Spring Break ,Cherry Blossoms and Tourists

When I made plans with daughter Holly and her husband Ryne to visit us the last week in March- I had no idea that the activity level in the area would explode, seemingly overnight.  During the fall and winter months, the museums have been easy to access and relatively uncrowded.  Since this is our first year here, every month and season provides a new education in living in the DC Metro area.

Their visit coincided with the National Cherry Blossom Festival and Spring Break school trips.  I began to get an inkling of the busy-ness of Cherry Blossom week while having my hair done a few days before their arrival.  My stylist was describing her husband's dread of the impending crowds around the National Mall since he works for the National Park Police.   Ugh, I began to get an uneasy feeling while we talked.  I am not a fan of huge crowds-enough said.

Everyday was action packed and we saw a remarkable amount of monuments, museums and other curiosities. H and R had made a wish list of things they would like to see and many, but not all objectives were achieved.

View from the Lee House at Arlington Cemetery

The kids arrived  on a Monday morning after an all nighter red-eye flight with a layover.  They were tired and the first day was devoted to rest and recuperation from the flight and the previous day's work. That night, Tom drove us to downtown DC and we saw the Vietnam Memorial and Lincoln Memorial. Believe it or not, I hadn't had a close-up look at the Lincoln Memorial and it was truly awe inspiring.  The few groups of school kids present were respectful and well behaved,  but as the week went by the behavior and demeanor of the tweens and middle school kids deteriorated at a steady rate!

On Tuesday we took the Metro to Arlington Cemetery and we broke out the mittens and hats.  I had just packed them up the week prior, but we were having a cold snap- darn it! 

That night we returned downtown on the Metro to have dinner at Old Ebbit Grill after Tom and Ryne explored the International Spy Museum. The restaurant is a five minute walk to a spectacular view of the back of the White House and it is always fun to see it at different times of the day and year and speculate what is going on inside.

On Wednesday morning,
I cracked the whip and we hustled down to the Metro station for a day of fun downtown via the Old Town Trolley Tours.  We got a two day pass and took the first informative loop around the mall.  I had never seen the trolleys so busy and we were hard pressed to find a seat at several stops. We were just across the street from Fords Theatre and were in the right place at the right time for the next tour group in the museum. I hadn't seen the museum portion of the theatre which is operated by the National Park Services. The museum is a must see and free to the public.

After the tour we had lunch at the Lincoln Waffle House across the street. It was a fun little greasy spoon and the food was acceptable.

Not Zagat rated, but they take debit cards!

We enjoyed the Madame Tussuad's Wax Museum- a great deal (of fun)with the help of Groupons!

We headed to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.  Holly and I were pooped, so we took an extended break at the food court while Ryne explored the exhibits. The museum was crowded, but doable since we went later in the day for the special extended hours.

We headed home in anticipation of the next day's outing and a second day on the Trolley Tour.

H and R took the green-line trolley to Georgetown to see The National Cathedral and pick up their on-line order from Georgetown (DC) Cupcakes. 

Holly was in Nirvana and thrilled to see the famed cupcake store in person.  We later had lunch at Ollie's Trolley- and guess what. cash only...... I have found that many casual dining places in the downtown area accept cash only- perhaps something to do with the beef about the District of Columbia's tax debate?

After a hearty lunch and our sugar fix- we headed to The National Museum of Natural History and The National Museum of American History  http://www.mnh.si.edu/.

The trolley loop took forever and we decided to stop at the Jefferson Memorial.  It was raining  and later the rain turned to freezing rain....The memorial was crammed full of shrieking wound- up middle school kids that had clamored off of the six Peter Pan buses parked outside the memorial.  My pictures are not good due to the darkness of the day and the darkening of my mood. By this time, it was Thursday and  probably the 4th of 5th day of the school kid's tours. The kids had lost it and apparently their chaperone's had given up. I was appalled at the lack of respect displayed at the beautiful venue. These kids nowadays....

We finally made it to The American History and Natural History museums which are adjacent to one another.  Holly and I made a bee-line to the First Ladies Inaugural Gowns and we stopped dead in our tracks when we saw the lines. The darn tour buses were one step ahead of us, so we just had to grin and bear it. I have to confess I went home before Holly and Ryne, as I was fading fast and getting a bit of sensory overload.  It gave me the opportunity to make a delicious (if I do say so) vegetarian Indian meal that I learned to cook in a great class from the good old Plum Center last month.

