WOMEN’S SHOES

My physician looked at my toes and exclaimed, “Oh, you poor thing!”—hardly the sort of comment I wanted to hear from her. My toes were twisted and bent. Besides being ugly as sin, they hurt; why had I postponed doing something about them for many years? She sent me off to a podiatrist and a radiologist. An X-ray confirmed that my feet were permanently deformed. The toe bones bent at alarming angles (there was also damage to the joints as a result of osteoarthritis, but that’s another story). 

I feared that the podiatrist would recommend repeating the bilateral bunion surgery I had back in 1984. After that I hobbled about in Frankenstein boots for a long time, then was fitted for orthotics and went back to normal shoes. I hoped I could wear high heels again after the surgery, but it has never been possible. Some simple dressy shoes with one-inch heels are the best I have been able to manage. The podiatrist gave me the good news that she would not recommend bunion surgery for me, and the bad, that my feet were too far gone for it. Instead, she suggested better shoes and toe splints that would help align my toes.

Obviously, I will spend the rest of my life with these damaged feet. I can blame my DNA for the hammer toes and flat feet (my feet are identical to my Aunt Edith’s), but can blame no one but myself for most of the deformity. Back in the early sixties, I wore narrow shoes with spike heels and pointed toes, much like the shoes young women wear now. Somehow I forced my feet into them, and wore them as I walked to a subway station, climbed steps, and worked in an office where every woman dressed similarly. We thought we looked good, and would not have considered wearing flat shoes. My feet often hurt (I would surreptitiously remove my shoes and leave them under my desk), but that seemed a small price to pay. Probably the pain showed in my face, though. I might have looked better in flat shoes and with a pain-free smile on my face.

As a child, I read about the pathetic nineteenth-century wealthy Asian women who bound their feet, and  became unable to walk. You’d think everyone today would be wiser, but no doubt the great-granddaughters of those women are wearing shoes having five-inch heels and pointed toes. Whenever I see a young woman wearing those awful shoes and looking uncomfortable, I want to give her a lecture and show her my feet. I have never had the courage to do so, but maybe one of them will read this.

You would think that shoes could be made to look pretty without damaging their wearers’ feet, but no manufacturer seems able to do so. Most comfortable shoes are frankly ugly. I love my REI hiking boots, the most comfortable footwear I’ve ever owned, but the options for wearing them are a bit limited. SAS, Clark’s, and Dansko shoes are well made and nice-looking; they are for casual wear, though. I want something to wear for attending weddings and other occasions. Can’t some shoe designer come up with beautiful, dressy wide shoes that are healthy as well?

PETE SEEGER'S GONE

One night in 1970 I saw New York at its best, when someone took me to a dock on the Hudson River where the sloop Clearwater was sailing in. Pete Seeger, my favorite folk singer, gave an impassioned concert that night that focused on controlling water pollution and saving the Hudson. It was around the time of the first Earth Day, and the crowd responded to him fervently. Somehow I worked up the courage to approach him and ask him about a rather vague idea I had for using folk music to teach children about ecology. He expressed some interest, and suggested that I contact his wife about the idea. His wife?  I was mildly insulted, assuming that he was just trying to get rid of me. (Years later, I learned that his beloved and trusted wife handled everything about his work, but it was too late for my idea. What a lost opportunity!)

No one could inspire people the way Pete did. Whether singing about Dust Bowl refugees, labor unions, civil rights, the Viet Nam war, or the environment, Pete could express the most poignant feelings in the human heart. Through the seventies and eighties, I listened to him singing on the radio or television whenever possible.

Sometime in the nineties he appeared at a union rally in California. It was the first chance I had had to hear him in person since 1970, and of course I eagerly attended his concert. It was a little sad, because his powerful voice was weakening, but just seeing and hearing him again was a privilege.

Pete died a few days ago, and so much of what he stood for is still uncompleted. Yet, there has been progress in some areas. Perhaps most important, he galvanized many to sing out for freedom and justice. That song will never die.

RV TRAVEL CHECKLIST

Getting ready for an RV trip can be exhausting. It’s important to have the RV in tip-top condition, and to think ahead about all the clothes and other supplies we will need for all kinds of weather. (Usually, we will run into both snow and scorching heat before returning home.) There have been times when we have thought, “Oh, the heck with it—let’s stay home and enjoy California.”  Fortunately, we always have continued with our plans.

