Book Festival

The Library of Congress held their annual National Book Festival this past weekend at the Mall. I debated whether or not to go as it was kind of rainy all morning long. In the early afternoon I looked out and saw the sun shining on the Washington Monument and decided I'd just go (with my umbrella). It was nice and sunny when I walked to the Metro, when I got off on the other side it was raining. The festival was set up in very large tents though so it wasn't too bad. There were thousands of people there.

There were tents with authors speaking. Tents for book signings. Tents for book sales. But the ones that looked to be the most fun were the tents set up with activities for kids. There was one called the Pavilion of the States where you could find out about the literacy programs of each state. At this pavilion kids could get a map of the US and go around and collect stickers from each state to put on their maps. It looked like they were having a blast. Here's a picture of the New Mexico table. There was a Let's Read America pavilion that had activities and performances for kids from PBS kids' shows. And, Scholastic's Magic School Bus was there. I almost wish that I'd had little kids with me so that I could tour the bus. I looked around to see if there was a small child that I could borrow, but I didn't want to spend the rest of my weekend in handcuffs.

The Library of Congress pavilion was extremely interesting. The Library's collections are becoming more accessible with the new technologies available. You can now view some of the library's historical photographs on Flickr. Read about it here . And, check out some of the fun and educational activities at myLoc.gov. I can't wait to tour the LOC.

The sun did eventually come out. See all the tents? See all the people? See this beautiful rainbow over the Capitol?

My Pumpkin Patch

I'm not really growing pumpkins. Remember these orange fabrics I showed you before we left Albuquerque? Now that we are officially into fall, this past week I took a short break from my Thru Grandmother's Window blocks to get a little work done on a pumpkin quilt. The pattern is When the Frost in on the Pumpkin from the book Country Quilts for Friends by Margaret Peters and Anne Sutton.

I was only going to trace the pumpkins onto the background fabric. But then, I thought I might as well baste a few of the stems on so they'd be ready to go when I had a few minutes. Well, after doing that I just had to do a couple of the pumpkins to see how they'd look, right? Here are the first six:

I think they're going to be a lot of fun. The only problem I see is that the background fabric may show through on some of the lighter pumpkin fabrics. Once I have them all done and put together I may cut out the background fabric from behind the pumpkins. I don't usually do this when I appliqué, but will probably do it on this quilt. 

I wonder if I can actually have them done before fall is over. We'll see.

Huzzah!!

On Saturday we went to the Maryland Renaissance Festival.

We saw some great acts! Hilby, the Skinny German Juggle Boy is a comedian/juggler/unicycler/etc. He's a riot. Here's a picture of him juggling five balls. He also juggled a plunger, bowling pin and machete while riding a 6ft high unicycle. Worked into his act was a lot of local humor. He really was hilarious.

The London Broil  is an improv juggling/comedy troupe with three guys who've been performing together since high school. They were so funny and the juggling was amazing. I can't even imagine the hours spent practicing to be able to do the things they did. In the picture they are juggling machetes and "weapons of their own making" (circular saw blades lashed onto dowels of some sort) while balancing on a plank on top of a cylinder on top of wooden benches. Hard to tell from the picture, but they were passing the weapons to each other.

We also saw Johnny Fox (sword swallower/magician), Hack and Slash (improv comedy/swashbuckling swordplay) and Hypnotist Bob. I didn't get good pics of these, but they were all extremely entertaining.

We also went to see the joust. You have to have a joust at a renaissance festival, right? I didn't stay for all of it. It was a little too scripted and choreographed. Disappointing. The arena really wasn't large enough for a good joust either.

Other than that, we had a great time. This is definitely one of the better renaissance festivals I've attended. I told Rich that if we lived here permanently, we'd have to come every year and wear our own costumes. You should have seen that sigh of relief!

PLAY BALL!

After going to the opera at the stadium (and seeing how easy it was to get there), we thought it might be fun to take in a baseball game before the season ended. Normally we don't do things that keep us out late on a weeknight, but the Washington Nationals were playing the New York Mets. Four games. Monday through Thursday. Given what was going on at work, Rich decided that Thursday would be the best night to go.

