Brew At The Zoo

Stardate 66866.6

18:21 - Sometimes you feel like going wild and day drinking. Brew at the Zoo is the way to go when both these feelings are running through your veins. You have to try at least all of the beers there twice. The worst beer there is Sam Adams. That should tell you all you need to know about the quality. Most of the beers were animal themed, but here is a run down of the best:


1. Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale - Awesome, I am not a pale ale. This ale hops around in more way than one. Hey-o. I will stop that, Focus Foxies.

2. Harpoon Honey Cider - Nectar of the gods. Enough said. It glistens in the early Summer light.

3. DuClaw Sweet Baby Jesus - Only one thing could beat number two, that is sweet baby Jesus. It is true. I mean a stripper referred us to this beer. That is not a lie, Focus Foxies. More importantly, it tastes like a peanut butter cup. Do not doubt me or our stripper friend.

After we toured the beers, we took the tram to the animals. I wanted to check these awesome beings out first, but the boys wanted to get in line to get into the beer section. I mean they were right because the line was so long. Nonetheless, we had time for the wild. There is an order in the Maryland Zoo. A order of animals, if you will. I know the zookeepers don't let the animals know that, but there is. First you walk into the zoo and spy the prairie dogs. They are cute, run around, and dig. Then you tram like you do up the hill. The hill is basically were it is at. There is the Arctic section and the African section.

1. The Arctic section - your classic foxes and polar bear mix. No penguins. Penguins live South of the hemisphere.

2. The Africa section - you see the giraffes; you see the lions. Then you see the PENGUINS!

Focus Foxies, this is an amazing event that helps out a good cause. You will find me there next year.

Focus Foxies in attendance: Rob, Chip, and actual foxes

Hail to the Falcons

Stardate 66236.5

15:28 - On Sunday (Stardate 66233.7) Rob and I made our way to Landover, Maryland to Fedex Field. We had tickets to see the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins battle it out. Being from Atlanta, Rob wanted to be there to support Matt Ryan trampling the Redskins. I wanted to support RGIII and the home team, but I secretly wanted the Falcons to win.

View from the outside

Despite having Washington attached to their name, the Redskins' field is not located in Washington. It is barely in what I would consider the metro area. It's outside the beltway! But I digress, Focus Foxies, the Landover location allows Redskins' fans plenty of room to tailgate. They tailgate pretty well for not being in the South. They have tents, grills, and games set up all around the parking lots. We had to dodge footballs to make it into the stadium. I think they were aimed at Rob's Ryan jersey, but there is no way to be sure.

We got inside the bowl shaped Fedex Field at last. Let me tell you something, Focus Foxies, no one comes to the stadium until kick off or a bit afterwards. We were worried that no one would show up. For the first half of the game the Redskins remained competitive with the 4-0 Falcons. They met them touchdown for touchdown. In fact, they looked like an awesome team for a bit there. After the touchdowns, I was introduced to the Redskins' Marching Band. Each touchdown they play their fight song: 'Hail to the Redskins.'

Rain and cold weather didn't stop us!

Well, the Redskins' good luck couldn't last very long. The Falcons came out ready to play the second half. They kept RGII contained, and then they sent him to the sidelines with a mild concussion. The Falcons were trying to make short work of the Redskins, but the Redskins kept limping along. One of the more special aspects of this game was the opportunity to see a career die. It wasn't RGIII's (although he should take lessons from Harper in sliding); it was the kicker Cundiff. We watched the sad field goal attempts to keep the Redskins in the game. Missing a 30 yard field goal was an especially low moment for Cundiff. His next extra point attempt led to the crowd booing him. I mean the guy could not kick a simple field goal; why add to his struggle by booing an extra point attempt? Redskins' fans that's why. Cundiff was eventually cut the next week in disgrace. The Redskins had a few chances at the end of the game, not that their fans would have noticed. A majority of them left before the last 5 minutes. Two turnovers in the last 3 minutes sealed the deal for the Redskins defeat. So I guess their fans' bet against the home team worked.

Superman Rob over Fedex Field

Well, a bunch of people in the stands were happy with the Atlanta win. I credit this with Atlanta fans being the only ones left (I cannot stress enough the emptying of the stands. Incredible). Focus Foxies, what you are more interested in knowing is why would I want the Falcons to win? Is it love? In a way yes. I would love to have a Falcons/Texans Superbowl. I would love to see the hope drain from falcons' fans eyes. I would love to see them leaving the stands as degraded as Redskins' fans. The picture that I want to paint for you, Focus Foxies, is one where our dear Superman is shaken up by the kryptonite that is the Texans Defense. It would include the one-two punch that is Foster/Johnson duo masterminding a Lex Luther like destruction of the Falcons Defense. Unfortunately for the Falcons, there will be no Parker Posey to save them. So yes, love is the reason.

