The Italian Store

My husband's favorite food store is the Italian Store in Arlington. This afternoon we went there so that he could buy a selection of antipasti for his birthday party tomorrow.

Here he is, loaded down with delicacies.

Play Ball! T-Ball, that is!

We saw a very exciting game of T-ball at Lions Park in Ashburn this morning. Here are some photos of our very favorite player.

In the pitcher's position

Safe on third

Paula Rego at the National Museum of Women in the Arts

Today I went with my friend Gertraud to see the retrospective of the art of Portuguese painter Paula Rego. Her paintings are very powerful although very strange. She depicts women for the most part as very strong and masculine. To take a look at some of her work, go to this website:

www.nmwa.org/exhibition/detail.asp?exhibitid=169

This exhibit was shown at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. I love this building. I find it one of the most beautiful in Washington.

The marble stairs are splendid. Here is Gertraud descending the staircase from the mezzanine to the first floor.

I also like the concept of this museum. Every work of art in it was created by a woman. I don't think there is another museum in the world dedicated solely to the art of women.

The museum also has a small restaurant. Gertraud and I had lunch there. I had lentil soup and a vegetable hummus sandwich with pita bread. She had a Reuben.


After we left the museum, we went to Praline, a French bakery in Bethesda, to indulge in scrumptious pastries. Gertraud had a tasty apple tart and I had a delightfully refreshing lemon tart. I also enjoyed a cup of organic peppermint tea.

Degas to Diebenkorn at the Phillips

I went to my favorite museum, the Phillips Collection, yesterday with my friend George. We viewed the exhibit "Degas to Diebenkorn: The Phillips Collects."

I liked many of the works of art. My favorites were: "View of Lake Nemi" by Antoine-Felix Boisseller, "The Gulf of Mexico" by David Bates, "Small Branch of the Seine at Argenteuil" by Gustave Caillebotte, "Moonlight on the Osage" by Thomas Hart Benton, and "The Sun and the Moon" by Elizabeth Murray.

This exhibit will be on view until May 25, 2008 so, if you haven't seen i yet, go see it - now! To learn more about it, go to the Phillips Collection website:
http://www.phillipscollection.org/html/exhibits.html

After visiting the museum, we had a delicious Greek lunch at Zorba's. We both had the vegetarian combination platter.

Sons of Norway: Genealogy

Edo's Squid in Richmond, Virginia

Edo's Squid is my husband's very favorite restaurant in the entire United States. Our friend Ron introduced us to this wonderful place. We met Ron there a few weeks ago and had a marvelous lunch. Andrea, of course, ordered the squid!

Andrea savoring the squid

Ron eating pasta with eggplant

Friends and ESL Colleagues

The Newseum: Grand Opening!

My friend Susan and I had hoped to tour the brand new Newseum on its historic opening day, Friday, April 11. We stood in line for about 30 minutes on an absolutely gorgeous day but we were not lucky enough to get tickets. We did feel a part of the excitement, however. We can say We Were There on Opening Day!

What is the Newseum? It is a museum about the history of news. It uses the latest technology and offers lots of hands-on exhibits.

Where is the Newseum? It is located at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Sixth Street, N.W. between the White House and the U.S. Capitol and very close to the Smithsonian museums on the National Mall.

Is the admission free? Sorry, it's not. Admission is $20 a person.

To find out more about the Newseum, go to http://www.newseum.org/

Bacchus of Lebanon in Bethesda

We had a wonderful meal at this restaurant tonight. The food was delicious and the environment was very pleasant. We were celebrating my husband's birthday.

Christine, Catherine, Dona, Andrea the Birthday Boy

Memorials in Washington, DC

We love DC!

My grandson loves visiting the monuments and memorials in DC. Here are two photos from a recent visit. We went to the Jefferson Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. We also drove by the Washington Monument, the White House, and the Capitol.

Christian took a photo of me in front of Thomas Jefferson inside the Jefferson Memorial. It was a bitter cold day and I am freezing! Can you tell?

I took a photo of Christian in front of the statue of Lincoln inside the Lincoln Memorial. I warned him that he would look like an ant!


When the weather gets warmer, I plan to take him to visit the FDR Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the WW #2 Memorial, and the Air Force Memorial.

Frogs at the National Geographic

Do you like frogs?

