Milestones

1949·1951·1953·1956·1960·1963·1967·1971·1979·

1980·1981·1982·1983·1984·1985·1986·1987·1988·1989·

1990·1991·1992·1993·1994·1995·1996·1997·1998·1999·

2000·2001·2002·2003·2004·2005·2006·2007·2008·2009·

2010·2011·2012·2013·2014·2015 2016·2017·2018·2019

  • 1949—Born in Woodsville, New Hampshire at Cottage Hospital. We lived in Wells River, VT, across the Connecticut River, in a two-story wood frame house on the main street.
  • 1951—Moved to Essex Junction, Vermont. Father started working for the State of Vermont.
  • 1953—Dad joined the Air Force and we moved to Mildenhall, England.
  • 1956—Dad was transferred to Novato, California. The air force base where dad was stationed, Hamilton Air Force Base, is now owned by the city. Many of the buildings are being restored and turned into affordable and senior housing.
  • 1960—Drove from Novato to Randolph Air Force Base near San Antonio, Texas. We lived in Universal City, located just outside of the base. Along the way we stopped at Disneyland, the Grand Canyon, and other sights, camping as we went. I attended O.G. Wiederstein Elementary School a few years ahead of Steve Earle.
  • 1963—Moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dad entered the University of Michigan, Public Health School. Attended Slauson Jr. High School.
  • 1964—Ruislip, England. Attended Central High School in Bushey Park. Played high school sports and traveled throughout Europe via train on many weekends.
  • 1967—East Lansing, Michigan. Attended Michigan State University. Lived in Armstrong Hall during the school year, and in Haslett Arms apartment during the summer. Worked for Bekins Moving and Storage. Debbie died in 1970.
  • 1971—Graduated from MSU, married Mary Harrison, and moved to various locations around Lansing and East Lansing. Bought a house in Delta Township, just outside of Lansing, where we lived until 1979. During that time, worked for the Postal Service and attended graduate school at MSU, receiving an MA in Geography in 1978.
  • 1979—Accepted a job in the Geography Program under James Anderson at the U.S. Geological Survey. First job involved summarizing land use for the U.S. for the National Atlas. The funding for the Atlas was not approved and the project was shelved for a few years. Started bike commuting on the second day to work (Sept. 18) and continued for the next 20 years. During the summer of ’79, spent some time outside Nashville taking care of my brother’s kids while he was house hunting in England.
  • 1980—Earth Day bike-in. It was interesting to see the USGS management ride around the entrance loop on borrowed bikes. Mapped land use for the GIRAS program. In June, took a field trip to Lubbock, Texas with Dave Wolf. Rented a small plane to fly us over the four 1:250,000-scale quadrangles we were mapping so we could take oblique photos. In July, took a bike trip to Harper’s Ferry where I camped along the C&O Canal trail.
  • 1981—Started playing soccer with a local men’s team. Also rented an organic garden plot. I discovered how good the gardening conditions were in Michigan compared to Virginia. The nearly impenetrable, infertile soil produced weak plants that were nearly finished off by the insects, and groundhogs. That year Dad required eye surgery in Boston. I went there to be with he and Mom. We then drove up to Vermont. Later in the summer I returned to Vermont to rent one of Bernie’s cabins near the Town of Newbury and to camp for a night on our recently purchased property.
  • 1982—Started learning about computers and computer cartography. The computer-oriented group in the Geography program merged with the more traditional Topographic Division to form the Mapping Division. Many of the geographers went on to head the new division. Our work on the land use program came to a halt and there was little other productive work while managed figured out our new role. Four of us geographers were moved to a corner office and basically ignored. The computer training was a way to relieve the boredom. Also took a remote learning class in hydrography. Dick moved from London to Brazil. Bought a Motebecane road bike and had all four wisdom teeth extracted.
  • 1983—Experienced the Blizzard of ’83. Continued to learn about computers, and bought my first computer, the Commodore VIC-20. The storage device was a cassette tape. The display device was our TV. Sold the house in Lansing that we had bought for around $24,000 in 1976 and sold for around $30,000.
  • 1984—Started working on the Connecticut GIS project, one of the first GIS projects at the USGS. That summer I rode from Reston to Halls Lake, Vermont.
  • 1985—Traveled to Denver to attend the MOSS conference. Attended an ESRI Arc/INFO course at the EROS Data Center, Sioux Falls, SD. Finished the first phase of the Connecticut project by presenting demonstrations at the Association of American State Geologists annual meeting in Mystic, CT. Traveled to Brazil to visit with Dick and family, staying for a week on Ipanema Beach, then a week in Sao Paolo. Also traveled to California and along the east coast to demonstrate the results of the Conn. GIS project.
