Every day is an adventure

"Every day is an adventure" -- I've been saying that a lot recently, because I'm living in a different country, and every day I'm going places I've never been, often places that I've only seen on the satellite view on the computer.

Left: Oxford Half Marathon course (one of two sides).        Right: OUCH Handicap Run course

When I go exploring in a new place for the first time, I bring a map. Usually it looks like one of the maps above.

"You might get lost," someone said to me. "Don't worry; I have a map," I said. "Let me see the map," the person said. I handed it over. "I don't think this map will do you much good," I said.

These maps make perfect sense to me. They are completely topological; one inch equals 100 feet in one places and two miles in another place (which is why I often put in mile markers). They are covered in road names. A squiggly line means a river crossing. A shaded area means a hidden footpath through trees. A circle with lots of lines coming off of it means yet another (!!!) roundabout.

I have a ton of these little maps on scraps of paper, because of my project running all the roads in Deer Isle. I decided I liked them, so I kept them in a pint glass. Maybe someday I will make them into something. Some people cover a wall with paint or wallpaper, others with race bib numbers; I may cover them in crumpled scrawled maps.