Jan & Dan Greet the World

Happy 4th!

2010-07-05T06:05:00.001-07:00

Blue skies over Washington, D.C. for the 4th? When was the last time that happened? I thought it was federal law that it MUST rain for the 4th. Not so. This year was beautiful, though a tad bit warm. Dan and I had a perfect curbside spot (literally sitting on the curb) across the street from the National Archives for the parade. Of course, the best part of the parade is the military groups, including the fife and drum corps. A close second this year was a bagpipe group playing, I am not making this up, the Marine Corps Hymn (you know, from the halls of Montezuma).

After the parade and a stop at our favorite frozen yogurt spot to cool off, we spent a little time at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. This year they are featuring Mexico and the pan-Asian cultures of the U.S. So it pretty much is like being home in SoCal. But to keep the theme going we had dinner at a very good Mexican restaurant right in the neighborhood, Rosa Mexicana. See? You can get good Mexican food east of the Mississippi!

Instead of fighting the crowds on the Mall we decided to go to the roof party at our building for the fireworks and that was a great decision.

You can see the Washington Monument on the left and the tower in the center is the Old Post Office Building. After the main fireworks were over we walked to the other side of the roof - the Capital side - and watched at least 20 other displays on the horizon. There are a LOT of fireworks in the DC area! Very, very cool.

Friday is Always a Good Day

2010-06-18T19:09:00.000-07:00

It occurred to me that my last post could have been about any place - the SAAM building is beautiful but it doesn't necessarily look uniquely like DC (at least the picture I put in).
Soooo. . . . .
See? We really are in DC!

A nice walk around the Mall late in the afternoon and a quick visit to one of my favorite gardens - right behind the Smithsonian castle. Yes, those are sego palms. I do not know how they keep them alive in the winter.

Real fun was in the evening. We got to see phenom pitcher for the Washington Nationals. We never thought we'd see a nearly sell-out crowd cheering baseball in Washington. But they certainly were.
And to really top it off, I ate a hot dog and it was everything I dreamed of. Aaaahhhh, America's pasttime.

Oh, by the way our absolute favorite form of transportation:

See? We can be green. Although it really is all about the convenience!

They're Baaaaaaack!

2010-06-17T18:31:00.000-07:00

OK, I made a promise to certain people (they know who they are) that I would resurrect my blog once we got to DC. To myself I have promised that I would eventually update last year's entries. I have good intentions to keep both promises. We'll see.

Anyway, here we are back at the Newseum Residences on Pennsylvania Avenue across the street from the National Gallery of Art. And it feels a little strange because it feels like we were here just last week when it has actually been over nine months. We've already eaten at two of our favorite places, Jaleo's which is a tapas restaurant a couple of blocks away and Chop't which is a great salad joint across from the arena where the Caps play - again just a few blocks away. Dan has been to the office and I dropped by today to see everyone including my good friend Lisa who now works at the Foundation.

I also spent an hour or so at the National Geographic Headquarters which is just about four blocks from Dan's office where they have a great display about Leonardo daVinci. There was a great daVinci quote, "There are three classes of people: Those who see. Those who see when they are shown. Those who do not see." I hope to be a person who sees this summer.

This evening we dropped by the Smithsonian American Art Museum which is very close by for "Take 5" their summer jazz concerts. They are in the courtyard of the building which a couple of years ago was covered with this amazing roof and has become one of the really spectacular indoor spaces in DC. The acoustics are wonderful. We sat and listened to a very good quintet and played cribbage. Dan won but only by two points!

Salaam

2009-11-10T04:56:00.001-08:00

We made it! It was a twelve hour flight from New York to Abu Dhabi which is one of the emirates in the United Arab Emirates. There are seven, actually, the most famous being Dubai. However, Abu Dhabi is working hard to catch up. The others are pretty quiet. Anyway, we spent only one night here but had a bit of a chance to walk around and enjoy the sights. As you can see, it looks like a city built by the water. It's just that in this case it's a city under construction by the Arabian Gulf.

Modern Abu Dhabi is COMPLETELY under construction. Literally. The traffic is horrendous because everything is torn up. Abu Dhabi has oil but its ruler has decided that since the oil will one day be gone they need to make sure their economy is built on more. So they have decided to become more like Dubai and turn to tourism and business. That means that it is a more open society than other muslim countries. Of course, religion still plays a big role. The sheikh who runs the emirate is building a spectacular mosque which which is not yet finished but it is something to behold.

We were told that a million people can fit inside. Remember, each person doesn't get a lot of space, room to kneel to pray, shoulder to shoulder, and there are multiple levels. Apparently the Qibla in Mecca can hold more than twice that amount. Everything inside comes from Italy or as it was stated, "only the very best and that means Italy."

Then it was off to Dubai. The plan was to hire a driver and drive the hour and a half along the Gulf to the neighboring emirate. In my mind I saw this as oh so romantic because I thought it would be a small road through the desert, camels munching on whatever grass they could find. You get the picture. Wrong. The drive was over a ten lane freeway and we couldn't see the water until we got to the new harbor in Dubai which is massive (the harbor). Dan says he saw a camel but I didn't so I think he was making it up.

If Abu Dhabi is a city under construction then Dubai is a city under construction on steroids. Everything is bigger and more oppulent (therefore better to the local way of thinking) than any place else in the world. In one day we:

1. Had breakfast at the world's only 7-star hotel, the Birj al Arab (birj is arabic for tower)

(OK, this picture is from the night before when we had dinner at a lovely restaurant on the beach which had an obviously spectacular view of the Birj. I would like to say that the big white ball is the moon - wouldn't that have been something - but it was a big bubble which was being used for a private event.)

