Traverse City Record-Eagle

Mike Terrell

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December 17, 2008

Mike Terrell: Outdoor reading

By MIKE TERRELL

A couple of new recently released books might make good reading for that outdoor enthusiast on your Christmas list; young or old. Both are currently available in local book stores.

Prolific outdoor author and essayist Bob Butz released his new book -- "An Uncrowded Place" -- a couple of months ago, and it's already on top of Horizon Book's best selling list for hardback books. It's a collection of essays, written over a number of years that follows Butz's life from growing up as a lad in an eastern Pennsylvania suburb to his eventual move to northern Michigan. The essays are touching, humorous, well written, and as Jerry Dennis said in praise of the book, "A good read for winter evenings by the fire."

Both Butz and I like Thoreau. He quotes him frequently, and, like Thoreau's Walden, his best known book, "An Uncrowded Place" is a book of essays reflecting upon simple living in natural surroundings. Butz finds what Thoreau has called "the nature behind the ordinary."

He can take a mundane, simple trip to the little country store in the village of Lake Ann where he lives, and make it magic; a tale that will touch you, make you laugh and appreciate why you live up here; up north. I especially enjoyed his story about the virtues of a double-bit ax and his search to find one. His search for the perfect Christmas tree, mining for morels and city fishing along the Boardman River -- a throwback to growing up in suburbs -- were light and humorous.

When he writes about his wife Nancy and his children in The Land Where Wandering Lovers Go, Fishing with the Boy and Sticks and Stones, it's both touching and funny. His musings on fishing and hunting are poignant, vivid and written by someone whom you can tell is inspired by wide-open fields, forests and clear-running trout streams. It is home to Butz. He lives it well and that comes clearly across in his writing.

As Jay Cassell, Field and Stream editor, said in praise of the book, "John Lennon once said that life is what happens while you are busy making other plans. Bob Butz is not making other plans. He is living his life to the fullest in the woods of northern Michigan, right now."

An Uncrowded Place speaks to the trifles and heartaches that make life worth living. It's uplifting, touching, poignant and funny, all at the same time. It speaks to every wandering soul looking for a place to call home. Butz has found his, and we are richer for it.

Adventures with Jonny: Ice Fishing

Children's author Michael DiLorenzo recently brought out his second book in the Adventure with Jonny series of educational outdoor books for youth. Like his first book it deals with fishing, but this one is about ice fishing. The first book was also on fishing, but takes place in the summertime.

DiLorenzo believes that there are too many structured youth activities, and between that, television, video games and computers, there is little time left to experience outdoor activities and the rewards of such endeavors.

"It's my hope that the books will lead more families to grasp the value of outdoor experiences, what they can do together and recognize the traditions that they can build," he said when we got together recently. "The outdoor experiences that I had with my father helped to create some of my fondest memories of growing up, and I'm passing that along to my kids. That experience is an important building block in any parent/child relationship."

As in the first book, it starts out with a cute, illustrated story of young Jonny going on an ice fishing expedition with his dad, sister and a friend. The illustrations are bright, fun and educational. It pretty much covers what you would expect to encounter on an ice fishing trip, including catching some fish. Kids will love reading this entertaining, comic book-like section, which will quickly attract their attention. The second portion of the book covers the "how to" and what you need, including how to dress for an ice fishing trip. It tells how to set up for different species of fish, how to jig and even how to set up a tip-up rig. The book tells you to care for the fish on the way home and how to clean and prepare them for the table. It even offers a couple of simple recipes for preparing the fish that your young fisher could help with.

The third section contains brightly illustrated drawings of fish you will find ice fishing northern waters. It tells where you might find them on the frozen lake, what they like to eat this time of year, and how to catch them.

The book would work well for anyone -- no matter what your age -- that has never gone ice fishing, but thinks they might like to give it a try. It's about as complete an introduction to the sport as you could find.

Future books in the series, according to DiLorenzo, will include adventures about camping, backpacking, canoe/kayaking, archery and hunting. You can log onto adventureswithjonny.com to check out the line of kid's fishing equipment, including a tackle box complete with fishing gear, caps and vests that they now offer. The tackle box has everything needed to get a young fisher started.

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