Morning Walk on Capitol Hill

Someone asked us if we missed our morning walks on Capitol Hill. Yes, we do. But we don’t miss the 1890’s building that brought with it all the problems and unexpected issues for “easy living.” Add street parking to the mix and it was very unpleasant at times. Although it all looked so picturesque from the outside! Now that the blazing heat of summer is subsiding, we will be making a habit of driving in to the old neighborhood for our morning walk since we can’t attend any programs at the Library of Congress where I worked for ten years. It’s usually a pleasant drive and only 5-10 miles away depending on where we want to go. Yesterday we thought a stroll around the Supreme Court, Capitol, US Botanic Garden and the new Eisenhower Memorial would be good. It was a beautiful day as we found a parking spot on Duddington. The streets were still pretty empty as well as a lack of pedestrian traffic. We drove in on Saturday and there were a lot of people milling about for the first time since March. Where the Supreme Court was filled with momentos, flowers, and well wishers, it was all cleared away in preparation for the public viewing. The Capitol complex was also devoid of activity, but the fences were up to control the expected pedestrian traffic. We have walked this route a million times but it never gets boring. We do miss just walking over when great events occur - late at night was a much quieter time to pay respects. It’s still nice to be able to visit whenever we feel like it, but it’s not quite the same anymore. 

Fuisetaea Rimless Titanium Bifocal Readers

Ever since my husband had cataract surgery in February, he still needs glasses for reading. He had lenses put in that allow him to see both far and near; however, the near isn’t as near as it needs to be. That sort of defeats the purpose. Since he reads most of the day it’s become a constant that he wear glasses - something we were hoping to avoid. He keeps them on to see far, which defeats the purpose even more. He wanted to have his old frames fitted with bifocals, but we haven’t been inside a store since March. So I was looking around for bifocal glasses that are “plain” on the top, and 2.00 on the bottom. They also needed to be rimless and light. We found a pair on Amazon that had good reviews. The only issue I had was you could see the bifocal lines - it looks awful when you are used to progressives. So we ordered a pair and they arrived yesterday at a price much cheaper than any eye glass shop. So far he likes how light they are and they seem to be working out. It’s ridiculous to have so many readers around the house and in the car. I asked him if he would like bifocal sunglasses and he declined - he hates sunglasses to begin with. But it’s a lot easier to read if you are already wearing bifocals. If and when I need cataract surgery I think I would get basic lenses and wear glasses to correct whatever. I’m sure there are advantages to having a near and far lens - perhaps if you are in to sports and outside all the time. That’s not the case with us - especially since March. 

Mount Vernon Trail at Gravelly Point

Last week we took a ride down the GW Parkway to find a place for a morning walk. We had been past this area so many times in our thirteen years living on Capitol Hill but we never stopped in. We like to change up locations for walking and Gravelly Point seemed like a good place to try. It’s always crowded because it is next to Reagan airport. Everyone likes to watch the planes landing and taking off. We immediately got on the Mount Vernon Trail and began walking in the direction toward the Navy/Marine memorial, Pentagon, and Roosevelt Island. Along the Potomac River we heard and saw both a freight train and metro off in the distance. Soon we would be standing under the railroad tracks and the freeway bridge that we have driven across millions of times. It’s amazing how rusty the railroad bridge was, and of course, plenty of graffiti to go along with it. All the DC landmarks were in full view - the Capitol, Jefferson Memorial and Washington Monument. There were too many bikers for my taste and probably a good reason not to walk that way very often. At this time of year we will probably head in to town and walk in our old footsteps. During the summer it’s just too hot and we prefer the shade of the trees in our local park. I’m glad we checked the area out, but it’s not one of our favorites. 

The Handwritten Letter

I’ve been reading about how that during these weird times it would be a good idea to write and send handwritten letters to friends and family. Then, unexpectedly and out of the blue, a letter arrived in the mail from a friend in the Midwest. It’s not the first time I have received a letter from her, but it’s been a while. In the age of emails and texts and zoom/FaceTime, it all feels so very old fashioned. But so do a lot of other things that remind me of the 50’s and 60’s - drive in movies, moving to the suburbs, road trips, cooking at home, board games... I was always one to write letters as a youngster to my favorite aunt and cousin. I would wait with great anticipation for the mailman to come. Having email and texting has made it even easier to communicate. But the one thing remains constant - people who like to communicate do so regardless of the means while those who don’t care to still don’t. I still have every card my mom ever sent to me, but haven’t had the wherewithal to go through them since she passed away in February. The cards and letters are very personal - the paper and pen that is used and the distinguished handwriting that belongs to each individual. Yes, it was nice getting a letter from a friend. I let her know how much immediately by sending her a text message. 

A Beautiful Drive in to DC

It’s been a long time since we have seen the city as vibrant as we remember it. So much so that we were even feeling a bit nostalgic. After living on Capitol Hill for thirteen years, we moved to northern Virginia. So we are still close enough to drive in to town whenever we feel like it. Unfortunately it hasn’t been the same since March for obvious reasons - no programs at the Library of Congress to go to followed by dinner at Hawk and Dove or any other indoor activities. Today after our morning walk in the neighborhood we drove in to check out the newly dedicated Eisenhower memorial on independence avenue across from the air and space museum, but also to witness the crowds by the Supreme Court after hearing the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Of course we passed by our old home and the familiar neighborhood. There’s a new playground by Eastern market that was filled with kids. Pretty much everyone was wearing masks as it is a requirement in town. The blue skies were so bright and sunny because of the unexpected lower temps. Every time we go in we have a discussion about living in the city. It was a great experience when I was working at the Library of Congress for ten years. But it was time to move on to a more comfortable environment - especially to a building that was much younger than the 1890’s and all its associated problems. We need to go back again in the very near future for a morning walk to the Eisenhower memorial. That is one thing I miss - just walking to all these places. But at least we can still drive in, park in our old stomping grounds, and pretend like we still live there. 

Instapot Spaghetti Puttanesca

It was a busy day yesterday! On our way home from our morning walk we got a FaceTime call from our friends in Wisconsin; at the same time the building engineer was making rounds to replace the HVAC filter in our unit; we tuned in to a zoom condo board meeting in the evening while at the same time we tried an instapot recipe. These days, just having one item to attend to is too much. We finally had all the ingredients for the spaghetti puttanesca recipe from the Milk Street Fast and Slow cookbook that our son and daughter in law sent to us along with the instapot. We organized all the ingredients and my husband prepared the garlic, cilantro, olives, whole peeled tomatoes, and capers. We were making half the called for ingredients because 4-6 servings would be a bit much for the two of us. So I changed the amounts on the recipe because I knew I would forget. When we sautéed the oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes with the capers and olives, there was a burst of an overwhelming unbelievable “pleasant” smell that required us to open the windows, doors, turn on the vent and put on the fans to keep us from choking!! It was difficult to breathe! Someone should alert you about that! It took a while to get the sensation out of our system. When we added the tomatoes and juice and water it finally got better. Once we finished preparing the dinner we toasted some naan garlic bread. Together with a salad, the spaghetti was actually very good - but very “spicy” hot. That required a small container of yogurt to dial down the heat. It was an interesting experiment to say the least. Would we make it again? After all that the Cucino and Amore basilica Italian pasta sauce we usually make is just a lot easier.