Entries by Steve Jones

Chapter Two: Late Spring Return to The Sanctuary

June 29, 2022 in /by

This Post serves as the immediate sequel to last week’s photo-essay: https://stevejonesgbh.com/2022/06/20/chapter-one-late-spring-return-to-the-sanctuary/ May 13, 2022, I returned to Huntsville, Alabama’s Goldsmith-Schiffman Wildlife Sanctuary with Bill Heslip, retired videographer, Margaret Anne Goldsmith, benefactor who donated the property to the City, and Marian Moore Lewis, author of Southern Sanctuary, a month-by-month almanac of the Nature of the […]

Chapter One: Late Spring Return to The Sanctuary

June 20, 2022 in , , , /by

May 13, 2022, I returned to Huntsville, Alabama’s Goldsmith-Schiffman Wildlife Sanctuary with Bill Heslip, retired videographer, Margaret Anne Goldsmith, benefactor who donated the property to the City, and Marian Moore Lewis, author of Southern Sanctuary, a month-by-month almanac of the Nature of the Sanctuary. I’ll take you along with photos, observations, and reflections on our […]

Wells Memorial Trail at Monte Sano State Park: Five Weeks after Stroke

June 14, 2022 in , , , , , /by

April 28, 2022, five weeks following my March 24, 2022 stroke, I ventured into my favorite location on Alabama’s Monte Sano State Park, the deep cove forest along the Wells Memorial Trail. I viewed this as a celebratory hike, treading carefully with the assist of a trekking pole in each hand. Although I had missed […]

Early Summer on the Richard Martin Rails to Trail

June 7, 2022 in /by

May 17, 2022, I hiked a section of the Richard Martin Rails to Trail in Limestone County Alabama with Chris Stuhlinger, fellow Board member of OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. We were doing a dry run for a hike we’ll be co-leading for OLLI June 11, 2022. Introducing […]

An Outing One Month Beyond the Equinox and One Month After My Stroke

May 31, 2022 in , , , /by

I visited Alabama’s Lake Guntersville State Park April 20 and 21, 2022, to attend the Alabama State Park Foundation Board quarterly meeting, my first non-medical-treatment journey since my March 24, 2022 stroke. Not yet ready for woods-trail hiking, I managed to capture some memorable Nature photos from wandering the grounds near the Park Lodge.   […]

Exploring the Spiral Nature of Northern Alabama’s Tree Vines

May 25, 2022 in , , /by

March 19, 2022 I hiked the Fire Tower and South Plateau Trails at Monte Sano State Park near Huntsville, Alabama. I issued a Post about the general wonders of Nature we encountered along the way: https://stevejonesgbh.com/2022/05/12/march-19-2022-on-the-fire-tower-trail-at-monte-sano-state-park/ That Post included several photos and observations about some tree form curiosities. Here are two without comment:   I’m […]

An Early April Day of Spiritual Renewal!

May 18, 2022 in , , , /by

Some days stand higher than most. April 3, 2022 was one of those. March 24, just 13 days after “graduating” from intensive outpatient physical therapy from my November 8, 2021 total left shoulder replacement, I suffered a lacunar stroke. A scary reminder that life is fleeting and fragile. By April 3, I felt buoyed by […]

March 19, 2022 on the Fire Tower Trail at Monte Sano State Park

May 12, 2022 in , , /by

March 19, 2022, I co-led a hike on the Fire Tower Trail at Alabama’s Monte Sano State Park for OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Alabama in Huntsville). Chilly, mostly cloudy, and dry, the hiking weather and conditions proved perfect. In retrospect, this hike proved special. I had been released just a […]

Aftermath of January 1, 2022 Tornado at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge

May 4, 2022 in , , , /by

January 1, 2022, a cold-front-triggered tornado cut a quarter-mile swath across the east-central end of Alabama’s Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge just 14 miles from my Madison, AL home. I share on-site photographs (from March 1 and 15, 2022) and reflections on Nature’s fury and the renewal that will follow. Here is my February 16, 2022 […]

Sunrises and Sunsets Over the Period of My Stroke Convalescence

April 27, 2022 in , , /by

Life’s circumstances, I’ve learned, alter the tone and content of these Great Blue Heron Posts. Normally I offer photographs, observations, and reflections on my Nature-ramblings, generally in sylvan settings in Alabama or whever my ramblings take me. However, March 24, 2022 struck a low blow to my psyche and, for the near-term, modified my postings […]