Hectic Day

Today was a hectic day.  In addition to my walking at the goal pace (11 miles/day this month), there was a soccer match, a soccer party, a college football game, and preparations for a business trip.  There were also meetings in the morning with both relatives and friends to work on connection maintenance.

Although the miles were covered, my mind was running at a faster than normal clip keeping tabs on the days activities, and due to these distractions coming to the forefront of thought there are no pictures to share.  I suspect there were pictures worth taking all along the path, but a what was probably a lapse of mindfulness closed my eyes to them.  Observant presentness are not the words to describe my mental state.

One positive outcome as I wrap up the day was a longer period of sitting quietly than has been the custom of the past.  Like the rest of the day, achieving a settled mind was not happening readily.  Breathing became the focus, and there were some initial attempts at cataloging thoughts and emotions as the entered my consciousness and the attempt was made to let them flow through.

Even with the hectic mind, today was a great day though I'm finding I do not have to pursue diversions with nearly the vigor that was my practice in the past.  In fact, the relentless pursuit of entertainment is becoming more and more unsettling as I travel this journey.

Sharing, Soaring, Serene

This morning and opportunity presented itself to sit down with a group of friend and speak frankly about some of my past experiences, some things that happened to change the direction I was taking, what that's led to, and what there was to learn during that time.

It's always been a little uncomfortable for me to share those kind of details, even in a general way, with other people.  Fear is probably the root of the reluctance, but it's not a knee melting sort of fear.  Whatever the source of the reluctance, I tend to feel better after I've stepped up to the facts and vocalized them out loud.

The get together took a little longer than planned, so my commute to work was delayed as well.  There is a reason for everything, and on my way to work, later in the day than I had planned, the universe rewarded me with a sighting of an adult bald eagle in flight.

Adult Bald Eagle in Flight above US Highway 50

Fate smiled on me further and allowed me to capture an over the shoulder shot out of my driver side window of the magnificent raptor.  Once again, the picture above does not quite do the sight that I saw justice, but I continue to be amazed by the quality of photography possible on a device about half the size and volume of a short paperback novel.  Here's the whole shot that I captured for a bit of context regarding the quality of the image capture seen in the blown up shot above.

Adult Bald Eagle in Flight above US Highway 50

The eagle is the v-shaped speck above and slightly to the right of the power pole near the center of the picture.

Although this was during my driving commute, I did get in the goal distance associated with my pedestrian activity.  The evening ramble saw me out the doors at work a little later than hoped for, and surprise awaited me when the lingering colors of the setting sun were still vivid enough to capture in pixels.

The Colors of Sunset as a Backdrop a Skyline in Southeast DC

This picture was taken on my trip to the car to drop off my gym back before hitting the asphalt in earnest.  With the dark hue of the colors, I did not expect to be able to capture anything else during the evening.  Again, I was surprised.

Sunset to be followed shortly by Moonset Over the Anacostia

Fetching the river, the universe dealt me a celestial twofer. The setting of the sun to be quickly followed by the setting of the moon had been all teed up for my viewing enjoyment.

Later tonight at home, the news of the attacks in Paris that were happening at about the same time as the last two photos were being taken made its way into my consciousness.  I struggle to come to terms with the beauty and the sadness that were unfolding under the same sky. I mention the bloodshed in Paris because I think that I should.  There's a lesson here somewhere, but I don't know what that lesson is right now.  I do know that in spite of the chaos that unfolded a hemisphere away, a sense of serenity in my here and now has proven pretty resilient.  I'm grateful for that.

Endings, Beginnings, and Time for Reflection

Three years ago today, I got to the end of my rope.  I didn't know if I could go on anymore, but I wasn't ready to quit.  That day was the beginning of a new era, and though there has been quite a lot of water under the bridge since then, I'm profoundly grateful for the opportunity to sunset certain aspects of my life so I could see the dawning of a new era.

I never imagined that I'd have walked over 4100 miles.  In fact, the thought never really even crossed my mind that I could or I should.  That day, three years ago is part of the pathway that led me to where I am today. There are a few miles of that path that I wouldn't relish re-trodding, but I learned from them all and it's been an adventure.

Perhaps that's why I seem drawn to sunrises and sunsets.  I've seen my fair share of these, and you can never get one without the other.

Sunrise over the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress

This is the vista that started the day for me.

Sunset over the Anacostia River

This is the vista that ended it.  I'm grateful to have experienced both and all that life had to offer in between them.

