The Saturday Morning Post: Take a Walk With Me

One of my goals for this year was to walk 45 minutes a day. Almost immediately I dropped into a pattern of walking for an hour or more most days.  

I walk outside if the weather is pleasant.  One disadvantage of living on this hill, is most of the time walking outside involves driving someplace, or taking the subway to someplace, to walk.  The steep hill, is too steep.  

If the weather is unpleasant, I walk on the treadmill in the gym just across the drive from the building we live in.  I take my IPad, with WiFi I am able to watch Youtube videos while I walk, 60 minutes, at 5% of more incline, between 2.2 and 2.4 miles per hour.  

When we are out of town, I still try to walk everyday.  I like walking airports, city streets, and well maintained trails. In Chicago we explored the tunnels that connect a bunch of buildings below street level.  There is a blogger who may well recognise the tunnel above, it connects a parking garage to a major medical center. 

Walking clears my mind, keeps my body moving, burns 500-600 calories an hour.  It gets me fresh air, and often sunshine.  It is me time. 

I walk at my own pace, stop randomly, and don't keep track of those around me.  I may not be the best person to walk with. If you are too fast, I will get frustrated, if you are slow I will walk away leaving you behind. Sweet Bear has a long running collection of photos of me walking away. 

Walking is good for me.   

100 Ways to Slightly Improve Your Travel Experience: #21 things to take with you

There is nothing more frustrating than finding a lose thread, not having anything to cut it with, pulling on it and making it worse, or trying to open packaging and not having anything to cut it with.  I carry a tiny pair of scissors with me when I travel.  About 20 years ago I saw these in a shop at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and thought those are cute, I could have used those yesterday, and if I buy those and add them to my travel shaving kit, every time
I see them or use them, I will be reminded of this wonderful adventure.  

I carry a corkscrew/bottle opener with me.   I was in San Francisco a few years ago, and my corkscrew broke off.  The next afternoon I was in the Ferry Terminal Market, and went into a really nice kitchen supply shop on the water side and bought this one.  Every time I use it, it reminds me of a delightful time in San Francisco.

I love exploring markets when I travel, and sometimes at the end of a long day of board (bored) meetings all I really want to do is grab a nice salad and go back to the hotel room.  The challenge is cutting cheese with a plastic knife, or eating a salad with a flimsy plastic fork, or even worse a bamboo fork.  So in my travel kit is a french folding knife,  these are a little expensive but durable, and a knife, fork and spoon made from titanium.  The knife, fork, and spoon weigh next to nothing and are virtually indestructible (you can buy all of these on Amazon.) These things wash easily. 

These items are not suitable for carry on for the airlines.  I almost always check a bag and these go in kit of full size toiletries in my checked bag. In my carry on kit, I have a small pair of nail clippers, a surprisingly versatile tool and small enough to clear security at the airport.       

The Thursday Ramble: Catalpas Trees

 On the farm I grew up on, my grandparents lived around the corner, so almost a quarter of a mile away, in the original farm house.  When they purchased the farm, the house was rather rustic.  They had new wiring installed, a new well and plumbing. Enclosed part of the front porch to add an indoor bathroom.  Stripped and varnished the 100 year old oak trim and most of the interior doors. Installed new oak hardwood floors.  Had central heating installed.  In short they made a 1950's home inside the shell of a farmhouse from the 1850s. 

The house set back 200-250 feet from the road.  The driveway was gravel, with two tire tracks and grass growing up between the two.  

On the east side of the driveway was my grandfathers vegetable garden, a couple of acres of strawberries, corn, tomato's, green and yellow beans, green peppers, carrots, beets, rhubarb and anything else they wanted to grow. He would spend hours in the summer sun tilling and weeding.  My grandmother would pressure can the harvest. 

Along the west side of the driveway was a line of Catalpas Trees, that then turned along the road side and continued almost all the way to the corner.  The trees had been planted probably probably at the turn of the century - 1900 that is, by the previous owners.  The trees were massive and nearing the end of their lifespan. 

