The house behind us still towers over us with its 3 stories, and the contract for the buyers is still pending. We have been imagining catching the toddlers who might tumble down the 4 foot drop to our yard. Recall that this drop off (the haha) served in long-ago estates to keep the cattle from wandering onto the lawn, without having a fence impede the view.
Arlington Building code did not agree with the "haha" concept. In preparation for inspection, a fence has been installed. It is a sensible fence, as might serve for a porch railing, and it seems to create a simple visual barrier. Our remodel was designed to focus the orientation of the house towards the back yard and its outdoors feel. My adjustment to this view is slow, but the small bunny that comes through the yard does seem to find it a suitable outdoorsy habitat.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Reinvention -- Part 3
Within the last year, I have started over three separate times. If you have read Anne Tyler, you recall people wandering to another town and starting over. Or in "Patron Saint of Liars" (by Ann Patchett), the main character starts over twice.
Arriving in Japan last summer, I needed to set up IT, figure out transportation, figure out how to get some exercise, outfit a kitchen, make friends, and speak Japanese. Arriving on the ship in January, there were similar challenges in setting up the IT, figuring out the environment and routine of the ship, figuring out how to get exercise, and make friends. No need to outfit a kitchen since everything was prepared for us.
And now we are back in DC/Arlington -- and starting again in many ways. We are in the same house, but it looks great with all the little things put away for our tenants. And I am still at George Washington Univ., but with a new role (professor) and a new office. I have some of the same challenges as in Japan and on the ship -- almost daily trips to the IT help desk, experimenting with bicycling and Metro to work. I am not car free, but car light seems to be working. Back to the gym for exercise, running gently on the high school track, walking, and gardening have my heart rate at 56 and my blood pressure at 108.
If you suspect food allergies, you can one-by-one eliminate foods to see what matters. Or you can cut down to the basics of turkey, rice, and applesauce, then add back foods one-by-one. In our case, we cut back to a pretty minimalist existence traveling for a month with just what we could carry. And we have returned to a very uncluttered house and life -- giving us the opportunity to thoughtfully add things back in one at a time.
Should we subscribe to the New York Times? Washington Post? Paper or electronic? If the rule of thumb is that you don't need any thing that you have not used in a year, everything in the attic and basement should go. I am even resisting opening the few boxes that we shipped home from Japan and some of the luggage brought back from Semester at Sea -- where would we put those things? I have great hope for reinvention, part 3.
Arriving in Japan last summer, I needed to set up IT, figure out transportation, figure out how to get some exercise, outfit a kitchen, make friends, and speak Japanese. Arriving on the ship in January, there were similar challenges in setting up the IT, figuring out the environment and routine of the ship, figuring out how to get exercise, and make friends. No need to outfit a kitchen since everything was prepared for us.
And now we are back in DC/Arlington -- and starting again in many ways. We are in the same house, but it looks great with all the little things put away for our tenants. And I am still at George Washington Univ., but with a new role (professor) and a new office. I have some of the same challenges as in Japan and on the ship -- almost daily trips to the IT help desk, experimenting with bicycling and Metro to work. I am not car free, but car light seems to be working. Back to the gym for exercise, running gently on the high school track, walking, and gardening have my heart rate at 56 and my blood pressure at 108.
If you suspect food allergies, you can one-by-one eliminate foods to see what matters. Or you can cut down to the basics of turkey, rice, and applesauce, then add back foods one-by-one. In our case, we cut back to a pretty minimalist existence traveling for a month with just what we could carry. And we have returned to a very uncluttered house and life -- giving us the opportunity to thoughtfully add things back in one at a time.
Should we subscribe to the New York Times? Washington Post? Paper or electronic? If the rule of thumb is that you don't need any thing that you have not used in a year, everything in the attic and basement should go. I am even resisting opening the few boxes that we shipped home from Japan and some of the luggage brought back from Semester at Sea -- where would we put those things? I have great hope for reinvention, part 3.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Bike commuter!
Success. I biked to and from work today with no bike incidents! The new tire and tube worked fine. The new brake pads worked fine. The adjusted shifters let me get into all the necessary gears. (They call those low gears "granny gears", and I am a granny.)
