Please go to www.carbonfootprint.com and answer the questions on their "calculator." Figure out how your lifestyle impacts the planet that we share, and decide whether or not you're going to do something about it.

Americans are destroying the beauty of this planet at a faster clip than any other group of people.

I cannot think of any better way to combat the sorrow and pain of the human condition than to spend private time in the company of a bird of prey. This is a shot of one of my immature redtails on the day that I released it back to a life in the wild. Looking out over the fields with absolutely no regard for me and with no reflection on the last five months spent in captivity. Just living in the moment... like a perfect little feathered Buddhist.

It's nearly that time of year again...
"I fish because I love to; because I love the environs where trout are found; because trout do not lie or cheat but respond only to endless patience; because there are no telephones on trout waters; because only in the woods can I find solitude without loneliness; because maybe one day I will catch a mermaid." -John Voelker

The falconry season is over and I'm simultaneously thrilled and distraught. Excited because I've worked exceptionally hard at it this year and I'm ready for a break, but upset because it means that another season has come to an end. In a few weeks (when it's warmer) I'll release my hawks back to the wild and the season will officially be behind me. It's always a solemn time of year. Falconry has been the pivotal focus of my life for 15 years now, so it's tough to take a break from it.

I'm not well. I mean, let's be honest, we're all afflicted in our own private (and sometimes unfortunately, very *public*) ways, but I was recently looking through a sketchbook of mine and came across this image. My first thought was, "What the hell is wrong with me?" I never had an unusually difficult time with nightmares as a child, but I've got a somewhat lengthy history of illustrating monsters and terrified youngsters. I wonder if Sigmund (the "Frood Dude") could've helped me out?