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Author Archives: Joe Neely
The Headwaters Dam on the Grand River
Joe Writes . . . With the news of the Edenville Dam failing on the Tittabawassee River near Midland and the resultant extensive flooding, I was motivated to take a 45-minute drive to the headwaters of the Grand River yesterday … Continue reading
Polio: Two Plagues Ago
Joe Writes . . . My mother wrote about the pandemic which most affected her generation, polio. It’s disturbing to note that while polio has largely been conquered, HIV/AIDS (the intervening pandemic) has not. There may be a lesson in … Continue reading
New Skills Born of Necessity During The Great Isolation
Joe writes . . . All of us have learned new skills during The Great Isolation. Out of necessity. My wife, for example, cut my hair and trimmed my Old Man Eyebrows and I look three thousand times better as … Continue reading
Many Robins So Far, but no Bugs
Tom Writes . . . Today, I met my friend Kelly, and we walked along the Grand. The fat brown part of the Grand, above the dams, just north of downtown Grand Rapids. Lovely morning, pale sunshine, not-a-cloud blue heavens, … Continue reading
Posted in Michigan, nature, Uncategorized, wildlife
Tagged robins, Spring, West Michigan
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A Northern Michigan Walk in the Woods
Joe Writes . . . Whan that Aprille with his shoures sote The droghte of Marche hath perced to the rote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour, Of which vertu engendred is the flour; lines 1 – 4 from … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, Michigan, nature, Northern Michigan, poetry, Uncategorized
Tagged birch trees, Geoffrey Chaucer, Good Hart, Harbor Springs, ramps, Robert Frost, trillium, Wm Butler Yeats
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Pandemic Paddling and Protests
Joe Writes . . . Paddling: My understanding of the current stay-at-home order is that paddling is allowed, while powerboating is not. The problem for us would be that we would not be able to maintain proper social distancing; i.e., … Continue reading
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I Hope John Prine Was Right About Old Rivers
Joe Writes . . . John Prine died from the COVID-19 virus. I not an expert on his music, but I hope he’s right that “old rivers grow wilder every day.” Imagine the river my grandchildren would see if we … Continue reading
Official Grand River Expedition Cancelled; Neely Brothers Still Hope to Complete Their Quest This Year
Joe Reports . . . Every ten years since 1990 an organized expedition to paddle the length of the Grand River has taken place, most recently under the auspices of Middle Grand River Organization of Watersheds. That organization has announced … Continue reading
Posted in canoe, Environment, Great Lakes, Michigan, paddling, rivers, Uncategorized
Tagged brothers, Covid-19, Grand River, Michigan, Pandemic
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Jenny Kiss’d Me and Natalie Cried
Joe Writes . . . It has been suggested that more poetry might be helpful during The Great Isolation, and what could it possibly hurt? With a nod to the poets of older days and an explanation that follows . … Continue reading
River Art at U of M Cancer Center
Note: all photographs of artwork herein are copyrighted and used with the knowledge of and permission from the artist, Martina Celerin. It is prohibited to duplicate or otherwise make use of these photographs without the express written permission of the … Continue reading
Posted in art, Environment, Michigan, nature, rivers, Uncategorized
Tagged fiber art, Martina Celerin, Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan
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