We seem to be starting a new tradition, in that the day after any major holiday is declared a sail day.
pack some cold beers in a cooler, maybe some pretzels, the M&Ms for mumsy, and we're off!
The only difference this time was fewer dolphins and more wind - a trade off I'll take! Dolphins are cool and all, but I'll settle for a few dorsal fins if it means actually getting up on edge a bit.
We had a few good runs around the sound, but it was eventually time to head home to get ready for the anniversary dinner (see post below).
This is kind of sweeping up the bits left around after the major cleaning (the last post). So here are two more from the homemade holiday gift collection. Two paintings for Papa:
And a slouch hat with flame hand-painted wool in cerulean blue and friends.
With the assistance of Sarah, Eric, Dad, Shawn, and Stephen (the silent champion), Mom and I finished our traditional holiday puzzle.
And through it all, Ringo was an angel. Well, as much as he could be. When I got out of the car after the drive down, he was in the house for all of about 3 1/2 minutes before attacking a gecko and ripping it's tail off. Off to a great start! We all enjoyed his 3-year-old tactics like how he's not allowed upstairs, so he figured out that he would only get in trouble if he ventured onto the landing, but not if he was on the steps. So this is where he hung out most of the day:
Bugs! No visit with Shawn is complete without a lobster feast. So on one of my last nights in the sunshine state, we rolled our sleeves up and got dirty with some bugs.
Just Like Jack Kerouac, I'm On The Road.
What started as a far fetched idea of Erin driving back up with me for New Years (think the two high schoolers sitting on their mom's couch - totally stoned, of course, hatching out a plan "dude, wouldn't it be sweet if, like...") actually came to fruition. So first thing Tuesday morning I swung by the Shine residence (think Meet the Fockers) for a quick visit and to pick up my passenger and cargo. Florida through Virginia were perfectly uneventful. As we sighed in relief, pulling into the city and starting up 14th, we were greeted by gunshots. This was evidently not the best welcome to the city for Erin (ok, so my hysterical laughing probably wasn't helping) - but it's Columbia Heights! It's not like they were shooting at us.
A few hour later we took a quick trip around Eastern Market, Capitol Hill, and the Mall, stopping for a few requisite tourist shots. I was surprised by how the government had really gotten on the ball - most of the inauguration platform was already all built! But then the temperatures seemed to drop about 20 degrees and the wind picked up and we decided that it was time to go to Baltimore.
Always choose the place where they're dancing on tables.
Another New Years with some of my favorite people! This time we were across the harbor, in the cushy area of Fed Hill. After a quick little party at Kelsey and Sean's, we ventured out into the cold to some of the bars up the street. At some point I snapped my one picture of the night. Woo Sean!
Luckily Erin was a little more on the ball with the documentation. Not as much at the beginning of the night, but it picked up at the last place. We came out of the something-Abbey, expecting to walk around a bit to find our next spot. We made it two steps, spotted some people dancing on the tables, and it was decided! Upstairs turned into our own little private party, with a group of strangers, our own bar, and plenty of space that became our dance party.
We kicked off a killer game of limbo, with the bartender totally showing us all up with her saucy self.
One of my favorites, partially captured by this image, was the set of cougars that were pouncing on Erin. Kat tried a recon mission, but the ladies were a little feisty. May I direct your attention to the right side of this photo, showing Erin busting a move to the encouragement of Cougar #1...oh wait! #2 is helping him out on the left, too. If that whole green industry doesn't work out for you in Boulder, I think you've got a future in Baltimore playing male gigolo ;)
Happy 2009!
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