 It was fun to see Holly and Ryne experience everything and I took note that Holly was very interested in the human experience of the exhibits and Ryne more typically interested in the artifacts.   Holly has a tender heart and I know she was touched  by the Holocaust museum and exhibits on slavery. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War and it is a great time to be here- right in the heart of the matter.  I am looking forward to touring battlefields and see more of the Virginia and Pennsylvania countryside.

On Friday, I took the day off to catch up on laundry and rest. We had been going full tilt for days and I just couldn't take one more day downtown with the hoards.  Tom took the afternoon off and joined Ryne for a tour of The Bureau of Printing and Engraving, while Holly toured the Holocaust Museum.

Saturday was Mom and daughter day.  I traded Holly a massage for a color and cut. We walked to the handy nail salon and got French manicures and pedicures. Tom and Ryne toured the NRA museum and enjoyed the Hollywood weapons display. To each his own. 

Our last day together was spent at my favorite, Mount Vernon Estate.  Every time I go I get the chance to see more of the museum exhibits and this was my third time to tour the mansion. The weather was greatly improved and it was a beautiful day to walk around the grounds near the Potomac river. Tom had to join us a little later in the day when the parking lots cleared out. Unfortunately, Mt. Vernon is not easily accessible by public transportation- until the tour mobile from Arlington Cemetery start in May. 

I never get tired of George's place and we will have Easter Brunch there with Kari and JR. 

It was a busy week with lots of good food, fun and family time.  The weather was pretty obnoxious except for a day or two, but in spite of that, a good time was had by all. 

Holly and Ryne- it was great to have you here, love you guys!







Opposites Attract: Three weeks in the Grand Canyon State

I returned from my trip to Arizona almost a month ago and it is high time that I wrote this blog. The weather is beginning to turn to Spring and I am looking forward to a new season here in Virginia.  I wore flip flops and a sweater to church today which was ridiculous to assume that because the sun was shining, it was sweater weather. Last weekend we explored Georgetown and wore mittens and hats, so I should have known better.

They say fish and company begin to stink after three days- imagine being a guest for three weeks!  Being a guest in my own home was an experience in itself. My kids welcomed me with open arms and there was only one minor "mom's meltdown" episode-ha!  Three weeks is too long though and I missed Tom and Sandy- after all "Virginia is for Lovers" and I am technically still a newlywed.

It was so glorious to be in Arizona and enjoy the sunny warm weather most of the time I was there. A few days of rain- but the rain was warm and I didn't mind too much. It was also refreshing to be away from the autograph hounds that pester me here on the east coast. Surprisingly, my blog isn't as well known in AZ and I was left in peace most of the time!

An Arizona trip was long overdue for several reasons: I missed my family and friends and had a chronic case of cabin fever.  I also wanted to check on our house in Mesa that Holly, Ryne and Kelsey are care taking for us while we are away.  I do miss my house and it is comforting to know it is there waiting for us when we return.   The house was freshly cleaned when I arrived and I approved of it's upkeep with a few reminders to change light bulbs, remember the recycling pick-up day,etc.  After a consultation with my yard guy, I was satisfied that all was well on Keats Ave.

My youngest daughter Kelsey was scheduled for a laproscopic gallbladder removal two days after my arrival and I wanted to be there to take care of her. I had always heard that folks with gallstones fit this criteria: fat, fair and forty. Kelsey is none of theses things and is the picture of vegetarian health.  A less likely candidate would be hard to find.

We arrived bright and early at the hospital for the day surgery and everything went like clockwork until  we met the anesthesiologist. Kelsey has a few piercings  and of course common sense tells you that the navel ring would have to be removed. The ear and nose piercings were of concern to the 50 something female anesthesiologist, but not to the surgical nurse or surgeon who said that taping over them would be sufficient.  I know I saw the surgical nurse roll her eyes as the wacko carried on to the point of bringing my nervous daughter to pre-surgery tears. To say I was not happy with her is an understatement.   She said she might have to remove the nose ring, but I thought she would be talked out of it in the operating room.

