4/29/2015

It through struggle that progress is made. It is discovery and learning from mistakes that the soul is fortified. On the cold mornings the struggle has been to leave the sanctuary of warm covers. When I woke in a cold parking lot in Mt. Airy, my body was pulled from hibernation by a repetitive stream of coaxing. My gruff voice did its best to communicate with my sluggish body. It wasn’t a convincing argument but it did prevent rebellion.

When I stepped out of the trailer, I inhaled a breath of clean air. The cold burned the hair in my nostrils. It was springtime and life was supposed to be blossoming. The hillsides provided plenty of evidence for springtime. It was only the temperature that wasn’t in sync...

4/27/2015

Crystal and I stayed up later than usual at the Residence Inn. We had our dinner at Fireworks Pizza, the restaurant down below. The line for the place was out the door. The smell of pizza lured the people into the building. Once they went in, they had libations and atmosphere. That night, the D.C. Wizards were playing their third game of their first round playoff series. You can bet a good portion of their customers were glued to the screen. Of course Crystal and I were mainly interested in filling our stomachs. The mushroom pizza had three types of mushrooms and it jumped off the page. There wasn’t a moment of hesitation in our order. We were surprised at their efficient and prompt service...

4/25/2015

Crystal had anticipated the monuments of Washington D.C. for weeks. The plan was to take in as many museums and monuments as possible. Constitution Ave. carried the scent of a large city. Massive monuments were everywhere as were tourists and runners. Our top priority was to see the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. The dark clouds in the skies held the threat of rain so it was good that our day would be indoors. Kids swarmed into structure with wide eyes. We spent a few hours looking at biological and anthropological exhibits before our hunger attacked. We walked outside in search of something that would calm our stomachs. Like any big city with tourist attractions, the laws of economics were practiced to the fullest extent...