tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17947071977411568652024-03-05T14:30:07.594-05:00Lost in DCLife Outside the DistrictJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-21404886342974253482013-01-02T17:15:00.000-05:002013-01-02T17:15:00.082-05:00Cold in California<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dear Northern Virginians:</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When you go outside tonight and you think, "<a href="http://www.swackett.com/app/web.php" rel="nofollow">Gosh, it sure is cold out here</a>," I want you to pause for a moment and remember this:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They will be colder in California than we will be here. This coast has better housing insulation and warmer clothing readily available. I'm pretty sure it's only snowed twice, in the town I grew up in (in NorCal), during my lifetime.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">on the other hand...</span></i><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dear Northern Californians:</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When you go outside tonight and you think, "<a href="http://www.swackett.com/app/web.php" rel="nofollow">Man, it's hella cold out here</a>," I want you to pause for a moment and remember this:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The DC Metro Area is home to people from all over the world. And not a single one of them seems capable of driving in rain or snow. You're safer in California.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Love and warm wishes to you all,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jess</span></div>
Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-30375364486450787802012-11-28T16:19:00.003-05:002012-11-28T16:19:27.314-05:00A Brief Visit to Monticello: Grounds & Gardens<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 16px;">"I am savage enough to prefer the woods, the wilds, and the independence of Monticello, to all the brilliant pleasures of this gay capital [Paris] . . . . for tho' there is less wealth there, there is more freedom, more ease, and less misery."</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"> <i>- Thomas Jefferson (to Baron Geismar), 1785</i></span></b></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The front of the house at Monticello (top right of the collage, below) looks a lot like the back of the house. The major differences are the drive in the front and the brick path in the back that winds around the West Lawn, a huge expanse of green. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"</span><a href="http://www.monticello.org/site/house-and-gardens/winding-flower-border" rel="nofollow" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">winding flower border</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">" that encircles the West Lawn is filled with a v</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ariety of exotic-looking flowers, with a host of trees waiting on the periphery. The entire flower garden behind the house</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> was inspired by the English gardens Jefferson visited in the late 1700s - informal, open and balanced with the natural landscape. Between the narrow flower beds on both sides of the winding walk and the oval flower beds directly behind the house, Jefferson had what he described as "abundant room for a great variety" of flowers - over 100 species according to his Garden Book.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What we see in this garden today is thanks to the work of those who restored, as well as those who now preserve, the gardens. They have remained as true as possible to not only Jefferson's original garden plan, but also the flowers and plants that he was known to have grown therein. I cannot begin to do justice to this part of the tour - our guide (pictured in the bottom right of the above collage) had a wealth of information on Jefferson and she thoroughly enjoyed discussing all aspects of the gardens with the tour members.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"...There is not a sprig of grass that shoots uninteresting to me..."</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <i> -Thomas Jefferson (to Martha Jefferson Randolph), 1790</i></span></b></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The part of the tour I had most looked forward to was of Jefferson's "</span><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/05/10/152337154/thomas-jefferson-s-garden-a-thing-of-beauty-and-science" rel="nofollow" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">revolutionary garden</a>,<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">" which is about two acres of a great variety of fruit and vegetables. I had only recently discovered that Thomas Jefferson was not afraid of a little experimenting when it came to horticulture (the adventurous landscaping has already been noted for the flower garden, but it is found here, as well). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The recreation of this garden has, of course, varied somewhat from the original. However, according to Monticello,org, the garden is still maintained with organic fertilizers, natural pesticides, branches used for staking growing vegetables and a fair amount of composting. As impressed as I am with Jefferson's plant experiments and near-vegetarian lifestyle, I am amazed that this part of Monticello is kept intact and treated with the same care that I imagine it was given in Jefferson's time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is not meant to downplay the use of slavery in its 19th century maintenance, but Jefferson's views on that were quite <a href="http://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/quotations-slavery-and-emancipation" rel="nofollow">paradoxical</a> and I haven't done enough research to speak to it. That said, and regardless of taking things in the context of the times, it is no less disturbing that the man who drafted the Declaration of Independence <i>owned people </i>and that this declaration did not extend to a large part of the population (slaves, indentured servants, and women, for example). If you are interested in learning more about this aspect of Jefferson and Monticello, the Smithsonian has an online tour about <a href="http://www.monticello.org/slavery-at-monticello/liberty-slavery" rel="nofollow">Liberty & Slavery</a>. And Monticello is rebuilding <a href="http://www.monticello.org/mulberry-row" rel="nofollow">Mulberry Row</a>, which was the hub of that plantation, and home to free people and slaves alike.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Once the garden tour wrapped up, we were allowed to either head back to the Visitor's Center, or take a walk down to the Monticello Graveyard. Of course, we chose the latter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Before we go on - a quick note from Seth: "It is worth mentioning that it took Jefferson a little over forty years to complete Monticello and that the resulting exorbitant cost of the project left him deeply in debt. Our house tour guide made a point of telling us this and one of Jefferson's most famous quotations, 'Never spend your money before you have it.' In fact, he was incredibly proud of the fact that he had significantly reduced the national debt while President. Unfortunately, he was unable to adhere to this ideal when it came to his own finances and his family had to sell Monticello after his death." To learn more about the factors that contributed to Jefferson's lifelong struggle with debt, see the <a href="http://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/debt" rel="nofollow">Research & Collections</a> section of Monticello.org.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The original part of the <a href="http://www.monticello-assoc.org/history/1900-present" rel="nofollow">Monticello Graveyard</a> is reserved for direct descendants of Thomas Jefferson and his wife, Martha, and those descendants' spouses</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. I believe the descendants of Dabney Carr (Jefferson's boyhood friend, then brother-in-law) are included in this, but there seems to be conflicting information. In any case, the most recent burials in this graveyard go up to the <a href="http://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/persons-buried-monticello-graveyard-1773-1997" rel="nofollow">late 1990s</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thomas Jefferson was quite particular about a lot of things. He may have appeared more relaxed because his flower garden looked a bit wild, but every placement of flower or herb was carefully planned. He was no less clear about the epitaph to be written on his <a href="http://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/jeffersons-gravestone" rel="nofollow">gravestone</a> - in particular, which of his accomplishments he wanted to be remembered for. Jefferson supplied not only the words ("...and not a word more..."), but a sketch of the obelisk they were to be carved on. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We know Thomas Jefferson as a former Governor of Virginia during the Revolutionary War; as a member of the <a href="http://www.ushistory.org/us/10e.asp" rel="nofollow">second Continental Congress</a> (when he wrote the Declaration of Independence); the <a href="http://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/jefferson-thomas" rel="nofollow">first Secretary of State</a> (under George Washington); <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/thomasjefferson" rel="nofollow">Vice President</a> under John Adams (through a flaw in the Constitution that he eventually amended); and the <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/thomasjefferson" rel="nofollow">third president</a> of the United States, during which time he sent <a href="http://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/lewis-and-clark-expedition" rel="nofollow">Lewis & Clark</a> on their famous expedition, and then negotiated the <a href="http://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/louisiana-purchase" rel="nofollow">Louisiana Purchase</a> with Napoleon. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">While Jefferson did not stop slavery in the United States, it is important to note that he did <a href="http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=179" rel="nofollow">end the importation of slaves</a> from outside the U.S. during his presidency.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">However, in the end, Thomas Jefferson wanted to be remembered for only three things: authoring the Declaration of Independence, authoring the Statute of Virginia for religious freedom, and creating the University of Virginia.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 16px;">"I am as happy no where else and in no other society, and all my wishes end, where I hope my days will end, at Monticello. Too many scenes of happiness mingle themselves with all the recollections of my native woods and fields, to suffer them to be supplanted in my affection by any other."</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"> <i>- Thomas Jefferson (to George Gilmer), 1787</i></span></span></b></blockquote>
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Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-45370909061175930852012-11-19T13:01:00.000-05:002012-11-19T13:03:44.412-05:00A Brief Visit to Monticello: The House<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I have an announcement to make (quasi-proclamations are fun, you guys): I have been overthinking and putting off this post for too long. Seth and I took this trip back in August, when it was still unbearably hot here in Virginia. We didn't get to spend a lot of time in Charlottesville or at the Monticello plantation, so I had endeavored to make my way back there before posting anything. Or, at least, to do enough research to feel like I had an idea of what I was talking about. In the end, there is just so much to learn about Monticello and Jefferson and far too many interesting things to write about the man, his ideas and the times he lived in, to do justice to any of the above. Of course, since I also forgot my camera and had to use my cellphone for pictures, this isn't the ideal photojournal of the trip, either. Thus, I am resigned to just enjoy writing what I do know and sharing with you the few decent pictures I managed to take. I offer</i><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> you a wealth of rainy-day cell-phone photos and my first impressions of/lingering thoughts about the places we saw, to start with. As time allows, I will definitely be going back to Monticello to explore and do the other tours (hopefully, with a decent camera next time). </i><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>If you are in the area and have the opportunity, the tours of Monticello are fascinating and the tour guides are extremely knowledgeable, patient and somehow manage to keep their senses of humor intact. That last one is notable, considering how few people pay attention to their requests (don't sit on the furniture, don't touch the paintings, don't wander away from the tour, etc). They really deserve some kudos.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Monticello</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A <a href="http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM8JJ5_Thomas_Jefferson_Monticello_Charlottesville_VA" rel="nofollow">life-size statue of Thomas Jefferson</a> hangs out at the top of the visitors center stairs, looking toward the shuttle loading area as if to say, "What the hell are you people doing on my land?!" At least, that was my first impression. I believe you have the option of walking up, instead of taking the shuttle. I imagine Jefferson would approve.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The shuttle dropped us off a short walk away from the front of Monticello, but we all thought it was the back, because so many shots of the house and grounds are from the other side (more on that later). However, it is entering from this side, the East Portico, that brings you into the Entrance Hall. </span><br />
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<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here is where I tell you all that I can remember about the inside of the house, because no photographs are allowed - links to images are provided.</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <i>Here is the tourable link to the house's floorplan: <a href="http://www.monticello.org/site/house-and-gardens/rooms" rel="nofollow">ROOMS</a>.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In Jefferson's day, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">visitors were left to wait in this <a href="http://www.monticello.org/site/house-and-gardens/entrance-hall" rel="nofollow">Entrance Hall</a>, off the East Portico, where they could marvel at Jefferson's collection of souvenirs from the Lewis and Clark Expedition (courtesy of friend, fellow local and future private secretary, <a href="http://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/meriwether-lewis" rel="nofollow">Meriwether Lewis</a>). From Monticello.org: "The Entrance Hall served as a reception area and waiting room for visitors and a museum of American natural history, western civilization, and American Indian cultures."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Although the Entrance Hall and the <a href="http://www.monticello.org/site/house-and-gardens/parlor" rel="nofollow">Parlor</a> (off the West Portico) are magnificent rooms, Jefferson's <a href="http://www.monticello.org/site/house-and-gardens/library-book-room" rel="nofollow">library</a> (which contains mostly titles he would have had, but not the originals he owned) and his <a href="http://www.monticello.org/site/house-and-gardens/bedchamber" rel="nofollow">bedchamber</a> (including the alcove bed in which he breathed his last) were the most fascinating to me. I also enjoyed the guest bedroom, which the Madisons so often used, called the <a href="http://www.monticello.org/site/house-and-gardens/north-octagonal-room" rel="nofollow">North Octagonal Room</a>. I admit to liking <a href="http://www.ivyclad.com/2012/01/ignoring-snow-sheltered-in-alcove-bed.html" rel="nofollow">alcove beds</a> and <a href="http://www.monticello.org/site/house-and-gardens/dome-room" rel="nofollow">oddly shaped rooms</a>, for some reason. Oh, and the closet over the alcove bed in Jefferson's room (note the three elliptical windows above the bed in his room, they ventilate said closet), which was accessible by ladder. Lovin' the use of space.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tomorrow's post will conclude our Monticello visit with many photos of the grounds and gardens, as well as anything Seth and I can remember that may be of interest to you.</span><br />
