Train Stations

There is something about a train station that evokes a little thrill of adventure coupled with a bit of a sad nostalgia yearning for the reality of the image of simpler times. I walked down to Union Station today, and the white Vermont granite of the exterior seemed to capture the thrill and freedom of climbing into a mahogany and teak Pullman train car hauled by a fast locomotive toward points west.

Union Station - Washington, DC

I'll be headed out on the road again soon, but instead of eating roast beef and carrots and drinking coffee in the dining car on a multi-day trip accompanied by the rhythmic click and slap of the great iron steam pistons, I'll be climbing into an aluminum tube to be pushed past the ground five miles above the earth lulled to a shallow sleep by the pitched whine of twin turbofan engines.  

There is something to be said for being able to cover 1200 miles in about four hours, but today I was longing for the myth of simpler times. Times when travel was slower and instead of avoiding my fellow pilgrims we would exchange greetings and banter about whatever news we all brought from our smaller and somehow more isolated sections of the country.

After spending a few minutes dreaming of the open air freedom of travel in a rail car, I turned on my heel and headed back toward the river, relishing the lightning sky in the east and the gentle breeze on my forehead.

Tomorrow morning will bring a new set of dreams and visions, and I'm looking forward to seeing them unfold one moment at a time.

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.

One of the Most Effective Antidotes to Fear is Action

There is quite a bit of nuttiness in the air right now, and my hypothesis is that the irrationality of it all is being principally driven by fear. There have been people killed. They've been killed in a violent and sudden manner, and it's brought out every tin pot mini-dictator that can garner a platform to tell the world that they should all be afraid. The fear peddlers are out in full force because they've read their history, and they know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if they can drum up enough fear they can capture some power.

The most dangerous thing I did all day was commute into work. In today's day and age, even that isn't too terribly dangerous thanks to good folks at places like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) working to use science and engineering to bound the risk. Even though pulsing down the highway at the sporty pace of seventy five miles an hour was by far my greatest risk today, that's not what the fear peddlers told me to avoid.

If one chose to listen to these fear based power consolidators, you would have heard dire warning of the inevitability of further shootings and bombings. You would have heard them tell you to avoid places with large crowds that might prove to be a tempting and easy target for the miscreants skulking around just waiting for the opportune time to send you to the great unknown at the wrong end of an "assault style weapon" or pipe bomb.

Instead of listening to their breathless predictions of the potential dire consequences and their solutions for things that I have no hope of solving as an individual, I exercised my right to make them be silent and metaphorically pressed the Off button on their hyperbolic rantings.

Instead, I got outside, and in an act of rebellion to their terrible advice, I went to one of those heavily populated places that they seem to dislike enough to target.  This is what I saw...

Center Arch Christmas Wreath and Fellow Traveller
With a Pizza at Union Station

Union Station is a spectacular place. The architecture competes well with other monuments in the area, and the dynamic environment of a major transportation hub is exhilarating. A friend reminded me that there is a display of model holiday trains just inside the door behind me from where this picture was taken, and I'm saddened to report that I didn't go in to see it this evening.  They were just setting up the display when I popped in several days ago, so another trip seems to be calling.

Same Wreath from the Outside Looking In

I'm happy to report that nothing bad happened.  I didn't see anything suspicious, so I kept my mouth shut. I was blessed with participating in life on a spectacular autumn evening, and the anxiety dealers were still trapped in their little television shaped cells.

Supreme Court of the United States

I was heartened to see that I'd been joined by a host of like minded citizens intent on exercising the freedom that our system and institutions protect. Come join me outside in the midst of our fellow travellers who refused to be cowed by the miscreants and the fearmongers. Action is the Antidote to the poison they're pushing.

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.

The Secret of Connectedness and Contentment

Over the last several months, I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't on a quest to track down the secret ingredient of connectedness and contentment.  Today, on a relatively quiet and beautiful fall day, the secret was revealed to me.  There is no secret to connectedness.  We're connected.  It's just that simple, and whether we acknowledge it or not the fact remains that we're tied together by strings that run through time and space. Now capturing the feeling of connectedness, well, that might be another story all together that will probably require continuing practice.

