Books
Walking Woodstock
Journeys into the Wild Heart of America’s Most Famous Small Town
by Michael Perkins
and Will Nixon
Illustrated by Carol Zaloom #1 Paperback Bestseller of 2009, Golden Notebook, Woodstock, NY
The Pocket Guide to Woodstock
An Insiders' Guide with Suggested Hikes, a Walking Tour of the Historic Village, Maps, Photographs, and the Best Tips for a Memorable Visit
by Michael Perkins
and Will Nixon
Illustrated by Carol Zaloom #1 Paperback Bestseller of 2012, Golden Notebook, Woodstock, NYBooks
Books
Poetry
Poetry
Poetry
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Quotes
“Are you familiar with the writing of Woodstock poet Will Nixon? If not, you should be because of his funny, wistful, poignant poems.”
-- Catskill Mountain Region Guide“The Hudson Valley has produced some of the great peregrinations of our time, most notably by John Burroughs, an inveterate walker. Add Michael Perkins and Will Nixon to the list—these are charming essays, some of them with a bit more bite than you'd guess.”
-- Bill McKibben
How Fire and Ice Shaped Woodstock
On Sunday afternoon, July 8th, nature enthusiasts will have a rare opportunity to walk the Comeau Property in Woodstock with two of the Catskills’ foremost outdoor interpreters, geologist Robert Titus and forest historian Michael Kudish. One will explain how the Ice Age glaciers left the Comeau at the bottom of Glacial Lake Woodstock, a water body deeper than today’s Ashokan Reservoir. The other will describe how Native Americans burned the original hardwood forests still found farther west in the Catskills to introduce oaks, hickories, and other nut-bearing trees that they preferred and even planted in orchards. If you’re unfamiliar with Catskills natural history, be prepared to have your assumptions about mountains and wilderness overturned. It turns out that the Catskills are neither true mountains nor much of a wilderness.
Both men are veteran college teachers, which explains why they’re so damned entertaining in the field. They know how to engage the imagination of the curious but dimly-informed 19-year-old in all of us. Bob Titus continues to teach at Hartwick College in Onteora, while Mike Kudish retired several years ago from Paul Smith’s College in the Adirondacks to return to his earlier studies of the Catskills. He’s the author of The Catskill Forest: A History as well as volumes of railroad history. Bob Titus has written The Catskills: A Geological Guide and The Catskills in the Ice Age. Both write for Kaatskill Life. Bob Titus also contributes columns to the Woodstock Times.
On July 8th, they’ll lead back-to-back tours of the Comeau as part of the Woodstock Summer Celebration to launch The Pocket Guide to Woodstock by Michael Perkins and Will Nixon. Bob Titus’s walk will begin on the Great Lawn between the outdoor stage and the town offices at 2 pm and last 1½ hours. Mike Kudish’s walk will depart from the same lawn spot at 3:30 and also last 1½ hours. Both walks are free. People are welcome to join one or both. The Comeau Property is at the top of Comeau Drive off Tinker Street in the village of Woodstock. The Comeau Drive entrance is across the street catty-corner from the library.
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The Mother Grouse Blog is produced by Will Nixon, author of My Late Mother as a Ruffed Grouse and Love in the City of Grudges available on-line.