Busy day in DC
last update: 03/28 @ 14:13

In addition to the No Kings march, it was also the kite festival by the Washington Monument.

And the Cherry Blossoms are in peak bloom. While we didn’t swing by the tidal pool, we did check out the kites after crossing the Arlington Memorial Bridge en-mass.

It was perfect (though cool) day to be out and about.

While the mood of marchers was good, the reason for the protest really is depressing.

We’ll keep pushing for better times ahead.

And maybe our country will soar again, like these kites…

…or is that too much of a stretch?

(Small plug for new functionality of the blog, click the “Protests” topic tag below to see more posts like this one.)

Not Kansas
last update: 01/11 @ 11:07

We just came back from a Celebration of Life for David’s Aunt Betty in Phoenix. While there, we did a bit of hiking around in the desert. It was a beautiful, memory filled time and there are more photos in the trips section.

Christmas photos
last update: 01/10 @ 14:08

We had a trip right after Christmas (more on that later) and so I’m a bit late in posting Christmas photos. It was a very nice, mellow, family-focused holiday in Alexandria. More photos in the trips section.

Back from a lovely wedding
last update: 11/19 @ 18:30

We really enjoyed the fantastic wedding of Elise and Martin last weekend.

And we enjoyed the flexibility to tour around a few extra days in (not so) sunny Southern California.

The time to catch up with Sarah’s family, and meet Martin’s family was really special.

But not as special as the rainbow that popped up right after the wedding!

More photos in the trips section.

Compound Fracture…
last update: 09/26 @ 15:44

…of a tent pole in three places :(

We’re back from a couple weeks checking out the Northeast.

It was a chance to get out of the DC area where the temperatures are still pretty hot, see some new to us places, enjoy some pretty scenery and revel in some cooler weather.

And based on our shakeout cruise last summer, we expected to camp some of the time.

Also, based on that shakeout, we expected no issues with our tent.

Sadly, that was not the case. One of the poles broke in three places as we set up for the first time in Lamoine State Park, outside of Acadia.

Fortunately, there was a well-sized stick in the campsite that seemed like it might fit the bill.

I was pleasantly surprised it worked pretty well and we had no issues for the two nights we stayed there.

We were short on duct tape (I’m not confident that would have served by itself anyway) but had plenty of cord. That seemed to give enough support and flex to work pretty well.

There were many signs about not transporting firewood (to avoid transporting firewood-living-in critters), so we left the stick where we found it and stopped in a hardware store on our way further north to pick up some options for the next fix — without having to rely on a suitable stick.

I was hoping to get a tube sized like the patch that came with the tent so we could slip it over the pole (the patch only helped with one of the three breaks). But the tube was just too small. That may have been for the better as that allowed for that little bit of flex which I think was helpful.

Again, it held up fine for two nights — one of which was very windy.

I’ll comment later after conferring with REI about those broken poles and their commitment to standing behind their products.

And I’ll be working on posting many more photos soon.

Happy Birthday Loren!!!
last update: 08/04 @ 16:41

We had a great, but much too short trip to Atlanta to Celebrate Loren’s 70th B-Day! It was great fun (less the traffic on the road there and back).

Extra bonus prize: a morning visit with Kate, Sean, Margo and Adeline!

More photos of the celebration in the travel section.

Fun Musical
last update: 07/27 @ 14:47

We drove back up to New York yesterday to visit Little Island and see The Gospel of Colonus, their final show.

It was a great show; I’m really glad David Z. pointed it out and that Sarah was able to get tickets. I went in to it almost clueless — Sarah gave me a very brief overview. It was fantastic; I never would have thought I’d enjoy Greek Tragedy that much :)

I can only imagine the original show, with The Blind Boys of Alabama and Morgan Freeman playing Oedipus. This version was great!

And we really enjoyed being out of Alexandria’s swampy weather (we’ve been spoiled by a week in Seattle); the outdoor amphitheater was a very nice venue (except for the occasional, overly loud party boat going up the Hudson during quieter moments).

