Living in the Bay Area, I often find myself walking by people rushing to some place or to meet some person. Their only concern is to get past me, and the next person in their way to their destination. Often avoiding eye contact or texting on their phone. We all have things we have to do, many with constraints of time or energy. We often don’t think about what we’re missing in between where we started and where we’re headed.

During the month travelling around the country, this became so apparent as I was out of my element and open to new experiences. In New York, people rushed to taxi cabs, the subway, to the coffee shop. What were their stories? Who are they? Why the car horns?

The different types of stairways in the state capitols I visited were interesting to compare.  Some were flared at the bottom, some turned ninety-degrees with the walls, and others split into two allowing access to two sides of the same floor.

There are times when you are faced with two options: help someone or watch someone. Someone who is unable to solve a predicament themselves and may or may not look to others for assistance. Bystanders can choose to watch the situation resolve to either a peaceful or negative conclusion. Or bystanders can choose to take action and help.

During my visit to Lockport, New York, I was fascinated watching the boats go through the locks and watching the large amount of water drain from one segment to the next, boats rising and lowering. Watching the litte boats and the big commercial boats tie up with all different kinds of people on board.

Most boats were able to accomplish tying up without a problem. Except for one boat, the Absolutely from Goderich, ON. This boat had an older man and woman. The woman pushed and struggled to keep the boat steady and away from the wall while the man frantically tried to regain control. I still don’t know what happened exactly but the boat ended up perpendicular to the wall, and it would have probably ended up getting worse.

Water fountains are fascinating to watch. The drops of water are never exactly the same, making every split second a different appearance. Here are some photos that capture one split second.

The window seat at times can be like the front seat of a car when you’re a kid. There is a fight over who says “shotgun” first, or an agreement where one gets the front seat on the odd days of the month, the other the even days of the month. It’s not surprising, as it can offer the best view of the clouds and the ground.

The fourth state capitol I visited was the Massachusetts State House. It was completed in 1798 and was only 65 feet wide.

I came across this photo that perfectly captured the unexpectedly confusing day (err, night) that included three cities, Portland, Boston…

I visited two rose gardens on my trip around the country on the All You Can Jet pass.  The first was the International Rose Test Garden in Portland, Oregon.  The second, the Maplewood Park and Rose Garden, in Rochester, New York.  It didn’t matter which side of the country they were on, each rose offered a unique fragrance, a beautiful sight, and their own story.

If there was one thing I didn’t expect to learn from traveling around the country for thirty days, it was the fact that things can change quickly and can often cause a domino effect affecting future plans. When this happens, being able to adapt and make the most of it is a interesting process.

After oversleeping and missing my flight to Seattle, I found myself on a plane to Washington D.C. a day early. My plan originally was to fly to Seattle for the day and fly east on a redeye to visit the Maryland and Delaware state capitols the next day. Instead, I spent the afternoon at Washington Dulles International Airport trying to find a hotel that wasn’t expensive.

By the end of the rainy and humid day, and after a couple of false leads to a hotels “near the airport”, I grabbed some dinner and enjoyed the sunset in the parking lot of a convenience store.