Shenandoah

I have nearly two weeks of freedom before starting the new job.  This week, we took a family vacation and camped in Shenandoah National Park.  Shenandoah is only two hours from us, so it's a convenient place to escape into the wilderness.  It's not the world's best wildlife or scenic park, but I do enjoy the view of the mountains through the haze.

There is a lot of hiking to be done, including pieces of the Appalachian Trail.  We chose to do a shorter hike to Dark Hollow Falls, which, with the kid carrier, turned into an amazing workout for me.

 Dark Hollow Falls

My favorite part of the trip occurred in two doses.  Each morning, we were treated to a half-dozen hummingbirds feverishly sucking down nectar from the blooming milkweed plants next to our campsite.

 Photo Credit: Nathan King

We didn't see any bears, but that doesn't matter.  The real mission was accomplished: introducing Alison to an amazing park and adding to the world another happy camper.

Photo Credit: Nathan King

And Now For Something Completely Different

Monday I'll go to work, answer some questions, sametime a few friends, have a couple of meetings, then shut down my laptop and end my career at IBM.  On August 8th I will become the newest Project Manager for the Digital Media division of National Geographic.

Photo of the Day: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/

I suppose it's tradition to pick apart my career at IBM and explain why I chose to leave, but I don't want to.  I wouldn't be the person I am today without my IBM experiences, both good an bad.  Instead, as I pack up to leave, I can't help but think about a few important things I learned at IBM.

The highlight of my career was my Corporate Service Corps experience in Tanzania.  You can read about my team here (Tanzania 1).  No one knew this at the time, but this was such a dangerous program to send me on.  Here, I got a taste of what it would be like if I were doing something I loved and making a difference in the world.  I got to scale Mt. Kilimanjaro with Nathan, and watch the wildebeests move in unison across the Serengeti plains.  Yes, my love of travel, culture, language, and environmental change all swirled around and met in one place.  I wish I could have found a similar opportunity within IBM when I returned, but such amazing jobs probably don't exist.  I will be forever grateful for this experience because from it I was able to hone my life goals and begin forging a career path that would make me truly happy. 

I don't think Nathan would be a Park Ranger today (his undeniably perfect career path) if it weren't for IBM's flexibility.  They allowed me to work remotely from several parks, to take days off and work weekends, to basically do whatever I wanted as long as I got my work done.  Surprisingly, with that kind of flexibility, most IBMers end up working all the time and it took me years to figure out how to create my own balance.  That is a priceless skill and one that I'll be using for a long time.  Thanks, IBM!

Finally, I had some fantastic customers and some that made me glad they were located in another state.  I've worked on highly successful projects and disastrous ones (let's just say that I know how to keep my cool when a Vice President is yelling at me).  In spite of some real trials, our team was always able to pull off the impossible.  Of everything I gained in the past six years, the most important thing was confidence.  The confidence to trust my gut, the confidence to push past daily issues, and finally the confidence to do something when I realized IBM wasn't the right spot for me anymore.

It's been an awesome six years.  I'll miss IBM a lot, but instead of "Building a Smarter Planet", I'll be "inspiring people to care about the [amazing] planet" they already have.

4th of July on the National Mall

Everyone warned me not to go to the National Mall for Independence Day. The crowds will be overwhelming, they said. You won't get home until after midnight. That baby will hate it. This is where being stubborn really pays off because they were wrong on all accounts.

I wasn't about to miss my chance to see our capital celebrate its birthday. Alison and I arrived downtown at 11:30am, just in time to snag a sweet parade-watching spot from the National Museum of Art's Sculpture Garden lawn.

 7-4-11 - National Archives

OK, so we couldn't see everything from there, but the view of the balloons, floats, and tops of the bands' heads was worth it to have some space for Alison to run around, taste leaves, and meet some other babies.  There actually seemed to be just as many foreigners downtown as US citizens.  Probably because we throw a good party.

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival was underway, celebrating Colombia, Rhythm & Blues, and the Peace Corps this year.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but the festival turned out to be a real DC gem.  There were three stages with world music complete with dance floors (have I mentioned yet that Alison dances?), a bunch of tents describing worldwide culture, crafts, music, you name it, and also delicious foods.  We sat in the Home Cooking tent for a long time, hoping to get a taste of the fish stew a Malian was teaching us to make.  I had to leave right at the end because Alison got angry.  Maybe she doesn't like fish.