This is looking straight up the tower. Everything inside is white or gold except for the unbelievable mosaics. It is so far over-the-top it's nuts. Not well said but I actually tried to come up with something better and simply couldn't!

I know this proves me wrong, not everything is white or gold but it IS amazing!

2. Visited what was the world's largest mall (until the Japanese beat them a little while ago). To call this place a mall is a bit like calling the Pacific Ocean the "Pond." There is a fountain that is three stories tall and several hundred feet long.

In case you can't tell what those things are, they are life-sized statues of divers. There must be a hundred throughout the fountain. We are not done.

Yes, there is a HUGE aquarium which you can walk through. And yes, there are lots of sharks. But we are still not done.

The mall boasts a full-size hockey rink. Yes, these people are genius. For some reason I can't find a photo so you must simply believe me.

3. Visited the construction site of the Birj Dubai which is the world's tallest building. There is no way to capture the entire building in a single photo at least from the position we were in but I gave it a good try.

I usually don't care for super modern architecture but this building is arresting. I have to say that it is really beautiful.

4. Yes, Gracie, we went to the ski slopes:

At a different mall (I am not kidding, it's at a mall) there is an indoor ski slope. We paid our ticket price, they gave us HUGE parkas, socks and boots and we rode to the top of the lift and back down again.

The fellow I'm sitting beside is a friend who, with his wife, has lived in Dubai for two years. Like Peter, all I could do was laugh the entire way up and the entire way back down. The thing is, it was over 90 degrees outside and COLD in here. It felt sort of like you were outside. OK, no comment from you Utah people. And yes, people were skiing, snow boarding, tubing, luging (how do you spell that?) and throwing snowballs.

5. Rode the water taxis across "the creek" which is the original harbor of old Dubai. This area is predominantly Indian and Indonesian and contains old souqs (markets), buddhist temples and hindu shrines.

The boats look like they are about three hundred years old (they probably are no more than 30 or 40 years), are made of wood, use a rope for steering and cost about 30 cents to ride. Since it was Friday (the Sabbath here) everyone was out so the boats were crowded. I was the only woman riding. We passed cargo boats which do carry goods on the Gulf (think there could be smuggling?) and on which people live. No, they don't look anymore sea worthy up close.

The streets in this area are very narrow and were packed with people, mostly men. There were a few women about, all dressed in their finest saris since they were going to the shrines. We purchased frankincense and myrrh at a little spice shop that also sold almonds which the proprietor was very proud to tell me came from California.

One exceptionally beautiful place here was an old Iranian style mosque.

(I think my favorite part of this picture is the chickens!) The entire facade of this building, it is quite tall, is a beautiful mosaic. A truly lovely place on a small, dusty square, surrounded by dilapidated buildings. A total surprise.

We did all this in one day and still made it the airport to catch the flight to Kuwait.

One last comment about Dubai. The citizens of the Emirate are called emiratis. We were told that they account for about 15% of the population and they are rarely, if ever, in areas where us regular folk are found. Seriously, they remain in closed neighborhoods. Even my Kuwaiti friends say this is true. That's us, the rabble.

New York, New York!

2009-11-10T04:31:00.000-08:00

OK, it isn't a great photo but you get the idea. This is from our hotel room on the 48th floor, overlooking Times Square. The thing is, our room had windows on three sides so in the morning this is what we could see:

The same view south
The view north (you can see Central Park)

And the view west. If you make the picture larger you can see the USS New York which arrived in the City that morning. It's the Navy ship which contains 7.5 tons of steel from the World Trade Center towers. It doesn't look like any ship you've ever seen. The com towers mast, whatever are encased in sheets of steel so it looks very strange. There were sailors and marines all over and the entire City was excited to have them there. It was very, very cool.

Tomorrow it's off on the big trek.

Heaven, I'm In Heaven . . .

2009-10-31T20:01:00.000-07:00

. . . and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak. Yeah, I know it's a bit lame but that is pretty much how I feel!

Friday night this is where we were:

Yes, that is in fact the F Street Entrance to the Verizon Center and obviously we are headed to a Caps game. That is Andrew H. on the left. He and Josh have been best friends since preschool. Spence came to town specifically to go to hockey games. So it was to be a great night. HOWEVER . . .

This is my ticket to the game. If you look closely, you will see that is for Section 190, Row A, seat 5. Dan and I were given tickets by friends who have season tickets through UBS. Yes, were were SITTING ON THE GLASS ! ! That made it a spectacular night! This is the view from my seat (sorry for the crummy quality, I had to use my cell phone for the picture):

The player with his back to us is Mike Knuble, new acquisition from the Flyers. The player facing is none other than the Great 8, Alex Ovechkin, the best player in the NHL. Yes, his head was slammed into the glass right in front of me! And, yes, I pounded on the glass. How can anyone not love this game? Dan and I had a ball. The boys had tickets up in the nose bleed seats so we spent a fair amount of time looking for them and waving like lunatics.

I AM NOT DONE YET ! !

Twenty-four hours later (that would be tonight) Dan and I were at:

For those unfamiliar with the fountain, it is on the river terrace at The Kennedy Center where we went to see the opera Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss. I know that I look in distress but I am actually trying to appear sophisticated which is remarkably painful for me. I bought tickets at the last minute thinking that I was buying seats on the far side. We ended up second row center. I know those aren't supposed to be great seats but we loved them. Three very good sopranos, one of whom was actually excellent and one amazing. Unfortunate tenor. It happens. Poor guy wasn't even the understudy but got thrown into the role tonight for some reason and just couldn't handle it. But the rest were quite good and the production was great. I still struggle with German opera but I'm trying to learn.

