As Ring Luck would have it

I’ve heard that when the city of Washington D.C. was first designed, the layout was based on powerful Masonic symbols, which made traveling efficient and logical. Looking at it now, however, it seems to have been desi gned on an etch-a-sketch, by someone who has had 3 or 4 too many Red Bulls. Roads and neighborhoods have been randomly (or ‘malevolently’) tacked on to the original design and the entire town seems to be in a perpetual state of construction. Apparently the modern designers, thinking outside the box, disregarded the idea that if you have a one-way street, then the next one-way street should go in the opposite direction. Also, they did not seem to want to conform to the idea that a street like, ‘North Johnson Street’ should have to connect in any way with ‘South Johnson Stre et.’ In addition, there are plenty of detours and unmarked roads to further confuse the issue. You might as well be driving blindfolded. Apparently everyone else is, and it doesn’t make any difference f...

My family and I recently visited to the National Zoo, in Washington, D.C. It is exciting to witness the savage laws of the jungle, and to learn about how some creatures are in a constant fight for survival in a harsh environment. And that was just us, during the trip home. The zoo idea came about because of three things:  1. Kids love animals.  2. There is a major zoo within fairly easy driving distance from our house.  And most importantly, due to the current economy and our financial situation,  3. The National Zoo is FREE. The trip there went fairly smoothly. My wife drove, and the directions led us where we needed to go.  I have to give her credit for her amazing driving skills because it is no easy task to pay attention to all the traffic lights (which are mounted on the sides of the roads instead of hanging over the center - prettier, but much less obvious to an out-of-towner) plus keep an eye on pedestrians fearlessly stepping into the road with...