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Washington Monument

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This past weekend Nancy was in North Carolina for a baby shower, so I had Saturday to myself.  It is not often that I get a day by myself so I took the opportunity to walk around Arlington and DC.  The weather started off below freezing but the high was going to be near fifty and for the middle of winter around here, that is not bad.  I saw Nancy off around 8 and by 9 I was out the door and headed north.

My first stop was to Arlington National Cemetery, weird I know.  A good friend of mine died a few years back and I have always wanted to go back to his grave and smoke a cigar.  I sat there for 45 minutes or so, smoking my cigar and just enjoying the early morning.  I left one on his grave for him, I hoped he liked it.

From there I was in a walking mood and took the Mount Vernon Trail north to Roosevelt Island.  The trail was filled with runners and bikers also out enjoying the weather.  The island is a little slice of nature just outside the city.  It is an 88 acre island in the Potomac between DC and Virginia that years ago was last purchased by the Theodore Roosevelt Association and given to the American people.  On the island is a memorial to the 26th president with several hiking trails that cross the island.  I took the longest trail around the island and was pretty impressed with the amount of wildlife I saw for such a small island.  I managed to photograph cardinals, robins, a woodpecker and strangely, saw a couple of deer roaming around.  I ended at the memorial which is rather large.  In the center is a giant statue of Roosevelt depicting him giving a speech with several sayings of his on either side about manhood, democracy, etc…

smoked a cigar with a friend

By now I had worked up an appetite so I walked back across to Virginia and had lunch in Rossyln.  I wanted to head to the Mall and enjoy a cigar but decided to cheat and take Metro.  For a beautiful day, the Mall was packed with people taking full advantage of the nice weather.  Most of the lawn was occupied with Frisbee football games, regular football and even a couple of rugby games at the far end.  On each side runs and bikers zipped by the tourists and pedestrians who where out in droves.  I just sat on one of the benches and did some people watching while enjoying my second cigar.

To end my day, I headed to the National Gallery of Art that just reopened their French masters section for a little reading.  I was disappointed I had to check my bag at the door but I grabbed my book and found a nice comfy couch to relax in and catch up on some reading.  I was trying to close to place down but I needed to get to my dad’s house for dinner.  For an entire week me and Nancy were not eating meat, out of choice, but tonight I was going to break that fast and enjoy a nice steak.  To wash all this down we headed over to Rustico after dinner to sample some beers.  We lucked out and got a booth in the back as some people where leaving as we were arriving.  We took the opportunity to sample some different Belgium and Germany beers from their extensive list.

Pileated Woodpecker

After a long exciting day I was happy to get home around 11:30 that night.  According to my GPS logger I walked about 6 miles in total and I was feeling it.  I didn’t get much sleep the night before, then up early to see Nancy off and all the walking wiped me out.  On my adventures that day I did get a few ideas of things to do with Nancy.  I can’t wait for spring and the cherry blossoms, if they bloom, I would like to have a picnic on the Mall again.  This winter has been crazy and is causing the plants to get confused.  There were the tulips starting to bloom on the Mount Vernon trail and some cherry blossoms at the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden starting to bloom as well.

WSP Wood Tour poster

I posted twice about this performance from the show, now I have more time for an in depth review from last night.  The Fillmore in Silver Spring only opened last September and none of their booked acts thus far peaked my interested.  In November it was confirmed that Widespread Panic would be taking a indefinite hiatus starting in 2012.  They would play their already book, and sold out, four nights in Puerto Morelos Mexico and limited engagements in Atlanta, Denver, Aspen, and Silver Spring.  I jumped all over the tickets when they went on sale in middle November.  It could possible be the last chance to see the band for a few years and it was going to be an all acoustic tour which sounded really cool.

The two shows at the Fillmore would kick the tour off and I decided to catch the first of the two shows.  As much as I wanted to see both nights, the high ticket price and distance from my house on a school night precluded me.  I left work at 6pm for an 8pm show time which Widespread is pretty good at keeping.  I knew that traffic would be a little rough, only once I got to the American Legion Bridge did things slow down.  I still managed to make it to the parking garage by 7:30, enough time to find a bit to eat and head into the show.