I am very fortunate to live so close to an off-street bike path that goes almost all the way to my office. With a little more experience, perhaps not quite so many people will pass me, and perhaps I will even be able to bike the steepest 15 meters.
I am very fortunate to live so close to an off-street bike path that goes almost all the way to my office. With a little more experience, perhaps not quite so many people will pass me, and perhaps I will even be able to bike the steepest 15 meters.
Back -- at work, home and in DC
I stopped by to talk with staff in the Columbian College office -- they said that they had never seen me so relaxed! A year's sabbatical can do that for you! At the start of the year, it was hard to get my body to sleep 8 hours, even when there were no deadlines. But after a while, my mind and body adjusted to the sabbatical, to good effect.
I found it very relaxing to eat on the back deck of the ship, and am finding it relaxing to eat in the back yard here. Though, perhaps not quite as relaxing -- I still notice the airplane noises, and have not gotten over the huge new house behind us. But I can face the other way, and am getting used to the airplanes.
When I was growing up, and Ray was hung over, he would oil the teak. When I was jet lagged from these travels, I oiled the wooden kitchen counter.........the tactile experience of the wood and the oil is very soothing.
I have also found the roses, the last stage of spring in DC, very familiar and cheerful. And the first firefly, a sign of impending summer, last night also was familiar and cheerful.
I found it very relaxing to eat on the back deck of the ship, and am finding it relaxing to eat in the back yard here. Though, perhaps not quite as relaxing -- I still notice the airplane noises, and have not gotten over the huge new house behind us. But I can face the other way, and am getting used to the airplanes.
When I was growing up, and Ray was hung over, he would oil the teak. When I was jet lagged from these travels, I oiled the wooden kitchen counter.........the tactile experience of the wood and the oil is very soothing.
I have also found the roses, the last stage of spring in DC, very familiar and cheerful. And the first firefly, a sign of impending summer, last night also was familiar and cheerful.
Beer, berries, and music
Reunion with Dale and Madeline (and their parents) has been great! The first day we went to a bike festival sponsored by Fat Tire beer from Colorado. David and Dale rode in the bike rally, and we all sat in the park to watch the fashion show of costumes. People had the chance to try out a CRAZY assortment of bikes -- backwards bikes, huge bikes, tiny bikes, bikes with 2 riders side by side....I think we all got a big kick out of this!
With Madeline almost 6, she is very grown up -- she really changed from a preschooler to a little girl. And with Dale almost 3, she has changed from a toddler to a pre-schooler. they are kind to each other, and to Grandma Peg.
The next day, Liz brought the kids to Arlington to pick mulberries. The first time I took Madeline to pick mulberries 3 years ago, and she came back with a purple face, the way kids do when they are smushing berries into their mouths. Dave and Liz though she had been in a bloody accident. This time, she smeared the berries on her face on purpose, but could not get the same rise out of her parents.
Madeline collected and saved up quite a few berries in her basket -- Dale had more of the eat-as-you-go plan. We were thinking of "Blueberries for Sal", but the thought of a mama bear and a baby bear coming along was pretty remote -- we were picking along a busy Arlington street. As a bonus we also collected some June Berries -- they were particularly plentiful this year.
With Madeline almost 6, she is very grown up -- she really changed from a preschooler to a little girl. And with Dale almost 3, she has changed from a toddler to a pre-schooler. they are kind to each other, and to Grandma Peg.
The next day, Liz brought the kids to Arlington to pick mulberries. The first time I took Madeline to pick mulberries 3 years ago, and she came back with a purple face, the way kids do when they are smushing berries into their mouths. Dave and Liz though she had been in a bloody accident. This time, she smeared the berries on her face on purpose, but could not get the same rise out of her parents.
Madeline collected and saved up quite a few berries in her basket -- Dale had more of the eat-as-you-go plan. We were thinking of "Blueberries for Sal", but the thought of a mama bear and a baby bear coming along was pretty remote -- we were picking along a busy Arlington street. As a bonus we also collected some June Berries -- they were particularly plentiful this year.
