Things I Was Doing Instead of Updating This Blog

So over the past few months I’ve been a MAJOR Slacker (salute) and have completely ignored this fantastic (if I do say so myself) blog. However, I do have a good excuse.

Well maybe not, but I have been crossing things off my DC Bucket List! And here’s an update:

• Hiked Billy Goat A (and a few of the other trails in Great Falls) and survived. Also, had a blast. I love scrambling rocks and hopping around like a billy goat, and even enjoyed the traverse. Side note: more recently at work I’ve designed up some safety signs the aforementioned trail.
• Went on a bit of a photo walk along the National Mall and was able to get some decent shots! I could spend hours contemplating life there. I could (read: have) also spend hours yelling in the direction of Congress for being stupid.
• I had planned on actually going up IN the Washington Monument and knocking that off my list, but a little earthquake in August knocked the Monument around instead, so now it’s closed indefinitely.
• In October I made a trip home for one of my long time best friends wedding, which was fabulous. Also got to make my Texas State Fair pilgrimage that included the mandatory corny dog and deep fried deliciousness.
• One of my amazing friends out here hired me to take her engagement photos. We spent the day in DC taking shots all over the city, had lunch at the Old Ebbitt Grill, saw the Warhol ‘Shadows’ exhibit at the Hirshhorn, and ended the day seeing Dawes at the Black Cat. Definitely one of the most fun days of the fall.
• In early November my work people went biking along the Canal and we stayed in one of the historic lockhouses, which was pretty great. Definitely should have been biking that thing all summer, it was super fun.

And now, some photos:

COUNTDOWN: SHARK WEEK 2011

Mondays with The Man

They're taking over...

it's madness i tell you- madness!

Mondays with The Man

My mom finally shared that big machine with me!

(new (old) sewing machine birthday present finally arrived)

Cherry Blossom Festival 2011

Old Town Alexandria

Old Town is one of the most gorgeous neighborhoods in the DC area. Hometown of George Washington and General Robert E. Lee, it's filled with historic buildings, trendy shops, good food, and the waterfront. These are photos snapped with my iphone from several different recent visits.

Mondays with The Man

Cherry Blossom Festival

The District: A Mini-Bucket List

I first fell in love with the DC area when I was eleven. My parents brought me in the spring of sixth grade to attend my Godfather's wedding. We made a full-on vacation out of it and did all the normal touristy things. I immensely enjoyed visiting the monuments; reading the inscriptions on the wall of the Jefferson, getting chills looking over the tidal basin as the last of the cherry blossoms hung to the trees, and staring up at the stately Lincoln. The eerie, silent power of the Holocaust museum and war memorials, that made recent classroom history lessons sink in. That feeling of wonderment and power standing on the floor of the House of Representatives knowing that THIS EXACT place is where some of our country's biggest (best and worst) decisions are made. Even then, I was in awe of how history, art, power, and culture all came together in this one tiny space. I knew that I needed more time in this place. 

Over the years I have made many trips back, learning more with each visit- about the District and myself. Now, I am a mere sixty-minutes away and have the good fortune of spending much of my free time here. Since my time here is only guaranteed until August, I've decided to make a mini-bucket list for the District, and explore as much as I can during these next few months. Hopefully the coming year will find me with a job and an address within the District, but for now, this will do. I plan to write about each of these items as I cross them off my list (and do some posts about recent completions), so follow along! And if you have suggestions of "must-do" items, please send them on!

In no particular order:

• Nationals Game
• Arlington National Cemetery
• Monticello
• Harper's Ferry
• Carousel at Glen Echo Park
• Washington Monument
• Library of Congress
• Walk around OldTown Alexandria
• National Archives
• Newseum
• National Museum of African Art
• Fourth of July Fireworks
• Bike the C&O Canal
• Food Trucks
• Cherry Blossom Festival
• Hike Billy Goat A
• National Arboretum
• National Zoo
• Breakfast at the Eastern Market
• Politics & Prose
• National Cathedral
• Freer Gallery of Art
• Hirshhorn 
• Corcoran
• Einstein Memorial
• Monument Photo Walk
• Ben's Chili Bowl

Mondays with The Man

A Day with the National Park Service.

THUNDERSNOW.

Tuesday evening Weathermen across the region started the big freakout about the impending doom of SNOW. Me, being the Weatherman skeptic that I am, shrugged off the warnings and planned for a normal work-filled Wednesday and Thursday.


What occurred during the next 48 hrs will forever make me question my hatred and disregard for Weathermen and Weatherwomen everywhere.


THUNDERSNOW.
also known as a winter thunderstorm or a thunder snowstorm, is a rare thunderstorm with snow falling as the primary precipitation instead of rain. thanks wikipedia.


SLEET. and then SNOW. and then more SNOW. and it began to accumulate. and accumulate some more.


Now this may be just a drop in the hat for you experienced SNOW folk, but for me it was EPIC. I also had no idea how to deal with it, so I opted for the ever so brave: hide-inside-and-don’t-leave-for-anything approach. (Did I mention it was 70 degrees in my hometown this week?) Two days of No-Pants Work Party (aka Telework), a snow walk with disappointing polaroids (but other cool photos), digging my car out of a 2’ high snow fort, and a SNOWMAN! Craziest week of the year (so far), and we may be in for a repeat performance on Tuesday! 


I will definitely be paying attention Weathermen- don’t let me down.

snow brush inside car. 2' pile along the back.

Mondays with The Man