Tag: Beltway
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Captains Less Prestigious
I had no trouble finding populated places named for Captain James Cook, the legendary 18th Century explorer and navigator, along the edges of the waters he sailed. However, plenty of other captains sailed the oceans during that same period. Naturally I wondered if the maps memorialized others similarly. Could I find other places named “Captain…
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Gaithersburg Doughnut Hole
I’ve noted my appreciation for reader comments, suggestions and input on many occasions. The quality of what people contribute is nothing short of miraculous. Sometimes an example lodges in my brain to the exclusion of all the rest. That’s what happened with the Gaithersburg Doughnut Hole and I don’t know why. It’s not any more…
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Memorial Day 2010
It’s Memorial Day, the unofficial start of the summer, but let’s not forget its greater purpose. I get an unusual audio reminder of this every year where I live. It starts building Friday evening, slowly at first as the distinctive sound of a few Harley Davidson motorcycle engines announce their presence in the neighborhood. It’s…
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Anomalies In and Around Washington, DC
Geo-oddities exist everywhere. I thought I would focus some love and attention on a few of them near where I live. Likely you can find unusual features where you live too. Let’s take a closer look at some of them. Obsolete Boundary Stones The District of Columbia once covered an exact ten miles square. In…
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Lockdown
Twelve Mile Circle is getting ready for Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009. Everyone is excited. Even one of the local brewpubs is getting in on the action. The Looming Traffic Nightmare I’ve watched in amazement as officials have leveraged the local geography to establish a security perimeter. From Virginia it’s a simple a matter of…