Map Dots

Chesapeake

2008-01-11T01:41:00.000-06:00

James Michener wrote a book called Chesapeake which detailed the generations of several families over several centuries in the Chesapeake Bay area. The book vividly told the story of how the people and the geography related to one another. I have been cleaning out old pictures and data in preparation for an upgrade to my computer. I found this picture taken in Baltimore's inner harbor during a business trip a couple years ago. I'm not sure why this particular Coast Guard craft reminded me of reading Chesapeake, but it did.

Think back to the most memorable literature you've read about a certain place. Was it a travel book? A historical account? Was it fiction? Do you live there? If not, had you visited the place prior to reading about it? If not, have you visited since reading about it?

Feel free to share in the comments!

Map Dots? What's this all about?

2007-12-21T01:45:00.000-06:00

So, you found my little piece of real estate on Blogger. I suppose I ought to give a bit more info on this latest project. You might have been searching for maps, maybe maps of New York City. Or maybe, if you're into politics and the Iowa Caucus, you were searching for a map of Iowa. Now you're wondering what this is all about. I named the domain "WheresYourDot" and I named the blog "Map Dots" and you're confused and a little annoyed that some blog post is standing where your map should be. I can hear you asking, maybe even out loud, "What is the meaning of all this?"

Well, I guess I want us (you and me) to figure that out as we go. What is the meaning? When I came up with the title, I was trying to talk a good friend into joining me in what was perhaps a poorly defined business (Oh alright, we didn't have the first notion of how we could ever make any money). The main goal was to help people realize just how much we take for granted every day about the places we live in and the places we visit. How much are you taking for granted?

I lived for seven years in a city called Des Moines which is the largest metropolitan area in Iowa. Now the six readers I had from New York City are laughing about the idea of a metropolitan area in Iowa and probably debating whether or not the whole state of Iowa has fewer people in it than the city of New York (it does).

But this is the exact thing I want to examine with Map Dots - does it matter how big, small, remote, proximate, congested, or spartan your location is? What if all that matters is that it is yours, and whatever makes it yours is something worth celebrating? For me, the things that made Des Moines worth celebrating included a farm team for the Chicago Cubs baseball organization, the Iowa State Fair, and several very close friends who lived nearby.

So if you are still reading, please do me two favors. First, be sure to pass this on to someone you know who might also be interested and willing to participate in an evolving social experiment. Second, tell me, "Where's your dot?" Then tell me why people ought to care and what they will miss if they never get the chance to visit. Then let's figure out "What's the meaning of all this?" And let's do it the fun way. Together.

Drum Roll Please

2007-12-02T02:45:00.000-06:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, the very first post to Map Dots.

I'm not sure exactly how it will turn out, but I've always had a keen sense of place. Knowing the "where" of a given situation has always seemed important (maybe more so than the who/what/why/how).

One of the first things I ask a new acquaintance is 'Where did you grow up?' and one of the next questions I have is 'What was that like?' Then I usually make a promise to myself to visit that location someday.

If anyone happens upon this, send me a response and tell me "Where's your dot?" Where are you from and what is it like?