Old Town Alexandria, VA (USA)

[worked for most of the day (unpacking) - late afternoon, took Nicky and kids to Metro station, rode train to King Street - walked about halfway down and had dinner at Las Tapas (great experience) - took our time coming back - showed them how to add value to SmartCards and where to park]

Rockville, MD (USA)

[meetings in Rockville all day - late afternoon visiting and dinner with Pat, Mike, Aimee and Rory - home late]

Occoquan, VA (USA)

[spent the day with Brian in Lake Ridge and Occoquan - farmers market - lunch at Madigan's Waterfront - relaxed in afternoon - strategy games with Bob and Kathy (7 Wonders, Pillars of the Earth)]

Moving Trip (Part 2) - Day 2

[up at 0500L - got started out of Harrisonburg very quickly, hoping to beat the traffic jams on I-66 - was NOT successful - back up began well west of Gainesville - manaqed to exit the Interstate on Prince William Parkway and made my way down to Woodbridge - arrived at U-Haul center around 0800L - had problems getting my storage building (it was supposed to be free for 30 days, but they only had indoor storage - this would require about 20 trips with a dolly and elevator) - decided this wasn't for me - went looking for a better storage place and found one near Bob's place - got my things out of the truck in about two hours (got "moral support" from nice man who was in a unit close-by) - went back to the apartment to dry off and get cooler - then drove back over to Lorton to drop off the U-Haul - went next door and "hoteled" for my work for about five and half hours (cool inside - was able to do my teleconference just fine) - on the way back to the apartment, stopped for a relaxing dinner at Olympian's Restaurant (great gyro!) - when I finally lay down in bed, I realized how exhausted I really was and fell right to sleep...]

Moving Trip (Part 2) - Day 1

[woke up at 0400L - had a quick bite to eat and then drove back to the CAT scales (full weight) - left the city around 0500L - saw a great sunrise over Lake Ray Hubbard - used I-30 all the way into Arkansas (posted my Facebook status in Texarkana...) - switched to I-40 - had to fuel the truck a lot of times throughout the day (took about $100 to fill it each time!) - no traffic jams (hit cities at perfect times and saw very little contruction) - wanted to stop, but needed to make it as far as possible so I could fit in some work tomorrow - started to get tired of the driving around the time I passed Knoxville - was relieved to see I-81 exit, just as it was getting dark - kept going until I was well into Virginia - finally had enough as I approached Harrisonburg (around midnight) - found a hotel there and got settled for a (short) night of sleep - loud neighbors and security sirens... - drove around 1250 miles today, blowing away my old record (from the 1990s)]

Fort Worth, TX (USA)

[up very early again - did a lot of packing (until 1130L) - took a break from the hot sun... - watched "The King's Speech" with Nicky and Brenna - had some drinks, relaxing - it started to sprinkle, so I hurried out to finish loading the truck - made it before the worst of the weather... - went to bed early (LONG drive tomorrow!)]

Fort Worth, TX (USA)

[got up really early - did some packing until around 1300L - spent much of the afternoon running errands for Mollie's party (went with Brenna) - Mollie's sleepover began at 1700L - movies, pizza, cake, presents, frozen custard - went to bed early]

Fort Worth, TX (USA)

[doctor appointment in early AM - worked out details on the lease with our new landlord - Nicky scanned in the paperwork - after that, drove to the nearby U-Haul center to pickup our truck (issues with mileage and fuel level) - took Mollie with me to weigh the truck (empty) - back at the house, rest of the afternoon filled with moving boxes and garage searching - it was REALLY hot, so I took a break for a few hours - dinner - more packing in the evening (after worst of the heat was over)]

Fort Worth, TX (USA)

[worked in Chantilly for most of the morning (networking breakfast, work wrap-up) - on the way back to Alexandria, I stopped to check out the "hoteling" options at our Lorton satellite office - also took a look at the U-Haul location that Nicky picked for our drop-off - after that, I went back to the apartment - changed, packed - drove back to Lorton and left my car in the U-Haul parking lot - took the bus from the stop across the street (long ride via some back roads - found COSTCO and NOVA) to Franconia-Springfield Station - Metro to Reagan National - picked up souvenirs - dinner at Panda Express - on-time for my 2020 departure from DCA - my American Airlines aircraft was only one third full full of passengers... - Nicky and girls picked me up at DFW - fun with Waze app on the way home - bed late]

Washington, DC (USA)

[shopping and a haircut in the afternoon (HOT!) - met up at Eddie's (for his birthday party) around 1830 - stayed there (pizza and margaritas) until around 2100 - took Metro from Braddock Road to Farragut West - walked down 18th Street NW to the Public Bar near Dupont Circle - I can't even remember when I last tried to get into a club with a giant line... - eventually made it inside (around 2200) - went straight to the roof (for a VIP table to celebrate) - everyone having a great time - music loud and entire stucture vibrating - lots of smokers... - several folks from work arrived a bit later - the place got more and more crowded - it never seemed to cool down at all, despite several fans and water misters pointing down to the crowd - witnessed one fight between two girls who spilled drinks on each other - stayed until around 0200 - walked back to Metro, took train back to Braddock Road and then walked back to Eddie's - drove home (tired, but still sweating...)]

Chantilly, VA (USA)

[drove into the city for work today (via I-395) - around 1200, departed for Chantilly (used I-395, George Washington Parkway, I-66, VA-28) - updated ID - lunch with Jackie (strategy for new organization) - library book donation - finished up some work (via email) - stopped by to see Mike and Paul (down the street) - home via Fairfax County Parkway (John and Anne called while I was driving)]

Burke, VA (USA)

[working on items for rental agreement - scanned documents for Nicky (new schools) - got a text from some co-workers that they were having a cookout in Old Town and they asked me to join them - drove over to Eddie's apartment around 1600 - had a great time for several hours (burgers, pasta salad, drinks, etc.) - party spilled outside (despite the 37+ C temperatures) - row house July 4th celebration (neighbors from far and near brought their BBQ, mixed drinks, other side dishes) - had a very good time - as it got dark, everyone followed Sabrina to her house on the Potomac so we could watch the fireworks in DC - we arrive as the display had already begun (very impressive) and we stayed for a while afterwards, watching folks on the District and Maryland side continue to launch their own fireworks - lots of boaters - left and drove over to Burke (via I-495, I-95, Fairfax County Parkway and Sydenstricker Road) to drop off our deposit and rental application fee - had to text with the landlord to find the right place to drop it, but found it in the end - saw lots of town fireworks (Springfield and Fairfax ?) on the way there (and the way home) but the most impressive display was the approaching (GIANT) thunderstorm - still made it back to the house (using Old Keene Mill Road and Fairfax County Parkway) by 2300...]