We are the haha
Imagine a gracious country estate, overlooking a field of cows..... but it would spoil the view to have a fence between the mansion and the cows. Through history this problem has been solved by creating a "haha." To do this, the lovely lawn comes to an end with a sharp drop-off. This drop-off serves as a wall to keep the cows out, but is invisible from the mansion.
So, how does this work in our neighborhood? In constructing the huge house behind us, they created a level back yard that ends in a drop-off. We do not have cows, but this wall keeps out our dog, etc. And they benefit fully from the view of our mature trees. So our lower yard is the haha, and they do not have to look at a fence.
It is similar to the Japanese gardening idea of borrowing scenery from the hillside behind the garden. We saw this in Kyoto, where many gardens backed onto the hills, or took advantage of the views of hills that were a bit distant.
So, how does this work in our neighborhood? In constructing the huge house behind us, they created a level back yard that ends in a drop-off. We do not have cows, but this wall keeps out our dog, etc. And they benefit fully from the view of our mature trees. So our lower yard is the haha, and they do not have to look at a fence.
It is similar to the Japanese gardening idea of borrowing scenery from the hillside behind the garden. We saw this in Kyoto, where many gardens backed onto the hills, or took advantage of the views of hills that were a bit distant.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
There goes the neighborhood......
The first night back, I took a walk around the neighborhood. Even in the dark there were significant changes. FIVE new houses were built, just on the simple walk that I take with Lance. And these were not just houses, but McMansion monstrosities. Daylight showed two more underway.
On Sunday, I went to the open house for 2 of the houses. When I left Arlington 11 months ago, there was a dense bamboo forest at the corner of Lorcom and Edgewood. Now there were 2 huge houses. At the open house, one woman noted that there was not much yard -- duh -- they filled the whole lot with house. Another potential buyer commented that there would be room for the man-cave that the Dad had always wanted, for a Mom cave, AND even another room for a girl cave.
There is a formal entry area, "Grand Foyer Entry"-- but the house is directly on Lorcom and no one arriving by car can even stop briefly to let someone out on that busy street. The house also features an "Inviting Living Room," "Butler's Pantry" and a "Sun-filled Family Room." The house is 5217 square feet, and $1.7M or $1.8M.
This is pretty hard to take after seeing the housing in townships in South Africa, rural villages in Ghana, and urban India.
Perhaps the biggest monstrosity is the 3 story house that now overlooks our back yard. I knew that construction was underway, but this thing is huge. Just like in "Bartholomew Cubbins and the 500 Hats" by Dr. Seuss, the big houses look down over the little houses. We just do not have enough tall trees to screen the house. They have planted a few, but not really in the strategic locations for providing screening.
I am considering options. Fast growing bamboo? Liz suggests that hornbeam grows fast? Perhaps some nude sunbathing, and they will put in more screening themselves.......
On Sunday, I went to the open house for 2 of the houses. When I left Arlington 11 months ago, there was a dense bamboo forest at the corner of Lorcom and Edgewood. Now there were 2 huge houses. At the open house, one woman noted that there was not much yard -- duh -- they filled the whole lot with house. Another potential buyer commented that there would be room for the man-cave that the Dad had always wanted, for a Mom cave, AND even another room for a girl cave.
There is a formal entry area, "Grand Foyer Entry"-- but the house is directly on Lorcom and no one arriving by car can even stop briefly to let someone out on that busy street. The house also features an "Inviting Living Room," "Butler's Pantry" and a "Sun-filled Family Room." The house is 5217 square feet, and $1.7M or $1.8M.
This is pretty hard to take after seeing the housing in townships in South Africa, rural villages in Ghana, and urban India.
Perhaps the biggest monstrosity is the 3 story house that now overlooks our back yard. I knew that construction was underway, but this thing is huge. Just like in "Bartholomew Cubbins and the 500 Hats" by Dr. Seuss, the big houses look down over the little houses. We just do not have enough tall trees to screen the house. They have planted a few, but not really in the strategic locations for providing screening.
