Dr. Meloni's Blog on the DC Metro Area

High Tea at The Mansion at Strathmore

2011-12-20T18:42:00.000-05:00

The DCDC met for a festive high tea at Strathmore.

The Mansion at Strathmore - Mary, Synthia, Jodi

Christine, Jodi, Mary, Synthia

The First Plate

The Desserts

We were, of course, the last ones to leave the dining room.

Lebanese Taverna

2011-12-19T18:34:00.001-05:00

Andrea and I enjoyed a wonderful evening with Kim and Eric and their two delightful children at our favorite

Arab restaurant.

Kim and I ordered the Vegetarian Mezza.

The ladies

The men

The Skating Rink in front of the restaurant - a taste of Minnesota!

Assaggi

2011-12-18T18:39:00.001-05:00

Andrea and I invited George and Dal to join us at our favorite Italian restaurant, Assaggi, in McLean.

Christmas Reception at the Royal Norwegian Embassy

2011-12-12T18:24:00.001-05:00

We had a lovely evening at the Norwegian Embassy.

Christine stands at the entrance to the Embassy.

Christmas dinner - heavy on fish!

Burt, Carla, Linden the Cultural Attache', Christine, Kristin, Nordic Dancers

Edo's Squid

2011-11-21T20:30:00.000-05:00

Mount Vernon

2011-11-21T20:28:00.000-05:00

Anne and I visited Mount Vernon, the Home of George Washington.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

2011-11-21T20:24:00.000-05:00

My college friend Anne and I visited the MLK Jr. Memorial. It was her first visit, my second.

The entrance to the Memorial.

Oksana's Birthday Lunch

2011-11-16T20:33:00.000-05:00

National Gallery of Art

2011-11-12T20:36:00.000-05:00

The Amici Italiani di Fairfax went to the National Gallery of Art for a tour of the permanent collection in Italian.

The DCDC Goes to the Corcoran Gallery of Art

2011-10-13T14:49:00.000-04:00

This is a view of Todd Gray's Muse at the Corcoran.

This gives the background and some info about the restaurant.

Christine, Mary, and Jodi enjoyed the tour of the Corcoran's permanent collection and their lunch at the Muse with stimulating conversation.

Jodi's lunch

Mary's Lunch

Christine's lunch

Norwegian Memorial Service

2011-08-06T17:54:00.005-04:00

One white rose for each victim of the terrorist attacks

Chuck and Ellen

Nicole and Nina

The Two Christines at Busboys and Poets

2011-07-25T17:32:00.001-04:00

Birthday in Laurel

2011-07-23T17:56:00.004-04:00

Wedding Anniversary Celebrated Da Assaggi

2011-07-13T18:58:00.002-04:00

How many years? Who's counting?

Delicious! Bruschetta with ricotta and mint.

Carlo and Betsy sent us this beautiful flower arrangement for our anniversary. How thoughtful! Grazie mille!

The Kennedys Come to Town

2011-07-12T18:38:00.000-04:00

Andrea at the Hyatt

2011-07-08T17:35:00.001-04:00

Birthday at Busboys and Poets

2011-06-23T17:25:00.002-04:00

Eva Gabrielsson at theSwedish Embassy

2011-06-22T17:27:00.002-04:00

Minneapolis for my birthday

2011-06-16T17:24:00.002-04:00

Museum Outing with George

2011-05-16T14:41:00.000-04:00

Another wonderful museum outing with my friend George. We met at the National Gallery of Art. We first viewed the incredible gothic ethings of Arms in the West Building. We then had lunch in the NGA's cafeteria. After lunch we went to the East Wing to see the exhibit of the Dutch painter Metsu, which we liked very much.

George at the entrance to the East Wing

After our museum visit, I headed for the Smithsonian Meto station at the other end of the National Mall. I decided to take a quick walk through the NGA's Sculpture Garden.

Thinker on a Rock

Pyramid

Van Gogh

The Sculpture Garden's Fountain

Celebration at Reston Town Center

2011-05-15T14:48:00.001-04:00

We had two special occasions to celebrate: Christian's Birthday and Mother's Day.

Happy Birthday, Christian!

Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Cookie Dough

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream - Strawberry Cheesecake!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day, Mima!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

The DCDC Dines at Cafe Green

2011-05-12T15:15:00.000-04:00

The DC Dinner Club dined at the vegan restaurant Cafe Green near Dupont Circle. It was a beautiful warm evening and we chose an outdoor table.

We began with a platter of appetizers.

Chris and Synthia

Jodi and Mary

Synthia, Jodi, and Mary had the vegetarian chili and I had the Korean bolgogi. The food was OK but the talk was better. And we reveled in being in the midst of a very vibrant DC neighborhood.

Lunch with Gale at the Aroma Indian Restaurant

2011-05-12T12:24:00.000-04:00

Gale and I had wonderful Indian lunch together at Aroma's.

Gale was perfectly attired for the pink decor of the restaurant.

Debbie Comes to Town

2011-05-09T15:18:00.006-04:00

Andrea's cousin Debbie was in town and we took her to Sette Osteria for dinner.

After dinner we walked across the street to Larry's for ice cream. Debbie resisted but I had lavender ice cream which was delicious! Andrea had - who knows?!

Mother's Day at Assaggi's

2011-05-08T16:38:00.000-04:00

Andrea and I have a favorite restaurant - Assaggi's in McLean, VA. To celebrate Mother's Day Andrea treated me to a delicious linner (Well, at 4 pm what do you call the meal?). The weather was picture perfect and we ate outside.

Leaving the house

Bruschetta with ricotta and mint - Fabulous!

Brunet, a Torinese dessert - Fabulous!

EU Embassy Tours

2011-05-07T12:00:00.001-04:00

Every spring I look forward to the EU Embassy Tours when the embassies open their doors to the public and offer many interesting activities and refreshments. This year I went to the EU Headquarters and to the Swedish Embassy (don't tell my Norwegian kin).

The EU Headquarters is just around the corner from GW's Foggy Bottom campus.

The Swedish Embassy overlooks the Potomac River, not too far from the Watergate and the Kennedy Center. It is a beautiful building of glass and wood.

Those flags are touching the ground!

Don't worry. I didn't hug any Swedes! I remember Elmer's warnings.

Refreshments were served on the roof terrace - Swedish cheese, Swedish flatbread with Swedish jam, and Swedish chocolate.

And surprise! I was given a Swedish passport!!

The Annual Flower Mart at the National Cathedral

2011-05-06T19:58:00.002-04:00

This year the country in the spotlight was Austria. Andrea and I, therefore, met Gertraud, our Austrian friend, there. Here she is in front of Austria's flower arrangement inside the Cathedral.

We walked around the Cathedral looking at the other beautiful flower arrangements.

The US arrangement was placed on the tomb of Woodrow Wilson, the only U.S. president buried in the Cathedral. He was a Presbyterian but he and his grandson used to visit the Cathedral often while the construction of it was under way. And his wife Edith was an Episcopalian.

The Netherlands flower arrangement made me immediately think of Van Gogh. Wonder why?!

The arrangement of Sri Lanka

It was a marvelous warm and sunny day. We walked around, looking at the wares offered at the various stands. Our favorite places were Andrea d'Ambrosio's stand with the marvelous earrings and the Herb Lady with the delightful scents.

My Mother's Day gift from Andrea - two pairs of lovely earrings!

We opted for the lavender-jasmine-lemon peel-rosebuds mix (above) and the apple cinnamon mix.

We had a delicious lunch in the Viennese Coffee House. We had an ideal spot near the window.

Potato and cucumber salad, red cabbage, and Austrian cheese.

An Outing with Kate

2011-05-02T15:00:00.004-04:00

It was my kind of a day, visiting different places in the District.

This outing began at the National Gallery of Art where we enjoyed the Gauguin exhibit.

We then walked over to the Newseum. This was a popular place on the day after the assassination of Osama bin Laden. Every day the Newseum posts on its outside windows the front pages of daily newspapers.The headlines were identical on almost all of the newspapers, most of them domestic.

We then walked over to Poste Moderne Brasserie for an exquisite dinner.

My choice? The vegetarian spring crepes. Out of this world! Each one was different.

my four crepes

Katie had an arugula salad and a ravioli appetizer.

