completely by accident.  Let me amend that.  It's absolutely perfect that I found this place by accident after 13 years of searching for it. I was fighting a cold that was soon to become tonsillitis, but this place's magnetism kept me moving down the road, down into the floodplain, and into the cobbled riverbed.   A

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-43219551833087948902011-10-31T06:05:00.005-04:002011-10-31T06:05:00.041-04:00

YES! We're finally here! The part with the zombies! There are 10 million webpages about zombies, and the zombipacolypse, and all the different ways it could happen, yada yada.  A very few of them are even biologically possible - we'll discuss them here. But the very interesting thing to me is that zombies, like human beings with souls and free will,  would not live in isolation of their

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-58848995768727907552011-10-29T06:09:00.001-04:002011-10-29T08:05:23.944-04:00

If you've tuned in this week for the Psychobilly Outdoors Roundup, thanks a lot - monday (Halloween, of course) will be the last post in the series for this year. 2011's Psychobilly Outdoor Roundup has covered the following ghoulish topics brought forth by the ghosts of Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and others: The Dead Moon The Blue Moon Cemetery Wildlife Black Flowers Black Roses

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-828177771242659162011-10-28T05:49:00.001-04:002011-10-28T05:52:30.145-04:00

So, we've already chatted a bit about black roses.  Namely, how black roses are a figment of comic book fiction for a variety of reasons.  But pointing to just one species - even as ubiquitous as a rose - and claiming that "black flowers are impossible" - is not really scientific. According to an extremely dubious internet reference, black and nearly-black flowers are extremely rare in nature

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-24939198866534812882011-10-27T06:09:00.001-04:002011-10-27T06:09:00.239-04:00

Moon passing out of  Dark ("Dead") phase In this Halloween week series, we've covered cemeteries and the blue moon already.  So what to make of the Dead- or Dark - Moon? This one's pretty simple.  The Dead Moon is an especially dark new moon - a lunar surface that is reflecting no visible solar radiation whatsoever.   When it shows up, it usually hangs around for a few days until a crescent.

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-67145078620694686152011-10-26T05:07:00.006-04:002011-10-26T05:07:00.170-04:00

Photo by Brian Lee - brianleeart.com Every self-respecting psychobilly band has a song, or at least sings a song, about a tree in a graveyard.  It's Psychobilly 101.  And it's actually an awesome study, because some amazing things in nature tend to be found in graveyards.  Things that should make graveyards even more special to human beings than they already are. But first, the music. We'll

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-5834132873657244322011-10-25T06:05:00.003-04:002011-10-26T01:21:29.348-04:00

You've heard the phrase "once in a blue moon."  Well, as it turns out, a "blue" moon" is fairly rare, and an actual blue moon is very rare indeed. The "blue moon" has been a recurring theme in bluegrass and country music as well as sci-fi / fantasy writing, so there are quite a few people willing to chip in their interpretation of what "blue moon" really means.  What's even harder is finding a

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-38409564738265525522011-10-24T15:30:00.013-04:002011-10-24T15:30:00.803-04:00

Image from deviantart.net Psychobilly Nature is a short feature I'm running on River Mud between now and Halloween just for fun.  I hope you all enjoy it!  We'll start out with the ubiquitous black rose.  While the black rose has been a fairly common metaphor for bad luck and hateful wishes in American music for a hundred years or so, in American film for 61 years, and in politics for at

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-33215251707183874232011-10-24T05:54:00.001-04:002011-10-24T05:54:00.086-04:00

Too much rain. Too much wind. Too little time.  But we went fishing anyway, in J's 19' Mako on Maryland's South River.  In most years, the anglers here call the month "Rocktober" for the ridiculous amount of school-size (12-18") rockfish, or striped bass, feeding in schools of baitfish or up against structure.  Not this year. A serious of whallops from hurricanes and tropical storms has