So, that's the perfect weekend for me, front row seats at hockey and nearly front row seats at the opera. It doesn't get much better than that.

Escape From Alcatraz? No, Just From Florida

2009-10-29T18:26:00.000-07:00

OK, maybe that's overstating it just a little bit but I REALLY do not like Florida. I never have. We spent two days in West Palm Beach visiting a close friend and I must admit that every time I am in southern Florida it is reconfirmed to me just how much I dislike it. In fact, I played a little game with myself while flying out of Ft. Lauderdale: "What Horrible Place Would I Rather Live In BEFORE Willingly Moving To Florida?" My answers:

1. St. George, Utah (sorry Lori)

2. Phoenix, Arizona

3. Flint, Michigan (I probably would put Detroit lower than Florida but since I've never been there I don't really know)

4. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

5. Buffalo, New York (Upstate New York is gorgeous, it's just colder than the dark side of the moon)

Anyway, we made it out alive and are now enjoying Washington, D.C. in my favorite time of year, autumn.

This is looking over the Potomac River from a foot bridge that crosses to Roosevelt Island. That's Georgetown in the distance, the spires of the University on the left and the towers of the National Cathedral on the right.

All I can say is that it is just a little cool and it smells the way autumn should!

First Stop

2009-10-25T19:50:00.000-07:00

GREETINGS FROM . . .
No, Paris is one place we are NOT going. Hello from Las Vegas, first stop of a long trip. It has been a successful start to our adventure. Meetings for Do The Write Thing went very well and it was so fun to see old friends from all over the country. Especially fun is that my good, good friend Lisa is now starting work with the Program which means that she will be at all the meetings!

And a chance to see my friend Pat who is the DA of Houston and the toughest woman I have even known (and the biggest sweetheart).

So, tomorrow it's an early flight to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. See you in West Palm.

Aloha!

2009-10-23T11:09:00.001-07:00

It may not look like the Hawaii you think of, but Hawaii it is - Kapalua Bay on the northwest side of Maui. We took a luxury vacation on the cheap, an absolutely beautiful condo at the new Ritz Carleton Golf club which Dan received for playing in a golf tournament earlier this year and free tickets using points on United. What could be better?

Dan played golf four days in a row and was happy as the proverbial clam. I joined him once for a drive around a beautiful course that is part of the Ritz. Yes, the wind is blowing so hard that the pin is bending. There were times when it was difficult to stand up straight! We were told that it was very early in the year for such hard winds. I spent my free time doing my favorite thing - reading by the pool.

A real treat was a trip to the center of the island, up in the mountains to visit the Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm. I stood on the slopes there and decided that this is one of the places I could move to in a flash, as long as I could live, literally, on the farm.

Believe it or not, this is an avocado tree that has been pruned to grow like this. I love the old guy who runs the farm. He didn't know a thing about growing lavender or avocados for that matter, but just started experimenting. He grows about 50 different varieties of lavender and has great success. Not so much with the avocados. The severe pruning, which was does in an effort to facilitate harvesting, threw the trees into shock and they haven't produced any fruit. Gotta love an "experimenter" though.

The last day we took the Road to Hana drive which is truly one of the great drives on the planet.

With something like 54 one lane bridges and over 200 switchback curves it is a driving challenge, which we not only completed in the daylight but in the dead of night as well. Actually Dan did all the driving so he gets all the credit.

We went to Hana to see the new place that Dan's nephew, Rob Reynolds, bought there.

Yep, the view off the balcony. They are redoing the house but the grounds are spectacular. I think it's 7.5 acres and includes a 9-hole golf course. The Killers are doing pretty well! (Oh, Rob is the rock band's manager/lawyer.)

All in all, a wonderful six days. Dan has decided though that based on the luau we went to with the food and the dancing that next time he is going to Tahiti. He really liked those costumes!

I'm Still Here - Just Being Quiet

2009-10-21T18:26:00.000-07:00

No, we have not kicked the bucket. We just got back to La Quinta at the beginning of September and things really haven't slowed down. How can there be so much to catch up? I mean, I get Dan being busy but, really, what am I doing that is all that challenging?

I do have a couple of things to put in before the next trip so I'll get to it - especially since we are leaving in two days!

A Last Hurrah

2009-08-31T13:18:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready to leave D.C. but in keeping with last year's precedent Dan, Josh and I went to Wolftrap before leaving. Last year was Les Miserables. Wonderful but THIS year was the Wolftrap Orchestra, Washington Chorus and and enormous screen showing:

Yes, we watched The Two Towers with LOTS of fans who love the movie, the characters, the music, anything that could induce applause.

These are only a few of the fans (dare I say nuts?) who sat IN THE RAIN FOR THREE HOURS to see this performance. You have to admire this kind of dedication. We, of course, were not crazy enough to sit outside in the rain, we paid extra to sit inside to see a movie we have seen countless times.

DO NOT GET ME WRONG. We (at least Josh and I) loved it! I had no idea that there was so much music in this movie. The orchestra played almost non-stop and it was wonderful. The soloists were great. One was a boy who looked to be about nine years old. He had an unbelievably pure voice. How many kids do you know who can stand up, in front of a full orchestra and 3,000 people and belt out lyrics in elvish?

What a great idea. We (at least Josh and I) would definitely be up for Return of the King!

