Au Natural

Today turned out to be a good day to stay indoors. And inside we stayed from the late morning to late in the afternoon at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. According to Wikipedia, it's the world's most-visited natural history museum, which comes as no surprise, considering the impressiveness of the collection combined with the lack of an entry fee. My daughter wasn't disappointed - the first section we went to was the one about dinosaurs, a subject she's been very interested in for quite some time now (and in which I hope she doesn't lose any of that enthusiasm). This area was dominated by skeletal assemblies of such luminaries as a triceratops, a diplodocus and a T-Rex (and if you don't know any of them, just ask an elementary-school student):

The ancient mammals on display were no slouches, either, with remains of mastodons and giant sloths on hand:

Much effort went into disproving the stereotypical assumptions of Neanderthals. This diorama, for example, showed that these early humans engaged in burial rituals:

The African Voices exhibit had an airplane coffin from Ghana, shaped as a KLM jet. My wife was surprised to learn that the Chinese aren't the only ones who like to send their deceased loved ones off to the netherworld in style:

The Kid's Discovery Center allowed the younger ones to get their hands on a lot of cool stuff, such as conch shells and sea stars. There were also microscopes and magnifying glasses on hand to check out things such as these bits of animal bones:

Another interesting section on the first floor was the Sant Ocean Hall, dominated by a large whale model hanging from the ceiling:

Temporarily back on the dinosaur train (a not-so-subtle PBS Kids reference), we watched an IMAX film called Flying Monsters in 3D, narrated by David Attenborough and covering the evolution of the pterosaurs:

On the second floor looking down. The area under the rotunda is dominated by a large African elephant:

The highlight of the uppermost level is undoubtedly the Hope Diamond. Arguably the most famous gem in the world, and supposedly the most cursed one, its history has followed a tortuous course over several centuries from India to its present home in the Smithsonian:

Among the other things we checked out on the second floor were mummies (dead, of course) and insects, many of which were very much alive, including these grasshoppers:

The last stop on our tour of the Museum of Natural History was the gift shop. My daughter made off with a DVD about insects, as well as a long rubber snake, nice complements to the Dora the Explorer and Hello Kitty ハローキティ goodies Amber has at home. Shopping also served to kill time while a storm passed through the District. At around 4 p.m., while I was upstairs checking out a rather disappointing "Korea Gallery", I looked out the windows to see a scene reminiscent of a typhoon (or hurricane, in these parts) blowing by. According to CNN:

Heavy thunderstorms...whipped through the Washington, D.C., area on Saturday, leaving nearly 1,000 households without power. Twelve people at the Prince George's County Fair were injured as they tried to evacuate Show Place Arena, about 20 miles east of Washington, due to pending severe weather, the National Weather Service said on its official Twitter feed.

Someone posted on one of my Google groups that a tornado had set down in Fairfax (not far from Falls Church) and was headed toward Ballston (between our city and Washington). While our apartment complex was fine, the power was out just a couple of blocks away, and it took a bit of driving before we were able to find a restaurant that was open for business. The lucky receiver of our disposable income turned out to be a supposed Cajun-style grill, where the Fried Gator Balls that I had didn't taste all that different from the Fried Soft Shell Crab my wife ordered for dinner. A somewhat disappointing end to an otherwise entertaining day:

Back to school

Today was a day of firsts for both me and my daughter. For Amber, it was not only her first day of elementary school, it was also her first time to attend a school in the United States. Separation anxiety? Not with my first-grader. She couldn't wait to get on the bus this morning, so anxious was she to get started, that she didn't even bother to turn around and wave to her parents as the bus pulled away. The only one in my family close to tears was yours truly, as the realization dawned on him that his little girl is growing up right before his eyes.

As for the first day of school, Amber seemed to enjoy it. She's attending an elementary school that has an excellent reputation in this area, and it's too bad that she won't be able to stay through for an entire academic year. 

