Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
A gray, cloudy start to our trip punctuated by an ill-timed, flat tire is the only glitch in an otherwise delightful first day of 53 miles on our bikes. Our legs take us from the industrial debris and buildings in Buffalo to corn fields and apple orchards in Medina. The Shoreline Trail in Buffalo takes […]
The day long ride from Connecticut to Buffalo is incident free. Now that sounds good from a safety perspective, but is awfully boring. It is a long gray ride where the sun refuses to show itself under a blanket of clouds, fog, rain and mist. Like many drives on interstate highways in this portion of […]
Starting tomorrow, I will be biking the entire length of the Erie Canal with my buddy Ted. This 400-mile trip will be our fourth long-distance sojourn together. We start from Buffalo tomorrow and with luck, the wind at our backs and minimal mishaps will arrive in Albany on the following Tuesday. I will continue posting […]
I feel fortunate to live where I do in Connecticut near the New York border. If I hop on my bike, which I do often, I can find myself in bucolic North Salem, N.Y., within 10 minutes. Beyond the famous residents such as David Letterman and expansive mansions and horse farms, lies a pristine land […]
It is a beautiful morning to start a bike trip. The weather is clear, the humidity low and temperature moderate. After spending an uneventful evening at the Travelodge, Ted and I went for a short walk to stretch our legs and take in a view of Lake Erie. In the distance, two large freighters steamed […]
One of the unexpected aspects about our stay in the Florida Keys is the wind: It has been fierce. With the exception of a few days, the wind has whipped around our little sand spit of a peninsula constantly. It has averaged around 20 mph with some days the wind clocking in the low 30s. […]
Vacationing in the Florida Keys conjures up visions of warm breezes, swaying palm trees and fancy mixed drinks. And where we are staying in Islamorada, this idea has mostly been realized for the last few weeks. One part of this vision (at least for my wife) is a supply of coconut water from the surrounding […]
When visiting the Florida Keys one feels as if one has entered a foreign realm. Neither the plants nor animals have any direct northeasterly comparisons. There are no palm or mangrove trees on the beaches of Connecticut. Prehistoric looking pelicans do not swoop down catching fish with their pterodactyl-like beaks in Stamford harbor. And a […]
As our home in Connecticut is threatened with a potentially nasty winter storm later this week, Juana and I are relaxing in the relative warmth of Gainesville, Florida. Late in life snowbirds, we have taken to spending much of the winter months in the tropical Florida Keys. We visit the homes of family members on […]
July is when most things in the garden start their growth sprint. Tomato plants can seem to double in size in a few days after a heavy rain and bright muggy days. Lettuces will bolt overnight given high temperatures and bright sun. And if one is not diligent, weeds will overtake everything. Such summer garden […]