Visit to DC!

Holly, Trevor, and I made a quick trip to DC last week.  We left pretty early in the morning, and as is often the case, saw trucks carrying interesting cargo along the way.  Holly popped in The Partridge Family Greatest Hits CD, to Trevor's dismay.  I sang along, audibly, also to his dismay.

We passed a couple of semis carryingturkeys

We parked at the hotel, FREE parking, just across the river from DC. I was very happy with my hotel find.  From there, we walked a block up to the Rosslyn Metro Station, bought a couple of passes, and hopped on the train.

The Metro was pretty good.  In my opinion, it's pretty expensive and usually just as easy to drive in. But with free parking and the discounted pass cards, it was worth it, plus the experience makes it fun too. We changed our destination stop at the last minute, successfully transferring trains (yay!), figuring out the best way to get seats (and not feel nauseous, another important feat!), and landed at Union Station for our lunch.

 

This was pretty much Trevor's planned out trip, as he'd done several activities with TeenPact last year that he wanted to share with us.  The architecture of Union Station was beautiful.  There were several different sections with food court style restaurants.  Trevor already knew he was going for Japanese.  Holly and I opted for Greek, partially motivated by the great reviews I'd read online.

Outside the station.

From Union Station, we walked toward the U.S. Capitol. 

 Note the scaffolding surrounding the Capitol dome

It was pretty hot outside, blue sky and about 90.  We had a scheduled tour time with plenty of time to spare (yay, makes me happy about my planning!).  We people watched.  Such an interesting mix of real DC workers, tourists, and loads of Capitol police. 

When we got to the Visitor's Center, we were offered an earlier tour.  Perfect!  Stunning building, architecture, art.  Really beautiful. 

 The Rotunda

 Renovations at the top

The tour was pretty good, informative, lasting about 45 minutes.  We had a good sized group, maybe 30 people? Everyone is given radio headsets to hear the guide.  That worked so well.  Very organized, tour groups everywhere.  It struck me that every Congressman should be required to take the tour when re/elected and hopefully be reminded about their real duties.

Following the tour, H&T wanted to continue to look at the various sculptures around the Capitol.

This statue of Father Junipero Sierra was donated by the state of California.  It's a name I remember well from my several years of California history and also a prominent statue along Highway 280 to San Francisco.

Kamehameha from Hawaii.

 Chief Washakie from Wyoming.

We then made our way through the underground tunnel to the Library of Congress.  Words, even pictures, can't reflect how amazing this building was, the most visually stunning, vibrant of all of the pretty buildings we saw that day.  The art of the architecture and paintings in one, the way the light came into the windows. I could never get enough of that.

The Library is home to the original Giant Bible of Mainz and the Gutenberg Bible.

We were admired the Thomas Jefferson Library.

Copies of the Iliad and the Odyssey, in Greek and English.  (The Iliad is one of Trevor's favorite books ever.)

Jefferson's famous quote, "I cannot live without books." Fourth line down, beginning at the fourth word.

Next time, we'll be better prepared to visit this building. 

We probably saw most of what there was to see, but I'd love to go again. And again. Even if it's just a walk through.  Incredible.

 

We had several hours of daylight but no set in stone plan.  We headed to the National Mall, intending to check out a museum or two (some stay open later).  Baking hot, long walk.  Quick detour at the Native American Museum, where we bought drinks and sat in the shade.


Trevor's feet were bothering him.  He had some major plantar fasciitis last year and was able to resolve most of those issues.  But he was saving his good walking shoes for the following day, and his shoes were killing his feet. 

We wandered through the Native American Museum, but most of the displays were just words, with few artifacts. Holly noted that most of the exhibits were for Central and South American Indians, not local tribes.  Always good to check out a new museum though!

From there, we walked to the Federal Center Metro. Although it was late afternoon, about 5 p.m., we were able to get seats, I think because we got on two stops before all of the National Mall and tourist traffic!  By the time we got off at Rosslyn, I was much more comfortable navigating the trains.  I really wish we'd gotten a picture of the escalator out of the Rosslyn station:  "At 207 feet, one of the world's longest continuous escalators."  Whoa.  I just looked that up!!

Mapped it out later, and we walked at least 4.5 miles that day. I did it in flip flops, probably not the best choice either.

We checked into our hotel and scored a tenth floor room with a balcony view over the river, looking toward DC.  Holly soaked her feet in the tub, and we just hung out for awhile.