Just the lobby alone was impressive.  You are given a choice to go upstairs or into the club on the ground floor.  On either side of the floor there is a huge bar that has a good selection of bottle beers.  They do have drafts, but it was limited to only domestics, prices were “ok” at $7 for my bottle of Anchor Steam.  I was impressed they had it however so the price was worth it.  The upstairs has a VIP section with seats along either side of the balcony and on the second level opposite the stage is a tiered VIP section with tables.  Behind all the VIP sections there is space for general admission patron to stand.  You can’t see much of the stage from these spots, but there are tvs hanging from the ceiling that have a feed of the stage.  The live feed, with audio, is piped into a bar and lounge in the basement which is really cool.  The dance floor is made of wood and there are the signature Fillmore hanging chandeliers, four in all, next to a mirror ball.  All in all this is a really nice venue and I can’t wait to get back to the place.  Even the bathrooms are impressive.

jam on guys

As for the performance, it kicked ass.  I have seen acoustic songs before and been to quite venues like the Birchmere and Rams Head Tavern but this was completely different.  The song selection was good, each version was played in a mellow fashion to go along with the acoustic instruments.  John, Dave, and Jimmy all sat in chairs while they played.  One thing I noticed about Jimmy was he didn’t switch his guitar much, if at all.  I am use to seeing him get a new guitar every couple of songs, depending on what sound he is looking for that particular song.  All the band members seem to enjoy the night and really get into the acoustic vibe.

The audience was a typical WSP crowd, a little older and much more mature than some other acts I see.  There was of course lots of drinking, the floor after the show was covered in spilt beer and empty plastic cups.  All in all, they were respectful of the performance and really got into at times.  On several songs, because of the performances quite nature, the audience would sing along with John.  When I was dancing to the music at times I would look up at the balcony and see everyone grooving to the music.  It was also funny to see the audience at the start of each set whip out their cell phones to snap some photos.  Don’t think I am throwing stones, how do you think I got my shots from the night?  Just a funny observation from the night.

Getting home took about 70 minutes cutting through downtown DC.  Unfortunately I can’t make the performance tonight.  I do look forward to going back to the venue sooner rather than later.  I think it is a welcome addition to the live music scene here in Washington DC.  I just hope top caliber acts continue to go to the State Theatre, Birchmere, and 9:30 Club.

Set 1 (8:18pm start)
01. This Part Of Town >
02. Worry
03. Fishing
04. St. Louis >
05. Clinic Cynic >
06. Wondering
07. Free Somehow
08. Genesis >
09. Holden Oversoul
(9:12pm end)

Set 2 (9:55pm start)
01. From The Cradle
02. Can’t Get High
03. Gimme
04. Degenerate >
05. Pilgrims >
06. Travelin’ Man >
07. Saint Ex >
08. jam >
09. Driving Song >
10. jam >
11. Driving Song >
12. Breathing Slow >
13. City of Dreams
(10:56pm end)

encore: (11:00pm start)
14. None of Us Are Free
15. May Your Glass Be Filled
16. Walkin’ (For Your Love)
(11:16pm end)

Notes:
Wood Tour
Last ‘Fishing’ – 11/29/08, 215 shows
Last ‘Free Somehow’ – 10/28/08, 225 shows

time to go home

This venue is incredible and seeing WSP here us a real treat. I love the acoustic playing, very mellow versions of known songs so far. Been very impressed with the first set and can’t wait for the second. For a tour opener this has been a great performance. I am missing the president’s state of the union address for this show but it is totally worth it. I will catch it on my way home.

What will happen for second set…..oh boy oh boys.

