The Tavern at Great Falls Party

We prefer a table to a booth so we can sit next to each other, but to also share the food! A booth is nicer in a crowded place to help insulate against the noise. We like driving to Great Falls when the weather is nice because the path from here to there is very crooked and it takes a while to reach our destination. We ended up in the back dining area of The Tavern Restaurant rather than a booth up front. When I saw the blue balloons tied to several chairs I thought we might be in trouble. As it turned out there was some sort of party with a about 10-12 pre schoolers or kindergarten age kids and their mothers. Everyone clapped when it looked like the teacher walked in. We couldn't help but hear the conversation. As with most occasions, each kid got an accolade...Carter, Fletcher, and GiGi would all one day become a civil engineer, the next Martha Stewart, and the next Olympian. One picky eater was the winner of the next dietician award. This is a lesson in turning every annoying habit in to a positive. By the time it came to eating, all the kids were asked to give thanks for ONE thing. There was the usual thank you for Mom and Dad, the great teacher, etc. But I like the kid who said he was thankful for the balloons. They were sitting there right in front of him, it didn't take a lot of imagination, and he probably really liked them. On the other hand they had to ask another kid a few times what he was thankful for....then decided to forget it when he just couldn't think of anything and eat instead. 

The Cat Fanciers

I really like dogs. We had a golden retriever - Natasha - for sixteen years and a beautiful borzoi - Tatiana - for eleven years. I also like to paint pet portraits on my iPad. They are hand drawn and the end product is a digital image that can be used in a variety of traditional and non traditional ways. This month I received more cat requests than dog requests. For whatever reason, two of my portraits got a lot of attention on my Etsy shop and each image reached over 1000 views in just twenty four hours. It's been fun painting the cats. They have the most beautiful eyes compared to the typical dog! Once the portraits are completed I always print, mat on foam board, and display the images at the Wagtime Shop on Capitol Hill across from the Navy Yard. But I also like to suggest to the customers that the images can also be used to create interesting canvas bags, ornaments, or iPad sleeves. The sky is the limit with digital art. If you asked me even five years ago about painting anything I would have laughed - even though I've been sketching since kindergarten. The iPad has enhanced my life, and this is one of the reasons why. 

Birds of a Feather On Our Window

We had a white parakeet named Snowball as a first pet, followed by a green and blue one named Greeny and Bluey, followed by a talking blue Ringo who followed commands, sat on your glasses, and rode on the Barbie Doll car steering wheel. In Milwaukee we had two bird baths and several bird houses placed about the back yard. My favorite wild birds are cardinals, but even the little sparrows and wrens were welcome company. Here on our little patio we have a solar birdbath that attracts many thirsty critters. Every once in a while a feathered friend will land on the gated window. This one seemed different. By the looks of him, he was quite young with a spotted breast and a few little furry feathers on his head. When I approached the window he wasn't the least bit concerned- a sure sign that he was very immature. He looked hungry and thirsty and I felt bad that he may be lost. But I felt much better the following day when I saw a mother robin feeding him in the nearby bush located close to this same window. He must have been exploring the neighborhood and listened when his mother told him to stay close to home. 

An Aerial View of the Capitol and Our House

We were watching a repeat Sixty Minutes program about the Capitol Dome restoration project. Just as the Washington Monument was closed and scaffolded up for the last couple of years, the same thing is about to happen to the dome. One was for earthquake repair; the other is for preservation. Yes, you can see cities on google maps. But it is more interesting to see your city and neighborhood from a helicopter vantage point on a TV show. What makes it even more appealing is to see your own house as well. Since we live on Capitol Hill we always look to see if our house actually is shown. This time it was. It never ceases to amaze me to actually see how close we are to all of these historic landmarks. It's one thing to know you live here, but to actually see it is something else. 

 

Winterthur Gardens, Galleries, and Vintage Cars

This weekend we drove to Wilmington Delaware to visit the costumes of Downton Abbey that are on exhibit at Winterthur, the home of the Dupont family. The previous blog has photos of all the finery. But there is also a lot more to be seen here starting with the beautiful informal as well as formal gardens. Right after we got our tickets for the exhibit at the visitor center, we boarded a tram that took us on a thirty minute narrated tour through the gorgeous gardens surrounding the house. The azaleas were in bloom and the natural displays were delightful. Because we had timed tickets for the exhibit, we spent a few minutes in the gallery where furniture, silver, and textiles were on display. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to actually see the DuPont home... which is an eight story structure, with three underground. The formal gardens had the perfect set up for a wedding. On the way back we decided to walk and ran in to another display - this one was vintage automobiles. Because of the Downton Abbey theme and time period, the exhibit included a few Rolls Royce's and Pierce's. I wouldn't know the difference, but the cars were very well preserved and /or updated.  The inside of the vehicles looked more like amusement park rides. It would have been fun to take a ride in one, just to get a taste of the time. One car had a rumble seat - something my mother was familiar with. Living in DC really affords us the opportunity to see a variety of places that are not too far away. The main attraction was Chicago when we lived in Milwaukee. It's a great city, but a real pain in the neck to drive through it to get anywhere else. 

Downton Abbey Costumes at Winterthur

We have watched Downton Abbey with great interest since it started. Last summer when we went to England with friends, we visited Highclere Castle, saw the real place the Masterpiece series is filmed, and took a lot of photos of the English countryside. Then I heard that the costumes of Downton Abbey would be on display at Winterthur in Delaware. Winterthur is DuPont's mansion, gardens, and galleries. We took the two hour drive northeast and arrived around 12:30. I had made reservations on line the day before for the 2 PM viewing. It appears you cannot get tickets on site for this exhibit. It was quite busy being a Saturday and also a lovely day. We started with a tram ride around the beautiful gardens. The azaleas were blooming and everything was really lush and green. Since we didn't have enough time to take in the house tour, we strolled through the galleries, and then went right to the exhibit. The garments were well represented, and there was an attempt to compare the lifestyle and the clothes to the DuPonts during the same time period the series represents. Although it doesn't look like it, the place was teeming with visitors. I didn't get to see much, but figured I could look back at the pictures and the website. I have a tendency to want to get through things like this quickly because the most fun about for us is about getting there and then remembering later that we went. 

Mamie's Cafe With Love in Aberdeen

We took a ride to Winterthur in Wilmington Delaware to see the Downton Abbey costume exhibit. On the way home we thought it would be a good idea to have an early dinner. So I looked on google maps to see what the options were outside the usual fare. I found Mamie's Cafe in Aberdeen. It had good reviews so we decided to try it. It was indeed a very unique experience. It was filled with fifties decor, music, and antiques, all packed in a space much bigger than it looked on the outside sitting in a strip mall. By the time we left the place was packed. We ate two bites of cream crab soup and were full and ended up taking everything home including the free dessert. Luckily we don't eat like this every day. It's definitely a change of pace - only to be taken on a road trip every once in a long while.