  • 1986—Vacationed in Cape Hatteras and Myrtle Beach, staying at Dick’s condo there. Visited Sandy who lived near Joshua Tree National Park while attending one of the first ESRI User Conferences in San Bernardino. Gave a talk there on digital map standards. Later spent some time at Halls Lake. Attended Jimmy’s wedding in Rochester, NY.
  • 1987—Bought a townhouse in Reston in April. Started working on another interdisciplinary GIS project, the Maine Transect project. Mary ill-fated operation required a few days stay in the hospital. Traveled to Michigan to attend a state GIS conference to talk about USGS digital mapping data. Traveled to China with Mike Domaratz to work with the National Bureau of Surveying and Mapping in Beijing. Visited the Great Wall, Summer Palace, and the Forbidden City.
  • 1988—Changed jobs within the USGS, working for the Mapping Applications Center. Traveled to Nashville and to the ESRI conference in Palm Springs, CA. Returned to China with Karl Rich. Spent some time in Beijing. Took the train to Changsha, south of Beijing, to visit the a pilot project site. The book Iron and Silk by Mark Salzman took place in and around this industrial city. On the train, rode in the hard sleep section, which consisted of a cabin with 6 beds, stacked 3 high on each side. This meant that when we were all awake, 6 of us sat on the bottom two bunks. Very cozy.
  • 1989—Traveled to Europe in July. Flew to London and drove a rental car to the Cotswalds area. Using a EuroRail pass, traveled to Paris for a few days, then headed south to Arles. Spent a little time in Barcelona where we saw several Gaudi buildings. Ended the trip in Madrid. Attended a GIS conference in Merida, Venezula where I rode the highest cable car in the world for an ear-popping ride to the Espejo Peak, 15,600 feet high. Met Marbella Dugarte in Merida. She was a geographer studying at the Universidad de los Andes. While there, father-in-law had a stroke and died soon afterward. While at a conference retreat in the hills of Santa Barbara, happened upon a small meditation room where I sat for the first time. On the same trip, bought a copy of Peter Matthiessen’s Nine-Headed Dragon River, which describes his Zen practice.
  • 1990—Butch, our faithful cat who was around 13 years old, was again attacked by the Chow dog that lived next door. It was the second attack in two years. This time Butch didn’t quite make it back over the back fence before being killed. That summer I attended a computer mapping conference in Denver. While there I purchased a copy of Robert Aitken’s Taking the Path of Zen. It’s an excellent introduction to the techniques and traditions of Zen. Started sitting that Fall.Also that year attended the ESRI conference in Palm Springs. That summer Marbella from Venezuela spent two weeks working at the USGS. Mary and I decided to separate in the Fall. I moved to Heron House, one of the only tall residential buildings in Reston, on Lake Anne, adjacent to the village center. There were many personal tragedies that year and I nearly lost a good friend. Did a lot of sitting meditation and started to spend more time drawing.
  • 1991—Decided to apply for graduate school and was accepted. Started dating Kerie. Took a short trip to London to work with Jonathan Raper. Stayed in the St. Margarets Hotel, 26 Bedford St. Taught Jeanne how to ride a bicycle. Took a short trip to Redlands, California to discuss cooperation on the digital mapping. Bought a new Honda Civic. Attended the Univ. of Virginia in the fall after deciding not to leave the area to attend the Univ. of Colorado. Lived on Burnley Avenue, next to several fraternity houses. Bike commuted daily to Clark Hall to attend Environmental Sciences classes until the following Spring.
  • 1992—Continued at UVA, coming back to Reston most weekends to spend time with Kerie. Didn’t participate in much campus life. Mostly worked at home using an old Mac Plus and 286 PC. Returned to Reston in May, moving to a studio apartment on Beaver Trail Ct. Started dancing with Kerie. Bought a new Trek 1200 after discovering that the down tube of the old Motobecane was broken.
  • 1993—Mom and Dad were living in Jacksonville, took Amtrak down to visit with them. Later Kerie and I did a Vermont Bicycle Tour (now simply known as VBT) in Vermont, passing through Stowe and traveling along Route 100. The day we passed Ben & Jerry’s it was rainy and cool so we rode right by. This was the year of Mom and Dad’s 50th anniversary, so we extended our stay and attended the lunch celebration. Presented a slide show during the lunch of images from their past. Later Sandy visited us in Reston. Traveled to Sioux Falls, SD for the Pecora Conference. Discovered the American Zen College where I meditated for two hours on Saturdays. Had arthroscopic surgery on my knee. Spent New Year’s Eve at the Red Moon Saloon doing country and western dancing.
