Welcome to my new life

The east side of U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. – T. S. Eliot

On April 22, after 21-plus years of enjoying the landscapes and rhythms of northern California, my wife, Jodi, and I waved goodbye to the San Francisco Bay Area and headed east on Interstate 80. Our final destination? None other than the greater Washington, D.C. area, our new home.

As it happened, over the next week, we drove 2,950.6 miles – covering 13 states starting from California. We crossed the finish line in Maryland on Saturday afternoon, April 29, after beginning the final day of our journey in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Our Passivhaus town home in
Mount Rainier, Maryland.

Our travel week was very busy for us, but one in which we both embraced. After all, we had purchased a brand new house, a Passivhaus town home, in funky Mount Rainier, Maryland, just a couple of short blocks across the District line from Washington and about 15 minutes by car south of the University of Maryland campus in College Park. And, on May 1, my wife began a dream job in research and development at the Library of Congress, which served as the impetus for our leaving California for the Mid-Atlantic east coast.

As we drove across our beautiful and diverse country observing – through the snow-capped Sierra Mountains of California and Nevada, across the massive and great Salt Lake of Utah, alongside the majestic Rocky Mountains of Colorado, across acres and acres of Kansas wheat fields, near the picturesque Gateway Arch of St. Louis, through the Big Ten country of Indiana University in Bloomington, beside the Great American city of Cincinnati and up and down the hilltops of Morgantown – I was reminded often of how Mother Nature often holds up a mirror to us so that we can see more clearly the ongoing processes of growth, of renewal and of transformation in our lives. Our hours and days on the road were also filled with an abundance of music CDs – Pink Martini, Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Valerie June, Diana Reeves – a variety of NPR podcasts like "Make Me Smart," and we tried to limit our driving to daytime hours so we could rest and renew ourselves at night.

The scenic beauty of the Donner Summit as seen driving
along Interstate 80 through the California Sierra Mountains.

Fortunately, social media and the Internet enable us to stay more easily connected than ever before with family and friends and we still plan to follow and support our favorite Bay Area professional and collegiate sports teams – just from a different city and time zone. So far, we are enjoying the fine public radio offerings from WAMU in Washington, D.C. as well as reading the Washington Post and the national print edition of The New York Times. And, we've learned thanks to the University of Maryland, which won both the men's and women's national championships in lacrosse, that people in this part of the country do take their lacrosse seriously. We've got tickets to see a Washington Nationals baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, and already we've been to a WNBA women's professional basketball game, too. Yes, there's plenty of rich of history and culture that awaits us in and around the nation's capital city, through its many museums and monuments, parks and trails – and I'm sure our free summer weekends will fill up fast with things to see and do. Already, we've explored historic Annapolis (which I'll write more about in the weeks to come) – it's only about 40 minutes away by car – and I'm sure we'll be back, soon.

Our future looks bright – and it doesn't even have anything to do with the abundance of sunshine we've experienced during the past month. Indeed, as the French novelist Marcel Proust once said, "the real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes."

Yes, folks, fairytales do come true at the U.S. Open

Flavia Pennetta / Unlikely but refreshing rise to the top; going out a champion.

Yes, folks, fairytales do come true -- even in tennis.

One need only look at Flavia Pennetta's unlikely rise to the top in winning the 2015 U.S. Open women's singles championship last Saturday over her long-time friend and former childhood doubles partner, Roberta Vinci. It was a refreshing conclusion to what had been a tense and anxious two weeks of hard-court tennis that included Serena Williams' dream of winning all four Grand Slams (Australian, French, Wimbledon, U.S. Open) during the same calendar year crushed only 24 hours earlier by Vinci in an improbable three-set defeat. It came after Pennetta upset No. 2 seed Simona Halep in the other semifinal.

When the 23rd-seeded Penneta beat the unseeded Vinci 7-6 (4), 6-2 on Arthur Ashe Stadium in the first All-Italian U.S. Open, she became a first-time Grand Slam champion. It broke a string of four straight Grand Slams won by Williams. The Pennetta-Vinci match was a throwback to what tennis once was circa the 1970s: lots of serve and volley, one-handed backhands, drop volleys, angled shots and, best of all, no grunting.

Joy and jubilitation /
Pennetta (right) is embraced by Vinci at the net.

As one might imagine, the scene at the net with Pannetta and Vinci turned into a celebration of unadulterated joy and jubilation. It showed on their faces. It showed in their body language, too, which included a long and embracing hug.

There were plenty of tears to go around for everyone to share.

Pennetta's triumph at the U.S. Open was witnessed by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who flew across the Atlantic from Italy on short notice just to watch the final. He brought along Pennetta's fiancé, Fabio Fognini, himself a tennis pro, who earlier in the tournament banished Rafael Nadal in the third round before bowing in the next round. He had flown home to prepare for Italy's Davis Cup tie this weekend.

Roberta Vinci (left) and Flavia Pennetta /
Happy together during the trophy presentation.

During the post-match awards presentation on the court, the 26th-ranked Pennetta (she rose to No. 8 with her U.S. Open triumph) shared a confession with the sell-out crowd.

"Before I started this tournament, like one month ago, I made a big decision in my life," she said. "This is the way I would like to say goodbye to tennis."

Pennetta, who at the tennis-old age of 33 years and 201 days, shockingly announced her retirement from tennis. She revealed her news to Vinci just prior to the trophy presentation while the two were seated on chairs together at court side sharing a moment of laughter.

Pennetta will finish her off her tennis commitments by playing in a few tournaments in Europe and Asia this fall, then call it a career year's end.

"I'm really happy," she admitted. "It's what all players think to want to do, going out with this kind of big trophy. ... I can't think to finish a better way."

