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Dealing with cognitive load
I can only deal with so much before I need to go swimming, jump on a rowing machine or get on my bike. These last few months, though, have been really intense... Waking up at 3:30 am to work until late afternoon on coding problems that reveal a need to stop an...
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I-95 Turnpike Bridge - Is it going to follow best practices?
I use bridges that accommodate bicyclists, and I want to see more of them. Bridges actually become a destination, not just a connection. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (Oct 14-16) of this week there will be meetings about the I-95 Turnpike Bridge. https://b...
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Reflecting on a bike ride
May 26, 2025
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Working on parking code revisions
This is a map in progress related to Jenkintown Parking. And a link to add comments.
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Jenkintown Pics - June 2024
Some photos to go along with my June 25 Email.
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Borough Websites
The image was from my trip to Rochester, NY and has nothing to do with the following list.
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2023 NEPA Map & Summit Talks
I want to express my gratitude to Janet Sweeney at the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and others in the NEPA Trails Forum. The 2023 Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) Trails Map will be printed in time for the Pennsylvania State Greenways and Trails Summit,...
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Netherlands, and back to Jenkintown
During our recent visit to the Netherlands, we stayed in Weesp and often took the train to Amsterdam. Although we had a car, parking was never an issue. The posted speed limits were clear and strictly adhered to. I noticed two-lane roads being converted into a...
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July 2023 - Watercolor motif & mapping travels
I've worked on my digital watercolor methods as we've traveled through Croatia and the Mid-Atlantic (MD, DC, VA and NC). Working fast (a relative term, because these things take time) is important, and my goal is to tell a story or convey a sense of place. I w...
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Backroads - Maps from trip to Croatia
Sandi and I went to Croatia on a Backroads Tour. I made a series of maps of our trip that focused on digital watercolors. The maps are all georeferenced despite the watercolor approach.
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Hennepin Canal Map - Between the Rock and the Illinois Rivers
In May 2023 I visited Davenport. On May 28th I made a map of the Hennepin Canal while sitting at Dunn Bros Coffee in Bettendorf. What impressed me was that it's possible to camp along the route. It's a good route on a gravel bike although there were a lot of g...
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Jenkintown Maps, and I'm on the ballot for Borough Council
So much is happening at the moment. Today I've been looking for a job where I can innovate and collaborate, meeting for coffee with Jim Pinheiro to review a map proof, putting together a presentation for the fall Pennsylvania Greenways conference, helping Wiki...
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Mapping Cusco, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu
Before visiting Peru last November, I looked at a guidebook and read a book by Mark Adams, Turn Right at Machu Picchu.
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Map of Copenhagen, Denmark
I went to Copenhagen recently. There's a lot I could write about this trip, but I'll keep this short. I wanted to make a map that shows what area would be useful to me.
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Why I bought a Carbon Fuji Jari in 2022
I recently bought a 2022 Fuji Jari Carbon 1.3 gravel bike to replace a 2017 Aluminum Fuji Jari 1.1 that I've ridden a lot over the last five years.
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Kate bikes - years of bicycling
Last summer, my daughter Kate biked the Oregon and Northern California coast with other 15 and 16 year olds. When she wants to spend time together, she'll ask if I want to go for a bike ride.
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Remembering Mark Mattson
In 1990, I was taking a cartography class at Macalester College. We used a book by David Cuff and Mark Mattson. And a couple of years later, I was fortunate to be in Mark's Cartography Lab at Temple University. This was the perfect place to spend some of my ti...
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Pennsylvania Congressional Districts - Old vs New
As I work on a map today, I was replacing the current Congressional Districts with the upcoming Districts. The above map is very rough, I know. But I just wanted to show the data I'm working with.
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My heart rate during 154 miles of bicycling
I'm reading Alex Hutchinson's book, Endure, and it got my thinking about my exertion during the 154 mile bike ride to DC. So I looked at my heart rate based on readings from my Apple Watch and was shocked to see that my average heart rate was 102. Either somet...
