Christmas!!!
last update: 02/16 @ 21:42

Sarah and I tried out packrafts last summer in Seattle since they are more of a thing out west than around here.

And clearly we liked them: pretty nice paddle feel, known to do pretty well in whitewater and the real selling point: crazy light. (Perhaps at the expense of more needed maintenance and less long a working lifespan). But I felt better about longevity after talking with the guy in Seattle we rented from. He’s been happy with the boats he has; they get a fair amount of use and he’s comfortable renting them out.

So we ordered a couple for Christmas presents. They were due at the end of January. But then the snow hit…

…For the last two weeks, UPS has been saying they are loaded on truck every morning, out for delivery and then delayed by weather.

Alexandria’s streets have been pretty fine for at least the last week so we’re not sure what the hold up was. But now, they are here.

And we just need to patient for some nicer boating weather so we can get them out of the living room :)

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Happy Engagement Anniversary!
last update: 02/16 @ 21:35

We had a very nice, celebratory dinner last night at Josephine’s.

They even brought out a sparkler candle to help us celebrate.

I am super lucky to get to spend my life with Sarah, we’ve had so much fun with more to come!

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A good read…
last update: 02/15 @ 13:17

Sarah and I were in the George Washington Day Parade yesterday.

She found out about a group that carries a copy of the Declaration of Independence on several (45) banners. I know it was 45 banners because I was carrying #45 which was the final bit and the signatures.

We had time before the parade started, as we were waiting for our group to gather, to look up the Declaration, which I’m sure I’ve not read in a long time.

It’s a good read, especially now. And that made me look up the Constitution as well.

Also a good read for the current times (admittedly, a longer read). In a tour of the Archives last year, Sarah was reading it noting all the sections the current administration seems to be violating.

Here’s to hoping they both come back into force soon.

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Single Blind
last update: 02/09 @ 11:55

Panzer is not really food focused.

While Sarah was in New York late last month, she talked with some of the pet professionals in that orbit of friends and came home with a recommendation for a different cat food.

Panzer did not seem to immediately take to the new food. So we conducted an experiment. Realizing he can’t read, we didn’t need to hide the labels :)

So now we know. Well… we know what he preferred for the two meals when we tested three flavors. He does seem to shift his preferences around over time. But we have no strong evidence to shift the food we buy: the top three (with *) are all the Fancy Feast we’ve been feeding him all his life — which could influence the results.

Doting pet parent? Maybe!

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Great Show!
last update: 02/08 @ 11:53

Sarah found the chance to support the Alvin Ailey Dance Group when they decided to move their show from the Kennedy Center due to the current administration’s illegal takeover. Last Thursday, we caught them at the Warner Theater without supporting that takeover.

It was a great show that we really enjoyed. And a nice trip to DC before the latest round of polar air came to town (16 degrees last night).

Highly recommended if you have the chance to catch their tour.

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Still cold!
last update: 01/31 @ 17:44

Sarah decided today was the day to check out the ice on river.

While it was about 20 degrees it was not windy.

Tomorrow we’re due for gusts to 35mph or so — making windchills that are formally wicked cold.

Today was cold, but we were well bundled.

And while we walk by pretty much every time we head down to the river, today we went inside an open house for the Alexandria Seaport Foundation. (Not pictured, their building is just to the left and a little ways back from the old propeller in the photo on the right.)

We know them as the wooden boat builders on the waterfront. (Before it got too cold, they were working on “Dave” outside.)

They seem like very nice folks and Alexandria is fortunate to have that resource (which we knew nothing about before today).

I suspect we’ll stay hunkered down at home tomorrow — and send warm thoughts to family further south where the next snowstorm is hitting.

Thank you Sarah for the nudge to get outside, and for asking if I got a shot of the Capitol — that spurred me to take off my gloves (again) and put on the longer lens so it might be visible.

(Now I need to pay more attention to the level in the viewfinder so that the photos are straighter.)

(For those with a long memory — we did not get out the canoe today.)

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Snow and Ice
last update: 01/29 @ 11:57

Last Sunday we got dumped on. I didn’t measure but I esitmate about 6 inches of snow then maybe a quarter inch of sleet, freezing rain and ice.

This was the view when I work up Sunday morning.

That was all snow and not too bad to shovel; though there was a fair amount.

As I was making a second pass shoveling, I felt the sleet falling and hoped that would be short lived.

Fortunately, Sarah decided to stay an extra day with Michelle in Long Island. They stretched out the Michelle’s birthday celebration for another day.

I shoveled and hacked at the ice a bit on Monday and made some progress. But in some spots, the solid ice is just too thick to really make an impact.

I did consider getting a bigger hammer — I thought the firewood splitting maul would work well — but I worried about the concrete and brick underneath the ice.

And I discovered a new injury: I managed to bruise the bottom of my foot by stomping on the shovel so much to break up the ice. It’s not painful but is a bit swollen, which makes walking and standing feel like there is something under my foot.

Sarah made it home Monday evening, reporting the roads were fine pretty much the whole way to the beltway. That’s as far north as the ice got.

We hacked out a parking place for her and then enjoyed beef stew (my other Monday project) in our cozy home.

The forecast says highs in the 20s for the next several days, maybe another round of snow (I really hope no ice) this weekend and then “warming” to the mid 30s next week.

In the meantime, I felt for the birds and refilled our feeder.

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Goldies!
last update: 01/19 @ 17:19

The goldfinches have discovered the Bird Buddy.

They just came back to the feeders a couple of days ago and we think we have gang of 7 now.

The woodpecker has also made a couple appearances lately, but so far not at the Bird Buddy when it’s ready to photograph.

And the most fun, interesting, impressive return is one of the Cooper’s Hawks, but it flew off before I could get a decent picture. Before I spooked it, it was on the porch railing (as it has been before).

I’m sure that explains why the bird seed is lasting a little longer this week and why we’ve seen a bit less of the birds.

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Back on the Potomac
last update: 01/13 @ 23:18

It was a little it higher (around 3 feet on the gauge) today; just over 50 degrees. And no ice to be seen; I’ll take it :)

I saw a surprising number of other boaters out today (including Robert Gue, from Asseteague) — pretty much all in dry suits, which made me feel a little under dressed. But I stayed conservative and just played around a bit in the sun.

12 months in a row with at least one day per month on the Potomac. I had fun and feel good about being able to get out on the river.

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I really miss precedented times
last update: 01/11 @ 17:06

Sarah and I added our voices and faces to this afternoon’s anti-ICE protest in Alexandria (again). It really is appalling to see what can happen in our country. I wish I felt like there was more I could control about the actions our government is taking; supporting and voting (for sane politicians who seem to understand the Constitution) does not seem like enough.

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