Dang DC...

I'm only in town for a week, and so I'm trying to make the most of it. I've never done a real 'DC Summer', so on Tuesday I decided to test my luck at getting out and about in the city, instead of just lazing at home.

Tuesday in Bar Harbor means pick-up ultimate frisbee, and by chance it turns out that Tuesday evenings in DC are also frisbee nights on the mall. Lucky day- I was missing it.

I went down to the mall and joined in on the games for a couple of hours, silently freaking out to myself about how gorgeous the sky swirled around the Washington Monument as dusk fell. I made a pact with myself that I would try my darndest to watch the sunset on the National Mall every night that I was home.

Yesterday I got my chance, armed with a camera this time, in hopes that I could capture the magnificence of the mall in the evening. Let me back up and say that my favorite thing about DC summers are the thunderstorms. I don't get to see many thunderstorms in Maine during the year, and didn't see any while I was in Alaska, so I've been quite happy that there has been some crazy weather every day this week. And it makes for gorgeous sky colors.

So back to yesterday afternoon-- I met up with my friend Rachel from school, right before the wild 3-minute storm hit. One minute all was calm, the next minute saw torrential downpours and tent-ripping gusts of wind. As recent graduates from hippie college, we ran around barefoot eating strawberries and soaked it up!

We made our way to the mall, lo and behold the sky was indeed incredible! That blue against the capitol building, calm after the storm... can't get enough!

  

Later on in the evening, I wandered the mall as the sun was setting, true to my self-pact. Here are
some pictures of how pretty DC is. What-a-city!

What's in your backpack?

I thought it could be fun to dump everything out of my all-purpose school backpack and see what I'm really carrying around. I like to be prepared for anything that could happen, and in Maine you never really know what the day could hold weather-wise.

It's funny to see which things come in handy at which times. For example, while in the middle of a conversation about determining personality types, I realized that I had a handout about personality types in my folder... good thing!

I also frequently come across people who need tape or glue. My donut tape dispenser is actually my favorite thing in the world (aside from my now forever-confiscated camping stove, RIP), good for hanging up posters, taping letters, birthday surprises, etc.

The other most useful thing in my backpack of late has been a spare shirt. Rain, sweat, frisbee... so useful. And the INSECT one is particular is good for getting asked many times: "Ummm is there a story behind your shirt or something?"

Ok I know I keep saying this, but I think I'll blog about something interesting that I did soon. Promise. Sumer break!!

The end is near...

....and so I'm testing out reviving this blog, in hopes that it will keep me more connected with friends who are scattering around the country so soon. Also because lunch cake da best.

Two weeks until graduation is a whole lot scarier than three weeks. Time to cram in all of the things with all of the people we love before we leave the Bar Harbor Bubble. Even though I'll still be around in the fall, I am still feeling the urge to check all of the stuff I've been meaning to do over the past four years off of the list, before the people I entered with are gone (stopping with that thought before I get too nostalgic for the good ol' days).

Here's hoping this blog post will hold me to finishing this bucket list!

Go climbing/bouldering in Acadia
Get a bagel from Agnes herself
Work at an ice cream shop
Play water polo
Sleep out on Sand Beach again
Hike up Cadillac (how I have never done this??)
Go to a work day at Beech Hill Farm
Jump off the rope swing (haven't done this in over a year, egads!)
Bike the park loop road

April salamanders

It would be too difficult to summarize my amphibian/children/friend packed week in a blog post, so here it is - salamander style.


Part 1: I was in Maine helping my dear friend Lucy with her amphibian camp. Many salamanders to be found!

We counted spotted salamander egg masses in various ponds and vernal pools on MDI

Caught stream salamanders (two-lined) in Mill Brook at the Cox property

Found two headless spotted salamanders...

We also found frogs. And on my last night in town Matt showed me some live spotted salamanders hanging around in some pools. What a relief! Spring without holding a real spotted would have been disappointing.

Part 2: Opening weekend at the Cove - could not leave until I thoroughly searched the stream for salamanders. Of all addicting pastimes, I feel pretty OK about this one.

Not sure what species- maybe dusky.

Northern red

Dusky

Long-tailed. My favorite- hands down.

Tomorrow I will begin my journey to lands with no salamanders, so I'm very glad to have spent some quality time with these guys this past week.

Next up: Reptiles in Arizona!

Paint Pig

In high school I got to move my room to the basement, so of course the next step was to go crazy with paint and cover an entire wall with really cool arty designs. And by that I mean we had a paint fight and some went on my wall too.

Over the years, the wall became a place for friends to write random things on when they visited. There were at least 7 languages on the wall, and other pleasant surprises:

PROOF.

But alas (insert comments about growing up and eventually moving out of my house), the day of painting over my wall has finally come. Mixed feelings of remembering good times with old friends, anger over WHY we thought it was a good idea to glue feathers on the wall, and puzzlement about why there are pink spots emerging under the fresh coat of white paint...

Not happy about being a paint pig this time.

Cat in the Hat?

I am hitting myself for not taking a recent pic, as this is one from four years ago, but it is essentially the same. Maybe a couple more languages and donuts. I miss you, wall. You will always be remembered by the weird lumpy spots underneath the paint.

What I Like About Not Being in School: Part 2

Relaxing: Tulips in the front yard and nothing to do all day but admire them, go on bike rides, organize my room, walk around barefoot and get yelled at by ladies on the street for it, hanging out with random dogs at Ft. Reno.

Traveling: Last week my brother, dad, and I went on a short midwest college trip. It wasn't so much of a college trip for me as much as it was a chance to see old friends. First stop was Oberlin. I stayed with Cynthia and we even got to go herping around a pond! Next we drove to Ann Arbor and I spent the night with DC friends.

Exploring DC: Navigating tourists on my bike, seeing corporate-world during their lunch break-- a fascinating world that I have zero experience in; it includes meeting my mom for lunch at Naan and Beyond. SO good. More DC exploring to come.

Camping (Mis)adventures

Cynthia, Sara, and I went camping (in cabins) for a few day in Shenandoah National Park. Some parts went smoothly, other parts were sooo stupid! 

Task: Drive part of Skyline Drive and make it to first cabin.
Result: Success! Incredible views, found cute lil Corbin Cabin, though we did not bring enough light sources.

Task: Hike Old Rag.

Result: Mixed. Did not check maps (shame on my maps and nav skills) so we went the wrong way for 2 miles. Got to the rock scramble while storm clouds gathered. Made it to the summit! Then, HUGE BOLTS OF LIGHTNING. We ate a gremlin lunch under some rocks.

They are called the Blue Ridge Mountains for a reason!

Impending storm.

It's an adrenaline lunch!

Task: Make it back to our cabin from Old Rag.

Result: Yes! We made it back 20 minutes before dark. Hiking back 7 or 8 miles through severe blisters, chafing, and exhaustion.

This sums up our accidental 16-mile day quite accurately.

At least we didn't hike Old Rag in a thunderstorm with a BABY like one family we saw. We're not that stupid!

All in all, it was a wonderful week outside in the mountains. I'm pretty sure I can never go back to normal backpacking, because wow staying in Potomac Appalachian Trail Club cabins was so convenient. Wood fire stove on a cold March night while camping? Yes please, all the time please! On the other hand, I do have my new tiny and extremely portable camp stove, so maybe real camping will happen too.

I'm in love.