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Reflections on my bike ride from Jenkintown to Washington, DC
On Wednesday, February 23, 2022, I rode my bike from my house in Jenkintown, which is north of Philadelphia, to Union Station in Washington, DC. I woke up at 3:28 am using my internal circadian alarm, left home at 3:45 am and arrived at Union Station at 6:02 p...
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January 31, 2022 Update
Here's an update on my health. I got 3:45 hours of deep sleep last night according to my watch.
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Bike ride to Wilmington
I followed google bike directions. When I do bike to DC, I don't want to be following weird directions. At Eastwick Train station, I got routed across the tracks as a pedestrian. Further south on 291, I got routed off of 291 onto neighborhood streets when I sh...
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Notes - Jan 10
A little. Numerical stats, including my weight, are about the same. Glucose measurements interest me because my glucose has fluctuated from day to day.
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Saturday, January 8
Beautiful morning walk yesterday... 5 miles. It was 19 degrees, sunny and no wind. Nobody responded to text invitations to come, but I now know that this was not because of the cold. Later I walked to LA Fitness and swam a mile at an easy pace of 1:47/100 yar...
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Measurements I'm tracking
If I weren't tracking things, I'd have even more of a revisionist view of where I've come from and the challenges ahead.
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Biking to the White House
It's a problem for me personally. My fasting glucose was at the upper recommended limit. I went to the doctor and got blood tests. And while the doctor wasn't concerned, I am. And I set out to do something about it.
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Thoughts on being healthy
On November 30, I was at the doctor's office for an annual checkup. I commented, "Losing weight is easy. Just don't eat sugar." Thirty-five days later, I want to share my perspective on this comment. I've learned a lot, and I lost 20 pounds to get to what the...
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Let's improve our health together
On December 1, 2021, I started out on a journey to have the best winter ever. My goal is to think better, be more fit, and help others.
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The best winter ever
Today is the first day of winter. The last day of winter is March 20, 2022. I decided that this is going to be the best winter of my life and am working to make this happen.
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NE PA Trail notes & Weekend walk
I was at a Pennsylvania Trails Forum meeting on Friday, and I met people engaged in building, supporting and promoting trail development. Janet Sweeney, of Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC), invited me to talk about the NE PA Trails map we are doing, a...
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Thoughts about fiction choices
This is my month to suggest books for book club. We just finished reading Swerve. I have preordered The Every, a novel by David Eggers, but that doesn’t come out until Mid-November.
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Fall 2021 Bike trip details
Before I forget, I wanted to record the trip on the above map. It provides points of reference.
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Fall 2021 Bike Trip - Quick summary
Andy Strauss, John Cromwell and I started out on a bike trip to Michigan from the Penn Yan, in the Finger Lakes of New York, on October 3o. I needed to veer off in Buffalo. After staying with Blue Hannon, I took Amtrak from Depew Station to Albany. From Rennse...
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A dying bee in my backyard
I was sitting in my backyard watching this bee, wondering why it was just clinging to the outdoor furniture. I noticed the curled wings. Later it died and fell to the ground.
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Fall 2021 Bike trip - packing gear
I want to go over the packing for my upcoming trip. In June of 2020, Both my daughter and I used Arkel Dolphin panniers. They are great! We have both used them for multiple trips. They are easy to pack, secure well to the frame, are waterproof, have more than...
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Scanning the New York Central System Maps
When the New York Central System was sold off to form Conrail in the 1970's, a lot of history was lost. Who wanted to store an office building basement worth of old documents? And today these may be one of a kind.
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Recent digital painting along the Horse-Shoe Trail
A quick note about my book progress before head out - I'm spending a lot of time walking on the Horse-Shoe Trail and am learning a lot. Today, for instance, I'll drive to Welkinweir and fill in a couple of gaps of the Horse-Shoe Trail that I've missed.
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At...Going... July 2021
This is just a short post with what's up - What I'm up to, what I'm working on, and what I'm reading this month.