In Albuquerque we try to hit an Isotopes game or two every season. We're not huge baseball fans, but it's a lot of fun. Well, this was a lot like going to an Isotopes game - but bigger. Bigger stadium. Bigger crowd.  Bigger entertainment. (Bigger ticket prices.) The brand new certified green Nationals Park stadium has a seating capacity of almost 42,000. Attendance was only about 60% that night though. The Nats lost (2-7) and have since clinched the last place spot in the National League.

We had a great time though.  We had good seats. Fireworks go off during the national anthem ("And the rockets red glaaaare, the bombs bursting in air"). Despite losing the Nats made some great plays. But one of the highlights was the Presidents Race in the middle of the 4th inning. I got a picture of Teddy Roosevelt as he was coming out of the gate (you can kind of see Abe Lincoln in the background) and right then my batteries decided to go. I got one more shot (blurry) of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and then the batteries died. Even if I'd had my spare set it would have been all over by the time I'd changed them. Oh well. Trust me. It was hilarious.

Maybe we'll try to get to another game next season in the spring.

Animated Shorts

The 5th Annual DC Shorts Film Festival was held this past week. There were 102 films being shown with several different categories for people to vote their favorites. I didn't attend any of the regular showcases (a group of 8-10 films), but they had a few free lunchtime showcases and I went to the Animation one on Wednesday. I got there early (45 minutes early) to find that the theatre wasn't even open yet! When they did open 20 minutes later, I was the only one in line. I was afraid that maybe I was in the wrong place. I wasn't.  People trickled in and when the films started there were only about two dozen people spread around the theater.

I thought I was going to be seeing a bunch of cartoons but couldn't have been more wrong. I'd never thought about the different types of animation that there are. Sure, there are the cartoons that we all watched on Saturday mornings as kids or the early Disney movies which were very detailed movie-length cartoons. But, there are other types of animation. I guess I knew they existed, but hadn't really thought about it much before. There's stop-motion which includes a whole variety of objects and techniques: cutout animation (Monty Python's Flying Circus), or claymation (Gumby), puppet animation (The Nightmare Before Christmas), etc. We all know about computer animation (Toy Story or Shrek). Plus there are so many ways to combine different techniques as well.

Anyway, the showcase included 10 different animated shorts. The shortest was just one minute long. The longest was 9 minutes. Some funny, some artsy, some thought-provoking. I was very impressed with the depth of these very short films and the variety of the techniques used to make them. Given the opportunity I will definitely attend another Short Film Festival and take in some of the other genres. It was fun.

A Patch of Blue

Time to catch up just a bit. On Tuesday, I went to the Textile Museum (they have museums here for everything!) to see an exhibit titled Blue. The exhibit starts out with a historical section and finishes with the works of five contemporary artists who use natural indigo dyes.

There is a 15-minute segment of a "documentary-in-the-making." The documentary is about the process of making blue dye from the indigo plant and showed two different methods (from two different parts of the world). I don't know much of anything about natural dyes and the dyeing process, but apparently using indigo is a challenge. Because of this, in many cultures blue-patterned cloth was reserved for people of status. In India, the dyes were of such quality that their textiles were used as currency for more than 500 years. In a part of Indonesia the process was kept secret and known only to a privileged family. Indigo plantations thrived in tropical climates and some even used slave labor.

Synthetic dyes became available about a hundred years ago and the demand for natural indigo dropped making indigo farming no longer profitable. With today's push to "go green" the use of natural dyes is becoming more popular. The artists in the exhibit explore traditional methods of indigo farming and dyeing.

Makes me want to go play with my collection of blue and white fabrics. But I can't. They're in Albuquerque. Sigh.

An Exciting Day

What made yesterday so exciting? Did I see a wonderful new exhibit? Take a tour? No, my library card came in the mail! I love going to the library. There's one just a couple of blocks away. Guess where I'm going later this afternoon?