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Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-38325478384942845642012-11-03T12:06:00.003-04:002012-11-03T16:44:32.021-04:00A Little Something from Andi<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000J4EY/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00000J4EY&linkCode=as2&tag=lost094-20"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00000J4EY&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=lost094-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=lost094-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00000J4EY" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I want to put out there how much I appreciate Andi, of </span><a href="http://onceinalifetimetravel.me/" rel="nofollow" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Once in a Lifetime Travel</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, for posting something related to Hurricane Sandy. The particular blog she posted it on is usually about Italy, which is why I love reading it and checking out her Featured Photo Friday posts. But yesterday Andi's post was titled </span><a href="http://onceinalifetimetravel.me/2012/11/02/featured-photo-friday-simple-kindness-after-hurricane-sandy/" rel="nofollow" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Simple Kindness After Hurricane Sandy</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. I love everything that the photo she selected stands for. Please stop by and check it out for yourself <a href="http://onceinalifetimetravel.me/2012/11/02/featured-photo-friday-simple-kindness-after-hurricane-sandy/" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Check out Andi's coverage of the flooding and recovery in Vernazza </span><a href="http://onceinalifetimetravel.me/2012/10/29/vernazza-one-year-later/" rel="nofollow" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">here</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-14823271811929687422012-09-27T22:52:00.002-04:002012-09-27T22:57:22.234-04:00A Few Hours in C-ville<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Seth came for a visit in August, to celebrate my birthday with me, and we decided to take a brief trip to Charlottesville. Neither of us had been to Thomas Jefferson's <a href="http://www.monticello.org/" rel="nofollow">Monticello</a> (our adventure will be detailed in the next Lost in DC post) and wanted to spend most of a day there. But first we wanted to check out <a href="http://www.c-ville.com/" rel="nofollow">C-ville</a> (as it is evidently referred to by the locals). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Charlottesville is located in the <a href="http://web.scott.k12.va.us/martha2/Piedmont.htm" rel="nofollow">Piedmont Plateau</a>, at the foot of the <a href="http://www.discoverlynchburg.org/pcms/photos/BlueRidgeParkwayblueridgemountains12jpg.jpg" rel="nofollow">Blue Ridge Mountains</a>, with the <a href="http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/schwartz/vhill/rivanna.html" rel="nofollow">Rivanna River</a> running through. The city has been <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_city" rel="nofollow">independent</a> (not part of a county) since 1888, but serves as a cultural center for the surrounding area. You will not only find Thomas Jefferson's mountain-top home, Monticello, but the home of learning he founded, the <a href="http://www.virginia.edu/" rel="nofollow">University of Virginia</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When people speak of Charlottesville, my first thoughts are always of Jefferson, but the area is also known for two other Founding Fathers, both of whom were close friends with Jefferson. In fact, our 3rd (Jefferson), 4th and 5th presidents all resided in the same part of Virginia. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.montpelier.org/" rel="nofollow">Montpelier</a>, located just 25 miles from Charlottesville in Orange, was the home of James Madison, our 4th president who was often called the "Father of the Constitution" by his peers. And his wife Dolley, who was our <i>first</i> "First Lady." The Madisons were particularly close to the Jeffersons, and in touring either estate, you are bound to hear about the other.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.ashlawnhighland.org/" rel="nofollow">Ash Lawn-Highland</a>, also located in Charlottesville, was the home of James Monroe, our 5th president and last of the Founding Fathers to take office. Originally, the estate was called "Highland." It was changed to "Ash Lawn" after the deaths of Monroe and his wife Elizabeth, but today both names are used. The estate is operated by the <a href="http://www.wm.edu/about/index.php" rel="nofollow">College of William and Mary</a>, which has continued to work on its preservation and restoration.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Many people know that Jefferson had mixed views on slavery, so it is not surprising that his friend James Monroe might feel the same: <i>"<a href="http://www.ashlawnhighland.org/jamesmonroe.htm" rel="nofollow">Monroe himself was torn between his belief in the 'evil of slavery' and his fear of the consequences of immediate abolition</a>."</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of the things you learn on the tour of Monticello is that both Jefferson and his longtime friend (and then political adversary), <a href="http://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/john-adams" rel="nofollow">John Adams</a>, died on the same day: July 4th, 1826. What I hadn't heard before was that Monroe was the third former president to die on Independence Day, but five years later.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>City Hall, in Downtown, with bas relief statues of Madison, Jefferson and Monroe</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Since we only had a few hours to see Charlottesville itself, we stuck to the Downtown Mall and surrounding streets, which kept us pretty busy. This would have been a better post if I had not, yet again, neglected to bring my camera. This is not helped by the fact that some of the pictures are lost somewhere on my computer presently, but that's another story. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: left;">Charlottesville is a hearty mix of art, culture and history. The Downtown Mall has <a href="http://www.dailycal.org/assets/uploads/2011/06/telegraphvendors.JOH_1-340x450.jpg" rel="nofollow">street vendors</a> and small businesses that remind me somewhat of Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, CA (though the similarity ends there). Before we tooled around to see the sites in the pictures below, we stopped at <a href="http://www.thenookcville.com/" rel="nofollow">The Nook</a> for lunch. I had a moment to wonder if I would regret ordering the <a href="http://www.thenookcville.com/?page_id=15" rel="nofollow">Big BLT</a> instead of something more fun (like the Bistro Mac n' Cheese). Then I bit into a perfect, red, juicy roma tomato and forgot about all that regret nonsense. This place is a traditional casual American diner - no frills, good food, great service - but with a bit more flexibility in the menu, in addition to standard diner fare.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTpjyZUJbO1FzgOJHRiBiq7sKVtu8s8UK0CkrBoUjamrdTNq8jHRCcEci3O8dU0yyohr0_mwlE5aq0r7SGBPPJDasiEfxogvUeIZIfd5T8CfL6fZ78qTPeDEk-_zMfSJEvAG8wQNJ3hRo_/s1600/Monticello+254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTpjyZUJbO1FzgOJHRiBiq7sKVtu8s8UK0CkrBoUjamrdTNq8jHRCcEci3O8dU0yyohr0_mwlE5aq0r7SGBPPJDasiEfxogvUeIZIfd5T8CfL6fZ78qTPeDEk-_zMfSJEvAG8wQNJ3hRo_/s400/Monticello+254.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">McGuffey Art Center is a community arts center in downtown Charlottesville. It is open to the public with no charge for admission - <i>"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #231f20; line-height: 19px;"><i><a href="http://mcguffeyartcenter.com/about/organization/" rel="nofollow">If the studio doors are open, please walk in to view artist’s work space and their art</a>."</i></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> McGuffey also participates in Charlottesville's cultural "</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Friday_(public_event)" rel="nofollow" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">First Fridays</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">." On the <a href="http://www.visitcharlottesville.org/includes/events/index.cfm?action=displayDetail&eventid=609" rel="nofollow">first Friday</a> of every month, the Center shows new art exhibitions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On our way back to the Downtown Mall, we passed <a href="http://www.charlottesville.org/index.aspx?page=354" rel="nofollow">Lee Park</a> (statue of Robert E. Lee on his horse, Traveller, pictured), which was playing host to a music festival that I still insist was all about the funk, though Seth refuses to agree. It was also unbearably hot, which is why the man crossing the street in this photo has a towel over his head. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I thought you might ask.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In any case, this is a pretty little park with plenty of shade and seating, on a little over an acre of land that is raised above street level. It also hosted the <a href="http://www.nbc29.com/story/19553795/first-cville-pride-festival-attracts-large-turnout-at-lee-park" rel="nofollow">first Charlottesville Pride Festival</a> this month. Unfortunately, it looks like it won't be held there next year. But only because they had so many people there and so many sponsors who wanted to participate that they could not all fit and will need a larger venue next time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our last stop took us back to City Hall, where we paused to look around at the First Amendment Plaza (we had no idea that's what it was, of course). The plaza contains the <a href="http://www.tjcenter.org/monument/" rel="nofollow">Community Chalkboard and Podium</a> - an interactive monument to the First Amendment. From the Thomas Jefferson Center site:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f9f9f4; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"The monument’s greatest strength lies in the fact it is both a fixed symbol of the right of free expression and a venue for the exercise of that right. Individuals use the chalkboard to express ideas both political and whimsical, to respond to ideas already on the wall, to convey messages to members of city government, and to create temporary works of art."</i></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If I hadn't gone to Monticello and already decided I wanted to go back again, I would come back to the area just to hang out in Charlottesville again. The city is beautiful, just walking around is diverting enough. And they have good Mexican food. I'm just saying.</span></div>
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Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-61131215448271843762012-09-04T21:36:00.002-04:002012-09-04T21:38:31.102-04:00National Portrait Gallery in DC<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I'm not busy planning outdoor adventures for stormy days, I like to plan poorly for indoor activities. Which is why the photos in this post are such crap (I forgot my camera and had to use my phone - remember that one time I went to the NY Met? Yeah...) and there are so few of them (we left really late and didn't get to explore the whole museum before it closed). So instead of telling you all about the fabulous National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum in Washington DC that I didn't really get to explore for very long, I'm going to share with you some of <a href="http://img.groundspeak.com/waymarking/e214d108-b620-4f37-a3c0-ae0e423cd800.jpg" rel="nofollow">my favorite</a> pieces currently on display that I <i>did</i> get pictures of. I plan on going back to this one soon - definitely worth a <a href="http://npg.si.edu/inform/visit.html" rel="nofollow">visit</a>. It's also free and open till 7pm (a lot of the museums close around 5pm).</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i><a href="http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=2242" rel="nofollow">Banyan Tree</a>, </i>by Peter Blume, oil on canvas, 1961</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;">The security guard got us good with this one, "Guess what that horse is made out of?" We guessed driftwood. </span></span>
<em style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Monekana</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">, by Deborah Butterfield, bronze, 2001. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i><a href="http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=71478" rel="nofollow">Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii</a>, </i>by Nam June Paik, 49-channel closed circuit video installation, neon, steel and electronic components, 1995</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t4UW9Cf-cQw/UEaa712IlPI/AAAAAAAACFc/V-1hxw4Xqk0/s1600/Phone+070-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t4UW9Cf-cQw/UEaa712IlPI/AAAAAAAACFc/V-1hxw4Xqk0/s640/Phone+070-001.jpg" width="632" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">NorCal, represent! Or something. <a href="http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=73941" rel="nofollow"><i>San Francisco West Side Ridge</i>, by Wayne Thiebaud, oil on canvas, no date</a>.</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTDZ3PY-9q_vHby8tXdwQb3UYVLZS4xRT2ctJ-9S2ZtZ-E4104vA9wb3n1qfnJ_YdTSI2S3kFgeVI8qNP5OUHyCuMnu3uAEypJ2cLKSEv1JkSWTeKEy4eTuXbCcoHs6ZKTTt4hMQKtsXEk/s1600/Phone+088-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTDZ3PY-9q_vHby8tXdwQb3UYVLZS4xRT2ctJ-9S2ZtZ-E4104vA9wb3n1qfnJ_YdTSI2S3kFgeVI8qNP5OUHyCuMnu3uAEypJ2cLKSEv1JkSWTeKEy4eTuXbCcoHs6ZKTTt4hMQKtsXEk/s640/Phone+088-001.jpg" width="370" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I'm really going back just to play this (part of <i><a href="http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/archive/2012/games/" rel="nofollow">The Art of Video Games</a></i> exhibit).</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1LXJS6oixF4/UEaa9KJ7tuI/AAAAAAAACF4/r78YLzHT0zc/s1600/Phone+094-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1LXJS6oixF4/UEaa9KJ7tuI/AAAAAAAACF4/r78YLzHT0zc/s640/Phone+094-001.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://americanart.si.edu/luce/about/" rel="nofollow">Luce Foundation Center for American Art</a> (visible art storage and study center)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TZdVVKPWNf8/UEaa9hg27BI/AAAAAAAACGA/_UhdFH7fKu4/s1600/Phone+103-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="526" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TZdVVKPWNf8/UEaa9hg27BI/AAAAAAAACGA/_UhdFH7fKu4/s640/Phone+103-001.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Rosalind Krauss, </i>by Kathleen Gilje, oil on linen, 2006</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwGRIC5y0V-oWPLElONiOxiy0URZtwm-e6IJNedFrhokLDerjuicpA_8hmfpj9ilIB0mM_LL6YeJTmhCCVJXVgGRHczFgeTQCm14Inm8Xky7hDGvE_3OGzU7Rsx9DxpjA4wRh0x35E3ti8/s1600/Phone+121-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwGRIC5y0V-oWPLElONiOxiy0URZtwm-e6IJNedFrhokLDerjuicpA_8hmfpj9ilIB0mM_LL6YeJTmhCCVJXVgGRHczFgeTQCm14Inm8Xky7hDGvE_3OGzU7Rsx9DxpjA4wRh0x35E3ti8/s640/Phone+121-001.jpg" width="456" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><em style="background-color: white;">Abraham Lincoln</em><span style="background-color: white;">, by George Peter Alexander Healy, oil on canvas, 1887</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6v_ubS0xDM4/UEaa_BMe4hI/AAAAAAAACGc/YJq1besuJHA/s1600/Phone+126-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6v_ubS0xDM4/UEaa_BMe4hI/AAAAAAAACGc/YJq1besuJHA/s640/Phone+126-001.jpg" width="458" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Descending Night, </i>by Adolph A. Weinman (born Karlsruhe), bronze, 1915</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yW0sV1Pbkz8/UEabAK69MKI/AAAAAAAACGs/gvGR59lcS1U/s1600/Phone+140-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yW0sV1Pbkz8/UEabAK69MKI/AAAAAAAACGs/gvGR59lcS1U/s400/Phone+140-001.jpg" width="148" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cpkk428U8m4/UEaa_0e3aAI/AAAAAAAACGk/NV1-kOjnHio/s1600/Phone+135-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cpkk428U8m4/UEaa_0e3aAI/AAAAAAAACGk/NV1-kOjnHio/s400/Phone+135-001.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On the left, <i><a href="http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=33973" rel="nofollow">Jessica</a>, </i>by Moses Ezekiel, marble, 1880. On the right, I was sneaking up on my friend Jessica. Little did I know that I was a Jessica taking a photo of a Jessica taking a photo of a Jessica. Wild. Or?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Before I forget - I got a Smithsonian membership while I was there for about half what it usually costs. It's usually $29, so if you haven't already bought one, <a href="http://www.si.edu/Membership" rel="nofollow">get on it</a> now (the embedded link gives you all the highlights).</span></div>
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Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-33627370258445165092012-09-01T02:13:00.001-04:002012-09-04T21:43:54.730-04:00Great Falls Park<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wszsuVy-c-E/UEGYgpIs_JI/AAAAAAAACD4/FtMuRb-l3U8/s1600/Great+Falls+Park+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wszsuVy-c-E/UEGYgpIs_JI/AAAAAAAACD4/FtMuRb-l3U8/s400/Great+Falls+Park+001.JPG" width="225" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You <i>could</i> go to <a href="http://www.nps.gov/grfa/index.htm" rel="nofollow">Great Falls</a>, one of the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/index.htm" rel="nofollow">National Parks</a> in Northern Virginia, on a nice, sunny day. You could go early in the morning to avoid traffic and crowds, even. But wouldn't it be more </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">exciting to go on a rainy day? Especially if one of your companions is already sick? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In April, I planned <a href="http://lgindc.blogspot.com/2012/04/everyones-stranger-here.html">a trip to Shenandoah National Park on a foggy day</a> and we couldn't see two feet ahead of the car once we were halfway up the mountain. And just wait, I went to <a href="http://www.monticello.org/" rel="nofollow">Monticello</a> this month on a rainy, foggy day. Best of both worlds, right?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I really have the <a href="http://www.freshdv.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/poor_planning.jpg" rel="nofollow">worst planning skills</a>. I just shouldn't be allowed to plan things.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In any case, we didn't let a silly little thing like a downpour get in the way of our traipse through the park last week. Most of the rain came down while we were heading entirely in the wrong direction, but quite a few interesting photo opportunities came up because of that. Aside from having my jeans soaked through from the knee down with lukewarm water, it was pretty nice out there. But take my advice - n</span>o matter where you park, head back toward the guardhouse/entrance to see the falls. There is a huge picnic area, a visitor's center, bathrooms, a snack hut and <a href="http://www.nps.gov/grfa/planyourvisit/falls-viewing.htm" rel="nofollow">three overlooks</a> for the Falls themselves. If you've walked for several minutes and haven't seen the visitor's center, you're going the wrong way. Or you could do what we did and walk all the way until the trail ends and <i>then</i> realize you're in the wrong place. You have options!