Arlington, VA (USA)

[work - Metro to Pentagon City - happy hour with Stephanie at Chevys - finished at 2020 - Metro home]

Washington, DC (USA)

[work - walked to Navy Yard - happy hour with old team at Salt Line - finished at 1805 - Kelly and friends had suggested that I come down to the District Wharf but it looked like they were going to leave before I got there (so I declined) - Metro (with Greta) - back to L'Enfant - home (Mollie was there)]

Washington, DC (USA)

[work - happy hour at Sean G's office (with George, Sean G, Casey, Chris C) - after several hours, walked (with Chris) to Chinatown and met Sean/Casey at Tango Bamba for a late dinner (started at 2020 and finished at 2215!) - walked back to L'Enfant and missed Yellow Line by one minute - took Blue Line instead and arrived at my apartment by 2330]

Annapolis, MD (USA)

[met Chris C at his boat in Crownsville (MD) at around 1000 - took an outing on the Severn (Bridget's Graduation Party) - we rode "Banshee" into Annapolis and I met Chris' parents - after a pretty fun day, I drove home (1600)]

Reston, VA (USA)

[didn't go hiking (too rainy) - worked around the house - drove to Reston Town Center in the afternoon (around 1730) - visited Jill's apartment and met her friends, Karen and Tim - we ate dinner at Clyde's of Reston (finished at 1930) - went to the movies ("Tully") at Reston 11 (Bowtie Cinemas) and got snacks (1940) - after the movie, we walked for a bit in the neighborhood - drove home at around 2300]

Washington, DC (USA)

[work - took Metro to Woodley Park Metro Station - Jill called me at 1745 to say that she was just leaving work - I sent her the e-ticket and walked into the Zoo by myself, arriving at the entrance of Zoofari by 1815 - they gave us free drinks and a rain poncho - when they opened (1830), I went to as many wine/food pairing tents as I could - some of the memorable ones were Baker's Crust Artisan Kitchen, Mandarin Oriental, Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar, Urbana Dining and Drinks, Morrison Clark Inn and Restaurant, Tonic Restaurant and Baklava Couture Greek Artisan Bakery - I attended a special animal display in the Small Mammal House (friendly skunk) and enjoyed the Great Cats area - it didn't rain at all while I was walking by myself - Jill texted a few times but she didn't actually arrive until 2015 - by then, it had started to rain and the food tents were starting to clear out for the night - we ended up leaving at 2100 and took the shuttle bus back to the Metro Station - I said goodbye to Jill at Metro Center and continued towards home - made it to my apartment by 2230 - overall, an interesting but disappointing evening]

Arlington, VA (USA)

[work - walked to Navy Yard - lunch with Janice and Eric T. at Gordon Biersch (done at 1145) - Metro back to L'Enfant - work - Metro to Pentagon City - met Bill at Sine - joined later by David P. and Phil - had a great time - stayed until the end of happy hour (1945) - Metro home]

Mason Neck, VA (USA)