Then to the Shakespeare Theater to see the annual "Will on the Hill" production.

We ended the day with a visit to Red Velvet where we purchases two Red Velvet (aka Southern Belle) cupcakes. We saved them for breakfast the following day.

Canaletto and His Rivals at the National Gallery

2011-04-06T00:06:00.000-04:00

The DCDC enjoyed a wonderful afternoon at the National Gallery, planned by Mary.

Mary, Synthia, Jodi, and Christine

We met for lunch at the Gallery. We found delicious items in the buffet and then ordered four mini-desserts to share.

Scrumptious mini-desserts

After lunch we joined a Gallery Talk followed by a 40-minute film on the exhibit.

Cafe Green

2011-04-05T23:58:00.000-04:00

Andrea in front of Cafe Green

I have discovered a wonderful new restaurant in DC - Cafe Green! It is located on 17th Street NW near Dupont Circle. It is green - vegan and organic.

Andrea, Chris, and George

I had Korean BBQ bolgofi, lemony kale, and corn bread - all excellent choices!

my "bolgogi"

After lunch we went across the street to Java Cafe. Andrea had an espresso and George and I shared an espresso shake.

Sunday in Baltimore

2011-04-03T00:03:00.004-04:00

Andrea

I attended the NECTFL conference in Baltimore but I did take a break for lunch. Andrea and I went to Little Italy. We should have known better. Decent Italian food is very difficult to find in most cities. We chose Ciao Bella. I ordered bruschetta and it was OK. Then I ordered Tuscan Minestrone and it was - well - bad. It was like a bowl of thick, sweet tomato paste and sauce combined. It was inedible. We are very glad that we live in DC where there are several excellent Italian restaurants.

According to this notice, Ciao Bella is the most romantic restaurant in Baltimore. I would prefer good food to romantic atmosphere!

After lunch, I desperately needed something sweet so we went to Vaccaro's. I wanted a Neapolitan sfogliatella. There were none. Andrea wanted an espresso. He couldn't have one standing up. You had to be seated. I don't think I have ever seen him drink an espresso sitting down. So - no sales at Vaccaro's!

The best part of the lunch break was standing on Via Nancy Pelosi! She is one of my heroines!

Italian Meet Up: Celebrating The Birthdays of Two Roman Arieti

2011-04-02T17:52:00.001-04:00

Carlo, Gina, Joni, and Betsy (back to camera)

Carlo and Betsy hosted a fabulous meet-up, perhaps the best ever. The evening began with an interesting discussion of two short stories by Sciascia, "Il lungo viaggio" and "L'esame."

Mini Capresi prepared by Andrea (note the red-white-green, the colors of the Italian flag)

After the discussion, we enjoyed a feast! Everyone brought delicious Italian delights (see above for the most colorful offering of all).

Gina's Birthday Cake

We celebrated Andrea's and Carlo's birthdays with delicious desserts and much enthusiastic singing of favorite Italian songs including "Arrivederci Roma" and "Roma Non Fa La Stupida Stasera."

Umberto, Maju, Gina, and Armanda

Andrea and Umberto

Dinner at Sette Osteria

2011-03-20T18:34:00.000-04:00

Carlo, Gina, Betsy, Marina, Grazia

After our tour of the Canaletto exhibit, we had dinner at Sette Osteria in Dupont Circle.

Andrea and Maju

Gina and Betsy

Albuino and Christine

"Canaletto and His Rivals" at the National Gallery

2011-03-20T15:57:00.000-04:00

Albuino and Christine

Our Italian Meet-Up met at the National Gallery and toured the fantastic Canaletto exhibit. This exhibit was viewed in only two museums in the world - the National Gallery in London and the National Gallery in Washington. We are so lucky to live here. I tell myself this at least a half a dozen times a day!

beautiful black gondola on view at the entrance to the exhibit

Venice

Green Goddess

2011-03-19T22:41:00.000-04:00

We had the most marvelous dinner at the most fantastic restaurant in the French quarter - the Green Goddess.

Location of the Green Goddess in a charming French Quarter alley

Christine with Chef Chris

Cafe du Monde

2011-03-19T20:51:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know. New Orleans is not in the DC Metro area but I wanted to share my experience there in this setting.