Beantown Retreat

2009-08-31T12:21:00.000-07:00

Following the quick trip to NYC we spent four days in Boston - a place we have not been for twenty years. How is that even possible that someone who lived so long on the east coast never went to such a great city?

We stayed at the Marriott Custom House, a beautiful old building in downtown Boston, right by the harbor. There are actually peregrine falcons that live at the top of the tower which we really wanted to see but since it is not nesting season they were rarely there.

That's the Custom House, the building with the pointy tower right in the middle and the falcons' nest is in the topmost window. The guest rooms are all in the tower and have wonderful views.

One of our favorite places was North Boston which is Little Italy where there are great restaurants, naturally, and bakeries and grocery stores that sell the same stuff you can buy in Italy. We did run into a hard rain storm while there and since Dan had not brought along his cap or raincoat he ran into a store and came out with this:

Yes, I walked around with a man wearing that hat.

Some of our favorite places:

Yep, that's a "Don't Tread On Me" flag on the right!

Mike's Pastry in Little Italy. You have to love a bakery with a picture of the Virgin Mary over the counter. The chocolate chip canolis are supposedly to die for. I wouldn't know because I was traveling with Dan.

The swan lake in Boston Common. That is a little boat in the distance which is propelled by. . .

the guy in the back sitting behind the swan. I have no idea how he is able to do that but since there are several of these boats on the lake apparently it works quite well!

Close by the swan lake is a special statue done in the 80s memorializing "Make Way For Ducklings:"
Boston Public Library is an amazing place:

Look closely and you can just make out Dan getting ready to pull a Mussolini pose. Who would not want to study here?

And, of course, no trip to Boston in the summer would be complete without a visit to the Mecca of all baseball:

Oh, and some of us have better "cap-fashion sense" than others:

What a great place, beauty and seemingly endless history.

The last day we were there I sat on a bench in The Common and enjoyed this view:

I looked down and this little brass plaque was set into the cement the bench was on:

You have to love a city like this!

A Quick Trip To NYC

2009-08-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

We took a very quick trip to New York to meet Tracy and Sherrie Ann. (Trace is Dan's brother, the cardiologist from Nashville.)

I know it doesn't look it but we were having a wonderful time having a breakfast picnic on the walking/bike path that runs along the Hudson River from Battery Park up to the Irish Memorial at the financial district. This is what we were looking at:

Speaking of the Irish Memorial, it's one of our favorite places in Manhattan. It sits right on the River, between skyscrapers, at the western end of the financial district. All the stones, plants, rocks come from Ireland, including the stone cottage which was brought over and rebuilt there. It really is an amazing place.
Unfortunately I didn't get a great shot of the park, but this is the view looking east. Oh, I did get a good picture of Sherrie:
If she ever sees this, she will kill me. But hopefully she'll laugh first. Sherrie is a true Steele Magnolia and I love her to death!

The only bad part of the trip was that we were all the way to Boston when Dan realized that he had left his blazer, slacks and his best dress shirt (in my opinion) in the hotel closet. Six phone calls later the hotel staff insists they were never turned in. Curse Sheraton!

I Almost Forgot

2009-08-21T04:40:00.000-07:00

Well, actually I did forget.

This one's for you, Aby.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a Pig!

2009-08-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

(You're going to have to stick with this to find out about "the pig.")

Of all things, a baby shower brought us to one of our favorite places after way too long a time.

One of the ladies who works in the Foundation office is expecting and a surprise shower was planned for her and her husband at Keswick Country Club in Charlottesville. So last Saturday found us winding our way through the beautiful countryside of central Virginia.

The thing is, Keswick was the home course for St. Anne's Belfield golf team when Rob played as their #1 player when he was a freshman in high school. What a treat to be there again. Keswick is an absolutely gorgeous hotel and club that used to be owned by Laura Ashley's son of all people. What a beautiful afternoon.

Following the baby shower, Dan, Josh and I drove from Charlottesville to Wintergreen for the first time since selling the house we used to have on the mountain. How many memeories can flood your mind in a one hour drive?

Wintergreen is where we had a vacation home for many years, used both in summer and winter. We also lived there for one full year following 9/11.

No, our house was on top of the mountain but Wintergreen includes both mountain and valley and the golf course in the valley is truly beautiful.

The house at 18 Coopers Vantage has been given lots of love and attention by its new owners, a new roof, new kitchen, new furniture and PAVED driveways. Can't say that I cared too much for that, after all it is supposed to be a mountain house! But it looks good.

OK, here's the deal. We ate two actual meals while at Wintergreen (the rest was just snacks at the golf course) and BOTH were at:

Yep, the Blue Ridge Pig. Nellysford, VA's own 4 star dining shack. Nobody does southern bar-be-que and dill potato salad like Strawberry at The Pig. (Yes, the owner's name is, in fact, Strawberry.) And it has not changed one bit.

Somewhere on one of those walls is Dan's old business card from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in DC. It smells just as wonderful when you walk through the door and the limeaids are just as refreshing as ever on a hot summer day and the dill potato salad is still to die for. Pictures were taken and immediately sent to Daniel and Rob who were suitably jealous (via email). We have all agreed that someday the Callister Clan will hold a family reunion in Nellysford and the only planned activity will be eating at The Pig.

Macleod AKA Mac

2009-08-11T19:58:00.000-07:00

It has taken over two weeks to be able to write this post. Our dog, Mac, who has been with us for 16 years was struck by a rattlesnake in out backyard in La Quinta. Even though Spencer got him to the doctor right away and everything possible was done, Mac didn't make it. In the middle of the night, laying next to Spence, Mac stopped breathing and a very real part of our family was gone.

