Another Good Day for a Walk

Today, I spent most of my time in relative isolation.  A little over fifteen miles of it were on my feet, and it was a time of contemplation, consolidation, and renewal.  After a quick internet search, I discovered a trail in Anne Arundel County that I'd never come across in the past.  The Washington-Baltimore & Annapolis (WB&A) Trail was really no different than any of the other railroad bed paved multi-use trails in the general area, but it was refreshing to experience a change of scenery.

WB&A Trail at the Little Patuxent River Crossing

I did find a bench dedicated to a much beloved Bichon Frise that was a new experience for me.

Bichon Frise Riker was Loved Dearly

I suspect that I'm also encountering the last of the fall colors.  They're not gone yet, but over the next couple of weeks they will slowly fade to brown until next year.

Southern Terminus of the WB&A Trail...For Now

This trail was an out and back and runs a little less than 4 miles generally in a southerly direction beginning in Odenton.  There are plans to extend the trail several more miles to the banks of the Patuxent River, and the development has already started.  By completing this trail, I've now covered all but a little spur of the railroad bed trails in the county.  I may want to finish the last little stretch near BWI Airport before the rest of this trail completes, so I can say factually that I've covered them all...for now.

To finish up the distance this evening, I poked around the Annapolis area.  The sun was setting as I was crossing the Severn River Bridge on the Baltimore-Annapolis Parkway, and, unsurprisingly, I couldn't resist trying to capture the view.

Sunset over the Severn from the Severn River Bridge on the Baltimore-Annapolis Parkway

The views are pretty stunning from this bridge, but the traffic noise is a little hard to stomach.  There and back is about 1.3 miles, so it's quite a bit of noise for quite a bit of time so I don't do it very often.  Tonight, the view justified the auditory assault.

Sunset over the Severn - Panning north toward the US 50 Bridge

I was really hoping this would be turned into another panoramic shot, but Google settled on a .gif file. These clear, dry days tend to make the sunsets a little more earthy in tone, but it beats rain any day of the week.

The isolation today was quite restorative, though it took a little getting used to early in the day.  We'll see where it all goes from here.

Chilly and Clear and Light(ish) at the Beginning

This morning was chilly, clear, and dry.  It's been dry for the last couple of days, but today you could really tell that the cool high pressure system had settled into the area.  I saw the morning planets for the first time in several days, and their return from under the blanket of overcast that's been pervasive for almost a week was a welcome development.

National Weather Service Forecast Map for Today

As the weather forecast map attests, the reason for these welcome changes and the crisp dryness in the air is because of the high pressure system that prevails over most of the eastern half of the continental United States.  I was able to get a one more panoramic shot of the Capitol Building this morning just before sunrise, and this one is my favorite of the season so far.  The lightening of the clear sky in the background added a nice touch of color which, until today, has been a little dark.

Capitol Building and Christmas Tree

I sent this picture to Rory, and he commented that when the exterior portion of the Capitol Dome restoration is complete and the scaffolding is removed the brilliance of the dome in darkness is going to be quite striking. If the predictions are correct, that should happen sometime this winter, and I'm looking forward to being able to observe and photograph this majestic building in all its naked glory.

The computer that I carry in my pocket informed me today that sunset in Washington, DC occurred at 4:46 pm today.  I cannot personally vouch for the truth of this statement since I was still ensconced in the cubicle farm churning out paperwork at that time, but there was still a bit of dusky light in the air when I escaped just after 5 pm.  I wandered down to the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, and the waning light of the retreating sun casting a halo or orange light around the South Capitol Street Bridge and reflected off the still water of the river was simply breathtaking.

Anacostia River Sunset

It's a little hard to believe that this is a no filter photo, and you don't have to take my word that this looks to me like an accurate representation of what I observed.  You should go out there for yourself at sunset on a still day and so some research on your own.  I don't think you'll regret the time spent confirming that the river really does look this stunning from time to time.

Finally, I think I captured the night time photo of Union Station that I've been trying to catch.

Union Station at Night

This one isn't perfect, and I really do wish this white marble building was lighted like the Capitol Dome (which is made of iron by the way).  That said, I think this is good enough for my purposes related to my friend's nuptials and the role this building may or may not play in cementing the relationship that it certainly played a role in forming.

The winter is quickly approaching, and there will be times that the cold will make a bid to drive you inside for quite a bit of the season.  I encourage anyone and everyone to avoid this temptation and get out and walk. There is beauty all around, and if you need a walking companion, you know the area to look out for me.

Union Station and Other Monuments after Dark

A friend of mine is planning on getting married in Union Station sometime over the holiday season.

Union Station at Night

It's really an interesting story because until a few months ago, he was referring to his betrothed as "his friend." Shortly thereafter she became his "special friend," and now I suppose they're engaged.  I would not presume to call her his fiance because I've never heard the word cross his lips.

In Washington, DC, it is possible to become a wedding officiant for a fee of $35.  This grants the fee payer a one time license to preside over a wedding within the confines of the District of Columbia.  For a fee of $70, a person can become a permanent wedding officiant.  All marriages have to be performed within the district, but with a valid DC marriage license, the officiant can preside over the wedding.  My friend has chosen his officiant, and I did not make the cut.  I was asked if I would be the back-up officiant in the event that his first choice wasn't able to make it.  Frankly, it was a little flattering.