So, just what does Pennetta plan to do with her life after tennis?

"I would like to have a family in the future," she said, during a post-match press conference, "but it's not something I would love to have right now." First is "to know who I am," away from tennis, "what I like to do" and "how is the life with Fabio going to be."

Photos: Courtesy of Google Images. Video: Courtesy of YouTube.

The latest chapter in an amazing tennis story

Novak Djokovic kisses the most coveted trophy in tennis after
winning the 2014 Wimbledon gentlemen's singles championship.

You can learn a lot about world-class athletes by the way they comport themselves during an awards ceremony and in post-match interviews. Such was the case following Sunday's nearly-four hour epic Wimbledon gentlemen's singles final between the seven-time champion, Roger Federer, and the world's no. 1 player, Novak Djokovic. It was their 35th meeting and, always, there's familiarity when these two meet on court.

Sunday's match did not produce a storybook finish to this year's Championships at Wimbledon that many, including myself, had hoped for as Djokovic won 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-4 to prevent Federer from winning an eighth Wimbledon title. However, it did give everyone who witnessed the Centre Court clash of titans, in which Federer came from down 2-5 in the fourth set to win five straight games while holding off one match point, a sense of hope that there are more chapters remaining to be written in Federer's amazing story.

From perspective, Federer knows he can't go on forever and each Grand Slam final is a precious opportunity. He expects a lot of himself. Had Federer, a living legend just a month shy of his 33rd birthday, won on Sunday, he would have become the oldest Wimbledon champion since the beginning of the Open Era in 1968 and his eighth Wimbledon crown would have meant his 18th career Grand Slam title, too.

"It was a great final. I can't believe I made it to five. It wasn't looking good for a while," said Federer, during his on-court interview with the BBC's Sue Barker following the trophy presentation. "Going into a match with Novak, it's always going to be tough and physical. He plays athletic points. I can only say 'congratulations' today. Amazing match; amazing tournament once again. Well deserved.

"I enjoyed myself a lot. See you next year."

Federer and his family have been royalty at Wimbledon's Centre Court since he won the junior boys' title in 1998. This year, his parents, wife Mirka and his twin daughters, Myla and Charlene, attired in matching floral dresses, were all there to bear witness. Always gracious in victory or defeat, the very public Federer shed no tears in accepting his runner-up plate. Later, he said: "It's even more memorable when I see my kids there with my wife and everything. That's what touched me the most, to be quite honest. The disappointment of the match itself went pretty quickly."

Meanwhile, the 27-year-old Djokovic's seventh Grand Slam title was special for him. The way in which he bounced back during the ultimate fifth set against Federer -- overcoming mental and physical frailties -- showed a lot of determination.

When it was time for his name to be called out during the trophy presentation, Djokovic lifted his head and raised his arms to the sky, partly in jubilation and partly as a means of giving thanks. During his post-match interview with Barker, Djokovic fought back a lot of emotions.

Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer
with their Wimbledon trophies.

"First of all, I want to congratulate Roger for a great tournament and a great fight today," said Djokovic. "It was a great match to be proud of. He's a magnificent champion, a great athlete."

Turning to look Federer in the eye, Djokovic remarked: "I respect your career and everything you've done. Thank you for letting me win today!" It drew a smile from Federer.

Continuing his praise of Federer, Djokovic said: "In important moments, he comes up with his best shots. That's why he's won 17 Grand Slams and is the best in the game. After dropping the fourth set, it wasn't easy to regroup. I had to compose myself and find the necessary energy to win the fifth. I don't know how I managed to do it."

Asked to put winning this year's Wimbledon title into perspective, Djokovic said: "This is the tournament I always dreamed of winning. It's the best tournament in the world, the most valuable one. The first tennis match I ever saw, when I was five-years-old, was Wimbledon. That image has always stuck in my mind. To be able to compete at such a high level, I'm so grateful for this opportunity and to be able to hold this trophy."

Finally, it was time for Djokovic to recognize those who played a role in his victory: "I dedicate it to a few people," he said. "First of all, I would like to dedicate it to my future wife (Jelena Ristic), and our future baby. I'm going to become a father soon. I'm still preparing for that. It's a great joy in life. I would like to dedicate it to my family: my parents, my brother, and all of the family in my team." Djokovic's team included his coach, three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker. "Of course, they've sacrificed a lot of their free time and life in order to live the dream and be where I am at this moment. And, last but not least, I would like to dedicate this title to my first coach that taught me all the basics of tennis shots and behavior and everything I know about tennis, Jelena Gencic. She passed away last year. This is for her."

Djokovic lifted the winner's trophy aloft and kissed it. He was grateful for the opportunity to so publicly share a poignant moment. The Wimbledon final was broadcast to over 180 countries around the world.

Off the court, Djokovic called Sunday's Wimbledon victory "the most special Grand Slam final I've played. At the time in my career, for this Grand Slam trophy to arrive is crucial, especially after losing several Grand Slam finals in a row. I started doubting, of course, a little bit. I needed this win a lot."

Looking back on Sunday's championship match with a day's-worth of perspective, one thing is certain. What a treat for tennis fans around the world this year's final provided us with to remember: Five sets of extremely high level of play stretched out over almost four hours -- with lots of resilience and mental and physical fortitude -- was exuded by both athletes. Regardless of whom you wanted to win, you had to admire and appreciate the level of tennis that Djokovic and Federer brought to Centre Court.

No doubt, both players left the Wimbledon grounds with their heads held high.

A postscript: Four days after winning his second Wimbledon title, Novak Djokovic married his long-time girlfriend, Jelena Ristic, in the grounds of Montenegro's Aman Sveti Stefan resort.

Photos courtesy AELTC/Google Images.