A trip home

I'm currently relaxing in a very decent airport bar in Denver International having just wrapped up a trip back home to visit the family. And sitting here it's hitting me that I really don't know when my next trip back to WA state might be. I start A-100 in just 5 days, and once I'm in class I don't really have the flexibility to take vacations that require 10 hours of travel each way.

That sad thought aside, I had a wonderful, if too quick, trip home. It always feels like such of whirlwind of activity, but this trip kept me busy but still allowed for some quality bonding time with the niece and nephew. The morning after I landed we piled into my parents' motorhome to visit the "Inland Northwest's Premier Family Destination," Silverwood Theme Park in Northern Idaho. I love Silverwood and have since I was little. It's not big or fancy, but it has some very thrilling roller coasters and plenty of small rides to keep the kiddos entertained. And it was a beautiful sunny, 80 degree day with zero humidity, so that didn't hurt.

Timber Terror - a crazy fast wooden coaster. 

The warning for Tremors, a wooden coaster than dives underground. 

Looking up at Aftershock - the only coaster I've refused to go on twice. So scary!

Silverwood is Western themed, which includes a train ride through an old "ghost town"

The rest of my time at home was spent running errands in my parents' new "dingy," aka the car they will pull behind their motorhome. The 1980 convertible 5-speed Rabbit would have been my dream car in high school, though I am secretly trying to figure out how to kidnap it and ship it to wherever in the world I end up. I also got to relax a little with my mom and sister, including a trip out to a local winery tasting room (Eastern Washington beats Virginia hands down on good wines) and watching my niece's soccer practice. I even managed to complete all the necessary paperwork to prove that I am indeed domiciled in Washington State.* I won't go into all the crazy details of taxes while living overseas (because I mostly don't understand these details), but I wanted to make sure that once I'm sent overseas that it's clear that all of my personal ties and interests lie in back in WA State.

So Monday the staycation ends and the chaos begins. I'll update more frequently as things like bid lists and Flag Day come flying at me, but first stop is Main State for my badge. I can't wait!

I love this car!

*Domicile is a legal term that is separate from residence. I can be a resident of DC, but if my intent is to return to WA State and I have most of my personal interests there, and I can prove all of this, then while living overseas I would then use WA State for tax purposes. WA State, unlike DC and most of the rest of the country, does not have state income taxes.

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.