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D.C. Chronicles Volume 47

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D.C. Chronicles Volume 47

Hello Everyone! March has arrived and winter is quickly turning to spring here in Washington. We’ve had a couple of cold days this week, but some really nice ones as well. It got up to almost 60 today and I really enjoyed being able to spend some time outside just sitting and soaking it in. My mom got a new hip yesterday, which is definitely the biggest news of the week, but it’s been a busy week for me as well.

News on the virus front continues to be hopeful as this week President Biden announced that with the addition of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and with Merck stepping up to help with production, every American should be able to get a vaccine by the end of May. That is simply wonderful news and I really hope I can get mine going even sooner. Sadly, some states are rushing to open everything back up and “get back to normal” and while I know we are all ready for that to happen, rushing it now when we’re so close to the finish line seems absurd to me. While the news is good, we are still losing around 2,000 people a day to the virus in America. That means that we lose the equivalent of the total number of Americans lost during the Vietnam War every month. Please remain vigilant out there and know that the light at the end of the tunnel is close, but we’re not there yet.

In the political realm, something I haven’t delved into on this blog in a while, I’ve been pretty disappointed with what I’ve seen in the last few weeks. One of the things which upsets me most is voter suppression and disenfranchisement, and these are issues this country has struggled with from jump. It is my personal belief that every single American adult should have the right to vote and should have that vote counted fairly and equally. For a number of reasons, none of which have ever been good ones, this is something which has constantly been challenged from this country’s founding. If you cannot win elections when everyone has the opportunity to vote, you need to change your messaging, not try and disenfranchise thousands of people so that you can win. Every time there is an election in this country, election commissions will find a few hundred fraudulent votes, never the thousands or tens or even hundreds of thousands that people claim. For me, a few hundred fraudulent votes in a country with over 350 million people is a very small price to pay for extending the vote to as many people as possible through as many means as we can. In my opinion, voting should stretch over several days and include a weekend with long hours and many polling stations. When I see lines stretching for hours, and attempts to limit voting to business hours, it makes me sick. It’s just like the disgusting gerrymandering we see – it’s trying to game the system instead of trying to win people over with your ideas. This year has certainly shined a pretty bright light on so many things that are wrong with this country, and I sincerely hope we can find some people who are willing to try and fix them. Any attempt at voter suppression should be met with serious questions and a hard push back.

In other news, I had my annual physical this week which I’ve been trying to avoid but finally had to go and make it happen. It was hard to see in black and white the weight I’ve put on over the last year and that my blood sugar is as high as it’s ever been. It was actually a real kick in the stomach to get that information. I feel like the last couple of weeks I’ve been crawling out of a pool of winter depression, my hands getting a hold on the bottom rungs of the ladder I want to climb and slowly pulling me up. Right when I was about to swing one leg up and get a foothold, someone comes and starts stepping on my hands from above. It sucked, and I slipped down a rung or two real fast, but I kept hold of the ladder and I’m proud of myself for that. It’s been a really hard year for me (and for us all), and while I watch everything I eat and have since I was 12 and have been trying to keep my drinking in check, I have had moments of weakness in what I’ve put into my body. The fact that I haven’t been able to go to the gym in over a year hasn’t helped one bit. I try and walk 3-5 miles every day I can, but it’s just not the same and the ice and snow recently has kept me from even doing that. It really sucks sometimes when you want to be doing better, but outside forces are keeping you from doing so. On the other hand, sometimes I need the wake-up call these results have given me to get motivated and get moving again. With the spring weather and longer days I need to be getting more exercise and I plan to.

Mason and I continue to enjoy our days together, going on adventures and learning from each other. We’ve been on a quest for woodpeckers lately as they’ve been pretty active in the park these last few weeks.

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D.C. Chronicles Volume 46

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D.C. Chronicles Volume 46

Hello Everyone. February sure has blown by, and I’m not upset about that one bit. The end of last week was miserable and cold, and the rain that was coming down was freezing on contact. More than one morning this week I scraped a solid quarter-inch of ice off of my windshield. By mid-afternoon today, though, the temperature was up to 60, and the sun shining down was simply wonderful. The first day of real spring-like weather is always one of the best days of the year for me. As Mason and I were walking around today, I caught a whiff of a barbecue in use and it made me smile from ear to ear. I am really looking forward to the fast-approaching spring.