First Week of Sitting Quietly Once a Day is Complete

Commencing the practice of sitting quietly at least once a day seems to be paying off.  A sense of serenity and better focus appears to have been the result of taking a little less than ten minutes a day to sit quietly and be in the moment.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't some burning bush style of metaphysical breakthrough.  I just feel a little better. The walks seem a little more rewarding and a little less "desperate."  Patience seems to flow a little more easily, although, I have a sneaking suspicion that you would be able to find more than one person that indicated this still is a potential growth area for me.

Nothing really particularly noteworthy on the picture front today, but there are some decent shots to share. As discussed in the past, these are good for me because they are always 100% new.  The capture of a moment from a different perspective, even one similar to a past perspective, is a valuable exercise for me in maintaining an appreciation for the unfolding of life around me.  Here they are in chronological order.

Spa Creek on a Gray November Morning

The waterfront in Annapolis is well on the path to preparing to weather the dark ages.  The anchorages are mostly clear as the boats are hauled out of the water by their owners.  The shrink wrap is becoming more and more of a feature.  Only a few short weeks from now, this will be the scene of the annual parade of lights in advance of Christmas.  

Naval Academy Observatory on Hospital Point

In spite of fall being in the air, the autumn this year has been really quite pleasant from a weather perspective. There are still wide swaths of green grass scattered about, and the Canada geese have not put in the appearance in large numbers as of today.  A few more weeks until the Dark Ages settle in for the winter.

A-4 and F-4 Static Display Aircraft on Hospital Point

There is a story to be told that unfolded decades ago on the starboard wing of that A-4 Skyhawk in the foreground.  Nothing too terribly risque, but it was both the beginning and end of an era.

Sunset over College Creek from the Hospital Point end of Fitch Bridge

Observing the sun setting over College Creek is one of those events that will probably never grow old for me.

View of the Sunset from the Sea Wall Corner of Sims Road

Many an hour of pedestrian activity has passed that involved this corner of Sims Road.  There are piers along the sea wall pictured in this photo that also represent the geographic point where one era ended and another began.  This too is a story for another day.

Annapolis Skyline at Sunset as Seen from Turner Joy Road

Luck favors the centered, and the photos conclude on my favorite one from the six that were captured today.  Capturing six panoramas in one day is a new record for me, and the most interesting aspect was the fact that this was not a conscious effort.  Now it could have been just blind luck, but I think that explanation leaves a little to be desired.  This record is an indication that sitting quietly is having a positive impact in other areas of my life outside of the sitting.  It's a feeling that may amount to superstition, but it just doesn't feel that way to me.  It feels like a growing connection with the world at large that allows these series of events to coalesce.

Another Consolidation Day

Today seemed to be another consolidation day.  Sitting quietly, working, and walking took up the better portion of the day.  Spent some time speaking with Rory.  It was good.

I'm going to bend one of the soft rules that I've had since beginning more regular postings.  I'm going to post some not contemporary photos.  These shots are of the reflected bit of the sunset from Sunday.  They weren't delivered by Google until Monday morning, and yesterday, I just forgot about them.  Here they are...the photos from a few days ago.

Severn River at Sunset

The sky and the reflected colors on the water are a pretty true representation of what I observed.

Severn River at Sunset with Triton Light in the Foreground to the Left

To catch Triton Light in mid-flash took a couple of tries and some quick deletions before Google came through with the panorama.  I really like this shot because it captures the light, the sea wall, the ELF antennas, and what used to be the David Taylor Research Center all in one shot.  There is a lot of history in the frame.

Capitol Building from the West Side

These two photos are contemporary from this evening.  Nothing really earth shattering here. Some more panoramic shots of the Capitol Building.

Capitol Building from the North East Side

I'm looking forward to the day that the scaffolding is finally removed after the restoration work is complete. The tarps have come down, so progress seems to be moving along according to the general timeline reported in this helpful primer by the Architect of the Capitol (AOC).

Guideposts On The Path...or...The Lesson Will Be Repeated Until It Is Learned

For those that know me in real life, it will come as no particularly stunning revelation that I can be stubborn, hard headed, or at times tenacious.  These can be good characteristics, but as I've been recently discovering, the things that society labels as bad or good are often neither.  For example, I don't think you would find too many contributors willing to put their byline on an article defending the plain good common sense that's associated with procrastination.  Procrastination just doesn't have a "good" cultural connotation in American society.  I have personally encountered situations where the ability to successfully procrastinate was a pivotal skill to determine the positive outcome of a particular project.

There are plenty of other paradoxes where what might generally be viewed as a negative trait might prove crucial to the success of a particular outcome, so I'm not going to bore you with too many stories to attempt to prove that point.  Think about it for a minute, and I'm sure you can name more than a handful of examples that you've personally witnessed.

