Expanding Horizons

Today, listening to a TED Talk from 2009 during my afternoon ambulation, I was introduced to Singularity University.  This center for continuing and higher education was established in 2009 as a partnership between Google and the NASA Ames laboratory.  I like to think of myself as pretty well connected, but this is definitely a new and interesting topic for me.

I've written a little about why I started walking, and the practice has most definitely expanded my horizons in a much greater manner than I ever imagined that it might. For one thing, I imagined that the whole idea of walking longish distances was rooted in shrinking my world down to the one meter diameter in my immediate vicinity. In the physical world, the practice has most certainly done that to a degree, but the expansive nature of taking the time to reflect and contemplate on my role in the world is not something that I ever imagined would be a byproduct of the time spent on the road.

Automobile Bridge across College Creek

I don't know where all this is leading, but it feels to me like it's leading me in the direction that I should have been headed all along. My mind has opened to opportunities that I never imagined existed. As the asphalt passes under my feet, I find myself dreaming of adventure again. That feeling is something that's eluded me over the last several years, and it is fulfilling to see a glimmer of that vision begin to return.

It was a great day, and I look forward to the gift of another.

Merry Christmas 2015

Christmas Day is always a bit hectic, but today things went reasonably well.  I took some relative down time from walking, but I covered the distance I need to finish pretty well on the month.  We went through the standard Christmas activities including gift exchanges as well as dinner. The dogs, cats, kids, and more dogs got into the mix.  There was singing, dancing, movie watching, gift opening, grilling, roasting. boiling, steaming, baking, mixing, serving, biking, and even walking.

One of the most interesting things that happened actually occurred yesterday.

Union Station lit up for Christmas

Google delivered this enhanced photo to my "inbox" yesterday, and it is the one I used today for my social media postings.  I actually took this photo on 08 Dec 2015, and apparently the enhancement was held by Google until Christmas Eve.  I think that kind of processing power is pretty remarkable, and the delivery of the photo just in time to add to the Christmas celebratory atmosphere is a nice touch.

The weather cooperated reasonably well during my afternoon walk which ended up being the 1000th activity recorded in my exercise application and the only deliberate activity that I recorded today.

Hospital Point Trail

The wind was down as evidenced by the calm water and the fog was laying in on top of the river.  You may be able to tell that the trail looks like it may have been visited by a large herd of vegan felines that have clearly been eating their daily dose of fiber.  These are actually the leavings of Canada geese. I've actually come to think of these creatures as cats with wings due to their relatively indiscriminate hygiene habits.  The geese have been remarkable in their absence, but over the last week or so they've been turning up in ever greater numbers.  Last winter, their arrival heralded the arrival of the cold, and it will be interesting to see if that construct remains in tact.

Fitch Bridge over College Creek

Although it is relatively monochrome, I really like the way this panorama turned out this afternoon. I indeed have a Merry Christmas and now that the chaos has subsided just a little bit, I'm looking forward to getting some quality rest (while still staying active) over the next several days.

Christmas Eve 2015

I've got to be spritely to get this post in today because I've been busy, and I still have about an hour to go. As far as walking goes, today was a little damp and gray, but the temperature was up in the high 60's.  It's pretty warm for this time of year, and that's being attributed to the ENSO Cycle, or El Nino. It will be interesting to see this winter develop.  If I remember correctly, the Christmas of 1995 was in the 60's and by early January the temperature had dropped into the teens and we had five inches of snow on the ground.  Later that winter in March, I experienced my first, and only, ever sub-zero temperature with even more snow and ice.

Today was not that day, and I finished pretty strong with just, and I mean just, over a half marathon distance in the books.  This morning, I did the six bridges route and managed to capture this photo with four of the six bridges visible from one location.

Four Bridges over College Creek

I also captured a view from the bridge over Spa Creek.

Spa Creek with Saint Mary's

Finally, this was the view today looking south on the Severn River from the Baltimore-Annapolis Blvd. Bridge.

Severn River looking South with USNA on the rigth

The days are getting grayer, and it's clear that we're creeping toward "The Dark Ages" with a little more vigor. Even though the colors begin to wash out this time of year, the vistas are still pretty interesting.  Looking forward to another winter out on the trail.

Last Day of Work Before Christmas

Today was my last paid day of work before Christmas this year, and as might be expected the actual work involved was rather light.  I was able to get some walking done, and some photos to document that walking that I'll share with you now.

Anacostia Morning with the ex-USS Barry

One day relatively soon, I'm going to show up in DC and the ex-USS Barry will have left her berth that she's spent the last thirty odd years occupying.  Until then, I intend to make her a regular feature that's documented here.

Capitol Building Rising into the Fog

Progress on removing the scaffolding from the dome of the Capitol has paused over the last several days, but one day soon I'm looking forward to showing you the United States Capitol in all her naked glory.  Until then, this will be another fairly regular feature of the blog.  Honestly, because of my morning and afternoon walking routes and a shocking lack of creativity, this will probably be a fairly regular feature long after the nudity of the dome is unveiled.

Capitol Building rising into the Fog

This may be one of my favorite panoramic shots of the Capitol of all time.  The spire of "Freedom" rising into the mist coupled with the fiery forges of Sauron peeking out through the windows in the Senate side of the building is both intriguing and menacing all at the same time.

Look Closely....Do you see them?

I stumbled across this pair of albino squirrels on the mall during my morning walk.  I was not feeling motivated at all this morning, and I was really dragging my feet.  I almost didn't make it down this far on the Mall on a couple of occasions, but I am really grateful that I slowed down and made the journey.

Albino Squirrels on the Mall

Here's a shot with a bit better contrast.  Seeing two of these squirrels romping around together felt a bit rare and special.  Since DC is the home of a concentration of albino squirrels, it probably isn't all that rare, but it sure felt like it today.