Sure enough, Kelsey returned to the recovery room with two IV tubes threaded through her nose. The recovery room nurse was aghast and said she had never seen this before. I told her I was half expecting this and not to worry about shocking me. Kelsey was very slow to wake up fully and I made the decision to remove the tubes as I couldn't imagine her wearing them for days until she could return to the piercing studio. (I didn't realize that nose rings are not removable on a daily basis)hmmm.  After two more hours of waiting in the recovery room I asked to take my patient home to sleep off the residual anesthesia.  We trolleyd her into the waiting car and she slept mouth agape all the way home. A few curious pedestrians stared into the car window and I pretended I was involved in an intervention and was driving her to rehab.

Kelsey made a smashing recovery and it was my pleasure to play Nurse Ratchet and declare the Percocet off limits on day three. Her washboard abs are none the worse for the experience and she is enjoying life without chronic stomach discomfort.

At the end of week one, I was dismissed as private duty nurse and went to Bunko with my pals!  It was so nice to see everyone again and it felt like home.

That weekend, I attended a continuing education class for my massage license renewal due in July 2011. I decided to take a Reiki 1 class and felt it was easier to take my CEU's at a familiar place instead of wasting more time on my fruitless Internet searches for classes in Virginia or DC that fit my travel criteria. I love attending classes at the South west Institute for Healing Arts. It is such a pleasant atmosphere, full of friendly Granolas and smells of  delightful essential oils.

I have been interested in energy healing ever since I attended massage therapy school and it called to me as I looked over the course schedules.  It was a powerful and interesting weekend and I am reserving judgement until I soak in the experience and practice my self Reiki treatment (my homework I have not done!). I need two more classes before becoming a "Reiki Master"- we'll see.

I got a lot done in the three weeks I was there- got my Botox, I love that stuff! Had my yearly mammogram at Mountain Vista and helped two seniors find their missing parked car. Imagine my shock when the more mobile and sharper of the duo climbed into the passenger seat instead of driving. I made a quick exit out of there feeling I had a head start on road safety.   I was able to attend my church, Spring of Life twice and it was great to be back for Sunday worship again. I also got to take a Christian yoga class with my friend Kirsta at Yahweh Yoga in Chandler-loved!  Kirsta and I also traded services she got a massage and I got waxed and that's all you need to know about that!

I was fortunate to see so many of my friends and sometimes I was clever enough to remember my camera and other times, not.  I ate so many good meals and enjoyed the company and friendship of all, love you guys!  Tracy, I had to speak my truth at Farelli's (inside joke) great to have to opportunity to see you on several occasions.

My Mom and Dad traveled from Oregon for a visit and it was great to see them again. They are both in their 80's and I count myself as very fortunate to have them both in my life in my 55th year.  We were anxious to drive to Peoria AZ and see grandson Sam (their great-grandson).  Mom and Dad are enjoying good health and good attitudes.

Speaking of snowbirds...I have to say I bragged about how the snowbirds didn't bug me when I was out driving. I would much rather contend with a pokey driver from Calgary than a speeding driver here in VA leaning on the horn at the traffic lights!  By the end of the three weeks, the snowbirds did bug me, I admit it. I took my Mom to the SAS shoe store in Apache Junction and I was the youngest person there for the customer appreciation sale. The seniors came in droves to shop and the store help(seniors also) wore cobbler aprons and wore the comfortable shoes too. We returned the next day to make a return and it was hilarious to see a senior with a doo rag on a fully loaded Harley riding up to the store to purchase his sensible shoes- what a bad ass! 

Our visit to Peoria was wonderful.  I am so proud of my son and daughter-in-law Ryan and Amanda for the extraordinary job they are doing in parenting their son Sam.  Their devotion to meeting his needs is awe inspiring to me.  Sam is proficient in his use of an I-Pad as an augmentative communication device. He is a beautiful, bright boy and I am so glad to be his Grandma! 

The trip to AZ was beautiful with just a few bumps in the road.  I look forward to the day I can see the beautiful Superstition Mountains on a daily basis and I know I will appreciate living there again when the time comes.

Cabin Fever

Odds and Ends- wrapping up 2010

Our time is finite here in DC Metro and I sometimes find myself over planning/scheduling so as not to miss anything!