Of course, we had to go to the illustrious Cafe du Monde. And, of course, we ordered coffee and beignets!

Italian Card Games

2011-03-13T15:00:00.001-04:00

Betsy and Carlo were again the gracious hosts for our Italian meet-up, Amici Italiani di Fairfax.

We played one round of Tombola (an Italian version of Bingo).

And the winner of the Tombola competition was: Christine!

Armanda

John

Pina

Pina's Husband

Scrapbooking

2011-03-12T13:53:00.001-05:00

Christian and I went to a scrapbooking session. He worked very hard and finished what he had set out to accomplish. I did not! (I was too busy admiring his work.)

Dona Azucena Pupuseria

2011-03-11T14:00:00.001-05:00

I was delighted to find a pupuseria in Springfield! After I returned from El Salvador several years ago, I was anxious to find one. My friend Barbara treated me to lunch there after our outing to the Phillips.

We each had three pupusas. I had a cheese, a cheese and zucchini, and a cheese with ayote.

I definitely intend to return for more pupusas in the near future!

I made the mistake of trying to eat the first pupusa with my hands. It was hot!!

Philip Guston's Roma at the Phillips

2011-03-11T13:43:00.000-05:00

I took my friend Barbara to the Phillips Collection to see the Roma exhibit. Guston painted these works while in Rome in the early 70s. I was fascinated. They are simple, cartoonish drawings but I truly saw Rome in them.

National Press Building

2011-03-07T11:32:00.000-05:00

My friend Gertraud invited me to lunch at the National Press Building. The lunch was absolutely delicious (I had the best vegetarian option ever!) right down to the NPR cupcakes!

NPR Cupcakes

The guest speaker was Vivian Schiller, President and CEO of NPR. Her talk was excellent but that evening she resigned!

Perseus Bayou at Imagination Stage

2011-03-06T13:38:00.000-05:00

Marcello and I took Christian and Colin to see a wonderful performance of "Perseus Bayou" at the Imagination Stage in Bethesda. It was the ancient Greek myth of Perseus set in New Orleans.

Edibles Incredible

2011-02-12T12:10:00.000-05:00

We took the boys for cupcakes at Edibles Incredible, one of the most popular venues for cupcakes in the DC Metro area.

Post under construction - more photos to follow

Aladdins in Springfield Village

2011-01-23T16:48:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Dona's birthday at one of our favorite local restaurants, Aladdin's.

Chris and Dona

Andrea began with hummous and pita.

I started out with lentil soup. It was scrumptious!

Andrea and I shared the Florentine Cream dessert.

Dona had Lady Fingers.

P.F. Chang's at Tyson's Galleria

2011-01-22T16:55:00.000-05:00

My sister and I had a lovely lunch together at P.F. Chang's.

I ordered green tea noodles. They were cold, to my surprise, but they turned out to be very tasty.

I also had steamed vegetable dumplings that were yummy!

Lunch at Assaggi Osteria in McLean

2011-01-10T16:31:00.001-05:00

Assaggi Co-Owner Giovanni Cesaratto with Christine and Andrea

Andrea and I had a delightful New Year's Lunch - a bit late - at our favorite restaurant in Northern Virginia, Assaggi Osteria.

It's cranberry juice!

Mezzi rigatoni with goat cheese, sliced almonds, and marjoram. Delicious!

Brunette, a speciality of Torino, for dessert

Andrea happy as a clam

Andrea opted for spaghetti alle vongole.

Merkamo Ethiopian Restaurant in Springfield

2011-01-07T16:41:00.001-05:00

B and I had a delicious lunch at Merkamo, an Ethiopian restaurant in Springfield. We shared the Vegetable Sampler. The best part was the bread that served as the meal's plate.

Chris

Afternoon Tea in Peacock Alley at the Willard

2010-12-18T00:30:00.005-05:00

The Venerable Willard Hotel
(President Ulysses S. Grant held meetings in the lobby of this hotel with people seeking favors and thus the new verb "to lobby" entered the English lexicon.)

