Washington DC Trip

Washington D.C. Tidal Basin

My family was fortunate to be able to visit our nation’s capital right at the peak of the cherry blossoms during spring break of 2016. My oldest brother Fred and his wife Bonnie generously opened their home to us, inviting us to stay and also going with us on several days to visit the National Mall, enjoy some great dining, and ride the MetroRail around D.C. They live south of the city near one of the rail stops which makes commuting in very convenient. On other days we visited the National Zoo, Arlington National Cemetery, and we took a drive over to Annapolis to visit a friend in Severna Park, Maryland.

Trip Photos

Check out these select photos for a quick taste of what we enjoyed seeing during our trip.

These Google album links contain all of the full resolution photos from our trip.

Day 1 - The National Mall

We wore ourselves out on this picture-perfect day walking the mall and around the tidal basin, visiting as many monuments as we could. The yoshino cherries were at the peak of their bloom.
National Mall album

Day 2 - Smithsonian Museums

This was our first visit to the Smithsonian’s and we knew we’d never see it all in just a day or two. We focused on natural history and air & space since we thought our sons would enjoy them the most.
Natural History

Air & Space

Day 3 - Annapolis and the National Zoo

One of our former church pastors from Sarasota moved to the Annapolis area so we arranged to drive over and meet her for coffee in Severna Park. We toured her new church and really enjoyed catching up. We were sad to leave so soon, and also sad we didn’t have time to walk around historic Annapolis, but heck, we were zoo bound! Yes, we got to see the baby panda who was putting on a cute show for everyone while rolling on his back playing with his bottle.
Annapolis

National Zoo

Day 4 - Arlington National Cemetery

As my oldest brother Fred is retired U.S. Army and guided our tour through the National Cemetery this day, we had a particularly enjoyable visit. As is often the case, at least two services were ongoing during our morning visit, and we also enjoyed learning that this property once belonged to Robert E. Lee, who essentially forfeited it when he chose to lead the south during the Civil War.
Arlington National Cemetery

So, how is J.T.?

Well, I’m doing great! Thanks for asking.
James Taylor headshot

Early in my career I was presented a “Jack of All Trades” award which I though was pretty cool. It was just some silly clip art inkjet printed onto cardstock, but I knew it was significant because of who presented it to me. Twenty-five years have passed since since then, and I’ve continued to fill many roles for my employers. I find it to be a two-sided coin: One side suggests that I lack specialization in a particular area. But flip that coin over and it reveals I’m diverse and a quick learner. I feel that because I’m dependable and determined, my employers and co-workers have found me to be indespensible.

All of that to say…
I’ve spent my carreer growing and adapting. Born in Florida and raised on a small farm in Appalachia, I earned a degree in ornamental horticulture from Clemson University and continued my education at LSU, earning a masters degree in landscape architecture, and after years in the workforce transitioning to urban design and planning. All the while I’ve been curious and continuously tinkering with computers. It seems that in every workplace I end up being “the IT guy.” That’s ok. I strive to incorporate the benefits of technology and automation into much of my work.

This website is an outlet for me to express myself and represent some of the varied projects I’ve taken on. Perhaps you’ll find some of it useful - I hope so. Mostly the site itself is yet another hobby project.

I’ve enabled the Disqus commenting functionality on the blog posts - mostly to learn from prospective readers who may know more about these subjects than me. I’m happy to correct errors identified, but I’ll not tollerate rudeness. Read my community commenting guidelines.

Still curious about me? Use the social links in the page header above to check out my profiles. Thanks for reading!

James C. Taylor, AICP

James Taylor
AICP planner, landscape designer, technologist, dad.

James Taylor
AICP planner, landscape designer, technologist, dad.

Washington DC Trip

Trip Photos

Day 1 - The National Mall

Day 2 - Smithsonian Museums

Day 3 - Annapolis and the National Zoo

Day 4 - Arlington National Cemetery

So, how is J.T.?

James Taylor AICP planner, landscape designer, technologist, dad.

Washington DC Trip

Trip Photos

Day 1 - The National Mall

Day 2 - Smithsonian Museums

Day 3 - Annapolis and the National Zoo

Day 4 - Arlington National Cemetery

So, how is J.T.?

James Taylor
AICP planner, landscape designer, technologist, dad.