Scenes from a Sunday in DC

Water play at Georgetown Waterfront Park

Georgetown Cupcakes

Pleasant Pops at the Dupont Circle Farmers' Market

I don't know who puts these up - but I love it.

Spot the twinkles.

The fireflies are back! It is that magical time of summer when dusk brings on the twinkly presence of fireflies in the grassy patches all around Rock Creek Park. Unfortunately the camera on my phone is a joke, but you can barely make out two twinkles in the upper left corner of this photo.

Remember Max Headroom?

I can't wait to start dancing again. Not that I want to, or ever could, do Dragon House style - but seriously... is this inspiring or what? I am completely enthralled by this. It gets extra good around 2:25

 (Viva So You think You Can Dance! The Atlanta Auditions have been the BEST so far.)

Tastebuds on Holiday!

Last night my husband and I had the rare treat of going out for the evening: AKA Date Night! Unfortunately he was feeling sick... perhaps the week of taking care of two little girls with strep throat, interspersed with two 16 hour days at the office, has finally gotten to him. After bailing on most of our plans for the evening we settled on sitting at the bar at Ripple, a lovely, comfortable, eclectic little restaurant in Cleveland Park, within walking distance from our apartment. Ripple's claim to fame is their local, organic, farm-to-table menu. This is no ordinary menu - it goes on for pages and is provided to you on a clipboard, which is essential because it takes at least half an hour to read the whole thing, and try to decipher the various ingredients and combinations of ingredients in each of their offerings. Take a look at it here because I really can't do it justice. We like to sit at the bar because we have quick access to the knowledgeable bartenders who will offer friendly advice with out making you feel stupid for not knowing what "fat-washed" cocktails are (not to mention all the intricacies of the many other menu pages.)

So, here is what we had - and seriously - it was like a staycation for the tastebuds, a little culinary adventure that reminded us that there's more to life than the unending daily grind.

My husband asked the (very personable and sweet) female bartender for a custom cocktail: lemony and rye-based.  I have no idea what she put into it (next time I will pay better attention) but it was summery and refreshing.

I was going to get a cocktail, but then I read the cheese menu and decided to go for a trio of cheeses and a glass of red wine. I chose the Qupe Syrah, 2009, Central Coast because it was listed as bio-dynamic, and is an American wine. I have been learning, with great fascination, about wine from my project team at the Smithsonian - and I have been loving the tidbits I hear about bio-dynamic practices such as burying a Cow horn in the soil under a full moon, etc... Very pagan and magical!

It was gorgeous and after about 10 minutes it evolved into something even better - especially paired with the trio of cheeses we selected. I am no wine reviewer, but I can tell you that it definitely had many layers to it. Here is what others have said:

What a beautiful relief. This is probably one of the most focused of California's claims to well-balanced, impeccably-structured Syrah, that compared to overseas productions, is less fruit-forward and sappy. The concept here is a fresh, accessible wine with all the brambly dark berry fruits and dark chocolate notes to accompany its mid-weight frame. The juicy currant and crisped mint notes were an added bonus. (Wine Director 91 Points)

Read more: http://www.snooth.com/wine/qupe-central-coast-syrah-2009-1/#ixzz1xObYNKEW



The cheeses were: (I'm copying the descriptions directly from the online menu)
1) Goat: Capricious • deep caramel flavor; rustic, pebbly rind; made in the style of california dry jack • petaluma, ca.


2) Cow: l'amuse “gouda” • astounding caramel complexity; aged two years; profoundly nutty w/ awesome crystalline texture • beemster, nl

3) Washed Rind: jasper hill farm “winnimere” • rich & assertive with notes of spruce; slightly smoky; from jazz-loving cows • greensboro, vt

The first two were mouthwatering, but the last was so nutty in flavor and creamy in consistency that it actually tasted like peanut butter. I wouldn't get it again.

Following the cheeses I was hungry for more to go with the remains of my Syrah, so I ordered the gazpacho. What a treat!!  The bowl arrives with a little pile of ingredients in the center: sliced sugar snap peas, pickled shrimp, chopped black walnuts, and a little mountain of white sesame seeds. The server poured a creamy green soup over the top of these ingredients and it formed the most fascinating combination of flavors! I'm not sure what was in the cold soup base, but it might have been cucumbers - with something tangy that really worked well with the combination of mellow earthy flavors of the walnuts and sesame seeds, and the sharper flavors of the pickled shrimp and crisp snap peas.  It was... an experience. A delicious one.

