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. Looking up into the sky from the 20 oz sleeping bag I was testing, this is what I saw at 4:02 am shortly before getting up to bike the […]
Last fall I posted about our bike ride from Jenkintown to New York City. This morning I wanted to make a digital pencil sketch map of the trip. My goal was it give some landmarks and have some sense of geography by using the coastline and major water areas. I’d rather be outside than sitting […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 magazine that my Grandfather was editor of, The Highway […]
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. I decided to create a watershed map of Pennsylvania. Maybe it would be useful. This is what I came up with. I think […]