Petworth Dog Walk Halloween 2009


Freaky dogs in DC

2010 marked the second year of the Petworth Dog Walk Halloween – a celebration for dogs and their owners. Domku Restaurant in the Petworth neighborhood hosted pooches from all over Washington DC in a fun and furry competition for the best costumes and tricks that dogs and their owners could perform.

And the best way to really appreciate the tail wagging good time is to watch this video:

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Portland Brewpub Beer Tours


Looks like beer-topia!

Beer – is there a better reason to visit Portland? For Amy and I, that was reason enough to celebrate her birthday in Portland, Oregon. She had never been, but heard all my stories of good times in the land of hops. My tales of beer-topia, where every bar is a brewpub and bathrooms are denoted by sign of barley or hops – guess which is which!

To help us navigate such tricky beer house rules, we enlisted my good friend Dieselboi, of VBC Brewpub Tour fame. Accompanied by his loving and patient wife, the four of us went beer tasting.

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Taxi Dog Pool Day in Washington DC


Jump in Taxi Dog!

What’s the best day for a dog in Washington DC? Doggie pool day!

After Washington DC’s pools are closed for the season, usually around Labour Day, the DC Department of Recreation opens a pool or two for doggie swim day, before the city drains the pools. The pooch pool time is greatly enjoyed by both dogs and their owners – check out the photos!

Also check out Dog Taxi transforming into a canine seal – barking as she eats all the pool’s water:

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Meet me in Nairobi, Abjua, or Accra

going to Africa
How I roll in Africa

I’m headed to Africa soon for three weeks of meetings and trainings in Nairobi, Abuja, and Accra for Inveneo. I’ll be in each city about a week, and would love to meet up with loyal Belly Button Window readers if you’re around.

See, while I am a fanatic proponent of web-based discourse – I’m publishing at least six different blogs right now – I’m convinced that online discourse is an amplification of offline, in-person connections. In fact, I believe that online conversations are not possible without some level of face-to-face discussions between participants.

Or as a friend once said “meatspace has the highest bit rate” And I haven’t connected with that many Belly Button readers in a while.

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Petworth’s July 4th Fireworks – Does Yours?


Taxi loves the fireworks

Washington DC has a peculiar tradition of intense 4th of July fireworks. Now, I’m not talking about the national spectacle that you see on TV. That tourist-only event on the Mall is far removed from our lives in Petworth. I’m talking about the neighbourhood-based fireworks that put the Mall to shame.

From mid-afternoon on July 4th, to well past midnight, the city is besieged by amateur fireworks displays, each block showering the night sky with hundreds, if not thousands of dollars worth of fireworks. And as luck would have it, our neighbourhood congregates at the end of my block for fireworks central.

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