The Marathon Weeks

With my last weekend here completed, I begin my last work week in Virginia with a mile long to-do list and a mega large instant iced coffee. Also, enough blog material to fill at least 3 posts, but since I probably won't finish this blog until July at this point, let's just get to it and put it all in one!

So the weekend before last, I took another weekend trip to D.C. Friday I took a nice long walk after work to get out my funk mood. Here is a picture of that.

Lake Laura is beautiful.

After the soul cleansing sunset walk, I left for the city hoping this trip would be a bit more... adventurous than the last (recall: sitting in my boutique hotel, watching The Lion King and calling everyone I knew crying like Simba does when Mufasa dies. Hint: No one picked up.) Well, good news! It was effing awesome. Super beautiful weather, if not a bit hot, but I was happy to not be squish squashing around in my water-opposite-of-proof shoes and no rain jacket. Let me get my only complaint out of the way.

Dear beautiful Capital City, USA:
Please fix your public transportation situation. I waiting for 25 minutes for a train, as did what seemed to be 10,000 people, at which point one train came, and I was rather uncomfortable for the duration of my 2 minute ride. As an aside, the 3 times I have been to your otherwise quite nice city, I have waiting 25 minutes plus for a train due to construction, broken trains, or just some other public safety reason. If I wanted it to take so long, I would just walk. If I wanted to be guaranteed to get to my destination safely, I would just take a taxi  walk  hire a rickshaw. All I want is to ride on your underground rail system. Please remedy the ridiculous wait times and inconvenient (mid day during weekends) scheduled maintenance.

Thanks.

Now that that public outcry has been heard, on to the grandness and feelings of patriotism! I stayed very near Capital Hill, which was nice, because the last two times I was in Dupont Circle, so I got a bit more variety this time 'round. Here are some pictures just after my arrival on Saturday night!

Monument after sunset

Started walking north and ended up in China town. It was about 10 before I got to this area, and everything was alive with people. And Starbucks was open!

As was a pizzeria that served some decent vegan pizza and Sangria with fresh fruit. This is where the picture taking stopped, as I had 3 more glasses (I think it was on 3...) and decided that 12:20 PM was the perfect time to go see Prometheus in 3D. To those who think that seeing a 3D movie rather intoxicated is a great idea; you are correct. And yes, my friends from Smalltown, USA, and Evensmallertown, Canada, movies that start after midnight! Some people dream of Disneyland. I dream of a place with all night movie theaters. Post Alien prequel, I stumbled back to the hotel about 15 blocks about 3 AM, stopped to speak some broken French with a few Quebecois kids looking for the White House, which I'm pretty sure I kept referring to as Casa Blanca.Yep, totally French.

Sunday, I was feeling very ambitious, and surprisingly refreshed. I should drink sangria in excess more often, since I got out of bed at 7 AM. Holy shit, I know, right?

First stop, Eastern Market, a large, open air market with crafts, local goods/foods and farm stands, as well as a flee market. It was super packed, and I had been warned about mega pick pockets, so I didn't take any photos except for this one:

The place was great. I could have stayed around and looked at paintings and locally made up-cycled crafts, but, alas, it was on to the National Mall!

FYI, the Mall part of National Mall really should be Esplanade, as "mall" is associated with shopping malls in our society, which this is not. It is a long section of downtown D.C. with museums and important buildings on both sides, and a reflection pool in the middle that leads from Capital Hill, to the Washington Monument, and on to the Lincoln Memorial. I think that's right. The entire length of the pool is under construction and so it is rather unpretty in the middle, but next time I go back I expect it will be done and gorgeous. And I will swim in it like the criminal I am. Hennyway, I went to the Smithsonian Castle, Museum of Natural History, The International Spy Museum (no cameras allowed) and the Air and Space Museum (or the Errand Space Museum, thanks to a little boy who asked me where it was.) Thusly, we haveth pictures.