The Lobby of the Willard decked out for the holidays

The DCDC Group: Jodi, Synthia, Christine
Jodi and Synthia are enjoying a cup of Ginger Twist
Christine opted for the Willard Blend

Afternoon Tea began with fruit in a chocolate sleigh
(Secret: We all greedily ate the sleighs when we finished the fruit!)

A delightful array of delectable sandwiches, tasty scones, and scrumptious mini-desserts

Having afternoon tea was an exquisite experience! Our sitting began at 2. We sipped, we nibbled, we talked. Then Synthia at a certain point looked at her watch. "My goodness," she exclaimed. "It's 4:30!" As they say, "Time flies when you are having fun!"

Carol's Birthday: Proof and Hide/Seek

2010-12-17T00:09:00.001-05:00

Sons of Norway Christmas Party

2010-12-11T17:08:00.000-05:00

Breakfast with St. Nicholas

2010-12-11T11:07:00.000-05:00

Norwegian Party in Class

2010-12-03T19:28:00.003-05:00

Our engaging Norwegian teacher Knut and his son at our end-of-class party

Norwegian cheeses and flatbread

Norwegian almond cake, lefse with butter and cinnamon, rice pudding, and other delicious food.

Nicole, Andres, and George

Jennifer looks over the delicious spread

George enjoys Solo, a Norwegian orange soda

Thanksgiving #3

2010-12-03T19:27:00.003-05:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving a third time with our dear friends George and Dal. They treated us to a fabulous meal at Finemondo in the District.

I had ravioli stuffed with pumpkin and Amaretto crumbs with sage and butter sauce. Yum!

Andrea and I shared a slice of torta di ricotta. It was definitely not the torta di ricotta that we enjoyed in Italy.

Thanksgiving #2

2010-12-03T19:26:00.003-05:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving a second time with our dear friend Dona. We had a delightful lunch at the Italian restaurant in Shirlington Village, Extra Virgin. Sorry but no photos of the food. I remembered to take my camera, of course, but I left the chip on my computer at home.

Chris and Dona

Dona and Andrea
(Oh, Dorothy!!)

Thanksgiving at the Melonis

2010-11-25T13:14:00.002-05:00

We began with a dazzling array of appetizers. My favorites? the apricot cheese and the cranberry goat cheese. Christian, as usual, went for the salami and prosciutto.

Christian is a take-charge kind of guy. He organized three contests.

First Contest: The Best Pumpkin Pie

I won the pumpkin pie contest. My mother would be proud! Christian was the wise judge.

Second Contest: The Paper Airplane That Traveled the Farthest

Christian won the paper airplane contest.

Third Contest: The Winner of the Wii Bowling Contest

[insert photo of Colin]

There were two teams: Andrea and Marcello bowled against Christian and Colin. The victory of Christian and Colin was decisive. Christian threw almost all strikes. Colin threw mostly strikes and spares. (Have they been practicing?) Marcello was pretty good but not as good as his sons. Andrea threw no strikes, no spares, and numerous gutter balls, to the delight of everyone.

[add photos of food]

Sons of Norway Christmas Bazaar

2010-11-13T13:24:00.001-05:00

The Sons of Norway bazaar is always a very special event. It was held again this year at the Elks Club in Fairfax. I worked there on Friday and took my grandsons on Saturday.

They each had a certain sum to spend so they did their shopping first.

They are looking at the display of beautiful rosemaling.

Christian then chose this ugly troll who is apparently kidnapping a lovely princess.

Then the boys relaxed with Norwegian waffles, one of their very favorite foods. This year the jam was raspberry instead of strawberry. They decided that they prefer strawberry while I prefer raspberry.

Most everyone wears a Norwegian sweater. Some lucky women show off their elaborate bunads. Here is SON lodge member Melanie.

Amici Italiani di Fairfax Meet Up

2010-11-07T19:13:00.002-05:00

Carlo and Betsy hosted a potluck at their home. It was a fun evening of Italian food and Italian conversation.

We began by enjoying delicious appetizers from a table in the living room.

Linda

John and Armanda

Christine

Carlo and Betsy

Carlo and Andrea

We then went to the kitchen where an attractive Italian buffet met our eyes.

John and Linda

Armanda and Andrea

The piece de resistance was the polenta with mushrooms prepared by Armanda.

