Sunday, February 28, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Civility
![](http://www.billemory.com/blogimg04/cf1014-house-n5214.jpg)
Home of the Cars?
Before the American city could be physically reconstructed to accommodate automobiles, its streets had to be socially reconstructed as places where cars belong. Until then, streets were regarded as public spaces, where practices that endangered or obstructed others (including pedestrians) were disreputable. Motorists' claim to street space was therefore fragile, subject to restrictions that threatened to negate the advantages of car ownership. Epithets--especially joy rider--reflected and reinforced the prevailing social construction of the street. Automotive interest groups (motordom) recognized this obstacle and organized in the teens and 1920s to overcome it. One tool in this effort was jaywalker. Motordom discovered this obscure colloquialism in the teens, reinvented it, and introduced it to the millions. It ridiculed once-respectable street uses and cast doubt on pedestrians' legitimacy in most of the street. Though many pedestrians resented and resisted the term and its connotations, motordom's campaign was a substantial success.
The Charlottesville Police Department has a new statistical tool available for public use on the Internet. A query for all crimes in Charlottesville for the last seven days yields this report:
![](http://www.billemory.com/blogimg04/report.jpg)
Had a close call walking Sophie earlier this morning. Almost struck by a car.
It is dangerous walking in our city.
Labels: government, motoring, neighborhood
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Single occupancy vehicle
![](http://www.billemory.com/blogimg04/cf1021-I81-snow-n5341.jpg)
Drove home to the snow covered south. Making that big carbon footprint. 686 miles, I95, I84,I81, I64. 587 pounds of emissions. Takes 91 trees to offset. I'm covered. I'd ride Amtrak (316 lbs) but dogs are not allowed.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
change again
![](http://www.billemory.com/blogimg04/cf1020-chucklebrook-dogs-n5292.jpg)
Gray, Sophie and I went out walking. Met Charlie and Bode on the edge of Atlantic Avenue.
![](http://www.billemory.com/blogimg04/cf1020-gec-sophie-bode-ch-n5313.jpg)
These two dogs, from Diane and Red Pilbin's kennel in New Hampshire are a delight.
![](http://www.billemory.com/blogimg04/cf1020-surf-sophie-n5300.jpg)
Sophie's fugue, her existential moment of yesterday forgotten.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
change
![](http://www.billemory.com/blogimg04/cf1020-sophie-ocean-n5287.jpg)
Each has his past shut in him like the leaves of a book known to him by his heart, and his friends can only read the title.
Virginia Woolf
Sophia has a ten year history of visiting beaches. When she is on the sand I know what she is going to do. Poetry in motion. She runs and the running sings.
I took Sophie to the ocean yesterday and she surprised. She walked out in the water chest deep. She ignored my calls.
She stood still for too long. She came back in. She sat. She walked back to the car.
I hate change.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
lame
![](http://www.billemory.com/blogimg04/cf1013-sophie-salt-c2269.jpg)
Sophie lame from road salt. Quit walking on Prospect Street a mile from home. Tried to hitch. Tried to get a ride from the police. Ended up carrying her to Jane and Paul's. They drove her home.
![](http://www.billemory.com/blogimg04/cf1014-dog-boot-c2270.jpg)
This dogboot seems to be answering, but not on the style level.
Labels: dogs
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Street Trees
![](http://www.billemory.com/blogimg04/cd0911-benefit-st-n4368.jpg)
My town, Charlottesville had a street tree plan in 1975. It was never implemented. I don't know the details of street tree planting in Providence, RI, but they have made an effort and the results are beautiful.
Walking Benefit Street to the RISD Museum...
Labels: architecture
Friday, February 12, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
yo-yo
![](http://www.billemory.com/blogimg04/cd0917-city-hall-pvd-n4495.jpg)
hoping to ease up through Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, Ossing, Danbury, Waterbury, New London, Mystic. End up in the fabulous Providence City Hall. Weather is conspiring against me. I like traveling up the valley, along the plateau, over the mountains, but I-81 reportedly is closed from the Mason-Dixon line to I-80.
Labels: city
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Monday, February 08, 2010
Sunday, February 07, 2010
public space
![](http://www.billemory.com/blogimg04/cf1006-cho-narnia-n5095.jpg)
![](http://www.billemory.com/blogimg04/cf1006-tree-car-snow-n5076.jpg)
Some trees did break.
![](http://www.billemory.com/blogimg04/cf1006-sidewalk-n5097.jpg)
In the coming days there will be calls for sidewalks to be shoveled.
![](http://www.billemory.com/blogimg04/cf1006-rmh-market-st-n5109.jpg)
I wish there was as loud a call for drivers to share the road, the public space, with pedestrians.
More snow pictures here and here
Labels: neighborhood
family
![](http://www.billemory.com/blogimg04/cs6x-whe-ege-warrenton-snow.jpg)
Walked into town for a movie with Robin, The Blind Side. Some families you are born into, some you choose. Both are good.
![](http://www.billemory.com/blogimg04/cs68-whe550.jpg)
Kodachrome slides. Top image, Warrenton Virginia, Lee's Ridge c.1963, photo by LtC Bill Emory of his children. Bottom image, our father, summer of 1968, by me, shot out of the bus window.
Labels: family
Saturday, February 06, 2010
Friday, February 05, 2010
Slabtown
![](http://www.billemory.com/blogimg04/cj0917-ssc-jason-mask0176.jpg)
winter. Snowing hard in CHO presently. Taking refuge in the song of Slabtown amphibians.
Labels: myth and legend
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Perdido
![](http://www.billemory.com/blogimg04/cm0927-beach-c1005.jpg)
winter.
Looking down the road, this blog will suffer a regrettable change of address in March, it'll be moving to http://www.billemory.com/blog/
Labels: elements
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
high water
![](http://www.billemory.com/blogimg04/cj1025-rivanna-flood-n4954.jpg)
Rivanna River.
The WaPo has a photo essay posted on the Anacostia River:
Here -- in the story of one smelly, trashy and sporadically beautiful stream -- is the unfinished business of the American environmental movement, 40 years after the first Earth Day.
Labels: riverine