PBC 2006!!

Parrot Bay Classic 2006...what a GRAND time! 23 people, 1 dog, ?? canoes, and 4 days out in the backwoods of Arkansas. Who could ask for anything better??

In all seriousness, it was a great time...my 1st time "solo" in my own canoe! And I didn't "tump" over! There was only one major tumping over incident...no names included and I don't believe it was even their fault...and Zip managed to somehow end up in the river (Blu? Amy? Beck? What'd you guys do to him??). We somehow made it thru Slapnutz's storytelling (much luv, Nutz) around the campfire, amid Ken's interruptions :) And it didn't rain (well, ok... a few drops here and there)--but did you ever see so many people pack up a campsite so quick? I don't even think I finished my coffee before we shoved off and headed down to the take-out (which ended up being closer than what we all thought!). I guess that's what the threat of rain will do!

We are all looking forward to the July float...maybe we'll have some water to float in?? With the way our rains have been, that may remain questionable!

Washington DC, Week 2

And so another week has passed in our trip to DC...What a busy week this has been! We had class Monday with some folks from Capitol.Net; In short, we had a morning session of Civics 101. Monday afternoon was spent learning about the basics of the Institute for Water Resources (IWR).

Tuesday was one of the highlights of the trip with a morning tour of the Pentagon. We were able to see the Pentagon briefing room only 2 hours before Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld gave a speech! We spent the afternoon at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Oh and a visit to the International Spy Museum!

Wednesday was spent on "The Hill"; we were able to attend some hearings and meet with our Congressional representatives. We also toured the Capitol, along with the House and Senate buildings. Wednesday evening, we had the privilege of attending a reception "on the Hill". Pretty cool!

Thursday was shadow day; all of us had the opportunity to shadow a senior leader for the day. What a great chance to see the day-to-day happenings in DC. We had many great stories to share with the group about our shadow experience.

Friday was another class day; Emergency Management in the AM and Appropriations in the afternoon.

By Friday evening, we were all exhausted, but still managed to catch an excellent dinner at the Flying Fish on King Street.

This weekend, most of us opted for "low-key"; a few of us went to Tyson's Corner on Saturday for some shopping...LLBean outlet store!! We also drove on the "Beltway"--and survived! Saturday evening was spent at Las Tapas, another great place on King Street.

Our last week in DC looks to be a little less hectic; In class on Monday, back in town on Tuesday for some media training, a tour of the Library of Congress on Wednesday, and out to IWR on Thursday.

Hope everyone back home is doing well!

Washington DC

We've made it to Washington DC!! It's been a busy week so far...we had a bus tour of the area on Tuesday (travel day for all of us on Monday) where we saw many of the local sights like the Corps-replica castle and the Lincoln Memorial (in the above pictures); we also visited Iwo Jima, the "mall" area, the Jefferson Memorial, and "The Awakening". Very cool.

Wednesday was a "class" day, getting to know "Who's who" here in DC--some interesting tidbits of info...that afternoon we talked about Authorization and CAP.

Thursday was spent downtown; I got to ride the Metro for the first time in my life!

This weekend looks to be filled with exploring the museums and local life. And the next few weeks are filled to the brim with many activities and visits!

Keep reading and I'll keep posting! Take care!!