No, you Can't! Thanksgiving week with Number 4

I have been feeling punk the last few days and thought it was the after effects of Thanksgiving week. I  have felt similar to this after a few December Reno trips with our friends Jan and Dave. Too much fun, too many cocktails and too much food. As it turned out, I was getting a horrendous head cold and have been slow to get to my blog. Thanksgiving week was a delight! So many fun adventures and the company of my sweet and spunky Kelsey, #4.

I thought the motto in DC Metro and everywhere else in the USA was "yes, we can!"  It seems that it is more like, no you can't-it's against the rules!  Maybe because I was born and raised in the West that I want to rebel against all the rules and regulations that are everywhere here. Question authority? Well, at times I will, but my daughter Kelsey likes to say- "I'll do what I want!"  When push comes to shove, we are both law abiding citizens who adhere to the rules, but do there have to be so many!?

"Yes, We Can"!

I was delighted that my youngest daughter  would be spending Thanksgiving week with me. Tom was out of town for work and I wasn't ready to make the trip to Phoenix quite yet.  I am saving that up for a time when I get cabin fever and must escape the city-scape.  Kelsey took a midnight flight on the 24th and arrived at Reagan National  Airport at 9:30 Thanksgiving morning.

I had ordered a delicious Turkey take-out dinner from Chicken Out and purchased a Tofurky and vegetarian giblet gravy for Kelsey.  Check out this you-tube clip from the Conan Show.    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oFbjKsVHZ4
 We had a nice meal and then Kelsy napped on and off all day as I perused the Black Friday ads and dinked around on the computer- a nice quiet day.






Our delicious Hot Chocolate drink

After a good night's sleep on Thursday night ,we prepared for our first day of fun.  We started the day at The Shear Shack  and got our eyebrows threaded. Next on the day's agenda was a performance of the Joffrey Ballet's The Nutcracker at the Kennedy Center.  Before the performance we stopped for a refreshment. We had arrived early and I was quite pleased with my Metro skills in taking the correct train and arriving just in time to catch the shuttle bus to the center-everything was moving like clockwork! 

We decided to get a hot chocolate spiked with Bailey's Irish Creme to share.  Where else but DC can you pay 9.00 for a paper cup  of cocoa that you have to assemble yourself!  The bartender poured a generous amount of  liqueur in the cup and handed us the cup and a packet of Swiss Miss and directed us to a nearby hot pot. We also had jumbo cookies-let the overindulgence begin!  I must say, the cocoa was delicious and they weren't stingy with the Bailey's as we found out. We both nearly fell asleep during the first act.......
The ballet was awesome. so beautiful and fun to watch. Our tickets were very close to the orchestra and I now realize that we would probably had a better view further back. Isn't that just like life?  If you are a little too close to a situation you might not have a clear perspective.  At any rate, it was very enjoyable and the Kennedy Center is beautiful to behold.



The Kennedy Center in all it's splendor.


The ballet was wonderful and we enjoyed continuing the Thanksgiving weekend tradition started many years ago at the Chandler performing Arts Center with Ballet Etudes. 

On Saturday, we set off for Mount Vernon- home of George and Martha.  It was the opening weekend of the Christmas celebration and one of the most crowded of the year, I found out later.  Kelsey promised to drive after my plan to take a tour bus from Arlington Cemetery was foiled. We got out the GPS and took a ridiculous roundabout way to get there. That darn contraption is a menace and even Kelsey agreed with me-score one for Mom!  We circled the parking (lots) several times like vultures waiting for their prey and we finally found a spot.  It was really cold and windy and we were glad to be dressed in layers.  We arrived too late to eat in the dining room, so instead opted for a George Washington Happy Meal in the food court. 

I bought a season pass for only ten dollars more than regular admission which bumped us up closer to the line for the Mt. Vernon mansion tour.  The third floor is only opened to the public a few times a year. The deathbed of President Washington is on the third floor as well as his pint-sized wife's bedroom. It is accessible by a narrow steep stairway and is a tight fit to be sure.  No pictures allowed in the estate home, but it was incredible inside and out.

There were a lot of rules at Mt.Vernon- where to stand in line, no chewing gum , no photography of the famous Washington dentures.  I know, there has to be law and order and respect in such places- but so many rules! 