During several trips, we’ve assembled a list of tasks and things to take, which stays on the laptop computer. Other RVers, especially those who are novices at the game, may find it useful:

Tasks	Notes
Before packing, take care of maintenance and repairs, and fill the propane and water tanks.  Clean the RV interior and exterior thoroughly, using an insect-rejecting material on the exterior.	Starting out with a clean slate makes the trip much easier and more enjoyable.
Organize everything, use labels, etc.	This seems obsessive (unless you’re naturally more organized than we are), but being able to find things on the road is vital.
Check weather and road conditions as needed.
Have medical prescriptions filled.	If possible, get 90-day supplies. Filling prescriptions away from home can be time-consuming, even if you use a nationwide pharmacy.
Return library books and other borrowed items. Set water heater on vacation setting. Notify utilities about vacation.	Don’t waste money by paying for unneeded services or acquiring library fines!
Have mail held or forwarded.	Mail-forwarding services work well if you can predict when you will be at a certain city and can find the post office.
Be sure you have insurance, including coverage for Mexico and Canada if needed.
Notify neighbors or police about absence; arrange for plant care.
Things to Take	Notes
RV-life clothes: hiking boots, jeans, daypacks, parkas, sun hats, swimsuits, etc.	Get high-quality items at REI or a similar source; don’t assume you can find them en route. Lots of tee shirts will fit in a small space, especially if rolled.
One or two decent outfits.	For the occasional restaurant, visit to the in-laws, or other occasion.
Comfortable shoes and sandals.	Plan to do lots of walking. You will be on your feet more than you expect.
Lots of underwear.	You can postpone laundry stops if you have plenty of clean underwear.
Medical supplies: all prescriptions, over-the-counter needs (Pepto-Bismol, aspirin or other analgesic, sunscreen, calamine lotion, etc.), spare glasses, orthotics, or other necessities.	Forgetting any of this stuff can ruin a trip. Common OTC supplies may be easy to find at home, but you may not be able to buy them at a campground or on the road.
Well-stocked toilet kit (preferably one that can hang on a hook in a campground shower).	Travel-size bottles and jars of cosmetics and toiletries are usually big enough.
Camera, rechargeable batteries, battery charger.	Being environmentalists, we make space for a battery charger.
Laptop computer, tablet, cell phone, or other electronic device.	You probably can’t bear to leave home without some of this junk. Be careful not to crush the laptop with the slide if you store it there!
Address book.	Even if addresses are on a computer, a printed address book may be needed. (Especially if you crush the laptop with the slide.)
Basic kitchen utensils: small teakettle, saucepan, frying pan; can opener, spatula, sandwich spreader with serrated edge; coffee maker or tea ball; and so on. A few plates, bowls, cups, glasses, tableware.	Look through your home kitchen. What do you really need? What things can serve two purposes? Galley space is very limited in most rigs. Pack all dishes in dish towels or terry cloths to protect them during travel.
Matches, aluminum foil, dishpan, sponges, dish towels, pot holders, coffee filters.	Some of these things are essential, some can be eliminated. It depends on your individual needs.
Camper’s Swiss Army knife.	If only for the corkscrew.
Dust cloth, small broom, dustpan.
Bath towels, hand towels, washcloths (all as small as possible)	Color-code these to minimize laundry.
Toilet deodorizer and toilet paper (made for RV use), toilet brush
Small bottle of all-purpose liquid cleaner.
Laundry bag and crushable tote bags.	Color-coded bags can help keep things organized.
Camper’s log, atlas, travel books.	These add weight, but do take any you will need.
Passports or birth certificates.
Postage stamps for post cards.	These are never available for sale when you need them.
Books, games.	For rainy days, especially.
Nature guides for birds and wildflowers.	Even if you have no interest in natural history, you will see some mysterious plant or animal and want to identify it.
Outdoor chairs, plastic tablecloth for picnic table, other outdoor needs.	Leave the pink flamingos home, please.
Leveling blocks if needed.	Few campsites are flat, and your fridge needs to be level.

This is only a partial list, of course. I hope it may be a starting point for some RVers who are overpowered by planning.

SNOWBIRDS

When we visited the Salton Sea last January, we soon realized we were surrounded by RVers from Canada who had fled the cold Canadian winter to enjoy sunshine and warmth. This winter, the Salton Sea is probably crowded with “snowbirds” from most of the United States as well; so far only California and Arizona seem to have escaped the punishing record cold.

