This past weekend, the Junior Olympic swim meet for regional swimmers was held at the Eppley Recreation Center Hundreds of young swimmers gathered there.

Have you ever heard of the Monocacy National Battlefield? Chances are, you haven’t. But the battle is an inflection point in history of the United States.

Arlington Road in downtown Bethesda, MD is teemed with nicely-decorated stores and restaurants. As dusk falls, the neon signs glitter, lighting up the dim walkway. Facing a stylish Apple store adorned with their huge well-known logo is a quiet modest-looking store, whose storefront is low-key with a simple sign “amazonbooks.”

“Welcome to our adoption center,” Mr. Blake ushers people inside. Time to please them. Maya barks softly. Kenny shakes his tail. Misty shows her pleading face. I know these tricks, but my limp hind leg is too obvious.

I peered at my watch and hollered another reminder to my dad, who was still smoothing out his navy-blue shirt in front of our living room mirror. He was in his spotless beige khakis pants and new white Nike sneakers, totally dressed up for the annual Chinese New Year parade in D.C.

I wish I were
Gushes of wind
That lashes away
The raging torrents sweeping
The iron bridge etched with “Ellicott City.”

Billows of smoke
from gunfire engulfs
a town echoed with shrieks
of terror and fury.

On a windy holiday morning, my family and I braved the chill and headed to the well-known Baltimore National aquarium. As a gust of wind whipped my face and pushed against my body, I was regretful for this travel plan and murmured, “It better be worth it.”

The spotlight is on the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum. It embodies an important history of Northern Virginia and carries a symbolic value for the community.

Gaithersburg is a well-crafted story with layers of meaning and presence, imbued with contrasts and variations. Its historic landmarks are mingled with contemporary architecture, local traditions balanced with diversified outlook, old-world charm blended with dynamic modernization.