We got to see the Christmas camel which is in commemoration of the camel the president brought to his estate to amuse his yuletide guests.  We were sad to learn that we had mistakenly bypassed the tent with the turkey pardoned by President Obama, just days earlier.






Ye olde Presidential Christmas Camel


Our next stop was the tomb of President and Mrs. Washington and various family members. It was unbelievable to see something so old and historical right before our eyes.

 

Okay, I give up- the picture is sideways and I can't fix it- just go along with me and turn your head to the side....

After braving the cold- we headed into the museum/exhibits and gift shops. There were great historical films and displays to see. More than one visit is needed to fully appreciate it. It was fun to see the Christmas decorations and the gingerbread replica of Mt. Vernon.


 The next two days were designated for The Capitol Mall and I had purchased Tourmobile Groupons for the occasion.  Wouldn't you know it- they were good for only one day, so the second day we had to walk and walk to get around.  Kelsey tried hard to keep up with me! 
We took a tour of the Mall and then decided to see the Smithsonian Museum of American History! 

http://americanhistory.si.edu/

We enjoyed so many of the exhibits and were thrilled to take it all in together.

Julia Child's Kitchen

The Ruby Slippers





The Hope diamond- can you believe it is okay to take a picture of this and not George Washington's false teeth?



Archie and Edith Bunker's chairs



Carol Burnett's Gone with the Wind dress



We really enjoyed the display of the First Ladies Inaugural gowns from glamorous Michelle to Mamie Eisenhower- first lady when I was born.  Times have changed...

Our next stop was the Smithsonian Natural History Museum  http://www.mnh.si.edu/

It was so interesting to see the exhibits and even my strident vegetarian companion was able to tolerate the taxidermy animals.  So much fun!!!









The Apple doesn't fall far from the tree.


We were really tired from all the sight-seeing, but mustered up enough strength to get to a movie and dinner- "Due Date" and Thai food , the end to a perfect day with number 4.


The second day downtown started as a real downer since we were told No, we can't look it up to see that in fact you had purchased 4 Groupons for Tourmobile, but had neglected to bring them *%$#@!

However, I was clever enough to remember the Groupons for the Madame Tussuad's wax museum and even ran into a few fans of the blog who asked to have their picture taken with us.

No, you can't be an intern!

To the left, to the left..

This one's for you Tracy!

Networking with General Lee

We sure enjoyed the wax museum-it was great to go on a weekday.  For once, I was not constantly pestered by autograph hounds and we could ham it up with the celebs at our leisure. 

The next stop was the American Art Museum to see the Norman Rockwell exhibit. The exhibit is courtesy of the collection of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. I asked for permission to take a picture of the exhibit signage, but nooooooo, not allowed. I was able to get a picture in the museum foyer. The exhibit was wonderful and well worth the trip.

 We quickly ate our $35.00 sandwich lunches at the museum cafe and made our way to the White House before it got dark since we were on foot. It was quite a trek and we walked up and down trying to find the access to the destination. Many rules and regs for standing walking, gawking...Understandable to have a lot of restrictions, but can be vexing.  We got a nice view and soaked in the sight.

My little Democrat- like mother, like daughter.

We made a train home before the start of rush hour and reminisced about the day we rode home with hordes of Redskins fans post game. After taking Sandy for a quick walk, we went out for a lovely dinner at a French restaurant and managed to get lost again. 

The next day was designated for packing and preparing for the trip back to Phoenix.  We got busted one last time by "the man" for eating apple crisp on the subway platform-outside.  Are you kidding me?!  We had a good laugh over it and recollected all the rules and regulations that permeate the DC metro area.  Kelsey made it home safe and sound after a two hour delay due to tornado warnings in the Atlanta area.

We had a great visit and saw just about everything we planned to see.  Come back again soon #4- love you!

postscript:  After several futile attempts to post this blog on my tiny computer, I was gifted yesterday with a new laptop!  Thank you Sgt. Claus!   Today is my son Taylor's 28th birthday and I see that the Victoria's Secret  fashion show is being televised tonight. Taylor- please stay home and watch instead of getting a new BD tattoo........