It's amazing how pets become so much more than animals. Mac was one of "the boys." He certainly considered himself one of the humans in the house and, at least to his way of thinking, he was in charge.

That's it. Maybe some day I'll write down more memories of the Best Dog Ever, but no-can-do now.

Start Spreading The News

2009-08-04T18:02:00.000-07:00

This weekend I FINALLY made it to New York with my friend Lisa. We have been planning plans and changing plans all summer and this weekend we hopped in her car and drove to the Big Apple. Lisa is the most intrepid drive I know. Nothing scares her, not even New York cab drivers during rush hour!

First stop, The Cloisters. Built by Rockefeller to house his collection of early monastic art it is truly a beautiful place at the north end of the island. Of course, with a day as beautiful as last Saturday, it was a real treat.

It isn't all that often that the view of the Hudson River is this perfect, but this is the view from one of the courtyards at The Cloisters.

Then shopping in Chinatown and Little Italy then a walk I have never taken . . .

. . . yep, right across the Brooklyn Bridge. What a view! It was such a beautiful day that literally thousands of people were walking or biking from Manhattan to Brooklyn (or the other way around!). There is a level above the cars for walking or biking and it was full.

Final stop of the day was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art which is open late on Fridays and Saturdays during the summer. Lisa wanted to show me something special but wouldn't tell me what it was. We got there at about 8 p.m. and took an elevator hidden in the far recesses of the building to the roof and this is what we saw:
It is a very large metal sculpture titled Maelstrom and it is massive and wonderful. However, the truly amazing thing was the view:

It was a spectacular sunset and moonrise right there in the middle of Central Park.

In an effort to see some paintings that we are all familiar with, Christ in Gethsemane and Christ and the Rich Young Lord, we went to Riverside Church Sunday morning and found ourselves in the middle of a very unique service. They were saying goodbye to their senior pastor, "dissolving the covenant," according to the program notes.

We were told that the only time the paintings were on display were at the one and only tour offered after Sunday Service. However, this was a special Sunday. Long story short, the meeting went on for three hours and we were not allowed to see the painting about the rich young man. But it was a learning experience! I know this picture shows an empty nave but it was taken after everyone left, there were over two thousand people at this service!

Oh, we also walked to Columbia University campus which is right by Riverside Church, so that I could show Lisa where I worked when Dan was in law school.

Good old Low Library. Every time I am on that campus I hear Dan Akroyd telling Bill Murray that he knows "the public sector . . . they expect results."

One more notable stop:

I felt it my grandmotherly duty to go to the shrine of every girl (apparently) under the age of 12. Right there on Fifth Avenue, across the street from Rockefeller Center. I was amazed at the number of young girls and their moms who were there at 6:30 on a Sunday night. This business is definitely NOT suffering from a recession!

Capri, this one's for you!

A walk down Fifth to Bryant Park, behind the New York Public Library, and a good long rest.

Next day, lots of shopping on Madison and 3rd Avenues and a late lunch at a wonderful little Italian restaurant before driving back to DC.

I LOVE NEW YORK ! ! !

Maryland Is for Crabs

2009-07-25T17:40:00.002-07:00

Virginia is for lovers (so the State tourist office says) but Maryland is definitely for crabs. So . . .

It seemed the thing to do, to take Josh and Erin and Natalie to the Eastern Shore (that's past Annapolis, with a stop for breakfast at Chick and Ruth's Deli, over the Bay Bridge across the northern Chesapeake Bay) to St. Michaels for crab at our old haunt, The Crab Claw.

It hasn't changed at all, still great seafood in the perfect setting. After all, this was the view out the window by our table:

And this was the view of our table before the hammers and knives started to work:

Yep, those are Chesapeake blue crabs boiled, spiced with Old Bay Seasoning and ready to go.

All that's needed is a lesson in "cracking" which Josh handled quite handily. Of course, Erin and Natalie, being true desert rats had to get over their initial reaction:

But being quick studies they quickly got into the spirit of it all and became quite adept; they did an excellent job keeping up with Dan and Josh! Oh, there was also steamed, spicy shrimp - you gotta love the Chesapeake!

Coast To Coast For a Picnic . . .

2009-07-13T16:49:00.001-07:00

. . . and it was totally worth it!

I went west (to Oregon) for the annual picnic with "The Fam" and had a GREAT time. It was so terrific to catch up, check up and generally be amazed at how much all the kids had grown.

A special treat was listening to James, my brother Jimmy's son, playing Stairway To Heaven. couldn't have been a better choice!

Great food, fun games, pinatas and people with talent! What could be better?

Being able to spend some time with my brothers! How did I get so lucky to have such amazing guys in my life?

Happy Birthday, Josh!

2009-07-12T20:27:00.001-07:00

It was a VERY good birthday dinner at Maggiano's at Friendship Heights - remember, Aby?
The Italian food was great, but the cake from Baked and Wired was incredible!

Yes, Spence was in town to celebrate as well as Erin and all the interns at KAF.

HAPPY B'DAY, J!

Hooray For The Red, White and Blue!

2009-07-05T18:08:00.000-07:00

It was the first non-rain 4th of July in Washington DC for a few years and we decided to spend it with a few of our closest friends:

We were joined by Erin, Danny's girlfriend, fresh from her semester abroad in New Zealand and friend Natalie. Both are interns at Do The Write Thing this summer. Very fun to have two DC novices to share the 4th with.