  • 1994—Studied drawing, using the book drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Enrolled in an Oriental Brush painting class through the County. Traveled to San Bernardino to discuss cooperative land use mapping. Planted bay trees on the side of the house in October. Went to Denver twice to participate in image processing training. During one trip Kerie and I stayed at the Hotel Boulderado in Boulder, Colorado. Traveled to Florida for Christmas.
  • 1995—Kerie finally parted with Dortie, her beloved Dodge Dart. Continued to take drawing classes at the Art League School (Basic Drawing II). Came across this quote by Ingres: “Draw lines young man, many lines”. Traveled to Denver again for more image processing training. Traveled to Acapulco for a painting class taught by Lassie Corbett. Also took Lisa Semerad’s Portrait Drawing class at the Art League. That summer we rented a house with friends in Corolla, NC. In August, traveled to Sioux Falls, SD on business, and to Vermont to be with family. Traveled to Tallahassee to help with land use mapping, and in September rode in the Great Peanut Tour outside Emporia, VA. In the Fall, attended meetings on the Chesapeake Bay in Gettysburg, PA, and rode the Shenandoah Fall Festival rides in Staunton, VA. Kerie and I installed a rock stream bed in the front yard. Took Figure Drawing from Lisa Semerad in November. Rode with Lance Armstrong and Greg Lemond on the final leg of the AXA World Ride. We rode from South Lakes High School down to the District. Traveled again to Denver. At the end of the year the Federal government offices were closed, when President Bill Clinton was left working with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern.
  • 1996—Continued with art classes, taking a beginning oil painting class and a gesture class which was taught by Avis Fleming. Painted the upstairs bedroom. Hooked up with Frank Clarke, a high school friend who was in town for computer training. Kerie purchased her Trek 520 from Rockfish Gap Outfitters. We continued to visit the shop for maintenance because of their great mechanic, Scott Paisley, who now is a co-owner of Blue Wheel Bicycles in Charlottesville, VA. Started working on the National Atlas at the USGS. Took an oil painting class from Pam Coulter. Watched Lance win a stage of the Tour Dupont in downtown Roanoke, VA. Attempted to ride the The Tour Of the Scioto River Valley. The temperature was around 35 and it was raining, so we didn’t get far. Traveled to the University of Santa Barbara to discuss computer mapping. Took an oil painting workshop at the Fechin Art Workshop outside Taos, NM. Rode Bike Virginia, starting in Manassas, VA. Traveled to Redlands, CA in July to meet with ESRI staff to discuss Atlas cooperation. Rode the Tennessee Capitals Ride from Nashville to Knoxville. Rode the Milepost Zero Century. Scott Paisley was among the group that finished in under five hours. We also rode the Peanut Tour again. Traveled to Madison, WI and Sioux Falls, SD to discuss Atlas mapping projects. Took an oil painting class from Dottie Petro at the Art League. Traveled to Solomon’s Island to discuss Chesapeake Bay environmental mapping. Rode the Fall Festival ride again in Staunton, VA. Kerie purchased her Subaru Outback. Mentored to Justin a Dogwood ES. Donated the trusty Mac Plus computer to the school. Had foot surgery.
  • 1997—Took an anatomy drawing class from Robert Liberace, the excellent, young artist at the Art League. Attended the Central High School class of 1967 30th reunion in Punta Gorda, Florida. On the way home stopped by to see Mom and Dad in Jacksonville. Took another couple of trips to Denver that year, attending Melanie’s wedding during one of them. Attended the Association of American Geographers meeting in Ft. Worth, hooking up with some high school friends one night. Entered a drawing from the portrait class in a League of Reston Artists show and won second place. Rode in Bike Virginia again, starting in Petersburg, VA. Took a beginning pottery class from Dennis Davis at the Art League. We had the house painted that summer. Attended Chris and Allison’s wedding in Birmingham, AL, then rode from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia on Pedal Pennsylvania. Other bike trips that year included the Peanut Tour, the Reston Century, and the Bike Virginia Shenandoah Fall Festival rides in Staunton. Spent a little time in Vermont while Amy was there.
  • 1998—Did a lot of traveling this year, with trips to Denver (twice), Jacksonville to see Mom and Dad, St. Louis to attend a computer mapping conference, and Redlands, CA. Bike trips included Bike Virginia, the Peanut Tour, the Blue Ridge tour from Boone, NC to Washington, DC, and a VBT tour starting in Lexington, KY. Took a watercolor class from Gwen Bragg at the Art League. The National Atlas team received the Al Gore Hammer Award for our online mapping project. Was a member of the Reston 2000 planning group, looking at land use and transportation planning issues. Finished the year by traveling to Nashville for Christmas.
