Layne Rodney

THEM

I don’t like them. They scare me. I try to avoid them. However, it is impossible to avoid them when I walk around Stamford. Worse they are growing in numbers. One of them came close to hurting me badly.

What I am talking about are cars with tinted windows. I cannot see the driver with the heavily tinted windows. Hence, them. Now, they are even adhering the tint to the front window.

The scary part is walking in front of a car at an intersection. It is difficult enough when you can see the driver. Will they see you? Are they on the phone? When you cannot see them, every issue is magnified.

The time I almost got hit I was crossing the road. Them was not even close to the stop sign When I started. I made the mistake of assuming them would at least slow down. Of course, I couldn’t see them. Front Window was totally tinted. I know this drill very well as I see it happen all the time. Them was turning right and I assume them made a quick look to the left saw no traffic and floored it totally ignoring the stop sign. Of course, them didn’t see me at all. I missed being hit by one inch.

The kicker. Them had to stop at the next intersection for a red light. Them gained nothing by running the stop sign

The worst part is it is illegal to have heavily tinted windows on your car in Connecticut.

Them, one of trials when you walk the streets of Stamford

By the way “Them” is also a name of a 1950s Science Fiction Movie. I grew up on those movies when I was a child. Channel 7 had the 4:30pm movie every weekday. Each week was a different format. WWII was one-week, teenage movies one week and then the SciFi movies. Them was a pretty good movie

The Green Curtain Again

The flowers are starting to blossom, and the leaves are soon going to be budding out. The green curtain will soon arrive.

It is always nice when the foliage is out. The leaves are so vibrant. Nature is in full bloom. Yet I do miss the emptiness. During the winter I discover so much when I walk. Seeing animals, rock outcroppings, hidden ponds and streams. It is much harder to see into the woods and forest when the foliage is out.

That is why I like Stamford. Each season is distinct and brings it own satisfaction

Saturday’s Journey

A little bit of housekeeping. I have decided to use journey instead of walking. One description of journey is “A days Travel”. That is what I am doing as I have expanded my travels in many ways these days. Today I had two destinations that I wanted to visit. One was the dam at the beginning of the Mianus River in Cos Cob. The second location was the Silvermine Art School in New Canaan. The distance between the two destinations is fifteen miles. If I walked the entire distance plus going and coming to my house the distance would have been over thirty miles. There is no way to walk that much in one day. So, I incorporated my other means of traveling. I walked, took the bus, took the train and even used my car to go from my house to the Springdale Train Station. I still logged twelve miles of walking. I was not able to make it to the Dam. I got within 1,000 feet and stopped at the top of the hill. There was a Scottish Bagpiper standing in front of a church and I waited there hoping to hear him play. Unfortunately, the bus came before he played. The train ride to New Canaan is always interesting. The leaves are not out and you can see quite a ways into the woods and yards. Today I was amazed how many tree houses are in people’s yard. I saw at least four The journey from the New Canaan Train Station to the Silvermine Art School took almost an hour to walk. The Art School usually has an art exhibit, and I was not disappointed with it. Walking back to New Canaan I noticed many vernal pools in the ground. They usually disappear by summertime. Walking by

the train tracks I discovered an underground river. You can see from the picture it surfaces for five feet and goes back underground again. I wonder where it actually starts. Today’s journey shows me that the unexpected is always lurking. If you had told me, I would see a bagpiper and an underground river I would have said no way. There is so much happening out in the neighborhood. Hidden in plain sight. Enjoy your travels

My Constant Companion

I usually walk alone. My wife and friends sometimes walk with me. However, the majority of time I am alone except for my constant companion.

Who is my companion? Very simple. Noise! Yes, noise is with me all the time when I walk. Vehicles, Sirens. Music, Planes and of course leaf blowers.

Vehicle noise comes in many sizes and shapes. The electric cars are quiet but still make noise. The faster they go the louder the noise. Then we have tires. Some tires are okay and other usually on four-wheel drive or trucks have a loud and annoying sound.

Then we have sirens. Stamford is the town of sirens. If I did not know better, I would say Stamford is on fire. The Firetrucks are always going around with the loud sirens. In most cases they are going to back up an ambulance or a false alarm

Then we have music. I am amazed at how loud some of our drivers like to have the music in their car. Some even have a giant boom box on the front seat blaring away. I do feel sorry for their hearing long term.

We are in the landing corridor for Westchester Airport. The jets fly low and south over Stamford and then turn right to start the final approach to runway 34. The jets are not too loud. They are a constant.

What can I say about leaf-blowers? Another constant. There always seems to be a leaf-blower in the neighborhood or along my walk.

The reason I write about noise is there were two occasions in the last month where I had silence. The first was at the Pound Ridge Reservations. A great place to walk by the way. I was walking up a hill on a trail and there was no noise. I was far enough away from road and there were no planes around. It was very eerily.