The drive up was a little slow, but we gave ourselves plenty of time and arrived with time to walk around for a bit and enjoy the breeze. It’s too bad Amtrak hasn’t figured out how to price tickets from DC to NYC that are reasonable. We’d much rather take the train than drive.

The drive back was more exciting than we wanted. Major thunderstorms for about 45 minutes that had the little traffic on 95 at 2:00am going about 40mph.

We plan to stay out of NYC for a few weeks now, at least.

Happy Twenty First Robert!
last update: 07/25 @ 18:30

More photos in the travel section.

Ms. Zoe!
last update: 07/14 @ 12:54

We’re back from a quick up and down trip to meet the latest addition to the family!

Ms. Zoe is just about 4 months old now and doing well; as you can see.

Sarah got to help with two meals while we visited.

And we both joined Zoe in enjoying a favorite book, Corduroy.

Of course, we also enjoyed catching up with Ian and Sopie, but Zoe was the star of the visit.

She’s clearly off to a great start and Ian and Sophie are excellent parents (no surprise there).

We’re looking forward to many more returns (and maybe a visit closer to home in the next few months).

Diving in Curaçao!!!
last update: 06/23 @ 19:39

We had a great time hanging with Kelly, her family and Brian, Sharon and Mira in Curaçao. Most of the time we were underwater, seeing cool critters. The surface time was filled with very nice dining options.

Many more photos in the vacations section.

Birthday week
last update: 05/25 @ 20:40

Galapagos Photos
last update: 01/28 @ 10:06

Not surprising; I really enjoyed taking pictures of all the cool things we saw in the Galapagos.

This was the first big vacation for Sarah and I without Robert — he was in class (and doing well). That was a bit of change and he would have enjoyed it as much as we did. But we did have a great crew to spend the time with.

Notes and many more photos in the vacation section.

Galapagos!
last update: 01/22 @ 12:23

Excellent trip!

With some travel challenges.

Great crew to spend the week with.

I completely recommend making the time to go; it was fantastic.

More pictures (obviously) later — I have a lot to go through.

Seems like we saw it all: sea lions, penguins, boobies, land and marine iguanas, land and marine turtles, sharks (not hammerheads, though), pelicans, frigate birds, night gulls, etc.

And I likely need to catch up more on sleep; the trip back on a red-eye was a long one.

Christmas notes
last update: 01/04 @ 13:55

More photos and a few more details of our Christmas are in the Vacations Section (even though we stayed in Alexandria).

National Aquarium
last update: 12/30 @ 11:24

Robert had the great idea to check out the National Aquarium while he’s here.

We went up for the afternoon yesterday (carefully ensuring we’d be home in time to watch the Commanders host the Falcons on Sunday Night Football).

Of course, we needed a photo in front of the Domino Sugars sign across the harbor (trust me, that’s the sign). That’s in honor of Lee and her Texas sheet cake recipe which calls for a box of powdered sugar for the frosting.

After giving it some thought, we concluded Baltimore still has a better aquarium than Seattle (though Seattle’s is much improved based on our trip this past Thanksgiving).

Seattle’s new wing does have a fantastic viewing window. And it’s much lighter. And it has that cool bowmouth guitarfish we’ve never seen anywhere else.

But Baltimore seems to have more tanks and more variety. So maybe just a little bit better… maybe.

Robert asked a docent why Baltimore has a rain forest area as part of the aquarium. I think I overheard correctly that they are making the point about the connectedness of water. The rain falls in the rain forest, flows downstream and ends up in the ocean.

But that still doesn’t make this sloth an ocean-dweller :)

Thanksgiving in Seattle
last update: 12/03 @ 20:48

We had a great time; thank you again David Z. and Lynn for hosting. I can’t imagine how it could have been any better! Lots more photos in the vacations section.

Jamestown history lesson
last update: 11/12 @ 12:47

We took a quick trip back in time to learn more about Jamestown and the earliest days of the English arrival and history of the US. It was a very nice way to spend a couple days and surprising to learn how relatively recently Jamestown has been rediscovered.

There are more photos in the vacations section.

