Long Walks On Leafy Streets

9/19/2013 Jane's Island State Park, Crisfield, MD
Fall has arrived here. There is that coolness in the air. The grass is drying out and the leaves are starting to turn. All of our plants except the hibiscus and the Aster Wood are finished for the season. The Aster seems to be going out in a blaze of violet.
Today I am working from home because I don’t have any classes scheduled on Thursdays. For some reason last night I was feeling totally exhausted. So it was a blessing to have a bit of extra sleep and rest this morning.
I do enjoy getting up early in the morning, though. It is very refreshing to the spirit. On Sunday morning I was up very early and went for a walk. The streets were very quiet and it was energizing to walk in the early morning sunshine. A neighbor watering his lawn said good morning. “You are the first one I see today,” he said. As I walked by the Takoma farmer’s market the merchants were setting up their stands with herbs and vegetables.
It has been my desire to buy our vegetables from the farmer’s market. We used to do that more often but somehow, perhaps because things have gotten busier, we haven’t been doing that lately. We do try to buy locally produced and (preferably) organic vegetables and fruits whenever possible. It is part of our commitment to living as sustainably as possible.
We drive as little as we can, taking the public transportation as much as possible. Sometimes we walk part or most of the way to work. Nicole works about 5 miles from here and my office is about 3.5 miles away. I have written previously in these pages how I enjoy walking to or from work a few times a week.
My sister Hema gave us her Toyota Avalon when she bought a Prius. I am happy that now they are putting a lot of miles on the Prius which consumes very little gasoline while we use the less efficient Avalon sparingly. It is a nice car to drive, though.
When we went to Jane’s Island a few weeks ago I picked up a Kia Optima hybrid from National Airport. I was very grateful for the Enterprise rent-a-car agent for suggesting it. Initially I was going to pick up a small car because I thought that was their most fuel-efficient option. But the Optima turned out to be a great car to drive and it also gave more than 40 mpg, as much or more than any small car available. Moreover, I would certainly have not been able to pack all our camping gear in a Fiat 500 or Chevy Spark.
Sometime ago my good friend Lori organized a biking outing over the newly built Wilson Bridge to the National Harbor center for the nature lovers meetup group we run. (To see our website click on the little photo at the top and then click on the meetup link). The views over the Potomac were spectacular. When we got to the Harbor with its many hotels and entertainment options there was a go-cart race in progress. These miniature kids’ cars were all electric and were part of an electric car exposition. We got to talk to the owner of a Tesla roadster electric car. He raved about what a great car it was to drive. Several Chevy Volts and Nissan Leafs were also parked there.
It is my dream to own an electric car one day along with installing solar panels all over our roof so that we use only the power of the sun for all our transportation needs. We are so blessed to have the sun providing us with all this energy, not only physically but also emotionally and spiritually.

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