Between Every Two Pine Trees…

“Between every two pine trees is a doorway to a new world,” said John Muir, and so begins my newly published 75-page book of poetry entitled Between Two Pines, just issued by FootHills Publishing. I’m proud of this collection, a finely handbound volume that contains what I like to think of as “my best batch yet.” And if you’ve enjoyed my writing over the 13 years of Rivertop Rambles, or if you’ve encountered my poetry in the past, you might want to check out a copy ($16 postpaid), available from FootHills in Kanona, NY or from me personally at franklinL3@yahoo.com.

According to a back cover blurb, Between Two Pines “…contains a wide variety of styles and artful expressions unified by a fresh view of the commonplace and its potential for love, magnificence, and sorrow.” Yeah, it’s a tasty batch of old work and new, if I’m allowed to blow my horn immodestly for a moment or two. A short excerpt “fresh as foam, as old as the rock” (as Emerson once described poetic ideals):

For the Girl Singing Neil Young on Wisconsin Avenue

I heard you singing as I walked out onto the street.

Years later, you are still that girl,

all that I remember from one rushing day,

still swaying like a tree by a distant river.

Otherwise, it’s been a quick three months since the commencement of the winter season and the appearance (gasp!) of my previous post here on RR. No excuses offered, other than to say that I’ve been busy with my writing, reading and other projects while doing very little fly-fishing– an activity that’s about to shift gears here at the start of spring. Before I mention anything about future plans, here’s a few of my favorite photos taken from the new year:

solstice fire, Dec. 2023

winter blaze felt good

stone wall, King Hill summit

fungi, winter woods…

Allegheny River

a nice winter trout

I was saddened by the ermine’s accidental demise…

but am brightened by spring’s arrival.

Thank you, folks, and please look forward to a quickening of the posts here at Rivertop Rambles. I hope to be fishing and hiking more frequently now, with the steelhead season ripening, the small streams with wild trout beckoning, the hills coming alive with birds and wildflowers, a family trip to the Mayan jungles of Belize in April, and plenty more. Sing cheers!