Another busy weekend
last update: 09/30 @ 13:56

We’re back home after a brief trip north (and keeping on eye on family recovering from Hurricane Helene south of here).

With the recent (perhaps questionable) shift of the UW Huskies from the Pac12 league to the Big10, the planets aligned and they played Rutgers, where Sarah grew up.

Sarah picked up tickets and talked her brother into joining us (he and their mom were the football fans back in the day — Robert has gotten Sarah and I much more interested in college football than we were).

It was a good game and closer than many expected, but the Huskies lost by 3.

And Rutgers put on a great show: the marching band had LEDs they could use to draw out words and maps during halftime (with the stadium lights out). And they had a brief drone show!

The next day, Sarah, David Z. and I walked around Highland Park including going by their old house. It was great fun to hear the stories of them growing up.

That evening was Sarah’s high school reunion — more fun stories of growing up.

The next day (Sunday), we drove into Brooklyn to have a great brunch with Ian, Sophie and David.

And after brunch, we headed to Manhattan for an engagement party of one of Sarah’s classmates’ daughters.

As I said, it was a fun, busy, three day weekend.

Family
last update: 09/25 @ 13:50

More photos in the vacations section.

Shakedown Cruise
last update: 09/07 @ 15:06

We took advantage of the weather to check out our camping equipment (expecting to get more use of it these days). This was just a quick trip to Western Maryland that proved we have the basics covered.

A few more photos in the vacations section.

Another blast from the past
last update: 08/07 @ 13:53

From the Legacy Box scans Sarah gave me for Christmas this year: Steve and Helen on the Reventazón River in December 1991! A few more photos in the vacations section.

With the free time I have now, I’ve got one more substantial project to post from those scans.

Back from Seattle
last update: 03/29 @ 22:24

We had an excellent spring break trip.

It was great to catch up with Robert in person (and see him in his professional space).

We were able to spend some time with Lynn and David.

The weather was unexpectedly fantastic.

We got to see hockey, ultimate, Vancouver and lots of mountains.

We did a little bit of hiking.

And saw some eastern Washington vineyards (and sampled some of their wine).

More photos in the vacations section; and special note — these are late breaking hockey photos from Sarah and not in the longer form page.

don’t be shy about checking out Sarah’s Facebook page for more of her photos.

Wedding!!!
last update: 03/09 @ 11:30

Reese and Danni’s wedding celebration was fantastic!

Michelle and Sarah met in college and have remained very close since then. Reese is one of Michelle’s sons. And now she has a new daughter.

So we were happy to help celebrate.

And celebrate we did!

The fog on the dance floor was a nice touch.

Everyone seemed to have a great time.

Reese and Danni clearly enjoyed being surrounded by family and friends.

And, as you can see, Sarah and Michelle loved the time together for the happy occasion.

We drove up on Saturday (stopping to visit with Ian and Sophie) and came back Monday. That led to very nice and relaxed day to cheer on the happy couple.

And to enjoy some of Long Island’s classics: a huge breakfast at Hauppauge Palace Diner and a lovely lunch at a very nice Italian restaurant (queue Billy Joel): Mannino’s.

Before that lunch on Monday, Sarah took us to Sunken Meadows State Park.

Even on a gray day, it was lovely and a great way to stretch our legs before getting the car.

Best of luck to the happy couple and all thier friends and family!

Quick trip to NY
last update: 03/09 @ 11:04

We took a quick trip up to Long Island for a wedding last weekend.

(I’ve been fighting with network routing at home this week, more on that later.)

And I have to say, what qualifies as “low price” there is not what I would say was a low price.

Clearly, NYC has lots of good reasons to reduce cars; the price of gas is one of them.

We took advantage of the wedding being on Long Island to stop off and say “hi,” to Sophie and Ian in their new place.

We were too busy catching up and touring the very nice brownstone to take any pictures (next time).

That was a very fun, though too short, break on the drive and I hope we’ll be back soon.

This was the first time I’ve seen the built-in navigation in Corey (the Mazada) while in a tunnel. It’s very futuristic :)

As promised …
last update: 09/09 @ 17:24

… more pictures from our Seattle trip in the vacations section.

