Kids of Christmas

These lil' faces show full-blown Christmas joy. A fun week with niece Mary Clare and nephews Owen and Paul.

Photo: Mary Clare at Union Station mini-train show.

Photo: Paul and new fire truck. Pure happiness.

Photo: Owen and green puppy. This photo captures Owen's favorite pastimes, other than playing with cars.

Photo: Chris and Owen in O's new tent.

Photo: Pop-pop, Owen, and Paul having fun.

Photo: Owen, Mary Clare and Paul. Paul wins for best expression.


Photo: Owen, Mary Clare and Paul

Photo: Mom and Dad put up new mirrors in their room. Mary Clare and Owen standing in front of old mirror Dad's holding up.

East Coast Snowstorm - Satellite

East Coast snowstorm! Satellite image. Dec. 20, right before the Winter Solstice.

Image: DCist.com via the NASA Earth Observatory, created by Jesse Allen using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team.

Blizzard 2009

Blizzard 2009 - great times at the end of the year. Drove over to the H's on a clear Friday night. Snowed-in in McLean for three days of contentment, cooking, mulling wine, movies, and fun with friends. Over a foot of snow - a record for D.C. area in December in the last 70 years.


Trapped indoors on Saturday, we cooked outside! A's famous chili - we cooked ground turkey, bacon, roasted corn, white beans, onions, tomato sauce and more for a full pot of chili to last us the day.

Little B running down the street.



A trying to get out of driveway.

Capitol Christmas Tree

I don't know why I am sooo into the Capitol Christmas tree this year, but I am...OK? This is my FIRST FULL year in D.C., January through December, and this ceremoniousness in December is hitting the spot.

Last week I hosted an Oregon Forestry Chief around the Hill, and well, of course we had to stop by the tree. Although the tree is from *Arizona* this year, she still appreciated it. Then, this week I was on the Hill a few days, visiting the Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota offices and I took my Western guests to see the tree, as well. If we're walking from the House to Senate and back - "Let's see the tree!"

Thursday the Senate held a hearing for the bill I work on, a nice way to wrap up this year's campaign on it. I celebrated the end of a long week with a visit to "The Tree" and a farmfresh burger and toasted marshmellow milkshake at Good Stuff Eatery. This last visit they turned on the lights right as we walked up - allowing the best photo of the week (see above), with a still blue sky at dusk and the lights on. Merry Christmas! A great YEAR in D.C. and on the Hill.

Blizzard photos coming soon! Been trapped and content at the Hoang's in McLean for 3 days :)


Note: The plaque by the tree said it had traveled "4,600 miles" on its way from Arizona to D.C. Given that Arizona is around 2,300 miles away, why did it travel this many miles?!

Photos below: from DCist and Flickr Nivad

Reindog Parade Champions!

Another reason my life in D.C. is so great is because I am friends with Champions. Indomitable, imperial rulers of McLean parades.


My blogging this year would not be complete without a tribute page to the McLean Reindog Parade. Congratulations again to the Hoang's, who scored *another* first place win, this year in the large dog competition. A family effort, with Beckham and their friend Pete's dog, Bella, marching as the main attraction.

Photo: the winners!

Photo: bulldog with wreath

Photo: present dog

Photo: Three wisemen dogs + another dog

Kramerbooks

I often receive the question "WHY did you move from COLORADO to D.C.?" Lately, I've been telling people that D.C. is like an amusement park catered to my career and life. I'm not going to list a bunch of examples right now, and you can picture for yourself the options of running along the Potomac and up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, watching Presidential debates in local bars, and looking out my office window onto the Pentagon, the Jefferson, the Washington.

Mainly, I will re-post this illuminative photo of Kramerbooks. Great shot from DCist today.

Glad My Brother Lives in Denver...

...so that I can snowmobile during Thanksgiving week.

Trail to the Continental Divide. Winter Park Ski Resort in view. Colorado

Frames of the Day

Last week when I went biking, the bright ride through the Fall forest seemed in slow motion. Enhanced by my appreciation of setting, the surroundings came at me frame-by-frame.

I had a similar feeling this morning at Tryst coffee, a Sunday morning tradition. Teresa and Patrick are leaving for South Africa soon; they're leaving D.C. They came into Tryst and brought in slow-motion. Frame-by-frame appreciation for them, for IJM, for Sundays, and for our adventures together these last years.

I'm glad for their new adventures in Africa, though. Follow their blog here :)

Post title: Inspired by the Poers' Remains of the Day lunch box at the Teresa and Patrick's going away party.

Maryland in the Fall

Fall colors, rolling hills, carved singletrack, blue skies, bright light through the forest.

Perfect Autumn Saturday ride with a friend.

Illuminated path!

Diverse forest. New scenes and trees each section.

Could ride this 100x. Blurry SL was too fast for photo.

Patapsco State Park, Avalon area, outside Baltimore

D.C. in the Fall

Kansas City in the Fall

Home for 5 days - perfect timing for Kansas City Fall colors. Fun morning at Jacob's Well Church, Classic Cup on the Plaza for brunch with Kendra, and Nelson Sculpture Garden.

Photo: Nelson Sculpture Garden, Shuttlecocks by Claes Oldenburg

Photo: Nelson Sculpture Garden, Reclining Figure: Hand, 1979, Henry Moore



Photo: Nelson Sculpture Garden: Large Torso: Arch, 1963, Henry Moore

Photo: Nelson Sculpture Garden, Tom's Cubicle, 1967, Alexander Calder

Mt. Hood at Sunrise

Had the chance to visit Mt. Hood while in Oregon; here, RH took this sunrise photo from Portland. We traveled west of the city, through Columbia Gorge and stopping at Waclella Falls, Hood River and its Full Sail Brewery, and the lodge at Mt. Hood. It's not ready for ski season, yet, but soon!




Photo: Wahclella Falls, OR - Columbia Gorge!

Double Dutch

Wanted to post this totally fun photo of the First Lady jump roping.

Photo: CNN
Event: Healthy Kids Fair
http://tinyurl.com/yzwn97u

Fort to Sea Trail

Yesterday I hiked the Fort to Sea Trail, from Lewis and Clark's winter camp to the Oregon coast. An amazing forested 6 mile hike in the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park.

Photo: Fort Clatsop, the winter fort

Photo: walking through forest with National Park Superintendent, mile 1

A Lewis and Clark historian accompanied us, as well as the Park Superintendent and other Park Service leads, which provided an enhanced tour of the history and ecology along the way.

Photo: Ridge, around mile 1 of trail.

Below: Ocean in view! (exclaimed by the Corps of Discovery, as recorded in their journals)


Sunset Beach, Oregon. End of the trail.

End of the Line

End of the Line. Well-done documentary about state of the world's oceans and the effects of overfishing. In a sense, 50% of fish we eat are stolen.

Premiered at Sundance Film Festival. I saw it last week when a Congressman held a screening at the Capitol Visitors Center.

http://endoftheline.com/

Apple Festival Season

Virginia is rife with apples and Apple Festivals in the Fall. We headed west this weekend to enjoy the life of the harvest around Charlottesville.

NO ONE wanted to go on the hayride - so that was sad. And we didn't pick our own apples. Mainly, we ate the apple donuts and drank the local wine. Pretty lazy all-around, which was fun.

Hart of the Hill

Sculpture: "Mountains and Clouds," Alexander Calder. Inside the Senate Hart Building.

Recess is over and I'm back on the Hill. These are the only mountains I see these days, though an enjoyable sight, I think.