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-87027730145763530592011-10-21T05:57:00.000-04:002011-10-21T05:57:00.424-04:00

Southwest Virginia is kind of its own state. Once you leave the friendly atmosphere of Harrisonburg in the northern Shenandoah, or the - whatever that smell is - in Charlottesville, you eventually enter the Roanoke Valley, which gives way to the New River Valley. There are counties here who begged to be added to the TVA-defined "Appalachia," as well as counties who begged to be deleted off of

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-45188449423674221962011-10-19T05:15:00.000-04:002011-10-19T05:15:01.075-04:00

So, I was at one of the many obligatory Mid-Atlantic-Fall Harvest-Pumpkin-Apple-Hayride-Corn maze events in northern Maryland recently, and I came across these crazy blue pumpkins! And because I am a freak, the kind of guy who thinks Begotten is coming-of-age journey-of-the-heart,  I immediately thought, "what an interesting decorative pumpkin in an unusual fall color!" "Those things totally

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-69251026459549891552011-10-17T05:57:00.000-04:002011-10-17T05:57:00.678-04:00

A whole day off.  That rarest of birds.  It had rained - really rained - the entire day before, so I really wasn't motivated to bow hunt in even more rain.  So the decision to go fishing was pretty easy.  But alas, marred by setbacks. I woke up at 4:30am unable to breathe - tonsillitis.  I started the day - the big day off - by dropping off Hank at day care and then going to  the doctor, only

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-48600299478752243932011-10-15T14:57:00.000-04:002011-10-15T14:57:43.540-04:00

So, I posted this on Facebook, but only one "friend" understood it.  Given my friends and our common upbringing based on equal parts '80s skate punk, early R.E.M., and mid-80s thrash metal, I suppose the lack of response has more to do with Facebook's new format than anything else.  So what say you?  I think this is funny...and boy, does it bring back some memories.  Any of you? By the way,

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-83378004481758976732011-10-14T06:10:00.000-04:002011-10-14T06:10:00.453-04:00

Natural vernal pool - photo from WarwickMA.org Every year, I work with landowners, agencies, communities, and schools on wetland projects that they describe as "Our Vernal Pool Project."  What they envision is very typical of the Mid-Atlantic's historic landscape - spring ("vernus") flooded wetlands that dry out every summer, and are refilled in the winter by snowmelt or rain.  Biologists and

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-25666476696154636422011-10-12T05:55:00.011-04:002011-10-12T05:55:00.656-04:00

On the work end of life, I've been focused way too much on the daily grind of the job, and not enough on actually improving my skills (and the services I can provide to my employer).   There have been a multitude of reasons for that, primary among them is that the Hankster's basic existence precludes me from fleeing town for professional courses on a whim. Luckily, two opportunities came up

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-21189581652099407162011-10-10T06:24:00.002-04:002011-10-10T06:24:00.090-04:00

Another week has come and gone. Summer has gone as well.  What the beautiful television weather people - and they are beautiful, aren't they - said would be a two day cold snap has become a 10-day pattern of cool, dry air that we have just started to embrace.  The first few days did not pass without cursing. Now it seems quite pleasant. All kinds of nutty things are going in my life, so I went

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-67457888584672036812011-10-08T05:18:00.005-04:002011-10-19T21:24:18.958-04:00

"Sunday hunting will make it unsafe to go outside." I suspect that in every state that has eased sunday hunting restrictions over the last thirty years, this argument has been made.  Interestingly, it's most often made by anti-hunting activists who never leave the couch, and by hunters who chase dogs with deer, and do not want hunters in the woods on the one day per week that their dogs rest

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-5416714541686211632011-10-07T05:39:00.001-04:002011-10-07T05:39:00.515-04:00

I was doing an inspection of a sandy construction site and then I saw her scampering across the ground. I know you.  I know what you do.  And I'm going to let you walk right on by. Meet the Cow Killer, or Velvet Ant.  We only see them occasionally in Maryland, but if you go to a place with warm water and hot sandy soil, you will probably find velvet ants.  And they sting.  Big time. Which is