Catalpas trees have huge heart shaped leaves, 10-12 inches in length. The leaves are smooth and shiny on one side, and rough textures like a cats tongue on the back side. And through the summer and into the fall the trees produce seed pods that are about as big around as a pencil, and 10-20 inches long.   

Whenever I see a catalpa tree, it takes me back to that long driveway and those massive trees.   

My World of Wonders aka The Wednesday Ws August 28, 2024

What have I been up to?  Not much, it has been nice to be home for a week. I finished up a writing project, did a little shopping, finished a painting. 

HoW have I been feeling? Kind of crappy, a late summer head cold and a bit of a cough. An additional reason to nap and stay close to home. 

Who have I talked with? My sweet bear, Spo, Jim - a lawyer buddy, 

Where have I been? The farmers market, Aldi, the gym for treadmill time, the library, the Bourbon store, out to lunch. 

Who have I reached out to?  Paula - the dear sister-in-law in Cleveland, a couple of other family members. 

What did I find?  A Bolex 16mm movie camera.  A Youtuber posted about using one, borrowed from a friend.  I want it send it to him. I bought one at a garage sale over 40 years ago, that I have never used. Except when I went to send it, I couldn't find it.  I figured I had tossed it out. When we were packing for Chicago, I went looking for a cable, and there it was, in the back corner of the wrong drawer. Not where it should have been, in the last place I would have looked for it.  I am going to try to get if packed and shipped this week.  

What else did I do this week? Back in the early 1960's my father and a friend restored and flew a Fairchild 24 for a couple of years.  It was sold when I was in the first grade. A couple of my earliest memories are tied to the plane.  My father carried a photo of it in his wallet the rest of his life.  It is safe to say he loved that plane.  Seven years ago, I checked the FAA registration records and the plane was listed as in storage in new England.  I checked recently, and it is now in Florida, with a current registration.  I mailed the current owner a copy of the photo, and copies of my father's flight logs from when he flew it in the early 60's.  A little history, on an airplane that is nearly 90 years old. 

What am I ranting about this week? The lack of news reporting.  I truly miss Walter Cronkite, Peter Jenning, Huntley and Brinkley - journalists who reported the facts, and if it was commentary, set that apart clearly labeled as such.  I miss newspapers that had real reporters, who researched stories and verified sources, they have been replaced by thousands of freelancers, who vary vastly in the level of accuracy. I miss news editors that verified facts, corrected grammar, and would kill a story that lacked credibility. Makes go huhh! 5 out of 5 huhhs this week. 

What is my Wish for the week?  One last wave of summer heat, the pool is open through the 13th, I am hoping for a few more warm afternoon floats.  

 

Travel Tuesday: Another Trip Around the Sun

Long long ago, very early in the morning, after keeping my mother and the nurses awake most of the night, with thunderstorms raging outside, I emerged into this world on this day. It was the beginning of an adventure that continues to this day. 

It was my grandfather's birthday, and my grandparents wedding anniversary. 

This past year has been a good one.  I have been in relatively good health.  I have traveled a lot. I have had fun writing.  I am painting, taking photos and playing in the kitchen. I retired from work. We are settling into a peaceful life. 

I am looking forward to another trip around the sun. 

Monday Moods documenting history

I was reading a book recently about two photographers who funded by grants traveled across the United States in 1955-56 documenting post war America.  The authors had done extensive research, the photographers are long dead. The researchers looked at everything they could find, talked with others who knew the photographers, looked at the images, over 40,000 between the two photographers (30,000 from one, 10,000 from the other.) 

One of them had carefully documented his travels, where he went, how he got there, where he stayed, who he met and talked with, in addition to technical notes on the photos he took.  The other one recorded technical data and location, but little else in a formal effort to document his trip. But he did keep a personal journal with near daily entries of what he was feeling and thinking.  The journal was not a deliberate effort to document his travels, but proved invaluable in reconstructing his history. 

