Death of a Blog

So maybe you have noticed, or maybe not, and probably you don’t care….but my blog is dying :(.

I guess all good things must come to an end and my time in D.C. is quickly coming to a close.  If you will indulge me, I feel I must catch-up on things to provide myself with a sense of closure, and then say my sweet good-byes.

We have been so busy since we went back home last month.  In a nutshell this is what we have been doing:

Back home we spent most of our time making our yard look presentable, but the highlight of the trip was attending our daughter’s college graduation -yippy skippy!!!!

Once back in D.C. George’s sister, Eva (and Mia), came for a visit and we had a great time!

Although our time together was somewhat clouded by the fact that Cricket came down with pancreatitis (she is better now).

Then I got a crazy idea in my head to take some more online classes-and ended up taking 4!!!

The highlight of this experience was taking a class on how to build a website and I created one for my classroom.  I am really happy with how it turned out.  If you want to see it you can visit it by clicking here.

Then, we had a surprise visit from my brother-in-law (sorry no pictures) and

recently, George and I went to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival that featured Peru.  We ate Peruvian food, listened to music and visited an exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian entitled:  The Inka Road.  It was most excellent.

And last weekend, for the first time in my life I had Peking Duck at a restaurant in Arlington that all the presidents go to!

And yesterday I received a sign that it was okay for me to go.

At the zoo the orangutans can travel on an overhead line from the Ape House to a space called the Think Tank.  In all the visits I have made to the zoo, I had yet to witness a crossing.  I had planned to go to the zoo one more time to say “farewell” to my fellow primates and it was so hot that I almost didn’t go.  And when I got to the Think Tank none of the orangutans were there for me to say “farewell” to.  I left the building dejected and sadly walked up the path. That is when I saw one of the females climb the tower and start making her way across the sky bridge.  It was a joy to witness and quite a departing gift!!!

So with that, I say “so long” to:

The Good:

All the amazing restaurants right outside our door

The beautiful architecture and layout of the city

All the museums, galleries and things to do

The ability to clean our place in less than 30 minutes

Not having to drive anywhere

Anonymity

Leisure and freedom!

The Bad:

Living among droves of 30 somethings that think they know everything

Taking the dogs out

Going up and down three flight of stairs to do laundry

Not knowing anyone

Missing family and friends

The Ugly:

Hopper’s outdoor tirades

Dodging bodily fluids of dogs (and humans) on the streets

The smell of garbage in the heat

This year has been so much fun and such a learning and growing experience.  I am so grateful we had this opportunity.  We look forward to what the future holds for us!!!!

Lost in the Pages-Kelley Kellection’s Update

Whew….it is hard to believe, but is has been 3 months ( and ten books) since my last book update.  I am actually still in the midst of a run but I just keep adding books to my cue because they “fit in” so nicely.  I thought I better get a grip on this before I forget everything.  Truth be told, It would be very easy to just not write about this run, but my OCD will not let me-sorry :(.

However, to spare you the boredom, and me the amount of time I would need to fully explain how all my book choices are connected-I have decided to challenge myself to limiting the connection between each book to one sentence.  We will see how I do.

If you will recall, or maybe not, I left off the last book kellection with: the curious incident of the dog in the middle of the night.  This is a book about a troubled time in the life of an autistic teen-aged boy.  Near the end of the book he gets a dog and his special connection with the dog helps him move forward in life.

This led me to read:

The author is a very famous autistic scientist known for her insights about autism and how they can be used to decode and change animal behavior.

This book led to:

Not only did this book connect because this author refers to the work of the author from the last book, but it also expands upon her anecdotal stories by further exploring the intelligence and emotions of animals from a vast array of species-including insects!!

This book led to:

Frans De Waal goes even further in this book, expanding on intelligence and emotions to exploring the moral behaviors of animals.

This book led to:

Modoc was an elephant that was really a person in disguise … or so it seemed to me. This book connects to the last book by exploring a life-long friendship between Modoc and her keeper-revealing complex emotions, behaviors and elephant morality.  (Yes I know I used more than one sentence here, but this book both warmed and broke my heart.  Read it for a good cry!)

This book led to what I thought was going to be the end of the run:

This book was just a perfect little summary/book-end to all the books that came before it by presenting a collection of essays that explore our relationship with nature and the environment.

