Author Archives: rivertoprambles

About rivertoprambles

Welcome to Rivertop Rambles. This is my blog about the headwaters country-far afield or close to home. I've been a fly-fisher, birder, and naturalist for most of my adult life. I've also written poetry and natural history books for thirty years. In Rambles I will mostly reflect on the backcountry of my Allegheny foothills in the northern tier of Pennsylvania and the southern tier of New York State. Sometimes I'll write about the wilderness in distant states, or of the wild places in the human soul. Other times I'll just reflect on the domestic life outdoors. In any case, I hope you enjoy. Let's ramble!

Photos, Art and Nature

Posted on June 11, 2022 by rivertoprambles

Few words today, as I reflect on the activities of the past few weeks and look forward to my rapidly approaching trip to Newfoundland. With luck, I may have some interesting reflections to share with you from that Atlantic province … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged art, birds, birdwatching, folk art, nature, photos, Pittsburgh, transitions, travel, trout | 18 Comments

Another Glance at Greylock

Posted on May 20, 2022 by rivertoprambles

As a kid I spent a decade growing up on a hill near Albany, NY and had a backyard view of both the Catskill Mountains, to the west, and the Berkshires to the south and east. You could say that … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bersksires, culture, fishing, Greylock, Melville, mountains, nature, Thoreau, Time, travel, writing | 22 Comments

A Trout in the Milk

Posted on April 29, 2022 by rivertoprambles

“Some circumstantial evidence is very strong, as when you find a trout in the milk.” H.D. Thoreau On April 15th Leighanne and I drove south from the wintry residues of western New York for a weekend in the Pittsburgh environs … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged language, milk, nature, poetry, travel, trout, writing | 24 Comments

The Antipodes

Posted on March 29, 2022 by rivertoprambles

The British writer, H.T. Sheringham (1879-1930), has been critically lauded as one of the best angling writers of all time, who wrote primarily of local waters but whose style can appeal to readers of wider interest. An advocate of any … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged antipodes, books, fishing, H.T. Sheringham, Learning the Terrain, nature, poetry, scop, struggle, trout, wild birds, writing | 16 Comments

Uncomfortably Numb

Posted on March 6, 2022 by rivertoprambles

Numbed by recent world events, all I can say is stand with the down-trodden and maybe also lend a moment to John Steinbeck’s thought, “All war is a symptom of man’s failure as a thinking animal.” And as we read, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 16 Comments

It’s Here! Learning the Terrain

Posted on February 18, 2022 by rivertoprambles

I’m excited to relay the news that my new book, Learning the Terrain, has been published by Wood Thrush Books in Swanton, Vermont. The book is now available from Wood Thrush, as well as from Amazon (Kindle or paperback) and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged coastal fishing, ecology, flora and fauna, fly fishing, Learning the Terrain, memoir, Nature writing, poetry, prose, Walt Franklin, Wood Thrush Books, writing | 22 Comments

Winter on the Genesee

Posted on January 17, 2022 by rivertoprambles

Creak of beech bough, crack of ice. No eagle sharp-eyed for a fish, no wild duck drifting on the flow. So, what is here? The trout are unobtainable, the sun glimmers faintly in the canopy, the promise of a snowstorm … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Catskill Mountains, Genesee River, hiking, meditation, poetry, skunk cabbage, snowstorm, Theodore Gordon, trout flies, writing | 33 Comments

Evolution ’21/’22

Posted on December 30, 2021 by rivertoprambles

Although much of 2021 was spent toning up Greenwood’s “Owl Farm,” we were able to refresh our views at year’s end with a visit to Brent and Catherine’s new house in metro-Pittsburgh. Son and daughter-in-law were excellent hosts as country … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 3 rivers, Allegheny, evolution, gifts, home, minerals, museums, nature, New Year, Pittsburgh, reptiles, travel, writing | 31 Comments

The Return of Old Woodenhead

Posted on December 21, 2021 by rivertoprambles

[In which we hear an echo from an earlier post or two at Rivertop Rambles, now an excerpt from my book Wings Over Water (available from Amazon, Wood Thrush Books, or myself). That said, Old Woodenhead, my Christmas confidante or … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged beer & bourbon, Christmas, David Castano, fly-fishing, Kettle Creek Tackle Shop, Old Woodenhead, sculpting, Walt Franklin, Wings Over Water, Winter Solstice, writing | 13 Comments

Water Lines

Posted on December 7, 2021 by rivertoprambles

I hadn’t been fishing in a while and felt the need to reconnect. We’ve been working on the house all year, and some of the wettest months on record have produced poor opportunities for being on the water. Still, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged animals, connections, dialogue, dream, fishing, mother nature, play, poetry, tracks, trout, Water, water lines, work, writing | 17 Comments