Rubber Duckie in Washington DC (2011)

Last month I got to go to Washington DC for a conference, and of course, Rubber Duckie came along. A few snapshots of him about town....

The Supreme Court Building...right after we left a woman started yelling at the security guards. I heard the words "duck" and "justice" and "bathtime" and just hurried along the way.

Across the street from the U.S. Capitol. I love the building, but think a lot of the people inside are kinda idiots. Still. Nice dome. Baby.

I had been to Washington DC several times before ever visiting the Library of Congress, but it is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever been in, ever. I love the Beaux-Arts style of over-the-top ornamentation. I wouldn't want my house done in that style, but when I visit something as internationally significant to history, science, literature and culture as the LOC, I want to be impressed. They do it right.

The Washington Monument just before sunset--it turns out that this same evening, Kermit the Frog was helping the Obamas light the National Christmas Tree or something. And I was right there. I knew it was a good night.

This is the most recent memorial dedicated on the National Mall--it's the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and it's located adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial along the tidal basin. It's an interesting experience, walking through the cleft rock and then into a sort of open plaza dominated by an MLK statue, with quotes from him engraved on walls of stone.

Something I loved seeing was the numbers of African American kids and couples and families there running up to the statue to get their picture taken in front of it. Not that Martin Luther King is just "theirs," or that the other monuments and memorials in DC are any less important to people of color--but this was something special. I had to wait several minutes to get a clear shot of Rubber Duckie--because MLK is his hero too.

The most disturbing/possibly disrespectful photo of this trip: inside Ford's Theater. The site of Abraham Lincoln's assassination. I'd been outside before, but never made it in for a tour. I happened to have time before I flew out, and Rubber Duckie and I got in and enjoyed the presentation. It was sad, moving, and poignant. And then I took a picture with my Rubber Duckie. The lit balcony behind R. D. is where Lincoln was shot, and then the stage below. No disrespect was intended.

Besides, we've done worse.

Rubber Duckie in Denver

I was in Denver for the first time in almost ten years last summer, with a group of teachers. The workshop took us on a field trip, but most of the time was spent in downtown Denver itself. Rubber Duckie had a pretty good time.

Leadville--the Silver Dollar Saloon, where we had lunch. I think Molly Brown worked there or something. Yeah, let's say she worked there.
Also in Leadville--the Tabor Opera House. When they finally track me down, I'll be hiding in the prop room in the basement. Watch out for traps.

The weird clock tower on the 16th Street Mall. There's a cabaret that runs in the basement. We were a little too scared to check it out.

Larimer Street in Lodo--lots of nice old brick buildings and overpriced cafes. The bookstore around the corner is awesome, although there was a frightening man singing "Let's Get Physical" in the bathroom. I don't...think he was talking to me.

The old Tivoli Brewery, now the heart of the Auraria Campus. Nice campus--I just didn't want to be stuck in it all week.

Denver skyline--as a Salt Laker, I was a little jealous of their tall buildings. But as a Salt Laker, they should be a little jealous of our mountains. Booyah!

Buffalo Bill's grave on Lookout Mountain. Hey, at least I didn't climb the fence and put Rubber Duckie on the headstone!

The view of the prairie from Lookout Mountain.

Denver was a good time--I was just back there last week, and even with the cold and snow, it was still fun. Nice people, fun restaurants, great buildings.

Next up: Fisher Price Little People of a 1980s variety.

Rubber Duckie in Denver

Rubber Duckie at Bryce Canyon National Park

A few weeks ago we used the excuse of a half marathon to visit Bryce Canyon National Park. It's only about an hour's drive from our family's cabin in Southern Utah, but we haven't taken the time to go visit. I had been there myself when I was a pup, but my wife and kids hadn't ever been there. So we took a little look-see. Rubber Duckie hasn't ever been there either, so he came along for the ride.