Dan and I started the day at the National Archives where "George Washington" and "Thomas Jefferson" read the Declaration of Independence. The end of the program is a great rendition of God Bless America with thousands of people singing. Yes, I got very misty eyed.

The picture of the man to the left of the podium is actually a screen image of the man who led the singing. He had a FABULOUS voice.

We were also part of the throng on Constitution Avenue watching the parade. The best? No doubt about it, the representatives of every branch of the military followed by the Continental Fife and Drum Corp.

A Shakespearean Rant

2009-06-30T19:13:00.000-07:00

I am not trying to scare anyone but this is the cover of the playbill from the play we went to the other night:

OK, King Lear is perhaps my favorite play by Shakespeare. The weird thing is that I have only seen it once, the film version done in the 60s starring Paul Scofield. I was in college at BYU and saw it for extra credit when I was taking my Shakespeare class. Anyway, I felt like I had been hit by a truck when that film ended. I have read it again several times but the thing is just so dark, so emotionally difficult that it just isn't staged all that much. HOWEVER, last summer I saw that the Shakespeare Theater Company here in DC was staging it this summer and was really excited. Dan gave me tickets for my birthday and off Dan, Josh and I went.

Why is it that directors feel they must "put their own stamp" on Shakespeare? Why must they think they have to improve something that is arguably perfect already? This director decided to set his play in modern day Russia, full of Russian thugs with knives, automatic weapons, fur coats, modern music, vodka, and lots of cigarette smoking. I can't remember ever seeing nudity in Shakespeare before. I am certainly glad I was not sitting in the first row. I was so busy watching what the director was doing that I missed the play. It is amazing to me that the play I saw so long ago and had so profound a reaction to could have so many laughs in it now.

Sorry, I just had to get it off my chest. Apparently I am very much in the minority, the critics here liked it. I am parochial, I guess. I prefer to think that I am just a real fan of the Bard.

The (Nearly) Annual Pilgrimage

2009-06-28T19:31:00.001-07:00

You can't be in D.C., call yourself an American and not make the trek to Mount Vernon. Of course, that's just my opinion. I know I have a couple of kids who may not agree 100% with me (being Thomas Jefferson fans) but for me, there was no one in American history who comes close to George Washington. So, the yearly drive to Mount Vernon is a must.

Washington once said that there is no place on earth he would rather be than Mount Vernon. With a view like this who could disagree? Of course, the man had spent most of his life away from his home fighting the Brits AND Congress and no place is more peaceful even with thousands of tourists wandering around.

Honestly, I love this place. If I was rich and powerful and could have my way I would be one of the members of the Mount Vernon Ladies Society. There is one Vice Regent from every state and one Regent in the Society and they run everything. MV is not owned by the government. It was purchased in 1853 or so by a group of ladies who thought that it was insane that the home of Washington had fallen into such disrepair. Since then the Society has done a really fabulous job. They have purchased several hundred surrounding acres, restablished the working plantation, worked to control development on the Maryland side of the Potomac so that the view from MV would stay much the same as in Washington's day, had really excellent museums built on site. They have done an impressive job. I know, I know. I'm a little nuts on this point.

Besides, there is a lane there that is bordered by magnolia trees - an ENTIRE lane!

A Golf Course Called Stonewall

2009-06-22T21:23:00.001-07:00

In my opinion all golf courses should have a Civil War cannon in front of the pro shop.

For Father's Day, Dan wanted nothing so much as a round of golf - anywhere he could get a tee time. He was lucky and found a public course in Gainesville VA called Stonewall Golf Club at Manassas. Yep, the same place you think of when you think of Stonewall Jackson (if, of course, you ever think about Stonewall Jackson). Wow, this was a beautiful course, not in the La Quita style but in an east coast golf course style.

And yes, being the loving wife, I drove the cart for all 18 holes. Of course, I did have my Kindle with me. I'm not completely crazy.

Saturday at the Western Shore

2009-06-21T19:12:00.000-07:00

It isn't a good picture of the map of the area but you can get the idea. Drive south from DC to the Western Shore of Maryland and you will eventually get to St. Mary's City. It isn't much of a city, not to say that it isn't charming but it is quite small. The thing is it was settled quite some time ago - 375 years - to be exact. We know this because Saturday was the celebration and we decided to go. So off we went and made a wonderful discovery. We lived here for almost 24 years and never knew that there was an Amish settlement there. We happened on a great farmer's market and bought sweet corn right from the field and the best tomatoes I've ever had.

Look through the stand and you can see the horses that pulled the wagon that hauled the corn, beans, tomatoes, squash . . sounds like a Sesame Street song!

The thing is, this was the best part of the trip. The weather held until we actually got the St. Mary's whereupon the wrath of God was unloosed and I think half of the Chesapeake Bay was dumped on us. No photos, too much rain, lightening and black, black clouds to take any. How in the world did the people who settled there 375 years ago make it?

Good Times, Old Friends

2009-06-15T14:32:00.001-07:00

The kids won't believe that these boys actually belong to Marianna and Ivan Ducic, some of our dearest friends in Virginia. Daniel is 11 and Tony is 8 (go ahead, fall over Aby!). It was a fun Sunday afternoon watching the boys play soccer and being amazed at how incredibly fast time flies. We haven't seen Danny and Tony for several years since every summer they are gone to Croatia to stay with family. so we were amazed with the change!

