“This being summer, the river was too warm for fishing today but that meant it was just right for sitting in it and contemplating the life that goes on along that contested riparian…

“Winters on the Greek islands are undeniably brutal, and not something prospective visitors will see pictured in the sunny travel brochures. So, when you have experienced the off-off-season in Greece for decades, and…

“I am sure some of my readers are still puzzled by the immured sonnet form, which I invented (for better or worse!) in the late 20th century. The original idea was to have…

“I was not a climate scientist. I still am not. I am reasonably knowledgeable about climate science, however. As part of my ecological research, I have been studying climate science since I was…

  “Unpacking, I realized with growing horror that my wallet had been stolen: a sickening and scary feeling of bereavement. After twice hunting through my rucksack and recognizing the inevitable, I phoned to…

“Driving out of the zoo’s parking lot, a student from Israel exclaimed, ‘Oh, look! There’s a peace pigeon.’ It was a mourning dove, of course, and then I had to explain why it…

“If we read a few verses beyond our text for today, we find in Michal the voice of rage. She mocks David for his behavior. She is apoplectic because David uncovers himself, exposing much…

“As half of my brain struggled not to hate the highly social, carnivorous orca, I was reminded that some Northwest Native Americans regard them as the reincarnated souls of humans. This may be…

“Prospective visitors wanting a tantalizing preview of Anafi—without braving the 16-hour ferry journey from Piraeus—will find it without leaving Athens. On the steep northern slopes of the capital’s Acropolis is the tiny urban…

“When I go on dates, what I’m really looking for is an invitation into someone’s story for a little while—the way that happens when you’re traveling and happen to sit next to someone…