Of course, the Canadian snowbirds go back north in the springtime to escape the Salton Sea’s heat, which can be wretched in summer.  Death Valley, not far to the west, is actually a test of survival for some people: When we were there one March, a man from our campground  wandered just a short distance into the desert, where he became lost. Search-and-rescue crews were unable to locate him, and he died in the heat.

RVers can migrate easily with the seasons, avoiding both fire and ice. Fire became a threat for us when we spent a few days at Lassen Volcanic National Park in 2012. Forest fires in the surrounding area became so intense that the sky was blackened with smoke, interfering with the astronomy program that had drawn us to the park, and we left early. In a couple of days we were home, where the skies were clear.

Humans and other animals can migrate to more favorable climates, but plants cannot. In the Sierra Nevada mountains, where the temperature has risen firs and pines are dying at higher rates than usual. It is likely that our iconic giant sequoias will also be affected during the next century if temperatures in California rise as predicted.[1] In Vermont, warmer winters during the past decade have affected the maple trees, leading to less maple syrup production.

Monarch butterflies have a well-known pattern of migration that is changing because of earlier spring thaws. This can ultimately cause the butterflies to remain in Mexico rather than return to the United States at the needed time.[2]

The ocean near southeast Australia is warming at a faster rate than elsewhere in the world, and invertebrates including abalones and sea urchins are in danger. Lab studies have shown their larvae develop abnormally under conditions predicted for 2100.[3]

According to the National Wildlife Federation, “polar bears rely heavily on Arctic sea ice, which is rapidly disappearing due to global warming. In Hudson Bay, polar bears are starving during the long summer months as the ice they rely on to hunt for food melts earlier each spring and later in the fall.”

The examples go on and on, but you get the idea. All life on the planet is likely to be endangered by climate change.

There are still some who deny the reality of climate change. Ignoring data that clearly show global warming has occurred, they point to temporary shifts in weather like the record cold some areas are experiencing this year, and claim the planet will be fine. Some even try to use the Gaia hypothesis to suggest that natural checks and balances will regulate climatic conditions so well that human damage won’t matter. Personally, I think Gaia is pissed off, and not just about climate change. If we continue overpopulating the globe, using resources that cannot be replaced, and polluting our environment, she is likely to abandon us.

---

[1] National Parks, Fall 2013.

[2] Scientific American, February 22, 2013

[3] Natural History, Sept 2011

MOTOR HOME SCHOOLING

The KOA laundry room seemed like an odd setting for discussing the philosophy of education, but who knew? The woman who was unloading a pile of sheets and pillowcases from the dryer turned out to be a teacher who was touring the country with her two middle-school children for a year. She had taken them out of their local school to expose them directly to the natural history and  culture of the United States. Being well qualified to teach them most subjects, she had some qualms about mathematics, and so they were also taking some online math classes.

At first I was horrified at the idea. How would these children ever make up the year of school they were missing? When they returned to school, how would they pass the annoying but inescapable standardized tests now used everywhere? (Might this woman be one of those nuts who refuses to have her children vaccinated, wants them taught about creationism rather than about evolution, or endangers them in other ways?)

Then I reconsidered. Was she not simply doing what education experts like John Dewey and Jean Piaget recommended? By experiencing specific instances of geography, ecology, and history, her children could be guided to form general, abstract concepts. We think of education as taking place in schoolrooms, and perhaps occasionally on field trips. However, students in a motorhome can take field trips every day. They can visit national and state parks, historic sites, interesting parts of cities. Museums with unique collections abound. Though these experiences are not enough in themselves to provide a good education, they can be used as starting points for discovery.

History and social studies come alive in visits to places such as the Statue of Liberty, the beacon that was the first sight of America for so many immigrants. Ellis Island provides information about a first step in immigration for the millions who came to the U.S. at the turn of the last century.

The images of four presidents at Mt. Rushmore are familiar to nearly everyone—indeed, they are a cliché--but seeing that gigantic sculpture in person is awe-inspiring. Children who visit Mt. Rushmore are likely to learn something about the presidents as well as be impressed with sculptor Gutzon Borglum’s work. A prepared teacher can ask questions like, “Which presidents are shown? You have heard about Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson; why do you think T.R. Roosevelt was included?”

By keeping a journal of their travels, children can improve their ability  to write and spell (without relying on a spellchecker!). They can illustrate the journals with their own art and photos.   

