Author Archives

Traveler, seeker, environmental scientist, father of three, tree hugger, thrill seeker, simple pleasure fiend, music lover...

• On the Cusp with Conifers

  By Dave Santillo on September 1, 2015 • ( 2 )

  

  “In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow The structure of a needle of a conifer tree is surely one of natures most simply perfect designs. Compared with the diverse foliar expression… Read More ›

• Practicing Patience is for the Birds, at Cape St. Mary’s, Newfoundland

  By Dave Santillo on August 21, 2015 • ( 7 )

  

  The fog at Cape St. Mary’s, Newfoundland, doesn’t so much gently roll in as it stampedes like a crowd of Black Friday shoppers through just-unlocked doors of a big box store. Like shoppers rushing and pushing their way through store… Read More ›

• A Rastafarian Stair-step Through History on the Caribbean Island of Dominica

  By Dave Santillo on January 8, 2015 • ( 9 )

  

  Rastaman live up.  Rastaman don’t give up Keep your culture.  Don’t be afraid of the vulture.  Grow your dread lock.  Don’t be afraid of the wolf-pack. (Bob Marley – Lyrics from the Song Rastaman Live Up) ________________________________________________________________________________ I was in… Read More ›

• On Fruitless Searches for Resplendent Quetzals

  By Dave Santillo on December 10, 2014 • ( 8 )

  

  “Failure is an experience in which the universe feels compelled to grab someone by their hair and whip them in an altogether different direction because they simply aren’t listening!” Elizabeth Lyons “Peace comes within. Do not seek it without.”  Buddha… Read More ›

• A Conundrum In, And Of, The Wilderness

  By Dave Santillo on October 1, 2014 • ( 0 )

  

  If a wilderness area is heavily used by people, can it really even be called wilderness? I looked up the definition of wilderness as a starting point to answer this question. According to the Wilderness Act of 1964, Wilderness is,… Read More ›

• The Ambivalent Tourist Town of Chachapoyas, Peru – An Off the Beaten Path Travel Gem

  By Dave Santillo on March 2, 2014 • ( 5 )

  

  It’s easy to fall into the trap of visiting only the most popular attractions at travel destinations.  We’re bombarded by Top 10 lists in travel guides and websites, and the typical vacation has to fit within a 1 to 2-week… Read More ›

• My Cup Runneth Over with Andean Condors

  By Dave Santillo on February 5, 2014 • ( 0 )

  

  I think that almost every zoo I’ve ever visited has had an Andean Condor. It’s a huge and striking bird that displays well; it’s mostly black with a ruff of white feathers surrounding the base of the neck and, especially… Read More ›

• “I Blog for the Trees” and other “Deep Thoughts in Deep Snow”

  By Dave Santillo on December 18, 2013 • ( 8 )

  

  There’s something about immersing myself in a heavy snowfall that stimulates clarity in thinking for me. I don’t mean skiing, or shoveling, or building snowmen in it. I mean immersion as in wading around in it, breathing it in, and alternately… Read More ›

• Ommmm…Many Paddle…Hummmm – Musing and Meditating in a Sea Kayak

  By Dave Santillo on December 17, 2013 • ( 6 )

  

  So I seem to have found it difficult to write about my favorite outdoor pursuit – sea kayaking.  I’m well into this blog experiment now, and not a mention of it in two years. I’ve wrestled with how to approach… Read More ›

• A Glimpse of the Future in the Old City of Venice, Italy

  By Dave Santillo on November 18, 2013 • ( 2 )

  

  Symbolic of a glorious and prosperous past, Venice also is symbolic of the world we’re poised on the brink of – maybe it could be called the Engineero-zoic Era?  ______________________________________________________________________________ Part One:  The road to insight is paved with water. … Read More ›