More Seattle Sports
last update: 09/02 @ 20:19

Continuing the sports theme…

We watched a UW football game with Robert and DZ in the students “Dawg Pack” seats.

Crazy warm, sunny weather — we all came away with at least fresh tans if not some sunburn.

And Michael Penix Jr. delivered a 56 to 19 win.

Lots of fun and a great way to spend the afternoon.

Robert has been a huge fan since he got here last year.

And Sarah and I have been following along with the Pac12 TV coverage. We’ve been wanting to see a game in person and it lived up to our expectations.

Of course, it was extra fun to be able to share the game with DZ, who was also new to the Dawg Pack, but not the Huskies.

Seattle Mariners
last update: 08/30 @ 20:12

Typical Seattle weather, according to Robert.

Sarah and I were less convinced as it was cool and rainy when we go here.

But today has been pretty splendid.

And Robert got us tickets in a great spot.

Seattle was in the lead in the league, then in a three-way tie.

Their win today helped…

Sarah got this fantastic shot of the action.

And then I got lucky: I thought I needed a shot to post here.

And wanted to show off the sunny field — it did shift a lot between cloudy and sunny, but the roof stayed open the whole time.

Look closely: the Mariners are stealing second and third.

I’ll have to post the full size image too (later)…

We found a giraffe!!!
last update: 05/22 @ 11:14

We were coming back from Taylor’s graduation in New York and found this small zoo in northern Maryland with… a giraffe. So of course we stopped.

It was a fun way to recognize Sarah’s birthday!

A few more photos in the vacations section.

Sugarloaf
last update: 04/09 @ 18:03

The weather has been typically weird this spring. Today it was beautiful and a perfect temperature for a hike. Two days ago it was sleeting. And two days before that it was 87.

It was a short hike because we started late, but be we did go somewhere new to us: Sugarloaf Mountain.

It’s just about a hour away but obviously pretty, especially on such a nice day. In the larger photo, you can see a bit of the Potomac near the top right (and a hawk enjoying the thermals on left).

We even saw a few rock climbers on one of the rock faces.

There are many more trails there so I suspect we may be back again.

Not Panzer
last update: 02/26 @ 14:38

We took a quick trip last weekend to visit Robert (and the Zaps) in Seattle. While we were there, we checked out the Woodland Park Zoo (they have a lynx). There are more photos in the trips section.

Mt. Vernon
last update: 01/22 @ 15:56

We had a free weekend.

And I just got a new bag for my camera.

So we headed to Mt. Vernon as it’s been a while since we were there. It provided three tests: a bit of walking around, tighter quarters (with the other folks and the roped off portions of the house) and access to the camera.

I’m not yet ready to call the new bag perfection. But it is a worthy successor.

I have a couple more optional additions on order from Peak Design to finish my set up.

First impression: the side access while still on one shoulder works OK. I’m still figuring out how my camera (with faux motor-drive-extra-battery) wants to sit in the bag. And I worry I’m going to lose the lens cap more easily now. (I’ve had them disappear for bit in the other bag so that not completely unexpected.

And, when we were inside the heated museum and I took my jacket off, I realized I had the clip set way to high on the shoulder strap and it was rubbing on my collar bone.

I moved that down but I’ve yet to actually use it.

That will be the next acid test.

I bought this after getting a small award from PTO that was burning a hole in my pocket. And as I looked around at options I got sucked in by the clip and how it seemed like a good idea.

I’ll find out next time I’m wandering around with my camera if it’s as much a winner as I thought watching the video.

More news later (as they say).

Back from Decatur
last update: 12/28 @ 16:26

We drove down to Decatur for Christmas with the Williams clan this year. There are more photos in the vacations section.

Planet Word
last update: 11/13 @ 18:29

Sarah heard about this a new to us museum: Planet Word. It’s very cool and in an interesting space. This room (happens to also be on the museum’s website) has projected mural and you can “paint” the mural with new styles, like nocturnal, magical or autumnal. It’s a very fun interactive space.