The evening concluded with an interesting slide show by Carlo and Betsy of their recent trip to Italy.

One Small Step for Man

2010-11-07T16:00:00.000-05:00

Christian and I attended a marvelous performance at the Kennedy Center. to be continued

Norwegian Almond Cake

2010-11-06T13:18:00.001-04:00

Christian and Colin love to bake in our kitchen. Their latest triumph was a Norwegian almond cake. I bought an almond cake pan from Ingebretsen's in Minneapolis. Another tradition was born. The boys are becoming more Norwegian all the time! (That's Christian in the background.)

For Colin the best part of this cooking experience was sniffing the almond extract. He found it intoxicating.

Oksana's Birthday at Aroma

2010-10-28T13:10:00.001-04:00

We feted Oskana on her birthday. This was our second annual Oksana birthday celebration. Those present were, from left to right, George, Susan, Jack, Christine, the Birthday Girl, and Andrea.

Wonderful Indian food at the Aroma restaurant near GW! I always choose the Vegetarian platter with its delightful assortment of my favorite dishes (seen above).

Oksana's choice

Norwegian Waffles at the Melonis

2010-10-16T13:15:00.002-04:00

I bought a Norwegian waffle iron and a new tradition was born at our house. Christian and Colin adore these waffles and always demand them for breakfast when they sleep over.

Andrea prepares the waffle batter.

Andrea pours the batter on the waffle iron.

The Norwegian waffle is made up of five hearts.

You can eat them with your hands or with a knife and fork.

Christian is ready to spread strawberry jam on his waffle.

Colin is ready to dig in. "Hurry up! Take the photo! I'm starving!"

Private Tour of the Munch Exhibit

2010-09-30T19:29:00.002-04:00

Members of the Washington Lodge of the Sons of Norway with the tour guide Sally Epstein

Tormod's Visit: Day Two

2010-09-18T19:28:00.000-04:00

Tormod's Visit: Day One

2010-09-17T19:27:00.002-04:00

We were very happy to have two Norwegian visitors with us for the week-end. We enjoyed showing them the important places in our nation's capital.

First Stop: The 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon
My cousin Tormod with his friend Elin

Second Stop: The National Museum of the American Indian

Third Stop: The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

Lord of the Rings 3: Wolf Trap

2010-09-11T19:33:00.002-04:00

A fantastic evening!

View from our table at the restaurant

First a pleasant dinner at Wolf Trap's Ovations

Portobello mushroom and watercress on top of mashed potatoes and eggplant

Then a spectacular performance - the showing of the third film of the LOTR trilogy with a live orchestra and choir. Exceptional!!!

DCDC Visit to the NGA

2010-09-02T12:00:00.002-04:00

Mary invited us to join her for a lunch in the employees' dining room at the NGA, 7th floor East Bldg.

Chris, Jodi, Synthia, Mary

Delicious Mini-Desserts (not really so mini!)

Taking in the view after the delicious lunch

Lunch was followed by a tour of the intriguing Munch exhibit.

Solitary Woman at the entrance to the Munch exhibit

National Geographic: Leonardo

2010-08-22T16:05:00.001-04:00

We visited a marvelous exhibit that focuses on the genius of Leonardo da Vinci.

At the entrance of the exhibit

Trick mirrors - going back and back until the crack of doom!

Leonardo's tank

Leonardo's skiis

Leonardo's scuba diver

Leonardo's Bridge for wartime use

Leonardo's war machine

After visiting this fascinating exhibit, we went to Sette Osteria for a wonderful Italian dinner.

We helped Carlo and Betsy celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. Yes, they are still in love!

Bruno, Carlo, and Betsy

Betsy, Marisa, Cristina, X

Lorton Workhouse: Art Center

2010-08-14T19:07:00.001-04:00

Under construction

Stay tuned!

In Memory of My Dear Friend Denny

2010-08-10T16:27:00.012-04:00

Lunch at Firefly near Dupont Circle

June 1, 2010

Denny's Birthday at Founding Farmers on Penn
December 2009

Aroma Indian Restaurant on Eye Street NW

Thai Restaurant in Arlington

Boating on the Bay

Dinner at Paparazzi's in Georgetown

Denny was one of my dearest friends. We met at Washburn High School in Minneapolis more than a half a century ago and were close friends from then on. He died last week and he will be missed by his family and many, many friends. We have many memories. These photos are reminders of the happy times spent together.

