Up in the Air: My Second Tandem Jump

I have been feeling very restless this weekend! I figured out it’s because my feet are on the ground! I feel like I should be headed back over to a drop zone for another skydive! That is no exaggeration; that’s honestly how I feel.

So yes, I finally got another tandem jump in. I hear a lot of people who have never tried skydiving describe it with words like “insane”, “daredevil”, and “crazy”. And while I understand why they say such things, the only word I can use to describe it is “joyous.”

This time I chose Skydive OC in Berlin (Maryland – right next to Ocean City) and planned to jump on my 30th birthday. Was I disappointed when I came down with a nasty cold that same week and had to postpone it because of my congested sinuses! (It’s a terrible idea to jump with congestion, of course.) I rescheduled for two weeks later, and my wonderful sister and brother-in-law drove me out there from their home in Gaithersburg on Saturday. It was a LONNNNNNNG drive, bless their souls. Some clouds and approaching thunderstorms pushed back the time by a few hours. We went and had some lunch at the Greene Turtle sports bar up the road and then came back just in time for the jump. There was no long waiting around for endless hours on end with no updates as with the last site. I only wish the drive (to either site) wasn’t so long from Arlington. Although it is doable in one day, I would recommend making a weekend OC vacation out of it so that you don’t have to battle nasty Bay Bridge tourist traffic on the same day that you jump. I am very grateful to Cat and Rob for driving me; they are sweethearts.

The lesson for the tandem skydive was very quick – we watched a video and then practiced our stance a few times. The instructors were very professional, clear, and positive. But I was surprised to find I was a bit jittery depsite having done this before. Not that I expected to feel like a know-it-all, but I was kind of nervous even though I knew most of what would happen.

After we were strapped into everything, we went right out to the plane. I told my tandem instructor, Daniel, as we went up that I was feeling jitters and wasn’t sure why. He said that is normal and that his pre-jump jitters lasted until he had completed about 30 jumps. (He now has over 15,000 to his credit and has been jumping for 17 years.) When we left the plane I felt no real fear, just a sensation of “Okay, here we go …” When we fell out this time, we did a complete flip in the air! So fun!

There was no fear at all during this jump, only pure exhiliration. The view is unbelievable. We were straight over the ocean. I truly felt like I was flying. It sounds cheesy, but the sensation of jumping has only been matched in my dreams – when I was a girl, I dreamed about flying all the time.

My only complaint about skydiving is the brief amount of time that you are in the air! I felt like I could go again and again all day, and obviously people do, all the time. So would I if I had the money to spare. Can you imagine the feeling of being up in the air all alone, no tandem, no other jumpers, saying goodbye the pilot and then being more alone than you could ever be elsewhere … just you and the sky and the birds. I wish it wasn’t such an expensive sport. I adore it and would like to pursue my USPA “A” class license as soon as possible. There is a school in Orange County (VA) and I am looking into beginning courses next summer. Once you are licensed, you can jump by yourself at most sites and pay the pilot a small fee ($20 to $30 from what I read) to take you up!

Here are some pictures taken by Daniel. You can purchase a disc of photos, a jump video, and/or a landing photo at Skydive OC. There are other pics on this disc that are hilarious because you can see the skin on my face and arms rippling in the wind like I’m made of clay … HAHAHA. Well, I left those out. I strongly recommend Skydive OC as a jump site. No disrespect meant to the other DZ, but it blew them out of the water in nearly every way. I look forward to returning and learning more about the sport. I am up for a dive any time. Click on each picture to enlarge to the full size in a separate window.

A view of the Ocean City beach strip and surrounding areas, less than 2/3 of the way up!

Checking out the view on our ascent!

With my fellow jumper! He was a first-time jumper, but had a lot of neat stories about hang-gliding in Turkey! Behind us are the pilot and the other instructor.

Preparing to exit the plane!

Getting into the proper stance with my head back. Look at the instructor's right wrist - that's the altimeter that tells him how far above ground we are (at least 12,000 feet)!

Here we go into freefall with a backflip off of the plane!

This picture makes me laugh so hard! But you can't help but scream! A scream of pure exhilaration

Keeping my hands on my straps early in the fall - once the instructor taps you, you can put your arms out!

In free fall, plummeting about 120 miles per hour over the ocean!