 7-4-11 - Kenyan women basket-weaving

At 6pm we were admitted to the NPS VIP fireworks area.  That's right, it appears we are now true Washington Insiders since only those on the list can watch the fireworks from within a special fenced area next to the Park Ranger National Mall Offices!  The view was great, actually, except that I didn't get my coveted shot of fireworks over the Lincoln Memorial.  Trees were blocking our view of the monuments.  We could have easily snagged a spot closer to the middle of the mall and next year, I think we will.  From where we were at, however, we could clearly hear the stage and the special announcement from "Park Ranger Nathan King", as he was introduced.  Nathan was the 4th of July Public Information Officer, so he got to address thousands in the crowd and MC a skit about American freedoms (or lack thereof) throughout our history.

 7-4-11 - National Mall not super-crowded.  I can still see grass.

The fireworks display was, well, worthy of a nation that can still (for a couple more years anyway) say it's the strongest nation in the world.  Nathan was told by the director of the National Mall fireworks display that the finale would include roughly 45 fireworks shot off every second.  Check it out:

 

People cleared out quickly.  We waited to leave until 10pm and were home by 11pm.  Alison stayed awake in awe through the fireworks, then fell asleep on the way home.  We're going back next year.  Would you like to come?

National Building Museum

I have been spending WAY too much time on Alison's blog and need to update you on some DC gems.  Friday, Alison and I took the Metro to Judiciary Square to visit the National Building Museum, which is free until June 27th, when they start charging to view the exhibits.  What the heck is the National Building Museum for, you ask?  It is a museum celebrating buildings, art in buildings, architecture, and the act of building itself.

I have to admit, the museum and I got off to a rough start, but by the time we left 3.5 hours later, I was a huge fan.  My favorite room is the Great Hall (which will still be free to view after the end of the month) and it's amazing.

NBM Great Hall

Allie thought it was "great" too!

I paid $5 to see the traveling lego exhibit, where builders have created replicas of famous buildings from across the world.  Given that I've seen more lego creativity in my brother-in-law's basement, I was a bit disappointed by it.  The other exhibits are more interesting: DC buildings and memorials history, World's Fair architecture, an artist famous for her mosaics and painting in famous cathedrals, including the National Cathedral.  They also have a cute cafe with the best cookies ever.

Lego Exhibit

 However, the real reason this museum is great are the kids' activities.  The Great Hall is almost completely open, carpeted, and invites kids of all ages to stretch their legs and run around.  They set out legos and blocks for anyone to come off the street and play with.  Alison and I spent the majority of our visit just playing on the floor beneath the grandeur that is the Great Hall.  There is a Building Zone for kids 2 and up and I noticed they offer a lot of fun activities including nights at the museum with a building theme.

Legos!

I'm glad they're only charging to view the exhibits.  I'll be back just to play on the floor!

Three Hour Radius

There are close to 5 million things to do within a three-hour radius of DC.  In the past month, we've started to explore a few of the gems outside of DC.

Manassas

Manassas National Battlefield Park is the site of two civil war battles, most notably the first battle of the entire war.  It is located just 25 miles from DC, which is truly interesting when you think about how close that really was to our nation's capital.  It's neat to learn about the battles via a short walk down to a stone house that stood long before the war arrived at its doorstep and via a driving tour with stops at important battle points.  It's hard to imagine troops moving through this hilly, forested area without cell phones to communicate with commanders.  At one point the troops only realized that fighting was about to begin when they noticed the sun glistening off the bayonets of an approaching mass of enemy soldiers coming up a hill very close to where they stood.

 3-12-11 - Stone House @ Manassas

I would recommend a visit and while you're there, stop for breakfast at Yorkshire Restaurant in the town of Manassas. Yuuuummy!

Chimborazo Hospital

In Richmond, they've preserved the largest confederate general hospital from the civil war: Chimborazo.  It's interesting to learn about the fact that women, slave and free blacks, all worked together with men to save lives.  There's a museum and movie in the Visitor Center, but the best part about this site is the park.  It's on a hill overlooking parts of Richmond.  Great place to bring your lunch and enjoy the view!

