Neel Kashkari, the point man for former Treasury secretary Hank Paulson's Troubled Asset Relief Program, walks his two Newfoundland dogs near his cabin in Nevada County, Calif.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
A light show streaks across the sky of Kashkari's cabin.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
Kashkari is decompressing from his intense time in Washington after building the $700 billion TARP from the ground up in little more than a weekend. Kashkari has a four-step Washington detox program. Step 2 is chopping wood.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
As part of his daily regimen, Kashkari chops firewood using fallen or dead trees from his property.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
Step 1 in Kashkari's detox plan is finishing this shed that he and his wife, Minal, are building by hand. "I had to do something with my hands. It's a big amorphous unknown: what's going to happen to our economy. And the shed is solid, measurable. I can see it, I can touch it. It's going to be around for the next 30 years. It's the opposite of amorphous."
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
Kashkari heads into his forested property with a 20-inch chainsaw to cut down a dead tree.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
Newsome, one of the Kashkaris' two Newfoundland, gnaws at a gigantic pine cone. The rugged breed is known for being extremely loving, gentle and has strong rescue instincts.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
The Kashkaris and their dogs take in a lot of fresh air in the woods of Northern California, far from the confines of Washington.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
It's time to go to work, boys: Kashkari prepares for a day of labor with his necessary accessory -- a pair of boots.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
Even though Kashkari got away from it all in the middle of the woods, he still plays with his BlackBerry. But where his device would buzz every few seconds in 2008, now he may get a few e-mails per day.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
A serious-minded man with an unflappable demeanor, Kashkari doesn't smile often. But his playful Newfoundland dogs bring out his lighter side.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
He left Washington behind, but Kashkari still tends to business on his BlackBerry.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
Finishing the work on the shed is extremely important to the Kashkaris. When they finally complete the structure, it looks like a small, country church. Neel calls it "The Anti-D.C. Sanctuary."
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
Minal and Neel Kashkari have enjoyed the company of their Newfoundland dogs during time away from Washington.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
Neel Kashkari completes some paperwork in the kitchen as Minal cleans up before they head off to China for a week.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
Neel and Minal Kashkari take a break to head down the mountain into Truckee, Calif., where they have lunch at the Wagon Train Coffee Shop.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
Minal Kashkari, an engineer at Lockheed Martin, enjoys cross-stitching in her spare time.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
Neel Kashkari ballooned to 203 pounds in the middle of the stress from TARP. He has worked out consistently and changed his eating habits in an effort to lose 20 pounds -- Step 3 of his Washington detox program.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
It's a dog's life at the Kashkaris' getaway in Northern California.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
Kashkari takes his dogs for a walk along the Truckee River. Step 4 of the detox program is helping Hank Paulson with his book "On The Brink," a first-hand about the harrowing months of 2008, which is due out this January.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
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