Parachute deployment!

Coming in to the Drop Zone

Unbelievable fun!

Arlington Walkabout #2: Crystal City

A Crystal City skywalk

Like many areas of Arlington, Crystal City is scheduled to undergo a comprehensive rehaul. This may be necessary as the urban neighborhood faces some serious challenges now that a large portion of its working population is being moved elsewhere, thanks to the latest BRAC (Base Re-alignment and Closure). 

Arlington Walkabouts: Pike Hike

Did you know that Arlington County has a “Walkabouts” program? You can view a brochure right here on the Walk Arlington site that gives you directions for a self-guided tour of multiple Arlington communities. Each tour has various stops with random fun facts about the neighborhood.  

Let the Drive-Ins Tour Begin!

I’m pretty sure I remember the exact moment I first saw a drive-in movie screen and knew what it was. My mom was taking me to a rollerskating lesson at Skateland in Fredericksburg when we passed one. “What’s that?” I asked. She told me it was the site of the former Pitt’s Drive-In theater and told me all about how she and her friends would go there when she was a kid. From that moment, I loved the idea of drive-ins! I figured I probably be visiting one any time in the near future as it seemed they were strictly a symbol of a bygone era. So as a teenager, I flipped out during a trip out west when I saw THREE up-and-running drive-ins in one day! (There was no time to stop and watch a movie though.) And imagine my great joy in college when I discovered there was a drive-in movie theater – a very successful one – in the same county. The Starlite Drive-In soon became a favorite haunt of mine for the 8 years I studied, worked, and became a townie in my beloved Blacksburg.

Although drive-ins are hardly as ubiquitous as they once were, they are not unheard of, either. Today the Commonwealth of Virginia has at least 10 open and operating drive-ins, some of them new. I had always planned to make a summer out of visiting all of them, including a return trip to my favorite Starlite, and it looks like this may be the summer! Eric’s generous boss has given him a full three days off for the holiday weekend, so we’ll be taking a very brief getaway to nearby Stephens City to visit the Family Drive-In, open since 1956, as our first drive-in stop! There are some other attractions in that town as well and we’re really just looking forward to having a mini-vacation.

For more information on drive-in theaters in Virginia and surrounding states, both open and closed, please visit this site (my go-to reference): Drive-In Theatres of the Mid-Atlantic, Past and Present

You can also visit the Family Drive-In’s website right here.

Cactus Cantina

It’s not every Sunday afternoon that I wake up to someone jumping up and down on the bed yelling, “MARTHA WAKE UP! MARTHA WAKE UP! I want to take you to a restaurant!” I was willing to forgive this intrusion as the offender was very handsome … oh yeah, and that he was offering to pay for my lunch! I had passed Cactus Cantina on my way to Bethesda the previous weekend, of which I know my sister is a big fan, so Eric and I headed out that way to enjoy his first full day off in … let’s not get into that. It’s at 3300 Wisconsin Avenue NW, a relatively short drive from our home. As we turned onto Wisconsin from 33rd Street, Eric got the bright idea to park a full mile away from the restaurant so that we could walk off some of the excess calories in advance and enjoy the weather. I should’ve considered my shoddy footwear choice (my favorite purple flats) before I agreed to this plan, but I didn’t and I’ll spare you the details of what ultimately happened to my poor little feet. Other than those injuries, it was a lovely walk and we even got hit with a brief refreshing summer shower! The Cantina is hard to miss, with attractive decor including a large cactus statue with neon lights. Inside, the atmosphere was lively and the service was pretty fast, not surprising considering the number of waitstaff to patrons. There had to be a server for every single person (not table) in that whole joint, and they were all dressed like camp counselors! Awesome!

We were seated next to the tortilla maker and given chips and salsa. The chips were delicious but the type that break easily, and the salsa was the watery kind that drips all over you unless you hold the bowl right under your face as you eat. This never stops us from devouring a whole basket, however, and it sure didn’t this time. We also had a plate of jalapeno queso dip, guacamole, and shredded cheese with our pre-meal munchies – DELICIOUS. When our main brunch dishes arrived, I was already close to full. I do this EVERY SINGLE TIME I visit a Mexican restaurant and ruin my appetite with the snacks and appetizers! I managed to eat one of my three fish tacos anyway and I drained most of my frozen peach margarita. The drink could’ve been stronger – but I really don’t drink that much anymore, so if it was stronger it probably would’ve put me to sleep for the afternoon, haha. Eric complained he was stuffed but demolished his giant burrito anyway … no surprise there.