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you do decide to go away from the Falls, you will be walking along part of the <a href="http://www.scienceviews.com/parks/patowmackcanal.html" rel="nofollow">Patowmack Canal</a>, one of George Washington's projects to improve trade in the area. Somewhere around there are also the <a href="http://www.urbanghostsmedia.com/2010/04/suburban-exploration-ruined-canal-town-of-matildaville/" rel="nofollow">ruins of Matildaville</a>, a town that rose up because of the construction on the canal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pqvasaFPIi4/UDxRX0sBvbI/AAAAAAAACBw/1eFGi-ZFZNQ/s1600/Great+Falls+Park+051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pqvasaFPIi4/UDxRX0sBvbI/AAAAAAAACBw/1eFGi-ZFZNQ/s320/Great+Falls+Park+051.JPG" width="258" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To get a full view of the Falls, go straight to Overlook 3. But to get the best pictures, you'll probably want to go to all three. Be warned, Overlook 1 is part overlook/part rock climbing, so you won't want to take anyone down there who can't do the latter. The other overlooks have a nice, flat viewing area.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Also, when they tell you not to lean over or sit on top of the railings, they mean it. It's for your own safety. They have cameras. Cameras that they actually pay attention to. You'll get yelled at by the Park Po-Po if you do it. Or maybe just glared at with great hostility. It's not worth it either way. Don't say I didn't warn you. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. At least, that's what my mother is always telling me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Another tip: Don't mess with the fawns. Their moms will be back soon to pick them up.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LdNQivmknbY/UDxRWkuX8-I/AAAAAAAACBY/RwkEHDWDUMQ/s1600/Great+Falls+Park+028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LdNQivmknbY/UDxRWkuX8-I/AAAAAAAACBY/RwkEHDWDUMQ/s640/Great+Falls+Park+028.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Maybe it won't rain...</i><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jKcePpDSfek/UDxRXOMlALI/AAAAAAAACBk/pufFIEFBT2Y/s1600/Great+Falls+Park+039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jKcePpDSfek/UDxRXOMlALI/AAAAAAAACBk/pufFIEFBT2Y/s640/Great+Falls+Park+039.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Cancel. It's totally raining on that heron.</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwOGHSeqct_tObw0wbso39LPKuA_F4MZZkACgqqB6fS_zjAvxNcYCYAPZZUoy8ZtxcgZcAIz0C_cidVL4mDXI3_5qQTWgtIn2-LUC4z6E790BozW53M77cLi0VXVroRbKty8tX9MbMGGV/s1600/Great+Falls+Park+056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwOGHSeqct_tObw0wbso39LPKuA_F4MZZkACgqqB6fS_zjAvxNcYCYAPZZUoy8ZtxcgZcAIz0C_cidVL4mDXI3_5qQTWgtIn2-LUC4z6E790BozW53M77cLi0VXVroRbKty8tX9MbMGGV/s640/Great+Falls+Park+056.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Those falls are really unimpressive...wait a minute...</span></i></td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AH1BcGn9CkQ/UDxRY21Ke-I/AAAAAAAACCI/pklGepcOf9w/s1600/Great+Falls+Park+072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AH1BcGn9CkQ/UDxRY21Ke-I/AAAAAAAACCI/pklGepcOf9w/s320/Great+Falls+Park+072.JPG" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI5i7I0mpHHTA7PHfggk4YgEd6I5k_BL55KuZItyLEanAAJnpKfahs3cr0r0KgLXvyazj1AhFRl2DfzBn4NCee9aBEzHy12m34yNSYd0tcmibFdQQ3_XsidOTtM41EoxTcPDWTdq2zcI_A/s1600/Great+Falls+Park+057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI5i7I0mpHHTA7PHfggk4YgEd6I5k_BL55KuZItyLEanAAJnpKfahs3cr0r0KgLXvyazj1AhFRl2DfzBn4NCee9aBEzHy12m34yNSYd0tcmibFdQQ3_XsidOTtM41EoxTcPDWTdq2zcI_A/s400/Great+Falls+Park+057.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Maps are only helpful if they're correct. My friends said the map on this sign was misleading, but the map you get at the guardhouse will lead you in the right direction. So just...you know, ignore those signs. But not the ones at the overlook. Let me rephrase that: Pay attention to all the posted signs that warn you about possibly dying, but ignore the ones that tell you where to go. And check out the Canada Geese.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zYrFcIOxwTk/UDxRZHy3xXI/AAAAAAAACCQ/TaDU8zsKqU8/s1600/Great+Falls+Park+076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zYrFcIOxwTk/UDxRZHy3xXI/AAAAAAAACCQ/TaDU8zsKqU8/s640/Great+Falls+Park+076.JPG" width="504" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">It was worth the long walk in the rain to see this little guy.</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pc3ncrjnYME/UDxRZpMF19I/AAAAAAAACCY/evcgt00sIMU/s1600/Great+Falls+Park+085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="410" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pc3ncrjnYME/UDxRZpMF19I/AAAAAAAACCY/evcgt00sIMU/s640/Great+Falls+Park+085.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Oh...yeah, this makes more sense - an actual overlook.</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-70tK31seLlw/UDxRZ-MmywI/AAAAAAAACCg/Wliy1xQHtUQ/s1600/Great+Falls+Park+091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-70tK31seLlw/UDxRZ-MmywI/AAAAAAAACCg/Wliy1xQHtUQ/s640/Great+Falls+Park+091.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>I now understand why the area I live in is called Cascades.</i><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dh-Sa--zhho/UDxRaWvCBtI/AAAAAAAACCo/BQpCSsX256w/s1600/Great+Falls+Park+093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dh-Sa--zhho/UDxRaWvCBtI/AAAAAAAACCo/BQpCSsX256w/s400/Great+Falls+Park+093.JPG" width="205" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HeugcT23VUU/UDxRbZffH9I/AAAAAAAACDk/2ZqeALqeYlM/s1600/Great+Falls+Park+166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HeugcT23VUU/UDxRbZffH9I/AAAAAAAACDk/2ZqeALqeYlM/s400/Great+Falls+Park+166.JPG" width="153" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Check out the high water marks pole (at Overlook 3).</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8wiqGMWZt10/UDxRb-vD70I/AAAAAAAACDE/bvkGTHAvSoQ/s1600/Great+Falls+Park+173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8wiqGMWZt10/UDxRb-vD70I/AAAAAAAACDE/bvkGTHAvSoQ/s640/Great+Falls+Park+173.JPG" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Looking away from the Falls.</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_Y2Or4N_uK6hLEX3bEXh46dZZfECvoILEMlMNHT7rsJuERCfvyRMvvd4O_N-Op2MGFnGo40XwEC6MO7LTbJ4gfOLLpxo3t_rknRUZuKc86NASprL7TAdxNphZryHYb5o3W-x_Mh7aZD4/s1600/Great+Falls+Park+175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_Y2Or4N_uK6hLEX3bEXh46dZZfECvoILEMlMNHT7rsJuERCfvyRMvvd4O_N-Op2MGFnGo40XwEC6MO7LTbJ4gfOLLpxo3t_rknRUZuKc86NASprL7TAdxNphZryHYb5o3W-x_Mh7aZD4/s640/Great+Falls+Park+175.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Look - Marylanders! (Over at the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/choh/index.htm" rel="nofollow">C&O Canal National Historic Park</a> in Maryland. There should totally be a suspension bridge...)</span></i></td></tr>
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Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-9320085427403272882012-08-08T19:17:00.001-04:002012-08-08T19:17:18.176-04:00Squirrely Cat Burglar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=lost095-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000FJTV42" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=lost095-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000HHLHK8" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=lost095-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000AMCAVK" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I1RM20/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000I1RM20&linkCode=as2&tag=lost095-20"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B000I1RM20&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=lost095-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=lost095-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000I1RM20" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=lost095-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B003B1Z0S2" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=lost095-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002M3329O" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SCJZPY/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B002SCJZPY&linkCode=as2&tag=lost095-20"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B002SCJZPY&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=lost095-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=lost095-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002SCJZPY" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00723JL5S/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00723JL5S&linkCode=as2&tag=lost095-20"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00723JL5S&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=lost095-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=lost095-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00723JL5S" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=lost095-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004AHICUE" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007JXTCVE/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B007JXTCVE&linkCode=as2&tag=lost095-20"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B007JXTCVE&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=lost095-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=lost095-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B007JXTCVE" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002GTHYEI/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B002GTHYEI&linkCode=as2&tag=lost095-20"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B002GTHYEI&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=lost095-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=lost095-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002GTHYEI" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My bird feeder is certainly not the prettiest, but when I realized how many birds we get in our yard, even without one, and found one in the garage, I immediately went out and bought birdseed. I hoped I'd get to see a few songbirds. I had no idea just how many birds and other creatures I'd get to see. When I comment excitedly on all this, people look at me oddly and ask, "Don't they have wildlife in California?" Uh yeah, tons, but you're not going to see very much if you live in the suburbs </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">in an apartment building. </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The last place I lived in Northern California was very pretty, but it is very different living in a house in such a lush place. I'm less likely to kill off my herb garden (see </span><a href="http://uncraftydc.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Uncrafty</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> for more on that) and the plants and bird feeder bring all kinds of creatures onto our back deck and into our yard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My favorite birds, even though I know they're total bullies, are cardinals.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ghaDV7Oe8XY/UAIyj0u5zcI/AAAAAAAABzM/Kt6SvfCU7hs/s1600/Yard+for+Jason+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ghaDV7Oe8XY/UAIyj0u5zcI/AAAAAAAABzM/Kt6SvfCU7hs/s400/Yard+for+Jason+015.JPG" width="302" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kj73x8Q7O7o/UCLtQ5QRwRI/AAAAAAAABzI/-Tz80bzaGN4/s1600/Birds+%2526+Crochet+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kj73x8Q7O7o/UCLtQ5QRwRI/AAAAAAAABzI/-Tz80bzaGN4/s400/Birds+%2526+Crochet+005.JPG" width="275" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I was really excited when we had a chipmunk visit, but didn't get any pictures. So far, my favorite guest was this squirrel who burgled the bird feeder for quite a while this morning.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Squirreliest cat burglar ever.</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is why I love this area and this house. I'm going to have to get another bird feeder for the deck at this rate. It's nice to be popular with the wildlife here. Hopefully nothing will happen that will make me regret putting that in writing...</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ugh...I ate too much.</i></td></tr>
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</div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-5249466403236043302012-08-01T21:28:00.000-04:002012-08-01T21:28:03.203-04:00After the Storm<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yesterday's storm had everything from sideways rain to violent thunder to hailstones. But at least we got a rainbow out of it. I took this in Centreville after the worst of the storm had passed us by and about an hour before it started all over again!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-6253486348487007552012-07-14T19:38:00.000-04:002012-07-15T18:47:09.365-04:00Riverside Park on the Mount Vernon Trail<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dDKVrmyS1oA/UAH8s9RFaHI/AAAAAAAABqg/Gkv2fwLayaU/s1600/July4thAlexandria+050-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dDKVrmyS1oA/UAH8s9RFaHI/AAAAAAAABqg/Gkv2fwLayaU/s200/July4thAlexandria+050-001.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For the 4th of July, I was invited to a low-key barbecue at my friend's house in Alexandria (about an hour drive from my house in Sterling). When I arrived, my friends weren't back from the store yet, so I took the opportunity to explore the surrounding area. I knew that their house was near <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Vernon" rel="nofollow">George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate</a>, but I didn't actually know I was headed that way until I came to the roundabout, packed with tourists. So terribly packed that I knew I didn't have time to really look around, so I kept driving out of the roundabout and down <a href="http://www.nps.gov/common/commonspot/customcf/apps/maps/showmap.cfm?alphacode=gwmp&parkname=George%20Washington" rel="nofollow">George Washington Memorial Parkway</a>. The Parkway is gorgeous, first framed by tall trees full of glossy green leaves, then on the right (headed toward <a href="http://www.nps.gov/this/index.htm" rel="nofollow">Theodore Roosevelt Island</a>), suddenly the Potomac River reappears. I pulled off the road the first chance I got, hoping to get a good view of the river, and ended parking in the lot for Riverside Park (about 1.3 miles from the Estate). </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TqAs2NUwj-A/UAH8tlvjDfI/AAAAAAAABqo/S_o3XxQ9hCM/s1600/July4thAlexandria+049-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="345" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TqAs2NUwj-A/UAH8tlvjDfI/AAAAAAAABqo/S_o3XxQ9hCM/s640/July4thAlexandria+049-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Riverside Park is just one small portion of the area that the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/gwmp/mvt-history.htm" rel="nofollow">Mount Vernon Trail</a> runs through (a little over 18 miles of paved trail). The park is on the small side, but it offers views of the Potomac River and would be a great place for a picnic. In fact, it is listed as one of the Washington Posts' <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/best-bets/summerpicnicspots,80586.html" rel="nofollow">Best Picnic Spots by the Water</a> (along with the trail's <a href="http://www.rundc.com/Doc/VA/Fairfax/BelleHaven.htm" rel="nofollow">Belle Haven Park</a>, several more miles down the road). The trail itself is listed as a great place for hiking, biking, etc., but the parks along the trail play host to <a href="http://www.pwconserve.org/wildlife/insects/dragonflies/index.htm" rel="nofollow">dragonflies</a> and <a href="http://www.naturefriendmagazine.com/photos.pl?catid=122" rel="nofollow">song sparrows</a> in Summer and <a href="http://www.pandionhaliaetus.com/" rel="nofollow">osprey</a> and <a href="http://www.audubonva.org/index.php/conservation-a-counts/winter-waterfowl-bird-count" rel="nofollow">waterfowl</a> in Winter. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I like that the park felt out of the way and serene, even on the 4th of July and despite being off a major road. It was a lovely start to my day.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Luckily, my day also had a lovely finish - I got to see <a href="http://www.firefly.org/" rel="nofollow">fireflies</a> for the first time. Standing with my friend in her backyard, with all the lights in the house dim and the sky dark (after all the fireworks were over, not that we could see any past her trees), the bugs came out and started their light show. Having grown up in California, I'd only ever read about them. Once they started, I couldn't turn away from the flashing of green and yellow in the trees above us until the humidity finally made me feel like I was going to collapse. We spent the next hour or so lying on the floor of her house, trying to get our temperatures back down. But it was worth it.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For my California friends who have never had the chance to see them:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sROKYelaWbo" width="420"></iframe></span></span></div>
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</div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-85594903038883636012012-07-01T22:19:00.004-04:002012-07-01T22:19:58.161-04:00Zzzzz on LostGirls<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm reversing things for one post, since I imagine a lot of the people who actually live in the area I write about on here still don't have power. If you do have power and you want to read an aimless, tired post that will eventually be followed by a much more linear, useful (maybe) post... [<a href="http://lostgirlsdc.blogspot.com/2012/07/ive-got-thezzzzzzzz.html">read more...</a>]</span></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-51392987699872870642012-06-27T18:51:00.000-04:002012-06-27T19:10:21.700-04:00Seth's Notes on the Potomac River<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>A visit from Seth always means I will get something interesting in the mail about the area I now live in. Seth wrote up some notes about the Potomac River (Algonkian Regional Park, a few blocks from my house, is alongside it) during his visit in March, but I got a chance to take some pictures during his most recent visit, which are now part of this post.</i></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lqpc2M7uIwc/T-t6sUyA8XI/AAAAAAAABo8/n3giYeuxtpw/s1600/Potomac+River+Post1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lqpc2M7uIwc/T-t6sUyA8XI/AAAAAAAABo8/n3giYeuxtpw/s400/Potomac+River+Post1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“Potomac”
is the Europeanized spelling of the name of an Algonkian tribe. The Algonkians