In the living room, waiting to walk down to the bus stop

With a friend from the apartment complex who is in the classroom next door at school

Coming off the bus in the afternoon after a successful first day

It was also the first day of instruction for me. Mandarin Chinese (pǔ​tōng​huà 普通话, or Guó​yǔ 國語, as it's called in Taiwan) courses at the National Foreign Affairs Training Center began this morning with an orientation welcoming all the new students. My particular course of study is scheduled to last 21 weeks, and will hopefully provide me with the linguistic skills I'll need for my posting early next year to Shàng​hǎi  上海. It's a good thing I don't believe in omens, however. According to the personal information sheet that the language section at FSI has on me, I failed a Japanese exam that was given over the phone a couple of years ago. The truth is I passed that particular hurdle, and by doing so, received points that moved me up the register and helped lead to my eventually being offered a position in the Foreign Service. 

Or did I? Perhaps somebody somewhere made a mistake when entering data into the system. Good thing I have this bottle of Loose Cannon American Hop3 IPA, brewed by Heavy Seas Beer out of Baltimore, MD:

For study purposes only, of course.

Mule-drawn

What is a mule? It's the product of an unholy alliance...er, a union between a male donkey and a female horse. That was just one of the many facts I learned this afternoon as the family drove out to the Chesapeake and Ohio National Historical Park in Potomac, Maryland to take a ride on a mule-drawn canal boat. The inspiration for today's excursion came out of the visit my daughter and I paid yesterday to the section of the C&O Canal in Georgetown. One of the things I noticed at the visitor's center there was a flyer advertising the canal boat rides, and the seed that was planted at that time germinated on this second day of a three-day holiday weekend. So without further ado...

Amber and I pose in front of the Charles F. Mercer, a recreation of an 1870's-era packet boat, used to haul people and goods along the canal.

The Potomac River runs alongside the restored C&O Canal at the park. Judging from the speed of the rapids and the number of boulders in the river, it was pretty obvious why the likes of George Washington felt the need for a man-made water transportation network.

The white house in the middle of the photograph was originally the home of the lock keeper. An addition was tacked on and served as a tavern as a means to supplement his income.

Some geese hang out in the middle of the Potomac.

Amber and her new-found friend Julia on the Charles F. Mercer. The two of them struck up a conversation about the caterpillar that Julia had found, and was proud to show off. 

The ride on the Mercer takes about an hour. On board are National Park Service rangers playing the parts of 1870's-era canal boatmen (and women). Here, the ranger is explaining how a lock works, while our boat was in the process of being raised by a height of eight feet (2.4 meters).

Mule power. The boat moved surprisingly quickly under the power of these beasts of burden. On board, the ranger explained how the original plans called for the canal to run between Chesapeake Bay and the Ohio River (hence the name C&O), but the costs of construction limited it to the 184.5 miles (297 kilometers) between Georgetown and Cumberland.

The view looking back toward the starting point as our boat was being turned around for the return leg of the trip. 

After our spin on the Charles F. Mercer, we went off in search of the Great Falls. The waterfalls were a short walk away, reached by way of Olmsted Island, which sits in the middle of the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia.

Though small, Olmsted Island is hella scenic, evoking images out of a James Fenimore Cooper story. This land must've been extremely beautiful to the first Europeans who settled here. It's a shame they couldn't have kept it that way.

The Great Falls of the Potomac River. The view was splendid, making it hard to believe that Washington, D.C. and its heavily-populated suburbs were only 14 miles (23 kilometers) away downstream.

A heron seems oblivious to the rushing torrent of water going by. 

My daughter strikes one of her numerous heroic poses as she conquers a rocky outcropping that had been co-opted to serve as an overlook for the rushing waters below.

This was the view as we crossed back from Olmsted Island. 

The Charles F. Mercer making its last run of the afternoon as we headed back to our parked car. My wife came along on this trip today, and really enjoyed both the boat ride and the scenic falls. She also insisted we drive out of our way to Herndon, VA on the way back to pick up a pizza from Papa Murphy's, one of only two outlets in our immediate area. Pamela has only been a resident alien in this country for four months, but she's obviously making some rapid adjustments.

