Here's a little something for you to munch on. Okay. So, if the seeds of the various plant matter that grew millions of years ago and that got compacted underground and fossilized into one gallon of gasoline were instead the seeds of wheats and beets and other treats that we could eat and turn into man power, then we could pedal our way upwards of 900 km on just that little bit (N.Y. to D.C. and back and then halfway back to D.C.). That is, if the 38 million calories of energy stored in one gallon of gasoline were consumed food-ways and directly converted into motionpower, we could use it to travel more than 20 times further than it would have brought a car as gasoline. Is that crazy?
Meanwhile, we have found ourselves in Poses a small town in Normandy, a bit south of Rouen. We decided to pass up several other towns such as "tornadoes on the seine" and "port death", but we find it nice here. We left Paris on Monday afternoon and plan to be in England by Friday night. The French countryside is spectacular. I've found that the most beautiful and quaint villages are the ones that are accessible by no major roads and which are sometimes not even on the map. It is there that you'll find sons taking their elderly parents for walks down the silent streets, or catch a glimpse of an old women setting a table in the dining room of a half timbered house against the backdrop of that classic blue and white provincial wallpaper. It's there that the houses don't stand quite straight and the only noises loud enough to obscure the sound of hushed conversations or a woman closing the shutters as the sky grows dark is the low clanging of the church bells, for no French town is complete without it's stone church. Its in these towns that I feel like I'm beginning to see the real France. The historically famous spots of the world are quickly becoming nothing more than tourist destinations. They lose their essential charm, or brilliance, or wonder. And while I appreciate it in a way as an advancement (the way I "appreciate" how target has brought oversized clocks to the lower and middle classes), I also mourn the loss of their enchantment. So, if you get a chance, go and see the places that your tour book forgot.
Well, it is getting late and we must get our one pot dinner a'cookin. For my sake would you have a seat on your couch, hug a pillow, roast some local poultry, watch the rain from a window, sit by the fire, appreciate your motors and lights, hide under your comforter, try a new recipe and/or invite friends over?
Thanks.
N
(Pictured above: the bridge at Monet's gardens in Giverny; the mighty Seine; a beautiful Chateau we happened upon with a huge and fabulously diverse veggie and fruit garden; pre-Paris, the rainbow which preceeded a good 40+ hours of rain)
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wonderful descriptions Nate! glad to hear you're both well....and for your sake...I will REALLY appreciate all the comforts of our home....and I invite you to join us..AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!!!! what time do you guys arrive on Sept 22 nd.???? love you both! Mama
ReplyDeleteThat is a lot to chew on Nate. I think this would be a long and interesting conversation. This is probably not the place to start it. But here goes. Makes me think about the advancement of civilazation and what is progress. What is the purpose of the industrial revolution and all the associated problems? It sort of boils down to progress=comfort+time. How much time so you want to spend bicycling between D.C. and NYC.? Life is short. So the question is: What are you willing to give up for more of comfort and time? How do we get it without ruining others lives or the planet? The movie The Matrix was about a world where the powers that be ( robots? computers?) use human energy to power their world. They create a virtual reality to make the humans think their lives are normal per 20th century. I'm not sure human energy is the answer. The cheapest way to get things done now, in terms of resources used, is still human energy. Sounds too much like slavery. While the fossil fuels were cooking, human and animal energy was all there was. Since the invention of the wheel and discovery of metals, humans have been consumed with making life easier. That is what all world economies are concerned with. Monetary systems are bartering one persons' time and resources for another’s. Energy is converted (lost?) in the transaction usually in the form of heat. We have always been in denial that those resources are finite. I'm not sure going backwards is going forward. O.K. we have defined the problem: how do we continue/ increase the comfort of the populations without depleting all resources (pollution = discomfort)? What is the answer?
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