Sons of Norway Lodge

Norwegian Wedding Cake

Since I am descended from Norwegian immigrants, I decided to join the local DC lodge of the Sons of Norway. We have meetings once a month. Everyone brings food and, after dinner, there is always a program.

A while ago someone brought a Norwegian Wedding Cake.

Suzanne Farrell Ballet at the Kennedy Center

I love going to the Kennedy Center. The building itself is magnificent. The view from the outdoor terraces is spectacular. The performances are usually excellent. Last Saturday my sister and I attended the Suzanne Farrell Ballet. We enjoyed the performance immensely.

Here is my sister at lunch before the performance. It was her birthday!

Cafe Berlin - Again!

Cake Eaters Denny, Toni, and Chris

Twice in two weeks! You might be getting the idea that I like Cafe Berlin. Well, yes. I do. I went there today with two dear old friends from high school (i.e. Washburn High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota).

Katzen Arts Center

Today I went to the Katzen Arts Center at American University in the District with my friend Gertraud. We wanted to see the Abu Ghraib exhibit with paintings by the Colombian painter Botero. Unfortunately the museum is closed on Mondays so we were very disappointed.

We did see some interesting student exhibits, however. Here are a few examples:

Origami Creature

Plastic Spoon Art

Q-Tip Art

Ritz Cracker Art

Mint Sculpture

Afterwards we went to a nice Italian restaurant near the University, Da Carlo's. I had delicious spinach fagottini stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese in a light sage-butter sauce.

Gertraud in front of Da Carlo's

"Impressionists by the Sea" at the Phillips

My favorite museum in the District is the Phillips Collection. This morning Andrea and I went to the Phillips to view the "Impressionists by the Sea" exhibit. It was marvelous! My favorite paintings, of course, were those by my very favorite artist, Claude Monet.

The Phillips has a great new feature. Instead of buying an audio tour, you can use your own cell phone for the tour. I tried it and it worked fine. Try it! You'll like it!

After viewing the exhibit, Andrea and I visited the museum shop. It's a dangerous place! Too many interesting things! (But a great place to shop for Christmas presents!)

For more information about this exhibit at the Phillips, go to http://www.phillipscollection.org/html/exhibits.html

Murayo's Greek Restaurant

I went with my DC Dinner Club friends to a wonderful Greek restaurant last night. I highly recommend it. The atmosphere was pleasant, and the food was delicious. The address is 1735 Connecticut Avenue NW, not too far from Dupont Circle.

Synthia, Christine, Jodi, Michele

Edward Hopper Exhibit

Waiting in Line to Enter the Exhibit

I liked the Hopper exhibit at the National Gallery so well when I saw it last month that I went back again. Have you seen it yet? I went with some friends. After viewing the exhibit, we had lunch at a wonderful German restaurant on Capitol Hill, Cafe Berlin.

Andrea and George Waiting to Go In

George Dona Christine Ready to Order

What is a pupuseria?

A pupuseria is a place you can go to eat pupusas. What is a pupusa? A pupusa is the favorite food of Salvadorans. It is a stuffed corn tortilla. Since there are 500,000 Salvadorans living in the Washington, DC, there are quite a few pupuserias.

The Washington Post recommends the following four pupuserias: La Casita Pupuseria and Market (Silver Spring), Pupuseria El Buen Gusto (Fairfax City), Dona Azucena (Silver Spring & Arlington) , and My Family's Cafe Pupuseria (Arlington).

Tuesday, November 13, is El Salvador's Dia Nacional de la Pupusa (National Pupusa Day).

I visited El Salvador a few years ago and I absolutely loved the cheese pupusas. I still dream about them.



If you are interested, read the article I wrote about my trip to El Salvador, "A Taste of Culture: Five Days in El Salvador."

Crittercams at the National Geographic

The National Geographic Museum is interesting for adults and children alike. This morning I took my two grandchildren, ages 5 and 2, to visit the Crittercams exhibit. It's really fascinating! Divers put cameras on the backs of a variety of animals and turned on the cameras. So you can see the world through the eyes of penguins, sharks, whales, sea turtles, seals, lions, and bears! Admission is free. The museum is located at 1145 17th Street NW and it's near the Farragut North and Farragut West Metro stations. Check it out at http://nationalgeographic.com/museum