I did not think this would happen: The Appellate Court of Maryland has stood up for the mighty, old hemlocks and pines of Swallow Falls State Park in Western Maryland. Readers of my Sun column in 2024 and this blog in 2025 might recall the fight to save the trees, led by Steve Storck (pictured … Continue reading A win for the trees of Swallow Falls
Fishing the Madison in Montana with Dirty Mike
May 31: Wade fishing, fishing riffles and eddies from the banks, Madison River at Raynolds Pass and the Olliffe Ranch: The Trust for Public Land protected this property with a conservation easement, allowing for permanent public fishing access while keeping the ranching family on the land. …. Rainy Sunday afternoon: browns and rainbows caught on … Continue reading Fishing the Madison in Montana with Dirty Mike
Honor them by remembering them
I was an altar boy at St. John’s Church in East Bridgewater, Mass., my hometown (population 8,500 at the time). It was my mother’s idea. I would have preferred my father’s suggestion for a kid to make a few bucks on weekends: setting pins in an old bowling alley in a Brockton social club. But … Continue reading Honor them by remembering them
Two good questions
At the recent annual gathering of Baltimore law clubs, an attorney asked two good questions I was unable to answer on the spot. After a bit of reflection on some 6,600 columns written for The Baltimore Sun between January 1979 and January 2025, I came up with this: Is there a column you regret having … Continue reading Two good questions
Dan Can Cook: South Shore Bar Pizza at home
Since it's not available in Baltimore -- Matthew's Pizza in Highlandtown comes closest -- I decided to try my hand at South Shore Bar Pizza at home. (It's a Massachusetts thing, specific to the South Shore, and an old Friday ritual there.) I had pretty good results. Keys to an authentic bar pie: Use round … Continue reading Dan Can Cook: South Shore Bar Pizza at home
About fishing — and protecting a great resource in Maryland
Trout thrive in the North Branch of the Potomac River. They must be protected from poachers and bait fishing.
Today is National Honesty Day . . . Created by Hirsh Goldberg of Baltimore. . . . Honest.
National Honesty Day is observed annually on April 30th in the United States -- though not in the Trump Oval Office -- to encourage truthfulness and integrity in politics, relationships and business.Created by Baltimorean and author M. Hirsh Goldberg in 1990, it falls on the last day of April to counter the falsehoods often celebrated … Continue reading Today is National Honesty Day . . . Created by Hirsh Goldberg of Baltimore. . . . Honest.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Two common phrases: “It will never cease to amaze me,” and “a rock and a hard place.” Let me put them together for you: How a tree can grow between a rock and a hard place will never cease to amaze me. I’m a little kid about this, awed by the genius of a tiny … Continue reading Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Back for another season: That mighty American elm
How lucky we are to have this survivor still breathing life into the neighborhood.
No pet peeve, a real issue for our communities: Huge, empty parking lots as more stores close
This might sound like a pet peeve by now — I have previously registered this complaint in my columns and essays — but calling it that tends to demean it as a genuine issue that should be confronted in the 21st Century. With the decline of brick-and-mortar retail, the owners of vast, empty parking lots … Continue reading No pet peeve, a real issue for our communities: Huge, empty parking lots as more stores close
Dan Rodricks 