Belly Button Window

Minding the Future in Myrtle Beach

2009-06-29T02:31:18Z

Loving the day-life

Enjoying the night-life

For six months, Amy and I have not left Hanalei's side. For six months, we have traded off parenting roles, day and night. For six months, we showed our love though our presence. Yet this weekend, we have tossed all that aside.

For two blissful days, amy And I have abandoned our child. We're in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for a wedding, while Hanalei is back in Washington, DC. Yet do not fear for her, do not fret that she is truly left hone alone. She's being watched closely and safely by Amy's parents.

For Hanalei's parents, this is a wonderful weekend to recharge. To sleep in late, drink heavily, and generally relax after six months of non-stop child-care. And its with that mindset that Amy and I look out on Myrtle Beach with joy and sadness.

Joy for we are free and young again. We can go our separate ways without worry of who is where. Amy can booze up and caffeinate for the first time in 15 months (pregnancy + 6 months). I can enjoy my wife without the fear of the wail of need.

But sadness, for we see children all around us and miss our own. Children that remind us we shall be childless one day too. Our own brood will grow up quickly and leave us (so we hope!), just as many of the children on the beach are doing in small ways each day. From toddlers attempting the beach break to teenagers wandering out of parental eye, children are growing up in front of our eyes.

And when we return to DC, and embrace our daughter again, she will be a fe days older. A few ounces heavier, and a few million synapses smarter. She will still be our child, but we have see the future when she will not. She'll be her own self soon.

Yet, maybe not right now. Amy is checking in with Mom and Hanalei just pooped!

Running Past My First Father's Day

2009-06-21T14:57:16Z

Best Use of A Bike Lane

Today is the first of what I hope to be many happy Father's Days. And even though she is too young to tell me what she'd do for this special day, I knew what would make both of us happy: a long run through Petworth.

No, Hanalei isn't running yet - she gets the easy ride in a baby jogger. Better yet, in the car seat, in the baby jogger, protected and after the first few blocks, asleep. Then its up to daddy to keep the speed, so she can have a cool breeze while she sleeps.

Daddy got his own reward, for as he ran around the neighbourhood, everyone called out "Happy Father's Day" for which he responded "Thanks, its my first!" to hearty congratulations. I so love that my neighbourhood is so friendly.

It also has long straight roads with little traffic, allowing me to run my 7 miles without turning the stroller too often, or worrying about cars. Best of all, a few streets even have bike lanes, for which I usurp for Hanalei and I.

Soon, I hope she'll be big enough to face forward in the jogger as I run, enjoying the view and talking with daddy.

Putting Pride into Petworth Medians

2009-06-16T17:05:29Z

Muriel Bowser Checks on Petworth Medians

This morning, my Councilmember Muriel Bowser took time out from her busy schedule to meet with community members around the construction of Petworth Medians so they can support trees and community-maintained plantings.

For those that are following along, New Hampshire Avenue is getting a nice brick & granite median from around Park Road all the way to Grant Circle. So far,construction is proceeding from Georgia to Grant Circle, but some in Petworth have an issue with the way it was proceeding. The medians were not being excavated to a depth that would support trees, per the original design, and plants and shrubbery, per community desires.

Muriel came out to see what the ruckus was about, and I want to thank her for her attention to this issue that is dear to my heart. I hope she shares my dream that one day, New Hampshire Avenue will be a green line of shade and beauty from Park Road to Grant Circle.

Thanks again, Muriel!

