The Draw of the Trail

I'm getting back into the swing of putting some relatively serious mileage under my sneakers, particularly on the the weekends.  Today I headed back out to the Baltimore and Annapolis Trail which is part of the East Coast Greenway, a trail that will stretch from Calais, Maine to Key West, Florida once it is finished.

East Coast Greenway Mile Marker

Seeing a mile marker like the one above only reinforces the idea that some aspect of the next steps in my life journey will be found out on the trail. When it comes to earning a living, the pilgrimage seems like a pretty silly idea, but it has been a persistent one.  

Today was a good day that made me a bit impatient to get out there and walk.  It'll be part of the plan whatever unfolds tomorrow.

Magic

Today, I decided to get out and observe the sunset instead of staying inside after work. Last night's unexpected sunset had me looking for more where that came from.  Fortunately for me, one of the best sunset vistas in the city is just down the hill from where I currently call home.

Hubbard Hall Sunset

I think the photograph speaks for itself. Apart from a minor aperture adjustment, this photo was taken without any digital or analog filters. Calling it worth the short walk is one of the bigger understatements in a week characterized by folks downplaying dramatic moments.

On my way back up the hill, the lawns around the houses were alive with lightning bugs. The grass shed waves of six legged sparks making the rolling hillsides seem alight with a dark fire throwing off starbursts. Scenes like the one that greeted me on my way home help me understand how children can believe in magic and faeries, wizards, and spells.

Somehow along the way, the magic slowly vanishes. I know I get caught in the grind of day to day living, and I don't take the time to get out and bask in the glow of ten thousand photoluminescent insects. That's too bad because after the sunset, the walk through the magic of nature was just what I needed to wrap up a long and, at times, trying week.

Once again, the universe has exceeded expectations that I did not even realize I carried, and I'm looking forward to what may come out of the milieu tomorrow.

Amateur Cartography

So far, I am enjoying the role of amateur cartographer quite a bit.  Once again the universe has given me a subtle nod toward exploration outside with bipedal locomotion. In search of new information to report and update, I drug myself out of the house a little bit later than my habit in the last several months, and I was rewarded with this view.

Hubbard Hall Sunset

When I left the house, I convinced myself that the best of the evenings color show had already passed, and I was in for a disappointing experience of watching blue fading to grey.  I don't know how many times I've made this same mistaken judgement without going to check, but I know that it's more than I'd like to admit.

At any rate, two map updates, two business reviews, and four photos submitted was not a bad way to wrap up my contributions to letting people do a little pre-exploring in the virtual world before hitting the sidewalks to find out what a place they've seen really looks like up close and personal.

Today, an amateur cartographer. Tomorrow...who knows, but I bet it's going to be fantastic.

New Opportunities

If I'm not mistaken, I wrote just a little while back about becoming more of a "Yes Man" in relation to taking advantage of the little opportunities that life throws in all of our paths every day.  Today, Google Maps invited me to become a Local Guide, and I jumped at it.

Coffee at Philz - Southeast Washington, DC

Never knowing such a thing existed, the opportunity to participate in yet another larger community has put my walking in a new perspective. Essentially, your "reputation" as a local guide hinges upon the number of places you visit and manage to add to the conversation on Google Maps. It's given me yet another reason to explore and perhaps break out of some of the more routine aspects of the daily practice. It freshens the ey for interesting things to photograph and review.

Anacostia Public Dock - Yards Park - Washington, DC

The same old routes will not work as well if the metric that my contributions are measured against are new areas to explore and document. It's good to break out of a shell of my own making, and I'm grateful for the opportunity.

11th Street, SE Bridge - Washington DC

I have a new hunger for additional opportunities that may be just around the corner tomorrow.

Speaking to Peers

Spending my formative adult years, or what I like to think of as my first career in a highly structured hierarchical organization, I suspect that I may have picked up some bad habits. One of those habits might be associated with the assigning of labels to people that indicate senior and subordinate relationships.