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-45107181706373472242011-10-05T05:49:00.000-04:002011-10-05T05:49:00.130-04:00

My garden, same date as the pictures below As I've mentioned before, I never claimed to be the world's smartest man.  That being said, I maybe know some things about plants.  I have a masters degree focusing on plant geography, my 14- year career has been all about restoring plant communities, and I also happen to be a Master Gardener.  In fact, I teach Master Gardener courses - about plant

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-24320447377641108422011-10-03T10:59:00.000-04:002011-10-03T10:59:31.279-04:00

 Sunday hunting. To some, it conjures up memories of days afield with kids who have a once-a-week reprieve from school and sports. To others, it is yet another signal that America is moving away from being a society that encourages us to spend time at church and at home on Sunday. Funny thing is, there’s no geographical relationship between Sunday hunting and church involvement, as some of

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-73073113968648786592011-10-01T06:15:00.018-04:002011-10-01T06:15:00.679-04:00

So, Hank has a lot to say these days.  He's two, so that's not a real shock.  What is more shocking is his vision and perception of things, which he can only use about 200 total words to explain.  So witness the words of Hank, the Toddler Philosopher, and ponder the image below the words that prompted his statement.  If you think about these for a few seconds, they are pretty salient observations

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-71658174394749210412011-09-30T06:05:00.007-04:002011-09-30T06:05:00.419-04:00

4 years. 200,000 pageviews.  Over 450 posts published (420+) or scheduled  150 Google, Google+, and Facebook "followers."  All without ads or ad revenue. I have to admit I'm a little proud of myself.  Proud that I have improved my writing over the last four years.  Proud that I have a better understanding of what good web publishing looks like (I think).  And maybe a little surprised, too. 

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-29911021711326142122011-09-28T05:41:00.001-04:002011-09-28T05:41:00.722-04:00

The birthday boy, mommy, and friends...and juiceboxes and cupcakes, of course I don't know why I am so blessed.  Just to be blessed with a life long enough to see all of this - to meet you and be your Dad.  You've turned from an idea into a baby and into a little dude.  You have thoughts, you have ideas, and you even have a few fears (like thunder).  Not many fears, though. Enjoying a

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-41020248682285779682011-09-26T05:46:00.012-04:002011-09-26T09:57:37.125-04:00

Some days I feel like a sprinter who's been told 2 miles into a race that he's actually running a marathon.  Life is full of activity right now, and not enough of it is fun, or even mentally tolerable.  And that's how it goes, right?     Well, I had a little time one evening to stop at one of my favorite fishing spots on Maryland's upper eastern shore right before the sun went down.  The photos

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-7314471523280636242011-09-24T05:11:00.000-04:002011-09-24T05:11:00.473-04:00

Tons of sweet potatoes for us, and tons of flowers left for the bees! The sweat bees are living next door to the carpenter ants! Harvesting lemon balm and purple millet for the 2012 garden!

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-55279421792305859872011-09-23T05:34:00.049-04:002011-09-23T20:42:53.741-04:00

I have a blogging conundrum.  Either gardeners don't read blogs, or don't comment on them, or specifically don't read or comment on mine.  For that reason, I thought I'd switch up the format of my next few garden entries to be a little more educational and a little less, "Yeah, so I tried this, it worked.  Yay." It's late September in Maryland. The squash and okra are done and gone.  Tomatoes

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-12243293935885549722011-09-22T05:31:00.004-04:002011-09-22T05:31:00.366-04:00

Seriously? Last autumn, it was 95 degree temperatures until Thanksgiving.  This year, we're in our sixth straight week of rain.  Time to give up staying dry outdoors in the never-ending storm, and transition to my All New, All Seattle, All Indoors wardrobe!