It was a nice meal in a lively place. I have no real complaints. I’d like to come back. After we were through, we hiked back down to the car, stopping in Whole Foods on the way. The air was yummily warm and we watched a baseball team practice for a bit. If it wasn’t for our overly full states and my bloody feet, we probably would’ve hung around the neighborhood longer. What a good way to start a new week, especially after this last one was so … WEIRD. (Except for Saturday night; Saturday night was great) If I never have another week like last week ever again, that’s fine by me!

A Walk on Roosevelt Island

Some of DC’s most famous landmarks are monuments to our greatest presidents: Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson … but how about Theodore Roosevelt? Where’s that tribute? As a matter of fact, it’s in a piece of National Parks land on the Potomac between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom.

Theodore Roosevelt Island wasn’t something I had heard much about, or more honestly, paid much attention to, but it piqued my interest after I saw it featured on my favorite Roadside America app for iPhone. (Check it out here.) I Googled the island, and a page on About.com told me it was two blocks from “Rosslyn Circle”, whatever that is. (Turns out it’s that very common thoroughfare … I never thought of that as a circle, but this 1965 photo from Flickr user roger4336 shows that it once was. Does anyone today other than about.com call it Rosslyn Circle?) We found parking much farther away – closer to Iwo Jima, got our bearings, and took our time passing through Freedom Park and Gateway Park to get there. I had been considering parking in the garage of a hotel I know does not issue parking stickers, but I’m glad I didn’t because the weather was nice.

A small parking lot is available on the Virginia side of Roosevelt Island’s pedestrian bridge, but it was most definitely full on this nice day. No surprise there. The island is clearly frequented by joggers and dog-walkers, and no wonder! A long pedestrian bridge goes across the river to the island, where trails loop around a towering statue of Roosevelt. One trail extends onto a boardwalk through the river with excellent views of the Kennedy Center through the trees – and many mallard ducks. It is quiet – with the exception of planes coming into or leaving Reagan Airport, and the cars whizzing by just overhead on Memorial Bridge. Okay, so it’s not that quiet – but still I find it a reflective escape from super busy Rosslyn. As we walked the trails, three deer casually crossed our path just yards away.

Our 26th President towers over Eric (at right). Although the statue looks incensed from farther back, up close you'll note a slight smile on his face.

Roosevelt silhouetted against the late afternoon sun

The island’s centerpiece is of course this bronze statue of Roosevelt, surrounded by four pylons displaying some of the president’s most famous words. At present this area is under construction, but benches are available for resting, writing, or sketching. Big empty fountains sit still and silent, and a manmade river, also devoid of water, loops around under two bridges. It will look beautiful when renovations are complete.

There is no fee to visit Roosevelt Island at this time. For more information: Theodore Roosevelt Island at the National Park Service web site.

Bull Run Festival of Lights

Since moving to this area three years ago, I look forward every year to driving through the Bull Run Festival of Lights in Centreville, VA with my favorite Valentine family! (We did miss it last year!) It’s a very cool event for anyone to enjoy, especially since you can stay in your warm car the whole time (unless you want to visit the outdoor Holiday Village winter carnival at the end … read on).

After paying your admission, turn your car radio to 97.1 FM (or whichever station is playing Christmas music) and cruise on down the lighted pathway for the next 15-20 minutes. On either side of the road, and sometimes arching over it, are figures made out of Christmas lights. Many of the figures “move” – Old Man Winter blows a gust of wind at you, gingerbread men and reindeer fly over your head, Santa and his elves make toys, etc. You’re supposed to turn off your headlights so that everyone can get the best view in the dark; the road is lined with lights the whole way, so there’s no need to leave anything but your parking lights on. The first year I went, I was driving Frank the Buick and it turned out the automatic sensor lights could not be turned off, so we went through with headlights glaring the whole time. Oops.

