this place called home

For orientation purposes, the string of horizontal lights is the tarmac landing lights at DCA, past that is the Washington Monument whose glow is made more noticeable by its scaffolding these days. The bright orb at the edge on the right is Nats stadium, and the smaller dot about an inch to the left of that is the Capitol. All of these things look WAY cooler when not seen through the blurry lens of an iPhone, but you can't carry a real camera while running now, can you?

I'm a lover of routines. I've always joked that it's because I was raised Methodist, but the reality of it is that habits tend to impact your life in minute ways. My latest habit is running in the half hour before the sunset. I blame the fact that I hate the heat & I'm a wimp, but it doesn't hurt that that half hour or so is also one of the most beautiful times of the day.

About once a week I run pass this spunky older woman and her dog, Fenway, who I've mentioned before, and it's as if I know their story, their bond. Fenway is a loving and endlessly curious pup whose owner has full trust in her. She bumbles along inspecting and meeting whomever she deems worthy, and her owner just keeps walking (not in an abusive way, just in an understanding way) as if to maintain the aforementioned pace of their walk. Simply put, they are each other's family. Sometimes I come across Fenway & her owner as they're playing catch, utilizing a staircase & Fenway's endless energy. Other days Fenway is exploring the rocks, looking for interesting treasures and playmates. But always they're happy together, appreciating one another in their time together, as if equal friends more than owner & dog.

Lately, every time I've run through Oronocco Bay Park I've passed three old men sharing the same bench watching the water. One has a cane, another wears glasses, and the middle guy always dons the same dapper hat. It's clear that they've been friends for awhile, that they have a mutual respect for their friendship as well as their silence. They all just sit and watch the water and the ducks and the people together. And seeing them always makes me smile because in my mind they have a grasp on the importance of life and friendships, that sometimes just being in the company of one another is enough.

I've noticed that for two Tuesdays in a row a wonderful overlap has occurred: sailboats. It's almost as if all these people who own these graceful boats have reached an agreement to spite Labor Day's premature end of summer, as the first day I noticed was the day after Labor Day. I'm all for the petition if anyone asks because few things are more intoxicating to look at while panting running than 20+ white sailboats gliding out on the Potomac right in front of you. To you sailboat enthusiasts out there, I beseech you to keep it up. Please and thank you.

But the thing that I appreciate the most on my running path is the sight I get to look at on the tail end of every run. If anything can motivate me to leave my apartment in the sometimes sweltering humidity, it's the view of the Washington Monument & the Capitol across the Potomac as the sun is setting. It's being able to recognize when the Nats have a home game when a giant glow of lights can be seen to the right of the Capitol. It's watching planes take off & land overhead as they direct themselves from/to Reagan National Airport and imagining what all the people onboard those flights are coming here to see or do. Some are here for business, some for vacation. Some are fellow citizens, young and old, seeing our Capitol for the first time. Others are from foreign lands whose curiosity has led them to see what it is that America is all about. 

These two minutes of my daily run are the minutes that give me perspective, that boost my energy, and that make me smile. They remind me that this place is home for however long we live here. That this place is home for Fenway and her owner and the three old men and all the sailboat enthusiasts. That this place is a mecca for understanding and appreciating freedom in this world.

Today those two minutes will reflect on what happened in this neighborhood & throughout our country 12 years ago. After driving around the Pentagon from what seems like all angles on regular errands and trips, it's hard to think that something so atrocious could happen to a structure so mighty, but more than that, that it could happen to our home. For me, 9/11 happened half a life ago & on a tv screen, but now that I live here, it's impossible to forget. But 12 years later, this place, our home, still stands for what it was built upon: its freedoms, and that is a beautiful thing. 

The Wood Between the Worlds

It's possible that I visited a magical in-between place this past weekend. Possible, but not probable. I mean the place really is an in-between, but who knows if it connects you to the realms of other worlds? Wouldn't that be wonderful? But before I get ahead of myself, let me explain:

In the spirit of checking things off our DC list, JB and I decided to explore Teddy Roosevelt Island and then to locate the DC version of the Bermuda Triangle: the mysterious place that allows one to actually park & walk around the Iwo Jima Memorial & the Netherlands Carillon (hint: take the 110/Jefferson Davis Highway between 395 & 66).

Teddy Roosevelt Island is located on the Potomac River between the Georgetown/Kennedy Center Waterfront area & Rosslyn, VA. It is place lost in time and can only be visited via a footbridge along the George Washington Parkway, and once you step onto one of the island's trails, it's easy to forget that you're anywhere near a city. You follow footpaths and boardwalks all around the swampy island, spotting skittish blue tailed lizards and jumpy forest toads (and if you're lucky, some deer friends, but alas, we were not on the VIP list that day).

 ^^just how thrilled does he look to be in this picture? Overjoyed.^^

 ^^the last glimpse of the real world for awhile^^

And then eventually, you meander onto this clearing paved in stones and granite honoring the protector of our land, Teddy Roosevelt.