  • 1999—Traveled down to be with Dad, who had a major operation in Jacksonville that year. Traveled to Redlands, CA and Chicago for National Atlas-related meetings. Got out of bed in the middle of the night and passed out on March 15. Doctor’s advice: get up more slowly next time. Saw the USPRO championship races in Philadelphia. Took two major tours that year: Ontario to Ottawa with Braun’s Tours, and Bicycle Tour of Colorado, from Telluride to Ouray, Silverton, Pagosa Springs, Creede, Montrose, and back to Telluride. Wrote a BTC trip report. Turned 50 years old and retired from the USGS on my birthday. Worked for a while on Supervisor Hudgins’ campaign until it was time to ride cross country. Decided to go with a group, sponsored by Adventure Cycling. Rode from San Diego to St. Augustine on the Southern Tier Tour. Bought a Sharp TM-20 for composing email, and wrote dispatches along the way that were eventually collected in the Southern Tier Cross County Bicycle Tour notes. The tour ended on November 20, 1999 in St. Augustine. Visited with the parents in Atlantic Beach and took Amtrak back home, meeting Kerie on the ride back. Just before leaving on the trip, Ray, Kerie’s Dad, had a stroke and was incapacitated. While I was gone Billie, Kerie’s Mom, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. It was not a good year for Kerie. Ray died on Dec. 22.
  • 2000—Started working at Supervisor Hudgins’ office, first as a volunteer, developing and maintaining her website and handling trails issues. Volunteered to be a member of the Non-Motorized Transportation Committee and developed their website and mapped some local trails using GPS and computer mapping software. During the same time worked as a Census taker for the 2000 Census, developing a thick skin in the process. We moved Billie into an assisted living facility. Spent a few days in Vermont, traveling there via Amtrak. Managed to get in a couple of longer bike rides that year, doing the Timberline Icefields Rambler tour from Banff, Alberta, Canada to Jasper, Alberta (read the writeup); and the Shenandoah Fall Festival in Staunton. Uncle Chuck died that year in Michigan. Worked on Mike Corrigan’s ill-fated Congressional campaign in which he ran against the well-entrenched Republican Tom Davis. Did a little consulting for VARGIS, discussing the Census work for their proposal to the Bureau for a contract. Rode in the Reston Bike Club Century ride. Agreed to serve on the Hunter Mill District Land Use Committee. Kerie’s mom moved from her house in Rockville, MD to a group home in Fairfax County, about 10 miles from Reston, within easy cycling distance. Trip to Atlantic Beach, FL to visit Mom and Dad and to install their WebTV. On December 20 started writing exhalations, my blog.
  • 2001—Took a class in colored pencil drawing, realizing that my color sense is near zero. Attended niece Amy’s wedding in Nashville on February 17. Installed a lamp post in the front yard. Attended the 3rd Annual BikeWalk Conference in Charlottesville, VA. Took the Bike Friday on Amtrak from Alexandria and rode to the conference from the C’ville train station. Two quotes from my journal: “Do the best that you can in the place where you are, and be kind. —Scott Nearing” and “The central process of art is not to render something exactly as it appears but to simplify it so that meaning, clarity, emotional response, and a sense of order combine to create a style from within.
    —Galen Rowell”. Kerie and I continue to ride down to visit her mother Billie at the home, usually on Sunday. Took Bike Friday to Denver while Kerie attended a conference. Rode the many excellent trails in the area, doing some sketching along the way. Later we drove down to Colorado Springs, where we stayed at the Holden House B&B located near downtown. We visited Manitou Springs, the Garden of the Gods rock formations, and drove to the top of Pikes Peak. Went to Philadelphia to watch the USPRO cycling races and rode in Bike Virginia again, starting in Front Royal, passing through Warrenton, Culpeper, Luray, and back to Front Royal. Traveled to Lansing, Michigan to attend Uncle Don and Aunt Lynne’s 50th wedding anniversary celebration. Stayed in a claustrophobic grad student room on the MSU campus. Drove to Vermont for a quick visit with Mom and Dad. Had another colonoscopy. Was working at the Hunter Mill office on September 11. The TV was on and I couldn’t bear to watch. I tried to continue working, thinking about what the attacks would mean to us in the future, about how many more lives would be lost as a consequence. Later that week, rode down to Arlington National Cemetery to view the damage to the Pentagon. At the end of the month we flew to Las Vegas for the start of the Southern Utah bike trip run by Timberline Tours. It was a loop tour, from St. George to Cedar City, Brian Head, Bryce and Zion canyons, back to St. George. Mom and Dad came to Virginia to celebrate Thanksgiving at sister Linda’s house. Pottery class in Reston in the Fall. Author Jim Harrison on the effects of alchohol: “Relief, ecstasy, despair, depression, the possibility of violence”, p. 96, Sundog.