It's Only Fair Play

2009-06-13T20:03:00.001-07:00

Well, we went south for a few days so it was only right that we go north for at least one day. Amish country in Pennsylvania is really only a couple hours drive through the beautiful green countryside of Maryland into Pennsylvania to the area just east of Lancaster. Lots of horses, buggies, apple deserts, home canned items and quilts, quilts, quilts! I hope the kids remember some of the trips we took there when they were young - Strasbourg Railroad, Dutch Blitz? Anyway, Dan had a good time eating his way through it all!

Parking lot at the grocery store in Leola, PA. I am not kidding, cars out in front, buggies on the side.

One of our favorite stores in Bird-in-Hand, PA, seriously that's the real name. This store goes on forever full of all kinds of stuff. Look closely through the buggy windows - yep, it's Dan.

Quilt store in Intercourse, PA. Nope, not kidding. This place is just wonderful, gazillions of quilts for sale, fabric, books, lots of extras and a "quilt museum" to boot.

This was the most amazing quilt I've ever seen. It was hanging in the display area - definitely not for sale. It has won numerous national awards and it is certainly clear why. Even Dan was impressed and that says something. He is not a real fan but was a good sport.

Last, but not least. the farms are beautiful. If you look super closely you can see a man, a wagon and a team of horses working. The Amish use no motors, electricity or anything that is part of a modern world. And we think that the Church makes demands on us.

Petersburg National Battlefield

2009-06-12T20:51:00.000-07:00

On the drive back to DC from Durham, NC we took a couple of hours to stop at the Civil War battlefield at Petersburg, Virginia. I knew that Petersburg had been a very important area in the War but I didn't know all that had gone on there. Nearly ten months of battles, skirmishes, and seige played out there. It always amazes me, when visiting a Civil War site, how calm the place seems. Petersburg was particularly so. The sky was blue and the birds were singing. It is hard to imagine what went on there 145 years ago.

There is a very large cemetery full of graves from the period. Not all are Confederate soldiers, but there were a fair number.

Perhaps the GREATEST NAME EVER! Besides I couldn't resist a pisture of the marker. After all, my maiden name is Page.

2009-06-12T19:59:00.000-07:00

I found it! I found the house I want above all others I have ever seen. It is absolutely perfect, wonderful wrap around porch, great windows made for window seats, beautiful trees. The only problem? The house is located in Oxford, NC. I know that for the citizens of Oxford, NC that is not a problem. But for Dan and Jan Callister it poses an insurmountable obstacle. But I can still pretend, right? Oh, I could have rocking chairs on the porch!

For some reason there are several blocks in the town, which by the way is quite small and not particularly near any large town, which have the most wonderful old Victorian homes. There are magnolia trees in the front yards! I LOVE magnolia trees in front yards.

Was I meant to be a southerner?

A Quick Trip South

2009-06-10T16:08:00.000-07:00

Dan has some meetings to take care of at Duke University so I am tagging along. We are staying at the Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club which is basically located across the street from Duke. What a beautiful place! We have never been down here before but it is charming. I know I am
disappointing Spence, who hates Duke for all those pesky collegiate wins, but such is the truth.

The Inn is also lovely with a very nice course. While Dan was playing golf I took the opportunity to sit in a wonderful adirondack chair and enjoy Mansfield Park by Jane Austin.

The view from my very chair! If you look closely you can see the humidity.

Sunday Afternoon

2009-06-07T15:46:00.001-07:00

Ah, Sunday. Especially a sunny Sunday. A perfect opportunity to take a few pics from the rooftop patio of our building. See why we love it?

From the other side:

And finally, if you look VERY close, you can see the sign for the Verizon Center - yes, the home of my Caps. Oh, if only hockey season were still on.

And so, we prepare for a week of rain. At least we had Sunday afternoon!

Saturday's Walk

2009-06-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

Finally, a day with no rain! The sky was overcast, yes, but at least IT DIDN'T RAIN. So, what else is Saturday for but a good, solid walk? First across the street past the remnants of the Run For The Cure set-up on the Mall.

It was about a two mile walk from our apartment to the Eastern Market on Capital Hill. (See Becky and Lori - I can walk a long way just not as fast as you!) The Eastern Market was established in 1876 and has been going all that time. It's a great place for just about anything you can imagine.

There is an indoor market with absolutely the best meat and produce in DC - bakery, too.

And, of course, Dan's favorite activity at any street fair is eating. Yes. he is eating here, not preparing to rob a store.

And, we discovered that there is a Metro stop for the Market which we took back to the Smithsonian. Then a very pleasant walk back home which included a stop at one of my favorite places in DC, the National Gallery Sculpture Garden.

All in all, a good Saturday!

Happy Birthday To Me?

2009-06-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

Well, it had to happen. I mean, the calendar, as well as the clock is relentless. It was my birthday today. I am old. I really do not like it. However, I was feted and that is always a good thing. A brief description:

1. Last things first: Final picture of the day, walking home up Pennsylvania Avenue, in front of the National Archives. I am nearly old enough to warrant a permanent display there.

2. Dinner at Central: New, excellent restaurant in DC. Dan, Josh and I could not have been happier with our dessert choice. This, my friends, is the way God intended banana splits to be served. May I say it was fabulous?!

3. I did have a party in Kansas City with the original party kids. It was my first ever Teddy Bear Birthday and we did have fun, from the treasure hunt which resulted in prizes for all (at least those under the age of 6) to teddy bear cupcakes made ala my favorite flavor, German chocolate:

Yep, if a person didn't have to get older, birthdays would be pretty sweet.

Oh, this is another view from the corner of the block where I live:

That's the back door of the national Gallery of Art.