called the river Cohonhoroota, meaning “river of geese.” The first Europeans to
explore the river were the Spaniards in the 16<sup>th</sup> century, followed
by the English in the 17<sup>th</sup> century.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The
Potomac River is 405 miles long, measured from its northern source at Fairfax
Stone, West Virginia to its mouth at Chesapeake Bay on the Maryland/Virginia
border. During this passage, the river traverses multiple geological zones. Once it leaves
West Virginia, the river divides Virginia and Maryland. Since the Virginia
border is the southern edge of the river, the water in the river is all Maryland during this
stage.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1609496000/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&tag=lost095-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1609496000" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1609496000&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=lost095-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" /></a><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Note
</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- For unknown </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(?)</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> reasons, there is
only a single bridge spanning the river in its final 96 miles before emptying
into Chesapeake Bay,</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the mile long
Woodrow Wilson bridge near the city of Alexandria.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The final bridge crossing the river is the
Governor Harry Nice Memorial Bridge which is well below DC at the mouth of
Chesapeake Bay. Keeping up the Virginia tradition that the purpose of naming
roads is to confuse drivers, the Wilson Bridge is</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">called the Potomac River Highway Bridge,
while the Nice Bridge is called the Potomac River Bridge. </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=lost095-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1609496000" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The river has two sources located in the Allegheny
Mountains in West Virginia, a 100 mile long north branch (main stem) at 3000
ft. and a 130 mile long south branch at 4000 ft. These branches descend rapidly
through the mountain zone, fed by mountain streams and tributaries until they
join up in</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">a confluence at about mile
100 of the main stem near</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Green Spring
on the West Virginia/Maryland border, here forming a single channel, and from
there running along the Maryland/Virginia border for the remainder of the
river’s passage.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0762748095/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&tag=lost095-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0762748095" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0762748095&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=lost095-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">From the confluence of these branches, the river leaves
the Allegheny mountain zone, entering into the Ridge and Valley geologic zone
which includes both the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and the Blue Ridge
Mountains (and Shenandoah National Park). The river is actually older than the
mountains here, as the river channel was cut before the uplift forming the
mountains. At about mile 210, the Shenandoah River joins the Potomac, near
Harper’s Ferry, Maryland and the river
then flows through the Blue Ridge Mountains. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=lost095-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0762748095" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In
his “Notes on the State of Virginia,” written in 1781, Thomas Jefferson
described the view from an overlook of the Shenandoah/Potomac confluence (link
here to Amazon for (2) The Potomac River: A
History and Guide (The History Press) – Garrett Peck, (3) Falcon Guide to
Shenandoah National Park)</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/094045016X/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&tag=lost095-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=094045016X" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=094045016X&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=lost095-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“The
passage of the Potomac through the Blue Ridge is perhaps one of the most
stupendous scenes in nature. You stand on a very high point of land. On your
right comes up the Shenandoah, having ranged along the foot of the mountain a
hundred miles to seek a vent. On your left approaches the Potomac, in quest of
a passage also. In the moment of their junction they rush together against the
mountain, rend it asunder, and pass off to the sea. …… This scene is worth a
voyage across the Atlantic.” </span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=lost095-20&l=as2&o=1&a=094045016X" style="background-color: white; border: none !important; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">East of the Blue
Ridge mountains, the river enters the the Piedmont geologic zone with its
rolling hills and rich farmland. Loudoun County and Algonkian Regional Park are
in the Piedmont zone. At Great Falls, Virginia (about mile 270), the river
drops steeply through a gorge and descends to the Coastal Plain geologic zone. At Great Falls, the Washington Aqueduct
collects water for Washington, DC. From the Coastal Plain geologic zone the river empties into its mouth at
Chesapeake Bay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jessica's photos of the river were taken at Algonkian Regional Park in Sterling,
Virginia.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-27079998215670285282012-06-21T01:15:00.001-04:002012-06-27T18:49:31.578-04:00Freshen Up Your Wardrobe & Declutter Your Style<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For those of you who don't follow the <a href="http://lostgirlsdc.blogspot.com/">LostGirls</a> blog (a duplicate post if you do!):</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I remember hearing about <a href="http://www.freecycle.org/" rel="nofollow">Freecycle</a> for the first time, a few years ago, and thinking how great an idea it is - you get to recycle (instead of toss out) perfectly usable items. And you have another great reason to declutter (the first reason, for me, being that clutter drains my soul), knowing that someone else will be using that item you just don't need anymore. You also get to shop for items that you need (or want) without buyer's remorse.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.wornthrough.com/2008/06/11/history-of-the-clothing-swap/" rel="nofollow">Clothing swaps</a> have been around for quite a while longer than Freecycle, but I'd never been aware of them before a lovely lady I used to work with, Kristine, introduced me to them by way of her site, <a href="http://www.dewdropdc.com/" rel="nofollow">DewdropDC</a>. Dewdrop's swaps are more "fashion swap" - not what you'd get at a standard swapmeet. They ask that you bring at least five like-new or vintage items of clothing, pairs of shoes and/or accessories to swap for items that are "new to you." Here's a chance for you DC locals to bring in that look that no longer works for you (but might be great on someone else) and get a whole new look to take home and wear out.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hope to see you <a href="http://dewdrop.eventbrite.com/" rel="nofollow">there</a>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.dewdropdc.com/" rel="nofollow">DewdropDC</a> <a href="http://dewdrop.eventbrite.com/" rel="nofollow">Tangerine Tango Swap</a></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Saturday, June 30, 2012 from 1pm to 4pm</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>at <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/vapiano-bethesda-2" rel="nofollow">Vapiano</a> in Bethesda, MD</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>For more details: <a href="http://dewdrop.eventbrite.com/">dewdrop.eventbrite.com</a></b></span></div>
</div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-90860480533032184752012-06-13T22:52:00.000-04:002012-06-13T22:52:00.161-04:00357 Acres of Nature & History in Sterling<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When my stepmother isn't traveling for work on a hectic schedule, she gets to work from home. After yet another short trip to China (long flight, short stay), one would assume that she would be delighted to stay home for a few weeks. The problem is (we recently agreed on this), working from home for even a short period of time can be so comfortable that you forget to even <a href="http://www.npr.org/2012/05/09/152336802/stand-up-walk-around-even-just-for-20-minutes" rel="nofollow">stand up</a> and stretch every so often. And it is really hard to leave the house because you're so busy working...and it's so comfortable...and relaxing...and everything you need is there. It's a trap, to be sure.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The great thing about blogging, for me, is that it forces me to get out every once in a while, even if I have not a dime to spend. Sterling is all new to me, so even a long walk or a short drive is bound to uncover something interesting that I previously knew little to nothing about. That is how I found <a href="http://www.virginia.org/Listings/OutdoorsAndSports/ClaudeMooreParkRecreationSportsplex/" rel="nofollow">Claude Moore Park</a> (by getting off my ass and exploring nearby, that is), which is 357 acres of nature and Loudoun County history.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-95dtcoMoxBI/T68N8sKDoSI/AAAAAAAABK4/FMWM9e2EJLk/s1600/Phone+4.19.12+314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-95dtcoMoxBI/T68N8sKDoSI/AAAAAAAABK4/FMWM9e2EJLk/s400/Phone+4.19.12+314.jpg" width="312" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I see the signs for this park all the time - it's only a few miles from my house. I may have felt briefly satisfied going to Algonkian Regional Park (which is really beautiful, being right on the Potomac and all), but I finally decided it was high time I check out Claude Moore. Unfortunately, I didn't get out of the house till afternoon and a lot of the park was closed, but I did get to drive around and jump out of my car every so often to take pictures. Now that I know a little more about it, I suppose I have no choice but to go back and learn more. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There is a big ol' <a href="http://www.loudoun.gov/index.aspx?NID=1259" rel="nofollow">Rec Center</a> (the red building below is less than half of it) which has an aerobics studio, a 50-meter pool with diving boards, a 10,000 square foot gym, an elevated indoor jogging track, a pool with a giant water slide and hot tub (what?!), a rock climbing wall and a "lazy river." I have no idea what that means, but I want to find out because I'm pretty sure I'd love a lazy river. There is also "drop-in" care for kids so parents can get a workout here...or maybe go to the lazy river, I'm just saying.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This park has hiking trails that go through woodlands, wildflower meadows and wetlands. There are fishing ponds, picnic areas, a visitor center with a "Discovery Room and live-animal displays." There is a historic district, Lanesville Heritage Area, which has historic buildings, Frogshackle Nature Center (which already sounds great to me and it doesn't hurt that it's in a cabin), Civil War trails and a Civil War Signal Station site.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I was really sad to just miss the hours of the <a href="http://www.heritagefarmmuseum.org/" rel="nofollow">Heritage Farm Museum</a>, which is an agricultural museum dedicated to local heritage. Especially when I found out that their "life-like cow" is the one I found in an image-search of Sterling, back before I lived here, when I was trying to figure out what folks in Sterling actually do (milk a fiber-glass cow, of course!). And there are a bunch of great interactive exhibits here that kids will love.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The <a href="http://www.loudoun.gov/index.aspx?NID=1627" rel="nofollow">Community Center</a> is said to offer a bunch of programs along with rental space for events, but right now I can only find information about senior programs and a preschool. There is a general activity guide available <a href="http://www.loudoun.gov/index.aspx?NID=2448" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So what's my point with all this? No matter where you've moved to, there is something going on that you aren't aware of yet. Go find it. I'm pretty sure it'll be worth it.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bx9iY2n5f6k/T68N_DdFu1I/AAAAAAAABLo/1h-eiY6AREM/s1600/Phone+4.19.12+351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bx9iY2n5f6k/T68N_DdFu1I/AAAAAAAABLo/1h-eiY6AREM/s400/Phone+4.19.12+351.jpg" width="400" /></i></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This picture taken especially for Jenn.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-82794155481256828512012-06-08T12:34:00.000-04:002012-06-08T12:37:54.226-04:00No One Goes There<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cQQ90xLLDu8/T2-8cDSFYuI/AAAAAAAAADQ/GH8b2-g0phI/s1600/3.21.2012+115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="390" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cQQ90xLLDu8/T2-8cDSFYuI/AAAAAAAAADQ/GH8b2-g0phI/s640/3.21.2012+115.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I have only been to a handful of cities and towns in Northern Virginia so far, but the other day I came across a tweet from someone who was snarkily asking why one of those places is listed on signs for Route 66. According to her, no one goes there (I got the impression that she meant no one of consequence). As one of the few places I've ventured to since moving here, I was a bit surprised. Then dismayed by the fact that this rather snobby comment was retweeted by a Virginia magazine (I'm still trying to figure out why). I did not doubt myself at all, feel uncouth for having traveled there, or reconsider my future travels because of it. I understand that Front Royal feels out in the middle of nowhere and it doesn't have a lot of the culture that people move to big cities for. But it does have history, it does have a few <a href="http://shenandoahbreakdown.wordpress.com/2009/08/29/what-would-buddha-do-or-ten-things-i-don%E2%80%99t-hate-about-front-royal/" rel="nofollow">really cool places to check out</a> and, oh, one more little thing:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you've been reading this blog from the beginning, Front Royal might sound familiar to you. That is because, coming from the DC Metro Area, <a href="http://www.discoverfrontroyal.com/" rel="nofollow">Front Royal</a> is the town you're going to head to if you want to see Shenandoah National Park, Shenandoah River State Park, the George Washington National Forest and The Appalachian Trail. It takes about two hours (from the District) for you to get there and immerse yourself in nature and history. I also found out at ZooFari that the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) has a complex </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">located in Front Royal. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So if you don't like nature or history, then yeah, I guess you won't like it there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you do like these things, then let me give a few more incentives to go to Front Royal:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/spelunkers-front-royal" rel="nofollow">Spelunker's</a>: Best burger I've had in Virginia. Tastes even better after a day of hiking and gives you a chance to meet some really nice locals (at least, I did).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.skylinecaverns.com/" rel="nofollow">Skyline Caverns</a>: Because Spelunker's should obvious be followed by spelunking.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-apple-house-linden#query:orchard" rel="nofollow">The Apple House</a>: In Linden, just outside of Front Royal. All you need to know: warm apple cider donuts. Read the Yelp reviews on this one for other great menu recommendations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.discoverfrontroyal.com/page.cfm/cat/118/" rel="nofollow">Orchards & Farms</a>: Yes, there are closer ones in Virginia, but if you're out there for the rest of it, why not make a day out of it and pick some fruit or veg?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.discoverfrontroyal.com/page.cfm/cat/67/Wineries/" rel="nofollow">Wineries & Vineyards</a>: <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/glen-manor-vineyards-front-royal#query:vineyard" rel="nofollow">Glen Manor Vineyards</a>, in particular, has received great reviews. Check the list for the surrounding area and you can make a day of this, too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.discoverfrontroyal.com/page.cfm/cat/49/Canoe---Kayak---Tube/" rel="nofollow">Get Out on the River</a>: Canoes, kayaks, rafts (including white water) and tubes. The companies listed only have "canoe" in the title, don't let that discourage you.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.wineandcraftfestival.com/index/index.php" rel="nofollow" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Annual Virginia Wine & Craft Festival</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">: Just missed this one - In May: shopping, live music, kids games, artwork, crafts, wine tasting and food vendors.</span>
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<a href="http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ActivitiesAndEvents/Celebrations/ACF/default.cfm" rel="nofollow" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Autumn Conservation Festival</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">: In early October: The Zoo's SCBI</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> is only open to the public during this festival, so you won't want to miss it. Dirt cheap compared to ZooFari tickets, this event gives you the opportunity to interact with the National Zoo's scientists who work with endangered species. The festival also includes live music, draft horse wagon rides, cavalry maneuvers and food/beverages.</span><br />