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-52568531152152369922011-09-21T06:47:00.001-04:002011-09-21T06:47:04.175-04:00

So, I won A Major Award for the second year in a row.  Yeah, true, it was for "Most Beautiful Garden," not "Most Freaktastic," and just for my particular part of Baltimore, but who knows - maybe I'll grade out at #1 City-wide?  In 2010, I had Baltimore's Third Most Beautiful Garden overall.   Ain't that something! What do you mean, "that sounds tedious and lame?"  OK, fair enough -  here are a

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-90943129045256769202011-09-19T05:21:00.046-04:002011-09-19T05:21:00.841-04:00

Chesapeake Bay - not looking so good It has been almost a month since our first hurricane of the year, and only a week since our last tropical storm. Each time I cross the Chesapeake Bay, I am simply astonished by the sewage, the sediment, and the debris that continue to float down it from Pennsylvania and New York.  It is impossible to imagine how any living being can exist in that environment

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-91839093648962785632011-09-16T06:37:00.001-04:002011-09-16T06:37:00.481-04:00

In the last two weeks, we've had a hurricane (Irene), an earthquake, and a tropical storm (Lee), with another tropical storm (Marina) on the way. And yes, I refuse to post pictures of flooding.  What I need to know is whether to expect locusts or zombies next - I'd prepare very differently for either! The farms, fields, and forests are overwhelmed with mud and water. The Chesapeake Bay is muddy

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-3733053856726411822011-09-15T07:17:00.000-04:002011-09-15T07:17:32.265-04:00

That's right people, I am here to talk to you about PROTECTING THIS HOUSE, and by THIS HOUSE, I mean, my status as Maryland's #7 Sports Blog and #7 Photography Blog.  Yes, true, the majority of blogs 1-6 in both categories are run by professional sports writers (in sports) and professional photographers (in photography), who in both cases are writing this blog as part of their day job...........

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-26866366178705735142011-09-14T06:10:00.003-04:002011-09-14T06:10:00.122-04:00

 There is an awful lot of stuff going on - vertical feet of rain, hurricanes, tropical storms, an earthquake, and some pretty nasty water pollution headed this way from upstate New York and central Pennsylvania.  Work is pretty intense, teaching is time consuming, and all I can think about are the two things that are being neglected - little Hank and the outdoors.  But usually around that time,

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-30468730598757574722011-09-12T05:49:00.001-04:002011-09-12T05:49:00.050-04:00

This year's summer garden was a great lesson in "You get what you put into it."  In the case of my garden, I didn't put a whole lot of time and effort into this summer's veggies.  Part of my excuse is the ubiquitous "life," but the other part of it is that I worked hard to improve the beds and soil last summer, last fall, and this spring....and luckily those efforts still paid off a little bit

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-78471048443029509362011-09-11T06:02:00.001-04:002011-09-11T06:02:00.276-04:00

Thanks to the ridiculous last month of media saturation, I can't do it.  No analysis.  No sad pictures of 9/11. No over-the-top patriotism.  No detailed journal of "How 9/11 changed me."  I love America and I love New York City, but I just can't take any more "Extreme Terror Stories of Fear and Fiery Terror Agony from Above," tonight on Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, National Geographic, and every other

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-90834583133998912182011-09-09T05:50:00.020-04:002011-09-09T05:50:01.020-04:00

So, me and the gang was driving from Roanoke to Blacksburg early on Saturday morning.  We had not had any caffeine, and not really much sleep either. Rolling out of the western end of the Roanoke Valley, Fort Lewis Mountain hung over us to the north, with Poor Mountain laying to our south. I-81 is strung through that end of the valley, eventually forced upslope past the headwaters of Knob Creek

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-905257881501813752011-09-07T05:33:00.067-04:002011-09-07T05:33:00.536-04:00

