Betty Goes Italian

 We took our friend Betty to our favorite Italian restaurant. She really liked it! The food was delicious and the service was impeccable.

 Giant Olives!

Betty and Chris

Birthday Burgers

For his birthday Christian wanted to go to Red Robin's Gourmet Burgers. It was not the ideal place for a vegetarian grandmother but it wasn't my birthday.

 A serious eater!

 Mima with the Birthday Boy

The dessert was delicious!

Coffee and Dessert at The Swiss Bakery and Cafe

Our dear friends Nancy and Tom came to town and we met at The Swiss Bakery and Cafe in Annandale. We sipped coffee and devoured delicious desserts as we conversed on a variety of interesting topics.

 Chris and Nancy

 Grilled gruyere sandwich on Swiss boule

Andrea and I went to the cafe an hour before our meeting time with Nancy and Tom and had lunch. My sandwich was out of this world - wonderful cheese and tasty bread!

Two Explorers

I attended a lecture on Richard Byrd at my local library by Byrd expert and author Sheldon Bart. We fans of Roald Amundsen found it very interesting.

 Henry, Marie, and Author Bart

 Christine, Henry, Author Bart, and Richard Byrd's Grandson

Classical Showcase at the Cathedral

Barbara and I went to the National Cathedral for a concert performed by the Cathedral's Choral Society of which my friend Margaret is a member. They sang Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart.

Norway's Constitution Day

Andrea and I went to Carderock Park for the Syttende Mai festivities. What a wonderful day!

 Singing the Norwegian National Anthem

 The Parade

 

Marching Andrea

Christine Carrying the Flag of her Ancestors

 A Sack Race

 Spoon and Egg Race

NGA with George

George and I went to the National Gallery of Art to see the Degas-Cassatt exhibit.

 Christine and George

George and Andrea

Andrea joined us for lunch in the NGA Cafe.

 
George and I also saw the "Modern German Prints and Drawings from the Kainen Collection."

Mother's Day 2014

I always need to have Plan B in case my local son doesn't come through. Yes, again this year I had to go to Plan B.

Fortunately, the weather was perfect - warm and sunny - so Plan B worked out very well. The plan was for Andrea and me to visit four local monuments that we were not familiar with. We ended up paring the list down to two.

First Stop: The Theodore Roosevelt Memorial on Theodore Roosevelt Island

This island is located in the Potomac River just below the Teddy Roosevelt Bridge. It is reached by a foot bridge.


 

The Theodore Roosevelt Memorial is in the middle of the island.

Second Stop: Ulysses S. Grant Memorial

This equestrian statue is located, as is evident from the photo, in front of the U.S. Capitol. We had seen this statue, of course, numerous times but never really paid attention to who the rider was. There are so many statues in Washington that one doesn't always give them a second glance. We have vowed to be more attentive.

The statue overlooks the Capitol Reflecting Pool and faces the Washington Monument.

It is flanked by two sculptures depicting scenes of the Civil War.

 

After enjoying the sun and fresh air for two hours, we decided to head home and finish the list another day. It was a wonderful outing but Andrea needed to sit down in a cooler environment!

George likes Menomale!

Andrea loves Menomale! He is eager to dig into his salsiccia pizza!

Andrea poses with our server.

Christine likes Menomale, too!

We took our friend George who poses here with Menomale owner Ettore.

Performance of 'Elling'

 

Marie, Christine, Tenley, Mette, Marleigh, Henry

We met at Matchbox-Chinatown for dinner before going to a wonderful performance of 'Elling" by the Washington Stage Guild.

Nats Game in the Rain

We went to Nationals Park for our first baseball game of the season. It rained for the first four innings and then there was a rain delay. We decided to leave. Good move! Play resumed after three hours - at 11:40 pm - and the game ended at 2 am. The Nats won, 4-0.

Cousin Debbie's Visit

Cousin Debbie came to town and we had dinner together at Aladdin's in Shirlington Village.

 Andrea, Christine, Debbie