I completed my seasonal volunteer activities with the USO and United Community Ministries. My last day there I was able to work in the Christmas room and assist parents to shop for their children.  It was very uplifting and worthwhile and I was was happy to see the generosity of businesses and private individuals who donated the toys and clothing. I had to beg/borrow someones reading glasses as I had left mine at home and wasn't able to read from my instructions-ugh so embarrassing.  Why is the print so small on everything these days?  I'm sure people as printing things with a smaller font to save ink!  :  )

Due to the fact that we are sharing one car here, it is tricky to schedule anything on a regular basis that isn't readily accessible by public transportation. Tom would happily buy another car and I think he is itching to do so- but for crying out loud, we just sold his car before moving here.  That being said- I am taking the next few months to work on my personal growth and development as a human being- an ongoing process even after 55 years!  Also, my sister Peggy has thrown down the gauntlet and doesn't think I will complete any of my scrapbook projects-well, we'll just see about that little sister. We completed our yoga series and my cooking classes for the quarter.

We enjoyed the holiday season here in Alexandria and were lucky enough to attend several holiday events.

On December 5th, we attended a performance of The Messiah at the National Cathedral. We were so far back in the nave that the concert was actually seen on large screen televisions and we could only glimpse the soloists from afar.  The cathedral is spectacular and a must see.  There is even a gift shop-what do you know?
http://www.nationalcathedral.org/
It was a three hour event and I had a terrible cold, but I loaded up on cough drops and enjoyed the venue. I have to say that I was glad to move on to the New Testament portion as the foretelling of the Messiah was pretty lengthy and not so uplifting. You can't beat that Hallelujah Chorus- and it was great to see everyone jump to their feet with a smile on their face.

Our trip to NYC was certainly a highlight and  a thrilling experience: (see Big Apple Adventure)http://www.radiocitychristmas.com/newyork/

A Christmas Carol at Ford's theatre was so much fun and the history of the building awe-inspiring. At the same time, you can purchase a stovepipe hat and other Lincoln knick-knacks in the gift store along with a beer and twizzlers at the concession stand.The play was outstanding from the sets, to the acting to the music- just superior to any production I have seen and I was glad to have the opportunity.
http://fordstheatre.org/

Oh brother!

Interior of the Ford's Theatre

On Christmas Day, Tom and I spent a quiet day at home and at dinner at a fantastic French Restaurant in Old Town Alexandria:http:// http://www.bistrotlafayette.com/menu.php 
The food was delicious and the service divine. it was my first time to eat Christmas dinner at a restaurant and it was pleasant not being chained to the stove for the day. No offense intended Nichols kids- I missed you all very much on the 25th! I decided to be brave and try the duck- delicious. Vegetarian relatives , cover your eyes!


 We did collect Christmas ornaments at all the holiday events to put on our apartment sized Christmas tree and  save for posterity.

Between Christmas and New Years Eve- we spent time exploring the National Archives. What a privilege to see the historic documents and an extra bonus was that there were no long lines and we could take our sweet time.  We also stopped by the National Post Office which was beautifully decorated.

If you care to mail a package or letter, you must pass through a metal detector and purse search. But the upside, is that they have a decent food court, gift shops and a tower tour a must see!  The vista from the top of the building is spectacular and we would have stayed long if not for the biting cold wind.

My lavender micro fleece mittens are always on my hands now!

View from the Old Post Office.

One more trip to Mount Vernon was warranted so Tom could see the 3rd floor of the Washington's estate. The crowds were smaller than Thanksgiving weekend and we enjoyed an unhurried trip through the museum and grounds. We are both season pass holders now and I even have a new Groupon for dinner in the restaurant-wahoo! It is a must see and I look forward to more visits as the seasons change.

We are starting to become accustomed to the cold weather here and have so far dodged another "snowmagedon" that the DC residents  put up with last year. Sandy has a new sweater and her trips outside are usually briefer now depending on the wind chill factor.

Tom gets a kiss from the Christmas camel.

Well. 2010 is done and gone and we look forward to 2011 in DC Metro.  Happy New Year!

French Cooking Class

November 2, 2010- My first day of French Cooking Class today. I first got interested in French cooking  when my daughter Kelsey introduced me to the book- French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano. By the way, she also inspired me to try blogging with her My Big Fat German Adventure blog.  Of course I have her book and cookbook- but haven't cooked a darn thing out of either.  The movie Julie and Julia also piqued my interest in French cooking.

