Potomac Fever

We sleep in the cold under mosquito nets and heavy covers until the roosters wake us up early in the morning.  Though lacking heat, the hotel has plenty of French colonial charm. My partner and I are on our third day in Loang Prabang, one part of a seven-week vacation in Southeast Asia.  Between about 11am and 4pm it is warm t-shirt weather, the rest of the time we are in our North Face jackets (which we almost left behind in DC!). With a smile and a "sabaidee" greeting, the people here seem very friendly.  The city is small, we walked around most of the center in one afternoon.  Plenty of guest houses and small hotels geared towards tourists.  Lots of informal outdoor restaurants offer offer both local and Western fare.  We had a great German meal at The Blue Lagoon. We got on the river in a long boat to see the "thousand bhuddas" cave.  It was a long cruise up river in the swirling, fast-flowing, light coffee-colored water. Climbing up into the caves...

From the highest point in Luang Prabang, Laos, I saw the Mekong River work it's way through the mountains, part of its long journey from China to the sea in Vietnam.

Sky Fall Show , a photo by johnnyVA on Flickr. Wide-open southwest view + changing seasons = great photo opps. Though, more often than not, a photo just can't quite capture it.

The Way Home , a photo by johnnyVA on Flickr. A July afternoon in 2012, after work, I waited for my connection on the Washington, DC, area system (wmata.com).

The serene view from the Washington Country Club,  in Arlington, Virginia, looking east towards Washington, DC Centuries ago, Venice had a good economy for all until  the elites cut out everybody else by implementing La Serrata .  This October 2012 essay by Chrystia Freeland was still interesting and relevant as I re-read it.

How do you raise a confident, dedicated, problem-solving child who can persevere and stay focused?  Beyond creativity, the arts can teach all those things and more.