Go Royals

Photo: Paul Cotter

One of the things the Royals are good for is making kids look cute in their team-sponsored hoodies. I like to call this photo of my nephew Paul "Coach Cotter." My Dad, however, was quick to point out that baseball coaches don't use whistles, so this photo is inaccurate. Good thing Paul is too little to know he would be a terrible baseball coach right now. Get it together, Paul.

Photo: Grant Edward Cotter

Speaking of nephews, WELCOME TO THE WORLD GRANT EDWARD COTTER, new son of Chris and Cathy, born April 28 (my brother Kevin's birthday, as well).

Photo: Owen and Grant.

Grant joins his almost-two-year old brother, Owen, laying here with him on a blanket.

Photo: Owen, 2 weeks. Next to Ohio Bar book (Chris' pastime that summer, along with Owen)

Owen used to lay next to law books, so I am glad he now has a new brother to play with. Law is fun, but Owen is probably ready for a break from Ohio Bar prep.

Photo: Lisa and Mary Clare

And no nephew blog-post would be complete without a few photos of my favorite niece, MARY CLARE! Also looking cute in her Royals hoodie.

Mid-Atlantic Kayak Festival

Spring means the Mid-Atlantic Kayak Festival near Annapolis! The free demo day takes place at a camp in Edgewater, Maryland.

Some friends and I enjoyed paddling around waters near Chesapeake Bay.

Photo: Jodi and Megan

I have no ambitions of purchasing a multi-thousand dollar sea-kayak, but I'm totally willing to enjoy touring the waters for free on a sunny Saturday. A great way to start the boating season. I was looking forward to a crab bake, like last year, but they didn't have it. We enjoyed crab-infused meals at the nearby Bayside Inn.


Photo: Sarah. First kayak lesson. She looks like a pro!

I forgot to go to the Earth Day concert and I'm sad about it

Sting (Photo by Martin Locraft // www.mjlphoto.com)

Last Sunday the noon sunshine was surprising and distracting. With such weather, I decided to ride my bike 7 miles from Rosslyn to Bethesda, a peaceful trek along the river.

The trouble was I completely forgot STING was playing a free concert on the Mall for Earth Day. So sad. I missed it.


I heard the free PASSION PIT performance was amazing, as well. As far away as the Washington Monument, the crowd could be heard singing along.

White House Farmers Market

This season's opening day at the White House Farmers Market meant free paella! Made by local chefs: Jaleo & ThinkFood Group.


Photo: Fresh Pro-biotic yogurt and honey drink. A great afternoon eating fresh food and walking by the White House.

Story about Michelle Obama's role in creating a farmers market at this location at this link.

National Parks - Owner's Guide

Free download available of the National Parks Owner's Guide - a helpful, well-designed guide to ALL of the National Parks, sorted by region. It's fun to look at, whether you visit the Parks or not.

Find the document here, and check out the National Park Foundation's website for other great resources.


I also read the National Park Traveler blog as a guide. It's very thorough, and the front page contains a bunch posts, but you can search the site for information on a certain park. It's a bit easier to read through its RSS feed, which is found on the right column, a few sections down.

Seneca Rocks!

After wanting to go for over a decade, last month I finally made it to Seneca Rocks, West Virginia, an amazing climbing destination in the East.

We didn't climb, but we hiked, rode bikes, explored a cave, camped and enjoyed the view. It was a scouting trip for a potential climbing excursion next time. Now that I only live 3 hours away, hopefully I will return sooner than 10 years!

We also traveled up to Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia, visited Blackwater Falls and hiked to a few overlooks.

The Mountain State did not disappoint!

Annmarie Gardens, Solomons Island, Maryland

Tom and I rode our bikes around the neighborhoods near Solomons Island, Maryland, a few weeks ago, and were surprised to find a Smithsonian satellite sculpture garden hidden on a country road in this small town over an hour from D.C.


We rode through the gates to find an array of sculptures greeting us in the front drive - see Chesapeake Waterman photo, below, as well as a newly built art center with warehouse sized experimental art, sitting on a campus of a sculpture art-walk through the tall Maryland forests.



A fun find! I recommend visiting. Annmarie Garden link here.

Goldman Environmental Prize

Photo: Małgorzata Górska of Poland

Last month I attended the Goldman Environmental Prize receptions at the Natural History Museum and the Capitol. It's one of my favorite events of the year, and one of the most inspirational.

The Goldman's award a cash prize to one person from each continent who has shown outstanding grassroots environmental work. The recipients are often unknown outside of their communities, and it is amazing to see them rewarded for their valuable work that benefits the environment well-outside their communities. The winner for the "Island-Nations" practically thought of a strategy to feed all of Cuba. The winner from Asia convinced the crowd to help elephants and the winner from Central America warned us about the ongoing dangers for sharks, due to the delicacy of shark-fin soup. Sharks need protection, too!


The North American winner was amazing, too. Family farmer Lynn Henning exposed egregious polluting practices of livestock factory farms in rural Michigan, gaining the attention of the EPA.

I was most inspired by the European winner, Małgorzata Górska, a Polish woman who worked to protect one of Europe's last true wilderness areas. She implemented strategies with both the European Court of Justice and the Polish courts in order to stop a highway being built through the wilderness. I think it impressed me the most because the tactics seemed more like a legal hypothetical and I was amazed that she succeeded in bringing the weight of environmental law to reality. Full story here.

Video below. Narrated by Robert Redford!

For a re-cap of last year's award winners, see this post.

Shark video below.

Richard Simmons Passed a Bill

Saw Richard Simmons on the Hill the other day. He was wearing a purple blazer, Willy Wonka style, and telling the international environmental prize-winners I was with that his bill had just passed. No, he was not wearing exercise shorts.

His bill, the FIT Kids Act, passed the House on April 21, 2010, according to his purple-fanatic website. FIT stands for Fitness Integrated with Teaching. The Act seeks to build better physical education programs in the country’s schools.

"Parents and kids that sweat together live longer together!" Simmons shouted.

Congratulations Richard Simmons! Motivational for me passing a bill in the House...and for exercising :).

Plastics

Photo by: 2nd Green Revolution

Thought I would highlight D.C.'s effective strategy to reduce the use of plastic grocery bags.

After DC imposed a 5 cent tax on plastic bags this January, the number of plastic bags in supermarkets and other establishments dropped from a monthly average of 22.5 million to 3 million in January.

The tax generated $150,000 in revenue, which will be used to clean up the Anacostia River. The main story is the reduction of the trash heaps of plastic bags, keeping pollution from the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

22.5 million to 3 million! Phenomenal impact!

Full Washington Post story here.