3-26-11 - Chimborazo Visitor Center

Maggie L. Walker (Richmond)

Maggie L. Walker was one of the earliest and most successful black, female entrepreneurs in our nation.  She built a local banking empire, taking its parent organization from an impoverished community with $400 in debt to a thriving one worth over $400,000.  Her house is preserved with 95% of the furnishings she owned still intact.  The staff at this site are amazing and will take you on an excellent tour of the house and a museum in her honor.

3-26-11 - Maggie L Walker's House

Fort Ward

Of course, we've been exploring close to home as well.  My favorite place to stroll with Allie in Alexandria is Fort Ward, which used to be one of the Forts protecting DC during the civil war era.  They still have part of the earthen fort set-up as it once was and a museum that you can walk through for free.  The best part is the walking path around the park and the fact that they have an amphitheater for concerts in the summer.

3-18-11 - Fort Ward Gate

Sakura

We've all heard of it and now Nathan actually works at it, but could the Cherry Blossoms in DC really be that great?  Yes, yes they can.  I went to view the trees on March 25th, a day before the actual festival began.  It's really nice to have someone with the inside scoop because, although it wasn't a sunny day, I got to see the trees at near peak bloom with a fraction of the people there that usually come for the festival.  I guess I'll just let the pictures do the talking.

 Almost makes you forget you're in a city.

Human progress meets nature.

The Forest

Just the two of us!

Washington Monument

DC: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

We are finally in our new location: Alexandria, VA!!  We have been here for just over two weeks, but a first impression is a lasting impression, so here's what I think.


The Good

Let me paint a picture of why this place is amazing.

I got into my car last Saturday at 11:15am and the local NPR station was playing my favorite show: Wait! Wait! Don't Tell Me.  I drove five minutes to pick-up my very first Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) box which included all kinds of yummy, organic produce from local farms.  Outside the restaurant that organizes the CSA (called Food Matters - I have yet to try it out, but it looks great), a troop of girl scouts sold me my first six boxes of cookies for the year.  Later that day, we all got in the car, picked up Nathan's brother, Justin, and visited the National Zoo - for free.

My first CSA bag - complete with wildflower honey!

Flamingos at the National Zoo

There are literally one thousand adventures to be had waiting for me at my doorstep every day.  I don't need to go very far - heck, I don't even have to drive to get anywhere if I don't want to.  The possibilities are endless.  I feel like I could go anywhere and do anything here, using DC as my launching pad. 

 View of the National Mall from the Mt. Vernon Trail

In Rochester, I had to join a special group to practice speaking Spanish.  Here, I've had to use my Spanish just to get around and talk to my neighbors.

In Kansas, we lived in a construction zone and I feared that Alison might kill herself if she started moving on her own through that house.  Now, there is crown molding in our apartment and everything was updated as of a couple years ago.

People are very open-minded here because they come from all corners of the country.  The DC Badgers alumni group sends me almost daily event emails, whereas in Kansas, the only other Badger in the area had an asterisk by his name claiming he had died in 1994.

The Bad

Could there BE any more people here?  Every single nook and cranny of this area is overflowing with people.  People on the roads, people in the stores, people in the restaurants.  Big people, small people, people of every background.  If there were a nuclear holocaust and we were all forced to find our own food, there would be around a 1000 to 1 human-to-squirrel ratio and we would surely all die of starvation.

I miss my view of the bluffs from my front door in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  Yes, we have an amazing top floor view from our new place, but nature trumps urbania.  That is just a fact of life.

Stainless Steel Tree in the National Sculpture Garden

Please don't let this be the future of our natural world! (Although it IS really neat!)

The Ugly

Picture the largest freeway you've ever seen.  Then picture it full of cars during rush hour.  Now double the amount of cars on the road.  Add people who learned how to drive in places like Rochester, MN where they do not know how to drive. Then add a few tourists.  Now have someone tell you the traffic is only really bad during rush hour. Now picture yourself maming that person because they are completely, horribly wrong.

Traffic is awful here.  The infrastructure just can't handle the people and drivers have to pull crazy stuff just to get where they need to be.  Stop lights last for days.  It's best to just stay out of your car.  Period.