I am considering options. Fast growing bamboo? Liz suggests that hornbeam grows fast? Perhaps some nude sunbathing, and they will put in more screening themselves.......
Will Lance recognize me?
For the whole trip I wondered if Lance would recognize me when I got home. He received excellent care from Elana and her family while we were away, and she sent pictures to show how well-adjusted he was. Clearly he was not pining away with loneliness missing me.
I returned to the empty house in the dark after an absence of 11 months. Mind you, dogs are not elephants, and they largely live in the present. Lance went bonkers with enthusiasm! He bounced around, made his cheerful noises, and even sung to me. Nevertheless, he was a bit puzzled -- twice he looked behind me to see who else was coming. Was he expecting Elana's family, or Will and Nick?
I returned to the empty house in the dark after an absence of 11 months. Mind you, dogs are not elephants, and they largely live in the present. Lance went bonkers with enthusiasm! He bounced around, made his cheerful noises, and even sung to me. Nevertheless, he was a bit puzzled -- twice he looked behind me to see who else was coming. Was he expecting Elana's family, or Will and Nick?
Bike commuter -- almost
I think that a true bike commuter needs to ride the bike all the way, without walking it. Arlington is very hilly, and my newly repaired bike did not go into its lowest gear today, making it necessary for me to walk up three of the very steepest places. So after returning from work, I went directly to the bike shop -- yet one more trip there -- for an adjustment.
Almost the entire route is on a bike path, separated from traffic, and the section with the shared road is not very busy. The distance is about 3 miles.
In fact, it is downhill almost all the way to work, and the only real pedaling is on the way back. That will work out well in the heat of summer -- with my arriving at work still somewhat fresh, then changing when I get home. I will keep trying.
Almost the entire route is on a bike path, separated from traffic, and the section with the shared road is not very busy. The distance is about 3 miles.
In fact, it is downhill almost all the way to work, and the only real pedaling is on the way back. That will work out well in the heat of summer -- with my arriving at work still somewhat fresh, then changing when I get home. I will keep trying.
Car-free or car-lite?
I sold my Subaru before I left, and Will's Prius is dead in front of the house. This seemed like a perfect opportunity to go car-free, for at least a while. On the first day, David paid for a cab to drive me home from his house. Thanks David. It was easy to walk to the grocery store, but not so easy to carry everything home -- did I really need the personal-sized watermelon? It has been delicious.
On the second day, it was easy to walk to the grocery store, but not so easy to carry everything home. Did I really need the personal-sized watermelon? It has been delicious. I walked to explore the neighborhood, did not go to church, and did not need a car.
The third day, I needed to check in at the doctor's office. It was a good walk, perhaps a bit more than a mile. Then they referred me to the hospital for an x-ray of my foot, and I got there by cab. Next stop was the credit union to talk about my mortgage -- walked there. Walked home. After lunch, I walked to Metro, took Metro, and walked from Union Station to go see a performance at Madeline's school.
Enough. I have borrowed Dave and Liz's extra car. The County of Arlington promotes the car-free diet, but they also talk about going car-lite. I think I need to opt for car-lite. How am I going to buy fish for my outside "ponds" without a car? How will I get to the plant nursery? How will I pick up Barb?
On the second day, it was easy to walk to the grocery store, but not so easy to carry everything home. Did I really need the personal-sized watermelon? It has been delicious. I walked to explore the neighborhood, did not go to church, and did not need a car.
The third day, I needed to check in at the doctor's office. It was a good walk, perhaps a bit more than a mile. Then they referred me to the hospital for an x-ray of my foot, and I got there by cab. Next stop was the credit union to talk about my mortgage -- walked there. Walked home. After lunch, I walked to Metro, took Metro, and walked from Union Station to go see a performance at Madeline's school.
Enough. I have borrowed Dave and Liz's extra car. The County of Arlington promotes the car-free diet, but they also talk about going car-lite. I think I need to opt for car-lite. How am I going to buy fish for my outside "ponds" without a car? How will I get to the plant nursery? How will I pick up Barb?