  • 2002—Started working for a contractor to the Census Bureau, GIS/JV. Worked at home and occasionally in Alexandria or Suitland, MD. Kerie and I traveled to White Grass Touring Center in West Virginia to cross country ski. Helped organize the first Bike to Work Day in Reston, which is part of the DC Bike to Work Day sponsored by the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. Discovered that the native lands group involved with the Census contract, the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, is a strong supporter of opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil exploration. At the same time, came across a Neil Young quote in Pulse, the Tower Records magazine: “A lot of people won’t make changes out of loyalty, out of their perception of what loyalty is… But if you’re on a path and there’s a fork, and you know which way you have to go and you know that something’s stopping you… Well, I mean, if you’re on your life path, you follow it.” Left the job shortly afterwards. Trip to Cape Henry north of Virginia Beach with Walter and Kathey. Started a garden at Billie’s home, the first garden I’ve had in years. Traveled to Vermont in June to open the cabin for Mom and Dad. Flew to Burlington, VT with Bike Friday and rode across the state to the cabin near Newbury, VT. Also in June rode Bike Virginia, starting in Radford to Wytheville, Hillsville, back to Radford. Afterwards we spent some time in Asheville, NC, riding, visiting the Biltmore estate and doing some cycling. Edward Weston show at the Phillips Collection. Rode the Reston Century and the Shenandoah Fall Foliage Bike Festival in Staunton, VA. Took Jackie Saunder’s Gesture class. Attended the anti-war rally in DC.
  • 2003—Bought a Barcroft Columbia recumbent tandem from bikes@vienna. In the winter attended two classes at Torpedo Factory: Open Life and The Essentials of Light and Dark. Rode in Bike Florida from Amelia Island—Jacksonville—St. Augustine—Flagler Beach—New Smyrna Beach and back to Amelia Island, staying with Mom and Dad for a few days as well. Took first etching class with Penny Berringer. Billie died on April 8. Rented a cabin on Lewis Mountain in Shenandoah National Park. Organized the second Bike to Work Day in Reston. Attended the USPRO racing championships in Philadelphia. Rode in Bike Virginia again, from Winchester—Martinsburg—Shepherdstwon—Winchester. In July rented Myron Glaser cabin north of Shenandoah National Park. Later that month drove to Vermont for Mom and Dad’s 60th wedding anniversary party. Returned to Vermont in August via Amtrak. In October rode on the Volcanoes of Washington bike tour run by Bicycle Adventures. Later that month rode the Shenandoah Fall Foliage Bike Festival in Staunton, VA. Flew to Jacksonville in November. Discovered it was possible to take public transit to/from Atlantic Beach. Thanksgiving at Becky’s in Shepherdstown. Bought a new computer. New carpet upstairs and new computer workstation desk and shelves. Flew to Nashville for Christmas where we attended a show at the Ryman Auditorium.
  • 2004—During January drew a sketch a day and posted them to my blog. In the winter took Jackie Saunders’ Figure & Portrait in Watercolor class. Dad’s health slowly declined. Took several trips to Jacksonville to help him out. He entered the nursing center and later died on April 13. Started working at bikes@vienna, a local bike shop that specializes in recumbents and folding bikes. Rented a garden plot from Reston Association and harvested many yellow squash, tomatoes, beans, cucumbers and potatoes. For the third year, organized the local Bike to Work Day. Kerie and I were married on Lake Thoreau on May 1, riding around the lake on our tandem afterwards. May Day celebration in Shepherdstown. Took several trips to Jacksonville to help Mom. USPRO races in Philadelphia. Rode in Bike Virginia again and wrote up a trip report. In July Kerie and I drove up to Vermont to spend some time with Mom at the cabin. I returned later that month, flying into Manchester, NH with Bike Friday. Met Mom’s friends Rick Hausman and his wife Emmy. Rode the Finger Lakes Tandem Tour and wrote a trip report. Rode the Shenandoah Fall Festival rides again this year. Serving on the Fairfax County Pedestrian Task Force and will sit on the Reston Association Planning and Zoning Committee in 2005.