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DC College Visit & Hike
We drove to DC. Visited colleges. Spent the night. Hiked on the Billy Goat Trail. It was a good trip.
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Outings to Green Lane and Peace Valley
Green Lane Reservoir and Peace Valley Reservoir both have lots of trails. Green Lane has a developed section with a bandstand, picnic area, small lake and campground. In the surrounding areas, there are miles of rustic hiking, equestrian and mountain bike tra...
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Redoing yesterday's Philly to Binghamton map
I used Natural Earth as a short cut for a few recent maps. But this morning I wanted to try a bilinear resampling of the SRTM elevation data. I like the result.
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Bike to Binghamton from Philadelphia
It's great to have friends who want to bike north from Philadelphia to Binghamton, New York. I was thinking about this, and it's about 230 to 240 miles. You can go west through Tunkhannock, past Lake Carey where I lived as a kid. Or you can take the D&H...
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Bike trip thoughts for this spring
I'm exploring alternative bike trips that relate to some level of mapping work. Destinations include Ann Arbor, Buffalo, and the Adirondacks. It's tough. I don't have much time. Now is the ideal time to go.
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From a bike ride in Dordogne
Dordogne, in France, captures my imagination. It offers a contrast to most anywhere in Pennsylvania. Rather than towns choked by in-fill development and suburban sprawl, the architecture and the agrarian or wooded landscapes work together to provide cultural...
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Food photos - color of the last few months
"How do you feel?" Sandi asked this morning. I'd just gotten the Covid vaccine yesterday.
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Bike camping trips from Jenkintown
It was November 2020. The woods were so silent that the sounds of my sleeping bag woke me up as l lay in the sandy soil.
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Reflecting on Arizona Trip
We visited Tempe, AZ, so I decided to focus on Arizona's landscape for a few days.
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A Galapagos island - San Cristóbal
When you can't travel, why not think about past trips. Trips aren't just about the moment, they also cause your world view to change. I would have had no mental image of the Galapagos had we not gone there. By working on this map, I feel like I better underst...
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Treasure Island, and finding a simpler solution
I should be out taking photos in Burlington County, NJ. We finally have some decent sun. And I realize that it's still March, but I could get a decent map cover photo.
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Reflecting on a past hike and making a map.
This morning I was re-reading about expository mapping in one of Mark Monmonier's books, Mapping it Out.
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A farm east of Swatara Creek
I needed to jumpstart my morning, so I spent time looking at a farm that Jessica and I drove past in January. When you're driving around on windy roads, you might not recognize your proximity to places. This farm was east of Swatara Creek near Jonestown.
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A simple map of Niagara Falls
I was creating some videos about using MAPublisher, and they were very much "how to" videos that ended up being a half hour and tried to do too much.
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Overnight Bike Ride from Jenkintown and Philadelphia to New York City
My daughter Kate wanted to go bike camping, so we decided to bike to New York City via Philadelphia. We left from Jenkintown, and the route goes through Philadelphia. If you were to bike from Center City, the mileage would be about 3 miles further on the firs...
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Our bike ride from Ithaca to Niagara Falls
My 14 year old daughter Kate asked me if we could bike to Niagara Falls. My wife suggested that Ithaca would be a good starting point. We ended up doing a round trip over 9 days, going anywhere from 26 to 60 miles. We camped and stayed at hotels, which ever...
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My focus as our trip across NY nears
Shawn Stevenson's podcast, The Model Health Show. I feel like he is smart, grounded, and provides a valuable perspective (including episodes related to the virus or social turmoil).
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Bikes we plan to ride
Tonight Kate and I talked about the benefits of SPD pedals. We are going to be biking quite a distance, and it will be easier than just using platform pedals. She’s riding a Breezer Greenway (non-electric) that we got a few years ago. Everyone in my family th...
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Planning our trip on the Erie Canal - Transportation
We were biking in the mountains, and my daughter Kate said she wanted to bike where it is flat.
