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^^

life lately, mostly according to my iphone

^^Missing this little nugget, despite her perfect record for scratching up my legs every time she sees me. Interpretation: I'm her favorite. Also, it's remarkable that she sat still for this picture.^^

^^He burns, & it turns to tan. I burn & return to porcelain. And so it goes. Good thing I love him lots ;)^^

^^I managed to get two holes-in-one, but neither were on the gimme on the 18th hole... Because I'm awesome like that.^^

^^I have a serious love affair going on with Old Town. Don't worry, my husband knows & has the same problem.^^

^^While wandering the streets one day I stumbled across this little beauty of Washington's. As if he didn't have enough land at Mt. Vernon... This townhouse was used as an office & a receiving house for his belated guests.^^

^^For those of you who don't follow me on instagram, I'm starting up a little stationery & paper goods business, & this was the night we bought a computer for it! Obviously I'm beyond giddy in this take but manage to compose myself for the next. More details to come soon ;)^^

^^Random fact #57: Trader Joe's has the prettiest flowers I've ever seen at a grocery store. And I hate to say it, but I think the tulip has a tight race against the peony for my favorite flower these days. I mean seriously, look at how gorgeous they are! Please note the mint julep cup that's finally claiming a purpose in my life. Might mean an excuse to buy fresh flowers for my desk on the reg... fingers crossed.^^

Hope everyone has a wonderful (and safe) Fourth of July!

virginia beach weekend

 ^^ Wouldn't it be grand if all city halls were this pretty? Meet Alexandria's City Hall, a stop we had to make before we drove south to the beach^^

^^ He beat me by one shot. ONE. Next time, husmate, next time...^^

So what does one do if they succumb to beach fever but are unaware of what Atlantic beaches are on the approved list {as one has always been accustomed to the serene Florida beaches}? Take a stab in the dark & try one, of course. How else would we ever find out the truth? 

Two weekends ago on a whim, husmate & I took a trip to Virginia Beach, VA. Not exactly what we tend to like in beaches, but it was fun nonetheless. It was an air show & concert weekend for the VA Beach Oceanfront, so there were people of all walks of life everywhere. But hey, watching a harrier hover out over the stretch of water in front of you? Pretty cool & totally worth it. 

When we weren't burning our feet crossing thrice the depth of sand that we're used to or getting slightly sunburned {because surprise! we're of the pale variety}, we were wandering the strip & boardwalk majorly people watching {note: modesty isn't a thing here, but bikini tops, unbuttoned shorts, & basketball shoes are} & watching Mississippi State's Regional baseball tournament {accompanied by late night runs to Sonic for cherry limeades, tater tots, & corn dogs}. Also, after two games of mini golf {a required beach activity in our book} in which husmate putted into the water twice, he still won both. Lame. I expect a rematch will come out in my favor {fingers crossed} & I think next on our list of beaches to try is the Outer Banks in North Carolina or perhaps a beach in Delaware. Any suggestions are welcome!

a springtime favorite not to be forgotten

Meet the helicopters 

{also known as maple seeds}

Anytime I see these things blown about & lying on the sidewalk, my inner childhood is awakened & memories fly back of helicopter races between my father & me. Somehow I will be forever mesmerized by the way those things spiral as they glide through the air. One of nature's best toys. 

Which in my current life equals me running around finding the perfect helicopter to race my husband with on the way to get a cupcake from the neighborhood bakery... It has happened a few times. I am not ashamed.

a weekend of camping... sort of

From the Marlins game a week & a half ago. Notice the heavy jackets?
Yeah the temperatures were in the 30s that night...

Yesterday our air conditioner went kaput. At least I think it went kaput... See it already got some TLC last month at the suggestion of our condo's owner... & it already doesn't work? Sounds a little iffy to me {but I'm no AC expert}.

Did I mention that I'm a temperature wimp yesterday the highs were in the mid-80's? Thankfully a cold front moved in last night, so we slept to the music of the rain (after watching The Hunger Games) with the windows open. And considering the repair company has yet to call me, it looks like we'll be making forts & camping out in our den allllll weekend... Thank goodness the temps this weekend will be in the mid-60's to low-70's {& that this happened now and not during the heat of the summer}!

Looking forward to welcoming the weekend (& our camping) with a hotdog at Nationals Park as the Nats take on the Braves tonight {my new team vs. my childhood team- which do I pull for?? I think my diehard fan grandmother would be disappointed if I didn't say the Braves...}. Somehow hotdogs are only satisfying to me at a baseball park {I know I'm not alone in that sentiment}. 

And just to make it a whole thing, I've already suggested we go hiking tomorrow. Camping + Hunger Games + Hotdogs + Hiking... Seems fitting doesn't it? Happy weekend to all of you!



+ As a completely non-related afterthought, the chocolate chip cookie dough at Trader Joe's? Delicious. I don't think husmate will let us buy cookie dough anywhere else from now on... If you're a lucky individual living near a TJ, try it out sometime! You will thank me later. The dough itself is actually kind of chocolatey, so you know it's going to be GOOD.

a weekend of flora + fauna

It's fiiiiinally spring around here, & simply put, it. is. glorious. Husmate & I spent the majority of our weekend trying to catch the cherry blossoms blooming around the tidal basin {with about a zillion other people}, but wouldn'tyaknowit, they just aren't ready yet. So while the much coveted blooms thwarted our plans, we found a few other things to take their place, like the Baltimore National Aquarium residents, long walks across the Arlington Memorial Bridge to the Mall & Georgetown, & cupcakes at Baked + Wired. Here's a few of the things we discovered this weekend:

+ We came across the coolest fish at the aquarium: the Seven Spot Archerfish, which can spit water up to 3 meters at an insect in a low hanging tree to knock it into the water & eat it. Seriously an incredible thing to watch, especially amongst an audience of elementary-aged kids :)

+ A dolphin show at age 24 is just as awesome as a dolphin show at 13. & getting splashed by a dolphin? Hilarious. 

+  For any & all who think that Georgetown Cupcake is the best thing in the world, you are wrongggg. Baked + Wired, another Georgetown bakery, is without a doubt SO much better {& bigger proportions, too- in fact, two people could share one & should for calorie reasons...} than anything I've tried at Georgetown Cupcake. & as usual, husmate & I preferred each other's choice over our own. We tried the Red Velvet & the Pretty Bitchin' {chocolate cake with crunchy peanut butter icing & the closest thing I've come to Muddy's Bake Shop's Tomboy in Memphis}, and both were delicious.

+ FYI that whole "don't take naps after 3" thing is definitely true, considering that both of us took a late afternoon nap yesterday & neither one of us really slept last night. Never before have I been so wide awake at husmate's alarm at 4:45 am. Just call us the Zombie Berrys.

And for any of you who haven't seen in the past month or so, we'll be saying RIP to Google Reader come July. I finally bit the bullet and switched over to Bloglovin' & you can follow me and all your other blogs there! And for those of you who think I'm talking in gibberish, Bloglovin' (and Google Reader) are sites that pull the recent posts from the blogs you follow & compile them onto one site so you don't have to hop around all day to a zillion other pages. Pretty handy if I do say so myself.

& in case you missed it last week:

a sunrise at arlington

uva crush

married life observations

a melodramatic moment