Scottish Christmas Walk parade

Scottish Christmas Walk parade on Saturday throughout Old Town Alex, with more than 100 Scottish clans dressed in tartans and playing bagpipes, living history units, dog clubs and antique cars. I was so cold (30-40 F) that my nose was almost froze off.




It was warmer on Sunday so I walked 5 miles in the Great Falls National Park.

My 1st performance in Kennedy Center with 250 drummers

On Saturday, I planned to check out the October China Festival at Kennedy Center and listen to the drumming extravaganza featuring 250 drummers, but accidentally become one of the 250 drummers, rehearsal, and took home the drum as a gift from the Hong Kong Symphony Orchestra as a gift!!!

I could not be closer to the stage to listen to four high-energy works including Worship of the Phoenix, Lion Dance Drum Music, Flying Dragons Jumping Tigers, and A Poem on the Drum.

I also checked out the market place in the roof level, which featured handicrafts made on-site and for sale, including Chinese knots, cloth arts, kites, pinwheels, calligraphy, and painting.

There are other indoor and outdoor events showcase the Chinese culture, including: Peking opera, orchestral music, folk music, Ballet, modern dance, theater, puppetry, and acrobatics, Contemporary film, photography, fashion, and visual arts. http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/festivals/05-06/china/home_noFlash.html

Before the drumming, I visited the US National Arboretum to attend the National Capital Orchid Society 58th Annual Show see thousands of orchid plants in bloom. http://www.usna.usda.gov/


The only disappointment was the Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope™ Grand Finale Festival to be held in the White House Ellipse but got cancelled. It’s a pity that I got soaking wet but could not see the Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope Team and Lance Armstrong. www.tourofhope.org.

Duluth, MN

Day 1: drove along the North Shore Scenic Byway-- Duluth-Two Harbors-Beaver Bay-Silver Bay-Little Marais-Tofte-Lutsen-Grand Marais-Hovland-Grand Portage; 154 miles. Had smoke white fish for lunch picnic. http://www.byways.org/browse/byways/11185/places/

Stayed at Clearwater Canoe Outfitters and Lodge on the Gunflint Trail (35 m away form the byway) and saw the most amazing sky in my life, least ever light pollution.

Day 2: Canoed in the boundary waters for 3.5 hrs, and declared a tiny island in the middle of a lake as “Jenne’s Island”. More sate parks with water falls and great views.

Day 3: Rushing Rapids Parkway
-- Carlton; 9 miles. Highway 210 from Carlton to Highway 23. Skyline Drive
-- Jay Cooke State Park-Duluth; 38 miles; Highway 56. Had smoke sugar-cured salmon for lunch picnic.

Inte'l Children's Festival Gala & Arts on Foot Festival

Friday, evening, I attended the International Children's Festival Gala at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner. The reception began at 7 p.m. followed by a special international dinner and show at 8 p.m. which features entertainment throughout the evening by the international student performing groups from India, Mexico, Nigeria and Georgia, dressed in elaborate and colorful costume.

Beside the excellent performance, before staring each appetizer, entree and dessert serving sections, the youth dancers announced the names of the food both in English and the native language. http://www.artsfairfax.org



I walked in downtown DC whole day Saturday to enjoy Arts on Foot Festival with Penn Quarter's music, theater and dance groups show off all they have to offer in this annual festival. Painting, sculpture, photography and mixed media from 75 artists were available at the Art Market, house specialties from local restaurants like Butterfield 9, Chef Geoff's and The Capital Grille were available for sampling at $1. I also attended 1-hr impromptu acting class. http://www.artsonfoot.org/map.htm



Accidentally, I saw many tour buses parked around the MCI center and then picked up free tickets for Spirit of America, a live-action musical performance “that brings America's history to life” and enjoyed the show Saturday evening. I am glad that I enjoyed the show paid by my tax $.
http://spiritofamerica.mdw.army.mil/

Big Schloss after Crab Feast

I hiked Sunday to see Big Schloss (“castle” in Germany) in GWNF. A 12 mile circuit hike to one of the most picturesque overlooks and one of the most unusual rock formations in the area. We climbed up the Stony Creek trail until we reach the top of the ridge, and then proceeded along the Tuscarora, Mill Mountain, and Big Schloss Cutoff Trails to the overlook. Elevation change of 2256 feet.

