Lisa Schreiber's Wagtime Too

Across the street from the historic Navy Yard on M Street SE is Wagtime Too. The original establishment is located on 9th Street NW by the convention center. If you have a dog or cat, this is the place to go for boarding, daycare, grooming, adopting, and assorted other good stuff for your pets. We had two dogs in our family over the years in Milwaukee - Natasha, a Golden Retriever, and Tatiana, a Borzoi. Since we moved to DC, a dog was replaced with a tiny Betta fish. moby Dick is quite social, and seems to require as much attention as the hounds. Lisa Schreiber, the owner, so graciously allowed me to fill a "gallery wall" of sorts at the shop with dog and cat portraits. Whenever I finish a couple hand drawn digital portraits, I mat them on foam board and hang 'me up on the wall with Velcro. The dogs and cats are from as far away as Australia and Iran, California, Oregon, Texas, North Carolina, and of course Wisconsin. The one thing in common is utter love for a pet and I am more than happy to capture the moment. Thanks Lisa for the space - I really appreciate it! 

Alexandria Copper Roof and Flowering Vine

There is something magical about Old Town Alexandria. Every time we visit, there is always something enchanting about it, even when it is cloudy and rainy. The homes are fabulous and generally well taken care of with well manicured yards. One home had a white flowering vine that covered the entire side of the house. But what really stuck out was the bright copper roof that had just been replaced. It was glistening through the raindrops and screaming for attention. One can only imagine how much this cost, but it probably will outlast all of us. 

Merrifield Garden Center Near Manassas

If it wasn't for the fact that my IPhone died yesterday there would be more exciting photos about our escapade to Merrifield Garden Center. Our friend needed some stone filler for her patio so we tagged along for the ride. The place reminded me of a much larger version of Milaeger's in Racine, Wisconsin where we frequented for most of our garden needs. This place had a charming cafe tucked in the back. The soup and sandwiches were unexpectedly delicious. We all three ended up with garden hats, or in my instance, a walking hat to keep the intense DC summer heat off my face. My friend ended up with 10 bags of fifty pounds each of gravel. The extra 500 pounds tested the brakes on the ride home. We unfortunately ended up at the Apple store getting my phone exchanged. The screen display just decided to stop working. Thank goodness for iCloud, but the rest of my evening was otherwise taken up with resetting the darn thing. And any photos taken since the last back up were lost. 

Summertime in Washington DC

It's beginning to look like summer in Washington. All the hallmarks of the season are in place. The farmers market is open at the Agriculture building on Independence Avenue. The weddings at the World War I Monument are taking place almost every Saturday. The nonchalant tourists pass by unaware of what is taking place. I have threatened my husband to take the duck boats, but he refuses.  We took them once at the Wisconsin Dells about thirty years ago. The waterfall by the American Indian Museum is very inviting - especially when the lines to get in reach to the street. And there is always something happening on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, you just never know what it will be. Here is a lone runner taking a respite and a single passerby. I can only imagine how many folks are planning their summer trips to the Capitol city. We sure did over the last many years. But now all we have to do is walk a couple blocks, or take a short car ride, and we're right in the thick of it all. And that is a great difference between here and Milwaukee - and in this case, a good one. 

Kielbasa Factory in Rockville

When we visited the Kielbasa Factory right before Christmas, it was jammed to the gills. The place was packed with folks who were probably too lazy to make their own pierogi, but needed to have them as a traditional fix for the holiday. So it's been awhile since we took a ride out to Rockville, so we decided to get ourselves some of the tantalizing Polish delicacies. It was very quiet, as would be expected this time of year, but a few folks were there. We passed by the kielbasa and headed straight to the freezer and picked up one of almost every kind of 12 pack they had. Since there are no Polish restaurants in town that we know of, we thought we better stock up. In Milwaukee it would be unheard of not to have Polish food! They even have a lakefront Polish fest. But what caught my eye on the way out was the pastry ... the cheese kind with the dab of grape jelly in the center. We couldn't resist one, and it was really good! When we got home, I broke all the packages down and put a little bit of each kind in eight different freezer bags. That way, we can have a taste of a lot of different pierogi. But my favorites are still the potato and cabbage.

Army Band on the Capitol Steps

It was the perfect night for an outdoor concert. So we walked over to the Capitol steps and plopped down in our usual position across from the band by the fountain beneath the Dome. Though all the armed services bands play here during the week, we usually end up going on Fridays. As the sun was setting, we were treated not only to the band and the music, but the choral group was also in attendance. Both the Army group and another high school group from Virginia sang. A lady with two boxers, photographers snapping various poses for posterity with the dome in the background, and the line of Capitol Police on bicycles who stopped by to hear the music and check out the scene, all held my attention. The residents bring along their own chairs and place them in the same spots every year. We are too lazy to carry them over! On our walk home my husband said you simply can't pay for something like this, and he would be hard pressed to live anywhere else. It is a very unique neighborhood, and he may just be right.

Art Exhibit Reception at The Library of Congress

This week there was a reception at the Library for the artists who contributed works to the show this year. I submitted two of my digital paintings - English Springer Spaniel and Women on the Steps of Persepolis. They will be on display until October on the sixth floor of the Madison building. This event has been going on for over forty years now and I am so happy to be able to participate. The speaker talked a little about Copyright issues, which is quite interesting particularly in the digital age. A lot of folks travel to this place and you never know who might see these "works of art" and crafts. There is always an interesting event going on at the Library that makes it a very interesting place to work. I can't really compare it to all the hospitals and health care settings I worked in Milwaukee. They are entirely different worlds, in more ways than one.