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. This past weekend, my daughter and I biked from the Trexlertown velodrome to Bowers Park. We stopped at Jason’s Bike Shop, shown here. Our route two-lane roads passed by wheat fields […]
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 trails around the reservoir that work well for day hikes. There’s boat rental on […]
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.In this version, I added a few more route options and a couple of campsites. The Speakeasy is supposedly developing a campsite. It’s just […]
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 Trail north from Simpson. This is […]
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 and outdoor experiences in close proximity without the dominance of car traffic. I value the French village […]
“How do you feel?” Sandi asked this morning. I’d just gotten the Covid vaccine yesterday.”Great!” I replied. Only I wasn’t thinking of the vaccine. I was thinking about the effects of the last couple of weeks on my body – mostly vegetables and no processed sugar.On our drive home from getting the vaccine we listened […]
We visited Tempe, AZ, so I decided to focus on Arizona’s landscape for a few days. While there, I started working on some maps to convey the sense of my experience. We went out on a pontoon boat through the Salt River Canyon, but much of Arizona is desert, so I learned more about these. […]
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 understand the past in a way […]
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.This morning I wanted to capture a different feel. And I worked with a basic Impasto Oil in Affinity Photo. The scene is Treasure […]
Here’s what I’m listening to these days. 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). Shawn’s from Ferguson, Missouri. And as the experience of racial profiling and more has come to dominate the news, I […]