         

Much regional literature is based on what students may see in their RV travels. Depending on their age and maturity, they may want to read My Antonia, Spoon River Anthology, The Yearling, or The Grapes of Wrath, for instance. They will want to look up information in nonfiction, too;  because of my own RV experiences, I have bought some excellent field guides, biographies, and other books in visitors’ centers along the way. In many cases I have investigated some new interest and found references that would not be found easily elsewhere.

Geology in textbooks can be dull; in the Grand Canyon and other national parks of the Southwest, it becomes real. Paleontology, too, makes much more sense when a student can see fossils still imbedded in strata, as at Dinosaur National Monument. Volcanoes and fumaroles that are seen and smelled at Yellowstone or Lassen Volcanic National Park make an indelible first impression; both parks have much additional information at the visitors’ centers and around the parks.

Every year Acadia National Park has a Night Skies festival lasting a few days. Beginning with simple observations of the spectacular night skies visible on the Maine coast, children can be guided to learning some astronomy. If they learn a bit about the work of early astronomers, they will also absorb some geometry and understand its importance.

Glacier National Park still has a few glaciers, but children will soon learn that they are shrinking. This can lead to learning about global warming, changes in climate, and the effects on plants and animals that are occurring in all parts of the country.

Though natural history may seem like an old-fashioned subject that has been superseded by ecology and other modern scientific disciplines, children who have the chance to see plants and animals in their natural habitats, including the geological underpinnings, will gain an understanding that can lead to sophisticated concepts. Many leading biologists like E.O. Wilson began by studying ants and other living things in nature, not by watching videos about them.

The RV itself provides many opportunities for learning. Perhaps it has a solar panel that demonstrates that source of energy. (“What other energy sources are used in the RV? How are they used?”)  The propane and water tanks have limited capacities, as do the gray and black water tanks, and children can estimate how long it will be before refilling or emptying is needed. At every gas tank fill-up, they can find out how many miles per gallon the RV got on that tankful, and relate the result to the terrain.

Health and safety are continual concerns for those traveling in an RV. Children can help plan nutritious meals that can be easily prepared, make lists of medical supplies to be packed, and so on.

Map skills will emerge if students use a paper atlas instead of relying on a GPS. (“How far is it from here to Chicago? Which direction will we travel in? What are Chicago’s longitude and latitude?”)  They can draw their own maps of cities or parks they visit.

Many national parks have Junior Ranger programs for kids; these are advertised at the parks’ web sites, and a trip can be planned to take advantage of them. Besides being educational, these programs can ensure some contact with other youngsters. 

This informal approach to education is not without problems, of course. For one thing, reference books are usually available In a schoolroom, but few RVs can accommodate heavy books. This deficiency can be remedied somewhat by taking an electronic tablet along and using the Internet for information when Wi-Fi is available. Indeed, probably few modern children would consider traveling without their tablets! Visiting a public library every few days is another option (it makes a good combination with using a Laundromat).  Downloading some often-used references to a tablet or laptop computer is useful, also.

Gaining communication skills also may be difficult when students are not in a regular classroom. In addition to writing and illustrating journals, they can plan “show and tells” to give when they return home.

Soccer and other team sports may have to be sacrificed during RV travel. (I admit to a biased view that  this is not really much of a sacrifice.) Unless too much time is spent on driving rather than on exploring, much physical education happens naturally. Hiking and biking happen, and can make it easier to explore an area while leaving the RV at a campground.

Having spent my professional life as a science textbook writer and editor, of course I feel cautious about recommending this informal approach to education. A parent or grandparent planning to try it should be educated enough to guide a child’s learning. Also, classrooms and textbooks do provide organized curricula, instead of scattered experiences that may not meet national standards. If I could take a child across the country in my RV instead of leaving her in school for a year, I would prepare carefully by reviewing textbooks and standards for her grade level, so that in the excitement of investigating one subject, she would not bypass others. Like the teacher I met in the laundry room, I have some anxiety about math, and would arrange for online courses or tutoring. No doubt I would learn a few things myself.

           

            

RV ENTROPY

More chaos than usual

Some RVs are spic and span, and I suppose their owners’ permanent homes are just as neat and clean. Everything is arranged so well that the spices are probably in alphabetical order, and the towels stacked according to color. Disgusting!