They also have an interactive way to elucidate the etymology of English.

Another exhibit introduces you to several langauges from around the world. We learned (and at least I promptly forgot) a bit of Icelandic, Zulu and Hawaiian.

Heron
last update: 10/10 @ 18:42

Not our normal Potomac River Heron, this one was in the Shenandoah Canal just upstream of Harpers Ferry.

He or she does a great job looking like an animal that has been around for millennia.

Harpers Ferry
last update: 10/10 @ 18:38

It was such a pretty day.

Really a pretty weekend.

And a three day weekend…

So we decided to head out to Harpers Ferry.

It was great to get out of the house, out of the DC area and enjoy the weather.

Also nice to learn something.

I never would have thought Lewis and Clark were there. But they did gather supplies.

And they commissioned a custom, iron framed canoe.

That may be been an inspired idea, but in the end, it did not last after the first real test; the leaks started too soon and they left i behind.

We left our boats at home but did enjoy seeing a trio of kayakers on the river.

Fun Weekend!
last update: 09/13 @ 19:45

While Robert is settling into Seattle, Sarah and I took a quick trip up to New York to meet up with Nanette and Adam. They just dropped off their daughter at school upstate.

Sarah met Nanette in the mom’s group back in the day.

We were very sad when they moved back to Australia so it was fantastic to see them again.

We talked about our kids and how it feels send them off into the world. And we saw Hamilton.

It’s very much a great musical.

We need to take advantage of their offer and go visit them.

It really was a very fun, special day and evening to hang out can catch up with them and all they have been up to.

Move in Complete!
last update: 08/30 @ 22:28

We met Robert in Seattle, helped him get settled in to his dorm and then did a lap around the Olympic Peninsula before heading back (just the two of us) to Alexandria. Many more photos in the vacations section.

Flown the coop!!!
last update: 08/13 @ 18:35

Sarah and Robert drove down to Huntsville yesterday. Unfortunately they missed seeing Jess and Brown because Brown has Covid.

(I would be remiss to not point out that Robert found Audible has The Incredible Adventures of Jack Flanders available; now he and Sarah have heard more about Jack Flanders than I have. Something I will clearly have to correct!)

But they did get to meet up with Aaron in Huntsville for what looks like a cool cave hike.

And they are getting to have dinner with him tonight.

Robert checks into Space Camp Elite tomorrow and then Sarah will wind her relaxed way back to Alexandria.

As Space Camp ends, we’re flying out to Seattle to meet Robert.

We’ll be bringing his college stuff; he’ll be bringing dirty clothes :)

He’s starting his early fall start program at UW!

He is incredibly psyched to have gotten into the Engineering program there and is really looking forward to it.

It should be an excellent fit for his interests both academic and environmental: no more swampy, humid summer weather. Having family in Seattle makes the move less scary and more fun, I’m sure.

Before all the traveling, Sarah arranged for another round of “Porch Portraits” from Joseph. Not our porch this time, Jones Point and the old light house there.

Joseph does a Great job!

Sarah has been getting ready for this for some time. I think all the help she has offered getting Robert thinking about and actually packing has helped set her mind on the fact that we are launching him on his next great adventure.

I just came back from the grocery store and realized I was very blue: for the last 18 years there has always been something to get at the store for Robert, but not today.

For me, his next great move is just now becoming real. And I’m looking forward to hearing about all his new adventures!

Birthday festivities winding down
last update: 07/31 @ 20:15

Robert had the excellent idea to celebrate his birthday at The Sandy Springs Adventure Park.

It had been years since we were here last.

It’s still here and still lots of fun.

Sarah Z. was under the weather and not able to join us.

We thought Pocket (Sarah P. from the Alexandria Medical Reserve Corps) might be able to join us, but she also had to drop out.

But Robert, Will, Abdel and I had blast.

Robert and I, obviously, had been there before.

Will had as well (though not with us).

Abdel was new to this kind of craziness.

Abdel’s timing was perfect. Coming home from an early start program at college just in time to take Pocket’s spot on the trip.