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May 22 - Bike ride views
I was listening to a podcast yesterday, and Elizabeth Gilbert commented that the human imagination is infinite. I thought this was worth pondering. But something else worth observing is a cluster of leaves that reach out above the canopy. Or a break in the t...
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Morning ride in Philadelphia
Sometimes you do things, and it seems like no big deal. Then at other times, the same thing can seem like a big deal.
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Dreaming of adventure
I thought my 14 year old daughter and I were planning an 800 mile bike trip. But really, it is more like a 1200 mile route. This is kind of what it looks like, generally from home to Albany to Niagara Falls and back. This map doesn't show Letchworth State Park...
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Morning thoughts
Waiting or striving? Consuming or producing? Maybe these are dualisms, and maybe they aren't accurate. But the concept of biding time and finding purpose is very real for people who would normally be working long hours.
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Cresheim Creek walk
Walking along Cresheim Creek, the girls mostly walked ahead or stopped to take photos. These days, with people self-isolating, it seems that getting outdoors can be a daily activity that lots of people are enjoying.
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Baedeker's Guide is easier to read using google books.
This morning I was learning about Snellenburg's, a department store that was on Market Street across from Reading Terminal. I had been reading the WPA Guide from 1937, comparing it to the Baedeker's London Guide from 1911 that Paul Bunting loaned me.
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At the beach in March
There's something about a morning walk along the beach. Since it was an early Saturday morning in March, I had the beach to myself until a couple of surfers came out.
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Remembering Clive Cussler
My book club pick was once by Clive Cussler, author and adventurer. It was a fun summer read. A friend passed along this news link, so I made a map based on this website.
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Map inspired by a book I'm reading
I'm reading the book, How to Hide an Empire, by Daniel Immerwahr. This book brings into focus our common 48-50 State parochialism. I really like how Tom Patterson has posted a version of his Equal Earth Map that shows US Territories.
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Waking up to trash in Pennsylvania
I'm trying to imagine 350 train cars a day filled with 20 tons of trash landing being delivered to a landfill. If each train car carries 20 tons and the landfill takes in over 7000 tons, that's how I came up with the 350.
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Reflecting on travel to Sausalito in 2019
Mostly I made this map to test linework. The rivers are a bit too thick. I like the terrain. And I like the tree canopy across the East. The dots are places I spent some time. Ironically, it feels like I never go anywhere.
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The Circuit in Pastel - Trails are worth it
This map shows the status of the trails over a base that reflects development and tree canopy. We need more trees. The Midwest, to make a generalization, needs more trees too. We need each trail to be not just a path but to be a linear oasis of natural water...
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Dealing with frustration through digital art
Today I made this painting in Photoshop based on a photo I took yesterday as we flew over Harrisburg. Pennsylvania was a ripple of farm valleys between tree covered mountain ridges. This scene from the air is south of where Juniata River runs into the Susque...
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A night walk in Jenkintown
Ten miles north of City Hall in Philadelphia, and just a 50 minute bike ride or a 25 minute train ride, you'll find Jenkintown. A walk at each time of day offers a different kind of beauty.
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At DelDOT this morning - love the roundabout
I arrived at the Delaware Department of Transportation at 8:00 this morning and promptly held a video conference with Angela, my assistant before heading into a 9:00 meeting. I appreciate DelDOT's exemplary use of the roundabout at the main entrance to the ca...
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Writing Tasks, and my morning walk images
This morning, aside from thinking about tasks, this is what I saw.
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La Guardia
I'm reading The Power Broker, by Robert Caro. And if I ever finish it, Caro's book, Working, seems like it will be even more interesting. And I'm at the point where Fiorello La Guardia is running for Mayor. And ironically, last night, I was reading a magazin...
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The experiments continue
On the way back from a Rise Against Hunger event at Grace Church, I took this photo if the tree canopy. And right after we held our weekly business meeting, I worked on this with oil brushes in Photoshop. But the wacom tablet wasn't working, so I had to reins...