On my afternoon walk this afternoon, I also managed to capture the feeling of connectedness as well as the intellectual acknowledgement of the fact of connectedness.  It was exhilarating.  I started off on one of my standard routes, but deviated from it a bit at about the two mile point.

Supreme Court Building

As you can see, the weather was beautiful, though a bit cooler than yesterday.  I meandered my way back to Union Station and this time took some time out of making progress to go inside.  Truth be known, I was looking for a restroom.  Failing to find one, and not willing to ask, I exited the main entrance and came upon this view.

Center Arch of the Main Entrance to Union Station

Although I've seen this view from the opposite side a couple of times, I really didn't imagine it would line up this nicely from the inside looking out.  The lighting was wonderful, and when I walked out the door this sight stopped me short.  I pulled up and just about caused the woman exiting behind me with a roller bag (it is the supposedly the busiest travel day of the year after all) to run into my newly imobile backside.  I let the exiting traffic clear a little, and then lined up slightly left of the center of the door to snap this picture.  I didn't want to impede folks on their way, and have botched the symmetry just a little. Be that as it may, the flag gently blowing and outlined in the wreath was an remains a sight to behold.  One thing that I plan on doing relatively shortly is returning to this magnificent train station after dark to see what the blackness and lighting will reveal. With any manner of luck, there will be more pictures to follow.  There are just too many interesting aspects of the station to not explore them a little.  It's the gift of breaking up my routine, and I'm glad that whatever moved me wander on down here had the wisdom to know what I needed to see.

Failing to find a bathroom, I headed up toward the United States Botanic Garden. This place is a real gem located just south and west of the Capitol Building, and perhaps more importantly it has one of only a few easily accessible restrooms on the Washington Mall.  I made it there with twenty minutes to spare before closing, made my way through the main exhibit hall, into the primeval forest, through the section representing Hawaii, into and through the desert, and finally into the best public restrooms that federal tax dollars can buy. On the way back out, I noticed that the main hall had what amounted to a model of the Washington Mall running down the length of the hall.  There were stylized models of the major buildings rendered in a bronze colored patina and lit from within. These were surrounded by a collection of plants meant to invoke the feeling of the holidays. Mirroring the actual mall, the east end of the hall hosted the model of the Supreme Court Building.

Model of the Supreme Court Building

Seeing the model of the United States Supreme Court caused me to capture that feeling of connectedness that I've been walking around for the last year trying to track down. If I hadn't needed to find a restroom, I wouldn't have gone into Union Station where on exiting I was treated to a view I hadn't imagined existed. Failing to find one, I hot footed it over to the Botanic Garden where I saw a model of the area I've been walking around regularly for the last year.  I had no idea that this display was here, and it wasn't here the last time I came in the garden.  It's almost as if I was being led by an invisible hand to see what I needed to see and I felt the connectedness and contentment that I needed to feel today.  Sounds a bit daft, but it felt pretty good.

On the way back to the starting point, the cars in the lots surrounding the Capitol Building had largely cleared out and the Botanic Garden had closed to visitors. The lights on the inside of the garden caught my eye, and I was able to capture a panoramic photo of a scene that I've walked past countless times but was still somehow new.  A slightly different perspective where the Gardens and the Capitol were linked visually in a way that I've never noticed before.

Light show at the United States Botanic Garden and the United States Capitol

The walk was the perfect way to kick off the Thanksgiving weekend and I'm grateful to have experienced the journey. The sights I took in ended up being beyond my most optimistic imaginings of what would unfold, and it happened in a way that was unforced and organic.  The path didn't have the geographic symmetry that I've become accustomed to on these little jaunts, but there was visual thread that wound through it all.

Breaking the Seal, Shaking Things Up, and Exploring TED

Today was one of those days that most everything seemed to fall into place.  The sync problems from yesterday disappeared, I was privileged to attend a lively discussion centered on telling a triumphant story on the path to redemption, my walking routes were deliberately shaken up giving a renewed interest in my daily plodding, and I've discovered the cache of TED Talks and have been listening to them when not talking to Rory or working.