That "Putting the world within reach" had me looking for a little poem I've seen about libraries:

I've traveled the world twice over,

Met the famous; saints and sinners,

Poets and artists, kings and queens,

Old stars and hopeful beginners,

I've been where no-one's been before,

Learned secrets from writers and cooks

All with one library ticket

To the wonderful world of books.

~ Anonymous ~

I also found this quote:

I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library. ~Jorge Luis Borges

A couple more about books and reading:

Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book.  ~Author Unknown

A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.  ~Chinese Proverb

Had enough?  Here's the last one:

You may have tangible wealth untold;

Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.

Richer than I you can never be -

I had a mother who read to me.

~Strickland Gillilan

Thanks Mom!

Opera in the Outfield

On Saturday, The Kennedy Center held their annual open house. They were offering free short performances of all different types throughout the day. We caught parts of a few of them. I was wanting to see one of the ballet ones that was starting just a few minutes after we got there, but the theatre was already full. And, the line was already out the door for the next one which wasn't starting until 2 hours later! I didn't see any ballet. We did get to walk around the center which is very beautiful. This 8-ft. bronze bust of John F. Kennedy sits in the Grand Foyer.

We also walked around outside the theatre. There is a terrace that faces the Potomac with beautiful views of Georgetown and The National Cathedral. There are also several sculptures scattered throughout. This one of Don Quixote was a gift from Madrid's Institute of Hispanic Culture that was presented when King Juan Carlos I visited during our bicentennial.

Later that night we attended the Washington National Opera's season opening performance of  Verdi's La Traviata. It was simulcast live at Washington Nationals Stadium on the scoreboard (and it was free!). We grabbed our lawn chairs and set up right behind 3rd base. I have no idea how many people attended, but there were literally thousands of people there. It was an absolutely wonderful performance. I know it's not the same as being there, but one thing I really like is that the camera does close-ups from angles that I wouldn't see if I were attending in person. Of course, it is a little strange to smell hot dogs, nachos and popcorn during the opera.

Some More Memorials

Another beautiful day yesterday, so I went to look at a few more memorials.

Here are some pictures of/from the Lincoln Memorial.

The Lincoln Memorial

Statue of Lincoln

Was lucky to get this without anyone standing in the way

From the Lincoln Memorial looking across the reflecting pool to the Washington Monument.

A few pics of the Korean War Veterans Memorial:

One of 19 soldiers

A view from the side

Wall of faces

As I was walking back toward the Washington Monument from the Korean War Memorial I found this tucked in among the trees. It's the District of Columbia War Memorial. It commemorates the citizens of DC who served in World War I. Had never heard of it before.

And, a memorial dedicated to John Paul Jones:

World War II Memorial and Washington Monument

The weather was so beautiful on Wednesday, that I decided I should be outdoors and headed for The National Mall. It's a great place to people watch. It was around lunch time and there were lots of people sight-seeing, strolling, power-walking, jogging, sitting on benches eating their lunch and just sitting on the grass soaking up the sun.

I hadn't been to any of the monuments or memorials yet and figured it was the perfect day for it.

Here are some pics from the World War II Memorial.

Looking through the WWII Memorial to the Lincoln Memorial

One of the entrances

One of 24 different bronze bas-relief panels

A pillar for every state and territory

Looking across

And, a few of/from the Washington Monument.

The Washington Monument

A statue of George inside the monument

The tile floor in front of the elevator

Facing north: The White House

Standing at a corner and looking up

This made me very dizzy!

Finally, A Place to Sew

Wow! Has it really been a whole week since I last posted? Where has the time gone?

Rich was in San Diego last week. Instead of sight-seeing I did a little driving around to get my bearings. I needed to find a good grocery store. The nearest one to the apartment is about a half mile walk. That's not too bad, but it's really more of a cross between a grocery store and a convenience store. Higher prices, smaller selection. There are five checkstands, four of which say, "15 items or less" over them. I have never seen a cashier at the fifth register. It's great when you just need a couple of things, but not the kind of place I want to do my weekly shopping. So, I spent a couple of days looking for things we were needing (not just groceries, other things too).

