Christine Thomas

“Christine, I am looking for blurbs for my book. I know you have things to do, but if it works out …” messaged Al Cornell, a retired Wisconsin DNR wildlife technician, author, photographer, and one of my Facebook friends.
He lives in the Driftless Region of Wisconsin on the family farm. Last year he published an amazing book called A Year at a Beaver Pond: Observations from One Little Dynamic Ecosystem. I was honored that he asked me to do a “blurb” for the back cover of his new book, Bobcats Return to the Driftless Area: Including a Pictorial Chronology of a Mother and Kittens.

“HO HO HO!” texted Tom Dew.
“Merry Christmas,” I texted back.
In mid-July we headed to Hayward, Wis., for our annual visit at the Dew Drop Inn. Tom and Kris Dew have been in this column on several occasions. We met through the Boone and Crockett Club and have gone on to collaborate on several conservation projects over the years.

It took me a few hours to focus on the ruckus going on in the woodlot east of the little cabin. It was the Fourth of July. The day was hot, so we planned to spend a few hours out at the little cabin doing chores, taking a Ranger ride, and picking up trail camera chips to share antler development over our Deer Report text message group.