Monday, June 2, 2014
Re-entry haiku
Washington blue skies,
Crimson Japanese maple --
Momiji welcome
The lush greenery
tells of the severe winter --
now climbing roses
Crimson Japanese maple --
Momiji welcome
The lush greenery
tells of the severe winter --
now climbing roses
First try at bike commuting
My bicycle suffered from sitting unused for a year, and one of the tire sidewalls was decomposing. I started yesterday by walking to the nearby bike shop to see if they could fix it. First trip. Then I pushed the bike to the shop very gently -- both tires were significantly deflated, and I could not find the pump. I waited while they replaced one tire and tube, bought a new helmet, picked up some bike maps, and took the bike out for a spin. Second trip.
One of the brakes squeaked terribly, so I took the bike back to the shop. Third trip. He replaced the brake pad for free, and I brought the bike home for the night. Considerable rummaging did not turn up any of the keys to the bike lock, so I stopped on my way to work to buy a new lock (and keys!). Fourth trip.
I had studied the bike maps, and set out for work. In the process of shifting, the chain came off the sprockets, and peddling was frozen. The bike was able to coast downhill, and I walked it on the uphills to return home to call a cab.
Metro back home at the end of the day was not entirely straight forward. The regular fare machines do not sell Smart Cards, so I asked for help. When I got to the right machine, I had a $20 bill in my pocket to buy the Smart Card, but the machine only took $10s -- so I fished out my credit card to get the Smart Card. This was rush hour, and the first train only had room for a few people -- so I did not get on until the next train.
The total door to door Metro commute, with walking home from Clarendon was almost 50 minutes. Then I got the jammed bike, and walked it back to the bike shop. Fifth trip. He took off the pedal, unjammed the chain, and put it back together. Unfortunately, the chain came off the sprockets again in testing, and since it was 7:00 closing time, he said I needed to leave it overnight so he can figure out the problem. So tomorrow I will not have the bike until later in the day when I make my 6th trip to the shop.
I am very motivated to try the bike commute, and I was going to sign up for the City Cycling Class this Saturday in Arlington. Unfortunately, the class is actually in Alexandria -- I am not sure I want to bike 9 miles each way for this class.
One of the brakes squeaked terribly, so I took the bike back to the shop. Third trip. He replaced the brake pad for free, and I brought the bike home for the night. Considerable rummaging did not turn up any of the keys to the bike lock, so I stopped on my way to work to buy a new lock (and keys!). Fourth trip.
I had studied the bike maps, and set out for work. In the process of shifting, the chain came off the sprockets, and peddling was frozen. The bike was able to coast downhill, and I walked it on the uphills to return home to call a cab.
Metro back home at the end of the day was not entirely straight forward. The regular fare machines do not sell Smart Cards, so I asked for help. When I got to the right machine, I had a $20 bill in my pocket to buy the Smart Card, but the machine only took $10s -- so I fished out my credit card to get the Smart Card. This was rush hour, and the first train only had room for a few people -- so I did not get on until the next train.
The total door to door Metro commute, with walking home from Clarendon was almost 50 minutes. Then I got the jammed bike, and walked it back to the bike shop. Fifth trip. He took off the pedal, unjammed the chain, and put it back together. Unfortunately, the chain came off the sprockets again in testing, and since it was 7:00 closing time, he said I needed to leave it overnight so he can figure out the problem. So tomorrow I will not have the bike until later in the day when I make my 6th trip to the shop.
I am very motivated to try the bike commute, and I was going to sign up for the City Cycling Class this Saturday in Arlington. Unfortunately, the class is actually in Alexandria -- I am not sure I want to bike 9 miles each way for this class.
Offices of all kinds
My office in Japan was a huge shared office for 2 of us. We each had a desk and there was a shared computer stand with a slow computer. In addition, the office had a seating area with a couch and 2 chairs as well as a sink and sideboard. There were bookcases all along one wall, and lots of floor space for us to spread out cardboard, glue, foil, etc. for making prototype solar cookers.
On the MV Explorer, my office was the same as the shared room that Will and I occupied. In front of the mirror, there was a glass ledge about 12 inches deep and about 3 or 4 feet long -- that was my desk. From time to time I used our 15 inch across round table as a desk and sat on the tiny banquette.
