More shelters needed at bus stops

Balancing my textbook and portfolio in the crook of my arm, I hold my umbrella over me while fishing in my pocket with my other hand to produce my Lake Transit pass. The arrival of rain, while otherwise welcome, necessitates this balancing act.

Traveling by bus on week-long system pass

The car has been out of commission this week. Something is wrong with the struts and we've been afraid to drive it. For $15 I got a week-long system pass. I used it to get to and from work and also used it to get down to Calistoga.

Sustainability begins at home

The visiting speaker presented a simple message: vote against Proposition 23 in the November election and receive the gratitude of successive generations for stopping climate change.

Shape Up San Francisco: 'Why not take the stairs?'

Wouldn't it be great if, instead of closing off stairway access to the fourth floor of the Lake County Courthouse, signs like this were posted at every elevator?

Originally shared on Facebook

Sonoma County should help commuters ride the bus

Commuting north on Highway 29 from Middletown to Lakeport each morning, I am greeted by a steady stream of motorists headed in the southbound direction. By 7 p.m. a stream of northbound cars bring people home from work. During peak commute times I am all the more grateful for signal lights at Wardlaw and at Highway 175 allowing motorists to turn across traffic on Highway 29.

Water drinkers take back the tap

Ashland Food Co-op in Ashland, Ore. has eliminated the
sale of single-serving bottled water.
Photo from the Ashland Food Co-op website, www.ashlandfood.coop 

I am as guilty as the next person of buying single-serving bottled water, usually upon an impulse because I was thirsty at the time and didn't plan ahead by carrying a reusable water bottle. Afterward, I try to obtain additional uses by refilling the bottle again, but I don't care for the plastic taste that leaches into the water.

Impulsive purchases of bottled water have been far less frequent since I escalated my efforts to carry a stainless-steel water bottle.

Berkeley to SF aboard BART

Jonathan and I went to Berkeley on Saturday. We attended a meditation class at the Nyingma Institute and afterward rode Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) into San Francisco. A security officer walked us through reading the schedule, calculating the fare, buying our round-trip pass and going through the gate. The trains rush through every few minutes.

The Richmond to Daly City route took us to San Francisco. We disembarked near the Embarcadero and walked around SF for awhile. BART trains are noisy, metal-on-metal, and the air pressure changes in the cars when we plunge beneath the bay. But we were spared the aggravated stress of crossing the Bay Bridge by car and then aimlessly trying to park. I think mass transit will be the way to go when we spend time in the Bay Area.

Great time for walking in Lake County

On Sunday afternoon, I parked my car at the Record-Bee and slipped on some athletic shoes that I keep in my car. From there, I walked down South Main Street and followed the curve in the road to the Lakeport Library and back.