Fall Fun and Technology Fails

Last Fall, we missed a lot of opportunities for celebrating the change of seasons here in the Northeast. It has been fun to see the beautiful leaves change and to finally feel the humidity and heat gradually fade away. My brother-in-law Robert said that the Shenandoah Valley  on the Fall was a sight not to be missed, so I started scouting the various festivals and events in the area. All of our day trips are restricted to 12 hours maximum due to our Sandy, who would not be kind to a non-family member taking her outside for a potty break.

We planned a trip to Syria Virginia to attend the 2011 Apple Festival at Graves Mountain Lodge.  The weather was perfect and we set off to enjoy the day. The only thing that worried me was the fact that the website of the  lodge had a PO Box for an address, so all we had was the name of the town and zip code.  Well, we finally made it, but we nearly gave up.  When we walked up to the lodge there was a brochure with a proper street address, better late than never. 

We got some beautiful pictures of the venue and the changing leaves were quite spectacular.  We decided to get a new camera after our friends Kevin and Tracy visited and we realized our camera was in need of an update.  We treated ourselves to a new "bridge camera" with better speed and  distance qualities and felt it would be nice to photograph our new grandson due in May.   We are still trying to get the full benefit of the camera and you will notice some very poor lighting in some subsequent posts.  It is a experiment each time we use it to decide on whether to use the flash or not.


Well, I don't want to  assign blame, but a member of our household hasn't quite reconciled to the fact that reading glasses are needed more often than not. Long story short, the whole memory card was erased, so I have to give credit  to the Graves Mountain website for the pictures on this blog-phooey!
www.gravesmountain.com  

We enjoyed the fresh air, good food and just being around friendly, relaxed people who were not rushing around and were just out to have a fun day.

The food was plentiful and we bought apple butter, kettle corn and a bag of apples from the adjacent orchard.  The FFA (Future Farmers of America) were stirring a big black kettle over and open fire and it took me back to Redmond Oregon where so many of the boys in my high school class wore their FFA blue corduroy jackets.  It turned out they were making "Pure Sorghum Syrup, woodfire cooked".  I have no idea what I will do with it, but I sure don't want to haul it back to Arizona so I better figure it out. 

I have to say that when we do leave the confines of the city, we are happily surprised that folks are so friendly and courteous.  The beautiful homes and yards with porches and rocking chairs on them make me wistful for small town life.  Virginia is beautiful and so rich in history, it has been fun to be here, but we are both  preparing our hearts and minds for the return trip to the Southwest.

The National Aquarium in Baltimore was a destination that seemed a must see while we were here.  My maternal Grandpa Frank Jenkins, was born in Baltimore and I was anxious to catch a glimpse of the city.
The trip was uneventful an we were lucky to dodge the rush hour traffic coming and going. By the way, drivers honk their horns there too! 

We took about two pictures before our new camera refused to work and I was not happy!  Looking back, I am pretty sure this was when the Apple Festival pictures disappeared........  The problem was remedied with a new memory card.  Luckily for us, we were within walking distance of a Best Buy store - problem solved and we enjoyed a great day at the aquarium.                                  

http://www.aqua.org/

Looking at the website before hand, it seemed that it would be optimal to visit the Aquarium on a weekday.  We enjoyed a full hour of practically having the place to ourselves when the school buses rolled up!  The kids were well behaved though. Most of them had school uniforms on and were with adult chaperone's that actually kept an eye on them. 

The aquarium is fairly new and beautiful, well worth the trip if you are in the area. They do a fantastic job of educating the public about pollution, climate change and endangered ocean species.  A sad fact of life as I found out when visiting the Washington National Zoo. 

I really should have written this blog a month ago when I could remember more detail... The volunteer docents were so nice and eager to show us the sights. They also have volunteers in scuba gear who feed the fish and even clean up fish poop and wipe down the sides of the tanks.  I guess I never thought of the fact that the tanks don't clean themselves.

My friend Christine told me about a cute little town called Occoquan Virginia. It is only about a 30 minute drive from our place and I really took a shine to this great little town. It is on the waterfront and has so many cute restaurants and shops. http://www.historicoccoquan.com/

 I found a year round Christmas store and bought  ornaments for Holly and Ryne for the expected baby and for my yoga teachers. http://www.goldgoose.com/

We were supposed to go on a Ghost Walk one weekend near Halloween, but the weather was so cold, rainy and windy that we didn't go- darn it!  There are so many Ghost tours and walks in the area, I would hate to leave Virginia without experiencing one.

