Before I moved to Florida, my northern friends always told me they would never move to Florida because of the bugs. I moved down more than a decade ago, and while I’ve dealt with my share of critters, I never felt overwhelmed by them… until this year. In the past, I’ve dealt with your average crazy…
How we benefit both economically and intrinsically from the presence of and our interactions with nature. One of my favorite sounds in the whole wide world is the sound of bird calls. The bird call that makes me happiest of all is the call of the Barred Owl. When I lived up north, I would lay in bed…
As you may have noticed, it’s been a while since I’ve shared a post. A lot of things have changed in my life since then, not the least of which is owning a car. How did I come to own a car? Well, I’m going to tell you. For those who don’t know, I’ve been self employed for…
Because I’ve chosen not to own a car, I want my bike to replace as many car functions as possible. Cargo capacity is a huge issue for tasks like grocery shopping and laundry. When I bought my Brompton folding bicycle, I bought a giant front bag for it. This bag holds an enormous amount of…
I have an uncanny ability to talk to anyone. From farmer to lawyer, from student to teacher, from mechanic to millionaire – I can have an interesting conversation with just about anyone. Conversations are a great way to learn about the world and foster a sense of community with those around you. That is why I have honed…
Today I am expressing gratitude for the Enterprise CarShare program at USF St. Pete. What a valuable service for the students and what a blessing that they share the program with the public. This program is similar to a car rental program, but you can rent the car by the day, overnight or just for a…
WARNING: Rant with harsh language I just attended one of the most amazing musical performances I have ever witnessed. It was The Indigo Girls playing with a full orchestra on the stage of the Mahaffey Theater here in St. Petersburg, Florida. Every song was a dramatic journey from start to finish. It was enchanting, and I was…
When you don’t own a car, going somewhere requires a bit of thought. You have to ask yourself a series of questions. Should I walk there? Ride my bike? Is it raining out? How far away is my destination? How much money do I want to spend to get there? How much physical effort do…
When you don’t own a car, getting sick can be a hassle. Your doctor might be several miles away, and you don’t want the expense of going to the ER (if that happens to be closer). Usually this means, you take a “wait and see” approach to most illnesses. While the average person might rush to…
Here are some great reasons why not owning a car is amazing: 1. That car alarm that’s going off right now? Not mine. 2. No need to worry about endless loops around the block trying to find a parking space near my apartment. 3. No car payment. 4. No car insurance payment. 5. No time…
There is a phenomena in this country that baffles me. If you live in New York City, you take public transportation all the time. Mostly the subway, but also other trains, buses, taxis, etc. I’m guessing the main idea behind doing this is that it would take you longer to reach your destination and be…
One of the questions I get asked most frequently when I tell folks I don’t own a car is, “How do you go grocery shopping?” When I answer, “On my bike,” they generally look at me quite skeptically. I don’t bother to tell them that I twice carried a watermelon home on my bike from…
I have noticed something interesting since returning to a car-free lifestyle. I don’t enjoy being on highways as much as I once did. They make me nervous, and I wonder how all those speeding missiles manage to avoid each other as they maneuver (sometimes erratically) between the narrow lanes. My mother doesn’t like highways either.…
One of my absolute favorite parts of living in a city without a car is that I don’t have to worry about parking. Parking is the bane of my existence. While I understand the concept of parallel parking, I’ve never actually done it successfully. In fact, I failed my first driving test because I scraped…
When I got my Brompton, I told myself that I would only be riding in good weather. That’s basically what I did when I lived in Sarasota. If it was raining, I donned my rain coat or umbrella and walked down to the bus stop. Of course, my previous bike (a K2) did not have…
