Hello Everyone. This is going to be another short but sweet one this week. I have been keeping busy here at home which I’ll get to in a minute, but first I wanted to share a couple of things with you at the top of this week’s post. I’ve set a tentative departure date of February 6th and I’m very excited about getting back on the road. I’ve spent a lot of time looking at numbers and data this week and since I’m vaccinated and boosted and generally in good health despite my diabetes, it looks like my chances of getting a severe Covid case which requires hospitalization are extremely low. They’re not zero (and maybe never will be), but I feel like the risk is acceptable to me. My bigger worry is how overcrowded the hospitals are and what would happen if I needed emergency care for some other reason. Those numbers will hopefully be going down over the next few weeks, but I am always cautious and the reality is that I haven’t made an emergency hospital visit in almost two decades so again it’s a risk I’m willing to accept. I will be keeping my mask handy and taking care to avoid crowded places and will likely be moving quicker than I had originally planned to towards New Mexico. I’m comfortable with the statewide precautions they are taking out there and plan on spending more time outside and alone than inside and in groups anyway. I’ll be leaving about 3 weeks after I had initially planned to, but I should still have plenty of time to see what I want to of New Mexico and Arizona this winter.
Leaving here, I plan on heading southwest through Virginia, Tennessee and Mississippi and all the way to New Orleans, catching up with a few friends along the way in whatever capacity they are comfortable with. If all goes according to plan, I will be in the Big Easy the following weekend and able to catch the first few real parades of the Mardi Gras season, which are small but hold good memories for me. Then I’m off to Texas for a week or two on my way to The Land of Enchantment. I’ve made some good plans for my time in New Mexico and I think we’re going to see some awesome scenery together, but if you have any suggestions or tips, I’m all ears.
My second bit of news this week is that I’ve accepted a job to return to guiding tours this coming summer. I’ll be guiding small group, overland trips for a small tour company called Incredible Adventures which is based in the Bay Area. I will be working for the same manager who I worked for at my old company and will be running tours for many of the same brands I’m comfortable and familiar with. My hope is to spend much of the summer in the Rocky Mountains and I’m pretty sure that will be a good possibility. It sounds like a really great opportunity and I’m definitely looking forward to it. While going back to guiding means putting some parts of this project on hold, I need to make some money so I can move ahead and at least I will still be on the road and taking pictures. We’ll see how it works out, but I’m definitely excited about it.
Chris and I at The Raven
Lastly, I know I mentioned last week that I would be sharing links to my new photography storefront this week, but it’s not quite ready. I’m happy with the way it is shaping up, but I want to give it another week before I let you see it. It’s going to be a constant project going forward, but it will be far enough along by this time next week to be able to give you a sneak peek. That all being said, let’s take a look at what I’ve been up to this week.
Last Thursday I met up with my old college friend, Chris. He lives up in Columbia, Maryland and we try and get together whenever I am home and catch up over a few beers. Sadly, because of everything that’s been happening over the last couple of years, I haven’t seen him since late 2019. We met up at one of D.C.’s oldest and best dive bars, The Raven, in Mount Pleasant. I like The Raven a lot and figured (correctly) that it would be pretty quiet on a Thursday after work. We had a good chat and a few laughs and it was definitely a nice way to spend the evening.
On Friday, my folks and I went to tour the Lincoln Cottage on the grounds of the Old Soldiers’ Home here in Washington. The cottage was actually built by D.C. banking legend George Riggs in 1842. A decade later, the Federal Government purchased the cottage and the surrounding lands to build a home for aging veterans. James Buchanan had a cottage on the grounds during his presidency and turned the Lincolns onto it as a place to escape the swampy downtown area, especially in the summer. It’s only about 3 miles from the White House and Lincoln would often travel there alone, riding alongside hospital carriages so that he could offer some comfort and hear news from the front. It was in that cottage that Lincoln discussed and debated the Emancipation Proclamation and he was there the day before he was assassinated. Presidents Hayes and Arthur also used the cottage as a respite during their presidencies, but the cottage was eventually absorbed into the Old Soldiers Home and even housed a bar in the 1970s. While the building itself is still in the midst of a long restoration, its story in an interesting one and we really enjoyed the hour-long guided tour. When we finished with our tour, we headed over to 3 Stars Brewing Company just down to road for a few pints and then finished off the evening with a wonderful dinner at the Moreland Tavern.
