Friday, May 31, 2013

Great Falls Tavern in McLean and the Housing Market

We thought we would take a ride towards Great Falls and to The Tavern Restaurant for lunch. We have been there a few times - generally after a visit to the Falls. It is a very scenic and pleasant ride through "horse country," as the landscape is blotted with white fences. This trip we passed the falls and went right for lunch. It is striking that the house building market is in full swing. Most of the places here are surrounded by locked gates at the entrance, and clusters of mailboxes can be seen every so many blocks. Our house is smaller than the garages in these mansions. I think our house is smaller than a guest bedroom. What I find surprising is that there are still electric wires polluting the landscape. And whenever there is a storm, the trees that abound in the forests surrounding these places always seem to fall on them. So, at least we have an advantage over this part of town - our electric lines are buried under ground. And, our mailbox is a few feet from our front door. But then again, what really comes in the mail anymore? I suppose it doesn't matter if it sits there for awhile.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

The Compost Pile

We had an acre of land in Milwaukee. There was a lot of gardening and grass cutting that went along with it. At the back end of the yard was a pretty large fenced in area for compost. It was a great way to recycle all the stuff that one acre produced. It was also a home to a few critters. They especially loved it in winter. One of the side benefits was free and automatic mulch every year. Passing by the US Botanical Garden reminded me of the idea to maybe have a miniature compost pile at the back of our patio garden. But we thought about it again. We really didn't want to attract any furry four legged critters to the concrete neighborhood. All winged creatures are welcome. It's unfortunate that it won't work out, so we have to buy a few bags of mulch every year. I'm just glad there's someone out there who can have the big compost pile in the back yard.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

The Best DC Tuna Casserole

Since I was young, I have always loved tuna from sandwiches to casseroles. But I don't care for tuna filet. I haven't had any of it lately. Once in awhile at the hospital cafeteria tuna casserole was on the menu. It was covered in potato chips, which made it tastier. But that was a long time ago. Bullfeathers has a tuna melt that is okay. As you can see, tuna has been on my mind. I've been talking about how much I miss it. Yesterday when I came home from work there was a big surprise waiting for me. My husband made the most delightful tuna casserole from scratch making up his recipe along the way - which is how he cooks. It was simply delicious. The best part about it was the surprise. The worst part was there just wasn't enough!

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

A View of Alexandria & DC from the Sunroof

It's probably one of the few times we could actually open the sun roof on our eight year old Forester. My husband hates the wind blowing on his head and it's either too hot or too cold. Last evening we went to Alexandria for a bite to eat and when we started the drive back to DC, it was unavoidable. It was early evening, the temperature was just perfect, and my husband even thought it was a good idea. So I spent the entire drive back holding my phone above my head to see what images, if any, would turn out. No planes, one bird, some trees, a road sign, the beautiful sky, a church steeple, a house office building, a neighborhood home. My arms got tired and I missed out on the relaxing part of the whole thing. All in the name of the daily blog. I suppose that's worth the effort.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Memorial Day Concert Clean Up

We didn't get to the Memorial Day concert on the Capitol grounds yesterday. It was just too cold and windy - for me! We've been to a few, and there are more to come this summer. It may be more interesting to see the aftermath of such wonderful, free events. It takes weeks to set up for them, and not quite so long to put things back together. The parade down Constitution Avenue was this afternoon. We just didn't get that far down the street today. The streets are packed with visitors and this was a very busy weekend for everyone. I can't believe I have to go back to work tomorrow. I'd much rather spend the day thinking up blog entries. Does anyone have a caption for the last photo? Our timing was extraordinary!

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Rolling Thunder Harley Davidson Part 2

This is the second in a two part blog about Rolling Thunder. The first one showed the DC landmarks with a motorcycle in the picture too. These are scenes of the motorcycle caravan as it passed along Independence Avenue. We happened to be taking our afternoon walk and ran right in to it.

Rolling Thunder and Washington DC Landmarks

As much as I wanted to resist, I didn't want to write about Rolling Thunder. I was happy to escape this noise and event in Milwaukee, but it followed us here. So in order to make it more palatable, I at least wanted to highlight the landmarks of the city, and make the motorcycles a part of them rather than the other way around. We just happened to be walking this afternoon along Independence Avenue and ran right in to it. So, I tried to make the best of it. The day could not have been more magnificent and it was great to be outside. Part 2 of this parade is in the next blog entry. You really don't get the feel of this huge motorcycle caravan in pictures. Maybe I should send them all to Harley Davidson?

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Memorial Day Weekend and the Exxon Gas Station in Washington DC

Usually the focus is on Rolling Thunder this weekend, but it's just not that appealing to me. Milwaukee has a direct connection with Harley Davidson. And I don't mind not having much to do with all the noise and the hoopla. But you can't miss all the motorcycles parked near the Viet Nam Memorial area and zooming around all over town. As we rode down Independence Avenue there is always something happening on the Lincoln Memorial steps...I'll take those two dogs! The World War II Memorial is always crowded this time of year. The Washington Monument is now totally covered with scaffolding and the real work to repair the earthquake damage begins. Everyone wants to see the White House, and the National Museum of African American History will become a part of the landscape in 2015. On our way home, someone driving next to us on the very congested Constitution Avenue asked where they could find a gas station. Rather than give directions we told him to follow us and we'd take him to one in our neighborhood. They were from Port Royal, Virginia and were so very grateful for the help. When we reached our destination, they said they can't believe how anyone can live - and drive - in such a crowded place. It reminded me that not everyone has a NUVI or electronic device to guide them, and we were more than happy to be of help. And that is the BIG difference between Milwaukee and DC.