From Georgetown to the Lincoln Memorial: My daughter does it all

From the parking lot at Arlington National Cemetery, along the Potomac River and across the Francis Scott Key Bridge to Georgetown, then passing by the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal down to the Lincoln Memorial, and back across the river to Arlington. That's quite a long afternoon for anybody, but for a six year-old getting ready to start elementary school following the end of this Labor Day holiday weekend, it was quite an accomplishment. Amber kept up with me for the entire 5.7 miles (9.2 kilometers) that we covered today (Saturday), and though she did get tired toward the end, she remained a trooper and said she had a good time. No doubt she felt a twinge of pride about doing something her mother couldn't accomplish!

We walked from the parking lot of the cemetery and toward the Potomac River. Along the way, we passed these two men fishing plastic bottles and other debris out of the water. Amber was suitably impressed by their selflessness and concern for the environment.

Posing by the Potomac River, with the Lincoln Memorial, Arlington Memorial Bridge and Washington Monument in the background. Amber is hoping the repair work being done to the monument will be completed by the time our tour in China is finished, and we return to the D.C. area.

Willows and oaks lined the Virginia side of the river. Joggers and cyclists were also out in droves today. My daughter has learned the importance by now of always keeping to the far right side of the path.

Along the Mount Vernon Trail as we approached Theodore Roosevelt Island. A momentary respite from the traffic on the George Washington Parkway.

Walking across the Key Bridge into Georgetown. The weather was ominous-looking during the early stages of our walk, but unlike last week's excursion into Maryland, the raindrops never fell. In fact, the sun later came out. The thunder and lightning didn't show up until tonight.

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal runs behind M Street in Georgetown. Despite the not-always-so-pristine nature of the water, we still took a break along the C&O to snack on granola bars and fruit cups, and to look at the small fish that were somehow surviving in the muck.

The scenery along the canal improved as we meandered along to the beginning, at the point where it joins Rock Creek. The landscape, especially with the locks, evoked images of English waterways as we stopped to visit the C&O Canal Visitor Center. And was that a catfish that we espied in the water?

The end of the canal brought us parallel with the busy roads of Washington again as we made our way back alongside the Potomac. Amber took this photo of me with the Watergate complex in the background. Next door is the Kennedy Center. Both buildings were finished in 1971, the first indication that the Seventies were going to be a very trying decade for lovers of architecture.

Looking back at Georgetown. It was around this point that my little one was starting to feel tired, so we slowed down and took plenty of breaks as we made our back to Arlington.

A winning smile not long after passing under the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge. The Lincoln Memorial would soon be in sight.

This was the second visit to the Lincoln Memorial for both Amber and me. My daughter is starting to get a grasp of the icons and imagery of American history, and I assume she'll start getting schooled in civics once she begins school. Now if I can only get my wife to look past her Sino-centric education, and do what's needed to get her expedited American citizenship.

In contrast to our first visit to the Memorial a couple of months ago, this time the reflecting pool actually had water in it. Amber was pleased by this.

From the rear of the Lincoln Memorial, we had a good view of the Arlington Memorial Bridge. At the entrance to the bridge are the two Arts of War statues. That's Valor on the left, and its good friend Sacrifice across the road on the right. 

The last look we had before turning into the parking lot, where our car had fortunately remained in the shade. That's the Women in Military Service for America Memorial in the foreground, and Arlington House (Robert E. Lee's former crib) on the hill in the back (the flag was flying at half-staff presumably in honor of Neil Armstrong). Arlington National Cemetery is high on the list of sightseeing spots to take in before we head off to Shàng​hǎi 上海 early next year.

Once back at our apartment complex, a dip in the pool felt great for both father and daughter. I'm glad to have these opportunities to get Amber out of the living room, with its twin sirens the TV and the computer, and into the outside world. For my child, picking up objects such as acorns and feathers, and looking at dragonflies and fish along the route, was of greater interest than old arteries of transportation and long-dead leaders. But I don't mind. As long as she enjoys herself, I'm happy.