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Patowmack the trickster

A search for fact and fable in the Potomac River watershed
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    • Tricksters: a world of mischief and mystery
      • One rabbit, two snakes, and a backfied joke
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Icon of the Potomac, the feisty smallmouth bass was originally introduced from the Ohio Valley.
Icon of the Potomac, the feisty smallmouth bass was originally introduced from the Ohio Valley.
A piece of Potomac trash art slithers over a moss-covered log.
A piece of Potomac trash art slithers over a moss-covered log.
Motorists on the I-495 Beltway river crossing have no idea that spray can artists have been hard at work on the concrete bridge supports below.
Motorists on the I-495 Beltway river crossing have no idea that spray can artists have been hard at work on the concrete bridge supports below.
Stonefly nymphs and other bottom dwelling macroinvertebrates occupy as critical place in the Potomac River food web.
Stonefly nymphs and other bottom dwelling macroinvertebrates occupy as critical place in the Potomac River food web.
It takes strength and finesse to get your jon boat out of the water and back on your trailer.
It takes strength and finesse to get your jon boat out of the water and back on your trailer.
A pair of asters on a rocky outcrop.
A pair of asters on a rocky outcrop.
A tranquil pool downstream from the pounding waters of Great Falls.
A tranquil pool downstream from the pounding waters of Great Falls.
Springtime high water brings out the play boats.
Springtime high water brings out the play boats.
A cathedral of concrete supports the Washington, D.C., Beltway over Potomac directly upstream from Plummer's Island.
A cathedral of concrete supports the Washington, D.C., Beltway over Potomac directly upstream from Plummer’s Island.
An oriole found its final resting place on a Potomac River sandbar.
An oriole found its final resting place on a Potomac River sandbar.
Ancient Indian rock art of the serpent deity, remarkably well preserved. Just kidding. It's bird poop.
Ancient Indian rock art of the serpent deity, remarkably well preserved. Just kidding. It’s bird poop.
A face mask opens up a new world of fish and other members of the Potomac River underworld.
A face mask opens up a new world of fish and other members of the Potomac River underworld.
River deity? Potomac trash art? Or good 'ol boys with too much time on their hands? The doll doesn't say.
River deity? Potomac trash art? Or good ‘ol boys with too much time on their hands? The doll doesn’t say.
An errant golf ball garnished by sprigs of knotweed nestles in a Potomac River pothole.
An errant golf ball garnished by sprigs of knotweed nestles in a Potomac River pothole.
A sunset at Pennyfield Lock turns into an fiery torch with the help of the photo editor's rotate right button.
A sunset at Pennyfield Lock turns into an fiery torch with the help of the photo editor’s rotate right button.
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Recent Posts
  • Trump and the trickster
  • The poop bag puzzle
  • Poop bags of the Potomac
  • Poop bag portraiture
  • Stalking the wild amphibolite
  • Meet the Potomac’s own philosopher
  • A Potomac alien gets its green card
  • River spirit agrees: eclipse no big deal
Recent Posts: Patowmack the trickster

Trump and the trickster

Yes, there really is a Trump brand softball. But wait! There’s more. I spotted this particular ball yesterday evening while kayaking on the Potomac River maybe a half mile downstream from Trump National Golf Course. The ball was barely visible on the shoreline in a swampy mix of mud and decaying leaves. My feet made […]

The poop bag puzzle

When I spotted the three “No Parking” signs, I was pretty sure what I would find at their bases. I just had that feeling, like a bird hunter approaching a hedgerow or a trout fisherman stalking the head of a pool. What I found was this: At the base of the first sign sat a […]

Poop bags of the Potomac

I started taking photos of dog poop bags along the trails by the Potomac River after I started to notice something odd: In virtually all cases, the dog poopers had carefully placed their bags by something, on something, in something, or tied to something. This was clearly an aspect of human behavior that needed to […]

Poop bag portraiture

I’m pretty sure that I’ve photographed more dog poop bags than anyone. I’ve learned a lot, some of which I’m offering here as tips to photographers. Develop a relationship with your subject. As in photographing babies or hamsters, get right down with the subject. You must get your knees dirty. Imbue the bag with emotion—joy, […]

Stalking the wild amphibolite

The park ranger set the map on the countertop and traced his finger along a dotted line, first down the edge of Bear Island. and then upstream along the Potomac River’s Mather’s Gorge. Just past a spot marked TM-3 his finger stopped. “Here it is,” he said quietly, almost to himself. “Amphibolite isn’t something you […]

Meet the Potomac’s own philosopher

If the Potomac River has its own trickster (our friend Patowmack), why shouldn’t it have a philosopher as well? My philosopher of choice would be Heraclitus. As his name suggests, he was an ancient Greek, and he had some important things to say about rivers. Member of a distinguished family, Heraclitus lived 2,500 years ago […]

A Potomac alien gets its green card

I went down to the C&O Canal along the Potomac River on New Year’s Eve to pay tribute to a group of immigrants that had achieved an important milestone in 2017. I’m not taking about America’s Muslims, Mexicans, Syrian refugees, or Dreamers, all of them targets over the past year of Donald Trump’s nativist attacks. […]

A search for fact and fable in the Potomac River watershed
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