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<a href="http://warrenheritagesociety.org/programs_festival.php" rel="nofollow" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Annual Festival of the Leaves</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">: In October: an arts and crafts festival in the historic district. Ooo, including living history demos and a parade.</span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I like Front Royal. I think it is definitely worth a visit.</span></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-32368059302048673942012-05-26T23:32:00.002-04:002012-06-01T23:52:09.934-04:00As Promised: DC ZooFari Followup<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is one of those times when I'm grateful that people are willing to collaborate with me on posts. My friend Jessie, who took me to ZooFari, brought along her fancy camera and took some really great pictures. All the photos in this particular post are by her (though covered by the LostGirls Creative Commons license) and published here with her permission. I will not put any of these in collages (once I learned how to do it, it sort of took over, but that was last week) so that you can enjoy them at full size (click on the first one and it should open a viewer so you can scroll through all of them).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA96PXV51KsJ94JmWjVWOznS9_H4o6eFqNRG6YvA3zwNcj9S8o1hJI92HSAu5LU2DN2Ra_6aK75dxgmuP5P2nLu2B1V5H8SbGjQCfLT4UwNb-_KrgwI44tPX26q3aqKQWJP9WP88dOjBv_/s1600/ZooFari1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA96PXV51KsJ94JmWjVWOznS9_H4o6eFqNRG6YvA3zwNcj9S8o1hJI92HSAu5LU2DN2Ra_6aK75dxgmuP5P2nLu2B1V5H8SbGjQCfLT4UwNb-_KrgwI44tPX26q3aqKQWJP9WP88dOjBv_/s400/ZooFari1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">The beautiful lionesses</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_DQWqIaK2Cg/T8GPchMXOzI/AAAAAAAABYs/R-PXP2Qwnrw/s1600/ZooFari3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_DQWqIaK2Cg/T8GPchMXOzI/AAAAAAAABYs/R-PXP2Qwnrw/s400/ZooFari3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-upQSkmVD9LM/T8GPc5zpbbI/AAAAAAAABY0/D3_isnjhZ78/s1600/ZooFari4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-upQSkmVD9LM/T8GPc5zpbbI/AAAAAAAABY0/D3_isnjhZ78/s400/ZooFari4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Support/AdoptSpecies/AnimalInfo/AfricanLion/" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Adopt a Lion</span></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aXEcPXNhQQk/T8GPfYSwPDI/AAAAAAAABZ0/o1gRzVoJBSY/s1600/ZooFari12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aXEcPXNhQQk/T8GPfYSwPDI/AAAAAAAABZ0/o1gRzVoJBSY/s400/ZooFari12.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">My favorite shot of the day</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3tRGL5s5JKY/T8GPfk9HyqI/AAAAAAAABZ8/oFMCImYf12Y/s1600/ZooFari13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3tRGL5s5JKY/T8GPfk9HyqI/AAAAAAAABZ8/oFMCImYf12Y/s400/ZooFari13.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Bath time</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0Cw9StXtkBg/T8GPf-AB7AI/AAAAAAAABaE/wdTtc9OH-0o/s1600/ZooFari14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0Cw9StXtkBg/T8GPf-AB7AI/AAAAAAAABaE/wdTtc9OH-0o/s400/ZooFari14.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-byQ4qopgR7k/T8GPgGJpUDI/AAAAAAAABaM/c4mg0LMRl88/s1600/ZooFari15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-byQ4qopgR7k/T8GPgGJpUDI/AAAAAAAABaM/c4mg0LMRl88/s400/ZooFari15.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCX79RbP_HLgC41CdHkxsj3beNKM_0HTjIFz37R_WI04o8jdzu-wtlJevBKsyu_gnXaz_oDZIEN73ZxOXSe3zqHfoHv_AtWU-pNDBAPFu8pe4p2jlYw0ilmmHE2sKjUaA1Yl6TSVrxMcOG/s1600/ZooFari16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCX79RbP_HLgC41CdHkxsj3beNKM_0HTjIFz37R_WI04o8jdzu-wtlJevBKsyu_gnXaz_oDZIEN73ZxOXSe3zqHfoHv_AtWU-pNDBAPFu8pe4p2jlYw0ilmmHE2sKjUaA1Yl6TSVrxMcOG/s400/ZooFari16.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qWH0L1WTrbc/T8GPgrZJcFI/AAAAAAAABac/ZUqMtOWn43o/s1600/ZooFari17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qWH0L1WTrbc/T8GPgrZJcFI/AAAAAAAABac/ZUqMtOWn43o/s400/ZooFari17.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">But not for you!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8lApskgIe_M/T8GPhAwi1YI/AAAAAAAABak/kr6o72knYrQ/s1600/ZooFari18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8lApskgIe_M/T8GPhAwi1YI/AAAAAAAABak/kr6o72knYrQ/s400/ZooFari18.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>More great photos of the lions <a href="http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GreatCats/LionUpdates/cubphotos.cfm" rel="nofollow">here</a> (going back to when they were wee cubs)<span style="text-align: left;"> </span></i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MlSlgplMaxI/T8GPdIcxQZI/AAAAAAAABY8/cBn_R4b-tFA/s1600/ZooFari5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MlSlgplMaxI/T8GPdIcxQZI/AAAAAAAABY8/cBn_R4b-tFA/s400/ZooFari5.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Coffee contraption at <a href="http://www.travellingbean.com/" rel="nofollow">The Travelling Bean</a></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F8ZRnVVXgAU/T8GPdb23ajI/AAAAAAAABZE/m4VQsSjjeKY/s1600/ZooFari6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F8ZRnVVXgAU/T8GPdb23ajI/AAAAAAAABZE/m4VQsSjjeKY/s400/ZooFari6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cheekymonkeysideshow.com/" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Cheeky Monkey Sideshow</span></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_820441040"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JfqURPIDM-Q/T8GPdqNI3QI/AAAAAAAABZM/KlYoCH_hICg/s400/ZooFari7.jpg" width="266" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cheekymonkeysideshow.com/" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Sally the Cinch a.k.a. The Human Hourglass</span></a></td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CuiDIljsdY4/T8GPdz6KADI/AAAAAAAABZU/wzxu-jD4atc/s1600/ZooFari8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CuiDIljsdY4/T8GPdz6KADI/AAAAAAAABZU/wzxu-jD4atc/s400/ZooFari8.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MFSPTSIFZ68/T8GPeRwHhZI/AAAAAAAABZc/2HvwiaBpqeY/s1600/ZooFari9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MFSPTSIFZ68/T8GPeRwHhZI/AAAAAAAABZc/2HvwiaBpqeY/s400/ZooFari9.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4fPuo-oNIoQ/T8GPesGKgNI/AAAAAAAABZk/lABod_Tksq0/s1600/ZooFari10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4fPuo-oNIoQ/T8GPesGKgNI/AAAAAAAABZk/lABod_Tksq0/s400/ZooFari10.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_820441050"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SfOIZYVuAEE/T8GPewP-K5I/AAAAAAAABZs/vtomoEVufsw/s400/ZooFari11.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cheekymonkeysideshow.com/" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Swami YoMahmi will be just fine (see the first ZooFari post for the reassuring muscle man shot)</span></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLADH9uNYA051n_jAW-oAmzE3APixh1S27AZU6_CJobxBQwgtvd3_fbG6ZhQDAamBqu5wrQ0KbL9Cy0HM6ZjnHUHXKW5HhNZVEjTVtQTEEaozF79qQ-IAlB6Ts9l_km6o0XgYMZ1L5i4Xo/s1600/ZooFari19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLADH9uNYA051n_jAW-oAmzE3APixh1S27AZU6_CJobxBQwgtvd3_fbG6ZhQDAamBqu5wrQ0KbL9Cy0HM6ZjnHUHXKW5HhNZVEjTVtQTEEaozF79qQ-IAlB6Ts9l_km6o0XgYMZ1L5i4Xo/s400/ZooFari19.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">We were so excited that this <a href="http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/NorthAmerica/Facts/fact-coati.cfm" rel="nofollow">coati</a> came out to stretch his legs, right as we walked up to his enclosure</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F-g6xeUCEyA/T8GPhtqY4QI/AAAAAAAABa0/Ntd1I8FargA/s1600/ZooFari20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F-g6xeUCEyA/T8GPhtqY4QI/AAAAAAAABa0/Ntd1I8FargA/s400/ZooFari20.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A quick story for you. While we were approaching the big enclosure for the Sulawesi Crested Black Macaque (often referred to as an ape, <a href="http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ThinkTank/Animals/Macaque/default.cfm" rel="nofollow">they are actually monkeys</a>), we saw a man waving his arms over his head in this monkey's general direction. Then he turned to his date and said, "What? Stupid f***ing monkeys." Jessie's immediate reaction was, "The monkey's probably thinking the exact same thing about him." I really hope that guy heard her and I was thinking the same thing. Why on earth would you go to the zoo if you're such a hater? Alas, idiots are all around us. In any case, this monkey stayed sitting right where he was until the idiot manchild left. When Jessie and I approached the outer wall, however, he sidled on over and sat right in front of us, making faces. And, as more people gathered, he got more into it. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNHvAvfZ-tc/T8GPiFnZ1qI/AAAAAAAABa4/KPaFHTqmKVA/s1600/ZooFari21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNHvAvfZ-tc/T8GPiFnZ1qI/AAAAAAAABa4/KPaFHTqmKVA/s400/ZooFari21.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2b22qduahkQIGk0hPrBlwaHJ8gm3Ej8y6oOTsjOgX-b0kBmSqBpyeHVKDqNDAsmb5ZXa9Ak3KxeeysWCKZ_voTrccedjrcNVZTzJYaH57DuoiuPgTjDq95VL4MAEQjkAFgP62IVM6kvkh/s1600/ZooFari22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2b22qduahkQIGk0hPrBlwaHJ8gm3Ej8y6oOTsjOgX-b0kBmSqBpyeHVKDqNDAsmb5ZXa9Ak3KxeeysWCKZ_voTrccedjrcNVZTzJYaH57DuoiuPgTjDq95VL4MAEQjkAFgP62IVM6kvkh/s400/ZooFari22.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CR9EHyBjMcc/T8GPiggjYvI/AAAAAAAABbI/1aOL5WgT-pA/s1600/ZooFari23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CR9EHyBjMcc/T8GPiggjYvI/AAAAAAAABbI/1aOL5WgT-pA/s400/ZooFari23.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3CYsSGjSsO0/T8GPi7jro_I/AAAAAAAABbQ/xhAORmxrS7w/s1600/ZooFari24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3CYsSGjSsO0/T8GPi7jro_I/AAAAAAAABbQ/xhAORmxrS7w/s400/ZooFari24.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1yOoXAaYCto/T8GPjyzhaeI/AAAAAAAABbo/GyroKp2i1ug/s1600/ZooFari27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1yOoXAaYCto/T8GPjyzhaeI/AAAAAAAABbo/GyroKp2i1ug/s400/ZooFari27.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">The Elvis shot</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Amn8eKjCxg/T8GPkPo32oI/AAAAAAAABbw/1GH3N3YWo_U/s1600/ZooFari28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Amn8eKjCxg/T8GPkPo32oI/AAAAAAAABbw/1GH3N3YWo_U/s400/ZooFari28.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C8l_coym-so/T8GPkaQ0YfI/AAAAAAAABb4/sz9yFJIeWX4/s1600/ZooFari29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C8l_coym-so/T8GPkaQ0YfI/AAAAAAAABb4/sz9yFJIeWX4/s400/ZooFari29.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ju9cU2LDVgg/T8GPk6wXATI/AAAAAAAABcA/Lvnb7g3xueQ/s1600/ZooFari30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ju9cU2LDVgg/T8GPk6wXATI/AAAAAAAABcA/Lvnb7g3xueQ/s400/ZooFari30.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">I think this face was "Oh they think I'm so cute -- just wait till they see my <a href="http://www.masterfile.com/stock-photography/image/400-04714891/The-tail-end-of-a-macaque-monkey-in-Borneo" rel="nofollow">bum</a>"</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jMib6nAQNT0/T8GPldNwirI/AAAAAAAABcI/ptJPaBDgxF4/s1600/ZooFari31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jMib6nAQNT0/T8GPldNwirI/AAAAAAAABcI/ptJPaBDgxF4/s400/ZooFari31.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">The tiger wasn't out very long</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C04bkZ32G8Q/T8GPluOET8I/AAAAAAAABcQ/Xbk3_ZIvjns/s1600/ZooFari32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C04bkZ32G8Q/T8GPluOET8I/AAAAAAAABcQ/Xbk3_ZIvjns/s400/ZooFari32.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Love Motel for Insects by Brandon Ballengee</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thanks again, Jessie!</span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One last bit, since I just found this video about the various Love Motel for Insects installations:</span></div>
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</div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-85507768409627850072012-05-21T19:33:00.002-04:002012-05-22T15:36:29.146-04:00Coming Soon to Loudoun: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I was just saying on LostGirls how my friends rock. Well, today, my friend Sandy sent me a link to this good news: <a href="http://drafthouse.com/northern_virginia/one_loudoun" rel="nofollow">Alamo Drafthouse Cinema</a> is coming to Loudoun County. Our little taste of food and film madness will be in Ashburn (super close to me, thank you very much). According to their Facebook page, they're hoping to be open for business here in early 2013. Hopefully I'll still live in the area by then. If you're not in the DC area, you can find your nearest Alamo location <a href="http://drafthouse.com/northern_virginia/one_loudoun" rel="nofollow">here</a> (just click on the big ol' A to the left of HOME). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To understand why this makes my heart feel like it's going to leap out of my chest, check out the options at one of the <a href="http://drafthouse.com/austin" rel="nofollow">Austin, Texas</a> locations. First, let me say that any theater that offers beer will always hold a special place in my heart (I really miss the <a href="http://www.7x7.com/arts-culture/last-parkway-speakeasy-theater-finds-new-home-oaklands-uptown-district" rel="nofollow">Parkway</a> in Oakland, CA), but to offer not just food and drink but themed menu items and special events involving an entire audience shouting out movie lines (quote-alongs) - this is a geek-girl's dream. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you haven't seen The Hunger Games or just want to see it again, you can go to the South Lamar location (not far from <a href="http://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/lamar/" rel="nofollow">Whole Foods Market's flagship store</a>) in Austin and order one of the <a href="http://drafthouse.com/movies/the_hunger_games/austin" rel="nofollow">Hunger Games themed menu</a> items to go with the show. Or you can go to a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS-8Q7QIk1I&feature=fvwrel" rel="nofollow">Big Lebowski</a> Quote-Along - the ticket to that will also get you $3 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118715/trivia?tab=tr&item=tr0719731" rel="nofollow">White Russians</a> and 50% off your first hour of bowling at <a href="http://www.thehighball.com/" rel="nofollow">The Highball</a>, because what goes better with this movie than actually <a href="http://youtu.be/uRoR0-y9D64" rel="nofollow">bowling</a>? And so far this could be considered standard fare for those people living in big cities where food and film events happen more often, but the true madness is more like this:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Check out their past <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/originalalamo/sets/72157594376715639/" rel="nofollow">special event menus</a>. The <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/originalalamo/297667479/in/set-72157594376715639/" rel="nofollow">Lawrence of Arabia</a> one made me particularly happy. And there is so much more to come, check out these mini previews (set to a song by <a href="http://youtu.be/jyqWjl7GkCE" rel="nofollow">The Shins</a>? Hell, yes.):</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/41804504" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://drafthouse.com/austin" rel="nofollow">Alamo Drafthouse Cinema</a>, I'm a sucker for yous.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thanks, Sandy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5.22.2012 - Well would you look at that....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Evidently I was not thorough enough in my research - there is a Winchester location <a href="http://drafthouse.com/events/winchester" rel="nofollow">here</a>. And I really want to have <a href="http://drafthouse.com/movies/afternoon_tea_much_ado_about_nothing/winchester" rel="nofollow">Afternoon Tea</a> while watching Much Ado About Nothing this Sunday. Who's with me? Is that kind of a girly way to introduce myself to the Alamo? Do I care?</span></div>
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</div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-62457650358574732212012-05-21T01:55:00.000-04:002012-05-22T16:24:07.895-04:00ZooFari at The National Zoo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b2Knp5jLd40/T6nBwKRiU_I/AAAAAAAAA-E/5RT30cUM4m0/s1600/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+007-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b2Knp5jLd40/T6nBwKRiU_I/AAAAAAAAA-E/5RT30cUM4m0/s320/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+007-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Why have I been procrastinating on this post? Well, let me be honest here. This is the first time I've gone to an event and promised myself (or anyone else) that I would write about it and I was so <i>not prepared</i>. I was mocked by the friend who went with me for not being able to eat, take pictures and figure out what I wanted to be taking pictures of at the same time. I learned that wanting to take pictures of <i>every single thing</i> is unrealistic and incredibly frustrating, so just don't do it (unless you're a pro at this). I also learned that not all pictures are going to turn out (forgive me, some of them are still going to be published here) and some that you really like are just excessive. So I'm sure that you can find more thorough descriptions of this event <a href="http://www.revamp.com/story.php?StoryID=1787" rel="nofollow">online</a>, but here is my take on it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ActivitiesAndEvents/Celebrations/ZooFari/default.cfm" rel="nofollow">ZooFari</a> is a food tasting event that is held at <a href="http://nationalzoo.si.edu/" rel="nofollow">The National Zoo</a>. Proceeds from this annual event go to the zoo's conservation, research and education programs, as well as supporting animal care (a friend of mine who volunteers there says, "It feeds the animals, people!"). This event is said to be not only Friends of the National Zoo's (<a href="http://nationalzoo.si.edu/JoinFONZ/Join/default.cfm" rel="nofollow">FoNZ</a>) top fundraiser, but DC's foodie event of the year. Which explains why there are so few pictures of animals in this post. My cohort from the event will provide me with animal pictures (in a followup post) later this week, in case you're interested. We also have plans to co-write a few zoo posts, so stay tuned for those. In the meantime, here is the three hour event in pictures with the occasional thing I remembered:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://thequeenvicdc.com/" rel="nofollow">The Queen Vic</a> served sticky toffee pudding with whipped cream and (I believe) a strawberry rhubarb lemonade. I'd already had a few samples of wine by this point, so I appreciated the refreshing and not overly tart swig of lemonade. I also appreciate that the guy at The Queen Vic table had his face painted - everyone should have followed his lead!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>In the Living Social Lion Lounge - Cookies that we never got to have, lions, tigers and...zydeco!</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the <a href="http://livingsocial.com/" rel="nofollow">Living Social</a> Lion Lounge (the Big Cats section) we were told we were not allowed to take our bag of animal cookies (see above) until we were on our way out. But they were all gone by the time we got back! Fortunately, we did have cupcakes from <a href="http://www.hellocupcakeonline.com/" rel="nofollow">Hello Cupcake</a> while we watched a zydeco band, <a href="http://www.bialeksmusic.com/" rel="nofollow">Bialek's Music</a>, and got to see some of the big cats (who were mighty pissed about the music).</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hello Cupcake with, that's right, cupcakes (the chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting was amazing)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Firehook Bakery & Coffee House with a variety of baked goods</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We were happy to see that <a href="http://www.firehook.com/" rel="nofollow">Firehook</a> was there, since it's one of the few places I've actually been to in the DC Area (one of the locations is just a few blocks from the zoo, next to <a href="http://wakeuplittlesuzie.com/" rel="nofollow">Wake Up Little Suzie</a>). And I'm always happy to see <a href="http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/" rel="nofollow">Whole Foods Market</a> on the scene.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Whole Foods Market</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Travelling Bean</i></td></tr>