A good hike to burn the 20 crabs (small this year), 4 corns, and 4 ice creams I had on Saturday during the Great Falls Fire House funding-raising Crab Feast.

Labor Day weekend

Humpback Rocks on Blue Ridge Parkway has a self-guiding trail through a reconstructed mountain farmstead. A hiking trail from the parking area (at mile 6.1) leads 0.75 mile to "The Rocks", whose humped appearance gives the area its name. http://www.thebackpacker.com/trails/va/trail_792.php


Crabtree Falls In a mountain gorge in western Nelson County is Crabtree Falls, consisting of five tiers of major falls and several smaller ones. Crabtree Falls plummets 1,200 feet down the northern flank of a 4,063-foot-high mountain called The Priest. The icy waters of the falls are in the headwaters of the Tye River, which gained notoriety in the devastating flooding rains of Hurricane Camille in 1969. The Tye River nearly moved the little community of Massies Mill on VA 56 off the map. Then the trail winds through hemlocks and past an old family graveyard. It's an easy 10-minute walk to the first of five major cascades. From there, the hiker climbs 1.7 miles up a steep trail with switchbacks. Moist air from the falls makes ideal habitat for several varieties of ferns, mosses, and wildflowers. Along the way, viewing platforms with benches enable hikers to catch their breath while enjoying views of the cascades, and children like to investigate the small cave on the trail. At the top, the trail continues 1.2 miles farther along Crabtree Creek to Crabtree Meadows parking lot on VA 826 (Crabtree Farm Road).

St. Mary's Trail. The path leads up a scenic narrowing gorge toward St. Mary's Falls. After a stream crossing and .5-mile short of St. St. Mary's Falls Trail continues along the main stream and dead-ends at a double waterfall at the base of steep rock cliffs.
• Degree of difficulty: Moderate to falls (on .5-mile spur off St. Mary's Trail), with stream crossing that can be difficult in wet seasons or in icy conditions.
• Surface: Natural forest floor, rocky sections, stream crossing.

Only had time to walk around Charlottesville downtown a little bit. There are a lot more to see next time according the city profile.
http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=25368


Hiked Jeremy's Run Trail, a relaxing 5-mile walk up the creek valley. There are several crossings along the way. The severity depends on the time of the year and the amount of recent precipitation.
http://www.midatlantichikes.com/id82.html

August Court Days & Hawksbill Peak

Sunday was so hot that only four people showed up for the hike. We discussed then decided to switch to hike in the Shenandoah National Park, which should be higher and cooler. We were lucky. Not only it was only about 80°F and felt like in the fall, but also sparing from a speeding ticket.

On the way to the Park, we were stopped by the police (70 m/h on 55m/h limit road). I asked everyone smiled and appeared innocent when he took our driver’s license. He came back 5-7 minutes and told us that many people took the route to the Park and we should drove within the speed limit. No ticket!!! We were overjoyed. Maybe because he saw three Asian female hikers with very friend smile and tight hiking outfit?

We hikes to Hawksbill Peak - highest in the park, mostly on AT about 8-9 miles in total.

I attended the 29th Annual August Court Days on Saturday at downtown Leesburg with Colonial reenactors, mock trials, Colonial militia, frontiersmen, and country/folk music.

The mock trials (based on the actual historical trials on record) were conducted indoors in a church. http://www.preserveloudoun.org/augustcourtdays/index.htm


Then I visited Oatlands Plantation , a property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, located six miles south of Leesburg. The Oatlands Art Show was located in the historic Carriage House on the property. http://www.oatlands.org/ The property appears to be related to Ms. Carriage, a rich lady who inherited the fortune form her father and involved in the historic mock trials I saw in downtown Leesburg.