Likes

INSPIRED READING AND OTHER STUFF

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The Elegant Hunter...

Call it a hit right to the heart of matters of life, death and food. Tovar Cerulli, of Marshfield, Vermont, has just published a gracefully-written book titled The Mindful Carnivore -- A Vegetarian's Hunt for Sustenance. Once a vegan purist, he decided to become, for a variety of closely examined reasons, someone who hunts and eats wild animals. Tovar's writing seems to come from a place of wonder, humility and a new comfort with philosophical uncertainties. A worthwhile read, especially for those still a bit stuck in the illogical grip of Bambi syndrome. (And that would include me.)

See details of his area book tour and launch party coming up in Montpelier on Feb. 26.

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Keeping and nurturing great teachers in our schools...

Katy Farber

Many public sector jobs today require nothing short of daily, lion-hearted dedication, and ever-fewer numbers of people who you'd want to stick around in those critical roles are doing so. Good young teachers, for example, are quitting in droves. So, here comes Katy Farber.

She believes that pairing a young teacher with a seasoned, well-regarded and respectful mentor could go far to mold and keep great educators in the school system. Combining personal observation as well as research conducted with other teachers, she wrote a book called Why Great Teachers Quit, and How We Might Stop the Exodus. A fast issue summer-upper I like on the teacher issue is this Huffington Post interview with Katy. For more info on Katy's work, see this page of interviews and reviews.

Katy, of Middlesex, Vermont, is a wife, mother of two mega-adorable little girls, a grad school level instructor, an elementary school teacher, a consultant, an author on the national education reform stage, an award-winning blogger on children's health and safety issues...and possibly someone who found a portal to a parallel universe where they have 32-hour days.

Katy speaks in a clear and unpretentious voice in arenas all too often laden with pomposity. Let her inspire you. It may be what she does best of all. □

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The Church of Bryantology...

The Daily Wing is a collection of essays on airborne animals by former Plainfielder Bryan Pfeiffer, a Vermont author, photographer, field guide, radio personality, consultant, teacher of digital photography and sometime fire department volunteer.

I'm not a "birder" concerned with studious acts of species identification and life-list bragging rights. But I'm always honored to be in the close company of wild creatures. Bryan's columns have much to offer anyone inside or outside the birding fold. And they aren't limited to birds. He serves up all manner of natural science where he finds it, with sensual prose, snappy humor and unblushing evangelical ardor.

I took a series of helpful digital photography classes Bryan gave at the Plainfield Fire Department last winter and spring.
It so happens that many of the volunteer firefighters there are hunters, and lined up on the wall of the firehouse are photos of the guys with their trophy deer.

Bryan's photo is among them. He, however, is posing with a trophy dragonfly specimen. □

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Voices from the Vault
I like these online essays by award-winning Vermont State Archivist Gregory Sanford posted on the the VT Secretary of State's Office website. The long time curator of government documents is himself a robust repository of fascinating information, historical perspective and droll opinion.

Some of his columns delve esoterically into the business and ethics of government record keeping, but (and it's something of an injustice to use the word "but") they also cover a range of current social/political issues and surprising tidbits from Vermont's historical record. You never know what he'll dig up next.

The index list of column titles doesn't always tip you off as to content. Often, there are some chewy, historical bits you won't know about unless you read the columns themselves. □

Important Things to Know About My "Likes"
The point of this page is to share with you the work of other creative people I claim to know, either well or slightly. I use the people-I-know criteria as a way of making a manageable cut in the staggering amount of worthy material one could "like" in this way. But...

Another factor for inclusion is a kind of delighted gratitude. The people I mention on this page unknowingly inspired me through their own good example. Creating good work is damn hard. Sometimes you need to be reminded that it's worth the effort.

It doesn't matter to me if you're a professional or a dabbler, an acclaimed artist or someone who had a moment of genius - planned or otherwise. Often, the power to stimulate others is strongest when it comes from someone less concerned with doing so.
Please enjoy these selections and feel free to let me know about your own work or someone else's I might "Like."

- Ricka McNaughton

GOOD SHOTS

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I like this god's-eye-view of clouds above terra firma, as reflected in the lens of an airline pilot cruising at 26,000 feet. My nephew Josh Yurman was both the photographer and the pilot.

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I like the image below called "Diamond Dusk," which brings a level of moody glamour to an already alluring subject. And besides that, it wonderfully takes your mind off global warming. The photo is by a master of classic B & W film shooting, Peter Arthur of Calais, VT. You may have seen his work in Vermont Life Magazine. This shot made the cover.

Peter has worked throughout the U.S. and Europe for 25 years as a commercial and auto racing photographer. He manages to live life wide -- as both a gear head and a committed environmentalist.

A man with an "ever-loving analog heart," Peter is a pleasantly grumpy, don't-get-me-started sort of guy when it comes to the popular culture of "purdy" digital faux-tography. His website contains some fine crabbing in this vein.

I'm gratified to find someone just as crabby as I am about my digital SLR's illegible exposure settings and the inaccessible menus that descend within in one another like a set of Russian nesting dolls. But I never was a purist.

While I count it a great thing that I recently upped my command of its manual settings, I'm not ashamed to let my big strong camera handle some of the heavy digi-geeky thinking it was impressively built to do. And I'm also regularly indebted to what Peter terms "Photo-slop" for saving my ASA. □

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Sebastian and the Jellies by Jessica McNaughton

I like this "point and shoot" shot (above) by my step-daughter, Jessica McNaughton Rogers, of her son Sebastian marveling at the jellies on a visit to the aquarium in Vancouver, B.C. □

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I like the mule deer family portrait above by Jim Grimes of Plainfield, VT, taken this fall in Fort Garland, CO at an elevation 10,000 feet. Jim is an avid hunter, but he was after other game on this outing, so these deer were in his camera sights only. Jim also captured the image below of a passing coyote in the same area. I like the impressionist painting effect. □

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