The Music Man was Upbeat!

George and Dal treated us to an incredibly marvelous outing! We first attended a fantastic performance at the Arena Stage of The Music Man.

                            Andrea, Dal, George



                            Andrea, Christine, George

We then drove over to Georgetown and, since we arrived too early for our dinner reservation, we took a very pleasant walk around the neighborhood behind the restaurant. The weather was magnificent.



We had a truly memorable dinner at La Chaumiere, one of the very best French restaurants in town.

                                                           Andrea's three sherbet dessert

                Christine's out-of-this-world warm apple tart with caramel topping and vanilla ice cream

                                                                                Dal

                                                       Dal's dinner - very artistic but what was it?

                                                         George offers a toast to friendship

 Andrea was cheered up by the entire outing - friends, the theater, the food!

Norwegian Class Goes to E Street

Some members of the Norwegian class went to the E Street Theater to see the Norwegian film, The Headhunters, based on the book of the same name by Norwegian great, Jo Nesbo.

Movie Night at the Lodge

 Our Norwegian class had a fun movie night. We ate snacks as we watched the Norwegian film, "Buddy"

Mother's Day 2012

Andrea saved the day again this year and took me out to lunch to celebrate Mother's Day. (Oh, you thought I had a son in the area?)

We went to our favorite Italian restaurant for special occasions - Assaggi in McLean. Not only was the meal absolutely perfect, I also received a beautiful red rose.

No, we did not order all of those bottles of wine that you see behind us. You should know me better than that!

Japanese American Memorial

This moving memorial to the brave and loyal Japanese Americans who fought in WWII is little known by residents and visitors in the nation's capital. Please find a moment of quiet time when you are in the area of Union Station.

National Archives Genealogy Fair

The National Archives held its 8th annual Genealogy Fair on April 18 and 19. The presentations and the exhibits were all held in tents in front of the Archives building.

What is Past is Prologue

Carol's Birthday Lunch

 Our annual birthday lunch was a bit late this time. Carol's birthday is in November and we celebrated in April but Better Late Than Never, we always say!

For our celebration Carol opted for an exhibit of book plates in the library of the National Gallery of Art. It was very interesting and I was introduced to a new place in town! It is, by the way, on the ground floor of the East Building. The librarian told us that they are trying to encourage more people to visit the library but I personally think the sign on their door is intimidating. It says, "Access Only to Authorized Personnel." After viewing the exhibit, we had lunch in the Cascade Cafe.

We then made a quick tour of the Picasso Drawings before Carol had to hit the road. After sending her off, I ducked back into the building to view the lovely exhibit of Japanese paintings. It was not easy to see them as people were lined up three or four deep in front of each painted scroll.



When I left the museum, I walked across the Mall to the Smithsonian Metro station, passing the Hirshhorn and its Sculpture Garden. It was a gorgeous sunny day with the temperature in the 70s. Ah, life in the nation's capital. I love it!

Kennedy Center: Sleeping Beauty

Another wonderful performance for children - "Sleeping Beauty." There were only two performers on stage, the storyteller and the piano player, but it was surprisingly effective. The storyteller was very engaging and he used a lot of multimedia images along with the piano music to tell the story. I enjoyed it but unfortunately my grandson Christian was a no-show. The boys sadly missed four of the five performances on this year's season ticket for the Kennedy Center's Children Series.

Birthday Dinner Greek Style

 We have a Birthday Club, made up of four very close friends, and we always celebrate our birthdays together. This year we celebrated Andrea's birthday at Taverna Cretikou in Old Towne Alexandria. The food was superb, the atmosphere marvelous, and the conversation absolutely scintillating! After dinner we walked the streets of Old Towne and enjoyed the tranquil buzz on King Street. We stopped for coffee at Starbuck's and I think we talked to every single person in the place. We were all in a very friendly, happy mood! It was a wonderful evening.

Easter Sunday 2012

Easter was extra special this year because we were not only celebrating Easter but also Andrea's birthday. His birthday on Easter was special in itself but even more so because he was born on Easter, too!

Here is a photo of the handsome birthday boy in front of our church, St. Christopher's. Yes, he does look like a bishop, doesn't he?!

After church, we headed for Bowie. We had received an invitation to celebrate with dear friends whom we really consider family. Our hosts were Leo and Michelle, Nico and Gia, and, of course, the Matriarch Dona. We had a happy time - lots of delicious food and lots of conversation. I especially enjoyed hanging out with my buddy Nico, aka Superman. Andrea is, of course, partial to children who can't walk yet because they can't escape from him.

Snow White at the Kennedy Center

My favorite sister and I went to the Kennedy Center for a magnificent ballet performance of "Snow White" by a French company.

The Kennedy Center was, of course, as magnificent as always. How I love that place!

TESOL 2012 in Philly

I made a quick dash up to Philly to see three friends who were attending TESOL 2012. Here we are, enjoying ourselves as usual.

Museum of American Art

 I had lunch with my friend Betsy at one of my favorite DC restaurants, Proof. After lunch I made two museum stops. I went to the Smithsonian Museum of American Art to see the very interesting exhibit of Annie Liebowitz's photographs. No portraits!

 

 

Then I went to a small gallery across the street from the restaurant (name escapes me now) to see an exhibit of art created after the disastrous earthquake and tsunami last year.

A Visit to American University

Andrea and I met George at AU and visited two exhibits. More info with photos to be posted soon.

Orchids Mystique at The Botanical Gardens

I met my friend Dona for lunch at Union Station. After a pleasant lunch, she went back to work and I was free to roam the Mall. I went to see the Orchids exhibit at the Botanical Gardens. It was magnificent. I will share some of my photos with you. I had absolutely no idea that there were so many different kinds and colors of orchids. I was extremely impressed!

Kennedy Center Family Look-In: Cosi fan tutte

A wonderful performance for children. The National Opera took children and adults behind the scenes to show them how an opera is staged. Interesting for everyone! Unfortunately, my grandson Christian was a no-show and he missed this educational performance.

Hirshhorn With Barbara

Barbara and I had a marvelous day on the Mall. We first saw an impressive exhibit at the Hirshhorn, then lunch at the National Museum of the American Indian, and then an interesting exhibit at the NMAI.

I will post photos when I find them.

Busboys and Poets

Barbara and I had a delicious lunch at one of my favorite spots and then went to see an excellent film, Mozart's Sister.