If you follow River Mud on Facebook (and you should! click here!), you know that we fared pretty well during Hurricane Irene.  Meaning that we lost power for four days but suffered no actual damage to any of our property.  However, as Mike from Troutrageous! recently blogged, the storm, with its foot of rain and 30 hours of sustained 45mph winds, certainly made an impact on Mid-Atlantic and

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-60245640537923138122011-09-05T02:53:00.000-04:002011-09-05T02:53:00.594-04:00

With Hurricane Irene approaching, and lots of other commitments in the wings, we were happy to spend an evening over at the state fair.  Unfortunately, we were there the same evening as the Selena Gomez concert, which made for an interesting crowd. "Eww, Cows. Totally gross.  Hey, I smell cheeseburgers! Like, c'mon guys!"  Yeah, lots of that. But it was neat to get out once again and see

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-23538445682019752722011-09-02T03:01:00.000-04:002011-09-02T03:01:02.944-04:00

I promise that you will never survey a stand of Phragmites this way outside of a college environment. Ever.  And please don't wear jeans and a  hoodie to survey wetlands. Environmental college programs are diversifying, and rightfully so.  I graduated from a fairly traditional wildlife management program (GO HOKIES) in 1996, and the knowledge I gained there is aging.  My field and design

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-60244091000681947172011-08-31T05:38:00.002-04:002011-08-31T10:37:27.416-04:00

You probably haven't heard anything about the economy crumbling, or vast landscapes of unused real estate, or anything like that.  So, you'll probably be surprised to find out that there is a lot of abandoned property in the United States right now.  Oh yeah, I'm going there. 80s Teen Vampires are Gnar-Rad!  Let's hang out at the abandoned truck transfer facility, bros! I could describe for

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-23160113673488641202011-08-29T12:45:00.001-04:002011-08-29T12:51:12.293-04:00

"Heads up, it's raining! Critical update! What? No I don't want to go back to the county emergency director in the studio. I've got a cool shot here!!!" We've been without power for two days.  Other than yesterday's 3 hour search for new stocks of ice (thank you Charm City Ice Works!) , it's been quite pleasant.  That's because we are lucky enough to be on city water and natural gas (both

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-14940380039922869522011-08-29T06:16:00.002-04:002011-08-29T06:16:00.145-04:00

If you see this post, then we are without power at 6:00am EST on monday, thanks to Hurricane Irene.  Hope everybody's hanging in there!

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-86689223501273175272011-08-28T05:05:00.017-04:002011-08-28T05:05:00.360-04:00

I have not suffered through a war, but it seems to me that being well-informed about an imminent natural disaster is a bit like being told to post guard duty on a border that you know must fall.   First, there are the well-intentioned plans that inevitably conclude before the threat is over.  Followed - of course - by a frustrated, "What do we do after that?" Then there is the solitude of family

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-11222435384755419342011-08-27T05:06:00.000-04:002011-08-27T05:06:00.138-04:00

Some people say that blogger gear reviews are useless.  That bloggers love to get free and discounted gear so much that we wouldn't dare to write a negative review.  Wouldn't want to stop the gravy train, right?  And I love my Shimano Stradic that I received for free earlier this year via the Outdoor Blogger Network. So I'll give Shimano a free pass again.  That's probably what you think. Well,

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-87579872813436184242011-08-25T05:26:00.005-04:002011-08-25T05:26:00.820-04:00

Here we go. Earthquakes not withstanding, it's hurricane season.  And here comes one.  There are a lot of websites and news outlets prescribing a whole suite of stupid activities to prepare for the Zombiepacolypse this Cat II storm.  Let's keep it real.  You want to live through the storm.  Best way to do that is to understand how people DIE in storms, and then to understand what hurricanes

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-3852998098607748592011-08-23T21:43:00.001-04:002011-08-24T12:22:29.190-04:00

We were well into hour three of a five hour meeting in downtown Annapolis.  I had been pounding coffee all morning and was starting to get shaky.  Too many things to do.  Too hard to sit still.  A five.hour.meeting.  The woman beside me said, "Did the floor just shake?" and I answered, "Sorry, I was probably bouncing my leg."  Out of curiosity, I bounced my leg on the floor........nothing

