Mars Is Overrated: How to Go Camping in Namibia

You want to unplug, completely. You want to spend time in a place that feels like another planet, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by empty space. You want to see fascinating alien creatures, but not the kind that can eat you (at least, not without taking many, many tiny bites). You don’t like mosquitoes.Continue reading “Mars Is Overrated: How to Go Camping in Namibia”

Sign Figures Part One: Slips

I’ve been taking pictures of warning signs, particularly ones with stick figures, for a long time, and I’ve accumulated enough at this point that I think it’s time to share. I’m starting with one of the biggest categories, Slips. At first I focused on the text of warning signs, because I love how the sameContinue reading “Sign Figures Part One: Slips”

From Newfoundland to Ireland with Marconi

Winter, 1907. You live in Clifden in western Ireland, and your favorite way to spend the rare clear-skied evening (after a hard day of farming or herding or shopkeeping) is to walk up the hill to the monument. The sunsets are gorgeous over the Atlantic ocean, and as dusk falls you can look south toContinue reading “From Newfoundland to Ireland with Marconi”

Mercury in the Bath

August, 2017: the sun is shining on the edge of North America, but the foghorn still cries its warning to the clouded sea. Two paired blasts per 60 seconds; a signature to identify location by sound. In the dark, you need to know which horn you’ve heard. This is Cape Race lighthouse, which holds oneContinue reading “Mercury in the Bath”

“Do Not Become Casual with Stressing Procedure”

February, 2021: Crouched between bushes at the top of a steep hill, listening and watching for activity. First sighting from inside the perimeter: a huge hare, bounding between stacks of scattered concrete beams, beams left like a child’s building blocks to gradually erode and gather moss and become part of the Irish landscape. Alone, then.Continue reading ““Do Not Become Casual with Stressing Procedure””