[Mollie woke up at 0730 - I went to do errands, returning at 0830 - by then, Mollie had eaten breakfast (cereal) - we packed up and drove (via Nicky’s house, to get Mollie’s shoes) over to Mason Neck State Park for the 21st Annual Eagle Festival - I’d been trying to take her since right after I went in 2012 but something had always happened to cause her to miss the opportunity - when we got there (0930), we tried to get a head start for the fun activities (camping, Heron Rookery rides) but learned that the whole festival schedule had changed over the years - we did get to see the renovations in the Visitors Center (before the ribbon cutting ceremony) - after determining that there wasn’t anything structured to keep us from roaming around the “fee free” park, we decided to take a hike in the woods (Kane’s Creek and Eagle Spur trails) - the weather was nice and we saw lots of squirrels and insects - Mollie told me that she wanted to start hiking on the AT with me (longer distances) - I told her that would be nice and we discussed Memorial Day weekend travel plans - after turning around at the Raptor Observation Platform, we walked back to the main festival area and ate a picnic lunch (turkey and cheese sandwiches, ClifBars, apples, raisins, cookies) - we then walked around to all the exhibit tents - I don’t think Mollie was really interested at first, since most of the booths were connected to Virginia State Government agencies, but she quickly warmed to the experience as she learned about volunteer and internship opportunities - we met a lot of interesting people (Mollie liked the BLM and REI tents the best) and we got a lot of free stuff - Mollie even got another plant (sunflower) - we didn’t do a lot of other things at the festival because it started to get really hot at around 1300 - after looking over the events tents (Reptiles Alive, live acoustic guitars, pony rides), we made our way back to the car - Mollie wanted to go home for a shower (rather than go shopping, as I’d expected), so we did that - she spent the rest of the day studying (while I put together IKEA furniture) - I had hoped to go with her to Mass but she cancelled out on me at 1645 (“so I can do more practice tests”) - we ate dinner (leftovers) independently - towards the end of the evening, Mollie joined me on the couch and we watched episodes of different Star Trek series on Netflix - we went to bed at 2300]

Washington, DC (USA)

[I went to work early and left Mollie in charge of getting off to school (via the bus) - she woke up on her own at 0630 and ate breakfast (applesauce cake) - I called to check on her at around 0700 and she was headed to the bus stop - Mollie made herself lunch (turkey and cheese on pumpernickel, snacks, fruit) again - I took some of the corn bread (that Mollie had made at my house) to work and gave it to my friend, Bettie (she liked it) - Mollie let me know (text) when she got on and off the bus after school (I learned later that she’d gotten off at an earlier stop and had to walk home but she said it was OK) - I’d previously scheduled a meeting with one of my old friends after work, so I told her I planned to come home late - I walked to Waterfront Station to wait for Greta - she ended up driving, so I walked the rest of the way to the District Wharf - waited some more - finally went into The Brighton for happy hour (1645) - Greta arrived later - food, drink - saw Charlie K. near the end - I talked to Mollie a few times on the phone to make sure she was doing well - she ate dinner (leftovers) and did homework - Greta drove me to Huntington to get my car at around 1930 - when I arrived home (2000), we talked for a little while (about the school day and her plans for the rest of the week) - since she was getting ready for an Algebra exam retake, I also asked her about some of her other coursework that needed to be resolved (I’d looked at SiS) and she updated me on conversations with her teachers - after that, Mollie did laundry and more homework - we went to bed at 2200]

Arlington, VA (USA)

[I woke Mollie up at 0630 and she ate breakfast (kolache) - Mollie and I talked again about how to ride the bus and she walked down to the stop near my house at 0705 - I waited nearby to make sure she got on without a problem (and texted with her to encourage her that she was doing well) - Mollie got on the bus (her first solo ride) at 0721 and got off 0728 (she sent update texts to me at each milestone) - I went into DC to work for the day - after work, I rode Metro to Pentagon City - had happy hour with Kevin F. at Sine - also saw Joe R. - after Kevin left (1745), I sat with Aaron W. (and his wife) - took Metro home and arrived at my house at 1900 - Mollie and I talked for a while - she then spent much of the evening studying but did come out to visit with me before she went to bed (2200)]

Washington, DC (USA)

[I woke Mollie up at 0815 and we drove into DC to pick up breakfast (kolaches) at Republic Kolaches - there was a huge walk/run taking place on Pennsylvania Avenue so we parked near the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and walked to Hill Country - we got our food (including a free one) at around 0945 and ate at the restaurant; we walked back to our car and navigated the traffic maze (lots of closed roads), eventually reaching Alexandria again - we went to the Rose Hill Barber Shop and Mollie waited with me while I got a haircut and beard trim (1045) - we then went shopping at Giant and bought groceries and a Mother’s Day card for Nicky - when we made it home (1300), we cleaned up (dishes, trash, recycling) and late lunch (leftovers) - Mollie cooked cornbread and applesauce cake - she also watched a Redbox movie we’d picked up (“Thor: Ragnarrok”) - meanwhile, I took a nap - at 1700, we drove over to 7-Eleven to return the Redbox movie - we ate a light dinner (leftovers) at around 1800 and Mollie studied in her room for several hours - she came out to see me at around 2200 (and to make her lunch for school because she planned to stay at my house longer) - Mollie went to bed at 2230]