There has definitely been lots of good news recently on the virus front. The numbers are still way higher than they should be and than they are in most other countries, but at least they are coming down. It was heartbreaking to cross the half-million death mark, all in just a single year, and realize that we’ve lost the equivalent of a mid-sized city like Miami or Raleigh. Sadly, I think we could have saved many of those lives by acting faster and smarter, but I am trying to focus on the positive. We are now vaccinating at a rate of almost 2 million people a day with the potential for even more in the near future. Every day on my social media feeds I’m seeing more of my friends getting vaccinated, and I know that my turn is coming soon too. While I know that this won’t mean we are out of the woods, all indicators are pointing to a great summer ahead. My plan is to be on my own and on the road, exploring the upper Midwest and Great Lakes region of the country all summer long. I can’t wait.

Meanwhile, Mason and I have continued our explorations this week, even in the cold and ice. I took him sledding for the first time at the end of last week (maybe not his first time, but our first time together), and he loved it. He was laughing and squealing with delight as he skidded over the ice in his Flexible Flyer. Oh, to be two year old again! He has been having a blast smashing ice this week as well which I have also been finding quite satisfying. I’m happy to take my frustrations at the ice out on the ice itself! Because of the sub-freezing temperatures though, we’ve been spending more time inside than either of us would like. I’ve started working on teaching him to read this week, which is interesting. He has known most of his letters for a couple of months now, but he’s only 2 and I didn’t want to push him. Recently he has seemed more curious, so I’m slowly edging in that direction. We started with A but vowels are complicated, so we moved on to B. He sleeps in his bed, under a blanket with bunny and big bear after all, so the B sound is something he is both familiar with and able to pronounce. We then went on to read a book, and I pointed out every time we heard that B sound. It was pretty cool when he pointed out the boat in the corner. Hopefully tomorrow we can work on some Ds. Today he started using the phrase “I love…”, and the official list of things he told me he loved today was: mud, pine cones, trash trucks and blueberries. He really cracks me up sometimes. We also had a long and heated conversation this week about whether the cat in one of his books is a cheetah or a leopard. When we started reading it, I thought it was a cheetah, but the book said it was a leopard and I thought we should take them at their word. I admitted I had made a mistake, and we looked at the differences in their spot patterns and body shapes, but he was still convinced it was a cheetah. I think it’s hilarious having these “arguments”, but I also think it’s good for him to have his own opinions.

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D.C. Chronicles Volume 45

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D.C. Chronicles Volume 45

Hello Everyone! It’s been a busy week of celebrating Mardi Gras here in Washington with plenty of eating, drinking, music and good times. It was a great weekend to stay in and let the good times roll since it was so cold and windy and icy out. Mardi Gras has definitely been the name of our game this week, but I’ve still been hanging out with Mason and we continue to spend time outside despite the cold weather. His parents have bought a house, which everyone is very excited about, and while that would definitely qualify as the best news of the week, my folks also got their second vaccine shot this week which comes in a very close second.

The weather has been the big topic of conversation this week, as snowstorms have dumped their loads across the country. We haven’t seen our share yet, but it’s supposed to hit overnight tonight and leave us with 6 inches covered by a layer of ice. We’ll see what comes, but we’re ready for it whatever does. We got a shipment of firewood in today, we’re stocked up on salt for the sidewalks, our shovels are at the ready and Mason has a brand new sled to enjoy it with. In contrast to what’s supposedly coming, today has been an absolutely brilliant day out, despite the cold, so at least we got a little sunshine to lift our spirits.

Mason and I have been on a woodpecker kick this week as there have been a few flying around Whitehaven Park near his house. We will wait and listen for them and then try and follow the sound and spot them. We’ve only managed to see one this week, but I think it’s an interesting experience for him. He has wonderfully perceptive hearing and will often hear ambulances and helicopters at quite a distance, and that has helped in our woodpecker quest. We have also found some wonderful groves of mushrooms this week due to all of the moisture which we’ve both really gotten a kick out of. The buds are starting to blossom on some of the trees and we spotted some cherry blossoms pushing their way out today which was really special. We’ve started talking about his new house, which he’s excited about. I’m thrilled there are some good parks nearby for us to explore and am looking forward to a change of scenery myself. His sentences are getting longer and more complete and he’s a really neat little kid to spend time with. It has its challenges sometimes, but he’s a wonderful little companion and I enjoy our adventures together as much as he does.

