Flying Lovers of Vitebsk at Theater J

 I went in Washington DC this afternoon to usher for the play: the Flying Lovers of Vitebsk at Theater J. I didn’t know Silver Line was single -tracking today, so I was late. Anyway, I did my task and watched 60 % of the play (missing the other 40% due to dozing off from jet lag). It was still worthwhile to see the 90-minute play supported by a pair of actor-musicians playing live klezmer-infused music and a pair of actor-dancers providing striking aerial choreography.  The play tracks the painter Marc Chagall and his wife through the triumphs of his career alongside the devastating sweep of the Russian Revolution, pogroms, world wars, and the destruction of their beloved hometown of Vitebsk. BTW, I saw Halloween costumes here and there in town.

musical comedy: Once Upon Mattress

 I ushered at Center Stage in the Reston Community Center tonight for the musical comedy: Once Upon Mattress. 2.5-hr long yet very entertaining such that I stayed awake regardless my jet lag. I like the dynamic character interactions, comedic timing, and vocal performances from the leads Princess Winifred ("Fred") and Queen Aggravain. The story was about overbearing Queen Aggravain forbids anyone in the kingdom from marrying until her awkward, sheltered son, Prince Dauntless, finds a royal bride. The unconventional, swamp-swimming Princess Winnifred ("Fred") finally won the Prince's heart and passed the Queen's test.

14-mile Cedar Run-Hawksbill-WOC Longer Version

 

I took a meetup hike today Cedar Run-Hawksbill-WOC Longer Version for 14 miles with 3600 feet elevation gain. The weather was relatively cool due to overcast and breezy conditions. There were many people came on both trails just for the swimming holes, since the weather forecast was 88 f with humidity.

I haven’t hiked this far for a long time so I was pretty exhausted, so I didn’t have energy to pick wild berries or mushrooms on the trails.

Plus my 6.7 miles weekday runs, I logged in 20.7 hike/run miles this week.

12--mile Trumbo Hollow hike

 

I hiked with a friend on the Appalachian Trail starting from Trumbo Hollow trailhead for 12 miles round trip with 2100 feet elevation gain in 70f. A little humid yet quite pleasant in summer. There was a blackberries section and I ate several handful of blackberries.

I went for my last grocery shopping before my coming 3-month trip to Canada, China,and Taiwan.

Plus my 8 miles weekday runs, I logged 20 hike/run miles this week.

Mozilla Meetup & Flavors of Utah reception

 

I went in DC to attend Mozilla Meetup on anti-competitive online business practices, and then Flavors of Utah reception. On my way between the two venues, I came across an outdoor exhibit of the Girl Scouts Nation's Capital (GSCNC) as a part of its 2026 National Girl Scout Convention.

The list of onsite Utah local food brands included: Aggie Ice Cream, Brookers Ice Cream, Big Daddy Hill BBQ Sauce & Seasoning, Built Bar, Butchers Bunches, CandyCo, Deziria Chocolate, Heber Valley Cheese, Ice Labs Nutrition, Lakanto, Lower Family Foods, Madbrook Donuts, Red Acre Center, Ruby Snap Cookies, San Diablo Churros, Sunshine Buns, SWIG, and Taffy Town.

wildfire smoke from Canada to Washington DC

 

Saturday rain washed off the wildfire smoke from Canada to Washington DC, and Reston air changes from unhealthy to moderate on Sunday. Now Vancouver (46) still has better breathing air reading than Reston (60). Even Taipei (52) is better than Reston. I visited Beijing in 2017 with hazy sky, then in 2024 with clear sky, but it has unhealthy air (128) today. The worst air I ever experienced in 101 countries was New Delhi, India where I coughed nonstop and wore a medical grade face mask, and its air is (451) hazardous today!

I skipped Saturday hike on Dicky Ridge trail (212) because its even worse air, and ran 4.75 miles with a face mask on in Reston (189). I also biked indoor on Saturday. This was probably the worst air I ever had in a USA city since I moved to USA. Plus 6.72 mile weekday runs, I logged in 11.5 miles this week.

Finally, I had time to cook wild mushrooms picked 1-week ago on Dicky Ridge trail as scrambled eggs for Saturday breakfast.

Here were the data from two days ago comparing Vancouver with DC. "Metro Washington D.C. currently has significantly worse air quality than Metro Vancouver due to a severe Canadian wildfire smoke event blanket over the U.S. capital. While Metro Vancouver is enjoying clear conditions with a Low Risk AQHI of 1–2 (US EPA equivalent AQI ~59), Washington D.C. has been plunged into a dangerous Code Purple rating with a real-time US AQI exceeding 230–250. At these severe levels, public health authorities advise everyone to stop outdoor activities and stay indoors."