It is eerie, especially when no one else is around. Eerie, but beautiful. And this is where my imagination and reality actually merged, because this clearing in the woods had two murky, stagnant fountains, perfect for jumping between worlds. I half expected to see Digory & Polly emerge from one of the fountains with their hands jammed in their pockets. If CS Lewis had been an American, I would have thought this memorial inspired his in-between place connecting Earth, Charn, & Narnia in The Magician's Nephew, but as we all know, he wasn't, so maybe instead the memorial connects to one of those magical fountains?? One can only dream.

Moral of the story: magic is real. my imagination heavily enhances my life and makes me longwinded. Clearly.

 ^^fyi, I looked & there were no buttons in the fountains. But there are presidential seals on the feet of the fountains. Teddy's gettin' fancy^^

Onto the DC-Bermuda Triangle, where you can't get much better views of the DC panorama than from this hill housing the Iwo Jima Memorial & Netherlands Carillon. Sad to say our real camera didn't tag along on this trip, but with views like that, it's on our list to revisit. As for this forgotten Netherlands Carillon, it was given to the US in thanks to the relationship our two countries forged during WWII while their country was under Nazi control. The Carillon contains 50 bells, all inscribed with with emblems representing different groups in Dutch society, and is guarded by two lions overlooking a field of thousands of tulips (aka I will be visiting next spring to see those beauties in all their glory). 

^^one of those rare times that rust is beautiful^^

free for all friday

As all great ideas do, this one started with Harry Potter. This past week as JB was purchasing tickets for the upcoming Potted Potter show at the Shakespeare Theatre Company, he saw an advert for their annual "Free for All" show. Hmm... free play? Yes, please.

Apparently since 1991, the STC has put on a free show for over 640,000 people (Shakespeare would be so proud). And it's obvious that this is a tradition well-loved by the community. Before our show began, the docent asked the audience how often they had participated in their Free for All, and the majority had seen at least 10 free performances, and some had even seen them all! Talk about dedication...

This year's play was Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, and it was simply superb. Feeling a bit rusty on the plot (since the last time I had visited it was high school), I was worried at first that it would take awhile to get into it. But the cast was so captivating, especially the two leads, Benedick & Beatrice, (both of which have been nominated for Tony Awards), that we were hooked within minutes of the play's start. It was such a fun night, and JB and I are still quoting some of the funnier lines to each other... Let's just say we can't wait for next year's performance.

 Hooray for winning lottery tickets so we didn't have to wait in the rain all afternoon! 

This was our view for awhile as we waited for the literal interpretation of "free for all" to begin: the mad scramble for seats. Thankfully our surroundings were fairly beautiful to admire ;)

The sneaky stage photo before the play began. I'm always amazed at how intricate a set can be: a spiral staircase, water in the fountain, a usable water pump in the corner. Such attention to detail!

The best place to grab a late night dinner: Gordon Biersch. And how lucky were they to inherit such beautiful interiors?

This clock just intrigues me. Beautiful & pseudo-precarious at the same time. It's a new term... just go with it.

posing as DC tourists (without the matching hats or t-shirts)

Around these parts, the summer season is FULL of tourists. They're everywhere: wandering aimlessly along King Street, trying to blend in at farmer's markets & parks, but fooling no one when it comes to the escalators at metro stations (unless you're intending to continue climbing the stairs or wish to face the wrath of a commuter, it's an unspoken rule that you keep to the right to allow others to pass). It's a season that makes us really glad we live in Virginia rather than the District where everything is ten times worse. 

However, every now and then the tourist bug bites us, too, so we play the part & galavant about seeing things we haven't in seen in awhile/ever & eating at restaurants we've been meaning to try since we moved here for months. 

A couple of months ago, we went so far as to pen a mega list of everything we've been meaning to see so that we'll finally make the effort to go. Some of the things on our list: actually seeing all of the Smithsonians, instead of just the popular ones, because frankly we don't have the excuse of only visiting for a week; having a "Lost Symbol Day" because we embrace the facts that a) we're Dan Brown nerds and b) we love that the book was based in the DC area; embarking on a ghost tour of Old Town Alexandria, thanks to the recommendation of my good friend, Sarah (Enrichment Thursday: Ghost Edition!); & hitting up some lesser frequented places like Dumbarton Oaks and the Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Garden.

Basically we got a list as long as Santa's, so recently we began checking things off. This time around we hit up the Botanical Gardens to see the corpse flower (yes, it's a real thing), the National Zoo (somehow I had never been?), the Natural History Museum, & took a few walks all around the National Mall.