But then….I picked up:

And I felt they all connected to this group and then I couldn’t choose which one to read.  So I read all three at the same time. :).

It is obvious how The Origin of Species ties in with this group-looking at how behaviors develop and propagate the species. But Moral Tribes was a book I came upon at a bookstore and it tied in with the study of emotions, intelligence and morality in animals and how it relates to human morality–so I had to buy it.  Seven Years in Tibet provided a glimpse into a real and highly developed “tribe”; giving practical examples of the concepts and theories in both Moral Tribes and The Origin of Species.

And yes, once again I thought I was done and then I picked up:

The Heart of Everything That Is-an obvious choice-its another “tribe” study. And then when I picked up the smartest kids in the world (yes, another impulse buy) I saw that this group of kids (and their parents and educators) may indeed be another type of “tribe” and being a teacher this really interested me.  So these last two books are my current reads and I think (and hope) that the last one will be a bridge book to the other 12 books waiting on my shelf that I want (need) to read before I return to my “real life”.

Let’s just hope I don’t screw it up with another impulse buy!!!!

My BFF’s Are SDH’S…

…SUPER-DUPER HEROES that is!

When you ask three of your best friends to come visit and you live in an apartment that is less than 700 square feet, doesn’t have a guest room (yes, only an air mattress), has only 1 bathroom (and it is in your bedroom), has no curtains in the main room, and the pillows are cheap –there IS some cause for worry!!

So, in order to make-up for these deficits in comfort I tried to compensate by planning a fun and exciting action packed visit.

We did not waste any time once they arrived and our first evening we ate dinner at the iconic Old Ebbitt Bar and Grill and then strolled by the Whitehouse.

Over the course of the next three days my dear friends endured my over-planning as we visited almost all the monuments, Arlington National Cemetery,  3 museums, 8 restaurants, historic Alexandria, Adams Morgan, and the National Zoo!!

88,278 steps or 36.25 miles later…

I think it is safe to say that the visit was action packed, exciting (Cinderella) and fun (I hope)!!

And they did all this with smiles on their faces and no complaints:  SUPER-DUPER HEROES to the core!!!

THANK YOU FRIENDS!!!!  You have no idea how much your visit meant to me!!!!

Bee-otch or Champion – Maybe a Little Bit of Both.

I am not sure if it was the fact that all six of them cut in front of us in line or if it was that they disregarded my comment that we were in a National Park and that catching and keeping a tiny turtle the size of a silver dollar really “wasn’t allowed”. But one thing is for sure, they got my ire up and when I heard the grandfather tell his grandson “to hide it from the rangers” as we got on the boat … I cracked. Grandpa had crossed the SH_T Line and my inner Bee-otch was ignited.

And when I looked down at that itty-bitty turtle pinched between the little boy’s fingers, her tiny legs flailing in terror (I swear she looked at me and said “Help!”) I knew what I needed to do. I needed to kneel down and tell that little boy that I knew he loved the turtle (I knew because when I was his age, I felt that way too), and I knew that he wanted to keep it, to take care of it. But in the end, his wanting to help it would only hurt it. I needed to tell him that if you love nature you don’t take it and make it a possession, but you protect it and conserve it so that it perseveres (especially in a National Park and especially when my tax dollars are going towards its protection-but I digress). So I did what any self-respecting, self- righteous nature lover would do. I chickened out and I told the ranger.

And as you can well imagine, she was none too happy about it.

This is what little miss turtle looked like.

So yes, I was a Bee-otch and I broke that little boy’s heart. And I felt (and continue to feel) terrible. He paid the price for something that was not his fault. But to be honest, I also felt terrible –no angry–about the fact that his parents encouraged him to catch it, to keep, and to even condone hiding it from the rangers; meaning they KNEW it was the wrong thing to do. Not only were they teaching him that it was “okay” to do the wrong thing, but tragically missing a real teachable moment for someone who had the natural inclination to be a real champion for nature. Here was a little boy whose eyes lit up like fireworks at this amazing little treasure of nature. What potential was lost there, what opportunities to develop his love of nature into a life-long passion to protect and conserve it?

So, yes, the ranger talked with the boy and they returned the turtle to the spot where he found her. And as far as the turtle is concerned, I am a champion (I swear I heard a faint “Thank you” and she was taken off the boat). I can only hope the ranger used the opportunity to plant the seeds of conservation and protection in the little boy’s mind (and I feel confident that she did). And maybe, just maybe, she set him on the path to being a champion for nature as well.

