Fueling the Economy: the All-American Shopping Experience

What exotic new gizmos are popping up at shopping centers all over the country? I hadn't been in a big mall like Tysons Corner for about 10 years. So, being a patriotic American committed to contributing to the economy, and because visitors from Croatia asked to go there, I launched  an exploratory expedition to the big mall in the suburbs, to see how I could help. Just before Christmas, naturally.

First techno-wonder encountered: a helpful robotic at the parking garage to tell you how many spaces are left. Plenty on this weekday! (To those of you who shop regularly, this is probably old hat. Congratulations, you are feeding the economy.)

Peeking into shop windows: oh, what strange and wondrous gadgets immediately caught my eye--and not in a good way!

When does a Christmas ornament make you feel ill? When it features the anti-Santa. Fortunately, one other politician was featured in the same series, somewhat mitigating the sinking feeling in my gut. Still...

Next stop: the Tesla showroom in the middle of the mall--the ultimate high-tech-mobile. (Hmm. The mall? What a strange and wondrous place to sell cars!) And what did my Croatian friends think? They could barely contain their excitement! It turns out the Tesla founder was born Croatian.

Much more down to earth (I.e. less expensive): glitter and glitz for your holiday table. Nothing that requires tech support. Now that Christsmas is past, stock up for next year. Deep discounts.

To round off an amazingly educational tour (by showing me what I've been missing at that American institution, the mall), I gawked at the very latest conveyor-belt/restaurant technology.  Who know how many hours that plate of raw fish has traveled this complicated circuit?

As the antidote to my day at the mall, I bid farewell to my foreign friends--who by then were out on the street, mesmerized by the dense conglomeration of tail-lights stuck in rush hour on Route 7--and headed home to cook up some organic greens in my simple and rustic townhouse.

Back in the Saddle

My friend David is planning a bicycle trip along the rivers of Germany. I remember well what it was like on my own cross-country excursions, mostly with the American Youth Hostels, 40 years ago. It was exciting. I met people. I accomplished physical feats. But to do it at my age? I don't miss the days of slogging uphill against the wind, bruised pelvic bones, close calls with cars, and panic as the tires skidded sideways on a sharp turn. Then getting back on to do it again.

Now, just biking across town is a challenge on my one-speed, fat-tire beach bike. My quads have grown lax from months of nursing a broken foot, and yes, I admit it, retirement. It's easy to get comfortable--in bed, on the sofa, at the dining room table--and let the days wither away. It takes discipline to tackle your TO DO list, let alone exercise.

How to get motivated? How to get off my duffer and back in the saddle? I visit my acupuncturist twice a week. (Dr. Canh Tran, a licensed M.D. covered by insurance.) To get there by Metro costs several dollars. That can add up, for someone on a pension yet not old enough for the 50% senior discount.

Financial incentives aside, cycling is more interesting than treadmills and ellipticals. Mid-day, with light traffic, I can get from Eastern Market to Farragut West in a half hour riding very fast, or an hour at a leisurely pace, taking in the sights. I am one of the few cyclists who stops for red lights on the cross-town bike lane on Pennsylvania Avenue, the Capitol in the background. The others are probably racing to work. Being unemployed, I can relish the journey.

On the sunny, 50-degree days of a mid-Atlantic December, a leisurely trip offers seasonal window displays on Pennsylvania Avenue and leftover autumn leaves in Lafayette Park.

A detour to the US Capitol Christmas tree, from the Chugach National Forest, reveals hand-crafted ornaments representing sea creatures of Alaska: herring, jellyfish, Sponge Bob.

 

As a young adult, my destinations were more ambitious: Traverse Bay, Michigan. Point Pelee in Ontario, Canada. Okefenokee Swamp. Charleston, South Carolina.

 

I don't remember the other bikers, except Tim (above), who I had a crush on. (He married Rose, another biker.) Wheeling across the state of Georgia, we stopped in Plains to chat with Billy Carter, the President's brother. Remember Billy Beer? We finished at Jekyll Island on the coast.

We sometimes traveled to our starting point in an RV, which also served as sag wagon. On a Florida trip, after getting stuck in toe straps and going down, crushing an elbow, I drove the RV for a week--with one arm. It was more fun than riding the bike!

Tracksuits were all the rage, at least in Michigan. My orange tracksuit matched my bike.



I groused about wind and rain. I could change tires in 10 minutes and carried tools for repairing spokes and chains. At times, the bike was loaded with camping gear. Regardless of weight, I always struggled to keep up. Sometimes, I cried--from frustration, exhaustion, loneliness, pain.

Now, I carry only a U-lock, I ride alone, and my itinerary is flexible: a doctor's appointment, a downtown errand, a visit to the "modern" art at the renovated Renwick.

On a windy or rainy day, I can fall back on taking Metro.