Most of the light scenes show holiday stuff, but there are plenty of random ones that depict fairy tales and whatnot. We didn’t see any new ones this year that I can think of which was disappointing. Eric took pictures this year, but most of them came out awful. That’s probably because we weren’t drifting to a halt every other second to take umpteen flash photos while holding up the rest of the line, like SOME people in front of us kept insisting on doing! Here are a couple shots that came out decently, but you’ll probably need to do the click-and-enlarge bit to get a decent look.

Giant scary apple tree! He moves his arms back and forth.

There are a lot of random non-holiday scenes thrown in. Here's one with Peter Pan flying overhead and the gator opening and closing his mouth!

The Holiday Village at the end is like a carnival in freezing weather. There are a few kiddie rides and food and game booths set up. I would’ve loved to ride the Ferris wheel, but it was just too cold for me to sit still for that long. As for the games, this year I got some weird deformed aqua-colored animal (“It’s whatever you want it to be, honey,” said the lady at the booth) from the pick-a-duck “game”, and a cup of hot chocolate that tasted just like what I imagine hot motor oil tastes like. They did have a crepe truck at one end but I was not hungry enough to get one. Too bad … I love crepes! A crafts store was open, and the Valentine family posed for a cute picture with Santa Claus inside. Little Stephen looked adorable walking around in his sock monkey hat and caused lots of people to stop and go “Awwwww.”

Hanging out in the Holiday Village

I was saddened to see that the heaters-on-poles and the little slick of an ice rink (if it was really ice … to me it looked like vinyl, hehehe) were missing, perhaps to make way for the new light show feature this year. We sat down to check that out. Warm blankets were provided; thank goodness for that because until I put one on the bleachers I felt like my butt was glued to a block of ice. The light show consists of several Christmas trees flashing lights in synchronization with a couple of blaring Christmas carols. Kind of fun, but the one who got the most out of it was Stephen, who was fascinated.

Another thing that you can do at the Holiday Village is get some marshmallows on sticks and roast them over the big fire pits. For some reason we neglected to do this this year. There was also a hay ride available to go through another section of the lights; I don’t remember its being available before. I felt like something was “missing” this year and I guess the ice rink and heaters would be it. I still highly recommend visiting Bull Run this month for an evening of fun. Prices vary based on type of vehicle and number of people, but we paid $20 for an SUV with five people. If you want a preview of the show, just drive by on I-66 – you can see the light displays at the end of the forest trail, and the carnival with the Ferris wheel.

Have fun!

Reach Out and Touch a Ghost

The Virginia Scientific Research Association (VSRA) leads ghost tours around historic downtown Leesburg, which is the county seat of beautiful Loudoun County, Virginia. The VSRA was founded in 1992 by Joe Holbert. According to this article from the Washington Post, Holbert, then the director of the Loudon Museum, began investigating paranormal sightings in Leesburg after the mayor requested that he put together a ghost tour. Soliciting local residents for stories, he was surprised by the volume of submissions he received. Holbert and his team were able to debunk all but 42 of the stories. Today the VSRA shares some of those stories on walking tours held from May through October.

I went on one of these tours with my sister and her husband this month. Our tour guide did a great job sharing stories about the houses and places of business we passed. We were touring at the same time as a much larger group ahead of us, so we often had to wait for that group to finish looking at sites just ahead before we could move on. A wedding being held at one of the sites held us up for quite some time; in fact, I think it’s possible the average tour time is closer to an hour and a half.

