June saw the end of spring and the start of summer in San Antonio. It meant that tolerable spring temperatures became a thing of the past and that the biggest event of the month was my trip to the SHRM Annual Conference in Washington DC.
Here are the Instagrams that tell the tale of June 2016.
Storm’s a Comin’
If May was characterized by seemingly endless rain, June signaled the end of it. But before the rains moved on to other places, June let us have a few days of crazy downpours, including the storm pictured below. I took this photo at Geekdom, located on the 7th floor of the Rand Building in downtown San Antonio. It was also my cue to get out of downtown ASAP.
Milam Building
On the same day I was rushing to escape Geekdom before another storm blew in, I stopped to take this picture of the Milam Building on my way to the parking garage. The picture is slightly off center, and not quite level, a fact that kind of annoys me. If I wasn’t trying to avoid getting stuck downtown in another storm, I would have taken the time to get it right. Oh well.
Flour Power
Just a few days later the rain had cleared and summer slammed the city with intense sunshine, heat, and humidity. This photo was taken from the Johnson Street Bridge in Southtown San Antonio and depicts the Pioneer Flour Mill, Guenther House, San Antonio River Authority offices, and the San Antonio river as it bends towards a lock (just around the corner).
WeLive
I walked past this building every day on my way to the Metro when I was in Washington DC for the SHRM Annual Conference. It stood out among the other buildings in the Crystal City area and was the subject of several pictures and tweets as I tried to figure out exactly “what the building was”. It turns out it’s a community that is actually pretty hard to describe. It’s “furnished, flexible, apartments” that “challenges traditional apartment living through physical spaces that foster meaningful relationships.”
I know all this because I got responses to my tweet from the folks at WeLive, and that prompted some research on my behalf. I never visited as they suggested, but hey, I still think the building is awesome.
George Washington Monument
The day before the SHRM Annual Conference started, I rode a tour bus to take in some of the monuments and sights around the National Mall. I took this photo from an uncomfortable seat on a moving bus full of tourists who were completely distracted by their phones.
Capitol
When the bus tour was over, I decided to walk much of the same area to spend a little more time exploring the spots I wanted to on my own. I started with the capitol, where I took this photo in nearly the exact spot I took a similar photo at the SHRM Leadership Meeting way back in November 2011.
Steve Browne Haka
Steve put on an amazing presentation at the SHRM Annual Conference, “HR On Purpose”. At one point in his presentation, he extolled the value of bringing energy and enthusiasm to our work and then suggested that we perform an HR version of a haka dance if necessary. He then proceeded to gift us with about five seconds of haka, and that was just long enough for me to catch this shot.
Time With Abe
Immediately after the conference, I set out to visit the United States Holocaust Museum and to visit the monuments I didn’t’ get to see up close earlier in the trip. This, of course, included visiting my favorite, the Lincoln Memorial.
And taking time to appreciate the view from its steps…
Time With Martin
Making it to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial was high on my priority list. I arrived after hours of walking, and that afforded me the opportunity to rest in the garden area surrounding the memorial. Along the walls of the garden, many of Dr. King’s quotes were inscribed. I found this quote, in particular, as relevant as ever:
“If we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective.” Georgia, 1967
Conchas for the People
What month would be complete without a reference to the greatest pan dulce in the world, the concha? A good buddy at work went out of her way to bring us conchas and roscas from La Panaderia. They were amazing, and powered me through a long day at the office!
“And when Kim returned, she brought Conchas to the people, so that they might know the pan dulce smooth as velvet. And the people were thankful.”
That’s a wrap for June. Bring on July!
Carlos Escobar 