I actually got to go to Occoquan twice so we could retake pictures lost from the accidentally deleted memory card-winning! 



I think we have the camera situation figured out now and I will find out in the next few minutes as I try to insert the pictures into the blog,something that usually tries my patience.

Well, we have enjoyed our second and last Fall here in Virginia, after all Virgina is for Lovers (and horn honkers!)

You say Heykenson, I say Hah-kenson

Well, the weather is turning cold and the forecast calls for up to 6" of snow tomorrow-Oct 30th!  Hmmph- I'll believe it when I see it.  So many false alarms last year and no warning at all for an earthquake-just not right!

Luckily the weather was spectacular for our good friends Kevin and Tracy's visit earlier this month. The humidity was very mild and the temperatures comfortable. 

I have been pestering Tracy about scheduling a visit for months and I was very happy when plans had been cemented.  We have been friends for about 19 years now and a better friend could not be asked for.  What I appreciate most about her is her non-judgmental attitude toward others and her willingness to commit to a planned outing- no negotiating necessary. 

The Haakensons are what you might call a trophy couple- attractive and fun and easy to get along with.  Maybe this is why my dire warnings about being the recipients of rude behavior here didn't pan out!  I tried to prepare them for the inevitable abrupt behaviors from folks (horn honking, yelling, pushing on the Metro, etc).  Would you believe no one here was mean to them!?  Don't get me wrong, I am glad, but why are the Dryden's so put upon?  I think we are ready to head back to the laid back West Coast attitude and wide open spaces. 




There was a mechanical problem with their plane out of Phoenix and they pretty much missed a whole day of touring the area. In spite of that, we had good luck seeing a lot in just a few days.  We were all pooped at the end of each day and enjoyed a pre-dinner cocktail.  I am usually a tee-totaler, but went along with them just to be a good hostess (just kidding of course).



The first evening we had dinner at the Old Ebbit Grill and then walked to back of The White House .  We think we saw Barack and Michelle looking out of their bedroom window, but I'm not sure.  The illuminated Lincoln Memorial was next and it was just as awe inspiring as the first time I saw it.

The next day was spent at Arlington Cemetery and Mt. Vernon Estate.  Arlington was as always a moving experience for all and we got to see a wreath laying ceremony. I was a bit nostalgic to see the Lee House  for the last time- I will really miss that beautiful and historic home that you can see driving home from DC. The restoration is still in progress and we will not see it's completion before returning to Arizona.   http://www.nps.gov/arho/index.htm








I was so happy that Kevin volunteered  to drive to Mt. Vernon that afternoon as I am a scared chicken even now, after 14 months here. The few times I have braved the freeways I have been proud as a peacock- but the truth is I will go miles out of my way to stay on the surface streets.  We got directions from a cabbie at the Van Dorn Metro station since the GPS doesn't readily find the place.  We tried to keep a straight face as he adamantly told us to take Eisenhower to Dukey (Duke) street-"very easy, don't need a GPS- easy- Dukey street" Well, eventually we did get there, but after taking a circuitous route as the crow flies.

Tracy didn't believe me that she was the same size as Martha Washington, but I have the photo to prove it!  Martha herself was on the ground that day giving a little talk and I couldn't help gaping at her cotton candy powder wig. It was the first glimpse I had gotten of her out of all my trips there and it was exciting. She certainly is well preserved for a woman of her age!

Gosh, I am not certain if this was the evening we went to King Street in Old Town Alexandria to a restaurant Tracy heard about on the plane ride to DC- Daniel McConnell's http://www.danieloconnells.com/index.cfm?area=content&action=contentselect&menuid=208
The recommended Guinness Cheeseburger was enjoyed and I have to tell you that it tasted better than it looked.

After that, Tom thought we should head to Ben and Jerry's for dessert. I have to tell you that I really enjoyed my scoop of Shweddy Balls-yum! I just love that Pete Schweddy!
http://www.benjerry.com/flavors/feature/schweddy/?refcd=GO100000000872695s_schweddy_balls&tsacr=GO14273039272&gclid=CIGW_q6vjKwCFTDatgodVXz5mw

 The next day we headed for the "Stones and Bones" Natural History Museum  and the American History Museum.  Would you believe it was Tom's first visit to either?  I  am glad we finally got down there together and look forward to one last visit to see the new mummy exhibit. We also saw the The National Gallery of Art -outstanding and I plan to make another visit there as it is enormous.
http://www.nga.gov/