Harrisonburg, VA (USA)

I'd intended to hike the AT this weekend but the forecast was very nasty in all directions - the best bet was to head south and hope that the weather guessers were wrong... I had an added incentive to go that direction: Erin had asked if she could join me! I left home at 0500 (with light sprinkles) and made good time to Harrisonburg. I got gas at 7-Eleven in Marshall (0600). It was raining by the time I arrived but Erin was waiting with bagel sandwiches so, undeterred, we decided to go east into Shenandoah National Park for as much hiking as we could get before a downpour began. We entered via US-33 (Swift Run Gap) and drove north on Skyline Drive to Milam Gap. By then, the mists of morning had cleared, so we parked at the AT trailhead and started into the woods (0800). We saw Thru hikers camping out, a herd of deer, evidence of bears and a secluded cemetery (with old stones). Great conversation all day! The terrain was pretty easy and we quickly made our way to the gravel road that led to Lewis Falls (although we didn't know it at the time). We then visited the National Park wayside at Big Meadows and decided to walk back to our car on Skyline Drive. By then, it seemed like it was time to leave, since the overcast had returned. However, when we stopped (1030) at the wayside again (to get fudge at the store), we also found a trail map to the Falls and decided to make a visit! It was only about a mile down to the point where a little creek fell over a cliff into a pretty valley below. We enjoyed a picnic lunch with the view but it wasn't until we walked a few hundred yards across the plateau that we realized there was an even better view (of the water cascading down). Very pretty! Our return leg was a little tougher - all uphill - but we made it back to the car eventually. The rain held off the whole time and we got into the car by noon. We logged 5.5 miles for the day - it was really fun to get outside with Erin! By the time we got back to Harrisonburg it started to pour. We met up with Brenna and spent most of the afternoon talking and planning for the Summer Break. We ate dinner at El Charro for Cinco de Mayo topped off the day (finished at 1645). Decided to head back to NoVA because it didn’t look like the weather was going to improve. I arrived back at my apartment by 1900. Mollie texted to ask if I could pick her up after a play that she had gone to so I went to Edison at 2100; when we got home, we had a very long conversation about her plan to possibly live with me indefinitely. We went to bed at 2330. Can’t beat the Daddy-Daughter time!

Washington, DC (USA)

[work - walked to Navy Yard (Nationals Park) - lunch at vendor (ticket included costs) at 1320 - watched Nats-Pirates Game (with AJM-2 colleagues) and then moved to where Bob W. and his friends were - left after the 7th Inning - walked back to L'Enfant - work - Metro to DuPont Circle - walked to Board Room - met up with Marquitta, Sean E., Raquel, Lauren for happy hour and games - stayed until 1930 - walked to Larry's Homemade Ice Cream & Cupcakes - on Metro back to Huntington with Lauren by 2015 - home before 2100]

Washington, DC (USA)

[work - walked to Navy Yard - BBW happy hour with Bill W - went into Nationals Park at around 1745 - Gold Glove Club - Nats versus Pirates - stayed until 6th Inning (2130) - Uber to Pentagon City - Metro home]

Arlington, VA (USA)

[work - Metro to Pentagon City - met up with James K., Bill W. and Luke (all at different times between 1700 and 2030) - happy hour and light dinner at Sine (paid at 1955 but then Bill wanted "one more") - Metro to Huntington - shopping at Giant (finished at 2155) - bed late]