This tour is fairly well-known in this area for two different reasons. The first is that it is not lead just by history buffs telling ghost tales, but by the VSRA’s team of paranormal researchers. Many have had experience investigating the sites visited, and they share their personal knowledge and beliefs regarding the supernatural. Our tour guide explained that there are two main types of ghosts. Sentients are intelligent spirits retaining a human appearance; contrary to popular thought, researchers believe that sentients appear in the areas where they were happiest when they were alive, not because they died there or wish to avenge some wrong done to them. Residuals are perhaps best described as memories left behind by living beings, which can be picked up by some individuals. Examples of residuals in the Leesburg area are the sound of footsteps overhead in one building, a sudden feeling of sadness at a memorial site, the repeated sound of a crash over and over where nothing has fallen, and the strong smell of a woman’s perfume. (Imagine how surprised I was to hear about that last one at a site where, just minutes before, I noticed the smell of perfume and starting sniffing around trying to figure out who was wearing it.) Some residuals take human form but are merely visual memories (as opposed to sentients, which display awareness of their surroundings). Both residuals and sentients emit natural (DC as opposed to AC) electromagnetic frequencies (EMF), as do living things. Persons believed to be most sensitive to residuals are those who are more “right-brained” and those who have higher levels of EMF than the average bear. Our tour guide brought along an EMF reader which she whipped out as we toured a cemetery where stones (and an original part of the floor) mark the foundation of the church that once stood there. She invited us each to walk several times past the EMF reader, which she held still for the best reading. Mine was high at 100, my brother-in-law’s even higher at nearly 150, and one man caused the reader to spike past 1000, but most of the rest of the group had “normal” readings (causing disappointment in some!). The tour guide shared with us that one guest with a particularly high EMF reading once accidentally ignited a candle inside a tavern on the tour by simply looking through the window and joking she could make it light. The tavern owner had to be called at home to come unlock the tavern and put out the flame. My sister tried to get me to pull the same trick at the end of the tour! (Nice try, Cat )

The second reason for the tour’s popularity is its unusual ending: guests are invited to “touch a ghost” that is said to haunt one of the two old hanging trees right outside of the looming courthouse. The two trees still bear the faint impression of rings on their thick lower branches from where nooses were once tied. My sister pointed them out to me on the first tree as we stood under it; they are obvious once one knows what to look for. Seeing that tree made me feel saddened for what happened there and sent the expected shiver up my spine. But I wasn’t scared at any point of the tour until we approached the second former hanging tree. Here the tour guide explained that a residual can be felt around, and close to, one of the hanging branches. You’re supposed to get a slightly cooling, tingling sensation. But I mainly felt … awful, like I wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near the tree. I’m just going to leave it at that, but quite honestly, I haven’t felt that terrible about any one place in a long time. No one else seemed to feel this, so I guess I am crazy. The only thing the others noticed was the residual; those of us who said they could feel it noticed slightly cooler sensations and tingling around their hands. I was very thankful to leave the courthouse yard. It was odd to feel that way when I had previously been so excited to see what the whole “touch a ghost” bit was all about!

What I really enjoyed about the tour was how the ghost stories were mixed with bits of historical intrigue about the buildings of Leesburg. For example, we learned that many of the tiny doors and windows we saw were installed that way on purpose because it meant lower property taxes for the owners. A door at a building now housing a Chinese restaurant couldn’t have been much more than a foot across. Can you imagine trying to carry two armfuls of groceries through a door like that? Another building once housed three-time Presidential candidate Henry Clay in the 1800s, and many years later the owners discovered a spot on the wall where he’d written a declaration that the President (himself – guess he thought the third time would be the charm) once slept there. Today his writing is still in its original spot and framed for posterity.

I was also charmed by the general character of Leesburg. Prior to the tour, we had soup and sandwiches at Shoes Cup and Cork Club, so named because it was once the site of a shoe repair business; the original neon sign still glows above the front door. The beautifully designed golden lion’s face on the outside of well-regarded Lightfoot restaurant was quite striking, gleaming regally in the accentuating building lights. Lightfoot resides in the former Peoples National Bank site at 11 King Street. (The bank vault door is still present in the men’s room!) On the same street, right across from the courthouse, are two neighboring businesses: Freedom Bail Bonds, and a biker bar whose neon sign proclaims: “Better Here Than Across the Street”! As the enthusiastic songs of a country band drifted over to us standing under the big hanging tree, I thought to myself that the slogan was true in more ways than one.

Read more about VSRA and the ghost tours here. Happy Halloween!

Coming soon … the Rally to Restore Sanity/March to Keep Fear Alive, a brief stay in Luxembourg, the start of National Novel Writing Month, and I tackle the first of the 30 things!

Maryland Renaissance Festival

I spent a recent Sunday at the Maryland Renaissance Festival in Annapolis, to help celebrate one of my closest friends’ upcoming (now past) wedding. It was only my second time visiting, and just like last time, we spent the end of the festival huddled underneath a big barrel with an umbrella on it, as the rain poured down around us and the bottles of hanging condiments. It’s tough to eat a snack when a big container of Season-All keeps smacking into you.