Such perfection seems to violate the law of entropy. Like that in any system, the order in an RV should gradually devolve into chaos. In our Winnebago View, the breakdown tends to happen rather quickly. We may begin the day with everything in its place, but by nightfall the table is littered with pens and pencils, the laptop computer, flash drives, dirty dishes, sketching materials, and perhaps our latest leaf collection. Almost the only thing that moves us to restore order is the prospect of driving, which of course must be done with nothing that can become a flying projectile. 

I would love to have a perfectly clean, organized RV, but it will probably never happen. Even when we have restored order on the surface, and locked the doors on the cluttered cabinets, it is only a temporary fix that can’t last long. What relieves me of guilt is the memory of my favorite book about housework, Nobody Said You Have to Eat off the Floor, by Carol G. Eisen. The author, a psychiatrist’s wife, emphasizes that some tasks are necessary for safety and health, some are important for making it possible to find things and for being considerate of other people, but many can be done minimally or occasionally. Housework can be done according to priorities.

Applying Eisen’s principles  to the RV, we are careful to follow instructions in the owner’s manual about oil changes, tires, and other maintenance; this is a no-brainer, as neglecting the View’s mechanical condition could endanger our lives.  For the same reason, we do make sure that everything is put away in the cabinets and drawers for travel mode. We have a special bag for our prescriptions and other medical supplies, and keep it near the door where it can be picked up in any emergency. 

As we prize being able to take pictures and to keep daily records of our travels, we are usually careful about keeping the camera close at hand; the camper’s log is always replaced where it belongs, next to the entertainment center, when not in use. Being environmentalists, we make sure to leave any campsite at least as clean as we found it. 

To minimize most motorhomework, we start each trip with a clean interior that doesn’t require much work on the road. I am very fond of Murphy’s oil soap, which has an appealing odor. Anything that has been cleaned with it seems to repel dirt.  I use Murphy’s on all surfaces, including the floor. If necessary, a little ammonia can be added for extra cleaning. 

One of the many features of our View that we appreciate is the cabover bed. In the morning we simply spread the Travasak cover to air the inside, then lift the bed to the ceiling. We hardly ever have to actually make the bed. The picture above shows unusual chaos; we don’t ordinarily use the sofa bed!

WINTER SOLSTICE

Today is December 21. The shortest days of the year are past, and from now on they will gradually grow longer. It will be good to see  the sun early in the morning again, instead of this dismal dark sky.

I’m pretty much a morning person. In summer I love getting up early, seeing the new day dawning before most people are awake. It’s harder in winter, though. When the windows are dead black, a wind is blowing, and the house is cold, staying in bed is too tempting.

When I was going to school or working full time, I sometimes sat down at my desk before the sun rose. I could think clearly then, uninterrupted by whatever dark events and thoughts clouded my mind later. One spring, for a class in animal behavior I even went to a nearby swamp at sunrise every day to make a study of redwings’ courtship behavior. It was a magical time of day, with pale golden light filtering through the trees, and only the birds for company.

A few years later, I found myself crossing San Francisco Bay in a ferry boat before dawn a few times a week. The moon and stars shone in an inky sky above the bay. By the time I reached The City, the sun had risen, illuminating the Transamerica Pyramid and Coit Tower.  I had drunk some coffee and read the morning Chronicle, ready for whatever the day would bring.

Today is all too short, and I am much older. The sun rose at 7:20, and will set at 4:48. Less than ten hours of light! I woke early in the darkness, and turned on some holiday lights while breakfasting. Tonight I will light  a candle on the dinner table. I will delay the night.

FED UP!

I’m tired of all the grousing about Obamacare, all the insistence on gun owners’ rights under the Second Amendment, all the right-wing nastiness in general. What has happened in this country to common sense and compassion?

Those who object to contributing to health care that doesn’t immediately benefit them are simply deluding themselves. Do they not realize that at any moment they may be diagnosed with a serious disease, or be in a traffic accident requiring major surgery? If that happens, they will need a great deal of  money—far more than most people have available—to pay the medical bills. That is what insurance is for.

For many years, I paid for health insurance that included obstetrical benefits, though I was unable to have children. Was that fair? Of course it was; when I have occasionally required medical care for other reasons, the health insurance that others pay into has helped me pay for that care. Similarly, for a long period when my late husband was young and very healthy, he paid into the system. When he later had the heart disease and diabetes that required a sextuple bypass and the amputation of his leg, the bills were partly paid by insurance.

This sharing of responsibility extends to other social obligations, such as everyone’s paying for schools and police protection.  Such sharing is part of the social contract that makes a civilized society possible.

