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Friends of a Long Year is a private mailing list bringing stories to your inbox like it's still 1995. It's written in the spirit of Mary Austin. It was originally called Place Without a Postcard, which does a better job of summarizing what I like to write about. Friends is delivered roughly twice a month.

Archive

Build

Washburn, Wisconsin, U.S. Building shelves, making coffee on the beach, and picking cherries

Second Spring

Washburn, Wisconsin, U.S. Heading north rewinds the seasons, giving us a second round of wildflowers and warblers.

Notes From The Road

Washburn, Wisconsin, U.S. Eight days of travel covering 1508 miles, compressed to a few minutes of film.

Going Up North

Washburn, Wisconsin, U.S. Eight days of travel. 1508 miles from the shores of St George Island to the shores of Lake Superior.

Jeep Brake Repairs

St George Island State Park, Florida, U.S. Sometimes repair is work, but at least the ocean is nearby.

Goodbye Florida

St George Island State Park, Florida, U.S. Wrapping up our time on Florida with a few more days on St. George Island.

Bus and Repair Q & A

Washburn, Wisconsin, U.S. Another short film, this one trying to answer the deluge of questions I got after publishing my Wired feature.

Bus Work and Baseball

Big Lagoon State Park, Florida, U.S. The birds are already on their way, It's nearly time for us to do the same, but there's still a lot of work to do.

Before The Storm

St George Island State Park, Florida, U.S. An experimental little movie about paddleboarding on the backside of St. George Island

Water Under The Bridge

Apalachicola, Florida, U.S. The world never stops changing, but it changes unevenly, in fits and spurts, here and there, even, it seems, on the lost coast.

The Lost Coast

St George Island State Park, Florida, U.S. Empty beaches, stinging marine life, and plenty of paddleboarding out at the edge of the continent.

St. Andrews

St. Andrews State Park, Florida, U.S. Civilization has never been my strong suit, but it does have groceries, barbers, and laundry, and sometimes those are good to have.

Gone Fishin’

Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida, U.S. The osprey is a consummate fisherman, always ready, always hovering, always fishing.

Renaissance Fair

Big Lagoon State Park, Florida, U.S. Spending some time in the past at the Gulf Coast Renaissance Fair, Pirate Festival, Wild West Roundup, and Historical Festival.

Wagoneer

Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida, U.S. I used to have a t-shirt that read "life's too short to drive boring cars". The shirt died a greasy, oily mess, but I still support the sentiment.

Photo Shoot

Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida, U.S. The long strange story of how the bus ended up being photographed for Wired magazine.

Family

Rocky Bayou State Park, Florida, U.S. Catching up with family around the fire in Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park.

Pensacola History

Big Lagoon State Park, Florida, U.S. Exploring the history of one of America's very first settlements.

Fort Pickens

Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida, U.S. Fort Pickens is one of our favorite places on the Gulf Coast.

Christmas Cold

St George Island State Park, Florida, U.S. We spent the holidays on St George Island as a cold front swept across the United States, even Florida alas, for the holidays.

Eight

Grayton State Park, Florida, U.S. In which we make it to the sunny, white sand beaches of Florida for Elliott's eighth birthday.

I Like New Orleans Better

New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. New Orleans is a remarkable place. I can't tell you what makes it so magical, but it's the only city we care to visit.

Galveston Sings

Galveston Island State Park, Texas, U.S. Padre Island storms push us north to Galveston Island where we can't escape the rain, but at least has some indoor attractions.

November Sun

Goose Island State Park, Texas, U.S. A welcome warm spell on the beaches of Port Aransas.