This past Friday, we kicked off our Mardi Gras weekend with Happy Hour in the basement. There was music, a variety of Abita beer, and a fun game of dominoes. Then we moved our celebration back to the living room so we could enjoy the fireplace and shifted our theme to the Lunar New Year. I cooked up some longevity noodles and some spring rolls and then we played a few rounds of the board game Lattice Hawaii. It was a nice evening as usual, and a great end to the week…

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D.C. Chronicles Volume 44

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D.C. Chronicles Volume 44

Hello everyone! It’s been a pretty cold week here in Washington and it’s been tough to get out and do very much, so this will probably be another short post. We have begun our Mardi Gras celebration in earnest and are looking forward to a long weekend of food and music to come. Mason and I have continued our adventures in the woods, mostly smashing anything and everything made of ice. And I sorted through a bunch of pictures this week from my two years in Japan which was an interesting trip down memory lane. Other than that, I’ve been sticking pretty close to home this week.

Mardi Gras is early this year falling next Tuesday, February 16th. Mardi Gras is one of my absolute favorite times of year, and I always try to celebrate it with as much vigor as I can. My first Mardi Gras was in 2008 when I was living in New Orleans and it was such a wonderful experience that the following year I encouraged my folks to come down and celebrate with me although not actually on Fat Tuesday which is a bit hectic and very expensive to get a room. For me, the weeks leading up to Mardi Gras are a bit quieter and more enjoyable anyway in New Orleans, with parades mostly for the locals. When I left New Orleans and moved to Japan, I had a big Mardi Gras party at my apartment for all of my friends, many of whom had no idea what Mardi Gras was, and when I lived on St. Thomas I celebrated with my friend, Will, who was from Louisiana. I’ve been lucky to have been back to New Orleans for it several times since. Since starting this blog, I celebrated Mardi Gras in tiny Marshall, North Carolina (which they called “Marshall Gras”), and then spent the last two in New Orleans, one of which my folks once again joined me for. This year I’ll obviously be home for it, but we’re going all-in to celebrate. Our house is decorated with all the beads, lights and masks that we have and we’re going to have a great Mardi Gras weekend which we’re all looking forward to.

As I mentioned, the week has been a cold one but that hasn’t stopped Mason and I from getting out into it and seeing what we can get into. We’ve found a lot of puddles iced over and he takes great delight in smashing through the top layer of ice and watching the splash. We’ve found some really cool places in the woods where something iced over and then the water underneath either ran out or absorbed into the ground leaving wonderful ice bubbles which are incredibly satisfying to smash through with our walking sticks. He’s having a great time and getting a good dose of winter, although we’re both starting to notice the buds on the trees and are looking forward to the return of our friends: the bumblebees, caterpillars and ladybugs.

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D.C. Chronicles Volume 43

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D.C. Chronicles Volume 43

Hello Everyone and Happy February! This is going to be a short post this week because there really hasn’t been too much going on. We had a pretty decent snowstorm this week here in Washington which has kept things pretty quiet and close to home. I’ve enjoyed the visual change of pace the snow has brought and also enjoying it with my little buddy, Mason. I’ve been struggling with depression this week though, which I’ve managed to keep at bay for much of the last few months and I can’t say I’m thrilled by its reappearance. All in all, though, it’s been a pretty quiet week.

Towards the end of last week, Mason and I went on some really long walks around his neighborhood which we both really enjoyed. On Friday we zigged where we normally zag in one spot and 20 minutes later found ourselves on the shore of a massive (by D.C. standards) pond. It had been pretty cold, so the surface was frozen solid and we stood there and talked about ice and water for a long time. Then we threw some sticks which skittered across the surface to our collective delight. Big rocks managed to crash through the surface, but only to make a divot. While I was holding both of his hands above his head with my feet planted firmly on the boardwalk just in case, Mason took a few slippery steps across the ice. For a kid who loves the water, I think this was a really cool experience.

Our week ended with our usual end-of-week basement celebration. Last Friday we celebrated Up-Helly-Aa, the Scottish Viking Fire Festival. We started with drinks and sea shanties in the basement and then played a nice game of Muggins (dominoes). Then we came upstairs and had a nice fire in the fireplace. I had made a delicious Scottish potato-leek soup and some bannock (skillet bread), and both were perfect for a cold winter night. It was another successful celebration! These next two weekends we’ll be bringing it home to Louisiana to celebrate Mardi Gras before seeing where our virtual journey takes us next.