At dinner, we first went to Safeway for drinks and snacks.  Arlington is such a neat town, everything is so crowded, and even the Safeway had an underground parking garage!  But it was a tiny, tiny store, and so super expensive, with long lines--so we ditched that and instead went a bit further away to Target.  Shopping at Target was like being home, haha, wide aisles, great selection. And socks, I bought socks that I needed to wear with my new shoes!

Nearby was the Peruvian chicken place the kids chose for dinner.  After circling around four times or more for parking, I realized we were two blocks away from where Trevor had stayed in October. Even since Holly and Trevor were little, it was always a treat to eat food in the hotel room. I don't know why--to relax more? Because when they were little, we'd order pizza in and watch Cartoon Network?  Whatever the case, that was what they preferred, and we ordered half a chicken, extra yuca, and Lomo Saltado to take back to the hotel. 

We watched several episodes of Love It Or List It, not our favorite show, but because we relished watching HGTV after dumping cable at home a year ago.  Haha!  Did not feel the need to get our cable back immediately.

Trev's feet were swollen and painful still on Saturday morning, not a surprise.  He felt terribly guilty and came up with various options, but Holly and I had no problem missing the zoo, knowing he'd do exactly the same for us if the situation was reversed.

The last planned stop was Super H Mart. I'd encouraged Trevor to make a list. We browsed through the amazing produce section, the noodles aisle, and the sauce aisle.  I stopped at several tasting stands.  Trevor opted to eat lunch there, jjajangmyeon noodles and bubble tea.

I felt like the paparazzi spotting a famous actor and catching a photo

We stopped at Chipotle for Holly to eat in the car, and the kids snoozed for half of the way home (or pretended to, I never can be sure!).

Got home in time to eat dinner, and I replicated Chipotle by making sofritos--with the tofu we still have from an earlier H-Mart trip.

Great trip away, so nice to just hang out and do something different, and nice to be home!







 

Sunday in VA

Driving to church, we were amazed to see a dozen and a half turkey vultures lined up on the train tracks.  A closer look showed a deer carcass nearby, with a helium balloon tied to its body.  A buzzard birthday party!!

After church, we drove back by to get these pictures.  There were fewer birds, and Robert caught these in flight--look closely at the right side of the photo; the birds were lifting off.  At the far left edge of the pic is the deer.

The balloon was tied to the poor deer's antler.

It was a "Get Well Soon" balloon.

I'm not too hopeful about that.

Trevor and I went to the mall, where I tried on running shoes for hiking.  He bought a couple of pairs of shorts that happily surprised me by ringing up $13 less than expected.  We bought a new puzzle at B&N.  The current puzzle is too hard, too many sky pieces that seem to fit together but really don't.  My only concern is that the new puzzle is 2000 pieces, not sure how that's going to actually be easier!

Kids had McDonald's for dinner.

Trevor is having a friend over tonight to watch the women's soccer final, U.S. v. Japan.

Independence Day!

A nice and relaxing day. I opted to fix a celebratory dinner, Dr. Pepper and Chipotle Pepper Pork Roast (ha!), giant baked potatoes, strawberry/blueberry salad, corn on the cob.  We ate on the deck, but quickly, because mosquitoes were out in full force!

We went to nearby historic Fincastle to watch fireworks.  I really like that little town, just five miles up the road.  We pulled up at 8:30 and parked just a block and a half away.  Gotta love that!

Founded in 1772, the town served as the seat of a governmental district that stretched as far west as the Mississippi River.  Its courthouse was designed by Thomas Jefferson and still stands today.  When Lewis and Clark set out to explore the Louisiana Purchase, they departed from Fincastle.  This truly was--and is--one amazing little town.

Many of the houses are literally steps from the street.  As the Confederate flag was big in the news last week, I felt it particularly appropriate to post this house that was decorated so patriotically.

We set up our chairs and waited and chatted. Trev read. We reminisced about past Fourth of Julys, and Robert and I got a bit nostalgic watching younger parents with their little bitty kids.  Gosh, that seems like just a couple of years ago when we were those families.

Fireworks began as soon as it got dark.

It was a really good show, especially for a small town. On the way home, we stopped at the grocery store for milk and went home to eat the chocolate cake I'd made earlier.