Julia Child's Kitchen at the Smithsonian Museum of American History.

This was a great day to get out of the house and away from TV and radio as it is election day. Politics, politics, ugh!  It is everywhere here ,though intriguing to watch the evening news with the capital building in the background. Things are happening right here, in real time-fascinating.

My class is held at The Plum Center which is an adult/continuing education center administrated by Fairfax county schools.  It is only a 5 to 10 minute drive from my apt- score!!  I only feel comfortable driving the surface streets so far- but am trying to be braver. 

Our class has 12 students nine women and three men. Our instructor is Madame Gaston- a petite authentic French woman- I guess French women  really don't get fat!  I haven't seen so much butter, heavy cream and sugar in a while.  Madame Gaston (whom I guess is an early 30 something) is friendly and approachable, I like the way she talks with her French accent-she calls food processors "robots" which is fun. She wears a stylishly messy ponytail, black pants, a turtle neck sweater and black ballet flats- how French can you get!

Our menu for today is :
Soupe d'automne avec Saint Jacques et huile de truffle   Autumn soup made from fall squash, and scallops seared in truffle oil. 
Croque monsieur &be'chamel  Hot ham and cheese sandwich with white sauce
Petite salad verte Small green salad  with vinaigrette
Cre'me Caramel    French flan

We break into groups of four and watch each course demonstrated by the instructor, everyone gets a good view due to an overhead mirror. We are also issued a binder with the recipes and menus for the day.  We had  good success with our dishes- I started off with a mistake though, using the wooden spoon to make the caramel by melting sugar and water.Now I get why the teacher was swirling the caramel and not using a spoon- it sets up like concrete on utensils.....

We had a good group and everyone pitched in and was gracious about taking turns and cleaning up.  After three hours of cooking and cleaning as you go- we were ready to enjoy our meal. Everything was absolutely delicious- my favorite was the soup with the scallops.  Unfortunately, I had to bolt my food down American style as I had to get the car back for Tom to use.

Lessons learned- tie your hair back, bring an apron and bring a container for leftovers. Looking forward to next week already. This is a big week for me, I am taking the Metro to get my hair done- by myself! I'm also meeting with a volunteer coordinator for United Community Ministries and will begin working each Wednesday at Fort Belvoir during the holiday season for special events.

November 9, 2010- My second cooking class at The Plum Center. My sister Kathleen was visiting  the weekend after my first class and I was inspired to try cooking all of the dishes from last week....talk about getting carried away!  It seemed like a good idea at the time, and I recruited my sister as my sous chef.  In retrospect, it would have been easier to try one thing at a time, another lesson learned.  The dinner turned out to be more expensive than I thought- primarily due to the scallops and truffle oil for the autumn squash soup.  The truffle oil was too much to handle, so we opted to try grape seed oil- but don't tell Madame Gaston. If anyone suggests substituting the ingredients you are met with a look of shock and horror and usually the comment "It's all over!  It's ruined!"   I must say, with the help of my able assistant, the dinner turned out well enough. I have to confess I did forget to put the sugar in the creme' caramel and it was more like egg custard. It made me think of getting some homemade custard on a tray on the sofa when I would have a sick day from school- thanks Mom.   It also made me think of how expensive those Le Creuset ramekins were for my special dessert-grrr.

Anyway, back to the second class- another delicious menu:

Petit Sale Aux Lentilles  pork tenderloin with green lentils
Pots De Creme Au Chocolat  pots of chocolate
Croquants Aux Amandes  Cookies with almonds

This week I remembered to put my hair in a pony and wear an apron- I also brought my own dish towel and a spare paring knife. But, I forgot to bring a container to take leftovers to my test taster at home again.
Delicious food, excellent teamwork and another worthwhile class. I did bring the pots of chocolate to our friends home for dinner dessert- a success and I didn't even put the requisite real whipped cream(made with a wooden spoon mind you) on it.  The chocolate curls seemed sufficient and didn't "guild the Lily" as my mom would say.