I have not kept a daily journal or diary in decades.  But I do have a daily blog.  A gathering of images and words that probably track my adventure.  Looking back at past postings, I can tell when I was happy, when I was stressed, when I was grieving.  It shows in the words and the selection of images.  The blog is documenting my history.  Not that anyone will ever want to reconstruct it.  But my history for the past almost 19 years is here for all to see.  

So my mood this Monday?  I am taking no shit from anyone.  

The Sunday Five: Who are we

1: What household pet most describes you? 

2: What barnyard animal most describes you? 

3: What drink most describes you? 

4: What kind of a tree could we plant to represent you? 

5: What insect represents your life? 

My Answers: 

1: What household pet most describes you?  A cat, I am warm, but can be hard to connect with. 

2: What barnyard animal most describes you? A sheep, sweet but fragile. 

3: What drink most describes you? Iced coffee, cold and stimulating. 

4: What kind of a tree could we plant to represent you? A sugar Maple, hard and sweet. 

5: What insect represents your life? Has to be a honeybee, I grew up with them, treat them with respect and you will be fine, cross them and you get stung. 

Please share your answers in the comments, your first thought if always the best answer.  No bull! 

The Saturday Morning Post: Layers and Focus

Many years ago, I bought a book titled "Creative Color Photography" by Robin Perry. (I just Googled it, and it is still trading as a used book.) He was a creative genius of his time, a self-promoter, and offered workshops and mentoring. I was jealous of the Jaguar that he drove. 

A little internet searching reveals that he published several books, over 200 articles, traveled the world to lecture, was married six times, and died in 2005 in Florida.   

One if his techniques was to layer images. Working with film this was done by double exposures, or his preferred way was to shoot multiple images carefully planned to be stacked on top of one another in the printing process.  The results were creative, often other worldly. Today this work would be done by stacking multiple digital images in software, controlling the density of each layer.   

For some reason the image above reminded me of this method, and reminded me of a book I read nearly 50 years ago, and possessed for decades.  When we sold the other house, I parted with all or nearly all of my photography books. Including this one.  

This image was shot into the dirty windows and a multiplex theater that closed in 2020, and has not reopened. You can see the blurry interior, a neon sign still glowing, my reflection in the window, and behind that the reflection of a hotel across the parking lot. 

It is an image of empty commercial property that was built in an era of over building, whose day has not returned, may not return, but the owners have not given up hope, keeping the lights on waiting for the people to return.  

100 Ways to Slightly Improve Your Travel Experience: #20 Take a Map With You

Before heading out to a new city, state, or country, find a good map, spend time becoming familiar with it, and take the map with you. I have a box of maps for places we have visited.  

I always try to locate the hotel, and major transit options on the map before I leave home.  If the city has public transit, I familiarize myself with the nearest stations and major routes. 

I prefer a map that fits in my pocket.  I love the Popout Maps, at one time these maps were everywhere, the publisher has changed and the the maps are now published for a smaller number of locations.  The maps fold to fit in a pocket and open inside to show a lot of detail.  Second is the plastic coated city or regional maps. The coating not only makes them somewhat water resistant, it also helps with folding. 

For larger areas, especially when you are driving, paper maps are often the best option.  Sometimes I need more than one, a large area map for the big picture, and a more local map for details.   

Most hotels have local area maps, these can be really helpful in finding local attractions and places to eat.  Just ask, they are almost always free.  In Tenerife we stopped by the tourist office, picked up a great local map and some tips on places to see.  

The Thursday Ramble: Back Home Again

August has been an intense month.  Five fun days in Chicago, seeing old friends, and past co-workers.  Networking, and eating. Home for a few days, then driving to Cleveland. Five nights in Cleveland, important time spent with with dear family, ending with a once in a lifetime event. Home for a few days, then back to Cleveland for Ed's funeral. We returned home late on Tuesday evening.  Now we are home, for a few weeks.  

With the timing of the flights, and limited time we were gone on this last trip, it was easier and actually a couple of dollars cheaper to drive to the airport and park.  The moon was rising over the terminal at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport as we were headed back to the car Tuesday evening.  Too special of a sight to not grab a quick photo on my phone.  

