burn baby burn

I just got a pension fund update and it says that my “Normal Retirement Date” is July 1, 2039. Oh lord. Do I really have to wait 33 years before I can retire? It doesn’t come as a surprise or anything, but it’s still depressing to know that I’ll have to wait that long. Then again, the world will surely end long before my working life does. HAW HAW HAW!

I played hooky on Friday and went to the biyotch (Delaware Beaches State Park, more specifically). There were some traveling…uh…snafus, mainly because my experiences with driving to Delaware always involved going to Missy’s house in Milton, and this time I wanted to head straight to Rt. 1, rather than detouring through Milton. You wouldn’t think that simply following 404 to Rt. 1 would be an issue, but apparently it is. The roads aren’t always marked clearly and all roads in southern Delaware look identical: flat and surrounded by cornfields. So I hit some snags during both journeys, but ultimately I was able to enjoy 6 ½ hours on the beach. Although it was a bit more crowded than I expected, it was still light years better than what I would’ve found in Rehoboth, Dewey, or Bethany, I’m sure.

The weather was pitch-perfect: sunny and warm (around 80º), with a stiff sea breeze. I had my boss’s beach umbrella and SPF 50 sunblock to keep me safe, but still managed to get a patchy and painful burn on my lower back, the back of my shoulders, and the back of my legs. Freckles sprang out everywhere and my hair became a rat’s nest…but ahhh…the joy of frolicking in the ocean! Does anything compare? Still, the undertow was quite fierce and I repeatedly found myself like a quarter of a mile down-beach from where I started. And the waves were a bit violent; I was spun in circles and knocked flat more times than I can count, which means that I swallowed an unfortunate amount of salt water and ended up retching a few times. Periodically I stumbled from the ocean back to my encampment and collapsed onto the ground, vertigo having its merry way with me. When the spinning stopped, I pulled out one of the three books I’m currently reading and spent some time relaxing, drying out, reading, and people-watching. I gathered some mini shells and made a big ol’ spiral in the sand. Buried my legs in the sand to warm them up (the breeze made things surprisingly chilly!). Snapped Fisheye and digital photos. Ate my packed lunch from Subway.

Later, as I sped toward Rt. 50, the sun began to set in a modestly gorgeous way. The sunset lingered, too, so it was still around when I hit the Bay Bridge. What a nifty little thrill: arcing across the bridge and straight into the colors that were stretching and sinking before me—colors that turned the Chesapeake a marvelous shade of pale Caribbean blue.

looking over at the eastbound side of the
bridge (the pic seems faded because my
flash accidentally went off)

hurtling westward across the bridge

The rest of my weekend was pretty much spent working, although I did take some time out on Saturday to check out the Jim Henson exhibit at the National Museum of American History. What a disappointment! There were only like three tiny displays containing a minimum of detail about his life and a handful of the original Muppets. On a different floor I stumbled across two more displays containing items from Dark Crystal and the Jug Otter Christmas special. The exhibit was miniscule and scattered. WTF! A topic like this has enormous potential, and the NMAH really squandered a golden opportunity. However, the exhibit did contain the original Rowlf, so that made it all worthwhile! Because, as everyone who knows me knows, Rowlf’s my man!

Rowlf was behind glass, so I couldn’t use my flash,
which is why this photo is dark

The day was beautiful and I was in no rush to return home and resume working. So, I decided to stroll through the sculpture gardens at the National Gallery of Art and the Hirshhorn. I’ve been to both gardens a few times, but I’ve never taken digital pictures nor Fisheye pictures in either garden. So that’s what I did.














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Then I strolled up to the Washington Monument to take some photos from its base—another thing I’ve never done.

My my...this flagpole is as big
as the Washington Monument!

Then it was back to reality…



song heard most recently before posting: Boys of Summer—Don Henley