Revisited

 

We've seen this before on these pages. Maybe someone is trying to say something about this town? 

 

The stonework and fountains in the park remind me of ones in Europe. It also reminds me of NYC because it's surrounded by tall apartment buildings. There are plenty of grass and trees for relaxing. Sparrows were having fun sitting on the ledge of the fountain and bathing in the rushing water. Two labs also came by to play in the water. Photos taken with my new, slick camera phone. Not bad. 

 

Yesterday was the first Saturday waking up in DC with nothing to do. The weather was mid-60's and sunny all weekend. I took a walk to Meridian Park near my house to read a book. It's on 16th Street and up on a hill (hence the neighborhood 'Columbia Heights'). It probably had a great view of the Washington Monument (barely seen poking above the apartment buildings) once. 

 

Joan of Arc. I'm not sure why it's here. Her sword is missing from her hand. 

 

You never know what statues or memorials you will stumble upon in dc. 

 

The 'rents sitting in front of a flowering chestnut tree. I read today that DC is one of the 10 worst cities to be in for allergen sufferers. Luckily, I'm not among them yet. Sometimes I do worry about how city living might impact my long-term health. 

 

This is called the old man cactus! 

 

Sunlight through orchids at the US Botanical Gardens on the Mall. 

 

Mine at home looks like this. Half of my buds are finally open. 

 

This flower was very interesting. All these buds came out of a long cylinder, like a feather duster. 

 

Gus and Phoebe are the upstairs tenants from the shop. They're Boston Terriers. 

 

The courtyard at work is a surprisingly nice place to break for lunch. 

 

The 'rents were in town this weekend. We spend a lot of time browsing the gardens scattered around the National Mall. 

 

The paranoia dog and the bodily function dog. 

 

I listened to this during my many long hours in the car when I was still between places. Atwood writes interesting futuristic, feminist stuff. This one was pretty scary--about a time not too far in the future when scientists are mixing genes from very different animals for novelty or to create host animals for organs or extra appendages for meat. Then they loose a virus strain that pretty much wipes out humanity. As you can see by the cover, this one had some interesting Adam/Eve/Garden of Eden parallels.

If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend _The Handmaid's Tale_ by Margaret Atwood.

 

This past weekend I went to Rehoboth Beach for the grand opening of my friends' new shop: Detail. It was super!

 

The main room. Their shop integrates art and home decor.

 

Opening-day puzzlement at the register.

 

The bedroom area. The shop is divided up like areas of your home.

 

Some friends on the porch. We had summer-like weather at the beach--beautiful with all the spring flowers. 

 

Congratulations to my mother and father who are now officially retired and are already on their first road trip! My mother's office threw her a retirement luncheon that my father and siblings were attending. I didn't want to miss out, so I drove home and surprised my entire family. How often does one get that chance? It was a warm spring day leaving the city...perfect for having the top down! 

 

At the luncheon. All but two of these people at the table are my family. Mom and Dad are in the middle. 

 

Two weeks ago I drove down to the tidal basin before work to catch the peak of the cherry blossoms. It was sunny and peaceful...a great way to start the day and avoid the usual crowds. 

 

The trees down by the Potomac River are really the best ones. 

 

I like these weeping cherry trees.

 

Teams practicing crew in the middle of the pic. I see them every morning on the river...not bad! 

...delinquency...

Yeah. Sorry 'bout that, mate. I'm still trying to unpack and organize, but it's come down to me not throwing anything out and shifting things from one box to another. Why do I have a huge Dell box full of only picture frames? Hmm, maybe moving from a big house into a bedroom. Sorry friends, for those of you who are in one of those frames.

Also, we haven't had a reliable wireless signal. Yes, I'm bumming off a neighbor again. But this time he knows! A temporary setup, but we might share the signal and the costs. Why pay for your own, right?

Even though I feel obligated to blog, I'm thinking of going out for a few drinks at this very moment. I've been very busy and have had little time to enjoy living in the city. Which is the whole point.

Funny that as I type this, the signal disappears. Please, posting god...