I missed many blogs on Monday and Tuesday.  I traveled light on this short trip, no camera other than my phone, no laptop or tablet computer went with me on this most recent trip.  I knew I would not have a lot of time for you all, and a lot of time was spent with family. 

I am not a big fan of the stuffed corpse in a box, but the funeral home did make Ed look good.  It was a challenge, he was in pretty bad shape when he died.  I had written a rather detailed post about his last days, and decided it was too hard of reading for many.  It is for the book. 

My thought for this Thursday ramble.  Enjoy each day.  Take the unexpected curve in the road.  Allow yourself and others time when the unexpected happens, it happens to all of us.  Be kind to yourself. Do good work, help others live a better life.  Follow the adventure, and it is always nice to arrive home again.  

My World of Wonders aka The Wednesday Ws August 21, 2024

Where have I been? Home, the grocery store, the farmers market, the gym, the condo Community Center, the airport, Cleveland, and back home again. 

What are the photos above?  The Arts group here at the condo is hosting a show, of work by residents, with a theme of Splash of Color. There are 19 artists in the show. I have three paintings in the show. 

What is new? I have have been asked to be the legal editor for a consumer publication for Harvard Medical School. 

What am I reading? An Agatha Christie novel.  It is time to go back to the library for a new reading stack. 

When is the next event?  I have a birthday coming up next week. 

Who have I heard from? Mitchel, John, Blobby, Karen, Jim, Susan and Anna, and lots of family. 

Who deserves a big Thank You! Neighbors who help out when we are away, and away again, and away again. 

What surprises me? The number of wonderful comments on my little blog.  

What made me go, huh! The Priest presiding at the funeral Mass, was wearing Crocks.  If you have seen the old British comedy Father Ted.  Three out of Five, Huhs! 

What is my Wish for the week? That we all find our purpose in life. 

Later edit: 

What reminded me of kindness? On the way back to the hotel from the funeral home late on Monday we stopped at McDonalds for a little comfort food.  There was an older person in the dining room, dressed in a hooded winter coat on a warm August evening, talking - really arguing with herself.  A wheelchair sat next to her, piled full of bags of belongings.  She gathered up her stuff, and leaning on the wheelchair as she pushed it ahead of her, started out the door.  The door was pushing back against her almost harder than she could push against it.  The young employee who was mopping the floor, set aside his work, and held the door for her, then went ahead of her and held open the outer vestibule door.  That was not his job, just a little human kindness. for a fellow human who appeared to be having a difficult night.  McDonalds should promote him to CEO of kindness.  

Travel Tuesday: Grant Park in Chicago

 

Monday Mood: Recognizing Our Bias

Some fragile snowflake prison guard in Colorado is suing saying he was injured by mandatory diversity training, that made him feeling bad about being white. The training made him aware that humans are inherently bias.  When we see another person, our brains start to  attach expectations or beliefs to that person based on their appearance.  If those expectations or beliefs are negative, we see those as being prejudicial of the person.  

We all do this.  We see person's gender, and attach to them expectations, values, and behaviours based on the gender appearance.  

Much of our bias, is helpful, streamlining social interaction. But negative associations based on appearance, hinder social interaction and lead to us treating good and helpful people, as though they are the enemy. 

Becoming aware of bias, allows us to counter our thoughts when interacting with others.  Awareness is an essential stage in learning and developing new habits. Change is sometimes painful.  Learning that we can be wrong, that others can be different than we expected, maybe even recognizing that we have treated others unfairly before we even knew them. 

As to the snowflakes lawsuit.  There is a rule in US federal courts, Rule 11, allowing the Judge to assess costs, including the cost of opposing counsel when the case is baseless or frivolous.  If I were the judge I would ask for detailed briefs on Rule 11 sanctions.  

Post Script:

Reading through this, I thought I should offer an example of positive bias.  If I see a neighbor walking with a walker or walking frame, my brain assumes that it would be helpful to hold the door open for the person, that the person might move a little slower. I have at times been that person, and yes it is helpful.  

