At the museums

Did some good museum visiting today - Hirshhorn Modern Art, African Art, and a gelato/coffee break at the National Gallery of Art. Here are some pics.

Vacation from my staycation: Shenandoah

Week one of my staycation was amazing, if slightly less productive than I'd hoped. I did get a lot of documents scanned and organized, I put in a few really good runs, and I cleaned my apartment top to bottom. I even started inventorying my meager collection of possessions using a nifty app I found. It's called "Home Inventory" on the Apple app story and it downloads to your computer and lets you use your iphone as a camera/bar code scanner as you wander through your house - it completely rocks and I would recommend to all FSOs or frequent movers.

After spending a week enjoying my solitary time in the apartment, Saturday we headed for the hills for a quick mini-vacation at Shenandoah National Park. Just a couple hours from DC, Shenandoah NP is a little slice of heaven. Skyline Drive stretches the length of the park and lets you view both east and west from a solid 3,000 foot vantage point, no hiking required. However, if hiking is your thing (and it's totally my thing), the park has some really amazing hikes through dense green forests and across craggy summits.

Before getting to the park, we got distracted by several of the many wineries that dot the valleys of Virginia. Drawn in by clever names on roadside signs, we discovered two solid wineries and spent a few hours sampling their products, chatting with the owners, and enjoying the sunny day wandering through the vineyards, playing bocce ball, and relaxing by a stream in a hammock.

Life at a Virginia Winery

Once we got to Shenandoah, we checked into one of two historic lodges located directly on Skyline Drive and the only one open this time of year. Skyland Resort dates from 1888 and offers a 1950s family vacation vibe, with a large dining hall and accommodations spread among dozens of cabins and small lodges. According to the website, "If you are looking for 4 diamond, luxury accommodations with all the amenities, Skyland is not the place for you.  The absence of in-room phones and WIFI only enhances the quietness of the surroundings.  Skyland lets you leave the hi-tech world behind so you can immerse yourself in the tranquility of nature." Yup, that about sums it up. 

On Sunday, after a relaxing breakfast on our porch overlooking what must have been a gorgeous view (we couldn't tell since the clouds/fog were so thick we couldn't see the cabin 40 feet away), we picked a couple of nearby hikes to try. The first took us up a short and easy trail to the second highest spot in Shenandoah, Stoney Man peak. The view came and went as the clouds swirled around.

Shenandoah Valley below the clouds.

The second hike was a 6 mile steep trek through a misty, dreamy forest of streams and ferns. The destination was White Oak Canyon Falls, 3 miles down from Skyline Drive. The walk was gorgeous through the mist, though after several hours of hiking, the clouded view of the falls made the uphill 3 mile return a little less rewarding. That being said, the grey weather kept the usual crowds away, so for most of the day Shenandoah felt as isolated as the North Cascades or the lesser known trails of the Olympics. Coming back to DC, back down out of the clouds as it were, was a bit sad after such a nice break from reality. 

Rock formation in White Oak Canyon

Spring flowers in the mist

A misty view of the falls

The Staycation List

So now that I've said a sad farewell to my job, I have three weeks (now less) of down-time to relax. I know that once I start classes I won't be able to take any leave for at least the 6 weeks of A-100, and probably much longer once I start my mystery language/skills training, so I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to use up a good chunk of my vacation time to see and do all those DC things I hadn't yet done. The following should be a good start.

• Visit some of the Smithsonian and other museums that I haven't gotten around to yet, including the Hirshhorn Modern Art Museum, the African Art Museum, and the Dumbarton Oaks Gardens and Museum. 

• Get a look inside the National Cathedral through the recently re-started Gargoyle Tours (they had been on hold for the past year due to damage caused by last year's earthquake). 

• Spend a an afternoon at the National Archives doing some family history research.

• Visit the Supreme Court and see if I can sit in on a lecture. 

• Restock my cupboards of all the things that I'd generally keep on hand back in Seattle - kaffir lime leaves, curry powder, rice paper wrappers, wontons, soba noodles - at some of the ethnic food markets that hide out in the DC suburbs. 

• Thanks to a well-timed Living Social deal, head out to Virginia suburbs and try my aim at a local gun range.  

• Do some running so I can beat my personal best at my third Capitol Hill 10k on May 20th (I think I'll need to come in under 59 mins). 

• As a reward for all my hard work, have a spa day with a massage and facial. 

In addition to getting out of my apartment, I've also been embarking on a great document purge. I bought a scanner and have been digitizing everything I can put my hands on: receipts, medical info, business cards, pictures, etc. It's tedious work, but with a full day to fill, it's oddly relaxing and the reward of getting to shred or recycle piles of old paper is amazing.

Finally, to top off all of this seeing, doing, relaxing, and organizing, I'll make a quick trip back to the other Washington to spend some much needed time with the family.

Goodbye DOI

Today is one of those bittersweet days that I'm sure I'll come to know well in my FS career. Saying goodbye to a job and group of people that I really love, while at the same time anticipating the great things that come next.

For the past 2.5 years I've had the privilege of working at the Department of the Interior in the Policy Office, learning, growing, and really enjoying every day. I realize that it's a rare thing to wake up each morning and look forward to going to work, so it took a big opportunity to pull me away from my great colleagues and the inspiring work. Being my last day, I took the opportunity to do one last wander around the gorgeous building where I've worked, reminding myself of why I was drawn to DOI in the first place. I absolutely believe in the mission of this Department and hope that in my new career I can be an advocate for National Parks, species, ecosystems, and all the public resources that make this country so great (USA! USA!).

I absolutely love the art work at the Interior Headquarters building, and I'm definitely going to miss working in such an inspirational place. I've shared some of my favorite vantage points below, but I encourage DC visitors to think about taking a DOI Public Mural Tour, which includes some amazing Ansel Adams prints along with an impressive collection of murals commissioned during the Great Depression through the Works Progress Administration Artists Project. The official online tour is here.

The murals right next to my office, including a beautiful painting of Mt. Hood.

Historic murals from the WPA Artists program inspired employees during the Great Depression.

Art Deco staircase - one of the beautiful architectural features of Main Interior. 

Glimpses of Ansel Adams Yellowstone shots from the staircase.

My favorite mural - "Construction of a Dam" by William Gropper. Controversial for it's communist tones.