So, needless to say, our visit to the C &O Canal at the Falls of the Potomac National Park was riddled with anxiety and drama. I can happily report that the rest of our visit was very pleasant and really, even the ride up the canal was peaceful after I knew the little turtle had been saved.

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But the next day, we decided to just go to a museum!

Seat of Empire: Planning Washington 1790-1801 is an exhibit George really enjoyed at the George Washington University Museum. It showcases historic maps of the urban design of our nation’s capital.

The Textile museum is part of the GWU Museum. Unraveling Identity explores the transformative powers of textiles in our lives past and present.

Entropy and My Efiiciency Quotient

When busy my efficiency quotient remains intact.

Going from the highly structured schedule of a teacher to a schedule that includes very few commitments has had side effects I did not anticipate.  I have found I am much more efficient, as well as productive, when I have a lot on my plate.

Unfortunately this is what it looks like now!

Without any real time constraints my efficiency has a measure of randomness and I feel that I can’t get anything done.  Case in point, I haven’t even written about what we did last weekend and its the weekend again (yes, in DC the weekend starts on Thursday).  Therefore, to alleviate the decline and degeneration of my efficiency quotient, I will report on our activities with a minimum expenditure of time and effort :).

We did as the natives do, and last weekend ours started on Thursday as well.  The Phillips Collection is a museum that is regarded for its permanent collection and for the creative curatorial skills of the staff.  One Thursday evening a month they host Phillips After 5 –the activities change each month but generally music and alcohol are involved.  We viewed the exhibit, did a scavenger hunt, and engaged in the mead tasting (very yummy-just bought some).  But we found that the real fun was downstairs with the entertainment!

This young man and his accompanist were amazing.  He is a GRAMMY nominated HIP-Hop artist who includes beat-box, storytelling and various instruments in his performances.  While there he asked the audience for 10 random words and then he performed a song on the spot that included all of them.  Amazingly well done and funny!!  We each got a word included: crepuscular and smoogie! Go to his website:  http://www.christylez.com to see his TED Talk and other performances-you will not be disappointed!

Our weekend continued with the EU Embassy Tour on Saturday.

It started with an enthusiastic, if not slightly slobbery greeting from a bazillion Vizsla’s at the Hungarian Embassy!

After obligatory petting we went looking for the good stuff–gulyas–and YES we found it.  It was delicious!

From there we visited the Czech Republic Embassy where they were riding kids around on old motorcycles—

…and the Netherlands where they were serving free beer and tasty little pancakes.

They were hands down the best pancakes I have EVER tasted!!!

The last stops were at the Austrian and Slovakian Embassies.  We missed out on a wine tasting at the Austrian Embassy, but tasted vodka, wine and a wonderful potato/sauerkraut dish at the Slovakian Embassy.  As we walked home, George and I felt we had spent a fun day with our “peeps”!

And if that wasn’t enough, we decided to try a new restaurant that evening for dinner.  Doi Moi is a Southeast Asian restaurant on the “14th Street Food Corridor” — there are so many restaurants there that we have not even begun to scratch the surface.

I had a chicken curry that was not unlike a chicken paprikash.

And we thought it only fitting to order a bottle of Hungarian wine –starting and ending our day with food and drink very close to our hearts.

Okay, I could stop there, but I am trying to maintain my efficiency quotient and I am going to keep plugging on until I am all caught up!!!

Mother’s Day.

Missed my children terribly and George pampered me with a Mother’s Day Brunch at the Bombay Club…a shee-shee poo-poo Indian restaurant.

The food about killed me…it was a good thing we had a long walk planned afterwards.  Our walk led us to the Folger Shakespeare Library to view a special exhibit entitled:

The exhibit explores how the greatest minds on earth solved the longitude problem.  Photographs were not allowed but I found this image online of John Harrison’s H4 advanced marine timepiece.  He made it to solve the problem of keeping precise measurement of time at sea.  It is a wonderment of creation – my favorite part of the exhibit.  It took him 30 years to develop and perfect.