The Castle, pretty cool, like a museum about the museums

So I have a whole ton of pictures of taxidermy-d animals from the Natural History Museum, but I'm only going to share the funny ones. The one of above is made funnier knowing that as I was taking the pictures, the two grown ass adult peoples behind me were having an intense discussion about allegories in the Ice Age Movies. Yep. This face, that discussion. Cue best mood ever.

Aww giraffe! You have to work so hard for the money water

 "What? You want me to eat the gazelle? You creeps, it's my Christmas decoration."

Above and below, Dire Wolves, for my Game of Thrones family

Giganto-sloth, anyone?

T-Rex, Best picture I could get. This hall was packed with small persons gasping.

Hope Diamond. A completely packed room full of hot, breathy people, one at a time filtering around a small glass case in the middle of the room, in which is the diamond on a revolving pedestal. Quite a sight.

 Just above the entryway

Dear Seth MacFarlane, I see what you did there.

Teenage Mutant Fossil Turtle.

Easter Island Head! On my destination places list. Next time I will be on the Island.

Giant pride-fest. Also this weekend, Girl Scouts celebrating the Centennial. So, super drunk gay men and women, small yelling girl scouts, everybody wins.

"I wish I knew how to quit you," said this tree to this wall.

Of all the things at the Errand space museum, this one and the next two are my favorites. This is just one beautiful dirigible!

Marvin the Martian, anyone?

Awesome Space Mural!

There were tons of fireflies as the sun started setting, and I got on the road and back to beautiful life in
Basye. (See right)

Mid week after this excellent adventure, I had an over night visit from the one and only Miss Erin Mooney. She drove VERY out of her way to make me a priority stop on her move home to NH, and I cannot express how awesome it was to see her. We watched an episode (or two?) of My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding, and I realized that both of the brides featured on that episode lived within 30 miles of where I currently am in Basye. Yep, white trash 'Merica. Check. Totally good visit, thank you for coming my love!


Wow, this post is getting long. Can't stop now, because theeeeen... Matt came to visit for my last weekend!  Here is a link to Matt's Facebook Album for his trip, as they are on the internets, I do not want to double post pictures: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151114258214878.494765.526379877&type=1

On Thursday, I picked him up from the aeropuerto. It took us forever and one day to get back to my place. I had to work on Friday, so I dropped him off at a day hike in Rappahannock County, AKA THE most beautiful county in VA, and picked him up in the evening.
While he was here, we went to the Luray Caverns, which I could go to 100 times and not get sick of, we hiked up the steep descent path (paaaaiiin) to the highest point in Shenandoah national park, Hawksbill Peak (totally worth it), and rafted on the Shenandoah. Mostly, it could probably be considered floated, or lazy-rivered down, as there was hardly a current and we had to walk some of it due to low water levels. The water was so clear and warm and beautful, I haven't been in any sort of natural water body that warm since I swam off the north coast of the Domincan Republic in 2007. Super nice and relaxing. After river floatin', we went back to Basye and drank a bit of tequila and delish mass produced moonshine at my condo after trying and failing to get to the bar(s) before closing. (This night is also known as the Great Tequilathon 2k12). We subsequently overslept on Sunday and there was traffic, so Matty missed his original flight, which left us some time to geocache in good old Maryland.

Here are a couple of pics I don't think Matt posted that make my fave list:

Dream Lake, Luray Caverns, 18 inches of water reflects the Stalactites on the ceiling.

Adoring the view

Matt is a mountain goat.

Skyline Drive

Bridge tunnel on Skyline drive. Also known as the "Generic 90's Album Cover" picture.

I don't know.

I really don't know.

Somehow, this CD ended up in the sink. I guess it was dirty and needed a warshing.

So all, I think that is it. So much awesomeness to finish out my stay here in Virginia. Thanks for coming Matt!

I cannot begin to tell you all how eye opening and beautiful my time down here has been. I was able to spend some quality nature time, have some super close animal experiences and nearly endless sight seeing, as well as learning that I don't hate The South! Overall, a great few months. 

Hopefully my time home will be restful (yeah right) and my next assignment will be a bit more... urban. 

Thanks for staying tuned my friends, and I will keep you all posted with home vacation time and on to my next assignment, perhaps in a timely manor!