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I stopped in my tracks when I saw that coffee was available (how many teensy cups of wine had I tried by then?) and got a perfect cappucino from <a href="http://www.travellingbean.com/" rel="nofollow">The Travelling Bean</a>, which was stationed right next to the <a href="http://www.cheekymonkeysideshow.com/" rel="nofollow">Cheeky Monkey Sideshow</a>. The Cheeky Monkeys found a good volunteer in this woman...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hcwzbtKZCAA/T7bmF85hwKI/AAAAAAAABSg/wm-kdLmPD4A/s1600/2012-05-18+ZooFari+5.177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hcwzbtKZCAA/T7bmF85hwKI/AAAAAAAABSg/wm-kdLmPD4A/s640/2012-05-18+ZooFari+5.177.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cheeky Monkey Sideshow - Bed of nails, bowling ball, plate and volunteer.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jF3T2NSVjv0/T7bmihfy4aI/AAAAAAAABSo/nMRJoZdrWkw/s1600/2012-05-18+ZooFari+5.178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jF3T2NSVjv0/T7bmihfy4aI/AAAAAAAABSo/nMRJoZdrWkw/s640/2012-05-18+ZooFari+5.178.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"Where do you want me to drop the bowling ball? Not down here?"</i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXW1f084H6mHn472hxVKU3fkZslo6S8R3QqCRKx7W7PU_bjDd418WItAie96Lj1XNreAwvDrrneJrQAz2eAbnx9B17aJpyQBsbl8XDqsHOzb1EMSv6W8i4_Vhh1X8udRK6dQ8Y6MlN-CmD/s1600/2012-05-18+ZooFari+5.179.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXW1f084H6mHn472hxVKU3fkZslo6S8R3QqCRKx7W7PU_bjDd418WItAie96Lj1XNreAwvDrrneJrQAz2eAbnx9B17aJpyQBsbl8XDqsHOzb1EMSv6W8i4_Vhh1X8udRK6dQ8Y6MlN-CmD/s640/2012-05-18+ZooFari+5.179.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C3V8u3_U8gM/T7boswaz5yI/AAAAAAAABS4/L3-7hZmYZME/s1600/2012-05-18+ZooFari+5.1710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C3V8u3_U8gM/T7boswaz5yI/AAAAAAAABS4/L3-7hZmYZME/s640/2012-05-18+ZooFari+5.1710.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Note the muscle man pose at the end.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hw2eVRowDG0/T7bpCc5YzAI/AAAAAAAABTA/kVSJWo1Rsek/s1600/2012-05-18+ZooFari+5.1711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hw2eVRowDG0/T7bpCc5YzAI/AAAAAAAABTA/kVSJWo1Rsek/s640/2012-05-18+ZooFari+5.1711.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My cohort wins a frisbie at one of the Living Social tables</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O39OGYLMWZ8/T7bpZNXxlMI/AAAAAAAABTI/onZw4Kx-3pI/s1600/2012-05-18+ZooFari+5.1712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O39OGYLMWZ8/T7bpZNXxlMI/AAAAAAAABTI/onZw4Kx-3pI/s640/2012-05-18+ZooFari+5.1712.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Zoo Volunteer Mindy</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">While we were watching the lions get mouthy about the loud music, one of the zoo volunteers, Mindy, came up and told us a bit about them. The lions we saw were all girls and only about a year old (they look pretty much full grown). Mindy also showed us a couple of pelts that people can feel (since you can't pet the big cats yourself), some photos of the inhabitants and showed the guy standing next to her, above, some video of them. But she's not allowed to be my favorite volunteer (my favorite works in the <a href="http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Invertebrates/default.cfm" rel="nofollow">invertebrate house</a>, of course).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7AamaGUZK18/T7nCbesGeUI/AAAAAAAABUM/CrFYdbXpoCs/s1600/ZooFari+5.17.12+059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7AamaGUZK18/T7nCbesGeUI/AAAAAAAABUM/CrFYdbXpoCs/s640/ZooFari+5.17.12+059.JPG" width="460" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.sugarcubesweets.com/" rel="nofollow">The Sugar Cube</a> (I admit it, I took this photo for the 'stache)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KhJB1cyDbGE/T7nCb2hrQDI/AAAAAAAABUU/kFX_9QcgGp0/s1600/ZooFari+5.17.12+164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KhJB1cyDbGE/T7nCb2hrQDI/AAAAAAAABUU/kFX_9QcgGp0/s640/ZooFari+5.17.12+164.JPG" width="486" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Python in the Silent Auction tent</i></td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ww3CghRCzWY/T7nCcHAYAkI/AAAAAAAABUc/h5uN0bxlZys/s1600/ZooFari+5.17.12+175.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="484" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ww3CghRCzWY/T7nCcHAYAkI/AAAAAAAABUc/h5uN0bxlZys/s640/ZooFari+5.17.12+175.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> A lot of places had pulled pork sandwiches, but <a href="http://www.chefgeoff.com/lias-home.html" rel="nofollow">Lia's</a> (above) and <a href="http://www.rocklands.com/" rel="nofollow">Rocklands Barbecue and Grilling Company</a> (below) caught my attention. The guy at Lia's explained the porchetta rolls on their table (and they were pretty amazing) in such a way that I didn't want to pass them up. The folks at Rocklands had a whole roasted pig and a smoker next to their table.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bFmUdQ-1cvk/T7nCdd42YVI/AAAAAAAABUs/sb_kCxGPjO8/s1600/ZooFari+5.17.12+186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="486" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bFmUdQ-1cvk/T7nCdd42YVI/AAAAAAAABUs/sb_kCxGPjO8/s640/ZooFari+5.17.12+186.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rocklands Barbecue and Grilling Company</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FDRlGl2X2QQ/T7nCd75hEhI/AAAAAAAABU0/Otn8JcbKteg/s1600/ZooFari+5.17.12+192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="486" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FDRlGl2X2QQ/T7nCd75hEhI/AAAAAAAABU0/Otn8JcbKteg/s640/ZooFari+5.17.12+192.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.cavamezze.com/" rel="nofollow">Cava Mezze</a> - they had a variety of dips out and they were divine</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t4mY0yGZSec/T7nCep-o6yI/AAAAAAAABVE/f0vyITcQvTs/s1600/2012-05-18+ZooFari+5.1713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t4mY0yGZSec/T7nCep-o6yI/AAAAAAAABVE/f0vyITcQvTs/s640/2012-05-18+ZooFari+5.1713.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rosa Mexicano</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We were drawn to <a href="http://www.rosamexicano.com/Locations/WashingtonDC/tabid/98/Default.aspx" rel="nofollow">Rosa Mexicano</a> table when we saw that massive mortar of guacamole. The chips, guacamole and salsa were all fantastic. I may have finally found a Mexican restaurant that will make me feel slightly less homesick for <a href="http://cincodemayomartinez.com/" rel="nofollow">California</a>.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5KwHyPoMkGg/T7nCf-7IWyI/AAAAAAAABVc/hYzO6IFsqjM/s1600/ZooFari+5.17.12+215.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="486" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5KwHyPoMkGg/T7nCf-7IWyI/AAAAAAAABVc/hYzO6IFsqjM/s640/ZooFari+5.17.12+215.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Along with pulled pork, cold soups (gazpacho and vichyssoise) were widely available. The vichyssoise at <a href="http://rippledc.com/" rel="nofollow">Ripple</a> had dried sorrel mushrooms as a garnish and the woman working the table was kind enough to tell us all about the ingredients since it was momentarily not packed with people. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FmQBs3V945Q/T7nCgfMqH4I/AAAAAAAABVk/6ZPeuMz7Lr0/s1600/ZooFari+5.17.12+221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FmQBs3V945Q/T7nCgfMqH4I/AAAAAAAABVk/6ZPeuMz7Lr0/s640/ZooFari+5.17.12+221.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sugar snaps and fiddlehead ferns at Vermilion</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We missed most of the fun at Vermilion's stand, but got a few shots of the sugar snap peas and fiddlehead ferns adorning their table. <a href="http://www.vermilionrestaurant.com/" rel="nofollow">Vermilion</a> is a bar and restaurant in <a href="http://www.visitalexandriava.com/about-alexandria/neighborhoods/old-town-parker-gray/?gclid=CKaF3PvHlLACFUITNAod3TIt1Q" rel="nofollow">Old Town Alexandria</a>, but they also offer <a href="http://www.vermilionrestaurant.com/farmtable/farmtable.htm" rel="nofollow">The Farm Table</a> two nights a week - "intimate dinner parties" prepared and served by Chef Tony Chittum with a focus on regionally grown goods. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fhEmvqGdC0U/T7nCh5mhSmI/AAAAAAAABWE/V_0n0jLUFbo/s1600/2012-05-18+ZooFari+5.1714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fhEmvqGdC0U/T7nCh5mhSmI/AAAAAAAABWE/V_0n0jLUFbo/s640/2012-05-18+ZooFari+5.1714.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mitzitam Native Foods Cafe (inside the National Museum of the American Indian)</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://nmai.si.edu/visit/washington/mitsitam-cafe/" rel="nofollow">Mitzitam Native Foods Cafe</a> gets props for having great food (those potato dumplings with cotija cheese were dang good) and vegetarian options at their stand.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oKYtKbgV2ro/T7nCibzQjYI/AAAAAAAABWM/kuNFfDTb3Wo/s1600/ZooFari+5.17.12+245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="484" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oKYtKbgV2ro/T7nCibzQjYI/AAAAAAAABWM/kuNFfDTb3Wo/s640/ZooFari+5.17.12+245.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Excellent gazpacho with a strawberry garnish at Juniper</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I made my cohort go to every single stand with me until we figured out where this gazpacho had come from. And it was worth the hunt for me to find <a href="http://www.fairmont.com/washington/GuestServices/Restaurants/JuniperRestaurant.htm" rel="nofollow">Juniper</a> and get one of these for myself.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zkOPVXjjsVw/T7nCi5MKwTI/AAAAAAAABWQ/S5RFai086SI/s1600/ZooFari+5.17.12+252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zkOPVXjjsVw/T7nCi5MKwTI/AAAAAAAABWQ/S5RFai086SI/s640/ZooFari+5.17.12+252.JPG" width="486" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mmm...beer</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://widmerbrothers.com/" rel="nofollow">Widmer's</a> had two beers available at a few different stands. We went for the Summer Seasonal since we were unbearably hot, full and a bit tipsy by then. What, you don't drink beer when you've had too much wine?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YE0nMroVOzU/T7nCjhQ_2iI/AAAAAAAABWk/Jw-PCq8ld7c/s1600/ZooFari+5.17.12+261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="484" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YE0nMroVOzU/T7nCjhQ_2iI/AAAAAAAABWk/Jw-PCq8ld7c/s640/ZooFari+5.17.12+261.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.the5x5project.com/bios/amy-lipton/brandon-ballengee/" rel="nofollow">Love Motel for Insects</a> by Brandon Ballengee</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It was a long walk back to the Metro on full stomachs, so we paused not too far from the zoo entrance to take pictures of the light installation <a href="http://www.the5x5project.com/bios/amy-lipton/brandon-ballengee/" rel="nofollow">Love Motels for Insects</a> by artist/scientist <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1941001894/love-motel-for-insects" rel="nofollow">Brandon Ballengee</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UmZzxQyMxUc/T7nUCkZ_AwI/AAAAAAAABWw/CmdlLpxz39c/s1600/2012-05-18+ZooFari+5.1715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UmZzxQyMxUc/T7nUCkZ_AwI/AAAAAAAABWw/CmdlLpxz39c/s640/2012-05-18+ZooFari+5.1715.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A dirty martini and one or two strawberry margaritas at <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/medaterra-washington" rel="nofollow">Medaterra</a> by Woodley Park Metro</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Okay, we made one more stop before getting on the train and parting ways. ZooFari was definitely worth the money (which I didn't pay, thanks Bren!) - considering that I usually can't afford to eat at most of these restaurants. There was such a huge variety of small bites to sample and great wines to try. A truly lovely evening in DC.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A couple of places that aren't pictured, but well worth a mention:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><a href="http://veritaswines.com/" rel="nofollow">Veritas</a>:</b> The 2011 White Star and Viognier were both great.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><a href="http://www.barreloak.com/" rel="nofollow">Barrel Oak Winery</a>:</b> I can't remember which red we tried, but we both liked it and the folks working at this table were fun and informative. I simply made the mistake of <i>not writing</i> <i>down</i> what we tried, then having that martini at the end.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><a href="http://armandspizza.com/newsite/testimonial.html" rel="nofollow">Armand's Chicago Pizza</a>:</b> Three options and all were good. My cohort had the veggie and loved it, I let mine get cold and it was still good.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A few people have asked me why <a href="http://www.georgetowncupcake.com/" rel="nofollow">Georgetown Cupcake</a> wasn't mentioned - by the time we got to their table there was not a single cupcake left. And we'd already had awesomeness at <a href="http://www.hellocupcakeonline.com/" rel="nofollow">Hello Cupcake</a>, so we weren't particularly sad.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Also, <a href="http://www.washingtonlife.com/2012/05/16/fyidc-the-zoos-culinary-safari/" rel="nofollow">here</a> is a great ZooFari sum-up from <a href="http://www.washingtonlife.com/" rel="nofollow">Washington Life Magazine</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Next time: Jessie (not me) will share her photos of the animals we got to see during ZooFari 2012. Till then, check out this photo montage from Hollywood on the Potomac:</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/l3lLJCIdupQ" width="420"></iframe></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>I just can't stop.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Shanthi, the National Zoo's Musical Elephant: <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FgCu84NPbnw" width="560"></iframe></i></span></div>
</div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-9426932853661934162012-05-13T23:20:00.000-04:002012-05-13T23:20:28.161-04:00Welcome To...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnb1c-psg-tolAF-9xQdVcHslboxmMSQoWXuFzKe1yefV_pKHmCta4GWxhcyslYixn5K7MmrQr7JrQsuO2phlk-0qWEVtE3RIeGpm-onZMHgXaZRc9CskOBvucG8oTrn9vkvBZwwL7rl5Q/s1600/From+Droid+Bionic+2011-2012+064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnb1c-psg-tolAF-9xQdVcHslboxmMSQoWXuFzKe1yefV_pKHmCta4GWxhcyslYixn5K7MmrQr7JrQsuO2phlk-0qWEVtE3RIeGpm-onZMHgXaZRc9CskOBvucG8oTrn9vkvBZwwL7rl5Q/s400/From+Droid+Bionic+2011-2012+064.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Not where I was when I got lost, but this is in Maryland, so...close enough.</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ever accidentally end up in Maryland? It happens. Especially if you're in Alexandria, trying to get back up to Tyson's Corner and you zig when you should have zagged. And by that I mean that I veered right instead of left and ended up at </span><a href="http://www.nationalharbor.com/intro.htm" rel="nofollow" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">National Harbor</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> which I'm sure would be delightfully ritzy during the day, but was not so pleasant in the middle of the night when all I wanted was to go home and go to bed</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. I hate driving in the entire DC Metro Area at night (and/or in the rain), I always make wrong turns and feel like all the other drivers are trying to kill me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-42702832002402769952012-05-13T20:42:00.002-04:002012-05-13T20:42:56.304-04:00A Mo' for the Met<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Just a brief reminder for any who may have forgotten - New York City is not that far away. You can take the <a href="http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/HomePage" rel="nofollow">train</a> (under three hours on the Acela Express, about four hours on the Northeast Regional), <a href="http://maps.google.com/" rel="nofollow">drive</a> (a little over four hours and probably the cheapest way to go) or <a href="http://www.kayak.com/flights" rel="nofollow">fly</a> (a little over an hour). If you're at all like me, you'll find a way to pay the membership fee at <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/" rel="nofollow">The Metropolitan Museum of Art</a> and come home wishing you could have stayed longer. Don't forget to get a hot pretzel, a bagel, a slice of pizza and a cannoli. But don't bring any of those into the museum. And you don't have to eat them all at once. Unless you want to. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q4GmRuQtnOc/T68oSFobDzI/AAAAAAAABNE/YdoVoU0AhwM/s1600/NYC+Collage+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q4GmRuQtnOc/T68oSFobDzI/AAAAAAAABNE/YdoVoU0AhwM/s640/NYC+Collage+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