I love Ripple - if only we could afford to go there more often!

Happy mint

My mint is so happy, and that makes me happy.

This is a test

I was really turned off by the creepy people who reposted my photos on tumblr so I'm thinking of reactivating this blogger blog.

Surviving the Blizzard of 2010

A blizzard? Yes, that’s right. Washington DC and the surrounding areas have been enveloped under feet, several feet, of snow for the past week or so. The government shut down, the buses stopped running, the grocery stores went bare. Those of us with children had to spend 4 unplanned days with our kids. Imagine that!

The view from our window - snow drifts, 4-stories up!

Well, tonight, after four days of Federal Government Snow Closures, we are on the eve of our return to normal life. School and work tomorrow. Only for one day, of course, and then… get this… it is a 3-day weekend!

How did we survive? Well, I can only speak for myself, but let me tell you that it involved the following elements:

Imagination. I am always so impressed at how resourceful kids are when it comes to free time. Here are the girls "busking" for money with their self-made drums and microphone. Notice the coin jar? E felt that was essential to being a street performer.

Arts and Crafts. Need I say more?

Good food. Lots of home cooked, tummy warming, palette pleasing, good food. Not only does it make one feel satisfied, but it is a fun activity to pass the time.

Among the recipes that I made are:

Cabbage, Potato, Cauliflower soup

Many batches of the world's best guacamole (I saw this one on America's Test Kitchen several years ago). It includes shallots, cilantro and lime juice. YUM.

Jer's mother's famous cholesterol free spice cookies (I'll send you the recipe if you are interested). We made the Valentine's Day version by rolling the dough balls in pink sugar before baking them. There is something very addictive about them.

Lots of roasted veggies with assorted beans (cannelini, garbanzo... whatever) with lemon and garlic over rice pilaf or couscous.

Veggie Stir Fry with these delicious Scallion Pancakes.

Bizarre, yet really good Banana Ice Cream. It's ONLY bananas, folks!

I made up a new recipe for what I call "Grilled Apple Pie Breakfast Sandwiches" - basically, a grilled cheese sandwich, except you take out the cheese and add thinly sliced apples with a little pat of butter and cinnamon-sugar.

Alchohol. More than once this past week Jer made a late night run (or more accurately, a snowy hike) to the liquor store at the end of the block for Bailey’s or Brooklyn Lager.

Movies. Thank goodness for Netflix Instant Queue, and for iTunes movies, as we ran out of DVDs pretty darn quickly. Among my favorites were Helvetica, and New York I Love You.

Sledding. Well, we only went out twice, but it was a heck of a blast. Once for a very short time, but the second time we spent hours sledding like professional tobogganeurs down the steep and windy hills of Rock Creek Park. I learned, not surprisingly, that my bottom is strangely akin to a “saucer” – and I can sled on my ass better than on a sled. Maybe (I hope) it’s just all that good food (see above), and the fact that my dance class was cancelled 3 times!

Here is a video of Eleanor "The Luge Master" sledding down the hill in Rock Creek Park.

IKEA. We performed a day long junket that included walking all the way from our apartment to the Smithsonian. When I say “walk” I mean trudge, and heft, and hoist, and navigate the double stroller through the mounds of snow we thought would have been plowed or shoveled by Tuesday.

The view as we crossed Duke Ellington Bridge.

The National Mall

Once at the Smithsonian, we got Jer’s car and drove to IKEA where we purchased all the furniture we deemed necessary to make our new apartment a home. We also scored some meatballs and lingonberries to boot. We spent most of the day Wednesday and Thursday (today) assembling the new furniture and spiffing up our new digs. Ah, the sweet smell of particle board.

Contemblogging. That’s what I call it. When my mind is clear I spend a good deal of time writing entire blogs in my head. It hasn’t happened in a while, because most of the time life moves too fast to allow it. But these past 4 days I have mentally scribed this and countless other blogs – and that’s a good feeling.

Practicing good parenting. We got a lot of practice being good parents. The definition of practicing that I intend to use is not the one that doctors use in “practicing medicine” – meaning that they have been through years of training and are now experts at their vocation. I mean practicing as in getting it wrong a lot and then having to try again. And again. And again before getting it half-way right. Let’s just say that being snow-bound with one’s family for four days, whether you are 3 ½, 5 ½, 35 or 36 years old, is not easy. It is not easy, especially when you are unprepared and don’t know when it will end. Each night we would wait for the announcement… is school on? Is the government closed? No? Yes? Ok. What are we going to do tomorrow?

