Bikes and Golf and Tennis
Last weekend my wife and I went biking, traveling in Newton as well as Needham and Wellesley. We noted the recent uptick in traffic as people get stir-crazy and leave home for a drive. Still, the roads have rarely been safer for those on bikes. As a result, more...
Not All the News Is Bad
It is all too easy to fall into a funk in the era of Covid 19. Massachusetts has not yet peaked in the level of infection. We all spend many hours a day sequestered at home all alone or with immediate family. Even when out and about under blue skies, we worry about...Living in the Shadow
We are all living in the shadow of Covid 19, whether we are getting sick or merely attempting to ward off sickness. We spend our days at home, and we have changed even our routines of recreation to stay safe. I am a tennis addict.The last time I played tennis,...
A Saturday Afternoon Bike Ride
Saturday is typically a contemplative day for me. I usually attend religious services in the morning, schmooze at the reception afterward while chomping on cheese and crackers, and then nap in the afternoon or take a long walk with my wife and our dog....Should we put our lives entirely on hold?
I knew what was coming but kept praying that it wouldn’t happen. Now it has; thanks to Covid 19, almost all my communal activities have ceased, and most other things as well. At the beginning of the week, however, I was still trying to pretend that life might...School is Closed and Spring Sports Delayed
Well, the other shoe has finally dropped: The Newton Public Schools are now closed, starting tomorrow and lasting at least through next Friday and possibly longer. Here’s a link to the Newton Report’s article:...Open Space and Recreation Plan
On Thursday, February 6, Newton convened a rather remarkable gathering of community activists to discuss the upcoming creation of a new seven-year open space and recreation plan. The advocates or “Friends” of various parks and playgrounds, from Nahanton Park to Cold...
Smart Growth in Wellesley and Newton*
To housing activists, 40-R zoning is considered “Smart Growth.” Its best practices include high-density housing, nearby public transportation, pedestrian and bicycle access, and less reliance on gas automobiles, the chief contributor to global warming. 40-R projects...Climate Change: Both/And, Not Either/Or
Mayor Ruthanne Fuller recently published an extensive Five-Year Climate Action Plan (http://www.newtonma.gov/civicax/filebank/documents/100191). Green Newton has also weighed in with its Citizens’ Climate Action Plan...Bicycles and Elections
Last Friday, in the pouring rain, I drove to Newton North High School for the dedication of a new bicycle shelter. The project was a collaborative effort of Bike Newton, on whose board I serve, and city government, and boy, was the shelter needed that day! Mayor...A Near-Death Experience at BSC
Yesterday, for the second time in just over two years, I came close to witnessing the death of someone close to me. Two years ago it was my father, 98 years old, who passed away of heart failure at a hospital in my presence. Though it was a difficult moment for me, I...
Crazy Divers: Men be like...
drivers man be like