At Bryce Canyon, as at the Grand Canyon and other Southwestern sites where you have a big dropoff, you always have people standing precariously on the edge of a thousands-foot cliff. In the case of Bryce Canyon, they mostly seemed to be European, in their California rental cars on their way around the "Grand Circle" of National Parks in Utah, Arizona, and Colorado. They seemed to be having fun, even at the 8000 foot elevation. Where's the biergarten when you need it?

From Left-to-Right: Carter, Rubber Duckie, and Miles. Rubber Duckie is in an enormous footprint which we were pretty sure was a Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Yeti, my brother-in-law, whatever.

"Back up just a little bit more...little bit more..."

Blue skies, orange rocks, a yellow duck. It doesn't get much better.

Rubber Duckie at Arches National Park

One of my favorite places on the planet is right in my own backyard. Which, in the Western United States, means it's about three hours away. If you speed. Arches National Park is a beautiful, bizarre collection of sandstone arches and spires in Eastern Utah. I've been there several times, and we're hoping to take our sons there this spring. Here are a few pictures of Rubber Duckie among the red rock formations.

In the early morning, so there are weird shadows. And hands.

Much better. You get a good idea for how hot it can get there--this was in August, and the temperature was already nearing 90 degrees by 8 AM. But it's a "dry heat."

Cooling off beneath a double arch...

Contemplating gravity.

At Delicate Arch at sunset--one of my all-time favorite pictures, taken with a junky camera in 1998. I've got to get back there soon. I'll be sure Rubber Duckie is along for the ride.

Rubber Duckie in Germany 1993-94

Getting launched out of a cannon near Heidelberg

For all of 1993 and 1994 I was living in Germany. It was an amazing time to be there, and I learned a lot about the German language, people and culture. I also learned a lot about my Rubber Duckie, and that he enjoys being put into pictures. He's always got a nice smile, doesn't blink when the flash goes off, and fits nicely into hands of statues, the mouths of cannons, and just otherwise makes the already scenic more scenic. I went back to Germany in 2008 and took Rubber Duckie with me again; there will be a "Rubber Duckie in Germany 2008" post someday.

With a lovely lady in the gardens of the palace in Karlsruhe

On the banks of the Rhine River...just before he fell in, and I had to go in after him. Stupid duck.

Perched on a curious statue in Marienplatz, beneath Heidelberg Castle.

Looking out from Burg Frankenstein, just outside of Darmstadt.

Rubber Duckie at the Beach

For my 17th birthday, my little brother gave me a Rubber Duckie. He knew how much I love Sesame Street, and he since that moment, Rubber Duckie has gone with me on every trip I've been on. As a result, he's been to many places in North America and Europe that some of my own actual family members haven't been to, and I ended up with a habit of taking pictures of him in those places. This was before Flat Stanley or the Traveling Garden Gnome or some of the others. I have to assume they got the idea from me. Because I'm a superstar.

Rubber Duckie has been to a lot of places, but one thing that's pretty consistent with him is that he doesn't actually like the water. It probably goes back to an incident on the Rhine River when I almost lost the little guy--ever since, he hasn't really trusted water. Or me. He has nearly caused a few incidents, like when he was seen as a security threat in NYC, or when he made a security guard wet their pants in Washington DC, and I've gotten "the look" from several thousand people as I'm putting him into position near various landmarks. "The look" is basically, "what is that guy doing--oh. Oh. He has Special Needs. Don't stare, Beth--don't stare!"

These pictures are of Rubber Duckie on the beach at Del Mar, near San Diego. It's one of our favorite beach places to go as a family. We're about 800 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean, but if we were closer, we'd totally be beach people. In between the water, the sun, and the sand...we can't stay away. Even Rubber Duckie splashed around a little bit. But not too much.

Reflections of a Duck

Each time we go to the beach, we build at least one super-sized sandcastle...this was Rubber Duckie's.

A duck's home is his castle. Or in this case, his castle is his home. More soon!