This day was the first of several when we abandoned our plan to leisurely drive across the USA on back roads. Instead, we took I-40 from Hillsborough, North Carolina to Asheville in a day. Using Google Maps got us in trouble. This began when, after looking for restaurants in Winston-Salem, my wife decided she wanted […]
Day 3, Camera Store
Charlottesville, Virginia, home of the University of Virginia, impressed me, especially that the city made its downtown a pedestrian plaza and succeeded in making it a lively place on Saturdays, with live music by local performers and open-air seating for restaurants. This storefront of a camera shop caught my eye, all these old film cameras. […]
Day 3, Monticello
Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello, has his love of innovations on display, scientific and otherwise. It is hard to imagine a contemporary candidate for president of the United States who would have such an active curiosity and who would still be electable. I was sorry to learn that Jefferson’s financial affairs were in shambles when he […]
Day 2, Warthog
Warrentown, Virginia — founded in 1810 — has the largest tack shop in the United States. My wife had to visit! While she delighted her eyes with saddles, bridles, riding clothes, and more, I was free to explore the small but vibrant downtown with its strong historic zoning laws. I talked briefly with a fellow […]
Day 2, Abandoned ATM
Our second day on the road was like a dream. First, we were in Warrenton, Virginia, a charming town self-consciously holding onto the past, to the point of not having traffic lights downtown. Then we climbed west on the Lee Highway to Shenandoah National Park, hoping to take Skyline Drive south, but the higher we […]
Day 1, The Car Is Packed
In 2023, my wife and I set out across the USA and back, mostly on the roads less taken, 23 states in 39 days, just over 8,000 miles. We had friends to visit in North Carolina, Texas, Southern California, Nevada, and Iowa, but no set dates to be anywhere. Here is how the back of […]
Smart Phone Cameras
We cannot see without using our smart phones. Their cameras let us record and then share our experiences. But even as our audiences grow, the attention we get and the attention we give becomes progressively more superficial. Flit, flit, flit — only the stickiest of posts gets more than a glance. This, too, is how […]
The Eyes See
The eyes see but the mind does not. It was not until much later, looking closer at this photo, that I saw that all these flags are not blowing in the same direction. While a strong east wind blows most of them to the right, a strong west wind blows one to the left. Remarkable! […]