We started with a green to get used to the park — actually Robert and I on one and Will and Abdel on another.

Then we joined up for blue (which was slowed down by someone ahead of us who couldn’t calm down enough to get across one of the “features”).

Clearly not having fun, one of the staff came up and helped her bail out mid-course.

Watching how that staffer made that feature look really easy was deceiving. There is clearly an advantage to familiarity.

After that, we split up again. I went back to a fun green (with thoughts of a blue afterwards). The boys, who heard that the double black really should be first or you’d be too tired, opted for the single black.

I choose to watch a bit from the ground rather than pushing for that last blue.

The black seemed to have lived up to it’s reputation looking at the boys as they came back; smiling, but gassed/

We finished the day with the excellent cake Sarah made and watching the Hungarian F1 race.

A very nice way to celebrate Robert’s 18th.

Second wedding success of the summer
last update: 06/27 @ 15:27

We had a really fun trip up to New York to join in the celebration of Ian and Sophie’s wedding. On the way, we stopped off in the big city to see a show and enjoy the Cloisters. More photos in the vacations section.

Back from Flagstaff
last update: 06/20 @ 15:20

Many more photos of the fun weekend we had in the vacation section.

Not Alexandria this week…
last update: 04/17 @ 22:17

It was a great trip, but too short. Sarah pulled all the strings to have everything line up for a perfect time to relax and recharge.

There are many more photos in the vacations section.

White Christmas in Seattle
last update: 12/29 @ 19:35

Thanksgiving in person!
last update: 11/28 @ 16:27

Seattle and UW!
last update: 10/15 @ 16:06

Robert is interested in UW and we always enjoy the chance to visit with David Z. and Lynn. So when there was long weekend on the school calendar, Sarah arranged for tickets and a tour. David and Lynn arranged a great visit after the tour. More photos in the vacations section.

NASCAR!
last update: 09/12 @ 15:28

The Xfinity series flyover was Chinook helicopters and impressive.

The Cup series flyover were these guys. I didn’t get a picture of the trail of sparks that came off their wings on the first pass.

After the sparkler run and this formation smoke run, they came back one at a time to do laps around the course.

Robert and Sarah (the experienced Richmond Raceway part of the family) said that’s what they did on the other race they went to this summer.

We were able (thank you Sarah) to get into the infield and Robert and I discovered (well, Robert saw with the binoculars) that the concession lines were a lot shorter there.

So we went under the track, during the race, to get a bit of dinner. And we took advantage of that time for a photo opportunity with the screen and standings sign.

I was a bit skeptical beforehand. And I think I like the pace of F1 better. But it was a really fun day.

The pure sound and feel as the cars went by (even up in the stands) was impressive. But I really think Sarah’s Bose noise cancelling headphones were as impressive.

The rented scanner was fun, we mostly listened to the Motorsports Radio channel. But with Sarah’s headphones you could hear more of the stadium announcer and crowd while the engine noise was impressively dampened.

Truely the full NASCAR experience, even down to the burnouts by the winners of the two races…

Fun, unexpected Saturday
last update: 09/12 @ 15:13

Robert’s interest in racing (I blame Netflix’s Drive to Survive) has been catching. He’s broadened his sights from F1.

The dirt track we went to at the start of the summer was my first. And he’s managed to get Sarah to go to a NASCAR race.

That turned into a Flower Show surprise which was a lot of high speed fun.

So it should not be too surprising that we trundled back down to Richmond and the Richmond Raceway for another race that I was able to enjoy.

This time there was no Covid attendance cap (even though the Delta Variant is still very much with us). So we wore masks inside, and outside when crowded.

But it’s really an outside event so that did not seem like a big risk.

Saturday was the 20th anniversay of 9/11 so the race was dedicated to those lost that day 20 years ago, the first responders assisting the injured and the military who just stopped fighting the War on Terror.

And it was a double header: an Xfinity series afternoon race and Cup series night right.

Sarah did us well getting the infield passes.

We got to see the cars up close, watch the award for the Xfinity series, the driver introductions for the Cup series and Robert snagged two cool autographs (as him who and he’ll gladly share).

