Washington, DC --Since the last post on April 9, I've had my 29th birthday, went to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, went to a Baltimore Orioles game and two Nationals games, did a tour of local Civil War battlefields and completed a road trip to Chicago. All while working on multiple clients for my independent consulting business and searching for a job (most client work ends in June, so...yeah, the search is on, argh).
Yes, things are busy in D.C., so that explains a bit of the absence from the Raconteur. Too many stories to tell. This post thus, will be provide links to photo albums and brief descriptions.
Lancaster, PA - Amanda and I took a drive up to Lancaster, PA in April. We walked around town and went golfing. Lancaster is known for its Amish community and a local antique culture. Interesting fact is that many of the Amish a millionaires because they have owned the land so long and their plots are protecting by local government to preserve their culture. So what you have is this growth of the town that have driven property values up and consequently the Amish's wealth. Very interesting thought to drive by a home, lit by candles and realize, "that is a millionaire's home." Here is a link to our photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/nick.kowalski/AdventuresInDCWeekendInPennsylvania?authkey=Gv1sRgCIvPmouz0Mj0cA&feat=directlink
Civil War Battlefields - My mom made the trip all the way out from Washington so we could do our long-planned Civil War Battlefield tour. Washington, DC is within a couple hours drive of many of the most significant battles of the Civil War. We decided on visiting Antietam (Maryland), Harpers Ferry (WV, VA), Gettysburg (PA), Fredricksburg (VA), Chancellorsville (VA) and The Wilderness (VA). Antietam was the site of the bloodiest one-day battle of war and Harpers Ferry is the site of where the Civil War unofficialy started as the radical abolishionist, John Brown, made is fateful stand at the firehouse where General Robert E. Lee led the command that ultimately flushed Brown and his clan from the firehouse (which still stands today). An interesting fact that I did not know is that Harpers Ferry was a major economic hub during the early 1800's. It lies at the junction of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers. The land around it is rich in iron ore. In the mid-1800's there was a "race" to reach the Ohio River from the Chesapeake. It was a race to create an economic transport route to link the Ohio River to the eastern seaboard shipping network. The C & O Canal (Chesapeake - Ohio Canal) vs. the B & O Railroad (Baltimore - Ohio Railroad) were the competitors. Basically, the water route (C & O Canal) fell short of funding and the railroad route won. So, with the railroad winning, the importance of the water junction at Harpers Ferry dwindled and it has been a quite town every since. Here is a link to photos from the entire Civil War Battlefield tour weekend:
Antietam & Harpers Ferry: http://picasaweb.google.com/nick.kowalski/CivilWarBattlefieldsAntietamAndHarpersFerry?feat=directlink
Gettysburg: http://picasaweb.google.com/nick.kowalski/CivilWarBattlefieldsGettysburg?feat=directlink
Virginia: http://picasaweb.google.com/nick.kowalski/CivilWarBattlefieldsFredricksburgChancellorsvilleWilderness?feat=directlink
Over Memorial Day weekend, Amanda and I took a quick, spontaneous road trip to Chicago to celebrate a friend's wedding that had occurred overseas and to attend a Chicago Cubs baseball game at the rooftops at Wrigley Field. Here are some pictures from the trip: http://picasaweb.google.com/nick.kowalski/ChicagoWeddingCelebrationWrigleyRooftops?feat=directlink
Two more comments:
One, I am also contributing to my roommate's (Will) blog: http://thehourofgraciousliving.blogspot.com/
It is a blog about the various and exciting culinary adventures that routinely occur at our apartment. We will be posting stories about the food projects we undertake and comments about the success and failures of our efforts. Please check it out regularly as we have a few contributors.
Second, as many of you know, I have been working as an independent consultant with my mentor, John Kenny, for the firm I worked at before the Obama campaign. However, it looks like the next month is going to be decision-making time for my career pursuits. I am actively pursuing a campaign job for the 2010 cycle and/or employment until those campaigns begin hiring. If anyone has any suggestions or recommendations for my endeavor, please let me know.
Thanks for staying connected.
Nicholas