I forgot the insanity that is Georgetown traffic [Flickr]

2009-07-05T13:24:03-07:00

Wayan Vota posted a photo:

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Hanalei in a $1,200 stroller [Flickr]

2009-07-05T10:32:57-07:00

Wayan Vota posted a photo:

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Wayan Vota
Mobile: +1.202.746.8269
Skype: wayan_vota
Twitter: wayan_vota

DC fireworks day after: oh the carnage! [Flickr]

2009-07-05T08:36:15-07:00

Wayan Vota posted a photo:

Taxi: the fireworks eating dog [Flickr]

2009-07-04T19:13:38-07:00

Wayan Vota posted a photo:

Fireworks dc style: up close and damn personal [Flickr]

2009-07-04T18:56:17-07:00

Wayan Vota posted a photo:

Walking the baby with a beer [Flickr]

2009-07-04T15:58:58-07:00

Wayan Vota posted a photo:

I love this baby stroller for is key functionality: the beer cozy.
Note that Hanalei only rolls with good beer too.

4th of July DJ on Capitol Hill [Flickr]

2009-07-04T15:06:43-07:00

Wayan Vota posted a photo:

You know you are jealous of 1700 block of Bay Street NW. What with our DJ cranking out the best tunes on the National Birthday. Still, enjoy this day no matter your musical tastes.

Wayan Vota
Mobile: +1.202.746.8269
Skype: wayan_vota

Look Who Got an iPhone Upgrade Today! [Flickr]

2009-07-03T11:18:13-07:00

Wayan Vota posted a photo:

Amy and I both are upgrading to the iPhone 3Gs but look who got their phone first. Yes its gonna be a geek out 4th of July in the Vota household!

Median Construction [Flickr]

2009-06-30T19:07:40-07:00

Wayan Vota posted a photo:

Amy and Hanalei Smiling [Flickr]

2009-06-30T19:07:33-07:00

Wayan Vota posted a photo:

Help for My Green Thumb: Ladybugs!

2009-06-12T13:19:56Z

Gardener's Best Friend

So a while back I decided we needed a garden in our back yard. The first year was very experimental - I even hired a gardener to help Amy and I understand the process. This year, I'm rocking!

I have two raised garden beds here and here that have exploded with greenery with an amazingly wet spring. I have lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, carrots, and beets all reaching for the sky as they put down roots in the amazing Smartleaf compost.

Urban gardening does have its dangers. Besides the lettuce flattening storms, there is the constant threat of aphids. Which is what prompted me to buy a few hundred of the gardeners best friend: ladybugs.

Dog Taxi Tackles Rock Creek Ripples

2009-05-16T02:26:06Z

Splashing herself through the summer heat

Taxi trying to swallow Rock Creek

Dog Taxi loves herself some splashing water. And I am not talking about watching it from afar, or barking at it passively. No I mean she dives headlong into any breaking water to try and eat all the waves produced, by say, the ocean.

While we first noticed her craze at Dog Beach in Maryland, I've found that Dog Taxi will try the same water guzzling feat in Rock Creek:

Yes, that's her diving into the rushing river, trying to bite every splash and ripple in the surface. She'll jump into almost any sized river turn trying to get at the foam. And if she gets off the leash, she'll attack, attack, and attack the water till she's too full to walk.

So yeah, while its fun to watch for a minute, I have to stop her quick less she gets a tummy ache and pukes up a stream or two herself.

From Majesty to Mulch in Minutes

2009-05-08T02:11:36Z

The loss of an elder statesman in Petworth

The loss of an ancient

I bemoan the loss of any tree, no matter its age or placement. I feel that Washington does not have enough trees, which cool the city, absorb its rains, and make this a wonderful place to live. Yet life is tough for the urban forest, what with all the dangers like vehicular tree slaughter.

So when I see an old oak or elm, which stands proud and tall amongst the built environment, I am heartened. Yet when they fall, be by nature or by man, I am so very sad. And when they are cut down by the chain saw, I am beside myself with heartbreak:

The loss of this old oak, just off Grant Circle in Petworth, haunts me to this day. I'm going to miss this ancient resident who lived on this block longer than any of us could ever imagine.

Prohibitive Ocean City Signage

2009-05-03T00:48:37Z

Just say "NO" to everything fun in Ocean City

Ocean City's NoNo's

Feel welcomed at the pool?