Another great day as the year winds down.

A Touch of Fatigue and Cautiously Optimistic News

A wonderful thing happened this morning.  I woke up and was granted another sunrise.

Anacostia River Morning with the USS Barry

I also finally received the news that Mr. C is out of surgery and as far as anyone knows things have gone as well as can be expected.  This experience has convinced me that announcing major medical procedures on Facebook is not something that I'll be pursuing for myself.  It does have the advantage of speed in getting the word disseminated quickly, but I would be lying if I didn't admit to a little anxiety associated with the waiting leading up to the latest report.  Not for me, but I understand why people might want to do things this way.

I am tired.  The half marathon average days are taking their toll.  Fortunately, I'm not really dealing with any muscle or joint fatigue, but more of an overall sense of energy expended and want to take about a five hour nap tomorrow morning after I wake up for first breakfast kind of tired.

Being tired is not a bad feeling.  Actually, it imparts a sense of accomplishment, but I am having a hard time keeping my eyes open right now.  I'll take that as a sign from the universe to get some rest.  Once again, I'm looking forward to the hope of another day tomorrow to be given the opportunity of putting some more miles under my feet.

Contemplating Mortality and the Role of Prayer

Today, the sun rose on the Anacostia River just as it has from the beginnings of the sun and the river occupying the same general area of space and time.

Sunrise on the Anacostia

Like every other sunrise before it, observed from this spot in space and time, this one was a unique gift that I had the privilege of witnessing.  If I am granted the gift of living to be one hundred and twenty years old, I will have been gifted the opportunity to witness an sunrise that is similar to this one, but totally unique 43.380 times.  That is really not that many sunrises, and I've expended over a quarter of them already.

I'm thinking about mortality because today I worked my way through most of the TED Talks that have been categorized as being related to death, and I received a request for prayer for a friend of mine's father who will be facing multiple bypass surgery tomorrow.

As for my choice to listen to educated people speak on the topic of death, I really have no real explanation other than I'm beginning at the front of the alphabetical index of TED Talks and listening to all of the talks that have an audio only recording in a given area that strikes my curiosity.  I've worked my way up to the letter 'D' so far and this is the next topic to draw my attention. The talks, like all TED Talks I've listened to so far are mostly interesting and always thought provoking. The general theme is one of finding a better way of accepting the normal process of mortality and a number of arguments about why and how this can be approached.

The prayer request, given the potential seriousness of the procedure that my friend's father is facing tomorrow seemed to mesh with the overall theme.  Honestly, I don't know how to respond to these calls for supernatural intervention when they come across social media like Facebook. I can't bring myself to push the "like" radio button, but I do feel compelled to reach out to my friend or acquaintance in response to their request that I entreat a higher power in support of their request for help. It's at this point, the point of wanting to respond, but not quite knowing what to say that I become a bit stuck.

Today, the request said, "Friend, my daddy will have multiple bypass a 6 tomorrow morning. Please pray for him and my mom!"  This request as of this writing has gotten 63 "likes" and 60 "comments."  One of the comments is mine, and I certainly didn't hit the "like" radio button, so I don't quite know what to make of those numbers. I ended up replying with "Done" although that leaves me a little cold and distant.

Part of my problem is that I have come to believe that prayer (and meditation) really represents an effort to grow closer to a higher power whose will is shaping the broad trends of our lives. I believe that the journey we are all called to in one fashion or the other is bringing our own will into alignment with the will of the greater power that surrounds us and having the strength and knowledge to glimpse and carry out the purpose that is laid before us by doing the next right thing moment by moment. I believe that seeking to understand the will of the greater power and having the strength and fortitude to play my small role in in the creation of that purpose is about the only thing that I should ask of that power. Anything more is probably an attempt to manifest my own will on a situation that far exceeds my ability to shape. This belief that prayer for knowledge and strength only is in conflict with my own will to shelter my friend for the pain of possible unwanted outcomes.  That's why I don't know how to respond. I don't know how to say that surrender is the only way I've found effective a coping with the fear and anxiety that this sort of situation can generate.

My friend, their daddy, and their mom are in my thoughts tonight. I want very fervently for things to work out successfully tomorrow in that operating room, and Mr. C to be granted some more sunrises to witness. I hope that I'm granted a sunrise or two in order to bear witness to the outcome. I hope that whatever may come finds my friend surrounded by love because that will make whatever comes better.

Standard Sunday

I used the walk this morning to head out to the mother-in-law's house and see how she was faring.  She'd gotten new glasses, modified a kitchen cabinet that I did not notice, and had me help her walk the dogs.  I also participated in the troubleshooting of an electrical switch and narrowed the problem down to the the time function of the switch and suggested what I hope is a safe way to continue to use the fixture until she can get the timer portion of the switch replaced.  In other words, a pretty standard Sunday.

This afternoon, I headed out for a shorter walk around my usual haunts, and I was able to capture some pretty nifty photos of the sky and shoreline being reflected in the still water of a local creek.

College Creek on a very still day

Today was the coldest day that we've had up to this point this winter.  It was certainly colder earlier in February, but for this round, the clear sky coupled with an arctic advance and dropped the temperature this morning to around 22 degrees Fahrenheit. The air stayed pretty chilly all day, but thankfully there was little wind as the glass calm water demonstrates.

College Creek Sunset

Though not the most spectacular sunset I've seen, I was struck by the number of contrails that appeared in this photo.  I count at least ten, and it's possible that I missed one or two of these aviation ghosts.  Lot's of folks headed out on travel to kick off the holiday season, I suppose.

Overall another great day with new and wonderful things to experience.