Category Archives: family

Scaling peaks of stone despite achy bones: A memoir and and an aspiration

I wish I had discovered my passion for peak hiking earlier in life. Not realizing it until my early 60s has left me with less time to explore summits than I would have preferred. Despite the delay, the rewards often … Continue reading

Posted in art, book reviews, books, culture, deserts, ecosystems, entertainment, environment, family, fun, geography, Geology, health, hiking, history, infrastructure, land use, logistics, Love, Maps, Mining, mountains, natural history, nature, peace, pictures, placemaking, planning, pollution, psychology, reading, recreation, rivers/watersheds, spatial design, Statistics, sustainability, topography, toponymy, tourism, trails, transportation, Travel, visual pollution, walking, water, Wilderness, Wildlife, Women, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ten planning lessons from our national parks

Provided below are ten planning lessons garnered from having the honor and pleasure of visiting countless national parks, monuments, historic sites, battlefields, lakeshores, seashores, trails, and preserves across our nation. The lessons are not necessarily presented in order of importance, … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, Alternative energy, Alternative transportation, Animals, archaeology, architecture, art, Astronomy, bicycling, bike sharing, Biking, branding, Bus transportation, Cars, charities, Cities, civics, climate, culture, deserts, diversity, economic development, ecosystems, education, electric vehicles, energy, entertainment, Environment, EVs and hybrids, family, fitness, geography, Geology, government, Green roofs, health, hiking, historic preservation, history, land use, mountains, natural history, Nature, parking, placemaking, planning, politics, recreation, rivers/watersheds, solar, spatial design, sprawl, sustainability, third places, topography, tourism, traffic, transit, Transportation, Travel, Uncategorized, urban planning, walking, water, water conservation, water trails, waterfalls, Wilderness, Wildlife, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Forgotten fallout: The victims of the Trinity Site atomic bomb test

Generally, history has identified the residents of Hiroshima, Japan as being the first to die and suffer the horrific consequences of an atomic bomb. There is no doubt they were the first to die and the extent of their suffering … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, archaeology, atomic age, charities, civics, deserts, economics, environment, family, Food, geography, government, health, Health care, history, humanity, injustice, military, Native Americans, pictures, politics, pollution, poverty, racism, Science, States, Statistics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Two migration tales of strength, hardship, and tenacity

Far too often, certain pundits, politicos, and just plain bigots depict refugees and immigrants as criminals and/or parasites. That couldn’t be further from the truth for the vast majority of those people who are seeking a new life in another … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, art, book reviews, books, charities, civility, culture, diversity, education, entertainment, family, film, government, history, human rights, humanity, immigration, inclusiveness, injustice, Latin America, literature, movies, opinion, peace, politics, poverty, racism, Travel, Uncategorized, Welcome, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A single sidewalk can make a huge difference

It’s not often when one can witness the palpable difference infrastructure can make on the micro level. However, a small summer cottage beach neighborhood on Lake Wawasee, Indiana presents just such an opportunity. Here, the Natti Crow Beach neighborhood installed … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, Advocacy, art, bicycling, Biking, civics, Communications, culture, entertainment, family, fun, health, hiking, history, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, lakes, land use, pictures, placemaking, planning, product design, recreation, spatial design, third places, transportation, urban planning, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Strict planning & zoning destroys eclectic, offbeat, and funky

After three decades in the planning profession and several more years since retirement, I’ve come to the conclusion that if you want your community to maintain or build a funky, hip, offbeat, or eccentric vibe, it can not be done … Continue reading

Posted in adaptive reuse, advertising, Advocacy, archaeology, architecture, art, branding, business, cities, civics, commerce, consumerism, Cuisine, culture, demographics, deregulation, diversity, economic development, economic gardening, entertainment, entrepreneurship, family, Food, fun, gentrification, health, historic preservation, history, homelessness, Housing, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, marketing, Mining, opinion, pictures, placemaking, planning, poverty, product design, revitalization, shopping, signs, Small business, social equity, spatial design, third places, tourism, Travel, urban design, urban planning, visual pollution, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Classic cartoon and comic strip rivals/adversaries

Archie vs. Reggie Batman vs. Joker, Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman, and other villains Buck Rogers vs. Killer Kane Bugs Bunny vs. Daffy Duck Bugs Bunny vs. Elmer Fudd Bugs Bunny vs. Yosemite Sam Dagwood vs. Mr. Dithers Dexter vs. Susan “Mandark” … Continue reading

Posted in art, cartoons, Communications, culture, entertainment, family, film, fun, historic preservation, history, movies, pictures, satire, Television, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A generation comes to a close…

Today, the last living member of my parent’s generation passed away. Uncle Ralph was 97 years young and despite his age, died much too early. He was active and filled with vigor throughout his life, even until just a couple … Continue reading

Posted in family, history, humanity, Love, peace | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

15.3 million footsteps from Istanbul to Xian!

Over the course of four years (1999-2002), author and retired journalist Bernard Ollivier trekked the ancient Silk Road on foot from Istanbul, Turkey to Xian, China. He accomplished this monumental 7,500 mile (12,000 km) feat by overcoming aches, pains, illnesses, … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, Advocacy, archaeology, architecture, art, Asia, book reviews, books, China, cities, civics, civility, commerce, Communications, Cuisine, culture, diversity, education, entertainment, environment, family, fun, geography, health, highways, hiking, historic preservation, history, Housing, human rights, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, injustice, land use, Language, literature, Maps, military, natural history, nature, opinion, pictures, place names, placemaking, politics, pollution, reading, recreation, Religion, Statistics, topography, tourism, Trade, traffic, trails, transportation, Travel, walking, weather, Wildlife, Women, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ten planning lessons from OKC – America’s newest great city!

The changes/improvements that have taken place in Oklahoma City in the past 16 years (since I last visited) are remarkable and immensely impressive. Here are ten planning lessons from the exciting and entertaining capital of Oklahoma. Oklahoma City has coalesced … Continue reading

Posted in adaptive reuse, architecture, art, bicycling, branding, brewpubs, bridges, business, Cars, charities, cities, civics, civility, commerce, Cuisine, culture, diversity, downtown, economic development, entertainment, environment, family, fitness, Food, food systems, food trucks, fun, gentrification, geography, government, health, highways, hiking, historic preservation, history, Housing, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, marketing, new urbanism, pictures, placemaking, planning, product design, recreation, revitalization, rivers/watersheds, shopping, skylines, skyscrapers, social equity, spatial design, sports, sprawl, sustainability, technology, third places, tourism, traffic, trails, transit, transportation, Travel, urban design, urban planning, walking, water trails, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment