15 m Halfmoon Lookout and Bucktail Trail humid hike

I finally got on this 15 mile (24 km) 2600 ft (790 meter) elevation gain popular Halfmoon Lookout and Bucktail Trail hike as a guest of the hike leader. It was a struggle for me to hike uphill with high humidity, but the weather was in 80f (26c) and only one short thunderstorm, yet plenty of flowers and great conversations about plants, travels, etc. The after hike stop at Lost River Trading Post in Wardensville, West Virginia was cool with a lot of high quality and neat products.

Staunton River Trail & Bear Church Rock

I joined a Meetup group hike on the Staunton River Trail today. Although the Staunton River was raging and water overrun the trails, the weather was dry and just drizzled a little at the end of this 15.5 mile (25 km) 3500 feet (1066 meters) elevation gain hike. I used sports sandals three times to cross streams, and finally just left the sports sandals on and walked via the water on the trail. The mountain laurel was blooming all over the area, and the 180 degrees view from the Bear Church Rock was magnificent.

play Trayf @ Theater J

I camped in theater J for two hours yesterday late afternoon to see this play Trayf: a buddy comedy about a pair of Jews driving their Mitzvah Tank through the streets of New York City to recruit other Jewish souls to join their congregation. What touched me most was their deep friendship and cultural/family values.

Geographical Indications (GI) for Food Symposium

I was in DC the whole day for the Geographical Indications (GI) for Food Symposium: Exploring Local Origin, Community Development and Intellectual Property Rights. This was the first time I visited this private club. GIs cost money to market but good for long term local development. USPTO posts Q&A at https://www.uspto.gov/…/geogr…/geographical-indications-faqs

Iftar: dinner after Ramadan @ Tysons Corner

I attended my first Iftar: dinner after Ramadan fasting hosted by a title company in an apartment party room @ Tysons Corner. Ramadan is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (Sawm) to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad according to Islamic belief. I participated the dinner after other people fasting, but I did not fast. To my surprise, the dinner started with an odd number of dates. I also tried the delicious Soup Jo (Cream of Barley Soup).

This reminds me that I accidentally ran into the day of Ashura in Iran back in 2013, which is a major religious commemoration of the martyrdom at Karbala of Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. It is marked by Muslims with a voluntary day of fasting. I did not fast, but well fed by my couch-surfing host family in Shriaz, Iran, while three-day of closing all shops and public facilities were not in my trip plan.

Botticelli in the Fire

I went in DC to watch a play: Botticelli in the Fire. Sandro Botticelli painted The Birth of Venus in Florence while having young apprentice, Leonardo Da Vinci as a lover? Well, an alternative truth offered by the playwrite, plus full female nudity on the stage surely stirred conversation among surprised audience and their friends in the city.

Memorial Day Cookout

I Attended a Memorial Day Cookout in Arlington in a crispy clear and cool afternoon. Some people played Croquet, Bocce, and Frisbee. Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering the people who died while serving in the military. The park has a dog playground, and I saw this interesting dog balloon.

Wolf Trap 2018 summer season fireworks & concert

I listened to United States Marine Band, before Wolf Trap 2018 summer season fireworks @ 9:45 pm which synchronized with music features in a series of summer concerts at Wolftrap. Never seen parking lot so few cars for this popular event. I am glad that I risked the thunderstorm forecast to come and enjoyed a cool wonderful evening under the fireworks.Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, is a performing arts center located on 117 acres of national park land in Fairfax, Virginia in the greater DC area.