My Portfolio

On the road …again! Afghanistan to Zambia Chronicles of a Footloose Forester By Dick Pellek   T for Turkey Footloose Forester had a special interest in Turkey because he knew several people who were posted there as Peace Corps Volunteers. The Turkey volunteers had lived and trained with the Pakistan Foresters...

    On the road…again! Afghanistan to Zambia Chronicles of a Footloose Forester By Dick Pellek   F is for France If you watch closely, you can see the French countryside taking shape in stark contrast to the Swiss countryside along its common border, as you clear the customs station at Pontarlier....

On the road... again..!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   A Simple Math Problem   How do you divide 6 chapattis into equal parts to provide equal portions and a simple lunch for four foresters? The math is simple enough but the problem, at the time, was bizarre...

On the road…again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   Amateur Clam Hunters Living off the land means more than hunting in the forests for small game; or digging up wild onions; or raiding beehives for honey.  Fishing in streams, ponds, and in saltwater also qualifies as living off...

On the road…again! Afghanistan to Zambia Chronicles of a Footloose Forester By Dick Pellek   Discovering Chincoteague Bay- An Update February 2012 ...The future excites us and stirs our thoughts about what the next adventures will bring. While many of the older Chronicles of a Footloose Forester were about memories captured...

On the road…again! Afghanistan to Zambia Chronicles of a Footloose Forester By Dick Pellek   A Gift From a Samoan to a Vietnamese to a Dying American G.I.   The following account is a bittersweet memory of the days when the Footloose Forester and his soul mate Thu were living in...

On the road…again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   The Lumpers and the Splitters At the interface of discussions between the generalists and the specialists, there always seems to be an unsettling void regarding the void, itself. Although seldom mentioned as an issue, filling in the void; or...

On the road…again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   An Apple Tree Speaks   Note dangling from our apple tree:   FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS   SIT AND REST AWHILE IN THE SHADE OF MY BRANCHES. ENJOY ONE OF MY APPLES WHILE RESTING. LOOK UP, LOOK DOWN AND CHOOSE...

On the road…again! Afghanistan to Zambia Chronicles of a Footloose Forester By Dick Pellek   A Quick Stroll Around Four States It was not a stroll around the block…it was a circular promenade at the perimeters of four states. At Four Corners, the intersection point of Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New...

On the road…again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek  Adventures on the Laikipia Plateau Kenya   Going up-country in Kenya with a real adventurer was what Footloose Forester hoped all jobs would be like.  His friend agreed to the use of his full name and association openly, so the...

On the road…again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   Geography of the Past If it is true that a picture is worth 10,000 words, then the catalog of satellite photos in the archives of the Footloose Forester could develop into a longish travelogue. There is no doubt that...

  On the road…again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   In the Army   As a draftee, the Army experience of the Footloose Forester was different from what many civilians might perceive as a typical military tour of duty.  He was called to duty when he was living...

  On the road…again! Afghanistan to Zambia Chronicles of a Footloose Forester By Dick Pellek   To Fly A Paraglider From The Rim Of Fogo   This is a wishful thinking story that is part of a dreamer’s bucket list.  Yes, it is wishful thinking but it is something that is...

  On the road...again!!! Afghanistan to Zambia Chronicles of a Footloose Forester       Secret Pleasures A few memories of delicious pleasures are stuck in the corners of his mind.  Some are on the light side, while others are a bit darker. Everybody harbors them, but avoids bringing them into...

  On the road… again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   Forger and Grave Robber   He never thought of himself as evil, crooked or even shady, but the Footloose Forester definitely does have a few skeletons in his closet. The thought of his forgeries taxed his memory...

  On the road… again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   Zebra Amber   Many times we all take things for granted.  Being comfortable with one’s personal ignorance is a way to cope, so although we strive to know what is going on, or knowing how things really...

On the road…again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   Re-Learning Geography Learning the names of state capitals was a fundamental part of geography classes, and in grammar school, Geography was his favorite subject.  Although some people believe that knowledge is power; others discount the importance of book learning...

  On the road…again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   Explaining Glaciers   The Athabasca Glacier, located in Jasper National Park of Alberta, Canada is an example of a mountain glacier. Mountain glaciers typically form at the downslope foot of steep ridges and then extend into lower elevations...

  On the road…again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   Washoe Indian Encampment at Wrights Lake, California Only after joining the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy as a volunteer in 2009 did Footloose Forester rekindle his interest in geology.  Having the time to document his memoirs helped, but the thoughts...

On the road…again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   R is Rwanda   Never will the Footloose Forester be able to tie the events in Rwanda and Burundi together in a historical or insightful way. But since he traveled to both countries on various occasions, the personal memories...