Midge Raymond's Blog, page 3

By-the-wind sailors on the Oregon coast

When I talked about travel writing at library events in the lovely coastal towns of Pacific City and Manzanita last weekend, I mentioned that one doesn’t have to travel far to write about place — that, in fact, sometimes the most fascinating people, places, animals, and history are right where we are, or closer than  … Read more

Bookstore Geek: Cloud & Leaf Bookstore

I was delighted to have had the opportunity to visit Manzanita, Oregon, last weekend to do a travel writing workshop at the library there. Not only is this beautiful coastal community gifted with a fabulous library, but it also has a gem of an indie bookstore in Cloud & Leaf. This lovely, welcoming bookstore is  … Read more

Happy World Penguin Day!

So far 2018 has been a good year for penguins — a “supercolony” of 1.5 million Adélie penguins was discovered in the Danger Islands, thanks to a drone that was able to find them. This is fantastic news for Adélies, whose populations have been in serious decline on the western Antarctic peninsula, but it doesn’t mean  … Read more

Happy Earth Day

It’s been nearly 40 years since the first Earth Day, and unfortunately we’ve recently taken a lot more steps backward than forward. Still, we humans have taken a lot of great steps forward since the 1970s. There’s a lot to celebrate about our planet, and so many ways to help it survive and thrive. I  … Read more

Meet the King Penguin

It was a big thrill to meet the majestic king penguins on a recent trip to South Georgia Island. The second-largest penguin in the world, kings are even more colorful and striking than the emperors, and they are social and curious. (None of these photos was taken with a zoom lens. If you sit on  … Read more

Why elephant seals are awesome

I adore elephant seals. They are among the most interesting creatures on the planet to watch (and I’ve traveled to a lot of continents to watch a lot of creatures). For one, they really know how to enjoy life, as you can see in the video I took of this happy girl on a beach  … Read more

Meet the Rockhopper Penguin

After meeting the Fiordland-crested penguin last year in New Zealand, I couldn’t wait to meet more of these crested birds, who are so different from the “classic-looking” Antarctic penguins I first fell in love with and who populate the pages of My Last Continent. The southern rockhoppers can be found in many places, among them  … Read more

Meet the Yellow-Eyed Penguin

When John and I went to the southern tip of New Zealand hoping to catch a glimpse of the rare, endangered yellow-eyed penguin (the Maori name is hoiho), we would’ve been happy for even a brief glimpse. These penguins are not only among the rarest on earth — there are only an estimated 4,000 left  … Read more

Bookstore Geek: Dymocks of Australia

One of the great joys of visiting Australia is running into a Dymocks in every major city. Down under, Dymocks is chain bookstore, with each one independently owned. And thanks to Australia’s enthusiastic reading community, a Dymocks in any given city is always bustling. When My Last Continent first launched in Australia, I stopped in  … Read more

Bookstore Geek: Paperback Bookshop in Melbourne, Australia

The Paperback Bookshop in downtown Melbourne is an indie bookstore that’s been here since the 1960s. (And yes, it does sell hardcover books despite its inception as a paperback-only store.) The shop is beautiful, very tiny bookstore, open late and perfect for browsing after dinner or drinks. As with most small bookstores, the collection is  … Read more