BCS Barbecue

I've seen a lot of food trucks all over Washington, near and around the Mall, and several in our neighborhood on Capitol Hill. They come and go based on the time of the year and day of the week, but generally leave after the lunch crowd diminishes. We had an errand in North Bethesda today and as we were driving down Old Georgetown Pike road, I saw a food truck, but a really different looking one. It was the authentic barbecue truck, with the big barbecue pit off to the side. It looked like a log cabin, and almost a permanent structure, because it didn't have wheels. But it was on a platform in case it needed to move. It reminds me of the stories we hear our daughter in law tell about all the back roads barbecue places she visited when she was writing a story about it for a travel magazine many years ago. In spite of the awful weather, there were a few customers. I'm sure it's really good, just was in an unexpected place. 

President Barack Obama M&M's at Walter Reed

Our grandson stops by occasionally to share a story, and most recently, to show us his Halloween Sheriff outfit. Last night he dropped off a small box of M and M's. He simply said his Dad brought them home from work. It seemed odd that his father would bother with such a thing. We thanked him for stopping by and I looked at the box a little more carefully. On one side was an M and M holding a flag and on the other side was the Presidential seal. There were stars across the top and bottom and then I noticed a familiar signature beneath the seal. This prompted me to ask our daughter in law what the real story was behind this unusual M and M box. She said the President stopped by Walter Reed that afternoon and visited the ward where our son works, and that he has known about the plan for awhile. He can keep these kinds of secrets all the time. We probably would not have known or heard anything about it unless the M and M's showed up. Just another day in the life of a cardiac surgeon at Walter Reed, with an interesting way to let us know how his day went via messenger service. 

  

Hill Rag Wall Art

Every month I look forward to picking up the hard copy publication of The Hill Rag.  There are several places it is available in the neighborhood but we typically get it from the newsstand box next to Tortilla Coast. It is probably the only hard copy of anything I read anymore. Everything in our house is pretty much digital, especially when the iPad came around about three years ago. But we also like to use the cover as ever changing wall art. We put it in our TV room as a change of pace. It seems less and less likely one of my digital prints will land on the cover, but I can always hope!

An Innovative Mailbox

Wandering around Old Town Alexandria we stumbled across an interesting mail delivery system. The slot for mail in the front door became inaccessible for whatever reason. The glass storm door must have been locked. Rather than leave the items on the ground or in the carved pumpkin, the mail delivery person figured out the safety bars on the door would be a great replacement mailbox. Everything seemed quite secure and it appeared to be a good alternative. I'm assuming the homeowner didn't have time or didn't think to have the mail held, or ask a neighbor to collect it. If it's anything like the mail we get, I don't think  they would have missed out on much. When we walked passed it a second time everything was gone. It definitely caught my attention that the place was unoccupied. Wonder if anyone else noticed?

The National Archives

It's been many years since we visited the Archives. The first time I was about five years old and the second time was around 1980. Our out of town guests were interested in going, so we found a convenient parking spot right by the Sculpture Garden and walked a block over. Parking is generally easy on Sunday. We usually walk to the Mall from our house but thought we'd give it a try since we were driving home from Alexandria. It's the best time to visit places like this at this time of the year.  There were no lines and we had a very leisurely walk through the exhibits. I love John Hancock's huge signature and a reminder of what came before. It feels like the Library where many areas are kept cold and dark for the documents' sake. I couldn't work in such a dim and freezing environment. Since photos are not allowed we couldn't capture the moment except once we got outside. And it was another beautiful autumn day - so much prettier than the inside. 

Oatlands Plantation

We came to the Oatlands Plantation last week for the dog show but have never quite made it up the path to see the manor house. With out of town guests in toe we made the hour journey to Leesburg on a beautiful autumn afternoon. The place belonged to the famous Carter Family of Virginia back in the late 1700's. The house survived the Civil War and since has had a couple owners and several famous guests including FDR and assorted others. The grounds and garden were quite pretty even though it was past season. The 1810 greenhouse was unique for its time.  It was surrounded by a Japanese Maple that was more interesting to see from the inside. The last house tour we were on was at Blenheim Palace in England. We haven't been on one here for quite a while after spending many a trip over the years in Natchez, Charleston, and so many more. This was a great day trip with friends and the landscape, season and company made it quite memorable. 

 

Torpedo Factory Old Town Alexandria

Our dear friends and neighbors from Wisconsin are visiting for the weekend so it is always an opportunity to explore different places. Because it was raining we needed to think of something indoors. The Archives was on the list, but was outvoted in favor of The Torpedo Factory in Alexandria. First we stopped for lunch in Old Town and then walked over to the river front to see what was up. We have been to the Torpedo Factory a few times since we moved here. But for some reason everything looked fresher, brighter, and more interesting. It's three floors of artisans representing all different genres. The view from the upper levels overlooking the river were picturesque and a lovely place to have an art studio! There's also an archeological museum of sorts that shows working digs in process.   An older woman was brushing artifacts taken from someplace near the Masonic Temple. When we left, the sun came out. A sign for good things to come.