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-52429078375670493882011-08-22T05:36:00.012-04:002011-08-22T05:36:00.412-04:00

Shellcracker on a brown mini-hopper I really do love southern Maryland.  It reminds me of my home in Southeastern Virginia more than anywhere else I've been, including the Eastern Shore. And I guess it's not a shock.  Point Lookout in southern Maryland is almost as far south as Richmond, Virginia. As the crow flies, it's less than 100 miles from my high school, and yet a 170 mile drive that

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-59254271910493685162011-08-20T06:01:00.000-04:002011-08-20T06:01:00.169-04:00

Carpenter bee on lemon balm I'll tell y'all a little secret about my pride and ego.  Every year, the Baltimore City Farm program has a contest for "Baltimore's Best Gardens" among the 700 or so plots throughout the city.  I refuse to put the money into my garden plot that some others do, and I simply don't have the spare time to spend hours per day clipping away at dead leaves in my garden.

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-90767500108118243092011-08-19T05:59:00.003-04:002011-08-19T07:08:58.549-04:00

10 years ago, I met some guys online.  All of us had grown up on one beach or another. 30-40 years later, all of us were living on the I-95 corridor in Maryland, 2 hours from the beach. A whole lot of complaining and whining and reminiscing quickly turned into, "We should go surfing." And we did. Two of us surfed at first - a small ground swell from a tropical storm that would never come to be.

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-89825479854726552942011-08-17T05:33:00.001-04:002011-08-17T07:04:36.291-04:00

I wish I had a smartphone.  Then I would have been able to get a quick ID on the dozens of these guys tearing up my mint flowers, which would have led me to read quotes like, "should not be handled at any time," and "among the most painful wasp stings," and "complex venom with a long half-life."   Luckily, I didn't get stung. Meet Scolia dubia, the two-spotted digger wasp, a close cousin of the

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-76034917284163482292011-08-16T12:50:00.002-04:002011-08-16T23:15:24.591-04:00

This is it.  The Grind.  It's amazing that non-profit leadership has led me back to this place. It's more amazing that I believed that it wouldn't.  It's great to be employed, and I somehow continue to believe that to be employed is to be appreciated, even though 22 years of work has shown this Virginia boy that true appreciation is even more rare than true failure.  Why am I programmed to

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-80631900333531518352011-08-15T05:14:00.003-04:002011-08-15T06:47:48.108-04:00

My family and friends have been concerned about me - I have been fishing for, and writing about trout.  And not the kind you catch in a salt marsh on the outgoing tide.   The kind that requires trout hats and boxer briefs from Filson and Orvis.   I have a problem, and the only remedy is more cowbell bucketmouths. So, with air temperatures dipping dangerously close to 85 degrees (brr!) and the

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-79699586171081821402011-08-13T05:46:00.029-04:002011-08-13T09:54:23.806-04:00

Note: this is the third piece in (apparently) a series debating the merits of public and private land hunting.  Today's author is my youngest brother, the Tugboatdude.  He has been hunting for about 10 years and has really started to find his stride hunting the public marshes and swamps of Southern Virginia.  I generally understand my brother's mindset. He is a Father working multiple jobs

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-27814674448179182092011-08-12T05:10:00.004-04:002011-08-12T15:42:23.470-04:00

When I stumble across signs like this on "unpopular" public properties, I get pretty excited too! Today's post, from the Maine Outdoorsman, is a companion piece to this Wednesday's post on River Mud, "Why I Lease Hunting Land." I hope that you read the two posts together and give yourself the luxury of considering why you do or don't lease land - especially if you feel strongly about

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-91149512815592317092011-08-10T05:14:00.003-04:002011-08-10T07:14:24.558-04:00