  • 2005—Traveled to Florida to visit my mother Ruth who is going strong at 84. Rode the Bike Friday New World Tourist from the airport to her home in Atlantic Beach. Later in the spring returned to Florida to ride the Bike Florida tour in the panhandle. Organized Bike to Work Day again in Reston. Attended US PRO races in Philadelphia. Rode the Bike Virginia tour in June. Took a short trip to Breckenridge, CO to attend the wedding of my cousin’s daughter. Rented bikes and rode the many trails in the area. Appointed to the Tysons Corner Task Force, posted photos of a bicycle tour of Tysons. Attended the Bent Ride in the Finger Lakes are of New York in August. Formed Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling (FABB) to advocate for better bicycle conditions in Fairfax County. Traveled to Vermont in September to help Mom get ready for her move back to Florida. In the end of September we rode Cycle North Carolina. Attended the United Bicycle Institute in December.
  • 2006—Traveled to Florida to visit my mother Ruth who is going strong at 85. Rode the Bike Friday New World Tourist from the airport to her home in Atlantic Beach. Our cat Rufus died in June and was very sick for most of the spring, hence we cancelled our planned trip to Bike Florida. In June we traveled again to Philadelphia to watch the Philadelphia International Championship, formerly the US PRO championship bicycle race. While in Philadelphia we visited the Brandywine River Museum in nearby Chadd’s Ford where we met Victoria Wyeth. She gave a very good tour of her grandfather Andrew’s drawings and provided us with passes to see Andrew Wyeth: Memory and Magic at the Philadelphia Museum the following day. Traveled to Vermont to spend time in the cabin and ride the Kancamagus Highway. Rode the Adventure Cycling Oregon Coast Budget Tour. Attended the Agility World Championships in Basel, Switzerland. Rented bikes for a brief trip into Germany. Spent Christmas in Nashville, TN with the Wrights and Weddles.
  • 2007—Took numerous trips to Atlantic Beach to be with Mom as she went through several chemotherapy treatments for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. She was treated during the first half of the year and is in remission as of November, 2007. Attended the League of American Bicyclists National Bike Summit. We rode Bike Florida again, in a loop starting in Deland, along the Atlantic Coast and back. Our bike advocacy group FABB organized the Bicycle Tour of Tysons for county politicians and staff. Made the annual pilgrimage to Philadelphia for the pro bike race, then later in June rode in Bike Virginia through the Historic Triangle area of Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown. In August we traveled to Montana to ride the Bicycle Adventures Glacier-Banff-Jasper tour and wrote up notes from the trip. Rode the Bike Friday to the Amtrak station in Alexandria to catch the train to Williamsburg for the Bike Walk Virginia annual conference. Decided not to work over the winter at the bike shop.
  • 2008—Short trip to Jacksonville in January. Helped organize Bike to Mason Day and Bike to Work Day, the later for the 7th year. Met with the Cool Counties and Cool Hunter Mill groups to suggest ways residents can reduce their carbon emissions. Traveled by Chinatown bus to New York City to view the Lucian Freud etchings at the Museum of Modern Art. Stayed at the Hampton Inn near the Theater District. Rode in Bike Florida from Clearwater north to Fanning Springs, mostly on trails. Returned to bikes@vienna in April, this time as a mechanic. Later in the summer rode Bike Virginia, in the SW part of the state.
  • 2009—Spent a week in Paris, riding Velib bikeshare bikes around the city, visting as many museums as possible, and having a great time. Pekoe died. Drove to Albany, NY to take the League Cycling Instructor seminar in May. Afterwards drove to cabin for a few days stay. Rode the GReat Annual Bicycle Adventure Along the Wisconsin River (GRABAAWR) in June. Long straight stretches through pine forests,from to Muscoda. Visited with Kerie’s sister in Ohio on the way. Kerie diagnosed with ovarian cancer in July which required surgery and chemotherapy. FABB bike light giveaways. December trip to Shepherdstown and big snowstorm. Pat’s quadruple bypass.
  • 2010—Started and ended the year at New Years Eve dance, the first after chemo. Colonoscopy. Lots of snow, helped John B plow W&OD Trial in Vienna. Visited Mom in Atlantic Beach several times. Attended National Bike Summit. Cricket arrived April 16 and Kojo shortly afterwards. July 4 in Shepherdstown. Fall trip to VT cabin. Backroads Arizona trip spending a little time in Tucson, impressed by the steady stream of bike commuters to the university campus each morning and the people biking in the All Souls parade. Rented bikes in Tucson for a day and used rental bikes on the Backroads trip. Thanksgiving in Columbia, SC visiting Susan and Mike. John B’s FABB award. Flew to Nashville for Christmas.