^^Meet the corpse flower, which at its most alluring really does smell like rotting flesh so as to attract pollinators from miles around. We caught it on its last day of being in bloom, and as a point of reference it stood at 5' 2"^^

^^Em & I decided we might fit in quite nicely at the zoo (our husbands probably agree)^^

^^this is what resulted when I got pinned with a tail & asked to make an elephant sound. I clearly lost character fast.^^

^^However upon comparison, this guy at the Natural History museum looks far more regal than I ever could, so I've since traded in my ears & tail^^

^^reminds me of a certain Boston Terrier back home... Perhaps a relative? ;)^^

^^While trekking it to Good Stuff Eatery post-museum visit, we stumbled upon a peaceful oasis that we never knew was there (part of the Botanical Gardens). It should be understood that if I worked near the Hill, this would be my refuge from all the hulabaloo^^

^^still daydreaming about that cinnamon sugar pop tart from Ted's Bulletin^^

^^it's possible that the Washington Monument looks better with all that industrial scaffolding on it. Definitely is prettier at night from our viewpoint across the Potomac^^

^^impromptu pizza & concrete night. Our Shake Shack order probably wouldn't have resembled Frosty the Snowman on the first day of Spring had the waiter not put it under the name "Gordo"... Lizzie McGuire flashbacks, anyone?^^

^^A stroll about the Mall just isn't complete without seeing something weird. Yes, those are fish fashioned out of fruits & veggies mounted on top of cars^^

^^Yet another cupcake place beats out Georgetown Cupcake. Red Velvet in Chinatown- yum! (Baked & Wired is still our fave, though)^^

^^We couldn't pass up trying new things in Old Town, too. Killer ESP had some pretty tasty chocolate birthday cake gelato, while Haute Dogs was just so yummy. Ten points for guessing which was mine ;) #plainjane4life ^^

a week of surprises

^^ guess the frizz days of summer are here to stay, as well as wrinkled linen clothes ^^

^^ boys. it seems to be understood that they would both lean against this wall {right before the docent told them to step away from it haha} ^^ 

^^ goosebumps always when I see this wall. No, I'll never forget ^^

^^ kinda made us miss Dudy Noble even more when saw how small it was. That & the wooden benches? Thanks, but no thanks

^^ beautiful tulips from sweet friends ^^

Last week was one of those spontaneous types. Due to a change in schedule, a friend had to bump up his trip to DC to midweek, & thanks to the fighting spirit of our alma mater Monday night, our weekend plans were immediately spoken for once the Bulldogs clinched their regional win {& did I mention the rained out Nats game Thursday night & all-day air conditioner replacement Friday?}. So in the space of 24 hours our week outlook went from low-key to full of activity.

On Tuesday afternoon the Drew Napier our friend Drew rolled into town, & we spent a great night catching up while eating husmate's yummy homemade pizza & Trader Joe's cookies {I wasn't lying when I said those are all we eat now}. The next day we all took off to see the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial, whose footprint is simplistic & beautiful. One hundred and eighty-four people were killed that day at the Pentagon, & each has a bench dedicated in his memory. If they were inside the Pentagon that day, their name inscribed on the bench faces the building, & if they were onboard the plane, it faces the sky along the path that the plane was flying that day. Sometimes it's hard to imagine that a building whose very design is reinforcement & strength could be the site of something so tragic. Just another reminder that nothing in this life is ever certain.

Then we were off to the Newseum! This was after we were approached by someone on the metro who automatically assumed we were lost just because of our accents {Richard, wherever you are, thanks for looking out for others}. So for all of you who wonder if we have turned into yankees yet, no we haven't. Sigh of relief, right? Or is it just a matter of time...?

Anyways, the Newseum, a personal favorite of mine & a requirement if you're ever in DC, if you ask me. The downside: it costs money, compared to all the Smithsonians; the upside: six floors of the history of news. The highlights include the front pages of newspapers throughout history, the gallery of Pulitzer Prize photographs, & the tribute to 9/11. Of course, I'm a nerd so I suppose this was to be expected. Also, the food at the Newseum: delicious. Seriously one of the best salads I've had in awhile. Who knew that museums could serve yummy food?

After a great dinner at Founding Farmers {we had to... I mean Drew had never had it before} and a brief night's sleep on our couch, Drew was headed home. And next on the crazy train was supposed to be a Nats game for us, except it got rained out so that turned into a guiltless dinner of Papa John's pizza with our friends, Emily & Josh, who were our dates to the game ;). 

But no worries, fast forward to Saturday & we got in our needed dose of baseball at the UVA-MSU Super Regional in Charlottesville. Now I'm not going to lie, I thought that we would play hard but come up short. I know, I know... terrible fan. But hey! we pulled out a win that day {actually in many ways: MSU won the series, we dragged the devout Ole Miss fans known as Emily & Josh to watch a State game, & we grabbed Sonic on the way home} & everyone lived happily ever after. The end.

And as an epilogue, we enjoyed a lovely dinner Sunday night with our future lawyers/protectors/defenders of all things requiring legal needs, also known as the witty Forrest & lovely Julie, over {now that I think about it} homemade pizza. Call us Americans. Now I'm off to inhale any & all fruit in our refrigerator to offset the pizza thrice in one week.

P.S. Anyone else notice I used the word "thrice" twice in one week? I'm on its comeback campaign.