I noticed some differences between the Atlanta area (Atlanta is further south). We drove on some really nice four-lane parkways. Ron said the roads were built with the expectation that "if they built it, they will come," i.e., that development would follow the roads. It didn't. Other than a few isolated strip shopping centers, the area we were driving through was undeveloped. Imagine someone building a road around here and no one came. Can't do it? Neither can I.
The Atlanta area also has fewer deciduous trees and more conifers. The result is that there were fewer leaves in the treescape and on the ground. When I got back to D.C. I was struck by the number of deciduous trees and the amount of leaves on the ground. I've heard people talk about gathering up their leaves and having their yards perfectly clean of leaves. Ten minutes later they couldn't tell a rake or a blower had ever been near the yard. The leaves look like multi-colored carpets.
Atlanta has traffic, but nothing like we have. I caught the familiar "traffic and weather on the eights" from WTOP-FM (and their glass-enclosed nerve center) and, three minutes after I got on 28 South, came upon the backup to an accident. Welcome home, Dan.
Ron and I were talking about eating on the road. I asked him how he tried to eat nutritiously while he was out on a flight. He said it was a challenge--when he started flying for Delta, the only food at airports consisted of hot dogs and pizza. Now, of course, there are many, many more choices (not necessarily healthy ones, though). He said he had gotten bitten by airport and roadside food so much that he made and took a sandwich on trips. It is a known quantity and less expensive. Our family almost never ate at restaurants and my mother always packed a meal for us on trips to visit relatives (aka "vacation"). I used to be frustrated by what I saw as my parents' excessive, uh, thriftiness (and was reminded of it when I paid a ball park price for a deli sandwich at the airport), but now see the wisdom of what they were doing. They didn't have a choice, financially, but intuitively did something good.
Here's a bonus New Yorker cartoon that includes a reference to sandwiches:
As you can see, we as humans do well with sandwiches. Not so much with playing well with others and having an exoskeleton. 
(This rather long space has been brought to you by my inability to figure out the formatting to reduce the long space. It's part of the price for including a New Yorker cartoon.)
This past week I reached the age sung about by the Beatles a long time ago, "When I'm 64." I wanted to thank everyone who sent birthday greetings on Facebook (nearly as many greetings as friends) and give a special shout-out to the wonderful ladies of the Joy Class at our church, many of whom thoughtfully sent me birthday cards. I run hard copies of this blog every week for them, and they are exceptionally kind and appreciative about what I write. Their class is a model of a Christian small group, and the ministries they do collectively and individually are numerous and meaningful. They will not be happy that I have praised them like this because humility is also their strong suit, but they deserve notice. Thank you for all you are and do, ladies. You are indeed walking the walk and talking the talk.
Well, I think I have all the random observations out of my system...at least until Monday. Have a great weekend, everyone!
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