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Pennsylvania's watersheds extend in many directions
This morning I started out by watching a few Pennsylvania DEP YouTube videos about water quality and Active Mine Drainage facilities. They are well done and interesting. The DEP's work is essential.
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Another Jenkintown Map
This is a quick map to test a black and white layer setup in Photoshop. I like the idea of using a light wash for a frame. This map obviously shows all of the buildings in Jenkintown, a lot of which were added by my next door neighbor, Colin Gzesch, into Ope...
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A walk in the Wissahickon
We walked a loop along Cresheim Creek and the Wissahickon this weekend. At first I didn't see any mushrooms, but then they were everywhere.
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Mapping Confluence
Confluence, where rivers and stories merge. Each of these maps gave me a chance to explore what's here and think about why. I worked on them this weekend for fun.
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Elections in Jenkintown Ward 1 today
Today may have been our last election at Homestead Hall because the Episcopal Church of our Saviour was sold to Midgard Properties. The church, which was founded by Noble has served Jenkintown well and has much history. And I empathize with my neighbors for...
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International summer programs begin at home
If you are a parent of a 10 or 11 year old (or even older) and you'd like your kids to have a culturally rich global experience as part of an international program, check out CISV (Formerly Children's International Summer Village).
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Practicing techniques to use on Eastern PA Map series
This is from my morning walk home from Starbucks.
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First day of frost
Maybe the maple leaf fell in our backyard.Now it's in the front yard by the street. When I saw it,I went back into the house and got my phone to take a picture.
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Looking at Pennsylvania Mine maps online
Inspired by Jason Tarnowski, who's from Glen Lyon, PA and surveys mines, I looked at Penn State's Mine Map Atlas. It's pretty cool. Sometimes you see street maps, and other times you see the underground coal. You can just click on an area to view a map. T...
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Challah with dinner
When food is fresh, dinner lasts a little longer. Bread was my contribution to go along with fresh chicken noodle soup and stuffed mushrooms.
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Gateway to Northeastern PA
I took this photo as Andy and I drove north to the Pennsylvania Environmental Council's NE PA Annual Dinner. He pointed out that each side is a different shape. Rectangular on the northbound side. Circular on the southbound side. The circular side has big blo...
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Along Pennypack Creek
After making progress with my javascript coding for the day, I got out into the sun on my bike and biked to the Delaware River.
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Raspberries.
I got outside and took photos of raspberries, blackberries, blueberry plants, and mushrooms in our backyard. Creating a digital watercolor of the raspberries is a way to practice mapping. In addition, I've spent time immersing myself in drawings by Obi Kaufm...
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My walks at Lehigh Gap
When I headed through morning traffic onto the PA Turnpike, I wasn't sure where I was going to work. Sometimes I like to just stop at the rest stop and work there. Call me weird. But it has wifi and I like the large open space. On a weekday morning there a...
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Trees. I'm learning so much.
This summer out in Wyoming, I learned that there are male and female pine cones. And more recently (in the last few weeks), I've read The Overstory, by Richard Powers; The Hidden Life of Trees, by Peter Wohlleben; Changes in the Land, by William Cronon; What...
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Youth at the Jenkintown Arts Fest
Jason Slowik, the Middle School/High School Art teacher, was sitting on a bench in Yorkway Place. "Your daughter organized that section," he pointed out. I like Jason, and I'm glad Kate can have him for home room. He takes an interest in people and their pat...
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In Michaux Forest alone
Pennsylvania has a three day statewide trails and greenways conference every two years. This is what brought me to Shippensburg by way of the beautiful hilly Adams County apple country. And I chose to bring my tent and camp in Michaux State Forest.
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July 28-August 28
Summer's coming to an end, and I thought I'd look back at the last 30 days (July 28-August 28). There's a huge gap between my perceived reality and the stories photos tell.