Start of the week

To Peggy and Jim's for dinner. Really enjoyed the company, and tons of delicious food!

Holly snapped this picture of her sometimes crazy little cat.

Photobomb by Trevor

Trevor, Holly, and I toured Radford again last Wednesday.  Holly hadn't seen it, and we've been wanting her to. We met briefly afterwards with an admissions counselor, as I wanted to get specific details about timelines and dates for the additional requirements they have for homeschoolers.  (This does not thrill me, but that's beside the point.)

He told me that I needed to provide proof from the state that we've met Virginia SOLs.  I told him that homeschoolers aren't required by law to meet SOLs, and that such proof by the state doesn't exist. He was surprised to hear that we don't have to follow SOLs.

He told me that we needed to provide a copy of the letter from our district that we'd achieved grade level standardized testing.  I told him that the schools do not provide such letters, nor are they permitted to make such a determination. (Technically, they don't.)

He then said that I needed to provide proof of standardized test scores from each year of our testing. I told him that we are not required to test by state law, that we are also permitted to have our students assessed.

He then went to check with someone else and returned to the room with a printout of the webpage that I'd been using all along!   The additional requirements that need to be met are either specific SAT II tests or community college courses.  After noting that those were the only things I needed, he thanked me for educating him.

Kind of funny.  If this had happened with Holly, I think I would have been intimidated.

This continues to be a top choice school; always encouraging to take another look at it.  We wrapped up our visit with a stop at Starbucks on the way home, a nice treat.

Layman Ladies Night Out

Big turnout tonight, with 15 of us!  We packed into Grace's Place for pizza, calzones, and sandwiches with the best waitress ever (no one we knew).

Great fun.  I love these ladies.

It took two of us to take this picture. Judy held the camera, and I pushed the button. 

'Cause that's what happens when you get old.

Taubman Art Museum

Holly and I went down to the Taubman Art Museum this week.  It's a pretty new museum in Roanoke, somewhat famous for it's exterior design.  People seem to love it or hate it.  I kind of like it.

We haven't been in several years.  As part of a financial restructuring, entrance is now free every day.  How cool is that?  Plus, I found two hour free parking, which I'd never known existed downtown before.  I like free stuff.

One of the most interesting exhibits was Brazilian artist Vik Muniz. He is known for recreating famous works of art with torn pieces of paper.  We saw his rendition of Caillebotte's Floor Scrapers. 

(Gosh, I loved studying the artists we did when the kids were little, because we were already familiar with this artist and his original work!)

A close up of the torn paper.

We had time to walk for a few blocks to look at downtown.

We stopped at DQ on the way home.

And we checked out a gorgeous view just off the main road, looking back at downtown.

Nice day out with my girl.

Last week

Movies.  Trevor went to see Avengers with Jason.  Holly and I decided to go along too, except that we saw San Andreas.  I liked the movie, and I liked that the movie theater was cheap. It wasn't fancy, but I liked that too, because the theater was pretty empty!  Fantastic special effects.

Conversation after the movie:

Trevor: I hate The Rock.
Holly and I in unison: We love The Rock!
Trevor: I suppose he had his cliche white daughter?
Holly and I: YES!!!  How did you know?  LOLOLOL!!!
Trevor: And he had a stupid one liner at the end of the movie?
Holly and I:  YES!!!!!  "We will rebuild!"

We still liked the movie!

We stopped by the mall afterwards and checked out books.  Holly and Trevor had Chik Fil A for dinner.

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It was a week of beautiful sunsets--due to the smoke drift from Canadian fires.

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Friends for dinner. The boys finished up a puzzle.

1000 pieces, a funky world map. I think it took me and Trevor all of three days--well, and these guys too.

Robert fixed Italian nachos and eggplant parmesan, and we ate on the deck.  We met both of these ladies within a few months after moving here in 2007.  Trevor met Kurt at chess club, so I met Judy.  The first time Robert visited Calvary Chapel in Roanoke, Peggy and Jim were the first people to talk to him.  It makes me so happy to know that all of us are going to church together again and that Peggy and Judy now know each other and are friends!

Holly and I hike Read Mountain

This was our first hike last year, and I was eager to do it first again this year.  At just under 4 miles round trip, it's not a long hike, but the elevation increases by 850 feet.  I was just thrilled to DO it, gives me confidence in myself again.