Quick trip to Pittsburgh
last update: 08/24 @ 21:45

A few more photos in the vacation section.

Back home after a brief trip to space
last update: 07/11 @ 13:48

Well, Space Camp, actually. And a great visit with family in Atlanta — even a bit of college touring.

Many more photos in the vacations section.

Storming the castle
last update: 06/14 @ 19:08

We missed doing this for Mother’s Day last month.

And with Robert now gainfully employed, he missed the trip yesterday.

But, Pocket one of the folks from the vaccination PoDs Sarah has been working since the vaccine became available, joined us this time.

The weather was pretty perfect. Plenty warm but with a brief bit of rain to keep it from getting too summer-time hot.

And most interesting: Pocket, (who’s real name is also Sarah with an H but adopted Pocket for… reasons) brought her foldable kayak.

She has an Oru Kayak.

It’s pretty cool: fits in the back of car, folds together in a couple minutes (gathering a crowd of interested onlookers), and works well.

Pocket was first across the river each way. I credited her longer boat with more of keel to track straighter and go faster. Sarah credited Pocket’s upper body strength as she is an avid rock climber.

It was fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

And if you’re interested, Fort Washington is back to firing off their cannon on the first Sunday of the month. Alas, yesterday was not the first in month so we missed it.

Hagerstown Speedway
last update: 05/23 @ 14:44

Dirt track racing is pretty crazy.

I’m still missing my NASCAR race: we had tickets for Dover but they oversold the stands and cancelled. Sarah and Robert had such a good time in Richmond they convinced to go to a race.

Not the same but, Robert and I took Will up to Hagerstown on Saturday night for the race and it lived up to it’s reputation: a fun, loud evening.

There were several kinds of cars racing, all blasting around the dirt.

Robert took a lot of photos and videos. I took just this short video of the crazy sprint cars.

There are lots more photos (but not much narration) in the vacation section.

We have to convince Sarah to check out a dirt track, and I am still interested in seeing a NASCAR race — but the small, down-home feel of dirt track may be more my style.

(As much as racing is my style.)

Vroom, Vroom
last update: 05/23 @ 12:22

More to come in a bit…

Robert wanted to check out dirt racing so we took Will to Hagerstown Speedway last night.

It was wild. The blurs are the sprint cars racing by.

I took a lot of (bad) pictures and need to sort through them.

Quick trip to Richmond
last update: 05/02 @ 20:50

We told Robert we were heading down to Richmond to see a flower show. And then he and Sarah thought it might be good to show me the track they visited a couple weeks ago.

I think this was about the expectation we set: the Japanese garden in Maymont. Sarah said this was going to be our birthday present for her.

But actually this was the second part of our quick Richmond trip…

Psych!!!
last update: 05/02 @ 20:49

Robert thought we were just going to look around and he could show me the racetrack that he and Sarah went to a couple weeks ago. (I turned down the offer to join them and took the canoe out on the river instead; I’ll join them on the next NASCAR trip.)

Robert started to suspect when Sarah and I pointed out the Rusty Wallace signs to follow.

We ended up in the infield and went to go get our jumpsuits and helmets!

Five laps at 130-140 miles per hour is both quick and slow.

The wall is really flying by when you’re going that fast, that close to it.

But you (well, at least me) are also wondering what happens if you touch the wall or a tire blows out, or one of the amateur drivers gets in the way…

Of course, none of those things happened. You’re just going really fast around the track.

You can tell by our smiles that it was a lot of fun — and a lot of adrenaline.

Richmond Raceway
last update: 05/02 @ 20:48

Part of the package was a photo.

Actually, a photo plaque ready to hang on the wall.

Fortunately, the photos can be slipped out for easy scanning.

So, of course, I did.

It truly was a blast; fastest ever in a car for any of us.

And, really, faster than you ever need to go in a car.

The trip back up 95 was a sad return to reality; there was a lot of stop and go traffic.

And hungry kitties to feed when we returned.

That’s a memory that will stick around for a long time…

And a great early birthday present for Sarah.

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