</div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-57440992339367826532012-05-08T23:12:00.000-04:002012-06-01T23:52:58.685-04:00The National Zoo - Invertebrates!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Think of this as the teaser trailer to a future feature post about <a href="http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Invertebrates/default.cfm" rel="nofollow">The National Zoo's Invertebrate House.</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YBY1eFbbkU0/T6nBvXNUmGI/AAAAAAAAA98/6ueiT1VdMps/s1600/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+003-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YBY1eFbbkU0/T6nBvXNUmGI/AAAAAAAAA98/6ueiT1VdMps/s400/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+003-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Did I mention that the Vienna Metro station is under construction?</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOiFAfVs7UviOZUr_IbsmjvWg4r5VeOfGJGJLQNH9C3f729OVgE0FbbCjbmAwukSD69Yp5haWSFZ7v0yZyWIlkocFCC8WADAOJGsUX89SkQvzcSd3AZk3oWmZRa9OlcG5YzMC4x_udCQhA/s1600/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+002-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOiFAfVs7UviOZUr_IbsmjvWg4r5VeOfGJGJLQNH9C3f729OVgE0FbbCjbmAwukSD69Yp5haWSFZ7v0yZyWIlkocFCC8WADAOJGsUX89SkQvzcSd3AZk3oWmZRa9OlcG5YzMC4x_udCQhA/s400/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+002-001.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Avoid it, if you can!</i></td></tr>
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The original plan was to get to the zoo in plenty of time to have a personal tour of the inverts by a friend of mine who volunteers at The National Zoo in DC. Unfortunately, there had been a train derailment (obviously this is unfortunate for many reasons) the day before and the Metro was not quite reliable that day. As it turns out, neither was my camera. So my promise to you is that there <i>will</i> be a post on Lost in DC in the future that will actually be worthy of the amazing Invertebrate Exhibit and the friend I mentioned will be contributing to it, so I predict that it shall not suck. What I offer you today are the pictures that I could salvage from that day, followed by a few places you might want to check out in DC (Cleveland Park neighborhood), which are just down the street from this zoo entrance:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b2Knp5jLd40/T6nBwKRiU_I/AAAAAAAAA-E/5RT30cUM4m0/s1600/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+007-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="327" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b2Knp5jLd40/T6nBwKRiU_I/AAAAAAAAA-E/5RT30cUM4m0/s400/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+007-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here you can see that we went on a decent day (it didn't rain, but it wasn't too sunny).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-46xbo5k0pGU/T6nBx51rxGI/AAAAAAAAA-U/GOPkaYv-O7k/s1600/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+016-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="350" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-46xbo5k0pGU/T6nBx51rxGI/AAAAAAAAA-U/GOPkaYv-O7k/s400/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+016-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>When you see these, you know you're near the first set of bathrooms on your way into the zoo.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KNxCRjWwSRM/T6nByq30k-I/AAAAAAAAA-c/DJvVR5GydBA/s1600/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+017-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KNxCRjWwSRM/T6nByq30k-I/AAAAAAAAA-c/DJvVR5GydBA/s400/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+017-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>And the gift shop, it's next to the bathrooms.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LHtrTf1Znho/T6nBzvhR5rI/AAAAAAAAA-k/oU2YAEwIvlA/s1600/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+028-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="370" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LHtrTf1Znho/T6nBzvhR5rI/AAAAAAAAA-k/oU2YAEwIvlA/s400/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+028-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The invert house is behind that building, don't let it confuse you!</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sEphzJtmoLU/T6nB0b2MRAI/AAAAAAAAA-s/20tBZhi7Nys/s1600/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+030-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sEphzJtmoLU/T6nB0b2MRAI/AAAAAAAAA-s/20tBZhi7Nys/s400/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+030-001.JPG" width="177" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Another reason I really need to go back.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fJv2nabhvvw/T6nB1LryxCI/AAAAAAAAA-0/Z6MELg5irVc/s1600/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+031-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fJv2nabhvvw/T6nB1LryxCI/AAAAAAAAA-0/Z6MELg5irVc/s400/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+031-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>And here we are!</i></td></tr>
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Before we go in for the shortest tour of the invert house ever, we have one general rule: Please don't kill the exhibits. Leftover <a href="http://www.lenntech.com/aquatic/detergents.htm" rel="nofollow">detergent</a> on your hands can kill an entire ecosystem and some marine life can be extremely sensitive to flash photography. Avoid sticking your hands and/or belongings where they <i>don't belong</i> and turn your flash off before you enter this exhibit (or <i>any</i> aquarium).<br />
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The Invertebrate House is in it's 25th year, as of this May! Once you've looked through the awesomeness below, <a href="http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Invertebrates/News/anniversary25.cfm" rel="nofollow">click here</a> to see how you can help The National Zoo celebrate this occasion (sorry, the cake-cutting ceremony was May 7th - I missed it, too).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fxRgXgmIJNA/T6nB1moPOwI/AAAAAAAAA-8/NsMIvD37dpg/s1600/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+034-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fxRgXgmIJNA/T6nB1moPOwI/AAAAAAAAA-8/NsMIvD37dpg/s400/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+034-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Gorgeous teensy sea anemone.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pCF30QQ5uE4/T6nB2Lw4hCI/AAAAAAAAA_E/9qa7cgucBTk/s1600/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+035-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pCF30QQ5uE4/T6nB2Lw4hCI/AAAAAAAAA_E/9qa7cgucBTk/s400/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+035-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Gorgeous not-so-teensy sea anemone (some are the size of a top hat). See the ones that don't have any tendrils sticking out? They're digesting. More on that in the next post.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6ZiHF3ppjo/T6nB3ECVcUI/AAAAAAAAA_M/S_U6cUIlAjc/s1600/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+036-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="337" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6ZiHF3ppjo/T6nB3ECVcUI/AAAAAAAAA_M/S_U6cUIlAjc/s400/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+036-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cuttlefish, hiding under the rocks (bottom of this photo, slightly camouflaged).</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AeucCFsZA0g/T6nB38BrsjI/AAAAAAAAA_U/xTm798Xadnk/s1600/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+038-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AeucCFsZA0g/T6nB38BrsjI/AAAAAAAAA_U/xTm798Xadnk/s400/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+038-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Happy dancing crab! Oh...nope. Angry man crab! That there's a Blue Crab from Chesapeake Bay.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oIfdewhH6gw/T6nB4y9L_mI/AAAAAAAAA_c/io4tR2tQR4c/s1600/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+041-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="155" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oIfdewhH6gw/T6nB4y9L_mI/AAAAAAAAA_c/io4tR2tQR4c/s400/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+041-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Look at those brilliant blue antennules.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G1CN-F1jgQo/T6nB5bu_B5I/AAAAAAAAA_k/bKJS_P4aRJY/s1600/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+042-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G1CN-F1jgQo/T6nB5bu_B5I/AAAAAAAAA_k/bKJS_P4aRJY/s400/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+042-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I believe these are Slipper Lobsters...I may be corrected shortly...</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KfoLy6BEcTE/T6nB6NBMY3I/AAAAAAAAA_s/uQqjyandqsM/s1600/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+045-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KfoLy6BEcTE/T6nB6NBMY3I/AAAAAAAAA_s/uQqjyandqsM/s400/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+045-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Looks like two tarantulas, right? The one on the left is actually the husk of the one on the right. Creepy.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6RdLpJu7Ji8/T6nB7LA2-pI/AAAAAAAAA_0/tIcYi-F7ATA/s1600/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+048-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6RdLpJu7Ji8/T6nB7LA2-pI/AAAAAAAAA_0/tIcYi-F7ATA/s400/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+048-001.JPG" width="295" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cone jellyfish? Comb jelly? To learn exactly what these are, you and I may both have to wait for the next post on this exhibit. There are so many different types of jelly and non-jellyfish that I officially give up...for now.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fVDXFjD3CDs/T6nB7seJw8I/AAAAAAAAA_8/T1CGWQdicfU/s1600/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+058-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fVDXFjD3CDs/T6nB7seJw8I/AAAAAAAAA_8/T1CGWQdicfU/s400/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+058-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Anthropod molts a tactile experience. I was told not to touch them because I break things.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1qn4RBldlEU/T6nB8ORXVwI/AAAAAAAABAE/k8bE9WWLBg4/s1600/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+059-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1qn4RBldlEU/T6nB8ORXVwI/AAAAAAAABAE/k8bE9WWLBg4/s400/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+059-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This area includes the touch tank (which you can see right behind the molt cart).</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J4ZPuuBqyrs/T6nB8wLRo_I/AAAAAAAABAM/k_SlYnmjCZU/s1600/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+060-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J4ZPuuBqyrs/T6nB8wLRo_I/AAAAAAAABAM/k_SlYnmjCZU/s400/Zoo+Day+4.28.12+060-001.JPG" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Gelatinous Zooplankton?</i></td></tr>
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Just outside of the invert house...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pair of Chinese Alligators (the other is pictured below) who came to the National Zoo in 2004.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Murphy, the Komodo Dragon</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I'm really hoping to get a good pic of him with his tongue out.</i></td></tr>
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Walking around Cleveland Park to find a late lunch. This is the fancy side of the street (I didn't remember to take a picture of the other side, I was too hungry by then).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I really wanted to sit up on that balcony.</i></td></tr>
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Wake Up Little Suzie is a cute lil tchotchke shop (just what I need). We loved the lovely people working there that day. We bought wallets from them. We <i>love</i> those dang wallets. <br />
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Firehook Bakery. We stopped for coffee here and sat outside, in the back. They have a lovely little area (a lot of regulars entered through that back gate) and that fountain is the biggest bird bath I've ever seen. <br />
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Look at all those freaking birds!<br />
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Well, that is all I could salvage from my piece of poop camera. Next time I'm bringing an iPhone, since it takes better photos (don't look at me lik that, I can't afford a fancy camera!). Visit us again soon, we will have the feature post up, as soon as we get a chance to go out to the zoo again! And oh, we have so many things to show you. Beautiful little thorny starfish, elegant coral and hopefully we can get a good photo for you of a nautilus and make it in time for the feeding of the baby octopus. Let's visit Murphy one more time:<br />
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<i>Mmmm...ratsicle.</i></div>
<br /></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-38087379933676384102012-05-04T16:54:00.002-04:002012-06-01T23:53:36.898-04:00DC Tools<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #0000ee; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><u><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=lost097-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004SZ3IRA" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-image: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /></u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If your attention has not already been drawn to it, yesterday saw the creation of a new page on Lost in DC. Instead of working on the writing prompt for the Meetup I'm going to tomorrow, I rounded up some tools for you that I've been using since I arrived in the DC area. For more information on <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/" rel="nofollow">UrbanSpoon</a>, <a href="http://www.yelp.com/" rel="nofollow">Yelp</a>, <a href="http://www.meetup.com/" rel="nofollow">Meetup</a> and some other great tools for finding your way around the area (most of these will work for you, no matter where you live), go to the <a href="http://lgindc.blogspot.com/p/not-so-lost-tools.html">Not So Lost Tools</a> tab. Notice I went link crazy with The Washingtonian's site. That's because it rocks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This page will be a work in progress, so if you have any tools to recommend, please leave a comment on this post or <a href="mailto:DCLostGirl@gmail.com">contact us</a>.</span><br />
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<b style="color: #0000ee;"><u><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=lost097-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004SZ3RU8" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-image: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span></u></b><br />