The National Geographic currently has a marvelous exhibit of 150 different kinds of frogs. The frogs come in all sizes and in all colors. It is an exhibit that both adults and children can enjoy. I went with my husband and my 5-year-old grandson Christian. He took most of the photos of the frogs. I highly recommend this exhibit!

This golden frog is very poisonous. It has enough poison to kill 10 people!

Here is a little turquoise frog.

And here is a little blue frog with his tiny friends.

Rasika: An Indian Restaurant

I met my friend George at the National Gallery of Art and we saw an interesting exhibit of photographs by British photographers. We then had a lunch in a very nice Indian restaurant at 6th and D Streets, NW. We ordered five vegetarian side dishes. Each one was delicious! We also enjoyed an order of naan bread.

Here are two views of us inside the restaurant.

George and Christine

Christine and George

Here is a photo of me standing in front of the restaurant:

Christine

In the Forest of Fontainebleau: National Gallery of Art

Entrance to the Exhibit

I went to the National Gallery of Art this morning. I saw the new exhibit, In the Forest of Fontainebleau. There were both photographs and paintings in this exhibit. The majority of the paintings were by Corot and Millet. It was a nice exhibit but a bit monotonous. The painting I liked the best was "The Bodmer Oak, Fontainebleau Forest" by Claude Monet.

I have fond memories of Fontainebleau as my son earned his MBA at Insead, and we spent many happy hours wandering among the trees and climbing on the rocks in the forest with his sons, Arthur and Paul.

Green Papaya Vietnamese Restaurant

Another meeting of the Dinner Club took place last night. Our restaurant of choice? Green Papaya, a Vietnamese restaurant in Bethesda. As usual, the conversation was scintillating and the food was delicious.

The address of the restaurant is 4922 Elm Street, Bethesda. We liked the atmosphere and the excellent service in addition to the tasty food. We were also very impressed with the charm of the surrounding neighborhood with its many restaurants. You might want to visit this area if you are looking for an interesting place to eat. (I know, I know! If you live in Virginia, Maryland seems to be on the other side of the planet.)

Here we are!
The Club: Michele, Mary, Synthia, Christine, Jodi

Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party

This evening I went to the Freer Gallery, one of the Smithsonian museums on the National Mall.

I attended a talk by Susan Vreeland. She talked about her latest book Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party: Portrait of la Vie Moderne. Coincidentally, I had just finished reading this fascinating book when I noticed that the author would be in town to make a presentation. I enjoyed this event very much. How lucky we are to live in this area with so many wonderful cultural opportunities!

If you want to know more about the author, go to her website at http://www.svreeland.com/

If you would like to see this very famous Renoir painting, it is right here in Washington, DC! It is at my favorite art museum, The Phillips Collection. To see a picture of it, click here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luncheon_of_the_Boating_Party

To learn more about the Phillips Collection, go to the official website at http://www.phillipscollection.org/html/collect.html

You might want to visit the Freer Gallery. Admission is free and it is located only a very short distance from the Smithsonian Metro station. To discover what the Freer Gallery has to offer, go to the website at http://www.asia.si.edu/collections/default.htm

Peter and the Wolf at the Kennedy Center

My husband and I took our grandson Christian to the Kennedy Center today to see a performance of "Peter and the Wolf." It was incredible!

After the performance, we met Maestro Mouse and took Christian's photo with him.

If you are interested in the children's book about Maestro Mouse, go to this website.
http://www.vspbooks.com/index.php?submenu=stars&src=gendocs&link=maestro&category=Our%20Stars
Maestro Mouse lost his baton and takes children on an adventure to find it. Along the way they learn all about the instruments of Maestro Mouse's orchestra.

Swimming in the Shallows at The Catalyst Theater

Actress Ellen Young

Last Saturday afternoon I went with my husband and a friend to a play at the Catalyst Theater. It was billed as a "screwball comedy." It was really very funny and very enjoyable. The name of the play is "Swimming in the Shallows" and it is about three couples. The first couple is a man and woman who are having a conflict over "things." The wife wants to eliminate most of her possessions because she feels weighed down by her material goods. (She has just discovered that Buddhist monks have a total of 8 possessions.) The second couple is a gay man and a shark from the local aquarium who have fallen in love. The third couple consists of two lesbians who decide to have a commitment ceremony. I highly recommend it. Tickets are only $10 a piece. The theater is located at 545 7th Street SE on Capitol Hill. My friend Ellen Young plays a prominent role in this play.

