“Count these records,” said Charlie after introductions.     The year was 1969. The records were five-inch vinyl-printed cardboard squares recorded by our candidate in the Northern Virginia district where I lived with my parents. The square records would be dropped off at every house to deliver his campaign message.     Hundreds were loose in each big three-foot-square box. I started counting. I was fairly nimble at age 26, but the older lady next to...

Do you long to bike to work, but fear the roads? Want to walk around town more, but have no sidewalks in your neighborhood? This is the time for every Marylander to speak up.     Maryland’s Department of Transportation is updating the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, which outlines how to make our state more bike- and pedestrian-friendly. Tell them what it would take to get you to pedal to the drug store or walk to the park instead of hopping in your car.  ...

This Valentine’s Day, woo your love with chocolate, flowers and a critter cupid. That’s the advice of the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C., whose animals are lending their images to a loveable fundraising campaign.     Playing cupid this year are cuddling pandas, kissing seals, a Sumatran tiger, a red panda and a whole family of otters. Choose your Critter Cupid for $10 at www.subscribe.smithsonianmag.com/zoo.     On February 14, your...

February 2 is halfway through winter, so what better time to gather with friends and neighbors to eat good food, drink heartily and look ahead to the coming spring?     The Pennsylvania Dutch descendants of German immigrants did just that. Among the first celebrants of Groundhog Day, they partied hardy in Punxsutawney, Penn., as far back as 1887.     This midway mark between winter solstice and spring equinox is a significant day in traditions far more ancient....