Unfortunately, it sometimes seems doubtful that our society is civilized. A year after the massacre of small children in Newtown, there is little progress in limiting the availability of guns and ammunition. Instead, many states have actually weakened restrictions on them.

Even John Boehner has spoken out about how the far right has hampered normal government operations.  Perhaps if Boehner and other Republicans can rein in the Tea Party-backed representatives, there is a chance that Congress will recover its sanity. I am not very hopeful, but it’s possible.

THE COMMA, AND ROBERT FROST

The Robert Frost Stone House museum

When we traveled through Vermont this fall, I was eager to see the stone house where Robert Frost—one of my favorite poets--lived in the 1920s. The house is now a small museum, with family pictures and enlargements of selections from Frost’s books and letters  covering the walls. Though not as spectacular as some writers’ homes, the museum is a feast for any Frost enthusiast.

One piece of correspondence especially fascinated me. It was Frost’s caustic letter to his editor regarding “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” that poem beloved by thousands of us. The editor had added commas to Frost’s original line, “The woods are lovely dark and deep,”  resulting in the familiar “lovely, dark, and deep” we have all seen in the published poem. Frost was obviously infuriated by the change. As a rather comma-happy editor myself, I could imagine myself automatically adding commas in the same places, and felt some sympathy for the editor. But Frost was right, of course—both the rhythm of the poem and the connotation of the line were changed by the added commas.

Coincidentally, the issue of Harper’s that came out while I visited Frost’s home contained a short story by Joyce Carol Oates, “Lovely, Dark, and Deep.” (It did not mention the commas.) Though clearly fiction, it was a slightly veiled sharp attack on Frost’s character. Using various sources, Oates quoted Frost’s children and associates about how he had mistreated those around him.  It is impossible to tell how much of Oates’s material is true, and how much is fictional. Whether Frost is as awful as he seems in this short story (which may well be true, from what I have read in other places) or not cannot be known with certainty. Because I find much meaning in his poetry, I hope he was a finer person than Oates pictured him.                                       

This lack of clarity troubles me, not just in regard to this story, but about combining fiction and history in general. What might be libelous in a nonfiction article is not in a short story, where the author is protected from accountability.

RECORDING NATURE

So many RVers, especially full-timers, have creative hobbies that they continue on the road. Some people knit, do woodworking, or absorb themselves in other crafts.  Some devise elaborate recipes for RV-friendly dishes that can be taken to potlucks at rallies. I envy them; such skills have always escaped me (my head is usually buried in a book). While we are traveling I do continue blogging and other writing, but that is rather abstract until it results in actual publication. I’d like to do something tangible.

Being a member of the California Native Plant Society, I recently read their curriculum guide Opening the World through Nature Journaling, which helps teachers integrate science, art, and literature. One section in particular appealed to me:  instructions for sketching and writing in a nature journal. This could be what I’m seeking as a craft for myself. 

Before photography became possible, naturalists like Darwin and Linnaeus drew accurate and appealing sketches in their field notes. Even today, biologists often find sketches indispensable for making complete notes in the field. 

As a college student, I enjoyed both a basic art class and the botany and zoology classes where I drew hundreds of cat muscles, chick embryos, flower parts, and so on. Though I never became an artist, I learned to use sketching as an essential tool for observing plants and animals closely. During my years as a biology textbook writer and editor, I made many rough sketches for professional artists to use in illustrating everything from starfishes to redwoods.

It is one thing to draw and paint in an editorial office having lots of space and tools; it is quite another to do so in a compact RV. Luckily, the curriculum guide emphasized using colored pencils and small pads of paper. All my journaling materials fit in a plastic pouch no larger than an iPad, and I can easily slip the pouch into a daypack with my binoculars and water bottle.

Living on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, I never lack for living things to sketch near home. We have oaks, pines, and deer; even the rare bear may show up (though in that case I probably would abandon my sketching). On the road, the possibilities are even more inviting. We often see living things we want to identify, and take photos of them, but a detailed annotated sketch can provide much more helpful info. When I have a chance later to check a reference book, I can look at my journal to find out whether a plant’s leaves are opposite or alternate, or how many stripes are on an insect’s abdomen—information that may not be obvious in a photo, no matter how attractive the photo is.

It has been many years since my college art class, and I doubt that my colored-pencil sketches will ever be considered works of art. They will be useful for careful observation, though, and the journal will be a concrete result of my new craft.