Whirlwind to Gentle Breeze

Today ended up being one of the more productive days that I've had since recovering from my foot injury.  Things started off well with a sunrise walk of just a little over four miles this morning.  The first meeting of the day wasn't until 0900 so I took advantage of the opportunity to usher in the day with the sun peaking up over the horizon.

Sunrise over the Salt Marsh - Little Creek, VA

I intended to head down to the beach to catch the sun peaking up over the horizon of the Chesapeake Bay, but when I stumbled across this pond in the salt marsh area short of the beach I stayed put to take advantage of the calm water. I admit, that the final result supported that decision.

Ducks headed into the Sunrise - Little Creek, VA

When I walked up on the pond, I flushed a blue heron and was not quick enough to catch the graceful glide out across the water. I did get to share the event with a pair of mallards and a fisherman (not pictured). The air had just a hint of chill that will soon be a fond memory as the late spring and summer unfold and the heat and humidity sit on the earth like a foggy elephant. For today, calm winds and cool temperatures collaborated to make this a perfect start to the morning.

Not to be outdone by nature's art, some enterprising soul decorated the fence at the swimming pool and waterpark in the area.

Chainlink Zoology - Little Creek, VA

These murals are exceptionally well done, and the very concept of different colored squares to be added to a chain link fence raise some interesting possibilities in my mind. This is the first time I've ever seen anything quite like this, and it's probably because I'm sheltered. After a little searching with Google, I concluded that these designs are a derivative of Put-In-Cups or something very much like them.  This is the only product of this kind that I found in the first couple of pages of search results, and one of the alligators on the site bears a striking resemblance to the one in the collage above.

Putting southern Virginia in my rearview mirror, I motored on back up to Washington, DC.  Another quick pedestrian jaunt found me eleven books lighter after dropping off my Christopher Moore collection (plus two additional books) at Riverby Books. I am growing increasingly comfortable with leaving behind monuments to the past and lightening my material burden going forward. I've also noticed that the practice has changed my reading habits (to a small degree), and I consider purchases more carefully than I have in the past. I believe that I've gone a week without purchasing anything but consumable items, and I even buy consumables with a much more deliberate approach.  It's still early in the experiment, but I value how my thought processes seem to have changed in a relatively short time. These guys hinted at how the simple act of shrinking my overabundant inventory of material possessions would change the way I experienced the world, but I never would have guessed that the impacts would start manifesting themselves so quickly. The journey feels good so far, and I'm looking forward to experience continuing change.

USS Barry - Towing Bridle (the chain on the starboard side of the ship) is now Rigged

Finally, I ambled past my old friend the USS Barry, and got a chance to speak to the supervisor in charge of preparing her departure in her final days at the Washington Navy Yard. The towing bridle was rigged today, and he told me that the masts were going to be removed to allow her to pass underneath the Woodrow Wilson Bridge over the Potomac. There are a number of elements to the story he told that may be of interest in a future post. Apparently, the departure of the ship is raising a great deal of interest involving a number of admirals, local authorities, a series of "interesting" planning assumptions, support vessel trades and changes, money, good deals, chains, tugs, sediment, and henchmen. I'm going to keep all that to myself for now and see how things shake out. Like all towing and salvage stories, there's always something more than meets they eye.

After over seven miles of walking, two hundred miles of driving, a briefing and included forty people, offloading eleven books, and talking about towing one, sixty four year old ship, I've probably droned on enough for today. As the day wraps up, I'm forced to consider the possibility of new adventures and how they might spring from the shadows of the waxing darkness tomorrow morning.  Until they do.,,

Virginia is for Lovers...And Work

I find myself on the road again after a productive day of walking, travel, and minimalism. I headed south again, and based on all the signs along the way, I'm convince beyond a shadow of a doubt that Virginia fulfills the billing as being for Lovers.

Virginia is for Lovers

This sign at a rest area on I-64 represents one of many Loveworks installation pieces throughout the state that promote the notion that Virginia is for Lovers and offer scenic stops along the way to capture that feeling. The simple lines of this particular rendering appeal to my newfound asceticism (both deliberate and by circumstance). I even managed to find a donation center in VA to offload ten books today on the tenth day of my path to a greater feeling of freedom and minimalism.

Minimalism Day Ten

All of these books stayed with me for so long because they came to represent a part of my identity. There really is no explanation other than that. "Elementary Applied Partial Differential Equations" represented a very challenging and difficult phase, and if I never have to conduct a Laplace or Fourier Transform again, I probably won't shed too many tears. At any rate, it was good to lighten my load a little to make room for whatever the future may have in store.

On the way down to Virginia, I stopped off at the Washington Navy Yard to pick up some clothes and capture a shot or two of the USS Barry in her final days at the Navy Yard.  She's been there for three decades or so after having served the fleet ably, and I find a bit of nostalgia poking up through my normally tough and crusty exterior.  Today, it became clear that preparations for her departure in early May (currently, Saturday, 07 May 2016, 0600) are beginning in earnest.  The crane barge Columbia NY owned and operated by Donjon Marine, Inc. was moored beside the USS Barry along with two Donjon tugs.

USS Barry with Donjon Marine, Inc. Crane Barge Columbia NY

The last time I worked with Columbia was during recovery efforts following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita . We spent months pulling primarily shrimp and fishing boats and tank and deck barges out of the bayous of southern Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. A fairly comprehensive accounting can be found in the US Navy Salvage Report - Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (S0800-AC-RPT-010). A picture of Columbia NY refloating shrimping vessels in Venice, LA can be found on page 4-3 of the report. Nostalgia ruled a good hour of the day. 

It's a bit sad to know that this river view will undergo a major change in the coming weeks, and I share history with the equipment and company that will play a role in that change.

Anacostia Afternoon with USS Barry and Columbia NY

Change is inevitable, I suppose, and moving out old possessions to make room for new possibilities seems to be a thematic element for my life this spring. It will be interesting to see how the universe conspires to shape the unfolding, but until it does, I'm looking forward to what dawn may bring tomorrow.