Plugging a Good Thing

I've never been wont to plug a site just for the sake of it. But this one offered good advice at a reasonable price and I have learned things I wished I had known before I started my own business a few years ago.

Some of you may have heard about Dave Ramsey prior to seeing this blog. He's been on Fox News as a commentator and has his own nightly radio show. Unfortunately I hadn't until we went searching for a course that would satisfy our educational requirement for bankruptcy.

The course was so good it should be a requirement of high schoolers before they graduate.

In reading Ramsey's site I've come to find out he offers around 12 additional courses on personal finance and as soon as business picks up some or I am able to find a job, I want to investigate all he has to offer.

Sights and Sites: Part One

A roadtrip to DC is an adventure for the Darks, SisIggy and myself - especially when I wield the camera. In all likelihood, this will be my last foray with it -- I know Dark and Sis won't let me have it again and when readers see my take on the paintings at the National Gallery of Art, you all won't let me either.

The trip began innocently enough, though I think I may have gotten under Dark's skin a bit early on the Metro platform in Virginia.


Exiting the escalator at the Smithsonian's Orange Line we were greeted by one of the city's many tour guides peddaling Official Smithsonian Tour Books at a bargain price of $1.

Unfortunately, I was more broke than he was and he refused my offer of me taking his picture for $2, so we moved northward where I took the obligatory photo of the Washington Monument and the obligatory photo of the US Capitol.

I even managed a photo of Mr. and Mrs. Dark and SisIggy as we crossed the pea-graveled walkway.


Our first stop was at the Museum of Natural History where I saw the next gadget Dark Garden will get for his West Virginia Crime Lab.

I don't know what exactly he'll do with it and I don't know if he knows, but I am sure his next Homeland Security Grant will have the cash needed to import it from Canada.

We also saw the Giant Squid in the Sant Ocean Hall exhibit but it was too long to get photographed, and besides, I hate calamari. Sis likes the stuff but was afraid to say so.

Mrs. Dark allowed me to visit the Soils Exhibit that I once contributed a sum of cash too (when I had it). The exhibit includes monolithes of each state's (plus DC and Puerto Rico) official or, as in the case of Virginia the unofficial state soil.

Ours is Pamunkey -- the soil found around Jamestown and that which sustained the colonists in the early 1600s. So as to educate you, a monolith is a cross-section of the soil profile.

Technically, Pamunkey is a fine-loamy, mixed, semiactive, thermic hapludalf. For the scientists among us, I have included below the official soil description. For the unscientific - or for those who just doesn't give a damn - please skip below for the remainder of the travelogue.

PAMUNKEY SERIES

Soils of the Pamunkey series are very deep and well drained. They formed in Piedmont and Coastal Plain sediments. They are on nearly level to sloping stream terraces. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 48 inches, and mean annual temperature is about 59 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, semiactive, thermic Ultic Hapludalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Pamunkey fine sandy loam - cultivated. (Colors are for moist soil.)

Ap--0 to 9 inches dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) fine sandy loam; moderate fine granular structure; very friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; many fine and medium roots; 3 percent rounded quartz gravel; few fine flakes of mica; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)

Bt1--9 to 11 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine roots; few faint clay films on faces of peds; 1 percent rounded quartz gravel; few fine flakes of mica; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary.

Bt2--11 to 26 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine roots; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; common black stains on vertical faces of peds; 5 percent rounded quartz gravel; few fine flakes of mica; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary.

Bt3--26 to 43 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/8) sandy clay loam; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; common faint clay films on faces of peds; common black coatings on faces of peds; 5 percent rounded quartz gravel; few fine flakes of mica; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon ranges from 35 to 60 inches.)

BC--43 to 46 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/8) sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; few faint clay films on faces of peds; common black stains; 10 percent rounded quartz gravel; common fine flakes of mica; moderately acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (30 to 12 inches thick) 30 to 60 inches)

2C--46 to 80 inches; stratified layers of yellowish brown (1OYR 5/6), strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), and reddish brown (5YR 4/4) sand and rounded greenstone and granite gravel; single grain; loose; few cobbles; common fine flakes of mica; medium acid.

The soil is found here in this part of Virginia:

Okay, enough with the boring stuff already.

Sghts and Sites: Part 2

Ready for another, exciting take on all things DC?

The Natural History tour is behind us and we proceeded to the butterfly garden and the sculpture garden before heading to the Art Museum. Here are two of the most beautiful butterflies we found. Once we got to the Sculpture Garden I saw three specimen that totally blew me away.

I mean, who in their right mind would pay someone to create these objects? At least the funds for the monstosities were via private donations and not Uncle Sam. It's a wonder.

We also watched as a young boy dropped his sippy cup into this cool pool.

Everyone tried to retrieve it but the cops wouldn't allow wading and it looked like the kid would have to leave without it until I reached out and grabbed it as it floated by, Everyone applauded, including the cops, but in the excitement, Sis forgot to snap the picture so you'll have to take my word.
After leaving the gallery I found this new monument that I had never seen before:

Seriously, though we were hungry and tired and saw a different slant on all things considered.

Take, for example, the sign on the left. No wonder the country is in such a mess when there is signage like this. Why is the sign rectanular when it's obvious that its really a triangle?

We got back on Metro and went to Union Station where we were royally snubbed at Pizzeria Uno.

We sat here at this table, which apparently is the official seat of Ms. Pelosi when she isn't running the country.
Hope she gets better service than we did.

Fortunately, we did find excellent service at the Center Cafe and the Maryland Crabcake sandwhich was delectable to boot.

Vacarro's was fortunately closed by the time we got there for dessert. With a full stomach and a happy time, we boarded Metro and headed for home.

My View of Art

I sincerely hope art enthusiasts don't track me down for what I am about to depict here. One might say I have a warped sense of appreciation but in reality, I just see things differently from most folks.

Take, for example Saint George And The Dragon, by Sadoma.

I know who did it by doing a Google search. At the gallery, all I saw was a flaming red cape and had to really look hard for the dragon...

Meanwhile, I saw bits of other photos, like what I call the Wandering Eye series.


No matter where you viewed the painting in the room, the damn thing was watching you. I even wonder why there was a NGA Protective Service person guarding each room entrance when it was obvious the painting was the real guard.



Another semblance was that most early painters apparently had a foot fetish. Why else would they paint this:
and that?















Like us, they also apparently liked to eat. And they had good taste too -- succulent oysters on the half-shell and sliced watermelon, just to name a few. The paintings did make me think and I guess that's a goal of the gallery. For example, why is this bird sainted?
And why weren't any of the dogs or cats sainted?









And why is Eastman credited with
inventing a camera when one was
already available 300 years earlier.

Finally, when all was said and done, I
walked into a room and found

my wife Sisiggy hanging on the wall.

Do you think she might darn my socks when she gets done hemming Heir I pants?

Enough Already

It had been a long day and even SisIggy had had enough.
As we walked towards the parking garage at Vienna - Fairfax - GMU Metro Station (finding the car was yet another story for another day), I took the 141st and final photo.
I believe the pic speaks for itself.