 

The Sunday Five: Drinks

1: A martini, vodka, or gin? 

2: Shaken or stirred? 

3: Strained or on ice? 

4: Olives? 

5: Ever before 5 PM? 

My answers: 

1: A martini, vodka, or gin? Gin, unless there is another flavor involved then vodka - never water down good Gin. 

2: Shaken or stirred? Shaken.

3: Strained or on ice? Strained or as they describe it here, strait-up.

4: Olives? Yes, please.

5: Ever before 5 PM? I haven't, maybe I should try that. 

In Wales and in Ireland, bartenders had no idea how to make a martini. They kept wanting to water down good Gin with tonic - what a waste. 

Please share your answers in the comments. 

The Saturday Morning Post: Do You Have The Time?

Over the years, I have read several books about time, I recently read one about clocks and timekeeping.  For most of us, measured time rules our lives.  We allow measured time to regulate what we do in each day. 

There is natural time, the earth rotates causing the sun to rise and set, night to darken and morning to lighten.  The earth's trip around the sun takes about 365 sunrises. Before man measured time into hours, months, and years, this was how the passage of time was marked.  The sun rose and set, darkness fell and dawn broke through.  The seasons passed with warmth, and cold, rain and dry. 

Then there is measured time.  A construct of the human mind. Breaking each cycle down into measured parts. Someone decided on 24 hours in a day, and 60 minutes in an hour, why not 10 hours in a day, and 100 minutes in an hour? The number of sunrises and sunsets in a trip around the sun, is set by nature. Why 360 degrees in the compass and not 365? 

We then allow measured time to regulate our behavior.  Setting sleep time, awakening time, work time, by an artificial standard, that for many has little to do with anything other than the clock.  We clock in, or have set work hours, that don't necessarily correlate the nature of the work that we are there to do. 

Farmers have a strong sense of the clock not being in sync with the cadence of life. Fields are worked during daylight hours, cows want milking based on cow biology, that is more tied to sunrise and sunset than to the hours on a clock they most likely don't bother to read. Modern dairy farms allow the cows to come in for milking when the cow wants to come in for milking, and only alerts the farmer if there is a significant change indicating that the cow might be feeling unwell. A farmers time of work and rest, changes with the seasons, not with the clock. 

Why don't we let life regulate our time, and not the clock. 

100 Ways to Slightly Improve Your Travel Experience: #19 Explore Public Transit Before You Leave Home

 Especially when traveling to large cities, public transit is often the best way to get around town.  In many cities, airports and train stations are connected to local public transit.  Search for the airport or station and look for the page on how to get to and from the station or airport.  

Even cities that have a limited transit network often have a train from the airport to downtown. Three surprises in the United States, Atlanta has a good train from the airport to downtown, St. Louis has a light rail connection from the airport to downtown, and Minneapolis St Paul has a light rail connection from the airport to downtown. I have used all three of these.  

I prefer trains or subway systems to buses.  Especially when I am toting luggage.  

If a rail connection is available, it will always be cheaper than a taxi, and often be faster.  

When searching before you go, you want to look at the network, where does it go to and from, the schedule, and the pricing.  Some cities offer tourist passes that include much of the system. The pass in San Francisco even includes the cable cars.  Increasingly tickets are available on a smart phone app, and can be purchased before you leave home.  Some of the apps include real time status on the trains and buses to help you know when the next ride is headed your way.  

The Thursday Ramble: Asking for a Favor

I am going to break my own rule about never talking about religion, sex, or politics. 

Religion, you are free to have your own, but please don't try to impose your religion on others.  If you want to see examples of what happens when you mix religion and politics, look at Iran, or Afghanistan. 

Sex, well I was never very good at, and others do a much better job of talking about sex than I ever could.  

If you haven't heard there is a Presidential Election coming up soon in the United States. All elections are important, this one seems especially important.  

Many would say this is one of the most important Presidential elections in many years here in the United States. Voter turnout is critically important in this election.   