Tubing Down the River

Stardate 65910.3

12:17 - Texas’ passtime in the early months of Summer is tubing down long rivers. My favorite Memorial Day memories center on floating the Frio River. To find tubing in the DC area, you have to follow county roads out to West Virginia. We packed our bags, bought a Groupon, and went to Harpers Ferry. Fueled on Yuengling, we rode the rapids of the Potomac and lazily drifted down the Shenandoah River. I am proud to say that no one fell off without meaning to, and we came back with as many people as we went with. That might seem silly to say, but you can get separated and lose people if they fall asleep or have too much.

The sun felt great and the river greater. I can’t say when it was that I last got out into nature, but it was way too long. I have been stuck in an office chair, locked in my basement bedroom, and tunneled underground in the metro. I was glad that I had time to breathe in the fresh air. Although these rivers aren’t as rough and tumble as Texas’ rivers, they still bought back fond memories and made new ones.This will definitely be a planned outing each year.

 Focus Foxies in attendance:  Durete (the groupon spotter), Rodney, and Rob

Warrior Dash!

The Spokesperson for Legendary!

Stardate 65852.3

Before the Race

They gave us awesome hats to wear

07:56 - Few things I do combine epicness, mental toughness, and physical prowess. The Warrior Dash Challenged me in all three of these areas. We traveled to Mechanicsville, Maryland to stare down the beast (side note: Mechanicsville boasts of a great Amish community). A 5 kilometer obstacle course, the Warrior Dash was a killer, especially considering my lack of training beforehand. Focus Foxies, I must admit that I let my exercise regiment drop, but I signed up for the Warrior Dash in my exercise days. Also, the dash was a part of my 2012 Bucket List. Once a challenge is accepted, you have to complete it.

Nice action shot!

 So I 'ran' the dash. Climbing over 15 foot cargo net walls, jumping over hurdles, and sliding down a huge water slide may sound like fun and games to you. You should think again because even the slide will take your breath away. I have to say my hardest challenge was the amount of hills in the running parts. Being on a backwoods motor runway, the hills kept coming.

At the Finish Line.

The most important part is that I finished despite being exhausted. I leapt over the fire and crawled in a pool of mud to achieve epicness. My time was 50:57:75 or 15:55/mile. I made 4019th place out of 8815 Saturday participants.

Showing some College pride

Time doesn't matter. I conquered the beast. For all of our efforts we got a beer and later Chick-fil-a. Those are not bad prizes indeed.

Focus Foxy Warrior Rob helped see me to Victory!

Wild Horses!

Stardate 65721.5

12:45 - Recently, my Mom came to D.C. for adventurous shenanigans with me. So we packed up a rented VW and left for where the wild horses roam, Assateague and Chincoteague islands.

On the Maryland and Virginia coast, barrier islands are home to herds of wild horses. Horses have been domesticated for years in the U.S., so the origin of these wild horses remains a myth. One myth states the horses swam to shore in a Spanish shipwreck off in the Atlantic. The Spanish shipwreck was real, but a more probably explanation is that local colonists placed the horses here to evade taxes on horses when officials came around. The horses freed themselves and now travel the islands mostly as they please.

Assateague Island boasts of a national and state seashores to protect the environment and animals. These wild horses are considered non-native species, but the Park Rangers manage their herds without interfering in the horses' lives too much. These wild horses have adapted to the salt water marshes of the island; many of them look bloated because of the salt. These marshes have been affected by the horses living here. The grasses would usually be knee high or taller and be home to native species. The grasses we see now are only knee high to a grasshopper. Other famous residents of the island are Bald Eagles. Currently, a mother eagle has two little chicks hatches, and the state park has a camera on the nest for visitors to see the chicks.
 

This guy nearly attacked our car!

The island's seafaring history can be linked to a lighthouse build on the island. Peaking out over the trees. This lighthouse is the highest landmark on the island. Visitors can climb up for a great view of the island. Fun fact, Focus Foxies, the lighthouse light blinks twice every 5 seconds to let sailors know this is Assateague.

My Mom and I had a wild time on the islands. So wild, we were almost run out of town by the wild horses themselves. True story.

Laser Tag and Dogfish Head Ale

Crazy outside snow! The most snow I saw in my life.

Stardate 65580.2

21:02 - Few things can be better than laser tag. True story! We road to the out skirts of the DC metro area to rent out a laser tag place in Maryland. We did not go to make kids cry but grown men and women from the internet. With my two top ten finishes, I would say: Mission Accomplished. With this much awesome about, we tried to top it, and we did.

Menu of beer. A whole menu of dedicated to beer.

A kingly beer

We went for a night cap/victory drink at Dogfish Head Ale House in Gaithersberg. This magical place houses the wonderful ales, lagers, and stouts of Dogfish Head Brewery. It is hard to find these brews on tap or in the store. They simply are on the endangered species list for D.C. Of the rarest of breeds is the Midas Touch beer. A part of the Ancient Ales line, the Midas Touch began 2,700 years ago. Collecting a vessel from the tomb of King Midas, the brew masters reverse engineered the recipe and now bring it to us humble beings. This crisp and flavorful beer danced on my tongue. The most prominent taste is the honey flavors. What can I say about this beer is that the Midas Touch Ale is the golden touch to the ending of a victorious evening. I would have accepted a gold medal, but I got better.