Whenever I travel, I get a feel for a city from its public signs. Some places, like Barcelona or Paris, enjoy their signage, and make function bend to whimsical. In Ocean City, there was no joy in signage. It was all practical and very prohibitive.

Let's look at what is not allowed, from just one sign on the Ocean City boardwalk which underlines its regulations with the bold Regulations Police Enforced:

No Alcoholic Beverages: I am on the fence about no booze on the beach. Some of my best memories are drunk tanning with Yana. Then again, there's nothing that ruins a good day faster than that guy drunk and obnoxious, and in your grill.
No Dogs May 1-Sept 30: No love for Taxi Dog? This I do not understand. Why the hate on pooches? I can see a leash requirement, but no dogs at all? Harsh.
No Ball or Frisbee Throwing: Disk golf on the beach is to much, but no frisbee or ball throwing at all? What kind of no-fun restriction is that? Next, no big beach blankets?
No Sleeping on Beach, 10pm-6am: How does Ocean City expect its horny young teens to get busy outside of the watchful parental eye if they don't allow "sleeping" on the beach. That's how I lost my virginity and the pain of sand in the naked crotch should be shared by all
No Open Fires: So no giant bonfires, or no fires of any sort, from cigarettes to BBQ? I can see banning smoking - you get ugly cigarette butts or stinky cigars, but no leaping flames under the full moon?
No Loud Music: This has to be the biggest joy pill kill. How do they define "loud music" - anything you can hear that you don't like? Are amplifiers that go to 11 banned? Or just bad country music at any volume?

And the No-No's don't stop here. The very next sign to this one loudly proclaims: No Dogs on Beach - No Dogs on Boardwalk - All Dogs Leashed. And with a minimum $25 fine for breaking the rules, Ocean City didn't seem very welcoming if you ask me.

Grant Circle Vehicular Tree Slaughter

2009-04-28T01:53:04Z

The loss of another young life in Petworth

What's left of the victim

Recently I came across a crime scene in Grant Circle, and I am saddened and angered by its result - a needless death. One of the young trees was cut down in its prime by yet another speeding driver who drove through, instead of around, Grant Circle.
This vehicular tree slaughter took the life of a promising sapling. It also took any innocence that a person, or child, could be the next victim of a careless driver in Petworth.

Where are reflectors, rumble strips, speed humps, or at least working park lights - to slow drivers down and alert them that Grant Circle is ahead? Do we really need to graduate from vehicular tree slaughter to vehicular manslaughter before we get slowing on New Hampshire Avenue?

Spring Clean: A New Back Yard

2009-04-13T05:38:10Z

The lush green is worth the effort

Tilling the soil

Enjoying the lawn

It took three truck-bending trips, but I just removed six thousand (6,000!) pounds of concrete from the back yard of my house. This was just the beginning of the rebirth of my lawn from post-industrial wasteland into a green oasis of beauty and serenity.

I did not start out to move so much concrete. At first, I just wanted to take out the sidewalk along my fence line, and replace it with a meandering path between a flower bed paralleling the fence, and through a yard of lush green grass. But with any household improvement, sh*t happened.

What I thought would be a sheen of concrete easily crushed and trucked to the Fort Totten transfer station, became an odyssey of jackhammers, day labors, and one-ton trips of concrete debris to a pay-to-dump trash yard. Seems that sheen of sidewalk was hiding several inches of ancient concrete.

But up and out it came, and gone it is, so my yard is transforming. The flower bed is planted, filled with compost and mulch, and its residents are blooming as they reach up to cover the fence and fill my yard with fresh scents of flowers. And now I also have new grass.

I tore up the old grass - really just weeds run amok - and planted bright green sod. Now that its starting to take, I'm excited that Taxi Dog will have a place to run and Hanalei will have a place to play. I also added a stone patio under the existing back porch, perfect for Dad to grill and Mom to relax with a margarita while we watch the kids.