We headed back home to Sullivan Place and I think we were all tired and full of sensory overload.
I am sorry to say that I don't exactly remember when it was that we made another trip by car to DC to see The Jefferson Memorial and the Martin Luther King Memorial. It was so tricky to get to Jefferson at night- but Tom was a real trooper- persistent and we did make it. My only disappointment was that Thomas Jefferson had a huge spider web on his shoulder which I thought was pretty disgraceful. I made a quick call to the White House when we got home to register my complaint (not really).
The MLK memorial was beautiful and we considered ourselves lucky to see it without large crowds and just prior to the rescheduled dedication. The original dedication was postponed for a month due to the tropical storm.

The last day in DC was spent going to and from Union Station to store Kevin and Tracy's bags and get tickets on the MARC train to BWI airport out of Baltimore. Logistically it was tough, but mission accomplished. Kevin and Tracy were adept students at navigating the Metro System. As I was on my way home and they were on the way to BWI, I  narrowly missed being trapped on the Blue Line train without air conditioning. According to the news that night- people were vomiting and fainting while suffering in the crammed space.  There was a sad mishap on the line that doesn't need mention here, which caused the train to be at a standstill- oh dear.

Anyway, that day The Haakenson's headed to The Newseum and I went to the National Archives  just a few blocks away. They had an exhibit at the archives which  was called

What's Cooking, Uncle Sam? The Government's Effect on the American Diet
Explore the records that trace the ways that food has occupied the hearts and minds of Americans and their Government. From Revolutionary War rations to Cold War cultural exchanges, these documents and images reflect many of our current concerns about food safety and nutrition.

It was funny in a sad sort of way to see how the government has influenced the American diet and the use of processed foods- yuck, not impressed.  Worth the visit and I even got a "Vitamin Donut" coffee mug from the gift shop.

Kevin and Tracy enjoyed their time at the Newseum,  and then it was time to head back to Union Station for the trip home.

Tom and I really enjoyed our visit with you Tracy and Kevin. We are looking forward to more fun times when we return to Mesa in 2012!

You know I gripe a lot about rude behavior here , but I have met some wonderful people here too. I have been crying with relief this afternoon as a little 8 year old boy from Virginia  had been lost in a wooded area for 6 days. He has autism and is non-verbal. Hallelujah!  He was found alive today and the caring folks of volunteers came out in droves to search for him. There are good people everywhere if you just take a look around.

Washington National Zoo- No Panda-monium

We are working our way down the list of places not yet seen in the last 13 months here in DC Metro.  The list is lengthy and it is unbelievable how many events and places are within a short drive from our apartments.

Tom and I have driven past the Smithsonian Washington Zoo many times on the weekends and noticed the jam-packed parking lots.  Admission to the zoo is free, since it is a Smithsonian property, but don't be fooled. Unless you are clever enough to take the metro, you will pay the price for parking.  You can even pay extra to reserve a parking spot-what?!

"Save Time and Stress—Reserve a Parking Spot
The Zoo is a very popular destination, and parking lots often fill up early in the day, especially in spring and summer. Street parking in the neighborhood is quite limited. Save yourself time and stress with a new option! You can now reserve a parking spot by calling FONZ Guest Services at 202.633.4486 Monday to Friday between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Just give us a minimum of 48 hours’ notice, and we’ll have a spot waiting for you. The rates are $30 for nonmembers and $20 for members. (Parking rates for nonmembers are $16 for the first three hours, and $22 for more than three hours. Parking is free for FONZ members.)"

Well, not so unexpected, when you realize that parking is at a premium in our area and woe be unto those who are not proficient at parallel parking.  When we go to the Whole Foods store they have underground parking and they have someone directing traffic full time- amazing, or maybe I am just a country bumpkin.

We planned our visit for a weekday and thought we were so clever to beat the crowds. The day was overcast and the evenings have turned cool, so we figured we would have nice cool day to enjoy the zoo.  Armed with unnecessary umbrellas and jackets, we parked and set out on  the first trail.  There is a bit of an incline on the trail and although the zoo was beautiful and uncrowded-yay, we did feel the exertion and the heat.  At the conclusion of the visit- which we did immensely enjoy, I was soaked in sweat and  drips were falling off the front of my a-line haircut. I don't think I am imagining that people were giving me curious looks!  When we listened to the news that evening, we found out that the humidity was 97%!!!!!!! No wonder we were miserable.