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My bike rides this past week
I never know where my bike will take me. I rode five times in the last week, mostly in the morning: 5:00 am, 8:00 am, 3:30 am, 4:20 am, 5:00 pm. Shorter rides are about 13 miles, and longer rides are about 30 miles. With stops, my average speed is about 12-...
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Memorial Day Weekend Recap.
I need to say a little about the weekend, which brought so many Jenkintown families together through shared experiences. There are community experiences and my own experiences that I want to capture. Why here? Because my day to day life can be solitary and...
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Trying to understand digital watercolor for my maps
Yesterday I spent a lot of time working through my own version of "Into the Stars - ArtRage Watercolor Tutorials." The core takeaway was the use of layer textures, and I got a better understanding of Artrage 5 tools. I still have Obi Kaufmann's atlas open o...
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Looking at two state atlases as I think about making a map
I love Obi Kaufmann's atlas, The California Field Atlas. The cover text caught my eye while I was in the Stanford Book Store on Friday. The font seems to be similar to IM Fell, recreated digitally by Igino Marini.
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East Coast Greenway Summit reflections
Following up on the East Coast Greenway Mid-Atlantic Summit last week, here are some notes. Community engagement
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Approaching a life and death issue as a puzzle.
I walked into the Jenkintown Library last month and saw a puzzle in progress in front of the fireplace. It got me thinking about problem solving.
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Vision Zero Philadelphia - 2019 notes and reflections on the keynote presentation.
Yesterday I went to the Bicycle Coalition's Vision Zero Conference instead of going to a basketball game (Jenkintown girls are in the state tournament).
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My NJ Bike Walk Summit Takeaways
In February I met up with Andy Strauss and we biked over to the NJ Bike Walk Summit. Cyndi Steiner and her team who put on the Bike/Walk NJ Summit had a good collection of speakers. I had wanted to write much more about this, but that opportunity has passed.
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Books I like about work - and a link to the privacy hearings
I first listened to the book "Rework" years ago, and recently I listened to "It Doesn't have to be Crazy at Work." These books are by Basecamp's founders. I like the books, and I bought hardcover versions. Tomorrow I'm going to take them to my meeting.
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Australia outback watering hole map on a plate
Sometimes I can learn so much just in our own kitchen at home. This morning, Rona was explaining this watering hole map on a new plate from the Warlukurlangu cooperative. The cooperative is in Alice Springs. The area is vast expanses of red earth, with little...
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Reading John Marshall's Life of Washington
Paul Bunting came by on Friday. He showed me book two of a five book series on Washington and the Revolution, written by John Marshall. And Paul left me with some photocopied pages about Lexington, Concord and Breed's Hill. There was no Paul Revere mentione...
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Drawing - out of my comfort zone
I'm reading a book by Dianne Mize, Finding Freedom to Create - A Painter's Road Map. And yesterday on my walk back from White Horse Coffee Shoppe, I was looking at everything with the possibility of drawing it. Kind of drawing with my hand in the air.
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Installing AutoDesk Inventor on my MacBook Pro
Kate is learning AutoDesk Inventor in an online class at school. The other day, she had to stay late because there's only one computer at school that can run AutoDesk. Earlier in the month, I had installed Windows 10 on my MacBook Pro using Virtualbox. Give...
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Quick duck sketch
I realize that I suck at drawing, but I did draw this based on a photo, not tracing a photo. I don't feel comfortable at all using ArtRage yet.
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Drawing and experimenting my way to better maps
After I finished Cal Newport's book, Digital Minimalism, this morning, I sat down to draw a duck that I photographed on Sunday. I could draw it on paper, but I was using ArtRage. Honestly, I've enjoyed the fact that, in Photoshop, I can rework a photo into so...
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Eliminating barriers to biking the D&L and East Coast Greenway
If you ask someone what they want, I think a culvert isn't going to be high on the list for most people. But this culvert provides a hugely important connection between Morrisville and Bristol on the D&L Canal. People don't know what they've been missing...