At $1500/year, I am not a member.  But this is how good (meaning...how convenient) it can get. As my (too few) local hunting buddies and I have moved through our 30s and enjoyed what sometimes comes along with that - namely, fatherhood and more intense job requirements - in some cases it has caused a split between us when it comes to hunting.  On the one hand are guys like myself who

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-37519106021424769112011-08-08T05:24:00.004-04:002011-08-08T22:31:12.017-04:00

Idyllic spot for a weekday morning, no? I had about an hour to kill on the Upper Gunpowder before the workday began.  At 89 degrees and about 90% humidity, I wouldn't say that the heat wave had broken, but at least it was stuck in traffic or something. A whole lot was one my mind- from personal travels to substantial work responsibilities bouncing around, and other assorted nonsense.  It

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-2336588196296979342011-08-06T06:30:00.000-04:002011-08-06T06:30:03.834-04:00

Any modeling of alligators at the northern end of their possible range (somewhere in Virginia) has an inherent difficulty with reality.  The fact is, if a gator moves into a new habitat where there is a human-alligator conflict, the alligator will be removed and probably not re-released into the wild.  I anticipate it will start happening in Virginia with some regularity because there is a far

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-29172423207104969212011-08-05T06:30:00.012-04:002011-08-05T06:30:01.085-04:00

As the surgeon finished slicing away the cancer on my neck, all I could feel was tugging.  But I could also feel the blood running under my ear, under my chin, and onto my side.  I didn't  know it was blood at first, but the surgeon's comments of "Are you sure you're not on any medication?" and "No advil or anything?" kind of tipped me off.  My retort - "Am I bleeding like a stuck pig?" - was met

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-24511233036499500182011-08-03T05:18:00.000-04:002011-08-03T05:18:00.227-04:00

 Don't need no huntin' buddy - got this here tripod on ebay!  After returning from my long trip to North Carolina in April, I was bluntly reminded again that most people are not motivated to go outside and do anything, ever. 70 degree partly sunny day in April? Let's watch TV.   Shoot clays? No, TV.  Fishing? No, TV.  I had not made firm plans to do much fishing, hiking, or anything else

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-87350324848594349132011-08-01T05:19:00.000-04:002011-08-01T05:19:00.487-04:00

It was noon, just a few miles south of the Pennsylvania border.  I had caught my first trout of the year - a small wild brown - earlier that morning under the supervision of a half dozen approving witnesses.  A wrong turn to a local lunch spot led me to a sign reading "River Access .25 miles."  I had no intention of fishing - and certainly not trout fishing - in the 95 degree heat and 80%

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-128591383947360192011-07-30T06:10:00.031-04:002011-07-30T06:10:00.524-04:00

There is a historic school campus in Baltimore that lies a few hundred feet uphill from the Jones Falls, a historic trout stream devastated by 200 years of human interference.  This school and its parking lot cover over two acres of land, fully paved, and have runoff piped directly underground and to the Jones Falls.  In warm weather storms, this water is superheated and undoubtedly kills

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-40486486161614530072011-07-29T06:08:00.001-04:002011-07-29T06:08:00.240-04:00

A variety of studies have been published recently that indicate a problem exists with traditional childrens playgrounds - their sterility and predictability actually hamper the development of toddlers' imaginations and problem solving skills. One study says that "today's playgrounds have little value in terms of play" and that playgrounds "do not foster the emotional and cognitive development of

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2821748998479984295.post-74238265713525606472011-07-28T05:46:00.006-04:002011-07-28T05:46:00.565-04:00

Texas Hill Country (top) and Clemson Spineless #80 (bottom) I don't know what's going on with my okra.  Both varieties are growing a little short but are cranking out fruit.  Last summer, in the same garden, I had to aggressively pick the Clemson okra because in a few days it would grow from 3" to 6" and become tough and inedible.  You all have dirty minds. I've picked about a half dozen of

River Mudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556560258304201823noreply@blogger.com2