Ceremonial Barge Chesapeake - Berthed at the Pier of the USS Barry

This bucketing of people into castes is a habit that I'll have to overcome as I make a transition to my next careers. Listening to an interview of a highly successful entertainer today, I was struck when he suggested that he viewed himself as a peer to anyone he was talking to.  This was his response when asked how old he felt. Since his real age was ninety three, I thought his answer hit the mark just about perfectly.

Striving to be a peer to your neighbors seems like the right balance to chase. It's also worth remembering that in the modern era a neighbor can be anyone close to you either physically or virtually. It's not about the brick and mortar of a house that defines a neighbor, but the distance and connectivity between us, which is progressively shrinking every day, that matters most.

I love being introduced to new ideas, and I'm looking forward what tomorrow brings forward to challenge my old habits.

Five Panoramas

I remember when I fist started putting thoughts down on paper, At the time, I really thought that five panoramic short pasted together by Google Photos was a pretty good haul. It's still fantastic when something like that happens, but I find that kind of little spark of excitement has waned a little.  In the interest of reigniting my own imagination, I leave you with the five that came out today.

Sunrise over the Washington Navy Yard

Today's break in the cloud cover was a welcome relief. It's been a number of days since I actually saw the sun peek up over the horizon.

Yards Park Skyscape

Breaking the relative monotony and seeing streaks of blue through the grey and purple mist didn't get old this morning. It's a harbinger of heat later this summer, but it was good to come out without the threat of rain.

Library of Congress

Spring has sprung, and the Library of Congress beckons.

Neptune Fountain

The Sea Nymphs are ready for summer...are you?

Wading Pool at Yards Park

Heroic bronze sculptures weren't the only ones enjoying a cavort in the water. As the heat rolls in, folks will flock to wherever they can get some relief.

It was a great day to remember how far I've come, how many things I've seen, and the promise that another day of discover holds tomorrow.

Wow...What a Day!

I usually start pretty early on the weekends, and I'm glad I showed up this morning.  A short list of the opportunities I pursued today includes:

1.  Meet with some friends for coffee at 0600.
2.  Get in some plodding ambulatory practice on a glorious spring morning.

Forrest Sherman Field and the United States Naval Academy alongside the Severn River

This morning's walk was a good one because the scenery was spectacular, the weather was temperate, and I got a good start on what ended up being about a thirteen mile day.

Spring in Annapolis

3.  Mowing the lawn. I've really grown to enjoy this little ritual. For starters, you get a little dirty using power tools. It's just the thing I always wanted to do growing up (the dirty and power tools part anyway), so I see no particular reason to view it as work. Also, a newly evened lawn has a bit of an artistic flare to the making of it. It's a little like spreading buttercream icing with a cake spatula dipped in hot water. Smooth and flowing is the look that I'm targeting at the end, and even my small patch of ground ends up being about 2.5 miles of walking when it's all said and done.

4.  After a quick shower the boys and I headed off for another walk, but this time we had a destination in mind. A couple of ice cream cones and a diet Dr. Pepper later, we headed back to the house where those rascals decided they wanted to head out to the pool.

USNA Observato

5.  An hour of swimming ended in a thunderstorm, so I headed over to the grocery store to collect some staples for the week.

6.  Cooked some spaghetti with meatballs for dinner with a side of garlic bread, and the thunderstorm passed just in time to clear the way for the sunset to follow. Boys being boys and outside, they're the ones who pointed out the rainbow in the waning moments of daylight.

Rainbow over Annapolis near Sunset

There's something to be said for showing up and being open minded enough to face life with enough wonder to be amazed. Today was a jackpot for those kind of experiences, and while everyday doesn't always deliver the depth and breadth of experienced, it's always worth giving it a shot. Here's to another shot at the jackpot tomorrow, and as always, I'm excited to see what will happen.