From London to Barcelona on British Airways

I am not much of a traveler, international or otherwise. But since Thursday, we flew from Washington DC to London, and this morning from London to Barcelona. I am also not someone who likes to get up early in the morning. And to make a 7:55 AM flight at Heathrow airport, we had to be ready for a cab to pick us up at 5:45 AM - which meant getting up by 5:00 AM. Of course I did not sleep a wink last night because I am still on Washington DC time, and we ate dinner at 8 PM. But for this leg of the journey our friends in England made all the arrangements so I didn't have to think about anything but the passports. When we were dropped off at terminal 3 at Heathrow it was already abuzz on a Sunday morning. My husband found a cell phone lying on the street in front of the cab and had to drop it off at security so they could reach the poor soul who lost it. We were on British Airways once again, and once again enjoyed the flight - if you can do such a thing. However, when we went through passport check, our English friends had no line, but ours wound well past the queuing lines filled with at least 1000 people. If that wasn't bad enough, a plane filled with young males decided they could just cut in front of us and took over the place. Luckily our friends were able to convince the authorities to find us and dragged us out of the hellhole. It was really dreadful with these folks surrounding us and pushing our backs... It doesn't appear they understood what a line and order was. Thankfully we got out of there soon enough but it was a very unpleasant experience. Then we jumped into the cab and got to our hotel in downtown Barcelona. Our English friend's son lives here, and he met us at the hotel, along with our friends from France, who flew in yesterday. I never thought I would ever visit Spain. Let's see how this goes after a very unusual start! 

Amersham England

We are visiting friends in England and today we went to walk in Amersham. It was very windy and cold, but sunny and blue skies at the same time. These little places remind me of the British shows we watch - in particular Midsomer Murders and all the rest. The towns are so charming and quaint. But what makes it all the more interesting is that we get to enjoy it because I don't have to think about how to get there. It's so nice that we have these wonderful opportunities especially since we only travel to places where we know someone, not to see anything in particular. But the things we get to see because of the people we know are interesting and fun. After the walk we stopped at a restaurant for lunch, then drove back home. It's times like this that I wish I wasn't working, but it probably wouldn't feel the same. So I'll sit back and enjoy the next few days and take a lot of photos!

From Washington to London on British Airways

It's been a year since we were in Europe visiting friends. We usually take United Airlines, but this time we decided to try British Airways. I selected a twin seat selection in the economy section and it was wonderful - because it was just me and my husband without an interloper in our row. In spite all of what is going on, it was very nice - except for the routine turbulence that is rather frightful. At least there were no weather related delays, getting struck by lightning or otherwise. We had to circle Heathrow for a bit, and getting through passport review went well. The best part was to see our friend's smiling face when we finally got through all the lines. That's the only reason we travel- to see someone. Anything else or a place can be seen on tv in the comfort of our home. It's a great excuse to get out if a house and to visit with such wonderful people. 

Uber and Willie Nelson

It's been awhile since we took Uber, so I was a bit confused about how to enter the right address. The driver called to clarify exactly where we were located. He finally got us to our destination in rush hour traffic - the DAR Concert hall for the Willie Neslon Gerswhin prize concert. But it was quite expensive at $26.00? So we took our free seats that were a lottery win from the Library of Congress employee pool and waited for the music. Not long after we sat down, Mr. Nelson entered and sat within our view and seemingly enjoyed the show - Neil Young, Paul Simon, Cyndi Lauper, Don Johnson, and several others whom I don't really know. At the end Willie sang "on the road again," but we didn't hear "you are always on my mind." They had to redo the Cyndi Lauper duet because there was something wrong with the production truck. Nevertheless it will be broadcast in January.  We'll probably watch it because it's a very different show watching it on tv. It was a nice event, but I'm not a huge fan. But my husband enjoyed it. I think the songs of Billy Joel last year had more meaning for me. I didn't know half the songs played at Willie's show. When we left the concert hall, we walked a couple blocks and hailed a cab. He got us home in short order and it was $15.00. I'm sure it had something to do with the time of day - or did it? 

East Potomac Park in Fall

We go there once in awhile. In spring it is very busy during cherry blossom season. During the summer it is filled with golfers and dinner boats can be seen drifting up the Anacostia River. But in fall, all the cherry trees and magnificent willows and such take on a very different hue. It is East Potomac Park, and on this day a game of soccer was underway, the wind was blowing, and the planes were landing across the Potomac River side at Reagan Airport. The streets were filled with joggers and bike riders and the sun was brilliant on a crisp autumn day. We meandered about and took our time taking in the views. Every season has a presence here in DC. The nice thing about it is that they are more evenly spaced out than in the Midwest where it is primarily winter with snow and ice. That is one of the primary reasons we moved. And on this day, most folks would agree it's a very good one. 

Willie Nelson Gershwin Prize Concert Tickets

It feels like yesterday that we went to the Gershwin Prize concert for Billy Joel. A few days back an announcement was sent to Library employees that tickets were available for the Willie Nelson Gershwin Prize concert. It's a great way to fill up the seats but also see some extraordinary artists - even if they are not your cup of tea. So I submitted an email request and waited for the lottery. Yesterday when I came to work there was an email informing me that I did get a pair of tickets. So I picked them up at the events office and brought them home. They are almost in the same spot as last year - all the way left and very close overlooking the stage. My husband was thrilled because he really likes these kind of events. They are really unexpected perks of working at the Library. The DAR venue is elegant and the artists honoring Willie Nelson are even more interesting - to me - in particular Neil Young. The event used to be held in the Jefferson building which was a lot easier for us to get to, but never enough space to open it up to employees. The DAR is much bigger and the concert will be broadcast on TV over the holidays. We'll probably take Uber to get there, and a cab home. It's one of those rare times we don't walk or drive ourselves, but it is worth it! 

Ten Thousand Photos and Counting

When I got my new iPhone 6 Plus a couple weeks ago, one of the main reasons was for the camera. I constantly take photos for my blog, and all my other social media interests like Instagram and Tumblr. Along with my digital art work, these tools are "essentials." But my iPhone keeps reading "downloading" on my photo section and I can't make it stop. In the interim I decided it might be a good time to delete whatever photos that had no personal meaning for me. It took a couple of hours to just continuously delete all the images that I've taken over the last couple of years. It started at around 11,000 and I think I must have gotten rid of a couple thousand. I still can't quite figure out how the cloud works, but I'm more interested to ensure photo stream transfers images among my phone, my husband's phone, my iPad and his iPad. If nothing else the images remain on the device that took them. I'm just glad I can also access the photos via the Internet on my blog and whatever else I use. But I can't help myself- I love taking photos - just for the heck of it! But how do I get rid of that constant downloading message? There are about five thousand images I don't even see - just empty little boxes. One of these days I'll need to take a trip to the Apple Store. I just can't seem to figure it out myself.