I try to be mindful and present - thinking about the here and now.

Sometimes, though, it is fun to think about the what is to come. Especially when the future holds a vacation and a big personal challenge…

We bought a tent and some sleeping bags. Kris and I both grew up camping with our families, and we have been hoping to continue that tradition in our own family. We have been together for ten years been have only camped once. So, now we can camp a lot more, starting with our next vacation. Camping gear is so much easier and lighter than it was twenty years ago. Perhaps it is childhood memory fog, but I seem to remember the tent setup taking a good forty-five minutes. And it weighed a lot too. Well, new tents don’t take as long… the new tent was up in a flash, and it feels “roomy” too! (Yes, it is in the living room…) And the sleeping bags! so nice and comfy and light as a feather! Stuffed with down, instead of polyfill! (can you see my excitement?) So, yeah, we are ready to go… now we just have to wait for the day to arrive. That gives me some time to decide what knits to take along with me…

I mentioned it already, but it is now official. I signed up for the SheROX triathlon in August. I am excited and nervous at the same time. With 13 weeks before the event, I have really picked up the training. I detailed my training plans over on the Journey page in a little segment I am calling “Tri’ing Times”. I will try to update it once a week with results and milestones. I have also found some inspiration and tips from two great sources. Ravelry has some great fitness-oriented groups: Fitness Knitters, Yarn and Sneakers, and Tri Knitters. The groups are perfect for the beginners and the more experienced. BeginnerTriathlete has a large free section where users can enter their training log data and goals, as well as an active forum and Q&A section. The site has already helped me learn the answers to some of my novice questions. I still have a lot to learn (and a lot to practice), but if motivation means anything, I am there! So much so that E and I are planning to practice the swim this coming weekend!

Spurred by this training, and the effects that [I think] it will have on my body, I am joining the 365 Project on Flickr. The basic requirement is that you take a self-portrait every day for one year. Kris says it is narcissism, but I tend to think of it is a motivational tool and a way to really express creativity. This is Day Three, and I haven’t taken today’s photo yet… but I will. If you are interested, you can keep up with my 365 photos here (only two so far). I hope I can keep it up. There are several crafty 365-ers too, even starting their own group, Knitterly365Days.

The shoes at the top of the post were an added bonus: I wanted comfy walking shoes for the summer. After I tried on about 10 pairs, I decided on these cuties - Ahnu Benicia. The left photo was my official “first” photo for the 365 Project.

My mother says I worry too much. She says that I find things to worry about; and she is probably right. I worry about things in the future [first mammogram] and things in the past [did they understand what I meant?] and plenty of things to worry about in the here and now. With the worrying comes a big ol’ sack of guilt as well.

However, here is something I have been worrying about for awhile - and it’s a doozy.

I love to travel. LOVE. I grew up exploring the country with my family - we moved every three or four years, and I developed quite a taste for seeing and experiencing new things. Since my junior year of high school, I have lived right here in Maryland. That is ten years in the same place. A record for me. (Granted, I moved out of my parents’ house, went to college, and then bought a house with Kris, but it was still within a 30-mile radius) I get an itch to pick up and move far away (I am looking at you, Pacific Northwest) but there are some great things here too - like our jobs - so we stay. And how do I scratch that itch? Well, I go on trips. I travel around.

I love travel so much that I signed up for a class this summer called Travel Writing. I thought that my travels might be something that people would be interested in reading more about… even thought about a little side project as a writer. I have picked up some good tips, and have received some favorable and complimentary feedback from my instructor and my classmates.

One of our recent assignments was to write a list of the top 50 places we wanted to travel - off the beaten path kind of places - and how we could sell that trip to a publisher/magazine. I had 90 places on my list. I wasn’t trying to “outdo” anyone - I was just writing down the places I wanted to see and experience! No doubt, I could come up with some more without too much trouble. Just a quick flip through one of my magazines (my favorites: Budget Travel, and National Geographic Traveler and Adventure) reminds me of about 10 other places that I want to see.

The other side of the coin:  In my daily life, I consider the consequences of my actions.  I consider the footprint that I leave.  I want to live with the lowest impact possible.

There is a lot more that I could do.  Yet, I already do quite a bit.  I am committed to the cause.  Each day I learn something new (many thanks for the dynamic discussion in the Ravelry GreenCraft group) and I adopt new practices.

How do I reconcile my wanderlust and my (intense) desire to see/experience the world while considering my footprint? 

Jet fuel emissions are extremely harmful and not sustainable in the least. Air travel is very ineffecient energy-wise, and depends on a non-renewable resource.  Driving a car is not much better, and train travel is only slightly better.  What about the places that I want to see (80% of the places are over water) but can’t get to without air travel?

According to Salon’s recent article, “You Are Now Free to Pollute About the Country“,

Flying still makes up a very small percentage of greenhouse gas emissions. Globally, just 1.5 percent of greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity each year come from air travel… In the U.S., that number’s about 3.5 percent. Yet those numbers are projected to rise sharply, making air travel one of the fastest growing contributors to global warming, while the world is struggling to reduce emissions. Over the next 20 years, more than 27,000 new aircraft will take flight, and the number of air travelers will double to 9 billion during the same period…

So, yeah. Now you see why I am worrying. It is a conundrum.

Carbon offsets don’t quite fit the bill. You can’t unpluck a flower, so how can you make the carbon dioxide evaporate? Sure, it may be better than nothing, but do those offsets just exist to help me feel psychologically better about my own pollution?  I am all in favor of planting trees, funding wind farms, and conservation of energy, but the fact of the matter remains: it is about the CO2 here and now.

