There's something particularly satisfying about New Year's Day being a Sunday. I did a bunch of household paperwork in the morning, but didn't get much of a real start to the annual clean-out of the file drawers. That;s what a lot of tomorrow will be dedicated to.
I did get a good start to the year, though, as the weather was reasonable for a Volksmarch. This was a special event in Columbia, Maryland. The trail was mostly on various paved trails - quiet and peaceful. One section went through the Howard County Arboretum, which winter is not exactly optimal for. There were a surprising number of birds, despite the season. I'm not surprised by the ducks and geese on the ponds, but there are songbirds and I caught several glimpses of color (cardinals? tanagers? orioles? Do you think I have a clue?). It was a little bit too windy, but not at all bad for January in the mid-Atlantic. And the traffic was amazingly light, even on the Beltway. By the way, I passed the Daedalus Book Warehouse outlet store, which would be tempting, but I was sure they were closed for New Year's Day. It was also not exactly obvious how to get to it from the road I was on. Just as well, as the last thing I need is more books.
I should mention that I was surprised at how many stores were open. The checkpoint for the walk was in a mall and about half the stores were open. I suppose I should have expected that Walmart is always open, and maybe the auto parts store could be serving a legitimate need, but who on earth goes to an appliance store on New Year's Day?
Copyright 2006 Miriam H. Nadel