The second time it happened I was walking North on Stillwater Street just past Stillmeadow school. There was no traffic, no planes, just quiet. Then I heard birds singing. It was such a revelation there were dozens of birds singing. It was so nice to hear the singing without the distraction of Noise. Sadly, it did not last long.

Keep on Walking

Greenwich by Train

Greenwich is a great destination. I have walked the border between North Stamford and North Greenwich often and there are great views, and you truly feel like you are in the forest.

However, today’s blog is about taking the train to Greenwich. The time to take the train from Stamford to Greenwich is around ten minutes. Trains run about every half hour during the day.

Once you arrive at the train station you have various choices. Greenwich Avenue is a very short walk and offers a great variety of food and retail. Long Island shore is also a short walk from the station. If you walk down Steamboat Road to the end you have a nice landing to view the sound and you will usually find someone fishing

Do you have children? A close walk is the Bruce Museum and Bruce Park Playground. The Bruce Museum has many exhibits for children to enjoy plus the dinosaur outside. The playground is excellent for children.

Now for the serious walker. Walk thru Bruce Park until you come to Indian Field Road. Go north on Indian Field Road. Go past I-95 and turn right on Station Road. Just past the Cos Cob Train Station is Cos Cob Park. The location used to be the old Power Station for the New Haven RR. The park has nice walks, and the view of the Sound is spectacular.

At this point you have a choice. You can catch the train at Cos Cob back to Stamford or continue your walk on Station Drive which turns into Strickland Road. Going under I-95 you will pass the Bush-Holly House a nice place to visit. Look for River Road and continue north on River Road to Route 1.

At Route 1 you have more choices. The CT transit bus runs every half hour if want to get back to Stamford fast. Or you can cross the road. Check out the dam with the fish ladder. There are a few restaurants there. Then start walking up Valley Road. You will be following the Mianus River.

At the intersection of Valley and Palmer Hill you have a choice again. Turn right to Palmer Hill to walk into Stamford or continue on Valley Road. Both choices offer nice views and good walking. Palmer Hill has some very old Stone Walls and Valley Road has the Mianus River with some nice rapids. Also check out the Fishhook clothesline along the way

This is just a sample of the walks and sights of Greenwich. Stamford and Greenwich share a long border and there are many walks for you to undertake

Enjoy your journey

A Strange Thing

A strange thing happened to me the other day when I was walking. I was walking on a small sidewalk by the Rippowam River in Stamford when I heard a bell ringing behind me.

I look back and there is a bicyclist behind ringing the bell to let me know he wants to pass me. Of course, I move to the side and let him pass.

Why is that strange? It is the law. A bike on the sidewalk must signal the pedestrian to let them know they are there.

It is strange because almost no one follows the law. Three years of walking and I can count on one finger how many times I have heard the bell.

It was very refreshing to see the law being used. Don’t worry my faith in Inhumanity was restored fifteen minutes later when on Bedford Street the driver made a right hand turn on red. Did not stop or even slow down when turning right.

Now on to a lighter note. Daylight savings ends Mid-March. I am looking forward to it for many reasons. One I can walk later in the day because the longer day. I don’t feel that comfortable walking in the dark. It is harder to be seen by motorist and other travelers. The second reason is sunrise is back around 6:45. I can get up at my usual hour and head down to the beach to view the beautiful sunrises. I know I could do it in December. It is just too cold at that time of the year.

Let’s enjoy the warming weather and the longer days

Keep on Walking

Probability and Statistics

I took Statistics in college and really enjoyed the course. After taking Algebra and Calculus. It was nice to take a math class that I understood and had a practical use for it. I especially enjoyed learning about mean, median and mode and standard deviations.

You are probably wondering what this has to do with walking around Stamford. The other day when I was walking, I found a wheat penny on my travels. I usually pick up all change that I see on my walks. Mainly pennies. Sometimes dimes and quarters. So, onto the wheat penny. I also found one the week before. So, the question is what is the probability of finding not one but two wheat pennies?

The US Mint stopped stamping wheat pennies in the 1950’s. According to my internet research there are over 200 billion pennies in circulation, and they feel one of every 350 pennies is a wheat penny.

I average picking up ten pennies a week. It is amazing where I find them. A fair number of pennies I find around parking meters but the rest all over my walks. I often wonder do people like to throw coins away.

One out of 350 are the odds. I pick up ten a week. I should be finding one wheat penny every 35 weeks I have been actively picking pennies for almost two years. Finding two wheat pennies in that time fits the average.

I mention this because as I walk around Stamford and other areas I see and experience a lot of unique things. Seeing a Coyote. Bumping into Governor Lamont in Westport. If you walk enough you will probably see many unique things

New Canaan by Train

New Canaan is a perfect destination for a train ride. The town is quaint, very walkable and the great news is the train station is right in the town. You only need to walk a hundred feet and you are on Elm Street. Let the journey begin.