During the day the lounge was a quiet faculty (and life-long learner) work space -- it was on the top deck at the front of the ship, and if the seas were a bit rough, it was too bouncy for me to read or write. But on quiet days, I sometimes worked there. My favorite spot (and there was no competition for this spot) was standing at the piano bar. there was room to spread thing out, and using a standing desk was a nice contrast to a lot of sitting.
Today I got my new office in the Psychology building. Because the building is old, the office is quite large. It has two windows! At the moment, there is nothing on the walls, and it is only furnished with 2 bookcases (nearly empty), a small computer stand, and a basic chair. The walls are white, peeling in a few spots, and the floor is red tile, slightly buckled with age. One of my colleagues stopped by and suggested that it looked more like a prison cell; another colleague suggested that I had taken the minimalist look too far. Perhaps I will take in something with color tomorrow.
On the MV Explorer, my office was the same as the shared room that Will and I occupied. In front of the mirror, there was a glass ledge about 12 inches deep and about 3 or 4 feet long -- that was my desk. From time to time I used our 15 inch across round table as a desk and sat on the tiny banquette.
During the day the lounge was a quiet faculty (and life-long learner) work space -- it was on the top deck at the front of the ship, and if the seas were a bit rough, it was too bouncy for me to read or write. But on quiet days, I sometimes worked there. My favorite spot (and there was no competition for this spot) was standing at the piano bar. there was room to spread thing out, and using a standing desk was a nice contrast to a lot of sitting.
Today I got my new office in the Psychology building. Because the building is old, the office is quite large. It has two windows! At the moment, there is nothing on the walls, and it is only furnished with 2 bookcases (nearly empty), a small computer stand, and a basic chair. The walls are white, peeling in a few spots, and the floor is red tile, slightly buckled with age. One of my colleagues stopped by and suggested that it looked more like a prison cell; another colleague suggested that I had taken the minimalist look too far. Perhaps I will take in something with color tomorrow.
Globe Theater
A replica Globe Theater has been built along the
Thames. We were lucky enough to get one
of the last few seats for Anthony and Cleopatra for the very last evening of
the trip. We were in the first balcony,
looking down on the groundlings who were standing in the middle. It is almost June, but the evening was quite
cool, and I supplemented my layers with a newspaper across my lap to keep
warm.
It was a great complement to our visit to the Cleopatra
exhibit at a museum in Paris. That exhibit
started with artifacts from the time of Cleopatra, as well as coins and such
that may have had her image on them.
Then it went on to the representation of the Cleopatra story in the
various arts over the years. There were
lots and lots of pictures of her being bit by the snake.
And both of these were a great complement to my reading of
the award-winning Cleopatra biography a couple of years ago. In the biography, she is a shrewd leader –
not deserving of the label whore given by Shakespeare.
Which side of the road do they drive on? (Part 4)
In fact, the crossing system is different at many of the
spots. There might be a crossing section
with an island in the middle that is marked by round yellow globes. Cars are supposed to be alert, and
pedestrians are supposed to be alert, without a light to control it. It seemed to work out fine.
Border crossing
Getting from Paris back to London involved considerable
scrutiny at the border before entering the chunnel. First we stopped on the French side and all
got off the bus to go through passport control.
While we were doing that, they inspected the bus and the luggage hold.
Then we went through the UK procedures. Again we all got off the bus to go through
passport control. They asked lots of
questions. How much money are we
carrying? Where are we going to stay? Is
that accommodation already paid for? Do
we have any family in the UK? And while
we were going through this, they inspected the bus and luggage compartment,
including using dogs.
When I returned, my sandwich had been moved from a bag on
the floor up onto the seat. It probably
was of interest to the dog! Clearly they
do not want just anyone entering their country on the cheap bus.
One woman was pulled aside, and she and her luggage were
taken to a building. Here is the scary
part. The bus went on without her. I guess she could get on the next bus in an
hour or two, but I would have been upset to have been left behind in the middle
of no where.
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