Holly usually makes me take the lead to set the pace, but I much prefer her to be in front.

Buzzard's Rock is the top, with a gorgeous view over the Roanoke Valley.  It's been more humid this week and hazy.

We ate lunch at the top, right on the rock.

Pretty quiet out here today, we just saw two other lone hikers.

Not my favorite trail to hike, but I love this mountain!

We had to much fun doing this last year and can't wait to do more this summer.  When Holly went back to school, it was so sweet for me to see the different mountains we'd climbed as I drove around town, remembering the times we shared.  Precious memories.

And in weird news of the day (week, month) . . .

I found that Trevor has a twin walking around in Roanoke.  I stumbled upon this photo and had to look twice, three times, four.  In fact, I am fascinated by this guy who looks EXACTLY like my son.  And this is not a joke!

I've looked at him in other pics and don't see quite the same resemblance.  Every time I see this pic, I can't help but stop and stare. SO weird!!!!

Last week

Trevor hiked Read Mountain with a friend. It was a gorgeous morning.  Surprisingly, although it was Saturday morning, it was not any busier than when Holly and I hiked it mid-week last year.  I sat in the shade for an hour, catching up with Trev's friend's mom before heading back home and later coming back to pick them up.  Such a nice, relaxing morning (for me anyway!).

Guys had a great time, didn't even stop to eat lunch on the trail.  They came home and hung out for the rest of the day.

Holly and I went downtown to the annual Taubman Art Show on Sunday.  We dashed in between raindrops, spent a bit of time wandering through 140 exhibitors, and drank giant smoothies at Mill Mountain Coffee.  I am so happy with this pic I got over the MLK bridge. That's the Wells Fargo building, the tallest building in western Virginia.

Stormy week, torrential rains

. . . followed by rainbows.

 We made our own Bun Thit Nuong -- Vietnamese Noodle Bowls.  Delicious!

Trevor came along to Crochet & Coffee--because Kurt was there and Erich showed up. The guys enjoyed guy time and their electronic devices.

Robert pulled out his mom's wedding gown.  That's quite a picture!

Fun to see Holly trying it on, and Robert enjoyed it too.

We had the Schroeders over for dinner on Wednesday, and Judy brought Emily. Emily was quite happy to have Vader snuggle up by her.

 
 And Robert is one of her favorites too.

On Thursday, we FINALLY got our long awaited tax return, after having someone file fraudulently using our SSNs, names and address.  We celebrated with take out Pizza Hut.

Seems like a kind of busy week.

My dog eats weird stuff

Before we got her, she ran wild and often foraged for her own food.  One of our great memories pre-ownership was when she ran up our driveway carrying a deer leg in her mouth.  Trevor went up to greet her, and when he realized what she had, he turned to run away from her.  Thinking he was playing, she ran to try to catch him, and it was a race to the front door. 

Needless to say, when we got her, she was full of worms.  ::blech::shudder::

So she likes variety.

We don't feed her much table food. I hate begging dogs.  But she knows me enough to stick around when I'm cutting food up in the kitchen. She knows I'll usually toss her some treats, sometimes meat, but more often vegetable scraps.  She really likes those.

I think her favorite is the crunchy rib part of romaine lettuce.  She'll eat the whole leaf, but she doesn't care for the softer lettuces.

She just eats weird things.  Green pepper strips.  Cucumber.  Carrot peelings.  Raspberries.  Strawberries.  She likes all of those.  When she doesn't like something, she will leave on the floor.

She's not too interested in her regular dog food, resigned to eating it unenthusiastically.

Last month, Robert and Trevor bought a "young coconut" during their Asian food store shopping spree.  A young coconut just means that the coconut is immature and has a softer, cream colored husk instead of the brown, hairy husk we're used to.  I let it sit, not knowing what to do with it, and I finally opened it tonight.  Unfortunately, the water inside had turned a bit rancid.  I couldn't tell; I don't care for the taste of coconut water, but Trevor confirmed.  Young coconuts also have soft coconut meat inside.  I didn't care for the taste of it, but Kota did.  I gave her a couple of small chunks.

I don't think Robert likes when I give her healthy food like that.  He picks up after her in the yard, so he has a different view than I do.  But she likes it so much, and the vegetables are good for her too!  I know I'd prefer variety.

And I told Trevor that next time we go to the Asian market, we need to pick up another coconut and cut into it much sooner.