Saturday was a beautiful sunny day here, but really just bitterly cold and windy. It was a shame to not be able to go and enjoy it somewhere, but it really was unpleasant to be out in. Late Saturday night it began to snow and continued through much of Sunday and on into Monday. It was a very nice, dry, light snow which was easy to shovel but made for a pretty scene outside. We were all a little surprised at the amount of snow we got, but as I mentioned it is nice to see something a little different looking out the windows.

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D.C. Chronicles Volume 42

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D.C. Chronicles Volume 42

Hello Everyone! This is the last post for January, which is hard for me to believe. The time really is going quickly here. I’m sure you’ll be happy to know that my political opinions won’t be making an appearance today. It’s been a rough couple of months, and being in Washington it’s hard to escape it, but I’m sure going to try. I have enough things to focus on without getting mired down in something I have very little control over.

The most exciting thing that happened this week is that my folks got their first vaccine shot. This is wonderful news and we’re very grateful to the folks at Howard University for making it happen. I’m really hoping the federal government will ramp up the vaccination as promised and that we can all have ours before the summer.

Young Mason continues to make me smile with his good humor and big smile. Last week we were sitting at breakfast and we were discussing each other’s shirts, which is a common occurrence over his morning meal. I had on a shirt from the amazing total solar eclipse I got to lead a trip to see in Wyoming a few years ago. He pointed out what looked like the moon to him, but was actually the sun so I explained what the eclipse was and how it worked and what it was like to see it. Once I was done explaining it, he hopped up and went and got one of his books about space and we looked at the sun and the moon together. It was pretty cool.

On one of our walks this week we were out in one of the parks in his neighborhood which has a grove of bamboo in it. He always points out the bamboo, and I ask if he sees any pandas around which he never does (but growing up in Washington, I know he will see them often at the National Zoo). A few minutes later he picked up a huge log and told me it was a panda and carried it all the way home. The next day we took his panda to “the lake”, which is really just a small pool along one of the creeks we visit, and he hurled it in. He really loves throwing things in the water, even things he seems to really like. I definitely don’t understand everything he does or says, and he would probably tell you the same about me, but we sure do have interesting adventures together.

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In Focus: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

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In Focus: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, and that’s saying something. Second only to Montana’s Glacier National Park in my heart, Wrangell-St. Elias is America’s biggest National Park, encompassing an area of over 13 million acres. Wrangell-St. Elias was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 and a National Park in 1980. Plate tectonics, volcanic activity and glaciation all worked together over time to form this magnificent landscape, but it was copper that brought people into these mountains in the early 20th Century. The Kennecott copper mines produced over $200 million worth of copper between 1911 and 1938 ($3.6 billion in today’s dollars)

Today you can drive on the old rail line until you get to the “end of the road” where you will have to cross the river bridge on foot. From there you can catch a shuttle to Kennecott and explore the park from there. Glacier Walks, Mill Tours and Ice Climbing are all on offer, or you can simply go for a hike. The hikes to the old mines high on the mountains aren’t long, but they’re pretty strenuous. After a long day in the park you can find good meals at the Kennecott Lodge or in the old town of McCarthy down the road. Alternatively, the north end of the park is accessible along the beautiful Nabesna Road. The season in Alaska is short, and there isn’t much happening once the businesses close so summer is definitely the right season to visit the Wrangells. I hope you enjoy these photos I took in the park during the last summer I spent guiding there (2017).

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D.C. Chronicles Volume 41

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D.C. Chronicles Volume 41

Hello Everyone! Another week has come and gone and January is moving right along here at home in Washington. We’ve had some warm and sunny days this week and trees are starting to bud and some plants are waking from their winter slumber. Mason and I continue our daily adventures around Glover Park, and my mom and I took a nice long trip out to western Virginia over the weekend. And, of course, the United States has entered a new presidential era. While all of these things have been great, and certainly good distraction, I don’t want you to think I’ve forgotten the reason why I am here, which continues to worsen by the day.