Change of Seasons

Yes, it has been a few weeks since my last blog. Two reasons, I have been super busy and my computer needed a little space cleared out. It is not easy storing all my literary genius on a pixie sized laptop computer.

Halloween weekend was a bit of a let down. No trick or treaters for the first time in years. I felt homesick for Arizona and wishing I was sitting on my driveway with a glass of wine passing out candy to the small fry in the neighborhood.  I also felt sad to miss the autism walk with my grandson Sam, on the 31st.

We found a farmers market nearby that weekend and wouldn't you know, the last one of the season. I don't think Tom has gotten over the 20 dollar organic spiced honey I talked him into-but it sure is tasty! We also got some delicious jumbo Virginia apples, so good. 







Beautiful Colors at Sullivan Place

  


We had planned a driving trip through the Shenandoah Valley to see the Autumn leaves, but changed the plan to accommodate church and an eye Dr. appointment. Instead, we went for a Fall walk along the Potomac river near Mt. Vernon.  The leaves were beginning to change and it was a beautiful day for a walk. I thought I was so fancy in my hemp tennis shoes. I had forgotten that the last time I had worn them they had rubbed blisters on my heels.  This time I skipped the blisters and went right to the raw spots, needless to say the walk was cut short.



Canadian Geese on the Potomac


We have actually had a reprieve from really cold temperatures so far this fall. I have stocked up on mittens, scarves and warm shoes in case we have a replay of the unfortunate winter of 2009-10. The leaves are falling on the landscape at Sullivan
Place and it really nice to have a change of season. 

Okay, now I am getting really irritated. I have more trouble trying to flip my pictures and I think I will just let this last one go- you will have to tilt your heads my peeps-sorry.




Right after Halloween weekend, I got started with my French cooking classes and volunteer work.  I am concurrently working on my French cooking blog and will have my last class next week, November 30th.

 I spend all day Wednesday at the USO at Fort Belvoir ,entertaining the troops- just kidding- I work on special holiday projects such as numbering turkey gift cards and assembling mailings.  This will be a short term volunteer project that will end Dec 15th.  The folks there are really nice and do wonderful things for all branches of the active duty military and their families. They are a little cramped in their present  antiquated office  and the first day there I saw the disrepair first hand.  I actually got locked in a bathroom stall there and noticed I was not the first victim, as the door hardware was pulling away from the drywall. What to do?  Sacrifice my dignity by pounding on the wall, or crawl under?   After a few more fruitless attempts to strong arm my way out- I gave up and crawled under the stall. Thanks goodness for my yoga classes- not too bad . I felt pretty clever and spry.  No one had missed me for 20 minutes and I might still be there today if not for my quick thinking!   The link below  is for the DC Metro USO. The need for a little extra holiday help is great ,so help if you can:
http://www.usometrodc.org/
                                                                                                                                                                                  

I have also started volunteering at United Community Ministries which serves parts of Fairfax county with basic needs, food, shelter, medicines, etc.  I will be helping out at the front desk  from time to time and what ever else needs doing. My first day I worked on a large scale mailing with three 20 something young women whose lives have taken a very different turn from my own.

Here is a link to this great organization: http://www.ucmagency.org/

Tom and I also started a new yoga class through a local hospital group. Our yoga teacher is very skilled at relaxing the group, so much so that there is a woman who immediately falls asleep during the shivasana every week!  She actually snores and I feel she should be poked. However, our teacher always says "Be a silent witness to any and all sounds you hear". I don't know what the proper etiquette is, but I would give her a quick nudge if I could. Our teacher appears unlikely at first glance to be teaching yoga. She wears regular street clothes and doesn't participate in class except to demonstrate a new posture.  She is surprising agile and strong- you shouldn't judge a book........  It has been good enough, but we are ready for more challenging classes and will probably shell out the necessary money to attend classes at Little River Yoga in January. We really miss our Calming Body Effects yoga studio back in Mesa.

Tom is out of town for Thanksgiving week for work. I am looking forward to having my daughter Kelsey here for the holiday weekend! Although life is quite different for me here and I can't honestly say I love apartment living- I do try to start each day with a thankful heart for all the new experiences here in Metro DC.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.