Starting the day early with the lively discussion on the topic of redemption ended up being the ideal kick-off, and after that was over, I discovered that the sync issue from yesterday had been resolved, and two new panoramic shots had materialized.  They are not "new" subjects, but as is my habit, I'm going to share them.

Anacostia River Sunset

This view just doesn't get old for me.  There is a construction barge that's moved into the Anacostia Riverwalk Park area, and they appear to be driving relatively robust pilings into the river bottom in the vicinity of the stage that hosts concerts during the summer months.  It will be interesting to see what develops over the coming weeks.

Capitol Building in the early evening fall darkness

This picture is the first really short stubby panoramic shot that I've gotten.  I'm not even really sure if I couldn't have captured the whole width of this shot with just a standard photo.  Nevertheless, here it is because it appeared.  As you can see the scaffolding is still up around the Capitol dome although I'm looking forward to this coming down later this winter.

Later in the day, I decided that my routine was in desperate need of some minor adjustments just to shake things up a bit.  Being the Thanksgiving week, my schedule was not terribly full today, so I took advantage of the lull and walked a little over five miles in one shot during the early afternoon hours.  The destination was Union Station, and I was not disappointed by the route, the weather, or the view that I had when I reached the turnaround point.

Union Station on a glorious fall afternoon

During this little jaunt, Rory was unavailable to talk on the phone as has become our collective habit, so I spent the time listening to TED Talks streamed through their Android App. I find that these talks are witty, smart, thought provoking, and moving and the time flew by as I listened to seven pretty diverse topics covering Choice, Christianity, Cognitive Science, Marketing, Slowness, Mindfulness, and the value of Stress. These are great educational talks and there are literally hours of intellectually challenging and curiosity provoking speeches by real experts available to anyone with an internet connection. If you can't find something on TED that sparks just a little bit of interest leave me a note in the comments section because I'd be interested in talking to you.

Later in the afternoon, I had the opportunity to wrap up the day with a route that was a little bit different, but took me past the old Anacostia River stomping grounds that you're familiar with if you've followed these posts at all.  I did get a little bit different viewpoint in this first photo because my morning's lively discussion put me at work late enough that I had to use a parking garage that I haven't used in months.  I was a little bit irked by the situation in the morning, but the view at the end of the day was worth every little bit of minor inconvenience I might have perceived at the beginning of the day.

Anacostia River Sunset - A different perspective from the "inconvenient" parking garage

Again, I'm reminded that the universe is conspiring to contribute to my happiness and well being if I'm only open enough to let the events play out and observant enough to see the opportunities those events place in my path.

Anacostia River Sunset from the sea level perspective

One day very soon, the ex-USS Barry will depart the Washington Navy Yard, and these opportunities to capture this elegant ship in the place she's been moored for the last thirty years or sow will sail over the horizon probably never to return.

The next three shots are similar to the one from yesterday, but I was particularly struck by the reflection of the buildings and sky on the surface of the river.

Anacostia River Sunset with Blue Heron in flight

The backdrop of this photo is my least favorite of the last three, but being able to catch the Blue Heron in the foreground in flight was a special experience.  I wasn't even trying to get that part of the shot, and didn't realize I'd captured it at all until the final results were delivered to me.  I've deliberately tried to create this kind of shot on a number of occasions, but the results have been far less satisfactory.  I guess it was finally time...once I stopped trying to get it done and just let things unfold.

Anacostia River Sunset - Reflections on the River

The quality of the light from the sky and the river is just stunning in this picture.  No filters, no real effort on my part other than triggering the shutter.  I don't know what to say other than I'm grateful that I get the opportunity to experience this kind of beauty almost every day.

Anacostia River Sunset

The clarity of the reflection of the building under construction makes this my favorite shot of the evening. This picture is even better in a larger format because the details really come through.  The wind had laid down just a little bit more from the previous shot, and though not quite as smooth as glass, the water and the sky merging into each other was a special gift to wrap up the day.