The next thing I'm going to need to find (and soon) is a place to get my hair cut. That could be a little tricky. There's a place close by that is listed on the 'net as being "moderately priced" and they charge $55 for a shampoo/cut/style. Ouch! I usually get my hair trimmed every 3-4 weeks. I'm still looking.

I've been doing some hand appliqué in the evenings and have finished another block from Thru Grandmother's Window. This makes number eight. You can see them all here.

I finally have my sewing machine set up! When I was in Long Beach at the quilt festival, I ordered a SewEzi table knowing that I didn't have a place to set up my machine at the apartment. Rich had already seen the apartment and knew that I wouldn't be able to use the dining room table. It's a round piece of glass that sits on a pedestal. Just leaning on it with both arms while reading the paper makes the glass flip up on the opposite side. Definitely wouldn't support a sewing machine.

So, it got here last week and was a real snap to put together. Here it is all set up with my sewing machine:

But wait! Now, it's a cutting table:

And there's more! Now, it's a light box:

And, when I have company, it folds up flat and will fit under the bed very nicely in its own carrying case.

Egg-cellent!

We went to breakfast yesterday at Eggspectation. They have a fun circus decor as their theme is "Les Cirques des Oeufs." They serve lots of things besides eggs, but they have more egg dishes on their menu than any other restaurant I've ever been to. I had an omelette, Rich had eggs benedict and Marcus had Eggwhat?, a signature dish. We all enjoyed our food, but the service wasn't so great.

Can you think of better door handles than these for a restaurant that serves lots and lots of eggs?

NSO Labor Day Concert

The National Symphony Orchestra held their annual Labor Day Concert on Sunday night on the west lawn of the Capitol Building. The event is free and is made possible by a grant from the US Department of the Interior and the National Park Service. They even handed out free water! We got there around 7:15pm and knowing that the concert started at 8pm , I thought we might have trouble finding a spot to set up our chairs. But no worries, there was plenty of room. This first picture was taken from about halfway between the stage and the end of the lawn area.

They played about 20 different selections starting out with the Star-Spangled Banner and finishing with Stars and Stripes Forever. Is that a requirement for outdoor concerts? My friend Anna, Kristina and I went to an outdoor concert by the Albuquerque Concert Band three weeks back and their concert started and ended with the same selections. They also played a lot of "fun" selections like Merrie Melodies, Seventy-Six Trombones, a medley of songs from South Pacific, the Theme from Jaws, The Chamber of Secrets, and Raiders of The Lost Ark.

As we were leaving I snapped this pic of the Capitol Building. I didn't think I'd get such a good nighttime pic. Getting out at the end of the concert was so easy. We folded up our chairs, walked to the Metro and we were home in no time. 

Mount Vernon

On Sunday, we went to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. If you go, get there early and plan on spending most of your day there. There is so much to see and do! We didn't get to see everything that we wanted to, but Rich and I bought annual passes (at a cost of two admissions, it is definitely worth it) and plan on returning. 

We toured the mansion, some of the outer buildings, walked through the upper and lower gardens, and saw his tomb. We also went through the Museum and Education Center. But, there is so much more! The pictures are of Rich and I in front of the mansion (great pic by Marcus) and  the piazza at the back of the mansion which extends the full length of the mansion and has a wonderful view of the Potomac. 

These last two pics are of the Spinning House. There are a lot of outer buildings - Slave Quarters, The Little Theater, Salt House, Gardener's House, Servants' Hall, Kitchen, Smoke House, Wash House, Coach House, Stable, Dung Repository and Greenhouse. We didn't even make it over to the Pioneer Farmer Site. And then just a short drive away is George Washington's Distillery and Gristmill.

There are special events that take place throughout the year. There's going to be an 18-Century Craft Fair in two weeks. Think I can talk Rich into going back so soon?