And if I look at my instrument of precise measurement of time at apartment — then I can see, that indeed I was efficient in my composition of this post — hurrah!  But now its time to turn to other things … maybe I will walk the dogs … or make a cup of tea … or run down and change the laundry … or take out the trash … or water the flowers … run to the store… or paint my toenails … read my book … draw … or …

Off of U.S. Soil

May is International Cultural Awareness month and the District of Columbia has a myriad of activities that encourages people to get out and learn about other cultures during the month.  Last weekend non-EU embassies opened their doors to the public to enjoy their food, music, cultural heritage, and traditions.  Some opened their doors for tours of the embassies and provided information on visiting their countries.

We were totally unprepared for this experience!!!  The sidewalks were packed with people and the lines for most of the embassies were over a block in length!!!  I was amazed at how long people were willing to wait to enter an embassy-granted many offered giveaways that were quite nice!!  These little birds were our big score from the Embassy of Nicaragua.

Because of the long lines, we did not go to many of the embassies but we saw dancers at the Embassy of Cote d’Ivoire…

and the Korean Embassy…

and the liveliest at the Embassy of Botswana…

next weekend 28 European Union Embassies open their doors.  And as you may have guessed, we are starting at the Hungarian Embassy–we want to be first in line for the food!!!

Mig ujira talalkozunk!

It is good to know that even if you haven’t seen someone for years, they are still your friends.

We had the great fortune of spending time friends this past weekend that we see way too infrequently!

But what we lack quantitatively, we made up for qualitatively!!!!

We ate, drank, smoked (cigars-and only some of us), shopped, looked at art and generally caught up with one another.

We are grateful for such friends and for the time they shared with us!!!

Let’s hope it is not as long “until we meet again”!!!!

Our Hungarian gathering at Habanna Village in Adams Morgan!!

Might As Well Have Strapped a Drool Cup to My Chin!

For 25 years I have wanted to attend the Annual Smithsonian Craft Show at the National Building Museum in Washington D.C.  This year, the show’s 33rd, I fulfilled that wish!  And a drool fest it was-they should have handed out cups at the door.

And I must say, as someone who attempts to live a creative life, the show is quite humbling.  In fact, if you want to feel like a 2 bit player in the world of craft –attend the show next year!!!  And don’t attend sans your drool cup!

This year’s show represented the works of 121 artisans from around the country.  They are considered to be the best in their fields and being part of this show is a distinguished honor.  The show, an amazing event in itself, is actually an all volunteer run event with the proceeds going to provide money for grants and endowments of the Smithsonian.

Now, if money were no object I would have walked out of the show with many items under my arm.  Here are a few of my favorite pieces and their makers.

I know it is hard to tell, but the above image is a PAPER CUT!!!!!   I KNOW!!!!!!

I was floored by Lucrezia Bieler’s work.  This piece is about 2 x 2 1/2 feet and it took her six months to cut from one sheet of paper with teeny tiny scissors (and George says I am OCD!).  I want it – but its $30,000 –and worth every penny!

John Iversen is an iconic figure in the word of ornamentation.  Last year an image of this bracelet graced the cover of Ornament Magazine.  I usually devour the journal from cover to cover, but I was particularly amazed by this creation-the entire bracelet is hinged on the back!!!

While he did not have this piece out in his display case, after we got to talking he graciously offered to show it to me.  Out of a very secure little chest filled with precious boxes, he brought out this masterpiece and I got to see it first hand.  Of course, I wanted to see the back most of all!

I was also quite honored to meet another artist whose work I have long admired.  Carolyn Morris Bach’s jewelry is instantly recognizable by her unique imagery and use of materials.  This pendant with the little owl-like figure is delightful.  Her work is so impeccably made, it really was an honor to linger over her work.

While I was naturally drawn to the jewelry work, there were several artists working in other mediums that were incredibly fresh and new.

This sewn “quilt” was made by Leah Evans.  Her work is inspired by aerial photography, maps, satellite imagery and the microbial world.  Often her works explore the impact of humans on our landscapes.  Her work was so intriguing to me that after returning home from the show I regretted that I did not purchase one of her pieces.  So I went back and bought one the last day of the show (thanks for giving me the incentive to return Maria!!!)  Mine is very small (= affordable) and I can’t wait to add it to my gallery at home!

Little “things” intrigue me, so you can imagine how excited I was to see the work of Janel Jacobson.  This little kitty is a mere 2 inches long!  And it is just so fabulous!!!!  Janel is inspired by nature and her pieces truly celebrate the small gems in our world.  There was not a piece of hers that I would not be honored to own!

