Back to the Timber
And a trip to Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge
Sorry for not posting for a while. An unexpected death in the family out of state this past summer changed everything for us, but we are getting back on track. Please give your loved ones a big hug today. They could be gone in an instant.
We have also moved from out in the county to town in Knoxville, IA, and considerable remodeling had to be done, which took up much of my days.
There’s still considerable work to be done, but it’s slowing down, and Violet the Dog and I will be taking to the timber again, hopefully nearly every day. Thanks for your patience.
We were able to go out before the snow melted. Violet the Dog was happy to be out again.
This beautiful cloud slow-danced with us.
Busy, busy, busy!
Every December, when the kids come home, we try to visit the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge near Prairie City, and I was able to get some good photos and an amazing video, below.
The bison came out to the vehicles driving through to lick the salt off our tires.
They were very gentle.
Here are four of my favorite nature Substacks: My friend Larry Stone’s “Listening to the Land,” Diane Porter’s My Gaia, Al Batt’s Al’s Substack, and Jaron’s Curious Adventures. Please consider subscribing. All four will entertain, educate, and soothe your soul.
I’m a member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. Please sample the talents of my fellow collaborative members. If you can afford to be a paid subscriber, that would be great. If not, the vast majority of content is free.
This column will always be free, but if you can’t afford a subscription and would like to “buy me” a cup of coffee or lunch, my Venmo account is @Robert-Leonard-238.












Glad to see you and Violet are back out and about, although still coping with your family's loss.
Please add "Dan's Substack" to your outdoor reading. Dan Cohen is the former director at Buchanan Co Conservation Bd, a brilliant writer & photographer. His most recent post is about threats facing the Boundary Waters.
And you remind me I need to revisit Neal Smith too!