There is a simple principle of human nature, Barack Obama's campaign captured this brilliantly, when we have a personal stake in the election, we are much more likely to follow through and vote on election day.  His campaign asked for small donations, less than $10, and received them from millions of voters who had never before made a campaign donation, then those important contributors showed up on election day and voted.  The big dollar donors get the press, on election day, they are just one vote, the same as the person who gave  $7, one vote. You and your small donation are just as important as some windbag wanna be billionaire (looking at you Elon.)

So the favor, make a small donation to your favorite Presidential Candidate today.* Click the button for other amount, $5, $10, $20 the amount is not as important as the personal commitment to be a part of the process of charting the future of our country. 

I have done this, please join me in making an affordable donation today, and in voting on election day.  

* Rules You Must be:

• I am a U.S. citizen or lawfully admitted permanent resident (i.e., green card holder).
• This contribution is made from my own funds, and funds are not being provided to me by another person or entity for the purpose of making this contribution.
• I am at least eighteen years old.
• I am not a federal contractor.
• I am making this contribution with my own personal credit card and not with a corporate or business credit card or a card issued to another person. 

My World of Wonders, aka The Wednesday Ws, August 14th 2024

Where have I been? The Cleveland Clinic, heart institute.

Why? Sweet Bear's oldest brother had surgery four weeks ago and it has not gone well.  He was semi conscious, on a ventilator, dialysis, liver insufficiency, infections, the whole 9 yards. 

What did I observe for the first time? Life supports being disconnected and someone die. It was very peaceful and surprisingly swift. 

Who have I spent time with? Paula, Ed, Tim, Diane, John, Todd, lots of family.  

What have I been eating?  Hampton Inn breakfasts, Italian, a great salad or two, more Italian, Nuts - we went to the factory outlet for the King Nut Company.  Peterson's King Nut packages many of the snacks served on airlines. The factory outlet is near the hotel we stayed in. 

What is next? The funeral will not be for a few days, we will be returning to Cleveland soon. 

What else? I have three paintings going into a community art exhibit opening this coming weekend.   

When is the next adventure?  September. 

Who deserves a big THANK YOU! The nurses.  They do amazing work under difficult conditions. I don't how they keep all of those pumps and monitors working. 

HoW am I doing?  Okay, kind of quiet and reflective. 

What am I thinking about? Writing the book, that I have said I would never do.  I have spent 30+ years reading everything I can find on health care decision making and end of life care. I have seen it done well, and not well. I did volunteer work for hospice for several years.  I don't know if I will commit the time to 250 pages of text, I should. Kind of like writing another blog over the course of a year or so. 

What else? I am looking forward to the last few weeks in the outdoor pool, it closes in early September. I may move onto the indoor pool. Time in the water seems to be therapeutic for me. 

What is my Wish for the week? That American politics continues to move forward in good ways (more on this tomorrow) and a few days at home. 

Travel Tuesday: Chicago August 2024

Lots of new large residential buildings in Chicago 

The Wriggly Building and Chicago Tribune Buildings are wonderful classics

Sunrise over the Lake, from the Hyatt on Wacker.

Raddison Blue 

The crowd is waiting to enter Lalapozza 

 

Monday Mood: Reflections on life

We have been visiting a dear family member in the hospital. Looking into the eyes of someone trapped in the no mans land between life and death.  

Illness and injury impact not just the person, but also their loved one's. Our absence leaves others to carry on. 

Debilitating changes can happen suddenly, or develop slowly over time. Modern medicine and surgery can prolong life, or delay death, but nothing can prevent death and "save a life." Our presence on this earth is limited in time. 

Trying to live today, as if you will live forever, is often a waste of today.  

Live today, as though it might be your last chance to live, to love, to enjoy.  Embrace your life . . . your day.  Savor each day with things that bring joy and happiness.  Treat others as you wish to be treated. 

Make choices that are best for you. Respect the choices that others make. They have their reasons. Their beliefs to base their choices on. 

So my mood, reminded of what really is important in life. 

