Saturday, January 17, 2009

THE TRAIL OF THE SANDHILL STAG- Ernest Seton-Thompson

Ever since I read "Two Little Savages" as a little boy I have been a big fan of Ernest Seton-Thompson. Thanks to our friend, Abigail, I have now, in my possession, "The Trail of the Sandhill Stag." We are slightly unworthy of such a gift, and entirely unworthy of friends like the Owens. Right now I am reading the kids the Little House series, but as soon as we are done with that we will dive into this choice slice of Americana. The kids love his books- especially Bowden- and they were very excited to get it in the mail. Thanks Abigail for thinking of us!
His books evoke in me a desire to tramp the woods back home in Vermont.
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"O' I long to walk through a soggy place
A shady place where water flows
Where mist in the air dampens my face
And dew on the grass my clothes."
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I like too that he uses words like "creation," and that his writings, which celebrate his lifelong love for the outdoors, are not infused with the earth-worship of many of today's writers. I don't know where he stood with the almighty, but at least he rightly views the creation that he loves as just that- a created thing and a reflection of the creator. That makes the context of his stories more thoroughly enjoyable for me.

So cool!

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