The train to New Canaan leaves the Stamford Train Station on the hour during the day. Rush hour is slightly different. The train usually leaves from track five and takes about twenty minutes.

As the train leaves the station you have downtown Stamford on your left and the train yard on you right. Within a few minutes the New Canaan spur breaks off from the main line and wends its way to New Canaan. Right after the Glenbrook stop you encounter the giant antenna farm always an interesting sight.

Once you leave the Springdale stop the landscape slowly starts to change. There are more trees and less civilization.

By the time you arrive in New Canaan it is almost all trees around the tracks. Passing over the Merritt Parkway is only a slight reminder of traffic.

Walking down Elm Street is just charming. I grew up in Pound Ridge NY. It is next to New Canaan, and I spent a lot of time in New Canaan. The town has expanded but has kept its charm and looks from the fifties.

One suggestion is to walk around the town and find a restaurant to eat at. There are lots of choices for your eating needs.

Now for the serious walker. You can walk to the New Canaan Nature Center. It is about a mile walk. They have an Aviary where they keep wild birds that cannot be released back to the wild. One of the birds is Gloria a Bald Eagle.

The next walk is turn right on South Avenue off Elm Continue to Farm Road where the High School is. take a short right and there is a trail for walking thru the Waveny Park. You can walk to Lapham Road and go south on Talmadge Hill Road and catch the train at Talmadge Hill Station back to the Stamford.

I have just touched on a few of the great things to do and see in New Canaan. Take the train and start enjoying

An Unusual Day for Walking

Tuesday Feb 8^th walk was not my normal walk. I walked over fourteen miles. Which I have not done in a while. The unusual part about that was only a quarter mile was in Stamford. Two miles were at JFK Airport and the rest of the miles walked were in Boston MA.

Jet Blue Airlines had been advertising a fare of $29.00 one way to Boston and I thought why not try it. So, I flew to Boston spent six hours walking the streets and took the Acela Train back to Stamford that evening.

I arrived in Boston at 9:45 am and took the free shuttle bus from Logan Airport to Downtown Boston. It took about fifteen minutes to get to the South Street Train Station.

From there I walked to the Institute for Contemporary Art Museum. The exhibits were interesting, and the view of the harbor from the museum was like a scene in a play

It was then time for lunch, and I walked to Quincy Market and had nice choice of food to pick from.

After lunch it was off to the Charleston Navy Yard where Old Ironsides (USS Constitution} is berthed. My Uncle Mark was assigned to Old Ironsides for a while during WWII. Because it is an active ship of the US Navy, they must have sailors assigned to it. There is also a museum about Old Ironsides right next door. Definitely worth viewing.

From there it is a short walk to Bunker Hill. The monument was closed so I was not able to walk up to the top of it. It was still worth the visit

I retraced my steps to downtown and decided to head to the Boston Commons. I passed by the Old North Church and Paul Reveres house along the way.

At the Boston Commons there was a young man standing on the walkway with a sign saying portraits for one dollar. I decided to see what he could do. Here is

the portrait of me. The hat and scarf are certainly me. I definitely got my money’s worth.

Time to head to the train station. The Acela train took less that three hours to go from Boston to Stamford. I barely had time to finish my book on Kindle.

Today I traveled by car, train, bus, airplane and of course walking.

Wintry Weekend

This last weekend January 29^th and 30^th was a tough wintry weekend for walking. Saturday was snow until mid-afternoon. Eight inches in Stamford. We were lucky Long Island had over twenty inches of snow. We also had strong winds and bitter cold temperatures.

This was a perfect weekend to stay in the house in front of a roaring fire. My wife and I did Saturday night. We had cheese fondue in front of our fireplace. It was nice and cozy.

However, I did walk both days. Seven miles on Saturday and ten miles on Sunday. One of the challenges to walking is staying warm. As they say use layers. And it worked for me. Long-Johns, sweaters, two pairs of socks and a heavy winter coat did the trick for me. I never felt that cold. Also, I find wearing the facemask helps to keep the face warm.

Walking after a snowstorm is always a challenge. Sidewalks are usually a trap. You are walking along, and the next part of the sidewalk has not been cleared. The good news is that Stamford has been promoting bike lanes. They are usually cleared, and I feel safe walking on them.

Another issue is black ice. You are walking and suddenly there is a patch of ice. The black ice will get worse as the week progresses. The snow melts during the day and refreezes as ice at night.

As usual I always see strange sights. There was an off-road four by four turning around in a parking lot and they flipped the vehicle. The driver was not hurt. How it happened is a mystery to me.

One final thoughtlessness. I am walking down Franklin Street by UCONN and a person turns into Franklin and stops to let out a student. Of course, a garbage truck had pulled in behind them and was blocking the main road. Why couldn’t they have pulled further in or to the side. People seem to have a mental block and very rarely think about the other travelers.