It was a year ago now that the first documented cases of Covid19 showed up in the United States. This coming week the death toll here will surpass the total number of Americans who died during World War II. In other comparisons as far as American deaths go, we are now suffering one September 11th every 18 hours and one D-Day every 30 hours. I can’t get my vaccine fast enough and hope my folks can get theirs before the end of the month. That would certainly be a step in the right direction. I’m also hoping the incoming administration will take the whole thing a lot more seriously. Had now former-President Trump taken it a little more seriously, I believe he would have won this election in a landslide. We’ve tried things his way for long enough and clearly whatever their plan or lack thereof is failing and I’m grateful we’ll be heading in a different direction.

Congratulations to now-President Joe Biden and our first female Vice President Kamala Harris. I’m certainly wishing them the best of luck in the days and years to come. This is not a partisan statement; I think we should all have that sentiment as a new presidential administration begins. If you wish failure on someone entering those positions, I would sincerely question your patriotism. I felt the same four years ago when Donald Trump took his oath of office. Knowing of his almost absolute lack of experience in government, I was hoping he would do what I would do in a similar situation – surround himself with the best and brightest to move the country forward and make him look good. Especially as an outsider, I would have sought out the most qualified people in the country regardless of political affiliation and brought them on board to help “drain the swamp” and do remarkable things. Instead he surrounded himself with people he believed would be loyal regardless of their backgrounds and dug deeper in the mud. Many of the issues which are important to me, like the environment and public education, took some pretty serious hits over the last four years. Outside of his policy decisions, he brought almost constant negativity and division and that’s from his own Twitter feed, not from the press. I’m really hoping that Biden can make some real progress over the next four years. As a country, we are definitely better together than we are apart.

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D.C. Chronicles Volume 39

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D.C. Chronicles Volume 39

Hello Everyone. It’s wonderful to be back with you this week. I hope you didn’t miss me too much last week, but it was nice to take a little break from this weekly post and get away from the city for a few days. I had a wonderful time over the holidays with my family here in Washington, and enjoyed a few days away at Cape Henlopen State Park on the coast of Delaware. This week I’m back hanging out with my 2 year-old buddy Mason and trying to get some things rolling here as I stare out across the year ahead. I feel good and feel like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and for me that’s good enough for now.

Our Christmas was a good one filled with cooking, carols and Christmas movies. We made some wonderful meals together over the Christmas weekend and definitely didn’t go hungry. It was nice to be home to catch up on some sleep and have a few lazy days around the house. Shockingly, we even got a few flakes on Christmas Day. It was far from a white Christmas, but it was nice to see nonetheless.

That Sunday I packed up Shadow Catcher and headed west across the bay and into Delaware. It was so nice to be on the road again, and especially on my way to the beach, even in the dead of winter. I sang island and beach songs the whole way there. It really is only about 2.5 hours between here and the ocean when there’s no traffic, and I really enjoyed the ride. I made a beeline for Rehoboth with the hope to have a little wander before the sun went down, and still get into camp before dark. I was surprised at how crowded the boardwalk was, and it wasn’t a good surprise. Regardless, I enjoyed my short visit there. Rehoboth was the beach we went to when I was a kid, and there is always something special and nostalgic about your childhood beach. I was sad to hear that Dolle’s Saltwater Taffy is closing down on the boardwalk and moving, because their sign is probably the most recognizable feature in the whole town. It simply won’t be Rehoboth without it and I was happy to be able to take some photos of it before they go. I also grabbed some delicious boardwalk fries from Thrashers and enjoyed them looking out over the sea. I was only there for about 2 hours, but it was a fun walk down memory lane.

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D.C. Chronicles Volume 38

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D.C. Chronicles Volume 38

Hello Everyone! I’m going to keep it short and sweet this week as I’m busy getting ready for Christmas with my family here in Washington D.C. and it’s already getting pretty late here as I begin this week’s post. It’s been a busy week, but not an overwhelmingly exciting one which is just fine with me. There’s been lots of Christmas music, Christmas movies, Christmas present wrapping and Christmas shopping, and I have been getting out into the city a little bit this week as well. I’ve spent most of the Christmases in my life here at home in Washington, so it feels very normal and comfortable to be here this time of year. Sadly, most of the things we normally do during the holiday season aren’t happening this year, but that just re-emphasizes the need to enjoy things while they last because you never know what the future holds. Either way, it’s always good to be home for the holidays.