Next, Grammy is planting vegetables in the new food garden beds in the very back of the yard so we can have fresh produce through the year. These beds, filled to the brim with SmartLeaf compost, will bring us lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, petters, basil, and an assortment of other tasty treats, building on last year's garden experiments to create a long-term harvest for the Vota family.

Finally, as I now just about finished with my spring gardening, I can enjoy the best part of all this effort - watching the plants grow as I drink beer.

Hanalei Speaks Her First Words!

2009-04-01T13:34:41Z

Listen closely to her speaking at 3 months

Another video of me dad?!

Its with great joy and surprise that I'm proud to announce that Hanalei Stockard Vota is now talking. Yes, she is speaking at 3 months old - a record for any of our families. While she's not quite saying whole sentences, if you listen to her on this video, you can tell she's making sense.

As her father, I'm so proud that she's talking, its kinda hard for me to admit that I don't always agree with what she says. Her stance on the impact of Obama's stimulus package on domestic consumption, or North Korea's missile program on six-nation talks are controversial to say the least, but at least we do agree on milky-milk preference: boob beats bottle every time.

So on this first day of April, join me in a good laugh to all those that Hanalei fooled.

Time for a Spring Haircut

2009-03-22T02:31:13Z

How do you like the new buzz cut look?

What I looked like then

What I look like now

As a young man, I enjoyed long hair. Midway down my back in a long pony-tail, my hair signified my membership in the surfer tribe. We were the beach bums who could grow our hair long and enjoy the day, unrestricted by convention or conformity.

Fast forward a few years, and my hair was short - clipped to get my first job and kept short thereafter for ease as much as employment. In Russia, I started spiking my hair up, but by this century, it was time to leave youth and keep it short and contained.

Then I started to loose my hair. I went from a widow's peak to receding hair at my temples. And my frustration with my hair increased as its coverage decreased. Starting a year ago I kicked around the idea of shaving my head. Getting rid of all my hair out of annoyance as well as acquiescence to advancing age.

So with spring in the air and change in the wind, it was time to take thought into practice with a mid-afternoon shearing:

Yes, that was Amy trimming my scalp, and I am now sporting a buzz cut worthy of the Marine Corps. Its definitely a new look for me. Question is: do you like it?

Calming Grant Circle Car Crashes

2009-02-22T00:49:05Z

A weekend occourance that needs to change

Grant Circle from space

As drivers speed along New Hampshire Avenue in Petworth, they come to Grant Circle - which is often a surprise by the number of cars that crash through the park. Almost on a weekly basis, each weekend morning shows us that driving fast at night through our neighbourhood will get you a parking space in Grant Circle.

I wonder: what can we do to slow drivers down, to stop the madness before we loose more than a fire hydrant or a tree:

Personally, I think there should be speed humps (not bumps) about a block out on both the north and southbound approaches to the Circle to slow cars down so they can make the right. Yet, I've heard that DDOT is set against such change to traffic flow.

What llevel of crash does it take to change DDOT's mind?

Poop Patrol in Pethworth

2009-02-09T00:16:09Z

Taxi Dog and I are scooping others' poop

Grant Circle from space

Poop patrol results

Grant Circle is one of the reasons that I moved to Petworth. Its a beautiful park that calms me after a long day at work. That is until I walk Dog Taxi in Grant Circle and we both have to navigate the dog poop minefield.

It seems that some of my pet-owning neighbours are not so good about scooping their pet's poop and frozen dog feces build up quick in the winter. Mad at yet another pile of poo, I decided to measure the laziness of my neighbours, and bagged and weighed the canine excrement:

Now how'd you like that? Thirteen (13) pounds of poop in Grant Circle. Petowrthians - scoop your poop!

Mid-March Update

My poop patrol video had an impact! After 300+ views by Petworth residents, I heard my video was mentioned at community meetings and in local government circles. The result: Scoop Your Poop signs in Grant Circle! Now let's see if they're effective.