A Repeated Lesson, or a Coincidence?

coFrom time to time, I find it difficult to decide what I should be doing in the face of these paradoxes.  For times when that uncertainty strikes, I'm going to propose a decision making construct that I've found useful in determining a new course of action in order to keep physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual momentum.

Some of my friends say that, "A lesson will be repeated until it is learned."  Coupled with the fact that I believe that the universe is conspiring with you to make you successful, I have found that there are guideposts to help you head down a path of DOING the next right thing.

Prayer has been a critical activity for me in this regard, and one of the more useful approaches to prayer from my perspective is to seek wisdom and strength.  The most reliable way to seek wisdom that I"ve found is to state my intentions, and ask for roadblocks...clear unambiguous roadblocks if this particular way in which I've chosen to exercise my will is not in harmony with the outline of higher powers.

I've also been told that meditation should be a critical component of my communion with the universe.  This is a practice that I've not been as disciplined at working on as I have been with prayer.  Everyone else probably already knows this, but I was blissfully unaware of the difference between prayer and meditation.  Prayer is the act transmitting your thoughts and will to a higher power for adjudication.  Meditation is listening for the judgement or endorsement of the universe in return.

I keep getting messages from my surroundings about working on my practice of meditation.  I'm five days into a thirty day commitment that I made to practice meditation at least one 2-5 minute period for thirty days. The picture above is the only picture with reasonable lighting that I was able to capture all day. In the interest of practicing mindfulness, I am skeptical that this occurrence is a coincidence. I find it much more likely that this is a lesson that's been repeated until I exhibit at least the basics of retaining it.

Five Deer and Two Dogs and a Birthday Party

Today ended up being a five deer day.  Three does in a small group bounded across the trail and then hung about in the area during my pedestrian passage.  Two bucks a little later on during the morning walk were moving about in a pretty dense brush thicket, and they may have gone without notice except one of the chuffed.

Before we get to the deer, some explanation of the Dogs' Birthdays is probably in order.  My normal Sunday morning walking routine had been interrupted by the mandatory attendance at my mother-in-law's birthday celebration for her dogs.  In all fairness, her Border Collie is getting quite old, and one never knows if she'll make it another year.  I suspect this very real possibility coupled with the desire to see the family contributed to the birthday celebration for both the older Border Collie and her younger dog.  The Border Collie was born on 07 Nov, and this is a known date if you can believe the breeder.  The younger mutt is a shelter dog, and his birthday was relatively arbitrarily assigned as 01 Nov in order to always bracket a week with the Border Collie.

It's a little complex to explain much further, so the story of both Dogs' Birthday party will end right here. My pedestrian habits were once again interrupted by the universe, and my six mile plod was displaced from its normal location.  Much like yesterday, it ended up being worth every note of the birthday song for the dogs.

Back to the deer.  I ran across the does first.  More accurately, they ran across the trail in front of me first.

One of the Three Does in a Group That Crossed My Path Early in the Walk

Like many of the deer in this area, they have clearly become accustomed to encounters with humans.  Even so, they were a little wary, and they are pretty darn hard to see once they get back up into the brush.

Farm Panorama Along the Course of the Walk

After seeing the deer, anything else that happened on the walk was just another bonus.  This panoramic shot of the farm shows how great the scenery was, and just how conducive the weather has been this autumn.  It was a glorious day, and while I've said in the past that, "there's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing," it is very pleasant when the clothing isn't the only deciding factor.

Back Side of the Same 4H Farm in the Park

This park has been extensively developed from the first time I was introduced to this area.  The farm has been completely restored, and it has become the home of the local 4H chapter.  It is open for tours, and you can see many of the prize winning animals that will eventually appear at the county fair during the earlier stages of their husbandry.

Looking Forward and Looking Back on the Trail

Even the trails have improved.  The progress is remarkable until I remind myself that the first time I came to this area was at least twenty and probably twenty-one years ago.

One of Two Bucks that Seemed to be Competing over Territory

The real surprise was stumbling across two bucks that were much larger deer then the relatively young six point from a couple of days ago.  These two were fully mature adults.  The each had at least eight points each, and I'm pretty sure that the larger one was a ten pointer.  It was also remarkable that they were out this late in the morning.  Mating season is upon us, and these two seemed to be competing over the territory.

Sunset on College Creek

Later in the evening, the sky was on fire with the sunset.  I'm really not sure any of this will ever get old.  It was grand adventure.