The long anticipated vaccine has begun its initial roll-out, and I’m glad to see many government officials getting theirs and attempting to boost public confidence. There was also a stimulus bill which was passed this week. I really wish that congress was a little more in touch with the reality of the situation and had passed a much needed relief bill instead. There are plenty of people doing just fine out there for whom a check from the government isn’t really needed. There are others who are out of work, whose unemployment benefits ran out long ago and who only still have a roof over their heads because of the eviction moratorium. For many of these people $600 will be well received, but will hardly make much of a dent in their financial struggles. This needed to pass months ago as a separate bill and it needed to have a much clearer focus. I guess it is better than nothing, but not by much.

I had a great week with young Mason as he continues to grow and learn. Winter hasn’t broken his spirit at all and we’re still outside most days despite the cold temperatures. We’ve been enjoying the holiday decorations, walking on thin ice, and a couple of little arts and crafts projects as well. We made some really cool Christmas ornaments this week with some hollow plastic ornaments I got for just the occasion. We filled them with his favorite treasures from our walks - from berries and mushrooms to pine cones, cedar needles and holly clippings, and then hung them near the bottom of the tree so he can enjoy them whenever he wants. He still likes the firetruck, snowmen, rocking horse and White House more, but I think he likes the ones we made as well.

This week I also finally got my new crown on the tooth which has been missing since March. I am very happy and grateful for that, and hope to not break any more teeth for a long time. I also found someone to do one of the two repair jobs that Shadow Catcher still needs done to be ready to roll when the time is right. Between the vaccine and these things I just mentioned, I finally feel as though I’m making some progress towards my goal of getting out of here before the summer. That’s a really good feeling and I’m really hoping to end this year with those good feelings about the future.

Other than that, it’s been mostly preparing for the holidays and the meals we’re going to cook together. We’ve been doing a lot of shopping and I finally think we’re prepared to begin cooking tomorrow morning (Christmas Eve) and continue for the next three days. Tuesday evening, we went out to a wonderful drive-through light display at the Mormon Temple just outside the beltway..

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D.C. Chronicles Volume 37

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D.C. Chronicles Volume 37

Hello Everyone. A vaccine is rolling down the highways of America which means there is a light at the end of the tunnel for this extended pause in my travel plans. Of course it’s still going to be a while before I get mine, but it’s still been a great bit of news this week and I’m very excited about it. My van has to get through inspection here in D.C. in May and I am really hoping to hit the road the very next day if that’s at all possible and have the whole summer wide open in front of me. Time will tell, but there’s a possibility it will happen and for now that’s good enough. Beyond that, it’s been a week of ups and downs so I’m latching onto the vaccine news to help me get through the week and help keep my spirits up in this festive season.

Mason and I continue to keep each other on our toes and entertained. He continues to grow and learn and develop every single day, and his companionship and good humor have definitely been one of my saving graces these last few months. I would have gotten through this time without him, but I’m glad that’s not how it went. By the time I hope to leave, he’ll be 3 and on his way to bigger and better things, but he’ll know a lot more about nature and the seasons and holidays and I think he’ll be better off for that in the long run. This week we’ve been enjoying time by the Christmas tree at his house, and he loves showing off the ornaments on their tree. Every day this week we’ve sat on the couch in the glow of the tree and read The Night Before Christmas and The Polar Express. He loves to show me that they have bell ornaments on their tree which look almost exactly like Santa’s bells in The Polar Express. He definitely know who Santa is (and still calls him “danta”) and he knows what Santa says (“ho ho ho”). We’ve been seeing Santa and reindeer and snowmen all over the neighborhood and while I think there was more fun stuff to see over Halloween, it’s still fun. He’s been really good about wrapping up, and we continue to enjoy being outside even as temperatures dip near freezing. We’ve had some inside days too when it’s been raining out, and it’s definitely gotten easier to stay in all day as he’s gotten older. We have done some coloring, read some good books, played with his trucks and stuffed animals and spent a lot of time discussing the toilet which he is getting better with. And whether we’re inside or out, we always find the time for many rounds of his favorite game “no me” which is kind of like hide and seek, but he’s usually either under a blanket or under a chair or under a tree if we’re outside. Even though he’s right there, his stuffed animals and I spend a lot of time looking for him.

