Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Mushrooms and amphibians and cabins, oh my!

I moved to camp on Thursday, and by now I think it is safe to say that I'm settled in. At least, I have enough damp clothing and rodent-chewed fabric to show that I've been here a while.

I'm feeling lucky about quite a few things regarding my current living situation.

1. Free room and board-- always fun to have, and we eat quite well. Roasted turkey and mashed potatoes one night, baked chicken and fresh-picked morels another night... mmmm mmm. We took a couple of hours off from work to hunt for morels on the hills, and we found a good number of them.

2. Close access to salamanders. I can just turn over pretty much any log around and find them-- it's been super rainy and perfect for sals! Stay tuned for way too many pictures of salamanders.





























3. Sharing a cabin with my friend Bridget. We live in Heights, aptly named for how it's the the farthest cabin up from the lodge. It's my favorite place to live at camp, because it has a big porch with a swing, and because I feel like I'm sleeping outside. We get lots of deer, spider, flying squirrel, and moth visitors.





























My pet cactus isn't as happy about the living situation-- it had been super cold and wet-- not a good time to be a cactus. But tomorrow is May, so all hope is not lost.



Tuesday, April 1, 2014

The Ups and Downs of D.C. Biking

Biking in this city is like riding a roller coaster, both emotionally and physically. I've had my share of highs and lows of biking around D.C. on my work commute over the past few months. Highs include cruising down Pennsylvania Avenue at sunset with the capitol building in front of me, and taking the long way home through Rock Creek Park on a sunny winter afternoon. And getting to the top of the long hill on the bike ride home, I suppose.






























My all-time low occurred last week, when I got stopped by a police cruiser on Connecticut Avenue for running a red light. Here's most of the exchange:

Cop: What were you thinking, running through that light after waiting so long? It was about to turn!
Me: Well... the cars stopped turning so I just went.
Cop: You know it's a $25 fine for running a red light. Bikes have to obey the same rules as cars.
Me. Oh... I uhhh didn't know that.
Cop: (waves and gives me a look to imply that I don't have to pay... this time)
Me: I'm sorry officer, I won't do it again.
Cop: (gives me a very disbelieving look)
Me: Ok I will Try to not do it again...

But aside from the occasional brush with the law and the frequent stink-eyes I give to motorists and dumb pedestrians, city biking gives me great joy. I notice a lot more on my bike, and I gain new skills all the time. Recently I discovered that I can eat a sandwich while biking! It was a proud moment (don't worry, I wear a helmet). D.C. is also an exceptionally great biking city because you never know what you might come across on an innocent pedal through the streets. One Sunday I biked to the farmers' market and stumbled upon a flash mob of musicians dressed as chefs, then biked to the Keystone XL protest at the White House, then went to the capitol where there just happened to be a dance troupe preforming on the lawn. I probably would have seen only ONE exciting thing if I had ridden the metro, plus on my bike I could feasibly eat if I wanted to.





























When I'm biking, I pass places that are significant both in my personal life and the life of this country. I mostly bike alone, and thus never can share the significance of whatever landmark I pass. Which is why... I totally want to start a bike touring company. Who is with me?? We would definitely wear neon safety vests, and practice turning signals before going out on a tour. It would be gloriously dorky. Stay tuned, Paris and I both are seriously considering if when we need a change of pace in life.

This would be part of our route, in case participants get hungry and need them some Jumbo Slice.