I spent most of my Saturday over with my friends James and Kara and, of course, my little buddy Mason. Mason and I spent a nice chunk of time playing with his Play-Doh which was a lot of fun. After my post last week, Kara called me out on my jam session dreams and had me bring my violin with me since she plays the cello. James joined us on the piano and Mason even brought in his accordion and his xylophone. I’m not going to lie, we did not sound good, but it was fun to play together and I feel more motivated to practice and improve. After Mason went to bed, we watched the Green Bay-San Francisco game which was actually pretty exciting.
My folks and I had a brunch reservation on Sunday morning at Martin’s Tavern in Georgetown, another of Washington’s most historic taverns and one of our favorites. Martin’s served every president from Harry Truman to George W. Bush, most of them during the time before they were president. We got there right when they opened and were sat in Booth 3, the booth where JFK proposed to Jackie. The food was good and while the service could have been better, it was still an enjoyable morning. Later in the afternoon, we headed out to the Open Gate Brewery, Guinness’ North American operation which is just south of Baltimore. We’ve been gong there since they opened, and we enjoyed being there and having some snacks and a few pints on a cold afternoon.
After a much-needed return to the gym on Monday, I went out to Rockville to REI to get a new backpacking tent. It took some time and consideration, but I ended up going with the Aurora by Nemo. It’s a nice little tent which is smaller and lighter than the tent I was hiking around with last summer. I definitely plan on some overnight and multi-night trips this winter and spring in the National Parks out west and it will be put to good use. I set it up in the front yard when I got home, and I think it’s going to work out well. It’s almost time for me to start packing up Shadow Catcher again and I’m definitely going to be ready for the adventures ahead. I spent the rest of the day transferring photos and cleaning up my phone and computer so they have plenty of storage available for the journey ahead and then tried to get some work on my store done. I know I’m not going to get everything done that I wanted to before I leave, but I’ve been prioritizing time with family and friends since I’ve been home which is a decision I’m pretty happy with. I know I’ll be back on the road and as busy as ever in a couple of weeks and I will have wished I got more done while I was home, but it’s going to be a while before I’m back in Washington.
On Tuesday, I helped my mom transport her friend to a doctor’s appointment in Bethesda. She had a really bad car accident a couple of weeks ago and is pretty banged up so she is in a wheelchair. I was in charge of getting the wheelchair in and out of the car which, while simple, was also an essential piece of the puzzle. While they were in the doctor’s office, I went for lunch down the street at Montgomery Mall. I used to work at Montgomery Mall when I was in high school, but it’s sure changed a lot since then. In the 1980s and 90s, the mall was the place to be, but now it seems like a relic from a different era. It’s hard to keep the storefronts full, but they’ve done a good job of it. They can’t be too expensive though as I saw one store that sold only honey. I got a kick out of the fact that they no longer have a food court, but rather a “dining terrace”. It was definitely interesting to see though as I hadn’t been there in a long time and it was where I spent some of my best times in high school.
This morning I went over to hang out with my friend Pete and his two year-old daughter Zsofi. He’s been staying home with her for over a year now, and it was fun to be there with them. Zsofi is a sweet little girl and I had a great time coloring with her and hanging out in her little kitchen. It was nice to chat with Pete for a while as well, and I know he appreciated the company. This afternoon my folks and I are going to try and head downtown to a small restaurant called Dauphine’s where they are supposed to be offering a tasting of different king cakes they will be serving for Mardi Gras. Then I’ll be off to music night with the guys.
This coming week is definitely going to be a busy one as I have a lot to do in anticipation of my February 6th departure. I’m hoping to get some new tires and then start loading up and getting ready to go. As mentioned earlier, I want to get my storefront up and running and I definitely hope to get a new episode of my podcast done in there somewhere as well. I also have a pretty full social schedule this week which should give me a lot of fun things to report on next week. We may get some snow this weekend too which will definitely throw a wrench in the machine but better this weekend than next. Alright y’all, have a great week out there, stay warm and healthy and I’ll see you right back here, same time next week when I’ll be just days away from getting back on the road. Thanks for reading.
-Mike