November 16, 2010 . My third class and this time I have leftover containers!  Today's menu:

Escaloppe de volaille aux champignons et a la creme  Chicken cutlets in cream sauce with mushrooms.
Petits legumes d'automne au romarin   Autumn vegetables-roasted.
Les profiterroles et les choux a la creme  Cream puffs with chocolate sauce  : )

The autumn squash and chicken and mushrooms were exquisite-so good and so pretty. We were instructed to place the chicken in the front of the plate and the squash behind it- or was it vice versa.......
The cream puffs were too labor intensive for me- I would cheat and buy them instead I think. Not only did the teacher make real whipped cream by hand- she also made homemade ice cream. Madame Gaston stated she made cream puffs everyday when she has house guests, oh brother.  Hasn't she heard of  a delicious slab of cake from the Costco bakery?!

One problem with this class, is that the recipes are a kind of hybrid mix of French with some English sprinkled in.  I always think I will remember all the insider tips given to us in class ( and not printed on the recipe page) but invariably I forget a detail. I made the mushroom cream sauce with Dijon mustard and used steak instead of chicken. The dish in class was so good, it could bring tears of joy to your eyes and I couldn't wait to try it at home. I had to substitute vegetarian bouillon paste instead of beef stock-(don't tell Ms. Fanny!) and on top of this strategic error, I added extra salt.  When we started eating the steak, I couldn't believe how salty it was-then I remembered the verbal instruction to not salt the sauce......dang it!  Oh well, it was good in spite of the heavy handed salt and we both drank tons of water that night.

Tom was delighted to have the squash and cream puffs brought home for him. Let me just say, from one lactose intolerant to another- eating a rich cream puff might not be so nice a gift after all. Well, I won't have to worry about Tom requesting that I make these fancy cream puffs  on a regular basis.

I didn't make it to the fourth and last class as I had a house guest. I will be taking more of Madame Gaston's cooking classes in the spring quarter.

December 10th  This was the day of my Italian cooking class at the Plum Center- Italian Traditional Holiday brunch - Bueno festo!

As structured as the French classes were, the Italian class was just as casually put together  and we were allowed to make a mess instead of cleaning as you go.  The teacher and her assistant were very friendly and authentic Italians. Two of my friends from french cooking class, Tracy and Maryl were there and we teamed up once again.

The menu was as follows: Finto Pesce- Fake Fish antipasto
                                           Tortellini in brodo-Tortellini in broth
                                           Polenta pasticciata-Baked pasta with a savory sauce, cheese and cream
                                           Salsa verde con bollito-Boiled green sauce (similar to pesto)
                                           Alberelli di pandoro con crema pasticcera e ribes-Very loosely translated  as Sweet bread pastry with vanilla custard and red currants.

The recipes were all in Italian and I took notes as able during the frantic race to get all the dishes cooked, eaten/enjoyed and cleaned-up in the three hour time allotted.  The teacher was cooking at a rapid pace and we had simultaneous dishes cooking at the same time.  She had left her fish mold in Rome and couldn't find a reasonable substitute, so we free-handed the construction of the Finto {esce.  Believe it or not, there is a Facebook page dedicated to this one dish. It shows the many clever variations of the more artistic types. here is how ours turned out:

It looks more like a chicken than a fish to me!  Chicken of the Sea?

The teacher was enthusiastic and commented several times "it's weird!" re ingredients, utensils, etc.  She was much more laid back than Madame Gaston re substitute ingredients and was even amenable to using some pre-made short cuts such as diced, packaged vegetables-shocking!  One substitute was not allowed however and that was the use of extra virgin olive oil- no other oil would do ,"No soy oil, no!".

The dishes when finished were delicious and I look forward to trying the Finto Pesco , maybe for New Year's celebration.  In Italy, the polenta and sauce are spread on a special board and placed in the middle of the table.




Polenta and meat sauce- more delicious than it looks!


For dessert, we had  the Sweet Cake with custard filling, topped with berries and powdered sugar.  I tried duplicating this at home, but the cake was pretty dry and so decided to cube it up and make a yummy bread pudding instead. I'll try again next year and get a more authentic cake. The one I got was from Canada-no offense intended,

I really liked the laid back attitude and the frantic pace of the class. We ran over time by an hour and a half, but no one seemed to care.

I am looking forward to more international cooking adventures at the Plum Center- Bon Appetit!