Hanalei Baptisms - From Water to Ice

2009-01-15T00:31:16Z

Both were cold and bracing for the baby

Hanalei's first ocean dip

She doesn't like snow

Looking out into the deep Pacific blue as Amy and I arrived at Moss Landing on Monterey Bay, I had only one thought - its time to baptize Hanalei. My loving wife was not trilled with my idea, as the Pacific is quite cold in January with only blubber-encased mammals willing to swim in its frigid waters.

Yet with the warmth of the Santa Anna winds and a cloudless sky, I knew it was time to connect our daughter with her birth name. The very waters at our feet in California also swirl through Hanalei Bay on Kauai. An oceanic baptism would also connect her with my own baptism 35 years before. As my mom says:

"Did you know that Carlos and I "baptized" Wayan in the Indian Ocean when he was about 3 weeks old in Bali? We just put his toes in the water and then a few drops on his head and chest, and blessed him with our love."

I thought I might do more. I felt the need to go revival Baptist on Hanalei, and have a full dunking to anoint her properly. So it was with this adventure in mind, my coworker Eric's help, and Amy's deep misgivings that the Inveneo team and we approached the shore.

Yet the second that Eric and I entered the water, when its icy grip held our legs then waists, I realized that a full dunking was nuts, even for adults. So with a few drops of Pacific in my hands, I touched Hanalei's head and rubbed her chest, brining her full circle from name to place, father to daughter.

A week later, Washington DC had its first snowfall of the winter. A good dusting of snow with a layer of ice over the top. Again I thought it time for baptism. This time, it was less of a circle and more an experience. I want my daughter to enjoy new sensations, new travels, as much as her father. So it was into the snow we go.

With feet bare, I introduced my daughter to the touch of winter. Quite different to the Pacific, she responded just as her mother expected - with a mighty cry.

About Belly Button Window

2009-01-01T07:01:44Z

Who are you to be writing this?

The good life

What would posses a guy to put up over a decade of his life now on the Internet for the whole world to see? Am I some freak exhibitionist? A narcissistic exhibitionist even? While I've been called both , I am more humble than that.

See, it was early 1995, and I was a fresh face in Washington DC, having just graduated from the University of Central Florida where I studied business, surfing, partying, and women, trying to excel at each. In that foolishness I never thought about the permanence of my memories, I just made as many as possible.

Visiting the Library of Congress one day, I happened to read a page from one of Lincoln's diaries. It wasn't a famous date, just one the curators picked seemingly at random. Reading that page, I realized all the days, experiences, moments, that define me were unrecorded. That my whole life was only in my head and a few scattered photographs. That no one would ever read about a day in my life.

Now don't think I'm feeling special. Yes, I was born on Bali, Indonesia to very cool parents who were travelers, off on a 10-year adventure when I arrived. They infected me at birth with the travel bug, so I've been from Finland to the Philippines, and even the famously remote Timbuktu, but so have others.

I may even mix stories and photographs well, yet others are better here too. But this is my life, not others', and therefore it is very special for me.

That means I write first and foremost for me - not you. Then, I write for my children, and their children, lest I not be there to tell these tales myself. I write because I know what its like to loose a Dad and realize what will never be. I do write here, in this public forum, for my family and friends, and for you, and I hope you'll be entertained.

I think my life is interesting - it is to me! I don't look at BMW's or big houses with want, I think of distant lands and dark people with desire. I make adventures happen, even if they're in my own backyard.

So check out all those links to the left - places and dates, and click around. I promise there will be a story or two you like. Who else you know went overland from Moscow to Perth, via Siberian banyas, Mongolia yurts, and Chinese hutongs, using the Trans-Sib, Wuhan Air, slow boats to China, Thai tuk-tuks, and the MRT, even hitchhiking four thousand miles across Australia, right through the Nulabar Desert, and doesn't regret a second of it!

What a lucky guy I am!