When it’s not too hot, I like to sit on my balcony and watch the activity on the Charles River—Canadian geese, ducks, sculls with their accompanying motorboat-based coaches (whose instructions I can hear even when I am inside), kayaks and more.

However, there is a street between the River and me. It has two two bus lines, ambulances to and from the nearby hospital and plenty of ordinary traffic. So, I can’t pretend I am away from civilization.

At the same time, I can watch the entrance to our condo building. It’s not well-marked, so I always tell my visitors to look for a prominent NO U-TURN sign on the street right at the entry to the driveway.  I am amused by the astonishing number of vehicles that ignore that sign. It’s almost as if the sign were to say, “Please U-Turn Here!”

As much as I miss rushing off to work every morning, having time to notice things is a plus.