We were biking in the mountains, and my daughter Kate said she wanted to bike where it is flat.Yesterday, Kate planned out our route from Albany to Niagara Falls. I’m redesigning the maps for the Cycling the Erie Canal guide book, and I’m trying to figure out how to make the trip work this summer. […]
Sometimes you do things, and it seems like no big deal. Then at other times, the same thing can seem like a big deal. This morning I biked into Center City and the over the Greys Ferry Bridge. I headed to the Cobbs Creek Trail in southwest Philadelphia to see how it traverses beneath a […]
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. What follows probably isn’t of interest to anybody, but this is a glimpse of what I’m up to at […]
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. The Baedeker’s Guide has more interesting information as well as somewhat mundane information. […]
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. But I didn’t spend the weekend alone. I was at a retreat where I got to talk with old friends who brought me bicycle […]
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. Making a map gives me a way to think about both people and places.
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. I made this image this morning starting with small section of the Equal Earth […]
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.It would be nice to look through more photos. One morning though, […]
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 purification and air quality restoration […]
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. The other night I took some photos, mostly along York Road. You’ll see the places like Wells Fargo […]