 

Yes, I'm back in the saddle again. A few times a week, a few miles at a time. No rivers in Germany, no tents, no wolfing down energy bars. Just a leisurely day, some sunshine, and my wheels going round and round.

The Autumn Leaves...Drifted to the Ground Already

Lyrics to Sinatra song "Autumn Leaves" (for the benefit of those born in the last half century):
The falling leaves drift by my window, the falling leaves of red and gold.

I almost missed the chance to photograph the autumn leaves! They are no longer drifting past the windows; they have carpeted the ground and are awaiting the next frost. The trees shown above displayed their true colors at Holiday Hill Marina in Edgewater, MD, in late October.

I left you last, dear readers, at the St. Michaels Marina. Four of us--Captain Pope, First Mate Amber, Second Mate Henry (Pope's brother), and Third Mate John--sailed across Chesapeake Bay on Echo II to attend the annual Oysterfest. Pope entered the oyster slurping contest, where ... he got them all in his mouth but didn't win because he didn't get them all the way down his gullet. Too bad; he could have competed in the nationals.

Oysters were not the only attraction. The lanes of St. Michael's were bursting with oranges and golds, contrasted with whitewashed railings and fences of previous centuries.

 

After a chilly night onboard, we left the historic village behind. The day started blustery and cold and warmed to a pleasant Sunday. I bundled up and enjoyed the sail--the sun came out and the boat didn't heel too badly.

Pope thoroughly enjoyed the sail, because he got to unfurl the new jib sail for which he paid many hundreds of dollars... and it passed its maiden test with flying whites.

Crew members Henry and John, being veterans of the Echo II inexpensive package deals, knew they could get away with loafing around munching crackers and chatting about old times while the captain and first mate unhooked the dock lines, raised the mainsail, steered the boat, prepared lunch, cleaned the galley, manned the VHF, and ... well, you know, the usual boat chores.

We passed other boats, some with colorful spinnakers, also grasping one of the last beautiful sailing weekends. 

Back at our marina in Edgewater, we were treated to another colorful display of unmasked xanthophylls and carotenoids (the pigments in yellow and orange leaves).

Just as leaves transition from season to season, so, too, do our recreations and follies. The following week, Echo II was hauled out for the winter.

The Echo II crew reassembled on dry land, under the glorious yellow maples at the Barrow farm. Joined by the third Barrow brother Jake, who flew in from New Mexico, they shamelessly scarfed down another large batch of Chesapeake Bay oysters, claiming they can never get enough Stingrays and Olde Salts.

Not being much of an oyster connoisseur, I retired to a leafy meadow with some friends and neighbors to play music (one of my favorite retirement pastimes) while waiting for the oysters to run out and the embers to mellow to the ideal marshmallow-roasting stage.

It wasn't long before autumn transitioned into the chilly temperatures of early winter. The house is creaking and I sit next to the radiator, blogging away about nothing more exciting than autumn leaves and oysters. 

 

Some of you know that I had been planning to regale you with tales of my adventurous drive to Pensacola, Florida, stopping to hike in the Tennessee mountains and to visit a college friend in Asheville, NC. The trip was cancelled by my traveling companions due to that scourge of aging--medical issues. So I remain in DC, ensconced in a heavy sweater, consigned to strumming my guitar, lifting weights at the gym, and writing about the reds and yellows on the ground outside my window.

Landlubbers Are Wimps! Let's Go Sailing

Echo II is on the move again!

Admiral Runaground Pope. First Mate Amber. Returning crew members Henry and John.

Two years since we cast off in Edgewater, Maryland, bound for Georgetown, Exumas, Bahamas. This time, a three-day sail across Chesapeake Bay, up Eastern Bay, and Miles River to St. Michaels. 

Clearly, we've come to a place where the dockside merchants understand a sailor's values.

So, first  things first: happy hour on Echo II upon arrival. Met by fellow sailor Mark A. (second from left), an old friend who has gone through a succession of boats and is now...in a car.

And then moving on to the other essentials for a coastal weekend: crab cakes and cole slaw at the Crab Claw. (Pope, Amber, Henry, Mark, John).

Ah, the rewards for enduring a sailing trip (my perspective, not Pope's): dark & stormies (the national drink of Bermuda); gentle breezes; sun on your forehead; autumn leaves on the coast.

And late October sunrise over St. Michaels.

Greeting the day through the front hatch at the tony, expensive St. Michaels Marina. We are splurging for our last autumn sail.

Pope's brother Henry and friend John crossed the Bahamas Bank with us from Nassau to Staniel Cay. yesterday, they crossed the Bay with us. If they behave, we will take them back across.

John, bundled up in his sleeping bag at 42 degrees, expressed a slight preference for 80 degrees in the Bahamas.

Then he shut up, because Pope clearly warned us about the hazards of challenging the skipper about the boat, weather,destination, or other conditions!