When I went out to drive my van last Thursday after picking it up from the shop on Wednesday, the “check engine” light came on immediately and it ran really poorly and spewed out thick smoke. I was really disappointed after the amount of money I’d spent to get it fixed last week. I called the shop and eventually had it towed out there. They couldn’t find anything wrong with it, so I have it back but it’s definitely not running like it used to. As much as I love my hometown, I would never recommend getting work done on your car here. It’s overpriced and I’ve never found a mechanic I was happy with. Pretty much everywhere else in the country I’ve gotten work done I’ve met honest people who get it right the first time and treat me fairly because it’s the right thing to do. I think they like working on Mercedes and BMWs and not on my clunky old van. I like the guy who runs the shop I’ve taken it to these last two times, but I don’t know if I’d recommend it because it goes in with one set of problems and comes out with another.

After that disappointment, I really needed a day at the beach. It being December in Washington, the best I could do was to throw a beach party in my basement with my folks, which is exactly what we did with our Friday night. I’ve spent Christmas in the Caribbean more than once, and our party brought back a lot of good memories of my time in the islands. We had some jerk chicken, fresh cut mango and pineapple and some great peel and eat shrimp. There was great music, boat drinks and a few rounds of Lattice Hawaii which is a really great board game. It was another fun Friday night and left me feeling much better about the world in general…

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D.C. Chronicles Volume 36

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D.C. Chronicles Volume 36

Hello Everyone! We are now just over three weeks away from 2021! I, for one, will welcome the New Year with open arms and a heart full of hope for a better year for us all. For all of the challenges 2020 has brought both to me personally and to us collectively, I continue to be grateful for the blessings in my life and the opportunities that have come along as well. It’s been an amazing experience to spend time with a 2 year-old and a 13 year-old and help them along in whatever way I could this year. I’ve also gotten to spend a lot of time with my folks here in Washington and know that I’m helping keep them safe and vice-versa. I’ve also been grateful to have some time to explore my hometown more than I ever have before which has brought me a lot of joy and contentment. While I’m looking forward to getting a vaccine and getting back on the road as soon as possible in 2021, I will always look back at this year as a time I was able to stop, reflect on the blessings I have in this life and make real plans for the future.

Speaking of a vaccine, there’s definitely been good news this week on that front. The Pfizer vaccine has been approved and the first shots administered in the UK. Approval should be right around the corner here in the US, and then the long and slow process of administering it can begin. I read yesterday morning that the FDA’s initial perusal of the application for approval was extremely positive. I know there are plenty of people out there who have read a lot of whacky things regarding the upcoming vaccine and vaccines in general for that matter. With all the travel I’ve done in my life, I’ve gotten every vaccine available and will gladly step to the front of the line for this one. I have plenty of family and friends in the medical industry and they have their people who they listen to and trust. If they tell me this is a go, I’m in. I simply don’t have time to waste on conspiracy theories and look forward to moving ahead with my life.

This week has been another busy week with my 2 year-old buddy, Mason. I’m happy that he’s continued to want to go outside and play despite the temperatures dropping into the thirties and forties. We bundle up tight but we’ve still been getting outside and going for long walks in neighborhood. He really loves running through the big piles of leaves and spent today sitting in one and just throwing the leaves up and watching them float down. It was a joy to watch him enjoying such a simple pleasure so much, and he’s definitely gotten me to run through more leaf piles than I have in many a year. We continue to look for berries, acorns and pretty colored leaves and he has been good about having me take off his mittens so he can grab these treasures and then letting me put them back on immediately after. We’ve also been having fun watching dead leaves float down the stream in the park as well, which really is pretty cool. He’s enjoying the few Christmas decorations which have sprung up around the neighborhood this week, but is particularly fond of his Christmas tree at home and loves showing me all the different ornaments and the stocking his grandmother sent him. Today we were reading the Night Before Christmas, and he is starting to recognize “Danda” (Santa). In one picture with Santa and his reindeer he was telling me that the reindeer were named Nick and Matt which are his cousin’s names (Nick is the young man I tutor on Mondays). I couldn’t figure it out, and then realized the text talks about “St. Nick” and the only Nick he knows is his cousin. Since he knows who Santa is, the reindeer must be the Nick they keep referring to and since Nick and Matt are twins, his brother must be one of the other reindeer. At least that’s how my mind processed what he said. Either way, he’s enjoying the holiday season so far and I’m enjoying it right alongside him.

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