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View from my office
I've been meaning to share this perspective for sometime. It was an evening view, from a photo I took from my office window. So, I worked with it in Photoshop this morning.
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WikiMapping is my focus
I traveled to Boston, Cambridge, Scranton, and Wilkes-Barre this week. I met with over 30 people on Monday and Tuesday. The photoshop rendering is based on a photo I took on my walk from downtown Boston to the Cambridge Development Department.
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Galapagos - Jenkintown Connection
As I walked into White Horse Coffee and Creamery today, I saw Mikael Brucker for the first time in Jenkintown. He recently returned from Oregon. We looked at the website he set up for his naturopathy and acupuncture practice:
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Setting up a digital application form
CISV's Philly Chapter moved from paper applications sent in the mail to google forms accessed from the website, philly.cisvusa.org. I created a video to explain the system and answer questions people might have.
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What's taking up my time
There are so many things I could write about. But things come up, and challenges offer learning opportunities. Anyway, my site broke today, and this is about how I got it working (with gratitude towards people I don't know).
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Bread stands on its own
This is what bread can look like. It’s not fancy, but it's everything I want it to be. It’s flour, water, salt and a bit of leftover dough that I had in the fridge from Monday. I can’t really say what kind of flour I used... unbleached probably, or maybe white...
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We must take responsibility
We can engage with people who are running for office, and we must vote. But government isn't some distant land, out of reach to most people. Our elected officials are our neighbors.
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My mushroom retrospective
I take a lot of photos with my camera and have been noticing mushrooms over the last year. Honestly, I don't know anything about mushrooms, but I bought a couple of books. One is about mushrooms in Pennsylvania and the other is on Mycilleum.
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Biking from Jenkintown to Locust Lake - my setup
The photo I kept showing people after my 112 mile ride to Locust Lake was the bike. I really like the Fuji Jari. I’ve tended to ride bikes that I like. These include a several Treks, a Breezer, and a few Dahons.
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Jenkintown to Locust Lake
My GPS stopped at Mile 89. I need to figure that out. Nevertheless, here's my route:
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Protected bike facilities in Galapagos
Many people will go to the Galapagos to see sea lions, blue footed bookies, or giant tortoises. Going there is like taking a biology and earth science class outdoors. There was plenty of other wildlife.
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A bike ride and a hike, August 12
The most basic reason I ride is connect with my surroundings. Bats flew overhead as I biked near the June Fete Grounds. A couple of days before that, I saw a red fox by Abington High School. There are places close to Jenkintown where you bike through the wo...
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Jenkintown bike ride - loop along Pennypack in Montgomery County
After working much of day on the Chapel Hill Bike & Greenways Map, I headed out on PJ's Fuji Jari. For this version of the ride, I mostly kept to quiet streets, bike lanes, and trails to create a 15 mile loop.
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Lancaster County B&B and Bike Ride along the Susquehanna
Sandi and I decided to ride bicycles along the Susquehanna River. Sandi found the Susquehanna Manor Inn Bed & Breakfast in Marietta, PA online. It's a short bike ride to the NW Lancaster County River Trail.
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My Philly CISV USA parent experience
Our daughters have traveled places like Quito, Vancouver, Voss, Paris, and São Paulo. They've developed friendships with youth their age from all over the world. Jessica is advocating for a family vacation in Hungary. Kate introduced us to her friend's fami...
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So, What's your podcast? What's my podcast?
I caught the train into Center City. Pat Flynn, the keynote speaker at Podcast Movement, the largest podcasting conference ever, hosted a breakfast for about 20 fans, and I'm definitely one of them. And I have been since around 2012. Pat's Smart Passive Inc...
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Bike trip in the Netherlands and Denmark
My friend Andy and his wife Diane are flying over to Amsterdam to do a bike tour. They are going to buy bikes at Kees Fiets Shop in the seaside town of Noordwjik and then bike up into Denmark. At the end of their trip, they will either sell the bikes or ship...
