Glen Echo Park

We finally got to Glen Echo park! We went to the Washington Folk festival there. Not the big Smithsonian, this is one put on by the Washington Folklife Society. It was nice though rain early afternoon probably kept attendance down. We walked around, did a little dancing and rode a carousal. We had a wonderful dinner at a resturant on the corner of S and 14th. I can't remember the name, but Alana, Erin and Grace ate there back in the summer.

Kennedy Center

We went to the Kennedy Center Friday night with Paddy. Check the coats out on Paddy and Anne! The National Symphony Orchestra played pieces by Jean Sibelius - noting the 50th year since his death in 1957. The three pieces were Symphony No. 1 in E minor; The Oceanides, and Symphony No. 7 in C major. Wonderful music in the concert hall, where no seat is bad.

Aaron Douglas

Great exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Originally from Kansas and later at Fisk University in Nashville, Douglas was a major figure of the Harlem Renaissance. This piece is owned by the people of Wisconsin, thanks to a purchase by Governor Patrick Lucey. It usually hangs in the Governor's Residence in Madison.

Graduation

Congratulations to Emanuel for graduating high school. Ryan and Victor had a family gathering to honor the event. Also congratulations to Julie, daughter of Dan and Christine for also graduating. We got to meet entire Dan/Chris clan along with Aunt Romie

Great Falls National Park

For Memorial Day weekend, Anne and Ack headed out to Great Falls National Park. It has a wonderful series of water falls. We got a later-than-planned start (Anne was working on her book), so we arrived around 10 am with just a short line on the two-lane highway to get into the park.When we left at 2 pm, it was so crowded that the line to get into the park was two miles long -- literally. So if you plan on visiting, go early! The trails are easy and parallel the Potomoc. You'll find an ocassional kayaker defying the rapids or climbers scaling the gorge's walls. The site has an interesting history display about how canals were used in the area too.

We also saw a snake eat a frog!!!

Farewell to Erin

There is no joy in Mudville -- Erin left today. We had such a great visit with her and Al; it's very sad to have them gone.

After dropping Erin and Al at the airport, Anne and Ack went to Mt. Vernon (we're in the better-see-it-now-cause-we're-leaving-soon mode). It was very crowded, cost $13 to get in, and the gardens were nice for vegetable but no flowers. Plus, it was a 45-minute wait to get into the mansion, so we didn't go in, but here it is for you.

Longest Escalator

Ack went to Wheaton to ride what we've been told is the longest, continuous escalator in the country (the "everlasting escalator"). Pretty cool......

For our last night together, we (Alana, Erin, Al, Anne, Ack) ate at a new restaurant in the area - Corduroy.  It is ranked as #17 in the Washingtonian's top 100 restaurants. Wonderful meal, particularly the Peekytoe Crab & Egg Custard Soup.

Art class

Ack is finishing up an abstract drawing class he his taking through the Smithsonian. It's taugh by Dalna Dastur. The figure is one drawing, 24 x 38 inches in charcoal and pastel.

Play Ball!

The five of us (Anne, Ack, Erin, Al and Alana) spent Tuesday night at the new National's stadium. They played Philly and lost 1-0. Philly scored a run in the top of the 9th (right after Alana left to catch a train). It was a beautiful night and though we were in the upper deck, the view of the field was very good.

Time is Relative

We went to the Naval Observatory Monday night, where we first learned about keeping time and then got to view Saturn through this large 1873 telescope! Plus the floor moved up and down!!

Some history...

For most of human existence, the unit of time that has mattered most was the day. As our capacity for velocity increased (via trains, planes, etc.), the importance of maintaining accurate time also increased. Up to the late 19th century, each community was responsible for its own timekeeping -- which led to train crashes. So Western Union and the U.S. railroads established a single time source. At noon each day, Western Union sent out a time pulse to clocks set up in railroad stations that synchronized them. That pulse originated from the Naval Observatory.

Other cool time tidbits:

• Since 1950, the earth's revolution has slowed down by 33 seconds. This has created a difference between 'scientific time' and 'social time,' leading to the "leap second," which a lot of timekeepers hate. Losing a second now means losing billions in revenue. There's a proposal to do away with the leap second and to instead have a 'leap hour' once every forty years or so.
• No one clock is accurate. Clocks work on the idea of a 'center moment.' The official time comes from not a single clock but an average of many.
• Canadian railroad companies are the ones who came up with time zones.
  

Happy Birthday Erin

Happy Birthday Erin! As part of the day we did the Washington Post Hunt. Sort of like a scavenger hunt. In these pictures Anne shows the fortune cookie clue (we missed the clue about its coconut flavor) and the second is at the end as we try to put all the pieces together. We didn't win, but we had fun!

Party

Saturday we held our good-bye brunch. Its hard to believe that we'll be leaving the area soon.

