Bucko and I are not really fans of Thanksgiving and Christmas. With no children and grandchildren to spoil and no church that we attend, the holidays are mostly lost on us. But it is a time to see …

Did you know that more than 140 fur farm foxes have now been removed from their small cages, rescued by the Save a Fox organization and are now rehomed right here in Nassau County? Two nearby …

In my world, one thing always leads to another, prompted most often by my insatiable curiosity. Recently my friends Susan and Flip joined me for a follow-up on my recent monarch butterfly tagging …

I am always eager to go someplace to see fall colors. Sometimes I am up in New England, and sometimes closer to home in north Georgia, where the autumn leaves glow in colors of red, yellow and orange …

It’s an issue that is in the back of my mind every week. I need a story! Every week for more than 20 years I have been writing my Wildways column, first in the Fernandina News Leader and for …

Trust my friend Betty Duckworth to suggest a four-hour one-way drive to Americus, Georgia, for an event that lasts three hours, but that’s Betty for you. She likes to drive and actually would …

Arizona doesn’t look all that large on an overall map of the United States. I convinced Bucko to do a 10-night road trip there to see my bucket list item of Antelope Canyon in the northwest and …

For longer than I have known him, my husband of nearly 50 years has had a “bucket list” that he made when he was just a lad on Long Island. And, over the years, he has seen them all, some …

In my life, I pay attention when three unconnected experiences reveal something in common to me. Recently it’s been pigs and hogs, the members of the mammal family Suidae. I didn’t go out …

Our anniversary road trip in central Georgia did not end with Macon, which I covered in my last column. There was still more to explore. We aimed for our favorite hotel in Georgia, the Windsor Hotel …

Bucko and I always try to find an interesting place to spend our anniversary. And to be interesting to me, it has to be something or some place that is different. I hate routine. And, even though …

One recent morning I jumped out of bed early because I had a hunch that dawn over the beach would be perfect that day. And I was right! I rushed to the Simmons Road access, close to my home, and got …

It has been a while since I visited Jonathan Howard at his Otter Space Wildlife Center in Hilliard and I know a lot has happened there since my last visit. I called him first, as usual, and stopped …

One Sunday not long ago, I got to Fort Clinch State Park early one morning to walk on the beach near the fort. It was low tide, and I had to get to the west inlet parking area beside the fort before …

For a change, I jumped out of bed early to head to the beach near the fort in Fort Clinch State Park to catch low tide and to nab a parking spot before all the fossilized shark tooth hunters took up …

Last week I found myself driving a dirt road to nowhere, outside of Gainesville, trying to find the High Springs Orchard ). I somehow missed the orchard and ended up at a dead end in someone’s …

These days it’s not only nuts I am discovering on the ground during my walks. It’s also grapes, the native type, muscadines, the only native grape here and the only ones that can survive …

It may be hotter than blazes here on Amelia Island right now, but there are signs that autumn is coming. When I walk around my usual trails in the woods, my eyes are now focused on the ground, and …

I guess maybe Bucko and I are too old to visit the Jacksonville Zoo. On a recent attempt, we almost gave up, and we were already in the parking lot. It turns out you have to sign up for admission …

It was only about a month ago when we had to put our beloved 15-year-old cat Dumela to sleep — a tragic time in our household. But wow, have things improved since then. We had a lot of travel …