The Salon article above points to business travel as the #1 culprit.  Cutting down/eliminating transcontinental and transoceanic flights would definitely have an impact. Technology allows us to have web conferences, chat sessions, and live demonstrations.  If more companies adopted online meetings, things would get better, without a doubt.  What will be the tipping point?  When will it be widely adopted and implemented?

And what about the traveler like me?  I do a handful of auto and train trips a year - usually about four or five.  I go on two or three airplane trips a year;  this year, two will be within the States, and one will be outside and far away.  I know that my vacations are not the biggest problem, but they contribute to the overall problem.  I proscribe to the “every little bit” ethic, and this is another instance, even if it is only a drop in the bucket.

On a related note: When I do travel, I consider the impact of my presence on the land and on the culture.  I believe in fair trade and supporting local economies.  I believe in sustainable development.  I want to see people succeed and live happily and healthily.  The social and societal aspects definitely play a role in all of this. [The Rise of the Conscientious Traveler]  After years of study about other cultures,  I want to witness them first hand.  How can I do that while still living responsibly?

Perhaps I will cut my list of PLACES TO SEE down - I know that there is no realistic way to travel to 90 places far and wide in my lifetime.  I can visit the library and read about them instead (and still live quite happily with some nice stamps in my passport).  See pretty pictures of the people that do live there.

I can research the places and activities planned and ask myself what is the impact on culture and on the environment. I can reduce my consumption while on travel, just as I strive to when I am at home.  Use responsible transportation while I am away - walking, public transit, biking.  An obvious tip would be to travel close to home.  The whole “playing tourist in your own town” goes a long way (it is one of my favorite pastimes).  But don’t get me started on the whole driving TO nature thing…

There is simply no clear answer… at least not one that I can see.

*Perceptive Travel Blog:  The Environmental Traveler’s Conundrum
*World Hum: The True Cost of Travel [interview with author]
*National Geographic Traveler’s Green Guide

Pine Trees, California

Cypress Swamp, North Carolina

Cherry Trees, Washington, DC

Banyan Tree, Hoomaluhia, Hawaii

Coastal Redwoods, California

Decidious Trees, Maryland

Trees in Maryland

Trees completely enchant me.  They catch my eye, and my spirit.  The most tranquil place I have ever been is undoubtedly the redwood forest of California.  Trees command respect and tell countless stories. 

Today is Arbor Day.  It is pouring rain the DC area today (helping the trees, no doubt!) but it is still a great time to celebrate trees and how they impact our lives. The Arbor Day website has a myriad of resources: the history of the celebration, a comprehenisve tree database, guide to the benefits of trees, Arbor Day e-cards, info on RainForest Rescue, and many ways to take action in your own community (and with your wallet).  I donated, and bought some of the shade-grown, fair-trade, organic coffee for my caffeine-addict husband (who also loves trees).

Do you have a particular memory about a tree?  or a tree that holds a special place in your heart? 

My family moved around the U.S. a lot when I was growing up.  My father’s career is based in natural resources, and he spent many years doing field work, and learned about numerous plants, trees, and animals.  As a child, I spent many hours with my family on various camping trips, hikes, and road trips,  we admired the landscape of trees, and we tested our parents by always asking what kind of trees we were seeing.  We moved to several different states during my early childhood: When we lived in Wyoming, we encountered large conifer forests - in West Virginia, the Appalachin decidious forests - in New Mexico, the pine forests in the mountains, and the yucca plants of the steppe.  Each new state brought beautiful and interesting new possibilities.  My sisters and I frequently climbed the mimosa tree at our West Virginia home, and we saw the saplings grow into larger trees at our home in New Mexico.  Now, Kris and I celebrate and honor trees:  our upcoming trip to the Peruvian Amazon rainforest, our weekly walks through the Maryland parks and wooded areas, and our own landscaping techniques.

Trees Group on Flickr

Field Guide to Trees of the World

HAPPY ARBOR DAY!

It’s August. So, that means that nearly everyone is on vacation. Isn’t that how it works in Europe? We need that in the U.S.

I love to travel. Nearby or faraway: not quite the “anywhere but here” mentality, but more like a “fit it all in while I can” sort of thinking. I have seen much of the United States; my family moved about every three years when I was in elementary school, both in the east and the west, and north and south. It is easier to count the states that I have not been to - eleven - than the other way around. Of course, I hope to visit these remaining states someday soon.

And I have only been to one TWO other countries (I forgot to count that one day in Mexico - so TWO countries! oops, mis apologías) I need to visit more. I want to fill my passport with stamps stamps stamps. I am working on that one - maybe in 2008 when I finally finish school.

We try to take one big vacation a year, and a few small roadtrips in between. This year, we have been south (Alabama), north (New York), east (Maryland beach), and in November, we will go west (California). We will be in San Francisco for four days (one day we will be down in Monterey) and then up in Napa Valley for the remainder of the trip. I am so excited as I have only been to the SF airport en route to Hawaii, last fall. It is the perfect time for a getaway celebration too - two weeks after I take the comprehensive examinations for my MLS degree! If you have some CA travel tips (restaurants, museums, stores, etc.) please let me know! I should have some free days for lunch and knitting too if any Bay Area knitters are interested in a meetup!

… I am also putting together a little romantic get-away for our upcoming fifth anniversary this winter… Green Mountain state is at the top of the list. I talked to Megan (who recently moved from the NYC to VT) and it just looks like the perfect place for a long winter weekend…

I often look back through my vacation photos just to relive it all. There were quite a few neutral photographs in my albums…

North Shore, Oahu - October 2005

Avdat, Israel - June 2000

Qumran, Israel - July 2000 (where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found!)

Ocean City, MD - June 2006

Have you been on your vacation yet? I would love to hear about it!
(In other words, help me satisfy my wanderlust with your stories!)