At a class reunion in Minneapolis

Picnic in the Bleachers at WHS

At Kirky's Reunion Brunch

Denny's Final Resting Place is the Maryland Veterans Cemetery.

Entrance to Cemetery

Looking Outside from the Cemetery Chapel
Symbols of the Branches of the Armed Forces

The Army Bugler Ready to Play Taps for Denny

Farewell, Dear Friend! You will not be forgotten.

Birthday Lunch at Kabul Kabob

2010-08-06T14:00:00.001-04:00

Carol and I had lunch at Kabul Kabob in Springfield to celebrate my birthday. (No matter that it was more than a month late! Better late than never!)

a scrumptious buffet with Afghan bread, rice, spinach, and eggplant

I am so glad we are friends!

National Building Museum: Lego Exhibition

2010-08-04T17:02:00.004-04:00

The National Building Museum

The Great Hall of the National Building Museum

Andrea and I took the little guys to the Lego Exhibition at the National Building Museum in DC. We had a fun time. Here are some photos of our visit:

Building the St. Louis Gateway Arch

Visiting the Play Room: The House

Colin in the House

Building in the Great Hall while waiting for lunch

Colin's Dessert: A Beautifully-Decorated Sugar Cookie

Entering the Exhibit Area

The Twin Towers

Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater

The White House

Post-Exhibit: Lego Building Room

Building Partners: Nonno and Colin

Nonno and Colin Resting After Their Labors

Christian's Lego Creation: A Jail

Lions across the street from the Museum

Christian The Lion-Hearted Shows His Courage

Colin Follows Suit

Armored FBI Car in front of the Italian Church

Visiting Friends in Minneapolis

2010-07-25T00:16:00.001-04:00

I stayed a few days beyond the family reunion to visit with old friends.

Dinner at Il Gatto with Robert John, Kay, and Jim

Dinner with Judy and Mary

Lunch with Ann

Lunch with Lloyd and Pat

Family Reunion in Minneapolis

2010-07-24T16:39:00.001-04:00

The Group: All Syversons and/or Fosters!

The Foster-Syverson Family Reunion was a huge success! Folks came from far and wide - Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Cousin Jill and Daughter Farrah

Little Cousins Alden and Lilly

Bob, Farrah, Cousin Jeff, and Cousin Jill

All Fosters!

Display of Norwegian Artifacts

Fjord Horse and Bowl

Lefse Demonstration

Johnne, Lefse Maker Extraordinaire

A Scrumptious Buffet

Justine, Timmy, Lilly, Alden, Gwen, Jeff

Protest against Memorial Day Massacre

2010-06-04T17:28:00.001-04:00

under construction

Firefly with Judy and Denny

2010-06-02T11:21:00.000-04:00

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T16:16:00.002-04:00

Under construction

CakeLove

Japanese-American World War II Memorial

National Gallery East Wing

2010-05-28T23:23:00.000-04:00

Under construction

George, Takao, and I went to the National Gallery to see the exhibit

Hirshhorn

2010-05-28T14:00:00.001-04:00

Colin and Knuffle Bunny at the Kennedy Center

2010-05-16T23:54:00.005-04:00

Colin in front of the Kennedy Center on a beautiful sunny day in the nation's capital.

Colin and I had a marvelous outing this afternoon. We went to the Kennedy Center to see "Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale." We both arrived early so we walked around the Kennedy Center for a while.

Colin and the bust of President J.F. Kennedy

Then we went to see the performance. We both enjoyed it very much. It was very funny.

Handsome Colin at the entrance to the Family Theater.

Afterwards we went with Marcello to Cone E. Island for ice cream.

Colin ordered a cup of strawberry shortcake ice cream with sprinkles on top. I ordered coffee ice cream although Colin warned me that coffee wasn't good for me.

Marcello watched us enjoy our ice cream.

The GW campus was still buzzing with activity from this morning's Commencement.

