Category: Other
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Reunited!
This is an ode to a canoe. A year ago today, on July 14th 2015, I abandoned my canoe in the James River at the base of the Fall Zone’s last rapid in downtown Richmond. The canoe was partially submerged and unceremoniously folded around a granitic outcrop. We were 180-km into a 300-km paddle trip…
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Paddle Trip Report 3 – The Long Dash for Home
The last post ended with my canoe trapped and broken on a granite outcrop at the base of the Fall Zone in Richmond, Virginia. I was on an 8-day journey by canoe from the Blue Ridge Foothills to Williamsburg; a middle-aged journey to mark the 30th anniversary of my arrival as a student at William…
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Taming the Fixey
Most days I commute to William & Mary on a bike. I live 8.03 kilometers (4.99 miles) from campus and the one-way trip takes between 16 and 20 minutes. Riding to work is a good thing because 1) parking a car on campus isn’t cheap (parking costs 8 times what it did when I joined…
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On a Distant Shore
In mid-June I found myself standing on a rocky Portuguese shore gazing west into the blue expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. My GPS receiver dutifully placed me at a latitude of 37.2708˚ North and a longitude of 8.8607˚ West. Curiously, the Wren building on William & Mary’s campus is also located at 37.2708˚ North (and…
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Battling Boreas
William & Mary is in the midst of its Spring Break and many students have departed for destinations where learning, service, and leisure are on the menu. Professors also need a break from campus and many take their leave of Williamsburg during this week with no classes. I got away from campus with my colleague…