A Great Day in Baltimore

Andrea and I met George and Robin at the Baltimore Museum of Art for the fantastic "Cezanne and American Modernism" exhibit. After viewing the exhibit, we went to Sammy's Trattoria for lunch.

George

Andrea

Robin

Chris

After lunch, Chris went back to see the exhibit again. She and Andrea then went to Caribou to read and drink a coffee.

Andrea reading

Andrea surprised Chris by inviting her to a Yankees game at Camden Yards. Three out of four fans were Yankee fans! The final score: Yankees, 8 and the Os 3. It was a great game despite the freezing cold and blustery wind.

Birthday Party

George and Dal hosted a memorable birthday dinner to celebrate Andrea's birthday.

Sigrid Undset: Writer's Center, Bethesda

Sigrid Undset is a Norwegian literary giant, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928. She also wrote a book of poetry entitled, in English, Youth. Harold P. Hanson translated her poetry and the Bethesda Writer's Center celebrated this great event with a poetry reading.

Before the event, my friend Mary and I had a delightful dinner at the Persimmon in Bethesda across the street from the Center.

Harold, r, and his son Steven, l, read the first poem together - bilingually.

Acclaimed singer and actress Michelle Alexandra read and sang several of the poems in the volume

It was a marvelous evening!

DC Film Fest

Every year I look forward to the DC Film Fest. This year we went to see Il Pranzo di Ferragosto. It focused on two interesting Italian phenomena - no nursing homes for elderly parents and the cult of August vacations.

The film was shown at the E Street Cinema, the best place in DC to see films. (The best place in Virginia is Shirlington.)

Before going to see the film, we had dinner at Qboda.

Genealogy Fair at the National Archives

The National Archives sponsored a two-day Genealogy Fair. It was excellent. I attended three very informative presentations.


I also picked up a lot of valuable information at the many stands, outside under tents and inside the building.

Bakes and Cakes in Springfield

Sheila and I met for lunch at a local Indian restaurant, Bakes and Cakes. The place is divided into an Indian restaurant (Bakes) and a French bakery (Cakes). We had a very enjoyable four-hour lunch.

Italian Meet-Up: the Phillips, Sette Osteria, Larry's

A wonderful afternoon! A great exhibit, a delicious dinner, and scrumptious gelato. Pleasant company and perfect weather as well.

Betsy and Christine at the Phillips

The Meet-Up Group at Sette Osteria in Dupont Circle

Andrea, Carlo, and Betsy at Larry's

Light in the Piazza: Arena Stage

We were all looking forward to attending the performance at the Arena Stage of "Light in the Piazza." We were very disappointed. Why was it made into a musical? We didn't like the music, we didn't think most of the singing was particularly good, and we found the development of the story boring. After the performance we tried to find a place to sit and chat over a coffee.

We went deep into the Crystal City Underground looking for a Starbuck's. We found one but it was closed.

We stayed long enough for a photo op and then left for a pizzeria in Springfield.

At Bertucci's

I saw something very strange on the menu: roasted tomato sauce with goat cheese served with flat bread. What?

Even stranger still, I ordered it. I wanted the experience! It was .... interesting!

Happy Birthday, Andrea! Lunch at Assaggi Osteria

Today is Andrea's Birthday! Tanti tanti auguri, Andrea!

We went to a wonderful Italian restaurant in McLean, Assaggi Osteria.

We began with delicious focaccia dipped in tasty olive oil.

Andrea chose calamari fritti as his appetizer.

I chose the winter greens as my appetizer.

Andrea had fillet of swordfish as his main course.

I chose the tortelli di patate dolci con amaretti in a butter and sage sauce. Out of this world!

Believe it or not, I had wine with my meal - sparkling Lambrusco!

Andrea chose Moretti, an Italian beer

The Birthday Boy had homemade gelato, a trio of chocolate, strawberry, and cinnamon.

My dessert was divine! It was a little chocolate cake with a center of figs soaked in port.

We had a nice chat with the owner after our meal. Note the lovely Umbrian plates on the wall.

We also asked our waiter Luis to pose with us.

Happy Easter!

Andrea and I went to St. Christopher's this morning for the Easter service. The service was beautiful and very uplifting.

We then met our friends Betsy and Carlo at the Lebanese Taverna in Tyson's Galleria for a delicious meal and stimulating conversation (in Italian, of course).

Carlo, Betsy, Chris, Andrea

Andrea ordered the Traditional Mezza: a sampling of hommos, tabouleh, grape leaves, falafel, m'saka, baba ghanouge, lubieh bel zeit, sambousik, kibbeh. (see photo above)

Betsy and Chris had the Vegetarian Mezza: a sampling of b'sbanigh, hommos, baba ghannouge, spinach pie, tabuli, falafel, eggplant with tomato sauce, roasted eggplant, beans. (see photo below)

Magnificent Cherry Blossoms in DC

Can you see the cherry blossoms? Can you see the Washington Monument?

Entrance to the FDR Memorial

The cherry trees around the Tidal Basin are in full bloom and are absolutely gorgeous. The town, however, is filled with hordes of tourists and it is virtually impossible to get anywhere near the trees by car during the day. So Andrea and I decided to visit the trees late in the evening. We drove into town tonight around 10 pm and were lucky to find a parking spot half way between the Jefferson Memorial and the FDR Memorial.
Viewing the trees in the dark was not nearly as spectacular as seeing them during the day, I must admit. It was still magical and special. We took some photos but they did not turn out well because it was too dark and we did not have the appropriate sophisticated equipment. However, we wanted to document our visit so here are some unfortunately poor photos.

Chris at the Tidal Basin

Cherry Trees with the Washington Monument in the distance across the Tidal Basin

Yes, I was there!

From Turner to Cezanne at the Corcoran

George, Susan, and I met at the Corcoran Gallery of Art to view the current exhibit, From Turner to Cezanne: Masterpieces from the Davies Collection. It is a splendid exhibit of 56 paintings from the Museum of North Wales, which houses the collection of the Davies Sisters.

For more information and a slide show, go to the Corcoran's website at http://www.corcoran.org