Farewell, Mike: Party at Founding Farmers

2010-05-10T12:41:00.000-04:00

We said good-bye to our friend and colleague Michael. Mike is in the center!
We had drinks and a variety of goodies, e.g. corn bread, popcorn with Parmesan cheese and rosemary, two types of flatbread.

Erica, Anup, Anna

Memories are made of this: Pineapple Upsidedown Cake!

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T19:37:00.000-04:00

My thoughtful husband took me out to dinner on Mother's Day. We dined at our favorite Italian restaurant in Virginia, Extra Virgin.

Lemony Snickett: The Composer Is Dead

2010-05-09T16:00:00.000-04:00

Christian and I went to a marvelous performance of Lemony Snickett: The Composer is Dead at the Kennedy Center. Christian did not want to be photographed. (Actually photography was not allowed in the Concert Hall!)

Christian took a few photos of his own in the Grand Foyer.

Coffee at Border's

2010-05-04T12:32:00.002-04:00

I met my friend and former French teacher Leslie and her son at Border's for a chat over coffee.

National Harbor, Maryland

2010-05-01T23:06:00.004-04:00

Andrea and I took the boys to National Harbor, Maryland, this afternoon. They enjoyed climbing around on The Awakening sculpture and enjoying an authentic Italian gelato at Aromi's Gelateria.

More photos to come soon

A Great Day in Baltimore

2010-04-28T10:54:00.000-04:00

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

2010-04-24T14:15:00.001-04:00

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

Sigrid Undset: Writer's Center, Bethesda

2010-04-21T19:14:00.001-04:00

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

2010-04-17T19:00:00.001-04:00

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

2010-04-14T11:13:00.002-04:00

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

2010-04-13T12:00:00.000-04:00

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

2010-04-11T15:00:00.000-04:00

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

2010-04-10T14:00:00.000-04:00

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

2010-04-08T16:35:00.006-04:00

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!

2010-04-04T19:14:00.017-04:00

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

2010-04-02T23:35:00.002-04:00

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

2010-04-01T14:00:00.002-04:00

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

The DCDC Goes to Firefly

2010-03-30T19:10:00.004-04:00

This exquisite restaurant is in the Dupont Circle area at New Hampshire and N Streets. We all were very pleased with the food, the service, and the atmosphere. The chef is Daniel Bortnick and this restaurant supports local farmers and purveyors. We like to support this kind of restaurant.

When you enter the restaurant, the first thing you see is the Firefly Tree.

We were in three - Mary, Christine, and Synthia. Jodi was conspicuously missing, unfortunately.

Synthia ordered the Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad.

Christine started off with the seasonal vegetarian soup - potato and leek puree, roasted pistachios, and ?

Everyone enjoyed the delicious Salt Roasted Baby Beets (PA goat cheese, Sicilian pistachio, micro arugula, and fig vinegar. It was a delicious dish!

American Museum of Women & Cafe Mozart

2010-03-26T18:43:00.005-04:00

Gertraud and I met at the American Museum of Women in the Arts to see an exhibit of contemporary art by Turkish women. We found it puzzling and uninteresting. The museum building itself, however, still enthralled us.

The Museum's Great Hall

After viewing the exhibit, we walked across the street to the enchanting Mozart Cafe.

We enjoyed a delicious lunch.

Delicious brown bread!

German Potato Pancakes

German Goulash

Finemondo

2010-03-25T18:30:00.001-04:00

Snooks and I dined at Finemondo, an Italian country kitchen. It was charming!

The food was delicious.

mushroom risotto

ravioli / butternut squash & crumbled Amaretto cookies in butter & sage sauce

After dinner we walked across the street to the Warner Theater and enjoyed a zany performance of 39 Steps.

German-American Heritage Museum

2010-03-21T15:00:00.005-04:00

Grand opening! We wanted to be part of the historic event so we visited the new museum on Opening Day.

There was a lively band in front of the museum.

We bought two of their CDs, one of German Christmas music and the other of German polkas.

A German emigrant trunk (it lacks the rosemaling of the Norwegian emigrant trunk)

We posed with Handel, one of the great Germans. (No, he was not English!)

Babe Ruth, the great Yankee
Did you know that Babe Ruth was a German-American?