The interesting thing, to me at least, is that I woke up this morning with brilliant sun shining in the window (surely amplified by the glaring white snow 4 stories below our apartment) and I thought to myself “hey, I’m getting good at this!” We seemed to be getting into a groove with each other – something that never actually happens on our normal 2-day weekends. Today there were fewer “time outs,” I heard less screeching in melodramatic pain when one sister walked towards the other sister’s current project, there was less whining, and, the true test … I didn’t feel frustrated. I felt capable.

So, here I am, on the eve of a return to “normal,” and I am just starting to feel normal for real. What a gift this blizzard has been. What a sweet breath of fresh air: the kind that in yoga, or child-birth, is called a “cleansing breath.” I am breathing this fresh air deeply, because tomorrow the race starts again.

my little windchime girl

Eleanor sings all the time, and my reactions to it vary from amazement at how well she can match a tune perfectly, to pride in how she can come up with the most wonderful lyrics, to complete annoyance that she just won't stop! This morning I was feeling completely annoyed that I had gotten up at 6 and 2 1/2 hours later I still couldn't get the girls dressed to leave the house. As I looked in the mirror, brushing my teeth, thinking to myself, "why is this so difficult?" I heard Eleanor's sweet voice coming from her bedroom. From the lovely lilting tone I could tell that she was singing to herself while immersed in some imaginary world of fairies or princesses. She sounded so content that for the first time I experienced her singing as something comforting, like the soft tones of a windchime in the distance. I brushed my teeth feeling peaceful for two precious minutes before I had to re-enter the stressful reality of getting 'out the door' in the morning.

Bye Bye 2008

I don't blog much anymore now that Facebook has taken over my life. But I know that there are a few of you out there who are not on Facebook so here are some links to photos taken in 2008.

Here are some shots of our fantastic and freezing trip to NYC this December. Sarah was kind enough to let us stay in her lovely apartment and even keep us company on our various adventures in Brooklyn and in the city. Thank you Sarah for making our trip possible!

Here are some photos of the girls (taken just the other day) on a mundane trip to the supermarket. Corduroy and Ballet Kitty came with us, as you will see.

These photos were taken in Baltimore last weekend, my own personal Brooklyn-substitute. I get my fill of urban-ity by visiting Canton and Patterson Park as often as possible. It's only 15 minutes from our house, even though we're in "suburban" Catonsville.

In November I completed the design, installation, and opening of the Albert H. Small Documents Gallery for the renovation of the National Museum of American History. Here are a few photos of the gallery.

I got a new bike before the weather got cold... I have ridden it ONCE, but I swear that I plan on riding it more once I get back into the swing of things at work. See, the goal is to bike between Union Station and the museum on the days that I go into the office. Good luck to me on actually doing it in the cold weather.

And, (how can I leave this to last?) we bought a new/old house in August! Here are some pictures from before we moved in. And here are some pics after we had lived in the house a couple of months. We hope to finish the basement someday, and we're currently working on painting various rooms. So, stay tuned for more pictures as the work is completed.

The girls are growing sweeter by the day and we are having a lot of fun together (between tantrums and whining, of course). I have high hopes for 2009, and although there are parts of 2008 that I don't want to say goodbye to, I am looking forward to Spring on our new screened porch, making new friends in Baltimore, and inviting old friends to visit us in our new house.

So cheers, everybody! Have a drink for me to ring in the New Year. I'm sure to fall asleep at 9PM next to my snuggly warm Eleanor. But hopefully I will wake up in time to toast you all properly at midnight.

National Museum of American History -- Re-opening Gala

Last night was the Gala for the Re-opening of the National Museum of American History. I have worked there since last September as the designer for the Albert H. Small Documents Gallery. This gallery is intended to exhibit precious documents related to American History. The opening exhibit features the hand-written White House copy of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address!

So, finally last night was the opening - and what an opening it was! For those of you who want to see pictures check out Clare and Jer at the Gala!

There's so much more to tell - like the fact that the staff were all in hard hats up until a couple days ago, and that tensions have been more than a little high, but the end result is that it is done, and I'm so proud!

The museum is beautiful and the gallery is lovely. I hope all of you will come down to visit and see it for yourself.