<span style="color: #0000ee; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><u><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=lost097-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004SZ3RU8" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-image: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /></u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The newest tool I added (just this morning) is the site <a href="http://dcblogs.com/" rel="nofollow" style="font-weight: bold;">DC Blogs</a>. Aside from the brief description I gave on the <a href="http://lgindc.blogspot.com/p/not-so-lost-tools.html">Tools</a> page, I wanted to let you know why I love the following sites, which I discovered just this morning, thanks to the DC Blogs live feed:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="https://hannahjustbreathe.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">Hannah, Just Breathe</a>: This reminds me, I need to dye my hair. I am always fascinated by the way women, in particular, react to getting older. I've been dyeing my hair since I was 17 and think little of it, but of course there's some vanity involved - I've just never thought of it as an aging thing. The <a href="https://hannahjustbreathe.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/on-going-gray/" rel="nofollow">On Going Gray</a> post on this site is a lovely tribute to just living your life and not worrying about things you can't control, like the aging process. There are so many things you could be doing that are better than freaking out about gray hair. And I have to admit that I am forever jealous of <a href="http://lostgirlsdc.blogspot.com/p/about_31.html">LostGirls Meg's</a> short and stylish, completely natural, gray hair - all the women in her family went gray young and looked good doin' it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://shoppinghungry.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Shopping Hungry</a>: My friend Jessie and I have been talking a lot about coconut oil lately, so I had a good laugh when I saw the use Carrie at Shopping Hungry found for it in her post <a href="http://shoppinghungry.blogspot.com/2012/04/weather-forecasts-for-modern-single.html" rel="nofollow">Weather Forecasts for the Modern, Single Lady</a>. And if I doubted that she's my kinda gal, all doubts were laid to rest with her post <a href="http://shoppinghungry.blogspot.com/2012/04/words-with-medium-terrible-friends.html" rel="nofollow">Words with "Medium Terrible" Friends</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://ghostsofdc.org/" rel="nofollow">Ghosts of DC</a>: <a href="http://ghostsofdc.org/2012/01/20/pabst-blue-ribbon-a-hundred-years-of-d-c-love/" rel="nofollow">Hipster beer</a> is not the reason I will keep returning to this site. Ghosts of DC's Tom has lived in the DC area for about twelve years now and expresses his love for the District by writing about its (often bizarre) history. Wouldn't you like to read about the time that <a href="http://ghostsofdc.org/2012/05/02/truman-assassination-attempt-puerto-rican-nationalists/" rel="nofollow">Puerto Rican Nationalists attempted to assassinate President Truman</a>? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As if I needed more reasons to never turn away from my computer.</span></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-34147813251294512032012-05-02T21:01:00.001-04:002012-06-27T18:51:43.372-04:00Trees of Virginia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KqEPWPnJEM0/T6HUlGgqEVI/AAAAAAAAA5k/nfmd1MpDn7I/s1600/3.21.2012+109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KqEPWPnJEM0/T6HUlGgqEVI/AAAAAAAAA5k/nfmd1MpDn7I/s320/3.21.2012+109.JPG" width="104" /></a></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In March, <a href="http://lgindc.blogspot.com/p/lost-incoming-soon_03.html">Seth</a> came to Virginia for a visit and allowed me to take him everywhere except Washington DC. Neither of us are fans of crowds and we know we have plenty of time to do the tourist stuff when other people are around. With just the two of us hanging out, we saw no reason why we shouldn't go exploring west of the DC area. We, unfortunately, picked one of the worst days in March to go to <a href="http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/travel-ta-shenandoah-national-park-virginia-sidwcmdev_067717.html" rel="nofollow">Shenandoah National Park</a> (about a two hour drive from where I live). Considering how foggy it was, these photos can hardly do the park justice, but it will give you a rough idea of how amazing it is up there. It also spurred Seth's curiosity and he has contributed his findings about the trees we saw (and those we did not) for today's post. - Jess</span></i><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Trees in Shenandoah National Park by <a href="http://lgindc.blogspot.com/p/lost-incoming-soon_03.html">Seth Abbott</a></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The sight of the beautiful forested hillsides in the park
at first brings to mind Longfellow’s introductory lines in the poem Evangeline:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“This is the forest primeval,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The murmuring pines and the hemlocks,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in
the twilight,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic”</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>View from Dickey Ridge Outlook in Shenandoah National Park</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p> </o:p>However, as the national park guide explains, today’s
view of the forests is not the same as that which </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Americans had viewed for centuries, for the 20th century
saw the extinction of the majestic American </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">chestnut and near extinction of the Eastern hemlock, two
of the previously dominant trees in the </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alleghenies and Blue Ridge mountains of Shenandoah
National Park.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">About 1904, the pathogenic sac fungus, Cryphonectria
parasitica, the cause of “chestnut blight, was </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">accidentally introduced into the eastern United States through
imported Asian chestnut lumber or trees. This caused a mass extinction of the
majestic American chestnut tree, which grew between 50-200 feet in height with trunks
up to 14 feet around and were the main lumber used to construct American houses
east of the Mississippi for three centuries. Whereas the European and the Asian
chestnut tree had some resistance to the chestnut blight, the larger American
chestnut tree had none. By 1940, the American chestnut tree had been virtually
wiped out and the chestnut blight had deforested almost a quarter of Shenandoah
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Another large tree, the Eastern hemlock, had also been
widespread in the southern Appalachians up until the 20th century. Timber
harvesting had greatly reduced its numbers throughout the century, and in 1988,
an Asian insect (the wooly agelid) arrived to nearly wipe out the Eastern
hemlock population.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Massanutten! This is as far as we got before the fog banks made us turn back.</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">With few hemlocks and chestnut trees present today, the
view of the park forests is now dominated by red oak, maple, birch, and ash. As
seen in the photos, the mountains are beautifully forested, but one is left
with a lingering sadness at the loss of what had been the most majestic of
the Appalachian trees. Today, we do not see the forest primeval at the park.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>View from Signal Knob Outlook in Shenandoah National Park
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For further information on Shenandoah National Park, the trees of the region and the Appalachian Trail (Virginia has more miles of the trail in it than any other state it goes through), we recommend the following books (all available in our store or by clicking on the picture below):</span></i></div>
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<i>Once you're done being saddened by the loss of trees and you are worn out from hiking, go get yourself an amazing burger and fries at Spelunker's in Front Royal. Greasy awesomeness. The name Spelunker's comes from the nearby <a href="http://www.luraycaverns.com/Attractions/NearbySights/ShenandoahNationalPark/tabid/555/Default.aspx" rel="nofollow">Luray Caverns</a> and <a href="http://www.skylinecaverns.com/generalinfo.html" rel="nofollow">Skyline Caverns</a> where you can go, that's right, spelunking. <a href="http://www.luraycaverns.com/DiscoverTheCaverns/FriedEggs/tabid/593/Default.aspx" rel="nofollow">Check out the Fried Eggs</a> at Luray Caverns.</i></div>
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<br /></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-30929098614302928272012-04-26T23:40:00.000-04:002012-06-01T23:54:33.377-04:00Lost in Loudoun - Bluemont<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-abfHL8EcNJw/T5oK6QqEXvI/AAAAAAAAAlU/w9P6E70dR6c/s1600/3.20.2012+068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-abfHL8EcNJw/T5oK6QqEXvI/AAAAAAAAAlU/w9P6E70dR6c/s320/3.20.2012+068.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">My dad has been
pestering me for weeks now to put up the pictures I took while he and I
explored the area to the west of my new hometown.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">You may (or may not)
recall that I mentioned in a previous post that I like to set a few
destinations, in a roundabout way, and see what I find.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">In late March, I did just that and took my
dad (in town on a visit) along for the ride.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">If you read LostGirls, you might recognize some of these photos, but
this time I’ll tell you a little bit about them.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> For t</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">his first post we're going to take you to the village of
Bluemont, in western Loudoun County, Virginia.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">The first place
I wanted to visit was the </span><a href="http://bluemontstore.com/history.html" rel="nofollow" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Bluemont General Store</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Bluemont sits at the foot of the Blue Ridge
Mountains in Loudoun County (west of DC).</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">I was curious to see if their store would be at all like the fancy
general store I visited in Healdsburg, CA, a few years ago.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">It isn’t.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">What it is, though, is a general store that’s been around since the
1840s in a lovely building on the Snickersville Turnpike (the town was
originally called Snickersville).</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">The
Bluemont General store carries local produce (from Potomac Vegetable Farms in
Vienna) and locally raised, all natural Angus beef, among many other items. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Oh, and they have really good bottled rootbeer,
but I’ll have to go back to find you the name of the brand we tried.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">If you want to just go for a drive or maybe
visit one of the <a href="http://www.bluemontvineyard.com/" rel="nofollow">local vineyards</a>,</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> the store is a nice place to stop.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">You
can sip rootbeer on their porch or take a shaded break under the 100 year old
maple tree out front.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--kpdZbhWPO4/T5oK63BTV1I/AAAAAAAAAlY/Pt2T0DH_BGA/s1600/3.20.2012+071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--kpdZbhWPO4/T5oK63BTV1I/AAAAAAAAAlY/Pt2T0DH_BGA/s640/3.20.2012+071.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">There is a big
yellow house right next door to the General Store that was for sale in March
(might still be), in case you’re looking.
Snickersville Turnpike wasn’t particularly crowded when we visited
(weekday, mid-morning) and I don’t know about any other landmarks, but the
houses, trees and flowers on that street were quite lovely. The Nielson’s Village Center building, down
the street, looked abandoned but with new signage, so I looked it up and found
<a href="http://www.friends-of-bluemont.org/about-friends/what-we-do.htm" rel="nofollow">Friends of Bluemont</a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">, a preservation society for the village's historic buildings and landmarks. According to their page, the Nielson’s
building was originally a mill, then a dance hall and is currently being
renovated as a shopping center with office space. </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aqLKsCTu0WE/T5oK7zdJ5PI/AAAAAAAAAlo/ZZK89BjjCNU/s1600/3.20.2012+077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aqLKsCTu0WE/T5oK7zdJ5PI/AAAAAAAAAlo/ZZK89BjjCNU/s640/3.20.2012+077.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">If you don’t
think that’s enough reason to go for a visit, check out the annual <a href="http://www.bluemontfair.com/" rel="nofollow">Bluemont Fair</a>. The fair has been held for a
weekend in September for the past 35 years and the entire village serves as a
fairground. Definitely a day in the
country not to be missed. Really, any
day that includes corndogs is not to be missed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794707197741156865.post-10075806503591869972012-04-21T00:50:00.000-04:002012-06-01T23:55:07.736-04:00Local Foodie Lit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3Nd4SaevIdU/T5DQOZD86xI/AAAAAAAAAdg/cbax3gioQhg/s1600/3-4.2012+044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3Nd4SaevIdU/T5DQOZD86xI/AAAAAAAAAdg/cbax3gioQhg/s400/3-4.2012+044.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Yesterday, we received something in the mail called <a href="http://issuu.com/virginiafarmbureau/docs/cultivate_0412" rel="nofollow">Cultivate</a>. My housemate looked over at the stack of mail and said, "Did you order a magazine on growing pot?" I believe I responded with a comment about his intelligence.<br />
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In any case, Cultivate is a magazine that the <a href="http://vafarmbureau.org/NewsVideo/OurMagazines.aspx" rel="nofollow">Virginia Farm Bureau</a> sends to its associate <a href="http://vafarmbureau.org/MemberPrograms.aspx" rel="nofollow">members</a>. It looks like the previous owners of our house were just that (don't worry, we'll forward it on to them). I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened Cultivate, I actually wondered if it was something like <a href="http://flavormagazinevirginia.com/" rel="nofollow">Flavor</a> Magazine (a local indie about local food, wine and sustainable agriculture). After reading this issue, I'd say they're certainly in the same magazine grouping, but I wouldn't tell you to get one instead of the other - they're both good reads. <br />
<br />
To give you an idea of why, as a local (old or new), these two magazines might interest you:<br />
<br />
<b>Cultivate's April 2012 issue</b> starts with a brief explanation of why it is so important to watch out for farming equipment on the roads around here (where I live feels so suburban, but go thirty minutes to west and you're in farmland) which may seem like common sense, but if you've experienced the drivers here, you'll be wishing everyone read about this. <br />
<br />
In addition to a few seasonal recipes, there is a great article on <a href="http://www.farmvetco.org/category/donations/" rel="nofollow">farmer-veteran partnerships</a>. Virginia isn't the only place to have these partnerships, but DC does have a large population of both farmers and military veterans and the article is downright inspiring. Having grown up in California, I am very familiar with farmer's markets, but the DC Metro Area seems much more attuned to sustainable eating and living (CSAs, locavores, etc.). <br />
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I dearly miss the <a href="http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/farmers_market.php" rel="nofollow">Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market</a> in San Francisco (if you're in the Bay Area on a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday, do yourself the favor of going - it's worth braving the crowds) and the <a href="http://www.pcfma.com/market_home.php?market_id=7" rel="nofollow">Martinez Farmer's Market</a>, which was right outside my last job's front door. But there are farmer's markets all over this area (even one in <a href="http://www.fallschurchva.gov/content/government/departments/recparks/farmersmarket/default.aspx" rel="nofollow">Falls Church</a> that is year round) and I'm going to take up the challenge on page 18 to spend $10 a week on local foods (the <a href="http://virginiafoodsystemcouncil.org/10week-campaign/" rel="nofollow">challenge</a> came from the <a href="http://virginiafoodsystemcouncil.org/" rel="nofollow">Virginia Food System Council</a>). Hold on a moment. Go back and click on that link embedded in the word "challenge" and look at that map! <br />
<br />
There's more to read about in Cultivate and if you go back up to its first mention, the April issue is available in the embedded link.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J4-S52NfFkk/T5DQPdJZruI/AAAAAAAAAds/DBn9rlpZyTE/s1600/3-4.2012+045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="365" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J4-S52NfFkk/T5DQPdJZruI/AAAAAAAAAds/DBn9rlpZyTE/s400/3-4.2012+045.JPG" width="400" /></a><b>And then there's <a href="http://flavormagazinevirginia.com/magazine/from-the-edito/" rel="nofollow">Flavor</a>. </b>Instead of telling you about the most recent issue, I have got to tell you about the Winter 2011 issue, which was the first one I picked up. I can't imagine California doesn't have something like this somewhere, but I certainly never read or took interest in it. I saw "The Younger Farmer's Issue" in the magazine aisle of my local grocery store (<a href="http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/HomepageView?storeId=10052&catalogId=10002&langId=-1&clear=true" rel="nofollow">Wegman's</a>) and picked it up because I remember seeing it at a friend's house (and that friend does not farm). You'll love the <i>Local Grazings</i> section, since it is really hard to figure out where to start in an area as big and crazy as the DC metro (and in the suburbs, it's easy to feel disconnected and not realize that you're just over the hill from a great <a href="http://www.bogatibodega.com/index.html" rel="nofollow">winery</a> or a place that makes their own <a href="http://www.luckyleapfarm.com/felted-handcrafted-goat-milk-soap/" rel="nofollow">felted-wool wrapped goat milk soap</a>). If you can get this back issue, the article on the "future of farming" features mini-interviews with local farmers who are all 40 or under, many of whom did not grow up on farms or learning about agriculture. And, of course, there are recipes spread throughout. But if you have any interest in wine, you'll want to turn to the back of the magazine for <i>Terroir</i>, several pages devoted to local wine.<br />
<br />
Since I didn't have time to get pictures of these great magazines (but again, linkage!), I am including a couple of pictures of why I am grateful to my brother and the <a href="http://www.localharvest.org/alexandria-farmers-market-M10191" rel="nofollow">Alexandria Farmer's Market</a>. Picutred is the gift of rosemary focaccia and fresh fruit, which reminds me of breakfasts with <a href="http://betweenthemountainsandthesea.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">my mom in Genoa</a>. And since I can't visit her this year, I'll say goodnight and leave you with my favorite view from her apartment.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYLmNTr6CUn5gL5dG_XIv_FUw26_rvzpYDK8Y7OXq6St08a1X_s5poaAVr-QicprI_TD6NQ7tRaTP2ynhAjTmcm87Q4PplGseVrJ0lOw7vsXVa2Yedbioxv4LanDCEW7Mj6U4qqPNJXHok/s1600/Stormy+Genova.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYLmNTr6CUn5gL5dG_XIv_FUw26_rvzpYDK8Y7OXq6St08a1X_s5poaAVr-QicprI_TD6NQ7tRaTP2ynhAjTmcm87Q4PplGseVrJ0lOw7vsXVa2Yedbioxv4LanDCEW7Mj6U4qqPNJXHok/s640/Stormy+Genova.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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</div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247736025298518449noreply@blogger.com0