When I was in high school in Virginia, we had our own Renaissance park. Many of my friends worked there, but I never really enjoyed it. We mainly went just to find our friends in costume so we could giggle at/with them. I also once had a really uncomfortable ride on the back of some hapless camel at a station there. It closed just three years after it opened. The buildings still stand, and you can occasionally catch glimpses of them through the trees as you pass on Route 3. (You can also find pictures of the abandoned park online.) It’s so odd to see the way it looks now, with newspapers from 1999 (a year that still seems fresh in my mind) scattered in the employee rooms. (You can find one of many photo sets at Lucent Moments: Renaissance Faire, VA.)

The Maryland Renaissance Festival is decidedly bigger and better! On my first visit there last year, we ate plenty of food, watched a jousting match, joined the audience of a decidedly adult comedy sketch show, listened to a couple of bands play, cheered Eric on in rock-climbing, threw knives and ninja stars at wooden targets, browsed the many rows of shops, and ate more food. For me, one of the most fun parts of the Renaissance Festival is seeing the many visitors who come out dressed in full costume; some of these outfits were handmade and are quite beautiful. I also like to note how every shopkeeper speaks with an old time accent that they keep up even when they are tired or irritated, still addressing you by “milady” or “m’lord.” When you’ve been standing on your feet all day serving a sometimes ungrateful public, I bet that gets old quick, but they are dedicated.

This year, we saw a joust again and I was relieved to see they’ve added microphones so that it’s easier to hear the announcers. The grounds are full of awesome decorations, but sadly, few of those were Halloween-appropriate. I saw a couple of tombstones and pumpkin lanterns here and there, but that was it. Oh well, it was only the first weekend in October – maybe it was too early.

Well, one of the highlights of the Ren Fest for me is the food. Come on, don’t give me a straight face and say sampling some of that stuff is at the bottom of your list of things to do at a festival or carnival. And Ren Fest has some unique options. You can sample honeymead (too sweet for me) or a pretzel covered in crab meat and cheese (delicious when hot!). You can get fried mac and cheese on a stick – triangular batter bites stuck like kabobs on a long stick, each one filled with super hot cheesy noodles.

Mac-and-cheese-on-a-stick enjoyed a last sojourn on a napkin before his rather undignified execution. (Undignified for whom, exactly, is up for debate...)

Another of my favorites is the Scotch egg, which I’d never heard of before setting foot in the Ren Fest. Scotch eggs are hard-boiled eggs set in a square of lightly-breaded sausage. They would make a perfect breakfast on-the-go.

A delicious Scotch egg!

Jalapeno poppers are regrettably not very good at the Ren Fest – they’re full of thick sour cream, true, but it’s mostly tasteless, and the jalapenos have no fire left, so what’s the point? The chocolate-covered cheesecake-on-a-stick is always a great pick, but is rich enough that you might consider splitting with someone else if you can’t get through the whole thing on your own. If you’re in the mood for a big soft pretzel, just chase down the guy carrying the big pretzel tree!

No, I was not stalking him!

There are many, many other things to eat at the Ren Fest, but sampling them all would take a large amount of money, time, and stomach space. Hey, if someone wants to pay me to try, I’m game!

Array of food signs in just one small area at the Ren Fest!

Except for the stores, the food, and the games (such as rock-climbing and knife-throwing), everything else I have mentioned so far is completely free. You can wander in to the joust, have your picture taken on a scenic bridge, and even help a “street magician” do some simple magic tricks for no extra cost. But there are a couple of things I’ve been told are not free that I have yet to explore, such as a large maze and the Museum of Unnatural History, which to me looks awesome.

That is a fountain made of skulls. Perfect for Halloween!

Note: I know I’m bombarding you guys with a lot of blog posts. I had been too lazy about posting all the ones I’ve been working on! Don’t even get me started on the backlog of travel posts …

Arlington County Indoor Pool Reviews

This brief article at the Washington area’s TBD.com reviews the three Arlington County indoor pools: those at Wakefield, Yorktown, and Washington-Lee high schools. The one thing I’d prefer the author had included is an opinion on crowd levels. I know the W-L pool is too crowded for me, at all hours of the day, which is a shame because it’s quite nice. (There are technically two W-L pools – a lap pool and a leisure pool.)

Kudos to Arlington news blog ARL Now for being awesome as always by originally linking to the article.