The zoo is famed for it's pandas and wouldn't you know it, the pandas were off display, although we could see the monitoring screens for their dens. There was a baby panda watch a few months ago that fizzled and the news was about as big as the latest Redskin's game. This was the only glimpse of a panda that we saw that day, save for the souvenirs in the gift shops.

The thing about going to the zoo, is that it is a whole different experience from when I was a child and got to go to the Portland Zoo.  Now, this generation of children are being schooled in the eminent extinction of the earth's creatures due to mankind's misbehaviors.  The innocence of enjoying the site of the beautiful animals is just not the same.

So many of the exhibits had signage regarding the habitats of the animals and their decreasing populations. I remember hearing about the extinction of the dodo bird and the  passenger pigeons, as a grade school kid, but a lot has changed since then. I remember thinking the first Earth Day when I was a freshman in high school was no big deal- turns out my biology teacher was right- we are in danger of destroying the earth. It makes my heart break for my future and present grandchildren. 

 Speaking of grandchildren- we bought souvenirs for Sam and a new grandchild who will be arriving in May- via Holly and Ryne!

Here is a link for watching the animals on a live cam- via your computer:  http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/webcams/default.cfm

It was really interesting to see the great apes- one gorilla was sitting at the glass window watching a visitor play a game on their I-Pad. After seeing the new Planet of the Apes movie, I saw these guys in a whole different way.......

There is an outside orangutan express way that of course was closed that day- darn it.  Apparently, the apes can use a zip line to go from inside (the Think Tank) to their outside area to get some fresh air. I am not sure how they keep them from dropping on the heads of unsuspecting visitors? 
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ThinkTank/Exhibit/default.cfm

Worth the trip if you are in the area.  Another venue checked off our list of must-sees and many more to go!

National Book Festival 2011

Tom and I took a trip to the DC Mall yesterday to the 11th annual National Book Festival 

http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/    We had a great time last year and  looked forward to meeting some of our favorite authors. 

As there was so much going on downtown this weekend, we took the metro to save time and grief trying to find parking. I have never seen the metro  so crowded!  Police officers were in force in the dark cavern of the Smithsonian station.  I could hear them barking at people to stay away from the edge of the platform and take suitable lines for the escalators (half were non-functioning as usual).




The Book Festival was right off the stop, adjacent to The Library of Congress.  We headed in the opposite direction of the book signing lines, until we had assistance from a staff member to read the map key.......  The crowds were enormous and well behaved.  All the book nerds were in nirvana to be in the presence of so many literary greats.

Our first objective was to get some books signed for my sister Mary Beth and her grand kids.  Her favorite children's author is Katherine Paterson.  Well, wouldn't you know it, her line was one of the longest and by the time we got half-way to her signing table, she had cut back to only signing one book per person. Mary Beth had sent me three of her personal books to sign and I had to sacrifice hers for Sophia and Spencer, her grandchildren. She will receive a new autographed book from a local bookstore, Politics and Prose -  The Flint Heart  as Ms. Paterson will be there today- Sept 25th.

Sophia and Spencer will have  autographed copies of Bridge to Terabithia , so all's well that ends well.

We had an hour before the next signing and set up a strategy.   Tom had Sarah Vowell's, Unfamiliar Fishes signed. The book details the annexation of the Hawaiian  Islands in 1898, just because we could. She is more or less a satirist with a penchant for travel and history.

I headed for signing line #9 to my copy of Conquistadora by Esmeralda Santiago.  www.esmeraldasantiago.com

I couldn't help but notice Katherine Paterson at the back flap of  children's author John Rocco's tent, next to Esmeralda's line. She looked delighted to watch him sign her book and no one begrudged her chance to jump the line. I was sorely tempted to get out of my line and plead with her to sign my sister's book. I retained my dignity and her privacy.



I haven't finished the book yet- a non-fiction story of a Spanish woman who immigrates to Puerto Rico in the 1800's . A sexy and interesting read.

By the time we had accomplished our missions, we were sweating profusely due to return of the G-darn humidity!  We had stood for hours with not an unoccupied bench or chair to be found- so we called it a day and decided to beat the crowd home-ha!

The Smithsonian  escalator was only steps away and  so crowded that you had to wait in line to jump on.   Lucky for us, we were able to board the next train-standing room only for the next 7 stops.

All in all, a fun day and our last National Book Festival. To tell you the truth, I think Tom is glad we won't be attending the 2012 festival-phooey!