Sunday Five: At The Beach

1: How close is the nearest place for you to swim? 

2: Will you go into the ocean? 

3: Have you seen a black sand beach? 

4: Have you been to a clothing optional or nude beach? 

5: Do you lay in the sun? 

My answers:

1: How close if the nearest place for you to swim? Across the drive behind the building, the condo has indoor and outdoor pools. 

2: Will you go into the ocean? Yes, but it has been a few years. 

3: Have you seen a black sand beach? Yes in Iceland and the Canary Islands. 

4: Have you been to a clothing optional or nude beach? Yes, the north end of Canaveral National Seashore in Florida.  

5: Do you lay in the sun? Not really my thing any longer. 

Please share your answers in the comments. 

The Saturday Morning Post: A place to call home

There are a group of angry young people who are convinced that the reason they can't find an affordable home, is because we baby boomers insist on aging in homes that we love and enjoy.  To some extent baby boomers are responsible for the difficulty in affordable housing, but the objection is to the result, not the cause of a widespread shortage of housing for sale in the United States (and Great Britain.) 

Part of the cause, is a social reform movement before the baby boomers were born to eliminate substandard housing in cities.  Crowded urban housing was often unsafe and unsanitary, but rather than address the health and safety issues, the reformers pushed the idea that the only "proper" home was a free standing home, with a garden space around it.  The reformers posited that crowding led to drunkenness and immoral behaviour.  Somehow the reformers thought that living 30 feet from your neighbor would prevent adultery.  Higher density housing was seen a breeding ground for crime, and immoral behaviour. This belief mated well with racism, leading to housing codes that made housing unaffordable for many. 

There are three aspects of housing codes that drive up housing prices. 

First is limiting land available for development. Yes green space is pretty, but limiting land available for development, drives up the price of the land that is available. The economic law of supply applies here.  If we increase the supply, and demand remains constant, prices will drop to meet demand.  We need to allow higher density and mixed use development (the community above has been high density and mixed use for over 1,000 years - and I would move there in a heartbeat.) 

The next set of factors are minimum lot sizes and minimum home size. The larger the minimum lot size, the higher the cost. The larger the home, the higher the cost. These factors have been misused for decades to make housing unaffordable. 

The third factor is costs added onto land, bricks and mortar to build new housing.  These include utility connection costs, and in many communities "impact fees" charged for the issuance of a building permit to fund building community infrastructure such as roads, schools, parks, water and sewer facilities.  These can add tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of each new home built.  

How to lower housing costs and promote home ownership: 

• Increase the land available for development 
• Allow higher density development and mixed use development
• Let the market determine home size 
• Tax all property to pay for needed community services such as schools, parks, streets, libraries, and utilities.  We all benefit from them.  We all benefit from growing healthy communities.  

Sorry to bore many of you, this was a rant that has been building for sometime and needed to get out. 

100 Ways to Slightly Improve Your Travel Experience: #18 Don't Even Think About Driving in a Major City

 

I learned this one the hard way in 1990.  I flew from Florida to London and rented a car to drive into the city.  How else would I get into the city?  I got lost, traffic was unbelievably bad and unbelievably confusing.  When I see Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace, I have driven past those.  I finally paid a taxi driver to show me the way to the hotel, parked the car and didn't move it again until I went back to the airport a week later. 

I have driven in and out of Chicago, but I avoid it if I can.  I am very careful about driving into Washington DC, going when I know traffic will be manageable.  

A few years ago my one and only cousin went to France for the 24-hour race at LeMans. The trip started with four days in Paris.  I advised him to not rent a car until he was headed to LeMans, take a train out of the city and rent a car.  He ignored me.  24 hours and several parking tickets later, he took the car back to the airport and returned it to the rental company. Picking up another car on the way to LeMans.  He said that first 24 hours, he spent 6 hours searching for a parking space, then picked up parking tickets every place he parked. 

Traffic is a nightmare in major cities.  Parking is hard to find and expensive when you do find it in many cities.  Enjoy your travel experience, don't drive into headaches. 