Let’s try some live blogging tonight. At the Widespread Panic show in Silver Spring, MD. The tour opener for the Wood Tour and probably the only six shows in America all year. I am psyched! Got a beer in hand, show should be starting shortly.

us at the summit

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I called my brother on New Years Eve to shoot the shit for a while, lets be honest, it was a drunk call.  One of the many things we talked about was getting together to do some hiking.  With his future wife pregnant, she is not able to hike like they use to.  He knows I love to hike so we made a pact to get out and do a hike before the end of the month.  We talked to Matt and he was in for a hike too.

I suggested Old Rag Mountain in the Shenandoah National Park which is a popular hike in the park.  It is a great hike to the top of a 3291′ mountain with great panoramic views of the surrounding valleys.  As you near the top you have to scramble across open rocks, down crevasses, and squeeze between cracks.  It is a challenge but certainly fun and I thought both Stephen and Matt would enjoy the experience.

We meet at Stephen’s place and got an early start for the short drive out to Sperryville and the outskirts of the park.  When we arrived I was surprised to see the parking lot pretty full for a day that was not going to reach above freezing.  We got there about 11am and headed out for the trail.

view down to the valley

The first 3/4 miles is just going from the parking lot to the park boundary.  By the time we made this small trek, Stephen and Matt already needed a break for food and water.  This was pretty much how the afternoon went, we would make some gains but take a break.  We commented frequently on all the people that started after we did and passed us on the way up the trail.  I remember this hike being difficult but not impossible.  This just goes to show how out of shape we all are.  We talked like old men, how are joints and muscles ached or old injuries coming back to haunt us.  I am the oldest and am only 33, a shame we are already talking like this.

As we made it up the mountain, things improved a little.  The trail went from being steep rocky switchbacks to not so steep rocky crawling.  The three cover opened up a little which allowed us to see the summit and that gave us encouragement to get to the top and eat lunch.  Stephen kept wanting to eat early but I kept telling him “we are almost there.”  Up this far there was permanent snow on the ground, it wasn’t much but it was there.  The temperature certainly dropped a few degrees at this elevation, down from the balmy 32 degrees when we started.  We were working so hard and dressed appropriately that the chill didn’t bother us much at all.  It was funny, one of of the rock outcroppings we stopped at over looked and got a different perspective on where we started our journey.  It was way down there, we probably climbed 2,000 feet by this point.

the rock scramble towards the summit

When we reached the summit it was pretty full with people enjoying a break and the panoramic view of the valley.  We tried to find a covered spot to escape the bitter wind but on the open rocks, it was rather difficult.  By now all the heat we built up walking up the mountain was gone and things started to get rather cold.  Soon after lunch we headed down the mountain and continued the loop back to the car.

Going down the mountain along the fire road I think is a little easier, it is longer, but there are much fewer rocks and the fire road is not to steep.  Just like going up the mountain, we got a different perspective on the summit.  From the fire road we could clearly see the summit and how high it really was.  We stopped at the Byrd’s Nest and Old Rag shelters for our mandatory breaks.  Matt and Stephen got their first look at a pit toilet at the Old Rag shelter and that experience was pretty funny.  I don’t know how they would do camping at False Cape State Park as you will only find pit toilets.

As we neared the end of the hike everyone was rather tired and the sun was setting fast.  The temperature dropped what seemed a degree or two every 15 minutes as the sun set behind the mountains and we lost day light.  A few stragglers like our self were the only ones left on the mountain by the time we reached the parking lot.  The ride back was not very long, but it certainly was quite as we were all to tired and soar to even talk.

After dropping everyone off I quickly drove home to shower and meet Nancy at Pan Vino in Lorton for a birthday dinner my dad and Pat were throwing.  I was pretty zoned out all night as I was to tired to do anything and Nancy could see it on my face.  The food was good and I couldn’t get enough water.

It was a great hike and I am looking forward to doing some more hiking with Stephen and Matt.  Both are eager to get outside and explore nature.  I am pretty certain the next time we hike it won’t be such a strenuous hike up a 3300′ mountain.  Two days later and I still feeling a little stiff in these old bones.  Maybe next time we will do one of the shorter waterfall hikes in the Shenandoah or maybe I will take them to Prince William Forest for a hike.