They've chosen Union Station as a location for the wedding because travel has become a hallmark of their relationship, and I think this carries with it a certain sense of organic romance about the whole affair. It doesn't feel to me like the kind of trumped up stuffed teddy bear with a heart or even a dozen red roses style of romance.  It feels natural and right.  My buddy says it's to stick it to the man, and I don't really see how Union Station really flies so far in the face of tradition to accomplish that goal.  It's probably just my lack of understanding, but I think it's an excellent choice of venues, and I suspect it will generate many years of fond memories.

As noted over the last few days, it's the holiday season and also the season of perpetual darkness during the times that I can cobble together to walk. If there were anyone following this journal of my travels on foot (and there is not anyone interested, even the Russians have abandoned this site), they would probably find the next several weeks heavily populated with photos of Christmas lights because I can make them work reasonably well with the camera on my phone.  Today is no exception.

Christmas on Capitol Hill

I swung by the Capitol and captured this shot from the other side of the Capitol Christmas tree from the view featured yesterday.  This may end up being the season of shots of the Capitol Building because I can usually make something reasonably photogenic due to the proliferation of light in this area of the city.  We shall see.

Capitol Hill Christmas

Walking for distance has demonstrated a great many benefits for me, but it certainly not been the magic bullet solution to all of the challenges in front of me.  It has given me a reasonable (from my perspective anyway) a relatively healthy way of dealing with those challenges.

I am currently involved in an ongoing dispute with my roommates regarding the level of appreciation that we demonstrate to each other for our collective contributions to managing the household.  My ego is probably creating some of these problems, but I don't think I'm 100% responsible for the difference in opinion.  Anyway, thanks to this dispute, I've made a decision to pull back from some of the more collectively beneficial activities (from my perspective anyway) and just start keeping my "own side of the street clean" and not a whole lot else. The trigger that launched me on this course of action was having one of my roommates ask me what it was I thought I should be getting credit for accomplishing.  Having been in one of these conversations before, I believed at the time it was a futile effort to attempt to answer that question, so I decided that if whatever it was I thought I was doing did not add value to the extent that another adult felt it necessary to ask me to justify those activities, I'd just stop doing them.

It turns out that whatever it was I was "not doing" seems to have been taking up a whole lot of time.  Just this evening, I managed to get in an extra 40 minutes of work, an additional mile of walking, and I'll probably get to bed about 30 minutes earlier.  I suspect I can trade the 40 minutes of work tomorrow for something that is of even greater value to me personally.  Part of this recovered time allowed me to jog down to the west lawn of the Capitol Building and observe the aftermath of the Capitol Hill Christmas Tree lighting ceremony.

Capitol Hill Christmas Tree - Day 1, 2015

I'd been warned earlier in the day that this event was taking place, but by the time we arrived the tree had been lit, the crowds were dispersing, the checkpoints had been shutdown, and only the Christmas music and lighted tree remained as a reminder of the recent hullabaloo.  I feel pretty good about what I was able to accomplish today with my newly found time.

The Holiday Season Comes into It's Own

The Christmas decorations are installed and the lights are lighted along Pennsylvania avenue in Southeast Washington, DC.  It's a good thing too because given the shortness of the days it is becoming increasingly difficult to find things that are photogenic enough to capture in electrons.  Fortunately tonight, I came across the first snow of the season with enough light around to capture it adequately.

Christmas Lights along Pennsylvania Avenue

That's about all I have to say for the evening.  Today didn't turn out quite the way I expected it to turn out, but I guess it never does do that in reality.

End of Month Wrap-Up

Yesterday for reasons unknown, the WiFi connection was not available so the daily post didn't get generated.  If it had, it would have said something short like this.  The weather today (actually yesterday) was a study in contrasts compared to the previous three days.  The morning dawned wet, chilly, and raining. Getting the opportunity to revel in this meteorological splendor, I was struck by the fact that the contrasts in many things are what give life the spice and texture that is so rewarding over the long run.

St. Mary's Church from the Eastport Bridge - Cloudy and wet day

I don't know if I would have appreciated yesterday's (actually day before yesterday's) vista looking at St. Mary's Church from the Eastport bridge quite as much as I did if I'd not previously seen it cloaked in moisture and dinginess like I did today (actually yesterday).  While there might not be any such thing as bad weather (only inappropriate clothing), there is definitely a thing called good weather.  That wasn't today (actually yesterday), but the contrasts are often what makes things really pop when things are going well.

Today, I'll tack on another short addition.  During my walking this month, I cleared just over three hundred and forty miles.  I fully intended to add another six to that total this afternoon (I'd already added the first six to yesterday's total this morning), but the fact that I misplaced my hat (and was therefore was not possessed of appropriate clothing) led me to wrap things up and go get some dinner for myself and my roommates instead.

Panda Express...Dinner is served

Sometimes it just feels really good to grab a big bowl of orange chicken and chow mein.  This was a great way to wrap up another fantastic month.