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Books, beer and bikes after Midnight
"So how did we end up reading this book?" Dave asked. I'd done OK with my previous book pick. In choosing between Clive Cussler's The Gray Ghost, Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude , and three other books, it was apparent that I...
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Good morning, Vernon Rd and Spring Ave
My morning routine includes a short walk sometime between 5:00 and 8:00 am if I am not biking or swimming. Below are some notes from today.
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Our Alvethorpe Park picnic, and my reflections on fellowship
It wasn't planned. Well, I told my daughter to meet me at the church picnic/softball game. She biked there while I picked up some ice on the way. But I saw two bikes parked at the Alvethorpe Park pavillion, and the second one was Sandy Hull's.
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Biking with Grace - Thanks Judy Dwyer
Judy Dwyer served as an interim pastor at Grace Presbyterian Church in Jenkintown over the last two years, and this past Sunday was her final Sunday. She grew up in our congregation, and it was wonderful to have her return.
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My thoughts on the Garmin 820 GPS for turn-by-turn directions
Using a printed map helps me develop a spatial relationship to a place, but a GPS that offers turn by turn navigation can introduce me new routes and reduce the time that I stop to figure out where I am.
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Let's get lunch! - A Ride into Center City Philadelphia
In June, I biked into Center City, stopped by Campbell Thomas & Company for a nice chat with Bob, and then met up with Justin to get lunch at Hey Hummus and compare gravel bikes. My route took me through the Wissahickon, which was undergoing some reconstru...
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Bicycling on Old York Road to Abington Hospital
Abington Hospital is 1.35 miles north of my house in Jenkintown Borough. Parking at the hospital costs $4. Driving takes under 10 minutes. But so does bicycling.
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A bike plan "Must Have" - Cycling without age
I am getting inspired by YouTube videos such as this one, Cycling Without Age. I'm looking for people who want to invest in an electric assist rickshaw. We could go to assisted living centers in the Jenkintown area and offer people rides.
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Biking thoughts - Gravel, family ride, speed notes, etc.
My ride up around the D&H in May reminded me of how awesome the dirt roads are in NE Pennsylvania. So that I can plan some rides, I added a gravel overlay. On this, I can draw potential routes that use mostly gravel and get an approximate mileage.
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Municipal bike plans for Montgomery County
Now that Montgomery County has a bike plan, it is up to municipalities in the county to create their own. It's true that bike plans can be expensive, but they don't need to cost anything.
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Kids bicycling in Jenkintown
Jenkintown Borough (not necessarily 19046) is a decent place for kids to bike with the exception of Walnut Street and Old York Road. My girls like to do a loop to Alvethorpe Park or to bike to the Glenside Farmers Market on a Saturday morning.
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Montgomery County presented its bike plan today
I'm going to keep this short, but I want to let people know that the Montco PA Bike Plan is now online. It's significant for a few reasons.
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Early Jenkintown Maps
At a recent Old York Road Historical Society open house, I bought two maps from the 1870's, one of Montgomery County and one of Pennsylvania. These are from an atlas and more for data. They have a cloth backing. I haven't looked at them since.
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Meeting with Paul Bunting
Paul Bunting came over to my house the other day to talk about history and to look at maps from philageohistory.org. Paul's interest in history that has broadened my perspectives. Paul finds something of interest, such as a patent document or book. Then he as...
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"Are you going to get out on your bike today?"
At Be Well Cafe this morning, Sean asked, "Are you going to get out on your bike today?" I replied that I have too much work. I'm designing maps of Chapel Hill and the D&H Trail.
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Montco PA's bike plan - my thoughts
I teach cartography at Temple University. Students bike several miles to get to class and I see professors riding electric bikes. There are ample bike racks outside Gladfelter Hall filled with lots of bikes. When I was in grad school in the early 1990's, we...
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Montco Trail Challenge notes
Over Memorial Day Weekend 2018, I biked on all the trails in my county. These are my notes and photos.