Thursday Ramble: Blogging, Bloggers, Comments, Spammers and Trolls

I blog because I enjoy doing it. It is a chance to share some the photos I take, a place to vent about what is on my mind, and blogging obligates me to work on my writing.  I hope to continue doing this as long as I have something to show, or say and the ability to do so. 

I have met some wonderful people through blogging, several in person who have become dear friends, others only online that I enjoy trading messages with.  I hope to meet more bloggers in person.   

There are a few bloggers that I have given up on.  Some are too eager to share their political views (I have to be careful on this front, I have crossed the line a time or two,) some simply have a bad attitude about life and spend too much time complaining that others had it easier than they did, or obsessed with the unimportant things in life.  I delete their bookmarks and seldom if ever read their posts. 

I have grown intolerant of racism, sexism, classism, and a whole list of other "isms."  There are a few bloggers that from time to time post things that offend me. Not all of the time, but from time to time.  Most of the time I just read the post and move on.  Commenting telling them how wrong they are is troll behaviour. Sometimes those posts inspire me to write a post for my blog, offering a different point of view.  

I love comments. Occasionally I receive comments that are unkind.  The comment may be a misunderstood attempt at humor.  I think every comment deserves a reply. My reply to a rude comment is most often a generic thanks for commenting.  Once in a while I will respond explaining why I think the comment is offensive.  I try to limit this, as some commenters will take that as meaning I don't welcome or like them. When I talk with bloggers and go over my list of bloggers friends, I often hear "I don't think he likes me." This is triggered by a strong response to a comment that the blogger found offensive - and people taking the response personally. The response was most likely appropriate. 

Trolls are mean, evil, nasty people who find joy in making ugly comments to others.  I have been lucky in that I have had few of these over the years, and never one that hung around and kept coming back.  The best advice I have for dealing with trolls, is don't feed them.  They feed on responses in kind.  Deescalate, the louder they get, the quieter the response should be.  

Spammers I have no use for.  When they find me, they usually post comments on several posts.  I simply go into comments, report them as spam, and permanently delete them. I truly wish I could block them as some come back from time to time. If they want to advertise on my blog, they can contract with Google and buy ad space.  

I have to check the Spam filter in Blogger regularly.  The filter catches some of the real spam, but more often it catches comments from my blog friends, it even catches some of my responses to your comments on my blog.  If you post a real comment, and it does not appear, give me a day or two, I don't check everyday, I will release you from blogger prison as soon as I can.  You can use the message box to let me know that you have a comment missing.  

My World of Wonders aka The Wednesday Ws August 7, 2024

Where have I been? Chicago, to spend a couple of days with my fellow wizards, former co-worker, and friends. 

Who have I talked with?  Jim, Emily, Loraine, Erica, Amy, Holly, Jacob, Eric, Robert, Karen, I will never name them all, lots and lots of dear friends.  We went out to dinner with Justin, and old friend of the Sweet Bear. 

What have I seen? The area around the north end of Grant Park, the Chicago River, a nice walk up Michigan Avenue.  I didn't have a lot of free time, and the weather was warm and very humid.  

Which Hotel did we stay at?  The Hyatt Regency on Wacker in Chicago.  It has been updated since I was there last fall, and is looking good. 

When is the next adventure?  September, I need to get ready to attend the wedding of a dear friend on that trip. 

What am I working on?  The second edit of a report, and reading a book I need to review in the next week or so. It is a short book. 

How is everyone? My sister has had all restrictions lifted by her doctors, Jay's brother is still in cardiac intensive care. The two of us are doing well. 

What have I been eating?  Some great Italian food, Rosebud has a new location near Grant Park.  

My wish for the week? A return to sanity in politics. 

What surprised me in Chicago? How friendly and helpful locals were, asking if I would like them to take my selfie, and offering directions and advice on restaurants. 

Travel Tuesday: National Gallery of Art

I spent a couple of hours on a rainy day recently wandering around the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.  A great place to explore, and like most of the museums in DC, admission is free.