15 m Buzzard Rock - Meneka Peak hike in 90F

I am happy yet exhausted after this 12.25 miles (20 km) 3225 feet (980 meters) elevation gain Buzzard Rock - Meneka Peak hike in George Washington National Forest. It was so hot that more than some hikers jumped into the stream next to Elizabeth Furnace campground at lunch time. It was fun to walk around the valley and saw where we were from the other side near the end of the hike (see map). Thanks for the encouragement from the hike leader and blessings from a pharmacist friend that I did this hike regardless taking a photosensitive medication for my 2nd Lyme disease (yes, you can get it more than once).

I struggled badly when hiking with my long sleeve hiking shirt on (to block sun) and long hiking pants in 90f (32c) heat, but got back to my old self after taking that shirt off (at least 10f cooler). Big thanks to kind Anne's cold watermelon and Denise's cool drinks at the end of hike. I sweated so much that I had two bottles of drinks and several slices of watermelon.

The Tempest” by Avant Bard

I have seen three different productions of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” yet Avant Bard’s version has the best sound effects, colorful costumes, and luminous staging to tell the story.

Farewell Party for Assaf

I was very happy to see so many hiking pals at the Farewell Party for Assaf who is going to SFO to work for Google. I will always remember that he helped me to tape back one sole of my hiking boots so I could finish the last 10 miles of the hike. BTW, I ordered crispy pineapple chicken & shrimp plus original cheesecake.

By The People art Festival - "The Demon Hunter"

I went in D.C. To check out the By The People art Festival (performances, original art installations, conversations, an augmented reality art hunt etc.), walked by Giant National BBQ Battle (cooking demos, free tastings and a lot of people), and watched a 90-min thriller play/workshop (fully-staged) at Spooky Action Theater: "The Demon Hunter" involving a struggling mother of a possessed child, a demon disguised as a therapist, and a homeless angel. The darkest yet intriguing play. BTW, I walked around about 5 miles. 

10 m run in Reston

I took advantage of a rain break this morning and ran 10 miles (16km) at 11:27 per mile pace in my neighborhood. Getting old and slow comparing with 10:26 per mile at 2014 Marine Corp full Marathon.

Taste of Reston

I used to bike 20 miles (32 km) round trip to check out events in Reston, but now only 3 miles (5 km) run round trip. There were a lot of restaurants participating Taste of Reston with 30-40 people long lines, but I did not taste anything since I still felt full from dragon boat lunchbox and bobble tea. I did stop to listen to live music and play with dogs.

DC Dragon Boat Festival 2018

Live from Dragon Boat Festival at Georgetown waterfront. My 8th year paddle for TECRO flagship. There were cultural exhibitions and craft demonstrations. I woke up 6 am to meet the group @ 7:30 am. I checked upon the Tsinghua Alumni Team a few times but they had enough female paddlers this year, so I did not paddle for them. A hot and fun day, although my team TECRO flagship lost all three races today.