  • 2011—Bicycle Adventures Trip on the big island, Hawaii in February. Attended National Bike Summit. Bike races in Philadelphia in June. Visited Mom shortly after she broke her hip in August, riding to her place from the airpot, then back here from Dulles on the Bike Friday. In September visited John B in Iowa and the cabin in Vermont. Tetanus shot.
  • 2012—Bike plan meetings throughout the year. National Bike Summit. April trip to Corolla, NC with John and Ces. Kitchen remodel. Pine Creek Trail ride in July. Mom died on September 14. We buried her later that month in Lansing. Interbike in September in Vegas then drove to Vermont at the end of the month. Fairfax Bike Summit. Macbook Air.
  • 2013—Trip to Nashville to sort through Mom’s things. Auto Train to Sanford, FL then drove to Venice to ride for a week. National Bike Summit. BW melanoma diagnosis and surgery in April. July Vermont trip, Pollys Pancake House, infamous Turner Mountain ride when we got lost at dusk. Cabin was remodeled. August trip to Spokane to visit Betty Jane and family and ride the Trail of the Coeur d’Alene, Route of the Hiawatha. Rode the GAP in September. Second Fairfax Bike Summit. Philadelphia Bike Expo in November. K’s cancer reoccurrence and surgery in December. Last days working Sundays at bikes@vienna
  • 2014—Chemo for K. Second opinion at Johns Hopkins. Tooth implant. Kerie bought a Brompton. Visit from Linda M in January. Short trip to Charlottesville with Bromptons. Short trip to Easton, MD, where we saw the music group Yarn. July trip to Vermont. Rode the inaugural trip on the Metro Silver Line. Aborted Erie Canal trip in August because of health concerns encountered during the drive to Buffalo. Sold Vermont property. Adoption of the Fairfax County Bicycle Master Plan after having worked on it for about 5 years. Death Valley tour with Bicycle Adventures then trip to Zion in November.
  • 2015—Rode from Miami to Key West. Rode from Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN on the Natchez Trace. Received Citizen of the Year Citation of Merit. Teaching Learn to Ride lessons.
  • 2016—Started the year with Kerie in the ER with a painful blood clot in left leg behind knee, first at Fair Oaks then at Fairfax. Took portrait drawing class at Torpedo Factory from Jin Chung. Kerie started PARP clinical trial at Hopkins. Big snowstorm in January. Produced bike parking video. Rode self-guided wine country tour and visited Linda M and Naomi while Linda was competing in a dog agility event in San Jose. Cortisone injection in May. Started as dance planning director on our dance group board. Did first chalkfest drawing at Lake Anne, of Kojo and at the Reston Town Center of a Tiger Swallowtail butterfly (2nd place amateur). Traveled to Victoria, BC to bike around Vancouver Island. Continued to hold bike lessons. Inova first aid class in September. Traveled to Missouri for self-supported Katy Trail tour. Rode the Lehigh Gorge trail near Jim Thorpe, PA. Worst work day ever trying to promote Capital Bikeshare morning after Presidential election. Enough said. Traveled to Michigan to celebrate Helen’s 90th birthday. Bought Crosstrek.
  • 2017—Continued to do line dance demos with dance group. Kerie had chemo on Inauguration Day and we did what we could to avoid listening to TVs in other rooms. Our California friend Naomi died. Read Abbey’s journals Confessions of a Barbarian and the book Eyes Wide Open about Lucien Freud. Taught learn to ride classes throughout the year. Read the book 1491 that contends the numbers of Native Americans were far greater than earlier thought, with more advanced skills and their own Neolithic revolution. April trip to Destin, Florida with Bike Fridays where we took part in a March for Science protest. Promoted Capital Bikeshare. Rode the Virginia Capital Trail driving to Jamestown and riding back to Richmond to spend a day then returned to Jamestown via the trail. Kerie started on niraparib. Bob Simon chalk portrait is best in amateur category. Vitreous separation in both eyes a few weeks apart. Read Wolf Willow by Wallace Stegner. Became a little overwhelmed by Trump misdeeds. Traveled to Nashville to view solar eclipse and attend Grand Ole Opry and visit Dick after back surgery. Another Mohs surgery on nose. Second trip to Nashville to return to the Opry and to see Cavalia. Rode parts of C&O Canal, from DC to Brunswick on several trips. Rode the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad. Traveled to Ft. Myers for 50th high school reunion. Visited Tucson in November.