I Wasn't Kidding

2009-06-01T17:06:00.001-07:00

When I told everyone back in La Quinta that D.C. has gone "ObamaMad" I wasn't making it up. This is the front door of our next door neighbor. I can promise that I have never seen ANY pictures of ANY other presidents on ANY doors. Ever.

However, our first day in DC is nearly complete. Late afternoon arrival, walk around the neighborhood, dinner at Dan's favorite salad place, "Chop't" and a walk around the Mall.

Softball season is back! Here, the interns from Senator So-and-so's office versus the interns from the Agency For Creative Budgeting. It is very serious business, almost as serious as the kickball games going on closer to the Capital.

By the way, this is the corner of the street where we live!

Change Is A Good Thing, Right?

2009-05-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

I am a terrible blogger as is plainly evident.

However, starting today I will try to do better. We are out the door for the summer so maybe I will have something to blog about for the next few months.

First stop, Las Vegas, always fertile ground. Then on to Kansas City, prepare for pics of grandchildren. Finally, DC on June 1.

You will probably miss the good old days of no posts.

Eat Your Heart Out , Aby

2009-05-10T19:12:00.001-07:00

When I got home from Cabo, this is what was waiting for me in the "garden." My garden consists of eight tomato plants along the side of the house.

Guess what we had for dinner that night!

Come Sail Away . . .

2009-05-10T18:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, we've been in Cabo again this spring. Yes, it may be a little excessive but what can I say, I really don't feel guilty! We went this time with three other couples, the Johnsons from Washington, D.C., the Hildebrandts from SLC (previously DC) and the Ferrins from SLC. I can say as an absolute fact that a good time was had by all.

Highlights? The afternoon spent sailing and snorkeling. The great surprise is that while I did not snorkle, I actually swam in the ocean which all of the Callister children know is a first for me. Dennis, the captain, provided a good grilled chicken dinner which tasted all the better for being served on board while anchored off "Lovers' Beach" at sunset.

And no, none of us came home with swine flu although both of the Johnsons had to stay home for a week before they permitted to go back to the office. Yep, they were both placed in quarantine! What has happened to our somewhat sane country?

You Have To Support The Team, Man

2009-04-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

Well, Dan, Josh and I went to game one of the Capitals/Rangers playoff series at the Verizon Center in DC. Yes, I am wearing my Rock The Red hoodie and could not resist the opportunity to show my love for the Caps. The hockey gods were not with us tonight, the Caps lost 4 - 3 thanks to stinky goal tending. BUT hope is not dead. I shall be screaming this Saturday afternoon at the sports bar close to Josh's house right before we leave to go listen to Elder Eyring speak at the BYU Management Society dinner. Ah, you gotta love DC.

When Dan's Away

2009-04-11T19:20:00.000-07:00

Dan has been out of town for three weeks now and I am going a little stir crazy. This is confirmed by my participation in the La Quinta Ward talent show last night. I was asked by the powers that be (Becky Jones and Lori Jackman) to be the lounge singer act and I very foolishly agreed. Anyway, my accompanist Eddie, NimbleKnuckles, Costanza (aka Jordan Honeycut) and I performed Stardust on the Prairie. For you who are unfamiliar with the world of lounge singing that would be the music of Stardust and the words from Pioneer Children Sang As They Walked.

It is a good thing that I'm meeting Dan in DC on Monday night.

Great Presents Can Soften The Blow

2009-03-16T17:56:00.000-07:00

One of us turned 60 a few days ago. I won't say which one of us. I will say that I am a lot younger than Dan. A LOT younger.

However, the pain was alleviated somewhat by some truly great presents.

First, the girls at Dan's office in DC sent him a Kindle 2. For those who are not true citizens of the 21st century a Kindle is an electronic book which can receive downloads directly from Amazon of literally hundreds of thousands of books, no computer required. It is the greatest thing ever and something which Dan and I regularly fight over using.

Second, John Nelson did all the work to set up Skype for Dan. He downloaded the program on my computer and bought the camera needed for Aby's. It was a very surprised and excited Dan who got his first video call at 11:00 am on his birthday from the three cutest kids in the world. Since then we have made fabulous use of Skype by watching Capri and Rome play Rock Band. They are both drummers although Capri actually sings as well. I still haven't figured that out since she cannot technically read.

Third, Josh made a surprise 36 hour visit to La Quinta. He arrived late Friday night, well after Dan was asleep and nearly gave his father a heart attack the next morning. He had to get back to DC Sunday but it was great to have him here no matter how short the stay.

Finally, Dan and I spent four days in Vegas seeing family and playing golf. It was a treat for me as well since we stayed in my favorite hotel, the Encore, where I would gladly live. Golf for me consists of riding in the cart and taking pictures which was quite delightful since one of the courses he played was Wolf Creek in Mesquite. It is really exceptionally beautiful.

All in all, I think it was a good birthday. It was certainly a good string of gifts!

Let The Celebration Begin

2009-03-05T10:12:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Aby, I am finally a member of the 21st century population. Apparently you are not actually a person unless and until you have a blog. So, contrary to what Dan says, I AM PEOPLE! (Considering my size, I may be two or three people.) While you may not initially be inclined to set off fireworks just because I am now a "blogger," I vote for good times whenever the least of reasons presents itself and this is just possibly the least of reasons.

I have a goal with this blog and it is very simple: to keep the kids and grandchildren informed of what we're doing and how we're doing it. That's it. No insights to the human condition, no epiphanies as to my place in the world. I do, however, reserve the right to vent.