Party Prep...

We said goodbye to Eileen on Friday; she took the Amtrak train back to NY. On Friday evening and Saturday morning we did lots of prep for our goodbye to DC party.

Self-Reflections

Yea! Eileen is here visiting from New York! Erin and Al are visiting from Indiana!! The lowlight so far was taking Erin to an urgent care clinic to find relief from a bad allergic reaction to a sulfa drug. The highlight so far - "History Boys" at Studio Theater.

Beautiful Spring

My mom celebrated her 80th birthday with a surprise party my dad organized for her. It was a fun gathering.

The flowers in DC are so much ahead of what we'd be having in Madison. It's like getting an extra three months of summer.

Light Show

Friday night we went to the "Lighting to Unite" event at the Washington National Cathedral. Swiss artist Gerry Hofstetter projected images on to different sides of the cathedral. Some were photos of people, but the best scenes were the abstract images.

Earlier in the week, Debbie Kmetz was in DC visiting her Mom and came by to visit and work with Anne. Just so you readers know that we are not just touring, they got a lot of work done on the Wisconsin Teachers of Local Culture website redesign.

Ups and Downs

Bad day on Friday--I was in a minor bus accident and then my wallet was lost or stolen while waiting for the replacement bus. I got wonderful support from Nalini of the Arts Education Partnership (a woman I'd never met before) -- money so I could take the bus back home to start calling credit card companies.

Good day on Tuesday--on a beautiful spring evening, Ack and I went to the Czech Republic embassy to a cool outdoor concert with Chodska Vla, a bagpipe band that did rock versions of traditional tunes and songs. Check out the Bohemian style of bagpipe -- a different construction and a sweeter sound. (Click on the photo to make it larger.)

Embassy Visits

Anne is up in NY celebrating her Mom's 80th birthday. She took the 6:20 am Amtrak. Ack went on an Embassy tour, visiting 6 embassies; starting with the Italian (photo). I expected a Romanesque design but the embassy's architecture was very modern. We were only allowed into the first floor and one of the outside gardens. They had a movie playing about opera. The furniture was very modern, made of nice leather, and very old paintings hung on the wall. They had gelato, but charged $2 for a dish, but I bought it anyway. The coffee gelato was good. 

Then on to Slovenia which had a much more welcoming setting . Unlike the Italians, they didn't search bags. They gave a tour of the offices which had lots of windows and open space. The building had modern architecture as well and free sweet bread. The country looks like a nice place to vacation. 

Next stop the Netherlands, which of course had the outside grounds lined with tulips. They had a self guided tour booklet for 4 rooms and the paintings inside. When you left you got a very tasty cookie and a little bottle of water - very practical of them. 

I skipped United Kingdom as the line was long and you had to clear security - they were wanding everyone and asking for IDs. I heard later that the UK was giving away a lot of stuff, including bag, T-shirt and thumb drive. Still not worth the wait in the sun to clear security. 

The Embassy of Finland was again a modern design with tall ceilings, walls made of windows and very square interior walls. They didn't have tight security (which is nice) but you had to sign in. The food was free, lots of it and lots of tasty treats - including a few wonderful salmon dishes and great cheeses. A berry drink was cool and refreshing. The Ambassador was there and would every now and then get on a microphone and welcome everyone. There is a sauna there too but it wasn't open to the tour. One of the hosts said that if you called them, they could arrange a tour for individuals. 

Next stop was Belgium where they looked into any bags. It was a very business like embassy beyond the main entrance and marble staircase. They gave you 3 pieces of good chocolate as soon as you entered, along with some butter cookies and a pen. When you left, there was Belgium beer tasting. The cherry beer was very refreshing on a day with 80F temperatures. That was my favorite visit. 

The final stop for me was Malta. The smallest country on my mini-tour (400,000 people) and a small embassy - basically a 3-floor row house. There was a wait to get in but not because of security; it was the program which included a warm welcome by the Ambassador's wife and some cake. You then went up stairs where the Ambassador greeted you into a room and gave a history lesson and answered questions. A very nice gentlemen with a good sense of humor, he talked too much as his wife had warned.

Visits...

Kevin Monroe and Wendy were visiting the area, so Tim and Tom had a little party for them at their place in Baltimore. Ryan, Victor and Emanuale were there along with Ned and Harry. Dan was also there, but we missed Christine. It was a nice luncheon. The next day we meet Ryan and Victor at their church and then went out to breakfast. Anne and I also visited and hiked part of the National Arboretum to see the azaleas in bloom - wonderful!

Favorite Photos

Here are my two favorite photos from Bionca's visit--

One is Bionca on her first ever airplane ride, as we're flying from Madison to DC.

The other is Bionca in her favorite building in DC, the beautiful atrium that connects the National Portrait Gallery with the Smithsonian American Art Museum.