Now, this work is a marvel of craftsmanship.  Yes it is a beautiful image, and yes it is a good composition but…it is a FLIPPING EMBROIDERY!!  It is roughly 5 inches by 5 inches!!!!  Oh to have eyes that can see so well.  For obvious reasons, this photo does not even begin to do justice to Mical Aloni’s work.  Thankfully she had magnifying glasses beside each piece for all to admire her great skill.

An unconventional use of materials drew me to the work of this artist.  Tara Locklear repurposes old skateboards to create her collection of unique jewelry pieces.  The way she cuts and sands them to reveal interior layers makes the wood feel gem-like.  The asymmetry of material use in many of her pieces is refreshing and fun.  She has a great eye and a unique artistic vision.

All in all, as stated above, the show was humbling.  However, it was also invigorating.  I did not want to leave the show because it was so wonderful to be surrounded by beautiful objects made with purpose, vision and great intention that were completely removed from the mass produced items that so often visually (and literally) pollute our world!!!

If you are interested in viewing more work by the artists listed above, here are their website addresses:

http://www.bieler-beerli.com

http://www.johniversen.com

carolynmorrisbach.com

http://www.leahevanstextiles

http://www.janeljacobson.com

micalaloni.com

taralocklear.com

Old Friends New Adventures

We had the great pleasure of having some dear friends visit us and we used this opportunity to go on an adventure to someplace new!!!

The Chesapeake Bay area we found, is absolutely gorgeous in the spring and full of good things to eat!!!!

Our first stop was lunch in St. Michael’s where we all indulged in the crab in one form or the other–cakes, in the shell, or in soup!

The weather could not have been better.

Kelley,Kelly, Kelley, Kelly…….

Terri and George waiting for lunch!

 From there we headed to our night’s destination, The Whitehaven Inn: a historic B&B on the Wicomico River.  Cindy the Innkeeper and Jefferson, the groundskeeper welcomed us with wine and treated us to a delicious breakfast in the morning.  The inn is dog friendly and Cricket and Hopper had the run of the place.

The scenery was breathtaking, the bird song enchanting and the cool evening breeze refreshing and invigorating!

Dinner was yes, you guessed it —crab!!!!!

Out in the middle of nowhere, but just 5 minutes down the road from our B&B is:

We sat down and thought we were going to order appetizers…the waitress came to take our order and pulled a garbage can up to our table … we knew we were in trouble.

An hour or so later with a table covered in debris we left completely satiated and even a little dumb struck.

After we checked out the next day we made our way through Cambridge and Annapolis-and yes, we did manage to eat crab again!

Hmm…I wonder if that had anything to do with the upset stomach I had on our return!!!

Once back in D.C we shared some of our favorite places with our friends and had another new adventure together…a Wynton Marsalis Concert at the Kennedy center!!!!  The tribute to Duke Ellington was outstanding-it was hard to stay in our seats!!!!

Thank you great friends for the wonderful memories-we will treasure them forever!!!

The Porthole to Nirvana Awaits …

Like the Little Green Men from Toy Story as they awaited their release from the arcade game in which they were enclosed–I stared– mesmerized by The Claw.

And after tasting them, they just may be a porthole to Nirvana!!!

Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab specializes in Stone Crab Claws and other seafood delights.  Only the claws of the crab are harvested and then the crab regenerates a new one over time (yes, even so, I did feel guilty as I stuffed them in my mouth).  They cannot be harvested until they are over 2.75 inches long and are only available Oct. 15-May 15 each year.  We indulged in the claws and the Alaskan King Crab legs as an appetizer.

The meat melted away in our mouths as we savored the flavor.  While the food was amazing and the service outstanding, it is by far the most expensive restaurant we have gone to in D.C.  As my brother-in-law pointed out–you could buy a new sofa for what our meal cost (six of us).  So there goes the new sofa.  The porthole to Nirvana awaited, but The Claw had its price!!

Having my sister and her family visit was a great way to celebrate Spring, especially because the cherry blossoms were in their peak bloom on Saturday.  I have never seen so many people out at the Tidal Basins, but the trees were so beautiful it was as if they cast a spell on all around them.  The crowds meandered with smiles of awe and delight.

And while we wore our family out visiting all the sites, the time together gave us another little taste of Nirvana!