8th Annual Flamenco Festival

I love Flamenco. This year my husband took me to a performance on Valentine's Day. What a great evening! We saw Eva Yerbabuena and her company of 12 dancers and musicians at the Lisner Auditorium.

Chesapeake Presidential Primary: Making History

Voters in DC, Maryland, and Virginia are going to the polls today to vote in the Democratic and Republican presidential primaries. It is an historic occasion for Democrats.

Today I voted for a woman who is a very serious contender for the nomination. Andrea voted for an African American who is also a very serious contender for the nomination. Although we are "gently divided," we are both excited about casting historic votes for Hillary and Obama, respectively and respectfully.

May the best person win!

Credit: The term "gently divided" was coined by our dear friends in Kentucky, Nancy and Tom.

DC Dinner Club Meets at Pentagon Row

This evening we enjoyed another one of our wonderful get-togethers. Hillary and Obama dominated our conversation.

Christine, Mary, Michele, Jodi, and Synthia

A rich variety of delicious dishes

Another group photo minus the photographer

Lebanese Taverna: Pentagon Row

Next week I will be going to the Lebanese Taverna at Pentagon Row with my DC Dinner Club. I will report on the evening after the event. In the meantime, here are some photos to spark your curiosity.

Bertucci's in 2000 Penn

Today I had lunch at Bertucci's with my friend Gale. You can find this restaurant in the 2000 Penn Building on the GW campus. Gale ordered a two-cheese individual pizza and I had four-cheese ravioli. As you can see, the special color for the day was cool aqua!

P.F. Chang's Chinese Bistro

Two dear friends invited my husband and me to dine with them today at P.F. Chang's Chinese Bistro in Fairfax. We had a delightful time with stimulating conversation and delicious food.

Tom, Nancy, Chris, and Andrea

All of our starters and entrees were delicious but the most memorable part of the meal was the Great Wall of Chocolate dessert.

Ballet Folklorico Del Pacifico

Exiting the Family Theater

What an absolutely incredible performance by the Ballet Folklorico del Pacifico! I attended this performance in the Family Theater at the Kennedy Center yesterday with my grandson and my son. The music was forceful and exhilarating, the colors of the costumes were bright and delicious, the dancers were energetic and graceful. This group showcased Mexican dance traditions and the audience gave them an extremely vigorous round of applause at the end. Both adults and children were enthusiastic. I hope this group returns next year!
















Sitting on a couch in the Hall of States

The Phillips Collection

The Main Entrance to the Phillips Collection



The Phillips Collection: Impressionists by the Sea


I returned to the Phillips Collection to view the exhibit "The Impressionists by the Sea" again. I went with my friend Barbara (who refused to let me take her photograph). After viewing the exhibit, we had lunch in the Museum Cafe. The menu choices were limited, especially for vegetarians like me. I did have a delicious bowl of French onion soup, however.

Ansel Adams at the Corcoran

I also saw the Ansel Adams exhibit. Adams is huge in the field of photography. I like his photos. His best photos are his landscape photos. The 125 photos in this exhibit represent his work in the 1960s and 1970s.

It was an impressive exhibit but I much preferred the photographs of Annie Leibovitz. I think I prefer people to landscapes, at least in black-and-white photographs.

Annie Leibovitz at the Corcoran Gallery of Art

Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life 1990-2005

The Facade of the Corcoran

This morning I saw a marvelous exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery of Art that is located on 17th Street NW near the White House. It was Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life 1990-2005. Here is a description of the exhibit from the museum brochure:

From the very beginning of her career, Annie Leibovitz has redefined the modern celebrity portrait, altering the way we think about the people who populate our cultural landscape.

The exhibit includes more than 200 photographs. They show some of her well-known celebrity portraits as well as images of her own family and close friends. She emphasizes that she has one life, that her personal and her professional photographs are all part of this one life.

The photographs are stunning. I truly loved so many of them. One of my favorites was of a handsome, young Clinton in the Oval Office in 1992.

Here I am just before going into the Corcoran to see the exhibit.