  • 2018– Read Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff. Jin Chung’s portrait drawing class at Torpedo Factory art school. Traveled to Tucson in January with Bike Fridays. Continuing to do various charcoal portrait drawings. Read The Girl on the Train. Prostate biopsy. Traveled to Tucson in April to stay in the casita. Gave and Advocacy 101 workshop at FABB. Read Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad. Rode the Indian Head Trail. Rode my age in June to Magnolias in Purcellville. Rode the VBT tour Best of the Eastern Townships (writeup), starting in Montreal and then spending some time in Quebec City afterwards. Bon Secours retreat. RBC metric century, Kerie on her new e-bike. Traveled to Tucson in November. Read Alexander Hamilton. Painted several acrylic portraits.
  • 2019 – Began the year dancing as usual. Kerie started another round of chemo. Painted acrylic portraits of siblings. Read Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney. Another cortisone shot (dexamethasone). Submitted drawings as part of The Sketchbook Project via the Brooklyn Art Museum. Read Back on the Fire by Gary Snyder. If I’ve idolized anyone, it’s him. Scanned most of my old print photos. Read Book 6 of My Struggle by Karl One Knausgaard, the final book in the autobiographical novel series. Read The Threat by Andrew McCabe. Read Jeff Tweedy’s autobiography Let’s Go (So we Can Get Back). Bathroom remodel only took about 3 weeks. Read The Road to Oxiana, Middle East travelogue by Robert Byron. April trip to Tucson. Celebrated 15th wedding anniversary. Hiked with old friend Kirby. Saw Avett Brothers and Rodney Crowell at Wolf Trap and later saw Jackson Browne there. Rodney is one of our favorite artists. Continued teaching learn to ride classes on weekend mornings. Read The Emporer’s Children by Claire Messud. Did self-guided tour of the Veloroute des Bleuets north of Quebec City, spending time before and after in the city. Traveled to Reno, NV for another high school reunion that I helped organize. Read one of the many good books by Tony Horowitz, Blue Latitudes about the places visited on Capt. Cook’s voyages. Rode MD portion of the North Central Maryland Rail Trail. Rode a section of C&O Canal Towpath trail from Shepherdstown to Williamsport. Saw Jonathan Edwards and Seldom Scene at The Birchmere. Attended DC open streets event in October. Many visits to vets. Traveled to Tucson in October. Read another Tony Horowitz book Confederates in the Attic  and the followup Spying on the South that was published posthumously. Read Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell. Participated in The Big Draw at Torpedo Factory and later signed up for Susan O’Neill’s figure drawing class, the last session of which was cancelled due to the coronavirus scare. Read American Pastoral by Philip Roth. Ended the year dancing.
  • 2020 – Took figure drawing class at Torpedo Factory school from Susan O’Neill. Large class of mostly women using male and female models. Kojo’s health became progressively worse. He needed 2 insulin injections daily. Lots of time spent watching the impeachment trial proceedings on tv. Had Bike Friday reconditioned and painted orange. Planned a line dance workshop at the Y held on Feb. 29, just before everyone went into quarantine. Worked with Del. Plum to get a bill passed forbidding a motorist from passing another motorist stopped at a crosswalk. Started planning a world bike ride for the climate with Suzanne. Read Cabeza de Vaca’s Adventures in the Wilderness. Saw the Edward Hopper show in Richmond. Read My Struggle Book 6, although skipped much of the middle section on Hitler. Held several learn to ride lessons until Covid-19 struck. On March 5 cancelled planned trip to Tucson due to pandemic. 15 March was last time in a grocery store. Did several large charcoal drawings. Last figure class was virtual. The days all started to blend together. Mary died on Dec. 31. Other books read: Stoner by John Williams, about the sad life of a university literature professor; Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson, about the great migration of African Americans from the south from about 1916-1970, told from the viewpoint of 3 people; A Voyage Long and Strange by Tony Horwitz, about exploration of the U.S. from Lief Erikson to the Pilgrims; West from Appomattox by Heather Cox Richardson about reconstruction after the Civil War; On The Plain Of Snakes by Paul Theroux about his journey along the Mexican border with the U.S. and on into the heart of Mexico; Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan; The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie; Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston; The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by David Wallace-Wells; The Bicycle Diaries: My 21,000-Mile Ride for the Climate.
  • 2021 – Another year in the pandemic.
  • 2022 – Yes, another year in the pandemic.
  • 2023 – Fourth year in the pandemic.
  • 2024 – Fifth year of the pandemic.

  • Family

    • Wife: Kerie
      b. July 22, 1954
    • Father: Albert
      September 19, 1922-April 15, 2004
    • Mother: Ruth
      b. June 21, 1921-September 14, 2012
    • Sister: Sandy
      b. August 17, 1944
    • Brother: Dick
      b. January 9, 1946
    • Sister: Linda
      b. June 25, 1953
    • Sister: Debbie
      b. August 7, 1956 – d. 1970